by Deanna Chase
“So is gossip about Keating Hollow’s newest resident.” She smirked and hurried into the kitchen.
Yvette snapped her attention to her younger sister as her pulse sped up. “Was she talking about Jacob?” As far as Yvette knew, Jacob was the new kid in town.
Faith shook her head. “Nope. She’s talking about the contractor I hired for the spa. But let’s wait until she gets back. You know she wasn’t kidding about denying us the pie.”
“You have a contractor already and there’s something going on?” Yvette asked, ignoring the directive from her sister to cease gossip until the pie was in hand. She had every confidence she could take Noel if she tried to make good on her threat.
“What! No. Of course there isn’t anything going on.” Faith shook her head, but not before Yvette noticed the glimmer in her eyes.
“Oh, boy,” Yvette said and sucked in a breath. “You’ve got it bad.”
“Please. I just met the man.” Faith rolled her eyes. “I know you like to work fast, but I like taking my time and enjoying the scenery a little… if you know what I mean.”
Yvette sighed. She knew exactly what her sister meant. Her relationship with Jacob was new and fast and a lot overwhelming. And now she found herself in the awkward position of not knowing where he was or what he was up to, and she wasn’t at all sure she was justified in being worried or annoyed. Did she deserve an explanation as to where he was? She thought so, but after only a week of dating… She was certain most people wouldn’t see it that way.
“Yeah, I think you’re onto something there. There’s a lot to be said for taking things slow,” Yvette said, wishing she’d had that willpower when it came to Jacob. Instead, she’d already checked her damned phone three times since she’d sat down in her sister’s place.
“Speaking of enjoying the scenery,” Faith said. “Whoa. I saw Jacob this morning, and even covered up in four layers of clothing, that man is so hot it’s a miracle he’s not on fire.”
“You saw Jacob?” she blurted. “Where?”
“Incantation Café. He’d just gotten in from L.A. and said he needed some fuel to get him up the hill, whatever that means.”
“His house is nestled into the side of the mountain,” Yvette supplied, feeling completely deflated. She’d been telling herself that he just hadn’t made it back to town yet, but Faith had laid eyes on him early in the day. That meant he should’ve had time to call her back to at least let her know he was okay. But he hadn’t. The pit in her stomach grew, and as Noel brought them the heaping plates of pie and whipped cream, Yvette’s ire grew to match it with each passing moment. Jacob had made it back to town and had ignored her. Why?
“Okay, time to spill the beans, lil sis,” Noel said, handing each of them a plate. “Tell us every sordid detail.”
Faith grabbed a fork and dipped into the pie. Just before she shoved a mound of pie and whipped cream into her mouth, she said, “I sort of walked in on him while he was showering.”
“What?” Yvette said, dropping her fork.
“Whose shower?” Noel asked, narrowing her eyes. “Not the one here, I hope?”
Faith shook her head. “No, not here. Jeez, Noel, what do you think I’m doing? Loitering around hotels and breaking into rooms in the hopes of catching a glimpse of some guy’s junk?”
“If you didn’t walk in on him in a hotel room, then where?” Yvette asked, her curiosity definitely piqued.
Faith put the pie down and pulled out a key. “My new spa building.”
“What?” both sisters screamed and ran toward her with their arms outstretched. “I can’t believe it,” Yvette said, whispering in her ear. “You’re really doing this.”
“I am.” Faith beamed. “There’s only one problem, and we’re working on it right now.”
“And that problem is…?” Yvette asked.
“My contractor was living in my workspace, or at least sleeping there sometimes and using my shower without me,” Faith said. “And that just won’t do.”
“He’s really freakin’ hot, Yvette,” Noel chimed in. “If I didn’t already have Drew, I’d have to fight her for him. He’s that good looking.”
“Good luck,’ Faith said with a snort. “I’ve been working out. I think I can take you.”
Noel sized her sister up and gave her a short nod. “You know, I believe you could. You keep your contractor, and I’ll keep the deputy sheriff.”
