Heaven With You (3 page)

“No problem.” I smiled and walked away feeling like I’d accomplished something.

“She’s right,” Sara, one of the other waitresses, told me. “You should get a job working with kids. They love you.”

Long after I’d given Hannah the mermaid balloon, I thought about what Hannah’s mother and Sara had said. I would love to be an elementary school teacher, but you needed money for college to do that. I had little money, but a lot of balloons, magic tricks, and make-up.

One week later Izzy the Clown was born.

Ironically, I was never a fan of traditional clowns.  Something about all that white make-up, fake smile and big red nose just didn’t sit well with me.  Izzy was sparkly. I sewed sequins on a pair of suspenders and a pair of jeans.  Making my outfit as colorful and as mismatched as I could, I added glitter to my hair and face and I painted a heart on my cheek.

I put an ad in the local paper advertising my services, and Jimbo, my manager, let me put up an ad at the diner. At first I did mostly birthday parties, but I also got a request from a customer to visit a local nursing home, which I did. It was a nurse at the nursing home that suggested I perform for children in hospitals. I did, volunteering my services and I loved it.

Soon I was contracted by a non-profit organization to entertain children in the hospital. I couldn’t believe they were going to pay me to do what I’d been doing for free, and it was that stroke of good luck that had me advertising for a partner since Izzy was in high demand.

It was also this twist of fate that brought me back into contact with Hunter McAllister because Izzy’s new partner was none other than Hunter’s daughter, Ellie. I knew there was something special about Ellie McAllister the first time I met her. She was friendly and genuinely seemed interested in other people. I always thought that not enough people really listened to others, but Ellie cared and seemed to always be striving to make someone’s day easier. Making people smile might seem trivial to some, but I didn’t think there was anything in the world more important than that. Ellie agreed with me, and she definitely made me smile often.

Smiling wasn’t always easy.  I’d made many mistakes growing up, some of them I couldn’t overcome.  As hard as I’d tried to protect Reed, I’d failed him. When I thought about our landlady, Mrs. Cox, I felt sick. How could I have not known what Reed had done to pay our rent? I blamed Darryl for everything my little brother had suffered, and I hated the man I refused to call father.

Reed had joined the army right out of high school. He’d served six years before he’d been reported MIA in Afghanistan after his camp was bombed.  Those few days, when I wasn’t sure if he was still alive, were the darkest.  For once I’d had a prayer answered and Reed was found injured but alive.  He’d been trapped in a cave in Afghanistan and had suffered extensive damage to his left leg, and had undergone several surgeries to correct the damage.

When he’d been released from the hospital Ellie, who’d recently graduated from college and gotten a job with a visiting nurses organization, was Reed’s outpatient nurse. She still worked with me, and our team of Izzy and Ellie was a definite hit especially at the hospital children’s wings.  Ellie and her friend Cora had become two of my best friends and I was meeting them later tonight.

The sound of applause snapped me back to the present. My stomach was sick with dread, and every instinct I possessed told me to run. I thanked everyone, and left quickly, not lingering around to make balloon animals or sign autographs. I saw the disappointment on the children’s faces and I felt guilty for causing it, but I had to get outside.

Desperate for fresh air and the sky above my head, I ran.

Three hours later I met Ellie and Cora at Shooters, our favorite country bar, but I hadn’t been able to completely shake the strange feeling that I needed to watch my back.

“You’re not thinking about Scott again, are you?”

I glanced up at Cora, surprised.  Although it had only been three weeks ago that I’d walked in on Scott with his glowing bare ass pumping into his secretary, I was okay and that made me wonder if I’d ever really loved him. I’d thought that he was the one, but after the initial shock of his betrayal, I had moved on and hadn’t looked back.

Shaking my head I gave an answer that would, hopefully, steer the conversation away from the drama of my screwed up life. “No. It’s Reed. Amber thinks he’s seeing someone else.”

“What do you mean someone else, he’s not seeing her.”

“They’ll get back together eventually, Cora.  That’s what I keep telling Amber, but she’s upset.”

Ellie frowned. “Would you be upset if Reed was seeing someone?”

I couldn’t believe she was actually asking me that since she knew our history. “Reed has loved Amber since kindergarten.  Her parents practically raised Reed and I.”

“I know,” Ellie said quietly. She and Cora shared a look.

