All That Sparkles (Siren Publishing Classic)

by D. Morrissey

  I pick up my phone and check for texts or missed calls. Nothing. I guess everyone’s exhausted after spending all week at the hospital. I text Rachael.

  To Rachael @ 4:23 p.m.: What r u doing? I’m bored.

  From Rachael @ 4:26 p.m.: I’m leaving work. Where’s Cal?

  To Rachael @ 4:28 p.m.: Work. Going out with Denise?

  From Rachael @ 4:31 p.m.: No. Pissed at her.

  To Rachael @ 4:33 p.m.: Can you swing by my house and get my books and laptop and my shower stuff out of the bathroom? You can tell me all about when you get here. ;)

  From Rachael @ 4:36 p.m.: Can’t. Cal has my key. Want me to come get yours?

  To Rachael @ 4:39 p.m.: You don’t have to. :(

  From Rachael @ 4:41 p.m.: Be there in a minute, cry baby. :)

  I knew that would get her. I played the guilt card. I get up and hop to the kitchen, tottering on my crutches, so I can watch out the window for Rachael. I draw doodles on my cast until she gets there.

  “You’re here!” I shout, hobbling to the door.

  “You’re lucky I have a good GPS or I never would have found it!” she says, walking inside and stopping on the landing. “Look at this place!” She gawks with her mouth hanging open. My reaction exactly.

  “Nice, isn’t it?”

  “Girl! Do you think he’ll let me stay here, too?”

  I giggle. “I’m sure he would. I can’t really show you around, but feel free to check the place out.” Rachael doesn’t wait for an invitation. She’s already headed for the kitchen.

  “Brand new appliances and look at that!” She points at the counter tops. “Are those real marble?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. But they’re pretty.”

  “And look at that table!” She catches her first glimpse of the awesome dining room table.

  “He made that,” I shout from the living room. “And that.” I point at the mantle. “And that.” I point at the railing. “Actually, he built all of this.”

  “By himself?”

  “Yeah, except for the electrical and stuff. There’s an office, a laundry room, and a small bathroom behind there.” I point to the hall leading behind the fireplace. “But go look at the bedroom upstairs.”

  “How are you going to get up these stairs?” she asks as she heads to the loft.

  “Very carefully!” I’ve wondered about that myself. And, if I do get up them, how will I get back down?

  “Oh my Gosh!” I hear Rachael shriek upstairs. “Look at that ceiling!”

  “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “And this closet!”

  I grin. “It’s huge!”

  She leans her head over the railing. “You know, Misty and I could sleep in that bed with you and Cal, and you guys would probably never even know we were there!”

  “Yes, I would.” I giggle. “Look at the Kandinsky!”

  She turns around stares. “Is it real?” Her eyes are huge.

  I laugh. “No. But it’s still beautiful.”

  “I don’t know, Ellie. If a gorgeous, sexy, successful attorney asked me to move into this place with him…” She shakes her head as she walks down the stairs.

  “I know. But it’s just too soon. Isn’t it?”

  “Well, it doesn’t really matter now. Looks like you’re going to be here for a while whether you like it or not. You may as well be living together.”

  “That’s true.” I realize that I’ve really missed my girl time with Rachael and Misty. “Hey. Why don’t I just ride with you over to my house? It’ll be faster. I know exactly what I need to grab. Do you mind?”

  “Are you supposed to be driving around?”

  “I won’t be driving. You will. Besides, I’m going nuts just sitting around watching television.”

  Rachael looks at me as if she’s debating. “Is Cal going to have a fit?”

  “He’s my boyfriend, not my father.” I still get a kick out of saying that. Boyfriend. Cal is my boyfriend. I giggle, because I think everything’s funny when I’m high on pain meds. “Fine. I’ll text him.”

  “Thank you. The last thing I need is Cal Stone on my case. He’s intense.”

  “Tell me about it.” I roll my eyes as I grab my phone and send Cal a text.

