Sugar Rush (13 page)

Together, Angie and Lexi
moved the boxes into the spare bedroom. Lexi was happy to be reunited with her
wardrobe and other personal belongings. Most of the clothes were fairly
wrinkled, so she shoved the outfits back into their respective boxes until
laundry day.

“Do you want to talk?”
Angie asked when they were finished.

“Not now. I just want
to go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

Angie gave her friend a
hug and told her to sleep well.

The next morning,
persistent knocking at the front door woke Angie. Cursing under her breath, she
stumbled out of bed and pulled on her robe. The knocking continued. She walked
to the living room and glanced down the hallway leading to Lexi’s room.  Her
friend was either sleeping or ignoring the noise.

She looked through the front
door’s peephole. It was Ethan Beaumont and another man she didn’t know. If she
hadn’t recognized Lexi’s grandfather, she would have guessed they were Jehovah’s
Witnesses, since both men wore business suits, and people rarely wore such
formal attire in Havasu. Instead of answering the door, Angie opened the front living
room window overlooking the porch.

“What do you want?”
Angie asked the men. The two seemed surprise when she called out. Apparently
neither one noticed her opening the window.

“Would you please just
open the door? I don’t want to talk through the window,” Ethan snapped.

“No. You just woke me
up, and Lexi is sleeping. What do you want?”

“It’s almost ten in the
morning. Get my granddaughter up. I want to see her now.”

“No, Mr. Beaumont. You
upset Lexi last night, and I certainly don’t appreciate you having my apartment
bugged.”

“I never bugged your
apartment, young lady. Now please, I want to see my granddaughter. Now,” Ethan snapped.
He was clearly losing patience. The second man stood stoically, revealing no
emotion.

Angie shut the window and
locked it. Instead of opening the front door, she went to Lexi’s room.

“What’s all that
noise?” Lexi asked groggily when Angie walked into her room.

“It’s your grandfather;
he’s pounding on the front door. He has some man with him.”

“Oh, shit. I don’t want
to see him. What did he say?”

“For starters, we
shouldn’t sleep so late.”

“Oh, that’s so my
grandfather. He believes everyone should be up by six.”

Lexi sat up in her bed,
holding the top of the comforter so it covered her bare breast. Angie grabbed
the robe at the foot of the bed and tossed it to Lexi, who quickly put it on.

“So, what does this
other man look like?”

“Short, reddish hair,
older dude. Kinda pudgy.”

“Not a clue. Wondered
for a moment if he brought Jerome Peters.”

“I know what Peters
looks like. It isn’t him. So, do you want to talk to him?”

“Not really, I have
nothing to say.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him
you don’t want to see him.”

Angie returned to the
living room and opened the window.

“She says she doesn’t
want to see you,” Angie told him.

“Then you can just tell
my granddaughter I intend to wait here. I didn’t come all this way to play
games. I need to be back in California by Monday, and I expect her to come home
with me.”

“Why do you think she’ll
do that?”

“It really is none of
your business. This is a family affair. Tell her I’m getting impatient.”

Ethan said something under
his breath to the other man, then went and sat down on one of the patio chairs.
The other man nodded, then followed Ethan’s lead and sat in the second chair.

Angie shut the window
and locked it. She returned to Lexi’s bedroom.

“He isn’t leaving. He’s
just sitting there on the porch. Want me to call the police?”

“No. I have a better
idea. Did you park your car in the garage?”

“No. I parked it on the
other side of the garage. Why?”

“Good. That will be
better. If we had to open the garage door, he might hear us when we started the
car, and get there before we opened the door.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“Let’s get dressed and
sneak out the side door of the garage. If you can start the car and get it out
of the driveway before he knows what’s going on, we can get outa here.”

“Leave Havasu?”

“No. I said I don’t
want to leave Havasu. But just leave for the day. Let him sit here all day, for
all I care. I don’t want to talk to him, and I resent the fact he assumes he
can just demand I let him in our house.”

“Fine with me.”

Fifteen minutes later,
Angie peeked out the front window. The two men remained seated in the patio
chairs, talking to each other. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but
they didn’t seem to be aware of the fact Lexi might slip away.

Off the kitchen was a
small hallway leading to the laundry room and garage. Before leaving the house,
Angie set the alarm. The two girls slipped quietly into the garage and then out
the side door. Hastily, they got into the Volkswagen, and Angie started the engine.
Not waiting for it to warm up, she put the car in reverse and backed out the
driveway at an accelerated speed.

Just as Angie backed
onto the street and turned the vehicle, Lexi glanced up at the front porch and
saw her grandfather stand up abruptly, obviously surprised at the sudden
appearance of the Volkswagen. Without looking back, Angie put the car in drive
and sped down the street, away from Ethan Beaumont. Both girls started to
laugh.

