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Song Inspiration:

"Crime" by Mayer Hawthorne




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


“Please explain to me again, why we’re actually going to sit back and let Daisy off the hook?” Callie asked, laying on her back in the pillow pit in the corner of my childhood room, tossing a small ball in the air and catching it. I laid on my stomach with my feet up staring at some random reality show playing on the television. 


This room was exactly how I’d left it when I graduated from high school. Colorful and dramatic. If you remember MTV Cribs Destiny’s Child episode, particularly Beyoncé’s room, that was my number one inspiration.


I shamelessly begged my parents to change my room. They told me if I got straight A’s during my entire last year of junior high then by the summer I could remodel my room. Needless to say, I crushed that goal. It was the place for my sisters and I to congregate. Now, as a grown woman, all I get is Aladdin’s Arabian Night vibes. I can’t believe they really let me decorate a whole room like this.


“Hello? Are you even listening to me?” Callie interrupted my thoughts.


“My bad, I was daydreaming,” I answered honestly. 


“About Gunnar?” Though I couldn’t see her facial expression, I could tell she was smiling. 


“No,” I responded disgustedly. “Will you get over him already? That was a done deal a long time ago.”


“So, I guess I shouldn’t tell you what he told me in the gym today,” she said, rolling onto her stomach grabbing a small turquoise pillow to prop her elbows looking at me. 


I turned on my side to face her, squinting my eyes. “You did that to me at the wedding, I'm not falling for it again.”


“He told me you were playing hardball this time. I guess he was right about that part too,” she shrugged her shoulders. 


“What were the other parts?” I shook my head, “You know what? It doesn’t even matter. I’m not here for him. We’re here for Callie. By the way, you may need to go back to work soon.”


Callie quickly sat up with wide eyes and a slight look of skepticism and slight excitement written over her face. “Weren't you the one nagging me that I needed to take a vacation?”


“Yeah, but this is for our sister.”


“What does Leslie have to do with me going back to work?” She inquired seriously. 


We both looked over to the door because it swung open and Callie stormed through the door and slammed it shut. “This is killing me. Before I completely give up on Isaac, I need to know for sure if Daisy is actually pregnant.” She finished taking a deep breath and falling on the bed, face first.


“There! I said it,” she mumbled into the bed. Callie sat up with the most pitiful look on her beautiful face. “I might be in her wedding, but that doesn’t mean I trust her. She will do anything to get what she wants, she’d even stoop as low as faking a pregnancy.”


I looked back over to Callie and pointed to Leslie, “That’s what you have to do with it. I need you to access Daisy’s medical file and see if she’s really pregnant.”


Callie looked happy, but instantly froze up. “I’m down, but should we be talking about this in front of her?” She used her head to nod in Leslie’s direction. 


Leslie waved her hand and smacked her lips. “Newsflash, I know you’re a cat burglar.”


I wasn’t shocked because I’d told her a few years ago when Callie and I got into a horrible argument and I needed to speak to someone who was level headed and definitely wouldn’t judge her. Leslie was that someone. Though she wasn’t happy to find out about Callie living dangerously, and honestly neither was I, she listened and gave me the best advice on how to deal with our sister. 


“You told her?!” Callie accused, looking over at me shocked. 


“I did. Who is she going to tell? You haven’t gotten a call from Mom and Dad yet, have you?” I asked. 


Callie thought about it then visibly relaxed. “I’m glad you know, Les. It’s hard talking to Sophie all the time. She’s always nagging me about being careful and quitting. I finally have a new person to vent to. By the way, don’t call me a cat burglar, I’d prefer to be called a grifter. It’s kind of an easier pill for some to swallow and no one says cat burglar anymore.”


“Girl, bye! And besides that, I agree with Sophie. She told me about your last venture. You almost got shot and ended up twisting your ankle trying to escape.”


“That comes with the job, I’m fine. Now, back to you. You both want me to get Daisy’s file. That’ll be simple. Who is her doctor?” Callie asked, getting straight to business. 


“Doctor Ferguson. He’s still practicing privately in his office, so you don’t have to worry about going through a hospital or anything large. He has a new office assistant, her name is Penelope Samuels,” Leslie offered. 


“That name sounds familiar,” Callie replied. 


“It should. She was in your grade. Remember she had the red hair and sort of geeky?” Leslie recollected. 


“Oh yeah, she was always asking me to hang out with her. She was a cool girl. Just a little too high strung for me. Thanks for the info. I’m on it.” Callie pulled out her phone and started typing away. 


“Cal, this is the only job you’re doing.” I add firmly. “You’re still going to lay low.”


“Yeah, yeah. Lay low, I know,” she mumbled. I knew she was in her happy place, but I had to keep the reins on her until things cooled down. Somebody had set her up, and I needed help to figure out who it was and also who was still after her, but I digress, that’s another story for another time. *Hint, hint.*


Ignoring Callie, Leslie turned her attention to me. “Is there anything I can do to help out?”


