by Ruby Shae
“Who?” Heather asked.
“Fiona. Pink coat. I showed you her picture earlier and told you to let me know when she came in?”
“Oh, yeah! Sorry! She asked about you, but I told her you were busy!”
“You, what?” he yelled.
Luckily, the shop was empty.
Heather had graduated with honors, and she definitely had a brain, but sometimes she acted so clueless. Her carefree, flighty attitude drove Owen crazy. He’d only hired her because she needed a job, he needed an employee and his uncle needed a favor. Heather could be his first major mistake in his restructuring plan.
Heather’s eyes widened at his outburst, but her answer, and his anger, were interrupted by the bell on the door. What followed was a non-stop flow of people for the next hour and a half.
By the time the crowd dwindled, Heather’s shift was over and he forgot to ask her about Fiona before she left. The next few hours were spent showing Cynthia and Chris how to end a candy making day, including cleaning, locking up and securing the building for the night.
He didn’t think about Fiona again until he lay down in his bed, exhausted.
The sight of her huddled in her coat pulled at his heart.
Had she been hurt? Was she ill? Or had she been hiding from something? Or someone?
The last thought got him out of bed, ready to fight. He threw on his jeans and grabbed a clean t-shirt out of his drawer. He was determined to check on her, but when he picked up his keys off the nightstand, he noticed the time.
The clock read forty-five minutes after midnight, and they both had to work early in the morning. Fiona was probably fast asleep, the incident long forgotten, but he made a mental note to ask her about it when she visited him the following day. He stripped again, and climbed back in bed.
The day’s events cemented his decision about the new changes in his life.
He didn’t want to lay awake at night wondering about Fiona’s day, he wanted to look down at her wrapped in his arms and ask her. He didn’t want to dream about what it would be like to hold her, he wanted to feel her warmth against his skin and know she wasn’t going anywhere. He wanted to kiss her in his store, or anywhere he wanted, and he wanted to mark her perfect skin and let everyone know she belonged to him.
He wanted Fiona, and starting tomorrow, he would get his mate.
Chapter Two
The banging on her door continued long after the appropriate knocking time, and the voice calling her name grew louder. Fiona could hear everything, even though she’d covered her head with two pillows, and it wasn’t going to stop this time.
In the past, the knocker had waited around for five minutes and then left her in peace, but when the threat of a broken window was issued, she knew she couldn’t ignore the obnoxious noise anymore. Her best friend, Michelle, didn’t make false promises.
“Fine! I’m coming!” she yelled as she shuffled down the hallway toward the front of the house.
She knew Chelle had heard her response because the pounding and yelling immediately stopped. Anger bloomed at the realization that her friend knew her too well. She swung open the door with more force than necessary and the doorknob left a dent in the wall.
“What?” she barked.
“Well hello to you, too,” Chelle said. She then entered the foyer and shooed Fiona back inside and closed the door.
“Oh honey… Have you left the house at all?” she asked after a quick assessment.
Fiona ignored her and stomped into the kitchen. She knew her friend would follow.
“All I have is water,” she said, placing two bottles of room temperature water on the counter harder than necessary.
“Water is fine, but you know this isn’t a social call. You can’t stay holed up in here forever,” Chelle stated, matter-of-factly.
“I probably can,” Fiona retorted. “You can buy everything on-line these days. I don’t even have to go grocery shopping.”
“Sure, but how would you pay for it all? Jake pays you to sit at the front desk. I doubt he’ll let you work from home.”
“I’d have to find another job, obviously,” Fiona said, deadpan.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I know you’re hurting, but you need to get on with your life.”
“Why?” she said, raising her voice. “Why do I need to do anything? So another man can use me? No, thank you.”
Fiona knew her friend meant well, but she wasn’t ready to face the world yet.
“Sweetie,” Chelle said, gently, “I agree it was wrong of him to string you along, but you said yourself he never promised you anything. Besides, not all men are like that. You’ll find someone better. I know you don’t want to be alone for the rest of your life.”
“String me along? Never promised me anything? He knew how I felt about him and he blatantly lied by omission. Men can’t be trusted,” she huffed.
“When do you go back to work?” Chelle ignored her outburst.
“Tuesday. Jake graciously gave me the week off.”
She’d cried for hours after meeting Owen’s bride.
When she’d calmed down enough to link together a few coherent sentences, she’d called work. It’d been after five o’clock, and she’d left for her lunchtime walk and never returned. Embarrassed by her behavior, she’d claimed to be ill after hearing some devastating personal news. She’d apologized profusely, but didn’t elaborate on the details.
Jake had been sympathetic and told her to take the rest of the week off and get better. He and another mechanic, Tony, had even dropped off her car so she wouldn’t have to worry about picking it up.
Jake knew women. Her boss dated a different woman nearly every night of the week, and women were always hanging around the shop looking for discounts on car repairs. Fiona was certain he’d known she hadn’t been honest with him, but she appreciated his support.
“Good. Let’s go for a run.”
“Chelle,” she sighed, “I’m not ready.”
