“What about you?” The question was tossed out there so suddenly that Sapphire was momentarily stunned by the change of topic.
“What do you mean what about me?” she asked confused about what Shauntie wanted to know.
“Wasn’t there a guy you were going to ask out on a date? Did you ever do it? I never heard anymore about him from you.”
She had only brought up the sexy mailman once to Shauntie. Sapphire had forgotten what an excellent memory her girlfriend had. She should have known she wasn’t going to get out of here without being asked a question about a man or her lack of one.
“No, I never asked him out a date,” she replied. “The opportunity never came up and I wasn’t going to force anything. Besides, it would have been a little strange for me to go up to a total stranger and ask him out. “
Shauntie’s eyebrows rose in amazement. “Sapphire, how do you think people get to know each other? Most couples started off being strangers first until one of them gets enough nerve to ask the other person out. Please don’t tell me you didn’t do it because you were scared of getting rejected?”
Unconsciously, Sapphire’s brow furrowed. “No, I’m not scared of rejection. I just decided not to ask him out on a date and there was nothing more to it. So, can we just leave it alone?”
“Sorry. I won’t bring him up again. I didn’t mean to upset you. How about we get out of here? I need to go home and pack for my trip because I won’t be able to do anything when Nash comes over later,” Sapphire teased as she got up from the table.
“God...I don’t want to hear about your sex life when mine is dead and buried,” Sapphire complained as she stood up. “I might as well start looking into adopting multiple cats and find a rocking chair for my front porch.”
“Your sex life isn’t dead nor is it buried. I think it’s on a little vacation for the moment. It will probably be up and running before you know it. All you have to do is find the right man and you’ll be telling me all of your juicy secrets.” Spinning away from her, Shauntie headed toward the front of the restaurant.
Yeah right, Sapphire thought as she followed Shauntie.
She was more positive there weren’t any juicy secrets in her future to tell anyone especially not Emerald or Shauntie. Hell, Emerald would end up fulfilling her end of the deal before she even got her foot into the door of a new relationship.
Chapter One
“Man, do you have to be in such a good mood all the time since you got involved with Shauntie? You haven’t been dating her that long and you’re already acting like an old married couple,” Brian Terry complained, tossing back bourbon and coke before slamming the glass down on the bar counter.
“How can I not be the happiest man in the world?” Nash Wentworth, his childhood buddy boasted. “I finally got the most flawless woman in the world and I’m planning to ask her to marry me on our trip to New York.”
Brian’s bluish-gray eyes narrowed and hardened as he stared at Nash. “Don’t you think you’re moving a little fast here? You haven’t been dating Shauntie for that long. Yes, she’s gorgeous, but don’t you want to wait a little while longer before you put a ring on her finger? You can’t know everything you need to know about her yet.”
Easing back from him, Nash folded his arms over his chest. “Nothing you can come up with will make me change my mind about asking Shauntie to marry me. I’m in love with her. I loved her before she even knew who I was. My feelings have only grown stronger.”
“Isn’t there anything I can say or do to make you rethink his stupid mistake?” Brian demanded. “I know Chance’ll be on my side with this one. You just aren’t ready to be a married man yet.”
“I’m not going to listen to any of this while you’re nursing this bottle,” Nash said, moving the liquor bottle out of Brian’s reach. “Do you want to tell me why your housekeeper Nina called me over here? I was on my way to Shauntie’s house to help her pack for our trip when I got the phone call. Why are you drinking this early in the afternoon? Is there a reason why you aren’t at work today? I thought you were trying to save up your personal days, so you could take a trip this summer?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Brian got up from his seat and reached for the bourbon, but Nash got to it first.
“Brian, you’ve had enough to drink. Just tell me what’s going on with you. You aren’t much of a drinker, so what made you go into your secret stock and pull this out. Just tell me what’s going on with you. As long as I’ve known you, I don’t ever recall you drowning your problems in liquor.”
Leaning back in the chair, Brian ran his hands through his hair and then down his face. Minutes ticked by without any sort of an answer and Nash was beginning to get worried. His buddy wasn’t the kind of man to keep things to himself. Sometimes, he was like an open book to him and Chance.
“I want Shauntie,” Brian mumbled.
“What in the fuck are you talking about?” Nash snapped. He grabbed Brian by the front of his shirt yanking him up from his chair. “Why in the hell do you want my girlfriend?”
Brian wrapped his hand around Nash’s wrist and tried to yank it away from his shirt, but he didn’t let go.
“Nash, you misunderstood me,” he gasped as his buddy’s grip grew tighter.
“How did I misunderstand you? I heard you loud and clear. There’s no way in hell that I’m going to allow you to get near Shauntie again. She’s going to be my fiancée after this trip is over. Do you hear me?”
Struggling against the hard grip on his body, Brian kept pulling until Nash finally decided to let go. “God man... are you trying to kill me?” He coughed a couple of times trying to get oxygen back into his lungs.
“How in the hell do you expect me to react when my best friend tells me he wants my woman?” Nash shouted, shoving him. “Do you think I would take a comment like that lying down? I should be kicking your ass right now.”
