Blake told her about the wildlife, the swimming holes, and his favorite spots to visit. Stacey watched as his lips formed each memorable sentence, his eyes fixed on her. He had a light stubble running along the edge of his jawline, emphasizing his strength even as his voice underscored his gentleness. Though she’d only known him for a few days, she could imagine knowing him for years.
Then he cut one of his stories short and checked his watch. “I should head back to the store. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?”
She didn’t want their conversation to end, but she nodded anyway. “Sure thing. I’ll see you then. And thanks for the coffee.”
“Anytime.”
He sprang up, and she watched him walk away. It was his fault for having a body that was so easy to stare at. Those denim jeans…that muscled torso. She ripped her eyes away and traced them along the rim of her coffee cup just to have something else to look at.
Chapter Four
The alarm went off sooner than Stacey would’ve liked. But it was fine because it meant she’d see Blake again. She’d be working alongside him that day, and she couldn’t wait.
The evening after their coffee rendezvous had been quiet, although the dreamy thoughts lingered long after he’d returned to work. She’d read about the geological formations in Hawaii, and she’d browsed pictures online, enjoying its majestic beauty and sun-kissed land with soft, gentle beaches and green cliffs. It wasn’t hard to imagine herself there with Blake.
He’d show her all the places he’d spoken about, and then, after their first glorious day there together, she’d kiss him tenderly on the beach, under the shade of a giant palm as the ocean breeze washed over their bodies.
As she got ready for work that day, she recalled her wild daydreams from the night before and scolded herself. She’d longed to feel this way about a man, of course, to think he could be this wonderful, but she didn’t know all that much about Blake. When he next went to Hawaii, he’d likely go with his friend again, if he didn’t take Lori.
Lori. She wondered how he could stand to be around that woman. They had to have been partners for years, given how long the business had existed. How could he let her act that way? How could he ever have gotten married to someone so selfish and cold, someone who treated him that way?
Stacey turned on the faucet and stepped under the warmth of the shower while reminding herself that it wasn’t her place to judge anyone, not even Lori. After all, everyone had a story that no one else knew anything about. Unless she’d walked in Lori’s shoes, metaphorically speaking, she couldn’t begin to judge. She reminded herself of her dad’s advice: “You don’t have to like someone’s behavior. You just have to try and see it from an eagle’s perspective.”
It sometimes helped to guess what they might’ve faced in their lifetime, to get a perspective of what challenges they had dealt with. Stacey tried to imagine what could have made Lori so…Lori. Maybe a family member had passed away, or a close friend might’ve moved. She couldn’t imagine that Lori, if she was married to Blake, could have any problem with him. He was a perfectly-packaged gentleman. Even if she was just his sister or cousin, she couldn’t be upset at Blake, unless she was mad at the universe for making him a near relative.
Ultimately, it wasn’t her problem to work out, and Stacey tried to focus on getting herself organized. It was nearly half-past seven. She needed to leave in five more minutes just to make the short walk to work on time.
She raced out of her apartment door with a minute to spare. As she hurried along the sidewalk, she had to laugh at how she’d wasted away the morning in yet another daydream, only this one about Lori and her past. Her imagination had always been that way. It was the most time-consuming facet of her life, her overactive imagination. Her dad used to say she could travel places without going anywhere, just by thinking and dreaming her way there, and it was true.
She could see the last corner in the distance. It was already crowded with executives and employees making their way to their workplaces, wherever they might be. Manhattan was a busy place, even this early on a weekday. Then her phone rang from its place in her purse. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she stopped for a moment to check it. It was a phone call from a number she didn’t recognize. She almost let it go to voicemail, then stopped and answered it.
“Hi, Stacey? This is Blake. You’re probably on your way to work now, but…there’s been a change of plans. Meet me at the police station on Twenty-Ninth and Division when you can.”
Stacey’s mind raced. The police station? “Why? What’s wrong?”
