“I know. Even Billy’s on my case. Can you imagine? He used to smoke anything he could get his hands on, now he’s preaching to the choir.”
“I’m so glad he straightened out. He’s a good kid.”
“Not bad, considering.” She gave a half-smile. “He’s almost twenty. Hard to believe.”
“How come kids age so quickly, but we never change?” I kicked off my shoes and unzipped my dress. “Don’t even think of sneaking next door while I’m in the shower,” I called as I entered the bathroom.
I didn’t hear her answer.
When I came out, she still had not returned. I opened the front door, glancing up and down the hall. No Candy. I listened intently and heard giggling next door.
I slammed the door so they’d hear me and then slid under the blankets. We had two Queen beds, and Candy had put her stuff on the one nearest the door.
I would give her fifteen minutes, I decided, then I’d start banging on the wall.
I may have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, I heard banging all right. The headboard in Jay’s room was getting some action tonight.
I glanced over and sure enough, Candy hadn’t returned. I sat upright and hammered on the wall between us. “Give it a rest,” I yelled.
I heard laughter and a rat-a-tat back, making me smile.
I put the pillow over my head to block the moans and groans coming from the other side of the wall. There were certain things a friend didn’t need to know and shouldn’t share.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
JOHN
The ride home was a bitch, and I was in a foul mood by the time I climbed into bed. I lay under the covers and wondered who Jay was sleeping with tonight.
Was no skin off my nose, either way. He could have both of them as far as I was concerned. I grunted and pulled the covers up to my chin. Candy could handle herself—she had street smarts. After running a top-notch bar in South Beach for the past ten years, she knew all types of men and every trick they could conceive.
Not so with Fran. She’d practically lived like a nun since her husband died. Didn’t date. Didn’t go anywhere except to the Candy Bar and that was only to see her girlfriends. Until me, she’d never left with anyone. Brett had been surprised as shit when I took her home that first night.
Must admit, it surprised me too. Not that I’m ugly or anything, but I haven’t been hit on in years. Could’ve been that magic thing-a-ma-gig, if you believed in that stuff.
I punched my pillow and flipped over. After staring at the ceiling for several minutes, I had an epiphany. Perhaps this flirtation with Jay was not such a bad thing. If she sets her sights on Jay, and he on her, I’d be free from her unwanted attention.
After all, I have plans. Big plans. Can’t see a woman living in Costa Rico with me. She’d probably be complaining all the time about bugs and the heat. Mind you, we got both problems right here in Florida, but most women wouldn’t see it that way. They’d miss their friends, their mothers, the shopping malls and restaurants, hell, even Starbucks. Yada, yada. Can’t do without their creature comforts.
Now me. Give me a hammock and a warm sea breeze, and I’d be happy anywhere. On the rare occurrences when I felt like company, I could probably find some sweet babe to share my hammock with me.
I flopped on my side, stared at the wall and willed myself to sleep, but my brain was churning and wouldn’t shut down.
My wife had bitched so much that I’d been happy on my own. Rarely do I get lonely—most times, it’s just nice and quiet. Too quiet, lately.
Fran stirred something in me, and I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but it’s left me unsettled. I liked sleeping with her. Well, not that we actually slept, but I enjoyed touching her and being inside her. Hell, I even found pleasure in talking to her and watching her smile.
Damn woman. She’d taken me outside my comfort level and showed me what I’ve been missing. I had forgotten about things like sex and companionship for a good long time, and now, I can’t get Fran out of my mind. No matter how many times I tell myself that I’m better off without her, without any woman, my heart just isn’t listening. Worse, my little head’s over ruling my big head these days, and I’m getting hard thinking about what I could be doing with her right now.
She-devil. She’s got her fangs in me and won’t let go.
* * *
At work, the guys tried to act natural around me, but I could see that it was an act. Something changed between our easy camaraderie and the loss of it cut me deeply. No way in hell would I have torched my own building, and some of my old gang knew better, but a few of the younger guys made comments when they thought I didn’t hear.
