Always Room for Cupcakes Read online

  “I need a cupcake,” was my reply.

  “Eddie,” Cade called across the nearly empty room. “You have cupcakes?”

  “Nah, but I have a chocolate lava cake.”

  I nodded eagerly when Cade looked to me for confirmation.

  “That’ll do,” he yelled back.

  “Coming right up.”

  “Did you see him?” I asked when he turned his attention back to me.

  Cade shook his head and said, “No, just a Camaro peeling down the alley.”

  “I think that’s his, I saw it both times…”

  “What’d you find this time?”

  I leaned across the table and looked around to make sure no one was close before whispering, “Hector, the sleazy guy with the Camaro, is using the cokehead to rally the rest of the Country Club set. They’re going to sell drugs in town to … I don’t know, whoever will buy it, I guess, then report back to Hector and he’ll supply it. The Coke Club is getting a ten percent cut off the top.”

  “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

  “No, no shit,” I replied, then sat back. “I gotta call my friend, Bea … She’s a cop.”

  Cade’s dark eyes came to mine.

  “You’re friends with a cop?”

  “Yeah, she actually came to see me this morning, wanting to warn me off you.”

  I watched his back stiffen and wondered if I’d done the right thing, then I remembered that I wanted to keep everything above board, and be honest, so I wasn’t going to let my fear of his reaction hold anything back.

  “She did,” he said, as more of a statement than a question, then didn’t say anything else.

  “Yeah, she thinks since you’re part of an MC a few counties over, that you may be dangerous, and therefore bad for me…”

  “And what do you think?”

  Rather than answering right away, I kept right on with the honesty.

  “And the Coke Club, they were talking about you too.” When he just arched a brow in response I continued, “I guess you’re the talk of the town because everyone saw you with a woman in your truck for the first time. The Coke Club is wondering if you’re done with the fuck and duck…”

  I didn’t even wait until the bartender finished placing the lava cake in front of me before I dug in. I was already freaked out, and the angry vibes coming off of Cade weren’t helping anything.

  “Fuck and duck?”

  “That’s what they said,” I said around a mouthful of cake. “I’ve never heard that expression before, but I’m guessing it’s because, like you said, you don’t do relationships. A cruder way to say love ‘em and leave ‘em.”

  Cade folded his hands in front of him on the table and asked, “So are you asking if the stuff you heard today is true?”

  I shrugged one shoulder and said, “Yeah, I guess, if you wanna tell me. I have to say, with all the drug stuff, and hearing about that Devil’s Breath, I haven’t thought too much about the gossip.”

  That earned me a smile, and I could see something flicker across Cade’s face, like he’d just made a decision.

  “I’ve been part of the MC for twenty years,” he began as I continued to shovel chocolate in my cake hole. But I kept my eyes on him, so he’d know he had my attention. “They’re my brothers, my family, and it’s been my life longer than not. I’ve had my share of parties and pussy.” I flinched internally, wondering if I’d ever get used to the blunt way he spoke. “But you can only do that shit for so long, so about two years ago I moved out here. Close enough to be there when they need me, but far enough away to have a life outside of the club.”

  I nodded to let him know I was still with him, and because what he said made sense.

  “And the Coke Club had their panties in a twist because although I fuck, I don’t fuck in the neighborhood pool, so to speak.”

  I don’t think that’s the way that expression goes, I thought, then scooped up my last bite of chocolaty goodness.

  “I’ve never been with anyone in this town.”

  “Until me,” I whispered, then lowered my eyes, the look in his too intense for me to take at that moment.

  I began studying the rings on his hands, suddenly fascinated by the chunks of silver adorning his fingers.

  “Until you,” Cade said softly, then brought one of those big hands to my chin and tilted my face back up to him. “What happens at the club won’t touch you. If things get serious and we start playing meet the family, then I’ll take you to a barbecue or a dinner, and introduce you to the guys and their old ladies, but that’s it. I don’t want my woman hanging out at the clubhouse, or taking to those bitches who hang around the compound looking for a good time. Your kids will never see it, and that life will never touch your life. You got it?”

  “Yeah,” I replied softly.

  “I won’t always tell you what goes down when I’m at work. I’m a guy who gets stuff done, and not all that stuff is good, but like I said … it won’t touch you.”

  “Okay.”

  “And while we’re talking, I’ll say this. I already told you that I’m not a man who does flowers, but you gotta know, I’m also not the type of man who gets a dog and has a white picket fence.”

  “I don’t need that,” I replied honestly. “I had it once, and it didn’t take.”

  Cade gave me a slight nod, and ran his thumb along my lower lip.

  “What about a chain-linked fence and a cat?” I asked, needing to lighten the mood.

  “Fuck no,” he said with a scowl. “I hate cats.”

  “Why?” I asked. “They’re low maintenance and have personality.”

  “They shit in the house and stare at you with their freaky-ass eyes. No way, no cats.”

  I laughed and he smiled along with me.

  “Thanks,” I said, reaching my hand out to his free one and giving it a squeeze.

  “For what?”

  “For being here, for running after sleazy Hector, and for being honest with me.”