“There’s been a robbery at the store. I can’t talk right now. I’ll explain when you get here. Thanks.”
Then he was gone. She stared at the screen for a few minutes before pulling up the map to figure out whether she could walk there, all the while wondering what had happened. How much had been stolen? Would the company go bankrupt? She’d already clipped the tags off the clothes she’d bought, so she hoped her job wasn’t going anywhere.
She told herself not to worry. He hadn’t sounded distraught, just frustrated and tense, but that was to be expected. It concerned a jewelry store, and a robbery was never a good thing, but surely they’d be insured. They wouldn’t go bankrupt, though they might lose a few one-of-a-kind pieces, and she’d probably still have her job. Otherwise, Blake wouldn’t have asked her to the police station. He’d have told her to simply go home and not come back.
The location was a bit further than walking distance. She decided to hire a cab to get there in a timely fashion. Though her new shoes could’ve managed, her feet would surely suffer for it, and Blake was probably waiting for her. There might be some mundane task she could do that would help with the insurance processing or whatever a company had to do after losing inventory this way, and she wanted to be there to help.
The cab ride took about ten minutes—she spent it with her phone out in case Blake called again. When she opened the door, she found Blake waiting outside with two coffees in hand, but she almost didn’t recognize him. His trademark smile was gone. He looked worried and tired, and Stacey wished she could make him feel better, but she couldn’t go back in time and stop the robbery like some superhero from a movie. This was real life, after all.
She climbed the steps with her head down in an attempt to prepare herself, and when she reached him, he handed her a coffee. “Nothing fancy, but it’ll wake us up.”
“I’m so sorry…I can’t imagine what you and Lori are going through.” She wished she could wrap her arms around him, but she had to remain professional, despite whatever she felt.
“Thanks. I got the alarm call pretty early—three in the morning. Whoever did it, did it fast. They went after the estate stuff mainly. The windows are being repaired as we speak.”
“Have you gotten any rest since?”
“No. I probably couldn’t even if I had the time to. There’s just so much to do.”
Stacey decided that was why he’d asked her to come. He was tired and needed someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t going through hysterics like Lori probably was. He wanted a sympathetic ear who didn’t want him to fill out paperwork or come up with possible suspects.
Still, Stacey wanted to do more. “Do you need me to go to the store? If the window guys take a break, shouldn’t we have extra people there to guard it?” It sounded ridiculous, she realized immediately after. She wasn’t anywhere close to a trained security guard, and she wouldn’t intimidate anyone.
For a moment, he didn’t look quite so tired. “Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. Lori’s there now, but she could probably use the help. She’s been texting me constantly while trying to get in touch with the insurance people. She’s pretty upset—she might bite your head off.”
Stacey regretted offering, now that she knew Lori was there, but Blake needed her and she couldn’t back out now. “Go home,” she said. “Get some sleep. You can’t function like this, and I’m fresh and ready to go. Don’t worry, I won�
��t take it personally if she’s upset.”
“Okay, but I want you to know that I owe you way more coffee after this.” He moved away a step or two and turned back, as though he didn’t want to leave. “The next few days will be tough…I need to get organized. I’ll see you tomorrow, if not later today.” He looked down at her and smiled, truly smiled. “Thanks, Stace. For everything.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and she wrapped her fingers around her coffee cup just to keep from hugging him. She loved the shortened version of her name said that way. It rolled off his tongue so smoothly. But she couldn’t admit to any of that, of course, so she just said, “Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about the store. Lori and I will take care of it.”
By the time she reached the shop, she was in complete superhero mode—well, her version of it, anyway. She’d do just about anything for Blake, the man who always bought her coffee and treated her with importance. There was just something about him.
She took a deep breath as she stood outside the store. The door was completely devoid of any glass, an empty frame that felt so strange to simply walk through. Fortunately, it was a nice day out, so having the air conditioning off didn’t bother anyone. It felt strange to say, but weather wise, it was the ideal day for it to happen.
