This doesn’t sound like her. The bubbly Fizzy Pop I know would have said, “Sure, I’ll be right over. This calls for a bottle of wine.”
“Why? Is Santiago there?” I ask.
“No. Actually, Harrison’s here with Scout.” After an awkward pause, she says, “Why don’t you come over?”
“No way. I just ran into him. He saw me get out of Devon’s car.”
“Oh,” she says, sounding surprised. “Why were you with Devon?”
“Don’t say his name out loud. It’s a long story. I’d rather tell you in person,” I say for the second time.
“Then come over.”
“I can’t tell you in front of Harrison, silly!” Why doesn’t Fizzy get it? “It was too tense in the elevator when I rode up with him just now,” I whisper.
“Why? Can you speak a little louder? It sounds like you’re whispering.”
Why is she acting so dense? I raise my voice a notch. “Harrison commented on my dress and then made a curt comment about Tantra. He looked kinda pissed and said ‘bye’ when he got off on his floor. Nothing more.”
“Oh,” is all she says. Weird.
“It was so uncomfortable,” I add, hoping she’ll say more, but she remains silent.
Fizzy, what’s going on? “I’ll give you a buzz later,” I say. Maybe Harrison is beside her.
“Okay.”
I hang up feeling as if I’ve been kicked to the curb. Fizzy sounds strange and distant. I suddenly feel awful. Where’s my confidante? Have I lost Fizzy to Harrison? Have I lost Harrison to Fizzy, my closest friend here? God, I hope not! I hate the sharp twinge of jealousy, but it’s there and it stings badly enough for me to consider an Epi shot.
I dial Chloe’s number. I can always count on my best friend to listen to me. I love Chloe and I would have called her first, but I didn’t want to get into what happened with Harrison.
Two rings later, Chloe answers.
“Hey, I was just thinking of you,” she says. The smile in her voice calms me down a bit. “Where have you been all weekend? I hate playing phone tag like this.”
“Me too. I miss you,” I say honestly.
“Miss you too. So, what’s up?”
“Everything. I don’t know where to begin…so much has happened. But first, how are you? Lately I seem to always be talking about me.”
“Lately your life is more interesting than mine,” she replies with a sigh. “Go on. Tell me, I have all night. Start at the beginning.”
When I finish telling her about Elise and Alex, Chloe responds in her usual direct manner.
“What a jerk! Elise is better off without him. But how are you going to save her job? Sounds like he wants to make a big name for himself on TV.”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re afraid of. I’m going to see Elise tomorrow and we’ll have to come up with something. I can’t think straight right now. I’m too drained. La Dragona acted like a real bitch toward me tonight.”
“La what?”
“Alex’s mother. I call her La Dragona which means dragon lady in Spanish.”
“Oh. Well, good thing you found out about Alex now and not later. You might have fallen in love with him,” Chloe points out tactfully.
“The truth is, even though he was perfect on paper, in person we had no connection. The more I got to know Alex, the less I liked him and the less I respected him. I can’t marry a guy I don’t respect, even if he is a brilliant doctor.”
“Speaking of brilliant doctors…what’s happened with Harrison?” Chloe asks.
“I’ve kinda been avoiding him,” I say, feeling like a fool.
Chloe sighs. “Yeah, I heard.”
“Has he said something to you?” I ask, surprised.
“Normally he never talks about girls, but I got worried when I couldn’t reach you. So I called him and asked how you were. His reply was, ‘Ask her two doctor boyfriends’.”
“He said that?” Gosh.
“Yep. He also said it’s obvious you’re not interested in him and that he’s tired of chasing after you.”
Chloe’s words rattle me. Harrison said he was chasing after me? I thought he was only being friendly. Except for his kisses. They weren’t exactly friendly—they were breathtaking, toe-curling, addictive, bone-melting…
“Well. I had no idea he was chasing me,” I say in a small voice.
“You sound upset,” Chloe observes.
