Every Yesterday (Boot Creek) (21 page)

“It’s not your fault.”

“You’re not the first one to say that.” She regretted the tone of her comment. “I know it wasn’t my fault. Now. But it doesn’t hurt any less. He’s never coming back, and my whole life had been planned with him.”

“But yours isn’t over.”

“I know. And things change. It’s been good to see Derek be able to start over.”

“What happened with Derek?”

“His wife died. Cancer.”

“That’s rough.”

“Especially when you’re one of the leading cancer doctors in the country. It was like the disease was fighting back, making a personal attack on him. He was a mess. I totally got it.”

“Not much different.”

She withdrew her hand. “It got worse. Turned out Kevin had been lying to me. I wish I’d never found that out. It just made it worse. Like it wasn’t bad enough to have lost him.”

“Addiction is hard for people. It’s the drug. The addiction that drives those people to lie and hurt the ones they love. I’m sure he loved you.” He pressed her hand into his.

“The best he could, I suppose. When Angie and I were going through all of his things we stumbled on to notebooks where he’d been tracking all of the sales from my paintings.”

She pulled her feet up onto the dock, hugging her knees. “I’d been making a pretty good living on those paintings. I just didn’t know it. He was pocketing most of the money. For his habit. He even tracked those payments to his drug dealers, and he still owed people when he died according to the notebooks they’d found among his things.”

“Wow.”

“He’d been using my art to pay for his habit. I paid for him to overdose in a way. I will never stop wondering if he really loved me . . . or only loved me for the way I enabled him. His energy. His confidence, motivation, it was all drug driven. After that I lost the inclination to paint.”

“Sometimes we find new reasons to appreciate the same things in a different way.” He pointed out across the creek. “Like this. I haven’t been in a place like this since my childhood. Didn’t think I’d ever care to. But here with you. It’s different. Maybe you’ll find that one day. You shouldn’t waste your talent. It’s a gift. It should be shared.”

“My candles exercise my creative side.”

“But you have so much more to give. Something pure and special and something only you can do.”

It sounded so simple coming from him. But he hadn’t lived it. She dropped her knees, sitting Indian style on the dock. “That’s my story. I’m a hot mess.” She winked, trying to lighten the mood, thankful that this man made her feel safe enough to talk about the past. Maybe even face some of those fears again. “But then who isn’t, right?”

He laced his fingers between hers. The strength of his hand seemed to vibrate a new awareness through her.

“You’re not. But I’m sensing a theme here.”

“Here? On the water?”

“No. With you.” He ducked, catching her straight on. Eye to eye. “You don’t drive the car because of all the wonderful memories you don’t want to lose. You don’t paint anymore because of the yesterdays tied to that.”

So?

“You don’t see the connection?” His question wasn’t judging; it sounded more like a concern.

“No.”

“Megan, you’re living your life through yesterday’s lens. You can’t live your fullest life like that. It’ll suffocate you.” He wrapped his other hand around her bare foot. “Like cement boots in the middle of this creek. Girl, you need to embrace the good side of those memories. Laugh. Love. Create. You have something very special. Don’t chain it down.”

She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t want to lose Daddy’s memory. And I sure don’t want to live with the guilt of losing Kevin.”

“God makes those decisions, girl. You’re special. Hot as hell. I might even label you a goddess the way you looked today . . . but you are not God.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that. A right-to-the-belly kind of laugh. “Thank you, Noah. That’s probably very wise advice.”

“I had a good mentor. My granddad.”

“He must’ve been pretty wonderful.”

“Oh, yeah. I try to make him proud every day of my life.”

She turned away, looking out at the water rippling across those rocks. The family of turtles still sunning on that branch. You could count on them. Always there, like someone had just painted them right into the landscape.

He’s a beautiful soul. Daddy, I hope I’ll make you proud every day too.
She turned back to Noah. “You are so easy to talk to. You are an excellent listener.”

