Chapter 15
The one thing Naomi had never imagined when seeing her family again was this scenario—being somewhat wet and nearly naked after having had the most amazing sex of her life.
She stared blankly at her mother, her sister, and her sister’s fiancé, all standing on her doorstep. They stared back.
“Did you not get my message?” her mother asked. “Can we come in?”
“What? No. I mean, yes, come in. No, I didn’t get your message.” She gave her mom and sister a weak hug, tried to ignore Kyle’s amused grin, and did her best to escape. But her mother had an iron grip on her arm.
“We obviously caught you by surprise.”
“You could say that.” She cleared her throat and motioned them inside. “Come in, come in. Sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be coming so soon.”
Her mother laughed, though Naomi didn’t see anything funny about any of it. “With the awards banquet a week earlier than we originally thought, your sister and I decided to come sooner. We’ll be out of your way, we promise. But we…”
Her mother’s words trailed off, and she let her go. Naomi heard footsteps behind her and knew they’d caught a glimpse of Reid. She wanted to sink through the floor. Please, God, be wearing clothes… It was as if the years had fallen away and she was sixteen again, caught kissing her boyfriend by the front door. Except she and Reid had done much more than kiss.
She turned to see him dressed and clean, his hair damp but not too noticeably. He grinned at her and stepped to take her under his arm. He kissed her cheek, a clear claiming and one she didn’t know if she should respond to.
Harley beat her to it. “Oh, so this must be the new boyfriend. Hi, I’m Harley.” She held out a hand, which Reid shook. “And this is my fiancé, Kyle.”
More hand shaking.
Her mother gaped at them. “What happened to Tanner?”
It would have been too good to be true that Harley had filled their mother in, but no, Harley had this once kept Naomi’s private life private. Loyalty never had stopped Harley from ratting her out for every infraction when younger.
“Tanner wasn’t good enough for Naomi,” Reid cut in, giving Naomi a warm squeeze. “Hi, Mrs. Starr. Reid Griffith. Nice to meet you.” He neither confirmed nor denied the boyfriend part. Smart. She wanted to kiss him for that.
“We’ll be right back,” she said, dragging him away before her mother could interrogate him.
She heard laughter behind her as she raced with Reid back down the hall and shut them both in her bedroom. “Oh my God! It’s like I’m living a nightmare.”
He sat on the bed and watched her dress in a rush. “I’m a nightmare?”
“What?” She finished zipping up her jeans and had just fastened her bra. “Of course not.”
He crooked his finger for her to come to him.
“I have to finish dressing…”
“Naomi, come here.”
She huffed and stomped to him, feeling like a recalcitrant toddler and no doubt resembling the part.
His hug soothed as words wouldn’t have.
They stayed that way for a moment, then Reid kissed her belly and pushed her back to look up at her. “Better?”
“A little.” She smiled down at him.
He cleared his throat. “Might want to put on a shirt before I forget your family’s in the other room.”
Blushing, she threw on a T-shirt and sat to put on some socks. “I’m so sorry for all this.”
He laughed. “I’m not. I’m seeing you frazzled for the first time. It’s kind of fun.”
She glared.
He laughed again. “I mean that in the nicest way.”
“My family drives me nuts.”
“You’ve met Cash, right? You think I don’t know crazy?” He had her there. “Look. It’s no biggie. I’ll straighten your mom out that you and I are just friends and—”
“You will do no such thing.” She stood so fast, she grew dizzy as she loomed over him. “I’m sorry for this, but I need you to do me a huge favor.” She felt like an utter idiot. “Can you just pretend to be my boyfriend for a while? A few days at most? Just to keep them happy and off my back?”
* * *
Reid watched as his usually calm, professional, composed lover turned into a nervous wreck right in front of him. He couldn’t say why, but seeing her so out of her element amused and touched him in a way. Naomi needed his help, and he had no intention of refusing her.
“Sure. Just for you. But that means you’ll owe me a favor back. I guess we’re no longer just friends with benefits. Now we’re friends with favors too.”
“Friend with favors.” She snorted. “How do I get myself into these situations?”
“It’s happened before?” This he had to hear.
“No. I just mean…” She sighed. “I still have no idea how we got here. I stormed into your office to help your business help mine. I’m supposed to just be pushing your company to reach a new plateau. And now we’re having sex and you’re pretending to be my boyfriend so my mother won’t give me a ton of crap about Tanner.” She paled. “Please, whatever you do, don’t tell her you’re a client of mine. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I take it she didn’t approve of you and Tanner?” He didn’t either.
