by Dena Blake
She heard a soft scratch at the glass door and glanced up to see Shadow staring at her. She dropped the pen to the table, let Shadow inside, and fed her. “What next?” Could she go through a day like yesterday with Carly again, only to have it ripped away from her once more? She refilled her coffee cup and let the emotions she remembered so vividly trickle through her as she sipped. “Yes. I’ll do it over and over to be with Carly. I have to until I get it right.” Shadow sat in front of her, having finished her breakfast. “And you need your mom close by.”
She found her phone, and the voice mail from Jordan had already arrived on schedule. She cleared it and thought about her next steps. Carly was going to think she was crazy, but she didn’t care.
Can we meet for breakfast? I need some advice.
Her stomach jumped when the bubbles immediately appeared.
Sure. Where?
That little bakery by your office is good. I don’t want to interrupt your morning too much.
That wasn’t completely true. She wanted to burst into Carly’s life in the best possible way.
No interruption. How about 9:00?
That’s perfect.
Okay. See you then.
Oh, and thank you.
You’re very welcome. The line was punctuated with a simple smiley face, which did crazy things to Wynn’s pulse.
Could she just sit across from Carly and have small talk after seeing her naked? After having made love to every inch of her multiple times? After never wanting to leave her arms? How was she going to explain to Carly what she’d been experiencing without her thinking she was delusional?
* * *
When Carly arrived at the bakery, Wynn was already there and had taken a table by the window in the front of the restaurant. She’d caught a glimpse of her as she walked by, and Wynn had smiled and waved. Though she’d always thought keeping company with Wynn would be nice, this was the first time she’d had any contact with her alone, outside of activities that included Suzanna. They’d attempted once or twice before, but something always seemed to get in the way. She remembered Wynn being there at all Suzanna’s professional events to help and also at any personal parties she threw. At personal events, such as birthday parties for Suzanna’s children, Wynn always managed to spend most of her time with the kids. They seemed to love playing with her, something Carly had noticed long ago and had been a factor in her wanting to get to know Wynn better.
She walked through the door and straight to the table. Wynn immediately hopped up and pulled the chair out for her—gorgeous and sweet. “Hey. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course. It’s always good to see you.” She tried to shake the buzz that ran through her but had to let it run its course.
“You too.” Wynn’s smile was beautiful. Her full, pink lips pulled into slight indiscernible dimples that became visible only when her smile stretched widely. Carly had been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of that smile more than once.
She tingled, suddenly feeling as though she’d been sprinkled with pixie dust. “Your text this morning was an unexpected surprise.”
She watched as the color in Wynn’s cheeks reddened and immediately wondered why they hadn’t done this before. What was keeping them apart?
The waitress brought two cups to the table and slid them in front of them. Carly wasn’t one to be rude, so she would drink whatever Wynn had ordered for her. She took a sip and realized it was a non-fat, vanilla latte prepared exactly as she liked it. “You knew what I usually order?” She tilted her head, trying to remember if they’d ever met for coffee before or even had the opportunity to drink it at the same time. “How?” She knew it was never in the morning. She’d seen Wynn only at Suzanna’s events or at afternoon parties, and she didn’t usually drink coffee later in the day.
“It’s a long story.”
“I have time.” She was intrigued and really needed to know how Wynn knew her coffee drink of choice. Had she asked Suzanna? If she had, that was ridiculously flattering.
Wynn looked away and fiddled with the spoon on the saucer next to her cup. “Say you knew someone who told you a story you thought to be impossible, but they were adamant that it actually happened. What would you do?”
“I’d listen and try to be open to what they were telling me.”
“You’d believe them?”
“That’s not quite what I said. I would consider the person and the story, and try to understand what’s happening.” She touched Wynn’s hand and tried desperately to hold her composure as a jolt of familiarity shot through her. “Are you okay?” she asked, unsure of what had just happened and if she, herself, was okay. Her heart raced as she slid her hand back across the table and held her coffee cup. She tried to concentrate on Wynn, but the cup felt cool now in comparison to the heat she’d felt when their hands touched.
“No. Not at all.” Wynn took in a breath and blew it out. “I’m just going to get right to it.” She pushed her hands down her thighs and gripped her knees. “I spent the most wonderful day with someone yesterday, and she doesn’t remember any of it.”
Carly’s heart felt heavy knowing Wynn was about to confide something to her about another woman. “Tell me about it.”
Wynn ran through a story about adopting the mother of her dog, Shadow, a chocolate Lab, named Buttercup, and bathing the dogs
“After all that, we became very close, which led to…” Wynn averted her eyes, hesitating when she reached what Carly thought to be the intimacy she’d shared with this other person.
“I’m not sure I’m the one you should be talking to about this.” Carly was disappointed and couldn’t hide her reaction. She didn’t want to be invested in Wynn’s love life as a spectator. Why would Wynn even think that?
“You’re exactly the right person.” Wynn bolted forward in her seat. “It was you—all of it. The fun, the banter, the intimacy.”
