Always Be True

by Alexis Morgan

  Although considering what a jerk he was being, they might be done, period. Natalie waited until she reached the door before stopping to answer his question. She looked back at him with eyes gleaming with the sheen of tears.

  “I don’t know why you’re acting like this and don’t care. Personally, I’m going to work. I’ve got responsibilities and people depending on me.”

  Now he was getting mad, too. “Was that a slam because I don’t have a fancy job like Benton?”

  “Don’t be an idiot, Tino. Have I ever once acted like I wanted you to be more like him?”

  No, she hadn’t. He really needed to get his head straight before he screwed this up beyond any chance of fixing it. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Look, will you be at the center this evening?”

  “Yes, I’m teaching my class then.”

  “We’ll talk more then.”

  “No, actually we won’t, Mr. Gianelli, and I’ll tell you why. I do my best to avoid spending time with fools and snobs. Right now, I’m pretty sure you qualify as both. So when you get done coaching the kids, don’t bother waiting around for me.”

  She slammed the door on her way out hard enough to rattle the windows. The sound reverberated inside Tino’s head, leaving him feeling hollow and hurting. For one brief moment, he burned with the same pain he’d experienced when the police had told him that his parents were dead. Felt the same immediate sense of emptiness and dread about how the rest of his life would play out with this new gaping hole ripped in his heart.

  But he wasn’t a kid this time, helpless and adrift in an adult world. He charged out of the annex to catch up with Natalie and beg her to let him hit the rewind button. She was already in her car with the engine running. Instead of driving away, though, she sat with her forehead resting on her arms, which were crossed on the steering wheel.

  If she was aware of his approach, she gave no sign of it until he tapped on the passenger-side window. Her head snapped up. Seeing her pretty face streaked with tears kicked him in the gut.

  “Natalie, honey, please let me in.”

  Not that he deserved a chance to apologize. Evidently they’d found the one thing they could agree on, because she put the car in gear and drove off without a single glance back in his direction.

  He watched until she was out of sight. Maybe she’d at least read a text from him. Unfortunately, one look at the blank screen on his phone reminded him that the battery had died, leaving him unable to communicate with her at all. Maybe that was for the best; he had no idea what he would say. He dragged himself back up the driveway to the annex. For now, he’d plug the phone into the charger, finish getting dressed, and then choke down some breakfast. Maybe by the time his phone came back to life, he would have figured out what words he could string together that might ease her pain and undo the hurt he’d caused.

  He didn’t hold out much hope, but he had to try.

  —

  As Tino rolled the rack of basketballs out of the storeroom, Jay took one look at his face and backed away.

  “Damn, man, you look like hell. If you’re sick, I can handle practice by myself.”

  Just what Tino needed to hear. He went back in to get the box of jump ropes that they had the kids use for warm-up before practice. “I’m not sick.”

  Well, actually he was. Sort of, anyway. That didn’t mean Jay or the kids were at risk. As far as Tino knew, being stupid wasn’t catching.

  Jay still didn’t look as if he believed him. “Seriously, man, if you’re not up to coaching tonight, go home.”

  “I’m fine, Jay. I just had a rough day.”

  “If you say so.” The former Seal picked up one of the balls and took a shot at the basket from half court. “But I’ve got to say, I barely survived missions in some of the worst hells on this planet that didn’t leave me looking that bad.”

  “Very funny.”

  Jay walked back over to pick up another ball and took another shot at the hoop. Then he tossed a second one right at Tino. “I’m talking you look like three-day-old roadkill.”

  The man definitely had a talent for apt descriptions. Tino felt like three-day-old roadkill. That didn’t mean he needed his face rubbed in it. “Jay, not now.”

  Another ball went flying through the air. “The last time I saw someone look that bad, he’d had two root canals, and the pain medicine wasn’t working.”

  Well, shit, this wasn’t helping Tino’s mood one bit. Earlier, his mother had dropped by the annex to let him know she’d been happy to finally meet Natalie. It hadn’t taken her three seconds to zero in on the fact that something had gone seriously wrong between the two of them while she’d been at the doctor’s office. Marlene asked him one simple question—who was at fault? When he’d admitted that it was undoubtedly his, his mother hadn’t demanded details. She’d simply said he was old enough to clean up his own messes and left him to figure out how to do it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t come up with a single idea on how to start.

  The bottom line was that he didn’t need Jay busting his chops over the situation. Tino snagged one of the balls off the rack and heaved it at the other man. “You’re the one who’s going to be needing a dose of pain medicine if you don’t stop.”

  Jay dodged the ball, grinning as he held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, Tino. I’ll say one more thing and then shut my trap. In my experience, the only thing that leaves a guy looking that much like death warmed over is woman trouble. I recommend some big-time groveling and then pray like hell for forgiveness.”

  Tino would be only too glad to do exactly that. Unfortunately, his text messages and phone calls had gone unanswered. When he’d stopped by the computer lab on his way into the building, Natalie had taken one look at him and turned her back. Rather than admit that she was currently pretending he was invisible, Tino said, “You can’t grovel if the woman in question won’t let you near her and won’t answer the phone. Besides, what makes you an expert on woman troubles?”

