Two Wrongs Make a Right Read online

  As head of marketing at Galaxy, he’d promised himself retirement by age fifty with an investment portfolio that reached all the way into his nineties, and that was right on track. If the proposed takeover by Media Corp. went through, he could remain here, or possibly move to L.A. or Chicago. He took a second to consider the two locations. In California, he could take up surfing. He’d always wanted try it. Chicago had just as much to offer. The hustle and bustle looked exhilarating in the movies. The bitter winters would be a change.

  He sipped and let the liquor go down slowly, enjoyed the burn, and savored the aftertaste. Nothing like a drink of Balcones to end his day. A good Texas whiskey always filled the bill. He emptied the tumbler, stood, and opened the door to go back inside when the doorbell rang. Glancing at his watch, he wondered who it could be. Not Shelly. He’d never brought her or any woman here. He used his condo in town. Got a helluva deal on it, and when he worked late, it was more convenient to stay there than make the thirty-mile trip home.

  He focused through the peep-hole. Simona stood in the one jagged streak of moonlight running across his porch. He turned the knob and pulled the door open. “Hey, Sis. What brings you here?”

  She rushed past him, headed toward the kitchen, and spoke over her shoulder. “I couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Did you give Shelly the boot?” Simona opened the pantry, stuck her head deep inside the shelves, and moved things around.

  “That’s harsh. I was civil. Gave her my usual dialogue. You’re great, beautiful, and too young for me. I even referred to parachute pants to reinforce the age difference.”

  Simona abandoned her search and moved to the freezer. “Do you have ice cream?”

  “Yeah. Rocky Road and I also have cookies in the second canister, which I figure is what you were searching for in the pantry. Why don’t you forget the damn diet? You’re not fat, and Ben loves you the way you are.”

  She set the carton on the counter, grabbed a dish from the cabinet, and then retrieved a spoon and dipper from the drawer. “Since you and I share the same birthday, I shouldn’t have to remind you we’ll soon be moving into another decade.” She dug out a glob of chocolate and plopped it into the bowl. “He works with supermodels. I can’t compete with them.”

  Her brother raised his hand to stop her rant. Once she got started, she could go on forever, talking about nothing. “First, we still have another year before we do that. So don’t rush it. Second, you’re not in a competition. If he’d wanted one of those half-naked, anorexic girls, he’d have married one. He was photographing them long before he met you.”

  “I was young then. I had perky breasts, a nice ass, and no stretch marks.” She closed her lips around the spoon, held it there for a few seconds, then took it out and waved it in the air as if conducting an orchestra. “After fifteen years of marriage, I have less boobs, more butt, and they’ve both started their migrations.”

  “Hey, I’m uncomfortable discussing your body parts. Besides, you’re being silly. Ben didn’t fall in love with you because of how you look. Take my word, if that’s what men wanted, I would have married a long time ago.”

  She returned to the fridge, grabbed a can of whipping cream, gave it a fast shake, and then squirted a creamy mountain on top of her ice cream. Sticking the red lid on the end of her finger, she punctuated the air to make her point. “Then why do you keep dating these Perky-Perfect-Pretties?”

  He cocked his head. He’d never seen her so animated, like a junkie needing a fix. A small grin twitched at the corner of her mouth. “Sonovabitch. Oh, you’re good. You’re very good. This little visit isn’t about your insecurity. This is you wanting to set me up with somebody. Isn’t it? Damn. I can’t believe I almost fell for it. Give it up. Whoever you want me to date, the answer is—no.”

  Slouching onto a barstool, she lowered her shoulders. “Okay, I admit I have someone in mind, but I am worried Ben will lose interest.”

  “Has he done something?” Dak leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “If he has, I’ll kick his ass.”

  She wagged her head. “No, but I helped him with a shoot a few days ago and the model flirted with him right in front of me. I couldn’t help but wonder how often he deals with that. Let’s face it. I could stand to lose a few pounds and look.” She moved her face in close to his, stretched her eyes wide, and pointed to the corners. “Crow’s feet. And see these wrinkles.” She slid her finger back and forth across her upper lip. “God, I’m getting so old. Men don’t even notice me anymore. Case in point, you aren’t interested in women our age.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Seriously? When was the last time you dated a woman older than twenty-five? And you know why? I’ll tell you. You deliberately date girls you’ll never fall in love with. If you considered someone your own age who shares your common interests and generation, you might find the perfect match.”

