the memories or her torturous presence, one or the other, would do him in.
Inside, the smell of old furniture hit him. Brighter than he remembered, the interior was crowded, jammed with every conceivable item. With clean white paint covering the plank walls and the windowpanes cleared of grime, sunlight flooded the long, low room. Hard to believe this was the same place he’d spent so many of his breaks, dropping by for ten minutes just to see Jenny and be with her, sometimes bringing her an RC and a MoonPie merely to see her pleasure in the small surprise. He could almost smile at the remembrance, maybe because it felt like he was standing on neutral ground now, somewhere removed from that faraway time and place.
Tori aahed over a stack of old windows. She leaned over, flipping through them. At the waistband of her jeans, just below the small of her back, a flash of red and black winked at him.
A tattoo? Victoria Calvert possessed a tattoo?
A tickle ran over his fingers. More than anything, he wanted to reach forward, inch the waistband on her jeans down and find out. Who’d have thought it? A hundred bucks said Tick didn’t know about it either.
“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Tori looked at him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Like what?” he asked, striving for an innocent “who me?” air. She rested a hand on one hip, emphasizing the smooth nip of her waist.
She shook back her hair, the tangled fall of dark silk a gorgeous mess any supermodel would be proud of. “Like you know something I don’t.”
More like he knew something Tick would pitch a fit over. His grin widened and he leaned against the old produce table behind him, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m just…” Enjoying the view. He swallowed the words. Indulging in a flirtation with her wasn’t in his plans. A gazillion reminders and maybe he’d get that idea through his head. “I’m just wondering where you think you’re going to put anything you buy.”
“Oh.” She waved off the concern. “I’ll pay extra to have it shipped home.”
“You folks finding everything okay?” The woman’s pleasant voice had the distinct accent of a coastal Florida small town. She greeted them from the end of the aisle, her tall figure clad in jeans and a linen blouse tied at her waist. Her red hair kicked out in a short, trendy cut. She moved toward them. “I know it’s a little crowded. I just bought new inventory and haven’t sorted everything out yet.”
“This place is wonderful. I could plunder all day. Oh my gosh, this is beautiful.” Tori rubbed her palm over a salvaged porch column. Mark sighed. He was jealous of a piece of freaking wood.
“Isn’t it? I had eight of them. That’s the last one.”
Tori curved her hand around the strong pillar and looked over her shoulder at Mark. “This would be great in your living room.”
Why would he need a porch column in his living room? He shook his head. “Not my style.”
Her expression turned impish. “Your style? What is that? Barren bachelor pad?”
The store owner’s smile widened. “I’ll just leave you two to browse, then. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” Tori said, already eyeing the rows of items waiting to be discovered.
Frowning, Mark watched the woman walk away. Close to his age, she triggered some sense of familiarity. Heck, he’d probably gone to high school with her.
“Mark, come on. Let’s see what else is hiding in here.”
Tori tugged him away from the table. The warmth of her hand on his upper arm jolted through him. When had she started calling him Mark? Oh man, he liked the sound of his name on her lips way too much.
Carefully, he removed his arm from her easy hold. He kept his face blank, going for a bored air. “You plunder all you want and have a blast, but this isn’t my thing.”
Her enthusiasm dimmed and her hands fluttered a moment before she stuck them in the back pockets of her jeans. “Oh. Okay. We can
Inside, the smell of old furniture hit him. Brighter than he remembered, the interior was crowded, jammed with every conceivable item. With clean white paint covering the plank walls and the windowpanes cleared of grime, sunlight flooded the long, low room. Hard to believe this was the same place he’d spent so many of his breaks, dropping by for ten minutes just to see Jenny and be with her, sometimes bringing her an RC and a MoonPie merely to see her pleasure in the small surprise. He could almost smile at the remembrance, maybe because it felt like he was standing on neutral ground now, somewhere removed from that faraway time and place.
Tori aahed over a stack of old windows. She leaned over, flipping through them. At the waistband of her jeans, just below the small of her back, a flash of red and black winked at him.
A tattoo? Victoria Calvert possessed a tattoo?
A tickle ran over his fingers. More than anything, he wanted to reach forward, inch the waistband on her jeans down and find out. Who’d have thought it? A hundred bucks said Tick didn’t know about it either.
“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Tori looked at him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Like what?” he asked, striving for an innocent “who me?” air. She rested a hand on one hip, emphasizing the smooth nip of her waist.
She shook back her hair, the tangled fall of dark silk a gorgeous mess any supermodel would be proud of. “Like you know something I don’t.”
More like he knew something Tick would pitch a fit over. His grin widened and he leaned against the old produce table behind him, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m just…” Enjoying the view. He swallowed the words. Indulging in a flirtation with her wasn’t in his plans. A gazillion reminders and maybe he’d get that idea through his head. “I’m just wondering where you think you’re going to put anything you buy.”
“Oh.” She waved off the concern. “I’ll pay extra to have it shipped home.”
“You folks finding everything okay?” The woman’s pleasant voice had the distinct accent of a coastal Florida small town. She greeted them from the end of the aisle, her tall figure clad in jeans and a linen blouse tied at her waist. Her red hair kicked out in a short, trendy cut. She moved toward them. “I know it’s a little crowded. I just bought new inventory and haven’t sorted everything out yet.”
“This place is wonderful. I could plunder all day. Oh my gosh, this is beautiful.” Tori rubbed her palm over a salvaged porch column. Mark sighed. He was jealous of a piece of freaking wood.
“Isn’t it? I had eight of them. That’s the last one.”
Tori curved her hand around the strong pillar and looked over her shoulder at Mark. “This would be great in your living room.”
Why would he need a porch column in his living room? He shook his head. “Not my style.”
Her expression turned impish. “Your style? What is that? Barren bachelor pad?”
The store owner’s smile widened. “I’ll just leave you two to browse, then. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” Tori said, already eyeing the rows of items waiting to be discovered.
Frowning, Mark watched the woman walk away. Close to his age, she triggered some sense of familiarity. Heck, he’d probably gone to high school with her.
“Mark, come on. Let’s see what else is hiding in here.”
Tori tugged him away from the table. The warmth of her hand on his upper arm jolted through him. When had she started calling him Mark? Oh man, he liked the sound of his name on her lips way too much.
Carefully, he removed his arm from her easy hold. He kept his face blank, going for a bored air. “You plunder all you want and have a blast, but this isn’t my thing.”
Her enthusiasm dimmed and her hands fluttered a moment before she stuck them in the back pockets of her jeans. “Oh. Okay. We can
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