Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Stace

I had her number. Another achievement unlocked. Now that I had it, all I wanted to do was send her all kinds of messages but coming on too strong would not work on Hunter. No, I had to melt her slowly. Ease her in. Give her just a little bit at a time until she got used to it and decided she wanted more. I'd be right there to give it to her.

My first message was corny, absolutely, but she had fought a smile.

Hunter wasn't the only thing on my mind when I got back home after the yoga class. I'd chatted with Micah and if my feelings were correct, I had to introduce him to Torrin. Reading between the lines, Micah was single and I was dying to know if something would spark between him and my brother. I wouldn't be a good sister if I didn't do my best to introduce him to someone who was exactly his type.

I sent Tor a message asking when he was going to yoga again and to tell him that he should do what he could to get there on Monday nights so I could go with him. A little brother and sister bonding experience. Nothing more than that. Not trying to set him up with a pretty boy who looked like an elf prince turned model who loved his job working with kids, was allergic to peanuts, and dreamed of visiting Holland to see the tulips. I'd managed to get a lot out of him in a short amount of time, but people liked talking to me. You could get a long way with a dimpled smile and being interested in what someone was saying to you.

Tor was on shift so he didn't get back to me right away. Buck sighed as he lay across my legs.

"Oh, have you had a hard day?" I asked him. "I'm sure you did."

He blinked his eyes open at me and then went back to sleep. I wished I had his life. Whenever I was on call, I usually left him with my parents or Tor would come over and take care of him. He was rarely alone and never missed a meal or a walk. My little brothers played catch with him for hours and he'd come back to me completely worn out.

While he slept, I scrolled through my phone. I should be getting sleep myself, but my mind was restless. Having one or two overnight shifts a week messed with my sleep schedule already, so I'd adjusted to being able to sleep whenever I got the chance.

I had Hunter on my mind. I wanted to send her another message. To get a conversation going.

I wanted to know her, but she wasn't going to make it easy on me. My frustration warred with my competitive instincts as I mentally wrote and rewrote several messages. I didn't want to type anything out in case she saw it and then wondered at my silence.

I'd just have to wait for her to come to me. I'd put my hand out. It was her turn to reach for me.

Hunter didn't respond to me the next day. I kept obsessively checking, just in case. We had a call for a small kitchen fire, a possible carbon monoxide leak at a business, and a water main break. Nothing too strenuous, but I did take a picture of myself before I took off all my gear and thought about sending it to her.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Coop said, peering over my shoulder.

"No one. I was just talking a selfie," I said, showing her.

"Were you taking it for anyone in particular?" Rivera asked as she pulled off her gear.

"Nope," I said, pulling off my boots.

"Think you're lying," Coop sang, and I was tempted to throw a boot at her.

"I bet it's whoever she was waiting for at the gym on Sunday night," Rivera said.

"Come on, we're both single. You owe us," Coop said, and that was true. Whenever one of us was in a relationship, we always gave the other ones the gossip and teased them mercilessly.

"I'm not in a relationship. Yet."

"Okay, we're going to need to sit down and talk about this. Meet at the diner in an hour?" Coop asked.

"Deal," I said.

I told Rivera and Coop the situation with Hunter, and they rolled their eyes.

"Of course you fell for someone on a call," Rivera said.

"It's a good place to meet people!" I said and Coop threw a balled-up napkin at me. We were at the same diner I'd taken Hunter to. When you worked strange hours, having a place that would feed you no matter the time was essential to our survival. They knew us here and sometimes snuck us extra desserts. Especially pie.

"You're shameless. She sounds like she's not interested," Coop said.

"She is. Trust me. She is." I'd seen the way that Hunter looked at me and you didn't look at someone that way that you didn't want to get naked. I also might have thrown a little bit of my game her way to see how she responded. All systems were go. Now I just had to get behind all those walls she put up. Or knock them down. Either way, it was going to happen.

"Well, I'm invested to see what happens," Rivera said, finishing her plate of fries.

"I know we give you a hard time, but you know we're in your corner, right?" Coop said, squeezing my shoulder.

"Yeah, I know." They were. Even if they were a pain in my ass most of the time.

Hunter was teaching on Thursday when I had some free hours, but I wasn't sure if I should show up. I didn't hear from her on Tuesday or during the day on Wednesday and I was losing my mind just a little bit.

