by Lacey Wolfe
Seth sighed. If something could go wrong today, it was. “What’s going on now?”
“There’s a large truck blocking Maple Street and the Watson funeral needs to get on the road.”
Who would be blocking the road? Scratching his head, Seth leaned back in his chair. Why did he have a feeling that somehow Ava was involved in this?
“Tell the driver to move.”
“He won’t. The shop owner isn’t there, and he needs to drop the stuff off.”
It had to be her. “Can’t he leave the stuff on the curb?”
“Says it has to be signed for.”
“Then someone sign for the goddamned shit, and get that truck out of there.” Yes, he knew his anger was directed toward the wrong person, but damn, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.
“Okay, I think Cody is in the area. I will have dispatch tell him.”
Seth let out a sigh. Did this woman have any idea that, if she could get herself on a decent schedule, then the world would just make more sense? At least for him. She had only been in Brookfield a few days, and she had already turned his life upside down. Typically summers went smoothly and winters were when he got his worst headaches, but he had a big one right now.
It was after two in the afternoon, and he had yet to have lunch. Pulling out his phone, he texted his sister to see if she wanted to meet him at the diner. Right about now was a time he could use her. She would talk about everything under the sun, and thankfully it would have nothing to do with a certain someone.
His phone beeped. She said she would meet him there in fifteen minutes. Great.
“I’m going to lunch,” he told Randy. “You get the situation taken care of?”
“Yup. Right as Cody got there he said a hot Italian woman showed up. Now I think he’s busy flirting and trying to get her number.”
The hell he was. Seth grabbed his walkie-talkie and called to Cody. “Quit thinking with your dick, and get back to work.”
Randy stared at Seth like he had lost his mind but didn’t say anything. Seth then stomped out of the station and decided to walk to the diner. He needed to work off this frustration and embarrassment. He could only wonder now what everyone was saying about his outburst.
The walk was quick. He probably made it quicker since he was walking at a fast pace, but with each step and breath, he felt his frustration level lower. Once he made it to the diner, he knew more than likely Kimberly would be there. If he knew his sister, she would want to know why he’d walked, but perhaps he would get lucky in one way and Ava wouldn’t be a topic. Otherwise, he just might need a vacation from this town until things got straightened out.
When he entered Swift Water Café, everyone quieted but then did their nods and waves as they typically did when he visited anywhere. Kimberly was waiting for him, and he made his way over to the booth. She had her hair back in a bun today and looked almost identical to their mother. As he sat down, he saw a cup of coffee already waited for him.
“Hope you don’t mind, but I already ordered.”
“Did you get me my philly?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Good, I’m starving.” Taking a sip of his coffee, he let the flavors sit in his mouth for a minute. He loved coffee.
“You don’t look yourself. Everything okay?” Kimberly asked.
“Just a long day where stupid things keep happening.”
“Yeah, I saw Cody parked in front of that new shop opening. He helped unload a truck for Ava.”
He was going to let Cody have it. Seth had told him to get the hell out of there, yet Cody was still there, ogling Ava. Jealousy swept through him, and it wasn’t something he enjoyed either. He had no stake on Ava—not that he wanted one. Still, she didn’t need to start seeing Cody.
“I’m going by there after we eat anyway,” Kimberly said.
“What? Why?”
“I asked Ava if I could work there part-time, so I’m going by to fill out an application.”
“You’re what?” Was he hearing things? Did his sister just say she wanted to work at a sex shop?
“Chill, Seth. It isn’t a big deal. The store isn’t what you think it is.”
How the hell did this happen? His own damn sister wanted to work at the store he didn’t want opening, the store he wanted to get the hell out of his town. Had she gone off the deep end or had he?
“You can’t work there. It’s never going to open,” he snapped.
“Really? How come?”
The waitress brought their order over. Like usual, she smiled at him, and normally he enjoyed flirting with her but not today. He had to figure out where the closest mental hospital was.
“I’ve already discussed with Ms. Miller that her shop won’t be opening here. She needs to look over in Jackson Hole. The location she has chosen isn’t good, and currently, there’s a petition going around. I’m sure enough people will sign it. She is just wasting money.”
“Seth, it’s the twenty-first century. No one cares.”
“I care.”
“When did you become such a prude? Maybe you just need to get laid. When was the last time?”
“This is hardly anything I should be discussing with you.”
“It’s been awhile I take it.” She laughed.
Biting into his sandwich, he couldn’t believe his baby sister was talking to him about sex.
“Ava is single and very pretty,” Kimberly said.
Yes, she was, but he wasn’t getting involved with her. “Let’s talk about something else.”
For the rest of lunch, he listened to his sister talk about various things and friends. Normal female gossip, which was fine. The topics were bearable. After lunch, he said bye to his sister. It took everything in him to bite his tongue and ask her to not go visit with Ava, but he knew it would just fuel the fire.
As his sister drove off, he wished like hell he had asked for a ride. He was stuffed, and now he had to walk all the way back to the station. When was this day going to get better?