  “We don’t have nearly enough time for that particular story right now.” Jay’s smile slowly faded. “But if it’s really too late for groveling to work, after practice is over, we can always hit the local watering hole to drown your sorrows in a fifth of scotch. Who knows, after a couple of shots, I might even regale you with my own tale of woe, which can only make you feel better about your own situation.”

  The kids came charging into the gym. Tino took a deep breath and pasted a smile on his face, hoping they wouldn’t be able to tell it was fake. As he and Jay crossed the room to greet them, he whispered to his fellow coach, “I haven’t given up yet, but it may come to that.”

  Although he hoped like hell it wouldn’t. The thought of never again knowing the spicy taste of Natalie’s kiss or the sweet slide of her skin against his made him physically ill.

  Jay nodded. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  As they got the kids started on their warm-up run, Tino added, “If I have screwed things up beyond repair, I may just take you up on that drink. I’ll even buy.”

  Jay patted him on the shoulder. “Just so you know, you’ll be springing for the good stuff. If I’m going to kill my liver over the demise of your love life, I’ll want it to go out in style.”

  For the first time since Natalie had driven away that morning, Tino laughed and meant it.

  —

  Maybe she should bang her head on the wall and be done with it. The class had been a total disaster since the first moment she had greeted her students. Sighing, Natalie studied her notes again and finally set the papers aside. It was too late to salvage the situation.

  “I apologize, everyone. It’s just been one of those days for me, but that’s no excuse. Let’s call it a night. I promise that I’ll do better next time.”

  Her students packed up their stuff and gradually shuffled toward the door. A few stopped by her desk on their way out to ask some quick questions. She did her best to answer them,
hoping that none of them picked up on how much she wished they’d just leave. The fact that her life had gone off the rails that morning wasn’t their fault, and they deserved her best effort.

  Maybe her grandfather was right. She did have a lot on her plate and should find another volunteer to teach the evening classes.

  One last girl filed by her desk. “Good night, Ms. Kennigan. I hope you feel better soon.”

  “Thank you, Haley. I’m sure a couple of aspirin and a good night’s sleep will fix me right up.”

  Okay, that was a lie. There was no cure for a broken heart except time. Some distance might help, too, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Not with Tino coaching basketball right down the hall several nights a week for the foreseeable future.

  Earlier, when she’d stepped out in the hall before class, she could hear the deep rumble of his voice mixed in with the team’s laughter coming from the gym. How could he be so good with those kids and such a dumbass when it came to her? Clearly, he’d figured she’d look down on him for living right by his mom’s house. Where would he have gotten that idiot idea? If he’d only given her a chance, he would’ve found out she actually thought it was rather sweet of him.

  With the huge television and assortment of gym equipment, the garage had obviously been made over into a man cave. However, there was nothing shoddy about the workmanship that had gone into its design. From the way he talked about his parents and his brothers, she bet there had also been a lot of love and care involved. Even now, her strongest impression was that the apartment was warm and welcoming.

  Nothing at all like its current resident.

  The memory of Tino’s anger and hostility right before she’d stormed out of his apartment had left her with a pounding headache that had hung on all day. Granted, he’d looked far different when he’d appeared in the computer lab doorway earlier, maybe even apologetic. She’d forced herself to look away before she did something stupid—like crying or, worse yet, running straight toward him in the hopes his arms would be open and waiting.

  It took half an hour to shut down the computers and attend to a few other routine chores. When she was done, she stuffed her notes into her briefcase without bothering to keep them separate from the files she’d brought home to work on from the foundation. No doubt she’d regret that later when she had to sort it all out, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. All that mattered right now was getting out of there without having to talk to anyone.

  After flipping off the lights, she locked the lab door and headed toward the exit. So far, so good. But then a familiar figure stepped into sight. As tempting as it was to turn around and head right back into the computer lab, that would be cowardly. Besides, Clarence had insisted he should walk her out to her car. She didn’t really want an escort, but apparently there’d been problems in the area lately, a few cars broken into and some vandalism.

  Unfortunately, the only man in sight was Tino. She glanced back over her shoulder to see if maybe the janitor was waiting at the other end of the hall. No luck.

  “I told Clarence that I’d make sure you reached your car safely.”

  Great. She gritted her teeth to keep from cursing. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. I don’t need an escort. In your case, I also don’t want an escort.”

  He winced. Good, a direct hit. That didn’t mean he walked away. When she brushed past him, Tino silently followed after her, but at least he hung back a short distance. Smart of him to give her some space. Outside, she realized that it was later than she’d thought. There were only two cars in the parking lot—hers and Tino’s. It didn’t help that the only streetlight in the area was burned out.

  She would never admit it, but she was relieved not to be out there alone in the darkness right now, although she wasn’t exactly sure why. This was far from the first time she’d been at the center after hours. Over the months that the foundation had been involved in the project, she’d come and gone at all times of the day. Maybe Clarence’s comment about the break-ins had planted a seed of fear. More likely, her unease stemmed from the fact that she wasn’t feeling her best and the cause of that problem was still lurking a short distance away.

