I accepted the coffee, taking a few big gulps before I started to feel semi-human again. “What is all this?”
“This is how we make the light bounce where we want it to bounce.” That was the only explanation she offered up, but it was more than enough at my current brain capacity. The only thing I could manage was turning here and there as Janey commanded from every spot imaginable.
“You’re not taking pictures of my backside, Janey.”
She snorted. “Of course not, unless you change your mind. But you won’t be the only thing in the shot, in case you were wondering. It’s called background.”
“Smartass,” I grumbled, which drew another laugh from her. With more than a moment to wander, my thoughts inevitably went to Nina and her recent strange behavior. No matter that she claimed everything was fine, that she was fine, I knew she wasn’t.
“Yoo-hoo, Earth to Preston. What’s going on with you today? And don’t say you’re tired, because I’ve seen you exhausted and this ain’t it, my friend.” Before I could catch even a hint of sympathy in her eyes, she ducked back behind the camera and continued to snap photos.
“Nothing is going on with me, other than doing favors for my friends.”
“Yeah, right.” She chuckled. “Look right at the lens,” she commanded, then kept on snapping. “You talk while I shoot.”
“You gonna take photos with me flapping my jaw?”
“Yep,” she said quickly and took a few more shots. “It’ll be easier out here with no one around to hear, plus, if you get emotional, there’s no one around to see you cry.”
“Except the number one blackmailer in Tulip?”
She shrugged, completely unapologetic. “Only when it’s necessary.”
Janey was true blue, only blackmailing you into something when it was something you should’ve said yes to without the coercion. So, I talked and told her all about the amazing dinner I’d had with Nina. “Until Mother showed up with Cynthia St. James and got in her head. Who knows what it even was that got to her, you know?”
Janey nodded. “I can see how Sabrina might scare her off, she can be intimidating to those who don’t know her. You just can’t let her.” She was down on the ground, snapping photos from half a dozen different angles. “She’s not from around here, which means she doesn’t know that Sabrina is more talk than substance. Talk. To. Her.”
“I’ve been trying, but I’ve also been kind of busy saving people’s lives, ya know?” More than a dozen calls and at least double that many text messages, and all I’d gotten in return were a few bland texts that said nothing at all about why she was pulling back.
“Try harder.” The words were practically a growl, and it shocked the hell out of me. “Unless you really are just using her until you marry one of the socialites Sabrina picks out for you.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. I like Nina.”
“Then try harder, Preston. She’s not like the women who want you because of your name or your money, or the influence that comes with being a Worthington. A woman who likes you for you, with all that going on, is a keeper.”
My lips curled at one particular memory. “She told my mom and Cynthia she was with me for my body.”
Janey snorted a laugh, as I knew she would. “I’ll bet Sabrina loved that.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to get her fired.” Mother could be vindictive when she felt humiliated, and there was no doubt that’s what Nina had done.
“I won’t let that happen.” Janey’s godfather was the mayor — if anyone could pull rank over my mother, it was her.
But I wouldn’t let it happen, either. It was past time Mother learned there were consequences to her meddling. “Thanks, Janey.”
“None necessary. Nina stepped up and she’s doing a damn good job, which means I can scoot out of town for the occasional gig without risking everything falling apart.”
Nina was doing everything right to fit in to Tulip without changing the core of who she was. There was no way in hell I would let my own damn mother screw it up. “She’d be happy to hear that.”
“No, she wouldn’t,” Janey said with a smirk. “She’d be happy to know it, but not to have someone actually voice it to her.”
“That’s true.” For all her tough badassery, Nina couldn’t take a compliment to save her life. “I think I’ll tell her anyway.”
“Good. Now, do you think I can get you to lose the shirt for a few shots?” Her smile was hopeful, her eyes playful.
“Nope.”
“Dammit. How about unbutton it and let it hang loosely, and I’ll send one to Nina to seduce her?”
“Tempting, but no.”
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
No, I couldn’t. But it didn’t stop me from wondering why the hell all the women in my life were so crazy.
Nina
You’re avoiding me. That was the message Preston had sent me yesterday and, because I’m a coward, I avoided it.
Avoided looking at it a thousand times and avoided responding to it. Because, again, I’m a coward. I know I’m a coward and while I hate it, I also know I’m too much of a coward to do anything else.
In fact, I hate myself for being such a coward. For allowing a stuck-up bitch like Sabrina Worthington to get to me. Make no mistake, she was an expert manipulator, honing in on your weak spot in seconds and poking at it until you were ready to cry or risk prison to shut her up. But I had allowed her to get in my head, and that was on me.
Not Preston.
He didn’t deserve the silent treatment, because he hadn’t done a anything wrong. I had. And I owed him a pretty big apology.
The gods were on my side, as they say, since I’d been freed from the boot that morning and, before I’d left the hospital, I’d gotten Derek to agree to be one of the hometown heroes. One more and I’d have a hat trick for the day.
My next stop was the Black Thumb, where I was surprised to see Buddy and his big belly leaning against the bar. “You got time to lean, then you sure as hell got time to clean,” I told him, mimicking his slow Texas drawl.
