Rock Chick 02 Rescue (24 page)

Ha ha! He was stymied and buying time.

“But I’l arrange for you to have a tour of the station if you want.”

Ada’s face broke into a smile.

“Do you think they would fingerprint me?” she asked.

“You know, just for the heck of it?”

“No problem.”

Ada looked like she’d died and gone to heaven. Cloud nine a distant memory, she was on cloud twelve and sitting next to God. “That would be grand,” she breathed.

Wonderful.

Now Eddie was doing favors for my friends. I’d never be able to pay him back and get him out of my life.

“Ada’s addicted to those cop shows,” Mom explained.

Eddie smiled just as the buzzer rang.

“I’l get it,” I said because Mom was transfixed watching Eddie smile.

Trixie was at the door, “Hey Jet. Sorry I’m late.” I was just relieved there was no overnight bag.

“We’ve already started eating,” I told her.

She wasn’t listening, she was walking into the dining area and beaming at Eddie.

“Eddie! Great to see you again. Hey Ada.” She sat down, poured herself some iced tea and, without further ado, started to pile food on her plate.

“Eddie’s going to arrange a tour of a police station for me,” Ada announced. “They’re gonna take my prints and everything!”

“That’s fantastic,” Trixie replied, then turned to Mom,

“Have you packed?”

I looked from one to the other as Mom nodded.

“Packed?” I asked.

Trixie looked at me.

“Yeah, your Mom’s spending the night with me.” I closed my eyes and silently asked God,
Why me?

God had no reply.

The table was created for four, five was a tight fit.

Eddie’s arm slid along the back of my chair, even as he continued to eat. I looked at him and realized he was having the time of his life.

He met my gaze.

“I
really
don’t like you,” I whispered.

His dimple came out.

“What was that?” Mom asked.

“Nothing,” I muttered and started to shovel food into my mouth.

“Jet, this meal is wonderful,” Trixie said, digging in. Then she looked at Eddie, “Jet’s an excel ent cook.”

“The best,” Mom chimed in.

“You should taste her meatloaf. Never had meatloaf as good as Jet’s,” Ada added.

Dear Lord.

Meatloaf was meatloaf.

Yeesh.

“And she makes lemon meringue pie, from scratch, even the crust. Her crusts are light and flaky. You’ve never tasted anything so good,” Trixie said.

“Always been a good cook. She’s got the gift,” Mom put in.

I wondered how rude it would be if I got up and started walking, and didn’t stop until I hit Vancouver.

“She’s a great kid,” Trixie went on, winking at me.

“Couldn’t have asked for better. Got great grades, never got into trouble. Even when her Dad left, Jet kicked in…

took care of everyone,” Mom said.

I froze.

This particular conversation was not going to happen, not now, not ever.

“Mom…” I warned, giving her a kil ing glance.

“What? You did.” Mom looked at Eddie, “She was fourteen, got herself a job to help me with grocery money…”

“Mom…” I repeated, a lot louder this time.

“What?” Mom said, a lot louder too, “You did. I’m not embarrassed to admit I fel apart when your Dad left.

Especial y not considering I’d raised a daughter who kept the family together.” She turned to Eddie and smiled her dazzling majorette smile, “I take ful credit.” I leaned into her, what I thought was threateningly.

“Stop talking,” I demanded, stil in the throes of the Bitch Strategy.

I guess I wasn’t very threatening.

“You should be proud of yourself,” Mom said to me, using her “don’t argue with your mother” voice I ignored The Voice.

“Why? Anyone would do it,” I returned.

“Lottie didn’t,” Trixie pointed out.

This was true; Lottie didn’t, mainly because I didn’t want her to. I wanted her to be able to be a kid and that’s what she was.

“Let’s change the subject,” I suggested.

“Eddie,” Ada said, forging into the breach, “what do you think of Jet’s new hair-do? Isn’t it pretty?” I gave up trying to eat and leaned back in my seat.

“Somebody, please kil me,” I asked the ceiling.

Eddie’s hand curled around my neck and his thumb stroked me there.

Electricity shot from my neck, straight to my nipples.

Bad idea, leaning back in my seat. I forgot about Eddie’s arm.

