by Beth Byers
The expressions on more than one person’s face said they already regretted being on the tour with their coworkers. Owning property? I seriously doubted it.
“Together we’d have a place to come to the beach with a manageable payment,” Stevie said her charming grin. I glanced against at Jayla, saw bright circles on her face, and wondered if that charming grin of Stevie’s truthfully belonged to a snake. Stevie glanced flirtingly at Frank and became impassive as she saw Jayla returning, and I decided that Stevie was definitely the snaky sort of charming.
Jayla had purchased the big box of cookies. There were 30 in there, and I suspected she’d bought the bigger box just to irritate Frank after what he’d said about the purchases they’d already made. Let alone the way he moved his hand away from Stevie’s back as though it were on fire.
“Really, Stevie?” Jayla asked. She glared at Frank for a moment and then back at Stevie. “Did you forget that you’re not with Frank? We,” she said gesturing to herself and Frank, “are together.”
Frank humphed and then avoided everyone’s gaze while Jayla glared at Stevie. It was Stevie’s merry laugh that made Rose want to kick them all out. Stevie trailed her fingers down Frank’s arm before leaning towards Jayla and purring, “How could I ever forget?”
Oooh, I thought. Oooh, rude. Frank hadn’t jerked back because he was with Stevie. Officially, he was with Jayla. There were undercurrents in the room that were enough to yank anyone down and drown them.
Stevie winked at Jayla, snagged another cookie from my tray, and called, “Lee, honey, shall we step outside? The brisk air is positively…enlivening.”
Lee, it turned out, was a beautiful professor with a close-cut white beard, a body similar to Carver’s, and a tweed jacket that was about as dandy as one could get.
Jayla snorted as mean as Zee and Simon grunted as all of them swept out of the diner.
My brows rose and I met Simon’s gaze. He pressed his lips together, but the twinkle in his eyes told me that he was biting back a laugh. This did feel a bit like we’d stepped in to The Day of Our Lives Professor scene. The air positively crackled with undercurrents that I was too tired (or too drugged) to take additional note of.
The last of the tour left a few minutes later, and Roxy sat down at the table across the aisle from us. Her long hair was in a pony tail that reached her shoulders, and she flipped it to her back as she leaned forward, eye bright, and asked, “Did you hear them?”
I shook my head and took a long breath. We were finally closed.
“They were whispering about that professor that was talking to you. The one named Stevie? She’s a professor of psychology and a sex therapist.”
My eyes widened and Roxy giggled. Her face was red from saying the word ‘sex.’ I laughed at her and then asked, “What were they whispering?”
“Jayla and Frank broke up,” Zee said. “While they were apart, Stevie swooped in. Then Frank and Jayla got back together. Stevie has been playing games with them both. Someone said that she never gets dumped or got dumped until Frank.”
“Yep,” Roxy added. “She’s with some economics professor now, but everyone thinks it’s to save face. He was the pretty one. But they said that she’s super mad about being dumped and out for revenge.”
“Why would they buy a place at the beach together?”
“That’s the thing,” Roxy hissed, “The other professors were saying something about kicking all three of them out of the deal. And that pretty professor too if he doesn’t do what they want. Stevie is trying to get Jayla to pull out since it’s her investment, and Stevie doesn’t want to. Only it was Jayla’s idea, and she’s refusing to leave the deal. This set up was put together before they cheated.”
“It’s not really cheating, is it? If they were broken up?” Simon asked. I eyed him like he was crazy, and he winced and held out his hands in surrender.
“They’ve been together for like 25 years,” Zee said. “Stevie swooped in within weeks of a nasty fight. It isn’t a real breakup that quick. Especially because no one had actually moved. The Frank guy was just couch surfing.”
“That was a pretty nasty move,” I agreed. “Especially since they all work together.”
“And Jayla is a psych professor too,” Zee said with an evil laugh. “And Stevie is her boss. Her boss slept with her boyfriend.”
“Shut the front door,” Roxy told Zee. “She’s worse than you.”
