Careless (15 page)

He glanced up and felt the weight of his
words hanging heavy in the air between.

“You have a date?” She glared at him. “You
asshole. You take me to bed last night, tell me you love me, and you’re goin’
out with another woman tonight?”

“Like you give a damn who I go out with.”
He was past the point of caring whether he hurt her feelings. After last night,
turnabout was fair play. “You didn’t want me here anyways. I’m good enough to
have sex with, but I’m not good enough to meet your family.”

“You’re wrong, I was gonna ask you to stay
for dinner ’cause I wanted you to meet them. But you go out on your date, have
a good goddamned time, and don’t bother comin’ back. I’d rather face a dozen
serial killers than have you spend one more night under my roof.” She stormed
off before he could respond.

He tipped his head back, wishing like hell
someone had taught him the fine art of diplomacy.

Tori was trying to get through her father’s
birthday celebration with a smile on her face. She laughed at all of his jokes,
endured her brother’s endless teasing, warded off her mother’s concern about
her weight and demanding schedule, and all the while she felt sick knowing
she’d driven Mike into another woman’s arms tonight.

Tori and her mother were putting the rest
of the dishes away while her father and brothers enjoyed a cigar on the patio.
“Are you sure you’re okay, honey?”

“For the tenth time, I’m fine.” Tori grit
her teeth and reminded herself this wasn’t her mother’s fault. She was
responsible for the mess she’d made of her life. “I’m sorry, Mama. I didn’t
mean to snap at you.”

Her mother, Paula, set the damp dishtowel down
on the counter and hoisted her small frame up on a tall stool. “Does this have
something to do with a man?”

“Yes, no, oh hell…” She scraped her nails
across her scalp and wished just this once, she could give in to her tears, but
if any of her brothers caught her shedding a tear over some guy, they’d never
let her live it down.

“It’s okay, you know you can tell me,”
Paula said, reaching for her daughter’s hand. “Whatever it is, I’m sure you’re
not the first woman to go through it.”

Tori didn’t know how her mother could possibly
understand. Her parents had been high school sweethearts, married forty years, had
four children, and they were still the best of friends. Thinking about her
parents’ marriage sent Tori over the edge. Suddenly she couldn’t contain the
emotion she’d been trying so hard to keep in check all day. “I just wish I
knew…” She reached for a tissue, but balled it up in her fist instead of using
it to dry her eyes. “When someone likes me for me, ya know?” She sniffled.
“Sometimes I feel like everyone wants a piece of me, but nobody seems to want
the whole package.”

“I don’t believe that. You were always one
of the most popular girls in school. Lots of friends, boyfriends… people liked
you for you back then.”

“I guess.” She climbed up on the stool
across from her mother. “But things are different now.”

“Are they really? So you travel around the
world and sing your songs instead of singin’ in the shower. You’ve got a few
bucks in the bank instead of havin’ to roll pennies to put gas in your truck,
but you’re still the same girl you always were.”

Tori propped her chin in her hand and
stared at her mother. “You really think so, Mama?”

“I know so.” She laughed. “You really think
your daddy and me were gonna let you get a big head?” She gestured outside.
“And you know you have your brothers to bring you back down to earth if you
ever get too big for your britches.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

“This man… Are you afraid he only wants to
be with you because of your money or maybe he’s hopin’ to linger in your
spotlight?”

Tori laughed out loud. “No, trust me, he’s
not impressed by stuff like that. He has lots of famous friends. Hell, I’m
still an openin’ act compared to most of them.”

Paula slapped her daughter’s hand. “Don’t
you be runnin’ yourself down, girl. What you’ve accomplished is nothin’ short
of a miracle, and we all know it didn’t come easy.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I just meant… Mike doesn’t
care about money or fame. In fact, I think he’d prefer it if I were a checker
at the supermarket.”

“You mean to say he’s intimidated by your
success?”

“No, not at all!” She laughed at her
over-zealous reaction. “Sorry, it’s just that he’s one of the most confident
men I’ve ever met. He’s a police lieutenant, and he’s used to callin’ the
shots. I don’t think he knows quite what to make of me always givin’ him a hard
time.”

“That’s probably what he loves about you.”

Tori didn’t know how much she should say.
She didn’t want to get her mother’s hopes up, but if she didn’t get everything
off her chest, she feared she might explode. “I don’t know if I can believe
him… about lovin’ me. He says he does, but…”

“But you don’t know if he’s bein’ sincere?”

“He hurt me once, a long time ago. And even
before… we never really got along. The chances of us ever findin’ happiness
together are slim.”

“I used to think the same thing about your
daddy.”

“Really?” Tori always thought her parents
were perfect for one another. “I find that hard to believe.”

“We wanted different things out of life. I
wanted to go away to school, and he wanted to stay here and take over his
daddy’s ranch.”

“So you were the one to give in, huh?”

“I never looked at it that way, darlin’.”
Paula reached out to stroke her daughter’s cheek. “Relationships are about
compromise. Your young man… has he made any compromises for you?”

Only took a leave of absence from his job, uprooted
his entire life to move into her home, follow her around the world, and ensure
she was safe from harm. “Yeah, I guess he has.”

“How ’bout you? You willin’ to give a
little?”

“I’m scared, Mama. What if he hurts me
again?”

A soft smile played on Paula’s unpainted
lips. “What if he doesn’t? What if he makes you happier than you’ve ever been?
Isn’t it worth the risk?”

Before Tori could respond, laughter erupted
from outside and a deep, husky voice that sounded all too familiar slid under
her skin, rendering her speechless.

“Darlin’, what is it?”   

“It sounds like Mike’s here.”

Paula clapped her hands together as she
jumped off the stool. “Oh good, I can hardly wait to meet him.”