Okay, something was weird.  I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but they were definitely acting strange.  Cora didn’t seem to like Amber much, and I wasn’t sure why.  Ellie liked everyone, but still I wondered if she thought that maybe Reed should move on. Honestly, I’d thought the same thing even though I felt guilty for admitting it.  Amber did dump Reed for some guy that did her last two tattoos.  I wasn’t sure what those tats were because they weren’t visible, and I supposed that undressing in front of some hot guy and letting him ink your skin would make for an awkward situation.  Still, she didn’t have to sleep with him.

Cora turned her attention to Ellie. “Who was that guy you were talking to at the grocery store?”

“Oh, that’s Jase. He’s Reed’s friend. Why do you ask?” Ellie smiled.

“No reason. I was just curious.”

 “Maybe I could introduce you sometime, if you’re just curious.”

“Forget it. She’s too innocent. He’s a player.” Ellie and Cora stared at me. “He’s a man-whore. Jase doesn’t date. He has sex. You don’t want to get involved with him unless all you’re looking for is one night of sex and no phone call the next day.”

“Maybe I’d like that,” Cora replied, a wicked look in her eyes. “He’s panty-soaking hot, and he has soulful eyes.”

“What color are his eyes?” Ellie asked.

“Green,” Cora and I said at the same time.

Ellie laughed and held up her arms in mock surrender. “Okay, they’re green. I’ll take your word for it.”

“I thought eyes were the first thing you noticed about a guy. How could you not notice Jase’s eyes? He might be a slut, but he’s still hot. Even I noticed his eyes.”

“After you checked out his ABC’s?” Ellie smiled knowingly at me.

“Of course,” I replied, smiling. Once when we’d been talking about what we noticed about guys, I’d jokingly told Cora and Ellie that I checked out their ABC’s—abs, butt and chest. This was an absolute lie, but they seemed to enjoy it. Honestly, I could care less about what a guy looked like as long as they only looked at me.  What I really wanted more than anything and had never told anyone was for someone to truly love me because, as pathetic as it was, the only person that did was my brother.

I turned and glanced toward the entrance, looking for Amber, who was meeting us.  Instead, I saw a trio of cowboys eyeing Ellie and Cora.  “Those guys are checking ya’ll out.”

They both looked at me with the kind of expression you wore when you were humoring someone. “They’re checking you out, Isabelle.” Ellie smiled as if she knew some secret that she wasn’t telling me.

“She’s right. Men always notice you first. If they decide they don’t have a shot with you, they move on to us,” Cora said, in between sips of her beer.

“That isn’t true.” It wasn’t. I knew that I had the kind of body that turned men’s heads, but Ellie and Cora were beautiful and innocent.  I was jaded and too mistrustful.

“It’s true, Isabelle. You’re movie-star gorgeous.”

“Listen to Ellie. You always underestimate your appeal.  That’s why you shouldn’t even think of getting back together with Scott when he pulls his head out of his ass and decides to beg your forgiveness.”

I felt my lips curve upward in a smile. Cora’s characteristic bluntness always lightened my mood. She wasn’t afraid to say what was on her mind even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.  As far as Scott went, I agreed with Cora about not taking him back and I told her so.

Out of the corner of my eye I turned and saw Amber. I waved, but she didn’t see me.

“Who’s here?” Cora asked.

“Amber. She doesn’t see us. I’m going to go get her.” I got up and moved through the crush of people. Scanning the crowd, I froze and my stomach flipped when I saw him—Hunter McAllister. He was sitting at a table with two other guys and my pulse kicked up a notch as my gaze fell shamelessly over him.  He didn’t know I was watching him. No one did. It wasn’t often that I had the opportunity to just enjoy looking at him without worrying that he’d catch me.

Dressed in faded jeans, boots, and a black button-down shirt he was drawing women’s eyes, though he seemed not to know his affect on the females.  He was forty-years-old but in better shape than most twenty-year-old men, had thick sandy brown hair that was cut short, a chiseled jaw, straight blade of a nose and a mouth that had me dying to know what it would feel like on mine. 

I wondered if he remembered me, which was silly because there was no reason he should.  Still, I thought about it a lot.  I didn’t see him often and when I did he was friendly, but didn’t appear to know me as anyone more than his daughter’s friend.