“Now that you’ve got that settled, I’m still waiting to hear about this shower thing,” Yvette said.
“His thing is huge,” Faith said, her eyes wide and her hands about a foot apart.
Yvette blinked. Then she started cracking up. “Good for you. Are you going to do anything about it?”
Faith’s smile grew with mischief. “We’ll see. After the spa work is done.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Noel raised her wine glass. “To mixing business and pleasure after the job is done.”
“Here, Here!” Faith and Yvette said in unison.
“Just try to date him with his clothes on first,” Yvette added.
Faith snorted. “I’ll do my best.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jacob parked his truck in front of Hollow Books and flipped the engine off. The morning was dark and surly just like it had been the day before, and it suited his mood perfectly. His meeting with Sienna on Saturday had completely thrown him for a loop. He’d run through every emotion under the sun, starting with wonder and ending in complete and total rage.
He still couldn’t understand how Sienna hadn’t even considered letting him know he could be Skye’s father, and now he’d missed the first six months of her life. How had he not seen how incredibly selfish she was when they’d been together? In some moments, he wasn’t sure if he was angrier with her or with himself for being so blind.
After the revelation, he’d demanded to see Skye, but Sienna had refused, saying that the baby was in Aspen with her mother and Brian, where they were getting ready to open another Enchanted Bliss. He’d been two seconds away from booking a flight, but Sienna had gone into mama bear mode and convinced him it was better for him to sit with the news for a few days. She’d told him to go home and get used to the idea and then next week she’d come to Keating Hollow to let him meet his daughter.
It wasn’t the plan he’d wanted, but when Sienna had told him she wasn’t interested in playing games anymore and then proved it by signing the settlement agreement, he’d had no choice but to give her the benefit of the doubt. What else was he going to do? Fly to Aspen in the middle of winter and go door to door until he found them? He could, but then he’d look like the crazy one in that scenario.
Instead, he’d spent Sunday hiking Echo Mountain, trying to fatigue his muscles enough that he’d exhaust his mind as well. It hadn’t worked. He hadn’t slept a wink the night before, and when he’d arrived in Keating Hollow on Monday morning, he’d had a raging headache. After washing down a couple of aspirin with a strong cup of coffee laced with a shot of whiskey, he’d gone straight to bed. When he’d woken late in the evening, the headache was gone, but his rage was just getting started. And while it hadn’t been the best way to deal with the news of his daughter, he spent the night finishing off the whiskey bottle.
Now he was hungover and had to figure out how to face Yvette. He hadn’t meant to ignore her calls specifically, he’d just turned his phone off with the intention of ignoring the world.
The front door opened, and Yvette walked over to the driver’s side window of his truck. He quickly lowered the window. “What’s going on?” he asked her.
“That’s what I was about to ask you. Is everything all right?” Her pretty dark eyes were full of concern.
“Yeah,” he said, biting back a wince as he straight-up lied to her. “I was just finishing a phone call, and then I was coming right in.”
Her gaze darted around the truck, and he had no doubt she was looking for the phone that was still tucked away in his console. Whe
n she didn’t find it, she just nodded and said, “Okay.”
“I’ll be right behind you,” he said.
“Of course.” Her tone was clipped with slight annoyance at his obvious dismissal. And he knew he was messing everything up as she turned and strode back into the shop.
He hung his head for a moment, took a deep breath, and told himself to suck it up and stop acting like a selfish jerk. It was obvious she’d been worried about him, and she didn’t deserve to be treated as if her concern meant nothing. He just wasn’t anywhere near ready to share anything about the daughter he hadn’t even met yet.
Jacob scrounged around for his phone, turned it on, and scowled at the dozen messages waiting for him. They’d just have to wait. He needed to talk to Yvette.
The store was a warm and welcoming reprieve from the chilly January morning, and Jacob instantly felt a little better. There was a fire lit in the fireplace in the café area, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee combined with that ever-present scent of paperback books made him feel more at home than his modern house on the hill ever had.
