by Jennie Marts
Okay, maybe not rolling, but at least wobbling a little.
He nodded. “At least it didn’t rain again. I got drenched in that downpour yesterday.”
“Me too.” She looked around the room. “This place seems nice.”
Oh yeah, that would do it. Lob out a little comment about the decor. And she couldn’t go wrong with awesome descriptive adjectives like ‘nice’. Any second now, they were going to make a real conversation-connection.
“I like it. The musician is on break right now, but he’s pretty good. It’s just a single guy tonight with an acoustic guitar.” He nodded to the counter. “Can I get you a coffee? Or something to drink?”
“Sure. I’ll have a peppermint hot chocolate. Just a small one.”
“That sounds good. I’ll have one of those too. Be right back,” he said over his shoulder as he headed for the counter.
Piper watched him walk away. He had on jeans and wore a red flannel shirt open in the front with a black T-shirt underneath. He’d smelled like laundry detergent and Axe body spray. Which wasn’t a bad combination.
She hoped the drinks took a long time to make so she’d have a few minutes to try to up her chatting game. Holding her phone in her lap, she quickly Googled ‘conversation starters’ so when he got back, she’d be armed with some killer questions like, “What’s your biggest fear?” and “If your life had a music soundtrack, what songs would be on it?”
She scanned a list of questions before stuffing her phone in her pocket as Aaron made his way back to the table. “Just checking my email,” she said as he set the cups on the table.
“Did you get anything good?” He slid into the chair next to her, and his knee brushed hers.
She wasn’t sure if he’d done it on purpose or not. “Uh, no. Nothing good,” she stammered as he scooted his chair closer to hers and now not only his knee, but most of his thigh was pressed against hers. Yep, definitely did that move on purpose.
“Figured I could see the musician better from over here,” he said with a wink, then picked up his mug and took a sip.
She nodded and wrapped her hands around the warm red ceramic cup. A frothy dollop of whipped cream swam in the middle of the chocolate and she took a sip, mainly for something for her mouth, which had suddenly gone dry, to do. “It’s good.”
“Yeah, I like this place. It’s chill.”
She nodded, staring into her cup as she desperately tried to ignore the warm pressure of his leg and remember the list of questions she’d just read. “What was the best Halloween costume you ever wore?” she blurted out.
His eyes widened then he chuckled. “Wow. Random question. But okay.”
“I was just thinking, you know, Halloween is right around the corner.”
“Yeah, smart. You’re a thinker, I can tell. Even with the pink hair.” He lifted his hand and touched the hot pink tips of her hair.
Geez. What was it about this hair color? Apparently she could add the opposite of being a thinker to her list of pink-tressed credentials.
“I guess my favorite costume ever was the year I dressed as a giant Lego. I was in fifth grade, and my dad helped me make this costume out of a cardboard box and some red Solo cups. It was pretty cool.”
“Sounds cool.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice and resting his arm along the back of her chair. “I’ve got a little something for you,” he said, nodding to his other hand in his lap.
Horrified, but still curious enough to see what it was, she glanced into his lap, praying it was something great like a puppy and not a gesture involving a one-eyed snake. She let out her breath as she glimpsed the flash of the silver flask he was holding.
“Want me to spice up your hot chocolate?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m good. I’ve got class in the morning.”
“So do I. But you seem kind of nervous, and it’s just a little vodka. It might loosen you up.” He ran his hand up her back and massaged her neck.
His fingers were warm, but he was acting way too friendly and not in a good way. She held back a shiver. “Thanks for thinking of me, but really, I’m good. I’m not much of a drinker.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged then unscrewed the cap and poured a generous amount into his own cup. He took a drink, then settled back into his seat. “So, tell me about yourself, Piper. What else do you do besides go to class and serve coffee?”
“Not much. I’m actually pretty boring.” She leaned forward to take a sip of her cocoa, trying to dislodge his hand from her neck.
