Mindi is such an idiot. She apparently hadn’t eaten anything this morning. Luke had to feed her when he came to get her. What is everybody’s fascination with the little tramp. She isn’t smart. She’s nothing special to look at, and she thinks she’s better than everybody else. She doesn’t even deserve to live.
I really need to know what they had been doing in there. They better not have been doing anything other than talking. If I find out they were, I’ll make that little whore suffer. As long as she behaves herself, I’ll take it easy on her. But if she messes with my man, I’ll torture her for every minute she has spent in his presence, trying to lead him astray with her wiles. And then I’ll kill her!
I still can’t see what he sees in her anyway. She’s kind of skinny. Nothing like me at all. She barely has any boobs. No real curves. Real men like their women with all the right curves and assets.
I have plenty of curves, in all the right places. How could he possibly want Mindi instead of me? The entire town of Sapphire Springs has lost their minds. I’m going to make all of them pay for my misery. They’re going to feel the pain I have been feeling since Luke broke up with me.
She had made her way back to where she had hidden the scooter, and she climbed on thinking about how long she had loved Luke. It’s just not fair. I went all the way through school wanting him to ask me out, and afraid to try to talk to him myself. Then finally, a little over a year ago, he asked me out. That was the most wonder two weeks of my life. Then he broke up with me for no reason.
I was hoping he would propose to me. We were doing really good. He was always so gentlemanly. He never groped me like a lot of the other guys I’ve dated. He didn’t push me to have sex and he wasn’t constantly sticking his tongue down my throat. He was always so sweet to me. His respect is a sign that he loves me. I just know it is.
She had made her way back to the garage where her car was now hidden. She pushed a button on the remote still in the pocket of her jeans and drove the scooter in beside the car. I need to get back to town. Luke will be there soon, and I need to keep an eye on things.
*******
Mindi watched her little sister sneak another bite of cookie dough, and grinned. Jamie had asked Mindi if she would help her younger sister and brother to bake cookies. Mindi knew her mom was trying to give her something to distract her from her obvious anger at Luke. But Mindi was grateful for the distraction and didn’t bother telling her mom she knew what she was up to. Besides, she was looking forward to spending some time with Tonya and Gabe.
Tonya, who was only eleven, was already showing signs of being as ornery as Zane. If there was a difference, it was that Tonya was subtler, and not as relentless. Once Zane got started, it usually took their mom to stop him. Their dad never could stop him, because he was usually too busy laughing at him.
Mindi was making use of the time to talk to Gabe about Izzy Jones and he wasn’t enjoying the inquisition. “Come on, Gabe, you like her, don’t you? That’s why you pulled her hair, isn’t it?” Mindi said, teasing her little brother. “Do you like her as much as you do Elvis?”
Gave was a huge Elvis fan. He was always playing his CDs at top volume, and he was probably the only eight-year-old in Sapphire Springs that could boast that he had seen all the King’s movies.
She took the cookie sheet out of the oven, and sat it down on the counter and started placing the cookies on the cooling rack one at a time. She wasn’t quite done teasing him yet. “So, are you planning on asking her out anytime soon? Maybe you could ask her to one of mom and dad’s famous barbecues they’re always having.”
She decided to let up on him a little when she noticed how red he had gotten. He was only eight after all. His cheeks had flushed, and he had dropped his blond head to stare at the floor.
Tonya had finished filing the next cookie sheet with cookies and handed it to Mindi to put in the oven. “Sis, are you and Luke finally going to get together?”
Now Mindi was the one who was glowing. It seems Tonya has learned how to play with the big kids.
When Mindi looked up at her she was grinning from ear to ear like she knew exactly what she had done.
“Okay, Sis, I’ll leave him alone about Izzy, if you won’t bring up Luke. Deal?”
“No deal,” Tonya said, going back to sneaking bites of cookie dough out of the bowl while she waited for the cookies in the oven to finish baking.
“Are you always this protective of him, or is it just me?” Mindi asked her sister as she swatted at her hand when she went for another bite of cookie dough. “Stop that, or we’re going to run out before we get three dozen. We’ll never have enough cookies at this rate.”
“It’s just you,” Tonya said, drawing her hand back from the bowl. “I really do want to know about you and Luke, and he can take care of himself. Everyone likes him at school. Well, everyone except for Izzy, that is,” she said, teasing Gave a little herself.
“Well, there’s nothing to know where Luke and I are concerned, so you’re out of luck,” she said as she finished filling up the cookie sheet with cookie dough balls again. After counting the cookies, they already had, and the ones left to bake and currently baking, she knew they were going to have to make some more dough. There wasn’t going to even be enough for everybody to have two.
She had mixed all the wet ingredients together and was getting ready to put the flour in when Luke walked in through the swinging doors of the kitchen. His sudden appearance was such a surprise, she dropped the open flour container back down on the counter, causing flour to billow up in her face, and up her nose.
