I drop the can of paint, and it falls to the side and rolls under the back end of the car. With a hand on the top of the trunk, I brace, debating whether I need to make a run for it. A tall blonde hops off my porch, leaving the rocker she'd been sitting in wobbling from her sudden departure."I've got it. Thanks. I reach back into the trunk, curious about who the hell is chillin' on my porch, but not curious enough to ask her.She sticks her head in the trunk, disregarding what I said, and pulls out the second gallon of paint and one of the plastic bags. "Name's Katy. Hardware, huh? Did you see Mack?" The questions roll out of her with barely a breath."Um... yeah."Katy walks up to the porch, the paint swinging in her hand. "I brought your mail."I've been here less than twenty-four hours, how can I have mail? "Okay...""Larry, the mailman, is up there in years. He forgets what road he's on most of the time. As long as the numbers match, he crams it in the box," she carrie
Twenty minutes later Katy and I stand outside Bonnie's Diner on Main Street. I managed to get the paint off my face and hands, but blobs of light blue are still stuck in my hair. It looks like I'm sporting highlights from a paintball gun. Katy swore there wasn't time for a shower, but she somehow painted and didn't get a drop on her. She could be a witch. Or a relative of Martha Stewart."Bonnie's has the best club sandwich," Katy says as she holds the glass door open for me.Let's hope the food is better than the décor. Bonnie's hasn't changed a single bit since my last visit to Pelican Bay. It's your typical 1980s diner. There are no cute black and white tile floors or themed pictures on the wall. Rather it's stark and in a weird way reminds me of the restaurant the characters always ate at on the Seinfeld sitcom.There's a white tile floor, rows of booths on the side wall, and tables spread out in the open area. A laminate counter spans the length of the back wall with stools
A shadow falls over my food as a tall guy in khakis and a dark blue polo stops at the end of our table. "Katy." His eyes barely flit over to her before he's focused on me. "Tabitha." He smirks."Pierce," she says between clenched teeth.His dirty blond hair's swept off to the side in a flawless hairdo. It probably takes him half a bottle of gel every morning. "Move over, Katy.""Go away, Pierce." She tries to shoo him away with her hand, but he doesn't leave."I haven't met our new friend yet." He sits down on my side of the bench until I'm forced to slide over, taking my food and drink with me. I shake his outstretched hand while Katy glares at us. "I'm Pierce.""Yes, I heard. It's nice to meet you." I take my hand back as soon as possible."No it's not," Katy sneers. Pierce looks nice, but Katy acts like he carries the bubonic plague. Although since we've already established she's crazy, I'm not sure how much stock to put into her assessments.Pierce only laughs. "You t
I'm ready for Ridge today. I've washed the paint from my hair and put on a pair of jeans and a baby pink long sleeve shirt with the Oklahoma State University logo on the front. No short pants and tank tops today. I also spent a few minutes post wakeup making sure my hair looks nice.Okay, fine. I woke up at six, did my hair, and put on make-up. Yes, I'm trying to look good for a man. Shoot me. I don't care.He's hot.I won't be in the market for a new boyfriend any time soon thanks to Mario, but no one wants a hot guy to see them looking shitty. There's nothing wrong with that.Ridge's knock on my back door comes later than yesterday. I've spent the last ten minutes thumbing through a book I found in the bottom of the master bedroom closet. Turns out Aunt Gertie liked her smut as much as the rest of us.The doorbell rings in the living room and another short knock follows. I wait for another ten seconds, counting quickly in my head, and then walk to the kitchen in a hurried f
A grin sweeps over my face and I tilt my head. "Yes."He pulls it higher until I'm standing on my tip toes, leaning against the counter to meet him half way. Ridge's lips trail against mine, the slightest touch before he pulls away. I exhale, asking for more. This time we meet more forcefully. I stretch on my toes as high as possible and brace a hand on the counter for balance.This kiss is the kiss to end all first kisses. I've kissed my fair share of guys. I mean, I've been kissing since thirteen when Greg Holiday planted one on me in the middle of the hallway and then ran away. But this kiss... it blows every other single kiss out of the water.If I can expect this every time with Ridge, I never want to put my lips on anyone else. And there are a lot of other places I'd like use my lips on his body. I'm seconds away from climbing over the counter and pulling him into the bedroom when he steps back.Feeling a little dazed, I lower myself back to the floor, my hand still brace
"It's Ridge. I texted him." Katy opens her door and waves.I pop the trunk and follow her out of the car. "You texted him?"We meet at the back as she unloads her bags. "Yeah. Look, Tabitha. I'm not sure who the guy at the mall was, but he upset you. Trust me when I say if it's something big, Ridge is the guy to help you out.""Ridge?" I guess he could hook me up with a nice security alarm.Katy holds her bags in two hands and turns with sympathy. "You don't have to share whatever freaked you out, but know I've got your back."She slams the trunk down and starts the short walk to her house leaving me to discreetly wipe away the water that's gathered in my eyes. I've never had a friend be so understanding and well... friendly — especially one I've known two days. The unexpected kindness throws me for a loop, but it doesn't last long.Ridge stands on the end of the porch, his thick arms ramrod straight holding himself up on the rail. "Everything okay?""Er.... Yeah. It's fi
"A few weeks ago. I couldn't come to Aunt Gertie's funeral with the black eye, but as soon as he thought everything was fine I left a note and bolted.""And the guy in the parking lot today, was that him?" The beam from the light house hits the truck on one of its passes, highlighting Ridge. His tense face looks fierce, not someone you'd want to mess with."Mario? No. One of his employees. He left a note on my window.""What kind of note?" he asks.I shrug. "It said seventy-two.""Seventy-two what?"I shrug again in case he missed it the first time. "Who knows? He's called a few times. I suppose I have three days to answer one of them.""That's everything?"Subconsciously my hand falls to my jeans pocket, my palm rubs against the USB drive still safety tucked away. "Yup."Now that Ridge knows my history, I brace, ready for him to take me home rather than on this promised date. What man in his right mind wants to get wrapped up in whatever I've got going on? Especially
The front door shuts behind me, but I barely hear it. I'm on the hunt for the elusive phone. I head into the kitchen but quickly turn. The ringing is louder in the living room. I walk by the rolltop desk and stop. There wasn't a phone on the main surface when I left, but I roll it up to double check.Nothing.There's another ring and my eyes fall until I open the lower right side drawer. In the middle of the deep bottom drawer, the one normally reserved for hanging files, sits an off white-yellow colored phone. The old style with the receiver and dial buttons on the front."Hello?" I pick up the receiver hoping I haven't missed the caller. A long phone cord twirls, following me. Obviously Aunt Gertie's answer to being able to walk around the house while on the phone.The line is quiet for a moment and then, "Tabitha, is it you?""Amy?" How in the hell did Amy get the number to the phone hidden in the rolltop desk like Gertie was a super spy?"You don't have voicemail on thi