by Quinn, Taryn
Sixteen
“When I said feed you, this isn’t what I had in mind.”
She looked up from her loaded bagel. We were sitting in Brewed Awakening as Macy and her crew were cleaning up. “I don’t even have to wear a bra down here. No one is here but us girls.”
“First of all, hello—not a girl.”
She grinned around a crunchy bite.
“And I’m well aware you’re not wearing a bra. You’re trying to kill me.”
Her eyes twinkled as she licked cream cheese and jam from the side of her hand.
“That’s gross.”
“Don’t knock it till you try it.” She ripped off a piece and held it out to me.
I took her wrist and licked the blackberry jam from her thumb. Her chewing slowed and her dark eyes got that look. The one that made me want to toss her over my shoulder and drag her back upstairs.
But that wouldn’t help us get to know one another.
I knew she kept slotting me in the sperm donor role. I wanted her to see I was more than that. I needed more than that. And that meant I needed to keep my dick in my pants for at least most of the night.
God save me.
I took the piece of bagel and huffed out a surprised moan.
“Good, right?”
“That sweet and savory thing. I’m a fan.”
She smiled as she took another bite. “I know, right?”
“Is that a craving thing? Or you just like it?”
“No. One of my roommates was from England. Seems they do this on English muffins. Also delicious. Of course I don’t think they call them the same thing.”
“Just a muffin?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Smart ass.”
“Anyway, she got me to try it. It took me longer to say yes, by the way.”
“I pretty much like most food, unlike my brother. And traveling all over, I learned that weird food didn’t always mean bad. Though some of it really does. Grits? Yeah, still a hard pass no matter how my buddies dress them up down south.”
“Texture,” we both said in unison.
“Exactly.” I picked up my toasted cheese sandwich. I was going to look like one. I pretty much ate it every other day since I’d had lunch with Rylee that first day I was in town. Hard to believe so much had changed so fast.
I swallowed hard as Ry licked her thumb again. “Sure that bagel is enough?”
“I’m going to bribe Macy for some of her sweet and savory popcorn mix.”
“So that’s a thing then?”
She shrugged. “I guess. I never really thought about it, but I have been eating a lot of sweet and salty things lately.”
“Speaking of.”
“All baby, all the time, Kramer.”
“I was just thinking about the parents thing. We should tell them. Maybe together?”
Her brows lifted. “Hey, mom. Meet my baby mama Rylee.”
I reached across the table and covered her hand. “Would you stop with that? You’re more than that to me. I don’t think you get that.”
She started to pull her hand away, but I held it tight. “Why?”
“Why not? You’re bright, funny, stupidly beautiful, and we clicked since that very first night.”
“We clicked at the hips, Gage.”
“It was before that and you know it. I saw you across that bar and went right to you.”
She swallowed. “Because of my short skirt.”
Dammit, she was a stubborn woman. What the hell did I have to do to get her to see I wasn’t just about the sex? “You weren’t wearing a skirt. It was jeans. Perfect, snug jeans and a sparkly T-shirt thing that showed just a little slice of your tanned stomach.”
Her eyes widened. “That was three months ago.”
“It was worth remembering.”
“You guys okay?” Macy hollered from the counter of the café.
I huffed out a breath. “Yeah, we’re just finishing up.”
Macy came around the half wall that sectioned off the reading nook. Pink and yellow pumpkins were stashed everywhere in the little section. She had a spray bottle and rag in her hands.
Rylee popped the last of her bagel in her mouth. “Thanks for letting us come in so late.”
“Sure. I can clean around you.”
“Do you think we could stay down here and watch a movie?”
Macy’s eyebrow arched. She glanced from me back to Rylee.
“I mean, we don’t have to. It was just an idea.” Rylee rushed on at Macy’s look.
“No, that’s cool. Just text me when you’re done and I’ll put the security on.”
“We don’t want to keep you up late.” I played with Rylee’s suddenly stiff fingers.
“I don’t sleep.” Macy swiped Rylee’s plate and gave me a look, and when I held up my hands, she took mine too. “Have fun. You know where the remotes are.”
“I do. Thanks, Mace.”
“You got it.”
“Oh, one more thing?”
“Popcorn too, you heathen?”
“Yes, please.”
Macy sighed. “All right. But only because I like you,” she said over her shoulder. “And my popcorn is legendary enough to show it off.”
Rylee stood up. “Wait until you see this setup.” Instead of detangling our fingers, she pulled me over toward the L-shaped couch in the corner of the reading section. She tapped the side of the end table and a secret compartment opened. She hit a button on the remote and a huge screen lowered from the ceiling.
“Whoa.”
“Yeah. Awesome, right?”
I settled next to her and had to smile when she burrowed right into me without getting riled up about me being in her space. And the fact that she fit me so well made something deep inside my chest expand. Even if I had to watch a romantic comedy, I wouldn’t trade this for anything.
When the projector came up and the movie selection included every horror movie I’d ever seen or heard of in my life, I laughed.
“What? You a pussy, Gage?”
“Hell, huntress.” I grinned down at her. “The scarier the better.”
