Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (84 page)

She glanced back at him uncertainly before stumbling across the tiled expanse to the threshold. Picking up his undershirt, he wiped his chest and arms before shrugging into his button down shirt.

“You guys have a problem with me getting dressed before I make the call?”

“
I’ll go with him,” one officer spoke to the other.

He followed Geoff to the front part of the house and took his stance at the door while Geoff stripped off his shorts, dried off with his damp T-shirt, and slid on his slacks. Feeling in his pocket, he retrieved his cell phone and called Larry.

Larry—God love him—showed up in less than twenty minutes with his cell phone to his ear.

“
Very good. Yeah. I’d love that. Fantastic, my friend. Gotta go. Goodbye.” He waved a hand in greeting. “So sorry about the confusion here,” he called to them. He held the phone in front of him and aimed. “Gorgeous place, isn’t it?”

He approached the policemen and introduced himself, calling them by their names.

Their radios crackled.

“
That’ll be your dispatch saying we’re all legitimate.” He smiled confidently.

Sure enough, the owner of the house as well as the neighbor had called the police department saying Larry
’s friends had permission to be in the house.

The older man shook the hands of the uniformed officers and thanked them for their prompt response.

“You all do a fine job. A fine job!” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “I’m having an open block party next weekend in Vestavia Hills. Come out if you get a chance.” Handing each of them a business card, he continued. “We’ll have inflatables for the kids and a sixty inch flat screen television as a door prize. It’s going to be big. Big.”

After the police left, Larry shook his head.
“Oh, Geoff. I’m sorry, buddy. What a terrible thing to happen.”

Geoff had his arm around Cheris, her body flush against his side. When she
’d come back from getting dressed, she hadn’t spoken at all, hadn’t reacted to anything.

He
’d tried to reassure her, but she only stared at the floor and nodded.

“
Of course, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Days even. Lauren Cooper, the owner, is a sweetheart. She’d love for you guys to enjoy the house. She’s just as torn up about this as I am.” He held his camera in front of them. “Smile for prosperity. Your first bust, ha ha!”

Cheris stiffened.

Geoff patted her. “I appreciate it, Larry. Really.”

“
Sure thing. Sure thing. I better go. Left Natalie at the restaurant. She’ll order lobster just to spite me for leaving her alone. If you all want to come to the block party next weekend, you’re welcome, of course. Some great houses there for a newlywed couple just starting out. Great party to use the excuse to look around.”

“
I hear it’s going to be big,” Geoff commented with a wide smile.

“
Really big. You all take care now,” he said as he swept out the door.

Cheris slumped.

Yeah. He could relate.

“
Come on. Let’s go hang out in Lauren Cooper’s sitting room.”

In a few moments they sat on the couch, Geoff
’s arm still around her. The silence nearly deafened him as he waited on her to speak, scream, anything.

Finally she drew a shuttering breath, shifted under his arm, and tucked her feet underneath her.

“Cheris, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

She didn
’t speak for a while, only settled further into the couch and him.

“
Where I grew up…how I grew up when the police appeared, it was never a good thing.”

The words hovered in the air, their implications heavy on Geoff
’s heart for the little girl she had once been and the fear from days long gone haunting her tonight. He reached over and clasped her hand intertwining their fingers.

“
I never went without food. Mama worked as a waitress in a truckstop restaurant, and we lived in a little apartment over it. But she…she had a lot of boyfriends and several husbands. Some of them weren’t very nice.”

“
Did they…?”

“
No. They never touched me. Most of the boyfriends never even saw me. After her shift, Mama would buy a twelve pack from the cooler and start drinking with whichever man was available. They’d stumble up the stairs after the beer was gone, and I’d shut my bedroom door and turn up the television. Late at night the only station without infomercials was the classic movie channel. So while my mom was falling in love or falling apart in the next room, I was watching Gloria Swanson and Doris Day.”

“
Where was your dad?”

“
I don’t think my mom even knows who my dad is. She should have been on Maury Povich pointing fingers at guys making them get paternity tests to find out who her baby daddy is.”

“
Her baby daddy is now Chip Arrowood, and he’s quite pleased about it. As is his wife, his elder daughter, and especially his son.”

