Authors: Dawn Pendleton
Chapter Seven
Mallory
I woke up the next morning to an excessive clanging noise coming from the kitchen. The rattling pots made my head pound even more than it already did. I remembered why I always took ibuprofen
before
I went out when I lived in Boston. But I hadn’t planned on getting so toasted last night. It was all Luke’s fault.
Images of the night before flashed in my head and I groaned. I didn’t want to remember ruining his relationship with Carrie. He would hold it over my head forever. I had a vague memory of him in the parking lot, but I didn’t remember much else. I couldn’t even remember how I got home. Ugh, I was a mess.
A knock on my bedroom door had me yanking up the covers.
“You don’t have anything I’ve never seen before, girl. Get up. We have to pick up your dad in an hour,” Rainey said matter-of-factly, and then she disappeared down the hall.
“What are you even doing here?” I yelled, slamming my pillow onto my face. “And how are you not hung over?!”
Her face reappeared in the doorway and I lifted my head to look at her smiling face.
“Luke called me. He said he was given specific instructions to leave you alone, but he wanted to make sure you were on time to pick up your dad. It was super sweet of him. And I’m not nursing a hangover because I didn’t exactly drink last night,” she said conspiratorially. She disappeared again and I sat up slowly.
My head ached, but it wasn’t the worst hangover I’d ever had. I could manage. I got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, still clad in my clothes from last night.
Rainey turned to look at me when I entered the kitchen. “It’s too bad you slept here, because wearing those clothes again this morning would make for one hell of a walk of shame.”
“Shut up. Where’s the coffee?” I mumbled.
“No coffee, it’s bad for a hangover. Here.”
She thrust a bottle of water and two ibuprofen in my hands. I wasn’t impressed, but I sat on the barstool at the counter and downed the water and pills.
“How did you end up
not
drunk last night? I saw you have several drinks,” I said.
“Well, Jimmy and I kind of have a deal. I never drink alcohol, but he makes the drink colorful and pretty so I can act like I’ve been drinking. We established the deal when I was home for Christmas and Gabby demanded we go drinking. I’m not much of a drinker,” she confessed.
“Oh. Good for you, I guess. It wasn’t my intention to have so many, but Gabby kept ordering them and I felt obligated.”
“What are you, sixteen? I’d think you would be above peer pressure at twenty-one years old, Mal,” she lectured.
“I know, I know,” I mumbled again and looked down at my water. “Can I at least have some orange juice?”
“Sure,” she said.
Rainey grabbed a glass and poured me some, setting the glass and a plate of toast and fruit in front of me.
I felt nauseous just looking at the plate. “I don’t think I can eat.”
“Eat it. You’ll feel better,” she promised.
I managed to choke down half a piece of toast and a few grapes. When I pushed the plate away, she sighed.
“You don’t eat enough,” she complained.
I laughed. “I eat plenty,
Mom.
I’m trying not to throw up after a night of binge drinking.”
Rainey smiled and cleared my plate for me. “Take a shower and we’ll get going. We’ve got to pick up your dad and I want to stop at the store on the way.”
I did as she instructed. Thirty minutes later, I was ready to go. Rainey insisted we take her mother’s minivan, since it would be easier for Dad to get into. I reluctantly agreed, as a trip to town in a minivan wasn’t exactly riding in style.
“Since when do you care about what other people think?” she asked once we were on our way to the hospital.
“I don’t,” I replied a little too defensively.
She laughed. “Well, you didn’t really care about what Luke thought of you last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember talking to Carrie last night?”
“Luke’s girlfriend, right? I’m pretty sure I ruined their relationship.” I sighed. “Why would we do that? I am an awful person.” I felt lower than dirt for doing it and even worse for not remembering all the details. “I’ll have to apologize to Luke.”
“You did. He drove you home last night,” Rainey said.
“How do you know that? Does the whole town know?” My voice spiked to the point I was nearly shrieking. I couldn’t believe how badly this day was turning out to be.
