Never Date Your Ex

by Genevieve Goodwin

  "And about your new boyfriend… yes I know all about that… ridiculous really. You know, he and I go back a long way. He's not all he seems to be. Oh, he seems to attract the ladies but he has a difficult time holding on to them." Conrad smirked.

  "When you are done with your country boy, when you have come to your senses, I'll be waiting for you. He opened the door. "And don't forget Jamie, I play to win." His tone was harsh, cold. "Always."

  And Thorn, who was suspiciously observing Conrad, snapped at his heels as the lanky man slipped out the door. Jamie heard Conrad curse at the pup, and she managed to grab Thorn in time to avoid a swift kick from him. Conrad sniffed unapologetically and wiped his nose before slinking into his flashy car and driving off.

  Thorn barked angrily as Jamie held him from chasing after the shiny, black sedan.

  "You're a smart boy" she told him, "Maybe I should let you pick the men I date from now on."

  She remembered the conversation she had earlier with Aidan and a hollow pain filled her heart. Aidan and Conrad knew each other. Aidan had a son. How many other secrets did he harbor?

  She was going to make it her mission to find out everything there was to know about Aidan Brice, past, present and future.

  And then she could walk away from him with a peaceful mind.

  Couldn't she?

  ~

  Aidan busied himself with mundane chores after Jamie left, reassuring himself he hadn't done anything wrong. He had to protect Ross, had to be both parents to his son, and although he knew he'd hurt Jamie by warning her away, it best for all of them. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want anyone acting like a mother to Ross and then disappearing when she tired of playing house.

  He checked on Ross before turning in himself. He tucked the covers close around his son and paused at the door to watch him in the quiet darkness of the room.

  "Daddy?" Ross's sleepy voice broke the quiet night.

  "Yes?"

  "Is Jamie your girlfriend?"

  "Well… she's a friend" Aidan answered.

  His son moved sleepily in his bed, ruffling up the covers his father had so carefully tucked in around him.

  "Jo says you need a girlfriend. Maybe you can get Jamie for yours… she has a nice puppy."

  "Jo talks too much. Go to sleep, Tiger" Aidan said softly.

  He needed to talk to Jo. These busy body women were always nosing into other people's lives. He'd set her straight. He didn't need anyone filling his son's head with the idea they needed a woman in their life. He and Ross were doing fine by themselves.

  He didn't need to think about how Jamie had kissed Ross good night and how she had affectionately smoothed Ross's hair like a mother. Sophisticated, career minded Jamie who'd surprised Aidan by revealing a caring, nurturing side.

  He thought about her gentle hands that had bandaged his shoulders and soothed his aching wound. He didn't want to think about those kisses either. Those sweet, warm lips that had warmed his heart and soul last night. She was a far cry from the woman he'd met in the sweltering heat of a dilapidated cottage a few weeks ago. She was an even farther cry from the shy, skinny girl he had passed in the hall ways years ago in high school. This impossible woman had walked into his dull life, unannounced and unwelcome, and turned it upside down in a matter of weeks.

  She touched something in his emotions, in his very soul he'd thought was long dead. He'd been a walking corpse. He'd used his obligations, his responsibilities, his past tragedies as an excuse to stop living. This paradoxical woman, lioness and kitten rolled into one, had opened him up to living again. If it wasn't too late.

  He was comfortable in his cynicism. It was like a soothing balm to him. Maybe it had been too late for many, many years. Love was something he had tried in the past and the results had been catastrophic. Why tempt fate? He didn't want to hurt Jamie, didn't want his son getting hurt. He didn't want to feel pain either. Perhaps everyone was better off if he and Jamie parted ways.

  The fight over Villa Milagros was problematic. He was starting to worry that there was more to her desire to buy the old house than he first thought. He'd watched her face when he'd told her he intended to tear it down. Her face had gone ashen and her expression, although she'd tried to hide it, gave away a hurt so deep he'd had to look away. He'd never have a moment's peace as long as Villa Milagros still stood. But somehow, he knew that destroying it could destroy Jamie too. He couldn't do that either. It was a predicament he loathed to contemplate.

