Golden Trail (11 page)

She was a cool customer, when she wasn’t
taking a swing at him that was, but he saw her cringe before her
eyes shot over his shoulder.

Until he saw her cringe he couldn’t be sure
she wouldn’t have done it.

Now he knew she couldn’t have done it.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I suspected that’s
where your plan would go south.”

He let her wrists go and her hands went
directly to his chest where she put pressure, just not much.

“I would have done it,” she declared and he
had to hand it to her, she did it with only a hint of obvious
bullshit.

“I believe you,” he lied and made it clear
he was lying.

“It would have been gross but I would have
done it,” she reiterated.

Layne grinned. “Rocky, you’d get squeamish
seein’ blood on your finger if you gave yourself a paper cut. Don’t
think you’d be able to convince Rutledge you had the hots for him
if you puked into his mouth when he stuck his tongue in yours.”

“I wouldn’t have puked in his mouth,” she
snapped.

“Okay, so I don’t think you’d convince him
you had the hots for him if you puked on his shoes after he stuck
his tongue in your mouth.”

Her face paled and she hissed, “Stop talking
about him sticking his tongue in my mouth!”

It took a lot for Layne to choke back his
laughter but he did it by asking, “Sweetcheeks, if you can’t even
talk about it, tell me again how were you gonna pull off this grand
scheme of yours?”

“Shut up, Layne,” she whispered irately and
he knew he had her.

“Just sayin’,” he whispered back, smiling at
her.

Finally remembering where she was, her hands
put more pressure on his chest.

“Get off me,” she demanded.

“Sure,” he replied, “Once I know we got a
deal.”

“Well yes, now that you’ve pointed out how
gross it would be to… whatever, then obviously your plan is better
than my plan so fine,” she bit out that last word, “we’ve got a
deal.”

“Good, then you’re comin’ over for dinner
tonight.”

He had no idea he was going to say it until
he said it but once he’d said it he liked the idea. Maybe too
much.

“What?” she whispered.

Layne looked at her and, fuck him, it was
out there so he had to go with it.

“You’re comin’ over for dinner tonight,” he
repeated.

“But… why?”

“’Cause they might be tailing me, watchin’
me.” That was a lie. They weren’t. He’d know. They thought he’d
backed off, taking three bullets had a way of doing that with most
men. Layne, however, wasn’t most men. But the look on her face made
him know she bought it, she didn’t like it and she was even scared
of it which made him feel guilt but he had no choice but to use it.
“And ‘cause I owe you a dinner.”

“You owe me a dinner?”

“You fed me and my boys last night,
sweetcheeks.”

“But –”

“Though you aren’t getting leg of lamb.
Probably Hamburger Helper.”

“Hamburger Helper?” she repeated on a
breath. She wasn’t keeping up, finally he had her off guard and he
needed to use that too.

So he went on. “And you’re goin’ to the game
with me tomorrow.”

She blinked and kept using that breathy
voice. “I’m going to the game with you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “Though, Rocky, you
gotta know I hang with the boys and I watch my sons play ball so
you’ll have to hang with the boys too.” He smiled at her. “Gotta
say, though, I figure they won’t mind.”

“But… um… everyone in town goes to the
game.”

“Yeah,” he agreed.

“So that means everyone will see us,” she
informed him.

“Sweetcheeks, Sully saw us, Colt saw us,
half a dozen other people saw us and Betsy was at the reception
desk when we walked out hand in hand. She was probably on the phone
with one of her kids or grandkids before the doors even closed. You
don’t think that shit’s not already flyin’ through the ‘burg?”

Her face got even paler and her eyes grew
unfocused in a way that didn’t sit right with Layne.

When she didn’t speak and her eyes stayed
distant, he called, “Roc?”

Her eyes focused on his and she whispered
one word.

“Jarrod.”

He felt something sweep through him, an
emotion that he didn’t quite get, but one he liked, and it rushed
through him strong, leaving a golden trail.

“Bonus, baby,” he whispered and he felt her
body relax beneath him.

“You know,” she said softly.

She meant about Astley’s new piece.

“I know,” he confirmed.

“Even if he’s got… even with her there, he
won’t like this, Layne,” she informed him.

“Good,” he replied without hesitation.

