by Kimi Flores
“There you guys—” Jaime halted, then finished with a trailing voice, “—are.”
Tess pulled away and ripped off her jacket and mittens, clutching them in her hands as she greeted her friend. “Hey, Jaime.” She plastered on a fake smile, but I imagined her body was pounding as hard as mine was. She peeked back at the life-sized bear on her way to the counter that Jaime had just walked behind. Flicking her wrist toward the huge animal, Tess asked, “What’s with Smokey the Bear?”
I took off my jacket and gloves as Jaime craned her neck around Tess, making eye contact with me. She knew her friend was deflecting as much as I did. For a moment, I wondered if Tess had always been like this and that was how Jaime recognized what she was doing.
“Ben was here before us. We bought this place right after we got married ten years ago and the previous owner made us promise to keep him.” Jaime gestured for us to follow her into the next room. “Everyone assumes he was a prize shot, but the truth is, Ben used to come by the property everyday looking for food, and when he passed, the previous owner sent him to a taxidermist so he would always have a place here.”
“Right by the front door?” Tess’s voice was a mixture of being disturbed and confused, making my heart bend even more in her favor.
“Every place should have its own welcoming committee, right?” Jaime grinned as she pulled the glass door open that led to the indoor shooting range.
Switching into business mode, Jaime raised her voice above the gunshots. “I know you want to do archery, but I figured I’d show you around first. We have both indoor and outdoor ranges.” She pointed to the different people holding weapons, firing at paper targets. “Most of the guys here today are off-duty officers from either Hope Falls Police Department or other stations from surrounding counties. Our facilities are always open to police officers.”
As if he’d heard what Jaime had said, Police Chief Eric Maguire spotted us. Correction, spotted Tess who was staring back. Even though I knew he was a happily married man, the look of fond recognition on his face bugged the crap out of me.
He quickly secured his weapon, placed it, as well as his safety goggles, down and came toward us, keeping his eyes trained on Tess. Impulsively, I grabbed her hand and intertwined our fingers. Holding hands hadn’t been a thing for us yet so I was grateful she didn’t fight it.
“It is you.” Eric’s smile widened and an irrational indignation settled in my gut. “It’s so good to see you, Tess. It’s been a long time.”
Giving my hand a reassuring squeeze, Tess reciprocated his declaration, “It’s really good to see you, too.”
I felt like a total dumbass when he greeted me with the same smile. “Hey, Elliott. How’s it going?”
“Good.” To further my way down Imbecile Lane, I pulled Tess and my connected hands a few inches in front of us. “Really good, as a matter of fact.”
When had I become this insecure jackass? And why now? Tess and I weren't even together—yet. I was being so childish, I wanted to ask Eric if he’d like a can of root beer from the soda machine just to prove I thought it was the best flavor in the world. Especially when it was on Tess’s lips.
They spoke of summers past and what they were up to now, including the fact that Tess now lived in Hope Falls, Eric’s marriage, and his and his brothers’ careers. I only half listened, choosing to scold and psychoanalyze myself instead.
“Well, I better finish up here.” He pointed to the station where his firearm was sitting. “I’m glad we ran into each other.” He looked between Tess and Jaime. “We should get everyone together.”
“That would be nice, right Elliott?” Tess answered, still holding my hand.
“Sure.” I felt touched that she had thought to include me.
Thankfully, Jaime moved things along as Eric headed back to his spot. “So, what would you guys like to do?”
Tess peered up at me through her beautiful, long lashes. “Would you mind if we go to the archery range outside?”
“I’m game.”
She tugged my hand as we followed Jaime back into the lobby.
Then Tess mouthed to me, “Thank you.” Almost like she was as relieved as I was that we weren’t going to stay indoors with her old crush. That worked for me.
With a goofy smile on my mouth, I gave Jaime my credit card, telling her to charge everything on there as I excused myself to use the bathroom. By the time I reentered the lobby and slipped my jacket and gloves back on, the women were already outside. Tess gave me an odd look as I approached, but didn’t say anything right away. I noticed her cheeks were already beginning to redden from the chilly air.
“Let me see if you've still got that magic touch, my friend,” Jaime said as Tess readied herself to take her first shot. She positioned the bow, then drew the string all the way back to her face and only took a second to aim before she released it, hitting the red and white target smack dab in the middle.
With surprised glee, Tess jumped up and fist pumped the air. “Yeeessss! I’ve still got it.”
“Holy crap, that was a great shot.” The muffled sound of my knitted glove clap didn’t have the desired effect as I congratulated her.
“This girl is a natural. She used to go on for hours and the boys nicknamed her Diana, goddess of the hunt.” Jaime flicked her thumb toward my girl.
My girl?
Tess covered her red cheeks with the hand that had the finger guard attached. “Man, I forgot about that.” She lifted her arm and pretended to flex, though you couldn’t see much in her coat. “Got some pretty strong biceps that summer.”
Her small frame was swimming in that big puffy jacket and she reminded me of the plus-sized inflatable robot from that kids’ movie, Big Hero Six. Not that I’d ever tell her she reminded me of anything plus-sized. I had been married for many years and had learned all the things you don’t dare say to women, even if you meant them in an endearing way.
