Big Girls Don't Cry

by Linz, Cathie

  “I saw you’ve got a new receptionist. Who is she?”

  “I would have thought you’d already know, seeing as how you’re the sheriff and all.”

  “That good-ol’-boy drawl ain’t gonna work on me,” Nathan said. “And yes, I do know who she is. I heard she’s the woman who punched you.”

  “Hey!” Cole took offense, despite knowing that was his buddy’s intent. “I was only a kid.”

  “So fill me in on this woman. I heard she was some kind of model in Chicago? If so, then what the hell is she doing in your office?”

  “She’s working as my receptionist.”

  “Yeah, that’s a logical career move.”

  “She wasn’t real specific about why she was back home again. I did hear she’s rented a mobile home near her sister. I heard it was some kind of barter deal.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Nathan asked suspiciously.

  “Not whatever you’re thinking, obviously.”

  “And how do you know what I’m thinking?”

  “I can read you like a book,” Cole said.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So what am I thinking now?”

  “That you’re pissed. And that you want to challenge me to another arm-wrestling match, but you know you’d lose.”

  “In your dreams. Man rule number four: Never pick a fight you can’t win. But let’s get back to Leena. What did you mean by a barter deal?”

  “I heard that she’s going to do some kind of ad for the owner of the mobile home park.”

  “When I was a kid it was called a trailer park.”

  “No longer politically correct.” Cole took another sip of his Bud straight from the bottle. “Anyway, Sue Ellen flew into the clinic today and muttered something about an ad or photo shoot. What do you know about the owner of the trailer park?”

  “He’s been out of town for many years and has recently returned. Some clown named Bart Chumley.”

  “So he’s an idiot, huh?”

  “No, I mean he really is a former circus clown. Traveled with Barnum & Bailey for nearly thirty years, or so I hear. I haven’t actually met the guy yet.”

  “I would have thought a clown like you would want to bond with your own kind.”

  Nathan tossed a handful of peanut shells at Cole. “Very funny. So why’d you give this Leena a job?”

  “Do you see anyone else lining up to be my receptionist?”

  “Your reputation precedes you.”

  “What reputation?”

  “As a lady’s man.” Nathan clearly took great pleasure in drawing out the word, making it sound like laaaydeee’s .

  “Yeah, right. You sound like a skit from Saturday Night Live. Frankly, I’m amazed Skye hasn’t tossed you out yet.”

  “She’s been tempted a time or two.”

  “So what stopped her? Not your charming personality. That’s my strength, not yours,” Cole added with mocking modesty.

  “I said that’s your reputation. I never said it was true. That’s why I never asked for your advice about Skye.”

  “Like you’d listen even if I had given it to you.”

  Nathan shrugged. “Hey, it might have happened.” “Yeah, right. And a meteor might land on Rock Creek.”

  “A meteor might help clean up parts of this town.” Nathan looked around the bar, which had seen better days. “As long as it doesn’t land on the Tivoli Theater. Skye just got the latest renovations done on the place. So, getting back to this Leena woman. You never answered my question. What’s the deal with you two?”

  “There is no deal. I already told you. I hired her as my receptionist. Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”

  Nathan shrugged. “You hassled me about my love life, so I figured it was only fair for me to return the favor.”

  “It’s no favor.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just like putting that pissed-off look on your face.” Nathan paused to reach for his vibrating cell phone and check the number flashing on the screen. “It’s Luke,” he said to Cole before turning his attention to the caller. “Hey, I hear your wife almost had your baby in Cole’s waiting room. Wrong doctor, buddy. You don’t want a vet delivering your firstborn.”

  Cole listened to Nathan’s side of the conversation, but part of his brain remained focused on Leena. What was her story? Kissing her that first day was meant to be a joke, but the joke was on him.

  Kissing women was nothing new for Cole. He was damn good at it, or so he’d been told on more than one occasion.

  But Leena had been different. Which made him want to kiss her again to figure out why she was different.

  “Julia had a girl,” Nathan told Cole. “Named her Jayne Ann after some romance author Julia likes to read.”

