“Earth to Megan,” he said, waving a hand in front of her face.
“Huh?” She blushed.
“I asked what you wanted me to do.” Drew sat in a chair next to hers with one side of his sexy mouth lifted. It was obvious she was rattled. He knew she was thinking about him touching her and her taking her time touching him.
“You can pick a paint color and paint in the letters I write out if you want.” Megan handed him a paint brush and continued stenciling the letters. Her mind wandered back to the whipped cream.
“You hungry?” Drew asked, breaking into her dirty thoughts.
“Not really, why?” Damn straight she was hungry, just not for food.
“You’re staring at the fridge.”
“No, I was thinking I needed to clean it out.”
He nodded and began painting the poster. It was cute watching such a manly man doing his best to keep the paint on the tiny brush inside the lines. “Laura liked to paint a lot when she was little.”
“Oh yeah?” Megan asked.
“Yeah,” he chuckled and shook his head. “She painted everything. Once, I was about eleven or twelve and she had to be six, I came home with my buddies to find big yellow flowers painted on the side of our war fort.”
“What is a war fort?”
“For us, it was a piss poor made treehouse that wasn’t in a tree. It was our hangout spot. The spot we kept all the shit we didn’t want our parents to see.” He smiled and she nodded, getting the idea of the things twelve-year-old boys wanted to keep secret. “My friends laughed their asses off and gave me so much shit over it. I was so mad until she came running out, smiling up at me with no front teeth, to show me how pretty she made my castle.”
Megan smiled. “Did you keep them on there?”
“Yep, ‘til she decided to paint mermaids over them a few weeks later.” He laughed with sadness. “Mom would get so mad at her for drawing on her walls with crayons. I talked Mom into buying her an easel and paint every Christmas to save the rest of the house. It was no surprise to us when she decided she wanted to be an art teacher.”
“Well, she’s a lucky girl to have you as a big brother,” Megan said, wishing she would have had someone looking out for her when she was growing up.
Drew was protective, like a brother should be. One day he would be the same gentle and protective man over his own kids. He would make such a great dad. Megan’s mind wandered to what their kids would look like. Would they have his wavy blond hair and his beautiful brown eyes or her straight red hair and blue eyes?
Whoa! Her mind skid to a stop. No way was she going to start thinking about him having babies—with her—because it was never going to happen. Never. She was a freak of nature and she needed to remember that.
“Doubt she would agree with you right now,” he said with a sigh, bringing her thoughts to the present.
Deciding to change the subject for both of their sanity, she asked, “Have you ever played the cake walk?
“Nope, but I thought you were doing the kissing booth this year.”
She smiled and was surprised he knew that, but then again, everyone knew everything in Hope. “I was, but I talked Mrs. Webber into trading with me.”
His nose curled up at the thought. “So I bought twenty ticket in advance for nothing?”
“No, you didn’t?” Megan asked in open-mouthed shock.
“Yes, I did. I’ve been wanting to get hold of you for quite some time, but every time I came around, you ran off like I was infected with a deadly virus.” He shrugged. “I was beginning to think you just weren’t into me.”
No way. Her not be into him? Please. “You were not.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked with his head slightly tilted toward her. “You’re unbelievably hot and not like the rest of the women around here.”
That was the understatement of the century. Well, not the hot part, but for sure not like other women.
“How many other men come into your shop to buy their sister clothes all the time?” He did have a point. It wasn’t lost on her that he came in a lot, but she chalked it up to he was a sweet guy and they were close. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought he was there to see her. “Hell, most of the single, and some not single, men in town would love to just talk to you.”
Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, Megan veered the subject off her and on to something else. “Well, I bet Mrs. Webber would love to get hold of you.”
She couldn’t hold back a laugh when his face contorted into horror. “I feel bad for every man in that line who is expecting you and she walks up.”
“Oh, she’s such a sweet lady. You boys better give her a kiss.” She pointed at him in warning. The thought of Mrs. Webber getting her feelings hurt if no one was in line gnawed at her. She would have to think of a way to handle that possible problem.
