“This is fun. I’m meeting real, normal people and they’re not drunk either,” Ivy said.
Rayne laughed remembering the Karaoke bar from the night before. Maybe going to church would be a good thing.
Within minutes the service began and Rayne and Ivy listened carefully to every word as Cleo checked her messages on her phone. When the service came to an end she and her sister looked at each other and smiled.
“Did you feel that?” Ivy whispered, glancing at Cleo to make sure she wasn’t being heard.
Rayne nodded. “Just being here makes me feel alive. I feel good, and when we all sang that song,
Amazing Grace
, I felt like I was filled with electricity.”
Ivy nodded and smiled sweetly at her. “A new home, a dog and now church. We’re living the American Dream, Rayne.”
Rayne laughed and hugged her sister with one arm. “We’re living
our
dream anyways. Let’s come again next week.”
Cleo glanced over and raised an eyebrow, obviously catching her last comment. “
Next week?
You two will have to go without me then. I almost fell asleep.”
Rayne narrowed her eyes at Cleo. “You’re on the clock, chick. You’re coming too.”
Cleo groaned and shuffled her feet. “Who in their right mind would try to kill you in a church?” she asked glancing around.
“
What was that?”
Rayne turned and saw Tate and Jane standing next to them. Tate looked concerned and serious but Jane looked horrified.
“
Oh great
,” Rayne muttered and looked at her feet.
Ivy cleared her throat and put an arm around her shoulder. “
Um
, Cleo was just kidding around. She’s not really a bodyguard or anything crazy like that,” she said and then tried to laugh.
Tate lifted a brow and looked at Cleo before zeroing in on Rayne. “You know we’re standing in a church right? Lying will most like get you attacked by lightning bolts as soon as you step outside.”
Rayne turned white and stared at Ivy who looked terrified now. “We didn’t know. This is our first time coming to church. She didn’t mean to lie,” she said looking at the ceiling in case God was looking down on them right then.
Rayne let out a breath and swallowed hard. “Someone might be trying to kill us. Cleo is our bodyguard and we’re living here in Fircrest until we can find out who murdered our parents.”
Jane’s mouth fell open and Tate frowned and rubbed a hand over his chin. “I don’t know if Jane mentioned it or not but I’m a police officer. I want you to take my card and call me if anything suspicious happens, okay?”
Rayne took Tate’s card and slipped it into her purse before nodding her head. She tried to smile as Jane touched her arm. “Come by the bakery this week. We’ll talk. I might have a cupcake that can help.”
Rayne grinned at that and nodded. Tate smiled at the three women and then took his wife by the hand and led her away.
She and Ivy turned and stared at Cleo with dark frowns.
“Seriously, Cleo?” Rayne hissed as she grabbed Ivy’s arm and they moved through the small groups of people talking. Just as she made it out into the sun, she was pulled up short by a hug from behind.
She yelped as she was forced to let go of Ivy’s hand. Ivy grinned at her as she turned around to see Garrett grinning happily down at her.
“I didn’t figure you girls went to church, but seeing you walk down the aisle was definitely a revelation.”
Rayne laughed at that and pushed him in the arm. “That was the lamest religious pick-up line I’ve ever heard and this is my first time coming.”
Garrett grabbed her hand and they walked to the parking lot. When he saw Cleo and Ivy waiting by their car, he held up their hands together and called out, “I’ll take Rayne home.”
Cleo nodded and she and Ivy got in the car. She walked with Garrett over to his large truck parked in the shade of a tree and felt a peaceful sense of rightness. Here she was walking hand in hand with her boyfriend after going to church. That was so unlike her real life as to be comical. But strangely, her new life felt so much more real than her old one did.
“Listen, I’m glad I ran into you today. I want to take you on a date tomorrow.”
Rayne grinned and looked down at their clasped hands. “Good, because I’d love to go on a date with you.”
Garrett smiled warmly down at her. “That’s what I love about you. You always tell me the truth, exactly what you’re feeling. I love not having to play games,” he said before leaning down and kissing her.
Rayne smiled as he kissed her and slipped her hands around his back. “I don’t know enough about men
to
play games. I just know I like you and I love being with you.”
