Ask Me for Tomorrow (15 page)
‘He’s worried about you. And he has cause to.’ Then he added, ‘I’m worried about you, too. Whether you want that or not, I am.’
She sighed and stepped forward. When she was half a dozen steps closer to him, she said, ‘Worrying about me is one thing, but trying to make my decisions for me is quite another. You might not agree with my working two jobs, but I don’t need your permission and I don’t want it. Ben and I have been just fine, just the two of us, for a long time. We don’t need saving, Dean.’
Dean stared at his hand, flexing it on the handle. He wanted to deny it, but hadn’t that been exactly what he’d been trying to do?
He said, ‘I guess that’s who I am. It’s what I do. But spreading yourself so thin . . . there has to be a better way.’
‘You’d know all about spreading yourself thin,’ was her answer. When she took another step forward, the angle of the porch light on her face changed and he could see her clearly. She touched the fingertips to her breastbone. ‘I may do it professionally, but that’s better than doing it personally.’
And the conversation had swung around again.
Dean rounded on her, his back to the car. ‘I
knew
you were still pissed off about Lana!’
‘Why
wouldn’t
I be?’
Hope bloomed in his heaving chest. His breaths were fast now, because something was coming, he could feel it. If Alice wanted him out of her life, she would have let him walk away. Antagonising him had only served to keep him here longer, and the barb she’d thrown said more about her than it did about him.
‘Why do you care,’ he challenged, closing the distance between them, ‘what I do with my personal life if you don’t want all the drama? If the timing’s so “off for you”, why are we talking about this?’
Parroting her words pushed temper back into her eyes. ‘The timing’s off for
you
, not me! I’m not the one coming out of some great sleep and wanting to throw myself around a bit!’
‘You’re saying I am?’ Dean said, pointing at his chest.
‘Yes!’
Dean thought of Liv, her expression sympathetic, telling him that Alice wanted him so much she couldn’t think straight. If there was any truth in that, Alice was hurting just as much as he was. So maybe this was the moment for a gesture. Saving her from dark, scary highway had scored him some points, but it was time to lay everything on the line.
‘You’re the first woman
I’ve
kissed in almost three years, and that makes me loose? Lana kissed
me
, I didn’t see it coming and I frickin’ came back to the garage to ask
you
on a date! We’ve covered this! I don’t want anyone else! Damned if I know why I want you, given you can’t seem to stand me half the time, but there it is!’ He spun on his heel and stalked back to the car, sat on the bonnet and glared at the ground.
After a beat of silence, Alice said very quietly, ‘You think I can’t stand you?’
‘At least half the time.’
‘Well, half the time I want to shake you for being in my space and in my business.’ She walked towards him and put two fingers under his chin. With one foot she tapped his feet until he’d moved them together, then she stepped either side of his legs. Her hair had fallen forward over her shoulders and it hung between them, full of body and knots. She smelled of water and of gardens – floral and earthy.
Straddling him now, she put her arms around his neck. ‘The other half of the time I’m wishing you were closer.’ She smiled. ‘In my space and in my business, even.’
Dean tried to memorise the flecks of colour in her eyes as his hand came up to stroke her cheek. ‘Really?’
‘I’m head over heels for you, Dean.’
He dragged her closer with his other hand and breathed her in. ‘I’m in love with you. And I love Ben.’
She laughed through a wobbly smile. ‘You can’t be serious.’
‘About you?’
‘About all of this.’
‘I can be very serious about the things I want.’ He trailed his thumb along the line of her cheekbone then looked significantly between Ben’s bedroom window and the woman in his arms. ‘I want all of this. All of you.’
She nodded slowly, and moved a little closer.
He held her gaze. ‘So you’re . . . head over heels?’
She nodded. ‘Head over heels in love with you.’
Everything in Dean’s body felt as if it expanded, swelled and filled with colour.
He drew her close. ‘Then the timing’s perfect for us. We can figure everything else out.’
This time when she kissed him, Dean was ready. His hold on her tightened as she explored his mouth, offering him promise and possibility with every brush of her lips. Pure energy pulsed through his bloodstream, recharging him like liquid light and warmth. Her tongue brushed against his lips at the same moment that he thought of Bree.
He’d been so happy with Bree. Truly in love. But since she’d died, he’d lived day after day in moments, struggling to get from one to the next, never looking too far forward because the present was overwhelming. But now, with Alice in his arms, he wanted the future.
Beautiful Bree Foster, the mother of his children and his first love, was alive in his memory and would always hold a place in his heart, but Alice Jaye was his tomorrow. And his next week. And his next everything.
Chapter Eleven
‘So now that I’m sleeping with the boss I have to work Saturdays, is that it?’ Alice grinned when Dean looked over his shoulder at her, and despite her good-natured complaints, she made no move to shake her hand free from his. Not when he held it so tightly, not when he led her forward so confidently.
