One Taste of Crazy (A One Taste Novel Book 3)
Page 5
He was lying on the couch, his arm resting over his eyes. He slowly lowered his arm and looked at her. Nothing about his expression gave away what he was thinking. Just a blank stare. It unnerved her. More than any other expression she’d seen from him so far. He tended to blush a lot, especially for a guy. Anytime she talked to him, even before he attempted to ask her out, he always got red from his neck to his cheeks. She found it so cute, especially since she never made guys blush. Right now, she expected so much redness to cover him, she was a little taken aback that he wasn’t. He needed to blush.
Wait? Was she purposely trying to provoke that reaction because he looked so damn adorable when he did it?
Absolutely not! She was being honest with him. Nothing more. They’d never work out as a couple.
He sat up, rather slowly, and reached for the soup. Why wasn’t he saying anything? She needed him to respond. Was he still acting shy with her? He didn’t know what to say?
Taking a small bite, his face finally lit up with some expression, a handsome smile that always made him appear so unlike the shy guy he really was. She loved his smile.
“This tastes great.”
“Did you not hear what I said?”
He scooped another bite, blowing on it before shoving it inside his mouth.
“Sauer? Quit ignoring me.”
Why was he ignoring her? It was driving her nuts. She just told him she would never sleep with him or date him and he doesn’t say anything.
“I don’t know what to say.” He shrugged. “That’s fine.”
That’s fine? That’s all he had to say.
“You can’t just say that. You have to say something else.”
He looked perplexed. “Um…like what?”
She gestured in the air. “Like…like…ugh, you try my patience.” She turned around. She was leaving.
“That’s what you want me to say?”
Swiveling back toward him, she scoffed. “No. That’s me telling you that you try my patience.”
He grinned. The man had the audacity to grin. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”
“I can’t argue with you right now.”
“Is that what we’re doing?”
“Eat your soup. Feel better soon. I’m leaving.” She started to walk out of the living room.
“Dee?”
Slowing her steps, she was almost afraid to turn around, but she did. “What?”
“Thanks for the soup.”
She stared dumbfounded at him. Why did he have to be so damn nice? She never dated nice guys. Never! No way in hell she was about to start. She liked her guys a little rough around the edges, a little challenging. Not sweet, endearing and always saying the most wonderful things.
Her eyes glossed to the coffee table, unable to hold his penetrating stare that she swore saw straight to her soul. Damn him! What was he doing to her? A simple look and she was ready to crash on the couch next to him, not leaving until she knew he felt better. Even then, the thought of leaving didn’t sound appealing. That’s not how she wanted to feel.
She stalked to the coffee table and snatched his phone. “Do you have a passcode?”
His eyes moved from her to his phone, the confusion clear. “Um…yeah.”
She held out her hand. “Unlock your phone.”
“Why?”
“You know, for such a shy guy, you like to argue with me way too much.”
He smiled. A sweet, handsome smile that almost made her weak in the knees. Who was she kidding? That smile did make her knees weak, made her weak everywhere inside. She didn’t want to want Sauer. That was her problem. A huge problem. He wasn’t the right guy for her.
“I forgot we were arguing. I guess because it doesn’t feel like it to me.” He set the bowl of soup on his lap and grabbed his phone. A few taps later, he handed it back to her. Although, she didn’t give him a choice as she kept her hand hanging in the air waiting for him to place it back into her palm.
She scrolled to his contacts, saved her number, then called herself so she had his number as well. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why she just did all that.
“Call me if you need more soup.” She set his phone down and started to leave once again.
“Dee?”
Holding in a groan, she paused in her steps again. Why wouldn’t he let her leave? Why did she love it every time he said her name in such a soft way? Why did she come here to begin with?
This time she didn’t turn toward him. “Yeah.”
“I respect your decision, not wanting to date me. I would like to be friends.”
Damn, he had to be such a reasonable, nice guy. She didn’t date reasonable, nice guys. Maybe that was her problem. No maybe about that. That was her problem. Yet, she was afraid to give in, to give Sauer a chance.
Probably because out of every guy she dated, he’d be the one to potentially break her heart.
“Get some rest, Sauer.”
She left.
Chapter Five
Sauer shut the passenger side door with a bang. His head, for the first time, didn’t pound with agony. He woke up this morning still feeling a little stuffy in the nose, but his head ten times better. When he left for work, the slamming of the door bothered him. Now, several hours later, he could slam a door and it didn’t even make him flinch.
He liked to think it was because of Dee and her soup. Her magic touch cured him because normally when he got hit with a cold, he was out for days. This one, he was back and ready to go the next day, albeit the slight stuffiness still lingering. Even that was getting better as the day wore on.
“What do you think he’ll have to say?”
Sauer glanced at Newman as they made their way to the door of the Dancing Slipper. “A bunch of lies if he’s our killer.”
Newman laughed. “Good point.”
Sauer opened the door and let Newman walk in first. They spoke briefly to Tony, who then pointed out where Marvin was sitting. The guy finally showed up at the club. It was Friday, his regular day to come, according to Tony. Almost an entire week had passed since Vanessa was murdered. The case was going cold unless Marvin suddenly heated it up.
