“Hey.” Maddy’s voice came through clearly. “Want to meet me at Curtis’s Coffee Café for lunch?”
“What’s the occasion?”
“You tell me.”
Cindy looked into the mirror at her image holding the phone. “What’s to tell?”
“What’s not to tell?”
“This could be a long conversation.”
“So let’s have it over lunch.”
“I don’t know. Some things should be kept private.”
There was silence for a few seconds before Maddy said, “I want all the details.”
Cindy giggled. “I don’t know if that’s appropriate conversation for a café.”
“Seriously, now I really want all the details.”
“Might make you jealous.”
“Mike’s my bed buddy. Nothing could make me jealous. Though maybe there could be something he might be able to learn from Tim.” There was a low voice in the background, the sound of a scuffle, and Maddy actually squealed. “Mike!”
“Do you need to be left alone right now?” Cindy queried.
Maddy was laughing, but a trifle breathlessly. “No, I-stop it! Mike, I - ohhhh!”
The voice on the phone changed, becoming deeper, a familiar growl. “Mads can’t talk right now, but she’ll be able to gasp out a few words by lunchtime.”
“Fair enough,” Cindy said cheerfully.
“I have to prove something to her.”
“Understood, Mr Law Enforcer, Sir.”
“’Bye, Cindy.”
“’Bye, Mike.”
Really, the big lug was besotted with her best friend. Grinning, Cindy hung up the phone. Maddy would be lucky to walk a straight line without bow legs by the time Mike had finished proving his love making prowess to her.
Lucky woman.
There was some stiffness in her own muscles from the exertions of the night before, and she did a few stretching exercises, wincing. Nope, forget that, she’d go for a walk later.
Her gaze fell on Al sleeping peacefully in his kitten pen. She had to find a baby-sitter while she had lunch with Maddy. Her friend wouldn’t mind if Al’s carrier and bottle accompanied them, but the café would certainly frown upon it.
She rang her mother.
“Oh, of course,” Mrs Lawson cooed. “Bring little Al here. I’ll take good care of him.”
Al was one spoiled kitten, Cindy realised as she got a bag ready for him. Honestly, it was like having a human baby. The bag had some clean rags in it, his formula, bottle and teat, spare bottle and teat, a spare fleecy sheet, and a couple of small, soft balls for gentle playing . She transferred him from the kitten pen to the cat carrier and was ready to go.
Her mother met them at the top of the staircase, eagerly peeking in the carrier and cooing over how much Al had grown.
“You only saw him the other day.” Cindy set the carrier on the floor of the lounge.
“Babies grow so fast.” Mrs Lawson checked the bag.
“I’ve packed everything,” Cindy assured her.
“Not to worry, I made sure we have some spare stuff here for him.”
Cindy’s eyes widened. “You bought supplies?”
“In case of an emergency.” Mrs Lawson made kissy sounds at Al, who meowed back at her. “Poor baby.” She scooped him out and cuddled him close. “Granny’s here now, sweetheart.”
Cindy rolled her eyes.
“I saw that.” Sitting on the sofa, her mother eyed her. “Anything to tell me?”
“No.”
“Any grandchildren in the near future?”
“Foster ones, maybe. Furry and with a liking for fish and milk.”
“Huh.” Rubbing her rouged cheeks along Al's furry one, Mrs Lawson raised one finely plucked brow. “So, Tim Clarke, eh?”
“That Marty’s a tattle tale.” With a sigh, Cindy sat down.
“He’s got a beaut shiner. I understand that’s a gift from the Clarke boy.”
“Marty needs to grow up.”
Mrs Lawson snorted.
“Yeah, wishful thinking.” Cindy flopped back in the armchair. “Geez, he embarrassed me last night. I wanted to flog him myself. I mean, who the hell does he think he is?”
“Your brother?”
“He’ll be a dead one if he keeps sticking his nose in my business.”
“Now, dear, he means well.”
“Does he mean well when he’s running around the neighbourhood boinking all the girls?”
