“Hey, it’s Dina. Where the hell are you? I sent you three texts.”
She had forgotten all about her sister. They had been trying to make an effort to stay connected since that dinner with their parents but Ellis hadn’t spoken to her in days. She was too wrapped up with Mike. Maybe she should come clean about them.
She disregarded that idea almost immediately.
Dina didn’t need to know that Ellis had slept with Mike because it was over between them, just one night of very good sex. It didn’t matter that she thought about him one hundred times that day or if her heart leapt when she saw him walk into her office. Michael Edwards was officially off limits. Being with him was too risky. She was just finding herself. There was no way she could lose herself in another man.
Ellis sat down on her couch and dialed her sister’s number.
Dina answered on the first ring. “Why the hell didn’t you pick up your phone last night? I was worried sick.”
“What?”
“Where were you last night? Mom told me your store got robbed. She told me you got hurt. She said your face was all busted up. Damn it, Ellis. I kept trying to call you to see if you were okay.”
“I was … uh … in bed,” she said, telling a half-truth. This was not what she expected to hear from her sister when she picked up the phone. She never thought in a million years that her sister would actually care. “You spoke to Mom. She told you I was fine. Didn’t she?”
“Yes, but I needed to hear from you myself.” She was quiet for a moment. “Listen, Elle, I know that I have spent the majority of your life treating you like the stuff that grows under rocks. But I happen to love the stuff that grows under rocks very much and would hate it if something happened to it.”
“Dina…” Tears clogged Ellis’s throat as guilt tore up her insides. While her sister was worrying about her, Ellis was having hot sex with her ex-boyfriend. Classy. “I’m okay, I swear. You don’t have to worry.”
“Oh, I’m not going to worry anymore because I’m picking you up and we are going to the shooting range.”
“What? Guns. I’m pretty sure New York State doesn’t just give out gun permits willy-nilly. And you know our nonviolent pacifist mother will not approve of this adventure.”
“So what? We won’t tell her. I know you’re all brave and shit but I need to do this. I need to know that if the time ever came you’ll be able to protect yourself.”
“Where the hell was this sister when we were kids? I could have used you in junior high.”
“Nah, it would have never worked then. I had too much fun torturing you.”
“Bitch.”
“Brat.”
“Thanks for calling, sister.”
“I’ll call again. We will get this sister thing right eventually. I promise.”
They disconnected and for the first time in a long time Ellis was really hopeful that things would work out with her sister.
*
“I’m hungry,” Colin complained as he studied the contents of Mike’s refrigerator.
Mike stared at his friend’s back, wondering if he could burn a hole through his shirt with his gaze alone. He had been in Colin’s company for over half an hour and for the first time in the fifteen years Mike had known the man he wanted to punch him. How could one man have so many jokes?
“Forget about your goddamn stomach for two seconds and get me an ice pack.”
Colin glanced over his shoulder and grinned at him. “Your head hurts, does it?”
“You know it does,” he snapped. Mike had been through few experiences in his life in which he was truly embarrassed; today was one of them. Today took all those other experiences combined and made them seem like small potatoes.
“Don’t get your knickers in a knot.” Colin opened the freezer and tossed Mike an ice pack. “You know you’re scared of needles. I don’t know why you had to go rushing off to the doctor today.”
“I’m not scared of needles.” Mike winced as held the pack to his forehead. “I don’t like them. Big difference.”
“I’d say passing out, knocking your head on the exam table, and needing me to pick you up is more than not liking them.”
Maybe Colin had a point. “It wasn’t the needle,” Mike admitted. “It was all the blood.” They stuck the needle in my arm and kept filling vial after fucking vial. When she put the fifth in I’d had it. It’s not right to take so much fluid from one person.”
“Why’d you look at it? Always look away, man. Especially since you tend to faint like a little girl.” He pulled a couple of beers out of the fridge, tossing one to Mike. “Did they have to get the smelling salts to revive you?”
“Fuck off.” Mike gingerly felt the throbbing lump on his head.
“Shouldn’t you be saying thank you instead? I had to stop working to come get you.”
“I’m sorry if I took you away from reupholstering a settee. It wasn’t my idea anyway. I wanted to drive myself home.”
“I was restoring a vintage slot machine and that’s beside the point.” He took a long swig of beer. “Why did you go to the doctor in the first place?”
“Physical,” he grunted, before taking a swig of his own.
“Next time have a girl come get you from the doctor. She can play nurse a hell of a lot better than I can.” Colin studied him for a moment. “What’s going on with you and Ellis?”
Ellis. He hadn’t seen her for a few days and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about her a thousand times. Every time he stepped foot in his kitchen he remembered her curvy body in his T-shirt and her red panties. Every time he lay in bed he could faintly smell her scent on his pillowcase. He could almost feel her nestled against his chest. “She reopened her store a few days ago,” he said, deliberately misunderstanding. “I think she’s doing pretty well.”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about. Did you make any progress with her yet? Did you seal the deal?”
