by Hope Malory
“I still think the red dress, a more dramatic eyeshadow, and my cherry lipstick would be better.”
“For you, but not me. There’s the doorbell.” She tensed up.
“Calm down and have a wonderful time.”
Steeling herself, Beasley took a deep breath before opening the door.
She melted at the sight of the man with the face and body of a cover model and swagger of a warrior. Those intense green eyes and megawatt smile made her knees go weak. High-end sunglasses balanced atop his walnut-colored hair, once a military buzz cut, but now longer. His well-toned arms bulged through his ice-blue knit shirt. She recovered and smiled. “Hi, Dalton. You look amazing.”
“That’s my line. The curls are glamorous.”
Flustered, she patted her hair. “Thank you. Do you want to come in?”
“Why don’t we head toward Knoxville? Traffic may be bad.”
He held out his arm and escorted her to his black convertible sports car.
She clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from trembling. A drop of sweat trickled down her back and not from the temperature outside. Relief washed over her when Dalton talked about himself on the drive into the city, preventing her from rattling on like she often did when she was anxious. Why didn’t she ask him about his stint with the Navy SEALS? No, Casey had warned her he didn’t discuss it. All brain activity ceased.
Going out to eat with a handsome man boosted her ego. The dating scene was sparse except for Will. The two men were so different. Will was easy to talk to, but now she couldn’t think of a thing to say to Dalton.
The hostess led them to a corner table adjacent to the window. The upbeat tune drifting through the speakers caused her to tap her feet to the beat of the music. It was a nervous response, but she was thankful to have something to compensate for her awkwardness. What’s wrong with me? I’m not a self-conscious person. She felt relieved when the server appeared.
After he took their order and left, Dalton asked about her work. Awesome; she could talk with intelligence about her job. Minutes after she began talking, his attention shifted toward the bar.
He ogled the leggy blonde in a short, tight skirt who sat on a barstool. Beasley had seen the girl watching him. He smiled at Blondie and held the gaze a tad too long. She flashed him a broad smile.
“Excuse me. Am I intruding on your little flirtation?”
He shrugged. “Hey, don’t be so uptight. Guys look.”
Will would never do that. “Rude ones do.”
“Point taken. Sorry. I’m listening. Finish telling me about your work.”
So insincere. Why did I think this guy was so great? “Because he’s a Navy Seal. He’s strong, gorgeous, available, and lives in Azalea Valley,” she answered under her breath. “Never mind. Why don’t you tell me about your work as a recruiter?”
He talked about his job until they finished their meal. As they left, she saw him out of the corner of her eye watching the blonde until they reached the door and walked out. Why would a guy be so disrespectful? Surreptitiously, she studied his face—the angles, the cleft in his chin, the thick eyebrows, and the full mouth. The rich mane of hair she would love to run her fingers through and broad shoulders were so masculine. She understood why ladies flirted with him, but he didn’t have to be blatant about responding. Not when he was with her.
Still, he was charming, and a lady could lose herself in those eyes. She’d had a crush on him forever; he was her hero. How many girls land a date with a Navy SEAL? Her pulse quickened when he put his hand at her back as he ushered her to her house. It was not quite eleven o’clock. “Would you like to come in for a beer?”
“Not tonight. I have to be up before dawn. Maybe we can do this again sometime.”
“Yes, I’d like to.”
He leaned in and brushed her lips. “Great. I’ll call you.”
All she could think about was his mouth on hers, however brief it had been. She needed to go inside before her legs gave way. When she closed the front door, Brenner came bolting down the stairs.
“I didn’t expect you home this soon.”
“He has to get up before daybreak tomorrow morning.”
“So, how was it?”
She divulged almost everything. In the telling, it didn’t sound as glamorous as she had imagined it would be. She left out the part about the blonde. “He said we can do this again sometime. And he kissed me.” When Brenner’s eyes opened wider, she added, “A light buss, not a proper kiss.”
Brenner shrugged. “Go change into your PJs. Popcorn or a glass of wine?”
“Any other night popcorn, but I need the wine.”
Brenner poured them each a glass of wine and found an old movie on TV. “On Golden Pond is on. Want to watch?”
“Perfect.” Just what she needed to wind down from her date.
~ ~ ~
Beasley punched the snooze button on the alarm twice before she got up. “Not Monday morning again,” she grumbled. One positive thing about the slow season was she didn’t have to spend most of her nights and weekends working. In fact, she hadn’t worked at all on Saturday or Sunday.
She dressed for work, thinking about how much she would miss having Kate around. It had been wonderful of Kate to return three days a week and help when her most important contract had come through. The project was over. Last Friday, when Kate had come into her office, she had said, “I know you can’t afford to pay me, and with the slowdown, you don’t need me. Business will pick up in the spring, and you can call me.”
At the conclusion of the King account, Beasley laid off several of the workers. Instead of hiring a new accountant in Rhoda’s place, she and Millie handled the finances until the company grew enough to hire someone else. The receptionist informed her of her move to Alabama with her boyfriend. She intended to employ someone part-time to replace her.
