Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge) (2 page)

I nodded.

“Good thinking,” Mariska said, cocking her head at me. “I can talk to Francine—”

I covered the front of her hand with mine. “Francine and Steve can only handle having you and Tom working there with the regular employees. They have enough on their plate.”

Months ago, Francine and her husband, Steve, the owners of Luigi’s Pizzeria, had
informed me that they couldn’t guarantee me a summer job. I’d worked there part-time for three years during high school. Luigi’s had downsized; the major building that Francine and Steve had operated in for years was now half its size, while another business had taken up the other half of the building.

Jake folded his arms and pulled his eyebrows together. “Hmm…
if you took that TA position your advisor offered you, you wouldn’t have had to pay for room and board for the summer?” I gave a brisk nod. “And you only woulda had to, uh, feed yourself and get around on your own?”

“Yes,” Mariska answered for me in an irritated tone. “Jake is gonna pick me up from work tonight. We’ll see what your next move should be.”

“You guys don’t have to worry. This is my mess. This”—I motioned my hands to the counter where there was now some basic kitchenware—“is really great. I appreciate that you guys got me what I needed for the kitchen. It’s one less thing for me to think about. I have your support, and that’s what makes this less mortifying.”

Jake gave a sharp shake of his head. “You got nothing to be embarrassed about. Cindy should be ashamed of herself.” He got up to get a paper towel from the counter and pressed it to his forehead. Mariska narrowed her eyes at him, but he just stared at her defiantly. “So it was fine that you put your life on hold to be with her, but her love life couldn’t take a back seat?” His gaze drifted to my suitcases right by the door that I hadn’t unpacked yet.

Mariska shot a droll look at the back of his full head of chestnut brown hair. I started to collect our dishes, but Jake stopped me. Mariska went with me to my room.

***

“That was harder for you than I thought it’d be.”

Jacob ran his fingers through his chin
-length glossy brown mane after he parked his Explorer. Jake had driven me all around Franklin Parks. Most places were fully staffed. I may have to dip into my funds, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t. Depending on which bills weren’t paid yet, I also realized that I might have stretched out my budget too much when I’d taken Mariska and Jake to Copollas, the only fancy Italian restaurant in Franklin Parks, as an early graduation celebration during my spring break.

Ambling towards the door in the way that made him look like he was gliding towards it, he held the door open to the Franklin Parks Child Development Center, and the women warmly smiled
“thank-you.” Of course, he broadened his smile and stood there for a few seconds more than he had to, knowing that they’d look at him when he entered the CDC. Heat scorched their cheeks as they saw that he had expected it. Shamelessly, they gave him another thorough once-over. It probably hadn’t entered their consciousness that their daughters and probably their sons had had crushes on Jake, or still did. Since he was eighteen, I guessed they figured that it was acceptable. It was the same sort of look Mariska had received when she began to really bloom. And that was before she was legal. It seemed like everyone was a victim to a voracious lust these days, and I was out of the loop.

When we were both inside, I rolled my eyes at him, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Sometimes it was hard for me to accept that Jake wasn’t my scrawny friend anymore. Indeed, he had grown and worked out his forty-pound gain into an eye-catching physique.

About twenty children were on the soft mats. Some slept quietly. A couple snored softly.

“Remember when we used to put the mats on top of each other and tr
ied to hide from Mrs. Muldoon so we could sleep longer?”

I nodded. “Nap time was the best part of the day.”

I caught Pete’s rich caramel gaze. He blinked a few times, realizing that we were actually here. He ran over to us. Mariska hadn’t told me that her parents had enrolled him in the summer program. It was a wise choice. Usually one of them, or Mariska, cared for him around the clock during the summer. He was with other children his age and he’d make friends, maybe even long lasting friends like I had.

“Be
th!” Pete pulled at my hands and I bent down. Over the past few months he had gotten taller and filled out more. Soon he was going to be the tallest kid in class, just like Mariska had been the tallest from the second grade up until our sophomore year of high school, where she had just been the tallest female.

I placed my finger over my lips and he nodded. Jake edged closer to us and mirrored my position while he ruffled his hands through the Pete’s wavy black mane. “Whad
da ya doin’ here?”

“I came to see Mrs. Muldoon,” I told him. “And I was gonn
a check up on you before I left.” A deep flush crept over his entire face and I had to grip the back of Jake’s shirt before he laughed in Pete’s face. “Are you making friends?”