  Julia worked at the Serenity Falls Library. “Those librarians sure are a wild bunch.”

  “Luke seems to think so. He sounded pretty damn proud of himself. Baby and mom are doing good.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “So if you won’t talk about Leena, how about the renovations on your house? How are those going?”

  “Why? Are you volunteering to help?” Cole asked. “Because I’ve got an extra tool belt if you need one.”

  “No, I don’t need one.”

  “Come on. I’ll supply the cold beer.”

  Nathan shook his head regretfully. “Sorry. Skye already has a list of stuff for me to do.”

  “Is she still trying to feng shui the sheriff’s office?”

  “No, she’s pretty much given up on that for now.”

  “You think you’re ever going to move from that apartment over the theater into a real house with a real yard?”

  “If we do, it will be a real house that isn’t falling down the way yours is.”

  “It was part of the property when I bought the practice for a good price from my dad’s cousin.”

  “The house was unoccupied for about a decade. That should have given you a clue.”

  “It’s a fixer-upper.”

  “Or fixer-downer, depending on your perspective.”

  “Nothing gets me down,” Cole said.

  “Right. You’re a tough guy through and through.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Who’d never take in a stray dog or cat. How many misfits do you have under your roof now?”

  “None of your business.”

  “So, tough guy, is Leena another misfit you’ve taken under your wing?”

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re full of shit?”

  “Frequently. Doesn’t mean I don’t speak the truth.”

  “Shut up and drink your Heineken,” Cole said.

  “Spoken like a true Bud man.”

  “You’ve got that right.” But Cole refused to believe that Nathan had gotten anything else right. Leena was no misfit. She was all woman—with sexy curves and plenty of smart-mouth attitude. She was also his employee, and he’d do well to remember that fact instead of remembering their too-brief kiss that had left him wanting more.

  Chapter Four

  Leena walked into Angelo’s Pizza wishing she’d refused Sue Ellen’s invitation to dinner. Actually, she had refused, but Sue Ellen had insisted.

  And they claim I’m the bossy one, Leena thought. Hah!

  After the day she’d had, Leena wanted nothing more than a little peace and quiet. Neither of those two objectives were Sue Ellen’s strong suit. They didn’t seem to be Sue Ellen’s friend Skye Wright’s specialty either.

  Leena wasn’t particularly eager to meet the bad-girl sister of the woman who’d almost given birth in the vet office earlier that day. Apparently Skye had moved to Rock Creek just over a year ago, yet Sue Ellen acted as though they’d been BFF—best friends forever—since birth.

  But then Sue Ellen never did things halfway.

  Leena had taken a cold shower the instant she’d driven back to her rented model home. The hot water still wasn’t working, but she needed to remove
all memory of the parakeet poop.

  The jeans she wore cost more than she’d make in a week working at the vet’s office. And the trendy empire-cut top hadn’t seemed an extravagance when she’d bought it a few months ago. Now Leena wished she had the cash.

  And she wished she could turn around and leave Angelo’s. But it was already too late.

  “There you are!” Sue Ellen jumped up and hugged Leena as if she hadn’t seen her in decades. “We’ve been waiting for you. We already ordered our pizza.”

  Leena gasped in Sue Ellen’s python hold. “I . . . can’t . . . breathe! Let . . . go!”

  “Sorry.” Sue Ellen stood back and looked at Leena with guilty regret. “I keep doing that to people. Leena, this is my friend Skye.”

  Leena felt the waves of suspicion emanating from the redheaded woman wearing a wildly colorful tie-dyed T-shirt.

  “You must be very proud of your sister,” Skye said.

  “Oh, I am.” Sue Ellen beamed.

  “I meant Leena must be proud of you, Sue Ellen.”

  “Huh?” Sue Ellen blinked in confusion.

  Leena would have done the same but didn’t want to appear as if she didn’t know what Skye was talking about. She hated feeling dumb, and for some reason Skye was making her feel that way right now.

  “I meant that Leena must be proud of how well you’re doing here in Rock Creek,” Skye said.

  “Well, my success doesn’t compare to Leena’s,” Sue Ellen said.