I feel blood rush to my head when I remember he’s visiting Fizzy right now. So he gave up on me and now he’s after Fizzy? The idea makes me miserable. They’re both special to me and I somehow feel betrayed. I don’t want them to be a couple. It’s selfish and it shouldn’t bother me, but it does and I can’t help it.
“I’m not juggling two doctors at the same time. Unfortunately, Harrison saw Devon drop me off tonight, so he got the wrong idea.”
“Oh,” Chloe says, sounding puzzled.
“There’s nothing going on between us, Chloe. Devon was just giving me a ride home.”
“How is Harrison supposed to know that? He keeps seeing you with both doctors.”
“I know. I’m exasperated with the whole situation. Amazingly, Devon wasn’t up to his usual moves. He was actually nice. He stood up for me in front of La Dragona and then he offered to chair Bowled Over because Alex bailed out on me.”
“Well, that is nice.”
“Yeah, underneath his outrageous sexual persona and overblown ego, Devon’s a decent guy. He was a total gentleman and he went out of his way to defend me.”
“Sounds like you’re interested in him.”
“No way. The minute I saw Harrison, I got that fluttery feeling in my stomach again and I got all tongue-tied. I miss him a lot,” I admit. And I miss his hot kisses and the way he…
“Tell him, not me,” Chloe says, interrupting my fantasy. “Last I heard, you’d thrown him out of your apartment. You need to patch things up.”
“I told you why, Chloe. I was mad at him for barging in and ruining my date with Alex.” I groan. “I have to admit, Harrison was right about Alex all along.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I’m so confused. I like Harrison, but…”
“But what? Stop being so indecisive,” she snaps. “Harrison isn’t going to be single for long.”
I feel a stab of alarm. “What do you mean by that?”
“The other day when I called, Harrison sounded really happy.” She pauses. “I heard a girl giggling in the background.”
That could have been Fizzy! She is entertaining Harrison at her place. Now I’m worried and I hate the jealous feeling that’s creeping into my heart.
“Has he mentioned Fizzy to you?” I ask, dreading Chloe’s answer.
“Yeah.”
“What did he say about her?”
“That she’s a fun-loving redhead.”
“Great. Harrison thinks Fizzy is ‘fun-loving’ and we already know he thinks I’m ‘nutty’.”
Chloe laughs. “He’s planning on offering her a part-time job on Saturdays.”
“He is?” I ask, wincing at another stab of jealousy.
“Yeah. She’s looking for a little extra income and Harrison needs to hire more employees. His practice is thriving.”
“Oh, that’s…wonderful,” I say, trying to summon enthusiasm, even though my heart is sinking like cement in water. Maybe this is why Fizzy wasn’t acting herself on the phone—she’s wants Harrison for herself!
All I can think of right now is Fizzy and Harrison working together…and playing together. I don’t want to believe it, but they could be and I feel sick inside. I thought she was in love with Santiago. Could be they’ve split up. Fizzy hasn’t said anything to me though.
What’s wrong with her? What’s wrong with me? I feel even worse now, if that’s possible, than when I got home from this convoluted evening. It’s as if I’m trapped in a strange nightmare, but this is real and I have to do something.
&
nbsp; “Frankie, are you there?” Chloe asks, sounding concerned.
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Yeah, I was digesting everything you told me.”
“Oh,” she says in a flat tone.
I pause and realize that Chloe sounds a little down. What kind of a friend am I? I’ve been yakking about all my problems and I haven’t even asked how she is.
“Enough about my problems. Tell me about you. How’s Brad?”
Chloe hesitates. “Nothing has changed. Unfortunately, we’re invited to another of his frat brothers’ weddings next month,” she says, sounding gloomy. “The sixth one this year.”
“That’s no fun,” I say, filled with sympathy for Chloe’s plight. What an effort it must be to cheer a wedding couple when her longtime boyfriend is allergic to marriage!
“I don’t know how much longer I can sit there smiling, when I feel so hurt that Brad can’t even say the word marriage without choking on it.”
“He needs to miss you.”
“Tell me about it…” She sounds so despondent, I wish I could do something.
