Текст книги "Take Me Home for Christmas"

Автор книги: Brenda Novak

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Ted felt even more disheartened. “Why am I surprised?” he grumbled. “So...how far behind are you?”

“According to the bill collector who keeps calling me, it’s been four months.”

Had he ever known anyone in a worse situation?

No. Never.

“Is that true for the house, too?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“How come you didn’t get the notices?” She’d told him before that she hadn’t known they were in financial trouble, so this must’ve been as unexpected as Skip’s initial disappearance.

“Until he died, everything went to Skip’s office.”

Ted couldn’t get over what Skip had done to his own wife and child. He shook his head. “Okay, back to your car. What will you do without transportation? Because the Mercedes will go first and, if you’re four months behind, it’ll be very soon.”

“I’ll walk.”

“To my house? That’s ten miles round trip. What about Alexa?”

“She’ll have to ride her bike to school. And we’ll have to ask Sharon to drive her out to your place every afternoon—at least until they move. After that? I can’t plan so far into the future.”

“You can’t leave her vulnerable to the little monster who’s been tormenting her at school.”

Sophia pushed herself into a sitting position. “I don’t know what you want me to say! That I’ll buy another car with the piles of money I have sitting around? There is no money, Ted! I’m doing all I can to get through this, but I don’t have a lot of options and no resources.”

“You could’ve told me you don’t even have heat!” he said.

“We have heat. We just can’t pay for it. I’m trying to keep the bill down, so they won’t turn it off before we get kicked out. Anyway, why would I complain to you? You’re my employer. I don’t want you to regret hiring me. My job’s the one thing that might save me.”

“I wouldn’t fire you just because you need help.”

“The problem isn’t that I need help—it’s that I need more help than anyone in their right mind would want to give me. I’ve crashed and burned in a very ugly and humiliating way. I don’t blame everyone for wanting to get as far from me as possible. You should do the same thing.”

“I don’t mind giving you a hand. That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

The fact that he still cared about her. That was what made this situation so impossible.

“We’ll talk about it in the morning,” he said and walked out. But just as he was opening the front door to leave, he noticed a pair of headlights coming toward him. The glare was so bright, he couldn’t see who it was, couldn’t tell the make and model of the vehicle. He ran out, but the driver spotted him immediately, threw the transmission into Reverse and burned rubber as he accelerated backward.

Ted jumped in his Lexus and tried to follow. Only one road led to and from the DeBussi mansion. He thought he could catch whoever it was, or at least get close enough to see if he recognized the car. But the vehicle seemed to disappear into thin air.

“Son of a bitch.” Smacking the steering wheel, he headed back to Sophia’s. It didn’t matter that she was his ex-girlfriend. He couldn’t leave her and her daughter alone, not under these circumstances.

19

“Mr. Dixon?” A hand jiggled his shoulder. “Mr. Dixon? Are you okay?”

Okay was a relative term. Ted had a crick in his neck. He knew that much.

Lifting his head, he squinted to bring Sophia’s daughter into focus. The bruise on her face looked worse than yesterday. But the cut looked better. She was ready for school, all scrubbed and polished. With her hair pulled back, she was the spitting image of her mother—fortunate for her considering the wide disparity in Skip and Sophia’s physical traits.

“I wanted to try sleeping at your kitchen table.” He yawned as he stretched.

“That couldn’t be comfortable.” She frowned, obviously perplexed. “Why would anyone want to try it?”

He hadn’t had many options. There were probably thirty rooms in the house, but thanks to Skip’s investors trying to recoup whatever they could, there wasn’t a mattress or an extra blanket in sight.

“I should’ve brought a sleeping bag,” he muttered.

She started to say something else, but Sophia’s voice came down to them from upstairs, interrupting. “Lex, hurry up and grab some cereal. We have to go. I can’t be late.”

He made a face. “Or what? Sounds like she has a really mean boss.”

That got a smile out of her. “I don’t think she knows you’re here.”

“Neither do I, but she’ll find out soon enough.” He stood to ease the pain in his back and neck. “Can I scramble you some eggs for breakfast?”