“You’re easy to listen to. And for the record, I don’t think you’re a hot mess. I think you’re pretty special and unique, and I really like that about you.”

Silence hung between them. He said, “Should we get back in and do our best-man and maid-of-honor duties?”

“Yeah, we’d better.”

He stood and helped her up, untying her skirt with quick and nimble fingers. “A little wrinkled, but at least it’s not wet or muddy.”

She swept at the wrinkles. “It’ll have to do.”

They walked back up to the house without conversation. They’d already said what needed to be said, and the quiet was comfortable.

A raucous laughter came from the far side of the inn.

“What the—” Megan stopped in her tracks. Anger rose in her so quickly that she couldn’t even form words, pointing instead. She marched toward a group of young men circling the DeSoto.

Noah keyed in on the scene and ran past her. “I’ve got this,” he said.

He ran like an athlete, fast and light.

Her heart pounded. Those guys circling the car had already hung stuff from the back of the car. And one of them was holding a can of something.
Dear God, don’t let them have damaged it.

Daddy would’ve sat right out here with it. Exactly what she should’ve done. Her stomach knotted.

Noah hollered as he got closer. “Guys. Whoa! None of that.”

“Dude, it’s a wedding. It’s what you do,” a snarky guy in black jeans and a tuxedo T-shirt said. “Chill, I’m Angie’s second cousin. These guys are my friends. She used to babysit us.”

“
You
chill.”
Noah
’s voice was steady and authoritative.

She stopped and watched from a distance. He’d be way more effective than her screaming at the top of her lungs, which is exactly what she’d been about to do. A Southern hissy fit with all the trimmings.

She couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation, although it appeared to get heated before it finally started simmering down. She saw Noah hand one of them something, and then he disarmed them, taking what looked like shoe polish and shaving cream from them. The guys dispersed and Noah walked around the car, checking it over. He examined the “Just Married” sign that had been tied to the back, and then walked back over.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Glad you saw them.” He lifted the paraphernalia in the air. “They didn’t mean any harm.”

She put her hand over heart and shook her head. “They never do. But still . . .”

“Damage averted. I paid one of them fifty bucks to watch over it to be sure no one else messed with it.”

“Who else would do a thing like that?”

Noah took her hand and started heading back toward the inn. “Probably no one. But it will give us both peace of mind.”

“True.”

Noah slowed down as she navigated the gravel in her high heels. “She’ll need a good gentle cleaning after today’s romp, though. I could come over and help you detail it.”

“That would be nice. Thanks.”

“I was thinking.” Noah stopped and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Think you might like to come to a car show with me? I’m headed to one week after next. They have two days of memorabilia auctioned before they start running the cars across the block. I think you’d have fun.”

She hesitated, but only for a moment. “I might be able to squeeze that into my schedule. I could check on flights.”

“My assistant, Sonya, will take care of it. She’s my right hand at the shop. I’ll have her work on it. Out of RDU, right?”

“Yeah.” She was a little stunned. Had she just agreed to meet him somewhere? What was she getting herself into? Her heart tingled. Joy. It was joy in her heart. She had nothing tying her down. There was no reason not to. “I’m excited.”

“Me too. I don’t want to quit spending time with you. I have to button up a couple of projects back in California, and then we’ll be shipping the cars out ahead of us. It’s a pretty neat event. Bring your pearls. There are some VIP events.”

“You’re a VIP, I presume.”

“I am in those circles.” His eyes narrowed. “What is going through that pretty little head of yours?

She blurted out, “Isn’t that a lot of money for you to spend to fly me out there?”

“The way I see it, if it costs me a few hundred bucks to fly a girl like you out to spend time with me who will enjoy it as much as I do it, it’s worth it. Besides, a dating service like
It’s Just Lunch
costs five times that in my area. You’re a bargain.” He winked. “And I already know I like you.”