  In fact, he was standing right by her car. What the heck did he want now? It was tempting to simply drive away, but she knew him well enough to know he’d keep coming back until she listened.

  She rolled the window down a few inches. “What now, Tino?”

  He squatted down until he was at her eye level. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I am sorry for this morning.”

  So was she, but not for the same reasons. She’d had such hope for the two of them. Just thinking of how things could have been only made her heart hurt. “Fine, you’ve apologized. Now, I need to go.”

  She started to close the window but stopped. “And for future reference, don’t wait around to walk me out of the building. I’m a big girl. I can actually find my way home all by myself.”

  Tino immediately grabbed the top edge of the window with both hands to prevent her from closing it. “Be pissed at me all you want to, Natalie, but don’t let that make you stupid about things. I know you have friends in this neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean you’re always safe here. If I’m not around, ask Clarence or even Jay to walk you out.”

  The stubborn set to his jaw made it clear that he wasn’t going to let her leave until she agreed to his demand. “Fine.”

  When Tino released his hold on the window, she put the car into drive and hit the gas. All she succeeded in doing was to kill the engine. Damn, damn, double damn. She turned the key in the ignition and prayed it would start. Luck was finally with her. This time she eased her foot down on the gas and drove away.

  As she exited the parking lot, she checked her rearview mirror. Tino hadn’t moved. God, he looked so darn lonely standing there alone in the empty parking lot. Well, welcome to the club. She knew just how he felt.

  Chapter 20

  Tino knocked on the heavy wooden door and braced himself for an ass-kicking or at least a figurative one. He wasn’t even sure why he’d shown up, but ignoring the summons from Cyrus Waines would’ve reeked of cowardice. No doubt the old man wanted to rip Tino a new one for hurting his granddaughter.

  Esther opened the door. “Tino, you’re right on time. Come on in.”

  He followed her into the foyer, trying to look far more in control of the situation than he actually felt. “Mr. Waines left a message that he wanted to see me.”

  “So I hear.” The housekeeper smiled as she pointed toward the library. “He’s waiting for you in there. I’ll be along with lunch for the two of you in a few minutes.”

  Really? Since when did being called on the carpet require refreshments? He was about to say something when he realized that Esther had already deserted him. Well, he could stand there and dither or he could find out what the hell was going on. The door to the library was open just a crack. He was saved from having to decide whether he should knock or go straight in when the decision was made for him.

  “The chessboard is set up in here.” Cyrus sat in the open doorway glaring up at him. “Or are you going to hide out here all day?”

  Tino met the man’s faded gaze head-on. “I’m considering it.”

  The old man’s hoot of laughter was a bit on the mean side. “Well, at least you’re honest about it. Now, get in here.”

  Tino followed him into the library. Cyrus wheeled himself around to one side of a chess table set up in front of the window. He waved his hand toward the opposing chair. “Sit down. I get tired of having to look up at you.”

  This was a different chess set than they’d played with before. Tino picked up one of the pawns and studied it. “Seriously? A storm trooper?”

  “My daughter and son-in-law bought the set for me, knowing I love both chess and the original three Star Wars movies. They’ve bought me a bunch of different sets over the years. I guess it’s hard to come up with gifts for the man who has ever
ything.”

  He slid a pawn forward to start the game. “Well, everything except for a few great-grandchildren.”

  Tino had been about to make his own move when Cyrus dropped that little bombshell. His hand was shaking only a little as he put his pawn into play. “Not sure where they’ll be able to buy some of those for you.”

  “Don’t be a smartass, boy.”

  “Sometimes I can’t help myself, sir.”

  “Try harder.”

  They lapsed into a long silence as the play continued. A few minutes later, Esther delivered the promised sandwiches and drinks. She set everything out on Cyrus’s desk. “Gentlemen, lunch is served.”

  Her employer didn’t even glance up. “We’re in the middle of a game.”

  Esther rolled her eyes. “Eat now or I’ll take it all away. As I recall, you really hate stale sandwiches for dinner.”

  When she sailed out of the room without a backward look, Cyrus muttered an obscenity. “I sign that woman’s paycheck, so I know for a fact she works for me. You’d never know it by the way she acts.”

  “Have you ever called her bluff?”

  “Once.” Cyrus backed away from the table and headed for his desk. “How do you think she knows I hate stale sandwiches?”

  Tino couldn’t help but laugh. It occurred to him that Esther and his mother would really hit it off, considering neither one of them was inclined to take any crap from the men in their lives. He studied the array of salads and sandwiches Esther had laid out for them. She’d outdone herself once again. “I love a good game of chess, but it would be a real shame to let this spread go to waste.”

  “Yeah, but don’t tell her that. She’s impossible to live with as it is.”

  “I’m guessing she’ll figure it out for herself when there’s nothing left but crumbs.”

  His host looked a bit disgruntled by that thought, but that didn’t stop him from loading up his plate. Tino happened to glance across the room and spotted the woman in question hovering right outside the library door. She gave him a thumbs-up and disappeared from sight.