Stumbling backwards, Brian grabbed the edge of the table so he wouldn’t fall over onto the floor. “Stop it Nash!” he hollered. “You didn’t let me finish the rest of my sentence before went all crazy and attacked me.”
“Brian, I wasn’t twenty feet from you. Do you expect me to be okay with your comment?” Nash snapped.
“I wasn’t talking about wanting your Shauntie. I only meant I wanted a woman like your girlfriend. A female who will be able to see past what I might not be able to give her to the man underneath.”
Brian grabbed the arm of the chair and fell back down into it. He made a mental note to never bring up Nash’s girlfriend unless it was something to do with them as a couple. He didn’t want his buddy trying to kick his ass again over a few misspoken words.
If he ever doubted Nash was in love with Shauntie, he knew that he was now by his reaction. Brian also made a mental note to warn Chance not to bring up Shauntie in conversation either.
“You’ll never have a woman like Shauntie because you’re too worried about what she might think about you. In addition, I don’t think you could handle being with a woman who made more money than you.”
“Nash, you’re so far off the mark.” Brian hated that his friend had figured out a small part of his problem. “I would be able to handle if my girlfriend’s paycheck was bigger than mine. How can you say I can’t handle having less money than my woman?”
“Are you trying to tell me that you asked out that attractive doctor you were interested in? I never heard anymore about her,” Nash asked calling him out on his lie.
“So, what if I didn’t ask her out on a date?” he demanded tired of the way this conversation was headed. “What business is it of yours? There could have been another reason besides her money. Maybe I thought our personalities wouldn’t blend well together. Did you ever think about that?”
Shaking his head, Nash took a seat at the table stretching his long legs out in front of him. “All I’m saying is that you need to think about why you didn’t ask her out on a date? From what little you told me about her
, she showed some interest in you. Why do you think she would have turned down an invitation to lunch or for a cup of coffee?”
“Did you feel any kind of apprehension with Shauntie?” Brian asked him. “I mean were you ever nervous she would laugh at you for asking her out on a date?”
“Not at all,” Nash replied, honestly. “I knew that I already had feelings for Shauntie. My only problem was how to get her to see me and what might happen when she found out the truth about J.T. However, I got lucky. Shauntie was amazing enough to forgive me about my cousin.”
“I hate to admit it but you’re right. I should have asked her out but now I can’t because of the holiday break, but I’ll do it as soon as I go back to work. So, tell me about this trip you’re taking Shauntie on. Does she have any clue that you’ll pop the question?”
Grinning from ear to ear, Nash shook his head. “She doesn’t have a clue. I got some help from her two best friends about the ring she might like. I swore both of them to secrecy, so I’m crossing my fingers they’ll keep their words. When are you going to get some free time so I can introduce you to Shauntie’s friends? She’s met mine and I want my buddies to meet hers.”
“Every time I’m ready to meet them, Chance backs out at the very last minute. I don’t want to do it by myself and get the third degree from two women I don’t know. Chance has to be there with me. He’s better with comebacks then I am and we both know it.”
His expression stilled and grew serious. “You’re right. Chance isn’t sticking to his word. How about Shauntie and I pick out a day and then get back with you and Chance? I’ll make sure Chance doesn’t find a way to back out on us. I wonder why he’s doing it anyway,” Nash questioned.
“Chance thinks you’re going to try to fix him up with one of Shauntie’s friends. He isn’t interested in being fixed up when he doesn’t have a problem finding his own women,” Brian told him.
“I’ve never tried to fix up Chance before, so why is he so worried I’ll do it now? I don’t care who he’s dating. It’s his life and he can run it any way he wants. God, he should know me better than that by now. Enough about Chance,” Nash said. “I came here to see you. Tell me, are you going to do anything special since you turned down my invitation to go on the trip with me and Shauntie?”
“No, I’ll probably just stay at home and watch the ball drop on television,” Brian admitted. “Chance is going out with some new girl he met while at a convenience store. You know how much women love Chance in his police uniform.”
“Yeah, I’ve been around a few times when Chance’s uniform has gotten him some phone numbers. He doesn’t have to do much to draw their attention. I can’t blame him for calling them. He’s single and isn’t interested in anything serious.
“Brian, you need to do more than sit at home on New Year Eve’s. How about you get away for a few days and relax?” Nash suggested. “I know you’ve wanted to do something like that for a while. A mini vacation will do you some good. It will give you time to think about how you’re going to ask that woman you wouldn’t tell me about.”
Brian loved Nash’s idea, but there was only one little problem with it. Where in the hell was he going to go at this short notice? All the places he thought about were probably already booked weeks or even months ahead of time.
“I love you have this big plan for me, but do you also have the just the right place for me to take this sabbatical of yours? I mean it might be kind of hard to find anywhere to stay at such short notice,” Brian pointed out.
“Well...I... I hadn’t thought that far in advance,” Nash admitted, “but I’m sure I can come up with something. Just give me a minute to think about it.”
“Sure,” Brian laughed, but without humor. “I can give you two hours and you still wouldn’t be able to think of a nice, quiet location for me to relax over the New Year’s Eve holiday. Thanks again for your suggestion, but I’m going to stick with what I had in mind at first.”