“You could if we had a frying pan,” she said. “We had a good one, but someone took it that night they came for the furniture.”

“I see. So...what’s for breakfast?”

She pulled a couple of cheap plastic bowls out of the cupboard. “We got these at the grocery store. They’re not as pretty as what we had before, but they were only a dollar.” Setting one in front of him, she took two plastic spoons and went to the pantry. “What’s your favorite cereal?” she asked from inside.

“Wheaties, the breakfast of champions. I hope, if you had some to begin with, your father’s investors didn’t take it.”

She laughed. “They took some of the meat out of the freezer, but they left the cold cereal. Thank goodness,” she added, “because I was tired of eating soup.

“Sorry, no Wheaties,” she said a moment later, holding out a box of Cap’n Crunch. “This is as close as I can get.”

“Shouldn’t we set a bowl for your mother?”

“No, she won’t eat.” She was carrying the milk to the table, but hesitated for a second. “I think she’s trying to save most of the food for me.”

“She really loves you.”

“Believe me, now that I know what it’s like to have a parent who doesn’t, I’m a lot more grateful.”

What she’d said was both sweet and sad. “Did you get your homework done last night?”

“Yeah.”

“What topic did you choose for your English essay?”

“Bullying.”

“Great choice. That’s something you should feel passionate about, which always makes for an easier argument.”

“I like the way it turned out. But—” she slumped into a chair and poured her cereal “—I still don’t want to go to school.”

He leaned down to catch her eye. “Good thing you’re brave enough to do it anyway.”

“Nice try, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Come on, a smart girl like you?” he said with a grin. “Nothing can keep you down for long.”

She allowed him to pour the milk. “My mom said you’re Eve’s boyfriend.”

He wondered what had brought that up. “We’re...seeing each other.”

“I like her.” She scooped up her cereal. “She’s nice, like you. And beautiful.”

“Eve’s special,” he agreed.

She slanted him a shy look. “Do you love her?”

Fortunately, Sophia called down at that moment. “Lex?”

When Ted pressed a finger to his lips, indicating that she shouldn’t give him away, she giggled.

“What?” she called back.

“Remember that typing class you took at the library over the summer?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think they have that during the winter?”

They could hear Sophia coming down the stairs. “I don’t know,” Lex said. “Why?”

“I need to learn how to type. For my job.”

Lexi covered her mouth as she laughed. “Or what? Mr. Dixon will fire you?”

Ted stopped chewing while he awaited Sophia’s response.

“He might,” she said. “He doesn’t like me. I can tell you that.”

The smile disappeared from Alexa’s face. “Mom—” She was obviously going to explain that he could hear, but it was too late. Sophia entered the kitchen, saw him sitting at the table and froze.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He didn’t answer the question. He asked one of his own. “Who said I don’t like you?”

“It’s a safe guess. Right now, no one does.”

“I don’t have many friends, either. Not anymore,” Alexa chimed in, relaxing when she realized they weren’t going to have a problem despite what he’d heard. “It’s just the two of us.”

“And me,” he said.

She gave him a conspiratorial nudge. “And you. He slept slumped over on our kitchen table,” she told her mom.

“For the record, it’s as uncomfortable as it looks,” he said with an exaggerated scowl.

Sophia came closer. “I don’t understand why you didn’t go home last night.”

He didn’t want to bring up the threatening note or the person he’d seen last night in front of Alexa, didn’t see any point in frightening her. “I stayed because I wanted to help.”

“By doing guard duty?”

“By getting you moved.”

They both gaped at him. “Moved where?” Sophia asked.

“Into the guesthouse.”

Confusion brought Alexa’s eyebrows together. “What guesthouse? We don’t have a guesthouse. My dad said my grandparents would want to move in if we built one.”

Ever the loving son. Ted wanted to say that but, for Alexa’s sake, he didn’t. “The one behind my house.”

Sophia marched across the kitchen and pulled her keys from her purse. “We are not moving into your guesthouse.”

“Why not?”

“Because. Just...forget it.”

“No one’s living there,” he said. “You might as well use it. Then you won’t have to worry about—” he glanced at Lex and stated what he had to say as euphemistically as possible “—what might happen here.”

