by Lynn LaFleur
“Looks can be deceiving. I told Paige that when I met her.”
Quade’s smirk disappeared. “Speaking of Paige, I saw the way y’all looked at each other at Talia’s house. You’re a good-looking guy and I understand her being attracted to you. But don’t hurt her, Cort.”
“I have no intention of hurting anyone, except the thieves. I’ll gladly hurt them if I get the chance.”
“I’m with you on that. But Paige is vulnerable now. She cared for someone and he didn’t return the feelings. She wants to be in love. Don’t let her fall for you when you know you won’t be in Lanville for long.”
Cort scratched loose a corner of the bottle’s label. He knew Quade was right. No matter how much he desired Paige, he had to avoid getting too close to her.
“Are you really a chef?” Quade asked.
Cort nodded. “I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I never went to any kind of cooking school, just picked up stuff on my own.” He let a small smile touch his lips. “I make a pork roast so tender, you’ll get tears in your eyes while eating it.”
Quade chuckled. “I may take you up on that.”
“I wouldn’t want to step on Eve’s toes in her kitchen.”
“Actually, it’s my kitchen. Eve has a small apartment on the square above the crafts shop where she works. We’ve been together less than a month and we’re still learning about each other. She visits me and I visit her, but no plans to move in together anytime soon.” Quade scratched his cheek. “And I have no idea why I told you all that.”
Cort laughed, more at ease in Quade’s presence. He believed they could be good friends if he would be in Lanville more than however long it took to catch the thieves. “Maybe you couldn’t resist my charm.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” He rested one ankle on the opposite knee. “I’ll help you any way I can, Cort. You only have to ask.”
“Thanks, Quade. I appreciate that.” He took the last drink from his bottle. “Actually, there is something you can do. I need to meet your sheriff. We’ve spoken on the phone and exchanged e-mails and texts, but haven’t met face-to-face yet. Could we meet here? I don’t want anyone to see me go into his office.”
“Sure. That isn’t a problem at all. Like I said, Brad and I are good friends, so no one would think twice about him coming to my house. When do you want to meet?”
“Whenever it’s convenient for him. I’m supposed to be at The Inn on Crystal Creek Monday morning at nine to meet the manager and find out my schedule. Emma told me I wouldn’t work Monday or Tuesday, but she wants me to work in The Inn’s kitchen Wednesday morning.”
“I’ll call Brad in the morning and see if he can come over Tuesday.”
“That’d be great.”
Quade nodded toward the empty bottle in Cort’s hand. “Want another?”
“No, thanks. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a shower and hit the sack.”
“I’ll show you to your room.”
Cort followed Quade from the study and down a short hallway to another part of the house. Quade pushed open a door to expose a furnished guest room with a queen-sized bed. “Bathroom’s across the hall. Remote for the TV is in the nightstand closest to the wall. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I’ll be fine.” Cort offered his hand to Quade. “Thanks, man.”
Quade smiled as he shook Cort’s hand. “See you in the morning.”
Cort shut the door, dropped his jacket and bag on the bed, and sat beside them. He’d never expected to be invited to stay in someone’s home, but had to admit he liked the comfort of this room more than any motel room he would’ve gotten in town. They always seemed so sterile, while this room seemed … homey.
As for renting Talia’s house, he had to pretend he planned to be in Lanville longer than a few days or weeks. If he had to sign a lease, he would. He’d done so in the past and had help from his captain getting out of it. Sometimes an extra month’s rent had done the trick, sometimes the owner let him out of the lease without complaint because he’d caught “the bad guy.”
Fatigue hit him so hard, he could barely keep his eyes open. He’d started the day early and it had been like riding a roller coaster. A hot shower would do him in for the night. Before he did that, he had to call his sister.
Despite being older than his sister or brother, his sister demanded he contact her as soon as he got settled in his new assignment. Daphne had a husband and two children to take care of, yet couldn’t help worrying about her brothers.
Cort adored her.
Removing his boots, Cort stuffed a pillow behind his back and leaned against the headboard. He located his sister’s phone number at the top of his favorites list on his cell phone and pressed it to place the call.
She answered after two rings. “Hey, bro.”
Cort smiled. Daphne always sounded so cheerful. “Hey, sis. What’s shakin’?”
“Donnie’s weewee. He’s running around naked after his bath.”
Cort laughed at the mental picture of his naked two-year-old nephew being chased by his mother. “Do you need to catch him?”
“Nope, that’s Don’s job.”
“Why is Donnie awake so late? It’s after ten-thirty.”
“Long story that has to do with chocolate pudding. So, you’re in Lanville?”
“I am. In fact, I’m staying with one of the residents, a good friend of the sheriff’s.”
“Nice guy?”
“Very nice. He already knew about me from the sheriff and wants to help if he can.”
“Having an in with a local is always good for the undercover work, right?”
“You’ve learned well, sis.”
“I was taught by the best cop in the Metroplex.”
Her comment brought a tightness to his throat. Daphne always said the right thing to make him feel good. “Thanks, Daph.”
He heard his nephew laughing in the background. “Did Don catch him?”
