Sinfully Delicious
Page 23
“Don’t worry about it, Stormy,” Hunter announced, appearing in the opening that led to the stairs. He was focused on Grandpa, not me. “People in this town have been talking about me my entire life. After what went down with my father, this is minor.”
Grandpa pursed his lips. “The girlfriend is no more, right? That will make this easier.”
Hunter hesitated. “Nothing happened last night. Stormy called because someone was trying to get into her apartment. Don’t give her a hard time about it.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Grandpa shifted his eyes to me. “What does he mean? Why would someone try to get into your apartment?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It happened late and I panicked. That’s why I called Hunter.”
“But ... that makes no sense.”
“It does if you consider the fact that a body was found in the alley right under her apartment a few days ago,” Hunter challenged. “Speaking of that, you and I are going to have a talk. You can keep hiding all you want, but it’s going to happen.”
Grandpa straightened. “I don’t hide.”
“Whatever.” Hunter flicked his eyes to me. “I’m going to get the things I need to upgrade your security system from the hardware store. I need the keys so I can get in and out without interrupting your shift.”
I nodded and reached into my apron, handing over the keys without a word.
“How are you going to upgrade the security up there?” Grandpa challenged. “There are only two ways to get in.”
“And I’m upgrading both of them.” Hunter was firm. “I might change the back locks on this restaurant, too, so be prepared for that.”
Grandpa opened his mouth, I’m sure to argue, but then snapped it shut. “Make sure she’s safe,” he said finally.
“That’s the plan. As for the other thing ... don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Monica.”
“She’s an unpleasant girl, son, but I don’t want my granddaughter earning a reputation that isn’t warranted. It’s not fair.”
“I don’t care about my reputation,” I argued.
“Shush, you.” Grandpa wagged a finger. “This is a small town. You need to handle your business.”
“I’m going to handle my business,” Hunter reassured him. “You need to make yourself available for questions later. I’m going to be ticked if I have to hunt you down this afternoon.”
“I haven’t been hiding,” Grandpa protested.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Hunter shook his head. “Just be available. I’m sick of your crap ... and I am going out of my way to keep your granddaughter safe. You owe me.”
Grandpa was resigned. “Let’s not pretend that you’re doing this for me. You’re doing it for her ... and yourself.”
Hunter remained silent.
“I’ll be around if you need to talk later,” Grandpa relented. “You have to wait until I’m done on the grill. We’ll be slammed through the breakfast rush.”
THE MORNING SHIFT SEEMED TO DRAG on forever. And ever, and ever and ever.
Grandpa watched me like a hawk, perhaps thinking I was going to run upstairs to hang out with Hunter the second he turned his back.
For his part, Hunter walked in and out through the back door, ignoring everyone but David, who dropped in from the gas station to see what the fuss was about. Hunter moved his car to one of the employee parking spots and set about his tasks.
Occasionally he met my gaze when I was placing orders or picking up plates, but he only offered an encouraging smile. We didn’t talk, and eventually I managed to push him out of my mind when he set up shop in my apartment. Every once in a while I heard hammering upstairs, but he didn’t come back down and I lost myself in my work.
After a few hours, I managed to convince myself — mostly — that the only people who knew Hunter had spent the night were Grandpa and the grocery store manager. That notion went straight out the window when the door flew open shortly after ten and Monica stormed in. The look on her face told me that the gossip train in Shadow Hills was still chugging along.
“You.” Her eyes were narrow slits of hate.
I swallowed hard, glancing around to see if anybody was watching. Every set of eyes in the restaurant had turned in our direction. There was so little to do in town that meal theater was a regular occurrence, and it was obvious everyone in the cafe section was ready for some entertainment.
“Hey, Monica.” I tried not to focus on her eyebrows. They’d clearly been drawn on with pencil ... and unevenly at that. I reminded myself that she had every right to be angry. From her perspective, her boyfriend had spent the night with another woman. She couldn’t possibly be aware of the circumstances surrounding the act itself, so she’d filled in the gaps herself. “You look nice today.”
Her expression darkened. “Do you think that’s going to work on me?” She stalked over to the coffee counter, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
“Maybe we should take this outside?” I suggested, hating the eyes I felt watching us. “It might be better if we keep this private.”
“Better for whom?” Monica’s tone was icy. “Do you think they don’t already know? Are you really that stupid? Or don’t you care? I’m guessing it’s that you don’t care.”
I pressed my tongue to the top of my mouth and remained focused on the coffee pot. “Nothing happened.”
“Oh, don’t even.” I had no doubt that if Monica thought she could get away with it she would launch herself over the counter and start beating me over the head with the coffee pot.
I found the strength to raise my chin and meet her gaze head on. “There was an incident last night and Hunter came to help. Someone tried to break into my apartment. That’s all it was.”
“So he had to spend the night with you?” There was fury in her eyes. She hated me. There was no doubt about it. To be fair, she’d probably hated me before we even met. My history with Hunter would’ve ensured that.
