Belle and Valentine (7 page)

“Something’s wrong with Sam. I can’t get him to wake up. I’m going to call 911.”

“No,” Fane said. “I’m on my way.”

“What do you mean no? He needs a doctor, Fane.”

“Sam hates hospitals and doctors. Just wait for me. I promise if he needs to go, I’ll take him myself, but let me look at him.”

She prepared to cuss him out, but his calm yet hurried tone somehow helped her to rein in her emotions.

“I will be there in five. Is he breathing?”

Her brother’s chest rose and fell slowly. “Yes.”

She checked his pulse, and to her surprise, it was pretty steady. After relaying the information to Fane, she stood to snatch a throw pillow off the loveseat nearby and placed it under her brother’s head. As soon as she did, pale eyes opened and stared up at her.

“Zuria.”

“Don’t ‘Zuria’ me,” she scolded him. “You’re on the floor, Sam. I’m calling an ambulance.”

“No. Where’s Fane?”

“Fane’s not a doctor, damn it.”

He gave a weak smile. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

She shook her head. “No way. I’ll let a doctor tell me that.” She helped him sit up and get to his chair to sit down. “I’m going to go get your truck. You don’t move.”

She grabbed his keys from the desk and was about to run out when Fane appeared in the doorway and blocked her path. His hair ruffled and his shirt misbuttoned, he held his jacket in his hand, and a tight expression on his face. Zuria darted back a step when he would have reached to steady her. Her mouth fell open and eyes widened. Fane frowned at her. They both knew what she gathered from his state of dress, but she was too worried about her brother to even give Fane the time of day.

“Later,” he said and turned his attention away from her to Sam. “I warned you, Sam.”

Zuria spun toward her brother. “Warned him about what?”

The two men looked at each other, Sam looking like he passed a silent message on to Fane to shut his mouth. Zuria felt like an outsider. Sam was still pale, and he hadn’t spoken since she helped him to the chair.

Fane tossed his jacket on the loveseat and touched knuckles to Sam’s forehead. “He’s working nonstop. He needs to take some time off.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Whose fault is that? If you were here more…”

Fane eyed her but didn’t argue. To be fair, ever since she arrived, Fane had been faithful to work early. One would almost think he did so to see her before she was sleeping at his house, but then there was also the stress of them possibly losing the shop. She had complicated matters by becoming a financial burden on Sam as well. Her heart ached to know she might be more the cause of her brother overworking.

She rushed over to Fane’s side. “Sam, you have to take care of yourself. On my breaks, I’ll go and look for work so I can take care of myself. Meanwhile, I’m decent with numbers. I can help with the books and take on more of the cleanup. If you teach me, I can even do some of the baking.”

“No,” he said.

She glared at him. “Don’t be stubborn.”

“Leave him to me,” Fane said, and he hauled Sam up from the chair. “He just needs some rest. He
will
be taking a few days off, won’t you, buddy?”

Sam didn’t answer, but Fane’s tone brooked no argument. Zuria was left to follow the two to the second floor, and Fane dropped Sam on the bed in his room. After she had gotten her brother stripped to his boxers and covered him with a sheet, Fane herded her out of the room.

“Now, you and me,” he began.

She affected a yawn. “I’m really exhausted. Please leave.”

“Zuria.”

“It’s after midnight.”

He studied her face. She turned away and realized she wore only her nightgown. She’d been about to rush her brother to the hospital barefoot and naked beneath her nightie. The town would have been lit up with the news. She headed into her room and climbed into bed, ignoring Fane. A twist of the knob on the lamp plunged the room into darkness, and heard Fane sigh.

“I have to take care of something, or I would make you listen,” he said from the doorway. “Just know…nothing happened tonight, Zuria. I want you to trust me.”

“Good night, Fane.”

He stood in the darkness a little longer and then left. She spent the next few hours trying her best to fall asleep. Not until four in the morning did the blessed relief of Neverland claim her.

