“I pretended to be asleep.” I wince. If I’d known that it would be the last night I’d have with him, I wouldn’t have done that. I would have embraced him and let him make love to me. I would have talked to him all night, and I would have savored every smell, every sound, every moment. “I know, Char. I know I should have told him, but it didn’t exactly work out well for me the last time I had to tell a guy that I was pregnant.”
“Rhys isn’t that piece of shit Colby, Gabs.”
“No,” I agree and sigh. “I understand that not all men are Colby. But he still left. He didn’t even say goodbye to Sam. How am I supposed to tell Sam that he’s gone, and we weren’t important enough to say goodbye in person?”
“Where is Sam?”
“With Mama.”
She nods and leans on her counter, demolishing a paperclip as she thinks.
“And Eva is taking care of the inn?”
I nod. “I brought Sam into the city for school clothes and some new things for the inn. Eva’s taking over all day.”
“Wow, you took a whole day off that isn’t a Sunday.”
“I needed to get away and think.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Gabby. It was time to talk.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s gone.”
“You have his phone number.”
“Stop, Charly. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I shake my head and feel the tears want to start again. “I need to not think about this for a while. I need to clear my head.”
“Okay.” Charly grins and points to a stack of shoe boxes. “You can display those. And wait on customers when they come in.”
That dries up the rest of the tears. “You want me to work for you?”
“Yep.”
“So much for a day off.”
“It’ll take your mind off of he who shall not be named, and I can keep my eye on you. Win-win.”
“What are you going to pay me?”
“Lunch.” She grins as a customer walks in and begins browsing through the shoes. “There’s your first customer.”
“I really wanted to spend the day wallowing in self-pity.”
“Too bad,” Charly says. “I don’t have time for that. We will work, and then we’ll wallow.”
“Why are you wallowing?”
“Because you are,” she replies, as though I’m just being stubborn. “Women wallow together, sugar. Now, go greet your customer.”
And with that, she walks through a curtain to the stock room.
I turn and smile at the blonde wandering among the shoes. “Good morning. Can I help you find anything?”
“Well, I’m not sure,” she replies and glances up to smile back at me. She’s beautiful with long, loosely curled hair and big blue eyes. She’s in a tank top, showing off some of the most amazing tattoos I’ve ever seen on her right arm, and she’s got a great rack.
“What are you in the mood for?”
“I’m in the mood to kick a man’s ass,” she replies and then laughs. “And shoes always make me feel better.”
“I know that feeling,” I reply with a nod. “Men are jackasses.”
“Amen.”
“I’m Gabby.”
“Callie,” she replies and picks up a pair of sexy red stilettos. “These are hot.”
“Super hot,” I agree. “And designed to make a man’s tongue fall out of his mouth.”
“Hmm, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.” She turns them over in her hands. “I’ll try an eight, please.”
“Sure thing.” I fetch the shoes and return to Callie, dying to ask her lots of questions. “Are you from here?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she says and slips her feet into the shoes, then struts around the shop expertly. “Oh, these are amazing.”
“They make your legs look six feet long,” I reply with envy. “And that peep toe shows off your pedicure.”
“I’ll take them.”
“Perfect.” Callie joins me at the register. “So, who are you trying to kill with these shoes?”
She laughs and hands me her debit card. “A man that makes me crazy. I either want to deck him or climb him. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between.”
“Well, these shoes are badass.”
“And I can wear them to work,” she says with a nod.
“What do you do?”
“I own a club just a few blocks over. I’ve walked past this store dozens of times and I’m addicted to shoes, so I had to come in.”
“Isn’t it in our DNA to be addicted to shoes?” I chuckle and bag her purchase add tissue paper, and walk around to pass her bag to her. “Thanks for coming in.”
Callie smiles and waves as she leaves the shop, and I mentally thank Charly. I need this distraction.
I didn’t think about Rhys at all for about ten minutes. The mental picture of his amazing arms and abs never once entered my brain. Or the way he would smile that smile that he reserved just for me. Or the way his eyes would drift closed every time he first pushed inside me, then whisper fucking hell, Gabrielle because it felt so damn good.