I glanced at my sister, she looked lost. This all back attire wasn’t her. I knew she wanted to help out to get her mind off of how bad things were. What I needed her to do wasn’t necessarily for the benefit of our next mission, but it would definitely help me see if it was worth us getting her and Isaac back together even if the marriage was arranged, there are still ways to get out of it. 


I sat up on my bed, “I need you to follow the advice you once gave me when I was losing my head over the one who shall not be named,” I said, making her laugh. “You need to have the time of your life and act like you’re unaffected by their so-called relationship.”


“I said that?” She asked, knowing good and well that she got me together on the night of our homecoming dance. 


I nodded, playing along, “You sure did. And you were right! Don’t give Isaac any lingering glances, but don’t ignore him either. Remain cool the entire night. For the moment we’re letting Daisy think she has the upper hand, so continue to let her run her mouth. She will have her day,” I put my hand on her knee to let her know everything would be fine. 


Leslie nodded, “I can do that! Thanks for helping me out, you two.” She gave me a hug. 


“That’s what sisters are for,” Callie assured her. 


She rose from the bed and headed for the door. “Alright I’m gonna get out of here and start channeling an unbothered mood,” she claimed. 


I laughed, “Good luck with that.”


“Thanks,” she waved and left the room.


“Knowing the perfectionist that she is, she’s going to kill it tomorrow night,” Callie said stil on her phone. 


“I think so too, I’m curious to know if Isaac still has eyes for our sister or if he was using her as a side piece until it was time for Daisy and his engagement was to become official.”


“That’s a good idea, also Penelope is going to meet us at the bar tomorrow. She accepted my buddy request on Friendsy. She gets off late tomorrow so she’ll be coming from work. This will be like taking candy from a baby,” my sister bragged. 


“You better enjoy it while it lasts, because you won’t be doing this again for a while. I don’t care what your boss says,” I warned her once again. 


“You are such a buzzkill. And Dominic wouldn’t put me in harm's way,” she groaned. 


“I prefer to have that killed rather than you,” I admonished. “I’m serious, Cal. Don’t go overboard with this. We just need to see the pregnancy test results, that’s it.”


***************************


Friday Night - Velvet Bull Saloon - Lower Level - Montgomery/Palmer Wedding Party Meet & Greet


This bar was pretty cool. It was definitely like a scene out of an old western movie except there were some updates to not make it look totally outdated. Daisy had texted all the ladies in the wedding that our attire should be country chic just in case she wanted us to take pictures. I wore a white and brown high-low cheetah print dress that had a split that went up to my mid thigh. The dress was low cut, so I wore my long gold charm necklaces that fell between my breasts. To keep up with the southwestern theme, I wore my brown cowboy boots that I’ve had since high school, they were in great shape because I hardly wore them.


I was waiting at the bar to order a drink for myself and Callie. Leslie told us she and Island, Isaac’s sister, would be late. The school had a football game tonight and she had to be there with the squad. I just received a text from her that Kennedy won and she would be here in 15 minutes.


“What can I get you?” I looked up and recognized the unforgettable face. It was Lucinda’s nephew. “Hey, you work here too?” I asked. 


He smiled at me. It almost looked sinister, but I figured with his chiseled facial features that was just his normal smile. He leaned on the bar and continued our conversation not at all phased by my question. “Actually, I just bought this place. Mr. Jacobs retired and was going to shut this place down and Aunt Lucy will be returning back to work soon, so I figured why not set some roots down here in Laurel and live out one of my dreams and run a bar.”


“Good for you!” I smiled genuinely. “Are you single?”


He laughed heartily. “Depends on who is asking.”


“I am, but not for me. I’m asking for a friend,” I  answered somewhat honestly. The “friend” I was referring to was Callie. She always dated guys that weren’t about much except for money and fame. I wanted her to date a man who actually worked and not some overgrown trust fund baby. 


I felt hands wrap around my waist and their body drawn close to mine. “I think he’d be good for Callie too, sweetheart, because you’re definitely off the market.”


I rolled my eyes and turned to face the intruder. “Move around, Gunnar. And why are you here so early? Les, just told me the game was over and that she’d be here in 15 minutes. You’re the football coach, so how did you beat her here? And how do you know I was talking about Callie, I could’ve been asking for Leslie.”


“We have an assistant coach and I didn’t want to be away from you for too long. And as for why I said Callie is because Leslie is more into clean cut guys,” he looked at the bartender, “No offense.”


“None taken,” he responded, watching the couple in front of him. 


He’s such a know-it-all. Leslie was never into bad boys. She preferred nice and wholesome guys. Instead of telling him he was right, I turned to the bartender ready to place my order when Gunnar interrupted me, again. 


“What’s up, Theo? Let me get a pitcher of whatever kind of beer the guys already ordered and a Cosmopolitan for the lady.”


“The lady wasn’t ordering just for herself. She was getting drinks for her sister too,” I scolded.  


Without missing a beat he put in another request without asking for my input, “In that case I’ll also need a Moscow mule, put it on my tab.”


“Not necessary.” Theo responded. “Isaac already informed me that your entire party is taken care of. I’ll go get your drinks, I’ll be back in a few.”