  “Was Leena ever Miss Chow?” Skye countered.

  “It was Miss Chow-Chow,” Sue Ellen corrected her. “And no, she wasn’t.”

  “How about Miss Scrabble?”

  “It was Scramble, and again, no.”

  “I rest my point.”

  “Which was what, exactly?” Leena demanded, not one to back down from a fight, especially after the day she’d had.

  “That your sister is someone special,” Skye said.

  “I know that,” Leena said defensively.

  “Do you?”

  Skye seemed to see too much, forcing Leena to look away and mutter, “Maybe it would be better if I didn’t join you for dinner after all.”

  “Don’t say that,” Sue Ellen wailed. “Sit down. Look, our pizza is ready. Sit, Leena.”

  Leena might work in a vet’s office, but she wasn’t a pet that obeyed commands like sit and behave. But the pizza smelled divine. And her stomach was growling. So she sat. Reluctantly.

  “What did I miss?” a young dark-haired woman dressed in goth attire and covered with tattoos demanded as she slid into an empty chair at their table. A pair of skeleton earrings jangled in her ears. “Anything good? Anything bad? Anything juicy?”

  “This is our friend Lulu, who won’t let me give her a makeover,” Sue Ellen said. “Maybe she’ll let you do it, Leena.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Lulu said before scarfing down a slice of pizza.

  Leena was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. “What did my sister tell you two about me?”

  “Not much,” Skye said. “Just that you live in Chicago and that you’re bossy.”

  Leena turned to her sister. “That’s all you said?”

  Sue Ellen surprised her by countering, “Do you tell your friends a lot about me?”

  “Not exactly,” Leena had to admit, squirming a bit in her chair.

  “Well, I’m an only child,” Lulu announced dramatically before reaching for another slice of pizza. “Do you know how many only children commit suicide?”

  “Stop with the suicide stuff. You’re going to give my sister the wrong impression,” Sue Ellen said.

  Lulu just laughed. “She got the wrong impression the second I sat down. It was written all over her face.”

  “That wouldn’t happen if you’d let me redo your makeup,” Sue Ellen said.

  Lulu glared. “I thought you wanted to be a realtor now. That you’d left your Mary Kay Cosmetics dreams behind.”

  “I have. My sister is a model,” Sue Ellen said proudly. “A famous one.”

  “Famous, huh?” Lulu wasn’t impressed. “I’ve never seen her before.”

  “Like you’re an expert on the fashion industry,” Sue Ellen retorted. “And Skye, I know you’re funny about things like animal testing on beauty products.”

  “There’s nothing funny about it,” Skye said.

  “That’s why I didn’t tell you guys a lot about her before. I wanted you to meet Leena first.”

  “She doesn’t talk much, does she?” Skye gave Leena a mocking look.

  “You three were doing so well without my input, I didn’t see the point,” Leena said. “To paraphrase Lulu, you’d already made up your mind about me the second I arrived.”

  “I don’t judge people by their looks.” Skye sounded highly insulted.

  “Neither do I,” Leena shot back.

  “Oh, come on,” Lulu scoffed. “You looked at me and thought ‘weirdo.’ ”

  “Sure I did,” Leena readily admitted. “Which is exactly what you wanted me to think.”

  Lulu blinked. “Huh?”

  “Your fashion is your statement. You don’t like being told what to do. You want to be noticed. You don’t color between the lines. I like the T-shirt by the way.” Leena pointed to the PROCRASTINATE NOW message. “But you and Skye both wanted me to feel uncomfortable here tonight. I can’t help wondering why.”

  “I bet you could figure it out if you really tried,” Skye said.

  Leena sighed. “What is it with you people?”

  “And what people might that be?” Skye growled.

  “People who like Rock Creek,” Leena said.

  “Doesn’t sound like you’re a fan of your hometown.”

  “I’m not,” Leena admitted.

  “If you hate it so much, why’d you come back?” Skye asked.

  Leena was asking herself the same question. Maybe she should have gone to visit her parents down in Florida instead of coming here. Hard to tell which would make her feel like more of a loser: parking herself on senior citizen’s row or having parakeets park themselves on her head.

