Beautiful Dreamer

by Melissa Brayden

  Another ten minutes went by.

  Then another.

  Elizabeth tried to stop watching the door. Maybe she should just go. Call it a night. Something had obviously come up in Thalia’s world, and that was fine. She was feeling a little tired anyway. But then just as Elizabeth stood next to her booth poised to drop some cash and leave, there she was. Thalia Perkins, who she often called by her first and last name in her head. Jet black hair swept to one side, and a look on her face that said she was happy to be there. It felt a little bit like the world shifted in slow motion. Elizabeth grinned and waved.

  But wait, Thalia wasn’t alone. There was a woman with her, a redhead with a lot of eyeliner, whispering in her ear, and man with several tattoos and a nose piercing standing next to her. They weren’t locals.

  Elizabeth waved again, less enthusiastically this time. Okay, so tonight would not include one-on-one time after all. But that was okay. They could do that another time, right?

  Thalia spotted her and headed over to the table. “Hey, there,” she said, sliding into the booth. She pursed her heavily glossed lips. She had good ones.

  “Hi,” Elizabeth said, with maybe too much enthusiasm. She should work on that. Ms. Bond should play it more cool and aloof. She forced herself to relax back against the cushion of the booth. That should help. She watched as the two new individuals took their spots. The guy next to Elizabeth, and the redhead next to Thalia. Too close to Thalia, if you asked her.

  “I brought Skeet and Mode with me.”

  She blinked. “Skeet and Mode?”

  The redhead raised her hand. “Mode. Nice to meet you. Skeet and I, we go way back with this one.” She hooked a thumb at Thalia.

  Thalia nodded and glanced around the room as if taking stock. “Massage school,” she said, settling back on Elizabeth, then seemed to notice her for the first time. “I like this top. It’s adorable in its childlike innocence.”

  “It does remind me of yesteryear,” Mode said sagely. “I love your youthful spirit.”

  “Mine? Oh, thank you.” Elizabeth smiled, not quite sure where that comment came from. “As for the shirt, my friend KC and I found it at—”

  “They have a staff here or what?” Skeet asked with disdain, dropping his hand palm first onto the table with a thud.

  “Would you chill out and find your Zen?” Thalia asked, shaking her head in annoyance. “I’m talking to my friend, Elizabeth.”

  “She is cute and sweet,” Mode said. “You were right.”

  Elizabeth wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or unnerved that they were talking about her like she wasn’t present. She focused on the positive. “Well, that’s very nice of you to say. Thank you.” She turned to Skeet. “Irene is our server. She’ll be back in just a moment. She’s dropping off food right over there.” She sipped the martini. Nope. Still awful. “How was business today?” she asked Thalia.

  “Three therapeutic massages, and two facials.” Thalia pursed her pouty lips and studied the room again. “Not bad for small-town USA.”

  “I can’t believe you wound up in a place like this,” Mode said. “I always imagined you’d open up a shop in Austin or San Fran.”

  “There’s something very chill about the Bay,” Thalia said. “I dig its vibe.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “There really is something special here.”

  Mode nodded. Skeet glared.

  “Okay…well. We should really get going.” Thalia stood and passed Elizabeth her killer smile, the one that often left her in a puddle. Not tonight.

  Elizabeth frowned, not understanding. “But you just got here.” She pointed. “Skeet was about to order a drink.”

  “These guys traveled in today and we have a reading with a fortune teller at ten. But I want us to get together soon, okay? We need some one-on-one time. You’re cute,” she said, touching Elizabeth’s chin as she passed. Skeet and Mode were hot on her heels.

  “But…” Elizabeth turned and watched them leave, confused, let down, and alone with a martini she didn’t even like. “That did not go as planned,” she whispered to the empty table. She slid the offending cocktail away from her, grabbed her bag, and headed out. She heard female laughter from the bar to her left as she exited the restaurant and stole a final glance at the table of former cheerleaders. At least the more sought-after individuals in the world were enjoying themselves.

  Apparently, nothing had changed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Good God, it was finally over. The night had been a rough one, but Devyn had somehow pushed through and nodded and smiled in all the right places with her old friends, until she’d finally managed to produce a few well-placed yawns and escape. Given the caretaker role she’d assumed for Jill, the other women were quick to nod sympathetically when she insisted it was time for her to head out.

  Finally, able to breathe again, she drove the now-quiet streets of Dreamer’s Bay on her way back to Jill’s. With the windows down and the radio playing softly she commanded herself to relax. Being back in the Bay among all of her old friends was a head trip, and not a fun one. Alone now, she savored the quiet and the freedom that came from disconnecting from her laptop. Her phone was also tucked safely away in her back pocket. One breath in. One breath out. She released the sounds of her friends’ increasingly shrill chatter and replaced it with the sounds of the rustling leaves and ribbits of frogs. The exercise began to work. She turned onto the residential street that led into Jill’s neighborhood and paused at the woman walking along the sidewalk. She recognized that easy gait. Elizabeth.

  “This is twice in one night,” Devyn said through the open window, slowing the tiny car to match Elizabeth’s measured pace.