* * *
The loud music echoed throughout the shop as Ava danced away. She had chosen a wall color and called down to the local hardware shop, and it was due to be delivered. Today she loved Brookfield and the joys of a small town. Everyone was friendly and willing to help. Especially that nice officer, Cody. Why couldn’t he have been the one she’d bumped into her first night here?
She could tell Cody had been trying to work up the courage to ask for her number. It was cute, but he was younger than her, and she just didn’t go for the young ones.
As she waited on the paint, she peeked into the boxes that had been delivered. She felt awful she had held up a funeral. That was the last thing she had ever meant to do. Such a ruckus, too. She was lucky the sheriff hadn’t shown up like he usually did. He would have made the situation much worse. Heck, all she could do was apologize for being late. She had never been good about being anywhere when she was supposed to. She was really going to have to work on that. Customers wouldn’t be happy if she was never here on time.
The thought of customers warmed her heart. She couldn’t wait to open Bare Necessities. She loved fancy underwear and things that made people feel sexy. Hopefully, the women and men of this town would enjoy it as much as her.
A sound startled her from her thoughts, and she saw Kimberly at the door knocking. For a moment, Ava wondered what she was there for and then remembered it was for an application. Maybe Ava needed an assistant. Perhaps Kimberly would be interested in helping her keep her head on straight.
“Hi, girl,” Ava said as she opened the door.
“Hey. I hope it’s a good time.”
“It’s a great time. Just waiting on paint. Come on in.”
Kimberly came in and looked around. “Tell me you chose the soft blue color.”
Ava laughed. “I did.”
“It’s going to be beautiful in here.”
“I hope so.” Ava grabbed the application from the
back and handed it to her. “This might be forward, but I could really use help now. Not sure if you heard about what happened today, but I am no good at managing my time.”
“I heard. What are you looking for me to do?”
“Be my assistant.”
“Well, I’m in school a few days a week, but I could help when not there.”
“That would be great. Fill that out and get it back to me when you can, and we will get started.” Ava paused before adding, “Have you discussed this with your brother?”
“He knows.”
“And he’s okay with it?”
“Well,” Kimberly began.
“This might be good. Maybe, with you here, he won’t think this is such a horrible place. Tell me, though, has he ever had a girlfriend? I would think someone as hot as him has plenty of women lining up in the most see-through nighties they own.”
Kimberly giggled. “It’s been awhile. He’s a pretty cautious guy.”
“I see. Well, just make sure it isn’t going to cause more problems before you decide for sure if you want the job. Can you do that?”
Kimberly nodded. “I’ll have this back to you in the next day or two. Sound good?”
“Great.”
Kimberly waved and let herself out. Ava wasn’t sure if hiring the sheriff’s little sister was going to be good or bad. If there was one thing she was sure of, Seth was in her future whether she wanted him to be or not.
Chapter Six
A few days later, Ava was finally getting the hang of working during the day and sleeping at night. Today, however, she took the day off. Soon she would pick up Julie, and they were going to enjoy some good girl time. Julie needed it desperately. All she ever did was take care of Lila and work on her publishing business. Julie was happy, but every girl needed some time out.
Tonight, though, Ava would be working. She had a to-do list that kept growing and a deadline for opening day that was approaching fast. Kimberly was doing well as Ava’s assistant. She was really keeping Ava on track.
Pulling up to Julie’s, Ava honked her horn and waited. She expected to wait longer, but her cousin was out in no time. Once inside and buckled, Julie turned to her. “I can’t wait to get out of here. Go now!”
“Geesh, is there a fire?”
“No, but there is a crying little girl. If we don’t get out of here now, Mark might change his mind.”
Ava laughed. “We don’t want that. Let’s get the heck out of here.”
After making the short drive back to town, they parked and decided to hit the coffee shop first. The Roasted Cup had the best coffee Ava had ever tasted. Even Julie loved it—the former New Yorker.
They ordered their coffee and then sat down at a small bistro table.
“It feels so good to be out,” Julie said.
“I don’t know how you do it. Always cooped up in that house.”
“Some days I feel like a prisoner, and some days it feels like heaven. I get to work in my PJ’s all day and be with Lila. Though, I’m thinking it’s time to hire a nanny of some sort. Conference calls are getting harder and harder with Lila around. It was so much easier when she wasn’t mobile.”
“I imagine. If you ever need help, just let me know. I’d love to spend some time with her.”
“I’m sure you’re busy with the shop. Speaking of which, take me by to see it. I want to see how the progress is coming along.”
“I’d love that. The only other person who has seen it is Kimberly.”
“And Seth.”
“Thankfully, it’s been awhile.” Although, she hated to admit she still looked for him to stop in.
“How come?”
Ava shrugged. “Guess he gave up trying to run me out of town.”
Julie took a long sip and smiled, but Ava didn’t let her speak.
“Don’t say anything. There is nothing between us. When I first met him, yes, I thought maybe. But from the moment he called me a nut job and I learned he was a prude, I knew it would never work. I’m not changing myself or what I want for anyone. I’ve done that enough already.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened with John?”
“There is nothing to tell. It just didn’t work.”
