Angel: Rochon Bears (16 page)

B
ecca knew
why people got pets. Having another heartbeat in your house went a long way to keeping you sane. That warm, little, fuzzy body snuggled up to you; someone that needed you not only for food but for affection. They were a calming balm to your soul. She would often spend her time just sitting to let the cats find a comfy spot on her lap and settle in for a nap. The feeling of their soft fur under her fingers would give Becca the same level of relaxation as a visit to a masseuse.

She didn’t have any pets of her own because, as a child, she had an unfortunate incident with a goldfish. Becca was worried that her fish was swimming in the dark, so she placed her desk lamp over the tank. Poor little Catherine the Great got boiled. After that, her parents wouldn’t allow anything in the house, even a fish. They were what you could call staunchly anti-hair. Her mother would shudder in horror at the thought of having pet hair on her clothes or furniture.

When she moved into her first apartment, she couldn’t afford the pet deposit. So she started volunteering and got her fix that way. It all worked out since her house was hair free, which she secretly enjoyed, but she still got lots of snuggly time with animals.

Becca made fast work of getting the area cleaned up, checking the cages and replacing any bedding that needed washing. The litter boxes had been done recently by another volunteer, so it didn’t take long to take care of them.

She went back to the wall of cages that held the cats when they weren’t in the ‘living room’ of the shelter. The cats were socialized in the room together that was set up with couches, tables, and lamps to get some of the cats that had never lived inside acclimated to the environment. Some of the cats, though, could never be around other kitties. The lone wolf of cats didn’t play well with others.

Marvin was one of those cats. He was of an indeterminate age, but he’d seen things nonetheless. He was ragged. At some point, he’d gotten in a fight and had lost part of one of his ears. He was also missing one of his canine teeth, so he had a wonky smile or snarl, whichever. When you put him in a room with another cat, the fur started flying.

Becca made sure to always spend a little time with Marvin one on one. Somebody was going to come in someday and find a soulmate in Marvin. She imagined a grumpy old man that wanted some company. The two of them would sit around in a room together ignoring the other while they watched
The Price is Right
, with both of them being better for the company.

“Marvin, hey pretty kitty. Wanna come out?” He wasn’t a pretty kitty, but Becca figured a little positive reinforcement could only help his disposition.

She opened the wire door and reached in, ignoring the hissing as Marvin warned her off. He always did that, and it was all for show with her. Scooping him up, she put him over her shoulder like you would a baby and started scratching his back as she shut the cage door. He began purring and kneaded her back with his paws.

“You big baby, so much fuss for nothing,” she laughed at him.

Becca walked him away from the other cats so she could sit at a desk across the room. She spent a good twenty minutes talking to Marvin and finding all the spots he’d let her pet without biting her. Putting him back in the cage, she grabbed a couple of the other cats, putting them under her arms like limp kitty luggage and brought them into the living room. There were already a group of kittens wrecking the room. She let the adult cats loose, and the kittens turned on them en masse chasing after the poor elder cats until they had to seek refuge at the top of the cat trees that the kittens weren’t big enough to climb yet.

The next few hours passed by with toys, laser pointers, and sleepy cats.

Her three hours were up in a blink, and Becca’s stomach rumbled. She put the cats back and gave Joan a big hug before she left.

She got into her car and headed into town to pick up some lunch at the diner. It was a great little mom and pop shop that served all the classic diner foods but with a Pacific Northwest twist.

Becca found a spot right in front of the diner on the street and parked. She jumped out and went in, bypassing all the booths to walk to the back where the long Formica countertop that was lined with stools was. She wasn’t a big fan of eating alone, not that she couldn’t do it. It was a skill every singleton had to learn, or you would end up eating fast-food in your car for the rest of your life.

A nice older woman came up wearing an apron.

“Need a seat, honey?”

“No, I’d like to place an order to go, please.”

“What would you like?”

“Any specials?”

