“Why do you and Brett always have to fight? You know he has an unnatural ability to know where I am. He’s going to know you took me to your place. He’ll be mad and take it out on me.”
“He wouldn’t touch a single hair on your head.”
“I didn’t say he’d hurt me, but just the mention of you and he turns into a gorilla.”
Rand smirked. “I’m flattered.”
“You’re egging him on.” Crossing my arms, I tried to think of a different tactic. Rand had avoided Emily ever since she followed Brett here. He seemed not to care, but as far as I could figure out, she was the only thing that drove a wedge between the dueling pair. Until Rand and Emily patched up their relationship, they’d still cause havoc between Brett and me. There had to be a way to get them back together.
“Why don’t you call him and let him know you’re looking at samples,” Rand muttered, his steel gaze softened just a fraction. “If he wants to come and chaperone, that’s fine.”
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You know exactly what. You push buttons and make everyone want to beat you with a stick, and then you turn one-eighty and stun us with a hint of kindness. You deliberately push people.”
“And yet you’re still here.” He took a long drag from his cigarette before flicking it out the window and exhaling the smoke from his nose. He looked like a bull. Unfortunately, he was also very handsome, and it was easy to forget his many flaws. But he had a knack for reminding me. Rand had a hair-trigger temper, one that I tried to avoid setting off. Yet, sometimes it was just too easy.
And fun.
“I like you,” I said, amused when he flinched. “I do. I know pushing people away is your thing, but you saved Hank and me from poverty, and I know you love Emily even though you try to say otherwise. You have a gentle heart under all that smoke and sharp words.”
He grimaced. “Don’t bet on that. You haven’t known me that long.”
“I don’t have to. You prove it with your actions.”
“Actions? Mars, you don’t know a goddamn thing. You don’t know what I’ve done or what I’m capable of doing. Do you have any idea who you’re sitting next to? Brett has a very good reason to despise me. Actions!” His temper flared quicker than I had expected. “I’ll show you actions!” He slammed on the brakes and pulled off into a sloping ditch. Before I knew what he was going to do, Rand grabbed my jaw with strong fingers, turning my head toward him. “Don’t assume you know me. And don’t push me into actions you’ll regret. Get out!”
“Rand—”
“Get out!”
Well, I found today’s trigger point. With a sigh, I opened the door and jumped out. As soon as I closed the door he sped away, kicking up clumps of dirt and rock.
I didn’t have to look around me to know I was stranded in a large open field. The corn had been harvested weeks ago, leaving nothing but dirt and a few broken stalks.
And me.
Not so fun anymore.
Chapter 2
Even though I was seriously annoyed at Rand, and confused, I couldn’t be mad. Not really. I had poked at a weak spot, knowing he’d react. I just wasn’t expecting him to strand me in a cornfield without warning.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed the first person who always helped me out of scrapes. Unfortunately, the call went straight to voicemail. Since Brett normally answered my calls, even if only to tell me he’d call later, it could only mean that Mrs. Janowski and crew were still causing havoc. Deciding to have mercy on Brett, I called Mrs. Janowski.
“Is Ida with you?” I asked when Mrs. Janowski answered.
“For now, but she’ll be drunk as a skunk in a minute if she doesn’t lay off the booze.” After a bit of scuffled noises, she said, “You’re on speaker if you want to talk to her.”
“Skunks don’t get drunk,” I heard in the background.
“Ida, Hank wants to dig up the time capsule but doesn’t know where it is,” I said.
“Time capsule? At the Hog?” The enthusiasm in Mrs. Janowski’s voice scared me a little. “We’ll be right there.”
“Can you pick me up on the way?”
“Sure, where are you?”
I looked around. “In a field.”
“A field?”
“Rand stranded me here.”
“Why, that no good—”
“If you swear again, you’ll need to add more to the jar,” Edna warned.
“It’s okay,” I said. “It was my own fault. I should’ve left him alone.”
“He shouldn’t have stranded you.”
“Who got stranded?” Brett’s muffled voice was distant.
“Rand stranded Mars in a field.”
I silently cursed. I wasn’t going to tell him. They would come to blows again. It was only a matter of time, but I didn’t want it over me and a silly argument.
Another scuffled sound and Brett was on the line, the speaker turned off. “What happened?” he asked, or rather, demanded.
“Nothing. You know he’s a bit sensitive, and I pushed him too far. Don’t worry about it. He’ll cool off and we’ll be good again.”
“He ditched you in a field. What would’ve happened if you didn’t have your phone or a signal?” I heard the frustration in his voice and knew he wouldn’t let this go.
“Brett, I’m fine. The Hog is only a few miles away. I could walk there. I was just hoping I wouldn’t have to.”
Brett was silent for a moment before asking, “Why were you in his truck?”
“We were going to look at floor samples for the Hog.”
He was silent again, and I knew he was trying to contain his irritation as best he could. The bitterness between the two ran deep and jagged. “I’ll come get you.”
“That’s okay. The girls will. It’ll get them out of your office so you can work.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, we’re digging up a time capsule. Should be fun, if you want to join us.”
“No, I have something else I need to do.”
