1 Dead Girl's Guide to Style (7 page)

That was when I wondered if they wanted to hurt Max. What would they do to Max if they actually caught up to him? W
ould he always be looking over his shoulder?

If Caitlin had no ideas where the stake came from, then I really didn't know how to find out who had sent the package. I would definitely be on the lookout for more though—one was completely enough. After setting the box down on the table in the foyer, I picked up the phone to call Caitlin.
I tossed the fashion magazines off the sofa and plopped down. Hugging a pillow to my chest, I settled in for the call with Caitlin. I had never had anything like this happen to me before, so I wasn’t entirely sure how to handle it. What did one do when they received a weird object in the mail? It wasn’t like I would call the police or anything. It would be embarrassing to tell them I’d received a stake in the mail. To them it would seem like a silly prank. Maybe they’d think I’d ordered it and forgotten. So yeah, what could the police do?

It was the next day and I was at the shop doing a little online shopping for a client when Max walked through the door. I couldn
’t stop the tingle in my stomach when I saw him. He looked a little more cheerful today with more of a bounce in his step. He wore a crisp white shirt and gray slacks. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top, but missing the tie. There was a tiny scar on back of his hand. It had to have been there since before he was turned. I wondered what had caused it. He was perfect, and if not perfect, I was too blind to notice.

“I wasn
’t expecting to see you,” I said.

His smile widened. “I thought I
’d tell you that things are better. To be honest, I was having a tough time at the company. I just felt out of place.”

And I was the person he wanted to tell? I smiled.

“I’m glad things are better now. How did this happen?” I asked.

“Well, it
’s a long story, but I guess they realized that it is my company. Of course I have a lot to learn, like using a computer.”

“It
’s not that tough,” I said with a wave of my hand. “You’ll pick it up in no time.”

He smiled and grabbed my hand. “Thank you for helping me and I
’m sorry if I was a little harsh when I told you not to help.”

I searched his eyes.
“You have your reasons.”

So they had welcomed Max back even though he had owned the company. That was nice of them
, and I meant that in a completely sarcastic way.

“Aren
’t you upset that they asked you back even though the company should be completely yours?” I asked.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaned against the desk and looked at me. “I
’m making progress. I have to start somewhere.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know, but it just makes me angry that they are doing this to you.”

He smiled. “I’m glad to know that I have someone who understands.”

He watched me for a couple more seconds. I decided not to tell him about the stake. What was the point? He wouldn
’t know who had sent it. There was nothing he could do about it either, so there was no reason to share that info. I’d have to deal with that on my own.

It was probably nothing anyway. It could be someone just fooling around. Heck, maybe someone was unhappy with my fashion advice. They could have just let me know though without doing something like that. I smiled at him and he looked at me as if he was wondering what I was thinking.

As he stared at me, I wondered if he wanted to kiss me again.

Finally, he gestured over his shoulder and said, “I guess I
’d better get to work. That sounds strange.”

I smiled. “Yeah, good luck.”

He turned around. “Are you busy this evening? I’d like to show you something.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. “I’m sorry, but I have other plans tonight.”

He smiled. “Maybe some other time then.”

Why had I agreed to go out with the blind date Caitlin had set me up on? Now my curiosity would get the better of me. What did Max want to show me?

Max had just walked out when the door opening again caught my attention. I had expected to see Max again—or hoped that it was him again. I thought maybe he’d come back to kiss me after all, but to my disappointment a kiss wasn’t in my future. The man was holding flowers in his hand. He held them toward me as he walked across the room, closing the distance between us. Apparently this was my date. His black hair reached the top of his shirt collar. He had a lean muscular physique and average height. His big espresso-colored eyes were rimmed with thick eyelashes that would make any woman take a second glance.

“Hi, my name is Joe Fuentes. Caitlin sent me. I brought you flowers.” He shoved the bouquet toward me.

The guy was nice-looking and he’d brought flowers, never mind that they looked withered. He looked me up and down, which made me feel a little uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, I took the flowers from his outstretched hand and said, “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.”

“No problem. I picked them from someone’s yard down the street.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Okay, thanks… I think.” It was the thought that counted, right? I was sure the owners of the flower bushes wouldn’t be happy. “Are you ready? I just need to lock up.”
 

“Yeah, fine, I figured we
’d go to the movies, if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure, I like movies.” Although if I didn
’t like this guy, I’d be stuck with him for two hours.

“Caitlin said you were pretty, but she didn
’t mention that you were smoking hot. You should wear something that shows off your ass though.” He pointed at the lower half of my body.

His comment made me want to call off the date right then, but for Caitlin I would push through. Maybe the guy was just nervous. What was wrong with my outfit? I wore a white and black striped wrap dress with red heels and a black clutch purse. I could have pointed out that his outfit of jeans and a wrinkled navy blue shirt needed a little work, but in spite of my profession, I was interested
in the person inside, not just what they wore. 

When we stepped outside I looked around and asked, “Where
’s your car?”

“Oh, I don
’t have one. It was repossessed. My friend dropped me off. I figured we could walk.” He didn’t bother looking at me when he spoke.

“It
’s two miles,” I said, looking down at my heels. I knew I should have worn flats. “We’ll take my car.”

“Sweet,” he said, walking ahead of me.