After her phone call with Jake, she’d called her bestie. Chelle had offered to bring food, ice cream and a shoulder to cry on, but Fiona refused with a promise to meet for a run the following day. The words had been a barefaced lie, and the woman had seen right through it.
If you don’t show up, I’m giving you three days. Then I’m coming to get you.
She hadn’t left the house, or answered her phone or door, in three days.
“Three days hiding in here is three days too many,” Chelle said. “You need to get some fresh air. You need to shift and run, and you need to change out of those pajamas.”
“I like these pajamas.”
“Well, then show some mercy and throw them in the wash before you have to throw them away.” Chelle waved her hand in front of her nose, and made a face as if she smelled something bad.
“Very funny,” Fiona said, rolling her eyes. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“I’m in no hurry, take all the time you need,” Chelle called after her in a serious voice, but then ruined the joke by bursting into laughter.
“Ha, ha, ha.”
Fiona looked at herself in the mirror, happy some of her anger had slipped away. Her friend had made some valid points, and it would be useless to try and fight with her anymore. Besides, the woman could be like a dog with a bone when she believed she was right about something.
As much as it hurt to face the truth, there was no reason for her to stay holed up in her home. She’d had a life before she’d met Owen, and his betrayal didn’t change that. She may not have a mate, or any prospects for one, but she had plenty of things to be grateful for. She didn’t need a mate to be happy.
After the shower, she went into her room to get dressed and noticed the calendar. They were already five days into the month of love. Valentine’s Day lingered in the background, ready to make its mark the following weekend.
A twinge of sadness returned as she thought about all the dreams she’d wasted on Owen.
As the own
er of a candy shop, Valentine’s Day was the busiest day of his year. She’d been silly to think that he would somehow make it special for her. Even if he were still single, work would be the only thing Owen Waverly would ever do on Valentine’s Day.
She wanted declarations of love, romance, and the promise of a memorable holiday year after year. She didn’t want to be working, or worse, home alone with the kids while her husband worked morning and night to fulfill other people’s dreams of a magical day.
In marrying another, Owen had saved her from a lifetime of disappointment.
She finally had something positive to focus on.
A Valentine’s Day as a single woman? That was something she could definitely do.
She might even be considered a professional.
***
Owen sat at his desk in the shop’s office and stared out the little window. Hundreds of people had walked past his tiny view to the outside world over the last few days, but none of them had been Fiona.
Snap!
The pencil he’d held in his hand snapped in two. Little pieces of yellow paint and tiny slivers of wood covered his palm.
Eight days.
He hadn’t spoken to Fiona in eight days. His plan to get his girl had been derailed.
When she didn’t come back to the shop on Wednesday, he’d driven by her work, but her car hadn’t been parked in its usual spot. He’d spotted her car in her driveway at home, but there’d been no response when he’d knocked and every phone call had gone unanswered.
After three days, he’d broken down and called her boss, Jake, only to be told she wasn’t in. When he’d asked about her return, Jake had given him a lecture about employee privacy in the workplace.
After four days, in an act of desperation, he’d parked across the street from her house and sat for hours waiting for any sign of her. He’d been about to give up when he saw Fiona and Chelle, her best friend, returning from a run.
The urge to leap out of his car, surround her and shield her from the world had been overwhelming, but he’d stayed put. He wanted to look at her, undetected, and what he saw made his heart hurt.
She’d looked like she’d lost some weight and her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her usual confident posture seemed guarded, and the missing bounce in her step had made her look weary. When they’d stepped under a street lamp, the dark circles under her eyes were prominent, even from a distance.
He’d decided she must have come down with something on Tuesday, and then spent the week trying to recover. He was grateful for Chelle, but he should’ve been the one taking care of her.
He’d failed her again.
After the women had safely disappeared inside the house, he’d driven home, certain he’d see her in the shop within the next couple of days.
She never came.
As he worked at his desk, every pink coat caught his eye, but none of them belonged to Fiona. The bright color was popular with the tourists, but he’d barely noticed them before now.
The only pink coat he’d ever noticed had been wrapped around his mate.
He couldn’t stand waiting anymore. The usual time for Fiona’s visit had long passed, and there still hadn’t been any sign of her. He left Dan in charge, and drove to Jake’s Auto Repair.
The sight of Fiona’s car sent his heart racing, and he parked next to her sedan and rushed inside the building.
“Hi, welcome to Jake’s Auto Repair. How can I help you?” she asked.
Her demeanor was calm and collected, as if unaffected by his presence, and he would have believed the act if he didn’t know her so well. He’d seen her startled expression when he first barreled through the door.
She was seated behind a tall counter and he towered over her.
Even though the fixture separated them, her mouth was level with his dick. Before he had time to think of something else, images of Fiona on her knees, pleasuring him, caused his cock to swell.
He was grateful for the privacy the fixture provided, and he thought about work, baseball, and how to make pizza dough to combat his lust. It had been working, too, until the pizza dough reference. Suddenly, his mind filled with images of her plump, round breasts, and he desperately wanted to massage the mounds in his hands.
