The Cuffing Season (The Anti-Cinderella Chronicles)

by Tawdra Kandle

  Sophia glared at me as if I’d done something wrong. “All the same, I’d rather that he didn’t look at them now. I think he has something else to do, anyway.”

  “Not really.” I offered her a sunny grin. “I just sent in my column for the week, and I don’t have a shift at Allister’s tonight. I’m completely footloose and fancy-free.”

  “You have a column?” Tyla crossed her legs, and I noted that her legs were long and encased in tight jeans. She was quite the yee. If I had to guess, I’d estimate that she was probably a little older than me, but then again, that was all right. Maybe older women were my vibe. Younger ones didn’t seem to be a good fit, that was for sure.

  “Yeah.” I treated her to what I hoped was a confident, self-assured smile. “I write for an online publication. I have a weekly column on dating and relationships from a man’s point of view.”

  “Well, that’s fascinating.” She angled herself so that I got a good eyeful of her body, and I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t like what I saw. She had curves that made my mouth water and sent my mind to happy places.

  “And what is it that you do?” I inquired. “Sophia told me she was doing pictures for your new business.”

  “Yes, that’s true.” Tyla played with the long gold chain that she wore around her neck. “I’m getting ready to open an adult leisure park. We had our investors-only debut this past weekend, which was why I had Sophia there.” She paused. “You’ve heard of adult leisure parks, right?

  I had not. “Sure, of course. Huh. Sounds like fun.” I spread out my hands. “I’d love to see yours sometimes. Could I get an advanced viewing?”

  Across the counter, Sophia gave a strangled cough. I ignored her.

  “I think that could be arranged.” Tyla smiled, and I had a sudden vision of a predatory cat. She reached into her bag and pulled out a card. “Here’s my email, and the address of the park. Are you free next Friday? If you could come at three or so, I could show you around, and then we could have dinner afterward.”

  I picked up the card and tapped it on my knee. “Oh, yeah. I can do that.”

  “It’ll be fun. I think you’re going to love our facilities.” She stood, and the neckline of her shirt gaped slightly, giving me an amazing view of breasts spilling out of a black lace bra. I was suddenly glad that I was sitting down.

  “That’s great. Oh, uh, Tyla.” I cleared my throat. “I know this sounds kind of weird, but how do you feel about Christmas?”

  Her brows drew together, but there was curious humor in her eyes. “I’m a big fan, actually. I already have my tree ready to decorate, and the Christmas station is set on my car radio. Why?”

  I waved one hand. “No reason, just asking.” I raised her card. “I’ll email you to confirm for Friday.”

  “Perfect.” She hitched her bag over her shoulder. “Sophia, thanks for everything. Send me the invoice. I look forward to working again with you soon.”

  Both Sophia and I were silent, watching Tyla leave. Once she was safely beyond the door, I swiveled back to face my friend. “Holy shit, Soph. She’s amazing. Why didn’t you tell me she’s such a total yee? You seemed like you didn’t want to introduce us. Why are you holding out on me?”

  Sophia growled. “Harry, you don’t know what you’re getting into here. Tyla’s not really your type.”

  “Is she into guys?” I demanded.

  With a grudging nod, Sophia assented. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she is.”

  “Is she married? In a committed relationship? A drug runner? A hired hitwoman? A vampire? On the run from the mob? Or is she like that bug lady from Buffy, who ate the guy after they mated?”

  “Okay, no. I don’t think she’s any of those things.” Sophia cast her eyes upward. “But can’t you just trust me that I don’t think she’s right for you?”

  I frowned. “Is this because she’s older than me? Or because she’s so hot that you’d feel threatened if I start dating her, and she’s hanging around with us all the time?”

  Sophia’s eyes narrowed to slits. “That is the shittiest thing you’ve ever said to me, Harry. You know what? Fine. Screw you. Go for it. Do whatever the hell you want. Have a blast with her.” She began to stomp away from me, pausing only to toss one more barb my way. “Just remember that I warned you, and don’t blame me for what happens next.”

