Scott and Charity exchanged glances, but it was Charity who answered. “Actually, we’ve known each other a long time. We sort of lost touch when he went to college, but we met up at the meet-and-greet at the club he works at. Things sort of snowballed from there.”
It was mostly the truth. She’d merely left out the less savory parts of the cruise. She caught the amused glint in Scott’s eyes and arched an eyebrow.
“Is there something you’d like to add?”
“You forgot how I rescued you from those circling vultures. I thought that was rather chivalrous of me.”
Oh brother. “More like you distracted me long enough to butt your way in. However, I’ll give you points for fishing me out of the pool.”
Laney gaped at her. “Pool? What were you doing in a pool? You can’t swim.”
“She can swim,” Scott said, and popped a hunk of tomato in his mouth. “She just doesn’t do it well. If nothing else, Cherry’s full of surprises.”
“Ooh. I think I’d like to hear this. What else did she do?”
Charity frowned. “I’m standing right here, guys.”
Scott rose and strode to where Charity was standing before wrapping his arms around her from behind. “How did you word it? Extreme PDA was it?”
“Cherry, you didn’t!”
Charity’s cheeks flushed with heat. “Maybe,” she muttered and tipped her head back to look at Scott. “I really don’t think Laney wants to hear this.”
“Like hell I don’t,” Laney protested. “The only excitement I get these days is when Tom sends me on assignment to cover the local beauty pageant. Come on, give me the story no one else is going to read about.”
Scott is so getting punished for this. “Not a chance. If you want to know, then take the cruise. There’s another one coming up in a month or so.”
“You’re no fun.” Laney’s expression turned thoughtful. “Though I have to admit, I’d probably go if I had someone to go with.”
“A certain doctor who will remain nameless?”
It was Laney’s turn to blush. “Maybe. Think it might get my point across?”
“I’m a little lost here,” Scott said. “Who are we setting your friend up with?”
“Joe.”
Scott laughed. “Consider it done. In a way, I have Joe to thank for us getting together, so it’s only fair I return the favor.”
Laney looked hopeful. “Really? You don’t even know me.”
“Absolutely. Like I said, I owe Joe big time and I always pay back my debts.”
Chapter Eighteen
Once the door clicked shut, Charity leaned against the wood with a contented sigh. Though awkward at first, she had to admit the dinner went well. It still disturbed her how cold Joe seemed toward Scott. She wanted to attribute it to his reservations about their budding relationship, but for some reason she knew it was something else. An animosity that ran deeper than the here and now. What could have happened to drive these two former friends apart?
“That was interesting,” Scott said and handed her a glass of white wine. “Your friend seems nice.”
Charity pushed off the door and took the glass. “Thank you. Laney is nice. I think you’ll like Emily, too.” She took a sip of the wine before setting it on an end table and sitting on the couch. “So, what did my brother do?”
Scott shook his head, feigning innocence. “I don’t know what—”
“I’m not stupid. I saw the tension between you two and, when you couple it with your comment about ‘owing’ Joe, I know he did something.” She settled into the corner of the couch and tucked her feet under her. “Now, what did he do?”
He plunked onto the couch and scrubbed a palm over his face. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m just giving him a little payback in humility. Trust me, I’m doing him a favor.”
For some reason, she didn’t buy it. “It is my concern if Laney gets hurt. Just keep in mind that whatever you have in mind for Joe will affect Laney as well.”
Scott took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I promise you, your friend won’t get hurt. I’ll see to it.” She didn’t look convinced, so he continued, “I wouldn’t have voiced my thoughts if I didn’t think this would go any way but well.”
Charity relented with a nod. She didn’t know what Joe had done, but she believed Scott when he said Laney wouldn’t get hurt. She was about to reply when the doorbell rang. They exchanged glances, before looking at the entryway.
“Are you expecting someone?”
