The first half of the skirts and tops had been moved to a side rack when Marcy arrived and knocked on the front door. Addison unlocked it, then seeing that Marcy’s hands were full she pulled the door open, the bell above it ringing. “Morning, Marcy.”
“Morning, I brought French crullers.” Marcy held up a white bag.
The aroma coming from it was irresistible. Marcy knew there were two things she couldn’t resist, orange marmalade and sugary pastries. Besides, it was a cruller, she told herself. She had spent a rainy afternoon on the Internet looking up the calories on her favorite foods so she knew that French crullers had the least calories. Not that they were low calorie, but she could have one once in a while. And, today, she needed sugar, lots and lots of sugar.
Going into the break room, Addison placed two plates and two cups of coffee on a tray along with cream and sugar, then carried the tray to the glass counter and slid onto the stool. Marcy held the bag out to her and she reached into it and pulled a cruller from it then took a little nibble, humming with pleasure as the sugar dissolved on her tongue. She licked her lips, removing the sticky icing. “This is so, so good. Thanks, Marcy.”
“You’re welcome.” Marcy sniffed her cup. “What kind of coffee is this?”
“Pecan caramel with a scoop of double chocolate,” Addison said, taking a sip of her coffee.
Marcy laughed. “You’ve got me hooked on this stuff. Chuck told me if I bring one more container of flavored coffee into the house he’s going to divorce me.”
Addison giggled. She had gone to school with Marcy’s husband and knew him well. “Your husband is an uncivilized barbarian,” she said, her brogue soft and lyrical. She shifted on the stool, remembering how sore her bottom had been the day after the masquerade, and out of the blue an overwhelming feeling of grief filled her. She cleared her throat and blinked her eyes, then set the cruller down on the plate. “I really need to get the stock moved,” she told Marcy as she slid from the stool and disappeared into the break room to wash her hands before moving the rest of the clothes.
Marcy watched her for a moment, noting the shadows under her boss’s eyes. “Addison, are you okay?”
Addison nodded. “Sure, just busy,” she fibbed as she glanced out the door and saw a large delivery truck pull up in front of the shop. “The shipment is here. After you clear the tray away can you finish moving the rest of these skirts and blouses?”
“Yes, of course,” Marcy told her as she finished her coffee then disappeared into the break room.
Addison heard the water running in the break room so she unlocked the front door and flipped the sign to open. The delivery man had already loaded several boxes onto a dolly and was pushing it toward the shop. She held the door open so he could enter the shop. “Morning, Rex. Can you place the boxes in the back room, please?”
“Sure thing, Addison,” he told her as he followed her. “My wife really liked the dress you helped me pick out for her birthday,” he told her as he lifted a box and put it on the table next to her.
“I’m glad she liked it.” She used a box cutter to open one of the boxes then began to inventory the contents. “There’s coffee in the break room if you’d like a cup.”
“Great! You’ve got the best coffee in town,” he told her. “I’ll get a cup and visit with Marcy until you’re ready to sign for the shipment.”
After he left, Addison concentrated on unpacking the boxes. When she had finished the inventory, she walked out into the shop and signed the electronic board Rex held out to her. “Marcy I’m going to work in the back room today while you handle the shop. If you need any help just call for me.”
“Okay, Addison,” Marcy told her then looked at Rex and shook her head. After Addison had disappeared into the back room she told Rex, “I’m worried about that girl. She just doesn’t seem to be herself anymore.”
“Everyone in town heard about her and Cade’s argument in the parking lot of the Hard Times Tavern, but I thought they were still together.”
“She never mentions him anymore. She seemed to be okay after Valerie Jones and those two friends of hers told her about that club the Ramsey’s own and what they do out there,” Marcy told him, her voice hushed. “But then about two weeks ago, something must have happened because she’s been different since then and she stopped wearing her engagement ring. I’m worried about her. I’m thinking about calling Maggie Lamont.”
“Damn, I wouldn’t want to be Valerie Jones when Cade finds out. Nobody gets away with hurting Addison without having to deal with Cade.”
“Yeah, but what do you do when the person who hurt her the most is Cade?” Marcy asked him.
Rex shook his head. “Keep an eye on her. If things get worse let me and Shelly know. I don’t know what we can do, but that little gal in there has helped just about everybody in this town. Shoot, when that storm came through here last year she made sure the senior center and the schools got new roofs. And, she replaced all the books in the library and added that entire media center for the kids.”
“Addison’s a sweetie, that’s for sure, and she loves children. If that Cade Ramsey isn’t careful, someone’s going to come along and take her right away from him,” Marcy said, her voice vehement.
Rex nodded. “I gotta get the rest of these packages delivered. Keep in touch, okay?”
Marcy nodded then after he left she finished emptying the rack while she handled the few customers who came and went. Around noon she walked back to the stock room and found Addison steaming the wrinkles from a lavender-colored dress. “That would be beautiful on you with your hair color.” She looked at Addison’s hair. “You know, I can never decide exactly what color your hair is, Addison. It’s not really blonde but it’s not really red either.”
