Whiskey For Breakfast Page 9

I handed Mr. Tannenbaum the file with the names of twenty-five women and as much background as I could collect on them in a couple hours time. He went through each page methodically, his hands shaking as he turned from page to page. He paused a couple of times like he wanted to say something, but then he just shook his head and moved on.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t see anything familiar.”

  “It was just a shot in the dark anyway. I’m sure we’ll narrow it down further once I’m able to do a more thorough background check.”

  We sat and visited with Mr. Tannenbaum a few more minutes and ate the excellent scones his cook served with the tea, and then we took a tour through the house. It mostly reminded me of a mausoleum, and I was pretty sure Rosemarie was right. The house was definitely haunted. There were enough creepy hallways and creaks and groans to have me practically running out the front door and back to the car.

  “I don’t know how he sleeps alone in there night after night,” Rosemarie said, shuddering. “It gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

  “Maybe when you’re as close to death as he is you don’t mind communing with the other side all that much.”

  ***

  Rosemarie dropped me back home and went to go deal with Leroy. I’d spent too much time with Mr. Tannenbaum and now I was running behind. And it had been a wasted trip anyway.

  The thunder we’d been hearing all afternoon continued without producing any rain, and the humidity seemed to grow thicker by the hour. If I wasn’t careful my hair would be too big to fit through the doors.

  I jumped in the shower and jumped out again, and then put on my bathrobe. I put my hair up in hot rollers and went to work on my makeup. I glanced at the clock as I was putting on my eyeliner and poked myself right in the eye. I blinked for a few seconds and swore as my eyes watered. I overcompensated for the red eye by adding more eye shadow and mascara, and after I finished I decided it wasn’t such a bad look.

  I didn’t wear a lot of makeup normally. Usually a couple of swipes of mascara and some lip gloss. I’d been told on more than one occasion that I was more the girl next door type—like one of those Ralph Lauren models sitting out in a field somewhere. I guess being an all-American girl was okay, but I wanted to be a bombshell. Like one of the Bond girls—dangerous and seductive. I was mostly only a danger to myself, and I obviously hadn’t had any luck being seductive, but that didn’t mean I was going to stop trying.

  Back in the day when I could afford extra things I belonged to an underwear of the month club, so I selected the sexiest thing I could find in my lingerie drawer—a black lace bra that helped boost the girls and lacy panties that required a great deal of preparatory waxing. Nick wouldn’t know what I had on under the dress, but it would drive him crazy trying to figure it out. And it would sure as hell make me feel better.

  The hard part was deciding what to wear. It wasn’t easy to find the right balance of classy and sexy, but I ended up pulling out a black dress out that still had the tags on it. I’d bought it last year on clearance and it had still been too expensive. It had been purchased for my honeymoon, and I remembered trying it on and thinking it was the kind of dress that would look terrific crumpled up on the floor after a fit of wild passion. Unfortunately, my fiancé hadn’t been all that into fits of wild passion. At least not with me.

  The dress wasn’t much to look at on the hanger, but when it was on it fit like a second skin in all the right places. It veed low in the front showing just the right amount of cleavage, and the length came to just above the knee and tapered in so my legs looked a mile long. I put on my grandmother’s pearls and matching earrings and put just a dab of Cinnabar perfume between my breasts and behind my ears.

  I waited until the last second to take out the hot rollers and then finger combed my hair and sprayed it so it was tamed into submission. At least mostly. I put on an extra coat of lipstick and then slipped on a pair of strappy black Jimmy Choos that had never been out of the box. They’d been bought to go with the dress and I figured the bad karma associated with the whole outfit was probably past the statute of limitations by now.

  I was nervous as hell, but I was determined not to let Nick fluster me. We were two adults conducting a business transaction. I wouldn’t let my emotions get the best of me. I was going to collect my money and eat some free food. And maybe flirt with a couple of the groomsmen just for the hell of it.

