She rested her chin on her forearms as she gazed up at him, her brown eyes glimmering with warmth. “The human equivalent of a security blanket. You both comfort me and make me feel safe. Wrapped up in your arms is the best feeling in the world.”
Hank smiled. “That Grace is a smart woman.”
“Yeah,” Veronica murmured. “Woobie-Doms.”
“Woobie-Doms?” Travis reiterated, careful to keep any teasing out of his tone. He liked her mood and didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her.
“The very best.” She turned her head and slid the side of her hand underneath her eyes one at a time, wiping away a trace of moisture under each eye. His heart swelled as he kissed the top of her head where it rested on his chest.
She’d been so emotionally overwhelmed earlier and now here she was, sharing the deepest part of herself with both of them.
Now he understood what she meant when she said she seemed to feel everything more strongly than some people. It didn’t mean she was weak. She simply had a wider range of emotional experiences than most people. He was pleased she was a part of his life. His heart thumped as he realized he wanted to be a permanent part of hers.
He was starting to dread that trip to California later in the week.
Chapter Fourteen
Veronica followed Grace and Grandma Kate into the gymnasium at the Divine Recreation Center on Tuesday evening.
Thankfully, the gym was deserted except for the group of women participating in the class, which included her friend and Grandma Kate, as well as Rachel Wolf, who she’d recently discovered was none other than romance author, Jane O’Malley. That Grace was full of secrets. In addition, Dr. Emma Rivers was there, as well as Grace’s sister, Charity, who was a bit of a badass, and Lucy Owen.
The girls had accompanied Veronica, Grace, and Kate earlier that afternoon on their shopping trip to Stigall’s Department Store, Cheaver’s Western Store, and Discretion Boutique in Morehead. The shopping trip had been fruitful, and a little expensive, but she’d needed a few items if she was going to be staying further into the holidays in Divine.
She’d also managed to find a costume in sizes that she, Hank, and Travis would all be able to wear. Trying to explain to the girls why she needed pink tights and a tutu in a “big and tall” size had been interesting but she thought Emma might have caught on to what she was doing, because she’d started helping her searching for other parts of the costume and mentioned that she knew of a good online costume outlet that carried plus-sized and tall-sized costumes.
The afternoon had been a rich people-watching experience for her, especially at Stigall’s where she’d had the pleasure of meeting two of the store owner’s daughters. Leah, the store manager, hurried to and fro, giving instructions, praising her workers and greeting her customers, while the other one had been…interesting.
Her name badge plainly said “Presley Ann—sales clerk” on it, but when she’d approached Veronica, she’d introduced herself as “the owner’s daughter.” Veronica had asked her questions about the bras she was looking at, but Presley Ann’s answers had either been unclear or she didn’t know the answer at all.
Being an observer of people, Veronica had lost interest in the bras and had asked Presley Ann a question or two about her job. She wished like hell she could’ve taken out her voice recorder or at least a pen and paper to record the young woman’s responses. It was the oddest thing. Though she was a grown woman, it was clear she hadn’t been working there—or anywhere—for very long. She spoke like a teenager and clearly felt that her job was temporary, until she found the right husband or her dad gave up and let her sister fire her.
“Are you not interested in working in your family store?”
Presley Ann rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand at her surroundings. “Ohmygawd. It’s like so obvious, right? So, my dad is all, ‘Princess, you have to get a job and support yourself,’ and I’m all like, ‘No way am I accomplishing that on what you pay me, Dad,’ and he’s all like, ‘Young lady, you need to know how to take care of yourself,’ and I’m all like, ‘Let me off of work, Dad, so I can find a man to take care of me…’” She went on and on before asking Veronica, “So, do you have a job?”
Veronica wondered if she had happened onto a movie shoot for a second. “Yes. I’m a published author. I write romance novels.” She took out a business card and handed it to her. Presley Ann looked at it and then seemed like she wasn’t sure what to do with it.