Sultry at 30 (Love Without Batteries)

by Cassandra Lawson

  Chelsea followed my gaze and eyed her cake wearily.

  “Thank you,” I told the waitress. “I’ve been dreaming about this cake.”

  The waitress gave me a kind smile. “Those cravings can be pretty intense.”

  “Yes, they can,” I agreed, glaring at Chelsea as I was reminded of her lie.

  When the waitress left, I shook my finger at Chelsea. “I am definitely going to make you pay if you ruined my chance to get cake.”

  “Maybe Sebastian will knock you up,” Chelsea teased.

  I was tempted to make the sign of the cross after her evil suggestion. Apparently, my expression clearly conveyed my thoughts because Chelsea laughed at me.

  “I was joking, Delaney,” she insisted. “I’m sure you not only make him wear a condom, you also checked the date on the box.”

  “Oh, yes,” I assured her. “I’m not taking any chances.”

  I took a bite of my cake and moaned. Chelsea began cutting hers into tiny pieces. It was more than a little annoying to realize she still hadn’t taken a bite by the time I was halfway done with my cake.

  “Eat your cake or I’ll steal it from you,” I warned.

  Chelsea stuck her tongue out at me before taking her first bite. It was funny to watch. Few people looked that hesitant when trying cake. It was cake. Only the truly deranged didn’t like cake, but Chelsea seemed convinced she would hate it.

  Once she swallowed, I asked. “Isn’t it truly the best cake ever?”

  She shrugged. “It’s okay.”

  “Just okay?” I asked in disbelief. “This is incredible cake.”

  “I like carrot cake better,” Chelsea replied.

  There was honestly only one way to deal with Chelsea’s insanity. I grabbed her plate and moved it in front of me. “No cake for you. In fact, I’m going to message Luke and tell him you don’t deserve any spankings for a month,” I announced before I began eating her cake. This worked out well for me since it gave me a good excuse to have a second slice of cake.

  Chelsea huffed and went up to the front to get her carrot cake, which she exclaimed was perfect. My friend was a sick woman.

  “Have you heard anything from the police?” Chelsea asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing yet.”

  “They may not find anything,” Chelsea warned me.

  “I know,” I admitted. “The police already told me it was unlikely. Sebastian seems convinced it was Cody.”

  “Ty likes Cody,” Chelsea added. “My brother has good instincts, and he thinks Cody’s innocent.”

  “Has Ty been able to help Cody find his son?” I asked.

  Rather than referring Cody to his uncle, Ty had agreed to help him. Since I hadn’t talked to Ty or Cody, I had no idea how the hunt was going. I wasn’t even sure if it would be easy for Ty to find anything.

  “According to Ty, it didn’t take much to track down the mother,” Chelsea replied. “Cody knew just enough details for Ty to find news stories about her case. From there, he was able to find out where she’s incarcerated. It’s still taking time to get things worked out. I guess Cody’s not on the birth certificate, and even though the mom is willing to cooperate, there are complications. I don’t know all the details, but Ty is sure it will work out.”

  “I hope he’s right,” I told her. “Considering our past, I probably shouldn’t care one way or another how it works out. Even though I don’t want to be Cody’s friend, I don’t hate him.”

  “You’re not one to hold a grudge,” Chelsea remarked.

  “I’m still not forgiving you for insulting the tuxedo cake,” I told her.

  “I just thought you needed it,” Chelsea stated with a sweet smile. “The baby loves cake.”

  “Bitch,” I muttered.

  “Sebastian’s the one isn’t he?” she asked, her eyes locked with mine.

  A week ago, I’d probably have insisted I didn’t know Sebastian well enough to say he was the one. I’d have come up with many arguments to avoid admitting to my feelings. Now, I knew the truth.

  “I love him,” I told her with a smile. “Sebastian is as perfect as this cake.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Sebastian

  I’d met Ty before, but we’d never hung out. He’d been working at his uncle’s firm, learning to be a private investigator when I’d met Luke. Since I was a young senior in high school, Luke hadn’t invited me to hang out with him on the rare occasions he’d seen Ty. We were all getting along fairly well.