Addison smiled. “I’ve been asking myself that same question ever since I first looked in a mirror,” she told Marcy with a small chuckle as she finished the dress then hung it on a rolling rack. “If I buy any more dresses I’ll have to clean out my closet first.” She paused, her hand on the dress. “Didn’t you say your church is having a fund-raiser?”
“Yup, next Saturday morning. We’re raising money to send a bunch of kids to camp.”
“Good. I’m in the mood for a new wardrobe.” She pushed her hair back, for the hundredth time, then made a quick decision. “And, a haircut.”
“Addison! Not your hair,” Marcy said, admiring the long fall of red and gold waves that fell down Addison’s back almost to her waist.
Realizing she had never considered cutting her hair before because Cade had always liked it, now she felt like a complete change. She twisted a long lock around her finger while she considered making the change. “Maybe something shoulder length and easier to take care of,” she said as she reached for the phone and dialed her hairdresser’s salon. After a short conversation she hung up and told Marcy, “I have an appointment at one-thirty. Why don’t you go ahead and go to lunch then you can handle the shop while I’m gone. It looks like it’s a slow day anyway.”
“Are you sure about this, Addison? Your hair is so beautiful.”
“Yes. I think it’s time for a lot of changes, beginning with my hair and wardrobe, and then I’m going to go out and have fun. I’ve never really done that because of Ca…” She looked away for a moment. “I’ll take care of the shop while you go to lunch.”
“I’m going to grab a sandwich at the bakery. Can I bring you something?”
“No. I’ll eat later after my appointment.”
After Marcy left, Addison wandered around the shop picking out short clingy dresses and skirts, shirts with deep necklines and slacks that would hug her curves. Anything Cade would approve of went back on the rack, and he definitely wouldn’t approve of the two bikinis she added to the pile. One of them, made completely from strings and beads, would probably get her arrested at a public pool. By the time she was finished, Marcy was crossing the street coming back to the shop. Addison quickly put the clothes in her office and gr
abbed her purse.
“I’m back,” Marcy called as she entered the shop.
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Addison told her as she moved toward the back of the shop and her car.
* * * *
Two and a half hours later, Addison returned to the shop. Shaking her head as she got out of her car, a wide smile curved her lips for the first time in weeks. The red-gold strands hung in a straight, shiny curtain to her shoulders, swinging back and forth when she walked. Her hair felt so light now without the weight of all those long curls which she had happily donated to a program for women with cancer who had lost their own hair. The bag in her hand held new makeup and a new perfume. She lifted her wrist to her nose and sniffed. It was sweet with a hint of spice. Cade would probably hate it and that was good, she thought to herself. It was time for her to move on with her life. Cade didn’t love her and he never would. And, she would never stop loving him if she didn’t at least try to give another man a chance at her heart.
Marcy shook her head and smiled when she walked in. “I have to say it looks really good, different, but beautiful.”
“Thanks, Marcy. Why don’t you take off early? I can handle the shop for the rest of the day.”
“What about the new stuff?”
“I think I might stay late and get it out on the floor so it’ll be available tomorrow,” Addison absently told her as she put her purse under the counter.
“Don’t do that, Addison. This is a quiet town but we still get our share of strangers, and there have been two robberies in the last three weeks. Haven’t you heard about them?”
“No. I guess I’ve been a little distracted lately,” she told her, desperate to be alone for a while. It was so hard and exhausting, acting as if everything was okay. Every evening when she went home she was afraid Cade would either be waiting for her or he would arrive while she was there. Right now she didn’t want to see him or talk to him. Not until she was strong enough to send him away.
“I can stay and we can finish getting them ready,” Marcy offered.
“No, don’t do that. We can do it in the morning.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Go on now. If you hurry you can beat Chuck home and have some time to yourself,” Addison told her with a forced smile.
Marcy grabbed her purse and rushed out the door with a wave of her hand, and Addison breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief then sat down on the stool and cupped her chin in her hand. Hoping no customers showed up, she stared out the front window of her shop, her mind focused on her past and Cade. She knew her childhood had left her with a lot of issues, trusting other people being one of them. As the only child of two famous people who had only had a baby as a publicity stunt, she had learned at an early age to be wary of getting too close to people.
Her nanny, Maggie Lamont, had taken charge of her the day her less-than-enchanted parents had dropped her off at their villa in France before taking off to join their jet-setting friends in Greece. When she was three Maggie had put her foot down and insisted that she be allowed to take Addison to her mother Fiona Matthew’s home in Ireland. The move had been a good thing but it hadn’t saved her.
At school she had been the quiet, shy girl who kept to herself and was ignored until people, children and adults alike, found out who her parents were, and then she would find herself surrounded by “new best friends” eager to meet her famous and wealthy parents. When they realized she only saw her parents about once a year, they quickly disappeared. At age nine she had refused to attend school and her parents had been forced to hire private tutors for her. Only Maggie Lamont had been allowed to be close to her until her mother had died and her father had moved her and Maggie to Texas then disappeared back to his decadent lifestyle.
She had become sullen and nearly impossible for Maggie to cope with, running off every day, sneaking onto Cade’s family’s property and making friends with their expensive stallion, Diablo. Of course at the time she hadn’t known the stallion’s name. She had only known he belonged to her, so after a month or so, she had ridden him to the Ramsey house to arrange to buy him. That had been the day she had met Cade and decided he belonged to her, too.
