What have I done? she asked herself. It seemed as if she had been in Havasu for weeks. How was it possible she’d arrived less than 48 hours earlier? Yesterday morning, she had not even known who Jeff was. But already they’d shared a dinner, lunch, her dreams and sex. She’d had sex with the man, whom she had met only yesterday.
Holy shit, I don’t even know his last name! Gripping the comforter tightly, she pulled it up and over her head and groaned.
Chapter Thirteen
Lexi rolled over in the bed and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. The digital face read 8:32. Sitting up, she combed her fingers through her hair and yawned. Getting from the bed, Lexi grabbed her robe from the foot of the mattress. Pulling the robe on her nude body, she staggered from the bedroom to the hallway, fumbling with one sleeve which was inside-out. Lexi wasn’t a morning person.
In the kitchen, she found a note from Angie on the breakfast bar. Reading the note, she learned her friend had left early for the photo shoot and didn’t know when she would return. Tossing the note back onto the counter, Lexi grabbed a coffee cup from the cupboard. Silently thanking Angie for making coffee that morning, she poured herself a cup, then added a splash of milk.
Sitting down at the breakfast bar, she took a sip of hot coffee and then she remembered, for the hundredth time since waking. Last night, she’d had sex with Jeff. Closing her eyes, she shook her head in disbelief. While she never considered herself a prude, she had certainly never been promiscuous. A few of her friends would see nothing scandalous about her behavior. Lexi wondered what Angie would think, though she wasn’t sure she would tell her. It was just too embarrassing.
After coffee and a bowl of cereal, Lexi returned to the bedroom and got dressed. Since being exiled from her grandfather’s house, her wardrobe was limited. These days, her normal attire consisted of denims, a cotton shirt, and flip-flops. I’ll buy some more clothes when I actually start earning money, she told herself.
The rest of the morning, she kept busy and didn’t have time to dwell on her actions the night before. Her first order of business was writing a to-do list. Call Angie’s parents, order vanilla, food handler’s card, business license, register with the state, call insurance company, swap meet, mason jars, buy ingredients, design logo, Facebook page, name for fudge…
After calling Angie’s father on the phone, she obtained permission to use the rental to package her hot-fudge-on-demand mix. The next call was to their insurance company. She went online and ordered five pounds of Cooks Pure Vanilla Powder, the same brand Angie’s mother had stocked in the pantry. Instead of ordering it from Amazon, she purchased the larger container directly from the company’s website.
Online, she compared prices for sugar, cocoa, powdered milk, and glass jars. She found addresses for locations she needed to visit, and she surfed through some Havasu business Facebook pages for marketing ideas. Losing track of time, she forgot about Jeff’s lunch invitation. It was around 12:30 p.m. when the doorbell rang.
“You ready to go to lunch?” Jeff asked when Lexi opened the door.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I totally forgot.” Lexi nervously brushed one hand through her hair. She’d just thrown on some clothes that morning and hadn’t even bothered putting on makeup or fixing her hair.
Jeff’s gaze washed over Lexi admiringly; he thought she looked perfect.
“Have you eaten yet?” he asked as he walked inside and looked around. It was his first time in their house.
“Not since about 9 o’clock. I had a bowl of cereal. But I’ve been busy.”
He followed Lexi into the dining room. There he saw the pad of paper, etched with scribbly notes, and her cell phone, sitting on the table. “Working on the hot fudge project?”
“Yes,” Lexi said brightly. He seemed to share her interest, which fueled her enthusiasm.
“I got permission to use the house. The insurance was much less than I estimated. I ordered the vanilla, and I have a list of places I need to go.”
“Then we better get at it. But lunch first.”
“I can’t expect to drag you all over town.”
“Don’t be silly. I want to.”
“Well, at least let me buy the gas.”
“No way. But I will expect frequent hot fudge sundaes.” He grinned.
“Deal. Let me get ready, and we can go.” She was suddenly hungry, and lunch did sound good.
“Where would you like to go for lunch?” Jeff asked when they got into his car fifteen minutes later.
“I don’t really know Havasu.”
“Neither do I. I suppose we could just drive downtown and see what they have.”
“You know, I did see one place I’d like to try. I was surfing through the Facebook business pages, getting marketing ideas. I came across one for College Street Brewhouse & Pub. It’s on College Drive, and that’s where I need to go to register for the food hander’s class. The pictures of their food looked good.”
“You say a brewery? Hey, if it has beer, I’m in.”
Twenty minutes later, Jeff and Lexi sat on the outdoor patio of the College Street Brewhouse & Pub, each sipping on a frosty glass of handcrafted beer while they waited for their lunch.
“I can’t believe this weather,” Jeff said.
“Feels a little beachy to me.”
“I understand it can get pretty hot in the summer.”
“Angie says she’s been here when it’s 120.”
“Shit. No thanks.”
“I don’t know.” Lexi shrugged. “According to Angie it sounds worse than it really is. Of course, when she’s here in the summer she spends her time on the lake.”
“You think you’ll be here when summer rolls around?”