He slid his hand down her back and let it rest along the curve of her back, which was not any better. “I doubt that.”
Why would he doubt that? Just because she’d been adventurous enough to dip the ends of her hair into pink dye? And she hadn’t even done it herself. Her mom had. Maybe she should tell him she was rooming with her mom. That seemed interesting. Or somewhat pathetic.
She peered around the room again, trying to think of a clever comeback which sounded smart and witty, and almost choked on her sip of cocoa when she spied three familiar women sitting at a table by the hallway to the restroom.
What the hell are they doing here?
Her mom, Cassie, and Edna appeared to all be innocently drinking coffee and nibbling on the giant slab of chocolate cake that sat on the table in front of them.
Piper glared daggers at them, but they all seemed to suddenly have something extremely interesting to look at it and not one would make eye contact. She pushed back from her chair then stood, finally extricating herself from his roaming hand, which he’d started to slowly circle around her waist. “I’m sorry. I need to run to the ladies’ room for a sec.”
“Sure.” He settled back in his chair, his gaze focused on the stage as the musician tuned his guitar and readied for his next set.
Music filled the room as Piper crossed to the hallway. Keeping her eyes forward, she spoke out the side of her mouth as she passed the women’s table. “You three—meet me in the restroom. NOW.”
She paused a moment before stepping into the hallway, doing a quick double take as she spotted another familiar figure sitting in a corner chair, his head bent forward, seemingly engrossed in the book in his lap. Even with the baseball cap pulled low over his ears, Piper would recognize the wavy blond hair and that strong chin anywhere.
But what the hell was Fitz doing in the Java & Jams? He got free coffee at The Perk. Maybe he was here for the music. Yeah, right.
Maybe that’s why her mother, her aunt, and their geriatric cohort were there as well. She was sure it had nothing to do with spying on her and her date.
She pushed through the door of the restroom and leaned back against the sink.
It only took a few seconds for Cassie, Claire, and Edna to nonchalantly amble into the bathroom.
Edna affected a surprised look on her face. “Well, Piper, what a surprise. What are you doing here?”
“Nice try. The real question is what are you all doing here?”
Claire’s attempt at an innocent expression was worse than Edna’s. “We were just in the mood for some coffee and heard this place had great cake. And you know how your aunt likes cake.”
“Hey,” Cassie cried, giving her sister a hard nudge with her elbow. “You’re the one who ordered it.”
Claire shrugged. “I didn’t say I didn’t like cake, too.”
“It is good cake,” Edna agreed. “It’s got a mild hazelnut flavor to it.”
Piper huffed out her breath. “Enough about the damn cake. Why are you here?”
“Oh fine,” her mom said. “We’re not here for the cake. We’re here to make sure you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“Because you’re going out with a strange guy who you’ve never met before. Don’t you know the first rule of dating someone for the first time is to have a back-up plan in place? You’ve gotta have a wingman—someone that’s watching your back. Someone to make sure you don’t get
kidnapped by a creepy axe-murderer that’s trolling online dating sites for his next victim.”
Piper shivered at the word ‘murderer’—that one hitting too close to home. But still, she hadn’t asked for help. “So what? You three are supposed to be my wingmen?”
“Wing women, really,” Edna corrected, her blueish green-tinted hair making her look more like a wing-leprechaun.
“And I suppose that’s why Fitz is here too? Everyone is just so worried about me. Like I can’t take care of myself.”
“Fitz? We don’t know anything about Fitz.”
“I spotted him in the corner as I walked in here. He’s in the baseball cap, so not a very ingenious disguise.”
Edna frowned. “I told you we should have worn disguises. Next time, I’m wearing that blonde wig.”
“The Dolly Parton one you wore at Halloween last year?” Cassie asked. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be conspicuous at all.”
“It’s not that we don’t think you can take care of yourself, Pip,” her mom said, ignoring the bickering of the other two. “We just wanted to be available to watch your back, in case you needed us.”