  To Cal @ 5:26 p.m.: Going with Rachael to pick up some stuff at my house. Be right back. Can’t wait to celebrate when you get home! Xxoo

  “Done! Let’s go.” I put my phone back down on the table and grab my crutches. I hobble all the way to the door and stop. “Crap! My stuff. My keys and my phone. My purse is over there on the table.”

  “I got it.” Rachael trots to the table and grabs my purse. “Okay. Come on.” She locks up as I begin the long hop to the car.

  At the car, I hand her my crutches so I can get in. Cal would have already tried to pick me up and carry me twice by now.

  “Hm…scoot the seat all the way back,” I instruct her.

  Rachael leans over and pushes the lever until the front seat is practically on top of the back. I hop around and fall down into the seat, swinging my leg into the car.

  “That’s good. Thank you.” She closes my door and throws my crutches in the back seat behind me.

  “Okay. Come on, Ellie Sue. Let’s go get you some books to eat.” She starts the car and we head back to the main road.

  I feel like I’ve been a shut-in for months. And, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been going stir crazy, or because of my brush with death, or just the pain meds I’m on, but everything looks fresh and new, even now in the dusky evening light.

  “This is great,” I say as I roll down my window and hang my head out like a dog enjoying the breeze.

  “Ellie! What are doing? It’s cold out there.”

  “No, it feels great!”

  “Roll up that window. Are you high? You’re high, aren’t you?”

  I laugh. “Yeah. Probably a little bit.” I sit down in my seat and roll up the window. “I have some more. Want one?”

  “Um…no. But you better sit there with your seat belt on until we get there.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I say, trying to sound sober. “So, is Misty staying with Bobby? Or is Bobby staying with you and Misty?”

  “Believe it or not, it’s about fifty-fifty. And it’s been every single night!”

  “Every night?”

  “Every single night!”

  “No!” I almost don’t believe her. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “I swear. She’s been going over there or he’s been coming to our house every night since last Friday. I’m thinking about going back to that club again next week since obviously it’s the place to go to meet your soul mate. You and Misty both came away almost engaged.”

  I giggle. “I didn’t meet Cal there.”

  “Well, you may as well have. Maybe if I go Friday night and start a fire in the ladies room, I’ll meet a nice, sexy fireman and we can get married the following Tuesday.”

  “I don’t think Denise would be too happy. Why are you guys fighting?”

  “Same old story. She doesn’t want me going out with men. And I’m just not ready to give them up altogether. I need a nice, hard penis every now and then. You know?”

  I laugh. “Yes, I can definitely relate to that now more than ever.”

  “Well, she keeps calling me every thirty minutes. I’m just not going to answer it anymore.”

  I sigh. It’s nice catching up with her. We talk more about Denise and then Misty and Bobby and some other friends. And before I know it, we’re already at my house. Rachael stops in front of the mailbox and grabs a handful of mail before pulling into the driveway.

  “Here,” she says, stuffing the mail in my hand once I finally wriggle out of the car. “This is what burglars look for when they’re scoping out places to rob. Mail and newspapers.”

  “Well, I don’t get the newspaper. So I should be good now.” I giggle and hop to the front porch.

  “Go ahead. I want to see you get up those steps.” She stand
s behind me and heckles me.

  “I can do it!” I laugh and I hop up the first step while I hold on to the porch rail. “There’s one!”

  She finally steps up and grabs my other arm to help me up. “Girl, we’re going to be here all night just waiting for you to get up the porch steps. Cal will be calling and sending out the National Guard before we get back.”

  I dig around in my purse, finally finding my keys buried beneath a mountain of tampons and Kotex and Kleenex. I’m covered in the event of any unscheduled bodily fluid emissions. “Oh! Did you get my phone off the table?” I don’t see it in my purse.

  “Um…no. Did you ask me to?”

  I grimace. “Oops. Probably not. Let’s hurry before Cal tries to call.” I unlock the door and push myself forward over the threshold with my crutches, feeling like an Olympic pole vaulter. I’m home.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The place seems abandoned as I turn on the lights and look around.

