Maizy shook her finger at Lucy and couldn’t help but giggle at the lascivious look on Lucy’s face. “Unbelievable. Okay? And that’s all I’m saying.”
“Oh, don’t worry, sister. Your cheeks are saying plenty. I’ll stop asking questions now but if you ever need to talk—seriously talk—I’m here for you.”
“I know. Thank you for that.”
Lola came up around the corner from the creek, carrying her supply bucket in one hand and three huge Souvenir de la Malmaison roses in full bloom in the other. “Ladies, your laughter carries all through the garden. It’s a nice sound. Here,” she said as she offered each of them a bloom. The heady scent of the roses perfumed the humid air. “I think we’re done for the day.” Lola held the third bloom to her nose and smiled, her mocha-colored cheeks glowing from the heat and the day’s exertion.
Gesturing to the crumbling walkway and the retaining wall Lola said, “I hope the town council finds some funds for maintenance down here soon. These were built right after World War II by the area war veterans.”
Looking down at the cracked cement stepping stone she was standing on, Maizy said, “Seems like we’re overdue for some serious work. It would be sad if all of this crumbled due to neglect.”
Lola sighed and smiled. “Until then, we’ll just keep taking care of the roses. Don’t give up hope.”
They walked the path that led back to the parking lot and Lola said, “See you in two weeks, girls!”
Maizy waved at her pretty friend and climbed into the passenger seat of Lucy’s SUV.
“Worn out?” Lucy asked as she started the vehicle and cranked up the air conditioning.
Sighing, Maizy said, “I am but I’m also wired.”
“Seeing the guys?”
“Yes. One of them is supposed to come and get me. They were working on the house all day today.”
Lucy grinned as she pulled out of the parking lot. “I’ll bet now that they’ve found you they’ll be working even harder to finish. How did you like the house?”
“It’s not too big, not too small. It’s just right.”
Lucy looked at her and started laughing. “Okay, Goldilocks. I heard there’s a pool, too.”
“Yes. Spencer is building a big deck beside it. You should hear him talk about his plans. I can’t wait to see it once it’s finished.”
Thoughts of what it would be like to share the little retreat Spencer was creating filled her mind and she thought of making love with him earlier that morning. The tingling in her slightly sore lady parts increased and her clit throbbed.
“That may be sooner than you think, Maizy. Did they tell you they were in construction for a long time?”
“No.”
“That’s what they started out doing before they switched to security work. They’re multitalented.”
“Tell me about it.”
Lucy snorted and said, “What do you say to a milk shake before I take you home?”
“I say I think we earned it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Spencer waved at Lucy as she passed him on Maizy’s street, evidently having just dropped her off, and turned into her driveway. They’d worked the entire day on the house and even working his ass off hadn’t done much to diminish the erotic buzz that vibrated in his body every time Maizy came to mind.
After parking Heath’s truck, he walked up to her door. In his peripheral vision he saw the matronly woman standing on her porch next door watching him. Thinking it was important to seem friendly, he smiled and waved at her. Look harmless. Fake it till you make it.
With a suspicious scowl on her face, the woman gave him a perfunctory wave and sat down on her porch swing to watch him as he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened and he had to stop himself from reaching out and just grabbing Maizy up, nosy neighbor or not.
She stood there looking gorgeous in ratty grass-stained jeans, a hot pink Hello Kitty T-shirt, and old sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a wild messy knot with a clip or something, and her cheeks were hollowed as she sucked on a straw in a white Styrofoam cup. When she saw him, she released the straw with a squelch, swallowed, and said, “Hi!” She must’ve noticed him still staring at the straw and said, “It’s strawberry. Want some?” She stuck it back in her mouth and sucked some more before she grinned at him.
Holy fuck, do I want some, baby! His cock did the teenaged man-whore-wannabe routine as he watched her suck on that straw.
“Come in! I’m just throwing fresh clothing in a bag. Cody said I could shower at your place tonight,” she added softly as she beckoned him in.
