Playing With You (10 page)

Garrett leaned back in his seat and thought about what it might be like to have a family. He could picture Ricki in his kitchen cooking dinner as a toddler holding a toy pony tugged at her mama’s jeans. He could even picture himself holding their other child as he helped with dinner. A boy with tiny cowboy boots, jeans, and a little cowboy hat.

With a groan he rested his head against the headrest. He was in trouble and it was a trouble deep enough that he didn’t know if he could climb his way out of it.

Thanks to an evening rush at the bakery, Ricki couldn’t make it for happy hour on Wednesday with Deena. She had to get up at one-thirty a.m. to get back to the bakery and help Poncho with the baking. Lettie wouldn’t get in until five.

Ricki had called Deena to apologize and offered to make it up to her by going out to dinner on Friday instead. Deena had seemed a little disappointed with the change in plans but said she understood. Deena had stopped by Thursday and Friday mornings for breakfast, so Ricki had seen her a couple of times since Wednesday.

It was Friday evening now, and Ricki was looking forward to a night out. Lettie would be helping Poncho bake early in the morning, so Ricki would be able to stay out a little later than she would normally be able to.

She headed out the back of the bakery, locked the door behind her, and walked to her car, which was parked well down the street. When she reached her Prius, she unlocked it, climbed in, then pressed the start button. The hybrid quietly came to life and she sagged against her seat. She was tired but she knew she’d have fun once she was out, especially with Deena.

Over the phone, Ricki had told Deena again that she’d pick her up after checking in on Xena.

She could only stay out until ten because she had to be back in the bakery early in the a.m.

Ricki headed home, greeted Xena, gave her a treat, and double-checked that she had enough food and water in the dispensers. Then she rinsed off in the shower, changed into clean clothes and took off for Deena’s hotel.

Deena had given Ricki her room number and asked her to come up. When she reached Deena’s room, Ricki knocked and waited. A moment later the door opened and Deena let her in.

When the door closed, heat warmed Ricki’s skin. Deena was only wearing a bra that accented her cleavage and barely covered her nipples along with lace panties that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Feeling uncomfortable, Ricki kept her gaze trained on Deena’s face and avoided looking at her body.

“I’m sorry I’m not ready.” Deena gave a carefree smile. “I decided to wear something else at the last minute.”

“No problem.” Ricki returned Deena’s smile before she started looking around the room. The small suite had a kitchenette with a stove and refrigerator. Everything was disorganized with dishes in the sink, crumpled napkins on the counter, and a pizza box sticking out of the garbage can. Clothes were all over the floor and the bed was unmade. An iPad was sitting on the writing desk at the other end of the suite.

“Ready?” Deena said, drawing Ricki’s attention back to her.

Deena was now wearing a sexy little black dress that showed her cleavage and made Ricki feel very underdressed.

“I’m not dressed up.” Ricki looked down at her simple jean skirt and sleeveless blouse. “Do I need to go home and change?”

“No.” Deena shook her head. “You look adorable.”

“If you say so.” Not only did Ricki feel underdressed, but she felt self conscious with her full curves next to Deena’s slender body.

“Let’s go.” Deena grabbed a small black purse off the writing desk from beside the laptop. “I am so hungry.”

Ricki’s stomach growled. Apparently she was, too.

They went to Rosa’s Mexican restaurant on Montezuma Street. It was one of Ricki’s favorite places to eat. It was cheery with brightly painted walls that were covered with serapes, Mexican hats, maracas, paintings, and other interesting things.

The hostess seated them and gave them each a menu while a server set freshly made hot tortilla chips and salsa on the table between Ricki and Deena.

“I’m going to order the biggest margarita they have.” Deena pointed to the menu. “This one, with Grand Marnier.”

Ricki looked over the drinks menu. “I think I’ll try one, too.”

While they drank margaritas and ate enchiladas, Ricki didn’t have to do a whole lot of talking, for which she was grateful. It had been a long day of being on her feet and she felt more like listening than talking. The more Deena drank, the more she chattered on, which was a lot.

While Ricki drank her own margarita, she became more and more relaxed and found herself laughing at Deena’s stories.

