No Tan Lines (13 page)

She had her own demons, ones that constantly caused her doubt and threatened to defeat her. She’d been criticized and ostracized from the day she was born.

Sixth grade had been exceptionally tough and had left lifelong bruises. She’d hated recess and being on the playground. Girls had made fun of her thrift-shop clothes and her fingernails broken from doing housework for the neighbors to help put food on the table. The kids had bullied her with words that hurt just as much as blows.

To evade their meanness, she’d sat on the grass and made jewelry out of daisies and paper clips. She’d later molded her own designs in clay and taught herself how to solder wire into interesting shapes. She’d used costume rhinestones to create her own distinct style.

The younger girls had gathered to watch her work. Nicole had made a few friends by giving away the occasional beaded bracelet. The girls would giggle and show off their one-of-a-kind designs.

At the age of twelve, her mother had given her a jewelry box with one large compartment and two tiny drawers. The plain walnut box was her greatest treasure. She knew jewelry was her destiny.

The memory was old, faded, yet always returned when she was stressed. Kai Cates stressed her greatly.

The Jewelry Box was her baby, and no one was going to spoil it.

Not even an aggravating, tool-belt stud.

Her throat was dry. She found it hard to swallow. Heat rose like a mirage on the back loading dock. An iced coffee would cool her down. “Where’s the nearest coffee shop?” she asked.

Kai crouched down and began combining the paint. He didn’t look up. “What do you want?”

“A tall, iced, skinny-vanilla latte would be nice.”

He rolled his eyes but didn’t otherwise readily respond. He went on to snag a yardstick from the shed and handed it to her. “You stay and stir, and I’ll see to the coffee,” he directed.

There was no hustle in the man. He stood off to the side for a good long time, overseeing her smooth circles before quenching her thirst. Once he approved her motion, he took off.

She clutched the measuring stick and put all her muscle into mixing the paint. Stamina eluded her. She grew tired and careless in her stirring. Paint spattered off the stick and onto her white shorts. A blob of dark gold colored the left toe on her ballet slipper.

Her shoulders soon ached, and she was certain her fingers would never straighten again. Her numb hands slid down the yardstick, and her fingertips skimmed the paint with the next turn. At least the paint matched her nail polish. The color wasn’t too bad.

She wondered how far Kai had to go for the coffee. Time dragged. It could’ve been five minutes or fifty before he returned. When he did, he carried a blue thermos in one hand and a metal cup in the other. He poured for her. The coffee steamed, black and strong.

She stopped stirring, leaned the yardstick against the side of the bucket, and slowly straightened. Her back felt tight. “This isn’t what I ordered.”

“It’s what I had on the premises.”

He was too lazy to walk down the boardwalk? Or perhaps he didn’t trust her here alone. As if she could do any damage. The shop was all naked studs with debris on the floor.

“I only have one cup,” he went on to say. “I took my coffee break while you were mixing the paint.”

They were to share a cup? Not going to happen. “The coffee is hot, and I wanted cold.” She’d also wanted vanilla flavoring and nonfat milk.

“Coffee cools. Blow on it.”

There’d be no blowing. “I’ll pass.”

She went to step around him, but he blocked her path. “Where are you going?” he demanded.

“Out.” A breath of fresh air would be nice. A decent cup of iced coffee even better.

Kai Cates couldn’t let her go. He’d promised Shaye he’d keep an eye on Nicole Archer. That meant holding her at the shop, not letting her roam the boardwalk. The rest of the family hadn’t been informed of her rental. The jewelry designer would raise eyebrows. Shaye would be called on the carpet. She planned to explain Nicole in her own good time.

“How did the colors mix?” he asked, trying to distract her.

She rubbed her right shoulder. “I got tired of stirring.”

“I have a battery-powered handheld mixer you could use.”

She glared at him. “Now you tell me.”

There’d been no reason to offer sooner. The lady wanted to help with the renovations. He’d let her stir her little heart out.

The delivery truck from Cates Hardware and Lumber arrived right on time. It rumbled down the narrow alley. Brakes screeched as the driver parked parallel to the loading dock. Two burly men hopped down from the cab. Both eyed Nicole with male curiosity.

