The Handy Men

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  Stephanie was an idiot.

  While she wasn’t Stephanie, Paige did have a lot riding on this opening. Not to mention the endless aggravation her parents would give her if she crashed and burned. She couldn’t afford to fail. But she wasn’t going to hide anything from them—she just wasn’t going to offer any information about her sex life. It’s not as if her parents enjoyed talking about that part of her life anyway.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t mean that no one else was talking about it. It seemed whenever they went out around the island, someone was whispering behind their hands. It didn’t help the gossip that Jack and Dean insisted on kissing her good-bye when they left on the ferry to go home during the day to check on things. Paige knew the longshoremen talked with their wives about it. Caillie frowned at them in the town square, but Paige managed to avoid her when she shopped for the last minute things she needed to make the grand opening perfect.

  Most of the time, Jack and Dean slept over at the inn because it was easier to get started on what had to be done. But they all took some time out to relax as well, spending a few nights together at their place in Port Hamilton. It had felt good to get off the island and away from all the knowing looks and gossip. One night, they even took Jack and Dean’s boat into Long Island Sound. Out on the water, there was no one else around, so they walked the deck naked until it grew too cold, and then they went below decks to end the night off with more uninhibited lovemaking.

  All in all, it was a great two weeks and she was having the time of her life. They pushed her sexual boundaries and made her try things she’d never even fantasized about. It was like a new life. She was really beginning to like the after-divorce Paige. The Nutmeg Inn was getting a fresh start and so was she.

  It would have been the best time of her life, if she didn’t have her grand opening over her head and the fear of having empty rooms for the rest of the summer.

  But she wasn’t sitting around waiting for things to happen. She ran a few ads in the Connecticut papers and on Airbnb, and was slowly filling up her calendar. For the first time in a long while, she was cautiously optimistic. Senator Mellon even put down a deposit on his two weeks in August. Of course, he also submitted a list of things he wanted to eat and an equally long list of things he didn’t, but that was the life of an innkeeper. As long as he kept his conservative thoughts to himself and the townspeople didn’t throw her under the bus, this could all work out.

  Paige crossed her fingers until she thought they would freeze that way.

  Jack and Dean finished the third floor with a few days to spare. That allowed her to concentrate on the details. She had her menus planned for the month of June and organized the pantry, double checking she had all the ingredients she needed. For now, she was going to do all the cooking. All three meals. But once the money started coming in, she was going to look into hiring a full-time cook. She stocked up on food off island at the Costco wholesale warehouse store in North Haven. It was a few hours round trip, but she had Jack and Dean to help her with the errands, so it made it fun. They made a date out of tasting all the samples and they probably overspent on some non-essentials, but Paige wanted to pamper both herself and them.

  She did a lot of baking, too, with the thought that if worse came to worse she could always defrost cookies or muffins to buy her some time while she handled an emergency or soothed a disgruntled guest. Besides, keeping busy kept her from worrying about her parents’ upcoming visit.

  Fred still sent nasty-gram emails to her, bitching about everything from the house being sold out from underneath him to how she was crazy to attempt to make a bed and breakfast work when she had zero hotel experience. He patronizingly offered to put her in touch with a few of his hotelier friends who were looking for a wife. Like it was his job to marry her off, so he didn’t have to worry about her. She changed her cell phone number and refused to answer his emails.

  Too bad she couldn’t do the same with her parents.

  While Paige didn’t have a reason to talk with Fred anymore, the “Save the Date” card was still up on her fridge. Maybe they would have it at the Waldorf Astoria, where she’d stumbled upon them. In fact, Paige ripped it down, making a decision.

  She checked off that she’d attend and wrote underneath the check box:

  +2 Mr. Jack and Dean Reynolds will also attend as my date.

  Miss Manners would be horrified, but Paige didn’t give a fuck. She put the card into the pre-paid envelope and licked it closed.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” Dean asked, coming over to kiss her good morning. Jack was probably still in the shower.

  She waved the invitation at him. “I just RSVP’d to Fred’s wedding. We’re all going. Are you okay with that?”

  “Are you?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. “Your parents are going to be there.”

  “They’re going to see us on Friday. Might as well let them know that we’re not going anywhere.” Paige bit her lip. “Right?” Sudden doubt flashed through her.

  “It means the world to me—to us—that you’re not going to hide that we’re a threesome. I have to warn you, though, it’s probably going to get ugly before it gets better.”

  “I’ve lived through ugly,” she said, holding his hand. “It doesn’t feel anything like this.”

  “We don’t want to pressure you,” he said. “If you want us to lay low while your parents are here, we can do that.”

  “They’re enough to drive anyone insane,” she said. “So, if you need space I won’t blame you. But I’m not letting them drive you off.”

  Dean rested his forehead on hers. “What if they try to extort you into paying back the loan?”

  Paige shrugged. “I’ll think of something.” A little wisp of dread wound around her heart. Maybe it would be a good idea if they stayed away until her parents left. But what if they decided to stay the whole summer? She shook away the bad thoughts.

  “I’m training the housekeeping staff today, if you want to watch.”

