by RC Boldt
“Whoa.” Lawson pouted dramatically as the door fell closed behind him. “I can’t believe you’re having what sounds like sexy talk without me. I’m feeling awful left out now.” He walked over to take a seat beside Pearce, leaning close to speak in a loud whisper. “Tell me more about Tate turning you on.”
“Laws.” Tate’s tone was stern.
“Ma’am?” Her friend’s eyes were wide with mock innocence.
“There’s no turning anyone on in this room. It was just a joke.”
He acted disappointed. “Bummer.” Then, he perked up. “But I bet I know someone who gets turned on by you. Someone, oh, say six foot three, built like a brick house, and looks like Tim—”
“Lawson,” she cut him off with a sharp look. “No.”
He turned to Pearce. “She gets all touchy whenever I mention Loverboy, doesn’t she? Maybe because she likes him-likes him.”
Pearce stared at him, wide-eyed. “Seriously, man? You do realize you sounded like a chick just now, right?”
“Dude.” Giving a long, drawn out sigh, Lawson said, “If only you knew how many times this crew has been saved by me channeling my inner chick.” He shook his head as if saddened by it. “So. Many. Times.”
Pearce turned to Tate for confirmation, and she shrugged. “He’s actually telling the truth.”
“Anyway,” Lawson looked between them before lowering his voice, “I was sent here on a super-secret covert mission.”
“Really.” Her response was dry.
“No, I’m serious. This is important.” He glanced at the closed door before continuing. “Zach has something really big planned for Friday night when we’re all together at Raine and Mac’s.”
“How big?” Pearce asked.
“Huuuuge,” he answered with a meaningful look.
Whoa. Zach was going to— Holy crap. That was huge news.
She shot him a pointed look. “And you know this, how?”
Lawson rolled his eyes. “Duh. I’m his BFF. I’m the one he took with him to go ring shopping.” He averted his gaze in faux rejection, giving off a melodramatic sigh. “Although, it was jarring to realize the ring wasn’t for me but for Laney. It’s going to take me a while to get over that.” Another long, dejected sigh.
Oh, brother.
“Hey, man?” Pearce laid a hand on Lawson’s shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“If you need a shoulder to cry on …”
Lawson perked up. “I can cry on yours?”
Pearce grinned. “I was going to say, you can cry on Kane’s shoulder. He’s got broad enough ones.” He leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “Second to only a certain person who shall remain nameless.”
“Oh? Oh. You mean—”
Tate abruptly interrupted, “Can we please refocus on the important matter at hand. My best friend is going to get engaged!” she said excitedly.
“And he’s got the guys planning on playing the song they danced to at Mac and Raine’s wedding. You can’t spill the beans about him proposing, though. Because,” Lawson wrapped his hands around his throat, mimicking being strangled, “Mayson would kill—”
“Who would Mayson kill?” So focused on the conversation at hand, she hadn’t heard her door open. Laney entered, eyeing them curiously.
“Who’s Mayson supposedly killing?” she asked again.
Tate, Lawson, and Pearce exchanged nervous looks before they all turned to Laney, speaking at once.
“He’s pissed at—”
“A cockroach.”
“Lawson because he did something stupid.”
They turned to one another, humor lighting their eyes. Tate stared at Lawson.
“A cockroach?”
He scoffed at her, as if it had been a completely acceptable answer, before turning to stare at Pearce. “Lawson did something stupid? Seriously? That’s your initial response?”
Smirking, Pearce shrugged. “Is that really so unlikely?”
He stared at him for a moment. “Okay, fine. I’ll give you that. It’s not that unlikely.”
Laney cleared her throat, eyes darting to each of them as she folded her arms across her chest. “You’re all acting suspicious,” she said slowly.
“Nope. Not at all. Just hanging out. Talking about who Zach likes to think about killing. Pretty normal, everyday conversation for us, actually.” Lawson glanced down at his wrist—his watchless wrist—before saying in mock surprise, “Would you look at the time? Gotta run. Later Laney McBrainy! Later Pearcey-poo and Ted!”
