by L. P. Dover
He patted my hand. “It’s okay, honey. You can come with me next week.”
I sat down beside him at the table. “Are you nervous?” I asked him.
I could see he was by the look in his eyes, but he shook his head. “Nope. It has to be done. I’m ready to get better.” He perked up and smiled. “There’s a lot left to give with this old body. Can’t have your mom finding someone else.”
My mother glanced over her shoulder and winked at him. “All I want is you, honey.”
My dad turned to me. “Who does she think she’s kidding? If that guy who plays Captain America came here, she’d leave me in a heartbeat.”
That made me laugh. “I’d leave anybody for him, Dad. He’s pretty dang hot.”
He picked up his coffee cup and sighed playfully. “I looked like that a long time ago.”
Throughout it all, he still had his optimism. I was told that was the first step to getting better. As long as he had that positive attitude, I had no doubt he would get through anything.
I patted his hand. “You still do.”
Coming up behind him, my mother wrapped her arms around his neck. “Even when you lose your hair, you’ll still be the sexiest man alive to me.” She kissed the top of his head. “We should probably get going. Don’t want to be late.”
He finished his coffee, and my mother took his cup and placed it in the sink. He smiled at me and stood, and I got up to give him a hug. “I love you,” I whispered in his ear. “You can do this. I’ll see you this afternoon when I get home.”
He hugged me tight. “I love you, too. Don’t fall in any poop today.”
I washed my body with soap probably ten times over after that to make sure the smell was gone. “Don’t worry,” I laughed, “that’s not going to happen today. I’m going to check in on some of my clients and then head to Zac’s. I’ve already cleaned out his barn, so hopefully there’s no poop in my future.”
My mother’s jaw clenched. “I still say you should quit this mess. All he’s doing is embarrassing you. There’s probably pictures all over the internet now.”
I’d thought about that, but I hadn’t seen him take any. “If there are, I’m an expert at what I do. I can get it taken down.” It was part of my job with my clients. If they had bad publicity, I could pull some strings and get it taken care of.
She looked at me as if she didn’t believe me. “All I’m saying is that you need to stay away from Zac.”
My father patted her shoulder. “She’s a big girl. I’m sure she can handle it.”
Once they were gone, I ran upstairs to grab my phone and an extra pair of clothes. On the way to Zac’s ranch, I called a couple of my clients and everything was good. I prayed they all stayed scandal free for the summer while I was away.
I turned down Zac’s long driveway and my phone rang. I figured it’d be Trina since I hadn’t talked to her in a couple of days, but it wasn’t. Adrian’s name popped up on my screen. My stomach clenched, and I sat the phone down in the center console. The last time I spoke to him a few weeks ago, he wanted to get back together once his movie wrapped up. It wasn’t the right time for that. Instead of answering, I left it in the center console to ring. I pulled up to the front of Zac’s house and got out. He was nowhere to be seen like yesterday, so I walked right up to the door. I rang the bell and waited for him to come.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I had a feeling he was doing it on purpose. “All right, turd burger, if you don’t answer the damn door, I’m leaving and not coming back!” And with that, I was serious. I respected the auction rules, but I wasn’t about to get jerked around by someone like Zac. That wasn’t the way it worked. “On three, I’m leaving!” I shouted. “One … two—” Before I could say three, the door jerked open.
Leaning against the door frame, Zac chuckled. Instead of being sweaty and shirtless like yesterday, he had his brown hair coifed to perfection and dressed in a blue button-down shirt with gray slacks. “Impatient, are we?”
I glared at him. “Just ready to get this day started so I can leave. What do you need me to do today?”
He waved for me to enter. “Come in.”
I followed him inside, and as much as I hated to admit it, he had a gorgeous house. His ranch was a log cabin type style, and all the furnishings were rustic and manly. There was a large moose head above the fireplace, and a bear skin rug on the floor in front of it. The couches and chairs were expensive brown leather that looked as if no one had sat in them. The whole house smelled brand new.
