Suddenly, I had to get out of this place. I needed to take her home so I didn’t have to look at her beautiful face any longer. She would never fit into my world, and I would never fit into hers.
Standing, I picked up our trash, dumped it in a nearby bin, and headed for the door. “Let’s get out of here, Tizzy.”
She followed me outside, and I sensed she had something to say, so I glanced at her over my shoulder.
She was looking at me like she couldn’t decide if she loved or hated me. “Tizzy? Did you forget my name? It’s Tirzah.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, babe, I happen to like Tizzy.” Sometimes I could be a jerk, and maybe I should have been more sensitive at that moment, but if I let my guard down even the slightest bit, I’d be a dead man. I slid on my bike and put my helmet on. “Get on. It’s time to take you home. Hopefully, that boyfriend of yours isn’t still there.”
“Babe?” She sounded furious.
When I glanced back at her, she scrunched up her nose and looked at me like I was some kind of grease monkey.
“Please refrain from calling me anything other than Tirzah.” She got on behind me and put her helmet on. “And just for the record, Peter is not my boyfriend. We’re not even friends.”
That shouldn’t have filled me with as much satisfaction as it did, but I glanced back like it didn’t matter to me who she was with. “That’s a shame. You two seem perfect for each other.” Yeah, I could definitely be a jerk sometimes. I turned the motor on and waited for her to put her arms around my waist before taking off.
I took it slower this time and stayed in the slow lane since she couldn’t tolerate much more than that. When we arrived at Tank’s, the front yard was empty and there was no sign of Peter. I got off the bike and held my hand out to help her off.
She took it, and as she slid off the bike, her face was inches from mine. My eyes dipped to her lips, and I sucked in a breath.
“Tizzy…I mean, Tirzah.” I stared at her in a daze. “I’m sorry for going too fast on the way to the restaurant.”
“That’s okay.” Her lashes fluttered, and a pretty shade of pink raced across her smooth skin. She looked deep into my eyes and stepped closer—almost like it was an involuntary response. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it. “I’m sorry I threw up all over your shoes.”
We were so close, I could’ve shifted the slightest bit and our lips would touch. I wanted to kiss her. Tension coiled in my shoulders as she closed the remaining distance and lifted her mouth up to meet mine. My heart began to pound out of my chest, but then she leaned forward just a hair and brushed her lips lightly against my cheek instead. I could have easily caught her lips as she turned, but I restrained myself.
This was not good. I had to put the brakes on, and I needed to do it right now.
“I want you to know that Tank means the world to me, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe while you’re here.” I took a breath and stepped back. “But this can’t happen. Ever again.”
She stared back at me, mouth agape. “What can’t happen?”
“This,” I said waving a hand between us. “This can’t happen. We were about to…” I hesitated and then moved further back to create more distance. “You know…”
Whatever vibe we had a moment ago broke apart because she reared back as if offended. “Nothing was about to happen. Are you crazy?”
“You just kissed me.”
“Because I was thankful you got me away from Peter. Because you saved me years ago…”
I had not misread her body language, but, okay, if she wanted to make it seem like that was just a friendly kiss on the cheek…whatever. “Well, don’t go giving me anymore kisses, you hear?” I rested my hands at my waist and gave her a stern look. “That can’t happen again.”
She lifted her chin with determination in her eyes. “Believe me, it won’t. Now that I know you take things the wrong way…”
Let it go, Mitchell. Just let it go.
I held my hands up in surrender and took two steps back. “Whatever you say, Tirzah.” I need to get out of here.
Regret filled her eyes when she saw me retreating. “Dex?”
“Yeah?”
“You can call me Tizzy if you want. I kind of like it.”
“Great, now go on inside. I have to…be somewhere.”
She frowned. “Fine.” And then she headed to the front door.
I got on my bike and hightailed it out there. I could not give one inch of room in my head to the woman with the long blonde hair. Not if I wanted to survive.
