No More Fear, page 5
“So, you just have clothes here, basically?”
I nod. “That’s right.”
“And what were you planning to do about furniture at your new place?”
“Well, I figure that since I’m renting, that I’ll try to find a furnished rental. If not, I’ll go get my stuff from Dallas.”
She nods. “Gotcha.”
“Anything I brought fits in my car.” I add. “It’s all at the motel.”
The looks she gives me is disarming. It’s like she’s laced with concern. “Do you ever worry about your mama?”
“Baby, I worry about her all the time.” I admit. “If there was a way that I could protect her and be closer to her I’d do it. But until my brothers get my daddy calmed down, I’m not sure what else to do. That’s why I’m here.”
She pauses for thought. “What did you do with your clients?”
“Gary took them for me.” I explain. “He said that if anyone put up a fuss that we’d figure it out. Doesn’t look like anyone has so far.”
“You been keeping in touch with Gary?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s a good man.” I say, missing him dearly. Compared to Robert, Gary’s a bloody saint.
Something is in her expression that I can’t quite figure out. “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?”
She waves. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
I’m not buying it. I can smell a fib from a mile away, no matter how innocent it is. “Darlin’, I can tell that you’re holding something back. Now, there’s no reason for you to hide anything from me. I wouldn’t hurt a hair on your head and that’s the truth.”
Plainly, she looks at me, and it’s like she can see right through me. “I’m aware of that, Chad, but it isn’t the time right now.”
“Fair enough.” I frown. “I can respect that.”
“So, how about you come and stay with me, instead of parking it in that hole.”
“Have you got a spare room?”
She grins. “Just like me and my pyjamas last night. Honey, you don’t need one.”
“And you don’t think that that’s a bad idea? I mean, what if Richard finds out?”
“Screw him.” she whispers. “I’m about on my last nerve with him after he humiliated me like that today.”
“So I’m your way of getting back at him.” I state, only half joking.
“Not if he doesn’t find out.” She says, bristling. “We’ll take our own cars to and from the office. And it’s just temporary, Chad. I’m not suggesting that we live together permanently.”
“I don’t want to complicate your life or mine any, sweetie.”
“It’s not a complication, Chad. I’m trying to help you.” She smiles. “After what you told me about your family, it doesn’t sound like you’re getting a hell of a lot of support.”
“It was my choice to leave, Rachel.” I argue gently. “As much as daddy told me to, I could have stayed. I could have taken the risk, but I chose not to. It’s my bed and I have to lie in it. My brothers are doing everything they can to keep mama safe. Cal said that daddy seems better since I’ve been gone, but I don’t know how long that’ll last. Daddy’s drinking binges happen kind of sporadically.”
“Are they doing anything to get him clean? Did they get him to AA or anything?”
I shake my head no. “Daddy wouldn’t be caught dead in AA. He doesn’t think he has a drinking problem. It might take something dire for that to hit him, I’m afraid. The only hope we have is him realizing it for himself. And I’m not sure that that will ever happen.”
“So, you’re not allowed to see your family ever again?” she’s flabbergasted.
“Until things cool down.”
“And when will that be? I mean, has anyone brought up your name? How does your daddy react? And what about your mama? Doesn’t she miss you?”
“I talk to my mama regularly. I know when daddy’s out and I call her then, when it’s safe. Cal and Chuck taught her how to FaceTime me, too, so I’ve seen her.”
“Well, geez, Chad! That’s not enough! This is crazy!”
“Not everything in life makes sense all the time, darlin’. It is what it is for now. As long as daddy doesn’t hurt mama, I’m happy with that.”
“Well, then, that’s it.” she says, irritated. “You’re not going to stay in that motel another minute. Come on.” She gestures with her head. “I’m taking you to get your things. You’re staying with me until you can get something decent, and that’s the end of it.” Her voice is firm, full of conviction. “I’ll be damned if a nice guy like you is going to take that kind of shit from home, from Robert, and live in a goddamn hole, too.” She rises, giving me an expectant look, like I’m supposed to take the cue and turn off my computer, because we’re leaving now. “I’ll get one of my little pissant brothers to loan you his truck, too, in the meantime.” She adds. “They all live under the same damn roof. They don’t even need their trucks. They use the dang company truck for everything.”
“Now, you don’t have to go through all that trouble, Rachel. Shit, you’ll piss off your brothers.”
“Like they haven’t pissed me off, enough!” She scoffs righteously. “Except for Hawk, who busts his arse day in and day out for those boys, the other two are spoiled rotten little bastards. This is payback.”
“But what are you going to tell them? Are you sure you want to tell them about me?”
“Hell no! I’ll just tell them I need to borrow it to move some stuff around. I’ve done it before. It’s no big deal.”
“And what about if one of them comes for a visit? What are you going to tell them about me?”
“How about you let me worry about that, huh? My brothers don’t come visiting, anyway. Most days, I might as well set up camp here, because that’s how often I’m at the office. Which, by the way, is something you better get used to around here, and it’s also why I don’t mind you camping out at my place. Hell, I’ll never see you otherwise.”