****

Zuria had little time to learn all the intricacies of making coffee. She relied on Fane even while she ignored the man. With customers coming and going, all she could do was hang on and hope for the best. Between baking simple recipes of cakes and other pastries, as well as helping out at the front of the shop, she barely had time to catch her breath, let alone worry about her love life. Sam had disappeared. Well, not exactly disappeared, as Fane had told her he’d arranged for Sam to spend a few days in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Zuria couldn’t believe how fast everything had been organized, and that it had been done while she’d been sleeping, but Fane assured her Sam had done so last year and come home the better for it. He’d just put off the trip when she arrived.

“But what if he collapses again and we’re not there?” she had worried.

“He’s going to check in regularly. Besides, I have a friend out that way that has agreed to look in on him.”

She had accepted that he thought of everything, and willed her brother to rest all he could. That left the two of them and Dixie to hold down the fort, which she had no problem doing. The problem came with Ms. Thing, Dixie Ann. She had shown up the next morning looking self-satisfied, and Zuria imagined what the woman had to be happy about. She had obviously scored.

“I bet you’re excited,” one of their regulars said, an older woman Zuria had labeled a busybody. Zuria worked as quickly as she could to prepare the woman’s iced hazelnut macchiato so she could move on, but it didn’t stop the gossip. “Moving to a new bigger place for the coffee shop. That will mean more help, right? And I’ll bet Fane and Sam will consider serving hot food. There’s certainly space for it.”

Zuria froze. “Excuse me?”

The woman smiled. “The Wilkes place. Surely they told you, right? Widow Wilkes is going to lease the property to Fane and Sam.”

Another woman stepped up beside the first. “I heard they’ll have the option to buy too, so the nonsense with this place doesn’t happen again.”

The first woman winked at the second. “Oh we don’t have to worry about that, do we? After all, Dixie Ann and Fane—”

“Ladies?” Fane interrupted as he strode up. “I hope you enjoy your coffee and your day.” He whipped the beverages Zuria had just finished making from her nerveless fingers and slid them across the counter to the waiting patrons. The two women offered weak smiles and turned to leave, whispering to each other. Zuria heard her name, as well as Dixie’s and Fane’s. She pivoted on her heel and headed to the kitchen.

“Zuria,” Fane called behind her.

She kept moving. What did it even matter anyway? They’d had an agreement, one that was over now. He broke the terms. Not like she loved him or could ever have. Not a big deal. Just move on.

Fane appeared behind her and grabbed her hand in a tight hold. She blinked and realized she’d just butchered a lemon raspberry cake, which she had been very proud of. Fane carefully removed the sharp knife from her hand and set it on the counter out of reach. She glanced over her shoulder at him, figuring he thought she’d use it on him next.

“Turn around, little rabbit,” he whispered.

She gritted her teeth because he tempted her beyond reason. He smelled so good, even after a hectic morning. His thighs touched her ass, and she tried to press herself harder against the counter.

“I’m busy, Fane.”

“I saw.”

She glared at him.

He rested hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him against her will. She raised hands to push at his chest but froze. If she dared touch him, she’d be in trouble. Why did she have to want him? Even after knowing he’d been with that bitch Dixie, she ached for him to kiss her. No matter what her body desired, she would not compromise her self-esteem to accept things as they were. Let Dixie debase herself for the man, or any other woman in this town. They could all fight over him.

Fane slid his hands to her arms and touched his forehead to hers. “I messed up.”

She gasped. So he admitted it. “I’m not interested in hearing whatever else you have to say. We had fun. It’s done. Please leave me alone.”

“Not happening.”

“Fane—”

He kissed her. She struggled to turn her head, but he followed, his mouth seeking, his tongue parting her lips. For an instant, she invited him in, savoring his flavor, the warmth and the shock of the yearning that lit her body on fire. Then she snatched away and punched him in the gut. Fane didn’t so much as wince. She turned to step out of reach, but he placed a hand on either side of her, trapping her within his embrace.

“I messed but by giving you the impression something happened,” he said. “Nothing did. Well, Dixie Ann did spill wine on my shirt.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Please. That’s the oldest trick in the book.”

He shrugged. “Widow Wilkes insisted Dixie Ann wash it. The shirt wasn’t finished drying when you called. I yanked it on and rushed over here when you called.”

