Stilettos & Scoundrels

by Laina Turner

  Chapter 18

  “Katy, calm down!” She was sobbing and her words were getting all muddled. All I could make out was something about Chris and Helen, and that she’d be there in a minute. I planned on spending a quiet evening at my parents’ home. All the excitement earlier today had worn me out, and to be honest, I had no idea what to do or where to go next. I still had no clue about the situation with Cooper, Dirt, and Simon, or about who killed the senator for that matter. I wanted to help Helen and get to the bottom of this but wasn’t sure how to do that either. All I wanted to do was to curl up with some coffee and a good book in front of the fire.

  My parents had gone into the city with some friends to see a play. They were staying the night in my apartment so they didn’t have to drive back late at night. They had tried to cancel their trip because they didn’t feel comfortable leaving me alone because of the recent threat. Dirt still didn’t have any leads, and my mother was very worried about me. I finally convinced them to go by saying that I would have Dirt, or one of his guys, drive by and check on me and the house. I was looking forward to having the house to myself and snuggle with the puppy that was still around even though my mother complained daily. I secretly think she liked him. These last few days had been crazy. I wanted to decompress and think things over. Maybe something new would come to me if I could just relax my mind. Plus, I needed to think about the feelings I seemed to have for Cooper. However, what kind of friend would I be if I weren’t there for a friend in need? I told Katy to come on over.

  I heard a car pull into the driveway, pushed aside the curtains on the window above the couch where I was sitting, and saw it was Katy. I got to the door as she reached it from the outside. She was still crying uncontrollably as I led her back into the living room and got her to sit down.

  “Come on in, Katy. Can I get you anything? Water? Ice cream? A knife to stab the insensitive jackass with?” Even if she hadn’t said what Chris had done, tears of this magnitude could only be about something significant and were, usually, related to the opposite sex. What was it about guys that women allowed them to have this power over their emotions? I was just as guilty of it as the next person.

  Katy smiled in spite of herself and started to relax a little. I handed her some tissues. “Presley, you are not going to believe this.”

  “What? Tell me.” Katy started crying harder and I let her get it out. “It can’t be that bad.”

  “Chris is sleeping with another woman,” she said.

  Disappointing? Yes. Surprising? No. What a jerk. Katy already told me that the last few weeks he had seemed less interested. Unfortunately, based on my experience, that often meant someone else. With Chris, it was already a proven M.O. No wonder Katy was upset. From what she told me the other day, she liked him. Even though, I thought Chris was a jerk, I felt bad for Katy. No one deserved to be screwed over, and you couldn’t help whom you had feelings for.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetie. Let me get some ice cream out. I think my mom has some Cherry Garcia. We can pig out and think of creative ways to maim him. Or would you rather have some chocolate cake? It’s got fudge butter cream frosting. There are a couple pieces left.”

  “You will need both after I tell you this next part,” she said bitterly.

  “What?”

  “Guess who he is sleeping with!”

  “I would have no idea, Katy. I haven’t been around here long enough to know who it could possibly be. I don’t know...the blonde waitress at the diner? You know the one with the big boobs?” I tried to be funny, lighten the mood, and make Katy laugh, but she wasn’t in the mood to play twenty questions.

  Katy shook her head. “You’d never guess in a million years.”

  “Well?” I looked at her expectantly.

  “None other than...” she paused for dramatic effect, “…Helen Daniels.” She started sobbing again.

  I opened my mouth and closed it, no sound coming out. I was speechless. So that must have been who Helen was making out with the other night. Wow. I never would have figured that one out in a million years. I was in total shock.

  “Okay, okay,” I said, sitting back down on the couch. “Backup. Start from the beginning. How did this even come up?” I had to hear the whole story. This was going to be a doozy. Katy started to talk, but I interrupted. “Wait. Let me get the ice cream.”

  After getting settled with our goodies, I motioned for Katy to continue.

  “I couldn’t take his indifference anymore,” she said, licking her spoon. “We were supposed to get together tonight, and once again, he tried to blow me off. So, I went to where he works, waited for him to get out, and confronted him. I was pissed he kept canceling and doubly pissed that I went out and bought this new outfit and spent hours getting ready just to look good for him.”

