Humidity Rising (Romantic Suspense) (3 page)

Morning always came swiftly for Kristi but this time, it seemed to come that much sooner. Probably because she wanted to keep dreaming. But that wouldn’t pay the bills, so she reluctantly got up and went about her normal morning routine. An hour and a half after her alarm went off, Kristi opened the front door to bring Janie to the next door neighbor, Ella Thompson, for the day.

Mrs. Thompson was in her early fifties and had been widowed for the last five years. To supplement what little she had to live on, she took in neighborhood children to baby-sit when their parents or guardians went to work.

Janie was in the bathroom as Kristi stepped out onto the porch, and she was immediately glad the child wasn’t on her heels like she normally would be. Planted in the middle of her front lawn was a white poster board sign stapled to a wooden stake. The message was clear, but it wasn’t something a child of Janie’s age should see. It read:

Hands Off, BITCH!

He’s MINE!

Without a moment’s hesitation, she marched onto the lawn and plucked up the sign. She could only hope Mrs. Thompson hadn’t seen it yet, although it was possible she had. Pulling it from the stake and ripping it into several small pieces, she strode to the trash can at the side of the porch and tossed it all in.

She went back to the open front door to call for Janie, but the girl came rushing out before she could do so. Smiling as if nothing was amiss, she locked the door behind her, took her niece’s hand, and walked next door.

Mrs. Thompson came out and greeted them before they reached the top step.

“Lovely morning, isn’t it?” The smile on the older woman’s face looked plastered on.

Kristi attempted a genuine smile of her own as Janie toddled into the house. “Yeah, but when the humidity comes along with the heat later today, it’ll be a scorcher.”

Ella chuckled. “Well, this
is
Florida, and it
is
early July, so that’s to be expected, I suppose.”

“I guess you’re right about that.” Kristi hesitated. “I hope you didn’t see what was just in my front yard. But if you did, I promise I’ll find out what it was all about and make sure it doesn‘t happen again.”

“The nerve of some people these days. It should be a crime to put filth like that on someone’s lawn.” The scorn for the perpetrator was evident in her elderly voice.

“I agree. I’m just glad Janie didn’t see it. Not sure I’d wanna try explaining it to her.”

“At least it’s a good thing the child wasn’t exposed to it.” Ella paused. “It does make you wonder about folks these days, doesn’t it?”

Kristi nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, it does.”

“Goodness! You’ll be late for work!” Ella was looking at her watch. “Off with you, now. Go on. Shoo!” An affectionate smile lit her face.

“Bye,” Kristi said, chuckling. “See you this afternoon.”

As she turned to descend the four steps from Mrs. Thompson’s porch, she noticed a silvery grey economy car parked a few houses down on the other side of the street. She didn’t know the people in that house because they’d just moved in a week ago, so maybe it was theirs.

It was odd, though, that when she backed out of her driveway and headed down the street, the grey car seemed to follow her. She didn’t think too much of it because a lot of folks here took the same general route to get to the interstate, then on to wherever they worked.

* * * * *

She’d seen the tramp yank up the sign and tear it to bits. That was one of the reactions she thought the woman would have. But then she acted like nothing had happened as she brought the little bitch to the next door neighbor.
What?
Didn’t that bother her at least a little bit? It wasn’t the way
she
would’ve reacted, that’s for sure.

Whatever the case, it was only a matter of minutes and the interfering bimbo left, presumably to go to work. The decision to follow after her was simple. The more she knew about her, the better she’d be able to wage war on the cow. Yes, this was a war, and one
she
would win.

Fifteen minutes later, she tailed the woman into a hospital parking garage. She passed her as the vixen found a spot, and quickly made her way to the next level where she could turn around and head back out. As she came back down, the woman was walking to the elevators. Perfect. She sped up, trying to hit her, but knew she probably wouldn’t. It didn’t happen. The nimble cow jumped out of the way at the last second, so she stomped the brake, and reached into her purse on the passenger seat next to her.

She rolled down the window and glared at the jezebel, who just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She rolled down her window and pulled out a pistol, waving it as she spoke.

“I see you got my message, bitch. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off and stop messing with
my
man.”

