Teasing you, p.4
Teasing You, page 4
His friend looked at him oddly. “Why?”
“Let’s just say I might have offended her when I arrived, so…this is a little payback. Again, not a big deal.”
Leo didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure? What if you’d been allergic to cats?”
“She did ask me that before opening the door, so I’m guessing she would have apologized profusely and found me something else to wear home.” He grinned. “Or she’d be using the lint brush herself after finding me some Benadryl.”
“What on earth did you say to her?”
“Sorry, bro, not gonna share. She remembered me from back in high school and I made the mistake of reminding her of our last encounter.”
For a moment Leo looked confused and then his eyes went a little wide before whispering, “Why would you remind her of that? I thought she was going to strangle you and anyone who knew you back then! We all breathed a small sigh of relief when you moved just so she’d calm down.”
He shrugged. “It just sort of…slipped out.” Another shrug. “So…the lint brush?”
“Oh, right. Hang on.”
And as Leo walked away, Reid caught a glimpse of Ashlynn and the pure delight on her face. She raised her glass of champagne at him and he couldn’t help but smile back.
That’s when he realized that moving back to Sweetbriar Ridge was not only going to be good for his career, but he was sure he was going to have a great time getting reacquainted with some old friends.
And maybe getting the chance to get to know Ashlynn Jane a little better as an adult.
Chapter Three
A week later, Ashlynn found herself standing outside of Lavish Locks and frowning.
Becky had texted to let her know she had her final paycheck and a few of her belongings that she must have missed when she packed her things. It had been tempting to ask Billie or Chloe to run this errand for her, but she prided herself on not being a chicken. She could fight her own battles and, with any luck, she’d be in and out in less than five minutes.
When she stepped into the salon, something seemed off. It was virtually empty, and that was never the case on a Friday afternoon. Becky was standing behind the front desk and she looked up with a sour expression when she spotted Ashlynn.
“I got your text,” she said as she walked over. “I didn’t think I left anything behind.”
Becky bent down and picked up a box and handed it to her. “Just a cape and some of the hair color and shampoos you ordered, and a couple of catalogs and magazines. You paid for it, so it’s yours.”
She looked in the box and pulled half of it out. Everything felt dirty and sticky. “Most of this isn’t mine.” She put three bottles of hair color, two bottles of shampoo, and a bottle of conditioner on the desk. “And these catalogs are all old and outdated, so you can toss them.”
“Oh, well…whatever.” Then she opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out an envelope. “Here. Your last check.”
“Thanks.” She tucked the envelope in her purse and shifted the box to rest against her hip. “It’s quiet in here today, huh?”
“That’s no longer any of your business.”
Okay, so much for at least trying to be civil.
“Oh my God. What are you doing here? Begging for your job back?” Sandy, the booth stealing ho, said when she spotted Ashlynn.
“Just here to pick up a few things. That’s all.”
“Mm-hmm…have you applied at The Pampered Pup? I hear they’re looking for dog groomers. Maybe they’ll hire you?”
“Excuse me?” she said, taking a menacing step forward, but Sandy just stood there looking smug.
“You should go,” Sandy said firmly. “No one wants you here making any more scenes. We’ve lost business because of you. People are still talking about how awful you were that day to everyone.”
Everyone? Seriously?
“Don’t worry. I’m going,” she muttered and turned and walked right out the door. After placing the box on her back seat, she got behind the wheel and hated how much she wanted to cry.
She hadn’t found a job yet—at least, not one as a stylist. She was currently working for Jade at Books & Beans, and while the money was fine, it made her feel pathetic. Billie was convinced she could open her own salon and they were going to talk about it tonight because Patrick’s wife wanted to video chat with them about what she felt they could do.
But Ashlynn was a realist and she felt like she was wasting poor Marissa’s time. Still, she’d hear her out and then have to tell her how she couldn’t afford to do it anyway.
“Yeah, I’m like a little ray of sunshine.”
Her phone beeped with an incoming text and she sighed when she saw Billie’s name appear.
Billie: Hey! Where are you?”
Ash: Just picked up the last of my stuff from Becky
Billie: Ugh. How did that go?
Ash: Let’s just say awful and leave it at that
Billie: Deal.
Billie: Can you meet me over at 87 Ridge Way in 15 minutes?
Ash: Sure, but why?
Billie: It’s a surprise!
The groan was out before she could stop it. She hated surprises and really wasn’t in the mood for one, but…she knew her sister could be persistent.
Ash: Fine. I’ll see you there
Her sister gave her a thumbs up emoji right before tossing the phone down on the passenger seat.
Ridge Way was only a couple of blocks from where she was so she was there in less than three minutes. Parking the car, she looked up at the brick building in total confusion. Was Billie looking to open her own bakery and wanted her input? Because this space was way too big for a hair salon. Hell, this space could house a bakery, a salon, and three other businesses with space to spare.
Climbing out of her car, she walked up onto the sidewalk and pressed her face up against the glass to look inside.