He covered his face in hands and he shook his head, causing Jake to chuckle. “That’s good, buddy,” Jake encouraged. “I met
your sister and Beth here when I was your age.”

I missed seeing his growth. He was always in school, in speech or OT therapy, or asleep when I had been here during my school breaks
.

Before Jake could respond, someone trotted in our direction. When I lifted my body up, Suzette Aiken shot me a baleful glance. Anger radiated off of her in waves. This must have been who
m Jake had seen last night. Most people in Franklin Parks thought that either Mariska or I were dating Jake, or that one or both of us had dated him at some point. Suzette wasn’t the exception. No one here seemed to understand how two girls could be friends with a guy and not have some carnal benefit. Jake was like a brother to me and he was handsome in a flawless way. And I wasn’t responsive to that.

“Did you ask one of us permission to get up?” Suz
ette asked Pete in a chiding tone.

He ducked
his head in the same way Mariska had when she was little. “No, Miss Aiken.”

“Certainly,” Jake
started, and grinned—it was like watching Cindy flirt with one of her boyfriends, “he can be excused for not following the rules this one time, no?” He closed the small distance between them. She visibly shuddered as his breath fluttered over her neck. It was ridiculous. Was that what was shudder-inducing these days?

Suzette
’s face relaxed and she seemed to forget that I was here. “Pete always follows the rules.” Jake lifted his broad shoulders and tipped her chin with his index finger. “I mean, how could he not when he’s got you to listen to? I’d be a very good boy if I were in his shoes.”

I rolled my eyes as Suzette
gulped. Pete’s tittering slightly broke her away from her spell. She flicked her gaze in Pete’s direction, while the rest of body betrayed her reluctance to pay Pete attention. “Go back to your spot.”

“Yes, Miss Aiken.”

Hesitantly, Pete reached for my hand and looped his finger around one of mine before he darted towards his giggling friends.

“Last night…was amazing
.” Suzette’s husky whisper caught my attention. As she trailed her fingers from his chest down to his definition of his lower abdomen, a cocky mien returned to Jake’s face.

“
And you might have yourself a repeat performance,” he told her with a hint of humor in his voice.

***

Mrs. Muldoon’s office was covered in collages from various children. All sorts of toys and drawings covered her desk. She had faint lines on the corners of her deep forest-green eyes and a long emerald skirt that complemented them. Her gray hair was half down. I couldn’t imagine her without gray hair. She was one of those women who looked stunning with her aging hair.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Muldoon.”

“It’s always a pleasure to get a visit from my former students.” Her face warmed. “Good to see you’re still friends with Jake and Mariska.”

“
Yes, it’s good,” I agreed.

“Take a seat.”

I complied and sat on the chair opposite me. “Your résumé and letters of reference make for a stand-out application. Unfortunately, we don’t have any openings at this time.”

She slid me a discomfited glance. My stomach
clenched. Had I upset her? And if there weren’t any openings, then why did she ask me to sit down like we were going to have tea? It was pretty busy on the main floor.

“T
here’s something you should know.”

I cleared my throat. “Yes, Mrs. Muldoon.”

For an inordinate amount of time, she was silent, and then she said, “Your mom left town with John Baxter.”

I shot up from the chair, feeling the blood drain from my face. “But he’s married.”

Her mouth thinned grimly and my knees felt weak as I sank back onto the seat. “And understandably, Mrs. Baxter is beyond irate. I’d only found out because Denise, who cashiers at the Oscar gas station, had seen them kissing each other yesterday morning before they left town. She’d told…some people.”

Obviously, Denise had told everyone. Right after her mom, Opal, Denise was the biggest gossip in town. I was surprised I hadn’t found out about Cindy and Mr. Baxter
as soon as I’d arrived home last night.

Out of all of the things that I thought Cindy was capable of, I really
hadn’t thought that she was capable of being with a married man. Maybe I was naïve. One of the Baxter kids was playing with Pete as we were speaking. This was messed up. As a little girl, Cindy had told me countless times that family was important and that women needed to stand by each other. She had violated those principles. And I had to suppress the bile in my throat. The Baxter kids probably wouldn’t see their dad often or at all. I understood how not having a consistent male presence could make a kid feel lacking in some way. And the scandal about why Mr. Baxter left town would make the Baxter kids feel like they weren’t enough reason for him to stay.

