Accepting her offer would only be compounding the lie. A lie he wasn’t comfortable with, certainly not proud of. It was on the tip of his tongue to refuse her. He hadn’t a clue exactly what had him backpedaling from his good intentions. But he did.
Debating, he looked into her eyes. “You don’t mind doing this?”
“No. It might even be fun.”
The way she saw it, this fantasy marriage would be as close as she would ever allow herself to get to being married again. And there was no harm in it. For anyone. She picked up the mai tai she’d ordered and played with the stem of the glass, moving it slowly between her thumb and forefinger.
Her eyes remained on his as she cloaked herself in humor. “So, tell me about this femme fatale who ground her high heels into your heart.”
“It wasn’t nearly as dramatic as all that.” The assurance was offhand.
Perhaps too much so. Alison had a feeling that Luc had a penchant for downplaying things. “Okay, give me the boring version, then.”
He grinned at the way she put it, then sobered as he let himself remember. Because it was necessary for self-preservation, he kept the events at arm’s length.
“Nothing much to tell. We wanted different things out of life, that’s all. I wanted to stay in Hades, work at the business, she wanted me to extend myself, to strive for bigger and better.” And to give her the wealthy lifestyle she demanded, he thought.
Alison played devil’s advocate, not sure where she was on this. “Nothing wrong with striving.”
The shrug was careless, belying the old emotions that still dwelled, in subdued levels, within. “Didn’t say there was. But I’d just rather spend the time enjoying what I have. If more comes of it, great. If not, well that’s okay, too.”
It was, she thought, an admirable philosophy. He believed in smelling the roses along the way. She doubted if there were many men like that around.
“So when you didn’t turn out to be the next self-made man/Ted Turner type, she turned her attention elsewhere,” she guessed.
Luc took a long pull on the bottle of beer he’d ordered, eschewing the glass mug the bartender had given him. Setting the bottle down, he answered, “Jacob’s more her speed.”
“And Jacob is—?” When he didn’t hear her, she leaned in closer, raising her voice. “And Jacob is—?”
“Was,” he clarified. The music seemed to be getting louder and louder. He was practically shouting and growing lonesome for the Salty Saloon. “My best friend. Once.”
It figured. “Ah, the plot thickens.”
But Luc shook his head. “No plot.” It was all pretty straightforward. He didn’t believe any of it was intentionally planned. It had just laid itself out a certain way, that’s all. “Janice was beautiful and she wanted things out of life I couldn’t give her. Things that it turned out Jacob could provide.” His lips curved slightly, as he remembered long conversations over fishing poles no self-respecting fish came within spitting distance of. “Jacob always had his eye on becoming bigger than life. Bigger than Hades could contain at any rate.”
She detected just the tiniest hint of sorrow in his voice, even with the noise surrounding them. Did he realize that he was still in love with Janice?
“And now Mr. Bigger-than-life is coming back for a visit and you need to show him that you’ve done well for yourself, too, right?”
“Wrong.” Maybe he shouldn’t take this any further, he thought. Lies had a habit of complicating themselves. “I don’t need to show anyone anything.” She looked so interested, he heard himself continuing. “But I did tell him I was married. I don’t know how it came out.” He knew he was repeating himself, but the whole thing still left him feeling incredulous. “One minute we’re just talking, the next minute he’s apologizing to me about ‘stealing’ Janice away and I kind of felt—”
“That he felt sorry for you.” A blind person could have seen that one coming, she thought.
He didn’t care for pity, never had. To be the object of it rankled him and went against everything he believed in. Luc set his jaw hard. “Yeah, I suppose that was it.”
She followed the logical path to the clearing. “So you told him there was no need, that you were happy with—?”
He raised his eyes to hers, God, but he felt silly saying this to her. “Suzanne.”
Alison rolled it around in her head, tried it on for size. “Pretty name.”