  There was a knock at the door and I teetered carefully on my heels as I went to answer it. Seeing Nick on the other side dressed in a tux still had the ability to take my breath away. He’d shaved, but he always managed to have a five o’clock shadow.

  His eyes darkened as they slowly raked over me from head to toe. I knew that look. If I didn’t get the door closed and locked behind me in the next six seconds I was liable to end up flat on my back on the rug. I knew because I’d been in this predicament before.

  I flicked the lock and pushed my way out on the porch, pulling the door closed behind me, and I waited for Nick to say something. He wasn’t usually so quiet.

  “Are we going?” I asked.

  “I’m still thinking about it. It seems like a waste for you to be looking like you do just for my brother’s rehearsal dinner. Maybe we should skip it and stay in.”

  “Speaking of your brother’s rehearsal dinner, do you have my money?”

  “You want your money now?” he asked incredulously.

  “Oh, yeah. Payment up front. I know you too well.”

  His eyes narrowed and never left my face as he reached inside his jacket for his wallet. He opened it and pulled out five crisp one hundred dollar bills and handed them over. I was proud of myself for being cool as a cucumber. Inside I was elated that I actually had enough to make my rent payment. I slipped the money in my purse and turned my back on Nick as I headed toward his truck.

  He touched my arm and I raised a brow in question as I turned back to face him.

  “What’s going on with you, Addison? You’re not acting like yourself.”

  I widened my eyes in surprise and took a step forward. His swift inhale told me he wasn’t unaffected by the closeness. I took it a little farther and brought my hands up to straighten his bowtie.

  “I’m just doing what you asked me to do, sugar.” I had no idea where the sultry voice that just came out of my mouth came from, but I was damn glad to meet her. “It’s just one friend doing a favor for another.”

  “You’re playing with fire, sweetheart.”

  The heat coming from Nick’s body was intense, and the chemical reaction between us was as strong as it ever was. But I smiled and took a step back before turning to make my way to his truck.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Dempsey. Now lets get this show on the road. I’d hate to have to charge you overtime. Besides, I have to work this evening.”

  He came up behind me and opened the truck door and helped me get inside. “Anything I want to know about?”

  “Not really. Mostly the things I do have a tendency to give you heart palpitations, so I figure it’s best not to go into the details. This is the part of our relationship you’re trying to avoid if I remember correctly.”

  If his jaw clenched any tighter I was afraid he was going to break a tooth. “I just want to avoid the parts where you try to get yourself killed. I’m good with everything else.”

  “I’m the whole package, babe. Take it or leave it.”

  Nick slammed the truck door and I smiled wide as he made his way around and got in. This was going to be fun.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I expected it would take a little while to get to Nick’s parents house, so I prepared to catch up with Words with Friends on my phone so I wouldn’t feel obligated to engage in too much small talk. So you can imagine my surprise to find Nick slowing the truck to a stop less than fifteen minutes later in front of a monstrosity of a house on Gaston Street.

  Gaston Street was where old money Savannah lived. The houses started at several million dollars a
pop and went up from there, and the house we pulled up to was no exception. The house was like a big Georgian white elephant and took up almost the entire block. Two giant weeping willows flanked each corner and the flowerbeds were ruthlessly organized with white and purple flowers. The house wasn’t gated but there was an attendant checking names. Nick was waved through without stopping.

  I’d never been to a home on Gaston Street. I’d driven up and down it plenty of times, wondering what kind of people lived in these houses, what they did for a living. I was almost positive none of them were ex-teachers or private investigators, and I was all of a sudden feeling very unsure about this adventure.

  “I thought you said we were going to your parents’ house?”

  “You’re looking at it.” I could see the tension radiating in Nick’s shoulders and in the hard line of his jaw.

  “Are you telling me you’re rich?”

  I was starting to feel more than a little foolish at not knowing this ahead of time. I’d dated Nick off and on for almost four months and I knew virtually nothing about his personal life. I’d never been to his house or met his family. Nick liked to keep his cards close to the vest.

