Derby Divas (Zoe Donovan Mystery) (5 page)

“Wh
en did you do this?” I wondered as I stepped outside to make sure Bella wouldn’t run off. I knew she was a well-behaved dog, but she’d only been with me for a short time, so I wasn’t certain how she’d react to being off leash without being in a fenced yard. “We just got home yesterday.”

“I filled out the profile last night and I’ve already found a man.”

“Wow. That was fast.”

I had to hand it to Ellie. Once she set her mind to something
, she made it happen.

“
I really lucked out and found someone who lives just down the mountain in Bryton Lake. He’s perfect.” Ellie beamed as she began scooping servings of the buffalo chicken casserole she’d brought onto ceramic plates after the dogs had returned to the boathouse and were having their own dinner.

“Perfect how?” I asked as I poured two glasses of wine and set them on the small dining table that was tucked into the corner of my main living space. I love my boathouse
, but it really is tiny.

“He
’s a thirty-four-year-old business owner who travels a lot but definitely wants a house and children to come home to.” Ellie added bread from the oven to the plates. “We IM’d back and forth for hours and he seems really nice.”

“Are you planning to go on an actual date?” I asked
as I took a sip of the best wine I’d ever tasted.

Ellie hesitated. “We are. Hopefully this week. Maybe even tomorrow. It’s just that
. . .”

“Just that what?” I asked.

“Just that Kevin has a friend in town, and the only way he can get away this week is if I bring a friend to even things out. I was hoping you’d come along.”

“You want me to go on a double date with you?”
I asked as Ellie placed our plates on the table next to the silverware I’d already set out.

“Not a date exactly. I mean
, you don’t have to actually do anything with this guy. I just need someone to round out the party.”

“I have
a boyfriend,” I reminded Ellie as I took a bite of the delicious casserole.

“I know
, but it’s just for one night.”

“T
abasco sauce?” I asked.

Ellie frowned at my response.

“The casserole. Is that Tabasco sauce that gives the chicken that kick?”

“Buffalo sauce
,” she confirmed. “So back to the date. I really need you to come.”

I
knew that I absolutely should say no. I was practically engaged.

“Please,” she added.

I took a sip of my wine and considered the request. The food was delicious, but Ellie hadn’t eaten a thing. I could see that she was really focused on this date, which wasn’t like her at all. I supposed that getting back on the horse was her way of dealing with the heartache Rob had left her.

“Where are you going?” I
finally asked.

“The Wharf,
” Ellie said, referring to an upscale restaurant in town.

“I’ll have to run this crazy idea past Zak,” I warned her.

“You can call him now.”

I frowned.

“Please. This guy is perfect. I really want a chance to meet him before he meets someone else.”

“If he’s perfect
, don’t you think he’ll wait?”

Ellie just looked at me with giant brown eyes.
I knew she’d had it tough lately and could really use a new man in her life.

“Okay, I’ll call Zak.”

“Thank you, thank you.” Ellie hugged me.

I took out my phone and dialed Zak’s cell. This
would be an interesting conversation.

I got his voice mail.

“Hey, Zak. I was wondering if you cared if I went out on a date tomorrow night. Call me back when you get this message.”

I’d barely hung up when my phone rang.

“You want to go on a date?” Zak asked. I’d left him two other messages today that he hadn’t returned, but I guess I just hadn’t given him the right incentive.

“Where are you?”
I asked. The sound of video games was clear in the background.

“A video arcade with Scooter. I was going to call you back when we finished up in here
, but when I got your message . . .”

I laughed.

“I thought we were okay.” Zak had to shout to be heard over the sound of bells and whistles.

“We are,” I assured him. “Finish your game and call me from outside. I can barely hear you.”

“Five minutes,” Zak insisted. “I’ll call you in five minutes.”

“Okay.”

I hung up.

“I think I may have given Zak a heart attack.”

“I should think so,” Ellie responded as she dug into her food. I guess her appetite had returned once I agreed to her crazy plan. “Why didn’t you explain the whole thing in the message?”

“I guess I figured we could discuss the details when he called back. I didn’t know he was in an arcade and couldn’t hear anything. He’s going to call back in five minutes.”

“You are a mean woman, Zoe Donovan.”

“Hey
, you’re the one who’s insisting I cheat on my boyfriend,” I pointed out.

“I’m not asking you to cheat. I just need you to go on a date. It’s totally different,” Ellie insisted.

I laughed.

My phone rang. It was Zak.

“That was only two minutes,” I said.

“I hurried,” Zak explained. “So about this date
. . .”

“Don’t have a coronary. It’s not a real date,” I assured him.
I filled him in on the details.

“So you called and gave me a heart attack so
you could ask me if I minded if you went on a double date with Ellie so she can hook up with a man she’s never met?” Zak clarified.

“Yup.”

Zak paused. I suppose it was only fair to give him a minute to process things.

“Can I meet him first?” Zak asked.

“The date is tomorrow and you’re in Kansas,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, about that
.” Zak hesitated. “I’m flying home in the morning.”

I knew that Zak had planned to spend at least a week. Maybe two. Things must not be going well.
“That wasn’t a very long visit. Isn’t Scooter disappointed?”

“No
.” Zak sounded like he was hiding something. “Scooter is coming with me.”

“You
’re babysitting again?”

“Sort of. Scooter is bored
, and I worked it out with his father for him to come to visit me for a while.”

