As if to prove her point, a woman stopped by and pointed to the outfit. “I love that top and that necklace.” Leena removed it from the mannequin and handed it to the prospective buyer. She replaced it with another top-scarf-necklace combo.
“And if you set other similar items on a table here, then you could increase sales. And then there’s your jewelry section. That vintage costume jewelry is going for top dollar on eBay. You really should have an account set up there so people can bid on your items. Here.” Leena took a picture of a rhinestone broach with her BlackJack and then went online with it. Half an hour later, she’d set up an account for the thrift shop and people were already starting to bid on the jewelry item.
“Twenty dollars?” Sister Mary gasped.
“I’d keep these vintage pieces separate to sell online.” Leena handed a small boxful she’d selected from the stock to Sister Mary. “I can stop by after work and take more photos with my phone.”
“Thank you. We aren’t normally open on Sundays, but do you think you could stop by maybe in the afternoon to do up a display for the front window?”
“Sure. We could do something patriotic for Fourth of July coming up.”
“That would be great.”
And so Leena found herself on Sunday afternoon standing behind the plate glass window fronting the thrift store. Her sister had insisted on helping her. “After all, I’m the one with the interior-decorating degree.”
And the velvet Elvises. Even so, Leena didn’t have the heart to turn her away. Sue Ellen had been bummed out the past few weeks. Ever since Leena’s welcome-home party. Leena had asked if Sue Ellen had fought with Russ, but she hadn’t really ever answered her. Which was Leena’s family’s chosen means of communication: CTS—change the subject.
So far, the display area held a red high-back wooden chair and a blue table. A pile of denim and red-checked gingham pillows were in the corner while a poster of the Statue of Liberty provided the backdrop. The female mannequin wore jeans and a red T-shirt with a jaunty navy scarf.
“What’s going on out there?” Sue Ellen pointed to Skye and Nathan, who were across the street and pointing up. “You don’t think it’s a meteorite, do you? I saw some show on cable that said the earth is vulnerable to meteorite attacks.”
Leena pressed her nose against the newly cleaned glass and peered up at the sky. “No meteorite. It looks like . . . a plane. Writing something in the sky.”
“Great marketing idea. I should do that when I get my realtor’s license. What’s the message say?”
“Marry me, Skye.”
“Oh my God! Nathan has proposed to Skye!” Sue Ellen started shrieking before racing outside.
Leena followed at a much slower rate, taking the time to lock the thrift shop door behind her. She didn’t want anyone walking in and stealing anything. Not that crime was a big deal in Rock Creek, but even so, she didn’t want to take any chances.
“Congratulations!” Sue Ellen had Skye in the midst of a python-strong grip before quickly releasing her. “I’m so happy for you both. Nathan, what a romantic way to propose.”
“It wasn’t me,” he quickly told Skye. “I didn’t hire any skywriter. I’d never do that to you.”
“What are we looking at?” Cole asked as he joined them. He had a takeout cardboard box from Angelo’s Pizza in his hands. Leena’s mouth watered at the smell. Her mouth also watered at the sight of him in his customary jeans and navy T-shirt.
“Nathan just asked Skye to marry him by hiring a plane to write the proposal in the sky.”
“I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me.” Nathan sounded a little desperate.
“Well, it sure as hell wasn’t me.” The look Cole shot Leena told her she was the only woman in his thoughts these days.
Skye looked at them all with pissed-off frustration. “It was
me
, you idiots!”
Chapter Seventeen
“I don’t understand,” Sue Ellen spoke for them all. “Why would you propose to yourself?”
“I was signing my name at the end. There were fewer letters in my name than in Nathan’s. Oh hell, just forget it! Forget I said anything. Or wrote anything. Or had the skywriter write anything.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” Nathan said.
Seeing the look on Skye’s face, Cole said, “Wrong way to react to a marriage proposal, bud.”
“Do not even speak to me.” Skye’s voice was icy. “Come on, Sue Ellen.”
Nathan took off after them, leaving Leena and Cole alone.
“Well, that was fun,” he drawled with a grin.
“I feel bad for Skye,” Leena noted. “Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve. She just wrote it clear across the sky.”
