Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  “Then tell her to leave.” He set his beer back down on the on the counter.

  “Would you be able to do that if somebody you loved once came back into your life? Maybe somebody like Cassie Belmont?”

  Robbie leaned back on his stool. “That's about as likely to happen as you and Misty getting back together, making babies, and moving into a place of your own.”

  I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the bar. “I don’t know. What if she means it?”

  “What's your mom say?”

  “Not much. But my grandma was the worst.” If I hadn't intervened Grandma might have taken it to blows.

  “I wouldn't want to cross your grandma and your mom. Although, I used to feel that way about Misty too. Now that I think about it, she's got a lot in common with the women in your family.”

  I groaned. Yes, she did, and that was probably part of the reason I was attracted to her in the first place. She reminded me of all the strong women in my life.

  Robbie leaned forward to pick up his beer again. “So what's the next step?”

  “Coffee tomorrow at the Lovebird.”

  “You sure you’re going to be okay walking in there? Isn't that where you proposed?”

  “Yeah, there aren't many other options though. I suppose I could have invited her to meet me at the VFW for a cup of coffee. Now that would be romantic.”

  “I didn’t know romance was what you were after,” Robbie said. “Why don’t you sleep on it? See how you feel in the morning. Just because she's asking for a second chance, doesn't mean you have to make a decision right away.”

  He did have a point there. Maybe if coffee went well we could try lunch or even a dinner. “Thanks for coming out.”

  “You know I’ve got your back,” Robbie said. “Are we still on for this weekend?”

  “Yeah. But we had to move the car wash to the church.”

  Robbie lifted a brow. “Pastor Greene’s going to be okay with having a car wash in his parking lot?”

  “Misty took the liberty of having the Garden Club set up in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot, so we don't really have a choice.”

  “You’re in trouble. She’s already jacking you around, just like she used to.” He lifted his beer and drained the last bit. “See you on Saturday.”

  I shook my head as I gave him a quick wave. He left, but I stayed at the bar nursing my beer, sorting through thoughts of me and Misty and years gone past. When she moved to Swallow Springs in high school, she hadn't exactly fit in. Dark black hair, matte red lipstick…she stood out like a crimson rose in a field full of daisies.

  She’d taken the seat in front of me in American History. I'd been a goner since the moment she turned around and asked if she could borrow a pencil. We’d pretty much been inseparable since the day we met. And everybody assumed small town high school sweethearts followed in the footsteps of their parents, stuck around for backyard barbecues, celebrated family birthday parties together, and attended potlucks at the church.

  But Misty blew my future out of the water. Now I just needed to decide if I wanted to give her another chance.

  The next morning I sat on a bar stool at the Lovebird Café. Patsy filled my coffee mug and made her way down the line. I could tell Misty was there when the scent of her perfume drifted past my nose.

  She slid onto the stood next to me. “Hey. Do you want to get a table or should we sit here?”

  Patsy stopped in front of Misty, set out an empty mug, and filled it with coffee from the steaming carafe she held in one hand. “Hi, sugar. Sure is nice to see you here again.”

  “I’m just visiting my parents for a little bit.” Misty added three tiny containers of half and half and two packets of sugar.

  “You mind if we take that booth over there?” I asked.

  “Y'all sit wherever you want,” Patsy said. “Need a menu?”

  “I’ll take the steak and eggs, fried potatoes on the side, and one of those big cinnamon rolls.”

  “You got it, doll. How about for you?” Patsy turned her attention to Misty.

  “Just coffee for me this morning.”

  “All right. I’ll have that out in a bit.”

  Misty covered Patsy’s hand with hers. “I’m surprised to see you here. I was so sorry to hear about Duke.”

  Patsy’s smile wavered at the edges. “Thanks, honey. I can’t stay away. Doesn’t do me any good to sit at home and mope. We had such a beautiful life together. Seeing all of you is good for me. Keeps me busy, you know?”