I'd kept Tor apprised of everything going on with her and he kept getting annoyed that I wasn't contacting her.

"This isn't like you," he kept saying.

"I know. She's different. Needs a different approach." Normally when I saw someone I wanted, I went for it and cranked up the charm so high that they said yes before they even knew what was happening. I'd never really struggled when it came to dating. Most of my relationships had been short-lived, but that had been fine with me. They'd naturally run their course and I hadn't been devastated when they ended.

This thing with Hunter though. It was an inferno already.

"Have you told Mom and Dad?" he asked me.

"No. And don't you tell them," I said as we lounged on his couch. His apartment was nicer than mine so I'd brought Buck over to hang out on Wednesday night.

"And what about you? Seen anyone cute lately?" I asked, fishing.

Tor kicked his legs up on the coffee table and crossed his ankles, finishing his beer. I'd been slowly sipping mine even though I didn't have a shift tomorrow. I still had work at the shelter, though, and being hung over wasn't professional.

"Not really," he said. "Jesse has been trying to set me up with his sister again. I guess she finally got rid of that loser she was seeing."

I snorted. "Yeah, stay away from that." Jesse was a nice guy, but his sister was a hot mess and I didn't want my very nice brother anywhere near the chaos that was Jesse's sister.

"I'm not miserable, you know," he said.

"I know. But I'd like to see you happy. Have someone to come home to after your shift. Someone to wash your uniforms and to come to cookouts with." Someone to take care of him, but I didn't say that.

He turned his head and stared at me. "I could say the same thing to you."

"I'm working on it," I said, punching his shoulder.

I couldn't get ahead of myself, but for a moment I let myself picture coming home and Hunter being there waiting for me. I hoped she liked dogs. She had to like dogs.

"So am I. In my way."

I laughed. "You're not working on shit."

"Shut up."

I guess I could be free for pie after my class. Meet you at the gym?

Hunter's message came through on Thursday morning as I was getting ready for work. I read it while I was brushing my teeth and almost swallowed my toothbrush.

I had to read the message three times before I could believe it was real. She'd finally responded. Finally. And she wanted to hang out. With pie.

Sounds like a plan to me. I'll be there.

Since no one was around to see me but Buck, I did a little victory dance that involved a lot of flailing.

"Don't you dare judge me," I said to Buck, who sat in the doorway of the bathroom watching me with his head cocked to the side as if he couldn't figure me out.

"Are you ready to go to work?" I asked him and he barked and ran for the front door to get his harness.

No one had ever been so excited about the word "work" before.

I finished up getting ready and headed out to start my day with a huge ass smile on my face.

Hunter

I'd expected her to start blowing up my phone right away, but she didn't. I gave her a good twenty-four hours and nothing. Like she was waiting for me to make the first move. Instead of doing that, I decided to see how long she could hold out. Stace seemed like the kind of person who loved to chat, and I didn't think she could be silent for very long.

I was perfectly fine with not hearing from her and was enjoying my game she didn't know we were playing.

And then I woke up on Thursday with sweat on my skin and my pussy aching and the last wisps of a fading lurid dream floating through my brain.

"Fuck," I panted, squeezing my thighs together. I was wet and buzzing with a kind of confused desire.

I hadn't had an erotic dream in ages and this one had come by surprise.

If I ignored it, then it would go away, but why would I do that when I could just slip my hand under my sleep shorts and take care of myself?

Letting out a moan, I brushed my fingers across my clit and shuddered at how close I was already. The dream had gotten me nearly all the way there. With just a few hard circles of my hand, I came. The orgasm was quick and sharp and truthfully left me wanting more.

I checked the time and realized that I could spend the morning in bed getting off if I truly wanted to. That idea was tempting, but I forced myself to get out of bed, ignoring my screaming libido and going to the kitchen for some coffee.

While I was making myself an egg, spinach, and feta scramble, I pulled up the message thread with Stace. Still just the one message. Those silly little emojis.

Without thinking about the consequences, I sent her a message saying that I would get pie with her after I taught class. Oops. Guess I was the loser in the No Contact Game.

She responded that she'd be there, and I actually expected more of a reaction. More emojis definitely.

Hmmm.

I almost burned my eggs waiting for her to say more.

