“Zee, normally you’re kind of out of it.” He paused. “Well, you know.” Chance waved his arm.
“After I come,” she supplied.
“Yes,” they both said.
“So, obviously I haven’t come enough. More, I want more. I liked that. I want more. You said I could ask for more.” A beatific smile came over her face, entrancing both men. Chance clasped her in a hug.
“You’re absolutely right, you get to ask for what you want, and we are the lucky bastards who get to give it to you. You heard the woman, Sam, she wants more. Get the condoms. It’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter 29
Chance and Josie got a seat near center court. She’d been surprised when Sam left the house that evening in slacks and a button-up shirt. When Josie asked why he was so dressed up, he explained it was important to set a professional example for the boys.
Chance went off and raided the concession stand, getting hot dogs, pretzels, soda, nachos, candy bars, and popcorn.
“Just how long do you think this game is going to last?” Josie asked as he plopped some of the food onto her lap.
“I eat when I’m nervous,” he explained. “Plus, all the concession-stand proceeds support the Fate Harbor Youth Club. Sam’s basketball team gets a cut, so eat up! It’s the right thing to do, love.”
Josie watched him devour a hot dog in two bites. Then the game grabbed her attention as the referee tossed the basketball into the air for the tip-off. Josie was immediately caught up in the game. Both of her sisters had played basketball in elementary and junior high school and Becca continued playing in high school.
The opposing team scored the first two baskets. They had a strong ginger-topped player on stilts who made incredible shots. Josie watched as Sam’s players picked up the pace, playing more aggressively and throwing fouls. After the referee called two fouls and the other team made more points on free throws, Sam called a timeout. He huddled the boys together, including those on the bench, and spoke to them in a very calm manner. When the boys went back out on the court, they executed a well-planned play and scored. Immediately, their outlook shifted as each kid grinned. Sam continued to display that same calm and encouraging smile that he wore even when the other team was scoring.
As the game progressed, Josie watched in amazement as Chance ate ninety percent of the food he’d purchased. She even fought him for one of the pretzels. Sam’s team played well, but the redheaded boy on the opposing team kept outgunning them. He was a phenomenal player and made every basket. Josie was impressed that Sam played every one of his players, including some who were not very good, but their team still played a strong defense and an admirable offense.
When the game was over, Sam’s team had lost by twelve points. He took the time both to address the team as a whole, and to talk to each of his boys individually. It did not escape Josie’s notice that all the boys walked away smiling from a losing game.
When Sam walked across the court to shake hands with the other coach, the two engaged in a lengthy conversation. Chance draped his arm around her shoulders and used the time to introduce Josie to some people she hadn’t met before.
“Josie, I want you to meet Richard and Ruth Neelens. They’re Bobby’s parents.” Josie shook hands with two lanky redheads, and immediately made the connection.
“I’m going to make an educated guess that Bobby is the boy who made the majority of tonight’s points.” Josie laughed.
“Yeah, the red hair and stork legs kind of give it away,” Ruth smiled. “Our boy takes after his father. Richard played college basketball. They both have a gift. Chance was telling us you bought Matushka’s Bakery. I saw the fire truck cake you made at the school carnival. That was truly impressive!”
“Yeah, my Zee has been doing a bang-up job with Sweet Dreams Desserts.” Chance smiled down at her, hugging her closer.
Three boys ran up to them, one of them with bright red hair. Another was Toby from Sam’s team.
“Bobby, great job!” Chance enthused.
“Yeah, he’s going to show us some of his moves,” Toby said. “My mom said some of the guys could crash over at our house if it’s okay with you, Mrs. Neelens,” he added, trying to persuade Bobby’s mom.
“I’ll need to talk to your mom, before I can say yes or no, Toby.”
Josie realized it really was a tight-knit community. The more she saw of Fate Harbor, the more she wished she’d been able to raise the twins in such a place.
Before Toby rushed off, he turned to Josie. “Oh yeah, Mr. Booth wanted me to tell you that he was going to be late coming home tonight, Miss Decker, and you weren’t to worry.”
