Someone Bad and Something Blue (3 page)

 

J
ustus arrived at my home at six sharp for our blue-hot date. He held a single white rose in one hand; I noticed a bouquet of red ones behind his back. I blushed in excitement.

He smiled as he stepped inside my foyer. “Where's the birthday girl?”

I stepped aside. “Primping in the restroom.”

“Of course she is.” He chuckled.

“When I told her you were taking her birthday up a notch, she became ecstatic.” I folded my arms over my chest and gave him my flirty side glance.

He touched my arm. “Please tell me that I didn't ruin any plans you had for her.”

“No . . .” I shook my head. “Last year, when she was in kindergarten, we decided that when her birthday fell on a school night we would do something simple like dinner and a Disney movie, then have a party on the weekend with her friends.”

“It's Friday.” He looked up then his brows furrowed. “So do I need more tickets to accommodate her friends?”

“No, she's having a slumber party tomorrow night at Ava's. Taylor wants to attend this year and Bella wants her friends to experience the McMansion.”

“The McMansion” was my nickname for my sister Ava's million-dollar starter mansion in Atlanta. Taylor was Ava's eight-year-old daughter and my very prim and proper niece.

“This is her first time sharing her birthday with her cousins isn't it?” He smiled.

“Yep, but I don't know . . . Bella's been spending a lot of time over there, since Ava and I are now on good terms. But Ava's lifestyle is more extravagant than mine. I'm already competing with Bella's classmates. I refuse to compete with Ava. Shoot. I can't.”

“Why do you see it as a competition?” he asked.

“Because it's always been a competition between us.”

“So is this why you agreed to our date? To one-up Ava?”

“As many times as I've tried to lie to you, I can't do it.” I paused. “I didn't agree to this date because I wanted to use you. I wanted to spend time with you. However, your plans for tonight put me in a great spot. It's shameful, but I must admit that.”

“Glad you shared that with me. I know that was hard for you.” He grinned.

“It is. I love Bella. I don't want anything or anyone to harm her, including myself.”

“You won't, Angel. The ladies at church can't stop singing your praises. Remember, I was with you when you stuck your neck out to save Ava. You're a great woman, a great sister, a great mom.”

“You didn't say great girlfriend.” More of my side glance.

“Woman, don't play with me. We were in the middle of having a serious moment together and then you threw a joke in there.”

“I wasn't trying to joke. That was my bad attempt at flirting with someone I actually wasn't paid to pretend to like.”

“I see.” He pulled me closer to him and then . . . “Would you mind if I kissed you now?”

“I don't mind.” I nodded, while my knees became jelly as he leaned toward my lips.

“Are those roses for me?” Bella asked and scared the Goodness Gracious out of me.

The back of my head hit the wall. “Ouch.”

“Are you all right?” Justus grabbed me up.

Bella grabbed my knees. “Sorry, Mommy.”

“It's all good, everyone. I just lost my head for a minute.” I blushed, after glancing at Justus. “So are you finally ready, birthday girl?”

“I am, but I have to ask Mr. Morgan a question in private.” Bella wrinkled her nose. “Is that okay, Mommy?”

I smiled at her, trying to hide my curiosity. “It's your day. Whatever you want, but don't take too long. You still have to honor your bedtime schedule.”

She rolled her eyes, then smiled. My little sister, Whitney, who also lives with us, does the same thing. When Whitney does it, she pisses me off, but when Bella does the same thing, it tickles me. The Mom Double Standard was my term for my hypocrisy.

I left the foyer for the living room so that Bella and Justus could talk. While I waited, my smart phone buzzed. I checked the caller ID. It was Big Tiger, my favorite contractor, honorary big brother, and the best bail bondsman on my planet.

“Hi, Tiger. I don't have much time. We're about to take Bella out for her birthday.”

“Cool. Tell Little Princess happy birthday and I have a gift for her at Mama's. . . .”

Mama's referred to BT Trusted Bail Bonds main office in Decatur, which also doubled as Mama D's Soul Kitchen Restaurant in the back. His mom, Mama D, was also co-owner of the bail bondsman office.

“Why don't you, Whitney, and Bella stop through? You know it's Fish Fry Friday. Mama serves Bella's favorite peach cobbler. I'll make sure that Mama holds a pan for the baby.”

“That's sweet, but actually Whitney isn't coming with us. Justus is.”

Silence.

More silence.

Last summer when I was investigating my brother-in-law Devon's murder, Big Tiger and I were almost killed. Tiger blamed Justus for the near-death experience. For a short while I did, too, but that was my ego talking. Needless to say, Tiger hadn't liked Justus since then.

“Tiger, are you there?” I asked.

“I thought you weren't going to give the pastor the time of day,” he said. His voice had changed to deep and selfish.

But I wasn't going to let him get away with it. Tiger was the poster child for bad relationship advice. “Tiberious Jones, don't start with me. Anyway . . . why did you call?”

“A few tips have come in about your personal project.”

He referred to the mysterious postcard I received the day after Devon's homegoing celebration. Someone had sent me a box of roses. The note card attached to it was a picture of Bella and me at Devon's funeral. On the back there was a note, more like a question.
Do you still love me?
When I read the question, the first thing that came to my mind was Gabe, Bella's father. He was dead and those were his last words to me before he was murdered. I don't believe in coincidences. Therefore, the card had creeped me out so bad I fainted. Whitney found me on the doorstep. I gave her some lame excuse about me being exhausted. She bought it and I called Tiger about the card. We had been scrubbing the streets for answers. I even put up money to give to tipsters who could give us solid leads. Unfortunately, all of them had led nowhere and my budget for more tips ran out last month.

