Feeling something very close to stage fright, I went over and pulled up a chair. There were seven Stitch and Bitch members already seated, and they all watched us - watched me - with expressions ranging from eagerness to pity.
I sat down. "Hi ladies."
"Hi Jonah," said a perky blonde with a slight giggle.
"Sorry about your Uncle," said one I'd never met.
"Thanks." I looked at the complicated looking swatch of fabric on her lap. "That looks good."
"You know how to knit?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
I glanced at Ruby. "She has the same question. Just looking for something new, I guess."
At that, Ruby glanced up from her knitting bag with that reluctant smile. "Then you'd better get out of Crown Creek. It's always the same thing here."
Yesterday I would have agreed with her. But today that brand-new feeling wouldn't let me go. I mean, I was sitting in a coffee shop surrounded by very hot women who all seemed to want a piece of me, and I had no interest in getting names or numbers.
That was something new for sure.
I settled back to watch, oddly fascinated as Ruby rolled out a very organized looking assortment on knitting needles. "That looks like some kind of homemade ninja assassin kit," I mused, taking in the gleaming, sharp points.
"Oh I didn't tell you? I moonlight as a ninja assassin," she deadpanned, not even looking my way as she hefted a mass of yarn from her bag. "Kindergarten teacher by day, deadly spy by night."
"I believe it." I kind of did.
Suddenly she was moving her hands lightning quick. Perfect little stitches cascaded from her needles as they flashed and clicked. I looked around at the other women. They were all doing the same thing, but only Ruby's project interested me. The way her fingers darted in practiced, controlled motions reminded me of the complicated finger-picking on an intricate guitar solo. "You're a knitting rockstar," I informed her.
She grinned and looked down. "Hardly," she disagreed. "You should see Moira's stuff. She's not here today, but she knits these lace shawls that I swear look like spiderwebs."
"Sounds pretty," I said. It did. I'd never had any interest in knitting before, but I kind of wanted to see these shawls for myself now.
The perky blonde suddenly gasped. "Oh Ruby!" she cried, diving for her own well organized bag. "I forgot! I brought that handspun!"
I looked at Ruby, confused. Apparently, bringing 'handspun' was a good thing, because Ruby practically swooned. "Oh my god, the angora?"
The blonde was nodding as she pulled out a hunk of something that looked like rope made out of clouds. "From Dandelion, yup?"
Ruby took the cloud-rope reverently and set it in her lap. She petted it for a moment and I swear she licked her lips. "What is that?" I asked. I could see it was yarn, but it was wound in loops, with sections of colors bleeding into each other. The effect was like some kind of circular rainbow.
Ruby looked up, still petting her treasure. "Cora's father keeps angora bunnies" she explained to me. "She spins their fur into yarn."
I blinked. "For real?" I looked at perky Cora. "Spin as in like Rumplestiltskin or something? People still do that?"
Cora laughed. "Yes people still do." She turned to Ruby. "You need to wind it into a ball, of course."
Ruby grimaced into her bag. "I forgot my niddy-noddy."
The two of them were speaking a completely foreign language. "Your what now?"
"Helps wind yarn." She glanced at me. "You know how you were looking for something to do?"
I sat up straighter. "Yes?"
"Hold your arms out."
I smiled and reached for her.
She slid the circle of yarn around my wrists. It felt like she'd clapped me into handcuffs. "Now. Hold still."
Chapter Five
Ruby
He held still.
There was no reason for me to make him hold the yarn. I could easily have wound it using the back of one of the cafe chairs.
But there was something satisfying about making Jonah King sit perfectly still with his arms out, as I ignored him and wound my precious yarn
Or tried to ignore him, anyway.
It was kind of hard to do. First, because my hand brushed his every time I passed the ever growing ball of angora around it. Second because he was watching me like I was some kind of alien life form. And I supposed I was, to him anyway.
"I bet you never thought you'd grow up to be a yarn holder," I said, suddenly challenging him. I felt this strong need to tear him down. I wanted him down here with me. On my level.
But it seemed like no matter how hard I tugged, he stayed up there, lofty, on his pedestal. Above me. Above Crown Creek. "I always knew that if I worked hard and stuck to my plan, I'd be a yarn holder sooner or later," he said with a disarming grin.
Goddamn that dimple. All the Kings had it. Claire had it, right in the center of her cheek. But while on her face, it made her look cute, on Jonah it looked...
