“I just did what Tommy did. It was kinda whacked, but I didn’t mind getting rid of a few clothes,” Brien added.
“Whacked sounds about right,” Jessica whispered. “Sorry guys,” she said in a louder voice. “I will really try to get it together.”
“It’s okay,” Brien said. “We all go whacko once in a while. Do you think I still have a job?”
“If you still want to be pool boy to the madwoman of Mission Hills, I’m sure I can square things with Bernadette. Just lie low for a day or two, then pick up your regular schedule like none of this ever happened.”
“That’s cool. Thanks, Jessica.”
“No problem, Brien. You and Tommy better get out of here.”
“Sure, Jessica,” Tommy said. “How are we going to get home? We got here in the limo you hired. You want us to call a cab?”
Jessica thought for a moment about last night. She had planned what she hoped would be a great evening. A well-stocked stretch limo shuttled her, Tommy, and a few other friends around town. Dinner had been great at Lulu, downtown in Palm Springs. Then there was Judge Judy Bingo and drinks at Toucan’s nearby, followed by dancing and more drinks at Costa’s.
She had a vague recollection of Tommy asking if he could, “please, please, please” bring Brien along when they ran into him at Costa’s. She must have said okay. The plan was to go next to the Agua Caliente Casino to play some slots, and she was sure there would be more drinking. By that point things grew sketchy. It was like she had blacked out. Jessica strained to remember what happened, making her head hurt more, but there was nada, zip, zilch. There was no memory at all of arriving at the casino or returning home after that.
“Tommy, I don’t get it. I can’t remember much of anything after leaving Costa’s. Brien, you were there by then, what happened? I am so sorry you guys, maybe I can’t hold my liquor anymore. Did I make a scene or pass out?”
It should be no surprise if she was out of practice drinking. She spent most of the last three years of her marriage trying to get pregnant, pregnant, or recovering from a failed pregnancy. Despite her love of good wine, and an appreciation for stronger spirits occasionally, she had quit drinking alcohol. Still, she had done her best to get back up to speed in the last few weeks though.
“Did everybody else get home okay?” she asked.
“Sure, Jessica,” Tommy replied. “Everybody was having a great time at your divorce party except you.”
“I wasn’t the life of the party, but I was doing okay until I flamed out on all of you,” she said, shaking her head in disgust. “How much do you have to drink to black out like that? Maybe I should book a stint at Betty Ford’s.” She shook her head in disgust.
Brien gave Tommy an anxious glance. “Dude, you’d better tell her.” Tommy whipped his head in Brien’s direction and shook his head no.
“Tell me what, Tommy?” Jessica asked, assuming the hands on hips posture that worked so well for Bernadette.
“We tried to make the experience more spectacular for her, Tommy, that’s all.” Then to Jessica he added, “You were bummed out, Jessica. I could tell that right away when I saw you all at Costa’s.”
“Tommy, I’m asking you for the last time. What did you do?”
Tommy wore a sheepish look on his face as he spoke. “We sort of gave you something.”
“What the...?’’ Jessica’s voice rose in volume.
“Shh, shh, hush,” they both said in unison, cutting her off and looking over their shoulders at the bedroom door. “You don’t want to get HER back in here do you?” Tommy asked.
“Tell me what you did and then I’ll decide whether St. Bernadette comes back in here. Tell me, now.” Despite her bravado, she lowered her voice since she wasn’t ready for another round with Bernadette either.
“We slipped you a roofy, okay?” Brien blurted out. “We talked it over and thought you might have some fun if you could relax a little more.”
“Thomas,” Jessica asked, “is this true?”
“Thomas, you haven’t called me Thomas since I was twelve...” his voice trailed off when they made eye contact. “It’s true,” he said looking at his hands and then a big, fat tear rolled down his cheek. “I didn’t know you’d take it so bad.”
“Take it so bad! You could have killed me. You gave me that without knowing what medication I might already have taken. And I was drinking—a lot!” The volume of Jessica’s voice rose again.
“Wow, I never thought about that did you Tommy?” Brien asked, wide-eyed.
“I am so sorry,” Tommy said. “I’ve never seen anyone get so weird after one roofy and a few drinks. You shouldn’t ever do that again.” Tears were streaming down his face now.
“Oh, I won’t do that again,” Jessica said, grim-faced. “And neither will you. Not to me, or to anyone else. If I ever find out either of you have pulled a stunt like that again I’m calling Uncle Don.” They both looked down at the floor. Sergeant Donald Fontana with the Palm Springs Police Department was Tommy’s uncle. She wasn’t sure she’d really call him but it sounded like a good threat.
“And I’ll tell Bernadette.”
Two heads snapped up, looking at her to see if she was serious. Seeing the set of her jaw, they both blanched with terror.
“We won’t do it again. Please don’t tell, Mrs. B. It’s not just about my job,” Brien said with great conviction, “that woman has powers.” Tommy nodded in agreement.
Jessica knew what they meant. If she had to choose she’d face Uncle Don and spend a few days in jail rather than push Bernadette too far. They both looked miserable.
“You two get out of here, now!” Jessica reached for the big leather Buti tote sitting on her dresser and pulled out her keys. “Take my car,” she said, tossing the keys to Tommy. Tommy brightened and snatched the keys right out of the air.
“You still love me, Jessica, you do, you do,” Tommy said with a smile of relief on his face. True.
It’s tough when you’re young and you lose someone your own age, shattering the illusion of invulnerability before you have your feet planted firmly under you. After Kelly died Tommy never quite got it together to decide what he wanted from life, much less how he would get it. He took courses at College of the Desert, the local community college, without ever settling on a direction. Then he dabbled in computers and videography. Later, he got excited about a career in xeriscape so he could design desert landscapes, until he tried working outdoors in the desert heat.
Jessica considered the tattered ruins that remained of her own well-planned life and let out a huge sigh. The best laid plans, she thought. She held out her arms and Tommy rushed into them for a hug, sobbing again.
“It’s okay, Tommy,” she said patting him on the back, tears welling up in her eyes as a rush of maternal feelings engulfed her. Her blasted biological clock! Fueled by fertility drugs, she had plunged into a primordial soup of hormones from which she was still emerging months later. Jessica looked up just as Brien took a step toward them raising his arms.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said. Brien stopped mid step.
Tommy wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “Get it back tomorrow and in perfect condition or else,” Jessica admonished. They nodded their heads obediently and left the room.
Jessica felt exhausted but relieved to find out she wasn’t going nuts or hadn’t gone too far down the road toward alcoholism. She was living too close to the edge though. It was time to take a step back toward normalcy whatever that meant at this point in her life. Jessica finished cleaning the room, even changed the sheets and made her bed. A shower would be great but the next thing she needed to do was patch things up with Bernadette. Tightening the cord on her soft chenille robe, like a fighter about to enter the arena, Jessica padded in bare feet out to the kitchen to find Bernadette.
~~~~~
Continue reading A Dead Husband Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery #1 @ http://smarturl.it/deadhus
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Anna Celeste Burke is an award-winning and bestselling author who enjoys snooping into life's mysteries with fun, fiction, & food—California style! Her books include the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series set in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series set on California’s Central Coast, and The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery series set in Orange County, California--the OC. Coming soon: The Misadventures of Betsy Stark that take place in the Coachella Valley. Find out more at http://www.desertcitiesmystery.com.
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