“And I have no idea what I’m looking at…”
Still she walked along the sidewalk and noticed there were four different doorways and then when she looked back into the building, she noticed the walls were just studs so clearly the space was going to be divided.
“Okay, that makes a little more sense, but divided into what?”
Pulling her coat tighter against her, she shivered. It was cold out, but that was nothing new, and she knew she should probably wait in her car for her sister.
Which she did.
When Billie pulled up beside her, she was grinning from ear to ear. “So? What do you think?”
Ash met her on the sidewalk. “About…?”
“The space, silly! Marissa suggested this for us.”
“Us? What do you mean us?” She looked at the building and then back at her sister. “And I thought we were supposed to talk to Marissa tonight.”
“We are, but she called and suggested that we come and check this out so we knew exactly what she was proposing.”
“Which is…?”
“We get to pick which of the four spots we want—preferably one of the end units. Then she has a boutique that’s interested and a nail salon. I think this would be such a great combination and a way to draw in clients that’s beneficial to all of us!”
For a moment, Ashlynn could only blink at her. “You keep saying us, Bill. Why?”
“Okay, I was going to talk to you about this later, but…I want to invest in the salon. Not a lot, just…enough to get you started.”
She was too stunned to say anything, which Billie obviously took as a bad sign.
“You hate it, right? You hate the idea of a partner.” She sighed. “I know I should have talked to you about it, but I thought you’d be so excited at being able to have your own place that you wouldn’t mind me horning in a bit.”
“It’s just…I’m a little stunned, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting…”
Her words were cut off when a massive fire truck turned onto the block and came to a stop along the sidewalk right where she and her sister were standing. They stood there silently as Bob Banks and a couple of younger guys climbed out of the truck.
“I wonder what this is about,” Billie whispered before walking over and shaking Bob’s hand. “Hey, Bob! What brings you and the squad out today?”
“Doing an inspection here at the request of the new development team. We’re working with them to ensure the buildings are safe and to report on what’s needed to bring them up to fire code.”
“Is that normal?” Ashlynn asked as she stepped closer.
“It is,” he told her. “Plus, we’ve got a new member on the squad with us today and this is giving him a chance to check out the town with us.”
Oh, no…
And sure enough, there was Reid.
He was smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world as he strolled over and introduced himself to Billie. “Hey, I’m Reid Baylor.”
“Billie Donovan,” she replied with a smile of her own. “And this is…”
“Oh, AJ and I go way back,” he said, and Ashlynn wanted to reach out and smack him.
“AJ?” Billie repeated. “Wow! If you know her by that name, then the two of you really do go way back!” She looked over at Ash. “That was a weird phase you went through.”
“Yeah, weird. Right,” she mumbled.
“How’s it going today, AJ?” Reid asked, still grinning.
“It’s going just fine,” she said tightly. “I didn’t think you’d be back this soon.”
He shrugged. “Captain Banks called me almost as soon as I got back to Roanoke to offer me the position, and I could start immediately. My previous captain was the one who suggested me for this move, so he knew I’d take it and was okay with me leaving right away. Plus, I’m going to commute for a few weeks and crash with Leo when I have to while looking for an apartment.”
“Ash, your complex always has a sign up saying they’re renting. Why don’t you give him the number of the rental office?” her sister suggested.
“Um…”
“Is it the place over on Mountain View?” he asked. “They were on my list to reach out to today! And you live there?”
She nodded.
“Great! Now I can give them a reference.”
Kill me now…
“Boys, we need to get to the inspection,” Bob said, officially bringing an end to this conversation. “It was good to see you, Billie.”
“Likewise,” she said cheerily.
“Were you ladies looking at this property for yourselves?” he asked.
“Um…” Ashlynn had no idea how to respond to that right now.
“We’re thinking about it,” Billie said without pause. “Nothing’s in writing yet, but we wanted to come over and check it out just as a preliminary, you know?”
He nodded. “All these buildings are solid. Most of the work they need is cosmetic and some updated electrical, I’m guessing. Of course, with the new building codes and all, the landlord will make sure everything’s in perfect working order for you. You know, in case you were worried.”
“Our cousin is one of the investors, so we planned on holding him to that,” she said with a grin.
“Then you’re in good hands, I’m sure,” he said. He was about to turn and walk away when he faced Billie again. “Any chance I can order a whole lemon pound cake from you?”
“Absolutely,” she told him. “Come into Books & Beans tomorrow afternoon and I’ll have one ready. What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. Just really enjoy them and one slice is never enough.”
“I’ll be sure to tell my grandmother how much you enjoy it. She always loves hearing things like that.”
“You do that. And I appreciate you being willing to sell me one like that. Thanks!”
The firefighters all waved and smiled as they walked away, but Reid held her gaze longer than any of them—like until he was out of sight.
“Okay, what was that about, AJ?” Billie asked with a laugh. “I mean seriously. What in the world?”
