“More good news?” His shoulders took a new set, and his eyebrows pinched closer together. Miffed Jake was back.
“I’m going to work tomorrow night.”
She watched his body stiffen with anger, but oddly, it didn’t make her afraid. Not like she’d been when her father showed signs of temper. Even Tom’s fits of anger had given her an uneasy, queasy feeling. But not with Jake. She could stand up to him. Toe to toe. Nose to nose. She liked that.
“Like hell you are,” he growled.
“They have a man watching me at all times. Why shouldn’t I go to work?”
“They had man on you today, and look what happened!”
She shook her head. “I have to work. I have bills to pay. Heck, I owe you almost a hundred dollars.”
“What? Since when do you owe me money?”
“I saw the receipt from Home Depot in your car.”
“The same time you were snooping through my files, I guess?”
“Stay on topic,” she snapped. “The point is, I know how much you spent. Between the doorknobs and paint, it was—”
“Please! When have I said you owe me that money?”
“You think I’m just going to let you pay for it?”
“I bought it. I didn’t ask you if I could. It was a gift.”
“Well, it’s not my birthday. And I can’t just let—”
“Screw the money,” Jake hissed. “You think I’m going to let you go put your life at risk to pay me back?”
She matched the stubborn tilt of his chin with her own. If she and Jake Baldwin were going to have a relationship, he needed to understand right off that she wasn’t a pushover. “It’s not just you. I need to pay my rent.”
“I’ll pay it.” He stormed to a desk and pulled out a checkbook. “How much do you need?”
“Well, darn, why don’t you just slap me on the ass, hand over your bank account, and I’ll call you sugar daddy?” And with a sigh, she turned her back on him and anything else he could say.
Jake lay on his bed staring at the ceiling and fuming for over an hour. Out of nowhere he remembered a sermon Harry had practiced on him once. The message was one of walking in a man’s shoes.
Two new thoughts hit Jake: he still missed his brother and, damn it, if he put himself in Macy’s shoes…hell, he’d be furious at himself. Handouts were about as welcome to him as a case of food poisoning. He didn’t even understand why he’d acted like a jerk, but then that became clear, too. His protective tendency could be a bit overbearing. Yeah, he’d been a jerk.
Not that she wasn’t being difficult.
Hardheaded.
Stubborn.
Yet so damn loveable.
Jake shot upright and walked into the living room, prepared to apologize, but also hoping to somehow make her see reason. But she was asleep, Elvis curled up at her feet. A wave of emotion rushed through him, and all he could do was stand and watch her breathe. The way she slept, her hands beneath her face, made her look so young, so innocent, so damn vulnerable.
The memory of her talking about how her father had left on her twelfth birthday flickered through Jake’s mind, and he hated the man without ever knowing him. The thought of her ex having hurt Macy, of her brother taking advantage of her, turned his muscles rock hard. The idea of Tanks and then Chase Roberts laying a hand on her made his blood boil.
He wanted to hold her so tight that nothing and no one could ever hurt her again. Which led to his problem. No way was he going to let her go to work.
Right then, he accepted he could not do this alone. He needed help. And while asking for help wasn’t easy for him, ask he would. He knew just the person to call.
It was hours before Billy slipped out from under Ellie’s soft body. They had made love twice and fallen asleep on the floor. He found his underwear, then his jeans, and dressed.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled, her tone sleepy.
He zipped up his pants. “I’ve got to find Tanks.”
She rose up on her elbow. Sadness filled her eyes. “You’re not coming back, are you? This was good-bye, wasn’t it?”
A knot formed in his throat. He couldn’t answer for fear he’d do something stupid like cry, so he finished dressing. But as he tucked the gun in the waistband of his pants, Ellie sat up. He forced himself to speak.
“I’ll let you know where I leave the van.”
“Leave it? What are you really planning on doing, Billy Moore?”
“Need some coffee, sleepyhead?”
Macy opened her eyes and stared into a smiling, freshly-shaven face. Steam rose from a cup and billowed deliciously under her nose.
Pulling back so her morning breath wouldn’t knock him on his haunches, she sat up. The sofa dipped as he sat beside her.
Once settled, he handed her the cup. “You’re really not a morning person, are you?”
