That Man of Mine (11 page)

“Hey,” he said. His gaze went to her leather work tote. Which had seemed cute when she'd bought it, but now Mimi realized it was wholly impractical. Her
Spring Into Summer
work folder, overflowing with papers, barely fit inside. “Looks like someone's bringing home a load of work for the weekend.”

“I think I'm spinning my wheels with this festival.”

“Want to talk about it? Maybe I can help.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim jeans. A cool breeze ruffled the top of his brown hair. Mimi had to admit, casual Fridays looked good on Doug.

Considering she was getting nowhere with the Billy Brenton thing, his offer of help sounded like a lifeline. She thought about the animals. She'd checked on them a little over two hours ago. Surely, they could be alone a couple hours more. “How about that coffee you promised?”

“How about dinner?” he shot back. She hesitated long enough that he said, “Or not. You probably have kids to get home to, huh?”

“Actually, I don't. And dinner sounds good. I'm anxious to pick your brain about something.”

He grinned. “Then let's go.”

They got into his car, a shiny red sedan that still had a new car smell. Mimi buckled her seat belt and settled back into the plush leather seat. It occurred to her she'd never been alone in a car with a man before who wasn't either her husband, her father, or her brother. It was an odd sensation.

“So, what do you like to eat?” he asked. “We could do Italian, or seafood? I hear The Harbor House is pretty good.”

“And kind of fancy and over-priced, too. The Bistro by the Beach isn't open for dinner, otherwise I'd suggest we go there. There's a burger place near the bowling alley that makes some killer chili cheese fries. Greasy, but to die for.”

He raised a brow. “Greasy fries? You're on.”

*~*~*

B
urger World was packed
, but they were able to get a seat in the back of the restaurant right next to the restrooms. On the drive over, they'd stopped at a light and the occupants of the car in the next lane (Mr. and Mrs. Bruner) had openly gawked at them. Now she and Zeke were not only separated, she'd been seen alone in a car with a strange man. Horrors! So although Mimi preferred sitting by the window, a back seat table seemed like a good option right now. More out of the way and private.

They ordered burgers and fries and a couple of beers and Mimi was surprised to find how hungry she was. Then she remembered she hadn't eaten since breakfast. She'd spent her lunch break on hold with the manager of a country western radio station who claimed to personally know Billy Brenton, which had been a total bust.

Mimi was halfway through her burger when she came up for air. “So, Doug, how are you liking our little piece of the planet?”

He wiped his mouth with his napkin, then laid it down next to his empty beer mug. “A lot actually. I can't wait till the water gets warm. The beaches here are beautiful.”

“Agreed,” she said, basking in mayorly pride.

The waitress came by and asked if they wanted a second beer. Doug went for it, but Mimi declined. Beer always filled her up too much. Besides, there was still that glass of wine and
Casablanca
waiting for her when she got home.

“Mimi Grant!” Betty Jean Collin's voice made Mimi jump in her seat. Betty Jean, along with a couple of other members of the Gray Flamingos strolled over to their table. The curiosity in their eyes could have killed an entire litter of Buttercups.

Mimi inwardly sighed and tried for her best smile. Hopefully, Betty wasn't going to try to fill her in on any more gossip about Zeke and Cindy. “Hi, Betty!” she said with her most upbeat voice. She introduced Doug to Betty and the other two women. “Doug is our new city manager,” Mimi said.

“
Oh
? So this is business, not pleasure?” Betty Jean asked.

“I'd like to think it's both,” she answered. If Betty Jean and her cronies wanted to make something out of nothing, then let them. Mimi had nothing to hide.

Betty Jean's eyes widened. “It was nice to meet you, Doug. We'll let you two kids get back to your food before it gets cold.” 

A few minutes after that, Mr. Parsons from the post office strolled by. Mimi caught him staring so she waved at him. He seemed flustered, but waved back.

Eventually, everyone in the place walked past their table. Some people, two or three times. Either everyone in Whispering Bay had weak bladders, or they were the nosiest people on the planet. Mimi concluded it was the latter.

Doug glanced around the restaurant and lowered his voice. “This might sound weird, but are people staring at us?”

“Nope. Not weird at all.” She put down her burger. “I should probably warn you, by this time tomorrow it'll be all around town that I'm having your baby.”