“Chloe, why don’t you come to Miami for a visit?” I ask on a whim. “You need a break from Brad.” So you can open your eyes and see him for the selfish, commitment phobic guy he is, I wish I could add. But I don’t because I would never hurt Chloe’s feelings. We’ve gone down this road before and she can’t bear the thought of losing Brad. She’s convinced he needs more time to mature. They’ve been together for ten years, for God’s sake! Brad is an overgrown frat boy, a real Peter Pan. And my smart, beautiful friend is still waiting for him to grow up? Come on.
“Maybe I will. The real estate market has slowed down a lot and I’m leasing more than I’m selling these days.”
“Then take advantage of the slow market and get away for a few days. When Brad finds out what a great time you’ve had in Miami, he’ll get jealous.”
“Maybe.” She doesn’t sound convinced.
“You should see all the Latin hunks here. Muy calientes,” I say, deepening my voice seductively.
“Ha! You’re tempting me.”
“Please come. Pretty please? You can stay with me, of course.”
“I’d love to. I’m dying to see your new place.”
“Oh, Chloe, it would be so much fun! I’ll even introduce you to Devon,” I tease. “You should have seen the way he handled La Dragona. He told her it was obvious she hadn’t had an orgasm in a long time and offered to help her.”
“No!” Chloe exclaims with a nervous giggle. I can tell she’s enjoying this. “What did she do?”
“At first she was speechless, which is a real feat for Devon. La Dragona spews bile most of the time. He handed her his card and in a booming voice told her that a personal consultation with him would do her a world of good.” I giggle. “Then he said, ‘May Venus the goddess of sex smile down upon you’ or something like that.”
More giggles erupt from Chloe. “I can’t believe how outrageous he is.”
“Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and she looked like he was strangling her, but he wasn’t. He was grinning like a devil. She said, ‘How dare you!’ in a haughty voice and threw Devon’s card back at him. Then she called him a degenerate in Spanish and left in a huff,” I say, between giggles.
“Okay, now I have to meet Devon,” Chloe says. “I’ll look into flights and let you know.”
“Yay! That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. I can hardly wait!”
“Me too.”
“We’re going to have too much fun.”
Romeo: What’s this? Scout and Harrison are at Fizzy’s and we’re not there too? I don’t like Coquette hanging out with Scout. How will she resist his scruffy charm and those long, powerful legs? Mine are sturdy and muscular, but they’re no match for Scout’s mighty ones.
Why have they excluded us? I want that cute bitch Coquette all to myself and I’d love to sire some whelps.
I am not the ménage-a-trois type, so back off, Scout! Grrr… I feel like gnawing on something again. Looks like it’s time for Plan B…
Chapter Twenty
It’s early morning and I’m driving to Elise’s house on a mission to help her. We need to come up with a plan of action ASAP. I also need to get that flash drive from her or Antoinette is going to kill me. Last night, Elise and I agreed that we’d meet for coffee first thing today, before I go to the station.
I wish I could come up with a plan of action for my personal life. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night and the fact that Fizzy never called me back. I stayed up late waiting for her to call when Harrison left, but she never did. I didn’t want to risk calling her again while he was still there.
I can’t help feeling hurt and betrayed by both of them. Even if I’ve told Fizzy that Harrison’s not right for me, she knew I was crushing on him anyway. It hurts to imagine Harrison and Fizzy together.
I thought Fizzy had a weakness for Latin macho men like her Santiago. Maybe Harrison has gotten under her skin…like he’s gotten under mine. I was looking for someone completely different, but now I can’t get him out of my mind.
Small wonder Harrison prefers Fizzy’s company. He’d rather be with a fun-loving redhead than nutty me. I probably deserve it since I threw him out of my apartment and told him to butt out of my love life.
I pull into Elise’s driveway in front of her cottage style house in Coconut Grove. Time to put my personal stuff on the back burner. I won’t think about Harrison and Fizzy anymore and focus on Elise.
I’m about to get out of the car when Elise opens the front door and waves at me. She looks amazing in a navy blue dress. Her blond hair is perfectly blown out, sleek and shiny. She’s wearing makeup and dangly gold loop earrings and looks ten years younger and ten pounds lighter.
