Posts Tagged ‘Friends’

Lunch with the Girls

Posted: March 12, 2025 in Experiences
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11

This afternoon, I had a special lunch with some of my closest girlfriends. We’re all the same age, and we were getting together to celebrate our birthdays for the year. Most of them knew that I got my PI license, and that I’ve worked for the police as well as having clients of my own. But they don’t know that I can read minds. It always makes our get-togethers more interesting for me, but I’m sure they’d hate it if they knew I could hear their thoughts.

Still… I always try to keep my shields up around them, since I’d rather not know their secrets. Besides, most women feel free to share their opinions on just about anything, whether you want to hear it or not.

We always go around the table to tell any news about our families… mostly the accomplishments of our husbands and children, along with all the amazing vacations we’d been on, or were planning. It’s not my favorite part of getting together, because seriously…most days we’re all just doing our best to survive, and I don’t want to hear about their kids sports medals, or how they aced an exam.

Of course, when it comes to me, it’s a little different. They’re usually interested in the types of cases I’ve been working on, and they love the stories of my mishaps… like the one I just told them about getting skunked. Most of the time, they like to hear my stories, but this time, I picked up a hefty dose of skepticism.

That’s when I heard that most of them thought I exaggerated and embellished everything I said. They figured I lied about my experiences because it didn’t make sense that all these things could really happen to one person. It usually didn’t bother me, but this time it hurt my feelings, since they basically thought I was a big liar.

Because of that, I ended my story about getting skunked pretty quick, leaving out all the fun parts about seeing Ramos take off his shirt. I mentioned that he was there, but that was as far as I got before someone else stole the spotlight. A couple of them secretly rolled their eyes and thought no one could ever be as hot as I claimed he was. It kind of bummed me out.

Since I was a bit depressed about the whole thing, it came as a surprise to get a text from Ramos. He said that Uncle Joey needed me to come to his office right away, and wondered if that would work. I responded that I was at lunch with my friends, but I’d happily leave early if he’d come and get me on his bike.

He didn’t respond right away. Then his text came back, saying, Is this for your benefit, or your friend’s benefit? I answered truthfully with a Yes to both. It took another minute before he answered that one, but all he wanted to know was the name and address of the restaurant.

With joy in my heart, I gave him the information. Of course that meant I had to leave my car there, but do you think I cared? He could always bring me back when I was done, right?

I broke it to my friends that I was needed at work, and would have to leave early. They seemed sad enough until I told them that Ramos was coming on his bike to pick me up. I picked up a lot of excitement from them to see if my claims that he was the hottest man on earth were true, although a couple of them asked why I couldn’t just drive my car.

They got shushed pretty quick when the others said they couldn’t wait to see the mystery man that was in so many of my stories. They were also thinking that all my lies about how handsome he was would finally be put to rest, because no one could look that good.

Our table was next to the window, giving them all a perfect view of the street, and I hid a smile. Secretly, I couldn’t wait to see their faces when he pulled up. Hearing the familiar rumble of Ramos’s motorcycle brought a rush of butterflies to my stomach.

As Ramos pulled into a spot right in front of the window, everyone turned to watch him. The girls in the back even stood up to get a better look. Ramos took off his helmet, and brushed his fingers through his hair, and every single one of the women sighed. It was epic.

“Well… I gotta go. See ya next time.”

With their eyes glued to the vision on the other side of the glass, not one of them looked my way. I hurried out to the bike and grinned at Ramos. Still seated on his bike, he raised a brow. “Well… how did I do?”

My smile widened. “Most excellent. Now they believe me.”

He shook his head. “That’s nice. But just so you know, I’m adding this to my tab.”

My brows drew together. “Oh come on… you’re enjoying this too, aren’t you?”

His lips twisted. “I’m used to it… but I could report you to human resources for this.”

I rolled my eyes. “What? Do we even have an HR department?”

He sent me that lop-sided grin of his that always turned my insides to mush, and shook his head. “Why don’t you get on before those ladies in there start drooling.”

I glanced at the restaurant and noticed them all standing at the window. A couple of them even had their hands pressed against the glass. I sent them a quick wave before tugging on my helmet, and settling in behind Ramos on the bike.

Knowing my friends watched while I put my arms around Ramos gave me the biggest thrill I’d had in a long time. As he drove off, my grin didn’t fade, even after Uncle Joey asked me to figure out who had broken into his safe. I knew I could figure it out, and, deep down, I was even grateful they’d done it.

That was probably not nice of me, but what can I say? All’s well that ends well, right?

