Mending Fences (13 page)

“Where would I do that? In the frozen-food aisle of the supermarket?”

“I’d hang out by the steaks, if I were you. At least find a guy who can cook.”

Emily chuckled. “I’m not really looking for a guy. I’m content with things the way they are.”

“Really? Then why did you just describe your life as boring and predictable. Those are not words that suggest contentment. Don’t you miss feeling that little rush of anticipation when you first see the man you’re attracted to?” She grinned. “Don’t you miss the sex?”

“Only recently,” Emily admitted.

“Why? Just because it’s been forever, or did you meet someone who stirred your hormones back into action?”

Emily hesitated for so long Marcie thought she wasn’t going to answer.

“Am I getting too personal?” she asked.

“Heavens, no,” Emily said. “I just don’t have a good answer to your question.”

“Either you met someone or you didn’t,” Marcie said. “It’s not complicated.”

“Oh, yes, it is,” Emily replied.

Marcie gasped. “He’s married?”

Again, there was a long hesitation. “You know, I honestly don’t know. I don’t think so. I certainly hope not.”

“Well, well, well, now we’re getting somewhere. Tell me more. Who is he? Where’d you meet him?”

Emily actually squirmed uncomfortably and suddenly Marcie recalled the way she’d turned bright red earlier on the beach. She’d attributed her high color to the sun, but that hadn’t been it at all. She’d been talking about sexy shoes and Emily had been thinking about this man, whoever he was.

“Em, tell me about him.”

“There’s nothing to tell, really. We’ve had a couple of conversations, that’s it. But when he looks at me, I feel that rush you were talking about, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” Marcie agreed. “What’s he look like? Is he a lot like Derek?”

“Not at all,” Emily said. “Why would you think that?”

“Just wondering if you have a specific type.”

“Apparently not, because they couldn’t be more different.”

“When can I meet him?”

Emily laughed, though it sounded oddly forced. “Not in the cards, at least not right now. I told you, I hardly know him myself. I’m not going to drag him around to meet my friends.”

Marcie studied her. She still looked oddly uneasy, not at all like a woman who was on the verge of falling in love and happy about it. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked at last.

For the first time Marcie could recall since the day they’d met, Emily avoided her gaze when she responded.

“No, not a thing,” she said.

Marcie sat back in her chair, dismayed. Emily had lied to her. But why? What possible reason could she have for keeping a secret about the man she was interested in? It was the first tiny crack ever in their solid friendship. Ironically, in many ways that hurt more than the fissures in her own marriage.

“You making any progress with Emily Dobbs?” Naomi asked Grady over coffee at Starbucks.

“She still won’t let me talk to her daughter,” he responded.

“I was thinking more along the lines of getting her to say yes when you asked her out.”

Grady scowled at her. “Are you crazy? I haven’t asked her out. It would be inappropriate.”

“But you want to,” Naomi persisted.

“Okay, yeah, it’s crossed my mind.”

“Was that before, during or after you went over there on your own the other night?”

Grady cringed. “How the hell did you know about that?”

She grinned. “I didn’t until just this second. You’re entirely too predictable, Rodriguez. So what did you tell yourself, that the visit was personal or professional?”

“Professional, of course. I wanted to try again to get her to see reason about letting me speak to her daughter, especially after what Josh said.”

“Did you admit to questioning her son?”

“Of course.”

“How’d she take it?”

“She wasn’t happy. I thought for a second she was going to break the glass she was holding, but she didn’t
say a word. She seemed resigned to the fact that there was nothing she could do about it.”

“Have you thought about trying to get a court order to talk to the girl?” Naomi asked.

“I’ve thought about it, but it won’t fly. There’s not enough evidence to prove she knows anything that would be relevant.”

“Just her brother’s suspicion,” Naomi reminded him.

“And her mother’s fear, for that matter. Emily’s scared we’re right. She pretty much admitted that she’s not ready to find out the truth.”

“Even if her daughter needs help?”

Grady nodded. “I don’t get it either. I think she sees a girl who’s functioning okay, no obvious signs of distress, and she doesn’t want to rock the boat. Plus, you know how close she is to the Carters. If Evan did hurt Dani, it would rip that relationship apart.”

“Still, I just don’t see a mother wearing blinders for very long. Dani has to be her first priority.”

“She is. I don’t question that for a minute,” Grady said. “She’ll come around. It’s just going to take a little longer than I’d prefer.”

“You intend to stay on her?”

“Until she’s sick of seeing me,” he confirmed.