Ireful, I fisted the sides of my slacks in order to maintain some composure. It wasn’t the messenger’s fault. Mrs. Muldoon had been my pre-school and afterschool teacher in my youth. She was doing me a favor by informing me before someone else did.
And, yet, it wasn’t comforting at all.

My voice dropped. “Isn’t he always on the road?”

“He stopped trucking”—she waved her hand—“about five months ago when he was promoted to regional manager. All folks ’round here know is that the position is in Florida, but we don’t know exactly where.”

I sighed, releasing the sides of my slacks from my hands. “Goodness,”
I hissed.

She blew out a ragged breath and crossed her arms at her employees, who were obviously watching us through her wide window; immediately, they acted like they were busy watching the children
, like they should’ve been doing in the first place. Jake no longer had Suzette with him. He gave me a reassuring nod, which meant that he had just heard the news too. “I didn’t want you going around town unawares.”

I managed a small grin. Mrs. Muldoon could lose some business if she hired me. I knew she would. And despite Franklin Parks being a small town, there were one or two housewives with just as good of a reputation as
her who would happily take business from her.

“I’ve been in touch with your Uncle Anton recently.”

“Ummm…okay,” I murmured. “I haven’t seen him for years.”

Mrs. Muldoon handed me his business card. “And he wants that to change.”

Chase

“Can you do me a favor?” Pierce’s voice sounded unsteady.

I bet he was still hung over
, or wasn’t done with whatever chick he left his party with. He had been talking to a lot of girls last night. And he liked having various options. He had to work this afternoon at the Paloma Hotel. Mr. Pruitt would give him major shit for not coming in on time, or fire him on the spot—like he had fired Cassidy, Pierce’s older sister, when she had come into work late. It wasn’t like she did anything other than prance around when she had been at the hotel. I didn’t even know what her official title had been.

For the past month and two weeks, I’
d been staying with the Pruitt family and working with them since my professors assigned their final exams early. If I hadn’t lived with the Pruitts, I would’ve thought Anton Pruitt was an asshole to Pierce, but he really cared about his son.

It was suppose
d to be my day off, like every Tuesday. I had only had one real Tuesday off, though. There was always some task related to the hotel that needed to be done. Usually, Mr. Pruitt had asked me to do it. I’d done it for him. And I hoped that whatever Pierce needed was important. I hadn’t swum in the beach since I’d started working at the Paloma. The water was perfect; clear and warm. Most people were still laid out from drinking last night at the bar at the Paloma, the small bar on the other side of town, La Floridita, or from the crazy party Chase had in his penthouse.

“Can’t you get Joel or Rylan to do it?” They’
d been his friends for years and they weren’t working this summer. They had plenty of time to idle around.

“Dad’s meeting is going over schedule. He asked me to pick up Beth
’cause he can’t right now, but I can’t keep my eyes open. And I am not having those knuckleheads pick her up. I know you’ll act correct. She’ll be with us for the summer. Joel and Rylan are my last resort. Mom is all the way in Fort Myers. Cassidy is MIA. And Beth doesn’t have a car.”

His cousin? A Pruitt without her own set of wheels? Pierce’s parents and Cassidy had talked about Bethany during dinner last night.
However, I hadn’t paid much attention. I only remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt sounded regretful; they’d said that they should’ve stayed in touch with her. While I’d shared many meals with Pierce’s family this year as it was, I felt like I’d been intruding on their family time. Especially because I’d never heard Pierce mention Bethany in the year and a half that I’d known him. As if I didn’t have it good enough already with a summer concierge position that paid more than any other place would, I participated in a family life that wasn’t mine. And no one seemed to mind.

Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt had been offended when I
’d tried to pay rent after they told me I could live in their home rent-free, as long as I worked. I knew Mr. Pruitt made Pierce pay rent. Pierce had finally stopped grousing about it days ago. Was it unfair? In some way, I supposed it was. Perhaps, Pierce’s on-and-off relationship with Mona kept him too busy to think about paying rent when I didn’t. The pay rate, salary, and benefits had to be why the Paloma Hotel had some of the best employee retention in the area. Some of the seasoned staff were on vacation. Some of the highly valued ones were on maternity leave, which was why I was not only the concierge, but also the unofficial on-call runner.

