Big Girls Don't Cry Read online

  Maybe Leena and her sister had more in common than she thought. “Other than the naked calendar deal, that pretty much wraps up what happened in my last relationship too. He was a player.”

  Sue Ellen wiggled her eyebrows. “A well-endowed player?”

  “Not well enough to put up with his games. Like you, I got tired of being played.”

  “We deserve better. Or so Skye keeps telling me.”

  “Who is this Skye person?”

  “She’s one of my closest friends. She moved here a little over a year ago. You’ll meet her soon. I’ll have to throw a welcome-home party for you.”

  Leena could only imagine the kind of party Sue Ellen would come up with. Probably have a dancing Elvis theme or something. Time to change the subject again.

  Sue Ellen took care of that before Leena could speak. “What about Mom and Dad? Did you tell them you were coming home for a visit?”

  “No.”

  “They’d probably be jealous that you didn’t go see them instead of me. Not that they don’t have plenty to keep them busy down at Lighthouse Keys in Florida. You should see the mobile homes down there! They are huge. You’d never know they weren’t regular houses.

  And the community center is gorgeous. Mom has volunteered to be the librarian there, you know. Plus she’s in charge of the special activities all year. They’re having a fifties-style record-hop party this month.”

  “Yeah, well, Mom has always been a people person. That’s one of the reasons she did so well as a hairstylist.”

  “The place where she used to work, Sherlock Combs, closed a few years ago. Like so many businesses in town.”

  Leena had noticed that Rock Creek wasn’t exactly a boomtown. “What about Dad? How’s he doing?”

  “Stubborn Irishman that he is, he likes stirring things up.”

  Leena nodded. He’d been a pro at stirring things up those early years of her childhood, when he’d had a drinking problem. He’d been sober for nearly twenty years now, but Leena still had painful memories from that time permanently embedded on her mind’s hard drive. Memories of yelling and screaming, of dishes being smashed, of the taste of fear in her mouth as she huddled in the corner of her bedroom with her younger sister, Emma.

  Sue Ellen had been a teenager during those days and hadn’t been home much, spending a lot of time at friends’ houses. She’d never spoken to Leena about their dad’s drinking. Neither had their mother. Da Nile wasn’t just a river—it was a coping tool for Leena’s older sister and mother. Total denial.

  Her family excelled at avoidance. They were total pros. Leena had learned from the best.

  She hadn’t seen her parents much since they’d moved down to Florida a few years ago. Since then they’d been busy with their new life. Oh, she’d talked to them on the phone every couple of weeks. Her dad always said the same four lines.

  How’s it going? Everything okay? Good. Here’s your mom.

  Her mom’s conversation always revolved around all their Florida friends, people Leena didn’t know.

  “Hey,” Sue Ellen said. “Remember that time Mom and I came to visit you in Chicago?”

  “Which time?” There had been several, each one worse than the one before.

  “The last time.”

  “Right.” Leena could never forget that last visit, no matter how hard she tried. Their mom had insisted on accompanying Leena on a photo shoot to see what it was like. She’d promised Leena that no one would even know she was there.

  Yeah, right. That’s why her mom had ended up arguing with the hairstylist about Leena’s hair. Leena’s face turned red at the mere memory. What a disaster. Leena and her mom had been kicked off the shoot.

  Leena hadn’t invited her family back to Chicago after that debacle, and she hadn’t come back to Rock Creek either. She’d always vowed that she wouldn’t return until she was on the cover of a national magazine. She’d come close once, but the cover deal had fallen through.

  Instead Leena had stayed away, perfecting the avoidance and denial she’d learned at an early age. Her schedule kept her very busy so she didn’t have to lie when she said she didn’t have time to get together for Christmas or birthdays. She always sent presents. And e-mails. E-mail was Leena’s favorite means of communication with her family. She loved them; she just couldn’t cope with them.

  Yet here she was, depending on her older sister for help.

  A knock on the door interrupted Leena’s thoughts.

  “Who is it?” Sue Ellen shouted out.

  “Me, Donny.”