Lori was at the counter, looking at some paperwork, and for the first time since Stacey had met her, she seemed human. She was still professionally dressed in a purple sweater and palazzo pants, but she looked stressed and exhausted. Frazzled, as though her perfect life had just caught a major snag.
“Blake told me about the robbery,” Stacey said. “What can I do to help?”
For a moment, Lori just looked at her, and Stacey hoped she wasn’t going to be in trouble for being late. After all, it wasn’t eight a.m., though she didn’t know exactly what time it was.
“You can get me coffee,” Lori said. “Then you can tell those jerkoffs to fix my door this year. Oh, and if you can get the insurance guy to show up before three, that’d be great. If you need me, I’ll be laid out on the floor from exhaustion.”
One of the glaziers looked at Stacey with widened eyes. She knew exactly what he meant. Lori had probably yelled at them a few times since they’d arrived, never mind that it was probably their first job of the day. The glazier shook his head and rolled his eyes. She tried not to laugh. He looked about nineteen years old and was obviously trying to make the day a bit more interesting while he waited for the guy on a ladder to measure something. He looked bored.
“I’ll get coffee, and you can go and lie down in the back for a while,” Stacey said. “I can handle things here.”
“You know what, I will. Otherwise, my skin’s going to start peeling from all the stress. Decaf then. If a customer comes in, don’t mention the robbery. Just say we’re doing renovations. It’s nobody’s business anyway. And if someone named Chuck calls, tell him I’ll get back to him on Monday. Tell him I’m in a meeting with a corporate client or something. Okay, coffee, then I’m asleep until lunchtime.”
Lori took a step forward, adding, “Those window guys need constant monitoring. I think the gray-haired man is trying to swindle us by doing a rush job so he can get out of here. Be assertive, Stacey.”
Stacey felt relieved when Lori finally disappeared behind the curtain. With the sudden quiet, her mind drifted back to Blake. She hoped he was getting some much needed sleep. She wondered what he’d have thought of the situation, whether he’d find it half as stressful if he didn’t have to deal with Lori on top of the robbery.
While waiting on the coffee maker, she picked up another magazine, this one featuring men showing off expensive watches and chains alongside their trim physiques and perfectly chiseled features. Her mind wandered to Blake again, to how he’d looked at the mall in that breezy outfit. He was no body builder, but she could tell he took care of himself. He was the guy she’d like to see in a magazine, on every page—she wouldn’t mind…dressed in denim, in a suit, in shorts, even in swimwear with his shirt off, his chest bare and his dark eyes sparkling.
Then Lori’s voice drifted from her office. “Are you actually traveling to Jamaica for that coffee? For goodness sake, Stacey. I’m waiting here.”
Stacey snapped herself back to the present moment. She set the magazine down and rushed the decaf coffee to Lori, apologizing profusely. Lori just rolled her eyes and took possession of her long-awaited mug. To judge from how she could barely keep her eyes open, she probably was going to sleep until noon, coffee or no.
Even so, she wasn’t done giving orders. “Do not wake me a minute earlier than twelve. Otherwise, I won’t keep up at the Donnatelli’s dinner party tonight.”
Stacey kept her demeanor professional as Lori collapsed onto the couch. Then she walked back out through the curtain to the front, where she was finally alone with the glaziers and her thoughts.
After a few minutes, one of the workers, Danny, according to his nametag, handed her a sheet of paper. “We’ll be done before lunch. Um, here’s the invoice for Ms. Tomlinson. I’m sorry you have to work with her.”
Stacey cringed. Lori was a ways away, but people like her had a way of overhearing things, sleeping or awake. “Did she ask you to write ‘Ms.’ on the invoice?” Stacey asked.
“Yeah, she said to make it out to Ms. Lori Tomlinson and Mr. Blake Tomlinson of Tomlinson Jewelers. Did I spell it wrong?”
Stacey looked down and read it for herself. “It looks perfect. Thank you.”
