Color Me Love (6 page)

“Fine.
I’m taking Herbie to Pleasant Ridge Park and I saw Carl’s car here. I’m tired
of you hiding the fact that you two are dating from me.” I turned and walked
back to my car, then turned around to face them again. “I approve.”

I
left her and Carl standing on her porch, still hand in hand.

Color
Me Love was dark when I drove past and I didn’t see Erin’s car parked in front.
The only movement was next door at Vive’s store, The Surplus. The windows read “Happy
Valentine’s Day” in hot pink paint, and “Special” written in black underneath.

There
wasn’t a time I hadn’t seen her store busy. I guess everyone was worried about
their personal safety.

I
made it to Pleasant Ridge Park and pulled into an empty parking space in front
of the apartments across the street. I picked up my cell and dialed Michael
Schultz.

Michael
and I had become fast friends after we were both suspects in the investigation
into Dabi’s death. With a lot of sneaking around and doing my own “Murder She
Wrote” detective work, I’d cleared our untarnished, non-murderous names.

“Hello,
Olivia.” Michael answered.

I
got out of the car and started up the stairs to his apartment.

“Hey,
I’m outside,” I said. “And I’m going to take Herbie for a walk. You and Belle
want to join us?”

His
malti-poo, Belle and Herbie had become good friends too.

I
didn’t wait for him to answer. I hit the red button on my phone, and I knocked
on his door.

“Michael,
I’m here,” I sang in front of the door.

Belle
was sniffing around the bottom and was yelping.

“Happy
freakin’ Valentine’s. Open up!” I knocked louder.

He
was just as single as I was.

I
put my ear up to the door. I didn’t hear any footsteps, just Belle and a few
whispers.

“Michael?”
I questioned and knocked again. “I know you’re in there.”

“Olivia,
I’m really sick.” He coughed out. “I’ll call you later.”

What
was he up too? Who did he think he was dealing with?

“I
hope you feel better soon!” I yelled back and pulled on Herbie’s leash.

Michael
had never kept anything from me, but he sure was today. I had heard whispering
and he wasn’t whispering to Belle.

Herbie
and I got back into the car. I pulled out of the parking space and made a
u-turn. I drove to the end of the street, made another u-turn and parked on the
street a little distance down from Michael’s. I had nothing to do all day but
watch his apartment and see what was going on.

He
had to come out at some point; he and his whispering partner.

I
hit the dashboard. Not only did the radio turn on, but the glove box popped
open too.

“How
appropriate,” I commented on the song playing on the oldie’s channel,
Spies
Like Us
.

I
grabbed my pair of mini binoculars out of the glove box and made some
adjustments. I had a clear, clean shot of Michael’s apartment entrance. I took
out the mini camera I had stashed in there too. It had excellent resolution for
getting the clearest images. I had to make sure I got all the evidence, because
sometimes you only have one shot.

If
Michael was hiding something, or someone, I didn’t want to miss my shot.

“There’s
definitely something in the air, Herbie.” I patted his head.

Yes,
there was.
Aunt
Matilda and Carl, Erin’s crystal aura had become muddy, and Michael was even acting
weird.

I
couldn’t stand Valentine’s Day.

I
focused my camera on Michael’s building to take the closest shots I could.
There was nothing better than the rapid picture button to capture every single
step.

In
my heart, I secretly hoped nothing, but my instincts told me that he was hiding
something. And my instincts were rarely wrong.

Before
I even saw Michael, Belle was barking like she always did when she was going to
go outside. Her bark was so high-pitched, I’m sure it could have been heard
from miles away.

Steady
. I held the
camera up, looked through the eye hole, and pushed the button. The camera
clicked away as Michael, Belle, and a girl walked out of the apartment and
jumped into his car. I didn’t focus too much on their auras in fear of passing
out, but hers was definitely in sync with Michael’s.

I
didn’t take the camera down to get a good look at her or even grab my
binoculars. I didn’t want to miss the shot.

Damn!
There was a
girl. And why hadn’t he told me. It wasn’t like we had feelings for each other.

Thankfully,
they drove off in the opposite direction. I flicked the menu button and began
to zoom in on Michael’s lie.

I
zoomed in the first picture. From the back, I could see she had beautiful brown
hair and was slender. She even had her skinny jeans tucked in a pair of boots
that looked like. . .

“Oh!
My! God!” I closed my eyes afraid to look at the next frame.

I
had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had a feeling I knew exactly who
this girl was.

Do
it.
My
mind coaxed me to push next button. I did and came face-to-picture with the
person I knew it was going to be.

Erin.

Nine

What
the hell was going on? Had people in Park City lost their minds? Give out a few
Valentine’s hearts and people go nuts.

Erin’s
aura told me everything I needed to know. She was just as attracted to Michael
as he was to her.

I
threw the car into drive and headed back toward town.

“Valentine’s.
Ugh!” This was fast becoming my least favorite holiday.

I
wasn’t sure how to confront Michael. Erin was different. She was my best
friend, or so I’d thought.

This
was a big secret to keep from me. The super secret client and now this? It made
me question our friendship.

“I’m
sorry.” I patted a disappointed Herbie on the head. He was looking forward to a
good long walk in the park, and I can’t get it together enough to take him.

I
had zero motivation.