  She got up and opened the door.

  “Hey, Sue Ellen, I’m just returning that toaster you lent me. I didn’t want you thinking I’d stolen it or something.” The comment came from a tall, skinny guy wearing a gray Smiley’s Septic Service uniform. He had dark hair and nice eyes. And he kept those eyes firmly focused on Sue Ellen.

  “Donny, this is my famous-model sister, Leena.”

  “Hi.” Leena greeted him but he barely noticed her. She had the feeling she could have been standing there stark naked and he wouldn’t have blinked an eye.

  He chatted a few more minutes before leaving. The second he did, Leena said, “Someone’s got a crush on you.”

  “Really? Who?”

  “Are you blind? That guy who was just here a second ago.”

  “Donny?” Sue Ellen shook her head. “No way.”

  “Way. The poor man couldn’t keep his eyes off you.” Leena grinned. “Sue Ellen and Donny, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” After being tortured by her older sister with that chant as an embarrassed twelve-year-old kid, it felt good to repay the favor.

  “He’s just a friend. I’m seeing someone else,” Sue Ellen said.

  “Who?”

  “Russ Spears. He’s the high school football coach. He also teaches there. He’s a manly man.”

  “And Donny isn’t?”

  “What, you don’t think I’m smart enough to have a teacher interested in me?” Sue Ellen raised her voice. “Do you think that the only guy who’d want to get involved with me dumps shit for a living?”

  “Whoa.” Leena blinked in surprise. “Where did that come from?”

  “I may not be famous like you, but I’m not stupid.”

  “I never said you were.”

  “Fine. Let’s talk about something else. What price range were you thinking of?”

  “Huh?”

  “For your second home here in Rock Creek.”

  “I just got a job at the vet’s office. I’m not exactly rolling in money here. Besides, this is a totally temporary situation. I’m only going to be in Rock Creek for a few months.”

  “Do you want to stay in your old bedroom? You can if you want. I’ve sort of turned it into an office now, but I could fix that . . .”

  Leena swallowed her rising panic.

  “Wait.” Sue Ellen tapped one of her elaborately painted acrylic nails against her chin. “I might have another idea. Did I tell you I’m the manager here at the Regency Mobile Home Park? We’ve got a model double-wide that is sitting empty. Maybe you could rent that.”

  “How much would that be?” Leena asked, amused by the term mobile home park. What had happened to trailer park?

  “The park owner was just telling me he wanted to do something to improve the sales side of the business. If you agreed to model in front of it for a print ad layout, I’ll bet I could get a good deal for you.”

  Leena could see the write-up now: Double-wide Leena loves her double-wide mobile home. Lots of extra room for those wide hips and tummy.

  But what choice did she have? It wasn’t like she had a ton of options here.

  Okay, ton may have been a bad word choice given her present mood.

  “Let me just make a few phone calls. Meanwhile, make yourself at home. What am I saying? Of course you’ll make yourself at home. This is your home. You grew up here.” Sue Ellen headed down the hall toward the back of the mobile home, tossing one final comment o
ver her shoulder. “Make yourself comfy.”

  To really make herself comfy, Leena would have to leave town. There was nothing at all comfy about her return to Rock Creek.

  Leena automatically got up and headed for the fridge in search of comfort food. Sue Ellen didn’t disappoint. There was a box of supermarket brownies, a carton of Cool Whip, and a Sara Lee pound cake. She was about to reach for the cake when out of the corner of her eye she saw the two family-size packages of Cool Ranch Doritos on the counter.

  Doritos. And not just any flavor. Cool Ranch Doritos. Leena’s Achilles’ heel.

  That would be a start.

  Ten minutes later, Leena felt sick after chowing down half the huge bag of chips. Only back in the trailer park for an hour and already she was reverting to bad habits.

  She knew better.

  Sue Ellen bounced into the room. “Good news. You can have the double-wide, which is furnished by the way, in exchange for you doing an ad for it. It’s just a few steps away from here, so you’ll still be nearby. Want me to show you now?”