Doug threw his head back and laughed (causing even more people to turn and stare). “Small towns, you got to love them,” he said good-naturedly.

Rusty Newton, one of Whispering Bay's finest, happened by the table just at that moment. He was out of uniform but he still walked and talked like a cop. Not the scary kind. More like the
Mayberry RFD
Barney Fife kind. Rusty was goofy, loveable and loyal to a fault. He also considered himself to be Zeke's best friend, which meant the second he left Burger World, he'd be on the phone with him.

“
Well, well, well
, hello, Mrs. Police Chief,” Rusty said to Mimi. He scowled at Doug. “And who do we have here?” Rusty looked at Doug like he was ready to handcuff him.

“Hey, Rusty. You're looking quite dapper this evening,” Mimi said. And she meant it. If Rusty wasn't in uniform he was either in fishing gear or baggy jeans. But tonight he wore pressed khaki slacks and a black polo shirt with a turned down collar. Rusty was around forty and divorced. “You on a date?”

Rusty's face went blotchy. “Um…a date? No, not on a date. I'm meeting my bowling team next door. Thought I'd grab a burger to go. The bowling alley grill always overcooks ‘em.”

“Ah.” Mimi smiled. “Let me introduce you to Doug Wentworth, Whispering Bay's new city manager.”

Doug stretched his hand out, leaving Rusty no choice but to shake it.

“As you can see, Doug and I are discussing city business,” Mimi said.

“City business…sure. So where's the chief tonight?”

“With the kids.”

“And the chief knows you're here, huh? And who you're
with
?” Rusty persisted.

“I'm really not sure what the
chief
does and doesn't know, but I'm sure you'll fill him in,” Mimi said.

“Oh, yeah, I'll fill him in.”

If anyone other than Rusty had just said that… But he wasn't being snarky. He was just being Rusty.

Mimi laid down her napkin and not-so-discreetly glanced around the crowded restaurant. The entire place was still looking at them. After thirty-five years you'd think she'd be used to it. And she sort of was, but this was getting downright ridiculous. Not to mention it could potentially interfere in her ability to do her duty as mayor. It was time to take matters into her own hands.

She stood. “May I have your attention, everyone?” she said loudly.

“Oh, you have our attention, all right,” a female voice shouted. It was Sarah Nelson, from the library.

“Awesome. So most everyone here knows me since I've lived all my life in Whispering Bay, but in case you've been living under a rock, I'm Mimi Grant, your new mayor.” A few people began to applaud. “Thanks, I appreciate that, but let me make this quick and to the point. Yes, Zeke and I are separated—” The crowd began talking all at once. Mimi held a hand up to silence them. “It's no one's fault. Just one of those things. Maybe we'll get back together. Or maybe not. It's too soon to tell right now. The point I'm trying to make is that neither Zeke nor I are seeing anyone else, but I'm sure if and when that happens, you
all
will be the first to know. Now, tonight, I'm having a business dinner with the new city manager to discuss the future of this town. It is
not
a date. Let me repeat. It. Is. Not. A. Date. So, I'd appreciate it if we all went back to clogging our arteries and eating our French fries and burgers.” She smiled apologetically. “No offense meant to the establishment at Burger World.”

Maura, the assistant manager on duty tonight who had stopped working to listen to Mimi's speech along with the rest of the place, smiled back. “None taken!” She gave Mimi a thumbs up.

“Good. So…carry on, people,” Mimi said.

Everyone turned their attentions back to their respective tables and resumed eating.

Rusty scratched the top of his head. “So…does this mean I should tell the chief or not?”

“I have total confidence that you'll use your best judgment on that, Rusty,” Mimi said.

“Oh, yeah, okay, sure.” He walked away, looking confused.

“So, I take it we aren't on a date, huh?” Doug said. His eyes had an amused look in them that flustered her. She couldn't tell if he was flirting or merely teasing. She wasn't used to men who said one thing but maybe meant something else entirely. She was used to Zeke Grant, who said exactly what was on his mind or nothing at all.

Mimi shrugged. “Sometimes you just have to spell things out for people.” She pushed her plate to the side. “Now that we have that settled, maybe we can get down to business?”

He turned serious. “You have my undivided attention.”

