by Joan Rylen
What’s with that? She got something against marshmallows?
Larson untied, pushed off, fired things up and turned the boat south. They cruised across the lake toward Turlington Farms B&B. The temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees, and Vivian’s sweater was no match for the wind. She looked at Larson and envisioned him wrapping his muscular arms around her, whispering naughty nothings in her ear.
As they approached the dock Vivian saw two people in rockers on the back porch. “Is that Wendell and Mitzie? I thought they left.”
Kate squinted toward the house. “It’s not Wendell, that guy’s bald, and even over the noise of the engine, we could probably hear Mitzie yapping from here.” Kate concentrated a bit more. “Oh my gosh, I think it’s Lucy! But wait… who’s she with?”
Wendy made binoculars with her fists and shouted, “It’s Pierre! I’d recognize that chrome dome anywhere!”
The girls had met Pierre LaRoche in Playa del Carmen on their first trip. He was the best friend of Jon Tournay, the soap opera star Vivian had spent a romantic evening with. His last, unfortunately. After returning home to Montreal, Pierre opened a gym with the money Jon had left him. Pierre was as big and buff as ever and still sported a Mr. Clean hairdo.
Kate clapped. “Yay, Lucy’s back! But she’s got some explaining to do.”
“I expect she’s got some sex-plaining to do,” Wendy said.
Vivian bounced up and down in her seat, waving at them. “That slut! It’s about time!”
Larson slowed to no-wake speed and cut the engine right before reaching the dock. He jumped out and tied up, then helped the girls disembark. Lucy and Pierre walked down to meet them at the shore.
Vivian hugged them both. “Hey, strangers, glad to see you!”
Lucy gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry about running off. I sorta freaked out.” She hugged her again, then apologized to the other girls before introducing Pierre to Larson.
Vivian ran her hand down Larson’s arm. “Y’all missed quite an adventure today. Larson saved the day.” She looked up at him and smiled. “He’s our fireman hero.”
Larson shook his head and wrapped an arm around Vivian’s shoulders. “I had Wendy call in the troops, and other than that, it was a group effort.”
Lucy looked back and forth between them. “What happened? You all smell like burnt plastic, but I thought maybe that had something to do with the exhaust from the boat.”
Larson’s grasp slipped from Vivian’s shoulders and made their way to her waist. He grazed her ass before casually lifting his arm to look at his watch. “I need to run, but how about we meet later? It’s chili night at the Lake Placid Brewery. Let’s say two hours?”
Vivian looked to the girls and Pierre, who all nodded. “See you there.”
Larson leaned down and gave her a quick peck, then untied the line, jumped back on the Aqua Holic and headed out across the water.
Vivian’s heart went thumpity-thump-thump watching him. She composed herself, then turned to Lucy and Pierre. “We’ll tell you all about our fiery adventure inside by the fire. You know, since it’s fitting.”
They walked to the house and Pierre held the back door open for the girls. Everyone took a seat in the living room, but the fireplace was dark. Vivian stood in front of the hearth and threw a couple of pieces of wood on the grate. She picked up the box of matches just as a freshly showered Tracy walked into the room.
“I didn’t realize you were back,” she said. “I was just about to get the fire going.” She took the box from Vivian and grabbed some newspaper. She stuffed it underneath the grate, struck the match and held it to the paper. “How was your day?”
“Exciting!” Vivian responded. “A boat exploded out on the lake!”
“Oh my gosh, that’s terrible. Was anyone hurt?”
Vivian sat on the bricks and watched the flame consume the paper. “Thankfully, no. But it sounded like the fire could’ve easily started while they were on the boat. The couple probably would’ve been toast.”
Kate grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over herself.
“I want to hear this, but let me get you something warm to drink. You all look chilled to the bone. Be right back.”
“So what have I missed?” Lucy asked.
Wendy, Kate and Vivian filled her in on the events from the day before, from the fall festival and the pumpkin drop to Mike Grimm and Nicole’s grandpa’s files, but Vivian didn’t feel like she could get into a lot of details.
