Page 10 of It’s Only Love (Citrus Pines #1)

“Nothing,” Taylor shrugged. When she said nothing more, Justine turned back to Christy.

“Well, I want dirty details, I need them. You probably had sex this morning.” She nodded towards Taylor.

Justine was still a virgin which was rare these days for someone of her age, but she believed in true love and wasn’t willing to settle for anything less.

She was saving herself for Mr. Right. She’s probably the only person sitting in this booth who still believes in true love .

Justine went on a lot of dates, determined to do her bit to find him but he was elusive and so far, nada.

Taylor grinned at Justine. “Oh, I had sex this morning, with myself,” she said, waving her fingers in Justine’s face.

“Gross,” Justine chuckled, batting Taylor’s hand away.

“Hey, you asked!” Taylor griped.

“No, I speculated. Correctly as it turns out,” Justine retorted, and they were laughing as the new barmaid, Kayleigh, appeared at the table with their food. After they had taken their plates, Kayleigh stayed in place, shuffling her feet nervously.

“Everything okay?” Taylor asked between clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the oven is making that banging noise again,” Kayleigh replied softly.

“You remember what I told you? Open the door, bang the top three times in quick succession, kick the side twice and then close the door gently . That should stop it.”

“Okay, thank you,” Kayleigh replied, bobbing slightly and hurried away .

“You need a new oven,” Justine commented.

“Did she just curtsy?” Taylor asked.

“I think so,” Christy giggled. As they ate their food, she told them about her date with Beau. Justine sighed periodically and gushed over everything Beau did while Taylor scoffed, tutted and criticized it all.

“He just gave you a quick kiss before leaving you all alone? Didn’t even put any effort into it? Lazy, that’s what he is!” Taylor said heatedly.

Christy looked at Justine who was smothering a laugh behind her napkin. When they finished their food, Taylor started gathering their plates together.

“Well chicas , this was fun, but I’ve got to get back as I have a client,” Justine said, grabbing her purse.

“Is it the peeper?” Taylor joked.

Justine sighed “No, it’s his wife.”

“I’m going to hang here for a bit, I don’t really like being at the house on my own,” Christy said, and Justine gave her a sympathetic look. “I’ve got calls to make and a funeral to finish arranging anyway.”

Justine leaned over, kissed her cheek, and said, “If you need any help then I’m right here.” Christy thanked her and waved goodbye. When Justine had left, Taylor turned back to her.

“Would you like me to bring you an adult beverage?”

“Hmm, I don’t think getting wasted will help with this planning, maybe just a coffee?”

“Okay coming right up, don’t worry about paying for lunch, it’s our treat.” Taylor threw over her shoulder as she headed back to the bar.

“I can afford lunch!” Christy shouted after her, but Taylor waved her away. Christy’s heart clenched slightly in her chest, they’re so good to me. She felt guilty, but guilt soon morphed into anger when she thought about Douchebag Alfie and put the blame with him.

She’d met Alfie at a library, and he seemed nice, sweet and unassuming. At first. But then he changed, he became aloof and distant, and she got the feeling he wasn’t interested in her, that he didn’t even like her sometimes. Turns out, she was right.

She woke up one morning with no boyfriend and no money.

He took it all, leaving her nearly bankrupt.

She reported it to the police, but unfortunately, there was no way to prove he emptied her accounts.

She let down her guard with him, desperate to have a deeper connection and build a foundation with someone.

He often stayed at her apartment while she went out to write, she loved to sit in coffee shops and people watch in New York.

She thought he was being supportive and giving her space to write.

In actual fact, he was rifling through her belongings, trying to find all her bank accounts. Asshole.

Christy would never trust a man again, not with her money and certainly not with her heart.

She would never let anyone get close to touching it.

Casual dating only, and she would get out if she started to feel too much.

She pushed these thoughts aside. She had plenty going on this week without making herself feel like shit.

She got her notebook and pen out of her purse and started working through her super long list. She had already booked the crematorium and invited everyone from the town.

She didn’t know if her father had any friends so figured a blanket invite would be best. The crematorium had a sweet-looking chapel where the ceremony would take place.

