I reach in my pocket and pull out a pill box and set it on the counter. “What happened were these. Your little friend Lance roofied you.”
“You’re kidding me!” She exclaims. Her eyes well up with tears and the hand holding her coffee mug starts trembling.
I walk over to her and pull her into a hug. At first, she is stiff, but soon she relaxes and puts her arms around me and rests her head on my chest. “He was going to rape me? What the hell?”
“He may have been about to, I don’t know, but he didn’t. I brought you home when I saw you weren’t acting like yourself. I couldn’t find your friend Gwen so I kept you with me. We can go to the police and file a report if you’d like.” I lean down and kiss the top of her head out of instinct. I feel her body go stiff again and she pulls away from me. Damn.
“No, but thank you. I should get home so I can find Gwen and figure out why they ditched me. Thank you for rescuing me Caide, I really appreciate your help. Can you give me a ride home…if not, it’s cool, I’ll call a cab.”
I go over and pour some coffee in a travel mug to take with me. “You don’t need a cab. Here,” I say and hold out the pill box, “you might need these for evidence.”
“I don’t want to touch those. Can you hold on to them for me? If I decide to file a report, we can go together; I’m sure they’ll need your statement too.” Her eyes give away the fear she has in her.
Oh come on! Don’t let the guy get away with it. “Okay, whatever you want.”
As we head down the stairs to the front door, River stops to touch the sun-catcher. She looks beautiful as the prisms of light dance across her face. She pauses as though she wants to say something but thinks better of it.
“Is this something your ex hung up?” River asks quietly.
I nod my head. “Yeah, Heather was fascinated with the light reflections. I probably should take it down, but I like it.”
We step out into the hot mid-morning air. “No, you should leave it up, it’s pretty.” I open the passenger side door to let her in. “Thank you, what did I do to bring out the gentleman in you?”
Her voice is back to the River I know from our meetings. “You have that effect on me.”
“I have an effect on you? Impressive. I must have spilled my guts last night or something, and you’re being nice to keep my cray-cray side at bay.” She flips the visor down and looks in the mirror. “Wow, I look wild.”
I smile at her and back out of the driveway. “I like you wild…uh, I mean, well…. I’d like to see your wild side.”
____________________________________________
Chapter Six
So sweet the hour, so calm the time,
I feel it more than half a crime,
Serenade - Edgar Allan Poe
RIVER
Waking up in a stranger’s bed, not any stranger, but Caide Palmer, was not what I was expecting. He was peacefully sleeping in a decorative chair with his arms crossed and his head lopped over to the side. I stared at him for a couple of minutes before saying his name. I read somewhere that you can wake most people up with a whisper of their name. Caide was most people.
The last thing I remembered was talking to Caide when I came out of the bathroom at the club. Why would I end up at his house?
I keep going over how I ended up here. After waking him up, he offered to make coffee and very little information about what happened last night. Now I’m in his shorts and a t-shirt with a strapless bra on, watching him proficiently work in his kitchen. This side of Caide is sweet, and kind. Emerald Isle isn’t short of rumors about Caide and his escapades with the ladies. I Googled him last week and read about his relationship with his daughter’s mother, Heather. It said things about her drug addiction and he kicked her out of the house. There was an article with photos from a party; they had pictures of him making out with three different girls on the same night. I wonder if he has an open prescription for penicillin.
“This carrot muffin is amazing. I know this sounds like a fangirl, but do you have this recipe posted?” I’m a dork for asking, but it’s so damn good.
He fidgets with the coffee maker and wipes off the counter. “No, it isn’t posted. I recently came up with the recipe and since it has so many steps, I can’t find a way to incorporate it into the show.” He takes one of the other muffins and takes a big bite. “I’ll give you the recipe if you’d like. Leave me your email and I’ll send it to you.”
We drank coffee and ate muffins for a few minutes as though we were old friends. Everything was perfect until he pulls out the little box of pills. My face flushes as I wonder what I did last night to get his attention. He’s mentioned going to the police again, which is one place I want to avoid.
“River, if you’re ready I’ll take you home.”
“Yeah, thank you, I can call my friend to pick me up.”
His eyebrows lift up, reminding me of Bert from Sesame Street with the one eyebrow up and the other crooked. He has a way about him, the way he moves, talks, and walks is confident yet there’s a vulnerability to him. If he were a callous jerk, he would have left me at the club and not intervened.
But he did.
I can’t help but admire him for standing up for me when I wasn’t in the position to do it myself. Maybe, Caide Palmer is interested in me. Doubtful, but it could be a possibility.
On the drive to my house he turns on the radio and we listen to Fall Out Boy. I notice it isn’t on the radio, but it’s his CD. Another glimpse into Caide’s life.
We pull onto my street and my heart starts racing, in a moment, I’ll be alone with my thoughts. They won’t be filled with Caide Palmer, but the reality I could have been raped last night.
I could have been raped.
I’m scared to be alone.
“Since you don’t have your pocketbook, how are you going to get in?” Caide asks, relieving me of my thoughts.
“I have a keypad….would you mind going in with me though? It will only take a minute to walk around and make sure no one is lurking in the closet.”