Mike took his time answering. He had no secrets from Colin but this time he wasn’t so eager to share. Ellis was somebody he wasn’t comfortable talking about, even with Colin. Mike wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with them. She had claimed that their time together was a mistake. It wasn’t. They weren’t done yet.
“We’re hanging out.” He shrugged. “I like her.”
A slow smile spread across Colin’s face. “Come on, lad. Don’t be shy now. Will I be Uncle Colin soon?”
“You sound like the Lucky Charms guy when you say shit like that.” Mike sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Let’s talk about you instead. You haven’t been with anybody in a long time.”
Colin had been dating a woman for about a year and Mike was sure his friend was heading toward walking down the aisle. But something had happened between him and his love. Something that Colin hadn’t shared. Colin had been single ever since. It seemed Mike wasn’t the only one with a closed mouth when it came to women.
“I’m keeping my options open.” He stood up and opened the drawer where Mike kept his menus. “Let’s order pizza. I’m starving.”
Apparently the conversation was done.
*
Ellis was busy stitching the hem on a dress when Belinda poked her head into her office. “Hey, Ellie, Mike’s on the phone for you.”
“Mike?” She honestly didn’t think she would hear from him so soon after their little fight. She’d seen the look on his face when she told him that what they’d done was a mistake. It was subtle but she could tell by the slight tightening in his jaw that it had hurt him.
She didn’t lie to him that day. She knew she shouldn’t have slept with him and it had nothing to do with the women in his past. If she let herself fall in love with him she would end up giving her heart away, and this time she was afraid she was never going to get it back.
“Yes, Mike. Detective Hot Stuff. The guy who has been paying you an awful a lot of attention lately.” Belinda studied Ellis for a moment. “What’s go
ing on with you two?”
“I slept with him,” she blurted out.
“You hussy!” Belinda accused. “Was it good?”
Ellis nodded. “Best sex I’ve ever had.”
“Why don’t you seem happy about it?”
“Because I’m one of those unfortunate people who goes all girlie and gets stupid feelings for the guy I’m sleeping with.”
“And you’re afraid that sex is all he wants?”
She shrugged. “Partly. I just don’t want to fall in love again, Belinda. It’s too hard.”
“Oh, girl. I know. Why the hell do you think I’m avoiding it?” She gave Ellis a soft smile. “Pick up the phone and talk to the man. We can have some girl time after work. I’ll pick up some booze and we can meet at my place.”
“Sounds good.” Maybe a talk with her best friend would do her good. Maybe she was blowing this whole thing with Mike out of proportion. “Thanks, Belinda.”
She winked at her and left the room.
Ellis picked up the phone on her desk and took a deep breath before she answered. “Hi, Mike.” She tried to sound cool, like she hadn’t thought about him at all the past few days.
“Hey.” His voice sounded different. Heavy. She sat up in her chair. “I called your cell phone, but you didn’t answer so I figured I’d try you on this line.”
“I’m sorry. It must be on silent. What’s up? You missing me already?”
“Maybe. I haven’t talked to you in a couple of days. I was just wondering how you were.”
“I’m fine, but how are you? You don’t sound like yourself.”
“I’m okay, just a little tired.”
It was more than that. In her gut she knew all wasn’t right in his world. “Where are you?”
“At work. I know you’re working, too, and I don’t want to take up your time but…”
“But what, Mike?”
“I just wanted to say hi.”
“Oh.” She was speechless for a moment. “Hi.”
“I’ve got to go, Elle. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
He disconnected before she could say another word.
*
Mike hung up feeling like a total jackass. He didn’t know why he’d called her. Twice. He should have taken the first missed call as a hint and not bothered her, but something drove him to dial the number to her store. He wanted to hear her voice, not because he missed her but because he wanted to take his mind away from his thoughts. From the heaviness that was making it hard for him to breathe these past few hours.
His old partner had called him that morning to tell him that the fifteen-year-old kid they had busted for armed robbery last year had been killed in prison. After ten years on the job it shouldn’t have surprised him. But it did. And more than that, it bothered him.
Darryl Peters was from the worst neighborhood in the city. He was poor. His high school was dangerous. He wasn’t exceptionally smart. He wasn’t athletic. Crime seemed like his only choice. Normally Mike wouldn’t have batted a lash when he threw a perp in jail, but this kid had stayed with him. He looked younger than his fifteen years. He cried when they arrested him. He asked for his mother when they hauled him in for interrogation. And now he was dead.
How many poor kids had they sent to prison? How many kids could have made something of themselves if they had been born in a different zip code?
Knowing that the boy was dead made him hate his job a little. Prison didn’t rehabilitate kids. Throwing fifteen-year-olds in with the adult monsters wouldn’t cure them. It would only turn them into monsters. Or it would kill them.
“Mike?” The officer at the front desk called to him. “Somebody’s here to see you.”
He looked up to see Ellis with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pink bakery box in the other.
“Elle?” He stood up. “What are you doing here?”
“I got a thing for cops,” she said absently as she crossed the room to meet him. “I came to see if I could pick one up. What happened to your head?” She put the coffee and the box on the nearest desk and reached for his face. “Mikey…”
As soon as he felt her warm hands on his skin he leaned into her touch. He couldn’t help himself.