  One night of a few innocent kisses and he'd become weak. How many times in his youthful past had he easily walked away from a girl who liked him? Although it had been a while since he had done it, he could do it again.

  Aidan Brice fell into a fitful sleep, wrapped in memories of Jamie's soft soothing voice, her gentle touch, and her velvety, sweet kisses.

  Could he really let her go now?

  Chapter Eleven

  After a sleepless night, Jamie decided to finally throw in the towel and arose at the ungodly hour of five forty-five AM. She'd tossed and turned all night, listening in the stillness of the night to Thorn's steady breathing, haunted by the incredible passage of events over the last few days.

  She was the very career woman she had always wanted to be. Successful, independent, and financially secure she was exactly the woman Aidan thought her to be. To expect more out of life, to want more would be greedy. Besides, she had everything she wanted, didn't she?

  Maybe somewhere along the way her needs had changed or maybe she had changed. All she knew that was somewhere out there was a boy, a dog and a man whose company gave her more pleasure, more happiness than she could ever derive from a pile of money or the most coveted design job in the world. Yet keeping her career was important. It was as much a part of her as the nose on her face.

  Couldn't she have a successful career and a family life as well? Or was Aidan correct in his assumption that you couldn't do it all and do it well? It was a question she had never even considered. He only put into words what she'd silently lived by these past fifteen years. She condemned him for his words, but maybe they both were wrong.

  She made coffee and let Thorn out, filling his bowl with food as he returned. She scratched him affectionately behind the ears as he devoured his breakfast. Perhaps adopting Thorn gave her illusions about domestic life. She was a woman on the fast track and dreaming about family life was plain silly.

  The ideal dream life was an illusion. Half the people who married ended up divorced, right? She remembered reading that somewhere. And children from broken homes had trouble later in life, right? Why should she add to the confusion in the world? She was happy with what she had, happy and grateful. Except for one tiny problem.

  She was falling for Aidan Brice.

  The man was definitely an enigma. He harbored far too many secrets for her to trust him. She joked about him having a wife hidden away, but she couldn't be sure. He hadn't been truthful about having a son, he must have known about her ties to Conrad, and yet Aidan never mentioned knowing him. In what capacity he knew Conrad, she wasn't sure.

  Conrad made it clear it wasn't an amicable friendship and given the differences between the two men, she wasn't surprised. To her knowledge Conrad was nothing more than a spoiled, society brat from Connecticut, and he never would have stepped foot in a place as mundane and simple as Seabrook without selfish motivations.

  It was after eight when she emerged from the shower somewhat energized. The bank inspector had left a message on her machine that Villa Milagros was back on the market. The home was still up for sale, although the owners were now considering other options, depending on the damage to the house in the storm. She was welcome to attend the inspection this morning at nine. She had enough time to make a phone call before she left. She dialed the phone quickly. If anyone could help her find out about Aidan's past it was Kerrie.

  She only worried that when she uncovered the truth, she would wish she hadn't.

  The day was sunny a
nd clear as she drove up to her old childhood home. It was the type of day that made Floridians glad they lived in Florida and tourists thankful that they chose the right place to spend their vacation dollars. She had driven past the old Villa many times since she had been back to Seabrook, but she had not stepped foot in the yard or the house since her mother had died and she'd left the house some fifteen years ago. Her stomach churned and her legs felt suddenly weak as she stepped out of her car. She took a deep breath.

  She was a few minutes early, and Jamie was grateful that the inspector had not yet arrived. She walked slowly toward the house, her heart pounding so hard she was sure it would burst through her chest at any moment. She was reuniting with an old friend, a definitive part of the family she once had. Bright purple bougainvillea covered the iron gate leading to the back yard and down to the beach where she and her mother had gathered shells in the summer.

  The grounds, once full of flowering plants and shrubs were now unkempt; overgrown flora and bushes strangled the house, and the faded ochre paint was chipped off in chunks as large as a beach ball. But in her eyes, Villa Milagros was like a great aged lady, still elegant despite the loss of youthful beauty.