“I don’t want to hear about that.”
“Charming their pants off them?”
“Cindy.”
“Leaving them bow-legged?”
“Cindy!”
“Geez, Mum, you know what a womaniser he is!”
“He’s my little boy. I don’t like to think of him like that.” With a sniff, Mrs Lawson primly flicked a non-existent piece of something off her powder-blue skirt. Then she spoiled the effect by adding, “He’s just like your father used to be.”
“Ewww!”
“He charmed my pants off me.”
“Mum!”
Totally unrepentant, Mrs Lawson smiled. “I’ll always remember the back seat of the BMW-”
“I’m not hearing this.” Sticking her fingers in her ears, Cindy started to chant, “La-la-la-la.”
“Don’t be silly, dear, it’s all perfectly natural.”
“One’s parents don’t have sex, you know that. It’s an unwritten rule.”
“Then you don’t want to know what your father and I did last night.”
“Oh my God.”
“And this morning.”
Cindy leaped to her feet. “I have to go.”
She collided with Alex in the doorway.
“What’s the rush?” he queried.
“Mum’s having sex with Dad.”
“I didn’t hear that.”
“All perfectly natural,” Mrs Lawson cheerfully called out. “I don’t know what the problem is-”
Cindy didn’t hear the rest as she and her brother both made for the door.
“Okay,” Alex said as they exited the house. “Our parents are easy-going, but there’s such a thing as too easy-going.”
“At least in front of their kids.” Cindy shuddered. “Ew, and ew, and did I mention ewwwww?”
“I believe you did.”
Cindy was still shaking her head when she drew up in front of Curtis’s Coffee Café. As usual, it was busy. Maddy hadn’t arrived, so she slid into one of the high-backed booths and consulted the menu, waving off the waitress who approached.
It wasn’t long before Maddy’s car pulled into the parking area and her friend exited the car. As she got closer, Cindy could see the glow of happiness on her face. Yep, Mike had well and truly proven himself.
She grinned as Maddy sat down opposite her. “No bow legs?”
Maddy flushed. “No.”
“Need any tips for him?”
“Trust me, Mike doesn’t need any tips at all.”
“Got the love bug all sorted out, has he?”
“No love bug. Love log.”
“Okay, I’m trying to decide if that’s a wow or an ick.”
“Hey, you’re the one giving the metaphors, not me.” Maddy consulted the menu.
The waitress came over and they gave their orders.
“So,” Cindy said. “You got Tim to spill his guts.”
“If you mean, did he need to talk? Yes, he spoke to me.” Maddy fiddled with the strap of her shoulder bag. “Um…are you mad?”
“Of course not.” Cindy sighed. “Though it would have been nice if he’d thought to talk to me.”
Maddy looked up in surprise. “Tim didn’t speak to you?”
“Well, yes he did, after he spoke to you. I just meant I wish he’d thought to come to me first.”
“Honey.” Maddy smiled gently. “Tim was tied up in knots. You were the cause of those knots. He needed to speak to someone who wasn’t involved to sort out those knots. Trust m
e.”
“You make him sound like a total basket case.”
“I’ve always had my doubts about that bloke’s sanity at the best of times, but he’s not a total basket case.” Maddy grinned a little. “A bit of one, but not a total one.”
“What a relief.” Cindy leaned back in the booth. “So, were the rumours about his mother all true?”
“Pretty much.”
“Total bitch?”
“Cold to the bone marrow.”
“What about his Dad?”
“Nice man but weak.” Maddy sighed. “Look, Cindy, Tim should be telling you this, not me.”
“Tim isn’t ready to spill his guts right now. Besides, how can I fight his demons if I don’t know what they are?”
“Who said you have to fight his demons?”
“Ever met his mother?”
Maddy’s smile faded a little. “Yeah, I’ve had that dubious pleasure.”
“Then you get my drift.” Cindy studied her friend thoughtfully. “This isn’t some kind of nurse/patient confidentiality crap, is it?”