  We were mostly having a guys’ day. I say mostly because Haley was with us. Chelsea had offered to take her, but Ty didn’t seem inclined to let his niece out of his sight.

  “I didn’t know guys could have baby fever this bad until I saw you holding your niece,” I mused.

  Luke chuckled. “Yeah, you can practically hear Ty’s ovaries crying out.”

  “Screw you,” Ty shot back in a gentle tone so as not to upset Haley. “I don’t need to have my masculinity questioned by a man who wore a pink baby wrap the other day.”

  “Haley doesn’t like the carrier I got for her,” Luke argued. “I can’t have my little princess crying.”

  I snorted. “You are both willing slaves to that baby. Not that I blame you. Charlotte’s not a baby anymore, but I still think about being a father when I’m around my niece.”

  “We’re all a bunch of needy bitches,” Luke grumbled before grinning. “There are worse things to be.”

  “How are things going with Delaney?” Ty asked me.

  “Great,” I replied before adding, “for the most part. The police still haven’t found the person who threw those rocks or messed with her car. She also keeps insisting it wasn’t Cody, but I’m not sure I buy that.”

  “I think she’s right,” Ty agreed as he stood to bounce Haley when she started to fuss. “When I talked to Cody, he seemed pretty focused on finding his son. He also seemed really concerned about Delaney.”

  I shrugged. “He lied before. I don’t see any reason to trust him now.”

  “I’m with Sebastian on this one,” Luke added. “The guy sounds a lot like my dad. He’s good at getting people to believe his lies, too.”

  Ty shrugged. “Normally, I’d agree with you, but Cody’s focus is on finding his son and doing what he has to in order to get custody. I don’t think he’d screw that up by messing with Delaney this way.”

  I blew out a frustrated breath. Delaney had said much the same thing earlier that day. Apparently, she’d gone out with Chelsea recently, and after they’d talked she was even more convinced of Cody’s innocence. I wouldn’t say we’d argued, mostly because I didn’t want to admit we’d argued. Delaney wasn’t necessarily sticking up for Cody, but she refused to accept that he might be guilty. I just couldn’t figure out how she could be that gullible.

  I cursed under my breath.

  “What did you say to Delaney?” Luke asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “What makes you think I said something to Delaney?” I asked.

  “You have that I am in serious trouble look on your face,” Ty explained for him.

  “I am in serious trouble,” I admitted. “I accused Delaney of being gullible.”

  “Not good, but she’ll forgive you,” Luke assured me.

  “It gets worse,” I admitted. “I don’t want to go into details, but I went too far.”

  “She’ll still forgive you,” Ty assured me.

  “Yeah, from what Chelsea says, Delaney’s crazy about you,” Luke added.

  “You still might want to send her a message apologizing now,” Ty suggested. “It’ll give her more time to get over being mad before you see her later.”

  “Good idea,” I agreed, pulling out my phone to message her.

  Chapter Fifty

  Delaney

  I’d definitely enjoyed my afternoon shopping with Brook and Chelsea, even if I had been distracted. I’d considered suggesting we stop for cake to improve my mood, but I still hadn’t forgiven Chelsea for ch
oosing carrot cake over tuxedo cake a few days earlier. My argument with Sebastian was still bothering me. I completely understood why he didn’t trust Cody. It was hard for me to trust him. Sebastian was also feeling overprotective. What bothered me was his insinuation that I was acting like a victim with Cody again and letting him manipulate me.

  I was almost at my car when a body slammed into me from the side, knocking me into the wall. Pain shot through my body as my shoulder hit the wall, and to my utter shock, I realized it was Cody who’d just attacked me. When I went to scream, he clamped his hand over my mouth.

  Panic set in as I struggled to free myself from his hold.

  “Laney!” he said urgently. “We need to get in a building. There’s a woman with a gun, and she was pointing it at you.”

