divorced divas 02 - crimped to death (2 page)

Willow poked her head out of the storage room. When she saw Donovan, she ran out squealing with her tail twirling like a helicopter propeller. She loved Donovan and I was quickly thinking I did too.

Donovan bent down and gave her a good piggy pat, sending her into grunts and groans that only sounded right coming from a pig. He got up and walked over to the table.

“What do you have going on today?” Donovan sat down next to me and Willow plopped her big piggy booty on the floor and leaned up against Donovan.

He scooted the metal chair closer to me and rested his arm on the back of my chair. Being this close to him made me a little dizzy and I tried to throttle that feeling by talking aimlessly. Willow scooted with him.

“I have brides to talk to and beads to polish.” I lifted the cup to my mouth and took a sip. I used my free hand to rub Willow’s head. “These brides are crazy.”

After Margaret McGee—Swanee’s closest thing to a royal daughter with her perfectly put together mom and Bear McGee, the county attorney as a father—hired The Beaded Dragonfly to design her wedding jewelry for her and her bridesmaids, my business took off.

Brides from all around Swanee were hiring me with no expense spared to do their weddings and one up Margaret.

“You’re right.” I took another sip of the coffee. “This does hit the spot.”

“I couldn’t resist.” He leaned in and his lips slowly descended to meet mine for a nice soft kiss. “I was on my way to my afternoon class and decided you just might need an afternoon pick-me-up.”

Not only was Donovan a buff and hot self-defense instructor, he was also a computer professor at the local community college. Muscles and brains were a lethal combination for me.

“The coffee or the kiss?” I joked about which one might be the pick-me-up he was talking about.

“Both.” He put his hands on my shoulders and gave me a little massage.

“That feels good.” I shrugged my shoulders to my ears. “I had no idea how sore I was going to be from yesterday’s hike. I thought I was in better shape since I had been walking with Bernadine.”

Donovan and I had gone on our third date last night. We did a hike through the wooded area of Swanee, up and around the lake near my house. Bernadine and I had been in a habit of walking the lake shoreline, but Donovan had me hiking the woods.

“Will you be at the self-defense class tonight?” he asked.

This was Donovan’s way of finding out if I was going to be available after the class. We hadn’t really committed to exclusively dating each other, but I could feel it coming. He was a little older than me, way more mature than I was and I liked that about him.

“I have Margaret McGee’s Wine and Bead class tonight and you never know how long that is going to take.” I took another sip.

Though I would much rather spend time with him, I had a business to run.

Wine and Bead class had become a very popular class. I served wine for the four weekly classes while the participants made a couple pieces of jewelry. It was a great class for friends and family to take. Margaret McGee was hosting her own Wine and Bead class for her seven bridesmaids. She said that they have all been busy and she wanted them to stay in touch, so she paid for a full class session for just her group.

This meant I had two Wine and Bead classes each week for the next four weeks. Tonight was the start of Margaret’s class.

“Maybe I should have given you a shot of Bailey’s in that coffee.” Donovan laughed, the lines around his eyes deepened as his smile widened. He got up. “I better go.”

I stood up and Willow jumped to her hooves. She stared at us. Donovan reached out and pulled me to him. There was no denying the electricity bouncing off his chest into my heart.

“Thank you.” I put my arms around him and looked up into his eyes. His dimples deepened and my heart beat faster.

The mere touch of his hand sent a warming shiver through me. He pulled me into a snug hug against his body. My head fit perfectly against his chest.

Ding
. The bell over the shop rang out.

“Isn’t this cute?” Sean Harper, my ex-ass, stood in the doorway with the antique chandelier I had wanted from our divorce to hang up in the shop.

Sean’s grandmother had given him the most beautiful chandelier. A real chandelier; not just any old light. It was adorned with the most beautiful crystal beads in all shades of pink and red. I had no clue about its monetary value. I just knew that I loved it because of its beading elements.

Weak, weak, weak.
Willow darted back and forth between Donovan and Sean. She loved them both and was confused on whom she wanted to be pet by. I completely understood how she felt.

