Piper went off with Jax. According to Rosy, Piper was upset and doesn’t have her phone with her. Please check the diner on Main Street to see if she’s there. I’m heading back to my place now in case that’s where they went.
Oh God. This couldn’t be good, and Eden wanted to kick herself. She’d known something was wrong with Piper and had even called the girl twice. But Piper had assured her that nothing was wrong.
Obviously, it was a lie.
And Eden should have pressed harder. She should have gotten to the bottom of this.
She seriously doubted that Piper would just run off with Jax even if they had reconciled, but heaven knew what kind of emotional turmoil the girl was going through. Maybe Piper had learned something bad from those lab tests that the doctor had run on her. Perhaps Piper had even contracted an STD. Eden prayed that wasn’t the case, but something serious had to be wrong.
Eden grabbed her purse and keys to drive to the diner. It was only a short walk from her house, but she wanted her car in case she found the girl and needed to take her back to the cabin.
Where she’d face Rayelle’s wrath.
Eden didn’t have to know the circumstances that had caused Piper to do something like this, but she seriously doubted that Rayelle was going to accept any excuse. Even a good one.
When she got to the diner, she didn’t see Jax’s motorcycle, but maybe it was still in the shop. If so, he could have borrowed a vehicle, and there was a blue truck that she didn’t recognize. She parked and went to the window so she could take a peek inside.
And there she was.
Jax and Piper were at the far booth in the corner, and they appeared to be having a very intense conversation. Eden felt the relief and the dread. She’d found Piper, and the girl was safe, but there was a bad storm brewing, giving her more concern about that whole possible STD thing.
She took out her phone to text Nico just as she heard someone call out her name. Someone that Eden definitely didn’t want to see right now.
Her mother.
She turned to see her folks coming up the sidewalk straight toward her, and she guessed from her mother’s creased forehead that she’d noticed Eden on her tiptoes, peeking in the diner window.
“Eden,” her mother repeated, her tone very much a scolding.
Eden stepped away, hoping to put a quick end to this meeting, but since she doubted that’d be possible, she went ahead and fired off a text to Nico to tell him that she’d found Piper.
“You look nice,” her father said, giving Eden a kiss on the cheek. “See, Louise, she’s not with Nico like you thought she’d be.”
So, apparently the gossip had gotten back to her mom. Also apparently, her mom didn’t approve. Of course she didn’t. Nico’s profile wouldn’t have appeared on Clean Guys R Us dating website.
“You want to have dinner with us?” her dad asked.
Eden shook her head but wasn’t sure how much else to say. She definitely didn’t want to get into the possible troubles of a teenage girl. “I’m waiting for someone. For Nico,” she went ahead and added, since he’d almost certainly be there soon. Since her mom and dad would be eating at the diner, they would see him.
“Nico,” her mom said as if he were some form of a persistent rash. “You know I believe he’s a bad influence on you.”
Eden normally let that sort of thing just roll off her back, but this time, her back went stiff. She was tired of hearing her mom and anyone else bash Nico. “Maybe I’m the bad influence on him.”
Her mother huffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your divorce wasn’t your fault so there’s no bad influence for you to be. Nico, on the other hand—”
“Is a kind, decent man who loves his family very much,” Eden finished for her. “That was what you were going to say, wasn’t it?” She kept her firm gaze on her mother, daring her to challenge that.
Her mom stayed quiet, maybe weighing her options about how to proceed. “Nico has had some challenges in life, and maybe that’s why he doesn’t always make the best decisions. But you’re a good woman, Eden, and you deserve better.”
Her mother had used the word woman, but Eden heard the subtext. She was the good-girl daughter, the one who’d never given them a moment’s trouble. Not until the divorce, that is, and apparently they were putting the full blame for that on Damien. Eden didn’t mind that—it was Damien’s fault—but that “good-girl daughter” label was like a dozen albatrosses around her neck.