“No, the whole town doesn’t know. Luke told me when he called me this morning. He said he tucked you in and nothing happened. When I apologized to him about the whole Carrie situation, he told me you had apologized too and he forgave us. I guess he wasn’t really into the relationship, so no harm done,” she said.
So not only had I gotten drunk enough not to remember exactly what occurred, Luke was being extra sweet about the whole thing.
Just great
, I thought
.
“Well, I will apologize to him again, when I’m sober and can actually remember doing so,” I muttered.
I was appalled by my own behavior. No matter how much I was dealing with, I did
not
want to be the girl who took out all her frustrations when she was drunk. And on innocent people, no less. Ugh. I needed to call Luke as soon as possible.
“So, did anything else happen last night I should be aware of?” I asked in hopes I wouldn’t regret the answer.
“Well, Baker and I talked a bit, since Luke dragged you off and he gave me a ride home.” She smirked. “He’s the most infuriating man. At the bar, when he realized who I was, he kept stammering on about how fat I used to be.”
I protested. “You weren’t fat. You were chunky. Millions of people are when they’re that age.”
“I don’t need the confidence boost, Mal. It was just comical to watch him stand there and make a fool of himself. Then, when I’d had enough, I dismissed him. So he insisted he give me a ride home and I had to agree, since you and Gabby thought I’d been drinking. He went on again about my weight and then talked up the way I look now.” She mimicked Baker’s low voice. “
You’re so hot
.”
I laughed.
“It was ridiculous. I told him I was only in town for a week and that it didn’t matter how ‘hot’ I’d become, we were not going to get involved. He tried to convince me to be friends with benefits.” She laughed aloud as she pulled into the hospital parking lot.
“Wow, that’s direct,” I replied. “What did you say?”
“I told him we weren’t friends, so being friends with benefits was out of the question.” She explained. She parked in the visitor spot closest to the main entrance and we both got out of the minivan. “He still thinks, after all these years, that girls will just fall at his feet. It’s infuriating,” she growled.
“Well, like you said, you’re here for a week and then you’ll be gone. He’ll forget about you again,” I said, hoping it was true for her sake.
We took the elevator to the second floor and I was surprised to see Luke in my father’s room when we entered. He looked up; his chocolate brown eyes met mine, and I all but melted into a puddle on the floor.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked politely.
I knew better than to think it was going to be a pleasant conversation. But I agreed. Rainey remained in the room, chatting up my dad while Luke and I stepped out into the hallway.
“I’m sorry,” I said immediately.
His look of shock surprised me.
“For what?” he asked.
Was he serious?
I thought.
“For what happened last night. I’m still a little foggy, but Rainey filled me in.”
“You were drinking, Mal. Shit happens. Don’t sweat it.”
His easy acceptance made me feel worse, not better.
“That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about,” he said.
“Well, thank you for understanding. So what’s up?”
“I think maybe you should go back to Boston.”
He couldn’t have surprised me more if he’d told me to move to the moon.
“Before you get all upset, hear me out. Your dad is going to need intensive, non-stop care when he goes home. And he’s going home to die, Mal. It’s not like you can just leave him and go to the bar whenever you want,” he murmured.
So is that what this is all about?
I asked myself.
“For your information, I’ve made arrangements to have a hospice nurse come to the house to take care of whatever I can’t do, and I was all but forced to go out last night. I don’t need you to tell me what to do with my life. I’m staying with my dad until the end.” I was proud my voice didn’t falter.
“You’re such a spoiled rotten brat, Mallory. If you cared, even once, for someone besides yourself, you would let Joe die in peace,” he barked.
I was floored.
Did he really think so little of me
? I wondered.
“Why don’t you run back to Boston and your little boyfriend, who you obviously miss so much?”
I demanded an answer. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Jason.”
Oh
, I thought. My silence was Luke’s undoing.
“The sooner you leave, the better the whole town will be.”
Wait a second, how does Luke know about Jason
? I wondered. Before I had a chance to question him about it, he ducked into Dad’s room to say goodbye, then came back out and rushed down the hall. I stood there, dumbfounded for a full minute before I went back into Dad’s room. I would ponder about how Luke had any idea who Jason was later. For now, I needed to get Dad home.
