Delayed Call

by Toni Aleo

  A lump entered her throat. “Honor him?”

  “Yeah, he died several years back. His name was Nathan.”

  Looking away, she tried to swallow past the lump. Maybe she had misread this guy. She had assumed he was some spoiled rich kid, and maybe he was, but she could see in his eyes that he had suffered so much loss. He had that vacant look in his eyes, the same one she had, and she didn’t understand the emotions that were flooding her at that moment. Ignoring those feelings as they started to drown her, she muttered, “You’re right, that is hard to believe. You not wanting to show off and all. Get all the glory for doing amazing things for people.”

  He scoffed. “I’m not that big of a lying, assholey douche.”

  When she looked up at him, she saw that he was moving, coming toward her with his eyes intently on hers. But she shook her head. “That doesn’t change anything. I can’t trust you.”

  Pausing in front of her, he reached above her head, pressing his hand into the door. “You can.”

  But she shook her head again. Yes, he was gorgeous, and maybe her heart melted a little bit with his story. But before this revelation, she had known she was in trouble the moment she heard Nate Way’s voice. Now that she knew who he really was, she couldn’t let it happen. If she trusted Vaughn Johansson, he would hurt her. He might not hurt Rodney, but he would hurt her for the simple fact that he hated her. He had said it himself, and he wasn’t the kind of person she could trust. Since she sure as hell didn’t like him, how was she was supposed to leave her brother with the people he trusted and be able to keep her anxiety in check?

  Yeah, right.

  “I can’t.”

  “Do you honestly think I would hurt Rodney?”

  She knew that answer with all her heart. “No. I don’t.”

  “Then, why not?”

  “Because you’ll hurt me.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know, but you’ll do something. Use Rod against me. Make him love you more and then cut me out. Hell, I don’t know! But because you hate me, you’ll do something to hurt me even more.”

  “So this isn’t about you not trusting me, it’s about jealousy?”

  She scoffed. “No, I was using those as examples.”

  He gave her a knowing look, and thankfully, didn’t call her on her lie. She didn’t like that she was jealous of him. Of the relationship he had developed with her brother behind her back. But she was. She thought she was Rodney’s best friend, but all he did was talk about “Nate” and how he wanted to live in the awesome place that Nate had made. With his bare hands, mind you. Rod had one foot out the door as she’d said earlier, and he hadn’t denied it. He wanted to start his life. What if that life left Brie out?

  “Listen, Brie, that boy loves you,” Vaughn said then, his eyes holding hers intently once she looked up at him. Her breathing started to speed up. “I can promise you that. Everything is about B and his mom. I won’t ever come between you, nor do I want to. I only want to help you guys out. Give him a life worth living.”

  “He has a life worth living!”

  He nodded as his hands slowly rose. “You’re right, but a better life.”

  Her gaze was locked with his. She was getting lost in the dark depths that made her think of Cocoa Pebbles. God, she was such a food whore, because now she was hungry. This was not the time to be thinking of food when she was staring into the eyes of a very hot Vaughn Johansson and arguing about her brother. Jesus, she was a lunatic. Or yet, he made her a lunatic. Ten minutes ago, she had wanted to gut him, and now she wanted to eat cereal with him? Or off him… Oh God, what was wrong with her? She had to stay away from this dude.

  “I can’t trust you,” she said once more, and he closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. “How can I trust you? How can I trust that Rod would be okay?”

  “Because I wouldn’t let anything happen to him. I would die before anything happened to him or my people back at NateWay. I can promise you that.” She went to argue, but he shook his head quickly, stopping her. “Listen, I’m sorry.”

  Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “Excuse me?”

  He shot her a smirk. “Yeah, this doesn’t happen often—soak it in—but I am. I’m truly sorry. I should have told you, but I really didn’t want anything to keep Rodney from moving in to a community that would help him grow as an individual and is somewhere he can be happy. I hate that I lied to you, and if I could, I would redo it and change that. But seriously, I had only Rod’s best interest in mind. Not yours. And I apologize for that.”

