KILLER DATE (SCANDALS) (8 page)

“Yeah, well,
with
my family, the holidays weren’t so special.”

“But now it’ll be different…since you have a new family, I mean.”

“Will it?  I don’t know.  I guess I don’t know how to fit into that kind of dynamic.”  I pushed around the romaine lettuce on my plate.  I hadn’t thought far enough ahead to know how I felt about staying in Austin long enough to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with my new siblings.  Always in the back of my mind was my little apartment just two blocks off the Strip.  It was my man cave…a place where I could go and be alone and shut out the rest of the world.  As much as I like to entertain and be on stage with a big audience, I valued my time of solitude once I shut and locked that door.

Could I give up my space?  Was it possible for me to share my life with someone?
Were these women and men who shared my inheritance destined to be long-term friends?  Or were they going to become those long-distance relatives you FaceTime on birthdays and sent Olive Garden gift cards for Christmas?

“My family was everything to me.  I’ve spent the last five years honoring my parents’ w
ishes to keep my sister and me together.  Aren’t your brothers and sisters important to you?” she asked, her eyes boring into mine, searching for a truth I didn’t have.

Jenny wanted honesty…
well, I’d give her honesty. 

“I don’t know
.  Right now, they are still strangers who have been thrown into this DNA stew with me.  I have no idea if they’ll be in my life forever…or if I’ll leave next week and never see them again.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Our steaks arrived, along with another round of drinks.  Jenny picked up her glass and took a sip.  “These are fantastic.  I rarely drink, you know…oh, maybe an occasional margarita…funny, huh, since I’m a bartender…”

Two Su
mmer Splashes and she was already a little tipsy.  I wasn’t going to stop her.  She was pretty cute when she didn’t have her guard up or she wasn’t in take-care-of-my-sister mode.  “Your lobster looks good.”

She nodded, but didn’t move to eat it. 

“Is there something wrong?” I asked.

“It’s my first lobs
ter.  I’m not sure what to do with it.”  She seemed a little embarrassed to admit, but the lobster, lying on a bed of kale on the platter intimidated her.

“I’m no expert,
but I’ve eaten a few lobsters in my day.  Most of the casinos have great seafood buffets, and I get a lot of complimentary meals.”  I reached over to her plate and demonstrated how to open the tail and extract the meat.  I cut off a piece, dipped it in drawn butter, then held it to her lips.  Obediently, she opened her mouth and took a bite.  I watched as she savored the delicacy on her tongue.

“Oh my
,” she moaned.  Her eyelids lowered in pure delight.  “This is so good.”

The thought that that was how she probably looked after she had been properly fucked flashed randomly across my mind. 
Thick black lashes fanned over her cheeks and her full lips, shiny with butter and very kissable, parted slightly.

Shit, what was wrong with me?  She was a nice girl, but not for me. 
Definitely not the kind of girl to have a one-night stand.  I shook my head to clear my thoughts and focused on my steak.  Of course, it was perfectly done, and neither of us spoke for the next few minutes as we enjoyed our meals. 

When there was nothing left but an empty lobster shell in front of her and an empty plate in front of me
, Jonathan took our dishes away, and Amber appeared with a dessert tray from which we selected a vanilla bean crème brûlée that we could share.

“I’m really too full for dessert, but I love crème brûlée,” she told me as Jonathan put a fresh drink in front of her and took away her empty glass.  I shook my head, declining another beer.

“So, tell me the truth about your names,” she said as she sipped her drink.  “I read in the paper that you were all named after cities where you were conceived.”

I nodded.  “I’m afraid that’s true.  And all the time I was growing up, I thought I’d been named Reno because my mom loved the city.  Imagine how much I got teased in school.  I used
to tell people my name was Renoldo.  I thought it would look good on a marquee…
The Great Renoldo
.”

“And Christopher isn’t related?”

“No, but he worked for Roger since high school and all through college.  His mom, Pam, is our receptionist.  She and Roger have been dating for a while before…you know…but no kids.”

“
You could have a brother or sister named Austin…or Travis.  How do you know there aren’t others?”