“Sean.” Donovan let me go and gave
what’s his name
a man nod. He looked at me. His eyes were cold and proud. “Holly, I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.” I smiled and waved him off.

Unsure of what to do in the situation, I grabbed my coffee off the table and walked back over to the counter.

Sean stepped aside and bent down to pat Willow—letting Donovan walk out. Donovan didn’t turn back around and Sean’s eyes didn’t leave mine nor did his hands leave Willow.

“Really, Hol?” Sean asked using the name he had given me when we were married.

“You don’t have the right to call me Hol anymore.” It got my goat every time he shortened my name. “Holly. My name is Holly.”

“Holly Harper.” His playboy grin crossed his lips. “Don’t forget that you still have
my
name.”

“Trust me.” I glared at him. “If it wasn’t a hassle to change it and all the documents in my name for the shop, I would have gotten rid of Harper a long time ago.”

Groink, groink, groink
. Willow stopped shy of the storage room door and looked back. She hated when Sean and I fought. She was just like a little kid. Our little kid.

“It’s okay, girl.”  He put the chandelier on one of the tables and bent down, calling her over.

“I’m so glad one of my girls is glad to see me.” He didn’t bother to look up to see my reaction.

Willow plopped down with her legs sprawled out and then flipped on her back. She loved a good belly scratch.

“We aren’t your girls anymore.” I patted my leg for Willow to get up. “Remember? You changed all of that when you realized you didn’t want us.”

I still never knew what had happened between us. I thought we were happy and my weight proved it. He hated the fact I was wearing elastic-waistband pants and I hated he spent all his time drinking with his buddies at The Livin’ End.

“I’ve changed.” He picked up the chandelier off the floor and walked over to the counter. He pointed to the spot above the cash register. “Here?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t wait to see the beautiful light installed in the shop.

If it weren’t for me saving Sean’s ass. . .again, I would have never gotten my hands on the chandelier. I guess you could say it was my payment for saving his life. Literally.

“I’m going to get some tools from my truck.” He walked to the door and turned back to look at me.

The gaze was a little too long. I looked away and grabbed the schedule, pretending to work. I didn’t know whom I was kidding. When Sean was around, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything other than my fingers going around his neck. He might have left me, but my heart hadn’t fully left him, even though I was trying to move on with Donovan.

Sean was the only handyman around town. He owned Sean’s Little Shack Handyman Service. I hated to admit it, but he was good at what he did. And all the Divas used him. He had them eating out of his hand.

Within seconds he was back in the shop with all sorts of tools to install the chandelier.

“So are you dating the teacher?” Sean had grabbed the ladder from the storage room and shimmied up it.

“We’ve gone on a couple of dates.” I pretended not to pay him any attention. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

I grabbed a silver cloth and worked my way down the silver findings. They needed to be polished and it was a mindless activity.

“What do you see in him?” Sean asked before a rush of girls came in the shop. His green eyes pierced me.

The bell dinged, giving me the perfect excuse to look away from him.

“Hi girls.” I greeted them and took note of the time.

They waved and made their way around the shop oohing and awing over the shiny beads.

Most of the high school girls came in to see what I had put on sale or what my latest creation was. They were perfect advertisements for me. Plus they let me in on all the latest beading designs.

Every once in a while I would glance over at Sean. He wasn’t dressed in his usual handyman overalls that he insisted he wear while working. He was in a pair of light colored jeans and a black plaid long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up perfectly on his toned forearms.

His shaggy blond hair was perfect next to his tanned face. His jaw set tense as he concentrated on not getting electrocuted.

Girls, girls, girls
. Sean’s phone sang out from the cell phone clip that was pinned on his belt.

“You still have Mötley Crüe as your ringtone?” I rolled my eyes.

The girls giggled from the other side of the room. They pointed and stared at Sean. He was hot.

“Sean’s Little Shack,” he answered and got down from the ladder.

While he put the ladder back into the storage room, I tried to listen to what he was saying, but couldn’t make it out.

“I’m back.” Marlene strutted back into the shop. “Bernadine said she’d just meet you at the fat meeting.”