She sighed and grudgingly offered them a thank you.
“How is it going?” Claire asked. “He seems nice, from what we can tell. He bought your drink, at least. And he’s cute.”
Piper scrubbed her hands across her face. “It’s actually going pretty awful. I’m awful with idle chit-chat, and I don’t know what to talk about. He seems to think because I have pink hair, I must be kind of wild, and I’m not. I’m really pretty boring. I’d much rather be home on the couch watching a movie than here drinking spiked hot chocolate.”
“Spiked hot chocolate?” Edna asked. “I didn’t know you could order drink-drinks here.”
“You can’t. Aaron brought a flask.”
“Ah. Well, do you want us to help get you out of it?” Claire asked. “We could act like we just ran into you and need you to come home.”
“Yeah, that could work,” she answered, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “My mom, my aunt, and a lady from their book club just happened to run into me at a coffee shop and suddenly need my help at home.”
“I could pretend to be your aunt too,” Edna offered, then pushed back her shoulders at the look Claire offered her. “Okay, maybe your great aunt.”
“It doesn’t matter. That’s still not gonna work.”
“You could always pretend to be sick,” Edna said. “Tell him the hot chocolate didn’t agree with you. You’ve already been in the bathroom a while. And no one can argue with a sudden case of the Hershey-squirts.”
“Ew. The date isn’t going great, but I’m not ready to go with the diarrhea-defense just yet. Although I’m sure that would put an excellent spin on our already awkward night.” Piper held up her hands before they could offer any other suggestions. “I’ll be fine. I got myself into this date, I can get myself out of it.”
“Suit yourself,” Claire said.
Her aunt Cassie rubbed her arm. “But we’re here if you need us.”
“I’m good,” Piper said, backing out of the door.
“Keep the ‘diarrhea ditch’ as a backup idea,” Edna whispered before the door shut.
Piper shook her head as she made her way back to the table.
Aaron smiled up at her and pulled her chair out.
But before she could sit down, a hand grabbed her arm. “Hey babe, I told you I was sorry.”
Piper recognized Fitz’s voice but not the term of endearment. Babe? Since when did he call her that and what was he sorry for?
A crease wrinkled Aaron’s forehead. “Who’s this guy?”
Before she could open her mouth, Fitz squeezed her arm and pushed his body between her and the table. “I’m her boyfriend. Who are you?”
Her boyfriend?
Piper whipped her head towards Fitz. What was he playing at?
“I thought I was her date.” Aaron gave her a questioning glance. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.”
“I don’t. I mean, I didn’t think I did. I guess I forgot,” she stuttered out.
“You forgot you had a boyfriend?”
“She didn’t forget. We just had a fight,” Fitz said, coming to her rescue. “She thought we broke up, but I’m not letting her go.” He turned to her, applying pressure to her arm again. “Come on, babe. I really am sorry. Just come home with me, and we can work this out.”
She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she knew Fitz was up to something and wanted her to leave with him. And despite the weird thing that had happened that afternoon, she trusted him more than she trusted the guy with the vodka flask in his pants. And she also liked the feel of his hand touching her arm.
“Okay fine. I’ll come…home with you.” She stumbled on the word ‘home’, realizing it implied she lived with the Brilliant Barista, an idea which had her heart thudding like a hammer against her chest.
She looked down at Aaron and shrugged. “I’m sorry. We’ve been together so long, I guess he deserves another chance. Thanks for the cocoa.”
Before she could say anything else, Fitz put his arm around her and led her from the coffee shop. He kept his arm around her shoulder until they made it out of sight of the window of the coffee shop, then he pulled her into the alley next to the building.
Her heart pounded… but not like before when she’d been excited. This time, her heart was pounding from fright.
But how could she be afraid of Fitz?
Her mind triggered back to the memory of him opening the cupboard drawer today. The one in which only someone who had been in that kitchen, in that apartment, would know to open.
