Peyton set the full jug of water on the counter and took the empty one. “That’s not what everyone thinks.”
He shrugged. “Unlike you, I don’t care what other people think.” He sure as hell wouldn’t be here for himself. “Quit being so quick to judge me and you would have noticed I wasn’t flirting with her. And if you’d given me an opportunity you would have witnessed me shut it down.” He picked up his jug of water while the water was still filling hers. “Also for the record, to clear the air, I didn’t cheat on my wife like everyone else thinks.” Why was he telling her that? Because I’m tired of defending myself to her. Because I want her to know the truth. I want Peyton to know who I am. Why? “She cheated on me, which is what broke up our marriage. Next time, instead of assuming, just ask me. I will surprise you.”
He walked away and left her in the kitchen.
For the very first time since his divorce, and all the created gossip, he didn’t like the way Peyton saw him.
Peyton was unusually quiet while the women set up a few tables, one with two large bowls and water, the other with products they were using and the third with the bags they were giving to the residents after their show or so they’d said. He knew she would be over thinking his confession and deciphering what to do next.
Once Peyton took the center stage her quietness departed and she spoke to the crowd with her wit and charm. Ten minutes into the demonstration Colt learned exactly what he’d missed at the store, in a long dragged out, torturous kind of way.
“In case all of you don’t know this handsome fellow standing on the sidelines over there.” Peyton pointed to the comfortable area he had chosen away from the center of attention. “This is Colt Patterson, hockey pro,” she announced to the crowd of elderly people, about forty of them that had gathered into the room.
Leaning against the hall table beside the exit, he waved. He’d purposely chosen the location planning his escape route when the women began to bore him to sleep talking about oils and properties and whatever else they’d already started and lost his interest. Uncontrollable yawns were already forming.
“I came just for his signature,” an older, balding man sitting on his walker shouted.
“You’re in luck,” Peyton said. “Because Colt’s promised to stick around after we are finished here for some meet-the-sports-town-hero time.” She winked at Colt. He didn’t promise anything even remotely close to that. She was full of surprises too.
“And what’s your name sir?” Peyton asked the older gentleman.
“Bob. Bob Teeple,” he announced proudly.
Colt did notice that at least a third of the gathered were in fact men...likely gathered after word got around he’d arrived for this beauty lesson. Poor old guys. He felt almost as sorry for them as he did for himself. Almost.
“Bob, hush down. Us women are having a spa day,” an elderly lady with large plastic rollers still wrapped around grey locks and covered in a clear shower cap called to him.
“What’s your name Ma’am?” Peyton asked the spa queen.
“Delores Hayter.”
Peyton clasped her hands together. “Well, Delores we have a lineup of wonderful products to show you.” She turned to Bob. “And Bob Teeple, for our men’s line, Colt Patterson has volunteered to demonstrate for us.” She held her hands together and the room clapped a welcoming applause.
The older man wrinkled his face as though that was the most horrifying thing he’d ever heard.
Colt agreed. He also agreed that he hadn’t volunteered to demonstrate, not knowingly anyway.
“Which shall we do first? The women’s line...” Peyton glanced at Colt and held her arms out at him like she was showcasing him on a television game show. She was definitely doing a great job at keeping the attention of the elderly people. “...or the men’s line?” she finished.
Colt could have sworn he heard the sisters chuckle under their breath. That probably was due to the horrified look across his face.
The elderly people seemed to love Colt and cheered him right onto the chair Peyton pulled out for him. Great.
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree to this,” he muttered to her.
Peyton smiled. “Oh, you’re gorgeous. The crowd loves you. Just smile and nod.”
Colt might have been gorgeous when he sat down but an hour later every smelly cream, lotion, aftershave, lip, eye and men’s skin care product had been applied, rubbed and washed away by Peyton’s soft fingers. Every time her fingertips gently massaged his face the heat shot down every part of his body. If she’d touched him like that this morning in his room he would have lost his reserve.
