by Gerri Hill
She turned away from the window and went back to her unpacking. She had only brought the bare minimum with her, choosing to purchase new furniture instead of hauling hers cross-country. But most of her things, the things she wanted to keep, were in storage in San Jose. She realized just how little she’d brought with her when her last box was emptied and her kitchen cabinets and drawers remained mostly bare. Perhaps it was time to plan her return trip to pick up the rest of her things.
She broke down the last empty box and took it downstairs where the others were stacked by the front door. Tony had said he would take them off for her on Monday when his crew returned. She left the lights off downstairs as she glanced again toward the grill. Laughter and music could be heard each time the door opened, but it wasn’t overly loud. Thankfully, the outdoor patio was on the opposite side of the building. She’d been warned by the real estate agent—when she’d mentioned having her apartment upstairs—that they often had live music on the patio during the summer months. At the time, she hadn’t thought it would bother her. She was normally glued to her computer and rarely went to bed before midnight.
But now, as she watched smiling and laughing people coming and going from the grill, she felt a twinge of loneliness. Since she’d quit her job, her computer was no longer the friend that it had been. In fact, she found she loathed it. She used her phone or her iPad, leaving her laptop to sit idle.
She sighed, not knowing why she would feel lonely. She was used to spending most of her evenings alone. The dates she’d gone out on had been few and far between. The lively atmosphere next door, though, reminded her of the Friday happy hours with work friends and she had an urge to join in on the fun. Of course, she’d already had dinner, if you could call it that. The frozen burrito that she’d heated in the microwave had looked better than it tasted. Even the last of the bottle of zinfandel hadn’t helped.
That was another reason she should head back to California sooner rather than later. She had one bottle of wine remaining and judging by the very limited selection of California reds in the local liquor store, she’d be drinking French wine before too long. Which, of course, would be blasphemy. Or perhaps she could talk the owner into ordering wine specifically for her.
She sighed again and finally turned from the window and made her way back upstairs. She went about closing the blinds, then settled down on her new sofa and picked up the remote. Before long, thoughts of loneliness—and her dwindling wine supply—faded as she found herself absorbed in a movie, albeit one she’d seen twice before. She never could resist Sandra Bullock.
Chapter Eleven
Leah sat at the bar nibbling on spicy onion rings as Nancy filled a mug with beer.
“Going on eleven years,” Nancy said in response to Leah’s question. “Hard to believe we’ve been here that long.”
“Why here?” she asked.
Nancy placed the mug of beer in front of her, despite Leah’s assertion that it was too early in the day for a drink. The spiciness of the onion rings made her reach for it anyway.
“Megan had just ended a relationship and she wanted to get away. I was managing a diner, barely making enough to pay my bills.” Nancy laughed. “So yeah, we both quit our jobs. Crazy, I know.”
“Did Megan also work in the restaurant business?”
“No, no. She worked at a bank. She was a loan officer. That came in pretty handy when we started this.”
“It seems you’ve made a success though,” she said, glancing around at the lunch crowd.
“The first year was scary,” Nancy said. “We weren’t even breaking even most months and if our parents hadn’t helped us out, we’d have folded.” She shrugged. “But we stuck it out through the lean months and here we are,” she said with smile.
“So this all started because Megan ended a relationship, huh?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as curious as she really was.
“Oh, it was awful,” Nancy said, then she looked around them in all directions. “And she’d kill me if she knew I was telling you this,” she said, her voice lowered.
“I don’t gossip, if that’s what you’re worrying about.”
Nancy laughed. “Oh, everyone already knows. Megan just doesn’t like to talk about it. In fact, she doesn’t even like to think about it.”
“The woman was cheating on her, I suppose?”
“God, yes. The whole time they were together. We all knew it.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“Oh, I tried, but Megan wouldn’t believe me. It wasn’t until she actually caught her that she realized that everyone had been telling her the truth.” Nancy grimaced. “And it got ugly. I have never seen Megan so mad before.” She lowered her voice again. “She took all of Tammi’s stuff and threw it out on the front lawn and set fire to it.”
