Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Mary London
In the gilded mirror, my hands smooth down the light pink dress with an A-line skirt that ends exactly one inch above my knees, a one-shouldered top that hints at cleavage but doesn’t flaunt it, and a remarkably realistic-looking fake flower on the shoulder.
My hair is pinned up on top of my head with curled tendrils teasing my cheeks.
Mama’s big pearl earrings go perfectly with the outfit.
It’s quite fancy for an average day working in my boutique, but Fancy might as well be my middle name.
Mary London doesn’t do sweats and unwashed hair, no, ma’am.
Also doesn’t factor that there’s a slight chance Rhett Price might be swinging by to drop off his thieving son today. Nope, no way.
I turn away from the mirror and take a long inhale, pause at the top, then release the breath nice and slow.
My heart’s pounding and that doesn’t match the image I strive to portray.
Men with scruffy hair, dirty jeans, and stormy-blue eyes don’t make my heart race.
No, sir. Especially not ones living on the wrong side of the tracks and with sons who think it’s okay to steal from small businesses.
Maggie won’t be in until mid-morning when we tend to get a rush of shoppers who’re all done with their Saturday brunches and mimosas.
The shop is empty, which is pretty normal right at opening time on the weekend.
I could probably change our hours to start a little later, but I’m a morning person.
This slow first hour is exactly what I need to face the day with a sunny smile.
“Hello?”
The rumble of that voice has my thighs trembling like I have low blood sugar.
Ah yes. Rhett came with Rylan this morning.
I spin on my kitten heels and draw from the habits I’ve honed over years of customer service work.
My face transforms into a blinding smile that could cover pain levels that could take down an ox.
Mama used to tell a story about how she smiled her way through childbirth with me because her doctor was so dang handsome.
“Welcome to Golden Halo,” I sing out, carefully stepping my way to the front of the boutique.
Rhett and Rylan file inside, both looking highly uncomfortable and out of place.
Rhett sports a cowboy hat that looks expensive but well used, unlike some of the men I’ve seen around town with their pristine hats that haven’t ever see a speck of dirt.
Biceps strain the sleeves of a dark blue polo shirt with a company logo on the breast I’m not familiar with.
Oh my good Lord, the man has a huge, dark tattoo covering his forearm.
It’s almost enough to have my eyeballs skipping over the blue jeans that hug his thighs like a second skin.
“Good morning,” Rylan mumbles. His bushy brown hair looks like he didn’t run a comb through it before heading over.
I pat the boy’s arm, forcing my eyes to leave his father and focus on what’s important here. I have a helper for the day and I plan to put him to work on projects that’ll actually help my shop.
“I’m happy to see you, Rylan.”
The teen lifts his head, sleepy eyes widening slightly, like someone hasn’t told him that recently. “Dad and I brought a ladder for those gutters you mentioned.”
I beam at the kid. “I love a good planner. I’ll show you the gutters in back and we’ll see if you can access them safely. Sound good?”
Leading Rylan through the storage room and all the racks of hung clothing waiting to go out on the sales floor, I hear the clop-clop of Rhett’s boots following us.
My pounding heart is clanging double time, which is ridiculous.
There’s no reason for that organ to be doing backflips over a man I don’t even know nor have any interest in getting to know.
“Okay, so you see that up there?” I shade my eyes and point to the break in the metal gutter that’s been soaking my package deliveries. I’m acutely aware of Rhett behind me, but I ignore his presence.
“Yes, ma’am. Dad and I can fix that.” Rylan looks the whole thing over. “Looks like your downspout is clogged too. We can clean that out.”
I consider myself a highly educated woman, and have a successful business to prove it, but I don’t have any idea what a downspout is, and frankly, don’t want to know. “Rylan, honey, you’re a lifesaver. You think you can get up there okay?” I point to the offending gutter up above our heads.
“Yes, ma’am. Our ladder will fit just fine.”
That settled, I do what I’ve been avoiding.
I straighten my spine and force myself to make eye contact with Rhett.
His dark gaze is fixed on mine below the brim of his hat.
