The pizza was divine. So much so that she didn’t notice right away that he was watching her eat. His eyes teased her—the same kind of teasing that had always led to trouble in the past, the kind she secretly ached for again.
“What’s so funny?” she asked at last.
“The way you eat your pizza.” He tried—and failed—to hold in a roaring laugh that snuck out in stops and starts. “You’re adorable.”
Annabeth wiped at her face in earnest before tossing the balled up napkin at him. “Shut-up.”
Marcus shook his head with an amused smile while under the table her crossed legs bobbed up and down.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” he asked with a wink.
Stilling her leg she flushed again. “A little. I just hope that there are some students my age and not a bunch of teenagers.”
Marcus huffed out a small laugh. “Anna, I have no doubt you’ll do great. You just have to get your confidence back. We both do.”
She had never felt self-conscious before, but now—after all they had been through—she found herself second guessing everything all the time. Instead of looking ahead at the challenge with excitement, as she once had, she feared failing and what that might mean. Heck, apparently she couldn't even eat pizza right.
“You know I go by Annabeth now. And what’s so amusing about the way I eat?”
Marcus snickered as he drank the rest of his Coke in one big gulp. His tennis shoe tapped her on the side of the leg, making her look away to hide her hot red cheeks from him.
“C’mon. Let's walk off some of this dinner. It's almost cool out now,” Marcus said, taking her by the hand.
As they stepped outside Marcus held tight to her hand. He had been right. It had cooled off.
Once they were out of earshot of the other couples and joggers, Marcus cleared his throat. “It’s going to be different this time, Anna… Beth. I know I messed up, but I hope you can trust me when I say that I won't slip up again.”
His intense gaze bore through her. She knew if she turned her head and met his eyes full on, she would be lost. So she stared straight ahead, hoping he couldn't see the sheen of unshed tears that were beginning to pool for the second time that night.
“I want to trust you and believe we could make it work, but I'm still not sure it's the best idea right now, given what happened last time. I need more time to figure all this out.” She swallowed back the ball of emotions that threatened to choke her.
Marcus let out his breath in slow, even puffs through his parted lips. “I guess that’s all I can ask of you, huh?”
Annabeth tugged her hand free and stopped walking. “I’m kind of tired. Maybe we should head back.”
Marcus stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Sure, whatever you want.”
“I can sleep on the couch tonight,” she said.
Marcus shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not! I'll sleep on the couch. I'm always up before you anyway.”
“Right.” Annabeth bit her lip and fought back the urge to cry.
“Give me the keys. I'm driving.” He reached out his hand, the one she had been holding before.
She fished inside her shorts pocket and handed him the keys, their fingers brushing together in the exchange, creating a spark that she felt down to her toes.
He stalked off without waiting for her, his long-legged stride one she had no hope of matching even on her best day.
He wanted her and she wanted him, but that wasn't enough. They couldn’t be together until she found a way to forgive him—forgive herself for what they’d done.
Chapter Two
Vi
Shopping list in hand, Vi weaved in and out of the aisles of the local HEB grocery store. Barring any unforeseen Joy crises, she planned to run a few leisurely errands then relax at home for her day off—though caring for her disabled adult sister meant that, in reality, she never had a day off.
Vi had been twenty and Joy twenty-four when their mother and stepfather had died in a car accident. Their bio dad had stepped out on the family early on, back when the doctors had first diagnosed Joy with a profound learning disability and autism. After nine long years she’d enrolled Joy in a group home.
On the hard days when she didn’t think she could give any more, she would fantasize about what her life would be like if Joy had died in the car crash along with their parents. The thought shamed and thrilled her in equal measure.
What would Father Horatio think if he knew?
It would take more than just a few Hail Marys, she knew, to atone for such a fantasy.
As she pushed her cart down the cereal aisle, she let her mind wander to thoughts of her new neighbors. They were such a cute couple. She couldn’t help but feel a small stab of jealousy over what they had, something so simple and yet so far from her own reach. They weren’t overt in their affection for each other, but you could still tell they loved each other.
It had been so long that she had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a man kiss her, touch her, love her. She had read about how cells die and new ones take their place and how every seven years you have totally different cells than the ones you’d had seven years prior. It would be seven years next month since she had last been kissed.
How many non-virginal cells do I have left?
The vibration of her phone in her back pocket startled her. Her heart sank when she read Oaklawn Group Home on the screen. Back to reality, she thought with a sigh.
“Vi speaking.” She paused in the aisle and ran her fingers through her tangled hair.
“Ms. Vi, I’m sorry to bother you so early, but your sister Joy is insisting that you plan on coming by this morning, and she won't do her chores because of it,” Ms. Lockard, the group home owner, mumbled hurriedly.
Vi felt a flower of rage bloom in her gut.
Is it too much to ask for a Joy-free day every now and again?
“Put her on, Ms. Lockard. I’ll talk to her,” she said with a sigh.
“Vi, they want me to wash the dishes. We’re going to the rodeo today. We’re going to see Ricky ride the bull today.”
“Joy, we aren’t going to the rodeo today. I told you that last night. We can maybe go next weekend.” Vi tossed a box of Mini Wheats into the cart.
