He recalled going into the store, when he’d still been relatively new in Divine, and still in the start-up phase of his beekeeping business. He’d been looking for handyman work to fill his time and provide income while his beehives had gone through their first successful season. It’d felt right when he walked in and met Clay Cook, and he’d bartered with him for an engagement ring for Chloe. Clay had bartered with him to repair an older, slightly damaged car, which the woman who would eventually become his wife had crashed into Clay’s storefront a couple of years before.
He looked down at his key ring and saw the engagement ring. Because of the wear and tear from his keys, the ring was in need of cleaning and polishing. That was what he got for putting it on his keychain but he’d wanted to be ready if she ever came back.
Shaking his head at his stupidity, he pulled the keys from the ignition. He removed the engagement ring from the key ring, rifled around in the glove box for the little box it had come in. He slid it back into its little slot and tucked the box back in the bottom of the glove box and climbed from the truck. He’d decide what to do with the ring later.
Inside the quaint Hill Country jewelry store, Beck grinned as Lily bustled out of the back, pulling her work apron over her head.
“Hi, Beck! You didn’t have to come today. I know you’ve been down with the flu.”
He smiled as he placed her order on the glass-topped counter in front of her. “I’m better now. I’ve been cooped up at the house working. To be honest, I welcomed the chance to get out of there for a while. I hurt so bad I couldn’t move for two weeks and I just got…”
Lily gave him a knowing smile. “Sick of being sick? Clay was the same way when he came down with it last month. Thank you,” she said, her voice filled with appreciation, as she opened the box and removed the pint-sized jar of honey. “Your bees make the best honey. Are you making any extra products this summer? I’m out of my jasmine-scented body balm.”
He nodded. “I’m planning to add some new scents, too. I’ll let you know when I have them ready. Thanks for suggesting Duke and Gage. They’ve done a great job with the website.”
“You’re welcome. So you’re feeling better? You look like you’ve lost weight and you’re awfully pale.” The concern in her eyes made him uncomfortable. She’d never said anything to him regarding the ring he’d bartered for although she knew Chloe had rejected him. Instead of the hurt that usually chased that memory, he only felt fatigued and ready to not feel that way anymore. “You look like you could use some homemade chicken noodle soup. I could bring you some.” Her tone implied that she meant it.
“I don’t want you going to all that trouble for me, Lily,” he said as he tilted his neck to alleviate some of the stiffness.
“You know Lucy’s new place is opening tomorrow,” Lily suggested softly. “I’ll bet a massage would do you a world of good.”
“I’m not really the ‘spa’ type.”
Lily chuckled. “It’s not like that at all. She’s downtown next to her brother Seth’s place. It’s called A Divine Retreat but it’s not girlie, like you’re thinking. It’s therapeutic massage. I stopped in to have a look and I think you’d be comfortable there. I know, I’m probably prying and should hush up. I just hate seeing you hurting.”
Beck paused for a second, appreciating her concern more than he could express. But he knew what would happen if he got a massage. It was hard to teach old dogs new tricks and this old dog only knew one trick where massages were concerned.
“Tell you what…I’ll give it some thought. I’ll let you know when I have the beeswax products ready.”
They said good-bye and he drove across the parking lot and pulled into the drive-thru at Divine Drip. He hadn’t had any of Cassie’s breakfast tacos since before he’d gotten sick. She made fantastic breakfast tacos and homemade sausage kolaches which at the moment sounded just as therapeutic as chicken soup to him. And she made the best coffee around. He slowed to a halt at the order window and greeted Cassie as she slid it open.
“Hey! I heard you were sick, Beck.” She sounded genuinely happy to see him. The smile on his face felt odd, out of place, and he realized it was because he wasn’t in the habit of smiling much lately. But these ladies kept being happy to see him and it did sort of warm his heart.
He felt sincere when he said, “I’m feeling much better now, Cassie. Things going good around here?”
