by Cathryn Cade
Uncomfortable when she was sober.
She turned and walked to her front door, her shoulders tightening with each step.
"RaeAnn," called her mother's voice from behind her.
Rae squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Then she forced herself to turn. Her mother stood on her back deck, the kitchen slider open behind her. Ellen was already dressed and coiffed for work, in one of her go-to looks—elegant slacks, shell top and jacket, in fall tones of gold and rust. Her blonde hair was styled in her signature boy cut, brushed back from her forehead in a wave. She'd finished the look with gold earrings and chunky bracelets, suede pumps on her feet.
"Come here," Ellen said, casting a frowning look around at the neighbors' quiet houses. "Don't make me shout across the yard."
Like the neighbors would care—the elderly couple on the right were both so deaf they wouldn't hear if Rae or her mom shouted through a karaoke machine, and the neighbors to the left currently had the TV on in the kitchen, the morning news blaring from the open window.
But it would do her no good to argue, so Rae trudged slowly back along the drive to the corner of the big house. Since the deck was raised, her mother was now looking down on her. Even if they'd been on the same level, the effect would've been the same. Ellen could, despite being only 5'3", look down her nose at anyone she chose.
Now, she examined RaeAnn with a deepening frown, her carefully lipsticked mouth tightening. "Where have you been? And who was that man who just dropped you off at—" here she looked ostentatiously at her gold wrist watch "—eight o’clock on a Sunday morning?"
Rae's hands clenched on her purse, her nails digging into the soft leather. "Out," she gritted. As Ellen could plainly see.
Her mother interrupted her with a wave of her manicured hand. "Don't be smart with me. I can see you've been out. Where, and with whom?"
A hot flame of rebellion burst into life in Rae's chest. "With a man," she hissed in response. "And no, it wasn't Seth. He's—you don't know him." Nor was she likely to.
Ellen's eyes widened, and she flinched as if Rae had struck her. Then she slowly shook her head.
"Well," she said, tipping her head to give Rae a look as sharp as glass. "Then I expect you'll be late coming into work tomorrow morning... as you'll want to go by a clinic and get tested. Just in case this man has left you with any little souvenirs."
It was RaeAnn's turn to close her eyes, with a grimace of utter embarrassment. "Right," she mumbled. "See you later, then."
With that, she turned and scuttled for the privacy of her own place before she totally humiliated herself by bursting into tears.
She had to remind herself that her mom had her best interests at heart.
But for crying out loud, would it hurt the woman to be more tactful? She could sweet-talk customers all day long, but she didn’t bother to waste the effort on her own daughter. Somehow, Ellen Denton always managed to make Rae feel as if she were two feet tall.
And sometimes Rae just wanted to flip her off and tell her where she could shove her job and her boutique.
CHAPTER NINE
Monday, September 23rd
The E Boutique was in downtown Spokane. Placed advantageously between a shoe store that carried top brands and a hair salon called Lavish Locks, E got plenty of foot traffic from downtown shoppers, especially in the warm, sunny, early fall weather Spokane was now experiencing.
The store was so busy when RaeAnn arrived that morning, she had no time to talk to her mother, which suited her just fine. Thus, after a sharp glance as Rae walked in, Ellen left her alone.
Rae had made sure she was suitably attired in a cream knit top, black slacks, and a wide, black leather belt slung low on her hips. Her hair was in long waves, makeup muted, and she wore only one silver bangle and a pair of silver earrings for jewelry. Staff at E must look stylish, but not try to compete with their customers.
Rae pasted a smile on her face, hoping it did not reveal her complete lack of enthusiasm, and got to work selling the new fall/winter lines.
Tracy, the other sales clerk on duty, gave her a quick smile and a searching look as they met in the back room. "Morning, Rae. You okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Rae answered automatically as she searched through a stack of russet tank tops for the size her customer had requested.
But she was not okay.
Her hangover from Saturday night might be gone, but her heart felt bruised from Ellen's continued coldness—her mother had not spoken to her at all beyond curt orders to do this, or that.
