“It’s time. You need to work and I need to start my job search. This break has been terrific, but we both have stuff to do.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I won’t let so much time go by before I come to see you again.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, but you can visit me, too, you know.”
“Oh, really? And where will I be visiting you?”
“Good point. I don’t know, yet. I’m hoping to stay in Washington, but no telling what will be available. Whatever happens, though, we’ll make it a priority to see each other more often.”
“Even if you end up in Alaska?”
He laughed. “I’m not taking a job in Alaska, okay? Next topic—we planned on takeout tonight, but how about if I go pick up something from the diner instead? I’ll bet they could put together a fried chicken dinner and if I go now, it won’t be crowded.”
“Great idea.”
“Side dishes?”
“I’m still a fries and coleslaw girl. Oh, and I need to give you some money. My wallet is—”
“This is on me. You’ve let me sleep on your couch, take you away from your work and interfere with your love life. The least I can do is buy dinner. See you in a little while.” Grabbing his hat and coat, he left the apartment.
She took a deep breath. If Wes was going home in the morning, he’d probably leave early since it was a seven-hour drive to Spokane. Michael usually didn’t start work until eleven and that was assuming he had that shift tomorrow.
Adrenaline made her heart pound and her hands shake as she texted him about Wes’s planned departure.
His reply was immediate. What time?
Don’t know for sure. Do you have the opening shift tomorrow?
Nope.
Then I’ll text you when he’s gone.
I’ll be waiting.
She put down the phone and picked up her water glass. The water sloshed over the rim onto her sweatshirt. Just that brief exchange and she couldn’t hold a glass of water without spilling it.
Anticipation was the culprit, right? Once they could be together again on a regular basis, she’d get over her breathless, heart-pounding reaction. In the meantime, she’d be counting the minutes until he walked through the door.
* * *
Happy hour was in full swing and Michael was rockin’ and rollin’ drink orders when Bryce arrived. They tag-teamed for a while and eventually got ahead of the game.
“Happy hour.” Bryce nudged back his hat. “Gotta love it.”
“I do. Since everybody wants the basic drinks because they’re cheap, you can get into a rhythm and knock ‘em out, boom, boom, boom.”
Bryce grinned. “You’ve come a long way, my friend.”
“Thanks. I like the physical part of the job. I hope we don’t ever get so big that we don’t spend time behind the bar anymore.”
“Do you foresee that?”
“With growth comes management duties. That’s one of the things I learned from that online course I took last year.”
“Then we’ll hire an office manager so we can keep mixing drinks. I like it, too. Always have. But I’m excited about the GG Country Store. So’s Trevor. He’s gonna make sure Greg assigns him to the construction crew.”
“Awesome.”
“Oh, and Mom wants to know if T-shirt Tuesday is officially a thing. The Whine and Cheese ladies have their shirts and they—”
“Then we need to make it a thing. You good with that?”
“Sure am. Especially if Mom and her friends throw their support behind the first one. Evidently a bunch of people have ordered shirts and have been willing to pay for express shipping.”
“I did notice we had a lot of orders.”
“But we haven’t advertised T-shirt Tuesday yet. The Whine and Cheese Club wants permission to get the word out so the place is filled with people in logo shirts that night.”
“I think it’s a great idea. I’m grateful for their help.”
Bryce gazed at him. “You know what you’re getting into, right?”
“I think so. Lots of folks in logo shirts will expect a ten-percent discount on their order. We’ll make sure Jenny and Ellen are available and maybe bring in our part-time—”
“Good plan, but that’s not the main issue. Mom said something about contacting the media.”
“Okay.” Michael shrugged. “I assume we’re talking Eagles Nest Gazette.”
“We’re talking CNN.”
“Holy shit.”
“They might not send anybody, but one of the group, I think it’s Christine, has a contact there, a brother-in-law if I remember right.”
“Wow.”
“Anyway, those women…let’s just say things happen when they’re involved.”
“All righty, then. Duly noted.” Michael surveyed the rustic bar he’d loved from the moment he’d walked in. “You know, they might show up. This place has character, and if the town is willing to demonstrate support by mobbing the place wearing logo t-shirts, it would be a feel-good segment.”
“Great for the GG.”
“And great for you and Nicole.”
“I guess it could be. We don’t usually perform on Tuesdays, but—”
“You will this Tuesday.”
Bryce smiled. “Looks like we will. Wearing logo t-shirts.”
“You betcha. It could also showcase Roxanne, the local resident who created the logo.”
“Who’s been here all of five months?”
“They don’t have to know that. She lives here. That’s good enough. Demonstrates community involvement.”
“You need to get with those ladies and give them all those talking points. I could set up a meeting first thing in the morning.”
“Uh…”
“That’s not good for you?”
“No, it’s good. I just need to…it’s fine. Set up the meeting and I’ll be there.”
Bryce set the meeting for eight in the morning at the GG. Michael texted Roxanne about the meeting time and that he’d be in touch. Her reply was simply That’s fine.
He wouldn’t expect her to say much more with her brother still there. If the meeting only lasted an hour or so, it wouldn’t delay him that much.