  Never, in all her days of knowing Vaughn, had she thought he would ever apologize for anything. He did what he did, and if someone didn’t like it, he didn’t care. She didn’t even think he knew the words. Yet, he stood in front of her, his eyes pleading with hers as he said them. Loudly and with meaning.

  Could she trust him?

  Should she trust him?

  Looking away, she closed her eyes as she wished her mother were there. Her mother was a wonderful judge of character. But then, so was Rodney, and he loved Vaughn. She heard it in his voice when he called to him in the hall. Saw it on his face when they interacted, cupping shoulders and laughing. Was it fair to make him suffer because of her hatred toward this guy?

  Why was this so hard?

  She just knew it was all too good to be true! Nothing like a basically free community for Down syndrome adults would come to her without some kind of wrench thrown in there. Vaughn was her wrench, and as much as she hated him, as much as she wanted to tell him to fuck off, she held back.

  For Rodney.

  For her mom.

  He cleared his throat, she looked up as Vaughn said, “I’d really like to show you around tomorrow, if you’ll still come. You don’t have to make a decision today or tomorrow. We can wait until after his surgery Friday, but at least give me a chance to show you what I can offer him.”

  Her heart stopped. “You know about the surgery?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, he told me.”

  Biting the inside of her cheek, she rolled her eyes. She wanted to say no, but that was for her own selfish and petty reasons.

  “I promise it will be worth it.”

  Shaking her head, she met his pleading eyes as she shrugged quickly. “Only because I told Rodney we would go. That doesn’t mean I’m saying yes.”

  His eyes lit up like they had when he’d scored the other night, and she was sure he was going to fist-pump, but instead, he nodded quickly. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, but this doesn’t change anything. You’re still a lying, assholey douche.”

  He smiled. “And you’re still a bitch.” But when he winked, his grin widening with the motion, her breath caught. “But I kinda like that about you.”

  Her brows came in. “Wait, are you flirting with me?”

  He laughed as his hand covered her hand on the door handle, pulling the door open as heat ran up her arm. “Why would I flirt with someone who hates me, especially when I hate them too?” The way he said it insinuated that he very much did not hate her and that he knew she didn’t hate him either. But she did. With all the hellfire inside of her. But she couldn’t say that as she watched him cross the hall. She was stunned to silence as he opened the door before looking over his shoulder at her. “See you tomorrow.”

  She couldn’t even comment on that.

  Because her arm was still on fire.

  She was still stunned to silence.

  And she was pretty sure her archnemesis was just flirting with her.

  “Did you make sure the house was cleaned?”

  “Yes, hun.”

  “What about that scrub brush I left in the sink? I forgot to get that the other day.”

  “I got it, and I cleaned the mess. Everything is perfect. I promise, you slob.”

  Vaughn smiled as he rocked back and forth on his heels before wrapping his arm around Dawn and leaning into her. “Is lunch ready?”

  “Will be b
y the time you’re done with the tour.”

  “Everyone inside?”

  “Yes. Watching a movie and eating cookies. They’re excited to meet him.”

  “I am too.”

  Swallowing hard, he looked around the 356 acres that were his. When he learned he was moving to Nashville, the first thing he did was find a place for NateWay Two. That was his main concern. His own housing would come, or he could stay with someone until he figured it out, but by the grace of God, and of course, his brother Nathan looking out, this place had been put up by the bank in foreclosure. He scooped it up for a hell of a deal, and then came six months of work to get it to perfection.

  The old farm house, where Marl and Dawn lived with their daughters, was the center of the property. Around it were fourteen little houses, with plots for six more. He had planned to get those done this summer since his goal was to build all the houses himself. It was something he had promised Nathan when they were younger that he would do. Nathan had wanted a home, just for himself, and Vaughn had promised to build him one in the backyard of his lavish mansion when he hit it big in the NHL. That was the goal, but he never got the chance to live it out with his baby brother. So instead, he did it for people just like Nathan.

