Stranded (8 page)

Lightening spazzed in the sky followed by a boom of thunder that shook the restaurant.  Naomi’s body tensed with nerves even though a good ole Virginia thunderstorm never hurt her any. 

“You nervous?” Foley smiled.

“A little,” she replied.

He wrapped his big, strong arms around her and pulled her close to his body.  It felt like they had known each other for years.  Naomi drew in his scent through her nostrils.  It was a faded blend of fabric softener, cologne and him. 

“I’m going to call Donny and have him bring us a truck,” he said lazily as he dialed his cell.

“Speaking of, did he say anything about mine?” she asked.

“Not yet.  We’ll find out if he had a chance to look at it,” he said.

But before he actually spoke to Donny, the guy literally blew into Mario’s. Donny, the sheriff and another man ambled in through the door.  John Hayhurst was not in uniform.  His hulking form seemed more suited for sheriff’s khakis than for jeans and a T-shirt.  The three men were so cool and collected, one might not think there was a storm brewing outside. All was calm, but Foley had a skeptical look on his face.

“Why are you here?” he asked the sheriff.

John Hayhurst’s eyes twinkled.

“Can’t put one past you, can I?” he asked.

“I guess not,” replied Foley.

“I did my best to keep Pollard in jail but it didn’t stick,” said John.

“What does that mean?” Foley demanded.

“It means he is out,” he said.  “I stopped by your house when no one was at her place. Donny said I could find you here.”

“So again, what do you mean ‘it didn’t stick’?” Foley softly demanded.

“It means he has a slick ass lawyer by the name of Farmer,” began John.

Naomi rolled her eyes.

“Steve Farmer?” asked Naomi.

“Your lawyer?” asked Foley.

“No not mine. Apparently Daryl’s. He does business with Rory Dale, if that tells you anything.  Tried to get us to go in a shrewd investment.  It was a pyramid scheme,” said Naomi.

Her stomach sank. The situation just got uglier.

“Disputed the way he was brought in.  Said I didn’t read him his rights,” said John.

“I was right there.  You did,” said Foley.

“Well Farmer on behalf of Pollard asserts you helped bring him in and that you might have an ulterior motive for wanting him out of the way,” said John who then turned his head and looked directly at Naomi.

Foley straightened his posture aggressively.

“That ain’t what this was about.  And you might remind Farmer that that little asshole solicited me to kill his wife,” said Foley.

“So you say but since I don’t have the evidence to bust him for that, that’s a non factor in all of this,” said John.  “They are however filing a complaint against you, me and the county of Orange.”

John’s tall friend chuckled softly.

“Oh,” said John.

His voice always had just a hint of amusement in it even when he was speaking to Daryl to arrest him.

“This is my friend Paoli Nicolella.  Lives up in Chippequan County.  Slums it with me now and then.  His wife and my girlfriend are doing a girls’ weekend and so we are not wanted.”

Naomi thought the sheriff’s friend looked like he belonged in an Armani ad.  She couldn’t imagine who would not want him.  Every man Naomi had come into contact with since her car broke down made Daryl Pollard look and seem like a troll.

Even Donny.   Naomi hadn’t quite noticed him before.  He was like a smaller version of Foley.  He had rich dark, almost straight hair that had just enough body and hung in perfect shape.  He had a tendency to keep his head slightly down and his hair shaded his face.

He was also very fit.  He wore a sleeveless T-shirt that showed off his chiseled arms. She was thinking she would like to fix him up with Kay until she saw him kiss the waitress.  It looked like they were serious.

“Here I thought you were here for me,” joked Foley.

“I am here for the waitress.  She’s a lot purtier,” said Donny.  “You stuck cause of the storm?”

“Yeah,” replied Foley.  “We were having some dinner and having us a game.”

“Not doing much playing . . . pool,” snickered Danny.

“Okay now,” said Foley.  “We were getting to it.”

