Out Bad

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Six

  "That isn't going to work." Gwen rubbed her eyes trying to will away the headache forming deep inside her brain.

  "What do you mean?" The man on the other end of the line sounded confused. That's exactly why Gwen was dealing with him. A confused owner did not make for a successful company.

  "I mean it hasn't worked so far. It's not going to work now. You keep following the plan we laid out and let me do my job."

  "Is there somebody else I can talk to?"

  He didn't have to explain what he meant. She knew he meant someone with a dick.

  "There is no one else to talk to Mr. Roberts. I am the top of the food chain when it comes to things like this." Gwen leaned back in her office chair and rolled her head from side to side. Why was she even talking to this man right now?

  It was Saturday for Christ's sake. She looked at the clock on the wall. Hell, it was Saturday evening. A time when most people were with the ones they loved.

  She was at work.

  "You know what? Monday morning I will have my boss, the owner of the company call you. Unfortunately when situations like this come up, he usually calls to tell you we can't help your company after all. You see, he hired me because I am very good at what I do and he does not have time to handle things like this, so if I can't make you happy then there is no reason to continue our professional relationship."

  She smirked at the dead air on the other end of the line. Mr. Roberts could kiss her skirted ass right now. She was not in the mood for his shit today.

  "That's not necessary. I will follow up with you next week." The line went dead in her ear.

  "Whatever." She shoved the receiver back in place.

  She was done. She grabbed her purse and shut off the overhead lights in her office. The room was still bright with the late afternoon sun pouring through the wall of windows that overlooked the empty parking lot. She'd worked hard to get here, busting her ass, working longer and harder than anyone.

  She'd thought as the CFO of the business financial management division of a large company, she would feel some sort of satisfaction with her life. Feel like she was getting somewhere, even if it wasn't where she always thought she'd be.

  Things change. People die. Life goes on and you have to find a way to work with what's left, and Gwen was left with her career.

  She shut the door to her office and headed to the elevator. She stepped onto the asphalt, the heat lines rising from the pavement visible in the humidity lingering in the air. The reprieve from the stifling heat she'd enjoyed the night of Heath's party was long gone and back was the heat so heavy you could barely breathe.

  Gwen opened her car door and leaned in to start the engine. The air was still set to blasting from her drive in. Even at eight this morning, the wicked heat of July had her sweating.

  She gave it a few seconds before tossing her purse onto the soft leather of the passenger seat and climbing in. The heat radiated from the seat and quickly seeped through the thin fabric of her skirt making her butt sweat.

  They had seat warmers. Why in the hell hadn't someone invented a seat cooler?

  She shifted to one side while she was stopped at a red light, letting the cool air blow under her butt, then she switched cheeks. Finally, the car started to feel cool just as she jumped on the interstate.

  Going home didn't sound appealing, but neither did sitting alone in a restaurant. Even shopping, which had become her standard weekend activity over the past few years, didn't interest her tonight.

  She coasted past her exit, taking the next instead. There was only one place she wanted to be tonight.

  She pulled up in front of Gabbi's beside the same commercial van she'd parked behind at Heath's party. They must know someone who--

  Oh no.

  Not tonight. Tonight she just wanted to see her sister and her nieces without the distraction of... of...

  She kicked her car into reverse right as he rounded the corner, his hair pulled back, a white ribbed tank top streaked with what could be any number of things. Whatever it was, it was also covering his hands and smeared on one side of his neck.

  He saw her immediately and raised one filthy had in a two fingered wave. She'd been caught. She lifted her fingers off the wheel giving him a small wave back.

  Damn. She struggled to keep her eyes off him and her wits about her every time she'd seen him before. Now that he was dirty and sweaty and oozing everything she thought made a man a man, her already elevated stress level was off the charts.

  "Hi, Gwen." He rounded her car just as she was forcing her body out the open door. "I would get that door for you, but..." He held up his hands in explanation.

  "It's okay. I can open my own door." She shut it behind her.

