Always the One: A Beloved Duet Read online

  She appeared unfazed by Aidy’s honesty. The light that danced in her eyes showed her excitement. “This will only take a second,” she promised. “You can tie me into a pretzel later, but first, I want to show you how everything turned out.”

  “Right, special guests and all that.” Aidy had always known Sharon to be a loner. She spent hours reading or sitting by the pool, sipping club soda and lime.

  “Now that it’s a sure thing, I can tell you who my visitor will be.”

  “Movie star? Singer? President?” She wouldn’t have put it past her. Sharon was always full of surprises. One time she’d fostered a chimpanzee. She’d kept Clive until he threw poop at her, and then she was done.

  “Speaking of singers, I hear from my housekeeper that you put on quite a show at karaoke last week.”

  Aidy blushed. Show was putting it lightly. She’d put on a performance that obviously kept everyone talking. The last karaoke night was a special one. Not that they weren’t all special, given it was about the only thing to do in Beloved. But on this occasion, it was a contest with a retro seventies theme.

  She loved performing. Each time she got in front of the mic, she turned into someone else. It didn’t hurt that she had literally become someone else when she donned six-inch platform shoes and an outfit made of metallic spandex that she paired with big hair and oversized disco sunglasses. The ensemble wasn’t a distraction, but an enhancement, and she nailed every note like the songs were written for her.

  “Everyone loves a good Cher impersonation.”

  “I hear you won.” She moved slowly down the hallway with a pronounced limp.

  “I did. Now tell me who’s coming so we can get to work. I think you’ve regressed months in the last few weeks.”

  Sharon turned at the door of a closed bedroom and flashed a big smile. “My Jace is coming tomorrow for an open-ended staycation and he’s not coming alone. He’s bringing one of my most favorite people in the world.” She squealed and bounced on her feet until the pain made her wince. “This room is for her.”

  Sharon never spoke to Aidy about Jace. Maybe that was because each time his name came up, Aidy changed the subject.

  Today she staggered at the mention of him but did her best to hide it. She was pretty sure the hallway spun. Jace is coming and he is bringing someone special. Heat coiled in her stomach. It was like a hot thread that twisted around her insides and squeezed tightly. Jealousy was an ugly beast when it decided to rear its head. This felt exactly like the day he told her he wasn’t going to prom even though his tux was hanging on the back of his door.

  “That’s great. He hasn’t been home for a very long time, right?” Any mention of him caused her a trip back into memory lane. All the hours she’d spent tutoring him so he could get the scholarship that ultimately ripped him from her life.

  “No, I usually go see him. He’s busy with the team and his girl.” She opened the door to show a room painted the exact shade of pink bubble gum. “I’m told it’s her favorite color,” she said with glee.

  Sharon had a familiar look in her eye that Aidy knew all too well. It was her matchmaker look, and poor Jace didn’t have a chance if his aunt had something up her sleeve to move him and whomever he was bringing forward in their relationship. She’d already called her Jace’s girl so that could only mean Sharon was dead set on making her permanent.

  She’d been at the receiving end of Sharon’s meddling when she thought it was a great idea to fix Aidy up with her pool guy Javier. That was right on the heels of her disaster with Chuck. In hindsight, all of her relationships were tragedies. They said there was a perfect somebody for everybody, but so far, her man was missing in action.

  The crush of envy sat heavy on her heart as she wondered who the lucky girl was. She wanted to be happy for her, but she also felt sorry for the woman. If Sharon had her heart set on matrimony, she would likely see to it that Jace and whoever she was got married and fast.

  If her client wasn’t in such need of a good therapy session, Aidy might have left. Thinking about her secret high school crush made her belly ache.

  It was lucky Sharon took a step and grimaced because Aidy resolved to focus on her mission for the day. She’d give it an hour like she was supposed to and then go home to wallow in a pint of Cherries Garcia or maybe a bottle of Chablis.

  “Room looks great. I’m sure she’ll love it. Come on.” She threaded her arm through Sharon’s and walked her back to the family room. “Let’s get busy. You’ve clearly been overdoing it.”