Without an invitation, Sauer sat down in the booth on Marvin’s right side as Newman took the spot to his left. Marvin glanced between the two, eyes looking like a deer in headlights. His Adam’s apple bobbed crazily, signaling how nervous they made him.
“Shit. I told him I’d have the money to him by tomorrow.”
Sauer and Newman shared a look, then Newman plastered the biggest, fakest smile on his face as he displayed his badge.
Marvin’s face drained of all color as he started to fidget a little more. “Never mind what I just said.”
“I’m Detective Newman. That’s my partner, Detective Sauer. We just have a few questions for you.”
“What about?”
“Do you know Vanessa Colton?” Sauer asked as he leaned back into the booth, relaxing his posture, making it appear as if they intended to stay for a while. The gesture made Marvin fidget even more.
Very interesting. He was definitely nervous about something. But what?
“Never heard of her.”
Newman snapped his fingers. Marvin jumped from the sudden movement. “Our bad. She goes by a different name here. Do you know Cherry?”
Not one of the men who frequented the strip club had recognized Vanessa’s real name, but the minute they asked about Cherry, her stage name, they knew exactly who she was. The same could be said about Marvin. His eyes lit up with delight as soon as Newman mentioned that name.
“Cherry’s a beautiful woman. If you fellas stay for a while, you’ll see her soon.”
Sauer couldn’t make out whether he was being sincere or not, or if he really didn’t know she was dead. Her death had made the news. Perhaps he didn’t watch the news. Maybe he wasn’t their killer. Or maybe he was just that good at faking it.
“She was murdered this past weekend.”
“What part didn’t you understand?” Sauer asked, his bad cop persona coming out with a flare.
Newman coughed to hide a laugh, then said, “You had a few interactions with her. How well did you know her?”
“We weren’t friends or anything, just friendly, you know what I mean.” Marvin shifted in the seat, going from shock to nervous again.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” Newman asked.
“Last Friday.”
“Did you ever have any problems with her? Did you ever get a little too touchy feely?” Sauer asked.
“Absolutely not! I respect every woman here!”
“Where were you Sunday night around midnight?”
Marvin looked away from Sauer. “Asleep.”
Newman’s voice went soft. “You’re not lying to us, are you? If you’re in trouble, we can try to help you.”
Marvin glanced quickly between the two, keeping his attention on Newman more than him. He made him nervous, which was the point. Newman was there to make him feel safe and hopefully give them something good.
“I was asleep. That’s what you do at midnight.”
“You didn’t watch the game?” Sauer asked.
“Game?”
Sauer knew then, he was lying. The way he twisted his hands in his lap, the way his eyes went round with fright, the way the word ‘game’ left his mouth. He had watched the game. In all likelihood, he made a bet he lost, which would explain the first thing that came out of his mouth when they sat down. He must owe a bookie a heavy price.
“Where do you live, Mr. Tannor?”
Marvin looked frightened by that question. “Why?”
Sauer leaned closer. “Because we need your contact information if we have any more questions, and your last known address wasn’t an accurate address.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Marvin rattled off his address. They asked a few more questions about Vanessa that proved to be fruitless and then left. Sauer slammed his door hard again, this time in frustration.
“Well, that was pointless. I’m not feeling him as a killer.”
Sauer nodded. “I wonder how much money he lost on the game. I bet he owes someone lots of moola.”
Newman laughed. “I think he thought we were there to break his legs if he didn’t pay.”
“So we officially hit a coldness in this case.”
“We did.” Newman pulled out of the parking lot. “On a brighter note, your cold’s gone.”
Sauer smiled, as his mind conjured Dee’s beautiful face. His cold was gone, and he didn’t care how crazy it seemed, it was all because of her and her magical soup.
It didn’t matter that she didn’t want to date him. That she tossed him into the friend zone. He’d take it. A friend was better than nothing. Maybe somewhat pathetic to think, but for him, it was what he called progress. He was actually talking to a beautiful woman without stumbling over his words…much. He just needed a little more practice.
“What’s with the crazy smile?”
He jerked his head toward Newman. “Nothing.”
“Definitely something.”
Sauer shrugged. “Dee brought me some soup yesterday.”
“No shit. Nice job, buddy.”
“It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Pretty sure Dee doesn’t bring soup to just anyone.”
He shrugged again. Call it pride. Call it nerves. Call it something, but he wasn’t about to tell Newman what she said. It’d sound so much worse if he voiced it. Although him and Newman were friends, Newman had a tendency to pick on him, tease him a little too much. He didn’t always like it, but he wasn’t going to tell him that. Sometimes it was just easier to keep it in.
“Did you ask her out again?”
“No.”
Newman tapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, man, give it another go. She might say yes this time. Brought you soup. Very nice.” He laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.
“What’s going on with you and Chrissy?”
Sauer didn’t mind changing the subject, especially when he didn’t want to talk about Dee. Newman hadn’t said much about Chrissy, and normally he talked about her all the time. Since they broke up, he’d been tight-lipped about everything.