She started to look uncomfortable and her
body tensed. “Layne –”

“The whole town’s gonna know.”

He thought she’d like that, getting her own
back against her asshole husband, getting in his face by moving on,
publicly, to an old flame after only two months separation.

“But –”

“You done with him?” Layne asked and her
face grew sharp.

“Obviously.” Her voice was sharp too.

“Then what do you care?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What about Jasper,
Tripp… Gabrielle?”

Shit.

He hadn’t thought of that.

He looked over head.

“Layne,” she called and he looked back at
her.

“The boys’ll be in on it.”

Her body went so solid, when it did it, it
bucked. “They can’t –”

“Not everything, Roc, just enough. They’ll
be cool and they’ll keep their mouths shut. They’re good kids.”

“I don’t think –”

“They’ll be cool.”

“And Gabrielle?”

He stared at her face and it hit him that
she was hiding something. Looking closer, he saw it was pain.

What the fuck?

“Rocky –” he started to ask.

“She
won’t
be cool.” Her voice was
inching toward anger, using that as a shield for the pain she was
failing to hide behind her eyes. “She’s your wife.”

Definitely anger. Each word came out
clipped.

But what she said made him angry too, enough
to forget what he read in her eyes.

“Hasn’t been that in a long time,
sweetcheeks,” he clipped back.

“But –”

“Don’t worry about Gabrielle.”

“Layne, I’m not sure.”

“You got five seconds to give me a better
idea.”

She glared at him and he saw her mind
working.

He counted to five.

Then he gave her ten.

Then he declared, “No? Then the deal’s
done.”

“Layne –”

He jackknifed off her but grabbed her hand
and yanked her to her feet in front of him.

“Mimi’s,” he stated, “coffee.”

“Layne.”

“Coffee, sweetcheeks.”

She tugged at her hand but he dragged her to
the door.

“Layne!”

He turned and pulled her hand so she fell
into his body.

She tipped her head back and looked at
him.

“Coffee.”

She glared. Then she did it some more. They
went into stare down and he held it intent to do it for as long as
it took.

She read that and gave in first.

“All right,” she snapped, “coffee. But I
need my purse.”

He turned in order to hide his grin, opened
the door, muttered, “No you don’t, sweetcheeks, I’m buyin’,” and he
took Rocky to Mimi’s.

Imagination is a Powerful Thing

Layne made sure he was home when his boys
got home because Rocky was showing at six o’clock. He wanted enough
time to tell them what he had to tell them and not enough time for
them to have any to think on it.

They came in with hair wet from their after
practice showers and workout bags with their backpacks slung over
their shoulders.

Laundry time.

Layne hated laundry. Luckily, his boys both
primped as only high school boys did. They felt it a moral
imperative to look good at all times and therefore not wear reeking
clothes, and since their old man didn’t do laundry until it was
either that or go shopping for new clothes (shopping something
Layne hated worse than laundry), they did their own.

“Bags down boys, we gotta talk,” he
announced.

“Hey!” Tripp shouted, dropping his bags in
the middle of the kitchen and petting an excited Blondie who was
giving them a welcome home as if they’d been at sea for twelve
months rather than at school for ten hours, at the same time he
reached a hand to some groceries on the counter that Layne had not
yet put away. “You got oatmeal!” Tripp finished, waving a box.

Layne grinned at him. “Sustained energy,
Pal.”

Tripp grinned back.

“Shit, Dad, why’d you buy Blondie five
bowls?” Jasper asked. He’d dumped his bags too and he was fiddling
with the stack of bowls Layne bought Blondie before he went grocery
shopping.

“Blondie’s dish goes in the dishwasher every
night. She gets a new one in the morning,” Layne explained and both
boys turned to him.

“What?” Jasper asked then asked another
question before Layne could answer, “Why?”

“She just does.” Layne blew it off. “Now
sit.”

Tripp and Jasper looked at each other. Then
they sat at the island.

When they did, Layne moved to stand across
from them. Then he laid it out for them and he didn’t pretty it
up.

“I talked with Rocky today and found out
there’s another reason why she came over yesterday,” he declared
and both their faces went from mildly baffled direct to openly
curious. Layne continued. “I told you that me gettin’ shot tweaked
somethin’ in Rocky and I wasn’t wrong. Now, there’s things I can’t
fully explain to you, not now, maybe when this is done but, in the
meantime, because of what happened to me, me and Rocky are gonna
pretend we’re an item.”

