“What happens then?” Sophie asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Will James move into the house with you?”
Mandy shrugged. She’d be lying if she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “I guess we’ll just figure it out when it happens. It’s still down the line. It will be fine.”
Sophie popped the top on the soda, watching Mandy as she distributed the food items into various cupboards and the refrigerator. Once she was done, Mandy settled on a stool next to her and opened her own drink.
“So, tell me, what’s going on with you and Grady?”
Sophie stilled. “Nothing.”
“Oh, please,” Mandy scoffed. “You’ve obviously had sex.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You have the look,” Mandy said. “Plus, I knew what was on Grady’s mind when he left here yesterday. He was all flustered and mad. It was kind of funny.”
“You seem to know all of them pretty well.”
“Their sister was my best friend all through middle and high school,” Mandy said. “I spent a lot of time at their house.”
“But you didn’t date any of them back then?”
“I had a crush on James,” Mandy admitted. “He was too old for me then, though. When he graduated from high school, he went into the Marines and I just kind of let it go. You know, life moves on.”
“But you didn’t forget?”
Mandy giggled. “He’s hard to forget.”
“But, you’re happy, right?”
Mandy nodded. “I am.”
“And he is?”
“He acts like he is,” Mandy said, shrugging. “He’s hard to read sometimes. They all are. They’re typical men. Getting them to talk about their feelings is like pulling teeth. Why? Are you worried about Grady?”
Sophie shook her head. “No. It’s just a fling. It’s nothing.”
Mandy recognized the signs of denial when she saw them. She didn’t press Sophie on the issue. “You know what you need?”
“My head examined?”
Mandy laughed. “No. A girl’s night out.”
“You want to go out? It’s a Sunday.”
“We don’t have to tie one on,” Mandy said. “A few drinks at a bar would do us all some good. We can get away from the rampant testosterone.”
“Us all? Who do you have in mind?”
Mandy’s smile was wide. She had a few ideas – two, to be exact.
Sixteen
“This is so much fun,” Heidi squealed.
Sophie glanced at her, immediately liking the plump brunette and her pleasing personality. Her giddiness was positively infectious. It was a weird feeling for Sophie, but she didn’t fight it.
Mandy had introduced the two of them when they’d arrived at the bar. Sophie’s initial reticence was quickly wiped away. Heidi wouldn’t allow anyone to maintain an air of aloofness around her.
“Is someone else coming?” Sophie asked, sipping from her margarita.
“Ally.”
“Who is Ally?”
“James’ sister,” Mandy replied.
Sophie balked. “Grady’s sister?”
“They are all one, big happy family.”
“Ally is great,” Heidi said. “You’ll like her. She’s really funny.”
Sophie was inexplicably uncomfortable. How do you make friends with the sister of the man you just spent an entire day fornicating with?
Mandy’s eyes were bright as they met Sophie’s above her drink. “Don’t worry. Ally will like you – and she won’t care that you’re sleeping with her brother.”
“You’re sleeping with Grady?” Heidi held her hand to her heart, faking a swoon. “I’m so jealous. He is so cute.”
“You know Grady?”
“I’ve met all three of them through Mandy,” Heidi said. “That gene pool is something else.”
“It is,” Sophie said, smiling shyly.
“So, you have to tell me about Grady,” Heidi enthused. “What does he look like naked? This one won’t give me the down and dirty details about what James looks like naked.”
“It’s not that impressive.”
Sophie swiveled as another voice joined the party. She took in the tall woman standing at the edge of the table. She had dark hair, like her brothers, and her smile was warm and welcoming.
“I’m Ally.”
Sophie shook the proffered hand. “I’m Sophie.”
“You’re the reporter, right?”
Sophie was surprised by the question. “How did you know that?”
Ally settled on the stool between Mandy and Sophie. “Mandy keeps me updated on my brothers’ comings and goings. It gives me something to hold over their heads when I’m mad at them – which is pretty often, actually.”
“I see.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ally said. “I like to hear the gossip from her point of view. It’s much more entertaining than the monotone grunts I get when I ask them about their love lives.”
Sophie liked Ally immediately. She could see how comfortable Mandy and Ally were together – and the knowledge made her relax. If Ally didn’t care about Mandy sleeping with James – and Mandy and Ally had been friends for years – she probably wouldn’t get all weird and territorial about Grady.
Ally took a sip from Mandy’s drink. “That’s good. What is it?”
“It’s a pomegranate margarita,” Mandy replied. “It’s yummy.”
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Ally said. “That’s good. Grady said James was sleeping on the bathroom floor with you.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Heidi cooed.
“It was,” Mandy agreed. “For about five minutes. Then it got annoying.”
“Why?” Heidi asked. “That just proves how much he loves you.”
“Love only goes so far,” Mandy said. “I don’t care how comfortable you are with someone, you don’t want them to watch you puke.”
Ally laughed, the sound somewhat musical to Sophie’s ears. “I can’t believe he did it. You’ve completely turned him around.”
“What do you mean?” Sophie asked.