Donny briskly walked to the table and racked up the ball.  Foley was still on the business with Naomi’s ex-husband.

“We are forgetting there was another person present, besides Donny I mean.  The secretary or whoever she was.  And Waugh has him on surveillance cameras,” said Foley.

“We have all the surveillance remember but no sound,” said John.  “And I don’t know it for a fact but I doubt that Daryl Pollard filled the woman present in on the details of your alleged conversation.  I mean as you say he stepped away from you to talk about it, right?”

“Yes,” said Donny.

“He obviously didn’t include her,” said John.

“He is having an affair,” said Naomi.  “with the woman who is his secretary.  For his non-business.”

“I have been in contact for an interview,” assured John. “But she has to get back to me.”

“Crystal, you and me and against Foley and Naomi,” said Donny, calling teams in pool.

“Hey we don’t rate?” asked John.

“Sorry sheriff I heard about you.  I wanted me and my girl to get in at least one game before you take up,” said Donny.

“Do they play pool at the donut shop?” asked Paoli.

Everyone erupted in a quick clap of laughter.  

“Okay whatever,” said John.  “We got winner.”

Crystal the waitress looked at Russ the bartender who nodded to her to let her know it was okay for her to join in.  She lit up a cigarette from a maroon box.

“You go ahead and break if you want, sugar,” she said to Naomi with a cigarette dangling from her mouth. “I get to play all the time and you look like you’re itchin’ too.”

“I didn’t think I was going to get a shot with this one,” Naomi gently ribbed.

Foley snatched her up into his arms.

“You got more than a shot and you know it,” he said with dark sensuality.

He was so bold, not hiding the least little bit his attraction to her.  Their chemistry was the best part of the moment.  Her breath rose in her chest.  A smile curled her lips as she savored the effect he had on her.  She leaned her head against the hardness of his shoulder.

“See that’s what I am talking about,” advised John. “I got not problem with you two doing whatever it is you are doing.  But if I say it once, I say it a hundred times.  Adultery is a felony in our illustrious state.  Ms. Wellington, you are a married woman.  The courts might have to look unfavorably upon you.”

“But what if he cheated first?” asked Naomi.

Foley fired a stern glance her way.   Naomi quickly retracted her question

“I mean if I were to step outside the marriage?  Didn’t the marriage end when Daryl cheated?” she asked.

“That makes sense to me,” said John.  “But I am not a lawyer.  And I am not a judge.  I just encourage you to keep your friendship on the down-low.”

Naomi heard the sheriff’s wise words and then seemingly ignored them.  She was up in the game of pool.  She made a slight adjustment to the rack.  She converted the triangle to a crown by rolling the two corner balls at the base up.  She took her position at the head of the table.  She bent over and aim.  Foley let go a lone whistle, a cat call.  The sheriff shook his head.

With her rump jutting out her upper body hugged the table, Naomi knew she was in a provocative stance.  Her exhibitionism gave her pleasure.  It was true that she had to stand the way she was to make a decent shot, but she sucked it in and flexed and hammed it up for him. 

She turned and gave him her wickedest, most seductive gaze because blasting the balls with the cue ball.  It was a great shot and she sunk one.  Her heart fluttered in her chest as she moved around to survey her next shot.  She had been a show off and she didn’t want to blow it now.

She was a pretty good player but she was rusty and she was shaking.  She got lucky.  She called a cautious shot and made it.  Again.  That was three for her.  She was on the fence about whether or not she wanted to give Foley a run for his money or let him have a turn.   He must have been reading her mind.

“You know we are playing teams,” he said with a grin.

Naomi could have melted right then and there.  She handed him the cue.

“No by all means, please continue.  But let these poor guys have a turn, eventually,” he said.

And with that she missed.  She fired off her next shot without taking careful aim and she missed.  It wasn’t his fault even though he was a blissful distraction.

“Oh did I do that?” he asked apologetically.

“No I did that,” she said.