“No.” She started pacing. “I know I’m thirty, a grown woman. But you have no idea how much haranguing I get when I talk to them. I could do without lectures from her, Harley, Kyle, and eventually Ben.”
“No problem.” When she passed the next time, he grabbed her hand to stop her, then tugged her with him out the door. “Besides,” he whispered as they walked down the hallway toward her family. “We’re already together, and we like it. Why not just polish the relationship up a little? My favor-friend? I mean, girlfriend?” He kissed her ear, pleased when she gave a small shiver and playfully smacked his arm.
“Stop that,” she growled. But her grip on his hand tightened, and she held him as if their connection meant more than a ruse.
Or maybe he was projecting.
In any case, they met her family once again, a united front. He noted the family resemblance among the Starr women, though her mother and sister seemed more blond than redhead. Kyle turned out to be a nice guy, protective of Harley and devoted to keeping the peace. He managed Naomi’s sister easily and with respect and sat on the couch with her rubbing her feet while Naomi’s mother gave Reid the third degree.
“So you own a moving company and you live with your brother near here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Hmm. Ma’am—you sound military. What branch?”
“The best.” He grinned at Naomi’s eye roll. “Marine Corps.”
“And you met my daughter how again?”
“We ran into each other, and she recognized the name of my company. My brother was on the news stopping a burglary, and it’s made us pretty popular lately. One conversation led to a coffee and then this. Us.” He smiled at Naomi, wondering if she knew how hunted she looked.
Did that make him the big bad wolf? He sure as hell liked feeling as if he were a real boyfriend, talking to her mother, helping her deal with a tough situation. Usually, feeling needed left a sour taste in his mouth. He did whatever he could but felt tremendous pressure to keep everyone happy.
With Naomi, he wanted her to need him more. And her contentment eased his mood, made the burden of care seem as natural as breathing.
“Call me Kim, for goodness sake, Reid.” Mrs. Starr kept staring from him to Naomi. She paused a moment, her eyes like her daughter’s. “So, I take it you’re coming with us to Ben’s dinner on Thursday?”
“If he can,” Naomi hurriedly cut in. “He’s been swamped at work lately.”
“But I’ll do my best to be there,” he promised. And he meant it.
Naomi gave him a grateful smile.
Her mother continued to study them.
Naomi gave him a not-so-subtle nudge. “It’s okay, Reid. I know you need to get back to Cash. Thanks for staying, but you don’t want to be late.”
His cue. He nodded. “Great meeting you all.”
They waved and said goodbye. Naomi walked him to the door and murmured, “Thanks again for all this. I’ll find a way to get you out of Ben’s dinner.”
“I want to go. It’s okay.”
She paused. “You do?”
“Sure. I like seeing this side of you.”
She huffed. “The flaky, neurotic side?”
He grinned. “Yeah. It’s cute.”
She snickered. “Lame, but I appreciate the backup.” She glanced over her shoulder, and he noted her mother watching them closely. “I’ve gotta go back and get grilled over you and Tanner. Guess I should let her know I’ve got a new business too.”
“Oh, this keeps getting better.”
“I know.” She shook her head. Then she looked into his eyes and grabbed both his hands. “I’ll be thinking about you and your mom. Please call me if you need anything. I mean it, Reid. We’re more than pretend dates, you know.”
Because he had to, he leaned close to kiss her. For her mother’s benefit, he said, “See you soon, beautiful.” In a lower voice, he added, “Can’t wait to meet your perfect brother too.”
She shoved him out the door, laughing as he went.
It wasn’t until he was halfway home that he realized his mother’s situation hadn’t changed yet his acceptance of her decline had. And that Naomi was the reason he felt so relaxed about his changing future.
Upon his return home, he noted Cash’s car missing.
Reid turned around and drove for the hospital instead.
* * *
The weekend passed without incident. Though Cash had been shaken by their mother’s condition, it didn’t stop him from hitting the gym or going out drinking with the Jacksons.
Reid met with Evan for a game of bowling, if only to drag his cousin out from under the thumb of the “blond dictator,” his boss at work. Reid had to wonder if Evan really had that much assigned work to do or if he piled it on himself. His cousin did have a tendency to want to excel at everything. As bad as Reid with the need to come in first all the time.
Because second place was for losers.
Reid could almost hear his father saying those exact words Monday morning as he got himself his first cup of “office” coffee. He really did need to look into that coffee Naomi served at her place. After grabbing his cup, he headed down the hallway toward the conference room. A glance at his watch showed they had another twenty minutes before opening for business. Enough time to go over the weekly schedule.
