Edge of Desire

Chapter 3

Ava

“Jeez, Melissa, don’t break it! That’s my fine china in there.” She was slinging the boxes I’d filled with china like they were filled with air.

“Oops. Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I don’t own anything that’s breakable.”

Most of my kitchen things were packed and all the boxes would be put in storage. My clothes would be sent with the rest of the things when I found a place to live sometime in the next month. Or that was my hope anyway. I was mostly worried about all the stuff in my cabinets, so that’s why I’d tackled them first.

“So, what are you taking with you on this trip?”

“Just clothes for about a month or so. When I come back, hopefully to close on this place, I’ll move the rest of the stuff into my new home out there.”

Melissa looked at me for a second and then asked, “Where are you gonna live until you find a place?”

“I’ll stay in a hotel for a few nights and then maybe rent a furnished apartment for a month or so.”

“Why don’t you stay with your brother?”

I kind of wriggled a little when she asked me that question. “Well, I’m not sure he’d really want me to. A night or so maybe but not for a month.”

“Why not? He’s your brother, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t met his new wife, and we sort of had some problems in the past.”

“Oh? What kind of problems?”

I groaned. I hated to even think about how awful I’d been to him. “If I tell you, will you promise not to hold it against me?”

She looked at me kind of funny and said, “Well, yeah.”

“A few years back, Justin had a lot of women chasing him. I guess they all thought he was pretty hot or something. He’s my brother, so I don’t think of him that way. Anyway, to me it seemed he was breaking hearts everywhere. In reality, the women had been chasing him. He’d actually been the gentleman about it and was honest with them, but they were so darn relentless. I accused him of being an asshat and all sorts of things. We had words and, well, things never were quite the same between us. I apologized, but I’d really hurt him. I didn’t stand up for him and he was my brother. I was wrong. So, I don’t think he’d want me around his new wife and all.”

Melissa was super quiet for a long time. That was unusual because she always had something to say about everything. She finally nodded and said, “I can see why you would say that. But maybe this is your big chance to redeem yourself in his eyes, to show him that you were an idiot, you were wrong, and that you love him. Blood is always thicker than water, Ava. I’ll bet he’ll be happy to have you close to him.”

I smiled. Maybe she was right. Maybe I could find a friend in his new wife, Caroline, and everything would be perfect between us all.

“I hope so.”

“So, what are you gonna do about a car when you’re out there?”

“I’m just gonna do a month-long rental until I come back here and get the rest of my stuff.”

“Damn, girl, that’s a lot of dough.”

“I know, but the company’s paying for it.”

We headed to my bedroom and started tackling the closets.

A week later, Melissa drove me to the airport. My dad was on call (he was a physician like the rest of the guys in my family) and my mom had conveniently decided she was too busy. We pulled up in the departures lane and Melissa sprung out of the car. She unloaded the trunk and single-handedly carried in all the luggage in one trip. I’d never seen anything like it. Then she handed me a wrapped gift.

“Here’s a going-away present for you. I thought you could open it on the plane. I think it’ll come in handy, wherever you are.”

“Oh, Melissa, you didn’t have to do that!” I threw my arms around her or tried to anyway. There was a lot of her to get around, so I did the best I could do. “I’m really gonna miss you!”

“Well, make sure you get a two-bedroom because I’ve never been to Seattle and I’m coming to visit. Hell, I’ve never been out of South Carolina. We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“You bet! Thanks for everything and I’ll call you.”

She left and I suddenly felt bereft. She had been the best neighbor and she’d never asked for anything in return. As soon as I was settled, I would send her a plane ticket to visit me.

After I checked in and paid the ridiculous fee for my extra baggage, I made my way to the security checkpoint. I’d stuffed Melissa’s gift into my carry-on, pulled out my laptop and put it into one of those gray bins. Next, I took off my shoes and put them in another bin along with my purse.

The TSA man motioned me through, and I walked into the metal-detector, X-ray-machine thingy and held my arms up over my head like I was doing the Village People YMCA dance. Apparently, I wasn’t wearing a bomb or didn’t have an AK-47 hidden in my vagina, because they waved me through.

As I waited for my belongings to be scanned, another TSA worker held up my carry-on and hollered out, “Whose bag is this?”

I was so proud of that bag. I was obsessed with polka dots, and when I found this one with black and pink ones, I just had to have it. I hollered back, waving my arm in the air, “It’s mine! Isn’t it cute?”

He didn’t comment except he said, “You need to follow me, ma’am.”

I knew how scary these people could be on any given day, so I just smiled and followed him to another table, where we were immediately surrounded by several men. Now I began to get curious.

