I pulled away, and when I did, I saw the small cut on his eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, he barely got a little piece of me, but it could have been a whole lot worse.”
“This is my fault. He’s been obsessed, and he only targeted you because of his jealousy.”
“That’s not true. He was doing this up and down the coast. It was just a matter of time.”
Lonnie cleared his throat. “Don’t blame yourself. He confessed he thought you were out of town.”
“We just got back.” Greyson looked over at Maddox, who was no longer at the glass but no doubt had his eyes on us.
“Let’s get this wrapped up, and then we’ll be out of your hair. I’ll get someone to clear this crowd.”
“I’ll pull your truck up,” said Christian.
“The keys are in it. Thanks.” I didn’t want to let him go, but Lissa put her arm around me as he stepped away.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside. I’ll make some coffee.” She led us into the house, and even though I knew she had wanted to see the place, she stayed with me, holding my hand.
I just wanted Greyson to explain, and while I had expected Lissa to say I told you so, she never did. “Well, this isn’t how I thought I’d end the night. I can’t believe Maddox was the burglar. It makes sense now how he had enough to move out and get his own boat.”
“Yeah, I feel so stupid for being nice to him. Now I just want to go out there and kick his ass. What was he thinking?”
“He wasn’t, I guess.”
“I swear, I thought of every horrible scenario on the way over. I just knew he was dead.” I covered my face with my hands as the tears flooded the corner of my eyes. “We solidified our relationship in New York, and things are just so good, you know? I keep feeling like it’s too good to be true, that something is going to tear us apart, and I was so afraid he left me too soon.”
Lissa squeezed my hand. “You’re in love with him.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered it just the same. “Yeah, I think I am.”
31
Greyson
After the incident with Maddox, Sage and I became closer, and over the next two weeks, she was hesitant to leave my side unless she had to go home to tend to Jasper or go to work. We had even spent hours at her house to keep the cat company, but I would always insist she go home with me, and she never protested.
She had been genuinely scared for me, and it was nice having someone worry about me for a change. I kept insisting I was fine, but it was no use, especially in the first few days. She had also apologized profusely, as if what happened had been her fault, but I wasn’t going to let her take the blame for what that asshole had done. She wasn’t in control of his actions.
I had done my best to convince her, but I knew it was just going to take time. For both of us.
Nothing was damaged, all of my tools had been put back in their place, and the blood had been mopped up from where the asshole had hit the floor, but I hadn’t felt like being out in the boathouse. Part of me just lost interest in the project after seeing Maddox up in my boat.
I stood at the kitchen window, staring out at the boathouse, wondering if today was the day the mood would strike me, as Sage finished the last of her coffee before work and put her cup in the sink. “I’m going to swing by and feed Jasper. I think he’s in heaven with the entire bed to himself.”
“You could always bring him here if you think he’s lonely. He could hang out in the boathouse with me.”
“Do you think you’ll get back to work?”
“I don’t know. I might attempt it. It’s just not the same.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’m so sorry, Greyson. Maddox invaded your sacred space, and now it’s been violated with his bad energy.” She made a face like she’d just tasted something awful. “I think you need some sage.” She walked over and put her arms around my waist.
I thought she was coming on to me. “I agree. I always need Sage. Do you want to do it later in the boathouse? That would certainly change my bad vibe feeling when I go in there.”
She giggled, letting go to give me a playful slap. “Not me. The herb, silly. I can do a smudging. My mother used to do it all the time, and I always felt better.”
I had heard of smudging that the native American’s had done from my aunt, but I’d never seen it done. “Okay. So, where do I get that?”
She gave a little laugh and then kissed my cheek. “I’ll bring some later. I keep it in my meditation space.”
“Thank you.” I was genuine, but she smiled kind of shyly.
“I know it’s a little strange, but keep an open mind?”
“Always. You don’t have to worry about me thinking anything of it. I appreciate the offer.”
Her smile touched her cheeks. “You’re the only person who thinks that around here, you know? Everyone was always thinking my mother was off her rocker, but then, my dad didn’t help. He used to defend her beliefs and the things she did for meditation, but then when she left, he talked so much trash about her. It was like he fed into their opinion of her, hoping she wouldn’t ever come back. I guess it worked. She never did. I still talk to her, but with her across the country, I haven’t seen her in years. Only in photos and online.”
“Why don’t you fly over?” It didn’t seem that hard to me. “If it’s a money thing, I’ll buy your ticket.”
She raked her fingers through her hair. “That’s okay. I’m sure we will get together one day.”
“Come on, Sage. Let me buy the tickets, and we can go together. You should ask her if we could take her out to dinner.”
She gave me something of a sad look and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. She never has wanted me to come, okay? Can we just drop it?”
I could tell that it was upsetting her and knew there had to be more to the story. “Okay, no problem. But will you bring the sage later? I’d like to feel at home out there again.”
