Under My Skin (Shady Falls Series Book 2)

by Shelly Davis

  “I talked to Monique too. Why didn’t you tell me you were lookin’ at storefronts? She said she found the perfect place for you.”

  Unfortunately for me, Cade and Monique were good friends also. Guess I shouldn’t have been surprised she talked to him about this.

  “What the fuck, she called you?” I asked, frustrated. I pulled the band from my hair and pushed my fingers through my hair, pulling on the ends hanging near my shoulders. Maybe it was time for a haircut.

  “There’s nothin’ wrong with her callin’ me. Look we were talkin’, maybe we could go check out the place together.”

  “I don’t know.” What could I say? The idea of my own café excited me, my brother knew it. “I don’t see how we can pull it off. I’m here all the time.”

  “Hirin’ a couple trainers would be a good first step. The gym’s doin’ great, we can afford to hire some people.”

  “And where’s the money for the restaurant gonna come from? We’re doin’ well, but we ain’t independently wealthy.”

  “We’ll use the gym as collateral. We’ll figure it all out. You know momma will come up and help you get goin’. So long as you don’t mind lettin’ your brother be part of this.”

  For the first time since I walked into the building, I actually felt a glimmer of hope. Could this actually happen? Could we pull this off without destroying the gym and losing everything?

  “Do you think it could work?” I asked, feeling kind of hopeful for the first time in a long time. Maybe I could have this.

  “Hell yeah I do. First, let’s get a couple of my buddies in here so you can meet them. There’s one guy in particular that I think would be a good fit, Gage Andrews. He’s a gym teacher but he was takin’ classes to get licensed as a trainer. He called me last week to see if I knew anyone hirin’. He’s relatively new to the area. He moved to here from Pittsburgh a couple years ago.”

  “Fine by me.” The idea of owning my own business had me willing to interview and meet any one of the guys Cade met at school.

  “I’ll call him and see if he can come in today. You got anything goin’ on?”

  “I have one more client, then I’m just gettin’ the hell outta here, and goin’ home.”

  Cade made the call and I started to relax even more. I wanted this and knowing my brother was willing to do just about anything to help me achieve my dream was overwhelming. Maybe it was my time to make things happen. I should’ve known Cade would be supportive.

  “Okay, Gage’ll be here in about an hour. Don’t forget tonight’s my night class, so the final decision is yours.”

  “Fine,” I said, looking at the clock. “I gotta meet my next client. See you later.”

  “Yeah, later. Text me and let me know what you decide. Then we’ll talk about a couple more guys we can hire to free you up to get the restaurant going. I’ll stop by your place after my class tonight and we’ll make a plan.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  “And you better feed me, asshole.”

  I chuckled walking out the door into the gym. It never ceased to amaze me how lucky I was. The place was huge. Our building took up almost an entire city block. The main room was an open floorplan, much like most gyms were. Lines of equipment stood at attention, just waiting for someone to come use them. Each type of machine had its own place with large walkways between areas. On one side of the room there were locker rooms, and our office. One the other side of the room were two doors, one leading to a small private gym and the other to a larger room which housed our pit crew training area. It was perfect.

  Faith stood behind the counter, greeting patrons as they entered. She was a good manager and already knew how the gym was run. We could probably ask her to take on more responsibility and she could handle the day-to-day business of memberships and scheduling. We’d just have to hire another person for evenings to give her a break.

  Suddenly, walking through the gym I started to see new possibilities for some of our employees and our clients. This could be a good thing for the gym as well as the restaurant. Maybe we could even open a health food area and combine the two. Now that I saw possibility, I started seeing possibility everywhere. It was a great feeling.

  “Hi, Jake,” Faith said with a huge flirty smile. She batted her chestnut colored eyes, her brown hair was pulled back tightly from her lightly tanned face. A pretty woman, Faith wasn’t shy about what and who she wanted. She was obviously interested, but she didn’t seem to take the hint that I wasn’t.

  “Hey, Faith,” I responded, walking around the counter.