I have a feeling it’s been on me the whole time I talked to his son.
His too-long hair curls out from under the edge of the hat.
My fluttering heart stops on a dime as I meet his gaze.
I’ve read about smoldering looks before, and I thought I’d experienced one, but now I know that’s not true.
No one in my thirty-four years of life has looked at me like Rhett is looking at me now.
Like he hates me and wants to lick me at the same time.
“You can have me today too.” Rhett’s voice rumbles across the breeze, settling over my skin like a velvet wrap, sheltering me from anything that exists outside of him and me.
I swallow so hard I’m sure the entire Square heard it. I can have him? What in blazes do I say to that?
My brain spirals into too many scenarios I can never put voice to in proper company, so I don’t say anything.
I step around him and back into the glorious air-conditioning of the storage room.
Rylan’s footsteps disappear out back, probably on his way to get the ladder off his dad’s truck.
And then there’s Rhett’s boots, clunking against the concrete as he follows me.
I spin on my heel, suddenly heated. Who is this man to get me all flustered like this?
I’m no debutante any longer, naive to the ways of this world and men with granite jawlines and storm-cloud eyes.
My gaze focuses on his nose. Nothing sexy about a nose, right?
“While I’m sure that line works on women who don’t know any better, I have a business to run. Help Rylan if you’d like, or go home. Doesn’t matter to me.”
Rhett’s head tilts, his eyes going even darker. “It wasn’t a line, Ms. Winthrop. My son stole from you. I won’t be satisfied until we’ve paid you back tenfold.” He dips his hat and steps backward. “I’ll get started cleaning up the back.”
His gaze snags on a floor-length dress in pale pink on the closest rack.
It’s a beauty, costing more than most of the dresses I carry, but he doesn’t say a word.
He just leaves, giving me a nice view of his ass in those jeans as he marches back outside.
I’m ashamed to admit how much time it takes me to realize my mouth is hanging open.
I snap it shut and hightail it back to the front of the boutique.
Just in time, too, because a customer walks in, expecting me to be at my best. I dive into my work until Maggie walks through the door and instantly gets to work, proving once again what a valuable employee she is.
Like I always seem to do, I lose track of time as I’m in my element flitting from one customer to another.
“Ms. Winthrop?”
I turn at the voice, seeing Rylan’s head poking through the door to the storage room. I head over there, stepping into the storage room with him. “How’s it going?”
He nods and avoids making eye contact. “Good. The leak should be fixed. Now we’ll work on the downspout and finish cleaning in the back.” He points his thumb over his shoulder. “Dad got us cheeseburgers for lunch.”
“Oh!” I check my watch and see it’s well past noon. I feel terrible for not keeping my word. “I’m so sorry, Rylan! I was going to treat you to lunch.”
He shuffles on his feet. “It’s okay. I already scarfed mine down. Dad’s got the other three right here.” He nods to the large takeout bag from Burgers and Blessings sitting on the rickety desk against the wall.
“Three burgers?”
“You and your assistant need to eat too,” comes the deep reply from behind Rylan.
I look past his shoulder to see Rhett blocking the sunlight from coming through the back door. He’s got that same intense frown on his face, the one that makes me belly flip. Rylan heads back outside and now it’s just me and his father. And silence.
“Making good progress, it seems,” I say brightly, determined not to let this man get to me. I busy my hands with pulling out the to-go containers. “Rylan seems like a hard worker. I’m sure it’s hotter than Hades out there.”
Rhett doesn’t bother to respond, he just walks away and goes through the door to the boutique sales floor. I gape after him, then rush forward, getting through the door in time to see him addressing Maggie over by the fitting rooms.
“Lunch is in the back.”
Maggie blinks at him, startled. “Um, okay?”
“Doesn’t she give you a lunch break?”
Maggie looks around like she’s being punked. “Yes, of course, but we stagger our lunches so the sales floor is always covered.”
Rhett grunts, then spins and heads back to the storage room, stepping around me like I’m not even there.
Maggie meets my gaze, her eyes widening comically before she bursts out giggling, turning back to help a customer.