“Butch, Branson.” Kai drew his cousins’ attention back to him. “Stack the drywall in the middle of the shop.”

The men were slow to move. Kai refused to make introductions. Nicole wouldn’t be around long enough to make friends.

But damn if she didn’t prove friendly. She crossed to the men and held out her hand. “Nicole Archer, jewelry designer.”

His cousins found her introduction amusing. “Butch Cates, nuts and bolts,” one said.

“Branson Cates, two-by-fours.”

The men weren’t making fun of Nicole; they’d just followed her lead. And added their own sense of humor.

She half smiled as they all shook hands. She went on to run her palms down her shorts, as if hand-ironing the pleats. Her movements smeared the flecks of gold.

His cousins were on a tight schedule, so they immediately started unloading the truck. That didn’t stop them from grinning at Nicole with each load of drywall that went into the shop.

Kai saw what they saw. Although he hated to admit it, Nicole was a beautiful woman. A sleek brunette with arched eyebrows and a magazine-cover shine about her, as if she’d been Photoshopped to perfection. He usually went for surfer chicks with their laid-back style and athletic, bronzed bodies.

Nicole was curvy. She wore designer white. She was out of her element. He’d purposely pushed her buttons, just to see how much crap she would take.

She’d taken a lot. But she was no pushover.

She’d held her spot, then hefted drywall and stirred paint.

Her breasts had swayed with each turn of the yardstick. The visual had hit below his tool belt. He’d gone for his coffee break so she wouldn’t catch him stiff.

He shrugged off any attraction he felt for her.

She was
way
out of his league.

He watched her now as she left the loading dock and moved back inside. Kai followed her. She crossed to the broken wooden display case and leaned fully against it. She scanned her surroundings, then sighed. A soft yet long-suffering sigh.

Her face was flushed, her expression flustered. He’d only added to her frustration. He’d been an ass from the moment she’d walked through the door. His behavior had been negative, almost mean. He couldn’t help himself.

He’d known she was watching him work; he’d felt her gaze on him from the moment she entered the shop. Her initial look had been one of female interest, which soon turned to irritation the longer they spent together. He’d toyed with her, tried to scare her off.

The lady hadn’t left. She’d continued to stare at his chest. If Nicole felt threatened by his sexuality, he figured she’d go running back to where she belonged.

Trouble was, his plan had backfired.
He
was the one who’d gotten hot under the collar, even if he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Damn, she made him sweat.

No matter their situation, he refused to be distracted by the enemy. She wasn’t officially a Saunders but close enough. According to Shaye, Nicole and Trace were involved. She’d caught them kissing in his office and about to have a nooner, had she not interrupted them.

The thought of Nicole becoming a Saunders twisted his gut. He refused to evaluate the feeling. Instead, he closed his mind to her.

He would finish the renovations, then move on. He didn’t buy jewelry, so once she occupied the shop, there would be no reason for them to cross paths.

“Later, Kai, Nicole,” Branson called as he and Butch wrapped up their delivery.

Kai blinked. Engrossed by Nicole, he hadn’t realized the men had brought in the last sheet of drywall.

His cousins caught his surprise and nudged each other, smiling knowingly. Damn it all. He should have been more cautious.

Word would spread that he had a beautiful woman at the shop he was working on. Everyone would wonder who she was and if they were seriously dating. He wouldn’t be able to step out onto the boardwalk without being questioned. Nicole’s identity wouldn’t sit well with his family. He’d have to leave by the back door.

He shifted his stance and said, “Let’s be honest here. You’re in my way. I work best alone. Solo, I can renovate your shop in two days. Otherwise we’re stepping on each other. You don’t need another boot print on your ballerina slippers.”

She took her sweet time but finally agreed with him. “I need to browse pawnshops and the local flea market. A second display case is a must, along with a large mirror so customers can admire themselves wearing my jewelry.”

Kai was relieved, or so he thought. The fact that he wouldn’t see Nicole for a few days crimped his gut. He absently rubbed his stomach. The pain remained.

She went on to gather her purse and, as an afterthought, traced her finger in the dust on the glass top. Her smile was small. Secretive. Pleased.