“James was the consummate bachelor until Mandy came along,” Ally replied. “He was the love-them-and-leave-them type. Then Mandy entered his life and stopped him in his tracks.”
“And you’re okay with it?” Sophie asked.
“What? Mandy having sex with my brother? Yeah. I’m totally fine with it.” Ally dipped her head closer to Sophie conspiratorially. “If you want to know the truth, I always had a feeling they would end up together.”
“You did not,” Mandy scoffed.
“I did, too,” Ally said. “He always doted on you. Not in a creepy way,” Ally explained to Sophie hurriedly. “He was just kind of protective of her. It would’ve been creepy if he doted on her in a romantic way back then.”
“I guess I’m just surprised,” Sophie said. “I don’t have a lot of experience with brothers and sisters, but I’ve always heard that sisters don’t like the women their brothers bring home.”
“I think that’s true of certain women,” Ally said. “It’s certainly true of all the other women I’ve met who’ve had the bad taste to sleep with my brothers. When it’s the right woman, though, you want your brothers to be happy.”
“You have a nice way of looking at things,” Sophie said.
“I like to think of myself as enlightened,” Ally said.
Mandy snorted. “When are you going to find a guy to settle down with?”
Ally shrugged. “When I find one who can stop me in my tracks, I guess.”
“Just don’t let him watch you puke.”
“Finn says that he made you chicken and stars,” Ally said. “That’s so … cute.”
“It was kind of cute,” Mandy admitted. “Now that I’m better again, though, he wants me to elect him president for the effort. That’s not so cute.”
“That’s a typical man,” Ally said, waving off the co
mment. “Every time they do something selfless they want you to stand up and applaud. Remember when we were thirteen and Melissa Hudgens was bullying us?”
“God, Melissa Hudgens. She was a real bitch,” Mandy said. “I wonder what happened to her?”
“Remember when she stole my watch?”
Mandy nodded. “Yeah, now that you mention it. Didn’t Grady beat up her brother?”
“He did,” Ally said. “He said he couldn’t beat up a girl. So, instead, he beat up her brother and then the brother brought the watch to the house.”
Sophie smiled. “That sounds like a protective older brother.”
“Yeah, well, the problem with that was that every time he wanted something from me over the next four years, he always brought up the watch. At a certain point, a watch is just a watch,” Ally said. “It was like a ten-dollar watch, for crying out loud.”
The table erupted with laughter. Sophie realized she’d never really had female friends. She’d never really had any friends. She’d had associates. People she talked to and even commiserated with. She’d never had real friends, though. These three women felt like they could fill that void – and that thought scared her almost as much as opening her heart to Grady Hardy.
“So, were your brothers heartthrobs when they were teenagers?” Heidi asked, her eyes sparking with undisguised curiosity.
“They thought they were,” Ally scoffed. “I’m the one that saw them flexing their muscles in the mirror when they thought no one was looking. I know all their secrets.”
“I bet you don’t,” Mandy said, her tone light.
“Why? What’ve you got?” Ally was practically drooling. “James shaves his chest, doesn’t he?”
“They all do that,” Mandy replied. “I’ve had to force him to buy his own lady shavers for that. Have you seen them with their shirts off lately? They all want to be the buffest Hardy of all. That’s not what I was talking about, though.”
“Ooh, tell me.”
Mandy bit her bottom lip, suddenly wondering if alcohol was loosening her lips a little too much. Ally reached over and pinched her. “Tell me.”
“Ow!”
“Just tell me,” Ally whined. “I’ll never tell him you told me. I promise.”
“Oh, I don’t believe that,” Mandy said. “The minute he pisses you off – which happens at least once a week – you’re going to throw it in his face.”
“See, you have to tell me now.”
“Fine.” Mandy glanced around. “Your brother likes to paint my toenails.”
Ally choked on her drink. “What?”
“I’m not joking. He’s got a weird foot fetish or something. He likes me to soak them in hot water and then he uses a pumice stone so he can rub all the dead skin off. And then? Yeah, he likes to paint them. He won’t even let me pick the color.”
Ally laughed hysterically. “Does he like to kiss them when he’s done?”
“Kiss them?”
“You know, suck on your toes and stuff,” Ally said. “I’ve heard that turns some guys on.”
“He doesn’t suck them. That would gross me out.”
“Hey, he watched you puke,” Ally said. “You never know.” She turned to Sophie. “What’s Grady like? Does he want you to braid his hair and stuff? He’s such a freak about his hair.”
Sophie lowered her gaze, her cheeks burning. “We don’t know each other all that well.”
“I thought you spent a full day in bed with him,” Ally said, glancing at Mandy. “You should know something.”
Sophie was mortified. “Who told you that?”
Mandy raised her hand. “I did.”
“Who told you?”
“Oh, honey, I saw Grady swaggering into the office this morning,” Mandy said. “He looked like he’d discovered gold or something.”
Ally’s shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. “That sounds just like him.”
“I’m not sure I feel comfortable talking about this,” Sophie said.
Ally patted her hand. “You’ll get used to us.”
