Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
“S o, Stark not only stopped and helped you with a stray dog in the dark and the cold, but he also drove to the south side with you, paid for a bunch of the rescue’s vet bills, and is continuing to foster Molly and her babies even though you have another foster home for them?” Emma said.
“When you say it like that, Emmy, he almost sounds like a nice guy.” Rayna flopped onto the couch, wincing when a spring in the worn out piece of furniture poked into her butt. She shifted further to the right, watching with amusement as the black and white cat sitting in the middle of the living room snagged a kitten as she raced by him, pinned her down with one paw and roughly groomed her. “Can you believe how much Freddie loves these babies? Normally, he is either indifferent or actively hates any other cats that come through here.”
“Yes, yes, it’s very cute,” Emma said. “Let’s get back to how nice Isaac Stark is being to you.”
“He’s only doing it because he thinks it’ll convince me to sell my property to him. It’s why he bought a ticket to the fundraiser and gave me an access card to his personal gym.”
“Wait… what?” Emma stopped with her mug halfway to her mouth. “He’s letting you use his gym? Are you serious right now?”
Rayna nodded. “Yeah. His assistant, Hollis, contacted me about purchasing tickets for the fundraiser. Then she asked if I could come by the office because she had an access card for me for the gym. I picked it up earlier this afternoon.”
Emma stared at her like she had two heads. “Lucas told me the gym was only for Stark and employees.”
“That’s what Hollis told me earlier, as well. I asked her why Stark was giving me this, but -”
Emma laughed. “She just stared you down, right?”
“Basically,” Rayna said. “Hollis seems very stern.”
“She is,” Emma said. “Surprisingly, she and Lucas get along well even though she is severely type A and Lucas is… Lucas.”
“Do you think she and Stark are sleeping together?” Rayna asked casually.
Either it wasn’t casual enough, or, more likely, Emma could see right through her because she immediately said, “Why do you care?”
“I don’t,” Rayna said. “I was just curious.”
“So, you’re lying to your best friend now?” Emma asked as Bea ambled into the room. She ignored Frankie’s annoyed hiss and leaned against Emma’s legs. Emma reached down to pet her, glancing at Rayna. “Well?”
“Ugh. Fine. I might have, maybe, licked Stark’s thumb the other day.”
Emma ignored Bea nosing at her hand, her mouth dropping open as she stared at Rayna. “You did what?”
“It was just something that happened.”
“Licking someone’s thumb is not something that just happens , Rayna Abrams,” Emma said. “Give me every detail.”
Ten minutes later, Emma studied her thoughtfully. “So, he’s into you as much as you’re into him.”
“Not necessarily,” Rayna said.
“You just told me he had an erection because you licked his thumb,” Emma said.
“He’s a guy. They get random erections all the time,” Rayna said.
“Girl, please,” Emma said.
Rayna sighed. “Fine. Yeah, it seems like he’s into me. But it’s a terrible idea to sleep together because we also hate each other. I’m sure he regrets the moment as much as I do.”
“Does he? He just gave you free access to his state-of-the-art gym.”
“Because he thinks if he’s nice to me, I’ll sell my property to him,” Rayna said.
Emma paused. “Shit, you might be right.”
“I am right,” Rayna said. “Trust me, Emma, he only wants one thing from me - my property.”
“Eh, pretty sure he wants to know what your o-face looks like, too,” Emma said.
“Emma!” Rayna couldn’t help but laugh. “Since when did you get so… unprudish about sex?”
“Since having Lucas in my bed every night. That man is shameless. Also, he’s amazing in bed.”
“Good for you, honey,” Rayna said with a grin. “You deserve amazing sex.”
“To answer your earlier question, no, I don’t think Hollis and Stark are sleeping together. Lucas says Stark has firm boundaries at work, and Hollis does too. She’s worked for Stark for years and still calls him Mr. Stark.”
“Maybe she’s so formal because they’re secretly sleeping together,” Rayna said.
“You sound jealous.”
“I’m not,” she said. “Just curious.”
Emma stared her down, and Rayna sighed. “Maybe a little jealous. But only because I haven’t been laid in so long, and Stark is stupidly good looking, and, Em, I honestly don’t know why he’s even attracted to me. I am so not his type.”
Emma hesitated, and Rayna said, “Just say it, Emmy.”
“This isn’t a dig against you because you are stunningly gorgeous, but it’s true that you’re not his usual type. Again, Stark doesn’t share anything personal at the office, but he has brought dates to office functions on occasion, and Lucas says they’re…”
“They’re what?” Rayna asked.
“Basically models with perfect hair and makeup and expensive clothes, and they’re always lawyers or doctors or executive types.”
Rayna glanced at her stained leggings and ripped t-shirt. “Colour me surprised. He has expensive taste in everything else. Why wouldn’t that include his girlfriends? Hell, just one of his suits probably costs more than my entire wardrobe. I sincerely doubt Stark has even stepped foot in a Walmart his entire life.”
“Probably not,” Emma agreed before checking her phone. “I better go. I have some errands to run before I head home, and I want to be at the store early tomorrow since I’m leaving early to help with the fundraiser.”
“Thanks, Emmy. I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help with this.”
“Anytime.” Emma winced when the second kitten barreled into the room and climbed her leg to perch on her knee. “Haven’t found a foster home for these kittens yet, huh?”
“No,” Rayna sighed. “Foster homes are in short supply right now. But we’ll have information about fostering at the fundraiser tomorrow, and I’m hoping we get some interest.”
