The Rainbow Cedar

CHAPTER ONE

"Order me a margarita," Jay said. "I'm at the light." She paused and smiled. "And before you say it, yes, I'm the idiot who suggested we come at five o'clock."

She flipped her phone closed and tossed it on the seat beside her, her fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel as she waited for the light to turn green. Five o'clock traffic had the downtown area moving at a snail's pace, but she could see die flashing light of her favorite women's bar. Although bar was a stretch of the imagination. It was really just a greasy hamburger joint that served the best margaritas in downtown Austin.

Her gaze slipped from the red light to the street, trying to spy a parking spot within a reasonable distance when she spied something much more attractive. Tall and lean—army-green shorts hiding what appeared to be fantastic thighs, and a ball cap pulled low with a short ponytail of brown hair peeking out the back—the woman bent over and slipped her feet into brown leather sandals. Nice feet. Nice ass.

A honk behind her signaled the light had turned and Jay pulled forward, glancing to the side for one last look. But her jaw dropped open as the woman pulled her T-shirt off, her bronzed torso glistening in nothing but a bright red sports bra.

"Oh, my God," she murmured, her eyes glued to the woman who now held a crisp white tank top in her hands. She's beautiful.

But her thoughts—and her movement—were halted as her tiny, gas-saving hybrid plowed into the back of a gas-guzzling truck.

Drew jerked her head around, staring in disbelief as the tiny car rammed the back of her brand new truck before bouncing off.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered. My truck. The truck was barely a month old. She tossed the clean white tank on die sidewalk without thinking and rushed to the car.

"Are you okay?"

But she took a step back at the wide, frightened eyes that stared back at her. Wide blue eyes. In fact, the prettiest pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen. God, she's cute. And she just hit my truck.

With eyes wide, Jay gripped the steering wheel, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as she tried to clear her head. "Oh, my God," she gasped.

"Are you okay?"

The urgent voice at her window brought her around and she stared dumbly at the woman who looked inside. Oh, my God. She shook her head slowly, hoping to be swallowed up by the pavement, or at least hoping the giant truck she'd just run into would continue eating her tiny car, but no such luck.

"Are you hurt?"

Jay shook her head again, then embarrassed herself even further as her gaze locked on the red sports bra.

"I think your door is stuck," the woman said as she pulled on it. Then she stopped and gave a lopsided grin. "Or maybe you could just unlock it? That'd probably help."

Jay could feel her face turning yet another shade of red as she hit the electric locks. The woman pulled the door open and gallantly offered her hand. Jay stared at it for a long moment before placing her own inside.

"I hear these little cars get great gas mileage," the woman said as she helped Jay out. "I don't think they fare too well in crashes though." She led Jay to the sidewalk, then went to survey the damage. "But not too bad." She dropped to her knees and looked underneath the car.

Jay's eyes were glued to her backside.

"No fluids. But I'm not sure I'd chance driving her. The front end is beat to hell."

Jay nodded, her eyes never leaving the woman as she stood again.

The woman came closer, her head tilted to the side. "Do you speak? Or are you in shock?" she asked gently.

"Oh, God," Jay murmured. She stared into her eyes, an odd color of green. Hunter green, she noted. "Can you please put a shirt on?" she asked as she pulled her glance from the red sports bra.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I dropped it over there in all the excitement." She hurried the few feet along the sidewalk to retrieve it. "So, you wanted this parking space pretty bad, huh?"

It was only then that Jay realized her car was parked along the curb, next to a fire hydrant, well out of the line of traffic.

"I'm an idiot." She took a deep breath. "And I need to call the police." She moved to her car, looking for the phone she'd tossed on the seat earlier. It had fallen to the floor from the impact.

"It doesn't look like there's any damage to the truck. Maybe a little ding. I wouldn't bother with the police."

"Well, I'm sure the owner of the truck would like that option," Jay said as she bent to retrieve the phone. "Besides, I think it's required."

"Drew Montgomery. Nice to meet you."