“Damn, that felt good!”
Lexi said. “I’m glad you set the alarm. I wouldn’t put it past my grandfather
to try and get in the house. I’d like to see him explain things to the police
if he tried to break in and set off the alarm.”

“Where do you want to
go?”

“Let’s leave the car at
the Safeway parking lot. From there we can walk to Rotary beach and pick up the
bug later.”

“How about breakfast at
Makai’s?” Angie suggested.

“Sure. That’s not far.”

Lexi and Angie spent
Friday avoiding Ethan Beaumont. Lexi knew she couldn’t hide from him forever,
but felt some sense of victory avoiding the confrontation for as long as
possible. After breakfast, they walked along the boardwalk leading from the
English Village to Rotary Park.

“Have you reconsidered
whether you are going to call Jeff?”

“When I first heard
what he did, I felt so betrayed. After reading his letter, and thinking about
it all last night, I can understand how he got tangled up in all this. But I
don’t know if I can get beyond the lies.”

“Well, he’s out of a
job now. What do you think he’ll do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe
he’ll move back to Portland to be near his family while he looks for something.”

“Why do you think your
grandfather is here?”

“To take me home. I
can’t think of any other reason. One thing about my grandfather—when he gets something
in his head, he becomes obsessed.”

“I imagine it was
difficult for Jeff, being put in that position or risk losing his job.”

“Angie, I thought you
wanted to kick his ass last night?”

“Well, I did. Now I
just sort of feel sorry for him.”

  “I don’t want to
think about all that now. I just want my grandfather to go home and leave me
alone so I can focus on my hot fudge business and lead my own life.”

When Angie and Lexi
finally returned to the house late that afternoon, they spied Ethan’s car sitting
in the front driveway of Jeff’s rental.

“It looks like your
grandfather is staying at the house. I wonder how long he’s planning to stick
around,” Angie asked as they drove by. Pulling into their driveway, Angie used
the automatic garage door opener to open the garage door. She pulled the car inside
and closed the door behind them.

“Didn’t he tell you he
needed to be back by Monday?”

“Yeah.”

“I hope he meant that.”

Ethan Beaumont didn’t
try to contact Lexi again on Friday, but they were fairly certain he was
staying in the house two doors down, because his car was parked in the
driveway. Lexi woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of her grandfather
knocking on the front door.

“This is ridiculous,”
she muttered as she pulled herself from the bed. Throwing on her robe she went
to the living room. Glancing out the front window, she noticed her
grandfather’s car was parked in their driveway, blocking the garage. She
assumed Angie was still sleeping. Combing her fingers through her hair, she
took a deep breath before opening the front door.

“No longer hiding?”
Ethan smirked, sounding somewhat surprised that Lexi was at the door instead of
her friend.

“What do you want?” she
asked, ignoring his remark.

“We need to talk. This
has gone on long enough.” He started to walk in the house, but Lexi blocked his
way, refusing to move out of the doorway.

“I didn’t invite you
in.”

“Stop acting like a
child.”

“I am not a child. I’m
a twenty-one year old woman, and I don’t appreciate how you’re trying to
manipulate my life.”

“I don’t appreciate
your lack of appreciation. After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you
behave?”

Lexi stepped outside and
closed the door behind her. Standing on the front porch, her arms wrapped protectively
around her robe-clad body, she glanced at the car in the driveway. The man
Angie described was sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Who is that?” Lexi
nodded toward the car.

“My new personal
assistant. Do you intend to discuss this on the front porch?”

“If you have something to
say, you can say it here. You’re not welcome in my house.”

“It’s not your house.
You’re freeloading off your friend. But then, that’s what you do.”

“What is that supposed
to mean?” Lexi snapped.

“When your parents were
killed, I took you in and gave you a home. I paid for your education. But
instead of living up to your family obligations, you ran off like a spoiled
child.”

“You didn’t have to
take me in.”

“You would have
preferred to be raised in foster care? But since you don’t seem to be making an
effort to use that education I paid for, I suppose not having the opportunity
to go to college would not have been an issue for you. Perhaps I should have
let you be raised by the state.”

“Or you could have let
Joe and Carolyn Manning take me, like my parents wanted.”

Ethan looked
momentarily surprised at her comment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know my parents
wanted them to raise me, and they were willing. But you went to court and
fought for custody.”

“So, now you’re
faulting me for wanting to take in my own granddaughter? Are you saying I
should have let strangers raise you?”