They were so young and stupid they didn’t know I had eyes in the back of my head and ears like a bat.
The only one who still openly befriended me was Brett. When I walked in this morning, he looked up from cleaning the equipment and said, “I tried to call you last night. We had an impromptu poker game. You didn’t answer your phone.”
“I was busy.”
“Working on one of your foreclosures?” Brett asked in a low voice. “How many houses you got, anyway?”
“Four. What’s the big deal?” I knew I might be over-reacting but it was a touchy subject, and I resented his questions. Figured my work experience and reputation should be enough. If the authorities had anything on me, they’d have nailed me by now.
“No big deal, but now that I’m getting married, I’ll want to move out of my apartment and get a home one day. I wondered if you’d consider renting me one until I can swing a mortgage.”
I felt heat on the back of my neck. Brett was a friend and I shouldn’t have jumped down his throat. I’d been looking for a pointed finger when none was intended.
“Sorry, Brett. Ever since that blasted fire, I feel like I’m walking on eggshells. I know what people are thinking but nobody has the guts to ask.”
“Ask what? We all know you’d give your right arm for Mike. For all the men.”
“I would hope they do, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Chief, if anyone doesn’t know where your heart is, they don’t know shit.” Brett glanced around. “Has anyone here said anything to make you think otherwise?” He swore. “I’ll set him straight.”
I shook my head. “No, guess I’m just a little prickly on the subject.”
“Okay, but you let me know if they do.”
I changed the subject. “You want something to rent, come take a look. I have two that need work, but you want one, I’ll make it top priority.”
“I’d like that. Can I bring Susie?”
“Sure, do that. Just don’t bring Fran.”
“Why? What’s going on with you two?” Brett scrutinized my face. “I thought you liked her.”
“No.” I rubbed my jaw. “She’s hanging with some country singer now. Good luck to him. She’s got a bag of tricks, that one.”
Brett laughed. “Oh, yeah. Fran’s about as conniving as a mouse.”
“See. She’s got you fooled.” My words tumbled out. “Everyone thinks she’s as sweet as a daisy, but I’ve seen her in action.”
“I’m sure you have.”
“That’s not what I meant. You think you know her? I saw her giving adoring glances to some guy who sleeps with every girl he meets.”
“And this bothers you, why?”
“Why don’t you get to work and stop pestering me?” I snapped. “Polish the trucks or check the equipment.”
“Mine checks out fine. What about yours?” Brett said with a grin, saluted, and walked off.
“Asshole.”
After lunch, I gathered the men for our newly implemented fire drill sessions. Every week, we sit and discuss the basic daily firefighting scenarios, asking “what ifs” and thinking things through. Occasionally, we do live street drills and visit the neighborhoods, contemplating alternate routes of getting to certain streets.
Today, with Mike still in the hospital, I felt t
he need to go over safety standards more than ever.
We touched on such things as the use of forcible entry, the dangers of back draft, structure collapse, tool failure, and anything that would keep our first responders safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
FRAN
Candy pounded on the motel room door at six-thirty in the morning. “Wake up, sleepyhead. I brought you coffee. And donuts.”
I opened the door for her, and Jay stood there too. I wore a Pink T-shirt and a pair of undies, so I yelped and ran back inside.
Jay laughed and carried the tray of coffee in, setting it on the round table in the corner. “Don’t worry, you look overdressed as far as I’m concerned.”
“Cute.” I made a face. “That’s because you’re used to seeing young naked women parading about, and I do mean young.” I tugged my shirt to cover my panties but that only made my boobs stand out more.
Candy took me by the shoulders and steered me into the bathroom. “I’ll bring you your clothes.” She grabbed a couple of things from my open bag and tossed them into me.
When I came out, Jay had left and Candy was perched on the bed, drinking the last of her coffee.
To avoid looking at her, I scrounged around the tray of cups and found one for me. Taking the cap off, I added cream and took a large gulp. “Well, it seems you had a good time last night.”
