After days of nonstop cleaning and painting, the place looks nice. Not my place — I haven't painted another drop at my house — but the bakery shines. The floor's swept, the walls are a Pepto-Bismol pink that Anessa assured both Katy and me will look great in a bakery."Riley, don't be like that. I don't want to steal your dad's nail gun. We just want to borrow it." Katy walks in from outside, her phone pressed to an ear. Another resident of Pelican Bay who apparently knows how to get service in this town."Who is she talking to?" Anessa asks.I shrug. The decision was made to hang up wainscoting on the bottom section of the bakery wall. When Anessa went to find her hammer and nails, Katy jumped up with an excited declaration. She had a better idea. We're both just rolling with it.As expected, Anessa is an awesome chick. Between her and Katy, I have the friends I didn't know I needed, but I've always wanted. It happened fast, but we've bonded the last three days. Being half hig
Katy made me try on fifteen million different outfits, but a short three hours later I'm ready to open the door for Ridge by seven. The cute little tea length dress with pink roses will freeze my legs off, but considering it makes my boobs perkier than they were in high school, it's worth the risk.By six thirty when there's been no sign of Ridge, I pace between the living room and kitchen. I quickly peek outside to check his truck is still there, in case I'd gone deaf and missed hearing it drive itself away. The black Ford hasn't moved.Six fifty-eight rolls around and there's a knock. I count to ten and with practiced fake calm walk to the door with tiny steps. I can't seem like I've been waiting for him."Oh my god. Are you okay?" Even in the dim light of the front porch, the dark colored bruise on Ridge's right cheek draws my attention.He walks inside with a small grin plastered on his face, but something isn't quite right. "A scratch."A light blue long sleeve button do
"For sex?"One long kiss passes between us before Ridge makes his way out the door without answering my question. He walks to his truck and drives down our short street before he turns. I go inside when I lose sight of him around the corner. Pasta salad? The question lingers as I close the door behind me.My move to Pelican Bay was to bring me peace and alone time. Allow me the chance to reflect and get my shit together. Between Katy, Anessa, and Ridge everything is spinning on its axis. I have no control over my situation. And holy hell I wasn't planning to get attached to people so quickly. Definitely not a muscled hottie with a secret job.Without dinner plans there's no reason for me to hang around in a dress with my bra unhooked. I switch out the dress for a long sleeve shirt and my favorite pair of fleece pajama pants. With the soft inner lining and large ice cream cones covering the outside, they're my go-to pants when I need a pick me up. I need one tonight.And a telev
"You need to download a guy with a British accent for your GPS, Katy. It would make the three-hour drive more interesting," I say jumping from the big red truck we drove to the auction house in.The door behind mine opens, and Anessa falls out the side, catching herself before she face-plants on the loose stone parking lot. "But no less scary.""Why are you two complaining? I got us here in under two-and-a-half hours. That's a great time." Katy's excitement over her driving skills doesn't work on me. The ride with her was terrifying. From now on, someone else has to drive for these journeys.The road trip was Katy's plan. I volunteered to drive the three of us on our cross-state trek to visit an auction house so Anessa could purchase tables and chairs for the bakery — she's going for a shabby chic look — but Katy had access to a truck so we could haul it home."One request. Can we agree that if asked, we did not drink coffee and eat McMuffins in Riley's new truck? He'd have a c
I FINISH WASHING MY HANDS, choosing to skip the drying phase since they only have those loud air dryers. My ears enjoyed being in a room away from the constant megaphone noise. With a shake of my hands I push open the door with my hip and step back into the dark hallway.Someone grabs me, their fingers digging into the soft skin of my upper arm. I'm jerked to the left. I let out a scream but am silenced by a hand covering my mouth, so it's more of a muffled splattering of words. The metal of the exit door at the end of the hallway clatters and the sun blinds me as I'm tugged outside. My back hits the hard side of the barn, the wood scraping against my back through the fleece jacket I put on this morning."Keep your fucking mouth shut, Tabby." Benny uses the hand over my mouth to slam my head against the barn and locks another around my neck. "This will be nice and easy if you cooperate."My eyes widen, but I can't speak past his hand. I try to push out from the wall, but he tight
"Mario?" I whisper into the receiver."Who the fuck do you think I am, Tabby?" Not my dream man. That's for sure. Ridge isn't here. And damn it I hate the way the name Tabby oozes from his lips like a curse. But now isn't the time to remind him how much it irritates me.I search for words, but he continues talking. "It's nice of you to call. Did you think making me sit around waiting would help me cool down? You were fucking wrong." He's started one of his rants where I'm not expected to answer. "Do you think having to send one of my best guys to hunt your ass down in bum fucked Maine would be a good choice?""I...." Maybe it's the fresh sea air, or my strong new friends, hell it could be meeting a guy who knows how to treat a woman. I'm not sure on the why, but over the last week I've grown stronger. But all my newfound confidence vanishes as Mario plows right over my words, unwilling to let me talk. We're a thousand miles apart, but if I were standing next to him, the result wo
"Oh shit!" I push him away and fall to the floor as gracefully as a ballerina on drugs."Stay here." Ridge tosses me my shirt while working to re-button his as he walks out of the room. "Aunt Mary? The BBQ isn't until eleven."I struggle to put my shirt on, the right sleeve wet from the sink. I give it the sniff test but can't determine the smell.Should I sneak out the back door and come over later?Sneak out the back door and never return?Yes. That last one."My oven is on the fritz and the chicken can't be cold. It needs to cook for at least another hour before we carve into it. We can't have cold chicken, Ridley. That's a breeding ground for salmonella."Ridley? I freeze at the edge of the counter, my position a mix between darting for the door and dropping to the floor."Oh! You have a lady friend here." A short rather plump woman I presume to be Aunt Mary steps into the kitchen. Her dark brown hair is cut in a cute short style. She wears a pair of loose black sla
Properly chastised, his gaze falls to the counter. "Yes, sir."Ridge laughs sticking a hand out to catch the bottle cap Riley throws in our direction. "Hey, I'm your boss.""Not on Sundays you aren't."Standing between his two boys Mack slaps both of them on the back of the head. "Get it together, boys. Ladies are present." His take-no-gruff attitude, most likely bred from years in the military, silences both of them."You were nice to my baby yesterday, right?" Riley asks in my direction.It takes me a few seconds before I realize he's asking me the question. Who's his baby? Katy? I still can't believe Mack tried to set me up with the guy Katy is most likely sleeping with?"You let Katy drive your truck?" Ridge asks in disbelief. "You're dumber than I thought.""Hey." I slap him on the chest. "We were very nice to the fancy truck."Ridge pulls me closer to his side and I wrap an arm around his back to maintain my balance. "Babe, he drives a Dodge. Mine's better.""Th