Chapter Twenty-One
The ride in Cade’s SUV took forever. He didn’t seem to want to drop her off, so he drove the speed limit, or just under, and hit every red light possible until they finally arrived in the front parking lot of the small brick-and-glass strip mall housing her independent spa.
“Pick you up at five?” Cade seemed to force a smile.
“How about I call you when I’m finished here?” Ella answered. “I don’t want you waiting.”
“Like Derek?”
She sighed. Derek barely spoke to her, but kept his eyes on her every move and had the time to glare heat-seeking missiles at Cade when they left the bedroom. The talk about respecting her choice to date Cade and all that it meant that she’d planned to have with him had turned into a loud lecture from him about eating at regular intervals. He added another segment on how “real” boyfriends made sure their girlfriends had food in the house. As much as she disliked the situation, she enjoyed the surprise of a fridge stocked full of food thanks to Garrett and Derek.
“Is he still behind us?”
“Just pulled up.” She glanced at the car clock and sighed again. “Thanks for driving me. I’d like to have my car back tonight. I don’t like being stuck here, dependent on someone else to drive me home.”
“It didn’t work when I tried to drive it. I had it towed to my mechanic yesterday. Might be Monday before I know what is wrong. In the meantime, if you need anything…” His nostrils flared as he inhaled. “…Derek is available. Have a good day, and I’ll be waiting for your call.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I wish you didn’t have to work today.”
“Well, I do.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. I need a profitable day. “My first client will be here any minute. I’ll call you later.” She stepped out of the car onto the paved parking lot and walked to the spa entrance. Cade and Derek’s cars reflected in the tempered glass as she unlocked the door. They should be gone. She turned around and threw up her hand in a Josie-style pageant wave at the two men idling in their cars. A black, luxury car drove into a space in front of her.
A gorgeous, redheaded man around her age emerged from the car and walked toward her.
“Oh. My. Goodness,” Ella shouted, recognizing him immediately. “Carter O’Donnell.” She ran and launched into his arms.
He grunted with the impact. “Long time, Ellie.”
“What the heck are you doing here?”
“Hopefully getting a massage,” he said with a wry smile.
“I can’t believe it’s you.” You’re not on my schedule, but I’ll fit you in. “Dang, it’s great to see you.” She kissed his cheek. “You look great. Come on in.”
She heard two men clearing their throats behind her on the left.
Carter let her down, but she held onto his hand.
“I think we have company.” He kissed her cheek, and his smile grew bigger as he turned to the two men to his right. “Mr. Jackson.” He narrowed his eyes and nodded at Cade and then acknowledged Derek with a slight rise to his chin.
“Hey, Jerry,” Cade said. “I heard about your mom. I’m sorry.”
“What happened to Jackie? Jerry?” Ella asked. Should I call him Jerry now? He never used his first name when they were kids.
“Wrong, Mom,” Carter whispered. “It was Aunt Mae.”
She didn’t know much about his life after he left town other than Aunt Mae came up and took him and his mother out of town one night after his father went missing. The authorities found Mr. O’Donnell a week later in the woods, dead from an “overdose” but the man was heavily burned all over his body, and his neck was broken. Everyone suspected Aunt Mae’s son of killing him, but no one had ever voiced the rumor to the authorities.
“Oh, is she here?” Ella asked, confused. When he left her small town, he’d moved to a farm in Oklahoma. They wrote for a while and then lost contact. She tugged him inside and away from the two men.
Derek and Cade followed them inside.
“I’ll wait in your office.” Cade attempted to walk into the back.
“Um, Cade, sorry, but no. Derek, go find something to do for the rest of the day.” She grabbed Cade’s arm and tugged gently. “I’ve known Car—um, Jerry forever and a day. Go. I don’t need a stinking babysitter.”
“But I—”
“—No buts. I’ll see you later,” she said. Cade didn’t move from the spot beside her. “Don’t screw up my energy. Go.”
