He missed having her in bed, but knew it was probably for the best to let things cool off.
She drew back and stared at him. “Wow. That’s better than coffee. I’m totally awake now.”
“But are you more calm?”
“In some ways, yes. In others, not so much.”
She smiled as she spoke and he found himself leaning toward her. As always, everything about her drew him to her, even though he knew it was not a place he should go. So he wasn’t disappointed when a familiar low sports car pulled into the driveway.
Reid got out of his Corvette and walked toward them.
“Do you know what time it is?” he asked by way of greeting. “Do you know how late I was up last night?”
Elissa glanced between the two of them. “Hi, Reid. What are you doing here?”
“Helping,” he said, then stretched, before slapping Walker on the back. “You owe me.”
“Put it on my tab.”
“I don’t understand,” Elissa said.
“You can’t set up alone,” Walker told her. “You can barely handle one table and there are four. I’m staying here with Zoe until she and Mrs. Ford wake up. Then I’ll bring them along to the fair. In the meantime, Reid is going to help you set up.”
“No.” She took a step back. “I couldn’t.”
“Sure you can,” Reid said easily. “It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me at home.”
Walker raised his eyebrows. “A slow night?”
“I guess. I haven’t been in the mood lately. I met the most annoying woman a couple of days ago and she’s put me off my game.”
“Not possible,” Walker said with a grin.
“It is.” Reid looked and sounded both bitter and unhappy. “She didn’t know who I was and she sure as hell wasn’t pretty. She actually said that the reason Gloria is so difficult is because I don’t spend enough time with her.”
“Gloria’s problems started long before we were born.”
“I know, but she went on about Gloria needing contact.” He shrugged. “I don’t remember it all. I got bored. She really pissed me off.”
“So what did you do?”
“I hired her to be Gloria’s day nurse.”
Even Elissa chuckled at that. Walker guided her toward the driver’s side of the SUV and insisted she get inside.
“You’ll be fine,” he told her. “I’ll bring the girls later this morning.”
“But…”
He pressed a finger against her mouth. “Go,” he told her.
“I’ll follow you,” Reid said. “Hey, there’s lots of women at these things, right? Maybe I’ll hang around and meet a few of them.”
“Get the taste of the uncooperative one out of your mouth,” Elissa said.
Reid grimaced. “I didn’t kiss her. Why would I want to? So what if she doesn’t appreciate me? She’s not my type. Now that I’ve hired her, I don’t have to have anything to do with her. I’ll never see her again, which is a damn good thing, let me tell you.”
Elissa looked sidelong at Reid. “For a man who’s not interested in this woman, you’re sure talking about her a lot.”
Reid narrowed his gaze. “You remember that I’m helping you, right?”
She grinned. “Oh, yeah.” She rolled down the window and then closed the driver’s door. “See you there,” she told Walker. “And wish me luck.”
“You’re not going to need it, but good luck anyway.”
BY MIDAFTERNOON, Elissa was so happy she thought she might float home. She was doing great. Sales had been brisk from the moment the fair had opened. If this kept up, she would exceed her ambitious hopes for the weekend and be able to put at least three thousand dollars away in the bank.
Just thinking about that massive number made her light-headed. It meant not having to sweat every grinding noise in her car. It meant a new winter coat for Zoe wasn’t a reason to panic. It meant peace of mind.
She helped a woman choose a pair of earrings for herself and a bracelet for her sister, then counted back the change.
She grabbed her water bottle and took a long drink. She hadn’t eaten all day, but she was just too excited to think about food. She felt as if her life had suddenly taken a turn for the positive. That things were seriously looking up.
She didn’t want to think Walker was responsible, but she couldn’t help giving him a little credit. He’d been good to her and for her. When she thought about what he’d told her about his girlfriend, she had trouble reconciling those actions with the man she knew. She knew he believed what he’d done meant he couldn’t be trusted with the big stuff. That both she and Zoe were at risk. But her gut told her otherwise.
He’d been a kid, she reminded herself. He was talking about something that had happened a long time ago. Sure, what he’d done had been awful, but she could also understand his fear.
“How’s it going?”
She looked up and saw Cal and Penny standing by her booth. “Hi.” She stood and glanced at Penny’s huge belly. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful. The baby’s due any day now. I thought walking around might help.” She put her hand on her stomach. “Walking very, very slowly.”
“You’re doing great,” Cal said, then kissed her cheek. “It will be over soon.”
“Not soon enough.” Penny sighed. “So where’s Zoe?”
“She was here earlier. She’s spending the rest of the day at a friend’s house.”
“Lucky girl. She’s having fun.” Penny rolled her shoulders. “I used to have fun.”
Cal seemed to be hiding a smile. “You will again.”
“I don’t think so. I think I’ll always be this huge.” She glanced down at the jewelry. “I want some new earrings. My clothes are all massive and I deserve something pretty.”
“Pick as many as you’d like,” Cal said.
“Yes, please,” Elissa said with a grin. “I’ll even give you a discount.”
“I don’t think so,” Penny told her. “Friends don’t let friends lose money. We’ll pay retail.”
She pointed to a pair of earrings, then another. Cal collected them and handed them to Elissa who rang up the total.
“Where’s Walker?” Penny asked while Cal counted