I leaned forward immediately.

“What’s for dessert?” Trixie asked, her eyes dancing.

She’d caught the hand action. “I hope it’s lemon meringue pie.”

I could have shot myself.

I’d made chocolate sheet cake. Trixie loved my chocolate sheet cake, demanded that I make it for her birthday every year. I should have bought something Sara Lee.

“Chocolate sheet cake,” Mom announced.

Trixie’s eyes got huge and she turned to Eddie, “You’l ask her to marry you after you taste her chocolate sheet cake.”

I threw my chair back, got up and grabbed my plate.

“I’m done. Anyone else done?”

Mom looked up at me. “Jet, sit down. No one else is done.”

“Then I’l go make more iced tea.”

And I ran.

My fucking mother.

And yes, it was definitely an f-word moment.

I hid in the kitchen, making more iced tea and getting the coffee ready for dessert. I also got out the dessert plates and forks. I also cleaned the pots, rinsed my plate and cutlery, put them in the dishwasher and wiped down the counters.

Then Trixie came in, bearing used dishes.

She glared at me.

“That was rude.”

I didn’t care if it was rude. Rude was good. I was embracing rude with everything I had.

“You don’t understand what’s going on,” I told her.

“So explain it to me,” she shot back.

Since I didn’t understand what was going on either, I couldn’t.

“Just trust me, this is not what it seems.”

“Mm-hmm,” she said, al pissed off and not believing me, not even a little bit. She put the dishes in the sink and then a hand to her hip.

I was surrounded by women who could pul off the attitudinal hand on hip. Again, I had to ask, why me?

She went on, “From where
I
sat, it seemed like he was very interested in every word that was said. From where
I
sat, he seemed very interested in watching you the whole time we talked. From what
I
can see, he seems like a nice guy.”

“How can you tel ? You haven’t let him get a word in edgewise,” I said.

She started to look uncomfortable then hid it.

“Maybe we were laying it on a bit thick.”

“A bit?” I snapped.

Her hand came away from her hip, her face changed and she grabbed my arms.

“Jet, honey, who made the rule that you weren’t al owed to be happy?”

“No one. I’l be happy… someday. Just not with Eddie.”

“Why not with Eddie?”

“Have you
looked
at Eddie?”

Her eyes got kind of dreamy.

She’d looked at Eddie.

“Enough said,” I finished.

She stared at me, coming back into the room.

“What’s the way Eddie looks got to do with the price of tea in China?”

How to explain?

See, the thing was, good things didn’t happen to me. It wasn’t as if I had a sorry, sad life. My life wasn’t better or worse than anyone else’s. I’d had ups, I’d had downs.

Okay, so there were a lot of downs, but there were also a lot of good times too.

I just knew I wasn’t lucky. I also knew my limitations. And final y, I knew that dreams didn’t come true, not your Mom’s dreams for you, not your Mom’s best friend’s dreams for you and certainly not your own. Life was finding your piece of happiness, even working for it if you had to, and settling in.

I knew I’d find my piece of happiness but even if Eddie truly did have some weird attraction to me, I’d never, not in a mil ion years, settle in with him. I’d always be wondering when he’d figure it out or find something better. And I didn’t want a life like that.

That’s why good looking people were with good looking people, and plain folk were with plain folk. You didn’t court that kind of unhappiness.

Trixie had been married twice and was currently on the market. She had taste in men like my Mom and Lavonne but enough confidence to get them to take a hike when she was done carrying them. She’d find someone else, I knew it, she always did. She was that kind of woman. When she was done being alone, she wouldn’t be alone. She’d never understand.

“Never mind,” I said.

She stared at me.

“Next time I see Ray, I’m gonna kil him.” She’d have to stand in line.

“Why?” I asked.

“Never mind,” she said.

We rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

Trixie carried out the sheet cake and I trailed with ice cream and plates. Trixie served up while I did coffee. The whole time, I avoided looking at Eddie.

“I’l come around at 5:30 to pick you up tomorrow,” Eddie said, finishing his cake and looking at Mom.

Uh-oh.

I stil hadn’t told Mom about Blanca’s dinner.

