by Carolyn Rae
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Roxanne St. Claire. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Barefoot Bay remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Roxanne St. Claire, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Just the Two of Us
By
Carolyn Rae
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Barefoot Bay Kindle World, a place for authors to write their own stories set in the tropical paradise that I created! For these books, I have only provided the setting of Mimosa Key and a cast of characters from my popular Barefoot Bay series. That’s it! I haven’t contributed to the plotting, writing, or editing of Just the Two of Us. This book is entirely the work of author Carolyn Rae, a writer who is also a fan of the Barefoot Bay world.
Carolyn’s story brings some suspense and action to the romantic shores of my dreamy island. I hope you enjoy this new and different take on Barefoot Bay. All you have to do is kick off your shoes and fall in love.
Roxanne St. Claire
PS. If you’re interested in the rest of the Barefoot Bay Kindle World novels, or if you are already a fan of the Barefoot Bay universe and would like to explore the possibility of writing your own book set in my world, stop by www.roxannestclaire.com for details!
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my critique partners, Pepper, Jan, Carolyn 2, Diana, Sabine, Stacey, and the DFW Writer’s Workshop, and to NTRWA, DARA and Yellow Rose RWA for their help and encouragement.
JUST THE TWO OF US
Chapter One
“Hands up.” The man, all in black, including a mask, was of average height. Baggy clothes hid his body shape. His big gun looked deadly, but he wasn’t holding it very steady.
Justin Sherrod gripped his store’s glass jewelry counter, swallowed a gasp, then shot up his hands. His stomach twisted in knots. A light fixture hummed because it was about to go out. The clock above his head ticked ominously.
Thank goodness, his one employee was off today. Now at eight-thirty, it was getting dark, and he was the only one here. Except a woman was pushing the door open. Out of sight of the gunman. His heart leapt. He had to say something. “Why are you pulling a gun on me?” he said loudly and raised his hands higher.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door close and the woman disappear. He let out the breath he’d been holding.
The gunman turned his head as if to guess what made the noise. Justin kept his eyes on the man.
He knew this could happen.
He’d planned for it.
Rehearsed for it.
Where was that damn button?
He must be standing right next to it. He dared not look down.
There. He stepped on it. Now it was time to stall.
He kept his hands up. “What do you want?”
Aiming the gun at Justin’s chest, the robber pointed to the glass case between them. “Those rings. Set them on the counter, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Easy, man. I just have to unlock the case.” Keeping one hand up, Justin struggled to dig for his keys. He pulled them out and flipped through them. He caught a glimpse of the burglar’s impatient glare. Finally got the right one.
As he inserted the key, he inadvertently pushed the button for the cabinet lights, which flashed off.
“What didya do to the lights?” the burglar demanded. “Did you set off some alarm?”
Justin shook his head. “I accidentally hit the switch for the case lights. They make the diamonds sparkle even more.” He turned the lights on again. “Which tray do you want?”
“All three, you son of a bitch. Hurry the hell up.”
Justin’s phone jangled.
“Answer the phone. If that’s the cops, tell them you’re good.”
Justin reached in his pocket, grabbed his phone, and held it to his ear. “What’s your emergency?” the voice said.
The burglar pointed the gun at Justin’s chest. Justin took in a quick breath. Willed his voice to sound natural. “Everything’s okay here.” He paused a minute as if listening. “Thanks for checking.” He tapped a blank spot, pretending to shut the phone off and slid it into his pocket, hoping the dispatcher could still hear. “Just hold on. I’ll get out the rings you want.”
Fidgeting, the masked man pointed the gun at Justin like he meant business. His voice seemed familiar. Was he in here yesterday looking at engagement rings? He might have cased the place. His pulse racing, Justin set one tray on the counter and bent to get the next one.
The masked man shoved the tray into a tote bag. “Don’t try anything.”
The middle tray was stuck. Desperate to keep the man talking, Justin said, “Wait ‘til I get this tray loose, and I’ll give you all three.”
The man pointed the gun at Justin’s chest. “Stop stalling. Hand out the other tray, or I’ll shoot. Gimme it, and be quick.”
Relieved the other tray moved easily, Justin pulled it out. It clinked on the counter and made a scraping sound as the thief dragged it across the glass and dumped it in his bag. Where the hell were the cops?
Sirens sounded. Justin ducked behind the counter to jiggle the stuck tray loose.
“Where’s the back door?” the burglar yelled.
Justin scooted further away. He raised his hand and pointed. “That way. Just go.”
The man ran out the back door.
A minute later, two uniformed Dallas policemen rushed in. Justin pointed. “The robber ran out the back.”
The two cops followed. “Police. Stop or I’ll shoot!” one yelled. Sounds of running footsteps soon faded. A third officer walked inside and questioned Justin. Five minutes later, two officers returned, huffing a bit from running. “He got away,” the first cop said as another cruiser pulled up outside.
