One Up: Up Series Book 4

by Robin Leaf

  She wrapped her arm around his waist, and he threw his around her shoulder, protective style. “I’m fine now that you’re here, Dougie.”

  He smiled at me, and what’s funny is it was a genuine, friendly smile, not one like he was trying to one up me in any way.

  Weird.

  But it still pissed me off.

  Nate and Etta emerged to an eruption of whistles and cheers, and Emily asked, “Damn, you two. Twice?”

  I took a few deep breaths in order to face the crowd. I couldn’t ruin this night for Emily.

  I finally turned around.

  “I’m jealous,” Vanessa whined. “Riley won’t take me like that anymore, ever since I became so gargantuan with two times his devil’s spawn. And here I am, big as a friggin rhino, horny like one too, all the time…”

  Riley silenced her with a kiss. “I’ll see what I can do later.”

  Etta noticed something wrong with me earlier, so I needed to engage in conversation with the crowd, but first, I had to get them off the topic of sex.

  “So,” I clapped Tater on the shoulder, “are you ready for a lifetime with my cousin, Tater? That’s a long time with this one.” I pointed to Em, and she stuck her tongue out at me. I wouldn’t expect any less from my feisty cousin. “And come to think of it, something I’ve always wanted to ask… is your name really Tater?”

  Tater looked nervous, which was weird. I didn’t think he got nervous.

  “No, it’s a nickname from childhood.”

  Emily piped up. “He used it in his job because people remember it. There’s only one Tater.” She leaned into him. “Everyone wants a Tater tattoo.”

  Vanessa giggled. “But why Tater? Do you just really love tater tots?”

  “His real name is Keaton,” Kaelyn interjected. “He uses his nickname because he wants to distance himself from our father and his business.”

  Her voice… it was soothing and maddening all at once.

  “Oh, yeah? What business is your dad in, Tater?” Riley asked while I just wanted to hear her voice again.

  Tater mumbled, and everyone looked around at the other to see if they understood.

  “Hotels,” Kaelyn offered, answering my wish. I hoped she would keep talking. “Our dad owns the Pelican Resorts and Casinos.”

  Oh holy shit… That meant…

  “Wait, your dad is Tristan Cartupeli?” I asked, trying to curtail my anger.

  She tried to shoot the eye venom again. “Yes.”

  Fuck.

  Tristan Cartupeli… the bane of my existence. He was the one who made my life hell two and a half years ago by trying to buy my building and others on the block in New Orleans. When we refused to sell, he tried to force us out. Some historical organization came to our rescue, but we almost lost the war.

  He’s the reason I had to rent out the space downstairs to recoup the money I lost fighting him.

  And she was the infamous KaeKae Cartupeli, fun-time party princess of the Cartupeli empire. I’d seen pictures, but she was blonde back then and looked nothing like the woman I met on the plane.

  Miles called her KaeKae earlier, but my brain ignored the connection.

  I needed to get out of this room for a minute so I could get control.

  “So, his friends started calling him Tater. I always hated that nickname. I wish he’d use what I called him.”

  “Anyone want anything to drink?” I asked, walking into the kitchen, not even waiting for responses.

  I opened the fridge and stared into it for a good minute, hoping the cold air would cool my anger.

  “What’d he do?” Her voice broke the silence of the kitchen.

  I closed the fridge and turned to the counter, never looking her direction, and poured myself a shot, downing it quickly.

  “He tried to royally fuck me. Apparently, it’s what you Cartupelis do best.” I poured and took another shot. “And hey, in one night, you did what your dad couldn’t do in a year, so looks like you’re the winner.”

  As soon as I heard her gasp, I knew I’d crossed a line.

  I hung my head and took a couple of breaths before I turned to face her.

  “Kaelyn, I’m so…”

  She was gone; my grandmother’s ring glinted from the island.

  Twenty One

  Kaelyn

  I made a beeline for Dugger, who luckily, was coming out of the hallway from the restroom.

  “Please, get me out of here,” I whispered.

  He eyed me, raising his eyebrow. “Sure, Sugar Bug.” He threw an arm around my shoulder. “Can you fake it long enough to say goodbye?”

