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A slight misty rain fell from the downcast sky making the normal high spirits of Tucker Danes plummet, this was her first time in Hawaii and she had pictured in her mind a totally different type of weather. She looked up with bored green eyes at her fiancé Steve and shrugged her shoulders.
"You didn't hear a word I said did you, we have fifteen minutes before we have to be in the restaurant." He held out a hand to her and shook his head when she ignored it and stood up. "This is a very important dinner for me and our future, if I can convince Mr. Batson that I'm the one for the partnership, we'll never have to worry about money."
"I don't care about money, I never have. I thought this was to be a vacation for us, not a hob knob with the upper crust." She pushed past is six foot three body, went into the bedroom and grabbed her shoes. "I hate this shit and I hate having to pretend that I'm a lowly female."
"You only have to act that way around my co-workers and boss, as soon as dinners done, we'll leave."
Her green eyes narrowed and a small growl rumbled in her throat. "Why don't you go and I'll stay here?"
Steve crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. "No, now get dressed before Mr. Batson thinks that I am not serious about working in the upper levels. I am not about to throw away four years of law school over this." He stomped from the room to the living room where he left his suit jacket, he knew that it was stupid to wear a three-piece suit in Hawaii but he wanted to make a good impression on his boss. Tucker on the other hand was being her normal difficult self; he had gone as far as picking out her dress for her. He knew that she would turn every head in the fine restaurant; the dress was pale blue and skintight. The low cut front and backless number would show off her athletic body and make him the envy of every man in the vicinity. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a leer, her blonde shoulder length hair was slicked back over her ears and her green eyes flashed with irritation.
"That look is so unbecoming of you Steve, reminds me of the low life smucks you work with." She headed to the door and yanked it open so that it banged against the wall. "Are you coming or are you going to stand there?"
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The restaurant was packed with tourists dressed in tacky Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts and loafers. The locals had gotten used to the strangely dressed people and no longer noticed them until they received a shitty tip from one of them. The waiters bustled around the tables delivering wimpy colorful drinks with little umbrellas and chopped fruit floating amongst the syrupy concoctions. Tucker rolled her eyes when Steve pushed one sucky drink towards her and wiggled his fingers for her to drink, even though she told him time and again that she didn't drink. She pushed the drink away and took the glass of water in its stead, after a long sip, she looked around the dark area and became lost in the atmosphere. The scent of flowers was so thick that she could barely smell the food that was placed in front of her, ignoring it, she watched two female waiters. She hid a grin behind her hand when a tall black woman with cornrows flipped an extremely over weight man off behind his back when he complained about the small portion of food on his plate. From what Tucker could see, it was enough food to feed a small nation. Her cohort grabbed a tray from an empty table poured what looked to be hot sauce over the food and dropped it on the table for the man. She grabbed the other woman's hand and hurried them towards the back. Tucker then looked to her own plate of food and knew there was no way she was going to eat, she pushed the plate away and continued to scan the restaurant for other activities to draw her away from the boring business meeting that Steve was involved in. Her eyes stopped at the bar area, she placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Her attention was trained on the bartender; bottles flew in the air, liquor sloshed into numerous glasses and then the glasses were sent down the bar at top speed. What amazed her even more was the way the waiters grabbed certain drinks as they slid past them.
She felt like she was in the movie Cocktail and watching a female Tom Cruise mix drinks and flirt with the women. Her eyes widened when she saw the tall dark bartender turn to a young woman and whisper in her ear. The dark blush that ran up the young woman's face could only mean one thing and Tucker felt disgust in the pit of her stomach but was fascinated all the same. Running a hand across her forehead, she looked over to her fiancé and groaned. She knew that he had forgotten all about her and if she got up right now, he wouldn't notice for hours. Collecting her sunglasses, she stood up from the table, gave him one last glance and walked away.
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"I can't believe you did that, if that fat bastard dies and I don't get a tip outta him!"
Green eyes rolled and then a low rumbling laugh burst forth from the other waiter's lips. "Don't worry Ripples; I snagged his wallet outta his pocket." She waved it in front of her friends wide brown eyes and grinned.
"Come on Furball gimme half!" She grabbed the wallet, pulled out the money and split it between them. "Damn nasty ass bastard carries three hundred bucks around in his wallet." She then grabbed Furball by one of her blonde cornrow braids and dragged her from the backroom and towards the bar where their roommate was mixing drinks. Sneaking behind the bar, they stepped behind her and shoved bills in her back pockets before grabbing two cokes from a cooler. Blue eyes pinned them where they stood with innocent looks on their faces, she pointed to the lost and found box under the bar and went back to grabbing wine glasses from above her head. "Ooohhh baby come ta mama!" She growled in a deep voice when she saw a small blonde walk out of the restaurant at a fast gait. "Just my luck, she's leaving and I'm stuck here for another hour."
"Ohh please, we all know that the great Duncan wouldn't do anything anyway." Furball said close to her friend's ear and gasped when her foot was stomped on.
"Shut-up I can dream can't I, anyway ya know I don't do tourists." She wiggled a dark brow and tossed her long braids over her shoulders. "Unless they got money and wanna spend it on me."
Ripples leaned against her back and looked over her shoulder towards the table where Steve was sitting with Mr. Batson and his very young female friend. "We got two marks and a beach bimbo Barbie, what are they drinking?" Blue eyes squinted and then her long dark braids swung across her wide shoulders when she shook her head in disgust.
"Pussy drinks, what ever happened to having a Jack Daniels on the rocks?" She mixed three of what the table was having and handed them to her roommates. "Be careful you two, we need this sucky ass job."
"Don't worry Dunk; I got stick 'em on my fingers." Furball showed her by placing her hands on Duncan's chest and grinning when the material of her white button down shirt stuck to her palms. "I shoulda thought of this before! Sexy black lacy bra!"
"I'm gonna cut your paws off in two seconds!" Dunk slapped at the hands on her chest and then kicked a snickering Ripples in her ass. "Get outta here before I…boss coming hide!" She kicked the door open under the bar and covered her roommates escape. She sighed when their boss walked past without noticing anything and headed towards the back of the restaurant. "Suck ass bastard, I hope you ugly Hawaiian lai strangles you." She slid two drinks down the bar and then started wiping up spilled liquor and other debris.
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Tucker closed the door to their bungalow behind her and kicked off her shoes with irritation, reaching behind; she unzipped her dress and let it slip to the floor in a pile. Using one foot, she kicked it up and watched it land on the couch. "We could have stayed in Texas if you wanted to spend time with your boss!" Going into the bedroom, she pulled on a pair of shorts and tank top before grabbing her laptop case and a beach towel. "You can sit inside all day but I'm going home with a deep dark tan and you can stay looking like something out of Dracula 2000." Closing the door behind her, she walked towards the beach of the North Shore. She passed numerous people who were sitting beside boogie and surfboards, she had read somewhere about the Pipe Master competition they had there every year. Not being one for that kind of sport, she didn't pay attention to the people riding the waves. Her main concern was getting her book finished before they had to go back home. This was the perfect opportunity for her, the calming sounds of the ocean let her concentrate and Steve wasn't around to bother her. She often sat and wondered where he mind had gone to when she agreed to marry him, they had dated for two years, broke up for six months, got back together and all of a sudden she was engaged. She rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses, dropped her case to the soft sand and spread out her towel. Placing her case at the top, she sat down and then leaned back against it. She had plenty of sunlight left to work; she just wanted to relax first and watch the waves.
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A 1965 Corvair cruised to a stop in the parking lot along the North shore; Duncan slid her sunglasses up on her head and looked to her roommates with a wide grin. They had changed their clothes before leaving work and were now ready to ride the waves before it got dark. Getting out through the window, Duncan started un-strapping their surfboards from the roof rack. "Are ya guys gonna help me or stand there with your tongues dragging in the sand?" She spun her neon blue board sideways and hit Furball in the back of her head. "Hello! Some help here!"
"Huhh…did you see that one in the G-string?" Ripples wiped the drool from her chin and cast a quick glance from Duncan back to the pulse-altering woman. "I could go for something like that!"
Furball gave her a nudge and wiggled her brows. "I could go for something that sorta breathes." She ducked the surfboard coming towards her head and shot a narrow eyed look to Duncan. "All right already geez, ya would think that the oceans gonna dry up or somethin." Carrying their boards down to the waters edge, they scanned the horizon and grinned at each other. The waves were coming in high and heavy from the north and rolling beautifully right up to the beach. Surfers could be seen paddling in the distance trying to catch the wave at the right time to be able to crest and ride it in.
"Looks really good out there guys, let's go show the boys how bad they suck." Duncan dropped her backpack down and stuffed her sunglasses in the front pouch before strapping the Velcro strap around her left ankle that tethered her to her surfboard. Running out into the water, she pushed her board out until it was deep enough for her to climb on and paddle out to wait with the other surfers. She glanced over her shoulder to see Furball and Ripples not far behind. Surfing is what she lived for, it gave her a freedom like nothing else could and let her conquer nature for a few minutes. The adrenaline rush that she got while coming down off a wave was like nothing she had ever experienced anywhere else. Even sex paled to riding the pipeline and she always enjoyed sex, then again, it had been a while since she competed in that ring. Seeing a group of six locals waiting to her right, she waved when she recognized them. Paddling closer, she stopped and gave them a wicked grin. "So boys, eat any sand today…yet?" One of the natives flipped her off and grinned at her.
"You suck Dunk and no, none of us have been wiped yet." He splashed water at her. "We were waiting for you and your two idiots to do it first."
Duncan gave him a lecherous grin and leaned over her board. "I'm known for my expertise in sucking, just ask your sister." She busted up laughing at his dropped jaw and the way the other guys were making it worse by their snide remarks. "Last one ta hit shore buys the beer tonight!" She turned her board and started paddling beside her roommates, when she felt the swell of the wave come up under her; she popped up to her feet and angled left. Trimming her board, she was about to travel into the tube when one of the locals dropped in on her. She tried to recover but lost her balance and went off her board in an ungraceful dive. Furball saw what had happened and decided it was revenge time, with Ripples behind her; they cut back and pursued the local. It was dangerous to be cut off or snaked while riding a wave and more surfers were injured when someone's board hit them. Two yells came and scared the Hell out of him causing him to hit the soup of the wave with a loud scream. Furball and Ripples stalled their boards and looked for Duncan.
