“Today?”
“There’s no time like the present.”
That was for sure. Leena had never had a time like she’d had today. And the day wasn’t even half over with yet.
“But I’m working today.”
“Cole will let you off early, won’t you, Cole?” Sue Ellen batted her baby blues at him.
“No, honey, I won’t.”
There he went, calling women
honey
. It was insulting. It was demeaning. Sadly Leena also found it kind of appealing, flowing over her like melted dark chocolate when he said it in that husky voice and punctuated it with his decadent smile.
Good thing Leena was immune.
Totally immune.
Denim Dude didn’t get to her one tiny bit.
The zany shiver she felt inside was a result of her traumatic day, not the product of Cole’s seducing ways or cute butt.
Only further exposure to the man would prove her point. “I’m staying here,” Leena told her sister. “You’ll have to reschedule the photo shoot.”
“I didn’t realize I’d be competing for your time with photographers,” Cole said after Sue Ellen left in a huff.
“It’s a one-time deal,” Leena said.
“I’ve heard that before.”
“You’ve probably said it yourself to some poor girl who thought you’d settle down with her.”
Oops.
“Uh, forget I said that.”
“No way. I’m intrigued by your obsession with my relationships concerning the opposite sex.”
“I am not obsessed.”
“Just opinionated.”
“Blame it on the parakeet poop.” Leena grabbed more tissues to wipe her neck. She needed a shower . . . bad.
“I doubt that’s the reason you’re opinionated.”
“Stop saying that.”
“And bossy too.”
“Okay, I’ll admit to having some bossy tendencies,” Leena said, “but no way I’m opinionated.”
“Edie told me you were rude to her.”
“The woman should be horsewhipped. Not that whipping horses is a good thing in any way, shape, or form. So let me rephrase that. The woman should take a long walk off a short pier.” An old phrase her mom used, but Leena couldn’t come up with anything original at the moment.
“Any particular reason why you have a grudge against Edie?”
“She told her daughter she was fat!”
Cole was perplexed. “So? That’s not a crime.”
“Being fat or telling your kid they’re fat?”
“Either one. Look, I’ve got patients waiting. Just do me a favor and try not to be rude to any more clients.”
“Sure thing, Boss Man.”
“I
am
the Boss Man and don’t you forget it.”
Forgetting him wouldn’t come easy, but then nothing worthwhile did.
“Interesting day, huh?” noted Sheriff Nathan Thornton, Cole’s best friend, as the two men sat in Nick’s Tavern after work that evening.
Cole nodded. “Yeah, I hear the White Sox won today. That must make you happy.”
“It does.” Nathan paused to take a sip of his Heineken. “But I was referring to the matter of Julia almost having her baby in your waiting room.”
“Yeah, that was interesting too.”
“I saw you’ve got a new receptionist. Who is she?”
“I would have thought you’d already know, seeing as how you’re the sheriff and all.”
“That good-ol’-boy drawl ain’t gonna work on me,” Nathan said. “And yes, I do know who she is. I heard she’s the woman who punched you.”
“Hey!” Cole took offense, despite knowing that was his buddy’s intent. “I was only a kid.”
“So fill me in on this woman. I heard she was some kind of model in Chicago? If so, then what the hell is she doing in your office?”
“She’s working as my receptionist.”
“Yeah, that’s a logical career move.”
“She wasn’t real specific about why she was back home again. I did hear she’s rented a mobile home near her sister. I heard it was some kind of barter deal.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nathan asked suspiciously.
“Not whatever you’re thinking, obviously.”
“And how do you know what I’m thinking?”
“I can read you like a book,” Cole said.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So what am I thinking now?”
“That you’re pissed. And that you want to challenge me to another arm-wrestling match, but you know you’d lose.”
“In your dreams. Man rule number four: Never pick a fight you can’t win. But let’s get back to Leena. What did you mean by a barter deal?”
“I heard that she’s going to do some kind of ad for the owner of the mobile home park.”
“When I was a kid it was called a trailer park.”