Derek knew the drill, but he seemed a bit off with his goofy smile and hesitancy to leave. “I’ll be in my car.”
“Go to the Chinese restaurant across the street. It’s awesome. Tell them I sent you.” She glared at him. “You’re not sitting in my waiting room all day. Not happening.”
Carter laughed. “Little Ella, always fighting the bully.”
She smirked at him. “Neither Derek nor Cade is Ryan Fitzgerald.”
Carter laughed harder. “That’s a good thing, or we’d be in real trouble.”
She gently elbowed him in the ribs. “You stop that, or it’ll be you I give the black eye to.”
Carter backed away, and held up his hands in surrender. “You’ve got the meanest right hook I’ve ever seen. I’m not challenging you.”
She playfully slapped his rock-solid bicep over the long-sleeved, black tee. Dang, he’s strong; not the scrawny redheaded kid I used to protect in elementary and middle school.
Derek walked out the front door and held it open. “Come on, Cade.”
Cade slid his hand around her back and the other around her neck, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her…really kissed her, eliciting a soft purr from her lips. Wow. What was that about?
He released her and walked to the door. “Sweetie, call me when you’re ready for dinner.”
“Um.” He threw her off her game.
“Jerry, I’ll see you later.” Cade sauntered past Derek.
The door swung closed.
Derek walked across the parking lot while Cade climbed into his car.
“Possessive?” Carter asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea what that was about,” she said. “Now, do I call you Carter or Jerry?”
“Jerry. Jerry Wynn.”
“Oh.” You’re my first client. Cool.
“Aunt Mae adopted me after my mom died when I was fifteen. I took her last name. We moved here. Long story. Aunt Mae passed on, and that’s why I’m back in Memphis.”
“I’m sorry.” Aunt Mae was old as dirt when they were kids; at least sixteen years older than Jerry’s mom, and she wasn’t a spring chicken. “How old was she?”
“Ninety-two,” Jerry said. “Someone robbed her house and beat her up. Looks like it was a mistake. The neighbors skipped town last night. They were rumored to owe a shitload of money to a local drug dealer. The police are searching for them. They found the two guys who…” He breathed in slowly and deeply. He swallowed. “…Aunt Mae was dying of heart failure. I came back to take care of her for the little time she had left. I was a day too late.”
“That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
A frown formed on his mouth, and he shrugged. “Do you remember my cousin Highland?”
“Highland was older, right?” She welcomed the change of subject. “How is he?”
“He died five years ago. Car accident. Drunken driver hit him.”
“Damn, Jerry. I’m sorry.”
He shrugged again. “Thanks. He was like a dad to me. He taught me how to fight.” He winked and gave her a crooked grin. “You know, since you weren’t around.”
She nodded. He’d lost his entire family. “Right.” She gazed at him like a client instead of a friend. His hair was buzzed pretty short, but his thick, red hair still flamed like a bonfire on his scalp. His eyes sparkled green but held a sadness she knew all too well—deep, heartbreaking loss. A few wrinkles around his eyes added a layer of wisdom to his baby face. He didn’t appear anywhere near his thirty-eight years. His nose had to have been broken a time or two but not as much as a seasoned boxer. He either hadn’t been fighting long, or he was significantly better than everyone else. “I’ve got to turn on the lights and see what’s going on with the alarm. It should be beeping like crazy by now. Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes?”
“It’s all good. Do what you have to. I was early. Do you mind if I look around?”
“Go ahead. I’ll be right back.” She walked to her office and checked out the alarm. No power. Huh? She jotted down a note to call the building owner and then powered up her computer.
She came out and closed the door behind her. Jerry stood at the display of her handmade products. She scanned his left hand. No wedding ring.
“You can customize these?” He ran his fingers over a bar of soap.
“Yeah. If you’re looking for something special, I can probably make it.” Was he divorced? Did he have kids? A girlfriend? He hid his feelings well when they were young, and it seemed he still did. She did too except with Cade. Cade and that kiss. Her belly warmed deliciously at the memory.