  That sounded vaguely ominous, but seriously, what could be wrong with this Tyla chick? She was hot, flirty, confident and available. And she didn’t hate Christmas. That was all I needed to know at the moment.

  I was sure I could roll with whatever it was that made Sophia want to warn me away from her. Although . . . she’d sounded serious about it, and not in a petty girl-feud way.

  As I stood up and left the coffee shop, I mused that Sophia had been acting weird lately. I didn’t know what her issue was, but she needed to get over it. I decided I should confer with Preston and see if the two of us could figure it out together.

  4

  The gym where Preston, Sophia and I climbed was only about fifteen minutes from the mall, ten minutes from the juice bar where Preston worked and twenty minutes from Espresso Wishes, so it was convenient for all three of us. That was why we often met there to do a little bouldering before we hung out or caught a movie together.

  Tonight, our plan was to boulder for an hour and then walk over to our favorite deli to eat and catch up. We hadn’t all been together since Halloween, and that night, I’d been so dejected after the whole Faith mess that I hadn’t been much fun. But tonight, I was in a better place. Tonight, I was looking forward to my date on Friday with the lovely Tyla.

  We’d exchanged some emails since we’d met last week, and each one was a little more flirtatious, a little naughtier than the one before it. If I’d been interested in Faith because we had so much in common—I’d thought—my reasons for liking Tyla were entirely different. My feelings for her were less intellectual and more primal.

  Just thinking about her set me on edge and made me grin. I was whistling as I strutted toward the entrance to the gym, so totally involved in my own thoughts that I nearly missed the girl who was throwing a hissy fit and banging on the hood of her car.

  “No-good stinkin’ piece of always-breaking-down shit!” She gave the tire a good kick out of general principle, I assumed, because the tires looked like they were fine.

  “Hey.” I stopped on the other side of the car’s hood, keeping my distance in case she really was psycho and might start whaling on me, too. “Is everything okay?”

  The glare she fixed on me could only be described as withering. “Do I look okay? Do I sound okay? Does an okay person choose to beat on her car for no good reason?” She pushed her dark hair out of her face impatiently.

  There didn’t seem to be a safe answer here. “Uh, well, probably not. I withdraw the question and replace it with—can I help in some way?”

  Now she stood straighter, crossing her arms over her chest and squaring her jaw. “That’s much better, and I appreciate it. Do you know anything about cars?”

  I shrugged. “Probably just enough to be dangerous, but I can take a look. Also, if I can’t figure it out, my friend’s just inside, and she’s really smart about cars.” I slapped the roof. “But let me take a look first, so we don’t have to involve her if we don’t need to. What happened?”

  “It won’t start.” She opened the driver’s side door and pulled the lever to pop the hood. “I was climbing, and then I came out here in a hurry to get to class, and it just won’t turn over.” With a glance that dared me to underestimate her, she added, “And yes, before you ask the question, I’ve got gas, and the oil was just changed last week.”

  I held both hands up in front of me. “Never would have assumed you didn’t.” Actually, the thought had crossed my mind. “How about you try to start her up now, so I can see what we’re dealing with?”

  With a grimace, she reached for the ignition and gave it a turn. There was no discernible sound at first,
but as I leaned over the engine, I made out the quiet clicking noise and breathed a sigh of relief. This was good. I knew what this sound meant, and I didn’t have to get Sophia involved.

  “How old is your battery?” I poked my head around the lifted hood to inquire.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Umm . . . old? It came with the car, and I bought it used three years ago.”

  “Yeah, that’s the issue.” I slid my hand into my pocket to retrieve my keys. “Your battery is dead. You need to replace it, but I can give you a jump for now.”

  She climbed out of the driver’s seat and rested her arms on the open car door. She was shorter than me, with long, curly dark hair and big blue eyes that now stared at me guardedly. “When you say ‘need to replace it’, does that mean eventually or immediately?”

  “That depends. Do you like having to find someone to give you a jump every time you need to start your car?”

