Chapter Eighteen
Angie drove the red Volkswagen out of the Javelina Cantina parking lot as Lexi and Jeff got into Jeff’s vehicle. After closing the car doors, they sat quietly for a moment, looking out the front windshield at the back of the restaurant.
Lexi was playing over the day’s events in her mind, and didn’t noticed when Jeff turned in her direction and silently studied her profile. When she finally noticed he was watching her, she turned around and gave him an inquisitive frown.
“What?”
In response, Jeff reached out and gently brushed the side of her face with the back of his hand. The hand lingered for a moment, moving over her soft cheek in a feather-light back-and-forth caress.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before withdrawing his hand.
Lexi blushed at the compliment and couldn’t decide on an appropriate response, so she said nothing.
“Lexi, does Angie have a problem with you and me?”
“No, why do you ask that?”
“The crack in the restaurant; how we haven’t known each other long.”
“Oh, that.” Lexi smiled. “That’s just Angie, she likes to tease. No, she likes you.”
“I know things have happened fast.”
“It’s been kind of crazy.”
“Lexi, I only have the rental until the end of the month.”
“I remember you mentioned that before. But I didn’t think it was a definite thing. The end of the month… that’s Thursday.”
“Well, I thought I could work something out.”
“Does this mean you’re leaving?” The twisting in Lexi’s stomach made her want to cry, but she remained outwardly calm.
“No, but I need to start looking for someplace else to stay. I’m not in a hurry to go back home.”
“But, you have to go back to work eventually. I imagine your employer expects you to return sometime, and if you find something else before you do, you’ll have to move to wherever the job is. I guess I always knew. I just didn’t want to think about it.”
“You aren’t listening to me, Lexi. I’m not planning to leave Havasu right away. I don’t want to leave you.”
Leaning toward Jeff, Lexi brushed her lips over his and then pulled away. Jeff captured the side of her face in the palm of his hand and ever so gently moved his thumb over her skin as he looked into her eyes.
“Can we talk about this later? So much has happened today. I don’t think I can deal with the thought of you leaving, yet I can’t help but feel guilty, knowing what it might mean if you stay.”
“You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about, Lexi.”
“I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize your job or hurt your potential job opportunities. I know you’ve had a number of interviews, and if you’re offered one you want, you need to go.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Now you aren’t listening to me!” Lexi leaned toward Jeff again, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
“Don’t worry about me, Lexi. I just wanted you to know I would be looking for another place to stay in Havasu.”
* * *
“Do you think he wants to stay here?” Angie asked Lexi that evening when she learned Jeff wouldn’t be their neighbor for much longer. Angie sat at the breakfast bar eating a hot fudge sundae while Lexi stood in the kitchen making a peanut butter sandwich.
“Here? No. Why do you ask that?”
“Well, you two… you know.” Angie shrugged.
“No. I wouldn’t even suggest that. In fact, I wouldn’t want that. I like him. I mean, I really like him. I might even be in love with him. But I’m not totally stupid. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks.”
“Good. I like him, too, but I confess, I was a little concerned you two were moving awful fast. And while I suppose all that’s cool, moving in together would be pushing it.”
“He’s been wonderful and supportive. We talk about all sorts of things, but when it comes to his job and how he’s able to be here, and what kind of work he’s doing by telecommuting, it isn’t all that clear to me.”
“You don’t think he’s into something illegal, do you?”
“Illegal? No. That never entered my mind.”
“It’s just that most guys love to talk about their jobs. At least the guys I’ve dated.”
“Well, I do know he goes online several hours a day. Not sure if it’s work related or job hunting.” Lexi took a bite of her peanut butter sandwich.
“Then I would stop stressing about it, Lexi. The guy is obviously crazy about you. Considering the number of people who work from home on the computer, I’m sure his current employer is okay with him being here. And if he is offered a job he really wants, I’m sure he’ll do what’s necessary for his career.”
Lexi’s cell phone let out a little beep, indicating an incoming text message. She picked it up from the kitchen counter. Continuing to eat her sandwich, she read the message.
“It’s Jeff. He wants me to come over and sit in the spa with him.” Lexi smiled. She held the sandwich in her mouth as she used her fingers to send a reply message.
“Should I expect you home tonight?” Angie asked, already knowing the answer.
“Nope,” Lexi chirped cheerfully.
Angie watched Lexi leave. To the empty, room she said, “I think we are in denial, Lexi. Looks like you two are already living together.”
* * *
The next morning, Lexi turned on her computer and logged into her Facebook account. Wearing her robe, she sat on the loveseat in Jeff’s living room with the laptop on her knees. Jeff was just handing her a cup of coffee when she let out a little whooping sound.
“Woohoo! I don’t believe it!”
Jeff stood silently beside her, a warm coffee mug in his hand, waiting for her to explain.
“Six of those people who bought my hot fudge mix have already posted on my Facebook page. They are all giving rave reviews!”
“That’s great! I told you you had a hit.”
“Not just that, but they are sharing with friends. Already people are responding. Jeff, I only sold 24 jars, but the page has 112 likes! How is that possible?”
