“Oh, thank you,” The mother said, batting her eyelashes at him.
“Yeah.” Joe took Kailey’s hand and walked her to the truck. He opened the passenger door for her and tried not to notice the way her shoulders trembled.
She’d never wanted to talk to him much about her past, and he hadn’t pressed. He only knew she’d been taken away from her mother at six and put in the foster care system until she aged out. It didn’t take a genius to realize Kailey carried around some weight from that time, and so far he hadn’t been able to convince her to drop it.
But there was always tomorrow.
“You okay?” He squeezed her hand.
She didn’t answer, but squeezed his hand back, moved even closer and put her head in the crook of his neck, her left arm resting on his thigh.
And that was the way he drove home.
* * *
Kailey had expected to put up a good front at Founder’s Day for Joe’s sake, so he would know she was trying. This was part of her plan to prove she’d stay this time, no matter what. But she hadn’t expected to laugh or have this much fun. Billy and Brooke had turned out to be as cool as Ivey had been. But the day couldn’t have ended without Kailey running into someone who looked and sounded like she remembered her own mother. Granted, it was a long time ago and she could be mixing up her birth mother with one of her first foster mothers, but Kailey’s faded memory of Lynn Robbins happened to be similar to the woman she’d seen today. Beautiful and impatient. No time for a little girl and the messes they tended to make of fancy new dresses. Or floors.
Kailey had stood there watching, anchored to the curb. But Joe had taken care of it, like he took care of everything. The same way he took care of her, even when she’d failed over and over again to give him what he needed.
Instead, she’d taken one month to decide this Podunk town could never accept her. She’d let the questionable looks of a few people decide what everyone in town would think of her, without giving the rest of them a chance. And wasn’t that exactly what she hated the most? People writing her off because of the way she looked.
Joe was quiet on the drive home, not pushing her, not asking questions. He never did. It was one of the many reasons why she loved him. And she had to tell him. Tonight. Saying the words out loud was going to cost her something and she might finally be ready to pay up tonight.
Joe had no sooner unlocked the front door and flipped on one of the lights, than she launched herself in his arms. “Hey,” he said, wrapping his arms tight around her waist and tugging her in even closer.
“In case it isn’t obvious, Joe, I want you back. I want to give us a real shot this time.”
He didn’t answer, only seemed to study her.
“Do you believe me?”
“I want to.”
“This—this isn’t easy for me to say. But I love you.” The last three words burst out of her and she got to watch as his eyes deepened to her favorite blue.
He grinned, then kissed her long and deep. “First time you ever said that to me. Awake.”
“Awake?”
“You said you loved me last night, when you were talking in your sleep.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. She’d never been told her sleep talk was this revealing. “Oh. Why didn’t you say something?”
“I thought I’d prefer to hear those words from you when you’re fully conscious.” His lips were so close she could feel his warm and teasing breath on her.
“Not fair. My subconscious apparently has more guts than I do. But I mean it.” I don’t want to ruin this. I don’t want to be sent away because I make a mistake.
“I believe you.” Joe swooped her up and carried her into his bedroom where he laid her on the bed, and then followed down, pinning her under him. “Tell me again.”
“I love you, Joe.” She felt herself smile. It was getting easier to say it.
“Sounds better when you’re awake.” Then he kissed her. Long and hard kisses that had her toes curling.
He made fast work of removing her clothes, because he was a bit of a magician that way. Before she realized it, her bra and panties had been removed. Kailey’s skin tightened as it always did when Joe used his talented tongue on her. He started at her earlobe, working his way down the column of her neck and further south, lingering for days on her nipples. Licking, nipping, teasing and sucking. Her right hand tightened around the bed covers and when she thought she would lose her mind, Joe rose from the bed. He quickly peeled off his shirt and his pants, and she gazed in awe at his hard body. She’d never get tired of those hard angles and planes. All of it, hard for her.
Tonight would be new and different because while she’d opened up her body to Joe many times before she’d never been conscious of opening up her heart. To say she was terrified would be putting it mildly. She’d given Joe a part of her she hadn’t risked in years—not since she was a little girl who wanted a family—her whole heart. And he alone had the opportunity to break her.
Her thoughts went to the ring in the sock drawer only a few feet away. The reality of it both frightened and excited her with the possibility of a lifetime of love with this man.
Did that kind of thing happen for people like her? Could she possibly be so lucky?
As if he wanted to show her how lucky she could get, Joe moved further south between her legs and didn’t stop until her moans became near screams, and she finally shuddered and cried out his name.
He moved over her, taking control as he always did. Making her heart too large for her body. He threaded his strong fingers through hers and kissed the hollow of her neck.
“You’re mine now,” he said with his bossy voice. “Say it.”
“I’m yours.”
“I love you, Kailey,” he said and she thought her heart would burst.
Not the first time he’d said it, but the first time she heard and believed him. Then he rolled her over and in one thrust he was inside of her, making them both groan and gasp.
This was everything now—both her past, present and future if she didn’t blow it. If she could stay and stop running for once in her life.
