Part 7 (1/2)
In his experience, more often than not, those G.o.d-given talents ended up making people jerks.
And jerks attracted some women like moths to flame.
Red neon light flashed through the half-drawn curtains of the run-down hotel room in Oklahoma City. He sat on the corner of the bed and watched as his mother stroked cherry red lipstick across her mouth while she stared into a cracked and dusty mirror. ”Just imagine. The champions.h.i.+p buckle. How exciting is that? Now, you be a good boy and don't get into any trouble while Mama's gone. You hear?”
He was seven years old. She didn't come back for three days.
Celebrities. Mac exhaled a long, heavy sigh. What he wouldn't give for a good embezzlement trial.
He hit the garage door opener as he pulled into the drive, which served as the signal for Gus to go wild. Barking, running, jumping-the dog did everything but flips when Mac let him inside. Grinning, he sat in one of the kitchen chairs and let Gus plop his paws in his lap as Mac scratched him behind the ears. ”I'm glad to see you, too, boy. Just ... whoa. Keep the tongue to yourself, okay?”
He reached into the treat jar he kept on the table. ”Here you go, boy.”
Gus gulped it down in seconds, then came back at him with a dog kiss he wasn't quite fast enough to dodge. The weird mood from earlier returned with the rough sc.r.a.pe of Gus's tongue and he was back in that hotel room, this time with bright yellow suns.h.i.+ne beaming through the window.
”But Mama, please? I'll take care of him. I'll feed him and water him and he won't be one bit of trouble.” Mac had named him King, and they'd become pals-best friends-in the days his mama had been gone.
”Don't be ridiculous, Mackenzie. He's a stray. You can't go picking up strays.”
”Why not? You do.”
It wasn't the first time she'd hit him. Nor was it the last. It was, however, the last time he asked for a dog. When they left Oklahoma City the next day, King didn't go with them.
And when Louise brought him his mail today at the office, he'd had a letter from his mother, the first contact he'd had with her since he'd turned eighteen.
d.a.m.ned celebrities. d.a.m.ned paparazzi. d.a.m.ned Court TV.
A month after running to the mountains, Ali returned to Denver. As she pulled into line for valet parking at the Brown Palace Hotel downtown, she told herself she should have dressed in feathers for tonight's events. Heaven knows she was just as much a chicken as what was likely on the menu for this evening's meal. The dress she'd purchased specifically for the awards dinner still hung in her closet at home. Rather than face Mac alone at home for the first time since she'd left, she'd chickened out, stopped at her favorite boutique, and bought a new outfit, from earrings down to shoes, then sent him a text saying she'd meet him downtown.
Nerves had her drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. She wished she'd never committed to attend this dinner. She'd been dreading it like a bikini wax since she told him she'd be here. Just thinking about Mac was hard these days. She sensed that seeing him, speaking with him, would be just short of torture.
The last few weeks in Eternity Springs had been packed full from morning to night. Being so busy had enabled her to think about something, anything, other than the sad state of her marriage, and with each day that pa.s.sed, her heart grew a little lighter. She knew she wasn't solving anything by ignoring reality, but she thought she'd needed this breather. Her heart was wounded, and she'd needed a little R&R before joining the battle once again. But when the valet opened the door for her and she exited the car, Ali knew she wasn't ready to resume hostilities after all. Had someone not called her name at that very moment, she'd have ducked back into her car and sped away.
Instead, she pasted a smile on her face and turned to greet Trudy Hartsworth, the society editor for the Denver Post. ”h.e.l.lo, Trudy.”
”My oh my, don't you look divine! That's a new look for you, isn't it? I hope you're seated out of Mac's line of sight during his speech or he's liable to babble like an idiot.”
Ali summoned up a confident smile. The boutique had been low on inventory in her size this afternoon, but she hadn't had time to try another shop. The dress she'd chosen was a filmy, flirty sundress with a plunging halter neckline in emerald green. She wore strappy jeweled sandals, dangling earrings, and a matching locket that nestled between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
Trudy was right. It was a different look for her, one she probably wouldn't have tried had she not been desperate and running out of time. But the minute she put the dress on, she'd loved it. She'd wanted it. The dress made her smile. It made her feel pretty. It made her feel s.e.xy.
And yes, she wanted Mac to take one look at her and babble like an idiot. Swallow his tongue. Drool with desire. Go from soft to stallion in 2.3 seconds.