“What if people start throwing rocks through your windows?” Sophia asked.

“They won’t.” He grinned. “They like me.”

She glanced at the clock. “Lex, run up and put your backpack together, okay?”

Apparently, the risk of being late for school was enough to motivate her, because she jumped right up.

Once her daughter was gone, Sophia lowered her voice. “You know what people will say.”

He played dumb. “No, what?”

“They’ll think we’re sleeping together!”

“Doesn’t matter what they think.”

“And Eve? She can’t want me there! I may not be much competition for her now, but you and I...we have a history.”

“I’ll make sure she’s okay with it.” He dropped his voice to match hers in case Alexa came hurrying back. “What else are you going to do? Your days here are limited. You’re already down to sleeping on the floor. My guesthouse is furnished and empty. It’s not large, but at least you’ll be safe and warm.”

“I can’t afford rent yet.”

“Consider it part of your wages. It won’t cost me anything to help you out until you can get back on your feet, except the utilities, of course, and I can afford to cover that.”

Her skeptical expression said his offer had to be some sort of trap. “Why would you do this? There’s nothing in it for you.”

He checked to assure himself that Alexa wasn’t returning yet. “Sophia, last night when I was leaving, I saw a car come down your street. I can’t say that whoever it was meant you harm, but...they acted suspicious once they saw me.”

She started digging at her cuticles. “In what way?”

“They hauled ass to get out of there.”

“You couldn’t see who it was?”

He stopped her before she could draw blood. “The glare of the headlights was too bright. I tried to catch them, but...no luck.”

“Still, I’m not sure moving us into your guesthouse is the answer.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

He knew he might regret having them so close, but there’d be a lot more to regret if he left them here and something terrible happened. “It’s not like we’ll be living together, Sophia. They’re separate houses. What’s wrong with that?”

Her expression grew earnest. “I don’t want to be so vulnerable.”

He couldn’t prevent his eyes from lowering to her lips. “You’ll be far more vulnerable here.”

“Not in the same way,” she said, but before he could respond, Alexa entered the kitchen.

“Did I miss it?” she asked breathlessly.

Sophia grabbed a granola bar and shoved it in her purse. “Miss what?”

Alexa hiked up her backpack. “Will we be moving to Ted’s?”

“We’ll talk about it after school,” Sophia replied. “Go and get in the car.”

Eager for a more definite answer, she glanced between the two of them, but Sophia motioned her toward the door and she did as she was told.

“Goodbye, Mr. Dixon,” she called back.

“It’s Ted from now on, okay? That Mr. Dixon stuff is making me feel old.”

She tossed him a smile. “Okay. Goodbye, Ted.”

“Hey,” he called and she turned around.

“You’ll get through it.”

The gratitude in her eyes convinced him that he was doing the right thing in taking her and her mother in. But when he returned his attention to Sophia, he sensed that she was waiting to tell him something.

“We won’t stay there long, Ted,” she said when her daughter was gone. “I promise.” Her gaze was as intense as her words. “I’ll get out of your life as soon as I can.”

He remembered what Alexa had revealed in his kitchen yesterday. “Lex says you’re planning to move away from Whiskey Creek.”

“We are. As soon as I can save up the money. If you could just...tolerate us for three months, we should be okay. That might sound like an eternity to you right now, but...it’ll go fast.”

“I’m sure I can manage,” he said, but could he manage without falling into the trap he’d just set for himself?

“Thanks.” Her tone sounded as worried as it did relieved.

“Why don’t you let me run Lex to school while you start packing?”

She bit her lip as she considered his words.

He knew he shouldn’t, but he reached out to touch her arm. “You really don’t have a better choice. I’ll pick up some boxes on my way back.”

With a nod, she handed him her keys.

“I’ve got my car,” he said and hurried out.

20

“What’s going on with you?” Cheyenne asked. “You’ve been flying high the past couple of days.”

