“Yes, I just loved how the main charac—”
“I can’t talk now. I'll shoot you an email later with all the details.” Brooke turned on her heel. “Thank you! You’re a lifesaver!”
Chapter Sixteen
Annabeth
Annabeth slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. Even at eight o’clock at night, the heat of the day strangled her. Her flip-flops clapped against the hot asphalt as she crossed the street to the Book Cellar café.
Annabeth checked her phone and spotted a new text message from Fernando.
Hope to see you downtown tonight.
The idea of spending time with Brooke again made her want to gouge her eyes out with a dull butter knife, but Vi had come over that afternoon and asked her with those big puppy dog eyes of hers, and she just couldn’t say no. It turned out she had a soft spot in her bitter heart for her sweet little neighbor.
The bell above the door clanged as she walked inside. The cool air blasted her face. Man, that felt good. The white noise of the patrons mingled with the classical music playing through the kitschy 1950’s speakers that hung on the wall. Through the chatter and violins she could hear the distinct sound of Vi’s giggle. Following the laugh like breadcrumbs, she found her and the others gathered around a large round oak table with a dozen or more glass bowls containing a votive and clear beads.
Brooke had ribbon trailing around her to the ground. In her left hand she held a glue gun. Wow. Who would have thought she’d do such a menial task when she had so many minions she could pawn it off on.
“Oh, goodie! Another set of hands.” Brooke flashed a half-smile.
At the same time, Vi’s face lit up as she jumped from her seat, nearly knocking over several finished centerpieces.
“Violeta!” Brooke exclaimed in a voice much deeper than the one she normally used.
But Vi ignored her friend’s warning and proceeded to squeeze the life out of Annabeth. “I’m so glad you could come! We’re working on the centerpieces for the gala. It is going to be so amazing this year. I just know it will be the best yet. Brooke is really outdoing herself!”
Annabeth smiled and maybe blushed a little, too. She would never admit it out loud but she liked Vi’s Pollyanna-esque attitude much more than she thought she might.
“I’m happy to help.”
Brooke gave Annabeth a hateful look, but said nothing.
A warm hand touched her bare arm.
“Good evening, ladies. My, my y’all been busy.” Jesse pulled out the chair between her and Brooke and sat down. “Sorry I’m late. Heather had to work tonight. Had to get a sitter in order to come on out here.”
Annabeth caught the quick sideways glance between the decided King and Queen of Herald Springs.
Was that a blush? Does the Queen Bee have a crush on the local gossip? Oh the scandal!
Annabeth tried to push away her bitter thoughts—she hated to descend to their level. This wasn’t high school after all.
Jesse drank down a large mouthful of beer and leaned back in his chair so that it balanced on the back legs. He shot her a knowing glance that made her wonder if he could read minds. Either way, his gaze made her uncomfortable.
“How are your girls?” she asked.
He gave her a slow, almost cautious smile. “They’re great. It’s always an adjustment getting back into the school routine. Oh, you know what? They were talking about you this morning. They want us to do a swim race.” Jesse pulled out his buzzing phone.
Annabeth bit her bottom lip. She didn’t like the idea of him and his girls talking about her.
Can’t he just let the whole swimming thing go?
“Is that right?”
Jesse grumbled something under his breath as he looked at his phone. “Excuse me, ladies. I need to take this.”
Annabeth followed him with her gaze as he got up and walked over to an empty corner of the café.
Brooke’s sharp voice sliced through the air between them. “You swim?” she asked—almost an accusation.
“Y-yes.” Annabeth started to fill the empty bowls with the beads and votives.
Vi looked up from the box of finished decorations. “Oh? Jesse is a great swimmer. He swam in college and won a bunch of awards. Did you swim in school, too?”
Annabeth felt her skin grow hot despite the air conditioning. “No, I never swam competitively. I was just a lifeguard.”
From several yards away the sound of Jesse raising his voice reached their table. His shoulders were hunched and his back stooped. He had begun to pace. Annabeth caught snatches of his conversation.