She settled in and rested her hand on my belly. “Damn right.”
Macy came back with a huge bowl of popcorn and two orange sodas.
Rylee sat up a little. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Fuck off.”
“Love you too,” she called after Macy, who flipped her the bird as she stalked toward the back of the café. “She’s such a softie.”
“Yeah, if you mean tiger claws with a left hook.”
She picked at the sinful popcorn. “More like a baseball bat.”
“And you know this how?” I stole the piece she was aiming for and she narrowed her eyes at me.
“Hey.”
I held it in front of her mouth.
She opened her lips and nipped my fingers as she took it. Before she was done chewing, I lowered my mouth to take a taste. Caramel and cheddar cheese never tasted so good. She pushed me back against the couch. “I’m watching a movie, sir.”
I looked around. “It’s a pretty cool setup.”
“Yeah.” She fiddled with the bowl.
“What?”
She shrugged and blew out a sigh.
I told my cock to take a chill pill, but the sir thing had stirred things it should not have. She obviously had something on her mind. “What’re you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing.”
I twisted to her and set the bowl behind me. “Obviously not when I can hear your brain whirling from here.”
“Ever since I sat down here with Macy to watch a movie I wondered if other people would enjoy the same thing. There’s not much to do in Crescent Cove after oh, seven o’clock.”
I laughed. “Things do seem to close up early.”
“Even the pizza place is closed before nine.”
I grinned. “Yeah, my pops isn’t exactly a late night guy.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “Right. I sort of forgot abo
ut that part.”
“That my dad owns the pizza joint?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
I toyed with her fingers. “Our families have kind of crashed together without a lot of time for Christmas dinners.”
“Yeah, ain’t that the truth. Both of Kelsey’s weddings were thrown together last minute.” She laced her fingers with mine. “I made an awesome impression too.”
I turned her hand so I could nip at her wrist. “Helluva story for our grandkids.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Kids?”
“Who knows? And no, beyond my pops’s store, there isn’t much of a night life here.”
She blew out a breath. “No. And once the initial rush is over, people sort of just hang out in the cafe.”
“As one does.”
“I know, but look at all the space in here. What if we had a few projection screens? The one over here, and maybe next door. There’s a bunch of space to expand.” Her eyes brightened and she started to rev up with excitement. “Maybe a patio out back. I mean, it might not be feasible with second-run movies since they’re still pretty expensive. At least when I looked it up online.”
“So, you’ve looked into it?”
She looked down at our hands. “Unemployed and insomniac means lots of web browsing. But like in the summer, on a patio watching some old movies. Doesn’t have to be horror, though I bet there’s a case for them with the two schools we have on the outer edges of the lake.”
“And Halloween is making a comeback. Maybe old slasher movie nights. Do a theme?”
She leaned into me. “Yeah. And you tasted that popcorn. What if I could get Macy to whip up a recipe and we could make them in mass quantities. And Vee is a baker by trade. She makes most of the stuff in the little bakery section they have. But we also have Sugar Rush down the street. Maybe work with them and a few other places in town to use it like a sales area too.”
“You’ve really been thinking about this.” It wasn’t a question. I knew she was too smart to be working for someone. I dug my phone out of my pocket. “I saw this really cool couch on my buddy’s Facebook page.” I flicked through my feed and found his profile, then went through the pictures posted. “There it is.” I handed her the phone.
She enlarged the picture and chewed on her bottom lip. “That looks really expensive.”
“Well, Brian has a lot of money to burn. But you just so happen to know a guy who’s good with cars. Hell, there’s a half car in the junkyard at JT’s. A little buff and shine and redo the the cushions…” I felt the twinge again.
The same one I’d felt looking at the old Ford in the junkyard.
She peered up at me. “You could build that?”
I nodded. I could see the wheels spinning in her head. “You should talk to Macy about it. See how she feels.” I nodded to the menu screen full of movies. “Obviously, you have similar interests.”
“You should see the collection of horror and Grindhouse memorabilia she has hidden in with the mugs over in those cubbies.”
“I know.” I laughed. “I bought a travel mug with Michael Myers on it.”
“Good taste.” Her eyes sparkled, then dimmed almost immediately. “I probably shouldn’t. I don’t know anything about running a business.”
“How many different kinds of jobs have you had?”
She blew out a laugh. “Ran out of fingers and toes. See? That’s not a woman who should run a business.”
“Or it’s the perfect one who should. You know how to deal with people.”
“I also have a temper.”
“I know you do. Freaking hot.”
She punched my arm. “Shut up.”
“No, really, Ry. You should talk to Macy.”
“I—”
“Do your research. Make up a business plan.” I laughed at her face. “If it isn’t still interesting even after you look at it for real, then you’ll find something else to do.” I brushed my thumb over the wrinkle between her brows. “I know you will.”
“Oh, yeah with a baby on the way.”
“Some people need a time limit. You know you have a few months to figure stuff out.”
“I still need a job, Gage.”
“You want to work at another flower shop? Or at the school?”
“No.”
