"Aldis?" Dean dug out his money absently and glanced at the headlines on the newspaper rack.
They all seemed more World Weekly News than New York Times or Washington Post: "SOCIALITE CAUGHT IN STEALING SCANDAL", "GM CROPS BLAMED FOR OBESITY", "MUTILATED REMAINS FOUND IN CAVE","MYSTERIOUS THEFT AT PREMIERE", "MYSTERY VIRUS CLAIMS MORE LIVES."
"Aldis?" Just as he reached to pick up one of the crazier-looking papers, Aldis' dark hand slammed down on counter, right on top of the paper.
"Hey, Dean," Aldis greeted.
Startled, Dean jumped back a little and looked up to see Aldis' over-the-top grin.
"No Meaghan today, man?" Aldis asked as another customer stepped into line behind Dean.
Dean glanced behind him and blinked. "Uh- no. man. We’re not joined at the hip you know," he said with a smile and paid for the coffee. "See you."
As he stepped back into the early morning sunlight, a soccer ball slammed into his right hip. Due to the law stating that every action causes an equal and opposite reaction, Dean stumbled sideways a few steps. Coffee splashed through the tiny hole in the plastic lid, but thankfully, did not spill everywhere.
He glared at the junior high girl in the soccer uniform. "You. Are. So dead," he threatened as the soccer ball bounced away. Last week, she had caused him to drop his coffee cup completely and even though it managed to fall bottom down on the ground, the top had popped off and the coffee had gone everywhere. They were now mortal enemies
*****
It was only after his shower, as he dried off that he managed to pick up the paper and read the article that had caught his eye. The sinking feeling in his stomach got even worse as he realized who they were talking about. He couldn’t understand how they could possibly have gotten hold of the story. The only source they could possibly have was Judy Maitland and she’d signed an NDA. Surely she wasn’t ready to risk her entire life for a meager payday. It didn’t make sense. He picked up his phone and dialed Bain’s number.
“How well do you know this Judy chick?” he asked.
“You’ve seen the tabloids,” Bain replied with despair.
“Who else could have told them?”
“No. I mean I agree with you.”
“She signed an NDA. Does she not know what that means?”
“She probably knows. She must have found a loophole.”
“What loophole? Crowley doesn’t do loopholes.”
Even through the phone Dean could feel Bain’s shrug, “I don’t know. Get your Crowley on it and let him find out.”
“Meanwhile, who is going to tell Meaghan?” Dean sighed.
“You’re her boyfriend,” Bain said and hung up.
*****
Meaghan had just gotten into work and was surveying her list of appointments when the nurse knocked softly on her door.
“Dr. Leonard? Are you busy? There’s a bunch of people in the lobby asking for you.”
“What people?” Meaghan asked still reading her files.
“I don’t know. They’re asking a lot of questions about you; asking if you’re trustworthy and shit,” she said. Meaghan looked up, eyebrows up in surprise.
“What?”
Nurse Clotilda, according to her name tag, just shrugged and went away. Meaghan put her files down and sidled out of the doctor’s room, creeping cautiously down the hall to peep at the people waiting for her. She could see cameras. And microphones. What was the standard operating procedure for this? She fished her phone out of her pocket and called Dean. He picked up after five rings. Wasn’t like him. He knew something. Didn’t want to talk to her about it.
“Hello,” he said when he picked up. Just from the sound of his voice she knew he knew what this was about.
“Hey Dean,” she said. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Great. I have a small problem at work,” she said.
“What problem?”
“Well, there is a bunch of photogs with cameras and microphones in the lobby. What do they want?” she asked as if it was of minimal interest to her. Dean cleared his throat nervously.
“Well…” he began and then said nothing for too long.
“Uh huh?” Meaghan prompted.
“Someone…mighthaveleakedthetiarastory,” he said his words mashing together with nervousness.
“I beg your pardon?” she said heart stopping.
“It's in the papers. Somebody leaked it.”
Meaghan recalled what her mother had told her about Judy going to confront her.