Vivian leaned toward Lucy’s chair and said in a whisper, “We’ve found out some interesting info we’ll tell you about later.”
Lucy nodded.
Tracy walked into the room carrying a tray of hot cocoa and a bottle of Bailey’s. Vivian smiled in appreciation.
“I’m so glad to be back,” Lucy squealed.
Tracy handed out drinks, then sat next to Vivian and slapped her knee. “Okay, now tell me what happened today.”
Vivian put a generous helping of Bailey’s into her cocoa, stirred it, then told the story with the help of Kate and Wendy.
“Dale and Shawna are lucky to be alive,” Kate finished.
“And unhurt,” Wendy said. “It’s a good thing they decided to go ashore for their, uh hummm, activities. Dale could’ve sustained a burned weenie.”
Tracy’s eyes got wide. “Excuse me?”
“Wendy!” Kate yelled.
“Oh, come on! He had his wiener between Shawna’s buns when that boat exploded. She came out carrying her bra! And his pants were undone! You can’t tell me you didn’t notice.”
“I noticed.” Vivian grinned.
Lucy shoved her knee. “Of course you did.”
Tracy laughed. “You girls are too much. I know Shawna. I’m glad she’s all right.”
“Do you know Dale?” Kate asked.
“Not very well. I used to take my car to him.”
Brandon walked in carrying a bundle of wood and set it in a rack by the fireplace. She reached out and touched his arm. “But since Scooter Bill and I have been married, he’s my mechanic now.”
Brandon looked at Tracy. “He’s not much of a mechanic, if you ask me. I’d never recommend him.”
Tracy sighed and shrugged. “You’re probably right, especially since his boat blew sky-high.”
Vivian couldn’t tell if Brandon’s face was red from the heat of the fire or if he was upset by something, but she had an uneasy feeling. She finished off her mug of tastiness. “I’m going to go get cleaned up so we can meet my hot fireman.”
Wendy stood. “I for sure need a shower, all this smoke smell in my hair. Yuck.”
“Me, too,” Kate said.
“We’ll wait for y’all down here,” Lucy said, squeezing Pierre’s leg.
Vivian walked into her room and fell across the bed as Kate got into the bathroom first. For a pregnant woman, she moved quickly when it came to getting cleaned up. Vivian vegged out to the sound of the shower running and the comfort of knowing her friend was back. When her turn came, she was in and out of the shower in a hurry. Larson awaited.
Vivian, wrapped in a towel, walked to the closet for something semi-sexy to wear and noticed Lucy’s bags weren’t there. She went into the bedroom and double-checked, but nope, they were nowhere in sight.
She jumped into jeans, knee-high black boots with a low heel and a V-neck red sweater. She threw some mousse in her curls, hit them for two minutes with the blow dryer, threw on some powder, mascara and lipstick and was ready to roll.
The other girls were similarly dressed, Wendy in a brown sweater, jeans and her cowboy boots and Kate in black jeans and turtleneck, plus leather Clark’s accented with a button on the side.
As the girls and Pierre walked down the front steps, Vivian bumped hips with Lucy. “Where’s your luggage?”
Lucy looked at Pierre and grinned. “I’m going to be staying down the hall.”
Naughty girl.
34
The girls and Pierre loaded u
p, with Kate serving as designated driver. They made their way down the long driveway of Turlington Farms and turned toward town. Wendy rode shotgun, and Pierre sat between Vivian and Lucy in the back.
Vivian stretched her right arm around Pierre’s shoulder. “Catch us up, Pierre. How’ve you been doing in Canada? Been hitting the Canadian Club? The Molson? The Canada Dry?”
He ignored the beverage list. “You know I opened a gym a couple of years ago with the money Jon left me. I think he’d be proud. I just opened my third location and am scouting for a fourth in Toronto.”
Wendy turned around and gave him a high-five. “That’s awesome. Any plans to open a gym in the states?”
He looked down at Lucy and grinned. “I’ve been thinking some about it. I hear Denver is a nice place to live. And people are very active there.”