Her mouth went dry while her stomach churned with nausea. Fitz couldn’t have had anything to do with Brittany’s death. She knew it—knew in her heart he wasn’t dangerous.
But something was off about this whole situation. And she wanted—needed some answers.
She stopped, turning to face him and planting her feet, determined to get to the truth. “What is going on?”
He opened his mouth as if to speak, then his back went stiff and his face went pale.
A low voice spoke from behind him. “Think long and hard about how you’re going to answer that question, sonny.”
Oh brother.
Piper recognized the voice, but Fitz had no idea who was behind him, and she loved the way he circled his arms around her, as if trying to protect her.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Fitz said. “Just take my wallet and go. Nobody needs to get hurt.”
“The only one that’s going to get hurt is you, if you don’t start talking and tell us why you killed that girl.”
“What?” Fitz’s voice came out as a strangled cry. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
Piper peered around Fitz’s side at the petite elderly woman holding a Taser gun at his back. “Edna, what are you doing?”
Cassie and Claire burst around the side of the building and almost ran into them.
Her mom bent forward, putting her hands on her knees as she gasped for breath. “Geez, for a little old lady, you sure can move fast.”
“Who are you calling old?” Edna whipped around, now aiming the Taser at Claire.
“Edna, put the Taser down,” Piper said as her mom held her hands up in surrender and Fitz took two steps forward and out of the line of fire. She offered him an apologetic look. “Sorry. This is Edna Allen. She’s in my book club. And this is my aunt Cassie and you’ve already met my mom. This is my friend, Fitz.”
At least she hoped he was still her friend, after Edna had just accused him of murder.
Fitz ignored the introductions as he gripped Piper’s arm and peered down at her, his gaze intense and his eyes filled with hurt. “Do you think I had something to do with Brittany’s murder?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, I do,” Edna said, and whirled back to aim the gun Fitz’s way again.
“Why would you think that?” he
asked, disregarding the older woman’s comment and keeping his focus on Piper.
“Because you never told me you knew Brittany or that you’d been in my apartment before, but obviously you have been.”
“What do you mean by ‘obviously’?”
“Because nobody in their right mind keeps their glasses in a lower drawer,” Claire said, “yet you went straight for that drawer to find them the other day.”
Fitz’s shoulders slumped. “Just because I knew the odd place that Brittany kept her glasses doesn’t mean I killed her.”
“But you knew her,” Claire accused.
“So? I know a lot of people.”
“A lot of people who have been murdered?”
He let out a sigh. “Look, I met Brittany through Kyle, her boyfriend. Kyle and I played soccer together in high school.” He ignored Claire and spoke only to Piper. “Drew knows him too. He was on our same team. I’ve only been to your apartment one time. It was right after you guys had moved in, and I dropped by to pick up Kyle. It was a hot day, and Brittany offered me a glass of water. I saw her get the glass from that drawer. I thought it was weird at the time, weird enough that I must have remembered it the other day. But not weird enough to kill her for.”
Piper let out a shiver—which could have been a reaction to the cool night air or the idea of Fitz hurting her roommate. She peered up into his eyes, so intense as if he were trying to convey the truth to her through his gaze. “I believe you,” she whispered.
“A smoldering look might be enough to sway Piper,” Edna said. “But I’m still not convinced.”
Fitz turned to the other women. “Would it help if I told you I had an alibi? I was at The Perk that whole day. I worked an eight-hour shift, and it was the first day of classes, so we were slammed the whole day. Any number of people can attest to the fact that I was behind the counter making coffee all day.”
“Well, hell, why didn’t you say that in the first place?” Edna shoved the Taser gun into her huge shoulder bag.
A frown tightened his lips. “I didn’t think I had to.”
Piper laid a hand gently on his arm. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head and let out another sigh. “Don’t be. I have no idea what it’s like to be in your situation, and it’s got to be hard to know who to trust. I just wish you would have trusted me more and that douchey guy you met in the coffee shop less.”