The explanation was too convenient and too flimsy an excuse, and if that was all that happened, why did Dixie look so happy? Zuria didn’t want to ask. She didn’t care to open herself up to more excuses. Richard’s thin stories during her marriage about why he couldn’t or wouldn’t make love to her had been more than enough. She and Fane could not build a relationship on distrust. Hell, she didn’t believe they could build a relationship period. That hadn’t been the original agreement anyway. The entire conversation was meaningless.

“We have customers waiting,” she said, lowering her gaze to his chest.

“Zuria,” he murmured, and he splayed one hand on her belly. His fingers thrust the apron she wore aside and curled over the band of her jeans. Her pussy clenched. She swallowed. He thumbed open the clasp and lowered the zipper.

“Fane, don’t. We can’t do that here.”

He leaned in and nuzzled her neck then nipped her ear. A tremor raced down her spine, and she sagged against him.

No, Zuria, don’t give in.

“After work,” he whispered in her ear. “I want you, Zuria—
only
you.”

She shoved at him, catching him off guard, and moved out of his hold. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d signed a lease with Dixie’s grandmother? Why did I hear it from someone else? Not to mention you didn’t tell me you were going over there.”

He leaned against the counter and folded his arms over his chest. He seemed too damned calm while she was an emotional wreck. “I knew you’d react like this.”

“Don’t put it on me, Fane!”

He sighed. “I admit I’m not good with—or rather used to—a relationship.”

She blinked. “A relationship?”

“Isn’t that what we were attempting?”

She started to answer, but the door banged open. “What are you doing?” Dixie demanded. “It’s a mob out there. Tourists have figured out the nearest Starbucks is like an hour away. I can’t run this shop by myself!”

“You’re hardly ‘running’ it, Dixie Ann.” Zuria thanked her lucky stars for the apron, which covered the fact that her pants gaped open. She righted her clothing and left Fane where he stood. Dixie cast Zuria a suspicious glance, but Zuria kept moving toward the front of the shop. She had to stay here while her brother was away, but as soon as he returned, she was gone.

For the rest of the day, Fane didn’t try to approach her, but she did feel his gaze on her more than once. Unfortunately, she also felt Dixie’s scowl. When Fane had to visit the storeroom to bring in more cups, Dixie took the opportunity to reiterate her claim.

“I’m only telling you this because you’re Sam’s sister, and he’s a nice guy,” Dixie said. “Leave Fane alone. He doesn’t want you.”

Funny, his hand down my pants didn’t give me that impression.

“Dixie, get out of my face,” Zuria said and started to walk away. Dixie grabbed her arm, and Zuria looked down at the hold and back to the woman’s face. Dixie reddened and let go.

She tossed bottle-blonde hair over her shoulder and raised her chin. “Last night was just the start of us getting back together, and I’m not letting you get in the way of it.”

Zuria glanced around the shop. Customers had dwindled with the nearing of closing time. One or two bent over laptops in corners, probably intent on shooting off a last email or two, or getting another chapter done on their great American novel.

“I’m not interested in your manipulations, Dixie Ann. Nor am I interested in Fane’s.”

“Liar,” the woman groused. “No woman would turn down Fane.”

“I would and did.”

“Then why does he keep looking at you, and why did he follow you into the kitchen?”

Zuria almost burst out laughing. If Dixie felt she’d nabbed Fane so much, why did Zuria’s actions threaten her?

“I suggest you ask Fane.”

“Ask me what?” he said, coming back into the room.

Dixie reddened even more, if that were possible. Zuria swung away and went to grab a broom and the dustpan. Her body was ready to give out, and if she didn’t work fast with cleanup, she would fall on the floor and sleep there. Behind her, Dixie whined in a low tone to Fane, and Fane’s deep voice rumbled as he answered. Zuria couldn’t make out what he said, but she didn’t try. She kept her head down, eyes on the task.
Come home, Sam. I can’t do this. Please come home.

Chapter Six

“I have to go,” Zuria said to her brother.

Sam was looking strong and healthy, even tanned. She couldn’t believe how the few days he was gone had been so beneficial. He looked like a new man, most of all rested and strong. She never wanted to see him as he was, crumpled on the office floor. When he returned, he signed the paperwork for the new lease, and she understood from what he shared that he and Fane had saved the money they would have needed to buy the current property. So maybe that meant he had just a little she could borrow to start her life over.