Lean on Me (The Mackay Sisters) (10 page)

“In fact, you don’t even have to
request it.  You know me, I don’t talk about things that aren’t my business.”

He glanced away, clenching one
fist on the table, the audible pop of his knuckles loud in the deserted café. 
“I know.”

“So why make such a big deal out
of it?” she demanded.

“I didn’t…”  He paused for breath
and looked back at her.

She glared at him.

“I did.”  His shoulders slumped
suddenly.  “Shit, Lori, I’m sorry.  Harriet has me tied up in knots.  She
doesn’t…”  Again he hesitated, rubbing his hand over his jaw before scrubbing
tiredly at his eyes.  “It is a big deal, for her at least.”

“Look, Tommy, it’s not my business
what you and this Harriet do.”  She started to push to her feet.  “I haven’t
told anyone and I won’t tell anyone.  What you and your girlfriend do is
between you two.”

Grabbing her hand, he stopped her
from leaving the table.  Looking up at her, he looked tired, disheartened. 
“Lori, wait.”

“Tommy-”

“Please.  I just want to talk to
you.”

At the hopeless expression in his
eyes, she nodded slowly and sat back down, the anger draining from her. 
“Okay.”

Taking a deep breath, he released
her hand.  “Harriet doesn’t want anyone to know that she and I are seeing each
other, that we’re…lovers.”

Not about to ask anything, Lori
just nodded.

“I’m resorting to sneaking around
after dark and in the early hours of the mornings, sneaking from her bed before
anyone can see us.”

A sudden thought struck Lori.  “Is
she married?”

“No!”  Tommy scowled again.  “I
don’t condone cheating in marriage and I wouldn’t do it.  You should know me better
than that, Lori Mackay.”

“I don’t know you that well at
all,” she returned.  “We’ve never been what you’d call friends, just friendly. 
So no, I don’t know, but even if you did it’s not my business.”

“Well I don’t, all right?”

She held up both hands.  “All
right.”  When he continued to scowl, she added, “I believe you.  But still, why
are you telling me all this?”

“I just want you to understand. 
You come home early in the mornings or late at night often, so…”

“You’re forewarning me if I see
your car at her house again?”

“Yes.  No.  Not forewarning
exactly.”  His shoulders slumped.  “Shit, Lori.  How the hell am I supposed to
have a relationship with a woman when she insists no one knows?”

That was a question that Lori
didn’t really know how to answer, so she wisely kept her silence.

“I don’t want to sneak around,
hell, it’s really getting to me, and I don’t mean just the late and crazy
hours.”  Tommy shoved one hand through his hair.  “Damn it, you’re a woman. 
What’s Harriet’s problem?”

She looked at him.  “How would I
know?”

“Because you’re a woman.”

“Doesn’t mean I know what she’s
thinking.”

“Well, talk to her then, make her
see this is ridiculous.”

Now she was appalled.  “Are you
kidding me?  I’m not going to get involved in your love life!”

He grabbed her hand, his
expression pleading.  “Come on, Lori.  Please.  I’m a desperate man.”

“Tommy, seriously, if you can’t
work out your relationship with Harriet, nothing I say is going to change
anything except get me in the middle of your problems, which I don’t want to
do.”  She tugged her hand free.  “I’m sorry, but no.”

“Why not?”

“I just told you!”

“I’m not asking you to hand me the
moon, not asking you to do the impossible.”

Lori threw out one hand.  “Listen
to yourself.  Have you thought what my interfering will do to your relationship
with Harriet?  If she wants this kept silent, how is she going to feel if I
rock up on her doorstep with advice - in your favour, I might add?”

Swearing, he leaned back in the
booth.  “You’re right.  I wasn’t thinking.”

Feeling sorry for him despite
everything, she sighed.  “I’m really sorry, Tommy, but you need to sort this
out yourself.”

“I know, I know.”  He rubbed his
eyes and stared silently at the tabletop. 

After several minutes had passed
in silence, he suddenly shoved himself to his feet. Reaching down, he caught
her elbow and helped her out of the booth, almost hauling her out, actually.  Picking
up her small bag, he shoved it into her hand and steered her towards the door.