I laughed at that and then muttered, “Holy Hannah,” when I saw the look on Zee’s face. Given the devil glare she cast at Roxy, the girl was going to be getting some revenge coming her way soon. Stupid kid. But then I saw Zee’s nasty glance and winced. I had only laughed. I’d never have said that. Plus I was on drugs and in pain. That counted for something, right? Right?
FOUR
“Heaven,” I said to Simon. I was sitting in the over-sized tub in his house, covered in bubbles, and my back was slowly relaxing. He hadn’t let me have another glass of wine but I had fallen asleep in his car so deeply I’d drooled. Even still, the bath was magical. I dared to lean forward and stretch my back. If I did it slowly enough, the shocks of pain were milder. I knew I needed my back to slide back into place. As soon as it was, my pain would lessen. I swore that, this time, as soon as I was better, I’d start a core strengthening regimen.
“The steaks will be done soon,” he said. His hands were fixed on his hips.
I didn’t bother to say anything to that because I was too busy moaning.
He laughed and then asked, “Are you safe? Because, I’m afraid I’ll come back to find you passed out again. Passed out and drowned.”
His hot water heater got super-hot, and I was cooking my back into relaxing. He had a point, but I wasn’t going to say that. I just suggested, “Maybe leave the door open? Shout every so often?”
I was not getting out of this bath yet. It was magical. This tub was a slice of heaven, and I was enjoying it more than I thought was possible. I’d been kind of afraid to sit down in it, and Simon had to promise me he’d be able to get me out without hurting me more if I couldn’t do it.
Now that I was in, though, the pain was dissipating slowly. I might not even need his help to pull myself out. I might take it anyway, because he loved to help me. I’d noticed the bottle of cinnamon hot massage oil he’d brought in with him, and I was going to smell like Red Hot Candy tomorrow and not mind at all.
Simon checked on me three times before I got out of the tub. And only then because he swore to me that the steaks were getting cold. The kitchen felt about a million miles away, but I was able to get into my pajamas and a huge robe without too much trouble. The dawning light of less pain was shining in my mind brightened the entirety of my mood.
Simon loved to grill. It didn’t matter that it had started to drizzle off his patio. He fired up that grill, year round and at least once a week. I loved that he grilled too, because he was amazing at it. I cooked for people all day, and I loved nothing more than cooking for Simon…except when he cooked for me. The steaks were not cold. The big faker. But, he served it up as I sat at the table and given how out of it I was, he’d sliced it for me. Normally, I’d have been irritated, but I wasn’t sure I trusted myself with a knife.
Simon lit the fire as soon as we were done eating and added the candles that I’d slowly placed around his living room the more time I’d spent with him at his place. I noted he’d put the massage oil and several blankets next to the fire place. I was very much looking forward to falling asleep while he rubbed that oil into my back. I bet I could even talk him into putting the tens unit on my back once the massage was done—even if I was sleeping—given the fact that my back had finally loosened, I might just be ok the next day.
Sore, but ok.
I crossed my fingers and joined Simon for dinner. My eyelids were drooping by the time I’d settled myself on the floor. Simon cleaned up while I stretched some more, and then I flopped onto my stomach as he took care of my back.
“You’re the best,” I moaned as my back loosened further. He knew just how to dig his fingers into my muscles to make them stop fighting me so hard.
“I love you,” he said simply. I would have answered but I was too busy sighing in relief. I hadn’t realized how tight my back still was because the pain had lessened so much, but he’d returned me to almost normal. I was afraid to move and ruin it. Or even breathe and ruin it.
I thought about how I’d met him—over a pile of puppies and smiled softly. I still thought he was too handsome for me, but he seemed to think I was beautiful. I also still thought he was too charming for me. I’d never been in love before Simon and never really expected to be in love at all. Too much time had passed with no one ever finding me…special enough. It sounded pathetic, and although occasionally lonely, I’d always been ok with my love life or lack thereof. I knew my worth, so I hadn’t let it bother me all that much. I figured it was better to be happy single than to be unhappy in a couple.