  I could feel that pain. You hated to waste a good outfit. Once you put a new outfit on, some of the magic went away instantly. Kind of like when you drove a new car off the lot and it instantly depreciated, so if you tried to return it five hours later, you would lose money. Well, that’s pretty much how it worked with a new outfit. After the first time, it was still cool and you looked good, but that special feeling was just not there.

  “I asked him flat-out who he was sleeping with,” Katy continued. “The minute I asked, I could see it in his eyes that he was screwing someone else. Until that point, I thought maybe I was wrong and that he was busy at work, like he said.”

  “And he told you he was sleeping with Helen? Just like that?”

  “No, at first he didn’t want to tell me. I kept asking him over and over who it was. Who it was he liked better than me. I have to admit I was starting to get really upset, but he wouldn’t say anything and it was driving me crazy. I think that’s what made it even worse. God, I feel so foolish to have liked him so much. Why was I so stupid? Why don’t I ever learn?” She started crying again, beating herself up over her perceived stupidity.

  “You’re not the foolish one, Katy, he is. We all can have bad judgments when it comes to liking guys. I think it’s because it makes the next guy seem so great.” I was trying to be nice and patient, but I wanted to find out how she finally got him to tell her about Helen. “So, did he just finally admit it was Helen? I mean, what exactly did he say? It might be important, Katy,” I asked, trying to prod her along.

  “No, I just started guessing names and for some reason I thought of Helen—more out of fun than anything else. I never in a million years would have thought it would be her. I think I would’ve been less surprised had it been Betty or one of our friends’ mothers or something. But Helen? As soon as I said her name, I knew it. I could see it in his eyes.”

  My mind kept whirling. This changed everything. Or maybe it didn’t. I was still too shocked to think. Why would a woman like Helen want a small–town guy like Chris? Not that anything was wrong with Chris: he was pretty cute. But seriously, Helen, there are plenty of other guys out there, and you had to go and steal Katy’s? What was Helen thinking?

  “Did he give you any details?”

  “I asked him how long it had been going on. I felt I had a right to know,” Katy said, jutting her chin out defiantly.

  “What did he say?”

  “Chris said he had been seeing her, that’s how he put it, off and on over the last two years. I just can’t believe I fell for him again, and again this whole time he had someone else. And for two years? How did this stay such a secret? God, I’m such an idiot.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “No. He didn’t, and I’m not even sure I want to know at this point.”

  “What a rat bastard,” I said, rubbing my friend’s back. “Good riddance to him.” I wondered how they met. Through Tobey? “I certainly hope you are done with him once and for all.” Why would someone like Helen Daniels carry on an affair with someone like Chris? I couldn’t help but wonder.

  “Should we tell Dirt? Or Cooper?” Katy asked.

  “Why? They don’t care who Ch
ris is sleeping with. Although maybe Dirt would throw him in jail for you,” I joked, trying to make her feel better. “I saw Dirt look at you the other night in the diner. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find he likes you.”

  “He does not.” But the thought did bring a smile to her face and that was my goal. To cheer her up.

  “You didn’t see him. You never notice the way he acts around you? He’s always had a crush.”

  She smiled. “That was eons ago.”

  “Hey, he’s single, so who knows?” I thought maybe Katy was right, and we should tell Cooper or Dirt. If nothing else, they could kick his ass for hurting Katy. I knew we would do it, but part of me didn’t want to tell them, at least not Cooper with the way he’d been acting. And I was still pissed at Dirt, though he didn’t know it yet, for the way he treated Cooper, based on what I saw in those clippings.

  We sat in silence, the kind old friends can have comfortably, and enjoyed our ice cream, both thinking about what she had just said. Then my parents’ phone rang. I jumped up to answer it. My parents hadn’t yet subscribed to the high–tech functions of Caller ID, so I had no idea who it might be. Probably one of their friends. I could take a message and then go back to eating my ice cream.

  “Hello.”

  “Stop poking your nose in where it doesn’t belong, sweetie, or you’re liable to lose it,” said male a voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Who is this?” I demanded. Did I think they were going to tell me? Not really, but I was trying the tough girl act.

  “Don’t worry about who this is, sweetness. Just keep in mind that we know who you are and where you live. You should go back to the city in the morning and everything will be just fine. We don’t want to hurt a pretty little thing like you, but please be assured that we will if you don’t heed our warning.”

