17
THE FRATERNITY BROTHERS’ VISIT ended up stretching for over a two-week period. The married friends kept the original departure time, which left six guys behind. Leah enjoyed getting to know the guys but craved some alone time as well. She and Ana struck out a couple of times to the beach with their bikes loaded in the back of Leah’s Jeep.
After work on the following Friday, Leah hid herself behind the back shelves of the bookstore. Her long legs were draped over the armrest of an oversize stuffed chair she had dubbed her favorite, her bare feet resting on the chair beside hers. She was enjoying a new mystery suspense novel she had just purchased, along with an iced coffee.
Leah’s mind wandered midpage. The week had been filled to the brim with excitement and chaos. Ana went and fell head over heels for Crowley’s friend Jake and had worried Leah to death about it —wanting her opinion on what to wear, should she call him or wait on his call, if it was wise to date a friend of Crowley’s . . . After the stunt Ana pulled on Leah, the Southern belle better be glad Leah was still talking to her, Leah thought. She huffed at the memory.
“The book that bad?” Crowley asked quietly as he lifted her feet and sat beside her.
“No. Trying to decide on whether I want to pinch Ana’s cute little nose right off her face,” Leah said as she put the book down and looked at her unexpected company.
“What’d she do now?”
“She did exactly what she’s been threatening to do. Yesterday she snuck into my apartment and stole every stitch of clothing she could find.”
Crowley chuckled and patted Leah’s feet, which were now draped lazily in his lap. “Did she at least replace them with new clothes?”
“Yes.”
“Then I don’t believe that merits pinching her nose off.”
“No? Well, I rummaged through my new wardrobe at four thirty this morning for something to wear to work. I threw this T-shirt on with these jeans and went on to work.” She pointed to the chocolate-brown and teal T-shirt with some Southern girl logo at the top left.
Crowley shrugged his broad shoulders while studying her outfit. “What’s so bad about that?”
“Your buddies came in for breakfast without you this morning and enjoyed pointing out what the back says.” Leah stood up and turned so Crowley could read the back: Once You Go Southern, You Ain’t Gonna Want No Othern.
His laughter was so rich it seemed to fill the entire bookstore. “I bet the guys got a kick out of that. Hate I missed it. You know that’s a true statement.” He tapped his finger on the back of her shirt.
“I can’t believe you weren’t hospitable this morning to your guests,” Leah said in mock disapproval, turning around to face him.
“Had business to tend to, Miss Leah.” He swiped her iced coffee and took a sip. “Yuck, Lee. You know Nick has sugar behind the counter. All you gotta do is ask for it.” Nose wrinkled, he handed the coffee over to her.
She shrugged and took a sip. “I’ve finally gotten used to it without.”
“Tomorrow night is the last night before the guys head home. They want you to join us for supper at the town house tomorrow.”
“You mean that massive pot of chili Lulu and I started working on today?” Leah asked as she gathered her stuff.
“Yes, ma’am. Hey, don’t let me run you off here. I’ll get going so you can enjoy your peace and quiet.” Crowley stood and motioned for her to sit back down.
Leah slipped on her new flip-flops. “No, I’ve got to go put up with Ana for a little while. Miss Busy Bee forgot some important wardrobe needs.”
“You finally got some flip-flops, Lee. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah, they work better at the beach than my tennis shoes. I’ve sort of fallen in love with them, actually.” She smiled, and Crowley’s tanned face responded with a smile of his own. Leah noticed his hair had lightened up even more from all of the recent outdoor excursions.
“What did Ana forget to give you?” Crowley asked.
“Umm . . . What do Southern women say? Unmentionables?”
Crowley snorted. “You just sounded like such a granny.”
Leah playfully popped him in the stomach. “You’re pushing it today.” She waved bye to Nick as Crowley held the door open for her.
“See you kids later,” Nick said.
Crowley waved and said to Leah as they reached the sidewalk, “You never gave me an answer about supper tomorrow night.”
“Oh . . . the privilege of being invited to the great Crowley’s humble abode. How could I possibly refuse such an invitation?” Leah said in her fake Southern accent.
Crowley laughed. “Great. I’ll leave you to your ‘unmentionable’ chore.”
The next afternoon, Crowley drove up to the café about an hour after closing. He unlocked the front door and caught a glimpse of Lulu and Leah in the kitchen, finishing up his meal. They were working quietly as he sauntered into the kitchen. The first thing he did was pop a corn muffin in his mouth as Leah was boxing them up.
“Wow, Lulu. These are the best muffins you ever made,” he mumbled around a mouthful of muffin.
“She made those.” Lulu nodded at Leah.
Crowley looked in Leah’s direction and was surprised to see her in a hot-pink T-shirt and jeans that hugged her body instead of her usual baggy black garments. Her hair was down, and a black-and-white swirly headband was secured neatly in her pale-blonde curls.