  NateWay Two was his third biggest accomplishment. First, being drafted into the NHL, and the second, NateWay One back home in Colorado, which housed twenty adults with Down syndrome. Just like NateWay Two, it had the big house in the middle of the buildings for the property manager, which used to be Marl and Dawn before Vaughn brought them to Nashville. Now it housed a nice older couple whom Marl and Dawn had hired. To the left were the gardens of fresh produce and the little market that sold snacks and other essentials. Behind all of the buildings were the fields of sheep, cows, and horses, along with the big barn that held everything else. Chickens were to the right, along with the nurse’s wing and therapeutic house, and a woodshop for everyone to learn how to use their hands. The church stood in the center of the property in all its beautiful glory. He was so very proud of that church. He had built this one with Jensen and Wells the summer before.

  As he smiled, he knew that everything had a purpose at NateWay. It gave everyone a chance to learn how to be a fully functioning, working adult with supervision from Marl and Dawn and the volunteers who came in daily. At first, when Vaughn had decided to embark on this project, it was only to give adults with Down syndrome an opportunity to be self-sufficient. But now, he knew it was his job to give his residents a chance at more. More than they could even fathom. A life that had meaning and purpose. And they were doing that at NateWay. Everything they made or grew was sold. When they milked the cows, the milk was sold. Got wool from the sheep, it was sold. Everyone had a role—they went to school, they worked, they lived—and as Vaughn stood there looking over his grounds, his home, a warmth filled his soul.

  He only hoped it was enough to impress Brie and Rodney.

  Lord, he had handled that so wrong. He should have told her from the beginning that it was him. The moment she said her name, he should have come clean, but he just knew she wouldn’t give Rodney the chance he so desperately needed. He was dying in that damn old folks’ home. Yeah, he might have some heart issues, but this would be the greatest place for him. He could work at his pace, with no one screaming at him to get out of the way. He could go to college right in Dawn’s kitchen, and she would be there, helping him along the way. He could interact with people just like him, feel at home with people who dealt with the same things he did. Vaughn just prayed he hadn’t ruined that chance for Rodney. It would honestly break him if he had. He had come to care a lot for Rodney, and he didn’t want to hurt that kid.

  Or Brie, for that matter.

  She was such a spitfire, and he wanted to kiss that naughty mouth of hers so damn bad, he felt it in his bones. He had never been hit by a woman. Never in his life. Even Wren had never had the balls to hit him, but Brie, she just acted, and he really admired that about her. Her love for her brother was special, and it made him hate himself even more for what he did. He should have told her, but that was in the past. Now he had to get through this first.

  He had to get Rodney into his little community, and then maybe, maybe… Nothing. Nothing would happen. She hated him, he was a lying, assholey douche, and she was beautiful. But that didn’t matter. They were fire and gasoline, and if he knew better, he’d stay away to prevent the explosion.

  He just wasn’t sure if he could.

  Which was a tad bit scary.

  “Elli Adler called.”

  He nodded as Dawn looked up at him with her brown eyes, her dark brown hair falling over her shoulders with strands of silver streaked throughout. She was dressed in her Sunday best, while Marl was probably trudging around in a pair of messy overalls. But that was Marl—he was a man set in his ways, and he wasn’t dressing up for no damn tour, as he would say. “Yeah, what did she say?”

  “She invited us to Buddies Night at the arena, and she said that she wants to pair our babies with her players. Said that Vaughn Johansson suggested it, and she would love to have us.” He smiled as she rolled her eyes. “Why not tell her?”

  “Because it doesn’t matter who does everything as long as it’s done.”

  Her brows drew together. “You’re nervous. Why are you nervous? Why are you giving the tour?”

  Vaughn scoffed. “I’m not nervous, and I’m doing the tour because I know Rodney.”

  “You’ve known everyone, but when the parents come, you make me do it so your identity stays a secret until they sign on and then you make them sign that pesky NDA.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, so?”

  “So why is this different?”