They watched as their friend all but sprinted out of her classroom. Damn him. Now it was up to her and Pearce to—
“Speaking of running, I’ve got to head out and go for my run before it gets too dark. Bye, ladies.” Pearce waved as he hurried out.
Which meant her shoulders carried the weight of basically lying to her best friend. Now, don’t get her wrong, she was definitely not as bad as Raine, who couldn’t tell a lie to save her life. But, still. It wasn’t like the CIA was knocking down her door to recruit her.
Laney’s eyes narrowed on her. This was it. It was showtime.
“All right, all right. Here’s the deal. Zach wanted to surprise you with a, uh …” Shit. She sucked at this. “Uh, he wanted to surprise you with a song, reenacting the dance you guys had at Raine and Mac’s wedding.”
Whew. Tate barely resisted swiping her forehead for sweat. That dance had been significant with regards to when Laney and Zach started their … pseudo relationship which turned into a real relationship. And, man, what a roller coaster that had been.
“Really?” Her friend’s face softened. “That’s really sweet.” She slumped into the chair Pearce had left vacant. “So, what’s going on with you and Miller these days?”
Tate turned her attention to the file folders that were already neatly stacked on her teaching table, organized by the day of the week. “Nothing,” she mumbled.
“Really?” The disbelief was evident in her friend’s tone. “Nothing at all?”
“Nope.” She shrugged. “Haven’t been in contact. And that’s a good thing.”
“How so?”
Letting out a long sigh, Tate slumped into the chair across from Laney. “Laney, you know why it’s a good thing. The past should stay in the past. Miller’s my past and that’s exactly how he should remain.”
Her friend’s hazel eyes studied her. “You’re not the least bit tempted to see what he’s learned over the years? If the man has perfected his skills in seduction?”
“Do you hear yourself right now? Did you just read an old Harlequin romance?”
Laney’s lips thinned. “Stop deflecting.”
“Stop harping on a dead issue.”
“Is it?”
No. Yes. No, no, no. Oh, hell. What was with her inner waffling?
“Yes. It’s a dead issue.”
“Huh.” Pause. “So it wouldn’t bother you to know that he’ll be bringing someone along to Friday night’s festivities at Raine and Mac’s?”
Wait, what? He was bringing a date? He was dating someone?
Hold up. She didn’t care. She. Did. Not. Care.
So what the hell was with that sick churning feeling in her stomach at the mention of him with someone else?
“Laney.” Her tone was full of warning.
Laney smiled sweetly. “Yes?”
“Please stop.” Walking over to gather her purse and messenger bag, she slid her planner inside and ever so casually tossed out, “So, Miller’s bringing a date Friday night?”
“Nope.”
Tate’s head shot up. Only to find Laney sitting there, smiling like the cat who ate the canary. Because, shit. She’d fallen for it.
Shaking her head, she realized two things. One, her best friend was an ass.
And two, she might just be in a bit of trouble keeping herself detached when it came to Miller Vaughn.
Dear Miller,
Today was a better day for me. Not that that says much, a
t this rate. But, it wasn’t as hard. Hopefully, it means I’m making progress. The one thing I’ve had to do was put away the photographs. It’s probably crazy to anyone else, but I just breathe easier when I don’t have to constantly be reminded of what I’ve lost, what I no longer have in my life. I haven’t gotten rid of them, but they’re all packed away at the back of my closet where I won’t be faced with them. Maybe someday I’ll be able to bring them back out. Right now, though, that’s not even a possibility.
Some days, I still wish I could talk to you about everything. But, I don’t have that privilege anymore. I hate that I still want that.
I wish I didn’t still love you.
Tate
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“HEY, MAN. DON’T FORGET ABOUT tonight over at Raine and Mac’s.”
Miller nodded to Foster. “Got it.”
“It’s almost sweet how excited you are about your sister’s boyfriend’s planned proposal.” Noelle made a sick face. “Except that it’s you. So that negates all sweetness.”