“Okay, so, I've had time to look through all those numbers on the
Spring Into Summer
festival and you're right, of course, they're dismal as dirt. I need to find a way to turn that festival around and I really think Bruce was onto something last year in trying to get Billy Brenton.” She went on to tell him how he was on tour in the area the exact dates of the festival and how she'd tried to get in touch with someone from his Nashville-based management company.

“They gave you the run around, huh?”

“About a marathon's worth,” she admitted.

“If you could manage to get Billy Brenton for the festival, it would be huge.” He leaned forward in his seat. “Do you know what happened last year? Why was he a no show?”

She hadn't exactly promised Bruce that she wouldn't leak his mistake to anyone, but nevertheless, Mimi felt an obligation to keep his blunder under wraps. “I think there was some major miscommunication along the way. I've come to the conclusion that while I'd love to get Billy Brenton, I've given it all I got and I'm still batting zero. Plus, I have to be practical. Even if by some slim chance I could get ahold of him, and if by some even slimmer chance, he'd be willing to play here, there's just no money in the festival budget for a big name star like him. Starting Monday morning I'm going to actively pursue every band within a fifty mile radius. We might not be able to get Billy Brenton, but I'm positive I can do better than Harry Tuba.”

Doug hedged a moment. “Look, I like you, Mimi. And I know how tough it can be when you're the new kid on the block, but I hate to see you give up before you've even started.”

“I can't put all my eggs in one basket. Billy Brenton is a pipe dream. Besides, you should always have a backup plan.”

“Smart lady,” he said. “But I have the feeling that if anyone can get Billy Brenton to Whispering Bay, it'll be you.”

There he went again. Giving her way too much credit before she'd even accomplished anything. “That's an awful lot of confidence in someone you hardly know. Like I said, even if by some miracle I could get him to come do a concert, there's no money in the festival budget to pay him.”

Doug shifted around in his chair. “I'll tell you what. If you can convince Billy Brenton to come play in Whispering Bay, I'll try to figure out a way to squeeze the money out of the city budget for him.”

Mimi snapped to full attention. “We can do that?”

“Why not? Remember, what's good for the festival is good for the city. The mayor and the city manager should be partners. Don't you think?”

Mimi thought about what Doug was saying. It's true that they both wanted what was good for Whispering Bay. And Doug was no fool. He'd been wildly successful in his previous job. If she should be listening to advice from anyone, it should be him.

“You know, I have an old friend who works at the Leon County Civic Center in Tallahassee,” Mimi said. “Billy will be playing there the night before the festival. Maybe I can reach him through her.”

“That's the spirit.” Doug raised his beer glass. “To getting Billy Brenton and making this year's festival the best ever!”

Although Mimi's glass was empty, she still clinked mugs with him.

M
imi sat on her
living room couch. Tears streamed down her face and dripped into her bowl of popcorn. If only Ilsa would suck it up and tell Rick the truth, then he couldn't still hate her. She was married to Victor Laszlo, for goodness's sake, and it was up to him and his freedom fighters to keep Hitler out of Europe (although we all know how that ended). No matter how many times she watched
Casablanca
she always hated that look in Rick's eyes, that mixture of hurt and anger that came from thinking the one person you loved most in the world had betrayed you.

The familiar sound of Zeke's police car pulling up in the driveway caught her attention. Toby, sensing her momentary distraction took advantage and snuck his head into the bowl of popcorn and slurped up a mouthful. Yuck. Did he leave doggie drool in her bowl? No matter, she was stuffed. No more popcorn for her. She was still full from the burger and fries she'd scarfed down earlier.

The door opened and Zeke and the kids walked in. Cameron immediately ran to Toby's side and dug his face up against his fur. “Hey, boy, did you miss me?”

Mimi grabbed a napkin just in time to catch a long stream of drool. Most dogs wagged their tails when they were happy. Not Toby. He had other skills to show his affection. Mimi's damp floors were proof of that.

Claire plopped herself down on the other end of the couch. “
Casablanca
? Again? How can you stand to see something that's not in color?”

“Don't get your mom started,” Zeke said. He stood with his hands in his pants pockets like he wasn't sure whether or not he was welcome to stay. How awkward was that when this was his own house?

“Did you get to ride in the patrol car?” Mimi asked Cameron.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool.”

“I've got homework to catch up on so I'm going to my room,” Claire announced.