She laughed. It sounded strange to her ears, as if a crazed maniac were laughing instead. The thought was comical, making her laugh all the more. She promptly regained control of herself, turned to face forward again and sped away, placing the gun back in her purse as she left the garage.

The look on the tramp’s face was worth it, though. She smiled. That should be enough to make the stupid cow go away so she could concentrate on getting that man back.

She headed back to her apartment, thinking how good her life would be once it was back on track and things were the way they were supposed to be.

Her smile widened as a feeling of peace descended upon her. Yeah. Everything would be just fine as soon as she got him back. At this time in her life, that was the only thing that mattered to her. When she was through with him … well, that was another thing for another time to contemplate. One problem at a time, she reminded herself. One thing and one step at a time.

* * * * *

Wes had no more than sat down behind his desk at work when he decided to call Kristi. There was something about her that intrigued him, pulling him like a tow truck rescuing a car that had slipped into a ditch. Maybe that’s what this was all about—he was stuck in the mire and she was the only one who knew how to get him out.

With a smile on his face, he grabbed his cell phone and called her. She picked up on the first ring.

“Hello. This is Kristi.”

“Hi there,” he said. “How’s your day so far?” He knew it was a silly question, but he couldn’t help himself. She had a way of making him feel like a teenager again, and he liked that. A lot.

“Wes! Thank God!” She sounded frazzled. “Some crazy woman just tried to run me over.”

Alarm bells sounded in his skull. Without thinking, he got up and headed to the door, ready to come to her aid. He was halfway there when he stopped and just stood still.

“Okay, calm down and tell me what happened.” He tried to keep his tone unruffled, and his advice to her to calm down was just as much for himself as it was for her.

“I parked in the garage at the hospital, and I was on my way to the elevator to get to work when this crazy woman almost ran over me.” She was speaking rapidly. He barely understood her words.

“Slow down,” he said quietly. “I can’t keep up with you.” He heard her snatch a hasty breath or two.

“She almost hit me, Wes. If I hadn’t seen her and jumped out of the way, she would’ve killed me.” She breathed a little slower this time. “Then she screeched to a halt, opened her window, and waved a gun at me.”

“
What?
She had a gun?” He was about to tell her to call the police when she continued.

“Please, Wes. Let me finish. She said something about if I know what’s good for me, I should stop messing with her man.” Kristi paused, apparently waiting for his reply. “Do you have any idea who this woman is?”

Wes wiped his face with his free hand as he went back to his desk and sat down again.

“Yeah. I think I do.” He inhaled deeply, stalling just long enough to think of what to say next. “Tell me what she looked like. What kind of car was she driving?”

“I don’t know what make or model the car was—it all happened so fast. But it was a small car and it was sort of silvery grey.” She stopped for a moment, presumably to recapture the image of the woman. “I couldn’t tell much about her, except that she had short, dark hair. Her face was kinda small so I guess she’s not too tall, maybe a little over five feet. That’s all I could tell.”

He sighed. “That’s plenty. I know who she is. Let me call her and I’ll call you right back.”

Wes was sure he knew the woman Kristi described, especially when he learned the color of the car she was driving. It could only be one person—his ex-girlfriend. When he’d told her it was over, he thought she’d understood that it was final. Apparently, she was thinking he’d come back to her but that just wasn’t going to happen. He’d had more than he could take of her controlling ways, and he wouldn’t subject himself to that torture again.

Calling her was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was obvious he had no choice. It had to be done, and he was the only one she’d listen to. At least, he hoped she would.

He pulled up the contacts list on his phone and found her number. He’d meant to delete it a few weeks ago but for some reason he’d neglected to, and now he knew why.

Her name glared at him. It was a name, and a woman, he wanted to forget as easily as if the information had been surgically removed from his brain. Liza Hill.

Kristi called the nurse’s desk as she waited for Wes to call her back. She told the outgoing head nurse what was going on and that she’d be there as soon as she could to take over for the day. Maggie was concerned and wanted to help, but Kristi insisted she was fine. A bit shook up but otherwise, she was okay.

Dear, sweet person that she was, Maggie responded that she should take her time and she’d sign Kristi in so she wouldn’t be docked any pay. Kristi thanked her and promised to return the favor some day, then hung up in case Wes was trying to call. A minute later, he did.