She finger-combed her hair, self-conscious. “And I suppose you are?”
“Busted.” He picked up the TV remote on the coffee table. “Maybe Saturday cartoons will cheer you up while I get us cereal. It always worked on my brother. You like Lucky Charms?”
She sipped the caramel-colored coffee doused with milk. “Yeah.” The brew tasted wonderful. “Thanks.” Then his statement about a brother sank in, and she cut her eyes to him. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“Yeah.” He leaned in for a kiss, but she covered her mouth.
“I’ve got fuzzy monsters growing on my teeth.”
“Then go slay the monsters. I don’t serve breakfast without a morning kiss.” He stood up, looking content and way too sexy in his faded jeans and white T-shirt.
Her gaze shot back to his smile. She recalled last night when anger had made his eyes dark and his lips tight. “I thought you were mad at me.”
“I am.” He tugged her upright and gave her a nudge and a pat on the rear. “Hurry.”
After brushing her teeth, she sat next to him on the sofa and they ate. He didn’t mention their argument about her going to work, and neither did she. One bowl of cereal later, they cuddled together and watched Scooby-Doo. Or rather, she tried to watch, while Jake busied himself nibbling on her neck and that sensitive spot behind her ear. His lips and moist tongue created wonderful sensations that spread to all parts of her body, and Scooby lost all appeal.
“You should stop that,” she whispered, and tried to think of a topic to change the mood. “How many sisters and brothers do you have?”
“One brother.”
His hand slipped under her pj top, found her nipple, and circled it. Her breath caught. She reached under her shirt and removed his hand.
“Jake, we’re just going to get frustrated again.”
Shifting, he dropped back against the sofa and pulled at the crotch of his jeans. “I passed that stage about a half an hour ago.”
She smiled, secretly loving the fact that she affected him as much as he affected her. Reaching up, she passed a finger across his lips. “You don’t have to work today?”
“I’m just going in for a few hours.”
The doorbell rang and, pulling at his jeans again, Jake rose and went to answer it. After peering through the peephole, he started back down the hall. “It’s your grandma. I’m hiding until Mr. Dudley can behave. Which may not be until Tuesday.”
Grinning, Macy went to let Nan in, but right before she opened the door she started to worry. “Everything okay?” she asked as they embraced.
“I can’t visit my granddaughter?” Nan came inside.
“Yeah.” Macy shut the door. “I just wasn’t expecting you.” She heard Jake talking on the phone as she poured Nan a cup of coffee and they sat at the kitchen table. “Where’s Mom?”
Nan frowned. “At the hospital. Which is odd. She never volunteers on Saturdays. Something’s up.”
Macy tightened her grip around her warm coffee mug. “What do you think it is?”
“Don’t know. But she went shopping again, bought some new underwear. You know what that means.”
“A man.” Macy remembered thinking last night that she needed new lingerie herself.
“We can hope.” Nan sipped from her cup. “She hasn’t had any in fourteen years.”
Macy rolled her eyes. “Do you really think this is wise? What if she ends up hurt? Do you think she could survive it?”
Do I think I could?
“Ahh, but better to have loved and lost than—”
“Please!” Macy set her cup down, ready to argue her case, but Jake walked in. One look at him and her argument lost all steam.
He nodded at Nan. “Ma’am.” He glanced at Macy. “I’ve got to go in now.” He leaned down and kissed her. Not just a peck, but a serious gonna-miss-you kind of kiss, which was delivered with a touch of tongue.
Macy glanced at her grandma, who beamed as if she enjoyed the show. Then Macy refocused on Jake and what he’d said about going in. “Has something happened?”
“We got a location on some of Tanks’s old gang. Donaldson and I are going to talk to them about the robberies.” He must have seen her concern, because he added, “I’ll be fine.” He dipped in for another kiss, squeezed her chin, and said, “I should be home by two. Don’t go anywhere until I get back.” Turning, he gave Nan a nod.
“I got it,” she replied.
Jake had walked out before Macy smelled a rat. She cut her gaze to Nan. Make that
two
rats.
“He asked you to babysit me, didn’t he?”
Nan looked around. “Nice place.”