“Ready to go, Dad?” I asked with forced perkiness.
He was sitting up in bed with his legs swung over the side, his feet resting comfortably on the floor. He looked tired.
“I am more than ready.” He smiled, despite his fatigue.
He looked so ragged and fragile. Luke’s words about Dad’s need for full-time care assaulted me. ‘
Your dad is going to need intensive, non-stop care.’
I didn’t want to think about his words no matter how true they might be, but they were implanted in my head and I couldn’t shake them. Dad was going to need a lot of attention.
Am I really ready to give him the kind of care he needs
?
“So how was the bar last night, Mal?” Dad asked.
His lopsided grin had me smiling in response. “Word gets around fast, huh?” I laughed.
“Luke filled me in,” he admitted.
Luke told my dad about last night?
I wondered how much information he divulged.
“He likes to run his mouth,” I muttered.
“Don’t judge him too harshly. He also told me you were seeing someone named Jason?”
So Luke told my dad about Jay
. I did
not
want to have this conversation.
“It’s no big thing, Dad. He’s just a guy I dated a while back,” I explained.
“Well, is it serious?”
I sighed. “No, Dad. It’s over. We broke up.”
Jason wasn’t a bad guy. He was probably a perfect guy for someone, there just hadn’t been any spark for us outside of the bedroom. He was a great lover, though. He wasn’t dumb, but holding any kind of sophisticated conversation seemed to drain him. He had a smokin’ bod, though. We stayed together for several weeks until we both realized it wasn’t going to work. We kept up our booty calls for a few more weeks, but eventually I got tired of mindless sex and no emotions.
I broke it off and we even managed to remain friends. I hooked him up with one of my roommates and the two were very happy together. I still had sex dreams about him occasionally though, which made for an awkward encounter at breakfast when he slept over with my roomie.
“Humph,” Dad grunted. “I’d like to have grandkids, you know.”
I coughed to cover my repulsion. At twenty-one, I wasn’t ready for kids. Hell, I wasn’t even ready for a long-term, committed relationship. I wanted to live a little. There was also the fact that Dad would probably be gone before the end of the summer, which meant even if I got preggo right now, he wouldn’t be able to meet his grandchildren. Maybe he was in denial about going home to die.
Rainey scolded him. “Joe! Don’t mess with her like that.”
When he laughed, I realized he’d been kidding, but the thought still scared the crap out of me. I wasn’t sure I wanted children ever, let alone right now. Good thing it was a joke. I made a sound I hoped sounded like a laugh but didn’t say anything else.
The doctor came in then and gave Dad his discharge paperwork. He was free to go, but I had to call and check in every other day to track his progress. Or rather, his digress. He was only going to get worse. The doctor didn’t say it, but we all knew he was going home to die and the next time he came into the hospital would be in a heavy black bag. It was a depressing thought.
But I figured I had some time. I wanted to get close to him again, make up for time lost. If he made it until the end of the summer, I would have plenty of time to say my goodbye. And make it count.
Chapter Eight
Luke
I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut. I
had
to bring up Jason. Whoever he was, he wasn’t some platonic friend. He was her lover. And here I’d been, thinking we could get back together while she was planning her next escapade with her Boston beau. I felt like an idiot.
It had been bad timing on my part to run into her at the hospital. I’d known I should have gotten out of there before she showed up with Rainey. But then she walked in and my brain stopped functioning. I wanted to rub it in her face that I knew about Jason. I might not have known much, but I did know something. So I made sure to bring it up.
It probably would be better if she left town, but not for anyone but myself. As long as she was here, I wouldn’t be able to stay away, no matter what she demanded or how much I thought I should. I was a fiend for her; her very presence brought me happiness and feelings of contentment. Bah, I was such a girl. Baker would never let me live it down if I admitted my addiction to Mallory aloud.
I ripped past the nurse’s station and heard Carrie call out to me.
