Their Ex's Redrock Two (5 page)

“Okay,”
Tess whispered, looking over Finn’s firm features for pain or regrets, and
seeing none. What a story that must be. But she shook her head trying to get back
to her mission. A room.

“If you
give her a room, you have to give me one,” she announced.

“Hers is
for an hour tops …” Finn paused. “No fuck, thirty minutes, not overnight.”

“But
you’ll be here, there are chains on the door, and I have my cell to call 9-1-1.
I need a room.” He shook his head. So desperately, she whispered, “I can’t go
back to Steven.” Unwanted tears started gathering in her eyes.

“Shit,”
Finn cussed, and Tess swallowed the lump in her throat trying to call back her
tears. She knew she’d gotten through to Finn, now she didn't want to outright
bawl in front of him.

“Got a
room, down the hall behind me. Ready in a couple hours.”

Tess
looked behind him down the hall. “That’s the only way to get in?” she asked,
not liking the setup.

“Only
way you stay here, Chiquita,” Finn stated without compromise.

Tess
sighed at least she had a place and maybe being back there behind the counter,
it would be a place no one could get to her. “I’ll pay by the week, and thank
you, Finn, really.”

“Mistake,”
he muttered.

“I’ll be
back in two hours,” she stated firmly.

Tess
drove to her shop feeling too confused and emotionally blank to handle much so
she was glad her young, part time helper Shannon had opened the shop for her
that morning. After Vincent had left the condo with Luna, not stopping to say a
word to Tess upstairs, for which she was really grateful but puzzled about,
she’d thrown all her belongings into her car. They were piled haphazardly in
her backseat and trunk, and she really needed to fix them so she could put them
in the room Finn was getting her.

But she
kept wondering why Vincent hadn’t come upstairs, and then leveled with her.
Thrown her out even. She didn’t believe he knew she’d overheard his confession
to Luna.

I
just did Tess to get to you, Luna.
Then …
I
don’t fucking want her, Luna, it was a point.

“God,
I’m such an idiot! Tess shouted inside her car as she drove. “So stupid,
stupid
.”

Of
course Vincent had been using her to get back at Luna. But then why hadn’t he
called her to tell her to get out of the condo?

“Does.
Not. Matter,” Tess ground out, glad she could feel anger because it was
overriding her hurt and devastated feelings. She wanted Vincent. God with
everything inside her, she wanted him. “That doesn’t matter,” she hissed,
shoving the feelings deep.

She was
acting like a cracked lunatic ... she had a marriage to dissolve and get out
from under. Then she cussed really badly. Luna had
both
Steven
and
Vincent.
That
bitch.

When she
pulled up to the alley behind her shop she nearly turned around seeing the blue
WTSF van parked beside her flower shop.

“Not
today of all days,” she exclaimed. They were there to install a security
system, Vincent had made her take. “Why is he doing this?” she cried, slapping
her steering wheel.

She
pressed forward, knowing she had too as she pulled into her parking spot,
praying Vincent had nothing to do with being in that van. Just then her cell
rang, and she grabbed it — squinting at the cell phone hard when she saw
Vincent’s name.

She muttered
angrily, punching receive call, then without waiting she spat, “I do
not
want your security system. Get them the freak
out
of here!”

Silence.

“I won’t
accept it. Ever!” she yelled. It was a suppressed yell, but still
a
yell.

Silence
… and then... “You fucking heard,” Vincent’s voice retorted harshly.

“Yes!”
she shouted, then she punched off, hanging up on him.

A knock
sounded on the driver’s side car window and Tess practically jumped high enough
to hit her head on the roof. Finally catching a startled breath, her gaze shot
to the window. She drew in another disconcerted breath that turned to relief to
be looking a Cabe Santos, not Vincent Whitehorse. She’d been talking to Cabe on
the phone about the security system.  

