Chapter Ten
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Shannon looked up from the phone in her hand when Rachel unlocked the door to the office and walked in. John’s fiancé grinned. “Hey, Rachel. How are you feeling?”
She’d been asked that so many times in the past few days it had obliterated her last nerve, but it seemed different coming from Shannon. “I’m actually not too bad. Once I get these itchy stitches out I’ll be as good as new.”
Shannon looked at her forearm with an understanding nod. “John would have pulled them out by now if he were the one injured.”
Rachel sighed. “Yeah, I probably would have too, but there’s one little section deeper than the rest. I’ll let the stitches do their job. Then I’ll yank them.”
Laughing, Shannon circled the desk to plop down into her chair, hand going to her barely-there belly. “Are you just here to visit or work?”
Rachel shrugged. “Whatever. Who’s here?”
“No one right now. It’s pretty dead today. Even Duncan went home this weekend.”
Damn, Rachel thought. The world must be ending. That kind of derailed her plan.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Rachel looked at the small, pretty woman and took her courage in hand. “Are you busy?”
Shannon blinked and glanced down at the blotter, then back up. “No, not really. A client came in this morning to drop off a check but I’m pretty much free now. I was just catching up on some tax stuff. Why?”
Rachel shifted on her feet, a little uncomfortable. “Were you serious when you offered to go shopping with me?”
Excitement lightened Shannon’s pretty hazel eyes. “Of course I was. Let me put a few things away and we can lock up on our way out.”
Rachel wondered what she’d let herself in for. Shannon was really nice, but would she be able to spend hours with her?
It turned out that she could. John’s fiancé was truly a remarkable woman, but Rachel had kind of already known that. Hell, the woman damn near had to be a saint to be able to put up with Palmer’s nasty disposition.
As they went from store to store, though, at the Northfield Stapleton Mall, Rachel realized how much feminine information was packed into Shannon’s head. Yes, a lot of it was basic and usable for most women, but Rachel doubted she would use it very often. They went to a high-end department store and received tips on make-up. Though she cringed at the ridiculous prices, Rachel bought a couple of items like some foundation and eye shadow that even she had to admit looked good on her and made her eyes seem luminous.
Over her objections, Shannon escorted her to a clothing store with gear that seemed to be a little young for her. She cringed at some of the displays.
“Don’t you like dresses?”
Rachel frowned. “No. No dresses. Definitely not my cup of tea.”
“But are they his cup of tea?”
Did Dean like dresses? With a sigh she conceded he probably did. Most men did, right? “Yeah, maybe.”
Shannon pulled a couple of dresses from the racks that weren’t completely hideous, so Rachel stepped into the changing room to try them on. On the first one, the top was definitely skimpier than what she was used to and the bottom felt completely exposed! She had to check the mirror several times to make sure that the fabric wasn’t tucked into her panties or something. It felt too drafty.
Shannon’s eyes widened when Rachel stepped out and she moved forward to tug at a couple of folds. “Dude, you look hot in this,” she hissed. “With your body you can pull off just about anything you put on.”
Rachel wasn’t convinced. The biggest drawback was that the scar on her neck was exposed. There were a few other women around but as soon as she became aware of them it felt like they were all looking at her. “I’m not sure I can wear this.”
Shannon retrieved a sweater type thing from a nearby rack. “Would this make you more comfortable?”
Rachel swallowed, so appreciative that Shannon seemed to understand her reticence. Shrugging the shoulder cover on, Rachel turned to look at the three-reflection mirror. “Okay, maybe I don’t look hideous in this.”
Shannon laughed lightly. “I told you, you look hot!”
Hot would be stretching it. Better than expected would be more accurate. She turned, looking at as many views as she could. Yes, she had a decent shape. Maybe better than average boobs. Her legs were strong and lean. “What shoes would I wear with this?”
Shannon produced a pair of strappy flat sandals from a nearby shelf. Impressed, Rachel looked at the small woman and wondered how the heck she knew what size Rachel wore in everything. Shannon grinned at her and winked.
Rachel walked out of the store with several new outfits, including the dress and sandals. She had tried everything on and gotten Shannon’s approval. And before she knew what was going on, she had told Shannon all about Dean.
“He sounds like a total sweetheart,” Shannon had sighed at one point. “It probably doesn’t matter what you wear for him.”
Rachel agreed. But she still bought the clothes, for herself as much as for him.
After hitting several other stores and taking the bags to the car, they stopped for dinner at a popular eatery known for their ribs.
“I think I can eat an entire pig,” Shannon sighed. “I can’t believe how hungry I’ve been the past few weeks. The nausea is finally easing up. Anything is better than that.”
Rachel wished she could compare stories with Shannon about babies and pregnancies, but it wasn’t actually anything she’d ever considered part of her future. Not until Dean.
“Is Palmer happy?”
