Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4) (29 page)

“What are you thinking about doing?” A pencil is holding up her bun, and I marvel at how it just stays there in her curly hair.

“I like working for you. Maybe when someone quits I can pick up their hours?”

“Certainly.” She’d be a great manager, and her request may be honored when I stop doing it to focus on other things. “Thanks for letting me know because I would love to give you more hours.”

I reach over and tear off a piece of pastry. “I’ve been thinking about expanding, and if I do, I’m going to need a manager here. Would that be something you’d be interested in?”

Her eyes light up. “Oh, gosh, yes. I really love merchandising along with selling, and that sounds like a dream job to me.”

I think big. “It would require you do the schedule and manage the girls for me too. I might be gone for days, traveling to other locations.”

She scoots forward to perch on the edge of the couch. “No problem. I would welcome the responsibility.”

“Awesome. I’ll let you know what my plans are when I sort it all out. Thank you.” I move to clean up our mess because I need to call Christian.

“No, thank you. I’m excited for the possibilities.” She grabs things and we stand.

“Me too.” I take the garbage from her so she can go back to her shop to work.

I watch her walk through the courtyard as the pencil in her hair defies the laws of physics in the strong winds.

I take a deep breath, hoping oxygen awakens my brain cells as I prepare to talk to Christian and learn bookkeeping. Math was my least favorite subject, and I’m anxious about how this is going to go. But I’m also excited to talk to him. I miss my boyfriend, a lot.

My phone is slick in my hands as I tap it to call him. The moment he answers, a smile spreads across my face.

“Hi, princess.” It’s good to hear his nickname for me.

“Hi. It’s so great to hear your voice.” I flip up the laptop, and bright light makes me blink when I turn it on.

“Yours too. Did everything go smoothly at the shop?”

“Yup. Ruby and Lori did a great job, and it’s almost like I wasn’t gone.”

“Awesome. Ready to crunch numbers?”

I open up the accounting software as I say, “I am. Be gentle with me.”

He chuckles. “Aren’t I always?”

“Well, there was this one time…”

His voice lowers in tone. “If you’re a good girl and get this done before the shop opens, maybe we can try out that phone sex idea of yours.”

“While motivating, I’m not sure it’s doing a lot for my ability to focus.”

“Okay, let’s talk numbers first.”

Forty-five minutes later, I’ve got payroll figured out, and we move on to other things. “I’ve been thinking about your ideas for expansion, and it might make sense for me to hire a manager when you get back so I can get to work on them.”

I picture him rubbing his lip with his thumb as he takes a moment to respond. “That’s not a bad idea. If we want commercial space, we should start looking at available places soon. You still think approaching Neal is the best place to start?”

“I do. I can schedule a meeting with a local real estate agency for the same day we go with him, for comparison.” I roll away from the desk and prop my feet up on it as I lean back in the chair.

“Works for me. Maybe Ruby would consider being the manager.”

“We think alike. She’s my top choice.”

I envision his smile as he says, “That’s because we’re smart.”

“Gosh, I miss you. Any idea when you might be coming back?”

It takes a moment for him to answer, and my stomach sinks. “I don’t know; there’s so much to do here.” He sighs, and it makes me wonder what he’s not telling me. He adds, “I think you should work on hiring the manager without waiting for me.”

Something’s up, but I’m not sure I should push. “Okay. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Sounds good. Look, I’ve got to go. We’ll talk later. Love you.”

Huh?
“I love you too. Bye.”

I click my phone off and flip it around in my hand. I wonder what made him cut our conversation short. Not that I really thought we would have phone sex, but I expected a little more banter. The nagging feeling of loss comes back, but I shake it off as missing the man I love.

Chapter 47

I
t’s been a month since the funeral, and Christian still doesn’t know when he plans to come back. Something is going on, but when I ask, he finds a reason to end our call. I’m trying to be patient as he grieves, but I’m getting ready to pull Gretchen into this.

I enter his house, and the dogs race around, looking for Christian. A mirror by the front door makes me notice my puffy eyes and haggard look. The stress of working alone is getting to me. “Sorry, guys, he’s not here.” I sigh. “I miss him too.”

My boots click on the tile in the kitchen as I approach the refrigerator. I’m here to clean out spoiled food. I should have done it sooner, but I avoided this task, refusing to believe he’s been gone this long.

The odor of sour milk wafts up, making me crinkle my nose as I watch white liquid pour down the drain. When I reach in the vegetable bin I find runny tomatoes.
Gross.
I pull out the whole drawer and just dump the contents in the garbage. I don’t want to have to do this more than once.

I look out the window over the sink at the woods that are behind both of our houses. The trail through the snow created by the dogs is completely covered, as if they were never here.
Damn it, Christian, you can’t just ditch your life with me this easily.

I need to talk to Gretchen. I pace the hall, and my footsteps echo as I wait for her to pick up.

“Nika, hang on.” I assume it’s windy when I hear the blasts come through the phone. It stops suddenly. “I had to step inside a building so the storm doesn’t make it hard to hear me. How are you?”

“I’m fine, but I need to know what’s going on with Christian.” I know I’m being abrupt by not making any small talk, but I’m sure Gretchen understands.

She sighs. “I’m not sure. I can’t believe he’s still here, and he won’t talk to me when I ask why.”

My lower lips starts to tremble, but I swallow down my urge to cry. “He won’t talk to me either. He’s all business, and he’s even stopped telling me he loves me.” A lump is in my throat, and I know I can’t hold back the tears.

