Page 39 of Cloud Nine Love

“Within reason,” I clarified, as I made the fatal mistake of my eyes meeting his in the mirror.

“That sounds fun,” he said slowly.

The timber in his voice rippled through me, and the predatory look in his gaze stole my breath. My heart was rioting in my chest, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“I can take her,” Ruby offered as she lifted her phone. “Destiny just texted, asking me to stop by the bakery because she has a question about the cupcakes she’s doing.”

Destiny Briggs was not only mom to Harp’s best friend; she also owned Sugar Rush Bakery, which was across the town square.

“Um…” My only hesitation was that if Ruby and Harper left, then I would be alone with Remi and Mrs. Scoggs. Edith didn’t seem like enough of a buffer to me.

“Please, Mommy! It’s yes day.”

“If you’d rather me not take her—” Ruby started to say.

“No, of course! Yes, you guys go. I’ll meet you there as soon as I’m done here.” I felt bad for making her think my hesitation had anything to do with her. Ruby was one of only a handful of people I completely and utterly trusted with my daughter.

Ruby said a quick goodbye to Remi as Harper hugged my legs, and the two were gone. When we were left alone, I kept my eyes staring down at the ground because I knew that if I lifted them, Remi would be staring at me in the mirror.

Remi’s eyes were my weakness. They were the kryptonite to the superpowers I hold so dear, namely the industrial strength walls I’d erected around my mind, my heart, and my life. That was something I’d learned in the bathroom at the barbeque when I’d almost kissed him. When I looked into his eyes, I lost all sense, all self-control, all self-preservation. When I looked into his eyes, I melted into a woman I didn’t recognize.

I mean, in fairness, it wasn’t just his eyes. His touch, his voice, his mere presence made me weak, but his eyes were definite danger zones. They were now in the same category as the sun. I could not look directly at them. Even in the reflection of the mirror, they threatened my willpower and sanity.

“Okay, you’re all set,” Mrs. Scoggs declared as she started to stand.

Great!” I enthused as I stepped down and rushed to the changing area.

Before I made it two steps, Remi was up and off his chair helping Mrs. Scoggs up off her knees, where she’d been crouched while pinning my dress.

Of course, he was, I thought to myself as I shut the curtain of my changing area and reached behind my back to unzip my dress. Of course, he helped women safely to their cars in busy airports and standing after kneeling. Of course, my daughter’s face lit up every time she saw him. Of course, he respected and supported me in my rash, possibly unreasonable, decision to pretend that we didn’t know each other by not telling anyone the truth.

I had a feeling that even if I spent every day with him for the rest of my life, I’d be hard-pressed to find a flaw that was a strike against the man. The ones he had now were circumstantially based. Strike one: He was Kane’s best friend and Ruby’s brother, which to me made him off-limits. Strike two: He’d just come out of a five-year engagement and rebound relationships were not something I entertained.

The third strike he had wasn’t even against him; it was against me. I’d led everyone to believe that we didn’t know each other. If we admitted we did, that would invite all sorts of questions—questions I didn’t want to answer for a multitude of reasons.

First, Kane was the father of my child and my best friend, and I didn’t think he’d appreciate being lied to or the fact that I’d hooked up with his soon-to-be brother-in-law. I would never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with him, not knowingly.

Second, this town was Remi’s home turf. Everyone in Wishing Well knew him and, from what I’d seen and heard, loved him, which meant this piece of gossip would be on the high-speed rail train, not the coal-fueled locomotive. And once our story got out, I would be the one left here dealing with it because he was going back to California, which could technically be his third strike. I refused to do anything long-distance, although I’d probably make an exception for him, which may not be a strike, but it was undeniably a red flag. Lowering my standards was a slippery slope, and I had no plans on sliding down.

Thoughts whirled around my mind with tornado force as I heard the phone ring and Mrs. Scoggs say, “Remi, you go on in the back and get your trousers on. I need to take this. It’s my sister.”

My heart rate sped as I arched my back. The very tip of my fingers grazed the zipper, which was in the middle of my back, just below my shoulders. When I couldn’t get a hold of the tiny pull tab, panic rose in me. The distinct sound of Remi’s footsteps grew closer and closer until I heard the sound of the metal rings scraping against the bar as he entered the cloth booth beside me.

Edith was in the front, speaking loudly to her sister. Ruby and Harper were both gone. We were in the back, alone, with only cloth separating us.

I dropped my chin to my chest and contorted myself into a pretzel trying to reach the zipper between my shoulder blades.

“Need some help?” Remi’s deep voice ricocheted through my body.

I lifted my head and was met with Remi’s eyes in the mirror. Remi stood behind me, pulling the drape that separated our changing booths to one side, making it one large booth.

“No,” I lied, my voice just a whisper. I did not want Mrs. Scoggs to hear us talking and think anything was going on.

He ignored my response and stepped forward, closing the distance between us. My back was facing his front, but I could see him in the mirror.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

He leaned down so his mouth was less than an inch from my ear. His warm breath fanned my neck as he spoke so quietly that I could barely hear him. “You can’t say no; it’s yes, day.”

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