“Honey, I… No, no, of course not. I didn’t mean…”
Brooke stared after him with a worried look. Apparently forgetting the project at hand, because— “Ouch!” she cried. She shook her hand out as the hot glue gun clattered to the table.
Vi rushed to her side to examine the burn. “Oh, no! Are you okay?”
Brooke brushed her off with an eye roll. “I’m fine. Just lost my grip is all. Get back to work.”
Annabeth glared at Brooke. Why did she have to be so mean?
“Your money, right. Perhaps we should talk more once you’ve calmed down. Bye.” Jesse ended the call and stalked back over to the bar. He came back to the table and finished off his first glass of beer before sitting down with his second.
“So what’s my job, Queen B?” He forced a smile onto his face.
If Annabeth had blinked she would have missed the quick look of sympathy flash across Brooke’s normally pinched features.
“Actually, I’ve got the perfect job for you. I’m having trouble with the pre-registration page. Would you mind looking it over and see if you can’t get it working again? You’re so good at that kind of thing.” Brooke batted her lashes. The woman really could lay it on thick.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. Definitely time for a topic change.
“Hey, I wanted to ask you guys... I ran into a cop the other day on the way back from the pool, and he said there was a false alarm on our street, Vi. Do you know anything about that?”
Annabeth caught a quick glance between Brooke and Vi.
What’s that about?
“Oh that. That was the day silly Vi was out of her mind with fever and forgot her alarm code. It was really rather comical. Wasn't it Vi?”
Vi’s eyes stayed trained on arranging the bowls within the box. “Yeah. It was really embarrassing.”
Jesse smiled across the table at her with a thoughtful expression. “It’s okay, Vi. You have a lot on your plate. But, hey, I’m glad you're feeling better.”
Vi looked up from the decorations and smiled back sweetly. “Me, too. Thank you again for the soup and, umm, elderberry syrup. It really helped.”
“One of the hippy mamas at the preschool raved about it. I was skeptical at first, but that stuff really works.” Jesse finished off his second beer as he pulled up a page of HTML code on Brooke’s computer. “Ah-ha! There’s your problem. If we take out this line of code and put this in instead, your reg page will be as good as new.”
Brooke beamed. “I knew you would be able to fix it! Thank you!”
The alarm on Annabeth’s phone went off, reminding her of the meeting she’d scheduled. “I’m sorry. I’m going to have to go. I’m supposed to meet up with a couple of colleagues for drinks in Austin. I’ll see you tomorrow at the rodeo, Vi.” She got up from her chair.
Vi nodded with a smile as she tallied up the decorations. “Make sure you park in the paid lots instead of on the streets. They’re a little safer. Austin isn’t like Herald Springs, but you’re from Detroit so I guess I don’t need to tell you all of that.”
Annabeth flashed Vi a quick smile. It was sweet that she worried, but it wasn’t like Austin was dangerous like Detroit. “You sound like Marcus. Don’t worry about me, Vi. I’ll be fine.”
Brooke raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes before putting her attention back to hot-gluing ribbon to the glass. Annabeth wanted to s
lap the smug look off of Brooke’s face, but refrained from living out that particular fantasy.
In a huff she turned to walk away, only to have a hand reach out and grab hold of her, pulling her back. Jesse. He paused for a second.
“Your bag.”
Annabeth snatched her messenger bag and slung it over her shoulder.
Gosh, how embarrassing.
“Thank you,” she murmured as she left the café in haste. She didn’t want to be late for her meeting with Fernando, and she did want to get as far away from Brooke and Jesse as she could.
Fernando stood outside waiting for her, smoking a cigarette as he leaned casually against a utility pole. The busy Austin downtown street was bustling with college students celebrating the end of the week. They made Annabeth feel old.
Fernando—her man of mystery—was a nice distraction. Strong, dark and handsome—he’d make the perfect charming villain.
When he noticed Annabeth approaching, he strolled over and surprised her with a kiss on the cheek, missing her lips by a hair. His coal black eyes remained fixed on her lips as if he wanted to kiss her again. She couldn’t help but feel his charm. Would she turn him away if he made a move?
