CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PATIENCE WIPED DOWN the counter. It was ten-thirty and only a few people were in the store. Day five in the life of Brew-haha and all was going well.
There was a steady stream of customers from the moment she opened until around nine. Then things slowed until closer to lunch. There was another late-afternoon rush followed by a post-dinner surge. So far they’d had to toss people out at closing.
Just as exciting, the merchandise was selling well. Brew-haha mugs and aprons were moving briskly. She’d reordered both yesterday, and if sales kept up like this, she would have sold her projected numbers for an entire month in the first week.
She knew that some of the sales came from locals, and once they had their inventory, they wouldn’t bother to buy more anytime soon. However, she’d been keeping track and nearly sixty percent of the purchases were from tourists, which was a very happy piece of news. Because tourists were forever.
The front door opened and a tall, thin blonde walked in. Patience studied her for a second before remembering.
“Hi, Noelle,” she said. “Thanks for coming back.”
“I wanted to see how you were doing with your new store. I came by yesterday, but you were really busy.”
Patience held up her right hand with the first two fingers crossed. “So far things are going great. I’m happy.” She motioned to a quiet table by the window. “Do you have a second to stay?”
“I’d like that.”
Patience walked behind the counter. “What can I get you?”
“A latte, please.”
A few minutes later Patience carried over two lattes and a plate of cookies. The other woman was thin enough that she wasn’t sure Noelle ate things like sugar or chocolate, but her mother had raised her to always offer a snack with a beverage.
“Thanks,” Noelle said, taking the mug. “I love what you’ve done with the store. It’s inviting without being fussy.” She smiled. “I’m much more a fussy type of person.”
Patience smiled. “Sounds like you’d have a lot in common with my daughter. She has every stuffed animal she’s ever owned.” Most of them were currently curled up with Justice—a place Patience wouldn’t mind being herself, she thought with a sigh.
“I can respect her commitment to the child–stuffed animal relationship,” Noelle said, her blue eyes bright with amusement. She took a sip of her latte. “It’s perfect.”
“Thank you. The machine makes it easy. It was a huge part of our start-up costs, but worth it. You mentioned you were thinking of opening a store yourself. Is that still going to happen?”
Noelle nodded. “I’ve signed a lease. I’m hoping to get my place open by mid-August.” She took a breath. “It’s a Christmas store. The Christmas Attic.”
“I love it,” Patience said. “It’s perfect for this town. You’ll bring in some tourists all year round and then go crazy at the holidays.”
“I hope so. That’s why I want to open plenty early. So I can get myself together in time for the holiday rush.” She took another sip of her drink. “There’s a lot to do to get started.”
Patience leaned toward her. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I thought I was drowning and I barely have any inventory compared to what you’ll be doing.”
“I’ve been having lots of fun figuring out what I want to carry. There are several national and international gift shows. I’ve gone to a couple and was seriously overwhelmed. Now I’m talking to distributors and looking for artists. I want to have more unique items, if possible.”
“Sounds ambitious.”
“It is. I hope I’m up to it.”
Patience hesitated, not wanting to pry. “Do you come from a retail background?”
“Not at all.” Noelle hesitated. “I’m a lawyer, or I was. I grew up in Florida and moved to Los Angeles.”
Lawyer to retail? Patience would bet there was a story that went with that decision. “You have both coasts covered.”
“The southern part of them.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I put a pin in a map. When I opened my eyes, it was stuck in Fool’s Gold, so here I am.” She sipped again. “I was ready to make a change.”
Which didn’t give Patience much information and left her with a lot of questions. But Noelle didn’t seem to want to share her entire life story. People from other places expected privacy. It took them a while to figure out that in a small town, there weren’t many secrets.
“I’m glad you found us,” she said instead. “And I can’t wait for the store to open.”
“My grandmother helped raise me and I remember she always talked about what it was like when she was little. She grew up in New England. Their house had an attic. She made it sound like a wonderful place, filled with old treasures. I want to re-create that. Sort of. You know, in an upscale, appealingly retail kind of way.”