Anticipation kept him from sleeping well, though. He was downstairs long before dawn making coffee in case any of the women wanted it besides him. He pushed two tables together and arranged six chairs around them.
Kendra arrived first, wearing her t-shirt under her denim jacket. She took one look at him and asked what was wrong.
“It’s complicated.”
“Please tell me her knee’s not worse.” She took off her jacket and hung it over a chair.
“No. At least I don’t think so. I haven’t seen her since I took her upstairs yesterday.”
“Is her brother still here?”
“He’s scheduled to leave this morning.”
“When?”
“Since it’s a long drive, I figure he’ll be taking off any time, now.”
“Ah. Is this meeting messing with your plan to go see her after he leaves?”
“Sort of, but that’s okay.”
“You don’t look like it’s okay.”
“No, it is. If there’s any possibility that we can get on national TV, that would be good for everyone, even Roxanne if I have a chance to give her credit for the logo.”
“Then she’ll certainly understand why you need to attend this meeting instead of driving to her apartment immediately after her brother leaves.”
“I’m sure she will once I can explain the details.”
“She will.” Kendra patted his arm as the front door opened. “Hey, there, Deidre!”
“Hey, you guys. I smell coffee!”
“I figured we should at least have coffee.” Michael went behind the bar. “I’ll get you some, Deidre. Sugar and cream are on the bar.”
“Thanks.” She slipped off her parka and took the coffee he handed her.
&n
bsp; “Great shirt.”
“I know, right?” Deidre Ashcroft was the flamboyant member of the Whine and Cheese Club, curvy with bright red hair. She was easy to remember since her SUV had a magnetic sign advertising her real estate business.
Jo Fielding came in next—slim, short gray hair, silver hoop earrings. He saw her all the time when he took deposits to the bank.
She held up a fragrant box. “I stopped by Pie in the Sky. Thought we needed fortification.”
“Great idea. Thank you.” Deidre stirred half and half into her coffee. “And there’s Christine and Judy! Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.”
He’d heard the names, but damned if he could say which one was Christine and which was Judy.
The taller one with blond hair came over for a cup of coffee and one of the pastries from the box Jo had set there. “Good to see you, Michael.”
“Good to see you, too. I’m sorry, but I’ve lost track. Judy or Christine?”
“Christine. Christine Norton.” She smiled. “You meet a lot of people. I’m sure it’s hard to keep them all straight.”
“I’m Judy Rasmussen.” A short brunette ditched her coat and came to stand beside Christine. “She looks like Christy Brinkley while I look like Judge Judy.”
Michael grinned. “Thanks for the memory aid. Want coffee?”
“You bet.”
Moments later they’d gathered with their coffee and treats. Michael silenced his phone and called up the notes he’d made the night before. As if it had been perfectly timed, his screen lit up with a text from Roxanne. Wes left. When your meeting’s over, stop by the bakery. Ingrid has my key.
He glanced up. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a quick phone call. It’ll be short.”
“No worries,” Kendra said. “We’ll start brainstorming. Take your time.”
Hurrying back to the office, he closed the door and called Roxanne.
She answered on the first ring, sounding breathless. “You didn’t have to call me. Don’t you have a business meeting going on?”
“I do, but I wouldn’t have agreed to the timing except that it could be super important for the bar, even for you. It has to do with T-shirt Tuesday.”
“What’s that all about?”
“I didn’t tell you?”
“Nope.”
“God, it feels like forever since we’ve had a chance to talk. So much is happening.”
“I can see that, but listen, go back to your meeting. We’ll catch up when you get here.”
He smiled. “I can’t promise we’ll spend time talking.”
Her breath hitched. “Go back to your meeting. The sooner it’s over, the sooner you’ll be here.”
“Okay. See you soon.” He forced himself to disconnect the call and return to the meeting when every fiber of his being urged him to get in his truck and drive over to her apartment.
Turned out Christine was the person who had a brother-in-law with a high-level position at CNN. She’d talked to him last night, and all he needed was the promise of a huge crowd in logo t-shirts and he could almost guarantee a news crew would arrive at the GG Tuesday night.
Michael brought up his idea of featuring hometown talent—Bryce and Nicole as rising country stars and Roxanne as the hometown girl who’d created the logo.
“Great stuff.” Christine took notes. “That will be icing on the cake.”
“And what about this group?” Michael said. “Does your brother-in-law know about the Whine and Cheese Club?”
Christine blinked. “I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it.”
“Then you should tell him. I’ll bet the producers will be interested in a group of women who help the community and have a heck of a good time doing it.”
“They might be, at that.” She glanced around the table. “I’d say we have a decent chance of pulling this off. We just need to make sure we have a sea of black t-shirts in this room, maybe even spilling out the door.”
“Don’t worry,” Deidre said. “If the good people of Eagles Nest think they have the slightest chance of appearing on national TV, they’ll put a rush on their t-shirt orders and cancel any plans they had for next Tuesday night.”
Michael nodded. “I agree.”