At the time she had been too young to understand why he was important to her but their relationship, as volatile and odd as it had been, had taught her to trust again. He had always been there, watching over her and protecting her. Of course, he had also been relentless in getting her to do what he thought was best for her, sometimes threatening to take Diablo away from her, and when that didn’t work he had imposed his strong will until she had relented. He had treated her like a bothersome pest until the day he had caught her behind Joe’s Café and had spanked her. After that, he had avoided her until a year ago when out of the blue he had called and asked her to have dinner with him.
When the phone beside her rang, she let out a little screech then laughed, feeling foolish, and grabbed the phone. “Addison’s Emporium.”
“It’s Cade.”
Closing her eyes, she absorbed the sound of his voice, her hand tightening on the phone as she shifted, collapsing back, wishing she had looked at the caller ID before she had picked up the phone.
“You still there?”
She hesitated for a moment, swallowed, reminded herself to remain calm then answered. “Yes. How are you?” she asked politely, using the manners she had been forced to use when her parents had decided to show up and play happy family for the cameras.
“I’m stuck in Dallas,” he told her, his voice quiet as if he didn’t want anyone to hear him. “But I can get away later and I want to take you to dinner.”
“No, I don’t believe that’s a good idea.”
“We have things to talk about. A contract for one and moving you to the ranch,” he told her, determined she would fall in with his plans.
Recognizing his demanding tone of voice, she ignored it and told him, “That’s not going to happen, Cade. You don’t love me.”
“I want you, Addison.”
His words brought sudden tears to her eyes. Wiping them from her cheeks, she cleared her throat. “You hurt me. Do you know how long I waited to be with you? Do you even care about the dreams I had about our first night together?” She knew he could hear the tears in her voice and she realized she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to allow this experience to turn her back into the naïve, insecure woman she had been a few weeks ago.
“Addison.” He paused then sighed. “I’ll be at your house at seven and we’ll talk.”
“I won’t be there. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to be just another woman you fuck.” Feeling angry at him and at herself for her stupid, childish dreams, she told him, “I’m sure you can find someone else to play with in one of the clubs in Dallas. Just stay out of Club Elysium. It’s mine.”
“You go near that club without me and when I get done with you sitt—”
“Please don’t call me again,” she told him, hearing him yelling at her as she dropped the phone onto the cradle, and it began ringing again immediately. Ignoring it, she turned the sign on the door over then locked the front door, cleared out the cash register, and turned off the shop lights. After moving her purse and the night’s deposit to her office, she decided to finish getting the new stock ready to be put out in the morning.
Two hours later, she heard a sound in the alley just before the back door opened. Thinking it was Cade looking for her and ready for another round of fighting, she walked into the back hallway and saw a tall man closing the door. When he turned toward her and she saw the mask over his face and the knife in his hand, she screamed, adrenaline flooding her body, and ran. He caught up to her as she entered the front room of the shop, grabbing her arm, and jerked her backward into him. Instinctively, she used a move Cade had drilled into her and instead of trying to pull away from him she dropped her weight to the floor, pulling him off balance. He stumbled, releasing her to use his hand to break his fall.
Jumping to
her feet, screaming, she ran toward her office, knowing Cade had made sure the room had a steel door and a strong lock. Before she could reach the hall leading to it, she heard the sound of Cade’s angry voice yelling her name as he pounded on the door of the shop. Without thinking, only knowing she would be safe with him, she changed directions and ran toward him. Just as she reached the front door, she saw the pissed-off expression on his face turn to surprise then fear. She fell against the door as a sharp, stabbing pain flared in her side.
Turning, she saw the man lift the knife again. She screamed and held her hands out, pressing her back against the door. The man cursed, his voice muffled by the mask over his face, as a trash can crashed through the window to her right and rolled into the darkness of the shop. A moment later Cade was there, his gun drawn as he pushed her behind him, shielding her with his body.
“Where’d he go, baby?” he asked quietly.
“The back,” she told him, her voice slurred, as she held her side and felt something warm and wet soaking into her shirt as spots began to dance before her eyes.
“Addison, baby. Stay with me now.”
She felt Cade’s arms slide around her and lift her against him. “Childish dreams,” she whispered before darkness descended over her.
* * * *
Dressed in the same bloody clothes he had been wearing when he had carried Addison into the emergency room, Cade paced the surgical waiting room. “What the hell is taking so long?”
“They’re making sure they don’t miss anything,” Jackson said knowing Cade wasn’t really expecting an answer from him or anyone else.
Logan and Luc came back into the waiting room carrying four cups of coffee. Logan handed Jackson a cup as Luc forced a cup into Cade’s hands. He took it, carried it around for a few minutes then set it down with the other two cups of coffee he hadn’t bothered to drink. Worry consuming him, he dropped into a chair and planted his elbows on his knees, staring at Addison’s blood on his sleeves and the slivers of glass imbedded in his shirt and his skin.
To Love and Obey [The Doms of Club Mystique] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 13