Leah nearly laughed, but Nancy’s expression was serious. She wiped the smile from her face, waiting for Nancy to continue.
“Tammi called the police. It went downhill from there.”
Leah’s eyes widened. “Did she get arrested?”
“No, thankfully. It was her house, not Tammi’s. But what with the fire department getting called to the scene and the police showing up, it made the paper. The neighbors all thought they were living next door to a psychopath and refused to let their children out on the street.” Nancy’s voice turned to a whisper. “It was Halloween.”
At that, Leah did laugh as she pictured Megan, dressed in a witch costume or something, frantically tossing her lover’s possessions into a fire as the neighbors looked on in fright.
“Sorry, but it’s a vivid picture,” she said around her laughter.
Nancy laughed quietly too. “We don’t talk about it—ever. But it was hysterical. I hated Tammi.” Then her smile faded. “Of course, after that, Megan wouldn’t trust anyone.” She shook her head. “Took eight years before she’d date again. Eight! I still can’t believe she went out with Erin. I never liked her from the moment I saw her.”
“Erin?” she asked, not wanting Nancy to know that Susie had already told her this story.
Nancy waved her question away. “Oh, that’s a long story too. Erin was much younger. Too pretty for her own good. They dated for about six months. Then on Megan’s birthday last year, Erin broke up with her. She’d been seeing someone else all along.”
“Ouch.”
“Big time. But Erin wasn’t a local. Thankfully, she moved away.”
“Huh. Wonder what’s wrong with her?”
Nancy frowned. “What do you mean?”
Leah shrugged. “Well, two women have cheated on her. Must be something wrong with her.”
“There’s nothing wrong with her,” Nancy insisted. “In fact, the problem is, she’s too trusting.” She threw her hands up. “And God, she falls for the wrong kind of women. I mean, everyone could see that Erin wasn’t going to be faithful. She flirted with everybody in town. And before that, God, Tammi had a reputation a mile long, yet Megan trusted her.”
Leah nodded. “So just bad luck then, huh.”
“The worst.”
“And now Mary Beth has pictures. This is the most recent birthday?”
Nancy nodded. “Partially my fault, partially too much tequila.”
“Oh? Mary Beth doesn’t get any blame?”
“It’s harmless fun.”
Leah shrugged. “If it was happening to me, I’m not sure how harmless I would think it was.” She shrugged, smiled briefly and picked up another onion ring. “How far do you think she’ll go?”
“Who knows? I wouldn’t put anything past Mary Beth. I guess I am going to have to talk to her at some point.” Nancy leaned closer. “Please don’t let Megan know I told you all this. She’d kill me.” Then she smiled. “Or set fire to me.”
Leah smiled too. “Megan doesn’t really like me and I kinda find her annoying. I doubt we’ll have the opportunity to chat any time soon,” she said as she finished the beer. “Besides, I’m leaving in the morning. Fly
ing back to San Jose.”
“Oh, really? How long will you be gone?”
“I’ll only be there a day. I’ve rented a van so I’ll drive that back here with the rest of my things. I hope to be back by Friday.”
* * *
Megan was shocked to find Leah Rollins sitting at the bar chatting with Nancy. The large platter of onion rings and the empty beer mug suggested she’d come for lunch. She ducked into the hallway past the kitchen, then peeked back out. Neither Nancy nor Leah had seen her, it seemed. She took that opportunity to observe Leah Rollins freely. She admitted she was attractive. And while she wasn’t really a fan of gray hair, it looked stunning on Leah. Shorter over the ears, just enough to partially cover them…longer in the back, not quite reaching the collar of her blouse. Parted on the side and swept across her forehead, the bangs barely touched her eyebrows. Dark eyebrows, she noted, not gray like her hair.