  Misty nodded as Patsy slid her hand away and turned toward the kitchen.

  “Shall we?” I gestured to the booth behind us.

  Misty sat down in the middle of the bench, and I centered myself across from her, the table marking the neutral zone between us. She looked even better today than she had last night. I didn’t know what she’d been doing to herself up in Omaha but it sure agreed with her. Her cheeks had a rosy glow, those pouty lips outlined in red remind me of days gone by. There was no evidence of the tears she’d shed last night. Her eyes were bright and full of spirit.

  “So how did the rest of the party go?” she asked.

  “My cousins started a wrestling competition. A table got overturned and soda spilled all over the floor. We got kicked out before Grandma had a chance to open the presents and my mom took her back to the center kicking and screaming all the way.”

  Misty let out a laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like the Duncan parties I remember. How's Grandma Duncan doing?”

  “She's good. We had to move her into the assisted living facility about six months ago. She doesn’t like it any more than we do, but it’s for the best. At ninety-six years old we can’t trust her to be on her own anymore.”

  “That's got to be tough,” Misty said as she lifted her mug to her lips. “She still seems to have the same spirit.”

  “I should have known better than to invite you last night.” I hung my head.

  “I didn’t mind. Thanks for meeting me for coffee,” she said.

  “Well, you didn't give me much of a choice.”

  “I'm glad you're willing to talk.”

  “I’m not so sure about ‘willing,’ but I figured it’s the path of least resistance.” Lifting my gaze to meet hers, I raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Why don’t you fill me in on what's been going on with you over the past couple years? Start there. You’re working for the city now huh?”

  If that’s how she wanted to play this, I’d go along for now. “Yeah, Junior Inspector isn’t super exciting, but it pays well enough. I also make a little helping Robbie out with construction jobs on the side.”

  “I thought Robbie moved away.”

  “He was in California for a while, but his dad got sick so he's back.”

  “Must be nice having your best friend around.”

  “It is. We’re coaching the high school baseball team together. He does most of the work, I just help out. Keeps me out of trouble and it's nice to see some of the guys. That's why this tournament is so important.” We could volley small talk back and forth all morning. I waited for her to get to the real reason she wanted to get together.

  “So how's the fundraising going?”

  “Not so great. But we’ve still got a month to get the rest of the funds together.”

  She fiddled with one of her empty creamer containers, the only tell-tale sign she might be feeling a little unsettled. “What kind of plans do you have?”

  “We’ve got a few things up our sleeves. You know about the car wash this weekend.”

  She nodded.

  “We’re also doing a Skate Under the Stars thing at the Ventura tonight.”

  She sat up straighter, and her eyes lit up. “I haven’t been to Ventura roller rink in years, not since high school.”

  After football season ended, that’s where we’d spend our Friday nights. Anyone who was anyone would go down to the roller rink for open skate from seven to ten. Half t
he time Misty and I would sneak off behind the building to make out. The other half we’d be slow skating.

  “Yeah, me neither. But they offered so the whole team is selling tickets.”

  She cradled her mug in her hands. “I haven’t thought about that place in forever.”

  Those were the good old days. My heart warmed at the memories of me and Misty, her arms clasped around my neck. She was better on skates so she would always be the one going backward, round and round the rink while a slow song played. Depending on who was working the DJ booth, we could tip enough to keep the slow songs playing all night long. And if we weren’t wrapped in each other’s arms skating, we were back behind the building doing things to each other that high school kids had no business doing.

  For a moment I forgot about the heartache, the headaches, and the pain she caused. Warmth filled my limbs. I lifted my hand, about to reach out to her, to tell her I was ready to try again.

  A plate clattered to the table in front of me. “Steak and eggs, there you go.” Patsy filled my mug to the brim. “Anything else I can get you, sugar?”

  Misty shook her head, totally unaware of my moment of weakness. In a flash it all came back to me…how pissed I’d been when she left. How she’d walked away without looking back.

