Her Eyes (19 page)

She enjoyed their day out and Mike was wonderful company. Even Blooper fit into the picture nicely. Maybe things in her life were working out after all. This might be the life she had been looking for.

They started to the sidewalk when her tummy growled loudly. Mike stopped and looked at her, further embarrassing her. She hated the growly sound but tried to laugh it off.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah, actually I am.” She looked over at the hot dog vendor next to the road. “If I'm remembering correctly, I love hot dogs."

"Hot dogs it is."

Over the next few weeks, Claudia and Mike fell into a pattern. Or more like Claudia sat back and watched how Mike lived his life and began revolving hers around him. It just seemed easier that way. He was a nice guy. Actually, a really nice guy. Yeah, his hours were strange, but it felt all right. Somehow, it felt like she'd been with someone who didn't keep regular hours before, but not for something legit like Mike. She even found herself starting to adjust to his schedule. In the waking hours when he wasn't around, she tried to remember more about her past—who she was, people she know, what she did, but kept coming up blank. Different images would pass into her mind, but nothing definite. Even some of the things Blooper did seemed familiar, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. It was comfortable, easy, and having a dog seemed the most natural thing in the world for her.

After the first week or so, it did become obvious that Mike would have liked to be more than a friend. Nothing overt, just the heat in his eyes when he looked at her or the way his hand would linger when they both reached for a spoon at the same time. She knew he wouldn't push. Somehow she knew that just wasn't his style. Maybe it was her memory loss, maybe he was just a patient guy. Whatever it was, she felt an odd relief about his holding back.

Mike was not only a good-looking guy. He was an absolute sweetheart, did the right things for the right reasons. But some how Claudia knew she just was never going to feel the same way he did. Like someone waiting for her, but who and where? It didn't feel like someone from where she had come from, but more like someone here, someone nearby. Mike was the only man she met since waking up. Only as sweet and kind as he was, he wasn't the one. No, there was someone else. Someone she had loved her whole life, she knew it. She just knew it. So why wasn't he looking for her? Why didn't he come to the hospital to see her? Why didn't he report her missing when she disappeared?

Well, he wasn't here, if he even existed, and Mike was here. Mike was just about everything a woman could want. Granted, it had only been a few weeks. Once she woke up, he visited her in the hospital and one of the nurses told her he used to come while she was in the coma. And now she lived with him. Why not see if things worked out with him?

Win gave a low bark outside the trailer. Frank hated to tie him up, but they were too close to the road. He didn't want Win getting hurt, and there wasn't enough room in the trailer to make Win comfortable.

It had been over two weeks and still Catherine hadn't left his house. Frank had done everything possible to push her along, finally getting one of his buddies at the courthouse to hurry through the ruling. True to form, Catherine tried her best to keep her hold in the house. After a special ruling, she was to be served her eviction papers today. Unfortunately, that still gave her a week to get out of the house.

Frank looked out at the men, already starting work. He was wrung out. He'd been sleeping on the small worn couch in the same room as his desk. Construction trailers didn't have much to them, but at least this one had working plumbing. He had managed to get in a shower and look presentable by the time the first of his employees arrived. Most of them didn't know the boss man lived at the site.

He stretched wide and stood from his desk, getting his third cup of coffee. The caffeine helped a little. Even though it was well into the afternoon, a groggy daze held over his mind. What brought him fully awake was when the door opened and that blonde harlot marched her happy ass inside, then sat on his couch like she belonged there.

"Hi, sweetie.” Catherine smiled wide.

"What do you want?"

"Just wanted to give you one last chance to win me back.” Her shoulders were back, showing again what she considered her greatest asset, her breasts. Frank wished her mind were half as good.

"No, thank you. Now please leave."

"I'll make your life hell if you divorce me.” She snaked her tongue out of her mouth and wet her red lips.

"I think you're losing this argument."