Buddy straightened immediately and scowled at me. “Very funny, little girl. You’re looking better.”
I smiled and kicked my leg up in the air. “Walking better, too. Know what that means?”
“You want back on the schedule?”
I nodded and leaned on the bar with a smile. “I do. Is that gonna be a problem?”
“Not for me, but you should know Sabrina Worthington showed her face in here and suggested I fire you.”
That bitch. “You gonna?”
“Not a chance in hell. The minute she opened her mouth, she guaranteed I wouldn’t ever fire you, girlie.” He winked and pulled his famous clipboard from behind the bar. “Fill in the shifts you want and keep your mouth shut about it.”
“Same to you, old man.” I dropped a paper bag on the table, half clear with grease from the sandwich inside. “Stopped on my way back from the hospital in case I had to butter you up.”
“To get your job back? Never. Just glad to have you back, I hate all these fancy damn drink orders.”
I laughed and put an order in for me and Preston, too, hopefully. “Blue cheese and onion rings, and turkey bacon with sweet potato fries, please.”
Buddy’s gaze narrowed. “That’s unexpected, but I’m happy for ya, Nina.”
“Don’t be, I already screwed it up. This is me trying to make it better, since we both have to live here.” Though I was starting to understand the old western cliché, ‘this town ain’t big enough for the both of us.’
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, but do it on your own time. Can’t stand the drama,” he grumbled and walked away to place my order.
While I waited for the food, I sent a quick text to Preston asking him to stop by when his shift ended. I knew he would be tired, but I hoped dinner would be just the enticement he needed to hear me out.
“Here ya go.” Buddy handed me a p
lastic bag with two paper boxes inside. “See you Friday.”
“Can’t wait! Thanks, Buddy.”
Knowing Preston’s mother had tried to get me fired pissed me off more, and reminded me of something I’d forgotten while I let her get the better of me. I hated rich bitches like Sabrina Worthington; she wasn’t the first I’d had the displeasure of encountering and I doubted she would be the last.
Which only made the fact that I was in love with her son that much sweeter.
“You okay, girl?”
I blinked and turned stunned eyes on Buddy. “I’m fine, thanks. See you soon, Buddy.”
That silent admission shocked the shit out of me. My legs could barely support the weight of my realization. I was in love with Preston.
Holy shit, I loved Preston!
And that made everything—the food, the impending apology, the hopeful reconciliation blended with the sad resignation of simply co-existing in the same small town—that much scarier. This wasn’t just some fling that I could easily bounce back from. No, this was bigger. Deeper. More important.
I forced my feet to move back to my car and headed to my apartment, feeling happy and free to be able to take the steps without a limp. Without getting too tired, although wearing the boot that long had obliterated what little physical fitness I had left.
I pushed inside my apartment and took a quick shower, changing into jeans and a t-shirt for the conversation we needed to have. This wasn’t about sex or seduction, this was about us. Me and Preston Worthington, a guy so far out of my league he thought he was the lucky one. But I knew the truth; I was the lucky one.
And I’d screwed it up.
So, I waited. And I waited. And waited. But when one hour, and then two and three passed, I gave up. He wasn’t coming. I sulked.
I screamed.
I ate my food and then I scraped the blue cheese off his burger and ate it, too. Later, I finished off the onion rings.
When it became clear that he had no plans to respond or stop by, I locked the door, turned out the lights, and crawled in bed to do something I hadn’t done since I’d lost Uncle Rudy.
I cried myself to sleep.
Preston
“Who in the hell dives in without checking the depth first?” Nate shook off as much water as he could before stepping into the ATV we used to get to hard-to-reach locations tourists often got themselves stuck in, literally. “Idiots could have died.”
I laughed and climbed behind the wheel. “They’re lucky all they got was three sprained ankles and one broken one.” The waterfall was beautiful, but it was called the Wishing Well Waterfall for a reason — the four-and-a-half-foot depth was ideal for making wishes, not diving into the icy water. “And I ruined my phone.”
“Put it in rice. Fucking tourists,” Nate grumbled.
It was a familiar song from those employed by the Parks Service. Without tourists, we wouldn’t have a job, but they sure made our jobs more difficult than they needed to be.
“At least they didn’t spill any blood, or we’d be filling out forms all day instead of going home and gettin’ some sleep.”
“Can’t argue with that.” My bed was calling my name and I had just enough energy to make the drive home without crashing into anything or anyone.
But when I got there, there was an unwelcome visitor on my porch.
“What are you doing here, Cynthia?” Of all the unwelcome sights to face after a long shift when I was chilled to the bone, none was more unwelcome than Cynthia St. James.
Her lips spread into what I’m sure was meant to be a seductive smile, but her constant cosmetic work made it look more like a grimace as she stood with her tits thrust out, barely covered by her skimpy pink dress that showed off all the other physical enhancements she had made over the years, and a pair of shoes that made her legs look ten miles long. She probably came close to breaking her neck on her way to my door.
With her lips pouting in that way women thought was sexy, Cynthia slid her hands over her curves with a gleam in her eyes and flicked her blond hair behind her shoulders. “If you want to be chased, Preston, just say so. I’m happy to play the game, but this thing where you pretend to hate me is getting old.”
