Page 1 of Colt

Chapter One

Pushing open the door, Chelsea stepped into the lingerie shop and made her way to the counter.

“Welcome to Paige’s,” a young woman greeted her.

“Hi, is Paige here?” Chelsea inquired.

“She’s in her office. Are you expected?” the woman asked.

“No, but it’s fine.” Chelsea headed toward the hallway.

“Excuse me, please let me inform her that you’re here. I’m new here and I don’t want to get in trouble,” the woman pleaded.

As the door chimed, both women turned toward it and Chelsea smiled.

“Hi, Nick.”

“Hey, Chels.” He grinned. “How’s Eli?”

“He’s doing great.”

“Is Paige around?” Nick asked as he glanced around.

“She’s in her office. This lovely lady was going to tell her I’m here. Should she announce your arrival as well?” Chelsea raised an eyebrow, noticing Nick trying not to grin.

“Nope. We’ll just go back there ourselves. Come on,” Nick replied.

“Wait, I don’t want to lose my job,” the woman insisted.

“You won’t. We promise.” Nick motioned for Chelsea to lead the way as they walked toward Paige’s office. He knocked on the door.

Paige opened it with a smile. “Two of my favorite people,” she said as she gestured for them to come inside. Then she leaned in and kissed Nick, her husband.

“I can wait outside. With you two, this could take a while,” Chelsea joked.

Nick lifted his head, glanced at Chelsea with a grin, then gazed into his wife’s eyes. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to have lunch.”

“I’d love to. Why don’t you grab us a booth and I’ll be there in a few minutes?” Paige smiled at him.

“Can’t wait, darlin’.” He glanced at Chelsea. “Have a good day, Chels.”

After giving Paige a quick kiss, he touched the brim of his hat and left. Chelsea turned to look at Paige, who was still staring after him.

“That man is head over heels for you. Lucky bitch.”

Paige chuckled. “I am a lucky bitch.” She tilted her head. “What’s going on with you? Oh, I hope you weren’t counting on having lunch together. No offense, but my husband takes priority.”

Chelsea laughed. “Hell, I’d choose your husband over me too. No, I wanted to show you something.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolded it, and handed it to Paige. Paige’s eyes scanned the paper, then she looked back at Chelsea.

“You found one. Did you buy it yet?” Paige asked.

“Not yet. I’m really anxious about it though.”

“You didn’t mention anything about it.”

“I wanted to be sure, Paige. You know how long I’ve been wanting this.”

“I do, but as I’ve said before, Chels, it’s not easy, especially since you already have the coffee shop.”