John shook his head. She had more than one child, he thought. Shit!
“I was the one that called you. I hope I didn't freak you out. I had no idea how old you were and was trying to let you know everything was fine. I don't like to scare people. She requested I call you and not her husband. My name's John.”
She reached forward to shake his hand. He knew he shouldn't have said that, but he was hoping to get something from her about Sandy's life. Why wouldn't she want her husband to know?
“That wouldn't have been a good idea,” she said with a nervous laugh. “They haven't seen each other in two years. He would've been all over that. Thank you for taking care of her.”
John smiled and nodded. She hadn't seen her husband in two years, he thought. What was that about?
“You look so familiar. I think I might have met you before or seen pictures of you somewhere. Have you ever been in the paper? Maybe that's where.”
“It's been a long time since I've been in the paper. Maybe it was at a parade or something. I'm not sure,” he answered.
“Probably,” she said. “I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Thanks for the report. Have a great day.”
John grabbed one of his cards and handed it to her.
“Here's my card in case you have any other questions. It was clear that the accident wasn't your mom's fault, but just in case, you have my number. Have a great day.”
She took the card from John. He looked her over one last time. Was there any resemblance to anyone he knew, he wondered. He looked at her eyes, hair, and facial features to see if she looked like any of the guys he knew in school or around college. As soon as Kelly walked out the station door, he fell into his chair and put his head on the desk.
What the fuck, was all that ran through his mind over and over. She didn't want to go with him and help him with his brother. Sandy gave up on their relationship. She walked away from him. Did she ever love him, he wondered? She couldn't have. There was no way she could have cared about him if she was willing to have sex with someone else and have a baby with them that quickly. Was she cheating on him at school? Was she with someone else that whole time? Had he spent twenty-seven years thinking about someone that never gave a shit about him?
He lifted his head from the table. There was no way he was spending one more moment thinking about her. How could he have loved her? John went through the calendar of all the officers' vacations. There was only one guy off the following week and none off the week after that. He put in for both weeks off. They would be able to cover him no problem. There were plenty of guys that wanted extra hours. He was taking a long, well deserved vacation. It was going to be fun and relaxing. He was going to take his brother's approach to life for two weeks. After that, he would be ready to get on with his life.
As soon as his shift was over, he stopped by Ethan and Julie's. His brother had just pulled into the driveway before him.
“Perfect timing,” he said, as he walked through the door with Ethan and saw dinner on the table.
“John's here,” Ethan yelled through the house.
“Thanks for announcing my entrance. I feel like royalty,” John said.
“It wasn't for you,” Ethan said, as he pat John on the back and smiled. “I did it for Julie. I don't want you seeing my wife naked.”
John shook his head, as Julie walked out of the kitchen.
“Right baby,” Ethan said, as he kissed her.
“What?” she asked.
“Sometimes you surprise me when I come home from a day at the office,” Ethan said. “Nothing better than a naked woman to welcome me home.”
John look up to see Julie's face as red as a strawberry.
“Let me get another plate,” she said walking away.
“How's it going?” Ethan asked John, as he took his suit jacket off and put it over a chair.
“I came to use your nerd room and your travel brain,” John said. “I'm going on a trip, and I need you to get me a deal.”
Ethan looked at John and shook his head.
“Why do you need a deal? You're something else. You really want to take a trip? What the hell is going on with you?”
Julie walked in with a plate for John.
“Come on,” she said. “Eat while it's warm. Leave John alone, babe.”
“This man never does anything spontaneous,” Ethan said. “He hasn't been on a trip since the cruise. It took all I had to get his ass to Hawaii. For him to just pick up and take a vacation without any notice is not normal. Let me see if you have a fever.”
Ethan reached up for John's head, and John smacked his hand.
“I think you've rubbed off on me,” John snapped. “I'll plan it myself.”
John turned to walk back out, but Julie grabbed his arm.
“Sit down,” she said. “You're eating the food I just brought out for you. I'll help you plan it.”
“Don't stick up for him, woman,” Ethan said, as he smacked her ass. “You need to stick up for your man.”
Julie shook her head and laughed.
“I want a nice, fun, and relaxing two weeks away,” John said. “I don't want to spend a ton of money.”
“I don't get it,” Ethan said. “You are taking your first real vacation alone, and you are worried about money. If you're going to do it, do it right. Who knows when you'll get up the nerve to do it again.”
“You know I don't blow money, man,” John said. “You know how I am about stuff like that.”
“Where do you want to go?” Ethan answered.
“Somewhere that I can have fun out at clubs but also relax quietly by the pool,” John answered. “I need to do some thinking, but I also want to party enough to forget for a minute.”
“Forget what?” Ethan asked.
“Work shit,” John answered.
After dinner, the two guys went up to Ethan's office and booked his trip. He thought about Vegas, but the beach won. They booked him a room at a nice hotel right at the beach in Florida. He would be able to party on the beach or at the clubs and relax at his hotel in the quiet. It was going to be perfect. John was determined to get Sandy out of his mind and move on with his life. Twenty-seven years later than she had done with him.