“Good morning,” Brinn said from her spot near the front table where she was arranging a new shipment of books. It was the same table that had held the overstock of Miranda Moon books the week before.
“Good morning, Brinn.” He frowned as he studied the table. It was full of the latest New York Times bestsellers. “What happened to the Miranda Moon books?”
She grinned. “Sold out. Can you believe it? The weekend was incredible. I know Yvette is dying to tell you all about it.”
“Sold out?” He blinked. “How is that possible?” He’d figured they’d probably do well, but while Miranda was a popular author for her genre, she was hardly a household name.
“The festival was a huge hit this year, and people came from the surrounding towns,” Brinn said. “We were exhausted by the time Sunday rolled around.”
“I’d guess so,” he said as he headed for the café. After pouring himself the largest cup of coffee he could find, he went in search of Yvette.
She was sitting at her desk, concentrating on the computer screen, wearing plastic black-rimmed glasses, and her long chestnut hair was twisted up into a bun with a pencil holding it in place. He leaned against the doorframe and just stared at her, imagining undoing that bun and running his fingers through her silky hair. She was gorgeous in an unassuming way. Classy and real and everything he’d never known he wanted.
“Are you going to come in?” she asked, leaning back in the chair.
“I was just admiring the view,” he said easily, letting himself forget the weekend’s events even if just for a moment or two. “You look incredible today.”
“Really?” She raised one eyebrow, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Meanwhile, you look like you’ve been partying all weekend and smell like it, too.”
“What?” He raised his hand to his mouth and breathed into it, then sniffed. There was no denying the faint whiff of whiskey. He groaned.
“Fun weekend?” she asked.
“No. Quite the opposite actually.” He grabbed one of the office chairs and sat across from her. “Listen, Yvette, I’m sorry I was a no-show yesterday. I should’ve called.”
“Are you under the impression that I’m upset because you didn’t come into work?” she asked coolly.
“Well…” He’d obviously stepped in something with his failed apology, he just wasn’t exactly sure where to go from there. “I’m guessing you’re annoyed because I didn’t return your phone calls. Still, I’d told you I’d be in, so I should’ve at least let you know I couldn’t make it.”
“And why is that?” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him with suspicion. “Were you held up in L.A. or something? Did you have a nice visit with Sienna?”
Her mention of Sienna sent that now-familiar rush of rage straight to his gut, and he wanted to growl at her, to tell her whatever he’d been doing was none of her business. They were business partners and nothing more. But that wasn’t right, was it? He wouldn’t go so far as to call Yvette his girlfriend, but on Friday, they had made it official that they were dating. That meant at the minimum that Yvette was a friend and possibly something a heck of a lot more. Still, she didn’t have a right to question him about what he was doing with his ex. He’d already told her he was there to finalize paperwork.
“As a matter of fact, no, I did not have a nice visit with Sienna,” he ground out, trying to ignore the pain sluicing through him as he thought of the daughter he hadn’t yet met. “But she did sign the documents, so at least I can say that business is settled.”
Yvette’s annoyance cleared and was suddenly replaced with concern. “So it’s done. Are you okay?”
No. Not even close, he thought. But he knew what she meant. She was talking about what should’ve been the final nail in the coffin of his relationship with Sienna. And on that point, he was perfectly fine. He didn’t care one whit about Enchanted Bliss, and he’d even made a little money on the sale of the beach house, even though he’d had to split the appreciation value with Sienna. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You’re sure?” she asked. “The day I signed my divorce papers, I thought I was fine. Then I went home and ate an entire half gallon of ice cream before drinking a bottle of wine.”
He forced a smile and leaned in. “It’s been over for a very long time, Yvette. I came to terms with it months ago. I just wasn’t feeling the best yesterday and ended up using a bit of whiskey to help me sleep.”
“A bit? It’s clogging your pores, Jacob.”
