The Trouble With Scarecrows (The Trouble With Men Book 2)

by Dorlana Vann

  In case you get scared, she thought. At that moment, she wondered how much of Eugene she’d actually be able to take. She glanced at him, noticing how rattled and disheveled he was. His hair was mussed, his top button was unbuttoned, and his glasses weren’t sitting square on his face. Poor guy.

  Suddenly the words her dad’s ghost had said, or her subconscious for that matter, came to mind. Her future. Her happiness. Here she was racing home to talk to Neal with her date in the car, who she really wished she’d been able to leave at the restaurant. She wasn’t sure what her future held, but she knew Eugene couldn’t be part of it.

  “Hey, umm, you’re a really nice guy. Really nice. But I’m thinking this might not work out.”

  “Oh, I see. Okay, I get it.”

  “What do you see and get?”

  “I tried ignore it, but I should have known. Nice guys like me don’t get the hot, sexy blonde. You want the loud, bald-headed, tattooed bad boy, don’t you?”

  “This has nothing to do with Neal.”

  “Right. You guys were so into each other, you didn’t even notice the ghosts! There were ghosts in that restaurant! People were screaming and clawing their way out of there, and you’re so head-over-heels for that guy, you hardly blinked an eye.”

  Huh, Brenda thought. She shuddered a little bit as she remembered everything she’d overlooked. But she hadn’t block it out because of Neal; it was because of Zadora. Zadora had done all of that because she wanted Neal. And they were alone together right now. She had to get rid of Eugene and stop Neal before he did something stupid.

  They pulled up to the multiplex where Eugene had parked.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “This is just a bad time for me. This has nothing to do with you but has everything to do with timing. Understand?” She held out her hand for a friendly parting handshake, even though she wanted to shout, “Get the hell out now!”

  “Sure. Whatever.” He shook her hand lightly, barely holding onto her fingertips. She cringed but then wondered why it bothered her so much. She knew what kind of man she had picked up at the bar. He was supposed to be her kind of man. But he wasn’t.

  She waited until he had gotten out of the car before moving, waiting on herself to regret letting him go. But she felt nothing. She shrugged, and as soon as his door shut, she jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

  She dashed down the corridor to Neal’s apartment. She jiggled the doorknob but the door was locked, so she banged on the door. When no one answered, she yelled, “Neal! Open this door right now.”

  A few seconds later, he did just that. “What, Brenda, what?”

  Like she feared, he wore only his underwear. That little bitch was probably naked in his bed, crying crocodile tears. “You have to listen to me. Don’t sleep with her. You’re going to regret it. I’m telling you, there is something wrong with her.”

  Neal licked his lips and studied her for a moment. “What’s it to you who I have sex with?”

  “I don’t care. Ugh. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. She’s manipulating you. She could even be dangerous. I know you think she’s all sweet and perfect, but I warning you, there is more to her than what it seems.”

  Neal sighed and turned, going back inside his apartment, and Brenda followed him. “Where is she?” She started walking toward Neal’s bedroom.

  “Zadora is not here. I didn’t bring her home, we didn’t have sex, not that it is any of your business. Besides, everyone doesn’t just jump into the sack with the first person they see, Brenda.”

  “I didn’t have sex with Eugene! Not that it’s any of your business. And maybe you were right. I was with him for all the wrong reasons. Now can we move past that and talk about what’s really important here?”

  Neal stared at her, his forehead wrinkled.

  “If Zadora’s not here, where is she?” Brenda asked.

  “She’s in her apartment, probably crying her eyes out because of you and tonight. She can’t control any of that. Just trust me and back off . . . please.”

  “Back off? Are you kidding me right now? She can control it! That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Can you seriously say that there is nothing strange about that girl?”

  Neal lost eye contact long enough to let Brenda know that he had noticed something too, so she tried to release some of the tension that had caught in her throat so she could speak calmly. “Tonight, when you went to the bathroom, I said something mean to her.”

  Neal stepped toward her. His head was beginning to get that splotchy red that she now knew came with him being really pissed off. “I don’t see why you couldn’t be nice for one night! You invited us and then you attacked her! You’re such a—”

  “Wait,” Brenda said. “Let me finish and then you can start calling me names. I don’t even remember exactly what I said. Maybe I was a little thrown by her appearance. A woman can’t go from blah to supermodel without years of makeup practice and hair fixing. She should have looked, I don’t know, like she had gotten into her mommy’s makeup.”

  “Maybe she went to a salon,” Neal reasoned. “I mean, really? She looked hot so you attacked her?”

  She held her breath for a few seconds. So he had been attracted to her.

  He shook his head. “What did you say to her?”

  Brenda licked her lips, feeling a little matronly in her high-necked cocktail dress.

  “Brenda!”

  “Fine. I asked her what her favorite food was so I could get a sense of what to order for her, and she said chicken. I might have said something like, ‘You can take the girl away from the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the girl.’ See, it wasn’t even that bad. It was silly.”

  “Are you finished?” Neal had his arms across his chest, legs apart, so confident in his snug underwear, and so pissed at her.

