The Denver Cereal

by Claudia Hall Christian



  The Denver Cereal

  by

  Claudia Hall Christian

  StoriesbyClaudia.com

  The Denver Cereal

  The Denver Cereal

  Celia’s Puppies

  Cascade

  Cimarron

  Black Forest

  Fairplay

  Gold Hill

  Silt

  Larkspur

  Alex the Fey Thrillers

  The Fey

  Learning to Stand

  Who I Am

  Lean on Me

  In the Grey

  Finding North

  The Queen of Cool

  The Queen of Cool

  Seth and Ava Mysteries

  Tax Assassin

  Carving Knife

  Suffer a witch

  The Denver Cereal

  Claudia Hall Christian

  Cook Street Publishing

  Denver, CO

  Originally published at DenverCereal.com :

  June–December, 2008;

  copyright © Claudia Hall Christian

  Licensed under the Creative Commons License:

  Attribution–NonCommercial–Share Alike 3.0

  ISBN (13 digits) : 978-0-9822746-2-0

  Library of Congress : 2009909009

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Third edition © May, 2014

  Cook Street Publishing

  PO Box 18217

  Denver, CO 80218

  CookStreetPublishing.com

  For the Silent Partner,

  who talks a lot.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jill

  “You cannot be serious,” Megan said to Jill.

  Jill’s hazel eyes shifted to catch Megan’s reflection in the full-length mirror. Jill nodded and then smiled at Megan’s sour face. Jill zipped the back of her tight, black leather skirt and tugged at the starched, white shirt. Reaching behind her, Jill took a white vest from Megan.

  “Turn around,” Megan said.

  Jill turned so Megan could help her button the vest.

  “It’s tight, but . . .” Megan buttoned the top button of the white shirt.

  Jill turned back to the mirror to evaluate. At twenty-five years old, post one baby, she was still round and flat in all the right places. Leaning around the Colorado Rockies sticker on the mirror, she checked for mascara smudges.

  “You are not going,” Megan said.

  “I’m going,” Jill replied.

  Jill wandered into her bedroom looking for the match to the four-inch, black heel she held in her hand. Her head was under the bed when Megan said,

  “He only invited you as a courtesy.”

  Jill grabbed the pump from under the middle of the bed.

  “I have an invitation. I’m going,” Jill said. “I want Trevor McGuinsey to see what he’s missing.”

  “He’s not going to see any farther than his fiancée’s father’s wallet.”

  Before Jill could put the shoes on her feet, Megan snatched them from her hand.

  Jill looked Megan in the eye. ”You are not helping, sis.”

  “I don’t have any intention of helping my little sister make a complete fool of herself.”

  Turning the shoes back and forth, Megan shook her head at the worn, dry Salvation-Army-found shoes. She peered at the point of the heel. At least the plastic wasn’t showing yet.

  “Pllleeezzzzeee,” Jill begged.

  Megan dropped the shoes in resignation. Why fight it? She could never resist Jill.

  “Wear your boots,” Megan said. “If you want my help, don’t just bring the boots. Wear them.”

  Jill’s eyes grew wide. She trotted into her bedroom closet and pulled out the boots — those beautiful boots. Holding the boots against her chest, Jill drew in the smell of the butter-soft, black leather from the thigh-high, five-inch-stiletto-heeled boots. They smelled like love, luck, and happiness.

  Trevor had bought these boots at the Mile High Flea Market. They were three hundred dollars cash, more money than they had seen in six months, and so worth it. They’d had a good time in these boots. Trevor used to tell people that Katy was conceived with these boots. They were lucky boots. She used to tease him that they were his “get lucky” boots.

  Of course, she had been wearing these boots, languishing in post-coital bliss, when he’d told her. Pressing the divorce papers across the crumpled covers, he had asked her to sign. He had met a rich girl. She was going to pay for law school at Denver University. He was doing it for Katy. Certainly Jill would understand.

  But Jill never understood.

  Oh, she had signed the papers, and then scrubbed the remnants of him from her body, her apartment, and her life. When he returned, his things were waiting for him in the hall and the locks had been changed. With Jill sobbing on the other side, he screamed, “I don’t love the rich girl,” and pounded on the cheap, hollow-core apartment door for an hour. Trevor only left because the apartment manager said he would call the police.

  "Now, how's that gonna look to the rich girl, Trevor?" the apartment manager sneered.

  Tonight, Trevor was to be officially engaged to the rich girl at a black-tie affair.

  Returning to the mirror, Jill saw that Megan was right. The boots looked great.

  “Let me get the tie.” Megan tied a black bow tie around Jill’s neck. “You have the jacket with tails?”

  “Mike’s bringing it when he picks me up in the limo,” Jill said.

  “Do you want me to come?” Megan asked.

  “I can do this, Meg,” Jill said. “Steve’s working security. If I need to get out fast, he’ll be there.”

  “Mike and Steve are both in on this? What about Candy?”

  “She’s working the bar. I’m sorry, sis. They didn’t tell you because they thought you would be mad.”