If not with Joe, if not right here and now, she was fairly certain it would never happen.
7
The next morning Kailey woke up with a sigh, basking in the sensation of a thoroughly and completely satisfied woman right down to her bone marrow. In fact, who needed bones? She didn’t feel like she had any at the moment, and probably wouldn’t miss them. She reached for Joe, but he wasn’t next to her. Pushing hair out of her eyes, she glanced at the digital clock. Nine o’clock. No!
Kailey scrambled out of bed, and hurled her naked body into the shower. If she didn’t hurry Rosie would start Kailey’s interview without her. And she had to make a good impression. She wanted the job, and a sense of permanence to town. Joe would realize she meant everything she’d told him. The look of doubt in his eyes hurt, yes, but she couldn’t blame him entirely. She had a lot to make up to him. A lot of trust to rebuild.
She found Joe near the stove, a spatula in his hands. Shirtless. He only had a pair of jeans on, riding low on his hips.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” She came up behind him and put her arms around his waist.
He flipped the omelet, then turned around. “I thought you could use the rest. I might have worn you out last night.”
“You can wear me out anytime.” Her hands slid up his strong back.
“Yeah?” He tugged on a lock of her hair. “How about right now?”
She was tempted. “I have my interview.”
“When?”
“In forty-five minutes.”
“Plenty of time,” Joe said, kissing her neck. “I’ll be quick.”
“But I have to drive there, and find a place to park.”
“It will take you two minutes, tops. You forget you’re not in the Emerald City anymore. You’re in Kansas, Dorothy.” Before Kailey could protest, Joe had pulled her up on the balls of her
feet, and kissed her again and again.
He happened to kiss better than any man alive. She forgot about the time, and he forgot about the eggs.
A short while later she managed to tear herself away from Joe and finally left for work, getting a promise he would at least try to rest while she was gone. He had insurance calls to make about the airplane and promised he wouldn’t go anywhere. And Joe was right. It took all of three minutes to get to the salon and park. She could get used to this kind of commute.
“Can you start today?” Rosie asked from the shampoo bowl.
Apparently there would be no interview.
“Sure.” Kailey hadn’t expected to get hired on the spot, but then again Rosie had already put Kailey through the paces last time she’d interviewed her.
“I was disappointed when you left,” Rosie was saying, “because I’d hoped you could help me bring in the younger crowd. You have the ‘look’ and I’d like to bring back some of these kids who go to Napa for their cutting-edge haircuts.”
Maybe Rosie had been checking her out over her bifocals with a different kind of judgment. Kailey was learning she’d been mostly wrong about the people in this town. There was room for everyone.
“Heck, I’ll let everyone know I’ve got a Hollywood stylist working for me now.”
For once, Kailey felt a little bit like a celebrity. A bit unnerving.
The Curl up and Dye was a real throwback to the old days of salons and manicurists, except for the name. Kailey probably wouldn’t do much cutting-edge work here, but that would be okay. Mostly, she would cut and dye gray for middle-aged women. At least until she got the younger crowd coming for Rosie. She could only hope.
Today one of her first customers was Eileen Turlock, who said she was Wallace, Billy and Scott’s mother. “You’ll be seeing me often because I have strong gray roots. Every four weeks like clockwork.”
No problem. She’d dealt with divas and little punks. Women with sturdy gray were a non-issue.
“Maybe you can do my hair for the wedding,” Eileen said. “You worked on all those celebrities, didn’t you?”
“Yes, quite a few.” Kailey applied some of the mixed chestnut brown color and wrapped it in foil.
“Who would you say was your most famous celebrity?” Eileen asked.
“I don’t like to drop names.” Not to mention Kailey had signed non-disclosure agreements every time.
“No, of course you don’t. My son Billy would love you. But would you do it? My hair for the wedding? It’s next month.”
“I’d love to.” Next month. June. One more reason to stay, as if she needed any other reason besides Joe Hannigan.
“I thought I was going to do your hair,” Fallon, the part-time hair stylist, said from the chair next to Kailey’s.
“You never got back to me,” Eileen said. “Anyway, you’re going to be way too busy. Fallon here works for my son Billy and we’re having the wedding at their vineyard. How many jobs do you have now, dear?”
“Three,” Fallon said, not too cheerfully.
Kailey tried to smile, but it felt forced. She’d never been in competition with any other stylist, only herself, and she detested when stylists were pitted against each other. But it wouldn’t happen in this little town. It wasn’t like New York or Hollywood where cut throat was the norm. Finally she’d leave that world behind.
This had to be the worst part of being a newcomer, people who didn’t know you or what they could expect. No trust other than what could be verified. Kailey understood better than most what it meant to be a stranger. An outsider. She could make friends with almost anyone.
“Maybe we could both do it,” Kailey said to Fallon. “Together.”
“I’d feel like a movie star, with two stylists.” Eileen clapped her hands.
“Sure.” Fallon didn’t look thrilled. “Why not?”
“Fallon, did you know Kailey is Joe Hannigan’s girlfriend?” Eileen said.