“I like the ginger. Do you make soaps and oils for guys? These seem girlie.”
She laughed. “Kyle and Jason say the same thing. I guess I need to change the packaging for my male clients.”
He looked at her bewildered.
“Kyle and Jason?”
“My sons. They would love to meet someone from my past. You are coming over Monday night for dinner. I won’t accept “no” for an answer. My daughter may or may not be there. She’s engaged, and well…” She rolled her eyes. “She’s too young and too in love to be bothered.”
“Three kids. Wow. Who was the guy with Cade?”
“That’s Dr. Derek McGregor. He works with my late husband’s brother, Garrett Winthrop.”
“I know Garrett Winthrop. Seems we’ve come full circle, huh?”
“Yeah,” she said. Full circle without asshole fathers around to add to the misery.
She stood silently staring at him for a few minutes. She soaked in the subtle, and not so subtle changes. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t.
She breathed in. “Come into my massage room, and tell me what’s going on with your shoulder.” She showed him into her room and clicked the music remote. Soothing sounds of rainfall filled the room.
As kids, they used to hide from their drunken fathers in his barn when it rained. Did he remember those times in the barn talking? They were so young and tainted with a difficult life. It seemed they both found their way out of it, and got sucked back into a different kind of mess as adults.
He took off his shirt, and she worked on his upper body for the session. “Take a few minutes to rest on the table while I wash my hands. Don’t immediately get up,” she said. I don’t need you fainting on me.
“I don’t think I can get up,” he mumbled. “I’ve never had a massage quite like that.”
“I combine multiple modalities. It works, but it’s different than most.” She turned the handle on the door with her elbow. “Take your time, and come out whenever you’re ready.”
She walked out and closed the door with her foot. She washed her hands in the bathroom and checked her messages. Two people booked appointments online for later that day.
“Ella?” Jerry called softly.
She walked out of her office and smiled. His shoulders were lower than when he’d walked in, and he seemed to feel better. This is why I love my job. “How are you doing?”
“Surprisingly great,” he said. “Haven’t felt this good physically in a while.”
“Good.” She handed him three different soaps and a sample bottle of jojoba oil with arnica. “Try these out and see what you like.”
“Can I get another massage on Tuesday and also on Thursday?” he asked. “Is that too soon?”
“It’s not too soon. Let’s get you fixed up.” They hashed out times and dates for the next two months.
“Don’t forget dinner tomorrow at six.” She handed him one of her business cards with her address written on the back.
“The funeral is tomorrow afternoon. I might not make it for dinner if it runs late.”
“Come over anyway. Do you want me to go to the funeral?” she asked. “Do you have someone to sit with?” She didn’t know what she would’ve done if she hadn’t had her kids with her at Greg’s funeral.
“I don’t know who is going to show up tomorrow. If you’re not busy, it would be nice to have a friend with me.”
“I’m not too busy. Friends forever, right?”
He nodded. “Aunt Mae liked you a lot. Said you were a friend for life, the kind time doesn’t take from you. The kind…” He swallowed hard. “…that’s got your back no matter what.”
“You know it. Always.” She inhaled and held her emotions in check. They’d been through enough in their childhood to solidify a friendship nothing would ever break.
He walked toward the door. “It’s casual tomorrow. Aunt Mae requested me wear black jeans and a green T-shirt with a four leaf clover on the front. So.” He looked down at his feet and avoided all eye contact like he did when his father came home late from the bar roaring drunk.
“I have some black jeans and a green shirt,” she said. Thank you, Cade. “We’ll match.”
“Thanks.” He was out the door in a flash.
She blinked, ridding the watery emotions from her eyes. Jerry Carter Wynn. He’d always been good luck for her. Maybe with him around, she’d figure out how to uncomplicate her life. One thing was certain, he’d have her back if Cade or Garrett pissed her off.
She cleaned up the room and waited for her next client to arrive.