Chapter Eighteen

“Boy, you look miserable.”

Karla glanced up from stacking glasses to see Charlie leaning against the bar, his fingers intertwined as he studied her. “Not tonight, Charlie.”

“Um, I didn’t say anything except you look miserable. It was an observation of concern.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.”

“Ignore her,” Sean said, as he slid behind the bar. “She’s been like that ever since she got here. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” He shot Karla a mischievous grin as he winked at her. “Or woke up alone. That’s enough to sour anyone’s mood. You could always wake up in my bed.”

“If I wake up alone,” Karla said, “it’s because it’s what I chose. And you’re fun to tease, but… Now let it go.”

“See what I mean?” Sean slid a bottle of Jack Daniels under the bar along with a fresh bottle of Malibu Rum. “Has grumpy butt taken your order yet?”

Charlie shook his head. “Nope, just offered me a warm, inviting welcome to Sand Dune.”

“And you stayed?” Sean asked with a chuckle.

“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a sour puss.”

Karla slid her hands into her back pocket, as she growled at the two of them. “I do not have a sour puss.”

Charlie winked at her this time. “Oh, I remember.” Before she could say anything else, he ordered a whiskey sour from Sean.

Lucky for her—or Charlie—another couple stepped up to the bar to place an order. She took the orders, putting Charlie’s comment out of her mind—for now. She couldn’t really blame him, however. He had been wanting between her legs since he first walked into Sand Dune and, in a move to piss Mitch off, she finally gave the man what he desired. He’d be bragging about it for longer than Karla wanted to think about. She really needed to learn how to control her impulses.

“No Paul tonight?” Charlie asked Sean, who shot a nervous glance in Karla’s direction.

“Not tonight,” Sean answered, trying his best to keep his voice down. “He said something about a date.”

“Who’s the poor woman?” Charlie pressed, “My mother,” Karla snapped, daring him with her eyes to make another comment.

Sean set the whiskey sour in front of Charlie, who was smart enough to leave well enough alone. He lifted his glass, thanking Sean, and walked off quietly. Karla went back to fixing drinks and ignored the weird look Sean gave her. She didn’t need to talk about what her mother did with her boss. It was bad enough that people knew. Hell, it was bad enough that she knew.

She started wiping down the bar, something she did merely to appear busy when Paul was around, but now she used it as a distraction. It was monotonous work, something she could do with her hands while her mind wandered. Of course, right then, she didn’t want her mind to wander. It couldn’t be helped, however. Her thoughts were all bunched up in one place. Mitch Greenway. God, how he frustrated her. Just the fact alone that she allowed him to get under her skin annoyed her. How could she have been so stupid?

“Slow night?”

Karla glanced over as Aimee and Clint slid up to the bar, Aimee looking around at the quiet crowd. “I need a slow night tonight,” she commented back.

“Still feeling mopey?” Aimee dropped her purse on the bar as they slid into barstools. “Have you talked to him?”

Karla shook her head. “And I don’t intend to. Let him go dick around with someone else. I’m tired of games.”

“Now, that doesn’t sound like my sister.”

Clint stayed out of the banter, his attention looking around at the mixture of those fresh off the beach and those who wandered in from the street ready to dance their Thursday night away. He seemed more interested in those still sporting bikini tops than those in tight dresses. Typical man. “Well, it does tonight. Where’s the little one?”

Clint turned around at her question. “Grandparents. I thought your sister and I could use some time out without a three-year-old hanging from my waist.”

Karla smiled for the first time that day. “I don’t doubt it. What will you have?”

They placed their orders and Karla started fixing their drinks. She could tell by the look on her sister’s face that she wanted to say something but debated within herself the smartness of her decision. Finally, Karla saw the rise and fall of Aimee’s shoulders and braced herself for whatever was about to spew out of her mouth. However, she wasn’t really prepared for what she heard.

“So, I went to see Mitch today, before work, and for the record, I think you’re handling this whole thing wrong.”

Karla just stopped and stared at her sister, mouth parted slightly. “Excuse me? You did what?” Aimee never got involved in Karla’s affairs. She preferred to stay far away from her sister’s antics, never agreeing with anything Karla did or believed. So why now? “And just why am I handling this wrong? Aren’t you Miss One Partner at a Time?”

“But you weren’t exactly his partner, and you don’t believe the same as me anyway, so what does that even matter?”

“It matters because I don’t allow men to treat me the way I treat them. That’s not how it works.” Karla glanced down to where Sean flirted with two blonds at the other end of the bar, making sure he wasn’t listening to their conversation as she reached into the cooler in front of her, pulled out a Corona, popped the top, and set it in front of Clint.

“Um, I asked for a Shock Top,” he said.

“Drink it,” Karla snapped as she focused back on Aimee. “What right did you have to go to him in the first place?”

Aimee ducked her head, her shoulders dropped. “Because I wanted to help.” She popped her gaze back up, her eyes alight with nauseating hope. “Look, the last couple of weeks you’ve been happier than I’ve ever seen you, and it’s all because of Mitch. He’s not normal, which is perfect, because neither are you. You two fit together, god help the rest of us, and I didn’t want to see you throw something away that was actually really good for you.”

Karla leaned on the bar, still staring at her sister. Another customer walked up to her, ready to place his order, but she snapped at him and told him to go see Sean. Her eyes never left Aimee’s. “You really think he’s good for me?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clint sip his beer.

Aimee nodded. “I do. And what’s more, so do you, which is why you’re fighting it so hard.”

“Have you talked to mom?” Karla asked, changing the subject. “Did you know she’s banging my boss?”