Meanwhile, to keep the audience involved, Kate with her sophisticated and yet kidding manner, Sydney with her serious and sweet smiles, and Abby with her loud and blunt words rushed around the crowd to every man and woman that wanted a sample and demonstrated personally with each or groups.
Colt did exactly what Peyton had instructed, he smiled and made clever jokes that set the room into laughter. But by no means did he take over the show. He knew he wasn’t there to keep the group entertained. These McAdams women were smart and clever and the crowd loved them. Why Peyton would ever believe she would be judged by photos of them together when her spirit alone was full of life and she stood confident and solid all on her own. If anything, this little plan was going to make him look better because of his choice of company.
“Lastly, we have a mud mask specifically made for men,” Peyton said appearing at his side with a clear container and he saw her description was accurate. She continued to explain the benefits of the mask while mixing the brown goop with a wooden stick.
Colt caught her wrist as she was about to apply it to his face. “I’m drawing a line.” He stared at the mountain of mud, literally mud, on the end of the stick centimeters from his face that smelled anything like mud.
“This is excellent for your complexion,” she insisted.
“Then you wear it.” His tone was grim.
She frowned. “It is designed for men.”
“By a woman.”
Peyton shifted her weight to one leg and grinned at him. “Is this too girly for you?”
Colt had never worn so much of anything on his face in his entire life and now she wanted to add mud. Not just mud either which wouldn’t be so bad but it was mud mixed with oils that smelled anything but manly. If he wanted to add mud to his face he would have taken up a career in soccer.
“It’s scented mud.”
“With seaweed.” She shook her head. “Weren’t you listening?” Her eyes looked at their connecting skin, then she sent him a warning look.
He let go. He hated his life at that very moment as the cold mud touched his face, rough and slimy. And it smelled funny too.
Peyton smiled during the whole application. “See what us women go through to improve ourselves,” she whispered for only him to hear. “And you take us for granted.”
Colt would never take the woman in front of him for granted, nor should the lucky guy who eventually swooped down, crushed her rock heart and swept her off her unexpected feet. Raw edges scraped his insides at the thought of her with another man.
Colt caught her hand again as she was tilting his head to finish the mask around his chin. She looked down at him, a new position since he generally towered above her, and entertaining pleasure danced in her wickedly hazel eyes. Those eyes and the spark behind them ignited his body. The longer he stared the quicker desire clouded her eyes, replicating his own.
“You Peyton McAdams do not need improving.”
Her mouth opened slightly and a tiny sound eked past her painted pink lips. There was so much passion between them the game plan seemed like a foolish creation they should throw away. His mother’s happiness interrupted him, reminding why the game plan was in effect.
Now they were lost in each other’s eyes like they were the only two in the room. It was his fault.
“Wait.” With his finger he touched her chin, h
eat torched his finger tips. He tilted her face. “Except maybe here.” With his free hand he had scooped a little mud out of the jar on the table next to him without her noticing. He smeared it across her jaw line.
She gasped loudly and tried to jerk away but he gripped her chin.
He heard her sisters gasp behind him and then Abby’s laughter filled the room. The crowd didn’t notice because they were so busy with their samples. Thank God, that meant they hadn’t noticed them lost in a moment of passion.
“And here,” he said. Another dallop across her cheek.
Her jaws clamped together and the hand holding the stick caught his wrist. He almost laughed. Her tiny fingers barely covered half his wrist.
“Stop it,” she warned.
“Or what?”
“Colt.” Another warning.
“Peyton,” he mimicked.
She took a deep breath.
He mimicked.
As she exhaled, a smile formed on her face like the sun shining in the wake of a storm.
“If you stop, I will wash this off your face and no more. I promise. I will move right onto the women’s line.”
It was about time. If he had known this would get him off the hook he would have smeared this stuff all over her face much sooner.