  Damn, I never would have guessed that a platter of steak and eggs might have just saved me from making the second biggest mistake of my life.

  9

  Misty

  The look in Jake’s eyes shifted. He’d been about to say something when Patsy interrupted. The dreamy smile on his lips faded, replaced by a hardness I hadn’t seen before.

  “You sure you don’t want anything, hon?” Patsy asked.

  I gave her a smile as I shook my head. “Just coffee for me, thanks.”

  “Y’all let me know if you need anything else.” Patsy topped off my coffee then whirled back toward the counter.

  “What were you about to say?” I prodded Jake.

  He slid a forkful of egg into his mouth and mumbled around it. “Nothin’.”

  Nothin’ my ass. He looked like he’d been about to soften up to my idea. Why did Patsy have to pick that moment to plop his food in front of him? Now it looked like I’d be battling a platter of steak and eggs for his attention.

  “About the Ventura tonight…You were talking about skating. Remember when we used to spend our Friday nights there?” Surely a gentle reminder of the steamy times we spent wrapped in each other’s arms under a rotating disco ball would jog his memory.

  “Mmm.” He nodded.

  I waited for him to swallow, hoping the nod was just the beginning of the onslaught of memories running through his mind. But then he cut a bite of steak and stabbed it with his fork. Before I could ask another question, he shoved it in his mouth.

  “Those were some good times, weren’t they?” I continued to press, waiting for a reaction.

  He grinned as he chewed.

  “Remember when we used to sneak out back behind the building?” I ran my finger around the rim of my mug, tilted my head, and lifted my eyes to meet his gaze. Flirt mode engaged.

  “Hey, remember that time the garbage company was on strike and they didn’t pick up the dumpster? It smelled so bad.” He raised his eyebrows as he took another bite of his breakfast.

  Fine. If he didn’t want to reminisce about our steamy memories, I’d just have to create some new ones.

  “So the fundraiser tonight is open to the public?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Yeah. It’ll mostly be high school kids. We’re talking it up like a retro night out.”

  “Maybe I’ll stop in.”

  A line appeared between his eyebrows. At least I’d caused some sort of reaction. “Really? I figured you would have hung up your roller skates a long time ago.”

  “What makes you think that?” I unzipped my purse to pull out a few dollars.

  Laughing, Jake leaned back against the booth. “Come on, Misty. I bet you couldn’t even make it around the rink more than once without falling on your ass.”

  “Sounds like you might be up for a wager?” I slid out of the booth and set my money down on the table.

  “I don’t want to take advantage.” Jake folded my money and passed it back to me. “The coffee’s on me today.”

  “Fine. I’ll let you pay for the coffee, but how about whoever stays on their feet longer at the roller rink tonight gets to pick a place for dinner? What do you say?”

  He had the nerve to laugh. “If you insist. Loser pays?”

  “Sounds good to me.” I thrust my hand out. “Should we shake on it?”

  I relished the feel of him wrapping his hand around mine. He squeezed, giving my hand a quick shake, then let go.

  “You got it. But just so you know, when I win, I’m going to want a rib eye from Sal’s.”

  Palms on the table, I leaned toward him. His eyes widened the tiniest bit as I leveled my gaze on his. “And when I win, I’m going to want a filet from that place on the Plaza in Kansas City.”

  Then I blew him a kiss before twirling around and sashaying out the front door of the Lovebird Café. Hopefully Jake didn’t realize it yet, but I couldn’t care less about our little bet. Win or lose, I’d just secured a dinner date.

  10

  Jake

  I stood at the entrance to the Ventura Roller Rink, collecting tickets from the never-ending line of teenagers streaming through the front doors. All-in-all we probably only had about seventy-five kids inside, but it seemed like so many more. I’d always been a fan of loud music, although the constant thumping of the bass through the huge audio system had me wishing for a handful of ibuprofen, or better yet, a couple of beers.