  “I’ll pass. I think Jack and I are going to go out fishing. You want to join us?” Dean asked.

  “I’d love to, but I’ve got a ton of stuff to do here. You guys go have fun.”

  “Dinner aboard the boat tonight?” he asked.

  Paige’s body tingled in memory of the last time they went sailing. “Sounds perfect.”

  “You’re perfect.” Dean hugged her tight and then kissed her breathless.

  “Where’s mine?” Jack asked, cutting in and kissing first Dean, then her.

  They tried to convince her to go out fishing with them, but when her housekeeping staff started trickling in, they beat a hasty retreat.

  After everyone arrived, Paige went over the schedule and then gave them a tour of the inn and finished the training.

  Afterward, Paige had a couple of hours and went down to the beach with a lounge chair and a book. Her parents were going to be here in two days, and then her first guests two days later. This might be the only time she’d get to relax all summer.

  The sun baked into her and she touched up her sunblock, even though she didn’t think she’d get a burn. The breeze off the ocean was cool enough that she was comfortable in her shorts and T-shirt. Looking out over the waves, she didn’t see Jack and Dean’s boat, but they probably were going to head over to Half Acre to see if the bluefish were running.

  Trying to concentrate on her thriller novel, Paige fought off the yawns and refused to let her droopy eyelids closed. But just as the words on the page began to blur, a person blocked out the sun. A leggy redhead dressed in denim and leather. She had a piercing in her nose and a scowl on her face.

  “You’re Paige Richards?”

  “And you are…?” Paige quirked an eyebrow at her and peered over the top of her sunglasses at the woman.

  “My name is Stephanie.”

  Paige wondered if she was that Stephanie. She was gorgeous and curvy and had pouty red lips she could see Jack and Dean being interested in. Maybe she
was just looking for a room to rent for the summer. “Are you here about the Nutmeg Inn?”

  “What? No. I’m here for my boyfriends.”

  So much for coincidences.

  “Jack and Dean?” Paige asked.

  Stephanie nodded.

  “They’re out on the boat today. But I’m expecting them back around dinner. I’m assuming they don’t know you’re in town.” Paige was determined to handle this like an adult, but all she really wanted to do was rip the woman’s hair out by the roots for hurting Jack and Dean.

  Stephanie bit her lip and looked out to the water. Paige had a feeling she wanted to lie, but she said, “No, they don’t know I’m here. I’m visiting my family, and all they could talk about was Dean and Jack seem to be carrying on with a dowdy innkeeper.”

  Ouch.

  “What business is it of theirs or yours for that matter?” Paige tried for polite indifference, but she didn’t think she was pulling it off.

  “Dean was almost their son-in-law. And I dated both of them.”

  Paige wanted to smack that smug look off her face. “Well, Dean’s married. To Jack now.”

  “I know that,” she cut in bitterly. “Boy, do I know that.”

  “And I’m dating both of them currently.”

  Stephanie sighed. “How does that even work?”

  “I’m sure I don’t have to explain it to you. They told me all about you.”

  “They did?” Stephanie brightened. “That’s good. I want to get back together with them.”

  Paige slammed her book shut and straightened up in her chair. All thoughts of relaxation flew out the window. “You want to steal my boyfriends?” Of course, Paige wasn’t even sure if that was the right term. Lovers sounded too snooty.

  “No.” Stephanie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m doing this all wrong. I want to join you.”

  Paige’s sexual horizons had broadened, but they hadn’t gone that far. “I’m sorry. I don’t swing that way.”

  Stephanie waved her hand. “That’s fine. Jack and Dean are enough for me anyway.”

  “They’re enough for me, too. What makes you think they still want you after you dumped them?”

  Stephanie looked away. “I didn’t dump them. The time just wasn’t right for us.”

  “And it’s right now?”

  “My dad died last spring.”

  Paige blinked in shock. Caillie hadn’t mentioned that. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “And my mom is leaving Hamlet Island and going down south to Florida to retire. She’s leaving me the house on Dune Street. So I’m back for good.”

  Fabulous. Just what Paige needed in her life—Jack and Dean’s ex-girlfriend living on the same island.

  “I think this will actually work out,” Stephanie said.

  “How do you mean?” Would Jack and Dean want to have an open relationship? Paige didn’t think her self-esteem could handle it if she had to wonder if they were banging Stephanie against the walls when they weren’t with her.

  “The gossip is getting pretty nasty about you. They’re saying your inn is going to be a BDSM club.”

  “A-A what?” Paige sputtered.

  “Not that I think half of these people know what the heck that is, and the other half probably thinks it’s pretty cool, but they don’t dare do anything about it for fear of being ostracized by the morality police.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “It’s the whole Fifty Shades of Grey thing. Some townsfolks shut down the movie theater in protest when they tried to run it. Little do they know that a few of the clubs around here get pretty kinky in the summer after the oldsters go to bed.”

  That was news to her.

  “You’re the latest threat to decent life as they know it.”

  “Why on Earth do they think that?” Paige couldn’t believe it. She was a good person. A hard worker. Who the hell did anyone think they were to try to judge her?

