Always Room for Cupcakes (15 page)

“Okay, I’ll see you then, and, Lila … Be careful.”

“This is so lame,” I whined as I picked up my dirty martini and took a sip.

“What?” Amy May asked, smiling at me over her Cosmo.

“It’s six thirty on a Thursday night,” I explained. “When I said I wanted a Ladies’ Night, I meant go out, get drunk, stir some shit up. Not dinner and drinks and home by eight.”

“We’re not in our twenties anymore,” Bea responded. “We all have to work tomorrow and have families at home … We have to be responsible, not go out and get blitzed, then have to deal with the horrors of a hangover the next day.”

I pouted because she had a point, and that sucked.

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, we can just order appetizers. You’ll get a buzz quicker that way,” Amy May said, always thinking ahead.

I grinned at her and said, “Deal,” then laughed. “Remember when we used to be able to stay out all night drinking, then go right to work the next day without getting any sleep?”

“Yeah, now if I don’t get my full eight hours after just one glass of wine, I can’t even function,” Bea said sadly, and both Amy May and I nodded in agreement.

“Ugh, try running a bakery. If I’m not in bed by eight, I’m a bear in the morning. Jason says I’m worse to get up than the kids.”

“Are you ladies ready to order?” the hot young waiter asked us, pulling us out of our depressing conversation.

“Can we get the spinach dip?”

“And the potato skins?”

“Oh, and those little taquito things?”

“Sure, anything else?”

“Another round, please.”

“Got it … Dirty martini, Cosmo, and red wine coming up. And I’ll get those apps right in for you.”

“Thanks,” I said, then watched his butt as he walked away.

When I turned my attention back to my friends, they were both staring at me.

“What?”

“Didn’t you ask us here to tell us about Cade?” Amy May asked, taking the lime peel out of her drink and running her tongue around it in what I assumed was supposed to be a sexy move, but just came off as creepy.

“Stop doing that,” Bea said, causing Amy May to drop the peel.

They were right, I did bring them there to talk about Cade, so I laid it all out. Catching Bea up on the stuff she missed, then telling them both about the night he broke in and all the stuff he said about me being the one for him, and the business about calling people
darlin’
.

“I really like him; when can we go on a double date?” Amy May asked, picking up a loaded potato skin and biting it with a moan. “These are so good.”

“Uh, I don’t know,” I replied, wondering what Cade would think about going on a double date. “That doesn’t really seem like his scene. Maybe we could plan a barbecue or something … a few months from now.”

“A few
months
?” she asked with a scowl.

“Could you let me get used to this first? He hasn’t even met my kids or anything yet, and I was the first person he ever dated … I’d like to hold off on throwing him into the fire with my friends.”

Bea hadn’t said anything, so I turned my attention to her and asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m not sure yet, the jury’s still out.”

“Why?” Amy May asked.

“Because, Amy May, the fact that he’s a
man who gets things done
kind of freaks me out. I’m not positive he’s on the right side of the law, even if this time he’s working on keeping drugs out of our city. Plus, he’s breaking into her apartment, and bossing her around all the time. I’m not certain he’s the guy for Lila, so I’m reserving judgment until I know more.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re reserving judgment; in fact, you sound very
judgy,
” Amy May argued, and I just sat back, munching on taquitos and sipping on my martini as I watched. “He makes her feel safe. He likes her, like,
really
likes her. He’s never dated anyone before, yet now he’s dating
her
. He’s a big mountain of Hawaiian hotness, who gets her off like no one has before, especially
The Douche
, and badass motorcycle man with a dog and a cabin. What the hell’s not to like?”

“We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one, okay, Amy May?” Bea said, running her hand over her short hair and causing it to spike up. “I’m sorry, Lila, I want you to be happy, I do. I just want to make sure you’re thinking with your head, not your loins.”

“Her
loins
?” Amy May guffawed, falling sideways in the booth and bumping Bea’s shoulder.

“Shut up,” Bea said with a laugh. “You know what I mean.”

“You need to stop reading those old historical romance novels,” Amy May teased, and I knew their argument was over.

I was okay with the fact that Bea didn’t jump on board the Pro-Cade train right away. I knew she was just looking out for me, and as a cop, wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting involved in anything dangerous.

Well,
more
dangerous than what I was already involved in with Moose, Hector, Carlos, and the Coke Club. I’d agreed to send her all of the pictures I’d taken so far, along with any information I could think of that Moose had given me over the course of the last few weeks.

“I will say one thing,” Bea said as she finished the last of her wine. “Cade’s right about the kids staying with
The Douche
and you staying with him. I’ll feel better knowing you’re all safe until we can find Hector and get him off the streets. Hopefully, before his brother finds him. The last thing we need is a drug war in the middle of Greenswood.”

“I talked to him earlier. He’s picking the kids up after school tomorrow, and then I’m going to Cade’s.”

“Another round, ladies?” the hot waiter asked, coming up to clear our empty plates.

“Nah, we’re old,” I said with a chuckle. “We have to get home and go to bed.”

The waiter laughed, probably thinking I was joking, and said he’d be right back with our bill.

“Hey, how’s it going?” a happy voice chimed in and we all turned to see Carmen Santos approaching the table.