“No, no, no Vi. We are going today. Today. To-day!” Joy’s voice got louder and louder.
“Joy, do your chores for this week and I will take you next Saturday. Okay?”
Great, now I have to go to the rodeo and see Ricky. Maybe I’ll luck out and Joy won’t hold up her end of the bargain.
“Promise?”
“Yes, Joy, but you have to do every single one of your chores, including the dishes.” Vi turned the corner into the coffee and tea aisle and studied the art on each of the brightly colored packages.
“We can see Ricky? Promise we get to see Ricky?”
“Yes, Joy, we can see Ricky.”
Her heart raced just saying his name. She hadn’t so much as caught a glimpse of him in months and hadn’t spoken to him in almost a year. She’d ignored his calls until one day he just stopped calling. But Joy loved him with a fierceness that couldn't be tempered. Wait a minute, Vi thought. She no longer heard her sister’s characteristic frantic breathing on the line.
“Joy?”
“Ms. Vi, thanks for your help. Sorry again to have to bother you so early in the morning. Hopefully it will be the only time we’ll have to call you today. One more thing since I have you on the line. We’re going to need you to send us another two hundred dollars to cover some extra expenses for your sister, and I wanted to double-check that you were still going to be able to make those muffins for the bake sale next week?” Ms. Lockard had a way of asking for things that made it difficult for Vi to say no.
“No problem. Yes, I'll pick up the muffin mix now,” Vi said, even though she knew she would just end up hitting Mitzi up for some muffins. “Thank you for everything you do, Ms. Lockard. Have a great day and do
n't hesitate to call if you need anything else.” Vi rushed to end the call before Ms. Lockard could rope her into volunteering for any more special tasks.
In a huff, she rounded the corner and almost rammed right into another cart. She recognized in an instant the tall, muscular form standing before her, the sure, strong hands gripping the cart, and the dark, sparkling eyes.
Ricky.
The universe must truly hate her. Just seeing him made her mouth go dry. Why hadn’t she at least combed her hair?
And despite her disheveled appearance, he’d recognized her, too.
“Violeta?” his smooth, syrupy voice vibrated down to her toes like a plucked tuning fork.
“Ricky.” She patted down her messy hair, which he seemed to find amusing.
“It’s good to see you, Vi. I was hoping I would run into you now that I’m in town.”
Vi blushed. Seeing him again after such a long hiatus left her flustered.
“Yes, it’s—good to see you too.” Vi felt like such a loser. She couldn't even carry on a conversation with this man without stumbling over her words.
Ricky shifted their carts over to let other people by. His close proximity made her palms sweat. Of course, in contrast, Ricky seemed calm and unaffected.
“Are you and Joy going to come out to the Rodeo next weekend? I can get y’all some VIP passes.”
Vi felt her cheeks grow hot. “Yes, Joy loves the rodeo. She’s been talking about you nonstop the last few weeks. I think she has a little crush on you,” she said, hoping to deflect the conversation away from herself.
Ricky smiled and tugged at the brim of his hat. “I hope she ain't the only one.”
Vi looked away from him as she worried her bottom lip and twisted the end of her shirt around her pointer finger. “Ricky...”
“I’m going to lasso you in one of these days, Vi. You can’t keep running away from me, not forever.”
Vi looked down at her flip-flops, blinking back the hot tears that threatened to spill. She refused to cry in front of him.
“So, uhh, we’ll see you next Saturday. For the rodeo.”
Ricky reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “It’s a date.”
“It's not a date,” she said with such conviction that even she almost believed it.
Ricky let go of her hand and turned away. “You keep telling yourself that, amorcito.”
Little love. He called me his little love. The familiar endearment sparked something in her that she was sure had died. As she stood there amidst the coffee beans and tea bags, she could almost feel Ricky’s arms wrap around her, his lips… Just a memory. The past needed to stay in the past, she told herself.
She didn’t look up until she had seen his boots turn the corner of the aisle. Only then did she wipe away the single tear which had fallen down her cool cheek. Vi tried to push him and his stupid smile out of her mind.
And somehow she managed to keep it together until she got home and put all the groceries away. Only then did she shed her bitter, angry tears. For better or for worse, she had chosen this life.
Rather than mope around for the rest of the day feeling sorry for herself, she put on her favorite playlist and began to dance around the kitchen on the balls of her feet. When she danced she could shut out the world. It had been a long time, but her muscles recalled in aching clarity the turns and points. Sashaying across the room, she didn’t notice her new neighbor Annabeth standing at the open back door until she started to clap.
Vi unhooked the old iPhone Brooke had given her last year from the portable speakers she had gotten from a swap group. The sudden silence that filled the room was jarring.
“You surprised me,” she said, embarrassed by the flustered tone in her voice.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I heard the music, and the door was open, so...”
Vi sighed. “It’s okay. I guess I’m just not used to having other people around. Old Mrs. Tannerbone, who used to live next door...well...she tended to keep to herself.”
“I’m sorry. It was presumptuous of me to just pop in without knocking.” Annabeth’s pale cheeks turned bright pink.