"Ohhh shit, where is she?" Ripples cast a worried glance around them searching for their roommate, Duncan maybe the best surfer on the beach but the reef had claimed its share of surfers.
"Found her!" Furball yelled over the noise of the waves and pointed to where Duncan was smashing the young guys face down into his board. "Would ya say she's pissed?"
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"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She slammed his forehead into his board and jerked his head up to repeat it. "You know better than that you stupid asshole!"
"I'm sorry Dunk, the guys dared me." He whimpered from the pain in his lower back where her knees were pressing. "I won't ever do that again…I promise."
"Get your ass on the beach and if I see you out here anymore today, I'll bury your ass in the reef!" She slipped off his back and pulled her board to her by its leash, climbing on, she paddled out and duck dived her board under the incoming wave. "Stupid God damn men, no wonder so many of them get killed out here." She stayed clear of the pack and waited for the next wave to come.
"Hey ya all right Dunk?" Ripples asked as she stopped beside her friend and looked her over.
"Yeah and I beached his ass for the rest of the day, stupid fucker did that on a dare!"
Furball looked over to where the locals were laughing and pointing fingers at them. "That's OK; there are other days and other ways to get them." She cast a wide grin to a smirking Ripples and hummed the theme song from Jaws. "Let the games begin!" She turned her board with the others and paddled until the wave caught them.
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Tucker watched the surfers and noticed one of them being tossed from their board; she squinted and used her hand to block the glare from the sun. She watched the area and didn't see the person come up, she shot to her feet and jogged down to where the surf was coming in. Walking out further, she became worried until she saw a lone board skimming across the water and then the person attacking another surfer. "Guess no one was hurt, and why am I worried anyways?" She shook her head and went back to her towel with a pensive look on her face. On her way, she kept glancing over her shoulder. "You're an idiot Tucker, what would you have done anyway, it's not like you could have gotten out there to help." She dropped back down onto her towel and continued to watch, at one point, she felt her heart seize in her chest. Three female surfers rode side-by-side right into the white water and then they dropped down onto their boards to paddle back out. Recognizing them as the bartender and waiters from the restaurant, she grinned and shook her head. "So that's what you do when you're not terrorizing patrons, I hope you got to Steve and the blowhard he has for a boss." She felt her hackles rise when she heard Steve's voice coming from behind her, groaning, she looked over her shoulder at him and held back her snorting when he stumbled in the sand.
"What are you doing down here and why didn't you say you were leaving the restaurant?"
She looked at her watch and arched an eyebrow at him. "It took you three hours to notice that I wasn't there, that's a new all time record for you."
He gave her a sheepish look and looked down at his sand covered loafers. "I was enthralled by what Mr. Batson was talking about…sorry."
Yeah likely story. She thought to herself and looked out to the ocean. "So do you have the promotion?"
"I don't know yet, I have to meet with him tomorrow afternoon to discuss it more." He followed her eyes and watched the surfers for a while before commenting. "What a bunch of losers, I heard that most of the people here don't work and all they do is surf." He looked back down to see a Tucker's aggravated look. "Why are you down here, you're going to get a sunburn and then your skin will look like rawhide."
"Why did we come all this way, was it so I could sit in the bungalow and watch TV?" She stood up and stepped into his personal space. "And when did you become so high and mighty, what the people do here is not your concern."
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at her. "It is when they steal my wallet!"
"What do you mean steal your wallet?" She faked a concerned look; she knew him all too well and hated the fact that he flashed all his credit cards when he opened his wallet.
"I went to pay for the bill and my wallet was gone, I know I had it earlier because I showed Mr. Batson my member card for the country club."
"I bet that impressed him." She mumbled and then shook her head at him. "Stop flashing your damn cards and you won't be a mark, besides, all you had were cashiers checks and you can report your cards."
"I don't flash them and I got my wallet back from the bartender, minus all the cash I had in there." He ran a hand across his face and mumbled. "I cashed the checks in earlier."
"Ohh just great, so how much did they get?"
"Around six or seven hundred dollars."
"I can't believe you Steven! How irresponsible can you be, no one walks around with that kind of money…anywhere!" She picked up her towel and laptop bag. "I'm going back to the bungalow; I have a headache that could kill all of Texas." The entire way back, she mumbled and cussed under her breath. She was a breath away from calling reservations and getting a plane ticket back home. She would rather be miserable in Texas than have to put up with Steve's immature behavior. "Tomorrow he can do what ever the Hell he wants; I'm going shopping and taking myself out for lunch." She stomped up to the bungalow and slammed the door behind her, going out the sliding glass door onto the covered porch she placed her laptop bag on the table. Going back inside, she went to her overnight bag, pulled out her container of birth control pills, and took out one. She knew if she didn't take it now, she would forget later, there was no way she was going to get pregnant and didn't care that they used other protection. It wasn't that she didn't want kids, she just wanted to wait a few years before they traveled down that road. Tossing the pills back into her bag, she went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. "Maybe I can get something done on my novel, I know he'll come back here and whine for hours about his money." Feeling her fake headache become real, she dropped down onto the couch and closed her eyes. "I must be cursed or something," She rubbed her eyes and moaned. "I hope who ever stole his wallet spends it on useless shit and has a good time." Minutes later, she drifted off to a deep sleep and dreamed of surfing.
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Duncan looked at both her friends and shook her head, she couldn't believe them. "You guys are gonna get caught one day and go straight to jail." She counted the bills out on the kitchen table and snorted.
"We may go ta jail but there's no way in Hell that we'll ever go straight." Ripples tossed more bills on the table and grinned at Duncan's shocked expression. "That should pay up our bills for the next four months."
"Make that five," Furball tossed another hundred on the table and skipped into the living room singing the theme song from the Charlie Tuna commercials.
"No more for a while guys, we have to wait for some new tourists to hit." She rubber banded the bills and dropped it into a wooden container that they kept hidden in the wall. "How ya coming on my new board?"
Ripples dropped down into a chair and polished her nails on her shirt. "All glassed and ready ta go and I put a longer leash on it for ya." She gave her a huge toothy grin and grabbed her hand. "Let me show ya what design I put on it, you'll love it!" They went out into the shed that they used for making surfboards, Ripples stopped Duncan from entering until she had her new board standing up. "OK, ya ready for this?"
Duncan busted out laughing and ran her fingers over the picture of Sebastian from the Little Mermaid. "This is great Ripples, thanks." She pulled her friend into a hug and went back to checking out her new board.
"I knew ya would like it, it was Furball's idea."
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Steve walked into the bungalow and saw Tucker asleep on the couch; he went into the bathroom for a quick shower and came out with a towel wrapped around his hips. A sick grin came across his features and held; he pulled a rubber from his shaving kit and inspected the wrapper. He looked through the small tear in the center of the wrapper; the expression on his face became sinister. He knew that if he got her pregnant that she would never leave him, she was too old fashioned for that sort of thing. Pulling the condom on until there was no reservoir at the tip, he dropped his towel and straddled her sleeping form. He forced her legs apart, pushed her shorts to the side and nipped her neck hard enough to wake her.
"Steve what are you…son of a…" Her scream of pain echoed through the bungalow and turned into deep grunts with each one of his thrusts, after he climaxed, he pulled out of her and grinned.
"I just couldn't help myself, seeing you laying here brought out the...,"
She pushed him away and crawled onto the floor. "Rapist in you!" Grabbing her stomach in pain, she glared up at him and bared her teeth. "If you ever do that again, I'll cut your dick off and shove it up your ass!" She got up and staggered to the bathroom with a low whimper. She turned on the shower and made sure that the water was hot enough to destroy the emboli virus. "I don't know what the Hell is wrong with him or me for not leaving his sorry ass sooner." She stripped out of her clothes, stepped slowly under the hot spray, and let out a gasp. "Good thing I took that damn pill because I don't know if he used anything." She pressed a hand between her legs, looked down and saw a small amount of blood on her palm. Her temper soared to beyond boiling point; she got out of the shower and stormed into the living room. Walking up to him, she hauled back and punched him square in the face. "You asshole!" She slapped him across the side of his face and held her bloody hand out to him. "Look what you did!" He pulled a bloody hand from his face and looked at her with a shocked expression.
"I'm so sorry Tucker…please believe me sweetheart." He reached out for her and groaned when she turned and went back into the bathroom. "Damn it, why did I do that to her?" He asked himself and got up to look at his rapidly swelling nose. "You broke my nose!" He yelled and then spun around when he heard a loud thud hit the floor.
"Good you son of a bitch," She shoved him out of her way and dragged her large suitcase into the bedroom. "It's over Steven, you went too far this time and I will never forgive you!" She threw his engagement ring at him and started packing her clothes.
"Wait Tucker, I'm really sorry and I'll never do that again…I promise!" He grabbed her by her arm and spun her to face him. "Please Tucker, you can't leave me!"
She looked down at her arm where her skin was turning a bright red and then up into his eyes. "Let go of me before I drop you, no one and I mean no one has ever done that to me and I'll not let it happen again no matter what you say!" She yanked her arm from his grasp and closed up her suitcase. "One wrong move and I'll tell everyone at the law firm what you did to me." She growled in a deep voice.
"You wouldn't…please Tucker…I love you." He pleaded and dropped to his knees in front of her.
"Fuck you and get out of my way, I'm flying back and don't come after me or else." She walked around him and went out the door after collecting the rest of her possessions. She stopped at the door and gave him a parting sentence. "I don't love you Steven, never have and I have no idea why I agreed to marry you." She slammed out of the bungalow and headed towards the Tracker that they had rented when they came to the island. "I must be the stupidest person on the planet." She took a deep breath and felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. A small smile came to her face from the relief, she knew right then that she had made the right decision. Jumping into the Tracker, she pulled away with a squeal of tires and headed towards the airport.
