Crystal laughed. “It’s a best friend thing, and I’m totally on board with it. Let me know when they can do it.” She’d never imagined being anyone’s maid of honor, and when Gemma had asked her, she’d actually teared up. “There’s so much you can do with the company if we make our own costumes. I know you weren’t sold on taking the franchising plunge, and if this goes well, you can sell your designs to similar boutiques all over the country. No need to franchise. Then you’d just need to hire someone to manage the production.”
“Wouldn’t that be amazing? But while I think we can afford the material costs for a few costumes, if you’re talking about making them in bulk, there are other associated costs.”
“Right,” Crystal agreed. “I’ve thought about that, too. Depending on how big you want to go at that point, we can either do some grassroots marketing or get a bank loan.”
Gemma looked over the designs again. “Starting small is the way to go. If it takes off, we’ll figure out the rest. You’re really talented, Crys. You never told me why you stopped going to college.”
“Sure I did.” She slipped off the table and gathered the designs into a stack. “I ran out of money.” She hated lying, but the last thing she wanted was pity, especially from Gemma. They’d met shortly after Crystal had returned to Peaceful Harbor, and she’d been barely holding her shit together. Gemma had been her saving grace. She’d offered friendship and a job Crystal adored, both of which she might not have given so readily had she known how broken Crystal had been back then.
Pushing those thoughts away, she went behind the register and put the designs in her bag to work on later that evening. “I’m going to start bringing out the costumes.” She went into the back room, checked the costumes to make sure they had all their pieces, and tugged the tall metal clothing rack toward the front of the store.
Gemma looked up from where she was crouched beside the accessory bucket in the play area. “Are you going to tell me how last night went with Bear? Or should I pretend you didn’t come over and leave without ever saying hello to me?”
Crystal laughed. “Jealous?”
She set the rack by the dressing area and went back for another, passing Gemma on the way. “I forgot to tell you. The wedding cake tasting is set up for two weeks from Saturday. I requested several flavors because how often do you get to do a wedding cake tasting?”
Gemma was the closest thing to a sister she would ever have, and she hoped she was doing enough to help her prepare for the wedding. She and Truman had wanted a simple backyard wedding. They’d ordered flowers from Petal Me Hard, a local florist, and Crystal had already arranged for the rental of tables and chairs. One of their customers had suggested they call Finlay Wilson, a caterer who had just moved back to Peaceful Harbor and hadn’t yet reopened her business. Finlay was super sweet and so easy to work with. They’d instantly hit it off. She was also affordable and excited about catering the wedding.
“Sounds fun. I can’t wait. But stop changing the subject and tell me what happened with Bear! I told you all about Tru when we started dating.”
Crystal hiked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going to get the costumes. There’s nothing to tell. We had burgers. He dipped his fry in my milk shake.”
Gemma gasped. “He did? Was it amazing?”
“You are a filthy-minded princess,” Crystal teased. “We went to Woody’s. Can’t chat any more or my boss will dock me for gossiping on company time.”
“Sounds like a real bitch,” Gemma called after her.
Crystal pushed through the doors to the back room, threw a few extra costumes on another rack, and headed back into the shop, dragging the rack behind her. The front door chimed, playing the boutique’s special tune, and she was shocked to see Bear walking in.
His eyes locked on hers, and a wicked grin lifted his lips as he closed the distance between them like a lion on the prowl. He wore the same clothes he’d had on last night. His hair was tousled, his chiseled jaw covered in a thick layer of dark whiskers. Knowing he had spent a sleepless night to ensure a little boy felt safe brought a collision of overwhelming emotions.
He raked his eyes down the length of her body, awakening all the parts she was struggling to ignore as he placed a hand possessively on her hip and kissed her cheek.
Had last night’s kiss on the cheek opened a door? He’d stolen two or three cheek kisses in the past, but this wasn’t a stolen kiss. It felt like a kiss of ownership. Was this his new and improved greeting? She liked it a lot more than she probably should.
“Good afternoon, sugar,” he said in a gravelly voice full of lust and fatigue. It slithered beneath her skin and settled in like steam from an iron.
Her heart melted a little every time he called her sugar, but hearing it in that voice made her wonder what it would sound like when their bodies were intertwined. She shifted her eyes away, pushing past the lustful thoughts that had been surprising her a lot more often lately. There had been a time when fear of being close to a man could swallow her whole. After years of therapy she’d finally gone out on a few dates, and surprisingly, she’d never felt anything. Not panic, not lust. Nothing. But when she played around with those thoughts about Bear, desire consumed her. She was sure that she was too attracted to him, and if they were close, she’d probably lose her mind.
“You didn’t text last night. Next time send the text.” His tone was somewhere between demand and concern. He brushed the back of his fingers gently down her cheek. “I worry about you.”
She swallowed hard trying to regain control of her runaway hormones, but memories of last night drifted in. I’m this way because it’s you. She wanted that almost kiss. He’d had her wanting more from nearly the very first time they’d met. She’d seen him snap into protective mode, and she’d seen him melt over Tru and Gemma’s babies. He was as fierce and intimidating a protector as he was a gentle and kind friend, and she sensed that he’d love a woman with tenderness and devotion that she once thought only happened in storybooks.
It was those thoughts that had her fumbling to find her voice.
“Hi. What are you doing here? How’d it go last night?” An awful thought raced through her mind. What if he hadn’t been at the boy’s house all night? What if this was his morning-after-a-random-hookup look? A herd of elephants trampled through her stomach.
“It went well,” he said, ignoring her first question in typical Bear fashion. “We escorted Scooter to school this morning, and he went right up to that bully and said, ‘I’m not afraid of you anymore.’ It was great to see him so confident.”
She sighed with relief. He had been there all night after all. “I guess intimidation goes a long way.” Catching her knee-jerk snarkiness, she added, “I mean that in a good way. Anyone would feel safe with burly bikers like you and your brothers on their side.”
“Yeah?” He leaned closer. “Then how do I make you feel?”
Hot and bothered and scared of losing my self-control. “Like I need to get back to work.”
“Hey, Bear,” Gemma said as she walked by.
“Hi, Gemma. Sorry to take Crystal away last night, but her stomach was growling like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. I was afraid for her life.”