That earned her a hard glare from Foster. “That’s enough, Medusa.”
“Whatever, Loki.”
Miller coughed to cover his laugh.
“Anyway,” Foster tossed another glare at Noelle before continuing, “I wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page.”
“Roger. We’re all set.” He and the other guys had been practicing their acoustic version of Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years”. “We’ve got it down. No worries, man.”
Foster nodded. “Appreciate it.” He turned to Langley. “Ford, you’re welcome to join us.”
Langley raised her head from whatever work she had been doing on the computer before her. “Appreciate it, sir, but I don’t really know these people well enough to intrude upon such an important event.”
Foster’s eyebrows wrinkled. “First off, don’t call me sir. Second, how do you expect to get to know these people? Don’t make me order you to be there, Ford.”
She seemed surprised. “You’d actually do that?”
Before Foster could answer, Noelle piped up, “Satan, here, would do just about anything to toss his weight around. Just wait and see.”
Langley tossed an amused smile Noelle before explaining, “I actually have a half-marathon in Orlando on Saturday morning and I’m heading down there after work on Friday.” Langley flashed Foster an apologetic look. “So, I honestly can’t make it. Sorry.”
Foster nodded with a quick grin. “Good luck. I’m sure you’ll kick ass.” Turning his attention to Miller, he asked, “You bringing anyone Friday?”
Caught off guard, Miller’s words came out slowly. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Huh. Okay.”
Silence. He watched as Foster went back to pouring over a new contract … as if he hadn’t just asked that odd question out of nowhere. Mentally shrugging it off, he went back to documenting the training he and Kane had given at the NAS Jacksonville site. He had only typed three words when Foster’s voice broke the silence.
“Would it bother you if Tate brought a date on Friday?”
Steeling himself, he did his best to act nonchalant as he looked up, grasping the lone pencil on his desk, flipping it back and forth between his thumb and forefinger. “Not at all.”
“Even if it’s Pearce?”
The pencil in his hand promptly snapped in half.
Foster’s smirk grated on Miller’s nerves. It only exacerbated the feeling when his friend added, “She’s not bringing anyone. Just wondered, that’s all.”
Damn it. He’d totally been suckered into that one.
Foster gestured to the pieces of pencil now lying on Miller’s desk. “You pretend that was Pearce’s neck?”
“Nope.”
“Then whose?”
“Yours,” he said in a menacing tone.
Not the least bit perturbed, Foster just threw his head back in a laugh. “I love you, too, Vaughn.”
* * *
“So …” Pearce began, as the sushi chef passed them their plates over the counter. The two of them were sitting side-by-side in chairs at the sushi bar area. “You know you want to tell Dr. Pearce all about this thing between you and Vaughn.”
Shooting him a surprised look, Tate carefully set her plate down in front of her. “Pearce.”
“Taaaate,” he drawled. “Come on. We’re BFF’s now. You’ve got to tell me the story.”
With a grimace, she sighed. “No one else actually knows the whole story.”
His eyes widened, showing his surprise. “Really?”
“Really.”
“How have those two ladies not combined their forces to pull that information out of you?”
She shrugged, giving a small laugh. “Let’s just say that I’ve been really good at giving little breadcrumbs here and there before redirecting the conversation.” After a pause, she added, “Plus, it helped that they each had their own drama going on at certain points.”
“Huh.” He appeared thoughtful and they both fell quiet, eating their dinner in comfortable silence.
Finally, Pearce spoke. “Okay, how about this. We’ll play a little game. I’ll toss things out there and you tell me whether I’m right or wrong.”
Tate eyed him warily. “O-kay,” she answered slowly.
He nodded, appearing to mull over his words before finally speaking. “You and Miller knew each other when you were teenagers.”
She nodded.
“You were in love and then parted ways to go to college.”
“Yes … and no.”
He seemed to be faintly surprised by her answer. “Huh. Okay. You were in love and you both went to college together?”
