by Keri Ford
She turned, propping her chin on his chest. “Are you staying all night?”
“The idea crossed my mind.”
“Good.” She bit her lower lip and let it go nearly as fast. “Are you coming back tomorrow night too?”
“Only if you tell me not to.”
There was such a delight in her smile. “Turn off the lamp?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He did as asked and plunged them into satisfying darkness where they stayed almost exclusively for the next week and a half.
Aside from their jobs.
And interruptions from friends who had no idea this was going on.
The whole time in the back of his mind lurked the question of where this was going, what potential it held, but none of the insecurities and nervousness he’d felt with Tish existed.
No, it wasn’t dread flitting in his stomach. It was hope. Finally having answers to questions felt like he was pointed in the right direction of the tunnel. There was light at the end of it.
Unfortunately six large men known as her brothers and father stood waiting to skin him alive for defiling their baby girl when they found out.
Chapter Ten
Lanie held the welding rod and laid the last of her row down, sealing the two pieces of metal together. She flipped her hood up and backed away from the sculpture in progress. It was coming along. She took another look at Violet’s drawing to figure out where to go next. Violet had brought a sketch of an abstract couple embracing, only it was two different pieces. It could be sold as a pair to be something romantic or separate to look like individual dancers. Or as Lanie had snickered, turn them back to back when fighting. Violet hadn’t laughed at that, but the image would still work that way. To pull off the design though, every bend and twist of the metal had to be absolutely precise.
She pulled off her gloves for the tape measure when the doors leading to the back opened. A thrill went up her spine. Silly too. Eriksen wouldn’t come here, not without letting her know. Because they were doing that now. Texting their plans like a secret affair that was heavy on the secret. She didn’t like it but struggled with the necessary evil. She frankly wanted to tell every person she met, but that would quickly make its way back to her family, and then the bubble she and Eriksen had sealed themselves in would pop. She hadn’t even told Cindy or Violet yet. Not because she didn’t want to or thought they wouldn’t tell, but simply, she hadn’t had an opportunity too.
All her free private time was quickly being spent in his arms. Not that she had any complaints on that front, but she was feeling a bit guilty for not sharing with the girls yet. Then again, she hadn’t talked to Eriksen about that either. Were they telling their friends? It hadn’t come up. They just seemed to continue floating and enjoying their time. It wasn’t a bad way to spend the days.
She turned but it wasn’t Eriksen who’d walked in, it was Hank, with his hands pushed in the pockets of his dressy pants he tended to wear. Lanie had always regarded clothing as comfort, but after seeing Eriksen in jeans, she appreciated fit denim. And his messy hair she could get her hands in.
Hank’s hair was styled, and everything about him was neatly put together like he didn’t get ruffled. He probably didn’t. “Hi, Lanie. Do you mind if I walk through?”
It was his building, so obviously yes, but she didn’t say that. “Not at all. I just finished tacking something on and was about to measure.”
He eyed the piece in the room. He had bought three things off them so far, but she could tell by the way he studied the sculpture this wasn’t going to be number four. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it. There just wasn’t the same glow of wanting he got over the other three. Hank was all business and often cut and dry. When he wanted something, it was evident. “I won’t keep you from your work long.”
“You’re not keeping me.” She found her tape measure. She went back to the drawing and would have to make some more conversions. She’d traced Violet’s sketch on graph paper so she could scale it accurately, and she flipped to that page.
“I just wanted to ask you about the mermaid tail.”
The heavy tape measure fumbled out of her hand. Just like that, she collapsed all over. “He told you?”
He glanced her way, and the amusement on his face immediately fell. “No. He didn’t. I promise. He actually refused to say anything when I asked. That night you told him on the water, I was at one of the cabins outside. Your voices carried, but I only heard a bit.”
“Oh.” She paused, and a ripple of panic whipped across her shoulders. Holy crap. What else had they talked about that night on the water? If there was anything personal, either Hank hadn’t heard that part or he could conceal his thoughts extremely well. She cleared her throat, fearing the answer. “Why do you want to know? It’s just something silly.”
“Because I don’t think it’s silly at all.”
She laughed. “I can’t imagine why.”
“When Eriksen refused to tell me that night, I decided I’d let it go, but then as I was walking down the street just now, someone was talking about it. And it’s not the first time I’ve overheard it. Buzz of your little tails are beginning to stir.”
Heat flushed through her. She’d heard buzz about it too. Word had grown since they’d left the garden beds at Eriksen’s mom’s house. Lanie thought she only noticed the whispers because it was her project, but had it really spread through Happily? “Really?”
“Yes. So I’d like to know your plans for it. To help, if I can.”
“Oh, gosh. You’ve done enough for our town. We could put tails on basically every corner for what you’ve done.” Well, other than everyone would know it was him, but either way their dying town that had been passed off as just another small town was becoming something because of him.
“Not like that.” He kept his hands in his pockets. Lanie knew just enough about men that they did that when they were relaxed. Or they were pretending to be relaxed. Judging by the stiffness in his shoulders, she figured on the latter. He smiled her way, and that looked genuine, but there was still something stiff about Hank Rault. Lanie spent too much time people watching to not pick up on those subtle quirks. “Your business plans with the logo, I mean.”