“Not much to say. She’s moving out.”
“What happened?”
He turned on his blinker to take a left. “You hungry for a burger? I’m hungry.”
“Sounds good.”
So Newman wanted to drop the subject. Fine by him. He didn’t want to talk about Dee, it only seemed right he didn’t press about Chrissy.
Weren’t they a fine mess? What kind of friends didn’t want to talk about their girl problems? Ben and Zeke didn’t have that problem. Sauer could hear them chatting all the time about their relationships.
Sometimes he was jealous of the great friendship they had. He got along well with Newman. They were pretty close as partners, but if they didn’t work together, he didn’t think they would’ve been friends. Newman reminded him of a few of the guys from his high school days that liked to pick on him just because it was easy and fun. Newman had a tendency to do that, thinking it was funny. Sometimes Sauer did get a good chuckle, but mostly, it bothered him.
Story of his life. Even as an adult he let people run all over him. Confrontation wasn’t a strong suit of his, and Newman was his partner. Besides the times he went too far in his teasing, he liked him. There was no sense in creating tension when it might just make him look sensitive. Not something he wanted to portray, especially to everyone else in the precinct.
♡
Dee took a large gulp of her beer, then signaled for one of the floor servers.
“A night out on the town, huh?” Zoe asked with a laugh. “You just ordered that beer.”
“It’s time to tell us what’s going on.”
Oh, Dee hated when Rina used that soft tone on her. Rina talked softly all the time, but when she really meant business, she talked even softer than was possible. It unnerved her every time. She took another swallow of her beer.
“Dee, we know Sauer isn’t your typical guy, which is why we think he’s perfect for you. He’ll mellow you out a bit,” Zoe said softly, although, not as softly as Rina. It didn’t have the same effect. In fact, it had the exact opposite.
“Mellow me out? What the hell does that mean?”
Zoe didn’t have the gall to look sorry. “You know what I mean.” Then she decided to go for the jugular. “Acting like a bitch, like that’s going to work with us, isn’t going to drop the subject.”
“Did you just call me a bitch?”
Rina chuckled. “Dee, you know she didn’t mean it in a bad way. Stop trying to avoid us by deflecting. We’re your friends. You can tell us anything.”
Dee primped her hair, annoyed that her two best friends couldn’t even pretend to be mad at her for her outbursts. She knew Zoe didn’t call her a bitch in a bad way. She was right. Acting like one didn’t make the problem go away. It was a lot easier to pretend it didn’t exist.
“Sauer’s nice. He’s just not the kind of guy I date.”
“Exactly.” Zoe pounded the table, gaining a few glances from some of the other patrons at Rockster’s, their normal hang out bar on Fridays. “You need to stop dating so-called douches and date a nice guy for once. I think that’s your problem…and ours. We’ve been trying to find a guy who could match your personality, when really, we should’ve been trying to find a guy who will complement your personality. Loud and crazy with sweet and calm. He’s perfect for you.”
Dee hated how much that sounded true. He was sweet and calm to her loud and crazy. Oddly enough, he did calm her. Although, he drove her crazy when he refused to respond to her. Other men had gotten right in her face when they got into a heated argument. All it did was make her laugh and dismiss them quickly as something unim
portant. With Sauer, when he ignored her, it made her angrier, fueling her desire to get a rise out of him. Anything but silence. Even a hint of red on his face. She just loved when he blushed like that.
“Relationships are not my forte. Never have been.”
Rina smiled sweetly. “They weren’t mine either, and now I’m happily married. You just need the right guy. Sauer could be the one. You don’t know if you don’t try.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “What are you afraid of?”
Dee let loose a huge breath. “Becoming my mother. Sadly, I already have become her somewhat.”
“In what way?” Zoe asked, leaning closer.
Dee never talked about her family. Yeah, they knew her mother was dead, passed away five years ago from a heart attack, but besides that, nothing. She never said a peep about her. Just like how Rina rarely talked about her family. Zoe had no problems with her family, and why should she? Out of the three of them, she had the most normal upbringing. It wasn’t hard to talk about it when she had nothing horrible happen.
“She always gravitated towards losers, kinda like I do. She always had to have a man in her life. I hate to say I do, too. She…” Dee shuffled another hand through her hair. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Zoe and Rina shared a look, which fueled Dee’s annoyance more. If she didn’t want to talk, she sure in the hell wasn’t going to. End of story.
“Dee—”
“Enough, Zoe.”
“No.” Zoe almost pounded her hand on the table again. “You never let up on me when I first started dating Zeke. Do you know how many times you got into my face about him? You can’t just expect me to stop because you say so. I’m not scared of you. I’m your friend and I care about you.”
So true. All of it. It was always easier to dish it out than to take it. That’s for sure. She just wasn’t in the mood to take any more crap from her friends. She stood up and grabbed her purse. Damn good thing the server took her sweet time coming to their table.
“Don’t leave, Dee,” Rina said.
“I’m not in the mood for drinks anymore. You guys have a great weekend with your husbands.”