Nope, didn’t think about any of that.
Baby steps. That’s the key.
“I talked to Mama,” Charly announces as she joins me. “She’s going to keep Sam until Sunday’s dinner.”
“Rhys isn’t that piece of shit Colby, Gabs.”
“No,” I agree and sigh. “I understand that not all men are Colby. But he still left. He didn’t even say goodbye to Sam. How am I supposed to tell Sam that he’s gone, and we weren’t important enough to say goodbye in person?”
“Where is Sam?”
“With Mama.”
She nods and leans on her counter, demolishing a paperclip as she thinks.
“And Eva is taking care of the inn?”
I nod. “I brought Sam into the city for school clothes and some new things for the inn. Eva’s taking over all day.”
“Wow, you took a whole day off that isn’t a Sunday.”
“I needed to get away and think.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Gabby. It was time to talk.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s gone.”
“You have his phone number.”
“Stop, Charly. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I shake my head and feel the tears want to start again. “I need to not think about this for a while. I need to clear my head.”
“Okay.” Charly grins and points to a stack of shoe boxes. “You can display those. And wait on customers when they come in.”
That dries up the rest of the tears. “You want me to work for you?”
“Yep.”
“So much for a day off.”
“It’ll take your mind off of he who shall not be named, and I can keep my eye on you. Win-win.”
“What are you going to pay me?”
“Lunch.” She grins as a customer walks in and begins browsing through the shoes. “There’s your first customer.”
“I really wanted to spend the day wallowing in self-pity.”
“Too bad,” Charly says. “I don’t have time for that. We will work, and then we’ll wallow.”
“Why are you wallowing?”
“Because you are,” she replies, as though I’m just being stubborn. “Women wallow together, sugar. Now, go greet your customer.”
And with that, she walks through a curtain to the stock room.
I turn and smile at the blonde wandering among the shoes. “Good morning. Can I help you find anything?”
“Well, I’m not sure,” she replies and glances up to smile back at me. She’s beautiful with long, loosely curled hair and big blue eyes. She’s in a tank top, showing off some of the most amazing tattoos I’ve ever seen on her right arm, and she’s got a great rack.
“What are you in the mood for?”
“I’m in the mood to kick a man’s ass,” she replies and then laughs. “And shoes always make me feel better.”
“I know that feeling,” I reply with a nod. “Men are jackasses.”
“Amen.”
“I’m Gabby.”
“Callie,” she replies and picks up a pair of sexy red stilettos. “These are hot.”
“Super hot,” I agree. “And designed to make a man’s tongue fall out of his mouth.”
“Hmm, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.” She turns them over in her hands. “I’ll try an eight, please.”
“Sure thing.” I fetch the shoes and return to Callie, dying to ask her lots of questions. “Are you from here?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she says and slips her feet into the shoes, then struts around the shop expertly. “Oh, these are amazing.”
“They make your legs look six feet long,” I reply with envy. “And that peep toe shows off your pedicure.”
“I’ll take them.”
“Perfect.” Callie joins me at the register. “So, who are you trying to kill with these shoes?”
She laughs and hands me her debit card. “A man that makes me crazy. I either want to deck him or climb him. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between.”
“Well, these shoes are badass.”
“And I can wear them to work,” she says with a nod.
“What do you do?”
“I own a club just a few blocks over. I’ve walked past this store dozens of times and I’m addicted to shoes, so I had to come in.”
“Isn’t it in our DNA to be addicted to shoes?” I chuckle and bag her purchase add tissue paper, and walk around to pass her bag to her. “Thanks for coming in.”
Callie smiles and waves as she leaves the shop, and I mentally thank Charly. I need this distraction.
I didn’t think about Rhys at all for about ten minutes. The mental picture of his amazing arms and abs never once entered my brain. Or the way he would smile that smile that he reserved just for me. Or the way his eyes would drift closed every time he first pushed inside me, then whisper fucking hell, Gabrielle because it felt so damn good.
Nope, didn’t think about any of that.
Baby steps. That’s the key.
“I talked to Mama,” Charly announces as she joins me. “She’s going to keep Sam until Sunday’s dinner.”
