Fighting Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 2) (8 page)

     “Details, Peaches.  Details.” 

     “Alright you infuriating beast, I’m hanging up now.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”  I said, blowing him a kiss and then hitting the red button on my phone’s display before he could say another word.

     I looked at the dark computer monitor and wondered if I should resume viewing the slideshow.  I ultimately decided against it.  There was a fine line between visiting the past and dwelling on it.  I turned it on and exited the picture viewer, then powered the machine back down.  Wiping cookie crumbs off the surface of the desk, I picked up my glass and headed back to the kitchen.  I dropped the empty glass into the dishwasher, then washed my hands.

     I returned to my bedroom and tried to get comfortable again.  Vance still hovered at the edge of my consciousness, but I didn’t indulge in more thoughts about our past.  I mentally hugged him and then closed the door on the memories.  My phone rang in the kitchen where I’d once again left it, but I didn’t get up to see who was calling.  If it was important, they’d leave a message.

     I closed my eyes and waited for the sandman to come.

     Tuesday morning found me doing the usual Monday things I did--tidying up, laundry, and scrubbing the toilet.  Oh, the joy of real life.  I could have hired a cleaning service, but it felt like a horrible indulgence when I didn’t have a job and consequently had lots of time on my hands.  As such, Mr. Clean and I had a standing date in the bathroom at the beginning of each week.

     By eleven o’clock I was done with my chores and at a loss for what to do with myself.  I could finish reading the novel I began on the trip, but I felt too fidgety to concentrate on the story.  I really needed to find something to do for work.  I didn’t enjoy being idle and with my friends all off at their jobs, I didn’t have much to do with my days.  More and more, I grew dissatisfied with being a lady of leisure.  No longer would a good book sustain me through the quiet days.  I needed something more.  I didn’t know what to do, but I was getting to the point where’d I’d take a simple waitress job just to have something.

     I drifted back to Vance’s office and took another look around.  Was it time to pack everything up and redecorate the office to something more of my taste?  I didn’t know.  If I’d allowed myself a moment of deeper introspection, I would have realized that not only was I not interested in changing things, I really wanted to hold on to this last piece of him.  It didn’t occur to me that it might be similar to maintaining a shrine to him.  Instead, I closed the door and resolved to think about it another day.

     I eventually settled in the living room to think over my future.  I could go to law school, I thought.  At one time, that had been my aim, but after finishing my Bachelor’s degree, I’d decided I couldn’t get myself into deeper debt by taking on more student loans.  Consequently, I’d done the next best thing and became a paralegal.  I’d loved the law, and it gave me the opportunity to do a lot of what I considered ‘lawyerly’ things:  legal research, drafting briefs, advising clients.  It was a great career, but I no longer felt a passion for it.  Problem was, I didn’t feel a real passion for anything.  I had regained my desire to be among the living after Vance died, but I didn’t know how I wanted to live.  It was so frustrating and the more I thought about it, the more impatient I became with myself.  So, after hours of wracking my brain for some kind of idea, I gave up and did the only thing I could think of.  I went shopping.

     After a few hours of retail therapy where I ended up buying nothing but some new bath products, I felt a little bit better.  I was still a little restless, but there was nothing to be done for it.  On the way home, an idea occurred to me.  UCLA had an extension program.  I could just sign up for classes that sparked my interest.  At least I would be doing something with my time.  As soon as I got home, I ran to the computer and looked up their website.  I perused through the programs and one in particular caught my eye—Communications, Media, and Fundraising.  I had good people skills and the idea of working for a charity was also appealing.  I could potentially work for one who raised funds for cancer research.  I noticed that there was an actual certificate program I could enroll in online.  The first class was being offered for the summer session, so I quickly sent off an email to the Certificate Advisor listed on their website inquiring as to the date classes would begin.  I felt energized at this potential goal.  Now I needed to have a mini celebration.  More cookies?  As I was contemplating how to reward myself, my phone rang again.  I assumed it was Justin calling to confirm our plans for the evening, so I picked it up without looking at the screen.

     “Hey, sexy pants!  We on for this evening?” I mockingly purred into the phone.

     A deep, familiar voice carried over the line.  “That all depends on what you have in mind, Kitten.”

