Spark Of Desire (28 page)

Kevin bit his lip. He had thought that was just between him and Jessica, but there was a clear line of sight between her front door and kitchen.

And Bobbie had disappeared before the party ended.

Dan whistled.

Bobbie turned on him. “You just shut up.” She whirled back around and shoved Kevin back a step. “You ignored me for three years, and you can’t keep your hands off her for three weeks?”

“Bobbie, it’s not that there’s something wrong with you.” Kevin searched for an acceptable answer. It wasn’t anything wrong with her, it was something right with Jessica.

“You know what the worst part about this is? I really like her. She’s nice and fun. She’s the only friend I have who’s a girl and I couldn’t even be friends with her because of you.” Bobbie pounded on his chest with her fists. Not little girly flailing, either, but serious body blows that would leave bruises.

“Ow, hey!” Kevin put his arms up in front of him to block her blows. “Bobbie, stop it.”

Jack grabbed one arm and Lew got the other. They managed to drag her back a step, but she struggled out of their grip, barely acknowledging them. “Do you know how she’s ranking? She’s third. She tied for first on the written and dropped to third after the physical.” Bobbie wiped the tears off her face with her hands. “She’s really good. And you dumped her.”

“I didn’t dump her.”

“You liar. I talked to her.”

Kevin paled. He could imagine the conversation. Two women who hated him. Both of whom he would be working with soon. Dead things in his locker were going to be the least of his problems. “I’m sure it didn’t happen quite the way she said it did.”

“She said you called her a liar and accused her of trying to trick you into marrying her.”

Kevin sucked his teeth. “Okay, it did happen like that. Listen, I screwed up. It happens. She’s better off without me.”

“You idiot. She’s perfect for you.” Bobbie sobbed and rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand. “She’s perfect, and it’s not fair.” She stormed out the door, slamming it behind her and cracking one of the panes.

“We can’t let her drive home like that,” Dan said. He looked at Kevin.

“I don’t think she wants to see me.” Kevin shook his head.

Jack shifted. “She hits. I don’t want to go out there. Crying, I’m trained on, hitting is different.”

“I’ll go.” Lew walked out the front door.

“You certainly have a way with women. I didn’t know you were that hot and heavy with Jessica,” Dan said, retrieving the Kleenex box from the dining room. It was more egg-shaped than rectangular now.

“I wasn’t that hot and heavy with Jessica. Bobbie is blowing it out of proportion.”

“I don’t know.” Jack sat down on the edge of the couch. “Bobbie’s pretty reliable about that stuff even when she’s hysterical, and you did have icing on your back.”

Kevin sneered at Jack. “Thank you for the detail.”

“Icing on your back?” Dan laughed. “Will you please just apologize to her? I mean Jessica. Bobbie might kill you if you get too close to her right now.”

“She wouldn’t accept it either. You heard Bobbie. She hates me now.” Kevin hunched onto the easy chair and clasped his hands around the back of his neck. He missed Jessica with a gnawing ache that never left. At night he lay awake thinking about going over to her house, hoping her defenses would be down at three in the morning. Last week he’d called the bookstore with bogus questions hoping she would answer the phone so he could hear her voice. The only bright spots in the week had been when her ranking came back for the written and the physical. He’d entertained the idea of sending her flowers as congratulations and signing them from the station, but he thought she would see through it and torch them in his driveway.

“Man, she is upset. I’m soaked.” Lew stopped inside the door, brushing a damp spot on his shirt. “He still won’t apologize, will he?”

“Look, you’re gonna have to move on if you won’t talk to her.” Jack sat on the couch. “There’s an Irish singer at the bookstore on Sunday. Kate and I were going to go. Why don’t you come with us? She doesn’t work Sundays, does she?”

Kevin groaned. Jessica didn’t work Sundays, but the rest of the staff knew him and probably knew what he’d done. He hadn’t been greeted warmly last time he stopped in. Without Jessica, he now had to find a new favorite hangout too. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Dan said. “You stay in this house much more and you’re going to mold. Who knows, maybe the guitar player will whack you upside the head with his guitar and knock some sense into you. I hope he has one of those solid body electrics.”

“You are all so helpful.” He closed his eyes. Tears burned behind them. He didn’t want to cry in front of these guys, not over a woman. He stood up. “I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll just meet you there.” He retreated upstairs and locked himself in the bathroom until the sensation passed.

Chapter 14

Kevin drove past the front doors of the store hoping the truck he’d seen hadn’t been Jack’s, but it was. Jack and Kate loitered near the front doors waiting, and both looked up when he passed the doors. If he didn’t go in now, he’d never hear the end of it. Jack had managed to enlist the help of everyone on his shift to harass him into this night out. They were all tired of his moodiness. Of course, the parking lot was packed. Quite normal for a hot, humid Sunday night. Kevin found a spot in front of the computer store, not far from where he’d jump started Kate’s car back in June.

Jessica. Kate had been talking to Jessica inside when he offered to jump the battery for her. He remembered looking at Jessica and thinking she seemed very together. Very confident. There had been something marvelously attractive about it. A momentary insight he hadn’t remembered until now.

God, he missed her.

He missed the sound of her voice and the ring of her laugh. The way she smelled and the way she moved. The way her hair felt on his fingers and the way her lips tasted.

He really missed the way her lips tasted.

