Face Value (Next Generation 7)

by Cheryl Douglas

“No,” Lauren said quickly. Okay, that was a lie of epic proportions. She was going straight to hell for that one.

  Mitch rolled his eyes. “I’m a guy, and even I know that dude was hot.”

  Justin laughed as he reached for his beer. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”

  “Really?” Anna looked at the two men for confirmation. “He’s that good-looking?”

  “In that rough around the edges kind of way,” Mitch said, reaching for another pretzel stick.

  Anna looked surprised. “That’s not the type you usually go for.”

  There was nothing normal about the way Tucker made her feel. “I know, which should tell you something. He’s not my type.”

  Justin laughed as he stretched his arm across the booth behind Anna. “I wasn’t your cousin’s type either and look how that turned out.”

  “He has a point,” Anna said, turning to kiss his cheek.

  “I can’t listen to any more of this.” Lauren pointed toward the dance floor before edging Mitch out of the booth with her shoulder.

  “I guess that means she wants to dance.” Mitch grinned at Anna and Justin. “If you’ll excuse us.”

  “Have fun,” Justin said.

  Lauren was still seething when Mitch pulled her into arms. “I can’t believe you let Anna believe there’s something between me and Tucker.”

  “Isn’t there?’

  Yes. “No.”

  “You sure about that?” he asked, looking down at her. “Come on, you know you can tell me.”

  Lauren hadn’t known Mitch long, but she knew she could trust him. He was one of the good guys. “It’s complicated.” She sighed when she realized Mitch was waiting for her to continue. “He’s been in jail.” She looked around to make sure no one was listening.

  Mitch chuckled. “No kidding? He definitely doesn’t seem like your type, but how do you explain the chemistry between y’all last night?”

  “What chemistry?” As if she didn’t know. She couldn’t get within a foot of that man without feeling as though she would spontaneously combust.

  “Please. Just the way he looked at you, I could tell he was a hell of a lot more than your contractor.”

  If it was that obvious to Mitch, it was no wonder her father had warned her off.

  “And he was shooting daggers at me when we were dancing.”

  “He was here with another girl.” Lauren had been secretly thrilled when Tucker confided he was no longer seeing Tonya. That little twit wouldn’t know what to do with a man like Tucker. Jealous much?

  “Yeah, but I got the feeling if he had a choice, he would have been here with you.”

  And Lauren would have chosen to spend the evening with him too. God, what a mess! “Didn’t you hear what I said? The man’s been in jail.” She hoped if she kept reminding herself, it would eventually sink in that he was not the man for her.

  “I heard you. So, what happened? How’d he land in jail?”

  “Assault. He beat the hell out of his ex-wife’s new boyfriend.”

  Tucker obviously had a jealous streak, but thinking of him being crazy possessive of a woman who had already given up on their marriage left a sour taste in Lauren’s mouth. Of course, there were children involved. Maybe he wasn’t ready to give up on his family. Stop giving him the benefit of the doubt! He’d almost killed a man with his bare hands, and he’d looked mad enough to do the same with Rob. No question about it, he was a ticking time bomb, and she didn’t want to be anywhere near him when he eventually exploded.

  Lauren was biting her lip, trying to make sense of her errant thoughts, when she realized Mitch was studying her. “What?”

  “You really like this guy, don’t you?”

  “What? No!”

  “Yes, you do. But you don’t want to. You’re trying to convince yourself to stay the hell away from him, but you can’t seem to do that.”

  How did he know? “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her face was already heating up. She wasn’t convincing him. How could she when she didn’t even believe her own pathetic excuses?

  “Why don’t you just give the guy a chance if you’re that into him?”

  “Did I say I was into him?”

  “You didn’t have to.” He smiled. “I’ve known you a while now, and I’ve never seen you this messed up over a guy.”

  “I’m not messed up!” She was so messed up.

  “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

  “He could snap and kill me in my sleep.”