A quick glance at her voluptuous chest let him know she wasn’t unaffected. She wore a silk, dark pink tank under an open black cardigan, and her nipples stood at attention under the tank. Owen took it as a good sign and smiled, only to be met with a cold stare when he looked her in the eye again.
Fiona pulled her cardigan tight around her front, blocking the gorgeous view.
“What are you doing here, Owen?” Her icy inquiry left him confused.
“I came to see you,” he stated simply. “I haven’t seen you in the shop all week, and I’ve been worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Yeah, I’m great. Thanks for checking on me. Now if you don’t mind, I have work to do.” She turned slightly toward her computer screen and dismissed him.
He wasn’t ready to leave, but Jake had been watching their exchange with interest and Owen had no desire to start anything with the man, especially after his lecture on employee safety. Jake was a great employer and he didn’t want to cause any trouble for Fiona, especially if she wanted to keep working after they got together.
“Will you come to the shop tomorrow?”
Valentine’s Day was in four days, and he still hadn’t asked about her plans. He’d waited so long, she probably already had a date, but he still wanted to make his intentions known. If he couldn’t do it on Valentine’s Day, then another day would work, but clearly not today. Though he wasn’t sure why, he was definitely getting the cold shoulder.
She picked up a stack of papers and moved them from the left side of her screen to the right. It was a planned move, and he got the feeling she was covering up something.
“No, I won’t be visiting anymore. I’m giving up chocolate.” She said the words carefully, as if she’d rehearsed the sentence a million times, and he knew she hadn’t been honest.
“Then what’s that?” He pointed to the brown wrapper sticking out from the stack of papers she’d moved. It was a popular store bought candy bar wrapper.
“Well,” she sighed, looking at him pointedly. “I’m giving up Waverly chocolate.”
Giving up Waverly chocolate? Was she giving up on him?
Owen opened his mouth to respond, but no words formed. They stared at each other until Jake came over and broke the silence.
“Everything okay here, Fiona?”
The man directed the question to his employee, but he kept his focus on Owen. It was a subtle challenge, but one he didn’t want, nor was he ready for. Fiona’s statement had turned his world upside down and he had no response for either of them.
“Yeah. Mr. Waverly was just leaving.”
In the past, she’d never spoken to him with anything but warmth, but for the second time that day, she delivered the words with ice. He didn’t understand her change of attitude, and his heart ached at the possibility that he was too late.
“Yeah, I’m leaving now,” he said. “Sorry to bother you both.”
He drove back to the candy store and thought about the last time he’d seen Fiona. She’d been hunched over, as if ill, and she’d thrown out the candy she’d purchased minutes before. Heather had said she’d asked about him, but nothing more.
He had a feeling his dingbat cousin left out a few things.
Chapter Three
“Come on, you know it’s a great idea,” Chelle pleaded.
“No way, I’m through with men.”
“Fiona…,” her friend searched for the right words. “I don’t want you to be alone on Valentine’s Day.”
“I’ve been alone on Valentine’s Day many times. It’s not a big deal,” she reasoned.
“It’s a big deal this time and you know it.”
Seeing Owen the day before had been a struggle.
When he’d leaned over the desk, he’d towered over her, sending her pulse into overdrive. His nearness, combined with his arrogant acknowledgement of how much she wanted him, brought back some of her depression from the previous week. It seemed as if he only stopped in to remind her of the situation and embarrass her.
She’d spent most of her work day watching the door, ready to run to the restroom and hide if he came in again, and the thought of accidentally running into him while on her daily walk, or doing anything else she enjoyed, shadowed her every decision.
Time would heal her wounds, and she’d regain her confidence, but she felt trapped and uncomfortable. Suddenly, Shadow Ridge felt more like a prison than a home.
Her boss’ obsession with Valentine’s Day was a mixed blessing.
Every year, Jake threw a huge private party to celebrate, and as a result he closed the shop and gave his employees two paid days off sometime around the holiday. This year the fourteenth fell on a Sunday, and the two extra days off, combined with her regular non-working days, meant she had a four day weekend. A long weekend wasn’t something she would normally complain about, but this year she felt more alone than usual.
Her desire to avoid Owen and his new bride, combined with her shaky confidence, meant a difficult few days lay ahead. Hiding out at home for four more days held little appeal, but could she go on a blind date on the most romantic day of the year?
Apparently, it happened all the time and the Matchmaker had a thriving business because of it.
The Matchmaker was an elderly bear who resided in Shadow Creek, the town where Fiona grew up. The premise was simple: pair two people together and send them on a date. There wasn’t an application process or a compatibility questionnaire involved, just a set-up fee. If the fee was paid, a date was offered.
Most matches resulted in nothing more than an evening spent with someone to talk to, rather than being alone, but she’d never heard anyone complain about their match. The woman had several repeat customers, and once in a while, the match would turn into something more.
“You can see Caleb again,” Chelle prodded in a sing-song voice.