“The power of social media.” Jeff sat next to her on the small couch and looked over at her laptop screen.
“I want to prepare forty-eight jars this week—four cases.”
“You might as well. Even if you don’t sell them, they’ll keep for the next Sunday.”
“Wow, someone asked where they can order the mix online!”
“Ahh, my little hot fudge mogul.” Jeff wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“This is so exciting.”
“Yes, but one step at a time. I think selling it online is inevitable, but this thing is moving pretty quickly, considering you came up with the idea just a few weeks ago. How about we sit down this afternoon and review your business plan again. If you don’t get organized early on, you’ll regret it later, especially if this thing really takes off.”
Sugar Rush. The term flashed through Lexi’s mind. Isn’t that what Jeff said when he first approached her in the grocery store? Smiling to herself, she couldn’t help but think that was a sweet metaphor for her relationship with Jeff and the hot fudge venture.
* * *
That afternoon Angie joined Lexi and Jeff in the spa, where the three discussed the hot fudge business at length while drinking cold beer. For dinner, Jeff barbecued chicken at his house for the three of them. Later that evening, Angie walked back to her house, and Lexi stayed with Jeff.
The week moved quickly toward the weekend, and Lexi kept busy. On Tuesday morning, Jeff took her shopping so she could purchase more jars, mix ingredients and food products she wanted to highlight in promotional photos for the hot fudge sauce. When she got home from the store, she put the jars through the dishwasher, then added the
mix after the jars dried.
On Wednesday, Lexi cooked up a batch of fudge on the stove. Angie helped with a photo shoot, taking digital pictures of the hot fudge sauce used in various ways. They made a traditional sundae, topped a brownie sundae, and poured the sauce over bananas and strawberries. Jeff was there to eat up the sweet props when they finished with each shoot.
The three continued to have dinners together. On Tuesday, they had Italian food at Mario’s Italian Restaurant, and on Wednesday, Angie insisted on Italian food again, this time taking the threesome to Angelina’s Italian Kitchen. Over dessert, they debated over which was the best Italian restaurant of the two, and finally decided it was a draw. They enjoyed them both.
When it came time to go to bed, Lexi always stayed with Jeff, and Angie wondered what her friend would do when Jeff moved to another location. From what Angie understood, Jeff was waiting to hear back from a Realtor regarding available rentals. With the number of winter visitors in town, rentals were scarce. When Angie asked Jeff if other renters were moving into his house on the first, Jeff said he didn’t think so. Angie then asked why he didn’t simply keep that house. In a cryptic fashion, he said it was complicated, but he was looking into it.
Lexi spent most of Thursday on the computer, updating her social media sites. She scheduled Twitter tweets, uploaded photos to the Facebook page, and created a board at Pinterest, where she added dessert pictures.
Jeff rescued her late Thursday afternoon and insisted he take her to dinner.
“Where’s Angie?” Jeff asked shortly after he arrived.
“Don’t you remember? She had a job this afternoon.”
“Oh, that’s right. Some real estate thing?”
“Yep. A Realtor hired her to take pictures at an open house. I don’t expect her back for a couple of hours.”
“So, let’s go get something to eat.”
“Jeff, we went out the last two nights.”
“I’m not suggesting Italian.”
Lexi laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think I could do another night of Italian, but I have to admit Havasu has two damn good Italian restaurants.”
“I understand they have a good steakhouse, too. I asked the guy at the gas station where I could get a good steak. He said Rod’s Homestead. It’s sort of a rustic, cowboy-looking place. Come on. You need to get away from that damn computer.”
“What’s going on with the rental? The other day you said you needed to get out by the end of the month. It’s the end of the month.”
“Well, I haven’t heard back from the landlord, so I assume I can stay a few extra days. Like I said, it’s complicated.”
Jeff had talked to Ethan Beaumont one other time since Beaumont told Jeff he would be fired if Lexi didn’t return home within a week. The last phone call was brief, and instead of issuing any threats, Beaumont simply asked for an update and then hung up. Jeff contacted the Realtor who’d rented the house to Beaumont, telling him he would like to pay for February, but because the rental was currently in Beaumont’s name, the Realtor told Jeff he would get back to him. Jeff still had not heard back from the Realtor.
Tonight, after dinner, I will sit Lexi down and tell her everything, Jeff told himself. It was something he said every night that week.
Chapter Nineteen
“Oh my gawd, I’m so stuffed,” Lexi groaned as she leaned back in the leather car seat. Jeff chuckled, but continued to look ahead as he steered the car down the highway, heading home.
“I can’t believe you ate that entire porterhouse.”
“It was delicious. But it was big, wasn’t it?” Lexi moaned.
“So, you won’t be having a hot fudge sundae with me when we get home?”
“Please, you’re going to make me throw up!”
“Does this mean you won’t order the porterhouse the next time we go to Rods?”
“Hell no,” Lexi snapped. “It just means I’ll eat less of the baked potato.”
“Are you sure about that?” he teased.
“Well, maybe I won’t eat the salad. That smoky baked potato was pretty good, too. Thanks for taking me to dinner, Jeff. But really, you need to start letting me pay.”