“You sure you want to tick her off? It could ruin this other thing the two of you have going.”

Grady chuckled ruefully. “That’s only in my dreams.”

“Don’t be so sure. I thought I saw a little spark in her eyes, too.”

To his disgust, he couldn’t help jumping on that opening. “Really?”

Naomi laughed. “God, you are pathetic. You may be the nicest, sexiest man I’ve ever met, but you just don’t
see it. That ex-wife of yours must have really done a number on you on her way out the door.”

Grady stiffened. “Not a word against Kathleen,” he said. “Ever.”

Naomi flinched at his sharp tone. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were so sensitive on the subject. Do you still have a thing for her? Is that why you don’t date all that much?”

“No, but none of what happened was her fault. It was all mine. I don’t want anyone thinking otherwise. You weren’t around back then or you’d know that.”

“Sackcloth and ashes don’t suit you, Rodriguez. Nothing is ever one person’s fault. There’s always enough blame to go around.”

“Not this time,” he said adamantly. “Not this time.”

When she would have argued, he held up his hand. “Let’s get out of here and catch a bad guy. I need to put somebody behind bars.”

For a lot of years now, doing his job and doing it well had been the only thing that gave him any sense of self-worth.

F
or a while now, Emily had been uncomfortably aware that practically every time she turned around, Grady Rodriguez was in her face. Sure, sometimes when he’d been nosing around at the high school, he’d done little more than murmur an amused greeting as she stiffened at the sight of him. Sometimes he’d asked a question or two, most of them innocuous enough to throw her completely off guard. On a few occasions, such as the last time he’d come by the house, the confrontations had been more direct. All of the meetings—whether deliberate or by chance—had been disconcerting.

But on the Monday morning after her trip when he turned up in the bagel shop where she’d stopped to grab breakfast on her way to school, she began to wonder if he was actually following her. Of course, he had been sitting at the counter when she’d walked in, so that might make a case for the argument that she was following him. She had a hunch he’d enjoy turning that around on her, so it was probably for the best to leave it alone.

Still, seeing him here after the way he’d plagued her thoughts while she’d been in Sanibel left her more rattled than usual.

“You again,” she muttered as she stood in line to place her order. “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

He gestured toward his coffee and bowl of oatmeal. “My partner’s on my case to eat healthier. She considers this place to be a better choice than the Krispy Kreme up the highway, so I decided to give it a try. If you have a couple of minutes, why don’t you join me? I’ll buy. Then you can vouch for me when Naomi accuses me of eating nothing but doughnuts.”

Emily debated whether to accept the invitation. One part of her, the part that had a sexy pair of brand-new high heels in her closet, wanted to stay because of the simmering attraction between them. The part that wanted to be rid of him once and for all hoped that maybe one more conversation would finally put an end to having him pop up on her doorstep and at school. A third and far less vocal part was simply curious. The combination was too much to resist. She sat down gingerly on the stool next to his and ordered coffee and a cinnamon-raisin bagel.

“I’m surprised you let your partner influence your diet,” she commented. “What about your wife? What does she have to say?”

“Divorced,” he said with no emotion.

“Ah,” she said. Her feet, mentally clad in those sexy shoes, danced a little jig.

He grinned, displaying his dimple. “You say that as if it explains a lot.”

“Maybe your choice of a striped tie with a checked shirt,” she retorted. “Nothing else.”

“Gee, and I thought you’d be ecstatic to know I’m available.”

“Not so much,” she claimed.

He didn’t look as if he believed her. “You dating anyone?” he asked.

She frowned at the question. “Is that something you need to know for your investigation?”

“Nope. It’s purely personal.”

His candor threw her. “Doesn’t that cross some kind of ethical line or something?”

“I’ll have to check my rule book. I must have a copy of it somewhere.”

Surprised by the tone of his bantering, she dared to look at him directly. “Are you flirting with me, Detective?”

“If you have to ask, I must not be doing a very good job of it.”

“Or maybe I’m out of practice at being on the receiving end,” she said.

His grin spread. “Which must mean you’re not seriously involved with someone.”

“Sneaky,” she said, enjoying herself more than she’d expected to. Usually when she saw Detective Rodriguez, she was immediately on guard. Maybe she’d actually taken Marcie’s encouragement to heart, after all, and was ready to open up to new possibilities.

“I am good at what I do,” he commented as he pulled money from his wallet and placed it on the counter with their checks. “Something you should probably keep in mind. See you around, Emily.”

