Tangled Mess (10 page)

Ransom

The blush on her cheeks was priceless, making me want her even more. I couldn’t have been stiffer if I were a corpse.

Down boy.

“Would you just stop,” she laughed nervously.

“
Now what fun is there for me in that?” I asked, my eyes traveling to her tank top, which hugged her round breasts in a way that was making my mouth water. I found myself wondering if the rosy color of Tiffany’s cheeks matched her nipples, and repositioned my legs.

She rolled her eyes.
“You’re such a dork.”

I reached over and brushed a strand of
blond hair from her mouth. “Yeah, but you love it. Just admit it.”

“
Arrogant. That’s one thing that will never change.”

“I have to hold on to something,” I replied with a smirk.

“Right.”

I looked around her apartment, which
was small but homey, and sighed. “This is nice, isn’t it? Eating pizza, watching a rented movie, doing… normal things.”

She shrugged.
“Yeah, I suppose.”

“
Well, you might not appreciate it as much as I do because
norma
l isn’t a part of my life, anymore. So when random
normalness
happens, it’s… kind of, I don’t know… cool.”

“
Oh.”

I
grabbed a piece of pizza and raised it to my lips. “Dig in,” I said, before biting down. “You’re safe, I left out the anchovies.”

“Okay, but I’m warning you, excessive carbs make me
a little crazy.”

I
smiled. “What does wine and excessive carbs do?”

Her eyes lit up.
“I’ve been known to dance on tables, sing too loud, and-”

“Get naked?” I interrupted
, wiggling my eyebrows.

She clucked her tongue
and sighed. “Oh boy.”

“Sorry.
After what happened earlier today, I can’t seem to get my mind out of the gutter.”

“Yeah, about that,”
she said, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“
It wasn’t
your
fault,” I said. “In fact, I pretty much attacked you.”

She lifted her glass from the coffee table.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly fighting you off.”

“I didn’t think you would
.”

Her jaw dropped.
“What?”

“Come on Taffy,
just admit it, you’ve always had a thing for me,” I joked.

Her left eyebrow arched. “Excuse me?
”

“It’s true,” I said, enjoying the fire in her eyes.
I’d almost forgotten how much fun it was to get her riled. “Hell, you’re undressing me with your eyes, right now.”

Her jaw dropped. “Oh my God! You are
so
obnoxious and conceited.”

“
And sexy,” I said with a cocky grin. “You left that part out.”

Her cheeks flushed. “O
kay, fine! I’ll admit that I may have had a crush on you when I was young and very naive, but that was then, and this is now.”

I put
my plate on the coffee table. “Really?” I asked, turning towards her. I put my arm on the back of the sofa and leaned closer, “because that kiss, earlier, it was pretty fucking intense. I find it hard to believe that it didn’t mean anything at all.”

“I
t didn’t.” She sat up straighter. “You caught me off guard, and well, it’s been awhile since anyone’s kissed me.”

“A girl as beautiful as you, I find it hard to believe.”

“I haven’t been exactly looking for a boyfriend, and I don’t hook-up with guys just for… just for sex. Not like what you’re used to, I’m sure.”

“
I respect that,” I said, which was the truth. “More than you know.”

She stared at me for a minute
, and sighed. “I’ve grown up, Ransom, and I’m certainly not one of those star-struck groupies who’ll bend to your every whim. What happened earlier was a mistake. In every way.”

I scratched my head. “Wow, you sure know how to crush a guy’s ego.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Somehow I’m sure
you’ll
get over it.”

“You must think I’m a real shit,” I said. “That I jump into bed with any willing chick
, and then forget about her the next day?”

“Don’t you?”

I grinned. “Actually, it’s the other way around, they jump into
my
bed. But, I’ll admit, I do forget about them the next day. Most of the girls that end up in my bed
are
very forgettable.”

“
Wow… you’re nice.”

