Rodney hesitated and then gave a brief nod. “Come on.” He turned and headed back down the hallway.
Cole followed Rodney, his grip on April’s hand tight. It had to hurt, but she said nothing. He was convinced she’d dated Rodney at some point though. Recently? Ten years ago? Sometime in between? He considered the fact that perhaps she’d had a thing for Rodney in high school and that had been the reason she’d been reluctant to commit to Cole.
Rodney opened a door across the hall from the room where the funeral would be held and ushered the two of them inside.
Cole glanced around as Rodney shut the door. They were in a visitation room, but there were no other funerals today, so it was empty.
Rodney adjusted his belt and set his hands on his hips. “I’m sorry about this, but I need to tell you some things you probably aren’t aware of.”
“Is this about Mayor Chamberlain because I’m pretty sure he’s trying to extort money from my family.”
Rodney sighed, his shoulders dropping as he nodded. “Yes. I saw him out front. I guess he got to you before I could.”
“He did.” Cole stiffened. “What do you know?”
Rodney drew in a deep breath and rubbed his forehead, glancing at April. “This can’t leave this room.”
“Of course,” April responded, leaning into Cole. She continued to hold his hand, but she reached across with her other one to grip his forearm.
“I’ve been watching Chamberlain for months. Your father too.”
“Is it true he owed Chamberlain money?”
“Yes. A lot of it. Your dad had a gambling habit, but Chamberlain took advantage of that vice and made things worse for your father.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he wants the shop.”
Cole flinched. “Why the hell would Chamberlain want my father’s shop?”
April was the one to respond. “He doesn’t care about the shop. He wants the land. He’s building a strip mall on that block. The shop is in his way.”
“Exactly,” Rodney confirmed.
“So, you’re saying he lured my father into making bad deals over and over in order to get him indebted to him so that he could take his business?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Your father was probably weeks away from having no choice. His untimely death makes things slightly messier for Chamberlain, but he’ll go to any extreme necessary to get the land.”
Cole groaned. “How can he get away with this? Why can’t you have him arrested?”
Rodney flinched, his face drawing up in a grimace. “Honestly? I don’t even know who on the police force is clean. Not many.”
Cole rolled his neck back. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”
“I wish I was. My hands are tied right now. It’s all I can do to remain on the force and try to gather information so that hopefully one day the entire department can be exposed. But that’s not going to happen fast enough to deal with your current problem.”
“Jesus,” Cole breathed out. “I’ve done tours in the Middle East that weren’t as sketchy as this.”
Rodney gave a nod. “I’m only telling you this because you need to stall things as best as you can. Chamberlain is going to pressure you for the money.”
“I don’t have that kind of fucking money, so he’s out of luck.”
“Then he’ll want the business. It’s all he wanted in the first place.”
“Well, he’s not getting the shop either.” Cole didn’t give a single shit about how the loss of the shop would affect his stepmother or his half-brother, but he sure as fuck wasn’t going to let the goddamn local mayor extort the business away with his shady practices.
Rodney nodded again. “Just try to stall him. I’m working on it.”
“Thank you.”
Rodney finally turned his attention to April. “How you doing? It’s been a while.”
“Fine. Good.” She stepped even closer to Cole. He didn’t think she realized how hard she was gripping his arm.
Rodney stared at her for several moments, his brow furrowed. Finally, he sighed, glanced again at their connection, and then blew out a breath. “Good.” He handed Cole a card. “Okay, well, text me at this number so I’ll have yours, and I’ll keep you updated on what I know.”
“Thank you. Appreciate it.”
“Again, I’m sorry for your loss.” He stepped toward the door.
“Thank you,” Cole repeated, holding back.
April took a small step in the direction of the exit, but when Cole didn’t move, she stopped.
Rodney nodded toward both of them and slipped from the room, shutting the door behind him.
Cole blew out a long breath, his shoulders dropping. “Jesus.”
“Yeah, what a mess.”
He turned his gaze toward April, unable to resist asking. “And what was that between you and Rodney?”
She winced. “We dated for a while.”
He lifted a brow. It shouldn’t have bothered him. He’d left ten years ago. It wasn’t his business who she dated after he left. But it hurt anyway. And more importantly he needed to know if Rodney had played a role in her decision to pull back from Cole. He’d been devastated when Violet had told him April hadn’t wanted him to propose, but at no point had it occurred to him that April might have been interested in someone else. He pulled in a breath and asked the burning question, “When?”
She sighed. “Do you really want to talk about my dating habits right now?”
“No. Sorry.” He tugged her around in front of him and kissed her, feeling possessive, his body finally relaxing as she leaned close and let him deepen the contact. It was probably inappropriate. They were at a funeral home. For his own father’s funeral. But fuck it. He needed to feel alive, and that’s what April did for him.
When he finally broke the kiss, she smiled at him. “We better head into the service before someone comes looking for us.”
He lifted a hand and brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “Thank you,” he murmured. “For everything.”
“Of course.”