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Duncan stepped into her mom's small kitchen and went directly to the refrigerator, searching, she pulled out a container and gave out a victory cry. "YES, chicken salad all for me!"
"I should have known you'd find that," Her mom, Carol said as she pulled out a loaf of bread and lay in on the counter. "I know better than to think that's the only reason you're here." Duncan looked down from her six foot height to her much smaller mom and grinned. "I thought I'd come by and see if I could give you some more grey hair."
Carol ran a hand across her grey streaked auburn hair and snorted. "Believe me Duncan, between you, the doctors at the hospital and the tourists in the guest houses. By the end of the week, I'll have to buy a case of hair dye. Where's Jackie and Lynn?"
Duncan gave her a funny look and then rolled her eyes, her mom liked to throw her by using Furball and Ripples real names. "They took the metal detectors out on the beach, you know how they are."
"Yep, scavengers, pick pockets and the biggest children besides you on the island." She handed Duncan a paper towel and pointed to a kitchen chair. "Do you have some time to fix a few things in the guest houses?"
"Sure, what did the idiots break this time?"
"I have a bathroom faucet in one, the cartridge gave out on the hot water, a light fixture that's shorted out in another and the worst one is," She waited for dramatic effect and grinned when Duncan rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "The wall in the bedroom needs new sheetrock and the bathroom needs a new toilet."
"What were they doing in there slam dancing?"
"I wish. I had to have them hauled off by the cops. The two guys were beating the Hell outta each other over a woman. Reminds me of you when you were younger."
"Ahhh ma, I wasn't that bad and I didn't start the fight over the Admirals daughter…I finished it."
Hazel eyes twinkled at the memory of her daughter being brought home by MP's; she was thankful that her husband was out at sea and couldn't get involved in the mess. "I know you didn't, but I warned you about her and her conniving ways. She had more notches on her headboard than most hookers. She was known by the entire Navy Fleet and then some."
"I'm glad I finally listened before we actually did anything," She shivered and looked down at the other sandwich her mom placed in front of her. "She was really skanky and I still don't know why I was interested."
"I'm just glad your taste has improved over the years, so is there any women pounding on your door?"
"Yeah, but I don't think Furball and Ripples count, I'm happy just being on my own." She finished her sandwich and threw the paper towel in the trash. "I'll go take a look at the worst of the guest houses so I can see what all I'll need ta fix it and pick up everything all at one time." She bent down and kissed her mom's cheek before leaving. Carol shook her head and watched as her only child went out to the small guesthouses at a long gaited walk. She hoped that one day she would find someone strong enough to tame her wildness and make her as happy as she had been when her husband had been alive. Sighing, she got up and pulled out a bottle of iced tea before going into her bedroom to change for work. She was a retired navy nurse and after Duncan had moved out on her own, she had gotten a job at the hospital to keep from getting bored. She only worked a few times a week so that she was able to run the small family business. She had six guesthouses that she rented out during the tourist season and had the other job for the slow times. It was a good life and she wouldn't change it for all the gold in Fort Knox. Picking up the keys to Duncan's Corvair, she went out to the parking lot and left for the hospital.
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Duncan opened the door to the guesthouse and wrinkled her nose at the stale stench of beer and cigarettes; it was obvious that her ma hadn't cleaned the place yet. She left the door open and then opened all the windows to air the place out. Looking at the bedroom wall, she cussed. "Ya just couldn't throw each other around outside, now I'll have to replace the whole damn sheet of drywall." She inspected the rest of the place and wrote down on a scrap of paper all that she would need. Moving to the next guesthouses, she wrote down more items until she thought she had everything. Shaking her head, she picked up a bag of empty beer cans and tossed them into the dumpster on her way back to the main house. She chuckled at the note her ma had left her with the keys to her truck.
Use my chick magnet truck to get the supplies
And no panties hanging from the mirror or
Stuffed under the seat!
"You're really sick ma; maybe I'll hang a jock strap from the mirror and see what happens."
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Tucker cussed and ran a hand through her shoulder length hair; she had been at the small airport for over an hour and still couldn't get a flight back to California. She had even asked about flying into Seattle or any other state but all the flights were booked solid and Seattle was closed due to weather conditions. There was only one thing she could do and that was to try and find a motel room until the next day and try again. She used a pay phone outside the main doors, flipped the phone book open and started calling places for a room. When she came to the last place, she was given an address and the name Carol Fox. Going back out to the tracker, she pulled out the map and looked on it, what she found confused her. "I know I'm a total wreck but I don't think I need the hospital." Sighing heavily, she took her things from the tracker and hailed a cab. She could care less if Steve had a way around the island until he left and she wasn't about to pay for the Tracker. Calling a cab was easier even though it was kind of expensive. As she placed her bag in the back seat, she gave the local the address and received a funny look. Taking a chance, she asked the cabby if he recognized the name.
"She's a nice lady and runs a clean place, you'll be happy there." He looked in the rear view mirror and smiled. "Just look for a tiny woman with auburn hair and flashing hazel eyes."
"You know her then?"
"Yep, she delivered me and my brother. She's a nurse at the hospital but will midwife when it's too late to get to the hospital. She's been on the island for more than 33 years and by her order, we call her Mama."
Tucker smiled and nodded her head at him, for the first time since she arrived, she felt relaxed. Leaning back into the seat, she just watched the scenery and took it all in. What she would never get used to was the strong scent of the sugar cane fields burning or the scent of pineapple. Before she knew it, they were outside of the small hospital and her cabby was opening the back door.
"I'll take you in and help you find Mama, she'll tan my hide if I don't say hello." She walked beside him and was amazed at his size; he was easily over six foot and strongly built. She cracked a grin at the thought of a small woman trying to punish him in any way.
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Steve pressed the ice bag to his forehead and groaned, when the bleeding hadn't stopped, he called a cab and had the driver bring him to the hospital. Now after having his nose packed by the older nurse and the metal brace taped in place, he felt a little better except for the pounding headache. He looked at her as she came into the room with a clipboard in her hands and then down to his blood splattered shirt.
"Next time make sure that you put a rug outside the shower," Carol said. "Tile floors and wet feet are hazardous and make up a small percentage of home accidents." She handed him the clipboard and pen. "Just sign here and you're set to go."
"As soon as I get back to the bungalow, I'll put a big rug next to the tub." He ran a hand down the metal brace and gave her a slight smile. "This is not what I expected when I came here for vacation," He shook her hand and jumped down from the table. "Thank you." Carol watched as the man left and shook her head.
"Stupid men, like I wouldn't notice the hand print on the side of your face." She took the clipboard and then went into another room to check on her other patient before going back out to the nurse's desk.
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Carol looked up from behind the nurse's desk and smiled at the gentle giant looking down at her, going around the side, she pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you Tommy but what are you doing here?"
"I brought a lady to see you Mama, she needs a place to stay." He stepped to the side so that Mama could see Tucker. "Can you help her out?"
"Sure, I only have one couple at the place right now." She walked forward and held out a hand to the small blonde. "You're in luck young lady, I cleaned one of the guesthouses this morning and it's all set."
"I'm not real sure how long I'll be staying, I tried to fly out today but." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled into the twinkling hazel eyes. "And I have to say I was shocked when I was given the hospitals address as a place to stay." She smiled up at Tommy and squeezed his massive arm. "I'm glad that Tommy knew who you were or I know I would have looked like an idiot coming in here looking for a place to stay."
Carol chuckled at the thought of the small blonde wandering around the hospital. "It's not a strange as you would think, Tommy's like a guardian angel and brings me quite a few guests." She looked down at her watch and then hugged Tommy. "You're in luck big guy; I get off work in a few minutes so I'll just take her home with me."
"OK Mama, I'll stop by sometime this week, you know I can't go long with out your peanut butter cookies."
"I'll make up a batch for you to take home to my grandbaby; I can't not spoil that little one. I spoiled you and your brother and I plan on doing it to all your kids."
He gave her a kiss on her cheek and blushed at the surprised look on Tucker's face. "Nice meeting you Miss." He shook her hand and went to the main doors.
"He's a very polite young man; it's rare to see that anymore." Tucker replied while watching him go out the door. "Are you sure I'm not imposing on you?"
"Ohh not at all, give me a few minutes and I'll met you right here."
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Duncan had fixed the minor repairs in two of the guesthouses and tore down the damaged sheetrock before heading home. She had the next day off from work and would go over bright and early to hang the new piece and then coat it with primer. Within the next day or two, she would have that house ready for guests. She walked into the small house that she shared with Furball and Ripples and found them passed out in the living room. On the coffee table was a pile of jewelry that they had found while out on the beach along with a couple watches and cigarette lighters. The stuff that none of them wanted would go to the pawnshop for spending money. She sorted through the stuff and picked up a silver lighter with a Celtic design on it.
"We knew you'd like that, Ripples found it just before we left." Furball got up off the floor and stretched. "We did pretty good today, the tide brought in a lot of stuff." She picked up a solid gold wedding band and waved it in front of Duncan. "This surprised us," She dropped it into Duncan's palm. "Look at the inscription inside."
"D&T, what's so strange about that?" She rolled the ring around her index finger and looked to her friend.
"Well, the first one is your initial, so ya gotta find a woman with the letter T in her name. Poseidon says so." She nudged Ripples with her foot and yelled. "Ain't that right ohh mighty mythic of the sea?"
"Go ta Hell, I'm sleeping."
Duncan slipped the ring into her pocket and played with the lighter, if the ocean threw something out to you, you took it seriously. "What do I do, put an add in the paper for a woman with a T in her name? My luck it'll be an 80 year old great-grandma in a huge purple muumuu!" She rolled her blue eyes at her friends shrugging shoulders and went into the kitchen to find something to eat. Yelling over her shoulder, she told them about the work she was doing at Mama's "They trashed the place but good, it reeked so bad in there that I left the windows open and still almost threw up!"
"I still say Mama should only rent to dykes, we'd never do that to a place." Furball said as she took the bottle of Coke from Duncan's hand and drank half before returning it. "Once they left, she'd find the place in better condition than before."
"Maybe we can mislead some and they can fix this place up." Duncan remarked and then handed Furball the cabinet door that kept falling off. "Your duct tape job didn't work."