“What do you think of the place?” Zac asked.
He continued into the kitchen, which was even more impressive than the rest of the house. I shrugged and appeared not impressed, even though I actually liked it. “It’s okay. I’ve seen bigger and better.”
“I bet,” he replied, laughing, “now that you work with all those Hollywood celebrities and all. Last I saw you were dating Adrian Norwood. How’s that working out for you?”
Blank faced, I stared at him. The spiteful side of me wanted to say how amazing being Adrian was, but I couldn’t do it. “That’s none of your business,” I said. “Also, I’m not here for small talk. I’m here to do a job, that’s it.”
Smirking, he held up his hands and backed away. “You’re right, you are.” He walked over to the other side of the kitchen and reached for a piece of paper on the counter. “I need you to run to the grocery store for me. I have an important meeting this morning or else I’d do it.”
Yeah right, I thought to myself. I held out my hand for the list, curious to see what was on it. Shockingly, it was all normal things like eggs and orange juice. Gaze narrowed, I studied him. “That’s all you need me to do?”
His eyes twinkled. “We’ll see. I’m sure I’ll come up with something else later. I won’t be here when you get back, but I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
And there it was … the hidden agenda. He had something else up his sleeve, I just knew it. Taking the list, I marched straight out to my car and left for the store. Since it was an early Tuesday morning, there wasn’t hardly anyone there, but I was bound to run into someone I knew. Snowy Creek was that small of a town.
Walking inside, I pulled out the list and grabbed a cart. There wasn’t much on the list so it didn’t take me long to get everything. When I turned down the bread aisle, Isabelle Tucker was right there picking out a loaf of bread. She was in her late fifties with long, auburn hair that hadn’t changed since I left town. Her husband, George, was my father’s best friend and the one who lost the bid against me in the auction. I’d always known Isabelle as Mrs. Tucker since she used to be my Biology teacher in high school. When she and George had their daughter, Hailey, I was the one who babysat her. Hailey had to be in high school now.
Isabelle looked up and a huge smile lit up her face. “Oh my goodness, Clara, it’s so good to see you.” She rushed over and hugged me. “I hate I didn’t get to talk to you at the auction. Your mother raves about you all the time. She’s supposed to call me when your dad gets out of chemo.”
I hugged her back. “It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Tucker.”
She let me go. “Please. Call me Isabelle. I’m not your teacher anymore,” she said, laughing.
“All right,” I agreed, “Isabelle it is then. My mom told me you’re still at the high school.”
She nodded. “Yep. I’ll probably be working there ’til I’m seventy. I love it too much.”
“You were my favorite,” I added.
Her smile widened. “Thanks. You grew up to be quite successful. I’m proud of everything you and the others have achieved. Your best friend is off in Hollywood and Zac is an architect icon. Everyone wants to work with him.”
I wanted to be happy for him, but I just couldn’t muster the excitement. Isabelle noticed my hesitation and her smile faded. “I’m sorry, Clara. I shouldn’t have brought him up. I always thought you two would end up together. He seemed
so heartbroken after you left.”
Eyes wide, I stared at her, wondering if I heard her right. “Heartbroken?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’d never seen him like that before. Your mother wouldn’t tell me what happened, but all I knew was that you decided to stay overseas for a while.”
Why would Zac have been heartbroken? He didn’t seem that way in the picture Chelsea sent me all those years ago. Chelsea and I lost touch over the years, but I did know that she was happily married with three kids. Most of the people I went to high school with were already at that stage in life. Guess you could say I was a little behind.
“It’s a long story,” I replied, wishing I could forget it all.
Isabelle sighed. “Sorry to bring it up, Clara. It’s none of my business anyway.” Her gaze narrowed curiously. “Although I am interested to hear how it’s been going on with him this week from the auction.”
I groaned. “Yesterday was horrible, but today he has me doing his grocery shopping. I’m trying not to kill him.”
