The evening wasn’t so quiet anymore as the buzzer on the front gate sounded.
Sam set the laptop on the coffee table and went to the intercom, knowing exactly who it was. Jade liked to buzz a little song, just to be a pain in the ass. “Who dat?”
“I gotta pee.”
“Yeah, so? You know the code.”
“I know, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t in the bathroom.”
“All clear. See you in five, four, three…”
Jade burst into the house and headed straight for the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door. “The final chapters are done!”
Sam perked up. “Really?”
“Yeah, and in her comments, she says there’s smut.”
“Oh, good. I’m going to my bedroom.” Sam grabbed the laptop and hopped up the steps two at a time, almost face planting at the top step. Almost. That would’ve been hard to live down.
Finishing up in the powder room, Jade yelled, “You’re disgusting… Can I use the spare bedroom?”
An hour later, Sam’s phone rang. It was Jade, calling from the spare bedroom.
“Hello?” Sam asked innocently.
“Did you see the comments?”
“I’m sorry, who’s this?”
“Read the comments.”
“Okay, okay. What am I reading?”
“Go down to the bottom. A friend mentions her name—Alexa—and spills the beans about where she works.”
Sam was busy not paying attention because she was rereading the sex scene. “Uh-huh.”
“We need to take a trip to Pasadena tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“Because we need some landscaping done.”
* * *
“This seems wrong on so many levels,” Sam said, as they slouched in Jade’s car in the parking lot of Novato’s Landscape and Hardscape. Both wore sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed, floppy beach hat perched atop Sam’s head. The only things missing were a nose and mustache.
“We’re just having a little fun, doing a little sleuthing.”
“You call it sleuthing. The rest of the world calls it stalking. I’m the actress. I’m the one who’s supposed to be stalked—the stalkee, not the stalker.”
“Quiet. Do you see anybody who looks like they could write a lusty sex scene?”
“No.” Sam fanned herself with a magazine. The heat from the blacktop filtered through the open windows, and the absence of a breeze added to the stuffiness.
“Hand me those pretzels. Sleuthing makes me hungry.”
Sam passed the pretzels to Jade. After taking off her sandals, she put her feet up on the dashboard and moved them around like she was practicing dance moves.
“What the hell happened to your toes? It looks like they were gnawed on by some animal.”
Sam studied them. The red polish had mostly flaked off. The nails were varying lengths, some chipped and jagged. God, when did this happen? Her toes were usually so cute. Now look at them. She self-consciously put her feet back on the floor, blaming this lack of personal hygiene on her “offness” since season three had ended.
“I guess I’m due for a pedi.”
“You think? They look like Fred Flintstone feet.”
“They’re not that bad.”
“Put your shoes back on. We don’t wanna scare off our sexy writer.”
Sam huffed and put her sandals back on. She was bored. It felt like they had been here forever. An older woman headed toward the store with two kids in tow. “Oh, I bet that’s our mystery writer. Look, she’s in pajamas and has kids. Just like I said.”
“Jesus, I hope that’s not her. Pass me a soda.”
“Where is it?”
“In the cooler in the backseat.”
“You brought a cooler?” Sam turned around. “Oh my, you did. You brought a cooler. How long is this stakeout gonna last?”
After unzipping the red, soft-sided Igloo, she assessed the contents. Not much of a variety: Coke, Diet Coke, and more Coke. A bottle of water would have been nice, but evidently that wasn’t on the menu. As she was grabbing a can of soda, she noticed a bag behind Jade’s seat and peeked inside. It was everything from aisle one in a convenience store: multiple bags of Doritos, a sizeable bag of regular M&M’s, some sandwich cookies, and beef jerky—a lonely protein in a sea of carbs.
“My God, you have enough food in here to last for days.” Sam took in all the empty plastic cups, wrappers, and chip bags strewn on the floor in the back. “And you should clean your car. Cluttered car, cluttered mind they say.”
“Who’s they?”
