Page 14 of All This Time (Blossom Peak #1)

Laney

Massages, Manicures, and a Banana

“Good morning!” Yvonne glides through the front door of the salon on Monday morning, looking much happier than usual.

“Well, apparently it is for you,” I reply.

Chuckling, she walks past me to the break room to put away her things, so I follow her. “Oh, it is. My first client today has the body of a Greek god, and I can’t wait to get my hands on him.” She wiggles her fingers like she’s already kneading divine biceps.

I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. “I thought massage therapists weren’t supposed to ogle their clients.”

She waves me off as she moves to the fridge and puts her lunch inside.

“Oh, Laney. Anyone in the industry who says they don’t appreciate what they’re working with is a liar.

” She turns and faces me with a satisfied grin on her lips.

“Besides, I think you might agree that with this client, ogling is unavoidable.”

It takes a few seconds, but when it dawns on me, the smile falls from my face. “Oh God. It’s…”

“Lucifer is coming today!” she exclaims, brushing past me toward her massage room.

I face-palm my forehead. “Jesus, I forgot.”

“That’s surprising. You usually check the schedule when you come in.”

She’s right. I do usually check the schedule when I open the salon for the day. But ever since Fletcher came back in town, everything has been thrown off and my thoughts have just been one tornado after another, leaving destruction and distraction in their wake.

Yesterday I spent most of the day at home, bingeing Grey’s Anatomy just to check out for a while. And apparently, it worked—because Fletcher’s appointments completely slipped my mind.

My mood turns instantly as I head back to my station, catching my reflection in the mirror, adjusting my black tunic and slacks, the same outfit all employees wear. The uniform helps us look polished, adding to the upscale vibe I wanted for my salon.

“Hey, boss.” Claudia strides through the front door next, followed by Glenn.

“Today’s the day, Laney! Lucifer is coming!” Glenn bounces with excitement. “Do you think I can talk Fletcher into letting me cut his hair while he’s here?”

I point a finger at him. “Go put a dollar in the jar.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Gladly.” And as he heads toward the break room, he repeats, “Fletcher, Fletcher, Fletcher!!!”

“That’s four dollars now!” I call after him. Claudia is still standing next to me when I turn back to my mirror. “Yes?”

“This guy really gets to you, huh?”

Just her asking that question makes my shoulders fall.

“Let’s just say that growing up with him makes him way more normal—and annoying—to me than he is to the general population.

I just think it’s ridiculous how people fawn over him.

I mean, he’s a regular guy that gets sock lint stuck between his toes like the rest of us. ”

Claudia purses her lips. “That was an oddly specific example, but I get your point. Although, I think we can both agree he is way too good-looking for his own good.”

“Oh, believe me, he knows it too.”

Her smile is small but comforting. “Just breathe and remember this is all temporary.”

“Thank you.”

“And also, I hope you get laid this Friday. I think it will help you move past all the lust threatening to spill out of you.”

My eyes bug out of my head as my heart starts to race. “Uh… What are you talking about?”

“Dilynne texted us last night and told us we’re all going out Friday to get you laid. I agreed it was the perfect way to help you forget about your crush.”

“I don’t have a crush,” I lie. “And who is ‘us’?”

“Me, Glenn, Yvonne, and a few other people from the salon.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, fighting with myself and the idea of marching across the street to my best friend’s automotive shop to give her a piece of my mind right now. Sadly, I know it won’t do any good. The damage has been done. “Joy.”

Claudia laughs, rubbing my shoulder. “It will be great. But just so you know, if you want to hide out today, I wouldn’t blame you. You know the rest of us can handle everything.”

Her suggestion is tempting, but the last thing I’m going to do is hide like a coward. “Nope. This is my business. He’s stepping into my territory. He’s the one who should feel uncomfortable, not me.”

“I make you feel uncomfortable, huh?”

Of course he walks in at this moment.

Clenching my jaw, I plaster on the fakest smile I can muster and turn to find Fletcher smirking at me, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and his hat on backwards in his signature way, covering up his hair that I already noticed is in desperate need of a cut, but refuse to tell Glenn.

“Good morning, Fletcher.”

His eyebrows lift. “Wow. I get a ‘good morning’ from you today?” He reaches forward and places the back of his hand on my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

I gently push his hand away. “I’m fine, thank you. No need for touching.”

His smirk grows. “Pretty sure you used to like it when I touched you.”

Claudia’s eyes widen because his words sound way more suggestive than they really are. “Oh my.”