How do you tell a girl that you weren’t just pretending to hate her without sounding like a dick? “What gave you the idea I wanted to be chased?”
I was a man who preferred to do the chasing.
“Sabrina said you were a little reluctant to marry and that you might need convincing to settle down, but she assured me this marriage would happen, Preston.” Her tone was crisp and clear, devoid of deception, and I sighed as some of my anger cooled.
It wasn’t Cynthia’s fault. My mother couldn’t simply fathom a world where people didn’t jump to do her bidding.
“Too bad you’ve been talking to someone without any decision-making authority on who I marry. Or don’t marry.” It would never be Cynthia, not if she was the last option in all of Tulip.
But Cynthia wasn’t done yet. She notched her chin up into the sky and folded her arms over her chest. “And if she cuts you out of the will?” Her lips curled up again, this time in a cat-that-got-the-canary grin, like she’d trapped me.
Money was a surefire way to get the attention of the idle rich. I didn’t bother telling her that Mother had no control over my trust fund, it would only encourage her. “I earn a good living, Cynthia. Thanks for your concern.”
“You can’t possibly marry the bartender. Sabrina won’t allow it. She’ll disown you.” She laughed like it was the funniest thought in the world, and that pissed me off. I hadn’t been thinking about marriage to anyone. Not even Nina. But suddenly, it didn’t seem so strange, so crazy, or so out of character.
Shit.
I laughed it off and pushed the key in the hole. “She did that when I chose my career path, which means I can and will marry whoever I please.” I sighed as my eyelids slid closed. “I don’t want to marry you, Cynthia, and there’s nothing my mother can threaten or promise to change that. We’re not right for each other, so please, move on to the next name on your list. Good luck.”
Cynthia, ever the pragmatist, straightened her spine and nodded once. “Thank you for being honest with me. Good luck with the bartender.”
I watched her leave, making sure her car was off my property before I locked myself inside the house and headed straight for a shower hot enough to singe my skin. The hot water on my sore, cold muscles felt amazing and, if not for the fact that I couldn’t keep my eyes open, I might have stayed in there forever.
Dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers, I grabbed my phone and put it on the charger before I remembered it was completely waterlogged. Drying off the memory card as much as I could, I inserted it into the backup phone I kept because SAR crew were always on call; dead phones were no excuse.
After a few minutes, the phone lit up and began chirping and beeping, and I let out a sigh and a groan that was mostly relief.
I had missed a text from Nina. Asking me to stop by so we could talk. And it was sent almost twenty-four hours ago. “Shit!” She probably thought I’d stood her up, because that was exactly what I would’ve thought if our situations had been reversed. I wanted to talk to her, to explain everything.
But I knew I physically couldn’t make the drive, so I sent her a message.
Tonight. Let’s talk. About everything.
With the text sent, I fell backwards onto my bed and watched the ceiling fan spin in slow, lazy circles until my body grew heavy and sank into the mattress. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When I woke up ten hours later, there was just one thing, one person, one woman on my mind.
Nina.
Nina
Today was a new day. I decided I would put Preston in the past where he belonged, right along with the rest of my baggage. I’d spent more time than I would ever admit to crying and feeling rejected. It wasn’t the first time in my life I’d experienced that, but it had hit me just
as hard.
I straightened the mess my place had become over the past few days. Schedules and binders sat on top of every flat surface, proving that I would be earning my second paycheck every bit as much as my first.
The calendar was the first big project and the biggest priority, but Tulip was a town that liked festivals, concerts, plays, and movies in the park. Not to mention the town-wide block party in the middle of the summer.
That’s where my attention would be from now on. Work. It gave me the means to take care of myself. Whatever the future held, I would be prepared.
For anything.
The phone rang and I groaned. Okay, so I was ready for almost anything. It was either Max or Preston and I was in no mood to talk to either, but this was the new and improved doesn’t-get-ruffled-about-things-she-can’t-control version of me, so I closed my eyes and tapped the screen blindly. “Yeah?”
“How did it go?”
Max.
My shoulders relaxed, proving I’d been more worried it might have been someone else.
“It didn’t. He didn’t respond and he didn’t show.” Each time I thought it or said it, the words hurt a little less.
“That son of a bitch,” she growled. “What did he say when you confronted him?”
I squeezed my eyes shut tight, blocking out the embarrassment that washed over me. “I didn’t and I’m not going to. Not showing up was as much an answer as him hearing me out and then telling me to go to hell.”
“You don’t mean that, Nina.”
“I do. Look, Max, am I pissed about it? Yeah, but it was his choice and I’m going to respect it. No questions asked.”
“You’re a better woman than me.”
I laughed at that. “I’m not, trust me. The difference is that I’m the one who screwed up. I should have kept it to sex only because that’s what I’m good at, what I know. The mistake was thinking we could be more, and his silence was a big, beeping, red-flag reminder.”
“That’s crap and you know it.” I could feel Max practically vibrating with indignation on my behalf and though I loved her for being so soundly on my side, it was completely unnecessary.
Mr. Savior: A Roommate Hero Romance Page 14
