He shifted to the seating area of the tiny apartment, then bent over to type something into the search engine. Damn, that was going to throw his back out. How did people manage in places like this?
He’d gotten the cheapest place he could find, an old run-down building where he wasn’t certain he was even safe. And considering the neighborhood, he’d left his sports car in the garage at home and bought an old beat-up car. Based on his projections of earnings, hopefully, one of the apartments in the complex he owned would soon be vacant, and he could move in there. Although that would reduce his income.
He ran his hands over his face. And Diane might look for him there. Best to stay in a part of town where no one knew him, and no family would dream to find him.
Back to the rickety table. Maybe he could get a separate keyboard and just put that on his lap. He didn’t have to do a lot of mousing, just typing. It would work.
As he sat, he got a whiff of his lunch, burned and thrown into the garbage can. He was getting hungry. It would be so good to step out for a hearty dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. But he had a budget now, and he had to stick with it. Until his next apartment complex closed, he was going to be living like a pauper.
He just had to learn how to cook.
Damn it. He shouldn’t have moved out. Life would be so much easier in the house, with the chef and the butler and the maids taking care of everything. He could have moved back to his old room.
But no. He’d been through these thoughts already. At some time, he would hear the baby cry. It was inevitable. And then… He wasn’t certain what would happen then. He only knew it would be bad, and he would do anything to avoid it.
The phone rang. Diane. Again.
He closed his eyes and let it ring, until the voice mail finally kicked in. Fortunately, she didn’t leave a message. It was hard to hear her voice now. He missed her so much. He missed her smile and her teasing banter. He missed her concern when he wasn’t feeling well. He missed the intelligent things she said to him. And, of course, he missed the sex.
He pulled up the spreadsheet with his budget, did a couple of calculations, rearranged the numbers, then decided he could afford to go out tonight.
He drove several miles, to a better neighborhood, someplace nicely suburban, with its strip malls anchored to grocery stores, and an occasional bar. “Sports Bar and Grill,” the sign said. Okay, this was probably the best he could do.
Once he’d gotten himself a seat at the bar, he ordered a beer, then sat and waited. He only sipped lightly on his drink, needing to make it last for a long time. He couldn’t order too many, not just for the driving danger, but because of his limited funds.
Over the bar, a large television hung, showing the latest football game, the Cowboys playing Green Bay. Dallas was on the ten-yard line, with a first down. Men were gathering around. The players moved. The quarterback dropped back, then threw the ball. Touchdown.
The men cheered. Someone next to him slapped his hand on the bar. “How ‘bout them cowboys?”
Jason swallowed hard. He’d never been a big fan of the game, and since he’d only recently moved to Dallas, he had never considered routing for the cowboys. But when in Rome…
A young woman in a short skirt sat on the bar stool next to him, looked at his drink, then at his face. “I haven’t seen you here before.”
Her coloring was a lot like Diane’s, light skin with dark hair, but that was where the resemblance ended. Her face was gaunt and hard, and her laugh lines dug deep shadows into her cheeks.
“I’m from across town,” Jason said.
“My name’s Karen.”
“Jason.”
“So, you’re, uh, maybe here because…” she waggled her brows. “No one knows you?”
“Something like that.”
She reached out to him, put her hand on top of his thigh. “Buy me a drink?”
He considered it for a moment. She was pretty enough, in a coarse sort of way. But once the lights went off, that wouldn’t be an issue. He called the bartender over.
“I’ll have the same thing he’s having,” Karen said.
The barkeep plunked a mug of beer in front of her. “Thanks, man.” Karen took a long swig, then batted her lashes at him. “I’ve got a place we could go.”
He grabbed his beer and chugged the rest.
She cocked her head to the right, and his stomach twisted. This wasn’t right. He couldn’t do this to Diane. No matter what else he’d done, he couldn’t do this.
He pulled a bill from his pocket, then threw it onto the bar. “Keep the change,” he said to the bartender. Then he walked out.
CHAPTER 21
It had been almost a week, and she hadn’t heard a word from Jason. Maybe it was time to call a private detective, or… she didn’t know what else she could do. But she had to take some kind of action.
Because crying herself to sleep every night was not accomplishing anything, except causing her mother to cancel her trip back home, so she could stay longer.
And Mom and Carl didn’t get along well, in spite of their shared low opinion of Jason.
“Mom, it’s just hormones,” she said when Mom came into her room in the morning and found her sniffling. “Maybe post-partum depression.”
“My eye,” Mom said, moving to Diane’s closet to get her clothes.
“Well, you know I’m tired.” Because she had chosen to breast feed, she’d had to get up in the night to feed the baby every two hours. That could take a serious toll on a person.
Mom returned with a plain brown top and khaki slacks. “Shall I have Henry draw you a bath?” She put special emphasis on the last four words, to show how uppity she thought they were.
“You know I prefer to shower.” Diane grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom. Half hour later, she came out, still groggy, her body feeling like lead.