Until next time!

~Shelby

To the Rescue

Posted: November 13, 2020 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
24

The other day I got a phone call from a friend of mine.

Jerry lives downtown in the condominiums above the mall plaza, and I hadn’t heard from him for a while. We’d struck up a friendship a few months ago, when he’d helped me investigate a man who lived in his building. In fact, he’d called Ramos to save me from a crazy person who wanted me dead, so I owed him.

After a few pleasantries, he got right to the point. “I have a problem, and I wondered if you could help me out?”

“Of course. What’s up?”

“Can you come to the plaza? My usual table? It would be easier to explain in person.”

“Oh… sure. I’m actually at Thrasher Development right now, so I’m not too far. I could be there in about fifteen minutes, would that work?”

“Yes. Do you think you could bring your friend, Ramos?” I hesitated, so he explained. “Not that I think it will get out of hand, but I’d feel better if he were here.”

“Uh… I’m sure he’d be happy to come if he’s not busy. Just a minute and let me ask.” I set my phone down on my desk, and found Ramos in Uncle Joey’s office.

“Sorry to interrupt, but do you remember Jerry from the mall?” They both nodded, so I continued. “He needs my help with something, and he wondered if Ramos could come with me.”

“What’s going on?” Uncle Joey asked.

“He said he’d explain when we got there, but if he needs Ramos, it must be serious.”

“We’re basically done here, so that’s fine, as long as he doesn’t make a habit of it.” He was thinking that I owed Jerry, and sending Ramos along would help keep me out of trouble, so he didn’t mind too much.

I hurried back to my office and told Jerry we’d be there soon. Ramos followed behind, and I picked up that he looked forward to this little diversion. “Want to take the bike?”

“You know it.” Luckily I’d worn my black jeans, boots, and leather jacket to work. Of course, lately, it had become my standard style of dress, and I only rotated between different shirts these days. What can I say…I like to be prepared.

The ride to Jerry’s wasn’t far, but I’d take what I could get. After parking, we took the escalator to the plaza, and found Jerry sitting at his table. He smiled and waved us over. After giving me a huge hug, he asked us to sit down while he explained what was going on.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice. I really appreciate it. Uh…the reason I called is because I have a problem with one of my neighbors.”

Jerry shook his head before continuing. “I’m usually pretty happy to live here, but my new neighbor is a college student who plays his music really loud, and he’s had some people over for parties that have lasted all night. I’ve talked to him and complained to the manager, but nothing has changed and I’m at my wits end.” He glanced at Ramos. “I was wondering if you could scare him straight?”

“Is he home?” Ramos asked.

“Yes, that’s why I wanted you to come now.”

“Sure. Let’s do it.”

Jerry let out a sigh and smiled. We followed him into the building and up the elevator to his floor. As we stepped to the neighbor’s door, Jerry stopped us. “Uh…Brayden won’t be happy to see me, so I should probably wait out here while you…uh…talk to him. Also…maybe Shelby should knock. He’s more likely to open the door for her.”

Ramos looked me over and nodded, thinking Jerry was right to think the guy would open the door for me, so it was a good call.

I rewarded Ramos with a smile and he winked. Shaking my head, I rang the doorbell. Ramos and Jerry stood out of view. A few seconds ticked by before the door swung open and I got my first look at Brayden.

He had that classic rich-boy smirk, with unkempt hair and a lazy demeanor. He leaned against the door-jam and looked me over like I was a prize. “Hello gorgeous, where have you been all my life?”

“Hi Brayden.” I patted his cheek. “We need to talk.” I stalked past him into the room. He followed behind, pushing the door shut. Before it closed all the way, Ramos stepped inside.

Brayden glanced over his shoulder and froze. “Who the hell are you?” He glanced my way. “What’s going on here?”

“Like I said, we need to talk.” The room was nicely furnished, but messy, with plastic cups and plates sitting on any available surface. “I hear you like to party.”

“Uh…yeah. So? There’s no law against that.” He wondered if his stupid neighbor had complained again. That guy just wouldn’t shut up, and it was messing with his social life.

My gaze rested on him. “No, but the way you party is a problem. Loud music, lots of people doing who-knows-what at all hours of the night. It’s a little much for your neighbors.”

“Hey…we’re just having a little fun. I can’t help it if it gets a little loud sometimes, but it’s not that bad, and mostly just on the weekends.”