  “You wanna get drinks after work tonight?” At least once a week she asked and every single time I told her no. She never seemed to get upset or complain when I refused her advances, but she also never gave up.

  “No thanks, Faith.”

  “It’s cool. I get it, Jake.” She looked kind of sad for a moment, but then smiled. “No worries, boss.” Without skipping a beat, she turned and greeting the next patron to walk through the door.

  Relief washed over me when I realized maybe she did get it, and she probably wouldn’t keep going with her flirting. Maybe she’d finally move on.

  The gym seemed to have filled even more since I walked into the office fifteen minutes ago. It was great to see so many people working out and trying to better themselves. The thing I liked about our place compared to others was ours didn’t cater to the already fit. We had a variety of ability levels working out as one. Some of the more experienced even helped the novices with equipment and other questions. It was like a little community.

  “Jake,” Toni shouted from the door. “You ready for me?”

  Smiling, I happily realized my next client was Toni instead of some douchebag I didn’t want to deal with. “Hey, sweetheart. How’s it goin’? How’s the team lookin’ for the last couple races?” I wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. Toni rested her head on my chest as she hugged tightly. “You okay?” I asked.

  “I’m good. Just worn out. This schedule’s killin’ me. But, the team’s lookin’ good,” she said nodding. “I think we have a shot.”

  “Yeah, I get it. But y’all will get some time off soon, right?”

  Toni sighed. “Yeah, I don’t know. It seems like we’re gonna need to do somethin’ with the pit crew. Our front tire changer is leavin’ at the end of the season. Axel sent us another guy, but he sucks.”

  “What are y’all gonna do?”

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll start him off during the off season and see how it goes, but I was thinkin’ of askin’ Cade to coach the entire team over the break.”

  “I think it’s a good idea. The team trainin’ area is just about ready to go. Y’all can be the first to try it out. Also, I’m interviewin’ a new trainer after our session and we’re talkin’ about hirin’ a couple other people. That’ll free Cade up even more.” I paused and took a deep breath. “We’re also thinkin’ about buyin’ another buildin’.”

  “Another gym?” she asked with an excited lilt to her voice.

  “No. Actually we’re lookin’ at a restaurant in the historic district.”

  A squeal escaped and she launched herself at me. “I can’t believe it!” she exclaimed. “You’re finally openin’ a restaurant. Can I help? What can I do?”

  “I don’t know yet,” I said, suddenly feeling more confident about this than before. “Cade and I are gonna meet up with Monique to look at the building next week, if you want to come.”

  “I definitely want to be there. And you gotta let me help. I can give you the down payment or somethin’.”

  “No way, ain’t happin’.”

  She scowled, but didn’t argue, yet. Instead she went to another uncomfortable topic. “You still seein’ Monique?” Toni had expected a real relationship to come out of things with Monique.

  “You know Monique and I aren’t like that, Toni. We’re friends.”

  “With benefits,” she added. “I just don’t understand.”


  “I love Monique, like I love you. It’s not romantic love. Besides, her work and her single life come first. I’m not willing to play second to anyone or anything.”

  “I get it. But what about …” I didn’t know where she was going, but I cut her off immediately.

  “There’s no one else, Toni,” I said firmly.

  “Toni,” someone shouted across the gym. Toni turned to find Mia waving. “Toni!” Mia said again as she approached. “I didn’t know you had a session tonight.”

  “Neither did Jake apparently,” Toni said sarcastically.

  My low grumble made Toni turn her head and look at me. She smiled reassuringly, but looked like she had something to say. Instead she just nodded. “Why don’t you go grab us some water and I’ll meet you in the private area in a couple minutes.”

  “Yeah, good idea.”

  “Hi, Jake,” Mia said, a tentative smile graced her beautiful flushed face. She wore no makeup, and her long, curly hair was pulled to the top of her head. A few ringlets escaped the tie and clung to her sweat-soaked skin. Hours, she’d been here for hours…

  My mouth was dry when I attempted to speak. “Yeah. Hey, Mia,” I mumbled before walking away toward the office.