Beasley and Millie arranged Christmas promotions to garner more business through the holidays, and they brainstormed ideas to keep them afloat for the remainder of the winter. Infuriated didn’t begin to describe her emotions when she calculated the volume of work it had taken to build the company. The strategy to buy new equipment and expand halted because of budgeting realities. It was inexcusable for Rhoda to steal her money and demolish her dream.
The expression on Millie’s face when she entered the office reflected bad news. Beasley’s muscles tightened. “What now?”
Millie held up a handful of invoices. “A bill from the insurance company came in the mail, and a tax payment is due soon. Several thousand dollars on top of our usual monthly expenses.”
Beasley sighed. “Pay the insurance and let’s hold off on the taxes until the due date. Perhaps a miracle will happen.”
It wasn’t time to panic yet, but she couldn’t afford any major setbacks.
“Oh, I almost forgot. How was your night out with your Navy SEAL?”
“It felt like I was in middle school meeting a heartthrob movie star. I was so stressed. We had a nice dinner though.”
Not one to check her phone often, Beasley was checking it at every opportunity. Should she text Dalton and tell him she had enjoyed their date? No. Contacting him too soon gives the impression I’m needy. He’ll call if he’s interested.
On an average day in the office, she shut everything out of her thoughts, except work. Today, though, her mind wandered. This morning, she rehashed her time with Dalton and hoped he would ask her out again. She replayed Thanksgiving with her family and thought of Will enjoying his holiday with Madison. Why did it sting so much to think of Will with someone else? Will was the past, and she had worshiped Dalton for as long as she could remember. The annoying reminder that Dalton checked out another woman on their date crept into her mind. Why couldn’t he be like Will; he made her feel special. Warmth spr
ead through her as she reminisced about their time together.
Thoughts of Will prompted memories of her time with Casey. Having a best friend who lived across the country was hard. Although they chatted regularly, it wasn’t the same. She considered calling and informing her about the evening with her brother. “No. I’ll wait for him to call me again,” she said aloud.
Millie overheard her and came in. “Were you talking to me?”
“No. I talk to myself sometimes.”
“How about a break? Since it’s almost eleven, we can go to an early lunch if you’re up for it.”
“No need to ask me twice. What a pleasant day. Let’s walk down to the Yellow Butterfly. Maybe the line won’t be too long.”
Before the café’s doors opened, people often gathered outside, awaiting its famous biscuits and homemade preserves. Lunch crowds converged on the restaurant too. Rocking chairs lined the front porch for overflow customers. The café’s adjoining shop sold everything from jams, biscuit mix, and full country hams, to T-shirts, coffee mugs, and caps bearing the Yellow Butterfly Café logo.
As soon as Beasley stepped into the café, she spied Dalton. Swallowing hard to ease the painful tightening in her throat, she turned around. “We need to go somewhere else.”
“Why?”
“Dalton is in there snuggled up with a redhead, nibbling on her ear and kissing her.”
“Aw. I’m sorry, sweetie. Why don’t we go to Smokies Grill? Their barbecue sandwich is the best.”
They walked a block south on Main Street to the grill. After they found a seat and placed their order, Millie said, “I wondered whether to bring it up, but do you know why Dalton and his fiancée broke up?”
“No. Do you know her?”
“Not at all, but I hear the gossip. Beasley, he cheated on her. The one she caught him with had red hair. Word is she lives over in Sevier County.”
Beasley cocked her head. “That must have been her in the café. If he’s seeing her, why did he ask me out?”
“An excellent question. Perhaps she was out of town for the holidays and you weren’t. Sorry, but I have no respect for the man. Guys like him who can’t keep their hands off other women when they’re in a committed relationship don’t inspire trust. Believe me, I didn’t want to say anything, but you deserve so much better.”
“My friend Casey, Dalton’s sister, warned me not to put him on a pedestal, but I assumed she was being a typical sibling, trying to warn me without telling me outright. Hard to admit, but he flirted with a blonde while we were on our date. It was a red flag, but I didn’t want to acknowledge it. Yes, I’m disappointed, but it’s better I found out now, so I can forget about him and move on.”
“I agree. Let’s talk about something positive instead of all these problems.”
Beasley couldn’t think of anything constructive to say. Her business struggled, her friend Kate no longer worked at the office, Will had reunited with his former girlfriend, and now her dream guy had turned out to be not so dreamy. What else could go wrong?
Chapter 18
After leaving work, Beasley drove into the driveway and stopped at the mailbox. “Bills, just what I need.”
The display on her phone showed a call from Mia. She punched the name. “Hi, Mia.”
“Listen, I hate to tell you, but Dalton came into the café, and he was with a hussy.”
“Yes. I came in at lunch and saw them.”
“Where were you?”
“I left. Millie and I went to the Grill.”