“Me.” Sam handed her a soda. She was super envious of Jade’s metabolism. Girl ate like a pig and never gained an ounce. And she never chose healthy options. “You shouldn’t be drinking that stuff. Do you know what it must be doing to your insides?”
Jade waved her off. “Blah, blapity, blah.” Suddenly she straightened. “Wait—hellooo.”
They both saw her at the same time, strolling out the front door with a big, brown dog following close behind.
Sam pulled the sunglasses down her nose to get a better look. The woman went over to a customer and began talking and smiling, showing off perfect, white teeth. She was tall and lean, with long dark hair and a body that screamed fitness freak. She wore a tank top, cargo shorts, and a baseball hat that was like a cherry on top of the sweetest dessert.
Sam’s breath quickened. A surprising heat gathered between her legs. Who was this attractive mystery woman? She nibbled on her lip. There was something hypnotic about her. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
“You mean those delicious calves?” Jade asked.
“I was looking at those delicious arms.”
The woman helped the customer load plants into their car, muscles rippling with every movement. When she finished, she glanced in their direction.
“Shit. Shit. She sees us.” Sam slipped down in the seat.
Jade gave a dismissive wave. “Relax, she doesn’t see us.”
The woman went back inside, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. She had no intention of being caught stalking some woman, even one as lovely as the brunette. She didn’t want to be on the front page of the National Enquirer.
“We should go. Now.”
“We’re not going. Did you see that chick?” Jade turned to Sam, bug-eyed.
“Yeah.”
“She’s hot. What if she’s our writer?”
“We are not that lucky.”
They waited a couple of minutes and the woman appeared again, carrying flowers for the display out front, the dog close on her heels.
“Lordy Jesus, what’s it like to fuck a body like that?” Jade asked.
“You are so crude. And that’s another dollar.” Sam stared, fascinated by the woman’s graceful movements.
“C’mon, you ever sleep with a body like that?”
“No.”
“Don’t you wanna know what it’s like?”
“You’re ridiculous.” Sam admitted to herself that yes, she did wonder what it would be like to touch that body. Of course, she wouldn’t tell Jade that.
The woman exuded confidence with her impeccable posture and head held high. She kept moving the plants, then stepping back to critique the setup. It took a good four times of rearranging before she nodded with satisfaction.
Sam was mesmerized, finding it hard not to follow her every move. The woman spoke to the dog, and Sam tried to catch what was said, but they were too far away. Soon they both walked back into the store, and Sam’s shoulders sagged with disappointment.
“Where you going, beautiful?” Jade called softly.
Sam made a conscious effort to stay rooted in the car, because her body was compelled to follow the woman into the store and buy every plant in sight just to have the opportunity to speak with her. She took a deep breath. Time to get a hold of herself. She was the one being ridiculous.
“Hey, Columbo, how long are we going to sit here?”
�
��For as long as it takes.”
“As long as it takes to what?”
“Figure out if this is our writer.”
Five minutes later, the woman came outside with more plants. Sam’s body temperature skyrocketed again, her heart palpitations increasing. This stakeout was gonna be the death of her.
“We need to speed up this sleuthing process.” Jade leaned out the window. “Alexa!”
Sam’s mouth dropped open and she yanked Jade back inside. “Stop it!”
The woman scanned the parking lot until her eyes rested on their car again.
Jade slapped the steering wheel. “It’s her.”
“You are an idiot. That’s not her.”
“She looked.”
“She didn’t hear you.”
They began arguing, oblivious to the woman approaching their car.
* * *
Alex had been watching the two women in the blue car for fifteen minutes now. She couldn’t make out their faces very well from her vantage point inside the store. They both had sunglasses on, that much was clear. One wore what looked to be a large, floppy hat. Alex’s gaydar pinged. A whack to the butt made her jump.
“What are you looking at?” Lenna asked, resting her chin on Alex’s shoulder.
