Playing With You Read online

  Since Friday night, Ricki had been in a dreamy mood. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Garrett, their evening out, and especially the kiss. He’d been so gentle for such a big and powerful man. He’d moved his mouth over hers, taking control of the moment. She’d breathed deeply of his scent and had felt the heat of his body against hers.

  Even though she’d felt a chemistry between them all night, and there was the fact that he’d kissed her, she still felt a little confused by the mixed messages she got from him. He liked her, and she was sure he was attracted to her. But he was holding something back and she wasn’t sure what it was.

  She thought about her call to Aunt Madge to tell her how the date went. The elderly woman prodded and pried, but the most Ricki would tell her was that it had gone well and that he’d asked her to the family softball game. Madge had been thrilled and predicted that this was only the beginning.

  Deena strode out of the hotel and smiled as she walked up to the passenger door of Ricki’s car and opened it. As she slid into the vehicle, Ricki caught her lilac scent.

  “Hello.” Deena’s voice was cheery as she buckled her seatbelt.

  Ricki smiled back at Deena. “Ready to do a little house hunting?”

  “You bet.” Deena reclined in the passenger seat. “I appreciate you doing this.”

  “Hey, you were a huge help Friday with my dress shopping.” Ricki drove the car away from the hotel. “Perfect dress and perfect accessories.”

  “I enjoyed it,” Deena said. “When I ran into you at Devine, you looked absolutely gorgeous.”

  Ricki guided the car onto the street and warmed at the compliment. “Thank you.”

  “You seemed to be having a great time,” Deena said. “How did the rest of the night go?”

  Ricki felt heat in her belly as she thought again about the kiss. “He took me home after we saw you.”

  Deena cocked her head to the side. “Are you seeing him again?”

  Ricki nodded. “A week from today. He’s taking me to his family’s Easter get-together and softball game.”

  Deena’s smile seemed a little tight. “That’s great.”

  “I’m kinda nervous.” Ricki glanced at Deena. “He has a huge family.”

  With a laugh, Deena brushed Ricki’s concern away with a wave of her hand. “You’ll do wonderfully. Just take some of those cookies you make and you’ll win them all over.”

  “You’re a mind reader.” Ricki laughed. “I am planning on taking cookies, although I didn’t think about winning anyone over.”

  “That’s because you’re a sweetheart.” Deena set her hand on Ricki’s upper arm. “I can tell you’re a thoughtful person.”

  “You’d do the same,” Ricki said, once again surprised at just how comfortable Deena seemed to be with her, as if they’d been friends for years instead of only having met a couple of days ago. She was easy to get to know and fun to be around.

  “Ha. I don’t bake.” Deena moved her hand away. “So where are we going first?”

  “I thought we’d start in the closest neighborhood and work our way around town.” Ricki pulled the Prius up to a stop sign, checked for traffic, and took a right when she saw it was clear. “There’s one just around the corner from the hotel that I think you’ll like.”

  As Ricki drove from neighborhood to neighborhood, Deena made comments about each and didn’t like them for one reason or another. The first was too modern, the second too old, the third too trashy, and number four was too far on the outskirts of town.

  While they drove and chatted, Ricki’s mind would skitter to Garrett and she’d have to pull her thoughts back and focus on what Deena said.

  Around one-thirty they’d stopped at a fast food restaurant for lunch and then had continued with Ricki showing Deena not only neighborhoods, but a good deal of the town.

  Despite the fact that Deena hadn’t been crazy about any of the neighborhoods they’d looked at, they had a great time talking and laughing. Deena liked to talk and had amusing stories to tell about people she’d worked with and things she’d done as a kid.

  “What about yours?” Deena asked as they left the latest neighborhood. “Where do you live?”

  “It’s older, so you might not like it.” Ricki glanced from the street to Deena. “I bought a fixer-upper and have been spending my spare time remodeling the house. It’s a hobby I enjoy.”

  “Why don’t we take a look?” Deena smiled. “If you like it, it must be nice.”

  Ricki turned the wheel and headed in the direction of her home. “It might be too far out of town for you, too. Not as far as the one we just looked at, but farther than the others.”

