Sweet Rose: Baytown Boys

by Maryann Jordan

  Callan’s brows came together as he said, “She could’ve gone for another place. Hell, Baytown’s got quite a few empty storefronts. If she was that thin-skinned, I’m not sure she’d make a very good businesswoman.”

  “No, no,” Jason rushed. “I don’t think it was that. I think the timing just wasn’t right. I heard she had to leave town to take care of a family member that was ill.”

  “Then it’s just as good you got the bid on the store,” Callan added.

  Shrugging, Jason shoved his hands into his pockets and said, “I felt bad for her. I get the feeling that life was handing her one difficulty after another.”

  Callan was silent, and Jason looked up to see his friend smiling at him. “Seems like you remember her really well.”

  He shifted in his seat at the memory. “She was pretty and seemed real nice when she wasn’t pissed about the contract. She kinda reminded me of a little kitten. All soft and cute, but watch out for the claws.”

  Callan laughed as he shook Jason’s hand before walking out. Calling over his shoulder, he said, “Yeah, sounds like you’re the one with a soft spot!”

  Flipping his friend off, he watched Callan head down the street toward the pub while he finished closing down the garage. It had been three years since he last saw her, but she had remained in his mind. Unlike other casual encounters, ones where a few hours between the sheets satisfied both parties who never saw each other again, Rose was the face he could remember.

  The combination of strawberry-blonde hair and light brown eyes had held him captive the night she showed up in his shop. Guilt would occasionally slide through his mind, even though he knew he did not take advantage of her. But instead of feeling like they had been two people who just needed to get sex out of their system, there had been something more. At least for him, and he wondered if she had not been called away if they could have explored what that was.

  Giving his head a little shake, he locked up and headed down the street toward the pub, deciding a beer and burger might just be the perfect ending to his day. Hell, there certainly isn’t anyone to go home to.

  When he got there, he waved at Brogan working behind the bar and gave his order. Sliding up into the seat, he sipped on the beer that Brogan almost immediately handed him. In a few minutes, Katelyn came from the back, carrying his pub burger and fries.

  “Hey, darlin’,” he greeted. “Why are you working tonight?” Katelyn was the third owner of the bar along with her two brothers Aiden and Brogan, but she usually kept the books since she now worked with her husband, Gareth, in their private investigation business. Not to mention she was a mom, and he rarely saw her in the evenings at the bar.

  “I was just finishing up the books in the back and was getting ready to head home,” she said, her smile wide. “Figured I’d bring you your order before I left.”

  Nodding in appreciation, he told her to give his best to Gareth and turned to the bar, ready to pick up his burger.

  “I heard something interesting yesterday and thought of you,” Katelyn said.

  Hesitating before taking a bite, he twisted his head to the side and waited for her to continue.

  “Rose Parker is coming back to town.”

  His heart skipped a beat, and he wondered why Katelyn felt like he needed to know that particular tidbit of news. With his hamburger stuck halfway between the plate and his mouth, he said nothing, knowing Katelyn needed no enticement to talk.

  “She’s had to deal with one family situation after another for the past several years, but never gave up her dream to move to Baytown. So,” Katelyn continued with a happy shrug, “she’s coming back.”

  He nodded in what he hoped was a casual expression, and said, “That’s good. I know the town would love to have her shop open."

  Bending to grab her purse behind the bar, Katelyn kissed her brother’s cheek and then turned to Jason just before she left. “I agree about the shop. Baytown really does need one. I just hope it’s easier than last time. Rose could really use some breaks.”

  With that, Katelyn headed out the door, and he stared at the large pub burger still in his hands, his mind full of Rose moving back to town.

  “You gonna eat that or stare at it all night?” Brogan asked.

  He glared at Brogan instead of flipping him off considering they were in a public place and tried to ignore him while shoving the burger in his mouth. The burger was just as good as always, but right now, he found it difficult to chew and swallow. Eating as quickly as he could without choking, he paid and headed down the street toward his place.

  Turning the corner, he looked up toward his businesses. The garage on the corner of Main Street, taking up a large part of the block. His tattoo parlor just behind it on the side street, his apartment still on the second floor. As much as he was sorry for Rose, he still could not look at that spot and imagine an ice cream store next to his garage. The idea that the odors from the garage would creep into the ice cream store as well as the possibility of little kids wanting to go get ice cream having to be so close to where his mechanics worked did not sit well with him.

  Climbing the stairs to his apartment, he stumbled and grabbed the banister to catch himself, staring down at the steps where he and Rose had been. Grimacing, he stalked the rest of the way up.

  He had spent time fixing the two-bedroom apartment, although it would never be considered fancy. At least the kitchen and bathrooms had been completely redone and modernized, and new windows had been placed in the front. The wooden floors had been refinished, and he had painted the walls. His furnishings were simple—a sofa and a few comfortable chairs facing a wide-screened TV mounted on the brick wall of the living area. The master bedroom now contained a large bed, chest of drawers, and another chair. Simple…but then, he considered himself a simple man.

  I wonder what Rose would think of it now? As soon as that thought moved through his mind, he blinked before giving his head a shake as though to dislodge her from his brain. So what if she’s coming back to town? She probably won’t even remember me.

