No One Like You (24 page)

“What do you and Anne have planned for today?” Beth asked.

“We’re going shopping.”

“What kind of shopping?” Ry was curious.
Clothes? Grocery?

“Budget Buy,” said Cora. “It’s similar to a dollar store.”

Older people were on fixed incomes, Ry knew. Social security didn’t stretch far. His grandfather was fortunate to have unlimited funds. But then the Cateses owned Barefoot William. Family took care of family.

“What time was Anne to pick you up?” Beth inquired.

Cora was slow to answer. “There’s no set time actually. It’s whenever she’s able. Her divorce was difficult. Anne has her hands full, working two jobs, caring for her children. She gets to me when she can.” Cora ran her hands along the curved wooden arms of her chair. “I do love a good rocking chair. A comfortable place to wait.”

Rylan felt the sympathy he saw on Beth’s face. There was no pity in her eyes, only kindness. He knew she wouldn’t let this moment pass without doing something for the senior citizen. Something that would make her day better.

Beth stood. “I’ll be right back.” She crossed to Reception and spoke quietly with the lady behind the desk. When she returned shortly, her eyes were moist as if holding back tears. She swallowed hard, leaned toward Cora, drawing the woman’s attention. “I’ve spoken to the receptionist. Unfortunately, Anne won’t be visiting today.”

Cora sighed, sounding defeated. “Well, then, maybe tomorrow.”

“Maybe.” Beth gave the woman hope. “Rylan and I are going shopping if you’d care to join us.”

Cora stopped rocking, her expression thoughtful. “A third wheel?”

“You have a roommate from what I remember,” said Beth. “Include her, too.”

Cora nodded. “Lana Arnett is my sister-in-law. We’re both widowed. We lost our husbands twenty years ago, within a week of each other. We’ve lived together ever since.”

“We’re headed to Furniture Barn,” Beth told her. “Care to browse with us?”

Cora rose from the rocker. “Think we could make a stop at Budget Buy on our way back?”

Rylan committed. “Easy stop.”

“What about the flea market?”

Out of the way, but doable. He gave in. “We can manage that, too.” His saw his private afternoon with Beth rapidly becoming an outing for four.

“Let me grab my purse and locate Lana. Shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes.” Cora left with a bounce in her step.

“What’s her story?” Rylan asked Beth once Cora was out of earshot. Her conversation with the receptionist had prompted the shopping spree.

Beth’s gaze clouded when she said, “Anne and her children no longer live in Barefoot William. They moved to Atlanta shortly after the divorce. Cora hasn’t fully comprehended that Anne is gone. She expects her only daughter to walk through the door at any moment. It’s not going to happen.”

“Sorry to hear that,” said Ry.

“Yeah, me, too.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s going to be an interesting afternoon.”

“I think so, too.” The look she gave him was warm and grateful and worth his decision to chauffeur the ladies about town.

Cora and Lana met them thirty minutes later. Lana wore a bright green pantsuit and walked with a cane. She moved more slowly than Cora. She wasn’t all that steady on her feet, Rylan soon learned. She tipped to the side when she turned too quickly. He offered her his arm for balance, and she grasped his elbow with surprising strength.

Cora sniffed inside his Range Rover while hooking her seat belt. “Do you have a dog?”

Evidence of his crew lingered. “Four,” he responded. He expected her look of horror, only to see Cora’s smile reflected in his rearview mirror.

She commented, “I grew up with a household of pets. My mother never turned a stray away. The retirement facility allows dogs and cats under twenty-five pounds. Our neighbor has a Pekinese named Pudge. Chubby little guy.”

“I have a Great Dane named Atlas,” Rylan told her. He relayed several funny stories that had the ladies laughing. One included the big boy riding in the back with his head out the window, panting so hard he shook the entire vehicle.

Once they reached the Furniture Barn, Rylan realized the ladies saw their outing as more than an hour or two; they were thinking of it as an afternoon affair.

“We don’t get out very often,” Cora told him. “Transportation is offered at the village to take us to doctor and dental appointments, shopping and the like. But the van’s schedule conflicts with our other activities.”

