Easy Charm

by Kristen Proby

  It takes everything in me not to laugh.

  “I mean it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Why do you look like someone just took your birthday away?” Rhys asks as he saunters into the room. He eyes the tuna salad, then me, as if he’d like to devour both of us.

  He must be hungry.

  I immediately make a sandwich and set it before him.

  “Mom won’t let the puppy sleep in my bed with me. She’s going to make him sleep way down on the floor!”

  “Dogs are supposed to sleep on the floor,” Rhys says reasonably and bites into his sandwich. “They aren’t people.”

  “But he’s a baby. He might get scared.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I say sternly, giving Sam the look that says that this conversation is over.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I just got a call from Chicago,” Rhys says, watching my face, and my stomach clenches.

  This is it. He’s leaving.

  God, I don’t want him to go.

  “The team wants me to come up for a checkup with their doctor and therapist, and I need to have a meeting with the coaching staff. I’m flying out on Tuesday.”

  “Are you leaving forever?” Sam asks with wide eyes, voicing exactly what I’m thinking, and it breaks my heart that he’s clearly become just as attached to Rhys as I have.

  And I don’t know what to do about it.

  “No, buddy, just overnight.”

  “Oh, good!” Sam goes back to his lunch.

  Oh, good.

  “You should come with me.” Rhys’s eyes are still pinned to mine, watching me closely. “I’d love to show you Chicago.”

  “I can’t.” I shake my head and turn away, cleaning the kitchen.

  “Think about it.”

  “Let’s go, Mom!”

  “I can’t,” I repeat. “I have a business to run, Rhys. I can’t leave on such short notice. And Sam starts baseball camp that day.” He looks disappointed, so I soften my tone and reach over to cover his hand with mine. “Thank you for inviting us. Really. But I can’t get away.”

  He turns his hand over and grips mine tightly. “I know. I just thought it would be fun.”

  “It would be fun,” Sam grumbles.

  “You’re grouchy today,” I say to him and spoon some fruit onto his plate.

  “You’re mean today,” he replies. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Samuel Beauregard Boudreaux, I love you, but you are on my very last nerve today. Please adjust your sails.”

  He sulks some more. “Can I just go read in my room?”

  “I would be thrilled if you did that.”

  He skulks away to his bedroom.

  “What’s wrong?” Rhys asks.

  “He’s bored.”

  “No, what’s wrong with you?”

  I frown and keep my gaze pinned to the countertop as I wipe it down. You’re leaving soon, and I’m falling in love with you, and my child loves you, and I need to work harder at keeping a distance from you.

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit.” He circles the island and cups my face in his hands, searching my gaze.

  God, his eyes are potent.

  Dumb eyes.

  “You’ve never lied to me before.”

  “Or so you think.”

  His nostrils flare in annoyance. I think this is the first time he’s been angry with me.

  And I don’t like it.

  “Nothing’s wrong, Rhys. My mood is probably reflecting Sam’s. Maybe I just need to adjust my own sails.”

  He pulls me into a tight hug, tucking my face against his chest, right over his heart, and the sound of his heartbeat makes me want to cry.

  And why that is, I have no idea.

  Except he’s leaving. And even if it is just for one night, there will come a day in the not-too-distant future that he’ll be leaving for good.

  And that hurts.

  Chapter Twelve

  ~Gabby~

  It’s a gorgeous Monday morning. There are still a few hours before the guests will start to arrive, and Sam is at his first day of baseball camp. His friend Henry’s mom picked him up and will drop him back off when it’s over.

  Tomorrow I have car-pool duty.

  The ceiling fans are whirling above on the front porch, combining with the breeze coming off the river to make us cool. Rhys is sitting next to me, his computer in his lap, typing away. Every once in a while, he’ll murmur to himself, scratch his head, then get back to it.

  I actually have a little time to read, so I’m indulging in the newest Laurelin Paige novel, full of lust and sex and lots of romance.