I shake my head and shut the door. The last thing I need is this gruff man interacting with my college-aged customers.
Rhett is standing by the small desk where the food is laid out, not doing anything in particular.
“Everything okay?” I ask, approaching him.
He dips his head in a quick nod and then pulls out a chair, waiting. Oh! He’s waiting for me to sit in it like a proper gentleman. I do, sinking on trembling legs. Only then does he sit in the other chair, entirely too close to me.
He dives into his food, completely focused on the burger and fries in front of him. I pick up my burger and sneak glances at him as we both eat. The silence sounds like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. I like chatter, music, anything to break up this awkwardness.
“So…” I trail off, then forge ahead. “Where were you living prior to coming back to Heaven?”
Rhett puts down what remains of his food and wipes his hands and mouth before answering. “Little suburb just outside of Atlanta.”
“Ah.” He doesn’t expand on that. Just dips a fry in ketchup and chews it thoughtfully.
“And why’d you come back to Heaven?”
Rhett clenches his jaw like my questions are an irritant. Good. Let my conversation bother him as much as his silence bothers me.
“Rylan was having some trouble.”
Lordamercy, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get information out of him. “Like, medical problems?”
Rhett sighs, voice low. “No. Just fell into a bad crowd. I figured moving back to Heaven would solve that problem.”
I nod. Oddly, I respect that. Not easy to leave your whole life in a big city and move to a small town. Clearly he loves his son and will do a lot to help him.
“Teens are hard.”
Rhett grunts. I have to roll my lips inward to keep from smiling. This man and his grunts.
“What’s the logo on your shirt?” I pop a French fry in my mouth.
Rhett’s head lifts, his eyes scanning my face before he answers. “My contracting business.”
I lift my eyebrows. “Contractor? Like, carpentry work?”
“Sure. Some of that. But mostly commercial build-outs.”
I nod along but he doesn’t give me anything else. “Got a business card on ya?”
“I do.”
I let out a frustrated laugh. “May I have one?”
He reaches for his back pocket, takes out a worn leather wallet, and pulls out a dark gray square card. He hands it to me. I’m acutely aware of where his fingers grip the card so I don’t accidentally brush against him.
“Thanks for lunch.” I scoot my chair back and slide the card in the little pocket built into my dress. I didn’t even eat half my cheeseburger and only a few fries, but that’s all the time I have today. Half the time, I don’t take a lunch break anyway.
Leaving Rhett and his short answers behind me, I step out back and observe the work that Rylan’s done. The entire stoop and alleyway leading to the dumpster in back has been power washed. Pretty sure it didn’t look this clean when I first rented this space right out of college.
“Oh my goodness gracious, Rylan!” He straightens from where he’s digging out the mud around a pipe next to the ground. “You’re a miracle worker!” I wave my hands around at the ground.
“Thank you, but that was actually Dad. I just did the gutter.” The tips of his ears go bright red and it’s so dang cute, I don’t care that his irritatingly handsome father did all this manual labor on my shop for free.
I don’t know how, but I can feel that man behind me, watching me talk to his son. I ignore him, of course.
“Well, I thank you both just the same.” I step closer, keeping my voice down. “You know, with the kind of skills you have, you could be working side jobs all over town, earning enough money to buy all the necklaces you want.”
Rylan dips his head again. “Yes, ma’am.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m serious. You want to do that, let me know. I’ll put in a good word around town.”
Rylan looks up at me a little dumbfounded. “You’d do that for me? Even after I…” He trails off, looking embarrassed.
I nod, giving him a genuine smile. “Consider it done. Leave me your phone number so people know how to get ahold of you.”
Rylan whips out his phone and we exchange numbers. “I’m almost done here, but want me to come back tomorrow and paint the awning?”
“No, sir, I do not. Your debt is paid. I’ll schedule a time when I can pay you to paint that awning.” I lean in a little closer. “Besides, tomorrow’s the Lord’s day. I’ll be seeing you and your father bright and early at church!”
I hear Rhett choke behind me, which only makes me smile brighter.