  Mitch threw his head back and laughed. “You’re such a drama queen.”

  “This isn’t funny,” she said, pinching the back of his arm. “He’s dangerous.”

  “How do you know that?”

  Duh, he’s been in jail. “His ex-wife and my father told me so.”

  “What does J.T. have to do with this?”

  Everything, if he found out his little girl was losing sleep over an ex-con in spite of his warnings. “Tucker has been coming in here and causing trouble for years. My dad said he’s flown into a rage and busted the place up more than once.”

  “Huh.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Maybe you should steer clear of him. He sounds a little unstable.”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Now if only she could convince her brain to obey her own commands.

  “You just need to get out more. Find a man who’ll take your mind off Tucker.”

  She wasn’t sure such a man existed. “I’m not exactly a recluse, you know. I go out all the time.”

  “Yeah, with the girls. Justin said you haven’t made time for a relationship in a long time.”

  “Justin doesn’t know everything,” she muttered. But in this case, he was right.

  “Whatever you say, sunshine.”

  ***

  “You are not going to call him.” Lauren knew Tucker was driving her crazy; she was talking to herself. Checking the time on her dashboard, she said, “It’s too late anyways. He has his kids this weekend. They’re probably all in bed.”

  Oh for the love of God. Just call him already! Annoyed at letting her inner rebel win, she punched the number with more force than necessary. Hey, how had he earned the top spot in her directory?

  “Lauren?”

  “Um hi, Tucker? Were you sleeping?” His deep, raspy voice had her curling her toes inside her boots. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? It just wasn’t fair.

  “No, the kids went to bed a while ago. I was just getting some work done.”

  Lauren felt guilty he had to bring work home because her project took so much of his time. “I just wanted to apologize for what happened today. I didn’t mean to pry.” She’d thought about his reaction all day and realized he’d been justified. She wouldn’t want someone questioning her about events in her past she would rather forget.

  “I’m the one who should be apologizing, baby. I was way outta line.”

  Baby? She couldn’t contain the slow smile spreading across her face. “I shouldn’t have asked you about-”

  “Lauren, I shouldn’t have lost my temper. With you or with Rob.” He sighed. “Girl, you’ve got me so messed up.”

  At least she wasn’t the only one. She knew that phone call wasn’t the time to talk about it though. They both needed time to process their feelings and figure out how to deal with them. “What are you doing with your kids tomorrow?”

  He chuckled. “My daughter’s birthday is coming up. She’s dragging me to the mall to show me what she wants. Apparently, she doesn’t trust me to pick out a gift on my own. Not that I blame her. She’s at that age.”

  Lauren smiled when she thought of a precocious ten-year-old dragging Tucker through all the girlie stores in the mall. “That sounds like fun.”

  “For you, maybe. It’ll be torture for me.” After a long pause, he asked, “You wanna come?”

  Was he seriously asking her to meet his kids? “Um, I don’t know if t
hat’s a good idea.”

  “It’s not. It’s a bad idea.” He groaned. “Probably the worst idea I’ve ever had, but having you there is the only thing that might make it bearable.”

  How could she say no? “How will you introduce me to your kids?” She couldn’t help but wonder whether he’d ever introduced Tonya to his children.

  “I don’t know, as my client, my friend. I’ll figure it out. Just say you’ll come.”

  “Okay, I’d love to.” She was nervous about meeting his kids, but she couldn’t deny she was looking forward to seeing him.

  “Cool. Hey, I have some hockey tickets for tomorrow night. My buddy Will was gonna come, but he can’t make it. Do you like hockey?”

  “I do. As a matter of fact, one of my closest friends is Aiden Cooper.”

  “No way!”

  She laughed at his enthusiasm. Most guys reacted that way when she told them she knew Aiden. “Seriously. I bet your son would like to meet him, wouldn’t he?”