"I couldn't find any screws and what kinda dyke would I be with out duct tape knowledge?" She wiggled her brows and handed the door back to Duncan. "You can screw it." She ran from the room before Duncan could do anything in retaliation.
"Just what I want, to screw a piece of wood," She laid the door on the table and pulled some left over screws from her pocket. "Damn thing would probably be better than the last woman I was with."
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Mama pulled the Corvair up to her house and helped Tucker with her bags; she gave the young woman an intense look and then smiled. "Ya know, I've read all your novels." She said and then saw the startled expression that crossed Tucker's face. "But don't worry, I won't say a word to anyone so you can have peace and quiet." She carried the large suitcase to one of the guesthouses and pushed the door open. "You won't find a more relaxing and quiet place than mine, we're out of the way and not many tourists know about it." She placed the suitcase near the bedroom door and turned to look at Tucker again, there was something about her but she just couldn't put a finger to it. "My daughter just fixed the bathroom sink today so everything works; if ya have any problems just come up to the house and let me know."
"Yes ma'am and can you tell me where I can get something to eat, it's been quite a few hours and I'm starving."
"Nothing close by that you can walk to but since you're here alone, you can come up to the house with me and I'll make us something to eat."
Tucker held out her hand to stop her. "That's OK; I've already imposed on you enough. I'll just take a walk and find something."
"Ohhh please indulge an old woman, I don't ever see the people staying here after they check in. Nor do I get famous people here, come keep me company and I'll make us something to eat."
Tucker gave her a bright smile and nodded her head, since she had come to the island; the only person she had talked with was Steve. The more she thought about it the more she realized that she hadn't gotten the full effect of the locals or what Hawaii was all about. "So how long have you been here on the island?"
"Three days…I came with my fiancé who is now my ex," She followed Mama out the door and up to the back door of her modest home. "I broke it off with him this afternoon and was going to try and get back to Texas."
Carol held the door open for her and then followed with a slight frown on her face. "Most people come here for their honeymoons or to get married, so it must have been a good reason to break up with him."
Tucker took a seat at the kitchen table and sighed, for some reason, Mama made her feel safe and she wanted to tell her the whole story. "It's a long story and not very pretty."
Somber hazel eyes connected with her and then a small half smile came to her lips. "I have plenty of time if you feel like talking; I have a daughter so there's nothing that I haven't heard from her or her friends."
Tucker took a long drink of the iced tea that Mama gave her and took a deep breath before she started her tale. She told Mama how she and Steve had met at the publishing company that she worked for and how charming he was at the beginning. He was very attentive to her and did his best to get her the best contracts where her novels were concerned. Then later, he was spending more and more time away from her and broke off their dating. She found out that he was dating some other writer on the side and decided that it was best for them to part ways, until recently. Tears formed in her eyes when she told Mama of what he had done to her that day and what she had done to him in retaliation.
"Very tall guy, dresses like he's on the cover of GQ?"
"How did you know that?" She asked in surprise.
"You did quite a job on his nose; I fixed him up before you showed up with Tommy." She placed a plate of shrimp, hushpuppies and French fries in front of her and took her own seat. "He told me he slipped getting out of the shower but the hand print on his cheek told me the real story. "If it had been me, I would have sliced something off."
Tucker chuckled and wiped her eyes. "I threatened to do that; I still may if I see him before either one of us goes back. I just hope he didn't hurt me too bad," She blushed and looked to her plate. "I'm sore and still spotting a little."
"If you're still spotting in the morning let me know and I'll call my gynecologist, she's an old friend and the best doc on the island. You may just be bruised and scratched inside, did you two use protection?"
"Ohh yeah, I want kids but not now. We used everything to prevent that, I told him maybe in five years we could try."
"Well that's good, there's too many un-planned births nowadays. The Gods know that my daughter wasn't planned but those were different times back then and I wouldn't change it for the world. She's a wild one at 33 and I hope one day someone will tame her," She grinned at Tucker. "It may take a straight jacket and chains or maybe hitting her up long side her head with her surfboard though."
"I watched some surfers today and I'd really like to learn that or maybe boogie boarding."
"The best way to learn is to take lessons, there's a surf place about two miles from here that offers them. You can rent all the equipment you'll need there to."
"Does your daughter give lessons?"
"Nope, she used to but there was an accident years ago and she gave up teaching. Now it's just a thing she does for fun and to show up the boys."
Tucker picked up her empty plate and rinsed it off in the sink; she placed it in the dishwasher and stretched. "Maybe I'll go check the place out tomorrow, thank you for supper and I'll pay you for the rest of the week if you tell me how much."
"You come and talk to me and have supper with me and I'll call us even." Her narrowed eyes left no room for argument and Tucker didn't even try, she would find a way to make it even before she went home.
"You got a deal ma'am; it's been a long time since I've had someone to talk to."
"I'm old but calling me ma'am makes me feel ancient, call me Mama, everyone does or I plant a size five shoe someplace."
Tucker raised her hands in surrender and gave her a grin. "OK Mama, I'm going to go unpack and call my mom before it gets too late, thank you again."
"Anytime little one," Mama said to her back as she went out the door. "Just maybe you'll find yourself here and forget about that asshole. Knew I shoulda hurt him when he came into the hospital."
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Tucker lay down on the queen size bed and looked around the bright and airy room, it wasn't big but it was a lot nicer than the bungalow. A fragrant breeze came through the windows and across her body. Sighing, she picked up her cell phone and called her parents house in Houston Texas. After it ringing six times, she heard her mom's voice on the other end.
"It's me mom…I have some news…,"
Her mom Linda could tell that something was wrong with her daughter, she had never heard the choked up voice before. "Tucker is everything all right; you're not hurt are you?"
"You need to call off the wedding, I broke up with Steve."
"Oohh Tucker, I knew that it wasn't going to work. What happened that you broke it off?" From the time that they had gotten back together, Linda and her husband Bernard had second thoughts about the relationship. Steve had changed; he became money hungry and wanted the prestige of being a partner at the law firm that he worked for.
Tucker started sobbing and wasn't able to tell her mom, she ended hanging up the phone and falling asleep. Hours later, she woke up to her cell phone ringing against her tear stained face. Flipping the phone open, she answered and felt the tears starting again.
"Tucker are you all right?" Her mom asked and waited for her to say something.
"Hold on mom," She got up off the bed, went to the door and jogged across the small yard to Mama's door. She tapped on the screen until Mama pushed it open and waved her in.
"What's wrong Tucker, come in here and sit down." She ushered her into the kitchen and gave her a confused look when she was handed the small cell phone.
"Please…talk to my mom." She sobbed and then dropped her head down onto crossed arms.
"Hello?"
"This is Linda, what's wrong with my daughter?"
"Hi I'm Carol Fox; Tucker's staying here at my establishment. I guess I can tell you since she handed me her phone." She started a pot of coffee and sat down next to Tucker.
"I called her earlier but she couldn't talk to me, I know she broke up with Steve but there's something else that's bothering her."
"Ohh yeah, she's upset over the reason behind the break up." She looked to see Tucker nodding her head. "He raped her this afternoon and that's what caused the break up." She heard the gasp come over the phone and knew that Linda had no idea that Steve was that kind of man.
"Is she all right, he didn't hurt her physically did he?"
"She's all right and if there's a problem I've already told her about my doctor. If it makes you feel any better, she broke his nose and he ended up being treated by me at the hospital." She smiled when she heard a slight chuckle from Linda. "He's no longer a pretty boy and will have a boxer's nose; I didn't set it right after seeing the hand print on his face." She laughed when Tucker lifted her head and gave her a crooked smile.
"Good, the son of a bitch deserves that and so much more. Should I fly out there to be with her?"
"Tucker, your mom wants to know if she should fly out here?" She nodded her head when Tucker shook hers. "She says no, she's safe here and I'll make sure he can't get near her. I'll have my daughter beat the shit outta him if he shows up." She laughed at what Linda said over the phone next.
"Make sure that your daughter throws a few punches for me and my husband, we never liked that egotistical asshole. The cocky bastard thinks he's the greatest lawyer next to Cochran, he's a damn lawyer for the publishing company for Christ sakes!"
Mama laughed at Linda's remarks and hung up a while later to notice that Tucker was sound asleep at the table. She shook her shoulder and grinned when half-lidded green eyes looked up at her. "Come on lets get you back to bed, you're emotionally exhausted and sleeping on the table isn't going to help."
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Mama brought in a platter with sandwiches on them and a case of Cokes for Duncan and her two idiots. They had all come over that morning to get the guesthouse back into shape because the next week would be bringing in a new group of tourists for the beginning of the surfing contests. People would be everywhere and tourists would be searching out instructors to try and learn how to surf so that they could go out with the big boys. Duncan shook her head and dropped down at the small table to start in on a hoagie, she hated the tourists during this time of the year. They were egotistical and wouldn't obey the laws of the locals, some found out the hard way. There were places that only the locals could use for surfing and when a tourist wandered in, he ended up getting the shit beat out of him. She jumped and glared at Furball after she was hit in the forehead with her hoagie.
"Where's your brain?" Furball asked.
"It's on drugs, what's your excuse?" She asked and chuckled when Ripples looked into Furball's ear.
"Nothing in there but sand and a hermit crab maybe would could add water and have our own little ocean."
"Ha funny," She hit Ripples in her head with her hoagie and then gave Mama a pleading look. "Mama make them stop, they're always mean ta me."
"And ya deserve every bit of it, now eat your sandwich and stop hitting people with it."
"Geez, no one loves me anymore." She hit Duncan again and ran out the door to hide around the back of the guesthouse. What she saw on the little porch at the back of one of the other houses made her drool. "Ohhh baby turn a little my way." She mumbled and tilted her head to the side to get a better view of Tuckers cleavage. "If I had some lotion, I'd offer ta rub some on ya all over your little body!" She jumped up and down and fell over the short railing that led down to the beach. She jumped up, ran around to the door and smashed into the doorframe. "Ya gotta see what's out back!" She jumped up and down and pointed with a finger. "Nice soft round tits in a green bikini!"