  Deena shrugged. “You never know.”

  Ten minutes later they arrived at the entrance to Ricki’s neighborhood. As soon as they drove through, Deena exclaimed, “This is wonderful.”

  Ricki looked at Deena with surprise. “You like it? I thought it would be too old for you.”

  “Not too old at all.” Deena grinned. “The lots are a little bigger and I like the huge, shady trees and the fact that the houses have porches.”

  “We can see if any “for rent” signs are up.” Ricki turned on the first street they came to. “I don’t think there are any on my street.”

  They drove around for a few minutes before Deena said, “There. That house is for rent.”

  Ricki’s forehead wrinkled in thought as she looked at the house with its peeling paint and weed and grass-choked front yard. “You don’t strike me as someone who would like a place like this.”

  Deena shrugged. “You never know what the inside looks like. I could always hire someone to do the yard.” Deena drew a notebook out of her purse, along with a pen. “I’ll write down the name and phone number from the rental agency’s sign and then we can keep on looking.”

  Ricki slowed the car down so that Deena could get a good look at the sign. When Deena was finished, they continued driving around.

  “That one looks nice.” Deena gestured to another house with a rental sign.

  The house she indicated was in much better shape than the first one. The paint job was probably only a couple of years old and the yard and porch were tidy.

  After Deena jotted down the information, she said, “I’m thirsty. I should have thought to grab a couple of bottles of water from the stash in my hotel room.”

  “We can stop by my house.” Ricki took a side street and headed in the direction of her home. “I have plenty to drink.”

  “Wine?” Deena slid down in her seat. “All of this driving around has made me a little tense.”

  Ricki glanced at the time on the car stereo. Four p.m. “Sure. It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

  “Great.” Deena beamed as Ricki turned onto her own street. “Is this the street you live on? I love it.”

  Ricki nodded. “I like my neighbors and everyone seems to keep their yard up on my street which is nice since there isn’t a homeowners association to police it.”

  “Glad there isn’t one.” Deena scrunched her nose. “I hate HOAs.”

  Ricki pulled into her driveway and pressed the remote for the garage door so that it started to rise up.

  “Oh, I like your house,” Deena said with approval in her tone.

  Ricki couldn’t help feeling a little pride at the home she’d purchased and had been fixing up on her own. Now that it was spring, the trees were turning green and the grass was growing. Everything was neat and clean and the paint job made the house look newer. It was white with green trim.

  “The inside is still a work in progress,” she said. “I’ve been doing my own remodeling for the most part so different areas of the house are a mess.”

  Deena smiled. “All I care about is the wine, so don’t worry if anything’s out of order.”

  Ricki pulled the car into her garage and shut off the car. She hit the button to lower the garage door as she and Deena got out of the car.

  “You get to meet Xena,” Ricki sa
id.

  “Who’s Xena?” Deena asked with a frown.

  “My golden retriever.”

  Deena’s eyes widened. “A dog?”

  Ricki nodded and opened the door into the house. When they were inside, Ricki set her keys on the table and hung her purse on the back of a kitchen chair.

  Xena came in through the doggy door at the same moment and greeted Ricki with enthusiasm. Almost immediately the dog went around Ricki to Deena. Xena must have heard them talking. Rather than wagging her tail and trotting happily up to Ricki’s guest, the dog approached warily then stood a few feet from Deena and barked once.

  Ricki frowned. It wasn’t like Xena to act that way. Deena looked a little afraid and confirmed it when she said, “Dogs scare me. I was attacked by one as a child.”

  Ricki felt for the child Deena had been. “What happened?”

  Deena folded her arms across her chest. “My dad locked me outside the house when I’d done something to piss him off. A dog came along and I went to pet it and it bit my hand and tore it up a little.”

  Ricki shook her head. “That’s awful.”

