“That’s great to hear.”
She shifted the blankets to find that he’d taken Chelsea’s advice to go completely nude, which was no big deal to her, but…
Did it feel odd to massage the bare hips and legs of a man she knew from her favorite bar? A little, but she was used to giving massages to people she knew and maintaining her professionalism. But some, like this one, were more awkward than others. Kevin was a great guy, but as a psychiatrist, he was also someone she looked up to as a source of fatherly advice.
She’d never given her own father a massage, but if she did, she imagined it would be a little awkward like this was with Kevin. Thankfully, she got through the full treatment and sent him away relaxed and satisfied with his loose muscles.
“Will you confirm for Chelsea that I went all in?” he asked as he prepared to leave. “She won’t believe me.”
Sierra smiled. “What happens in the room stays in the room.”
“Ah, okay. Well, she’ll be glad I finally lost my massage virginity.”
“Hope you’ll come back again sometime.”
“I’ll definitely be back.”
While she waited for her last client of the day to arrive, Sierra sent confirmations to three clients booked for tomorrow and replied to an email from McKenzie with several receipts she’d requested.
Her phone rang with a call from Linda McCarthy, who was due to arrive in fifteen minutes.
“Hi, Linda.”
“Oh, Sierra, thank goodness I caught you. I’m so sorry I forgot to call you sooner. Abby had the quadruplets last night, and we’re on the mainland. You have my card, so please go ahead and charge me for the service. I’ll reschedule when I get back.”
“Congratulations! Four new babies takes priority over everything else.”
“I felt so badly when I realized I forgot to call you.”
“No problem at all. Call me when you’re back to reschedule, and no charge for today. Pass along my congratulations to Adam and Abby.”
“I will, honey. Thank you for understanding.”
“Talk to you soon.”
Linda had been a client for years and had never once not shown up for an appointment. Having four new grandsons was a pretty good excuse for missing a session.
Sierra cleaned the room she’d used for Kevin’s service and prepared for the next day before she shut down her computer and punched out for the day—two hours earlier than expected.
She had a hot date to prepare for, and as she went upstairs to her apartment, she was thankful for the extra time.
Chapter 12
Morgan had spent a frustrating day in Billy’s office at the gym, sifting through the endless piles of paperwork his brother had stacked on the desk, probably with plans to deal with it in the future. Billy had always been a master procrastinator, so the mess didn’t surprise Morgan. But it was one more thing he had to deal with on top of sorting through the personal belongings in Billy’s apartment. He’d been chipping away at sorting through both locations over the last couple of months, but had barely made a dent, or so it seemed to him.
Having his brother’s things all around him brought comfort and distress in equal parts. While he loved the pictures of Billy and his friends as well as the mementos from a life well lived, they were each a reminder of what’d been lost for everyone who loved him.
The whole thing was so freaking senseless.
That was the part Morgan struggled with the most. Billy shouldn’t have been on his boat in the storm, and they’d never know what he and Jim had been thinking when they got the big idea to ride out the storm on a boat.
Their parents had never cared for Jim Sturgil and had discouraged Billy’s friendship with him in high school.
“That kid is trouble,” their dad had said more than once.
But Billy had been undeterred. Even when the rest of the town turned on Sturgil after his messy breakup with his ex-wife, Tiffany, Billy hadn’t frozen out his old friend. “I feel sorry for him,” Billy had said when Morgan asked why he was still hanging out with the guy.
“You feel sorry for him. Why the hell is that?”