  “Okay. Tell me what you want out of the bathroom,” Rachael orders as she heads down the hall.

  “I need my shampoo and my conditioner out of the shower. Oh! And my razors.” I hop to the bar to look through my mail. “Grab my overnight bag out of my bedroom, and you can stuff it all in there. I need my laptop out of there, too!” I shout down the hall at her.

  I swipe my arm across the top of the bar to clean off a space for my mail. As usual, it’s full of all the little stuff that I either don’t want to take the time to put up or I don’t have a place for, like pay stubs, bills, pictures without frames, and, for some reason, my favorite black stilettos. What the hell are those doing up here? Then I remember my date with Danny the Dickhead and I frown.

  I thumb through several pieces of mail. Junk, junk, bill, junk, bill… Nothing that can’t wait until I get back to Cal’s. I toss them on the counter with the rest of the crap.

  “Did you find it?” I yell down the hall, but she doesn’t answer. “Rachael! It’s in the closet. Do you need help?” I call out again, louder, but still no answer. I start to get nervous.

  “Yeah, yeah. I got it,” she says, strutting down the hall with my overnight bag. Whew!

  “I just need my laptop and we can go.”

  Suddenly, the front door swings open, banging loudly against the wall and knocking a vase off the bookshelf. Rachael screams and I think I do, too. But I can’t hear myself over her.

  Danny Logan saunters in. He grabs the door and slams it shut behind him.

  “There you are!” He looks at me and smiles as he reaches behind him to lock the door. “Did you miss me?”

  I look at Rachael in the hallway and she cuts her eyes at me, not moving another muscle. Then I turn back to the asshole in my living room.

  “Danny,” I whisper, a million horrible thoughts racing through my head. Why is this happening to me? Did I bring it on myself? All I know is that I can’t let him hurt my friends.

  “Rachael, run,” I say without looking at her, too afraid to take my eyes off Danny. She doesn’t move. I turn and scream at her. “Rachael! Run!”

  She shakes her head slowly and doesn’t budge. She won’t leave me. Dammit, Rachael.

  “I would worry a little less about her and a little more about myself, if I were you.” Danny steps into the living room and stands beside the window, screwing the blinds closed as he watches Rachael. I wonder how I could ever have been attracted to such a scumbag.

  “Let’s have a little bit of privacy.” He smiles when he’s done. “You never know who might be watching.”

  “Fuck you,” I spit angrily as I grip my crutch, ready to take a swing at his head.

  “Sorry. You had your chance at that.” He grins. “But I’m not so sure about it now. You look like hell, Ellie. Did you have an accident?”

  I watch Rachael from the corner of my eye as she edges herself closer to me, and to him. “Well, you should see the other guy,” I scoff, gripping the crutch, determined to be ready if she makes a move. I try to keep his attention so he doesn’t look at her. “Your little buddy, Lenny, is still in the hospital, I think.”

  “Send a boy to do a man’s job, and, well…you see what happens.”

  “Well, we wouldn’t want to deprive you of that particular pleasure, I guess.”

  He steps closer to me and I back up against the bar. “Believe it or not, it’s not like I wanted to do this, Ellie. I actually liked you. A lot.”

  “If this is how you treat people you like, I’d hate to see what you do to people you don’t like.”

  He laughs and reaches out to grab my arm. I swing the crutch at him, but he’s too close and it simply bounces off him, not phasing him in the least. He wraps his hands around my neck and stares into my eyes, threatening, but not squeezing.

  “Get your Goddam hands off of her!” Rachael screams, flying at him in a rage as she swings my overnight bag at his head.

  He lets go of my neck and ducks backward, the overnight bag landing squarely in my face instead. He takes another step forward and swings at Rachael, his fist connecting soundly to the side of her face. She flies backward into the living room floor, not moving.

  I try to run, still dazed from the slap in the head that Rachael gave me, but Danny grabs me by the throat with one hand, and slams me back against the bar.