“You were a stranger to
me. You still are. I appreciate the education you gave me. Honestly, I do. But
I’ll never marry Jerome Peters. So stop all this. I’m not coming back to
California with you. Maybe someday we can have a relationship, but at the
moment, I’m still angry over the spying and lies.”

Lexi turned to the door
and started to open it, but paused and faced her grandfather again. “Please go,
and leave me alone. Or I will file a restraining order against you, just like
you did to the Mannings. I promise.”

Without another word,
she went into the house and closed the door.

Jeff stayed two nights
at the hotel, hoping Lexi would read his letter and call. When that didn’t
happen, he began to wonder if she found it. Instead of trying to contact Lexi,
he sent a text message to Angie.

Did Lexi find the
letter I left in the box? If so did she read it?

Angie responded
immediately, texting back with a two word message:
yes, yes.

Sickened with bitter
regret, Jeff called the rental company and arranged for a car. So preoccupied
with recounting all the mistakes he had made in regards to Lexi, he barely
noticed the exorbitant price of the rental vehicle, since he would only be
taking it one way.

It was almost 9 p.m.
Saturday night when Jeff pulled into the driveway of his apartment complex. He
parked the rented car in guest parking, as his designated space was already
occupied with his own vehicle. After turning off the engine, he sat for a few
moments in the semi-darkness, his hands gripping the steering wheel.

He no longer had a job.
He no longer had Lexi. Losing his job was inevitable, but losing Lexi wasn’t.
For the thousandth time, he cursed himself for not telling her the truth before
her grandfather showed up. Of course, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t have still
kicked him out, he reminded himself.

Emotionally exhausted,
he got out of the vehicle and removed his suitcases from the trunk and headed
toward his apartment. On his way there, he stopped at the mailboxes at the side
of the building. Setting his suitcases on the sidewalk, he unzipped the side
pocket to the smaller bag and retrieved the key ring he’d put there before
leaving for Havasu. Keys to his apartment, mailbox, and vehicle were on the
ring.

He unlocked his
mailbox. It was stuffed with envelopes and magazines. Still holding the key
ring, he tucked the mail under his left armpit and grabbed the handles of the
suitcases and started toward his apartment.

Dropping the bags by
his front door, he fumbled with the key ring until he found the key he was
looking for. After unlocking and opening the door, he reached in, turned on the
light, and picked up his bags. He was home.

* * *

Lexi couldn’t help but
feel a little guilty dragging Angie from bed so early on a Sunday morning. To
Angie’s credit, she didn’t once moan over the fact it was still dark outside. They’d
packed the Volkswagen the night before, barely fitting everything they needed
into the small vehicle.  As they drove away, they noticed Ethan Beaumont’s car
still parked at the house where Jeff had stayed.

Although grateful to
have Angie’s help, Lexi still missed Jeff. They’d had so much fun the previous
Sunday.
Had it all been a lie?
she asked herself.

The two young women
managed to assemble the EZ-UP in a relatively short time, and Lexi found the
overall set up easier than the previous week, since she now knew how she wanted
to arrange everything.  When they were finished, Angie moved the car to the
parking area. When she returned, she didn’t bring coffee or breakfast burritos,
as Jeff had done the previous week.

A food concession was
located five spaces down, and when it opened for business, Angie went to get
them coffee and something to eat. By the time she returned, Lexi already had
customers gathering around.

“I had this at my
sister’s house Friday night. I have to get some; my husband loved it,” one
woman said as she picked up a mason jar from the table. A man was tasting a fudge
sample, and a couple was waiting their turn to ask a question. It wasn’t even
eight in the morning, and already Lexi had sold ten jars. She couldn’t believe
so many people were trying fudge so early in the morning, considering the
slower start the previous week.

The day went quickly,
and when Lexi sold her last jar, she couldn’t decide which was more
unbelievable—that it was already noon or that she had sold all 48 jars by that
time.

“Angie, do you know how
much we made today?” She was barely able to contain her excitement. They were
alone at the booth for the first time since Angie had gone to get breakfast.

“You mean how much
you
made. I’m just here to help. This is your business.”

“Seven hundred and
twenty dollars!” Lexi squealed. “Of course, that doesn’t take into account the
cost of the samples, but that wasn’t much.”

“Wow.” Angie was
impressed. “You buy dinner.”

“Gladly!” Lexi hugged
her friend. Angie laughed and hugged her back.  

“Did you hear what that
lady in the green hat said to me?” Lexi asked.

“I don’t recall the
lady; so many people were here today.”

“She was here about an
hour ago. She has a gift shop in town, and she wants to carry my mix! She gave
me her business card and asked me to contact her!”

“That’s so exciting!”