What had happened to the sunshiny yapper I'd met?

Not that I wanted her to keep blowing up my phone; I didn't. But not getting anything back from her was odd. She was probably in the middle of something.

After I'd properly fueled my body, I sat at my desk and did some admin before setting up to film for a while. I didn't have any showings or real estate work to do today, so I was going to utilize those free hours. There were never enough of them in the day. First I worked on a new painting while the light was good. Something about it wasn't quite right, so I wasn't filming the process like I did with some of the others. I was taking progress pics, but they might all get deleted if I wasn't happy with the results.

I barely paused to have lunch before diving back in to knocking out my endless to-do list.

I did a practice run of a new hairstyle that was a high ponytail where I flipped it over itself to create an interesting look. I added a bow at the end and thought it looked pretty cute for a first try.

"Shit," I said when I saw the time. I needed to get to the gym to teach so I'd have to keep my hair like this. At least it looked good. I put on my matching yoga set and made sure I had my playlist and notes in my phone to look at.

I greeted my Thursday regulars and had a few newbies that I welcomed and got all set up. Micah was there, and I was glad to see him.

I just happened to look up when Torrin walked in, and I found my feet carrying me over to him.

"Nice to see you," I said. "There's a good spot right there."

I motioned to the empty spot next to Micah before one of his admirers could take it.

One of them was already leaning over on Micah's other side and throwing him big, bright signals. Micah nodded politely and I could see his face was a little red.

"Uh huh," Torrin said, looking at Micah and then looking at me.

I leaned closer as if I was sharing a secret. "Please sit next to him or else one of these other women will. And then they'll try to show off to get his attention and I don't want to deal with anyone going to the hospital."

Torrin leaned down to speak in my ear. "I am a paramedic, but I see your point."

He straightened and winked at me in a way that made me think of Stace. Was everyone in this family born with charisma?

I tried not to stare as Torrin set his mat next to Micah's and said hello to him.

Micah seemed taken aback for a second and then his cheeks went a little pink.

Oh yeah. Sparks. Definite sparks.

The woman on the other side of Micah seemed to give up as Torrin asked Micah something.

I bet Stace was going to be thrilled. I didn't even know why I'd done it. Setting people up was not my thing at all. Had I really set them up, though? I'd simply wanted to save Micah from being attacked by another woman who seemed to think that he was fair game.

Pushing all that aside, I started class and let go of everything else for the next hour.

The last two people in the room were Micah and Torrin, who were cleaning their mats so slowly it was mostly just a performance.

I felt like an intruder on something intimate. It was my job to do a quick clean of the room, including sweeping the floors, but I didn't want to interrupt them.

Torrin was saying something and gesturing with his hands which made Micah tip his head back and laugh more freely than I'd ever seen him. Even if nothing else happened between them, it looked like they had the start of a new friendship.

I cleared my throat and they both spun around and stared at me.

"Sorry, I need to clean up the room," I said, feeling like an asshole.

"Shit, what time is it?" Torrin asked, looking at his phone. "I gotta go anyway. I have a shift in an hour." He gathered his things as Micah did the same.

I said goodnight as they continued to talk on their way out. I wish I'd taken a picture of them to send to Stace, but I hadn't thought of it.

Micah was tall, but Torrin was taller and the two of them together was something else. Even in this gym full of guys who took their fitness seriously, these two were special. The Viking and the prince.

"Ridiculous," I said as I swept the floor and finished up for the night.

I changed and freshened up in the locker room before saying goodnight to the people from the gym I'd come to know.

Stace was waiting outside for me, leaning against the wall as she looked at her phone.

The night was a little chilly and she wore a sweatshirt with a pair of joggers, but you could still see how cut she was.

"Your brother was in class tonight," I said instead of a greeting.

Her face snapped up and she smiled. "Yeah, I just saw him. He was absolutely glowing and said he'd met a guy in yoga class. You have anything to do with that?"

I stepped closer to her as I shivered. My jacket wasn't warm enough for tonight.

"Maybe. I was really just trying to save Micah. He's too pretty for his own good."

Stace snorted and pushed off the wall.

"That's basically what Tor said. Well?"

I was lost. "Well what?"

"Well, are you ready to get pie? And tell me all about how it went with Micah."

I nodded. "Yeah."