     I closed my eyes and wished the ground could swallow me up.  It wasn’t that I minded hearing from James; in fact, I was pleased to hear from him so soon after the weekend, but now I was most likely going to have to explain who sexy pants was since there was no way I could tell it was him calling.  He’d never given me his number.  It was an awkward idea to say the least.

     “Hello, James,” I said.  “It’s nice to hear from you, but don’t call me Kitten.”

     “It must be nice if you’re offering me a date as soon as you answer the phone,” he said laughingly.

     “Can we just forget it and start over?” I suggested.

     He laughed out loud and said, “That would rob me of far too much fun teasing you, so no.  I’m afraid not.”  His chuckling subsided and he asked, “Is this a bad time for you?”

     “Actually no.  I have some plans later but--,”

     “Obviously,” he drawled.

     I ignored him and continued on, “right now I’m not doing a thing other than considering murdering some Oreos.  And now you.”

     He laughed again.  “Come on, Kitten.  I have to get under your skin somehow.  Otherwise you might forget about me.  I can’t have that because I’m nowhere near done with you.”

     “There are better ways to get under my skin, James.”  I laughed.

     “Oh, I know, but I believe in taking my time.  Warming you up so you’re ready for it when I hit you with the really good stuff.”

     “You mean the other night wasn’t the good stuff?” I teased.

     “Baby, you don’t even know the half of it.  That too, was just a little taste.”

     “Listen to you.  Your mouth is making promises your body might not be able to keep,” I challenged as I walked into the living room and flopped on the couch.

    “Don’t you worry about that, Mimi.  I always deliver.  Always,” he promised.

     “Then I’ll remember to keep score,” I said.  “So, what are you up to?  Aside from ‘warming me up’, I mean.”

     “I’m just relaxing after today’s training exercises and thinking about you.  You disappeared before I could say goodbye yesterday.”

     “You could have, if you’d been around.  Where were you anyway?”  I asked.

     “I was still crashed out in one of the bedrooms dreaming of a certain hot blonde.  Imagine my disappointment when I woke up next to Pumpkin.”

     I giggled.  “Well, at least you didn’t mistake him for me.  That would have been awkward.”

     “And traumatic,” he added.  “Pumpkin is decidedly lacking in the curves department.  I also like my bedmates to be lacking in the extra equipment department as well.”

     I laughed.  “Come on now, you didn’t really sleep next to Pumpkin, did you?”

     “Fuck, no.  I went to the upper deck and passed out on one of the lounge chairs.  If I ever woke up to Pumpkin’s ugly ass next to me in bed, I’d end up with PTSD.”

     “Oh James, that’s just so wrong!” I said, but I couldn’t keep the laughter out of my voice. 

     He snickered for a minute before asking, “So do you have any plans for the weekend, Mimi?”

     “Not yet, I don’t,” I responded.

     “I’d like to take you out on a real date,” he said.  “What do you say?”

     “I say yes.”  I grinned to myself as I turned and reclined on the sofa, tapping the toes of my shoes together like an eager teenager talking to her crush.

     “Great.  I’ll make arrangements to pick you up Saturday.  I’ll let you know the time in the next day or so.  Pack an overnight bag.  You know, just in case.”  He said, his voice full of suggestion and promise.

     “There you go again with that confidence.” 

     “You’ll find I have it in abundance, Kitten,” he drawled.  “I have to get going, but I’ll give you a call with all the details.”

     “Good.  I’ll be looking forward to it,” I said.  “Take care, James.”

     I thought I heard him blow me a kiss before the line went dead.  The guy may have been a little rough around the edges, but for some reason he appealed to me.  I smiled to myself.  If nothing else, James was fun to be around.  And sexy.

     A few hours later, my phone rang again.  I was fairly sure it was Justin this time, but I checked the screen to make certain.  Sure enough, it was him.  I suggested we meet at a restaurant half way between his house and mine, but he insisted on picking me up at my house.  So, an hour later I opened the door to him holding a small bouquet of pink roses and wearing a sexy grin.  I was suddenly flustered all over again.               