“Pardon?” Mom asked, looking between Eddie and me.

“I forgot to tel you, we’re going to Eddie’s Mom’s for dinner tomorrow,” I said.

Trixie smiled. Mom beamed. Ada actual y clapped.

I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes.

“You ladies can come if you like, Mom’s having a party,” Eddie told Trixie and Ada.

I leaned forward in my chair and opened my eyes, turned to Eddie and glared.

“What do you mean, a party?”

“She’s asked the cousins, Indy and Lee, al of the Nightingales and Indy’s Dad.”

No.

No, no, no.

This was
not
happening.

“I’d love to come,” Trixie said.

“I’d be delighted. I never go anywhere,” Ada said.

Wonderful.

“I’l come by at 5:30, I’l take Ada and we’l fol ow you,” Trixie planned, talking to Eddie and Eddie nodded.

I got out of my chair again, this time, I had a valid excuse.

“I need to get ready for work.”

Without waiting for a reply, I walked to my room.

I was in my Smithie’s uniform, sitting on the bed and slipping on a pair of black pumps when a knock came at my door.

“Come in” I cal ed, thinking it was Mom or Trixie to give me another lecture.

Eddie walked in and closed the door.

Damn.

“I’m almost ready.”

I stood and grabbed my jeans jacket, pul ing it on.

Eddie watched me; shoulders against the door, arms crossed on his chest, eyes on my uniform. For the first time that night he looked unhappy.

“What?” I asked.

“I don’t like you working there,” he said.

I grabbed my purse, but he wasn’t done.

“And I
really
don’t like that outfit.” I sighed.

“I don’t have much of a choice,” I said, walking toward him. “Anyway, it doesn’t much matter if you like it or you don’t, it doesn’t have anything to do with you.” He was standing against the door and not moving.

“Can you get out of the way?” I asked, looking up at him.

I should have looked sooner. His eyes were glittery which meant he’d gone from unhappy to pissed off.

“I thought we’d been through this,” he commented, his voice scary quiet.

Uh-oh.

I decided to ignore it.

“I can’t be late for work.”

“I can see my plan isn’t working,” he replied, changing the subject.

“What plan?” I asked, staying as far away from him as I could without retreating or looking like I was staying as far away from him as I could. I was beginning to feel a thril of fear working up my spine.

“Honesty, being a nice guy, doing good deeds, getting you indebted to me.”

I stared at him, scared of what he’d say next.

“So?” I asked.

Okay, so I had to know, even though I didn’t want to know.

“So, I’l have to try a new plan.”

If his old plan was honesty, being nice and doing good things, I didn’t want to know what his new plan would be.

He told me anyway.

“The way I see it, the minute I got my hand in your pants and made you come, that bought me nearly an entire day of you bein’ nice to me. You didn’t yel at me once, you cried in my arms and fel asleep in them too. So, I’m guessin’ that’s the way to keep you sweet.”

Oh… dear… Lord.

I just stared. I mean, what did you say to that?

He kept going, “I’l take you to work, I’l pick you up and you’re spendin’ the night at my house.”

Eek!

“I don’t like your plan,” I final y found my voice.

“Then quit behavin’ like a bitch, it isn’t you and doesn’t suit you.”

My mouth dropped open. I knew I was being a bitch, but I never expected him to cal me on it.

My eyes narrowed and I put a hand on my hip. I’d been doing that a lot lately. I didn’t think I was the kind of woman to put a hand on her hip, but there you go.

“Pardon?”

“Your Mom and her friends love you and they’re proud of you. Tonight, you embarrassed your mother.”

“It isn’t about her,” I snapped, “It’s about you.”

“I know it’s about me. It doesn’t matter, you stil embarrassed her.”

“She’l get over it.”

“Can I expect more of this tomorrow night, with my mother?”

See, I wasn’t wrong with what I told him. Trixie, Ada and Mom would get over it and I knew that.

There was no way I’d be bitchy to Blanca. Blanca was a nice lady.

Eddie didn’t need to know that. For now, if I was going to be a bitch, then I was going to have to go al the way. I leaned forward a couple of inches and kinda lied, “Maybe.” He pushed away from the door and came at me.