“It’s Wednesday,” she said on her departure. “I’ll start moving in on Saturday.” She paused in the doorway, then surprised him by saying, “Thanks, Kai.”

Thanks
. Her show of appreciation cut low. He felt a twinge of guilt for being such a bastard all day.

He crossed to where she’d stood and looked down at the cracked glass. The afternoon sun blinked over the words The Jewelry Box. Classy, smart, and apparently the name of her shop.

He rolled his shoulders. It was time to get busy. He mentally organized the remainder of the day and the days yet to come.

He faced long hours. He had a few ideas of his own for the shop. The extra expenses would go beyond the renovation budget.

Shaye wouldn’t be happy, but the changes would ease his conscience. A part of him wanted to satisfy Nicole.

Saturday, daybreak. The sun yawned, stretched, but was slow to rise. The night shadows clung to the storefronts. A morning person, Kai Cates took to the boardwalk. He breathed in the pungent scents of dawn: ham and eggs fried at Molly Malone’s, coffee perked at Brews Brothers, and oven-fresh doughnuts from the Bakehouse.

The air was clear, and the sounds were amplified. Noisy seagulls dived for fish. The waves rhythmically slapped the shoreline. A few tourists milled about, some eagerly waiting to sunbathe and others heading to the pier to fish.

Kai felt at peace with the day.

He had met his deadline.

He’d worked hard to get Nicole’s shop ready on time. In before dawn, out long after the sun went down.

His shoulders and arms had ached from the strain and begged for some TLC. He’d stopped at Molly’s for a beer afterward and a look-see at the cute new waitress, but even her dimpled smile didn’t do it for him.

Nicole Archer was not an easy woman to forget. He couldn’t get her out of his head.

That was why he’d dragged his butt up early this morning and decided to forego his usual coffee run before heading over to the shop. He intended to give it one final inspection before she arrived. He’d spent extra effort cleaning up the store.

Nicole had wanted emerald paint on the front door, but she’d gotten gold, a sparkly welcome. The paint was the color of polished coins.

He wanted to check the interior coat, to make sure it was dry enough for her to start hanging whatever it was she planned to hang.

Nicole Archer might be off-limits, but he had to admit he was looking forward to seeing her again, if only to inhale her ritzy scent and let his eyes wander where they shouldn’t.

A frown wrinkled his brow.
Nicole is the enemy,
he repeated to himself, turning the corner.

His job was done.

He found the front door unlocked.
A thief?
What was there to steal? Oh, yeah. Yesterday UPS had delivered several big boxes addressed to her. He’d signed for them.

Kai was suddenly seized by the insane idea that if a robber was in there, he could bring the man down with his hammer. And ask questions later.

He drew the hammer from his tool belt so fast, it snagged on his gray T-shirt, ripping it straight across. He paid the tear no attention and opened the door carefully, peering inside.

A sound alerted him. Shuffling noises.

Someone
was
in the shop. More than one person, he thought, noting the dark silhouettes along the far wall.

The moment turned dangerous.

Could a gun be pointed at him? Pale sunlight pushed at his back, making him the perfect target.

He shoved open the door with his foot and crouched down low. A woman screamed.

He double blinked.

Nicole
.

She sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by jewelry pieces. The first glint of daylight made the gemstones shine like buried treasure. Her eyes were round, and she clutched her cell phone to her chest.

“You could have knocked,” she said, her voice shaking, “instead of barging in here with your hammer cocked.”

“Shit,”
he cursed under his breath, then lowered his weapon. “I thought the store was being robbed.”

“Lucky for you I recognized you by your bed-head and work boots.” Her gaze lingered on his ripped T-shirt. A good bit of his abdomen was bare. “I was ready to call for help.”

Kai stiffened. That was all he needed. His uncle the local sheriff would spread the news all over town that someone other than a Cates had rented a shop on the boardwalk. Someone involved with Trace Saunders.

“What are
you
doing here?” he growled, her hard stare unnerving him. “I hadn’t expected you to roll out of bed before noon.”

A snarky remark, but except for wiggling her pretty nose, she let it pass.