She
fumbled to roll the window down getting an up close and very personal view of
Cabe’s bourbon colored eyes with mahogany swirls and gold flecks. He was a breathtaking
man with a five o’clock shadow like some men had that was so attractive. His
hair was dirty blond and hung down to his shoulders, in chunky thick waves. She
knew him, but hadn’t seen him for a few years. He’d definitely filled out well...
 

“Mrs.
Navarro ...” he started.

“Don’t
call me that,” she blurted, then she tried to calm her voice. “Just Tess is
good.”

He
nodded, glancing in the back seat of her car and she cringed a bit at what her
strewn clothing must be saying to him. “The crews started and we really
appreciate this training for them,” he said.

Tess started
to open her mouth to tell him the security installation was off, but she saw a
teenage girl, scooting up behind Cabe. “OhmyGod! This new system is rad. It has
Passive Infrared (PIR)!”

Cabe
straightened beside her car as Tess looked up at them both. “Angie, this is
Tess the owner,” Cabe said, introducing them.

Angie
had to be eighteen, if a day, and she had a nasty black eye in an otherwise
pretty face. Angie obviously liked piercings as she had one on her nose, lip,
and multiple ear piercings. She was wearing jeans and a purple WTSF tee. Cabe
had one on too and it stretched broadly over his well-muscled chest.

“Hey,
Tess,” Angie said. “You’re going to
love
this system," she gushed.

“Nice to
meet you, Angie,” Tess said as she proceed to get out of her car. Once out,
they stepped back and Tess looked to Cabe. “Can I talk to you a second?”

Cabe
jerked his shadowed jaw at Angie who skipped away. She was so young to be out
on her own. Tess had been going to tell Cabe she couldn’t take the security
system, but what came out of her mouth was...

“What
happened to her eye?”

Cabe’s
hands shoved into the front of his jeans pockets as he shrugged. “Boyfriend.
We’ve only had her for a few days.”

Tess
grimaced at the boyfriend part, then she moved a bit closer to Cabe to whisper,
“Boyfriend know where she’s at?”

“Nope,”
Cabe revealed. A light wind blew her hair and some of Cabe’s blond hair off his
shoulders. “Trying to keep her low, but she’s flighty and I figured keeping her
busy was more important.”

Darn,
Tess thought. Then she sighed. “Good idea, of course you
probably get a lot of experience with this.”

Cabe
looked down at her face intently and she wondered what he was searching for.
“Most people not very perceptive about that,” he murmured.

So she
wouldn’t blush, she said, “About the cost of this system, I insist on paying.”

Cabe’s
gaze narrowed on her mouth as if he couldn’t believe those words came from her
lips. Then he looked at the backseat of her car, then back at her eyes. “That
system Vincent ordered is so expensive, it's ridiculous,” Cabe muttered.

Tess’
eyes widened, but before she could comment, Cabe added, “But its badass great.
These girls, in the crew this week, can learn it. It will put them in high
demand down the road.”

“It’s
just a flower shop,” Tess said lamely.

“I’ve
told Vincent he’s crazy, but these ladies get to learn it, and as I said.
Priceless.”

Tess
looked at him kind of helplessly. “Okay.”

Cabe
leaned closer. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll bring new girls out here to
learn on it if you’ll let us.”

“Of
course,” Tess quickly declared. “Anytime.”

“Bossman
Cabe you want the wire through the roof or wall?”

Both
turned to see a redheaded girl leaning from the side of the building.

“Neither.
I’ll be right there,” he answered sternly, then he turned back to Tess. Once
his back was to the girl, a small smile lifted his lips. “Gotta keep them on
their toes.”

Tess
started to smile back at him. “Bossman?”

Then he
really smiled and her breath caught, unreasonably. He was very attractive.
“This group calls me that. I’ve been called amigo, captain, pain-in-the-ass,
and sir, by different groups of classes.”

Tess laughed
with him. “It’s amazing for you to work with young girls as we know they are so
logical and such calm thinkers.”