  No matter how hard I tried, I still wanted her. I could still feel her in my arms. It was like she had seared my skin with her body, and now only her touch could satisfy my needs and desires. She was the only woman to ever make me feel like I was both sinking and flying at the same damn time. I need to get the hell away from her.

  Chapter Six

  Mia

  “Okay,” Toni said as soon as Jake walked away. “Wanna tell me what the hell that was all about? He’s usually distant with you, but he looked down right uncomfortable.” Her accusing tone brought me back to when we were kids and I did something I shouldn’t have. Toni was always the good angel on my shoulder, doing her best to guide me in the right direction. When we were young, it was her voice I heard in my head when I was ready to do something stupid. Even now, I still heard her voice.

  “He kinda helped me out a few nights ago. Grant got me to go to Viva Lounge with him …”

  She cut me off immediately. “Wait, what? I thought you were done with Grant. Where the hell was I?”

  “You were in another state gettin’ ready for a race, honey.” I smiled weakly. She always wanted to be there when I needed rescuing, but it was time for her to finally worry about herself and not fixing me. I told Toni the chain of events as they happened and how Grant continued to grope me despite my demands for him to stop. My stomach churned when I heard myself defending him yet again. I always did that, I needed to stop. “I guess Jake was there and saw from wherever he was. He came and made Grant back off.” I paused and took in a long, deep breath. “By the end of our dance, Jake and I were arguin’. Jake took off after. When I made it back to Grant, he was pissed and even drunker than before. I ended up drivin’ his ass home and took a cab back to our place.”

  “Are you finally done with that idiot?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Mia, come on. He’s a jerk. He treats you like shit, he’s emotionally abusive, and he’s arrogant as hell. I haven’t even met him yet and I already know this just by the way you talk about him. Is that what you want? Look around, there are men everywhere. You could probably have your pick. Why settle for an arrogant prick who screws with your head?”

  “I don’t know,” I huffed. “He’s okay for now. It’s not like there’s anyone else.”

  “But that’s the problem. You’re spendin’ energy on an asshole and not seein’ there are lots of other options. Or you could just spend some time alone.”

  I flinched. She was right, I didn’t need to be with Grant, but I was sick of being alone.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a bitch. But you’re beautiful and kind. I don’t understand why you would spend time with a man who is so much less than you.”

  Toni would never understand. Even after all she’d been through when we were younger, she still knew exactly who she was and what she wanted. I swore my desires changed from week to week or sometimes even day to day. How could I possibly know if I’d still love someone a month, year, or decade from now? And how the hell could I trust he would still love me years from now? I wasn’t about to go through what my mother went through.

  The gym was full of men, my type of men – athletic, handsome, and built. I probably could find someone else, but I always managed to be attracted to the most arrogant and cocky of the group. The ones who believed they could do and act however they wanted. Those were the types men who always seemed make me feel like I wasn’t enough – like I was pathetic. But the problem was, Grant was worse. He made me feel much, much worse.

  Instead of delving deeper into my trust issues, I decided to ask Toni the one question I needed answered. Before I could decide on anything with Grant, I needed to know what Jake thought or felt. And why exactly did he try to help me that night?

  “Why do you think Jake came to my rescue at the club? He barely talks to me, and aside from when he helped me move here, that was the most we’d been alone in years.”

  Toni paused and seemed to think for a few long moments. They seemed to be the longest moments I’d ever experienced. She remained quiet for so long I wondered if she would ever respond. Should I say something and change the subject? Maybe I made her uncomfortable. We never talked about Jake. One time, a long time ago, I told her what happened between us. She wanted me to talk to him, but I just couldn’t do it. I’d been terrible to him after he’d defended me.

  When Toni finally took in a deep breath, I began to calm down. She never said anything without weighing the pros and cons about sharing what she thought. If she was going to tell me anything, it would be relevant but it might also break my heart.