I pause, digesting all that. This woman is on fire. I’d love to see her in action in the courtroom. She’s got a ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll end you’ kind of attitude. “Okay. Let’s go.” Best not to argue with Rachel.
***
We pick up my stuff at the motel, I pay the bill and hand in the keys, and we head to Rachel’s house. I must say that I’m impressed. The girl has great taste but it’s not too subtle or pretentious. Her house looks fairly new but with old-world charm. The windows are shuttered with wood painted a rust color to match the soffit and fascia, front door and the single-car garage. With just one floor but plenty of land, the house is a decent size, not modest. A wraparound porch emphasizes the length of the house, and the cobblestone driveway lends a warmth to the dwelling.
“Very nice.” I compliment. “I like it.”
She looks at me and smiles. “Yeah? What does your house back in Dallas look like?”
“I’ll show you pictures later. I took a few before I left.”
She’s grinning at me. “You must love your house.”
“I do. But I took the pictures so the tenants and I have an agreement on what condition it was in when I left it to them.”
“Ah, yes. Smart.”
“They also know that I’m a lawyer.” I pinch my lips together in a smile. “So here’s hoping that I have a fighting chance of coming home to a house that isn’t trashed.”
“I like my house, too.” She says. “But it’s a little bit big for just me.”
I search her face. “Did you buy it hoping to grow into it?”
“You mean like with a husband and kids?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“I actually bought it because it was the last new house in this complex that was available. I didn’t even know what it would look like, but for some stupid reason, I wanted a brand new house. Living on a ranch all my life gave me a taste for new. That was ten years ago. A lot has changed since then.”
“So you would like a smaller one?”
“Kind of. I’m actually looking to be honest. This house is a little much for upkeep, and since I’m never home, it doesn’t really suit me well.” She explains. “It’s nice to have someone to share it with, however temporarily.”
I detect a hint of something in her voice. Tipping her chin up towards my face, I look into her eyes. “Hey. What’s going on in there?”
“I know we just met, but something tells me that you’re going to be here and gone, and as much as I want to help you because you deserve it, I also don’t want to get attached. I just…have a gut feeling. I mean, all arrows point to the fact that you’re going back to Dallas. And I’m not into long-distance relationships, Chad. I can barely handle a local one, which is why I haven’t had one in years.”
“Well, all of what you just said is perfectly fair and understandable.” I say, and then I kiss her softly on the mouth. “But let’s say we take it one day at a time? Before we go jumping to conclusions? To be fair, we’ve only known each other for twenty-four hours, Rachel.”
“You’re right.” She nods. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, beautiful. I get it that you’ve invited me to stay with you, and that’s a little scary, but there’s no pressure here. I’ll look for a place as fast as I can, so I don’t complicate things.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, sweetheart.”
“How come you’ve been staying at that motel for that long? Why didn’t you find a place sooner, like, before you left Dallas?”
“Because there wasn’t anything available to be truthful. Not unless I want to bunk in with some college dudes.” I smirk. “I’m looking for a small house to rent, but I may have to get an apartment. And to be fair, I didn’t know what to expect coming out here, either. I found out about the job through a friend of Gary’s who lives out here, and there were no guarantees. I didn’t want to get tied into a house without starting this job first. Plus, it’s kind of difficult to sign a lease when you’re unemployed, whether you’re a lawyer or not.” I point out. It’s cute that she’s so worried that I’m a flight risk. It’s valid, of course, but it’s so endearing coming from a supposed hardass like Rachel.
“So, do you want to come in?” she asks.
“I would love to, sweetheart.” I kiss her lips.
Walking to the house, I take her hand in mine, giving it a little kiss before releasing it once we get to the front door. She unlocks and opens the door, and we walk inside. It’s clean and tidy, and she points out right away that she hires someone to come in weekly to clean for her, since she’s so busy. “My brothers come and mow the lawn and keep the landscaping up to snuff for me, too. My mama does the garden for me.”
Inside is a gleaming marble floor from the foyer and hallway to the back of the house, which leads to the kitchen. The floor in the kitchen is also marble, but a different mosaic pattern in a different direction. To the left is the living room, which has a dark oak floor, and walls painted cream with an accent wall in black, matching the tiny fleck of black patterning in all the flooring. “Did the place come this fancy, or did you have someone do it for you?”
“One of my clients is an interior designer, just starting out. She sometimes uses the house for demos.”
“I’m not surprised. This place looks like it should be on the cover of House & Home magazine.”
“It’s too much for me, personally, but all it took was an upgrade in the plan when it was originally built, and she added the small touches.” She takes my hand in hers. “Come. I’ll show you the rest.”
The kitchen is gorgeous and newer, more modern than mine, but I can tell that it isn’t used much. The butcher’s block countertop is barely pitted. “I don’t eat here much. I’m usually at mama’s, but sometimes I entertain.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t strike me as the entertaining type.”
“Sometimes I do. Mostly for my friend, Tammy. She’s the one who designed this place. We have some mutual friends and her place is really small, so I let her have her gatherings here.”
“In exchange for keeping your house up to snuff.” I say, following along.
“Yeah, sometimes she’ll do something different with one of my rooms, and like I said, her house is really small, and she actually lives with her mother, so she can’t do much experimentation there.”
