Disgruntled Read online

  Reva smiled. “Well, that would certainly qualify you.” He flashed another quick grin. “Life’s important lessons. Anyway, she’s not exactly the ideal mother. I should have seen that from the beginning and taken it as a sign.” Reva cleared her throat and turned to the gate. “At least he has you, right?”

  “Yep. Every other weekend he has me…plus whenever she doesn’t want him.” He picked one of the broken pieces of ceramic from her trash and followed. “You like to jog, don’t you? I think I’ve seen you on the roads.”

  “I run in the mornings before work and at least one day on the weekend. I started a few years ago. It keeps me sound – physically and mentally.” Once the words were out, she wished to take them back. Too much information. “Usually does. Although it’s probably not a good idea to run so close to the center. Do you play sports?” She turned when he asked and caught his eyes on her hips. The quick shift startled him into meeting her gaze. “Payback.” He shrugged. “Don’t tell hubby.”

  “None to tell. I played softball and ran track in high school. I haven’t done much since. Why do you ask?”

  “I saw a sign at the pool that they’re starting a softball league next month. You might like to play.” She wondered if he had signed up.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Well, I need to get back – my neighbor’s with Eric. See you.” He waved and sauntered toward the corner. Reva watched for a few seconds, and then internally scolded herself for salivating. She checked her neighbor’s doors. Had anyone noticed them? Once inside, she realized she hadn’t flinched or jumped even once in Todd’s company. Must be a good sign things were getting better. Right?

  Days later, Reva plodded down the center of the street two blocks from her home and thought back to the interaction with Brent. She accepted that she had likely made more of it than necessary. Her morning runs invigorated her, lightened her mood, and even the conversation between Gavin and Brent was dismissed as trivial gossip. She chided herself on her ability to make too much of an incident and continued to work diligently with her staff on their projects. She was excited at how quickly some of them moved and although Brent’s seemed to have slowed significantly, she expected that he eventually would work out whatever roadblock was causing him trouble. No need to interfere at this point. When Friday afternoon arrived and he still had no progress to report, she admittedly was concerned but didn’t want to confront him yet. Reva had one golden rule when dealing with staff—one passed on to her by a prior supervisor. He had been a business professor in a previous life and studied the psychology of business closely. The rule was: give praise and reward any day of the week, but never give criticism or correction on Fridays. Most people will stew over it all weekend and come to work useless or angry on Monday. Not to mention the dent in productivity it would make. Mondays and Fridays are usually the biggest catch-up days, so let them concentrate on those efforts.

  Reva had jokingly questioned his logic, but he gave her resources to validate his suggestion. After checking them and the research behind his comment, she put it into practice and found it to be fairly accurate. Of course, there were some exceptions when it wouldn’t fit but for the most part, it helped. Truthfully, she hated confrontation anyway, but those days were worse. So, she made a note in her calendar to speak with Brent Tuesday morning about his project and left to enjoy the weekend. She shrugged it off when he completely ignored her wave as she passed his door on the way out.

  3 CHAPTER THREE

  It wasn’t often that Reva woke on a Saturday morning with absolutely no agenda whatsoever. It was a well-earned luxury since she had stayed up past midnight working, cleaning the oven, doing laundry, and vacuuming. These sudden bursts of energy were hormonal, no doubt. Regardless, she lay in bed, stretching from head to foot, with a lazy grin of satisfaction. “How on earth will I spend the day?” she asked out-loud. Glancing at the open closet which stared at her with invitation, the black shiny bikini purchased less than three weeks earlier almost waved. She nodded. “Of course.” After all, the weather girl projected unseasonably sunny weather and there wasn’t anyone to stop her. Why not take advantage? She padded to the bathroom, scrubbed her teeth, washed her face and doused herself in sun lotion before donning the black summer buy.

  The annoying ring of her cell reached out as she lazily ate toast and sipped a morning cup of coffee. Reva sighed at the display and cursed, then thanked, the gods that blessed her with a big family.

  “Have I caught you doing anything illegal?” her sister, Maria, asked.

  “Eating breakfast. Does that count?” Reva chewed into the phone. Maria always asked the ridiculous just to get a reaction.