“
We don’t.  But Harlan was pretty sure he had found us all.  Roger actually followed us long-distance as we were growing up and going through school.  He left us all an envelope of clippings and old photos.  I guess our mothers must have stayed in touch.”

“Were you born in Reno?
”

“Yes.  I didn’t leave
town until the night I graduated from high school.”

“What about everyone else?”

“Tulsa was raised in foster homes in Oklahoma, Killeen grew up in Ft. Worth with her mom and step-dad, Liberty lived in a commune in Waco and Dallas’ parents live in Dallas.  He’s pre-law at UT, so although we sort of started the same way, our childhoods were very different.”

The crème brûlée arrived, and it tasted even better than it looked.  Jenny drained her third Summer Splash and another magically appeared on the table.  It was
n’t really magic…it was Amber who, I had to admit, was very good at her job…and probably a lot of other things, but I wasn’t going to find out.

I looked up to see Jenny study
ing me intently…or at least as intently as possible after four rum-based drinks.

“What?” I asked, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

“I’m not okay yet with where Angie is and what’s going on…but I’m having a really good time tonight.  I don’t date much…if you haven’t already guessed.”

I grinned.  She didn’t come across as a smooth operator.  I was used to women who knew just what to say and when to say it.  Jenny was completely natural…
she said what she was thinking, regardless of how it came out.  I had to admit that it was pretty refreshing.  “It’s good for you to get out and have a chance to relax a little.  It sounds like you work too much.”

Her words were a little slurred as she answered, “I couldn’t agree more.  I wanted to go to college, you know, but I had to work so Angie could get her degree.”

“I’m sure she appreciates that…”

“Ha!  She just blew off summer session for some guy.  I’d have never done that.”

I studied her for a moment.  She seemed a little sad…and very disappointed in her sister.  She had sacrificed her own education and probably her love life, and wasn’t feeling like it was being appreciated.  “What did you want to be?  I mean, what kind of degree did you want to get?”

She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.  “I love teaching.  But I’d rather teach older kids, maybe elementary
or even middle school.”

“Then why don’t you go to college as soon as Angie graduates?”

Jenny snorted.  “
If
she graduates.  Now that she’s distracted by a guy…”

“Have you ever been distracted by a guy?”  It was a personal question, but I really wanted to hear the answer. 

She shook her head.  “I don’t even have time to get a haircut.”  She ran her fingers through her shiny dark hair.  “That’s why I wear it so short.  It’s easy to take care of.”

“It l
ooks good on you.  Like a sprite or a character in
Lord of the Rings
.”

She tilted her head and her eyes twinkled.  “
That sounds interesting.  Being called a sprite is so much more attractive than being called an elf.”

I laughed out loud.  “You’re perfect, just as you are.”

Her expression grew solemn.  “My mother used to tell me that, but, of course, I blew it off because mothers have to say things like that.”  She finished her drink, and I could see she was having trouble focusing.

“I think it’s time we headed out,” I suggested gently.

“Right,” she agreed as if she suddenly realized the room was starting to spin.  She reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope full of money.

“
I can’t let you pay for dinner.  It’s too expensive.”

“I’m not,” she told me with a smile.  “Ang
ie is.  And I’m not paying her back.  After what she put me through, she owes me.”

“
Okay, then let me pay my half.”  I took one of the dark blue water glasses off the unoccupied table next to us.  I held it up and allowed her to inspect it.  “Empty?”

“Empty,” s
he agreed.

I set
the glass on our table and then handed her my butter knife, handle end first.  “Tap the glass and say the magic phrase.”

“What magic phrase?”

“Abracadabra.  It’s from the Aramaic, you know, the
Arabian Nights
story.  It means
I create as I speak…
roughly. 

She tapped the side of the glass and said, “Abracadabra
,” then looked at me expectantly.

“
Pick up the glass.”

Jenny reached over and slowly picked up the glass.  A
folded fifty dollar bill fell to the table.  “How did you do that?”

“
Maybe I didn’t…maybe you did.”

“That’s so cool.  If I could learn how to do that,
I wouldn’t have to work weekends.”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

She laughed.  “Trade secrets, huh?”

“Actually, I
heard that everyone should be able to do one card trick, tell two jokes and recite two poems in case you’re ever trapped in an elevator.”

