Bare Essentials

by Leslie Kelly Jill Shalvis

  And it burned even more that she thought about it.

  It angered her enough to forego the cheap labor for the day and to do it all herself. The boys seemed quite disappointed when she’d told them to go. Cassie wasn’t sure if that was because of the cash she paid them, or her overalls, under which she wore a comfy, but very skimpy, crop-top.

  Didn’t matter. They were gone and she was alone. Contrary to popular belief, she was very capable of hard work. She loved hard work.

  The alone part was a little unnerving since she wasn’t exactly here in town for a picnic. But surely she was safe.

  She really wanted to think so. She had to think so.

  She stood on a ladder, paint splattered across the front of her designer cargo overalls, enjoying the paint fumes, when her cell phone rang. She unclipped it from her belt and let out a happy smile at the Caller ID. “Kate, my love, you should see this delicious shade of pink I found. It simply screams ‘come in, you must buy a new sex toy.’”

  “I’d love to see it. How does next Friday sound?”

  Cassie’s grin widened. “You’re coming!”

  “I’m coming,” she agreed, but with a surprising lack of enthusiasm. “I can’t miss the grand opening, now can I?”

  Cassie set down her brush and backed down the ladder. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Kate.”

  “Can’t a girl just call her favorite cousin?”

  “I’m your only cousin. Spill it. Does it have anything to do with that guy you saw when you were here? The one you won’t tell me about?”

  “Jack? No.”

  “Then what?”

  Across the miles, her cousin sighed. “You remember how before you left, you arranged to have all your mail forwarded to me for the duration?”

  “Yes.” Cassie’s heart kicked into gear. “So no one could locate me through the postal service while I’m here. What’s the matter, are my bills piling up?” Her mouth was suddenly dry. “You were going to just send them on to me, and—”

  “It’s not your bills.”

  “Too many magazines, huh?” Oh, God. Please don’t let it be what she feared.

  “It’s not the magazines, either. Though I am enjoying Playgirl, thanks.”

  “Okay.” Cassie pulled off the painter’s cap and let her hair fall free. She sat on an unopened five-gallon can of paint and unhooked one side of her overalls for freedom of movement. “Let me guess…” She was surprised at how fast her pulse could race. “You got a letter from him.”

  “He’s not happy you’ve vanished from the face of the earth, Cass. He’s scaring me.”

  He was scaring her, too. Peter. One of the first men she’d met when she’d gone to New York. He was a photographer, and he’d taken her first publicity shots for a price she’d been able to afford—a date. They hadn’t slept together because unlike Flo, Cassie had her own personal standards, which included never sleeping with a man when business was involved.

  So they’d become casual friends. And as Cassie’s career had boomed, she’d done her best to get Peter jobs. Occasionally, while between relationships, he’d drink too much and try to tell Cassie she was the one for him. She always gently turned him down, knowing his next girlfriend was right around the corner, and she’d always been right.

  Their friendship had sustained.

  Until now.

  Now, he was her stalker.

  Cassie shivered. Though she was not a woman to let fear run her life, this guy truly got to her. Enough to have uprooted everything.

  Hard to admit she’d been stupid enough to actually trust a man. And look what it had gotten her. He’d taken her away from her career, away from her life, and sent her back to a town she was fairly certain wasn’t ready for her. Wouldn’t ever be ready for her.

  “He says he’s never going to stop looking for you, Cassie,” came Kate’s stressed voice. “You’re the only one for him, and if he can’t have you, he says no one else can, either.”

  Okay, now her heart was ricocheting off her ribs. She’d known he’d never really recovered from the last dumping by that waitress/actress-wannabe.

  And this time, unlike the others, he couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around the fact Cassie wasn’t interested in him that way.

  Not only not interested, but good and truly scared. He’d broken into her place. Touched her things. Left her a threatening note on her mirror in her own lipstick. You’re mine.

  Then he’d vanished. Which is why the police hadn’t been able to get to him. Which was how she’d ended up with a restraining order, and then landed herself here. “I’m okay here, Kate. I never talked about my past with Pete.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “What do you think?”