“Cook made up some amazing elk sausage and pepper sandwiches. Those boys just got back from a hunting trip. Pretty much everything has elk in it. It’s really tasty, spicy. Comes with a side, and we have Marionberry pie fresh today too.”

“I say yes to all of that. Mind if I sit here and wait?”

“Not at all, honey. It will just be a minute to get this up.”

Becca took a seat on the last chair at the counter. She liked watching the cook through the high window moving around the sizzle and snap of the grill. Plus, she didn’t have to see who was behind her watching her get her lonely meal.

She knew that most of the time those thoughts were all in her own head. Truth was, most people didn’t have time in their busy lives to form opinions about every stranger they came across during the day. In fact, dining alone you tended to get overlooked. It felt like you were on display, but most people looked past you like you blended into the furniture.

Today, she didn’t have to worry. The diner was bustling, lots of families were out and about on a Saturday. It was too early for the couples crowd and being one of the better places to eat in town; it was a frequent date night spot.

Becca was thinking over what shows she had recorded from the last two days that she needed to get caught up on when a body appeared next to her. Her brain immediately went to Angel, but it couldn’t be him unless he was following her. She was afraid to look. Glancing down, she saw nice blue dress pants and stylish leather loafers. Definitely not Angel.

As she gathered her courage and looked up, she saw he was blond and blindingly good looking. Angel was handsome in a dark, rough, rugged way. This guy looked like a model.

“Hi, there,” the man said with a rakish grin. Yup, it was rakish. She wasn’t even sure what that would have looked like until she’d seen this man.

“Hi.” Becca didn’t want to engage in conversation. Rule number one when out at a restaurant alone: keep conversations brief and then only to wait staff.

“Haven’t seen you around here before. New in town?” the man asked his hands tapping on the counter.

“Uh, no.”

She glanced up at the man because looking directly at him would be like looking at the sun. Too much of a good thing.

Becca saw him raise a hand to the woman that helped her, and the woman waved back.

“You eating alone?”

Boy, this guy was nosy. Clearly, he didn’t know the dining alone rules.

“Just picking up food to go.”

“Me too, got a hungry wife and kids at home. I’m Eddie.”

“Becca,” she said giving a little wave.

Of course, he was married with probably a smoking hot wife and beautiful perfectly well-behaved children.

The man continued to stare at her, and it was making her nervous.

“Ahh—” Becca really didn’t know what to say to that, and it was getting awkward. She was trying to avoid this possible scenario by taking her food to go.

“You smell like coconut,” the man announced.

Okay, weird. Two guys remarking on how she smelled in two days did not bode well.

“Yes.” Again she didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Huh. My little brother told me he just met a girl that smelled like coconut. Strange that I ran into someone that smells like coconut after he said that.”

“I doubt there are that many options for body products out there to make sure everyone has a unique smell.”

“Hmm, true. But, you wouldn’t happen to have met my brother Angel would you?”

No, no, no.

This was not Eddie Rochon, the doctor. Today was clearly not her day to buy a lottery ticket. Karma was starting its payback session for her being mean to Angel.

“Yes, I know Angel,” she admitted. What was the chance he’d take that and leave it alone?

None. The chance was none.

“He came to talk to me about you. He was worried about your migraine. Seems like you’ve recovered well enough.”

“Yes, all good.”

There was a lull where she knew that he was looking at her, judging her. She was probably covered in cat hair; she’d left her hair in a braid to keep the tension off her tender skull. Zero makeup, because the cats didn’t care what she looked like. Now she was in front of Angel’s apparently hot doctor brother, and he knew about her. That was a karma upper cut straight in the kisser.

“You seeing a doctor for those?”

“It’s covered, thank you.” She was not going to discuss her medical conditions with him.

“You know, he likes you.”

“Yeah, he’s great.”

“I don’t think you understand.
He really likes you.
My brother normally doesn’t talk to me about women he meets. He met you and came straight to me because he was worried about you.”