  “If I had to guess, Mia, I’d say he helped you because he cares. The same reason he helped you move to Mooresville, and was willing to give you a place to stay. He doesn’t want to see you uncomfortable or struggling. He would’ve helped you find an apartment and he would’ve helped you move. Jake’s not the indifferent prick he tries to be, but you know that. You’ve seen the real Jake, you knew the real Jake. He hasn’t changed. When he cares, he cares, no matter what.”

  “But could he ever forgive me? Could we be friends again?” I asked. I met her eyes, and silently pleaded for her to tell me what I wanted to hear.

  “Honestly, I think he would’ve forgiven you years ago had you actually talked to him. Perception is reality. He never talked about it, but he never understood what happened all those years ago and then suddenly you basically ignored him and treated him like he didn’t mean anything to you. No one ever questioned or tried to change his perception. And even though it was so long ago, it’s still matters to him. One thing I know for sure, Jake loved you.”

  “He loved you, and he loved other people too. We were teenagers,” I argued. “Juniors in high school.”

  “I’m his family. And what other people did he love, Mia? Jake doesn’t get close to that many people. Hell, even since we came to Mooresville he’s grown close and has remained friends with one person. She’s the only person he spends time with other than Cade and me.”

  My heart sank. My stomach was in knots. He’d found another woman he was close to? But what the hell did I expect? Did I think he’d sit back and wait a lifetime for me? He’s too good a man to be alone forever. He’d have to find someone at some point. “She?”

  “Monique LaRue. She’s owns a real-estate agency in town. She helped Cade and Jake find this building and both of their houses. She’s a great person, and we’ve become friends too. But she and Jake are very good friends. The emphasis is on friends. I think they had something going a while ago, but it seems to have passed. They are nothing more than friends now.” She paused and looked around. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake walk from the office to the private exercise room. He looked at us but didn’t stop. When the door closed behind hi
m, Toni continued. “Look, Mia. If you want something from Jake, you have to earn his trust again. Be honest with him. Tell him the truth. I know it’s history, but sometimes people need to forgive the sins of the past before they can move on.” She leaned in and hugged me. “I gotta go to my session with Jake. I’ll see you at home.”

  Nodding, I watched her walk across the room toward the door where Jake had disappeared. I had a lot to think about. But the one thing I got from Toni’s speech, was to not give up hope, to have faith, and to own up to my mistakes. I could do that. I was definitely not too proud to own up to my mistakes.

  Feeling lighter for the first time in a long time, I took in a deep breath. The smells of sweat, deodorant, and the metallic scents from the machines assaulted me. It wasn’t all bad, but it wasn’t all good either. But I loved this place, and knowing Jake could still care, I wouldn’t leave for anything.

  I went to the next machine and worked hard. A plan – I needed to come up with a plan to earn his trust again. Exercising helped. I could always think more clearly when I was working out. I placed my earbuds in place and was immediately lost in my thoughts and the sounds of a recording of an endless thunderstorm that drowned out all other noise.

  Even some of the noise in my head.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jake

  “You know, I’m sick of havin’ to keep my friendships with you and Mia separate,” Toni said the moment she burst through the private gym door. She paused, her brown eyes glared at me, and just waited. Probably waiting for me to make an excuse, but I had nothing to say. I tried to keep my face flat and not let her see what I was feeling. Toni didn’t need to know how much I still wanted Mia. And she definitely didn’t need to know how I could still feel her in my arms since our dance. She sighed and narrowed her eyes at me. “She’s seein’ someone, Jake.”

  “Yeah, someone who is more worried about drinkin’, makin’ her uncomfortable, and lookin’ at other women,” I retorted harshly. I instantly felt bad for snapping at Toni. She didn’t deserve my shitty attitude. “I’m sorry, Toni. But, that asshole flirts with every woman in here. I saw them at the club the other night and he was all over her. She was obviously uncomfortable, but he didn’t give a shit. Then when I helped her out, I saw the asshole hittin’ on other women at the bar.”