“I was just making some coffee. Betty and Butch asked me to check on their house while they were away. Why don’t you come in since you made the drive and I’ll tell you about my business like you asked? I’d love to sample some of the goods from the town’s new baker.” He smiled down at her, waiting for her to catch on to the double entendre. When all he received was a shy smile in return, he began to realize that his Zee might be a little more sheltered than he’d expected. As he guided her into the house, he was surprised by how much that thought pleased him.
After a couple of hours passed sipping coffee and eating cupcakes, Josie was totally impressed by the man that Chance had become.
He told her a few stories about his time in corporate America, but he was obviously happy with his decision to cash out. Chance had founded a charitable foundation that created shared databases for local homeless shelters and service centers. The shared databases allowed people to easily find the services they needed. However, he said that working with volunteers was akin to herding cats.
Josie choked on her cupcake.
“Seriously, Zee. They show up and just don’t listen. They think because they’re volunteering their time, they don’t have to do what they’re told, so they all go off in a different direction. Sometimes I just want to hire it out of my own pocket so it can be done in half the time, but then I wouldn’t have nearly as many funny stories to tell.”
“I think you just like the challenge,” she teased. “I’ve got to tell you, I am impressed with you. I can’t believe my little brother has made such a success of himself.” She watched as Chance flushed a deep red and choked on his third cup of coffee. If she spent much more time with him, she was really going to have to suggest that he cut down on his caffeine intake. It couldn’t be good for him.
“Little brother?” he gasped out.
“Well, sure. That’s how I always thought of you. You’re two years younger than me and look at the business success you are. It’s amazing! I’m so proud of you, Chance.”
She looked at him sitting there, so confident and happy. What’s more, he was kind and honorable, having moved to be close to the people who’d raised him. She hoped they could be friends. Josie would be lucky to have him in her life, and when she said as much, she was more than a little hurt by his stunned expression.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you might have time to hang out.” Josie waited for a response, but when he greeted her with nothing but silence, she knew she had to get out of there fast. She stood up too quickly and tweaked her back but kept herself from gasping. Apparently, she’d read the situation entirely wrong. She really didn’t need Chance’s pity.
She grabbed for her purse and started for the door. As she reached to open it, Chance’s big arm went over her head and his hand pushed against the door, effectively keeping her inside. She slowly turned to look at him in confusion.
“Look, I’m sorry if I misunderstood, you probably just wanted…” She didn’t know what he wanted, so she didn’t know how to continue, and stopped speaking. She just gazed up at him. He seemed so large standing over her, invading her personal space. He looked frustrated. The man made no sense at all.
“Look, Chance, we’ve been talking for over two hours. I thought we were on our way to becoming friends, and then you act like you didn’t want to be around me. What’s your problem? How in the hell did I manage to offend you? You are being completely unreasonable.” Josie realized her temper was starting to ramp up, something she tried to avoid at all costs. But damn it, she had done nothing wrong and he was making no sense whatsoever.
“So, you see me as your little brother, is that it, Zee? How is that possible when I’m a foot taller than you.” As he looked down at her, his eyes glittered in the afternoon light.
“You’re two years younger than me,” Josie responded doggedly.
“I built a company and have already retired,” he responded with a slow, smoldering smile.
“I practically raised two children,” she gritted out.
“I can do this.” His hand resting against the door then sifted into the hair at the back of her head, and he dipped down and placed the lightest of kisses on the side of her neck, just below her ear. Never in her life had Josie felt something so erotic. She about slid down the door.
She smelled coffee, chocolate, and Chance on his breath. C, C, and C she thought dreamily. What a wonderful combination. Maybe she would try to imitate that new flavor at the bakery.
His hand slid around her waist. She wished she could feel his warmth, but her sweater and the thick corset prevented it.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
That brought her up short.
She wasn’t. She was a fraud. He was feeling the fake her, the trussed up her who was two sizes thinner in her corset. She might be wearing the oversized sweater, but he felt a slimmer version of who she was because of her bad back. Once again, she was falsely advertising herself, and it was bound to bite her in the ass. Josie struggled out of his arms.
When she looked up at Chance, this time she saw confusion on his face. “Now I must ask, what did I do wrong? I thought you were with me.”
“It’s too much, too soon.”
He gave a half-smile. “Well, you have to at least agree that we’re not brother and sister, right?”
She smiled back. “I agree. I definitely don’t have a single sisterly feeling. So, are we friends now?”
“Can I convince you that we can start out as friends, with an eye toward being more than friends?”
She bit her lip. He couldn’t be for real. None of this could be. It was too fast, too soon. She’d just arrived. He must have seen something on her face.
“You’re special Josie. Counting you as a friend would mean a lot.”
She sighed in relief as he backed up a step. She held out her hand and he shook it.
His blue eyes amazed her.
Friends. I need friends! I’m not cut out for anything more.
He stroked the back of his knuckles against her cheek, and Josie leaned into the caress.
He opened the door for her and walked her to her car. He frowned when she took a little bit of time getting situated into the driver’s seat because of the pain. She was relieved when he didn’t mention it. Before she could reach for it, he had already grasped her seat belt and was buckling it around her. She looked up, wide-eyed.
