Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Holiday
Ishould have been in the best mood after such an incredible night—and morning—but I should have known there was another shoe and that it was bound to drop.
And that shoe came in the form of a text message from a person I want nothing to do with.
I’d been at One More Chapter, my safe place, for three hours, and all I could think about was that message.
I need five grand. You don’t want to know what I’ll do if you don’t give it to me.
I didn’t know why the hell she assumed I had all this money laying around.
Like I could simply write a check and call it a day.
Five thousand dollars would eat into a large chunk of my savings, and at the rate she kept demanding cash, I was going to be drained completely.
But that wasn’t the only reason I didn’t want to pay up.
The main motivation behind ignoring her was that she hadn’t done a damn thing in my entire life to deserve what she felt she was owed.
And it was that reason that really stuck in my craw; my low simmer of anger became a blazing inferno when it came to her.
Once again, the thought to block her popped into my head. But I couldn’t. And the reasons were so much greater than my disdain for the woman.
“Hello? Earth to Holly. You in there?”
I blinked back into the present as Denise waved her hand in front of my face. “I’m so sorry. I totally spaced. What where you saying?”
“I was asking about the date.” A cheeky smile stretched across her face, so wide it was a wonder her cheeks didn’t split in half.
“But maybe that’s why you’re so spacey right now, huh?
Because you’re thinking about a certain goalie who’s built like a brick wall?
” She waggled her eyebrows for emphasis.
I wished that was what was occupying my mind.
Choosing to push down all the bad, I brought the good back to the forefront of my mind.
I’d had the best date of my life the night before.
I was in my shop, my favorite place on Earth.
And I’d been sexed up better in the twelve hours I was with Tanner than I had in the past twelve years.
I wasn’t going to let any person ruin that.
“The date was good,” I answered, casting my eyes down to the counter as a warm blush spread across my face and neck.
“Oh, I know that look,” she said teasingly as the bell over the door chimed with a new customer. “That’s the look of a woman whose date was a hell of a lot better than good.”
“Oh good! You haven’t started yet.” Denise and I turned to find Lennix standing inside One More Chapter, her foster son, Toby, at her side. “I want to hear all about this.”
Toby looked at her with his brows pinched into a frown. “I thought we were here to get me a book.”
Lennix reached up and ruffed the boy’s overlong hair.
“That too, seeing as you just informed me about a book report that’s due in a few days.
” She arched a brow, giving the boy a scolding look, making the tips of his ears turn pink as he looked at her guiltily.
But I couldn’t miss the smile he was trying desperately to keep at bay.
“I said I was sorry about that,” he whined, the corners of his mouth quivering with humor, and I couldn’t help but smile at their interaction.
Toby had fallen into Raylan and Lennix’s unit like he was meant to be there all along.
Watching them together warmed my heart, and the rest of us Bradbury’s already considered him one of ours.
He was part of the family, even though Lennix and Raylan were still going through the adoption procedures.
A piece of paper signed by a judge didn’t matter to us one damn bit.
“What trouble are you getting yourself into now, nephew?” I asked teasingly, holding my arms open for him to walk into so I could give him a big squeeze.
“Hey, Aunt Holly.” I loved hearing those two words come from him as much as I did from Sunny’s kiddos and Rhodes’s step-kids. He took a step back and gave me a bashful grin. “I might have forgotten about a school project.”
Lennix crossed her arms over her chest, the loud, brash, take-no-shit beauty I’d known and loved most of my life was in full-on mom mode. It was something to behold. “Ah, ah. You’re leaving something out.”
My gaze ping-ponged between them before settling on Toby. I lifted my brows in silent question.
“The project’s a quarter of my final grade,” he muttered.
“That’s right.” Lennix came closer, leaning her hip on the counter and giving me her full attention. “He’s known about this book report for three weeks now, but put it off until the last minute. Now he has to read a whole book and write a paper in less than a week.”
He lifted his shoulders in an unrepentant shrug. “Bro, I’ve been busy,” he declared.
Lennix’s eyes widened. “Bro, you’re twelve years old. What else do you have going on that’s so important?”
“Well, we just got those new baby goats,” he answered. “And Raylan and I are buildin’ that treehouse.”
That sounded about right. Raylan had passed his love of the outdoors to Toby, that was for sure.