“Is she younger? How come she still lives with her mama?”
“Not still…again. She’s got two kids and her husband died, so she moved in with her mama. I help her out from time to time with things, and she’d considered buying a place of her own in time, but living with her mama has proven the way to go. Her mama helps her look after the kids and loves them to bits.” She pauses. “Come. I’ll show you the upstairs. Tammy did a theme room for me in my spare room.”
“What’s the theme?”
She leans in for a small kiss. “You’ll have to wait to find out.”
“I can’t wait.” I smile, playing along. Turns out it looks like Mickey Mouse vomited in her room. It’s covered in everything Disney. The Mickey bedspread, the mouse ear motif pattern on the carpet, the side table shaped like Mickey ears, drawer pulls, lamp pull, even the dang curtains have Mickey ears on them. The wall has a giant mural of classic Mickey and Minnie painted on it, which is really cool. “Hey, I like this. Can this be my room?”
“This room is sacred. Nobody sleeps here.” She says flatly, and it’s so adorable I have to kiss her. “But I have another room. Well, I have two other rooms, but one of them is my home office.”
I snake my arms around her waist. “Well, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to sleep in your room, with you. What do you think of that? Assuming I won’t have to share the bed with a special mouse, too.”
Her eyes are on my lips. “That can be arranged. And the only Mickey thing I have in my room, well, come with me, and I’ll show you.” She leads me to her bedroom, which is as tasteful as a room in a fine hotel. The only thing that sets it apart is the life-sized Mickey stuffy on her bed. Her king-sized bed has a cream duvet on it, with a hand-made afghan draped at the bottom. The single dresser has double the amount of drawers, suggesting it’s for two, and it’s low enough that a large, oval shaped mirror is above it. A red leather chaise lounger rests by the picture window, which is covered in ruby red drapes, matching the cherry wood bed, side tables and dresser. The floor is hardwood with a cream throw rug under the chaise.
“Ah,” I say. “How come Mickey isn’t in the other room with the rest of his friends?”
“Well, he keeps me company.” She explains. Her eyes are on my lips again, and I’m not sure if I should make a move or not. But then I don’t have to, because she takes a step towards me and snakes her arms around my neck. “But I suppose I won’t be needing him while you’re here.”
“No, I suppose you’re right.” I kiss her lips sweetly. “I’ll sure keep you as warm as you like, darlin’.”
Smiling against my lips, she says. “I’d invite you to warm me up now, but there’s something that we need to do first.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, we can either invite one of my brothers to bring a truck over to loan you, or we can drive over and pick it up. What’s your preference?”
“That depends on how you think your family will take to the likes of me.”
“I’ll introduce you as my work friend, if that’s okay. We don’t have to make our business known.”
“If you think that that’s the right thing to do.” I nod.
“You don’t?”
“I’m not a fan of dishonesty, Rachel.” I state clearly. “What happens if they ask where I’m staying? It’s not going to sound like we’re just ‘work friends’ then, now is it?”
“I can tell them the truth…that you were staying in a fleabag motel, and I offered for you to stay with me while you find a place.”
“You think that’ll fly?”
“Well, we have to keep up a façade at work, don’t we?”
“But that’s for entirely different reasons, and, let me ask you this…do any of your family members talk to Robert or anyone from the law firm?”
“Well, no, but…”
“It’s up to you, Rachel. It’s your family and you know them best, but like I said, I’m not a fan of lying, and I don’t do it well, by the way.”
“So, are you suggesting that we tell my family that you and I slept together?”
“No, sweetheart.” I grin, holding her against my body. “I just…I don’t ever want anyone to think the wrong thing about you, especially your family. And I especially don’t want them to think that I put you up to it. It is what it is. We work together, but we also have something special between us, and I don’t want that cheapened by anything.”
She looks at me with dinner plate eyes and kisses my lips. “So, I’ll just introduce you as ‘Chad’, and leave it at that. If they ask, I’ll deal with it as it comes…honestly.”
“That sounds good to me, darlin’.” I smile and kiss her warmly but chastely on the mouth. “Now, let’s go, so I can cook you a nice meal when we get back.”
“You cook?”
“Well, honey, I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’d starve otherwise.”
She purrs. “I think I’ll keep you.”
“If that’s all it takes, baby, then I’m all yours.”
Chapter 5
Rachel
Turns out all the fuss over what to say and whom was for naught. Hawk texted me, saying that they were all out running errands, anyway, with the company van, and to take the keys to whatever truck I wanted to borrow. But at least I know that Chad isn’t just here for nothing. Evidently, he takes what we have seriously, and that’s a relief. Part of me figured that was true, otherwise I wouldn’t have offered for him to stay with me, but part of me also doubted things, since I’m pretty much a rookie with relationships.
Chad made us a wonderful stew for supper. She’d kill me if I ever said this to her face, but his stew rivaled my mama’s. The man even cleaned up after dinner, washing the dishes and packing the leftovers up for lunch. “There’s enough for both of us, darlin’, so no need to fight over who gets dibs on lunch for tomorrow.” He says playfully as he places the containers into the fridge.
