Chapter 21 #3
Jo put Kody to bed and then we sat on the porch with our glasses of rosé like we had hundreds of other nights before—only this time, for the first time ever, neither one of us knew what to say to the other.
For ages, the only sounds on that porch were the chirrup of insects and the creak of our rocking chairs.
I was about to go inside for a refill I didn’t need just to escape the awkward stillness when Jo finally said, “I knew there had to be a reason why you’ve always felt like home to me.
” She toed the side of my rocker with her foot. “My hot sweater on a cold day.”
My eyes began to sting. “At least now we don’t have to pretend to be spinster sisters so we can grow old together.”
“You’re right, but that’s because we are spinster sisters. Or will be soon. I filed for divorce yesterday.” Jo reaches up and yanks her hair tie out. Her long red hair tumbles out of her top knot, flaring out like a lion’s mane. It makes her look impossibly young and fierce at the same time.
“I know this is a shitty question but…how do you feel about that?”
Jo scoffs. “Fuck, I wish I knew. I guess I’m numb still, like I know this has to happen, so I’m going through the motions.
That’s got to be shock right? I never want to see him again, but I know that’s not possible.
Kody loves him.” Her voice breaks. “I don’t know how I’m going to manage co-parenting with him after all this shit. ”
“It’s okay not to have all the answers right now.”
“I’m just so desperate to move on.” She takes a sip of wine.
“You know what’s the worst thing?” She turns to me and then sweeps her arm in a wide circle.
“This. This is my home. It’s the only home I’ve ever known, and he ruined it.
I can’t tell you how hard it is to stay here.
Some nights, I sit out here and just want to burn it all to the ground. ”
“You’re not trapped here Jo. You can leave.
Eli—” I can’t help it, but my voice catches on his name.
“He would never want Rock Salt to become your prison. He loved you more than anything. Not the ranch. Not the stupid legacy. You.” I shift in my seat so I’m facing her.
“Don’t forget that you’re not alone. We can figure it out together. ”
Jo drops her head into her hands and groans.
I reach over and rub circles on her back.
After a long moment she sighs and drags herself back up into a sitting position.
“I’ve maxed out on my evening quota for talking about my dumpster fire of a life.
Please, please distract me with the last ridiculous thing Nola said to you. ”
My cheeks instantly flame as the memory floods my senses. “I’ve got a doozy for you. She walked in on Shayne and I chatting last night.”
“Video chatting?” Jo asks with a wicked smile. I nod. Now it’s my turn to hide my face in my hands.
Jo cackles, “Oh that is precious! What did she do? What did you do?”
“Well, obviously, I closed my laptop seconds after she walked in and hid under my covers screaming. I screamed for at least thirty seconds, but when I peeked out she was just standing there in the doorway with her mouth open like a fish. I thought she’d had a stroke, so I jumped out of bed—naked—and shook her. ”
Jo dissolved into peals of laughter.
“No seriously, I thought she was dying. But she finally snapped out of it, looked me calmly in the eye and said ‘Paige, I know what I want for Christmas. A subscription to whatever streaming service you were just watching.’ She thought I was watching a porn.”
“I can’t,” Jo gasps, tears streaming down her face.
“That’s not the worst part, though. She then said, “I finally get the phrase ‘hung like a horse’.”
The sound of our laugher echoed around us. It was the lightest my heart had felt in days.
* * *
I’m bending down to straighten up the bottom shelf of the Romance section when I hear the front door chime.
“I’m sorry, but we’re about to close,” I call over my shoulder.
“Anything I can do to entice you to stay open for just a few minutes longer?” a familiar baritone asks.
I jump up so quickly that I stumble into the table display behind me, sending a stack of books tumbling the floor.
“Easy there, Banshee. Don’t go splitting spines on my account,” Shayne says, sauntering towards me as I stand there, gaping. I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.
“What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t stop until he’s so close to me that I have to tilt my head back so I can meet his eyes. His leather and pine scent fills the space between us, making my knees go wobbly.
“I heard there was a beautiful woman who lives around here that likes to wander the valley at night. Naked,” Shayne says, cupping the back of my neck. The feel of his skin against mine makes me want to purr.
I bury my face into his chest, smiling so hard it almost hurts.
“I also heard she was a screamer,” Shayne continues. “So I had to come and see her for myself. Silvercreek’s very own legendary Banshee.”
I press myself against him even tighter. “You’re here. Pinch me, I want to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“I’ve missed you,” he says, rubbing his thumb along my jawline. His lips are only inches away from mine. If he doesn’t kiss me soon, I might lose my mind.
“I haven’t thought about you once.” I run my hands up his back just because I can.
“Oh really? Is this how you greet every customer who walks through the door after hours?” He dips his head so his mouth is hovering above mine.
“I think I might have even forgotten your name. What was it? S something?” I snake my hands up and around, resting them on the swell of his chest. I can feel his heartbeat quicken beneath my fingertips.
“Let me see if there’s anything I can do to jog your memory,” he whispers just before his lips slant over mine.
I swear I can hear the heavens part and a choir of angels start singing.
Every touch we’ve shared, every look, every glance, every kiss—it all floods my senses like a tsunami.
But instead of drowning me, all it does is make me want more.
The kiss continues and deepens until we’re both at a loss for breath, our hands roving over each other’s bodies hungrily.
Shayne drags his mouth down my neck, so I arch back to give him more access.
Suddenly, a sharp flash of light hits my eye.
I glance up, turning my head in search of the source.
The light from the setting sun glints brightly off the glass of Nana’s portrait.
I may as well be getting a text message from the great beyond.
Now Paige Marion, you hold on to that young buck of yours with both hands now. Don’t let him escape so easy this time. Handcuff him to the radiator if you have to!
My lips curve into a smile as I dive my fingers into his hair, pulling his mouth to mine once again. He nips playfully at my lip. “You know you’re stuck here now. With me,” I manage to say between kisses.
“I wouldn’t say ‘stuck’. More like firmly rooted.”
“Make me your home base,” I say, doing my best not to sound as desperate as I feel. Now that he’s back in my arms I can’t imagine letting him go again. “We can make it work. I don’t care if you have to leave, so long as you come home to me.” Shayne pulls back until our gazes meet.
“What would you say if I told you that a certain someone, someone that you are very familiar with, called me about a potential job opening at a location not very far from here at all. This someone also wanted me to know that the job in question would be without an end date if that was something I was interested in.”
There isn’t a chance in hell I could stop the smile that breaks across my face. “I would say I need to buy that someone a very, very nice bottle of wine.”
“Then I would say, I love you Paige, my bookselling Banshee,” Shayne says, his eyes darkening as he tilts my head up. My chest feels like it’s harboring the beating wings of a thousand butterflies.
“And I love you, Cowboy Hat Demon Horse,” I reply, and Shayne laughs as he dips me back into another kiss that causes everything other than him to fade away into nothingness.