“It’s the least a gentleman friend would do, Zee.” His expression was all innocence, but she wasn’t buying it.
“Do you know your way back to the harbor?” he asked as he straightened.
“I’ve got my phone’s navigation, if I can’t find it, then I’m one of those heroines who are too stupid to live,” Josie said with a laugh.
Chance chuckled. Then he frowned. “How are you getting all of your stuff unpacked? That’s quite a load.”
“The movers are due to arrive tomorrow with my stuff. I’ll have them unpack the car then.”
“And tonight?”
“I’m staying at the motel with the one suitcase. I’m not stupid and I’m not a bit of fluff.”
The seatbelt thing was kind of hot. We’re just going to be friends. Friends!
Chance held up his hands in surrender. “Got it,” he smiled wide. “It was a pleasure seeing you again. I must admit, I’m addicted to your treats! Expect to see me in your Sweet Dreams real soon.” He stood up and closed her door.
All the way back to the bakery and the small apartment that was nestled over the shop, Josie thought about her time with Chance Reynolds. She couldn’t believe the man the boy had grown into—amazing by all standards. She circled back to that almost-kiss again and again. She’d been kissed by three other men in her life, and she’d never experienced anything close to the heat she’d felt in Chance’s arms.
But that just proved he was totally out of her league. She’d done the right thing by keeping them on the friendship track. The one and only time she’d been intimate with a man ha
d proved she wasn’t cut out for relationships.
Chapter 4
Sam was less than thrilled to be driving his truck to the local yoga class. It wasn’t that he had anything against yoga. He knew it was a powerful form of relaxation and exercise that would very likely help his recovery. Hell, all his doctors said as much. What bothered him was that when he signed up, there was not one other male name listed on the class roster.
This was going to be a disaster. When he’d told Chance, his friend only laughed and said that Sam was looking at things from the wrong perspective. This was a golden opportunity to meet women. That was easy for Chance to say. He wasn’t thirty pounds underweight, plagued with migraines, and dealing with PTSD. Yeah, he was a perfect candidate for some woman looking for companionship. Hell, any woman who he might want to have even a casual hookup with would probably take one look at him and run the other way. Maybe he should just take that investment money and travel the world for a year.
Yeah, that would help my ass out. Now suck it up like a good Marine and get your ass into class.
He smiled at his rhyme. Hey, at least he could do something. Maybe now he could sing The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round.
Sam gripped the steering wheel and breathed in deeply, hoping for a migraine to come on so he’d have an excuse not to go into the small building that contained the yoga studio. No such luck. His head wasn’t hurting, he just had really stiff shoulders, which was one of the reasons his doctor suggested this in the first place. He grabbed the towel and yoga mat from the passenger seat and headed toward the building. The evening air felt good against his T-shirt and sweatpants, and he was once again struck with the beauty of this part of the country. He was glad that Chance had talked him into moving up here. Southern California had its perks, but there was something soothing about the crisp Northwest air.
When he got to the classroom, he was relieved to find he was the last one there—he didn’t have to figure out where to set up his mat since there was just one spot left.
Dammit, Booth, you’re really stressing over that kind of shit? What has the world come too? He positioned his mat in the back corner and sat down like the rest of the students.
“Thank you all for coming tonight.” The instructor’s pleasant voice carried easily to the back of the room. Sam remembered her name was Julia and he liked her when he signed up.
“Since all of you are new to Fateful Yoga, we’ll make this an evaluation session. I’ll go through some stretches and poses, then we’ll determine which class level is right for you,” she smiled.
Sam easily kept up with the stretches but found that when they moved into some of the basic poses, he began to ache and burn. When Julia came over and said that his form was great, but asked how he was holding up, he was candid in his feedback.
“I would have been very surprised if you didn’t feel a burning sensation. I hope that upon release, your body will feel more relaxed than when you started the pose,” she said.
Sam watched in appreciation as she moved up toward a pretty African American woman he hadn’t noticed before. She wasn’t wearing the standard yoga gear. She had leggings on, but her T-shirt was at least four sizes too large, and came down almost to her knees.
When Julia went over to her, Sam noticed that she was doing some of the poses in a modified version. However, she was executing these modified poses perfectly, an indication she had been doing yoga for some time, but with some restrictions in her flexibility that didn’t allow her to do the poses to their full extent.
Sam couldn’t really see anything but her cute little feet and a mass of curly black hair pinned to the top of her head. Suddenly she laughed at something Julia said and his gut clenched. Julia moved on to another woman and directed the class to do something called Child’s Pose. She explained what it was and had the woman she was talking to demonstrate.
“Basically, you get on all fours, then put your head down on the floor like this. Now, slide your arms forward, and rest your bottom down on your feet.”
When Sam peeked up at the others in the class to see if he was on-track, he saw that the black haired beauty’s shirt had hiked up, exposing a gorgeous heart-shaped butt. Sam fell in love with yoga at that very moment and decided what class he needed to take—whatever class she was going to be taking.
