“He’s not my Mr. Harrison.” Frustrated by the truth that she knew Dorothy spoke, she regrouped. “Well, then ask God to give me patience, please.”
“I will.” The woman nodded, definitely on board with that request.
“You might want to pray that on the hour, every hour until that man leaves the country.”
Dorothy actually smiled. “I’ll do my best, but you keep an open mind. You never know what God has planned.”
“Mmm.” Sue’s lips couldn’t form a smile as she buzzed through the security door. She couldn’t envision anything good if it involved Trey Harrison.
As soon as she’d unloaded her purse in her desk, Dean popped into her cubicle. “Hey, hey. Not in prison. That’s a good sign.”
“Funny.” The guy could usually make her laugh, but she didn’t have it in her today.
Ever the salesman, Dean didn’t stop. He grabbed her hand. “Knuckles are in good shape. No broken nails. I take it things went well.”
She pulled away. “I see our girl has shared the news.” She’d called Kate last night after Wes had delivered his death blow. “Well is not how I’d describe life at this point, but you are correct, I haven’t physically hurt the man. Yet.” Probably because he’d been conveniently absent when the bomb was dropped. “Where is Kate anyway?”
Dean settled into a chair across from her desk. “Madeline’s got a ceremony at her school. Some kind of character achievement.”
“That little lady.” She leaned against her desk, a lightness easing her heart. “She’s going to rock this world someday. I wish I’d known. I would’ve sent her flowers or something.” She was dropping the ball as a friend. When was the last time she’d asked what was going on in Kate’s life?
“We can take her to lunch. Kate says she loves that. Next week work for you?”
Sue checked her phone, tapping the calendar. “Tuesday works for—”
“Tuesday, you’re working. In fact, you’ll be working through lunch for a few weeks.” Ted Evanston stood like a pompous idiot at the entry to her cubicle. He loved to think he was important. His current ego trip was thanks to Russell Morrison’s first grandbaby. Their boss had taken off two weeks to help his daughter. Ted had been placed as his interim. Not because he deserved it, but because he had nothing big on the table.
“And why is that?” Jerk face.
“Hensen Plastics. Just announced they’re opening a new manufacturing plant by the end of the year. Five hundred fifty jobs. Looking at Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana.”
“Hot damn!” Dean leaned forward, all business now.
Hot damn is right. Nothing like a new project for an adrenaline rush.
Ted leaned against the doorframe, loving all the attention. “I’d handle it myself, but since it’s plastic, it falls under your umbrella. Besides, I’m bogged down with keeping you two on task.”
How many ludicrous men did she have to deal with in one week? “Oh, you’re so very important, ass—”
“Let’s not do this,” Dean said, standing up. “Kate’s not here to break it up, and I have no desire to play Daddy.”
“I’ll email you the specs. They want a preliminary proposal within two weeks. I want to see a draft in one.” Ted took off, probably knowing she’d set him straight if he hung around.
“Let me know if you need me to make some calls,” Dean offered.
“Thanks.” The man literally knew everyone in the location business—what they drank, their favorite team, their kids’ names. He’d helped her out on countless occasions, getting information over coffee and kolaches.
She turned back to her computer, fired up to kick ass. She might have no control over Trey and his influence on Wes, but she sure as hell knew how to work a deal that could bring in the big dogs. And that’s just what she needed. God bless work. Maybe Dorothy’s prayers were working.
Chapter 11
Sue answered the door the next day, not surprised to find Trey. He and Wes had yet another date tonight—probably house hunting, but the man was a good hour early. She leaned against the frame and studied him. “Wes isn’t home yet. He went to dinner with his friend, Ryan.”
“I know. I was hoping we could talk . . . alone.”
She crossed her arms, eyeing him skeptically, then nodded, motioning him into the living room. Lily jumped from her perch on the windowsill, hissed at Trey, then ran down the hall. She considered copying the cat, but instead sat on the couch. He took the chair across from her.