“I see. How long?”

I like Scooter okay, but he
is
a handful, and between my parents’ wedding and going on dates with Ellie, my free time was going to be pretty limited as it was.

“Six weeks,” Zak answered.

I might have momentarily blacked out at that point.

“Zoe? Are you still there?”

“Yeah.” I groaned. “I’m here.”

“I know it
’s a long visit, and I know we have things to work out between us, but poor Scooter really needs a friend.”

I took a deep breath. “I know. And I love you for being so concerned about him.”

“So it’s okay?”

“We aren’t married or even living to
gether. You don’t have to ask my permission if you want to have a friend sleep over,” I teased. “Did you forget that you have a new dog to break in as well?”

“
Bella and Scooter will love each other,” Zak assured me. “Did things go okay when you picked her up?”

“It was tough at first
, but then I remembered Sheba.”

“Sheba?”

“That longhaired black cat I’ve been trying to find a quiet home for. Winnie was going to take her for a trial run, but when the two met, it was love at first sight. I think they’ll be very happy together.”

“
That’s good. So about this date . . .” Zak returned to the original subject.

“I’ll have him pick me up at your house so he can meet my boyfriend
.”

I’d arranged to meet Pandora and Boomer at Ellie’s Beach Hut for lunch. I hoped they’d accept the decision of the committee and we could all share a relaxing lunch. Of course
, even though this was my hope, my
expectation
was that all hell would break loose as the pair debated the merits of each approach to the contest. I knew that Ellie’s would be packed on an afternoon in July, so I called ahead and asked her to reserve us a table.

Situated on the pier of one of the most popular beaches at the lake
, the eatery had been plagued with long lines since Memorial Day. I knew that Ellie had applied to the county planning department for the right to add additional seating on the outdoor deck during the busiest summer months, although I questioned whether her tiny kitchen could accommodate a larger crowd even if her application was approved. Ellie did utilize outdoor grills during the summer, so with an additional employee or two, her plan could pan out.

When I arrived at Ellie’s
, Boomer and Pandora were already seated at a premium table along the railing that separated the pier from the water. From a distance, they appeared to be chatting agreeably. I let myself relax. Just a little. We were able to make our greetings and order our food before the real fireworks began.

Pandora Parker is a unique individual. She
’s a tiny thing barely tipping the height charts at five foot one. In spite of the fact that she’s known for her tendency to be
very
outspoken, she’s a hit with the male members of the classic car circuit due primarily, I suspect, to long blond hair that brushes her waist when left to its own devices and bright blue eyes framed by impossibly long, thick eyelashes.

After we ordered
, I explained to Pandora and Boomer the committee’s decision to continue with a coed event.

“The fact that a bunch of pansies tend to enter this tournament shouldn’t prevent those of us with the balls to actually take out our opponent from
competing,” Pandora argued as she polished off a huge burger with a double patty and a truckload of fries even I couldn’t finish.

“It
’s that attitude that has the guys so pissed off,” pointed out Boomer, who was tall and dark, with broad shoulders and a boyish grin. “We both know that you winning the tournament last year was a fluke. The guys simply aren’t comfortable ramming into an itty-bitty thing like you. After everything was done, the opinion among the men was that everyone tried to avoid you because they were afraid that one good jolt would kill you.”

“Like
hell.” Pandora’s long braid almost hit Boomer in the face as she whipped her head around to look him directly in the eye. “I won because I’m the best driver, and those panty wipes you call friends are suffering the aftereffects of a bruised ego. The committee voted to let us compete against one another, and the divas and I intend to do just that.”

“Well
, the guys and I are going to appeal the committee decision,” Boomer shot back.

I decided to tune out while Pandora
and Boomer duked it out. The headache I’d had when I arrived had turned into a migraine two minutes after I’d sat down with the pair. Both were really exceptional people, but once they got going, who knew how long they would maintain their debate. In addition to being genetically gifted, they were bright and focused, which made them natural leaders in their field. I knew that each realized they were arguing not only for themselves but for the unofficial team of drivers they represented.

Five other women had entered the event, the front-runner among them besides Pandora being
Jugs, nicknamed for the surgically enhanced body feature of the same name. I knew she had competed in derbies in other towns and had done quite well. Jugs and Pandora were friends and had been traveling to events together for as long as I’d known them.

In addition
to Pandora and Jugs, the four others were Zelda, a tall woman with broad shoulders and a deep voice who towered over most of the men; Jaqui, an exotic-looking woman who carried a knife on her thigh and, I suspected, had at one time belonged to a street gang; Rizo, a ditzy blonde with a charming sense of humor but little going on intellectually; and Pepper, a quiet little thing who worked for Pandora and followed her around like a dutiful puppy.

The
seven men led by Boomer, who was clearly the favorite to win the event, had all competed in the tournament before: Masher, a giant of a man, and probably the only one who could take down Zelda in a wrestling match; Crusher, a boyish blond who took a disturbing amount of glee in destroying things; the Pencil Triplets, so named due to their tall, pencil-thin frames; and Big Boy Branson, who was known for being as wide as he was tall.

There were three men ne
w to the competition this year: Dezee, a quiet man who was small in stature and had a tendency to drift off while you were talking to him; Bruiser, a tiny man with a big ego I doubted he’d be able to live up to; and a boy-child with an outrageous personality who went by the name of Crank.