Mama grabbed her by one of her braids and dragged her into the guesthouse. "Leave her alone, she's a nice woman and doesn't need ta be bothered by you horn dogs."
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Tucker got up from the chase and wandered back into her small dwelling, pulling on clothes, she walked out and down the road towards where the nearest town was. She didn't care that it was two miles, she enjoyed long walks and right now she needed the distraction. On the way, she stopped to smell the scent of the numerous flowers growing along the way and to watch the colorful birds sitting in the bushes. A while later, she came upon the small town and stepped up onto the sidewalk, the first place she saw was a small diner. Going inside, she ordered lunch and relaxed in the booth at the back of the small place. Watching the locals come and go, she felt almost like an intruder into their world. They laughed and talked to each other and gave her brief looks before returning to their conversations. She picked up the clannish ways and wondered what one had to do to feel accepted in their world. She gave her waitress a small smile, thanked her for her lunch, and dug into the shrimp salad like a starving animal. Finishing her meal, she paid the bill and went back out into the morning heat. Along the way, she found the surfing place that Mama had told her about. She went in and looked at the message board near the door, on it; she found an advertisement for a surfing instructor.
"Can I help you Miss?"
She turned to find the proprietor standing behind her, he was young and bare chested to show off his tribal tattoos.
"Carol Fox told me this would be the best place to find a surfing instructor and to rent the gear that I would need."
He smiled and took her by her arm. "Mama's right about that, I have everything you will need to play in the surf. Now for an instructor, the best bet is to go down to the beach and ask around. That notice on the board is a scam, the kids an idiot and you'll end up getting hurt if he teaches you."
"If that's true, why don't you take down his ad?"
He smiled to show even white teeth and shook his head. "I have but the idiot is my brother and he keeps putting new ones up, everyone around here knows about him so he lacks a lot of business." He pulled a long sleeved blue and silver spring suit and a short-sleeved flight jacket of the same color out from behind the counter. Next was a variety of shoes, Tucker picked up a pair of black and silver race lace up boots and looked them over.
"Does everyone wear shoes when they surf?" She asked because she had always thought it was done barefooted.
"The smart ones do, there's pieces of coral out there that cuts quick and hurts like a bitch when the salt water gets to it. The ones you're looking at are good because you have more support on your ankles." He looked down at her feet and pulled the proper size out for her. "Try these on and let me know how they feel and I'll look for some more wet suits." She pulled off her tennis shoes and tried the boots on, she was surprised at how comfortable they were and decided right then that she would buy them. She looked up when he laid out a full wet suit in neon blue and another spring suit. "I have these ones in your size, I wear a spring suit because it is more comfortable and protects more than the flight jacket." He gave her a bashful grin and explained why. "I don't want certain parts to be hanging out while I'm out there, there are guys who ride in Speedos and I think it's crazy and not to mention a lot revealing." Tucker chuckled and nodded her head; she agreed about the revealing part, she thought it was gross to see a guys pulse beating in his dick.
"Ohh I agree with you there, I think they do it to try and attract women." She felt the neon blue spring suit and nodded her head. "I'll take this one and the boots, what else do I need?"
He showed her a 4'8 Liquid Shredder surfboard and a 40' Slick Slide Boogie board. "These two are the best I have that aren't torn up from in experienced surfers; I can rent both of them for say…40 for the week."
She looked over the boards and then to the brand new ones against the wall. "How much would it be to buy new ones?"
He looked at her with wide eyes and then wandered over for the exact boards he had shown her. "For both of them it would be around $250.00 and I'll toss in the leashes free."
"Sounds fair to me but why are you giving me everything cheaper?"
"That's easy, I've known Mama all my life and I'm good friends with her daughter. Plus you're a nice person and I can see that you'll take surfing seriously."
She nodded her head and gave him a bright smile. "I take everything seriously and thank you, I'll be sure to tell Mama what you've done. What's your brother look like so I don't end up fish food?"
"He's a little burned out Samoan guy, long dreadlocks and bloodshot eyes. You'll know him by the banana sling he wears, its bright yellow." He rang up her purchases and told her that he would deliver everything to Mamas in the next hour so that she wouldn't have to carry it around all day.
"Banana sling?" She gave him a puzzled look.
"Yep, one of those nasty G-strings that shows his pulse."
"Eeeww, that'll make it easy to spot him, thanks. I'll wear the boots to break them in, if I had known how comfortable they were, I would have bought a pair years ago." She left the surf shop with a bright smile on her face and headed into some of the other shops along the way. After picking up some handmade carvings for her parents and other things, she headed back to Mama's. She wanted to play with her new toys and then go down to the beach to find an instructor.
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Duncan gave her Mama a funny look and pulled her to the side. "Are you playing mother hen again?"
"You could call it that yeah," She patted Duncan's shoulder and smiled. "She's my favorite author; ya know the one that I've read all her books?"
"My Mama has met a famous person," She grabbed her chest and fell against the wall. "Next you'll have her autographing your kitchen wall so ya can show it off."
"I thought about my chest and then have it tattooed." She gave her shocked daughter a hug and kissed her cheek. "Now behave yourselves and make sure that Ripples doesn't graffiti the walls with the Little Mermaid characters."
Duncan turned her head to where Ripples and Furball were painting the walls and raised a dark eyebrow. She turned back to her mama and looked at her T-shirt with the Mermaids all over it. "And who got her hooked on that movie?"
"Good point, I'm going shopping do you guys need anything?"
Duncan gave her a big grin. "Food."
"Figures, when are you guys gonna learn how to shop?"
"When one of us finds a woman who can stomach us long enough to do it for us."
Mama laughed and grabbed her stomach. "I'll be doing your shopping from a walker then, behave yourselves and I left supper in the refrigerator for when you're done."
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Steve waited for the line to be answered on the other end, he knew that he would have to try and cover up what he had done with Tucker's parents. He hoped that he could pull it off and get Tucker back, Mr. Batson had made it perfectly clear that to be a partner in the law firm, and he would have to be married. It was the only reason why he had proposed to Tucker in the first place. "Mrs. Danes, its Steven, is Tucker there?"
Linda felt her temper flare at the sound of Steve's voice, playing the innocent was going to be extremely hard since she knew the whole story. Clenching her fist and taking a deep breath, she tried to make her voice sound as pleasant as possible. "No Steven, she's supposed to be with you."
He grinned and held back a relieved sigh. "We had an argument and I thought maybe she flew back to Texas, so you haven't heard from her?"
"No, not since she called me when you two arrived. What happened that she got mad?" She knew that the snake would lie his ass off; it was one of the things that qualified him to be a lawyer.
"Ohh it was because I had some business meetings and couldn't spend time with her on the beach. I guess I'll have to check the other hotels here on the island, I really need to make it up to her." He sighed dramatically and continued to make matters worse. "She's all I think about and I'm so sorry that we fought over something so trivial."
"I was under the impression that you two were there on vacation."
"It was a combined vacation/business trip, my boss is here and he's offered me a partnership in the firm. This is very important to our future, it'll mean more money and a better standing in the community."
If it were at all possible, Linda would reach through the phone and strangle him. She cleared her voice and tried not to scream out her anger. "My suggestion to you Steven is to leave her alone…"
"But Mrs. Danes, this is all so simple to fix…,"
"Bullshit you asshole, I know what you did to her and if I was there you'd be buried at sea! Leave my daughter alone or I'll contact your boss and tell him exactly what kind of man you are!" She slammed the phone down hard enough to make her hand sting.
He looked at the phone after listening to the beeping signal and threw it across the room. "Mother fucking cunt!" He screamed and started tearing the bungalow apart; he should have known that she would call her mother at the first chance. There was no way of fixing this now unless he had gotten her pregnant. He had been working on that part of his plan for the last two months and so far, there were no signs. "Now what the Hell do I do?" He dropped down onto the couch and stared out the sliding glass doors, and then an idea came to mind. "I'll tell Batson that we eloped and that she had to fly home because of an emergency." He jumped up and went into the bedroom to get dressed for his meeting with his boss; he already had a story to cover for his broken nose and knew that Mr. Batson would believe it. He planed on telling him that he was injured while riding a jet ski. Everyone knew how dangerous they were and many people got hurt while riding the waves. Fixing his silk tie, he then combed his fingers through his hair and headed out of the bungalow to walk the short distance to where his boss was staying. "You'll regret this Tucker; I'll ruin you and come out the innocent and hurt party if I can't fix this."
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Duncan was out waiting for a wave to come in while Furball and Ripples were walking along the beach looking for shells that they could carve and sell to the tourists. Furball grabbed Ripples by her arm and led her a distance away from where a local was teaching a small blonde how to stand on a surfboard. "What in the Sam Hell are you doing?"
"Look over there and tell me what you see?"
Ripples squinted and then let out a curse. "Who does he think he is, that's no way to teach anyone anything!"
"I know and you know but she doesn't, better yet, she's the one staying at Mama's." They stood and watched for a way to get in there and break up the pawing fest.
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"OK, now just bend at your waist and push your hips back." The man stood behind Tucker with his hands on her hips as they stood on her board in the sand. "Put your arms out like you're walking a tightrope…that's it, now pretend you're riding a wave and move for balance." He closed his dark brown eyes and held back the groan in his chest, her rear rubbed against his crotch every time she moved and it was the most stimulating thing that had happened to him in a week.
This guy wants to die a painful and terrifying death! Tucker thought to herself and was fighting with herself to not turn around and pummel him into shark bait. Taking a deep breath, she ignored his gripping fingers on her hips and tried to concentrate on staying on the board. Granted it was no problem on dry land but he kept pushing her forward. Finally, she had enough but was interrupted by two voices behind them. She felt the guy behind her jump and the force of his actions sent her head first into the sand.
"What are you doing you big perv?" Ripples asked and then laughed at his shocked expression.
"I'm teaching her how to surf so mind your own business!" He turned back to help Tucker up and found a snarling Furball in his way. "Why do you two care anyways, you don't teach and I do!"
"Bullshit! You take advantage of women and steal their money!" She said and then helped Tucker up from the sand. "How much did this asshole get from you?"