“What are you doing?”
Startled, Megan jumped and let out a tiny scream before she could cover her mouth. She turned, glaring at Eileen.
“Must you sneak up on me?”
“You look like you’re up to no good.”
“I was…heading to the office,” she said lamely. “Excuse me.”
Of course, to get to the office meant she’d have to pass by the bar. How rude would it be to ignore Nancy and Leah? She shrugged. She didn’t really care.
So she walked briskly past the bar, never once glancing in their direction although the sound of Leah’s quiet laughter annoyed her for some reason.
Chapter Twelve
Megan drove slowly past the grill, not finding a single parking space available. She hit the steering wheel lightly. Of course. It was Friday. They opened at ten on Fridays and she was always amazed that some people would come that early for lunch. She glanced at the clock on her dash—ten forty-three. Nancy would kill her. It was her turn to tend bar.
“People don’t need to be drinking this early,” she murmured. Then her eyes narrowed as she saw a familiar figure walking toward the grill.
Mary Beth Sturgeon.
“Oh, crap.”
She pulled into the first available parking spot and ducked down, then slithered across the console and into the passenger’s seat. She peeked above the dash. Good…Mary Beth hadn’t seen her. She opened the passenger’s door as quietly as possible, then got out, ducking down along the side of her SUV. She went to the edge and raised her head, seeing Mary Beth on the sidewalk in front of the grill, glancing around. She ducked back down quickly, praying Mary Beth hadn’t spied her yet.
“What in the world are you doing?”
Megan jumped, hitting her head on the side mirror in the process. “Shit,” she muttered as she rubbed her head. She turned, seeing Leah Rollins standing in front of her shop. Megan ducked down again and held a finger to her lips. “Shhh.”
“You’re in a reserved parking spot for Ruby’s.”
“Oh, for the love,” she said as she rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the teasing tone of Leah’s words. She motioned behind her toward the grill. Leah followed her gaze, a quick smile forming, followed by a short laugh.
“Oh, I see. Well, if you want to hide, come on inside.”
Megan silently groaned. What? Were they actually going to be friendly with each other? No. Leah was a psycho crazy woman obsessed with parking spaces, she reminded herself. But it beat an encounter with Mary Beth Sturgeon.
She crouched down and duck-walked across the sidewalk and into Leah’s shop. She let out a relieved breath as Leah closed the door behind her.
“Thank you.”
“Well, if you’re going to park in one of my spots, you should at least come inside,” Leah said.
Megan put her hands on her hips. “Who the hell is Ruby?”
Leah laughed. “My great-aunt. She’s the reason I was able to buy this place.”
“Oh. Well, remind me to send her a thank-you note,” Megan said sarcastically, causing Leah to laugh again.
“She’s dead. Inheritance.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
Leah waved her apology away. “It’s been nearly a year now.”
Megan looked around, noticing the difference in the shop. “You’ve been busy,” she said.
“Tony’s been busy,” Leah corrected.
“Mr. Carlton didn’t do much to the place when he owned it, other than put in the coffee bar,” she said.
“I thought he was the one who put in the reading room upstairs,” Leah said.
Megan shook her head. “No. That was already there when he bought the place, books and all.” She paused. “You know, he was kind enough to let me park out front there,” she said, pointing.
“Yes, I gathered that,” Leah said. “Perhaps that’s why his business failed—he didn’t have enough parking spaces for his customers.”
“Ha ha,” Megan said.
Leah smiled. “You want to take a look around?” she offered. “My apartment is finished, if you ignore the boxes I brought back from San Jose. I haven’t gotten everything unpacked yet.”
Megan frowned. “Have you been gone?”
“Oh, I see you didn’t miss me, huh?” Again, an easy smile as she headed up the stairs. “I made a quick trip to California last week for the rest of my things.”