Lana agreed. “We can’t miss our morning coffee klatch or afternoon Bingo during the week.”

Sunday was apparently a free day and they were glad to get out and about. Beth seemed to be enjoying herself as well. She and Cora had circled the perimeter of the barn twice, surveying the furniture. They wove amid the sofas and chairs, sitting and testing several pieces for sturdiness and comfort.

Rylan took Lana to join them at the rockers. All three sat and rocked with different motions.

“I do enjoy a good rocking chair,” Cora said, closing her eyes. She appeared about to fall asleep. Same with Lana. Their bodies seemed to sigh on the cushioned seats. Relaxed smiles smoothed the wrinkles on their faces. They looked ten years younger.

“Rocking is soothing,” Lana went on to say. “My physical therapist believes motion helps reduce stress and eases arthritis.”

“It can relieve constipation, too,” Cora added.

More information than Rylan needed to know.

The ladies rocked so long, the owner of the store made them feel further at home by offering them coffee. “Anything to go with that coffee?” Cora asked.

George Roberts grinned. “Chocolate or almond biscotti.”

Cora chose chocolate. Lana went with almond.

“We’re going to be here awhile, aren’t we?” Ry asked Beth when she rose from her rocker and crossed the center aisle to look at couches and chaises.

She touched his arm, smiled up at him. “A little while longer. The ladies are having a good time, don’t you think?”

He glanced in their direction. George had drawn a small round table between their rockers for their coffee and biscotti. It looked like a tea party. The two women were chatting with the owner as if they were old friends. “They’re making the most of their day.”

“I’ll make the most of our night.”

That appealed to him. “You will, huh?”

“After the movies.”

That took him back. “What movies?”

She explained. “Your grandfather mentioned showtime at the pier. Shaye sets up a large screen against the side of the bait shop, and moviegoers bring their own beach chairs. Tonight’s a double-feature. Disney’s
Frozen
is the first flick; the second,
Anchorman
with Will Ferrell.

A double-feature. Just his luck. Rylan was familiar with the Sunday tradition. “It’s tourist season, so it could be crowded.”

“We’ll need to get there early for a good spot.” She already had their night planned.

“The shows will run late.”

“I’m yours from midnight till dawn.”

Six hours alone with this woman wouldn’t be enough.
Days
sounded better. Even
months
. He had no idea what would happen after spring training. The very thought of them going their separate ways tightened his gut.

Beth motioned to him. “Check out this couples leisure massage chair,” she encouraged, easing down herself. “Reclining, heated, and vibrating.”

There was plenty of room for him, too. He purposely leaned against her. Wanted to feel her against him. She set the digital control, and they reclined. The chair was nearly horizontal when she raised the temperature, then set the dial for vibration massage.

A masseuse couldn’t make him feel better, Ry thought. The recliner did it for him. A big perk: sex in the chair. Relaxed, naked, slow, body vibrating sex. His dick liked the idea.

Beth caught the rise in his Levis and laughed at him.

She was as aroused as he was, he noticed. Her nipples tented her tank top. He pressed a light kiss to her lips, which nearly included teeth and tongue. He backed off when George Roberts came to check on them. Beth quickly pressed the off button, and the recliner stilled.

Rylan sat up. “You’ve got a sale,” he told his relative. “How soon can it be delivered?” He wanted to give it a test drive tonight.

George was accommodating. “Later today if you like.”

Unfortunately much later, Ry thought. Their agenda included stops at Budget Buy and the flea market. There was no getting around either one. Cora and Lana had their hearts set on shopping. He wouldn’t cut their time short.

Anticipation was the best foreplay. For both him and Beth.

“Around five works,” he relayed. “Should a Great Dane answer the door, we’re not home. Don’t leave the furniture with him.”

George smiled. “I’ve heard about Atlas.”

“Most of Barefoot William knows him,” said Ry. “Few invite him for a play date.”

“Does he play rough?” asked George.

“He merely wants to be the center of attention.”

George chuckled. “I have an Afghan Hound. Big and in my face.”

Beth listened as the men talked dogs. Ry was a good listener. He kept turning the conversation back to George, allowing the man to expand on his dog’s personality and antics. People loved to talk about their pets. You could tell by his animated expression that the store owner treated his dog like a child. But then so did Rylan. Atlas was one big baby!