“I don’t have any plans for it. Half the fun is nobody knowing. I don’t want to make a business or anything out of it. I can’t think of any reason that would change.”
“At the moment there is nothing that ties the image of the mermaid tail back to you. I searched for it and got nothing.”
“That’s kind of the point.” Hadn’t she said that?
“So what happens if someone comes along, sees what’s going on with it, and realizes they can capitalize on it?”
A chill went down her back. “What do you mean? There’s nothing to make with it. It’s a silly little pay-it-forward thing.”
“There is if you put the logo on water bottles, keychains, T-shirts, and other products. It could be put on so many things.”
That light Hank got when he liked something? It was beginning to shine on his face, and her throat got a little tight. “You can’t just steal something like that.”
“You can, and someone will. Honestly, if I didn’t already know it was yours, I’d be looking at it. I’d probably be asking Violet to draw something that you girls make and sell in the store. It’s so whimsically tied to Happily with potential to spread. It’s the exact sort of marketing gimmick that can grow organically. With little to no effort, I could own your drawing and use it however I like. In fact, it’s crossed my mind to do just that for a unique feature I could spin. If I’ve thought of it, anyone else who comes along could too.”
She was suddenly very cold, but heating fast with fury. “But it’s mine. I drew it.”
“And because it’s not tied to you at all, there’s no way to prove that.” He looked about the room. “The law isn’t always about doing what’s right. It’s about what you can prove. You need to decide what you want. If you want it left out floundering
, okay. That’s your choice, but you’re at risk for someone else doing something with it.”
The very idea left her stomach turning. It wasn’t supposed to be a product to make someone richer. It was just supposed to exist so someone has a nice day. “I don’t want anyone touching it.”
He nodded and smiled, and now she felt like he meant it. “You need to create an official version. Then you need to trademark it to protect it.”
She vaguely knew what that meant. It was tacking the little “TM” letters on stuff. Which would also mean it would tie it to her. “Then everyone would find out it was me.”
He nodded.
Her shoulders sagged. “I guess that’s better than someone making money off it.”
“I can register the mark to me, then you and I can have a private contract about the ownership of it. You get the protections and anonymity associated with it that you want.”
She eyed him. “Why are you doing this?”
He chuckled. “You sure you want the answer to that?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
“Because best I can tell, you belong to Eriksen, and everything of Eriksen’s lands under my umbrella to watch out for.” He shrugged. “I also like what you ladies do, so even without Eriksen’s involvement, I’d like to think I’d still reach out.”
She just stared at him as all that rushed over her. It left a flow of tingles that conflicted with a burst of anger. She sure as heck didn’t belong to anyone, but then also, if she was going to belong to someone, she would want it to be Eriksen. But either way, that hadn’t been what she meant. She cleared her throat. “Um, I meant why are you fixing up Happily and putting so much money here?”
His eyes slightly widened. “Ah, now that is a complicated answer.”
“I’m not a simple-minded girl.”
He was laughing again. “No, I don’t think you are, but that’s a discussion for another day. Do you want me to handle the trademark for you or not?”
That sounded a lot like a pacifying answer, especially as he flowed right into wanting a response immediately. Since she would need help doing the paperwork and it solved the issue of keeping it private, she found herself nodding. “Yeah. I’ll get Torrance and Violet on an official drawing since I’m not sure what that means. Thanks for helping with this.”
“My pleasure. Send me a hard copy or a high-quality image. My numbers are on the business cards you already have. Or you can get it from Eriksen. I’ll let you know when I have it finished.”
Before she could catch her breath, he was gone. She dropped into a folding chair to adsorb Hank’s words. You belong to Eriksen. Oh but she really, really liked the sound of those words.
The doors to the back swung open, and Cindy poked her head in. “Um, missy, to the front and details, please.”
She pushed to her feet and followed Cindy. The other option was to sit in the chair longer and think over what it would mean to belong to a man like Eriksen. If she belonged to him, that meant he could do whatever he wanted to her that she was okay with being done to her, and it would last forever.
Lanie was okay with that. A lot.
She found herself at the counter, the store empty and Cindy staring at her. So she filled her in on the details of the mermaid tail and Hank’s offer and held back the truth about her and Eriksen. While the idea of belonging to him completely seduced every last inch of her, he may not feel the same.
Cindy’s eyes narrowed. “Those little snots!”
Lanie laughed. “Not the response I expected.”
She flipped her wrist. “I knew my car had been washed. And waxed. I could just tell. I thought the twins may have been lying, because they had stayed the night, but they didn’t break. Later I found one of those tails in my console and neither of them would own up to how it got there. I was starting to go crazy.” She squeezed her in for a side hug. “I love this. I love that you included the twins and that they’re doing it. Does Violet or Jacob know?”
Lanie shook her head. “No. I want to get Torrance to do the art for me so it’s all official and exactly what Hank needs. I’ll tell them now. All I can do for Hank is scratch something on a piece of paper, and I want it to be right and nice.”
