The Ugly Truth (12 page)

Granny Biker Babe smiled. “It means the two of you are destined for romance.” She turned to Margaret. “Don’t they make a cute couple?”

“Yes, they do.” Margaret’s smile was a little too smug.

I groaned. “Look, I know you really believe what you’re saying, but there is no way the two of us…” I glanced behind me. “It’s just not possible.”

A smug little smile pulled at Aunt Octavia’s bright red lips. “I heard you almost got run over the other day. A green VW, wasn’t it? Maybe a Rabbit?”

“I’ll admit I can’t explain that, and I don’t mean any disrespect. But—”

“No buts. Ask Margaret. Ask anybody who’s known me very long. I have the gift. It’s God given, and it’s never wrong.”

She turned and started toward the door, only to stop in mid-step, freeze for a moment, then look over her shoulder. “Jacob, your mother says not to let your stubborn nature get in your way. You deserve happiness.”

She left, and I stood staring at the door.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that,” Jake said. He turned and stomped off toward the back room.

“I should get to work taking pictures.” I picked up my camera bag and headed toward the first piece.

As I worked, I kept glancing toward the back. What Aunt Octavia had said, and Jake’s reaction to it, had me intrigued. Was Jake’s mother dead? Margaret had only spoken of Jake’s father. Her death would explain why she had to communicate with him through Aunt Octavia.

Whatever was going on, it certainly upset Jake. As sure as I was he had to have done something to upset Maddie, I still wanted badly to rush to him, to comfort him, to hold him in my arms, to kiss away the sadness, to pull him close, to feel his hands on my back.

Okay, getting way beyond the desire to comfort and headed straight into much more dangerous territory. Clearly my hormones were out of control.

Maybe that’s what comes of a single, frequently dateless, woman lusting after the kind of relationships very few couples ever experience. It was ridiculous.

Jake came out of the back room and went over to the counter. He was flipping through papers so hard I expected the sheets to start flying through the air any minute. “Where’s this month’s inventory list? I know I had it yesterday. Damn it! I can never find anything around here.”

Margaret stood and calmly went over to a filing cabinet, pulled a file out and handed it to him. “Exactly where you put it.”

Jake closed his eyes for a moment, head down, the effort to get himself under control painfully obvious on his face. “I’m sorry, Margaret.”

She leaned against the counter, arms crossed over her chest. “I think it might be a good time for you to take a break.”

He nodded. “Dingo could use a walk.”

He went toward the back, and a moment later I heard footsteps going up a flight of stairs. I’d suspected he lived above his business, and apparently I was right. That explained a few things. I fiddled with my camera for a few minutes, trying to get my thoughts back on my work.

There was the sound of footsteps coming back down the steps, and the back door opened then closed. I hope he’s okay.

“He’ll be fine.”

I spun to find Margaret three feet from me. “I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud.”

Her eyes danced with a gentle smile. “You didn’t. Your expression told me what you were thinking.”

“What happened to his mother?”

She licked her lips, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath before she answered. “Drunk driver. Jake was twelve.”

I closed my eyes, unable to bear the twin-barbed spear of empathy and memory that impaled my heart. “Oh my God.”

A soft hand caressed my shoulder. “How old were you?”

“Your aunt isn’t the only one who’s psychic.”

“I’m not. And she isn’t my aunt. As far as I know, we aren’t related.”

I stared. I know it’s not polite, but I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze from hers. “Huh?”

Margaret chuckled. “Everyone calls her Aunt Octavia. To be honest, I’m not sure who she’s related to. She’s everybody’s aunt, everybody’s guardian, and a very sweet lady.”

“What she said about Jake and me...”

“Sit down and we’ll have a chat.”

I climbed onto the second stool at the counter, and Margaret set a hot cup of coffee in front of me. “I should be working,” I said.

“Did you lose your mom or dad?”

“Dad.” I looked away, and hoped she didn’t see the tears filling my eyes.

“How old were you?”

