Rob rose to his feet and lengthened his back. His height never stopped impressing her.
“Thank you for the ice cream,” she said.
They stood at the back door of her shop. Colton ran inside, leaving her alone with Rob once again. It was almost as if everyone were conspiring to leave them alone together at any given opportunity. Am I starting to think like a romance writer? Darn Autumn. Her friend and her plotting ways had gotten into her head.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Are you referring to my episode from earlier?”
“Maybe, but not if you’re going to get all red-faced and start spitting fire at me again.”
“I don’t spit fire,” she said, her chin jutting out ever so slightly.
He caught the movement and his lips quirked.
“Okay. Maybe a little.” She held up her thumb and pointer finger, the space between their tips less than an inch apart.
Rob watched her face intently and his eyes darkened.
Elise leaned back in preparation for a quick retreat. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?” She swallowed.
“Can I ask you out, Elise? Not because you’re a psychic, or know things you don’t want to know, but because I like being around you.”
“No.” She shook her head to emphasize her answer and help convince herself that no was the appropriate answer, even though a real date was a dreamy wish she would never indulge in.
“Is there any chance you’re going to change your mind when I ask again in the future?”
“You’re going to ask again?” she said, intrigued.
“Yes.”
He leaned in and she didn’t back away. He smelled amazing. His aftershave, or the pure maleness of him, entered her system and stroked her from the inside out. Warmth pooled in her lower abdomen and percolated downward. The sensations were intoxicating and... addictive. She found herself staring at his full lower lip. Rob moved another step forward and she backed into the door. He placed his palm on the doorframe next to her head.
“I’ve never been turned down by someone who likes me as much as I like them,” he said.
“I...” She started to say she didn’t like him at all, but the lie wouldn’t escape past her lips. “I’m not the dating type.”
“Straight to the sex, then? I think we have some compatibility that needs fleshing out. Literally.”
She couldn’t stop staring at his lips and wondering what they would feel like against her own. Then she noticed the tiny spot of chocolate at the edge of his lip. She leaned in as if to lick it off him.
“Literally would be amazing,” she whispered. She wanted to taste him. This has to stop.
“Are you sure I can’t take you out? Dinner? A movie? A walk around the lake?”
His voice purred in her ear. His lips drew her closer. Her phone rang. Elise jumped and reached for her phone.
“Nope,” she said. “No dinner. No way. I don’t have time to date.” She yanked the door open and disappeared inside without looking back.
“You’re not welcome,” Autumn said in her ear.
“For what?” Elise asked as she hit the end call button.
Autumn stood on the staircase leading up to the apartment. She lowered her phone so they could talk without using the phones.
“If I’d waited much longer, you two would have been doing the dirty deed against the back door.”
“Were you spying on me?”
“Absolutely. Wow! He has porn star sex appeal.”
“Oh, God,” Elise groaned. “That was the worst analogy ever. Try again.”
“You’re right. That was bad. He’s so hot my panties are melting.”
“Better, but still a little cliché. Where’s Colton?”
“In his room. He seriously loves that bed,” Autumn said.
“He does. I’m glad I splurged and bought it for him.”
“Good job, mamacita.”
“Please, don’t call me that,” Elise said and tried not to smile at the gross joke.
“Sorry. Not sorry. But seriously, I knew if I let you two screw against the wall, I’d have to listen to you beat yourself up over it for the rest of our adult lives. You know,” she added thoughtfully, “I wanted to take notes while I watched, but I thought I’d better break things up. A long slow burn makes the eventual sex scene so much hotter.”
“I am not living in one of your romance novels. And I wasn’t going to let it get that far. I’m not like you during one of your research exploitations.”
“Don’t discount my book research. I gain a lot of insight from my experiences,” Autumn said.
They started heading up the stairs. Elise wanted to check on Colton.
“Translation: You sleep with horny, over-the-top sexy men and call it work.”
“Eh,” Autumn made a dismissive sound. “Something like that. And it was only two men. I’m not that slutty.”
“Just so you know, Rob wasn’t trying to do me against the wall.”
“You’d like him to, though,” Autumn interjected.
“I’m not admitting anything,” she said and felt her inner thighs clench at the thought. “He was asking me out and I almost licked him. You saved me from myself.”
“I really should have waited a few more seconds. I could have recorded your undoing.”
“You wouldn’t,” Elise said, horrified by the thought of being secretly filmed for purposes of later embarrassment and probably blackmail. Autumn would do anything to anyone in the name of writing research, which made her realize something. “You’re not allowed to use any of this in your books,” she said with finality.
Autumn laughed out loud.
“I mean it.”
“I know you do,” Autumn said.
Elise stuck her head in Colton’s room. He drove motorcycles across his bed. The pile of books had migrated to the floor. They would pick them up together later after bath time. She went to the living room and found a seat on the couch, needing a moment to decompress after the strange and unexpected afternoon.
“So, if he wasn’t trying to get into your pants, what was the holy-hottness brew master doing in your space like that?” Autumn needed answers and she wasn’t going to let Elise have any peace until she heard it all.