I laughed at the way she pouted. “Is it an imperative?”
“No. I have quite a bit of savings to be honest.”
“Enough to build a business?”
She settled back into the couch. “If I was careful.”
“Think about it.”
“Maybe.”
And that had to be good enough, but the seeds were planted. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but it was easier to see it as an outsider to Rylee’s ideas. For someone with such a forceful personality, she played it very carefully in some ways. Maybe not so unlike her sister in that regard.
I reached for the huge popcorn bowl and put it back on our laps. “Ready for that movie?”
She fit herself back against my side, her eyes gleeful as she lifted the remote.
Twenty minutes later, we were both engrossed in the classic slasher movie. We started with Friday the 13th, but quickly discovered a mutual love for the Halloween movies.
By the time we moved on into the lesser sequel, Rylee started nodding off. I couldn’t blame her. It had been a damn long day. She murmured lightly against my chest. I settled her more comfortably against me. Would be just my luck she’d have a nightmare.
Though it didn’t seem her style. Especially not with that list of horror movies she’d watched.
She settled down when I rubbed light circles along the base of her neck. Her warmth and the very long day had me dozing off as well. The lights were low in the café and the couch was comfortable as fuck. I’d never been averse to cuddling. Being alone in a car for most of my day, or around a bunch of hardcore racing guys, made a guy crave a softer touch.
And I’d been craving it for a long damn time.
My lifestyle didn’t allow for it. Always traveling, always stressing over the next big race. Endless parties and sponsor driven glad-handing. I was so done with it all. The quiet of Crescent Cove was exactly what I’d run from. Now I craved it.
And this woman next to me.
Suddenly, Rylee sat up and took the bowl off the table.
“Ry?”
She didn’t answer me. She just seemed to shuffle off, bumping into chairs and tables like a pinball. Left, right, straight—then she went right into the cafe and behind the counter.
I popped up off the couch. “Rylee?”
“Just have to make the coffee. It’s okay.”
“Coffee? Now? Are you supposed to have that anyway?” I wound around the chairs she’d bumped in the process.
“Of course I am. I have to get ready for work.”
Work? She didn’t have a job right now.
She set the large bowl in the bakery case on top of the wrapped brownies. I frowned. What the hell?
I moved around her, but her eyes were glassy. I stepped back as she went to the drawer at the center of the counter and pulled out a knife.
Yeah, we were not going for a knife after watching Michael Myers.
I glanced at the bakery case and suddenly, the red sneaker in her crisper made so much sense. I raked my fingers through my hair.
My girl was a sleepwalker.
Well, shit.
“Uh-oh.”
I spun around to the voice. “Oh, shit. I…um. Just give me a second—”
Macy held up her hand. She was dressed in black pants and a huge football jersey with Garfield stepping on Odie’s neck on the front. I was pretty sure the original cartoonist hadn’t sanctioned the shirt. Especially since the iconic dog’s eyes were zombified and Garfield was carrying a bat that looked eerily like the one Neegan carried from The Walking Dead. “No need. It’s how we became friends.”
I frowned. “What?”
&nbs
p; Macy shook her head and did a light step around Rylee, taking the knife and jar of peanut butter jar out of reach. When my girl went for a canister of sugar, Macy cursed. “I swear she’s getting better at this.”
“You know about this?”
Macy shifted her armful of kitchen accessories to a shelf behind her. “Yep.”
I looked around. “How did you know she was…” I was completely at a loss.
“Cameras. I have them on a sensor trigger for my little felon.”
“And you’re not freaked?”
She laughed. “Nope. I did some reading up on it. Evidently, you’re not really supposed to wake them up if you can avoid it. Just kind of steer them back to bed. Since we’re not exactly close to her bedroom, I’m gonna have to wake her up.”
“Should I do it?”
Macy looked up at me, then tilted her head. “Hmm.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but Rylee was starting to make a little keening sound that snapped my attention back to her. I crossed to her. Just as I was about to touch her arm, Macy cleared her throat. I looked back at her.
“I wouldn’t.” She waved me over to her. “Supposedly, a loud noise from a distance is the best way to wake them. Gives them time to get orientated.”
It went against every instinct inside me, but I backed up to stand beside Macy. “You know a lot about this.”
She shrugged.
“No other details?”
“Not my story to share.”
I huffed out a breath. “How many times—”
“Ask Rylee, not me.”
I locked my hands behind my neck. I didn’t like feeling helpless. The longer Rylee bounced from counter to counter in confusion, the more upset she got.
I slapped my hand down on the counter beside me.
She stopped moving.
I did it again, and she swayed.
“Fuck this.” I crossed the space in two strides and caught her against me. “Hey, you.” I kept my voice soft.
She looked up at me, her eyes soft and sleepy. “Gage?”
“Yeah, baby. It’s me.”
Her eyebrows lowered and then her eyes widened. “No.” Her eyes filled and she pushed out of my arms. “God, no.”
“Ry, wait.”
She glanced at Macy then back at me and her face crumpled. She raced around the counters and bakery case to the main part of the café and out the side door that led to the apartments.