  “How’s it going?” Robbie came up next to me. He’d put himself in charge of monitoring the parking lot. The team was on a no-substance-use rule. If any of them got caught drinking or smoking, even away from school property, they’d be off the roster for the rest of the year.

  “I’m hanging in there.” I’d filled him in on my conversation with Misty this morning. A part of me hoped she wouldn’t show. Another part of me, the frigging horny part, hoped she’d show up in that sexy red halter top, wrap her arms around me like she used to, and treat me to a few loops around the rink in a slow skate.

  “Still no sign of her?” Robbie asked.

  I shook my head. “She probably changed her mind after she thought about it. It’s got to be at least, what, five, six years since any of us have been on skates?”

  Robbie shrugged. “Giving up doesn’t seem like her style.”

  “True.” Before I could laugh it off, the crowd in front of us parted, and there she was. Skin-tight jeans molded to her curves. A set of inline skates dangled from her fingers.

  “Hey.” Her cherry red lips split into a smile.

  “Hi, Misty. Looks like you’re ready to roll.” Robbie clapped me on the back. “I’ll take over here for a while.”

  “But you’re watching the parking lot.” I wasn’t quite ready to take on Misty, not when she had that self-assured smug smirk that meant I was going down.

  “Thanks, Rob. Jake and I have a bet to settle.” Misty linked her arm in mine. “Did you bring your blades?”

  I shook my head. “Mom gave those away years ago. I’m surprised you still have yours.”

  “Yep. Thank goodness my mama’s a pack rat and never throws anything away. So I guess you’ll need a pair of loaner skates?” She tugged me through the door where the music grew even louder.

  Skates. That’s right. I’d pretty much challenged her to a skating competition tonight. I hadn’t been thinking. Based on the way she tossed those inline skates around, she was going to wipe the rink with me.

  “You know, it’s not really necessary to go through with this. I don’t want you to get hurt, or worse yet, embarrass yourself.” Maybe she’d give up if I pretended it was all for her to save face.

  “Oh, don’t worry about me. I try to get out at least a couple times a we
ek when it’s warm outside.”

  My jaw started to drop, but I snapped it shut. She’d played me. Before I could give her crap about it, a kid came to the counter and asked for my size.

  “Still a fourteen?” Misty asked. Her gaze drifted down my torso, past my hips, grazing my legs, and settling at my feet.

  “Yeah. Fourteen. They probably don’t even have skates that fit me—”

  “Here you go.” The kid thumped a pair of skates down onto the counter in front of me.

  “Thanks,” I ground out from between clenched teeth.

  “You want to do a few warm up laps before we have an official start?” Misty walked ahead of me, her hips swaying from side to side. If I weren’t so worried about the task ahead, I might have fallen into a trance based on the mesmerizing back and forth of her backside.

  “Nah. It’s like riding a bike, right?”

  “When’s the last time you rode a bike?” She’d stopped at a carpet-covered bench.

  I stopped next to her. “So maybe it’s been a little while.” The smell of lust and sex and wicked wanting rolled off of her. What the hell was that? It was like she’d bathed herself in pheromones.

  “Need help getting your skates on?” She lowered herself to sit on the bench then bent over to slide her strappy sandals off her feet.

  “I’m good.” I caught a glimpse of the front of her bra, all red lace and creamy skin, as she bent over. What was she trying to do to me? The last time I’d had sex, it had been with Misty, and that meant it had been too damn long. For a split second I was back in that moment—the two of us tangled together in a mass of limbs in the back of my pick-up.

  She cleared her throat, jerking me out of the past. “Ready?”

  She’d pulled on her blades and was standing. With skates on, the top of her head came to just under my chin. Whatever that toxic perfume was, it tickled my nose.

  I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. As I swapped my trainers for the cheap rental blades, I tried to psych myself up for a little competition. Whether we were playing volleyball at the lake, trying to shoot a tin can off a stump with my dad’s old shotgun, or engaged in her favorite dance-off video game, we’d always been serious about our wagers. Tonight would be no exception.