Finally, after Justin had answered all their questions, the police and the fingerprint expert left, leaving black dust on anything the robber might have touched.
It was dark and past the time stores stayed open on Friday nights. He didn’t feel like staying to clean up. That could wait until morning. Justin locked up and put the ‘Closed’ sign on the door.
Thank goodness, his female clerk hadn’t been here, and he hadn’t gotten his head blown off. He called his stepfather, owner of the jewelry store chain, to report the robbery, but had to leave a message. Tomorrow was soon enough to make the insurance claim.
Hoping this was the last robbery he’d have to deal with for a while, he trudged to his car and drove home.
First thing next morning, Justin turned on the lights at the store and rearranged the displays to fill the empty spaces. The door chimed, and his step-brother, Stevie walked in.
“Hey, brother,” Stevie said. “How are you? Sorry about the robbery. Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, considering what’s happened, but Dad and I agreed this shop has to close. Not only is it in an area more likely to be robbed, but it’s not bringing in enough profit.”
“What?” Justin’s jaw dropped. He
couldn’t believe it had come to this. “But last quarter’s profit was better than the previous period.”
“Not good enough.”
“I’m not giving up this store. I’ll call Father right now.”
“It’s a done deal.” Stevie held up a sign which said, ‘Store Closing Sale. Visit our north Dallas store on Northwest Highway and the Toll Road. He set it in the window.
Justin’s hands clenched into fists. He wanted to pound his jackass stepbrother into the floor. “But that’s your store.”
“Technically, it’s Dad’s, but I run it.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Chapter Two
Lisa Davenport finished decorating the bulletin board and hoped the children in her crafts class at the Casa Blanca Kids Club on Florida’s Mimosa Key would find it interesting.
Her phone rang. She glanced at the name. “Hello, Mom. How are you?”
“I’ve got a headache, but that isn’t the worst of it. I got another notice about the cancellation fee for the caterer we hired for your wedding and one for the bill for the hall. I’m trying to decide which one we can pay now. Maybe I can send a partial payment to each.”
Remembering her angry words to her ex-fiancé, Lisa sighed. It was bad enough he’d lied to her, but her parents hadn’t told her they couldn’t afford to pay for the wedding. She hated being lied to. They’d had a big argument when she’d found out. “Mom, I’d like to help, but I gave you all that was left of my last paycheck, and I won’t get paid here until the end of the month.”
Twelve-year-old Alexandra walked in the door. Alex had volunteered to help on Lisa’s first day and had come every day last week.
“Sorry, Mom,” Lisa said, “but my assistant just came in, and my class is about to begin. I’ll talk with you later. Bye.”
Alex’s dark eyes focused on the cut-out figures on the bulletin board. Lisa hoped the picture of a kitten playing with a ball of yarn while a girl knitted on a scarf would encourage kids to believe they could learn to knit. The photo of a boy and girl building a Lego village center might interest both boys and girls.
Alex pointed to the display. “Maybe more kids will see this from the windows to the hall and want to come. What are they going to do today?”
“Finger painting. Would you please help me cover the tables with paper from this roll?”
As Lisa and Alex covered the tables, Lisa couldn’t help smiling. What a difference from teaching at the private elementary school in north Dallas, where she worked during the school year.
Walking a few yards to spend afternoons on the white sands of Florida’s Barefoot Bay was a welcome change from driving through traffic with homework papers piled beside her. With the scent of honeysuckle and roses blowing in through the screens, even the air smelled better. And to think she’d earn a small salary, as well as stay in a cottage rent-free, was frosting on the cake.
She twisted the ruby ring on her right hand. It wasn’t as big or as sparkly as her yellow diamond ring in her jewelry box. Her mother had suggested Lisa probably ought to have it reset in a more modern design, but Lisa had resisted. The ring brought sad memories of her grandmother who’d died two months ago, not long after Lisa found out the fiancé she’d loved had cheated on her. Thank goodness, she hadn’t sent out wedding invitations yet. From now on, she wouldn’t trust any man until she’d known him a long time.
She’d never dreamed her folks, who’d offered to pay for the rehearsal dinner and the flowers, were so deeply in debt. After buying a wedding dress and making the deposit on an apartment, her credit card was charged to the max. She could barely make the minimum payments as it was.
After her class as she unlocked the door to her cottage, she was surprised to see a trim, long-haired young woman vacuuming the floor. “What are you doing here? I didn’t order maid service.”
“I’m Molly. I work for Casa Blanca Resort. Maid service comes with all the cottages and villas.”
“Why have I never seen or met you before?”
Molly fingered a gold chain. “The clerk who checked you in said you looked exhausted and claimed you were going to take a nap before unpacking. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I skipped cleaning your cottage then. I usually come in the mornings when you are teaching your class. I pride myself on leaving everything just as I found it.”