“You could be Lucy’s very own personal trainer,” Vivian said. “Work on her stamina.”
Pierre put his arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “She has good stamina.”
Lucy leaned over, putting her head in her hands.
Vivian laughed. “Man, I’ve missed you!” She kissed him on the cheek.
“I’ve missed you girls, too. I was so happy to hear from Lucy, you have no idea.”
“Oh, we have an idea,” Kate said.
“Okay, totally changing the subject,” Vivian said. “We found a bunch of good stuff about Rebecca today in our closet.”
The girls brought Lucy and Pierre up to speed on everything they’d discovered in the crawl space.
“So Brandon’s worth millions?” Lucy asked.
Wendy nodded. “Millions.”
“We found some interesting pictures, too,” Vivian said.
“What kind of pictures?” Lucy asked.
Kate took a right onto Main Street. “Put it this way: We saw why Brandon keeps that stuff hidden.” She laughed and pulled into the parking lot of the Lake Placid Brewery. “I’m starving! I will probably eat a lot of chili tonight, maybe two servings, and I want extra beans.”
“Little Plum needs some protein,” Vivian said, getting out of the car.
Wendy shut the door and muttered, jokingly, “Yeah, but you don’t have to sleep with her.”
“My bed has room since Lucy has found other, more accommodating, accommodations,” Vivian said and butt-bumped Wendy. “You could sleep with me.”
“You snore. I’ll take my chances with Tootie-loot Kate.”
Pierre reached for the door handle. “This is more information than I wanted to know.”
Wendy’s phone chirped and she looked at the display, a flash of excitement was replaced by concern. “It’s Nelson, I’ll take this out here,” she said and they all stepped to the side of the door. Wendy put it on speaker. “Hey, Wade.”
They exchanged pleasantries and then Agent Nelson said, “I found the bio that your police officer in New Orleans did. It’s definitely a cover for something, but I can’t get into Jake’s FBI file.”
“So does that mean Jake has an FBI file?” Wendy asked. “Does, I mean did, I mean… does he work for the FBI?”
Nelson side-stepped the question. “It’s going to set off alarms that I ran his name. I can’t do it again.”
“What about the phone?” Kate asked. “Were you able to get any information on that?”
“I can’t access the info on the memory card,” Nelson answered, “but I was able to trace that it was purchased in Bandera, Texas about seven months ago. It was sold by Cricket Wireless and paid for in cash. I don’t have video footage to confirm who bought it.”
“Bandera?” Wendy asked.
“Was Jake in the San Antonio area before he disappeared?” Vivian asked.
Wendy shook her head. “I didn’t think so, but clearly I had no idea what he was up to.”
Nelson signed off stating that was all the info he had and he couldn’t look further as the suits would be bearing down on him for running the names of Paul Vaughan and Jake Stillson. If, by some chance, he could find out anything, he’d call.
Wendy sighed and hung up. Pierre gave her a shoulder hug and the girls joined in for a group hug. Kumbaya moment over, Pierre opened the door to the Lake Placid Brewery for the girls.
The brewery fit the typical Adirondack ambience of log construction and lots of stone. Vivian didn’t see Larson, so they took a seat in the bar. The wall held a variety of bottles but also a ton of pictures in varying sizes. The bartender approached and tossed a coaster in front of everyone.
“What can I get for you?” she asked. What the short brunette lacked in height, she made up for in boobs. Her skin-tight tank top was out of season but showed off her bountiful bosom.
“Can you tell me about your home-brewed beers?” Pierre asked.
Bounty went through the list, describing and giving a few tastes. Everyone ordered a pint except Kate, who ordered a Coke.
“A little caffeine won’t hurt,” she said.
While they waited to be served and between glances to the front entrance, Vivian checked out the pictures on the back wall — couples, plenty of law enforcement, some firemen. She searched for Larson’s face among the men, but the neon and Bounty the bartender kept getting in the way.
In one of the pictures she thought she saw a smiling Tracy, drink in hand, but with the distance, she wasn’t sure.
Bounty set Vivian’s Honey Rye Ale down on the coaster.