“Don't worry about it. Was there something you wanted?” Vi asked.
Annabeth reached into her back pocket and handed her a single key. “Yeah, I have a favor to ask. Could you please hold on to our extra key? I have a habit of locking myself out of the house.”
Vi took the key and grabbed her own keyring, stringing it on. “Oh dear, I’ve done that myself a few times. Always on the go, and such. Once, my sister Joy locked me out and the fire department had to come and break into the house to let me back inside.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “We’ll just have to try and not lock ourselves out of our houses at the same time.”
Annabeth smiled a tired smile. “Right... And I was just wondering what I should wear for tonight. For book club. Any tips?”
Vi smiled. “Oh, that. Just any old thing will do. We don’t dress up...well Brooke does, but Brooke always dresses up. What you’re wearing is fine.”
Annabeth let out a nervous sigh. “Are you sure Brooke is okay with my coming? I got the impression she wasn’t too keen on my crashing in on your group.”
“Bah, don’t mind her. She can come off a little much sometimes, but she’s really a sweetheart.”
“Okay. Did you want to go there together?” Annabeth asked.
“Absolutely!”
“Great, I’ll go get cleaned up and be back in an hour. I promise to knock this time,” she said with a goofy grin.
“Sounds like a plan.” Vi watched Annabeth wave and walk out the back door, closing it behind her.
It might be nice having a friend next door. She never saw Brooke these days—their busy schedules were always at odds. The loneliness of her life had grown palpable. She couldn’t really afford to eat at the Book Cellar this week so she made a quick sandwich and flipped on the evening news as she ate.
Just as the anchors were wishing everyone a safe evening, a loud series of raps sounded on her front door. Well, she did say she would knock this time, Vi thought with a smile. When she opened the door, Annabeth stood on her porch with her wild red hair piled high atop her head. She wore feather earrings, a bedazzled cowl neck sleeveless shirt, and dark blue designer jeans. On her feet were brown leather boots with elaborate swirls that matched the colors of her shirt. She looked beautiful. Even the freckles that dusted her nose looked perfectly planned and placed just right. Brooke was going to flip her lid when she saw her.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.
“Is this not okay?” Annabeth scowled and looked down at her outfit.
Vi shook her head. “No, no. You look amazing. Let me just grab my bag and we can head out.”
When they pulled into a parking spot in front of the Book Cellar, Annabeth gasped. “What a cool building!”
“Yeah, it used to be a bar. Some hipster type, who made it big in the dot-com days, bought it and converted it into a bookstore coffee shop. It’s a great place to hang out. Not one of those establishments where they are too cool to have good customer service.”
Annabeth laughed. “Okay, well that’s good.”
As they got out of the car and made their way to the entrance, a man standing inside the café tapped on the glass storefront window and waved. Jesse. Vi loved Jesse’s easygoing nature, which often countered Brooke’s dramatic high maintenance ways. It was definitely a good thing her two best friends balanced each other out so well.
Jesse met them at the door with a beer in hand and bussed their cheeks in greeting. “Well looky here, Vi brought a friend. The new neighbor, Annabeth King, I presume?”
Annabeth eyed Jesse suspiciously.
Vi leaned into Annabeth. “Jesse here is the official neighborhood gossip. He has a blog and everything.”
Jesse put his hands on his hips and shot Vi an admonishing look. “You make me sound like those blue-haired ladies that hang o
ut at Trudy’s all day under the dryers.”
Vi giggled. “You should check it out. You never know what you might learn. Last time I was there I heard that Ms. Habberdash’s poodle Mimsy had a case of worms so bad that they had to call in some specialist to deal with it.”
Jesse shuddered. “That’s disgusting. Don’t make me regret getting you a muffin, love.” He handed Vi her favorite chocolate muffin with the sugar crystals sprinkled on top.
“Thanks, Jess.” She eagerly grabbed the muffin and sank her teeth into its toasted top.
“Now, Ms. Annabeth, y’all are from Detroit, right?” He took a sip of his beer while awaiting her reply.
Annabeth’s mouth opened in surprise. “How did you know that?”
Jesse shrugged. “I can’t divulge my sources, but, suffice it to say, nothing gets by me.”
Before Annabeth could respond, the door to the shop opened and in came Brooke. Every head in the place turned. Her long dark hair hung straight down her back and she wore a simple but elegant black dress. On her feet were black designer sandals with tiny gold jewels, and on her arm she carried a Coach purse, her Pomeranian Tiara in tow. She always looked like she had just walked right out of one of those high-end catalogs. The ones Brooke wanted Vi to order from.
“Fashionably late as usual, I’m afraid,” Brooke said as she flipped her hair behind her.
Vi caught Annabeth rolling her eyes.
Oh dear. She really hadn’t thought this through.
“Let’s grab our spot before some students take it,” Vi said, anxious to get the night over with.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse lean in and whisper to Annabeth. She was just able to make out his words over the din of the busy coffee house.
“I can’t wait to find out what little secrets you have hidden away. I bet they're doozies.”
Walker Texas Wife (The Book Cellar Mysteries 1) Page 2