Cheris scrambled from the couch. She glared at him as unshed tears glittered on her lashes.
“I’m from the worst kind of Appalachian hill trash there is. I don’t belong in your family.”

Dammit. Not the reaction he wanted.

He stood as well. “Yes, you do.”

“
Geoff, this is stupid. Stupid! It was a one night stand.”

“
We’re at a week now.”

“
No. Don’t you see? I’m not fixable. I don’t fit in with you or the Arrowoods. I’m not the kind of wife you want.”

“
Never deny that you are Dulcinea.”

Her face crumpled, and he knew she had recognized the quote from
The Man of La Mancha
. It’s what Don Quixote had said to the woman of his heart when she had tried to convince him she was a tramp and not worthy of his affection.

But she had been worthy of it, and his foolish heroic belief in her was what had redeemed her. In the end it was what had saved Don Quixote as well.

“Open your eyes and see me as the woman I really am.”

“
You have shown me the beauty of the sky.”

Cheris shook her head as a tear trailed down her face. She sniffed and wiped it away.
“Take me home, Geoff. I can’t live this impossible dream.”

Geoff sighed and resisted the urge to break out in song of dreaming the impossible dream.

Okay, so maybe the
La Mancha
allusion had been too much. He should have gone with
The Sound of Music
. Cheris was more nun than whore, he supposed. But the voluptuous image of her at the pool had put him more in the mindset of Sophia Loren than Julie Andrews.

Without a word, Geoff followed her to the front door. They piled into his SUV without a word, and he drove them to her apartment. His soul screamed foul, but what could he do? He
’d pushed her to the verge with the movie quotes, and he knew he needed to give her a little space to process what they’d said through Cervantes’ truths.

Patience.

That’s what he needed.

To give her time and space to realize she was his Dulcinea to her Don Quixote, his Maria to her Captain Von Trapp, his Princess Leia to her Han Solo.

Could he do it?

Yeah.

From two states away he was about to give her plenty of space.

Chapter Ten

“Well, that is another hope gone. My life is a perfect graveyard of buried

hopes. That
’s a sentence I read in a book once, and I say it over to comfort

myself whenever I
’m disappointed in anything.”

“
I don’t see where the comforting comes in myself,” said Marilla.

—
Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery

Why hasn’t Geoff called me?

Two whole days had gone by, and not even a text.

Was he living by the out of sight out of mind rule? Had he so many things to take care of back in Georgia that he hadn’t bothered to call?

She
could
call him.

His number on the front of her refrigerator was branded on her brain. Every time she walked in the kitchen the neat handwriting drew her attention.

Sitting at her computer desk, she stretched. It was nearly midnight, way past her bedtime, but she knew if she lay down, she’d toss and turn. She was too restless, too…what?

Unsettled.

She Googled Newbie River Institute, the school where Geoff had said he worked. Finding the correct one, she clicked on the link and found the menu for faculty and staff.

Scrolling down the list, she saw him.

Dr. Geoff Arrowood, Ph.D.

Professor of Science and Astronomy

His office location, telephone extension, and an eddress were listed.

Logging onto her account, she sent an email.

Insomniac seeks Pool Boy for companionship. Cullsbaier natives only need apply.

She bit her lip as she pressed send. So, what
’s the worse that would happen? He’d get the email tomorrow and ignore it. What’s the best? He’d get it tonight and email her back. Getting up from the desk, she wandered around her apartment. She picked up the remote and aimed it at the TV and flipped through the channels.

Nothing good.

Back at her computer, she got on Hip Granny’s site. A large animated box, brightly wrapped with a bow danced across her monitor.

What was that about?

When she attempted to click on the gift box, it skirted away from her cursor and a timer appeared counting backwards a little less than twelve hours.

What was happening on Hip Granny at noon tomorrow?

She began to log in to her IT account when a pop-up screen appeared on her computer. Cheris smiled.

Pool boy has challenged you to a game of Intergalactic Monkey Wars. Do you wish to play?

The game site was one she had played on before. Logging on, she opened a chat box.

Who R U

Don Quioxote. Y no sleep?