  When the caller hung up I stood there with the phone in my hand, just staring at it.

  I put the phone back on its cradle and headed to the kitchen for a glass of wine.

  Katy followed, wondering who had called. I debated whether to tell her. I didn’t want to make Katy nervous, but I was starting to get a little freaked out. “I don’t know who it was.”

  “Then what’s with that strange look on your face?”

  “I think I’ve just been threatened.” I poured myself the wine and walked back to where I left my ice cream. I needed fortification to process this. I hoped there was more in the freezer. One pint was not going to be enough to handle all of this. I might have to start in on the chocolate cake. I placed the glass beside my bowl of ice cream on a nearby table, plopped down on the couch. I crossed my legs, tucking in my feet, which were encased in my pink fuzzy princess slippers.

  “What do you mean threatened?” Katy demanded, hands on her hips, standing over me on the couch.

  “Someone doesn’t want me snooping around this murder, and they pretty much said that if I kept at it, something bad would happen.” I shivered involuntarily, pretty sure it was from the call, not the ice cream.

  “That’s it! We need to call Dirt,” Katy said and grabbed her purse to dig out her cell phone.

  “Wait a minute,” I protested, but Katy had already dialed.

  “Damn. It’s his voicemail and I don’t want to leave this in a message,” she said, pacing around the room.

  Just as Katy hung up, my cell rang. I was almost afraid to look at it. What if these goons had somehow gotten my cell number? What if they had called here and gotten my mother? That would not have been good. I looked and it was Cooper. For once, I was glad he was checking up on me.

  “I’m so glad you called,” I said urgently into the phone.

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Someone called the house and threatened me. I think.” Saying it this time, I started to get even more freaked out. I wanted to be tough, especially in front of Cooper, but I hadn’t planned on getting into all this and wasn’t equipped for this conversation. I could joke all I wanted, but this was some serious shit. I started to cry. Shit. Damn. I hated doing this. I was a horrible crier; I got all red and blotchy and become a snot factory. I wasn’t one of those cute criers who, once they got the sympathy they needed, could return to normal.

  “Pres, don’t cry. What do you mean, you think? Did you recognize the voice?”

  “No, I have no idea who it could have been.”

  “Listen, just hang tight. I’ll be right over,” he said and hung up.

  “Cooper’s on his way over,” I said to Katy.

  “Good, you need to tell him everything.”

  “Okay.” I leaned back on the couch pillows. Wait a minute. He said he would be right over. How did he know where I was? He had called me on my cell. I could be anywhere. My eyes narrowed, and the tears stopped flowing. That son–of–a–bitch! He’d been spying on me. My anger at this new revelation overcame my fear about the phone call. I was indignant. He could have at least told me he was spying on my every move. Did he have a GPS locater on my car or something?

  I jumped up and grabbed my shoes. I wasn’t normally a big fan of going out in public in my pajamas, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I did draw the line at wearing my slippers in public so I put my shoes on. Grabbing my keys, I said to Katy, “C’mon, we need to get out of here before Cooper gets here.”

  Katy just stared at me. “What are you talking about, Presley? We need to wait for Cooper, and we need to tell him everything.”

  “Hell, no. He’s been keeping tabs on me, and I don’t appreciate it. He needs to learn that he can’t do this to me.”

  “Presley, he’s only doing it because he’s worried about your safety. Right now, I’m worried about your safety, our safety. What’s the big deal? Two seconds ago, you were glad he called.”

  “Katy, you can stay here if you want. I’m leaving. He’s going to have to work harder if he thinks he can find me.”

  “I sure as hell am not staying here by myself, so I guess I’ll go.” She grabbed her things and followed me out the door. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. He’s not going to be too happy when he gets here and finds out you’re gone, and I think we need his help.”

  I stopped short when I saw headlights beam up the driveway. I felt a stab of fear and had a huge lump in my throat. What if it was the person who called? Katy grabbed my arm, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing. Fear changed into relief and annoyance, when I noticed it was Cooper’s SUV. Damn, he got here faster than I expected. Where the hell had he been? The end of the driveway?