  She walked to the corner of the room where she stored her cushioned mat. Once she unfolded it and placed it on the floor, she could massage Sharon’s hip flexors and get her doing stretches and floor exercises.

  “The smart thing would have been to hire painters, but buy the looks of you, it seems you did it yourself.” She shook her head and clucked her tongue. “What were you thinking? You’re as tight as a rusty hinge.”

  She pressed into the older woman’s muscles, trying to get the knots to relax. She eased her into a few stretches to loosen things up.

  “Stretch it out,” Aidy directed and pulled Sharon into a deeper reach. “Lift your left arm and right leg.”

  Sharon was stronger than she looked. Aidy would do well to remember that. She rarely fell for excuses, but Sharon seemed to get more leeway than the rest. Could be that she’d helped finance her first year of college with all the tutoring fees she paid for Jace.

  “Now switch,” Aidy directed, her eyes studying Sharon’s form.

  Sharon squawked. A look of pain shattered the smile she’d had the entire time.

  “That’s it, huh?” Aidy asked and pressed in the area she thought was giving Sharon trouble.

  “It’s the stairs. I have been washing all the linens. I think I need to get a washer and dryer on the main level. Two sets of stairs have taken their toll.”

  “What the heck is the housekeeper for if you’re doing all of this?”

  “I never mind helping out. Besides, I want everyone to be comfortable. It has to be perfect.” Even though the frown of pain was etched into her expression, her voice was filled with happiness.

  Washing sheets for Jace Johnson didn’t seem all that much of a hardship for her either. Anytime she thought of him, which was far too often to be healthy, she imagined him looking like something between a Colorado cowboy and a knight, seeing as he played for the Knights. Back in high school, he had been a fine specimen of a young man. No doubt he’d grown into his football body. Who was she kidding? On occasion, she’d looked him up on social media and checked out every delicious inch of his beauty. He was a spectacular male.

  A shiver ran through her at the thought of him and his physique.

  Sharon was preoccupied, but she didn’t miss much. “Wow.” She lifted her head. “What was that?”

  “I tried not to sneeze,” lied Aidy.

  Sharon let go of a sharp laugh. “Oh, for goodness sakes, child, sneeze if you have to.”

  “The need has passed.” She rubbed at her nose for good measure. “How do you feel now?” Aidy anxiously tried to wrap it up.

  “Sore, but amazing.” She shifted her body as if getting the final kinks out.

  “Good. Don’t slack on your stretches.” She helped Sharon to her feet and rolled up the pad. “I’ll leave our next session open-ended.” She put the equipment away and headed for the door. “Unless you’re hurting, I won’t expect to see you while your guests are here.”

  What she wanted to say was she didn’t want to see her while her guests were there. Didn’t want to see Jace with “his girl.” He was her secret guilty pleasure. Seeing him with another woman would only ruin the fantasy.

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s possible,” said Sharon. “They’ll be here for a while. He could stay until the season starts again. Let’s keep going with our regular sessions. I’m going to need it because no doubt those two will exhaust me.”

  She started toward the door. “I’ll see m
yself out. If you get sore, remember, ice before heat.”

  Sharon nodded. “I’ll be in touch but count on our next appointment. I know this is out of left field, and Jace is going to let me know what arrangements he’s made, but we may both need you.”

  Aidy’s eyes widened. Physical therapy on Jace Johnson? Her mind went to some naughty places fast.

  She touched her heated cheeks. “It’s warm today. I’ve got to go.”

  As fast as she could, she bounded down the steps and dashed to her car. Safely behind the wheel, she dialed her best friend Lara.

  “Hey,” Lara answered. Her friend was perfect in all ways and super cool on top of it. Which proved life wasn’t always fair.

  “Are you busy right now?” Aidy’s voice was so tight it squeaked.

  “I always have time for you. What’s up?” Lara chuckled. “Are you okay? Is this a Cherries Garcia moment?”

  “I thought so, but it could be a drown myself in wine moment too.”