  My eyes scanned the room quickly. No Brody.

  “Sure can.”

  We told everyone I didn’t feel well, which everyone bought since I’m sure I looked like shit.

  Emily came over to feel my forehead. “What’s wrong?” she whispered. “Did Brody –”

  “Nothing,” I interrupted. “I just don’t think dinner agreed with me. I’m not used to the spicy food.”

  I just lied. I ate spice at every meal, and if the meal didn’t have it, I used the Adele’s Pepper Sauce I carried everywhere. She had watched me do it many times, so my lie? Pretty transparent.

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll let this slide, girly.” She ran her fingers through the ends of my hair. “But know I’m here. Day after tomorrow, we’re gonna be sisters, and I’m a phone call away.” She leaned in closer. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you keep looking at him, and he can’t keep his eyes off you. I’m wondering you’re the real reason he’s been brooding since he moved here.”

  She quickly kissed my cheek and flounced away. Dugger grabbed my hand and led me to the door before the stun wore off of her little announcement. It wasn’t until he opened the door of his rental car that what she said fully registered.

  I sat trying to process it as Dugger pulled out of the driveway and began the drive to the hotel.

  “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked.

  “You and I are going out to lunch with Tater and mom, and then I’m getting a bikini wax, and what did she mean ‘he’s been brooding?’ He didn’t fucking call me. Why would he brood?”

  He chuckled. “Wow, Whiplash. Okay, well, I gotta tell you, Sugar Bug, I watched him a lot tonight. He didn’t look like a man who wanted you to disappear.”

  I shook my head. “He hates me, Dugger. My dad… he did something to him, and –”

  “He knows you’re not your father, Kae.”

  I turned toward him. I dared not tell him what Brody said to me. Dugger was at times more protective than Keaton. And apparently, more perceptive.

  He rolled his tongue over his teeth and sucked air through them, making a high-pitched sound.

  “Do I need to have a little talk with the boy?”

  Oh, how that comment took me back eight years. I laughed.

  “No, Dougie. I don’t need another guy pissing his pants because my brother’s best friend decided to ‘talk’ to him. And I fear you’ve upped your game to include more than intimidation these days.”

  He smirked. “I’ve been known to get in a little scrape or two, but only to defend a woman’s honor.”

  “Oh, of course. You are the champion of all the damsels. God help your future daughters.”

  He sneered in my direction. “My daughters will be trained to take care of themselves.”

  “No doubt.” I sighed. “I don’t need a champion, but I do think I’m ready to go for phase two of the plan.”

  He shifted in his seat and shot me a serious side eye. “I don’t know, Kae.”

  I placed my hand on his forearm and squeezed gently. “Please, Doug. I need him to think I’ve moved on.” When he looked at my hand, I retracted it.

  He brought his hand to his chin and rubbed.

  “Alright,” he breathed out on a sigh, “but I’m gonna need rules. One… no kissing.”

  Rolling my eyes, I snarked, “Yeah, trust me, I don’t want that either.”
>
  Again, he shot me the sideways glance, this time combined with the sneer, then looked out his side mirror to change lanes.

  “Two. I’m doing this only to make it appear you’ve moved on. If I see any evidence that what I suspect is true, I’m shutting down this charade.”

  I swallowed, almost afraid to ask the obvious question.

  “What do you suspect?”

  He turned his head to look at me for a full second before turning back to the road.

  “Look, Kaelyn, I might be wrong, but tonight, he was giving you some serious ‘I’m gonna fuck you hard’ looks, like he wanted to mark you or claim you or something.”

  I looked out the passenger window so Dugger didn’t see me blush.

  Brody had already marked me…

  “I kind of don’t want to clean you up. I like this,” he whispered, running his fingers through his come on my pussy.

  I snickered. “What, that you marked me?”

  “Well… yeah.” He flashed a sexy-as-hell smile while he wet a washcloth. “Go ahead, call me a caveman, but I like the idea of leaving my mark on you, having some of me on you all day long.”