She trotted down the hallway while he looked around her house and smiled. Organized clutter described it best. He understood now why she thought their house needed some color. Her style was a little bohemian. Thinking back to the way she’d been dressed the first time he’d seen her, he learned something new about her. She had to dress a certain way for work, but she showed her personality in the little touches. Her scarves, her little lacey jacket from the night before, and the cute as hell, and just a little too tight, T-shirt she had on. There were peeks of the real woman underneath the staid surface for anyone who cared to look.
He walked into her den and vibrant color outside the back windows drew him to take a look.
“Did you plant all of this?” he asked as he heard her coming down the hall. She joined him at the windows and then opened the door for him.
“I did. It took a while but I love it out here.”
He looked at the blooming antique rosebushes lining the fence on all three sides of the backyard, and the large freeform bed in the center. “This must’ve cost a fortune to plant,” he whispered as he walked out onto the back porch and into the yard.
“Nope.”
“No?” he asked, looking back at her in curiosity.
She shook her head and grinned at him. “No. I grew them all from cuttings I’ve taken from other rosebushes in the area.”
“You propagated these yourself? How long have you lived here?”
“Yes, it’s my hobby. I’ve been here about six years,” she murmured as she stroked a Maggie rose bloom. “When I was in high school, I grew several rosebushes as cuttings for a science fair project. Mom introduced me to a lady she knew who was a Texas Rosarian and I learned a lot from her. Once the project was done, my mom and I planted those bushes in the backyard and they took off. It’s been a hobby of mine ever since. When I moved in here, the yard was nothing but carpet grass with weeds mixed in. I did all of this myself.”
“Damn, baby. This is amazing,” he whispered, not wanting to draw the attention of her neighbors.
“Thank you. Do you know antique roses?”
Spencer smiled and nodded as he walked over to look at a bush filled with blooms with dark pink and peach colored outer petals and yellow inner petals and turned back to her. “Rosette Delizy?”
The transformation in her beaming face stunned him. She slid her arm around his waist as she joined him. “Yes, this Rosette Delizy is special because the cuttings were given to me by that same Rosarian who taught me so much.” She shaded her eyes, looked up at him, and said, “You really took me by surprise, Spencer. Who taught you about roses?”
“Our last foster mother. She had a seriously green thumb.”
She nodded. “I want to hear all about her someday.”
He took one last look around, still surprised, and then followed her back through the house. “I need to stop at the grocery store. Cody has the grill heating up and wanted me to get some steaks. Do you mind?”
“Not at all. I’m ready when you are.”
Inside the house, he stopped her, slid his hands around her hips, and said, “I’ll be ready after I get a kiss from you.”
She giggled as she looked up at him. “I wanted to jump you in the backyard but Mrs. Simms was watching us from her back window.”
He laid his lips on hers, enjoying the enthusiasm she put into their kiss. She stroked his tongu
e with hers and wrapped her arms around his neck so he could lift her off her feet. She smelled like sunshine and flowers, all mixed together with just a hint of earthy, womanly musk that made him want to beat his chest and growl like a caveman.
Her lips were a little swollen and rosy when he pulled back and set her on her feet. “Did you sleep this morning? Were you sore today?”
She caressed the back of his head with her fingertips and said, “I slept for a few hours before I went to the rose garden. I feel fine but I am a little sore. It’s not bad. That was just more activity than I’m used to. Did the three of you talk?”
“We did. We’re letting you rest tonight and we’ll have you home at a decent hour this evening.”
Her pouty little lip and frown made him want to laugh. “But I wanted to play tonight.”
Spencer chuckled as he nibbled at her pouty lip. “I never said we weren’t playing.”
“Oh, good. And my neighbor would probably approve if you had me home at a decent hour.”
“That’s one of the issues we talked about. We’ll explain at home.”
She locked up the house and followed him outside with a small tote bag slung over her shoulder. She waved at her neighbor who smiled and waved back at her. Spencer opened her door for her and helped her in and noticed the neighbor smiled when she saw him do that.
