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She smirks, her eyes sparkling. "Those villains. Attacking your store with crystallized water." She presses a hand to her chest, full on mocking me now. "They should have been locked away forever."
"Yeah, yeah, my pain is a joke to you. I get it." It really was annoying to have to squeegee my store window every morning, but she's right that it probably doesn't excuse me for tackling her date. "What can I do to make it up to you?"
She presses her lips together, thinking. "Tell me about your date. She's pretty, even in those ugly outfits she's trying on."
"She is that." I glance toward the dressing room. Cherry's back in the clothes she wore in here, looking through a rack of dresses. "But she's head-over-heels in love with James Stillwater. He's her ex-fiancé, and she's trying to win him back for some unfathomable reason."
"Alice's guy?" Her brows rise. "That guy's got two women after him?"
"Hard to believe, right?"
She looks over at Cherry. "So, what's your game? You planning to take her mind off her ex while she's in town?"
I clear my throat. I might have a bit of a reputation for only dating tourists. Everyone's got a theory about why, but it's simple. I'm not looking for a wife or even a serious relationship until I've got my business in position to help the town and support me well enough that I'm marriage material. "I'm helping her. I've got no ulterior motive." And maybe if I tell myself that often enough, I'll believe it.
She snorts. "Right. You're helping atouristout of the goodness of your heart."
"Jesus, Bailey. You make me sound like some sort of Lothario."
She smiles sweetly and backs away. "If the shoe fits…"
I huff out a grunt of annoyance, but she's right. Given the opportunity, I wouldn't hesitate to take Cherry to bed. And her being obsessed with her ex is just a bonus. No chance of her catching feelings for me.
I glance back at Cherry where she's dancing in place and humming as she browses. She's smiling to herself, her cheeks rosy, a few hairs still sticking up from when she tried on a hat. There's a merry glow about her that shines brighter than the Christmas lights that line the ceiling.
I hate shopping. I should be looking for an excuse to get out of here, but Cherry looks up at me and smiles, and any urge I have to head back out into the cold vanishes.
I don't ever want to be the reason that woman is sad.
CHAPTER NINE
Cherry
By the time I've put together three boring but decent outfits, I'm starving and the sun is setting. "Let me buy you dinner to thank you for your help."
Xavier's sitting on the bench, scrolling on his phone, but looks up when I speak. His full attention on me almost makes me want to step back. It's so intense and I'm not quite sure what to do with it.
Most people are inherently self-centered. I'm definitely self-centered. He's almost the opposite.
"Have you finally found everything you need?"
"What I really need is a job, but I don't think they sell that here." I'm already calculating how much this shopping spree is going to cut into my food budget for the week. "And I've got enough outfits to get me through the next few days, which is hopefully all it'll take to win back RJ."
He frowns. "So you're looking for someone to hire you for just a few days?"
"Not if it's the kind of job, like branding a candy store, I can do from Vegas." I plop onto the bench next to him. "But I don't actually have a plan beyond getting RJ back. If he really wants to live here, I might have to think about moving here permanently."
"You'd move to a small town in the middle of nowhere with no job or prospects for that guy?"
I twist on my seat to study him. "He's a good man, and he seems to really care about your sister."
"What does it say about you that you're willing to break them up?"
I don't see the point of lying. I know who I am. "That I'm a selfish, shallow woman who knows who I want and will do anything to get him. Stop deflecting. What's your problem with him?"
He rocks back on the bench, his mouth twisted. "I guess it's just a feeling and a bunch of red flags. Nothing big enough to take to Alice, but enough that I don't think he's the right guy for her." His expression softens, his eyes warming. "When Alice was five, she decided she wanted a pet cat. Our parents didn't want a pet, but she didn't give up. She was in kindergarten and couldn't read or write much more than three-letter words, but that was enough. She drew probably fifty pictures of cats with the word cat under each and laid them out all over the house. For weeks, she kept at it, even though our parents' answer never changed." He shakes his head, smiling wide. "Then, one day, she came home with a cat. She took it to her room and kept it there until our mom heard it meowing through the door."
There's so much pride on his face, so much love for his sister. This big grump has a tender heart. For his sister at least. "Where did she get it?"