“By someone, you mean Judy?”
“Probably. We’re trying to confirm it. TMZ is very adamant about protecting their ‘sources’,” he said and then his voice hitched like he was going to say something else but then changed his mind.
“What?” she asked immediately.
“Nothing…I…have to check on something,” he said sounding thoughtful.
“Good. Well. Meanwhile. Paps in my waiting room,” she said.
“Is there any way you can get the day off?”
“Not without a note from the doctor stating that I’m dying.”
“The clinic isn’t going to operate with paps in the lobby. It’d be better for you and them if you left.”
“What am I supposed to say?” she asked desperately.
“Do you want me to come get you?” he asked.
Meaghan took a breathe, “No,” she said, “I’ll handle it.”
*****
Dean hung up the phone, thinking hard about why Judy would risk this; and Samantha’s phone call to Smith. It was all so coincidental. And Dean had a problem with coincidences. He did not believe in them.
For right now though, he had to go get his woman, whatever she said. She wasn’t used to those vultures and her job was probably in jeopardy if they continued to hang out there. He grabbed his phone to call Crowley as he ran for the car.
“Crowley, I need you to get some sort of restraining order so that photogs can’t bother Meaghan at work. And get a team outside Amanda Leonard’s house and Meaghan’s as well. They need to move out of that fucking neighborhood but they won’t so make sure they’re protected.”
He hung up and considered calling Conrad Shelley. As Meaghan’s boss he could make sure she took the day off. His mind imagined how well Meaghan would take that though and he resisted. Unless she asked him, he was not to interfere in her life. He’d promised. Promises sucked sometimes.
*****
Meaghan was trying to explain to her supervisor why there was a group of people creating a racket in the lobby but wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Security was continuously escorting people out but they found a way back in.
“The best thing for me to do is take a small leave of absence. That way they’ll leave the clinic alone,” she said heart hurting at the thought of not being able to work because of Judy bloody Maitland and her damned tiara.
“You understand that we can’t afford this. We’re short staffed already. We might have to replace you,” she said.
Meaghan felt that like a stab to the heart but she nodded her understanding. Unless she could get this under control and quickly, she couldn’t really hold the clinic to ransom and insist on keeping her place if she couldn’t’ work. She left by the side door, which led out to an alley. It was currently deserted and she guessed the paps hadn’t found it yet. She walked down the street to the train station, Yankees cap low over her head.
She just missed Dean as he screeched to a halt outside the clinic, watching the group of paps with annoyance. Crowley wasn’t far behind with his restraining order. The paps were ordered to stay at least two hundred meters away from the clinic on pain of being arrested. It wasn’t much but at least the clinic would be able to run. Dean went inside and spoke to Meaghan’s supervisor since Dr. Shelley was not in. He explained the circumstances without mentioning stealing or tiaras; apologizing for all the commotion and promising it won’t happen again.
Then he called Me
aghan to find out where she was.
“I took care of it okay? You can come in to work tomorrow no problem,” he said.
“What? How?”
“Legal things, explanations…nothing supernatural. I took care of it. Where are you?”
“I thought I’d check on my mom, make sure she’s alright…Dean I’m so sorry about all this.”
“What? Why? It wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m the one who lost the tiara.”
“I thought we were waiting to see if it was a scam or not.”
Meaghan sighed, “Yeah. Okay. Well, I gotta go. My train’s here.”
“Come by later?”
“Of course.”
*****
The paparazzi hadn't found her mother yet, Meaghan was relieved to find they’ were leaving her alone. She waited until her mother had tea break before taking her to the coffee shop across the street and regaling her with the morning’s events. Amanda was worried about her, about what this could mean for her job and even more convinced that dating Dean was a mistake. Somehow, Meaghan also started having doubts. Maybe her mother was right and she and Dean were forcing things which were never meant to be. How was she to know?
*****
She went to her apartment after, to mull things over and maybe decide for herself what to do for the best. The story hadn’t crossed over to mainstream media…yet. Crowley was good but Meaghan didn't know if he was that good. She took a shower when she reached the apartment then fished out her most comfortable sweats to wear before going to make herself a cup of green tea laced heavily with whiskey.