  As he had that last thought, he had to admit the prick to his male pride that she would not remember the night they spent together bothered him more than it should. Stomping into the bathroom, he took a shower, irritated that the thought of Rose had given him a hard-on. Using his hand, he took care of himself but not without thoughts of the beautiful Rose in the shower with him.

  Lying in bed, he wondered what it would be like when he ran into her again. Will she be pissy? In my face again? That particular thought had him remembering what happened the last time she got in his face and the memorable sex afterward. Or will it be awkward? Like I’m the last person in the world she wants anyone to know she’d slept with?

  He did not sleep around often, but when he took care of his needs, it was always with someone who did not live in town, who understood upfront it was just for a few hours of pleasure. Most women vacationing in Baytown that he met at the bar were good with that. Occasionally, there would be someone who agreed but wanted it to last longer, and he had to make it clear that he was not looking for a relationship.

  Well, that certainly wasn’t Rose. She never even attempted to make contact after that night. As he continued to lay awake thinking about her, he finally had to admit to himself that it stung that she never made contact. He would have liked to have known that she was okay. Sure, he occasionally heard from their mutual friends who kept in contact with her, but it was not the same.

  Rolling over and punching his pillow, he decided that when he saw her again, he would be polite and casual, acting as though nothing ever happened. That’s it. That’ll be the way to handle seeing her again. But even as sleep claimed him, his dreams were filled with the beautiful brown-eyed blonde and how he really wanted to greet her when he saw her again…by swooping her into his arms.

  5

  Rose stood inside the large, empty room turning around slowly, viewing everything with a careful eye. The two side walls of exposed br
ick appeared to be in good shape with no obvious cracks. The front contained full glass windows covered in old paper that had been taped up years before. Scuffed but sturdy wooden floors were underneath her feet.

  The back of the room had plenty of electric outlets as well as a counter with a large sink. Behind that was a small hall with several doors. One opened up to a large supply closet complete with dusty shelves and some boxes. Another door opened to a small bathroom. And another door opened to a room that could have been used as an office. Pushing open the metal door at the very back of the building allowed her to see an alley, a few trash cans sitting just to the side.

  The sunlight shining through the open door stirred up dust motes, and she brought her hand to her face to keep from sneezing.

  “Follow me, please,” Ben Somers said, his wide smile covered by his hand also keeping the dust from going up into his nose. She had met the young real estate agent that morning for the first time, although they had been corresponding by email and phone for a while. Gillespie Realty, owned by Paul Gillespie, had an excellent reputation in the area, and she was hoping that Ben would be able to find just the right place for her shop.

  “This building wasn’t on the original list that you and I talked about, and it’s not officially listed for sale as of yet. In fact,” he added with a bit of pride, “Mr. Gillespie is a personal friend of the owner.”

  He started up a set of stairs that was just to the side of the office, and she followed in his wake, still listening as he continued his running monologue. “The town’s Mayor, Corwin Banks, owns the building since it came into his possession when his elderly aunt died years ago. She never married and ran a women’s clothing shop in here for years. I’m not sure why he’s held onto it, but he and I had the chance to chat yesterday. I asked him if he would allow me to show it to you, and he agreed.”

  At the top, he opened the door and they entered the second floor of the building. Reminding her of Jason’s apartment, it looked as though this space had been used for storage with a few more boxes covered in dust lying around. Rose walked around them to look at the apartment. Whereas Jason’s entryway to the apartment was through a stairway next to his shop, this one was connected to the shop below.

  The door they walked through opened into a kitchen, and through another door nearby was a bedroom with a bathroom attached. What caught her eye was the clawfoot tub in the bathroom, and a smile curved her lips for the first time since she had walked into the building. Another smaller bedroom and hall bathroom were looked at next.

  Moving back into the main area, the kitchen opened up into the living space, with brick walls on either side and tall windows overlooking the street. She was drawn to the windows even though she knew it was a mistake, like a moth to the flame. These windows were uncovered and gave an unfettered view to the garage and tattoo shop on the other side.

  The garage doors were open, people moving around like bees in a hive. Her gaze drifted to the shop next door, closed, but the sign declaring their weekend hours of business.

  Her gaze slowly drifted up the front of the building, landing on the tall windows staring back at her. Three years. It had been three years, and she could still remember the feel of the stairs pressed against her back. Three years and she could still remember the feel of Jason’s body on hers as they lay in his bed.

  She lifted her hand and rubbed her forehead, willing the ache to dissipate as she thought back to how much her life had changed since then. Sighing, she turned from the window, refusing to give any more time to thoughts of days gone by and dreams that had been put on hold.

  Ben was eyeing her closely, and she knew he was wondering where her thoughts had drifted to. When she attempted a smile at him, he perked up and said, “There’s more. Come on.”

  Along the back wall next to the kitchen was another door that she assumed was a pantry. He opened it, exposing another set of stairs. Curiosity piqued, she followed him up the barely-lit staircase, trying to peek around him when he reached the top and threw open the door. Sunlight flooded down on her, and she eagerly stepped out onto a rooftop terrace. A railing circled around the perimeter of the terrace, and a deck floor had been placed over most of the area. She turned slowly around in a complete circle, staring out over Baytown, the harbor, and the bay.