Then the nanny brought Ace into the room. He wriggled madly in the blanket, turning his head to one side and rooting with his mouth. “He’s looking for mamma,” she said.
So that took another half hour. When that was done, she finally walked down the stairs, baby cradled in her arms, ready to get her own breakfast.
She trudged into the informal dining area, where chef was busy making crepes. Mom was there, pouring chocolate over her breakfast. “Mom, that’s not healthy.”
Mom glanced up and shrugged. “I get one chance to live it up. Just let me be.”
Carl, who sat across the table from mom, grunted. His fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee, and the remnants of two strawberry-filled pastries streaked across his plate.
Diane pulled out her chair, catching the old man’s attention.
“Your eyelids are swollen.”
“Good morning to you, too,” she said, then rubbed her hands over the tell-tale flesh. Her whole mind moved slowly, like she was trying to see in a thick fog. Outside, rain pattered on the windows, mirroring her mood.
“I’ll bet you didn’t sleep well, either.”
“I’m fine.” She sat, then scolded herself for telling the same lie Jason had told her. But she didn’t want to talk about it.
“Well, I’ve been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Carl said. “But it’s been too damned long. Don’t you think?”
“I’m with you on that,” Mom said.
“It’s only been a week,” Diane said softly. A week of hell, not knowing where he was, or if he would ever return. No closure on the whole affair. She should be angry at him, shouldn’t she?
Carl stood. “He’s hurt you too much.”
“No excuse for that,” Mom put in.
“Yes,” she said, then grabbed her napkin and brought it to her mouth. She didn’t need to be crying in front of Carl. That would just goad him on. She needed to pull herself together and go on with her life. Jason would be a wonderful memory. She would file for divorce, let him have the life he wanted, and never see him again.
“I’m cutting him out of my w
ill,” Carl said.
His words were like a slap in the face. “What?”
“The little bastard is not getting anything when I pass on.”
Diane’s eyes grew wide. “Who will get it, then?”
Carl motioned toward her with a trembling hand. “My grandson, of course.”
That made sense. And, theoretically, Diane would be able to use part of it to cover his expenses as a growing boy, and for his education and other things he would require.
Diane gave the baby in her arms a squeeze. “Well, at least Jason gave you that.”
“Have you filed for a divorce?”
She held the baby closer. “I don’t even know where he is.”
“Doesn’t matter. I can have my legal team start working up the paperwork. You have a good case, young lady. You should get both child support and alimony.”
“I don’t know that I’m ready to make that move yet.”
“Of course you’re ready.”
Diane stood, straightening herself to her full height, which just about matched the old man’s. “I’ll tell you when.”
He also came to his feet, then walked toward the exit to the room. “We should have all the paperwork in a couple of days. I’ll bring it for you to sign.”
“There’s still a chance Jason will come back.”
“And I think I’ll ask the judge to decree that Jason not get visiting privileges.” Now, he was almost to the door.
“Now, wait just a minute! He deserves that.”
“He deserves nothing! I thought you would see that by now.”
Diane threw her hands into the air. “What is wrong with you? Do you still blame him for his mother’s death?”
“This is unacceptable. What kind of parent is he?”
“Damn it, this is still your fault. I don’t know exactly what is going through his mind, but I do know one thing. A person who was raised poorly doesn’t just automatically know how to be a good parent.”
“Oh, don’t try to lay this one on me,” Carl said.
“You made him miserable as a child. You hurt him in every way you could.”
“I was trying to raise him right!”
“You were miserable, and you were sharing that misery with your son!”
His lips puckered. “I was teaching him responsibility.”
The man obviously wasn’t going to listen, or perhaps his brain was so ossified that he couldn’t understand. In either case, there was only one thing left to say. “I think you need to leave my home, now.”
He stopped, one hand on the door frame, eyes narrowed. “And if you still want support, you’d better fix your attitude, young lady.” Then, he was gone.
Mom sat still except for her head, moving back and forth like she was at a tennis match.
Diane’s stomach sunk into her pelvis. Damn it, now she was on the hook to this old man the same way Jason had been. She needed to sever the ties, and quick. But that was a big problem. How was she supposed to get a job while still going to school, with a brand-new baby?
She sunk into her seat. Her head reeled as images of destitution danced through her mind.
Mom shook her head.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t understand you. After everything Jason has done…”
Diane waited for Mom to finish the sentence, but she just kept shaking her head. “After everything, what?”
“You still love him.”
“I do not!”
“You still defend him.”
“I—” She huffed. How was she supposed to deny that?
“You still want him back.”
She slowly hung her head as the truth of Mom’s statement hit her. She did love Jason. She wanted her life back with him. And she wanted it to last their whole lives.
But how was she going to make that happen?
✽✽✽
Jason came out of the apartment complex, walking with the real estate agent, pleased that he had put a smile on the man’s face. The agent would get a large commission for this sale.