“Yes, but I don’t think he was trying all that hard. We love to listen to Donnie giggle.”
So did Cort. At only three months old, Daphne’s daughter still slept a lot, but Cort had no doubt he’d soon have fun spoiling her the way he did Donnie.
“I’m gonna hit the shower and then the bed, sis. It’s been a long day.”
“Okay. I know you can’t keep in close touch while you’re undercover, but call when you can, okay?”
“I will. Kiss my beautiful niece for me.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Smiling, Cort disconnected the call. Talking with his sister always made him smile. His brother, not so much. He and Neal loved each other, but fought over stupid things thanks to Neal’s fast temper. Still young at twenty-four, Neal had a lot of growing up to do.
Which Cort couldn’t worry about now. Shower and bed. Those were the only things on his to-do list.
Fifteen minutes later, Cort crawled naked between jersey sheets that smelled like the outdoors. Blowing out a soft sigh, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Paige never had trouble falling asleep. She considered that a gift since she knew so many people suffered from insomnia or difficulty sleeping. She dropped off within a couple of minutes of her head hitting the pillow and slept straight through the night until her alarm buzzed at six-thirty.
Tonight, sleep eluded her.
She flipped her pillow, punched out all the lumps. It didn’t help. She still couldn’t sleep.
Maybe a midnight snack would help. Or in this case, a two-o’clock snack.
Throwing back the covers, Paige rose and donned her robe and slippers. She never ate her pumpkin cheesecake from dinner. That and a glass of milk might settle the gnawing in her stomach.
She sat at her small kitchen table with her treat. One bite of the cheesecake had her moaning. Sinful. She imagined spreading the creamy concoction all over Cort’s body and licking it off.
Hence why she couldn’t sleep. Her mind churned
with thoughts of the handsome chef.
Paige had experienced physical love many times. She knew how it felt to desire a man, to kiss him, to touch him. She especially loved when they’d both reached the highest peak of lust possible before he slipped his hard cock into her pussy. The pounding thrusts, the scratching and biting, the ultimate act of surrender … Paige loved it all.
And wanted it with Cort.
Finding a lover wouldn’t be difficult. Despite Royce sneaking out of her bedroom the one time they’d been together, he flirted with her every time they ended up at the fire hall together. If she wiggled her finger at him, he’d probably follow her to the nearest bed.
No. Paige didn’t want anything to do with Royce. She saw nothing wrong with two people being friends with benefits, but she didn’t want that with Royce or any of the other single guys on the fire department.
She wouldn’t mind being friends with benefits with Cort.
Paige scooped up another forkful of cheesecake. She’d felt a flare of awareness between them today, first at Spencer’s and then again at Talia’s house. She had no doubt it wouldn’t take much for that flare to become a conflagration that would engulf both of them.
She shivered at the delicious thought of Cort’s naked body brushing against hers. She’d never fucked a guy on a motorcycle. It would be fun. And seriously hot.
Paige drummed her fingers on the table while she tried to decide what to do. She’d never felt such a strong pull for a man and knew she had to examine it further.
So what’s the best way to seduce him? I could invite him over for dinner. It would be a friendly gesture since he’s new in town. We can eat and talk and then I’ll tear off his clothes.
Paige sighed. She liked the tearing off his clothes idea, but not the cooking dinner part for a chef. She could cook, but nothing worthy enough to be served at Café Crystal.
He didn’t seem like a froufrou kind of guy. He’d probably be as happy with a juicy hamburger as he would a gourmet steak. Sunday would be a great day to invite him over for a hearty meal of hamburgers, baked beans, and potato salad.
Inviting him could be a problem since she didn’t know his phone number. She could call Quade and ask him to give Cort a message to call her. Or she could ask Emma for Cort’s phone number. Ethically, Emma shouldn’t do that, but she probably would if Paige begged enough.
Paige swallowed the last of her milk. Now that she’d satisfied her hunger and figured out a way to be with Cort, she should fall asleep in seconds.
4
The buzzer announcing someone had come into Spencer’s made Paige look up from her position on the floor where she unpacked a box of potato chips. Her boss and the owner, Clay Spencer, walked in. Paige hadn’t expected him to be back from his trip until Tuesday. “Hey, boss.”
Clay smiled. “Hey, Paige. How’s it going?”
“Great. It’s been super busy thanks to that motorcycle rally by the river.”
“Super busy is good.” He offered his hand to help her from the floor. “Got a minute to talk?”
He seemed so serious, unlike the usual friendly way he spoke to her. Apprehension crawled up her spine. She believed she’d done a good job since she started working here almost a year ago. Surely he wouldn’t fire her.
“Of course.”
Clay looked over his shoulder at his other clerk, Lesa, who waited on a customer. “Lesa, I’m stealing Paige for a couple minutes.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go to my office.”
Paige’s palms broke out in a sweat. Jobs in Lanville didn’t fall in someone’s lap. She knew that from past experience. She’d had no choice but to live with her parents while she went to college. Once on her own, she took whatever part-time jobs she could find to make ends meet until she went to work here. People in Lanville tended to keep their jobs. She knew people who had worked at the newspaper for over thirty years.