  "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should have to." He repeated his words from the night of the party, his voice soft.

  His eyes stayed on her, making her want to squirm in her Jimmy Choo's. Instead she straightened her spine, bringing herself almost up to his height.

  "Sometimes you don't have a choice."

  She fought to keep her eyes on his face and quickly lost. She'd never seen this much of his skin before and it was just too tempting. Her gaze traveled down his barely stubbly neck, over the width of his shoulders and stopped at his arms.

  He quickly lapped one arm over the other, crossing them against his chest, effectively blocking her view of the tattoos covering his skin.

  "Auntie Gwen!" Caroline and Cassondra blew past Joe and wrapped their little arms around her legs.

  "Hey girls!" Gwen swiped at the wisps of hair clinging to Cassie's forehead. "You're all sweaty. Have you been playing outside and having fun?"

  Gabbi came down the front steps, her hair just as stringy and sweaty as the girls'. "No one's having fun."

  "I am." Joe's eyes were still on Gwen, his arms still wound across his chest.

  "No you're not. Go." Gabbi pointed back at the side of the house he'd appeared from a few minutes earlier.

  "You're a slave driver." He gave Gabbi a wink as he passed her by.

  Gwen watched as he turned the corner at the edge of the house. Before he disappeared he looked back, at her. Her hand flew to her stomach and pressed in, trying to subdue the tiny flutter that always came to annoy her when that man was around.

  "What are you doing here?" Gabbi's voice snapped her attention from the now empty spot she didn't even realize she was continuing to watch.

  "I was on my way home from work and decided to swing by. See what was going on." She wiped at her forehead to clear the tiny dots of sweat that kept popping up.

  "What's going on is the air's freaking out."

  Gwen looked down at her nieces and was a little ashamed she hadn't already noticed they were in their bathing suits. She looked back up at her sister. Tiny rings of mascara lined the skin under her eyes and her cheeks were flushed a deep pink.

  "Are the guys fixing it?" She glanced back at the side of the house imagining Joe lifting an air conditioning unit, his muscled arms tight, the sun glinting off the dampness clinging to his skin.

  "Not fast enough."

  Gwen drug her eyes back to her sister. She looked miserable. The girls looked miserable. "Come to my house."

  "I can't believe I didn't think of that." Gabbi squeezed her temples. "I think the heat fried my brain."

  "Yeah, you probably should have gone there hours ago." Gwen looked down at the girls where they'd sprawled across a shady spot on the lawn. "You guys want to come play in Auntie Gwen's giant bathtub?"

  ****

  "You're sure she doesn't mind if I come?"

  Heath laughed. "She's not the one you should worry about." Heath paused, then laughed harder. "Hell, I really don't know which one you should be more worried about."

  "What in the hell are you talking about?"

  "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I warned you. If you think Gabbi doesn't know what you're up to then you've lost your damn mind." He glanced Joe's way
, giving him a once over before turning his eyes back to the road. "Hell, if your thinking what I think you're thinking, then you probably have lost your mind."

  "How's that?" Joe glanced out the window as they turned into a subdivision. A nice subdivision. A really nice subdivision.

  "Gwen is a handful."

  Joe cocked his eyebrow. "Gabs is a handful."

  Heath grinned. "Yeah she is." He was silent for a minute, that grin still plastered on his face.

  Heath pulled up along the curb and put the car in park. "I just don't know that she's the kind of handful you're looking for."

  Joe had already stopped listening and was staring out the SUV window at the house they were parked in front of. He'd known Gwen was successful, but he'd obviously underestimated her. Significantly.

  A little part of him had still held out hope that she would at least be a little impressed by him, his accomplishments, but now he knew for sure. All the security he'd built up, the money he'd saved, the business he owned, the house he lived in. None of it would matter to her.

  "I tried to tell you." Heath leaned across the car looking out the window with him. "Gwen's not what you're looking for."