“Wow, Lee. You look good.”
“Thanks,” she whispered. “Ana thought I might catch one of your buddies tonight, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it.” She looked up at him with squinted eyes.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“She’s had a migraine headache all afternoon,” Lulu said as she stirred the large pot of chili.
“Then why didn’t you send her home?” Crowley asked in a bossy tone. He walked behind Leah and gently massaged her neck, slowly working his way up to her temples. Leah closed the lid of the muffin box and leaned into his hands.
Lulu put her hands on her hips and looked Crowley dead in the eye. “Because she refused to go until we finished your supper.” She turned to Leah. “Everything is done now. Crowley can load this by himself.”
“Okay,” Leah whispered. She gave Crowley and Lulu a weak smile and slowly made her way upstairs.
Once the door shut, Lulu whispered, “Two investigators came in today flashing a photo of a woman they were looking for. Leah avoided them like the plague, but they finally cornered her to show her the picture. The girl looked like she was about to faint.”
“Did you see who was in the picture?” Crowley crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the counter.
“Yeah. It was some woman I had never seen before.”
“Did Leah seem to recognize her?”
“No. She looked right relieved with the fact of it too.” Lulu pulled Crowley’s strawberry cream pies out of the refrigerator. “Shortly after the investigators left, she started rubbing her neck. I could actually see the headache come upon her.”
Crowley pushed off the counter, scooped up the large pot of chili, and started for the door. “You think she’s ever going to tell us what happened to her?”
“When she’s ready. I don’t think she can keep right on carrying that load all on her own.” Lulu followed behind him with the pies.
After Crowley loaded everything, he went up to check on Leah before he left. He knocked softy on the door but didn’t get any answer. He didn’t linger long, figuring she was resting, so he headed on out.
Throughout the night, the town house was loud and alive with laughter and fun. Crowley played his part as a fun-loving host but kept sneaking to the porch to see if any light had come on in Leah’s apartment. Disappointingly, it never did. He gave up around nine, finally accepting that she wouldn’t be joining them.
The next afternoon Leah went on an extended jog. After yesterday’s debacle, she was having a hard time shaking her ever-nagging anxiety. She was beginning to think God was sending her warning signs that it was time to come clean with the business of Brent.
She slowed down and walked over to a park bench at the river and sat to catch her breath. She licked the scar on her lip as she wondered how difficult it would be to prove self-defense. She wished desperately that she had agreed with the doctor in Nebraska and filed a report. Then she would have proof. She was pretty sure it was too late now, but she knew a really good lawyer who would know the answers if she could ever gather enough courage to ask him.
“I was beginning to think you took off on that jog never to return,” Crowley spoke as he walked up to her.
She shook her head, thinking the man had a way of popping up unexpectedly. “I was just thinking about you, Crow.” She wiped her sweaty face with her collar. The curls that had escaped her ponytail now clung to her damp neck, and she tried to wipe them dry too.
Crowley sat beside her and offered one of the red Gatorades he was carrying. “I hope it was good thoughts.”
After taking a substantial gulp of the cold sports drink, she held the bottle up. “Thanks. Did your company make it off all right?”
“Yep. Everyone was disappointed you couldn’t make it last night.” Crowley produced a pout as he unscrewed the lid off his bottle.
“Me too. I feel bad about missing it. How’d it go?”
“Terrible,” he grumbled. “The dating game wasn’t much fun with Ana and her little boutique girls.”
Leah scoffed. “Please. Those women are walking models. I bet you all managed just fine.”
Crowley nudged her with his elbow. “I think Greg was the most disappointed you didn’t show. He spent the entire night pining away over your absence.”
“I’m sure the boutique beauties were good distractions.” Leah laughed.
“The guy has really got the hots for you, Lee. He spent the night looking outside, hoping to see your lights on and hoping you’d feel well enough to come spend some quality time with him.” Crowley slipped another mocking pout on his face.
“Please, Crow.” Leah shook her head and stared out over the dark water, watching it slowly glide by. The sun was starting to droop a bit in the late-afternoon sky.
“I can give you his number, if you’d like.”
“No thanks.” Leah leaned over and unlaced her running shoes.
“Why not?”
Leah wondered why he sounded genuinely curious but chose not to say anything about it. Instead, she slid her shoes off and tucked the damp socks inside them before rolling her capri running pants up over her knees. Leah had to admit that Ana did do a great job in choosing exercise outfits. She loved how the fitted material moved with her strides and didn’t feel binding.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not into the dating scene.” She got up from the bench and made her way down to the water’s edge.
Crowley slipped his flip-flops off and followed. “Well, that’s not true.”
“How so?” Leah asked as she stood ankle-deep in the refreshing water.
“You agreed to a date next weekend.” He lightly kicked some water over the backs of her legs.