She had no idea what she’d do if Clay fired her.
Clay sat behind his desk and Paige took one of the chairs in front of it. She told herself not to fidget and clasped her hands together in her lap to keep from doing that.
“You know I’ve been in Tempe for business meetings this week.”
Paige nodded, even though he’d uttered a comment and not a question.
“The board has decided to expand farther north, from coast to coast. We especially want to be in the Pacific Northwest and New England. I have a fantastic team who does the research for future stations, but I’ll still be needed for the final decision on anything we purchase. Maysen and I will be out of town a lot. I need to know this store will be taken care of in my absence.” He leaned forward, propped his forearms on his desk. “I’d like you to be my manager.”
She’d been prepared to hear the I-have-to-let-you-go speech, so it took Paige a moment to realize Clay had said something entirely different. “What?”
He smiled. “Caught you by surprise, huh?”
“Well … yeah. I thought you were going to fire me.”
His smile faded and his eyebrows drew together. “Why would I fire you? You’re one of the best employees Spencer’s has. I’d clone you for every one of our stores if I could.”
Warmth spread through her cheeks at his compliment. “Thanks. That’s nice of you to say.”
“It’s the truth.” He leaned back in his chair. “Want details before you say yes or no?”
“You don’t honestly think I’m going to say no, do you?”
The corner of his mouth quirked. “Let me lay out what I expect of you before you make your decision. Your hours will increase. You’re working thirty-two to forty now. Expect that to jump to closer to fifty. You’ll be put on a set salary instead of paid by the hour, so no overtime for those extra hours. But I’m going to double what you’re making now to compensate for the extra time you’ll work.”
Paige’s mouth dropped open before she could stop it. “Double?”
Clay smiled. “Double. Beginning today if you accept the position. You’ll also receive medical insurance, a pension plan, one personal day to take whenever you want to, two weeks paid vacation, and twelve paid sick days per year. But you’ll also have a lot more work here in the office, like inputting sales and creating spreadsheets for the home office. There’s a lot of paperwork in being a manager.”
More work didn’t bother her at all. The extra benefits would be wonderful, but doubling her salary meant she could save to buy her own house instead of renting the little one where she lived now. That’s what she wanted more than anything. She laid a hand on her stomach, which tumbled with excitement.
“You okay?” Clay asked, glancing at her hand.
“Yeah. I’m … You just … Wow.”
A grin spread over Clay’s lips. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Of course it’s a yes! I’d be crazy to turn down such a wonderful opportunity.”
His grin widened. “Great. I have some errands to take care of this morning, then I promised Maysen I’d take her to Fort Worth this afternoon to look for furniture for the guest room. Once it’s furnished, the house will be completely finished. Thank God.”
Paige knew Clay and Maysen had been working on the remodel of their house for several months, doing a lot of the work themselves before hiring Coleman Construction to finish it and build a new garage. “I’m sure you’re glad it’s done and you don’t have to smell sawdust anymore.”
“You got that right.” He reached into the jacket he’d hung over the back of his chair. “I had something made for you, in case you said yes.”
Paige accepted the tissue-wrapped item from Clay. She unwrapped the tissue to see a new silver name tag that said “Paige Denslow” and “Manager” beneath her name in bold black letters. Tears sprang to her eyes as she ran her fingers over the letters. “Thank you, Clay.”
He winked at her. “Okay, I know you work Tuesday through Saturday now, but your hours will vary from now on. We’ll start your training first th
ing Monday morning. You’ll still get Sundays off, but you’ll probably work six days a week at first. After you get familiar with everything, you’ll drop back to five days a week, probably after the first of the year.”
“Any chance of hiring another clerk or two to work on the weekends when special events are in town? It gets pretty crazy in here, especially on Saturdays.”
“We’ll go over the budget for this store Monday. I have to look at the bottom line, but don’t want to overwork the employees I have.”
Paige nodded. That made sense to her. She understood the store had to make a profit.
“For now, do whatever you normally do on Saturdays and we’ll figure out your duties Monday.”
“Okay.” Paige stood, the new name tag clutched in her hand. “Thank you, Clay.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You don’t know how hard I’ll work you.”
Paige laughed, then left his office. Eight customers stood in line at Lesa’s register. Paige jammed the name tag in her pants pocket and hurried to the second register to help. As quickly as she rang up two customers, three more walked in the front door. A glance out the window showed her ten of the twelve gas pumps were in use. Clay wouldn’t be able to complain about today’s receipts.
She finished sacking up a couple’s purchase, bid them a good day, then turned her smile to the next customer in line. Her heart sped up when she saw Cort.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” He smiled. “Busy, I see.”
“It’s been crazy, that’s for sure.” A quick glance out the window showed her three vehicles remained at the pumps. “Lesa, why don’t you take your break before it gets busy again?”
“I can help this gentleman if you want to take a break.”
Paige pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. At twenty-two, Lesa didn’t know how to be subtle. If she could eat Cort with her eyes, she’d be doing it right now. “That’s okay. I rested while I talked to Clay.”