  Joe ignored him, opening the door and climbing out onto the lush grass of Gwen's front yard. He walked to the driveway, a pristine slab of stained concrete that led to a two-car garage, and along a stone walkway that curved gently across the front of the large two-story brick and stone house. The front door opened just as he stepped onto the covered porch.

  Gwen stood, illuminated against the dusky evening by the lights of the house behind her. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and her face was scrubbed clean. She wore a tank and a pair of cotton drawstring shorts that bared ninety-nine percent of her long legs.

  She smiled at him and stepped back, pulling the door wide for them to come in. He followed Heath in and was just stepping close to Gwen when a loud voice boomed from the top of the open foyer.

  "Please tell me you got it done." Gabbi stood at the top of the steps looking down at them.

  "Yes baby, we got it done."

  "I wasn't going to come home if you didn't." She reached the bottom step and Heath grabbed her up.

  "We can't have that." He nuzzled her neck and Gabbi giggled.

  "Gross." Gwen spun on her heel and walked further into the house, disappearing through a doorway.

  "Heath quit." Gabbi shoved at him as she looked after her sister.

  Heath dropped his arms. "It's been years Gabs. How long are you going to do this?' His voice was hushed, clearly not meant to reach Gwen.

  "I don't know Heath." Gabbi glared at him. "How long would it take you?"

  Joe shifted from one foot to the other, not quite sure what was happening, but positive whatever it was, was about Gwen. He cleared his throat.

  Gabbi shifted her glare to him. She stuck her finger in his face. "Stop."

  How in the hell did he end up involved in this?

  He held his hands up. "I haven't done anything."

  Gabbi rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stomped back up the stairs. "I'm gonna get the girls."

  Joe looked at Heath. "What in the hell was that about?"

  Heath shook his head, patting his pockets. "I forgot my phone in the car. I'll be right back."

  Joe stood alone in the entry not really sure what to do. Did he follow Heath? Should he stay put? What he wanted to do, might not be the best idea. Actually, after what just happened it was probably the worst idea, but he had made his fair share of bad decisions. What was one more?

  He followed Gwen.

  She stood at the kitchen sink, her back to him, looking out the window into her backyard. He'd barely cleared the doorway when she spun his direction, looking completely different than the Gwen he'd seen before.

  Her eyes were red, almost as if she'd been crying. Her already fair skin was pale making the bright green of her eyes stand out even more. She looked upset. She looked a little lost. She looked broken.

  And then it was gone.

  Her face shifted, any hint of emotion evaporating. "Would you like a beer?"

  He was baffled. Gwen had changed right in front of his eyes from one extreme to the other. Again.

  He was beginning to wonder if Heath might be right. Maybe Gwen wasn't what he was looking for.

  She was confusing. She was unpredictable. She was high-strung.

  And she was intriguing as hell.

  "I would love a beer." He smiled at her, getting only a nod in response.

  Gwen opened the fridge and pulled out a brown bottle. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and used it to twist the cap off before handing it to him.

  He watched her as he tipped the bottle to his lips. A woman who drove a Beemer and lived in a house like this, but twisted off a beer cap like a man.

  She turned and shot the cap into the open trash can with one hand while she opened the fridge with the other. "I think I could use one too."

  She twisted the lid and chugged a good amount before tossing her cap in with his then leaned back against the gleaming granite counters. Her eyes darted to him, then quickly away. She chewed her bottom lip and took a breath to say something.

  But she didn't.

  She blew the air back out before taking another drink. She took another breath. "I ordered pizza. It should be here so--"

  The doorbell rang.

  Joe set his beer on the counter and headed for the door. By the time Gwen was beside him, he'd already paid the delivery man and had an armful of hot cardboard.

  "You didn't need to pay for those." Gwen closed the door behind him.

  "Neither do you." He walked back to the kitchen with Gwen on his heels.

  "I wasn't going to. Gabbi and Heath were. They wanted to feed you. It's the least they could do since you probably sweated out half your body weight fixing their air. Gabbi's going to be pissed."