Cabe
crossed his arms over his notable chest. “I’ve learn to deal. Their drama’s
worth it when I visit one with a good job and ring on her finger.”

Tess
nodded, and that was why she wouldn’t call the job off. She wondered if she
could request no Vincent on this job, but why he’d want to was beyond her, so
she figured he wouldn’t, and she didn’t ask.

A cloud
must have settled over her features because Cabe asked with a lowered voice, “Everything
okay, Tess?” He looked toward the back of her car. “I’ve gotten kind of good at
reading the signs.”

“Um …”
she muttered. “I think I’m getting a divorce and things are up in the air.”
That sounded good right? Not too much information. But he was nice to talk too
and she kind of wished she could just blurt it all out. She might need a Rusty
night, girl’s night, but Rusty would lament Tess losing the hunk that was Vincent.
She couldn’t deal with that right now.

“Sorry,”
he murmured, then he stepped closer, into her space slowly, but he was close.
“You need anything. Call me.”

Tess
blinked up at him, trying not to get teary. “Thanks,” she said, then she
decided she better get out of there before she did tell him everything and that
wouldn’t be fair because Vincent was his partner in the WTSF charity.

“See you
later,” she muttered and she stepped away and hurried into the shop.

SIX /
DON’T
FUCKING THINK. JUST FEEL WHAT’S REAL

Tess
didn’t get back to Rowdie’s until after she closed her shop at six, late
because of a last minute funeral arrangement order that had to go out in the
morning. When she walked back in Rowdie’s office she was surprised to see Finn
still there.

“A long
two hours, Chiquita,” Finn said, coming around the counter. He had on faded
denims that fit him really well, a tucked in wife beater tee that showcased his
dense shoulders and arm muscles, plus a chain hanging from one pocket to
another.

Tess
tilted her head … or was the chain coming back out of the same pocket.

“You
like my ass?” Finn asked as he grabbed the box she was carrying out of her
hands.

Tess
blushed, but quipped, “You show it off, girl’s going to look.”

He
seemed okay with that as he went onto a new subject. “How much shit you have to
bring in?”

She got
mesmerized in his green eyes for a second, then mumbled, “Couple boxes and
suitcases. But I can handle them.”

“Nope.”

Tess
blinked now watching his mouth. “What?”

“Sit
your cute ass down … take a load off, I will get them,” Finn replied in the
form of an order, then he waited to see her reaction.

Tess got
it right then ... maybe before she kind of knew, but then she knew for sure.
Finn was flirting with her and she didn’t think a man like him flirted lightly.

She
liked being flirted with so she flirted back. “But if I help you, and follow
you in, I get to see your butt in those jeans.” Warmth spread through her at
her boldness.

She
could tell Finn liked that as he swung her really big box up on his shoulder, bulging
a lot of his muscles and making her feel twittery. “So watch,” he said, nodding
to the sitting area side of the lobby. “From over there, I got a beer out for
you.”

Tess
looked over and saw a six pack of beer sitting on the central table — she
couldn’t think what to say that wouldn’t make her cry so she asked out of
nowhere. “Don’t you ever stop working? You’re always here.”

He
chuckled and started walking toward the counter, then beyond it. “Helps on a
vacation,” he said over his shoulder.

Then
Tess went to grab a beer, and sit just right, so she could watch Finn bringing
in her things. It was a very nice event, she thought, wishing she could see
more of his tattoos and where they went under his shirt.

After
Finn finished bringing all her stuff in, there commenced the kickback-with-Finn-time,
while drinking beer on an empty stomach. Which led to telling deep secrets on
both sides … which surprised her that Finn let her in.

“She
didn’t make it twenty minutes,” Finn said of his wife doing another man right
there at her husband’s dive motel. “That woman’s frigid.”

Tess
leaned against his shoulder — they were sitting side by side on the small couch
with their feet up on the center table. Her knees were bent up, his stretched
out and crossed at the ankle.