“Plus dinner,” he bargained.
“What?” What?
“I want to take you out for dinner.”
“Why?” Yeah, why?
“To eat.” Bullshit. “Deal? Or else...” He looked at his hand.
Her eyes followed.
“Deal.” The mask was off in less than ten seconds.
He rubbed his own face, finally. But the rough normal texture was left with smooth and silky and tingly. Why was his face tingly?
He jumped from the chair and away from any of the sisters and their madness. This was officially the last demonstration he was attending.
Chapter Fourteen
“I like him,” Abby declared as they closed the shop door behind them and Peyton watched Colt’s truck pull away.
“You like all bad asses,” Peyton pointed out. She walked over to the counter and set the leftover bags down. Peyton was starting to consider that she also had a soft spot for bad asses. Or maybe one in particular.
“I do not.” Abby’s disagreement fell short of conviction. She hopped onto the counter and folded her legs. Peyton hoped Abby was aware she couldn’t sit on the counter once they were open.
Peyton, Kate and Sydney all laughed at their youngest sister’s proclamation. Bad boys attracted her like flies to ripe fruit only the boys were never as sweet as she thought they would be.
Peyton was learning Colt’s outer layers screamed bad-ass, but the more time she spent with him she watched layers shed away and she was finding he might be the unusual sweet bad-ass Abby was searching for. Especially after his revelation about his marriage. Lauren cheated on him. Lauren cheated on him! His disclosures were changing her perception of him and, besides the desire between them, she found herself also enjoying the rest of him, his personality and charm and the way everything was always a smile with him. The way he had soft eyes for his mother melted Peyton’s heart, and chipped away at the rock edge.
“Let’s see,” Peyton started with a wink at her sisters. She tilted her head in the air as if thinking hard. “If they bare tattoos you crave to know what the deep dark background of every ink droplet is.”
Abby unconsciously touched the tattoo on her inner wrist. We only part to meet again, were scribbled in script. She’d had it inked when Gran passed last October. Abby had taken Gran’s death the hardest since she’d spent years living with Gran and they’re bond was so solid.
“If they have leather jackets you can’t resist running your fingers along their long thick motorcycle driving arms,” Kate joined in, pulling her jacket off and slowly grazing the arm as she laid it across the counter.
Abby loved to ride, Abby loved the thrill. Abby loved all thrills.
“If there is a guitar strapped to that bad ass, bike driving, tattoo-adorning fella−it’s a sealed deal,” Sydney finished.
Abby stared at each of them with her angry lined cat-eyes that slowly softened and her lips curved upwards. “Whatever,” she dismissed waving her hand.
They all laughed.
Abby was closest to Kate so she got a swat. “Stop it. I don’t even know why we are talking about me when I was talking about Colt. I can’t believe he let you anywhere near his face with this stuff,” she said to Peyton, changing the topic.
“He’s so full of himself none of this would emasculate him,” Peyton said. Mud in exchange for dinner. Why was he always quick to spend time with her? Don’t read into it. He is simply being a friend. She didn’t see him asking her sisters out for dinner though. That look they shared sure hadn’t felt like any friend look Peyton had ever shared with anyone.
“He was so cute, running around and rubbing the little old ladies hands with product,” Sydney said with her sweet smile. Even through the toughest layers Sydney saw good in people and her heart was always open to the saying, Everyone deserves a second chance. That made her the wonderful person she was and Peyton the judgemental one.
“He was like their Prince Charming,” Kate continued, sending Peyton a knowing look, referring to her comment the day Kate caught Peyton watching Colt from the store window.
Peyton grunted. “He’s anything but Prince Charming.” Although, she would hand him the title a little more willingly now that she was starting to know him better. She didn’t dare tell her sisters that for fear of never hearing the end of it.
“Really because he showed up today,” Kate defended him.
“He should. He owed me.”
Kate laughed in disbelief. “He owed you? Because of a couple pictures? I think you’re lucky he stuck around to take orders from you.”
