Deadly Dosage (18 page)

     “Probably some cheap brand. Dad doesn’t mind it,
but then I’m sure his taste buds aren’t what they used to be.”

     “I heard his therapy is going well. He may be
discharged in two weeks if everything goes as planned.”       

     “He’ll be happy to leave. I never wanted him to
be placed there. Mom doesn’t drive and with my job, I didn’t have time to drive
him to therapy every day.”

     “That’s understandable. Have you talked to your
friend in the lab?”

“John? Yeah, I dropped the
juice container off yesterday afternoon. I needed to pick up some more samples
and promo junk. He thought I was nuts, but he said he’d run some tests to humor
me.”

“Will he call when he knows
something?”

“I’m planning on calling him
on Friday. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”

He rose from his seat.

“Well, I’m going to take a
shower. Feel free to watch TV or play the radio or,” he grinned and winked,
“join me.”

     My eyebrows rose an inch and I laughed. “You’re
quite the stud.”

     “Can’t be helped.”

“Tempting, but I’ll have to
take a rain check. I promised my sister we’d go shopping this afternoon.”

     “Limited offer. No rain checks.”

     “Your loss,” I smugly tossed back.

     “Maybe I’ll make an exception.” He winked and
left me alone in the kitchen.

     I finished my coffee and took the empty dishes to
the sink. I found some dish detergent and filled the dish tub with soapy water.
After I washed the dishes, I dried them and put them away, and cleaned off the
table. When everything was in order, I went into the living room.

     Rufus was dozing on top of the couch, so I took a
seat on the rocker. I pulled out my cell phone and called Autumn.

     “Hi, Sunny. I didn’t expect you to call so early.
How was your date?”

     “Great. As a matter of fact, I’m at his house
right now.”

     “Get out! That’s so unlike you.”

     “I know. One thing just led to another.”

     “Usually does. So, Sunny, is he good in bed?”

     “Fantastic,” I giggled. “What a body. And he even
made me breakfast, can you believe it? He’s certainly no Sam.”

     “That’s promising. Where is he now?”

     “In the shower.”

     “That’s good, he can’t hear. So I take it you’ll
see him again.”

     “Hopefully. You never know. Maybe I was too easy.
It was the beer. You know, some guys like a challenge.”

     “All guys like sex. Just don’t mention the word
relationship to him. That’ll scare him off. You didn’t, did you?”

     “We only had one date, Autumn.”

     “Hey, I’m just saying.”

     I heard the water stop and the shower curtain
slide across the bar.

     “Hey, sounds like he just got out of the shower.”

     “Okay. It’s still on for today?”

     “Definitely.”

     “I’ll be there at noon. That’ll give you enough
time?”

     “Oh yeah. I’ll probably be home within the next
forty-five minutes.”

     “See you then. I’m happy for you, Sunny. Love
ya.”

     “Love you too. Bye.” I hung up and put the phone
back in my handbag. I glanced up when I heard the bathroom door open. Rufus was
awake and watching me from his perch.

     I walked over to the couch and Rufus jumped onto
the seat cushion. I squatted down to pet his head. “Mind sharing your daddy
Rufus?” I asked stroking his fur.

He
purred and rubbed his cheek into my hand. “I’m guessing you’re okay with this
then?”

     He licked my hand.

“I knew we’d be friends.” I
kissed him on his furry head just as Lloyd came into the living room fully
dressed. His hair was damp and slightly curly.

     He walked over and leaned over to pet Rufus.

     “I’ll go start the car. It should be warm in
about ten minutes then I’ll take you home.”

     “Okay.”

     He walked into an adjoining room and brought back
my coat. He slid into his jacket and was out the door.

     Being nosy, I took the opportunity to sneak a
peek into the room after he left. An oak desk, leather swivel chair, and a
laptop computer occupied the room. A bookcase was up against a wall. I briefly
studied its contents, noting that he liked spy and thriller novels. On the
walls were framed movie posters, one advertising
Casablanca
starring
Humphrey Bogart and another
D.O.A.
, starring Edmund O’Brien. Seems we
both liked old movies as well.

     I heard the door slam shut and got out right
before Lloyd entered the living room.

     “It’s a little warmer today but it’ll still take
a few minutes to warm the car.”

     “So, what are you up to today?”

     “Picking my mom up this afternoon. I usually drop
her off at Ageless Grace on Saturday so she can spend the day with my dad.
After that, I’ll take her out to dinner. She doesn’t like to cook for just
herself.”

“That’s nice of you. Does your
sister visit too?”

     “She’s usually pretty busy. She tries to get
there at least twice a week. My dad likes seeing his grandchildren.”

     He glanced at his wall clock. “Well, we should
get going so you can go shopping.”

     “Yeah.” I gave Rufus a goodbye petting, grabbed
my handbag, and tossed my scarf around my neck. I hated the thought of
returning to my apartment and Brandi. It had been so nice and comfortable here.

I followed him outside to the
car. March wasn’t far away, and I thought I smelled just a tinge of spring in
the air. Maybe it was just my imagination.

He held the door open for me
and I jumped in. I gave his house a final glance as he backed out of the
driveway, wondering if I’d ever be invited back. Within minutes, we were
slicing through the crowded city streets.

“Where are you going
shopping?”

I turned from the window to look
at him. “Southridge Mall. We’re just going to bum around.”

     “Is your sister older or younger?”

     “Autumn is younger. Spring is older.”

     “All named for seasons?”

     “In a way. My mom named us after songs she liked.
Spring for “Spring Fever”—Elvis, Autumn, for “Forever Autumn”—Justin Hayward,
and lastly me, “Summer Breeze.””

     “Seals and Crofts,” Lloyd finished. “Never would
have guessed that.”

