Chapter 18 Josie #2
She reached across the console and hugged me, barely touching me. It was…awkward at best.
“Just have her back by two. I have deliveries to make this afternoon.”
“No problem!”
But as she drove away in Delilah, I had this horrible feeling that the worst of my day was not yet over.
I rushed to the phone as it rang for the fourth time. I had been in the middle of mixing some herbs together for a client and hadn’t been able to stop measuring.
“Rock and Root Remedies. This is Josie.”
“Darling, please tell me you’ve gotten rid of that floozy your brother brought home to meet us,” my grandmother sighed.
“She’s staying with us right now, and let me tell you, it’s worse than you think,” I grumbled, thinking of my poor Delilah right now, suffering at the hands of that horrible woman.
“What does he see in her?”
“Sex. Lots and lots of sex. I’ve slept in my car two nights in a row. Actually, my neighbor took pity on me and let me stay on his couch.”
“Neighbor? Would this be the same grump who won’t take care of the dog?”
“The very same one, but he’s nicer to humans,” I chuckled.
“Have you heard the names?”
“Cuddlebug and Boo Bear? Ad nauseam. I’m about to make up some of my own nicknames for them, and they won’t be nearly as nice as the ones they’ve chosen.”
“Maybe you could take her hiking and accidentally lose her,” Grandma mused.
“Well, since Sawyer is on mountain rescue, I hardly think he would give up if she wasn’t found.”
“True. Perhaps a little sleeping draught in her tea?”
“She won’t drink my tea. Apparently, it smelled funny.”
“Breakfast?”
“She wouldn’t eat that either. Maybe she’ll starve to death.”
“I don’t know what he sees in her,” Grandma sighed again. “She’s older than your mother. Well, older than she would be if she was still with us, God rest her soul.”
“Mom would have kicked her out already. I have too much of Dad in me.”
“Well, your father never was very tough. Have you heard from him recently?”
“Just that he’s having the time of his life, wandering around the country like a hobo.”
“Any idea if he’ll be home for the holidays?”
“Haven’t heard anything yet. But since he missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, I doubt he’ll make it home for the summer holidays.”
“Let’s just hope he hasn’t met his own Cuddlebug,” she chuckled.
“Seriously, how did you and Grandpa put up with her while she was there?”
“Well, they only stayed one night, and then I made the announcement that we were all going to church in the morning. I’ve never seen a woman make so many excuses so quickly,” she laughed.
“When was the last time you were in church?” I questioned.
“Several years, but she didn’t know that.”
The bell over the door jangled, announcing a customer. “Grandma, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you, sweetie.”
“Love you, too.”
I had a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was Scarlet, but luckily, when I turned around, it was Ellie May.
“Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to pretend to be nice.”
“That bad, huh?”
“She’s horrible. Absolutely horrible. And the sex! She’s so loud!”
“At least your brother’s enjoying himself,” she smirked. “It’s better than him crying every night.”
“I’d gladly go back to the crying if I could escape this woman. I’m telling you, she’s horrible.”
“Give her another week. She might surprise you.”
“Yeah, she might actually marry my brother, and then I’ll be stuck with her for life. I need sleep!” I whined, thunking my head on the counter.
“Well, you could always move in with that hot neighbor of yours,” she teased. “I hear you’ve been spending plenty of time over there.”
“For sleep,” I argued. “He found me sleeping in my car and took pity on me. I took the couch, and in return, made him breakfast. That’s it.”
“But it doesn’t have to be,” she said in a sing-song voice.
“Yes, it does. If he was at all interested, he would have said something like Hey, baby, come to my room and let me show you my hammer.”
“Yeah, I really don’t think he would say that.”
“It’s better than what I’m hearing at the house. God, I might actually be developing some sort of sickness just by being around the two of them. Is it possible to catch disgust?”
“I don’t think so, but I’m no expert on it. Should we grab lunch?”
I rubbed my stomach, wishing I could untwist the knots forming by the minute. “I’m not sure my stomach can handle food.”
“It can’t be that bad,” she grinned, but her smile slipped when she saw how serious I was. “Right?”
“There’s something very wrong about this woman, Ellie. It’s not just that I don’t like her. She sets me on edge, and I find myself wanting to pick up a knife and stab her. I’ve never wanted to stab anyone before! She took all the hot water this morning!”
“Ooh, that’s not good.”
“And she tossed away my food because I didn’t make it the way she liked it. Who does that?”
“People who have never had to go without food.”
“Exactly. She’s spoiled and pretentious and irritating and…”
“Annoying?”
“Yes, she’s annoying! Thank you!”
“I do what I can. So, food?”