“
Oh hell, they’re only after me because of what I represent, Taffy. I’m famous, and I have a shitload of money. Do any of them ever ask what my favorite color is, if I like to read, or hell, why I have a scar on my chest? No, they only care about what’s below the belt, one of which is my wallet and the other, I don’t think I have to spell it out for you.”

“How is that, by the way?”

I arched my eyebrow and grinned wickedly. 

She rolled her eyes.
“No, you goofball, your heart?”

I’d been
born with a hole in my heart, one that they’d repaired with surgery, when I was very young. There hadn’t been any complications, and from what I’d been told growing up, it was nothing to worry about.

“
Well, it hasn’t been broken yet.”

“
Not what I meant.”

“I’m fine. Never been any problems.”

“Should you be drinking?”

I picked up the glass of wine
, and took a drink. “Isn’t wine supposed to be good for your health?”

“
I have no idea, but if it really is, then I’m assuming it should be done in moderation.”

“Are you
also assuming that I don’t do it in moderation?”

“Something tells
me that there’s nothing you do in moderation.”

I put a hand over my chest. “Now
that
hurts. You’re a cruel, cruel woman.”

“Eat your pizza, it’s getting cold.”

I smiled.

My cell phone started ringing
, and I cursed myself for not turning it back off the moment I walked into her apartment. I took it out of my jeans and sighed.

Remy.

“It’s my sister. Something must be up. She never calls me at night”

“T
hen you’d better answer it. It might be really important.”

I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like a cloud of doom had
settle over us. I answered anyway. “Hey Remy, what’s up?”

She was sobbing. “Ransom…”

I tensed up. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s mom,”
she moaned. “She’s been killed!”

Tiffany

Ransom’s face went completely white. “What?” he mumbled hoarsely into the phone
. After a few seconds, he stood up and turned his back to me. There was no mistaking the way his shoulders slumped, that something was very wrong. After a few muffled words, his shoulders began to shake, and I could tell he was crying.

I
got off the sofa, and touched his arm, trying to give him some kind of comfort. I had no idea what Remy was saying, but it was wrecking him.

“Okay,” he said
, turning away from me again. “I’ll see you in a few hours. Love you too.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked
after he hung up, and faced me, his eyes glossy.

“I have to leave,”
he said, his voice thick.

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

He paused and cleared his throat. “My mother was murdered. I have to go.”

I stared at him in horror.
“What?!”

He started punching numbers into his phone. “They don’t know what happened.
The housekeeper found her. Someone… shot her.”

I covered my mouth
. “I’m so sorry, Ransom.”

“I have to leave,” he mumbled, putting the phone to his ear.  “Yeah, it’s me. I ne
ed you guys to pick me back up. Yes, right now. Something’s come up.” He hung up and turned back to me. “I’m going to wait downstairs for the car,” he said. “Sorry about cutting this short.”

I put my hand on his arm. “Ransom, I’m
so
sorry. I loved Carol. God, she was such a wonderful woman. I wish there was something I could do for you and Remy.”

His eyes flashed angrily. “Me, too. I wish I could f
ind the bastard who did this, shoot him in the face, and then run him over with my car before shooting him the face again.”

“Hopefully the cops will find out who did this and bring
some kind of justice.”

“They’d better,” he
said in a clipped voice. He backed up, and avoided my eyes again. “I’ll call you and let you know what I find out.”

I took a deep breath, closed the distance between us, and
threw my arms around him. “I’m here for you and Remy. Call me no matter what, okay?”

His body relaxed
, and he slid his arms around me. “Thanks Taffy,” he whispered into my hair, his breath warm.

I closed my eyes
. If there was one thing I knew, Ransom loved Carol more than life itself, and the pain had to be devastating. “Anytime, Ransom.”

He squeezed my body tightly and then released me. “I’ll call you.” 

I nodded.

Then he turned away, and walked out the door.

