A Storm in the Desert (On Hold)

Chapter 12

Lily's ass hurt.

And not for any good reason.

It made her irritable.

Even on her knees her butt still managed to remind her that no amount of natural padding meant a damn thing when it came to horseback riding.

She leaned further over the Jacuzzi tub to scrub the line of scum from the side. How in the world did those two get dirty enough in one day to leave a friggin line inside the tub?

Lily pushed herself back out of the tub and straightened her stiff back, looking around at the guest bathroom. All in all, she was pretty happy with her work. The house was the cleanest it had been since she and the girls arrived two weeks ago. She'd cleaned it entirely, just this morning. Colin had taken Jason in to his check up and prevailed on Lily to let the girls come and keep him company at McDonalds while he waited. As soon as they'd left the driveway she'd started cleaning. Scrubbed bathrooms and the kitchen, changed all the sheets, vacuumed rugs and dusted.

She put the last of the cleaning supplies back in the cupboard and texted Colin.

Me- Where are you guys?

Colin- Still at McD's

Me- He's still with the doctor?

Colin- He needs lots of attention, haven't you noticed? Haha

Me- I've been meaning to talk to you about that....lol

Colin- Enjoy your free time while you can, I'll be bringing him back later.

Lily smiled at her phone and headed toward the master bath, "I've got some Candy Crush to catch up on and a big ole Jacuzzi tub to try out. The girls shouldn't be the only ones living the life."

An hour later, a very relaxed and wrinkly Lily, still hadn't caught up on Candy Crush but something much more interesting had come to her attention. She didn't look up from typing on her phone when Jason walked in, locking the door behind him.

She smiled as she typed, "You learn fast. How many times did they follow you into the bathroom before you realized your doors had locks?"

"Once."

Lily laughed to herself.

"You're supposed to relax in a Jacuzzi tub, not type on your phone," he said, sitting on the edge.

"I know, but Sunny emailed me a want ad from Yavapai College."

"Regarding?"

"They're looking for instructors to teach community art courses here in Sedona."

"And?"

Lily finally looked up, "And, it would be a nice way to get back into designing stained glass AND have my supplies paid for." She looked back down at her phone when it hooted at her.

"You have a studio at Tlaquepaque, what do you need to teach at Yavapai for?"

"You have an empty retail space at Tlaquepaque that you need to fill, I have squat. Once school starts, a job would be nice, even a part time one."

"You don't want to set up shop in Tlaquepaque?" Jason asked.

"I'd kill for a shop in Tlaquepaque and as soon as I have enough money for one, I'll call you first."

"I see."

Lily set her phone in the windowsill, leaning back against the bubbling jets, she said, "Do you? The miracles never cease."

Jason's expression didn't change. He looked at the stubborn woman in the swirling water. "Don't hold those tits down on my account," he said.

Lily folded her arms tighter. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want me to let them float."