the mayor and let her know you’re okay.”
He nods and leans his head back against the pillow, his eyes still on me.
I bite my tongue, not allowing myself to say anything more. He’s okay. He’ll live to see another day.
When I make it a few feet from Cam’s door, I can hear Barbie Brittney’s whining voice announce, “You’re allergic to pineapples? I love pineapples. They’re so good for you.”
I pick up the pace until I’m power walking to the elevator to get as far away from that woman as possible.
* * *
“Brown eyes, get your ass out of that chair, your eyes off that catalogue, and check this out,” Kyson bellows from the front of the store.
It’s two days after Cam’s accident. I broke down and texted him yesterday to ask how he was. He responded that his throat still felt scratchy; otherwise, he was given a clean bill of health.
Now, I’m sitting in what will be my stockroom where Kyson crafted a large wooden work desk. At the moment, it’s loaded to the gills with fabric, trinkets, catalogues, pictures, and other stuff I’m wading through to make sure I have all the product I need. To the right of the desk, he built me a shelving unit where I am able to load up all my beads, leather, and fabric rolls for all the things I’m making by hand and selling in my One of a Kind section of the store. Turns out I’m really good at making clothing, purses, scarfs, and other decorative accessories. I mean, I always knew I had a knack for crafts and making things, but I never thought I could use this talent and earn a living doing it. Definitely makes the store concept even more exciting and fun.
“Suda Kaye!” Kyson yells again.
I grind my teeth, set my catalogue down, and put a sticky note where I left off before I stomp out to where he’s standing facing the open window. The vision that greets me makes my mouth dry. Muscular legs set wide apart, white T-shirt stretched across his broad back. I lick my lips and give myself a second to appreciate Kyson’s body.
Kyson Turner is a woman’s fantasy man. Tall, strong, works with his hands. Fills out a pair of jeans as though they were crafted solely for his body. Big chunky work boots that say, I’m not only cool, I fix things. Many woman dream of having a man who can not only hammer her good and hard in the bedroom but also knows how to use a hammer around the house. Kyson is a double whammy, and the woman who locks him down as her own is going to be a happy camper. I’m sure of it.
I cock a hip and prop my hand on it. “You bellowed.”
Kyson turns around. “Took you long enough.” He swings his arm wide and takes a few steps back so that I can see the front display area. “Check this out! It’s done.”
The wooden display fits along the window wall at about knee height. It’s a solid dark cherry mixed with black so that the knots in the wood stand out strikingly. It’s shiny, as though he’s already lacquered it so it won’t get scuffed up easily.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.”
He grins and holds up a finger. “Not done yet. Check out this idea. I know I didn’t run it past you, but I had a feeling it would look awesome, and I wanted to surprise you with it. Plus, it fell within the budget.”
He moves to the wall and I see a series of switches and buttons that weren’t there this morning. He presses one of the switches, and a pair of heavy hooks suspended by wire ease down from the ceiling. “When you want to hang things, like tapestry or a piece of clothing or art, maybe some of your glass pieces, you can do so from these. Just use these switches up or down to get the height you want, and they can each hold over a hundred pounds. They’ve been tested.”
“Wha...what? That is incredible!” I cover my mouth and touch one of the hooks.
“That’s not all.” His dark facial hair halos around his full lips and bright white smile. He presses a button above each of the switches, and a bright light shines over the hooked area, separate from the normal store lighting. “This will allow you to light up your pieces at night. Spotlight certain things to grab prospective customers’ attention.”
I