Love Under Two Jessops (25 page)

“You have to figure there’s
some
gain of some kind for the spark.” Andrew used the vernacular some firemen used to refer to an arsonist. He sat back in the passenger seat, his eyes closed. Grant knew his brother wasn’t sleeping. That was his thinking mode.

“Likely revenge,” Grant said.

“That’s what I was thinking, too.” Andrew sighed. “Money or revenge are the two most common motives for arsonists, and there’s just no way our man can be profiting, unless someone paid him to set those fires.”

“Which circles back to someone else’s revenge,” Grant said.

“Exactly. But the mix of fuels, and using either matches or a lighter to ignite a few bits of debris like paper and twigs? That says low tech—and pure amateur to me.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Grant shook his head. “There is no way to tell if that empty Jack bottle they found at the last fire scene belonged to our spark or not. So we could be dealing with someone not just bent on revenge, but maybe someone with an addiction problem.”

“Booze and fire are a really bad combination,” Andrew said.

“They are that.” Grant checked the time on the dashboard clock. “I guess that meeting at the restaurant is over by now.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Chloe’s probably back at the spa and very busy. Do you think we could stop in and see her, anyway?”

“Maybe we could grab some coffee from Kelsey’s and drop in around two or so. See if she needs anything lifted, toted, or carted.” Grant nodded to himself once.

“You’re really worried about pushing her, aren’t you?”

“I really am. I think if we push too hard, too fast, she’s going to take a step back from us. If she does
that
, I don’t know if we can make up that ground with her.”

“She hasn’t quite dealt with her demons yet,” Andrew said. “We both know she hasn’t. And I think we both know what that last hurdle is for her.”

“I wish to God we could help her get over that. Having to wait this way is killing me.” Grant knew they couldn’t. There was a lot they could and would do for her over the years to come. They would take care of their woman the best way they knew how.

But there would be times they had to let her handle her own problems and stand on her own two feet, and this was one of them. If the women of his family had taught him anything, it was this one immutable law.

The women of Lusty tended to demand the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with their men to face the dragons in life. And no man worthy of the name would ever try to stop them.

* * * *

Chloe sat on the stool in the reception area and opened a box of jewelry. Handmade by several different area craftspeople, these pieces represented about a month’s worth of collecting. She’d convinced most of the jewelry artisans to allow her to have the pieces on consignment. She had different display stands, and once she entered each piece into the computer’s database and affixed the price tag, she would arrange it on a display and then arrange them all on a section of the shelving units she had at the front of the spa.

As she worked she paid attention to the conversation taking place in the main room, where Tasha and Ari were setting up the manicure stations. It was eleven days until opening, but they were going to have a few dry runs—or rather, wet runs. Chloe wanted everything in place, and then they’d give each other—and a few volunteers like Carrie, Emily Anne, and Tamara Kendall, the full treatment.

It would give them all an idea of what worked, and what didn’t, so they could be really ready on opening day.

Just like having these two working together now will give me a good idea how they’ll mesh in the long haul.
But she’d already, almost intrinsically, known. Tasha with her touch of whimsy and Ari with her brittle edges appeared to be complete opposites. Yet they seemed to get along well. In fact, Chloe thought, they’d clicked.

Chloe had hired other staff, as well. Carol Ashwood, a general esthetician with five years experience, had been born and raised in Abilene. She had already rented an apartment in Waco, but wouldn’t be moving from Abilene until next Thursday. Sandra O’Brien, a registered massage therapist, also lived—and currently worked part time—in Waco. She was going to start out part time with Chloe, and would split her hours between here and a clinic she worked at in the larger city. Chloe didn’t mind accommodating Sandra, and giving her hours around those she’d already committed to her current employer.

There were a lot of people who worked more than one part time job, not only in her industry, but elsewhere. Chloe had once been one of them.

Sandra had been very pleased to land the position in Lusty because the clinic had cut her hours recently.

In the meantime, Tasha and Ari and she, too, were certified in relaxation massage. Sandra would be the one who’d take care of any clients with medically related needs. She already knew of a few referrals that would be coming their way from the Doctors Jessop—including James Jessop, himself.

Everything was coming together, even better than Chloe had dared to dream possible.

“They certainly build them buff here in Lusty.” Ari’s tone sounded more than a little interested.

Chloe looked up to see what had caught her attention. She couldn’t hold back her grin. Grant and Andrew walked past on the other side of the street, obviously having left the firehouse. She’d noticed that they sometimes headed over to Kelsey’s around this time of day for some coffee and pie. The men appeared to be in the middle of a conversation.

They took their work—and their discussions—quite seriously.

She looked from her men to Ari and caught the light of interest in the other woman’s eyes. She batted down the sudden spurt of jealousy. She couldn’t after all, fault the woman’s tastes. “They sure do. But those particular buff men happen to be taken.”

Ari shot her a disappointed look. “Both of them are taken? Bummer.”

“They’re a matched set.” And Chloe smiled, because she realized that was the first time she’d actually formed the thought in her mind—outside of bed—that the brothers Jessop
belonged
to her.

Ari looked at her and blinked once. “A matched set? They don’t look it.”

Chloe guessed she probably should have had a chat with her employees before now. Seriously, though, it had never actually occurred to her. The ménage lifestyle that so many of the residents lived here, as many had in Divine, had already become normal to her. She didn’t even really think about it anymore.

Since she seemed to have Tasha’s attention, too, she said, “There’s something y’all should know about this town.”