Garrett smoothed a wisp of her hair back from her forehead. “Dang you’re perfect. Well, listen, tomorrow I’m going to pick you up at four and we’re going to take a motorcycle ride. I’ll bring a helmet for you but wear jeans and if you have a leather jacket and boots that would be best.”
Rayne’s whole face lit up as she jumped up and down. “A motorcycle ride? How did you know that’s been my dream since I was sixteen? I’ve always wanted a good looking guy to pick me up on a motorcycle and go for a ride through the country.”
Garrett reached up and let the clip out of her hair and smiled as it fell around her shoulders. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s fantasy,” he said, rubbing the underside of her jaw lightly with his thumb.
Rayne licked her lips and felt a light shiver run down her back. “Hmmm, well I can’t wait.”
Garrett grinned and opened the door for her. He already had plans to meet up with some of his buddies from his platoon for dinner so she waved goodbye to him from her front porch.
Cleo and Ivy joined her within seconds and Ivy bumped hips with her. “If you get married and leave me I’ll be all by myself,” she said softly.
Rayne blinked in surprise. “Ivy, just because I’m dating doesn’t mean I’m getting married. And besides, even if I did get married, we’d still see each other all the time. Nothing would really change.”
Ivy smiled sadly and nodded, walking back inside and leaving her with Cleo. Cleo sighed and leaned her chin on her hands. “It is a pain to watch you go all romantic and mushy and happy. It makes us realize that there is something sorely lacking in our own lives.”
Rayne leaned on the railing next to Cleo and smiled. “Time to get to work then, huh?”
Cleo laughed and they went inside to make a dinner of baked chicken, sautéed spinach and rolls. They ended up driving down to the beach with the dogs after dinner. They threw sticks to their dogs and sat on blankets as they watched the sun set. Rayne watched Ivy run along the beach with Kenya and sighed happily. Life couldn’t get any more perfect.
The next day Rayne spent the day with her dog, planting flowers, reading and basically just waiting until her date. She’d never in her life been on a motorcycle and she was so excited she couldn’t sit still. And she had two hours still to wait.
“Well, I’m sorry, but I think it’s just rude that you get to go on a motorcycle ride and I don’t.
I’m
the one who just got hired as a lead singer in a rock band.
I’m
the one with pink streaks in her hair. Look at you. You look like a concert pianist. What are you doing going for a motorcycle ride with a hot guy?” Ivy demanded, pouting as if she was thirteen.
Rayne grinned and flipped through the pages of a magazine. “It’s gotta burn, huh?”
Ivy groaned and threw a pillow at her head. Cleo, who was in the middle of triangle pose made a tsking sound. “Now, now girls. Be nice.”
Ivy sighed. “I guess I’m just bored. I don’t have practice with the band until tomorrow night. I’ve already been on two walks with the dogs and my older sister is living my life. So unfair.”
Rayne laughed and threw the magazine down. “You know, Garrett is just borrowing the motorcycle from Becket. I bet if you asked nicely he might give you a ride.”
Ivy paused at the door and turned around. “It’s
Becket’s
bike?”
Rayne nodded and grinned even bigger. “But that would mean you’d have to stop being shy and actually talk to him. Every time he tries to talk to you, you shut him down.”
Ivy frowned and walked back and sat down on the couch, pulling her legs up as she sat cross-legged. “Easier said than done. How can you talk to a guy who twists you up inside just by looking at you?”
Cleo raised an eyebrow at Ivy and pulled out of the pose. “You don’t have any problem talking to Asher. The other night at the Karaoke bar you two were glued to each other’s side.
Ivy laughed. “I was trying to get a job,
dork
. That’s what you do. You talk to them and try to sell them on all of your amazing attributes.”
Cleo looked at her narrowly. “Well, you’re definitely not shy around Asher.”
Ivy smiled and nodded. “True. He’s more like a brother though. Although he
is
cute. Maybe I should see if Asher could borrow Becket’s motorcycle and take me on a ride? Now that would be fun.”
Cleo said nothing and walked out of the room. Rayne and Ivy exchanged raised eyebrows and waited until they heard the last step squeak before Ivy grinned.