“Nope.” Charity rose and strode to the door. “It’s probably Laney. She’s notorious for forgetting things.” She opened the door, expecting to find her friend standing there with a sheepish smile on her face and asking if she’d left her phone on the counter. Instead, she stared into a pair of dark brown eyes she’d hoped never to see again.
“You’ve got be fucking kidding me.”
Nick ran a hand through his hair and released a nervous laugh. “I deserve that. I know you’re pissed, Pumpkin, but can I come inside so we can talk about this?”
Not a chance. There was no way she was going to let this underhanded jerk in her house. Especially with Scott in the living room. Her heart skipped a beat at that thought. Oh crap. She couldn’t let Scott see Nick. All hell would break loose if they met.
“No! Go away,” she said in a harsh whisper. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Cherry?” Scott called. “Is everything all right, baby?”
Shit! Shit, shit, shit! Everything was far from “okay.” Her rat-bastard ex was standing on the porch, while her new man sat on the couch. Neither of whom was aware of the other.
Except Nick was now very much aware that she wasn’t alone. Judging by his clenched jaw and wide eyes, she would venture to say he wasn’t happy about it either.
“Who is that?” he demanded.
He didn’t wait for Charity’s response. Instead, he brushed past her and stalked inside.
This is not going to end well. Sending up a silent plea that Scott would hold his temper, she hurried after Nick.
“Who the hell are you?” Nick charged.
Scott’s eyebrows rose and he glanced at Charity before rising. “Excuse me? Who the fuck are you? Oh, wait. Let me guess. You’re the douche bag who embarrassed Cherry on the radio. Classy, man. It takes a special kind of asshole to call in for sex advice from your woman’s brother.”
Great. Why not add a healthy dose of antagonism to an already explosive situation? It wasn’t as though her neighbors would love the opportunity to witness these two morons killing each other.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” Nick growled before lunging with his fist.
Scott managed to duck the wild swing thrown his way and countered it with a solid punch to Nick’s stomach.
“Hey! Knock it off!” She flinched when Nick grabbed Scott around the waist in a tackle. The two crashed into the end table that held her wine, the glass tabletop shattering beneath their weight. “Damn it. Someone’s going to pay for that.”
She backed away when they rolled toward her. How was she supposed to break them up without getting hit?
“I’ll buy you a new one,” Scott grunted, while shoving Nick off him.
With the two momentarily separated, Charity took the opportunity to get between them. “Stop it! Do you want the cops to come?” She flashed a look between them as they rose. “I swear to God, I’ll see to it they take you both away if you don’t cool it.”
Scott reached for her hand and she drew away. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to touch her. Sure, Nick may have started the fight by throwing the first punch, but she doubted the altercation would have come to blows if Scott hadn’t antagonized him. The whole confrontation was nothing more than a macho display of whose dick was bigger.
“No! Get out. Both of you…Get out of my house right now.” She fought back the tears threatening to surface when she saw the hurt look on Scott’s face. “I mean it. I want you both out of here.”
“Cherry,” Scott tried. “I—”
“Get out!”
“I left my toothbrush in your bathroom,” Nick muttered in a low breath.
Charity glared at him. “Then buy a new one. Leave before I call SRPD myself. I mean it. I don’t want either of you here.”
Nick gave Scott one last dirty look before storming out of the house. Once the door slammed shut, Scott wiped his lip and gave Charity a questioning look.
“What was I supposed to do? He was challenging me. He humiliated you in front of your brother and all of San Diego County. You said so yourself. I was only doing what a good man should. Then again, I suppose you haven’t had much experience with that.”
A sob threatened to choke her. At that moment, she hated him. Hated every truth he threw at her. No, she didn’t know how a good man treated a woman, but she was pretty damn sure it didn’t involve making her cry.
“Screw you, Scott. I really thought you’d changed.”
“Maybe the only one who’s changed is the fearless woman I once knew. The woman I loved. Where’d you go, Cherry? Did Bobby beat her into submission?”