  Megan shook her head. Of course, their brothers and sister were in on this. No one but Megan saw that Jill was making a fool of herself. But Jill always made a fool of herself over Trevor.

  “He’s my soul mate,” Jill had pleaded when she’d needed Megan’s signature on their marriage license. Sixteen years old and in love. Now twenty-five years old and heart-crushed.

  The apartment door opened, and their brother Mike came in. Megan smiled at the worry on his face. At least she wasn’t the only one who was worried. Mike’s face shifted to a smile for Jill.

  “Here you go, Jilly,” Mike said. “I brought three.”

  One at a time, Jill tried on the black tux jackets with peak lapels and tails. She selected the one Mike thought made her look the sexiest.

  Jill gave herself an “I can do this” nod in the mirror.

  She clutched Megan in a hug. With tears in her eyes, Megan released Jill.

  “Lov
e you, sis,” Megan said, and then closed the apartment door.

  Mike escorted Jill through the crowd of neighbors. Everyone wanted to cheer Jill on today. One last, “Make us proud,” and Mike closed the door to the front seat of the limo. Slipping behind the wheel, Mike told her that Steve, their middle brother, said the guests had all arrived.

  Jill would be the last one to show.

  With a nod of his head, Mike started the limo. They turned down Thirteenth Avenue to make their way through the slow Friday afternoon traffic. Never one for conversation, Mike was relieved when Jill turned on the radio. They drove in silence to the Seawell Ballroom, Denver’s grand ballroom, the place where her soul mate was announcing his step up in life.

  When Mike turned onto Speer Boulevard, Jill closed her eyes to review. Her best friend, Sandy, had squeezed her in between paying clients. Talking non-stop about “that prick Trevor,” Sandy had colored, curled, and primped Jill’s hair until it fell in beautiful, honey-blonde waves.

  She had spent an hour at the MAC counter at Cherry Creek Mall, where Heather worked. Heather tried this mascara and that shadow. Careful not to mess up her hair, Jill washed her face at least three times before Heather was satisfied with her makeup. As Jill was leaving the shop, Heather pressed a bottle with the last drops of her favorite French perfume into Jill’s hand.

  “Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” Heather said. “You’ll ruin your make-up.”

  Jill had borrowed the vest and tie from Jack, her next-door neighbor. The vest was part of Jack’s uniform as a valet at the Brown Palace. She touched the vest remembering her promise to Jack that she would not get it stained.

  Tanesha had arrived at the apartment just before Megan. She assured Jill that the Italian bra and matching panties she’d bought for her had been on sale. When Jill went to put them on, she saw the tags. A hundred dollars! A piece! On sale!

  Knowing she had been caught, Tanesha shrugged. “Once in your life, you deserve something beautiful. Especially today.”

  Megan had come in when they were hugging, and it was back to the business of getting dressed. Her stockings were sheer, black, and beautiful. Jill was certain she had never worn such beautiful undergarments.

  I wonder what Trev’s gonna . . .

  She bit her lip to keep from finishing the thought. She wasn’t out of the habit of thinking of Trevor as her love, her life. Maybe tonight would do the trick.

  Jill jerked back to the present when Mike touched her leg.

  “You better get in the back, sis,” Mike said. He pulled the limo to the curb at Colfax Boulevard.

  Jill went to the back of the limo, where she found a single long-stemmed, white rose with a red ribbon around it. She caught her brother’s eye in the rear-view mirror.

  “I thought you could strangle him with the ribbon.”

  “Thanks, Mikey.”

  At least people loved her. All of her low-life friends — that’s what Trevor called them now — had pulled this off. They waited the tables at the event, tended bar, played in the band, provided security and helped her get ready. They all wanted to show Trevor that he may be moving to an ivory tower, but it’s friends that make a life.

  “Ready?” Mike said. He extended a hand to help her out of the back of the limo. Their brother Steve met them at the curb.

  Nodding, Jill kissed his cheek.

  “Love you, sis,” Mike said. “I’ll be here ’til it’s over.”

  “Oh, Mikey, what about work?”

  “The boss said you can have the limo and me all night. He thinks Trevor is a world-class jerk.”

  “Don’t kiss him again,” their brother Steve said, taking her arm. “Remember, high-class women don’t fraternize with the help.”

  Jill took Steve’s arm. “Please thank Leslie for taking care of Katy tonight.”

  “We love her,” Steve said. “It’s easy. Now go in there and make us proud.”

  Clutching her long-stemmed rose, Jill took the escalator up toward the ballroom. Her heart pounded in her chest and her pulse thumped in her ears. If she hadn’t been riding an escalator, she would have certainly run back to the limo. She shifted her feet back and forth on the step.

  “I can do this,” she reminded herself when she reached the top.

  Letting out a breath, Jill waited for security to notice her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  At the Seawell Ballroom

  Letting out a breath, Jill waited for security to notice her. When the man turned, she smiled. It was her brother Steve’s best friend, David.

  “God damn, you look good,” David said. “You should see the prunes inside.”

  She smiled and turned to look at the crowded room. She had never been in a room where she knew no one. As she watched, her sister’s best friend floated by with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Well, almost no one.