***

Carol’s murder was all over the news
the following day, along with photos of Ransom and Remy as they tried to avoid the media going to and from their parent’s home. Rumors of the murder had also spread like wildfire, most of it being that it was a hate-crime against Ransom. As a celebrity, I knew he had to have a lot of enemies, some of them seriously psychotic and it made me wonder if continuing with Icon was a mistake. Right now my life was simple and the only people I pissed off were clients who didn’t like the way their hair had turned out, and thankfully, that was a rare occurrence.

I called Remy
in the morning, and left my condolences on her voicemail. When she returned my call later in the day, I could tell that she was barely keeping it together.

“Tiffany, the funeral is in four days. You’re coming, right?”

“Of course, Rem.”

She paused. “I figured, but just wanted to know for sure.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’ll be better when Taylor arrives. He’s in Florida right now, doing some kind of promotional thing
for Icon.”

“When’s he getting back?”

“Tonight,” she answered, sniffling. “Hold on,” she said and then blew her nose. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, silly. Listen, if you need
anything
, let me know.”

“I just need to see you soon, Tiff. We’re
having a private wake the night before the funeral. Can you make that, too?”

“
I’ll do my best.”

She gave me the address
and I wrote it down. I knew I had appointments, but there was no way I’d disappoint her, and decided to call my clients as quickly as possible, to reschedule.

“How’s Ransom doing?”

She snorted. “He left early this morning and then came back, drunk. He passed out about four hours ago in his old room, and is still sleeping.”

“I’m sure this is hard for everyone.”

“Right,” she mumbled. “He’s hardly visited her at all these past few months, and he lives in California, for God’s sake.”

“Doesn’t he travel a lot?”

“Yes, but he still could have seen her plenty. Obviously, he was too busy partying and raising hell. It just makes me so sick sometimes, you know? Just because he’s famous now doesn’t give him an excuse to be a jackass.”

“I don’t think
he’s very happy.”

“
Boo hoo,” she mumbled. “He has everything he’s always wanted, and if that doesn’t make him happy, then he seriously needs help.”

Not wanting to get her any angrier, I changed the subject. “
Okay forget Ransom, how are
really
doing?”

She released a shaky breath. “
I miss her so much. I mean I talked on the phone with every day, and she was always there for me.
Always
. God, I keep checking my phone, expecting to see a missed call from her or a text.” Her voice hitched.  “I just don’t know how I’m going to get through my wedding without her at my side.”

“You will, sweetie. And
she
would want you to,” I said, remembering how I’d said these same words to myself when my own mother had died. It had become a mantra, and although I’d had a hard time believing it at first, over time it had actually helped me cope.

“I know you’ve been through this,”
she said softly. “And I wish I would have been there for you, knowing how much pain you went through. I feel like such a selfish bitch.”

“
No… no… no. You had your own grief to deal with,” I replied. “I didn’t expect anything from you and… it was something that I had to deal with myself. Just like with your mom. It’s great having friends and family with you, but at night, when you’re lying in bed, and thinking about the person you lost, that’s when it gets really difficult anyway. Just remember that I’m always here for you. No matter the distance, no matter the hour. You call me if you need to talk.”

“I love you Tiff,” she said softly. “And I’ve missed you.”

“I love you too Rem. Don’t worry, you’ll get through this. It hurts, and the pain feels like it’s never going to end, but you’ll get through this. Just take it one day at a time.”

“I hope so. One moment I feel numb
and like I can’t cry another tear, the next, I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. It’s horrible.”

“I know.”

It had been hell for me too, especially when I had to go through all of her things. The photographs, the familiar scent of perfume in her sweaters, and all of the silly things I’d made for her in school that she’d cherished and kept. It was then that the finality of it really hit me hard. My mom was gone, and never coming back.

She blew her nose again.
“Oh… Taylor is trying to call, I’d better answer it. I’ll call you later.”

“Just when you have a chance. I know you’re busy with everything.”

“Never too busy for you. I’m not making any more mistakes with our friendship, Tiff.” 

I smiled. Sometimes it took a loss to appreciate
what you still had. “You didn’t make any mistakes, hon. Just remember that.”