“Seriously?” I asked Marlene. “Don’t you have a filter?”

“What?” She shrugged. “I call it what it is.”

I shook my head. It was almost time for my weekly Food Watchers meeting and weigh-in. I was starving and I hoped the scales showed it.

“Hey, handsome.” Marlene squealed when Sean came out of the storage room. “I didn’t know you were here or I would have come back sooner.” She winked, chomped her gum, and ran her finger down his arm. He blushed. “If you need a date to the Barn Dance, let me know.” She winked and blew him an air kiss.

“I don’t think I could handle a woman like you,” Sean’s southern drawl was reeling Marlene right on in.

“I’ll be gentle,” she teased and looked at me. “What?” she asked when she saw I was not amused. “Holly Harper, how can you not look at those eyes and be drawn back in? You were one lucky girl.”

“He was one lucky guy.” I directed her to the stacked boxes.

“Slave driver.” She wiggled her way back over to the unfinished boxes.

She did make me wonder whom Sean would take to the annual Barn Dance. He never missed it and was never alone.

Chapter Two

“I’m going to kill Henry Frisk!” Bernadine stomped her feet as we waited in line to be weighed at our weekly Food Watchers meeting. Her jade eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms across her chest. The velour green jumpsuit looked good against her long red hair. She huffed, “I honestly can’t believe he moved back here.” She held a piece of paper in her hand. “And if he thinks I’m going to pay for some interior decorator bill that costs as much as my monthly alimony, he’s crazy!”

Bernadine had to be the neatest person in Swanee, right down to her appearance. Bernadine and Henry’s marriage was like the ones you hear about where the couple wakes up one day and realize that they don’t know each other.

He’d come out better off than Bernadine. She got the house on the lake across from my cottage, and he got their huge mansion in Ft. Myers, Florida. There was still a bitter taste in Bernadine’s mouth. After all, she had moved to Swanee for him.

Henry thought he wanted the small town life, while she wanted the beach and sand. When it came down to the end, Bernadine was the one who ended up loving Swanee and all her new friends.

I extended my arm with my key fob pointed toward my car and clicked it to make sure the doors were locked. I had parked next to the cutest yellow Fiat with new tags.

Bernadine handed me the piece of crinkled paper.

“This is an almost eight thousand dollar bill,” I said, clearly surprised by the number.

I was stunned at first because she said that was about as much as she had gotten in alimony, but I knew she was kidding. There was no way she was getting that much alimony.
Was she
? “He wants you to pay this?”

“Yes. I’ve never even heard of this place. Buskins Interiors.” The lines between her brows creased. She ran her finger between her eyes. “I need to use the money for these stress lines he’s giving me.”

“I can help you right here.” Charlie St. Clair, the Food Watchers Specialist, oozed with enthusiasm that pretty much made me nauseous. “You look great Bernadine.”

Of course she was all happy and chipper with her spirit hands, big boobs, five-foot-seven-inch thin frame, and to make it worse, perfect cheekbones.

I rolled my eyes and looked into the meeting room while Charlie buttered up little butterball Bernadine. In fact, I thought Bernadine looked like she had gained a few pounds. But like a tick-a-lock, I kept my mouth shut.

The meeting was located in one big room with ten rows of yellow chairs. There were three workstations with computers and floor scales along with a Food Watchers Specialist in matching yellow shirts and khaki pants.

I looked awful in yellow, but not
Charlie
. I bet she looked good in everything.

“Anyway,” Bernadine peeled off the
My Name Is
sticker and stuck it right on her boob. She sat in Charlie’s chair and tied her running shoes back up.

Charlie cocked her perfectly sculpted brows, twitched her lips and held her hand out for me to give her my weigh-in log.

“Well?” The enthusiasm she had for Bernadine wasn’t oozing for me. She smacked the name sticker on the counter for me to fill out. “I have a full line of people waiting. Are you weighing or not?”

My mouth opened, then I snapped it shut in fear I would start a war of words. I decided my best revenge would be to lose more weight and look better than her. I took my shoes off because every single ounce counted when on the scale.