They were quiet for a few moments when Lexi asked, “Any luck at finding a new job, or are you just going to stay where you are?”
“Well, I was considering applying with this little start up business I came across.”
“Really? Doing what?”
“Production management. I think I could be a valuable asset for the company.”
“Great, where’s it located?” Lexi tried to sound upbeat, but she held her breath wondering where this new job might take him.
“Currently Lake Havasu City, Arizona, but I don’t think the owner of the company is committed to the location.” It took Lexi a few seconds to register what he was saying, and once she did, she wasn’t certain if he was sincere or joking around.
“Are you serious?”
“Very. It’s not going to be long before you outgrow your swap meet operation. If this thing takes off, it won’t be practical packaging and shipping the product out of your kitchen. You are excellent at the marketing, and I believe I can develop an efficient plan to package and ship the product.”
Jeff had just turned the corner onto their street and was about ready to pull into his driveway when he noticed lights on in his house.
“That’s strange. I don’t remember leaving the lights on.” After pulling into the driveway he turned off the engine.
“It wasn’t dark when we left, you just didn’t notice. Now, come on. Let’s go inside. I want to interview you.”
Both laughing, they each got from the vehicle and shut their car doors, walking together to the front entry. Lexi again asked Jeff if he was serious. She watched him unlock the front door. Jeff entered the house first, paying more attention to what Lexi was asking than what might be waiting for him in the house.
Lexi followed Jeff inside. He kept his eyes on her while they talked, not really paying attention to where he was walking. When Lexi froze in her steps and stared blankly ahead, he stopped talking and turned to see what had captured her attention.
“Grandfather,” Lexi said at last.
Ethan Beaumont sat on the living room recliner, observing the new arrivals with keen interest. With his elbows propped on the chair’s arms, he held his hands together as he absently tapped his knuckles against his chin. Overdressed for Havasu, he wore a gray business suit.
“What are you doing in Jeff’s house?”
“Hello, Granddaughter. I see you’ve been a busy girl since you ran away from home.”
“Ran away? From what I remember, I was kicked out. But you haven’t answered my question. What are you doing in Jeff’s house?” The blood in her veins raced and her heart pounded. If she didn’t know better, she would swear the top of her head was about to explode.
“Jeff’s house? Actually, it’s my house, considering I’m the one who’s been paying the rent.” Beaumont shifted his gaze from Lexi to Jeff. “Barnett, I’m very disappointed in you. Imagine my displeasure at having to hire someone to spy on the person I hired to spy on Lexi. I was not paying you to seduce my granddaughter.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ask J.B. here. He’s been watching you since you left my house. Amazingly, he was able to rent the apartment right across the hall from yours.”
Lexi turned to look at Jeff, waiting for him to deny the accusation.
“I can explain,” Jeff began.
“Oh, I’m sure you can,” Ethan interrupted. “Tell me again, J.B., because I can’t remember. Did you ever install that surveillance equipment at the apartment, or did you wait and install it at their house here?”
“Surveillance equipment!” Lexi shrieked.
“No, Lexi, I never did that,” Jeff said, panicky and uncertain how to explain while Beaumont sat there, calmly taunting him.
“It’s simple Lexi,” Ethan interrupted, “Jeff Barnet
t has been in my employ for two years now. You’ve heard me talk about J.B.”
Lexi looked from her grandfather to Jeff. While she had never met Ethan Beaumont’s personal assistant, her grandfather occasionally mentioned him, always referring to the employee as J.B. She felt as if someone had just smashed an iron skillet across the back of her head when she remembered the bearded neighbor. Now she knew why she and Angie thought there was something familiar about Jeff. He was the creepy neighbor who was always listening to them.
“You!” Lexi gasped, suddenly feeling sick. She took a step back away from Jeff.
“Lexi, let’s leave and let me explain,” Jeff said in a panic.
“I certainly hope you don’t intend to leave in my car,” Beaumont interjected. “I’ve come to pick up the car and take Lexi home.”
Wild eyed, Lexi looked from Jeff to her grandfather. “I’m not going anywhere with you!” Lexi shouted. “And you,” she went on, now looking at Jeff, her voice shaky, “I never want to see you again!”
Lexi turned abruptly and ran from the house. Pausing just a moment, Jeff ran after her. In his haste he tripped when going down the front steps, sending him sprawling on the ground. By the time he got back on his feet and started toward Lexi, she was almost at her house. By the time he reached her driveway, she had gone inside and slammed the door shut.
“Lexi, please. We have to talk!” Jeff shouted a few moments later as he stood on her porch and pounded on her front door.
“This is Angie,” said a stern voice from inside the house. “Lexi is very upset. I want you to leave now. If you keep pounding on the door, I’ll call the police. Do you understand?”
Broken, Jeff turned away and headed back to his house. He found Beaumont still sitting on the recliner.
“I failed to mention it earlier, but you’re fired,” Beaumont said dispassionately, when Jeff entered the house.
“You can’t fire me, I quit.”
“Good. I accept your resignation. Makes it more difficult for you to collect unemployment.” With measured calm, Beaumont stood and faced Jeff. The younger man struggled to maintain his composure.
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