“Oh, Nika. I’m sure he hasn’t stopped loving you.”

I sniff, and my sweater is rough against my cheeks when I swipe away the tears. “I’m not. God, I miss him.”

“I’m sorry he’s being such a shit. Let me see what I can do. I’m going to go home this weekend and make him talk to me. Okay?”

“Okay. I hate to push, but I just don’t know what to do, you know?” Cleo has come to follow me as I pace, and I stop to squat down and stoke her soft hair.

“I do. He’s making you to run the business all alone and not communicating. You don’t deserve that.”

“I don’t mind the business part as much as I mind him pulling away from me without telling me what’s going on.” Tears spill out again. “If he wants to break up with me, then he just needs to say it because I can’t do this.”

“I’m sorry, Nika. He’s being an asshat. I’ll slap some sense into him for you. I promise.”

Her words make me smile. “Thank you.”

“I’m late for class, but I’ll call as soon as I know anything. We’ll talk soon. Bye.”

“Bye.”

A sudden thought makes my blood run cold. What if he’s reliving his heartache with Taylor and is protecting himself, afraid I’m going to do the same thing she did?

I shake my head at the paranoia speaking. God, I feel like a whiny girl. I walk over and remove the garbage bag from the can. But until I know what’s going on, I don’t want to make any demands. The cabinet slams shut, and I call the dogs to leave.

The walk back to my house is quick, and I don’t bother to put on gloves, which makes my hands cold as I switch the trash back and forth. It’s my first day off in a month, and I’m going to take myself out to dinner. I can’t keep waiting for Christian, and it’s time to chat with Neal about his Vail and Aspen locations. It’s been months since I ate at Stone Soup, and my ego could use some of his flirting.

The lid of my curbside garbage container thuds shut, and I take the dogs inside. Warm water stings on my cold skin as I wash my hands. I look around my house and realize it’s been a long time since I had time to do anything fun for myself. I still have a few Christmas decorations up and am just now noticing.

Now that Ruby has become my full-time manager, I can finally get a much-needed break. I’m sure my dogs will be happy too. I haven’t neglected their need for exercise, but only a few hours of cuddle time each night isn’t enough for any of us. I lie down on the floor and let them crawl on me as I rub bellies.

I pull my phone out of my back pocket and call Stone Soup to make a reservation for one. With two hours until dinner, I decide to pamper myself with a long bath. I say to the dogs. “C’mon, guys. Let’s go get pretty.”

I take extra time to get my hair and makeup right. I’m not above using my feminine charms to get on Neal’s good side and score a good retail location. Wearing a long, snug dress and cowboy boots, I know I look good.

I recall how I used to put on a persona to get through tough modeling assignments. I called it being fierce. I think that’s what I need to do to get past my ache for Christian because I can’t make him do what I want. It would be so easy to curl up in a ball and let my heart break, but I won’t let my hard work making Rhinestone Cowgirl a success have a chance to flounder.

I put on a set of bangle bracelets and large earrings that make a statement. With a swipe of dark lipstick, I’m ready. No, I’m more than ready, I’m fierce.

Chapter 48

Th
e familiar smells of onion, garlic, and spices wraps around me along with warmth when I enter Stone Soup. Dimly lit, with a fire crackling, it’s as if I’m visiting an old friend. Neal’s face lights up when he sees me. “Dannika, it’s been forever. Come, I have a wine ready for you to taste. I plan to woo you so you’ll come back more often.”

I grin and kiss his cheek. “You’re so good for my ego, Neal.” I take the arm he offers and notice his strong presence. I’ve missed a man in my life.

He leads me to a table that is tucked away by a small fireplace. While still in the main room, it’s hidden by a half wall topped with large plants. I imagine it’s the cozy table for lovers or where Neal can hide out when not attending to host duties.

A decanter is filled with deep red liquid, and the empty bottle is next to it as well as two wineglasses. Neal tucks me in. “Before you look at the bottle, I want you to taste this and tell me what you think.”

A small amount of wine trickles into a glass, and he hands it to me. When I swirl it, the scent of sage and something else is released. I sip and let the liquid stay on my tongue as I dissect the flavor. “Deep berry flavor with sage, and is that anise?” I take another mouthful. “This is quite nice.” I pick up the bottle and study the label. “Surprisingly light for a Zinfandel, I like it.”

Neal sets his hands on the table and leans in toward me. “The most surprising part is the price. It’s under thirty dollars a bottle.”

“Impressive. I’ll bet owning a wine shop is fun.”

“It is, especially since I only do the things I like. As long as I get good people to run things, my life is pretty great.” Wine splashes into two glasses as he fills them. “Which reminds me, where’s your boyfriend? Shouldn’t he be here to protect you from me?”

I chuckle. “Christian doesn’t feel the need to protect me from you.”
He’s too busy avoiding me.
I tap the bottom of the second wineglass. “Does this mean you’ll be joining me?”

He sends me a sly smile. “If you don’t mind, I would like to sit and talk. I have a feeling you’re up to something. I heard you hired a manager.”

“You mean you don’t think I came here to enjoy a lovely dinner?”

“Oh, I’m sure you did. But I think you came to see me too.”
Shit. Does he know Christian is missing in action?

I shrug. “You got me. I do want to talk to you. I’m thinking about expanding in Vail and Aspen and would like to take you up on your offer to consider your commercial spaces.”