“Is that right?” Fallon said, sweeping the floor at her station.
Kailey smiled in Fallon’s direction, but she was having none of it. She returned a flat line stare and a small smirk. Kailey recognized the attitude. She didn’t usually get the best reception from beautiful women.
Brooke, Ivey and Gen being notable exceptions.
When Kailey took a fifteen-minute break, she stepped outside to phone her contact with the Housewives show. She hadn’t spoken to anyone about quitting yet. After she’d been transferred around through countless gatekeepers, Kailey finally spoke to Letty, the head of Make-up.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be coming to Hollywood next month for the show. I wanted to give you time to find someone else.”
“Are you serious? Why?”
Kailey wasn’t sure she should even say it out loud or she might jinx it, but Letty was far enough away she couldn’t tell anyone. The secret would remain safe. “I’m probably getting married.”
“You? Getting married? Where? When?”
She took a breath. First he needed to ask. He already had the ring, but he probably first wanted to make sure she would stick around. “Don’t get too excited. I don’t have a date yet or anything.”
“Congrats, girlie! I’m sure it’s the pilot you couldn’t stop talking about, eh?”
“Yes. It is.” If it was possible to smile on the inside, Kailey was doing it. She would stay this time, secretly knowing Joe wanted her not just for now but forever. Forever. She couldn’t even imagine it.
Kailey heard a rustling behind her, and there was Fallon taking the trash out. Giving Kailey an odd look. Crap, how much of the conversation had she heard?
“See you later. I’ve got to go.” Kailey put her phone away, and turned to Fallon. “I was letting them know I’m not going to Hollywood next month.”
“How much money do you make doing a job like that?” Fallon asked.
“Not as much as you might think. And it’s temporary.”
Fallon took out a cigarette and leaned against the back wall. “Want one?”
“No. I quit a while back.” Kailey smiled. “Joe made me.”
Fallon snorted. “Do you always do everything Joe tells you to do?”
“No.” Kailey shrugged. “But he was right about that. I mean, I’m not saying you should—”
Fallon waved the hand holding the cigarette. “Never mind. I’m trying to quit too. It’s a disgusting habit. And I don’t need to give my ex any more ammunition.”
“You’re going through a divorce.”
“I went through it, but I’m still trying to get custody of my kid from his idiot father.”
“Sorry.” Because celebrities tended to confide in their stylists, Kailey had heard a lot of sob stories.
“It’s all right. I’ll get him back or die trying. That’s why I have three jobs. Divorce attorneys are expensive.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, I bet you’ve heard some stories.”
“A few.” And Kailey certainly understood what it was like to be flat broke.
It did something to her, hearing a mother so intent on getting her child back. As far as Kailey knew, Lynn Robbins had never tried to get Kailey back. She stopped at the door to the salon. “If you want, I’ll find some excuse not to do Mrs. Turlock’s hair. I’m too busy or something.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m sure you and Joe will be at the wedding anyway. Everyone in town will probably be there. But thanks for offering.” Fallon gave a feeble smile.
“All right, then. We’ll both do it.” Kailey opened the door to the shop.
“And hey,” Fallon said, glancing at Kailey’s feet. “Those are some kick-ass boots.”
8
Joe didn’t waste much time after Kailey left for her interview. He fished in his sock drawer for the ring. Crazy to have put it there. But he hadn’t expected Kailey to become his maid overnight, doing his laundry and everything else she could think of. The serene expression on her face when he’d found her putting h
is socks away could only mean one thing. She hadn’t accidentally found the ring. Now he needed to find another safe place for it. If Kailey found it she’d freak out, and he didn’t need the drama right now. He walked out to the garage and placed it inside his toolbox—the one place he could be certain would be one hundred percent Kailey-proof.
His phone buzzed with a text from Kailey.
Starting work today. Xoxo.
Well, damn. She’d actually accepted the job this time. Rosie was smart to hire Kailey on the spot before she could change her mind. Not like she still couldn’t. Maybe he was being an idiot, but he’d made up his mind he would enjoy this time with Kailey. Enjoy the balls to the walls sex they had together, unlike he’d ever had with anyone before. He wasn’t going to push her or question anymore whether her feelings were real or a result of the accident. If his accident taught him anything, it was that he also wanted to live to the fullest. Fear of failure could not be part of the equation.
And yes, there was the nagging worry she’d ultimately leave again. But for now he would trust her, and not question whether this was real or only what he wanted to believe.
Making love to her was far better than even his memory served him, which said something because those nights had headlined many a dream over the last month. They fit together. It worked. Hell yeah it worked.
For the rest of the day he made insurance calls and tried to relax. The soreness was fading and the cuts and bruises were healing. The meds definitely helped. He talked several more times to his mother and assured her he was alive and no, she didn’t need to fly out from Alabama to take care of him.
“I’m really fine,” he said for the fifth time in as many minutes.
“Please tell me you’re done with airplanes now.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Joseph Charles Hannigan! You are just like your father, God rest his ornery soul.”
Biggest compliment he could ever get. “Thanks, Mom.”
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