In the conference room, an issue rose with one of the new guys. Doing his best to delegate responsibility, Reid nodded to Finley to handle things. Finley rolled his eyes, and Reid bit back a grin as he sat in the back.
Mannie ignored Reid and confronted Finley while the others waited around for their assignments. The only team not present were Lafayette and Hector, who were working a four-day move they’d started Friday.
“I don’t see why I have to wait to go out. Just send me and Stan together,” Mannie said to Finley.
Reid had to wonder if Cash had been present, would Mannie have been so quick to jump down Finley’s throat? He tamped down a flash of resentment. Sure, everyone needed Reid to keep the books and the business straight, but as usual, they sought Cash when they wanted leadership. Usually Reid let it go, but sometimes it bothered him more than he liked.
“Look, man. I don’t make the rules.” Finley, at least, deferred to Reid without reservation. He rolled a quarter over his knuckles, while in the other hand, he held the master roster on a clipboard. “New guys always go out with our ‘trainers.’ It’s policy.”
“Whatever. I don’t see…” Mannie paused when Cash walked in, arguing with Jordan.
The nice thing about having Jordan around, in addition to her having proven a quick study and a great team player, was that she took the brunt of Cash’s attitude instead of Reid. Even better, she seemed to delight in receiving it and gave it right back. For sure, she and Cash worked well together, even if his brother refused to acknowledge the connection.
“It makes no sense. You’re too small.” Cash glared down at her.
“You’re a jackass. I still don’t see that as a major handicap. We just ignore it and move on.” Jordan smiled through her teeth at him. When she saw Reid grinning at them, she made a beeline for him. “Your brother—”
“Is a jackass. Yes, I heard. Tell me something I don’t know.”
She looked taken aback, and Reid held back a laugh. Barely.
She shook off her unease. “Well, I’m just saying I don’t always need to be paired up with him or Lafayette. I can go with another trainer. And I’m not tiny.” She glared at Cash, who glared back. To Reid, she said, “I need to get to know the whole team. You should send me out with someone I don’t know. Like maybe Tim. Even though we went out that one time, we didn’t get to talk much.”
Tim stood in the back with Martin. At mention of his name, the quiet ex-Ranger blinked at Reid. “What?”
“Hey, I’m fine with that. Tim, you want to head out on your move with Jordan today?” Reid didn’t give Tim a chance to answer. “Great. Martin, you go with Cash and Mannie.” He glanced at Mannie. “Okay?”
Mannie sighed. “Fine. I’m just itching to start, man. Gotta bring home money so my old lady knows I’m working for it.”
“I hear you,” Stan, another of their newbies, said.
“Great. So that’s settled,” Reid interrupted his brother before Cash could start.
Poor Tim looked like he’d rather be anywhere but paired with Jordan. Tim was an odd dude, but Reid liked him. The big man didn’t speak much except to Martin. He had plain features, deep-brown eyes that looked almost black against his pale skin, and hated having to deal with strangers.
Martin, on the other hand, loved nothing better than to get under people’s skin. He’d keep Cash occupied. A good thing, considering Cash’s sleepless nights. Big Brother wasn’t handling their mother’s bad health well at all, and he refused to talk to Reid about it.
That would have to change, but not right now. Not when Reid had finally started to wrap his mind around the big changes happening in his life. His mother, Naomi…
“What’s that shit-eating grin for?” Cash muttered, spotting Reid’s smile.
“Nothing. Just excited for you and the gang to get us more business. Go out and stop some more burglaries, Gunny Helps-A-Lot.”
Cash flipped him off.
The others laughed. Finley handed out assignments, and everyone dispersed. Before they left, Reid pulled Cash aside.
“What? I’m busy.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Cash sighed. “I’ll be fine. I need to move. Activity lets me forget about our fucked-up family. Keeps me steady.”
“Great. I hope Mannie being with you guys won’t be a problem.”
“Nah. I’ll feel him out. He seems good to go, but he’s a little too eager.”
“Yeah. It’s bothering me too. I’m not sure he’s going to work, but maybe I’m wrong. There’s a first time for everything.”
Cash snorted. “You’re always wrong. But if it helps you sleep at night, keep thinking you’re not. Now I have to get to work. But one question for you—why aren’t we taking Finley with us?”
“With Heidi not starting until next week, we’re uneven.”
“Well, not if she went out with Martin, and I—”
“Plus, I need Finley manning the admin desk. Dan’s out today for some medical appointments.”