Tori had no idea what to expect. She didn’t
want to worry her family, so she hadn’t told them about the stalker. If Mike
told them he’d been staying with her and the reason why, her parents wouldn’t
rest for a minute knowing she was in danger.

“There you are,” Mike said, looking up at
her.

He looked perfectly at ease, sitting between
her two older brothers like he’d known them forever.

“I’m surprised to see you here.” She raised
an eyebrow. “I thought you had other plans.”

“Nothin’s more important to me than you,
sugar.”

She was barely able to control the impulse
to tell him she loved him right there, in front of her entire family. “I’m glad
to hear it.”

Her brother, Jeremy, slapped Mike on the
back. “Finally, you find yourself a decent guy, and you’re keepin’ him a secret
from your own family. What gives, sis?”

Tori didn’t know how to respond, but once
again, Mike came to her rescue. “We’re just takin’ our time, man. Seein’ where
this might lead, right, Tori?”  

“Um, yeah.” She swallowed the lump in her
throat. If she hadn’t been afraid to tell him how she felt last night, he
wouldn’t still be questioning her feelings, and he wouldn’t have gone out with
another woman tonight. She looked for streaks of lipstick on his face or traces
of make-up on the collar of his white shirt, but was relieved to find none.

“Ma’am,” Mike said, getting to his feet.
“You must be Tori’s mama.”

“I’m sorry,” Tori said, watching Mike take
her mother’s hand. “I must have forgotten my manners. Mama, this is Mike
Cooper. Mike, my mother, Paula Warner.”

Paula covered Mike’s hand with her own. “I
can’t tell you how nice it is to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine, Mrs. Warner.”

Tori sighed. His mama certainly had raised
him right. No wonder Ashley was so proud of Mike, so anxious for him to find a
woman who loved and deserved him.

Mike raised an eyebrow as he smiled at
Tori. “You okay, darlin’?”

“I’m fine.” She covered her mouth with her
hand to conceal a yawn. “I guess I’m just a little tired.”

Paula winked at her husband. “I think
that’s our cue to leave, Andy.”

“I reckon it is,” her father said, pulling
his heavy frame out of the cedar lawn chair.

“No,” Tori said, quickly. “I didn’t mean
for you to leave.”

“Never you mind,” her father said, taking
both of his hands in hers. “You need your rest.”

She raised up on her toes to press a kiss
to her father’s wrinkled cheek. The years in the blistering sun had taken their
toll on his skin, but when she looked at him, she still saw the same healthy,
strong, vibrant man who used to push her on their tire swing in the backyard.
It was difficult for her to acknowledge the passage of time. Her father was
another year older. “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

“I love you too, girl.”

He pulled her into his arms and she felt
like a little girl again, safe from harm as long as she had her father to
protect her from the sadistic man intent on getting inside her head, her home…
taking over her life.

“Promise me you’ll be safe out there on the
road.”

“I’ll make sure of it, sir,” Mike said
quietly, watching the exchange between father and daughter. “You have my word.”

In that moment, Tori knew Mike hadn’t
broken her confidence.

“You’re goin’ on the road with them, Mike?”
Andy asked.

“I sure am.” He winked at Tori. “I managed
to get a little time off work and she agreed to let me tag along.”

“I sure am glad to hear that,” Paula said.
“I always worry about her out there, strange cities every night, thousands of
screaming fans trying to get close to her. You just never know about people, do
you?”

Mike and Tori exchanged a brief look before
he said, “No, ma’am, that’s why I’m gonna be there to keep an eye on her.”

Paula surprised Mike by reaching up to
press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you so much for takin’ such good care of my
baby.”

Mike glanced at Tori over the top of her
mother’s head. “Believe me, it’s my pleasure.”

“Well, we best be on our way,” Andy said.
“Mornin’ will come soon enough.”

Tori followed them through the patio doors
and smiled when Mike slipped his hand through hers. “Thanks for comin’, y’all.”

“It’s just too bad that Mike couldn’t join
us for dinner,” Andy said. “It would’ve been nice to spend a little more time
gettin’ to know you, son.”

“Next time, sir.” Mike released Tori’s hand
to shake her father’s. “It was a pleasure meetin’ you, Mr. Warner.”

“Call me Andy.” He winked at Tori. “I
couldn’t be happier my little girl’s finally found a man like you.” He raised
his bushy white eyebrows and said to his daughter in a stage whisper, “At least
this one’s on the right side of the law.”

Everyone laughed as they took turns
hugging, shaking hands, and backslapping.

Just as he was about to pull the door open,
her brother Jeremy bent to pick up a large manila envelope. “Huh, this must be
for you, sis.” He flipped it over. “There’s no writin’ on it, though.”

Tori knew the fear must have been evident
on her face when Mike reached for the envelope. “Actually, that’s probably for
me. I was expectin’ somethin’ from the station.”

“Okay, well, good night, y’all,” Jeremy
said, following their other two brothers out to their trucks.

“You be sure and call me tomorrow,” Paula
said to her daughter. “And be good to this man,” she whispered in Tori’s ear.
“He’s a keeper if I’ve ever seen one.”

Tori stood at the door, waving and smiling,
pretending she wasn’t scared to death of what was in the envelope.

Mike waited for Tori to close the door
before he walked over to the kitchen counter. It was too late to hope they
would get decent prints. The envelope had already been handled by too many
people, but he was still holding out hope that the contents might produce
something they could use.

Tori watched him grip the edge of a napkin
while scattering the contents of the envelope across the counter. “Oh my God,”
she said, covering her mouth when she saw the glossy images.

“Shit,” Mike whispered.

The photos had obviously been taken last
night while they were making love. Mike’s face was etched out with what
appeared to be a sharp blade. “How did he…?” She shook her head. “I don’t want
to know.”