Touch Me Once (9 page)

CHAPTER
6

I woke up early the next morning so I could buy a new tire before
going to Westy’s to take a look at the books. I knew it was busy work, but I was thankful for the distraction it would give me.

While I was in the shower
, I realized that I hadn’t called my lawyer back, and though I dreaded talking to her, I knew that it had to be done. I dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white top, grabbed my phone, took a place on the sofa, and punched in my lawyer’s number.

Her secretary put me on hold
, and a minute or so later I heard, “Hello, Kat, sorry to keep you waiting. How are you doing?”

“Hi Jane, no problem.
I guess I’m doing as well as can be expected. Why don’t you tell me how I’m doing?” I answered.

I could almost picture her
sighing as she said, “Not a lot has changed on this end, I’m afraid. The other side has gotten another continuance, and they keep sending over tons of paperwork. I think they’re just stalling until you run out of money.”

I let out a humorless laugh, “Well, it’s working.
How about the investigator you hired—has he been able find out anything with the computer files?”

Jane replied, “He’s digging through a lot of stuff, but Doug isn’t really a cyber guy.
We might be able to make some more headway if we hired a computer expert. I know that moneywise that isn’t really an option, but as your lawyer I have to suggest it.”

“You’re right about the money;
its going fast, and it doesn’t look like I’m going to have much coming in in the foreseeable future,” I told her.

“Look kiddo, I know it looks bad,
and I’m not going to lie to you—it is bad. Doug and I are working hard for you, and as I’ve said before, I believe that you have a strong case. We just have to find some evidence to support you,” Jane said, trying to sound upbeat. “And I hate to say this, but I’m going to need another check to keep working on your case. The same amount as last time should be fine. I’m sorry to ask, I really am, but that’s the reality.”

I tried to keep th
e quiver out of my voice. “Don’t be sorry. You’re doing a great job, and I appreciate it. As soon as we’re off the phone, I’ll transfer the money. I can go at least another month before I have to start borrowing money from my folks. I just pray something turns up before then.”

We said our goodbyes
, and she told me that she would keep in touch and for me to call if I had any questions or information that could help my case. I got out my laptop and transferred the funds from my rapidly diminishing bank account. I was about to go see my parents when my phone chimed and told me I had a new text. It was from Alex.

It read: “
I had an amazing time last night. I can’t stop thinking about you. Thank you for helping me ‘christen’ the boat. It was a lot better than smashing a bottle of champagne against the hull, and almost as wet. I have a conference call in a few minutes, but I’ll call you later today. Good luck at the restaurant. Anchors Away, Alex.”

Just knowing that Alex was thinking about me made my mood lighten
, and I felt better about the day. I texted back that I had a wonderful time, too. I wished him luck and said that I couldn’t wait to hear back from him.

I got myself together and went to see my parents.
I walked through the back door and into my parent’s kitchen. I noticed two things as soon as I entered. One was the smell of my mother’s cheesy biscuits, which I loved. The second thing I noticed were the dozen yellow roses sitting in a vase in the middle of the kitchen table.

My mother looked up from her paper with a sly
grin on her face, “Good morning! I made biscuits, so help yourself.”

I grabbed a couple of biscuits and a cup of coffee and said, “The roses are beautiful, are they from dad’s bushes?”

Her smile got bigger, “Oh no, you know how he feels about cutting into his babies. And they’re actually for you. They were delivered about an hour ago.”

So much for casually bringing up the subject of Alex.
“For me? I wonder who they could be from?” I hope that didn’t sound as lame I thought it did.

“There’s only one way to find out,” my mother said
, matter-of-factly. “Open the card and find out.”

I took the card and sat down across the table.
I tried to seem relaxed, but I’m sure my mother could see the slight tremble in my hand as I opened the card. It read “Your beauty could make these yellow roses green with envy.” It was signed, simply, Alex.

I didn’t realize I was smiling until my mother said, “It’s been too long since
I’ve seen you smile like that—I thought that maybe you had forgotten how to do it. So, who are they from?”

And we’re off.
“They’re from…uh, Alex Westfield. The owner of Westy’s.”

“I know who he is,” she said, “You must’ve made a very good impression at your interview.
Does this mean that you got the job?”

I could feel myself blushing, “Uh… I, no
, I didn’t get the job. We kind of went on a date last night.” Okay, it’s out there in the open, let’s dance.

She sat back in her chair and folded her hands on her lap, “From what I hear, he’s a very nice young man.
What did the two of you do?”

I went over to his house and we had sex in his bedroom, because he only had the chance to go down on me the night before, then we had some oysters and had sex on his boat.
Oh yeah, we think this psycho girl that he has a restraining order against slashed one of my tires. That won’t work.

“He took me to dinner at Bowens Island, it was great.
We had a couple of drinks and when we got back to his house, I had a flat tire. He changed it for me, and then I came home. He really is very nice, I think you’d like him.”

“I’m sure I would.
I don’t mean to seem indelicate, honey, but did anything come up about your situation? I mean, it’s only a matter of time before your circumstances resolve themselves, and we’re not really sure how that’s going to pan out yet,” she said in a genuinely concerned tone.

“Yes,” I answered
, a little too defensively, “I told him everything. I said that in a short amount of time I might have to go to jail, and at the very least I’d have to make restitution on almost two million dollars. He seemed to believe my story, if that makes any difference.”