It was more common to find those two outside, wandering around their ranch, than inside.
They fished and hiked and rode horses. Lennix had been rescuing animals in need for as long as I could remember, and, with Raylan and Toby with her, her menagerie had grown by leaps and bounds.
Lennix rolled her eyes but stayed silent, knowing that arguing was pointless.
“Just go pick a book, will you?” Toby started toward the shelves, Lennix’s voice calling after.
“And nothing with pictures! You know the rules.” My brows lifted toward my hairline causing her to roll her eyes.
“Something tells me comics and graphic novels won’t pass muster with the school. ”
“Hmm, you’re probably right.”
She flapped her hand like she was waving off that particular topic. “But enough about that.” She twisted fully toward me and dropped her elbow onto the counter, propping her hand in her chin with eager eyes. “How was last night? I want to know everything.”
That damn blush came back, giving me away.
Denise spoke up before I could find my words. “Didn’t I notice you sneaking in the back earlier? Or did I see it wrong?”
Lennix’s eyes bugged out with excitement. “What was she wearing?” she asked my manager, not even bothering to hide her nosiness.
“Um, a pink sweater, I think.”
My friend sucked in a gasp so big, I was surprised she didn’t suck all the air out of the building. “A pink sweater, you say?” She slowly swiveled her head in my direction, a Joker-style grin on her face.
The door opened again, setting the bell off. “Oh good, you’re here!” My sisters Sunny and Gypsy came rushing in with more of my friends on their heels. Naomi skipped in, followed by Rae, who was preceded by her baby bump that seemed to be getting bigger by the day.
I rolled my eyes at the ceiling on a laugh. I should have expected they wouldn’t wait for me to come to them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the entire town already knew about my date.
“You guys are just in time,” Lennix said with a grin like the cat who just had an entire bowlful of cream. “Holly was just about to tell us why Denise caught her sneaking in the back this morning in the same clothes we helped her pick out yesterday.”
My friends and family all made sounds of shock that more accurately belonged in a telenovela. “All right, all right. No need for pearl clutching. We’re all adults here.”
“Ooh, you little hussy!” Naomi squealed, skipping up to me and bumping her shoulder against mine. “Got you some!”
Rae plopped down in the plush chair closest to the register, propping her feet up on the matching ottoman.
She fished around in her giant purse and pulled out a gallon-sized plastic bag filled to the top with her current pregnancy craving, chocolate covered raisins.
Reaching inside, she snatched up a handful and stuffed them in her mouth.
“How was the sex?” she asked, the words coming out a garbled mess around the wad of candy she was chewing.
“Yes, that.” Lennix snapped her finger and pointed at her sister-in-law. “That’s what I want to know.”
I let out a snort, sure they were joking, but when my humor was met with silence and eager expressions, I realized I was not getting out of it. “I don’t suppose you guys would let me get away with saying a lady doesn’t kiss and tell?”
Gypsy blew out an exaggerated raspberry. “Not a chance.”
“I’m not discussing my sex life with my big sister.”
“So you did have sex,” Naomi crowed victoriously.
My blush was so fierce I thought my entire body was about to go up in flames. “You really are pains in my ass,” I grumbled. “We did. And it was the best I’ve ever had.”
They lit up in a flurry of squeals. Their excitement for me was contagious, and I couldn’t have fought down my giddy smile and girly giggle if I’d wanted to.
“Oh, honey. I’m so happy for you.” Gypsy’s arms rounded into me and squeezed tightly.
“You’re happy for me that I had good sex?” I asked with an incredulous laugh.
“I’m open-minded. Still, I raised you, so I can do without any details. But that’s not what I meant. What I’m happy about is that you met a man who treated you so well you’re lit up like a Christmas tree right now. You look happy.”
My brows pinched together in confusion and my head tipped to the side. “Gypsy, I am happy.”
Her eyes skipped across my face like she was taking every inch of it in, studying me for any signs I wasn’t being completely truthful.
“I know,” she said softly. “I know you’re happy.
But this is different. You never lit up with any of those other guys.
You’d be excited and hopeful, but afterward, a little of that would be dimmed, like you were settling because some expectations hadn’t been met.
You had that look last night, and today you could usher ships to land in the dark. ”