And Then One Day Read online

  He was about to kiss her when he stopped himself. Staring down at her, he knew there were some things he needed to say. “No sneaking out in the morning,” he said gruffly.

  Beneath him, Dean saw her swallow hard. “Kind of hard to leave without a car.”

  That hadn’t stopped her the last time…

  “You know what I’m saying. If you don’t want this…”

  “I do.”

  “Or if you have any regrets, say something now because…”

  “No regrets, Dean. I swear.”

  And he believed her. Between the look in her eyes and the conviction in her voice, he knew she wasn’t lying and knew she was going to be here beside him when he woke up.

  As well as beneath him for most of the night.

  Unable to wait another moment, he settled in as her legs wrapped around him and he loved her all night long.

  When his alarm went off the next morning, Dean swore he had just fallen asleep. He slapped his hand over the snooze button and pulled Courtney tightly against him, her back against his chest.

  It felt good.

  Really good.

  The kind of feeling he wouldn’t mind waking up with every morning.

  Shaking his head slightly, his eyes drifted closed and he worried he was getting too attached too fast. Granted, he and Courtney had known each other for years, but…it was too soon to think of this as something serious, wasn’t it? And then there was his sister to consider. There was no way Scarlett was going to be happy that the two of them were sleeping together.

  So where did that leave them?

  Last night, sometime around three a.m. when they were lying facing each other, they agreed that they needed to talk about what they were doing. At the time, they had been half asleep and sharing soft caresses and even softer kisses. It was a great way to fall asleep. Now in the light of day, however, he realized there wasn’t going to be much time for them to talk because he needed to get to work.

  As if on cue, the alarm went off again, and this time he forced himself to roll away from Courtney and turn it off. Stretching, he wondered if he should wake her up or let her sleep. Opting to let her sleep, he got up and got himself ready for work. Not that it took long–jeans and a t-shirt were his work uniform and his hair required very little attention. He looked at her sleeping soundly in his bed and smiled. He liked seeing her there and he hoped sometime later today they could talk and figure out what it was they were doing and where they saw it going.

  Out in the kitchen, he made himself a cup of coffee and went in search of his phone. It was probably still in the bathroom so he quietly walked back to get it. This time as he walked through the bedroom, Courtney stirred. He stopped at the foot of the bed and simply watched her coming awake. She was all tousled hair and sleepy eyes, but when she saw him, she smiled.

  And for the first time in his life, Dean considered calling in sick to work.

  “Good morning,” she said, her voice a little raspy.

  “Good morning to you too. Did you sleep okay?”

  She nodded as she sat up and stretched, baring her breasts to him.

  Yeah, I should totally call in sick.

  “You heading to work?” she asked.

  “Actually, I was considering calling in sick today so I could stay in bed with you. What do you think?”

  Blushing, she pulled up the sheet to cover herself. “As much as I would love that, you can’t do that to your dad.”

  He loved that she was concerned for his father–loved that it was her first thought.

  “I’ve never taken a day off so…he owes me one. Or several dozen. Take your pick,” he teased.

  “Dean, you can’t do that. Plus, you need to look at my car,” she whined, but in a cute way.

  They never did talk about it last night when he picked her up. “Okay, so you drove through some standing water and lost control of the car and trailer, right?”

  She nodded.

  “The car started up fine when I tested it last night. Did you hit anything?”

  “No, the water was higher than I thought and I guess I was going a little fast, and the next thing I knew, I was swerving and heard a loud snap and then the trailer seemed to fishtail really bad. I pulled over to the shoulder as fast as I could because I knew it was going to drop. You saw it–it was practically turned sideways when you got there.”

  “Yeah, you’re lucky you heard it and stopped when you did. If you had dropped it in the middle of the road, it would have been a real hazard to anyone driving by.”

  “I know,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about it. I really didn’t think it was going to be a big deal.”

  “Well, once we get the car up on the lift, we’ll make sure there’s no damage to the undercarriage or the frame. Plus, we’ll give it a tune-up and oil change because I’m sure you haven’t done that in a while either.”

  She blushed and looked down at the blanket and it was all the answer he needed.

  “Are you going to be okay here by yourself? Like I said last night, I probably won’t get to it until later this morning or around lunchtime. If you want, I can come back at lunchtime and you can take my truck or…you can drive with me to work and drop me off so you can use it if you need to.”

  Yawning loudly, she shook her head. “Lunchtime is fine. If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to grab a few more hours of sleep.” And without waiting for an answer, she lay back down and pulled the blankets up over her shoulders.

  He walked around to the side of the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead before walking out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Within minutes, he was walking out the door and doing his best not to go back inside and say to hell with work and curl up beside her.

  6

  “Oh, my gosh! This is the best news ever! I am so glad you didn’t go! And you’re here and now Mason can go outside and scream because I’m making him crazy!”

  After Dean had come home at lunchtime and told her he still hadn’t gotten to her car, he offered her his truck to use for the afternoon.

  Then he made love to her on the kitchen counter.

  He could demolish her car and she wouldn’t mind if this was how she got to spend part of her day.

  She drove him back to the garage and decided to surprise Scarlett. And apparently, it was a good thing she did.