Tucker brushed the sand from her body and looked between Furball and Ripples. "I know who you two are, I saw you at the restaurant."
"Yeah but that still doesn't answer my question, how much and what name did he give you?"
"150.00 a lesson and Sebastian, why?" She now looked at the cowering man and knew something was wrong. "Who is he?"
Ripples shoved him out of the way and went to stand next to her friend. "The price is right if he was actually a surfer and his real name is Beemer. He don't know shit about surfing and can't even swim!"
"He told me that he was last year's pipeline champion, he even showed me his name in an article from Surf World magazine."
Furball picked up her surfboard while Ripples took Tucker by the hand. "Ohh really, Furball give me her surfboard and go get the real Sebastian while I keep Beemer here." Furball gave her a toothy grin, let out a yell and took off at a lope down the beach. "You are in so much trouble and don't try and run away because Sebastian will hunt you down like a rabid dog!"
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Furball ran out into the surf and swam out to where Duncan was just starting to paddle back out. She grabbed her foot and held on to get her attention. "There's a problem Dunk, Beemer was molesting a woman and using your name!"
"Not again, what is wrong with these assholes." She pulled herself to a sitting position and waited for Furball to climb onto her board. "Since you stopped him, what do ya want with me?"
"She's staying at your mamas; I thought ya might wanna straighten things out. Ya know Mama will be pissed if it's mentioned and you didn't do nothing."
Duncan hung her head and then nodded it, she knew all to well what her mama would do to Beemer when she got her hands on him. She had ruined many a mans chance at fatherhood for using her daughter's name to get women. "OK, hang on and we'll catch the next swell in and then I'll box Beemer's ears." They came in on the next swell and then jogged down the beach to where Ripples was sitting on Beemer's back and trying to bury his head in the sand. Tucker stood with her arms crossed over her chest with a smirk on her face.
"You'll get worse when the real Sebastian gets here; I'm only detaining your sorry ass so I can laugh my guts out later." She dropped two handfuls of sand on top of his head and chuckled when he struggled.
"Having fun Beemer?" Duncan asked after she kneeled down in front of him and looked into his sand covered face. "I see that you didn't learn your lesson from my Mama, so I'm gonna take care of you so that you never do this again." She signaled Ripples to get up and then grabbed him by his hair.
His head was bent back and tears rolled down his cheeks from the painful hold she had on his long hair. "What are you going to do?" He whimpered and then started to struggle against her when they got near the water.
"Shark food fat ass, you should be able to feed a dozen of them." She let him go and then kicked him in the ass hard enough to send him flying face first into an on coming wave. "If you survive, I never wanna see you down her again!" She yelled to his struggling body and walked back up the beach to join the others. She held out the bills that she had taken from his back pocket before she kicked him. "I believe this is your money." She froze when she looked into sparkling green eyes and felt her knees grow weak.
"You must be the real Sebastian and thank you for getting my money back." Tucker said and then reached out for her money, when her fingers touched Duncan's, she felt a slight shock and then her blood seemed to boil.
Ripples and Furball looked to each other and then the two women, they saw something that they never thought they'd ever see, sparks. They tried to sneak away and froze when Duncan's deep voice stopped them. "Hold up there you two; you just got a job teaching her how to surf." Duncan looked down at where she was still holding the money and pulled her hand away. 'Those two will teach you everything you need to know." She turned and jogged back down the beach where she had left her board; Tucker looked after her and released the breath she didn't know she had been holding. What had captured her besides the shock as their hands met, was the color of Duncan's eyes, they were the color of the ocean and just as changing. She turned when she heard Ripples and Furball arguing behind her and smirked, they were wrestling in the sand and trying to pin one another.
"What are you two doing?" They looked up with sheepish expressions and shrugged their shoulders.
"Uuhhmm…trying to figure out…" Furball replied and then yelped when she was flipped over Ripples head to land on her back.
"You're fighting over who will or won't teach me?'
Ripples jumped to her feet and did a victory dance. "IwonI wonIwon!" She stopped and turned red at Tucker's cocked eyebrow. "Sorry, I'll be teaching you first and since you don't know who I am," She held out her hand and grinned. "I'm Ripples and that dummy laying in the sand is Furball."
Tucker nodded her head at them. "I'm Tucker, are those surfing names, you know like Moon Doggie?"
Ripples and Furball busted out laughing at her and then sobered at her glare. "Nope, she's Ripples because that's all ya see after she falls off her board and I'm Furball because…" Ripples interrupted her and grabbed a handful of braids.
"It's what she looks like when I take her braids out, one great big furball."
"OK and Sebastian is?"
"Ohh we don't call her that, Sebastian is her middle name. We call her Dunk, its short for Duncan."
Tucker ran fingers through her hair and nodded her head. "If you two are going to teach me to surf, can we start tomorrow, I'm starving and I want to get this sand off me."
"Ohh sure, no problem, we'll even help you get back to Mama's." Furball said as she picked up her surfboard and tucked it up under her arm.
"How did you know where I'm staying?"
"Easy, Furball saw you there. Mama is Duncan's mama and makes the best chicken salad on the island."
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Duncan sat on the beach watching the waves roll in to caress the shore, each time it brought something with it and took something back. She knew what it felt like to have it take something away, something that could never be replaced. She pushed away the memory before it could raise its head and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Getting up, she grabbed her board and walked towards the path that would take her to her Mama's where she had parked her car. She rounded the corner to see her mom, friends and Tucker sitting out on the back porch eating sandwiches. She shook her head and leaned her surfboard against the side of her car. "Did ya save me any food?" She walked up to Ripples and took her half-eaten sandwich from her hand. "Don't matter, I'll eat this one."
"Hey, that was mine you pig!" Ripples tried to take it back and got her hand smacked. "Mama she stole my sandwich!"
Mama's hazel eyes rolled, she pulled the cover off the platter and pointed to it. "Stop being a brat and sit your ass down before I kick it." She looked to Tucker and saw the smile on her face. "Tucker, now you see why I said she needs taming."
Duncan stopped mid chew and looked at her mom with wide eyes. "Mama!" She grumbled around the food in her mouth.
"Use those manners I taught you, I swear sometimes I think I have a son." She swung out with a fly swatter when Duncan lowered a hand to her crotch and adjusted what she didn't have. "I swear you'll have me completely grey by the end of the day!" She chuckled when Duncan gave her a wink and dropped down into a chair next to her. "Evil damn child." She leaned over, kissed her daughters cheek, and straightened her braids.
Tucker sat and watched Duncan and Carol act more like friends than mother and daughter, she had a good relationship with her parents but it wasn't anything like this. Then the way Mama treated the other two women, it was as if she had three children instead of one. It was obvious that they all loved each other and had a close relationship. She looked over into pale blue eyes when she heard her name called.
"So what did the two idiots teach you today?"
"We're going to start tomorrow afternoon, I had enough for today after dealing with that pig." She leaned back in her chair and watched Duncan eat a sandwich with three bites and finish off her mama's coke. "Do a lot of guys use your name to get women?" She smiled when Duncan choked on her food and the others snorted. "I take that as a yes, so what's so special about you that they do this?" Mama roared at the blush that worked up Duncan's face, she sat back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the answer.
Ripples and Furball looked from each other and then ta Mama before they yelled in unison. "She SUCKS!" They jumped up from their chairs and took off running back down to the beach with Duncan chasing after them. Tucker watched them until they were gone and turned her attention back to Mama.
"What did they mean by that?"
"Let me put it this way, there's more male in my daughter than female." She laughed at the confused look on Tucker's face and spelled it out for her. "The three of them are gay and Duncan has had her conquests if that's what ya want to call them. Now she just works, surfs and lives a boring life."
"She doesn't date or anything, I mean she's an attractive woman and I can't see her not dating."
"Nope, her and the other two sit at home at night and terrorize each other. Kind of like they did when they were little, some things never change." She opened another Coke and took a sip. "What are you going to do once you go back to Texas, do you live alone?"
"I have a small house not far from my parents, I'm glad that I didn't sell it when Steve wanted me to. I'll go home and try to finish my book." She looked down at her hands and rubbed the calluses on her palms. 'To tell you the truth, I haven't thought much about what I'll do when I get back home. We had all these plans and now…"
"You'll know what to do when it comes time for it, for now, just enjoy the island and don't let the two idiots scare you."
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Steve threw the phone book across the room with the phone behind it; he had called every single motel and hotel on the island and hadn't found Tucker. "Where the Hell are you, I know you're not at home or with your parents." He stood up and paced the floor while talking to himself. "I checked all the airlines and came up with nothing, so that means you're still around here somewhere." He changed into a pair of dress slacks, polo shirt and loafers, grabbed his sunglasses and headed out to the beach area. He remembered about Tucker complaining about not getting out to the beach. "So I'll walk the beach every day and maybe I'll find you."
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Tucker was already on the beach when she saw Ripples and Furball coming towards where she was sitting, she fell over in the sand when she saw how they were dressed. Furball had a pair of long shorts on with little ducks all over them, a black flight jacket wetsuit, goggles and floatation cuffs on her arms like little kids wear. Ripples was dressed pretty much the same except her shorts had pink bunnies and she wore a bugs bunny inner tube around her waist. "Are ya ready ta get wet?" Ripples wiggled her brows and gave her a toothy grin.
"Nice gear you have there guys, please tell me you can swim."
"We dog paddle pretty good," Furball answered and then pulled her goggles down over her eyes and handed Ripples a pair of neon orange nose plugs. "Just don't splash and we'll be good."
"What have I gotten myself into?" Tucker mumbled, got up and picked up her surfboard. "I'm ready when you are." She shook her head when they went screaming towards the water like little kids.
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Duncan and Mama sat back from the beach watching the idiots teach Tucker how to surf, they laughed more than anything at the antics of Ripples and Furball. Every time a wave came near one of them, they ran for the shore screaming. "Duncan, I don't think Tucker's gonna to learn anything except how to drown those two."
"She'll be OK, they do this everyday." She winked at her mama and laughed when Tucker jumped off her surfboard onto Ripples and took her under. "See, they're getting along good. Now if they'd just move further out in the water, four feet off the shore just ain't gonna do it."