I went back into the house, sped up the stairs, and took off my swim trunks as I entered the guestroom. I threw on a clean white t-shirt and jeans. Maybe I could go for a swim later. If Pierce couldn’t keep his eyes open, I didn’t want his ass on the road, despite how inconvenient it was for me not to have some solitude on the perfect
ly clear blue waters.

“Are you gonna get Beth for me?” In the background, I heard Mona yelling at him to speak lower, when his voice had been low to begin with. I thought he would’ve dropped her by now like he had easily done with other girls that grated him; they didn’t have an exclusive relationship. At school, he had told me that when he came back here, he was ending it with Mona for good. I guess old habits died hard. According to what I
’d heard from Joel and Rylan, Pierce had been hooking up with Mona since puberty.

“Text me the info.”

***

Bethany’s house was barely yellow
, with chipped paint and a flimsy gate in the front. Not the kind of house I had expected her to live in, or the exact area for that matter. I shouldn’t have had any expectations. It was a two-hour drive and the only task I had to accomplish was to bring this girl safely to the hotel and go about my business. Some neighbors gawked at me like I had three heads, but I just looked for her house. I wasn’t in Vermont anymore, but the behavior was the same—the neighbors knew that I wasn’t from around here. They couldn’t find anything productive to do, and they wanted to instigate.

I got of my Nissan
Altima so that I could help her with her luggage. Glancing up, I saw an unmistakable female silhouette in the window, followed by the closing of curtains. Five seconds later, a girl with light brown hair about her shoulders stepped out of the house with a heavy backpack that must have weighed a ton, and two suitcases. It made her lean slightly forward and it was hard for me to catch her face because she was short in stature. When she closed the door, she raised her head and had a sheepish expression.

I walked up to her and took the two suitcases from her. And damn. She was that pretty girl I
’d seen standing on the line for the bus days ago when I’d had my meeting with Coach. She had pretty blue eyes. Her pert nose and semi-full lips looked tempting. And that curvy ass body of hers only stood out more in her fitted blouse and slacks. Even her feet were sexy. How was that even possible?

Why’d I have to be attracted to Pierce’s cousin? Mr. Pruitt’s niece? My jaw tightened as I
recalled Joel and Rylan’s recommendation; despite my celibacy, I needed to get it in, and fast, before I salivated in her presence like a fucking bitch in heat. I couldn’t have any interest in Pierce’s cousin. It could complicate my friendship with him.

She
appeared to be dissatisfied. I didn’t know if it was because I was the person who was going to take her to her family, something else, or a combination of the two. Her gaze connected with mine. Inwardly, I shrugged it off. I didn’t think she cared about the scar on the right side of my face. While she quickly looked at it, I didn’t see her gape at it like some people did.

“I am Chase.”

“Bethany.” She swallowed. “Thanks for coming out to get me on such short notice.” She bobbed her head at me and glanced at my occupied hands, worrying those kissable lips. “I can handle the suitcases,” she said.

She reached for them, but I took a step back, and pulled them out of her firm grasp. She was strong, another trait that made her sexy.
Fuck my life!

“It’s cool. It’s no problem at all. I don’t want you to break a sweat unnecessarily. It’s hot enough as it is.”
A reluctant grin flickered across her face. Which softened her delicate features.

***

“Get whatever you want,” I said as I held my sports drink. I wished I’d given Bethany an ice-cold bottle of water. I only had the warm twelve-pack in the backseat.

She gave me a weak smile. “No, thanks. I still have the bottle of water you gave me in the car,” she replied
, as if it was a hardship on my part to offer her some cool liquid replenishment.

“Are there any snacks you want?”

Two women and three children came into the store just as it looked like Bethany was going to get something. It was early, and for some reason, I didn’t think she’d had anything to eat.

“I’ll get something later.” Ducking her head, Bethany’s hair covered her face as it had when she’d come out of her house, and she slid her gaze to the counter. The older women were sending Bethany condemnatory glares.

I raised my brow to them and they looked away and began whispering. This was like some high school shit—from grown women. They should’ve known better.

Bethany took her wallet from her tote. “I said I was paying for the gas. And whatever else you want.”

For a few minutes, we were having a stand-off, a staring contest, and it made my blood boil. She looked so damn fine that I’d almost forgotten what we were disagreeing about.