Chapter 6
April knew it was going to be a long day, but she hadn’t expected quite the level of crazy that kept piling up. When she spotted Violet Chamberlain sitting with her father a few rows back, she nearly tripped over herself. The audacity of that man to pretend to pay his condolences. And Violet? She and Cole had never been friends.
Violet had been nothing more than a thorn in most people’s sides in high school. She’d been the class gossip, and not in a good way. On top of that, April had always suspected she had her eyes on Cole. Violet-the-girl had never been a threat to April, nor would Violet-the-woman be one today either, but she’d made her interest in Cole known more than once back in the day.
A surprising number of people filled the seats, but April realized many people knew Cole’s father. The man ran the mechanic’s shop. He may have been an asshole at home and gambled too much on the side, but he was well-liked in the community. He did good work.
Amanda made it clear every chance she got that she didn’t appreciate April sitting with Cole in the row designated for immediate family, but April ignored her. She felt guilty for not noticing how many issues Cole had dealt with ten years ago. If his stepmother and half-brother were even half as rude back then as they were today, no wonder Cole had joked around so much. He’d needed the escape.
The funeral itself was nice. Several people spoke. Amanda played the sad widow. Jacob and Cole were both pallbearers, along with four other guys who were old friends of his father. No one could have suspected that behind the scenes, there was extortion happening and that one of the brothers was the black sheep of the family.
While Cole greeted people on their way out the door, April stepped into the hallway to give him some space. It didn’t take long for Violet to stroll toward her. The woman was wearing a deep purple dress and matching heels. Her black hair was as silky as ever and hung over her
shoulders. Between that and her pale skin, April had secretly always thought of her as a vampire. She certainly sucked the life out of people.
Violet pasted on a fake smile. “I didn’t realize you and Cole were so close or even still in touch.”
April wasn’t about to feed the rumor mill. “What do you want, Violet?”
Violet flattened a hand between her breasts, pasting on a shocked look now as if April were hurting her feelings. “What do you mean? I don’t want anything. I’m just here to pay my respects.”
April lifted a brow but didn’t respond. Less was best when dealing with this vulture.
“I heard that old car of yours broke down and Cole rescued you yesterday. Why do you drive that old thing?”
April flinched. The audacity of this bitch. Just because she was made of money didn’t mean everyone else was. “My Honda is reliable. All it needed was a starter. It’s all fixed now.”
“Oh, what a relief,” she cooed. “Good thing it didn’t break down while you were showing homes to someone. That would have been embarrassing.”
Violet was not wrong. April had worried about that possibility several times. Cole had assured her when one of the guys brought the car back that they’d looked it over and nothing else needed attention. He hadn’t let her pay for the work, but she’d accepted the help because she honestly didn’t have another choice.
Cole suddenly showed up at April’s side. He slid a hand around her waist and held her possessively. Bless him.
Violet smiled. “Awww. You two were always so cute together. It’s like old times. It’s too bad you weren’t able to stay together after high school. I always thought you two would get married and have ten babies by now.”
Cole’s body tensed. Instead of responding to Violet, he turned toward April. “Let’s get out of here. I’m exhausted.”
April smiled up at him, taking his cue. “Excellent idea.” She tried not to smirk as his hand slid to hers and he led her away from the funeral home. He never once acknowledged Violet, which was just fine with April. Let the woman stand there gawking with her mouth hanging open. Cole had never been hers, and he never would be.
Cole drove back to April’s apartment without saying anything. His fingers gripped the steering wheel so hard it was a wonder he didn’t break it. She figured he was about to explode with frustration after everything that had transpired and she couldn’t blame him. He’d done an amazing job faking like all was well in paradise for the last several hours.
The moment they stepped back into April’s apartment, he grabbed her around the waist and pressed her against the door. His hands came up to frame her face, and he angled his head to the side and kissed her.
Her breath caught and her body softened for him. She melted, as she always had when he kissed her like this. He knew it too. She wanted him. Perhaps more than she ever had.
When his hands slid to her shoulders, he held her tight as if she might disappear if he let go.
“Cole…” she murmured as his lips moved to her neck and then her ear.
“Ladybug…”
She smiled. The first time he called her that yesterday, she wanted to deck him. Now… God. She wanted him to slide his hands under her skirt and touch her the way she remembered him stroking her body when he called her by that nickname in that tone.
He didn’t though. He kept his hands on her shoulders, even though she knew it was difficult for him. His fingers were digging into her.
By the time he pulled back, breathing heavily, she was a hot mess. He held her gaze, his body pressing firmly against hers. He’d been intense when they had sex in high school, but his look was beyond that now. He looked more like he wanted to completely consume her. And she mostly agreed.
Finally, she found a brain cell and looked away, breaking the undeniable connection. He’d left her. Left town. Not a single word. Nothing. Just gone. She couldn’t just melt into him and let him steal her heart without discussing what happened ten years ago.
Maybe he’d gotten scared. Cold feet. But why? She’d never pressured him. They’d never discussed the future in great detail. Their conversations had always been vague. She’d known he was going into the Navy, and she’d been heading for college. She’d expected them to maintain the long-distance thing because she hadn’t been able to picture it any other way.