Dex, 12 years old
“Mom?”
“Yes, honey?”
“What is my dad like?”
Mom froze, her expression hard to read. “Why do you ask that?”
“Because I want to know him.”
She sighed as she stacked the dishes in the dishwasher. “I knew this would come up, eventually.” She turned to face me, leaning against the kitchen counter. “Your father is…is…”
“Is what?”
“He’s an important man…very busy.”
“Is that why he never comes to see me?”
“Oh, honey.” She pulled a bowl from the cabinet and set it on the counter and then took a large box of cornflakes and shook some into the glass bowl. “He has another life—one he keeps separate from us.”
“Why?”
“Because. That’s just the way it is.” She poured milk into my bowl and forced a smile. “Now, take this to the table and eat.”
I glared at her for hurrying me along when I wanted to talk about my father. It felt like everyone knew their dad…everyone but me. “Why can’t I talk to him?”
She closed her eyes, looking tired and worn out. Her arms dropped at her sides and her shoulders bent forward. “Because he’s not available to us. He helps pay the bills, but other than that…” She ducked her head and swiped at her eyes. “I understand this is hard, but you have to accept it.” She took hold of my arms and met my gaze. “Your father will never be a part of your life. That’s how he wants it to be. But know this: I will always be here for you, and I will always love you.” She flicked her thumb across my chin. “You’re everything to me.” She kissed me on the cheek and turned me around, swatting me on the butt. “Now, finish your breakfast.”
I sat at the table and took a few bites of cereal. Mom headed to her room, and I heard the shower turn on. I stood and walked quickly to the spare bedroom where the safe was. Taking the key out of my pocket, I hesitated for a fraction of a second. Maybe I shouldn’t do this.
But my curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn’t resist doing something about it. This safe had been in here for as long as I could remember, and I watched one night as Mom took a key and opened it, going through paperwork of some kind. She’d cried that night, and then put the key in the desk drawer, unaware that I was watching from the hallway. I’d looked for it this morning and found it, and I’d held on to it this entire time, waiting for an opportunity to find out what was in that safe. Whatever it was, it must have been important if it made her cry. I crept across the room to the safe and used the key to open it. Pulling out the papers, I frowned. What was all this?
The first piece of paper had the words, Birth Certificate at the top, and I held it up to study it. It had my name and date of birth, and as I scanned down, it listed Wentworth Mitchell as my father. Wentworth? That was a weird name. I remembered hearing her argue on the phone with a man named Wentworth.
I placed the birth certificate to the side and flipped through the other papers. There was a magazine article with a picture of Mom and some guy. She was young—a lot younger than she was now, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. The man looked pretty shocked too. I dragged my finger along the sentence underneath. Wentworth Mitchell caught with his mistress in a compromising situation.
What was a mistress? And what did “compromising situation” mean?
I blinked, trying to figure it o
ut. I went through the other papers and had no idea what any of them meant until I came to the last one. It was a pamphlet that said Mitchell Manufacturing on the front. Inside, there was a photo of the same man I’d seen in the magazine article, but he looked a lot older. At the bottom, there was an address.
The shower turned off in the other room, and I heard Mom rustling around. She would be out any second and would expect me to be done with breakfast so I could finish getting ready for school. I put everything back except the pamphlet and returned the key to the desk drawer.
Something told me that pamphlet held the information I wanted. Now, I just had to decide what to do about it.
Chapter 7
Tizzy
After the weird pseudo-date with Dex, I flew into the house, wanting to forget everything that happened. Had I really just kissed him on the cheek? What was wrong with me? Was I so desperate to forget about Peter that I’d kissed the biker who called me Tizzy of all things?
And then I’d had the gall to tell him I liked that nickname. Heat washed over my face like hot coffee over burnt skin. This was ridiculous. Ludicrous. I shouldn’t be having these feelings. I placed a hand over my stomach to calm the nerves that hadn’t let up since the moment he’d arrived at the house.