“I’m sure it was her but she denied it,” he said when she answered.

“Did you honestly expect her to admit it?” She knew she sounded annoyed but with what just happened, she couldn’t help herself. “Sorry. That didn’t come out the way I intended.”

“It’s okay, I understand. You’re still shaken up about it. That’s to be expected.”

“Yeah. You can say that again.” She took a deep breath to try to calm herself. It helped, but only marginally. “So, who is this woman?”

She heard him inhale, then sigh. “It’s my ex-girlfriend, Liza Hill. She’s an unbalanced control freak. That’s why I broke it off more than two weeks ago.”

“What do you mean? How controlling
was
she?”

Another sharp, deep intake of air from his end. “She insisted on knowing what I was doing every second of every day. I almost couldn’t use the bathroom without her wanting to know what I was up to.” He paused. “At first, I thought it was jealousy. She’d told me  her last boyfriend had cheated on her, so I let it go for a little while. Then, she took it upon herself to rearrange all my living room furniture and everything in the kitchen.”

“She rearranged your house? Without you asking her to?”

“Yep. That’s exactly how it happened,” he replied. “By the time I came home from work that day, she was starting on the bedroom, although I put a stop to it. Then I made her put everything back the way it was.”

“I think I’d have done the same thing. I mean, it’s not her house. She didn’t have any right to do something like that.”

“She didn’t stay there much longer after that episode of hers. I told her we were through and she should go back to her place. That was the last I saw or talked to her until just a few minutes ago.”

“Well, I just hope she doesn’t bother me anymore.” Her nerves were much calmer now. “I have a child to take care of, and I don’t need this kind of thing upsetting our lives.”

“Liza may be a lot of things, and do things other people wouldn’t, but I think she realizes I meant it when I said it was over between us. She shouldn’t be a bother again.”

Kristi hoped he was right. “But what if she is? What should I do?”

“I really don’t think she will but if so, call the police and let them handle her. That’ll get her to stop, if nothing else does. The threat of calling the police really bothers her for some reason.”

She sighed. “I’d hate to do that, but I guess you’re right.”

He hesitated for a few moments. “So, now that we’ve got that settled, would you like to have dinner again tonight?”

She glanced at her watch. “Can I think about it and give you an answer when I get off work? I’m already late, and I should be getting inside.”

“Sure.” His voice sounded hopeful. “I’ll talk to you then.”

Kristi ended the call, turned off her cell phone, and headed toward the elevators. This guy was persistent, she had to give him credit for that. And even though they’d known each other for less than a day, he seemed to genuinely care about her and Janie. She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she’d thought about the fact that the girl needed a father figure. Wes seemed to be the kind of man who would be a good one. However, if this thing with his ex-girlfriend escalated, would it be worth the fuzzy warmth to deal with it?

* * * * *

She couldn’t believe he actually called. She saw his number on the caller ID, and felt as if she’d won the lottery. But that only lasted about as long as it takes to blink when he accused her of trying to run down his new bitch. She hadn’t even been out of her apartment this morning, so how could she have done that?

Something was up, but she had a good idea what it was.

Maybe you’re right, but you know you black out sometimes
.

“I do
not
black out!”

You know, you really need to stop lying to yourself
.

“I don’t do that, either. Go away.”

I can’t. You need me
.

“Really? Why do I need you? To pester me all my life?”

To help you remember things. And to help you understand yourself
.

“I’m doing fine on my own, thank you very much.”

Uh huh. You never would’ve gotten out of that institution without me, and you know it
.

That was true. She couldn’t lie her way out of it. But that had been a long time ago, after Bill left her for that bimbo he’d been seeing on the side. She still didn’t understand how her husband could have done such a thing.

To the best of her knowledge, she’d been a good wife, partner, and lover. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t conceive his child. All the tests proved she was fertile, so that meant it was on him. He didn’t have enough ammunition to hit the target, but would he admit it? Nope. Not William P. Hill.

So he left, shacked up with some tramp, and she received divorce papers. The last she’d heard, he still hadn’t found a woman who could have his baby. When would he realize the problem was his all along? Probably never, knowing that egotistical bastard.