He wasn’t sure if she was patronizing him or not. What he was sure of was that he was feeling progressively dumber about mentioning this whole thing. “Look, this was a stupid idea. When Jacob comes, I’ll just tell him the truth, that’s all.”
“Will he rub your nose in it?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “No.”
Alison read between the lines. “But you’re not sure. And you think he’ll feel sorry for you.”
“Maybe.” But that was neither here nor there. And, at any rate, it wasn’t her problem. It was his for giving in at a weak moment.
Technically he was a stranger to her. But there was something about him, something that transcended the rules. She didn’t want to see him embarrassed. “How often does Jacob come back to Hades?”
“This’ll be the first time in three years.” And he wouldn’t have been returning now except that Jacob had come into some property, land that his father had left him, and he needed to dispose of it.
That cinched it as far as she was concerned. It would only be a one-time deal.
“Okay, odds are that the next time Jacob comes into town, you will be married to someone you really care about.” She clapped her hands together, then held them, palms out, signifying a done deal. “You can tell him you divorced Suzanne when you met the love of your life.”
He looked at her closely, trying to draw his own conclusions. “And you don’t mind doing this?”
“I offered, didn’t I?”
Maybe it might work at that. And it was a load off his mind not to be the object of Jacob’s pity. Or worse, of Janice’s. That was the part he’d been dreading, he realized. It was what kept him from refusing Alison’s offer. A man had a certain image of himself. And pity didn’t enter into it.
Luc raised the almost-empty bottle of beer to her in a silent toast. “Alison, you’re one in a million.”
She lifted her head haughtily. “The name’s Suzanne—and you’d be the first person to say that.”
He didn’t see how that was possible, but he had a feeling saying so would only embarrass her, so he kept it to himself. “Well, that’s settled. Would you like to dance again?”
She smiled her assent. Taking the hand he held out to her, she rose. “I’d love to.”
She felt good in his arms, he thought, a second before he locked the feeling away.
Only the late hour they arrived home prevented Luc from placing a call to Shayne the instant he walked through the door. But he was on the phone first thing the next morning, waiting only to make sure that Alison hadn’t changed her mind. She hadn’t.
Sydney answered the phone. Luc could visualize her holding one hand over her ear as she held the receiver in the other. Sara and Mac were squabbling in the background. The noise made him smile. Home.
“Sydney, it’s Luc. Is Shayne still home?”
“Luc, hi!” She sounded pleased to hear his voice. “You just caught him on his way out. Young Dr. Kerrigan is bailing out of this zoo as fast as his long legs can take him. If you hang on a second, I’ll get him for you.” She paused to ask, “Everything all right?”
He glanced at Alison, standing next to him, waiting her turn. “Couldn’t be better.”
“Okay, I’ll get him.”
Luc heard Sydney call out to her husband and a distant, low voice answer, but he couldn’t make out the words. A minute later, he heard Shayne’s deep voice saying hello. “Luc, nice to hear from you, although I must say I’m a little surprised you’d call me. How are you enjoying Seattle?”
“Nice city, but I
miss Hades. Listen, Shayne, I think I found you a nurse.”
There was a long pause. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m very serious. There’s someone here I’d like you to talk to.” His eyes swept over Alison with an ease and familiarity that took him by surprise. He hardly knew her, yet it felt as if he’d always known her. Always been comfortable around her. He didn’t quite know what to make of it. “Her name’s Alison Quintano. She just graduated from nursing school and she’s—”
Unable to restrain herself any longer, Alison took the receiver from Luc, pressing it to her ear. “Dr. Kerrigan, this is Alison. I’m looking for an assignment to complete my internship and become certified. Luc told me about your clinic in Hades.” God, would she ever get used to that name? She kept thinking of little red devils every time she heard it. “I was wondering if I could—”
“Yes!” Until the word rushed out of his mouth, Shayne hadn’t known the excitement that was attached to it. After all this time, he was finally going to have another professional working at his side. But he wanted her to know, at least in part, what she was letting herself in for. Until someone came to Hades, the full impact of the terrain was impossible to prepare for, but he could at least try—without scaring her away. “The conditions aren’t the best here, but we try to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques at least and the rewards of working with these people are indescribable. They really do need a nurse.”