He stepped through the reception door of Foster’s whatever-they-were-calling-it-now and led her into the middle of the room. The light was on, but none of the mechanics were here. Dean had asked the kids to wait outside with Cal and Cal’s dog, and Ethan’s ute was parked out the front. Something was about to happen, but Alice couldn’t guess what.
Dean let her hand go, turned to her and put his hands on his hips. ‘We have something to ask you.’
‘We?’
The warehouse door opened and Ethan stepped inside. His smile was wide and there was a twinkle in his eyes. He held his hands up as he crossed to them. ‘So, I’ve been thinking, if the two of you are going to be all loved up at work, I’ll have to insist you take long lunch breaks to get all the sexual tension out of the way.’ He laughed when Dean whacked his arm. ‘I’m not even kidding. Anyway, I’m thrilled you’re into my brother. He’s okay. You’ll be moderately happy.’ Dean hit him again and Ethan laughed louder.
‘Okay, idiot comments aside,’ Dean said, attempting to sound businesslike, ‘we have something to ask you.’
Alice tried to smile, but a sudden assault of nerves made her muscles taut.
‘Ethan’s been around here often enough to see how good you are at your job. In fact, he threatened to steal you from the garage payroll.’
She laughed nervously.
‘Which got us thinking that maybe there’s an opportunity in this for you. It would be the same sort of role, similar responsibilities. The phone will ring more and there’ll be twice as much paperwork, but rumour has it we pay really well. In fact, this new job pays approximately the same as a part-time and casual job put together.’
They waited, saying nothing as she considered what she’d heard. ‘You want me to . . . work for both of you?’
They nodded.
‘But you can only work here,’ Dean clarified. ‘No moonlighting. And the company has a financial assistance program if you ever need it.’
Alice searched both their faces as a swell of gratitude built and broke inside her. She nodded, laughed, then shouted, ‘Yes!’
‘You’re hired!’ Ethan cheered. He threw his arms around her and Dean and jumped up and down, knocking them around until Alice was laughing so hard that a tear was shaken loose.
‘Welcome to Fosters’,’ Dean said when they settled. He wiped the tear from her cheek and kissed her.
‘Just Fosters’, then?’ she asked the brothers.
‘Yeah,’ Ethan said. ‘It leaves room for further expansion, doesn’t pigeonhole us. Nina may want to open a Parisian gift shop out the back one day, and then can you imagine? Fosters’ Garage, Carpentry and Shoppe – the business cards alone would be huge.’
Alice laughed and pressed her fingertips to her mouth.
‘Speaking of Nina,’ Dean said, ‘I spoke with Jess, the school principal, and we’re going to move Neenz up a grade. Turns out she’s struggling to relate to kids her age and she’s bored with her class work.’
‘That’s great,’ Alice enthused. She’d had quite enough of watching Dean stress over his little girl.
‘Yeah, maybe she just needs older company. She gets on with Ro and Ben really well, so . . . here’s hoping.’
She nodded. ‘Here’s hoping, but I bet this is just what she needs.’
They walked out of reception, Dean with his arm around Alice and Ethan at her side. When Ben looked over at them, curious, Ethan said, ‘Your mum works for me now, champ.’
Dean laughed. ‘Your mum works for
us
now.’
Cal got all the kids clapping, and congratulated her over the din. The blue heeler at his feet barked happily and she bowed, joy pinning a smile to her face and making her heart feel so light she thought it might fly out of her throat.
‘Brunch,’ Dean announced, ‘at my place. Everyone’s going to be there. And this time,’ he pulled Alice close and kissed her firmly on the cheek, ‘I mean everyone.’
Acknowledgements
Mum and Dad, as always, there are not enough words to express my gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Shanon, Mandy and Wal, thanks for demystifying the inner-workings of a garage. Shanon, you deserve a medal for your patience.
Sarah and Carol, I am so pleased and grateful that the Homeland series has a home with Destiny Romance.
Arwen, my wonderful editor, thank you for sticking with me throughout the Homeland series and putting so much time and effort into making it as strong as possible.
And to all the wonderful readers, writers and bloggers out there – thank you for all of your support, all of the laughs and all of the long, late-night chats about all things romance.
About the Author
Elise K. Ackers is a romantic suspense and contemporary romance author based in Melbourne, Australia. She is a 2013 Romantic Book of the Year finalist and a Best Book of 2012 nominee, winner of multiple international writing awards and known to do some pretty strange stuff in the name of research. She is an enthusiastic couch commentator, a laser tag enthusiast and an animal foster carer.
Elise is the author of romantic suspense title
Small Town Storm
, contemporary romance
The Man Plan
, and the new
Homeland
novella series.
You can chat with her on Facebook and Twitter (
@EliseKAckers
), and find out more at her author website (
http://www.elisekackers.net
).
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First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2013
Copyright © Elise K Ackers 2013
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ISBN: 978-1-74348-253-7
