by T. L. Haddix
“Chase Hudson, I’ll be damned. It’s been too long.” They shook hands warmly.
“It has been. How are you?” Chase introduced Jason and Ethan. Ethan just stared at the hand Gordon held out, then sent an accusatory glare toward Beth.
“If you will excuse me, I’m heading to the bar,” he said. He turned and walked away before anyone could respond, leaving a stunned silence behind him. Jason shook Gordon’s hand with an apology and followed Ethan, leaving Chase and Gordon standing awkwardly beside the table. Mortified, Beth scooted over in the booth and patted the seat next to her. It was all the encouragement Chase needed. He and Gordon sat down, and the two men caught up with each other’s lives quickly. Beth took the opportunity to regain her composure, and after a few minutes the server came over to check and see if Chase was going to order.
“No, I’d better go find Jason and Ethan.” He gave the girl a look that made her flush and smile as she left their table.
Beth snorted. “As much as you tease Jason about being a ladies’ man, you know how to turn that charm on, too, mister.” Chase’s expression told her to expect payback for that remark. Thankfully, though, he kept his mouth shut. He stood up and held out his hand to Gordon.
“Give me a call sometime, and we can play catch-up without the tag-along, here.”
Gordon promised Chase that he would, and with a quick salute to Beth, her brother headed in the direction of the bar. Gordon sat back down and met her gaze head-on, waiting for her to speak.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen each other?” she asked as they finished eating.
“Four years? Five? It’s been a while.” He hesitated. “Are you angry? That I know Chase?”
Beth shook her head as they waited for the server to return to their table with the check. Once that was taken care of, they walked to his car. “No. I’m just tired. It’s been a really bad few days, and it’s finally caught up to me. Thanks for dinner, though. Believe it or not, I did enjoy it, for the most part.”
His smile flashed brightly in the car’s dark interior. “Me, too.”
They were quiet on the short drive to her apartment. Gordon parked, and opened his door. “I’ll walk you up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she protested as she opened her own door and got out. He just walked around the car and offered her his arm.
“With all the problems you’ve had lately, if you think I’m going to let you go to your apartment this late at night without an escort, you’re crazy.”
She accepted his arm, placing her hand on his forearm lightly. “Then I suppose we’d better head inside.”
As they made the trip upstairs, Gordon told her one bad joke after another. By the time they’d reached her apartment door, she was feeling a little better about the evening. She leaned back against the door and looked up at him.
“I really appreciate your being so understanding this evening. Most guys wouldn’t be.”
He frowned. “You’ve been hanging around the wrong kind of man, then.” He reached out and took one of her hands. “Speaking of other men – that guy with your brothers. Ethan? Are you involved with him?”
She felt a tide of warm heat stain her cheeks. “I don’t know what Ethan and I are, honestly. We’re… I just don’t know, Gordon. We used to be friends, and recently we… I don’t know.” When he smiled sympathetically, she relaxed, glad to see that he didn’t seem upset by her stumbling confession.
His voice was low when he spoke. “Are you going to think I’m a complete cad if I kiss you?”
Slowly, she shook her head. “I’m not available right now. Whether I’m officially involved with Ethan or not, I’m an emotional mess. If you were to kiss me, it wouldn’t go anywhere. Do you understand?”
“I do understand. I’d still like to kiss you, though.” He reached up and lightly skimmed his fingers down the side of her face. Closing her eyes for an instant, she nodded her permission.
Slowly, giving her time to stop him, he bent down and lightly brushed her mouth with his before settling his lips firmly over hers. Without a doubt, the man knew what he was doing, but the spark just wasn’t there.
After a moment, Gordon pulled back with a sigh. The smile he sent her was almost sad. “We have such chemistry, you and I. I needed to see if it was the kind of chemistry that starts fireworks, or the kind that makes for really good friends.”
Beth cleared her throat, startled to find herself fighting tears. “What did you decide?”