“Business has been brisk lately. Want your usual?” Beck nodded and looked in his rearview mirror.
An even bigger smile crossed his lips as he noticed Lucy’s little ruby red SUV pull in right behind him. Her hair was a wild, wavy mane around her shoulders and she had on a pair of white round-framed sunglasses. He caught the smile on her sexy glossy pink lips and the way she waggled her fingers at him from her grip on her steering wheel. He gave her a little wave back.
“Hey, Cassie? You know what Lucy usually orders when she comes here?”
“She orders pretty much the same thing every time. Coffee and a breakfast taco.”
“She just pulled in behind me. Will you add her order to mine when you ring me up?”
Cassie’s smile lit up the drive-thru window. “Aren’t you the sweetest thing? I’d be happy to do that. Want me to give her a message for you?” she asked speculatively, her eyes twinkling with merriment.
Warmth filled his cheeks. He was running into matchmakers every-damn-where he went. “No, that’s all right. Just tell her it’s from Beck.”
Cassie nodded and went to work, chatting with him through the open window. “You know her new massage place opens up tomorrow, right? She gave me a massage at Christmastime and I felt like melted butter afterward. You should go see her and let her fix you up.”
More heat crept up his neck as he envisioned himself receiving a massage from Lucy. “Yeah, I heard about that.” His cock stiffened a little as he imagined the sparkle in Lucy’s eyes and her quick smile. Even though he’d been a dickhead lately, she’d smiled at him when she pulled up behind him.
He’d been disappointed when she’d had to leave the night before to help with her nephew, Toby, even though she clearly hadn’t wanted to. His reaction had been nearly impossible to control when she’d snuggled her toned, lush body against his and inhaled deeply. There was no mistaking her breathing him in like that and his cock had reacted. The thought had kept circling his mind, as always, that she was Patrick’s but his body clearly thought otherwise.
Even more enlightening last night had been the unexpected lack of guilt he felt at her touch. Whenever she’d hugged him or shown affection in the past, he’d envisioned a pair of loving brown eyes—Chloe’s eyes—and Lucy’s touch had made him feel guilty.
Even though he’d enjoyed Lucy’s company, there had always been a part of his heart that he’d declared off-limits to her through no fault of her own.
Where’s that gotten you?
She’d called later in the evening to let them know that one of the tendons in Seth’s left hand had been completely severed while doing a home repair. Beck cringed inwardly at the thought of the surgery he was having later that afternoon in Morehead to reattach the tendon and repair the damage. Lucy wound up taking Toby home and spending the night with them to help that morning.
That was Lucy. Always taking care of everyone. He saw it in the way she soothingly rubbed backs when she was with her friends—except for his. He’d stopped her once, several months before when she’d attempted it and she’d never repeated the action since. That memory made him feel like a total asshole even though she hadn’t seemed surprised by his rejection. He knew it for what it was. He wouldn’t let himself grow attached to her because his heart had been holding on to a love that was long gone. Those brown eyes he always saw were nothing more than a memory. A painful memory.
“Beck?” Cassie inquired, gently rousing him from his thoughts.
“Huh? Oh, sorry.”
He paid the bill and Cassie smiled and waved as she began putti
ng Lucy’s order together, and he pulled away. He had the momentary impulse to pull over and go tell Lucy good morning before she went on her way but she’d probably think he was an idiot for doing that. She had to get to work and he’d already held up the line long enough.
He watched in the rearview mirror as she pulled up and spoke to Cassie and then smiled brightly and focused her gaze on his truck. His heart did a little happy dance as she kissed her fingertips and waved at him. Score one point for the horndog! He waved back and went on his way. As he made the turn back out onto Main Street, he caught a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror and was taken aback by the purely idiotic grin he wore on his face.