Someone bumped me from behind, knocking me forward and I gasped. My attention was thoroughly focused on Hunter McAllister that I’d stopped in the middle of a crowded bar which was a good way to get knocked silly.

“Sorry. You okay?” asked a guy peering down at me. The girl at his side looked none too pleased. I was used to that. Why women thought I’d want to steal their men was beyond me, and they had no reason to worry.

When I answered, I spoke directly to his girlfriend and smiled. She looked at me cautiously, as if not sure what to expect. “It’s all good.” Turning, I walked away to find Amber.

She spotted me and started heading over.  Glancing back at the man that haunted my dreams, I saw a cute waitress smiling flirtatiously up at him and my stomach twisted with envy.  I needed someone to talk to about my borderline stalker-like obsession with Captain McAllister.

Amber smiled when she reached me and we hugged. “Hey, what’s up?”

I opened my mouth to give her a generic response but stopped. “Do you remember me telling you about Captain McAllister?”

Frowning, she shook her head.

“He’s Ellie’s dad.  He’s also the same cop that looked out for Reed and I years ago.”

“Yeah, sure.  You had a major thing for him.” Amber laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re still hot for the old guy? I’m not sure straight-laced Ellie would appreciate you making her dad your Sugar Daddy.”

“No, it’s not like that,” I said, regretting bringing this up with Amber. She was nice but not the easiest person to talk to. “He’s a good man, and I don’t know many good men.” I couldn’t think of a single one besides Reed and Hunter McAllister.

Amber scoffed. “You got that right. So have you talked to Reed?” she asked changing the subject.

Blinking, I watched Amber stare expectantly at me and tried not to feel hurt that she’d dismissed what I was saying. “We talk almost everyday.”

“Reed is seeing someone else, I’m sure of it.  Look what I found on his couch this evening.”

She held out a dainty, silver hoop earring that I immediately recognized was Ellie’s. I opened my mouth to tell her not to worry, but stopped. Amber did ditch my brother for a tattoo artist while Reed was in Afghanistan.  Maybe a little healthy jealousy wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Does this look like Ellie’s earring?” Amber asked frowning.

“Yeah, it does.” I couldn’t lie to her.

Surprisingly, instead of looking relieved Amber seemed even more upset. “You don’t think Reed could have something going on with Ellie, do you?”

I was shocked at the suggestion but tried not to show it.  Ellie was one of my best friends, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of her and Reed as a couple.  For one thing Ellie was too innocent, too optimistic and hopeful for someone that had grown up the way Reed and I had.

“Amber, you and Reed will get back together but you’re going to have to give him some time. I think he’s still hurt about you sleeping with Cade.”

“You’re probably right,” Amber agreed, but she was obviously disappointed.

We went back to the table and joined Cora and Ellie. As usual Amber absorbed the attention of the table, and the conversation turned to her problem of how to get my brother to fall back in love with her.  I did my best to convince her that he’d come around, after all Reed had been in love with her since kindergarten but Amber’s melancholy was like a raincloud over our evening.

Cora’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, Ellie. Isn’t that your dad?”

My stomach flipped and my cheeks felt hot, but I resisted the urge to chew on my thumbnail like I did whenever I was nervous. I glanced up and caught Amber watching me with a sly smile.

“Which one?” Amber asked with amusement. “The one with his arm around the waitress?”

Following Amber’s gaze, I saw that she was looking at a man around fifty with a potbelly and jeans that sagged in the rear. “Wrong table.” I gestured to where Captain McAllister was sitting. “He’s the guy with the black button-down shirt, faded jeans and boots.”

Amber’s eyes widened. “Wow. Daddy is hot.”

“Ellie doesn’t want to hear that,” I told Amber, not liking the way her eyes slid over Captain McAllister as if she was imagining what he looked like naked.

“Sorry, Ellie. I just didn’t realize your dad was so young. My dad wears pleated khaki pants, has silver hair and would never set foot in Shooters.”

Ellie’s lips twitched, but her tone was serious when she spoke. “It’s okay. Eventually, I’ll get over the emotional trauma of hearing ‘Daddy is hot’ in reference to my dad.”

Cora and I knew Ellie well enough that we understood her dry sense of humor, but Amber’s blank look said that she had no idea how to take Ellie’s comment.