  “Going somewhere?” he asked, walking up the drive and casually sitting on the porch railing. Looking good as ever in faded jeans and a long sleeve t–shirt tight enough to mold to every muscle. And it was the perfect blue to set off his eyes. I wished he didn’t look so good. It was hard to stay mad at him. Whereas I looked...I didn’t even want to think about how I looked considering I had on pajamas, no makeup, and my hair was in a ponytail. Not my best look by any means. It was going to take every ounce of effort to stay mad at him. Bastard knew it, too.

  Cooper looked at me, eyes twinkling. He knew exactly what I was up to and the effect he had on me. I put my hands on my hips, ready to chew him out.

  “That’s a nice look on you, King.”

  “Shut up.”

  “What? I’m serious.” He leaned over to whisper in my ear, “You look soft and cuddly. I like that, babe.”

  That just about did me in, but I was a strong woman and wouldn’t buckle under pressure—not even this kind.

  “Listen, can I come in or are we going to sit on the porch all night? It’s getting chilly.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, crossing my arms.

  “Really?” He said looking at my chest. Horrified, I realized I might not feel cold, but some body parts did. But I wasn’t going to let that get to me either.

  “I’m fine.”

  “C’mon, Pres. Let’s go in. I am freezing,” said Katy.

  “No.”

 
“Why not? Afraid to be alone with me?”

  “You wish. Like I would be afraid of you. It’s girls’ night and you’re not invited.”

  “For God’s sakes, let him in,” Katy said behind me. I turned over my left shoulder to give Katy a dirty look.

  Katy smiled at me—she knew exactly what she was doing. She told me earlier that week that she thought Cooper and I should get together.

  “Want some ice cream, Cooper?” Katy asked him as we walked in the living room.

  “No, thanks. What I want is for you two to tell me what you’ve been up to. What happened here tonight that had you crying on the phone, but now, five minutes later, you want me out of the house?”

  Cooper looked at us then looked around the room, taking in the spoons and almost empty ice cream carton. “You’re in pajamas eating ice cream for starters. I know with a woman that’s usually evidence of something bad happening.”

  I hit him on the shoulder and began a retort when the doorbell rang. It startled me, and for a moment, I was glad Cooper was there. I had no idea who it could possibly be and, after that phone call, was a little leery.

  “Want me to get that?” he asked, walking toward the door.

  “No! I am capable of getting the door myself.”

  I saw Katy out of the corner of my eye, trying not to smile. The doorbell rang again. Someone was impatient.

  “Hold on,” I muttered. I reached the door and put my hand on the brass doorknob. I had to admit I felt a little tingle of apprehension. That phone call had me more rattled than I thought. I was so rattled that I failed to use the peephole to see who it was.

  The door swung open and I couldn’t have been more surprised if it had been some lunatic.

  “Hey, sweet pea! Give me a hug.”

  “Oh my God.” It was Rick. What the freaking hell was he doing here? He stepped in and tried to hug me. I stepped to the side and put my hand on his chest to stop him. “Rick, what are you doing here?”

  “Baby, you don’t seem happy to see me, and after I came all this way...” Again, he leaned in, trying to kiss me or something.

  “Why did you come all this way? I don’t want to see you.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cooper and Katy come into the foyer. Great. I was sure Cooper was going to have a field day with this.

  “Oh, I see you have company,” Rick said. I could already hear that childish tone of his coming out, and he had only been here two seconds. How had I not noticed it for so long? It drove me crazy now.

  I sighed. Might as well get this over with. “Rick, this is Katy, my best friend from high school who I always talked about. And this is Cooper.”

  “Good to meet you, Katy,” Rick said, barely glancing her way; he mainly focused on Cooper, who just looked back at Rick, smirking amusedly. Finally, Rick held out his hand. Guess he didn’t want to look like a total ass. “Nice to meet you, man.”

  “Likewise.”

  “So, Presley, is there somewhere we can go and talk?” Rick asked.

  “I don’t see what about, Rick. Whatever you need to say can be said right here. For the second time, I don’t understand what you are doing here.”

  “Sweetie, I came out here to see you and to show you how much I care. I called your house and your mother said you were here. I was worried. You should have called me. I thought I could use a few days away from the city, so I came to relax and see you.”

  “Listen, Rick. I’ve told you a million times. It’s over. Go back to your bimbos. I don’t want you.”

  “Presley, you have to give me another chance,” Rick whined.

  I was so done with this. This is the last thing I needed to deal with. “Rick, I don’t have to do anything.”