  I am apparently destined to die from some asshole choking me to death. And it pisses me off. I drag my shaking hands across the bar behind me looking for scissors or a letter opener, a potato peeler even, something to use as a weapon. But all I find is a bunch of paper and my shoes. Desperate, I pick up one of the stilettos and swing it at his face.

  “Fuck!” he yells, releasing my throat and clapping his hand over his eye. He jumps around like he’s doing an Indian rain dance, cursing and threatening.

  I turn and hop toward the kitchen. But without my crutch, I fall flat on my face.

  “You stupid little whore.” Danny holds one hand over his eye as he stomps toward me. I roll over, kicking backward against the floor with my good foot to try and get away. Then I kick at him. But he grabs my foot.

  “You hit me in the fucking eye!” he yells, pulling me toward him as I slap and flail. Then he reaches down, ready to finish what he started.

  Suddenly, there’s a huge crash in the living room and I wonder if the Arkansas National Guard has shown up to rescue me. Danny hesitates for a second, and then lunges toward me.

  “Stop right there, Motherfucker! Don’t you move!”

  I know who it is before I ever see him. Cal! Thank God! Danny pauses and then drops my leg. I quickly scoot away.

  “Stone! You’re a little early, buddy. We were just waiting for you,” Danny says without turning around.

  I sit on the floor with my back against the cabinet, watching the madman in my kitchen while my chest heaves in and out like my heart is trying to escape.

  “Well, it didn’t take long to figure out what you were up to once we made the connection with Lenny. Now, turn around. Slowly.” I can tell Cal is inside now.

  Danny looks into my eyes and once again, I feel like I’m back at the O.K. Corral, as we stare each other down, waiting for the other to twitch. Slowly, he eases his hand into his jacket pocket.

  “I mean it, Danny. Don’t move.”

  I shake my head. Don’t do it, Danny.

  He smiles, shuffling his hand around in his pocket, and then he spins around.

  “Gun!” I scream as I screw my eyes shut and bury my face in my shoulder.

  It sounds like a war zone in my house as shots seem to fire off from every direction. Seconds seem like minutes, and I wonder if they’re ever going to stop. And then suddenly, they stop. It’s quiet, and it’s almost scarier than the shots themselves.

  “Jesus,” I mumble as I stare at the body on the floor.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I step back to admire the beautiful tree that I’ve spent all morning decorating. Thank goodness my hangover is gone, after staying out half the night with
the guys from my work. I would rather have stayed in with Cal, just the two of us, but we couldn’t refuse since it was my official “Going Away” slash “Christmas” slash “Cast-Off” party.

  “Oh, that looks good.” Cal steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.

  “Good? Just good?”

  “Beautiful. I mean, it looks beautiful,” he quickly corrects himself and then kisses my neck.

  “And I really love that sitting right there.” I point to the holiday picture we just took together at the Christmas Tree Farm, both of us smiling like love-struck kittens. I’ve put it into a new, modern picture frame and positioned it perfectly on top of the mantle.

  He looks at it and smiles. “Well, it’s a great picture of you anyway. How’s your leg?”

  “Great!” I smile. After eight weeks of lugging around an extra ten pounds on my leg, it feels like heaven to finally get the cast off. “I might even go finish up some shopping today.”

  “For me?” He grins like a little boy.

  “Well, I don’t know. Have you been good this year?”

  “I don’t know about that,” he whispers, nibbling my ear. “But I sure have been a lucky son-of-a-bitch this year.”

  “Me, too.” I smile and nuzzle my face against his cheek as he rocks me gently back and forth in his arms. “I love you, Cal.”

  He stops rocking. Oh, shit. Too soon?

  “Really?” He steps around to look at me, and I can almost see myself in his warm, chocolate eyes. “You’re sure?”

  I nod, embarrassed.

  “Well, it’s about time,” he whispers, pulling me to him. “I love you, too, Ellie Carter.” He kisses me, slowly at first, and then he pours his heart, his body, and his soul into it, loving me perfectly, as the twinkle lights sparkle behind us.

  THE END

  

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