  “Only if it’s laced with something interesting. Want to go shopping this afternoon then over to Mom and Dad’s for the barbecue? Mom wanted me to ask.”

  “Is Mom buying?” Reva loved it when her mom got a generous streak and a lonely one at the same time. Reva always got at least one good outfit from it.

  “She said she’d spring for some sexy tops if it would help the dry spell.”

  “Gee, thanks. Even my own mother thinks I can’t get a date. Remind her that I’m not an old maid yet and that sometimes being choosey is a good thing. How would she feel if I’d gone through with the wedding to Nick?”

  Reva took a swig of coffee as the phone fell silent. She knew her mother was likely listening – she always did. For some reason, the woman loved to have everyone on the same line and just enjoy the sound. Maria said it made her feel like old times at the house but Reva suspected she was just nosey. “I realize you all think that a nice man will cure me of Nick’s influence, but personally I’d prefer no man at all right now. I’m gonna hang here and do some sunbathing but I’ll come by for dinner. Give me a rain check on the rest.”

  “Got it. And don’t mention that jerk’s name again. We’re all glad you figured him out and sent him packing. Or rather packed yourself and hauled butt. How’s work going?” Figured Nick out? Maria really didn’t know everything apparently. Reva wondered if her Dad had admitted to the phone call Reva made that night. The night she’d ran home to Papa like a baby. It had been almost impossible to speak with her eye swollen shut and her lip feeling like a smashed banana. Still, he’d called the Police and Nick had been jailed long enough for her to get out. Leave it to Dad to sugar-coat what really happened.

  It was great how Maria turned the conversation away from anything that might upset her. She had a knack for doing that with everyone in the family.

  Reva called her the mediator behind her back—and to her face sometimes. Just when they all started flaring up in their Latin-induced emotions, she would dampen it with a completely off the wall subject change that effectively squelched a brawl. Sometimes it would make Reva want to deck her—as she had always loved a good argument—until recently. And their family certainly had some.

  “It’s work. Same old. Same old.”

  “Rev, I think you could possibly have the most boring job ever. No wonder you never meet anyone interesting. They’re all nerds like you.”

  “Yes, but they’re nerds with a good job that comes with a decent salary. Besides, who wants to date anyone from work? That’s asking for disaster. I can just see me getting involved with someone, eventually sleeping with them, and then going to work and going – ‘oh, you again.’ – and having to pretend I don’t know absolutely everything about him. No thanks.” A small choking noise on the phone confirmed that indeed her mother was listening. “Oops, sorry Mom. I mean, it’s not like I really ever do that anyway. So, don’t worry.” Maria rushed a “bye” then hung up.

  Reva grinned at the cell as she hit the end button. She loved to give her mom a little bit of a heart palpitation in the morning. That always got the juices flowing and served them right for interfering.

  She dropped to her feet, grabbed the towel she’d brought with her and found her favorite sunny spot in the middle of the yard. With the radio blaring, Reva settled her sungl
asses on her face, and promptly returned to a half-sleep with her toe tapping to some pop song she’d never heard before. A few years ago, she had been very comfortable nodding off in the sunshine. Not now. A half-sleep that periodically included her eyes skirting around the yard was the best she could manage.

  A bug landed on her leg. She twitched lightly to send it away but it returned in seconds tickling softly against her shin. After the second twitch yielded no results either, Reva glanced down to send a hand swatting the insect away. At the sight of a furry length of rodent that seemed ready to either crawl onto her or take a bite, she let out a scream and jumped to her feet. She watched as the potential neckwarmer scurried toward the back fence and slithered through a space where the grass had been dug away. That must be the kid’s pet.

  A dirty face peered through a knothole in the wood. “You okay ma’am?”

  She quirked her head sideways and met the small eye with a curious gaze. “Are you Eric?”

  “Yeah. Sorry about my ferret. He likes to eat your plants and sometimes I can’t catch him before he makes it under the fence.” She heard some rustling around as the kid climbed up to peer over the top of the fence at her. “You going swimming?”