“No longer politically correct.” Cole took another sip of his Bud straight from the bottle. “Anyway, Sue Ellen flew into the clinic today and muttered something about an ad or photo shoot. What do you know about the owner of the trailer park?”
“He’s been out of town for many years and has recently returned. Some clown named Bart Chumley.”
“So he’s an idiot, huh?”
“No, I mean he really is a former circus clown. Traveled with Barnum & Bailey for nearly thirty years, or so I hear. I haven’t actually met the guy yet.”
“I would have thought a clown like you would want to bond with your own kind.”
Nathan tossed a handful of peanut shells at Cole. “Very funny. So why’d you give this Leena a job?”
“Do you see anyone else lining up to be my receptionist?”
“Your reputation precedes you.”
“What reputation?”
“As a
lady’s
man.” Nathan clearly took great pleasure in drawing out the word, making it sound like
laaaydeee’s
.
“Yeah, right. You sound like a skit from
Saturday Night Live
. Frankly, I’m amazed Skye hasn’t tossed you out yet.”
“She’s been tempted a time or two.”
“So what stopped her? Not your charming personality. That’s my strength, not yours,” Cole added with mocking modesty.
“I said that’s your
reputation
. I never said it was true. That’s why I never asked for your advice about Skye.”
“Like you’d listen even if I had given it to you.”
Nathan shrugged. “Hey, it might have happened.” “Yeah, right. And a meteor might land on Rock Creek.”
“A meteor might help clean up parts of this town.” Nathan looked around the bar, which had seen better days. “As long as it doesn’t land on the Tivoli Theater. Skye just got the latest renovations done on the place. So, getting back to this Leena woman. You never answered my question. What’s the deal with you two?”
“There is no deal. I already told you. I hired her as my receptionist. Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”
Nathan shrugged. “You hassled me about my love life, so I figured it was only fair for me to return the favor.”
“It’s no favor.”
“Yeah, I know. I just like putting that pissed-off look on your face.” Nathan paused to reach for his vibrating cell phone and check the number flashing on the screen. “It’s Luke,” he said to Cole before turning his attention to the caller. “Hey, I hear your wife almost had your baby in Cole’s waiting room. Wrong doctor, buddy. You don’t want a vet delivering your firstborn.”
Cole listened to Nathan’s side of the conversation, but part of his brain remained focused on Leena. What was her story? Kissing her that first day was meant to be a joke, but the joke was on him.
Kissing women was nothing new for Cole. He was damn good at it, or so he’d been told on more than one occasion.
But Leena had been different. Which made him want to kiss her again to figure out
why
she was different.
“Julia had a girl,” Nathan told Cole. “Named her Jayne Ann after some romance author Julia likes to read.”
Julia worked at the Serenity Falls Library. “Those librarians sure are a wild bunch.”
“Luke seems to think so. He sounded pretty damn proud of himself. Baby and mom are doing good.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“So if you won’t talk about Leena, how about the renovations on your house? How are those going?”
“Why? Are you volunteering to help?” Cole asked. “Because I’ve got an extra tool belt if you need one.”
“No, I don’t need one.”
“Come on. I’ll supply the cold beer.”
Nathan shook his head regretfully. “Sorry. Skye already has a list of stuff for me to do.”
“Is she still trying to feng shui the sheriff’s office?”
“No, she’s pretty much given up on that for now.”
“You think you’re ever going to move from that apartment over the theater into a real house with a real yard?”
“If we do, it will be a real house that isn’t falling down the way yours is.”
“It was part of the property when I bought the practice for a good price from my dad’s cousin.”
“The house was unoccupied for about a decade. That should have given you a clue.”
“It’s a fixer-upper.”
“Or fixer-downer, depending on your perspective.”
“Nothing gets me down,” Cole said.
“Right. You’re a tough guy through and through.”
“Absolutely.”
“Who’d never take in a stray dog or cat. How many misfits do you have under your roof now?”
“None of your business.”
“So, tough guy, is Leena another misfit you’ve taken under your wing?”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re full of shit?”
“Frequently. Doesn’t mean I don’t speak the truth.”
“Shut up and drink your Heineken,” Cole said.