  “That is one small car,” Elizabeth said, with an interested grin, as she walked. “It suits you.”

  Devyn balked, mortally wounded. “It so does not. At all. Never say that again.” She shook her head. “This car is nothing like me, I’ll have you know.”

  “If you say so.” Elizabeth shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. The night was a nice one but still a little chilly.

  “Can I offer you a ride in the smallest car on the planet?”

  “No, thanks. I love walking at night.” She glanced up at the trees as if acknowledging friends. “It’s why I rarely take my truck places. That, and I get to have a third beer.”

  Devyn shifted her lips to the side. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a beer drinker.”

  “No?” Elizabeth asked. “What would you have pegged me as?”

  “Maybe something colorful and frozen.”

  Elizabeth placed a hand over her heart. Her jaw fell in abject horror. “I will have you know that not only do I enjoy a good beer, but I can speak in detail about flavor profiles. Give me a good IPA and I’m a goner.” She softened. “But fine, I occasionally indulge in a margarita if it’s fruity enough. Fruity is festive.”

  Devyn smiled. “You have strong opinions on the topic. I saw you with a martini earlier.”

  She looked horrified. “A total mistake. I have no idea why people enjoy those things. Do you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Seems like cruel punishment. Even the olives tasted like vodka. A shame.”

  “Well, they work faster than beer, for one. I indulge in them on occasion.”

  “I offer my sincere condolences.”

  Devyn laughed. “Thank you.”

  They walked and drove in tandem silence, the easy kind. The tall trees swayed quietly overhead, their branches commingling in peaceful underscore. “You going to tail me the whole way?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Just making sure Elizabeth Draper, sweetheart of Dreamer’s Bay, gets home safe and sound. Can’t have the town jewel kidnapped at this late hour. It’s my civic duty.”

  Elizabeth chuckled. “That kind of thing doesn’t happen around here. You know that.” Of course Devyn did, but Elizabeth was feeling playful, daring, and running with it. After her crash and burn with Thalia, it felt like there was very little to
lose. “And not everyone thinks of me as the town jewel. Trust me.”

  “Well, they’re stupid, then.” Elizabeth looked like she could use that compliment, and Devyn wondered what had deflated her mood since they’d last spoken. She remembered seeing her talking to a new group after Dexter left the restaurant. “Who were the friends you were with earlier? I don’t think I recognize them.”

  “Thalia Perkins. She owns the Massage and Spa Boutique on First Avenue.”

  “What’s the actual name?” Devyn asked.

  “That is the name.”

  “Creative.”

  That earned her a slight smile. “It could be better. I agree. The other two are her friends from school. I don’t know them.”

  Devyn just had an inkling that there was more to this Thalia thing than Elizabeth was letting on. “Is she someone you’re seeing?”

  Elizabeth sighed. “No. She’s beautiful and yes, I have a crush, but she’s out of my league.”

  She took a moment with that because it was ludicrous. “She is not.”

  “Nice of you. But she’s many jalapeños.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but your business name alone slam-dunks hers, and you’re miles more beautiful.” It was true. Thalia looked like Botox might be her best friend, and she had cold eyes. Elizabeth was warm and vivacious. No competition, as far as Devyn was concerned.

  She watched as a slow but managed grin appeared on Elizabeth’s face. “I won’t debate whether it’s true or not, but thank you for saying that.”

  “No problem.”

  “If you are truly committed to delivering me safely to my front door, it’s right up there. Third on the left.”

  Devyn followed her gaze to a one-story house on the outside bend of the cul-de-sac with the curvy driveway. It was just as she would imagine for Elizabeth. Cheerful, well-kept, and quaint. The house was bricked in white with a pale lavender door and dusty gray shutters. Matching purple flowers with yellow centers had been arranged in two well-manicured flower beds. She could easily picture Elizabeth relaxing with one of her prized IPAs on the covered front porch, watching the world go by and waving to her neighbors. “Your house is pretty,” she said to herself as much as Elizabeth. “Great curb appeal.”

  “From a flashy Realtor like yourself, I say thank you. I love it. One of my favorite things in life is that house.” She paused in the middle of that winding driveway and placed her hands on her hips. “Safe and sound. You’ve done your civic duty.”

  Devyn nodded. “I can sleep easier now.” A pause. “You have a nice night. I’m off to see if Jill finished the book I left her reading.”

  “Trust me, she did. In fact, she’s been flying through them this week. I can’t keep up. I swung by the library this afternoon and picked her up some fresh meat. Mainly crime novels and biographies. Her favorite. But I tossed a steamy romance in there just in case.”

  Devyn stared at her, amazed. “You didn’t have to do that. That’s not in your job description.”

  Elizabeth walked to Devyn’s car and leaned down to the passenger side window, relaxing onto her forearms. “When are you going to figure out that I’m not motivated by cash? Trust me, if I was, I’d have a lot more of it.” She gestured behind her with her chin. “That house won’t be paid off until I’m a hundred and eighty-three.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me.”