Not to mention that Jason would be a lot closer to having a comfortable income. And this was a good property, in a nice suburb, near a lot of shopping, convenient to the best schools in the metroplex, and close to the Tollway, all the things people wanted in their living arrangements. It would easily support the rent they were asking, or even a slight raise.
An old, black Ford Focus sat across the street, some guy sitting inside, appearing to be reading, or writing, or perhaps messing with his phone. It seemed odd. Who just sat around in their car?
But it was no skin off his nose. He shook hands with the agent. “I’ll have the documents drawn up right away,” the agent said. “You can expect an email with the forms for your signature within the day.”
“Fantastic.”
They each moved to their own car. The down-payment on this property would be large, but he had the funds. Still, it would be his last big outlay of money until he was more established.
If he ever got there. Twenty-percent outlays of cash on such a large purchase were not easy to save up for. Maybe he needed to stay in his dingy studio apartment longer.
Like that would make enough difference. His own living arrangements amounted to a pittance compared to these investments.
Well, it didn’t matter. This was a good step on the road to prosperity. He just needed to hang on until he could do it again.
Dad was going to be so disappointed that he didn’t control Jason anymore. And it was a good feeling to know he would be free of the old man.
He started driving down the street, and just as he turned a corner, the black car behind him pulled onto the pavement.
Just a coincidence. Right?
Then the car turned the same corner he had turned. This was getting suspicious. Had Dad put another tail on him? Well, that was crazy, since he wasn’t getting money from the old man anymore. What purposes would continued surveillance serve?
He turned another corner, and this time, the black car went straight.
Whew. Dang, he was getting paranoid.
He got back to the Tollway, but now it appeared that the same car was following him, several hundred feet back, and in the next lane over. He glanced at the vehicle through the rear-view mirror. Couldn’t tell if it was the same guy.
Only one way to find out.
The lane to his right was clear. An exit was coming up. He got almost to it, still going full speed, then slammed on the brake and pulled onto the off ramp. The other car changed lanes, but zoomed past, and Jason was finally able to see the man’s face.
Yup. Same guy.
Jason shook his head. He was going to need to figure out how to get home without this guy following him. The quick exit would help. He turned toward the west, quickly so that the man couldn’t pick up his trail when he made the next exit. Several more turns on the less well-traveled roads, and Jason was certain he had lost the tail. This time, he headed to the interstate and drove home that way.
Once he was back, he sunk into his couch. That had been nerve-wracking. He couldn’t take too many more incidents like that.
And those kinds of crazy events got a man’s appetite up.
Once he ate, he sat back at his computer to do more work. First, he would double check his bank account, to make certain all the money was where it was supposed to be. It wouldn’t look good to bounce a down-payment check.
He typed in the information, then jerked his hand back. What the hell? There had been an unexpected deposit, from his dad, of all people. Not the full amount he usually sent, but still a lot – enough to cover half the down payment on the new apartment complex. But that didn’t make sense. Jason was supposed to be cut off.
He’d better not spend it right away, at least until he could be sure Dad wasn’t going to take it back, though how he could do that was anyone’s guess. Still, Dad had a lot of clout, and if he decided to get it back, he probably could.
Jason closed his la
ptop and shook his head. If Dad kept doing this, he would be well off in no time. And his potential need to reunite with Diane would no longer exist. It was perfect.
Yet that made him sad.
CHAPTER 22
Diane had finally pulled herself together. She could go to bed at night without crying. She could take care of the baby without seeing Jason’s terrified face just before he left the hospital room. She was able to deal with things well enough that Mom had finally decided she could return home. Now, it was just Diane and Carl, trying to deal with the aftermath.
In a few months, she would be ready to go back to school and finish her master’s degree. Then she could start the long certification process to become a licensed counselor.
And how much had all her knowledge of psychology and counseling helped her in this situation? Not much. Was it any use at all?
She held Ace upright as she walked down the stairs toward the dining area, ready for a hearty breakfast. As usual, Carl had gotten there first, and had a mug of coffee steaming on the table in front of him.
“Morning,” Carl said.
Diane grinned. “Did you notice? Ace is trying to hold his head up.”
Carl’s smile seemed shaky.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just realized… I never saw Jason at that point.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“Too busy making more money.” Carl shook his head. “Damned fool I was. And now, Jason’s missing out on the same things.”
This wasn’t where Diane had wanted the conversation to go. But it always went back to Jason, no matter what they talked about. She slipped into her chair, while the chef set a hot cup of coffee in front of her. “Just don’t spill that on our sweet little Ace,” he said with a wink.
“You can count on it.” She sipped the coffee, while Carl’s phone beeped, and he checked his text message. His eyebrows went up. “What is it?” Diane said.
“The PI just got back to me.”
“PI? As in private investigator?”
“Exactly. And he’s located Jason. Got me an address.”
For Better or For Worse (Wedding Vows) Page 12