  Florida, however, was looking better by the second. Especially with Sue Ellen’s friends giving her a hard time.

  At least Sue Ellen had friends, even if they were strange. Unlike Leena, who was feeling very isolated at the moment. No merry band of gal pals to hang out with her.

  Sudden tears filled her eyes.

  “Look. You made her cry,” Lulu told Skye.

  “You’re supposed to be my friends, and you made my sister cry!” Sue Ellen’s voice rose with every word. So did Sue Ellen, who was now standing and glaring at her friends.

  “I’m not crying.” Leena desperately yanked her sister back into a chair. “I’ve got allergies.”

  “Since when?” Sue Ellen asked suspiciously.

  “Since coming to Rock Creek,” Leena muttered.

  Skye leaned forward to stare at Leena. “You remind me of my sister Julia.”

  “That’s not necessarily a good thing,” Sue Ellen warned Leena.

  “That’s not true. Julia and I have made up,” Skye said. “We’re no longer feuding like we used to. I’ve told you that.”

  “Uh-huh.” Sue Ellen didn’t appear convinced.

  “And your sister may be bossy, but you’re no slouch in the bossy department yourself, Sue Ellen,” Skye said.

  “Thank you.” Leena lifted her glass and toasted Skye, who grinned at her.

  “I am not bossy!” Sue Ellen shouted.

  Skye, Lulu, and Leena all rolled their eyes. And in that moment, a bond of sorts was formed. Maybe Sue Ellen’s friends weren’t so bad after all . . .

  An hour later, they were on their second pizza and giggling over some story Lulu had just told them when they were interrupted by a man’s voice.

  “Sue Ellen, I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

  “Russ.” Sue Ellen fluttered her eyelashes.

  Skye and Lulu performed another e
ye roll.

  “This is Coach Russ Spears,” Sue Ellen announced.

  “I know,” Skye said. “I taught his football team yoga, remember?”

  “That lettuce position really works,” Russ said.

  Skye sighed. “It’s lotus position, Coach.”

  But he wasn’t listening. “And who’s this?” He stared at Leena.

  Sue Ellen made the introduction. “This is my sister Leena.”

  Russ frowned. “You never told me you had a sister. It’s nice to meet you,” he said, turning toward Leena and shaking her hand with enough force to make her wince. “Would it be okay if I stole Sue Ellen away for a few moments?”

  “Sure, take her,” Lulu said.

  “How long has she been dating the coach?” Leena asked her sister’s friends once Sue Ellen was gone.

  Lulu’s eyes widened. “She’s dating the coach?”

  “Never mind,” Leena hurriedly said. “Forget I said anything. My bad.” She’d had several today.

  “Tell us everything you know about your sister,” Lulu demanded. “Starting with the coach.”

  Skye spoke first. “If you paid more attention to things outside of Cosmic Comics, Lulu, then you’d know that Sue Ellen and the coach have been seeing each other for a couple weeks now.” Turning her attention to Leena, she said, “Let’s talk about you.”

  “I don’t use cosmetics from companies that do testing on animals,” Leena quickly assured her. “And I don’t wear fur.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I want to know what we said to make you cry earlier.”

  Leena looked away. “I told you, I’ve got allergies.”

  “Right.”

  “I don’t cry in front of people.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  Leena blinked. “What?”

  “Maybe you should let your emotions out sometimes instead of keeping them all bottled up.”

  “Skye’s family is into that kind of touchy-feely stuff,” Lulu told Leena. “Except for their grandmother Violet. She rocks.”

  “I met Julia and your mother Angel at the clinic today,” Leena said. “Well, we weren’t formally introduced or anything, given the situation.”

  “Cole’s a good guy,” Skye abruptly said.

  Leena wondered where that comment came from. She was having a hard time keeping up with Skye’s free-flowing topics of conversation. They were all over the map. That must be one of the reasons she got along so well with Sue Ellen, who had a similar communication style. “I heard Cole is very popular with the female population in town.”