enough to be successful at anything.
“It took you three colleges to get one degree,” she pointed out. “You’ve started and ended a dozen businesses over the years. And Lord knows how many boyfriends you’ve run through that were never quite good enough to marry.”
“I sold many of them, actually,” Candy said by way of clarification.
Jacinta looked horrified.
“My businesses, Mother. In the last eleven years, I’ve sold eight businesses for a profit, and I always rolled it over into the next venture. It’s called ‘enterprise.’”
Her mother had pursed her lips. “Yet here you are, your enterprising ass on my couch and your possessions in a cardboard box. Obviously, something ain’t right.”
Candy looked up and down the hall again to ensure there were no eavesdroppers before she answered Cheri. “Jacinta wasn’t thrilled, but she wasn’t surprised. She took the opportunity to lecture me about my lack of stick-to-itiveness.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Candy shrugged. “It’s the price I gotta pay if I want to crash here. But I can only stay two weeks—it’s in the resident bylaws.”
“I saw a HELP WANTED sign in the window at Lenny’s Diner today.”
“Seriously?”
“Keep your voice down or I’ll report you to Mr. Miller!”
Candy nearly jumped at the sharp command coming from her right. She glanced up to see Lorraine Estes stick her pink sponge-rollered head from her open door. Candy had no idea her mother’s archenemy in man-chasing also happened to be her next-door neighbor.
The plot was thickening.
“You shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Lorraine added. “This here is a high-end place, not a flophouse. And what you did with your mother’s nest egg is a sin! Shame on you!”
Candy rolled her eyes, pushed herself up from the carpeted hallway, and headed out toward the front lobby. “Hold on again, Cheri,” she said, noting that Gerrall was watching some action-hero movie on his laptop at the front desk. She waved at him and pointed to her cell phone. “I’m going to take this call outside.”
“I’ll buzz you back in,” he said with a smile.
“Now tell me about Turner.”
Candy sighed, settling onto a bench near one of the white-pebbled walking paths, stalling, wondering how she would be able to avoid mentioning that she shoved her twins in Turner’s face. In retrospect, it had been a stunningly bad decision. “Uh, what exactly have you heard?” she asked.
“J.J. told me the whole story, including the part where you flashed your boobs at the sheriff,” Cheri said matter-of-factly. “That was just before you reached up and grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. Now, would you mind telling me what I’m missing here? Because I had no idea you’ve been harboring lust for Turner Halliday all these years.”
Candy laughed. “That’s because I haven’t! I mean, I didn’t know I was. Do you know what I mean?”
“No, I do not.”
That hadn’t come out right.
“You’re telling me you’re hot for Halliday?” Cheri’s voice squealed a little.
“No. Yes. I know I shouldn’t be. Would it be a problem if I were?”
Cheri laughed. “The only problem is that I was the last to know!”
“Sorry.” She propped her forehead in her palm and sighed again. She felt like an insane person—a homeless insane person. “I swear I would’ve given you a heads-up if I’d been aware of it myself, but it just kind of hit me. I looked up and there he was and it was like I was on autopilot.”
“Just like that?” Cheri asked. “You pulled out one set of headlights because you forgot to turn on the other?”
“I didn’t even know it was Turner at first.”
“So it was a random flashing event.”
Candy groaned. “Fine. I deserve this. I should have told you as soon as it happened, but I guess I was just embarrassed. Forgive me.”
“Forgiven,” Cheri said. “So.”
“So,” Candy replied.
“J.J. says that Turner really
“It took you three colleges to get one degree,” she pointed out. “You’ve started and ended a dozen businesses over the years. And Lord knows how many boyfriends you’ve run through that were never quite good enough to marry.”
“I sold many of them, actually,” Candy said by way of clarification.
Jacinta looked horrified.
“My businesses, Mother. In the last eleven years, I’ve sold eight businesses for a profit, and I always rolled it over into the next venture. It’s called ‘enterprise.’”
Her mother had pursed her lips. “Yet here you are, your enterprising ass on my couch and your possessions in a cardboard box. Obviously, something ain’t right.”
Candy looked up and down the hall again to ensure there were no eavesdroppers before she answered Cheri. “Jacinta wasn’t thrilled, but she wasn’t surprised. She took the opportunity to lecture me about my lack of stick-to-itiveness.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Candy shrugged. “It’s the price I gotta pay if I want to crash here. But I can only stay two weeks—it’s in the resident bylaws.”
“I saw a HELP WANTED sign in the window at Lenny’s Diner today.”
“Seriously?”
“Keep your voice down or I’ll report you to Mr. Miller!”
Candy nearly jumped at the sharp command coming from her right. She glanced up to see Lorraine Estes stick her pink sponge-rollered head from her open door. Candy had no idea her mother’s archenemy in man-chasing also happened to be her next-door neighbor.
The plot was thickening.
“You shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Lorraine added. “This here is a high-end place, not a flophouse. And what you did with your mother’s nest egg is a sin! Shame on you!”
Candy rolled her eyes, pushed herself up from the carpeted hallway, and headed out toward the front lobby. “Hold on again, Cheri,” she said, noting that Gerrall was watching some action-hero movie on his laptop at the front desk. She waved at him and pointed to her cell phone. “I’m going to take this call outside.”
“I’ll buzz you back in,” he said with a smile.
“Now tell me about Turner.”
Candy sighed, settling onto a bench near one of the white-pebbled walking paths, stalling, wondering how she would be able to avoid mentioning that she shoved her twins in Turner’s face. In retrospect, it had been a stunningly bad decision. “Uh, what exactly have you heard?” she asked.
“J.J. told me the whole story, including the part where you flashed your boobs at the sheriff,” Cheri said matter-of-factly. “That was just before you reached up and grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. Now, would you mind telling me what I’m missing here? Because I had no idea you’ve been harboring lust for Turner Halliday all these years.”
Candy laughed. “That’s because I haven’t! I mean, I didn’t know I was. Do you know what I mean?”
“No, I do not.”
That hadn’t come out right.
“You’re telling me you’re hot for Halliday?” Cheri’s voice squealed a little.
“No. Yes. I know I shouldn’t be. Would it be a problem if I were?”
Cheri laughed. “The only problem is that I was the last to know!”
“Sorry.” She propped her forehead in her palm and sighed again. She felt like an insane person—a homeless insane person. “I swear I would’ve given you a heads-up if I’d been aware of it myself, but it just kind of hit me. I looked up and there he was and it was like I was on autopilot.”
“Just like that?” Cheri asked. “You pulled out one set of headlights because you forgot to turn on the other?”
“I didn’t even know it was Turner at first.”
“So it was a random flashing event.”
Candy groaned. “Fine. I deserve this. I should have told you as soon as it happened, but I guess I was just embarrassed. Forgive me.”
“Forgiven,” Cheri said. “So.”
“So,” Candy replied.
“J.J. says that Turner really
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