by Cindy Kirk
She hesitated, but the memory of Jake’s regret spurred her forward. Angel took a deep breath. “Anyway, this guy happened to mention how his brother died and he’d never even told him he loved him and…”
“You thought of me.”
“No.” Her cheeks grew hot. “I mean, yes.”
“Honey, I’ve known you a long time. I know how hard it is for you to say what you feel.”
Of course, he knew. He’d been more of a father to her than anyone. But Jake’s words had hit close to home and made her realize she’d never told the man that had rescued her from the streets all those years ago what he meant to her.
“I love you, Dan,” Angel said simply. “You saved my life that day. I can never thank you enough.”
“You’ve repaid me many times over, sweetheart.” The man’s voice was husky. “You’ve been like a daughter to me all these years. I’ve watched you grow into a fine woman. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Tears welled up in Angel’s eyes and she let them slip down her cheeks, not even bothering to brush them aside. “I’d better let you go. It’s getting late. You take care.”
“You, too,” he said softly. “And, Angel…”
Her fingers tightened around the receiver. “Yes, Dan?”
“I love you, too.”
Angel dropped the phone into its cradle and leaned her head back against the sofa. Her thanks was long overdue. Now she would have no regrets, whether Dan lived one more day or fifty years.
She smiled. God had brought Dan into her life when she’d needed him most. Now He’d brought Jake. It wasn’t yet clear to her if Jake was destined to be just a brief player in her life or part of some greater plan.
Meeting Jake had already had an impact. Hadn’t she finally said the words she should have said years ago to Dan? Why was it so hard to tell those who mattered most to you how you felt?
From now on she wouldn’t hesitate to say “thank you” or “I love you,” frequently and loudly..
What about Jake? a tiny voice inside whispered. Are you going to tell him “thank you”? What about “I love you”?
She pushed the ridiculous thought aside. Dan was right. It was late. And she must be even more tired than she realized.
Chapter Nine
Jake searched his memory and visualized a tall redhead with a penchant for tight clothing. After thinking for a moment, he added her name to the page. He stared in amazement at the growing list, surprised at how many substitutes he’d been able to remember.
He chuckled. Tom had been right. His mind was a steel trap, at least for some things.
If only everything could come that easy. His smile changed to a frown and he stared at the sheet. Tony D’Fusco was at the top of the page. If only Jake could be sure he’d get to the guy before the police did.
He’d already planned what he’d ask. He’d be subtle, nonthreatening, his questions designed to probe Tony’s tie with Angel without alerting the guy to the fact that Jake had absolutely no idea what that relationship entailed.
Deep down, he couldn’t believe that Angel could be involved in anything illegal. Despite her sometimes outrageous appearance, there seemed to be a genuine goodness that surrounded her like a halo.
You’re just like your brother—you always look for the best in people. His mother’s words rose unbidden from his childhood memories. She’d meant the words as a compliment to both him and Jim. Nancy Weston was an incurable optimist who’d never hated a person in her whole life. She’d even managed to forgive Jim’s killers, Jake thought with more than a little bitterness. It was, after all, the Christian thing to do. She thought Jake should forgive them, too. He couldn’t.
It had been part of the reason he’d stayed away from church. He shouldn’t hate those kids, but he did. They’d stabbed his brother and left him to die. And Jake couldn’t forgive them no matter what his parents or his pastor said. They hadn’t been there. They hadn’t watched Jim die.
Only Amanda had understood.
Amanda.
She was his one regret. Even though just a few months ago he’d convinced himself she was the love of his life, something had held him back from making a formal declaration.
Jake laid his pencil down and wiped a hand across his brow. He’d made such a mess of everything. Was he about to make another mistake by trying to handle this Angel mystery on his own? Maybe he should tell Tom what he’d discovered and let the principal take it from there. If only he knew the right thing to do.
“Jake? Honey, is something wrong?”
“Mother.” His head jerked up at the familiar voice. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“It’s no wonder.” His mother pulled up a kitchen chair next to him and sat down. “You were so lost in thought, I think I could have screamed and you wouldn’t have heard me.”
“I don’t know about that.” Jake smiled at the memory. “You have a pretty good set of lungs. Remember when that rat of Jim’s got loose in the house and you tripped over him in the laundry room?”
“How could I forget?” His mother chuckled. Her full lips widened into a smile deepening the laugh lines encircling her mouth. With her auburn hair brushing her cheeks, she looked more like a mischievous sprite than the mother of two grown sons. “That creature almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Jim loved that rat.” Jake’s smile faded and the familiar sadness returned.
“What’s wrong, honey?” She looked concerned.
“I’m just tired,” he said. “I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy to return my calls?”
Heat rose up his neck. He ducked his head, unwilling to meet her eye. “Sorry about that.”
“Your father and I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
Jake took a deep breath and lifted his gaze, his guilt compounded by the additional hurt he knew he’d caused. “I really am sorry.”
His mother paused for a moment. She tilted her head and eyed him speculatively. “Is it Amanda? Are you and she—”
“Are we what?” Jake scowled.
