“You want my earrings for Tallulah’s?”Chloe all but shouted.
“Yes, but we’re going to have to up your prices.You’re seriously underselling yourself.”
Chloe stared at her for a moment.“I swear to God, if you’re fucking with me right now…”
Lou hooted out a hearty laugh while her husband helped her into her coat.“I never fuck around about money.”
Sawyer pushed open the café door and stepped out, holding it open.“She doesn’t.”
Chloe nodded.She was tempted to pinch herself, to make sure she was awake, but between the blast of cold air and her soaking wet feet, she was too uncomfortable to be asleep.“Just checking.”
“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s talk turkey.”Lou hooked her arm through Chloe’s and ushered them out into the cold.“The fifty pieces you’ve got in your store, consider them sold.How soon can you make more, and what have you got besides earrings?”
* * * *
“You keep clenching your jaw like that, you’re gonna crack a tooth,” Jesse warned.
From the driver’s seat, Knox shot him a look.
“I know you’re worried.I’m worried, too.But a root canal isn’t going to make things better, so maybe take a deep breath, babe.”
Knox made a conscious effort to relax, and was marginally successful.“We should be at her place, waiting for her.”
“We are not lying in wait like a couple of psychopathic stalkers,” Jesse snapped back, and the bite in his tone had Knox biting back a snarl.“Sawyer texted half an hour ago that he was giving her a ride home, so we know she’s safe, and that’s enough for now.”
Knox stared through the windshield at the fat snowflakes that continued to fall.“It doesn’t feel right, leaving while she’s upset.”
“She’s the one who left,” Jesse reminded him.
“Because she was upset,” Knox repeated, and since his jaw was sore, clenched his hands on the steering wheel instead.“Mo in her face like that, threatening to fire her.I mean, what thefuck?”
“I know.”Jesse dragged a hand through his hair, the way he often did when frustrated or annoyed.“It was a shit show.”
“Call her again.”
“She’s probably not even back yet—”
“Just fucking call her, all right?”Knox shouted, the truck fishtailing as he took the turn into their driveway too fast, then jerking to a stop when he stomped on the brakes.
“Do not fucking yell at me,” Jesse growled, straining against the seatbelt to shove his face into Knox’s.“And calm the fuck down.”
Knox wanted to shout, to scream, but knew Jesse’s response to that would be to get out of the truck and walk away, and then he’d have two apologies to make.So he sucked in a breath, then another, repeating the process until he no longer felt like his head was going to explode.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, in a voice that if not exactly calm, was at least restrained.“I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
Jesse eased back against his seat with a nod.“Thank you.”
“Can you call her?Please, Jess.I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
Jesse sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket.“Fine.”
He put it on speaker, and they listened to the rings.When voicemail picked up, Jesse cut the call.
“We’ve already left three messages,” Jesse said when Knox began to protest.“That’s edging into creepy-stalker territory.”
Drained, heartsick, Knox dropped his head back and closed his eyes.“What if she’s done with us, Jess?”
“She’s not,” Jesse said, and the absolute confidence in his voice opened Knox’s eyes.
