by Jenna Byrnes
“I’m starved. Do they have any decent restaurants in this rinky-dink town?”
“There’s a nice restaurant,” Bailey replied. She’d felt the same way about Perry when she arrived, but suddenly felt strangely protective of the little town. “It’s a little early for dinner.”
Marc slipped his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. “I’ve been driving for four hours. I want food and some time alone with you.”
She squirmed nervously away from him. “I guess we can go out to eat then.” Anything to put off being alone with him a bit longer. She’d have to figure out something to tell him over dinner. Giving Doug a tight smile, Bailey said, “I guess we’re going to go eat. Maybe we’ll see you later.”
Marc looked at the box of nails in Doug’s hands. “You’re not working tonight, are you?”
“Hadn’t planned on it,” Doug replied, his voice thick with sarcasm. “In fact, I believe I’ll go get drunk.” He tossed the box in the back of his truck and headed around to the driver’s side. “It’s been a real pleasure to meet you,” he snarled at Marc.
“Doug!” Bailey called after him, but when he stopped and looked at her, she didn’t know what else to say.
He slammed the door of his truck, and before Marc could offer to move the Lexus, Doug drove through the yard to reach the street, squealing his tires as he went.
“I think he’s started drinking already.” Marc looked at Bailey.
She chuckled nervously. “Yeah. Grab your stuff, come on in.” She went into the house smiling, but found no humour in the situation with Doug. He was just as pissed as she expected. Who could blame him? Bailey was in a bad spot.
She’d have to come up with an excuse to ward off Marc’s advances. Suddenly she realised that was exactly what she had to do. She looked at him and knew she didn’t want him touching her. The only man she desired touching her was headed out to get drunk. She hoped he went home instead of going to a bar where he might meet another woman. In his mood, and after he got a few beers in him, no telling what might happen.
Bailey took Marc to the one restaurant in town and they enjoyed a nice meal. She tried to prolong it as much as possible, still not sure what she was going to say to him. Neutral topics, such as work, seemed easiest. “So the trial is over?”
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe we lost. I think we have a good chance of getting an appeal, though.”
“I’m sorry. I know how you hate to lose.”
He chuckled. “Who doesn’t? So did you really take a month off work? Aren’t you bored out of your mind?”
“Not at all. I’m enjoying the time off.” Bailey smiled to herself and then got serious again. “It’s been stressful, and it’s a lot of work cleaning out my mother’s house. I’m lucky to have help.”
“Yeah, they seem nice,” he replied absently. “The dad’s a little weird, though.”
She realised Marc thought Doug was Mandy’s father rather than uncle and decided it was probably best left that way. “They’re all very nice. They were kind to Mom and they’ve been very wonderful to me.”
“Great,” he said vaguely. “So, have you talked to anyone from the magazine lately? I saw that Madison chick from advertising at Twenty One, and she asked about you.”
“When did you go to Twenty One?” They often went to the nightclub together, but he never mentioned going alone.
He shrugged. “We worked late and went there for drinks a couple of nights.”
“But you were too busy to phone me.”
He looked at her. “Do you really want to get into this right now?”
“You’re right.” Bailey pushed back her plate. “I’ve had enough.”
“Fine.” He waved for the waiter and paid the check. He led Bailey to the car, helped her in then got himself situated.
“Can you just drive for a bit, please?” she asked quietly. She had to avoid going home.
“Why not?” Marc muttered and proceeded to cruise around the town. He finally said, “I think we’re both tense from being apart so long. I know when we get back to the house and get naked, we’ll feel a hell of a lot better.”
Bailey glanced over at him and said the words she’d been dreading. “We need to talk.”
He stiffened. “Yes, I guess we do. That idea used to be met with much more enthusiasm. The fact that you haven’t even kissed me has not gone unnoticed.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry. But I’ve been through a lot in the past few weeks and I don’t think you’ve taken my feelings into consideration at all.”
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
“I lost my mother. You don’t seem to remember or care that she just died, and that’s the reason I came here.”
“Of course I remember. What do you want me to do about it? I can’t litigate her back to life.”
“You son-of-a-bitch,” she muttered. “What a cold-hearted thing to say! I don’t expect you to do anything, but a little compassion might be nice.”
“It’s been two weeks, Bailey. Pull up your big girl panties and deal with it.”
She used to think that expression was funny, now it made her furious. “You have no idea what I’m going through! My mother has a lifetime of memories in that house. I’m trying to dispose of everything in the best way possible, and then I have to sell the house before I can think about getting back to the real world.”
He glanced over at her. “So you expect me to wait until you’re done tripping down memory lane?”
“I don’t know what I expect from you anymore,” she replied angrily. “I know I called you a whole bunch of times and you managed to call me back once. Busy or not, that says something. Now I hear you had time to go to Twenty One—”
“Oh for God’s sake, who cares? If you’d have been home I would have taken you with me.”