  Her cousin actually let out a relieved little laugh. “Yeah. How silly. Thinking you’d open up and tell someone about yourself. Much less open up to a man.”

  “He has no idea I’m not a native New Yorker. Even all those years ago when I first got started, he had no idea.”

  “Okay, but I’m still coming. I want to see you. It’s been too long. And I want to do more to get the store ready—the opening will be a thrill. Can’t miss that, or the chance for some good old-fashioned revenge. And then there’s my mom’s house. I have to take care of that situation. I talked to Flo and I’m going to stay in her half of the duplex, since Mom is renting out her side.”

  “And you know all of Flo’s old furniture is in my garage. We’ll haul it out for you when you get here.”

  “Which won’t be until Friday so I’d feel better if you’d tell someone there what’s going on.”

  Cassie snorted. “Who am I going to tell, someone in the Tea Room?”

  “How about the sheriff?”

  “I’ll see you soon, Kate.”

  She sighed. “Love you, Cass.”

  “Love you, too.” Cassie clipped the cell phone back onto her belt and stared sightlessly across the future Bare Essentials. Kate was worried.

  And damn it, so was she. Big time.

  4

  ON CASSIE’S WAY HOME that night she made a trip to the library. For nostalgia’s sake, she told herself, moving directly to the small paperback section at the back. It smelled the same and, oddly comforted by that, Cassie sank into one of the beanbag chairs that had surely been in the same spot since the flower-power sixties. How many hours had she sat in here, inhaling one historical romance after another, lost in a world that had always been a better world than hers?

  “Oh, Barry, stop. You’re making my knees weak.”

  What? Cassie craned her neck. Behind her, in the doorway to the backrooms, stood Mrs. Wilkens whispering into a cell phone.

  “I know you’re my husband, you silly man. But I told you, we can’t have phone sex until my break.” She grinned.

  The old lady with the severe white bun and pursed lips grinned. At her husband. As he gave her phone sex.

  Cassie had entered the twilight zone.

  “Call me later,” Mrs. Wilkens whispered. “Yes, I’ll bring home another romance novel, don’t worry. Some new ones just came in…. I love you, too.” She slipped her cell phone into her pocket and then went very still when she saw Cassie.

  Who didn’t quite know what to say. A definite first. “You…you have phone sex?” she managed to say.

  “Romance readers have a sixty percent better sex life than nonreaders,” she sniffed. “If I’d known you were coming, I’d have put out some more books for you.”

  “You’d have…” Cassie narrowed her gaze, suddenly transported back in time. Every time she’d sneaked into the library, she’d always found a stack of new books seemingly waiting just for her. It had been her own little miracle. Her oasis in a life of hell. “You…” Oh, my God. “You.”

  Mrs. Wilkens nodded. “We had the same tastes. And it seemed to keep you off the streets.”

  “But…I thought you hated me.”

  Mrs. Wilkens smiled, her f
ace softening. “You thought everyone hated you. Hang on, I’ll find you some books.”

  Oh, yeah. She’d definitely entered the twilight zone. But Mrs. Wilkens came back with three books Cassie had been eager to read. Unbelievable.

  When she finally left the library and drove home, she sat in her car for a moment, staring up at the big, dark house on Lilac Hill, wishing she’d thought to leave every light burning.

  “Meow.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” With one last apprehensive look at the dark walkway, Cassie got out of the car, reached for the cat and got hissed at for her efforts. “Fine. Walk. Hope there aren’t any dogs out here.”

  Miss Priss lifted her chin and leapt from the car like royalty, leading the way with her head held high.

  Cassie had to admit, the attitude helped. When she imitated the cat and threw her shoulders back, head up, she felt better. Invisible. Or was that invincible?

  She just wished she had claws like Miss Priss, on the off chance she needed them.

  But no one jumped out and yelled boo.