He headed back out of Divine to the house, contemplating his next move. He could afford to take a couple of hours off that morning if need be. It was still a bit too early in the day to be working near the hives. The girls got in a dither if he worked with the hives too early in the day and he was all about accommodating his girls. He thought about accommodating another girl and pulled over on the side of the road as he took his cell phone out of his pocket. He knew just who to call for advice. A minute later the call connected.
Lily Cook’s voice came on the line and Beck said, “Hey, Lily, it’s Beck. I need a recommendation from you.”
“Sure. What for?” The smile in her voice brought one to his face as well. He was going a little sappy lately.
“Can you tell me where I could get a good haircut and shave in this town?”
She suggested a couple of places he could call for an appointment. After he wrote down the information, he dialed the number and made an appointment for the following day.
He nearly continued on his way after ending that call. He looked down the road that led to his house, pondering the fact that he’d walked to Lucy’s house when he’d been heartbroken, sick, and probably at the lowest point of his life. Patrick was right. There was a part of him that had been reaching for her.
He dialed the number and waited for the call to connect.
“A Divine Retreat. How may I help you?” The familiar voice was like honey, sweet and sexy, sliding across his senses.
“Hey, boss lady. I hear you give a mean massage.”
* * * *
Lucy hung up the phone, a little stunned. “What the hell am I supposed to do with that?” she asked to herself in the relative quiet of her tiny office.
“You say something, Miss Carter?” Lucas Abbott asked as he poked his head around the doorframe. He smiled at her, realizing he’d startled her. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure if you were talking to me or not.” His green gaze and the smile on his lips were flirtatious and she smiled back, but didn’t flirt. Life was complicated enough right now.
“No. I just have a customer coming in, that’s all. Are you done in the back room for now?”
“Sure. We’re waiting on a couple of cosmetic fixtures for the bathroom but I won’t have them until later this afternoon, so you could use the room if you want to. You have a customer coming in even before the shop is opened?”
“Yeah, it’s a friend. It’s a good thing the health inspection is already completed. How close are we to being done?”
“Josh and I should be finished as soon as he gets back with those wrought iron pieces for the bathroom. We’ll install them after you finish with your customer and we can call this job done. Nothing like working right down to the wire, is there?” he asked with a smile.
Lucy chuckled as she picked up the stack of CDs from the table by her desk. “Yeah. I have to get things rolling as fast as I can to stay within my budget.” Her last appointment at Madeleine’s had been two weeks before so she was on a shoestring budget for the time being. Seth kept asking how she was doing money-wise, and offering to help her until she got on her feet, but she wanted to do this all on her own.
“My sister said she made an appointment with you for later this week. She was excited that you’d moved from Madeleine’s over into your new place. One of the stylists over there has some kind of grudge against her or something and she didn’t much care for going in there except to see you.”
“Yeah. Women can be catty sometimes. I’m really glad to be on my own.”
Another flirtatious grin crossed his handsome face as Lucas leaned against her office door. “I might even have to make an appointment with you. All this construction work is hard on the body sometimes.”
Lucy nodded, ignoring the handsome devil’s flirting. “I’d be happy to make an appointment for you. I have several male customers who work in physically demanding jobs who get a regular massage. I’d even give you a discount.” She heard the front door to the shop open.
“I wouldn’t expect you to do that just starting out in your business. I’ll be sure and make an appointment with you before we leave later today.” He looked in the direction of the front door and then turned back to her, a slight frown appearing on his face before he smiled again, and said, “I’m running out for an early lunch and I’ll check in with you when you’re done. Want me to lock up so no one will come in while you’re busy?”
She nodded as she approached the doorway and Lucas turned to leave. She watched as he sauntered to the front and nodded at Beck as he passed him. She could feel the tension between the two men. Beck looked grim as he dipped his chin curtly and then turned his gaze to her.
The smile that curved his lips when his eyes met hers transformed his face and reminded her of the “old” days. When he told a joke or said something to make her laugh—when he wasn’t pissing her off. Beck could do that to her like no one else. Sometimes she thought he said stuff to her just to get her riled up. Right then, he just seemed pleased to see her. She was glad she was holding the CD cases to help disguise the way her hands were shaking as he filled the small hallway that led from the waiting area to her office and the smaller of the two massage rooms.