  “Believe me, from here,” Ben announced with pride, “you’ll be able to watch the sunsets.”

  “I didn’t expect this,” she confessed.

  “I remember my father telling me about this shop. He always said that the prettiest women worked here.”

  Looking up at him, she said, “I didn’t realize you were from Baytown.”

  “Shaking his head, he replied, “No, I wasn’t. My dad grew up here but left when he was about twenty and moved to Virginia Beach. That’s where he met my mom, and I was born and raised there. My dad always talked fondly of this place, but we never came back since his parents had passed. When I got my real estate license, Mr. Gillespie had an opening, and I found myself wanting to come here.” Chuckling, he added, “I think my dad always talked about the pretty shop girls here just to make my mom a little jealous.”

  Rose’s father had never talked about another woman, always saying that her mother was the prettiest and smartest woman he had ever met. Listening to Ben talk about his father trying to make his mother jealous did not impress her, but she remained quiet.

  “From the specs I’ve read on the building, Corwin’s aunt had this terrace fixed up so that she could enjoy the view and entertain friends. I admit that I was surprised the first time I saw it when I was looking over the building to show it to you.”

  He led the way back downstairs, stopping in the middle of the large front room again. A thick layer of dust covered the entire interior, but that was not insurmountable. Nothing that lots of soapy water and hard work would not clean.

  “I know this property has been vacant for a long time and needs some work, that’s why I think we might get the seller to come down just a little bit,” he said.

  Lifting an eyebrow, she asked, “From what I hear about the Mayor, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”

  Chuckling, he explained, “I know. I know. But I also understand the Mayor is ready to get rid of this place. When his aunt passed away, it went to her sister, the Mayor’s mother, who subsequently bequeathed it to him. I think the Mayor’s been itching to find a buyer for the building. I have it on good authority that he was happy to have you in town a few years ago wanting to open an ice cream shop, so I think we can smooth over any difficulties.”

  She looked toward the front again, the view obscured by the old paper taped to the glass, except for a small tear on one of the panels, giving her a tiny view across the street. Can I do this? Can I work every day, all day long, across from a man I slept with one time and then ran out on? She had not asked about him but gathered up snatches of information that the other women might innocently drop. He was still unmarried. He was not attached to anyone. He still lived in the apartment over his shop. His garage was doing really well.

  Only I would end up across the street from my first and only one-night stand with a great guy that I treated shabbily. She snorted ruefully then covered it quickly as though she sneezed.

  “I know the dust is terrible in here,” Ben said. “Since I know the Mayor isn’t going to want to clean this place, that might be another reason we can get them down a little bit on the price.”

  She turned around and looked at him, seeing the hope of a sale in his eyes. He was handsome…tall, his dark brown hair trimmed neatly with the top left a little long, his chocolate brown eyes warm, and his smile friendly. Dressed in dark pants with a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up in a casual way, he exuded professionalism while still being comfortable. Yes, handsome, but not like…

  Ben cleared his throat, and she blinked out of her trance. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “My mind seemed to have wandered.”

  He nodded in sympathy and said, “Rose, I
don’t want to pressure you to do anything you don’t want to. I’ll be truthful and tell you that I don’t know of anyone else who’s looking at this building right now, but there is new growth in Baytown recently, and I wouldn’t be surprised if—”

  “Oh, no!” she rushed. “I once waited too long to make a decision before and lost out.” Shrugging, she amended, “As it turned out, it was for the best, but at the time I felt as though I had missed a perfect opportunity. I don’t want to make the same mistake again. This building appears to be perfect for my ice cream shop and for me to be able to live upstairs.”

  His white-toothed smile broadened, and he walked forward with his hand extended. Shaking her hand, he said, “Then let’s head back to my office and start on the paperwork. The sooner we get it done, the sooner you can begin!”

  They walked the three blocks it took to get to Gillespie Realty. Once inside, she barely had time to greet the pleasant receptionist before an older man, dressed immaculately, came from the back, his hand extended and a smile on his face.

  “Ms. Parker. I’m Paul Gillespie, owner of Gillespie Realty, and Ben has already called me to say that you’re ready to sign on the dotted line!”

  Shaking Mr. Gillespie’s hand, she glanced to the side to see that Ben had the good grace to blush. While they had been walking, she had noticed him using his phone and now knew that he was already texting his office.

  Turning her attention back to Mr. Gillespie, she said, “Yes, I am. I think the building will be perfect for me. And please, call me Rose.”

  “Well, as soon as I got Ben’s text, I called Corwin. The Mayor and I’ve been friends since we were children, and I’d been after him for years to let us sell the place for him. So glad he finally decided to do that.”

  Mr. Gillespie and Ben took her back to Mr. Gillespie’s office as the receptionist quickly brought them cups of coffee. It only took a few minutes for the papers to be printed, and Ben went over each one with her as Mr. Gillespie watched the proceedings carefully. She was fairly sure that Ben was not a new real estate agent, but, with Mr. Gillespie’s presence, assumed maybe he was new with their business.