  He only shook his head as he heard a car coming up the drive. The whole property was gated. No one could get out, except through the front gate and probably the tunnel that Marl had dug, not that Vaughn had found it. Marl was one of those doomsday preparers. He had a stocked house and was convinced they could all live for a good two years before running out of the food he had been smuggling into his bunker. He was batshit crazy, but Vaughn loved him. A lot.

  When the car pulled into the parking spot in front of them, Rodney was essentially hanging out the window, waving. “Hey! Hey! Mr. NateWay! We’re here!”

  Vaughn smiled as Dawn gushed, “Oh my goodness! Look at him, he’s darling.”

  Vaughn only nodded as he tucked his hands into his pockets while the car shut off and then the doors opened. Rodney came out first, visibly excited, while Brie got out slowly, throwing her purse strap over her shoulder.

  “Ah, I see why you’re nervous.”

  He shot a look back at Dawn. “I’m not nervous.”

  Ignoring him as she drank Brie in, she smiled. “And why you’re doing the tour.”

  Deciding his words would fall on deaf ears, he looked back as Brie turned toward him, giving him a perfect view to read her sweatshirt: “Yes, I know how I look. No, I don’t care. I don’t want to be here.”

  Message read, loud and clear.

  But even with the sweatshirt claiming what it did, she looked good. Her pants were tight on her legs, and part of her hair was pulled up in a topknot. She wasn’t wearing makeup, but he was discovering he liked her bare face more than he liked her all dolled up. As she pushed her sunglasses up on her head, she gave him a look.

  “Hey, look, you left a bruise,” he called to her, tipping his chin where a small little black bruise sat, but she only glared.

  “You aren’t supposed to be happy about that.”

  “Oh, I am. I’m proud. Aren’t you?”

  She didn’t seem to be proud, more embarrassed than proud, but she didn’t comment as she shook her head. “I had the wrong address.”

  His brows came together. “You did?”

  “Yeah, I thought it was like three minutes down the road from us.”

  “Oh, no, that’s the office space I use. But you found it.”

  “Yeah, but it was annoying.”<
br />
  He smiled as Rodney rolled his eyes very exaggeratedly. “She’s mad.”

  “No? Really?”

  She side-eyed him as Rodney nodded, not catching on to Vaughn’s sarcasm. “She hates you.”

  “I know, but don’t worry, I’ll sell her,” Vaughn laughed, cupping Rodney’s shoulder. “So first, before we get started, this is Dawn MacDock. She is our nurse, teacher, and community grandma.”

  Rodney beamed as Dawn took him into her arms, hugging him tightly. “You are the sweetest! Look at your little face. You look just like your sister. So handsome.”

  “Thank you.”

  Looking to Brie, Vaughn saw that she was smiling until she saw him staring at her. Her lips pressed together as she took Dawn’s hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

  “You too. I’ve heard so many great things about you and Rodney. I’m so excited to get to know y’all.”

  “You too,” Brie said politely, but her face said she wanted to kick them all in the nads and run.

  But Vaughn wasn’t going to let her.

  Not without seeing everything first.

  Looking around the grounds and then to Dawn, he shrugged before saying, “I don’t know where Marl is, but we’ll see him along the way. So let’s get started.”

  “He’ll be around. Y’all have fun and then come on inside for some lunch.”

  “You cook?” Rodney asked with a hopeful expression.

  Dawn cupped Rodney’s face. “Oh, honey bear, do I? I’m pretty sure I’ve got a special chocolate cake inside, just for you.”

  His eyes lit up before turning to Brie. “B, she made chocolate cake!”

  “Oh, thank God.” She then looked to Vaughn. “Maybe that will salvage all this.”

  Dawn glanced to Vaughn, worried and unsure why Brie was being so harsh to him, but he shook his head, hoping she would understand that he would tell her everything later. Hopefully, after he convinced Brie this was the best thing ever for Rodney.

  Slapping his hands together, he smiled. But the nerves he had denied having were slowly eating him alive. He felt like it was game seven, and they were down three goals. He hated that feeling, but damn it, he was going to score those goals. For Rodney. He needed this. “Well, come on. Let’s get started!”