“He slept on the couch.” Sure, I ended up sleeping with him, but she didn’t need to know that. “He was being a good friend.”
“He’s not your friend,” she screeched. “He’s my boyfriend ... or was. If he thinks I’m going to sit back and let him make a fool of me, he’s got another thing coming.”
I felt bad. Like ... really bad. I’d cost Hunter something more than just a letterman’s jacket this time. “I swear nothing happened.” The words felt empty coming out of my mouth.
“I don’t believe you!” If it was possible to shoot fire from eyes, like in movies, I would be a charred mess. “I knew when I heard you were coming back that it was going to be bad. I told him. But he reassured me. He said he would never have feelings for you again because of what happened.
“I wanted to believe him, so I did,” she continued. “He was lying. I think I always knew that. Still, I thought you would at least show me a modicum of respect and not go after him the first week. I guess I know what sort of person you are now.”
I searched for the right words — any words would do at this point — to placate her. There was nothing. There was no justification that would suffice.
“Is there a problem here?” Grandpa demanded from between the swinging doors, causing me to jolt. I hadn’t noticed him sneaking up to check out the show.
“Is there a problem?” Monica’s voice was like razor blades on glass. “Are you kidding me? There’s a big freaking problem. Your granddaughter is a whore.”
Grandpa slid his eyes to me and I read the disappointment there. He knew this would happen. I’d managed to convince myself otherwise, but it was too late to backtrack and do things the right way. I’d managed to hurt Hunter and myself. Heck, I’d managed to disappoint my grandfather. Life couldn’t get much worse.
“I’m sorry you’re upset,” Grandpa said blandly, “but this conversation is not for public consumption. If you want to continue, then you’ll have to take it someplace else.”
Monica was incredulous. “Are you kicking me o
ut?”
“I’m asking you to take this conversation elsewhere.”
“And what if I refuse?”
“Then I’m kicking you out.” Grandpa was matter-of-fact. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to you attack Stormy. She’s not your problem. If you have issues with Hunter’s behavior, take them up with him. He’s the one you’re in a relationship with.”
Monica puffed out her chest. “I’m going to tell everyone exactly what sort of person your granddaughter is. I don’t think anyone will be surprised, though.”
“You might want to check your attitude at the door,” Grandpa warned. “People already know what type of person she is.”
“Oh, they’re going to know even more about her now. Mark my words.” Before I could say anything, Monica spun on her heel and stormed toward the door. “I’m going to make you pay, Stormy. This is nowhere near over.”
I heaved out a breath when she disappeared through the door, and turned toward my grandfather to thank him for stepping in. He was already gone, though, disappeared back into the kitchen.
“That kind of sucked, huh?”
I jerked my head to a nearby booth and found Roy’s secretary, Erin, drinking coffee with another woman I didn’t recognize. She looked positively thrilled with the turn of events, as if she’d been waiting hours for a show and had finally been rewarded.
“It totally sucked,” I agreed, rolling my neck. I still had a shift to finish, and I was determined to do it with as much dignity as I could muster. “Do you need more coffee?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be right over. Just give me a minute.”
24
Twenty-Four
I refused to run cowering into the kitchen. That would simply reinforce the town’s assumption that Hunter and I had done something wrong. Instead, I held my shoulders square and finished my shift even as a voice whispered in the back of my head: You did do something wrong.
I didn’t want to think about Monica as a victim, but now she’d been hurt by me twice. Yes, Hunter and I had only slept together on the couch. There had been no wandering hands or tongues. There hadn’t been as much as a hint of a chaste kiss (or a dirty one, for that matter). That didn’t change the fact that I was more than willing to cuddle up to Hunter all night, and that was a betrayal of whatever he had with Monica. If the roles had been reversed and I was the one with a boyfriend sleeping on the couch with another woman, I would’ve been just as loud as Monica, maybe more so.
“What are you thinking about?” Grandpa asked from the coffee counter twenty minutes before the end of my shift. I was anxious to get off my feet — and out of the public eye — but also determined to stand strong in the face of all the whispers.
“I’m just ... thinking.” I forced a smile that I didn’t really feel. “You don’t think this will blow back on Hunter and hurt him, do you?”
Grandpa arched an amused eyebrow. He didn’t respond, though.
“I get the feeling that it’s been difficult for him given what went down with his parents. I don’t want to add to that.”
“Good grief.” Grandpa tilted his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose so he could stare at the ceiling. “You are unbelievable.”
“It’s a serious question.” I refused to back down. “I don’t want to cost him more than I already have.”
Grandpa’s eyes were incredulous when they traveled back to mine. “You cannot be serious.”
“Why wouldn’t I be serious?”
“Because ... it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. What is it you think you’ve taken from Hunter?”
I thought back to what he’d said about being broken-hearted after our breakup. “More than you’re capable of understanding.”