  Deena held out her hand, showing Ricki the scars along the back of it and then showed Ricki the heel of her palm. Deena continued. “I knocked on the door and cried, but my dad wouldn’t let me back in. He didn’t believe me when I told him what had happened. Later he didn’t even apologize when he saw that I needed stitches in my hand. I even had to have rabies shots because they couldn’t find the damned dog.” Deena clenched her teeth. “Men are bastards, even my father.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Ricki said. “But Xena really is friendly.”

  Deena looked doubtfully at the dog.

  “She won’t hurt you.” Ricki made a gesture to Xena that she knew the dog understood. “Time for your dinner.”

  Xena didn’t look like she wanted to leave, but when Ricki signaled again, the retriever obeyed the command.

  Deena’s throat worked as she swallowed.

  “Xena obeys well,” Ricki said. “Really, you don’t have to worry about her.”

  Deena looked like she wanted to change the subject. “This is really nice.” She placed her purse on the table. “You did this yourself?”

  “For the most part.” Ricki nodded and explained what she’d done herself in the kitchen. “Would you like to see the rooms that I’ve finished?”

  Deena appeared to be relieved to leave the kitchen. “I’d love to.”

  Ricki led the way to the living room, which had been done in an eclectic theme with pieces of furniture she’d purchased at estate sales. The accent wall was forest green and the other walls were a warm taupe.

  “It’s so pretty in here and it’s so you.” Deena stopped at an end table and picked up a photograph in a white porcelain frame. “Is this your family?” She glanced at Ricki.

  Ricki nodded. “My mom, dad, and my two sisters. I also have four nieces.”

  “Your sisters are pretty.” Deena looked up and smiled. “Almost as pretty as you.”

  “That’s nice of you,” Ricki said. “But my sisters are gorgeous. I’m a far cry from that.”

  Deena tilted her head to the side. “I’d say you’re way too hard on yourself. If you don’t realize that you outshine your sisters, your view of yourself is skewed.”

  Ricki wasn’t sure how to respond. “Thank you,” she said even though she still didn’t agree with Deena.

  “My bedroom is finished.” Ricki gestured down a hallway to the left. “I just have the guestrooms to work on now.”

  “I’d love to see what you’ve done if you don’t mind.” Deena set the picture frame on the end table. “I’m not handy at all and I admire your skills.”

  Ricki led the way to the master bedroom and opened the door. She always made her bed, so her room looked pretty with its pale yellow walls, taupe carpet, four-poster brass bed, and white eyelet comforter with yellow and purple accent pillows. “The master bath is still a work-in-progress.”

  “I tried doing a little remodeling with my roommate, Celia,” Deena said. “It didn’t turn out so great.”

  “It was probably better than you thought.” Ricki smiled. “We’re our own worst critics.”

  Deena shook her head. “Believe me, what we did to the floor was awful. We had to hire someone to fix it.”

  Ricki went to the window facing the backyard, unlatched it, and raised it up. She breathed in the fresh air. She gestured out. “One of the cool things about this house is the massive backyard.”

  Deena came up beside her. “You have your own little forest back there.”

  Ricki laughed. “I guess for Prescott this might be considered a small forest.” She pointed to the corner with the most trees. “Back there is an old playhouse that the previous owners had set up for their children. It’s so broken down that I need to have it removed, but just haven’t had the time.”

  “I can’t see anything from here,” Deena said.

  Ricki shook her head. “It’s well hidden from the house in that stand of trees. It’s been there so long, who knows what kind of creatures dwell in it and in the earth beneath it?”

  Deena raised her brows. “Creatures?”

  Ricki shrugged. “Could be black widow spiders inside the playhouse and who knows what else.”

  Deena visibly shuddered.

  They returned to the kitchen where Ricki took a couple of wine stems out of her china cabinet while Deena opened a bottle of Chardonnay.

  Xena sat on her haunches and watched Deena’s every move. Ricki wondered why her dog was behaving so strangely.

  “Would you like an early dinner?” she asked Deena. “By the time it’s ready it’ll be five.”

  Deena smiled and avoided looking at Xena. “If it’s no trouble, that sounds wonderful to me. Something simple.”

  “No trouble at all.” Ricki preferred baking over cooking, but she was still a pretty good cook.