  And the hickey on my back just faded a few days ago.

  Maybe…

  I shook off the useless hopeful feeling.

  “I think you’re wrong.”

  “Fine, think what you want, but if I get confirmation that I am right, we’re done.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes. I looked out the window watching the lights go by.

  “Oh, and three,” he raised an eyebrow at me, “I get to take you to your waxing.”

  I studied his face, wondering why the hell he would want to go with me to something like that. He glanced at me, smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. Was this some weird need to see me in pain?

  “Okay, but you are not watching.”

  He laughed. “Of course not, but I’ve been thinking of trying something… different.”

  My giggles were uncontrollable. “You…” I snorted. “You are going to get waxed?”

  He puffed out his chest. “Yep.”

  “Oh, God, I gotta witness this.”

  ***

  “Well, you’re back early,” Mom half-heartedly greeted, barely looking up from her computer screen.

  We were bunking together in the hotel. It was Mom’s idea so we could have bonding time, but that was before she had this idea for her new book. Now I bet she wished we’d booked separate rooms.

  “Yeah, I just wasn’t feeling the party scene.” I set down my stuff on the table and grabbed my PJs. “I’ll just change and get in bed. I can schedule some posts for the next few days so I’m less busy working.”

  I shuffled off to the bathroom and performed my nightly rituals. That red plumping lip stain, which matched my dress perfectly, was totally worth the $40 purchase since it lasted all day, that is until I tried to remove it. It took two of my makeup removers, some of my apricot scrub, and some elbow grease before my lips began to burn from the unexpected exfoliation they just received. I really needed to find my lip balm.

  While I hung up my dress, I heard mom’s laptop slam shut.

  “You okay in there?” I asked, placing the hanger back on the rod in the closet.

  She grunted. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t figure out how to work this scene. I know where I want my characters to go, I just don’t know how to get them there.”

  I walked over to my bag and dug around for my lip balm. “So just write the next part and fill in the gaps later.”

  “Write out of order? You’re talking like a crazy woman. I can’t do that.”

  “Then sleep on it,” I said around the lip balm as I applied it. “It’ll come to you.” I set the tube next to my bag so I didn’t have to dig for it later.

  She rubbed her face and whined, “But I haven’t met my word count for the day.”

  “Mom, you’re an indie writer.” I settled next to her on the bed and sat crisscross applesauce. “You set your own deadlines. You can fudge one day’s writing goal.”

  “It’s like you don’t even know me. Who did I raise to speak this crazy talk?”

  I smiled. “Give it a rest. Your son is getting married. You only started the book a few days ago, so you can move the deadlines around.” I patted her arm. “Sit back and enjoy this weekend.”

  “Speaking of enjoying… I noticed some tension at the rehearsal and the dinner.” She studied my reaction. “Care to explain?”

  I turned toward her and pulled my legs underneath me so I sat on my knees. “If I tell you this, you have to swear to not go all momma bear?”

  “I can promise I’ll try.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “If that’s the best you can do, fine.”

  “I have a feeling this requires wine.” She stood and walked to the small hotel refrigerator, produced a huge box of wine (how she got it to fit in that tiny fridge, I’ll never understand), and filled one of the hotel’s courtesy glasses with it.

  “Mom, you live a more-than-comfortable existence off the divorce settlement and your book sales. Why on earth do you insist on drinking that cheap boxed wine?”

  She turned to face me, sipped her wine, and leaned against the dresser. “I like it. It’s five liters of wine for ten bucks, Kae. You can’t get a bottle that big. Plus, it comes with a handle for easy carrying. There’s nothing wrong with being thrifty. Anyway,” she pointed at me. “Continue.”

  After a deep breath, I dove in. “Brody is –”

  She stood up, cutting me off. “Brody? As in Emily’s cousin, Brody? As in the guy you are to walk down the aisle with, Brody?”

  “Yes, the Brody you met earlier…” I played with my hair. “Well, he’s the guy who…” my voice trailed off, and I looked everywhere but at her.

  “Holy fucking shit, Kaelyn… he’s the guy who didn’t call you?”