I shook my head and turned to Ramos. “He doesn’t seem to get my meaning. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

Ramos stepped toward him, and Brayden backed up until he hit the wall and couldn’t go anywhere. His face paled, and I picked up his fear at the hardness in Ramos’s eyes. Brayden had never been confronted by anyone like him. Then Ramos spoke, and Brayden nearly wet his pants.

“Brayden. Normally I wouldn’t bother with someone like you. But Jerry is my friend. He doesn’t like all the noise and loud music.” Ramos put his hand on Brayden’s shoulder and squeezed. “I don’t like it when Jerry’s unhappy. It brings out the worst in me.” He squeezed a little harder. “It makes me want to hurt something.”

“Ow… okay, okay. I get it. Let me go.”

Ramos dropped his grip and stepped away, his face still hard. With a quick glance my way, he asked, “Does he?”

I picked up that Brayden wasn’t convinced that Ramos would actually do anything to harm him. He might take a break this weekend, but after that, he wasn’t about to change anything. He’d party if he wanted to. “Maybe for a few days…then it’s back to party time.”

Brayden’s eyes widened. Before he could say a word, Ramos stepped close. This time Brayden tried to shove Ramos away. Before he knew what hit him, Ramos held his arm behind his back and had his face smashed against the wall.

“This is a warning, Brayden. One word from Jerry about your parties, or loud music, and I’ll be back. You might wake up in the middle of the night with me standing over you, and I won’t be so nice next time. Now…do you understand?”

“Yes…yes…it won’t happen again.”

Ramos stepped back, releasing his hold, and Brayden slumped against the wall. Ramos raised a brow at me, and I nodded, letting him know that Brayden was sufficiently intimidated. With a hard look at Brayden for good measure, I opened the door and walked out, Ramos following behind.

Jerry waited in the hallway, his eyes anxious. “What happened?”

“I think your problem is solved,” Ramos answered. “But if it happens again, be sure to let me know. I’d be happy to come back.”

Jerry’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks. I really appreciate this.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

We left Jerry with a promise to stay in touch, and headed to the elevator. “Wow, that was kind of fun.” Ramos’s brows rose, so I continued. “I mean…not that I’m glad you had to nearly beat the kid up, but setting him straight was rather satisfying. That doesn’t make me a bad person, does it?”

“You? No. You may have your weaknesses, but you’ll never be a bad person.” He gave me that sexy half-smile that turned my insides to mush. “Even though I might wish for it once in a while.”

“Ha-ha.”

He shrugged. “The only bad thing about doing a favor for Jerry is that you don’t owe me for it.”

“Thank goodness. I already owe you too much as it is.” As his eyes lit up, I quickly continued. “Uh…but we’re almost even.”

He shook his head. “Not even close.” He stepped closer, nearly pinning me against the side of the elevator. My breath caught and I froze, mesmerized by the desire in his dark eyes. The elevator doors opened, and I knew I should just jump right out of there, but for some reason, I couldn’t move a muscle. My breathing even got a little ragged.

Ramos stepped away and grabbed my hand to pull me out, since several people were now getting on the elevator and sending me curious glances.

Stepping to the bike, Ramos handed me my helmet, smirking at my total loss of composure. “You want to take the long way back?”

I could have smacked him and said no, but the only person I’d hurt would be me, and there was no way I was that stupid. So I just kept my mouth shut and nodded. His sexy grin accompanied by the twinkle of mischief in his eyes was totally worth it.  

After snapping my helmet on, I climbed behind Ramos and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. We started off, and he took a long and winding route up into the backstreets of the hills on the edges of the city. The sun hit the leaves as they fell, sending a cascade of golden light all around us, landing on the earth in fallen kisses.

The blue sky and white fluffy clouds was the perfect backdrop for this amazing autumn day, and I breathed in the fresh air that carried a chill to it. Soon, it would be too cold for a ride like this, but it didn’t bother me too much. On those cold winter days, I knew this would be one of those perfect memories that I could pull out and savor. But until then…I’d hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

A Major Award

Posted: April 13, 2020 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , ,
13

A few weeks ago, my friend, Billie Jo Payne, asked me to help her with a story she was writing. She’s a newspaper reporter, and she needed to know if her source was telling the truth. Naturally, she thought of me and my ‘premonitions,’ since I’m highly successful at that sort of thing.

She doesn’t know the truth that I read minds, which is for the best, as I don’t want that little secret to get out. So I call it premonitions, which mostly works out as a good explanation for what I do.

Anyway – While at the newspaper offices, I picked up someone’s thoughts about shooting the big boss. Since Billie and I were talking to him at the time, it made for a tense few moments.

