Fire and Ice (Sticks & Hearts Book 2)

by Rhonda James

  As I cling tightly to the porcelain bowl, all I hear are Cecilia Davis’ last words. What if, God forbid, she winds up pregnant? And then I remember what Derek’s response had been. She’s not going to get pregnant. We’re not that stupid.

  Clearly, we are.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  DEREK

  The waitress places the cup of coffee in front of me, and before she steps away, I’m already asking for a refill. It’s been a rough week, and I haven’t been sleeping well. Not since that night at the club. Something isn’t right with Laney. Something changed that night in my bathroom. Yeah, she let me touch her and gave me a killer blowjob, but she’s been a little more distant and withdrawn. I don’t know what it is she’s hiding, but I know there’s something going on with her. I got the feeling she was about to tell me the other night, and then I went and ruined everything with my desire to fix things for her. I’ve known from the beginning how she felt about people with money. Hell, she’d even made a comment about it that night in my hotel room. It wasn’t as if I was trying to flaunt my money in her face, but if something I have can help her, then I’m damn sure willing to give it to her if she needs it.

  I know she hates being dependent on someone else, but goddammit; I don’t see why she should have to be weighed down with the expense of college. She’s twenty-one years old. She should be out enjoying life and looking forward to her future. All she does is work to pay for school. Never once has she told me her hopes and dreams. As a matter of fact, I’m not so sure she hasn’t given up hope. Sometimes I think a small part of her died the day she lost her parents.

  “You look like shit, man. What gives? You and Laney have a fight or something?” Cage asks after the waitress takes our breakfast order.

  I take another sip of coffee and scrub a hand over my unshaven face. “Maybe. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it’s been going on since that night at the club. When we got back home, fuck, dude. She scared me. I wasn’t sure what the fuck to do or say to help her. That guy calling her a whore publicly like that really shook her up. I just wanted to help her so badly. I wanted to fix everything. You know, she told me she’d seen him before at The Library. Apparently, he’s been there watching her. And then he shows up at that club? To be honest, I think that freaked her out. Hell, it freaked me the fuck out as well.”

  “You think he’s stalking her? What the fuck, dude? When does she work again?” He types out a text as he’s talking. “Asking Cassie if she’s talked to Laney,” is all he says when he catches me watching him.

  “She works this afternoon, gets off early tonight for a change.” I lean back to allow a piping hot plate of bacon and eggs to be placed in front of me. “I haven’t told her, but I plan on being there when she gets off work, just to make sure she gets home safely.”

  “Smart idea. If you need someone to go with, just let me know.”

  I nod in gratitude.

  “So, what’s up with you, man? Why the secret breakfast meeting?” I ask around a mouthful of eggs.

  He sets his fork aside and leans his elbows on the table. “I was wondering if you’d be up for a little shopping after breakfast?”

  “Shopping?” I look at him strangely. “What are we shopping for?”

  “Engagement rings,” Cage says through a cocky smirk.

  “Dude! Get the fuck out!” I lean back against the booth and shake my head. “Does she have any idea?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ve talked about it. I’ve just been thinking with me getting ready to head into the NHL, our lives are about to change drastically. I’m about to start a whole new chapter in my life, and I don’t want to start it without her by my side, for life or longer, you know? Before Cassie came along, all I cared about was getting through school and playing in the NHL. But meeting her changed all of that. I still want those things. I just think they’ll be a whole lot better if she’s right there sharing all of it with me.” His smile is genuine and fills his entire face.

  “That’s awesome, brother. Congratulations.” I chuckle.

  “Well, she hasn’t said yes, yet.”

  “Please. As if that woman could say no to you. I’ve never seen a girl more in love with a guy. Cassie is head over heels for you. Of course she’s gonna say yes.” I shake my head at his ridiculousness.

  “I know of one more girl who looks at her guy that same way.” He gives me a knowing wink.

  “Only time will tell,” I stand and grab my jacket off the seat. “Alright then, where are we headed first? The mall? That big jewelry store on Main Street?”

  “Actually, none of those places. I thought we’d check out a couple of pawnshops.” He picks up his bill and starts for the register.

  “Whoa. Wait a minute. First off”—I lean over and snatch the bill out of his hand and lay it down on the counter with mine—“breakfast is on me. Think of it as a small gesture of my congratulations.” I hand the girl a twenty and tell her to give the change to the waitress, then we head outside toward his truck. “You know, buddy, if money’s an issue, I don’t mind loaning it to you until you can pay me back. I don’t want you to have to settle for a pawnshop engagement ring. Don’t you think Cassie deserves a little more than that?” I look at him over the hood of his pickup, but he shakes his head.

  “No, it’s not that at all. Cassie hates anything flashy. She prefers something less ostentatious and likes things to have history. I think she’d love something that is unlike anyone else has. It’s not about the money, but thanks, man. That means a lot.”

  “Well, okay then. To the pawnshop.” We climb in the cab. “Where’s the nearest pawnshop?”