She was also still burning with the humiliation of having to walk into a local clinic, sign her name on the register and request a blood test to discover if Mac had transferred any STIs during their hookup. Her mom’s advice on doing this may have been sound, but it still had been embarrassing as heck.
All Rae wanted now was to go home, curl up in her bed, pull the covers over her head, and sleep the day away, as she had most of Sunday.
But she couldn't, so instead she found the size of top needed and hustled back to the fitting rooms.
Lacey and Dee had been blowing up RaeAnn's cell phone since Sunday afternoon, wanting details on RaeAnn's hook up with her hot guy.
Rae felt as if she'd explode if she didn't share her conflicting emotions with someone. And who better than her two besties?
She called and left messages with them both to meet her for supper at La Maya, a mid-priced restaurant on the edge of downtown Spokane with delicious food and margaritas.
Rae was pretty sure she wouldn’t want to touch tequila for several days, but she definitely needed some girlfriend time.
She was late to meet her friends as she had to stay late to re-stock after their busy sales day. Her mother had tried to extend an olive branch earlier, complimenting RaeAnn on a large sale. 'Too little, too late, mama dearest,' Rae thought sullenly.
She escaped with relief and drove the few blocks to the restaurant.
From the outside, La Maya looked like it came straight off the set of a film set in the Southern Mexican jungles. The faux stone exterior was covered with ornate curves and curlicues.
Inside, it was bright, warm hues of reds and yellows, the walls covered in fancy sombreros and a tropical plant in every corner.
Her friends were already there, waiting for her at their favorite table by the north windows, which were bordered with plants.
Against this backdrop, the two looked like tropical blooms, Lacey in a deep plum dress that complemented her auburn locks, and Dee in black leggings and a gold-flowered top with flowing, ruffled sleeves. Dee wore her raven hair up in a messy bun, with huge, beaded hoop earrings that hung nearly to her shoulders. Lacey's chunky bracelets flashed in the lights as she lifted her hand to wave at Rae from across the restaurant. She wore a matching necklace that nearly covered the neckline of her dress.
Rae wished she could throw on dramatic jewelry and wear it to work. Not gonna happen at E, not unless her mom started selling it. Then of course Rae would be expected to shill the stuff.
As she crossed the restaurant to join her friends, her weariness slid off her shoulders like a discarded cardi. She smiled back at both of them, hugged Lacey who was on the outside of the table, and blew a kiss to Dee, who had claimed the banquette seat against the plants.
"So, tell us everything," Dee urged, leaning forward as Rae sat in one of the red faux-leather chairs.
"Give her a chance to order a drink," Lacey chided as a young waiter appeared at Rae's elbow. They all smiled at Julio, who was handsome enough to grace the restaurant's ads, which he did.
He gave Rae a smoldering look through thick, black lashes. "A drink for you, señorita hermosa?"
Rae, who enjoyed his flirtations even though she knew it was to sell more drinks, smiled up at him. "Hi, Julio. No alcohol for me. I'll just have water with my dinner."
He gave her a sad look, no doubt picturing a smaller tip. "Bueno. A few minutes to look at the menu, then?"
; The three friends exchanged a look. "We'll have the family combo special," Rae told him. "With extra guac, por favor."
He walked away, and Rae grabbed a tortilla chip from the basket in the center of the table, scooped up some of La Maya's signature salsa, and stuffed both into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and took a drink of water. Since her stomach accepted both, she took another chip.
"Waiting," Dee caroled, waggling her fingers in a 'gimme' gesture. She leaned forward to hiss, "Was Mac as good as I think he was?"
"Sh-shh!” Rae blushed hotly, glancing at the family with two small children at the next table to make sure they hadn’t heard. “And... yes."
"Woohoo!" Both her friends gave her a high five.
Lacey winked at her. "If you're going to indulge in risky behavior, glad it was fun." Her smile looked wistful, which Rae got, because they'd been comparing dry spells only the weekend before.