I sighed, reading into his unspoken declaration. “Don’t lay a hand on him.”
“I won’t. Unless he does first.”
“Please.”
“We’ll talk about this later. T and I need to meet with a potential client in a couple of hours. Em and Em are finalizing the proposal now.”
“About that, you might want to lay off calling them Em and Em. It’s cute, but Emmy doesn’t want to be lumped in with Emily.”
“Oh. I’ll talk to T, but it might take time. It just drips off the tongue.”
“You can use your tongue for other things later.”
“You better believe I will, sweet thing.” I heard his smile through the phone and all the way down to my toes. “I’ll send Mrs. J and the girls over. See you tonight.”
Now all I had to do was wait for Mrs. Janowski. Knowing her need for adventure, she’d be here in five minutes flat, asking where to dig.
What could be in the time capsule? It intrigued me, and I wondered if I shouldn’t bury one myself. But what would I put in it?
I must’ve stood there pondering for some time because the next thing I knew, Mrs. Janowski drove up next to me and honked the horn, jolting me from my thoughts.
“Let’s get a move on!” she hollered.
I hurried around the car to squeeze in back with Edna and Ida.
Sylvia busied herself with the passenger mirror, applying powder to her nose. “Do you think the boys are still at the Hog?”
“Probably,” I said. “They had a full cooler.” I turned to Ida. “Do you remember what you put in the time capsule?”
She took a nip from the flask and nodded, then turned to look out the window.
“Aren’t you excited to dig it up?”
“No.”
I glanced over at Edna, who shrugged. “She’s been pouting since you called. Only Mrs. J’s threats were enough to make her come.”
“Well, really,
” Sylvia said, pausing the powder puff. “She’s acting like she’s going for a root canal. It’s just a time capsule.” She turned to Mrs. Janowski. “And for Pete’s sake, stop with the superhero costume nonsense.”
“Superhero costume?” I questioned.
“I ordered the Fearsome Foursome uniforms. We need something that clearly states super ability and strength.”
“You got enough ability and strength to lift a tea kettle,” Sylvia retorted.
Mrs. Janowski waved her off. “Bah!”
“I’m excited to see the time capsule,” I said. “I’m sure the boys will help dig.”
“Who needs them?” Mrs. Janowski eyed me from the rearview mirror. “We have the map.” She pointed to Ida. “And a shovel.”
“You have a shovel? Did you go back home first?” I didn’t think I had waited that long. But it was a good thing someone was thinking this through.
“She keeps one in her trunk,” Edna said.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask why, but I stopped. Mrs. Janowski could dig to her heart’s content and wear as many superhero outfits as she wanted as long as it didn’t involve me. I still had no idea what scheme she’d cooked up with the Fearsome Foursome. I was just happy it wasn’t the Fearsome Fivesome. I was in the clear.
Mrs. Janowski drove the few minutes down the road to the Hog. The boys were in the exact same place I’d left them, still drinking as they looked out over the lot.
Mrs. Janowski pulled up next to them and parked. “Which one of you will dig?” She popped out of the car and swung open the trunk, revealing a wide variety of objects that might have been terrifying in the hands of a bad guy. But with Mrs. Janowski, it was just worrisome.
“Why do you have a bat in here?” I scanned the contents. “And garbage bags and duct tape?” There was even a length of rope and bleach. “What have you been up to?”
She waved off my concerns. “I’m getting ready for the Fearsome Foursome. Now, are we going to dig or what?”
Ida drank from her flask, not making eye contact with anyone. Why wasn’t she excited?
The boys had trailed over to Mrs. Janowski’s car. Mac was the first to reach for the shovel. “I’ll go first,” he said. “Where do I start? Is there a map?”
We all looked to Ida, but she looked away.
Mrs. Janowski plopped her fisted hands on her hips. “Well,” she said. “Are we going to start or are you just going to sit there drinkin’?”
“Maybe we should do this another day.” Ida looked down at her trembling hands. “I’m feeling under the weather.”
“It’s all the drinking you’ve been doing,” Mrs. Janowski said, shaking her finger at Ida.
“She's been drinking like that for decades,” Hank said. “It’s not her drinking.”
“Can I give you a ride home?” Jack asked Ida.
“Yes, please.”
Jack wrapped his arm around his grandmother and steered her over to his truck parked farther down the lot. We watched as they drove away.
“Well, that was odd,” Sylvia said.
Mrs. Janowski nodded. “Never seen her like that before. I guess we can try again tomorrow. It’s not like the time capsule will go anywhere.”
“Early tomorrow morning might be our last chance,” I said. “I think the builders are scheduled to come back.”
Mrs. Janowski looked to Hank. “Are you sure you don’t know where it’s buried?”
“Nope. Ida and Wade buried it. I had some meeting to go to. Can’t quite recall. But I know they buried it, and I never heard another word about it.”
“Well, we can either stand around here like lumps,” Mrs. Janowski said, “or we can go to the range and get ready for the Fearsome Foursome debut.”
“Debut?” I asked
“Of course,” Mrs. Janowski said. “We’re planning a demonstration. Let the world know what we can do.”