“Of course.”
She studied Noelle. The other woman was pretty, if a little too pale. More ethereal, she thought, then glanced at Noelle’s left hand. There wasn’t a ring and she couldn’t tell if she saw a slight indentation where one had been or was imagining it.
“Did you bring any family with you?” she asked.
“No. There’s just me. I packed up my place in L.A. and moved it all here. I’m renting here until I get the store up and running. I was a little nervous about being in a new town, but everyone has been very friendly.”
“It’s a Fool’s Gold thing. We’re welcoming.” Patience picked up her latte. “You know, there are a few new businesses in town. You and me. My friend Isabel is running her family’s wedding-gown store. It’s called Paper Moon. It’s not a permanent move for her, but she’s been thrown into the retail world, as well. We should start a support group. I’ll talk to Mayor Marsha about it.”
“Really? That would be great. I keep reading statistics about how many new businesses fail. I don’t want to be one of them.”
“Me, either,” Patience said. “I’m terrified I’m going to really screw things up.”
“I don’t think you have to worry. I’m hearing wonderful things about your store. But if you get nervous, let me know if I can help.”
“I will,” Patience told her. “Thank you.”
Noelle laughed. “I’m not being all that nice. I might need you to return the favor later this year.”
“I’m happy to do it.”
Noelle looked around. “I think I was very lucky when I picked Fool’s Gold. This town is exactly what I was looking for.”
“I’m glad, too,” Patience said, even as she wondered what Noelle wasn’t saying. There were mysteries in the other woman’s past. An interesting story. No doubt she would find out what it was with time.
* * *
“ALL THE kids are talking about summer vacation,” Lillie said. “I’m excited, too, but I like school.”
Justice sat on the sofa in the McGraw living room. Ava was running an errand and Patience was still at work. Today was his first day out of bed and downstairs. He was weak, but healing.
“It’s good that you like school,” Justice told the girl.
“That’s what my mom says. Some of my friends don’t like school at all. They say the tests are too hard, but I think they don’t study.” She bit her lower lip. “You won’t tell them I said that, will you?”
“Of course not.”
“Good.” She smiled. “I’m going out to dinner tonight.”
“I heard. With Ava and Steve.”
“We’re going up to the resort on the mountain. To the fancy restaurant. I have a special dress and Mom’s going to do my hair.”
“I want to see you before you go.”
“You will,” she promised.
She chatted on about a book she was reading and her upcoming summer camp. With Lillie there was always an activity planned or a place to go. She was a happy, busy kid with lots of friends running in and out of the house.
The three of them had made a good life for themselves, he thought. Found a rhythm that worked for them. But he suspected there had been tough years. Times when money had been tight and they’d had a lot of burdens.
As Lillie talked about a new movie she wanted to see, he wondered how his life would have been different if he’d had an ordinary job with regular hours and no flying bullets. If he’d been able to settle down.
He watched Lillie as she talked, her brown eyes filled with enthusiasm and intelligence. She was generous and kind, funny. So little of life’s tragedies had touched her, and he didn’t want that to change. He feared that while he might be able to imitate regular life, he couldn’t actually live it. That there would always be something off inside him.
If that was the case, he couldn’t risk inflicting himself on someone. But even as the thought occurred, he wondered if he was taking on too much. If, in fact, he was so used to lurking in the shadows, he’d grown fearful of sunlight. Logic told him the ghosts had long been laid to rest. Now it was up to him to make sense of his life.
Lillie turned to him. “Justice, I have a question.”
“Sure. What is it?”
She regarded him thoughtfully. “Why did my dad go away?”
He reached for her small hand and took it in his. “I don’t know,” he told her honestly. “Because he was scared of the responsibility, I guess. His leaving wasn’t about you. You were a baby at the time. You had nothing to do with what was going on.”
“But if I hadn’t been born, he might have stayed.”