He chuckled softly. “I think you and I are destined to become great friends, Ms. Hudson, but no more.”
Smiling through her tears, she reached up a hand to touch his cheek. “That’s exactly what I think.”
~ * * * ~
Back at the Dragon, Jason sat beside Ethan at the bar. Ethan didn’t speak until after he’d drained his first whiskey. Face grim, he motioned the bartender for another.
“Who’s that guy she’s with? Do you know him?”
Jason thanked the bartender as his own drink was placed in front of him and shook his head. “Nope, never seen him before. I do vaguely remember hearing Chase talk about a guy named Gordon he went to law school with, but I never met him.” He was relieved to see that Ethan was nursing the second whiskey.
“Think this guy’s a lawyer, then? More in her league, I suppose.”
Jason frowned. “Than what?”
“I don’t know, than a contractor or doctor or cop or something,” he replied without meeting Jason’s gaze.
“You mean more in her league than a certain detective. You’re saying she’s too good to date you. Let’s be honest here. Where the hell did you get that idea?”
When Ethan didn’t respond, Jason placed a hand on his shoulder and let some of his frustration come through in his voice. “I’d like an answer, man. We’ve been friends for how long now? You know my family doesn’t play games like that.”
A world-weary expression on his face, Ethan turned to him. “You mean to tell me that if I wanted to date Beth, you wouldn’t object?”
Jason just stared at him, beyond confused. “Not if you were serious about her, no. I wouldn’t have a problem with that, and no one in my family would. Why do you think I sent you to her instead of calling Chase straightaway? It wasn’t because I didn’t think he could protect her. Where’s this coming from?”
Ethan just stared at him, then shook his head and stood. He tossed some cash on the bar and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “I’m going to the restroom.”
As he walked toward the dark enclave where the men’s room was located, Jason watched him go, stunned by the remarks. He was still sitting there trying to figure out what was going through his friend’s mind when Chase came in.
“Where’s Ethan?” He waved the bartender away with a smile.
“He went to the bathroom, but he’s acting strange.” Jason told Chase what Ethan had said, causing Chase to frown. “Where’d he get that crap?”
Jason was quiet for a minute before answering. “You know he has issues about his father. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s where it’s coming from. That and Nina.”
“Nina was years ago.”
Jason shrugged. “To you and me, maybe, but not to him. Some things fester for a long time past when they should.”
Chase nodded, conceding the point. “True.”
“Whatever his problem is, Beth is right - he’s drinking to alleviate it. If he doesn’t deal with it sooner or later, the alcohol will deal with it for him.”
When they saw Ethan heading back to where they sat, he exchanged a look with his brother, who looked as concerned as he felt. They both knew that their friend was on a very dangerous path. Jason just hoped Ethan could figure out how to walk that path before it destroyed him.
Chapter Twenty Three
A week later, Beth was relieved to be having an official girls’ night out. Lauren, back from her honeymoon, was settling back in at the Brown Bag. It was the first time the tr
io had gotten together since the wedding, and Beth was looking forward to the evening. She was more than ready for a little comfort and relaxation with her girlfriends. They had decided to meet at the Lighthouse for dinner, and figure out where to go after that.
After they placed their orders and were alone at the table, Annie spoke. “What a rough few weeks.” She sat back in her chair and stretched her legs out under the table. Lauren and Beth echoed her sentiment.
“Any word on Reese Bolen?” Lauren asked Beth.
“He’s still in the hospital. The doctors said he has about a fifty-fifty chance of ever walking again.”
Annie stirred sugar into her iced tea. “It’s a damned shame, what happened. I can’t even begin to think what Will and Sammy are going through. I wonder if he’s going to stay in the mayoral race.”
“I don’t think he’s made a decision yet,” Beth said. “I hope he’s able to stay the course, though. The town needs him, and maybe being mayor would give him something to focus his grief on. It’s a thought, anyhow.”