“And what can you do?” I asked.
“I don’t quite know,” Mrs. Janowski said thoughtfully. “But I plan to find out today.”
Not wanting to get involved, I let them go on without me. I wasn’t sure what range they were talking about, but I had a feeling it was back at Brett and T’s place. Now that we were back at the Hog, I had my car.
Things to do, errands to run.
Literally run.
I dashed off to my car and sped away before anyone could stop me.
* * *
“I’m pregnant!” Kym shouted as she swung open the door to her house before I could press the doorbell.
I’m sure I didn’t stumble, but I felt like I did. I knew Kym and Jim had been trying for a while. They wanted children and even decided to adopt Aaron. But I thought they had given up.
“I’m so excited!” She gleefully raced over to me and twirled me around.
“I’m happy for you,” I said. “How long have you known?”
“Only for about a week now. I know I’m not supposed to say anything for three months, but I just couldn’t help myself. I wanted to tell you first.”
“You told Jim first, right?”
“Of course, but only because you weren’t here. Let’s go inside. I have so much to tell you.”
Kym hadn’t been on my list of people to see today. But something had made me want to visit. Now, I was glad I did.
I followed her inside. For a pregnant woman, she was a bundle of energy. Not that I’ve known many pregnant women, but I thought maybe she should be sitting on the couch with a cup of herbal tea.
Instead of the couch, she ushered me to the kitchen. Lemonade was already on the table and so was a pile of catalogs and advertisements, all filled with baby stuff. A sea of pinks and blues. White fluffy blankets and brown cuddly teddy bears.
As I sat down to leaf through the collection, I wondered if I’d ever be in Kym’s shoes. Would Brett and I have a baby? Would we even get married? And would Emily tag along on our honeymoon?
“So, where are you registering?” I asked. “It looks like you have a lot of choices.”
“I have too many choices. That’s why I need your help.”
In my past life as an events coordinator, I had helped with some baby showers. But that didn’t mean I knew what would be helpful to a new mom. Pulling out a few catalogs from local stores, I thought more about what would be easiest. Most of her family was local and would be able to purchase items for her in town.
She poured lemonade as I flipped through a catalog. I took a sip, realizing I was thirstier than I had thought.
“Will you help me with the baby shower?” Kym asked.
“Of course I will,” I said. “You didn’t even need to ask. But won’t your family want to plan it?”
Kym twisted her lips and made a noncommittal sound.
“What does that sound mean?”
“Oh, I don’t really know.” She looked out the window.
“Kym, what’s going on?”
“You know my family. They’re so . . . so . . .”
“Argumentative?”
“Yes,” she huffed. “At first I thought about not having a shower. I just don’t want to deal with them. But it's my first and probably only baby. Can you do the planning? And then they can be there if they want to.”
I sat back and took another sip of the lemonade and then set it down on the table. “Of course. This is your party. We can do whatever you want. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We have plenty of time to do this.” I looked at her. “How did this happen, anyway?”
“You know how it happened,” she said with a giggle.
“Well, yes. But were you on medication?”
“Yes, the doctor had tried something new. I thought it’d be a waste of time like the rest of them. But I tried anyway, and it worked. I can’t even believe it. You don’t think I’m jinxing it by letting everybody know, do you?”
I shook my head. “Don’t even think about it.”
She smiled. “Well, when can my child have a cousin?”
&
nbsp; I had just lifted the glass of lemonade to my lips. The reaction was an unfortunate sputter of liquid down my chin and onto my shirt. “What cousin?”
“Aren’t you and Brett going to get married one of these days? Actually, you don’t even have to get married. Jim and I started trying long before we were married. Wouldn't it be great if we were pregnant together?”
“Um, sure. It would be great.”
Kym sighed and leaned back, placing a hand over her flat stomach. “Ignore me. I’m just excited.”
“I know.” I smiled. “I’m sure you already have names picked out.”
A sly smile slipped onto her lips. “Perhaps.”
“You know,” I said thoughtfully, taking another sip of lemonade. “You now have an excuse not to get mixed up in any more of Mrs. J’s shenanigans.”
“I love her shenanigans. Well, most of them. Maybe not that last one. A little too life-threatening.”
“They’re all life-threatening.”
“You’re too hard on her. She means well. What’s she up to now that has your nose out of joint?”
“It’s not really her.” I stared at the corner of the ceiling, attempting to put my thoughts into words. “It’s more like everything.”
“Everything?”
Trying not to sigh at my lack of vocabulary, I smiled instead and asked, “Should we look for places to hold your shower?”
Kym grinned and nodded. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. But don’t you have to work?”
“This afternoon is all about you and the baby. I have a responsibility to spoil the little newcomer.”
“I knew I could count on you to ignore all the silly rules.”
“Mrs. J ignores all the rules and seems to be doing just fine. Why can’t we?”
It made me wonder what other rules I could break. I had a strong urge to attempt at least one.
Chapter 3
Emily sprawled across the couch, her arm draped over her forehead. “I don’t know why I couldn’t go with Brett tonight,” she complained. “I’m his assistant, after all. I should be at his side.”
Fearsome Foursome Page 2