Megan spotted her mother across the way, giving her one of those go-get-him-girl looks and fanning herself. There was no doubt that Noah was fast becoming a VIP in her circle too.

Chapter Sixteen

Megan walked back into the inn, all smiles despite the almost-catastrophe with the car.

Jackson met them just inside the door. “I need Noah. Do you mind if I snag him?”

“Not at all,” Megan said.

Jackson swept Noah off into the crowded room.

“Hey beautiful daughter, did I just see you come back in with that handsome best man?” Bootsie looked like she was already planning the wedding.

“We were out checking on the car. Don’t go leaping to any conclusions, Mom.”

“Oh, Megan. That car is just a car. Pay attention to what’s around you. Can’t you see he’s smitten with you? And he’s so good looking. And successful to hear folks talk.”

Megan hated it when her mom got that judgmental look on her face.

“Mom. Don’t.” Only Megan didn’t have much fight in her about it, because she was pretty smitten with him too, as much as she hated to admit it and make Mom right. “You really think he’s into me?”

“Honey, only a blind woman couldn’t see that.”

Megan felt the lift of confidence inside her.

“You like him too, don’t you!” Bootsie practically danced in her shoes. “I knew it. And he was going to get you roses the other day, but when I told him daisies were your favorite, he didn’t hesitate. That’s a man who wants to please a woman.”

Oh, he’d please her all right. If the other night was just the beginning, she couldn’t wait to see just what kind of firework levels of pleasure were on the horizon with him. “He invited me to go away with him.”

Bootsie threw her arms around her. “Megan. That’s great.” She stopped and shook Megan by the shoulders. “Dear goodness, do tell me you said yes!”

“I said yes.” Megan could barely control her excitement. Not only to spend a little more time with Noah, but the car show was something she’d never done before. She hadn’t even asked where it was. Hopefully somewhere she’d never been before.

“Oh, don’t turn around.” Mom’s eyes flashed wide. “Here he comes now.
Shhh
. Talk about something else. The air-conditioning. Tell me about the air-conditioning at your place. That’s good.” Bootsie plastered a pleasant smile on her face and nodded like they’d been talking casually all along.

Megan sputtered and then said, “So I need to get two whole new units to cool the whole place properly. It’s a ton of money.”

Bootsie winked at Meg. “It’ll be worth it. Never does pay to cut corners. Better to wait and do it right than scrimp and regret it.”

“I know. I—”

Noah placed his hand on the small of Megan’s back. Excitement rippled up her spine. “Oh, hi. You’re back,” she said turning into his arms.

“Didn’t go far. Good to see you, Bootsie.”

“You too, dear. You look so handsome all shined up.”

“Thank you,” he said glancing down at his shoes. “Heard you talking about the air-conditioning. I was thinking about that after you mentioned it to me the other day,” he said to Megan. “That’s a big place you’ve got. I wouldn’t be surprised if you needed three zones even.”

“I have a couple estimates.” Megan sipped her drink. It was just a little white lie. She’d gotten caught up in the charade with her mom, who looked particularly pleased with the situation.

“You know there is a quick-and-fast answer to that problem. I mean, if you need one.”

“How so?”

“The DeSoto. It’s worth a lot more than just the fifteen or twenty grand it would cost to get a top-notch system. I’m sure even the best air-conditioning system probably won’t cost you that much.”

“
Just
fifteen or twenty thousand?” She’d thought it would be ten. She hoped he was exaggerating or flat-out wrong.

“It’s a lot of money, no doubt about it. But an investment you’ll get your return on.”

“
True.
” Megan glanced in her mom’
s direction.

Noah pushed his coat back, tucking his hand into his pocket. “You could buy air-conditioning systems for the whole block with what your DeSoto Adventurer is worth.”

“Yeah. Right.” Even her mother laughed at that one.

“No. I’m serious. Have you done any research on that car? Do you have any idea what it’s worth?”