Jay squinted in the sun. "Huh?"

"I own the truck."

Jay bent her head back and stared into the sky, silently cursing herself. "Of course it's your truck. Why wouldn't it be your truck?" Damn my luck today.

"Huh?"

Jay shook her head. She refused to tell the woman the reason she'd smashed into the back of her. And in all fairness, since it was the woman's fault for practically undressing right there on the street, if she had any sense of decency at all, she'd offer to pay the damages.

"Well, listen, I was about to go over to Rhonda's. Why don't you let me buy you a drink, something to calm your nerves? We can exchange insurance stuff there if you'd like."

"What a coincidence. I was heading to Rhonda's myself."

"One suggestion though. You might want to try to move your car. Kinda close to the fire hydrant there."

Jay looked up and down the street, not seeing another parking spot within the block. "It'll be fine."

Drew shrugged, then led the way over to the bar. Cool air conditioning hit them immediately and Jay unconsciously pulled at her blouse, fanning herself. She found Audrey at their usual table and waved.

"Oh, you're meeting someone," Drew said. "I'm sorry. I should have known."

"Just Audrey, my best friend. I was in need of a therapy session."

"Oh, I see."

Jay laughed. "Nothing that serious." She stopped at the table. "Audrey Knor, meet Drew Montgomery."

Jay saw Audrey's eyebrows shoot to the ceiling. Finally, she reached her hand out, shaking Drew's.

"Nice to meet you."

Before Drew could reply, Rhonda came over with a frozen mug, nodding in both their directions.

"Jay, here's your 'rita," she said, placing it on the table beside Audrey. "Drew? Want a beer?"

"Hi, Rhonda. Yes, please." She frowned. "Jay? Is that your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. Jessica Burns—Jay—everyone just calls me Jay." She pulled out a chair, motioning to another. "Join us."

Drew nodded, glancing at Audrey. "Is that okay with you?"

Audrey looked from one to the other, then frowned. "Wait a minute. Who are you?"

Jay laughed. "I'm sorry, Audrey. Drew owns the truck I just hit."

"You hit a truck? With that little tin can you drive? Did it survive?"

"Very funny. That... that tin can gets sixty miles to the gallon, thank you very much."

"It's going to need a lot of work," Drew supplied. "I was already parked, so I wasn't moving. My truck is fine though. Maybe just a tiny ding in the bumper."

"That's because it's a freakin' tank and gets, what, five miles to the gallon?"

Drew grinned. "Twelve. And it's a diesel."

Audrey leaned forward. "Don't get her started. Everyone's got to have a cause. Jay's is fuel economy."

"Well, it's my work truck. It's my office." At their blank stares, she pulled out a business card from her shorts pocket. "Montgomery Landscaping." She leaned back as Rhonda placed a frosty mug in front of her. "Thanks, Rhonda."

"I've seen your trucks around," Jay said. "You do new subdivisions, right?"

"Yes, mostly. How do you know?"

"I used to work for Wilkes and Bonner Designs."

"Yeah, I've got a contract with Hunt Builders. I think Wilkes and Bonner do too."

"Yes." Jay smiled. "And they're pigs."

Drew laughed. "I see. And you used to work for them?"

"I started my own design company. I got tired of doing all the work and getting little credit."

"Or money," Audrey said.

Jay shrugged. "Anyway, Wilkes and Bonner have the majority of the market. They're huge. I've got my cards all over town and can't get a builder to give me the time of day."

"Well, I also have contracts with some smaller independent builders. If you've got some business cards, I'll be happy to recommend you. Not everyone can afford Wilkes and Bonner."

"You would recommend me?" Jay leaned forward, again wondering if those eyes could possibly be that color of green. "You don't know anything about my work. You've not seen my portfolio. I might suck."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Do you suck?"

"No. I think I'm quite good."

"Okay then. Give me your cards."