  “I don’t know. I thought maybe you would know.” He laughs, and we both pull out our phones to look it up.

  “Closest one looks to be in Ypsi. You want to go there?” He shakes his head, and I keep looking. “There’re a couple in Jackson.”

  “Buckle up, Buttercup. Looks like we’re driving to Jackson.” He throws the truck in gear, and we head out of town.

  Meanwhile, I still haven’t spoken to Laney…

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  LANEY

  I drive to work with every intention of telling Gavin I need the day off. In my current mental state, I don’t feel it’s a good idea for me to be up on stage pretending to feel desirable and sexy. Please. I’m feeling anything but that. Right now, I just feel like a gold-digging whore. That’s exactly what Derek’s mom is going to call me, because I know the minute I tell Derek about this baby, he’s going to insist on taking care of us. There’ll be no getting around it; I’ll have to tell him about my dad and the house. One of those secrets could be enough to drive a wedge between us. But three at once? I’m mentally kicking myself the entire drive. If only I had been honest that night in his truck, or better still, the night we met.

  After I talk to Gavin, I need to drive to the bank and hand Matthew the seven thousand I have in my purse. I’ve been collecting every paycheck, plus some extra money I managed to put together, and kept them tucked inside an envelope I’d stuffed inside my mattress at the farmhouse. I called Matthew this morning and told him I would be stopping by. He informed he already had a buyer for the house, but he would see what he could do to buy me some time. I’ve always known this was a possibility. Matthew told me from the very beginning that after the first ninety days with no payment, the house would go up for auction. Until it sold, we still retained rights as owners, but it could be sold out from under us at any given time. Hearing that news left me feeling like the last eight months had been a waste of time.

  After the bank, I’ll drive into Ann Arbor and come clean with Derek. I only hope he doesn’t hate me by the time I’m finished confessing.

  I pull in the alley and leave my car next to the back entrance. My plan is to walk in and tell Gavin I’m sick and need to go to the doctor. I know he’ll probably give me the time off, but I’m prepared to beg if I have to. I cut through the back room and walk past the kitchen toward his office. Wh
en I poke my head in, he’s not there. My first thought is he’s probably by the girls’ dressing room, but then I remember we had an alcohol delivery scheduled for this morning, so he’s probably behind the bar doing inventory. I duck past the dressing room, hoping to avoid Anita because she’ll take one look at me and know something is wrong, and head for the bar. Several tables are filled with our regular customers, and I scan the room for any sign of Gavin. As I pass by one table, I can’t help noticing a guy who’s seated there with two other men. I can only see the side of his face, but that’s all I need to recognize him. The bruises on his face are a painful reminder of that evening. Our eyes connect for a brief second, and it’s clear he recognizes me as well. I look away and spot Gavin behind the bar, where I suspected he would be. My heart is racing as I approach him. Now I’m not only worried about what he will say, but I’m also nervous about this guy showing up where I work after he had his ass handed to him by my boyfriend. I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.

  “Laney?” Gavin greets me with a smile and glances down at his watch. “You’re early. Do you want to help me with inventory?” He turns back to the box he’s unloading.

  “Sorry, Gav. I can’t today.” I set my phone on the bar and walk around to join him. I figure I can help unload while I talk. “I was wondering if I could have the night off. I’m not feeling all that well and should probably go to the doctor or back home to bed.”

  “Sure thing, sweetheart. You okay? You don’t look so hot. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Your color just doesn’t look that great. In fact, you look a touch green. Are you sick to your stomach?” He stops what he’s doing and gently pulls me forward to place a hand on my forehead. “You’re clammy. You better let me drive you home.”

  “No,” I argue. “I promise I’m okay. I think I just ate something that didn’t agree with me. I’ll just go home and crawl into bed for a couple of days. I’m not on the schedule until next Tuesday, so I should be feeling better by then.” With any luck, I say to myself.

  “Okay then, only if you’re sure.” He gives me a quick hug then steps back. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”

  “Thanks, Gav.” I kiss him on the cheek. “You’re a great friend.”

  “Yeah. Yeah.” He smiles sweetly. “Always a friend when we could be so much more.”

  “Gav, you know I’m seeing Derek,” I start.

  “I know, Laney. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.” He chuckles.

  “I’ll call if I need you,” I relent just to appease him and quickly make my way back to the alley. That guy isn’t sitting at the same table when I walk past, so I’m hopeful he’s either already left or he’s just in the restroom.

  I make it to my car without seeing him and toss my purse on the front seat. I reach for my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, but it’s not there. I backtrack in my head and remember placing it on the bar, so I jump back out and run inside to grab it. I dash down the hall, managing to avoid a conversation with anyone. My phone is right where I left it, so I grab it and stick it inside my pocket then hurry back outside. All in all, I was gone less than five minutes, but that’s all it took for the rest of my already unstable world to finish crumbling beneath my feet.