“Rylan might be interested in a sofa, too,” Beth told George when the men wound down.

George tossed out ideas. “Leather, fabric, slipcovered, canvas, stain-resistant?”

“Beth?” Ry deferred to her.

She’d seen an attractive dark turquoise leather sofa when they’d first arrived. It was showcased in a living room display at the front of the store. It had a tufted back and cherrywood arms, and would blend perfectly with the textured blue hues in Rylan’s abstract painting. The pieces would complement each other.

She crooked her finger for the men to follow her. “This way.”

The couch stretched eight feet long. High-backed. The leather was plush. Rylan raised an eyebrow, looked skeptical. “Dog friendly?”

George gave his pitch. “Leather is a lifetime purchase, even with Atlas. Leather wears in when fabrics wear out. You’ve selected a protected leather with an extra finish. The sofa should be fine. If not, I’ll replace it.”

Rylan cut her a glance. “Like?”

“Buy.”

The deal was sealed. “We’ll take the two pieces,” Ry told George.

“There may be more.” Beth had a further thought. She turned around, looked back toward Cora and Emma. The elderly ladies were still rocking, still sipping their coffee. Still munching their biscotti, while talking a mile a minute.

Her heart gave a tug. “They like the rockers. Neither lady owns one. Cora mentioned she enjoys the rocking chair in the lobby at the village. Lana has a favorite one in the library. She likes to read.” Beth drew in a breath, released it slowly, came to a decision. She’d noticed the price on the rockers earlier. They were expensive. Solid mahogany. Fine craftsmanship. She’d received her first paycheck from Rylan, but she might need an advance on next week’s. George had his back to them when she rose on tiptoe and whispered, “Any chance of a loan until Friday?”

“How much do you need?”

Her gaze remained on the ladies. She made a quick calculation and told him the amount.

Rylan had a way of reading her mind. “You buy one, and I’ll buy the other.”

She swallowed hard. “You’re sure?”

He glanced at his watch, “They’ve been rocking for close to an hour. Those chairs obviously have entertainment value.”

He took Beth’s hand and they maneuvered through the furniture, back to where the ladies sat. She stood beside him, yet far enough back so the rockers didn’t mash her toes. Back and forth, Cora and Lana kept up a steady rhythm.

Emotion welled within her when Ry casually asked them, “Do you have room in your condo for a couple rockers?”

Cora tipped up her chin, admitted, “We have very little furniture. We sold our homes and most pieces when our husbands passed away. We combined our finances and invested in a condo at the retirement village.”

Their investment was wise, Beth thought. The gated community would protect and keep them safe. A top priority as a person aged. “What type of furniture do you have now?”

Lana told her, “A short sofa which we share when we watch television.” She reached over and patted Cora’s arm. “We put a bowl of popcorn between us. We’re content.”

Beth got watery-eyed when Ry inquired, “You’d have room for two rockers if they showed up on your doorstep?”

The elderly women looked at each other, then at him.

Lana’s voice shook when she asked, “Showed up on our doorstep by magic?”

“Abracadabra.”

Cora dipped her head, yet her tears were evident.

Lana opened her clutch purse and slipped Cora a cotton handkerchief. Both ladies sniffed. So did Beth. She was emotionally vested in these two. Her own cheeks were streaked with tears.

“Thank-you,” said Cora.

“Bless you,” said Lana.

Beth put her hand over her heart, managed a smile. Rylan stepped closer to her. He brushed away her tears with his thumbs, then kissed her lightly on the forehead. Curving his arm about her shoulders, he tucked her into his side. She leaned heavily against him. Sank into his strength and goodness. She had wanted to do something nice for the women, and Ry had helped fulfill her wish.

Definitely
abracadabra
.

“George,” Rylan called to the owner. “Two rockers, to go.”

“Do you have room in your vehicle or would you like them delivered?” George needed to know.

Rylan narrowed his gaze on the rocking chairs. “There should be room in my Range Rover. Put some padding around the wood, and we’ll be good. The ladies can enjoy them tonight.”