  My eyes widened as his words registered. If Cody was to be believed, he was saving me. Still, I hesitated. He could just as easily be lying to get me away from there.

  “It looks like the backdoor to that restaurant is open,” Cody told me, pointing to our left and removing his hand from my mouth.

  We hurried into the restaurant before speaking again.

  “You really saw someone?” I asked him.

  He nodded. “It was a woman. She had red hair, lighter than yours and cut short. I didn’t get a really good look at her, but she had a tattoo of some flower on her hand. Does she sound familiar?”

  I shook my head. “We should call the police.”

  “What are you doing back here?” a woman demanded when she walked into the back part of the restaurant where we’d entered. “We’re not open until five.”

  “I saw someone pointing a gun at her, so we hurried in here,” Cody explained.

  “Oh my!” the woman exclaimed, hurrying to lock the back door. “We’d better call the police.”

  I stifled a groan, wondering how long I’d have to wait for the police to arrive this time.

  “What were you doing out there?” I asked Cody, still suspicious of his all too opportune arrival.

  “I guess this doesn’t look good,” he admitted, flashing his charming smile. Cody didn’t look much different from the last time I’d seen him. His blond hair was still a little on the long side, and his twin dimples were still prominent when he smiled. He still had the same lean muscular build and sparkling blue eyes. It was strange seeing him after so many years.

  My eyes narrowed because that charming smile and those good looks had always been what he used to get his way. “It looks even worse that you haven’t answered my question.”

  “I went to a baby store near here to buy a car seat. I wanted to have a seat so I can pick my son up as soon as everything is sorted out. We’re still waiting on DNA testing. Ty recommended this store,” he explained.

  I nodded, not sure I trusted him yet, but figuring it would be easy enough to confirm.

  As it turned out, the police arrived shortly after we called them. Apparently, a woman on the street with a gun was a top priority. They quickly took our statements. I had nothing to offer, but Cody gave them a description and details on the gun. Cody also admitted it looked like a BB gun. The police told us to stay put while they searched the area.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mention it probably being a BB gun,” he began. “I didn’t want to take any chances.”

  I waved off his apology. “I prefer to avoid assuming I’m safe when it comes to someone pointing a gun at me. I need to call Sebastian,” I told him. Sebastian was expecting me back at his place soon. With everything going on, he’d worry if I was too late getting back there, and I wasn’t sure how long we’d have to stay here. When I started to lift my left arm to reach into my purse on my right shoulder, pain shot all the way down to my fingertips, and I let out a hiss.

  “Are you okay?” Cody asked with what seemed like genuine concern.

  Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. “I hurt my shoulder when you pushed me against the wall.”

  “Sorry about that,” he muttered. “I just panicked when I saw the gun.”

  “It’s really okay,” I assured him. “I’m surprised I didn’t realize how much it hurt before now.”

  “Adrenaline will do that to you,” he explained. “Let’s get you to a table, and you can look through your purse with your good hand. You’re starting to look a little pale.”

  I nodded and moved to a table so I could find my phone. The woman who’d originally yelled at us came out with water and some bread. “You look like you’re about to faint,” she remarked. “Try eating something. The kitchen will be open soon, and I’ll get you some real food.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I assured her. “I’m not terribly hungry.”

  “Let me know if you change your mind,” she told me before heading back to the kitchen.

  I finally found my phone at the bottom of my purse. There were four messages from Sebastian, but I decided I’d just call him. I was starting to feel a little shaky.

  Sebastian answered on the first ring. “Hey, beautiful. Please tell me you’ve forgiven me.”

  “I’ve got someone else to be mad at,” I assured him.

  Something in my voice must have set off alarm bells for him because he sounded really worried. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  My shoulder was now throbbing, and I had to grit my teeth and take several deep breaths before responding.

  “Laney?” Cody asked, his voice sounding tinny and somewhat distant.