Sexy?
I ducked my head and wound the ball double time. I was winding too tight, straining the fibers, but I didn't care any more. I needed to stop touching Jonah. "Why are you here?" I asked again. He'd almost answered me before, his long pause by the doorway betraying how much thought he'd given to coming here today. This time I was going to find out for real.
Dimple. "To be your yarn holder. Clearly."
"Jonah?"
"Yes?"
"Cut the shit." His face fell for a moment before the mask slid back into place and the dimple showed again. "You have no idea how to cut the shit, do you?" I mocked him.
"They're cleaning out Gid's house today," he blurted.
He looked away, his arm jerking the yarn. "Hey," I said automatically, moving him back into place.
"Sorry," he said.
Then his words hit me, seconds later. Like thunder booming after a faraway lightning strike. "What? They are?" I bleated.
The first thing I felt was panic, a running racing, desperate feeling. I felt like I could sprint right down the road to the King house and snatch the garbage bag out of Izzy's hand. It was too soon, too fucking soon.
"Izzy wants to move out as soon as she can." He blinked and looked back at me. "I guess it's too hard." His gaze caught mine and I knew he was feeling the exact same way I was. Panicked. Restless. Helpless.
I ducked away from his gaze. I didn't want to see all the hurt that showed there. Gid used to go on and on about his favorite nephew, and for the first time I was seeing that the adoration was mutual. Taking a deep breath, I tested my voice to make sure it was steady, "Well - ?" My voice was a lot higher than I meant it to be. "I guess I can see that."
I passed the ball around one last time. Jonah let his arms fall with a sort of resigned sigh. "I mean, yeah. I can too of course. But all of his things. His music. His instruments. They're all going to be gone. What's going to be left of him?"
Something inside of me fluttered with guilt, like a bird caught in a snare. That box was still right there in the center of my living room. That was what was left of him. I wondered if Jonah could hear my heart racing, because I sure could. "Did you look and see what was in there?" I hedged, hoping for one second that Gid had made duplicates. Maybe all my guilt was unnecessary.
He shrugged and looked away, a reddish tinge forming at the top of his cheek. "I couldn't look." He looked back at me in a challenge. "I guess I was too chickenshit."
That guilt fluttered again, then turned into a knife that stabbed me just under my ribcage. Right near the heart. "You should be nicer to yourself," I said and maybe I was talking to myself too.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh, like how you're nice to me?"
Another stab and then the fluttering of the trapped, guilty bird. "I'm Claire's friend," I reminded him. "I'm Gid's friend. I was there at the funeral. I helped with the wake. I'd say I've been pretty nice overall."
His eyes darted away from mine. "Yeah, I guess you've done all y
ou should."
Stab. Flutter.
The guilt bubbled up. "Jonah," I started to say before I caught the words and bit them back into my mouth. I'd almost told him, but the anger in his eyes made me stop. Before I was convinced Jonah didn't deserve the box. Now I wasn't convinced that I did. But by the grief in Jonah's eyes, I could only imagine how much it'd hurt him that Gid gave me the box and not him. And I didn't want to hurt him anymore than he was already hurting.
Jonah looked at me like I had two heads. I needed to finish my sentence. Hastily I pulled something from my ass. "You want to learn to knit?" I babbled, holding out my needles. "It is soothing."
"I could use some soothing."
"I mean you play a guitar," I said, talking faster, trying to convince us both. "You obviously have skilled fingers."
He looked at me. The way my words hung in the air, laced with double meaning, made me wonder if I should blush. I certainly felt like I should.
Then he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. I was acutely aware of the rest of the knitting club watching us, but I couldn't seem to tear myself away from his eyes. He tilted his chin up a little and I inadvertently licked my lips.
He smiled.
And then he kissed me.
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Also by the Authors
by Theresa Leigh
Crown Creek series
Sweet Crazy Song - Cocky Jonah never wanted to come home to Crown Creek. But a chance meeting with kindergarten teacher Ruby has him wanting to stay forever.
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Lost Filthy Night - A risk taking bad boy. A girl-next-door nurse. And the kiss that never should have happened. Gabe has to convince Everly to take the biggest risk of her life. Him.
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Soft Wild Ache - Growing up in a repressive religious cult meant that Rachel always believed the outside world was evil. But when sensitive rocker Beau opens her eyes to life outside the compound walls, she learns that he’s the sweetest sin she’s ever seen.