She barely heard over her own coughing spell when Tonya asked cheekily, her brown eyes shining with humor, “What was that about nothing to know where Luke and you are concerned?” She just grinned and hoped down off the stool she was on, causing her brown curls to bounce.
Mindi gave Tonya a dirty look and grabbed a paper towel and ran water over it to wipe her face off. She done the best she could to get the flour out of her nose without blowing it out. She would have to wait till she could get away from Luke before she could do that. Thankfully, Luke hadn’t, as of yet, made any kind of comment about what Tonya had alluded to.
“Sorry to startle you,” Luke said, trying to stifle a laugh. “Are you okay? It looked like some of it went up your nose.”
“I’m fine,” she said, wanting to change the subject. “What are you doing here?” she asked, trying not to sound too irked by his sudden presence in her mom and dad’s kitchen.
“I just came to apologize for earlier. I understand you had charged your battery, and I was jumping to conclusions,” he said, moving toward the counter. “Can I have a cookie?”
She really wanted to stay angry, but found it really difficult when he was looking at her that way. Why do I have to love that devilish grin of his so much?
“Yes, you can have a cookie. And you already apologized for that earlier.”
“I know. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t still mad,” Luke said, resisting the temptation to move closer.
“You know I never stay mad at you for very long.” She couldn’t help but forgive him for the cell phone thing. He was just concerned, and staying mad would only serve to make her miserable. “Just next time, ask first, before jumping to conclusions, as you say.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, his grin growing bigger.
“Don’t call me ma’am. I am not a ma’am,” she said, giving him a dirty look. “You know I hate that.”
Just then the timer for the cookies went off, and she turned to ask Tonya to take them out, only to discover she and Luke were in the kitchen alone. “Where’d my help go?” She had missed it when Tonya pulled Gabe out of the kitchen with her to give her and Luke some privacy.
“Here, I’ll help you,” he said, reaching for the oven mitt at the same time she did. When his fingers brushed hers, a tingling sensation went up her arm, and the air around them seemed to change. It felt charged. And her heart started raci
ng.
She tried taking a deep breath to help slow her heart rate. But the action backfired on her. She inhaled the scent of him, and it just made her head spin.
He took a reflexive step toward her, like he was planning on catching her if she fell. She must have looked like she was going to pass out.
She stepped back out of reaction. She saw a pain reflected in his eyes she didn’t understand. ‘You don’t have to do that. I’ll manage.”
“Sure. It’s probably something you would rather do with your boyfriend,” he snapped and turned and walked out of the kitchen. She’s mine, and whoever you are, I’m not just going to give her up. Prepare yourself for the fight of your life.
She stood there confused, not sure what she had just done.
Chapter 2 – Saturday, April 28
Mindi walked into the living room in time to see her little brother Michael throw a flawless spiral across the room to her other little brother, Hunter. Unfortunately, Hunter’s return throw was not so flawless. He had aimed too high and nailed the ancient ceiling fan that had been in this room long before even Mindi could remember. The football had managed to snap one of the blades off. Now, the fan was making a horrible noise, and it looked like the rest of it could fall from the ceiling at any minute. Hunter groaned, only then realizing they had a witness to their crime. All the color had drained from his face, and when he spoke she could tell his voice was shaking.
“What are you going to tell Dad?”
“That depends. What are you going to tell Dad?” she asked, raising one eyebrow at him.
Michael picked that moment to enter the conversation. “I know what I’m going to tell Dad. I’m going to tell him you did it,” he said, being snide.
“You started it,” Hunter said, giving his brother a dirty look.
“You hit the fan.” Michaels smug look only lasted until Mindi issued a dire warning.
“That’s enough. You two better get your story straight. And it better be the truth, because I’m going to give you a chance to own up to your mistake. But then I’m going to tell him the truth myself.” She turned to Michael and added, “I saw you throw the football first. I don’t know how long you two had been at it, but I do know you were both in on it. Now, turn that thing off at the switch before it comes down, and you better go tell dad immediately. He’s out on the back porch with Zane and Luke.”
After hitting the switch on the wall by the door, Michael headed out through the batwing doors to the kitchen with Hunter close on his heels with his head hung in shame. Hunter was already one to take responsibility for his actions at a young age, and he knew he had screwed up.
Mindi turned down the hall toward the game room where she could hear her mom and some of the other kids watching TV, and someone was playing a really loud game of ping pong. The TV was turned up really loud, and probably explained why her mother hadn’t come running down the hall when the football hit the fan.
Mindi went in and sat down beside her mother, and settled in to finish watching the rest of the crime show her mom and her brother Alexander were watching. Her mom always recorded it on the satellite box, so she could watch it when she wanted. She was way too busy most of the time to just sit down and watch it at a regular time.
Just as the show was coming to an end, Michael and Hunter walked in. Both of them looked like they had just come back from the dentist, or something else equally horrifying. Mindi looked their way and asked with a knowing grin on her face, “So, how bad is it?”
“We have to pay him back for a new one out of our allowance,” they both said together, sounding like it was the end of the world for them.