“On a Friday night?” Mimi glanced at Zeke who shrugged in response. It shouldn't bother her that Claire was doing homework. As a matter of fact, she should embrace it. It just seemed strange.

“Yes, on a Friday night. Tomorrow's the big basketball game and I have to be at the gym early and I want to get it finished.”

“Can Toby sleep with me?” Cameron asked, already pulling the dog off the couch. Toby eyed the rest of the popcorn with regret, but he took off eagerly behind Cameron.

“Only if you wash your sheets tomorrow,” Mimi called out.

With Claire and Cameron tucked away in their rooms it left her alone in the living room with Zeke. “How was your night?” she asked.

“It was good.”

“Did you and Tom get a chance to talk wedding plans?”

“Not yet.”

“You should take him out for a beer. After all, in a few months he's going to be your brother-in-law, and hopefully one day soon, he'll be the father to Allie's kids.”

Zeke made a resigned face.

“There's beer in the fridge,” Mimi offered. “If you want to stay a little bit.”

“No beer for me, thanks. But I'll stay. Maybe watch the end of the movie with you?” He sat down next to her and automatically reached his hand into the popcorn bowl.

“Um, I wouldn't if I were you,” Mimi said, trying not to laugh.

Zeke stared down at the popcorn. “Let me guess, Toby baptized the bowl?”

“Your detective skills amaze me.”

“Next time we go to the pound for a dog, we specify no drooling.” He sounded confident that there would be a next time. He dumped the popcorn from his hand back into the bowl and took it into the kitchen.

 Mimi watched him as he came strolling back toward her. He wore jeans and a light blue button down oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled back, exposing his forearms. He sat down on the couch again, only this time he sat a little closer and Mimi caught a whiff of cologne. Zeke wasn't normally a cologne wearing kind of guy, so when he did splash a little on, she always took notice.

Maybe she shouldn't have had those two glasses of wine along with the popcorn. And maybe she shouldn't be watching
Casablanca,
because all she could think about right now was the way her blood had taken up speed, like it was racing through her veins, trying like hell to get to some unknown destination. Okay, so she knew what this feeling was. She was
horny
. She was a thirty-five-year-old red-blooded woman and she hadn't had sex in over three months and here she was sitting on a couch next to her husband. Her
very
sexy husband. Why not let nature take its course?

It was legal.

It was natural.

But was it a good idea?

Probably not. If they had sex then Zeke would assume all their problems were solved. Sex had always been a way for them to connect with one another. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but there had to be other ways, too.

They watched T.V., sitting side by side but she was having trouble concentrating. How could she pay attention to Humphrey Bogart when Zeke Grant was just a few inches away from her?

“So how was Burger World?” he asked casually.

“I was wondering if Rusty told you,” Mimi said. Not that she was surprised. She only wondered what had taken him so long to bring it up.

“Mac Haines texted me, too,” Zeke said. “Just in case someone else on Team Zeke hadn't already filled me in.” He glanced at her. “So, this Wentworth guy, he's helping you out?”

“He's teaching me about the budget. So yeah, he's been pretty helpful.”

Zeke nodded. Which Mimi took as encouragement, so she went on. “He thinks I should go after Billy Brenton for the
Spring Into Summer
festival.”

“You told him about that, huh?”

She stilled. “Did I tell you about that, too?”
When did she tell him
— “The night of drunken Bunco.” It still bothered her that she couldn't remember everything that had happened on their ride home. “What else did I tell you?”

“That the only reason you married me was because I was incredibly hot and you wanted to jump my bones.”

“Ha! Right.” She would never say that!
Would she
?

He smiled in a way that made her suddenly want to fan herself.

“So, I know the festival is just three months away, and the whole thing is probably impossible, but I feel like I should give it a shot.”

“What's the status on it?” he asked.

She hesitated to tell him, since the status was practically at minus zero. “I've called and emailed, and I have a message in to his assistant, Crystal. Bruce actually gave me her number.”

Zeke stared at her. “Bruce Bailey is helping you with this?”

“Not helping exactly, but he did give up his information. Look, I know it's a longshot, but Billy Brenton is giving a concert in Tallahassee two nights before the festival so he'll already be in the area. I know it sounds crazy but it just might work. The festival is in financial trouble. It needs a big kick in the rear end to give it a lift and I think Billy Brenton is just the guy to do it.”