She squinted at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. Our fishing trip.” He tilted his head to the side and looked rather smug for no apparent reason.
“A fishing trip is not a date, Crow.” Leah took a few watery steps and stopped. “When exactly are we going anyway?”
“Next Sunday,” he answered slowly while watching her closely.
Leah angled her body slightly away from him and stared at the water without answering. She knew what next Sunday was, but there was no way he knew. Or so she thought . . .
“What’s the matter, Lee? That day’s not suitable, or do you already have a hot date planned?” he teased. He shoved his hands inside his loose pockets and studied her.
“Lulu won’t like us skipping church to go fishing.” She mumbled the excuse without meeting his scrutiny.
“You just leave Lulu to me. It’s her fault anyway that you never have any other day off besides Sundays.” He began leading her in a lazy stroll along the water’s edge.
“It’s my choice to not have any other day off. Lulu has offered me more, so don’t go harassing her.”
Crowley raised his hands defensively. “Yes, ma’am.”
Leah turned quickly and splashed water at him but realized too late that she’d kicked up mud. “Oops.” Eyes wide, she raised her hands. “I didn’t mean to do that.” She gave up being sincere and laughed when the mud speckling his cheeks caught her attention.
Crowley stood almost completely still with his hands resting on his lean hips, as if contemplating how to react. Leah understood too late that he was working the mud with his toes.
“I didn’t mean it!” Leah swore and turned to make a run for it, but the excuse was too late. The mud slapped against her from the back of her calves all the way up to the crown of her head. She stopped dead in her tracks and started digging in the mud with her toes again. She launched a good splatter up Crowley’s side as he turned to retreat a little too late.
“You are so going to get it now, Lee,” Crowley said too calmly for Leah’s likings.
She didn’t wait for the retaliation. She gave up the whole toe method and bent down to grab two fistfuls of mud and flung it at his midsection. Crowley responded with a slimy chunk aimed at her chest. It landed perfectly, then slid beneath her tank top as she screamed and giggled. Both ended up covered head to toe in mud.
Crowley had gathered another handful of mud and was about to launch it when he froze, midthrow.
“Leah, stop moving.”
She ignored him and pulled her arm back to launch another mud grenade.
Crowley dropped the mud and held his palms up in surrender. “I. Said. Stop.” The stern look on his face and his sharp tone made Leah automatically obey in confusion. Before she could figure it out, Crowley slung her over his shoulder and in an instant they were on dry land.
He placed Leah back on her feet and quickly grabbed up a broken tree limb. He sprinted back to the river’s edge and began beating the water with all his might. Leah stood stunned at the man’s strength. He broke the limb and had to grab another to finish his job. Shock hit her when Crowley pulled a dead five-foot-long water moccasin out of the water. The monster hung limply in his powerful fist. His face was still set in a stern manner. Clasping the snake, Crowley started up the shore, and that was the last thing Leah remembered.
“Leah?”
She pried her eyes open and saw that he was crouched beside her. When she couldn’t form a reply, he lightly shook her shoulders.
“Are you okay? It didn’t bite you, did it?” Crowley asked in a rushed tone as he started running his hands over her legs to check for any marks.
“I’m fine. . . . It was beside me . . . in the water . . . wasn’t it?” Leah asked though the answer was already clear, even in her hazy state.
Crowley helped her sit up. “Yep. Maybe you’ll listen to me a little quicker next time.”
“Was it poisonous?” Leah leaned forward, resting her forehead on her muddy knees.
“In a big way.” He patted her back. “You think you can stand?”
“Sure.” She slowly stood with Crowley’s help.
“Let’s go hose off.” He draped his arm around Leah’s lower back for support.
“I really hope no one just saw that,” she said. She allowed Crowley to pull her toward the back of his town house while she tried to untangle her jumbled thoughts.
“You actually fainted.” He laughed as he lightly tickled her side. “You wimp.”
Leah popped him in the gut with the back of her hand in response. He released her as they made it to the hose. He turned it on full blast and sprayed her.
“Ladies first,” he declared as she let out a yelp, hopping around under the cool shower.
“You’re trouble, Crow.” Leah yanked the hose out of his hand, sprayed him in the face, and then turned the water back on herself. She pulled her tank top away from her body and aimed the hose underneath it to wash out the sticky mud.
“I can help you with that.” A muddy Crowley grinned as he reached his hand out.
Leah shook her head. “Trouble,” she said as she refused to give him the hose and aimed the spray at the top edge of her pants. After a few moments, she handed the hose back to him. “I think that’s about as good as it’s gonna get.”
Crowley turned the hose on himself and tried unsuccessfully to work the mud off. He gave up and put the hose away.
Knowing the only solution was a shower, Leah left him fiddling with the hose and went to retrieve her shoes by the bench.
“What? No ‘Thank you for the great time’ or ‘Thank you for saving your life’?”