While Theo went off to prepare our order, I turned to face the occupants of the bar. There were some faces I remembered from high school and new faces as well. My eyes landed on the engaged couple. Daisy was sitting on Isaac’s lap while he drank his beer and she was chatting with the maid of honor, Gwendolyn. I wondered how anybody can manage to listen to Daisy for even five minutes without wanting to put a muzzle on her.  


Gunnar laughed, making me realize that I must’ve said that out loud. Oh well, it was the truth. “Is the engagement a legit arrangement or is it because of the baby?”


Gunnar turned to face me and leaned on the bar. “Both. The engagement is 100% real. The question is, does he really want to marry her? His pops made a business deal to buy Jacqueline’s business for about 5 million dollars, which is pretty low, but she accepted the offer because she wanted to make sure that Daisy was taken care of in case she ran out of money again.”


“So she threw her own daughter into the transaction,” I guessed. 


“Pretty much.” 


I shook my head, “It would have to be a cold day in hell before I even think about auctioning off Eden and Aspen as if they are property to bargain. That’s a shame.”


“Yeah, it is bad, but when money is your motive for everything, shame goes out the door.”


Nodding in agreement, I asked one final question, “Was Isaac and Leslie’s relationship the real thing or was he biding his time before he had to propose to Daisy?”


“I was pretty sure he’d found the one when he met Leslie. They complimented each other so well. Then the next thing I know, he’s telling me they’d broken up and he was going to propose to Daisy. He was ready to get out of the contract even though he would lose his inheritance. What made him finally give up looking for a clause or walking away was when he found out Daisy was pregnant. 


Honestly, Isaac hasn’t been the same since then. He barely jokes, he’s become a workaholic and on top of that his family is giving him a hard time. Between his sister who keeps calling him stupid for leaving Leslie and his parents adding pressure on him to not back down and ruin the family’s legacy he’s having a hard time. For him, this marriage is more out of duty than love.”


Was he serious? It was the 2000’s, do people still get married because there was an unexpected pregnancy? No judgement, but marriage doesn’t alway promise the life of peace and a happy family. But then again, if he did try to find a way to get out of the arrangement or tried to make things work with Leslie, she wouldn’t let him do it. She was the most unselfish person I’d ever known. Leslie was the type to sacrifice her own happiness for the well-being of someone she loved. Especially when it came to families. 


Though Isaac sounded like an honorable guy that was loyal to a major fault, something still didn’t feel quite right to me. Thank God, I had sisters who had a ride or die mentality.


“Hearing a thumping on the bar behind me, I turned around. “Here you go. A cosmopolitan for the lady, a Moscow mule for her sister and a pitcher of beer for the gentleman,” Theo announced as he served us. 


“Thank—”


“Hey, it’s the history guy,” Callie came up to us. At the bar. “Ooh, my favorite,” she picked up her copper mug and sipped her drink from the straw and then looked into the bartender’s eyes. “You made this?”


He nodded, “Yeah.”


“Well, sir, you made a fine cocktail. She lifted her mug to him in a toast-like fashion and said, “I’ve decided to save a dance for you. Don’t hide behind that bar all night,” she winked at him. 


“Yes ma’am,” he saluted. 


Callie, finally took notice of me and Gunnar, “C’mon, lovebirds. We got a mission to carry out.”


“What is she talking about?” Gunnar whispered in my ear. 


“Who knows?” I shrugged as naturally as one could without looking suspicious. “She claims she’s on a mission to get everybody drunk.” I headed to our table, but he grabbed my hand. I turned to look at him.


“You know I have my ways of finding out what you’re doing,” he warned. 


“I’ll advise you to mind your business. However, I may need your help with something else.”


I read the look in his eyes and knew what he was thinking and laughed, “Not that type of help, Brock. Get your mind out of the gutter, but it’s nice to know that I can still be thought of as a woman and not just a mom” I slightly joke. 


“Then you’ve been dealing with the wrong man, sweetheart,” he raised my hand, that he still held, to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. 


I felt my cheeks growing hot. Grinning at the 6-foot man of my teenage dreams, I withdrew my hand from his and playfully pushed him away. “Smooth talker.”


He laughed, “It’s the truth. Have dinner with me.”


“I’m not here for long. And I’m working on an album, so I wouldn’t have time to date,” I replied.


“That never stopped us before,” he refuted. 


I laughed, “You still don’t quit.”


“When it comes to you, never,” he answered. 


I walked away, with nothing to say because I knew he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and to be honest, I’d end up agreeing to go out with him. Not out of pressure, but out of pure want. 


God, help me. 

























Chapter End Notes:

Happy Belated New Year! My apologies for the delay. I had a lot going on and it was causing me to have writer's block, but as you know when you give yourself time to process, things can finally go somewhat back to normal.

Anywho, I have a few completed chapters I plan to post another chapter either today or tomorrow. Please let me know what you think. This story kind of started taking a life of its own and I'm just here for the ride. 

Thanks for reading and I wish you well 🥰







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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.