Maddy accepted the iced chocolate the waitress handed to her and took a sip. “Yummy. And yes, it sort of is a nurse/patient confidentiality crap thing.”
“Pooh.” Cindy knew her friend well enough to realise that she wasn’t going to spill too much of what had been said between her and Tim. “Mind you, Tim told me he’d spilled his guts to you.”
“That’s twice you’ve put it like that. A bit crass, actually.”
“Hey, his words, not mine.”
“Okay, then.” Maddy waited expectantly.
“He told you about his mother and father and things.”
“Yep.”
“And then he told you about me.” Cindy shifted a little.
Maddy’s eyes softened. “This isn’t really about his parents, is it?”
“Well…”
“I don’t believe it. You of all people.”
“What?” Distinctly uncomfortable now, Cindy took a sip of coffee frappe.
“You’re always so confident, but you’re not totally sure of Tim, are you?”
Trust Maddy to know instinctively what was troubling her. Cindy sighed. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little unsure. A little unsure. Who wouldn’t be? Tim goes out with gorgeous girls, he’s a playboy, and suddenly he’s fallen for me and wants a relationship. Wouldn’t you be a little unsure?”
“You slept with him,” Maddy stated bluntly. “You don’t go to bed with men you’re unsure about.”
“Tim’s different.’
“How so?”
“I don’t know. He’s a…a…”
“Must be the t-shirts he wears. You love the weird sayings.”
“They’re amusing, but no. Mind you, it says a lot about him.” Cindy tapped the table thoughtfully.
“So what do you like about Tim?”
“I don’t know. He’s funny, annoying, kind to animals - that’s a big plus, by the way. He likes Al - another big plus, because the man you have the hots for has to love the kids, furry or not.”
A smile quirked the corners of Maddy’s mouth.
“And,” Cindy continued, “I don’t know. I feel…really, can I say safe? Because I don’t think that’s the word I’m looking for.”
“Why not?”
“Mads, seriously, would you put Tim and the word safe all in the same sentence?”
“He helped me out one dark night when I was on the highway with a flat tyre.”
“You were ready to knock him on the head with the tyre lever.”
“I didn’t know who he was then.”
The waitress came and set their plates of food before them, and they thanked her before she left.
Picking up the fork, Cindy speared some lettuce.
“Do you really not trust Tim?” Maddy asked gently.
“No.” Cindy grimaced. “Yes.”
“Maybe?”
Chewing on the lettuce, Cindy pushed the beetroot around the plate. “I trust him.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“How long do you think he’s going to be happy to be with someone like me?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, but compared to the girls he normally dates… Well, look at me, Mads. I wear tight clothes, bright colours. I make some people wince at the sight of me.”
“But you don’t care about that, and that’s what’s so charming about you. You are you.”
“I don’t want to embarrass Tim.”
“Honey, Tim chose you. He likes you just the way you are.” Alarm crossed Maddy’s face. “You’re not going to try and change, are you?”
“Me? No.” Cindy laughed. “I am who I am, and I decided a long time ago to just be me. I’m happy the way I am, even though I may not dress the way society thinks a plus-sized woman should dress.”
“And that makes you unique.” Maddy placed her hand atop Cindy’s. “That is what makes you Cindy Lawson. You do what you want, when you want, how you want, and that’s the Cindy Lawson that Tim is drawn to.”
It certainly eased some doubts that Cindy had, but there was still a niggling little uncertainty that Tim could be happy with her forever.
That sudden thought startled her. When had forever even come into the picture? It was a relationship in progress, he hadn’t even promised her forever and she’d known that from the start. She’d been happy with that, or so she’d thought.
Crap.
The thought of being with Tim and then everything not working out, that hurt. A little.
Double crap.
That hurt a lot.
Triple crap.
Heart feeling a little lower in her chest than it should be, she picked up the frappe and took a long drink.
Maddy arched a brow. “Have a revelation?”
“Just a thought.”
“Care to share it?”
Cindy smiled. “It’s nothing. So, tell me about Mike’s love making prowess.”