For a long moment, Nash looked back at him and Brian wondered what was going on inside of his head. He watched as the different thoughts reflected across his friend’s face, but none of them were a clue to what Nash was thinking about or even if he would let him in on it.
“I have it!” Nash shouted, grinning at him. “I know where I can send you. This is just the spot you need to be and I know you will enjoy it.”
Brian was curious about where Nash wanted to ship him off to after he saw the changes on his face. “Well, are you going to tell me or do I have to play twenty questions with you?”
“You can stay at Shauntie’s cottage. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before now. Here let me give you the key.” Reaching into his pocket, Nash dug out his keys and then took off the key ring Shauntie had given to him.
He tossed it on the table in front of Brian. “It’s very secluded and you can stay there until the New Year. I know Shauntie won’t care at all.”
Picking up the key, Brian gave Nash a long glance of utter disbelief. He was stunned by his friend’s generosity that he didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure about this,” he asked, twirling the key between two of his fingers. “Don’t you think that you should ask Shauntie about this first?” His excitement might be short lived if Shauntie pulled the rug from underneath both of them about the cottage. He didn’t want to be what caused a fight between Nash and Shauntie.
“Go upstairs and start getting packed. Shauntie won’t care at all. She told me she never goes to the cottage during cold weather and since it’s empty why not let you get some enjoyment out of it? Are you going to think of another way to turn down my offer?”
Brian held the key up and then glanced back over at Nash. This was the best idea his buddy could have come up with at a moment’s notice. He wasn’t stupid and only a dumb man would turn this down.
“I think I’m going on a little trip,” Brian answered as his hand closed around the key ring.
“Great! I know you’re going to find everything you need at the cottage. From the way, Shauntie talks about the area, it’s a dream come true for anyone who loves the wilderness.”
“Sounds like it’ll be just what I’ve been waiting for.” Brian was more than excited. He was still at the idea of being alone the next couple of days. The time alone with give him another chance to think about if he should go along with the career change he was thinking about.
The cottage might end up being the answer to all of his problems.
Chapter Two
“Shauntie, will you stop worrying about me so much because I know what I’m doing.”” Sapphire held the cell phone to her ear with one hand while she pulled up the cottage and parked. “I told you when I called you from the gas station that I could find this place again. I’m excellent when it comes to direction.”
Turning off the car, Sapphire stared out the windshield at the light powdering of snow on the ground and on the cottage’s roof. The whiteness of the fresh untouched snow on the porch contrasted with the dark blue siding drawing her eyes to the white rocking chair on the wrap-around porch. The image could have been placed in a Hallmark movie about a city woman going back to her country roots.
Everything about Shauntie’s picturesque little cottage brought a smile to Sapphire’s face. She loved being here with the peace and quiet surrounding her.
What more could she ask for?
“Sapphire, are you still there?” Shauntie asked, drawing her out of her hypnotic state.
Well, that lasted about five seconds. She wasn’t going to get any peace until she gave Shauntie what she wanted.
Sighing into the phone, Sapphire answered her overprotective best friend. “Yes, I’m still here. I was just getting lost in how beautiful the cottage looks this time of year. Remember when we came here it was the middle of summer. The place looks totally amazing with the snow covering the ground. You really should have come here with Nash. It’s very romantic.”
“I’m not about to give up on a trip to New York to see some sno
w on the ground and maybe a deer or two in the forest. You make it sound like something out of a Disney movie and I’ve never considered myself Snow White. No, you can have the place all to yourself. I’ll tell Nash all about it when he gets back home. He went to check on Brian and then he was going shopping for our trip. We’re trying to get everything taken care of today before our flight.”
“I still can’t believe you fell in love with Nash and now you’re going out of town with him. Wasn’t I the one who took the challenge with Emerald about finding a man before my favorite holiday?” Sapphire said. “You hated the idea and vowed not to get involved at all; however, you were the one who did it in a matter of weeks. Do you have some kind of magical powers I don’t know about? Care to share some of it with me?” Sapphire teased, as she grabbed her purse out of the passenger seat.
“Come on. You already know that Nash did most of the work in our relationship.” Shauntie pointed out trying to make her feel better. Yet, both of them knew Emerald would set her sights on someone guy and win him over. There wasn’t a man in the world that Emerald couldn’t charm with her personality and smile. “I wouldn’t have gone to the lengths he did to win me over. I couldn’t ask for a better man. But you shouldn’t give up. New Year’s Eve isn’t here yet. You might end up accomplishing what you set out to do. Don’t forget that Emerald hasn’t found her hunky man yet either,”
Looking around the woods which surrounded the cottage, Sapphire seriously doubted that her dream man was going to walk out of the forest. This wasn’t a romance novel, but real life she was living in. Men just didn’t appear out of thin air when a woman was searching for her Mr. Right.
Hell... there wasn’t even a Forest Ranger anywhere around here. She loved that Shauntie had such faith in her abilities to make a man come to her before New Year’s Eve, but she lived in reality which meant she knew it wasn’t going to happen.
Hunks: Opposites Attract Page 2
