Dirt Nap

by Carolyn Elizabeth

  She followed her gaze. “But it’s like unwrapping the best present on Christmas morning every time.” She peppered soft kisses across Thayer’s chest.

  Thayer threaded her fingers through Corey’s hair. “Well, maybe you could try being the kid who doesn’t want to tear the paper. It’s getting expensive.”

  “Not a chance.” She circled her tongue around a nipple.

  Thayer squirmed and pushed her away, gently. “Stop. I’m not ready.”

  Corey relented and rolled over onto her elbow to prop herself up. “You could always just be naked around the house. That would work for me.”

  She scowled playfully. “Give my bank account a thought next time, please.”

  “We’ve been over this.” She grinned. “Your bank account is all I think about.”

  “Where did you get the idea that I have money? Do you have any idea how much I owe in school loans? But I suppose I’ll allow it since I only want you for your hard body.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.” Corey laughed and kissed her gently for a long time. “Can I take you to bed?” She sat up and pulled Thayer up with her.

  “Don’t you want something to eat?” Thayer asked.

  Corey grinned wickedly. “I was just going to ask you the same thing.”

  Chapter Seven

  Corey was in the crawlspace again. It was impossibly hot and dark and her body was heavy and sluggish. She tried to stand but banged the back of her head on the underside of the house. Over and over again she tried to get out, her head pounding.

  Her eyes shot open with a sharp gasp. She was in her room and it was full dark. She could tell by the stillness of the night that it was nowhere near dawn. She was hot with Thayer’s naked body draped partially across her, heavy in sleep.

  The unpleasant dream was just that but the pounding in her head was very real. The dull throbbing ache at the base of her skull signaled the beginning of a migraine, payment for surviving a fall that could have just as easily killed her.

  “Shit.” She breathed and tried to raise her free arm to the back of her neck but was stopped when a streaking hot pain shot through her right shoulder, a gift from her excessive physical exertion of the day.

  She glanced at the clock as she extricated herself from under Thayer, hearing her stir. It was just past one in the morning and she took comfort that she still had time to head off the migraine or sleep it off before morning.

  “What’s wrong?” Thayer asked in a gravelly voice.

  “Nothing. Go back to sleep,” Corey murmured as she stumbled to the bathroom. She squinted against the harsh light while she fumbled through the cabinet and her medication bottles. She just wanted a muscle relaxant but couldn’t read the labels.

  Thayer spoke softly from behind her. “How bad is it?”

  “It’s still early. I just need something.” Corey massaged the back of her neck and tried to reach the epicenter of her tension around her right shoulder blade.

  “Can you hold off for a few minutes? I have something for you to try.” Thayer offered her hand and led her back to bed leaving the bathroom light on to cast a glow into the room.

  She dropped back into bed with a groan and huddled on her side as she listened to Thayer move around the room before feeling her weight on the bed.

  “Lie on your stomach, sweetheart.” Thayer encouraged her to stretch out on her front with her arms up around her head. “Is that okay?”

  “Yeah.” She heard the snap of a cap and Thayer rubbing her hands together before they came down gently on her back, slick and warm with oil and the smell of peppermint and coconut filled the room. “Mmm,” Corey groaned as Thayer eased her oiled hands around her shoulders and neck, massaging her spasming muscles.

  “Tell me where.”

  “My right shoulder. Underneath the scapula. Something really hurts.”

  Thayer slid her hands over and dug her thumbs into the muscles, hitting the large knot immediately. “I got it.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Just breathe,” Thayer whispered and worked at the trigger, relaxing the bunched muscle fibers and smoothing the knot. “You know, in retrospect, perhaps we should have skipped the nighttime extracurriculars considering your strenuous day.”

  “Mmm,” Corey mumbled. “That’s not the part of my day I wish had gone differently.”

  “Well, perhaps exercise more caution next time.”

  “Caution’s for suckers.”

  “You should really rethink your personal motto.”

  “Maybe.”