After a long silence, Lauren rested her arms on the table. “Okay, enough somber talk. That’s part of why we agreed to come out tonight, to get away from everything, right?” Annie and Beth nodded, and she smiled. “Good, then. So what’ve you all been up to lately?”
Beth groaned as she reached for her drink. As she took a large swallow of the margarita, she saw Lauren and Annie exchange a look. Since she didn’t usually consume alcohol, the fact that she had ordered the largest margarita the restaurant served was telling. She shrugged. “What? You said no more somber talk. That means somebody else needs to answer the catching-up question.” She waved her hand toward Annie. “You’re up, flower girl.”
Annie stuck her tongue out, but answered. “Well, I’ve been filling orders, updating the website, the usual. Nothing really worth talking about. I want to hear about the newlyweds. How’s married life treating you, Mrs. Clark?”
With the tables neatly turned on her, Lauren laughed softly and sat back in her chair. When they saw the blush that was rising on her cheeks, Beth and Annie shared a discreet high-five.
“Told you she’d be wearing a crap-eating grin. Bet you didn’t leave the hotel room the whole trip,” Beth said.
The friends had discussed the decision she and Charlie had made to wait until they were married before having sex. While they had both wholeheartedly supported her choice, they had not promised to refrain from teasing her if things went well. Judging from her smiling countenance, things had gone very well, indeed.
“Let me just say that I’m glad we waited, and thank God for room service.” Her grin softened into a smile, and she traced her finger around the base of her glass. “I didn’t know love making could be like that, be so ... fulfilling. Not just physically, but emotionally.” When Beth and Annie “ahhh’d”, Lauren shrugged, and the grin returned. All three women burst into laughter, and for the next few minutes, they kept the topics light. Finished with their meals, they ordered a dessert to share.
Annie turned to Beth. “So what’ve you been doing these past few weeks, intrepid girl reporter? Other than writing some fire-starting articles, that is.”
She shook her head and shrugged, trying to keep her tone casual. “Not much. Ticked off the mayor, chased after devil worshippers who aren’t, acquired a stalker, had sex with Ethan, just the usual.”
Annie coughed and sputtered, sending the tea she had just swallowed all over her shirt, the table, and her friends. As she grabbed at her napkin, she stared at Beth, her mouth agape.
Lauren’s expression showed her own surprise. “You want to run those last two by us again?”
Beth’s mouth twisted in a self-deprecating grimace. “Which part do you want to hear first? The part about the stalker or the part about Ethan?”
Her misery must have shone through, because Lauren reached out to touch her hand. “Start with Ethan. What happened?”
Beth shook her head. “The usual. Girl meets boy, girl ends up at boy’s house dropping off files, girl and boy have sex. Girl leaves, boy falls off the face of the earth.”
Their server returned with the dessert, but Beth’s appetite was gone. As her friends dug in, she continued. “I dropped off some files, and we ended up in bed. You both know how he’s been the last few months, Jekyll and Hyde. Afterward, I could see that ‘look’ on his face and I decided to just play it cool. He was waiting for me to turn all deflowered maiden or something, and I didn’t play ball. I left, and that was that. I drove away and haven’t heard a word from him about anything.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she hugged herself and sat back in the comfortable chair, waiting for her friends’ responses.
“Well, hell,” Annie said, laying her own spoon down and sitting back. “All these years you and Ethan have been dancing around this, it finally happens, and things are worse than they were before. At least tell us the sex was good.”
“Annie...” Lauren scolded softly, but Beth laughed.
“It was perfect. Damn him. Why couldn’t it have been horrible? Then I could have maybe moved on, as shallow as that sounds.” She lowered her gaze to her clasped hands. “So now what? I’ve never been in this position. How do I handle it?”
Lauren glanced at Annie, who shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m the more sexually experienced friend here, but I’ve never been in that position, either. The relationships I’ve had were all long-term things, not this emotional tornado you and Ethan seem to have. I’m sorry.” She reached out and grasped Beth’s hand in a tight squeeze.
