“Both of our businesses are based on being creative. You in your food designs and me with my bikes.”
“I…guess you’re right. Never thought of it like that. But that doesn’t mean I’m going start liking motorcycles. And I still don’t know why you think I can help you.”
“I need something…pretty.”
“I do pretty. Well at least I think I do. Who’d buy an ugly cupcake?”
“Exactly. Which is why I’m here. I have a special request and I don’t have any idea how to make it without it looking ridiculous.” He hated asking for help. But maybe if he allowed her to, she might be more willing to accept his.
“There’s a huge difference between designs on a cupcake than one on a motorcycle.”
“True. And normally I don’t need any help. But this woman likes unicorns.”
“Oh. I love unicorns. There was a woman who had me tattoo one on her back. Her entire back. The colors were…oh, I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
“Actually, no. This time I need to hear what you know about unicorns. Maybe then I can somehow design something that will fit.”
“I’m better at drawing than I am at explaining it.” His eyebrow arched, and she smiled. “I know. I can’t believe I said that either,” she chuckled, leaving him alone at the table.
She returned with a notepad and a pack of colored pencils and set to work drawing. The shape of the unicorn, a flowing mane, the god-awful horn. Her drawing skills were impressive. No wonder her treats look so artistic.
But out of nowhere she ripped the page off and crumpled it up.
“What’s the matter? That looked good. I mean, from what I know about unicorns, it looked right.”
“Exactly. I’ve seen your motorcycles. They are anything but normal. I…I mean that in a nice way.” She pushed some stray hairs off her forehead as she searched for the right words. “You have a unique way of doing things. Anything I draw you will be…ordinary. It won’t really represent you.”
So she hates bikes but she knows mine. Interesting. “So what are you suggesting?”
“You’re not going to like it,” she stated.
“I don’t scare easy.” But I have no idea what you’re about to suggest.
“You might regret this. Downtown there’s a shop where you make your own doll.”
“I’m not making a doll,” he stated firmly.
She grinned. “No. I didn’t think so. But they do allow you to make other things. Like a unicorn.”
“And this will help me how?”
She shrugged. “You won’t know unless you give it a try. If you want, we can go right now.”
“You don’t close for two hours and I need to have something for the client by six.”
“It’s slow at this time of afternoon. And besides, you wanted my help. Here it is. What do you say?” Joyelle asked brightly.
That I’m fucking losing my mind. “I’ll go. No promises that I’ll participate, but at least I’ll watch you.”
Joyelle smiled. “Fair enough. Let me get my purse and keys and if you don’t mind, can you turn the sign on my door to CLOSED?”
As she got up, his cell phone rang. “Excuse me, I have to take this.” She nodded and left him to his call. “Hello Carl. Not calling to add anything more to the list, are you?”
Carl huffed. “Nope. Didn’t want you to waste your time.”
“What you do mean?” he asked.
“I don’t need a unicorn bike.”
“What do you need?” Ace reluctantly asked.
“A new girlfriend. You wouldn’t believe what she did,” Carl grumbled. Ace didn’t want to know. It was none of his business, but his gut said he was about to hear it anyway. “She took out my bike and totaled it!”
Wow. Carl seemed more concerned about the bike than the girl. That was fucked up. Ace was going to subtly point that out to him. “Is she okay?”
“She’s totaled. Junk.”
Errr. Fucking idiot. “Your girlfriend. Is she okay?”
“Oh. Yeah. She’s fine. But she’s not my girlfriend any longer.”
And I’m not sure you’re going to be my client much longer, either. He couldn’t stomach listening to much more. “I’m glad she’s okay.”
“So, do you want to meet and talk about the next project?” Carl asked.
“We can, but I’m booked solid for the next year.”
“What do you mean? I need a new bike ASAP to replace the one she ruined.” Carl demanded.