“You’re changing the subject.’
“And you’re going red.”
“I take it this conversation is over?”
“The troublesome Tim one, yes. The hot Mike one, no.”
“If we talk about Mike, we talk about Tim.”
“Put like that…what are your plans for the weekend?”
~*~
The clinic was closed for the Saturday afternoon when Tim opened the back door and looked out at Mike and Rick. “Hello, ladies.”
“You rang.” Rick held up a bag. “Brought the nibblies for our little chat.”
“Seriously, you two need to get a life.”
“We have a life. Now we’re just trying to sort out yours.”
“I invited you two for a bloke chat, not a ladies get together.” Standing aside, Tim waited for his friends to pass him. “But it is you two, so why should I expect anything different?”
Mike grunted and elbowed him out of the way.
“Okay, now that’s better.” Tim rubbed his abdomen. “That’s a bloke thing.”
“And being a bloke, I’m not going to offer to kiss diddums better,” Rick informed him, walking into the vets’ office.
“Thank God for small mercies.” Tim made to round the desk to sit in the big, main chair, but Mike beat him to it. “Oh, I beg your pardon. Do make yourself at home.”
Mike just gave another grunt.
Hooking a chair with his foot, Rick pulled it in place while distributing the iced coffees from the bag.
“Multi tasking,” Tim observed. “I’m disturbed. Isn’t that a sheila’s thing?”
“It’s also a doctor’s thing,” Rick replied, unperturbed. “I can do a prostate exam and talk all at once. Impressed?”
“My anal sphincter just closed up.”
Mike grimaced. “Are we here to talk about your arse or your problem?”
“Maybe his arse is his problem,” Rick suggested. “Maybe his problem is that he is an arse.”
“My pro
blem was in being stupid enough to ask you two to come over for a manly exchange of information.” Tim twisted the cap off the plastic bottle. “Rick, I think I’m falling for you, man.”
In the act of opening a big bag of chips, Rick raised his brows.
“My mother is on an environmental kick. Just using a plastic bottle makes me feel all warm inside.” Grinning, Tim saluted him and took a mouthful of coffee.
Rick shook his head. “Always a rebel.”
“Speaking of rebels,” Mike growled, “What are you doing with Cindy?”
“Ah.” Lowering the bottle, Tim eyed his friend warily. “You know about that?”
“Yeah.” Mike’s eyes narrowed. “So what are you doing with my woman’s best friend?”
“Your woman? You sound so - so big and protective.” Tim gave a delighted shudder. “Oh my.”
“I don’t think it’s wise to push the big lug’s buttons.” Hauling out a handful of chips and sitting down in the chair, Rick leaned back, stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles with a sigh of pleasure.
“But it’s fun.” Tim batted his eyelashes. “And educational.”
“Getting your balls ripped off won’t be fun,” Mike said.
“Now you’re just being a bully.” Sitting in another chair, Tim propped his heels on the corner of the desk.
They sat and ate and drank in silence for several minutes, Tim enjoying the companionship of his two friends, but uncertain how to word his worry. For sure, there were no other men he’d ever have opened up to, but his problem was actually opening up.
So he put out some feelers. “Maddy tell you anything?” He glanced at Mike.
“No.”
“Nothing at all?”
“You came, you talked, she tells me nothing of it.”
“And that doesn’t worry you?”
“Should it?” Mike flexed one big hand.
“I’m getting all faint.” Tim placed a hand on his chest. “Really, Mike, you have to stop flexing those muscles around me.”
Rick shook his head. “If you want to get some shit off your chest before you prod Mike enough to actually mangle you, I suggest you try to find a way to start.”
“Hey, I reckon I’ve taken a huge step just by getting you ladies here to bloody talk.”
“So talk,” Mike said bluntly. “Stop pussy-footing around.”
“Maddy’s right. You are a Neanderthal. Where’s your sensitivity?”
“Out the window when it comes to a certain cretin playing around with Cindy and being a shrinking violet about discussing it.”
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