“I did. He’s amazing.” Her pretty, blue eyes gleamed. “In more ways than one.”
“I thought you agreed to play hard to get.” I didn’t want to sound peevish, but for her sake, I wished she’d have listened to me.
I’m not throwing stones, after all, I’d made the same mistake of sleeping with John the first night I met him. It had been amazing, but the sex opened a floodgate of feelings, and I’m not sure Candy’s prepared for that.
Now, I feel more alone than ever and ache for things I can’t have.
“You agreed. I didn’t.” Candy wore a pair of jean shorts and a Tee, which she must have changed into before sneaking out last night.
I put my coffee cup down and turned to look at her. Her hair was mussed, her eye makeup smudged, and she’d been screwing her brains out all night. Still she managed to look both beautiful and sexy.
No wonder Jay was smitten. At least, I hoped he was. I’d hate to think he might use Candy as he did other girls.
“Be careful. I don’t want you hurt.”
“Relax, Fran. I’ve been around the block a few times, and I’m not going to lose my head over a guy I just met.”
“You sure?”
“You bet. Anyway, didn’t you tell me to get over Hank and find a nice suitable guy?”
“Yes. But I’m not sure if suitable applies.” I smiled to take the sting out of the words. “Come on. You know Jay tours a lot and won’t be around much.” I didn’t mention his fetish for groupies, figuring she didn’t need the reminder.
“I’m okay with that. And guess what?” Candy opened her eyes wide like she had a big surprise.
I shook my head. “What?”
“I invited Jay to Susie’s wedding as ‘our’ date.”
“What do you mean, ‘our’ date?” I frowned. “You’re the one who invited him.”
“You introduced us; therefore, we get to share him.” She winked. “Don’t even try to argue. It’s settled.”
“Did you tell him that part of the deal?”
“I sure did.” She laughed. “He asked if that meant we’d have that threesome later.”
“That’s not funny,” I said, holding back a grin.
“That’s what I told him.”
“I want John to be my date,” I said, sounding like a child who wanted her ice cream and sprinkles.
“I know you do but this is perfect. You get another chance to dazzle Jay with your incredible voice and make John jealous to boot. It’s a win-win.”
I mulled it over. “Maybe. I’m not sure if John will care one way or the other but it’ll be interesting to see.”
Over my coffee and donut, I told her about John’s dreams of running a charter business in Costa Rica. “I’m hoping to go on tour as a country singer, and he’ll be living in Central America. Not much of a future for the two of us.”
“Oh, he’s not going anywhere. A guy like John would be lost without his creature comforts. Think about it.”
“I agree. I can’t imagine him without his buddies, hotdogs, and football on weekends. How could he possibly think of moving away?”
“You’ve really fallen for the guy.” Candy gripped my hands. “That magic bug didn’t just hit you, honey. He’s also a goner. You should have seen the look in his eyes as he watched you and Jay up on that stage. Wish I’d taken a picture. He looked like a love sick pup.”
“He did not.”
“Sure did. Now he just needs to realize it.”
“And by bringing Jay to the wedding, we can nudge him along.”
“Exactly.”
After we both showered and dressed, we drove our separate way home. The two-hour drive passed quickly as I had a lot of scheming to do.
* * *
The following day, I picked up my bridesmaid’s dress, altered to fit my-less-than-perfect form, then drove to Susie’s.
She had called me several times during the day, crying over her dress, complaining about a zit on her face, the haircut she’d just had, and now, her wedding planner threatened to quit.
I’d been trying on my dress when I got the last message. Susie was hysterical and working her way into a panic attack. She has a bad history of running away from her problems, and the last thing I wanted was for Susie to become the runaway bride.
“Marsha is such a bitch. How dare she walk out on me now! I’ve paid her a fortune to put this wedding together and it’s two weeks away. She can’t do this, can she?”
“No, she can’t and she won’t,” I quickly reassured her. “What set her off?”