When they went back downstairs, Julie had dessert ready.
“You better put in more hours in the gym little brother. Her food is no joke. You should have been a chef instead of a doctor,” John said with a smile. “What are you doing tomorrow, Julie?”
“The same thing I do every day,” she said. “I'll be here. You want to do something?”
“Don't be making plans with my woman,” Ethan said with a serious face, as he pulled her close to him.
“I need to go shopping for my trip. I thought you could go with. I want to look irresistible while I'm there. I plan to spend a lot of time with the ladies. I'll buy lunch,” John said.
“Shopping,” she said. “Of course.”
“Seriously, what the hell is going on with you?” Ethan asked. “You're freaking me out.”
“Now you know how I felt for the last twenty years,” John said. “I'm just going to enjoy life for a minute. There's nothing wrong with that.”
Three more days and he would be sitting on the beach with a beer in his hand. He couldn't wait.
Chapter 8
Sandy was sitting on the couch when her daughter walked in.
“I got a copy of the police report,” Kelly said.
“Thank you so much,” Sandy answered. “Did they give you any trouble getting it?”
“Nope,” Kelly answered. “I just had to give them my license. The officer was nice looking, but I think I've seen him before.”
She handed her mom the report and turned to put away the other stuff she had brought home with her.
“His name was John. He was the one at the accident, and the one who called me,” Kelly yelled over her shoulder, as she walked out of the room.
Sandy's eyes widened. Her daughter had seen John
. She wondered what he said to her.
“He was nice. What did he say?” Sandy asked, trying not to be super obvious.
“He said that he was glad you were okay and that he thinks your car is history. I told him that I thought I had seen him before. He said probably at a parade or in a paper. He seemed nice but kind of strange.”
“What do you mean strange?” Sandy asked.
“When I gave him my license and he looked at it, he had a strange look on his face. I asked him if he was okay. It was really weird. He said you requested he call me instead of dad. I told him thank you for doing that. You haven't seen him in two years and it was better for him not to be involved.”
“You said that I hadn't seen your dad in two years?” Sandy asked with a shaky voice.
Kelly walked back in and looked at her mom.
“Yes,” she said. “Why? Should I not have said that? It's not like that's a secret. Are you okay?”
Sandy shook her head and smiled a big smile.
“That's fine,” she said. “No secret.”
Oh shit! Sandy thought. She could only imagine what John thought about her. She had to wonder what he was thinking when he looked at Kelly's license. If he saw her birthday, would he notice that she was conceived not long after he left? What was he thinking when she told him that Sandy hadn't seen her husband in two years? Had John realized who her husband was? Sandy didn't notice the tears on her cheeks until her daughter sat down beside her and wiped her face.
“What's going on?” Kelly asked.
“Nothing,” she answered. “I'm just tired and the medicine they have me on is messing with me. I think I'm going to take a nap before the twins get home.”
She went to bed in the guest room and cried until she fell asleep. He probably hated her, she thought. There was no way she would blame him if he did.
Her dreams went to him again. She woke up with sweat everywhere. There had to be a way for her to tell him how she felt and how sorry she was for what she did to him. He had probably moved on to have a family of his own. She knew it was crazy to think that he could ever care about her again. He never called her after he left. If he had loved her as much as he said he did, wouldn't be have tried to convince her to go with him? She needed to tell him what really happened. If he put all of the pieces together, he would think she was a horrible person. What she did was wrong, but she needed to explain herself. She never wanted him to find out. If he had to, she didn't want it to be because he had seen her daughter's license.
As soon as she was able to drive, she was going to go and talk to him. He probably wouldn't even care, but it was something she needed to do for herself. Maybe it would help the guilt she had been feeling all those years. She had been starting her life over for two years. Clearing the air with John would make a huge difference towards her fresh start.
Chapter 9
John woke up the next morning looking forward to his upcoming trip. He needed some time away from everything and everyone. It would be his first vacation alone, and it was exactly what he needed. His phone would be shut off so he could block out all reality. The sun, the beach, the beer, and the women would be his new reality for two whole weeks. By the time he got back, he knew he would be ready to get back to his life.
Julie was ready when he knocked on the door. She was something else. He couldn't help but smile and think about how lucky his brother was to find true love.
“I'm so ready to shop,” she said with the biggest smile. “You're going to look so damn good on that beach. Maybe I'll go with you.”
“I don't think so,” he laughed. “This is my first vacation without any of you. Don't take that the wrong way. I love you guys. I'm planning on enjoying every moment alone or not alone, but not with family. Come on. We've got to make me irresistible.”
“This is going to be fun. I love shopping with money that belongs to someone else. It's so much better that way.”
She grabbed her purse and locked the door behind her.
“I hope you're ready,” she said. “This girl can shop.”