Jay opened her purse and pulled out her leather business card holder. She handed over five or six cards, then took one back. "I nearly forgot I hit your truck," she said as she turned the card over, writing quickly. "The number on the front is my cell. This is my home number and address. But you can usually reach me on my cell. I insist on paying to get your bumper repaired."

"It's just a little ding."

"Nonetheless, your truck looks fairly new. Now I've put a dent in it." She handed over the card. "Please. I feel like an idiot for hitting your truck to begin with."

"Yeah. And how did that happen again?"

Jay felt her face flush with embarrassment and quickly looked at Audrey for an escape, but her eyebrows were furrowed as well.

"Really," Audrey said. "I mean, she's parked already and you smash into the back of her? How did that happen?"

Jay scowled at her friend then looked back to Drew with a slight smile. "It's rather embarrassing. And I'd just as soon not share it."

Audrey laughed. "Oh, now you've got to tell us."

Drew took a large swallow of her beer, her smile lighting her face as she nodded. "Please tell. I'm assuming you were distracted," she said, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Jay laughed. "Okay, fine. Yes, distracted. When a beautiful woman such as yourself," she said, pointing at Drew. "When you undress on the sidewalk in broad daylight, there will probably be consequences."

"I wasn't undressing. I was changing shirts."

"In a red sports bra." Jay turned to Audrey. "A nun would have run into the back of her truck."

"Well, a nun, sure. You know what they say about nuns."

Drew laughed. "I'm sorry. If I'd known the sight of me in near undress would cause such havoc, I'd have stayed in my dirty, smelly shirt."

"And boots."

"Don't like sandals?" Drew asked, holding up one leg to show off the offending shoe.

"She's got a foot fetish," Audrey replied and got a swift kick under the table from Jay. "What's that for?"

"Don't like feet?" Drew asked.

"No, no. For some women, it's the breast. Others it's the ass. Jay, she looks at feet."

"Oh, I see."

"Audrey, shut up," Jay hissed. "And I don't have a foot fetish.

It's just, you can tell a lot about a person by their feet. And can we please stop talking about this?"

Drew laughed again and Jay stared at her, loving her laugh, loving her eyes. My God, she's got incredible eyes. She tore her gaze away, looking someplace safer, looking at Audrey instead.

"I need to get going anyway," Drew said. "I just stopped by to cool off." She shoved her empty mug away, then leaned her elbows on the table. "I've enjoyed meeting you. Both of you," she added with a quick glance Audrey's way. "In fact, maybe we could get together sometime." She met Jay's eyes, holding them. "Dinner?"

"Dinner? Oh, well... maybe, sure. Dinner would be—"

Audrey coughed loudly and kicked her ankle under the table.

Jay jerked her head around, staring. Audrey raised both eyebrows. Jay sighed and rolled her eyes. Katherine.

"On second thought, maybe I should pass."

Drew leaned back. "Oh. Okay. It's just I thought... well, never mind."

She stood to leave but Jay stopped her with a light touch on her arm. "It's just... I'm kinda in a relationship. I mean, I am in a relationship. Dinner probably wouldn't be a great idea."

"I see. Of course. My apologies." She stood to her full height, taking a step away from the table. "Well, it was still nice to meet you." She leaned closer, smiling. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather my truck get smashed by."

Jay and Audrey stared at her backside as she walked away, both sighing loudly as the door shut behind her.

"Wow. Dreamy, steamy and creamy all rolled into one."

Jay nodded. "That's crass, but I'll have to agree with you."

"I would hope you'd agree with me. You almost accepted a dinner date with her." Audrey playfully slapped her arm. "Forgot about Katherine, did you?"

Jay laughed. "Yeah, for a minute, yeah." She shrugged. "I haven't actually seen her awake since last Saturday. And that was only for about an hour."

"How does she function? I mean, what's she getting? Like four hours sleep a night?"

"If that. She's completely obsessed with it. If she doesn't make partner, I'm not certain she will survive. But of course she will make partner. That or die trying."

"Have you talked to her? Has it gotten any better?"

Jay shook her head. "No, not better. She was at the office well over a hundred hours last week. It's crazy."