“Don’t be mistaken. He wants in my pants. After I turned down his offer to date, he put sex right on the table.”
“Oooh, the table. Keep going. Tell me more.” Autumn’s eyes widened and she leaned forward in the chair.
“I turned him down twice. I’m not dating. I’m happy being single.”
Autumn let out an exaggerated huff and sat back. “You’re impossible. And you’re scared. Not all men are douchebags, you know.”
“I know.”
Thirteen
“BUT THE DOCTOR DIDN’T SAY Colton wouldn’t get his implants,” Autumn reiterated, attempting to help ease her friend’s doom and gloom attitude after leaving the appointment.
“He said they wanted additional tests completed, and after a series of new assessments, Colton might be eligible. We went through this before. I thought we were moving onto the next stage. His doctor in Scottsdale said everything should transfer just fine to California. Today’s appointment almost makes me wish we had stayed in Arizona and finished the process with Colton’s transplants before moving.”
“There has to be a mix up,” Autumn said. “Call his doctor from back home and explain what happened today. I bet they’ll work it out and then Colton will be right back on track for his hearing aids.”
Elise stared out the window, but didn’t see the road or the passing traffic. The appointment with Colton’s new specialist took the wind out of her sails and she felt deflated in every possible way. Now, they were headed to the airport so Autumn could make it to London in time for the International Book Festival.
“I know it’s hard,” Autumn added. “I’ll be back in twelve days and I’ll be here for his next appointment.”
Elise w
anted to cry. She didn’t cry often, but if anything could trigger an emotional breakdown, it was her son’s needs not being met. “Thanks. You don’t know how much it means to me having a friend at his appointments.”
“You’ve done more for me, so I still owe you.”
With a deep breath and exaggerated exhale, Elise deflated further. That was so far from the truth.
“I saw that. I know you don’t think you’ve helped me, but you have. I wouldn’t be a successful author without you and that means no bookstore, no trips to London, none of it. Going to Colton’s doctors and school appointments is nothing.”
“But you’re also giving us a place to live and a new job. The balance has shifted and—”
“No, it hasn’t. Elise, you’re allowed to have a bad day, but you’re not allowed to think you owe me anything. Seriously, I wouldn’t be here in this car with you on my way to London if you hadn’t made me publish my first books. Let’s move onto all the wonderful things we have to do to get the store open. Are you excited about Brenna and Andre?”
Shifting her mental focus to something positive helped ease the stress after the appointment at the Audiology Center. And Elise had to remind herself that Colton’s introduction at the Sierra Nevada Academy for the Deaf and Blind had gone better than she ever imagined. Colton was even going to start a day camp next week since the program had a sudden opening due to a child moving out of the area.
“I think we found a couple of really good employees.”
“They’re perfect. At least, they seem like it. You’ll have to keep me updated after their training starts,” Autumn said as she took the highway exit for the airport.
“I think Andre will have to teach me about being a barista. His experience is fantastic.”
“I know. He’s going to rock our coffee shop. I think our customers will love him.”
Elise smiled. “And he’s well educated and personable. Honestly, I hope he doesn’t get bored with us and leave.”
“I don’t think so. We’re willing to work with his school schedule and he’s excited about having the counter to himself most of the time. He’s a good egg. So is Brenna. I’m glad she came back after the former owner left. She knows the customers and the town.”
“We need one more part time person, but we did great this week,” Elise said.
“Yep, and you’re going to love living in the mountains. Clean air, clean water, fewer people, and actual seasons, not just the constant dry heat.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Colton and I are freezing. I’m not so sure about the weather yet.”
“It’s going to take time to adjust, but buy some sweaters, a parka, and a pair of Uggs for every day of the week. You can put them on the business credit card. My treat.”
“I will not.”
“I don’t mind if you do,” Autumn said with a challenging smile.
Autumn had already furnished the apartment for Elise. She wouldn’t start buying personal items and putting them on Autumn’s card.
“I don’t want my business partner freezing to death.” Autumn pulled into the drop-off lane and shifted the transmission into park.
“I won’t turn into a popsicle, I’ll just complain a lot about how cold it is.”
“Your choice. Make sure your new car has heated seats, though. I hear they’re a life saver in the winter.”
Elise sighed. She still hadn’t found a new car. It was just one more thing to add to her mile-long to-do list. Colton tapped her shoulder and she turned in her seat. He asked if he could get out.
She said with her hands and her voice, “No. Not here. Aunt Autumn has to fly now.”
He signed the words, bye-bye and hug.
“Colton needs a hug from his favorite aunt.”
“Tell him I wouldn’t leave without one,” Autumn said.
After hugs were exchanged, Autumn stood in front of Elise on the sidewalk.
“If Rob asks you out again, I want you to promise me you’ll say yes.”
“I can’t make that promise.”
“He’s so good looking and smart,” Autumn said. “Go out with him for me, then.”
Elise shook her head in refusal.
“I didn’t want to tell you this, but you’re forcing me to.”