“Know any of those songs?”

     “Two out of three. Never heard of the Elvis one.”

     “Wow that’s pretty good. Guess you like the 70s
like me. My mom has the old 45’s. I told her to never get rid of them.”

     “You probably could find some live performances
of those songs on YouTube.”

     “You think so?”

     “Yeah, I’ll check for you. I can e-mail them to
you if I find them.”

     “That would be great. Then I can forward them to
my sisters.”

“Sounds like you’re a close
knit family.”

     “I guess. My parents divorced when I was fourteen
but we’re still close. We still go on vacation once a year with our mom just
for fun.”

     “Raised by your mom?”

     “No, mostly my dad.”

     “That explains it.”

     “Explains what?”

     “Your wild ways,” he grinned.

     “Is that good, or bad?”

     “Naughty is always good.”

     He pulled into my apartment parking lot. “Here we
are.”

     I saw the familiar red Silverado parked next to
my car. “Shit!” I swore softly.

     “Problem?” he said glancing at the truck.

     “Nothing I can’t handle.” I turned toward him.
“Thanks for last night and this morning. I enjoyed myself.”

     “I did too.” He put the car in park, turned off
the engine, and opened his door. He ran around the car and opened the passenger
door for me.

     “Thank you.” I stepped out and he closed the
door.

     He pulled me close and kissed me. “I’ll call
you,” he said sincerely. Then he gave me a big, bear hug. “You want me to walk
you up?”

     “No, that’s okay. By the way, I’ll be out with my
mom and sisters tonight. My sister Spring got engaged this week.”

     “That’s a good reason to celebrate. Well, you
have fun tonight.” He kissed me again.

     He jumped back in his car and pulled out. I waved
and walked to the sidewalk.

I pulled my keys out of my
handbag, and walked over to my mailbox. I inserted the key and looked in.
Useless advertising flyers and an electric bill. I pulled them out, relocked my
mailbox, and finished my walk to the stairs.

Lost in another world,
rehashing the events of the morning, I walked straight into corner of the
building. It stunned me for a second, and then I felt foolish, though no one
saw me.

I really needed to stop
daydreaming before I broke something or drove myself crazy from lustful
fantasies.

Chapter
27

Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached my
apartment swiftly and swung the door open. From the sizzling sound and smell, I
knew someone was frying bacon.

     Sam was frying bacon at the stove. He glanced up
and looked back down. I dumped my handbag on the top of the couch and stopped
by the counter facing the living room, to inhale the sweet scent of my roses.
They were just starting to open, and with any luck, they would last a week.

“It’s almost eleven o’clock,”
he said in the tone of a scolding parent.

I glanced at the time on the
microwave. “So it is. Guess you can tell time.”

     I came around and opened the fridge, taking out a
can of diet cola. I popped the top open and gulped some down. I took a piece of
crunchy bacon from his plate.

     “Mmm. Nice and crunchy.”

     “Where were you?” he demanded.

     “What’s it to you?” I answered with a bit of
attitude.

     I took another piece of bacon off his plate. No
doubt I paid for it. Brandi didn’t like bacon. Besides, I certainly was paying
for the electricity he was using to make it. Furthermore, I honestly did it to
piss him off. I know, not nice.

     He held his tongue in check, which was
uncharacteristic for him.

     “Want some eggs?” he asked politely.

     I choked on the bacon crumbs in my mouth and
grabbed for my soda resting on the counter to wash them down. Was he actually
being unselfish? I looked around to see if this was a performance for Brandi.
It was not.

     “Um, gee thanks, Sam, but no. I already ate
breakfast.”

     “With Lloyd?” he asked focusing on me with angry
eyes, daring me to lie.

I nodded with a hint of a
smile.

“I see,” he said buttering
some toast, slightly frowning. “If he said he’ll call you again, Sunny, don’t
hold your breath. He already got what he was after.”

He gave me a stern,
disapproving look and went back to buttering his toast.  

     I took my handbag off the couch and stormed into
my bedroom with my soda. Damn him. He always had to have the upper hand. I knew
he said it to be a jerk, but I wondered if he was right. I mean I barely knew
the guy and I’d already slept with him twice, within twenty-four hours. The
sound of Lloyd’s voice saying “I’ll call you” swirled in my head.

     Stop thinking about it, Sunny, I repeated in my
head. Sam’s just jealous. I held my breath and mentally counted to ten and
exhaled. “I’ll call you” floated back into my head.

     I completely undressed and tossed my clothes into
a wicker hamper I kept near my mirrored dresser. Later I’d shower and change
again before meeting with Spring. For now, I put on a no-frills bra and cotton
underpants and swiped some deodorant under my arms.

My drawer reserved for
T-shirts was almost empty. It still held a solid white one, which I pulled out
and placed over my head. I pulled hard and slipped my arms though the sleeves.
Something felt off, so I looked in the mirror. I had put it on backwards, and
the high neck was up against my throat. I tugged it off and tried again.

I opened the top drawer on the
right. Looked like I’d be doing laundry tomorrow. No socks either. Laundry.
That made me think of Lloyd’s fluffy towel. He said he’d be doing laundry
today. Too bad we couldn’t do it together.

     My closet door stood open from the night before.
I pulled a thick cotton hoodie, a relic from my college days at UW-Milwaukee
off a hanger and took a pair of faded boot cut jeans off the upper shelf. I
tossed the jeans on my bed and sat down. I pulled the hoodie on over my head,
and then covered my feet in a pair of striped knee-highs I saw on the floor. I
slipped on my jeans and stood up, hopping around until I got the buttons
closed. I grabbed my favorite hiking boots from the closet and slid them on my
feet.