They started pulling everything out of my bag and dumped it on the table as they muttered among themselves. I silently stood by and watched. One of them got on his radio and called for the Charleston PD and told them to locate a Homeland Security agent. Now I was really getting concerned.

“Excuse me, can you tell me what’s going on?”

No one would answer me. Three policemen ran up and shoved me away from the table. They were all staring at the wrapped gift and mumbling about wiring and such.

“Ma’am, can you explain this?” he asked as he held up the wrapped gift.

“The present?”

The one that asked me the question rolled his eyes. Was that a stupid question? I didn’t think it was.

A man in a suit ran up to us then and he pulled out his ID badge, indicating he was from Homeland Security. Before I knew what happened, each of my arms had been grabbed and I was hauled down the concourse and through a door toward a section of the airport I had never seen before.

“What in the world is going on?” I asked.

No one answered. We finally got to a room with a table and six chairs. I was shoved into the room and a female TSA agent came up to me and patted me down. Then she ran one of those funky wands up and down me a couple of times, which was weird since I’d already been X-rayed. When she was done, she shoved me into a seat. The Homeland Security guy, a TSA agent, and two police officers sat in the others, facing me, staring me down. I got the feeling something was terribly wrong.

“How can you explain this?” one asked, as he held up the wrapped box.

“The present from Melissa?”

“Don’t be a smartass with us, Miss Middleton.”

“I’m not.”

“Miss Middleton. How can you explain this?” He held up the package again.

“I told you. It’s a gift from Melissa.”

The Homeland Security guy groaned and rubbed his head. The door opened again, and another TSA agent came in with one of those big German shepherd guard dogs. The dog came up to me and I reached out my hand to pet it. I thought it was a handsome-looking dog and I’d always loved animals.

“Hi there, fella,” I said. It acted like he wanted a good ear scratching. The damn thing nearly took my hand off as it growled and snapped at me, while the agent pulled it back by its leash. I screamed at the top of my lungs, and everyone jumped to their feet as the room broke out in chaos. I crawled onto the table fearing that beast was going to chow down on me for lunch, as it was now foaming at the mouth while saliva gushed out and pooled on the floor.

“Are y’all trying to kill me or something?” I hollered.

“That’s a bomb-sniffing dog! You’re not supposed to pet the damn thing. It’s trained to attack!”

“Well, it would’ve been nice if y’all had told me! It nearly ate my arm off!”

“It did not!”

“Did too! What kind of place are y’all running here?”

“Miss, you are in serious trouble. I’d caution you to take care of what you say. Now get down off that table and take a seat,” Homeland guy said.

My mouth pinched as I said, “Not until you get that man-eating beast out of here.”

“That beast is here to determine what’s in that box, because you don’t seem competent enough to tell us.”

“Well! Of all things.” I crossed my arms and said, “I can’t tell you what’s in that box because I don’t know. My friend Melissa gave it to me as a going-away gift, and seeing as I haven’t opened it yet, and don’t have X-ray vision, it would be impossible for me to say what’s in the damn box.”

“Miss Middleton, are your friends usually in the habit of giving you bombs for going-away gifts?”

“Bombs? What are you talking about?”

“Without opening this package, from what we can tell, this is an electrical device that closely resembles a pipe bomb. Can you tell us why you are carrying a bomb?”

“No! Melissa wouldn’t give me a bomb.”

“How well do you know this Melissa?”

“I know her well enough to say she wouldn’t carry a bomb or give me one as a going-away gift. Yeah, she’s a sumo wrestler and all, but she’s not a terrorist. Although she did strike terror into the heart of Little Dickie Mike Dixon.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind.” I was so nervous I was rambling. After what I’d just told them, they really were gonna think Melissa was a terrorist.

“So, who is this Little Dickie Mike Dixon? Is he part of the terrorist cell? Does he have anything to do with this bomb?”

Oh, dear God, what in the hell has Melissa gotten me into? “No! For the love of God, forget about Little Dickie! Look, Melissa is not a terrorist and that is not a bomb. I have to catch a plane, so can I go?”

“No, you can’t go. You may be going to jail, or even worse.”

“Jail? Because of a present? What the hell kind of circus is this?”

“Miss Middleton, I caution you to take care of your words. This is not a circus. It is a federal offense to carry a bomb on an aircraft.”

“For the love of God, that isn’t a damn bomb. Give me that box!” I yelled and grabbed it, ripping it open. Good God above, out popped one of those giant vibrating wands, the kind that plug into the wall and come with all sorts of attachments, kind of like a vacuum cleaner. This thing looked like a handheld immersion blender. It was that huge. What the hell had Melissa been thinking? I could get half of Seattle off with this thing.

I glanced at the room full of people and their eyes looked like they were ready to roll out of their heads. Two of them had even drawn their guns and that damn dog was still growling and snapping.