Too much time. Not enough windmills to fight.

Easier 2 defeat space monkeys.

UR on

She clicked on the start game button and waited for Geoff on his end to do the same. In a few seconds, they began fighting the outer space primates. The battle and its heightened skill levels continued until a quarter to two when Geoff called it quits. The chat box appeared.

8am class in a few hours. Enjoyed the game.

Sorry to keep u up.

Don
’t be. I usually crash about 2 anyway, but any later and I’ll sleep through the alarm.

Night owl?

Hoot. Hoot.

Call me tomorrow?

As is your command.

Cheris
’ heart skipped a beat as she read the words from her favorite movie. Did he realize only Gensa’s lover responded to her orders that way? Her fingers moved over her keyboard.

Do I detect a movie quote?

Gensa’s Genesis. Sweet dreams, General.

She sighed in appreciation for the man who quoted poetry and science fiction.

****

Cheris had been summoned.

By Annie Hill.

The older woman sat in her straight backed chair gazing with her wise owl eyes at Cheris who fidgeted with Annie
’s computer. The excuse to have Cheris find out why her Internet was not working had been just that.

An excuse.

Cheris had spotted the disconnected cord when she’d walked in the room. But she’d faked calm and dumb. Truth be told, Cheris was glad for the company. Here it was Monday afternoon, and with a whole week of no work stretching ahead of her, she was glad for something to do.

“
How do you like being married?”

“
It has its moments.” Cheris dropped to her knees and crawled to the telephone outlet.

“
When Bill gave you two weeks off, the intention was for you and Geoff to spend it together.”

Well, here it was. The purpose of the summons.

Cheris picked up the cord and plugged the end into the receptacle.

“
Virginia Lassiter recognized you in the grocery, and she plays bridge with Monnie and me. Monnie told everyone that you and Geoff are spending this week down in Georgia since he couldn’t get the week off from teaching. Now I love Monnie, and I wouldn’t want to see her embarrassed because her son and his wife are not being truthful with her.”

Cheris turned and sat on the Persian rug crossing her legs.
“Annie, Geoff and I did something really dumb when we got married.”

Annie arched an eyebrow, Cheris raised her hands in surrender.

“My dear, if you’re telling me marrying Geoffrey Arrowood was a mistake, I have to disagree.”

“
I’d never met him before that night. I was drunk.”

Annie pursed her lips.
“I find that very difficult to believe.”

Annie knew Cheris
’ mother was an alcoholic, and Cheris had sworn never to drink in case she turned into one, too.

“
Janie was one of the artists at the Children’s Classic Literature Gala at the art museum. At the Alice in Wonderland exhibit I ate the cake—”

“
And drank the punch, oh my heavens, you didn’t.” Annie clutched her chest. “The museum already has one suit against it because of that stunt Gary Sheirer pulled. Are you okay? Is Geoff? Is that all you two did? Run off and get married?”

“
Running off and getting married was plenty. Somehow Geoff’s mother found out and made that announcement at the party.” Cheris sighed.

“
Oh, my.” She touched her head to her temple. “Oh, my dear. That’s just the beginning of it. Have you seen Hip Granny today?”

“
No.”

Annie stood and approaching her desk, she moved the mouse. Instantly, the screen came to life.

Trying to ignore the panic rising in her chest, Cheris joined Annie in front of the computer as she clicked on the icon to connect to the World Wide Web. Instead of the familiar logo of Hip Granny’s website, bells materialized. Church bells.

Wedding bells.

A fuzzy video morphed of a staircase with people standing on it.

The Arrowood family and Cheris.

Oh, no. Oh, no. No. No. No.

The scene Cheris had lived last week replayed on the monitor.

Monnie talking. The toast. Monnie and Chip kissing. More of Monnie talking.

The crowd egged her and Geoff to kiss. Geoff called to the crowd before Cheris quoted a line from
It’s a Wonderful Life
and pecked him on the lips. The crowd jeered. Then….

The scene zoomed in on them gazing at each other. Geoff spoke to her.

“Are you sure?” he had said.

She nodded.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she’d said back. “Be quick about it.”

And the not-quick-enough kiss began.