“Five.” My voice broke in spite of all my effort to hide the emotion filling my throat. Wispy bits of memory floated in front of me: Daddy smiling when I rode my new bike for the first time, his deep laugh as he swung me around high up in the air, the sound of Mom yelling at him the night before he took off, me standing at the big living room window waiting and waiting and waiting every day for Daddy to come back home, mom scolding me for being so foolish.

He never returned.

“Are you all right?”

What? Oh, Margaret was talking to me. Focus. I quickly wiped at my eyes and forced my lips into a smile. “I’m fine.”

“Would you like to talk about it?”

I took a sip of the coffee to get my bearings. “It happened a long time ago.”

“It doesn’t matter how long ago things happened,” she told me. “What matters is how torn up your heart is.”

My heart was currently held together with duct tape. “I really need to get those photos done.”

She gripped my arm. “When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“
When
you’re ready.”

She held my gaze, and I looked into her softly caring eyes. Margaret was the kind of mother I’d always fantasized about. The kind I’d never believed existed. The kind I would have given my favorite doll to have. “Thank you,” I whispered.

She smiled and let go with both her hand and her gaze.

I scurried off to take pictures, and wonder what it was about this little town that seemed determined to knock my life a few degrees off north.

****

Bits of afternoon sun sprinkled through the leaves at the Ugly Creek State Park. It was here the former students of Ugly Creek High School gathered for the next chapter in the unfolding Ugly Reunion soap opera. Jake insisted I take off early to attend, and Margaret insisted on driving me.

So there I wandered among picnic tables and trees and people I didn’t know. I was uncomfortable at first, but then the warm breeze reached out to touch my hair as it moved to caress leaves and pine needles. At the gentle touch, my shoulders began to release from their frozen position near my ears.

Memories played in my head. Good ones. Picnics and birthday parties at the state park near Crooked Hollow. Trips to the lake. A vacation spent in a cabin in the mountains. Our last night there, my brother Brandon and I sat on the porch and watched the lightning and felt the roar of thunder. We shuddered and laughed and felt totally alive until the rain changed direction and the hard driving drops soaked us before we could reach the cabin door.

I smiled. It had been worth the hour-long screaming reprimand from our stepfather. Brandon and I had laughed about that day for years afterward.

“How did your first day go?”

Maddie’s voice jerked me back to the present, and I reluctantly pulled away from the past to answer her. “It went okay.”

She nodded, her eyes unreadable behind her large, dark sunglasses. This was her Audrey Hepburn look, and she carried it off with style. She wore black capris, a cute, sky blue, sleeveless shirt, and an adorable pair of strappy sandals. Her long, blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail which cascaded down her back and glistened in the dappled sunlight.

I glanced down at the vintage sundress I’d chosen to wear. I wasn’t going for a look, I was simply being me. I sighed internally.

“So you like working there, huh?”

She was fishing, and I didn’t want to be the poor trout on her hook. “I enjoyed taking pictures of beautiful antiques.”

There was a pause. “So, how is Jake?”

And there was the bait. “I didn’t know he’d lost his mother.”

Her head jerked slightly, and I could feel the heat of her curiosity through the dark lenses. “He told you about that?”

“No. Actually, Aunt Octavia came by. She had a message from his mother.” The memory of the pain in his eyes as he walked away tore at me. “What she said upset him.” I swallowed. “Your mom explained that she’d died when he was twelve.”

“Oh man, it always upsets him when Aunt Octavia does that.” The dark glasses had come off, and Maddie was carefully touching a tissue to the corners of her eyes.

Well, that told me quite a bit. “Has Aunt Octavia ever given you a message from your dad?”

“No. And I hope she never does.”

“I’d love to hear from my father.” I said it before I thought and looked away to keep Maddie from seeing the tears I felt filling my eyes. Stupid tears. Why should I be crying over a man who obviously hadn’t cared about me?

Maddie’s hand touched my arm. “Maybe if we talked to her she could help you somehow.”

I blinked back the newly threatening tears. “Maybe tell me why he hated us so much?”

“Maybe tell you if he’s still alive.”