“I just don’t want to see you end up with the wrong man again,” her mom added, and this time her father matched Eden’s sigh.
“Maybe we should just tell Eden how much we love her and then go on in and order dinner,” her dad suggested. “They might run out of meat loaf if we don’t hurry.”
Her mom stayed put. “I don’t want her good reputation tarnished, and that’s what’ll happen if she’s not careful.”
There it was again. That “good” word, which was taking on a “persistent rash” feeling. Along with the hanging albatrosses, that felt pretty icky. Plus, it was as plain as the unnaturally dyed green polyester in her mom’s pants suit that the woman was gearing up for more Nico bashing.
“I write a blog giving sex advice,” Eden blurted out, and she just kept on blurting. “It’s popular and dirty. Very dirty at times. Now, that should give you a clearer picture of who I really am.”
Her mother’s mouth dropped open. So open that Eden was hoping a stray bug or two didn’t go flying in there. Her father stared at her a moment, patted her arm.
“Well, okay then,” he said, and he caught on to his wife’s hand to start her moving. Her mom didn’t make that easy for him. Her feet seemed like deadweight as her dad walked her—the way a cop would a cuffed criminal—toward the diner door.
Eden suspected that her mom would soon figure out how to rationalize away what she’d just heard. She would probably dismiss it as some kind of shock statement, meant to get back at her for the unwanted dating advice. That was okay because it might mean her mother would stop bringing up the subject. She might stop bashing Nico, too.
And speaking of Nico, he pulled into the parking lot and was out of his truck right after he braked to a stop.
“Rayelle’s not far behind me and will be here soon,” he warned Eden. “Where’s Piper?”
She tipped her head to the diner. “Jax is with her.”
Nico cursed and hurried to the door. “When Rayelle gets here, try to keep her outside. She’s running a little emotional right now, and I’d rather not play out family drama in front of an audience. I’ll have Piper come out here with us.”
Good idea, though they’d still have an audience. Anyone inside the diner, including her folks, would try to get peeks at what was going on, but they’d have to strain their ears to hear the conversation. Well, they would if Rayelle didn’t end up shouting. Running a little emotional right now definitely didn’t seem like a good thing.
Eden didn’t want to stand on her toes again to look inside so she just kept watch for any sign of Rayelle. The woman probably wouldn’t speed despite this being a crisis. A crisis in Rayelle’s mind anyway. It could be just a conversation that the two didn’t want the woman to hear.
As expected, Rayelle’s car soon appeared, and just as she went to the parking lot, Nico came out of the diner with Piper. Jax was right behind him.
“This isn’t Piper’s fault,” Jax immediately said. “I convinced her to see me.”
Eden didn’t think it was her imagination that the boy looked a little shell-shocked, but then maybe Nico had threatened him or something.
“Don’t be mad at Piper,” Jax added when Rayelle came closer. “I just wanted to talk.”
Yeah, some definite shell shock, and Piper was clearly feeling some of it, too. Not good. They both looked as if they’d been kicked when they were down, but Eden doubted that Ra
yelle was just going to let Piper get away with sneaking out again. If that was indeed what she’d done. Since Piper had been staying with Rosy, it was entirely possible that Rosy had given her permission. Maybe even a “that’s nice” if Piper had brought up the subject of her seeing Jax.
“Have you finished talking?” Rayelle asked.
Stunned, all four of them turned to the woman. Her voice wasn’t uptight, and she didn’t look as if she’d just sat on a stick. In fact, her hair was a little mussed, and her eyes were red. Wow, maybe she’d been seriously concerned about Piper and not just pissed because the girl hadn’t followed her strict rules.
“We’ve finished.” Piper’s voice and body language were uncertain.
“Good. Then, maybe we can go to the cabin?” Rayelle said, and it sounded like a suggestion. Not a demand. “Jax, do you have a way home?”
Obviously dumbfounded now, he nodded and motioned toward the truck in the parking lot.