  Romance novels are my biggest guilty pleasure.

  And this woman can write.

  I glance up as a car pulls into the driveway, surprised to see my longtime friend Cindy. I haven’t seen her in a couple of months. I usually don’t hear much from her when she’s with a new guy, and last I heard, she had found some rich guy to dig her claws into.

  Cindy climbs out of her car and waves, a smile on her pretty face. She’s much taller than me, with long, platinum blonde hair and a pretty face, but she’s always dressed way too skimpy for my taste, and she makes no apologies for the fact that she enjoys men.

  More specifically, she enjoys sex and what those men can do for her.

  I didn’t say she was a good friend.

  “That’s Cindy,” I say before Rhys can ask. He looks up from his computer, seemingly unaware that Cindy even showed up.

  I wonder what he’s working on.

  “Hey, girl!” Cindy climbs the stairs of the porch and gives me one of those side-hugs, where you barely touch the other person.

  “Hi there. What’s up?”

  “I couldn’t just come by to say hi?”

  I roll my eyes and shake my head. “You never do that.”

  “I know. Sorry.” She so doesn’t look sorry. “I was wondering if I could borrow that black dress you wore out a few months ago? The off-the-shoulder one? It’s super cute, and I have a date on Friday.”

  “It’s short on me.” I frown, glancing down at Cindy’s long legs. “It’ll be super short on you.”

  “Exactly.” She smiles, showing off a dimple in her left cheek, and winks at me.

  “Sure. I’ll go get it.”

  I hear Cindy introduce herself to Rhys as I climb the stairs to my room. While I’m rummaging through my closet, the screen door slams shut, and when I’m on my way back down the stairs, I can hear voices in the kitchen. I check the front porch just to be sure, and just as I thought, it’s empty.

  “Oh, come on,” Cindy says, stopping me from walking into the room, listening. “I’m one helluva lay. You must be bored to tears out here all by yourself with the stick-in-the-mud Gabby and her bratty kid.”

  “Not interested,” Rhys says simply.

  I bite my lip. My hands are in fists, gripping the material of my favorite black dress.

  “Are you telling me you’re not interested in these tits? I paid a lot of money for them.”

  No, someone else paid a lot of money for them, Cindy.

  “I can make you really happy, handsome,” she continues. Her voice makes me sick. I’ve never heard her talk like that before. My blood is boiling, and I should march in there and rip her a new one, but I’m dying to hear what Rhys’s response is.

  He doesn’t disappoint me.

  “I’m only going to tell you this one time,” he says with a cool, hard voice. “I’m not interested in anything you have to offer. Ever. You’re not sexy. You’re not attractive. And I want you to stop trying to hit on me.”

  “You’re seriously passing this up?”

  “Give it a damn rest, Cindy,” I say as I barge into the kitchen. She narrows her eyes on me, and Rhys simply crosses his arms over his chest and leans his hip against the countertop. Cindy is standing closer than I’m comfortable with to Rhys, and she moves closer to him, maki
ng him scowl.

  “Rhys was just flirting with me.”

  My jaw drops and Rhys tips his head back and laughs long and loud.

  “You know Cindy, I always knew you were a slut, but I didn’t think you were stupid enough to come into my home and try to have sex with my guests.”

  “Oh grow up,” she spits out and then cackles. “I’ve fucked every man in your life, going way back.”

  She shakes her head and stares at me like she feels sorry for me, and my whole body stills.

  “I fucked that high school guy you liked. What was his name? Scott?” She smirks. “And then there was Colby. He was fucking me the whole summer that you two were together.”

  Bile rises in the back of my throat, but I simply raise a brow and act like I could give a shit.

  And really, it’s not that I care now that she slept with Colby; it’s that she clearly has no respect for me. She doesn’t even like me very much, and while I’ve always known that Cindy is selfish, I didn’t realize how much she flat-out hated me.

  “I even fucked your brother, for Christsakes.”