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Last Good Man - Willa and Cooper’s story
His Secret Heart - Coming September 2018 - Finn’s story
Now And Always - Coming October 2018 - Beau and Rachel’s wedding
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Reckless Falls
KEPT - Eight years ago, Cole left Reckless Falls and broke Autumn’s heart. She hates him. But now that he’s back in town, she hates how her body still responds to him even more.
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WRECKED - Since running away at sixteen, Aria has spent years traveling the world. But when her relationship goes sour, she retreats back to her hometown to hide out in the house she inherited. Only to find that sexy, damaged bad boy Derek already lives there. And he’s not leaving.
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TWICE - Cal and Gray both want their best friend’s little sister Harper. They’ll do anything to get her. Including share her.
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TIED - Easy-going Brynn says she doesn’t care what she wants. But Rett knows what he wants. Her. In his bed. With the silk ropes tight around her wrists as she screams his name.
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CRAVE - Best friends Jackson and Finn swore they’d never fight over a woman. So when they both fall head over heels for sweet baker Bee, they vow to make her crave them…together.
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PLAYED - Single mom Charlie is too stressed to know how to have fun. Until billionaire Jameson decides it’s time to teach her.
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by Theresa Leigh writing as Vivian Lux
The Wreckage Series -
JAGGED - Brooding Scottish rockstar Ewan Boyd knows that his band’s non-nonsense label rep is the girl for him. He’s looking for a second chance at rockstardom, but Celia’s got to take a chance on him first.
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RIPPED -Mouthy band manager August knows that getting involved with drummer Jules is a mistake. But the sexy rockstar is determined to be the best mistake she’ll ever make.
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SHREDDED - Secrets and lies imploded bassist Niall’s last relationship and made him slow to trust. When tough-as-nails roadie Reese saves him from a terrible accident, he knows he wants all of her. Even her secrets.
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TORN - Lead singer Hudson is finally living his rock and roll dreams. Will he throw them all away for a chance with his bandmate’s little sister?
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The Ruthless Series
JAX- Jax is rock royalty. He was Liliana’s first love. He broke her heart and is determined to win her back. Too bad he’s going to be her new stepbrother.
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RANE -Easygoing superstar Rane Wilder always bails the minute things stop being fun and start getting difficult. But for disgraced child star Maddie, he’s willing to go the distance.
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WILDER - Rocker Keir Wilder never forgot his first love Scarlett. And now that she’s back in his life needing help, he’s not going to stop until she’s his.
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LOW- Normal girl Zoe is broke, unemployed and living with her parents. Catching the eye of a celebrity like Low is pure fantasy when you’re down on your luck. But Zoe’s fantasies are about to come wildly true.
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TRUE - Single dad Cash recognizes Piper the minute she stomps into the bar on the wrong side of town. She’s looking for danger. But she found him.
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by Vivian Lux
Sons of Steel Motorcycle Club:
Steel My Heart - Meek Emmy was a doormat until she met J. and the rest of the Sons of Steel MC. Now, with the bad boy bikers at her side, she’s standing up to the man who abused her and taking back her life.
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Steel My Love - Childhood sweethearts Lexi and Case were ripped apart when Lexi spilled Case’s secret. Now he’s found her again. But can he forgive her?
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Steel My Soul - Gabi remembers the sexy biker who saves her. But why is he back in town again? And why is he using a different name?
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Sports Romance:
FORCE -Bad boy hockey star Ian always gets what he wants, both on and off the rink. And what he wants most is Candy.
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IMPACT -Party girl Olivia thinks love is a game. But hockey star Brad always plays to win.
More ways to connect!
Theresa Leigh is a romance author whose love of reading is so intense, she sometimes injures herself by walking around with her nose in a book. She loves writing stories that have you feeling every emotion... sometimes all on the same page.
After five years of writing romance under a penname, Theresa finally decided to own up to how she was spending her all time. Her mother now knows all about the kinds of books she writes. She reacted more positively to it than Theresa expected.
Theresa lives and writes in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York State (not the city) (that distinction is important to her), where she lives with her husband, twin sons and twin orange cats, Pumpkin and Jackie O’Lantern. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys eating too much Thai food, walking around barefoot, and cooing baby talk at her cats.
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Get in touch!
www.theresaleighromance.com
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Last Good Man: A Crown Creek Novel Page 24