“
She’s jealous
!” she whispered. “She likes Asher and she won’t admit it.”
Rayne frowned after her friend. “I think she’ll admit that she’s attracted to him, but something is holding her back. What do you think it is?”
Ivy shook her head. “No idea. With me, it’s easy. I’m a twelve year old girl in the body of a twenty-three year old woman. Cleo is so easy with men. She never stutters or blushes or gets nervous. And I know Asher thinks she’s pretty. He always watches her whenever she’s in the room.”
Rayne sighed. “So weird. But my only advice to you is,
get it together
. If you do like Becket, talk to him. He won’t ask you out if he thinks there’s a chance you’ll say no.”
Ivy shrugged and leaned back, resting her head in her hands. “What in the world would a guy like Becket see in a girl like me? I’ve had an eating disorder, I’ve self-harmed and I have OCD. I’d say no to me,” she said quietly and turned and looked out the window.
Rayne stood up and walked over to the couch and knelt down beside it, taking her sister’s hand in hers and pulling on it until Ivy gave up and looked at her.
“I love my sister and I don’t appreciate the way you talk about her. She’s the most important person in the whole world to me and she doesn’t even see herself the way everyone else does. Some people have diabetes, some people have messed up thyroids and they have to take medication to keep their bodies under control. So do you.
So what?
That doesn’t make you any less. That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to find love and happiness.”
Ivy bit her lip and nodded. “My mind gets what you’re saying, but my heart sometimes thinks that maybe I’m just not good enough and I’m never going to be good enough.”
Rayne leaned her head against her sister’s hand and sighed. “Then according to those standards, no one in this whole messed up world is good enough. And I know that’s not true. You’re amazing, Ivy. You’re gifted and beautiful and funny and sweet and I love you. Cleo loves you and your prissy little dog loves you. Why is it so hard to think that a man like Becket could love you?”
Ivy covered her eyes with her other hand and shook her head back and forth. “Because no man or boy ever has I suppose. I’m so embarrassingly inexperienced when it comes to men that I’m terrified. I can relax around guys like Asher and Garrett because it doesn’t matter. When I’m in the same room with Becket though it’s like all the oxygen is sucked out with all of my brain cells and I just stand there like an idiot, sweating and wondering if my breath stinks. It’s horrible.”
Rayne laughed and kissed her sister’s hand. “That wears off after the second or third date. But first you have to date. Talk to Becket tomorrow when he comes to do the rock steps.”
Ivy smiled and lowered her arm from her eyes. “Okay, I’ll try.”
Rayne smiled and stood up. “Come on, let’s go get a cupcake. My new friend, Jane swears she has one for me that will cure all my problems. She might have one for you too.”
Fifteen minutes later, Rayne, Ivy and Cleo were sitting at a table at Belinda’s Bakery eating Matafeo cupcakes. Cleo’s eyes were wide with wonder and Ivy had her eyes closed, shaking her head back and forth as if she couldn’t believe she was experiencing what she was experiencing.
Rayne was sitting back in her chair, grinning and enjoying every single bite of the decadent chocolate, caramel, thick cream and toffee pieces.
“Jane, you are an artist. I can’t believe you were an accountant before this,” she said wiping her mouth with her napkin.
Jane grinned and rubbed her growing stomach with both hands as she sat down with the women. “Well, not technically. I was offered the job but turned it down for this. And I thank Heaven every day I did. If I hadn’t taken that leap of faith I would have never found my true calling in life
or
my true love.”
Ivy sighed and rested her chin in her hands. “Everywhere I look, there’s love. You’re practically popping with it and Rayne can’t stop walking around the house grinning. It’s like the Universe is taking me by the shoulders and shaking me and saying,
hey stupid! Wake up
! You’re supposed to try this love stuff out.”
Rayne blushed and laughed a little as Jane grinned at her. “So you did it. You fell for Garrett. He really is an incredible guy. I tried so hard to fall in love with him, but I was already in love with Tate. I’m glad he found you though. He deserves someone kind and loving and sweet.”
Cleo and Ivy laughed as Rayne shook her head. “
Whoa
, whoa there Chocolate lady. We’re just dating. And I’m not
that
kind or sweet. Just ask Ivy.”