“Regardless, I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.”

After we hung up, I
scarfed down a turkey sandwich, and then greeted my last customer of the day. After determining what she wanted, I went into the back room to search for a suitable hair color when Sinclair stormed in.

“Damm
it, I’m done with men,” she snarled, clenching her teeth. She was pacing and had her cell phone gripped tightly in her hand.

“What’s wrong?”

Stopping, s
he folded her arms under her chest and leaned back against the wall. “Reed. I haven’t been able to get a hold of him, and Jesse said he’s not returning any of his calls either.”

“I
s he in court or with a client?” I asked. It was four o’clock and that didn’t seem unreasonable.

“No. Well, not that I know of. It’s just…”

“What?”

She sighed. “We got into this argument last night after he was late for dinner.
We argued and then he left. I more or less kicked him out.”

“
Oh my God, why?”

She stared
down at her sandals. “I was pissed. I’d planned this romantic evening for the both of us, and had warned him about being late, that I had something very important that I wanted to tell him. Well,” she looked up, “he didn’t show up until after nine, and his excuse was that he had to give that bimbo assistant of his a ride home because her car was in the shop.”

“
Ah,” I replied, remembering how Sinclair had complained about her.

“What pisses me off is that he was supposed to be home by seven-thirty.
” Her lips thinned. “I guess that after he drove chesty home, she asked if he could look at her computer, because it
supposedly
had a virus or something. Claimed she couldn’t get into her work files. So, obviously, he had to stick around and help the little witch.”

“D
id he call you?”

“No. He said he lost track of time.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“I think the only virus that woman has is between her legs,” she mumbled, tears in her eyes.
“I’ve seen the way she stares at him. Like he’s the last man on earth, and it’s her mission to repopulate the planet. And obviously, he’s clueless. Dammit, why are men so clueless?
Especially
Reed?”

I wanted to point out that it was possible they weren’t as clueless as she presumed, but that wasn’t going to help the situation.

“Do you trust him?”

“I want to.
I really do. But now Jesse says that I should give up on him after hearing about this,” she wiped a tear from her cheek. “He doesn’t think Reed will change. Thinks he’s always going to be a player. How am I supposed to trust someone whose own brother thinks he’s a scoundrel?”

“
Good point, but he doesn’t sleep with Reed, and he doesn’t know what’s really in his brother’s heart. What do you feel in
your
heart?”

She smiled bitterly.
“I don’t know. It’s my head that’s telling me to be careful. I’ve learned that my heart is gullible, and to not trust it too much.”

“Have you accused him of cheating to his face?”

“It kind of came out last night. I didn’t exactly accuse him of cheating, though. I did accuse him of being easily manipulated by women.”

“So he left?”

“Well,” she smiled sheepishly. “I kind of pressured him to leave after he stuck up for Nina and said that I was being ridiculous.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I said, resting my hand on her shoulder. “My
experience with guys hasn’t been all that good either.”

“
Men are fucking pricks,” replied Thane, the owner of Tangled, as he walked into the back room, and filled the small space with his massive frame. “That’s all you need to know.”

“You’ve mentioned that before, Mufasa,” chuckled Sinclair.
“But your own actions prove otherwise.”

With his shoulder-length blonde
hair, and golden eyes, we referred to him as “The Lion King”, not only because of his ruggedly handsome looks, but the fact that he was very protective of all of us. Especially after Sera, our nail technician, had ended up in the hospital after being attacked in her garage a couple of weeks earlier. Not only had he paid for a new security system for her home, but he spent a lot of nights there as well, making us wonder if there was something more going on between them.

He grabbed a broom and dustpan.
“That’s because I don’t mix business and pleasure. It’s a very bad combination.”

“What about Sera?” I teased.

“Sera? She doesn’t mix business and pleasure either. At least, as far as I know.”

“Right,” chuckled Sinclair.

He cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh nothing,” she
said innocently.