“Here,” she said, fishing in her jeans pocket. “You might as well light the candle.” She handed him a book of matches. “I’ll be right out. Go sit.”
Drew took the matches over, lit one and used it on the candle, and then poured the wine. Sam came through the door with two large plates. “I hope you don’t mind spicy.”
“Not at all,” Drew said as he pulled her chair out for her. “This looks and smells amazing.”
Sam beamed. “Shrimp Fra Diavolo. One of my favorites.” She picked up her fork and speared a big, succulent shrimp and twirled some pasta around it.
Drew enjoyed watching her eat. So many girls hated to eat in front of a guy, but he enjoyed food and loved the fact she felt at ease as she savored her own cooking.
Following her example, he sampled shrimp and pasta. “Oh my God.” He closed his eyes to relish the taste.
“Too spicy?” Sam said sheepishly.
Drew shook his head. “Not at all. It’s…” He took another bite. “It’s amazing.” He opened his eyes to see Sam flushed with pleasure.
“Thanks,” Sam said as she picked up her glass of wine. “It’s actually Nana’s recipe.”
“Yeah?” Drew said. “Well here’s the deal, one of you will have to marry me, because this recipe needs to be in my family.”
Sam took a sip of wine and smiled. “I’ll let Nana know. She’ll be thrilled. She may want a pre-nup so to protect her cowboy boot collection.”
“Understandable,” Drew said. “People have told me all my life I’m nothing but trouble.”
Sam’s eyes lit with amusement. “Nana’s tough. She can handle you.”
“Yeah? What about you?” Drew said. He smiled, but his tone wasn’t quite as playful.
Sam didn’t answer at first and Drew didn’t press her. Instead, he spoke of his work for McAlister Securities, saying goodbye to the General this morning and shared a few stories of how he was adjusting to life with Cole.
“He’s a smart kid,” Drew said, the pride obvious in his voice. “Takes after his mom a lot. Loves to read. He tends to be on the quiet side, but he’s always listening. You can’t get anything by him. But he’s scared. He’s getting better around me, but whenever I walk in the room, he gets that scared look in his eyes like I’m going to do something.”
Sam nodded. “He’s the same way with Ollie. Hesitant. Watchful. We know Kelli was abused by her husband. You think he put his hands on Cole?”
Drew scowled down at his glass of wine. “Yeah, I do. And if he comes near him again, he’s going to regret it. But I get this feeling like it’s more than that. He likes to give his Aunt Ash a hard time. Lilly too, although not as much. But not me.”
Sam picked up her own wine, took a sip, thinking about what he said. “You say that like you don’t give your sister grief.”
Drew shrugged. “Not nearly as much as she busts my balls, but that’s not the point. He won’t have a go at me. He’ll curse at me in anger, but he’s afraid to say shit to me or give me a hard time. He’s still waiting for me to hurt him. Or worse.”
“Worse?”
Drew put his glass down, folded his hands and collected his thoughts. “The other night, Ash was having a go at me during dinner. She was telling the story of how in first grade, they had us all in costumes singing TV jingles—”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Drew shook his head. “I was dressed like a giant hot dog, singing the spelling of the type of wiener I was.” Drew paused a moment to let Sam throw her head back and laugh. There was something about her laugh that lit up her face. When she finally stopped, Drew continued. “Point is, Ashley was ragging on me pretty good. I kept trying to get her to stop.”
“Because you didn’t want Cole to laugh at you?”
“No, let the kid have a laugh at me. I was laughing myself. I really did look like a moron. Cole should have laughed at me, too, but he was too busy being terrified. He even started to shake in his seat. He was certain I was going to do something to Ashley for teasing me.” Drew picked up his glass, drank the last of the wine and poured himself more. “He won’t talk to anyone about what happened. Lilly told me Kelli wouldn’t go into details, but at least she was seeing a counselor.”
“Maybe you should consider getting him into counseling,” Sam said.
“I talked to Ash, but Cole refuses. Gets angry when you try and bring it up, and she doesn’t want to push him. He’s ready to run.”
