Page 55 of Delivery After Dark
“Ask Alex, I’m good at predicting stuff like this.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Back to your question about how I knew I was in love… I was obsessed with him, which was another thing I wouldn’t have thought possible before he came along. I’d been kind of just fumbling through life for years after losing Toby, and then one day, Alex was there, and everything was new again. It wasn’t easy, though. We were both dealing with a lot that summer. His mother’s condition had worsened, and it was putting a terrible strain on him and Paul. Meanwhile, I was an emotional disaster area desperately seeking a reset. In hindsight, it’s amazing it worked out between us.”
“You two were meant to be.”
“I believe that. At the time, I would’ve said Toby was my meant-to-be, but I’ve since learned there can be more than one.”
“I’m happy for you that it worked out so well with Alex.”
“It’s going to work out for you, too. I’m sure of it.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
Jenny’s assurances stayed with her as she welcomed Dr. Kevin McCarthy for his first-ever massage, which had been a birthday gift from his wife, Chelsea. She couldn’t believe he’d never had one.
“Chelsea says I have to be in the buff for this. Is that true?”
Sierra laughed at the face he made as he said that. “That’s totally up to you. Some people go out and proud. Others prefer to keep their underwear on.”
“Chelsea told me I’m a prude if I keep the britches on.”
“I’d never tell if you did.”
“She’ll know.”
Sierra laughed and gestured for him to go into the room she’d prepared for him.
“This is so nice,” he said, taking in the taupe-colored walls she’d painted herself. “And it smells amazing.”
“Aromatherapy.”
“I dig it.”
“I’ll leave you to take off as much as you’re comfortable with. Then you can slide under the blanket. We’ll start backside up, with your face here.” She showed him the special pillow with the hole in the center. “Any questions?”
“Nope. I got this.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.” While she was out of the room, Sierra allowed herself a brief giggle over how funny Kevin was asking about whether he had to be nude. She knew him and Chelsea quite well from the Beachcomber and would make sure he was comfortable and relaxed, but he’d cracked her up with the question. He was always such a grown-up compared to the rest of them. To see him a bit unsettled had been amusing.
She ate a protein bar and chased it with water. Then she washed her hands and knocked on the door to the room. “All set?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Sierra bit her lip to keep from laughing. He was too funny. “Remember, this is supposed to be relaxing.”
“Gotcha.”
She rubbed scented oil between her hands and held them under the face pillow. “Close your eyes, clear your mind and take a deep breath in through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Again.”
Sierra quickly discovered that he held all his stress in his shoulders and neck, so she focused on those areas while thinking about what she might wear to dinner later. The temperature had been dropping all week and was expected to hit the thirties for the first time later that night. So she’d probably wear jeans, a sweater and boots, which was boring. She much preferred dressing for warmer weather when she could show off her sleeve tattoos, although she could wear a tank under a sweater and remove the sweater during dinner.
She liked that idea. The tattoos were exceptional, in her opinion—and in Duke’s. He said they represented some of his finest work. Colorful, elaborate, detailed and magical were words that had been used to describe the renderings of some of her favorite images from the fantasy novels she’d devoured in her youth. The Lord of the Rings had been her favorite, and Duke had helped her bring the stories to life in living color.
“How’s the pressure?” she asked Kevin.
“Mmm, perfect. I can see why people love this so much.”
