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Chapter One
The way he looked atmy stitching he was either a practitioner of frugality or a mass murderer.
It’s funny how two years of living a regular life couldn’t erase your past. When the man first came into the Claudia couldn’t help but notice his expensive black slacks that moved with his legs and the light blue dress shirt with pinstripes on them. The sleeves were always rolled up and his forearms had black smudges on them which she had no idea how those smudges didn’t wind up on his shirt. Perhaps even the dirt wouldn’t dare to mar the vision of perfection that he presented. She hadn’t even started to calculate how the shirt lovingly caressed his chest as if it was the fortunate one to be there.
He had come in twice a week for the last two months and he had instantly been drawn to the baby clothing she had stitched and designed. After examining them, he promptly bought the baby designs during the first two weeks. Claudia noticed but didn’t say anything she figured he was a tourist. Then when he started to come in and look at the patterns she had made for moms after they gave birth, she started to watch him just like she caught him watching her.
He had a look of awe and amazement on his face and what a face it was. He was tall and had high cheekbones. He had those tell-tale lines around the mouth and eyes that said he smiled a lot and with his whole face. Claudia knew better than to trust a pretty face. Four years of freedom from a pretty face that thought he owned her. It was daytime so there was no hope of calling her friend Tamara Watkins to the store. Claudia didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she was in the store all by herself. While it had been true that her friends, Tamara and Tanya had been by her side in bad times. Claudia thought she had grown stronger than what she was right now.
It was times like this that Claudia wished she had brought her two dogs with her to the store. Whisper and Smoke were rescue dogs that were unfailingly loyal. A part of Claudia moving on with her life included her being able to go to her own store by herself. After her sister, Olivia had found her and helped her to recover from the hospital, Claudia decided to open up a baby registry store. Out of all the things that she had kept up with, Claudia was an excellent seamstress. She could think of patterns in her head and then go ahead and create them. The only thing she couldn't do was draw them.
Her sister, Olivia, had suggested that she open up a custom shop. At first it seemed like Olivia had suggested it just to keep her in town. Then when Claudia had met back up with her friends Tamara and Tanya. They had decided that being in Cooper’s Sand was the best thing for her.
One day a young woman had come into the store praising the designs that Claudia had done. The only thing she wished she could find was a person who made new mothers clothing the way that Claudia made it for babies. Claudia decided to take the challenge and before long there were mothers to be and new mothers coming into the shop for the few patterns she could make and the premade clothing.
One of the workers in the store with Claudia was Jillian. Jillian was a 56 and retired. One of the reasons Claudia hired Jillian is because she knew everyone and everything. When Jillian walked into the door and waved hello to her boss, Claudia knew she was less than focused on Jillian. The lack of attention to her arrival made Jillian, look around the store until she pinpointed the stranger.
“So tall dark and money laden is back,” Jillian said in a low voice. Claudia needed no reminders that he was attractive. In fact, her whole body seemed to go into hyperdrive whenever he came into the store. Claudia knew better to listen to anything that she felt. It was a known fact that she didn't know how to pick a good man. The fact that she felt any sense of attraction was a confirmation that this was the last man she wanted to be around.
“I’m not going to let him bully me in my own store,” she whispered. Jillian placed her hand atop of Claudia’s.
“I don’t think it’s his intention to do so. Why don’t we calm down a minute and think of a calm way to approach the situation,” Jillian said.
“I don’t need to wait in my store. Just because he’s bigger and taller than me doesn’t me he has the upper hand at all,” Claudia murmured.
“I think I’ll call for backup because it looks like this train has already left the station,” Jillian said pulling out her cellphone.
Claudia wasn’t hearing a thing instead she went right up to tall, dark and buying and asked him straight out why was he in her store.
He wasn’t offended by her stature. He didn’t step closer into her personal space in order to intimidate her and it was almost as if he could tell how much it had taken for her to approach him.
“First let me say that I’m sorry that I have disturbed you because that was the last thing on my mind,” he said in a deep rolling tone that wrapped around her and lulled her into a calmer state.
“Well, what was your intention coming into a baby shop and buying baby clothes and then coming in and purchasing women’s clothes and patterns?” Then as if she had said something rude too loud, Claudia’s hands went to her mouth and then her hands fell away, and she nibbled her bottom lip. “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to intrude on your buying women’s clothes I just... “
If Claudia thought his voice was calming, then when she heard him laugh it was like fire racing up her spine and traveling along her veins.
