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“You okay, beautiful lady?” Minty asked softly.
“I’m good,” I assured her.
“It was okay for us to leave you with him?” Junie asked anxiously.
I sat down and nodded. I hung my purse on the back of my chair.
“It was more than okay. It was exactly what I needed. Strangely, he was exactly what I needed.”
“Are you guys an item now?” Junie pushed.
“Uh, no, definitely not. I’m nowhere near ready. It’s not like I can just …”
Junie stood up abruptly cutting me off.
“Well, all right then, at least I didn’t waste my money.”
At that she stood and dropped a box on Minty’s desk and a second one on mine.
“Sleep on these and call Dr. Junie in the morning,” she commanded smugly in her sex kitten voice.
I heard Minty laugh before I got my box open and turned to see Minty, sitting primly in her slim skirt and polished blouse, brandishing a flashy vibrator like a sword. I laughed out loud at the picture she made, and she laughed harder.
“Is mine the same?” I asked Junie.
Junie raised her eyebrows. “Of course! I have the same one at home. I got mine first, for quality control purposes, of course. It’s better than most men, I’m telling you. It’s very … targeted.”
I laughed and tucked it under my desk.
“I want a report tomorrow,” Junie smirked.
“You got it.”
I gave it five stars, Minty refused to submit a report. When Junie teased her to give it back if she wasn’t going to use it, Minty gave Junie a wink and smiled her enigmatic smile.
“It would be rude to return a gift.”
Chapter 14
Maybe. Maybe not.
Willa
June was busy.
Between taking Olivia on Friday nights for Mara and Zale, having dinner with them on Saturdays, brand new clients at my business, and my work at the shelter, I had little free time left over. I’d made no plans to join the craft fair circuit, sharing a booth with Bex as I usually did in the summer, because of Mara’s situation. In that way, I had at least cut back on one of my obligations. I didn’t want to miss it, but I had neither time nor motivation to produce the volume of stock necessary.
I felt terrible for leaving Bex in the lurch, she could not commit to do it by herself due to her own issues. She assured me she was fine, and we’d pick it up again if we could. She, too, was doubtful that she’d be able to continue. She was a new mother, was still adjusting to that role, and she needed to monitor her activity levels due to her fibromyalgia.
Barrett dropped by my office at the shelter twice a week. Tuesdays we usually went out for lunch, and on Thursdays we walked the dogs. Later in the afternoon, when Olivia was with me, he brought us treats and smoothies. His patience with Olivia, his genuine interest in what she was doing, his willingness to walk the enclosures with her and answer her questions about the animals, all made me melt.
We went out together one Saturday evening when we were both unexpectedly free and he held my hand while we walked the boardwalk in downtown Bayview Village. Other than holding my hand occasionally at lunch or in my office, he didn’t push for anything romantic from me, and I had started to think he was beginning to agree with me that protecting our friendship was more important than having a romantic involvement. I was disappointed even though I believed it was for the best.
A barbecue at Zale and Mara’s marked the third weekend in June. Mara’s recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Strong boundaries around how and when our mother could contact her had helped. A lot.
When our mother was on a rampage, she held nothing back. I still heard from her occasionally, and it was never good, but I knew who she was, and it didn’t bother me.
Most of the time.