Aimee sighed, her shoulders slumping a little more. “Who cares? Let mom live her own life. You need to focus on yours. Karla, you know damn good and well that Mitch is perfect for you. You’re both twisted and perverted.”

Karla thought back to the night at The Lily Pad; how Mitch dressed her up to show her off, and then led her out onto the dance floor to be groped by strangers. Of course, that thought led her to think about how hot the sex between them was later that night. While it seemed cheesy to say it, it was the best sex Karla ever had, and all because Mitch allowed her to be herself. She sighed. Aimee was right, as much as she hated to admit it. Mitch was perfect for her. If he could keep it up, that is. Somehow, though, she knew he could. He was just like her. That fact alone should scare both of them.

“Now,” Aimee continued, “you said mom was dating your boss?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Karla glanced at the clock behind the bar. Thirty more minutes. The slowest half hour of the entire night. Sean was busy wiping down the tables, with only a few people hanging on to their Thursday night buzz. Karla just wanted everyone to go home.

Aimee stayed long enough to have two drinks and a slow dance with Clint and then left for home. Or Clint’s. These days, Karla never knew where her sister would wake up. Of course, that didn’t mean Karla wasn’t happy for Aimee; she was. It was just different for her sister, even though Karla knew it was what Aimee wanted all her life—a safe relationship. Yet, Karla wasn’t so sure how safe it was with Clint’s ex-wife hovering around. It seemed both Harper girls had their relationship conundrums.

By the time last call sounded, Karla was done with the evening. Sean locked the back room, tables were cleaned, dishes washed, and money counted. As soon as the clock hands struck that magical hour, she was ready to go. She should have waited.

As she stepped out the back door and into the cool night, she spotted Sandy leaning against her car. Karla closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t need this. With a deep breath, she continued to her vehicle and the waiting friend.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she reached Sandy, hands slid into her front pockets.

“I came to apologize,” Sandy said with a weak smile. “Look, I wasn’t trying to be a brat the other morning. I honestly didn’t know you were that hung up on the guy. Hell, you and I shared men before, we shared Mitch even, so I assumed it was no big deal.”

“Who said I was hung up on the guy?” Karla dug into her purse for her keys, doing her best to ignore the tightening in her gut at Sandy’s words. Her friend was right; it shouldn’t have mattered. They had shared men, even at the same time. They even had their own adventures, just the two of them. The fact that Karla became annoyed by Sandy’s presence the other morning just added more nails to the coffin of her control and she wasn’t being sealed up without a fight.

“Please,” Sandy said with a giggle. “You wouldn’t have been so upset if you weren’t hung up on him. You should have just told me. The Karla Harper I’ve known is anti-relationship. This isn’t what I’m used to with you, so it caught me off guard, that’s all. I’m sorry for stepping in where I shouldn’t have.”

Karla glanced out toward the Atlantic, the quiet crash of waves caressing the shore a meditative thrum in the background. The moon hung almost full, it’s light brightening the otherwise dark night. “To be honest, I didn’t know what was happening myself. I was actually doing everything I could to keep it from happening, denying it.” She turned her gaze back to Sandy, smiling. “And how would you have known?” She shrugged with a playful grin. “We have had some fun adventures, the two of us.” That was an understatement.

“Well, I’ll back off. I won’t let a guy come between our friendship. Mitch was fun, but you’re more important to me.” She reached out and squeezed Karla’s arm. “I mean it. I’m sorry.”

Karla suddenly felt silly for even being upset. “It’s not your fault. Hell, it’s not even Mitch’s. We all did what came so naturally to us.”

Sandy grinned. “That we were. Now, let’s go get some breakfast and you can tell me all about how the infamous Karla Harper actually fell for a man.”

Karla laughed. “Sure thing. Denny’s up the way?”

“Sounds greasy and perfect. I’ll meet you there.” She leaned in and kissed Karla on the cheek. “This is a story I’m dying to hear.”

Karla watched as her friend bounced off to her car before sliding into her own driver’s seat. She was glad Sandy stopped by. She truly was the only friend she possessed who could understand her way of thinking. She turned the car on and sighed. “Who am I kidding? She’s my only friend really.” Feeling pathetic, she blew out a frustrated breath that flipped the bangs of her dark hair up a tad, and then she shifted the car into reverse. She needed bacon.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mitch couldn’t sleep. Had he screwed up this time? He was good at predicting people’s behavior and responses, yet Karla wasn’t your normal person. Had he misjudged her? She was the type who wanted everything her way, but that was only because everyone else hurt her along the way to him. He could prove to her that she could be her true self if only she would give him a chance.

He stared out his sliding door to the balcony, the moon illuminating the lake behind his apartment. Had he miscalculated when he assumed she wouldn’t care about Sandy and him?

Karla didn’t seem the double standard type of person, but yet…

He sipped the beer he held, the cold liquid cooling his heated worry. What was he missing? Why did she react the way she did?

Control. Karla Harper always had to be in control, and this time, she wasn’t. It drove her crazy. It was cute to watch, but only if it didn’t cause her to run. Another trait of hers. Karla usually ran when things weren’t working out in her favor. Sandy would just be the excuse she used.

But Mitch knew this would work out, knew that he could give her the crazy, unencumbered relationship she always desired, but didn’t believe existed. He didn’t want her in a box. He wanted her so far outside the box it made others envious of her freedom. In that freedom, she would be safe.

But only if she trusted him.

Had he somehow, without meaning to, ruined that trust?

He didn’t think so. She went days without calling him before, just so she could make some point, but in the end, she always came back to him. She’d come back this time, as well.

She must.

He needed her as much as she needed him. She’d come back. She’d call.

She had to call.

He stared up at the moon. He needed her to call.