  Tucker chuckled. “Man, you sure do move in different circles, girl. Justin Hunt, Aiden Cooper, Nikki Spencer McCall…”

  She hadn’t mentioned her mother to Tucker, but most of the patrons at Jimmy’s knew J.T. was married to the famous country singer. “They’re all just regular people.” That much was true, but she didn’t even want to think about how her mother would react if she found out her daughter was dating an ex-con. Not that she and Tucker were dating. Were they?

  “How was your date tonight? It must have ended early.”

  “It was more of a double date, if you can call it that. Me and Mitch, my cousin Anna and Justin.”

  “Huh. Did y’all have fun?”

  She knew he was trying to keep it light, but he was failing miserably. “We just had a bite to eat and a few drinks at Jimmy’s.”

  “Where the hell are you now?”

  She was caught off guard by his sharp tone. “I’m just driving home.”

  “After you’ve had a few drinks?” he shouted. “What the hell are you thinking? Why didn’t that asshole drive you home?”

  Lauren’s mouth fell open. His hair-trigger temper was frightening sometimes. “Would you relax? I had one glass of wine.”

  Tucker muttered a curse. “I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to shout. I’m just a little sensitive about that.”

  She winced when she remembered his uncle had been killed by a drunk driver. Of course he would be sensitive about drinking and driving. “Don’t worry about it. I promise, I would never get behind the wheel if I’d had more than one drink.”

  “You shouldn’t get behind the wheel if you’re drinking. Period. If you’re out having a good time with your girlfriends and you need a ride, call me. Anytime.”

  Awww, she was falling deeper in like with him by the minute. “That’s so sweet of you.”

  “I’m serious, Lauren. I don’t want you taking any stupid chances.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “Are you going out with him again?”

  It took her a minute to realize he was talking about Mitch. “Yeah, sure. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  She knew the reason, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit it. “We’re just friends, Tucker.”

  “Does he know that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  She smiled. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not jealous.”

  “Liar.” She smiled when he laughed again. “What time do you want me to meet you?”

  “Text me your address in the morning. We’ll pick you up around 11:00.”

  “Sounds good.” She bit her lip as she considered whether she should quit while she was ahead. She’d gone that far, might as well go all in. “I’m really looking forward to meeting your kids.”

  “I’m looking forward to it too. You at home now?”

  “I just pulled into my parking lot.”

  “Good.” He sighed. “Thanks for calling, Lauren. If you hadn’t, I probably would’ve been up half the night worrying about you.”

  He would have been worried about her? Every time he said something like that, he stole another little piece of her heart. “Worrying about whether I got home safely…” She bit her lip, wondering whether it was a good idea to tease him. “Or whether I went home alone?”

  Tucker growled. “Honey, don’t you know that if you poke a bear, you’d best have a long stick?”

  At least he was taking her joke as she’d intended it. That was a good sign. “Okay, I’m going to bed. Alone.”

  “You’d damn well better be.” He exhaled. “Sleep tight, beautiful.”

  Chapter Eight

  When Tucker walked downstairs the next morning, his son was playing a game on his iPad and his daughter was eating a bowl of cereal and watching Good Luck, Charlie.

  “Hey,” he said, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “I was just coming down to make you guys breakfast. Looks like you beat me to it.”

  “We were hungry,” Mason grumbled.

  His son was at that age. His moods were unpredictable at best, volatile at worst. He saw so much of himself in his son, and that scared him. The kid played hockey, and according to all of his coaches, he was really good, but his temper got him thrown into the penalty box too often.

  “You’re always hungry.” Monica scrunched up her face when her brother glared at her. “It’s true. Even mom says so.”

  “Mom doesn’t know everything, and neither do you.”

  Tucker prayed for patience. Mornings with his kids often started with him refereeing their disagreements. “Okay, enough.” He sat down on the end of the sofa. “So listen, I wanna talk to you about something.”

  Mason looked at him warily. “What is it?”