  “Sure.” Leena guiltily dropped the Doritos bag and stood. Already her jeans felt tighter.

  Sue Ellen headed outside, merrily traipsing along the path leading from her trailer toward the front of the mobile home park. “I’m the manager here now, did I tell you that? Oh, yeah, I did. Anyway, we’re cracking down on people who don’t maintain their spots. That’s why we’ve got such nice little gardens now. And look at Mrs. Petrocelli’s collection of cement geese. Don’t they have the cutest little outfits? She changes them depending on the season. Their Santa outfits are my favorites. Mr. and Mrs. Goose Claus.”

  Leena tried not to hyperventilate again.

  “I think I got my love for lawn art from Mom,” Sue Ellen said. “You never really appreciated the art form, did you?”

  “No.”

  “I got my love for Elvis from Mom too. Something else you missed out on. Not that I’m rabid about Elvis or anything. I like other singers. Like Taylor Hicks. And Carrie Underwood. I am a little rabid about American Idol. Ah, here we are. This is the model home.” Sue Ellen pulled a fuzzy pink Beanie Baby key chain out of her pocket and unlocked the door. “It may need airing out a little bit. The last renter was a smoker.”

  It wasn’t as bad as Leena had expected or dreaded. Everything was beige, but that was manageable. A few throw pillows on the couch would work wonders. She had that kind of stuff someplace in her car, maybe. She’d tossed things in so fast she wasn’t really sure what she had with her and what she’d put into a storage unit back in Chicago.

  Which reminded her, she sure hoped that her apartment neighbor Shayla Matera remembered to feed the stray cat by the Dumpster in the back of their building. Leena had left two huge bags of Cat Chow for the cat. She couldn’t afford to pay Shayla for the favor, so she’d given her tons of new makeup samples she’d been given as incentives. She hoped Shayla kept her promise about the cat.

  Leena planned on keeping her promise to herself to return to Chicago when the summer was over.

  For the first time since arriving back at the Regency Mobile Home Park, Leena felt a glimmer of optimism. She could do this. She could get her act together, get some money together, and get back on her success track.

  Ninety minutes later she’d completed a thorough cleaning of the mobile home, unpacked her car, and put everything away. A pair of Nate Berkus pillows adorned the couch, her brushed stainless frothy cappuccino machine sat on the kitchen counter, and all the closets were filled to capacity with her clothes, shoes, and bags. The queen-size bed was covered with her five-hundred-thread-count sheets.

  Leena had things under control. She’d conquered chaos. Her surroundings smelled like Clinique Happy now instead of cigarette smoke. The windows were open, allowing a gentle night breeze to filter through with a promise of new beginnings.

  Leena’s optimism lasted until the next morning when the digital travel alarm clock went off and there was no hot water for a shower.

  She arrived at the vet’s office ten minutes late.

  Cole was waiting for her. He tapped his watch as she walked in the door. “You’re late.”

  “I was out of hot water.”

  “Well, you’re in hot water right now.”

  “It’s only ten minutes.”

  “It’s the principle of the thing.”

  “Right. Is that coffee?” Leena grabbed the mug out of his hands. “I can’t manage without caffeine.” She took a gulp then made a face. “There’s no sugar in this.”

  “I drink it black, princess.”

  She took one more cautious sip before shuddering and handing it back to him. “Where’s the coffeemaker?”

  “In the staff room. I thought I’d show you around this morning before the clients show up.”

  “You mean the animals?”

  “And their pets, yes.”

  “Ha-ha. Are you always this funny first thing in the morning?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t you?”

  “First, lead me to the coffeemaker.”

  “You’re the coffeemaker. That will be part of your duties. I made the coffee this morning, but starting tomorrow it’s your job.” He led her down the hallway to a doorway on the right. As she trailed after him she couldn’t help noticing that he had a great butt. “This is the staff room.”

  It held the usual stuff: table, chairs, microwave, fridge, caffeine . . .

  Leena headed straight for the coffeepot, poured herself a cup, and added sugar and creamer. Cole’s interest in her actions made her feel defensive. “What are you looking at? I suppose you don’t think I should be using sugar? That I should be watching calories and starving myself down to some ridiculous weight that society finds appropriate?”