  “I think I need to go to the hospital,” I said, not sure if I was telling Cody or Sebastian. Cody moved closer to keep me from falling over and gently took the phone from me.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Sebastian

  Fear coursed through my body at the thought of Delaney needing to go to the hospital.

  “Delaney!” I called out.

  “Is this Sebastian?” asked a male voice with an accent much like Delaney’s. I guessed him to be Cody.

  “That’s me,” I replied curtly. “What did you do to Delaney?”

  “I may have dislocated her shoulder,” he said nervously. “She didn’t seem to be in this much pain at first, but she’s in shock.”

  “I am going to kill you for hurting her,” I growled.

  “There’s no time to go over all the details now, but it wasn’t intentional,” he assured me. “I’m taking Laney to the hospital. I’ll send you details on where we’re going as soon as I figure that out.”

  While I wanted to demand answers now, this wasn’t the time if Delaney needed to go to the hospital.

  “I’ll meet you there,” I told him before ending the call.

  Within a few minutes my phone buzzed with the location of the hospital. I immediately headed out to the car to meet them. The entire way over there, I tried to remind myself of the many reasons I couldn’t kill Cody at the hospital. Killing Cody would definitely have to wait.

  I rushed into the emergency room, prepared to race up to the counter and demand to be taken to Delaney’s room. That’s how it works in the movies.

  “I’m over here,” Delaney called out from the seat in the crowded waiting room. She looked pale and shaken. I assumed the blond asshole sitting beside her was Cody.

  Ignoring Cody, I crouched in front of Delaney. “How is your shoulder?”

  “It really hurts,” she replied. “When Cody pushed me, I hit it on a wall.”

  That brought back the killing rage.

  “Why the hell did you push her?” I growled.

  “Someone was pointing a gun at me,” Delaney answered for him.

  “It was probably a BB gun,” Cody admitted.

  “I’m still glad he pushed me out of the way,” Delaney insisted. “His presence seemed suspicious to me too at first.”

  “I didn’t say I was suspicious,” I told her, but I was glaring at Cody. I was definitely suspicious.

  “Ty directed him to a baby store near where I was for a car seat,” Delaney explained.

  “And did you buy a car seat?” I asked, sti
ll not buying this incredible coincidence.

  “The box is in the back of his car,” Delaney told me. “I saw it when he drove me to the hospital.”

  I nodded. “Sorry for acting crazy.”

  “Laney didn’t trust me either,” Cody added. “Not that I blame her.”

  “Did you already call the police?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but they didn’t find her,” Cody replied.

  “So, you at least saw the person?” I asked. When Cody nodded, I continued. “That’s good. I hope they find her.”

  “I still can’t believe I’m being targeted by a deranged redhead,” Delaney grumbled.

  A sick feeling came over me. “Redhead?”

  “Yeah,” Cody replied. “She’s taller than Laney with short hair. Hers was more strawberry blonde.”

  “Did she have any tattoos?” I asked.

  Cody nodded. “There was some kind of flower on her hand. With any luck, I gave the police enough details to find her.”

  “I think I know who it is,” I uttered. While the logical part of me knew this wasn’t my fault, logic didn’t always play a role in guilt. “I’m pretty sure it was Tessa.”

  “Your ex who poisoned you?” Delaney gasped.

  “Why didn’t ya’ll think of her before?” Cody asked.

  “As part of her probation, she can’t leave Oregon or come anywhere near me,” I explained. “I should call the police to let them know what I think.”

  “Go ahead and call outside,” Delaney told me. “They won’t be able to see me for quite a while.”

  I nodded and stood. “I’m so sorry that my past hurt you. That was never my intention.”

  Delaney snorted. “Do I need to have Luke call to tell you to stop acting like a little bitch?”

  I chuckled at her question. “It doesn’t take much provocation,” I told her.

  “I don’t blame you for this, Sebastian,” she assured me. Her smile was strained, likely due to pain.

  Nodding again, I headed out of the room, hopefully, to give the police the lead they needed to end the threat to Delaney.

  Chapter Fifty-Two