It sounded to her as if she already had the job. “Don’t you want to hear my qualifications?”
“Sure.” He was getting ahead of himself, but he had been trying so hard for so long to find someone, he could hardly believe it was finally going to happen. “But your main qualification is willingness.”
“Well, I have that.”
Shayne listened with only half an ear as Alison recited the name of her school, which fields she had more experience in and what she hoped to achieve in the future. The fact that her goal was to become a nurse-practitioner made her an absolute bonanza for him. When she paused for breath, he ventured in. “How soon can you start?”
Well, that certainly had been easy, she thought. “How soon do you need me?”
“Last year. No, make that two years ago.”
She laughed softly. He certainly made her feel wanted. “Then I guess I’d better go pack.”
“Really? Wonderful.” Shayne sounded like a man who couldn’t believe his good fortune. “Put Luc back on, please.”
Alison held out the receiver to Luc. “He wants to talk to you.”
Her eyes were sparkling, he thought, taking the receiver. The sight mesmerized him. “Shayne?”
“I don’t know how you did it, Luc, or what you told her, but the next baby we have, we’re naming after you.”
This was the most excited he ever remembered hearing Shayne, except for the time when he’d announced to the entire clientele of the Salty Saloon that he was marrying Sydney. And then the words he’d just heard hit him.
“Next baby? Does that mean that Sydney’s—?”
“Yes!” The affirmation was just as enthusiastic as it had been in answer to Luc’s first question. “Listen, call me back with her flight number when she makes the arrangements and I’ll be there to meet the plane.”
“Deal. And I’m holding you to that name thing, you know,” he warned his friend. He saw Alison looking at him curiously. “Girl or boy.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Shayne rang off.
The whole matter had been settled within five minutes. Less. Alison looked at Luc, her heart hammering like the mallets of a percussion soloist. After all this time of endless planning, setting goals, it was all coming together. She was finally going to get her wish and start making a difference.
She couldn’t wait.
Alison pressed a hand to her stomach at the sudden onslaught of butterflies. “He sounds very nice.”
“What he sounds like,” Luc said, moving the telephone back to the center of the table, “is overjoyed.” Ordinarily Shayne was a man of even fewer words than he was.
She grinned. “I kind of got the same impression.” It occurred to her that, besides her beloved CD collection, she didn’t know what to pack. She’d never been away from home before, other than sleepovers as a teenager. Alison threaded her arm through his. “C’mon, you can tell me all about Hades over breakfast. We’re going out for breakfast and I’m buying.”
It was a simple, small place without the complexities of a large city. “I could probably do an adequate job over coffee.”
“I’ll eat fast,” she promised. Reaching for her purse, she had all but ushered him to the front door when the telephone rang. She knew she could always let the answering machine get it, but it drove her crazy to ignore a call while she was anywhere within the vicinity.
Making a quick dash back, she reached for the telephone. “Hope that isn’t your doctor friend, changing his mind.”
He laughed. Not likely. “More chance of the end of the world coming in the next three minutes.” Pausing, he waited by the front door as she picked up the receiver.
“Miss Quintano?”
She didn’t recognize the voice. “Yes?”
“This is Detective Donnelley. I wasn’t sure where to call, since we don’t have any telephone number, or a local address, for Mr. LeBlanc—”
“He’s right here with me.” Alison stopped abruptly, conscious of the silent inquiry in Luc’s eyes. He crossed the room, coming to her side. “How do you know his last name?”
“Someone turned his wallet into the precinct. It’s empty, of course. No money, no credit cards, nothing except for his license, but at least we know who he is.”
“So does he.” Shifting her eyes, she looked up at Luc and smiled. “His memory returned yesterday morning. Any leads?”