  There was, however, a package on the porch, which gave her one bad moment. She opened it, pretending her fingers weren’t shaking as she did so, and found the most incredible-smelling batch of chocolate cookies. Her mouth watered—mostly because she’d skipped lunch.

  “What do you think, Miss Priss? Poisonous? Or delicious?” When the cat didn’t so much as look at her, Cassie took a tentative bite. “Mmm.”

  She’d been walking through the decadent house flipping on all the lights, munching on cookies for dinner, when the knock came at the door. Cassie opened it and found the woman from town standing there, minus the toddler.

  “Hi, remember me? Stacie?” Stacie grinned at the cookie in each of Cassie’s hands. “Oh, good. You’re enjoying the goodies I made.”

  “They’re heaven,” Cassie admitted. “I have no idea how I’ll fit into my work clothes in the fall, but thanks.”

  Stacie smiled. “No problem.”

  Cassie nodded in what she considered a friendly, neighborly manner, not that she’d ever had any neighbors to be friendly with. When she’d lived in this town growing up, she hadn’t been allowed to talk to her neighbors—except for Kate—as in the house on one side of the duplex had lived a man who’d sold drugs, and in the other the resident had a police record a mile long.

  In New York, she’d never even seen her neighbors.

  So she didn’t have a lot of experience to go on here. She waited for Stacie to get to the bottom of her visit. To tell her what she wanted.

  But the woman just stood there. Cute as a button. Still smiling.

  “Uh…” Cassie offered a half smile. “So…”

  “This is where you invite me in for a drink,” Stacie said helpfully.

  “Oh.” Cassie looked over her shoulder and wondered if she’d cleaned up after herself. “Well…”

  “That’s okay.” Stacie reached out and squeezed her hand. “We can work our way up to that. But you could do me one little favor.”

  Here it was.

  “Tomorrow’s opening day of the carnival.”

  “Carnival.”

  “Don’t tell me you don’t know about Pleasantville’s annual carnival! The one to raise money for arts in the schools. Held at the beginning of every summer.”

  Oh, Cassie knew all about the carnival. She’d sneaked her first beer at the carnival. Her first cigarette.

  Lost her virginity.

  Oh, yeah, she had a whole host of whoopee memories from the annual event. “Let’s just say I’m not particularly fond of it,” she said carefully.

  “Oh.”

  Stacie looked so disappointed, Cassie sighed. “What’s the favor?”

  “I’m going to be sitting in the dunking booth. Thought you’d come by and say hi. Since the divorce I haven’t socialized very much and…” She lifted a shoulder and let out a little laugh. “And it’s been a bit lonely, you know?”

  Friends. Is that what Stacie wanted? Ha! Obviously she hadn’t been listening to the town gossip lately. As for lonely…ah, hell. “Yeah, fine. I’ll stop by.”

  Stacie’s entire face lit up, and before Cassie could blink she was enveloped in a hug. “See you tomorrow,” Stacie whispered, and then she was gone.

  Leaving Cassie with one more thing to think about.

  * * *

  PLEASANTVILLE’S ANNUAL carnival brought out the best and the worst in the general population. There were clowns, games, crafts, rides and enough junk food to keep the town in stomachaches for the rest of the year.

  There were also whiny kids, grumpy parents, the occasional drunk and a slew of trouble-seeking high school kids out to score.

  Not to mention the heat. Dark had fallen and yet at nearly ninety degrees, the temperature hadn’t.

  Not exactly the way Tag would have chosen to spend a Saturday night. He wasn’t on duty, not officially anyway, but they were still short staffed due to the flu, and he knew his presence would help.

  The music pulsed loud, as well as all the hooting and hollering from the rides and games. Pulling his shirt away from his damp skin, he strode up and down the aisles thinking of how he’d rather be spending his evening.

  In front of ESPN. With air-conditioning.

  No, scratch that. In the arms of a woman. Yeah, now there was a way to pass time. His nice, quiet, sweet, loving woman, whose entire life would center around him and his needs. And though she’d be quiet, she wouldn’t be shy. No way. She’d be wildly passionate and erotically sensual.