“And, if you don’t, we’ll just find a way to force it out of you later,” Mandy said. “If you’re not careful, I’ll make you watch me puke next time. You’ll be begging to tell me then.”
The table erupted with laughter again.
This felt good, Sophie thought. This felt really good.
TWO HOURS later they were ready to leave. They’d gathered in front of the bar and were waiting for their ride to arrive.
“Who did you call?” Ally asked.
“James,” Mandy replied. “Both he and Grady are coming, though. I figured James could take Heidi and me, and Grady can take you and Sophie. That will give you time to hound him.”
“Good idea.”
Sophie seemed unsure. “Won’t that upset him?”
Ally made a face. “Who cares? I love upsetting him. That’s what sisters are for.” Ally lurched forward suddenly, looking behind her, aggravation written all over her face. “Excuse you.”
Mandy peered around her friend, frowning when she saw the dumpy man standing between them and the bar. “Can we help you?”
The man’s face wasn’t focused on her. His gaze was trained on Sophie, who was standing two feet away talking to Heidi. Mandy frowned, suspicion niggling the back of her brain.
Something isn’t right here.
“Ally,” Mandy started, reaching for her friend’s arm. “Come here.”
Ally did as instructed, but she kept her gaze on the man. She was instantly alert. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew Mandy well enough to know something was indeed wrong.
Sophie glanced up, her face sobering when she saw Ally and Mandy’s worried expressions. She shifted her gaze to the man, taking an inadvertent step back when she recognized him. It was the same man who’d accosted her in front of the Daily Tribune a few days before.
“You.”
“I warned you,” the man said, taking a step forward.
“Hey,” Mandy said, moving toward him. “Stay away from her.” Ally was right on her heels.
The man had something in his hand. It was hard to make out in the dark.
“He has a knife,” Heidi said, her voice shrill.
Mandy didn’t hesitate. She lifted her bag and whacked the man over the head with it. “Go away.”
Ally joined in, hitting the man as hard as she could with her own bag. “Listen, you scum, no one wants you here. Are you some sort of pervert or something? There’s a whole row of prostitutes three blocks over. Go bother them.”
The man tried to fight off his two assailants – but getting hit in the head with two heavy purses is more distracting than it sounds. He tried to shove them off, taking another step toward Sophie.
That’s when Heidi made her move. She lifted her leg high, reared back, and made direct contact with his nuts.
The man screamed, grabbing his scrotum as his face twisted in agony. “You bitch!”
Mandy and Ally exchanged a look. Ally raised her leg and kicked the man in the same area – just for good measure.
He staggered back, his face contorted with rage. Instead of coming after them, he obviously thought better of it and then fled into the night.
Ally inhaled deeply, finally turning to Sophie. “Does anyone want to tell me what’s going on here?”
Seventeen
By the time the Hardy brothers arrived at the bar, two sheriff’s department units were already on the scene.
James slammed his Explorer into park and jumped out of the vehicle, searching the amassed faces for one in particular. He found her almost immediately, standing in the middle of the melee, answering questions from one of the deputies.
James forced his way through the crowd. “What happened?”
“Excuse me, sir,” the deputy said. “If you could stand over there, we’ll be done here in a second.”
“I don’t think so,” James said. “That’s my blonde.”
Finn moved
up behind his brother. He’d heard about the incident over the scanner – including Sophie’s name – and decided to join the party, mostly because he thought there was a good chance James and Grady would freak out and possibly find themselves in jail cells if they pushed the wrong police buttons. “Calm down.”
James was surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard it over the scanner.”
“What happened?” James asked again.
“Some guy went after Sophie,” Mandy said. “We stopped him.”
James gritted his teeth. “What do you mean you stopped him?”
“Mandy and I hit him with our purses and then Heidi kicked him in the nuts,” Ally said, swooping in and dropping a kiss on her brother’s cheek. “Hi, big brother.”
“Ally kicked him in the nuts afterwards, just to do it again,” Mandy added.
“It was kind of fun,” Ally admitted.
Finn slung an arm around his sister’s shoulders. “That sounds … eventful.”
“It was a fun night until he came along and ruined it.”
James put his hands on his hips. “Let me get this straight,” he said. “You were approached by a man on the street, and you just started hitting him with your purses?”
“He had a knife,” Ally said.
James’ eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. “You attacked a guy with a knife? Are you trying to kill me?”
“Calm down,” Ally said. “He was little … and schlubby.”
“Schlubby?”
“What? That’s a word.”
James held up his hand to quiet his sister. “You need to go home. You’re clearly drunk.”
“I’ll take her,” Finn said.
“Can you take me, too?” Heidi asked. “I’m tired and I want to go home.”
“Are you done here?”
Heidi looked to the deputy for confirmation. He nodded. “I’m done.”
Finn glanced at James. “You have this under control?”
“Do I have the wild purse puncher under control? I have no idea.”
Finn smirked. “Where is Grady?”
Ally pointed. “He’s over there with Sophie.”
“So, she’s set?”
Ally nodded.
Finn glanced at James again. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Ladies? Your chariot awaits.”
Deadly Intuition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 2) Page 10