  “Ha, ha, ha. A comedian, huh? Okay. So that means sooner rather than later. Damn.” She pulled out her phone and looked down at the screen. “As it is, I’m going to be late for my class. I don’t have time to stop to buy a battery now, let alone have it installed.”

  “I might be able to help you.” I lifted one finger, indicating that she should wait a minute, and jogged over to my car, where I opened the trunk and rummaged for a few seconds before I walked back over to her.

  “This is a power jumper. I’ll show you how to hook it up to your battery, and it’ll give you enough of a jump to start the engine.” I paused before adding, “This isn’t a permanent solution, though. You can use it tonight to make sure you can get home after class, but you’ll need to replace this battery right away after that.”

  She held up crossed fingers. “I promise, I will. Are you sure you don’t mind me borrowing this?”

  “Nah.” I shook my head. “Just bring it back to me here. I climb a few times a week, so if you come by regularly, you have a pretty good chance of catching me.”

  “Okay, thanks so much. And sorry I was so snarky when you stopped to help me. I really do appreciate it.” She watched me attach the clamps to the battery’s terminals.

  “No problem.” I snuck a quick glance her way. She was pretty in a very casual, non-fussy way. Her jeans and tee were clearly meant for comfort, not to show off her body, though I noticed that her arms were toned, with defined muscles, like most climbers boasted. I’d have to call her a yee. There was no getting around it. “So, you mentioned classes. Where do you go to school?”

  “UCF. I’m in the master’s program for biomedical sciences.”

  I think my mouth dropped open. “Oh. Shit, that’s—wow. Good for you.”

  “Thanks.” She shrugged. “I know, go ahead and say it. I don’t look old enough, blah, blah, blah.” She ducked her head. “I’m actually just twenty-one. I was homeschooled, and I started college when I was fourteen. Finished in two years, took off some time to work and travel, but ultimately, I knew what I wanted. I’m very driven, my parents say. Unfortunately, being science smart doesn’t mean I know engines, apparently, and it also means I’m super awkward with real, live humans. So sorry again for being so snippy.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I switched on the power jump box. “Go ahead and start it up now.”

  The car turned over, and she gave a quick cheer. “Oh, my God, you have no idea how grateful I am.”

  “Don’t mention it.” I disconnected the cables. “Did you see how I did that? Red to red, yellow to yellow, then turn on the box—” I showed her the switch. “And then turn on your car.”

  “Got it.” She took the box and attached cables from me. “Listen, I don’t want to abuse your generosity. Let me get your name and number so I can return these tomorrow, once I pick up the new battery.”

  I hesitated only a second. “Okay, sure. But seriously, no rush. Don’t put yourself out. You must have a pretty full schedule, with the master’s degree and all.”

  She grinned at me. “I go to class, I work at the college library, and I climb three times a week. I have no life beyond those three places. I can find time to run this to you at work or home.”

  “Thanks.” I chuckled. “My name’s Harry Davis.” I spouted off my number as she typed it onto her keyboard.

  “Cool. I’m going to text you right now so you’ll know who’s calling you tomorrow. My name’s Faith, by the way.”

  My breath whooshed out. “It’s what now? Faith? Are you sure?”

  She quirked an eyebrow at me. “Pretty sure. It’s been that for over twenty-one years. Why do you look shocked?”

  “Uh, nothing.” I shook my head. “It’s just kind of an unusual name, I guess, and I met someone last month with the same one.”

  “Ah.” She gave a knowing smile. “I’m going to guess you didn’t have a good experience with the other Faith. Well, hopefully, I can . . .” She winked at me. “Restore your faith. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

  I laughed along with her. “I’m sure you’re nothing like her. You don’t hate Christmas, do you? And you didn’t pretend to have a broken-down car just to meet me, right?”

  Faith’s eyes widened. “No, and hell, no! Who would do that—and who hates Christmas? My mom is Jewish, and even she loves the holidays. She’s the first one to put up a tree.” She looked back down at her phone and sucked in a breath. “Crap, I really have to go now. Sorry to get a jump and run, but I can’t miss this class.”