Now she was concerned. She pulled her eyebrows together as she thought about what Wynn had just told her. She hadn’t seen Wynn in weeks. She hadn’t even gone out last night, hadn’t run into her anywhere or drank too much. They certainly hadn’t gotten together to adopt a dog. “I didn’t see you at all yesterday. Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?” Why would Wynn be having intimate dreams of her? Could Wynn be making all of this up to get her attention?
“That’s entirely possible. But that doesn’t make it any less real to me.” Wynn reached across the table and held Carly’s hand.
A red-hot sizzle of heat blazed through her, and somehow she knew it was all true. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll see me tonight after the fund-raiser.”
“Okay.” She raised her eyebrows. “Probably not naked.” At least not yet. “But I’ll spend time with you afterward.” She watched the smile creep across Wynn’s face. “Oh my God. We had sex in your dream.” She lifted an eyebrow. “If it wasn’t a dream you’d know about certain things.”
“Like the butterfly tattoo on your hip, just below your panty line.”
It couldn’t be. How could she know that and Carly not have any memory of showing her?
“You got it when you were sixteen on a dare from your best friend. She has the same one.” Wynn’s face became redder as she spoke. “When your mom found out, she grounded you for a month.”
She shook her head. “My little sister—”
“Carolyn told her because she was pissed at you for something you can’t even remember now.”
“How did you know that?” She looked around the restaurant like someone was punking her. “What the hell is going on? Did Suzanna tell you?”
“No.” She rolled her lips in. “You told me, and I saw the tattoo myself.”
“This is unreal. It can’t be happening.”
“I’m just as confused. I’ve been reliving the same day all week. I know it’s really freaky and just as scary, but it all happened, every minute of it, and I can’t get you out of my mind.”
“The same
day over again?” She put her hand to her mouth. “How many times have we slept together?”
“Technically only once, but we spent hours together other times.”
Heat invaded her. Her neck was on fire now. “Hopefully, it was good.” She had to know.
“Phenomenal—every time.”
She widened her eyes. “Every time?”
Wynn nodded and grinned. “You really like sex.”
She quirked her lip into a half-smile. “This is so puzzling and embarrassing.” She didn’t just randomly sleep with women she didn’t know very well. She made herself live by this rule. She’d never hid the fact that she thought Wynn was attractive. She’d told Suzanna that more than once. She’d known Wynn for a while, but she didn’t really know her. What was so special about Wynn that would make Carly break her own rule and sleep with her so quickly? Was she really going to buy into this craziness?
“You’re telling me.” Wynn’s voice rose slightly. “I’ve been confused for days. I need to figure out what to do to stop the loop—to make the day stop repeating. I keep changing things, but nothing seems to work.”
“Maybe we’re not meant to be together.” The thought was oddly crushing.
“I don’t think that’s the case.” Wynn took in a deep breath. “If it is, then this is some sort of cruel joke the universe is playing on me. I can’t imagine not having you in my life now.”
She stared into Wynn’s eyes, and heat rushed through her again. “I can’t imagine that either.” She was completely turned on. “So, what do you want to do next?”
“I’m not sure it’ll work, but I have a plan.” Wynn leaned forward like they were plotting some covert attack. “We have to go to the fund-raiser tonight.”
“We didn’t last night.” She shook her head, trying to get on track with what was happening. “I mean during the last loop?”
“No. We stayed home. At my house.” Wynn seemed to hesitate until Carly connected the dots.
“In bed?” The thought of how Wynn could have made her forget all her rules still baffled her.
Wynn scrunched her nose and nodded. “The time before, we talked on the phone all night.” She chuckled. “I was an ass and you forgave me.”
“That’s good to know.” She laughed along with her. “I mean, that you can admit when you’re an ass. I’d hate to think you don’t have some redeeming qualities.”
“During these past few days I’ve come to realize that I’d do just about anything for you.”
No one had ever said something that romantic to Carly before. She didn’t know what the hell was going on but felt compelled to explore it.
“I’ll pick you up at five. We’ll help Suzanna with the fund-raiser and then go someplace and talk?” The uncertainty in Wynn’s voice was disarming.
“Okay.” She drank the rest of her latte before she got up. “I’ll see you then.” She gave her a subtle smile. “Don’t be late.”
“Nope. Never. You hate that.”
And she did. Carly walked out of the bakery feeling a thousand times happier than she had when she walked in. Happier than she’d felt in a very long time. She didn’t know if any of what Wynn had said was true, but her heart wanted to believe it so badly.
Chapter Nineteen
Wynn’s day had gone exactly as it had before. She’d picked up Buttercup, who was now safely tucked away with Shadow at home. She would take care of persuading Jack and Maria to adopt her tomorrow if she had the opportunity, or she’d just go to the shelter and adopt her all over again.
Everything was done at work, and no one had lost their job. When Wynn had entered her office, Evelyn was turned in her chair gazing out the window. She was just about to head out for the day when Evelyn summoned her. “You wanted to see me?”