“Sorry. If it helps, I spilled some iced tea in his lap, but I apologized, pretending it was an accident.”
Beasley laughed. “Wish I could have witnessed his reaction.”
“Priceless. The playboy needed cooling off. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“You’re a true friend.”
Beasley kicked her shoes off, traipsed into the kitchen, and got a bottle of water out of the refrigerator when her phone rang. The number wasn’t familiar. Maybe this is the guy saying he’s coming over to fix our floors.
“Hello.”
“Hi, beautiful. This is Dalton.”
She stiffened. “What can I do for you?”
“Go to a concert with me Friday night.”
“I’m busy, but I’ll bet your girlfriend will go with you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Earlier today, I came to the Yellow Butterfly, and you were cozy with your redhead.”
“So? I’m dating other people, and I assume you are too. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. But a guy who cheats on his fiancée isn’t someone I want to go out with. Regardless, I’m confident you can find one of your admirers to go with you. Goodbye, Dalton.”
Before he said anything, she punched the end button. A moment later, the ringtone blared again. “Listen, I don’t want to talk to you. Don’t call me again.”
“Beasley? Sorry to bother you.”
“Oh, Will, please forgive me. I thought you were someone else.”
“Thank goodness. I wondered what I’d done to upset you.”
You started dating your previous girlfriend that’s what. “How are you?”
“Thinking about you. How was your Thanksgiving? Did all your brothers come?”
“All except Baxter, the one who lives in California. Tell me about your holiday,” she said, trying not to appear to be fishing for details about him and Madison.
“Same as always. Mom cooked enough to feed the entire town, and we ate too much. I went to Dad and Gina’s that night.”
Apparently, he didn’t think the news about his reconciliation would interest her. Well, she wouldn’t bring it up.
They chatted about her business and his job. Though neither had any news to share, it was good to talk to him. After the fiasco with Dalton, she enjoyed talking to a man who listened to what she said. What was it with her and men? They never worked out.
Brenner came in from work. “Why so gloomy?”
She briefed Brenner about Dalton.
“Forget about him.”
Beasley managed a half smile. “No choice.”
“How about I call Pete’s and order a pizza? We can veg out and relax a little.”
~ ~ ~
“Hi, Case. Perfect timing. I was planning to call you today. What’s up?”
“I have news.”
“Eager to hear. I have some for you too.”
Casey always put the other person first. “Tell me.”
“About your brother. Dalton asked me out, and we went to dinner in Knoxville this past Saturday night.”
“What? But he’s engaged.”
“Oh, I assumed you knew. They broke up.”
“Nobody told me. So, you went out with him at last. How was it?”
“The date went well, but I was nervous.”
“That doesn’t tell me much. Are you going to see him again?”
“No. He called me yesterday and asked me to go to a concert with him, but Millie and I saw him earlier in the day cuddled up with a red-haired woman at the Yellow Butterfly. They were cozy. Millie alerted me about his reputation with the ladies, and she heard he cheated on his fiancée with a redhead.”
Casey hesitated. “I’m not too surprised.”
“For real? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think you would go out with him. Since our teenage years, you put him on a pedestal, and I didn’t want to tarnish your image of him.”
“Case, I compared every guy I ever met with Dalton, and none ever measured up. He shattered my dream.”
“Of course I love my brother, and I’m proud he served his country as a Navy SEAL but being a hero doesn’t mean he isn’t f
lawed. I’m sorry you found out this way.”
“It’s history now. When he asked me out again, I hung up on him. Between Dalton and all the financial problems, it has been a rather shitty week. Now, tell me your news.”
“Cameron invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at his parents’ house, and I went.”
“Wow. How was it?”
“Pleasant. I missed those family occasions. We talked a lot about what’s going on in our lives now, the past, and the divorce.”
“And?”
“Before we separated, we focused on the difficulties rather than all the happy times and the love we shared. Our problems would not have seemed insurmountable if we’d communicated and compromised more. We each apologized for not trying harder to make it work. After spending time with him, I realized how much I’d missed him.”
“And?”
“Typical Cameron, he was as attentive and charming as ever. We had a phenomenal time.”
“Talking or doing other things?”
“Both.”
Beasley laughed. “Sex with the ex. How was it?”
“Fabulous. Off the charts. The coolest part is we are seeing each other again.”
“Case, I’m so happy for you. The two of you belong together. I always thought you still loved him though you said otherwise.”
“True, I did. But I didn’t realize the love was still there. He assured me he feels the same way. Beasley, I’m going crazy here. I don’t know what to do. I need my friend here to talk to. Is there any way you could come out here? I’ll pay for your flight.”
“Yes. What are friends for?”
~ ~ ~
Beasley threw her bags in the back seat of Casey’s silver SUV at the Reno–Tahoe airport.
Casey reached for her hand when she slid in the front seat beside her. “I’m sorry about your financial troubles.”
“Thanks. I still can’t believe it. I’m bleeding cash with all the bills.”