“No problemo. I’d better go help my dad. We got another job after this one. Some furniture store not too far from here.”
“Another robbery?”
“No, they want a bigger window. Remodeling.”
That was relieving. Thankfully, there was more to the world than thieves and robberies, and maybe, just maybe, Blake was single. It was still going to be a rough day, but she felt like she’d stepped in a patch of sunlight, just for the moment, and she intended to enjoy it while it lasted.
Chapter Five
Later that evening, just as she was almost done with work for the day, Stacey received a text from Blake. Can you meet me at the station again please?
Stacey’s heart fluttered as she read it and then reread it, searching for every intent and meaning. It had been an exhausting day with Lori and the sorry-for-running-fifteen-minutes-late insurance guy. Lori had been absolutely furious with the whole situation, and fifteen “ridiculous minutes” was the topic of a diatribe that lasted for about that long. She could use a friendly face, and she couldn’t think of a friendlier one than Blake’s.
Lori was still at the store when she left, scrutinizing the glaziers’ work and talking to one of her girlfriends on the work phone, despite what she’d said about that phone and personal calls. Stacey shook her head as she walked out the door. She was just glad to get away. It had been a long and emotionally exhausting day.
Since there wasn’t a rush this time, she decided to walk. Riding in a cab during rush hour didn’t sound all that appealing. When she arrived, Blake stood there as though he’d never left. He, of course, had two cups of coffee in his hands again. She paid the cab and walked up the steps, a smile of her own brightening her face as the gentle fluttering of familiar butterflies began to warm up. It was a great feeling, less nervousness and more welcoming each time she saw him.
“You’ll be happy to know I had a big nap and found more coffee,” he said. “How did your day go with Lori?”
Stacey exhaled. She’d been fighting against judging Lori all day, and now she felt like she could let loose. It all spilled out.
Blake chuckled, looking much better-rested. “I figured as much. She probably needed that nap as much as I did. I’m glad to hear she wasn’t too rough on you.”
“The new door glass looks good. The guys were fast and professional, despite whatever Lori might tell you.”
“Yeah, Lori already sent me some messages saying they were ‘annoyingly quick’ and that some young guy was disrespectful,
but she isn’t always the best gauge of these kinds of things.” He gestured to Stacey’s cup. “This one’s a dark roast. Before long, we’ll have tried all the flavors.”
Stacey liked the way that sounded, as there were plenty to choose from. He’d asked her to come to the precinct again, so there had to be a good reason, but she wasn’t sure how to ask him. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had plans for them after doing whatever they had to do there, but without anything more to go on, she sipped her coffee and let him take the lead.
“Thanks for coming by again. Apparently, they need an employee to sign a statement to verify the store’s hours and attest to there being an alarm system. Do you mind? It should only take a few minutes. Jinese’s not working today, so I thought I’d ask you.”
“Oh, sure.” Stacey tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. Not everything could be coffee dates and Hawaiian vacations. She followed Blake inside. They walked down a long corridor until they reached a room where an officer was sitting, sipping a cup of hot soup that had a strange smell.
“She’s here,” Blake said to the officer, who turned out to be Sergeant Porter, a large man with a mustache. “We’ll fill everything out and get out of your hair.”
Sergeant Porter tapped his spoon against the side of the bowl. “Sure thing. Take your time. I’m just eating my dinner early. Sometimes you don’t know when the next call will come in.”
Stacey sat down, and Blake sat next to her, closer than he had to, as though he wanted to be near her. He smelled like a masculine mixture of mint and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It certainly wasn’t a classic “man smell,” but she liked it. She convinced herself it wasn’t just because of the man wearing it.
She’d brought up another one of Blake’s cologne scents to Tiffany when they had talked a few nights ago. Normally, she’d think it was an odd topic to discuss, but for some reason it seemed to fit. Stacey could imagine Tiffany rolling her eyes anytime she brought up Blake. Tiffany was probably sick of hearing about him by now.
All That Glitters Page 3