“Spoken like a true Bud man.”
“You’ve got that right.” But Cole refused to believe that Nathan had gotten anything else right. Leena was no misfit. She was all woman—with sexy curves and plenty of smart-mouth attitude. She was also his employee, and he’d do well to remember that fact instead of remembering their too-brief kiss that had left him wanting more.
Chapter Four
Leena walked into Angelo’s Pizza wishing she’d refused Sue Ellen’s invitation to dinner. Actually, she
had
refused, but Sue Ellen had insisted.
And they claim I’m the bossy one,
Leena thought.
Hah!
After the day she’d had, Leena wanted nothing more than a little peace and quiet. Neither of those two objectives were Sue Ellen’s strong suit. They didn’t seem to be Sue Ellen’s friend Skye Wright’s specialty either.
Leena wasn’t particularly eager to meet the bad-girl sister of the woman who’d almost given birth in the vet office earlier that day. Apparently Skye had moved to Rock Creek just over a year ago, yet Sue Ellen acted as though they’d been BFF—best friends forever—since birth.
But then Sue Ellen never did things halfway.
Leena had taken a cold shower the instant she’d driven back to her rented model home. The hot water still wasn’t working, but she needed to remove all memory of the parakeet poop.
The jeans she wore cost more than she’d make in a week working at the vet’s office. And the trendy empire-cut top hadn’t seemed an extravagance when she’d bought it a few months ago. Now Leena wished she had the cash.
And she wished she could turn around and leave Angelo’s. But it was already too late.
“There you are!” Sue Ellen jumped up and hugged Leena as if she hadn’t seen her in decades. “We’ve been waiting for you. We already ordered our pizza.”
Leena gasped in Sue Ellen’s python hold. “I . . . can’t . . . breathe! Let . . . go!”
“Sorry.” Sue Ellen stood back and looked at Leena with guilty regret. “I keep doing that to people. Leena, this is my friend Skye.”
Leena felt the waves of suspicion emanating from the redheaded woman wearing a wildly colorful tie-dyed T-shirt.
“You must be very proud of your sister,” Skye said.
“Oh, I am.” Sue Ellen beamed.
“I meant Leena must be proud of
you
, Sue Ellen.”
“Huh?” Sue Ellen blinked in confusion.
Leena would have done the same but didn’t want to appear as if she didn’t know what Skye was talking about. She hated feeling dumb, and for some reason Skye was making her feel that way right now.
“I meant that Leena must be proud of how well you’re doing here in Rock Creek,” Skye said.
“Well, my success doesn’t compare to Leena’s,” Sue Ellen said.
“Was Leena ever Miss Chow?” Skye countered.
“It was Miss Chow-Chow,” Sue Ellen corrected her. “And no, she wasn’t.”
“How about Miss Scrabble?”
“It was Scramble, and again, no.”
“I rest my point.”
“Which was what, exactly?” Leena demanded, not one to back down from a fight, especially after the day she’d had.
“That your sister is someone special,” Skye said.
“I know that,” Leena said defensively.
“Do you?”
Skye seemed to see too much, forcing Leena to look away and mutter, “Maybe it would be better if I didn’t join you for dinner after all.”
“Don’t say that,” Sue Ellen wailed. “Sit down. Look, our pizza is ready. Sit, Leena.”
Leena might work in a vet’s office, but she wasn’t a pet that obeyed commands like
sit
and
behave
. But the pizza smelled divine. And her stomach was growling. So she sat. Reluctantly.
“What did I miss?” a young dark-haired woman dressed in goth attire and covered with tattoos demanded as she slid into an empty chair at their table. A pair of skeleton earrings jangled in her ears. “Anything good? Anything bad? Anything juicy?”
“This is our friend Lulu, who won’t let me give her a makeover,” Sue Ellen said. “Maybe she’ll let you do it, Leena.”
“Don’t count on it,” Lulu said before scarfing down a slice of pizza.
Leena was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. “What did my sister tell you two about me?”
“Not much,” Skye said. “Just that you live in Chicago and that you’re bossy.”
Leena turned to her sister. “That’s all you said?”