“Is that Tracy Holt?” Vivian pointed to the picture.
Bounty turned around and looked. “This one?”
“Yeah.”
“She used to work here, before she got married.” Bounty got back to her beer delivery, setting down Lucy’s Ubu Ale. “There’s another one of her over there.” She pointed off to her right.
Vivian could see Tracy standing next to Brandon, Tracy wearing a white dress and veil, Brandon in a suit, both smiling, toasting the camera.
Kate had been in on the conversation. “Check ’em out. Interesting place for a reception, but then again, it’s a pretty small town.”
“Maybe the owner cut her a deal,” Wendy said. “No wonder she knows how to make all those tasty concoctions.”
Vivian didn’t see any other pictures of the bride or groom, or any of Larson. She turned in the direction the bartender had gone and noticed Jeremy, the locksmith, down a few stools.
“Hey, there,” she called and waved.
He smiled, stood up and walked over, checking out Lucy in the process. “I take it you haven’t locked yourself out of anything lately.”
“Negative,” Vivian said, and Lucy added, “This is our friend, Pierre.”
Jeremy’s smile faded. After a few pleasantries, he turned his attention back to his brew.
It was never gonna happen, dude, Vivian thought, then she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.
35
Larson landed a kiss just below Vivian’s ear. “You look beautiful,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I could just have you for dinner. Forget the chili.”
Vivian let that linger for a moment, then gave him a squeeze. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”
Larson cleaned up nicely. Though his jeans and denim shirt were worn, they fit perfectly and accentuated all the right parts. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through the hair curling just above his collar.
He introduced them to his buddies Marty, James, Michael and Clay, who were also volunteer firefighters. Larson slapped Clay on the back and waved to James and Michael. “These two guys were on the lake today, but Marty stayed at the house flipping pancakes.”
Marty flipped him off. “I was running the house. Don’t make these girls think I’m a slacker like you.”
“We know better than to believe a flipping thing this guy says,” Vivian said with a wink.
“Let’s go grab a table,” Larson suggested and paid the tab as Bounty set it down. Pierre had grabbed for it, but Larson insisted.
They took a seat near a roaring stone fireplace.
V
ivian grabbed a menu. “So what’s good here?”
Larson scooted his chair closer and drew a deep breath. “You smell good.” His fingers went up her neck and started playing with her curls. With his other hand he grabbed her menu and put it on the table. “You can’t go wrong with the chili. Trust me.” He squeezed her leg.
Oh lord.
The waitress took beer orders, then everyone ordered bowls of chili. They chatted for a while, talking about today’s fire, but eventually the conversation turned to fire rescues.
The chili arrived and they dug in. Vivian liked it spicy, and this delivered. Her cheeks were flushed from the beer, her stomach warm from the chili, and she had a little warmness in her heart, though by no means was she in love. Still, it was nice to be hit on.
James pointed with his spoon to Marty. “Any news on the journalist Evans and Tito took to the hospital?”
Marty set down his beer. “Betsy was on shift and I texted her but haven’t heard back. They must be having a busy night in the ER.”
“What journalist?” Vivian asked.
“The newspaper lady,” Clay answered. “Earl’s granddaughter.”
“Nicole?” Wendy sucked in a breath.
He nodded and pointed his finger at her.
“What happened? Why is she in the hospital?” Kate pushed back her bowl.
“You know her?” Michael asked.
“We met yesterday at the festival and have sorta become friends,” Kate said. “She came over to the B&B today.”
“We can’t tell you much because of privacy laws, but she sounded pretty bad,” Marty said.
“Did she fall and hit her head or something? Car accident?” Vivian asked.
Marty looked apologetic. “I can’t say, sorry.”
“You may be able to visit her,” Larson said and rubbed Vivian’s arm. “Take her some flowers.”
Vivian looked at the time on her phone, then at the girls and Pierre. “Let’s run to the hospital. If we finish up now we can make it before visiting hours are over.”
Larson gave them directions while they polished off their bowls and brews. The girls and Pierre got up to leave, saying goodbye to the firefighters.