Heartless, page 6
His brother was right. It had been a long time since he surrendered to the lure of alcohol, but he couldn’t remember a time when he was more tempted. The pressure of the case he was working on, his brother’s death, and the uncertainty with Ashley suddenly seemed like more than he could endure without a liquid remedy to help him get through the night.
Chapter Five
Four beers later, J.T. had to excuse himself to resolve a conflict between two of his wait staff, leaving Derek alone to watch the live band.
“Derek McCall… I thought that was you.”
Derek looked up to see his old high school girlfriend, Heather Collier, wagging her pink-lacquered fingernail at him.
He grinned. “I don’t believe it.” He slid out of the booth to draw her into a hug. “Girl, how is it you look as pretty today as you did at our senior prom?”
She rolled her eyes as he released her. “You sure you don’t need glasses, McCall?”
He laughed. Heather was as sweet as she was sassy, and every guy on the high school football team wanted to date her back in the day. The years had been kind to her. “I’m serious. You look great, Heather.” Her blond hair was shorter, a shade or two darker, and she was curvier than she used to be, but she was still a head-turner.
She smiled. “Thanks, so do you.” She pointed to the empty seat across from him. “You mind if I join you?”
“No, not all.” He waited for her to sit down before he motioned to their waitress. “So tell me what you’ve been up to.”
The waitress approached their table and Derek ordered one more beer while Heather ordered a white wine.
Heather waited for the waitress to leave before she said, “Well, I married Todd Baxter right after we graduated college.”
Derek laughed. “No way!” Todd and Derek had played football together in high school, but he lost touch with his old friend after they graduated. “How is Todd?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask his new girlfriend.”
Derek winced. “Oh man, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. These things happen.” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “I’ve got three great kids to show for it, so I have no regrets.”
Derek took the phone she offered and smiled as he looked at the screensaver of her three teenagers. The boy, who looked a lot like the Todd he remembered, was flanked by his two younger sisters. “Wow, you’ve got a nice lookin’ family. You must be proud of ‘em.”
“I sure am.” She slipped the phone back in her purse. “How ‘bout you, Derek? You got a wife and kids waitin’ on you at home?”
“No. In fact, Nashville isn’t even home anymore. I’ve been livin’ in Arkansas for the past fifteen years.”
“No kiddin’? What made you move out there?”
He couldn’t tell her the truth, that he ran because he couldn’t face the harsh reality of his actions. “I got a job offer.”
She grabbed a handful of beer nuts and started popping them into her mouth, one at a time. “Really? What do you do?”
“I’m a career cop.” He chuckled. “Detective inspector, actually.”
“No way.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a cop. You wanted to play pro ball back in the day, remember?”
Derek rolled his eyes. “Didn’t we all? Eventually I had to decide on a real job, so I changed my major to law enforcement in college. I’m glad I did. I love it.”
“Good for you.” She leaned back and looked at him appreciatively. “Damn, you look good. It’s true what they say about men and aging. For women, it’s all downhill after forty, but men just keep getting sexier.”
He knew she was flirting with him, but with Ashley still fresh in his mind, he couldn’t even entertain thoughts of another woman.
“Well, well, isn’t this cozy?”
Derek looked up into Mike’s smug face. It didn’t matter that his conversation with Heather was innocent, or that he didn’t owe Ashley’s son an explanation, he still couldn’t help but feel like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“You couldn’t wait to drop my mom off so you could head over here and knock a few back with your…” He gave Heather a cursory once-over, taking in her short black skirt, high leather boots, and tight white tank top. “Friend.”
Heather smirked. “Man, you know you’re getting old when your girlfriend’s son busts you for messin’ around on his mama in a bar.”
Derek didn’t see the humor in the situation. He knew Mike wouldn’t waste any time running back to Ashley to tell her that he’d seen Derek in a bar with a woman hours after he left her. “Not that I owe you an explanation, but Heather and I just ran into each other. We went to high school together and were just catchin’ up over a drink.”
Heather looked up at Mike and smiled. “Tell your mama she’d best not be lettin’ this one out of her sight, honey. I’ve seen half a dozen women eyein’ him all night.”
Mike folded his arms over his chest and glared at Derek. “Why don’t you hook up with one of them and leave my mother alone, McCall?”
There wasn’t a woman in this bar that could make him forget the woman he loved, but he wasn’t about to discuss his feelings for Ashley with her overprotective son. “What your mother and I do or don’t do is none of your goddamn business, kid.” He’d had a rough day and the last thing he wanted was to get into it with Mike, but he’d never backed down from an argument in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Mike sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about your brother, but the service is over. Don’t you think it’s time for you to go back home?”
Derek stood up, getting in Mike’s face. “You really think I’m gonna let you run me outta town, kid?” He smirked. “You’re crazy.”
“What the hell do you want, McCall?”
There was no use pretending anymore. Mike was a grown man, and if he wanted to call Derek out, he might as well give him good reason. “I want your mother.”
Mike shoved him back, hard, causing Derek to lose his footing. “You stay the hell away from her! She doesn’t need a dirt bag like you messin’ with her mind.”