"What's crazy is that you still live together."

Jay sipped from her margarita, glancing at the empty beer mug that Drew Montgomery had been drinking from. She sighed, shoving her drink away from her.

"It occurred to me how dysfunctional that office is," she said. "No one is married. No one has kids." She shrugged. "Well, except for the older Mills. Other than that, no kids. Isn't that strange?"

"Mills?"

"Mills and Mills and Garrett. That's the firm."

"Why did I think it was Bateman and something?"

"Bateman was years ago. She's been with this firm for three years."

"So why does Katherine think she'll make partner?"

"She's brought in tons of clients, tons of money. That's all it takes. Of course, once she makes partner, she'll be working as much if not more, just to prove herself. Old man Mills, well, he thinks women should still be secretaries." She shook her head again. "So, with the encouragement of the younger Mills, Katherine is out to prove him wrong. And I get exhausted just thinking about the hours she puts in."

Audrey grabbed her arm and squeezed. "But Jay, you never see each other. It's been what? Six months?"

"More like eight."

"Damn. How long can you go?"

"I don't know. I mean, we've got nearly eight years together. We have a house, a life. I can't just throw that away, Audrey. She's trying to make good. She's trying to make a name for herself. I have to respect that."

"So you see each other maybe once a week? And you live in the same house?"

"I know. It's crazy. But I keep thinking about how it used to be. We used to have fun. We used to... well, we used to be together."

"And now she's a silent partner?"

"Yeah. Although she's going to kill me about this wreck. I'm on her insurance."

"She'll only kill you if she knows why you hit the truck."

Jay grinned, thinking of an excuse. "How about a bee flew in my window? He was buzzing around my head. I lost control."

"Good. Except it's June. Ninety-five degrees out. Why was your window open?"

Jay frowned. "Good point. Okay, how about I swerved to miss a cute little squirrel that had run out in front of me?"

"That's a good one too. But five o'clock traffic,' downtown. Don't know how many little squirrels are out and about."

"Damn." Then Jay grinned wickedly. "Okay, some asshole nearly hit me! I swerved to avoid him and bam, I hit her truck."

Audrey laughed. "Excellent! That'll fly."

Jay's smile faded as she picked up her nearly empty mug again. "And if I happen to see her on Thursday, I'll tell her that tale."

"So Thursday is still the day for your dinner date?"

"That's how it started. Now it's evolved into her trying to get home before I'm in bed."

Audrey shook her head, then tucked her red hair behind her ears. It was a gesture Jay had learned to recognize in the ten years they'd known each other. Audrey was about to make a profound statement.

"Jay, you have got to talk to her."

"I have talked to her, Audrey."

"No. I mean really talk to her. Because this is going to end badly if you don't."

Jay sighed and brushed at her short strands of hair on her forehead. "I talked to her, Audrey." She nodded. "And it was bad, you're right. She accused me of being selfish."

"What?"

"I like the prestige—and the money—of her position, but I'm not willing to sacrifice for it. I want the cake and to eat it too, apparently."

"What the hell? You could care less about the prestige." She raised her hand to Rhonda. "Bring us another, Rhonda." She looked back at Jay. "That pisses me off. It was her idea to buy that big-ass house. I remember your arguments over that. And your agreement was if she wanted it, she was going to pay for it."

"Right."

"And that's how it still stands?"

"Yes. I mean, we split the bills. But the house payment, yeah, that's all hers." She leaned forward. "Have I told you how much our electric bills were last summer?"

"Yeah. About the same as my monthly rent." They both reached for the frosty mugs at the same time when Rhonda brought over another margarita for them. "Thanks."

"Anyway, we got into a huge fight, accomplished nothing other than having make-up sex, which let me tell you, ain't all it's cracked up to be."

"So now what?"

Jay shrugged. "Nothing. I just needed a therapy session to talk about it, and this," she said, picking up her glass. "Because as you know, I no longer have a social life. You're it, I'm afraid."

"Thanks a lot."