Dex was my angel from years ago, but after that trip to the Roadhouse Café, I had to admit—he was no angel. Not by a long shot.
In fact, the guy turned out to be a colossal jerk. He might not have been as bad as Peter, but he was annoying all the same. I couldn’t believe he’d said nothing could happen between us—as if I was coming on to him. Then again, why did I have to kiss him? I must have been out of my mind. I’d just…sort of done it without thinking. No wonder Mom and Dad worried about me living in California. Maybe there was some kind of seducing influence out here, making me do things I normally wouldn’t do.
“There you are, sweetheart,” Carl said in his gravelly tone. “Where’s Rev?”
“Rev?” I stopped short, blinking.
“Dex.”
“Oh.” I flushed at the mention of the man’s name. “He left already.”
Carl rubbed his chin and looked perplexed. “That’s odd. I was hoping to talk to him before he went home. Oh, well.” He turned to look at me with a questioning glance. “Did everything go okay between you two? I’m sorry I called it a date. I was just trying to think of a good excuse so you wouldn’t have to leave with Peter.”
“It was…interesting.”
Carl’s gaze zeroed in on me like a laser beam. “Interesting how?”
He leaned forward slightly in a protective stance, and I had a feeling he would release a whole boatload of fury if he thought Dex mistreated me in any way. Dex was annoying, but he had gotten me away from Peter at a moment’s notice. I didn’t want to say anything negative that would get him in trouble with Carl.
“I’m not used to being on the back of a motorcycle.”
“I should have offered my truck. I’m so sorry. Did you do okay?”
“Yeah, it was fine.” Sort of. I let out a breath and swallowed, dreading what I had to do next. “Mom wanted me to call after seeing Peter. I imagine she already heard from him.”
He sighed. “She called not long after you left. Gave me a piece of her mind. Said I shouldn’t have sent you off with biker scum.”
Frowning, I fought against the sinking sensation in my stomach. “She actually said that? Mom never uses that kind of language.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “She was pretty angry. Peter probably exaggerated his description of what happened.”
“Did you tell her Peter wanted to send me home?”
“Yes, I did, and she told me I should have let him. But your dad got on the phone and apologized. Said I did the right thing.”
“Wow. I bet you never thought you’d be dealing with all this. I’m sorry I’ve been so much trouble.”
“Hey, now. Don’t ever say that. I’ll take whatever trouble comes my way just so I can have more time with my granddaughter.”
The care and concern radiating from him made my eyes burn with tears. For such a big, burly guy, he was a huge teddy bear underneath. “Carl, can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything. Anytime.”
“Is it okay if I call you Grandpa?”
A big smile broke out over his face, and he ran a hand over his jaw as if tickled by the question. “I would be honored.”
“Thanks…Grandpa.” I wiped my tears before they had a chance to fall. “I guess I should call Mom now.”
He smiled, his own eyes glittering. “Guess you should.”
I walked over to the living room where the phone sat on a side table. Picking it up, I let out a breath, stalling for time. I dialed the number and waited.
Mom picked up right away. “Tirzah, I can’t believe you didn’t call sooner. I’ve been worried sick that hoodlum kidnapped you and we’d have to face another threat against your life.”
“Mom, calm down.” I glanced at Carl…Grandpa…and gave him a look. He motioned for me to smile, and I covered my mouth, doing my best not to laugh out loud at his gesture. “I’m perfectly fine. Grandpa did the right thing. Peter was out of line.”
“Oh, Peter,” Mom said, voice wobbling. “That was the last straw for him. He’s never going to marry you now.”
“Good.”
There was a quick intake of breath on her end. “How can you say that? After all these years, you don’t feel anything for him?”
“He doesn’t love me, and I don’t love him. He’s not even nice to me. You should have heard his tone when he spoke to me.”
“From what I heard, you were the one with the attitude, young lady.”