  She stepped into the front courtyard, remembering the sunny days of her youth, the happy times with her mother and it made her want to weep. She never understood until this moment, how important it was for her to have Villa Milagros back. She ran her fingertips along the textured stuccoed walls that had cocooned her in her lonely childhood. Feeling the familiar ground beneath her feet and touching the colorful tiles that decorated the courtyard made her realize that nothing in the world was going to stand in her way now.

  She was home.

  She rubbed the sting of tears from her eyes at the sound of footsteps behind her. It was not the Bank Inspector. She knew without turning it was Aidan.

  "Jamie," he called out. His voice was melodic, carried by the ocean breeze.

  Her knees weakened and her stomach fluttered. No man had ever had such an effect on her. She braced herself and turned to face him, hoping to give a show of strength. Hoping that her emotions were not apparent in her face.

  She was good at hiding her true feelings; a gift that came in handy when she began dealing with the rich, spoiled socialites that filled her life in Palm Beach. She'd developed this gift when her mother died of cancer and left her alone to face the world at the tender age of fifteen. Never let them see you cry had been her proverbial line to live by.

  "Aidan" she said coolly, "I can't say I'm surprised to see you here. It seems as though your offer has been rejected."

  "I'm looking into to it. And you?"

  "I'm having a difficult time getting any answers from your buddies at the bank. But it would seem even they don't have the power to manipulate the seller," she mused.

  "Perhaps the seller is taking us both for a ride.'

  She considered it. "Perhaps. Either way, I'm getting this house, no matter what."

  It was a challenge, and one Aidan intended to ignore. He realized by now that she was as adamant as he was to buy the house. He needed to find out why. It couldn't be profit making, he ruled that out early on. And even if she was looking for a challenging project as an interior designer, he doubted that she would be attached to one particular property.

  He'd done the despicable act of asking Travis to try and ferret out the reason from Kerrie, Jamie's best friend. Kerrie refused to divulge any information but Aidan wondered if Travis had put much effort into the plan. He doubted it.

  Jamie would never tell him why she wanted Villa Milagros now. Not after he had kept his son and so many other truths from her. Many she did not yet know about. She was angry with him, and he couldn't blame her. After all, he knew he'd acted like the scoundrel she accused him of being since the day they met.

  She looked so lovely in her sunny red dress and strappy sandals that tied around her slender ankles. He stared at her in utter admiration, thankful for the dark sunglasses he wore. That haughty little expression she wore when she was miffed swept over her face. He grinned.

  "No matter what? Speaking of which, have you surveyed the house for storm damage?"

  "Not yet," she said.

  They stood for a moment in silence, surveying each other until the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway caught their attention. Haley Reed, a tall, grey haired man dressed in denim overalls climbed out of his truck and walked toward them with a folder stuck under one arm.

  "Aidan, how are you, buddy?" he said, shaking Aidan's hand vigorously. He turned and nodded politely to Jamie, "Ma'am"

  "Doing great, Hal. This is Jamie Connolly. Jamie, this is Haley Reed."

  "Connolly? Sounds familiar," the old man said.

  "Jamie grew up in Seabrook. Perhaps you know her family?" Aidan said, fishing for information.

  "Rose was your mother?"

  Jamie nodded.

  "I knew her. Sweet lady." He summed up Jamie in an inquisitive stare. "You look like her too. Well, I see you're wanting to buy-"

  "It's been a while since I've been back," Jamie interrupted. "It's nice to be home again."

  Aidan detected something amiss. here. He could see she didn't want to talk about her family. All the more reason to pursue it. "You knew Jamie's mother?" Aidan said with feigned surprise, "Imagine that! It's a small world, isn't it, Hal?"

  Haley gave Aidan an odd look. "It is a small town, Aidan. Most of the old timers knew each other. Course, now the town's getting bigger and more city folk are moving in," he paused nervously, "No offense Ma'am" he said to Jamie. "But Seabrook isn't what it used to be. I don't know everyone anymore. Though it's still small compared with other places, I guess."