Justice felt a pain far worse than the bullet wound. “No, he wouldn’t have stayed. He was always going to leave. It’s just who he was.” He slowly shifted until he was facing her. “You have more than one friend, right?”
She nodded, her expression solemn.
“If something happens, like a dog gets loose in the school yard, you know which friend is going to think it’s funny and which one is going to worry about the dog and which one will just ignore everything.”
Lillie tilted her head. “You’re right. They’d all say or do something different.”
“And you can predict their behavior based on what they’ve done in the past. You have the friend who is always late and the one who always does her homework.”
“I get it.” She drew in a breath. “So you’re saying my dad left because he would always leave?”
“Uh-huh. He didn’t leave because of you. It’s what he was going to do.”
“That makes sense but I still feel bad about it.”
“I know,” he told her. “I feel bad, too. He’s missing out on a pretty great kid.”
She gave him a slow smile. “You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. I’m telling the truth. I’m glad I got to know you, Lillie.”
“Me, too.”
She leaned in and hugged him. Her arms tightened around him, sending fiery pain ripping through his midsection, but he didn’t say a word. Instead he hugged her back and welcomed the feel of her affection and trust.
Ten minutes later she’d run off to get ready for her dinner out. Shortly after that, Patience arrived home.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said as she hurried into the living room. “We’re so busy at the store and I got to talking.” She stopped and stared at him. “You’re downstairs.”
“I noticed that.”
“Should you be? Are you pushing things?”
“I climbed down slowly. It’s time for me to be up and around.”
She didn’t look convinced. “There’s a big difference between up and around and being stupid. You’re not crossing the line, are you?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not.”
She and Lillie had similar eyes. Not just in the warm brown color but also in the shape. They could both look so damned earnest.
“Because you were just shot.”
“I know. I was there.” He patted the sofa. “Come tell me about your day. How’s the store?”
“Busy. Fun. We’re getting into tourist season, which I’ve never paid much attention to before. While we’d get the occasional out-of-town appointment at the salon, we never catered to tourists. Pia was by today to drop off maps and festival schedules.” Patience settled next to him.
“I’m worried about her,” she continued.
“Pia?” He wasn’t sure he’d met the woman in question.
“Yes. She had a kind of mini-meltdown a few weeks ago and now seems really scattered. She brought in the maps and schedules, then came back an hour later to deliver them again. When she saw she’d already put them out, she just stood there, staring at the display. It was weird.”
“Does she have family?”
“Uh-huh. She’s married with three kids.”
“If you’re still concerned in a few days, you should talk to her husband.”
“Maybe I’ll go see one of her friends instead. Charity Golden is the city planner and she and Pia are tight.” She shook her head. “Sorry. You didn’t want to hear all that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“That’s really nice, even if I don’t believe you.” She smiled at him. “We’re hiring new people.”
“That’s good news.”
“It is. My mom’s handling the interviews. There are more people interested in starting their day at five-thirty in the morning than I would have thought. There’s been talk about starting a support group for those of us dealing with a new business. Isabel’s store isn’t new, but she doesn’t have much retail experience. And Noelle is opening her Christmas store in a couple of weeks. Have you met her?”
“No.”
“She’s really nice.”
Patience kept talking, but he wasn’t listening. Not to her words, anyway. He liked the sound of her voice, how she used her hands when she talked. Her eyes mirrored her emotions. From what he could tell, she was lousy at faking what she felt.
She would never make it in his business, never be one of those who could blend in, pretending for the sake of the mission. What was that old expression? She wore her heart on her sleeve.
She was tender and sweet and he wanted to get lost inside her, even if it was only for a couple of hours. Just being close to her made him more content.
“...open in August.” She paused expectantly.
“Will it be a festival weekend?” he asked, having listened enough to know they were still talking about Noelle’s store.
“I didn’t think to check that. I should mention that to her. What a great idea.” She rewarded him with a smile bright enough to power Fool’s Gold for a week.