  The driver’s side door is wide open, when I know for a fact I closed it, and the contents of my purse have been dumped out on the floor of the car. My wallet’s still there, but the forty dollars I had set aside for gas money have been taken and the envelope containing the money I’ve been saving is nowhere to be found. Bile rises in my throat, and I barely make it out of the car before I start vomiting all over the parking lot. When the urge to throw up subsides, I look around the deserted alley and am hit with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.

  I no longer care about trying to hold it together. I fall to my knees on the asphalt and cry out in broken despair. Unfortunately, this time there’s no one around to hold me when fall apart.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  DEREK

  The first two pawnshops didn’t have anything Cage was looking for. He said he’d know the right one when he saw it. He also said he wasn’t opposed to taking his time in order to find the perfect ring for Cassie. I admire that about him. I’ve always been more of a ‘get in, get out, get on with your life’ kind of shopper. I like to look nice, but I also don’t want to spend all day shopping for it.

  We find one last pawnshop located about twenty minutes west of Ann Arbor, and when we walk inside, Cage says the place has a good vibe. He goes to one side of the store, while I start on the opposite end. I search through a couple of knick-knacks, some reminding me of objects I used to see on my grandma’s shelf when I was a little boy. Someone brought in a collection of trading cards featuring hockey players from as early as the 1950s. There are over three hundred cards in total, and the guy is asking a pretty steep price for them. I can’t help thinking how much my dad would love to have those. His birthday’s coming up. Maybe that would be a nice gift for him. I keep walking and search through the glass display case. Various items are scattered about. Antique hairbrushes. Pocketknives. Antique pistols. Glassware. You name it, this guy bought it and tries to sell it. I find myself wondering what circumstances bring most people in here to part with these items. Death? Greed? Despair? Is it possible that one day my treasured belongings will end up in a place like this? God, I hope not. I don’t want strangers carrying my shit around.

  “Davis? Check it out,” Cage beckons me over to the jewelry case. This is the largest enclosed display so far. Five tiered shelves filled with tray after tray of carefully organized jewelry. The owner has pulled out a black velvet tray lined with rings of all designs for him to go through. Most of the rings in this particular tray are of the engagement variety, some larger than others, and a varying degree of cost. The ring he’s holding is white gold with a delicate pear-shaped diamond. “This one’s nice.” I take a good look at it and am in agreement with him, while he lifts his chin indicating the guy standing behind the counter and tells me about the ring. “He says the woman it belonged to was married to her husband for over seventy years. Her husband dropped down on one knee and proposed as he was leaving to go fight in WWII."

  “Really?” I look at the guy skeptically and figure he’s probably pulling Cage’s chain just to get him to drop his money.

  “Absolutely. I try and make a point to learn as much background on the item as I can. I often find the stories more fascinating than the objects themselves. In this industry it’s the stories that sell the product, not the other way around.” The guy reaches under the counter and pulls out three old photographs. Each one depicting the story he relayed. There’s a black and white of a young man down on one knee. Another of him sliding the ring on a young woman’s finger. And a color photo of them together when they were much older. The same ring is present in each photograph.

  “Wow. That’s really cool. I think Cassie will love this one,” I hand it back to him and smile. I can already tell he’s made up his mind to buy it. I hear him ask the guy for a price and start perusing the contents of the display case. My eye lands on something it recognizes, and I feel my head start to spin. “Excuse me,” I interrupt their conversation. “I need to see this ring, please. This one right here.” My finger taps the glass above where the ring sits. He reaches in and selects the very one I’m pointing to, and when he hands it to me, I know right away it’s the same ring. “What can you tell me about this one? Has it been here long?” I ask, knowing damn well it wasn’t here four nights ago.

  “No. This one just came in this morning. Damnedest thing, too. A young woman ’bout your age, I guess, brought in a few items. I guess she hoped to get more for them than I offered, but they honestly weren’t worth a whole lot. Around two or three thousand. But she said she needed more than that, so she pulled this off her finger and offered to add it to the lot.” He hands it to me, and my thumbnail automatically begins tracing the familiar etched letters. “I hated taking it f
rom her. I figured this one alone was worth another thousand, easily. I didn’t get a story on that one, but I wish I had. I have a feeling it was pretty special to her.”

  “It is,” I murmur and slip the small ring over the tip of my finger.

  “She seemed pretty upset to part with it, but said she was desperate for cash. Something about losing her home. Poor kid. She looked too young to be dealing with that kind of heavy shit.”

  “What did you just say? Losing her home? What do you mean?” My voice sounds thunderous in this small space, and the guy’s eyes grow wide with concern. I feel my body swaying and have to grab the edge of the display case to prevent myself from toppling over. Did he just say Laney needs money to keep her home? What the fuck? I feel Cage’s hand on my elbow and another on my shoulder.

  “Derek, buddy. You need to breathe.”

  “How much?” I croak, holding up the ring.

  “Um, eleven hundred,” he stammers.

  “How much for everything. Everything she brought in?” I pull out my wallet, expecting him to jack up the price when he sees how eager I am. But I don’t care. I’ll pay whatever price he’s asking.