To make a long story short, I was able to stop the shooting spree before it happened, thus earning me a bit of notoriety I didn’t necessarily want, and firmly cementing my reputation as the Queen of Premonitions, and hero of the day.

That led to a whole new threat that I won’t go into right now, but since trouble follows me… well, you get the picture. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before Billie called to ask if I’d come to her office. She was receiving an award for the special interest story that I’d helped her with that day, and she wanted me there.

I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go back. I mean… look what happened the last time? But she persisted, telling me that my help had been one of the main reasons she’d won the award, and she wanted me by her side to enjoy her special moment.

How could I turn her down now? Since I didn’t want to ruin her day, I agreed. Walking into the lobby brought that day back to mind, but I didn’t let it bother me too much. I took the elevator to the third floor, and found Billie waiting for me.

Her delight to have me there offset my reservations, and I was happy to join her and her new husband, Dimples, for the award ceremony. Dimples was my partner with the police, and they’d just recently returned from their honeymoon.

The ceremony involved the newspaper staff and a few family members of the person being recognized, and it took place during their lunch hour in the big conference room. In addition, lunch was provided after the award was given out.

“So, does this happen very often?” I asked Dimples, just before they got started.

“I think the last time they did this was about three years ago. So… it’s a pretty big deal. I guess the board, along with Michael, the editor-in-chief, decide when a story warrants this special recognition.”

“Oh… no wonder Billie was so excited.” She was always thinking of getting a journalism award of some kind, so this was great.

“Yeah, totally. They’re not Pulitzer Prizes, but they’re still nice to get.” He was thinking that this was the first time Billie had made the cut, so it was a huge deal to her.

Michael began, proceeding to explain Billie’s great work on the article she wrote. He spoke of how it got picked up by several news syndicates and boosted their paper’s credibility. He ended with high praise for Billie’s excellent work and tenacity.

Next, he presented the award to her amid a round of applause, and she beamed, gratefully accepting the plaque with her name in bold letters. She fairly beamed with pride, and I picked up that she could hardly wait to hang it on her wall.

With that over, Michael caught everyone’s attention before they could move to the buffet table. “We have one more award to present.” He glanced at me with a smile, and my heart sank. Oh no… it was for me.

“We don’t usually do this, but our editorial board and the newspaper owner felt it appropriate. We’d like to present a small token of our gratitude to Shelby Nichols for her quick thinking and extraordinary measures to keep us from harm on that fateful day. Shelby, would you please join me?”

As I snapped my mouth shut, all eyes turned my way, and I forced my feet toward the front of the room. I tried to smile, but I don’t think it worked, since a few people were thinking that I looked shocked… and how could I be taken by surprise when I had premonitions?

Once I reached Michael, he told the story of that day, making me sound like some sort of super woman. Instead of a plaque, he handed me a beautiful, crystal paperweight with the newspaper logo in gold, and my name engraved underneath.

With a smile, I thanked him and took the lovely triangular shaped object, impressed that this was an award I could actually use.

He insisted that I join them for lunch, and I gave in, sitting by Billie and Dimples. It was a relief that Billie didn’t mind that I got an award too, and it was great to catch up with her and Dimples.

Just before it was time to leave, Michael joined us, and I picked up his satisfaction that I’d been surprised. He’d made sure that no one knew about my award but him and his assistant.

He wasn’t sure what that meant about my premonitions, but he was hoping that I’d agree to a personal interview. He’d mentioned it to me before, but the timing hadn’t been right. Maybe now it would work?

Before he opened his mouth to ask, I jumped in. “Thanks for the award, but the answer is still no.” His mouth dropped open, and he stuttered a little. “When I’m ready to give an interview, I’ll let Billie know. How does that sound?”

“Uh… sure.” He shook his head. “I’m… uh… just so you know, the award wasn’t meant to make you feel like you had to do an interview.”

I smiled. “Oh… I know, and I appreciate it.” He wished me a nice day and left us, thinking he was more convinced than ever that my premonitions were real.

Billie shook her head, and Dimples sent me a knowing smile, thinking that I sure knew how to use my superpowers when I needed to. Since he knows my secret, I nodded and smiled back.

“So where are you going to put it?” he asked. He thought it would look good on my desk at the precinct, but I had other plans.

“I’m taking it home so Chris and my kids can see how great I am, since they’re not always convinced of that.”

He chuckled and we finished up our lunch. Soon, it was time to go. As I carried my award to my car, I knew where it needed to go. I’d use it on my desk at Thrasher Development. It would fit in much better with the decor there than at the precinct, and I wanted to show it off to my boss and the hitman who worked for him.