A loud crash came from upstairs.
“You okay?” Patience yelled.
“I’m fine, Mom. But a drawer came out of my dresser.”
“Because she pulls them open with great enthusiasm,” Patience said with a laugh as she rose. “I need to check on her.”
“No problem.”
“Be thinking about what you want to do about dinner. If you’re feeling strong enough, we’ll eat down here. Otherwise, we’ll have a very delicious meal in her room.”
“The kitchen is fine,” he said, knowing if they went upstairs, it wouldn’t be for a meal. Because he’d reached the point where it was impossible for him to be around Patience and not want her. A dilemma he had yet to solve.
“Probably for the best,” she said as she headed for the stairs. “I think my mom started soup in the Crock-Pot. That could get very messy on a tray.”
* * *
IT TOOK NEARLY an hour for Patience to get Lillie dressed and her hair curled, then to see her daughter and her mother out the door. When they’d driven away, she hurried back to the living room.
“I’m sorry,” she said, coming to a stop in front of Justice. “You must be starving. The soup is all ready. I just have to heat some biscuits and serve the salad and we’ll be good to go.”
He stood slowly, his dark gaze never leaving her face. “Dinner can wait.”
“But it’s nearly six. Did you have a late lunch? Are you—”
He stepped around the coffee table and moved toward her. When he was close, he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his mouth to hers.
His lips claimed her with a sensual tenderness that left her equally weak and aroused. He put his hands on her waist and drew her against him.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she murmured, desperate to cling to him but mindful that he was still healing. “You were shot.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true. You lost blood and passed out.”
“I was tired.”
“You weren’t tired.” She put her fingers on his shoulders and stared into his eyes. “Are you sure we can do this?”
Not that she wasn’t interested, because she was. A single kiss and a little close proximity was plenty. Even as she stood there looking calm and concerned on the outside, on the inside she was already tingling.
Her skin was tight and hot. Her breasts ached and she felt pressure low in her belly. Classic arousal, she thought. Figures that Justice would be the one guy who could turn her on without even trying.
He moved one of his hands from her chin to the back of her head. He slipped his fingers through her hair and held her in place, then leaned in and pressed his mouth to her cheek, then her chin, then her jaw. The light, feathery touches were punctuated by soft words.
“I would very much like to try,” he whispered. “If you don’t mind being on top.”
His lips moved against hers. She drew back slightly.
“On top, huh?”
“If you don’t mind.”
She’d never been one to be aggressive sexually and was a bit nervous about taking control, but this was Justice. She could trust him. Just as important, she wanted him. Needed him.
His dark gaze was steady as she took his hand and led him toward the stairs.
They made their way to the second floor. Last time their lovemaking had been about rushed passion and heat. This time the desire still threatened to suck all the air from the room, but she was more conscious, more deliberate.
She took him into her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Light still spilled in from outside. She closed the curtains, then returned to stand in front of him. She carefully unbuttoned the front of his shirt, then slid it off his shoulders.
His gunshot wounds were still bandaged, the white gauze and tape a contrast to his tanned skin.
“You were really hurt,” she murmured. “I have my doubts about this.”
“I don’t.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his groin. He was already hard.
She looked up at him and saw the fire in his eyes.
“I want you, Patience. I always have.”
“How am I supposed to resist that?” she asked, then raised herself on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.
As their mouths moved together, she ran her hands up and down his arms. He shifted closer and pulled her against him. She parted for him and he eased his tongue into her mouth.
At the first stroke, she felt her blood heat. Liquid desire poured through her, making her weak and causing her to tremble. She needed him. She wanted to be naked in front of him, vulnerable. She wanted to give all she had, to connect with him.
She stepped back far enough to reach for his belt and then unfasten his jeans. One eyebrow rose.
“Taking charge?” he asked.
“You have a problem with that?”
“Not at all.”
He stepped out of his shoes, then bent down and pulled off his socks. She undid the zipper and pushed the fabric down. His briefs went with his jeans and he stepped out of his clothes.