She sat down, legs crossed on the couch and put on CNN. For sure they would not run the tiara story. Too small fry…she hoped. There was a knock on her door and she wondered if Dean had lost his keys. She wasn’t surprised he was here. Of course he came. She stood up and went to open the door.
*****
Poppy Wesson was nervous. She was surprised to find that this was so. It was years since she could remember being nervous. The last time had been during her fraught flight to Aspen to get her son when he was in that skiing accent. That was when he’d reconnected with the Leonard girl; Poppy remembered she’d been his doctor. She still could not believe the cruel twist of fate that had put that woman in the same clinic as her son. She was disposed to think it was no accident. How had she gotten so far under her son’s skin anyway? It was time to evict her like a parasite. Once and for all. She rang the doorbell at the apartment whose address Samantha had obtained for her. The neighborhood was seedy of course; that was what the Leonard girl was used to. Poppy could not believe her son spent nights in this squalid environment. She really must have bewitched him.
Meaghan opened the door, face going slack with shock when she saw who was on the other side.
“Mrs Wesson,” she said.
Poppy was rather disappointed that she didn’t get to rebuff an attempt to call her by her first name. The girl did have some manners Poppy was willing to concede.
“May I come in?” she prompted and Meaghan stepped aside, indicating that Poppy should enter. Poppy stepped in the house looking around. For some reason she expected it to be dirty and untidy so she was very surprised at its pristine-ness. Perhaps the girl didn’t spend a lot of time here.
Poppy turned to face Meaghan.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” she demanded.
“Umm, I don’t follow,” Meaghan replied.
“These accusations of thievery that are doing the rounds. Do you think it's fair to do this to my son?”
“I didn’t ‘do this’ to anyone. It was done to me,” Meaghan protested.
Poppy snorted, “Ever the victim,” she sneered. “Don’t you ever get tired of that ‘innocent’ act?”
Meaghan actually took a step back, “Excuse me?”
“You are a liability to my son. You know it. Why do you not leave him alone?” Poppy asked.
Meaghan could only stare at her.
“Well?” Poppy snapped.
“I…don’t know what you want me to say.”
*****
As soon as Poppy left, Meaghan called Bain and said one word.
“Rabbit.”
It was their code word meaning ‘drop everything and get over here. Life and death emergency’. She dropped her phone on the couch and leaned back. Poppy had been brutal. Mean. Uncompromising. She wanted Meaghan to leave her son alone. Meaghan had just about had it. Maybe both mothers knew something she didn’t. Maybe they were right. Meaghan didn’t know; what she did know was that she needed to have a conversation with her best friend and that she was tired of all this shit!
Bain was there twenty minutes later, Danny trailing sheepishly behind.
“I heard we have a major problem,” he said. “I want to help.”
Meaghan smiled, glad to see him. Danny could maybe provide perspective.
“Poppy Wesson was here,” she began and Bain took her hand and led her to the couch where he sat her between him and Danny.
“Tell me everything,” he said.
“She basically told me that I was bringing her son down, destroying any chance he had for a good future,” Meaghan said tearfully. She was embarrassed at the tears that insisted on rolling down her cheeks but she couldn’t seem to stop them.
“How are you doing that?” Danny asked rubbing her gently on the back.
Meaghan shrugged, breath hitching with upset, “I don’t know. I guess I’m just the wrong girl for him, you know? My mother says the same thing. Do you think they’re right?”
“No!” Danny exclaimed, “You love him.” Bain was silent though. Meaghan turned to face him.
“Bain?” she asked eyes wide with fear at what he would say. Bain sighed.
“You know I’ve always thought that fool doesn’t deserve you right?” he asked wryly, “Maybe I’m not the right person to ask.”
“Okay, noted. But what do you think?” Meaghan asked.