When I was done groaning at the way his fingers dug into my lower back and made everything better, I said, “I love you, too.”
He placed his hands on their side and karate style ran them up my spine. I groaned as my shoulders loosened up. I had been so tight from my lower back hurting, I’d made my upper back and knees hurt too. He was fixing it for me, though. How I loved him.
“Did you hear those professors today?” He asked. “They’re so…crazy, they make Zee and Carver look normal.”
I laughed and told Simon about Carver and Zee that morning and Zee actually ending up speechless.
“Carver’s got it bad,” Simon said. “He came in whistling after breakfast. I guess I know why now. I think he likes fighting with her almost more than anything else.”
I turned onto my side to listen to him describe his day with Carver muttering under his breath about Zee while they worked. Usually Simon didn’t work hand in hand with Carver, but Simon got pulled to the sheriff’s side more and more, especially if Zee was up to something. Suddenly then Carver needed Simon working with him and Carver expected me to know what Zee was up to, for me to tell Simon, and then Simon to tell Carver. Simon kept saying that Zee kept everything close to her chest—which was kind of true. But of course…I knew stuff that I refused to tell Simon to keep him out of their weird love life.
Of course, it was also true that Zee had come over and collected dog poop one day and then littered it all over Carver’s yard. Which was both disgusting and hilarious. And, it was true that Zee had baked Carver brownies in the bakery kitchens and used salt instead of sugar after she’d seen him talking to Holly Browne who was 10 years younger than Zee—so Zee told me, since she refused to reveal her actual age. Regardless, Zee hadn’t liked that they were chatting. She’d snidely commented about Holly’s fresh boob job. I had to admit Holly was perky. But Zee was spicy, and Carver liked that spice. Holly, on the other hand, was as vanilla as a person could be. She had her hair done monthly, her nails were always perfect, and she spent a lot of time talking about her perfect grandson.
All good things. All very opposite from Zee who loved her grandchildren and focused on all the crazy stuff they did, she was proud of their perfect grades or looks. But in my opinion, she was more proud of their spiciness than she was of the normal things they did that were good things. Zee wanted her grandchildren to have big lives. She was more likely to give them money for a trip to Mexico for spring break than for anything normal.
“What do you think she’ll do to get revenge?” Simon asked too casually.
I grinned at him wickedly and raised my brow.
He flushed and then admitted, “Carver is riding my behind.”
“Sounds like a problem,” I said, knowing I’d never tell. I would be the one facing vengeance if I threw Zee under the bus. She already was eyeing me as though I were the one feeding Carver information about what she was up to. Hello, I wanted to say to Zee, he’s a cop. He’s the boss of cops. Zee should have known better. Carver probably knew more about Zee than I did. I just knew more about recent hi-jinx. And the terrifying number of her cats.
Simon leaned in and kissed me lightly before he said, “Traitor. Help me out here.”
“Traitor is what Zee would call me if she knew I was spying for Carver,” I told Simon seriously. “Then she’d torture me slowly.”
He grunted as he karate chopped up and down my spine and then used his the base of his palms to relax my shoulders with deep circles.
“You’re going to have to tell Carver to keep us out of it,” I suggested.
Given that we’d had many conversations about how to stay out of their drama, I was sure he was making a face about that. We never could quite escape their madness. They’d get into one of their flirtatious battles, and we’d get pulled back in. It was as though we were in quicksand and had a rope to pull ourselves to safety, but the quicksand never let us go. Not ever.
“We should just lie to both of them,” Simon said. “Outrageous things so they know we’re not telling the truth and then solemnly swear that we are.”
“Zee is dating Sean Connery,” I told Simon. “They met over in Astoria when she went up last weekend to spend time with her grandson. After they met, she did an ironman completion in Portland and has broken her record of 200 pushups every morning."
Simon laughed and then said, “Knowing Zee she actually does that many pushups every morning.”
“She’s a burpee woman in real life,” I told him, having no idea if what I was saying was true.