“That’s not the point! I’m here, going through a bad time, and you’re having drinks at Twenty One. Our priorities are different, Marc.”
“I’m starting to regret making this trip.”
“Perhaps you should have called first.”
He yanked the steering wheel sharply to the right and parked on a side street. Facing Bailey, he said, “I’ve never needed an appointment with you. I thought we could comfort each other.”
“You want me to comfort you, you mean. You’re pissed because you lost your trial and you want me to coddle you and suck your dick and make you feel all happy inside.”
He glared at her. “You’ve never minded before.”
She chuckled. “You’re right about that. But you know what? When I needed comfort these past few weeks, you were nowhere to be seen. Total strangers have given me more help than my so-called boyfriend—and they asked for nothing, not one thing, in return.”
“Everyone wants something in return,” he countered. “That’s the way this world is, face it.”
“Maybe.” She looked down and realised that was the way she’d felt when she’d first come to town. She used to think he was right. Sarah, Mandy and Doug had shown her the way the world could be, and now she greatly preferred it that way.
“You’ve changed,” Marc said simply.
“Yeah, I have,” she agreed. “Losing my mother, being here with nothing but time on my hands to think about things…I know I’ve changed.”
He thought about that and crossed his arms. “I’m not sure I like the new you.”
“I’m not sure I like the old you.”
Marc slapped his hand on the dashboard. “This was a fucking wasted trip.”
She looked at him incredulously. “We’re breaking up, and the only thing that bothers you is the fact you’re not getting laid this weekend?”
“Not here, anyway.”
“Ooh, you son-of-a-bitch! I can’t believe how selfish you are. You don’t give a damn about anyone but yourself.”
“That’s pretty much how I see you right now. You don’t give a damn about me or my needs. It’s all about you,
you, you.”
“You’re right,” Bailey shrugged. She was done arguing, they were never going to agree. “You’re welcome to stay overnight. But I think you should leave in the morning.”
“I think I should leave now,” he muttered.
“It’s a long drive, and you’re upset. Stay over and leave as early as you like tomorrow.”
He rubbed his temples. “It has been a long day. My head is pounding. We were up early yesterday. The verdict came in at noon. Maybe I should stay the night.”
“Of course you should. Just because this didn’t work out for us doesn’t mean we have to part as enemies.”
He looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry for what I said about getting laid. I didn’t mean it.”
She nodded. “I know, it’s okay.”
“If you’ll show me how to get back to the house, I think I’ll take some aspirin and turn in. I’m suddenly beat.”
She directed him back to her mother’s house, and they walked inside.
“We have Rocky Road ice cream.” She raised her eyebrows at him.
Marc rubbed his temples again. “Nah, you go ahead. I’m not feeling very festive tonight.”
“Come here.” Bailey held her arms out to him, and he slid into them. “I’m sorry, Marc. I know you came a long way and never expected this in a million years. I’ve just changed, is all, and I guess I’m looking at things differently these days.”
“And it’s a picture without me in the viewfinder…I get it.”
“I really am sorry,” she repeated.
“I know. Me too. We had some good times, Bailey.”
“Yeah, we did.” She rubbed his back and then let go of him. “Grab your stuff, and I’ll show you the room.”
“Don’t go to any trouble,” he said, following her down the hall.
“No trouble at all.” Bailey smoothed the comforter on her mother's bed. “Do you have aspirin or can I get you some?”
“I have some.”
She gave him a small grin. “Okay. Are you sure about that ice cream? It’s Rocky Road…”
“I’m sure. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. Here are fresh towels, and the bathroom is through there.” She pointed and lowered the window shade. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Yeah,” he snorted.
Bailey left quickly, heading into her room. She felt bad, but knew it was the right thing to do.
Picking up the phone, she dialled Doug’s number but got no answer. Not even an answering machine. Damn! He was out somewhere, pissed and getting drunk. She wished he had a cell phone and then remembered there was no service in Perry, anyway. That used to irritate the hell out of her, but now it was no big deal. She was getting used to life without a cell phone. But it would be handy tonight if she could reach Doug. She wanted Doug.
Trying unsuccessfully to sleep, she tossed and turned. All the day’s events bounced around in her head, niggling at the back of her mind. It felt like there was something she needed to figure out. She went over everything again, knowing as hard as it was, she’d done the right thing. She didn’t love Marc, although at one time she thought she might. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Doug, but she definitely wanted more time to find out. He would be pleased when she told him she’d ended things with the other man. She thought about Doug and smiled, finally falling into a deep, dreamy sleep.
At six a.m. the next morning, Doug climbed on the roof of Bailey’s house and began pulling up shingles noisily with his hammer.
After about ten minutes, Marc appeared on the front porch and looked up sleepily. “Excuse me?”
“You’re fine.” Doug waved to him and continued to hammer at the shingles, which was actually not the way to remove them.