Rae loved her two best friends. Since they met in high school, the three of them had shared the triumphs and trials of life including family, boyfriends, jobs, their weight and more.
She and Lacey had heard details of Dee's many romances in the last few years—sometimes more than Rae wanted to know.
And RaeAnn had shared with them. But she found that she was reluctant to share too much about Mac and her sexy time with him.
It had been the first time she'd truly felt she was having adult sex—honest, raw, no holds barred. Well, nearly no holds barred. He hadn't asked her for anal, which would have been a hard no for her, because Euww.
But their sex had been so intimate, more of an emotional penetration then she'd ever experienced with former boyfriends. Someday she might be ready to hash it over with Lacey and Dee, but not yet.
"It was amazing," she told them instead. "Let's just say he knows his way around downstairs." She blushed again, remembering his mouth and hands on her.
"And his thing?" Dee asked eagerly, although quietly, because they were in a family restaurant.
Rae nodded meaningfully, but then made the sign for zipping her lips.
Dee sighed dramatically. "Oh, you are just no fun, girl. You know I love to hear the dirty details. And I share them with you." She pouted, but Rae ignored this.
"So, are you and he seeing each other again?" Lacey asked.
"I don't know," Rae admitted. "We just left that open."
Her friends gave her sympathetic looks, knowing this was code for he hadn't asked.
The three of them went on to discuss other things, but Rae wondered, would she ever hear from Mac again?
All she'd thought about at the time was how good he had made it for her.
But what about him?
What had he thought of her performance? Oh God, maybe she'd been awful.
And then, the next morning she’d been so upset that she’d been… kind of a bitch. Nothing like the night before, that was for sure.
She was a grownup, after all. Wasn’t like he’d coerced her into sex… she’d gone along very willingly.
Given her stand-offishness the morning after, maybe he never wanted to see or do anything else with her again
She sighed inwardly and tried to concentrate on her delicious supper and her friends’ conversation. But it wasn’t easy.
Thursday, September 26th
A few days later, RaeAnn walked out of E and into the hair salon next door.
She was smiling as she walked through the front door of the salon. Just walking into the place made her feel better.
Lavish Locks Salon was luxe, although not super trendy. Their clientele were mostly the same women who shopped at E Boutique, in their forties and upward, with disposable income. The salon’s decor was muted gold and beige. Celia, the owner, was a full-figured redhead who favored flowing clothing in rich colors. She was Ellen’s stylist. RaeAnn preferred the other stylist, Chayna, who was nearer to her own age.
Chayna was alone in the salon at the moment. She looked over from wiping out the sink at her work station and smiled at Rae. “Hey, girl. Good to see you.”
“Hi, Chayna,” Rae said, leaning on the reception counter and inhaling the scents of perfume and good hair product. “Love your hair—did you just have highlights?”
Chayna twirled a hand gracefully at her short hair, the ends flipped out around her head. “I did. My husband says I look like Halle Berry.”
Rae grinned. “She should be so lucky to look like you.”
Chayna batted her lashes as she came to meet Rae at the desk. “Why, thank you. Oh, and I got that new style mag for you. Wait till you see the colors they’re using this fall.”
She reached under the desk and handed Rae a hairstyle magazine. “Ooh, thanks,” Rae said happily. “I’ll look at it and get it back to you.”
“No hurry—well, except Celia will be looking for it.” She widened her eyes at Rae in an ‘eek!’ look. “So get it back to me in a couple days, okay? Ready to make an appointment so I can trim those ends for you?”
“Yes. And then I’d better get to lunch.”
Chayna wrote out an appointment card and handed it to her. “You really should be working here, instead of next door,” she said. “You get way more excited about new hairstyles than you do about clothes.”
Rae sighed. “I wish—but that’s not happening. Thanks, and see you later.”
She hurried back out onto the sidewalk, intent on walking the two blocks to the nearest Burger Shack, a Spokane area institution, to get lunch.