“Yeah, but she did it without giving Nathan a clue. He told me that he wanted to propose to her but that she didn’t want anything to do with marriage.”
“She probably wanted to surprise him.”
“She succeeded.”
“Yeah, well, she also succeeded in taking my help with her.” Looking down, Leena wished she’d worn something a little more flattering than jeans and a plain light blue T-shirt. She hadn’t expected to run into Cole but had planned on seeing him later, wearing something more attractive. “Sue Ellen was helping me do the window display at the thrift shop.”
“It’s closed on Sundays.”
“I know. Your aunt gave me an extra set of keys.” She held them up.
“I can help you. I’ve even got food.” He waved the pizza box in front of her.
“Yeah, I noticed. I could use the help.” She couldn’t use the calories from the pizza, but as long as she stuck to one slice she should be okay. She actually found it easier to resist pizza than to resist Cole.
They walked across the street and were soon at work behind the plate-glass window of the Sisters of the Poor Charity Thrift Shop.
“Hey, how do you think I look in this?” He put on a fedora hat that would make Justin Timberlake jealous. Justin might be bringing sexy back, but Cole made sexy irresistible.
Without waiting for an answer from her, Cole swapped the fedora for a straw cowboy hat. “Or is this better?”
He gave her a classic Clint Eastwood narrow-eyed look.
“You had me at ‘hey,’ ” Leena said with a grin.
“I wish.”
She stuffed a piece of pizza in his mouth.
He tugged her against him and smeared tomato sauce from his lips to her cheek.
“Are you two at it again?” Sister Mary asked.
They jumped apart guiltily.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was here?” Cole said.
“I just arrived,” Sister Mary said. “Looks like I got here in the nick of time.”
Cole grabbed his pizza box and tried to make a quick exit. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“No, you won’t.” Leena went right after him, grabbing hold of the back of his T-shirt as he reached the door. “You are not leaving me here alone to face an angry nun.”
“You’re not Catholic,” he said. “It shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
Leena hung on tight. “Well, it is.”
“I’m not angry,” Sister Mary said. “Now get back here, Cole, and bring that pizza with you. And yes before you ask, Leena, nuns do eat pizza.”
“Yes, Cole, get back here.” Leena tugged on his T-shirt.
Cole tossed her a wicked grin over his shoulder. “The woman can’t keep her hands off me.”
Out of view of his aunt, Leena slid her other hand around his waist and down the placket of his jeans to cup him intimately. A second later she used the same hand to catch the pizza box he’d just dropped.
Recovering quickly, Cole tipped the box, trapping her hand between the cardboard and his body. “You’ve got tomato sauce on your face.”
She released him and the pizza to wipe her face.
“You can’t seem to keep your hands off her either,” Sister Mary said. “You two need a chaperone. And I need some pizza. So get over here and let’s eat, and then get this window display finished.”
As she and Cole worked together, Leena realized that for the first time she felt part of something larger than herself. She felt part of a community. She felt part of Cole’s community, and it was both thrilling and terrifying.
The following Sunday found Leena in the pink Batmobile with her sister. She looked at the pink and black sign for the Sugar Shack and then looked at Sue Ellen. “Why are we here?”
“I told you.” Sue Ellen opened the door to her pink Batmobile. “Research.”
Leena was not eager to leave the safety of the car. “Why do you need me? Why not bring Lulu or Skye?”
“I wanted to get your opinion first.”
That alone was a milestone. Sue Ellen never wanted Leena’s opinion about anything. She reluctantly opened the passenger door and got out. This wasn’t the way Leena had planned on spending her Sunday afternoon. “I don’t have long. I have to be at Cole’s house in a few hours. What?” This when her sister rolled her eyes. “I’m helping him with his house.”
“Removing his tool belt, more likely. You don’t think the entire town knows what’s going on? His truck is parked in front of your mobile home all night. Or your car is at his house.”
“I park it in the back.”
The possibility that everyone in Rock Creek knew Leena was banging her boss was mortifying.