Evelyn spun her chair around to her desk and reached for something in her drawer. “I think this day deserves a celebration. Don’t you?” She set two Waterford highball glasses and a bottle of bourbon on her desk.
“It was a pretty good one.”
“You have plans tonight?”
She glanced at her watch and calculated the time she could spare. “I do, but I have time for a drink.”
“Great.” Evelyn poured them each a finger of bourbon. “If you want ice, you’ll have to fetch it from the canteen.”
“Neat is fine.” She took one of the glasses and held it up. “To saving jobs.” That benefit resonated most for Wynn.
Evelyn clicked her glass against Wynn’s. “To saving this company.”
She sipped her drink and enjoyed the burn as it crossed her tongue and entered her throat before she pulled a chair next to Evelyn’s and faced the window.
Evelyn spoke to the window as she drank. “I have to say, I didn’t expect the turnaround from you today. Working with you rather than against you was refreshing. You and I make a good team.”
“I agree. We do.”
“To be honest, I knew you had a plan of your own and fully anticipated a battle. I didn’t expect all those nice things you said about me to leadership.” Evelyn shook her head. “Did you mean them?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Everything I said was true.” She hadn’t seen the benefit of Evelyn’s wisdom until the past few days, and she’d developed an admiration for her. Evelyn always seemed to be looking out for the employees and the company.
Evelyn sipped her bourbon. “I’ve been kind of an ass to you since you started reporting to me, and I thought you’d retaliate.”
“True. As I told you earlier, that was my original plan.”
Evelyn laughed. “What prompted the change?”
“I guess you might say I got a glimpse of what my life would be in the future if we remained on paths working against each other. Kinda of like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.”
Evelyn swirled the liquid in her glass. “That’s a much deeper explanation than I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“You knew you’d lose and wanted to keep your job.” Evelyn smirked.
“Maybe that too.” She smiled slightly and drank the remaining bourbon in her glass. If Evelyn only knew how much today had impacted her future, she’d be stunned. She’d keep that information to herself, for Evelyn would never believe her if she told her the truth. Obviously they both had a lot to learn about being humble, which they could both gain from watching Jack.
The voice that came from behind them was loud and angry. The clang of the door against the wall prompted them both to twist in their chairs. Davis had pushed by Evelyn’s assistant and was coming at them hot.
Wynn launched out of her chair and blocked his path, taking a hard hit to her shoulder as she fell against the desk. She bounced back and gave Davis a palm strike directly to his nose, which stopped him. He immediately grabbed his face as blood dripped from his nose.
“What the fuck?” He looked at the blood in his hands. “You broke my nose.”
She held her shoulder as pain shot through it. “You assaulted me.”
“Call security.” Evelyn shouted to her assistant. “And medical.”
Wynn turned to Evelyn. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Thank you for stopping him.” Evelyn pulled her eyebrows together and touched her shoulder, and Wynn winced at the pain. “Are you hurt?”
“My shoulder may be dislocated.” She was familiar with the feeling. It wasn’t the first time.
She was going to be late picking up Carly tonight, and Carly hated it when people weren’t punctual—one of the things she’d learned over the past few days. She found her phone and ordered a car to drive Carly to the event. Hopefully that would be okay. She’d instruct the driver to come here to get her after he dropped off Carly. She wouldn’t have time to run by the house and change, which was disappointing. She wanted to look her best for Carly tonight. She’d have to wear the suit she’d put on for work this morning. In fact, her shoulder hurt so badly, she couldn’t even change into the spare shirt in her office. She’d just started a text to
Carly when the medical crew entered the office and went toward Davis, who sat in a chair holding a wad of tissues under his nose.
Evelyn pointed at Wynn. “Check her first.”
One of the on-staff doctors came to her immediately. “Where are you hurt?”
“My shoulder.”
Evelyn assisted the doctor in removing Wynn’s coat before he examined her. “Have you ever had a dislocated shoulder before?”
“Once. In high school.” She’d been on the softball team and had collided with another player while fielding a ball.
“I’m going to try to move it back into place.”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes and braced for the pain, which came almost immediately. She bit her lip to avoid screaming.
“Got it.” The doctor ripped open a package, adjusted a sling to hold her arm semi-immobile, and placed it on her arm.
Apparently nothing was broken except Davis’s nose. Thankfully the company had an on-campus clinic and she hadn’t had to go to the emergency room. She sent a text to Carly telling her she was sending a car and hoped she wouldn’t be angry.
* * *
Carly was confused when the driver from the car service rang her bell and said Wynn had sent him to pick her up and take her to the restaurant. He knew all the particulars of where and when the event was being held, so she believed him.
“Where is Ms. Jamison? Are we picking her up next?” She slid into the backseat of the car. Her place was closer to the venue than Wynn’s, which was a clear indication they weren’t.
“She’s running late.”
She checked her phone, and just then a text from Wynn popped up on the screen.
I’ll meet you there. Running late at work. Fixing things. I sent a car.
Irritation filled her, spoiling her mood. She had never been a kept woman and didn’t intend to be. She closed her eyes and calmed herself before she responded.