As he slipped his yoga mat into his truck, he tried to ignore the way his muscles felt like overcooked spaghetti. It was as if he had just done a ten-mile hike with a fifty-pound rucksack. Crazy. He’d bluffed his way through with Julia, so she didn’t realize how much the yoga had kicked his ass. He signed up for the intermediary class, the same class that Josie Decker had signed up for.
He wasn’t sure why he bothered. God knew he was a mess, but there was something refreshingly normal about feeling interested in a woman. Now if he could only bring himself to do something as normal as try to get close to her. He’d have to do a hell of a lot more physical therapy if he wanted to keep up in the class. But hell, his doctors had been pushing for him to do that anyway.
Sam grinned all the way home.
Even though Sam had managed to position himself behind Josie at the next class, he wasn’t grinning. The intermediary class had him sweating like a shaggy dog in August. If not for the fact that he’d made it through basic training, he wouldn’t have believed it possible he could endure the positions that Julia was currently demonstrating. It wasn’t the positions so much as holding them. His muscles strained harder than he had ever imagined.
Then there was the added problem that Josie’s T-shirt kept riding up. This scenic view had a very pronounced effect on his body, which he tried to hide as he moved into each position. God, he loved a full-figured woman. Josie’s body was perfect. He had to figure out a way to talk to this woman, without coming on like a ravening idiot. Towering over her with drool on his face after yoga class didn’t seem like the best way to win her over. This was going to take a little bit of finesse, and that was something he’d lost in the last couple of years.
But then Julia called him and Josie to the front desk after class.
“I have two additional forms I forgot to have each of you fill out. I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Julia apologized.
“It’s not a problem,” Josie piped up, obviously trying to make Julia feel better.
“Yeah, Julia, I could use a rest before trying to crawl out to my truck,” Sam said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
“Thanks, Josie. Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate your support.” Julia quickly took back the filled out forms. The shy smile Josie gave him as she made her way out of the studio made him happy. It was good to see he still knew how to use humor. But the sad part was, it wasn’t all that funny, because he almost did need to crawl back to his truck.
Granted, he might not be at his best. Afghanistan and his injury, and the funk he’d been in since coming home had turned him into a surly asshole. The only people who put up with him were Betty, Butch, Chance, Leif, and Joshua. But, before all of that, he’d been accomplished with the ladies. Sam smiled as he remembered the times he and Chance had spent dating half of the women of Southern California. Working as volunteer firefighters was a surefire way to attract women.
It was odd to consider how long he’d been celibate. In his twenties, six weeks would have been unheard of for either him or Chance. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Chance dating for the last six months, which was pretty damn odd. Chance without a woman just wasn’t right. Sam shook his head. He really didn’t care. This was about him and Josie. He needed a plan.
He started the truck and headed home. For the first time in a long time, Sam was really looking forward to the days ahead.
Chapter 5
Josie was so excited, she felt like she was going to come out of her skin. She raced around the shop. Everything in order, precisely where it should be. She didn’t touch anything, because she didn’t want to make her one employee nervous, but when she looked up at the older woman, her eyes
twinkled. When Josie finally couldn’t help herself, she moved the two cakes in the front of the case a little to the right and the older woman laughed. Josie laughed with her.
“Josie, everything is perfect. This place has never looked better. I loved coming here when the Matushkas ran the place, but this is in a class of its own,” Elise assured her.
Josie looked over the space. The colors were spring green and blue, and they complimented all the stainless steel and chrome fixtures. She turned the sign over to “Open.” It was six o’clock in the morning, the time people wanted their coffee and pastries, and she hoped to be the place to provide that. If they wanted a full breakfast, then she wouldn’t be taking away customers from the diner. If they just wanted their coffee, then she wouldn’t be taking away customers from the coffee shop. But for pastries, nobody could beat her, she just knew it. Josie was gratified that, as she unlocked the door, two older men waited to come in.
“Well, young lady, we’ve been waiting for you to open. We’ve missed Matushka’s scones,” said the man with the beard. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
“Speak for yourself, Harvey. I missed his bear claws. What do you have to offer us?” Josie smiled at the second man as she made her way behind the counter.
“Actually, for the first few weeks, we’re setting out samples so you can decide what you want. There are scones, muffins, croissants, bagels, donuts, and cinnamon rolls to sample in the morning. In the afternoon, we’ll have cookies, cake, and cupcake samples available.”
Josie motioned them to the sample display, expecting the men to try a few of each. They both homed in on the cinnamon roll samples, and after trying them, they each purchased coffee and cinnamon rolls. The next customer did the same. Then the one after that. It went on for the first hour and a half before Josie asked Elise what was going on.
“The Matushkas never had cinnamon rolls on the menu,” she explained, as she bagged up another order to go. By nine a.m. they were out of cinnamon rolls, so Josie had to take those samples off the counter. However, she still had more customers coming in asking for them, since word had spread around town. She shook her head in amazement. Butch and Betty had been right—cinnamon rolls were a good move.
Theirs To Treasure: Happily Ever After (Fate Harbor Book 1) Page 3