  "Nothing like the old timers, eh Hal?" Aidan said, buttering up ole Hal.

  "Mr. Reed, perhaps we should get on with the inspection," Jamie said.

  "The inspection? Right, well looks like the house is off the market so you kids might want to skip the whole inspection."

  Jamie's face went ashen. Aidan was silent a moment.

  "Has it been sold?" Aidan asked.

  "Sure has," Haley answered.

  "To whom?" Jamie asked in a voice laden with suspicion.

  Haley looked through his folder, and shuffled some papers. "Conrad Malcolm of Palm Beach has bought the property," he announced.

  "What?" Jamie and Aidan both shouted at the same time.

  "Must be an outsider. Too bad," he said. looking over Villa Milagros. "Heaven knows what will happen to her now."

  "Are you sure that's the buyer?" Jamie asked with a disturbed expression on her face.

  "That's what it says here. I best be getting on. The inspector is waiting in the house." He patted Aidan's shoulder as he walked by, "Say hello to your boy for me."

  Aidan murmured an appropriate reply to Haley. He looked over at Jamie who looked completely bewildered. But he wasn't buying it.

  "What are you looking so unhappy about? You had your pink fiancé buy the house for you. You should be happy as a lark!"

  There was no mistaking the look of outrage on Jamie's face. "Fiancé? What fiancé? This must be something you and Conrad plotted together. I knew you were a scoundrel, but I didn't know you could sink that low."

  "Me? What the heck are you talking about?"

  "Conrad was at my house last night. He told me you guys go way back. Now I'm beginning to piece the puzzle together. Tell me what's in it for you?"

  "For me? You're nuts! Malcolm and I detest each other. He must be doing this for you, as a wedding present" Aidan said bitterly.

  She ignored the provocation. "Last night he warned me about you. And warned me he would do anything to get what he wanted. I never thought he would sink to such levels. I never thought you would either."

  She turned to storm away, but Aidan caught her arm. Conrad was in her house last night? He ignored the rush of fury infusing his blood. She wasn't going anywhere until he had answers.

  "What are you talking about? Did he t
hreaten you?"

  "Leave me alone" Jamie snapped.

  Aidan held on to her. "Answer me. Did he threaten you?"

  She looked up into his face, and the anger in her eyes softened a little.

  "He said he always gets his way and that he would use whatever means he could to get what he wants. But he's not getting it this time, the spoiled jerk," she said.

  "Villa Milagros? He can't want that," Aidan said.

  Jamie shook her head.

  Aidan loosened his grip but still held her close to him. He knew that she was fragile now. And vulnerable. And the fact that Malcolm had been in her house threatening her made his blood boil. He took a deep breath and made an effort to soften his voice when he spoke this time, despite his growing rage.

  "What does he want, Jamie?" she asked softly.

  "Me" she said coldly. "He wants me."

  Chapter Twelve

  The rage and fury that shook Aidan were feelings that he had not felt in a long, long time.

  He remembered Lauren's face, white and lifeless on the coroner's table, but her beauty in death was no less remarkable. She had fallen down the stairs at Villa Milagros, an accident they had called it although her veins were full of enough drugs to kill a three-hundred-pound man. And he knew that Lauren would never take drugs willingly. Conrad had murdered her, drugged her and thrown her down the stairs for some small slight he imagined. Aidan was certain with it. So was the whole of Seabrook. Conrad Malcolm had paid hush money to someone in power and had walked away scot-free. He would bet his life on it.

  He'd attended her funeral in grave silence, his silence belying the fact that he was brimming with rage that would never cease until Conrad Malcolm paid for his crimes. Paid with what the monster held most dear. And now the time had finally come. For retribution. For justice.

  Finally.

  Aidan still held Jamie's arm. He had an overwhelming feeling to take her in his arms, to feel her warmth, to comfort her, to protect her. He hadn't felt this way toward a woman in a long, long time. All he knew was that this time he was no inexperienced youth. And this time he would do everything in his power before he let Conrad Malcolm, or any other person on heaven or earth harm Jamie Connolly.