Well, maybe not so much approaching as hopping. She was once again smiling happily, her long, two-toned hair straightened so that it fell almost to her waist. She was wearing a maxi skirt and a tank top, with bangles adorning her wrists.

“Hey, Carmen,” I said, smiling back. I looked around to see my friends smiling at her too. So either it was because her smile was infectious, or we each had a good buzz. “These are my friends Amy May, and Bea.”

Carmen gave a little finger wave, then said, “Best cupcakes in the
world
, and toughest cop in town.”

Amy May and Bea both practically beamed at Carmen’s praise, and I realized she was probably the most positive, uplifting person I’d ever met.

“Carmen’s a reporter,” I added, completing the introductions, although Carmen seemed to know who everyone was.

“And a blogger,” she amended cheerfully. “I’d
love
to do a post about your bakery, Amy May.”

“Really?” Amy May asked, obviously pleased.

“Really,” Carmen mimicked. “Oh, and a piece in the Lifestyle section of the Gazette. That would be
awesome
!”

“I’d love that, thanks!”

“Sure thing! I just saw you gals over here and wanted to stop by and say,
what’s up
… I’m actually on a date,” she said, pointing over her shoulder toward the bar.

We all leaned in to look around her and toward the bar. There was a younger man wearing jeans, a Batman T-shirt, and a hoodie, giving us nervous glances from his stool.

“First date?” Bea asked, her nose scrunched up.

Uh-oh
, I thought. Even though Bea didn’t know Carmen, she was Bea and she’d had two glasses of wine, so it wouldn’t occur to her
not
to give her opinion.

“Yeah, Jonathon,” Carmen replied with a nod, her eyes on Bea. “Why?

Now she’d done it…

“Well,” Bea started. “First of all, who wears a hoodie on a first date? The batman shirt I’ll give him, but wear it under a nice jacket or blazer, with some jeans that aren’t ripped. And for crying out loud, do something with your hair.”

We all turned to look at Jonathon, who looked liked he’d just rolled out of bed and hadn’t bothered to comb his hair, which hadn’t been cut in a few months and looked poufy. And not in a good way.

“Second of all, how old is he? Twenty? He looks like a slacker, and
again
, not in a good way.”

“He’s, ah, twenty-two, I think. Lives in his parents’ basement and works for some online company.”

I winced, knowing Bea was not going to be happy with his status, then all of a sudden the situation hit me and I got the giggles.

“How old are you?” Bea asked, ignoring my giggles.

“Thirty-two.”

“Go, girl,” Amy May said, at the same time I asked, “Really?”

I would have guessed her to be twenty-six at the oldest. The giggles fled me as I wondered how she looked so youthful and happy and she was only three years younger than me.

“I dig the younger man thing, but you can do better. A pretty woman like you, with a positive attitude and a disposition that lights up the room…” Bea trailed off as Carmen’s eyes widened and she looked at Bea like she was the sweetest person in the world.

“Really?” she whispered, and we all answered, “Really!”

Carmen graced each of us with a smile, and when our hot young waiter returned, not even bothering to hide his interest in her, she said, “Well, I guess I’d better get back and let you guys go. It was good to finally meet you all. Maybe we could get together for drinks one night,” she added shyly.

“That sounds great,” Amy May replied.

“You got it,” Bea said, then added, “And dump the loser.”

The waiter smiled and I could tell he wanted to agree and apply to be her replacement date, but kept it to himself.

“I’ll call you,” I said, causing Carmen’s light to shine on me before she turned and bounded back to the bar. I’d said it not just because the thought of all of us having drinks sounded like a blast, but because I thought maybe I should talk to Carmen about Carlos, Hector and the Coke Club, and have her write an expose on what the country club set had been planning to do in our town. I’d need to be kept anonymous, of course, but the town deserved to know what was going on right under it’s nose.

Bea and I said bye to Amy May, then Bea drove me home. Shannon had stayed with the kids while we went out, so Bea was picking her up and they were going home after dropping me off.

I had to pack the kids and my bags, and I wanted some snuggle time with my babies before I told them that they were going to their dad’s for a while and why. I figured it was also time to bring up Cade, since I was going to be staying at his house, and with the way things were progressing, they’d probably be meeting him soon.

“I think I packed everything they should need. If not, Elena has her key to the apartment, so you can come back and get what they forgot.”

We were loading up my ex’s Mercedes, and once they were gone I was going to lock up and head to Cade’s. Elena and Elin were currently walking out of the apartment building with their treasured possessions: tablets and portable gaming systems.

“Leave it open!” I shouted, not wanting to have to dig out my keys and reopen the front door after they left.

When they got to the car, I alternated giving them hugs and kisses, then let them go so they could put their stuff inside.

“I’ll call you every day,” I promised, wishing I didn’t have to do this.

Elena rolled her eyes. I’d been fawning over them since I made it home last night, and she was at the point now where she was ready to leave me. It was actually easier that way, since last night she’d protested, asking to come with me to Cade’s instead of going with her dad and Mary.

“They’ll be fine,” my ex assured me. “Right, guys? It’ll be fun … Like an extended vacation.”

“Except we still have to go to school and do chores,” Elin grumbled. He’d been bargaining to miss school while they were gone, but I’d said
no way
.