Alarm radiated through Sam. “Cole wants to run away?”
“I don’t think he wants to,” Drew said. “But he’s ready to if he feels he has to. He’s afraid his stepfather is going to come back for him and he won’t go, but he doesn’t want Ashley or Lilly getting hurt because of him. He’s got a bag packed. He’d sneak a few dollars wherever he could find them.”
Sam nodded, understanding. “Have you talked to him?”
Drew told her about how he gave Cole three hundred in cash, and the cell phone.
“You’re trying to give him a sense of control,” Sam said.
“Partially,” Drew said. “But there’s another side to it, one my sister would rip my head off if she heard me say it, but I want to help him so he can run.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide in utter astonishment.
“There way I see it,” Drew continued, “Cole knows something he’s not telling us. He may understand something about his stepfather we don’t. If something happened and he felt the need to hide, I want him to have the means to get away from the house. I told him if he ran, I’d be coming for him and it wouldn’t be me he was running from. Like I said before, the kid is smart. I just wish he trusted me enough to open up.”
Sam seemed to consider Drew’s statement. She traced the top of her now empty wine glass with her finger as she stared at her plate of food, mostly eaten now.
“He’s scared because you’re a man,” Sam said. “So is Ollie. I’ve met him a few times. He seems to like me. Maybe I should talk with him. I could give him a key so if he needed to get away, he’d have a place to go.”
Drew frowned. “It’d be a big help, but the kid isn’t a wimp. If he’s running, it’s because someone is chasing him.”
Sam cocked an eyebrow. “I may not have survived battles in downtown Fallujah, but I am a cop.”
Drew refilled her glass. “But your Nana isn’t. I don’t want to put her in the crosshairs.”
Sam huffed out a breath and settled back in her chair. “I’ll talk to her, but my guess is she’ll want to help like that. She’s pretty tough for a Nana. She’s had to be. Raised my mom on her own. Got pregnant when she was eighteen, and just barely out of high school. The man responsible, I refuse to call him my grandfather, never wanted anything to do with her again. Her parents threw her out when she wouldn’t put my mom up for adoption. So, Nana raised my mom on her own. Times were tough, but they made it work. Then when my mom was in high school, she met my dad and history nearly repeated itself.”
“Nearly?”
Someone lit a fire and the smell of burning wood filled the air. Sam took a deep breath before continuing.
“My mom was pregnant with me before she finished high school, but my dad didn’t run for the hills, despite pressure from his father to do just that. They married young, but made it work. My father went straight into the academy after school. He was a cop my entire life. I guess I was always a daddy’s girl, because I knew that’s what I wanted. To be like my dad, in his uniform, coming home every night. I know your father wasn’t a good father by a long shot, but mine was. He was my hero.”
“I learned a long time ago that my father was the exception, not the rule.”
Sam smiled as she rose up, took her glass of wine and went to stand by the edge of the deck. She leaned against the banister as Drew joined her.
“I’ve only dated three guys,” Sam continued. If Drew found her change of subject jarring, he didn’t say anything. “I told you, I’m not a casual kind of girl. The first two relati
onships ended on good terms. And then there was Dylan.”
Sam took another sip, stared bitterly in her glass. “He was so nice when I first met him. He knew my plans about wanting to be a cop and was very supportive. I was happy. I never minded spending all my time with him. I started to see less and less of my friends, my family, but that’s what happens when you have a serious boyfriend. Then one day, I saw him arguing with some girl named Tracy. I asked Dylan what it was about and he told me she was an ex who didn’t want to let go. He hadn’t dated her since high school. But he’s telling me I was the girl he wanted and next thing I know, he pops out a ring.”
Drew’s eyebrows went up. “You were engaged?”
Sam smiled. “Yeah. I was engaged. We were halfway through our senior year at college and I’m sporting a ring on my finger. Then one day, I get a text that said, ‘congrats’ on it. It had an attachment which I opened. It was that girl Tracy, and she was with Dylan, in her bed, naked. She must have taken the picture after he’d fallen asleep.”