“I will, but I swear, if she slips the tongue, I’m going to arrest her.” He laughed and she wasn’t so sure Mrs. Webber wouldn’t at least try. He was Drew Calloway. Any woman, young or old, would be crazy not to try.
Chapter Twelve
It was another hour before they finished, but they managed to get all four posters complete. Drew ended up with paint covering his hands and parts of his face and had to take a shower before he called it a night. Part of Megan dreaded going to bed, but the other part was a tad bit excited to see what would happen.
Crawling into bed, she waited for the inevitable. Much to her surprise, when he got out of the shower, Drew went straight to the living room and made calls. Before she knew it, she could barely hold her eyes open. She guessed her night of crime fighting wore her out because within minutes, she was asleep.
The next day, Megan and Lillie kept the same routine as they had the day before. They drove through the backstreets of town, looking for bad guys. Again, they came up empty, but Megan kept her optimism by reminding herself they had only searched the south and west sides of town so far. By noon, they were starving and asked Drew if they could meet up at the café and he agreed after some coaxing.
Lillie and Megan sat across from each other at a booth and waited for Drew to arrive. Lillie tapped her fingers on the table. “Call him and hurry his ass up. I’m hungry.”
Megan laughed and turned over the menu. “He’ll get here in a minute.”
Speak of the devil, she thought as she watched him saunter his way in, saying hello to everyone on his way to them. He slid in next to her and grabbed a menu. “What are you guys getting?” Drew asked as he perused the menu.
“I’m getting a salad and some fries since it’s the only thing they have in here that doesn’t include meat,” Lillie said, waving a waitress over.
“I want a double cheeseburger, a large order of onion rings, a side of jalapenos, and some of that cheery cheesecake for dessert,” Megan said, pointing to the dessert counter. Julie took her order and looked to Drew and Lillie, but they were staring at her. “What? I’m hungry.”
“Obviously,” Lillie muttered under her breath.
They both ordered and Drew spoke. “I see you got the car back.”
Lillie looked to Megan, then to Drew. Megan wasn’t sure what to say, so Lillie spoke, “I picked it up after you dropped us off.”
He stared at Lillie for a long moment then took a drink from his water. “I asked about your van today and they think they found it. You’ll need to go to the station and look.”
“Seriously?” Lillie squealed and Drew nodded. “Where did they find it? Is it drivable? Oh, my baby! It better be drivable or someone is going to get their ass kicked.”
“I’m not sure what condition it’s in, just know they found a VW van and it fit your description.”
“Why didn’t they call me?”
“They got busy. There’s a lot going on right now and not a lot of staff.”
“I hope it’s my van.” She turned to Megan. “We have to go by the station before we… go back to the shop.”
“Of course.” Though Megan was glad L
illie was getting her van back, she worried that meant she would also be leaving town soon. She wasn’t ready for that. For the first time in her life, she had someone she didn’t have to hide anything from. She could be herself and not feel ashamed or embarrassed about what was thought of her.
Julie brought their plates of food (it took two trips with Megan’s order) and stood with her hands on her hips. “Drew, I’m so sorry to hear about Laura.” She looked curiously from Drew to Megan. There was no doubt the two of them sitting together would be the talk of the town. “Any news yet?”
“Yeah, we’re getting close,” Drew said vaguely.
“When you do find whoever took her, I say we have a town hangin’ right out there on the square,” she said, pointing toward the right.
“You know we can’t do that,” he said.
“Hmph,” was all she said, then Julie set her sights on Megan. “Megan, that shirt was perfect. He did end up taking me to the concert and let me tell you, Blake Shelton is even hotter in person. I wouldn’t say that to Johnny, of course.”
Megan smiled. “I’m glad I could help a little.”