There was a stony silence before the detective admitted, “No.”
She hadn’t really expected any other answer. Crimes like hers went unsolved every day. Even with the partial description of the two men that she had given the detective, there was nothing to really set them apart.
“We’ll be right there to pick it up,” she promised.
“I’ll be here.”
Pleased and frustrated at the same time, Alison hung up the telephone. “Pick what up?” Luc asked the second it sounded as if she’d broken the connection.
“Your wallet. Someone turned it in.” Impulsively she hugged him, then stepped back. “Looks like things are picking up for you.”
“Yeah, sure does.” In more ways than one, he thought, following her out.
Kevin sat in his chair, quietly looking at Alison. Outside the small office, the noises of a thriving taxi business continued. Matt was busy putting on new brake shoes on Car 3, and two of the regulars were off to the side, playing cards until the cabs they were assigned to came in.
But none of that penetrated his office. There was an eerie silence within the small enclosure. Alison had just come by to tell him her news. Luc was outside, giving them their privacy.
Kevin appreciated the gesture.
He wished Luc had never come into their lives.
Kevin sighed, running his hand through his dark, curling hair. He’d always felt very protective of Alison. To a greater or lesser degree, that feeling extended to all his siblings. But it was more intense with Alison. She had always struck him as the one most in need of him.
Oh, he knew she tried hard not to be, to display a confident, tough exterior to the world, but he wasn’t fooled. He knew better. He was her big brother. Underneath all that bravado, that verve and zest, there was a scared little girl.
The same little girl he’d found cowering on the floor of the closet of her room, crying her eyes out all those years ago, right after their father had died. Crying and refusing to tell him why. It had taken hours of patience, of simply holding her, talking to her and waiting for her to trust him enough to tell him what had affected her so badly.
He’d th
ought it was because she missed their father. But that hadn’t turned out to be the case.
It had taken two of his friends to physically restrain him and keep him from killing the man with his bare hands when he’d found out. A man who had professed to be a family friend all those years, who’d come to help them get over their tragedy in their time of need. And who had, instead, compounded that tragedy.
And now she was going off on her own, hundreds of miles away where he couldn’t take care of her any longer. He realized it was inevitable and even for the good. At least he knew that was what he was supposed to believe. But he didn’t have to like it any.
Kevin made up his mind then and there not to have any kids of his own. This kind of thing hurt too much.
He studied her face. She looked determined. More than that, she looked eager. “Are you sure about this, kid?”
“Very sure.” She could talk to Kevin the way she couldn’t to the others. Talk in fragments and knew he’d understand. “I’m scared and excited and happy, all at the same time.”
Happy was all he wanted for her. “How soon are you leaving?”
“Well, school’s over and I seem to have lost my part-time job.” She smiled at the face he made at her. She knew he meant well, even when he was restricting her. Kevin always worried about her and she loved him for it. Most of the time. She paused, knowing that he wasn’t going to like this part. “Day after tomorrow.”
“Day after tomorrow—” Stunned, Kevin stared at her. It didn’t even give him time to catch his breath. He supposed it might even be better that way. Like a quick injection instead of a long, drawn-out inoculation. “That fast?”
She nodded. “The doctor up there really needs someone.” Her tempo increased with each word, as if the faster she talked, the easier it would be to convince him. “I’ll be the only nurse. It’ll be a great experience and I’ll finally get to matter.”
He rose then, looking at her. “You’ve always mattered.”
She swatted a hand at him, muting the sentiment shimmering between them. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, tough guy, I know what you mean.” Her mind was made up, he could see that. He didn’t mind admitting, in his heart, that he had hoped that she could find someplace close by to carry out her vocation. He knew all about her desire to go to out-of-the-way places, knew all about the letters that were coming in from the four corners of the world, vying for her, but he’d still gone on hoping. “We’ll have to throw you a goodbye party at Lily’s.”
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