  “A friend of mine is joining us today.” He still couldn’t believe he’d asked Lauren to come with them. Even more incredible, instead of regretting his impromptu decision, he looked forward to seeing her interact with the two most important people in his life.

  “Yeah, we know.” Mason turned his attention back to his screen. “You already told us Will is coming to the game with us.”

  “I’m not talking about Will.” He suspected they may be shocked, since he’d never introduced them to any of the women he’d dated. Probably because most his dates were young enough to raise a few eyebrows. Lauren was younger than him, but she was clearly a successful, mature woman.

  “Then who’re you talking about?” Monica asked, tipping her head to the side.

  Nervousness started to override his anticipation. Amanda had paraded men in and out of their lives ever since Tucker moved out, and he’d sworn he wouldn’t be that parent. He’d already cost them so much. His mission since their eighteen month separation had been to give them a sense of security. Would Lauren’s presence cause them to question whether they would continue to be his first priority? Maybe he should call and cancel…

  “Dad, are you introducing us to your girlfriend?” Monica asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

  “No!” He cleared his throat when he realized his tone was too sharp. “Lauren is just a friend… and a client.”

  “So it is a girl?” Mason asked, tearing his eyes away from his game.

  Lauren could hardly be described as a girl. Tonya fell into that category. Lauren was all woman. But he couldn’t very well explain the difference to his children. “Um… yeah.”

  “Do you like her?” Monica grinned. She’d just gotten pink braces and loved to show them off.

  “Of course he likes her, dummy,” Mason said, rolling his eyes. “He wouldn’t ask her to come with us if he hated her.”

  “Shut up,” Monica said, hurling a cushion at him. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was asking Dad.”

  “Enough,” Tucker said, putting his hand up. “Yes, I like her. She’s a very nice lady, and I want y’all to be nice to her. You think you can do that for me?”

  Mason looked a
t him a long time before he said, “It’s about time you started dating again.”

  Tucker sputtered, then coughed to mask his surprise. “What are you talking about?” He’d dated plenty since his divorce. He just hadn’t told his kids about it because he knew none of those women would become a permanent fixture in his life.

  Mason shrugged. “I don’t know. You must get lonely when we’re not around.”

  His kids were worried about him? That was the last thing he wanted. He was happy with his life. He didn’t intend to get married again, and he needed to make his kids understand that. “I’m not lonely. I have my work and you guys. That’s all I need.”

  Monica set her empty bowl on the coffee table and tucked her legs under her. “You think you’ll ever get married again?”

  “No!” Okay, that was a little too emphatic. He couldn’t very well tell them their mother had made him so miserable he wouldn’t even consider signing on for another life sentence. “Like I said, I’m happy with the way my life is. I don’t need a relationship to make me happy.”

  “So this girl really is just a friend, huh?” Mason looked skeptical.

  “She really is.” A flashback of their kiss flared to mind. He’d never kissed a friend like that. But despite their differences, he could imagine Lauren becoming a good friend. Maybe even a friend with benefits…

  “Okay,” Mason said, shrugging. “If you say so.”

  “I say so.” Tucker stood up. “Okay, let’s hit the showers, guys. We need to pick Lauren up at eleven.”

  ***

  Lauren had already changed three times, which was ridiculous since she was just changing from one pair of jeans to another. She finally settled on a pair of black jeans, a long-sleeved gray burn-out top with tank, infinity scarf, and cropped leather jacket. She didn’t want to look too young and trendy, but she didn’t want Tucker’s kids to think she was out of touch either.

  She’d tossed and turned most of the night wondering what to expect. She wanted his kids to like her… more importantly, she wanted Tucker to like her.

  Looking at her reflection in the hall mirror, she wondered what happened to the carefree woman who didn’t give a rip about catching a man’s eye. Sighing, she applied a fresh coat of glossy nude lipstick and pinched her lips together. She could almost feel the burn of his lips on hers as she stared at her reflection. Her skin tingled as she closed her eyes and pictured him kissing her as if he couldn’t get enough…