“Did you leave your pocketbook at the club?” Caide asks concerned.
I pause for a moment and remember where I left it. “No, it’s in Gwen’s trunk. I don’t understand why she left me though.”
Caide turns the car off and gets out, before I register what he’s doing, he comes over to my side and holds the door open for me.
Caide….so many facets…
As I get to the door I hear Rusty barking like crazy. We walk into the house and I sense something’s wrong.
“Is something wrong?” Caide asks me as he closes the door.
It occurs to me I wasn’t expecting company, jeez, I pray the kitchen is clean. So far all he sees is the yellow and black living room with a zebra carpet and two zebra striped chairs. I recently had all of the overhead lights replaced with either recessed lighting or chandeliers. The living room has the most dramatic black chandelier, it’s so beautiful and gothic and ridiculously expensive. Ryan says it’s over the top.
My black crushed velvet couch with its curved back is a topic of conversation when I have visitors. It has two bright yellow throw pillows to give it a dramatic touch as well as a yellow cashmere throw.
“I’m not sure,” I reply as I walk through the great room to the kitchen. Hopefully, he won’t think everything is too girlie. Not that I care…maybe I care. Who cares? “Oh shit!” I exclaim as I walk over to my answering machine. A note with my name is by the phone.
Caide is behind me and he reaches past to get the note. I’m shaking too much to care. “Can I read it? Do you live alone?” He asks.
Rusty wiggles in my arms as she tries to reach my face and lick it. “Yeah, I live alone,” Rusty barked in protest. “Yes, please open it.”
I’M WATCHING YOU
Three words.
Three terrifying words.
Tears….damn eyes fail me in a moment I need to be strong. I can be strong. What the hell do I do now? I’m all alo
ne.
Caide pulls my arm and wraps his arms around me. They’re strong and make me feel safe. I’m not safe though. “River…we need to call the police.”
I don’t lift my head from his chest, but I nod it up and down. “Okay.”
“Call your friend Gwen and see if she can bring your purse over here and talk to the police. I’m going to check the house, you call the police first.” Caide gives me a reassuring squeeze before he heads down the hall.
Sexy.
No….you’re his sponsor.
He’s still sexy.
Shit.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
Caide and I are talking to Officer Blaine and Officer Dumas when the doorbell rang. Rusty jumped out of my arms and barked to alert me that a human is at the door.
Gwen is standing at the door dressed as though she sits around looking like a model in the event someone calls to come over. She has on a romantic floral sundress and strappy wedge heels. She takes her white sunglasses and places them on top of her head as she comes in. She sees Caide and gives me the same look she gave me at the club last night.
“Who is this guy?” She whispers to me.
“Later…we have to talk to the cops right now.” I lead her to the couch, Caide scoots to the end and I sit between him and Gwen. Rusty jumps up in my lap but betrays me by scooting closer to Caide. He scratches her behind the ears and they bond.
“Gwen, how do you know Lance?” Officer Blaine asks.
“He’s my friend’s brother, why what’s up?”
Officer Dumas writes down something. “Gwen, do you know Lance’s last name?”
“Dupree, why? Has he done something?” Gwen turns to me and asks me directly. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head no. “He didn’t get the chance to. Caide realized something was wrong with me and got me out of the club before I ended up….you know….”
“Before you ended up what? Raped?” I nod my head yes. “Oh shit! You only had one drink, what did he do - roofie you?”
I shrugged my shoulders and gave her a solemn look.
We went over everything that happened and how there was a note in my house. She had my purse, which had my keys, so how did he get in? Gwen admitted her friend is more of an acquaintance but she’s met her for drinks a few times. That’s how she heard about the brother moving to town. The cops get a description of him from her and asked for the phone number of her friend.
The police look around the house and discover my bedroom window had been jimmied open. My hands began trembling at the thought of someone in my house. “Okay, I’m scared. I’ll call my security company and have them come out this week and add censors to my windows. I bought the cheaper package from the security people, but it is worthless if I can’t turn on the motion detector because of my pets.”
After an hour everyone but Caide left.
We take the coffee cups to the kitchen to wash by hand. The dishwasher is rarely used unless I’m entertaining.
“River, do you have any family in the area?” Caide takes a dishtowel and dries the cups.
“No, I don’t have any family in this part of North Carolina. I’ll go stay at a hotel, no biggie.”
Caide takes my wrist and pulls me in and hugs me again. His now familiar cologne gives him a sexy clean smell. “I want you and your dog to come stay with me.”
I pull back and shake my head no. “A hotel is fine, they have all of those locks and a mini-bar,” I say trying to be funny.
“I have a guest room; you can stay in there until the security company can come out and upgrade your system. Until then, we’ll go to Lowes and buy some dowel rods to put in the window to keep them from being opened. Go pack your bag, I’ll play with Rusty.”
The tone in his voice sends shivers through me. “Caide, I’m not going to be an inconvenience to you. Thank you though.”
“You’re a hard-headed woman. River, you could have been in a lot of trouble last night. We don’t know what this guy Lance is capable of, and I’m not going to have you stay in a hotel. Besides, how will you help me bake cookies from a hotel room?”