“You’re right, I need to sort this
out myself.  If there’s anything left to sort out.  Truth to tell, this
relationship is going nowhere.  I should just cut my losses.”  He flipped the
‘closed’ sign over to ‘open’.  “Thanks for listening, Lori, and thanks for
agreeing to keep this quiet, though I was stupid to think you wouldn’t, I know
you probably see more than most people realise and keep it secret.  You and
your sister are like that.  Thanks.”

Head still reeling from his sudden
fast movements, Lori found herself out the door and standing on the footpath.

The door shut behind her, but not
before she heard him mutter, “You’d think Harriet would be the only woman who
was older than her man.  As if fi -”

Even though a passing motorbike
drowned out the rest of his words, it was still enough to catch her attention
and have her swinging back to stare at the door.

At that precise second it opened
again and Tommy came out, catching her up in a quick hug and a kiss to the
forehead, muttering as he did so, “I’m so sorry, Lori.  I acted like a total
dickhead.”  Then he released her and disappeared back inside the café.

Mouth open, she stared at the door
for several seconds before slowly turning away to find Old Man Parker watching
her avidly.

“So,” he said. “You and Tommy
are…?”

“No!”  Not knowing what else to
say, especially as she spotted Mrs Swanson standing on the opposite footpath
watching her just as avidly, she started for the car.  “No, I’m not going out
with Tommy.  There’s nothing between Tommy and me.”

“Apart from a hug and a kiss?” he
queried.

Mrs Swanson arrived just in time
to hear this, naturally.  “Tommy and you were kissing, Lori?  I never knew you
and he were an item.”

“We’re not an item.” 
Geez!
 
“It was nothing.”

Old Man Parker looked at the
café.  “Yeah?  Well, he doesn’t seem to think it’s nothing.”

Lori glanced over her shoulder to
see Tommy standing at the café window.  He gave her a sad smile and moved away
as his door opened to admit three teenagers.

“Did you and Tommy break up?” Mrs
Swanson made a little moue of sympathy, even as her eyes gleamed brightly.

“No, we didn’t break up.”  Lori
hurriedly unlocked the car.

“So you’re still together, then?”
Mrs Swanson followed her, hanging onto the open door like grim death.

Getting into the car, Lori started
the engine.  “Mrs Swanson, I swear, there has never been, nor has there ever
been, anything between Tommy and me.”

“Of course, dear.”

Lori groaned inwardly.

“We never saw anything, right,
Parker?”

“Not a thing,” he agreed.

But no doubt they’d be saying a
lot.

Knowing that further denials would
only add fuel to the fire that was threatening, Lori gave up and managed to
close the door to her car, Mrs Swanson reluctantly removing her hand or having
it risk getting caught.  Driving off, she glanced through the window to see Mrs
Swanson and Old Man Parker talking avidly together.  Good grief, this would be
all over town before she knew it.

After banging her forehead with
her palm several times, she dragged it down over her face and groaned.  Hells
bells, for a woman who minded her own business it looked like she was going to
be in the middle of wild speculation.

Then another thought struck her. 
What would happen if Harriet heard about it?  Or when she heard about it, more
to the point?  She’d hear about it, all right, a small town carried gossip like
the wind carried seed, and it was just as fertile and unpredictable.

Damn it, she just had to ride it
out, that was all there was to it.  Sit tight, hunker down, and refuse to
answer questions.  This was Tommy’s problem, not hers.

How the hell had it come to this? 
People knew her and Tommy, they wouldn’t really think - oh yes, some of them would.

Shit shit
shit
.

Okay, calm down.  Soon
something else will happen and you’ll be yesterday’s news.  Someone will do
something real or imagined and you’ll be boring old Lori Mackay again, so just hang
in there, old girl.  You can do it.

And maybe she was just letting her
imagination run wild.

Lori sighed. 
As if.

Chapter 4

Spending the remainder of the
morning doing some shopping, Lori returned home at lunchtime to find Minx lying
on the bed.  Quietly the old cat lifted her head for a pat, her eyes half
closed as she purred softly before returning back to sleep.