Ace kept his cool and said, “Sorry, Carl. I’m really booked. You can either wait and get on my schedule or see if someone else has more time.” But I’m not recommending you to any of my friends.
“Damn it, Ace. I’ve been buying bikes from you for four years. You can’t bail on me now.” Carl pleaded.
It was falling on deaf ears. Ace didn’t need money that bad. If he took on the job, he’d feel like he just sold his soul. That wasn’t happening. “Sorry. Can’t help you this time.”
“Fine. I’ll take my business somewhere else. But I’m not saying I’ll be back.”
“I know. You do what you got to do.” And so will I.
Ace ended the call and only then noticed that Joyelle had returned. From the look on her face, one of disgust, she’d overheard enough of the conversation.
“He sounds like a…”
“Asshole. Sorry you had to hear that,” Ace said.
“Are you really that busy?” she asked.
“I am when it comes to Carl. I love motorcycles. But they are objects and never to be valued over a life.” He got up and said, “Looks like my dinner plans are open again. And thankfully we don’t need to go to any doll-making place either.”
“Yup. You’re off the hook. And look quite happy about it, too.”
“Won’t lie. That was the only positive thing out of that conversation. So are you sure I can’t talk you into having dinner with me?”
“You could, just not tonight. I already called in a takeout order at Tony’s Pizzeria.”
“Takeout? You strike me more like a fine dining girl,” he said.
She shook her head. “Not at all. I’m home-cooked or takeout all the way. Tonight is the veggie delight. You’re a meat-eater, otherwise I’d ask you to join me.”
“I eat my veggies. Unless that wasn’t an actual offer,” Ace said.
“It is. But dinner is later. If you want to come back at seven, you’re welcome to join me.”
He really didn’t want a veggie pizza. “What can I bring?”
She looked around and said, “Definitely not dessert.”
He laughed. “Do you drink wine?”
“Beer. And that would be nice.”
“Okay, it’s a date. See you seven.”
As he walked back to his shop, he realized he had a few unexpected hours to himself. With the day he’d had, he knew exactly how to spend his free time. Pulling the keys out, he went around the back and hopped on his bike. Nothing better than a ride to clear his head. And he was definitely going to need that for tonight.
Chapter 5
Well, she’d done it. Somehow, Joyelle had asked him out twice and both times he’d said yes. Maybe the outing to make a unicorn didn’t really count, but she’d asked, and he had agreed. Pizza and beer was exactly what he called it: a date.
But when she’d said it, she had expected Ace to decline. Now she was rushing around her apartment like a madwoman on a cleaning frenzy. It was foolish. She should’ve agreed to go out to dinner with him. At least she could’ve spent this time with primping and making herself look attractive. How pretty was she going to look with bags under her eyes?
There was still time, even though not much, to make herself presentable. That was, until her cell phone rang. She answered it once she saw the caller ID.
“Hello, Grandma. Is everything okay?” Joyelle was worried, because she didn’t normally call after dinner. Grandma went to bed early because she was an early riser.
“Ye
s, Joyelle. I was calling to see if you found the photo yet?”
“No, Grandma. I’ll look again tomorrow.” Joyelle had no idea why her grandma was so fixated on one picture. If it was that important to her, then why hadn’t Joyelle seen it before now?
“Didn’t Horace come by to help this morning?”
“He came by, but we were both too busy to look.”
“But he promised,” she said, sounding disappointed.
“Yes, he did, and he will be helping me tomorrow morning to look.” Joyelle wasn’t really sure if that was a definite plan, but she needed to tell her grandma something.
“I really thought you two would’ve found it today.”
“If you want, I can look again after dinner,” Joyelle offered.
“No. Wait for him.”
Once again, her grandma was putting off the photo till Ace was available. If she thought they were going to get together, grandma obviously wasn’t thinking straight. She and Ace weren’t a match. If anything, they were the opposite of one. The only thing they shared was their dedication to their businesses.
“Grandma, I need to get ready for dinner.”