“No problem,” she said with a smile. “I’ll grab it on the way to work and bring it by later. The guys wanted to double-check the paint, and so me and Tommy might ride out at lunch.” She gave me another kiss on the cheek, and then I walked her out to her truck. I didn’t care if she rode out with Tommy. I was just glad that they were going to be starting on my house. I’d fired Dodd just days after the burglary, and it felt good to do it.
After she had a bit of a struggle getting the old truck to start and arguing with me about taking my car instead, it finally started, and she drove away. I stood there watching her go, wondering how she’d feel about me buying her a new car. She needed something more dependable and perhaps a bit more stylish. I could see her in a convertible, her hair blowing in the wind as she drove down the coast, but I wasn’t sure what she’d like.
As I stood there, Christian yelled to get my attention. “Hey man, I’m coming over.” He waved and then took something out of his car and shut the door. Then he jogged across the road and up my drive.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Not right now, I’m not. I thought we could chat a minute. I have those plans.”
I’d nearly forgotten the two of us had discussed a business proposal. I still wasn’t sure about the idea, and though I had wanted to build my own boat, did I really want to take time to build one for other people? “Let’s go on out to the shop.” I led him out there, hoping that being in the place would put me in the mood to work on my boat.
“It’s a good thing he didn’t fuck your boat up,” said Christian as soon as I opened the door.
But in a way, he had. He had fucked it up by ruining my mood to work on it. “Yeah. Let’s take a look at those plans.” I walked over to my workbench and pulled up the stool I kept for it. Christian pulled up a folding chair I’d brought in for Sage and was quiet while I read it.
“You want us to build these boats? Ourselves?”
“Yeah. You’re really doing a great job, and I’ve always wanted to operate a business of my o
wn.”
“Why boats? You’re in the family business of selling furniture, and I’m retired. Honestly, there are days when I don’t want to build a boat. And this is exactly what I was trying to get away from; steady work. The nine-to-five grind. I’m out here until midnight sometimes.” Not since the accident though. “And I just really don’t even know when I’m going to be in the mood to finish up in here with my own.”
“That’s because you’re distracted with Sage. She’s been around an awful lot, man.” He gave me a devilish grin. “You’re probably too wore out to work.”
“I appreciate your passion, and looking over your plan, it’s not terrible. I’m just not sure it’s the right fit for me.”
Christian hung his head. “I was afraid you’d say that. I know I would have time to help build some of the boats, and it wouldn’t totally be all on you.”
“Have you ever thought of building furniture? You already have connections with that.”
“Not interested.” He let out a sigh. “I guess we’re all looking for something different.”
“My old man used to say there are plenty of fish in the sea of opportunity. You’ll catch the right one.”
“I thought that only applied to other women.”
“Yeah, there are plenty of those too. But there’s only one for me.”
He belted out a laugh. “You and Sage must be getting hot and heavy for you to think that way. I think she’s got you by the balls, my friend.”
“Maybe, but is that really a bad thing? You could always marry Lissa, and the girls would have each other right across the street.”
“Then neither one of us would have an opportunity to do anything else. We’d be at their beck and call twenty-four-seven, seven days a week.”
“I think that’s what I want. I mean, she’s here a lot now, and I don’t even want her to go to work. I even told her to bring the cat.”
“Damn, you really do have it bad. Is she feeling the same?”
I did have it bad, but I still had my doubts that she felt the same. “That’s a hard question. I mean, I want her to, but she’s hesitant.”
“Hesitant? Like in the sack?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Nope, still not talking sex with you, man. I just mean that she’s hesitating on a deal I offered her.”
“A deal? Like a business deal?” He gave me a look like he was insulted.
“Yes, but it’s for my existing business. I wanted to hire her to do some of her art on the tabletops and bar for our expansion.”
“Damn. That would be a big undertaking. Have you already bought your tables?”
“I thought I’d talk to you about it after she agreed, but she hasn’t. She’s afraid she’s not going to have the space to work it all out, and even though I’ve offered to buy or lease a building big enough, she still seemed apprehensive.”
“What kind of building?”
“Any old warehouse, as long as it was in a safe part of town, was fully functional as far as plumbing and electric, and was big enough to hold the order and give her room to work.” Or us. I could see myself helping her with the project. It seemed a hell of a lot better than boat building at that moment.
“I have just the place if you want to take a look. I just got permission from the old man to put it on the market, and I haven’t even called the realtor yet. You could sure spare me some trouble and take it off my hands. I had thought about using it for the boat business, but it’s not quite big enough for that.”
I knew it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. “Shit, why are we still standing around here? Show me this warehouse.” If it was right for our needs and it was a good price range, I’d take it off their hands before the end of the day.
We drove out to the other end of town, which wasn’t too far considering some of my past commutes, and as soon as we drove up to the old place, I knew it was right.
“What did you guys use this for?”
“Overstock. But we bought another building since then, closer to town and the main store, and we rarely use this. My father has also learned to stop holding on to things, and we’ve downsized quite a bit.”