  Devyn swallowed the guilt that crept in for the assumption. “You’re a good person, you know that? A little weird. Probably too perky. But good.”

  Elizabeth tapped the car twice and stood. “Weird, perky, and good sounds like a balanced combo I can live with. I like me.” She walked backward a few steps just as the wind lifted her hair. Devyn’s breath caught and her stomach flip-flopped uncomfortably. “Night, Devyn. See you in the morning.”

  “Yeah,” she said absently and watched as Elizabeth made her way up the walk and slipped behind that lavender door, a little blown away by how incredibly attractive Elizabeth now seemed. But she must have always been beautiful. Why was Devyn just now truly noticing the magnitude? Because you’ve had your face in your laptop or your ear to your phone every spare moment of every day lately, her brain supplied. She stared at the house, gave her head a mystified shake, and drove on.

  What had started out as a pretty abysmal evening had just ended in a refreshing exchange. She smiled at the road, the other cars, the foliage along the way, and the cresting water in the distance. Devyn didn’t want to move through life with blinders on anymore. She’d almost lost the most important person to her in the world, but didn’t. The wake-up call had been swift and startling. She had a choice in front of her. She could be like the Crickets of the world and worry about petty things like clothes, money, success, and status, or she could be more like Elizabeth Draper and love other people and simple lavender doors. Who did she want to be in this world? That was the question.

  As she drifted off to sleep that night, her thoughts shifted to a woman with green eyes, a soft smile, and hair of many subtle shades, and then and there, she knew the answer to the question.

  Like Elizabeth, she thought. Be more like Elizabeth.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Joaquin, I’m telling you that if she likes 22D, she’s going to love the penthouse. Private outdoor space for days and a killer view worth way more than the ask. Plus, if she’s an entertainer, the thirty-six-hundred-square foot open-concept that comes with that puppy is going to knock her fucking socks off. My recommendation? Work with your client on her budget and show her the penthouse unit today.”

  A pause. Elizabeth smiled as she listened. It was midday on a Wednesday. She’d already walked Hank, helped load a truck full of flowers for Laurel, the owner of Floral Laurel, and spent the rest of the morning with Jill, who was getting stronger each day. Now it was about time for her to pass the caregiver baton to Devyn and head back to her On the Spot responsibilities. First up was a ballroom dance lesson with Gavin Henry, who’d asked for someone to stand in for his wife, allowing him to surprise her with his dance moves later that month. Next, she would scoop up six-year-old Trip Upworth from daycare and shuttle him back to his mother, Greta, who had a doctor’s appointment of her own to attend. That would be fun. She and Trip could sing in the car like they always did. And then maybe a quiet night at home with a beer and some of her favorite game show reruns.

  But for now, she took a moment to simply watch Devyn, who talked with her hands on business calls even though the person on the other end would never know. She came with a lot of passion for her job; a spitfire.

  “I think we’re all on the same page,” Devyn told the Joaquin guy. “Let’s get her in to see the space and get this deal done.” She stood and placed her free hand on top of her head. Elizabeth rolled her shoulders at the unexpected shiver it prompted. She couldn’t deny it. Devyn was hot. Beautiful, sophisticated, and confident, though still a mystery to her in many ways. Was she now a different person than she’d been in high school? She was starting to think maybe. Devyn began to gesture again, and Elizabeth relaxed against the doorjamb to watch and melt. She was a wanton woman, wasn’t she? Headed to hell in a handbasket woven of lust and more lust that had honestly erupted only recently and with surprising vigor. The word vigor prompted further immodest thoughts. She closed her eyes and steadied herself momentarily, shifting so that her jeans didn’t press quite so…uncomfortably.

  “I swear to you, it’s going to be a match made in heaven and you’re going to deliver a bottle of high-priced champagne to my office for that really beautiful commission that’ll come your way. You’ll probably name a child after me. It’ll be glorious.” A pause. “No, I understand. Have I ever steered you wrong?” Another pause. “Exactly. I’ll speak to you soon. My love to Camilla.”

  Devyn clicked off the call and turned, stumbled, and grabbed her heart. “Holy hell. How long have you been standing there?”

  “Holy hell. About three and a half minutes. I was listening to you wheel-and-deal like a b
oss.”

  “And?” Devyn exhaled slowly, finding her proverbial footing again.

  “I’d say you’re pretty great at it. You are, aren’t you? You can say yes.”

  The side of Devyn’s mouth tugged. “A lot of people think so.”

  “I’m more interested in what you think.”

  Devyn didn’t hesitate. An easy smile slid onto her face. “I think I’m damn good at my job. Just hard to do it remotely.”

  Elizabeth came farther into the room and pointed at the desk where it had all just gone down. “I have evidence that says otherwise. You sold me on that penthouse just now, and I’m not even in the market for one.”

  “Then I’ll send over the paperwork immediately,” Devyn said.

  “As for working remotely, maybe you should move back to the Bay and find out officially.” Why the heck did that just come out of her mouth? Her eyes fluttered closed as she attempted to recover.

  Devyn, however, did seem to notice, as she laughed at her suggestion and began to stack the file folders on the desk.