“Oh. Going out?” she asked.
“No, I’m having pizza tonight. But it should be delivered anytime now.”
“Well, we can talk until it arrives,” she added.
“But I want to change first.” Joyelle didn’t want Ace showing up with her dressed exactly as she was when he’d left earlier. He’d called it a date, so she should do something to acknowledge that.
“It’s pizza. You can eat that in your pajamas.”
“Not tonight,” she sighed.
“Joyelle, what are you not telling me? Are you having dinner with someone else?”
“Yes, Grandma.”
“Is it Horace?”
With a long exhale she replied, “Yes, Grandma. And I need to go change.”
Her grandma’s voice now was filled with excitement. “Go put on the pretty pink dress I bought you for your birthday.”
Since she hadn’t had time to shave her legs, there was no way a dress was coming out of her closet. Heck, with how quickly the time was flying by, Joyelle doubted she’d have time to change at all.
“Grandma, if I don’t get off the phone, I won’t even have time to brush my hair.”
“I’ll call you first thing in the morning to hear all about your date. And Joyelle, don’t worry about the photo tonight. Just enjoy yourself.”
That wasn’t going to happen at this rate. “Thanks, Grandma. I love you.”
“I love you too. Tell Horace hello from me.”
“I will,” she sighed as she ended the call. Joyelle wasn’t sure which was worse, her grandma calling to talk about a man in her own life, or calling and now butting into Joyelle’s. Why can’t we just talk about pastries or the weather or anything besides men? It was only going to hurt her grandma when Joyelle had to break the news that it didn’t work out between her and Ace. Not that there was anything there. It’s just pizza, for goodness sake!
The door buzzed, and Joyelle looked at her watch. She rushed to the window and saw the car with the delivery sign on the roof. Thank God. She was worried that it would be Ace and she hadn’t even had time to brush her hair. Grabbing the money from her wallet, she rushed down to pay for the pizza. If she was quick, she might just have a few minutes before Ace arrived.
When she opened the door, Joyelle raised the money up, but stopped dead in her tracks. Ace was grinning with pizza in hand.
“It’s already paid for.”
“But I…you…” Damn. Putting on a smile, she said, “Thank you. Do you want me to carry something?” Joyelle noticed he had a six-pack of beer in the other hand.
“I got it, just lead the way.”
Joyelle was no longer worried about what her apartment looked like. It was in perfect order. She, on the other hand, looked like hurricane winds had attacked her hair. As she headed upstairs, she ran her hands through her hair trying to smooth it out. It was going to take a lot more than that to fix.
When they got upstairs Joyelle pointed to the table that was set and said, “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right out. But you can start without me if you want.”
“I’ll wait,” he replied.
How was it that someone who looked so fierce and badass, really had more manners than some of the white-collar guys she’d dated? He was inching his way up the ladder to…well, he’d never make perfect. He loved motorcycles, but he might be a nine. He definitely was a catch, just…someone else’s catch. She’d annoy him with her constant chatter and there was no way she’d ever get over the motorcycle thing. It surprised her that she was even talking with him, never mind about to have dinner. But that wasn’t like being a couple or anything. It was delivery pizza and a six-pack of beer. You can’t get any more chill than that.
But as soon as she returned to the kitchen and saw him standing there, holding out a cold one to her, she knew it was too late. She liked him, even if she didn’t want to. But she had to be careful, because it wasn’t like a regular date, where if you don’t like each other, you don’t ever have to see each other again. His business was right next door. If she got attached and then it didn’t work out, it’d hurt like hell having to see him every day. Nope. She made up her mind. This was going to be nothing more than a casual friendship.
“You look tired,” Ace said.
That was an understatement. She was standing but felt dead on her feet. Maybe it was because she hadn’t eaten anything but a cookie all day. “I am. And starving, too. How about we eat before I ”
“Faint. Good idea.” Ace held her by her elbow and guided her to a chair.