Derek tried to remind himself that Mike was his best friend’s son and no matter how much he may want to, he couldn’t take his anger and frustration out on him. “I’m not gonna tell you again. You need to mind your own business, man.”
“Oh yeah? You gonna make me?”
There was no way he would have let anyone else disrespect him like that, but if he took a shot at one of her sons, Ashley would never forgive him. He had no doubt Mike knew that, and that’s why he was baiting him. “You need to leave, now.”
J.T. walked up behind them, slapping Derek on the back. “Is there a problem here, guys?”
Mike and Jay had both been close with J.T. growing up, and as far as Derek knew, they were still friendly.
Mike nodded toward Derek. “Why don’t you ask your brother?”
Derek knew where Mike was going with this, and he didn’t want Ashley’s reputation smeared just because her sons seemed determined to make him pay for his past sins. “This isn’t the time or place, kid.”
Mike glared at him. “Who the hell are you to tell me what to say or when to say it?”
When Mike was being stubborn and obstinate, he looked every bit his father’s son, and Derek knew from experience that Josh didn’t walk away from a fight unless he walked away a winner.
“Did you know your brother had an affair with my mother when she was still married to my old man?” Mike asked J.T.
J.T. looked to Derek, obviously expecting his brother to refute the claim.
Derek could have. It was only a one-time deal, not a full blown affair, but it didn’t seem to matter now. “You’re drawing a crowd,” Derek said, lowering his voice. “You may not give a shit whether I look bad, but I thought you had a little more respect for your mother.”
“I did, until I found out she slept with you.”
It was killing Derek to know that a kid he once loved like a son openly despised him now. He knew that Mike and Jay’s hostility was warranted, but he was only human. He made a mistake, one lousy mistake, and he tried to make it right by leaving and giving them the space they needed to rebuild their broken family. It’s not like he set out to take their mother away from them. He loved her, but he knew he could never compete with her children, nor would he want to.
“What do you want me to say? I’m sorry, okay? I wish it never happened, but it did. I can’t take it back.”
“If you were really sorry, you’d have the decency to get the hell out of town.”
J.T. stepped up, wedging his body between the two men as he faced Mike. “Listen, Derek’s right. This isn’t the time or place to talk about this. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
Derek didn’t need J.T. to fight his battles for him, but it was still nice to know his brother had his back.
Mike took a step back and scowled at Derek over his brother’s shoulder. “Seriously? You really want me to leave after what I just told you?”
J.T. raked his hands through his hair, looking tired and defeated. Obviously, the day had taken its toll on his him, too. “Look, I’m not perfect, so who the hell am I to judge Derek for a mistake he made years ago?”
Mike shook his head. “I should’ve known you’d defend him. Fine, I’ll go.” He pointed a finger at Derek. “But I meant what I said. You stay the hell away from my mother, or I’m going to make you wish you had.”
Ashley was roused after a fitful night’s sleep by the persistent ringing of her doorbell. She groaned and pulled her duvet over her head, hoping her unwanted guest would take the hint and leave her alone. One of her favorite things about summer vacation was sleeping in, but her intruder was clearly intent on robbing her of that pleasure this morning.
Muttering a curse, she grabbed her short black robe from the foot of the bed and slipped it on before padding barefoot down the stairs. She stood on her tiptoes to steal a glance in the peephole before opening the door. Derek McCall with a tool belt strapped to his waist. Lord have mercy. The man clearly missed his calling. He should have been a contractor or at least posed as one for some glossy men’s magazine.
She looked in the mirror hanging above the bench in the foyer and groaned once more. Her face was scrubbed free of make-up, her hair was tousled, and she had morning breath. If the mere sight of her didn’t send him running in the other direction, he was a braver man than she gave him credit for.
Ashley took a deep breath, forced a smile, and pulled the door open. “Good morning, Derek.”
He laughed before leaning in to brush a kiss across her cheek. “Good mornin’, beautiful.” He held a paper bag from her favorite bakery and two tall takeout cups of steaming brew. “I wasn’t dumb enough to come here at this time of mornin’ without an entry pass.”
Her heart contracted when his sweet gesture reminded her of the man she used to know. When they were dating, he’d sneak out to her favorite bakery so he could surprise her with chocolate croissants and coffee before she woke up. They’d sit in bed, sipping coffee and spilling crumbs as they talked, laughed, and made love until they felt compelled to get up and face the day.
“You remember,” he said, smiling.
How could he think she would forget? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t erase those memories from her mind. “Of course I remember.” She was almost tempted to suggest breakfast in bed for old time’s sake, but she didn’t have the guts to tempt fate.
He grinned. “So, are you gonna invite me in, or do you plan to take the pastry and run?”
She pretended to size him up. “I don’t know. You look pretty quick, and you probably know how to break a door down so…” She sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll have to share.”
He stepped inside and closed the door. “I was hopin’ you’d say that.”
Her spacious foyer had never seemed cramped and airless… until now.
Derek was crowding her, between the bench butting against her bare legs and the solid wall of his chest. His short-sleeve button-down shirt was untucked, slightly creased, and open at the neck to reveal a smattering of dark hair dusting his tanned skin.
