Slightly Off Balance

by Kaylie Hunter

  Uncle Mike and Aunt Carol swore on a Bible that it wasn’t them playing a trick on me. I made Tansey do the same, even though I knew it wasn’t her. I had a pretty good idea who the mystery person was, but he never seemed willing to man up and follow through.

  “Someone tampered with your car and the gate on the Ferris wheel seat?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What are you not telling me?” Tansey asked, with one eyebrow arched.

  “I think someone’s been in the house,” I whispered, scooping out flour for a batch of biscuits.

  “When?” Tansey asked, looking around.

  “Last week. I came home from work and noticed little things out of place. And there was a dirt mark that looked like a footprint on the floor.”

  “Could it have been your sister? She would totally break in and snoop. And she never takes her shoes off.”

  “No. The print was too big, like hiking boots or construction boots.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “There’s one more thing.”

  “Tell me,” Tansey sighed, leaning her head down into her hands.

  “Later that day, I found a snake in my bedroom.”

  “A snake?”

  “A rattlesnake.”

  “A WHAT?” Tansey screeched, jumping up from her bar stool.

  “You heard me.”

  Tansey didn’t say anything. She stood there staring at me, waiting for the rest of the story.

  “After cleaning the dirty smudge on the floor, I decided to go ahead and clean the entire floor. That seemed to have jumpstarted a cleaning frenzy, and before I knew it, I was in the bedroom vacuuming when I heard a noise. I turned the vacuum off and got down on the floor to look under the bed, coming almost nose-to-nose with a rattlesnake.”

  “Holy shit. Holy shit. What did you do?”

  “You are my best friend, so if I tell you what happened next, you have to promise to never tell another soul.”

  “Promise. Tell me! Tell me!” she said, sitting down again and gripping the edge of the countertop.

  “I peed my pants,” I admitted, sitting on my own bar stool.

  “Obviously,” Tansey said, rolling her eyes. “Who wouldn’t? But what the hell happened with the snake?”

  “I stayed frozen, not moving an inch for what seemed like forever. Eventually it slithered farther away, and I bailed out of the bedroom. I called Tucker, and he collected it for me. He was scratching his head trying to figure out how a rattlesnake would have gotten into my house, but he promised not to tell anyone.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense. What could you, of all people, have done to piss someone off this badly?”

  I shrugged, kneading the biscuit dough a little more roughly than what was required.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I figured it was all explainable,” I sighed, thumping the dough into the pile of flour on the counter. “That maybe Uncle Mike forgot to take his shoes off and was in my house to fix something. That the snake had somehow gotten in by some natural means. That I broke the Ferris wheel gate when I leaned on it.”

  “You are not half as big as you have in your head that you are,” Tansey said, rolling her eyes.

  She walked over and pulled a beer from the refrigerator for her and a bottle of water for me.

  “We have to tell Uncle Mike.”

  “No way.” I shook my head. “What if it was you? Would you tell him?”

  “Hell, no,” she admitted. “He’d chain me in the basement until the case was solved.”

  “See?”

  “Let’s compromise. They already know about the Ferris wheel incident. Let’s stick the idea in their heads for them to investigate that.”

  I thought it over as I eyed Tansey’s beer. Alcohol sounded like a good idea, but I knew the beer would turn warm before I finished it.

  “Fine,” I muttered.

  The cake batter had sat long enough, so I placed it in the oven before opening the cabinet above the stove, pulling out a bottle of vodka. Tansey smiled and got out the orange juice.

  “But I won’t let them control my life. I’m staying here. You should stay with Aunt Carol and Uncle Mike.”

  “Ha. Fat chance of that happening,” Tansey laughed, as she made a call on her cell phone. “Aunt Carol, can you send the guys to the carnival to check out the Ferris wheel? And can you sneak us over some handguns?”

  Tansey nodded several times before she answered. “Yes, we remember how to use them. Uncle Mike drilled us for years.”

  She rolled her eyes at whatever Aunt Carol said.

  “I know. Someday we’ll get our permits.”