Seeing her stricken expression, Sue Ellen gave her a comforting hug—more teddy bear-like and less pythonlike. “Don’t worry about it. Actually the town is more interested in Skye and Nathan’s engagement and their wedding plans. That’s why we’re here today.”
“Because Skye wants to get married in a strip club?”
“No, because I’m in charge of her bachelorette party.”
“I thought her sister would be doing that.”
“Julia is no fun. She’d probably have sherbet punch and Pop-Tarts at the library. Besides, she’s got a little baby to take care of. I can handle this much better than she could.”
“Did you bring me here to check out male strippers?”
“Not this time.”
“Then why are we here?”
“You’ll see.” She opened the door to the club.
Once inside, Leena had to pause to let her eyes adjust from the bright sunshine outside to the comparative darkness.
“Hi.” An athletic-looking woman in black short-shorts and a halter top bounced over to greet them. She looked like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, a petite and pretty size six who’d probably never chowed down on a family-size bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in her entire life. Leena sure hoped not. Because if Ms. Halter Top were one of those women who could eat anything and not gain a pound, then Leena would have to hate her. She wouldn’t be able to help herself. Petty perhaps, but hey, she never claimed to be perfect. “I’m Gigi. You must be Sue Ellen.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, like I told you on the phone, the bachelorette party package here includes a pole-dancing lesson for all the attendees.”
“You said you could demonstrate what a lesson would be like.”
“Sure. Come on up.” She indicated they should follow her onto the stage, where two poles were installed.
Leena wondered if they cleaned them after each show. She was wearing pants, but her sister had on a short denim skirt with pink go-go-style boots from the sixties.
Leena was sure that Donna Karan never intended for the sleeveless navy knit top and matching pants Leena was wearing to be worn for pole dancing. She could tell by the look on Gigi’s face that she agreed Leena’s attire didn’t cut it.
“If you’ll just sign this release form, we’ll get started.”
Sue Ellen signed without reading it. Not Leena. She checked every word before putting the paper down. “I’m not signing this.”
“Then you can’t perform.”
“Fine, I’ll just watch you two.”
“Come on, Leena,” her sister said. “Have some fun.”
“I’m all for fun that doesn’t involve personal injuries.”
Seeing the stubborn look on her face, Sue Ellen gave up and instead concentrated on Gigi’s instructions.
“We’ll start out with something simple. Some lean-out stretches. Pole dancing really builds upper arm strength. And builds confidence.”
The playlist started out with a little Clash and some Guns N’ Roses and Black Eyed Peas. Gigi said, “It’s all about unleashing your inner hottie.”
“I can’t seem to get into it,” Sue Ellen said. “Maybe if you played the music I brought. Taylor Hicks. ‘The Runaround.’ Track number one.”
The minute she heard the song, Sue Ellen starting jiving, performing the hip circle, something she’d perfected from her belly-dancing classes. She added the swing walk Gigi had shown her earlier along with several slow bends and hair flips. She was clearly having such a good time that Leena started having second thoughts, wishing she’d joined her.
Crack. Whomp. Sue Ellen went down like a ton of bricks.
Leena rushed over to her. “Are you okay? What happened?” Remembering how Sue Ellen had cried over her singed nail, she said, “Are you hurt?”
“Yep,” Sue Ellen croaked.
“Where?”
“My knee. I hit it on the pole.”
“I’ll get some ice,” Gigi said.
When that didn’t help with the pain or the swelling, Leena suggested calling 911.
“No way!” Sue Ellen said. “I can’t let Russ know about this. I can’t have an ambulance pick me up from a strip club. No offense, Gigi.”
“None taken. But this Russ, whoever he is, is going to know if you have the bachelorette party you’re planning here. Word gets around.”
“His name is Russ Spears. He’s the coach—”
“At the local high school.” Gigi nodded. “Yeah, I know him. He comes in here occasionally.”
“He does?”
Gigi put her hand to her heavily glossed mouth. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Hello?” Leena waved. “If we can get back to my sister’s injury here. You have to get medical attention for this.
“Remember, you did sign a release form,” Gigi said.
Sue Ellen grabbed hold of Leena’s arm. “You can drive me to the emergency room.”