“I could have told you that,” Mindi said with a smirk.
“What are you talking about?” their mom asked, not having heard about the ceiling fan yet.
Mindi held up her hand when Michael started to speak, and told her mom herself what she had walked in on just a little while ago. “They were in the front room throwing a football back and forth. I don’t know how long they had been at it before their luck ran out on them, but they managed to severely damage the ceiling fan.
“What do you mean, severely damage?” their mother asked with a look showing half concern and half humor.
“They knocked a blade off, and it sounds like it could come down and take flight at any moment when it’s on.”
“Well, I know we needed to replace that fan, but that wasn’t the way I would have suggested getting the job done.” Their mom was still grinning until one of them decided to speak up.
“Then why do we have to pay for it?” Michael asked. Mindi could tell he was already regretting asking the question by the time it was out of his mouth.
“Because,” his mom said, giving him a very serious look, “It’s not about the fan. It’s about the fact you were playing football in the house when you have already been told several times not to throw that thing in here.”
“We have to help him put the new one in Saturday. And we can’t go outside until we’re finished,” Michael said, still sounding put out.
“Yeah, but at least that’s all. We didn’t get grounded because we told him straight out, instead of waiting until he found out and came looking for us. I’d rather it be one weekend and a little allowance, instead of being grounded for a whole month from everything.” This was the first thing Hunter had added since telling Mindi they were going to have to pay for the fan when they first walked in the room.
“Well, I don’t care. It’s not fair,” Michael added, still being very hateful about the whole thing. “You’re the one that hit the fan. Not me.”
Hunter turned and left the room without saying another word, the whole time looking down at the floor.
“That was uncalled for. And Hunter’s right,” Jamie said, looking very upset at her offspring. “Your dad let you off easy for the fan, because he obviously thought you were doing the right thing. But apparently, you weren’t doing the right thing at all. Were you afraid Mindi was going to tell your dad and I what had happened? Is that why you told him?”
“She told us she was going to tell him if we didn’t. What were we supposed to do?” Michael asked, still not realizing he was digging himself a much bigger hole than the one he had just climbed out of not thirty minutes ago.”
“Well, your little brother obviously learned something from the whole thing, and was taking it like an adult,” she said, giving him a meaningful look that he obviously still wasn’t reading right.
“He should take it like an adult. He’s the one that broke the fan.”
“Okay, you’re grounded for a month,” Jamie said, staring up at the ceiling.
“What? Why?” he asked, his voice rising to an ear-piercing level.
“Okay, make that two months.”
“Mom!”
“You want to go for three?”
Michael turned and stormed out of the room, obviously thinking better of trying to talk his way out of being grounded.
“Wow, that was intense.”
“It’s about his attitude, not the fan. How long do you think it well take him to figure that out?”
“Well, he is a stubborn one,” Mindi said, trying not to laugh.
“Yeah, I know.” She turned to look at Alexander, who through Michael’s whole meltdown, had been sitting there flipping through the channels, trying not to pay attention. He looked like he was embarrassed for his younger brother. He had bright pink spots high on his cheeks. “Alex, it’s time to go to bed.”
“Come on, Mom. Mindi just got home, and I haven’t got to see her that much yet.” Alexander’s voice was starting to take on an out of character whinny quality that was sure to drive his mother up the wall.
“You know why. So, stop whining and go to bed. You can spend time with your sister tomorrow,” she said with less irritation. “Besides, she’s going to be home for a while. You’ll have plenty of time to drive her crazy before she goes back to school. If she goes back to school.” That last part w
as said under her breath, and Mindi ignored it like her mother knew she would.
“Why do we have to go to church, anyway? Couldn’t we miss one Sunday?” Her little brother was starting to whine again. He was really letting himself in for it. You would think the kid hadn’t spent the last fifteen years under the same roof with this woman he called mom.
“You know, the first time I saw your father was in church.” Jamie had a knowing grin on her face. And sure enough, Mindi heard her little brother groan. “I fell in love with his voice before I even knew his name.”
“Okay, Mom, I’ll go to bed. I don’t think I can take sitting through this for the one hundredth time.” Alexander got up from the couch, still mumbling to himself. “Will she ever get tired of telling that story?” he asked of no one in particular, as he walked out of the room.
“Yeah, Mom, will you ever get tired of telling that story?” Mindi asked, grinning at her mom. “Personally, I love that story.”
“I know you do, Sweetie. It’s because you’re a romantic at heart. Your little brother is, too. He just hasn’t grown into it yet. There will come a day when he will want me to tell that story to a special someone. You just wait.” She patted her daughter on the leg and made to stand up.
“So, will you tell my special someone that story someday?”
Jamie sat back down on the couch, and looked her daughter in the eyes. “You may not see it yet, but your special someone has already heard that story. Almost as many times as you have.”
When Mindi didn’t say anything back, her mother decided to leave it at that, and got up and walked out of the room without another word.
Summer Obsession (The Townsends Book 1) Page 4