“What!” Jasper shouted.

“That’s so cool!” Tripp yelled, that hope
Layne had seen that morning washing full on through his face.

Layne couldn’t focus on Tripp’s hope that
Layne would hook up with his ex-flame who happened to be the
school’s coolest teacher. He had to focus on Jasper whose reactions
were usually more hostile and even volatile.

Therefore, Layne’s eyes locked on Jas. “Calm
down, Jas.”

“What the fuck, Dad! She’s a teacher.
At
my school!
” Jasper was still shouting and now he was in a
squat, heels to the bar at the bottom of the stool, ready to go
ballistic.

“I said, calm down, boy,” Layne ordered
low.

Jasper stared at him. He knew Layne’s tone,
a tone he didn’t use with him often but he used it when he meant it
and Jasper knew what he meant so he moved his ass back to his seat.
When he settled, Layne carried on.

“I was workin’ a case when that happened, I
got too close too soon. Now, Rocky and me have made a deal and
she’s workin’ the case with me.”

“You’re workin’ a case with
a
teacher?
” Jasper snarled, settled but still unhappy.

“Yeah, Jas, it’s safe for her because I’ll
make it so and she’s returning the favor because,” his voice dipped
quiet, “as you can tell, Bud, it became not-so-safe for me. She’s
gonna provide cover. The thing is, not just the people we want to
think we’re together are gonna see us together. Everyone’s gonna
see it. Rocky was worried you two would get confused and I told her
not to worry about my boys. I’m always straight with you and I told
her you were good kids, you’d sit on it, play it out with us and
keep us both safe. Now, I know you aren’t my biggest fan, Jas,”
Layne kept his eyes locked on his son, “but I also know down to my
gut you won’t make me a liar.”

That muscle ticked in his oldest son’s cheek
but Jas didn’t say anything.

Correctly, Layne read that as agreement.

He decided to sweeten the pot.

“There’s another reason I’m doin’ this,” he
told them. “Her husband is a jackass and he’s stepped out on her
and, the story goes, he’s been doin’ it throughout their marriage.
She barely got her foot out of the door before he moved another
woman in. The whole town knew about him cheating on her but Rocky
was clueless. She’s not handling that well.”

Jasper’s eyebrows shot up and he asked, “No
shit?”

“No shit,” Layne replied.

“What? He blind?” Tripp asked.

“No, just stupid,” Layne answered.

“Has to be, yeesh,” Tripp muttered and Layne
grinned at him and continued.

“Rocky doesn’t know this part but I’m gonna
be in his face with this and I need you two to be good with that.
You get me?”

Tripp didn’t get him, he stared at his old
man, confused.

Jasper got him, he stared at his old man,
blank, then his eyes lit with what was in them that morning before
he smiled and when he smiled, he did it slow.

Layne smiled back at him.

“What?” Tripp asked, looking back and forth
between his brother and father.

Jasper held Layne’s eyes and didn’t look
away.

“
What?
” Tripp repeated and Jasper
finally looked to his brother.

“I’ll explain it later,” he muttered.

“Later is good since she’s gonna be here in
five minutes for dinner,” Layne told them and Jasper’s eyes swung
back to his Dad.

“She is?” Tripp asked eagerly.

“She is, Pal,” Layne answered. “Get your
gear sorted and books up to your room. Whose night is it to
cook?”

“
I’m
not cookin’ for Mrs. Astley!”
Tripp shouted, not eager anymore, he was freaked out. “She makes,
like, gourmet stuff! She even cooks her own bread!”

“I’ll cook,” Jasper, cocky as ever, grinned
at his brother. “I’m the bomb in the kitchen.”

“Dude, you burn a TV dinner in the
microwave,” Tripp told Jasper.

“I was on the phone with one of my babes,”
Jasper returned. “Learn from the master, Tripp-o-matic, babes need
undivided attention. You get me?”

It hit Layne that Jasper ended his statement
with Layne’s words of not five minutes before. Maybe Jasper wasn’t
completely immune to his influence after all. Though, he wasn’t
certain he was down with where Jasper was taking it.