  “Not rich. Exactly. I’m what you’d call the black sheep of the family. Being a cop in a family full of high profile attorneys makes for incredibly uncomfortable dinner conversation. I’ve figured out how to avoid regularly scheduled dinners for the last twelve years or so. I still haven’t figured out how to avoid Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I’m thinking of taking a diving trip to the Bahamas. Want to go with me?”

  I stared at him with an arched eyebrow. I couldn’t believe this was the first time I was hearing about the friction in his family. It’s probably what I deserved for letting lust rule instead of common sense. When I didn’t say anything he turned to look at me.

  “What?” he asked. “I live solely on my cop’s salary. My parents cut me off once I decided not to join the family firm. And the only time I’ve ever had to touch my trust fund was when I bought my house.”

  “Trust fund?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “You think you know a guy and then he turns out to be someone completely different.”

  “It’s not like I’m Ted Bundy. And don’t worry. My parents don’t like anyone. Their natural temperature is frostbite. Just head straight for the bar. That’s what I always do.”

  “Okay, but next time I’m going to ask for more money.”

  Nick stopped the car on the semicircle driveway in front of the massive double front doors and the skies finally opened up in a torrential downpour.

  “It’s like a sign from God,” Nick said.

  A man in a dark suit opened the car door for me and held an umbrella over me so I wouldn’t get wet. Another man was doing the same for Nick. I took the valet’s hand and I realized as soon as he dropped my damp palm that I might have been a little nervous. I wasn’t prepared for meeting Nick’s parents.

  What was I supposed to say to them? By the way, your son is terrific in bed. Somehow I was thinking that wouldn’t put me in the Dempseys’ good graces. Though if they were as cold as Nick said, maybe I was overanalyzing the situation.

  The foyer of the Dempseys’ home was bigger than my whole house. And it was very white. So white I wanted to squint from the brightness. White walls, a white double staircase, white marble floors. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead and the light glared off every surface.

  “Jesus,” I muttered. “You think this is what heaven looks like?”

  “Christ, I hope not. More like purgatory.”

  “Is the whole house like this?”

  “Oh, yes. My mother has very specific tastes.”

  Nick’s hand was warm on my lower back, and I felt sorry for him if this is how his childhood had been. My family didn’t have a ton of money when I was growing up, but at least our house felt like a home. And by God, we had color.

  “Nicholas, darling.” A handsome woman with silvery blond hair swooped in from one of the side rooms and kissed Nick on each cheek. “You’re late. We’re already serving pre-dinner drinks in the parlor.”

  “Traffic was bad,” Nick lied smoothly. “This is my date, Addison Holmes. Addison, this is my mother, Nina Dempsey.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Dempsey.”

  She looked back at Nick without acknowledging me and my eyes narrowed. My mother had always said that having money was no excuse for bad manners.

  “I thought you were bringing Susan, dear,” Mrs. Dempsey said. “She’s a lovely young woman, and I did enjoy you bringing her to dinner last month. Is she away on business?”

  Mrs. Dempsey turned to me with cruel glee in her eyes. Nick hadn’t been kidding about the frostbite, only Mrs. Dempsey had a way of wrapping it up in Southern politeness. “Susan is one of the attorneys in my husband’s firm. She and Nicholas make a striking couple.”

  “I’m sure.” I smiled with a lot of teeth.

  “What is it you do, Annabeth?”

  “It’s Addison,” I corrected, and I decided then and there that there wasn’t enough money in the world to put up with someone like Mrs. Dempsey. It’s not like Nick and I were dating or he was bringing me home to meet potential in-laws. “And I guess you could say I’m a jack of all trades. I’m just grateful I met your son. When he walked into the strip club it was just like magic.”

  Her eyes widened and Nick’s fingers pressed harder into my spine, but I wasn’t anywhere near done. I didn’t know Susan, but I was pretty sure I was jealous of her.