Cash sighed. “Okay. But you really need to hire more admin jocks, and fast. We can’t keep relying on Dan, who’s only part-time. Finley’s decent enough, and losing him to the office sucks.”
“Deal with it.”
Cash said some uncomplimentary things, but Reid ignored him until he said, “Ah, just one other thing. Did the computer repair guys talk to you?”
Reid paused. “No, why?”
“Uh, no reason. I have to get going. Later.”
“Wait, Cash.” Reid hurried after him only to see Cash darting down the hallway. “Damn it.” He went back to the office to see Finley getting ready for the day, a stash of doughnuts and coffee by the front desk. “Don’t make a mess or you’ll piss off Dan when he’s back.”
“No problem.” Finley sucked down a doughnut, whole.
“You know anything about a problem we might be having with the computer repair guys two doors down?”
Finley shrugged. “Probably something to do with Cash reaming the guys a new one when they took up half the hallway with some boxes.”
“When did this happen?”
“Friday, I think. You were gone.”
Probably out for that meeting with Naomi. “Fine. Do you know when they open?”
“Who?”
“Finley, focus past the sugar, man. The computer guys. When do they open?”
“How should I know?”
Reid went to grab his cup of coffee off the counter, needing the boost, and realized he’d left it in the conference room. “Damn it. I’ll be back.”
“Thanks for the warning, boss.” Finley lifted a doughnut at him in salute.
Reid choked back a laugh and scowled instead. Finley couldn’t care less. Reid sighed. “I’m surrounded by slackers.”
Finley laughed. “Semper Fi has nothing on Semper Whatever, boss.”
“Sounds like it should be the company motto,” Reid muttered as he left to grab his coffee from the conference room. He shut the door after him, then decided to take care of the issue with the computer guys before Cash did any more damage.
He’d met the owners of the other shops in the building upon first moving in months ago. Only Miriam had been in the place longer. The computer repair place and watch repair shop were newer. The computers guys had seemed stereotypically nerdy but decent. The watch guy…weird.
Then again, he’d thought Miriam mostly normal. He’d had no idea she was up to sexual workshops along with selling vintage clothing. Were there vintage dildos? He wondered…
Since the door was locked and no one answered when he knocked, Reid bypassed the computer shop and decided to reacquaint himself with Wally the Watch Guy, as Cash had named him. Though he had a million other things to do, keeping Vets on the Go! in good standing with their neighbors could be nothing but good for business.
Unlike the Cool Computer Dudes, Wallace Newton didn’t seem very outgoing. He had a reputation as being one of the best watch repair shops in the city for the price, but one couldn’t tell that to look at him.
Pushing through Wally’s door, Reid entered into a dim, dark little shop. The curtain covering the window concealed any hint of sunlight, and only the one working fluorescent light overhead illuminated the space.
A long glass counter showed off many watches for sale. Against the adjoining wall, a tall bookcase held some books, a stand of batteries, and a swiveling tower of watchbands.
Behind the glass counter, in the far corner, was a small desk with a bunch of tools and a magnifying glass held in some kind of vise, under which Wally studied a small timepiece.
The older man didn’t glance up when Reid entered despite the small jingle of a bell.
After a moment, the man drawled in a southern accent, “Be right with you.”
“No rush.” Reid watched Wally work.
Wally carried an easy extra thirty to forty pounds around his belly. He wore jeans, no matter the weather, and either flannel or plaid cotton, long-sleeve, button-up collared shirts. His handlebar mustache, once black, had been threaded with gray, like his shaggy hair.
The man might as well have hung a Proud to Be Texan banner on the wall. Oh, wait, there it was. Reid grinned at the Lone Star State’s flag mounted above Wally’s workstation.
“Hello there.” Wally stood and stretched his five-four frame. “What can I do you for?”
“Nothing, Wally. It’s me, Reid Griffith, from down the hall? Vets on the Go!?”
Wally’s brown eyes sharpened behind his glasses. “Ah, one of the brothers. Well, young man, let me tell you something about noise.” Wally went off, in a calm, slow Southern drawl, about the merits of not cussing in the hallways, not stomping around like a herd of cattle, and not picking fights with the computer dudes, who were, by all accounts, a decent pair of brothers who had helped Wally just the other day fix his cell phone.
Reid felt a headache pressing. “I’m really sorry about all the noise, Wally. We’ll do better to keep it down. And the cursing,” he added before Wally could say anything. “I’ll talk to Cash and the guys.”