More than anything, she wanted to reach for the buttons tracing a line down the front of his shirt. She longed to spread the fabric just enough to satisfy her curiosity. Was he as spectacular without clothing as he had been the last time they made love? Had the years been as kind to him as she suspected or had middle age claimed the hard, muscular physique she remembered?
He gaped at the line of creamy flesh trailing down the front of her robe and she wished he would take action, since fear and uncertainty were warring to render her immobile and speechless.
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “Why don’t we head into the…”
She waited, breathless, praying and fearing he would say the word she longed to hear.
“Kitchen.”
She cleared her throat as she cursed herself for getting her hopes up. At least one of them was still capable of thinking clearly. “Right… follow me.” She tried to ignore the brush of her silk camisole and tap pants against her sensitive skin. One look at him in torn, faded blue jeans and her body went on high alert.
He set the pastries and beverages on the breakfast bar and smiled at her. “Aren’t you gonna ask me what I’m doing here at this obscene hour?”
She glanced at the neon clock on her stainless steel range. Three minutes past eight was a respectable hour for most people, but since she was temporarily enjoying a life of leisure, she didn’t count herself among the masses, especially since her sleep had been interrupted by the image of broad shoulders, thick black hair, and light blue eyes.
Her cell phone sounded, indicating she had new messages. “Excuse me,” she said, reaching for it. She was surprised to see an email from Mike, with an attachment. The subject line read, Enough said? Her eyes darted to Derek as she waited for the attachment to download. “Sorry, it looks like a picture from Mike. I just want to see what it is.”
The color drained from his face as he hooked his heel on the bottom rung of the stool. “Uh…”
She could understand why he suddenly seemed so nervous. The picture was obviously taken at Jimmy’s bar. The buxom blonde was whispering in Derek’s ear while his eyes appeared to be fixed on the cleavage peeking out of her low-cut top. The date and time stamp indicated the picture was taken less than two hours after he said good-bye to her. Now she understood why he was in such a hurry to leave; he had another woman waiting on him at Jimmy’s. She had no claim on him, but it still hurt to know she’d misread his signals.
“I think you’d better go,” she said, quietly.
“Damn it,” he said, reaching for the phone. “At least let me see it.” He clenched the phone in his hand before looking up at her. “This isn’t what it looks like. She was… a friend from high school. I ran into her at Jimmy’s and we took a minute to catch up.”
“A friend, huh?” Ashley crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she didn’t have the right to act like the resentful girlfriend, but Derek awakened every jealous tendency she possessed. “You sure that’s all she was?”
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. “Jesus, that was thirty years ago. What difference does it make now?”
Ashley reached for the coffee he brought, trying to feign interest in something other than his response to her next question. “So she was more than just a friend?”
“Yeah, she was my girlfriend, okay?”
She reached for the phone, giving him no choice but to relinquish it. The image wasn’t as clear as Ashley would’ve liked, but it was obvious the woman in question was beautiful and apparently not afraid to flaunt her killer body. “Heather?” It was the only girl he’d mentioned to her from his high school days.
He frowned. “Yeah, I’m surprised you remember that.”
“I was hoping you’d tell me I was wrong, that it wasn’t her. It would make it easier to buy your story that you just ran into each other by chance.”
She knew Mike was using this image to try and make Derek look bad, and unfortunately, it was working. Given Mike’s biased opinion of Derek, she knew she couldn’t trust her son to be honest about what he saw, but she didn’t know if she could trust Derek either. Fifteen years was a long time. People changed, and she couldn’t be sure that the honest, trustworthy guy she remembered hadn’t been replaced by a bitter player with a penchant for well-endowed blondes.
He raked his hands through his hair. “You’re sayin’ you don’t believe me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what to believe.” She was in the impossible situation of having to choose between the man who claimed to care for her and the sons who were trying to protect her from choosing the wrong man.
Derek started pacing back and forth across the tile floor. “I can’t believe this. You’re not even willing to give me the benefit of the doubt?”
She wanted to, more than anything, but how could she take his word over her own son’s? “Did you go home with her?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear his answer, but she knew she had to ask.
He released a gusty sigh before turning to face her. “Would I be here if I had?”
Just because he was here now didn’t mean he hadn’t been in Heather’s bed last night.
“Why are you here?” Pushing him away seemed like the safest option. She needed time to think, and she couldn’t do that if he was here hovering, trying to convince her he was telling the truth.
“I thought I’d finish that fence for you.”
That was the Derek she knew and loved. Always willing to help a friend or neighbor in need, whether they asked for his help or not. “Look, I know you don’t owe me an explanation. There’s nothing between us—”
He held his hand up to silence her. “We both know that’s a lie. There’s been somethin’ between us since the day we met. How long are we gonna go on denyin’ it?”
She knew he was right, but she wasn’t ready to define it. Did she love him, like him, respect him…? Was she willing to risk her relationship with her boys on the off chance he may decide to abandon his life in Arkansas to try and build a life with her in Tennessee? There were still so many unknowns, not the least of which was the woman in the photo.
