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“Of course.” She turned to her girls and told them they could look around the store. “They’ve had nothing but good things to say about you. They say you’re a really good cook. And I especially liked the story they told me about how you threw snow in Race’s face and knocked him over. I would have loved to have seen that.” Eve’s eyes sparkled as she smiled.
“It was rather funny. I tried not to laugh, but it was impossible. Luckily, Race was pretty good-natured about it. He didn’t get me back. He told me to just laugh and get it out of my system. I don’t know who laughed harder, me or Derrick.”
Physically, Eve was everything she feared she would be; tall, gorgeous and perfect curves. All Bellamy could think was Race had been married to her for a number of years that resulted in three children together. And she didn’t come across as what she would imagine a biker chick/old lady would be like. But then again, Jane, Calliope and Lindsey didn’t fit the mold either. She wondered what had caused them to split up.
“I wanted to stop in to tell you thank you for the way you handled Liza this weekend. I was out of town with my husband for a getaway and she was afraid she’d ruin it if she called me. And she definitely didn’t want to tell her father about what was going on because well, you’ve met Race. He’s more than a bit intimidating when he wants to be. I appreciated the way you encouraged her to talk to me about it.”
“I really didn’t do much. I just listened, tried to not let on how pissed off I was getting and advised her to speak to you.”
“And I appreciate it very much.” Eve glanced toward where Liza and Shannon were looking at earrings. “Do you have any children?” she asked as she turned back to Bellamy.
“No. Unfortunately, I don’t. I was married once, but it ended before we had children. Which turned out to be a good thing.” Bellamy couldn’t imagine having to deal with Dallas on a regular basis. The intermittent way he popped in and out of her life was bad enough. A moment of silence passed as they watched the girls moving on to check out some sweaters. “You and Race have done a fantastic job with your children.”
Eve leaned in conspiratorially as if she had a secret she was dying to share. “The kids seem to think Race might have thing for you. Is that true?”
Bellamy’s brows shot up. “Really? Why would they think that? I’m just his neighbor and tenant. I think he can barely tolerate me half the time.”
Eve studied her for a moment. “No. I can see what they see. I agree with my kids.”
Bellamy would let the gorgeous woman believe what she wanted. There was no way Race was attracted to her except as a booty call and she couldn’t go there with him. If her one time having sex with Race taught her anything it was that she could fall impossibly hard for the man. And when he broke her heart, like he was bound to do, she didn’t know if she’d be able to pick herself back up again.
They chatted about a few things around the shop, Bellamy pointing out things she thought Eve and the girls might be interested in. In the end, she bought three pairs of earrings, a watch, a scarf and a satin robe trimmed in intricate detail with tiny beads. For Liza she bought a dress and for Shannon she bought the bracelet Bellamy had thought would be perfect for Race’s youngest.
She waved goodbye to the trio as they left the store and decided to take a break. “Cathy, I’ll be in back for a bit.” A bottle of Starbucks Mocha Frappacino was calling her name.
* * *
Race steppedinside Bling Boutique and immediately thought he was going to break out in hives. This was definitely a chick store. Everywhere the eye could see was jewelry, dresses, lace, perfume, soaps. He suppressed a shiver sneaking up his back. What he didn’t see was Bellamy. He meandered to the check out counter where a thirtyish woman was checking out a couple of teenagers. He waited for them to step away before he asked to see Bellamy.
“She’s in the back,” she was interrupted by an older lady with blue hair.
“Can you help me?”
“Why of course, Mrs. Beecham. If you can give me just a moment, I’ll be right with you.” The woman’s nametag read ‘Cathy’ and she was doing a good job of treating the elderly lady with respect and kindness despite interrupting their conversation.
“I’m looking for those house slippers I bought a few weeks ago, but I want them in white this time,” Mrs. Beecham continued like Cathy hadn’t said a thing.
“I’m sorry,” she said to Race.
“Not a problem. If you point me in the right direction, I can go find her.”
“Sure. Down that hall. It’s the only door on the right.” She pointed Race in the right direction.
He took his time, his hands shoved in his pockets, glancing at each display case as he passed it. He had to admit, some of this stuff was really nice. He wondered if she ever thought about opening a store that sold biker things. Maybe black leather, chains, bike accessories. It would definitely be a completely different vibe than what she had here. It screamed dainty, pretty and delicate. He passed by a rack of lace that caught his eye. He looked around to make sure no one was observing and stepped closer. He pinched a piece of the sheer material and pulled it out, revealing a very sexy nightie. Now we’re talking.
He jumped at the sound of a woman clearing her throat.
“Can I help you?” Bellamy stood with her arms crossed under her breasts, a huge smile on her face.
He was shocked to feel his face heat at being caught essentially peeking in her lingerie drawer. What the fuck? He chuckled, but held onto the material. “Didn’t know you carried such naughty things in your store.”
It was Bellamy’s turn to turn a pretty shade of red. “It’s not naughty. It’s a nightie. It’s supposed to make the woman feel sexy and make the man appreciative of her efforts.”
“Yeah,” he let the fabric fall back on the rack. “I would definitely be appreciative.” He let his eyes roam up and down Bellamy, imagining her wearing a nightie just like this for him. She must have picked up on which way his mind was going because she cleared her throat nervously and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Could she really be the one to put the screws to Clay Walker?
“Did you need something or are you just dropping in to harass me?”
He took a step closer so that he was in her space. To her credit she didn’t back up. “Believe it or not, Liza’s birthday is coming up and I need to find her a present. I was hoping you could help me out.”
