Sugar Rush (5 page)

Lexi filled a sack with
all the necessary ingredients to make hot fudge sundaes. Not wanting to rummage
through Jeff’s kitchen, she added a pan, wooden spoon, measuring cup and
measuring spoons to the sack. The last items to add were the ice cream and
whipped cream.

An hour earlier, Lexi had
showered and shampooed. Using the hair dryer, she’d tamed her naturally curly brunette
hair. It fell into a smooth, slight flip over her shoulders. She slipped on a
fresh pair of denims, which fit snuggly because they hadn’t been worn since
coming out of the dryer. For a top, she wore a cute pink cotton blouse she’d
picked up at the thrift store. On her feet were a pair of flip-flops she’d purchased
on their way to Havasu. Glancing down at her feet she wiggled her toes and
admired her pedicure and blood-red nail polish.

 Angie was dressed
similarly. She wore her blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail. Instead of red
polish, a garish shade of purple covered her toenails. Her denims were artfully
shredded, exposing hints of skin along her legs. While the blouse she wore
wasn’t purchased at the thrift store, it looked as if she had dragged it out of
the rag bin. Angie never ironed her clothes, and Lexi resisted the temptation
to suggest this might be one time her friend brings out the iron.

Jeff was pleased how
fast things were progressing. It was sheer coincidence that he happened to spy
the red Volkswagen parked in front of Albertson’s when he went downtown earlier
that day.

When he had first
arrived at the rental, he’d spied Angie’s car parked in front of the house two
doors down.  After taking his luggage in the house, he’d noticed the car was no
longer there. Since the girls had obviously gone somewhere, he’d seen no reason
to stick around, and had figured it was a good time to stock up on groceries.
According to the real estate agent who had given him keys to the house, there
were three grocery stores within close proximity to each other, all located on
Lake Havasu City’s main street.

The first grocery store
he came to was Smith’s, but he decided to head down McCulloch Boulevard and see
more of the town before shopping. As he made his way down the street, he’d
noticed the red Volkswagen in the Albertson’s parking lot.

He thought his opening
line to Lexi was lame, but that was the first thing that popped into his head
and out of his mouth. While he cringed at the memory of his inane contribution
to the conversation in the baking aisle, the end result was far better than he
expected, so he decided that sometimes lame worked.

Surprised that he was
actually a little anxious about the impending dinner, he channeled his nervous
energy into preparing for his guests. Not sure if they would be eating on the
patio or in the dining room, he placed a stack of three dinner plates, three
napkins, and silverware on the breakfast bar. He’d rinsed the salad greens and
put them in a bowl in the refrigerator to crisp.

Annoyed that he hadn’t
picked up some bread from the bakery section of Albertson’s, he wondered if the
girls would find the simple meal of steak and salad lacking. Rummaging through
the pantry, he found a box of rice pilaf. It hadn’t been opened, and according
to the date on the package it was still within code. It called for butter,
which he’d also forgotten to purchase, but he had noticed some in the
refrigerator, left there by the home’s owner. He figured he would go ahead and
use the items and replace them later.

By the time Lexi and
Angie arrived, steaks were marinating in a pan on the counter, the salad was
crisping in the refrigerator and a pan of rice pilaf was simmering on the
stove. Next to the dinner plates, he’d set three forks, three steak knives, the
bottle of ranch dressing, and a pair of salt and pepper shakers he’d found in a
kitchen cupboard. Lexi was carrying a sack, while Angie carried a bottle of
wine.

“This place is nice,” Lexi
commented after Jeff opened the front door and welcomed her and Angie inside.
The house boasted an open floor plan, tile floors, high ceilings, and pot
shelves. Artificial cacti and clay pots decorated the high-placed shelves, and the
home’s overall décor was southwest, in shades of outdated mauve and sea-foam green.

“A little larger than I
need,” Jeff remarked, after shutting the front door and leading the girls into
the kitchen, “but renting this late in the season, I was lucky to find it.”