Jaime shivered as a gust of wind blew past us. “Okay guys, I’m heading back inside. I may have been raised here, but that doesn't mean I like being out in this cold.” With a wink, Jaime strode past me. “Have fun.”
Blowing a warm breath into my hands, I teased, “Everyone else has the good sense to be inside where it’s nice and warm.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Is it too cold out here for you?” Tess asked sarcastically, a sly grin on her lips as she prepared and shot her next arrow. Another bullseye.
I chuckled. “No, I’m just fine out here. No need to worry about me.” I stood next to her, got into position with my bow and shot a little too quickly, making my arrow fly way high and over the target.
Pointing to the target, Tess explained, “The arrow tends to shoot a little upward so aim lower than you think you should.”
I got back into position, placed the arrow on the bow, pulled it up, then drew back once more. “Like this?”
She twisted her head, trying to catch a glimpse of my angle. “Wait, lemme see.” Stepping up behind me, she rose to her tippy toes. With the string close to my face, she had to lean in just a bit and I could feel her warm breath on my cheek and smell her lavender scent. I couldn’t get enough of that scent on her. “Perfect. Now let go.”
It took me a second to gather my wits with her so damn close to me. I released the string and my arrow landed an inch from one of hers.
I turned toward her and she was still standing close, on her tiptoes. Dropping back to her feet, she said, “Looks like I’ve got a little competition, don’t I?” And that beautiful smirk was back, only this time, much closer to me.
“Nothing wrong with some friendly rivalry.” I wiggled my eyebrows as she stared at me coyly and walked back to her bow.
Picking it up and getting ready to shoot again, she asked, “So you like that, huh?” With a side smirk, she added, “Is that why you held my hand in front of Eric?” She released her arrow and it felt like she’d just shot me in the gut.
Spinning toward me, she raised her eyebrows as I rubbed m
y stomach.
“No, I don’t look at him as competition,” I lied. By the perceptive look in her eye, she knew it.
Grabbing another arrow, she faced the target once again. “I’m glad you feel that way because he’s not—” Another flirtatious grin covered her lips before she released one more arrow. “—anymore.”
I shook my head and got ready for my next shot. “I think I like this side of you. A little flirty with a whole lot of smartass.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, if you think this is me being a smartass, hold onto your seat, buddy, because I’ve got a lot more where this came from.”
Unable to keep myself from grinning, I answered back, “I look forward to seeing it.”
Our time was nearly up an hour later, and we’d gone back and forth, harassing each other the whole time. If I wasn’t reading things incorrectly, there was even more than flirting going on.
With our bows on a side table, we made our way to the targets to get our arrows. My arms were sore and I was ready to call it a day. “Man, I feel like I’ve been bench pressing my weight for the last hour.”
An innocent look passed Tess’s face and I had a feeling I knew what was coming next. “So, you mean to tell me—” She squatted down. “You’re too tired for a snow fight?” Scooping up some of the white powder, she chucked it at me.
I was reaching down for a handful of my own before hers had a chance to hit me. “No, never too tired for that.” I threw mine, smacking the back of her jacket as she squealed and ran away to gather more.
We probably looked ridiculous chasing each other around the archery range with handfuls of snow, but we were having too much fun to care. I thought I heard someone call my name from the doorway, so I stopped to look behind me when Tess nailed me right in the face.
Spitting out a mouthful of snow, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to wipe them with my frozen mittens to no avail.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get your face.” I felt much smaller fingers swiping back and forth on my eyes. “Hold on.” Her hands disappeared for a second before she placed a warm piece of material on my cheeks. The smell of lavender and vanilla was concentrated on the soft cloth.
After discreetly burying my nose in it and inhaling, I dried my face. Opening my eyes, I found her biting her lip in concern as she stared back at me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I looked down and realized she’d handed me the scarf that had been wrapped around her neck. No wonder it smelled so delicious. I snickered, “The only thing hurt here is maybe my pride.”
“Dang, is that all it takes to wound your ego?” She laughed mischievously.
“Very funny.” I reached over and pulled her beanie over her eyes and kept my hands there so she couldn’t pull it back up immediately.
She smiled wide before reaching up and pulling mine over my eyes as well. I couldn't make out much through that knitted cap, but I could see that her mouth and nose were the only part of her face that were exposed. I took a chance and leaned in, finally tasting her soft lips as I gently touched them with my own. At first she was startled, but thankfully warmed up to the idea pretty quickly.
My heart began to pound as I pressed the tip of my tongue to the crease of her mouth, silently begging for entrance. Her lips relaxed as they slowly parted, while her hands rested on my chest and her head tilted, allowing me to move in closer. Sliding my hand to the back of her head, I wished like hell I’d remembered to take my mittens off so I could feel her skin.
I began guiding her as our tongues mingled and caressed each other, creating a dance that was truly our own. God, I hadn’t felt like this in years.
She took a step closer, letting me know she needed my physical contact; she wanted to be near me and was giving herself willingly.