“
Lemony Snicket, right?”

I was surprised she knew, but then I shouldn’t have been.  Don’t ever challenge a pre-school teacher on children’s literature.  “Yeah, you got me.  I’m a sucker for the movie
A Series of Unfortunate Events
.”

“You identified with the orphans
, didn’t you?”

“Sort of.
  Except I didn’t have any brothers or sisters…or at least, I didn’t think I did.”

“
Your mom’s still alive, isn’t she?”

I shrugged.  I honestly had no idea.  The night I graduated from high school, I came home and she was passed out on the couch.  I packed my shit, left her a note and hitchhiked to Vegas.   “Probably, but I don’t know.
I haven’t heard from her or tried to contact her since.”

“That’s so sad.  Almost all of my memories of my childhood were wonderful. 
How awful for you to be completely alone.”

Okay, I’d never really considered myself to be alone.  I always thought I was a loner by choice.  She was way off.  Being alone sounded pathetic, but being a loner sounded brave and bold.  I was able to take care of myself…without anyone’s
help.  I was proud of that.  It was one of the only things my mother had taught me.

She must have sensed my lack of enthusiasm with continuing that conversation, so she smoothly switched subjects.  “So, you’ve shown me the trick…
”

“Illusion…not trick,” I corrected her.
“I didn’t really trick you.”

“Whatever.  So
now, tell me two jokes.”

“
Nope, we’re not trapped in an elevator.  Besides, the only poems I know are dirty.”

“
Like I’ve never heard a dirty joke.  During the day I hear poop jokes and at the bar guys seem to think dirty jokes are sexy.”

I pretended to be shocked.  “You mean they’re not?”

“Nothing turns me off faster.”

What turn
s you on?
flashed through my mind, but I bit it back before I actually spoke it out loud.  Jenny was such a contradiction that I couldn’t quite figure her out.  Outwardly, she looked like an edgy rocker chick, but the more I got to know her, I realized she was relatively inexperienced and very vulnerable.  I had a feeling that if a man were to care enough to get really close…as in naked close…he’d have to take it slow and not frighten her away.  She’d been cautious and focused for so many years, that it wouldn’t be easy for her to let go.  I was not the kind of man who took anything slow.  And I didn’t take advantage of helpless females.  Jenny for all her fierce bravado could take care of her sister, but didn’t know how to take care of herself.

Jenny looked around and tried to find Amber.  “I think I’d like another one of those lemonades.”

I was afraid another drink would wipe her out completely, so I shook my head when I saw Amber heading our way.  “I think it’s time we left.”

“Ah, come on. 
I’ll probably never make it back here and this was the best night I’ve had in a long time.”

“Me, to
o,” I told her, and I was amazed to realize that that was absolutely true.

She pulled a one hundred dollar bill out of her envelope and added the fifty that had appeared under the glass.  “Is that enough?  For some reason, I can’t figure out how much tip I need to leave.”

“That’s good.” 

She stood and had to grab the back of her chair to keep from swaying. 
“Did you feel that?”

“What?”

“The earth moved.”

I knew it was rum-related, but I didn’t think she would appreciate me pointing that out.  “You must have stood up too quickly.”  I put my arm around her waist and steadied her as we walked toward the door.  As we passed
Amber, I slipped her another $100 and got a flirtatious wink in return.  Jenny didn’t notice because she was digging around in her purse, searching for her car keys.  As soon as she pulled them out, I took them.

“I’ll drive,” I told her.

She started to protest, but she must have realized she was just a little bit tipsy, so she relaxed and leaned against me, accepting my support. 

Luckily, she gave me her address as soon as
we got into the car because she was asleep before we were out of the parking lot.  I punched the address into my phone and let Siri guide me across Austin until I reached a tree-lined street on the other side of I-35.  It wasn’t a great part of town, but from the mixture of old homes and new builds, it appeared this was one of the areas that was enjoying a rebirth fueled by young professionals who wanted to stay close to the action downtown, but had grown tired of apartments and condos.  Jenny’s duplex was nestled between two large two-story houses, one of which had been completely remodeled, and the other that was in the process of being torn down to make way for a brand new structure.