John laughed as he got into the car. They went straight to the mall. Julie was no joke. She really could shop. He hadn't been shopping with a woman before. When the guys went to the store, they walked in, grabbed what they needed, and left. That was not how Julie shopped at all. Her hands grabbed clothes before he could even look for them. She had her arms full, as she walked in front of him to the changing room. He had to try on every single item she picked. John tried to trick her by telling her he had tried them all on. How the hell she remembered every item that was in her arms, he had no idea. He laughed at the faces she made when he walked out with something on. Her face contorted in the strangest ways. Out of twenty pieces of clothing, she only approved of three. Are you fucking kidding, he thought?
“What about the rest?” he asked.
“Nope,” she said with a shake of the head. “They don't look right on you. Go pay for these. We have five more stores I want to take to you to. I'm going to make sure you look amazing big brother.”
Julie smiled, handed him the three items, and walked away to look at something else. He let out a loud sigh and walked to the register. Maybe he could sneak out while she was looking at something. He couldn't help but laugh at his thought. If she wasn't his brother's wife, he might have actually done it. She was going to kill him by the end of the day.
They hit two more stores before lunch. He felt like his legs were going to fall off. John couldn't believe how exhausting it was to shop with her. He worked out all the time and was on his feet for hours, but shopping with Julie was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Out of those two stores, he had at least been able to buy fifteen things. If she kept going, he was going to have to borrow some luggage from Ethan for all the stuff he was letting her talk him into.
They went to a steak restaurant in the mall for lunch. He told her he wasn't entering one more store until he ate. She agreed but let him know he was a sissy. That woman had more energy than he thought possible. It did make him feel good to see her smiling and so happy. She took her phone out, scooted close to him, and moved to snap a picture of the two of them.
“What are you doing, goof?” he asked.
“I'm sending this to your brother so he can see what he misses out on. He won't shop with me for his clothes. If I see things I like, I pick them up for him to try on at home. If I send a picture of us, he'll see how much fun we're having and want to go with me next time.”
John plastered a happy smile on his face for her to take the picture. Just before she snapped it, he put his hands around his neck and made a face.
“Stop it,” she said, as she smacked his arm. “I want a good one. Come on.”
John laughed and agreed to take a good one. Julie smiled as she sent it off to Ethan. John was shocked at how silly she was being. He had known her as Gavin's little for sister for so long. She was a whole different person once she got with Ethan.
They ordered lunch and talked about his trip. She talked about Ethan's games and things he was doing. When he asked her about her going back to work, her tone wasn't as happy.
“Ethan doesn't want me to work. He wants me to stay home and have babies. I want kids. I really do. I'm just not sure I want to stop being a doctor. I like being home when he gets there. He's been working from home more lately. I'm sure the people at the office love that. He wants me to go out of town with him. I want to go. I can't explain why I'm fighting it though. When I was a doctor, I loved seeing those little kids and how they were growing up. I don't know that I want to give that up completely. Once we have a baby, I want to be home with them. I want us to be a family. I just need time to think about it. I promised him I would stay home until we're finished going to court. It's right around the corner.”
John shook his head. When a waitress walked up to give them their food, John froze. It was Kelly. Was he going to see her everywhere, he wondered? He looked at her and his smile left his face. His throa
t felt dry, so he quickly took a drink of water. She put the food in front of them and looked at him with an odd expression. Then she smiled as if something clicked.
“John?” she asked. “I thought that was you. Maybe this is where I've seen you before.”
“It's me,” he answered. “Could be.”
John did a quick introduction between Kelly and Julie. He noticed Julie was looking at him with wide eyes and her lips pulled together. Great, he thought. He had no doubt she was going to question him later.
“Kelly is the daughter of the woman from the accident the other night. That night you made cheesecake,” he said to Julie. “She came into the station yesterday to get a copy of the report for her mom.”
Julie nodded as she looked at Kelly.
“Can I ask you something?” Kelly asked.
“Sure,” he answered.
“When I gave my mom the report, I mentioned that we talked about how you called me. When I told her that I mentioned you not calling my dad, she acted a little weird. I was wondering if. You know what,” she stopped and bit her lower lip. “Never mind, I'm sorry. Forget that I even mentioned it. Have a great lunch. Thanks again for helping my mom.”
John nodded, and Kelly turned and walked away. He could feel Julie staring a hole through him but didn't look up at her. She wasn't saying anything, so he grabbed his fork and knife and cut into his steak. Let it go Julie, he thought to himself.
“What was that?” she asked.
“What?” he said, as looked up at her.
“Really?” Julie asked. “Don't play dumb with me John. What the hell was that?”
Why couldn't she just let things go? The woman drove him crazy, and he wasn't the one married to her.
“I told you,” he said. “Her mom was the one in that accident. When I asked about calling her husband, she asked me to call her daughter. That was the daughter. She came in to get the report yesterday. Something must have happened when she took it to her mom.”
He shrugged and brought his fork back to his mouth.
Rescue of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #4) Page 4