She pouted in a last ditch effort to sway him but he wore his ‘don’t fuck with me’ expression and her pout melted away to be replaced with anger. Outrage. “She’s my daughter too!”
He sighed and shook his head, too damn tired for her nonsense. “I’m not doing this with you Calista. Leave. And don’t try to circumvent me again or I promise you will regret it.”
“But Erick,” she cooed and stepped forward, pressing her tits into his chest.
“I don’t think so,” he responded, disgusted with her seduction attempts. After a minute when it became clear he wouldn’t give her what she wanted, Calista squealed, stomped her feet and finally, she left. “Thank fuck!”
“You think someone told her Dre is back in town?” He took the beer his mom offered, grateful for the ice cold drink.
That hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Who knows Ma? Dre can take care of herself but I don’t want Calista coming in and confusing Orchid.”
“And Andrea,” she asked again. He knew she hated losing the girl she considered a daughter. Having her back even temporarily gave the woman too much hope.
He sighed and ran a hand through his air. “We don’t want the same things Ma.”
Sarah laughed and gave his shoulder a rough rub that made him groan. “I imagine not. You probably want her to forget all about the way you betrayed her and tossed her aside back then, and knowing Andrea she wants nothing serious from you right?”
He’d always been amazed at how well his ma understood their relationship. Found it uncanny, actually. “That about sums it up,” he grumbled into his beer trying hard not to think about how things had ended with them in her backyard.
“What did you expect son? You’re lucky she hasn’t used all those fancy computer skills to bankrupt you or worse, put you in prison. She could, you know. I mean I don’t understand it all but I know she could.” Wearing a knowing expression, she nodded once more to assure herself she knew what she was talking about. “How about being grateful she’s even talking to you?”
“Barely even that,” he scoffed thinking of their last few conversations. “She’s short, sarcastic and acts like we’re complete strangers.”
If his mom had insight he wanted to hear it. “As far as she’s concerned you are strangers. She thought she knew you and then you did what you did. Even I wondered if I knew you for a long time back then.”
He couldn’t even explain what he’d been thinking that night because he knew he hadn’t been. All his friends were getting drunk and hooking up and his woman had been hours away at college and he’d acted young and dumb. “And I’m still paying for it.” Suddenly he felt irritated and angry at everyone.
She smacked him right in the gut. “And you should because it’s your mistake Erick. It’s a hell of a lot harder to live with someone else’s mistakes. Andrea doesn’t have to have sympathy for a situation you created, especially when it broke her heart.” Sarah sighed and took a pull of her own beer. “She’s been great with Orchid despite everything and she’s willing to help out the town even if it means dealing with you. Ask yourself who’s really being unreasonable here.”
“But she’s just a kid.” He frowned, “Ma don’t look at me like that.”
“If she cheated on you and had a baby with another man would you be able to look at the child with kindness, never mind show actual kindness? Orchid is already as enamored with her as you are.”
Erick thought about that, hating even the idea of another man touching Dre the way he had just days ago. A lifetime ago. “Shit Ma, you’re right.”
“Damn straight I am,” she grinned and finished off her beer before mumbling under her breath, “If not for the thing dangling between your legs you’d all be utterly useless.”
He tried to suppress a grin and a shudder at his mom talking about anyone’s ‘dangling member’. “Yeah Ma, love you too.”
“Of course you do, it is one of your very best qualities,” she tossed back in the worst attempt at a southern accent he’d ever heard. “Fix things with Andrea, your aura is all out of whack.”
As soon as her bedroom door closed, he did the same with his eyes but sleep wouldn’t come because he couldn’t stop thinking about what his ma had said. He had betrayed Dre and tossed her aside. He’d even stolen her home. So he knew he should feel grateful she hadn’t messed up his life and treated his kid with kindness, even if he selfishly wished she would turn some of that kindness his way.
If that’s what he wanted it would be up to him to make it happen. And he damn well would make it happen.
Dre woke up the next morning thinking about how much she regretted coming back to Emerald Creek. She’d had a perfectly sexy and mostly willing Frenchman in a luxury hotel room and she hadn’t been able to seal the deal. What the hell was up with that? She always sealed the deal. Always. She had her fun for a night, or a few nights and then moved on. But last night something had been…off. She couldn’t really explain it, only that she hadn’t been into it.
“Did you hear me?” Kira’s excited blue eyes went wide at Dre’s head shake. “I said Pierre was fantastic! A great lover and an incredible teacher.” She leaned across the table at some diner off US-57 and whispered, “I didn’t know I could come so hard!”
That pulled Dre from her own morose thoughts. “I’m glad it all worked out for you Kira.” She practically glowed and Dre could admit she felt a tad bit envious. That’s usually how she looked after a night with a man in her bed.
“How’d it go with that big smoldering Frenchman of yours?”
She didn’t normally share details about her conquests. Not because they were sacred but because it was just sex. A physical release they both craved. Only last night there hadn’t been much craving on either of their parts. “It was fine.”