  Reva looked down at the swimsuit and shook her head. “No, just sunbathing.” She reached for the towel to wrap around her.

  “Don’t stop on our account.” A husky voice joined the child’s. Reva jerked her head up and caught Todd dropping an arm over the fence, watching her fumble. “He has Bugsy back in the cage so he shouldn’t bother you anymore.” He had a shit-eating grin sprawled across his face and she knew he’d witnessed her bolting up when she felt the animal on her leg.

  “Does it bite?” She ignored him and wrapped the towel around her waist. She wanted to wrap it around all of her, but she decided against it. She wasn’t that squeamish…or prudish either. With the towel covering her hips, she dropped her hands to her waist.

  “Only if you antagonize him. He’s usually pretty skittish himself so he just runs off most of the time.” Todd had dirt on his hands; a small fleck of it fell to the ground. “Today’s a yard work day, hmmm?”

  “Fillin’ holes,” Eric answered. “Bugsy keeps digging under so we’re fillin’ ’em up.”

  “Oh. Thanks for that.” She smiled.

  “Then we’re going to get a new ball thingy,” he added when Todd nudged him.

  “Thanks for that too, but—”

  Todd cut her off. “Eric’s going to pay for it himself with the money he makes working in the yard today. After he fills the holes, he’s adding some plants to try to deter Bugsy from getting through. Aren’t you buddy?”

  “That’s right. Better get back to it.” The child gave a dirtyhanded wave as he dropped behind the fence.

  “Sorry we bothered you, Reva.” Todd pulled his arm in and smiled. “Nice suit, by the way. Should get a lot of attention at the pool—you might want to tie those strings up though.” He disappeared behind the fence to join Eric.

  Reva looked down and let out a gasp. She had loosened the strings from her neck so she wouldn’t get tan lines. Great! I almost flashed the man’s five-year-old son. She yanked the strings tighter and cemented them in place. Tan lines will just have to do. Her old top had been a tube-like thing and she didn’t think about the strings.

  She settled back onto the towel and closed her eyes but the sound of the voices on the other side of the fence held her interest. Would it be obvious to mute the radio and listen? She guessed so. Still, a few words came across and it was entertaining to hear the number of questions Eric asked and the calm way Todd answered them. Her brother’s kids were much the same way but she hardly ever saw them. Reva lounged in the warmth of the sun and fantasized about tan legs and worn-out chacos sitting next to her. It amazed her that she had been able to relax knowing they were just past the fence. Still, something about their presence relaxed her further and she felt the pinch in her shoulders release along with the tension in her neck. She drifted off with a smile on her lips. Incredibly realistic footsteps plodded her way. Thump. She sucked in her breath and jolted up, then rubbed her eyes to get the blinding brightness into focus. When she moved her hands from her face, a cardboard box lay next to her full of lemons and limes. She blinked up into the sun, placing a hand above to shade her view.

  “I didn’t want to toss them and hit you. Throw them away if you want but they make great lemonade. I use the limes for some pretty killer mojitos.” Damn those legs. She quelled a rash impulse to reach out and stroke the baby-fine hairs and toned calves.

  “I love mojitos. You’ll have to give me your secret.” She glanced at her watch and realized she’d been in the sun almost an hour. “Wow, I’m going to be toasted. I fell asleep.” She knew he didn’t understand the importance of that statement.

  Todd smiled and reached out a hand to help her up. “You were drooling. If I’d been a burglar, I could have robbed you blind.” Or worse. He pressed an index finger to her arm and pulled away. “But it doesn’t look like too much sun.” “Thanks to SPF 50 and my very kind genetics.” She stared at his hand briefly then took it and pulled her towel up with her, wrapped it around, and tucked the loose end. She noticed Eric surveying the contraptions surrounding the yard with interest. He hesitated to touch, but with hands in pockets he shuffled through the grass, curiously eying the various pieces. She warmed at the small man carefully evaluating the engineering and creativity of her brother’s artwork. Reva slid her eyes back to Todd.