Preoccupied with their
discussion, they failed to notice the elderly man walking their way.

“So this is how you
intend to support yourself?” Ethan Beaumont asked. He stood before the almost
empty folding table under the EZ-UP. Scattered atop the table were a few of Lexi’s
business cards. He picked one up and looked at it briefly, before tossing it
back on the table.

“Grandfather,” Lexi
greeted tonelessly. Whatever joy and excitement she had expressed a moment ago
dissolved.

“She is doing very
well!” Angie said angrily, feeling protective.

Lexi reached over and
touched her friend’s hand; silently signaling she wanted to handle this
herself. “Angie, this might be a good time for you to check out the other
vendors, like you wanted to do. I’d like to talk to my grandfather alone.” 

Glaring at Ethan
Beaumont, Angie gave her friend a little nod and then walked away, leaving Lexi
alone with her grandfather.

“Lexi, perhaps I was
hasty in taking away your car and computer.”

“What about my clothes
and personal items?”

“I’ll buy you new
clothes,” he told her.

“What are you saying,
Grandfather?”

“I want you to come
home with me. I plan to leave before nightfall tonight and head back to
California. I want you to come with me.”

“Why would I do that?” 

“I’ll buy you a new
car. Whatever you want,” Ethan said calmly, betraying no emotion.

“I’m not marrying
Jerome.”

He did his best to conceal
his irritation and continued, keeping his tone steady and calm. “We don’t have
to discuss that now.”

“Exactly why do you
want me to come back with you?”

“What kind of a question
is that? You’re my granddaughter.”

“But you kicked me out
of your house and then did everything you could to make it difficult for me to
make it on my own. You hired someone to follow me.”

“I agree; hiring Barnett
was a mistake.”

“Kicking me out wasn’t?”

“Lexi,” he no longer
was able to conceal his irritation. “I was trying to teach you a lesson, for
your own good. You’ve always been such a foolish girl, a dreamer just like your
father. Just look at what you’re doing now! You move to some little town in the
middle of the desert and plan to support yourself by selling some silly little
hot fudge mix.

“From what my private
investigator tells me, you hopped into Barnett’s bed after knowing him for just
a couple of days. Something that I hope to hell your little friend Angie can
keep quiet about, if I ever hope to get you securely married to someone who can
take care of you. Fortunately for you, Barnett is bound by a confidentiality agreement,
and I doubt he will be foolish enough to make your little affair public. If
necessary, I can pay him off to keep him quiet. I imagine he will appreciate
the money now that he doesn’t have a job.

“You should appreciate
all that I’m willing to do for you!”

“Grandfather, you
really don’t think much of me, do you?” Lexi asked in a faint whisper.

“What do you mean? You
are my granddaughter. I cared enough about you to make sure you were raised
properly and received an education. And I am willing to give you a second
chance now. I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

“For one thing, you don’t
think I’m very smart, do you?

“Smart? Lexi, you’re a
girl. You really don’t need to be smart to get by in this world. Fortunately
for you, you are extremely attractive. But looks don’t last forever, so don’t
expect to rely on them indefinitely.”

“Wow,” Lexi said,
somewhat dazed. “I guess I am a bit stupid. I never truly appreciated the
extent of your disregard.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“I won’t be going back
with you. I don’t need you to buy me a car, or to find me a suitable husband. I
don’t need anything from you.”

“Lexi, this is getting
tedious,” Ethan snapped. “I’m losing my patience with you. And I am not going
to continue discussing this in the middle of a ridiculous swap meet. I’m going
back to the rental house, and I plan to leave before nightfall. If you aren’t
there before I leave, then I’m finished with you for good. I’ll visit my
attorney in the morning and change my will. You won’t get a dime of my money.”

Without waiting for an
answer, Ethan turned abruptly and walked away. Speechless, Lexi watched the old
man disappear into the crowd.

 “So, what happened?”
Angie asked thirty minutes later when she returned to the booth. She found Lexi
sitting in one of the camp chairs behind the folding table.

“I gave out my last
business card. You want to pack it up?”

“Sure. But, what about
your grandfather? What did he say?”

“Well, I learned
something interesting.”

“What’s that?’

“Apparently, I was in
his will. I assumed he’d disinherited me when he threw me out of his house.”

“What do you mean,
was
in his will?”

“He tells me if I don’t
go back to California tonight, then he’ll see his attorney in the morning and disinherit
me. Like I said, I thought he’d already done that. He plans to leave by dark.”

“So, what are you going
to do?”

“I thought maybe we
could pack up, go out for an early dinner, and maybe catch a show or two.”

“You don’t want to go
back to the house?”

“Nope. Not until after
dark.”