“If you mean the fact that women appear to be exceptionally lucky here,” Tasha said, “we kind of figured that one out already.”

“Oh.”

“I just meant that those two very large and very sexy-looking men didn’t look like twins.” Ari shrugged.

Chloe felt her face heat. “They aren’t twins, but they
are
mine.”

“Jake Kendall suggested I take a tour of the Lusty Historical Society’s museum,” Tasha said. “So I dragooned Ari and we did that today while you were at lunch.”

“So you’re both okay with the way things are here?” Chloe blew out a breath. “I really should have said something during the interviews, but I’ve gotten so used to things as they are it honestly didn’t occur to me.”

“I’m a live-and-let-live kind of gal,” Tasha said.

“Yeah, I don’t care how people choose to live their lives, either,” Ari said. “I hate people who are judgmental, myself, so that’s one thing I try to avoid being.” Then she frowned. “Although, I don’t agree with Tasha that it seems like a good deal for the women. What woman truly wants to be lugging beer and sandwiches for
two
dumbasses watching a football game? One would bad enough, I think.”

Chloe had never considered herself an overly insightful woman. Neither was she given to overt displays of affection. She’d never been much of a hugger—well, not until coming to Lusty. A gal couldn’t be around Kate Benedict, Samantha Kendall, or Pamela Jessop for very long without getting a slew of hugs and kind of getting used to them.

But right then, Chloe wanted to hug Ari. Of course, she didn’t, mainly because she knew that young woman would not welcome the gesture at all. Chloe reckoned the whole world could see the barbed wire fencing surrounding her. So instead, she said, “I think you’ll be amazed at how happy the women actually are in this town.”

“I really hope they are.” Ari shrugged and her smile, though small, seemed to have an edge to it. “Happy women make for much better clients.”

Chloe didn’t know what had happened in Ari Stein’s life to give the young woman such a tough shell. She found herself wanting to laugh out loud, and made sure her employee couldn’t see her expression.

She wondered how long it would take Lusty—and some of Lusty’s very inclusive women—to work their magic on her.

Tasha shook her head. “Yes, happy women do make better clients—but turning grumpy women into happy women can be a challenge worth meeting, too.”

Ari nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll try. Of course, a little imp might be sitting on my shoulder the whole time whispering suggestions of what I
should
say.”

Chloe laughed. “I’ve had days like that myself.” She thought then of her last job, when she worked for Madeleine over in Divine. Some of the clients had been those women referred to by Madeleine and her friend Grace Warner as the “frozen chosen.”

For avowed Christian ladies they sure did like to sling mud and “bear false witness” a whole lot. Kind of made you wonder, sometimes.

“I think we all have,” Tasha said. “It’s good that you worked in the trenches for so long, Chloe. We know that you understand what it’s like.”

“I do indeed.” Time to get back to work. “Where are we standing in our preparations, right now?”

“We have the manicure stations set up. Now we have to start lugging and opening the cartons of other supplies that have arrived.”

At just that moment the door opened, and the afore-ogled firemen came in. Grant carried a box with five takeout cups of coffee, and Andrew had a good-sized bag from which the scent of something freshly baked and yummy-smelling came.

“Ladies, we decided to come and bring libations—of a sort—and our two strong backs, in case you had need of them.”

Ari raised one eyebrow and looked at Chloe. “They’ve got good timing, I’ll give them that.”

“They do indeed. We were just about to lug boxes of supplies and uncrate them.” Chloe performed the introductions, and tried not to blush too much when both men took the opportunity to ogle her ass.

“Sustenance first, and then, baby girl, we’re all yours.”

“You’re all mine before the sustenance,” Chloe said.

Her words put a huge smile of both of their faces. “I think you’re finally beginning to understand things, Chloe-doe.”

Andrew didn’t quite have that right. She’d understood things for some time. The only difference was at that moment, she was beginning to feel some hope that things were going to work out—
really
work out—for all three of them.

“Alone at last.”

Chloe giggled at the exaggerated tone of relief in Grant’s voice. Andrew had just carried her inside their house from the truck. Grant, behind them, shot the lock on the door.

“Unplug the phone, too,” Andrew said.

She leaned into him, her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs.

She sighed because instead of stopping beside the bed, he carried her right through the bedroom and on into the master bath.

“You put in a long day today.” He set her on her feet and cupped her face in his big, gentle hands. The kiss he gave her, reverent and sweet, soothed her tired, achy body better than the best balm.

“It
was
a long day.”

“I imagine the stress of that meeting at lunchtime didn’t help, either,” Grant said.

Chloe had already filled them in on the information the detectives had given her—and she’d also shared their hypothesis—that the lawyer who’d been assigned to their case by the court had likely been murdered by “Uncle Ralph.” Neither Grant nor Andrew had acted surprised by that turn of events.

Now, she said, “It
was
stressful…but more in the anticipation of it than in the reality. I was mostly concerned about how it would affect Carrie.” Chloe shook her head. “I keep forgetting that she was so much younger than me when it all happened. Some things she just wasn’t aware of, and a lot of things she simply doesn’t remember.”

“When young kids suffer trauma, that can cause a crisis later in life, because the bad stuff gets repressed,” Grant said. He stepped forward, and Andrew turned her so that she was facing him. “It’s one of the things we learned in our years in training to become firefighters.”

He mimicked Andrew’s actions, cupping her face and placing the softest of kisses on her lips. “And when traumas happen to older kids, sometimes rather than repress the bad stuff, the psyche does other things with it.”