Kristen rested her frail looking hand on mine.
I met her tired, but less worn eyes.
“A new kitchen would be lovely. It would allow us to do more social events at the church. And make serving the community easier.”
“It’s settled then.”
She bit her lip. “But . . . people are talking.”
“And what are they saying?”
Her face tinged pink. “They think the auction is of the devil.”
I snorted. “For real?”
“Some people in our congregation . . . well, let’s just say they aren’t as open minded as perhaps they could be,” the preacher man admitted.
“So why do you care? Aidan says you use that kitchen to make lunches for school kids that would otherwise go hungry during the summer months, and throughout the holiday season you host large dinners to make sure no one is alone. So I would say the kitchen is about the people. And if it makes you feel better, use the extra money for your food pantry. Because people are always going to talk. Even if you did your lame fundraiser they would be the ones complaining you didn’t do enough or that the face painting artist you got was crappy. There is nothing evil about an auction. Each man volunteered and is single. If it will make you feel better I’ll make sure to tell them not to have sex with their dates. Well, at least not on the one they paid for.”
I think Kristen may have wet herself a little.
Preacher man was actually beaming. “You’re right on all accounts but one.”
“And which one would that be?”
“One man didn’t volunteer, and he wishes he was anything but single right now.”
Yeah. I knew that man. “With any luck, the auction will help him find the right woman.”
Nate’s eyes twinkled. “He’s certain it will all work out.”
“Whatever you say, Nate.”
~*~
“Did you send your family over here because you were worried I forgot how to feed myself? By the way, your brother is a better cook than you.” I slid under my silk sheets and nestled my head on my pillow. Aidan was calling late. I knew he was on the west coast somewhere; he couldn’t exactly say. It was an hour earlier wherever he was. But he had promised to call when he got done with his top-secret meetings. Who had meetings on Sunday?
Aidan laughed over the phone. “They just want to get to know you better.”
“And why is that?”
“That’s a good question.”
“Is this your attempt at humor?”
“That bad, huh?”
“It could use some work.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what you really do for a living?”
“I told you, I work in cybersecurity.”
“Are you like a CIA agent?”
“No. And if I was, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Uh-huh, so CIA?”
“I work in the private sector, but we have had government contracts from time to time.”
“To knock people off?”
He laughed. “I think you’ve been watching too many crime thrillers lately.”
“You didn’t deny it.”
“I’m not assassinating people. In fact, right now I’m on my balcony overlooking the ocean.” That didn’t help narrow down where he was. He could have been anywhere from California to Washington.
“Did you just toss someone in there?”
He thought for a moment. “I like you, Cheyenne.” He sounded like he was holding back. “You’re the only person I’ve ever had conversations like this with.”
“What kind of conversations did you have with your wives?” I found I was hesitant to know the answer. I didn’t like feeling that way, which implied more than I cared to admit.
There was a thoughtful sigh, followed by, “With Mary we were good about talking about our day-to-day stuff. She was always trying to improve other people’s lives, so a lot of our conversations focused on her work. Portia was the opposite. She always talked about herself. I never really had fun conversations with either one.”
“But, you want meaningful.”
“I wish you would quit telling me what I want. And who said fun isn’t meaningful?”
“Go to bed, spy boy.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow. It will probably be late.”
“Spying is tough work, from what I hear.”
He laughed. “Someday I’ll tell you what I really do for a living, and now it will seem mundane.”
“Why can’t you tell me now?”
It sounded like he coughed or something was stuck in his throat. “I can only disclose it to a spouse.”
“Oh.” I guess I would never know. You don’t know how much that disappointed me.
Chapter Thirty-Two
He kept his promise and called every night. He was good at keeping his promises. Or at least he appeared to be. It kind of freaked me out. More than kind of. That’s why I was steamrolling ahead with my plan for him. He could be some other woman’s problem when he showed his true colors. Because surely he wasn’t showing them now. Right? And someday I would stop thinking about him all the time. I would make myself. Just like I would make myself get over my fear of the water.
My steamrolling didn’t have a lot of steam to it. I’d hand it to Aidan—he was more devious than I gave him credit for, and it turned me on. I was having each of my picks for Aidan come into my salon while he was out town so I could start my training. Not only was I going to make them look fabulous, I was going to give them insights into Aidan. Like how he wanted a woman who added meaning to his life, someone he could talk to about anything. She needed to be well rounded. He liked a woman who had travelled and wanted a little adventure in her life. She had to be willing to try new things and new foods. It wouldn’t hurt if she was athletic and liked to run and mountain bike. So basically, someone like me, but she needed to share his faith. And be less selfish than me, probably a lot less selfish.