Bain sighed, “I think that Mrs. W will never like you. You’ll never fit in their world. So if you were holding out for that, I’d advise you to give it up now. Does Dean love you? Absolutely. One hundred percent. Do you love Dean? Absolutely. Two hundred percent. Will love be enough in the long term…? Only you can decide that.”
Meaghan’s face fell. She looked down and then up at Bain with despair in her eyes.
“That’s exactly what is bothering me. Is all this aggravation we’re causing both our families worth it?”
Danny looked distressed and kept rubbing at Meaghan’s back while Bain’s face curled in sympathy.
“He’s a great guy. Just maybe not the right one?” he said.
“I don’t want to live my life in constant conflict,” Meaghan said sadly. Bain reached for her and pulled her into his arms.
“Then you know what you have to do,” he said.
Chapter 7
Dean stood outside of Meaghan's building less than ten minutes after Meaghan hung up on him. He gripped the flowers in one hand and anxiously pressed the buzzer on the door to the lobby three times.
"Hello?" Danny's tentative voice queried through the speaker.
"Danny, can you please let me in?" Dean requested, straightening his tie.
"I don't think so, Dean. Now isn't a good time," Danny replied using that extra-polite tone he only used when he did not want to be in the middle of a particular argument.
"Oh, come on," Dean pleaded. "Pleeease."
"Megs doesn't want to see you, Dean," Bain sniped through the speaker. His tone was close to glee.
"Oh, just open the door!" Dean was losing patience.
"She doesn't want to see you," Bain repeated. This time there was definite glee.
"I'll climb up the trellis and come through the window, if I have to," Dean threatened.
"You're not coming in," Bain insisted.
Dean huffed. "Fine, see you in a minute."
"Don't-" Danny began, but the sounds of Dean breathing hard and
presumably struggling with the trellis spilled through the speaker.
Danny and Bain actually watched the window above the trellis, for a moment temporarily believing Dean might be foolhardy enough to do it. Except the sound of vines ripping and a few pieces of wood cracking, followed by a loud "Umph" reminded them that Dean might have been a star basketball player in school but school was ten years behind them.
A moment later, the buzzer sounded again.
"Hello?" Danny said tentatively into the apartment's security speaker.
"Hey, it's me again," Dean stated the obvious. "I don't suppose I can get some Tylenol and a few dozen Band-Aids."
A few minutes later in the apartment, a miserable looking Dean held an ice pack to the back of his head as he leaned on the edge of the small bathroom sink. Danny dabbed the cool, wet washcloth over the minor scratches on Dean's cheek causing Dean to hiss.
"Sorry," Danny soothed before exchanging the washcloth for the tube of antibiotic ointment.
"Hold still, hon." Dean winced as Danny pushed his longish bangs to reveal an angry red cut where a rose bush had expressed how it felt about Dean landing on it and its friends. Antibiotic ointment was generously applied to all of the cuts and scratches on Dean's otherwise rakishly handsome face. Outside the bathroom, doors and drawers slammed occasionally and angry whispers were growing into angry grumbling.
"Now, I have to apologize but all we have are these Superman Band-aids Bain bought for his Niece and left here when Meaghan said they wouldn’t suit," Danny told Dean as he unwrapped one.
Dean quirked an eyebrow at Danny.
"And it turns out she prefers Batman." Danny carefully applied the plastic blue and red bandage to Dean's forehead. "And why wouldn't she? What girl doesn't love a man with a tool belt who knows how to accessorize?" Danny gave him a wicked grin and a wink and stepped back to admire his work. "Well, I'm no nurse--" Danny frowned. "But you'll be- Uh, You'll live, Dean."
Dean smiled weakly. He slowly lowered the ice pack and placed it in Danny's hands. Squeezing Danny's hands gently, Dean said, "You know, Danny...without Bain's ego making it impossible to ignore anything else, it's so much easier to see what a sweet guy you are. He's way too gaudy for you." He bent down and kissed Danny chastely on the cheek. Then with a sigh, he headed into the apartment, bracing for the war zone.
Undercover Lover (BWWM Romance Book 1) Page 18