“Good,” Rayelle repeated. “Piper, I’ll wait for you in the car to give you a moment to say goodbye to Jax.”
Rayelle slunk away, and that’s when Eden realized the woman hadn’t made eye contact with any of them.
“Did you give her drugs or something?” Piper asked Nico.
Nico frowned. “No.” He paused. “Just go easy on her tonight. She was, uh, very worried about you.”
“Oh,” Piper said, and that seemed to genuinely trouble her. And Jax, who was still volleying glances as if trying to figure out what was going on.
There were folks in the diner, including Eden’s mother, who were trying to do the same thing. And Nico noticed.
“It’s time to break up this little circus,” he grumbled, “so that the monkeys will have to find something else to watch.” He turned to Piper, kissed her cheek. “Call me.”
Piper nodded. “I will tomorrow. I’m a little wrung out right now.” She glanced at Rayelle, who was already seated in her car—and she wasn’t peeking. The woman appeared to be riveted to the steering wheel. “You’re sure you didn’t drug her?”
Nico scrounged up a smile that Eden figured wasn’t easy for him, and he kissed his sister again. He also aimed his index finger at Jax. “Don’t do anything stupid,” Nico snarled.
Jax looked well past the point of doing anything, much less something stupid, and while he was whispering a goodbye to Piper, Nico and Eden strolled in the direction of his truck.
“If I ride with you to your place and leave my car here, it’ll give the gossips something to talk about other than Piper and Rayelle,” Eden suggested.
This time it didn’t seem as if he had to scrounge too hard to manage that smile, and he hooked his arms around her neck, brushing a kiss on her mouth. Well. That fired up her still-simmering libido, and that would indeed be some fodder for the gossips.
“Are you okay?” she asked him.
Nico met her gaze a moment as they got into his truck. He nodded. “Long night already, and it’s barely 6:00 p.m. How about you?”
“Long night already,” she agreed. She waited for him to say more, but when he didn’t, she added. “I told my parents about the blog.”
That snapped him out of the hazy mood. “You what? Why?”
She lifted her shoulder as he started the drive toward his house. “Secrets. They’re just so soul-sucking. They’re my parents, and I thought I should be honest with them. Of course, it’ll still be a secret because you can bet my mom will never tell anyone.”
“That’s true,” Nico said, and even though it was just two little words, she heard the fatigue in his voice. Could also see it in his eyes.
And that meant Eden needed to offer him an out.
“If you want, you can take me back to get my car, and you can go home and get some rest,” she said. “Or we could even go over to the cabin so you can talk to Piper.”
“Piper’s right. Tonight’s not a good time for a long conversation. Best to let things settle for Rayelle and her, and I can talk to them both tomorrow.”
He seemed adamant about that, though Eden wasn’t sure why. Rayelle had seemed docile, which could mean this was the perfect time for a brouhaha. If that’s what was going to happen.
“Did you get any sense from Piper as to why it was so important that she see Jax tonight?” Eden asked, and she thought of those darn lab tests.
“She loves him,” Nico said without even a pause. “She wants him back.”
Well, that was pretty definitive, especially considering that Nico had only had a couple of minutes at most to talk to Piper and Jax, but this could account for Piper’s sullen mood. Falling in love was risky business, and there had to be trust issues for her since Jax had broken up with her before. Maybe she was worried about guarding her heart. Since Eden had recently had that debate with herself, she understood.
But in her case, it was a debate Eden had lost.
Yes, she would likely get burned playing with the fire that was Nico, but she was going for it anyway.
“Jax says he loves her, too,” Nico went on a moment later. “So, I’m sure I can come up with a big brother lecture of the ‘you’re both too young, take it slow’ variety, but the best thing I might be able to do is just buy them a huge box of condoms.”
Eden couldn’t come up with an argument for that especially since the teens had already had sex. “How old were you your first time?”
He grinned at her. “Fourteen, and if you tell Piper that, I’ll hold you down and tickle you until you pee your pants.”