“How’s the new project at work?”
His question threw her. How did he know anything about her job?”
“Wes told me you were assigned a big deal.”
The fact that Wes actually listened when she’d talked about her work warmed her heart. The fact that he’d shared it with Trey made her sweat. Of all the things she envisioned the two discussing, she never thought she’d be a subject. The reasons and the potential ramifications were too many to consider. She pretended to fluff her hair, lifting it to cool her neck. Calm down, woman. She blew out a shaky breath and put her shields in place. “I can’t disclose details about the project. But you’re not here to discuss my employment, are you?”
He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. His jean-clad thighs looked much more muscular than she’d remembered. “I wanted to see how you’re doing with me moving here.”
“How I’m doing.” Idiot. Her voice dripped with caustic sarcasm. “Hm, let’s see . . . I’ve been better. Then again, I doubt there’s anyone flying as high as you these days.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, too pleased to stop his grin. “I love spending time with Wes. This has been . . . I never expected things would turn out like this.”
“Well, there you go. We finally agree on something.” She leaned back, glaring at him.
Trey studied her with earnest eyes. “I know this must be hard, but I appreciate your support.”
She snorted. “I don’t support you. I support Wes. I don’t want you in Austin.”
* * *
Trey had wondered if the civility she’d shown him in front of Wes was an act. Question answered. The sweet girl he’d loved was gone, but damn if this sassy woman’s temper didn’t give him a rush. More time with Sue would be one hell of a bonus of being near his son. He couldn’t help but push her further. “Tell me how you really feel.”
Her face flushed, and he sensed an f-bomb coming. He held up his hand in time to stop it. “Sorry.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he searched for words to ease the tension. “Look, I’m going to be here for a while, and we’ve got enough crap from our pasts to send most nations to war. We need to work out some kind of arrangement. Call it a peace treaty.”
“You think?” She crossed her arms.
“Come on, Sue. Work with me. It’s killing Wes to be in the middle.”
She shot up. “You’re telling me what’s best for my son?” Her eyes flashed fire as she sucked in a deep breath. He readied himself for a tirade, but nothing came except another deep breath. Finally, she spoke in a deadly calm voice. “You should come back when Wes is here.”
So much for easing the tension. He rose to leave, shaking his head. “I’ll see you later.”
As he headed out the front door, he heard her mumble, “I sure as hell hope not.”
Bullshit! Trey walked back, stopping in front of her. “I’m not here to cause harm. I just want to spend time with Wes. How can it hurt to have another adult around that cares about him?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. Don’t act like you’re here on some Big Brother mission. I know what you want.”
The woman was exasperating. He threw up his hands. “Enlighten me. What is my master scheme?”
“You’re trying to win him over, pretending like you’re the long-lost Daddy of the Year.”
He shook his head. “How can you think that?” Hell, he didn’t even let himself hope for such a miracle.
“Oh, come on, Trey. Don’t play innocen
t. The sushi, the zombies . . . all that shit. Next you’ll be buying him a car.”
“You’re talking nonsense. There’s no hidden agenda, Sue. I just want a chance to build a relationship with Wes, whatever that may be.”
She jabbed her finger into his chest. “You don’t deserve a relationship with him. You lost that right seventeen years ago, when you walked away from us without a backward glance.”
His chest burned, but it had nothing to do with her fingernail digging into his flesh. The ugly truth cut much deeper. “Yeah. I screwed up royally. And as much as I wish I could, I can’t fix that. But now I have a chance to get to know my son, and you can hate the idea, and you can hate me, but you can’t stop me. I let you make that call when he was seven. I stayed away like you wanted, but I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Mom?” Wes’s voice yanked them out of battle. “What’s he talking about?”
Chapter 12
Wes stood in the doorway, pale and uncertain. He searched each of their faces, finally focusing on Sue’s. “Mom?” His look of confusion was slowly replaced with desperation.