Ivy shrugged. “She’s kind of great actually,” she said in a serious voice that had Rayne staring.
Cleo nodded. “Rayne’s amazing. She’s one of my best friends.”
Rayne blinked in surprise and bit her lip as she felt her eyes fill with tears. “Oh my heck, that’s the sweetest thing,” she said, grabbing a napkin and dabbing her eyes.
Jane laughed and shook her head. “You guys make me miss my sisters. Layla’s been on a trip with her husband and kids for two weeks and I’ve been texting her three times a day. And Kit, my other sister is at home with her baby. When I get over there to visit, she’s usually asleep. Her baby, Dylan is kind of a fussy baby and keeps her up all night usually. She doesn’t like to breast feed either and tends to throw up constantly. Kit’s about to pull her hair out. Her husband, Hunter tries to help her as much as possible, which is a lot, but her baby is her life now and I’m . . .”
Rayne reached across the table and grasped Jane’s hand. “And you feel abandoned? That’s got to be hard especially with being pregnant. You were probably hoping to have someone walk you through everything, huh?”
Jane sniffed and looked at her stomach. “Yeah, I was. But it’s okay. Tate’s family is very supportive and kind. He’s half Samoan so there are plenty of women to talk to, but . . .sometimes, you just need a sister.”
Rayne nodded and smiled.
Samoan
. She knew Tate had something exotic in his gene pool.
“Well, we know nothing about babies or how to have them but we’ll gladly stand in for your sisters until you don’t need us anymore.”
Jane grinned and stood up. “They’re right. You’re a sweetheart. And I’ll take that offer gladly. Now how many of these cupcakes did you say you wanted?”
Ivy bit her lip and tapped her fingers on the table. “Tell you what. Let’s hold off on the cupcakes right now and I’ll drop by tomorrow morning and pick up three dozen. We have a landscaping crew coming by and there’s someone I’m going to talk to. It might be easier if I had a cupcake in my hand.”
Jane nodded her head. “I’ll have them ready for you.”
Rayne, Ivy and Cleo headed home and sat on their front porch as they all waited now for Garrett to show up. Rayne decided to take the time to point out all of the new flowers they were adding around the house.
Along the new walkway Garrett was going to plant lavender so when it rained, all you’d have to do is run your hands across the tops and you’d be surrounded by the scent. She couldn’t wait. And since parts of the yard were in shade, they had agreed that astilbe’s in different shades would add some color year after year. She was most excited for the gazebo they were building though. She was already planning on what color clematis she was going to plant. She could just imagine reading a book in the gazebo and looking up at the bright purple flowers that would climb and eventually cover the gazebo. She was going to be surrounded by color.
“And when my poppies bloom next spring, you’re going to be in awe. Their blooms can be huge,” she added, crossing her legs and smiling to herself.
“Yep Ivy, you’re right. She’s sticking around. She wants to see those poppies,” Cleo said with a smile.
Ivy nodded. “Of course I’m right. I know my sister. And I know myself too. I don’t care that much about flowers, but it’s nice settling in somewhere. It’s nice to know that next year I’ll be sitting in this chair, listening to Rayne go on and on about compost and tubers.”
Rayne laughed and then heard the sound of a motorcycle and stood up. “Okay, that has to be him. Do I look okay, or do I look ridiculous?”
Ivy grinned at her sister and took out her phone, snapping off a picture. “Well, you’re wearing my boots, and I think they look amazing on you. Your jeans don’t have any rips or tears, but they’re okay I guess.”
Cleo nodded. “And my jacket looks kind of dangerous on you. You’ve got the whole biker chick vibe going. Just remember to fluff your hair when you take the helmet off. No one looks good with helmet hair.”
Rayne nodded her head, grateful for the advice. “Got it. Helmet hair is bad.”
She turned around and watched as Garrett drove up and parked right in front of the porch. She felt her heart stutter in her chest as she watched him climb off the motorcycle and slip his helmet off. He was dressed a lot like her, in jeans, dark boots and a black leather jacket. He looked dangerous and gorgeous all at the same time.
And he was all hers
.