“Oh boy,” Drew said.
“Yeah, well,” Sam continued. “I went to him, showed him the picture and waited for him to deny it. He didn’t even have the decency to lie. Just said she was a good lay, and did things he didn’t want the mother of his children to do and this was something men did and I should just not worry about it.”
Drew scowled. “Bastard.”
Sam laughed and shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it herself. “Well, I decided the way to deal with it was to throw my ring in his face and walk out on him. I got half way to the door when he grabbed my arm, swung me around and slapped my face.”
Drew’s reaction was immediate. His body tensed and his eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
Sam went to take another sip of wine, but saw her glass was empty. She went back to the table and poured more for herself, took a long drink, and put her glass down. “What do you think I did? I’m my daddy’s princess. I balled up my fist like my sweet, doting father showed me and I broke his fucking nose.”
Drew smiled wickedly at her. “That’s my girl.”
Sam nodded. “He tried to get up and come at me, made some noise about putting me in my place.” She waved her hand and rolled her eyes in a dismissive gesture. “His life’s ambition was to become a CPA. By the time I walked out of that apartment, he had a black eye to go with the broken nose. I worried he’d press charges, but he didn’t want to admit he’d gotten his ass kicked by a girl. I heard a rumor he’d gotten mugged, figured that was what he was telling people.”
Sam shrugged. “I tried the no relationship thing for a while, but it never felt right to me. I could never get comfortable. It just isn’t me, so I stopped dating, and when I was in the academy, I met this guy. He was nice, so we dated, but I was reserved. Next thing I know, I’m hearing how I was a slut and I’d banged him in every corner of the academy, and even did one of his friends at the same time. It was humiliating. We didn’t even hook up, but you can’t un-spread rumors.”
Drew shook his head. “Asshole.”
“You bet he was,” Sam said. “And I was upset, so I called my parents who told me they were going to come in for the week to see me. They never made it.”
Drew frowned. “What do you…?” Seeing the look of pain on Sam’s face, he realized what she meant.
“They were run off the road by a drunk driver,” Sam said. “My mother was killed right away, but my dad was still alive. I rushed to the hospital, but by the time I got to there it was too late.”
Sam grabbed her glass from the table and headed towards the edge of the deck. Drew followed. “I’m sorry. I know how useless that sounds, but…”
She turned and smiled. “You’ve been hearing it from people for the last few weeks, haven’t you? Some say it just to be polite or not sound like an asshole. Some really mean it. I know you do. Thank you.”
He gently took her glass from her and placed it on the banister, then took her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and together, they just stood there in the moonlight.
“You wanna know what really sucks?” she said. “If I hadn’t gotten so upset over a rumor that some asshole spread about me, they wouldn’t have been killed. So it’s my fault.”
Suddenly, she was crying in his arms. He never shushed her, just held on and let her cry. When the tears started to ebb, he kissed the top of her head. “It was never your fault, and I’m sure you parents would want you know that.”
She nodded in his chest. “I know, but I can’t help but feel like it is.”
“I get it,” Drew said. He still blamed himself for failing to protect his sister. For not even knowing he had a nephew that was being raised in terror, and if he were honest, he always would.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “You came over here to talk to me about something, not to have me blubber all over you.”
“Stop,” Drew said. “You’ve let me unload on you. And I probably will again.”
Sam took a deep breath and a step back. She looked up into Drew’s eyes. “I’m a mess. You have your chance to run.”
Drew smiled. “I’m not going anywhere, and you’re right. There’s something between us. I want to know what that is. I haven’t tried for a real relationship in years. I figured anything I’ve ever loved never ended up the better for it, but if you want to see where this goes, so do I. I can be real patient, but you should know I want you. And when I saw you in that kitchen tonight, it wasn’t a one night stand that was on my mind.”
Sam flushed, pulling him down into a long, deep kiss.
When it was over, she smiled. “I’m a little scared about all of this.”
