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“The sex or the slap in the face when you shoved me out the door?” She probably didn’t need to push this with him, but after what just happened, she really did. She’d given a piece of her heart to him whether he realized it or not.
Race didn’t like to be called out on his actions it would seem. “I do not regret the sex. I regret the way I acted afterward.” He sat up in bed facing her. “You freaked me the hell out.”
“What?” Her head pulled back, her chin dropping.Shefreakedhimout?
“The chemistry between us freaked me out. That’s why I never pursued the attraction between us. I didn’t think you were old lady material and you’re not exactly a no-strings kind of woman.” Race’s explanation was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He reached toward the nightstand, looked at the caller ID and announced, “I gotta take this.” He got up and went to his bathroom to speak with whoever was on the phone, closing the door behind him.
“I didn’t think you were old lady material.”Race had said that.He had absolutely no idea who Bellamy really was. If he only knew the things she’d done with and without her brother’s knowledge, he’d be floored. “Wow. I am never going to stand a chance with him.”
She threw off the covers, searched around the floor for her clothes and quickly got dressed. Stepping out into the hall, she quietly closed the door behind her. She found Calliope in the kitchen having a glass of orange juice while Jane and a few other old ladies were starting breakfast preparations.
Good. An excuse to avoid Race.
“Need any help, ladies?” she asked as she moved farther into the kitchen. Several heads, including Calliope’s, turned to greet her. All their smiles dropped as they got a good look at her black eye. She suddenly felt very self conscious.
“What the hell is wrong with your eye?” Calliope demanded as she came around the island to get a closer look.
“Well, that’s kind of a long story. Maybe one I could share with you later.”
“No. No. Spill it now. These ladies have seen and heard everything.” Calliope shook her head and took a seat on a nearby stool.
“Oh fine, but can I have some coffee first?” Bellamy should have known her best friend wouldn’t let it go anytime soon.
“Here you go.” Jane slid a mug of coffee her way. “You need any creamer or sugar?”
“Sugar would be great.” She accepted a bowl and spoon that was slid her direction by one of the other old ladies. “Thank you.”
“All right. Now spill.” Calliope took a drink of her orange juice and waited patiently for the scoop. “How did you get the black eye?”
“This is really going to sound crazy.” Calliope made a rolling motion with her hand, trying to get her to speed things along. “All right. There is this skanky woman named Charlotte that thinks she and Race are in a relationship.” Calliope exchanged a look with her mother-in-law, Jane. “I take it you know who I’m talking about?”
“Yes. She’s a stripper at Bottom’s Up and likes to hang out here when she’s not working. She’s been chasing after Race for a long time,” Calliope filled her in.
“Are you saying Charlotte gave you the black eye?” Jane asked.
She took a drink from her coffee before answering. “Yes.”
“How did that happen?”
“Well, I guess I need to go back a little so you’ll have a better idea of what’s been happening.” Bellamy took a deep breath and released it. “Okay. Here it goes. Race was at my house working on the hot water heater and refrigerator one morning. My Grandma Martha had just shown up out of the blue and there was a knock on the door. I open it to find Charlotte standing on my front porch looking for Race.She was ready to go home,” she said with a bit of snark.
“Are you kidding? She spent the night at Race’s then ended up on your doorstep?” Jane’s brows knitted together at that bit of news.
“Yeah. So, a couple of days after that she showed up at Bling Boutique to warn me off. She said Race was hers and I better not get any ideas about trying to come between them. I could have told her that it wasn’t going to be a problem considering he barely tolerated me and more than likely thought I was an annoying tenant.” Calliope and Jane exchanged a look Bellamy couldn’t decipher. “What?”
“Nothing,” Calliope shook her head. “Continue.”
“The day before yesterday, she must have spotted Race in my store buying a gift for his daughter’s birthday and didn’t like the fact that we were speaking to each other. After he left, she came in, yelled at me, then punched me in the eye. And that’s how I got this.” She pointed at her black eye and drank from her coffee cup again.
“That bitch.” Calliope didn’t notice that she’d begun buttering the toast a little too aggressively until Jane said, “You’re going to turn it all into bread crumbs if you keep that up.”
“Oops! Sorry.” Bellamy found Calliope’s sheepish look funny.
“Well, if it will make you feel better, I punched her in the nose yesterday and made her bleed.” Bellamy dropped that bomb right before she picked up her coffee, smiling behind her mug.
“No way! Did you really?” Calliope was excited by the news that Bellamy had gotten even.
“Yes,” Bellamy laughed. “I did. And Race knows I did it.”
