Chapter2
Lola steppedout of the garden tub and wrapped herself in a towel. She had hoped the hot soak would have turned her into a brand-new woman. Yeah right. Sea salt and warm water didn’t wash away memories or mistakes. It certainly didn’t shut a certain someone from hermind.
Jack Canyon.
She blow-dried her hair and slipped into her red kimono-style robe, one of the few luxuries she had indulged in keeping and not sold in the most coveted garage sale in Hollywood Hills. She’d paid off her father’s debt with the money, and pocketed the rest. She’d really have to use yoga skills to stretch the money if she wanted to open her B&B. Thankfully, her graphic designer friend, London, had offered to do her logo and marketing material pro bono. Most of her L.A. friends had been quiet ever since she’d lost her money. Or maybe she had withdrawn—didn’t matter.
Dwelling over it wouldn’t fix her problems.
She inspected the spacious suite, complete with a polished-oak bed and mattress, too firm for her taste. On either side stood a nightstand, shaped like a longhorn, the drawer where the animal’s mouth would be. A strand of warmth moved through her. They were as tacky as shit, but her father through and through.
She grabbed a notepad from her bag and started writing down things she would keep and things she would change. Her shrinking checking account didn’t allow any splurge. “I guess I’ll call this the Southwestern Suite,” she whispered to Pepper, who lay on a rug with the Texas flag embroidered onit.
This had to work. Her whole life had been one experiment after another, and distracting like a stroll on Rodeo Drive with a black American Express card. For two years, she’d studied entertainment law before dropping out. She’d failed at running a boutique on Venice Beach. And she’d never finished a yoga training class—she’d spent more time buying yoga pants than actually learning the craft.
With a shake of her head, she scribbled a few more ideas. The sound of powerful footfalls in the hallway made her straighten her spine. As they came closer a shiver rolled down herback.
“Hey! Can’t you knock?” Air whooshed out of her lungs and she gathered her Kimono tightly around her waist.
“I’m not used to knocking.” His eyes roamed around the room, inspecting her suitcases and the closed boxes she had managed to bring in from the U-Haul on herown.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “What do youwant?”
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, and have everything youneed.”
A freshly washed scent blended with the leatherish notes of his cologne, and hinted at a recent shower. No longer wearing his hat, his short hair was damp and ruffled—still the perfect length for a woman to grab onto as she brought him closer. She cleared her throat with a pitiful sounding cough.
“I’m great, thanks,” she said, expecting him to turn around and leave.
But he loitered. His patronizing smile made her shift in the chair. “Lola, if you change your mind about this whole thing… I won’t think any less ofyou.”
Of course not. Impossible to think even less than he alreadydoes.
She forced a smile. “And if you want to move out earlier, it’s your call too. I’ll totes understand.”
He sighed. “I’m fixin’ to go totown.”
“Still trying to meet your dream breeder to populate the Earth?” she blurted, and managed to hide the sadness welling up inside. When she’d lost her baby, she’d felt sadness and relief. Now most of the sadness was gone, but guilt clogged her throat and squeezed her heart whenever she remembered the baby who had left so soon—they’d never agreed on aname.
A slow, suspicious grin formed on his lips. “I might have already foundone.”
“No wonder you want the divorce,” she said more to herself than to him. Her stomach tied itself into strange knots—those knots didn’t belong there, because none of this should matter anymore. Been there, done that. Posted on Instagram. Shared on Facebook.
“I thought you wanted the divorce when you left.” He clenched his jaw, and his translucent blue eyes turned into a dark turquoise. “Why didn’t you sign the papers?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but clamped it shut. Getting him out of her life had been critical to her well-being. But signing the papers would have been the painful evidence of yet another failure. She’d promised herself she would divorce him legally as soon as she succeeded in something. It’s just taking longer than I expected.
“I’m really doing your next victim a favor. So you’ll think long and hard before catching new prey.” She swallowed the razors in her throat.
For no longer than an instant, a touch of softness filtered across his face, and it snatched the air from her lungs. Desire pooled in her belly, unsettling her every nerve. Don’t go there.
She blinked, and the tenderness vanished.
He frowned, stretched to his full height. “Puff your chest all you want, but for a while you ached to get caught.”
How dare he?“Getting caught was never the problem. It was the release.”
“A release you’ll have to do without.” With an arrogant smile, he nodded and left, slamming the door behind him. The bedside table vibrated, and her notepad, along with the remains of the sandwich she’d made earlier fell to the floor.
