Chapter 17

INDIE

^THREE WEEKS LATER^

“Why are you frowning?”

Indie looked up at Grace’s question. She had been thinking about the last few weeks and how being with Seth had been mind-blowing.

He was so gentle, attentive, and caring, always catering to her needs, both in and out of the bedroom.

He made sure to call her in the morning, especially when he finished his shift, and they would swap texts throughout the day.

And he loved to take her dancing, and had taught her to love country-line dancing as much as he did.

But the one thing Indie enjoyed most was when he came off his swing shift and spent that time with her before heading home. Those quiet moments held so much magic for her.

Those were the times they spoke about the parts of them no one else saw. He had even spoken about Ranya one night.

Being with Seth was a healing experience for Indie. He was putting her heart together in his slow and meticulous way, making her fall in love with him. He was the perfect partner.

The only thing that worried her was the phone calls. Early in the morning or late afternoon, they wouldn’t stop. He never answered them, even when she told him to.

He always said he’d call the person back later because he was spending time with her. She never asked him about the calls, and he never explained them.

But they had her worrying about him being honest with her.

“Indigo?” Grace said softly, putting her hand on Indie’s forehead.

“I’m okay,” she said, but she could see Grace wasn’t buying it.

“Did he do something?”

“No.” Indie shook her head as she laughed at the murderous glare in Grace’s eyes. “He’s great. I’m worried about Sarah actually.”

“Why? Who’s fucking with Sarah?” Indie was glad that her distraction worked.

They had accepted Sarah into their group as easily as if she had grown up with them, so Grace immediately went into protective mode when it came to her.

“I’m not sure, but something is bothering her. I think it’s something to do with this guy she met at work.”

“She met someone? So cute!”

Indie stared at Grace, shocked at her sweet enthusiasm.

“What?” Grace said. “She deserves someone to spoil her. ~Besides ~Seth, that is.”

“Hey, guys, right here…” Both women shrieked as they looked up to see Seth standing by the door, his black uniform jacket filling the space.

Neither of them had heard him enter the shop. “What happened to your bell?”

“It fell off when we moved the cabinet,” Indie explained.

“Okay. Hand it over.” He held out his hand and Indie handed him the daintily crafted chime.

He took hold of her hand and pulled her closer for a lingering kiss before turning to the door.

“It’s a good thing he’s so tall.

“We’d have had to get a ladder from Devon. You’d have to promise that you’d have coffee with him, and I’d have to threaten him with a letter opener again,” Grace teased.

“Whoa! You did what?” Seth asked, almost dropping the bell as he spun around to look at her. “And who is Devon?”

“He owns the gardening shop three doors down and is head over heels in love with Indie.”

“Grace! Stop exaggerating.” Indie looked at Seth. “How come you’re here during your shift?”

“I was following up on a call in the neighborhood when I was asked to fill in for someone tonight.”

“And Sarah has that corporate party. Do you want me to pick Amelia up, or should I come over to your place?”

“How did you—”

“It’s obvious. You’ll both be working,” Indie shrugged.

His dimples flashed when he gave her that special smile, making her core clench with desire.

“I’ll finish at midnight, so if you’re at our place…”

Indie could feel her lungs stop functioning at his unfinished thought. All she could do was stare at him blankly as she nodded.

“Go back to work,” Grace ordered firmly as the air began to sizzle between them.

Seth laughed as he finished his coffee. “Thanks for not poisoning the coffee, Grace.”

The bell had stopped chiming before Indie could take a breath again. She looked at her friend as Grace wrapped her in a hug.

“You deserve to feel the way he makes you feel. Don’t second-guess your happiness.”

“Then why do you still give him a hard time?” Indie asked.

“To keep him on his toes,” Grace retorted as she disappeared into the office, making Indie shake her head.

SETH

Seth stared sleepily at the clock on his bedside table, not sure what had awakened him at three-thirty in the morning.

He listened to the quiet of his bedroom and realized that he was alone. He sat up in a wild panic as he looked around, not seeing any of Indie’s clothes.

~Had she really gone back to her place in the middle of the night without telling him~?

He quickly sat up in bed and was pulling on his jeans when he heard Sarah laugh before the sound was immediately smothered, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Indie was the only other person who could make Sarah laugh like that. At least she was still there.

He walked to the window and looked out at the snow-covered landscape three floors below. Indie had transformed all their lives in a very short span of time.

She made Sarah shine again, her smile appearing more often and more freely.

Sarah had also been more comfortable with herself lately, and it reminded Seth of their teenage days when she was the life of the party and the dream of every one of his friends.

And this had definitely rubbed off on Amelia. She was less hyper and threw fewer tantrums, especially when her mom was around.

Her schoolwork was improving, and her teachers said that she was interacting better with her friends.

~She can still manipulate her uncle with a bat of her eyelashes, though,~ he admitted to himself with a wry smile.

~***~

~The apartment had been so quiet when he had opened the door that he had thought Indie had taken Amelia to her place after all. ~

~He made the usual inspection of the place before he settled into his bedtime routine and found a huge tent made of sheets in Elli’s room. ~

~There was a flashlight shining through it, and he crept to it to find Elli asleep on a nest of pillows on one side, and Indie asleep on the other. ~

~Between them was a colorful stack of papers with different patterns drawn on them. ~

~Indie had been teaching Amelia how to design jewelry, he realized when he inspected the sketch closest to him. ~

~With careful movements, he lifted Elli onto his shoulder but froze when he heard Indie move behind him. ~

~“Hey,” he whispered as he turned to her. ~

~“Oh, it’s you,” she breathed out in relief. Then she gave him a smile that melted his heart even as his stomach clenched in response. “Hey.”~

~He quickly settled Amelia in her bed as Indie tidied the papers and pens.~

~“Leave it,” he said softly as she was about to dismantle the tent. “How about some pecan pie?”~

~“That sounds nice,” she murmured as Seth switched on the nightlight before leading her into the kitchen. “But I think you missed something first.” ~

~“Yeah? What did I miss?” he asked in confusion. ~

~“This…” She cupped his jaw and gently brought his lips down to meet hers in the sweetest kiss Seth had ever had in his life. ~

~“That was very negligent of me,” he said when they finally broke apart. ~

~“Very,” she agreed as she dipped her tongue into his dimple. His body reacted instantly, but he kept his hands on her hips to let her take the initiative. ~

~“I’m guessing there’s some form of retribution?”~

~“Of course.” She pulled his head to her and sucked his lower lip between her teeth, making him hiss when she ran her tongue along it. ~

~And then she turned away from him and walked to the door of his bedroom as he struggled to breathe at the saucy glint in her gold eyes. “Coming?”~

~“Yes, ma’am.” She didn’t have to invite him twice for her form of retribution. ~