“No. I mean, I’ve had a couple ridiculously high offers.”

“Really? How much?”

“Twenty-eight thousand dollars,” Megan said proudly.

Bootsie straightened. “And you didn’t sell that gas-guzzling beast of a car. Twenty-eight
thousand
dollars.” Bootsie swept her hand across Megan’s forehead. “You sick?”

“I wouldn’t have taken that deal either,” Noah said.

“Thank you,” Megan said.

“Because it’s worth much, much more than that.” Noah slugged his drink back.

“How much more?” Bootsie asked.

“Mom! Stop.”

“I’m just curious,” Bootsie pouted.

“It’s okay, Bootsie. I’d match that offer of twenty-eight thousand that she got, plus give Megan another one hundred thousand dollars for that car right now.”

Megan choked on her swallow of beer. Leaning over, coughing from the bubbly liquid going down the wrong path.

Her mom slapped her on the back three times. “You okay?”

Megan nodded. Everyone was starting to look in her direction. She raised a hand and tried to smile, motioning that she was fine.

Bootsie spun back around. “One hundred thousand dollars? Like a tenth of a million?”

Noah laughed. “Yeah. I guess that would be the math.”

“Now you’re just flexing your money,” Bootsie said with a nudge to Noah’s
ribs.
“I don’t mind that in a man at all.”

“
No. No
,
ma
’am. The car is worth every bit of that.”

Bootsie’s lips pursed. “Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. If there was one thing Farley Howard was, it was lucky in investments. As long as you don’t count that worthless woman he married after me. That could solve a lot of problems for you, Megan. I guess your daddy did do right by you leaving you that car.”

Megan was almost afraid to speak, else she’d start coughing again. “You never liked that car anyway,” she managed to choke out. “And I don’t have any problems. I like to run a cash life. No credit. No debt. It’s the way I like to live.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Noah said.

Bootsie shook a finger at Megan. “Well, I’m up to my eyeballs in credit debt and far as I know you can’t take money with you, so you may as well live it up. And I may not have been a fan of that car, but girl you treat it like it’s life support to your father. He’s gone, Megan. He isn’t coming back. For goodness sake, be smart and take the man’s money.”

“Mother!”

“I know when I’m not wanted.” Bootsie marched off.

“Yeah, take my money.”

He was being playful, and that was cute, but she wasn’t going to take his money. This car was worth more to her than any money, or even a new air-conditioning system. “I told you I’m not selling it. To anyone.”

“I’ll take really good care of her,” he said.

“Not even you. And who said my car is a she? I’ve always rather thought of this car as big and manly. Like Max.” She lifted her chin. Yes, she liked the name Max for that car just fine.

“Max Howard?”

“No,” She pursed her lips. “Just Max. Extra special. You know like Prince or Elvis. Or big as he is, more like Shaq.”

“I’ll take good care of Max. I’ll even make sure Max has his own room and thermostat. Only the best for Max, and you can visit anytime.” He stepped closer to her. “You could visit me at the same time. It could be a good thing.” His stare was bold, as if he was daring her to deny it.

She laughed, but it didn’t tame what his gaze was doing to her. He might as well be caressing her with his hands, rather than his eyes. Putting a little distance between them, she turned away. “Not interested. Thanks anyway.”

“Really?” Noah stroked his hand over the sexy scruff on his chin. “Name your price.”

She felt awkward. Like he was pushing her. “There isn’t one.”

He shook his head. “Everyone has a price.”

“Not me.” Megan glanced over at Ford.

“You’ll have the money to do what you need to do, and I’ll fly you out for visitation,” he said.

“You can come here and visit,” she said playfully.

He looked confused for a moment, and then he nodded. “You know what. You’re right. I
can
do that.”

“Want to grab some food? I’m suddenly starved,” Megan said.

Noah lifted his chin to someone across the room. “I’ll catch up with you shortly.”

“Oh, well—” She was going to say she’d wait, but he’d already made his exit.