“Luke!”
She chased me halfway down the hall before I stopped. I wanted to be free of this place and all the emotions Mallory stirred up in me.
“What is it, Carrie?” I asked impatiently. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I was going to explode and I wanted to be away from anyone who might get in the way.
“I just wanted to let you know I have no hard feelings,” she said.
Her eyes told a different story, though, one of sadness and rejection.
“Don’t lie, Carrie. At least be honest with yourself,” I spat.
My inner asshole was coming out and I needed to get out of there. Fast.
“You don’t need to be a jerk,” she replied.
I stepped forward and she retreated until her back pressed against the wall of the hallway.
“I
am
a jerk, Carrie,” I whispered.
She looked up at me with her pretty brown eyes and I willed myself to feel something,
anything,
for her. She wasn’t a bad person; she didn’t deserve to be treated the way I treated her. She deserved someone who wasn’t hung up on someone else.
“You aren’t, Luke. I know you’ve still got feelings for her,” she whispered.
Her eyes were nearing tears and I felt the guilt seep into my bones. I would never be able to atone for doing this to her.
“You don’t know shit,” I growled.
It was bad enough I had admitted to myself I was still half in love with Mallory, but for Carrie to be able to see it bugged me to no end. I spun around and bolted out of the hospital.
I jumped into my truck, slammed the door closed, and peeled out of the parking lot as fast as I could. I didn’t care about drawing attention to myself in this gossip-loving town. I just needed to escape.
With no place in mind, I made my way north and continued on for hours. My cell rang several times but I ignored it. I needed to be alone. Once I was out of Casper, I headed up the coast toward the Rockville Lighthouse. The rocky shoreline would help me clear my head.
I maneuvered my way down the steep dirt road and stopped in the tiny parking lot. I walked to the water’s edge and picked up a few flat rocks to skim across the surface.
It felt like things were about to change. Joe was going to die. Mallory would go back to Boston. And I would be alone.
Again.
Only this time, I wouldn’t have Joe to guide me and steer me away from disaster. How could I have let this happen again? As if falling in love with Mallory Wells wasn’t bad enough the first time around, I had to go and do it twice, and hurt the people around me in the process.
Carrie was the one I felt worst about. She hadn’t done anything wrong but I had just treated her like nothing. She knew my past, of course, how hung up on Mallory I’d been. It had taken months to get her to go out with me, and I was only so persistent because Joe insisted I needed to move on. I didn’t disagree with him, but Carrie was probably a poor choice. I compared every aspect of our short relationship to the one I had with Mallory. Carrie didn’t measure up.
Carrie and I were doomed before we ever even got started because of my Mallory obsession. I just couldn’t get over the leggy blonde with a flippant attitude and a smart remark for everything. Mallory and I were no good for each other, though. I knew that. She knew it too. But there was something that pulled me to her, something inexplicably frightening.
I skipped several rocks over the water and watched them sink, much like my heart. I had to toughen up if I was going to survive the summer. Mallory wasn’t going to leave until her dad was gone, which meant I would be forced to see her, at least in passing, at places like the grocery store or the post office. I would have to be stronger than I’d been lately. It wasn’t impossible. Highly unlikely? Oh yeah. But
not
impossible.
I tossed out the last rock in my hand and before it could sink, I turned away from the ocean with a new resolve. I would ignore Mallory as best I could for the remainder of her time here. I would be polite when the situation called for it, but I wasn’t about to engage her in a conversation. I could do it. I knew I could.
I hopped in my truck with a better outlook on Mallory and the situation as a whole. I drove back to Casper and went to my apartment. I wasn’t surprised to see Baker’s truck in my driveway.
He leaned against the door, his arms folded across his chest. I parked and nodded to him.
“What the hell happened at the hospital?” he asked.
“Good news travels fast, huh?” I remarked. Small towns were gossip hell.
“Well, when you took off out of the parking like a bat out of hell, it’s hard for people
not
to talk. Want to talk about it?” He looked sincere, but I wasn’t buying it.