  Then she was nodding again.

  “Okay. See you soon, but drive over. Don’t walk. And honk when you’re in the driveway.”

  She glanced at me quickly and then looked away.

  “No. There’s nothing else I’m allowed to share at this time.” Tansey hung up and grinned at me.

  “You just tipped Aunt Carol off that something more was going on,” I said, throwing a small wad of biscuit dough at her.

  “Yeah,” Tansey giggled. “But at least I know that when I’m at work, Aunt Carol will keep track of you. And, she won’t tell on you. She knows how overprotective Uncle Mike can be.”

  Pretending to glare at her for all of three seconds, I sighed. “Are you working tonight?”

  “Nope, but I’m scheduled for a double shift tomorrow. Lunch until closing,” she said, pulling two glasses out and handing them to me.

  I filled them both and passed one to her. She grabbed the vodka and added another shot in hers. We drank as we cut the biscuit dough into circles and moved them to cookie sheets.

  Fifteen minutes went by and Aunt Carol still hadn’t arrived. I called her cell number, getting nervous.

  “I had to run to the store. I’m almost there,” she answered.

  “I’ll wait in the driveway for you,” I said before hanging up.

  Aunt Carol had half a dozen bags that she pulled from the car and we both scrambled to take them from her. Carrying everything inside, Tansey relocked the door behind us.

  “What is all this?” I asked, setting the bags on the counter.

  “Booze and bullets,” Aunt Carol smiled. “Mike won’t notice the guns are gone because they are part of my collection, but he’d notice if a box of bullets disappeared. So I ran to the hardware store. And then I decided that if you two needed guns, I needed alcohol.”

  “Cheers!” Tansey grinned, holding up her glass.

  Aunt Carol grinned back but realized that I had a glass too.

  “It’s that bad?” she sighed. “I haven’t seen you drink since your twenty-first birthday.”

  “I’ve drank since then,” I shrugged. “I have a glass of wine occasionally at The Bar.”

  “No, you don’t,” Aunt Carol laughed. “You order the wine and carry it around for a couple of hours. By the time you leave, you’ve barely taken three sips.”

  I stuck my tongue out at Aunt Carol before picking up my glass and chugging the rest of my drink. Slamming the glass back down, I inadvertently cracked the glass.

  “See? I drink.”

  “That’s going to hurt in the morning,” Tansey laughed, taking the glass and putting it in the trash can. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. Let’s not forget how early you have to get up to make the donuts.”

  “Good point. I think I’ll have just one more before I switch to water.” I pulled a fresh glass from the cabinet as they both watched me.

  Chapter Eight

  I giggled, leaning too far over on the stool and almost falling before grabbing onto the breakfast bar. “He held my hand. Like I was five and needed supervision walking near traffic!”

  Tansey and Aunt Carol looked at each other.

  “What?”

  “He doesn’t see you like a kid,” Aunt Carol said.

  “Not even a little,” Tansey said.

  “Yes, he does,” I slur
red. “Believe me. I know. I tried to get him to see me like an adult a long time ago. He told me to behave and drove me home.”

  I could hear my voice and see my body moving, but my brain wasn’t quite connecting what I was saying or doing. I reached for my water and knocked the glass over.

  “Coffee,” Aunt Carol ordered, grabbing the glass before it rolled off the edge of the counter.

  Tansey tossed a dish towel over my head to Aunt Carol before starting a pot of coffee. I watched as Aunt Carol mopped up the mess I had made.

  “You need to eat,” Aunt Carol said, sliding the plate of biscuits toward me.

  “I should eat salad. Or rice cakes. I tried to eat rice cakes once, but they don’t have any flavor. Why would someone make food without flavor?”

  “Biscuits. Now.”

  Giggling, I tore a section of a biscuit off and popped it into my mouth. It tasted wonderful, still warm from baking. I didn’t even remember pulling them from the oven. Wait. I didn’t remember putting them into the oven.

  Realizing that I had also been baking a cake, I looked around. The cake was sitting unfrosted on the far counter. “I should finish that.”