Score one point for the bears!
At the grocery store, he parked close to the entrance and said, “I’ll be right back.”
She pulled her wallet from her tote bag and said, “I need to get some things as well. I want to make a dessert for the three of you.”
He hesitated for a second. “Could I just get the stuff you need?”
Maizy looked at him and gave him a knowing smile. “Cody?”
“Yes. He wants to wait until after we’ve all talked.”
“It’s okay. We’re just running into the store for a minute on a Sunday evening. The place looks half-deserted anyway. You get what you need, I’ll get what I need, and we’ll meet back here. How’s that?”
He didn’t feel good about it, but neither did he feel good about leaving her to sit in the truck in the sun. “Okay. But I want to pay for whatever you buy. Cody would insist. Your money is no good here.”
Maizy rolled her eyes and slid her wallet back down into her tote out of sight. He opened her truck door for her and she smiled at him when he grabbed a cart and pushed it through the store. She gathered what she needed and met him in the produce department. He looked in the cart and said, “We haven’t had homemade peach cobbler since we left home.”
“You know what they say about men’s hearts and their stomachs.”
“We’re putting in an express lane for you, baby,” he whispered, enjoying the way she blushed.
She suddenly gasped and moved right up against him, peeking under his arm, and whispered, “Shoot. Tabitha Lester is right behind you. She’s minding her own business but if she sees me that won’t last.”
“Gotcha. Feet up on the cart and hold on, baby.” She did as he asked and he could hear her holding back a giggle as he dollied her down the aisle and took the first turn into the floral department. He stopped the cart and she let out a sigh of relief as she hopped off and hugged him.
“That was close.” At the frozen foods aisle she stopped him. “Do you have vanilla ice cream?”
“No, I think what we have in the freezer at home is chocolate or rocky road.”
“That won’t do. You’ll want vanilla.” They turned onto the aisle and were debating between Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla and Breyer’s French Vanilla when an unfamiliar voice said, “Hello, Miss Owen. And how are you this evening?”
Maizy grimaced and the color drained out of her cheeks. Spencer thought she did an amazing job of recovering her voice and composure as she turned to the woman speaking to her. “Hello, Mrs. Dumphrey. I’m doing very well, and you?”
The woman gave her a frosty smile and then turned her gaze on him. “Lovely, dear, and who is your…friend?” she asked as she pointedly stared at the tattoos covering his arms before she flicked a brief glimpse up to his face.
Maizy turned to give him an apologetic look, gestured at the woman who was now staring at Maizy’s T-shirt, and said, “Beverly Dumphrey, meet Spencer Ketchum.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Dumphrey.”
Mrs. Dumphrey kept her hands on her shopping cart handle as though she was afraid shaking hands with him might give her some sort of disease. “Mr. Ketchum, a pleasure to meet you. I’m always interested in the sorts of people the single teachers of our most impressionable children are keeping company with. I wish you both a lovely evening.”
Maizy smiled at her and returned the sentiment as the woman rolled her cart toward the front. When he turned back to Maizy she was pale as a ghost and was absentmindedly putting both containers of ice cream back in the freezer case. He took the container of Blue Bell from her and dropped it in the cart.
Maizy looked down the aisle at the woman and turned away from her just as the woman looked back at both of them with a pointed stare before turning the corner. He stroked Maizy’s upper arms which had grown cold and said, “Baby, who was that?”
Maizy bit her lower lip and whispered, “A member of the school board. She’s a long-time teacher and notoriously rigid in her thinking.”
“She said she keeps up with who her single teachers ‘keep company with’? She made it sound like you’re a school marm in the 1800s.”
“I think she’d probably like to go back to some of those standards.”
“Now I can see for myself why you’re concerned. I’m sorry I didn’t handle the shopping earlier. A dessert isn’t worth all of this.”