It was a warm, sunny day, so she wore only a thin, caramel sweater over her caramel tee and black bootcut jeans, with flats on her feet.
She was sliding her sunglasses on her nose when she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, blondie. Gonna just walk on by and ignore me?"
Startled, she turned to see Mac grinning at her. He was leaning on a parking meter, his blond hair glinting in the sun. Clad in a black tee, faded jeans and boots, and his black sunglasses on his head, he looked like every bad boy fantasy come to life.
"Hi," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged and straightened. "I was driving by, thought I'd see if you wanted to catch lunch."
She giggled breathlessly. "I don't want to have to catch it, but I was on my way to Burger Shack. You want to come with?"
"Sounds good to me." He moved to join her, and they walked together along the street.
Rae felt like maybe she could float a few inches above the pavement. She smiled over at him, and he winked at her.
"How've you been?" he asked. "Getting in trouble with those two girlfriends of yours?"
"No," she protested. "The only trouble I've been into lately was with you." Then she blushed and dipped her head. He laughed and caught her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.
There was a table open on the sidewalk enclosure at Burger Shack. They hurried to claim it.
“Hey, give me your cell number, okay?” Mac asked her after they ordered. “So I can give you a buzz instead of loitering outside on the sidewalk.”
“Oh, sure,” Rae agreed. They traded numbers and put their phones away.
Over cheeseburgers, fries, and Cokes, RaeAnn found herself talking to him. Really talking, more than she ever had to a guy, except maybe her high school boyfriend Seth. More buddies than anything else, she and Seth had shared everything from their favorite TV shows to their fears about what to do after graduation.
"So that’s your mom’s shop, huh?" Mac asked her, taking a big bite of his double-decker cheeseburger.
"Yes. I've been working there since I was in high school. But it's not what I really want to do."
He reached for his Coke and took a drink. "Your ma tough to work for?"
Rae rolled her eyes, swallowing her mouthful of fries, and wiped her lips with her paper napkin. "Ellen Denton would've been a great officer in the Armed Forces—she's that good at getting her employees to toe the line. Not to mention clothing line sales reps, janitors and customers. Only we don't call them customers. W
e call them 'clients'." She sketched quotes in the air, and he chuckled.
"Guess you and me got something in common there, huh? My folks did a great job building their carpet and flooring business, but that don't mean I want to be part of it."
"I know, right?" she said. "I love clothes and being stylish, although not as conservative as I have to dress for work. And I do not love working for my mom."
Even as she spoke, she looked around guiltily, as if Tracy, Svetlana or one of her mother's regular clients might be listening in. But all the people at the other tables were strangers, thank goodness.
“What about your dad? He have a business you could switch to?”
She grimaced, as she always did when she thought of the stranger who had fathered her. “No. He’s… not around. He was basically a sperm donor. Found out about me and took off, leaving Mom to raise me on her own.”
She gave Mac a shame-faced look. "I probably sound like a real whiner, complaining about my mom behind her back."
He shook his head, smiling at her. "Naw, a person's gotta be able to let off steam about their job. I go for beers with the other EMTs, we let it all out. Gotta get rid of it with people who get it."
"You're right," she agreed, nodding. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "So I'll say, there've been plenty of times when, after being corrected in front of customers, or the other clerks, if I wasn't the owner’s daughter and thus basically forced to get along with her, I would've given Ellen my two-weeks’ notice."
He leaned forward too, and waggled those dark brows at her. "Why not just walk out? Be a lot more satisfying."
"Well, sure," she scoffed. "But then I wouldn't get paid while I look for another job. I can't afford to go without a paycheck."
"Babe." He gave her a chiding look. "You been livin' in a bubble too long. Workin' for your ma, practically living in her hip pocket… how old are you? Twenty-three or four?"
"Twenty-two," she said. Mac looked startled, as if he’d expected her to be older. She frowned at him as she picked up her burger in its paper wrapper for another bite, feeling defensive for some reason. "Anyway, lots of people my age still live at home, or share a house with someone. Rent is expensive now."