She winced at the reference. She wasn’t sure how he knew about her ex, but she wasn’t about to relive that experience with him. Instead, she pointed a shaky finger toward the door. “I’m calling Joe. If you’re still here when he arrives, I won’t be responsible for what he does.”
“What did he do to you?” Scott demanded, ignoring her threat. “Why were the cops called that night?”
“He hit me,” she yelled. “Bobby fractured my jaw so Joe broke three of his ribs. You know what? I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him either. Are you satisfied?”
“No, I’m not satisfied.” He forced a weak smile. “But I guess it doesn’t matter, does it?”
She watched him disappear into her bedroom for only a moment before returning with his duffle bag. Biting her lip to keep it from trembling, she wrapped her arms around her waist as if she were cold. This was it. Scott was leaving, probably for good this time. She tried to tell herself that this was what she wanted, but as he walked out without a word, she had to stop herself from going after him.
The door had no more than clicked shut when the dam holding back her tears burst and a sob wracked her body. She didn’t care about the glass littering her living room or the wine soaking into her carpet. All she wanted was the one person who could make everything okay again. Grabbing the phone off the kitchen counter, she blindly dialed the number from memory.
“Hello?”
“Daddy?” she sniffled. “Did I wake you?”
Alarm rang through the voice of her father. “Cherry? What’s wrong? Are you crying?”
Sinking onto one of the barstools, she wiped at her eyes. “Joe was right. He told me hooking up with Scott would be a bad idea. We just had a huge fight and I kicked him out.”
“Scott? Scott Nolan?” When Charity confirmed this, he continued, “When did he get back into town? Wait a minute. I thought you were seeing what’s-his-face. That weasely looking guy.”
Despite the tears streaming down her cheeks, Charity managed a feeble laugh. “I take it you don’t listen to KORK much.”
“Not really. Start from the beginning, sweetheart. What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, she gave her father the short version of what had transpired in the last week, leaving out the bits where she and Scott had been intimate. By the time she finished, a fresh batch of tears had welled in her eyes and choked her voice. Damn, she hated how weak she’d become.
“I love him, Dad. I’ve always loved him, but I can’t be with him,” she finished.
“Why not?”
Charity blinked and pulled the phone away from her ear. Of all the responses she’d expected from her father, him asking why she’d tossed Scott out hadn’t been among them.
“Because he doesn’t love me—”
“Doesn’t he?” Her father interrupted in a soft voice. “Sure, you didn’t like what he had to say, but was Scott being mean-hearted? Or was he just making you see something you didn’t want to see? The boy was never subtle. He always wore his heart on his sleeve just as you did. Why do you think you two were best friends?”
Charity was speechless. She wasn’t sure how to respond. Scott had been her friend since kindergarten, but she’d never given their friendship much thought until now. For as long as she could remember, it had been Cherry and Scott or Joe and Scott or better yet, Cherry, Scott, and Joe. The three of them truly had been inseparable.
“What does that have to do with him loving me? And, God, I’m sorry for being nasty about you and Clorette marrying. I really am happy for you.” She drew in a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet. After making a quick survey of the living room, she released a mental sigh. There was no way she could clean up this mess on her own and she sure as hell didn’t want to.
“Everything and nothing all at once,” her dad replied. “Honey, I’ve been in Scott’s place. I know what it feels like to fall in love with your best friend and then lose her. I lost your mother twice. Once when we were in high school and then the day she died. I didn’t deserve her forgiveness the first time, but she gave it to me. Had she not, you and your brother wouldn’t be here.”
Charity squeezed her eyes shut. This was the last thing she needed. “Dad—”
“Clorette makes me smile,” he continued. “She ignites the light in my heart that your mother used to. No one will ever take my Meredith’s place, but I ask you to let me have this.”
“Are you asking for my permission to marry Clorette?”
“I do believe I am,” he chuckled. “Given what’s happened, I won’t ask you to attend, but it would make me feel better to know I have your approval.”