As the boys rushed off to get Toby’s mom, Josie turned to Chance. “It’s hard to wrap my head around our Sam being referred to as ‘Mr. Booth’ and staying so calm when he’s losing a game.”
“Yeah, we forget sometimes that he was in charge of an entire platoon.” Chance stroked his hand down Josie’s hair, and she leaned into the caress.
“How does your son like his coach, Ruth?” Josie asked, turning back to the Neelens.
“I’m sorry, but did I just here you refer to Coach Booth as our Sam?” Ruth asked Josie frostily.
“Ruth—” Chance began, but Josie cut him off.
“Yes, I did, Mrs. Neelens. I’m in a relationship with both Chance and Sam.” Josie didn’t say anything further. She just remained there, eye to eye with Ruth, standing her ground. Josie had known this moment was coming, and she refused to be intimidated, nor was she going to be rude. Finally, Ruth broke the silence.
“I see.” She pulled at her husband’s arm. “Richard, we need to go meet with Toby’s mom.” She led her husband away. When Josie looked up at Chance, she saw hurt and bafflement in his eyes, and she sighed.
“Oh, sweetie, you really weren’t expecting that, were you?” His expression changed from hurt to anger.
“How dare she treat you that way!”
“Chance, she didn’t treat me poorly. As a matter of fact, she was very polite. I respect that. Just because we’re here in Fate Harbor, doesn’t mean everyone is going to approve of our choices.” At that moment, Josie realized Chance had lived a more sheltered life than she and Sam. Hell, she was surprised Ruth hadn’t told them they were all going to hell. The fact that Ruth had expressed her intolerance so politely was a blessing, as far as Josie was concerned.
“Come on, you need to either take me to dinner or fix me something to eat. I’m starved.”
“How can you be starved? We had plenty to eat!” Chance scoffed.
“You had plenty to eat! I was lucky to get that one pretzel. Rooting for Sam’s team gave me an appetite!”
As soon as Sam came through the door that night, Chance told him about the incident with the Neelens. Sam kissed Josie as he headed toward the kitchen to pull out the leftover lasagna from the night before. “What’s the big deal, Chance? It sounds like Ruth was pretty polite,” he said as he put his dinner into the microwave and popped the top off his beer. Josie smothered her grin at Chance’s outraged expression.
“She was a bitch to Josie,” Chance said, handing Sam a napkin as he sat down at the kitchen island.
“No, she wasn’t. She was nice. Hell, Chance, she was nicer than some of the other folks I’ve run into since I began coaching. One father pulled his kid off the team after he found out. Said I was immoral and would tempt his son to sinful ways. Said it right in front of some of the kids on the team.” Sam shook his head sadly.
“Did you hit him?”
“Of course I didn’t hit him. I told you, it was in front of the boys.” Sam frowned. “Instead, I scheduled a parent meeting, wherein I informed them of the facts regarding our lifestyle. Then some of the parents wanted me to answer questions that their boys had asked them. That was kind of awkward, but I think I managed it diplomatically.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Chance demanded.
“Because—I knew you’d react exactly like you are ri
ght now. Hell, Chance, what did you expect, that this would be nothing but rainbows and unicorns? We’re lucky we’re doing this in Fate Harbor, where we can do this out in the open. Frankly, I was stunned that they let me coach the team in the first place.” Sam rinsed his dish and put it into the dishwasher.
“Chance, how do you think it was for me, growing up with a white mother and being dark-skinned? How do you think it was raising my two white sisters? There were always a lot of questions. Hell, my own mom said some really nasty things to me growing up. She called me a lot of hateful names.”
“Oh, Zee.” Chance grabbed her into a big hug. “You’re beautiful. You’re wonderful! How could anyone be cruel to you?”
“All I’m saying is that this is nothing new. I went into this with my eyes wide open, and I’m pretty sure Sam did, too.” She looked over at Sam, who was nodding his head. “I’m just sorry that this is hurting you.” She hugged him hard.
“I can handle this, Josie, I just want to wrap you in cotton and protect you.”