“I don’t give orders.”
It was Peyton’s turn to sit through a roar of laughter from her sisters who finished with amused sighs and giggles.
“He has a wonderful ass,” Abby noted.
Peyton agreed, but not out loud.
“Be careful,” Sydney warned. “You could be talking about your future brother-in-law.”
Peyton was absolutely positive Colt was the not the settle down and marry type. Or was he? Maybe he would surprise her and she would learn he was. That sent a thrill through her stomach, cut short when Lauren’s betrayal reminded her that the other woman had broken Colt’s heart. Peyton had thought about Colt’s divorce a lot while setting up at the retirement home. All of Colt’s behavior the last two years, that she’d assumed was because he was a selfish jerk, had commenced with Lauren’s deception. His life had spiraled downward and Peyton might have a rock heart but Colt’s heart was crushed.
Would he want a new family? Or was his love for Lauren so deep he would never be able to love another woman the same. Who cares? What difference does it make? She was beginning to get frustrated by her sister’s comments about a futureless relationship with Colt.
“See this is exactly what I am talking about,” Peyton snapped. “People and their assumptions. Listen to you three making unrealistic assumptions about me and Colt while everyone thinks we are a couple, or I’m his current fling and people gossip. They are going to be judging me. They’ve already judged Colt unfairly. Did you know he didn’t cheat on his wife?” Why did she feel the need to clarify that with her sisters? “She had the affair, but because he didn’t set the record straight everyone just came up with their own assumptions.”
Peyton feared what the town would say when they found out her secret if she ever had to reveal it. Would they judge? Would they accept? Would everything work out alright? Would she end up moving away? It was too much for her to think about when no matter which way she swung the situations she never knew the outcome for certain. Not until she faced up to what she was ignoring.
“Who cares what other people think about you,” Kate said.
“I do.
” Her reputation was at stake here, not to mention their business’s reputation and now with Sydney’s fears...why did she have to explain everything!
“We are opening a business.”
Kate shrugged. “So what?”
“We can’t afford bad advertising.”
Kate levelled a look at her. “Your private life has nothing to do with our business and if people want to judge you because of harmless pictures that’s their problem not ours.”
Harmless? They weren’t harmless when Peyton looked through them. The girl who stared back at her, the one she thought she knew, was instigating questions into her conclusion about love. Was no love better than the possibility of pain it might cause? Her answer had always been yes and now she was debating a no!
Logically, besides her own battle with those pictures, the words Kate spoke made sense, but Sydney’s worries still haunted her. “It’s our problem if the business suffers.”
“We don’t want customers who are judgmental.”
“You can say that Kate, you have Marc who will be able to support you through anything, but the rest of us have to fend for ourselves.” It wasn’t her feelings but that of Sydney’s coming out through her.
Kate opened her mouth to argue back but snapped it shut and a wave of hurt washed over her face.
“I’m sorry Kate,” Peyton apologized immediately. “I didn’t mean to indicate that you aren’t giving this your full, because I know that you are. But Sydney has house payments, Haylee’s college and...”
Sydney jumped in. “Don’t worry about me Peyton.”
Peyton turned toward her sister. “Are you kidding me?”
Sydney shook her head. “No, not at all. We are all in this together.”
“And I’m used to living on whatever,” Abby chimed in, obviously not fazed by the possibility of failure. At that moment Peyton shared something with her wild sister, bold courage. But then Peyton wondered if Abby knew she was paying heat and hydro for Gran’s house now that it belonged to her. Or was their dad paying for it? Another time. Right now Peyton knew Sydney was hiding worries from them, from her family and she didn’t have to. Besides, Peyton had to give them something or else Kate was going to keep digging and Peyton wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Not ready to talk about the possibility, or to make it a reality.
Lakeshore Legend: The McAdams Series (By The Lake Series Book 2) Page 13