  “Yuck,” I mutter, still clueless as to what Eli was thinking when he made that mistake.

  He must have been drunk.

  “So what you’re saying is,” I begin and chew my lip. “Is that you’re nothing but a dirty whore who uses me to find guys who are willing to throw you a pity fuck.”

  She blinks furiously, her cheeks redden with pure rage and she fists her hands.

  “You bitch!”

  “Watch your goddamn mouth,” I growl at her and toss the dress on a stool while advancing on her. “You will not speak to me, or anyone, like that in my home. I don’t care if you decide to screw every man in the state of Louisiana—”

  “Except me,” Rhys adds.

  “But you won’t come in here and try to get laid. As far as our friendship, it’s over as of five minutes ago, as is the extra money you used to make off of me. I’m done. I’ve stuck up for you for years, Cindy. I gave you a job in my inn. That’s all over.”

  I glance over at Rhys, to find him watching me, his green eyes warm and smiling. Hot. His mouth isn’t tipped up, but I can see the pride in his eyes as I give Cindy the tongue lashing she deserves.

  She’s lucky I don’t cut a switch and take it to her backside.

  “Look, I’m sorry that I hit on the guy you’re fucking, although why he’d waste his time on you, I have no idea.”

  “That’s it,” Rhys says calmly, almost too calmly. “Get the hell out of here.”

  Cindy’s gaze whips to mine and I simply tip my head to the side. “Are you deaf and dumb?”

  Her lips are pursed, she’s panting with anger, her blue eyes are flashing as she stomps out of the kitchen, and a few seconds later the front door slams shut.

  I sigh deeply and shake my head.

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “What in the hell are you sorry for?” Rhys asks.

  “Well, that was…unpleasant.”

  “That was a shit-show,” he replies and then chuckles. “And you took care of it.”

  “Well, you are hard to resist,” I inform him, smiling now. “I mean, I understand why she hit on you. You’re all tall and muscly and stuff.”

  “Muscly and stuff?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Well, you were fucking hot with your big hazel eyes flashing, telling her what the score is. How did you ever end up with a friend like that anyway?”

  “I’ve known her since the first grade.” I shrug. “I guess it was just habit. I don’t think I even particularly liked her. I just never got rid of her.”

  He nods. “Women are weird like that.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Come on.” He holds his hand out for mine and leads me to the porch again. “I have more emails to send, and you still have time before people start showing up.”

  “I should work.”

  “I’m leaving in the morning, and I want every minute with you I can get.” He grins back at me. “And yes, I plan to sneak into bed with you after Sam goes to sleep.”

  Thank God.

  ***

  “I wish you’d come with me,” Rhys murmurs against my lips early the next morning. We’re standing next to his rental car. He’s holding me close to him, kissing me as if he’s never going to see me again.

  Is this what it’ll look like when he finally does leave for good?

  “Be safe,” I say, gripping onto his arms. “I’ll see you tomorrow, you know.”

  He sighs and leans his forehead against mine. “Why does it feel like you won’t miss me?”

  “Are you going to miss me?”

  He tips those lips up at the corner, giving me that sexy half-smile. “More than I’m comfortable with, Gabrielle.”

  Well, okay.

  “I might miss you a little.”

  He slaps my ass, then lowers his long body into the driver’s seat and slams the door.

  “See you tomorrow,” he says when he lowers the window.

  “See you.” I wave as he pulls away, and then return to the inn to make sure that all of the guests have had breakfast, and the ones leaving today are checked out. My cleaning crew is already here, working hard on the rooms. I have just enough time to take Sam to camp for a couple hours, then come home and get to work.

  It’ll be a busy day, but that’s good. It’ll keep my mind occupied on things that aren’t the fact that Rhys isn’t here.

  Because that’s just silly.

  “Are you ready, buddy?” I ask Sam as I bustle through the kitchen, tuck a box of Cheerios back into the pantry and set Sam’s bowl in the sink.

  “Yep! We get the puppy today!”