“Well you can’t!” She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “But I appreciate the thought. I really am a big girl.”
She saw Chance’s frustration and wished there was something she could do for him, she really did, but this was something that he was going to have to work out on his own. Luckily, she and Sam would be here beside him.
“Still, isn’t there something I could do?” Chance asked again.
“You are such a fixer,” Sam said as he threw his beer bottle in the recycling.
“Well…” Josie put her finger to her chin. “I have this one itty bitty problem.”
“Name it,” Chance said eagerly.
Over his shoulder, she saw Sam laugh.
“It seems that my sex education lessons have been put on hold recently and—”
Those were the last words she got out of her mouth for quite some time.
Chapter 30
Josie sighed as she felt the last buckle of her brace release, and then she was softly jostled and lowered. She realized she was in Chance’s strong arms, and they were now in the big whirlpool bathtub. She blinked up at him and smiled.
“Hi, beautiful! We thought a bath was a good idea for a couple of reasons.” He grinned down at her. Josie felt heat suffuse her face, and then realized Chance was blushing as well.
“I expect you to clean up my brace,” she teased.
“Oh, that’s a given, Zee. But in my defense, that whole thing was hot, and then when you bit me? Well, how much is a man supposed to be able to take?”
Josie saw actual bite marks where Chance’s neck met his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you really bad?” She looked contritely into his eyes.
Chance touched his neck and winced, biting his lower lip, cutting his eyes away from hers.
“Chance, I did hurt you. I’m so sorry.” Josie kneeled up in the tub and tentatively touched the bite mark.
“Jesus, Josie, you’re going to actually fall for that, when he exploded all over you like a volcano when you bit him?” Sam asked. “You’re going to have to learn not to fall for his bullshit, Honey, or he’ll be yanking your chain every minute of the day.”
Chance worked to contain his laughter. Josie splashed him hard, hoping bath salts got into his eyes.
“You–you–jerk. I was really worried about you.”
“I know, that’s what made it so awesome!” He climbed out between laughs.
Sam came up behind her and glided his fingers through the mass of curls he and Chance had clipped to the top of her head. Then he knelt beside the tub and rubbed his cheek against hers. “You sore, Baby?”
Josie wiggled down into the jetted bubbles and snuggled back against Sam. “A little, but this should take care of things,” she rushed to assure him. He softly bit the shell of her ear.
“I think the tub and a couple of days’ rest from that kind of play should take care of things,” Sam replied as Josie yawned.
“Let’s negotiate tomorrow,” she said. “I vote for one day of rest, but if we negotiate tonight, I’ll lose.”
“Good thinking.” Sam rubbed the end of her nose with his, scooped her dripping body up out of the tub, and they got ready for bed. The last thing Josie remembered, as she cuddled between her men, was that she’d never felt so safe in her entire life.
This was the first morning that Josie successfully sneaked out to work without waking them, happy that they were going to get a bit more sleep. They weren’t used to being up at two in the morning to bake confections for a bakery, but she’d been doing it for years. Plus—she snickered—it was kind of cute to see the two of them in the bed together. She wondered if they would cuddle. It would serve Chance right if they did.
By the time she arrived at Sweet Dreams Desserts, her coffee had kicked in, and she was enjoying her time alone with the scent of the dough. There was something so comforting about making tangible offerings for people. She put a large part of the dough into the automatic kneader, but still took a portion to knead by hand, enjoying the ritual. Three hours later, Elise arrived to find that Josie had everything ready to go into the ovens. Josie left her to it and went to her apartment to change into her yoga clothes and drive to the lake.
She was halfway through her workout when she saw Sam making his way toward her. He looked good in just running shorts. She flushed, vividly remembering last night and the way he had filled her. He stopped in front of her, bent over, and gave her a sweaty kiss. She reveled in the musky flavor, her own responsiveness serving to amp it up.