  “Holy crap. You almost had me again. Damn you, Sim. Why are you and Mom hell-bent on me getting married?”

  “Main reason: You’re the only one to carry on the Savage name.”

  “It’s not my fault big brother had to go and marry a woman with kids, and no equipment to produce more. Carrying on the name shouldn’t be my reason for marrying anyway.”

  “I agree, and we all love Shane’s step-children as if they were born into our clan, but it’s important to Mom for you to settle down and have a family.”

  He shook his head. Even if she and Mom had his best interest at heart, he couldn’t force something he didn’t feel, and so far, it had never happened. “Right before you got here, I swore off women for a while. With everything going on at work, I don’t have time for a social life, so spread the word.”

  “How are you ever going to meet the woman of your dreams if you don’t let me help you find her? This woman I have in mind thinks you’re perfect. She swooned when she saw your picture. She went on and on about the combination of your green eyes and beautiful blond hair. Blah. Blah. Blah.”

  “Dammit! Now you’re showing my picture around? I want that to stop. Besides, maybe I’m not supposed to get married. Have you ever thought of that?”

  Sim smirked. “Oh, my sweet, clueless brother. One of these days you’ll fall so hard you won’t know what to do. When that happens, I will be right here to say I told you so.”

  “Fine. But for now, please tell Mom I do not want to be fixed up with every available female she meets. Not the checker at the grocery store, or the niece of the woman who does her hair, or her mechanic’s third cousin’s sister-in-law’s best friend. You got it?”

  Sim opened her mouth to say something, but he shushed her. “I mean it. I don’t care if she’s the most gorgeous, most intelligent, most perfect catch on the planet. As of this moment, I’m officially UN-interested.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Quinn’s head pounded, a residual effect from the Dom Pérignon. She sat up, swung her feet to the floor, and then staggered into the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror confirmed she looked as bad as she felt. Dark circles ringed beneath her eyes, and taut, pale skin stretched as tight as a pair of Spanx. She splashed cold water on her cheeks, blotted her face dry, and ran a brush through her hair. Hungover or not, this was cooking day, and she needed to pull herself together. Without the casseroles she prepared, Dad and Gramps ate too much fast food. Delivering the meals gave her an opportunity to check on them. Lately, she’d seen Dad’s strength improve, and that made her happy.

  After tugging on a pair of yoga pants and a tattered tee-shirt, she made her way into the kitchen. Lucy and Ethel trotted behind. “You girls hungry?”

  They answered with a resounding meow. She measured equal amounts of cat food into each of their bowls, and then walked to the counter. A strong urge to check the dating site for more inquiries played with her emotions. But with the disappointing responses she’d gotten so far, she decided to wait.

  She retrieved her to-do list from her phone, gathered the ingredien
ts, and divided them into groups. Among this week’s selections, she’d make two of her dad’s favorites, Tater Tot and Hamburger, along with Mexican Lasagna.

  Once she got the meals together, she added her art work. Black olive daisies growing from green bean grass. Happy faces cut from cheese slices. Carrot eyes with green pepper hair and red pepper lips. Standing back admiring her work, she couldn’t help but laugh. Dad and Gramps always got a kick out of her creativity.

  Once finished, she brought her laptop to the kitchen table. The photo slide show of her favorite pictures flashed on the screen. The perfect couple, Brad and Quinn. In Halloween costumes. New Year’s Eve office party. Their trip to Mexico two years ago. He looked so goofy in that sombrero. Pain stabbed her chest. Happy times. Ended. Her future. Gone. She burst into tears. What did she do wrong to make him want to leave?

  She deleted the screen saver and replaced it with a picture of her precious pets. Brad was history and Quinn needed to move on. But her heart was broken. She’d loved him. Still did. For three long years, her dreams of marriage and family included him. Wiping her cheeks, she hoped it didn’t take that long to recover. She turned her attention back to the site.