“I don’t know.” Her face colored. “Getting serious? Maybe thinking about marriage?”
Jake heaved an exasperated sigh even while he knew he should be used to this. His mother was a romantic, still blissfully happy with her husband of thirty years. Her dream was to see him married and working on a whole “passel” of grandchildren.
Right now, he wished he had never introduced Amanda to his mother. Although the two of them hadn’t spent any extended periods of time together, his mother had liked Amanda and often asked about her
“Amanda and I are on the outs,” Jake said. “We’re really not seeing much of each other anymore.”
“Why is that?” His mother was clearly perplexed, and he couldn’t blame her. Last time they’d talked, he and Amanda were still dating.
That was before Angel Morelli had been dumped into his life.
As if she could read his mind, a twinkle replaced the confusion in his mother’s eye. “You’ve met someone else.”
“No.” He shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. “Of course not.”
“Of course not?” Her voice rose, and she straightened in her seat, a clear sign of a lecture coming on. “You’re twenty-six years old. It’s time for you to settle down. Your father and I—”
“—were already married and had two children by the time you were twenty-six,” he finished automatically. He’d heard it so many times that he found himself mimicking his mother’s inflection.
His mother laughed, her natural effervescence bubbling forth. “Oh, sweetheart, forgive me. You know I mean well. It’s just that your father and I are so happy, and I want that for you.”
“I know,” he said quietly.
“If you and Amanda aren’t together, maybe you could give my friend Jackie’s daughter a call? She’s only twenty-one but—”
“Mother. No.” His voice was firm and the tone final. If he didn’t put the brakes on her now, he’d have five dates
by the end of the week. His mother had missed her calling. Instead of a real estate agent, she should have been a professional match-maker.
“Why not? If you’re not seeing anyone, what would it hurt?”
“Actually, I am.” The words slipped from his lips so easily, it was as if they’d been poised there from the beginning.
“I knew it.” His mother leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. “Who is she? Do I know her? How did you meet? Can you bring her to dinner on Sunday?”
Fired with machine-gun-like precision, the questions shot forth one after the other with no breath in between.
“No,” he snapped.
Hurt shone in her blue eyes, and guilt once again assailed him.
He cursed his abruptness. After all, he’d only wanted to quiet her down, not trample her feelings. Still, he couldn’t afford to give in on this one. No way could he allow his mother to meet Angel.
“Mother.” Jake gentled his tone. “Every time I introduce you to someone I’m dating, I swear, you start planning the wedding that night.”
“I do admit I sometimes get carried away.” His mother’s lips twitched. Was she remembering the woman before Amanda? Only after they’d quit dating had he discovered his mother had reserved the church for a June wedding—after only their second date!
He raised a brow. “Sometimes?”
“All right. It’s my one weakness.” Her laugh sounded more like a giggle. “But I have only your best interest at heart.”
That part, at least, was true. She’d never given him any reason to doubt her love or her good intentions.
“I know you have,” he said gently. “But you have to respect my wishes on this.”
“I don’t get to meet your girlfriend?”
Hadn’t she heard one word he’d said? “She’s not my girlfriend. And—” She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with a look. “—even if she were, I’ve decided from now on to play it safe. The only woman I’ll introduce you to is the one I’ve chosen to marry.”
It sounded radical, but he had no choice. Not if he didn’t want to end up one day at his own wedding rehearsal before he’d even popped the question.
Despite her obvious disappointment, his mother’s eyes still sparkled. “I’m intrigued. You’ve never mentioned marriage before.”
Jake groaned out loud. “Mother…”
“We’ll talk about this later.” She patted his hand, a satisfied smile on her lips. “Right now I need to get going. I only meant to stay a minute.”
She pushed a strand of hair off his face with the back of her hand, then brushed a quick kiss across his cheek. “You might want to stop by the barbershop on your way home from work tomorrow. You wouldn’t want your new ‘friend’ to think you looked like a sheepdog.”
Jake could only shake his head. He didn’t dare comment. Everything he’d said so far to stop her only seemed to egg her on. At least she hadn’t commented on his T-shirt and jeans. Knowing her, if he wasn’t careful, he’d come home to find a whole new wardrobe from Woodland Hills’s most exclusive men’s shop in his closet. It was just the kind of thing she’d do.
Still, she meant well. He rose and walked her to the door, his arm looped loosely about her shoulders. “I’m going to church tomorrow. Save me a seat?”
A look of such intense pleasure lit her face that Jake had to glance away.
“You’ve finally been able to forgive—”
The warm glow that had momentarily filled his body vanished in the icy blast of reality. “I have not,” Jake said sharply.
He should have expected this. Of course she’d assume he’d forgiven them. He took a deep breath and forced his voice to a more rational-sounding level. “I can’t. Not right now. Maybe someday I’ll be able to forgive them. I don’t know.”
How about never, a voice inside whispered. That’s when you’ll forgive them.