“How is your booth coming along?” Julie asked, resting the empty tray on her hip. Megan explained that she exchanged the kissing booth for the cakewalk and got a hardy laugh. “Oh dear, I can’t wait to see this.” Then she left.
Each of them dug into their food like there was no tomorrow. Well, Megan did while the other two ate at a more normal pace. Stress made her hungry and for the past week, she had been in a continuous state of starving.
Between bites she glanced up to find Lillie staring at Drew. Megan could tell she was reading his thoughts so she kicked her under the table. “Ouch! What?”
“Sorry, my foot slipped,” Megan grinned, then glared at her when Drew looked away. Lillie gave her an innocent batting of the eyes.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and though Lillie and Drew had started eating before her, and had less, she somehow ended up waiting on them. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s get down to the police station.” They fought over the bill and Drew ended up winning, but Megan left a hefty tip and went outside where Drew stood waiting. She wasn’t sure for what, but Lillie must have known because she hurried herself into the car and left Megan alone with him on the sidewalk.
“Be careful. I’ll come by after work as usual,” he said, playing with the keys in his hand. He was antsy and she wasn’t sure why, but he leaned in and gave her a kiss right there on the sidewalks of Hope for anyone to see. It wasn’t his normal I-want-inside-you kiss, but a kiss like a couple would do before departing. Megan stood in utter shock and watched him stroll away. Lillie honked the horn, making her jump.
Slamming herself into the passenger side seat of her car, she looked to Lillie. “What the hell is going on with us?”
“Life, that’s what,” Lillie explained.. “Don’t question it, just enjoy it.”
Megan snorted. “Yeah, right, and then what happens when he finds out?”
“Sweetie, he already knows there’s something different about you and that you’re holding back, but doesn’t know what it is yet.”
The thought of him ever knowing freaked her out. “Shit, what am I supposed to do?”
“Well, hell, Megan. He’s a detective. Sooner or later he’s going to get a clue.” They parked in the no parking zone at the police station. Getting to know Lillie, Megan wasn’t surprised and didn’t feel the need to tell her, because Lillie already knew where she parked and just didn’t care. “You just have to decide if he’s worth knowing the truth or not.”
Megan decided to wait in the car and moved it to a proper spot while Lillie went inside. She had a lot to think about and even though she kept trying to ignore it, the sexual friction between Drew and her wasn’t dissipating. In fact, it was growing by the day. They had an undeniable bond between them, not to mention she wanted to rip his clothes off and spend hours getting to know his body, and wasn’t sure how to handle it. Even though she had never been in a relationship, she had been witness to several and wasn’t so sure she was actually in one. Sure, she was sleeping with him every night and he was giving goodbye kisses, but what did that mean?
Groaning, she banged her head on the steering wheel.
It meant they were in a freaking relationship.
Megan had to put a stop to it and quick. No way was she ready to tell him about her ability and there was no way in hell she could continue leading him on if nothing could come of it. If she thought he only wanted sex, hell yeah she could handle that, but that wasn’t where he was leading this. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t love to be in a relationship with him. Hell, she had dreamed about just that for years now, but she wasn’t ready.
She would never be ready.
The door opened and Lillie got in, pulling her away from her dreary thoughts. Megan turned to her and faked a smile. “So?”
“It’s my van,” she cheered. “They said I can pick it up in an hour. They found it in the middle of a field. They think some kids took it joyriding and it ran out of gas.”
“Good for you. I’m glad you have it back.” Megan’s chest tightened at the thought of Lillie leaving town. In a few short days, she had become a dear friend.
“I’m not leaving yet.” She read my thoughts. “I’m going to be able work now and get much needed funds.” They drove through town and parked in front of Megan’s shop. “I don’t know. I may look for a rental around here and stay a while.”
Megan’s face broke out in a huge smile. “That would be fantastic.”
“You need me here,” Lillie said out of kindness and truth, rather than sarcasm.
“I can call around and see what’s out there, but you’re more than welcome to stay at my place for as long as you want. I like having you there.” Megan reached over and squeezed Lillie’s hand.