Cheris stared in fascination at the scene before her.

Her jaw dropped when she watched herself wrap her arms around the man and pull him closer. And on the kiss went. The catcalls and applause began. Finally, Geoff lifted his head breaking the contact.

Geoff. Not her.

Her stomach churned when words popped up on the screen.

Congratulations, Geoff and Cheris.

Enter the Whirlwind Wedding Workshop

The what?

Cheris reached forward and clicked the wedding bell icon. The screen changed to an unfocused scene of a church wedding and a menu containing everything from The Perfect Bridal Registry to Honeymoon Havens.

Bill Connor, the money-grubbing opportunist at Hip Granny, had been busy.

Cheris collapsed on the chair and moved her fingers across the mouse as she entered the how-to guide for planning the perfect wedding.

“Bill has launched Hip Granny into the wedding and marriage market,” Annie informed her. “And as soon as your honeymoon is over, he’s making you the spokesperson of it.”

Cheris blinked at the screen. She shook her head.
“No.”

“
I know you’re not much on being in the spotlight, but Bill’s been wanting to update Hip Granny’s image for a while.”

“
Geoff and I aren’t staying married, Annie. I’ll make a terrible spokesperson.”

“
Just because you married in haste doesn’t mean you and Geoff won’t stay together. I think you make a lovely couple.”

She turned to the older woman.
“I can’t believe you’re saying that. You know what I came from.”

Annie
’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

Cheris gestured to herself.
“Come on. I’ve told you about my childhood. I’m a bastard child out of Athens County.”

Annie sniffed.
“You’ve become better than just that, my dear.”

“
Maybe so, but I’ll never fit in with eating petit fours on real bone china.” Cheris stood and pushed the chair away from her. “Not ever. Excuse me, Annie. I’ve got to go.” Picking up her purse, she marched out of the room.

****

Cheris drove over to Web Enterprises and bounded into Bill’s office. He sat behind his desk with his ear plastered to his telephone yapping to some stupid person about Windfire web speed. She folded her arms and glared at him until he hung up and rounded the desk with arms outstretched.

“
How’s the wedded woman today, huh?”

Cheris pointed at him.
“Don’t you pull that with me. How dare you launch a marketing campaign using my marriage.”

Bill rocked back on his heels.
“Cheris, it’s perfect.” He grinned.

“
No, it isn’t. This is my life you’re prostituting, and I won’t have it. I’ll quit before I let you use me and Geoff to pad Milton’s Stewart’s pockets.”

Bill shook his head.
“You’ve got me all wrong here. We’re on borrowed time with Hip Granny. We need to—”

“‘
Keep it current. No flash in the pan for us.’ I’ve heard it all before, and you’re not going to use my private life to do it. I want that video taken off the site.”

“
Babe…”

Cheris shot him a murderous look at his endearment.

“Sorry. Cheris, that video is not your property.”

“
It’s got me in it.”

“
And as an employee you signed a contract giving Net Enterprises permission to broadcast you on our website.”

“
For tutorials,” she defended.

“
In what capacity is not specified, especially when it is Stewart making the video.”

“
No way.”

“
Way, Mrs. Arrowood. This was his idea.” Bill placed his hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off. He waved his hand to the door. “Now, then. This is still your honeymoon. People don’t work on their honeymoon. When you get back next week, we’ll negotiate your promotion.”

Cheris raised her face in disdain.
“I quit.”

Bill threw his head back and laughed.
“You want to resign? Come back next week and do it on company time.”

“
I’m serious.”

“
You might be, too, as I’m sure you’d like nothing better than to shop all day and live out the Cullsbaeir version of
Desperate Housewives
.”

“
I don’t like you very much.”

“
You and my three ex-wives. Why don’t you all start a club? Get. Get. Get. Out of here and the premises. Don’t make me call security.” He shooed her out of his office and closed the door behind her.

Cheris meandered through the building just so Bill wouldn
’t think he could bully her about
everything
. As she passed her cubicle, she ducked in it and sat at her chair. Pulling herself up to her monitor, she pressed the power button drumming her fingers impatiently on the keyboard as she waited for it to start.