I wasn’t sure if Danica, Justine, or Teresa exactly fit the bill, but I had a few weeks to help them make some tweaks. Or at least I thought I did. I don’t know how Aidan knew those were my choices for him, but Justine flat out refused to keep her hair appointment, saying she didn’t feel right getting a free haircut because she knew I just wanted her to bid on Aidan. She told me her conscience wouldn’t let her bid when she knew his heart belonged to someone else. What kind of crap was that? Teresa asked if she could still get the free haircut even though she was going to conveniently be out of town. I could hear the lie over the phone, but I still offered her a free haircut with one of my other stylists. She didn’t deserve my genius if she couldn’t help me out.
Last was Danica. She came in Friday, the day Aidan was coming home. He had called me from the airport to say he was on his way. Not like I needed to know those kinds of things, especially since he’d laughed when I asked him about Teresa and Justine. He’d just said something along the lines of two could play my game. He was only making me more determined.
I was setting my sights and hopes on Danica. I ran my fingers through Danica’s hair, deciding what would be the best cut and style to give to her. Aidan was obviously attracted to women with natural beauty and seemed to like my long hair. Danica’s hair was long, but not quite as long as mine. I would have thought about extensions, but that was too fake for Aidan’s tastes. Then I remembered Mary had short hair, so maybe he wasn’t overly picky one way or the other. Though he did mention how much he loved my hair. But blonde wouldn’t work with Danica and her creamy brown skin tone. So her hair was only going to get some caramel highlights and some texture. She wore it too limp. I stared at her eyes. Eyes seemed important to Aidan. He was always peering into mine. Danica needed a good eyebrow waxing and to plump up her eyelashes. I had the perfect mascara for that.
I told Danica my game plan only to have her stare uneasily at me.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“Miss Cheyenne.”
/>
That wasn’t going to do. That made me sound old. And only Ashley Cole could talk like that to me.
“You can just call me Cheyenne.”
She blushed. “Okay.” She looked down at her hands she was twisting together. “I like Aidan.”
“Perfect.” Music to my ears.
“But . . .” No. No buts. She tried to look at me, but couldn’t quite meet my eyes. “I see the way he looks at you, and I can’t compete with that.”
Okay, so maybe she was right. She couldn’t compete with me. Not many women could, but Aidan wasn’t shallow. He didn’t care if a woman was gorgeous on the outside. So I lied to her. “Of course you can.”
She shook her pretty head. “I don’t think so. I don’t know a lot of things, but I know when a man is in love.”
I grabbed onto the styling chair stunned. “I hate to tell you, but you’re wrong.” Aidan was in no shape or form in love with me.
Her eyes dropped. “Sorry. I’m not wrong. I can go now if you want me to.”
It took me a minute to answer. I was trying to process her ridiculous claim. “You can stay.” Crap, I was turning into a freaking saint.
Danica looked like a million bucks when she left the salon.
~*~
“What am I going to do now?” I lamented to my best friends over lunch at Jessie Belle’s Café.
They had no sympathy. Abby and Jessie both laughed at me.
“Here’s a thought.” Jessie leaned over the counter. “Why don’t you just give in and date him yourself?”
“They already are dating, but she won’t admit it.” Abby smiled at Jessie.
“What do you know?” They were getting on my last nerve.
“You mean what everyone else knows?”
I ignored them when the craft group caught my eye. Doris, Ingrid, Fran, and Gerrie were all there doing their thing. Drinking coffee and knitting something. They may have looked like innocent old ladies, but they were feisty troublemakers. I loved them. Hmmm. I turned back to my friends. “What if I got Doris to bid on him? She’s frisky.”
“You’re so desperate.” Jessie shook her head at me.
She had no idea.
“I at least can’t let Veronica win him. I promised him.”
Jessie lowered her voice. “I wouldn’t worry about her. Her divorce settlement isn’t going to be as good as she hoped. She’s only going to get shared custody, and from the sounds of it she may be court-ordered to find a job.”
“Wow. Do you think Landon paid someone off?” Abby asked.
Jessie shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”
That was one problem solved. But I still needed to find Aidan a solid soulmate candidate. “Are there any other single women at your church, or any church around here?”
My friends just rolled their eyes and ignored me.
“You know, I’ve always helped you guys when you’ve needed me. I’ve even changed a diaper or two, thank you very much. Grossest thing ever, by the way. You guys owe me.”
They each reached for me.
Abby gave me her doe eyes. “This is us helping you.”
Ugh! What did she know? She was dating her lousy husband. Shane was still living with Aidan, but Abby was seeing him frequently. It wasn’t my first choice for her, and more than anything I hoped it wasn’t a mistake. I was keeping a shovel nearby just in case I had to dig a large hole.
Jessie changed the subject and the tone. “Did you hear that Rachel is on bed rest?”
Abby and I both shook our heads no.
“Oh no. Is she okay? How are the babies?” Abby was more than concerned.
Jessie tensed up. For good reason. She had lost a baby—and almost her life—well into her pregnancy. “She and the babies are fine. They were able to get her contractions to stop. They’re trying to get her to make it a few more weeks.”
“Do they need help?” Abby was always first to ask.
“Both of their moms have practically moved in from the sounds of it, and I know Taylor’s taking Drew to school and picking him up. I think Andrew might need some help. He’s beside himself with worry; he won’t leave Rachel’s side.”