Ava didn’t like to talk about the past. She was no longer embarrassed that he had abused her and that she had put up with it, but she didn’t want that pitying look. The one where someone tells you how sorry they are and they wish they’d known. It wasn’t as though Julie could do anything about it now. No one could. It was the past, and it was going to stay there where it belonged.
After their coffee was finished, they decided to walk to Bare Necessities. The air was cooler now. Ava hoped that even though it was the end of summer and fall was due to begin any day now, snow would start soon. Not a lot but enough to get everyone putting their summer stuff up and getting their winter supplies ready.
Ava couldn’t wait for the first snow. She loved the fluffy white stuff, and she could never live anywhere that didn’t get snow often. The south would never be her home.
Ava dug her keys out of her purse as they arrived at the shop. She let Julie in and waited for her reaction.
“It’s gorgeous! I love it. You did all of this?”
“Not all but most.”
Julie walked in circles, her gaze taking in everything. “This is going to be ready in no time. Got a name yet?”
“Bare Necessities.”
“That’s perfect. Brookfield isn’t going to know what hit them!”
If the town let her open. In the back of her head, she still worried everyone was going to sign that petition Seth had talked about and she wouldn’t be able to open the doors to her place. And if she did, people might stand out front with signs, boycotting her. In her gut, something told her this wasn’t going to happen and she was going to be chased from town.
“I can’t wait,” Julie said. “Seriously. And I know a few other women in this town can’t wait either. Claire is a newlywed. I bet she will be in here.”
“Isn’t she close with Seth? She’s most likely on his side.”
“Doubtful. Claire probably routinely calls him a prude, just like you do.”
Ava tossed her dark locks behind her shoulders. She’d worry about the future when it got here. For now, she was going to pretend this was going to happen. “Enough about this stuff. This is our girls’ day. I think a pedicure is in order.”
“Sounds perfect. Do you mind if I call Mark first to make sure Lila calmed down?”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Go ahead.”
* * *
Of all the things Seth had to be out of, toilet paper was something a person had to have. Sure, he was a man, but it was still a necessity, so he took a ride to the local convenience store to pick up a four-pack. Of course, everyone wanted to chat with him.
Finally on his way home, all he wanted for dinner was a cold beer and leftover pizza. This week had been hell, and everything somehow revolved around one woman. Every disaster in town led to Ava, and every man was talking about her. Seth was ready to get home, where hopefully nothing would remind him of her. He was off tomorrow also, and he didn’t plan on leaving.
He flipped his blinker on and turned down Maple Street. He hated himself for it, but he had to make sure Ava wasn’t at her store. He figured she wasn’t. She hadn’t been the past few days, but you just never knew. Before he could safely sit down with his cold beer, he had to make sure she was home doing whatever it was she was doing … hopefully alone.
Only one light shone out on the sidewalks, and of course, it came from her place. Damn that woman for always making his life complicated. Then again, he’d made the choice to come down this road. Now he had to find out just how long she planned on being here.
He parked his truck along the curb, climbed out, and made his way to the store entrance. Pulling on the door, he expected to find it unlocked but was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn’t. He tapped on the glass and didn’t have to w
ait long for Ava to come from the back. His mouth dropped open. She looked stunning. Her dark hair was in ringlet curls, and she wore a beautiful cream dress. She was absolutely breathtaking.
She opened the door and greeted him in her usual flirty way, calling him officer. He grinned, hating himself for enjoying the playful banter. There was just something about Ava Miller. She invited him in, and he glanced around. She’d done a lot of beautiful work since he’d last been here. The store looked very upscale, not the trashy place he had imagined. There were colonial columns set up, and the walls were painted a nice sky blue. It looked like she was starting to sketch some vines to go along the top as a border. She really had an eye for design.
“So, officer, what brings you here tonight?”
“I was just driving by and saw you here and thought I’d see how long you would be working.”
She crossed her arms and leaned against one of the columns. He wasn’t sure why he was taking this moment to do it, but he had to take her in. God, she was sexy. His hands itched to touch. To see if she molded into him the way he imagined she would.
“Just a little work tonight. Julie and I hit the town today.”
“And you didn’t get arrested?”
Ava giggled. “No, we were good, contrary to what you might think, I’m really not that bad a person.”
“I don’t think you’re a bad person, Ava.” Had he given her that impression?
“You just dislike me, right?”
He didn’t say anything. How did he answer that? He wasn’t sure if he liked her or not.
“I won’t be here late tonight. Don’t feel like you need to send a patrol car by each hour.”
Her tone had changed, and he knew he’d hurt her feelings, which caused a strange pain around his heart he’d never experienced before. All he wanted to do was make it better. Before he knew what he was doing, he closed the space between them and stood directly in front of her. He inhaled her sweet rose scent, and the next thing he knew, he wrapped his hand around her neck and his lips sought hers.
She was soft … everywhere. From her lips to her cheeks, and he imagined she stayed that way all the way down. He pulled her closer, taking the kiss deeper. Her tongue met his, and she moaned. His manhood enjoyed that little noise and soon was pressing against his zipper, crying to be free.