  It loaded from her favorites list, and she clicked on the first engagement ring. Were ascots back in style? Who was this guy? Too stiff for her taste. Delete.

  Moving on to the next response. Five separate poses of the same man. What? One bio photo wasn’t enough? Too full of himself. Delete.

  Scrolling down. Hmm. Walt, age 36, height, 5’ 10”, engineer, native Texan. All that and attractive. So far, so good. Her eyes drifted downward.

  In place of a cutesy name, I’ve used my own. If I must choose, it would be Wizard. If we meet, I’ll explain the choice. I promise it’s nothing crazy. Also, instead of writing a paragraph about myself, I’ll get right to the point by providing a list of things I enjoy: Travel, music, sports, spontaneity, sushi, fine wine, volunteering at the children’s hospital, cutoff jeans, and flip-flops.

  The reference to children caused her skin to warm, and she smiled at the last two items. This sounded like a guy with a sense of humor and a heart of gold. A knot formed in her stomach. She crossed her fingers and kept reading. Instead of skipping to the end, she wanted to keep the dream alive, so she went to the next section. Another list.

  Things I don’t like: Self-centered people, most television shows, exercise fanatics, and workaholics.

  Optimism bubbled in her chest. He sounded almost perfect. She moved the cursor down.

  The most private thing I’m willing to admit: I say this without shame. I still love spending time with my mother. She’s a fantastic lady, and what success I have, I owe to her excellent parenting skills.

  Could he be real? He loves kids and his mother? She typed her reply with lightning speed. Now, all she had to do was wait for his answer. One more query waited.

  Stargazer, age 42, teacher. Hmm, seven years older. Probably divorced with a brood of crumb grabbers. But if he married young, they’d be teenagers. Did she want to deal with an ex-wife and the worst period in a kid’s life? High school was hard. She reminded herself to keep an open mind and consider every man who sounded interesting. If not for her own benefit, for the articles she planned. She read on.

  I enjoy weekend getaways, especially sailing. I like animals, but I’m partial to cats. I have two. I like to cook but enjoy dining out. I kiss slowly, forgive quickly, and laugh easily.

  Quinn closed her eyes, and relished the promise of a long, slow kiss. She’d not had one in a while. Brad rushed everything. Sex with him was like a competition. He took pride in finishing first. A date with Stargazer might be worth it for the lip action alone. She crossed her fingers and went right to the private reveal question. Please don’t let it be weird.

  I’m an alcoholic. Been sober twelve years.

  He had strong potential. She replied, and closed her computer. The two prospects danced in her head. There were good men out there. She needed to be patient. All she had to do was sift out the weirdoes and perverts. Much like cleaning Lucy and Ethel’s litter, life compared to a big cat box. People crapped on our lives, and we had to filter them out and begin fresh and clean.

  Thanks to Brad, all the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am sex was over. The snide remarks concerning her apartment and the way she dressed, ended. The Brad crap was gone, along with a piece of her heart she’d never get back. But the dating site offered a new beginning, and she was ready to start over with a Wizard or Stargazer.

  ~~*~~

  The trip to Dad’s took twenty minutes. Pulling into the drive, she noticed the lawn needed mowing. If the mower started, she’d take care of it. The flower beds had become a lost cause months ago, so no need to worry with them. However, blooms cheered the place up and made Dad feel better. He always loved flowers and when healthy, enjoyed yard work. Maybe next trip, she’d get them ready for planting.

  Tears burned, and Quinn dismissed the notion. She couldn’t let him see her cry. That verified the inevitable. Something she didn’t want to consider. At sixty-five, he was still young by today’s standards, when people lived into their eighties. She straightened her shoulders and plastered on her best smile. Before she could open the car door, Dad and Gramps appeared on the porch.

  “Hey, Quinnie Girl,” Dad hollered. “You need help?”