“How do you want to handle it?” Lauren asked.
Beth took a long drink of her water before answering, and sat her glass back down with a contemplative shrug. “Not sure, really. I’d like to scream and kick and wail, but that isn’t going to accomplish anything. I wish he would come to me, talk about it, but I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon. I guess I’ll just give it some time, let things calm down, and when they do, I’ll pin him down somewhere and we’ll have it out one way or another.”
“That’s probably the best plan,” Annie said. “Logical, calm, probably going to be incredibly difficult to stick to.”
Beth laughed in agreement. She started to answer, but she looked up toward the restaurant’s entrance and froze. Ethan had just walked in, and he wasn’t alone. Ruby Sloane was leaning into him, supported by his arm around her waist. Her generous curves were outlined in the tight, slinky dress she wore, and as Beth watched, the woman looked straight at her and saluted her, a victorious smirk that plainly said “I’ve won,” plastered on her face. She whispered in Ethan’s ear, and his gaze shot to Beth. He said something to the redhead and started toward their table, a fierce scowl darkening his face. A smug Ruby stayed behind and watched.
Annie saw him approaching. “Oh, shit. Heads up.”
“Don’t let him upset you.” Lauren’s gaze was defiant as Ethan stopped next to the table.
He focused his angry gaze on Beth, but she managed to get the first word in.
“Ethan.” She was surprised when her voice came out almost normal.
“This is quite the coincidence,” he ground out. “Seeing you here.”
She raised an eyebrow as she sat back in her chair and tilted her head. Lauren and Annie exchanged a puzzled glance, and Annie gave a subtle shrug.
“Was I supposed to be somewhere else? I don’t remember having other plans,” Beth drawled.
Leaning his palms on the table, Ethan moved in closer, his own voice low and angry. “I know you were by the department today, Beth. I saw you. You were talking to Stacy Kirchner, and you were sitting right next to my desk. Don’t try to lie and say you didn’t see the note about meeting Ruby here tonight.”
There was stunned silence all around the table, and then Beth burst out laughing. Ethan’s scowl grew darker, if possible, and that made her laugh even harder. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter, and when she was able to speak, she let her hand drop to expose her gr
in.
“You are so full of shit, Ethan Moore. Additionally, you’re interrupting a private dinner. Why don’t you go back to your date,” she suggested as she moved to the side to look at Ruby, who had started toward the table when she heard Beth’s laughter, “and leave us alone? I’m sure her hourly rate gets expensive. Our being here has nothing to do with you whatsoever. As much as I’m sure it will surprise you, you aren’t the center of the universe.”
The pronouncement delivered, she picked up her glass and toasted him with it, then took a sip of the ice water.
As he straightened away from the table, his gaze never left hers. “I don’t know what kind of childish game you’re playing, but I’m onto you. You would do well to remember that.” With that, he turned and steered Ruby toward the door. They left without looking back.
“What the hell was that all about?” Annie asked.
Beth couldn’t answer. She shook her head, grabbed her purse, and dashed off in the direction of the restroom, praying she would hold it together until she got inside. She felt like she’d been cleaved in two, and she didn’t want to half of Leroy to see her fall apart.
Chapter Twenty Four
As soon as she read the lead story that was scheduled to run Friday morning, Beth knew there would be trouble. Julius Lowe had written a scathing article that exposed a pattern of how certain cases were handled in Olman County, and it pointed a finger at specific people within the justice system. One of those people was Ruby Sloane, and as she read the article Thursday afternoon, Beth groaned and closed her eyes. Rubbing her temples, she felt a tension headache starting as she glanced at the clock and picked up her phone. She dialed Marshall’s extension, but the call went to his assistant, instead.
“Sarah, does Marshall have a few minutes free?”
“Sure. You need to talk to him?”