She stared after him, disconcerted by his abrupt departure after not mentioning Evan even once.

Well, that had been…interesting, she decided. And when was the last time she’d felt that way about a man? The fact that it was Grady Rodriguez, of all people, who’d awakened her hormones out of their slumber was a complication she had no idea how to handle.

When Emily walked into the teachers’ lounge a few minutes after seeing Grady Rodriguez, she was still a little flustered by the encounter.

Paula looked up from the morning paper and murmured a distracted greeting, then took a second look. “What’s up with you?”

Emily frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You look a little giddy, like a woman who’s just been on a first date.”

“At seven o’clock in the morning?”

“Hey, that’s the peak of my day,” Paula said. “After that it’s mostly downhill. So, why are your cheeks so flushed?”

“Maybe I ran in from the parking lot,” Emily suggested.

Paula merely rolled her eyes. “Please. I know you. Try the truth.”

“Okay, but you can’t say a word to another soul,” she said.

“Not even Marcie?”

“Especially not Marcie.”

Paula looked stunned. “She’s your best friend.”

“And the last person I can share this with,” Emily insisted.

Paula put aside the paper. “Sit. Start at the beginning.”

“There really isn’t a beginning or a middle,” Emily said. “To be honest, I’m not even sure there’s anything at all.”

“Now I am totally confused.”

“Detective Rodriguez,” she said succinctly.

Paula looked blank for an instant and then recogni
tion dawned. “Oh, my God, the man who’s investigating Evan? I knew it. The first time you mentioned him there was this weird little spark in your eyes and then, when he showed up here, it was there again.”

Emily shrugged. “Back then, it was probably annoyance.”

“But now it’s something else?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” she admitted. “I feel awful. How can I possibly be attracted to a man who’s trying to convict my best friend’s son of rape?”

“You forget, I met him, too. I can see exactly how the attraction came about. The man is seriously tall, dark and gorgeous, to say nothing of intense. He has a sense of humor, too. That’s a pretty lethal combination.” Paula studied her intently. “So, is this attraction mutual?”

“I think it could be.” She described their encounter at the bagel shop. “He was flirting with me. He admitted it.” She put her hands over her face. “Listen to me. I’m insane. I have to be. I’m forty-two years old and I sound like I’m fourteen, trying to figure out if the boy who teased me in the cafeteria likes me. In Grady’s case, it was probably just some new technique to get me to talk.”

“You don’t believe that,” Paula scoffed.

“No, I don’t, but this is too complicated for me. I haven’t gone out once since Derek and I split up. It just hasn’t been worth the hassle. I hate shaving my legs, for one thing.”

Paula started to chuckle. “You haven’t been dating because you don’t want to shave your legs?”

“Well, that’s one reason,” Emily insisted.

“If you’d ever had all your hair fall out from chemo, believe me, you’d be grateful to have any to shave.”

“Okay, I know I sound ridiculous.”

“Just a little,” Paula agreed. “If you haven’t been out, it’s because Grady Rodriguez is the first man to come along who appeals to you. Would you shave your legs for him?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said with a sigh, then shook her head. “No, I can’t even consider going out with him. It’s wrong.”

“Why is it wrong? You’re single. He’s single.” She frowned. “He is single, isn’t he?”

“Divorced.”

“Okay, then. I don’t see the problem.”

“Marcie,” Emily said succinctly. “Can you imagine how she’d feel if she found out? Plus, would I ever be able to believe he was actually interested in me and not just trying a more intimate sort of interrogation?”

Paula nodded slowly. “I see the dilemma. Did he ask you anything about Evan this morning?”

“No, that was the really weird part. The conversation was all personal. And if anybody was revealing secrets, it was him, if you count the fact that his partner thinks he needs to cut out doughnuts and stick to oatmeal.”

“Now there’s something I bet you were dying to know,” Paula teased. “You’ll know exactly what to feed him after your first overnight.”

“Not even a tiny bit amusing,” Emily told her.

“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to let it play itself out over time. It’s not as if you have to make a decision today.”

“True. He hasn’t asked me out. I don’t even know if he’s going to. The police department probably has rules about that sort of thing, though when I brought that up this morning, he acted as if he didn’t give two figs for the rules.”

“How did that sit with Ms. By-the-Book Dobbs?”

“Truthfully?”

“Of course.”

“I kind of liked that he would consider breaking them for me.”

Paula picked up the paper and fanned herself dramatically. “I really need to get another look at the man who’s got you talking about living your life on the edge.”