All in all – that experience hadn’t turned out so bad.

It still proved that my life is a little mixed up and crazy… but hey… now I have a Major Award to show for it, so it’s not all bad. In fact… I think things are looking up. Next week, I’m going on vacation with my family to New York, and it’s going to be a blast!

Until next time ~ Shelby.

 

Game Night

Posted: July 3, 2019 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , ,
6

Recently, Chris and I were invited to a game night at a neighbors’ house. There were eight people who came and we all brought treats. My best friend Holly and her husband were there, along with several others from the neighborhood.

We had a great time socializing and catching up with each other’s lives. Most of them had seen my photo in the paper recently about an incident at the newspaper, and I got lots of questions about my premonitions.

Since I didn’t want my friends to think differently about me, I explained it as intuition, or a hunch, and that I’ve learned to listen to that part of my brain. No way did I want any of them to know my real secret that I can read minds. They accepted my explanation pretty well, and it was a relief to be off the hot-seat.

Soon, it was time to start the games, and someone bought out an interactive game they were really excited to play called The Resistance. They explained it as a social deductive game where you’re either Imperial Spies or Resistance Operatives.

At the beginning the moderator tells everyone to close their eyes. Then he tells the spies to open them and see who the other spies are. They then close them, and then the leader tells everyone to open their eyes and the game begins. With eight people there are three spies and five resistance, so it seems a little stacked against the spies, but since they know who everyone is, it evens out.

If you are with the resistance, you don’t know who is on your team, or who to trust, and the spies are always lying and saying they are part of the resistance. The leader picks people to take on missions which everyone votes on. This is part of the strategy and discussion to figure out who is who. If it passes they run the mission and this goes on for five rounds.

When the mission is run, the spy can sabotage it. If that happens, you know that someone on that mission is a spy. So you try different combinations of people to go on the missions so you can figure out who are resistance and who are spies. When one of the teams wins three missions they win the game, and you start over with new roles.

This game is great fun unless you’re a mind reader, and you know who everyone is. It wasn’t so bad being a spy, because we always knew everyone’s roles anyway, but my competitive nature always over-ruled the fairness of knowing who was who, so I knew the spies right off the bat, and, unless I was on the team, they always lost.

Then, as a spy, I always knew what the other team was thinking about who might be who, so I could play to their strategies and deceive them with lies. It bothered me just a little that I was so good at lying, but not enough to stop. Needless to say, I was always on the winning team.

A couple of the guys weren’t happy with that, so we played some other games. One was called Code Names. I tried really hard not to cheat, but when someone thinks about a  word you’re supposed to guess, and gives the clues for that, I can’t help but pick it up and shout it out.

Once again, my team always won.

Chris kept telling me in his mind to stop listening and play fair. I really tried to do that, but it’s a lot harder than you’d think.

Later, after one of the couples left, someone suggested playing a few rounds of Texas Hold’em. It had been a while since I’d last played poker, and I couldn’t hold back my enthusiasm for the game.

Chris shot me a warning glance, but I ignored him. We weren’t playing for money, so what was the harm? It ended up being a lot more fun than the other games for me, mostly because it wasn’t so cut and dry. I did end up winning all the chips pretty fast, and I was declared the king of poker.

I didn’t mind too much, but the hosting couple was thinking that they weren’t going to invite me and Chris to game night… EVER again. That kind of hurt my feelings. But, on the bright side, at least no one accused me of cheating.

As we left, one of the women suggested that Chris and I try to get on one of those game shows. With me in the mix, we’d probably win everything.

We all laughed, but her husband was already planning a trip to Las Vegas. He was thinking about paying my way, and ready to put down his life’s savings so I could win him a few million dollars playing poker.

He never said it out loud, but once he got the logistics figured out, he’d come up with a plan. He thought he’d have to split the winnings with me so I’d go along with it, say…80/20, but he could do that.

Before he got too carried away, I spoke up. “I could probably make quite a haul in Vegas, right?” They mostly nodded. “Maybe someday I’ll enter a poker tournament, but for now, that’s the last thing I want to do. Too much pressure… you know?”

He mostly got the message, but he wasn’t about to give up the idea.

In the end, I don’t think we’ll get invited back to game night.

I know there has to be a solution to that. There are lots of games out there where reading minds wouldn’t matter so much in the outcome. If I can find some of those games and offer to bring them next time… it could work.

If there is a next time.