Deena told Ricki about her childhood in Texas, moving to Tucson, her years at the university, and the jerks she’d dated over the years.

After they ate dinner, they moved into the bar portion of the restaurant, sat at a high top and Ricki ordered her second margarita while Deena had a third. Ricki couldn’t help noticing how men in the bar were clearly checking Deena out.

Deena continued chatting like there hadn’t been any kind of interruption. But when she reached the point in her story where she married a man from New York, she sobered a little. “Biggest mistake I ever made. Like I told you that night we had dinner at your house, the bastard abused me.” She touched her hand to her hair as if to push it away from her face but her fingers found nothing but the thick, cropped strands. It made Ricki wonder how long she’d had short hair. Deena made a sour face. “Men suck.”

“Some men do, like my ex.” Ricki set her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand. “But some men are pretty good guys,” she added as she thought of Garrett.

Deena gave a decisively unladylike snort. “Eventually they all screw you over.” She waved her hand as if waving away the notion of even considering a man to be a good guy. “I’m through with them.”

Ricki couldn’t think of anything to say. She held a lot of grudges against her ex, but she’d had to let go of the anger or she knew it would weigh her down even more than her depression already did. She had to believe in the goodness in people and not let it color her world in dark shades.

“It’s been a little rough since I divorced him.” Deena sighed. “I’ve had two close friends exit my life. After the last one, I had to get out of town. I just couldn’t take being in Tucson after she was gone.”

“It sounds like you’ve been through a lot.” Ricki studied Deena who looked away for a long moment. “You said you had two friends leave your life. What happened to them if you don’t mind me asking?”

Deena gripped her large margarita glass. It was her fourth. When she spoke again her words were slurred a bit from having had too much alcohol. “My friend, Celia, just up and disappeared one day. Apparently she ran off and no one has seen her since.”

Ricki shook her head. “That must have been terrible to have someone you care about vanish.”

Deena nodded, her eyes going a little unfocused. “As far as Maria…she was murdered.”

A hard weight dropped in Ricki’s belly and her eyes widened. She reached out and put her hand over Deena’s on the tabletop. “That’s horrible.”

Deena’s shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh. “They were both my roommates. First Celia, and then several months after she disappeared, Maria moved in with me.” Deena’s eyes glittered with tears. “After she was killed, I decided I’m not meant to have a roommate.”

“I’m so sorry, Deena.” Ricki’s throat felt tight as she squeezed Deena’s hand.

Deena looked grateful and interlaced her fingers with Ricki’s as she stared into Ricki’s eyes. “I miss them.”

Despite the level of tipsiness, thanks to her two margaritas, Ricki had the most bizarre sensations go through her as Deena held her hand with their fingers locked together. Ricki straightened in her chair and slipped her fingers from Deena’s.

“If only they—” Deena stopped herself and folded both hands on the tabletop. When she looked at Ricki again, her expression was regretful, like she’d said too much.

“If only they what?” Ricki prompted.

Deena shook her head. “Enough about things we can’t change.” She picked up her margarita glass and drained it. When she set her glass down it thumped hard on the wooden surface of the table. “I’ve done most of the talking. Why don’t you tell me more about you? Boyfriends, girlfriends, lovers, friends. Everything.”

Ricki didn’t know if it was the margaritas she’d had, or Deena’s directness, but she felt heat flush beneath her skin. Ricki didn’t think she could be as open about everything as Deena had been. Not to mention she hadn’t had a lot of lovers. As a matter of fact she’d just had the one man she’d ever gone to bed with, her ex-husband, and that had proven to be one big crappy experience.

When Ricki hesitated, Deena folded her arms on the tabletop and said, “What about women?”

Ricki frowned. “In regards to what?”

Deena leaned closer. “Since men totally suck, have you ever thought about being with a woman instead of a man?”

Ricki felt even warmer than she had earlier and her head swam a little. Deena had obviously had far too much to drink. As a matter of fact, Ricki was pretty sure she herself was beyond her alcohol threshold with two large margaritas.

“Well?” Deena looked at Ricki expectantly.