All at once, she understood where her father was coming from. No, Scott hadn’t been the least bit tactful, but it didn’t change the fact that everything he’d said had been the truth. Humility filled her.
“Of course you have my blessing. I would never want you to be unhappy.” She swallowed. “Out of curiosity, how did you almost lose Mama when you were in school?”
He was quiet for a moment before releasing a quiet sigh. “To be honest, sweetheart, I was stupid back then. I took her for granted, and one night I said a few things to her during a fight that I didn’t mean.”
A chill swept down Charity’s spine. “What did she do?”
“The smart thing. She told me to go to hell and walked away. After realizing what I’d done, I spent the next two months doing everything I could to win her back. Finally, she got sick of my groveling and gave me another chance.”
Charity walked down the hallway to her bedroom and flopped onto the bed. Considering the way Scott had left things, she didn’t think there was a chance in hell they would get back together. The finality in his tone had said it all. He’d given up and wanted nothing more to do with her. She supposed it was bound to happen. After all, her mama always said if something was too good to be true, it probably was.
“Well, there won’t be any groveling on Scott’s part. He seemed pretty compliant when I kicked him out.”
“Or he knew arguing with you was a moot point. Look, I’m not defending the boy. But as a man who has been in his shoes, I can tell you that if he’s smart, he’ll be back. If he doesn’t, then let me know. I’ll have your brother handle it.”
Charity rolled her eyes. Having Joe interfere was the last thing she wanted. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she drawled. “I’m sorry I won’t make the wedding, but I would really like to take you two to dinner when you get back.”
His voice softened and she could almost picture the lopsided smile on his face as he said, “I have a better idea. How about Clorette and I take you out for a birthday dinner? Don’t think that because I’m getting old I’ve forgotten when my little girl’s birthday is.”
She grabbed a pillow and tucked it beneath her chin before releasing a silent breath. “That sounds great, Dad. I�
�I should probably let you get back to sleep now. Thank you for listening. I feel a little better now.”
The funny thing was, she did feel a little better. Her heart still ached that she’d thrown Scott out, but hearing her father’s story gave her a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for them to salvage what was left of tonight’s train wreck. She doubted it, but at least there was hope.
“If you’re sure you’re okay—”
“Rick?” she heard Clorette’s sleepy voice in the background. “Is everything okay, honey?”
“I’m sure, Dad. Go back to bed. Tell Clorette I’m happy to have her in the family and I look forward to dinner when you get back.” She giggled. “And if you see Joe before I do, just tell him he was right. That’ll be enough to stroke his ego. I don’t need a repeat of Bobby, if you know what I mean.”
“Done. I love you, sweetheart. If you need me or Clorette, call. I mean it, young lady. Otherwise, we’ll call you as soon as we get back.”
“I love you, too. Good night, Daddy.” With that, she clicked off the phone. She would sooner cut off her arm than interrupt her father’s honeymoon, but the sentiment left a warm feeling in her heart.
She might not like how quick he’d jumped back into marriage, but Clorette obviously meant a great deal to him and she would never do anything to ruin that happiness for him.
Now I just need to find that same happiness for myself. Problem was, she had and she’d kicked him out. Damn. She really had lousy luck with men.
****
Scott stood on the doorstep with a nervous stomach and a heavy heart. Despite last night’s disastrous results, he was determined to make Jack Dauber an offer for his bar. He’d spent the better part of the night driving around and thinking of ways to make things right with Charity. No matter how much he apologized, his words would only be that. His best bet to prove how much she meant was to cut his ties with the Hedonna and stake his claim on dry land. He only hoped his meeting with Jack went better than the one he had with his boss.
Scott snapped out of his daze and managed a weak smile for the elderly man before him. My God. Jack had…changed. The man had always had gray hair, but now his once straight shoulders were stooped and his sharp brown eyes held a cloudy haze. Cataracts maybe?
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