“Fine? Was he disappointing? Small?” She held her forefinger and thumb a few inches apart and giggled. This new, raunchy version of her sister kept things interesting.
“Nothing like that.” She could have handled a man without significant endowments, even a disappointing lover could be turned around with the right instruction and Dre never shied away from making her needs known in bed.
Kira’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What was the problem because you don’t sound at all how I thought you would.” She practically pouted as she spared a sausage link and bit into it like it had done her wrong.
She didn’t know if she wanted to explain things to Kira. They weren’t friends and had only recently become sisters in the truest sense of the word. Hell this weekend had been the first time they’d really talked in years, and yet she couldn’t withhold. Fucking Emerald Creek, she cursed to herself. “We didn’t have sex, okay? He’s hung up on a girl at home and,” she stopped because she had no clue how to finish that sentence.
“And you’re stuck on some guy at home?” She looked so hopeful and annoying Dre wondered why she’d ever wanted a sister in the first place. “There’s a guy at home? Is it that Burke guy who called?”
“Definitely not. It was a good time. We spent the night talking after we failed to get our motors running. The end.” She couldn’t deny, at least not to herself, that she’d only been half—maybe seventy percent—as fired up kissing Jacques as she’d been in her backyard with the one person she shouldn’t even be thinking about.
“You’re okay with that?” Her soft voice held so much sympathy and care Dre squirmed in her seat.
“It’s what I do Kira. I don’t date and I don’t get attached.” If they were going to try out the whole sisterhood thing, Kira needed to know that about her.
“On purpose? Why?” Dre appreciated the lack of judgment in her half-sister’s tone. She heard confusion and curiosity, nothing more.
Dre’s gaze held hers steady. “I don’t want another relationship. Twice in my life I’ve seen that people, male people, are not reliable creatures so I don’t rely on them. I take what I need and I get back to my life.” The life she’d built for herself once she’d l
earned that lesson for good.
“I’m not like that,” she said as though she were the odd one.
“And I’m not asking you to be. We all have to learn our own lessons Kira and that one’s been hammered into me.” She never asked anyone to change for her because she wouldn’t do it for someone else. Not again.
“I know,” she said defensively. “I just wondered if…,”
“If it was because of Erick?”
She nodded sadly. “And Dad.”
“Yes.” She saw no point sugarcoating it or lying about it any longer. Not that she’d ever done that before but their father had always tried to shield Kira from the misdeeds of her parents.
“I’m sorry Dre.” Kira laid a comforting hand on top of Dre’s, offering more sympathy than she knew what to do with so she didn’t nothing. Smiled.
Her smile wobbled and she bit her bottom lip. Hard. Of all the people who should have apologized, the one who didn’t need to, had. “It’s not your fault Kira and I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I blamed you.”
The other woman’s eyes began to tear up and Dre groaned. She hated emotional scenes like this and shoved a slice of bacon at her. “Thank you, Dre.” Kira’s pouty pink mouth opened and closed several times. Clearly she had something to say but felt nervous about saying it.
“Spit it out Kira.”
She sighed and flashed a sheepish smile. “I just, I mean, was it so wrong for Dad to marry my mom? They were in love.”
Dre bit down on the inside of her cheek to avoid exploding at her naïve little sister. If only she knew they hadn’t just fallen in love in the year after Dre’s mom had died. That would have at least been bearable but what they’d done, their actions were so much worse. “You don’t know the whole story and there’s a reason I never said anything. But if you’re really curious, do the math.”
“But…okay,” she finally relented and ate her extra strip of bacon.
Dre searched for a change of topic that would stem the flow of tears. “Have you thought about selling other’s people’s clothes in your shop? Other indie designers, small jewelry and accessory designers?” She felt comfortable talking about business because she knew her stuff and business talk wouldn’t likely produce more tears.
Kira tilted her head to the side in a move that reminded Dre so much of Annie she practically winced. “No, how would I do that?”
“Start reaching out to designers, good designers who are trying to get their stuff in stores. Contact your friends from school, join the alumni association and other industry related groups.” Kira stared at her like she spoke a different language. Dre pushed her wild curls back and frowned. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just trying to reconcile what I thought to be true with reality. Mom always made it seem like you got lucky but even as a kid you were crazy smart.” She shook her head in awe. “Thanks for the tips.”
“No problem. You ready to go?”
Kira gave a wistful sigh. “Not really but it’s time, I suppose.”
Dre laughed as she put a few bills down to cover breakfast. “Just think of all the trips you’ll make up here in search of new designers.”
Kira flung an arm around her as they walked into the sunshine. “Damn you really are the smart sister. I’m so envious.”
Yeah well you have a family, she thought as they walked across the parking lot arms wrapped around one another. Like real sisters.
What kind of alternative universe did I wander into?
