Chapter 9

A brilliant flash of light blinded Lucas as he stepped inside Fish’s showroom the next morning. He threw a hand up to shield his eyes and then peeked around it. “Fish, why are you dressed like a disco ball and Elton John had a baby?”

Jimmy straightened his silver sequined blazer, which he wore over a black sequined shirt and pants. His shoes and bowtie matched the suit jacket. He pulled his sparkly silver, star-shaped sunglasses with purple lenses down his nose a little and grinned at Lucas.

“Morning, Lucas.” He noted the way Lucas squinted and the shadows under his eyes. “Looks like someone got mounted last night.”

The Asian woman standing beside Jimmy let out a loud laugh that drove a shard of hot pain through Lucas’ head. If Jimmy was a disco ball, then she looked like the 60’s had thrown up on her. The swirling, psychedelic print dress she wore made Lucas dizzy.

“What? No, I didn’t have sex last night,” Lucas blurted, confused by Jimmy’s statement.

That threw Jimmy and the unfamiliar woman into a laughing fit that threatened to crack Lucas’ head open. He winced and barely kept from clapping his hands over his ears.

“Please stop,” he croaked as his stomach rolled. “Please, shut up before I puke.”

Jimmy calmed down enough to say, “Come on in my office. Melanie, please man the fort while I fix Lucas up.”

“Sure thing, Fish,” Melanie said, smiling at Lucas. “I’m sorry to hear that you were a little lonely last night, Lucas. I’ll give you my phone number and you call me if you need some company, okay?”

Jimmy snorted. “You better not let Herb hear you say that. Behave and stop hitting on the customers.”

Melanie waved him away. “I will if you will.”

Lucas gazed around the showroom and wondered if he was still drunk instead of hungover. He wasn’t sure if he was at Barnum and Baily’s or a car dealership. Big clusters of multi-colored balloons filled the corners of the huge showroom, and the other two salespeople also wore outrageous clothing. Was dressing like a clown one of Fish’s job requirements?

Off to one side was a kids’ play area, complete with a kid-sized go-cart track and cars. Colorful, bold lettering on the wall behind the play area pronounced it the Kids’ Korner. Underneath the words hung a large corkboard, which was covered in what Lucas assumed were drawings. He couldn’t tell because his eyes were a little buggy from all the visual stimulation.

Following Jimmy, he squinted his eyes as much as possible to cut down on the glare from Jimmy’s jacket. How are these people not blind from all the brightness?

When they entered Jimmy’s office, he took off the agony-inducing jacket and draped it over his chair. Lucas sighed in relief and sank down on a chair. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to ward off the nausea.

“I wasn’t talking about sex.” Jimmy’s voice held a smile. “Getting mounted was what my Uncle Marty used to call getting wasted. He had a bunch of names for it. Old terms that no one uses anymore. Most of them could be taken wrong. Maggoty, crapulent, licking up; see what I mean?”

Lucas just said, “Sure.”

“Did you drive here?”

“No. My head researcher, Maddie, brought me.”

Fizzing noises filled the office and Jimmy nudged Lucas’ shoulder. “Here. Drink this.”

Lucas only opened his eyes long enough to take a Styrofoam cup from Jimmy and sipped at the contents. “Is that lime?”

“Yep. Seltzer water and lime. Helps you detox. Hold still.”

Lucas felt Jimmy touch his head. “What are you doing?”

“I’m putting tiger balm on your temples and the back of your neck. Mysti turned me onto this remedy. It’ll cure any headache life throws at you. Trust me,” Jimmy responded.

Figuring that it couldn’t hurt, Lucas let Jimmy massage the oil into his temples and the nape of his neck. He was relieved that the slightly pungent scent didn’t bother his stomach.

“What kind of snake bit you?” Jimmy asked.

Lucas said, “One of Toby’s moonshines.”

“How much did you have?”

“I don’t know. I lost count after six shots.”

Jimmy snickered as he sat down behind his desk. “His stuff goes down smooth as silk. For future reference, don’t go beyond four shots. Unless you’re used to it, it’ll knock you on your ass.”

“Good to know.” Lucas was surprised to find that his head didn’t hurt quite as bad. “I came for that loaner. Austin’s going to drive it back to the inn.”

“And this Maddie is going to drive you. Is she that cute little brunette I saw at the diner the other day?” Jimmy asked.

“Yeah.” Lucas opened his eyes a crack. “Take the glasses off, Fish.”

Jimmy laid them on his desk. “So, I guess there’s a little trouble in paradise between you and Paul.”

Lucas rubbed his eyes. “News travels fast.”

“Small towns. Can you work it out?”

“Yeah. It’ll be fine. I have to sign paperwork, right?” Lucas just wanted to get the loaner and leave so that he could go see Paul.

Jimmy went over to a filing cabinet and pulled open the middle drawer. “Got it all right here for you.” He put the thin packet on the desk in front of Lucas and pointed out where to sign.

Lucas rubbed his gritty eyes before scribbling his signature. “Is that it?”

“Yep. Here are the keys.”

Lucas fumbled and dropped the keychain. Bending over, he banged his head on Jimmy’s desk and saw stars. “Shit!”

“Are you okay?”

“No, damn it!” Lucas held his throbbing forehead. “I am never drinking any of Toby’s stuff again.”

Jimmy grinned. “Yeah, it’s pretty wicked. I’ve never had any of it, but a lot of my friends have gotten blitzed on it.”

“You’re smarter than I was,” Lucas said. “All done?”

Jimmy stayed close to Lucas when he stood up. “Yeah. Just get your bearings. You hit your head pretty hard. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Lucas took a deep breath. He was relieved that he could now look at Jimmy with his eyes completely open. “Yeah. I feel somewhat better. My forehead hurts a little, but I’m okay otherwise. Stomach is better, too.”

“Tiger balm,” Jimmy said. “Go get some from Mysti. Oh, you should see if Glenna can fit you in at the spa, too. One of her deep tissue massages and a good toe cracking will make you feel like a million bucks.”

“Toe cracking?”

“Uh huh. Reflexology. Your feet are connected to the rest of your body, internal organs included. I see Glenna every Wednesday. If I miss a week for some reason, I feel like crap. Want me to call her for you?” Jimmy asked.