  He set the boxes on the counter and gave Gwen a grin. "Gabbi can't tell me what to do."

  "Isn't that the truth." Heath walked through the door with a little girl on each hip.

  "Where'd you disappear to?" Gwen handed him a beer.

  "I had to even up the odds. Gabbi was chasing naked wet girls across your bed upstairs."

  Gabbi walked in the kitchen. "I swear to God Heath." She looked at Gwen. "He is kidding."

  Gwen stepped to Heath just as he was trying to take the first drink of the beer she'd given him and snatched it out of his hand. She held it out to Gabbi. "Thirsty?"

  Gabbi took it and swallowed a long gulp before giving her husband a grin.

  Heath shook his head. "Can't even make a damn joke."

  "That bed is no joke." Gwen lined the pizza boxes across the counter. She looked at Gabbi as she flipped open the lids. "I changed my mind. I'll leave it to you and he can't sleep in it."

  "I'll sneak in anyway." Heath grabbed a slice out of the box closest to him.

  "I'll haunt you. Scare the crap out of you while you sleep."

  "Who says you don't scare the crap out of me already?"

  Joe grabbed a piece of pepperoni and leaned against the fridge, watching the banter between his friends and Gwen. Heath was right. She wasn't what he'd been looking for. But he was beginning to wonder if maybe he'd been looking for the wrong thing.

  Seven

  Gwen stared at her cell phone, the screen lit up, her sister’s number punched in but not yet called. She had made it this far at least four other times today, successfully talking herself out of making the call each time.

  Until now.

  She touched the green call button and held the phone up to her ear listening as the line began to ring.

  “Hey.”

  Gabbi's voice sounded a little strained and Gwen could hear the girls chattering loudly in the background.

  “Girls quiet down. I’m trying to talk to Auntie Gwen.”

  She could picture her sister chugging coffee as she tried to keep her head above water doing dishes and laundry and picking
up piles of various toys.

  “Is Auntie Gwen coming over?” Caroline’s sweet sing-songy three-year-old voice seemed much closer to the phone.

  Gwen loved those little girls more than anything in the whole world and hearing them excited to see her made her heart swell.

  “Honey I don’t know. Go play and I will find out.” There was rustling as Gabbi walked through the house, the sound of the girls in the background fading away.

  “Okay. I have five minutes before they find me. What's up?”

  “I just had a couple minutes and thought I’d call and see if you’d recovered from your heat stroke.” Gwen tried to keep her voice casual, but nonchalance was a skill she’d always struggled with. Straight forward she had down, but she'd never been good at working her way around things.

  “Oh my gosh it's so much better. I didn't realize how bad the other air conditioner was. Now it's like a refrigerator in here. It's glorious. ”

  “Good. Good.” She used one hand to squeeze her temples.

  Shit this was hard. Why couldn’t she just be straight up with Gabbi, tell her what she really wanted? It wasn't that she was being sneaky. She simply needed this information to help put an end to the unrest screwing with her life right now.

  Gwen took a deep breath. “I have an odd question for you.”

  “Okay.” Gabbi sounded hesitant.

  Odd questions weren’t something Gwen normally called her sister about. She was always the one with answers, not questions.

  “I’ve been wracking my brain for the past few days and I keep drawing a blank.” She was sweating. She flapped the front of her top trying to cool herself down.

  “I feel like I know Joe from somewhere and for the life of me I can’t figure out where that would be.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip before she kept talking and raised her sister's suspicions.

  “I can't imagine how you would know him.”

  Damn it. Gabbi was really going to make her work for this today.

  “Me either. What did you say his last name was?”

  That was all she needed. Gwen held her breath praying Gabbi would just give it to her without wondering too much about why.

  “Parker.” Gabbi sighed into the phone as little girl voices once again surrounded her. “Gwen, I gotta go. It looks like somebody is wearing chocolate milk. I’ll call you later.”