“I wouldn’t shoot it if I were you. It might be kinda hard to explain that you shot a vibrator thinking it was a bomb. Wouldn’t look too good on your record, if you ask me.”

They all just kept staring at me.

“What? Haven’t any of you ever seen a damn vibrator before?” Honestly, I’d never seen one like this before either, but I wasn’t gonna let them know that. “Stop already with the looks. You guys use your hands, we women like our toys, okay?”

Homeland Security guy finally said, “Er, Miss Middleton, I think you can go now,” as he cleared his throat.

“Thanks. Oh, can I have my box too?” I winked as I grabbed the box. Then I asked, “Would one of you boys mind escorting me back to my belongings? I have no idea where I am.” I smiled ever so sweetly to them. That was one thing I learned from my mom. We southern women knew how to smile.

Thank God I made my flight. I was connecting in Atlanta, and if I had missed it, there was no telling how long I would’ve had to wait for the next one. By the time I got to Seattle, I was exhausted. I don’t know what it was about flying, but it took the steam right out of my engine.

I was to meet my new boss in the morning, so I checked into my hotel, ordered room service, and got ready for bed. It didn’t matter that it was only seven in the evening. I was worn out.

I called Melissa and cussed her out. I thought I gave her a heart attack she laughed so hard.

“Don’t worry, Ava, I’m gonna be your new best friend once you give that thing a run.”

“Melissa, that thing scares me to death. I’m afraid of it!”

We chatted a bit more and then I drifted off to sleep.

The alarm shocked me when it went off. I staggered into the bathroom, disoriented, and thinking I was at home. My forehead crashed into the doorframe, and it throbbed for the good part of an hour. I was sure to have a good bruise there before long.

Since I didn’t know what the office dress code would be, I erred on the side of caution and wore a black pant suit. That would help disguise some of my bulk as well. I went to the hotel restaurant and ate an omelet with coffee. I would’ve ordered grits, but they weren’t on the menu. I guess the West Coast didn’t believe in grits.

The bellman flagged a taxi for me, and I was at SoftwarePlus in no time. I’d chosen the hotel based on my new boss’ recommendation. It had worked out perfectly.

I gave my name at the desk, and they gave me a visitor’s badge and told me where to go. By the time I got there, John Bremen, my boss, was waiting for me.

“Welcome to SoftwarePlus, Avery.” He held out his hand and I shook it. Then he gave me the oddest look. “Um, Avery, are you okay?” He pointed to his forehead.

I did the same to mine and winced when I hit the lumpy bruise. Then I waved a hand and grinned. “Oh, that. I ran into the bathroom doorframe this morning,” I answered, my tone cheerful. The damn thing did hurt though.

We proceeded to complete all the usual first-day paperwork stuff. Ugh, I hated this stuff. HR forms, benefits stuff, 401k, and other usual necessities. Then he took me on a tour which lasted the better part of two hours. This place was amazing. It had everything including a ton of kitchen sinks.

“We’re only really seeing the shell, Avery. We don’t have time to see the heart of it all today, such asR and D, where all the brainiacs come together and make it happen.”

“I love it, John.”

“Great. Well, I’m glad to have you on board. I can’t wait for you to meet the rest of the finance team.”

We made our way back to his office for some more first-day initiation things. Before I knew it, we were on the way to the cafe for lunch.

“Everything is healthy and organic here. It’s all good for you.”

“I guess that means I’m gonna have to give up my barbecue and Krispy Kremes, huh?”

That got a peculiar look from him. And then he said, “So, Avery, would you like to see the company exercise facility?”

WTF? Was he telling me I was fat, because he really didn’t have to bother?

I smiled my sweet southern charming smile and added some extra sugar to it when I said, “Well, sure, John. I would just love that!”

He grinned as big as a man could grin, so on our way back from the cafe, he gave me the grand tour of the exercise facility. It was really something, I’ve gotta say. Melissa would’ve loved it. “Oh man, my best friend would just love this place. She’s a sumo wrestler in training and could really do some awesome workouts here.”

I didn’t think a man’s eyebrows could leap into his hairline, but I was wrong. John’s did. It was a good thing we weren’t eating, or he would’ve choked too.

“Sumo wrestler? Your neighbor? A woman?”

“Oh yeah. I did it for a while too. But it’s hard. You have to spend a ton of time eating Ben and Jerry’s, bacon, and fried Snickers bars and the like. And then there are the workouts. I mean it’s a full-time job.”

Poor John. He was really in for it with me.

“By the way, John, did I tell you what happened to me when I went through security in the airport yesterday?” I’m not sure how the man survived the rest of the afternoon. He could, however, find no fault with my work.