“I bet that’s driving her crazy.” I surmised.
“I’m sure it is,” Jessie agreed. “Maybe we could take some meals over for the family. One less thing to worry about.”
“Good idea. And hopefully we can still throw her the baby shower before those little guys make their appearance.” Abby had been excited to put on the shower. I was amazed how she could think of others in her situation. She was a better person than me.
I sat there, not sure what I had to offer. I was surprised I even wanted to. I think Aidan was rubbing off on me. I couldn’t have that.
Chapter Thirty-Three
We were a week away from the epic fundraiser that had also turned into a food drive. Yeah, I know. And I even thought of it. It had garnered so much buzz that people from as far away as Denver were coming. Or should I say, ladies were coming. Who could blame them? My lineup of men was fantastic. I kept a flyer near me at all times to admire the attractive men. Many had been a part of my life in some way, except for the few from the Stallions and Bears. Okay, so I kept it close mostly to fantasize about Aidan. His sex appeal oozed off the page. A tux never looked so good. Those men were like looking at a picture of my life’s work. I was one lucky woman. I enjoyed all the fun and never had any heartache with any one of them. That was, until now.
My heart had been doing some weird gymnastics the last couple of weeks. I’d been doing my best to ignore the racing and pounding whenever Aidan was near. As well as the dropping when I thought about him going on a date with someone else. Then there was this stabbing pain I’d never felt before when I thought about how that date could lead to more dates. I’d kept it all to myself. I’d been busy with last minute planning and making sure Abby didn’t back out on me. Oh yeah, and throw in lots of time with Aidan.
I had just left him and Abby for their final practice. They sounded incredible. They were going to blow everyone away. Aidan wanted to have dinner with me, but I needed to be alone. I needed to run. I needed to be me. I hardly recognized myself anymore. I was doing fundraisers and collecting food for the poor. I had even dropped off a store-bought cake at the Turner’s last week. I didn’t even glower or give Shane the finger when I saw him in the store yesterday picking out a bouquet of roses for his date with Abby. It was completely unnatural.
I put on running shorts even though the weather was nippy in October. I sat on my couch and tried to talk myself into going even though I knew I shouldn’t. My leg wasn’t strong enough yet. It could mean crutches again, or worse. But when did I ever care about the consequences? When I wanted something, I took it. So why didn’t I have Aidan yet?
My phone rang. It was my mom. Her timing, for once, was impeccable.
“Mom.”
“How are you, baby? I just realized I forgot your birthday.”
Really? That was weeks ago. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I hope it was nice.”
I thought back to the only person that remembered. “It was.”
“Do you think you could send me some more money? I got laid off again.”
Probably fired was more like it. I internally sighed. “Sure, Mom. You’ll have it Monday.”
“You’re the best baby. Bye.”
“Wait.” I typically was happy to let her go as soon as possible, but I needed to know something. “When did Dad start showing his true colors?”
The silence was palpable.
“Mom?”
“From the start.” She sounded embarrassed and, for once, lucid. “Not many people can hide who they really are for too long. It’s always there, you just have to look closely.”
“Then why did you marry him?”
“Because I loved him.” Emotion broke through. “I thought he would be different for me. I was wrong.”
“Mom, will you do something for me?”
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“Sure, baby.”
“Find something that you love and do it. Go take that creative writing class you’ve always talked about. I’ll pay for it.”
She thought for a second or two. “Really?”
“Yeah. Just don’t hit on any men while you’re there.”
A raspy laugh escaped her. “I love you, baby.”
I loved her too, but I was dead serious.
I didn’t know if I felt better or worse that my mom knew what she was getting into from the beginning.
I hung up and sat there trying to talk myself into and out of running. I was so tired of the exercise bike—it was hardly doing a thing for me. The company was fantastic, but it couldn’t last. Could it? What was wrong with me? It was that thought that decided for me. I was going running.
My defiant self opened the door to find my two best friends standing there. One held a large pizza and the other a carton of ice cream.
“What are you guys doing here?”
Jessie looked me over. “Apparently, saving you from doing something stupid.”
“I was just going to the store.”
“Liar,” they said in unison.
“Fine. Come in, brats.”
They laughed all the way in out of the cold evening air.
Jessie held up the pizza. “We thought you could use a girl’s night; that we all could.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because we’ve been so wrapped up in our own lives that we couldn’t see how much you were hurting.”
Tears stung my eyes. It took all my effort to keep them from spilling over. “I’m fine.”
They set the pizza and ice cream on the floor. The two people I needed most brought me in for a group hug.
Maybe a few stupid tears escaped. “I want my old life back.”
“Sometimes God—” Abby started.
“Not him again.”
“Okay, sometimes life knows what we need better. What will make us happier in the long run, even though it’s hard right now.”
“Life can shove it.”
My friends stifled their laughs against me.
Cheyenne (The Women of Merryton Book 4) Page 21