Page 6 of Purrfectly Trapped

“Don’t you go getting worried on me now,” Elissa said. “I told you, Hunter is going to tell all of the Pri-, I mean, all of hisemployeesabout this place. You’ll be fine, Gretch. Better than fine.”

“I sure hope so,” she said, biting her lip nervously.

Speak of the devil, Hunter just arrived with Brayden, Jessica’s boyfriend. The women insisted their significant others join them for lunch.

“There is more than enough,” Gretchen said handing out some of the extra subs Trigger had bought.

Seriously, he’d gotten like ten for the four of them. Gretchen was a big girl, but she couldn’t put away more than one-foot-long sandwich on her best day. Even if the other women had managed to polish off two each.

“Thank you, Gretchen,” Hunter replied, his eyes on his wife as he sat beside her.

Brayden had the same besotted look as he snuggled close to Jess feeding her bites of his sandwich, even though she’d eaten. Gretchen had never seen anything like it.

There must be something in the Maverick Point water, she mused. Or maybe it was the mountain air? Hell, they’d even cleaned up.

What prizes, she thought, and tried not to watch as each man held hands with their women and cuddled them close after cleaning the remnants of their mini feast. When Elissa began to yawn, Hunter moved.

"I’m fine,” she argued.

“She’s tired,” Gretchen said right to Hunter who seemed to growl and nod.

“Better get you to bed,” he told Elissa who’s face had gone bright pink.

“Whoooo! It’s getting’ hot in here,” Kylie replied loudly, and everyone laughed.

Except Hunter. His teal eyes seemed to glow as he gazed at the love of his life. There was no doubt about it. He was crazy about her, and she really deserved to have someone like that. Perfect husband that he was, he scooped her up and brought her to the car despite her protests.

Gretchen’s heart squeezed as she watched them. It was a helluva thing being happy on one hand and desperately lonely on the other.Maybe someday, she thought,just maybe.

“I’ll drop by tomorrow,” Elissa shouted as Hunter buckled her in and nodded his goodbyes to Gretchen.

Sigh.How romantic.

ChapterTwo

Gretchen had always wanted something like that for herself. Not the feeding by hand or the carrying bit per se, but a man who would pamper and take care of her just like Elissa had with Hunter.Some things just weren’t meant to be, she supposed and shrugged. She had too much to do to stand there moping.

She got back to work with a vengeance. After moving a few more boxes to the storage room at the back of the store, Gretchen, Kylie, Brayden, and Jessica placed some last finishing touches on the front of the place before the rest of the gang left.

She thanked them all profusely and gave them coupons for on the house treatments at their convenience, of course. Brayden blushed when she handed him one, but Jessica insisted he take it.

“Men don’t get pedicures---”

“You would be surprised,” Gretchen replied, shaking her head.

“Seriously, you need one,” Jessica said, taking his hand as they left.

She laughed and waved them away. It was silly how many America men did not believe in frequenting salons. Younger crowds had more modern attitudes, and times were changing, but Gretchen had a feeling she would have an easier time pulling teeth than getting the men of Hunter’s company, Maverick Development, to become regular clients.

No matter She would just have to prove her services too good to miss. Determination had her scrubbing floors, hefting garbage away to the dumpster in the back, and wiping mirrors for the third time that night before she was too exhausted to continue.

When she was as finished as she was ever going to be, Gretchen headed upstairs to her apartment which was located directly above the salon.

Thankfully, the space was much larger than she’d thought when she’d first looked at the building from the outside. The location was prime, situated on one of Maverick Point’s busiest streets.

In fact, the older woman, whose lease Gretchen was taking over, had converted the two top apartments into one, rather spacious, two-story, housing unit. Clean, polished wood floors were gleaming from the thorough washing and polishing Gretchen had given them after the movers had left.

She’d discarded most of her old, scratched furniture, keeping only the main pieces like her dresser, an old leather couch, a small dinette set, and a few bookshelves.

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