We still took our separate cars to the diner, which was a bad idea because then I couldn't find any parking. By the time I'd gotten a spot, I was hungry and annoyed.

Stace was waiting for me in the entryway of the diner.

"I thought you got lost," she said. "I was just about to send you a message."

"No, just couldn't find any damn parking. I thought I had a spot and then someone stole it."

Stace held the door open for me. "Cheer up. We're about to have pie."

"Pie can't solve every problem, you know," I said, still clinging to my irritation.

"Not everything, but a lot of things."

Once I had a piece of pie in front of me (lemon meringue this time), I did feel better. Stace was grilling me about her brother and Micah.

"Oh there were definitely sparks. They were acting like there was no one else in the room after they made eye contact. The other yogis aren't going to be happy about that. They've all been circling him like prey ever since his first class."

Stace frowned. "Poor guy." Her words were sincere.

"I know. He can't help it that he's one of the most beautiful humans I've ever seen in person," I said.

"Tor loveeessss pretty guys. Just loses his mind. Most of the time he's loud and confident, but get him around someone pretty like that? He can barely function. It's hilarious."

I sipped my tea. "He seemed to be doing okay from what I could see."

"I can't wait to hear all about it," Stace said. "How has your week been since I saw you last?"

Her face was open, and I knew she was sincere about this question too. She actually gave a shit.

So I told her. I gave her a rundown of my week and all the mundane, boring little details that no one but even my closest friends would care about.

And she listened. And asked questions.

"Your hair does look good," she said when I was telling her about my tutorials. "I mean, it always looks good, but this is cool, especially with the bow."

Normally I didn't blink about compliments on my appearance, but for some reason Stace giving them to me hit differently.

"Thank you. It's a lot of work. People have no idea."

Stace sipped her decaf and nodded. "Yeah, I bet it is. You do so many things. It sounds exhausting."

I shrugged. "It's not. I just manage my time."

She laughed. "You should teach me how to do that. I'm not very good at it."

"Doesn't look like that from where I'm sitting. You seem to manage."

Her dimples popped as she smiled and her cheeks pinked. Fuck.

She shouldn't be allowed to do that. Her smile hit me in my chest and it also hit lower. I remembered the way I'd woken up this morning and shifted in my seat. I didn't get horny in public like this.

"You're sweet," Stace said. "Can I ask you something?"

I let out a snort. "I don't think I could stop you."

For the first time, she seemed hesitant. "How do you feel about dogs?"

That was an odd question.

"Why?" I asked her.

"Because I have a dog. His name is Buck." She showed me a picture on her phone of her crouching with her arm around a tan medium sized dog with one pointy ear and one ear that flopped over. I didn't know what breed it was, but it wasn't like anything I'd ever seen. Maybe a mix of breeds?

"Oh," I said. "I don't know. I've never had a pet or been around many animals." There had been a few school trips to farms or a friend or two who had a pet, but I was always uncomfortable around animals because they seemed so unpredictable.

"But you're not opposed to them?" she asked, leaning forward, as if my answer was important.

"I guess not, no. Why?"

Stace looked down at the picture on her phone and then turned the screen face down on the table.

"Because even if you're just going to be my friend, me and Buck are a package deal and I can't be friends with someone who hates my dog."

For a moment I wanted to laugh, but she was absolutely serious.

"I don't hate dogs. I'm sure your dog is wonderful." That seemed like the right thing to say.

"You could meet him and find out. I promise he's very well-behaved. I know a lot of dog owners say that and it's not true, but I trained him well and he's a good boy."

My heart cracked open just a tiny bit when Stace talked about her dog. Anyone could see she adored him. That this was important to her.

"Okay," I found myself saying. "I'll meet your dog."

Stace gave me one of her biggest smiles yet. "Yeah? How about this weekend? My little brother has a soccer game, but I could meet you nearby."

My mother had another charity event on Saturday that I was expected to attend. Or maybe it was a baby shower for one of her friend's daughters. Something. I hadn't been paying attention to the invitation I'd gotten. There had been so many over the years.

"When?" I asked her, checking my calendar on my phone. There it was. It was actually a bridal shower for one of my mother's friend's granddaughters that I barely knew. Most people wouldn't even know if I was there or not.