Unexpectedly, her arms wrapped around him, and although she stood six inches shorter and a good seventy pounds lighter, he knew she was the strong one. “Pray, Jake. Ask God to help you. You don’t have to do this alone. Let Him help you let go of the anger and hate.”
Jake shut his eyes tight. He knew she was right. But he’d been there. He couldn’t forget the pain in Jim’s eyes and the blood. His hands clenched into fists. The senselessness of it.
His mother hugged him extra hard before stepping back. “By the way, this girl…this friend of yours…what color is her hair?”
Still lost in his thoughts, Jake answered without thinking. “Dark brown, almost black.”
“What’s her name?”
Immediately he realized he’d entered the danger zone. Although her words seemed careless and offhand, her expression was calculating.
He pressed his lips together. She could torture him, torment him, but she wasn’t going to trick him again. “You never give up, do you?”
Her smile dimmed, and for an instant a shadow of sadness crossed her face. “I love you too much to do that. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” he said, giving her a kiss goodbye.
As he watched her drive away, the realization that he’d actually meant the words washed over him.
When he was with Angel he felt like his old self again. Thank Goodness, he’d decided to stop at the carnival. He almost hadn’t. He’d been in the area when he’d caught sight of the lights. When they were little, he and Jim had gone every year. As they’d grown older, they’d taken their dates. That hadn’t been nearly as much fun as last night.
Running into Angel had been an unexpected surprise. What a coincidence that they’d both been there, alone.
Or was it?
He paused. Surely she hadn’t planned it? What purpose could she have? Unless it was for the same reason she was pretending to be a student?
Naw, that couldn’t be it. He hadn’t decided to go himself until the last minute. Jake shoved his doubts aside. If he didn’t watch it, he was going to turn into another Tom Jorgens, determined to read something into nothing.
Jake returned to the kitchen, grabbed another cup of coffee and sat down. He stared at the list in front of him. One of these teachers could be the link to breaking a multi-state drug ring.
His gaze was drawn to Tony D’Fusco’s name. His jaw tightened. He’d liked Tony. Tony had been an excellent teacher and had seemed like an-all-around good guy.
Tomorrow, he’d double his efforts to reach Tony. He had to find him before the police did.
He had to know what his connection was to Angel.
Jake spent Monday morning at the school district’s central administration office. It took the entire morning. By the time the meeting concluded, Jake wanted nothing more than to relax over lunch before heading back to his afternoon classes. But he had more pressing matters on his mind.
He headed down the long hallway, admiring the shiny linoleum and fresh paint that made the turn-of-the-century building look almost new. Jake stopped in the doorway of a large room.
Debra Dean.
According to one of the administrators, her office was in this room. The irritation that he’d kept under control surged. There was no reason for her not to have returned his calls. All he wanted was an address or a phone number. Surely, that wasn’t too much to ask?
A young girl, who didn’t even look old enough to be out of high school, stopped, a friendly smile lighting her features. “Are you looking for someone?”
“Debra Dean.”
The girl batted her eyes at him appreciatively. She was attractive, with her brown hair cut in wispy pieces and her short skirt showing off her shapely legs to full advantage, but she didn’t look a day over eighteen.
“Debra sits over there.” She smiled and pointed to a row of cubicles at the far edge of the room. “In that last aisle. She’s about halfway back on your right.”
“Thanks.” He turned to go, but she stepped in front of him.
“If you need anything, my name’s Callie.” The girl poi
nted to a nearby cubicle. “I sit there. I do the payroll.”
He smiled. “Jake Weston. Woodland Hills.”
“I do the payroll for Woodland Hills.” Her smile brightened.
“Is that right?” Jake feigned interest and stifled a groan at the glimmer of feminine interest in her eyes. “I’d better be going. See you around, Kellie.”
“Callie,” she corrected him.
He flashed her a smile. “Callie.”
Debra’s cubicle was just where the girl had said it would be, and Jake breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the woman was actually at her desk.
He rapped lightly on the partition’s metal edge. “Ms. Dean.”
The woman removed the reading glasses and pushed the computer reports she’d been reviewing to the side. “Yes?”
“I’m Jake Weston.”
Confusion clouded her features, and Jake’s heart sank. “We talked last week. You were going to help me get a current address and phone number of a friend…?”
“I remember now. You’re the one from Woodland Hills.” Debra started riffling through a stack of folders on the corner of her desk. “You know I used to teach with Tom Jorgens years ago. In fact, my husband and I used to socialize with Jane and Tom.”
“You know Jane died a few years back.”
“I know. I hear the guy that hit her is going to be back on the street.” She sighed and set the folder down. “Every time I think of Jane, I can’t help but remember her funeral. It was so sad.”
Jake had been there. He remembered the pain and grief on Tom’s face.
“How’s Tom doing? Last time I saw him he looked terrible. He must have dropped a good thirty pounds. And unlike me—” Debra patted her own ample hips “—he didn’t have any to lose.”
Jake didn’t want to discuss Tom’s grief. That would only feed the office’s gossip mill. He chose his words carefully. “Tom’s had a hard time of it since Jane died. He really misses her.”