They were interrupted by the waiter just then, of course. They gave their order and Rachel sipped at her Diet-Coke as Shannon thought about the question. “I think overall he’s happy, but he’s worried, too. I mean, handling a baby isn’t easy even when you have legs, so he’s really going to have to adapt. We’re going to have to develop ways for him to take part in the baby’s life.” She sighed, sipping her water. “I wouldn’t change John for anything but there are times I wish there were easier ways for him to do things.”
Rachel nodded, totally understanding. Every one of the men she worked with were amazing in spite of the fact that they couldn’t live the way they used to. They all had a different reality. “I think he’ll rock being a dad just like he does everything else.”
Shannon nodded, a contented smile on her face. “He will and our kids will be amazing.” She leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table. “Have you ever thought about having kids?”
Tit for tat. Rachel supposed she needed to be as honest and open as Shannon and answer. “Yes, a little, but there was never anyone to have them with. Dean is the first guy to enter my life who I would even consider having children with…like ever.”
And though she hadn’t thought about it so specifically like that, she realized her words were true. Dean was a great guy. He would be a fabulous husband and a terrific father.
After dinner the women hiked back to the car and Shannon drove them back to the office, where they’d left Rachel’s bike. Shannon was anxious to get back to Palmer and looking worn out, to boot. Rachel leaned forward and gave the woman a tight hug. “Thank you so much for taking me out today and spending my money.”
Shannon laughed. “Anytime, hon!”
With a little wave Rachel exited the car and walked to the motorcycle, bags in hand. It was a challenge stowing the bags, but she managed.
When she arrived home she realized how tired she was, too. Who knew shopping was this exhausting? Dropping the bags to the floor she moved into her bedroom, shucking clothes as she went. The hot water of the shower washed away some of her tiredness and relaxed the muscles in her neck. As she dried off, she wondered what Dean was doing just then. She hadn’t heard from him all day.
The green light on her cell-phone blinked, indicating she had a message. As she swiped the screen she grinned. Speak of the devil.
Hey, beautiful. Wondering if you had time for a call? Just got off shift.
Rather than typing out a message she dialed his number. Dean answered on the first ring.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No,” she said, settling to the mattress. “I just got home, actually. Shannon and I went shopping.”
“Shannon?”
“Oh, she’s the Office Manager for LNF and the fiancé of one of the partners. Nice lady.”
“Ah, okay. I’m glad you had fun.”
Rachel reached a corner of her towel up to squeeze the end of her dripping hair. “I did. And I didn’t expect to. I guess I didn’t expect to get along with her so well but she surprised me with how cool she was.”
“Well,” he said slowly, “that’s good, right?”
“Oh, yes, of course. I don’t have a lot of girlfriends here so it was nice.”
“What spurred the outing?”
Rachel hesitated, unwilling to tell him she’d gone shopping for dates with him. “Well, actually, we went shopping for clothes.”
The silence stretched on his end. “Did you get anything nice?”
Rachel grinned at the interest she heard in his voice, and she thought of the pink and black striped lingerie bag in the hallway. “Well, maybe…”
“You tease,” he whispered.
Laughing, she reclined back onto the bed, wondering if it was too late for him to come over. “Well, it’s not teasing if there’s follow-through, right?”
Again, silence drew out and she wondered if she’d gone too far. “It’s teasing if it can’t be acted upon for the foreseeable future. I have an early shift tomorrow.”
Moaning, she sat up against the headboard. “Okay. I guess I’ll be good.”
Dean laughed on the other end of the line, a full-throated, deep chuckle. “I guess somebody is feeling better today.”
“I am, definitely.”
Yes, the stitches still itched like a bitch and a half, but the skin beneath them was healing. She would give them two more days before they got pulled. The contusions around the gash on her face were beginning to yellow out as well. A few more days and it wouldn’t even be visible. And today had been the first day she hadn’t noticed the bruises on her calf aching with every step. The only thing she had noticed was some tenderness down below. When they’d made love she’d started using muscles that hadn’t been used in a long time. Things were a bit sore, but there was a satisfaction in using those muscles again.
“Why don’t you come over after your shift? I’ll throw together something for dinner.” Rachel cringed, wondering what kind of microwave dinners he would eat.
Dean seemed a little surprised too. “Okay,” he drawled. “I’ll be over after I stop at my apartment and change. Want me to bring a movie or something?”
“Sure. Anything.”
The conversation began to dwindle but neither one seemed willing to hang up. Finally, frustrated with all of these too-girly emotions swirling around her, Rachel told him goodnight and hung up the phone.
Just a few minutes later she was sound asleep.
* * *
For Dean, early Sunday shift was one of the best to work. Ninety percent of the people in Denver were either sleeping in or attending church. The other ten percent were heading for their favorite hiking trails. It was going to be a beautiful day today and the outdoors were calling. If he weren’t working it was where he would be as well.
Because it was so quiet, though, the hours dragged on. He looked for traffic violations but didn’t find many. No alarm checks, no welfare checks. Nothing happened until an hour before his shift ended. Then he and another car were dispatched for a hit and run multi-car pile-up. Tapping out a quick message he told Rachel he would be as quick as possible, then ran hot to the scene.