  “No, actually, I’m not. Please just listen to me? As soon as I said it, something in her eyes changed. I’ve seen it before, but it had been such a quick thing that I ignored it. It was different tonight. She made no attempt to hide it this time. She was mad. She was mad as hell. She stared at me so long that I looked away. Me! And then she said something under her breath, and a man’s voice came out of her mouth. I swear it! She growled and . . .”

  “That’s enough. You’re the one who made us go tonight, and then you feel threatened and you pull this shit.”

  “You saw the ghosts.”

  “I did. And I believe they were there because of Zadora but not because she could control it. Maybe it was because you’d upset her.”

  “Bullshit. She conjured them up, or whatever you call it. Why won’t you believe me? I’m not making this up. Why are treating me like I’m some sort of liar?”

  “Because you are!” Neal roared.

  Brenda swallowed and stepped back.

  Neal’s chest heaved in and out as he took another step toward her. “Larry told me all about the way you treated Haley. You fucking lied, humiliated her in front of your friends, and pulled every dirty trick in the book. That’s what you are, Brenda! A big fat liar!”

  “That’s not fair,” she whispered and then gritted her teeth, fighting back tears. She hated her mad tears, but it was more than that. The anger at Zadora was gone. This was something else. As soon as she acknowledged that what Neal thought about her mattered so much, the tears couldn’t be suppressed and neither could her feelings. “I fought for the man I loved,” she cried. “Yes, I did all that, and I would do it again. But I guess you wouldn’t understand, would you? You let the love of your life slip through your fingers without even trying. Have you ever fought for anything or anyone in your life?”

  Neal’s mouth opened as he stared straight ahead. He didn’t blink. It was as if she’d slapped him. Oh shit, she had gone too far. This was the end of everything. He loo
ked so hurt. She wished she hadn’t said anything. He finally met her gaze, his eyes glistening, his eyebrows drawn.

  Before she’d realized what was happening, he’d taken the last step toward her. She didn’t budge. She inhaled her fear and excitement as he grabbed her arms, brought her close and waited for a second, maybe to give her a chance to stop him. But she didn’t, and she wasn’t going to. Neal’s mouth crashed into hers, he kissed her hard, and it felt amazing. Hunger for him swirled and mixed with her desperation for him to believe her, to take her side.

  He wrapped her in his strong arms and she melted against his body. He began to walk, back her down the hallway. She knew where they were going, would have led the way if necessary. When they arrived at the bedroom door, Neal whipped her around and kissed the back of her neck and then unzipped her dress. It fell to the floor, and she stood in her bra and panties.

  But then Neal didn’t come back, didn’t touch her again. He walked past her and sat on the bed. He put his hands on his head and rested his elbows on his knees as he breathed heavily.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, a sudden wave of panic washing over her.

  “I’m really into you, Brenda. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you right now. So help me . . . but you can’t keep jerking me around.”

  She neared the bed, slowly, thoughts swimming around in her head, but she was unable to grasp any of them firmly. She didn’t even know if she was angry about the scarecrow thing anymore, and she didn’t care about the future, only that moment. “You were right before, when you said I was scared. I am. You scare me to death. I’m scared to get hurt again. I’m scared to let my guard down. But the thought of you being with another woman . . .” She inhaled sharply, ready to tell him how jealous she’d gotten of Zadora, but then Neal jumped up.

  He stood in front of her and took her hand and placed it on his warm chest.

  His heart beat fast and hard against her palm. When she looked up at him, he smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek she didn’t know she’d let escape.

  Neal came closer, his stare unblinking, his breath on her face. He whispered, “I will never hurt you.” He kissed her gently, purposely, unlike before when they’d let their bottled-up desires explode. She was suddenly aware of how serious this felt. She was in trouble. This man could easily break her heart. He’d already weakened it.

  Chapter 18

  Neal lay there, scared to move. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to Brenda breath rapidly out of her mouth. He didn’t know her enough to know if she wanted him to hold her or to leave her alone now. But he did know her enough not to presume she was like any other woman he had slept with—but most of them, since Alexandria, had been very temporary relationships. And he hadn’t thought about what they’d wanted after sex.

  He wanted to know what Brenda wanted from him. But he also knew better than to ask. She kept him on his toes, and he loved every second of it.

  Brenda rolled over to face him. She leaned on her elbow, her beautiful face sleepily smiling an expression that oozed sexual fulfillment. Her usually perfect hair was wild, and she was the sexiest woman he’d ever had in his bed.

  “Hey,” she said.

  He swallowed. “Hey, yourself.”

  “I was wondering if I could have my panties back.”

  He started feeling around the bed. “I think they’re here somewhere.”

  “Not those. I left some here the other day. You know, that first day we met.”

  “Oh . . . those. Didn’t you take them from the laundry room?”

  “Like I would go in there.”

  “Hmmm. Well, they disappeared.”

  “Don’t tell me you wore them and stretched them out and are afraid to tell me.” She laughed.

  “Funny. No, maybe they are still in the laundry room. If not, I can run down to Wal-Mart and get you some more.”