  “I know.” I smile and take his hand in mine, leading him to my car. “It was nice of Rhys to take us out yesterday to buy all of the things we’ll need.”

  “The puppy is going to like the plastic baseball the best,” he informs me.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because he’s my puppy.”

  “Oh, right. Of course.”

  Baseball camp is fun for the kids. They spend a few hours learning all of the basics, then play a short three-inning game. There are the usual falls and tiffs, and inevitably one of the boys bursts out in tears, but for the most part, it’s just fun.

  When they’re done, Sam and I drive just a few miles away to a parking lot where we’re meeting the lady with the puppy.

  “Oh, Mom, look!” Sam jumps out of the car and goes running to the smiling woman with the puppy in her arms. The dog is squirming, trying to break free and join Sam, but she holds him strong.

  “Hi there,” I say when I join them.

  “Hi. Well, Sam, what do you think?”

  “I think he’s awesome!” Sam is rubbing the pup’s ears gently. “He likes me.”

  “I think so too.” She passes the dog to my son, who laughs as he gets his face kissed, which really just makes my stomach turn.

  I’m pretty sure I know where that tongue has been.

  “That’s it, unless you have questions. But you have my number, so feel free to call if you need anything.”

  “Thanks.” I get the boy and his dog settled in the back seat and set off for home.

  In the short ten-minute drive, the dog has been in the front seat, the back seat, and returned to the front seat seventeen times.

  Seventeen.

  I’m relieved that we live on enough land that I’m not worried about Sam and the puppy playing in the yard. We also don’t live near a busy road, so Sam should be able to play with him without the leash.

  And that puppy definitely needs to burn off some steam.

  “What are you naming him?” I ask Sam.

  “Derek.”

  I choke, sputtering and laughing at the same time.

  “Derek? Why that?”

  “Because Derek Jeter retired, and I know I’m not a Yankees fan, but it’s all about respect, Mom.”

  “Ah,” I reply se
riously. “What if you called him Jeter?”

  “Jeter is a last name.” He rolls his eyes like I just don’t get it, making me smile more. “Derek is a first name.”

  “Okay, it’s your dog.” I hold my hands up in surrender, then lift the puppy into my arms, cuddling and nuzzling the sweet little guy. He really is adorable. He’s red in color, and his ears are almost as big as the rest of him. And oh, that sweet puppy smell. I might be a little in love with him myself. “Make sure he goes pee, then you can take him in and show him your room and the kitchen.”

  “Okay! Come on, Derek.”

  Derek.

  My kiddo is hilarious.

  I walk to my desk to fetch my iPad so I can open my scheduling program for the inn to double-check the guest list, who is staying where, and to see if anyone has booked online since yesterday afternoon.

  But it’s not on my desk. I check the kitchen, my bedroom, and even my car.

  Nothing.

  Where in the hell did I leave it? I’m crippled without it. I hate flying blind, not knowing which guests I’ve assigned to which room, and I definitely can’t take phone reservations without my scheduling program.

  My phone suddenly rings, and glancing down at it, it’s the same unknown caller again.

  “Hello?”

  There’s a long pause, and then the call ends.

  God, I hate that.

  Okay, Gabby, adjust your sails. You can’t find the iPad. What now?

  My computer. I can log into the program on my computer and use it there until I find the damn iPad.

  I hope.

  I try to log in, but it says my password is wrong. Did I forget it? I always use the same one: SAMSMOM.

  Nope, won’t let me sign in.

  What the freaking hell?

  I don’t have time to deal with this, so I call Beau.

  “Can I borrow your iPad? I can’t find mine.”

  “Sure, but I brought it to work with me.”

  “Great.” I hang my head in my hands. I’m going to have to fly blind as it is, at least until Beau gets home. “Will you please bring it to me when you get home?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks.” I hang up and suddenly hear a commotion coming from the kitchen.

  “Mom! Hurry!”

  I jump up, running for the kitchen and my phone rings again.