  Laughing, Courtney sat down on the bed beside her best friend. “I hate to break it to you, but I did go. I just didn’t make it very far.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She explained about the rain, the water, the trailer unhitching, and finally, Dean picking her up.

  “Wow! Sounds like you had quite a night! Why didn’t you call me and come stay here?”

  Damn. She hadn’t thought of that.

  “Um…you know, you’ve only got the one bedroom and I knew you needed your rest.”

  “So where did you stay?”

  And…she really didn’t think this through.

  There was no way she could say she stayed at Dean’s. That would be weird. So…for the first time in their friendship, Courtney lied.

  “I stayed at your old place.”

  Scarlett’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? Why would you do that? I’m sure it’s a mess with Dean working on it. You could have gone to a hotel! Hell, you could have stayed at Dean’s! Anything would have been better than my old place!”

  Things were quickly spiraling out of control and she knew she needed to reel it all back in.

  “Well…he offered, but…I don’t know. That would be weird, right? It would be totally weird. Super weird,” she murmured and realized how fast she was talking. “So yeah, it just seemed like your place was the most logical. Plus, I was soaking wet and a mess from being out in the rain and…I don’t know…at the time it just made sense.”

  “I’m going to kill my brother,” Scarlett said, a scowl on her face.

  “Why?”

  “Because he shouldn�
�t have let you do that!” Then she paused. “Wait…how did you even sleep there? My dad went over there yesterday with Kyle and took all the rest of the linens and stuff. And the bed. I told them to take it all. Where did you sleep?”

  “Um…”

  “Oh, man…did you have to dig through the trailer to get bedding so you could sleep on the couch?”

  “Yes!” she said quickly, thankful Scarlett was giving her the excuses she needed. “That’s what I did. I dug through the trailer before Dean dropped me off.”

  Scarlett was quiet for a moment. “How did you know you’d need them?”

  “What?”

  “I mean, when you slept there with me Friday night, everything was still there so…how did you know you’d need pillows and blankets?”

  “Oh…um…you…you mentioned it Friday night, remember? You told me your dad was going to clear out the rest of your personal stuff.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I mean, how else would I know that there wasn’t going to be anything there for me to sleep on, right?” Another laugh. “So um…how are you feeling today? Can I get you anything? Want me to go get some ice cream or cupcakes?”

  In a pinch, Courtney knew she could always distract Scarlett with food and she prayed that was going to work right now.

  “Ooh…cupcakes! That would be amazing! Mason’s mom sent over a ton of food, but most of it is healthy stuff and I was dying for something sweet and yummy!”

  “Somebody say sweet and yummy?” Mason asked as he walked into the room with a smile.

  “Ugh…don’t be such a dork in front of Courtney,” Scarlett teased.

  “I don’t think I was being dorky; I was simply responding when I thought you called,” he replied sweetly.

  Rolling her eyes, Scarlett chuckled before looking at Courtney. “See how much fun married life is? You should seriously try it.”

  “Right. Because men are just banging down my door and proposing. Please,” she said with a snort.

  “Maybe if you weren’t so picky you could find the perfect guy for you!”

  “Scar, we were talking about cupcakes. Can we stick to the topic?” Standing, she grabbed her purse. “Which do you want–red velvet or death by chocolate?”

  “Why can’t I have both? I am eating for two, you know.” She rubbed a hand over her belly for emphasis.

  Mason cleared his throat.

  “What? What’s the matter?” Scarlett asked innocently.

  “Two cupcakes? Seriously? Remember what Dr. Jackson said about overdoing it with sweets?”

  Glancing away, Scarlett picked imaginary lint off the blankets. “And I’ve been really good. I just thought it might be okay to have some with my best friend who is sad and homeless.”

  “Hey!” Courtney cried.

  “Sorry, but…you know, you kind of are right now.” She shook her head. “I’m going to call Dean and tell him to bring blankets and stuff over to the house for you. And I’ll ask my dad to bring the bed back.”

  “Scar, you know I’m not staying. As soon as my car is fixed, I’m leaving. Dean’s got the car in the shop right now. It should be done by the end of the day.” She smiled down at her friend. “Now, I’m going to grab us some cupcakes, okay?” Then she looked at Mason. “And I will grab some for you too.”

  He smiled with satisfaction. “I like the red velvet and the cookies and cream, please.”

  “You got it.” With a smile and a wave, she walked out of the bedroom and out of the house. Dean’s truck was ridiculously large and she practically needed a step ladder to get into it. She wasn’t sure how wise it was to be driving all over town in it, but she had panicked and now she had to go get cupcakes. Hopefully when she got back, Scarlett wouldn’t grill her again about where she’s staying and what she’s doing.

  Hell, you could have stayed at Dean’s!

  Yeah, that statement completely stumped her. It was possible that she wasn’t really thinking, but…it just seemed odd. In all the years that they’d been friends, never once had Scarlett encouraged Courtney in any way, shape, or form to do anything with her brothers. It wasn’t like she was forbidden to talk with them or hang out with them when they were around, but…she had no idea how her friend would react if she actually told her she spent the night at Dean’s.