“Yeah, Reid Baylor and I knew each other briefly in the tenth grade before he moved away. It was a little embarrassing and apparently he’s a friend of Leo’s. We ran into each other at the engagement party and naturally, he was rude enough to bring that situation up.”
“Yikes! What happened that was so embarrassing?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ash said as she walked back to her car. “I’ll meet you back at your place and we can talk about this some more.”
“You mean about…?”
“About the salon, not the whole Reid thing,” she quickly corrected.
“Why can’t we talk about both?” And the thing is, she knew Billie was just teasing her, but she seriously did not want to talk about this.
“Or maybe I’ll just go home and wait to come over until it’s time for our video call with Marissa.”
“Okay, okay…no need to pout. Jeez.” Billie walked over to her own car. “Just meet me at my house and I promise the only thing we’ll talk about is hair and salon equipment, okay?”
“Thank you.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter if she talked about her awkward encounter with Reid.
Both awkward encounters with Reid.
Because she might not be talking about them out loud, but they were playing on a continuous loop in her head.
The following Monday, Reid was the guy assigned to do a coffee run for the squad—not that he minded. It was fun walking around town and meeting new people. Tonight after his shift, he was meeting with the rental agent of the apartment complex Ashlynn lived in to see a one bedroom that they had available. It was crazy how fast things were falling into place, but he wasn’t going to complain about it.
“Books & Beans,” he said as he walked up and read the sign. This was the place Ashlynn mentioned to him the night of the engagement party. Her sister was the baker here, so maybe he’d grab some muffins or something for the squad while he was at it.
He stepped inside and saw there was a small line ahead of him, so he took a moment to appreciate how cool the place was. It was a combination coffee shop and bookstore. Reading was a favorite hobby of his and he actually preferred holding a paperback or hardcover book as opposed to a tablet or e-reader. Each of the four corners of the shop was dedicated to a different genre: non-fiction, children’s, mysteries and thriller, and romance.
Interesting…
Yeah, he was definitely going to come in and browse when he wasn’t on the fire station’s time.
When it was his turn in line, he froze and had to stifle a laugh. Ashlynn was standing behind the counter looking less than thrilled to see him.
So basically, her usual expression.
“Welcome to Books & Beans,” she said with little enthusiasm. “What can I get you?”
Reid stepped up to the counter and studied the menu sign. “It’s my turn to do the coffee run for the station,” he told her before pulling out his phone and reading off the order.
Her sister came over and smiled at him. “Hey, Reid! They send you on the coffee run?”
Nodding, he said, “Yup. And I was wondering if maybe I should bring back some muffins or something. I’m the new guy and I don’t want it to look like I’m trying too hard, but I figured it couldn’t hurt, right?”
“Absolutely,” she told him. “The captain obviously likes the lemon pound cake—tell him I’m baking his as we speak…”
Laughing softly, he asked, “He ordered another one?”
“This is actually the third one,” she said with a proud smile. “As for the other guys, they tend to lean toward either the muffins or the brownies. But since it’s only nine in the morning, I’d say go with the muffins.”
“Okay, then. Let me get a half a dozen muffins for the guys, and a brownie for me.” He winked at her. “It’s for later, I promise.”
“Sure, sure…”
Meanwhile, Ashlynn was making all the coffees and labeling them before putting them in a travel tray. “How was your weekend?” he asked her.
“Good,” she replied, her back still to him.
“I’m coming to your place tonight around six,” he said casually, and that got her attention.
“What?” she cried, and he was certain she could have whiplash from the speed with which she turned to glare at him.
Nodding, he leaned on the counter. “Oh, yeah. Six o’clock. I’m meeting with Janice from the rental office. She’s showing me a one-bedroom apartment and I think she said it was the one right above yours.”
“Great,” she mumbled before turning back to the coffees.
“If you’re not doing anything later, maybe I can stop by afterwards and we can hang out and catch up.” He noticed Billie watching in wide-eyed fascination, and he winked at her again. “What do you say, AJ?”
This time when she faced him, her shoulders were slightly sagging and expression was weary.
“Look, what is it with you, huh?” she asked as she stepped forward. “Do you honestly think I’m playing hard to get here or something? You genuinely insulted me the other night and I really have no interest in catching up with you because you already proved that you have zero respect for me.” She slid the final coffee into its sleeve before looking at her sister. “Can you please ring him up? I’m going to talk to Jade.”
Leaving him utterly speechless.
“Um…Reid?” Billie said when she stepped up to the register. “Just a little FYI…you kind of came back to town at a really crappy point in Ash’s life. So if I were you, I’d lay off the teasing and…everything else.” Then she paused. “Unless you’re not really the jerk she thinks you are and you genuinely want to get to know her.”
“So maybe all that anger isn’t solely directed at me?”
“I’m not sure I would say that, but I think a lot of it is because of…you know…the incident.”
He let out a loud huff. “Okay, I realize I shouldn’t have laughed the other night when her skirt blew up and she flashed me, but considering it wasn’t the first time, I thought it was a little funny. Hell, I thought we could both laugh about it…”