He wet his lips and flicked a bit of ash onto the pavement. “Do you smoke?”
She shook her head. “Quit five years ago.”
Fernando chuckled. “You're stronger than I am. Fridays are my busy day so it's nice to unwind at the end of the week like this. Stupid smoking ordinance makes it a little hard, though.”
His eyes raked over her body. A feeling of self-consciousness washed over her and she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I know what you mean. It was a hard week for me too.”
He took a deep, indulgent drag then snuffed out his cigarette against the bar’s brick exterior. “Let's go inside.”
His fingers brushed her bare arm causing gooseflesh to break out alongside her freckles. A shiver rippled through her as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I'm glad you're here.”
She swallowed hard. Why was her mouth so dry?
Unaware of her frazzled nerves, Fernando guided them deeper into the crowded bar. Half the English Department had shown up early, and half of them were already half in the bag.
Her breath hitched when she spotted the student Marcus had told her about—the one that fit the profile. That she had been doing a poor job keeping an eye on. She’d managed to follow the girl around a little after class, but had lost her somewhere on the quad when some annoying douchebag skater guy had run her over.
Amy sat among a group of drunken revelers singing along to an old Willie Nelson song. She looked prettier and younger than she did in her photo. Her thick black hair was pulled back in a low pony. She had on a tight purple U of A shirt and a pair of shorts that looked more like the volleyball shorts she used to wear in high school.
Annabeth pushed through the group and pulled Amy away. “Hey! You're in my Comp 101 class, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I love your class! Let me buy you a drink!” Amy exclaimed with a youthful enthusiasm that Annabeth had never possessed—not even in her twenties.
Wait. How was she going to buy them drinks? Wasn’t she just a freshman? Nineteen years tops?
Amy strode right up to the bartender and flashed what Annabeth could only assume was a fake ID.
Fernando elbowed his way through the crowd and stood by Annabeth’s side.
“You two know each other? Interesting.” Fernando looked from Amy to Annabeth and back again.
Annabeth shrugged. “She’s a student of mine. Wait, how do you two know each other?”
He snaked a possessive arm around Annabeth’s waist. “We met at the mixer last week. The one you didn’t go to. She’s into Proust.”
A moment passed as she debated grabbing his arm and flinging it away from her, but he only pulled her closer.
“Dance with me.”
She leaned away from his sashaying hips. “No, that’s really all right. I don’t dance.”
He gave her an exaggerated frown and came closer, continuing to dance against her. “What do you do?”
She felt her smile unfold a little at a time. He was nothing if not persistent. There was a time when she would have easily fallen for this kind of game. The benefit of age and wisdom allowed her to see his actions for what they were. A pick-up. Even though she had no intention of going home with him, a little harmless flirting wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Anyway, he did seem to know everyone and he could be a good resource for her.
“I do lots of things.”
He crept closer so that the length of him pressed against her, making her head spin. It didn’t help that he smelled good enough to eat. His breath on her ear made her heartbeat quicken.
“Call me Fin. Everyone does.”
Crap, he is good at this.
“Why Fin?”
“Because I’m a shark. All you see is the fin, until it's too late.” He laughed, then nipped at her earlobe with a predatory growl.
Annabeth gasped, but her shock seemed to please him.
Amy danced over to them with three beers.
A teenager just bought me a beer.
Amy handed one to Fernando and another to Annabeth.
The DJ transitioned into the Hill’s The Weekend and Amy’s whole face lit up. “Oh. Yay! I love this song!”
“Me, too.” Fernando redirected his gyrating hips toward Amy, circling her just like the shark he claimed to be. He must have noticed Annabeth’s glance. He may have been creepy, but darn, he was hot as all get out. It had been a long time since she had been with anyone. The unmet need grew with each passing second.
In one smooth move, Fernando pulled Annabeth up against his hard chest. “Just one dance.”