“What?” Elise asked.
“I had a dream about the two of you. It was really embarrassing, which is why I haven’t said anything, but you should know.”
“What do you mean by embarrassing?” Elise’s curiosity piqued.
“I mean he has an incredible, um, Long John. You can’t pass up a chance to, uh, experience that girth and length. And he knows how to use it to your benefit. You’ve seen his hands, right?”
“Shut up! Just cállate already,” Elise accidentally mixed her Spanish and English while trying her best to look disgusted—and not smile.
“I dreamt about him and my visions are always right. Being around you has increased my psychic powers.”
“You’re such a bad liar. But you know what? You can have all my nightmares, and you can do him and his incredible Long John, too,” Elise said. The somber mood had disappeared with Autumn’s shenanigans. She was incredibly grateful for her friend just then.
“After that dream, I totally would,” Autumn said with a smirk. “You have to see it for yourself, then tell me everything. I swear that dream was all too real. God, I’m so hungry. For sausage. A big one. So huge it’ll hardly fit in my mouth.” She laughed at her terrible joke. “You need a sausage, mamacita. I’m not even kidding. It will improve your outlook on life.”
“You are unbelievable. I don’t need a sausage, or your incredibly bad euphemism for getting laid. And I better move the car. The security guy is watching us.”
Autumn glanced at the airport security guard. “Looks like he’s hauling around a decent sized schlong. Look at his pants.”
Elise didn’t want to look, but her eyes betrayed her. “Why do you notice these things? Yikes. That’s frightening.”
“No, it’s not. It’s intriguing. I’m going to go talk to him.”
“Freak,” Elise said.
“You know it.” Autumn flashed a gigantic smile at the security guard then refocused on Elise. “He’s ruggedly handsome. I bet his name is Jack or Paul.” The gleam in her eyes meant she was drifting toward imagination land where beefy security guards save the world and get the girl in the space of three hundred pages. “See you in about two weeks,” she said, and wheeled her suitcase down the sidewalk.
Elise climbed behind the wheel and checked on Colton. He asked to play at a park.
“A park sounds great,” she signed. “Eat lunch outside?” she asked.
He nodded, his whole body bouncing with joy in his booster seat.
* * *
Elise’s mood lightened at the playground, but plummeted after she returned home and spoke with her mother. Javier showed up on her mother’s doorstep having just been released on parole. Her mom told her that her ex remained humble and fairly quiet as he inquired about Elise and Colton. Elise’s sensitivities and empathy were inherited from her maternal side. When her mother said she had her suspicions about Javier’s motivations regarding dropping in unannounced, Elise’s intuition prickled. Prickled like giants shards stabbing her in the back.
“Mija,” her mother went on. “Serving time has changed him. I see that clearly. Javier may look calm and understanding on the outside, but when I refused to say anything about where you two are, I could feel his anger building like a volcano.”
“I’ve done everything in my power to keep us safe. He’s not allowed to leave the state for a year or he goes right back into prison. I don’t think he wants that.”
“Changing your name was a good thing. I know you’re doing what’s best, but I sure miss the two of you around here.”
Elise had officially changed her last name and started using her mother’s maiden name. Martinez is common and she liked it well enough. And since she hadn’t spoken to her
father since she was thirteen, his surname meant almost nothing to her. After the name change, she’d invested in protecting her new identity online with every resource she could find. The move out of state and the job change would help keep her location unknown from her ex. If she had her way, he would never come near her or Colton again. She didn’t care if he was clean now and had received counseling. He’d threatened her with physical violence and said things about Colton’s disability that were unforgivable. She stopped revisiting the past and came back to the present.
“You can come visit me anytime, mamá. I have to go now. Colton needs me to read to him before he goes to sleep.”
“Stay safe, mija. Lock your doors.”
Since she’d arrived in town, every day passed with an absurd amount of activity. Elise was grateful for the constant busywork. It kept her mind off of Colton’s doctor consultation and the possibility of having to start the process over for receiving his Cochlear implants. The inventory, training the new employees, and preparing the shop for the grand reopening took her mind off of Javier being out of prison. Even with everything going on, she continued to peek across the street more often than she liked to admit. She caught a glimpse of Rob twice, but he wasn’t around as much as his brothers.
At night, the temptation to call him made her fingers tingle. It would be so easy to call or text. But then what? Would that mean she was admitting she liked him? Would that lead to dates and commitments? She wasn’t ready for a relationship. She had made a commitment to Javier and look how that ended, with her and Colton’s lives being threatened. When Elise had the urge to hear Rob’s sexy voice or a need to see his eyes and incredible lips, she would focus on Colton. If he were already asleep for the night, she would open her laptop and put in more hours for the business. Her never ending distractions were a gift from the normally merciless universe until the night of the storm.
* * *
They’d reached the end of Brenna’s final day of training before the store would open the following Friday. Elise felt good about working with the vibrant and competent woman. Her people skills were better than Elise’s and she was flexible and easy to get along with.
Divining Elise Page 11