“Thanks, but I think I want a place of my own. I may be able to find something I can work out of.” Lillie squeezed her hand back. “And I won’t have to be tortured with thoughts of seeing Drew naked and Drew wanting to see you naked.”
“Whatever.” Megan felt her face get hot.
They got out of the car and went inside. Brandy distanced herself from Megan, making her feel like an ass for not spending time with her and keeping her in the dark about everything involving Laura. Lillie asked Brandy what she could do to help around the shop and Brandy quickly put her to work sweeping. Brandy hated to sweep, so this was a definite slight to Lillie in Megan’s eyes.
After taking a quick look at the sales, Megan gave Brandy the rest of the day off and made a note to give her a bonus on her next check for working as hard as she had. Lillie left soon after to retrieve her van, leaving Megan alone with the soft music coming through the overhead speakers. As nice as it had been to have her life full of so many people, she took a deep breath and enjoyed her time alone.
For the rest of the day, she zoned everything out that didn’t involve her shop and had fun changing out displays between customers. At five thirty, she let a waiting Drew into the shop. “Ready?”
“Actually, I have to make a few calls if you don’t mind waiting?” she asked, holding the door open to see what he wanted to do. She wanted him to say he would be back later or that he would go ahead and head home, but no, he came in and went to the stool she now thought of as his.
“Go ahead.”
She dialed Webber’s Pharmacy and Dwayne picked up. “Hi, Mr. Webber, it’s Megan from Dazzled. How are you?”
“Well, hello, Megan. I’m doing great. You know you can call me Dwayne.”
“Okay, Dwayne, thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. She really didn’t want to call him by his first name. It felt too personal.
“What can I help you with, Megan?” he asked excitedly. No doubt his mother had told him she was on the hunt for a man and he was thinking he might be the lucky prey. Yuck.
“I was wondering if you still had that apartment on Joy Street for re
nt. The one above the empty shop?” She crossed her fingers.
“Oh, uh, yes. Yes, it’s still for rent. Are you looking?” His excitement level plummeted. She hated to disappoint him, but he was almost old enough to be her father and even if he wasn’t, he didn’t have a chance in hell.
“It’s for a friend of mine. Is there any way she could look at it tomorrow?” Megan had seen the place before and if she had Lillie’s taste down like she thought she did, she would fall in love with it. Turning, she saw Drew watching with a quizzical brow lifted. She waved him off and turned so she didn’t have to watch him watching her.
“Sure, uh, you should come, too, just as a reference, you know.” Someone should really teach him how to talk to women.
Megan rolled her eyes. “Ten sound okay?”
“Great. Great. Hey, listen, do you have plans tonight? Mom made her meatloaf and there’ll be plenty if you want to come over and join us.” Megan made a mental note to choke Lillie when she got home.
She hated it, but she had to let him down. “I’m sorry. I have plans. Thank you, though. See you tomorrow.” She hurried off the phone before he could invite her for another night and sucked in a deep breath.
“Did Dwayne Webber just ask you on a date?” Drew grinned knowingly.
“Not so much.” She picked up her purse and passed by him. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
The real question was, was she ready?
Drew walked her to her car and waited until she was inside before shutting the door. It was then she noticed his eyes were red and he looked tired. He needed a trim and his five o’clock shadow made him appear more like a criminal than a cop. Not that it was a bad thing. No, it was quite intriguing to see another side of him.
A rougher side.
A side that made her tingle in unique places.
Megan waited until Drew was in his car before backing up and heading home. She wished he talked to her more about what was going on or better yet, she wished she had Lillie’s ability to hear what was going on in his head.
By the time they made it into the house, the sun had set and Lillie was in her room. Drew ordered pizza to be delivered (cheese pizza for Lillie) and Megan went to her room and shut the door. She decided to clean her room and bathroom in order to waste time and give Drew space. She was on her hands and knees scrubbing the bathtub when Drew walked in.
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