Changing into a skirt and blouse,
Lori went back into the kitchen, frowning as she noticed that Minx’s breakfast
was hardly touched.  Her ginger fur-baby had developed a dainty appetite since
she had gotten older, but she still liked her food.

Maybe it was time she took her in
to the vet for a check-up.  Phoning the clinic, she made an appointment for the
next morning.

Putting the shopping away, Lori
popped open a can of Diet Coke and settled down to read a magazine at the
kitchen table.  It wasn’t long before the doorbell rang and she went out to
answer it.

Opening the door, she found Matt
standing on the other side. Her heart gave a little leap before she noticed
that he didn’t look happy.

“Hi.” Curious, she glanced around
before again looking back up at him.

“I need to talk to you,” he said
quietly.

“Sure.”  She made to step out,
only to have him catch the door in one hand.

“Inside.”

Wondering what it was about men
lately, she nodded and stepped back.

Matt moved past her but he didn’t
venture further into the house, stopping when the security screen swung shut
and turning to face her.

Yep, no doubt about it.  There was
a grim line to his mouth and his gaze was intense as it swept over her face.

Uncomfortable under his regard,
and never having had him look at her with anything less than friendliness, Lori
slid her hands behind her back and waited.

“I thought you said there was
nothing between you and Tommy,” Matt stated bluntly.

“What?”  She blinked at the
unexpected topic.

“You and Tommy,” he repeated, slow
and deliberate.  “You said there was nothing between you two.”

“Well, yes.  I mean no.”  Under
his slightly annoyed gaze, she stumbled on her words.  “I mean, there isn’t.” 
When he didn’t say anything further, she added, “I already told you that.”

“You visited him in town.”

“Yes.”  Where was he going with
this?

“You went into his café and he
locked the door.”

“Yes.”

“So that doesn’t exactly seem to
coincide with you two not having something between you.”

Annoyed, she dropped her hands to
her sides.  “Are you spying on me or something?”

“Just saying what I saw.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”  His dark eyes
glinted with a touch of anger.

“Then maybe you’d have seen me
leave the café
alone
.”

“Oh, I saw that, all right.  I
also saw Tommy chasing after you, hugging and kissing you.”

“One hug and one
very
chaste kiss.”  Her cheeks burned.  “It didn’t mean anything.”

“Friends don’t do that.”

“We’re not exactly friends, I told
you that already.”

“I can see you’re not exactly
friends
,
Lori.  I saw that quite plainly.”

Stung by both his tone and his
disbelief, she lifted her chin, her annoyance flaring into anger.  “I don’t
care what you think, Matt Winters.  This isn’t your business.  And whether you
believe me or not, I don’t care.”

His nostrils flared.  “You’re the
talk of the town.”

“I can’t help gossip.”

“If you don’t want your relationship
public, then maybe you should keep the shows of affection private.”

She gaped.  Hurt warred with
pride.  “I’m not even going to bother giving that a reply.  You have no idea
what’s going on.”

“Oh, I think I do.”  His lips were
tight, a muscle jumping at the corner of his jaw.  “Unless you’d care to
explain?”

“Believe me,” she grated, “even if
I could, I wouldn’t.  This isn’t your business, it’s no one’s business.  It’s
not even my damned business!”

“It becomes everyone’s business
when you flaunt what you do in public.”

She glared up at him.  “You don’t
believe me when I say there’s nothing between Tommy and me, so why would you
believe anything else I told you?”

“So tell me, explain.”

Shit
.  “I can’t.  But it’s
not what it seems.”

“Right.”  He looked down at her
for several seconds before reaching out for the door, yanking it open angrily. 
“Isn’t that always the story?”

Incensed, she reached out and
slammed the door shut.  Hands on hips, she scowled up at him.  “What the hell
gives you the right to question me, Matt?”

He returned her scowl.

Furious at how he’d judged her,
she stepped up to him.  “You have no right to come into my home and accuse me
of anything, do you understand?  I like you, Matt Winters, but I don’t owe you
anything.”