  “What do think of this oil?” Thayer spoke softly as she continued easing the tension in her back and pressed her thumbs into the base of Corey’s head.

  “’s nice,” Corey slurred, her eyes growing heavy.

  “Peppermint oil is a natural muscle relaxant and I’ve had patients who swear by it.” Thayer ran her hands over her one more time. She wiped her hands on a towel and pulled the sheet over them both as she lay down next to Corey, their heads close together.

  “Thank you for loving me so well.” Corey sighed happily.

  “You make it very easy.”

  Corey slept hard the rest of the night and woke refreshed, if still a little sore. She could hear the shower running and checked the time. It was just past seven and Thayer needed to head out to her place to meet Collier and Steph about her neighbor.

  She ran through a series of stretches on her bedroom floor to loosen and warm up her muscles, though she didn’t expect to be doing anything more strenuous than standing around today and likely tomorrow as well. She could safely save herself for their nighttime activities.

  “Good morning.” Thayer came out of the bathroom on a cloud of steam, running a comb through her thick auburn curls. “Feeling better?”

  “Yeah.” Corey picked herself up off the floor. “You’re up early. I thought you said nine.”

  “I did.” Thayer rummaged through Corey’s drawers pulling out her own bra and panties a pair of her own jeans and one of Corey’s T-shirts. “I’ve been here so often lately that I have nothing at home to offer them, so I want to run to the store.” Thayer threw her wet hair up into a hasty knot at the top of her head.

  Corey snorted. “Babe, they’re not your guests. They’re coming to question you.”

  Thayer’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. “Question me?”

  “Not question. I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “Interview.”

  “Whatever.” Thayer scowled. “I can still offer them some coffee.”

  “Well, hang on a few minutes and we’ll swing by Rachel’s coffee shop and get her to hook us up. We have time.” Corey headed for the bathroom satisfied with her suggestion. She hadn’t seen her best friend in a few days and they were due for some catching up.

  “I’m pretty sure Rachel’s not going to be able to take a break to serve us first thing on a weekday morning. I don’t want her to get in any trouble.”

  Corey barked a laugh from the shower. “In trouble? She owns the place.”

  “I beg your pardon? Rachel owns the Old Bridge Coffee House?”

  “Uh…” Corey poked her soapy head out the shower door and winced. “Shit.”

  “Am I not supposed to know? Why not?”

  “I’m sorry, babe,” Corey called from the shower. “It’s not you. Hardly anyone knows. Rachel likes it like that. She didn’t want to ruin her slacker reputation by people finding out she’s a competent and successful business owner.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible and I totally believe that about her.” Thayer laughed. “Her secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone or let on I know.”

  “No, that’s silly.” She stepped out and quickly toweled off. “You should know. We’ll swing by and talk to her.”

  “Who’s driving? Are we taking two cars?” Thayer called from the stairs as she headed down.

  “Um, no.” Corey pulled on clothes and finger combed her short hair. “You’re driving. I left my truck at the hospital last nigh
t. I really didn’t feel like getting back in it.” She took the stairs two at a time and nearly slammed into Thayer at the bottom looking very unhappy.

  “How did you get home?” Thayer challenged.

  She shrugged and moved to step around her. “I walked.”

  Thayer moved with her, blocking her, her brow arched, disapprovingly.

  Corey raised her hands in surrender. “Next time I’ll call you.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Holy, Mary…” Corey whistled at the jammed downtown street in front of The Old Bridge Coffee House. The shop took up the first floor of a city original, a three-story brick building owned by the law firm, Tagliotti, Mancini and Castiglione. The firm used the top two floors and a side entrance from the parking lot. Corey always thought with a name like that they should be involved with organized crime. Every time she joked about it in the shop, Rachel glared her to silence which only fueled her speculation. The Old Bridge customers parked on the street and today cars packed end to end against the curb and there was a line of people out the door. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Hold on.” A car pulled out on the opposite side of the street and Thayer gunned her Range Rover around and whipped into the spot.