“Not really,” Ricki said hesitantly.

“Ah-ha.” Deena grinned. “You didn’t flat out say no. So tell me, have you ever been with a woman?”

Ricki’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t believe she was telling Deena what had happened in college. “I got drunk once and a woman kissed me. Just once. I woke up thinking ‘what did I do?’”

Something flared in Deena’s eyes. “And?”

Ricki swallowed. “I wondered for a long time why I did that and wondered if I liked it.”

“Did you?” Deena asked, looking like she was on the edge of her seat.

Ricki glanced away for a moment and shrugged. “I realized it was just the alcohol and the fact that I was young.”

Deena shook her head. “You liked it because women get it. Men are just jerks.”

For the first time, Ricki wondered if Deena was not just a man hater, but was she bi? Or even a lesbian? Some of her best friends were gay. It wasn’t Ricki’s thing, but if Deena was a lesbian, Ricki might be able to hook her up with her friends who could fill her in on the local scene.

Uncomfortable with the conversation, Ricki changed the subject and soon they were talking about the most well-known of Prescott’s older families, namely the Johnsons and the McBrides.

It was ten by the time Ricki felt like the two margaritas she’d had earlier were a distant memory. “I’ve got to get baking early in the morning.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m out way past my curfew.”

“This was fun.” They both stood as Deena spoke. “We need to do this again, soon.”

“I had a terrific time.” Ricki nodded. “Maybe we can have another girls’ night out next week.”

Deena grinned. “It’s a date.”

Saturday morning Ricki was working in the bakery and had just finished making a fresh pot of coffee. She’d been distracted, once again thinking about Garrett, and had forgotten to put the freshly ground coffee into the filter before brewing. She’d ended up with a nice pot of hot water that she’d had to discard.

He hadn’t called her since he’d dropped in at the bakery earlier in the week, and tomorrow was Easter. She felt like a schoolgirl waiting for the phone to ring and it hadn’t. He also hadn’t stopped by in the morning for his usual scone and coffee.

Had he gone out of town? Or had he decided he didn’t want to see her and was trying to let her down easy?

The thought of Garrett not wanting to see her again made her chest ache and she shook her head. Her longtime crush on the man had developed into something more and she feared she was going to end up getting her heart broken. That’s all there was to it.

Still she planned on making cookies for Garrett’s family later this afternoon so that they’d be fresh come tomorrow. Honestly, Garrett didn’t strike her as the type of man who would ask her out then decide not to take her. Even if he wanted to break off any start to a relationship, he’d still plan on taking her to the family outing.

She wiped down the large thermos that she’d just spilled coffee on. She really needed to get her mind back on her job.

Would Deena be in today like she had been all week? Ricki found herself looking forward to seeing her friend. It was a nice break to her day.

Garrett would be a
really
nice break to the day.

Ricki slipped into the back to grab a tray of pastries that were ready to be put on display. Before she could get to the tray, she heard the bells jangling at the front door. She put on a smile and headed back out to the front and stopped in her tracks.

Garrett.
He looked so sexy in his off-white western shirt, straw Stetson, Wranglers, and scuffed brown leather boots. His blue eyes seemed to burn as he studied her, his expression unreadable.

She felt a now familiar flip-flop in her belly when he looked at her. He had a way of studying her that made her feel like he wanted to cart her away and make love to her.

If he wanted her right this minute, she’d be more than ready. She imagined him taking her up against the wall and—

Her thoughts broke off as he raised an eyebrow, as if he could hear what was going on in her mind. Her face warmed.

“Hi, Garrett.” She swallowed and offered him a smile. “Missed seeing you in here this week.”

He moved closer, standing on the opposite side of the case. “You missed me?”

She felt her face grow hotter, but she tried to give him a light response. “Of course. I’ve had blueberry scones and coffee ready just for you.”

“I’ve been out of town.” He continued to study her. “I tried calling and left a couple of messages on your cell phone. Did you change your mind about tomorrow?”

She furrowed her brow. “I didn’t get any calls or messages from you. Do you have the right number?”

Garrett drew a cell phone out of a holster on his belt and checked it. He gave her the number he’d called.