Drew smiled. “Me too. Especially since I know if I screw up you’ll kick my ass.”
She laughed. “So, what was it you originally wanted to tell me?”
Drew sighed and took her hand and led her over to the swing on the other end of the deck.
“Is this a sitting down kind of thing?”
Drew nodded as they both settled into the swing. “Yeah it is. Ollie came by last night and he and I talked. I told him some stuff. Stuff I’ve never told anyone else but the General, who I’d just told recently. I wanted to let you know. You should know, before we take this further because you have a right to know what you’re getting into.”
Sam squeezed his hand. “You’re not gonna scare me off easy.”
“I hope not,” Drew said. “Cause there’s a little something to do with my sister I need you to help me with.”
“I don’t want to go,” Cole said. He was sitting on the living room couch, a book in his lap, with his arms crossed and his face in full pout mode. “It’s stupid.”
“Cole you have to go to school,” Ashley said. “I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to get an education. It’s what your mom would have wanted.”
Cole refused to look at her. “Everyone there is stupid. The teacher is an ass.”
“Cole! You don’t use that kind of language,” Ashley scolded.
“Why not?” Cole said. “You do. You call Uncle Drew an ass all the time.”
Ashley cheeks warmed as her back stiffened. She didn’t want to look at her brother, but she couldn’t resist. And dammit if he wasn’t sitting there, with one eyebrow up and a smirk on his face. Bastard was enjoying this.
“I’m older,” Ashley said. “I’ve earned the right to use that language.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Drew said. “I seem to recall you using that word more than once when you were nine to describe your teacher. Who was that? Mrs. DeWitt?”
Now Ashley crossed her arms and scowled at her brother. “I don’t recall calling Mrs. DeWitt an ass.” Ashley recalled calling her a fucking asshole, but she couldn’t see how that clarification was going to help her case. “And even if I did, it was inappropriate. And it’s also beside the point. Cole needs to go to school.”
“Why?” Cole said. “Why can’t I just do lessons here at home? I’ve been keeping up, haven’t I? It’
s all stupid and boring anyway.”
“But you need to,” Ashley insisted.
“Why?” Cole said again.
Ashley clenched her fists and ground her teeth. “Because I said so.”
“That’s not fair,” Cole complained.
“Life’s not fair,” Drew added. “If it were, the bunch of us would be packing up to go sit on a beach and be served drinks with little umbrella’s. But we all have to do what we’ve got to do. Adults have to work. Kids go to school. The better you do at school, the better chance you’ll have when you’re done of getting a decent job that you might actually enjoy or at the very least not hate. Your school is out for this week, so come Monday, I’m taking you to school.”
Cole opened his mouth to complain again, but stopped as he pictured his uncle bringing him into school. It might actually be cool for the other kids to see Uncle Drew. Not that Cole was about to tell his uncle that.
“I’m not holding your hand as we go in,” Cole said. “That’s baby stuff. But I guess you can take me.”
“Gee, thanks,” Drew said.
Now it was Ashley’s turn to smile. She had a smartass remark on the tip of her tongue, but the doorbell rang so she let it go. She walked across the room and opened the door. “Sam? What are you doing here?”
Sam stepped inside. “I’m here to pick up Drew.”
Drew smiled as Sam walked in. She was not in her uniform. Instead she wore sweats and an Albany University sweat shirt.
“You ready?” Sam said.
Good, Drew thought. Play it cool.
“I’m ready.” Drew got up, smiled at Cole. “I won’t be long. We’ll hang out later.”
Cole nodded as his uncle headed to the door.
“Wait,” Ashley said. “Where are you going?”
Drew fought the urge to smile. She took the bait.
“Drew’s agreed to give me a hand in a few weeks,” Sam said. “But we need to get him fitted.”
Ashley frowned. “Fitted for what?”
“Nothing,” Drew said. “Forget about it.”
Ashley didn’t give up. She looked to Sam next. “What’s he being fitted for?”
Torn Away (The Torn Series Book 1) Page 16