  “You can count on that,” he promised, and I really hoped he was telling the truth.

  “Hey, Elin, how about you help me man the grill?”

  I looked over from my perch at the counter in Amy May’s kitchen and mouthed, thank you, to her husband, Jason. I watched with a smile as Elin put down his tablet and went out to help Jason make dinner. The girls, Elena and Amy May’s daughter, Cassidy, were in Cassidy’s room doing Lord knows what, while Amy May and I were in the kitchen, drinking wine and catching up.

  When the guys went outside, Amy May put the knife down on the cutting board and leaned closer to me.

  “So what you were saying earlier…” she whispered. “Do you think that’s true, about the Country Club wives selling drugs?”

  “That’s what it sounded like, and that’s what I told Bea. She hasn’t heard of this Hector before, but she said she’d talk to some of the other cops … have them get with their informants.”

  “What did Moose say?”

  “He said the shot of all the women was good, but that he needs more. He needs to see an actual hand off.”

  “Don’t you think that’s kind of dangerous?”

  “Yeah, of course, but Bea and the cops are looking into it, and Cade knows about him and said he’d see what he can find out.”

  “You need to be careful. That Hector guy has seen you, twice … Maybe you should tell Moose to get his own shots for this one.”

  I shook my head and insisted, “I’ll be fine. This client is paying big bucks and my cut is the largest one I’ve seen.”

  “It’s not worth it if it’s dangerous. Does Moose know you talked to the cops, and Cade, about the case?”

  “No, I think he’d be pissed if he knew, but what am I supposed to do? He may not have a problem dealing with criminals and offering up proof of illegal activities, but I do. I wouldn’t feel right, keeping something like this to myself.”

  “No, you’re right, and I totally agree with you not keeping it to yourself; now I
just wish you’d back off … But, I know you and I know you won’t.”

  “We can’t have people dealing drugs in town, and really, this Hector guys is smart, picking white-collar white women to do his dirty work. No one would think to even suspect. I know I wouldn’t.”

  “Do you know who Moose’s client is?”

  “No, and I don’t know if I want to. Really, the less I know the better. I just want to know that I have a hand in bringing Hector and the Coke Club down … To feel like I did something good for this town.”

  “You always do, babe,” Amy May said, then her eyes went to the door and she stopped talking.

  I took a drink of wine and asked, “Do we have dessert?” as Jason and Elin walked inside with a platter of hamburgers and hot dogs.

  “Is my name Amy May?” she asked with a grin, which I answered with one of my own, knowing there were cupcakes in my future.

  Later that night when the kids were getting ready for bed, I was sitting in the living room, my comfy pajamas already on, and getting ready to watch a recorded episode of The Big Bang Theory, when Elena came in and sat next to me.

  When she didn’t immediately start talking, I put down the remote and asked, “What’s up, baby girl?”

  “Um, I was just wondering,” she began, twirling her hair around her finger in what I knew was a nervous gesture. “Are you happy?”

  “Yeah, baby, of course,” I assured her, my hand going to her shoulder. “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, when we got back to Dad’s house after camping, there was someone waiting there. Dad said she’s his girlfriend.”

  I schooled my features even as my stomach clenched and replied, “Elena, your dad and I have been separated for almost a year now, it’s normal for him to start dating again.”

  My precious girl bit her lip and looked at me with a worried expression.

  “He said they’ve been together for a while, but he waited to introduce her, as his girlfriend, until they were serious.”

  “They’re serious, huh?” I asked, not really wanting to know about The Douche’s love life, but needing to for my children’s sake.

  “They’re moving in together,” she said softly.

  Oh, Hell no…

  Elena was watching me closely, as if she was worried this information was going to hurt me. It didn’t, but it did piss me off. First he gets an RV to show off for the kids, and now he’s moving in some chick and introducing her to our kids without even talking to me about it?

  This went against everything we’d discussed when we split.

  We didn’t agree on much, but we’d both said we wouldn’t subject our children to random people unless we entered into a serious relationship. And if that happened, we were going to give the other person a head’s up.

  I guess that agreement flew out the fucking window, although what did I expect? If our vows didn’t matter to him, why would a random promise.

  Hoping I was successfully keeping all emotion off my face, I pulled my lips into the best smile I could manage and said, “Okay, baby girl, I’ll talk to your dad about it. But I’m sure if he’s serious enough to move in with her, she must be a nice person.”

  Unless he was moving in with Slutty Shirley Finkle. It didn’t even bear thinking, and I was going to try and hold off on getting upset until I talked to him myself.

  “Thanks for talking to me about it, Elena. You know I’m always here no matter what, okay?”

  When she got up and started to leave the room, I added, “And you don’t have to worry about me, okay? I’m happy.”

  As I watched my daughter walk away, that worried expression still on her face, I thought, Damn, looks like I have to make another trip to the bank.

  “Who’re you here to spy on this time?” The Douche asked as I entered his office, not even bothering to rise from his desk.

  “What?” I asked, confused not only by his question, but by his demeanor.

  “C’mon, Delilah, give me a break … I know you think I’m a jerk, but do you really think I’m stupid enough not to know what you’re doing?”