“I don’t know; I’ll see how this hot fudge thing goes. Of course, it also depends on Angie. As far as the house is concerned, they never rent it during the summer months anyway, so it’s not like we’re in a hurry to leave. I think her parents are glad we’re paying the utilities. How about you?”
“I don’t know.” He took a sip of beer. Looking into Lexi’s eyes he reached across the table and covered her hand with his. It was the first time he’d made physical contact that day. He squeezed her hand briefly and then released it, moving his hand back to his side of the table.
“What?” Lexi asked.
“I just wanted to touch you.”
Lexi blushed at his pronouncement.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be in Havasu, Lexi. I’m not in a hurry to leave, but I can’t stay indefinitely. I need to find a job.”
“I thought you had one?”
“I do. But like I told you before, I’m looking for something else. I spent the morning filling out some online applications and talking to a head hunter I’ve been working with. He’s setting up a couple of online interviews for me.”
“I couldn’t even get a preliminary interview. My problem is that I was focusing on local companies. I don’t know why, but I wanted to stay in that area. I realize now that it wasn’t the best plan, especially not for my career.” Lexi started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“You must think I’m really flaky. I’ve a degree in graphic design, and instead of looking for a job in my field, I’m going off in the opposite direction and planning to market my dad’s fudge recipe!”
“Not at all. I think you’re a survivor with an entrepreneurial spirit.”
“Survivor? Why do you say that?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Jeff shook his head absently. “Just something about you. You don’t really have any family support, but here you are, tackling a new adventure and doing it your own way. I find that very inspiring.”
Lexi blushed at his assessment. “That’s a very sweet thing to say.”
“Not sweet. The truth.”
“Do you ever think about moving back to Portland?” Lexi asked, redirecting the conversation.
“My parents would love that, especially my mother. She hasn’t been thr
illed with my job.”
“Why?”
“For one thing, I haven’t had a Christmas at home since I started working for the company.”
“Sounds like my grandfather.”
“Excuse me?” Jeff frowned, wondering if he’d said too much. When switching cars, Ethan Beaumont told Jeff to use his own name when in Havasu. There was no reason to fabricate an alias, because Beaumont had always referred to his assistant as J.B. Her comment made Jeff nervous and he wondered if she might piece things together if he revealed too much. Unfortunately for Jeff, he wanted to be truthful with Lexi.
“He was never home for the holidays, either. I never spent a single Christmas with him. Even that first year, after my parents were killed, he was gone.”
“Who did you spend Christmas with?”
“I stayed home with servants.”
“I’m sorry, Lexi.”
“Oh, don’t be. I’m so over it; it was a long time ago. I would just like to someday understand why in the hell my parents had me go to him and not someone else.”
“Was there anyone else?”
“I guess not.” Lexi shrugged.
“So, what were those Christmases like, with the servants?” Jeff couldn’t imagine not being surrounded by family during the holidays. Growing up, his home had been filled with love, and Christmas was always for family. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for missing the last two Christmases, especially when he considered Lexi’s family situation.
“Actually it wasn’t too bad. For years my grandfather had a housekeeper named Mrs. Parks, who was really very good to me. I always suspected that if it wasn’t for her, there wouldn’t have been presents under the Christmas tree. Hell, there probably wouldn’t have been a tree.”
“What happened to her?” He knew there was no Mrs. Parks working at the estate now.
“She died when I was a senior in high school. I came home one day, and found her on the kitchen floor. She’d had a heart attack.” Lexi was silent for a moment and then she smiled, as if she’d moved beyond her momentary sadness.
“But that was ages ago, and Mrs. Parks lived a long life. According to the doctors, she didn’t suffer. They doubted she could have been saved, even if someone had been there when it happened.”
Once again, Jeff reached across the table and placed his hand over Lexi’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Lexi looked up into Jeff’s eyes and wondered what he was thinking. His expression was so intent, so caring. When was the last time a man looked at me as if he actually cared about me? In high school, she hadn’t been allowed to date, and in college, she’d had two serious boyfriends—one in her freshman year, whom she’d lost her virginity to, and one during her junior year. Each relationship had ended the week after she brought the boy home to meet her grandfather.
Chapter Fourteen
By Thursday, colorful hot air balloons were already drifting over Lake Havasu. Jeff purchased tickets for the event, and Lexi agreed to go with him. While she could observe the event for free from one of the public beaches, having tickets meant they could enter the balloon field and enjoy the various concessions and events.
Jeff picked Lexi up early on Friday morning. The field was teeming with activities. Tethered balloon rides were available, but Jeff was unable to coax Lexi up for a ride. The four-day event included live entertainment, a kite show, skydivers, gymnastic demonstrations, and train rides for the kids.
On Sunday, she and Jeff made time to stop at the Sunday swap meet to sign up for a booth. Lexi was determined to move quickly with her hot fudge project.
Angie had made friends with a number of participants in the event, and the four-day weekend turned into a party of sorts that included Lexi and Jeff. It also meant Lexi and Jeff never seemed to have another opportunity to be alone with each other. At least, not in the same way as they had been in the spa.
When Tuesday rolled around, Lexi had a food handler’s class to take. Angie drove her to the class and picked her up when it was over. On Wednesday, her powdered vanilla arrived. and she finally downloaded the free trial software of the graphic design software and started designing a logo and labels for the hot fudge, and set up a Facebook site.