  “Now you’re the one being funny.” She sat all the way up and began searching the bed until she found the ones from earlier. “Just so you don’t lose anymore.” She sat on the edge of the bed to put them on.

  “Wait,” he said and touched her back, tracing her spine.

  “It’s late.”

  “You’re welcome to stay.”

  “Thanks, but that’s okay.”

  Neal sat up, his back to the headboard. Brenda sat there for second longer before standing up. He loved the way she moved daintily across the floor, picking up her clothes. He didn’t want her to go. “Are you hungry?” he blurted. What was he doing? He might as well have been on his knees begging her to stay. She was sure to run now.

  Brenda’s eyes grew huge and bright. “Starving.”

  A few minutes later, Brenda sat on the kitchen counter in one of Neal’s T-shirts as Neal whipped eggs. He liked seeing this side of her, the relaxed, calm, lovely side of her. He wanted to know everything about this Brenda. He wanted to know her favorite food, her favorite color, her tickle spots, her first kiss . . . but he didn’t want to scare her away either, so he tried to keep it casual. “Tell me about your family.”

  “It’s weird that you ask.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about my dad lately. He died when I was a teenager.”

  “I’m sorry.” The eggs splattered as he poured them into the hot frying pan.

  “Thank you. It’s strange. I mean, sure I think about him every once in a while, but since I moved in here, it’s been constant. I’ve been dreaming about him and earlier . . . well, maybe yesterday this would have seemed crazy but I suppose after tonight, not so much.” The toast popped and Brenda jumped down from the counter and started buttering.

  “You can’t stop there. What happened?”

  “I thought I saw him at the restaurant. His ghost, I mean. But that can’t be possible, can it?”

  Neal shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I haven’t actually let myself think about all of that.”

  “He didn’t look like all those other dead people. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I imagined it. Ghosts! I mean really, the whole thing is ridiculous.”

  “I agree. It’s all crazy.” Neal retrieved the eggs with his spatula, put them on a plate, and then turned to Brenda. “But what did you imagine he said?”

  She set the knife down and turned around, leaning on the counter. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. You know, I consider myself a pretty rational, sane person. So maybe, I don’t know how, but maybe this was all some kind of elaborate trick. Like one of those prank shows.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t see Zadora being behind something like that.” Neal immediately wished he hadn’t said Zadora’s name because now Brenda was frowning.

  “I know she’s your friend, but the bottom line is I don’t feel comfortable around her. I don’t feel comfortable with her in my house.”

  “Can we talk about it later? Believe me, I know we have a lot to talk about, but for tonight, can it just be about us?”

  “Sure.” She smiled and leaned over and kissed him. “You’re right.”

  “I am? I could get used to that.”

  “More like, enjoy it while you can.” She nudged him playfully in the side on the way to the refrigerator. “Okay, so why don’t you tell me about you. Where’d you grow up?”

  “Aldine, actually. Do you know where that is?”

  Brenda closed the refrigerator with her hip, the gallon of milk in her hands.

  Neal loved the way she’d made herself at home, like this was a normal routine.

  “I do,” she said. “North side of Houston, right? I think I lived there in the sixth grade.” She laughed. “And maybe in the eighth grade.”

  “You moved around a lot?”

  “Yeah. I’ve lived in all of the major Texas cities:
San Antonio, Austin, Pasadena, El Paso for a couple of months. What about you?”

  Neal turned toward the stove to flip the bacon. “I grew up in the same boring house. Born and raised, same house, same parents. I have a sister, but when I moved out she was still pretty young. But Rocky was like a brother. He lived a couple of blocks down the way.”

  “Right, Rocky,” Brenda said from behind him, and the change of tone wasn’t lost on Neal.

  Neal put the bacon on a napkin-lined plate and turned the burner off. “I take it you didn’t swoon.”

  She exhaled in a way that told Neal she wanted him to know she had something on her mind. When Neal turned around, Brenda was facing the counter, so he turned her around to face him.

  “What’s wrong? Did he hit on you? Because, frankly, I don’t think he can help it.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not trying to pretend that I’ve never used someone for sex or that I thought every man I’ve ever slept with would lead to a relationship. And shit if this isn’t difficult for me.” She hadn’t made eye contact, and Neal’s curiosity was killing him.

  She cleared her throat. “I’m just going to say it, even though it goes against every tough bone in my body. Rocky told me everything. He told me about how the scarecrow thing isn’t a real thing.” Her eyes flashed up at him. “He told me how it’s a ploy to get women into bed. A sex lure.”

  The realization of what she was saying opened Neal’s eyes to the way she’d been acting. “Oh, you thought, you think . . . No. No. No. That didn’t even cross my mind.”

  She frowned and shook her head. “It’s fine. I got a little bent out of shape, but I had no right. We’re both adults, and I do what I want. Even if I had known, I probably would’ve slept with you anyway. And I did know last night and see, we had sex. And that’s okay. I’m not going to get all possessive or think this is a long-term relationship. I don’t do that. Anymore. So I don’t . . .”