“I don’t need a keeper.” Macy glanced at the clock on the wall and ignored Elvis, who came swaggering into the room. “And you should be teaching.”
“Tammy’s doing it.” Reaching down, Nan petted the cat. “He let you bring Elvis. He likes your cat? Your cat likes him.”
“Elvis hates him. He shouldn’t have called you.”
“He wants to protect you. And Elvis will warm up to him. You did.” Nan’s gaze zeroed in on the sofa, which was crowded with blankets and sheets. “So you two aren’t serious?”
Macy grabbed her cup. “I haven’t known him a week! He hasn’t even invited me to…”
“To what?”
Macy blushed. “Nothing.”
“Sounds like something.”
Oh hell, keeping secrets from Nan was about as easy as training a cat to disco dance in the rain. “It’s a family party. His mom invited me, but he hasn’t extended the invitation. There’s only one reason a man doesn’t want you to meet his family: he’s not really serious.”
“You met his mom?” Nan grinned.
“Oh yeah.” Macy dropped her forehead onto the table, not ready to tell that story. “I’m going to work tonight,” she mumbled, raising her head. “And Monday I’m back in school. Jake is just going to have to deal with it.”
Hal heard his door swish open as he splashed the shaving cream off his chin. “You’re late,” he called out. “That might cost you half a Fig Newton.”
“A Fig Newton?” His daughter stuck her head into the bathroom.
“Oh, hi, Melissa.” He grabbed his IV pole and wheeled out.
She moved back and let him pass. “Who did you think I was?”
“The nurse.” The lie made his shoulders tighten. Even though he’d gotten his child’s okay to proceed, it felt a bit wrong. It was wrong to look at his daughter, who was the spitting image of his wife, and tell her he had feelings for another woman.
“You’re getting around better,” Melissa noted.
“Yeah.” Hal slid onto the hospital bed and glanced at the clock. “It’s Saturday. You should be home with your kids.”
“Did the doctor come in?”
“About an hour ago. Said I might go home this afternoon if the blood work is okay.”
“Good. I’ve got your room set up.”
Hal frowned. “My room?”
“Yeah. You’re staying at my place for a few weeks until you’re back on your feet.”
“Nosirree.”
“Dad! You’re coming home with me and that’s that.”
“Listen here, young lady—”
“Stop it!” Her lips trembled. “Look, Dad. Mom made me promise I’d take care of you, and…and I still miss her so damned much. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I lost you. What am I saying? I
do
know. Because for the last two years, all you’ve done is bury yourself in your work. You only visit on Sundays. And now this happened.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
Hal opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. Seeing his baby girl hurt did something to a daddy. “Don’t cry.” He drew her to his shoulder. “Come on, pumpkin.”
“I miss Mom,” she sobbed. “And I don’t want to lose you.”
“I miss her, too. And you’re not losing me.” He put his arm around her back.
The door pushed open. “Sorry I’m late. I brought Fig—”
Hal swallowed hard. Faye came to a quick stop in the doorway. Melissa pulled out of his embrace, her teary gaze surprised.
Something inside Hal froze. His brain, probably. And he didn’t have a freaking clue where the defrost button was.
“Hi.” Faye’s gaze moved from Melissa to him.
Hal managed to nod.
Faye offered a hesitant smile. “You got your lunch?”
He nodded again.
Faye’s gaze cut back to Melissa. “I…volunteer here.”
Melissa nodded.
Faye waited for two, maybe three more seconds, then, damn it,
she
nodded. An awkward, head-bobbing silence filled the room. Faye backed up.
“I—I guess I’ll leave you two alone.”
The word
no
was on the tip of his tongue. Right on the tip. All he had to do was spit it out. And, by God, she gave him time to say it. She didn’t rush out; she walked slowly away. Even looked back.
One word:
No
. Or maybe two:
Don’t go
. That’s all it would have taken. But he didn’t say a goddamn thing. He let the woman who had somehow made living seem so much sweeter walk out of his room. Out of his life.
It was almost three o’clock when Macy got in the shower. Mother Nature was playing tricks on her. Aunt Flo was already gone. Macy had awoken this morning to discover the villainess had flown the coop. The one month she could have used some cooling-off time, some thinking time, and this happened. Now what?