No, no, no. She stopped breathing, her sorrow for her son so physically debilitating. She’d decided long ago that Wes would never learn about Trey’s earlier contact. Trey had even agreed. But now he knew. And he’d learned it in the most horrible way.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She frantically sought the words that would fix this, take this all away, but couldn’t find them.
Wes moved to her, his face inches from hers. “Did Trey try to see me? Did you stop him? . . . Mom?” His voice cracked.
Tears burned her eyes. Her boy was hurting, but she didn’t know what to do. When she still didn’t answer, Wes turned to Trey, but Trey remained silent. Despite all the shit that was hitting the fan, his lack of action stunned her. She would’ve thought he’d savor this moment, pointing out it was her fault he hadn’t been in touch. That she was the one that had kept them apart. But despite the hostility they’d just thrown upon one another, he didn’t say a word. It wasn’t necessary, really. His face, full of anguish, spoke volumes.
Wes looked at her again, his eyes pleading for some explanation. Something that would make things right.
“Wes, I did what I thought—”
He stumbled back as the realization smacked him.
“You—” He stared at her in disbelief. Shock and anger blazed from his eyes. “You kept him away?” He clawed his fingers through his hair. “You kept my father away?” His voice was livid. He jabbed his finger at her, almost hitting her face. “How could you do that?”
“Wes.” Trey walked up between them. “Let’s sit down—”
“I’m not going to fucking sit down,” he yelled, still staring at Sue. She’d never seen Wes so full of rage, and she knew it all came from his pain.
“Honey.” She reached for his hand, but he jerked away.
“I can’t believe you . . . how could you do this?”
“Just let me explain. It’s not—”
“No!” He looked her over as if she were a strange creature. “You make me sick.”
Grabbing on to the stair rail was the only thing that kept her from collapsing. He grabbed her keys off the entry table and headed to the front door. “Wes,” she pleaded, but he didn’t look back. “Wes, where are you going?”
He answered by slamming the door behind him. She went after him, but he sped out of the driveway. She ran into the kitchen, rambled through the junk drawer to find Wes’s keys, then rushed to the front door.
“Don’t.”
She looked up. She’d forgotten Trey was there. She headed around him, but he blocked her path.
She tried to push him away, fueled by panic, but he wouldn’t budge. “Let me go. He shouldn’t drive like this. He’s too upset. Move, dammit!”
He grabbed her shoulders. “The worst thing you can do is follow him. If he sees you, he’s really going to do something stupid.”
She sucked in a ragged breath, searching his eyes. God, he was right. “Wh . . . what do I do?”
“He needs to blow off some steam.”
“But not in a car! I’ve got to talk to him.” She went for her phone, but he grabbed it out of her hand.
“Give him some space. He’ll probably go to your aunt’s.”
“I need to explain. He needs to know I—”
“He’s not going to talk to you now.”
His words hit her hard, and she walked away before he could hear the sob that escaped. Her body hurt thinking about the pain in Wes’s eyes. It had been mixed with disgust. Over the years, he’d claimed to hate her, claimed that she’d ruined his life, arguments made by most kids when they didn’t get their way. But tonight, he had a real reason to say those things and mean them and cling to them and maybe never take them back.
This never should’ve happened. If Trey had gone last week like he was supposed to, Wes would’ve never known. She turned to him, filled with worry and anger and despair, desperate for release.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” She could hear the hysteria in her voice, but she didn’t care.
“Jesus. How can you say that? Right now, all I care about is Wes.”
She couldn’t take it. She walked up and pushed him in the chest. “Why didn’t you leave last week? Why did you do this? Look what you’ve done!”
“No, Sue. I didn’t do this.”
The toxic truth he didn’t voice punched her in the gut. She managed to keep breathing but could only muster a whisper. “Get out of my house.”
He started to leave, but when he reached the door, he stopped. “I’m sorr—”
“Don’t.” Through her tears, she thought she saw a look of sympathy on his face. She couldn’t take that. Not now. “Leave.”