"It starts at two," she said, which was the exact same time as I was supposed to be sipping cocktails and making small talk with people I didn't care about but had to pretend to like.

A little boy's soccer game sounded much better. Especially if Stace was going to be there.

"But I'm just coming to meet your dog, right? Not your whole family?" There was no way in hell I was going to meet her family. I still didn't even know her actual first name.

"No, no. I wouldn't subject you to them this early in the game. My family is wonderful, but they're a lot all at once. And we get a little extra when one of us is competing." The fondness with which she spoke about them made something different ache in my chest. What was it like? To be loved and cared for like that?

"It'll be just me and Buck. The field is right near the park so we can just meet up there. I'll sneak you some snacks."

That didn't sound awful at all.

"Okay," I said, deleting the other event from my schedule and exhaling. Why did that feel so good? My mother was going to be absolutely livid. I was going to get another round of angry voicemails from her and my father.

"Should I bring anything?" If there was one thing I learned from my mother, it was that you always showed up with a gift.

"Nah, just bring your gorgeous self," Stace said, making something flutter and unfold in my chest.

A lot of people had told me I was pretty but hearing Stace call me gorgeous was like hearing it for the first time.

I was still going to bring something with me. Maybe something for the dog? What did dogs like? Bones, right? I'd have to do some research.

"I have a question for you," I said after I'd finished my pie.

"Shoot," Stace said.

"What's your first name?" She laughed as she scraped the plate for the last crumbs of pie.

"Do I have to tell you?" she asked.

"No, you don't have to if you don't want to." It must be something really awful.

She sighed heavily. "No, it's fine. It's Katrina."

"Katrina? What's wrong with that?"

Stace raised both eyebrows. "Do I look like a Katrina to you?"

"No, but there are a million nicknames. Kat, Kate, Katie, Trina."

As someone who had zero good nicknames for my name, I was envious.

Stace made a face. "And I hated all of them. I can't explain it. People have always just called me Stace. Or Stacey, when I was younger. It's the only good thing my dad ever gave me, other than half of my DNA, I guess. I'm just Stace."

She was.

"Yeah, you are a Stace."

She nodded in my direction. "Thank you."

Our server brought the check and I was almost disappointed. It was getting later, and I needed to get going, but I didn't want to move. Didn't want to get in my car and go back to my quiet apartment.

Stace paid it before I could get the chance again.

"You don't always have to pay," I told her.

"I know. But I like paying. It's just a few slices of pie, princess. My bank account can handle it." She got up to pay at the register.

"That's not what I meant."

She didn't respond.

When she came back, I wanted to say something about the money comment she'd made, but she said she had to get home to her dog and it was the first time she seemed like she wanted to get away from me.

Perplexed, I followed her out to the parking lot and toward my car. She followed me again and waited while I got in and put on my seatbelt.

I rolled the window down and she put one hand on the roof to lean down and speak to me.

"Drive safe, Hunter," she said.

"I will. You too."

She tapped the roof once and pushed back. When she didn't say anything else, I rolled the window up again and turned my car on. She stood back and waited while I backed out of my space and pulled onto the street.

Made it home safe and sound I sent to Stace after I'd slipped my shoes off on the mat at the door. She hadn't asked me to send her a message, but now that I had her number, it felt like the right thing to do.

Happy to hear it. I'm home too. Buck says hi. Her message was accompanied with a picture of the dog I'd seen earlier laying across her glorious legs. She wore a pair of shorts similar to the ones she'd had on at the yoga class. At first, I wasn't even looking at the dog. Too busy staring at those legs and trying to get my lust under control. Fuck, those legs. So thick and defined just the way they should be. I wanted them around me. I wanted them to crush me. I wanted to lick every single glorious inch of them. Suck on her skin and leave marks.

Very, very inappropriate thoughts.

I shoved them aside as best I could and looked at the dog. He really was cute. He had these triangle-shaped ears and one was always kind of folded over and the other would stick straight up. I didn't mind meeting him. It was so much better than going to that damn event.

Tell him I said hello I responded even though it was silly. The dog didn't understand English.

Stace responded with a video of the dog "waving" at me with one paw. Okay, that was adorable, I had to admit. She hadn't been lying about him being well-trained.

He's a good boy she added.

