Lucy could get lost in this store. She walked the aisles once more, taking in all the products, her mind working on special menus for special occasions. The place had a fabulous import section, from minicorns to oils and olives. The deli made nice appetizers.
Wandering toward the espresso bar, Lucy checked the glass-fronted bulletin board to make sure her notice was still up. It was. Now if only her phone would ring off the hook. And with calls for her, not Raul Nunez.
The fact that people would actually call her looking for him, or to ask her if she had his recipe…it made her reconsider the man’s influence in town. He had more than she’d realized. During their meeting, he’d been arrogant, but friendly. In hindsight, maybe too friendly, as if he knew something and she didn’t.
Shrugging, she found herself gravitating toward the meat case. It was extensive, with a vast array of fresh seafood. Her boys were such picky eaters, they wouldn’t touch a filet of salmon or a halibut steak. They wanted fish sticks.
Cooking for the three of them, she was limited in what she served. When she was married to Gary, he’d loved her cooking, couldn’t eat enough of it, and she could get real creative at home. The boys grumbled, so oftentimes she’d made them a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.
She wished she had someone at home who would appreciate her efforts. But as soon as she thought about it, she envisioned a man at the table. Where that thought came from, she couldn’t guess. She hadn’t gone out on a date since her divorce had been finalized. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been asked. She had. She just hadn’t been ready. Bitterness didn’t go well with a glass of wine or a movie.
But lately, she’d contemplated going out on a trial run. Nothing daunting, where she’d be stuck for hours. Coffee, maybe. But then Jason got into trouble at school and her idea about dating changed. She had to focus on her son rather than some romance that would probably go nowhere anyway.
Checking out the help-yourself seafood baskets of mussels and steamer claims, Lucy was lost in thought and didn’t readily hear her name being called.
“Lucy. It was Lucy, right?”
Her chin lifted and she stared into Drew Tolman’s face. She took a step back. The man was so tall, he filled her view and then some as she gazed at him.
When she’d first seen him in Opal’s Diner, his good looks had definitely gotten her attention—until it became quite clear he was a hard-core charmer even though he was taken. That brunette he was with had laid one on him and clearly stamped his mouth as her private territory.
If it weren’t for the fact she needed Jason to play Little League, Lucy wouldn’t have given Drew another thought. But it was important her son be involved with sports right now, and unfortunately, Drew was the coach.
Gazing at him, she willed the wayward lustful thoughts out of her head immediately. Although with her standing this close to him, a few snuck back.
He was gorgeous…simply gorgeous.
The way his hair was mussed gave him a casual air that suited him. He still wore the sweats and Sunday-worn shirt he’d had on earlier. The ball cap was missing, which attested to the messy hair. But he still looked good. Too good.
And he knew it in a nonconceited way.
She’d come across his type before. Jock men who just thought they were too fabulous for words. Every woman under one hundred would throw herself at them if they held their arms open wide. And Lucy was sure this man had held his arms open for quite a few ladies.
A former professional baseball player. She read magazines and all those tabloids. These guys usually had women in every state.
What was he doing in Red Duck, Idaho, of all places? She may have wondered, but she wasn’t going to ask him. She didn’t want to get personal with the man.
“You’re right,” she finally replied. Then she said something so stupid, even she cringed. “You’re Drew and your girlfriend’s name was Jacquie.”
So much for staying impersonal.
For a scant second she wondered if he was going to counter her claim about the girlfriend. Call it a woman’s intuition, but suddenly Lucy recognized there was trouble in paradise for that couple.
Not that it was her business—nor did she care.
Thankfully, he let the comment pass. “So, how are you liking town so far?”
“I like it. It’s different than Boise, but a good different. I’ll be glad to get settled in.”
“Where are you living?”
She paused, not sure if she should answer that. In Boise, she would have given a cross street as a general response. In Red Duck, when everyone proclaimed to know everyone’s business, chances were that Drew could easily find out.
“Lost River Road,” she said simply.
“Nice area.”
Some of it was. Their teardown was in an offshoot of a ritzy neighborhood a half mile away. Surrounding them was an overgrown horse pasture and rickety farm, with no sidewalks for skateboards. Bud kept a bunch of old Airstream coaches and dusty RVs on the adjacent property. It was surely no white picket fence scene. No wonder the boys were embarrassed. The idea of Drew seeing where she lived wasn’t one she wanted to imagine.
“Doing some shopping?” he asked.
He held a handbasket with a thick steak, big russet potato and a bag of spring mix inside. His soft leather, black wallet and key fob were tossed inside. Her hands were empty.
“Actually, I just needed a break from unpacking. And I wanted to see if my notice was still up.”
“Notice for what?”
“I’m a personal chef.”
His stance changed and he grinned. “I like anything personal.”
The big flirt. A real player, and not just at bat. Lucy held on to a frown. “It’s nothing like you’re