I leaned back on the couch. “You know what, Tiger? I don't want to deal with this today. In fact, I think I should let it go. It's been months and nothing. Whoever sent the flowers is ghost, too. I think it was a prank, some disgruntled skip I sent back to jail, trying to scare me. Let's just hang this whole thing up.”

“Angel Soft, you received three tips today from different people saying the same thing.”

I perked up and sat up. “What was it?”

“Some girl named Marlo made the postcard.”

“Do they know who she made it for?”

“Nope. She does wedding invitations and fancy paper stuff for a few event planners and businesses around town. Who knows? All I can say for sure is she made it.”

“So why hadn't she called me then?” I shook my head. “Nope. Sounds like another crazy dead end to me.”

“She read about you in the paper and got scared. Now that's funny.” He chuckled. “You've managed to get more of a bad-girl reputation since helping your sister.” He laughed even harder.

“Not funny.” I checked my watch and stood up. We needed to get out of here if we were going to make the show on time. “Text me the deets on this Marlo chick.”

“I'm going to do you one better. She's night manager at Grits Draft House tonight. Let's roll up there and talk with her.”

Grits Draft House
?
That's the same place Rosary talked about when I was looking for Cesar.

“I can't see her tonight. It's Bella's birthday. I promised quality time with her.”

“Girl, you're full of it. 'Cause if that was the case, Justus wouldn't be tagging along.” He scoffed.

“Get used to Justus in my life. Okay?”

“Oh, it's like that?” he asked. His voice had raised an octave.

“It's like that, so tonight is out.”

“You know good and well we can go there tonight. You can drop Bella at Ava's early instead of Saturday morning and get Justus back to Sugar Hill before he turns into a pumpkin.”

“Ha ha . . .” Then I thought about what he had just said. “What do you know about Bella's birthday party tomorrow anyway?”

“Your sister and I are friendly now. She tells me things.” His voice softened a little.

I threw my head back. “Oh God.”

“What's wrong with that?” I heard the frown in his voice.

“Leave my sister alone, Tiger.”

“Only if you leave Reverend Romance alone first.”

“Sounds like you're jealous.”

“Nope, just trying to save you from heartache.”

“And I'm doing the same for you.” I began walking toward the foyer. “You don't know my sister like I do.”

“For the sake of our friendship, let's just get back on the subject,” he said.

“Yep, let's. . . .” I peeked in on Bella and Justus. They were still talking about God knows what. “If Whitney comes home before Draft House closes, then we can go. Otherwise, I have to stay here because there's no one here to watch Bella while we're gone.”

“That's understandable,” Tiger said.

“And I have other plans tonight, too.” I referred to my alone time with Justus.

“I guarantee Reverend Romance will disappear by midnight with the pumpkin and the glass slipper. He has an early start on Saturdays: hospice visitations, soup kitchen, being a superhero . . .”

I laughed. “You know way too much about the people in my life.”

“See you at midnight.”

I chuckled. “I seriously doubt that.”

“We're ready,” Justus called out.

“And we have a surprise,” Bella squealed.

“Bye, Tiger.” I hung up and walked into the foyer to join Justus and Bella. “What happened? What are we doing now?”

“We have a change of plans,” Justus said.

“What? No circus?” I asked.

“No, Mommy . . .” She jumped up and clapped. “We're going to see The Muppets at the super-duper fabulous Fox Theatre. I can't believe it!”

She began jumping again. She squealed louder with each jump.

“Bella, calm down.” I chuckled, then looked at Justus. “Are you crazy?”

“Someone owed me a favor. It's no problem.”

“What about your nephews? Do you think they want to come?” I asked.

“They will be there. Mike and Trish scored the extra tickets for us. I promised to treat them to cake at Broadway Diner. Bella says she's never been.”

“I haven't either.”

His eyes lit up. “So there's a place in Atlanta that you don't know.”

“Yep, the wholesome ones always escape me.”

He took my coat off the hanger by the front door, then helped me into mine and Bella into hers. “Ladies, shall we?”

I gave Justus a smooch on the cheek. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “Thank me later tonight with some one-on-one time.”

I nodded, then hugged him. Although I knew I shouldn't, I checked my watch and wondered how much one-on-one time we could have before Grits Draft House closed.

 

 

 

Justus, Bella, and I arrived back home a little before eleven. Bella had fallen asleep on the drive home. She'd eaten a ridiculously large slice of Oreo cake.

“I hope we didn't ruin her appetite for tomorrow's slumber party,” I said to Justus as he carried her up the stairs.

He laid Bella in her bed and tucked her under the bedcovers. “She'll be fine.”

I observed Bella's dollhouse clock and then texted Whitney. While at the show, she had sent me a message that she would be home by midnight. That gave Justus and me thirty minutes of alone time together.

Justus escorted me downstairs and into my sunroom. We could see the stars from there.

When I'd bought this place, the sunroom was a part of the large wraparound porch. However, I'd wanted a room I could rock Bella to sleep in, take long naps in, and forget the troubles I left behind in Atlanta. We walled it off with windows and white pine. I never considered this room to be romantic until tonight. I blamed it on the company I kept.

Justus sat down beside me on my ginger-colored suede sofa. This would feel nice if I weren't on pins and needles.

He smiled; I smiled back.

“What plans have you and Tiger made for after I leave?”

My shoulders tensed. My jaw clenched. “How did you know?”

“You've been eying clocks and watches all evening.”

I lowered my head. “I'm a bad girlfriend. Aren't I?”

“I don't know. You've never defined what we are to each other.”

I dropped my head. “Does this conversation have to be so serious?”

“Nope.” He laughed. “Tell me about this case that will cut our time together.”

Justus's reaction to my plans with Tiger surprised me. However, I wasn't going to tell him the truth. He knew I was slightly off my rocker, but this card issue would make me look fruitier than a Broadway Diner fruitcake.