Rock Chick Rescue (Rock Chick #2)(54)

“Yeah, Mom. Coming!” I shouted.

I was standing at one side of the bed, Eddie on the other wearing his jeans; three of the five buttons done up. His face looked like thunder.

“Is Eddie in there?” Mom cal ed.

Eddie’s head swung to me and he looked about ready to commit homicide.

I stifled a giggle and was smiling flat out.

I mean, real y. It was too much. We were like school kids getting caught on the couch.

“Yeah. We’re both coming out.”

“Okay, sweetheart.” Then I heard Mom limp away.

Eddie turned to me, his eyes glittering.

“You better be worth it,” he growled and I knew he meant it as a joke but what he said wiped the smile from my face and I became perfectly serious.

“I’m not,” I told him honestly.

I watched as his face changed, the incredulous glitter faded from his eyes and something else took its place.

Something I couldn’t read and didn’t want to read.

Before he could reply, I pul ed my hair back out of my face and walked out of the room.

* * * * *

I took the fastest shower in the history of womankind, pul ed on a pair of jeans, a black, button-front shirt that was too fitted and, as such, showed cle**age (another gift from Lottie) and a pair of black, high-heeled boots (because Eddie was stil there and I had to make some effort). I pul ed my hair back in a ponytail, spritzed with my fanciest perfume, didn’t bother with makeup because there was no time and headed out of my room. Eddie was dressed, sitting drinking coffee and shooting the breeze with Mom and Lavonne in the kitchen like this was a normal, everyday occurrence. Not like he’d just been interrupted by my Mom with his tongue in my mouth and his hands pushing my panties half down my ass.

I didn’t have time for niceties, nor did I have time to freak out at Eddie hanging out in my kitchen with my Mom and Lavonne, nor did I have time to freak out general y at al that was my life.

“Hey there, Jet. Lookin’ good,” Lavonne cal ed.

“Hey Lavonne,” I smiled a greeting at Lavonne and turned to Eddie, “I have ten minutes to get to the bank. Wil you take me?” I asked him, not wanting to but having no choice.

I really had to find out what was happening to my car.

As an answer, Eddie stood which I guessed meant

“yes”.

“You haven’t had coffee,” Mom said.

I poured some milk and coffee into a travel mug and turned to Eddie.

“Let’s go.”

Eddie walked with long strides and I hustled in my high-heeled boots to the truck. Without a word, we got in. He started the truck and we took off.

We were halfway there, with only minutes to spare, when I nearly shouted, “Can’t you go any faster?”

“Relax, Chiquita, I’m already going ten miles over the speed limit.”

I gave his profile a look that said, “So?” Luckily, he missed the look.

“Don’t you have one of those flashy-lighty things like Kojak?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I’m not al owed to use it for trips to the Credit Union, just beer runs during half-time.”

See? My luck sucked.

He’d barely parked in the Credit Union parking lot when I had my door open and I jumped out of the truck.

Amy was locking the doors when I ran up. I’d worked with Amy for years, we were friends and used to hang out together, go to movies, spend time drinking margaritas and ripping apart Amy’s (many) ex-boyfriends. She was sweet, funny and I missed her. I only saw her now when I made a deposit.

As I walked to the doors, I put my hands into a prayer position, mouthing the word “Please”.

She opened the doors.

“Jet! I haven’t seen you al week.”

“Car problems,” I explained, sliding in beside her. “I’ve got a week’s worth of tips that need depositing.”

“No problemo, I haven’t counted my drawer yet.”

“Thanks, you’re an absolute gem,” I said.

I looked across the room, smiled and nodded to Jody.

Jody had close-cropped, straw-blonde hair and glasses.

Jody had been at Arapahoe Credit Union since time began. As far as I knew, Jody had smiled once in her entire life and that was when a long disliked customer had his car repoed.

Her eyes were at the door and Amy’s eyes moved to the door too.

“We’re closed,” Jody said, al guard-dog-at-the-gate.

“I’l do him,” Amy breathed, too enthral ed to realize her wording was not exactly tactful.

I didn’t have to look to know that Eddie had walked in behind me.

“I’m with Jet,” I heard him say.

Both Amy and Jody stared at me like I’d just won the three hundred bazil ion dol ar lottery.

See what I mean? People were going to wonder what Eddie was doing with me. Even my friends and acquaintances stared at me with wonder.

I snatched a deposit slip and walked up to Amy’s station.

Jody left her drawer, partial y to lock us in the building but mostly to lock everyone else out.

I pul ed out my wads of cash and Lavonne’s check and began counting expertly; my mind on my task, my hands sifting through the bil s quickly, automatical y placing the money in piles of hundreds. Eddie positioned himself beside me, his elbow on the counter, his eyes watching my hands.