  “Go find Candy,” David said. “She’s waiting for you behind the main bar.”

  Crossing the room, Jill felt every eyeball evaluate her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw men stare while women shifted away. She chuckled to herself over the men’s lust-filled looks. A hand brushed her arm as another friend walked by with a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

  Catching a glimpse of Candy, Jill stepped up to the bar. With the bar pressed against her ribs, she recited her purpose in her head:

  “Show him what he’s missing; just show him what he’s missing. That’s all — just show him what he’s missing.”

  Jill was seconds into her mantra trance when she felt the warmth of a man standing next to her. His eyes were focused on her face.

  “Hi,” he said.

  Jill looked over at him, then back to the bar. She had practiced this for weeks. Sophisticated women are unfriendly. Don’t smile. Don’t be nice. Don’t be your effervescent self.

  “I thought I knew everyone on the guest list,” he said. “But I do not remember an invitation to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

  Jill couldn’t help herself. She started laughing.

  Wrinkling her nose, she asked, “Is that a pick-up line?”

  “Pretty pathetic, eh? I’m Jacob,” he said.

  “Jill.” She held her hand out and he shook it.

  “Jill as in ‘baby mommy’ Jill?” Jacob asked.

  “I’m not sure what you’re asking,” Jill said.

  “My sister is marrying this guy, Trevor? He has a baby with a woman named Jill. Some one-night-stand thing. He says she’s a total bitch . . .”

  Candy flew across the back of the bar to Jill. “Sir, can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’ll have whatever she’s drinking,” Jacob said, pointing to Jill.

  “She’s not drinking. Bitch whores tend not to drink at social functions.” Candy’s voice was saccharin-sweet but the temperature dropped with her icy smile and cold eyes.

  “I didn’t say that,” Jacob said.

  “I heard what you said . . .”

  “Candy!” Jill said through her teeth. “I’m sorry. I’m the baby of the family and my sister is very protective of me.”

  “What are you drinking?” Candy asked.

  “Uh, whiskey, neat. Whatever you have,” Jacob said.

  Jill turned away from Jacob and stared at the back of the bar. She felt her face flush with heat. Trevor, who had her to have a baby, now told people Katy was a one night stand. An accident.

  And she was the bitch? Oh I just don’t belong.

  “Listen.” Jacob touched her arm. “I meant what I said.”

  “About me being a total bitch? Or the one night stand thing?”

  Jill imitated Candy’s sweet tone. She hadn't thought Trevor could hurt her more. Between the stiletto heels and the sick feeling in her stomach, Jill had to clutch the bar to remain standing.

  “That you are absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life,” Jacob said.

  Jill’s head jerked to look at him. “What?”

&nb
sp; “Here’s your drink. Now buzz off.” Candy slapped the whiskey down in front of Jacob.

  “Listen . . .” Jacob started, but Candy raised her hand in the air. Within moments, a friend wedged herself between Jill and Jacob. Candy put her hand on Jill’s arm to lead her toward the end of the bar. Jill glanced back to see Jacob stuck in place between a tray of hors d’oeuvres and a hostile server.

  “You look great,” Candy whispered. “The boots are genius.”

  “Meg’s idea.” Jill passed the rose to Candy. “I don’t belong here, sis. I should go home. Did you hear what he said about Katy?”

  “Jill, that man begged you for a child. You guys argued about it for years. He’s just . . .” Candy said. She squinted her brown eyes then released them wide. “I knew the moment you entered.”

  “How?”

  “Every male eye turned to watch you walk across the room,” Candy said. “This outfit is sheer brilliance.”

  “The invitation said, ‘black tie.’” Jill beamed at her sister.

  “Watch out, here comes the bride.” Candy raised her arm again.

  “I’m sorry,” the tiny, blonde rich girl said. Her straight gleaming white teeth matched her perfectly sculpted nose and eyebrows. Her blue eyes, enhanced with blue contacts, shot daggers of hate. “This is a private party.”

  “I . . . I was invited,” Jill said. “I . . .”

  “I don’t remember you on the guest list. And I should know. This is MY engagement party.”

  Just then a server bumped into the bride-to-be, spilling a full tray of red wine down the rich girl’s ivory silk dress.

  “I’m so sorry,” Megan’s husband, Tim, said. “I didn’t see you there. Oh my God . . .”

  Jill watched Tim scamper to get a towel. To keep from laughing, Jill coughed into her hand. The rich girl screamed at Tim, then at Candy. When her father came over, she screamed at him, only to collapse sobbing into her mother’s arms. Her mother led the tiny woman away to change.

  “This is the most fun I’ve had at a family gathering in at least a decade,” Jacob said.

  “I assume he was a friend of yours.”

  “Brother-in-law,” Jill said.

  “She had it coming,” Jacob said. “She knows exactly who you are.”

  Jill shrugged. When she turned to look at the party, she saw a variety of male eyes looking in her direction.

  “Would you like to dance?” Jacob asked. He nodded toward the dance floor, where couples danced a perfect waltz.