  I waved her off. “Go on. Good luck. Catch you later.”

  “No way. That was not her name.” Preston gave me a small shove and wagged his head. “Dude. That must’ve thrown you a digit. How whacked is that?”

  “Pretty whacked,” I agreed. We were sitting on the mats, watching as Sophia tackled a new problem, pulling herself from hold to hold and then swinging her lithe body across the wall. “But she seemed totally different than the other Faith.”

  “Faith One.” Preston nodded. “That’s good. Faith Two is a whole different kind of yee. Good deal.”

  “Yeah, she’s a yee.” I shrugged. “But I’m not sure I can handle another Faith. Anyway, I have a good feeling about this Tyla chick I’m seeing tomorrow night. She’s got it all together.”

  Preston reached for his chalk bag. “This is the one you met through Soph?”

  “Kind of, I guess.” I hunched over and lowered my voice, my eyes still on our climbing friend. “Hey, Preston. Speaking of Sophia, have you noticed she’s been acting a little strange lately?”

  He frowned. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know.” I stretched out one leg. “Just . . . weird. Like, she mutters shit under her breath. And she tries to talk me out of dating any of these women I’m meeting.”

  “Does she...?” Preston gave me a half-grin. “That’s interesting.”

  “Why?” My stomach clenched uneasily. “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.” Preston waved his hand. “Just . . . interesting.”

  “We have a different opinion on what’s interesting and what’s annoying.” I scowled.

  “Maybe she’s threatened. Did you ever think of that?” He shrugged. “Girls . . . they’re not like us, you know. You can’t just throw a bunch of them together and expect everyone to get along and crap. They have, like, all these expectations and stuff. And they see each other as the competition, I think.”

  “Sophia’s never been like that,” I protested. “None of us has. It’s never been weird between us, from the first time we started hanging out.”

  “We never dated anyone seriously. You and me, we never tried to bring another girl into the group. And Sophia hasn’t brought around a guy, either.”

  I wrinkled my forehead. “Does she even date? Has she ever talked about it?”

  “Huh.” Preston looked thoughtful. “She’s talked about lusting after dudes. Remember that one who used to climb here—he was blond and kind of a giant. I think he moved to the beach and opened his own gym.”

  “Yeah, I guess I kind of rem
ember that.” Actually, I remembered that very clearly. His name had been Corin, but I used to make fun of him by calling him Thor, just to piss off Sophia, who worshipped the ground he stomped over. He had taken a special interest in her climbing, hinting that maybe she could take it into a professional competitive career, and I’d scoffed that he was only saying it to get into her pants. It was one of the rare times that Sophia and I had had a serious, scary fight.

  “But any of us bringing a sig ot into the mix—that’s never been done. Maybe it’s kind of daunting stuff.” Preston nodded gravely.

  “A sig ot—oh.” Understanding dawned. “Significant other. Got it.”

  “Got what?” Sophia dropped down onto the mat between us, her olive skin glowing and her chest heaving as she caught her breath. “What’re we talking about, boys?”

  “Boyfriends,” Preston blurted at the same moment that I replied, “Otters.”

  “Oookay.” She glanced from Preston to me, not at all fooled by either of us. “If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t. I don’t need to be privy to all your little boy secrets.”

  Preston, wise man that he was, launched onto a new topic. “Harry was telling me about the damsel in distress he rescued. You’ll never believe what her name is.”

  “What damsel is this?” Sophia rounded on me, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you were all excited about Tyla and your date tomorrow.”

  “I am,” I assured her. “I’m seeing her tomorrow afternoon at the—what is it called? The adult leisure park? Can’t wait.”

  Sophia’s lips twitched. “Uh-huh. I’m sure you’ll have a blast.” Something in her voice made me narrow my eyes, but before I could call her on it, she went on speaking. “Who’s the damsel, and why should I care what her name is?”

  “Because it’s Faith.” Preston rolled down onto his back, laughing. “Faith Two. Only our boy could pull this off.”

  “She’s just a girl who needed a jump,” I explained.