I throw my head back in exasperation, “You’re insufferable.”
“Maybe, but I’m going to keep you safe. Go pack.”
With that, I’m off to my room packing a suitcase. I’m going to go willingly to Caide Palmer’s house and bake cookies with him. Who woulda thunk it? This is going to turn out bad, I can feel it in my bones.
I pack my bag and get everything ready, including the cat in the carrier. I go back to my room to make sure I have everything when it hits me. Like a tsunami, fear washes over me and knocks me off my feet. Someone almost hurt me last night, and they were in my house. I sit on my bed and put my hands over my face as I burst into tears. Who would have cared for Rusty and Casanova if I had been killed?
In the midst of my ugly crying, the bed dips down under the weight of Caide next to me. His arm goes over my shoulder and he pulls me closer to him.
“Are you crying because you’ve realized I’m about to school you at baking cookies?” Caide jokes.
My elbow finds his rib cage and he laughs. Like that, I’m no longer crying. Now to gather up the strength not to fall for this guy. I won’t fall for him.
Not falling.
“Do you know how to get back to my house, or do you need to follow me?”
“Oh yeah, I guess I should follow you. Don’t drive like a bat out of hell,” I demand.
“No bat out of hell driving, grandma.”
____________________________________________
For dinner Caide grilled some kabobs and I made a potato salad to enjoy by the pool. We talked about the ocean and stories of pirates along the coast many years ago. I excused myself to do some ordering before work tomorrow. He refused to let me help him clean up the kitchen and now I’m in the guest room down the hall from his bedroom.
The more time I’m around Caide, the stronger my crush on him grows. He’s wrong for me, but my brain says he’s perfect.
He’s not.
He is too.
Shut up brain.
I wonder if he has any wine, I can use a drink and escape from payroll. I need to hire a manager who can handle the ordering and payroll, it gets on my nerves.
The house is quiet, I wonder if he left to go out partying. He probably went out trolling for another conquest. Maybe he went to bed. I settle on a glass of sweet tea and as I turn to go back to my room I hear clanking.
The sound is coming from downstairs so I decide to investigate. Caide is bent over his pool table preparing to shoot the next shot. He shoots and only raises his head to wink at me. He stands up and that’s when I realize he’s not wearing a shirt. No shirt, no shoes…oh dear God I’d service him. He has at least ten tattoos across his shoulders, back and chest combined, his abs are so perfect they look airbrushed. At that very moment Caide punished me for admiring his perfection, by putting his shirt on.
“Hey River, I wasn’t making too much noise for you was I? I went for a swim and came in here to tinker around on the pool table.” His hair is still mostly wet and messy, it looks adorable. No not adorable….no crushing on Caide going on today.
I smile at him. “No, I didn’t hear anything until I was going back to the room with my sweet tea. Let me know if you ever want company in the pool, I love swimming.” Why did I just say that? With every step closer to the pool table, my heart rate accelerates with anticipation of standing closer to him.
We both take a chair at the little bistro table that faces the window overlooking the deck and pool. “I love company in the pool. I wasn’t sure if you were into swimming or not. Some girls don’t want to mess up their hair, but I take it you’re not like other girls….that’s a good thing. You want something stronger than tea? I have some wine or if you shoot whiskey and shoot pool, I’ll hook you up.”
There’s that Caide, the cool careless Caide. “I’ll shoot whiskey with you,” I bravely say. I’ve never done it bef
ore but I’m willing to try anything once.
He brings over two chilled shots; I smell the rich robust aroma and second guess my braveness.
Caide holds his up and I clink mine carefully to his.
“To lazy Sundays,” Caide says.
I put the tiny glass to my mouth, close my eyes and tilt back and soon find that I held the shot inside my mouth a little too long. The burn down my throat is as though someone took a lit fireplace match and held it down my throat. My eyes tear up, my mouth is moments from screaming, and I’m certain my esophagus is seared from the inside. I set the shot glass down and open my eyes.
“I’ve never seen anyone take a shot like that, are you okay?” Caide is grinning at me and I’m trying hard to keep it together.
“That was delicious,” I lie.
“Great, we’ll do another one in a minute and go sit out by the pool.”
Awesome.
He tells me how his cat Dexter and my cat Casanova had an epic hiss off when they met each other. He shows me a video he took of the cats hissing, which is cute that he likes to record the pets being funny.
Caide brings the bottle over and pours us another shot. Lucky me. Now I know what to expect, I’m more scared than I was over the first shot. He has a cat that ate the canary smug smirk on his face.
I hold my shot up in the air and he follows my lead. “Salute!”
“Salute!” Caide’s head goes back and the shot is done before I even bring mine to my mouth. “River, you don’t have to drink it.”
“Oh I’m drinking it.” I hold it up and toss it back to the back of my throat. This time the burn is less severe, probably because all the nerve endings were destroyed during the first shot.
Caide busts out laughing, not a cute man laugh, more like a robust lunatic laugh.
“What! Don’t laugh!” I exclaim as I smack my shot glass on the table.
Cry Me a River PG-13 Edition Page 7