“I have no idea. I just told her I hated the flowers. Explained that I wanted white lilies instead. She said it’s too late, they’ve already been ordered and paid for.” Susie sobbed. “We have huge bouquets arriving and they are all yellow and white. What was I thinking? They’ll be everywhere. Outside the door as you enter the chapel, beside the altar, and again, in the reception hall. I insisted she get rid of them. I’ll pay for them, but I don’t want them. They’re hideous. It’ll ruin the wedding, and I told her so.”
“No, they won’t. I’m sure they’ll be absolutely gorgeous—you wouldn’t have picked them otherwise.”
“It’s bad enough I wanted all the bridesmaids in yellow. Everyone’s going to look like a damn daffodil.”
“No, we won’t. The color is lemon, not yellow. Our dresses are beautiful and very tasteful, just like everything you chose. The wedding will be absolutely stunning. How could it not? You’re the bride.”
“You’ll all look like sunflowers standing next to me. I’ll be drab and washed out beside you all,” she moaned. “And the cake. Whatever made me choose a lemon chiffon cake for heavens sake? What was I thinking? I told her to change that too.” Susie sniffed. “That’s when she told me to calm down and stop being such a God damn Bridezilla.”
“She said that?”
“Yes. I told her I should fire her, and she said she’d save me the trouble and quit.”
“Oh, dear. This isn’t good.” Even though I was bone weary from working all day and playing all weekend, I knew I had to step in and do damage control.
“Look, I’m just trying on my dress. I’ll swing by as soon as I’m through.”
When I arrived, Susie was still in tears. I figured it was pre-wedding jitters, which most brides go through, but Susie takes everything to the extreme. Even when it comes to a major meltdown. She wouldn’t have it simply for a few hours, she’d have to have it all week.
“Let’s call Marsha and see if she’ll come over and we can talk things out.”
Susie handed me the phone, and I dialed the number she gave m
e. “Hello, Marsha, this is Fran. I’m at Susie’s, and I’m afraid she’s very upset.”
“Yes, as she should be,” Marsha angrily replied.
“We need to resolve this,” I said quietly. “Tonight.” I took a deep breath, “I’m sure she’d like to apologize to you. Could you please hang on a sec?”
I pushed the phone toward Susie. “Do it, unless you want to organize the entire affair yourself.”
“No. She needs to apologize to me.”
“Do it, or I’m walking out.”
Susie’s face seemed to melt in front of me. She grabbed the phone. “I’m sorry, Marsha. I was a complete bitch. The flowers and cake will do.” With that, she broke into a huge sob, and I grabbed the phone.
“Marsha, I’m sorry. Please be patient for a few more days. Susie is extremely upset. I’ll call you back.”
Teary eyed, Susie folded herself into my arms. “I need Helga. I want Helga,” she said like a little girl.
“I know, honey.” Helga, her therapist, passed away last year, and Susie had been closer to her than to her own mother.
Dear, patient, eccentric Helga had understood Susie better than anyone and helped her overcome deep insecurities. Born with a cleft lip, Susie’s father, a well-known plastic surgeon, had performed surgery after surgery to make his daughter “acceptable.” In his eyes, she’d never measure up, especially when he already had one perfect daughter, Leanne, also a doctor.
It was no wonder Susie had an inferiority complex, growing up in the household she did.
I held Susie until her tears dried, and she pulled away. Wiping her eyes, she gave me a tremulous smile. “Thank you. I feel better now.”
“Good. Maybe you should call Marsha back.”
“Yes. I will. I was a horrible bitch, wasn’t I?”
“Susie, you could never be that. You’re just high strung,” I told her with a loving smile.
I stayed long enough to listen to the conversation, and I felt strangely proud of Susie as she began to beg.
“If you come back, I promise to behave. No more tantrums. No more major freak-outs. Just please, please don’t leave me before the biggest, most important day of my life.”
The Candy Bar Complete - 4 book box set: Candy Bar Series Page 58