But she hated him and she had every right to. No apology would ever be enough. He’d seen something in her eyes. A flash of betrayal. Whatever he’d said, it had been exactly wrong. He couldn’t remember what he’d said now anyway. How could he apologize when he didn’t know what to apologize for?

He locked up his car and went inside.

“You made it.” Jack grinned. “Congratulations. It’s the first step to becoming a bearable member of society again.”

Kate elbowed Jack without looking up from the book she held open in her hands. “Be nice.”

“This is nice.” Jack put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, honey. You can bring the book with you.”

“I don’t want to mess up the display. I just want to look.” She turned a page and kept reading.

Kevin glanced around. All the employees were staring daggers at him. He was getting paranoid now.

“Bring it with you. I’ll buy it for you,” Jack was saying.

“I know you will, but I don’t want to mess up their nice table.”

“Oh, look who’s here.”

Kevin tried not to cringe when he turned around.

Jessica stood behind him with her arms folded and her lips pursed. She’d cut her hair short. Really, really short. Kevin remembered his mother cutting his hair that way when he was about six. Bangs straight across his eyebrows, short over the ears, shaved up the neck.

“Congratulations on your ranking.” Jack stepped between them and held out his hand.

“Thank you,” she said. She shook Jack’s hand and then folded her arms again before Kevin had a chance to move. “Are you here for the performer in the coffee bar?”

“Yes. Do you know if he’s any good?” Kate asked. She put her book down.

“He’s the husband of the magazine clerk. He’s no professional, but he won’t play
Danny Boy
. I know that will please Kevin.” Her lips curled into a cruel smirk. Instead of chilling him, the expression reminded him what great lips she had.

Kevin wondered how she would react if he grabbed her and kissed her. With that look on her face, she might bite him. But he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to touch her. Maybe she would accept an apology. Maybe if he begged for forgiveness here in full sight of all her friends, she would accept him back at least as a friend. Maybe given time she would—

“Here. I didn’t bring a gift to your wedding, so why don’t you each have a drink on the house?” Jessica held out two business cards to Jack. Turning to Kevin, her face darkened. “I suppose I can’t leave you out. Even though you seem to think I’m the world’s stupidest gold digger.” She slapped a card into the middle of his chest.

The imprint of her hand sank through his skin and bone, clenching around his heart and stopping it. He reached up to try to catch her hand, but ended up with only the card.

“Here I am, surrounded daily by doctors, lawyers, and CEOs, and who do I decide to make my gravy train? A city employee. Yeah, you must think I’m pretty stupid.” She grimaced at Jack and Kate. “I hope you enjoy the show. Although, you might be seeing more of me. Good night.” She spun on her heel and walked out the door.

“Oh my.” Kate gasped. “That was ugly.”

“If I didn’t know better I’d think that
you might be seeing more of me
was a threat.” Jack looked at Kevin. “She hates you. If I were you, when she makes paramedic, I’d try really hard not to get hurt.”

Kevin felt too numb for any of it to sink in. “She cut her hair,” he said.

“What?” Jack asked.

“She cut her hair,” Kevin repeated.

Kate looked out the doors. Jessica had already reached the opposite side of the parking lot. “She did, didn’t she? That’s not a requirement?”

“No, women can have shoulder-length hair. She butched her hair off, though. You don’t think it’s because of you, do you?” Jack asked.

Kevin didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer. He watched Jessica start up her car and drive away.

“Come on. Let’s go sit down.” Jack reached for Kevin’s arm. Kate hooked hers through the other side and between them they towed him to the coffee bar. They got into line, and Jack and Kate started discussing the menu. Kevin looked at the card in his hand. He’d thought having Bobbie attack him in his living room had been traumatic, but it barely registered next to this. The card was pretty standard. Business-card size. Free-drink-of-your-choice wording. Jessica had written her initials in the upper left-hand corner. He didn’t want to give it up. Her initials on this card were all he had.

“The usual?” the annoyed voice on the other side of the counter asked.

Kevin looked up. The woman glaring at him from behind the counter only worked in the espresso bar. He’d seen her at the party and around the neighborhood too. “Usual?”

“Large hot cocoa, shot of caramel.” She didn’t smile. She’d always smiled at him before Jessica had turned the entire staff against him.

“Sure. That’s fine.”

She reached across the counter and snatched the card out of his hand. Then she turned away and started making his drink.

“Hot chocolate? Are you nuts? It’s ninety degrees outside,” Jack said.

Kate wrapped her arms around herself. “It feels like it’s sixty-five in here.”

“That’s what I usually get.” Kevin looked at the menu board. For some reason he couldn’t read it. In the corner of the café, the musician was setting up. He had two guitars with him. Behind him stood the magazine clerk with a third guitar in her hands. For a moment when she caught sight of him, she seemed confused, then she glared.

“Here.” The counter woman set the drink in the center of the counter. “I didn’t spit in it, if you’re wondering, but I didn’t do you any favors either. Like Jessica says, professional doesn’t require nice.” She turned to Jack and Kate, smiling. “Now what can I get for you?”

Kevin found a table large enough for the three of them. Jessica had gotten to the whole staff. If he couldn’t make his friends understand he’d done something unforgivable, how could he explain to hers that he was sorry?

“Hey, your magazine is in.”

Kevin looked up. The magazine clerk had fixed him with a glare from two tables away. Her husband looked up, confused.
 

“What?” Kevin asked.