Megan glanced out of the window, wondering if it was safe to go back out or not. She really had no desire to be on friendly terms with Leah Rollins. However, she was just curious enough to want to take a peek inside her apartment.
“How did you get everything back here?” she asked as she followed her up.
“I flew out, then rented a van to drive back.”
Megan gave a mock gasp. “Surely not a gas-guzzling van, Leah? That’s horrible!”
Leah laughed loudly but said nothing as she opened the door at the top of the stairs. Megan had only been up there a couple of times when Mr. Carlton owned the bookstore. It had been a dark room, lit by lamps only. The transformation was amazing.
“Wow,” she said. “This looks great.” She walked immediately to the wall of windows that looked down on Spring Street, then realizing she was in anyone’s line of sight, she jumped back.
“It’s okay,” Leah said. “They’re tinted. You can’t see in during the day. Or so Tony says. I haven’t actually tested it.”
Megan didn’t want to take a chance, so she turned away, glancing around instead. The kitchen was spacious with a large island and bar separating it from the living room. The open concept was very inviting even with boxes piled on the countertops.
Leah walked past the kitchen and opened a door. “Utility room in here. It’s kinda small but manageable.” Another door opened into a half-bath. “My bedroom and bath are back there,” Leah said, walking opposite the kitchen. “I wasn’t sure about traffic noise so I thought it best to be in the back instead of the front.”
She opened that door as well and Megan peeked in, finding an exceptionally neat and tidy room. The windows opened up to the alley in the back, but large oak trees shielded the view.
“Nice. I love the design,” she said honestly. “All I remember this being was a dark, drab room.”
“Yes. Downstairs as well,” Leah said. “You probably didn’t notice, but Tony put in three additional windows in the front.”
Megan nodded. “I thought it looked different,” she said.
They went back into the living room, and Leah motioned to the kitchen. “Can I offer you something to drink? I know it looks a mess, but it’s mostly stocked.”
Megan knew she should be leaving already. Nancy was going to be pissed that she was late. But the prospect of running into Mary Beth sealed it.
“I’ll have a water, if you have it.”
Leah went into the kitchen and Megan leaned on the bar, looking around. She arched an eyebrow as she spied three boxes of wine. Leah laughed as she followed her gaze.
“I’m afraid I’m a snobbish Californian,” she said. “I stocked up on my favorites
.”
“I like a good merlot,” Megan said. “Although I doubt I could tell the difference between California wine and, say, French.”
“Vast difference,” Leah said, then smiled. “But I’m biased. That’s probably the one thing I’ll miss most about California—doing the wine tour a couple of times a year.”
Megan sat down on a barstool as Leah stayed on the other side of the island, leaning casually against it.
“What made you come here?” she asked.
Leah shrugged. “I had my fill of big cities. I worked in the tech industry since college and I’d had my fill of computers too,” she said. “When Aunt Ruby died, I suddenly had the opportunity to do something different.”
“And you picked tiny Eureka Springs?”
“I wanted something small, yet gay-friendly. I mean, I’m from California. I didn’t want to end up somewhere where I’d have to be in the closet to own a business,” she said. “I was shocked to find this place. Two thousand full-time residents and almost half of them gay? It was too good to be true.”
Megan laughed. “Well, probably not quite half, but we have a large percentage, that’s for sure.”
“Everyone’s been pretty nice…helpful,” Leah said. “I’m not used to such small towns where everyone has a connection with someone. If I need something, I ask Tony. If he can’t do it, he tells me who can.” She smiled. “Like Gordon and the parking signs.”
“Yeah…good ole Gordon,” she said dryly.
Leah laughed good-naturedly. “So I met Julie. And of course, Mary Beth. And I also met someone named Melissa. I can’t see you dating any of them.”
“I know, right? But they apparently can see it,” Megan said. “What about you? Have they asked you out yet?”
Leah nodded. “A woman named Kathy that I met at the party. And Melissa. I made an excuse for both. I’m not interested in that at all.”