Eve glanced over at her friend. They were both in the small office at the back of the B and B. Eve was catching up on the accounting while Cheyenne placed some ads using a separate computer. Right after lunch was the quietest part of their day. The maids were busy cleaning the rooms that’d been vacated at checkout, breakfast had been served, the kitchen cleaned and they had no guests other than one couple who planned to stay for several days. “I have?” she said.

Chey sent her a pointed look. “Stop pretending you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. We’ve been friends for too long. I can see through the act.” Giving up on her work for the moment, she swiveled around. “I’ve got it! You put your profile back up on that dating site, and this time you’ve met someone who’s a real possibility.”

“No. I don’t trust that site. Not after my past experience.”

“So you got a couple of weirdos. They can’t all be dysfunctional.”

“Maybe it’s just my luck, but...remember the first guy I met? The one who told me he was self-employed?”

“Who turned out to live with his mother and was growing pot in her backyard?” Cheyenne said with a laugh. “How could I forget?”

“The next guy was a registered sex offender. You should’ve heard Chief Stacy give me a hard time when he confirmed that little tidbit. He thought it was hilarious that I almost dated him.”

“You should’ve trusted that P.I. you hired.”

In retrospect, Eve wished she had. “The guy seemed so normal. He knew exactly what I wanted to hear. And he was handsome as sin.”

Cheyenne laughed even harder. “Then there was the one who was secretly married.”

Eve shook her head. “I’m telling you, online dating is frightening. Expensive, too.”

“Most people don’t hire a P.I. to run a background check on every romantic possibility.”

“Then most people could wind up dating those guys we just mentioned—or maybe an ax murderer.”

“I’m not making fun of you for verifying facts. I’m glad you’re cautious.”

“I’m more than cautious, Chey. I’m done with online dating. It’s too hard to get to know someone who lives out of the area, anyway. My family, my business, my friends are all here. I want a husband who’s connected to this town, too.”

Cheyenne narrowed her eyes. “So why are you smiling? If I remember right, you’d despaired of ever finding a guy like that.”

Focusing on her computer screen, Eve acted as though she was too engrossed to answer.

“Eve...”

Smiling at the suspicion in Cheyenne’s voice, she played innocent. “What?”

“What aren’t you telling me? Are you seeing someone?”

Eve couldn’t help it. She was too happy to hold back the truth, especially from Cheyenne. They’d been best friends almost since Cheyenne had come to town as a high school freshman, and they worked together. How was she supposed to keep anything this monumental a secret from her? “I am.”

Cheyenne swung her chair around so they were practically nose to nose. “Who?”

“I can’t tell yet,” she said. “But you’re gonna die!”

“Don’t leave me in suspense! Why is it such a big secret?”

“Because...because we want to see how things go for a while before everyone else...reacts.”

“Everyone else being...”

“Our family and friends.”

“So he’s local.”

She nodded.

“And I know him?”

Pursing her lips, Eve folded her arms. “Quite well.”

Cheyenne whistled. “It’s not Joe....”

There’d been a time when Eve had wanted to date Gail DeMarco-O’Neal’s brother. He hadn’t returned her interest, but she preferred to blame that on the fact that he’d been through such a painful divorce. “No, it’s not Joe.”

“Is this guy...marriage material?”

“Definitely. He’s a good man, a smart man. Handsome, too.”

“Divorced?”

“No. I told you it’s not Joe.”

Cheyenne propped her elbows on her armrests and laced her fingers together. “I can’t think of anyone else you’d be this excited about. How old is he?”

“Our age,” Eve said with a grin. “He went to school with us.”

“Now you really have me stumped.” She got up and began to pace—as much as the space would allow. “Who’s our age that you’d be willing to date? All the really great guys are part of our group of friends.”

When Eve covered her mouth, Cheyenne’s eyes flew wide. “Don’t tell me you’re seeing Kyle. No, he’s divorced. Riley, then. Or Ted. Ted!” she screamed. “I saw the way you stuck by his side on Halloween. You’re seeing Ted!”

Eve rocked forward. “Can you believe it?”

“I can’t. I mean, I’ve never sensed any...you know...sizzle between you two.”

“Until Halloween, there wasn’t any. But after everyone left...”