When he disappeared, she’d been devastated. As the days went by and she realized he was never coming back, she’d decided that he hadn’t wanted what she’d visualized. Maybe he’d thought it would be easier to cut things off instead of trying to make it work.
It was his silent disappearance that really cut into her heart though. He could have talked to her. Told her he didn’t think it would work. Instead, he’d asked her to dinner, made a date with her, and not shown up.
To this day, she still didn’t understand why he’d done it like that. The restaurant he’d made reservations at had been way above their usual cheap fare. April had gotten dressed up. She’d been excited. She’d even speculated with her friends at lunch that day that she thought he might propose.
And then nothing. He didn’t show up at her house to pick her up. When she called, he didn’t answer. She even called the restaurant. She’d been able to confirm their reservation but he hadn’t shown up there either.
For a few hours, she’d thought the worst, that he’d gotten in a car accident or been killed. Every morbid thing she could imagine. Finally, she’d called Rodney. Rodney had tracked Cole down at his house and called April back to confirm that Cole was alive and well but leaving early in the morning and had a lot to do to get ready.
April’s heart had seized that night. She’d slumped to the floor with the phone in her hand and cried. She considered driving to Cole’s and confronting him, but forced herself not to.
Had there been a misunderstanding? No. Not a chance. They’d discussed that date several times over the previous week. She’d known he was due to leave for the Navy the following Saturday, but he’d said nothing about bumping it up sooner. He’d even confirmed that morning, cheerfully saying he would pick her up at seven.
April had eventually crawled into bed after midnight, still wearing her dress, having cried for so long that she had no more tears. She hadn’t gotten out of bed the next day, not even when her mother tried to talk to her. She’d moped around for a week until Rodney came by and explained everything he knew which wasn’t much. He’d been as perplexed as April.
The two of them started a friendship that summer and stayed in touch. They’d been friends for years, but peripherally. Rodney had always been more like Cole’s friend who hardly glanced at April. That changed. He called to check on her every month or so that first year, and when he came home for summer, he finally asked her out.
“April?”
April flinched, yanking herself out of the memories when Cole called her name.
“You okay? Seemed like you went somewhere else.”
“Yeah.” She’d definitely gone somewhere else. Understatement.
He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry about today. I hate that you got tangled in my shit.”
“Don’t worry about it. Glad I could be there to support you.”
He reached for her hands and backed up until he tugged her to sit next to him on the sofa. “When did you date Rodney?” he asked.
She shivered, feeling like he’d been reading her mind two seconds ago. She felt a little put off by his inquisition and shot him a glare. “It’s not really any of your business, Cole. You left town without a word. Not a single phone call. Nothing. You left me standing in my house dressed for dinner with no explanation. I had to call Rodney to make sure you weren’t dead on the side of the road somewhere. If it weren’t for him confirming you were alive and well, I would have contacted the police.”
Cole lowered his gaze.
“So, yes, Rodney and I became friends. We dated the following summer when he was home from college. It didn’t work out. We broke up. W
e moved on.”
Cole lifted his face to meet her gaze. “Rodney looked at you today like you broke his heart.”
April swallowed and looked away. “It wasn’t like that.”
“What was it like then?” He angled his body to face her.
She jumped to her feet and stared down at him. “Cole. Seriously. It’s none of your damn business. You left. You never once contacted me in ten years. Why the hell would you care who I dated in that time? You didn’t want me for yourself. Don’t act like you’re retroactively jealous.”
“That’s not true. I wanted you more than my next breath.”
She let out an ugly, mirthless laugh. “Well, you had a funny way of showing it. It was Rodney who picked up the pieces. Rodney took me to lunches and dinners and the movies. He held my hand and stayed by my side while I mourned your loss. While you ran off to live your life, mine was a fucking mess, Cole.”
Cole winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, well, Rodney stayed in touch with me. I knew he wanted more. I knew it was cruel of me to string him along. I couldn’t help it. He was my rock. The only thing keeping me from falling off the deep end. So, I finally relented and we started dating romantically. It lasted about two months. I broke it off when he went back to college for his sophomore year. I hurt him.”
“Why did you break up with him, April?”
She backed up, grabbing the arm of the sofa as she put some distance between them. She was breathing heavily, about to explode with word vomit from Cole’s pushing and pushing and pushing.
He repeated the question. “April, I need to know. Why did you break up with him?”
Finally, she snapped and shouted, “Because I wasn’t in love with him, Cole. Are you happy now? I was in love with his best friend. A man who vanished into thin air because he didn’t feel the same way. It wasn’t fair to Rodney to keep dating him, hoping I would come around. He deserved better. I deserved better.”
Cole rose to his feet and stepped closer. “April…”
“Don’t,” she yelled, holding out a hand, palm out. “Don’t touch me right now. I can’t think when you touch me. I’m trying really hard to let the past go right now and be your friend because I know you need one and I’m powerless to stay away from you. But I don’t have more to give you, Cole. I’m broken. A part of me never got over you. Seeing you like this… Acting like nothing ever happened between us… It’s hard, Cole.”
Hot SEAL, April's Fool Page 5