  A slight twitch lifted his brow. “Kind genetics,” he repeated. Reva felt the sweat trickling down her spine and decided to make a graceful escape and clean up. She pushed hair away from her forehead noticing the dampness there as well. “Thanks for the fruit. I’ll have to try the mojito thing. That sounds great. I need to get going.”

  “Oh, sure. Big plans for the weekend, I guess.”

  “Family dinner at the parents.” She grimaced. “Not exactly what I’d call big plans but with a family like mine it can sometimes get that way.”

  “You must be from around here. Don’t tell me. You grew up here and have never lived more than fifteen minutes from Mom and Dad.”

  Reva didn’t care for the tone in his voice. Accusation dripped from his words as if she had no adventure in her. If only he knew. At one time adventure was her middle name. Put a capital A on it and serve it up with a little fun too. Okay, maybe that was overstating a bit. Doesn’t matter. That was the person she had been once, not now.

  “Nope. I grew up in San Diego. My Dad’s military. He transferred here when I was fifteen. I was furious that my entire social life had to be uprooted for his job.” She swept a hand up to wipe the drip of sweat trailing down her chin. “I have a sister and two brothers, all of whom can drive a person to drink. The oldest two were already gone by the time we moved. So, when I was eighteen, I decided to do what a very driven but sanity-seeking high school graduate would do. I went to college in Florida and got an MIS degree. Then I missed everybody - so when a job opportunity came up here, I tried for it and got it.” Not to mention that I wanted to get as far away as possible from an abusive ex-fiancé.

  “Your parents must be proud.”

  “Hardly. Our family is full of various levels of achievement and my little degrees are the least of them. That’s what happens when you get a bunch of hot-headed siblings competing against each other.”

  Eric called out to Todd. “Dad, you could sell some of this stuff. Don’t you think?”

  “Funny, that’s what I thought when I saw it too.” Reva turned and watched Eric run a finger over the table Todd praised earlier. “I have an internet-based lawn and garden sales business. We have a few stores but most of our stuff is sold over the internet.”

  “Wow. That must be a lot of work.”

  “It can be. I like to be outside so at first it was a hobby while I ran a landscaping business. People liked the originality of the pieces I added to their yards and a friend suggested I should se
ll them. It all blossomed from there and now I don’t do the landscaping unless it’s for a friend or one of my old customers -- or right here.” He waved a hand at the back fence. “And I’m inside a lot more than I like with all the work required, but it’s still fun.”

  “I’m burning up so it’s time I headed inside myself. Thanks again for the limes.” She waved as he started back to the side gate. She should probably get a gate lock so people wouldn’t tromp in and startle her. She watched the flex of his calves as he moved and shrugged. Maybe not. That was one of the things she loved about her parent’s neighborhood. All her high school friends had been pretty welcome to come and go as they pleased, along with most of the neighbors. There was always something going on in someone’s yard, and it was assumed that the neighbors were always welcome. A peeping tom or stalker wouldn’t stand a chance in their crowd. Of course, there were downsides too -- like people always in your business. Something that had encouraged her to get away. Plus whenever weekend barbecues rolled around, people cooked twice as much food as needed so then even more were asked along. There was little room for dieters. These were more like block parties than backyard barbecues. “Hey, you and Eric want to come with me to the dinner?”

  She put a hand to her mouth as if to draw back the words. It was a completely involuntary move, asking like that. Still, it came out as naturally as asking Maria would have. Odd. “Nice of you to ask but no, thanks. It’s a family thing. We shouldn’t intrude.”

  She laughed. “You don’t know my family. We love intrusions. Besides, this is more like a neighborhood thing. There will be a crowd there and definitely lots of kids Eric’s age. It won’t be awkward if that’s what you’re worried about. No one will make any sort of assumptions about us.” At least, I hope not.

  He met her gaze. “I wasn’t worried.”

  Eric ran up to grab his hand. “Can we go, Dad? Please?” The child really had the puppy-dog eye thing perfected. Reva could see it wasn’t lost on the man either, which warmed her heart. The wind blew a waft of lemon-lime fragrance between them. The exchanged look between the two was almost comical, a Dad wanting to please his child but caught in an awkward situation. The boy’s facial expression tugged an involuntary laugh from Todd and Reva both.