By the time they made it to the cashier stands, Mrs. Dumphrey and her flinty stare was gone, but a line had formed. Spencer saw Tabitha Lester turn the corner toward the front and pulled the keys to Heath’s truck out of his pocket. “Here you go, baby. Why don’t you go start the truck and I’ll be along after I get this paid for.”
She caught sight of Tabitha and nodded hurriedly and headed for the door.
When he got to the truck several minutes later, it was to find Maizy sitting in the passenger seat fiddling with her phone. He unloaded everything and then got in. “Are you all right?”
“Mrs. Dumphrey caught up to me in the parking lot. I couldn’t very well climb in the truck and slam the door in her face, even though that’s what I wanted to do.”
“What did she say?” he asked, already having a feeling he knew.
“Hurtful things that weren’t true. I asked her if I was entitled to a life away from school. She said yes, as long as what I was doing didn’t ‘constitute’ immoral or indecent behavior.” She turned to him and he could see the pain in her eyes. “I messed things up good, didn’t I? She probably wouldn’t have seen me if I’d stayed in the truck like you asked. I’m sorry she spoke down to you.”
“Didn’t bother me. What bothers me is seeing her hold her power over you like that. She shouldn’t be allowed to treat you that way. What did she say?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t true.” She released her seat belt and scooted over to him and he hugged her. He felt bad for her and for messing things up. None of this would’ve happened if he’d gone to the grocery store first.
Cody knew the minute they walked in the door that something was wrong. He and Heath both looked concerned as Maizy explained what had happened. Maizy seemed to go on autopilot, setting out the ingredients to make the crust and the filling as she talked. Heath caught Spencer’s eye and then looked at her, showing his nonverbal concern for her.
“Maybe I was expecting a miracle. It’s asking too much that they would accept my private choice as just that. I think I was naively hoping that all the pieces would somehow fall into place, and that it would work out for us.”
Spencer leaned against the counter and listened to her, his own concern growing as she kept talking.
“If Mrs. Dumphrey gets it into her head to mention this to the board then I’ll be scrutinized by all of them. It’ll be what they’re all thinking about anytime they see me. I know that sounds paranoid but you don’t know what she’s like at the board meetings. I went to one when I was going through my interview process. She’s controlling and manipulative, and very opinionated. What she says carries a lot of weight because she’s taught for so many years. Many of us had her as a teacher growing up and she’s meaner now.”
Cody stole a piece of the sweet dough as she cut it into strips and managed to make her smile and then he said, “So we should just pack it up and call it quits? Throw in the towel before we even know how things would work for us?”
She looked at him in surprise and a little shock. “No. I mean, that’s not what I want. Is that what you want, Cody?”
“No,” he murmured easily and shook his head. “What are you really scared of?”
“That something terrible will happen like me getting fired and I’ll lose you in the process before I even really know what it’s like to be with you. Losing on both sides. I’ve been teaching there for six years. I’m a good teacher and I should be allowed to continue teaching. I guess I want it all. I want what I see my brother and my friends enjoying and I’m afraid to find out that I can’t have it.”
Cody skirted the counter and stood behind her. He squeezed her upper arms and kissed the top of her head. “Baby, stop.”
She looked down at the flour on her hands and the rolled out dough. “What am I doing? I was supposed to make the filling first.”
He slid his hands down her arms and stilled her shaky hands as she gathered the scraps together. “Stop.”
“I messed it all up, putting the cart before the horse.”
“Stop. Do you know how happy I am that you’re here? How happy we all are?”
She looked from him to Heath and then back at Cody. “It’s not like me to be this scatterbrained. I can’t believe I screwed up your dessert. I wanted to do something nice for you—”
Cody turned her and crushed his lips against hers. She moaned and squirmed against him, panting through her nose a couple of times before she went limp in his arms. Her hands fisted the material of his shirt, leaving white, floury marks at the shoulders, and she clung to him as a rosy blush grew in her cheeks. When he finally released her she was breathless and her eyes had that sexy, dazed quality Spencer liked so much.
Maizy the Bear Charmer [Divine Creek Ranch 16] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15