Chapter 14
Two days later, Suzy and Hope were perched at their familiar high-top table at Coconuts. As usual, Alex was the last to arrive and breezed inside with explanations ranging from traffic, road construction, jerks sandwiching her in on the road, to having to work late at the bank. She joked, “Pick an excuse. Any excuse.”
Suzy waved her hand as if she didn’t want to hear it.
Alex ignored Suzy’s obvious annoyance and scanned the crowd of regulars who were as much a fixture at the restaurant-bar as the beachy wall mural. “I don’t know how we’d survive without this oasis.”
“Ditto.” Suzy’s eyebrows shot up as a new server rushed over and extended his hand. She returned the gesture and Hope followed suit.
Alex kept her hands in her lap but the new server insisted on thrusting his beefy hand in her face. After he had held it in her space for far too long, Alex caved in, and obliged. When his sweaty hand locked with hers, she inadvertently made a face. “Where’s Gus?”
The new server puffed out his chest. “He’s getting his wisdom teeth pulled and will be off for a day or two. You gorgeous ladies are stuck with Jeff.” He studied each of them for several seconds too long. “Lucky Jeff.”
Alex leaned forward. “I take it your name is ‘Jeff?’”
He preened and sucked in his belly covered by a tee two sizes too small. “Yeppers. Jeff. The one and only. What are you beauties having?”
Alex turned toward Suzy and rolled her eyes.
Suzy took charge and ordered for all of them, pointing as she matched her respective friends with their drink orders. “She’ll have a chardonnay, I’ll have a merlot, and Hope will have a margarita.”
“Got it. Thanks, lovelies.” Jeff headed to the bar.
Alex dug in her purse. “I’m going to prison.”
“Because he called us ‘beauties’ and ‘lovelies’?” Suzy asked.
“Or are you planning corporate espionage or possibly a heist?” Hope giggled.
Alex kept her head down while she fished in her purse. “Where’s my damn antibacterial gel?”
“I think you missed a step. Back to your prison comment—” Suzy said as Jeff set a merlot in front of her.
“And for the luscious blonde.” Jeff plunked a glass of chardonnay in front of Alex while simultaneously brushing against her shoulder. She ignored him and continued searching her bag.
Hope spotted her margarita on his tray. “I think you forgot mine.”
“Oh, sorry. I was distract—”
“Whatever.” Hope frowned as she reached for her salty-rimmed drink.
When all three women ignored him, Jeff eventually got the message and retreated.
“Finally!” Alex held a small bottle of stress-free antibacterial gel in the air. “Now I can get his germs off my hands.”
“I never use the stuff,” Hope said. “My immune system must be like kryptonite after being around hundreds of students at Hilltop High all day.”
Alex laughed. “That or you’ll catch every cold and flu known to woman.”
Suzy put her hands on her hips. “Will you please finish your prison comment?”
Alex rubbed her hands with the eucalyptus-scented liquid. “It’s simple really. Perfectly straightforward.”
Suzy and Hope both leaned forward. “And?” they asked in unison.
Alex cleared her throat for emphasis. “Jeff has sweaty hands. He looks clammy. Therefore, I assume he isn’t the type to wash his hands after he uses the bathroom.”
Hope threw her hands in the air. “And you’re going to kill him for that and go to prison?”
“Stay with me. Jeff probably has urine, semen, or worse, a pubic hair on his hands. Now that shit is inside my purse. What if someone steals my purse or if I, God forbid, lost it. Then, consequently, what if something dire happened to Jeff? They’d trace his DNA to my purse. I’d be the lead suspect. The cops would think I was the one who did something to Jeff because his genes are now in my purse.” Alex crossed her arms, leaned back, and beamed. “I told you it made perfect sense.”
Suzy cupped her hand over her mouth to suppress giggles. “Thank God I don’t have OCD.” She rubbed Alex’s shoulder. “Hon, you’ve been hanging around that cop too long.”
Hope nudged Alex with her elbow. “I’ve had enough bad luck for a lifetime. Pass the antibacterial.”
Alex handed her the tiny green bottle. “I just have time for one drink, girls. Early morning tomorrow at the bank.”
“Same here, only at school,” Hope said.
Suzy took a sip of wine. “I know I’m lucky. I love working from home. No early morning meetings are definitely one of the great benefits.” She frowned. “But a regular salary would be nice. I need to drum up some wedding business.”
“I’d kill to work from home.” Alex scanned the crowded room. “Since we’re all in a hurry, maybe we can meet again tomorrow night. I have a weird feeling our lives are about to change.”
Suzy cocked her head. “Our little drama queen is now a fortune teller, I see.”
Alex feigned a hurt look. “Hey, I’m not a drama queen.”
“Unless you have a crystal ball in your purse, what are you talking about?” Suzy playfully elbowed her best friend.
Hope’s eyes widened. “What is about to change and for whom?”
Alex shrugged. “Maybe one of us; maybe all of us. It’s just a feeling but I have good intuition.”
“I hope it’s good news,” Hope said.
Alex nodded. “Me too.”
“Me three,” Suzy said.
~ ~ ~
As the three friends walked to their cars, Alex smiled when she saw Tony’s number appear on her cell phone. The sexy cop undid her most days. Other days were questionable.
“What’s up?” Lt. Tony Montgomery asked.
“Getting doughnuts again?” Alex quipped.
“Haha. Your favorite line,” the cop said. “At least I haven’t been in any recent car chases after meth dealers. Remember that?”
Alex snorted. “How could I forget? I hope that’s the end of my police work.”
“Yeah, the chief still reminds me from time to time about having a sexy female ‘reporter’ in the squad car.”
“I got away with it, though,” Alex said.
“Yep. Sure did. Well played.”
Alex waved to her friends and shifted her phone to her other ear as she opened her car door. “I’m leaving Coconuts. What are you doing?”
Tony’s voice became husky. “I thought we could watch the Alex and Tony show.”
“Ooh. That’s a good one.”
“A good one?” he teased.
Alex chuckled. “One of my favorites. I could watch it over and over.”
“That’s better. Meet you at your house in fifteen.”