I watched the video multiple times. Not just because of the dog or her thighs, which you couldn't even see. I wanted to look at her apartment. I needed to know if she was a slob. I didn't think so, but you never knew. Cade wasn't a slob, but her apartment was always a kind of controlled chaos. Kind of messy, but not dirty. And if you asked her where something was, she knew exactly which pile to point to.

I could handle a little bit of mess. Dirt, on the other hand, that I couldn't stand.

From what I saw, Stace's apartment was cozy and filled with bold colors. A red couch. A multicolored rug. Art and tons of pictures on the walls. A dark wood coffee table. Nothing fancy, but her place was warm.

I played the video again as I walked to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. Too bad I hadn't gotten another piece of pie to go so I could have it now.

There was no cookie dough in my freezer either. Immediately I got online and placed another order for cookie dough to be shipped to me, but that wasn't going to help me right now.

I don't have any cookies I posted in my group chat with Cade and Reid.

The latter was probably at work and the former was probably having spectacular sex with her older girlfriend, but it was still worth trying to get them to talk to me.

So order them. You're right. This is a problem your money can solve Cade responded quicker than I thought she would.

Her words coming from anyone else would have made me angry, but Cade didn't mean it in a negative way. She and Reid were probably the only people in the world who could tease me about my trust fund, and it didn't make me want to stab them.

But I can't order the good cookies and I need the good cookies I responded. I knew I was whining, but I didn't care.

Oh boo fucking hoo Reid finally chimed in.

She had very little patience for me when I said things like this.

Fine. I'll order the less good cookies. But you're going to hear me bitch about it I responded.

It was nice being able to order cookies to be delivered to your apartment at night.

Why don't you just learn how to make cookies the way you want? Then you'd have them all the time. Reid said, using too much logic.

Cookies aren't as good when you're the one making them Cade said, taking the words right out of my brain.

What she said I agreed.

I have to go back to work Reid responded in her typical grumpy way. She really did need to get another job so she could cut back her hours at Sapph. The money was good, but it really took over her life and she barely had time for anything else.

We love you, crossing my fingers for good tips Cade sent.

Thank you. Now stop bugging me Reid responded. The funny thing was that if we left her out of the group chat, she'd get pissed at us for not including her. Reid was a complicated person and I didn't think I'd ever truly figure her out, but I wasn't sure I wanted to.

Another message came in as I was waiting for the cookies.

Do you have any food allergies? It was from Stace.

No, why? I asked.

Just wanted to make sure before I brought you something that you couldn't eat, or that would harm you. My youngest brother has celiac, so I'm always making sure.

There was something so open and genuine about Stace and it took my breath away.

Thank you for checking I responded.

You're welcome. Sorry if I'm keeping you up. My sleep schedule is all messed up so I never really know when an appropriate time to talk to someone is she sent.

I put my phone on silent when I'm sleeping, so don't worry about it I replied.

I was so used to my schedule that I couldn't imagine working overnight shifts like she did. Very few people could handle something like that without burning out fast.

Well, I apologize in advance if I send you a message at a random time she sent.

Apology pre-accepted I responded.

This was how I'd expected her to be when she first got my number. It was almost a relief that I'd been right about how she would be.

One of the nastiest surprises in life was when you'd made your mind up about someone and then they turned out to be completely different. So many people I'd known throughout my life had been like that. My parents, especially. In public they smiled and pretended they were a power couple. Smiling at each other. Touching, but not too much. Laughing with each other and using pet names.

And then the moment they got home, they pulled off those layers and went back to hating the other person so much they couldn't breathe the same air so they had to retreat to opposite ends of the house. He had his rooms, she had her rooms, and I was an entity that floated in between. Often I used to wonder what might have happened if I'd had a sibling. It would have been nice to have someone to share the house with.

Stace's house had no doubt been loud when she was growing up. She'd been older when her younger brothers were born, but I still imagined a lot of noise and chaos. Sports equipment everywhere and after school snacks and homework spread on the dining room table.

Part of me wanted to ask her about it. To know what that had been like. To know what I'd missed. To maybe imagine what my life would have been like in another family. One like hers.

The cookies arrived, interrupting my juvenile thoughts. None of that shit mattered anymore. I was an adult now.

In case this is the last message you see before you go to sleep, goodnight Hunter Stace sent, along with a picture of her sleeping dog.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I took my cookies to eat in bed.