I unlocked the door for him, but I drew the line at holding it open for him. The conversation on the way to the theater consisted of nothing but Joe. Mostly about all the other women he’d dated. The thought of pushing him out of my moving car did cross my mind.

We reached the theater and the parking lot was packed. I circled a couple times
, trying to ignore the fact that Joe was complaining about my driving. I spotted a good space opening up at the front of the lot and slowly made my way toward it. People were moving across the lot toward their cars as a movie had probably just finished. A couple women walked ahead of my car. When we were next to them, Joe rolled down the window.

“Hey, ladies. You’re looking smoking hot tonight. She’s my sister,” he said as he pointed toward me.

The women ignored him and continued their conversation. Never had I been more humiliated. Again I contemplated shoving him out of the car right there.

“That was very rude,” I said as I pulled into the parking space.

He chuckled and climbed out of the car. “Oh, I’m just having a little fun. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

I was thinking of something that rhymed with bunch
… I wanted to punch him in the face. We made it inside the theater without Joe accosting any other women. Caitlin and I were going to have a serious talk when this date was over.

Once we stepped into the building, I figured I
’d get some snacks to make up for my lousy date. Candy and popcorn. I needed comfort food.

“I
’m going for popcorn,” I said over my shoulder.

“Hey, pick me up some too,” he said with a click of his tongue.

Considering I’d paid for the movie tickets, I assumed I’d be paying for his popcorn too. I had assumed we’d each pay our own way for this date, but he thought differently.

Not only did I need extra butter on the popcorn, I needed to wash it down with a bottle of my favorite blood. I knew that sounded gross, but blood was my ice cream and I needed a pint pronto.

“I’ll treat you to a bottle of your favorite,” the male voice said from behind me.

I whipped around, startled to see Max.

“That’s the guy you turned me down to go out with?” Max said with a lopsided grin.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He gestured toward the theater. “I came to see a movie.”

Yeah, that would make sense. I couldn’t believe he
’d caught me on a date with this jerk.

“For the record, I would never do what he did to you
.” A smile slowly tipped one corner of Max’s mouth.

I stared at him for a second. “How did you know what he did?”

Max handed the cashier the money for my popcorn and said, “I had the good fortune of being in the parking lot when he yelled out at those women.”

Oh great. Now I was even more embarrassed.

“Why are you with that guy?” he asked as he leaned against the counter. His smile sparkled under the neon concession stand light. How romantic.

“He’s a blind date. And my best friend has some serious explaining to do.” I picked up the popcorn.

“Are you really going to stay for this date?” Max smiled.

I took a bite of popcorn. “I think I have to. I did drive after all.” Never mind that I’d also paid for the tickets and he’d probably want me to buy him dinner after the movie.

“You should leave him here.” Max gestured with a tilt of his head.

I stepped to the side so that others could place their order. “That wouldn’t be very nice of me.”

Max gestured with a tilt of his head. “Do you still feel that way now?”

I followed his attention and spotted Joe across the theater. He was leaning next to a woman. The grimace on her face let me know that she wasn’t excited about his presence. Without notice, Joe walked away from that woman and moved on to another woman
who was walking past.

There came a time when I had to take a stand. This was one of those times. Max was right. This guy deserved to
be left without a ride home.

Max grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

I tossed the popcorn in the trash. Joe didn’t notice when I walked out of the theater holding Max’s hand. He was too busy flirting with yet another woman.

When we stepped out into the parking lot, I said, “Thanks for making me see that I should leave that jerk behind.”

He smiled. “You would have figured it out on your own. Would you like to go for a bite to eat?”

I smiled. “Sure, I’m a little hungry. Where’s your car?”

“I walked. It’s not that far for me and it’s good exercise.”

“We can take my car.” I pointed.

We made our way down the street to the little diner. The place was mostly empty except for a young couple who sat at the back. They were too consumed with each other to even notice that we walked in.

The waitress behind the counter nodded and said, “Sit anywhere you want.”

We slid onto a booth and the waitress brought menus and water.

After placing our orders, Max tapped his fingers against the table.

“You said you wanted to show me something. What is it?” I asked.

He paused, and then said, “Actually, it’s not important. I’m glad that you joined me for dinner though.”

I studied his face. He didn’t look remotely close to telling me what it was he had planned to show me. I decided to change the subject. Maybe he would tell me later.

“So what do you envision for the company in the future?” I took a sip from my glass.

Our waitress placed the food down on the table and left.

Max grabbed his fork. “I have to say I’m a little uncertain about the meggings.”

“Oh yeah, the man leggings.” I pointed with my fork. “Just be thankful they’re not doing Underoos.”

He furrowed his brow. “What are Underoos?”

“Superhero underwear. Oh never mind.” I waved my hand. “But you’re right, just stick with good old basic boxers or briefs. Oh, maybe you could throw in my favorite… the boxer brief.”

Someone needed to stop me. Why was I discussing underwear with this man?

After finishing my last bite, I asked, “Did you have family? A wife? A girlfriend?”

He didn’t look up for a long time. Finally, he said, “I had a girlfriend. She died.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

He nodded. “Thank you.”

To lighten the conversation again, I asked, “How was the food?”

“Greasy and delicious,” he said with a smile.

I enjoyed the food too, but Max’s company and laughter was much better than the French toast.