  “This is wine serious? It’s customary to wait until after noon to hit the bottle,” she laughed. “I’m happy to indulge in some medicinal hot tea if you need to spill. I’ll even spring for it.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “Tea will suffice. I’ll be right over.”

  The only time Beloved experienced traffic was before sunrise when the truckers passed through to fill up on gas and stop at the diner. In the evenings, there was a surge of cars when people who worked in town headed home. Being almost noon, getting to Lara was quick and effortless.

  The best part of living in a small town was any time she wanted or needed anything it was moments away. Old Town Beloved was where Lara’s floral shop was, and every other important storefront as well. The diner and Kiki’s were just a few doors down the street. Beloved was home.

  As she parked in front of the floral shop, she considered her friend, who was beautiful, had her own business, and now had the love of her life, and a beautiful child. She was expecting her second baby in a few months. Everything had worked out for her.

  Lara had managed to turn the simple idea of selling flowers into a cross-country wedding business, advertising theme-inspired events, and the flowers to go with them.

  Aidy stopped before she entered the shop. An invisible forcefield prevented her from going inside. Thinking about anything wedding related nearly paralyzed her, but seeing her friend in the window pushed her forward.

  “Hey,” Lara said as Aidy entered. “What’s going on with you?” She moved from behind the counter to give her a hug, then stood back to take Aidy in.

  “I’m going to be a cat lady for the rest of my life,” she blithered. “It’s going to be me and Clawsome until I’m old and gray.”

  Lara put a sympathetic arm around her shoulder and spoke with the calm of an angel.

  “I have bad news for you.” She leaned in and whispered. “Clawsome isn’t going to live that long.”

  “Stop, I’m serious.” Aidy waved her off.

  Lara bit her lip. “Okay. Let’s go have that tea.” She looked over her shoulder and called out to her assistant, “I’m out of here for a while, Tabitha.”

  “We’re going to the diner?” The problem with going there was Rick the owner would notice their huddle and wonder what was going on.

  She needed to vent to Lara, not to the whole town. The hour wasn’t perfect for drinking, but it was for an early lunch. With few options available, the diner was where it was at.

  When they entered, it was busy as usual, but they were able to slip into a booth despite the crowd. The busser took their drink order and left them alone.

  “What’s got you in a tailspin?” Lara leaned against the wall and set her hands on her stomach. At times, Aidy could see the baby moving. It was those times that she loved and hated the most. Loved to see her friend so happy and content, and sad to realize she might never feel the kick of a foot or hear the beat of a heart that she’d helped create.

  She knuckled her eyes. “Do you remember Jace Johnson?”

  Lara cocked her head. “The only Jace I knew was the one we went to high school with. Plays for the Jersey Knights. Big, gorgeous, sexy football player. Is that the one?”

  “Yes.” Aidy pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure if she liked her friend thinking of him as hot and sexy.

  “I’ll tell you what,” offered Lara. “If I hadn’t had it bad for Grayson, I would have definitely chased Jace.”

  Aidy’s jaw dropped. It felt as though she had been betrayed by her best friend over a romance that never happened. That she’d had a huge crush on Jace, tutoring him all the time, was a secret she’d kept to herself.

  For a moment, her inner mousy, high school persona felt threatened by Lara. No doubt she would have had him if she’d wanted him. She had been as gorgeous then as she was now.

  Aidy never tipped her hand because by keeping it secret, she was able to get closer to him than most of the popular girls. Only it backfired because she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him and he never felt the same. Lara couldn’t know she was sensitive.

  “Yep, that’s the one.” She hoped Lara would stop going on and on about Jace’s sexiness.

  “Grayson and I follow his career more or less because he’s a local guy. Why is he a problem for you?”

  Lara tried to make eye contact with her, but she looked away. She wasn’t sure if she should come clean.

  “He’s coming home with someone.” She huffed out a breath. “Everyone has someone, and there’s no one out there for me. All I have is Clawsome and karaoke.”

  “Hey, you’re talented. Maybe your focus is off. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve had men in your life. There was Chuck.”