“Before I go…” Emma made a face.
“Uh oh,” Rayna said.
“Do you know who Paula Plink and Denise Macklin are?”
Rayna nodded. “Retired nurses and two of the biggest gossips in town.”
“They’re also members of Harmony Falls Evangelical Church.”
Rayna grimaced. “The one led by that asshole, the Reverend Newood or something?”
“Norwood,” Emma said, “and yeah, that’s the one. They were in the store the other day, and I overheard them talking about the good reverend planning a protest.”
“Okay,” Rayna said. “What does that have to do with me?”
“He’s planning on protesting the fundraiser,” Emma said.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rayna groaned.
“I wish I were,” Emma said. “It might not happen. You know what gossips they are. It could just be a rumour.”
“Yeah, but if they attend that church, then they probably have first-hand knowledge of it, right?” Rayna said.
“Yeah,” Emma said. “Sorry, honey.”
“It’s fine,” Rayna said with a sigh. “It’s a free country, and people are allowed to protest whatever they want. I don’t get why they are, though. It’s just people bidding for a date with someone they find attractive. It’s not a live sex show, for God’s sake.”
She rubbed Bea’s stomach when the beagle lay at her feet and rolled to her back. “I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I was called to a job at his church, and I tried to convince the secretary, Nola, to be a bachelorette. I didn’t know she was the pastor’s daughter. He overheard me and blew a gasket. Went on and on about how I was trying to whore out his daughter.”
“What an asshole. If Paula and Denise are to be believed, he’s also upset about the,” Emma made finger quotes, “rampant homosexuality you’re promoting at the fundraiser.”
“Of course he is,” Rayna said in annoyance. “Never mind that out of sixteen bachelors and bachelorettes, we have two bachelors and one bachelorette who are gay. I wouldn’t really call that rampant.”
“He’s a terrible person,” Emma said. “Everyone knows it. You know my grandma is the most devout Christian ever, right?”
“Yep,” Rayna said.
“She was over the moon thrilled when my cousin got engaged to his boyfriend. She couldn’t have been happier for them because she actually understands what it means to be a Christian.”
Rayna sighed. “Well, we’ll just have to hope that they aren’t over-the-top obnoxious with the protesting.”
“Ian and Lennox are bachelors at the fundraiser, right?” Emma said.
“Yes,” Rayna said. “Why?”
“They’re deputies. They might be willing to speak with him if there is a protest. Maybe they could even ask other deputies to show up and do crowd control or something.”
“I don’t think it’ll get that crazy. Do you?” Rayna gave Emma a worried look.
“Probably not, but it wouldn’t hurt to give them the heads up. I know Wanda’s on dispatch at the station tomorrow morning. I’ll call and mention it to her.”
“Thank you, Emmy. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Okay, I really do need to go.” With one last pat to Bea, Emma stood and gave Rayna a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you at the community center at two tomorrow.”
“You bet.” She walked Emma to the door and waved goodbye before returning to the couch. She flopped down on it and stared moodily at the two kittens who were climbing all over Freddie. The black and white cat’s tail flicked rapidly, but he made no effort to discipline the babies who were now biting at his tail.
“You’ll regret spoiling them when they’re twice that size, Freddie,” Rayna said.
He ignored her, and she grabbed her phone and scrolled to Stark’s name in her text messages. She typed rapidly and, before she could chicken out, hit the send button.
Rayna
Thank you for the gym access card.
She tossed her phone onto the couch and considered opening her laptop to check the rescue emails before grabbing her phone again. Her pulse fluttered when she saw the dots indicating Stark was replying, and she was annoyed with herself at her excitement.
“Who cares what he has to say,” she said to Bea, who had heaved herself onto the couch beside her. She stroked Bea’s ears, her fingers pausing when Stark’s reply came through.
Stark
You’re welcome.
“You’re welcome? That’s it?” she said to Bea. She sat and stewed for a moment before typing and hitting send.
Rayna
I appreciate the gesture, but I’m still not selling my property to you.
Stark
I gave you access to my gym, Ms. Abrams because using your gym equipment will get you killed. It’s called being nice. You should consider trying it sometime.
Rayna
Ha, ha. Why do you care if my gym equipment kills me?
Stark
I don’t like bad smells.
Rayna
Unlike you, I am a nice person with friends. My dead body would be discovered long before it started to smell.
Stark
Or Bea would eat your body before it could smell.
She laughed out loud, glancing down at Bea. “He’s got me on that one. You would totally eat my dead body, wouldn’t you, sweet girl?”
Rayna
You’re not wrong.
Stark
I rarely am.
She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her phone screen, but her pulse did that weird fluttering thing again when she saw the three dots.
Stark
Just promise me you’ll use my gym rather than the death trap equipment from the seventies.
Rayna
It’s from the eighties, but, yes, I’ll use your gym instead. And I’m still not selling my property to you.
Stark
I heard you the first time, Ms. Abrams. Enjoy your evening.
She tossed her phone on the couch, a little weirded out by how disappointed she was that Stark had ended the conversation.
“Whatever, Bea. I hate him, and he hates me, and I don’t care what he says. He’s only doing this to try to convince me to sell. But I’m happy to let him have his delusions while I use his kick-ass gym. In fact, I’m treating myself to something nice this evening and trying out the fancy new gym right now. Be good while I’m gone, sweetie.”
She leaned down and kissed the dog’s forehead before heading to her bedroom to change into her workout clothes.