Curious, Angie walked
out the backslider off the dining area to investigate the patio after handing
Jeff the bottle of wine.

“I need to put the ice
cream in the freezer and some of the other stuff in your refrigerator,” Lexi
explained, setting her sack on the kitchen counter.

 “Certainly. Make
yourself at home.” Jeff watched her unpack the sack.

“I didn’t bring bowls
and spoons. I assume you have some.”

“Sure. I noticed some
bowls in the cupboard. That hot fudge looks like a lot of work. I’m starting to
feel guilty.”

“Hey, I’ll gladly make
hot fudge in exchange for steak,” Lexi said cheerfully. She placed the ice
cream in the freezer, then set the milk and butter in the refrigerator.

“Do you want to make it
now?”

“No, we can make it
after dinner. That way the fudge will be warm.” Glancing around she added, “Do
you mind if I look around?”

“Here, I’ll give you a
tour.”

“Why did you decide to
come to Havasu on such short notice?” Lexi asked a few minutes later while Jeff
gave her a private tour of the house. Angie was still outside on the back
patio.

“I had some other plans
that didn’t work out. Havasu is known for great weather this time of year, so I
called a couple of real estate agents to see if anything was available, and
here I am,” he lied. “How about you?”

“I graduated from
college right before Christmas, and I’m still up in the air about my future.
Angie’s folks own the house we’re staying at, and their renters cancelled at
the last minute—so here we are.”

“What about your
family?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when I got out
of college, my parents nagged me to come back to Portland—that’s where I’m
from. They didn’t understand that I needed to go where the jobs are. I wondered
if your parents were pressuring you to come home. I don’t imagine Havasu has
lots of jobs for someone in your field.”

“My parents are dead,”
she said quietly. Jeff felt like an ass for asking the question, especially
when he already knew the answer. But that didn’t stop him from asking the next one.
“I’m sorry. Do you have any other family?”

“Just a grandfather,
who isn’t my favorite person at the moment.”

“Oh, really?”

“Lexi, he has a spa! I
am so jealous!” Angie’s outburst disrupted their conversation. She’d just
walked into the house and found Lexi and Jeff lingering in the hallway.

“You girls are welcome
to use it. Swimsuits optional, of course,” Jeff teased, then quickly added, “I
think I’ll get those steaks on.”

Lexi and Angie joined
Jeff outside while he barbecued. Angie had opened the wine and poured them each
a glass. The three chatted like old friends, and Jeff was surprised at how
effortlessly the conversation flowed. He tried to share truthful tidbits about
himself, but it was not always easy. They learned he worked for a corporation
with a home office located in Southern California. When asked the company’s
name, he managed to change the subject and later mentioned he was looking for
another job.

Of the two, Angie was
more candid in her conversation, while Lexi was reserved. The topic of the
grandfather came up one more time, and Angie expressed her opinion that the man
was a controlling prick. Lexi changed the subject.

During dinner, Jeff came
to understand why Angie, who was several inches taller than her friend, was so
thin. She filled her plate with salad, using just a drop of dressing, and
didn’t touch the rice. Instead of taking an entire steak, she cut off a small
piece from one end, telling Jeff he could have the rest of her steak in the
morning for breakfast.

Lexi was serious about
liking steak and didn’t offer any of hers to Jeff. She ate every last bite,
even nibbling off the crispy bits from the meat’s fatty end. Unlike Angie, she
ate a helping of rice and a moderate portion of salad covered in ranch
dressing. She wasn’t overweight, nor was she thin. From Jeff’s perspective,
Lexi’s curvy figure was perfect.

They ate their meal on
the patio table, while watching Havasu’s vibrant sunset color the western sky. 
It was a little chilly, but they all agreed it was too lovely an evening to eat
indoors. They sat at the table for at least an hour after sunset before they
cleared the dishes and went inside to make hot fudge.