“I’ll take it to the grave.” She smiled and made a cross over her heart. “Since we’re fessing up, I was eighteen.”
“I know.” He paused, winced a little. “Damien let it slip.”
Of course, he had. It had taken Damien years to go all the way with her so he would have gloated about it to his friend.
“And that’s all the talk I intend to give your ex tonight,” Nico added.
Good. Because she certainly didn’t want thoughts of him having any part of this.
With his left hand draped over the steering wheel, he leaned across the seat and kissed her. Not on her mouth. His lips landed on her neck, and he slid his free hand over her thigh. He didn’t come out and say, “I want you to stay,” but he got his point across, and Eden liked very much the way he’d done it.
Volleying his attention between the road and her, Nico gave her neck a kiss that was actually a borderline lick, and his hand moved higher up her thigh, the movement bunching up her dress so that he was touching bare skin.
She liked the way he got that point across, too. They were going to get naked, and she was finally going to have real, honest to goodness sex with him.
Or not.
Eden became concerned about that when she heard Nico curse, and he moved his hand from her thigh. It took her a moment to get her eyes uncrossed and focused, but she saw the woman on his porch when Nico pulled up in front of his house. Even with the porch light on, it still took her a moment to figure out who it was.
Seeing the protest sign helped.
“What’s Miss Liddy Jean doing here?” Eden asked.
That only brought on some more cursing from Nico. “Probably protesting. I haven’t been in my office this week so I guess she brought her cause to my house.”
Nico stopped his truck, and with the weariness back in his expression, he got out. “Miss Liddy Jean, I don’t want to do this tonight,” he spelled out for her. “Besides, are you even allowed to protest after being arrested?”
The woman made a hmmp sound. “That was police oppression.”
“You hit my brother with a sign,” Nico pointed out.
Liddy Jean gave an indignant shrug. “Purely an accident, and it won’t stop me from doing what I feel is right.” She turned to Eden. “Imagine how much more interesting Nico’s charity rodeo ride would have been if he’d
ridden a cow instead of a bull.”
Well, he probably wouldn’t have had nearly as many bruises. As his potential lover, Eden could see an advantage to that. Still, that argument wasn’t going to win anyone but Liddy Jean over.
Nico unlocked his door. “Please go home,” he told the woman. “It’s getting late, and the mosquitoes are out.” As if to prove that, he slapped at one that landed on his arm.
“Mosquitoes don’t bother me. Besides, I came out here to do you a favor.”
Nico raised an eyebrow and moved back so that Eden could step inside the house. Liddy Jean reached down into her shirt and pulled out a small silver box.
“I found this in the parking lot at the diner earlier today,” Liddy Jean explained. “I think it might have fallen out of that woman’s purse. The uppity woman who’s here in Coldwater for the summer.”
“Rayelle,” Nico provided.
“That’s the one,” Liddy Jean confirmed and added a nod. “I saw her at the diner around lunch time picking up a to-go order. Anyway, I didn’t know how to get to the cabin where she’s staying so I decided to bring it to you. You’ll see that she gets it.” The woman handed it to him. “I figure if it’s important enough for her to carry around in her purse that she probably wants it back.”
“Yes.” And that’s all Nico said.
Eden was surprised that Nico seemed to know what it was, but he didn’t open it. He just stared at it.
“Well, my good deed’s done,” Liddy Jean announced, picking up her sign again. “I’ll be out in front of your office Monday. See you then.” She used her sign to wave goodbye and headed to her powder blue VW bug that was parked next to Nico’s house.
“What is that box?” Eden finally asked when Nico didn’t say anything.
He took his time answering. “Rayelle’s secret.”
Well, that got Eden’s interest. “What kind of secret?”
He shook his head, and when he looked at her, he seemed sorry about something. “I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I need to get this back to her. It’s important. Just go in and wait for me. I won’t be long.”
Sweet Summer Sunset Page 18