Chapter 7 Creed
CREED
This week has gone by at a snail’s pace. Thank goodness it’s Friday now. Chuck agreed to watch the kids. Heck, he all but insisted when I asked him who might be willing to babysit for a few hours.
And not only did he offer to watch them for the evening, but he’s also keeping them overnight. Gruff as he might come across, that man’s a softie. I think my boys have found a new adoptive grandpa here in Spring Creek.
“Right on time!” Chuck answers the door wearing sweats and a t-shirt, a combo I haven’t seen in the shop. “You boys ready to be spoiled rotten?”
Both boys squeal and head into the door. Chucks promises me a couple cookies when I pick them up at 10 am tomorrow. If I’d had any reservations before, I now know my boys are in good hands. With any luck, they’ll be worn out and give me an easy Saturday.
“Thanks, Chuck. I really appreciate you watching them for me.”
“No problem. Just don’t go blabbing about it around town. I don’t want my stellar babysitting skills being found out by just anyone.” Chuck winks as he closes the door.
I pull up to Claws and Curls at 5:27. I don’t know whether to wait in my truck or head inside but decide it’s best to go in—even if that means I might run into a client.
“Creed, right on time!” Emmie greets me as I walk through the door. “Creed, this is Sam. She’s one of my Swish Sisters.”
I raise an eyebrow, unsure what that even means. Both ladies start laughing.
“I’ll explain it to you later. Sam, thanks! I hope Scott loves it.”
“Oh, he won’t care. But it’ll be nice to have them done for Christmas. Thanks, Emmie!”
While Sam pays Emmie, I wander around the room a bit. When I brought the boys in, I only had the vantage point of the one seat. Now I can get a better feel for what Emmie does every day.
“Bye, Sam.”
“You two have fun tonight!”
I make my way toward the counter where Emmie is taking notes or something. “You make a lot of magic happen here, don’t you?”
“I certainly try. Some days it’s easier than others.”
“That looked like another happy claw customer to me.” Emmie rolls her eyes at my pathetic joke.
I lean up against the counter, watching her. She looks up at me and smiles.
“Yes?”
“I just realized how badly I want to kiss you.”
“Then maybe you should.”
I don’t need any further prompting. I lean across the counter, put a finger under Emmie’s chin, and lean in just enough for our lips to brush. Our kiss starts soft but quickly deepens. Emmie reaches up and grabs me by the shirt collar, causing me to moan into her mouth.
I force myself to stop. I may want more than a kiss, but I have to see where the night goes first. I don’t want to rush this and screw things up, even if my dick has other ideas.
“Creed, that was…”
“Decent. Maybe even fine. We probably need another test run, just for accuracy.” A playful smirk rests on my face, waiting for Emmie’s reaction to my smart-assery.
Emmie looks at me and smiles, closing her eyes to kiss me again. “What did you have planned?”
“Well, I’ve only been to Lennox once. I heard there’s a good Mexican restaurant there. Are you ok with that?”
“That sounds amazing! Rowan doesn’t love Mexican, so I love an excuse to have it.”
“Is it really called Nacho Average Cantina?” I raise an eyebrow, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed by the name.
Emmie laughs. “Sure is. The owners are wonderful. The third generation of the family owns and operates the place. They’ve been staples in the Lennox community for decades. They sometimes even bring their food truck to Spring Creek and other community events.”
“Interesting. Let’s go then.”