The fire crackled as Simon leaned in for another soft kiss and then he asked, “Do you think we’ll survive if they actually end up together?”
“No,” I said. I thought we’d be lucky to survive no matter how they ended up given that we worked with the couple, and they were using us against each other.
“They have the weirdest courting I’ve ever seen,” Simon admitted. His hands were fisted, digging into my lower hips, and I was trying not to whimper. I’d relaxed to a point where my back wasn’t actively hurting, but he was working out tightness I hadn’t realized was there because of the other pain.
“You should watch how you speak of Zee,” I said, remembering the look on Roberta’s face when Zee had attacked the mayor. I told him what Zee had said to the mayor, and he cursed under his breath.
“If I make Carver angry enough, he’ll send me to deal with everything with Roberta.”
I raised my brows and said, “We could ask Zee for help.”
As I said it, we both shook our heads. I rolled onto my back and stretched my hands over my head and my toes as far as I could reach. I could feel the burn of my muscles in the stretch, but they weren’t truly agonizing, and I thought I really might have crossed to the other side on my pain.
It was past 9:00 pm, and since I’d gotten up at 4:30 am to be dressed and open the diner before 6:00 pm, I was exhausted. Mama Dog came over and licked my face while Daisy curled into my side. They were telling me it was bedtime, and Simon got the message. He pulled me to my feet and I carefully twisted, testing the edge of my movement. I grinned at him and said, “You’re a miracle worker.”
Given that I had to wipe drool off of my chin again, the miracle was that he loved me. He leaned in for another soft kiss and crated the dogs. All except for his ancient lab and Mama Dog. Before we spent so much time together, Daisy slept with me. But she preferred her litter mate, Duke, when we were at Simon’s. We’d ended up getting a double-sized crate for Daisy and Duke. My three Dauschund puppies were in one crate all in a pile. Mama Dog took the second half of my pillow with her nose pressed to my cheek and Simon curled around my back to hold me close. I had a heating pad on my back, so his stomach might cook while we slept. But between the massage, the tens unit, the heating pad, and a good night’s sleep, I might just be human again the next day.
Probably not human enough to deal with that mischief I saw in Zee’s eyes. Just as I surrendered to the darkness, I remembered the look in her gaze and then flinch
ed into my dreams.
FIVE
I slept until I woke. I hadn’t planned on it, but I guessed Simon had turned off my alarm. I could remember him dropping a kiss on my forehead and saying that he had to go, but I hadn’t stayed awake long enough to even say goodbye. It was, in fact, the pressure of my bladder that woke me up. I stretched slowly, carefully, testing my back and was thrilled to find I was only stiff.
I took several minutes despite my need to use the facilities to stretch my legs, back, and shoulders while I laid on my back. It burned a little, but it didn’t shout at me like it had been for the last few days.
“Hallelujah,” I told Mama Dog. Her tail thumped against the pillow and she kissed my nose before stepping onto my belly to settle down. Her loving brown eyes fixated on my face, and she licked my chin making me laugh. I leaned up to press my nose against hers and scratched her ears. The other dogs were stirring in their crates. Between Simon and me, we had 7 dogs. It was excessive, and we knew it. I hadn’t intended on keeping the puppies, but by the time I was sure that no one else was going to claim them, I had been in love.
Instead of adopting them out, I’d invested in tape rollers for the hair, an ‘animal’ vacuum, and lots of dog beds. Simon had only laughed when I told him I wanted to keep the puppies and insisted on naming one Harold.
Inside my head, I had to admit I was giving Zee’s crazy cat lady a run for the money with the crazy dog lady title, but I didn’t care all that much. I lifted my phone, saw the time, and dropped my jaw. It was at 9:00 am! I was so late! I’d expected to give myself time to stretch not be hours late. I saw I had several messages and expected that it was my staff either chewing me out or checking on me, but it was them saying they were fine. Given that Az, Zee, and Simon had messaged the diner was ok, I sensed a conspiracy. I must have been sharper than I intended to be the day before.