In a soothing voice
, she said “Honey, I just don’t want you to rush into anything that could hurt you. The only concern your father and I have is your well-being. Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I know
, Mom, it’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve felt wanted by someone. It was nice to have a night where I wasn’t constantly worrying about going to jail or going broke, or both. He made me feel special. Even after I told him about my problem, he liked me for who I am, not what I was accused of doing.”

“Of course he did.
You are a very special person and anyone would be lucky to have you,” she said, reaching over and patting my hand.

I held her hand.
“He believed me so much that he asked me to take a look at his books for the restaurant. I’m going over there after I get a new tire. I’m not doing anything crazy, I’m only enjoying my life a little more.”

My mother rose from her seat, came over to me
, and kissed the top of my head. “I’m not saying you can’t enjoy your life. And that’s quite a vote of confidence to be asked to look at the finances of someone’s business. I love you, honey, and I only want what’s best for you.”

“I know
, Mom, and thanks for everything,” I said as I stood up and gave her a big hug. “I’m going to go get ready. I’ll call you if I’m going to be late.”

I took the flowers off of the table and carried them back to my cottage.
It was one of those beautiful spring days in the LowCountry. The humidity hadn’t arrived yet, and I marveled at all of the wonderful smells that came from the blooming flowers in my parents’ backyard.

I set the
roses on the counter next to the sink and thought about Alex. He had come from out of nowhere when I needed him the most. It was hard for me to imagine someone like him—gorgeous, privileged, not to mention wealthy—being interested in me. But he was, and that gave me hope. Sometimes, when everything else is gone, hope is all you need.

I got in my car and pulled out of the driveway.
I was especially careful to look for any signs of the blue Ford with the dent. I didn’t think it was necessary to tell my mother the details about the tire; she was already worried enough about me without having to think that there was some crazy chick out there gunning for her daughter.

I drove down Coleman Boulevard
and headed towards Gerald’s Brakes and Tires. It’s the best place in Mt. Pleasant for tires, and the only place I’ve ever been where, after they take care of your car if you’re a woman, they leave a rose in the car as an extra thank you. I don’t know what they do for men. Maybe they leave them a new pair of socks or a wrench.

I kept checking my rear
view mirror for any indication of the Focus. I tensed up whenever I caught a flash of blue, but none of them was the car I was looking for—or so I thought.

I got a new tire and
, when I got back in the car, had my rose sitting on the passenger seat. This rose was red and a bit on the tiny side; still, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so many roses in one day. I pulled into the Westy’s driveway and, at the edge of the lot, thought I saw a blur of blue paint in my mirror, but when I looked again, it wasn’t there. I found a spot in front of the restaurant and parked in the half -filled lot. I got out of the car and looked back down the drive for a full minute, expecting the Focus to come roaring at me with a half-crazed woman hanging out of the window and firing a gun at me. It didn’t happen.

I walked up the stairs and veered left into the bar.
It was before the lunch rush, and there were maybe twelve people in the place. I looked through the large windows at the outdoor seating area and spotted a couple of what l could only assume were tourists. We’re supposed to call them visitors now, but to me they’ll always be tourists.

I went up to the bar
, where Jerry was stocking beer into a cooler. “Hey Jerry, how are you today?”

“Well
, hello there, Kat,” he said with a friendly smile, “the boss told me you were coming in. I’m fine, thanks for asking, but it’s still early—ask me again in a few hours. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll take you up to the office.”

I watched him finish stocking beer and answer a few questions from some servers.
When he was done, he came out from behind the bar and led me up a flight of stairs to Alex’s office. Jerry unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. “Most of the stuff is on the computer,” he told me as he booted up the desktop. “There’s some payroll info in that binder, and I think that pile of papers are some food and liquor orders.”

He lifted up the desk calendar
and pointed at a piece of paper. “The password is right there. Alex kept forgetting it, so I convinced him to write it down and leave it where we both could find it, since we’re the only ones who use the computer. I’ll leave you to it. When you get hungry, come on down, and if you have any questions, just give me a shout.”

Jerry closed the door
, and I took a seat at the desk in front of the computer. When he showed me where the password was, something clicked in my mind. Goodman’s secretary kept a password taped under her desk blotter. I had snuck a peek at it once when she was away from her desk. The password was Goodman’s wife’s name, Ellen, spelled backwards plus the number 312. I remembered because my mother’s birthday is March 12
th
.

I didn’t remember to write it down when I gave Alex the other passwords
, so I texted it to him. He sent me a short text back saying if I thought of anything else, no matter how insignificant, get it to him immediately. He ended by saying that he couldn’t wait to talk to me. That made me smile and gave me a warm tingle in the pit of my stomach.

I didn’t know if it would help, but at this point
, I was willing to grasp at straws. I entered the password into the computer and started going through the restaurant’s spreadsheets. It felt good to be in familiar territory again. I scanned the numbers quickly and made a few notes. The restaurant seemed to be doing very well and was turning a nice profit.

I felt my stomach rumbling and realized that I had been at it for almost
three hours. I went downstairs and ordered a sandwich from Jerry. What do you know— there actually was a grouper sandwich on the menu. It was good. Jerry was busy catching up after the lunch rush and didn’t have time to talk, so I got a glass of tea and went back to the office.

I had just sat back down at the desk when my phone rang.
I looked at the screen and saw Alex’s number. My heart did a little flutter, and I could feel a hot rush flush up my neck and down to a few other places on my body. I answered on the second ring.