“Elise, wow, you look fabulous!” I squeal when she joins me in the car.
“Thanks for the spa package with the Keratin hair treatment.” Elise gives me a wan smile. “It really picked me up and was exactly what I needed yesterday.”
“My pleasure,” I say, happy that I could do something to lift her spirits.
“Especially after I heard the rotten news about Alex stealing my job,” she adds looking dejected.
“Antoinette said it was only temporary,” I remind her.
Elise puts her purse on the floor and turns to face me. I can see the purplish circles under her eyes camouflaged by concealer.
“Nothing is ‘temporary’ when it comes to Alex. I’ve got the twins to prove it.”
“But Antoinette said…” I begin in a gentle tone.
“I don’t care what Antoinette said, I don’t trust Alex. He’s ruthless and we both know Antoinette lusts after every good-looking man she comes across.”
“True. And you’re right about Alex. He is ruthless.” I wish it weren’t so.
“I’m more determined than ever to look good on camera and reclaim my job.”
“I hear you. Whatever you did, it’s working,” I say, beaming at her as she buckles her seat belt.
She gives a little self-deprecating shrug. “Thanks, but I’m halfway there getting back to my old self. There’s no time to waste.”
“Yeah. Let’s get a move on.” I start the ignition and within minutes, we’re at Bob’s Bagels, buttering our toasted asiago cheese bagels and sipping strong hazelnut coffee.
“You’re probably wondering how I got involved with Alex,” Elise says.
“The thought did cross my mind.” I look at her expectantly and she lets out a sigh.
“I met him when I was an ER nurse and he was an intern at Jackson Memorial. I’m older than Alex by a few years.”
“Really? You don’t look it. Were you dating then?”
“No, I was married at the time, but I thought Alex was the hottest guy I’d ever seen,” she says, making a revolted face.
“It’s not hard to fall for him. On the surface he’s handsome and quite a catch. But when the layers get stripped away,
he’s rotten to the core.”
“Tell me about it. After my divorce from Matt, I ran into Alex at a charity gala. He was with a date and I was too, but before I left, he slipped me his card. I nearly swooned when he sent me a smoldering look. I called him the next day and we started dating right away.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About two years. Alex literally swept me off my feet. Before I knew it, we were in a hot and heavy relationship—but with no strings attached. That’s how he insisted it had to be.”
“Oh. That’s what Alex said last night,” I say half-heartedly. I don’t want to hurt her more, but she should be armed with knowing what he said to me.
Elise looks grief-stricken. “I didn’t purposely get pregnant to trap him. It was an accident. I never wanted to be a single parent raising twins!” Her eyes well up and her shoulders droop and shake. She is breaking my heart. “Now the boys will grow up without a dad,” she says in a lifeless voice.
“I believe you. I know you wouldn’t have gotten pregnant to trap Alex. Please don’t cry. You’re going to do a great job raising them without him.” I hand her a tissue from my purse. “How could you even stand his mother? I call her La Dragona, which means dragon lady.”
Elise covers her mouth with the tissue and I hear a strangled giggle escape between soft, hiccupy sobs. “Dragona. What is she like? I never met her.”
“Really? No wonder you lasted two years with him. If you’d met his mom, you would have run in the opposite direction, waving your arms and screaming for help.”
Elise puts her cup down and stares at me. “Wait a second. How did you meet Alex’s mother?”
I hang my head and have a hard time meeting her curious gaze. “We were, uh dating, for a short while,” I say, feeling sick to my stomach. Boy was I duped by Alex’s “Heart to Heart” newspaper column.
Elise’s jaw drops. “You were?”
“Yes, but not anymore. I had no idea he was your twins’ father. Funny thing is, he has twin sisters.”
“He mentioned them to me once, but I never met them. I got the feeling he supports them.”
I roll my eyes. “He does. He pays for all their expenses and keeps them living in the lap of luxury. They’re a pretentious lot.”
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