“Call me when you hear from him.”
He barely got past the threshold before she slammed the door, missing him by inches.
Chapter 13
It was after one when the doorbell rang. Sue flew off the couch, then froze. Wes would’ve used his keys. Please God, please God, don’t let it be the cops. As desperate as she was for news, the fear of what she would find slowed her steps. When she opened the door, she was actually relieved to see Trey.
“Oh, thank God.” Her voice broke, but she didn’t care about letting her armor crack. Her worst nightmare had been nullified, at least for now.
He looked about as stressed as she felt. “You haven’t heard from him?”
She shook her head. “He always calls if he’s going to be out late.” She swallowed and wiped a tear away. “I thought you were the police.”
He walked in without an invitation, as if she hadn’t kicked him out hours earlier. She didn’t care. Right now, she needed someone, anyone who could fix this mess. Who could look her in the eyes and tell her it would be okay. But the man didn’t seem to understand his role. He paced the living room. “I keep calling, but he won’t pick up.” He slumped into the couch, barely missing Lily. Even her cat was too upset to respond. The four-pounder just growled low in her throat and went back to licking her fur anxiously, as she had been for most of the night.
“Can you track his phone?”
“I tried. It shows it’s turned off.”
“Have you called his friends?” His voice grew with desperation.
“Yes, of course! I’ve been calling them for the last four hours. They promised they’d let me know if he called or stopped by.”
He rubbed his hand over his face. “Do you think they’d tell you if they did?”
“Yes. I put the fear of God in them.” She moved back to her spot on the couch, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Mimi hasn’t heard from him either.”
“Who’s Mimi?” He leaned forward, his shoulders tense.
“My Aunt Laura. She’s—”
“We met at the hospital when—” They locked eyes, sharing a momentary leap in time. Seventeen years. Who would’ve ever thought they’d be here?
He wiped his hands on his jeans before clasping them together. Seeing him so anxious made her worry even more. She looked back at the door, willing it to open. Once again, she felt her heart racing. Checking the clock, her stomach clenched and burned. It was almost two. Where the hell was he?
Trey stood up, paced some more, then stopped. “We need to call the police.”
The thought had crossed her mind repeatedly for the last two hours, but she’d been too scared to follow through, as if making the call would increase the chances of something bad happening. She leaned forward, burying her face in her hands.
She jerked when she felt his hand on her back, but she didn’t push him aside. She needed something—contact, strength, anything—even if it was from the man that had caused this hell she was drowning in. Her fear for Wes was more than she could handle on her own. After a bit, she composed herself enough to sit up. “I guess we should.”
He pulled out his cell phone, staring at it, looking as sick as she felt. “Let me try him one more time.”
She held her breath, praying her son would answer. But after a bit, Trey hung up and shook his head. They stared at one another, then he started dialing, and her world caved in.
* * *
Sue’s phone rang before he finished punching in the last digit. Fumbling, she checked the caller ID before answering.
“Mimi! Have you heard from him?” Please God. He held his breath. Her brows were pulled as tight as the knot in his gut.
She sobbed and slumped against the back of the couch. “Oh, thank God!” She turned to him and nodded. Tears fell from her eyes, and he had to swallow to contain his own emotions as he sent up a prayer of thanks.
“Let me talk to him.” She sat upright, back in business.
He wanted to grab the phone from her hands, to hear his son’s voice, to get reassurance, but he restrained himself.
Her face snapped back to concern, then despair. “But I need. . . . Is he okay?” She wiped a tear that leaked from her eye. “I see.” Dropping her head, she rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “Mimi, I just need to talk to him, to explain. . . . But—” Her breath hitched. “Okay. Tell him I love him.” Her voice quivered and a sob escaped. “Love you, too.” She ended the call but didn’t look up.
Then He Came Back (Love From Austin Book 2) Page 6