Or at least, that's what she had thought she wanted. Now that the moment was upon her, second thoughts consumed her. She knew better than to let it show, however, so she smiled brightly and said, ”Thank you! I thought it was time to shake things up. I've become just a little too dependent on twin sets.”
”Darling, that is no twin set.” The writer glanced around, then asked, ”I a.s.sume you're meeting Mac here? I'm hoping he'll introduce me to Sandberg's defense attorney, Christina Fiore. I'm sure she'll be here tonight. That's not inappropriate now that he is a judge, is it? I certainly don't want to do anything untoward.”
Untoward? Trudy Hartsworth had built a career on untoward.
”I'm sure Mac will do whatever is right,” Ali said as they walked into the luxurious hotel lobby and made their way toward the Grand Ballroom, where the dinner was being held. Trudy saw someone else she knew and flittered off, disappointing Ali, who had hoped to have the woman at her side when she approached Mac.
”This is stupid,” she murmured beneath her breath. He wouldn't make a scene in public. Mac didn't make scenes in private. Just walk up to him and say h.e.l.lo and get this behind you.
Ali stepped into the ballroom and glanced toward the reserved tables in the front of the room. She didn't see him, but it was still early and most people had yet to take their seats. Mac was always on time and usually early. His height ordinarily made him easy to spot in a crowd.
She moved through the room making her way slowly toward the front. Halfway there, she again heard her name, and she turned toward the sound. This time, the person doing the speaking was a complete surprise. ”Zach?”
He offered her an easy, welcoming smile. ”I can't tell you how glad I am to see a friendly face in this crowd.”
”I didn't know you were going to be here.”
”Yeah. I couldn't get out of it.” He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. ”Things like this are so not my cup of tea.”
Ali wouldn't have guessed it. Zach looked perfectly at ease in his charcoal pinstripe suit and an aqua tie that complimented those amazing eyes of his.
She liked Eternity Springs's sheriff. She'd spent time with him on a handful of occasions since their first meeting, and she found him to be intelligent, industrious, and a lot of fun. He was certainly the most laid-back, charming lawman she'd ever met. ”Are you here with a date?”
”No. I'm stag tonight.” He gestured toward one of the bar stations set along the wall. ”Can I get you something to drink? Champagne? A gorgeous woman like you wearing a stunning dress like that ... You need a gla.s.s of champagne in your hands.”
She couldn't help smiling. ”Thank you, Sheriff Turner. You're too kind. I don't ordinarily drink at events like these.”
”Well, this time is different. I insist.” He made a show of looking her over. ”The dress demands it, and besides, you can't say no to me. I'm one of tonight's stars.”
”You're a speaker?”
”No, I'm an award winner.”
”You are?” Ali beamed a smile at him. ”I didn't know that! How did I miss this news?”
When he simply shrugged, she persisted. ”I know that Alton Davis has seven Twitter aliases. I am aware that Marlene Lange auditioned for American Idol. For heaven's sake, I know that Dale Parker is going in for a colonoscopy tomorrow, so how in the world did I miss the fact that Eternity Springs's very own sheriff is being honored as a hero by the governor's office tonight?”
He shrugged. ”I didn't tell anyone.”
”He didn't tell anyone,” Ali repeated, gazing up toward the ceiling and shaking her head in frustration. ”So spill it, Turner. Why are you being honored?”
He winced. ”They're gonna yammer on about it later. Truly, it's not that interesting. Now, let's get that champagne and I'll tell you something you'll really want to know. A prime bit of Eternity Springs news.” He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the bar.
Despite his relaxed att.i.tude, Ali could tell he wasn't comfortable. She didn't know him well enough to know if he simply didn't like the attention or if it was the incident itself that bothered him, so she let it drop. ”Something I want to know, hmm?”
”Yep.” He ordered two gla.s.ses of champagne from the bartender, handed one of them to her, then saluted her with his gla.s.s. ”To new friends.”
”New friends,” she replied with a smile, toasting him back. ”And interesting news.”
He clinked their gla.s.ses, bent his head toward her, and murmured, ”I have the scoop-pun intended-on the new ice cream flavors being unveiled next week at the opening of the Creamery.”
”How did you manage that?” Ali asked, arching her brows. ”Did you confiscate the truck?”