I felt long repressed rage boil slowly over the top. “What if he is? What if he’s alive and well and being a great dad to a new family? How would that help anything?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing back the hot steam of my anger. “It’s okay. It’s over, you know? Over and done with. He left me. And Brandon. And Mom. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

She put a hand on my arm. “If you want to talk, I’m here.”

I had to swallow back the emotion before I could say, “Thanks, Maddie.”

I gave her a quick hug, and she headed over to join the cheerleaders. I wandered around for a while, watching birds, squirrels, and people. It was a family event, so there were a lot of spouses and children.

I got a kick out of the kids running around. I love kids, maybe because I relate to them better than to most adults. Kids are honest; they tell it like it is. They aren’t real impressed by the trappings of wealth and power either. They see people the way they really are. I like that.

I managed to get myself involved in a toddler game of Nerf football, and later was able to hold a really sweet little nine-month old. He was teething and drooled all over the place, but it was worth it when he grinned at me.

Shadows grew longer as the sun dipped behind the mountain and the steamy air began to cool. I wandered around the area, trying to find a place where I felt even vaguely comfortable when I caught a glimpse of Jake toward the edge of the festivities. He sat alone at a table, facing the party, but not taking part. He looked lonely. And tired. And sexy as hell.

Bad Stephie.

I glanced guiltily toward where Maddie laughed and squealed with her cheerleader buddies.

I didn’t actually make a decision, somehow I just found myself walking toward the far end of the area. “Hey, Jake.”

He smiled warmly. “Thanks for helping with the pictures.”

“My pleasure. You have beautiful things to take pictures of.”

I tossed a glance back toward Maddie. Hurting my closest friend was not in my game plan for this trip. I was not my mother; I would not put a man ahead of the people I loved.

“Let’s take a walk.”

I nodded and together we headed toward the thick copse of trees closest to the picnic area. We’d only gone a little way when I felt Jake’s warm hand against my lower back. The touch sent all manner of tingles up and down my spine and to more interesting places too. He edged me into a deep shadow next to an ancient oak, then moved in to face me. He looked deep into my eyes. The fingers of one hand gently, reverently touched my cheek.

“I don’t want to make things more complicated for you,” he said. “But you’re like whipped cream on a sundae, and I want to take a big bite.”

I swallowed hard and tried to convince my hormone-charged body that being loyal to a friend was much more important than any sparks flying between me and this man. Sadly those sparks had shorted a couple of my circuits and instead of heading back where I should be, I put my hand over his and pressed his fingers more firmly against my face.

“Oh, Stephie.” The words were followed by a groan. He pulled me close as I stretched up to him.

His mouth moved over mine and our lips fused with desire. His hands slid down my back leaving scorched skin behind.

I pulled him closer, my fingers sliding under his polo shirt to explore his back as if he had the secrets of the universe written in Braille on his skin.

One of his hands moved to the front and managed to find its way into the neckline of my dress. His fingers moved over the top of my breast, and I felt like I’d been turned into a rocket and aimed for the moon. I heard a long moan I only vaguely realized had come from me.

He kissed his way from my mouth across my cheek to my ear. “I don’t even know your real name,” he whispered.

“Buffy,” I heard myself saying. “Buffy Stephanova.”

“Doesn’t suit you.”

“I agree.”

And then his lips took possession of mine again, and I was floating in space looking down at a fiery volcano. And I wanted it. Bad.

He pulled away, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

“I’m sure as hell not going to do this on the ground fifty feet from my entire class and their families.” He took my hand in his. “Even if you do make me crazy.”

I trembled and my body was on fire, but even in the state I was in I realized he was right. “You’re a gentleman,” I managed.

He chuckled. “Gentleman, huh?”

“Yes.”

He brushed a stray strand of hair off my face. “I’ll see you at the store tomorrow.” And he was gone.

I stood there for a few minutes getting my breathing under control and my focus back to the same zip code as me. Still, my heart was racing and my face was hot when I started toward the rest of the group. I hung back to give myself time to calm down and hopefully Maddie wouldn’t realize immediately I’d thrown her over for a big bad bag of sexy.