“Those two women in the dark blue Mercedes have been sitting there for a while. Just found it odd.”
“Maybe they’re stalking you. Jilted lovers or something like that,” Lenna said. “Sophia wants to know if you wanna get dinner out tonight.”
“Sounds great. Your treat, right?”
“Guess so. Be careful when you go back out there. Don’t need my baby sis being kidnapped by some psycho ex-lover.”
“One less mouth to feed.”
“Yeah, but Yogi would miss you.”
Alex playfully shoved her. After Lenna walked away, Alex turned her attention back to the women. Picking up the last of the plants, she pushed open the door. While arranging pots, she thought she heard someone call her name. She spun around, but no one was in the vicinity. Odd. She headed toward the car to ask if the women needed help. They were arguing when Alex strolled up and said, “Hey.”
The brunette screamed. “Aaahh! Holy shit, you scared me.”
Alex smiled and checked her out. Chestnut-brown hair fell just below her chin. A white sleeveless shirt showed off strong tanned shoulders. Probably an athlete. She glanced at the blonde in the other seat, who stared straight ahead. Now, there’s a beautiful profile. Alex sensed she’d seen this woman someplace before, but the where eluded her. “Can I help you ladies?”
The brunette stammered, “Uh, well, we were, um, just sitting here…”
Both women were attractive. Not a bad thing if they were indeed stalkers. Alex rested her arms on the door and glanced around at the mess in the car. “Wow. How long have you guys been here?”
They exchanged a look, and in unison said, “We just got here!”
Their jangled nerves were on full display. The brunette incessantly tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and the blonde jiggled both legs.
“Are you interested in any plants or landscaping, or anything?”
The brunette spoke first. “Yeah, we were interested in landscaping.” She turned to the blonde for confirmation. “Right?”
“Right.” The blonde nodded but kept her eyes forward, refusing to make eye contact.
They seemed oddly afraid to leave their car. “Do you want to come inside?” Alex asked. “Or I can get in the backseat if it makes you more comfortable.”
The blonde snickered.
Alex leaned closer, eyeing her up again. Damn she looked familiar. Maybe they’d slept together. Blondes were her weakness.
The brunette quickly said, “No, we can go inside if you want.”
“It’s not what I want, it’s whatever you want.” Alex tried to catch the blonde’s eye, but no luck so far.
“Let’s go in. I’ll go in.” The brunette turned to the blonde. “Why don’t you make, um, that phone call, and I’ll pop inside and talk landscaping.”
Yogi appeared and hunkered down beside the blonde’s window, growling and whining. Alex smiled at her. “Yogi must like you. He only talks to people he likes.”
“Yogi?” she asked.
“Yeah, Yogi Bear.”
The blonde stretched a hand out of the window and rubbed his head. “Wow, you do look like a bear. Hi, Yogi Bear. You’re so handsome.” She opened the car door and stroked Yogi’s back. “I wish I had a treat for you, but Jade ate everything.”
Alex cocked her head, fascinated by the blonde as she fussed over Yogi. A small throbbing started below her belt. Even though Alex had yet to get a clear look at the woman’s face, her body knew what it liked. Her sexual interest was piqued.
“Should we go inside now?” the brunette, Jade, asked.
The voice came from far away, because Alex’s mind was busy removing the blonde’s clothes. She needed a better angle to guess bra size. Yogi began planting wet, sloppy kisses all over the blonde’s face, which she must have enjoyed, judging by the peals of laughter. Sexy and sweet. A deadly combination.
“Hellooo?”
Finally, it registered that the other woman was speaking. Alex nodded without looking at her.
“Let’s go.”
In the interest of keeping her head intact, Alex tore her eyes away from Yogi and his new girlfriend, ducked when the door swung open, and followed. She glanced back just as the blonde gave Yogi a kiss. “Lucky dog,” she murmured. Alex had to jog to catch up to Jade. She managed to beat her to the door and opened it. “C’mon back to my office. I’m Alex Novato.” She extended a hand. “I do all the design work here.”