His eyes glittered.  “You’re
right, Lori, you don’t owe me anything.  So forget this conversation ever took
place.”  Wrenching the door open, he stalked out.

No sooner had it slammed shut
behind him than she yelled, “That’s right, walk away feeling so self-righteous,
you - you -
dickhead
!”

He swung around so fast she didn’t
even register he’d done so, right up until he wrenched the security screen door
open and stormed back inside the hall. The expression on his face scaring her,
she took a step back.

Oh yeah, he was furious.  Those
dark eyes glittered with barely leashed fury, his lips were tight, and there
was a slight flush on his strong cheekbones.  Stalking towards her, his fists
clenched, the muscles in his arms flexing, he was the epitome of furious
manhood.

No sooner had she taken a step
back than he reached out, grabbing her upper arms and jerking her up against
him, striking hard and fast while she gaped up at him, his head lowering and
his mouth taking hers, his arms wrapping around her to hold her close against
him.

Her thoughts were gone, dashed to
pieces as he took her mouth, his tongue angrily demanding entrance.  She could
only obey mindlessly, so aware of him, of his body against hers, his heat and
touch, his arms holding her so tightly.

The kiss was angry, aggressive,
but there was something else in it, something she couldn’t recognise.  The
assault of his kiss changed, his lips softening, but it didn’t make a huge
difference, not when she leaned into him, hungrily kissing him back, her hands
grabbing onto his shirt to pull him closer rather than pushing him away.

Oh God, he felt so good, so
strong, so masculine.  His lips were sure, his touch definite, his scent so
uniquely his, so clean and male that it had her wanting more, wanting to taste
him, touch him back, to-

One second she was against him,
the next she was pinned back against the wall with Matt looking down at her,
his eyes hot, angry, and something else, something sensual, but his words were
quiet, the fury in his tone like cold silver trickling through the words.  “You
have no idea how I feel, Lori. 
No
idea.  But it sure as hell isn’t
self-righteous.”

“Matt,” she began, her voice
shaking.  “I-”

“I don’t know what you’re playing
at,” he said harshly, “but I don’t play these games, no matter how much I want
a woman.”  Releasing her abruptly, he opened the security screen and strode
out.

Open-mouthed, heart pounding, she
watched him walk away until he was out of sight.  Only then did she touch her
lips with trembling fingers, still feeling his mouth on hers, unable to believe
that Matt had kissed her, held her…was disgusted with her.

And that’s what had hurt the most,
that he’d actually believe that she would lie to him.  He knew her better, he
knew she wasn’t that kind of woman.

Sudden tears filled her eyes. 
Telling herself it didn’t matter, he was a total arse, she retreated to the
kitchen.  Hugging her arms around herself, she waited for the kettle to boil,
needing the comfort of hot coffee.

But even as she sipped the coffee,
she could still shiver in subdued delight at the memory of the sensation of him
holding her, dominating her, forcing the kiss, unable to deny how she’d
revelled in it, kissing him back.

Shamelessly kissing him back
while he despised her
.  At the thought she shrivelled inside.  How could
she have kissed him back when he’d been so nasty, so willing to believe the
worst of her?

Because she was attracted to him,
she acknowledged mournfully.  That was no secret.  But somehow he had only to
touch her and she responded, and her responses were shameless.  God, she’d
pulled him against her when she should have been shoving him away.

Plucking tissues from the box on
the bench, she wiped her eyes.  Could the day get any worse?  The phone rang
and she ignored it, letting it go to the answering machine, groaning when it
was Tracey demanding to know what she was doing kissing Tommy, and if she’d
been having an affair with him without telling her, she was in for it. 

Yeah, the day could get worse. 
She could only thank God Ali was away with Ghost, for the last thing she wanted
right then was company.

All she wanted was Minx.  At least
animals didn’t judge you wrongly.

Going into the bathroom to wash
her hot, tear-stained face, she gazed at her reflection.  Her eyes were shiny
with tears, her nose a little red, but her lips - oh God, they were swollen
from Matt’s punishing kiss, swollen and red.  Touching them wasn’t even close
to how it had felt to have his lips on hers.