  “Sure.” He looked good. Better skin color, and even from a distance she saw some sparkle back in his eyes. When he got to the car, he took her in his arms and hugged her like he never wanted to let her go. She bit her lip to keep from falling to pieces. What would she do without him? The one man she’d always counted on. Who loved her no matter what. Thought she was the best and the brightest.

  “Daddy, you’re squeezing the pee out of me.” It was the only thing she could come up with to chase away the sadness. They laughed together, then she pulled away and turned to her grandfather. “Hey, Gramps. How are you doing?”

  “I’m backed up. Have been for two days.”

  “Are you drinking your Metamucil?”

  “I hate that stuff.”

  “I can’t get him to do anything,” Dad said. “He’s an ornery old coot.”

  “You’d better watch the name calling, boy. I can still bring you down a notch or two.”

  “Gramps, I’ll go inside and fix you a glass, and I’m not leaving until you drink it all. Understand?”

  “Yeah, yeah. What’d you bring us to eat? I hope it ain’t anymore of that ca-ca crap.”

  “Couscous, Gramps. And no, today everything is regular food.” She opened the car door, passed a bag to each of them, took one for herself, and then followed them into the house. She got busy putting the pans into the freezer and spoke without turning around. “Brad and I broke up.” Frigid air froze the tears, and she was thankful. It hurt to talk about him, but she needed to tell everyone.

  Gramps looped his arm around her. “I’m glad you kicked him to the ditch.”

  “Gramps! You didn’t like him?”

  “Nope. Too much of a city slicker. You need a man with good common sense. Brad had book smarts, but I doubt he could change a flat.”

  She gave it some thought and remembered the time he’d had a flat tire and called AAA. Claimed he didn’t want to mess up his clothes, but in retrospect maybe he didn’t know how to do it. “And you, Daddy? Did you dislike him, too?”

  “I just want you to be happy.” He wrapped her in his arms again.

  She buried her head in his chest and this time she couldn’t hold back crying.

  “Quinnie girl. What’s wrong? If Brad hurt you, tell me. I’ll wring his neck.”

  “Hell, I’ll nut cut him like a young bull,” Gramps said.

  Quinn shook her head. “No. It’s not him. It’s everything.” Her breath hitched. “I’m sorry, Daddy.” She pushed away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m too old to be acting this way.”

  “It’s okay Sugar. Sometimes we all need a good cry. Even Gramps.” />
  “Hell yeah, but I try not to do it until I have a beer to cry into! You want one?”

  That made her laugh. “No. I’ll be all right. I just have a lot of stuff going on right now.” She wiped her eyes, but thought a beer would taste pretty damn good right about now. “I’m fine.”

  Dad dipped his head to look at her. “You sure? If there’s anything you need to talk about, I’m here for you. Anything at all. No judgment.”

  “I know. I appreciate it. If I can get the mower started, I thought I’d mow the yard.”

  “No need for that. Gramps and I were just talking about doing it. We need the exercise.”

  “Are you sure you feel up to it?”

  “Yeah, and the sunshine will do me good.”

  She headed to the front door, then faced him again. “Next time I come, I’ll plan to help with the flower beds if you feel up to it.”

  “Sounds good. I just bought some flower seeds. I won’t put them in the ground until you come back. It’ll be just like old times.”

  Quinn turned to keep him from seeing more tears. And as she walked to the car, she felt his eyes on her back. She steeled her shoulders, turned, gave him her best smile, then got in the car and drove away.

  She should visit Mom, but wasn’t up to facing her yet. The questions of what went wrong with Brad were too much at the moment. Besides, by now, Mother was on her fourth vodka and tonic. Quinn planned to call her later after she scheduled a date with Walt or Stargazer. That way, she’d be able to report a new man in her life. One with real promise and hot lips.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Dak stood another log upright on the stump, and swung the splitting maul with as much force as possible. L.A. He gritted his teeth and took another swing. Chicago. He brought the blade down again. Even though they were great locations, he hated to think of leaving this place. With everything going on at work, and the sexual frustration he felt, he needed an outlet. Chopping wood, even though it was summer, relieved some of that. It’d been weeks since he’d broken if off with Shelly, and he missed the sex.