  “Pretty slick, Slick.” Corey grinned.

  “What’s that one from?” Thayer asked as she opened the door.

  “The Abyss.” Corey beamed, pleased that Thayer even recognized it as a quote. “One day I’m going to see if I can communicate entirely in movie quotes.”

  “Not with me you won’t. I don’t even know how you keep all these lines in your head.”

  “I am a font of useless and whimsical pop culture and film knowledge.” Corey reached for Thayer’s hand and they jogged across the street.

  They threaded their way through the small groups of young people milling around the sidewalk in front of the large glass window that made up the front, drinking coffee and tea and snacking on every manner of pastry. The lower inside of the glass was papered with twice as many colorful advertisements as last time Corey had been there. She couldn’t actually remember when that was.

  The inside was buzzing with activity. The line at the counter wrapped around the inside of the shop, every table was full and people were packed elbow to elbow at the high bar at the front window.

  Corey craned to see over the line behind the counter. There were at least six baristas working, foaming coffee, warming muffins, steeping tea, and ringing people out. The lights were bright and Corey was dizzy with the visual and auditory assault. “Je-sus,” she muttered and adjusted her glasses.

  “Are you all right?” Thayer asked, her mouth close to Corey’s ear.

  “Yeah, it’s just—”

  “Hey, Corey.”

  Corey’s head whipped back and forth at her name, finally looking up to the ladder that rolled back and forth behind the counter so staff could reach items from the floor-to-ceiling shelves that lined the back red brick wall.

  “Jude?” Corey’s mouth gaped at the goofily grinning guy halfway up the wall. She watched as he dropped a five-pound burlap sack of beans to another man at the bottom. Jude was Jude Weatherly of Weatherly’s Funeral Home. She had only ever seen him picking up bodies from her at the morgue and had, around the time she started seeing Thayer, half-jokingly set him up with Rachel.

  “Rachel’s at the back,” he yelled over the din. “You want coffee?”

  Corey nodded dumbly and gripped Thayer’s hand, leading her toward the back of the long shop.

  “Who was that?” Thayer asked.

  “Tell you in a minute.” Corey raised her voice as they passed beneath a speaker. She couldn’t help but notice she really liked the singer—a husky-voiced woman playing amazing guitar.

  Rachel was at a round table all the way at the back. She had a laptop open and stacks of paper splayed out in front of her. She was dressed in her usual cargo shorts, battered chucks, and black coffeehouse T-shirt, which showed off lean muscles and a wide array of tattoos over both arms. She had gotten a haircut and her always-spiky black hair was now in a faux hawk. She was just standing and shaking the hand of a young woman looking barely out of her teens who smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Rachel beamed at Thayer and came around from behind the table to hug her. “To what do I owe this absolute pleasure?”

  She returned the embrace. “I’ll let Corey tell you.”

  “Are we interrupting something?” Corey held the chair for Thayer and grabbed another one to swing around for herself.

  “Just another day at the office.” Rachel gestured to her bustling shop and closed her laptop as she sat back down. “I’m interviewing for a few positions today, but I don’t have another one for a half hour so I’m all yours.”

  “Here you go, ladies.” Jude appeared out of the crowd with a tray of three steaming coffee mugs, creamers, and sweeteners.

  “Aw, thanks, dude.” Rachel smiled at him affectionately as he bused up the two empty mugs littering her table.

  “Welcome, dude.” He returned her gaze briefly and then turned to Thayer and held out his hand. “You must be Thayer. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Jude, a friend slash coworker of Corey’s and a friend slash employee of Rachel’s.”

  Thayer shook his hand, returning his smile. “Very nice to meet you, Jude.”

  “Um, Jude, you work here now?” Corey asked, her eyes flicking between him and Rachel.

  “Yeah, sometimes, I guess.” He shrugged. “I like it.”

  “What about your dad and the funeral home?” Corey asked.