It was one of the few times he’d seen Ellis unguarded. She was worried about him. She couldn’t hide it.
“Who did this to you?” She brushed her lips over his bruised forehead.
“I did it to me,” he said, not wanting to tell the truth. “I was getting blood drawn and I passed out and knocked my head on the exam table.”
“Oh.” She covered her mouth with her hands in a vain attempt to smother a giggle.
“You’re not supposed to laugh at me.” He frowned at her. “You’re supposed to coo and fuss over me and kiss it better.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, still giggling. “I’m having a hard time picturing you passing out. It seems like nothing ever gets to you.”
He studied her face, still marred from her run-in with the asshole who’d robbed her. “Things get to me, Ellis. Things get to me all the time.”
They were quiet for a moment as they stared at each other, something indescribable passing between them. “Judging by the look you’re giving me, I’m guessing I still look like I went twelve rounds with Tyson.”
“I didn’t think it was possible, but your face actually looks worse than before.”
“You mean, you’re not a fan of the greenish yellow tinge my cheek has taken on? Or is it the intermittent spots of purple that turn your stomach?”
“Hmm.” Mike gently ran his thumb across her cheek. “I think it’s that scabby gash that does it for me.”
Ellis nodded as she leaned into him, her warm soft body doing wonders for his shitty mood. “It’s a sight to behold. Well, at least we match. We could bring home the title for most battered couple.”
“We could,” he said softly. “Why are you really here, Ellie?”
“I told you. To pick up men. See.” She motioned to the coffee and bakery box she’d discarded on Maloney’s desk. “I even bought cop bait, but pickings seem to be slim around here.” She looked into his eyes and gave him that slightly naughty grin he was growing inordinately fond of. “I guess you’ll have to do. Want to come out with me tonight?”
“Yes,” he said without thinking. “I do.”
It was just after six PM when they left the station. The streets of Durant usually grew quiet around this time on a weeknight. The college kids were in their dorms. Families were sitting down to dinner. Ellis and Mike were strolling through town. They were quiet for a while and instead of it being awkward, instead of one of them searching for something to say, the silence was comfortable. He’d never really had that with a woman before.
He never just took walks with a woman, either. Every girl he had dated in the past he’d had a plan for, a purpose for being with her. But with Ellis … They just were. No plans. No thoughts. He didn’t even know where he stood with her half the time. He just knew that he liked her.
Ellis stopped in front of the window of McKeel’s Hobby Shop and peered into the window.
“This is Durant, you know.” She lightly pressed her hands to the glass as she studied the intricate set of miniature buildings on display. “This was how the town looked in the 1950s before all the hippies moved in and funked up the place. See? There’s the university and that’s St. Lucy Street. The third store in is my shop.”
She looked up at him and grinned. “My father used to bring me here when I was a kid. But only around Christmastime. Every shop on the street does a window display. The bakery always does theirs out of gingerbread. The accountant makes a Christmas tree out of shredded tax forms, but McKeel’s … They do the best one. This town turns into a winter wonderland.” She pointed to the pond. “That becomes an ice-skating rink, and those people beside it get dressed up in winter clothes, and the whole thing is dusted in this glittery white snow. It’s beautiful.”
So was she, he couldn’t help but
to think. Her face lit up with excitement when she described the town. He didn’t think anything had ever made him so happy. “You’ll have to show me when they do it this year.”
She nodded and slid her arm around his as they head farther down the street. “You have to do all the Christmassy things there are to do in Durant. There’s the tree lighting on the green and parade of houses and the fruitcake bake-off.”
“Fruitcake bake-off? I’ll pass on that one.”
“You can’t! It’s a good time. Usually whoever can cram the most alcohol into their cake wins.”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’ve never been here for Christmas. Classes ended before that. I had no idea there was so much to do.”
“Durant’s a great town. I missed it when I was gone.”
They came to end of the street but instead of turning down the next one, Ellis surprised him by walking onto the empty playground. She wore a little brown fluttery skirt, ridiculously high heels, and a khaki-colored jacket. She wasn’t dressed to go play in the park.
She turned back to him, extending her hand. “Let’s swing.”
“That’s not the first time a woman has ever said that to me, but nobody else has meant it the way you do.”
“Perv.” She gave him that sassy grin of hers. “I bet I can swing higher than you.”
Ellis kicked off her shoes and took the swing on the end, her legs pumping back and forth, taking her higher and higher, causing that cute little skirt she had on to fly up. She wore yellow panties with black polka dots. He couldn’t pull his eyes away.
“I haven’t done this since I was eight,” she said sounding slightly breathless. “I’m going to jump.”
“Ellis,” he warned, “you’ll break—”
Before he could finish her sentence she was screaming and hurtling toward the grass. She landed flat on her behind and without thinking he rushed to her.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked at him for a moment, then grabbed his arm and yanked him down on the grass with her. He landed half on top of her curvy warm body, and when he looked into her face he found her laughing uncontrollably.
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