Megan felt revived after getting some food into her stomach. She hadn’t even thought about the fact she hadn’t eaten a thing all day until her stomach started growling like a lioness in heat.

She walked over to where Jackson and Angie were, for the first time sitting at a table alone. “When do you two want to do the garter, flower toss, and cake?”

“We’re just now catching our breath for the first time,” Angie said. “What a day! Thank you for helping make all of this happen. All of you have made this such a special day for me.”

“For us,” Jackson interjected. He lifted Angie’s fingers to his lips and kissed them.

“We don’t have to leave to go to the airport for a while. So no hurry. I’d rather let people eat and mingle. No one seems to be in a rush.”

“I think everyone is having a great time,” Megan agreed.

“Might as well enjoy ourselves. No hurry, right?” Jackson shrugged.

“Of course not. This is your day. I wanted to be sure we were keeping everything on schedule and things were going the way you wanted.”

Angie’s face lit up. “My favorite song.”

“Let’s dance, my beautiful bride.” Jackson stood and held his hand out for her.

Angie beamed, waving a pretty good-bye to Megan, as Jackson, her prince, whisked her off to the dance floor.

Noah walked over to Megan. “Come on,” he said, taking her hand.

“I—”

“You always have an argument. Come on. It’s just a dance. Not a competition. Just have fun with it, and let me lead.”

She let him pull her close. “This is a pretty song.” He led her with strength and confidence, moving her like she didn’t need to even hold her own weight.

“Friend of Jackson’s family from Nashville wrote it. Guy named Tim McDonald. Heckuva pianist.” He lowered his cheek just above her own. His breath warm against her face. “Let me love you,” he sang the chorus, and his voice caused her senses to wash back like the tide.
It’s just a song.

Megan watched Jackson and Angie dance nearby; the joy between them shone like the brightest star. Easy and pure happiness. Angie had abandoned her shoes at some point. She looked tiny next to Jackson without them on, and her skirt swept the floor as he swayed her to the music with as much grace and skill as one of those sexy professional dancers.

Noah turned her and then lifted his hand, turning her chin toward his. “You’re beautiful tonight.”

She blinked, her lips parting but her instinct was to make a wise comment. That wasn’t what she was feeling, though. No, nothing close to that. And she thought he might kiss her, but he didn’t, instead pulling her closer to him. Her heart beat against Noah’s as the piano repeated a beautiful succession of notes reminiscent of a music box.

“I need to download that song,” she said.

“And we’ll dance again. In the kitchen while the coffee brews.”

“Yes.” She pulled her lips together against the smile that reached her heart.
Yes, please.

They walked off the dance floor and Megan was pulled into a conversation with old friends from high school. They’d clearly had too much to drink, and were talking about glory days like they were yesterday.

Noah excused himself, and by the time Megan pulled away from the group, he was nowhere in sight.

Bootsie flagged her from across the way. Pointing to her watch and then to the cake. It was probably getting close to time to start those festivities.

Megan scanned the room for Noah so she could give him an update on the timing of the rest of their duties.

Walking toward the front door to see if he’d stepped out to see how their car guard was doing at his security job, she noticed him standing next to Ford down the hall containing the east-wing guest rooms. They had their heads together talking about something.
Probably an escape route.
Surely they’d had about enough of the festivities by now. She doubted weddings were any man’s favorite event, except for the groom. And he was highly incentivized to look and act happy.

As she got closer, the sound of her name in their conversation made her stop. She made a quick backwards step into one of the suites and listened.

“Megan is hot,” Ford said. “There are a lot of nice looking women in this town.”

Megan rolled her eyes. Men gossiped as much as women. Harmless. She recognized Noah’s laugh. “You’ve just been in Alaska too long. Welcome back to civilization. Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I think you’ve met your match with Megan.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, I think you’re going to lose that thousand-dollar bet you made with Jackson.”