“Thank you, but I’m not that tired,” she joked.
“If you say so, but you really look like you could drop at any moment.”
She took a sip of her beer and then said, “Flattery will not get you anywhere.” Hopefully he got the hint that she didn’t need to be reminded, time and time again, on how bad she looked.
He didn’t. Ace opened the box and pulled out a piece of pizza and ordered her, “Eat.”
It smelled wonderful and she really was famished. But the veggie delight needed to be eaten with a fork, because Tony really loaded it up, and she should’ve thought about that when she set the table. As she got up Ace reached over and covered her hand with his, holding her in place.
“What do you need? I’ll get it.”
“God, I must look horrendous if you don’t trust me to get up at all,” she stated.
“You look fine. But I can tell when someone has had a hard day.”
“What are the telltale signs?” she asked.
“Red, bloodshot eyes, drooling and”
“What? I’m…drooling?” she asked in horror.
Ace laughed. “No, and your eyes aren’t bloodshot either. But you mentioned that you didn’t want me here because your place was a mess.” He looked around and then added, “There doesn’t seem to be one piece of paper out of order in here. So I assume that you rushed up here and spent all your free time cleaning. Which by the way, you shouldn’t have. I don’t care if you have socks on the floor or dirty dishes in your sink. I’m not here to see your place. I’m not here for Tony’s pizza. I’m here, hopefully, to get to know you better.”
She was taken back at the seriousness in his tone. Joyelle always went to humor when she was in an uncomfortable situation. The way Ace was looking at her right now definitely made her uncomfortable.
“You really must’ve loved that molasses cookie if you think I’m all that interesting,” she said smiling.
“I never had a chance to eat it,” he replied. His dark eyes, never breaking contact with hers.
She wanted to come back with something snappy, but he wasn’t playing along. Joyelle should be flattered that Ace wanted to get to know her better. She loved to talk, just not about herself. Besides, she really wasn’t all that interesting. Work all day and watch romance movi
es at night. Yup, I’m a wild one, all right. She might as well give him chamomile tea and classical music to put him to sleep. With a sigh she said, “Fork.”
“Excuse me?” he asked.
She needed to change the subject and that was all she could think of. “I was going to get us a fork. Tony’s pizza can be messy if you eat it with your hands.” She pointed to the drawer, right of the sink. Ace got up and retrieved utensils for both of them.
Handing her a fork, he said, “See how simple that was?”
“I should’ve asked for a knife, too,” she teased. When he went to get back up, she grabbed his forearm and added quickly, “Joking.” When he was seated again, she snickered, “Guess I need to work on my delivery.”
Joyelle knew if she didn’t think quickly, Ace would turn the conversation to focus on her again. But she had to admit, this was a good time to get to know someone better. Like what makes Ace tick.
“I hope you don’t mind that I overheard you on the phone earlier,” Joyelle said. He shrugged. “Do you get a lot of customers like that?”
“They don’t remain a customer if I find out they’re like that.”
“That’s amazing. I wouldn’t have expected that.” She knew she prejudged people who rode motorcycles because of what her mother had done. She blamed the man who owned the bike. The truth was that it was her mother’s fault for leaving. The man on the bike might not have even known that there was a little girl being left behind.
“You make it sound like you expected me to be a jerk,” his said accusingly.
She nodded. “Unfortunately, your statement is accurate. I judged you incorrectly, and I’m sorry.”
Ace shrugged. “You’re not the first. You won’t be the last.”
“But it’s still wrong,” she said softly.
“It’s no different than when someone saw you working in a tattoo parlor.”
Joyelle knew exactly what he meant by that. Guys used to hit on her all the time, even sometimes asking if she wanted a quickie in the back room after their tat was done. It used to piss her off and she set several of them straight, too. It would’ve been just as easy to have the owners do it, but she enjoyed chewing them out and making them look…stupid.
Over Joyed Page 5