I spin to face her so fast I nearly fall over, pointing a finger at her while I regain my balance. “It’s not what it sounds like.”

“And what did it sound like?” Fletcher asks, pulling my attention back to him, my glare coming on strong.

“Now is not the time nor the place to have this discussion.”

Claudia chimes in again, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, on the contrary, I think it’s the perfect time. It would make her disdain toward you make a lot more sense, at least for me.”

My jaw drops open. “Claudia! I thought you were on my side?”

“I am, but seeing you two together? Now I’m invested.” She waves her finger between us. “This is the first time I’ve seen him in person,” she says as she dips her eyes up and down his muscular body. “And now I understand why he gets you all riled up.”

Fletcher starts to laugh while rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, so Laney hates me and I get her all riled up… Good to know.”

“Oh my gosh, he’s here!” Glenn hops over to where we’re standing, Yvonne trailing behind him. “Mr. Fletcher Adams, football god, can I just say I’m a huge fan?” He reaches out to shake Fletcher’s hand, which Fletcher obliges.

“Oh yeah? Huge fan?” Yvonne asks behind me. “What position does he play?”

Glenn giggles. “Oh, you misunderstood, I’m a huge fan of the pants he wears.” Glenn licks his lips before dipping his eyes up and down Fletcher’s body, much like Claudia just did. “But I play catcher if you’re looking for one.”

I should feel bad for how blatantly my employees are harassing Fletcher, but I’m sure he’s used to this reaction from people. In fact, I’d bet money that he uses it as an opportunity to sleep with many of his female fans to feed his ever-growing ego.

Fletcher casts his gaze toward me, looking for help, before landing back on Glenn and perfecting that polite smile I’ve seen him use with sportscasters and the public—not that I’ve been watching him. “Uh, thanks, man. Always grateful for the support.”

I roll my eyes, growing more irritated with my employees—who are supposed to be my friends—by the minute.

“Okay then. Yvonne, Claudia, Glenn,” I say while pointing to each of them and then over to our guest of dishonor, “this is Lucif—I mean, Fletcher Adams. There, now everyone’s met.

Claudia, is he with you first or Yvonne? ”

Yvonne rubs her palms together. “I get him first.” It’s her turn to eye-fuck him, but Fletcher looks to me for guidance.

I shrug and fold my arms over my chest. “Looks like it’s your massage and then manicure, Fletch. Are you sure you thought this through?

The corner of his mouth rises ever so slightly as he reaches behind him and removes his shirt, knocking his hat to the floor in the process and shocking all of us.

“Good lord,” Glenn pants before fanning his face.

“Lucifer has muscles,” Claudia whispers as she tilts her head and stares at Fletcher’s torso.

“Oh, I can’t wait to rub you down,” Yvonne adds as her smile grows.

I can’t look away.

My eyes linger on every divot in his chest and abs, every line in his arms, the sprinkle of hair on his chest and just below his belly button, and that V of his hips, dipping just below the waistband of his shorts, leading to the motherland—a place I’ve visited a thousand times in my imagination.

As Uncle Jesse from Full House would say, have mercy.

Fletcher has filled out in the most delicious way—such a contrast to the boy who used to lie next to me and talk for hours. His muscles have muscles.

I didn’t think men like this existed outside of Marvel movies.

“Laney,” Fletcher says, pulling me back to the present as I realize I have no idea how long I’ve been staring.

I blink myself back to reality. “What?”

I hear giggling behind me, but my eyes stay locked on Fletcher’s. “I said… I know exactly what I’m doing here.” And with a wink, he follows Yvonne back to the massage room, leaving me standing there in a pile of my own drool.

Claudia clears her throat. “You might as well wave your white flag now, lie down, and spread your legs open because there is no way you’re going to make it three weeks without sleeping with him.”

Glenn hums. “Yup. I totally agree.”

My jaw drops. “I can’t believe you just said that to me.” Pushing my hair from my face, I take a deep breath. “You know what, I think the Lucifer jar needs to extend to any innuendo involving him as well.”

Glenn takes out a wad of dollar bills and hands them to me. “Then I’d like to pay in advance.”

***

My cell phone chimes in my pocket. I pull it out and groan. My glucose monitor’s app is notifying me that my blood sugar is low, so I need to eat something.

Sounds about right since the only thing I’ve had this morning was a protein bar, of which I only ate half because as soon as I realized Fletcher was coming in, I lost my appetite.

“You need to eat.”