He was naked before her. Aroused, masculine, his erection jutting toward her. She took him in her hand and rubbed the length of him. His blue eyes closed to slits as his breath came out in a hiss.
She tugged off her T-shirt, then kicked off her own shoes. The rest of her clothes followed until she was as naked as he. She gave him a little push toward the bed.
“Maybe you’d like to assume the position.”
He chuckled. “So it’s going to be like that, is it?”
“I hope so.”
He stretched out on the mattress, leaving enough room for her to slide in next to him. When he would have raised himself up on one elbow, she gently but inexorably pushed him onto his back.
“You can’t strain anything,” she told him. “You’re still in recovery.” She couldn’t help smiling. “I get to do what I want.”
“Are you taunting or bragging?”
“Both.”
She sat up and surveyed the situation, trying to decide what to do first. With a very naked Justice in her bed, the options were all tempting.
She rolled over to her hands and knees, then bent down to kiss him. He parted for her, his tongue ready to dance with hers. At the same time he reached up between them and cupped her breasts in his hands. After settling her curves into the palms of his hands, he used his forefingers and thumbs to tease her nipples.
Need flowed from her breasts to that place between her legs. The ache of arousal made her moan low in her throat. She kissed him deeper. Her hair tumbled down, brushing against his face and shoulders.
He shifted one of his hands from her breast to the inside of her thigh. He moved that hand upward until his fingers reached for her swollen center and began to explore.
He found the very heart of her but then moved on. He slipped a single finger deep into her before withdrawing it. He moved down the other inner thigh before sliding it up slowly, so slowly.
She raised her head and waited.
“Patience?”
She opened her eyes and found him watching her. Before she could figure out what he wanted, he moved his fingers into place, circling against her center, making her gasp with pleasure.
He gave her a slow smile. “That’s almost the best part. Watching you enjoy what I’m doing.”
“It works for me, too,” she whispered, finding it difficult to speak when all she wanted to do was focus on his touch.
He moved with a certainty that allowed her to give herself over to the sensations he created. The steady rhythm of his fingers against her clit sent heat spiraling through her. She rocked back and forth, moving in time with him, pressing down a little and finding it more difficult to catch her breath.
Wanting grew as she strained for her release. She bent down and kissed him, her tongue tangling with his. He slipped two fingers inside her and pressed up, slid out and repeated the motion. On his second thrust, she lost herself in her climax, her body shuddering. Muscles tensed and relaxed, her eyes sank closed.
When she’d finished, she drew back and saw him smiling.
“Good for me,” he told her.
“You should feel it from this side.”
She stretched out to open her nightstand drawer and pulled out a box of condoms. They were freshly purchased, which had given her a bit of embarrassment, but she’d been determined to act like a grown-up and take responsibility for protection.
He arched an eyebrow. “I see I don’t have to send you back to my room.”
“No, you don’t.”
She handed him the protection and he slipped it on; then he guided her as she straddled him. She slowly, oh, so slowly, eased herself over his erection, then sank down.
He filled her completely. She moaned softly as newly excited nerves vibrated through her body. His breath caught and he swore softly. She braced herself on her hands, he placed his fingers on her breasts and then she began to move.
They made love carefully, her body sliding over his, moving up and down. He rode with her, arching his hips and keeping pace. Her eyes locked with his as the speed increased. She was aware of her rising tension, of the way she could feel every inch of him filling her, stretching her, taking her higher and higher.
He stroked her nipples, then squeezed them gently. She moved faster, sliding up and down on his erection, taking him deeper and deeper, pushing harder, wanting more.
She was getting closer. Her breathing increased until she could only gasp and push and pump, over and over until she had no choice but to find her release.
She cried out as she came. He stiffened beneath her, his hands moving to her hips and holding her in place as he pushed in and groaned. They were still as the waves of pleasure moved through them, and then he pulled her down and kissed her.