  “What am I doing?” I asked, trying to give attitude to cover up the fact that he’d thrown me.

  “Working with that PI, sneaking around and taking pictures of people to get them in trouble,” he answered calmly, his hands together on his desktop.

  “How do you know?” I asked, no longer playing coy.

  “I’ve heard chatter. About people getting caught cheating and stuff, then I noticed you slinking around by a motel one day when I was driving home. But when you came in here the other day, finally ready to give me the opportunity to explain myself … Well, that confirmed it for me. I saw you run out as soon as Tracey left on her break.”

  I mentally kicked myself for not being a better actress, then felt the need to assure him, “The kids don’t know. No one really does, at least, I thought no one did … I guess I wasn’t being as discreet as I thought.”

  “So, what are you doing? Working as a PI with that jackass Moose?”

  “No, I’m an Investigative Photographer,” I made that up off the top of my head, and really liked the way it sounded. “Moose does the PI work and deals with clients, I just take the pictures.”

  “Sounds like it could be dangerous.”

  “It’s not, I swear,” I assured him, then wondered why I was defending myself, when I’d come there to confront him. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m here.”

  “Oh? You aren’t here to spy on Tracey again?”

  I looked through the glass of his office at the woman who was back in her spot at the desk, then back at him.

  “No, not today. I’m here because Elena had a talk with me last night. She wanted me to know that you introduced them to your girlfriend, who is, apparently, moving in with you.”

  The Douche crossed his arms over his chest, the defensive gesture he always went to whenever I brought up something he didn’t want to discuss.

  “Okay…” he muttered warily.

  “I thought we agreed to talk about it before we introduced the kids to anyone special in our lives.”

  He sighed and admitted, “You’re right, we did … And I meant to talk to you about it. But then you came in last week and things didn’t go so well, and I never got around to it. I’d talked to Mary about pushing back our plans to tell the kids, but she’d already put in notice on her rental, so we couldn’t really do that?”

  “Why didn’t you call or shoot me a text … something?” I argued, then what he’d said penetrated. “Mary?”

  “Yeah, Mary,” he replied, his arm waving out toward the office a few feet away, where Mary, one of the loan officers that he’d worked with for the past ten years sat. “Didn’t the kids say?”

  I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

  Mary? Did that mean Slutty Shirley Finkle wasn’t the one-time deal I’d thought? Had he cheated before? Had he been cheating on me for years? Mary’d been to our house. I’d invited her over for holidays and family gatherings, worried that she’d be alone if I didn’t … Had I been made a fool this whole time?

  Some of what I was thinking must have been conveyed on my face, because The Douche held up his hands.

  “No, no, no, Lila, it’s not what you’re thinking … Mary and I were never together before. We’ve only been seeing each other for six months.”

  “And you’re already moving in together?” I asked, not ready to believe him.

  He ran a hand over his face and looked over at Mary, who was watching us through the glass, a worried expression on her face.

  I tried to ignore the fact that we were on display, and kept my attention on my ex-husband.

  “It may seem like it happened quickly, but we’ve known each other for so long … just as friends … so the relationship felt like it started in the middle, you know? I swear, nothing ever happened before, Mary will vouch for that, and you know she’s a good woman.”

  He was right, I did know that, but still … I fel
t my eyes sliding over to look at her. Barely five foot two, carrying about one hundred and eighty pounds, and forever styling her hair in a bob, Mary had always been a friend. She was a mom-type person, always looking out for others. Calling if you were sick, making a casserole for work dinners, and always having a fresh batch of cookies in her cookie jar at home. She was probably a good five years older than me, and I’d always felt comfortable around her.

  Now I didn’t know what to think. She was the exact opposite of Slutty Shirley Finkle, and not the kind of woman I envisioned The Douche going for once our divorce was final.

  “Elena didn’t say it was Mary?” he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  “No, she didn’t,” I replied, chewing on my lower lip as I tried to decide how I felt about this new information.

  “I was planning to tell you, I promise, and I want you to know that if everything goes well with our living together, I plan to ask Mary to marry me.”

  Holy shit. The hits just kept coming…

  I swung my gaze to him and asked, “Really?”

  “Yes, Delilah, we have a good thing going, and she needs me. That feels good.”

  I accepted that jab and turned to go, needing to get out of his office and away from all of the knowing eyes … especially Mary’s.

  “Okay, well, I’m happy for you,” I mumbled, almost truthfully, as I started out the door.

  “Thanks,” he called after me, then added, “And, Delilah, be careful out there, all right?”

  I didn’t turn, but just nodded and kept going.

  I didn’t stop until I reached Amy May’s, heading right for the counter, sitting down, and yelling, “Cupcake!”

  Ten seconds later a beautiful chocolate cupcake with Oreo frosting and chocolate shavings was set in front of me.

  I dug in without even looking up.

  Heaven.

  I realized I hadn’t had anything to eat all day except a cupcake, so I stopped by a hot dog vendor on the way to the motel. I was chowing down on my fully loaded dog when my cell pinged an incoming text.

  I need the pics from the Jones job ASAP. Then I have more info about the wareabouts of the druggies… I need more on them.