“Oh, I’m capable of understanding quite a bit,” Grandpa countered. “I’m not an idiot. You and Hunter aren’t so complex that nobody can figure you out. You’re actually an open book.”
“Oh, really?” I rolled my eyes. My grandfather wasn’t known for being particularly observant about things that didn’t involve him. “And what do you see when you look at us?”
“Two people who will never get over one another.” He was matter-of-fact ... and full of himself. “I don’t know that I believe in love at first sight. I never did. Lust is another thing ... as long as you’re over eighteen, which you and Hunter weren’t when this all started.” He sent me a pointed look.
“Everybody was afraid when you were a kid that you would throw your life away and never experience anything if you stayed with him,” he continued. “Now, the opposite is true. You went out into the world but you weren’t happy. I’m starting to believe you need him to be happy.”
I was shocked. “I don’t believe a woman needs a man to be happy.”
“I don’t either. I might’ve twenty years or so ago, but I know better now. This isn’t about a woman needing a man. This is about you needing Hunter.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“I’d already come to the conclusion that he needed you years ago,” Grandpa offered. “I tried to reach out to him, offer him the family he so desperately craved, but he didn’t want to be around us without you. That’s when I knew you were the key.”
Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. “He’s with Monica.”
Grandpa rolled his eyes. “Don’t kid yourself, Stormy. That relationship is already over. Heck, he let it continue longer than he should have simply because he wanted a way to keep you at arm’s length. I think he realizes that was a wasted effort. Monica will be gone by the end of the day — if she doesn’t break up with him first because she sees the writing on the wall.”
“She’s still his girlfriend,” I persisted, refusing to give in to hope.
Grandpa clucked his tongue and shook his head. “Do you want to know what your problem is?”
“Not really.”
He barreled forward as if I hadn’t said anything. “Your problem is that you have to experience every wrong emotion before you can embrace the right one. You’ve always been that way. You weren’t a kid who could learn the easy way. It always had to be hard.”
I shook my head. I had to get him off this subject. “I need to talk about Roy Axe,” I started, earning a glare. “You can be as angry as you want, but Hunter is convinced that whoever tried to get into the apartment last night is tied to Roy’s death. We need to figure out who did this.”
“Why do you think I would know anything about Roy?”
“You used to be friends. Somewhere along the way you had a falling out. I want to know what it was about.”
“He was an ass.”
“That seems to be the general consensus,” I agreed. “That didn’t stop you from being friends with him years ago. I remember you two hanging out.”
“We weren’t friends.”
I waited, folding my arms over my chest. I refused to let him escape from this conversation again.
“I guess the most you could say is we were friendly,” Grandpa continued. “We golfed together for a time. We had coffee together. Heck, he still had coffee here every morning even though everybody hated him.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” I pressed. “That’s not like you. The more you sidestep this, the more I think you have something to hide.”
He glared. “I didn’t kill him.”
“I know you didn’t.” That was mostly true. “That’s not who you are. You’re far more likely to annoy him to death. That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been avoiding Hunter. I want to know why.”
“I haven’t been avoiding Hunter. He simply has bad timing.”
I waited.
“This is none of your business.” He threw his hands in the air. “I’m only telling you this to get you to shut up. You’re giving me a headache. Do you know who you learned that from? Your mother.”
He was trying to derail me, but I had no intention of letting that happen. “Tell me what happened between you and Roy.”
I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I hiked an eyebrow. “You’re kidding. I never would’ve guessed.”
“Nobody needs the sarcasm, young lady,” he shot back.
“How do you know that was sarcastic?” I challenged. “I might be in the dark regarding Roy’s penchant for cheating on his wife.”
“Nobody is in the dark regarding Roy’s crap. That’s simply not how it works. He liked being brash and bold because he thought people would respect him if he acted like a buffoon. He didn’t realize how much people hated him. Or, maybe he did. It’s possible he acted that way because he was desperate for attention. Some people need the attention no matter what, and Roy was always one of those people.”
“You still haven’t told me what he did,” I pointed out.
Grandpa’s scowl only grew more pronounced. “There was this girl. Tina Thompkins. She was in your grade when you graduated from high school.”
Now it was my turn to frown. “I remember her.”
“Yeah? Well, she went to work for Roy about three years ago. She worked for me before that, but she was having trouble being on her feet all day. She was a good girl. I didn’t want to see her fall by the wayside.”
I didn’t say anything, instead allowing the space between sentences to fill with silence. I had the feeling I was about to learn something terrible.
“I suggested she work for Roy as a secretary,” Grandpa continued, refusing to meet my gaze. “He already had one secretary, but he was making noise about needing another. I suggested Tina and he agreed to hire her.
“At first it seemed like a good fit,” he continued. “Tina was happy and not having the same physical problems she had at the restaurant. I didn’t think much of it until I ran into Tina at the store in Gaylord one day. She was crying and we got to talking and ... well ... she mentioned she’d lost her job.”