Chapter Ten
The early morning sun streaked through the little Chamber of Commerce office providing extra warmth against the remaining overnight chill. The office rarely got much use in a town as small as Emerald Creek but the mayor insisted Erick use it for all meetings with non-chamber members for the sake of appearances. That and it gave a perfect view of the town’s tree lined streets, colorful and quirky awnings along with a small sliver of the park. Staring out the window, he took in the view of the town still mostly asleep other than Gloria’s place, the bakery and coffee shop, while he waited for his eight o’clock meeting with Dre. Erick often wondered how he’d ever gotten roped into taking the reins over when Harry Droll retired. Then he’d remembered Ma and the mayor ambushing him while he’d been closing up the restaurant.
Today he regretted doing his civic duty because as much as he wanted to see Dre he was sure she wouldn’t agree, particularly after their last encounter. He’d behaved like an ass and this new version of Dre, well she knew how to hold a grudge.
Not that the old Dre, the one who’d loved him fiercely, had been quick with forgiveness either especially where Al and Annie were concerned. But now, he wondered if anyone got through to her anymore. If she bothered to let anyone in. Not my business, he told himself, sure she would tell him the same thing.
He thought she might not show up. Maybe she’d figured out that he was the Chamber contact and decided to hell with this town. Again. Then three crisp knocks sounded on the door and his body went stiff before he forced himself to relax. “Come in.”
One look at him and she grumbled. Shook her head. “Of course it is.” Her dark gaze swept the room with a look of disdain. “This won’t work.”
Seriously? He stood, pulling himself up to his full height so he towered over her. It was petty but dammit he was sick of her attitude. “Not up to your standards?”
She shook her head, arms crossed and completely unaffected by his intimidation tactics. “Where’s the router? Or a Wi-Fi password? Or does this place run on dial-up?” She looked around again, behind the lone desk in the room and along all four ways, refusing to respond to his question. When her gaze landed on him, an expectant look on her face. “Well?”
“No one ever uses this place so it’s pretty ill-equipped.”
She mumbled something under her breath, another smart ass comment probably. “I guess you can just send me the info I need so I can get started. No need to meet again.”
Arms crossed, he glared at her. “You were prepared to meet with Harry.”
“Meeting with him would have been just as productive as meeting with you.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s not you, it’s your shitty internet.” With a sickly sweet grin Dre flung down a black canvas bag that took up half the desk and pulled out a notepad and a laptop. “I have some sketches we can go over now for feedback and a few questions I need answered.” All business. Completely professional and cold as hell.
“I owe you an apology-,”
“You don’t owe me a thing Erick. Let’s just get this done.” Pulling a tablet from the same bag she slid it in his direction. “This is for the main Emerald Creek page.”
It should shock him how easily she could shut off her feelings but it didn’t. Mostly it left him feeling disconcerted that she’d taken on such a cold, emotionless persona. He held some of the blame for that, along with Al but dammit this wasn’t her. He couldn’t imagine how hard she worked to appear so aloof. Must be damn tiring. “Wow this is amazing. I’m sure the mayor will love it.”
She flipped the page without looking up. “If you have changes just mark them on there and email it to me.”
He heard what she didn’t say loud and clear. “So don’t call or stop by?”
Looking confused her gaze finally met his. “I don’t see why you would. I always have access to email and it’s quicker than waiting for you to find a moment to bring them over.”
Dammit the way she refused to show any hint of emotion pissed him off. “So that’s it? One little fight and we go another decade without talking?”
One slow blink. That was her reaction. Then he saw it, just how hard she worked to appear unaffected. “We already tried to talk and it didn’t go well. Let’s just leave things as they are.”
“I can’t do that.” He pushed forward right as she stood, rounding the table and invading her personal space. But Dre didn’t back down because she was fearless. Or rather she refused to show weakness.
“You see
med to do it just fine until now.”
He raked a hand through his hair, hoping like hell it was a myth that it led to hair loss. “Is that what you think? That I didn’t spend every night of the past ten years thinking about you. Missing you. Wondering what you were up to and with who?”
She shook her head, black curls flying all around her small heart-shaped face. “There’s not point Erick. You ruined us. Ruined me.” She held up a hand that stopped his next words, but he couldn’t ignore the pain swimming in her eyes. “I don’t do more and that obviously isn’t enough for you. So let’s just get this project done so I can go home.”
“This is your home.”
“No, this used to be my home. Now it’s simply where I grew up.”
He took a step back as though she’d smacked him. “You really hate me that much?”
She shook her head like he’d asked her if she liked oxygen. “I don’t hate you at all. Hating you would change absolutely nothing in my life,” she shook her head helplessly. “You taught me a valuable lesson, so no I don’t hate you. But I also can’t give you want you want.”
Not touching that one, he thought with a wry grin. But he could imagine what lesson he’d taught, don’t trust anyone or use men for sex or maybe seek only pleasure. He knew she hadn’t meant it to be flattering and for now that was okay. “This isn’t over.”
One hand on the door she cast him a wistful look over her shoulder. “Yes it is. You just haven’t realized it yet.” Ever the unemotional one, Dre left with nothing more than the quiet click of the door in her wake.
Best Of My Love: (Love in Emerald Creek) Page 10