  “I can’t believe you're such a bitch. After everything we’ve been through, you can’t see your way to giving us a second chance?”

  “Rick, just leave.”

  “Damn it, Presley...” Rick said angrily, taking a step toward me.

  Cooper stepped forward. “Hey, buddy. Presley told you to take a hike.” Chivalrous touch, but I didn’t want him around right now either. I didn’t need him defending me. I was capable of handling this on my own.

  “Cooper, stay out of this. Rick was just leaving.”

  “You heard her. Stay out of it, this is between us,” Rick said.

  “Well, if you heard her, she told you to leave,” Cooper fired right back. “So leave.”

  These two were giving me a headache, but it was amusing to see someone else give Rick a hard time. He was so city in his pressed chinos, forest green Banana Republic button down, and brown loafers. In perfect contrast to Cooper’s well–used jeans and T–shirt, which was much sexier. Looking at Rick now, I just saw an uptight yuppie who was clueless about everything, especially his own appeal. What had I even seen in him?

  “Why don’t both of you leave?”

  “Presley, if I leave now, this is it. It’s over; no chance of coming back,” Rick threatened, seeming to think I might change my mind.

  Was he serious? Did he think after I had already told him a hundred times that it was over, because of his actions, that giving me one last ultimatum was going to make me change my mind? “Good. Leave. Now.”

  “Fine, Presley.” Rick’s face slowly turned an unhealthy looking shade of red. “You’re going to regret choosing this...this country boy over me.”

  I found it funny that Rick was so conceited that he thought I would only turn him down if I had someone else. I glanced sideways at Cooper to see how he took the country boy comment and saw that he looked more amused than anything. I wondered why Rick automatically assumed we were an item. As long as it got rid of him, I didn’t care what he thought. I just wanted him out of my life.

  “Bye–bye, Rick. Have a safe trip back,” I said to his back as he stormed to his car. “Good riddance.”

  “You dated that guy?” Cooper asked.

  “Shut up,” I said, giving him a dirty look but not able to hide my smile.

  I heard the phone ring from inside. I looked at Cooper. “Want me to get that? In case it’s them again?”

  Cooper nodded, and we walked back inside. “Pres,” Cooper said. I looked up at him. “Stand where I can see you. If it’s them, nod your head.” I nodded in agreement.

  “Hello?” I said nervously.

  “Hi, honey,” It was my mother. I released a breath I didn’t know I had been holding and mouthed to Cooper that it was my parents.

  “Hi, Mother. Are you having fun in Chicago?” I sat down in the kitchen chair. I was so relieved that it was just her on the phone. I felt almost weak.

  “We sure are. I just had to call and tell you. You were right, your dad was hiding something, and you will never guess what it was.”

  My mother sounded happy, so it couldn’t be a bad thing. “Are you going to tell me?”

  “He’s been taking salsa lessons at a dance studio in Overstreet, so he could surprise me by taking me dancing in the city.”

  “That is so exciting! I am so happy for you.” I was relieved. I again wished I could find a good guy like that someday.

  “I know. I can’t wait to see his moves. Well, honey, I have to run. He’s waiting on me.”

  “Okay. Have fun.” I said and was so happy for her that I didn’t even yell about her telling Rick where I was. As I hung up the phone for the second time, Cooper and Katy walked back into the kitchen.

  Cooper opened the refrigerator. “Anything to eat here besides ice cream? I’m starving.”

  “There is some leftover lasagna. Help yourself. My dad has been taking salsa lessons to surprise my mom with. Isn’t that sweet?” I said to Katy.

  “Your dad is such a good guy. Most men wouldn’t do that.”

  “Then you gals are looking in the wrong places for men,” Cooper interjected.

  “You mean to tell us you would take dance lessons to make your lady happy?” I asked.

  “How do you know I don’t already know how to d
ance?”

  “You? I’m sorry, you just don’t seem the salsa type.”

  “You underestimate my talents, babe,” Cooper said, setting down the leftover lasagna and grabbing my hand to twirl me around, bringing me close to him.

  “Maybe I have,” I said, looking into his eyes and feeling the warmth of his body.

  “Um, excuse me. Should I be leaving you two alone?” Katy asked.

  I pushed him away. “Go eat your leftovers.”

  “Presley, Presley, Presley. You won’t be able to resist my charms forever.”