  And there was no way she would ever tell her how she spent the night or what they did.

  Repeatedly.

  And what she really hoped they’d do again before she left.

  Ugh…I’m hopeless…

  Sleeping with Dean wasn’t getting him out of her system or helping her move on. If anything, she wanted him now more than ever! If he gave her even the slightest encouragement or even hinted that he’d like to see where this relationship was going, she’d stay. Sure there was the whole no job, no place to live thing, but somehow she’d make it work.

  But only if he wanted to.

  And again, she really hoped he wanted to.

  Talking with Dean was never an issue. Hell, she could talk to him about almost anything. She’d had lots of practice with that. But they never–ever!–talked about feelings. And the thought of doing that now was a little scary. In her experience, men didn’t particularly enjoy talking about their feelings, but…Dean wasn’t like other guys. He’d always been more practical and more mature. Maybe he wouldn’t mind it so much.

  It was her own insecurity that was holding her back.

  The last thing she wanted to do was open her mouth and pour out her feelings and send him running. They were already treading lightly and she didn’t want this–whatever this was–to end before it ever really had a chance to begin.

  She made the short drive to Henderson’s Bakery and forced herself to think of something other than Dean.

  Inside the bakery, she ordered a dozen cupcakes to take to Scarlett and another dozen to share with Dean.

  Way to not think about him…

  “Ooh…are you having a party or something?” Mrs. Henderson asked as she boxed up all the cupcakes.

  “What? Oh, um…no. I’m bringing a dozen to Mason and Scarlett–you heard about them having to miss their honeymoon, right?”

  Mrs. Henderson nodded. “I did. Her brother Dean was in here this morning to get muffins. He always picks them up on Tuesday mornings for the guys at the shop. Such a good boy.”

  “Um…,” Courtney didn’t want to point out that Dean was no longer a boy, but decided not to draw attention to that.

  “Thankfully, Scarlett’s okay. They can go on a trip after the baby comes. And trust me, by then, they’ll need it!” Mrs. Henderson said with a laugh. She put the big pink boxes down on the counter and studied Courtney for a moment. “I thought I heard you were moving to Raleigh. Your folks turned the house into an Airbnb and you’re moving, right?”

  She nodded. “I had some car trouble, but hopefully it will be fixed by the end of the day.”

  “Why you would want to leave Magnolia Sound is beyond me. This town is so much better than any place in the state. Plus, you’ll be landlocked! I know you, Courtney Baker. You’re a beach girl. How are you going to handle living so far away from the shore?”

  Taking out her credit card, she handed it to Mrs. Henderson to pay for the cupcakes. “Honestly, I have no idea. All I know is that I’m ready for a change and moving seemed like the way to go.”

  “Hmm…”

  There was no way she wanted to ask what that “Hmm” meant, so she simply stood and smiled until she got her credit card back. Once she did, Courtney grabbed the boxes of goodies and wished Mrs. Henderson a good day as she walked out the door.

  And cursed the giant truck.

  “Need a hand?”

  Turning, she smiled at Sam Westbrook. They had spent a lot of time together during all of the wedding planning and parties, but she still didn’t know him all that well. Although right now she was more than happy for the help. “Thanks. I didn’t think it through when I opted to get the large boxes of cupcakes.”

  Sam reached ou
t and took the boxes from her while she unlocked the truck and ungracefully climbed in.

  He handed her the boxes. “Is this Dean Jones’ truck?”

  She nodded. “It’s a loaner while mine’s being fixed.”

  “Ah. That makes way more sense than this being your usual ride.”

  “Yeah, my usual is a very sensible Toyota sedan. This thing is a beast. I hope I can back out of this parking spot without hitting anyone!” She laughed but it was definitely out of nerves.

  “Tell you what, I’ll guide you out, okay?”

  “Thanks, Sam. I’d appreciate that. I’d hate to give Dean his truck back damaged.”

  “And I’m sure he appreciates that,” he said with a wink. “Go on and get it started and I’ll stand back and guide you.”

  She thanked him again and crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t hit him in the process either.

  Five minutes–and multiple stops and starts later–she waved goodbye to him and headed back to Scarlett’s.

  “What are you saying, Scarlett? Are you insane? Where’s Mason?”

  Having his sister call him at work wasn’t anything new.

  Having her call with a ridiculous and harebrained scheme was.

  She groaned. “All I’m saying is…maybe find something wrong with Court’s car so she can’t leave. What’s so wrong with that?”

  “Everything is wrong with that,” he countered.

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s dishonest!” he cried. “And why would you want to do that to her?”

  “This move isn’t right for her!” she argued. “I was so wrapped up in all the wedding hoopla that I didn’t realize how serious she was. For years she’s been threatening to move away because her love life sucks and some guys are off-limits, blah, blah, blah. But for all her complaining, she’s never done it so I thought she was just talking nonsense again. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. But now I’ve got nothing to do but sit around and think about it and I don’t want her to go! You have to help me, Dean! You have to!”

  He had no idea what he was supposed to do or say. If he completely agreed with her, she’d probably get suspicious. But if he didn’t do this for her, she’d nag him forever.