“Okay I am going to go,” said Crystal dryly.  “Donny you might want to crack a window. It’s getting thick in here.”

Donny grinned. “I know it.  I think somebody’s been bit.”

Neither Naomi nor Foley denied it.  She rolled up in his embrace as they looked on to see Crystal run the table.

“Jeez, everyone’s a shark,” said Foley.

“Should have put money on this,” remarked Donny. 

“I think it’s interesting already,” said Foley smiling down on Naomi.

Thunder slammed the restaurant.  Russ moved around from behind the bar.  There was now just the four pool players and him in the restaurant area.  A cook appeared from the kitchen.

“Mario’s closed due to storm,” announced Russ.  “Help yourself to drinks.  I play winner.  That is after the sheriff, a’course.”

Crystal missed and Foley was up.

“Anybody wanna a shot?” offered Crystal already heading for the bar.

“Yeah all around,” said Donny.

“Na I can’t,” said Foley looking up from his aim. 

“I can,” said John. “I am off duty.”

“Well maybe I won’t either,” said Naomi.

“Go ahead baby, if you feel like it,” said Foley.

She loved that.  When he called her baby.  This thing that was supposed to be kind of a revenge one night stand was turning into something different, at least for her.  Naomi was way too vulnerable.  She might have to step back and do a reality check.  Not mistake what was happening between them for something that wasn’t happening between them.

A particularly harsh thunder boomed.  Everyone paused and looked around and smiled.

“That was a good one,” said Donny in his slow drawl.

On cue, the door to Mario’s burst open.  Lighting flickered on the person who had come in from the storm.  Daryl.  John Hayhurst’s usually light and pleasant demeanor turned dark immediately.  Everyone looked like they wanted to say something, but didn’t. Naomi didn’t pay much attention.  She was enjoying the shot of bourbon that Crystal poured for her.

“What the fuck are doing here?” growled Foley finally.

Daryl laughed.  It was one of the most annoying things that he did, thought Naomi and there were many.  He had the ability to laugh hard on cue just to be obnoxious, and then he wouldn’t stop.  It solidified Naomi’s belief that the could fake emotion so believably that you’d never know it wasn’t real, unless you knew him.  As far as fake laughing went, it was a pretty good job.

“I just came in out of the storm and here I find my wife --” he began laughing again unable to finish his sentence.

Then without warning, he held his phone up and snapped a picture of Naomi and Foley.  Foley charged him but Daryl halted him in his tracks.

“Touch me and you’ll be the one spending the night in jail.  Trust me.  You won’t be near as lucky as I was,” said Daryl coldly.

“Then I better be the one who does it,” said Donny lazily.

“Do what?” asked Daryl impatiently.

Donny sauntered over to Naomi’s husband and yanked his phone from his hand.

“This,” said Daryl.

He dropped the phone to the floor and crushed it with his boot heel.

“You going to do something, sheriff?” asked Daryl.

“I am off duty.  And besides, the last time I did something, I caught shit for it.  I better not do it again,” said John.

Daryl boiled as he looked to the ceiling. Naomi recognized his rage and his cowardice at the same time.  He wanted to lash out like he usually did but he wasn’t brave enough to do so when he was so outnumbered. He cut his eyes to Naomi with murder in them.  He shook his head ever so slightly.

“Don’t look at her,” order Foley.

“My lawyer is going to have all of you for lunch,” said Daryl.

“Your lawyer? That shyster Steve Farmer? With whose money?” asked Naomi.

“That would be mine, dear,” smiled Daryl cryptically. “You otta check the bank account once in a while.”

Daryl began to fake laugh again. Everyone in Mario’s stared at his performance.  Naomi just wanted him to leave. She wanted to go home as quickly as she could and check her money.  She hadn’t been watching.  She hadn’t been smart about so many things.  Even today she fell asleep instead of going down to the court house to get a copy of the deed.  She just blew everything off.