So when she left work, he went to get medical advice from his brother? That was sweet and a little weird. Becca knew good and well that if she didn’t have her hang-ups, she’d see there was a chance here at something new and exciting. It would be fun until it wasn’t. She’d fall for him, and he’d realize that she was older than him by enough that it would matter eventually. His twenties should be about having fun, making mistakes, and finding himself.

“Well, he’s very sweet and persistent,” she agreed.

“Are you not interested in him?” This seemed to concern Eddie, judging from the frown he was now sporting.

“No, I mean sure, he’s a great guy. I really don’t know him all that well. We only met the other night.”

She’d heard rumors about the Rochon men. They were known to find a girl and settle down in a blink of an eye. It was a running joke in town that as soon as a Rochon boy hit puberty, the girls started lining up. They were all good-looking, the product of some amazing genes. They also were all well-off. Not that most people would know that from how they lived. They were old money that didn’t need to live large. But the young girls in town knew that the Rochon boys meant a good life.

The family’s girls, on the other hand, intimidated the hell out of the young boys in town. Not just because they were afraid of the older family members should they slip up. But the young studs at school never seemed to impress the Rochon girls.

“So are you dating?”

“Uh, no.”

“Why not? I’m sure he’d love to take you out. I know he’s working at the logging company right now, but our cousin is okay with giving him time off if he needs it. You two could come over to my house. Meet my wife Gemma, my son, Dash, and my baby daughter, Talia. What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“It’s Sunday. I have a standing appointment with my best friend and
Game of Thrones
. It’s a long-term relationship that I never shirk on.” She was trying to be funny to get out of the uncomfortable situation. It wasn’t working.

“One night, can’t you record it? I can call Angel right now and see if he’s available.”

“No, really. Thank you, Eddie. But Angel and I are going to just be friends. I think that’s best.”

The waitress came up with her order, and Becca slid a bill across the counter. “No change, thanks.”

The waitress smiled at her then looked back and forth between her and Eddie.

“Nice to meet you, Eddie. Have a good night.”

She jumped down from the stool and walked quickly to the front door. Not wanting to turn around to see if he was still watching her, she unlocked her car and got in, keeping her eyes away from the restaurant.

Becca was down the road and on her way before ever glancing in her rearview mirror. What did she expect? To see him running down the street still trying to convince her to give his brother a chance?

“Can this get any more complicated?”

The interior of the car was not giving her any answers.

Becca didn’t want to believe that Eddie would call Angel and tell him she was on the way home, but clearly, the pro-Angel side was growing at a rapid pace. Deciding that she wasn’t up for another Angel encounter, she turned her car towards Alicia’s house.

T
he lumpy futon
in Alicia’s spare room was not conducive to good sleep or any sleep for that matter. But she’d crashed after showing up on her friend’s doorstep the night before. She wasn’t ashamed to admit she was hiding.

Okay, maybe she was a tiny bit ashamed. But in her defense, she was feeling surrounded by people that shouldn’t have an opinion on who she should or shouldn’t be interested in. Alicia had finally stopped telling her she was crazy for not wanting Angel.

That left Becca to act like she wasn’t thinking about him all the while she was completely obsessing. Being a practical person, she made a pro/con list. She knew only a few things about him. He’d told her she could ask him anything, but she spent more time trying to push him away than learning anything about him.

P
ros
:

Shockingly handsome.

Hot sex and making her come like a screaming banshee.

Worrying about her and taking care of her when she was sick.

Thought she smelled nice, commenting often (not sure if this is a pro).

Thought she was sexy, even though she needed to lose a few pounds.

Wanted a relationship, to date her, take her to dinner, everything!

Rock hard body and shocking stamina.

Possible chance she could talk him into growing a beard and getting a few tattoos to take his handsome level from panty melting to nipple twisting level.

C
ons
:

High school graduate. Literally––a few years.

Potentially lived with six roommates in a studio apartment that was full of dirty clothes and unwashed dishes.

He could spend all of his money on energy drinks and Slim Jims.

Had dreams of being a musician. Normally a pro but not if he didn’t have the focus to get it done. Otherwise, it was a lifetime of unfulfilled hopes.