  “It’s fine,” Tansey said. “You can take it with you to work tomorrow and slap some frosting on it. I’ll make sure it’s covered before we go to bed.”

  “But it needs to be flipped while it’s still warm and set up on a tray.”

  “You made it hours ago,” Aunt Carol said, shaking her head. “Drinking really doesn’t suit you.”

  “It’s the only time I get called a lightweight,” I giggled.

  “What do you drink when you two go dancing in Cooper City?” Aunt Carol asked.

  “I drink beer,” Tansey answered. “She drinks ginger ale in a cocktail glass and tells people it’s scotch.”

  The back door opened as Tansey was setting a cup of coffee in front of me.

  Uncle Mike walked into the kitchen, followed by Reel, who was followed by Rod. I giggled, thinking of their nicknames. Uncle Mike looked at me and laughed. Reel looked at me, and an eyebrow went up as he walked toward me and tipped my head up with a finger under my chin.

  “You’re trashed,” he smirked.

  “Just tipsy,” I giggled.

  “How much did you drink?”

  “I had TWO! Can you believe it? That’s the most I’ve ever had.” I held my fingers in front of him, showing him the two. He wrapped his hand around mine and lowered my hand, shaking his head.

  “How much did she really have?” Reel asked Tansey.

  “Four. We couldn’t stop her. She was on a roll.”

  “I didn’t have four,” I said, shaking my head.

  “You didn’t bake a cake and biscuits either, remember?” Aunt Carol asked.

  “What cake?” I asked.

  “Okay. Time for bed,” Reel said, pulling me up off the stool and wrapping an arm around me.

  “But it’s still light out,” I said, swaying to the side.

  “It will be morning before you know it,” he said, picking me up and carrying me toward the bedrooms.

  I didn’t remember making it to bed. I didn’t remember falling asleep. I didn’t remember anything after Reel carried me down the hall. The next thing I remembered was kicking away the blankets that were tangled around me and running to my bathroom to hurl.

  As I sang to the porcelain gods, the bathroom ceiling light flickered on. Someone lifted my hair away from my face and rubbed my back. After puking everything I had in me, the dry heaves started. I was exhausted, and shooting pains scissored across my stomach.

  “Try and relax,” Reel’s voice whispered behind me.

  “Ugh. I thought Tansey was holding my hair,” I moaned, flushing the toilet.

  “Lean back against the tub. It will feel cool on your back.”

  He helped me slide over to lean against the tub before wetting a washcloth for me. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his feet were bare. He still wore his jeans, but the button and zipper were undone, offering me a peek at his navy undershorts. The man had a spectacular body, rippled with honey tanned muscles and the faintest stretch of golden chest hair that trailed down his center and disappeared out of sight.

  Reel squatted down with the cloth.

  I focused on the ugly tiles on the wall as I used the washcloth to wipe my face before folding it to the inside and holding it to my forehead. “What time is it?”

  “About 4:00. I was told to wake you by 5:00, so you can sleep for another hour.”

  “No,” I sighed. “I like to get to the bakery early on Saturdays. We always have a lot of orders to fill. And I left early yesterday, so I might need to make more breads and pies.”

  Reel got some pills out of the medicine cabinet and filled a glass of water.

  “Swish this and spit. Then take these pills.”

  I swished, spit, and took the pills. I didn’t even ask what they were.

  “Can you lend me a hand?” I asked, reaching up.

  He pulled me up but didn’t step back, so I was standing inches away from him. I could feel the heat from his body radiating onto my skin. His hands moved to my hips. I cleared my throat.

  “Something you want to say?” he asked.

  “I could use some privacy,” I whispered. “You know, to take a shower and brush my teeth.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own?” he grinned.

  “Very sure,” I nodded, my face flushing. “Thanks, umm, for the hair-holding bit.”

  “Anytime,” he chuckled, kissing me on the forehead and stepping out of the bathroom.