The man gave him a nasty look and Doug stopped hammering.
Yawning, Marc said, “I can’t believe Bailey appreciates you waking her up this early in the morning.”
Doug grinned. “Well you know, when she first moved here she didn’t like it at all. But once we got to know each other, she didn’t mind. In fact, I’m pretty sure she enjoys it when I wake her up early these days.” He gave Marc a satisfied nod.
The two men stared at each other, and Doug let the smile fade from his face.
Marc finally said, “The woman and kid who were here yesterday…”
“My sister and my niece.”
Nodding, Marc said thoughtfully, “You mentioned when Bailey first ‘moved’ here. I hate to break it to you, but she hasn’t exactly moved here. As soon as she unloads this—” he looked around distastefully, “house, she’ll be back in the real world where she belongs.”
“Time will tell.” Doug gave a shrug and smiled again. “She’s here now, isn’t she?”
Marc gave Doug the once over with his eyes and said, “Yep, I guess she is.”
“Oh, yes she is.” Doug shook his head and wiped his brow.
Marc gave him one last angry look before stepping back inside. The door slammed and Doug felt victorious. He also felt a bit evil, but he only spoke the truth. Using the hammer more quietly this time, he continued to pluck at the shingles.
Bailey thought the hammering was in her dream. When she came fully awake and looked at the clock, she muttered, “Oh good grief.” She stood up and reached for her robe. Stepping into the hallway, she came face to face with Marc, completely dressed and not looking happy.
“Hey,” she said to him. “I’m sorry if Doug woke you. He likes to get an early start—”
“So I’m given to understand. You could have been honest with me, Bailey, instead of all that whiney bullshit about your needs.”
“What?” Various thoughts rushed furiously through her mind. Did he talk to Doug? What did Doug tell him?
“Sounds like your needs are getting satisfied pretty nicely—by the uncle. You lied to me.”
“There must be some mistake. I told you they were helping me…”
“That’s a nice word for it!” He brushed past her into the bedroom and tossed his bag on the bed. Shoving the few things he had gotten out back in, he said, “I made a mistake all right. Coming here was a huge mistake.”
“Did Doug say something to you? Because—”
Marc held up his hand. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter anymore. You broke up with me last night, and now I see why. It would have been nice if you’d been honest with me. Goodbye, Bailey.” He grabbed up his bag and headed to the front door.
“Marc, wait.” She hurried after him.
He was out and in his car before she even got to the porch. She watched him drive away and took a couple of deep breaths in and out. Pulling the front door shut, she walked around the house and found Doug standing there.
“Don’t go away angry, just go away,” he said as he watched the Lexus speed off.
“What did you say to him?” Bailey fumed.
“Hmmm?” Doug turned to face her.
“Don’t give me that innocent look. I know you said something to Marc. What did you tell him?”
He shrugged and said, “Nothing, really. Oh, he asked, and I did let it slip that I was Mandy’s uncle. I don’t know where he got the idea I might be her father. Sorry about that.”
“Sorry my ass. You didn’t let anything slip that you didn’t want out. You told him on purpose, and now he knows I lied to him. What else did you say?”
He took a step towards her. “You’re looking very pretty this morning.”
“Don’t even start with me—I am very pissed off at you. Everything was fine last night, and this morning he’s mad as hell and now he’s gone.”
“So are you pissed that he’s gone?” Doug raised his voice.
“I’m angry because I had things under control and everything was fine until you stepped in and screwed it all up!”
“Just what did you have under control?” he asked loudly. “The last time I saw him he had his arm around you, kissing all over your cheek. You can’t imagine how that felt.”
“I was curious.” He looked at her.
“You stupid jackass.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t trust me. I told you last night that I would take care of things. You didn’t trust me to handle it.”
“I trusted you—I just didn’t trust him. I didn’t know how much influence he might have over you.”
“Bullshit,” she muttered and turned away from him. “I can not believe you.” She started to walk away, then abruptly turned and walked toward him and poked his shoulder. “As close as we were the past ten days, you really thought I might sleep with him last night?” She used the palm of her hand and shoved his shoulder hard.
“Hey!” he stumbled back and caught himself. “I told you I didn’t trust him!”
“Or me. I’m very unhappy about this.” She gave him a cold glare before walking towards the house.
“Bailey, wait…”
“Leave me alone.”
He followed her to the front door.
She didn’t look at him. “I told you, leave me alone. I need some time to figure this out.”
“Whatever,” he muttered, shaking his head again.
She stepped inside and slammed the door between them.
Doug went back on the roof, becoming increasingly agitated the longer he thought about the situation. Bailey was being unreasonable, as he knew she could be, and wasn’t seeing things from his perspective. Had it been him with an old girlfriend, he felt sure she wouldn’t have liked it one bit. He decided to leave her alone for a while and see if she came to her senses. He certainly had enough work to do. He started yanking at the shingles angrily.