By Friday, she was in full production, with Jeff’s help. Her goal was to sell two dozen jars of the hot fudge mix on Sunday, which she’d decided to call Walt’s Hot Fudge on Demand. Walt had been her father’s name. The cost per jar of mix was five dollars, and she was planning to price them at twenty dollars each. This would net her $360, not including labor—if she sold all twenty-four jars. She based her price on what similar products sold for online.
Lexi began with sanitizing the mason jars in the dishwasher and making sure they were completely dry. Filling them with the ingredients went quickly, especially after Jeff came up with an efficient assembly line. When it came to mixing the ingredients, it got a little silly, with the two dancing around the kitchen, each holding a lidded jar filled with powdered mixture, shaking the glass containers like soundless maracas.
Jeff held a jar over his head, jiggling it back and forth as he swung his hips, looking more ridiculous than sexy. Lexi did a little shimmy, holding her jar close to her body as she shook the powdered mix from one side to the other in the glass container. Jeff watched her dance, and they both began to laugh.
“At least we figured out a way to burn off those calories from all that fudge sampling!” Lexi laughed, no longer dancing as she tried to catch her breath. “Maybe we should have Angie tape us. We could add the video to the hot fudge’s Facebook page.”
“I don’t think so.” Jeff chuckled and set the jar on the counter. Reaching out, he took Lexi’s jar from her and set it with his before pulling her into his arms. She went willingly, and looked up into his blue eyes. Since the encounter in the spa, they’d stolen a few random kisses and held hands, yet there always seemed to be someone around. Until now.
“Spend the night with me,” Jeff asked, holding her in his arms.
In reply, Lexi leaned her forehead against his right shoulder, as her arms wrapped around his waist. She had never felt so safe as she had in Jeff’s arms. It no longer seemed strange to her that they’d had sex that night. It only seemed strange that they hadn’t had it again.
“Okay,” Lexi leaned back slightly and looked up into his face. “But don’t forget we have a lot to do tomorrow to get ready for Sunday, so we have to actually sleep.”
“We can sleep, after.”
“After?” Lexi asked in a teasing tone.
“After I do all sorts of wicked things to your sweet body.”
Angie arrived before Jeff had the opportunity to elaborate on what wicked things he had in mind. They finished packaging the mix and cleaned the kitchen while Angie sat at the breakfast bar, watching and chatting with her friends.
Instead of sticker labels, Lexi designed decorative tags printed on heavy stock paper. After using twine to attach a tag to each jar, she put the jars back in the cardboard boxes they’d originally come in.
Jeff announced he was running to the store to pick up something to barbecue for dinner, and gave Lexi a quick kiss goodbye before leaving.
“He really is a nice guy,” Angie said. “I also noticed he didn’t invite me for dinner. Hmmm, a romantic dinner for two?”
“Actually, I’m spending the night at his house,” Lexi said shyly.
“Really? Well it’s about time. Wait a minute… Have you two… already?”
Lexi smiled in reply, not answering.
“So, what’s the deal with you two? I haven’t really heard him talk about leaving, but I know he mentioned looking for a job.”
“He’s had a couple online interviews. The way he talks, I really don’t think he’ll be returning to his old job.”
“So, is this thing serious? I know you. You aren’t someone who casually does sleepovers.”
“We haven’t talked about it. For one thing, it’s way too soon. Hell, we haven’t even known each other for two we
eks. But there’s definitely something there. I’ll wait and see where he lands, and how we’re both feeling toward each other at the time. While it’s premature to even think about moving in together, I would seriously consider moving where he settles. Just to give us a chance, if we both are still feeling the same way. It isn’t like I have any ties.”
“Finding someone you really click with isn’t easy. It sure seems to me that you two click. I love how supportive he is of you. It’s like you have your own hunky cheerleader.”
Lexi blushed. “Yeah, he makes me feel special. I like that he comes from a tight-knit family. He’s really close to his mom and his sister.”
“Well, guys who have healthy relationships with their mothers and sisters tend to be good to their women.”
“I thought guys who were close with their mothers didn’t do well in relationships.”
“I said healthy relationships. There is a difference, Lexi.”
“True.”
“So, how are you planning to push this stuff at the swap meet?”
“Jeff came up with a great idea. He stopped at one of the local restaurants and talked them into selling him a couple sleeves of soufflé cups and lids.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s those little plastic cups restaurants put salad dressing in. Disposable, and they have lids. I’m going to make up a batch of fudge, and give out 2-ounce samples, each with a little wooden spoon. Jeff also got me some of those. The kind used in individual servings of ice cream.”
“How will the fudge hold up?”
“We’ll keep them in an ice chest, pass them out. They’ll be all cold and fudgy. Jeff thinks tasting the fudge will sell it.”
“I think you should hire Jeff to work for you, I hear he’s looking for a job, and he seems to come up with some good ideas.”
Lexi laughed, then said, “Trust me, I’ve thought about that. He’s made this adventure so much fun. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’m really enjoying myself. This is the most fun I’ve had in such a long time.”
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