  I quickly closed the door and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked horrible. My face was pasty white except for the bright red blotches in the center of my cheeks. My hair was sweaty and matted. And, worse yet, not only did I look like I’d been run through the wringer, I was wearing one of my extra-girly, lace and satin nightgowns. I was pretty sure the image looking back at me was Pine Valley’s version of a crack whore.

  “Way to go, Sullivan,” I muttered to myself.

  “Did you say something?” Reel called from the bedroom.

  “Nope. I’m good,” I called back, quickly starting up the water to take a shower.

  Twenty minutes later, I was clean and dressed and had brushed my teeth twice. I twisted my hair into a bun as I peeked into the spare room to check on Tansey. She was sound asleep in her pink flannel PJs, curled into Rod’s shoulder. Rod grinned at me, motioning for me to be quiet.

  I raised two fingers, pointed to my eyes, and then pointed at him with my most menacing glare. He just grinned wider.

  Shaking my head, I walked through the living room and into the kitchen.

  “I swear, if your brother makes a move on Tansey while she’s sleeping—I’ll cut him.”

  The corners of Reel’s mouth curved in a grin as he sipped his coffee. He had a shirt on, but it was unbuttoned. I looked away.

  “See something you like?”

  I blushed and looked down, noticing a cup of coffee with cream and two slices of lightly buttered toast sat in front of me. “Yes, the toast. Thank you.” I knew that my rosy cheeks were giving me away. Since when did I blush? “Did you guys find the carny who was working the Ferris wheel?”

  I took a bite of my toast and chewed slowly. I wasn’t positive I could keep it down, but so far so good. If I was going to puke again, I’d rather puke up food than have the dry heaves.

  “No one could give a good description of him. He showed up earlier in the day and asked for a job running the Ferris wheel. Offered to work for cheap wages. The driver’s license they copied was a fake.”

  I watched Reel’s eyes turn cold as he looked out the window. I could understand why people thought he looked dangerous. It wasn’t the size of him, though he was stacked with muscles on a lean frame. It was the intensity of his eyes. It reminded me of the time his mother, Loretta, dated a guy who made the mistake of hitting her. The guy moved out of town after Reel went to “talk”
with him.

  “Reel, I’m going to be fine,” I said, leaning over the breakfast bar to place my hand over one of his.

  He turned his hand over and grasped mine. Walking around the breakfast bar, he wrapped his arms around me.

  “I know,” he whispered, kissing the top of my head. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “It’s not your job to protect me.”

  “Yes, it is. Now eat your toast, and I’ll drive you to work.”

  “I can walk.”

  He raised a scolding eyebrow at me. I sighed but focused on eating my toast like a good girl.

  Arriving at the bakery, I found the display cases barren. I lifted the clipboard from the hook on the wall and scanned the catering orders. It was going to be a whirlwind day getting everything baked in time, so I ordered Reel to leave so I could focus. He wasn’t happy, but after searching the bakery and ensuring the doors were locked, he agreed. I started baking my ass off to get caught up.

  By the time Samantha arrived, I had the breakfast display case filled and was starting on breads and catering orders.

  “You’re amazing,” Samantha said, jumping in to help. “I should give you a raise.”

  “Yes, you should,” I said, though I knew I would never see one.

  Over the years, Samantha had given me exactly a 2 percent raise each year on the anniversary of my employment. Twice, my raises were rolled into matching increases in the minimum-wage law. I sighed and pulled the cake pans out of the oven. Mrs. Denton had ordered an anniversary cake and would be picking it up in a few hours. By the time the layers cooled, we’d be opening the bakery for customers and I’d have to watch the clock to make sure it was decorated in time.

  “You know I’d pay you more if I could,” Samantha said.

  I knew the bakery profits were enough to afford to pay me a higher wage. In fact, I made more money on my catering jobs. But for reasons Samantha never explained, she kept my pay low.

  “Can you get a batch of brownies started?” I asked, changing the subject and placing the pies in the oven.

  Samantha gathered the ingredients for the brownies, and we worked quietly for the rest of the morning.