Turning off the shower, Macy rested her head against the tiled wall.
Cook or get out of the kitchen. Jump or get off the trampoline.
She stepped out of the shower and heard voices. Was Jake back? She cracked open the door, stuck her head out, and let out a low yelp. He stood right nearby.
“Damn!” She jumped back and grabbed a towel.
He looked over his shoulder and pushed his way inside. “Talk about a welcome home!” He glanced at her towel-wrapped body. A devilish grin twisted his lips. “If I remember correctly, the last time you stole my towel…”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Your towel is safe.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Did you miss me?”
“No,” she said.
“Liar,” he pointed out.
“Hey,” Nan called, and they both jumped back. “I’ll see you two later.”
Jake cringed. “I swear she didn’t see me come in here.”
“She has eyes in the back of her head and ears like a bat.”
“I heard that,” Nan said. “See you two later.”
“ ’Bye,” Macy said, rolling her eyes. Then, glancing at Jake, she remembered she was mad at him. “You asked her to babysit me.”
His brows pinched. “I did. I admit it. So, how much trouble am I in?”
She hadn’t been prepared for a confession. “Ever heard of Shit Creek?”
“Is that the one where you usually end up without a paddle?”
“Yeah.” She glared at him, but didn’t have it in her to be mad. Not anymore.
He pulled a wet strand of hair from her cheek. “You wouldn’t happen to have a paddle I could borrow, do you?”
“You can’t keep doing this. I don’t like—”
He cupped her chin. “Only until Tanks is caught. Soon.”
Curiosity struck. “Did you find out where he is?”
“Nothing concrete. Donaldson is…” His gaze lowered to her body.
She glanced down at her towel, gaping open in the front all the way to her navel. After readjusting, she opened the bathroom door. “Out.”
“Why?” His voice was husky. “I’m going to see it all Tuesday anyway.”
If I can hold out until then.
“Go. I’ve got to get dressed…for work.” Maybe a good argument would buy her some time.
Unfortunately, he didn’t argue. He just left after another quick kiss.
Twenty minutes later, uniform and makeup on, Macy walked into the living room expecting to find him on the sofa. Returning to the hall, she saw his bedroom door swing open. He stepped out and surprised her.
“What?” He settled a cap on his head.
She stared at him and his Papa’s Pizza polyester. “You can’t be serious!” She giggled.
“No jokes, sweetheart. It’s an honest living. And I hear the tips are good once I get through the training process.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And I guess you’ll be training with me?”
“I told the owner I wanted only the best.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“Only about you.” He pulled her against him. “Wanna bump uniforms?”
She thumped him on the chest. “You’re being crass again. I could have gone my whole life without hearing that line again.” Of course, Mr. Prack hadn’t looked nearly as good as Jake.
“I’m male. We’re all crass.” His smile faded. “
Again?
Who said that to you the first time?”
She caught his hand. “You did.” She met his frown with her own. “It’s not important.”
“The hell it isn’t! I’m the only man allowed to be crass with you. Remember that.”
Hal ground his teeth and looked at the nurse. “No.”
“Mr. Klein, the doctor released you.”
“Well, call the doctor back and get him to unrelease me.”
“I don’t get it,” the woman snipped. “Are you hurting?”
“Yeah.” It wasn’t a lie. His heart was hurting something awful. The pain in Faye’s eyes kept flashing in his head and sending regret barreling into his chest. He’d called her house and left umpteen messages. She hadn’t called back. He wasn’t strong enough to go chasing her down, so he’d be damned if he left here before he talked to her.
Macy had just tossed the pizza warmers in the back when Jake crawled into the passenger seat. “How much?” he asked.
“Ten dollars. I told you, he tips big.” Macy waggled her eyebrows at him. She’d never had as much fun delivering pizza. They had talked about Billy. Jake had tried to assure her things would work out. They’d teased each other unmercifully about the tips each garnered at deliveries. They had even argued over who would drive. But it was her rental, so she’d won.
“You flirted with him,” Jake accused.
“I did not flirt.”
“Yes, you did. I heard the way you said, ‘Thank you for ordering from Papa’s Pizza.’ ” He put some sleaze into his reenactment.