     “Hello, Peaches,” he said in his low, gravelly voice while holding the bouquet out to me.  A little thrill traveled up my spine as his eyes roamed over my body.  He was dressed up for him, wearing a blue button down shirt with a nice pair of jeans and what appeared to be new boots.  I hadn’t dressed with any special care, I was just wearing a simple light blue sundress with a pair of flat sandals.  Nevertheless, he eyed me with hunger.  When he looked back up at me, they were sparkling with mischief.

     “Hi, Justin,” I said back, sounding slightly breathless and unsure.  “Come on in.  Let me put these in some water, and then we can go.”

     He followed me to the kitchen where I filled a cut-glass vase with some water, then proceeded to arrange the flowers so that they sat just so.  I felt nervous which perplexed me since I’d known Justin for a few years and spent time with him at least once a week.  Why should a couple of little kisses change how I felt around him?  We’d always felt so comfortable with each other.  Now that things might be moving in a different direction, I was suddenly not comfortable and confused.

     After I finished dawdling with the flowers while trying to sort out my conflicted emotions, I turned to him and smiled.

     “I’m suppose I’m ready.  Where are we going for dinner?”  I asked.

     “How does Mexican food sound to you?  We could go to Garcia’s.  Maybe have a few margaritas while we’re at it.”

     A big, fat margarita sounded fabulous to me.  Perhaps it would help steady my sudden case of nerves. 

     “That sounds great.  I’ll just grab my stuff, and we can go.”  I retrieved my purse and pulled out my keys handing them to him so he could drive my car.  I didn’t think it would be a good idea riding on the back of his motorcycle in my short dress.

     “I don’t need these, Mimi.  I didn’t bring the bike tonight,” he informed me. 

     “I’m not really in the mood to ride the bus, Justin,” I said sarcastically.

     “But I take all my first dates out on the bus.  It’s how I learn whether or not they want me for my money or just my spectacular body.”  He winked.

     I snorted while dropping my keys back in my purse.  “Well, at least you know I don’t want you for either,” I said, then immediately bit my tongue when I saw the disappointed look on his face.  He recovered quickly, but I’d seen it and felt like a total dumbass.

     He gently took my elbow and steered me toward the front door.  “Let’s get this show on the road, Peaches.  I’m hungry.”

     We walked out to the curb where a sleek, black Porsche 911 sat waiting for us. 

     “Oh my God, Justin.  Is this yours?” I asked excitedly.

     “I just bought it this morning.  Do you like it?”

     “I love it!” I exclaimed.  “Did you get rid of your bike?”

     “Aw, hell no.  I wouldn’t be the same man without my hog.”  He grinned at me.

     “No, I can’t imagine you without it either.  This is great, though.  Are you going to let me drive it?”

     “Are you out of your mind?  I’ve seen how you drive.  You’re the woman who makes U-turns in the middle of PCH,” he said emphatically.

     “What?  I am an awesome driver.  I have a perfect driving record, and I obey all traffic laws.” He looked at me with a raised brow.  “Okay, I obey most of them.”

     He pressed the button on his key and unlocked the doors.  “Just get in and buckle up.  We’ll be there in no time with the way this baby flies.”

          He was right, the car was fast.  Of course, he enjoyed showing me what he could do in it, as much as L.A. traffic would allow.  We arrived at Garcia’s in fifteen minutes, though it was almost 10 miles from my house.   As we pulled up to the valet, he looked at me.

     “You look a little pale, Mimi.  Are you okay?” he asked.

     “Oh I’ll be alright, but you are letting me drive home.  Otherwise I will be taking the bus after all.” I gulped, then grumbled under my breath, “And he thinks I’m a maniac driver.”

     He just laughed as the valet opened my door and helped me out onto slightly unsteady feet.

     After we were seated and digging into the basket of chips and salsa, Justin spoke.  “I’m very honored that you would accompany me out tonight, Mimi.”

     What?  Was this a pod person and not my friend?  It didn’t sound like anything he’d ever say.  Justin was laid back and easy going.  Plus, we went out together all the time.  Why was tonight such an ‘honor’?

     “Um yeah, of course, Justin.  When have I ever not agreed?” I asked.

     “Just last week, in fact,” he reminded me.

     “I was going on my trip!  I can’t very well be in two places at once!”

     “Nevertheless, you turned me down,” he said grinning.

     “No, I gave you a raincheck.  You knew we’d go out as soon as I got back, ass.”