“Missed waking up with you this morning,” he mumbled in his hushed tone, in keeping with the burgeoning dawn. He knelt in position with her, and they flowed through the last moves together, until the dawn bathed the skies in hazy pinks and lilacs. “By the way, if you ever leave me in bed with Chance alone again, I think I might understand why Leif sometimes enjoys spanking women.”
Josie’s laughter rang out across the lake. “You two looked exhausted.”
“Serious, Josie. I at least want a kiss good-bye.”
“So, noted.” She gave him another kiss. “You know, I love it here. I love how clear the air is and all the different shades of green.” Josie’s hand floated over the soft, feathery leaves of grass next to her yoga mat. “In summer, do you go swimming in the lake?”
“All the time. The water is still pretty cold, but on hot days, it feels like heaven.” They watched as the mist slowly burned away from the lake’s surface, and Josie reluctantly rose to roll up her mat.
“Let me.” Sam stilled her hand and rolled up her mat for her, then picked up her bag and ushered her to her car. “I forgot to tell you, a bunch of folks are meeting for dinner at Dolce Vita tonight at six. I know that’s kind of late for you, but would you be up for it for a while? Kara and Lola will be there, and those damn firemen.”
“Yeah, that sounds good…especially knowing the firemen will be there,” Josie said demurely. Sam helped her into the car and buckled her seat belt. “I really like it when you do that,” Josie admitted.
“I really like taking care of you. And I really, really like it when you let me care for you. I know you don’t have to, so I appreciate you’re giving me that gift, Josie.” Sam leaned in and gave her a warm kiss that she felt down to her toes. “Drive safe, Baby.”
By the time Josie showered and dressed for work, the smell of cinnamon rolls and donuts permeated the shop. They were four deep in customers and she was surprised to find Jace among the crowd. She stepped out from behind the counter and asked if she could help him, knowing that it must be important to take him away from the diner during their busiest time of morning.
“Lola’s been craving chocolate donuts, and she’s flat out cranky about it, so I decided to make a quick run.”
Josie went around behind the display counter, got a bagful she had readied, and handed it to him. When he raised an eyebrow, she waved him off. “We’ve had a run on chocolate donuts lately, so I’ve been prepacking them
. They’re on the house. Now get back to cooking.” She didn’t explain that for the last three days, Kara had sent Walter, the busboy, over for her fix. Josie hoped that this meant Kara’s hopes had been realized and she was going to be a mom.
Four o’clock came around fast, so Elise, Rob, and Josie closed up. For most of the day, she and Elise stayed in the back cranking out special order cakes, and even though she enjoyed the work, she hated missing out on all the fun in the front of the store. Standing also made her back hurt a lot more by the day’s end. Although Chance and Sam hadn’t complained about the fact that she was putting in fourteen-hour days, she could see it worried them. More importantly, it was beginning to worry her. Even with the addition of Rob, her bakery was bringing in forty percent more profit than she had projected, so working this many hours was foolish. She’d kick her sister’s asses if they were doing something like this.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she placed a call to Fate Harbor’s newspaper’s classifieds and posted a help wanted ad. Then she made her way to Chance and Sam’s house, the house she was beginning to think of as home.
Chance opened the door for her as she walked up the steps. “Sam’s at basketball practice. He said he’d meet us at the restaurant.” He swooped in for a lingering kiss.
“So, how do you plan to occupy our time before we have to leave? As if I didn’t know.” Josie smiled.
“Zee, I’m hurt. I don’t always think with my penis. We’re going to have a fashion show. I did some internet shopping a few days ago, and we have some great choices for you to wear tonight.” He pulled her down the hall to their bedroom.
“Chance, you really are out of your damn mind. I have only worn three of the ten outfits that are currently in that closet, as it is.” She saw four dresses spread out on the bed, each one prettier than the last.
“I’m not out of my damn mind. Spoiling you is something that really makes me happy. I love seeing your eyes snap as you think of all the reasons you shouldn’t accept the presents. Then I love to see how you melt a little because I just know, you’ve rarely gotten presents, and deep down inside, you like getting them.”
Theirs To Treasure: Happily Ever After (Fate Harbor Book 1) Page 22