The meeting wrapped up at ten. He texted Bryce the highlights and started straightening the area. Shortly after he’d finished cleaning up, Bryce called.
“Hey, Michael!” Bryce was clearly in good spirits. “Nicole’s all excited about getting new outfits for Tuesday night.”
“Wouldn’t you just wear the shirts?”
“We talked about it and decided it would be better if we’re in all white as a contrast to the black shirts. The logo could be in black sequins.”
“Do you have time to make that happen?”
“I think so. Nicole shifted a couple of her client appointments to tomorrow so we could consult with Mandy and get her working on the idea. Mandy’s already talked to Roxanne about adapting the logo.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Mandy, Zane McGavin’s wife, was a local fashion designer who also kept Bryce and Nicole looking good on stage. If anyone could pull this off, it would be Mandy.
“Could you open for me and I’ll take your shift tonight? I don’t want Mandy to be crunched for time. She needs to nail down the concept today and we have to be part of the process.”
“Sure, I’ll switch with you.” It meant he wouldn’t get together with Roxanne until this evening. But then he could spend the entire night with her. It seemed like years since he’d been able to do that. Damn, he’d missed her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Roxanne focused on work as best she could while she waited for a text from Michael saying he was on his way.
Instead he called. “Hey, slight problem. Bryce needs me to take his shift.”
“Aw, I’m sorry.”
“So am I, but it’s for a good cause. If you’re okay with it, I can come over tonight after work.”
“Of course I’m okay with it.”
“Great. I’ll bring dinner.”
“Perfect.” The new plan eased her disappointment at not seeing him this morning. “What’s the good cause?”
“It’s all connected with T-shirt Tuesday, which is turning into a big deal.”
“Do you have time to tell me about it now?”
“Good idea. Then we don’t have to waste time discussing it tonight.” He laid out what had been proposed so far.
“CNN? Could that really happen?”
“Christine seems to think so. Clearly that could be a game changer for the GG and the town in general. You, too.”
“Me?”
“You could be featured as the hometown girl who created the logo that started it all. Naturally everything depends on whether CNN shows up, but—”
“You mean go on camera?” Anxiety tightened her chest.
“Absolutely. I guarantee you’d get clients.”
“Michael, the thought of being on national TV scares the hell out of me.”
“Even if it brings you more exposure and more business?”
“Yes. Even then. I don’t want to be in the spotlight.”
“I guess we could just mention your name as the local person who designed the logo, but it would have more impact if you were actually—”
“I understand that. But appearing on live TV would be my worst nightmare. If that means I lose out on some business, I’ll accept the consequences.”
He sighed. “All right.”
“It must sound crazy to you.”
“It does, a little bit, but I’ll respect your wishes. No live appearance. I’ll make sure Christine knows that when she makes the pitch to her brother-in-law.”
“Thank you.” Time to focus on a more cheerful subject. “What time can you be here tonight?”
“How about seven? That’ll give me a chance to shave and shower.”
“Then seven it is. I’ll ask Ingrid to unlock the door for you.”
“
Thanks.” His voice was husky. “I can’t wait.”
She responded to that sexy tone with a sweet ache of longing. “Me, either. See you then.”
Work and the promise of spending the entire night with Michael got Roxanne through the day. Her knee was much better, but Ingrid insisted on coming by after work to help her straighten the apartment. She brought scented candles which she’d found on sale at Pills and Pop.
After she took off, Roxanne lit the candles and turned back the sheets on the bed. Then she showered and washed her hair. She dried it, but left it curly and wild, which suited her mood.
So did the garment she pulled out of the closet. She’d bought the flowing caftan after her romance with Phil had imploded. The bright colors and the flattering drape of the silky material had boosted her spirits.
It wasn’t practical or appropriate for her current lifestyle, though. She couldn’t work in it because the sleeves got in the way. It was too fancy for movie nights with her friends and too exotic for running errands.
But it was exactly right for a night with Michael. As the fabric slithered over her naked body, the thud of his boots on the stairs sent her heart into overdrive. Her knee pinched a little as she hurried into the living room, but who cared?
He tapped softly.
Pulse racing, she opened the door and stood back.
He paused, his broad-shouldered frame filling the doorway, a large takeout bag clutched in one hand. His hot glance swept over her and his throat moved in a slow swallow.
She gulped in a quick breath. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He stepped inside, nudged the door closed and lowered the bag to the floor. He set his hat on top of it. “You look great.”
“Thank you.”
His chest heaved. “Are you wearing anything under…”
“No.”
Two strides and he was there. “Dinner can wait.” Gently scooping her up, he carried her back to her candlelit bedroom. “Wow. I love it.”
“I’m glad.”
Laying her on the bed, he braced his hands on either side of her and gazed into her eyes. “Longest day ever.”
She cupped the back of his head. “But you’re here, now. That’s all that counts.” She pulled him into an open-mouthed kiss that left no doubt as to what she wanted.
He thrust his tongue deep. As he ravished her mouth, he slowly drew the caftan up over her knees and slipped his hand between her damp thighs. Groaning, he lifted his head. “Forgive me. I need you now, right now.”
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