  “Actually I was thinking about a surgery I’ve got scheduled later on today. On a Doberman.”

  “Oh.” So much for her being the center of attention. A new thought occurred to her. “You’ve got someone else to help you with that stuff, right? I mean, surgery help isn’t one of my duties, is it?”

  “No, I’ve got two veterinary assistants for that. You know one of them already.”

  “I do?”

  “Yeah, you went to school with her. Here she comes now . . .”

  Leena looked over her shoulder at the woman who’d just entered the room. She had curly auburn hair and was shorter than Leena. No surprise there. At five foot ten, Leena was definitely on the tall side.

  “Oh my God, is that you, Leena? It’s me. Mindy.”

  “Mindy Oberhofen?”

  “Actually it’s Mindy Griffin now. I married T-Bone a year after we both graduated high school. He’s a butcher, just like his dad. Only he’s working over at the Giant Foods while his dad is at the local Peterman’s Market. That caused some family friction in the beginning, I can tell you. His dad wanted him to work at the same store he did . . . Anyway they’ve worked out a truce about it now. Who knew butchers could be so competitive? But enough about me. Tell me what you’re doing back here in Rock Creek. Are you here to visit Sue Ellen? How’s big-city life in Chicago? You must have met lots of famous people in your job as a supermodel.”

  “I’m not a supermodel. I’m a plus-size model.”

  “I watch Project Runway,” Mindy confessed. “I don’t know why . . . It’s not like I could wear anything they design or that I can relate to the people on the show.” She looked down at her own pear-shaped body. “Everyone is so skinny.”

  “I am definitely not skinny,” Leena said.

  “For the record, I’m not into skinny,” Cole said.

  “Cole here likes all the girls,” Mindy said. “He’s an equal-opportunity flirt.”

  “Hey, don’t go spreading rumors about me,” Cole protested.

  “She’s not saying anything I didn’t already know,” Leena said. Cole was definitely a denim dude, one of those guys who looked great in jeans. She might have been caffeine deficient when she�
�d walked in this morning, but she’d noticed that much. She’d put him in Ralph Lauren instead of Armani. Not that his jeans were designer made. He was a Levi’s man . . . with a nice tight butt.

  Mindy set down her Humane Society of the United States canvas tote bag and reached for a matching mug with a puppy and kitten on it. “Leena, you still haven’t said what you’re doing here.”

  “Leena is our new receptionist.” Cole seemed to take great pleasure in making the announcement.

  “Yeah, right,” Mindy scoffed.

  “I’m telling you the truth,” Cole said. “She’s the new receptionist.”

  Mindy was stunned. “Why?”

  Cole grinned. “She thinks I can’t survive without her.”

  Mindy shook her head, clearly still unable to fathom this info. “But . . . she punched you.”

  “That was years ago. She’s been remorseful ever since,” Cole added.

  “And so she gave up her fantastic job as a plus-size supermodel to come work as your receptionist to make amends? Sorry, but I’m not buying that.”

  “Why not?” Cole said.

  “I came to stop him from charming the pants off all the women of Rock Creek,” Leena said with a grin.

  “Actually he’s also busy rehabbing the monstrosity of a house where he lives,” Mindy said.

  “Hey, I am the boss here, remember?” Cole gave them both an irritated look. “Which means I’m in charge.”

  “We let him think that,” Mindy whispered conspiratorially.

  Leena laughed. “That’s kind of you.”

  “I’m outta here,” Cole announced. “I’m going to check on that black Lab with the broken leg. Mindy, will you give Leena a quick tour, fill her in on the basics?”

  “Sure.”

  The minute he was gone, Leena asked, “So what kind of boss is he?”

  “One who looks very sexy wearing a tool belt.”

  Leena blinked. “He wears that to work? What, he thinks he’s going to need a hammer to operate on some poor puppy or something?”

  “No, of course he doesn’t wear the tool belt to work here. I just meant that I’ve seen him out back.”