“Yes.”
“Then, someone decided to sow their wild oats or something separated you both and you broke up.”
Tate worried her bottom lip before she spoke. “He decided to join the Navy to become a SEAL.”
At that, Pearce’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline before tipping his head to the side. “And you couldn’t deal with him leaving you for that?” His question was posed gently but it still didn’t manage to take the sting out of it.
Her lips pressed thin before she answered, “I was okay with him leaving to do that.” Directing her gaze down at her nearly empty plate, she quietly added, “I wasn’t okay with the way he dropped off the face of the earth and left me to figure out that he wanted nothing to do with me anymore.”
Letting out a long, slow breath, she turned to face Pearce, and upon seeing his expression, she gave a wan smile. “Hey, that was, like, eons ago. It was a decidedly shitty thing to do to a girl he proclaimed to love and want to be with forever, but … whatever.” She lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “Not like I could do anything about it. But, it just sucked worse since I found this all out on the same day …” She trailed off, swallowing thickly.
Her friend’s voice was gentle as he prompted her, “The same day as what, Tate?”
Steeling herself to the emotion which always seemed to overwhelm her even after all these years, she clenched and unclenched her jaw before giving a brief shake of her head.
“Tate.”
She stared down blindly at her plate, felt him grasp her hand in his own in recognition that her unspoken answer had been too painful to say aloud.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”
She squeezed his hand and inhaled deeply before facing him, a weak smile upon her face. “You couldn’t have known.”
His eyes studied her for a moment. “I know we haven’t known one another very long but, Tate, I want you to know that I’m here for you.”
She felt like crying and laughing simultaneously. Because, here, beside her was this utterly amazing guy whom she was certain would make the absolute best boyfriend or husband. And they had zero chemistry.
The gods were laughing down at her, she was certain.
Gazing into Pearce’s soulful brown eyes, she asked, “How is it possi
ble that you don’t have a girlfriend?”
His lips tilted ever so slightly into a somber smile. “I had one. Actually thought she would be ‘the one’. Then she decided that not only couldn’t she deal with the fact I wasn’t a PJ anymore and merely a simple school teacher, which is odd since it had always been my plan as I come from a long line of teachers and professors …” He broke off in a humorless laugh before gesturing to his right leg. Winking in an attempt at humor, he added, “But she couldn’t deal with me being all super bionic and awesome, so …”
Oh, Pearce. How her heart ached for him. Impulsively, she reached her hand out to cup the side of his face, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. She gazed into his eyes, lips parting to speak when she heard a deep, familiar voice behind her.
“Are we interrupting?”
Tate felt her spine stiffen, arm dropping from Pearce, and watched as her friend’s lips formed a smug grin. Turning in her seat, she found Miller, dressed in a pair of dark khaki shorts, a short-sleeved gray Henley stretched across his taut muscular torso. His dark hair looked like he had styled it by quickly running his fingers through it. She suddenly noticed his gaze strayed at the same time she felt Pearce—ever so casually—slide an arm across the back of her chair, fingertips grazing the ends of her hair.
What the hell was he— Oh. So, that was his game plan, huh? And, by the looks of it, Pearce’s plan was working. Miller’s eyes tracked Pearce’s movement, watching his fingers play with her hair, before his gaze transformed into a steely blue.
“Hey, Vaughn. Had a craving for sushi, too?” Pearce’s fingers continued to toy with her hair as he tossed her what she supposed was an adoring expression. “This gorgeous lady, here, demanded that I take her out for sushi.” He smiled down at her, eyes sparkling with mischief.
Yep, Pearce was definitely up to no good.
Before Miller could offer up a response, Kane ambled up from behind him. His smile was genuine as when noticed Tate and Pearce.
“Hey, y’all. Getting your sushi fix, huh?” Glancing down at Pearce’s intimate pose, Kane’s eyes darted to Miller. Noticing something in his friend’s expression made his grin deepen. “Hope we’re not interrupting you two lovebirds.”