“If the festival is in financial trouble, then how are you going to pay this guy? Or is he going to do a concert for free? The last time I looked the city wasn't exactly a charitable organization.”

“Doug said he might be able to swing Billy's fee from the city budget.”

Zeke laughed. Not a funny laugh. But a nasty one that put Mimi's spine on edge. “The guy who won't approve two new police cars for the city wants to give you money for some country western star?” He shook his head. “I didn't think you were that gullible, Mimi.”

She yanked her legs off the coffee table to sit up straight. “Just because Doug doesn't want to give you money for cars doesn't mean his offer isn't legit. Getting Billy Brenton to play at the festival is an investment in this city.”

“How so?”

“The festival has been losing money for the past ten years. But if we can build it back up again to what it once was, it's going to be good for the whole town. Every small business that advertises or sells its products at the festival is going to see some benefit.”

“I don't trust the guy.”

“That's because you're—” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“You think I'm jealous because that bozo took you to Burger World?”

The incredulous way in which he said that made her eyes narrow. “Maybe you should be jealous,” she countered.

His gaze honed in on her mouth and for a second, Mimi thought he was going to kiss her. The pathetic thing was that as angry as she was with him right now, she'd let him. She'd let him do a lot more than just kiss her, too. Why was she fighting it? Zeke was never going to change. Their marriage had always been good enough the way it was. But for some reason, good enough, just wasn't enough anymore.

“I'm tired, Zeke, and I don't want to fight.”

“I can think of something a whole lot better to do than fighting.” The huskiness in his voice sent a tingle down her spine. Did he know how close she was to doing him right here on this couch?

“Me too, but that's not going to happen tonight.”

He looked disappointed, but not surprised. “Have you thought about what I said? About going back to counseling?”

“Yes…and I think…okay, let's try again.”

His dark eyes softened. “You won't be sorry, Mimi. Whatever it is that's going on here, I can fix it. If you'll let me.”

*~*~*

R
usty's cousin's cabin was
a lot more comfortable than Zeke had thought it would be. There was a small living area with a couch and a T.V and a bedroom with a queen-sized mattress that didn't hurt his lower back. It was clean and there was a decent working kitchen, although the only thing he'd used it for was to make coffee. The hot water in the shower only lasted a couple of minutes, but he was okay with that. The real downfall was that there was no air-conditioning, which currently wasn't a problem since it was early March. But in two months this place was going to be a sauna. He needed to expedite his return home. Now that Mimi had agreed to go back to counseling, he'd call to set up an appointment himself if he had to. Which, come to think of, wasn't a bad idea. It would show her how committed he was to the whole process.

It had been hard leaving her tonight. It had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed to not scoop her off that couch and carry her into the bedroom. It had been almost four months since he'd made love to his wife. He'd be a candidate for sainthood by the time this whole thing was resolved.

His cell phone rang. It was Jerry Bower's first night as the officer on duty and Zeke had told him to call with any questions he might have. But it wasn't Jerry's number that popped up on his screen.

Son of a bitch
.

He should reject it. It's what he'd done the past four times the bastard had called, but obviously he wasn't getting the message, so Zeke was just going to have to make it crystal clear for him.

“What do you want?” he answered.

“Zeke? Is that you?” It was the same voice he remembered as a kid. The same voice that had read him
The Three Little Pigs
. The same voice that had cracked with pain when he told him his mother had died. And the same voice that told him eighteen years ago that he was sorry, but he couldn't help him with Buela or Allie. Of course, he'd been fucking drunk at the time, but what else was new?

“Yeah, it's me. Like I said, what do you want?”

There was a moment's hesitation on the other line. “I want to see you, son.”

“Well I don't want to see you. I'd think that by now you'd have gotten that message.”

“You have every right to be bitter. I deserve your contempt. But…I saw a picture of Allison in the paper this morning and—”

“Her name's Allie, and how in God Damn Hell did you get the paper? Are you here in town? What? Are you stalking us? Because so help me I'll get a restraining order on you so fast it will make your head spin.”

“Calm down, Zeke, I'm not out to hurt anyone. I just…I just want to know my kids.”

“You're twenty-four years too late for that. Don't call this number again. Got it?”

Before Sam Grant could say anything else, Zeke hung up.