“I bet Torrance already has it done, just playing with it.” Cindy rested her hands on her hips. “But I think we should take it bigger.”
Oh goodness. Cindy’s ever-moving mind was taking off. “I don’t want to do anything else with it. I want it to go as it goes.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean we can’t push it along so it really has a chance to become something. The twins can nudge their friends to help.” She nodded. “And I can encourage the pay-it-forward aspect if I overhear people talking about it in The Beanstalk. It wouldn’t be anything to toss out that I overheard some other customers talking about how you’re supposed to do something next.” Cindy bounced on her toes and flopped her hands. “We can tell people they’ve been tailed and should do it for someone else. Can you even imagine how awesome it could be?”
Lanie could now. “We tailed Eriksen’s mom, and she’s been putting the word out, but as far as I know, nobody has picked up that they should do it too.”
“What did you do for her?”
“Some gardening beds.”
Cindy winced. “That sounds expensive.”
“Oh I didn’t pay for it. Eriksen got all the material and built it. I just helped him ta…” But it was too late. Cindy’s eyes widened and Lanie realized her mistake.
Cindy pulled up a chair, sat, and stared. As the silence stretched, one of Cindy’s brows arched. “Something just occurred to me. Hank sure did know right where to go to find the source of where the mermaid tails were coming from. You know, I’m living with you, and I had no clue.”
“That is quite the coincidence.” Lanie eased off her seat to return to the back.
Cindy’s laughter stopped her. “Oh, no, ma’am. I think it’s time to explain yourself and all these nights at the cabin. I’ve waited long enough.”
“It just kind of happened. I was swimming one night, and he happened to be on the lake. It went from there. We talked and just kept talking some more. Don’t say anything though. If it gets back to Eriksen somehow, he’ll know I told.”
Cindy’s eyes narrowed. “Is he ashamed of you?”
“No. Not that I know of. It’s new, and I don’t know. So I don’t want to make a claim of what we are if we’re not. It’s good how it is at the moment, and I don’t want any pressure.”
Cindy nodded. “All right. But Violet will be ticked when she finds out that she was left in the dark.”
“I know. I’m going to tell her. I just want it to come from me and not down the line like an afterthought. I haven’t seen her in private since this started to tell her.”
“Good point. That would be worse.” Cindy slanted a look at her. “And for the record, Eriksen didn’t just happen to be on the lake. I told him where you’d be.”
Lanie crossed her arms under her chest. “I feel so played.”
“Uh-huh. Get in line, Miss ‘I’m so tired, I’m staying at the cabin again.’ At least now I know why you’re tired.” Cindy pinned her with a look. “Eriksen felt like you were hiding something from him, and I knew for a fact you were—something besides a crazy crush. So I nudged.”
“Do I have any secrets left?”
“I think just one, and you should probably go ahead and get it off your chest. What were you hiding from him?”
After all this time, it seemed crazy to finally be unloading the truth, but she felt better the moment she told Cindy it was her who saved Eriksen all those years ago. The weight dumping off her shoulders was difficult to explain. It had been so long she couldn’t have imagined the relief, but there it was.
Cindy held her in a tight hug. “I always wondered. You followed Eriksen’s progress on the news so closely, but I thought it was because you were worried another person might die. I still don’t know how yo
u processed surviving all that basically by yourself.”
“I wasn’t by myself. I had you.”
Cindy rubbed a comforting arm up her back. “I still say we have a lot to celebrate. Your tail thing is exciting. Let’s have dinner at the house. Jacob feels bad moving out on Eriksen and has been wanting to get together. Plus I think it’s going to be fun watching you two pretend not to be a thing in front of everyone.”
“Wow, I can’t even begin to convey how much I don’t want to do that.”
Cindy laughed. “It’ll be fine. Maybe he’ll come out and announce it to the room. Then it’ll be in the open.”
Probably not, but it could happen. That is if he came, and she sagged on the stool. “Eriksen is flying out early in the morning to take Hank to Chicago. He may not even come because of that.”
Cindy frowned. “True.”
Oh, idea. She couldn’t stop the grin. “Or since Hank is in, we can all get together. Eriksen said his place on the lake is beautiful. I’ve only been by there at night and from the water, but it looks impressive.”
Cindy cleared her throat and tugged at her ear. “You know, maybe we shouldn’t get together after all. I mean this is new between you two. And you’re right, it’s best to keep it easy.”
“Somebody is backpedaling. When Hank walked in just now, how fast did you hit the floor to hide?”
“I did not hide at all, thank you very much.”
“I bet you at least ducked your head.”
Cindy continued toying with her earring. “I did not. I was cleaning and straightening the shelves. I barely talked to him. He was looking for you, and I pointed him to the back, and that was about it.”
Lanie was starting to feel bad. Cindy never lost her cool, but bring up the subject of Hank Rault, and her poor best friend all but turned red as a beet and melted with humiliation. “He obviously doesn’t remember you. Or associate you with your family either.”