“I’m Jade.” The woman gave Alex’s hand a firm shake.
“Nice to meet you, Jade, and your partner’s name?”
“Partner? Oh yeah, no, that’s, um, Sama…Sa…Sarah.”
Alex pursed her lips in confusion. Did she not know her own girlfriend’s name? Maybe it wasn’t her girlfriend. “Okay, have a seat. What were you guys interested in?” She waited for reply.
Jade gave her the once-over and then shifted in the chair.
“Jade?”
“Oh, yes, she, we just bought a house, and the yard needs a lot of work. There’s a pool that looks like shit, and gardens that look like shit, and a patio that basically looks like shit. We were thinking of redoing everything.”
Alex bit back a smile. If the backyard truly was as bad as she said, it would be right up Alex’s alley. Fixing disasters was her specialty. “It sounds like a pretty big job. The best thing to do is for me to come over and see the space.”
“Oh, you’d come to the house?”
“Yep. Is that okay?” Jade was fixated on Alex’s lips for some reason. Alex patiently waited for her to resume eye contact. “Is that all right? If I come to the house?”
“Yeah, that’s great.” Jade shifted in the seat again.
Alex would have to check that chair later. Maybe the cushion was bad. “Do you want to schedule an appointment?”
“Sure, what’s good for you?” Once again, Jade’s brown eyes wandered.
Alex took a quick peek down at herself to see what had Jade so enthralled. It was her bicep. This woman was checking her out but good. Alex flexed, and Jade’s eyes grew big. Alex almost laughed. She tried to get Jade back on track. “Where you guys at?”
“Where’s who?” Jade asked, clearly distracted.
Alex knew women found her attractive, but this was over the top. “Where do you guys live?”
“Oh, Sama…Sarah lives in West Hollywood. I mean we…her and I…live in WeHo. Together. We live together in WeHo. Recently. We got together, and moved in. I mean, we were together before, but we just moved in. Recently. Like yesterday.”
Alex just kept nodding like a marionette as the woman stammered and stumbled over her words. This interaction ranked right up there with the weirdest in recent memory. Like top five. “You just moved in y
esterday?”
“Did I say yesterday? No, I didn’t say yesterday. I said…yesterday last month. You must have heard me wrong, or maybe I said it wrong, but that’s what I meant.”
Scratch that, this was number one. Alex continued nodding, because she didn’t know what else to do. “Well, I’ll be in the area on Wednesday, so I can stop by in the afternoon, around three. Is that good?”
What was she was getting herself into? She made a mental note to make sure someone knew her whereabouts that day.
“Yes, you’re perfect. I mean, that’s perfect, really perfect.” Alex’s head nodding must have been contagious, because now Jade was doing it.
“What’s your address?”
Jade wrote down the address, along with a phone number.
Alex passed a business card across the desk. “I’m one of the owners, so I’ll take good care of you. Here, take some of these catalogs. They might give you some ideas.” She slid the books over and sat back. “So I’ll see you Wednesday?”
Jade sat unmoving, fingering the business card, staring at Alex’s chest.
Alex raised her eyebrows. “I’ll see you Wednesday.” First she couldn’t get the woman out of the car, and now she couldn’t get her out of the office.
Jade’s eyes snapped back up to Alex’s. “Oh, yes, Wednesday.” She stood and reached across to shake Alex’s hand. “We’ll see you then.”
After Jade left, Alex leaned back in the chair. She weighed the pros and cons of this upcoming meeting. Pro: hopefully meeting the blonde again. Con: never making it home because they were a couple of ax murderers. Easy decision. Pros outweighed the cons. Hopefully the two women were just roommates.
* * *
Jade scampered to the car and settled into the driver’s seat. “You’re welcome.”
“What?”
“You’re welcome.”
Sam looked askance at her. “What am I thanking you for?”
#CassiNova Page 3