He chuckled. “Sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”
She appeared skeptical but seemed to decide to take his explanation at face value rather than press the issue. “So, you didn’t have the best weekend, but it’s over and now you can move on.”
“Right,” he agreed, knowing there would be no moving on until he met his daughter and had legal custody rights. He hadn’t discussed it with Sienna, but if she thought he was going to hang out in the background and be an absentee father, she was wildly mistaken.
“Do you want to hear about our weekend?” Yvette asked with a grin.
“Yes,” he said, a smile coming easier now that they were done talking about his personal life. “I hear it was a resounding success.”
“You have no idea.” She sat up and clasped her hands together, excitement radiating from her like a beacon of light. “The place was a madhouse,” she started. Then she launched into the details of the weekend and ended with, “We’ve already made more this month than any other month since the store opened. And I’ve already locked in three more authors for signings this year, plus have another three seriously interested. I think we’re really on to something, don’t you?”
He stared into her excited, sparkling eyes and wished with everything he had that he could sweep her up in his arms, swing her around the office, and plant a long, victorious kiss on her sweet mouth. But now that he knew about Skye, he couldn’t continue to muddy the waters with her, couldn’t enter a relationship he knew was doomed when he left Keating Hollow to move back to L.A. or Aspen or wherever Sienna took his daughter. Because one thing was for sure, wherever Skye was, he was going to follow.
“Definitely, Yvette. Your idea really paid off. Congratulations.” He smiled warmly at her, happy to know that at the very least when he left town, Yvette wouldn’t have to worry about losing Hollow Books. He’d already decided he’d become a silent partner and let her run it how she saw fit. It was obvious she was more than capable.
“Our idea,” she said. Then she handed him the scheduling book and the up-to-date sales figures for the first half of the month.
He took one look at it and knew he was making the right decision. Given time, she’d turn Hollow Books into a premier independent bookstore, and he couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it, even if he would soon be on the sidelines.
Chapter Sixteen
Yvette had been beyond angry when she’
d smelled the faint whiff of whiskey still clinging to Jacob. But as she sat stewing in her office, the anger fled and the sadness set in. If he’d been wallowing in whiskey, it was fair to assume that he’d been upset by his contact with Sienna. And if he’d been upset, that probably meant he still cared. And who could blame him? She still had her moments when she saw Isaac with his new someone, and that someone hadn’t even been her best friend.
When she saw the devastated look in his eyes when she’d asked about Sienna, she’d resolved to cut him a break. A chapter in his life had ended, and he had every right to work through whatever emotions he was feeling.
Once they’d moved on to talking about the success of the store, the rain cloud hovering over his head had all but disappeared. They’d planned marketing strategies for the upcoming events, talked about ways to improve crowd control during the signings, and brainstormed front window display ideas.
When it was time to leave for the day, Yvette stopped in his office. “Woodlines?”
“Huh?” he asked as he looked up from his computer.
“Does Woodlines sound good? Or we could go to the brewery. I heard the new chef added a flourless cake to the menu. Noel said it’s divine.”
“Oh, right.” He frowned. “I’m sorry, Yvette. I’m still not feeling one hundred percent. I think I better pass on dinner.” Jacob closed his laptop and shoved it in a computer bag as he stood. “I’ll be in tomorrow, and we can go over the café numbers to see how the first full week went.”
“Okay, sure.” She stepped out of his way as he brushed past her and headed for the front door. Following, she stopped at the checkout counter and watched as he slipped out the front door without looking back. A sharp stab of pain pierced her heart, and she clutched at her chest.
After the rocky morning, they’d had a good day and spent a good bit of time discussing future plans for the bookstore. She’d actually thought maybe her presence had helped him start to feel normal after the stressful weekend, but his brushoff told another story. She sighed and leaned against one of the bookshelves, wondering when she’d learn. He’d been interested for all of a week… and now? Who knew? But she wasn’t setting herself up for another heartbreak. This was her sign she was in too deep, and it was time to face the inevitable. They were destined to be business partners and nothing more.