She snickered. “You two were always so fun to watch, constantly bantering back and forth. Who knows? Maybe this will bring you two back together.”
It was my turn to burst out laughing. “Not just no, but hell no. I want nothing to do with him.”
She shrugged. “Obviously he wants something with you. He spent a lot of money on you at the auction.”
I’d pondered the reasons in my head over and over, but could never come up with a conclusion. I had no clue why he was such an ass when he was the one who broke us up. Glancing down at the groceries, I sighed. “I’m still waiting to find that out myself.”
Isabelle squeezed my arm. “When you do, let me know. I can’t help but think it’s romantic.”
The woman had lost her mind. Shoveling horse shit and falling in it wasn’t romantic at all. We said our good-byes, and I paid for the groceries. On the way back to Zac’s ranch, Adrian called again but I didn’t answer it. I couldn’t think straight having to deal with Zac’s mess, and then on top of that, worrying about my dad. There was too much going on in my life.
When I pulled up at Zac’s house, the black sports car was gone. I grabbed all of the groceries out of the car and carried them inside to the kitchen. There was a note on the counter, and I dreaded having to read it. I slowly walked over to it and took a deep breath before looking at the words.
Clara,
If you would please, I’d love for you to make a lasagna. I have a date coming over and I know she’d like it. Also, the gym downstairs needs to be repainted. All the supplies and the paint are in the room. Oh, and one last thing, I need you to run back to the store and pick up some condoms.
Thanks,
Zac
Mouth gaping, I was at a loss for words. Grabbing the note, I crumpled it up in my hand. “That arrogant, no good son of a bitch.” There was the hidden agenda.
I sat down at the kitchen table, and an idea came to mind. It just so happened that I had a few tricks up my sleeve as well.
I made the lasagna, and no, there was no ex•lax in it or anything that could potentially cause gastric distress. Whoever Zac’s lady friend was, she didn’t deserve that. However, I did deserve a glass of wine. There was a bottle of Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru white wine in his cellar and I opened it up. The bottle had to have cost him over two thousand dollars. Sitting at the kitchen table, I propped my feet up and poured me a glass.
As childish as it may have seemed, I did pour out the orange juice and replaced it with water that had been mixed with the cheese powder packet from one of the boxes of mac and cheese. I also put mayonnaise in Zac’s shampoo bottle. I felt stupid for even doing it, but that wasn’t the biggest surprise. Those pranks were mild in comparison to what I did in his basement.
I could hear the rumble of Zac’s sports car as he pulled into his garage. It took all I had not to smile. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he walked into his gym. The front door opened, and I waited for him to turn the corner. When he did, I had the glass of wine at my lips.
“Very nice wine cellar, Mr. Ward. Hope you don’t mind, but I decided I deserved a glass of wine.”
Tossing his keys onto the counter, he looked down at the bottle. “I should’ve known you’d go for the expensive stuff. That seems to be your style.”
Actually, some of my favorite wines only cost about twenty dollars a bottle, but I would let him think what he wanted. I sucked back my wine and set my glass down. “Hopefully it wasn’t what you and your date were going to drink tonight. Lasagna goes good with a red wine, not white.”
Zac’s smile widened. “Thanks for the tip.”
Rising, I motioned toward the oven. “Your lasagna’s in the refrigerator. All you have to do is put it in the oven. And don’t worry, I didn’t spit in it or anything.”
Zac walked over to the refrigerator and peeked inside. “Looks good. My date’s going to love it. Did you do everything else I asked you to?”
With a big grin, I grabbed my purse off the kitchen chair. “Yes, I did. Do you want to go see?”
His attention jerked my way and all I did was smile. Playing pranks on each other was something we did as kids, but they were always so harmless. I had to bump it up to a new level. Zac bit his lip and looked toward the door. “Why am I suddenly not feeling good about this?”
I shrugged. “Don’t know. Let’s go.”