Angie excused herself
and told them she had to run back to her house for a few minutes to get her
cell phone, which she had forgotten to bring with her. She left Jeff alone with
her friend.

“So tell me, how does
one make hot fudge?” Jeff asked, leaning against the counter next to the stove,
watching Lexi. She seemed at ease in his kitchen. 

“It’s my dad’s secret
recipe. If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” she teased, as she set a pan on
the stove.

“I won’t tell, I
promise.” Jeff crossed his heart in mock seriousness.

“Okay, if you promise.”
Lexi grinned. “First, I melt five tablespoons of butter in a half cup of milk.”
With a dinner knife, Lexi cut off a chunk of butter from the cube and placed it
in the pan. Next she added a half of cup of milk. Setting the pan on a warm
burner, she stirred the ingredients with a wooden spoon. She waited until the
butter was melted before adding the next ingredient.

“Now, I add a cup of
sugar and three tablespoons of unsweetened baking cocoa. Dad’s recipe actually
calls for one baking square, and four tablespoons of butter instead of five.
But it’s easier for me to use the powder cocoa.” After measuring out the cocoa
and sugar, she added it to the pan, stirring it with the spoon.

“It smells good,” Jeff
noted.

“I also add just a bit
of salt.” Lexi grabbed the salt shaker and added a dash to the mixture. “Now, I
cook it until it gets to softball stage.”

“I won’t even ask what
that means, but don’t you have to add the vanilla?”

“I do that after it’s
done cooking.”

Jeff watched as Lexi
patiently stirred the mixture, which was now beginning to bubble up into a slow
boil. She wore her dark hair parted to one side with no bangs, and a few
strands were slipping out of place, into her eyes. He almost reached out and
pushed back the stray tendrils, but Lexi beat him to it. Her skin was flawless,
and he wondered briefly if it felt as smooth and soft as it looked. Tucking the
tips of his fingers into the back of his pants pockets, he reminded himself to
keep his hands to himself.

“So, you said this was
your dad’s recipe?”

“Yeah, my dad loved to
cook. And he also had a sweet tooth.” Lexi smiled at the memory.

“I’m sorry about your
parents. How long have they been gone?”

“They were killed in a
car accident when I was ten. I went to live with my grandfather.”

“The one Angie is so
fond of?”

“Yep,” Lexi smiled and
didn’t seem particularly uncomfortable with the topic, so he continued.

“So, what’s wrong with
him, or shouldn’t I ask?”

“Well, let’s see. When
I got back from college, he told me he expected me to marry his business partner.”

“Was the business
partner your boyfriend?”

“Hell no! I’ve known
the man since I went to live with my grandfather, but I really don’t know him.
We’ve never even had a real conversation that I can recall. Although, he does
have a habit of accidently copping a feel whenever I have the misfortune to be
in the same room with him and no one is looking in our direction. I have to
give the guy credit; he’s perfected the skill.”

“Sounds like a jerk.
Why would your grandfather want you to marry him?”

“There’s only one
reason my grandfather does anything: if it is good for his company. I basically
told him to shove it, and he took away my car, computer, phone, clothes, and
all the personal belongings at his house, which happened to be pretty much
everything I owned.” Instead at sounding devastated when telling the story, she
seemed mildly amused.

“That’s sucks. But you
don’t seem that upset.”

Lexi shrugged, then
said, “Well, he did pay for my education, and I don’t have an outstanding
college loan, so that’s cool. He bought me the car and computer, so I suppose
he has the right to take them back if he wants.  I just wish he would stay out
of my business. Interviews that were promised to me from contacts I had in the
industry suddenly dried up after I moved out of my grandfather’s house.”

“Your grandfather
sabotaged your efforts to find a job?”

“I’m pretty sure. It
wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Does he know you’ve
moved to Havasu?”

“Nope.” Lexi turned off
the stove and moved the pan off the burner. She added a half-teaspoon of
vanilla extract to the mixture.