  They chatted as Ricki baked apricot glazed chicken, along with garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, and steamed asparagus. Deena helped by making a small salad with mixed greens.

  Having company helped keep Ricki’s mind in a better place than it went when she was alone and her depression weighed her down. When she was alone, her loneliness and insecurities seemed to attack her all at once.

  “Do you have family in Tucson?” Ricki asked as she took dishes out of a cabinet and placed them on the table.

  Deena set the pan of baked chicken on a hot pad. “All of my family is out of state, mostly in Texas.” She seemed in a hurry to change the subject as she asked Ricki, “What about yours?”

  “All in the Phoenix area.” Ricki tucked her hair behind her ear as they finished setting the table and transferred the rest of the food, too. “I’m the only one who took off. I left after my divorce was final to start over.”

  “We have something else in common,” Deena said. “I’m here to start over, too.”

  “We do have a lot in common.” Ricki watched Xena go to a corner where one of her beds was. She settled down and put her head on her paws. Still, she tracked Deena’s every move.

  Deena took a seat at the table then poured them each another glass of wine. “You needed to get away, I take it.”

  “In the worst way.” Ricki sighed as she sat, too. She picked up her wine glass. “Great idea on the wine.”

  Deena was already putting hers to her full lips and she smiled. She took a sip before lowering her glass again. “I’m known to have a few good ideas here or there.”

  Ricki found Deena to be a pleasant dinner companion. Ricki stopped herself at two glasses of wine because she’d be driving Deena back to the hotel later, but Deena had already had three glasses so far.

  “Someday we’ll have to have a girls’ night in where neither of us has to drive.” Deena downed her last glass.

  When Deena was on her fourth glass of wine, Ricki asked, “Have you ever been married?”

  Deena shrugged. “Once. I was married to
a real bastard who abused me.”

  Maybe it was the wine, but Ricki found her own words slipping out before she could pull them back. “My ex-husband did the same to me.” She stared at her wine glass for a moment as she moved her fingers up and down the stem.

  After a moment Ricki continued, “He was cruel, too. No one saw that side of him but me. When we were around others, he appeared attentive and acted so loving toward me. Outwardly he was intelligent, fun, and charming to others.” Ricki shook her head. “That façade dropped the moment we walked into our home. Sometimes he’d get so violent that I thought he was going to hit me, but he never did.”

  Tension made Ricki’s body ache as she had a moment of panic and anxiety as she remembered how it felt to be in that marriage and have no one believe her.

  “I bet no one could understand why you wanted a divorce.” Deena scowled and clenched her fist on the tabletop. “My ex-husband, Bart, was like that, too. Sonofabitch.”

  “My family still doesn’t understand.” Ricki sighed. “They liked him and still do.”

  Deena shook her head. “Sometimes family can hurt you the worst.”

  Ricki felt a strong kinship between Deena and herself. They had more than one thing in common and it all seemed to form a bond between them as they spent time together.

  Deena put her hand to her forehead. “I think I’ve had enough wine.”

  “Goodness, it’s getting late.” Ricki glanced at the clock. “I’ve got to get in early to start baking. I’d better take you to your hotel.”

  Deena looked a little reluctant to leave. She was probably lonely staying in a hotel in a town she wasn’t familiar with and no one with whom to spend time. She glanced at Xena then looked back at Ricki.

  “You’re right.” Deena pushed her chair back, stood, and swayed. She gripped the edge of the table “I’d better be heading back and get to bed soon because I want to wake up early in the morning.” She smiled at Ricki. “I plan to drive to the neighborhoods you showed me so that I can take another look at them. I’m also going to call the rental agencies for the houses we looked at in your neighborhood and a couple of others that I wrote down earlier.”

  “I have a map you can use to look at other neighborhoods that we didn’t hit.” Ricki went to a catch-all kitchen drawer, where she kept flyers, take-out menus, miscellaneous catalogs, and a couple of maps. She selected a pencil from a cup filled with pens and pencils then carried the map back to the table. She circled a couple of neighborhoods that she thought Deena might be interested in and gave the map to Deena.