Bossy (okay possibly a pro).

Told his family about her after they just met!

Hot body and firm muscles now, receding hairlines and potbellies in the near future. (Okay, that wasn’t exactly fair. He didn’t seem like the type to stop being who he was).

Mismatched together.

Being mistaken for his mom.

I
t seemed
Becca’s mental list was even with no clear winner. Her list seemed to be futile in making a decision about Angel.

Becca convinced Alicia that hiding at her house would be the kindest thing for Angel. It would give him a good couple of days to get some perspective. Alicia decided that Becca had a magical pussy to get a guy so wrapped up so fast. Now she kept torturing Becca with the new title.

But she had to put up with it since she was squatting at Alicia’s house. She’d left to go scoop her alpaca poop, and she managed to get one of the little beasties to hold still long enough for her to hug it. The fluffy little mammal tolerated the contact but didn’t participate.

Becca slunk back to Alicia’s, and they watched their TV show, munching nachos and drinking enough margaritas to get Becca talking about her night with Angel. She gave Alicia all the dirty details she was looking for. It didn’t help that at the end of her recitation of Angel’s attributes and his skills, she was even more on his side.

“You have to be the dumbest woman in the world.”

“Gee, thanks for that. I was hoping for a little more support. Maybe a little about how I made a mature decision. I can’t have a life with someone that probably watches Zoolander movies and thinks they’re funny.”

“If a man did me the way you just described? I’d watch whatever crap he wants as long as I was cuddled up to him. You don’t turn your back on mind blowing sex. It’s against the girl code, and if the sisterhood found out you had crazy porn sex, and that guy wanted to see you again? There would be a bitchy lynch mob at your door.”

Becca knew there was no convincing her friend. She loved Alicia, but this was something she had to make an adult decision about. If she thought she could get away with just having fun with Angel, she would be totally down for a little action. Him showing up at her house showed that he couldn’t keep emotions out of it.

She also wasn’t going to admit to her friend that she had something bordering on a major crush on Angel. If she was a few years younger and not so uptight, she’d be writing her name with his last name. Drawing little hearts around their initials. Yes, there were plenty of reasons to like Angel Rochon, if this was a perfect world.

Instead, she was thinking about how she couldn’t be any more pathetic. She also still planned to go over in her mind all that was Angel. That time was now, laying alone, post
Game of Thrones
. She had too much real drama in her life to appreciate the blood, death, and sex of her favorite TV show.

She wondered how long she could live with Alicia. They got along well; they could be roomies. All of Alicia’s clothes were way too tall for her, but she could roll up some leggings and belt a shirt for work. It wasn’t a practical solution; it was one of desperation and pure cowardice. Maybe she could call his mom and have her tell him he was grounded.

Calling the Sheriff wouldn’t get her too far, him being a Rochon and all. And there was no reason to get the police involved. Unless there was a law against too much sex and a man wanting a second date.

Of course, a bar hook-up could hardly be called a date. There were drinks and awkward conversation followed by sex. So maybe he did think it was a date.

Going to work in the morning was going to be a lesson in focus for Becca. She was going to want to worry that Angel was going to show up. She didn’t have anything to say to him, at least, nothing that he would accept.

There was the chance that the last few days gave Angel the break Becca thought he needed to see she wasn’t the one.

Becca really hoped that it was that last option. Then everything could go back to normal.

Normal. That used to be her goal in life. Keeping everything the same, no surprises, just staying content with her life.

Angel threw a wrench into that world. Becca wasn’t so sure she wanted that old world back. Week after week with the same routine. Working, volunteering, and hanging out with Alicia wasn’t a bad life. It just wasn’t very exciting. Life with Angel in it wouldn’t be boring.

Conflicted and tired from thinking about her lack of resolution with Angel all day had Becca exhausted. Closing her eyes, she tried to think about anything but him before falling asleep. When she finally slipped into that fitful slumber, she dreamt about him.