“Oh, stop it,” Emily said. “Besides, it will probably never go anywhere at all.” The prospect left her feeling more than a little wistful. “The fantasy’s pretty amazing, though.”

Paula regarded her with a sober expression. “Then maybe you need to stop making excuses for doing nothing and do whatever you can to make sure it becomes reality.”

When Emily and Dani got home from school that afternoon, her daughter headed straight up to her room, disgruntled about still being grounded. Emily just shook her head and headed for the kitchen to pour herself a glass of iced tea. To her surprise, she found Josh at the kitchen table, munching on stale cookies and drinking what was probably the last of the milk.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you home this early,” she said, pulling out a chair across from him. “Don’t you have classes this afternoon?”

“I decided to cut. I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh?”

“I’m afraid Evan’s going to get away with what he did to that girl, Lauren Brown.”

Emily frowned. “What makes you say that?”

“You should hear what’s being said on campus.
Everybody’s talking about her like she’s some big slut,” he said angrily. “It’s so unfair. They’re saying she’s accused other guys of the same thing, just to make herself feel important. There’s one rumor that she made all this stuff up about Evan because he
wouldn’t
have sex with her. It makes me sick.”

Truthfully, it made Emily sick, too. “What do you say when you hear things like that?”

“I’ve tried to tell some of these guys that she’s not like that, but they don’t want to hear it. The girls are worse. Most of them are so jealous that he asked Lauren out instead of them, they’ll believe anything negative that’s said about her. They all think I’m a traitor because Evan’s supposed to be my friend.” He regarded her earnestly. “It’s not about that at all, Mom. What Evan and his dad—I know they’re behind it—are doing is wrong, almost as wrong as what Evan did in the first place.”

Emily was proud of the indignation she saw in her son’s eyes. “Is there anything more you could do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not as if I’m totally credible. I hardly know Lauren, so how can I defend her? I’m just now getting to know her roommate and she is one hundred percent behind Lauren, so I feel like I should be, too, but I’m not sure how to do that.”

“Are you still avoiding Evan?”

He nodded. “Mostly. I ran into him the other day and he tried to get me to back him up, to tell people what a great guy he is. He wanted me to say publicly that I’ve known him for years and he’d never do a thing like this. I told him I couldn’t say that, that I believed Lauren.”

Emily was impressed with her son’s strength. “I am so proud of you for standing up to him, though it breaks my heart that you had to. How did Evan take it?”

“He looked like I’d kicked him in the gut at first. He was really hurt, you know. It made me feel awful.”

“I can imagine.”

“Then he started getting all arrogant and mean, saying I was backing a loser and he wasn’t going to forget about it. He said our friendship was over.”

“I’m sure he was just angry. He probably didn’t mean it.”

“Oh, he meant it,” Josh insisted. “If you’d heard him, you’d get that. I can’t even repeat some of the stuff he said.”

“I’m so sorry,” Emily said. “For both of you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we’ve been hanging out that much recently, anyway,” Josh said with a shrug. “Still, it’s all such a mess. I talked to Dad about it over the weekend. He just says I should do whatever I think is right.” He regarded her with a helpless expression. “I’m not sure I know what that is.”

“It sounds to me as if you’re already doing everything you can. You’re standing up for Lauren when you hear things that are lies. You’re not letting Evan use your friendship to his advantage.”

He fell silent, then looked up. “I left out something else. Mr. Carter came over here while you were away. I guess Evan told him I wouldn’t go public and back him. Mr. Carter said it was time for me to stand up and be a man and defend Evan. He said only a coward would back down and let a friend face bogus charges like this. He made me feel like slime, or at least he tried to.”

Emily’s temper flared. “Ken tried to bully you into taking Evan’s side?”

Josh nodded. “I told him he could say whatever he wanted about me, but that I wouldn’t lie to protect his
son. I told him that trying to ruin Lauren’s reputation was really low, too.”

“Good for you.”

“Mom, I get why he’s desperate. I know what’s at stake for Evan, everything he ever dreamed about, and I feel bad about that. I really do. He’s worked hard practically forever to be a big football star and it’s all about to go up in smoke.” He regarded her earnestly. “But he shouldn’t get away with this. I’ve seen what this did to Lauren. When I was over at their apartment the other day and Jenny introduced me, I held out my hand to shake hers and she jerked away. She was scared, Mom. Of
me
. Think what he must have done to make her feel that way. How does a woman ever get over something like that?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she told him sorrowfully. “Does she have a good support system?”