“Who called you?” I knew someone would have put him up to chasing me down.
He smirked. “Carrie. Joe. Rainey. Gabby. Take your pick. My phone has been ringing off the hook. Although I have absolutely no idea how Gabby got involved, since she wasn’t there.”
Mallory hadn’t called him. I sighed.
Stay strong,
I told myself.
“Well, here I am, fine and unharmed.” I tried to keep the anger out of my voice. It didn’t work as well as I hoped.
“Yeah, you’re as fine as a mad bull. So what’s with the asshole routine? Everyone knows I’m the resident asshole of Casper,” he joked.
“It wasn’t on purpose. I just got pissed at something Mallory said the other night—”
“Oh! Mallory. Now it all makes sense. So what did she say?”
His inquisition pissed me off.
“What’s with the twenty questions? I don’t want to talk about it, Baker. Leave it alone,” I said, hoping he would take the hint.
“Not a chance. Spill it,” he said as I went into my apartment building.
He followed me in and took a seat on my couch. He wasn’t going anywhere until his curiosity was satisfied.
I sighed. “When I brought her home last night, she was drunk and half asleep in her bed and she invited me into her bed.”
“Hot damn! Why didn’t you tell me this last night? Did you get some?” he asked.
Typical Baker,
I thought.
“No! I thought she was talking to me, but then she said the name of some other guy, who was definitely
not me.
Probably some douche from Boston,” I explained.
“Ahh.” Baker finally understood. “So she’s seeing someone in Boston, then?”
“I guess,” I mumbled. “I don’t really know. It’s not like Mal and I have been overly friendly since she got back.”
“That’s true. Want me to have Rainey do some fishing?”
“I thought you were on Rainey’s shit list?”
He grinned. “Well, she must have forgiven me, since she called me to check in on you.”
“You know, she’s a big-time LA screenwriter, Baker. She’s not interested in some small-town hillbilly.” I laughed at his hurt look.
“I could say the same to you about Mallory, except she’s working at the bank.” He raised his brow at me and I knew he was right.
“We’re hopeless, you know that?”
He laughed. “Yeah, the only way we could be any worse was if we were hanging out with Gabby’s ex, and he was complaining, too.”
“Have you ever met Wolfe?” I asked.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s not from here, is he?”
“He’s from Florida, I think. He spent summers here as a kid, but he’s a few years older than us, so that’s probably why you don’t remember him. He moved here permanently when he started dating Gabby. I met him a few times and didn’t think he was a bad guy. I wonder what happened with those two?”
“Gabby is nuts. That’s what happened to them,” he said.
“Don’t be an ass. Every woman is crazy and that’s a fact.”
“Ain’t that the truth? We should call him up and have him join our ‘Love struck without a chance’ support group.”
“We should. I heard he’s still living here until after the divorce is final to make it easier on Gabby,” I said.
We both laughed, at him and ourselves. We’d all fallen in love with a woman who wanted nothing to do with each of us.
“Call him up and have him meet us at the bar tonight. Rainey is helping Mallory out with her dad, so we know they won’t be at The Landing tonight. I’ll ask Gabby to go over and give them a hand,” he said.
“That’s a great idea. And tomorrow, when Joe kills us for sticking him with three angry women, we’ll at least have had a good night of drinking to think on and decide it was worth it! I’ll call Wolfe a bit later. I have to get to the site and do some work today. You working at the site with me?”
“Yeah, I guess. I don’t have anything else to do until the bar opens at four.” Baker sighed.
He loved the bar, but it had drained him financially, so he helped out at whatever jobsite I was on whenever he could and J.P. paid him under the table. That’s the way it was done in a small town.
“Want to drive me in?” I asked. “I just need to change.”
He nodded and waited for me. On the way to the jobsite, I called Wolfe and he agree to come to The Landing, but only if we could guarantee Gabby wouldn’t be there. Baker called Gabby and she fell for his plan perfectly, so we promised Wolfe she wouldn’t be there.
We made plans to meet at The Landing at seven.