She backed up against one wall and looked up at him as he leaned against the other wall, their bodies nearly brushing against each other but not quite. She wanted to reach out and stroke his chest through his blue plaid flannel shirt and a wave of heat swamped her and her nipples hardened as she looked into his green eyes. How could anybody not want to be with him, even as flawed as he was? He emanated a raw energy that made her tremble to her core. An errant thought implanted in her mind. Once he claimed a woman, she was his. And for the right woman he’d do anything, change anything, be everything for her, if she could claim him.
You’ve been reading too many romance novels. Put that shit on hold! Here’s your chance to work some things out. No lusting for him in a private setting. You know where that would lead.
“H–Hi.” She felt a blush spread over her cheeks when her voice squeaked a little.
“Thank you for fitting me in.”
The mild heat in her cheeks raged into an inferno as she imagined other ways she wanted to fit him in. “You’re welcome.” She brushed her hair back behind her ears and then realized her hand was still shaking and quickly put it back down at her side.
“Come with me.” Lord, girl, choose your words more judiciously if you don’t want your cheeks to catch on fire!
He followed her into the dim confines of the back room, which was set up to accommodate a couple, with romantic furnishings and light-blocking shades behind drapes that created a warm, intimate mood. He stopped and pointed back at the smaller, barren massage room which wasn’t decorated and prepared yet. That was her job once Josh and Lucas Abbott had the hardware for the curtains and shades installed. “You’re not using that room?”
“It’s not ready yet,” she murmured as she busied herself switching on the electric fireplace and lighting scented candles.
“Y–You don’t have to go through all this romantic mood-setting. I just feel like hell and everyone keeps telling me that you might be able to help work some of the kinks out.”
She recognized his hunted tone only too well. This was how he got anytime he felt like he was moving into an intimate situation aroun
d her. It was the reason why she and Patrick had taken things slow. Now that she knew a little about what had happened, she didn’t back off but she turned to him and looked him in the eye.
“I just want to provide you with an atmosphere that will help to take your mind off your aches and pains. I’m not trying to do anything else, Beck. Just relax. Sit down.”
Surprisingly, he did as she asked while she sorted the CDs and placed them in the CD changer. Soft guitar music with a Spanish flair began to play over speakers the Abbotts had installed on the walls around the room and she smiled at the overall effect.
“Who was that guy you were talking to?”
She smiled at the hint of possessiveness in his tone. “Lucas Abbott. I hired Abbott & Sons to do the construction work I needed done to open A Divine Retreat.”
Beck grunted as he sat back in the chair and crossed his ankle over his knee, framing that sexy body of his in a way that stirred the warm hunger growing inside her. “Seems cocky.”
Lucy bit her lip to hide her smile. So Mr. “Stonewall” O’Malley wasn’t impervious to a little jealousy. “He’s a nice guy. They’ve done good work at a fair price but they weren’t my first choice.”
“Oh yeah?” His tone caught her attention and she spied him staring at her ass as she reached into a low cabinet for a soft cloth cover for the face cradle on the massage table. His sensual smile as he gazed at her made her pussy tingle. Then he caught her watching him and glanced away as he shifted in his seat and tugged at the leg of his jeans.
“Yes. I would’ve liked to have given you the business, but there was no way with you being so sick and I needed the work done fast.”
He smiled at her and said, “I wish I could’ve done the job for you.” He rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “Actually, I know his brother, Josh. I’ve heard that Abbott & Sons does good work and they have an excellent reputation in the community. You chose well.”
She pulled back the lightweight cover and sheet on the table closest to the fireplace and said, “Thanks for buying me breakfast this morning.”
Lucy's Revenge [Divine Creek Ranch 15] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 8