"Why don't you go out there with them, I know it's killing you."
She looked to her mama and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe later, I just don't feel like it right now."
Mama rolled her eyes and snorted. "Ohh that was so convincing, go get your damn board and get your ass out there."
Duncan looked to her with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. "Mama, I can't believe…,"
"What that you can't lie for shit? Now get out there and save your idiots, Tucker just took Furball under for the third time."
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"Hey ain't we supposed to be teaching you how to surf?" Ripples asked Tucker while wiping the water out of her eyes.
"Well, you're the ones who keep running out of the water as soon as a wave comes in. I just thought maybe I'd have some fun first." She straddled her board and waved a hand out to the open ocean. "How are you guys gonna show me what to do out there without surfboards?"
Ripples and Furball grinned at each other and then looked over their shoulders at Duncan who was walking into the water. "Our savior is here!" They screamed and jumped up and down in the water.
Duncan rolled her eyes and dropped her head; she knew when she's been set up. She would make sure they paid for it when they got home that night. "All right, I know what you guys did to me with the help of my very own mama and you will all pay later!" She straddled her surfboard and waved to Tucker. "Come on and I'll get ya started," She lay down on her board and started paddling out. "Just do what I do and you two go get your boards or no cookies and milk tonight."
Tucker gave her a raised eyebrow and then started paddling out beside her; she couldn't believe the feeling of cruising across the water. She could only imagine what it would feel like riding a wave back in. What she found herself doing was watching the muscles in Duncan's arms and shoulder's flex with each stroke. Then her eyes wandered to her thick back and down to where her bikini bottoms hugged her tight rear. "Stop staring at my ass and paddle!"
"Huh…I mean I wasn't…I was seeing if you do anything with your feet."
"Right, no I don't and keep paddling until I stop."
It seemed like they had paddled for hours before Duncan stopped and turned to her. "See this small wave coming in, I want you to put your hands on the front of your board, take a deep breath and push it down into the water when I say so. Got it?"
"Yep, I got it, I don't know why I'm doing it but I'll do it." She watched as the wave came closer and when Duncan yelled, she pushed her board down and felt the wave go over the top of her. The water sent tingles across her skin and tossed her around a bit before she was pushed back to the surface from the buoyancy of the board. She shook her head and wiped the water from her eyes. "OK, now I know why you had me do that, otherwise I would have been carried right back to shore."
Duncan grinned at her and nodded her head. "Good, a quick learner. We're gonna do it a couple more times and then I'll show you how to ride one in…without getting up on the board."
"When do I learn how to stand up?"
"When you get the feel of your board and can stay on it."
"What do you mean stay on, I can stay on this with no problem." She turned the board, glanced over at a smirking Duncan and felt the wave rise up under her. Before she knew it, all she saw was white froth and bubbles. The water washed over her and flung her from her board, she rolled and was pushed towards the bottom and felt her leash tugging on her ankle. Duncan with the help of Ripples and Furball waited until they saw the board float to the surface. Duncan dove in, searched for the smaller woman, and finally saw her shooting for the surface. "You could have warned me it was going to be like that!" She yelled and splashed water at Duncan. "Can we do it again?" She laughed and pulled her board over to her. The four of them paddled back out and waited for the next wave to come in, the two idiots pushed up on their boards and rode in to the shore while Duncan and Tucker more or less boogie boarded. Two hours later, Tucker gave up from exhaustion and coasted to the shore, she lay on the beach panting and letting the surf roll over her.
"So what do ya think there little one, is my kid teaching you anything?" Mama looked down at her and grinned when she moaned and rolled to her knees.
"I can't feel my arms; I think I paddled around the island a couple hundred times." She pulled her board behind her and dropped down into the sand. "I'm really out of shape; I can't believe how tired I am."
"It gets better; ya have to remember that those three have been surfing since they were able to crawl." She sat down beside Tucker and watched her daughter pop up on her board and do a series of kick outs and top offs before riding the wave into shore. "In the surfer's lingo, you're a kook or beginner."
"I think I'm plain crazy, I hit the water more than I rode it." She looked over to Mama with twinkling eyes. "It looks so easy from this point, almost like there's no danger involved. A couple of times I got scared and didn't know which way was up."
Mama looked out to see Duncan setting up for one of the larger waves and groaned. "You want to see crazy," She pointed to Duncan. "Watch what my kid does and when she gets in here I'll show you how to kick a field goal." Duncan paddled until she was on top of the wave; she gripped the board with her hands and pushed herself up into a handstand. She made it halfway in before she wiped out, her board flew up into the air and the wave came down and crushed her. Tucker and Mama jumped up and ran down to the waters edge to wait, Ripples and Furball paddled to where Duncan's board floated and then fell off their boards when Duncan came up behind them and flipped them over. "That's one of the reasons I have so much grey hair, damn kid will be the death of me!" She walked out into the surf and grabbed Duncan by her ear. "You took another five years off my life!" She yelled and dragged her all the way back to the beach.
"MAMA that hurts!" She whined and sighed with relief when her ear was released only to let out a yelp when Mama kicked her in her ass. "That hurt," She looked at a grinning Tucker and rolled her eyes. "You just wait shrimp, she'll get you too." She unfastened her leash and dropped down into the sand beside her friends.
Mama gave Tucker a narrowed eyed look and nodded her head. "Ohh you can bet on it if you do anything like those three."
Chuckling, Tucker shook her head and crossed her chest. "Don't worry; I'll never do anything like that." The other three looked from Mama to Tucker and grinned, they had all said that at one point.
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Duncan took the picture from the tall man and looked at it with a critical eye; she shook her head and handed it back to him. "Sorry mister but I see hundreds of people a day in here; I couldn't tell you what any of them look like." Steve put the picture of Tucker back in his suit pocket and nodded his head.
"If she comes in here will you call me at this number, day or night doesn't matter."
Duncan became curious as to why this guy was looking for Tucker, she took his card and looked deeply into his eyes. "Is she in trouble with the law or something, maybe if you went to the police?"
"Ohh nothing like that, she's my fiancée and I received a ransom note. I'm trying to trace the last place she was seen; maybe someone saw who kidnapped her."
Iciness came to her eyes; she shook her head and placed his card in her shirt pocket. "If I hear anything I'll call you." She watched him leave with an arrogant walk and growled. "You can't lie for shit buddy and there's no way in Hell I'll ever call you." Checking her watch, she saw that she had another 45 minutes before she was off work, her feet were killing her and soaking wet from the spilled beer and other drinks that sloshed over the bar and on to the floor. She was half-tempted to wear diving boots but the broken glass would slice her feet to ribbons in seconds. It was one of the reasons she went barefoot once she got off work, if not, she knew she would have jungle rot and her feet would fall off. She took a tray a tray of clean glasses from the scullery person and slid them onto the shelf under the bar, as she came back up, her heart jumped into her throat. Tucker was standing in the doorway looking around towards the crowded tables. Tapping the other bar tender on her shoulder, she told her she was taking a break and crawled through the door at the side of the bar. She grabbed Tucker by her hand, shielded her with her body and ushered her to the locker room.
"Why did you drag me in here?" Tucker said with a growl.
Duncan looked down at her and spoke in a hoarse whisper. "What are you doing here?"
"It's a public place; I came to get something to eat, so if you'll get out of my way I'll…"
"You can't go out there, some guys looking for you. He said you're his fiancée and you were kidnapped."
Green eyes grew wide; Tucker ran her fingers through her hair and groaned. "That stupid asshole has really lowered himself," She looked up to see that Duncan had stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Did he have a broken nose and dressed in a suit?"
"Yeah, and the suit cost more than I make in two months. Is he your fiancé?" She looked deeply into troubled green eyes and felt her soul touched by something unfamiliar.
"Was, I broke it off a couple of days ago." She covered her face with her hands and mumbled for a few seconds. "I need to fly back to Texas before he finds me…"
"Once he doesn't find you here, he'll go back and find you in Texas."
"But I can hide in Texas, I can go to my parent's house…and it'll be the first place he looks, damn!"
Duncan leaned back against the wall of the small dingy room and closed her eyes in thought. Opening one eye, she watched Tucker chew on her thumb and twist a lock of her hair around her fingers. "If you want to stay, we'll hide you."
"If I stay it'll be like a prison, I want to be able to wander around the island, sit on the beach and surf."
Duncan stepped closer, ran her fingers through Tuckers hair, and raised her left eyebrow. "Would you be willing to cut and dye you hair, nothing drastic or anything, just to make a little change to throw asshole off?" Tucker felt tingles run across her scalp where Duncan's fingers had been, her eyes fluttered closed and then opened slowly when she heard her name. "How about it, are ya willing?"
"Nothing drastic right, where can I get it done…like right now?"
Duncan gave her a lopsided grin and held up a finger. "Wait right here and let me go talk to the other bar tender and find Ripples and Furball." She went to the door and then stopped. "Do you have a car?"
"No, I had a cab bring me here."
"OK, just wait right here and I'll be right back." She smiled brightly and ducked out of the door.
Tucker placed her hand over her heart and leaned back against a table. "If your smile affects me like this, I can only imagine what it does to another lesbian." Covering her face, she tapped her fingertips on her forehead and grumbled. "You're suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome, first, you check out her ass and now you're practically falling over when she smiles!" She spun in circles and then took a deep breath to try and stop the room from spinning. "You're a woman, you date men, you were engaged to one, what are you doing? I haven't a clue but I think I maybe going nuts!" She jumped when Duncan came back in with her roommates in tow.
"OK, we're outta here. We're going out the back just incase your stalker is around somewhere." She took Tucker's hand and pulled her so that she was in front of her and behind Ripples. "Our cars right outside the back door, once we get in, hide."
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"I can't believe I did this." She looked at Duncan's reflection in the saloon's mirror. "I've never had my hair this short before; now the color is…my natural color." She ran her fingers through the sides that were cut short and brushed back over her ears, the back stopped right at her collar and curled slightly.
"I like it, it makes you look…"
"If you say older, I'll smack the snot outta you." She held a fist up and waved it for effect. "Where are your roommates?"