  “Oh, business is booming as always and I’m still the heir. You know, though, most of the days there I deal with my customers in the absolute shittiest moments of their lives, so spending time here really makes me feel…”

  “Alive?” Rachel suggested.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s it.” Jude nodded. “I better run. I’m sure I’ll see you soon, Corey. Nice to meet you, Thayer.”

  Corey turned to Rachel. “Are you two dating?”

  Rachel’s mouth quirked into a smile. “We’re having fun when the mood strikes us. No expectations and that seems to suit us both at the moment.”

  “He’s cute,” Thayer commented as she sipped her coffee.

  “He is that,” Rachel agreed. “Now, what brings you to my humble establishment?”

  Corey exhaled a breath. “Well, I was going to confess that I slipped up this morning and revealed your true nature to Thayer but you don’t seem too concerned about anyone knowing, so what gives?”

  Rachel’s eyes widened as she sipped her coffee. “First, I can’t believe you hadn’t already told her.”

  “Well, you’re not exactly pillow talk,” Corey snarked and Thayer coughed on her coffee. “And I promised you I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

  “And second, that ship has sailed, my friend.” Rachel searched her table, lifting papers until she found a thick glossy magazine and tossed it across to them. It was the Best of the City issue of JC Magazine.

  “Hey, that’s you.” Rachel was grinning broadly on the cover in front of her business. Thayer thumbed it open and started skimming the article.

  Corey cocked her head to look at the cover while Thayer read. “Holy shit, man, you’re on the cover.”

  “I know, right?” Rachel beamed. “I came in first in two of the categories, Best Coffee Shop and Best Local Color.”

  Corey’s brow furrowed. “How did I not know any of this?”

  Rachel’s eyes flicked to Thayer who was reading intently. “You’ve been a little busy.”

  “Still, though.” Corey leaned over to offer her fist, which Rachel bumped. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” Rachel said. “So you didn’t brave the hipster throngs to congratulate me. Is that what you came to say? That you—what—violated my confidence?”

  “Well, yeah,” Corey admitted.

  Rachel barked a laugh. “Jesus, Cor, you really are a boy scout.” />
  Thayer smiled and nodded, letting them know she was also paying attention to more than the article.

  Corey flushed with embarrassment and hid behind her mug. “I prefer girl scout,” she muttered. “And there was something else.”

  “Hit me,” Rachel said as Thayer set the magazine aside.

  “Collier and his partner are meeting us at Thayer’s place this morning to speak with her and we haven’t been there in a few days and are a little short on rations.”

  “Say no more, my wayward friends.” Rachel pushed herself up from the table. “One of my new enterprises is catering and we had this big order from JC Bank and Trust this morning and the meeting got canceled at the last minute.” Rachel motioned them to follow. “It’s already paid for but I can’t really put it back in the display shelf so it’s all yours.”

  Corey’s eyes widened at how the crowds parted as Rachel walked through the shop and she and Thayer shared an amused glance.

  “Jude, grab that tray for the bank will you?” Rachel called across the counter.

  He slid an enormous plastic-covered tray laden with pastries and fruit over to her.

  “And the coffee box, please, and the bag of condiments,” Rachel added.

  Rachel heaved the stack of containers into Corey’s arms. “To Collier, with my love. And don’t think you’re going to get away with not telling me what this is about later. And since when does Collier have a partner?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Corey agreed and adjusted the weight. “Tell you another time.”

  Thayer took the coffee box off the top before Corey dropped it all. “That’s very generous, Rachel, thank you.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Rachel leaned across the counter and grabbed a stack of hot pink squares of paper. “I got my beer and wine license, too, and one Friday a month is going to be local talent events. Singer-songwriter kind of stuff. This Friday is Cam Delmar. She’s playing right now.” She gestured to the speakers in the ceiling. “These are VIP passes. I was going to hand them out tonight at the gym but you’re here now so take them and come if you can.” She reached around and tucked the paper into Corey’s back pocket. “Make sure Jules and Dana get one too, otherwise it’s a twenty-dollar cover.”