She flipped her blonde hair, then unbuttoned another button on her top. The edge of her white lace bra showed. She always pulled crap like that, and Frank had finally started to notice she was all looks, no heart. Amazing it took him so long to realize it.

"I bet you think that little trick with the deputy was cute, don't you?"

"Not really, but it did help me make my case to get you out of the house faster. Thanks for acting that way. It really helped my case."

According to Frank's attorney, he couldn't force Catherine out without a ruling in the divorce settlement or some sort of charges. He needed a cause to prove Catherine was destroying his property. Thankfully, he had just that.

The night she had come home from the hospital and he had picked up his clothes, she'd gone off the deep end. More to the point, she continued to go crazy after Frank had left and called the sheriff's department. From what he had learned, Catherine had to spend the night in jail. The charges read from propositioning an officer to assault against an officer. It seemed when the deputy turned her down, she started throwing things at him. She went as far as to break his windshield. Not good. Well, not for her at least.

"I suggest you find a place to live. If you're not out in a week, that deputy will be back to escort you off the premises."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Bill poked his head in the door, and his expression changed to disgust when he saw Catherine sitting there. “Boss, can I talk to you for a minute? We've got a little problem out here."

"I'll be back,” he gave Catherine a hard look. “Don't touch anything."

Bill stood there, arms across over his chest. “Do you want me to call the law?"

"I'll do it if she starts to make a fuss. I think I'll put a restraining order against her too.” He looked around at the working men. “What's the trouble?"

"It's over here."

Catherine glanced outside and watched Frank step away from the building. This might be her only chance. She opened her purse and pulled out a vial of powder. Good old rat poison. She had no doubts that when the court date arrived, she wouldn't have any chance of alimony or anything else after all of her sins were brought to light. That made her future prospects for money slim.

She pulled out the oversized carafe and dumped the powder into the coffee. She swirled it around, letting it mix. Being divorced wouldn't pay a sloppy adulterer well, but being a widow would, especially with that insurance policy she took out on her dear husband.

With that handled, she went around Frank's desk. She was running low on cash and hoped to get to the hair salon today. A few scars still lingered, so she had to make an extra effort to look nice. Besides, she should be husband shopping soon. This time she would find a nice business man. Maybe one with a pool and hot pool boy.

"Just what in the hell are you doing?” Frank came in, looking so smug and annoyed. She'd show him.

"Nothing. Just taking an interest in your business. Half of it will be mine soon."

"The hell you say."

She only smiled. She knew no judge in the country would award her much more than her clothes and maybe a small allowance to help her get on her feet. It was fun to torture Frank though.

"Fine, fine.” She looked at the coffee. “Let me make it up to you by pouring you a cup of coffee."

"Make it up to me by leaving.” He opened the door for her.

"If that's what you want. How about an advance on all that money you'll be paying me? A lady has to look nice."

"I would pay to see you look like a lady, but since that's not going to happen, leave. If you're hurting for cash, sell some of that jewelry I bought you."

As soon as Frank saw Catherine pull away, he called his lawyer. Tomorrow a restraining order would be presented. He doubted that would keep her away from his place of business but he could at least have her locked up every time she visited.

He sipped the last bit of coffee left in his mug and went to the carafe. One more cup should do the trick. He had paperwork to attack. He hated forms. He poured his mug full of coffee then returned to his desk. There was so much paperwork, and he hadn't started on the pile from the other worksite, much less the permits he would have to file for the downtown job. He needed a secretary.

Frank raised the mug to his lips, tipped the black liquid toward him. He always enjoyed fresh hot coffee. The liquid came toward him, touched his lips, and spilled on his pants. Damn it all. That woman had him too shaken up to drink. He didn't want to look like a wreck today. Couldn't anything go his way? He walked toward the bathroom, pulling a hot section of cloth away from his skin.

There were some good things about living where he worked. He didn't have to leave to change clothes. A minute later and he changed into fresh jeans. He hoped to have his paperwork finished so he could drop it off during his errands today.