  She’d greet him at the door wearing his opened shirt and nothing else but a smile.

  Now there was a fantasy.

  He strode down a row of games, then around a corner to another aisle, stopping to gulp down a large lemonade. People had shown up in force tonight to support their schools, but few had found this area yet. He could see straight ahead to the dart game, where all one had to do was pop three balloons to win a prize.

  A woman stood there. There were women all over the place, but this one, dressed to kill in her jade-green haltered sundress, stood out. She was concentrating fiercely, her back to him as she threw back her arm, aimed…and missed.

  He knew that long, slim back. Those blond waves tumbling over straight, proud shoulders. Those long, long legs that could wrap around a man and—

  “Shit,” she muttered, and shoved a hand into her pocket. That she came out with another buck surprised him, as her skirt appeared to have been painted on.

  Several women passed Cassie, each of whom stopped to stare at her, then kept going, laughing unkindly. Tag frowned and opened his mouth to say something but Cassie flipped them off and went back to shooting.

  It made him grin.

  And suddenly he was incredibly glad he’d come. Still grinning, he sauntered up to the booth and leaned a hip against it as he turned casually toward her.

  She didn’t even glance at him, just accepted her new darts from an awed-looking, pimply-faced teenage boy and aimed again.

  Two balloons in a row, bull’s-eye. Pop. Pop.

  “One dart away for the big prize,” the boy told her with a huge, dopey smile on his face. “You have to hit all three to get the—”

  “I know what I have to do.” She threw the dart.

  “Close,” Tag said conversationally when she missed by a mile. “But no cigar.”

  Oh, she noticed him now. Narrowed her very incredible, very green, very expressive eyes on him. “You distracted me.”

  He lifted his hands. “Hey, you didn’t even see me until just now.” Slipping a hand into his pocket, he came out with another buck. “But here. Try again, on me.”

  “I’m not taking your money.” She slapped down her own dollar. “Back off, you’re in my space.”

  “Backing off.” But he didn’t. She smelled too good, looked too good. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  She didn’t even notice. In fact, she appeared to forget about him as she took aim. And this time hit her target. Then
did it again.

  “One more time,” the kid said, ever so helpfully, and Cassie lowered the third dart and glared at him. He took a step back. “Sorry. I just know how bad you want this pretty teddy bear here.”

  “Teddy bear, huh?” Tag tucked his tongue into his cheek as she aimed and once again missed her third and winning shot. “I gotta tell you, I never really pictured you as a teddy bear type, Cassie.”

  “Oh, she wants it really bad,” the kid offered as Cassie grated her teeth. “She’s already put at least ten bucks on it.”

  “Is that right?” Tag looked at Cassie and lifted a brow. “You need something cuddly to sleep with at night, Cassie?”

  She sighed. “Is there a reason why you’re standing there staring at me?”

  “Well…” He scratched his jaw and looked her over, from the long neck he suddenly wanted to nibble on, to the breasts nicely outlined behind her halter, down her curved hips and mile-stretch legs. Her toenails were hot pink tonight, and she wore a silver toe ring, reminding him of the nipple ring. Was she wearing it now? “You are something to look at.”

  With a roll of her eyes, she slapped down another buck and went back to the task at hand. Aimed. Let it rip, and Tag had to admit, she knew what she was doing.

  Pop. Pop.

  Two balloons down.

  “Only one to go,” he offered.

  Her hand lowered, and she shot him a withering look. “Don’t talk.”

  He smiled and waited until she aimed again. “You know, if you want the teddy bear that badly, I could win it for you.”

  “I’ll win it myself, thanks.”

  “Oka-a-ay,” he said, and watched as she missed.

  She swore with impressive skill, then dug into her pocket again. Came up empty. Swore some more.

  “My offer still stands.” He smiled when she bared her teeth at him. “If you’re interested. I’ll win it for you.”

  “Sure you will.”

  He put a hand to his chest. “Your doubt wounds me. But you should know, I was all-city dart champ.”