Since the day I’d met her, I felt a pull toward her. I’d doubted my feelings, telling myself I was just lonely, but this kiss. This kiss was all the confirmation I needed. More than anything, I wanted her to be mine from this point forward.
I began to draw my lips from hers, but the tiniest moan of resistance from her encouraged me to continue our earth-shattering kiss.
Lost in our surroundings, of the reality of what this all meant, I could only focus on how this woman in my arms made me feel. So long ago, I’d learned to settle, to accept the hand I was dealt, to underestimate what real happiness was, but having her in my arms this way made me want more, it caused me to crave more from her, for us.
Releasing each other, we separated to catch our breaths.
I pulled up her cap and she followed suit. Her eyes were wide and filled with surprised happiness as I yanked my gloves off and ran my bare thumb across her warm, swollen lips.
“Eric Maguire may have gotten your first kiss, but I have your last and I can’t wait for more.”
With a dreamy look in her eyes, she nodded and gratitude hit me, knowing we were both on the same page.
Chapter Ten
Tess
This week, I’d been walking on a cloud. Whenever Elliott wasn’t working in his home office or tinkering around in his garage, he and I were together. I felt like a teenager again as we snuck kisses in here and there and got a little hot and heavy each night in front of either of our fireplaces. A few times, like right now, he brought over his laptop and we sat on the couch, tapping on our keyboards, side by side in comfortable silence.
Settled into the corner of my sofa, I peeked up from my screen and watched his frown lines deepen while he concentrated on his work. I still hadn’t told him about the job offer, but I could tell by the occasional afflicted look in his eyes that he knew I was holding something back.
Being romantically involved with someone who actually wanted to help me work through things was all new to me. It didn’t matter that he was unlike any other guy I’d been with before, I’d been holding tight to my control, afraid I’d somehow be let down.
And truth be told, things could change in the blink of an eye. If our relationship went south, it was going to be really tough living next door to each other, especially if I let him see my vulnerable side.
Then again, I was tired of doing everything on my own and truly wanted to open up and get his thoughts.
“I can feel you staring at me.” He finished typing out his thought, then looked up as I closed my laptop. He followed suit, placing his on the coffee table.
At first, I thought he had something else in mind as he reached over, picked up my computer from my lap and placed it next to his.
Pulling my sock-covered feet onto his lap, he stared back at me. “Spill it.”
Thinking I could maybe divert his attention into another make out session, I acted dumb at first, playfully twirling my hair. “Spill what?”
Then I saw the seriousness in his eyes and imagined what it would be like to completely let him in, to have him as a true partner in my life. I didn’t want to be alone anymore, putting everything else in front of actually living.
“You can share as much or as little as you want, but I’ve watched you stewing over something for almost a week now. There’s obviously something on your mind.” He began to massage my feet and I nearly melted into the couch. No guy had ever touched my feet before Elliott, but from that first time we kissed, he’d done it every day since. I was like putty in his hands, ready to confess all my secrets to him.
I closed my eyes and let it all spill out. “My old boss called and offered me my job back.”
Elliott’s fingers stopped mid massage as he sat and stared at me. Catching himself, I saw his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed hard and stared at my fuzzy socks like they were the most interesting things in the room. “What did you tell him?”
Crap! I hesitated. “I said I’d have to think about it and get back to him. He’s giving me until after the new year to give him an answer.”
The massaging began again, but Elliott still wouldn’t look at me. “So you’re considering it?”
I pulled my
feet away so he’d finally look me in the eye, but he didn’t. “I don’t know what to do, Elliott. That’s why I’ve been so out of sorts. This job is the only tangible thing I’ve had for the last fifteen years.”
He took a deep breath and dropped his head. Disappointed by his reaction, I just sat there and stared at him. This was what I got for being honest and open. I should’ve known better.
Then it hit me. He’d been pushed aside and abandoned by his first wife so she could pursue her own ambitions. I could only assume he felt like I was about to do the same.
Scooting closer, I placed a comforting hand on his leg. “Elliott—”
He finally glanced up and the troubled look in his eyes hit me right in the chest. Letting out a deep sigh, he grabbed my hands, covering them with his. “Tess, I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not upset about the possibility of you leaving when we’ve finally started the relationship I’d been hoping for, but please believe me when I say,” he gripped my hands tighter and searched my eyes to emphasize what he was saying, “I will support whatever you decide to do.”
I scooted even closer until I was finally on his lap with his arms around me and my head resting in the crook of his neck, taking in his earthy scent. “That’s just it, Elliott. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
Leaning further into the couch, he kissed the top of my head. “What’s your gut saying?”
I huffed and shook my head. “My gut wants me to revert back to old feelings. Ignoring the fact that I finally found what has been missing in my life—in my heart. But it keeps reminding me I’ll never have another opportunity like this and that frightens me.”
He placed his open palm on my chest. “And what does your heart say?”
My bottom lip began to quiver as I admitted, “My heart is saying that I’ve never been happier. That if I leave Hope Falls—if I’m away from you—” I blinked hard, trying not to let my tears escape. “Then I really, truly will never find this kind of happiness again, and that terrifies me even more.”