“Because he wanted to take me to the airport and send me home,” I said louder than I should have. Realizing I’d just lost it, I softened my voice. “And when I told him you and Dad were in agreement that I stay here, he accused me of not trusting God.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then Mom cleared her throat. “I don’t fault Peter one bit. He said there were a bunch of bikers on the premises, and he was only acting in your best interest.”
“Mom, is your hyperthyroidism acting up again? You’re a little irritable right now.” Truthfully, I didn’t know much about an over-active thyroid, but she’d brought it up once and said it contributed to her mood. Maybe that was why she always seemed overly anxious about everything.
“Pick your battles, Miriam,” Dad said in the background. “Did you tell her about the newest threat?”
“What threat?” I asked. “We’ve been talking about Peter this entire time and there’s another threat?”
Mom sighed. “Put the phone on speaker so Carl can hear this part.”
I motioned for him to move closer. Once he did, I put it on speaker. “All right. Go ahead. He’s right here next to me.”
“Harry knows you’re in California,” Mom said.
“What?” I shrieked. “I thought you said no one followed us to the airport?”
“No one did,” Mom said, trying to reassure me. “And there’s no way he’ll be able to track you to Acton.”
“How did you find this out?” I asked.
“Someone left an envelope on the front porch with a brochure about vacationing in California. It could be just a coincidence.”
“Most likely not,” Dad said. He must have been sitting next to her at this point because his voice was louder. “I’m trying to decide if we should go to the police.”
“But if we do, they said they would hurt her.” Mom choked on the last two words.
“I have a security system,” Carl said, “and I’ll tighten things up out here. Don’t worry, as long as Tirzah stays with me, I won’t let anything happen to her. You can count on that.”
“Thanks, Carl,” Dad said. “We appreciate you putting yourself on the line like this. We know you didn’t have to do it.”
“I’m thankful God gave me this opportunity to hel
p. And after this is all over, I would love to meet both of you in person.”
There was silence. It took Mom a moment to respond. “I don’t know about that. We’ll have to see.”
“Mom,” I said in a disappointed voice. “Why are you acting like this?”
Carl put his hand on my shoulder and shook his head, motioning for me not to say anything else. “It’s okay,” he said. “These things take time, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I would never try to replace the father who raised you.”
“You could never do that,” Mom spat.
“Nor would I try.” The corners of Carl’s mouth drooped down, but he didn’t argue back. He glanced at me, and he must have seen the sad expression on my face because he squeezed my shoulder and smiled the slightest bit.
“I contacted a realtor,” Dad said, “and we’re putting the house up for sale. I’m doing everything I can to speed this along.”
“Where are we going to live if there’s no house?” I asked.
“Let us worry about that,” Dad said. “Just take care of yourself. And please don’t go out alone.”
“Okay, I won’t.”
“Make sure you hold to your standards,” Mom said. “Wear your Sunday best to church and don’t allow those California ways to entice you in any way.”
“I will,” I said. “Hold to my standards, I mean.”
“And stay away from those bikers,” she added.
I glanced at Carl sheepishly. “I don’t think that’s possible, Mom. They’re Carl’s friends, and they come to the house.”
“Well, you just keep your distance then,” she said tersely.
“Be safe,” Dad interjected.
“I will. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
After I hung up the phone, I glanced at Carl. “I will be fine, won’t I?”
He drew me into a hug and rustled my hair. “Baby girl, you don’t need to worry about a thing. They’d have to get past me first, and that’s not going to happen.”
***
The next morning, I rose early to make breakfast for Carl…Grandpa. I reminded myself not to call him by his first name while I rummaged through the cabinets and found pancake mix. I set it on the counter and opened the refrigerator, finding bacon and eggs as well. It wasn’t long until I was singing, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and cooking up a large breakfast for Grandpa and me.
Blind Date with a Billionaire Biker (Blind Date Disasters Book 3) Page 7