Lisa felt uneasy at the thought of someone just slipping into her place when she was away. In her bedroom her grandmother’s ring now lay on the chest of drawers. Strange, she didn’t remember leaving it out. “Did you take my yellow diamond ring out of my jewelry box?”
Molly looked down, then met Lisa’s gaze. “The box was open, and I couldn’t resist trying it on. Please forgive me, but it sparkled so nicely in the sunlight shining in the window. I was going to put it back after shutting and dusting the top of the jewelry case, but I guess I forgot. I would never steal anything from anyone. I promise.”
Lisa adopted the stern look she sometimes gave her fifth-grade students. “You’re lucky I won’t report this.” She hesitated, then said. “Please don’t come to clean when I’m not home.” “I’d like you to schedule your work for a time when I’ll be here.”
Molly nodded. “I can do that. Please don’t tell anyone. I’ve been out of work, and I need this job. I’d hate to show up on my parents’ doorstep and admit I can’t take care of my son.”
“I won’t tell anyone at the front desk as long as I don’t find anything missing or out of place.”
Molly’s smile spread over her tanned face. “Thank you so much for believing in me. I haven’t had much of that lately.”
Lisa waited until the maid finished cleaning and the two of them finally settled on Wednesday afternoon for Molly to clean. Lisa got ready to head for the beach, hoping she hadn’t been too trusting. She’d been burned before.
* * * *
Saturday morning, Justin marched into Harrold’s Jewelry store in north Dallas. Stevie, Jr. stood behind the counter. “Hey, brother, how’s it going?”
“I want to see Father. Is he here?”
Stevie nodded. “He’s busy checking over accounts from all the stores.”
“I’m sure he can take a few minutes for me.” Justin strode to the office in the back.
Steven Harrold, Sr. stroked his mustache and looked up from the papers in front of him. He leaned back, his lanky frame filling the chair. “Have a seat. I suppose you want to know why I’m closing your store.”
“It was making a profit, more than last year when I took over.” Justin laid his quarterly account printout on Steven’s desk. “See.”
His stepfather shook his head. “I’ve already seen those figures. Your master’s degree in business hasn’t done you much good. You’d have been better gaining experience by working several years as a clerk in one of my stores. I don’t know why you didn’t do that as a teenager while you were still in high school or taking graduate classes at SMU, ones I paid dearly for.”
Justin placed his palm on the desk and looked his stepfather in the eye. “I appreciate your sending me there. I thought I needed to better myself by getting a good education. Besides, I saved money by living at home and commuting.”
Straightening his shoulders, Steven Sr. glared back. Was he proud and confident of being a self-made businessman or perhaps a bit jealous of Justin’s college opportunity? “That’s true, but I might have spent less if you went to a cheaper university, even with paying room and board. The least you could have done was work in one of my stores the way your brother did.”
“I wanted to see what it was like to be a PI. I learned a lot by doing grunt work part time for that local private detective.”
“Yeah, right, like how to tail a car or stake out the home of a suspected adulterer?”
“It was interesting. Besides, doing that and bartending helped pay for college. And I have helped you in your business ever since I graduated from SMU.”
“That’s true, but surely you’ve learned the
bottom line keeps a business alive.” He pointed to the expense column of the printout Justin had brought. “Your profit margin is thin, and your sales have only increased by five percent. Your store can’t cut it.”
“You can’t expect a store in a lower income neighborhood such as Oak Cliff to sell as much as one in north Dallas or Plano.” Justin leaned over Steven’s desk. “Please don’t shut my store. Give me chance to improve profits. Valentine’s Day is coming. I can have a sale on engagement rings.”
Steven, Sr. shook his head. “My mind’s made up. That place and its inventory are draining resources better used for a store in a more upscale neighborhood. I’m opening one near your alma mater. People living in large homes in University Park have money to spend on the finer things.”
“If you’re closing my store, who’s going to run the new one?”
“Stevie has been with me from the time he finished high school, working during summer and Christmas vacation in this store. That’s why I made him manager when he graduated. I want to see if he can do a better job here than the manager of the Plano store before I decide who’ll manage the new one.”
“So, if you decided to make him manager of the new store, may I take his place here in Galleria Mall?” Justin held his breath. At least there, he might be able to do some creative designs for the richer clients.
“No. He has an able assistant, Bob Benton. I could promote him to manager.”
A hard knot formed in Justin’s throat. He cleared his throat and endeavored not to sound as incensed as he felt. He’d worked his tail off to keep his store above water. “I’ve been part of the family business for six years, ever since I graduated with a master’s degree, so where do I fit in? Shouldn’t we keep the management in the family?”
“If I set Stevie up in the new store, you could be Benton’s assistant. What my stores need are good salesmen. In that more affluent neighborhood, you could occasionally enjoy designing jewelry. That cocktail ring you created for your mother was stunning. You could do that for the occasional well-heeled bachelor who wants a special engagement ring, even though we select most of our designs from the manufacturer.”