  Twirling my hair around my finger, I looked down at my knees and nodded.

  She looked at me over her glass as she downed the whole thing.

  “What are the fucking odds that this guy would be your brother’s fiancée’s cousin?” She bent over to refill her glass. “Sorry, Kae, but I don’t buy it.”

  “Mom, why would I lie –”

  “Not that you lied, Honey, but that he didn’t call.”

  I cocked my head sideways and furrowed my brows. “But… he didn’t… call.”

  She pointed with her glass in her hand. “Yeah, but he did.”

  Shaking my head, I was still completely and utterly confused by her lack of logic and looked around as if I would find the answer somewhere in the room.

  “Mother, I never received a call, a text, a note… not even a smoke signal from this man. He did not call.”

  She took a sip as she started to pace back and forth. “But I’m betting he tried.” I must have still looked confused. “Baby, it now makes so much sense. Remember, I used to work the casino looking for cheaters. I learned to read people quite well. He wasn’t pissed at you tonight simply because he didn’t want you to be there. He was pissed for the same reason you were. He thinks you blew him off. The sexual tension between you two was higher than the humidity in this stupid town. It was tangible. Everyone noticed it. You don’t get that way if only one of you is interested. Both of you want the other, and you’re too prideful to find out the truth.”

  I grunted.

  “Don’t grunt at your mother. I’m right. I know it.”

  “Well, apparently there’s a twist to your theory.”

  I told her about what happened in Brody’s kitchen and what he said about Dad… and me.

  Her face hardened in a nanosecond.

  “I’ll kill him.”

  I smiled. “That’s not trying very hard, Momma Bear.”

  “I meant I’d kill your father, but Brody is on my list, too. How can he say anything not adoring about my sweet girl?”

  A look of revelation graced her features before she made her way to her luggage and rumm
aged around for a minute.

  “Aha!” She came back to the bed with a red plastic bag and pulled out some tissue-wrapped contents and a piece of paper.

  “What’s that?”

  She unwrapped the tissue and revealed some hardened twine, probably hemp, shaped into a doll with buttons for eyes and a stitched mouth, dressed in rags and covered in yarn. It was kind of scary, almost like the doll from Lilo and Stitch.

  “This, my sweet daughter, is the authentic voodoo doll Heather gave me. I named her Peaches.”

  I giggled. “You named your voodoo doll… Peaches?”

  “Yes. She was made by a genuine voodoo priestess. In all my research of the voodoo customs, I never did get a real one.” She smiled around her wine glass. “We’re going to fire up this bad boy tonight.”

  “Don’t you need something from the person you’re going to bless or curse or whatever?”

  She handed me the printed sheet. “See, read the paper. Peaches… she’s a good mojo voodoo doll. So,” she plucked a few hairs from my head, “we’re going to see if we can throw some positive juju your way.” Taking a big gulp of wine, she continued. “Read the first step.”

  “We are supposed to light a white candle or some sage and pass her above either to cleanse her.” I set the paper in my lap. “We don’t have a white candle, and I’m fresh out of sage.”

  “So? We’ll improvise, Miss Sassy Pants.”

  “Wonder who I learned my sass from,” I snarked back.

  She rolled her eyes. “Just turn on the flashlight on your phone. It’s a fucking bright white light that blinds me every time I use it, so it should do the job nicely.”

  I could tell from her pink cheeks and her slight slur to her speech that Mom was getting a bit tipsy. And drunk Mom is a hard-to-argue-with, determined Mom. It didn’t stop me from trying.

  “Mom… I don’t think –”

  “Do it, Kaelyn Marie.”

  I turned on the flashlight on my phone. “It’s just that if we do this wrong, it might have bad consequences.”

  She affixed my strands of hair to the doll with the provided pins. “You once told me that you thought all this voodoo stuff was a bunch of hooey, Kaelyn.”

  “That was when you were writing the books.” I stood and turned out the lights in the room. “This is an actual, for-real voodoo doll made by an alleged practicing priestess. Just in case this isn’t hooey, I don’t want to risk growing a third boob from my forehead or losing all my hair… or worse.”