We stopped the car and then got out to go inside. The building had a nice parking lot out front, and not only that, but it had big doors that would work for hauling in and out whatever I wanted. “It’s certainly big enough.”
“Wait until you see the inside. I think you’ll be happy.” He looked through his keys and found the right one, then opened the lock and walked in ahead of me and found the lights.
The space was large, and what was even better was it was divided into several rooms inside, including a small office area and a back warehouse where we could create our product, display it, and sell it right from the shop. I could see me and Sage both working there, spending our days as we wished; together.
If anything, it would be a solid investment, and I could flip it if I wanted. The location wasn’t horrible, and there were two other businesses across the street, and it was only two minutes from a hotel and popular restaurant. “I think we should talk numbers.”
Christian smiled for the first time since I had turned down his offer. “Let’s go see the old man. He’s the one you’ll have to deal with. And I’ll warn you. He can be very stubborn.”
“That’s okay, man. I can be very patient and, most importantly, persistent.”
32
Sage
Before we headed to Anchor Management to pick up our lunch order, we grabbed a can of paint from the hardware store and then drove out to Greyson’s.
I couldn’t wait to see him and was surprised and disappointed when I pulled up at his house and he wasn’t home. “Where the heck is he?” I asked, taking out my phone to call him. The phone rang several times, and I started to wonder if something had happened. He hadn’t called to tell me anything or left a text. I had a feeling he’d gone out car shopping after the way my truck performed, and I hoped that was not the case. I didn’t want him to spend his money on me. That wasn’t what I was about, and I wasn’t going to be accused of being a gold-digger like my mother had if it didn’t work out.
“He’s not answering.”
“He’s probably busy. You don’t think he’d cheat on you, do you?” Tommy gave me a sympathetic look.
“Thanks for putting that thought in my head, Tommy.” He was always teasing me about things not working out with Greyson and me and that he’d come in and sweep me off of my feet. So the next words from his mouth were no shock.
“You might ought to face it, Sage. He’s not good enough for you.”
“Funny. You just told me yesterday what a nice guy he was for hiring you, and now you think he’s not good enough?”
“He is a great guy, but you’re supposed to be my girl. Hell, I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I was a little boy jumping off the pallet stacks at the lumberyard.”
“Do you see what that got you? You can’t get away from the place now if you want to.” Chuck had hired him as soon as he was old enough.
“Yeah, well, maybe I stay there because of you.”
“I know you’re just fooling with me. You know I am in love with Greyson.”
“Yeah, but just in case I haven’t told you lately, I’m not opposed to having an affair. Just keep that in mind.”
I slapped his arm. “You’re almost as bad a Maddox,” I said. “And one crazy stalker was enough for me, thanks.”
He busted out laughing. “I’m just fooling you. Sara would have my balls.”
“She’s already got them,” I teased, trying Greyson again. “She’s carrying them around in her purse.” He had been dating the young lady for about two weeks, on and off. So far, they’d broken up five times, but he’d gone back to her each time.
“Don’t you start.”
“He’s still not answering.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?”
“I’ll just burn the sage, and we’ll leave, I guess. I told him I’d be by, and
he didn’t say he was going anywhere.” I was going to miss my visit. I got out of the truck and walked to the boathouse, which was locked up. Using the spare key he gave me, I walked inside and took the sage out of my handbag and lit it with the lighter he kept on his workbench for burning rope.
The sweet smell of the herb filled the air, and I slowly waved it around the room to the far and near corners as Tommy watched.
“And you wonder why people whisper that you’re a witch.”
“This is not why they whisper that, Tommy.”
“Why then?” He narrowed his eyes. “I mean, I know it’s not true, but you do have some strange habits.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Try me,” he said.
“Are you religious?”
“My family is Catholic, so I guess.” He gave a shrug with a look of uncertainty. “My mom hangs crucifixes in the house, but I’ve never seen her go to mass, much less mumble a prayer.”
“Your family is, so you are?”
He nodded. “Aren’t you religious?”
“My family never held much to religion, but I guess just the same way you’re Catholic is why I have my weird habits. I watched and learned from my mother, but when she left, there was no one around to explain anything, and my father couldn’t have cared less, so I did these things I knew to stay close to my mother. But it’s not a religion. It’s just how I comfort myself.” It was the only way I knew how to explain it.
“It makes sense, I guess.” I heard the Jeep and ran to the door to find Greyson pulling up into the driveway. We walked out, the sage still burning in my hand, the smoke trailing behind me, saturating my hair with the smell.
Christian got out of the passenger side with a big grin on his face and headed home. Greyson got out with a smile for me and walked out to join us. “I hoped I’d be back before you got here,” he explained. He looked at Tommy and then my smudge stick before looking up at me.
Tommy stepped up and offered his hand. “Hi, Mr. Young. I just wanted to make sure we had the color right this time. Is there somewhere we could try it out?”
Caught Up In Love Page 19