Cheyenne grabbed her by the shoulders. “You didn’t sleep with him!”

Eve suddenly questioned her sanity in finishing what she’d started here. “I did.”

Some of Cheyenne’s excitement dimmed, and she let go of Eve. “Oh, no.”

“What’s wrong?” Eve sobered, too. “There isn’t a better guy out there.”

“I agree. I adore Ted. But...that doesn’t mean he’s right for you.”

Disappointed by Chey’s response, Eve sank back into her seat. “Don’t be such a killjoy! Why wouldn’t he be right for me?”

Chey began to pace again, this time wringing her hands. “I don’t know. Don’t you think you would’ve felt something before now?”

“Not necessarily. A lot of people are friends before they fall in love.”

“Whoa. You’re saying you’re in love?”

“We’re not that far down the road yet, but we’re both excited by the possibility of it.”

Cheyenne pivoted toward her. “Yet you’ve slept together. That’s a pretty big risk to take.”

“Ted and I know what we’re getting into.” She wasn’t willing to let Cheyenne destroy the hope she felt for this new relationship.

“I’d like to believe that,” she responded. “Because Kyle and Callie got burned when they—”

“This is different,” she broke in. “We’re not just...hooking up.”

“You’re sure.”

“Positive. This is Ted we’re talking about, not Noah.”

“Noah’s married. What does he have to do with this? You didn’t sleep with him, too....”

“No! Never! He was a playboy, that’s all. Ted’s never been free and easy. His approach to life is far more serious. He was raised by the principal of our elementary school, for crying out loud!”

She came to a stop. “So you’re actually seeing each other.”

“We are.” Eve got out her iPhone to prove it. “Look, I took this picture of him when he came over last night. Cute, huh?”

Cheyenne pushed back her hair as though it was too hot in the office, but it wasn’t. “Ted’s handsome. There’s no denying that.”

“So...why are you acting like this might be a mistake?”

“I’m shocked, I guess.”

“Could you at least be ‘happy’ shocked?”

“I’m trying,” she replied. “It just feels...odd.”

“Because it’ll change the dynamics of the group. But that doesn’t have to be for the worse.”

Cheyenne sat down again. “When will you tell the others?”

“Ted said we should give ourselves time to make the adjustment first.”

“Probably good advice, but—” she pulled her chair closer “—wasn’t it kind of...distasteful sleeping with him? I can’t imagine having sex with him or Noah or any of the other guys we’ve hung out with for so long.”

“I thought it might be,” she admitted. “But it wasn’t. Like I said, plenty of relationships are based on friendship.”

“Could you see yourself marrying Ted someday?”

“Of course!”

Cheyenne sighed. “Wow.”

“You’re not even a little excited for me?”

“I am. I’m just worried that it might blow up in your face.”

“Why would it?”

She wrinkled her nose. “The timing is off.”

“No, it’s not. We’re getting older. We’re both ready to have a family. We care about each other.”

“But why is this happening after so many years? Why now?”

“I told you.” Suddenly, she caught on. “Wait, you’re thinking it might have to do with Sophia.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but she started working for Ted the same day he slept with you.”

“So? I fully supported him giving her a job. I still support it. What else would she do?”

“Her return to his life doesn’t concern you?”

“Why would it? We’ve talked about it. He says he’s over her.”

“Eve, he’s been saying that for years.”

“And?”

“No one believes him.”

She understood what Cheyenne was getting at but didn’t want to consider it. “Stop. Don’t ruin this.” Her phone rang, and she checked Caller ID. “It’s him.” She raised a finger to her lips before answering. “Don’t tell him I told you. And don’t tell anyone else about us. Not yet, okay? You promise?”

Cheyenne’s smiled looked pained, putting even more of a damper on Eve’s excitement. “I won’t. I promise.”

Trying to throw off the odd feeling she’d gotten since revealing her relationship with Ted, Eve answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

“Not much.” She stepped out of the office so she could talk without Cheyenne listening in. “Are you getting some pages written today?”

“Not too many. I’ve been busy with...other things.”

This surprised her. He’d gone home early last night because he was under so much pressure to get the rest he needed so he could work. “What other things? You’re on deadline, remember?”