Not that it was ever going to
happen again.

Swallowing the lump in her throat,
she washed her face and brushed her teeth, for freshness, she assured herself,
not to wash the taste of Matt from her mouth, he didn’t matter that much. 

Going into the bedroom, she went up
on the bed and picked up the paperback on the bedside table, settling herself
down.  When Minx crept up beside her, she placed her arm around her, drawing
her into her embrace.

Minx’s purr was a balm to her
troubled soul and she read into the afternoon, steadfastly trying to ignore the
disturbing memories nagging in her conscious.  Finally she fell asleep, her
dreams as disturbed as her thoughts, a mix of Tommy’s angry face, Matt’s furious
expression, hot, dark eyes and even hotter kisses.

When she awoke, Minx lay quietly
beside her and Lori came up on one elbow, squinting at the alarm clock on the bedside
cupboard, surprised to see that it was four o’clock in the afternoon.

Her head felt heavy, the memories
of the day’s happenings flooding back, and she turned to Minx with a small, sad
smile.  “Thank God I have you, Minxie.  What would I do without you?  You’re
the only one I can count on, aren’t you?”  Reaching out, she stroked her gently
between the ears.  “Just you and me, Minx, against the world.”

Minx remained quiet and that was
when it dawned on Lori that something wasn’t right.  Moving closer, he heart
clenching, she looked down at the old ginger cat.

Minx lay still, so very still.  Curled
up in a little ball, head tucked between her paws, she wasn’t breathing.

Hands shaking, throat tight, Lori
touched her.  Her body was cool.

“No,” she whispered.  “Oh Minx,
no.”  Tears spilled out, sliding down her cheeks even as she curled her arm around
the little cat’s body and cuddled up to her.  “Oh, Minx.  Oh, baby.  No, Minx. 
No.”

Heart breaking, Lori sobbed.

Minx was gone.

~*~

Seeing Tommy hug and kiss Lori in
front of the café was like a knife going through Matt.  Disbelief was followed
by hurt when he saw Tommy standing at the window smiling sadly at Lori, and
anger was fast following.

Turning the car around, he’d driven
straight home, his mind whirling.  Why had she lied to him?  She’d said there
had been nothing between them, and then Tommy hugged and kissed her in public? 
What the hell..?

By the time he gotten home, his head
was thumping, his heart was heavy, and fury warred with hurt.

What hurt the most was that Lori
had lied to him.  It was betrayal of the worst kind.

When he’d seen her car in the
driveway a couple of hours later, he’d stormed across to give her a few choice
words, but it hadn’t stopped the hurt.  She’d fired up, all indignant, which
was hypocritical of her.  Or so he’d thought at the time, his anger having
swept away any common sense.

The hurt and yes, the sense of
loss.  But now he’d had been home for several hours,  time ticking by helping
to uncloud his mind, and when he thought of how he’d treated her, shame
trickled through him.

Especially when those words came
back to haunt him. 

“Believe me, even if I could, I
wouldn’t.  This isn’t your business, it’s no one’s business.  It’s not even my
damned business!”

How could it not even be her
business?  Those words chased themselves around in his head, followed damningly
by
“But it’s not what it seems.”

The longer he sat in the lounge
nursing an unopened can of beer, the more things started to eat at him.

Lori Winters wasn’t a liar.  Something
had happened between her and Tommy, however new it might be, and Matt had
attacked her for it, something he should never have done.  Hell, it wasn’t as
if she was going out with Matt, they weren’t a couple, he’d never even hinted
at his intentions towards her, so to go barrelling into her house with
accusations, that had been a shitty thing to do.

For whatever reason, Lori wasn’t
revealing anything and he didn’t have any rights to demand an explanation. 
Just, when he’d seen her and Tommy, his heart had stuttered and…

Rubbing his eyes, Matt grimaced. 
Goddamn, now he felt shitty.  Everything was shitty - what he’d seen, his
overreaction, his words, his actions.