Just like Cass.
“Alright you guys, behave yourselves.” I pointed to the laziest cat known to man. “Morey is in charge.”
I could have sworn his little chest puffed up. The dog looked dejected. I was smiling when I left.
It was warm and sunny outside, despite the changing seasons. I felt inexplicably upbeat. It had nothing to do with the beautiful girl who would be waiting when I got to the Jar to open up. Nothing at all.
Since I didn’t have a pot of chili with me for once, I decided to ride.
Chapter Six
Michelle
The rumbling motor alerted me that we had company.
“Duck your head, sweetie.”
Paton flopped down against the backseat. She looked good. Well fed and well rested. Her clothes were clean and all the little holes and rips were mended.
All our clothes were like that, but it didn’t matter.
Things were finally turning around for us.
I even had money left over from my shift last night. Today I was working a double. I hated leaving her in the car, but it was almost over. I’d find a place to live.
This nightmare would be over at last.
After the last town ended with a black eye, I’d panicked. I’d cut and run, leaving behind a somewhat stable job and our security deposit.
But when your landlord got rough after you turned down sex with him, there really wasn’t another option. He’d been pestering me since we moved in, despite being married. I felt sick every time I thought about how persistent he had been.
And how angry he’d gotten.
It wasn’t safe. So we’d left, hit the road and looked for a new job.
But I hadn’t found one. We tried town after town. Our funds dwindled rapidly. And then we’d ended up with nothing. Nothing except the car and just enough money for one more tank of gas.
Gas to take us down the coast towards warmer weather. We’d been living on soup and crackers and sleeping in the car for almost two weeks.
And then we’d found this place. I’d seen the ad in one of the free newspapers they left outside grocery stores. Mason had literally saved our lives. I’d gotten good at reading people and I could tell he was a decent human being, on top of being so damn sexy it was hard to ignore.
A little rough around the edges but a good man. I blushed a bit. It didn’t hurt that he had beautiful, kind eyes and muscles bulging out of his leather jacket and worn in jeans.
And Lordy, did he look good on that bike of his.
So I was smiling when I waved to him and walked up to wait while he unlocked the door. He gave me a distracted look and a curt smile. I tried not to stare as he messed around with the keys.
“Good morning.”
Shut up, Shell. You sounds like an idiot.
He grunted good morning and swung the door open.
“It’s such a nice day.”
Shut up shut up shut up.
I bit my lip to keep myself from blathering like a fool. Even though I clearly was a fool, for even thinking about him as anything other than the boss and the man who was saving our lives.
He held the door open for me. I skittered past him, feeling suddenly self-conscious. I caught a whiff of something as I went past.
Mason smelled like the woods. No, it was better than that. He smelled like a campfire in the middle of a huge forest of pines. Rugged and warm and manly. I sighed to myself, realizing I definitely had a crush on my boss.
Not smart, Shell. Not smart at all.
I got busy setting up. I took down the chairs, startled when Mason started doing it with me. He shrugged at my inquisitive glance.
“Best part of the day.”
I smiled at his answer. I knew what he meant.
“It’s so quiet.”
“If only it didn’t smell like mop water.”
“Candles.”
“Huh?”
“Beeswax candles. They emit negative ions. It cleans up the air.”
He was staring at me, a chair in his big hands. No wonder he was staring. I was babbling. And I sounded like an idiot.
Again.
But since my kid had mild asthma, I knew a lot about cheap ways of improving air quality.
“Candles would be dangerous in a place like this.”
“Not if you put them away before everyone came.”
“Huh. Interesting.” He finally put the chair down, moving to the next. “Beeswax, huh? Isn’t that pricey?”
“Not as much as you think. It really helps. They last a lot longer than paraffin too.”
He shook his head, taking down the last of the chairs.
“You learn something new every day.”
I shrugged and went to get a rag to wipe everything down.
“Didn’t you do that last night?”
“Oh.” I fidgeted nervously. “I guess I did. It’s no bother though.”
He was staring at me while I squeezed the rag nervously in my hands.
“Suit yourself.”
Shorty and Jaken came in while I was wiping down the bar. Mason had disappeared into his office. He poked his head out of the back and called to me.