Frank slumped back behind his desk, looked at his coffee, then thought better of it. The caffeine wouldn't only wake him up but make him tense. His nerves were already strung too tight.

He hadn't really taken to drinking, especially this early in the day but Catherine had his nerves frazzled. If that whore thought she was getting a cent from him, she was sadly mistaken. He pulled a bottle of scotch from his desk. This would take away the edge.

Actually it was the first drink he'd taken since leaving the hospital. Damn Catherine. She made a mockery of their marriage and then when she had the chance to finally do the right thing, to leave her body and let Pam have it, she went and turned even nastier than she had been before. From their wedding date he knew she was a selfish bitch, but this went beyond even that. She clearly calculated every action to make life a living hell for everyone. A few times he wondered what had made her such a cold, mean-spirited person, but it was meaningless to go there. She just was a cold-hearted bitch, and that was that. The woman could have had it all, instead she grasped at things that weren't going to make her happy. She had to have them because everyone else did.

"She wanted me and I gave myself to her heart and soul. But she didn't really want me for myself. She wanted me because someone else had me. Pam had me. Not once but twice."

He took a swallow of the amber liquid. Its bite was enticing and at the same time reminded him he hadn't eaten yet today. After putting the bottle back in the drawer, he stood and stretched. He'd do his paperwork first, then go out for a nice dinner. Drinking on the job was something he would not permit in other so he couldn't allow it in himself.

"Oh, hell, I'm thinking crazy. Pam wasn't inside Catherine. I just wanted to believe it was Pam inside her. That had to be what happened. And Catherine just had amnesia and forgot to be nasty. Yeah, that's what it had to be. I lost Pam years ago, and I'll never have her back."

He couldn't forget those eyes though. Catherine's had been bright blue since she came out of the hospital. No hint of green. No amount of denial would change what he saw in her eyes. When they were green, she was a godsend.

He reached for his jacket and found that same old hurt inching up again. Pam had been his best friend and he let her down. If she had found a way back, she wouldn't want him again. Even getting a second chance, he had failed her. Pam would be better off with someone else.

"I don't know. I just don't know what I could have done to save her."

For the next few hours, he finished the forms, caught up the books, then filed everything away. Thankfully, an accountant handled the payroll or he would never keep things straight. By three o'clock, he had everything handled and got ready to go to downtown.

Frank picked up the radio on the desk. “Hey, Bill."

"Yeah."

"I'm heading out. The place is yours. Lock up when you're finished."

"Sure thing."

He put out the lights and headed toward his truck. His truck bounced and jostled him as he left the site, turning onto the main road. It wasn't a long drive to town but daytime traffic was killer. By the time he had finished at the courthouse, his lawyers, and then the accountants, the day had gone.

Driving along he contemplated dinner. Another dinner of canned or microwaved whatever, alone in his kitchen. Alone, without Pam. Her meals were good, darn good, but it was her company, her being there that made it all wonderful. “Pam".

Abruptly he pulled into a parking lot and in front of a rustic-looking wooden building. For all the times he'd driven this road, stopping here had never occurred to him. Now the little restaurant housed in the quaint building drew him in. Aptly called “Trevi's,” he vaguely remembered hearing some of the guys tell him it was a pretty good place.

He got out, and as he approached the door, he saw a couple walking in just ahead of him. There was something refreshing about them, the tall good-looking man with the petite redhead. They had an ease about them, like a couple who had known each other awhile, but hadn't yet fallen in love, like friends who discovered they could be romantic too. The man held the door open for Frank, and the three exchanged smiles. There was something about the woman's smile that tugged at Frank's heart. Nothing he could put his finger on, but there was something special about it.
Lucky guy.
He didn't know why, but the man just seemed lucky to be with the redheaded woman.

The restaurant was nice and he needed a change from the trailer. Staring at those walls was getting to him. Probably to Win, too. Frank would have to take him out for a run. Poor dog probably missed his backyard.