  “Because you’re sleeping with two married men. At the same time. Do you know what being in a ménage relationship will do to your business on this island?” Stephanie made a raspberry sound and stuck her thumb down. “You’ll get no referrals, and people will whisper to whatever tourists you do have, so you’ll get no repeat business.”

  Paige’s face burned, and it had nothing to do with the sun. “Why are people talking about this?”

  Stephanie shrugged. “Jealousy? The need to feel morally superior? Maybe because there’s nothing else to do on this godforsaken island.” She threw her hands up in the air.

  Paige was getting a headache and packed up her chair. “I’ll tell the guys you were looking for them.”

  She was not going to choose her livelihood over her happiness; she could make it work. If she kept telling herself that, maybe she’d believe it.

  “Mention my plan to them. If they’re dating me as well, it almost looks normal. Two guys. Two girls. We have plausible deniability,” Stephanie called out as Paige stalked back to the inn.

  …

  Dinner on the boat wasn’t as romantic as she’d been expecting. Paige had brought extra wine but turned her face when Dean went to kiss her hello. Jack was having none of that and held her head while his tongue battled hers. It was a good thing Dean grabbed the wine bottles before she dropped them.

  “What’s that all about?” Dean asked when Jack let her up for air.

  “Stephanie came to see me today. She wants to have a foursome.”

  Dean gawked at her and Jack’s eyes grew distant. A lecherous grin appeared on his face. “Are you up for it?”

  She could have smacked him. “No.” Paige turned to leave. “But if that’s what you want, I won’t stand in your way.” As she climbed out of the boat, Dean hauled her back and carried her down below decks.

  “Put me down.” She struggled.

  Starting up the boat, Jack took them away from the dock and out into the ocean. Dean dropped her on the bed with a bounce. “Ignore Jack. He’s a dick sometimes.”

  Blinking back tears, she crossed her arms over her chest. “If it’s what he wants, then fine. It’s just not me. I don’t want to share you.”

  Dean lay down next to her, pulling her prone. “Stephanie is our past.”

  “She could be your future. She’s willing.” Paige sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

  “Tell me what happened today.” He stroked her back. “What did she actually say to you?”

  Paige told him everything. By the time she was finished, Jack had set the anchor and she had kicked off her shoes. She didn’t want to fight anymore.

  “The gossip will die down on its own. It’s nothing Jack and I haven’t heard before,” Dean said. “Same shit, different day. As soon as tourist season starts, something more interesting will take everyone’s attention away from us. I don’t need Stephanie as a beard to do that.”

  “But do you want her?”

  Jack came into the stateroom. “I’m a man. I say dumb things and I think with my dick a lot.”

  “A real lot,” Dean interjected.

  “For a brief moment, I was picturing two beautiful women in my arms and the fantasy was pretty good.”

  “It’s not going to happen. Not with me anyway,” Paige said.

  “And that’s why it’s going to remain a fantasy. I like this reality too much to give it up.” He spooned against her on the bed. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  Paige let them undress her, while she tugged at both their T-shirts.

  “You are smart and hardworking and the Nutmeg Inn will be a tremendous success,” Jack said. He cupped her breast and sucked on her neck.

  “You’ll find a way to fill those rooms and keep people coming back for more. Just serve them your lasagna. It’s the best I’ve ever had.”

  Dean turned around so he could lick between her legs while his cock dangled enticingly in front of her.

  They made her feel like she could do anything and were so damned sexy; th
ey made her lose her mind.

  Jack rubbed himself between her butt cheeks.

  “I don’t know where you think you’re putting that, but it’s not going in there,” she told him.

  “Not yet.” Jack nibbled on her ear. “But soon.”

  She forgot she was mad at him when he lifted her leg over his hip and slid into her pussy from behind. Dean took turns licking her clit and sucking on the side of Jack’s cock as it slid in and out of her.

  Unable to resist, Paige guided Dean’s cock into her mouth.

  Moaning, Paige lost herself in the sensations. They hit all of her erogenous zones. Jack working overtime with those teasing kisses, seductively plucking her nipples. His body claimed hers with a gentle rhythm. Combined with Dean’s slow tonguing and the feel of him in the back of her throat, Paige floated on waves of pleasure and excitement.

  Stephanie couldn’t have this. She gave it up. They were all Paige’s now, and Paige was all theirs.

  Chapter Eleven

  By the time Friday rolled around, one of her college-aged maids quit because her mom didn’t want her to work in a place like the Nutmeg Inn. Paige had one cancellation on the answering machine because the guest’s kid got sick. The coffeemaker broke, and she had to throw out three gallons of milk because they went bad—even though the “use by” date on them wasn’t for another two weeks. And her parents were coming in tonight.

  Paige was glad it was a sunny day, because if there was a thunder shower, she’d be staying indoors all day for fear she’d get hit by lightning. She rode her bike into town to pick up some replacement milk. She’d send Jack or Dean to the mainland tonight to pick up more from Stop and Shop, but this gallon would get her through the rest of the day.