It
was one thing not to have someone to share Valentine’s day with, but quite another
to have your Aunt and your best friend keep something as big as their relationships
a secret.

Erin’s
cell number popped up on my cell phone.

“Hello?”
I answered. There was no way I was going to confront her on the phone when I
knew Michael was with her.

“Where
are you?” She asked.

I
listened for any background noises like Michael or Belle, but all I heard was
her radio.

“Why?”
I asked putting the ball back in her court.

There
was no way I was going to make this conversation comfortable for her.

“You
aren’t going to believe this.” Erin said, giving me a little hope there was
some sort of explanation why she was with Michael. “Jennifer can’t make Joel’s
date either and I need you to go pretend to be her again.”

I
veered the car off the side of the road and put it in park.

Had
Erin just handed me a free pass to Joel?

Only
there was no way I could pretend to be Jennifer when he had seen me pass out
twice. It wouldn’t be something he’d forget.

And
one of those times was at Color Me Love.

Erin
didn’t need to know that I had come face to face with Joel at Heifer’s and
Ho’s.

If
I go, I could just go as myself and not say I was there for Color Me Love.

“Okay.”
I could forget that I saw her and Michael for a few hours. “Where?”

I
would meet Joel, and question her later.

There
had to be a good reason for her secrecy and it was up to me to find out what it
was.

“The
date is set up for noon at Pete’s Pizzeria.” Erin said. “They are going to have
a romantic Italian lunch.”

I
rolled my eyes. Pete’s was my favorite restaurant. Bradley and I use to go
there a lot. Plus, Pete’s put together the best Valentine Day specials and
always went all out with decorations.

I
looked at my watch and peeled out. I had forty minutes to get home, get a
shower, and get to Pete’s.

###

Pete’s
was as romantic as ever. All the tables were covered in white linen table cloths,
and had chandelier holders with white candles in the middle of the table, setting
the ambiance for all the lovebirds. The chairs were covered with red slipcovers.

The
sterling silver utensils and china were neatly set in places for two. A red
rose was laid on each place setting.

“Do
you have a reservation?” The hostess looked at me.

Hmm.
. . That wasn’t something I had thought of. I figured I’d go in and get a
table, happen to notice Joel was alone and say hi. We’d start talking, one
thing would lead to another and by the end of the night, we’d be in each
other’s arms.

Wrong!

“No,
but isn’t there just a tiny place for me?” I asked and pointed to an empty
table.

“Uh,
no.” The hostess snarled. “It’s Valentine’s Day.”

In
the distance, even in the dimly lit restaurant, I could make out a blue glow.

I
was ten minutes late, and I was glad to see that Joel was already there.

“Really?”
I questioned the hostess in a loud voice hoping Joel would look up and see me.
“Not one tiny chair or side table?”

The
blue aura floated closer just as Joel appeared.

“Olivia,
right?” He pointed to me.

“Yes,
umm. . .” I pretend not to remember his name even though it was tattooed on my
brain.

“Joel
from Color Me Love and Heifer’s and Ho’s Dude Ranch.” He turned to the hostess.
“She’s with me.”

“But
she said one.” The hostess’ eyes narrowed.

Joel
shrugged and I followed him to the table. My plan was working great.

“Are
you sure?” I asked knowing good and well Jennifer wasn’t showing.

“No,
but too bad.” He laughed. “This is my date from Color Me Love” he said,
pointing to the empty chair. “The girl hasn’t shown up. Why were you there anyway?”

The
waiter filled our water glass, and took our drink order.

“So
why were you at Color Me Love?” He asked again.

“I
could ask you the same question.” I took a drink of my water. “You don’t look
like you need help getting a date.”

I
had to dodge any questions concerning Color Me Love.

“I’m
new to Park City and wanted to meet some new people.” He put his hands out.
“And see, I met you.”

Talking
to Joel was easier than I thought it was going to be. I knew I liked his blue
aura, but sometimes auras could be deceiving and take on a different look
depending on the situation.

But
his was true blue, and he didn’t even mention Jennifer or Color Me Love again.

“The
pizza and company was great.” Joel paid the bill. “But I’m starting my new job
in a couple hours, so I have to go.”

“You
don’t need to pay for me.” I took my wallet out of my purse.

“No,
my treat.” He put his hand on my mine to put the wallet away. “But you have to
give me your phone number.”

I
looked into his green eyes, and they were glowing.

“Absolutely.”
I grabbed the pen the waiter left on the table for Joel to pay the bill, and scribbled
my number on his receipt.

I
was satisfied the date had gone well, but was a little disappointed I wasn’t in
his arms. . .yet.

I
was on cloud nine the rest of the day. All the details of Joel’s life aroused
my curiosity. The only way I was going to find out about him was through his
file at Color Me Love.

Maybe
Michael occupying Erin’s time was a good thing. I could easily break into Color
Me Love and read his file without Erin knowing.

After
all, I was good at breaking and entering. I’ve only been caught once.

I
spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning my house and plotting my future with
Joel.

I
even took Herbie for a quick walk around the block.

“You
be a good boy,” I said to Herbie while I went down the checklist and gathered
the tools I would need to break into Color Me Love.

1)
  
Dress in black
because that seemed to be the color choice for all criminals on television
shows.

2)
  
A full set of
different tools for picking locks.

3)
  
My mini-mag
flashlight.