"Playing as usual, I can't take them anywhere." She looked over to where Ripples and Furball sat with mud covering their faces, what didn't shock her was that they had straws up their noses and were shooting spit wads at each other. Tucker got out of the chair and looked over at the idiots; she snickered and pulled Duncan down to whisper in her ear.
"I think you should make them go home like that." She wiggled her brows and laughed when Duncan mimicked her.
"It'll cost something ta get them outta here ya know, like supper. None of us can cook to safe our lives."
Tucker tapped her hand against her chest. "Are you asking me to cook for you guys?"
"No, we can get take out and I'll split the bill with you."
Tucker groaned and shook her head. "I've had nothing but take out except for when I eat with your Mama, can we do steaks and the works?"
"We'll have to go to Mamas; she has a BBQ and one of those big pots for corn on the cob."
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Mama did a double take of her kids and shook her head; the only one who looked as she always did was Duncan. She didn't know what to say about Ripples and Furball, they reminded her of the movie swamp thing. She stepped up to Tucker and gave her a bright smile. "You look really different; if not for your green eyes I wouldn't have known you." She brushed the dark blonde bangs back from her forehead and looked to see Duncan blushing. "Why the change little one?"
"It was my idea," Duncan said in a low voice. "We're sorta hiding her from her ex; he came in the restaurant looking for her."
Mama looked between her daughter and Tucker and then to the other two. "Stick those two in his bungalow and he'll run across the ocean to get back to Texas. Damn are they ugly, what is on their faces."
"Its mud, Mama, it's supposed to make us look younger," Furball looked to Ripples and tried to grin.
"I don't think this shit is doing anything but getting like cement. How can anyone think it's supposed ta make ya look younger?"
Tucker cleared her throat, looked over at them, and tried not to laugh. "You're not supposed to leave it on forever, but the straws are a…nice touch." She groaned, shook her head and went into the house to get the steaks that they had picked up.
"What happened with her fiancé Duncan?"
"He came in with a picture and told me she was kidnapped." She sat down at the glass-topped table and raised an eyebrow at her mama. "What's the deal with her Mama, I know it's gotta be bad if she's willing to hide."
"Now Dunk, you know I can't tell you that, you'll have to ask Tucker."
"She'll never know then," Ripples said from the doorway where she was wiping water from her face. "She's the chicken of the sea."
"Yeah anything to do with women except…ya know, and she's stuck." Furball gripped her shoulder and flicked her tongue out at her. "It works for talking to ya know."
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Duncan sat in her bed with her back resting against pillows, she flipped the page in the book she was reading and smiled. She had borrowed one Tucker's books from her mama, she hadn't read any of her books and wondered why. She was enjoying the tale of mystery that Tucker had woven; she really liked the quirky Private Detective. The poor woman couldn't tie her own shoes without causing a national catastrophe. From blowing up the computers in the entire police station to accidentally setting off the sprinkler systems in the courthouse, she still managed to chase down unfaithful husbands for her clients. "No wonder Mama likes your books; I wonder why you hide this sense of humor?" She fell asleep four pages later and never knew that Ripples and Furball came in and stole the book from her.
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Tucker lay across her bed with a pile of old surfer's world magazines beside her, Mama had given them to her to read when Duncan and the idiots left for home. She flipped through the pages and then flipped a page back; right in front of her was a picture of Duncan. She looked different, her hair was free and dark bangs hung in her eyes. The sexy smile on her face sent chills down her spine and made her toes curl. "There ya go again Tucker, acting all weird. Maybe if you would have acted like this around Ste…a man, you wouldn't be in such a mess." She fell back on her bed and placed the magazine over her face with a loud moan.
"What's all the moaning about little one?" Mama asked from the doorway. "Life does get better and if you want my opinion, you're better off without that scheming moron." She placed a dish of fresh peanut butter cookies on the bed and handed her a tall glass of milk. "I see you found one with my brat in it," She looked at the article and shook her head. "Her and that damn 'fuck me look." She looked up when Tucker busted out laughing and almost spilled the milk all over herself. "Well, it's true." She flipped to the back of the book and found another picture of Duncan standing between Ripples and Furball. "What's worse is they actually print the damn pictures." She handed the magazine to her and pointed to the bottom of the page.
"She's not grabbing their tits…is she?" She looked up from beneath dark lashes and saw Mama nodding.
"She paid for it though; they chased her all day long trying to convince her that the photographer needed a retake." She closed the book and handed Tucker a cookie. "No matter what she or the other two idiots do, it keeps me laughing and feeling young."
They're like sisters, I've never had friends that I was that close with." She took a drink of milk and grabbed another cookie. "I'm an only child and I kept myself amused by reading and falling into the place where the story was taking place."
"There's nothing wrong with that, I still do it and I'm an old woman. By the way, Duncan borrowed one of my books." She gave her a wiggling eyebrow that reminded Tucker of Duncan. "It's one of yours, that brat never reads except stuff about surfing."
"Really, which one did she borrow?"
"The one about the klutz Private Investigator, I just about choked reading that one. I inhaled more iced tea in one chapter than I have in my entire life." She leaned back on the bed and gave Tucker a serious look. "What are you going to do about your ex?"
"Hide and pray he forgets all about me," She twisted her hands together and looked across the room. "Can you give me the number for your doctor; I'm still having some problems. I hurt inside and I just want to make sure that he didn't tear something." Tears came to her eyes and she wiped at them with a hand.
Mama pulled her into her arms and held her as she cried; she wished that she could get her hands on the ex so she could drop kick his nuts to his throat. "I'll call her as soon as I go back over to my house, she'll probably want to see you in the morning, is that OK?" She felt Tucker nod her head and then held on to her tighter until she stopped crying. "I think you should tell Duncan what happened, that way if he comes looking for you, she can let him know that she knows the truth."
"But then he'll know where I am?"
"He won't care after she gets a hold of him, she can be very convincing."
Tucker pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I'll think about it, he may just go away and none of us will have to deal with him."
"You think about it and I'm going over to call my friend, I'll let you know what she says in the morning."
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Duncan rushed into the doctor's office and stopped at the receptionist's desk; she took a deep breath and choked out. "Mrs. Fox, where is she?"
"She's in the exam room, hold on a minute." The portly woman held up one finger and disappeared behind the door to the back. Duncan wiped the sweat that was running down her face with a shaking hand and jumped when she heard her mama's voice.
"Duncan what are you doing here?"
"Are you all right, I called the hospital and they said you were here?" She grabbed her mama and gave her a tight hug.
"I'm all right; I brought Tucker in to see Petra."
Her blue eyes widened and she tried to look in the back. "What's wrong with Tucker, she was all right yesterday."
"I can't tell you that, you know patient confidentiality and all."
"Mama please, I'm going crazy with all this stuff, her ex showed up again today at the restaurant."
"Let's go in the back and see if Petra is done, if she is you can talk to Tucker."
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Tucker sat on the examine table with her head in her hands, the doctor had found a small tear in her cervix but said that it was healing and was not a cause for concern. What she did say was that there was extreme bruising on the vaginal walls and it would take some time for it to go away. Afterward, she took cultures and blood for testing. She looked up when she heard the door open and was surprised to see a dark head peek in.
"Can I come in?" Duncan asked in a soft voice that hid her nervousness.
"Yeah, it's OK." She waved her in and patted the table beside her. "I guess Mama told you why I'm here."
"Nope, she refused." She looked to where her feet were swinging. "She said I had to ask you, will you tell me?"
"Can I ask why you want to know?"
"I thought it would be better if I knew the whole story behind your break up, he came back to the restaurant again and I'm getting tired of him harassing me. That is if you being here has anything to do with it."
Tucker sniffled and looked with tear-filled eyes at Duncan. "He's the reason I'm here, I left him because he raped me." She sobbed and then fell to pieces, she covered her face and when strong arms wrapped around her, she wrapped her arms around a trim waist, buried her face in Duncan's chest, and cried harder.
Duncan rested her chin on Tucker's shoulder and cussed a blue streak in her mind; she imagined ripping him apart with her bare hands and tossing parts out into the ocean. No one had the right to do that to any one whether they were dating, engaged or married. When the door opened, she looked up at her mama and felt tears flow down her cheeks. Her stoicism was all shot to Hell now, she hadn't even cried after the accident years before but now she cried because of Tucker's pain. Mama stepped in front of them and hugged them both; she was shocked to see her daughter crying and wondered why now?
Bending close to Tucker's ear, she whispered. "I have your prescription, so we can go home when you're ready."
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Duncan carried a sleeping Tucker into the guesthouse and gently placed her down on her bed, pulling a blanket over her; she walked quietly from the room and went back over to her Mama's. With each passing moment her temper grew, the second she walked in the kitchen, Mama pulled her into a hug.
"She'll be OK, I'll take care of her and you go get that asshole and escort him to the airport."
"How could he do that to her!" She cried out and felt her mama hold her tighter. "No one should be treated like that, no one." She broke down and cried on her mama's shoulder.
"Duncan, I've never seen you act like this towards anyone, why Tucker?"
Duncan lifted her head and wiped the tears from her face. "Look at her Mama; she's so small…and…,"
"And what Dunk," She brushed the braids over her daughters broad shoulders and wiped tears from her cheek. "You see something deeper in her don't you?"
"It's feels ancient, touchable but not, a longing for something…Ohh Hell I don't know what I'm talking about."
"She's a special person and deserves gentleness to help her heal. She's been holding a lot of pain in since that awful experience, she needs friends Duncan. She's never had real friends before."
"She does now; me and the idiots will come over tomorrow and take her to Waimea. We can go hiking up to the waterfalls or something. Maybe drive over to the Northeast Park, walk around…"
Mama placed a hand over her mouth to stop her. "You take her, she's raw right now and if she breaks down I don't think she'll want Ripples and Furball to see her."
"OK, I'll call in sick tomorrow and see where she wants to go." She hugged and kissed her mama's cheek. "Thanks Mama, I'll be over bright and early."
"I'll have breakfast ready for you two and I'll even make you a lunch to take with you. Now get going before your roommates tear the house apart."
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