“I’m afraid this couldn’t be helped.”

“What’s ‘this’?”

The resulting pause told her he was searching for the right words. “I had to move Sophia and Alexa into my guesthouse.”

Her blood ran cold. She liked Sophia, felt sorry for her, but on the heels of what Cheyenne had just said.... “What?”

“Someone’s been harassing them, vandalizing the house, even threatening them.”

“Who?”

“I wish I knew. Maybe then I could put a stop to it without having to go this route.”

“But...you’re already helping her. Isn’t there someone else who could come to her rescue?”

“Like...”

“If she’s being harassed, the police would be a logical choice.”

“Chief Stacy is no fan. Not anymore. I told you what he said when he came here on Monday.”

But Sophia was still a citizen of Whiskey Creek, and the citizens of Whiskey Creek should be able to count on their chief of police to do his job. “That means she’ll be around you almost 24/7.”

“Not for long. She’s planning to get out of town as soon as she can afford it.”

“That could be months.”

“I realize this isn’t what either of us would wish for.” He lowered his voice as if he was afraid someone—Sophia?—might overhear him. “But they couldn’t stay where they were. They’re not safe there. Not only that, but she can’t afford to heat that big house.”

Eve remembered her relief and excitement when he’d hired Sophia. She’d been so grateful to him. But now...jealousy bit deep. Was Sophia using her situation to get closer to Ted? Was she playing the martyr, preying on his sympathies?

It was even possible that Sophia’s house hadn’t been vandalized. Maybe she’d done it herself.

As much as Eve hated suspecting the worst, she couldn’t forget who Sophia had been in high school. “Ted, she must be aware that you’re...successful.” And still single. “Maybe she hasn’t changed as much as I thought. Maybe she’s a...a parasite looking for a new host.”

“I doubt it. If so, she’s not looking to me. I saw the damage at her place with my own eyes.”

How? Why? Had she called him? Asked him to come by?

Eve wasn’t sure she wanted to know. “Either way, you won’t make the mistake of getting back with her....”

“Of course not,” he said. “You and I are together, aren’t we?”

She drew a deep breath, but still felt shaky. “That was my understanding.”

“It’s true. You don’t have anything to worry about. I won’t let you down.”

That was exactly what she wanted to hear, but the way he’d stated it left something to be desired. She can’t hold a candle to you. Or why would I want her when I’ve got you would’ve been more flattering. More convincing, too. But their relationship was new. She couldn’t expect him to be madly in love with her yet.

“I’ll admit this has me concerned,” she said.

“Eve, I made my decision about us on Monday.”

In the hot tub. When he was drunk. That didn’t bolster her confidence, but she knew she could rely on his integrity. And she was the one who’d championed Sophia. It wasn’t as if she could get angry about his involvement in Sophia’s life when she’d been so supportive of it.

“I know.”

“Are you still interested in getting together tonight?”

“I am.” More than ever. “Your place okay?”

She wished there hadn’t been another pause, but there was.

“Sure.”

“What time?”

“Seven? I’ll have Sophia prepare extra for dinner.”

It made her feel slightly better that he expected Sophia to cook for both of them. “I’ll bring my swimsuit.”

“Sounds good. See you later.”

After he hung up, she remained in the hallway, thinking. She’d been as convinced as everyone else that Ted wasn’t over Sophia. Was she only buying into it now because she wanted to?

“Everything okay?” Cheyenne stood in the doorway of their office, wearing a concerned expression.

“Of course. That was Ted.” Hoping to seem more confident than she felt, she smiled. “He wants me to come over for dinner tonight.”

Obviously relieved, Cheyenne returned her smile. “I’m happy for you. I really am.”

Eve knew she should probably tell her friend that Sophia was moving into Ted’s guesthouse, but that would only feed her skepticism, and Eve didn’t need that. Fortunately, Sophia wouldn’t be staying at his place for long, she told herself. Ted had said she’d be leaving Whiskey Creek.

Eve had to admit she’d be glad when that happened. She even wished she had some money to give her so she could go right now.