I advanced toward the cash register and Bethany conceded. I paid for the gas and my sports drink. One of the women loudly whispered Bethany’s name and I twirled around with my purchases in hand, headed in their direction. Gently, Bethany
tugged my shirtsleeve and I cocked my head to the side. The sliver of insecurity in her nerves was perceptible, and as a result, I complied with her unspoken request to back down.

Back in the car, Bethany acted like she hadn’t been frazzled at the gas station.

“What’re you studying?” I asked after some time had passed.

Bethany gathered what looked like half a ream of paper into two piles on those thick and shapely thighs. Man, every inch of her was appealing. Reminding myself that Pierce trusted me and didn’t think of me as some horny knucklehead, I tried to think about the swim I wanted to get in today. Beating off didn’t do anything for me
lately. Swimming had alleviated my primitive needs these days. It hadn’t failed me. I needed to do something to stop thinking about touching her and deal with my body’s response to her—quick.

She
wasn’t flaunting what she had been so adequately blessed with. And there was nothing she should hide. She had to be burning up in her blouse and in the thick material of her slacks. If it were up to me, her blouse wouldn’t be buttoned all the way to the top. On second thought, if I had it my way she’d be wearing the thinnest and clingiest top, with a good dip in the front. She’d be in a tight skirt that would mold to her backside. Man, I bet her legs felt like silk.

A
hard to read expression started over Bethany’s face. She steepled her fingers on the papers on her lap. I really wanted to know what she was thinking. She didn’t know me from a hole in the wall, but she was tense. Too tense. Had it been those people who so rudely interrupted our moment at the gas station? What was up with that, anyway? Even the young cashier girl had connived with those other people to try to piss Bethany off. Which only made me mad. No words had been voiced on the cashier’s part. Just that silent challenge from them all to Bethany, and I didn’t know how she rose above it in spite of her evident displeasure. Mulling over it, I’d noticed that Bethany had been unnerved when she left her house. It was a good thing that she was going to have a vacation, or a reprieve from all that negativity. Paloma’s Edge was just the place for her to unwind. Unlike some of the vacationers I’ve met, she probably deserved to have a vacation more than they did.

“The history of the Paloma
Hotel. A brief biography on Anton Pruitt and his companies,” she finally answered.

I risked a glance in her direction. She was reading those papers like it was some gossip magazine. Mr. Pruitt was a great guy and a respected entrepreneur, but all of that information couldn’t have been intriguing. This was her uncle. Did she really need to research her uncle in order to know him? No wonder
why he’d been contrite when Mrs. Pruitt had brought Bethany up during dinner. He mustn’t have kept in touch with her over the years in any way.

“Why’re you doing all that?”

“Because I am applying for a job at the Paloma Hotel.”

***

I took off my damp clothes, tossed them in the hamper, and jumped into my swim trunks again when I heard a soft knock on the door. It could only be one person. I mimicked her knock and she made an impatient but amused sound. The wooden door swung open and Nancy, the Pruitt family housekeeper, raised her brows at me meaningfully. Pierce had told me that Nancy had been their babysitter since they were infants. When he and Cassidy became older, Nancy accepted the position as a live-in housekeeper. Nancy liked things to be done her way, and as much as she claimed that I was the bane of her existence, I knew she didn’t mean it.

I blocked her path to my hamper. She lifted her arm to look at her watch.
She wore a pressed shirt, trouser pants, and leather shoes. No matter what she was doing, she always looked immaculate. Her dark reddish-brown hair was in a bun that only a violent storm could mess up. Pierce had told me that her hair reached her thighs, and that he’d pulled on it when he’d been little. He liked women with long hair, so that wasn’t a surprise.

She feigned anger. “I could’ve been downstairs in the washing room by now with your clothes.”

“I’ve been doing my laundry when I can,” I pointed out.

“Yes,” she said, “
the least I could do for you is your laundry since you clean this room. Isn’t it your day off today?”

“And that’s what my days off are for: to do my chores. You have enough to do with this house.”

She propped her hands on her hips. “Are you insinuating that I’m overwhelmed with my responsibilities?”

“Never.”

Nancy nodded approvingly and offered me a slight grin. “The AC hasn’t kicked in yet. It’ll smell like sweat in here if you don’t let me get to your laundry quickly.”