Amy moved on to dance with a more age-appropriate partner, and Annabeth gave in to his inviting body that pressed against her with intent. His lips grazed her neck, making her gasp. Her heart beat in time to the music that snaked out from the speakers, and she just couldn’t say no.
Eh, what could it hurt?
Chapter Seventeen
Vi
Vi toed the fairgrounds’ dusty path with the tip of her leather boot. Her pearl-buttoned shirt, tight jeans, and belt with the wide buckle had her looking every bit the part of a stereotypical Texas woman. Her heart hammered in her chest in anticipation of seeing Ricky do what he did best—ride bulls. Some women got weak in the knees over fire fighters, some for Highlanders in kilts, but Vi only had eyes for her cowboy.
As much as she looked forward to seeing him again, she also dreaded it. Joy, on the other hand, had been a ball of uncontrollable energy from the moment she’d picked her up. The entire morning, Vi and Annabeth had tried to keep Joy busy with the many different attractions and games, but all the distractions in the world couldn’t keep Vi’s thoughts from returning to Ricky and the kiss they’d shared the other night. It had awakened something inside of her that she’d thought long since dead. The ache of wanting was more than she could bear.
Vi leaned against the metal rail post and watched as Joy rode a chestnut horse on a circular track. The rest of the riders all looked to be no older than seven, making Joy stick out like a sore thumb.
“You okay?” Annabeth appeared at her side with a couple bottles of local brew.
Vi tipped her hat down further to shade her eyes from the relentless glare of the noonday sun before grabbing one of the ice cold bottles and taking a long, hard chug. “Mmm, yep. I’m just fine.”
Annabeth smiled into her bottle. “Sure, uh-huh. Fine.”
Vi hid her eyes underneath her hat.
Annabeth looked around the rodeo with a smile. “Marcus would really get a kick out of all this.”
Vi took a quick drink of the beer. The bubbles tickled her nose. “Yeah, it’s too bad he couldn’t come.”
Annabeth’s already white face seemed to become paler. She broke eye contact to study the weeds that grew up along the fence posts. “Y
eah, he lives and dies for football. U of M is playing this afternoon so he’ll be glued to the couch for a while. There’s no moving that man when there’s a game on.”
Annabeth’s phone started to play an old Uncle Kracker song about eight mile and Heaven. “Sorry, I have to take this.” She turned on her heels and walked a yard away from Vi. “Hi Mr. Morgan. Did you get my report?”
Joy came bounding over to Vi. “It’s time for Ricky!”
Vi glanced toward her watch. Sure enough, it was time to head over and grab their seats. Annabeth ended her call and walked back over to them. “Sorry ’bout that.”
“Sissy, it’s time. We’re going to miss it.” Joy stared anxiously in the direction of the arena with the frayed collar of her shirt between her teeth.
“I can’t wait to see my first bull ride!” Annabeth smiled.
As they neared the arena, she spotted Ricky standing out front talking with the director, hands on his hips, a serious look splashed across his handsome face.
“Ricky!” Joy took off at a sprint. Much to Vi’s horror, she ran—arms flapping—right toward Ricky who hugged her tightly to him. He was the only one she would let hug her.
Jeez, she's so embarrassing! What people must think? A grown woman acting like a seven-year-old.
Chuck, the director of the rodeo for the last twenty years, leaned down and kissed Vi on the cheek. “It’s so good to see you, shug. You're just getting prettier and prettier every time I see you.”
She pushed him away playfully. “Oh, Chuck!”
“Well, who is this stunning creature?”
Annabeth blushed the color of her hair.
“Chuck, you old flirt. This is Annabeth and she's married. Also, she’s new to Texas so be nice.”
He took Annabeth’s hand and kissed it. “Welcome to Texas, ma’am. Any friend of Vi’s is a friend of mine.”
Annabeth laughed.
Thank Goodness she had a good sense of humor.
Ricky extricated himself from Joy’s clutches and stepped forward to greet Vi. His soft lips brushed her cheek, sending shivers straight down her spine.
Walker Texas Wife (The Book Cellar Mysteries 1) Page 10
