Brokenhearted Beauty(Divine Creek Ranch 19)(67)

His deep, velvety voice echoed in her head the whole time. “Find the missing piece, fluff.”

She arrived at the store, ready to tackle the workday. More than ready, in fact. “Ready, ready, ready.” she muttered to herself.

Find the missing piece, fluff.

“Good morning,” Evelyn said as she met her in the hallway outside her office. “I have coffee made. How are you this morning?” she asked, looking concerned. “Not more nightmares, I hope?”

“No.” A bad dream didn’t generally include an orgasm of titanic proportions. “No, just so much on my mind.”

Evelyn tilted her head and raised a brow as she looked up at Leah. “Insomnia, then?”

Leah sighed and shook her head, “No. I didn’t have a nightmare but I did have a very vivid dream. It’s left me distracted, when that’s not what I need. It’s a good thing I stayed up late and got some work done,” she said, holding up her legal pad, tablet, and a manila folder full of lists.

Evelyn made big eyes at the work that had occupied Leah’s late-night hours and a slight smile crossed her lips. “There is an envelope with your name on it lying on your desk. When I came in a little while ago it was taped to the side entrance.”

The smirky grin Evelyn had difficulty controlling made Leah curious. “Oh, really?”

Leah turned the envelope over and studied the decidedly masculine scrawl on the front.

After slitting open the envelope, she pulled out the card inside. It was a gift certificate for a full body massage at A Divine Retreat. “Oh! Oh boy.”

Her name was filled in as the recipient and on the next line, where the giver could fill in a name, in the same masculine scrawl was written, “Someone who cares about you.”

Frowning, she held up the card so Evelyn could see. “You have no idea who this is from?”

The knowing smile on Evelyn’s face that made all of her dimples appear told Leah that she probably did. “I have a good guess but you’ll get nary a word from me about it.”

“Oh, you.” Leah let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to go get all ooey-gooey, relaxed, and covered in massage oil and then come back to work.”

Evelyn tilted her head as she raised an eyebrow. “Dear, the whole point is that you’re transported into a relaxed state and then you go home and continue relaxing there. And I’ve heard that Lucy Owen gives a delightful—only slightly—messy massage. As I recall, you have Ward scheduled to work today so technically, you don’t even have to be here. You could go have your massage, and then return home to a nice warm bath, and relax. And would you believe that I happen to know that Lucy has an opening at eleven o’clock this morning.”

“Sounds like you have all kinds of inside information.”

“It’s uncanny at times,” Evelyn said, her voice dripping with amusement. “Ward will call you if there are any issues. If I see your father, I’ll tell him that you had appointments. You even have time to go shopping before your massage with Lucy. I think you may find at the end of what is supposed to be your day off that you feel much better. And it may make arriving at your important decision a little easier.”

There was no arguing with Evelyn when she had that look in her eyes. Leah’s mom had been deceased for several years and this woman was as close as she came to a mother figure. She couldn’t tell her no. And she knew the store was in exceptionally good hands. Ward would make an excellent store manager someday and he had Evelyn to help him.

“Okay.”

“I doubt you’ll regret it. And leave all those lists and what-have-you that you brought in this morning. They’ll still be here tomorrow or Monday, and you’ll be better prepared to implement them.”

Leah stood from her desk and looked down at the stack of folders, notes and lists and saw it through new eyes. The work was legitimate, no question, but did it require immediate action and her personal attention? Probably not. But it definitely distracted her from what was in front of her. The decision. She cringed inwardly and then grabbed her purse, her smartphone, and the gift certificate. “I have to go, Evelyn. I’ll talk to you later today, okay?”

Evelyn grinned as she took off her reading glasses so they now hung from their gold chain around her neck. “That’s more like it, dear. Seize the day.”

She dialed her phone as she walked out the side door. When Vincent picked up the call, she said, “Thank you, handsome.”

Vincent chuckled, a raspy sexy sound. “Hello, doll. You’re welcome. Did Evelyn break down and tell you?”

She giggled as she walked to her car and keyed the remote to open it. “No. I remembered the way you rubbed my shoulders the other night. You must’ve felt all those kinks and knots. I’m treating myself to a morning of shopping, and I’m taking Lucy’s eleven o’clock appointment, if she’ll still have me.”