Wally frowned. “Wasn’t your brother. I didn’t recognize the man, come to think. Heck, he could have been a customer, really.”
At least Cash hadn’t been screwing with Wally. “Still, I’ll make sure I remind everyone that we share the building. We’ve had a few new hires, so they aren’t familiar with the business yet.”
Wally’s bushy brows went up. “New hires are good for business. Congrats.” He smiled. “Meant to come down and congratulate you fellas. Saw you on the news last Friday.”
“Oh, how’d it look?” In all the drama with his mother and Naomi, Reid had completely forgotten about the segment.
“Seemed good to me. And the more business you get, the more they’ll go by my door on the way to you guys.” Wally nodded. “Now if you don’t mind, I have a bunch of work to get to.”
“Sure thing. Just wanted to stop in and say hello. And please let us know if you have any problems with our people. Come see me, and I’ll handle it personally.”
“Good to know.” Wally turned back to his station. “Oh, and could you keep down the ladies with all their noise? It’s distracting.” Wally’s ears turned bright red. “I’m all for equality, mind you. But if they can’t lift a box without all that grunting and hollering, maybe they should find other work.”
“That’s not us, Wally. Talk to Miriam. She’s giving…classes.”
“Classes?” Wally frowned.
Reid heard movement next door, then a door opening and closing. “I’ll let you go. Take care.” He left, wishing he could be a fly on the wall when Wally talked to Miriam about the noise. His mood restored, he went to talk to the computer dudes.
And got more than an earful.
After reassuring the geeky pair that they had nothing to worry about from Vets on the Go!, he promised to talk to Cash about better communicating. No sense in pissing off computer people when Reid knew they’d need these guys’ services at some point down the road. Having computer repair people so close was a boon, and he knew it.
“Hey, you guys ever need help with receiving goods, let us know. We’ll help you carry stuff up. Until the freight elevator is repaired, we’re all having to deal with two flights of inconvenience.”
The more sociable dude, Tom, nodded. His brother, Luke, looked like the quintessential nerd, complete with the black oversized glasses. The highbrow, everyone-around-me-is-stupid attitude didn’t help either.
“You know,” Luke said, arrogance dripping from each word, “if your brother would spend as much time reading books as he does throwing them around like footballs, he’d probably be working at more than a minimum-wage job.” Apparently books had been in that box Cash had kicked around the other day.
“Like I said, I’m sorry about that. But we do have customers who need to use the hallway.”
“The UPS guy dropped it off,” Luke snapped. “Should I speak slower so you can understand?” Damn, did the guy want someone to punch him, just because?
Next to him, his brother sighed, looking up for heavenly inspiration.
Reid thought it a wonder Cash hadn’t dropped the guy after Luke had opened his mouth the first time. “You speak any slower and I won’t need my brother to come back to translate for me. I’ll fix the problem myself.” Reid gave the guy an even more direct warning. “But hey, keep acting like a dick and I’ll let Cash talk for us. I came here to make amends.”
“I—”
“We accept the apology,” Tom said for his brother and elbowed him when Luke would have spoken. “Sorry, man. It’s early, and we’ve already dealt with some bitchy customers leaving us nasty messages.” He glared at Luke. “But we’re not out to piss off the world, are we?”
Luke muttered no and walked away, disappearing into a back room. Tom sighed. “Next time there’s a problem, talk to me. Luke’s great with computers, not so great with people.”
“Same. You have any issues, let me know.” He and Tom shook hands. One crisis averted. “And if we have computer problems, we’ll come to you first.”
Tom grinned. “Luke can be an ass, but there’s no one better with tech.” Tom paused. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s up with Miriam’s Modiste? She never used to be in during the day, but lately, her hours seem to have switched. And I keep hearing weird stuff over there.”
Reid knew he’d have to deal with Miriam before long, or they’d start losing customers before they even reached the office. “She gives classes. You should hop over and check it out. Maybe talk to her about the noise.”
“I’d explain, but it’s better if Miriam does. Sorry, I have to get back. Just wanted to clear the air.”
Tom nodded. “Thanks. Think I’ll see if I can get her to tone down the noise. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Good luck.” Considering Reid had just dealt with three of his neighbors—one of them being Luke—he figured he was due a break. “Talk to you later.” He left, wishing he could see Tom’s face after Miriam explained her women’s classes to him.
On his way back to the office, Naomi texted him an invitation to her brother’s ceremony on Thursday night. He paused in the hallway to answer and heard Tom’s exclamation just before he entered. Miriam strikes again.