“Thank you for the great time. Thank you for saving my life. Blah, blah, blah.”
She turned as he strode toward her. She picked up his flip-flops and tossed them at him.
Crowley caught them with ease and tried eliminating the space between them, but Leah was already moving away. “You just gonna take off on me?”
Leah laughed. “Look, buddy, I’ve got mud in places where mud is not welcome.” She crossed the street and waved at him. “I’ll catch you later.”
Leah flew through the door and raced up to her apartment, going straight to the bathroom and turning on the shower. She stripped and jumped in before the water had time to warm completely. As she washed away the mud, the idea of her playing in the mud with a grown man had her giggling uncontrollably.
Leah stepped into her bedroom to retrieve some clothes after de-mudding. As she pulled a shirt over her head, there was a knock at the door. She hustled to put on a pair of pants and dashed to the door, grinning.
As she opened the door, Leah had to readjust her eye level —way down. “Who are you? Aerobics Barbie?”
Ana stood before her wearing a pink tank top bejeweled with silver rhinestones and matching yoga pants. She whipped her flirty ponytail off her shoulder. “Please. My legs will never be long enough to pull off being Barbie. You, on the other hand, can be.” She looked at Leah’s long legs.
“Whatever,” Leah said as she stared down at her petite friend before glancing down the stairs.
“What? Are you expecting someone else?” Ana asked, raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows.
“No. There’s only a few who can get up to my apartment. I didn’t know you were one of them.”
“Let me in,” Ana said as she raised her full arms. “I brought pizza and Diet Mountain Dew.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Leah stepped aside and motioned for her to come in.
Ana headed straight to the dinette table and began unloading supper. “Lulu gave me a key for emergencies.”
“This is an emergency?” Leah asked, gesturing toward the pizza and soda.
“Yes. Jake went home, and now I’m lonely.” Ana pouted.
Leah went a few steps to the kitchen to grab two plates and some napkins. “I can’t believe you would actually bring such contraband into Lulu’s.”
“The pizza is Lulu-approved with super thin crust loaded with veggies only and very little cheese. And the sauce is even organic.” Ana slid a piece onto each plate.
“Regardless, you’re bringing the trash home with you,” Leah said around a mouthful of pizza.
“Fine.” Ana shrugged and dug in, too.
“By the way, thank you for supper.” Leah smiled.
“You’re welcome, honey.” Ana smiled back.
They enjoyed their pizza in silence for a short bit until Ana asked, “Why do you have a pile of muddy clothes?” She pointed to the soiled clothes near the bathroom door.
Leah served them both another slice of pizza. “Crowley saw me down by the river earlier and thought it would be fun to mud bomb me,” she said, trying to sound annoyed.
“Jerk,” Ana said between bites.
Leah nodded as she chewed. Changing the subject, she asked, “When’s Jake coming back?”
“Next Thursday. He and Crowley were talking about him moving his office down here. He handles all of Crowley’s financial stuff anyway. It would be more convenient for us all.” She took her last bite before asking, “So, what do you think of Jake?”
“Good grief, Ana, he is just the dreamiest thing.”
“What do you think about us together?”
“You’re dreamy. He’s dreamy. I think you make a perfect match.”
“I agree.” Ana slid a can of soda over to Leah and opened one for herself. They took large guzzles of the cold fizz to help wash the pizza down. Ana put her can down and released a man-size burp.
“Eww. Gross, Miss Priss.” Leah laughed and burped in the process, causing both friends to be overtaken by a giggling fit. After they settled down, they moved over and stretched out on the comfy sofa.
“We missed you last night,” Ana said, resting her head on the back of the sofa.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. After you called to tell me you weren’t going, I brought two of my friends so I wouldn’t be the only female around all of that testosterone.”
“Oh, come on, you wouldn’t have minded that.” Leah grinned. “Did any of your friends make a love match?” Leah began flipping through the TV channels for a movie.
“My friend Marla didn’t mind flirting with the whole bunch of them.” Ana shook her head in disapproval. “But my friend Jenny seemed to really hit it off with Greg.”
Leah stopped flipping and looked at Ana. “Really?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Crowley was taunting me today about Greg having the hots for me, but I figured he was just giving me a hard time.” Leah shrugged.
“Puh-lease. Crowley barely hung out with us last night long enough to know anything that was going on. He kept going out onto the front porch.” Ana shook her head and eyed Leah.
Leah shrugged and went back to surfing through the channels. “Maybe that spicy chili gave him gas.” Both women laughed at the idea. Leah found a chick flick playing, and the two settled in to watch it.
Two hours later, they gathered the pizza garbage for Ana to carry with her. Ana turned around at the door. “Let’s go biking tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll let you use me to keep your mind off Jake,” Leah agreed, knowing she could use a little help keeping her mind off a few things and perhaps a certain person.