“Alright,” I sighed. “Let me get my bag.” I glanced at my watch, hoping she would be back soon. “I have to make deliveries in a few hours. If she’s not back soon, I’ll have to reschedule everything.”
“She’ll be back,” Ellie May said, ever the optimist, linking her arm through mine. “Besides, maybe it’s a good thing she’s getting out and seeing the town.”
“Maybe. Or maybe everyone else is thinking the same thing I am.”
“That she’s completely nuts? That your brother’s lost his mind? That the town will never survive a woman like her? That wives need to lock up their husbands?”
“Among a few other things.”
“So, the diner?”
“Yeah, let’s stick close by. I’d hate to miss her and have her run off again.”
But going to the diner turned out to be a very bad thing. The moment I walked in, the whispers started. People stared and eyed me like I was crazy. Yet, I wasn’t the one who brought home a cougar.
Cora bustled over, coffeepot in hand, with an excited smile on her face. “Coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
She poured me some anyway and leaned over. “So, this new woman. She’s quite the…looker.”
“She’s something.”
“And that man of yours…you’re making quite a few changes in the household, huh?”
“He’s not my man—”
“I mean, after spending all that time with him during the snowstorm and now two nights at his house…Do I hear wedding bells in the future?” she grinned.
I glared at Ellie. “This was a horrible idea.”
“Tell me,” Cora said, scooting me over in the booth so she could sit beside me. “Is he good in bed? A man like that can’t possibly be bad. It’s in the hands. I’ve seen it a million times. He’s got those long fingers that are capable of doing such dirty deeds.”
Cringing, I tried to block out her words. “Honestly, Cora, can we not—”
“And those lips!” She plopped her chin in her hand as she stared off dreamily. “I remember a time when I caught a fella like that. Of course, he was too wild to stick around here. But the things he could do with his hands—”
“Cora, I beg you not to finish that thought,” I pleaded.
Sighing dramatically, she shuffled out of the booth and pulled the pencil from behind her ear, ready to take our order. “Well, I guess the rest of us just have to be dreamers. So, what’ll it be today? Egg salad sandwich? Roast beef? Corned hash?”
“Cobb salad.”
Sighing, she shook her head. “Every time. One of these days, I’ll get you to try something more interesting.”
“For today, I need something normal.”
“Normal it is. And you?” she asked Ellie.
“Grilled cheese.”
“You’ve been ordering that since you were a child.”
“And it’s still just as good,” Ellie grinned.
“I’ll put these in and come back with some water—”
Cora’s eyes caught on something outside. “Well, I’ll be—”
“What?” I looked out the window, but didn’t see anything. Well, not right away.
Scarlet got out of a car, but it most definitely wasn’t mine. It was a convertible. A very expensive convertible. And she was driving.
“Now…this could mean anything,” Ellie said, trying to placate me.
“My car…”
“Don’t—”
But I was already out of my seat and running out the door into the cold morning air. “Scarlet!” I shouted, getting her attention immediately. “Where the hell is my car?”
“Oh, that old clunker? I traded it in.”
“You what?” I screeched, unable to believe my ears.
“It kept dying on me, and so when I pulled into the sales lot, they were eager to scoop up that old beatbox.”
“It—How—”
“You can thank me later,” she grinned. “This is much better. Although, I think I might keep it for myself.”
“Scarlet, you can’t trade in my car! Your name isn’t even on the title!”
“Oh, I talked to Frank and explained the situation. He was more than happy to help me out. He said you can go by and sign the paperwork later. The lease is very reasonable.”
“Lease? But I owned Delilah!”
“I know, and you should be happy I got you such a sweet deal. The monthly payments are quite low. Only five hundred a month.”
“Five—” I was going to pass out. Air ceased to exist anywhere in my vicinity. How the hell was I supposed to breathe when this…this demon woman had just traded in my only car? This couldn’t be legal. There was no possible way. She didn’t have the authority to do this!
And Frank should have known better.
“Scarlet, you will take this car back right now and get my car back.”
“Nope. Sorry, but I will not be seen driving around in that beater ever again.”
“That’s right, you won’t because I won’t ever let you in it again. Not if you’re bleeding. Not if you’re having a baby. Not if the only way you’ll live is if I let you sit in my car!”
“You are so ungrateful! I was doing you a favor! You could have died in that thing!”
“Take it back right now, Scarlet.”
“No.”
“I swear to God, if you don’t, I will have you arrested for theft!”
“Oh, like anyone would believe you over me,” she scoffed.
An insane rage I had never felt before washed over me. I didn’t think. I didn’t plan.
I just attacked.