She just needed to check there was enough room for everyone, organize for the flowers to be dropped off in the morning, and find somewhere to host a last-minute wake.

She rang the florist to check the order and gave them the address of the crematorium and the time to deliver.

Then she checked the list of attendees and rang the crematorium to update them on the number, seating arrangements, and the flowers.

Lastly, she rang around all the bars and local venues in the area, struggling to find somewhere to host the wake.

It was her own fault but with the news of her father’s death, the Alfie situation, then coming back to town, she had forgotten to organize it.

She begged, cajoled, and threatened but nothing was available.

Christy dropped her phone on the table and sighed.

She noticed there were now three empty coffee cups in front of her.

How long have I been here? She looked out the windows and could see the evening sun was setting through the trees.

The door swung open and she spotted Beau entering and smiled.

Dean came in behind him and her stomach dipped, immediately flooding her brain with flashes of the dreams she had last night.

Beau glanced her way and flashed her his beautiful smile as they headed over to the bar to get a drink.

It made her smile back but didn’t quicken her pulse the way just looking at Dean suddenly did.

Which irritated her, especially as Dean also looked over but couldn’t so much as muster a smile.

Their eyes clashed, his brow furrowed in anger.

He seemed permanently angry at the moment.

And yet something stirred as he held her gaze.

Awareness prickled through her, making her feel hot and.

.. uncomfortable. He reluctantly lifted his arm in a wave and she waved back.

Well at least he acknowledged me . As she watched Beau give their order to Kayleigh, Dean headed over to her. Her stomach fluttering increased.

“Hey Christy, mind if we join you?” Dean asked, his deep voice washing over her.

“Uh, sure,” she replied and began clearing the table of her debris as he eased into the booth opposite her. When he settled himself, his knee brushed against hers under the table and she jolted at the contact, banging her knee on the underside.

“Ouch, shit!” she cried, reaching down to rub her throbbing knee.

“Are you okay? That sounded painful,” he said, concern furrowing his brow, turning him from broody sexy to adorable sweetie pie in the blink of an eye.

Heat suffused her cheeks as embarrassment over her clumsiness swept over her.

Also, annoyance at his stupid, big, sexy – uh – body taking up all the room and encroaching on her space.

“Yeah, your knee hit mine and jolted me,” she snapped accusingly, instantly regretting her show of temper. Why did Dean always bring out her bitchy side? Dean frowned at her again, looking annoyed, but before he could open his mouth, Beau appeared with the drinks.

“Hey beautiful, how are you today?” Beau asked, leaning down to kiss her briefly on the mouth. As he eased in next to her, she looked across at Dean who, shock , looked angry again.

“Hey, Beau, fine thank you.”

“And what have you been up to?” he asked.

“Not much really, met the girls here for lunch, and I’ve been trying to organize a few bits for the funeral but I’m not having much luck,” she said and all of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, she got choked up.

*

As Dean watched Beau drop his head to kiss Christy, white-hot jealousy consumed him.

This was ridiculous, he wasn’t jealous of Beau, and he didn’t have any designs on Christy.

He was just getting worried for Beau. Yeah that’s it.

Because his friend was going through a tough time and getting involved with Christy would only lead to heartbreak.

He was trying to do the noble thing and get Beau to realize what a mistake this was, he was such a good friend.

Not all heroes wear capes .

It certainly didn’t have anything to do with how much he kept thinking about the curvaceous, blond sitting opposite him whose mouth he couldn’t stop fantasizing about.

He watched as Beau asked her a question but then immediately turned his attention to the bar, watching Taylor and Kayleigh.

He wasn’t even listening to Christy’s response.

If it was Dean she was talking to, then he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her mouth, because – uh – that’s what a good listener he was.

“...organize the funeral but I’m not having much luck,” Christy’s words registered with him.

Oh God, her father’s funeral was at the end of the week.

As his gaze moved to her eyes, he saw them fill up with tears and she bit her bottom lip, looking away out the window.

His heart ached for her, in that moment she seemed so vulnerable that he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and comfort her, but he couldn’t.

He looked at Beau who hadn’t even noticed what was happening.