  I thickened my speech so it was syrupy with the Southern drawl I reserved for rude department store clerks or the Jehovah’s Witnesses that kept coming to my door. “You see, I was dancing the noon shift and when Nicky walked in I knew I’d found my way out of that place. And then the condom broke and—” I put my fingers over my mouth and widened my eyes in surprise. “Oh, shoot. I wasn’t supposed to talk about that.”

  Two red streaks of color appeared on Mrs. Dempsey’s cheeks and if she could have burned me to cinders with her eyes she would’ve done so in a heartbeat. Nick’s grip at my back was almost painful and he was stiff as a board beside me.

  “Well,” Mrs. Dempsey said, clearing her throat. “I think we need to have a long talk later, Nicholas. But this is your brother’s wedding, so I think it’s best we keep all this between us until something can be done. Thank God I’ve got my checkbook with me.”

  She turned and walked back into the parlor and I felt Nick practically vibrating beside me. It wasn’t until I turned to face him that I realized it was laughter.

  “Was that her subtle way of telling me she’s going to try to buy me off?”

  “I’m not sure that was what you’d call subtle,” he said, grinning. “Christ, it’s never a dull moment with you. And if I’m lucky I’ll never be invited to another family event for the rest of my life. Maybe we should get married.”

  The space between us was electric and we seemed to be caught in some type of trance. And then I flinched like I’d just been punched in the gut and I took a step back. Nick sobered when his words caught up with his brain and he looked a little pale.

  I turned away and straightened my spine. It was just a job. An easy five hundred bucks. I needed to get past all this emotional stuff. It had been two months for Pete’s sake. It was high time I moved on. Maybe I wasn’t giving Savage a fair chance. The problem was I was highly emotional. Being overemotional was a prerequisite in the South. We approached life with lots of laughter and an abundance of tears. My granny had always said hiding your light under a bushel would only give you hemorrhoids.

  “Listen, Addison—”

  But I interrupted before he could say anything that would make things more awkward between us. “It’s too bad you couldn’t get Susan to come.”

  I felt Nick’s sigh and he put a hand at my lower back and led me out of the foyer. “She asked for five grand. I’m trying to work on a cop’s budget.” His
answer was deadpan and I gasped before I realized he was kidding. At least I hoped he was kidding.

  “I think I need a drink.” I wasn’t a huge drinker, but in the past three days I’d overindulged three too many times. It probably wasn’t a good precedent to set, but I’d been in some unusual circumstances that called for a little numbing.

  “I could use one myself, and Lord knows there will be plenty. The Dempseys do everything in a haze of alcohol.”

  “I definitely should have charged you more.”

  “Do you think we could call a truce for one night?” Nick asked seriously. “Coming to family gatherings is pretty much my least favorite thing in the world to do. Can we just pretend things are good just for a little while? I want to be able to take something enjoyable from tonight.”

  I couldn’t deny the plea I saw in his eye. I stepped into his arms and put my head on his chest and just let him hold me for a few minutes. “Just for tonight,” I agreed. “But tomorrow all bets are off.”

  He kissed me once and I could feel his smile against my lips. He pulled back and I could tell he was more relaxed than he’d been when we’d first come in.

  “You haven’t met my father yet. Just make sure you stay arm’s length from him. He’s going to love the way you look in that dress.”

  “Good to know I’ve still got it.”

  “From where I’m standing, you’ve got enough to make me extremely curious what kind of underwear you’ve got on.”

  The smile spread across my face before I could help it. I might not have known anything about Nick’s personal life, but I sure as hell knew the most basic parts of him.

  “I know,” I said. “And let me tell you it’s spectacular. Too bad you’ll never get to find out what it looks like.”

  “You’re a cruel woman, Addison Holmes.”

  He led me farther toward the sound of muted voices. We stood just at the threshold of the large parlor, no one noticing us yet. This room was also white.

  “What would happen if I knocked over that tray of meatballs and got red sauce everywhere?”