But that was the past, and she had a present problem to solve. A problem that seemed to grow bigger every day. She had to talk to Andy. He was the only one who could help, the only one who truly understood her. Maybe he was the only one who truly loved her in the purest, most pristine way one human could love another.

* * * * *

Janie was a precious child, at least that’s the way Wes thought of her. Of course, her Aunt Kristi was much more to his liking, if he were to be totally honest. But they were a package deal, and he liked the thought of an instant family.

Better slow down, cowboy
, he thought. This was only their second dinner date, even if it was at a fast food burger place, and they had a long way to go before thinking like that. He couldn’t help it. There was something about Kristi that made him think there was such a thing as a love that could last until the end of eternity.

“What are you thinking?” Kristi’s voice cut through his reverie.

He smiled. “About how much I enjoy spending time with you.”

The palest shade of rose began to creep into her face. “Better watch out, Mr. Chandler. If you keep talking like that, I may be forced to kiss you in front of my niece.”

“That would be fine with me.” He waggled his eyebrows.

With that, she brought her fingertips to her lips, tilted them toward Wes, and blew lightly on them.

He threw his hand up and snagged the invisible kiss and brought it to his lips, as if savoring a warm, sticky cinnamon bun.

“Will that do?”

“For now.” He chuckled and when Kristi joined in, he felt like a kite soaring in the breeze five hundred feet high.

“So, are there any exes in your past I should be worried about?” He’d intended the question to come out in a joking way, but the sour apple look on her face told him something went terribly askew. “I’m sorry,” he added quickly. “Guess that wasn’t a good thing to ask.”

She gazed into his eyes. “No, it’s okay. It just reminded me of this morning, that’s all.” A tiny smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “But to answer the question, I’ve been lucky that the two guys I’ve ever had any kind of relationship with were secure enough with themselves to accept the separation.”

He thought about this and beamed a sunny smile at her. “Well, that’s good to know.” After a moment, he added, “So, you think Liza has some kind of insecurity issues?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a psychiatric nurse but I’ve had a little training in the area so I can recognize the signs. It’s obvious that something is going on with her. With what you told me about how she insists on having control, coupled with the actions she’s recently displayed, my best guess is that she has some type of insecurity issue—maybe even more than one or two.”

“In other words, she’s crazy and should be in the nut house. Is that what you mean, doc?” A mischievous grin appeared on his face as he winked at her.

“I didn’t say that. And don’t call me ‘doc’, I’m a nurse.” Her tone was playful. “However, I will say that she should get some professional help.”

He sighed, seeming to deflate like a beach ball with a leak. “Yeah. I don’t know how many times I thought the same thing. Now, I wish there was something I could’ve done to help her.”

“Nope! Don’t go there.” Her expression was firm. “None of this was your fault. Even if you’d tried to get her to go to counseling, it only would’ve worked if she’d wanted it.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am. I’m a woman, aren’t I?”

His laugh was like the roaring of a lion. “I’m smart enough not to argue with you on that.”

They shared a chuckle as they finished their meal. Moments later, they got up from the booth, brought the empty wrappers to the trash can, and headed out the door.

Halfway to his car, Liza appeared in front of them as if she’d found a teleportation device and zeroed in on their location. There was a gun in her hand, and she waved it at all three of them.

“So. This is how it’s gonna be, huh?” Her words were riddled with venom.

Kristi grabbed Janie and held her close as she instinctively stepped back.

“Liza, put the gun down. Now.” Wes knew his voice held a commanding tone.

“And if I don’t?” She sounded like a defiant, spoiled brat.

“Then I’ll have no choice but to call the police.”

This threat seemed to neutralize her mind-set long enough for him to approach her. He came to a stop within two feet of her.

He spoke quietly. “Liza, go home and relax. This isn’t going to solve anything.”

“But, Wesley—”

“No, Liza. Go home, or I call the police. Those are your only choices right now.”

She seemed to weigh her options. “Fine.” The insolence returned. “I’ll leave.”

Liza turned and walked to her car a short distance behind her as Wes returned to Kristi and Janie, pulling them into an embrace as if to protect them.

He was letting them go when Liza went past, pointing at Kristi and shouting, “This isn’t the end for you, tramp!”