  Aidy rolled her eyes. “I was a booby prize, and he was a sociopath. Thank God we never got to the boiling bunnies part of our relationship.”

  The busser brought their tea and said Rick would be over soon.

  “You went out with someone recently and turned your nose up at him.”

  “I didn’t turn my nose up at Javier,” whined Aidy. “He was my client’s pool guy. I mean hello, he used pool metaphors for foreplay talk.”

  “No.” Lara laughed. “Tell me. I need details.” She kicked her feet off the booth bench and turned to face Aidy.

  “I don’t have it in me to go into the dirty details but just think. He talked nonstop about his hose and how he liked certain strokes better than others, and if I wanted to jump into the deep end with him, he knew rescue breathing.” Aidy sighed. “I’m like zero for fifty.”

  Lara lifted a brow at the number and Aidy wondered if she thought it was high or low. “Okay then. While we know you haven’t found your prince, you at least know you want him. Didn’t you tell Grayson your prerequisites a while back? Prince Charming. Black steed and a long …” Lara touched her chin with a single finger. “Maybe the pool guy was your man or …”

  There was an awkward pause between the two of them.

  “I wouldn’t mind if Jace fell into my lap.” Aidy fluttered her eyes and sighed. “At over two hundred pounds he’d probably crush me to death, but what a way to die.”

  “There’s more to this,” Lara said, adding sweetener to her tea. “You might as well confess because I’ll drag it out of you anyway.”

  Rick stopped by, but they told him they were stopping at tea. A minute later he swept by and dropped off two muffins. “Just in case.”

  When he was gone, Aidy confessed.

  “I had it bad for Jace in high school.”

  “What? Why didn’t you say so?”

  “He was out of my league.” She leaned into the center of the table. “Sometimes I stalk him on the team’s website.”

  “Oooh, like a fatal attraction?” Lara separated the muffin top from its base and took a bite. “Chocolate chip.” She pushed the other toward Aidy. “Rick must have known.”

  Aidy looked toward the man who now stood behind the register. “He’s far too intuitive for his own good.”

  Des
pite telling herself she was not going to eat the muffin, she took a bite and spoke around it. “I don’t know how I’m going to behave if he’s under the same roof when I give Sharon physical therapy. I might have to drop her as a patient.”

  “Let me get this straight. You’re single. You want a man in your life. You like a guy you have an established history with, who will be here soon, and your plan is to avoid him—which you’ve done since high school because you decided he was too good for you?” Lara leaned in as far as her belly would allow. “How has that worked for you so far?”

  “I know, but I’m afraid,” whispered Aidy. “Besides, he’s bringing someone.”

  “I think you should be more afraid that Clawsome is going to be your date for the rest of your life. You don’t even know who that someone is. Could be a teammate.”

  “Nope, she’s been with him for years, which is odd because there’s been no mention of a recent girlfriend. He’s keeping her under wraps. On top of that, Sharon painted the room pink for her. Who does that for a nobody?”

  “The one thing I learned from Grayson and my situation was time waits for no one. If you like him, you’re going to need to let him know, or you may die a spinster.”

  Aidy grimaced. “Please don’t say that. I’m drowning in loneliness here,” she pleaded. “You know what Sharon told me? She read an article that said after thirty-five, women’s eggs shrivel up.”

  Lara covered her mouth trying to hide her amusement, but it was no use. The full belly laugh rolled through her.

  “Oh,” Aidy whimpered. “It’s not funny. I have five good years.”

  “Better get brave,” Lara advised.

  “Don’t forget, he’s bringing someone,” blurted out Aidy. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve waited way too long.”

  “That lets you off the hook.” Lara shrugged. “You don’t have to drop your client or make any changes. Just act naturally, and meanwhile, let’s get you a guy. There are lots of wonderful men in Beloved.”

  Let’s get you a guy.

  Aidy sat across from her friend and ate the last of the muffin. She felt like a total head case and knew Lara wasn’t saying a guy would fix her life. Hers was more a message that Aidy had to get a life—a realistic one. Women could not be happy on karaoke alone.