He walked out of the kitchen, and I followed him downstairs to the basement where you could smell of stench of paint. The paint he had left for me to do the room in was a light gray color. In my opinion, it needed to be something else entirely. That was why I went to the paint store and picked out a new color.
Once in the basement, you had to walk down a long hallway before you got to the gym. I intentionally turned the light off so you couldn’t see the color as you walked down. Zac stepped into the room and flipped the switch. He stared at the walls, and there was a look of utter shock on his face. It was obvious he didn’t think I’d go that far. For the walls, I chose a bright, hot pink. If the paint had time to dry, I would’ve put some princess decals on the walls.
“Wow,” was all he said.
Grinning wide, I flourished a hand about the room. “I think the pink’s a nice touch. Figured there was too much testosterone permeating the room. Thought maybe it’d help you tap into your feminine side.”
Zac shook his head, the expression on his face clearly impressed. That wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to piss him off. “Looks like I underestimated you.”
I smirked back. “Guess so. Oh, and before I forget, I grabbed the condoms you wanted.” Reaching into my purse, I pulled out a bag and handed it to him. Inside weren’t condoms, but finger cots. They looked exactly like miniature condoms. “Here you go,” I said happily. “Have fun tonight.”
Lifting the bag, Zac burst out laughing. “Nice touch, Clara. You and I both know those are way too small.”
I shrugged. “Actually, I don’t remember that at all. Sorry. I’m sure you’ll find a way to squeeze into them.” On those final words, I turned on my heel and left. It felt good to come back with something, even if it was silly. At least I had fun doing it.
9
Clara
My dad was exhausted after his day in chemo so I didn’t get to talk to him when I got home from Zac’s yesterday. He spent the rest of the night in bed. Apparently, they filled him full of Benadryl and fluids before they pumped in the chemo. It was a somber night in the Berkeley house. My mother buried herself in club paperwork, probably to keep her mind off of my dad. For the first time in years, I spent the entire night watching movies. I’d forgotten what it was like to have a slow pace of life. In California, there was always some kind of function to attend with my clients. I enjoyed my California lifestyle, but taking it easy at home felt right too. If only I didn’t have to deal with Zac.
The next morning, everything was quiet when I walked into the kitchen. There were blueberry muffins sitting in th
e muffin pan on the stove, and the smell of coffee hung in the air. I loved the scent of it, but didn’t care much for the taste. I grabbed a small orange juice out of the refrigerator and one of the muffins before sitting down at the kitchen table.
My mom walked into the kitchen still in her pajamas and her hair a mess. Yawning, she sat down across from me. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
I opened my orange juice and took a sip. “Good morning. How’s Dad?”
She yawned again. “Tired. He got up and walked around in the middle of the night. He wanted me to tell you he’s sorry he didn’t get to see you.”
I was worried about him. There were so many unknowns. His doctor didn’t give us a time stamp on how long he had, but with stage four cancer, we knew it wasn’t going to be long. From what I read on stage four esophagus cancer, the life expectancy was three months to a year. That terrified the hell out of me.
“Make sure he’s getting lots of fluids,” I said. “We can’t let him get dehydrated.”
She nodded. “Already taken care of. I made sure he drank plenty of water through the night.”
If there was one thing anyone could say about my mother it was that she was dedicated and loyal to her family. Reaching over, I squeezed her hand. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself as well, Mom. You need to get some rest.”
She waved me off. “I’m fine. Luckily, we have Agnes making our dinners this week. She’s bringing over her famous broccoli and cheddar quiche for us tonight.”
That sounded amazing. “Can’t wait,” I said.
My stomach growled, so I got up and walked over to the stove to eat another muffin. I had thirty minutes before I had to be at Zac’s. I couldn’t help but be curious to see what he’d have me do today. Whatever it was, I needed to be ready.
“Um … Clara?” my mother commented. I turned around, and she swiveled in her chair to face me. There was a sheepish expression on her face that made me nervous.
