“What’s your name,” he laughed as I swayed my hips.
I thought for a minute before replying, “Megan,” I giggled as I stumbled slightly and moved closer to the bar. I didn’t want to give him my name in case he tried to find me again after tonight.
“Don’t you want to know mine?” he smirked.
I shrugged as my gut twisted. It was trying to tell me something, but between the alcohol and my broken heart, I wasn’t really listening. If I had been paying better attention, I would have recognized him. The cocky attitude alone should have been a dead giveaway.
“It’s Tyler,” he chuckled as he took a few steps backward.
I blinked a few times as I stared him. The same dark hair, the same eyes, the same cocky smile. He’d grown up to be gorgeous. I’m sure the ladies normally threw themselves at him. I couldn’t believe he didn’t know who I was. I blinked to try and clear the memories that were trying to surface as I watched him blend into the crowd. He pointed toward the bar indicating that I needed to pay, and then motioned to the door like he was telling me to meet him there. I nodded as I turned to wait for the bartender as Tyler slipped outside.
As soon as he was out of sight, I called my driver asking him to meet me around back. I needed to get out here before Tyler knew I was giving him the slip. I couldn’t do this. No matter how mad or hurt I was, I couldn’t go home with Taylor’s brother.
“GOD DAMN IT! Sonofabitch!” I yanked my hand back from where I’d just burned it on the radiator of my truck. Today was not going well. I’d been out making a delivery when the damn thing started running hot. I pulled over, in the middle of nowhere mind you, and popped the hood only to find steam billowing out. If my day could get any worse, it just did.
Nothing had been going right since she left. Four weeks. It’s been four weeks since she marched into my store all fired up. I can’t say I blame her. What we all did was unfair to her, and I didn’t really know how to fix it. I’ve tried calling her number. She never answers, and after the tenth voicemail, I stopped leaving them. CJ asked about her at first. I haven’t told him that she’s his mother. I don’t need anyone else hating me right now, and that’s exactly what would happen. If she’s going to ignore us, I don’t see the point in hurting him. It wouldn’t solve anything and only cause me more grief.
I sighed as wiped the back of my hand over my forehead. It was summer now, school had let out last Friday, and the days had been exceptionally hot this week. The fact that the engine to my truck was right by my face made me feel as if I was baking in a sauna. I stared for a few more minutes before breaking down to call my brother. He usually took his lunch break around now, and for the last few days, he’d been coming home to see Sharron. I think they’re trying to have another baby, but he won’t admit it. Sharron always has this look on her face though when I see her in the evenings.
“I need you come out on route 8, and bring me a jug of water. Radiator is leaking, and I need to nurse this puppy home,” I growled into the phone when Trevor picked up. “What do you mean you’re busy?” I barked. “Get your ass out here, and help me. Sharron can wait.” I disconnected the call, and just as I was getting ready to toss it in on the seat, it started buzzing. “What the hell?” I glowered as I took a deep breath to calm myself. Trevor could be an ass, but most of the time he helped me when I asked.
When I glanced at the caller ID though, it wasn’t Trevor. It was my other shithead brother, Tyler. “What do you want?” I grumbled as I leaned against the open door.
“Nice to talk to you too, bro,” Ty chuckled.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Rough day. Hell, rough week.”
“I hear ya. So, I was calling to see if you and Trev would like to come down here and celebrate with me. I made Partner,” his voice rose in excitement.
“Seriously?” I chuckled. “What dumbass promoted you?”
“You’re such a dickhead,” Ty grumbled. “Listen. I get Friday off, and I was thinking you guys could come stay with me for the weekend. I can show you around the city. Get you away from Mayberry. It’ll be like old times only the women are better here than in Cherryville.”
“I don’t know,” I looked out in the distance as I thought about his offer. “If we come out there, who’s gonna watch the kids?”
“Um,” he paused for effect. “Your kid can stay with Trev’s kids. Sharron can handle three. It’ll be good practice,” he mused.
“I’ll talk to Trevor and see,” I could hear a car coming, and glanced down the road. “Listen, I gotta go, but I’ll keep you posted. I’m proud of you Ty even if you are still a little shit.”
“Love you, too,” his voice held a sarcastic tone.
The line went dead just as Trevor pulled up, and turned on the lights on top of his cruiser. “What the fuck are you doing all the way out here?” he shoved open the door, and climbed out with a jug in his hand.
“Old man Warner needed his shingles delivered. I brought them out this morning,” I shrugged.
“I don’t know how you think this is going to get you all the way back to town from here,” he held the jug of water up. “You should call Mike and get a tow,” he waltzed over and handed me the jug.
“You’re probably right,” I muttered as I began shuffling through my contacts in search of Mike’s number.
“Why the fuck did you call me then,” he threw his hands up in the air. “I was busy.”
“Yeah,” I snickered. “I know how busy you were.”
His eyes narrowed before he tossed his hands out and crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t know shit.”
“Apparently,” I snickered again. “You guys have been so loud that even Ty heard ya.”
“You’re such as an asshole,” he growled. “I’m gonna arrest both of you.”
“For what,” I began laughing harder. “You’re the one going home on your lunch break to have sex.”
Trevor shook his head as he grumbled some more before walking back to his cruiser. He paused at the door, shook his head again, and climbed in. “Do you want a ride back to town? Mike can deal with this without you,” he swung his arm in the air as he rolled his eyes at me.
“Only if you’re gonna keep the details of your afternoons to yourself,” I retorted.
“Get the fuck in the car,” he barked before climbing in and slamming his door.
I loved my brothers. We could say some of the meanest things to one another and not mean a damn word of it. I knew exactly how much I could push Ty and Trev before it would move to an all-out brawl. I was getting close today, but after dealing with Morgan I was in the mood to push the limits.
“Hey,” I nudged Trevor in the side as he pulled back out onto the road. “Ty says he made Partner. Wants us to come stay with him this weekend to celebrate. Something about hot woman and booze.”
“Great,” Trevor groaned. “Just what I need. I night out with you two.”
“Give your dick a break,” I chuckled. “A night out with us is exactly what you need. Think back to before kids. Didn’t you have fun when we’d go down to Harry’s and sneak in?”
“Yes,” he slowly shook his head. “Sharron’s not going to be happy about this though. I told her I’d get you to take the kids this weekend. I was going to do something romantic for her.”
“Well, you better start groveling as soon as you get in the door tonight because I want to spend the weekend in the city,” I shifted in my seat as I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. “Speak if devil,” I held up my phone so Trevor could see that Ty was calling me back. “I don’t know yet,” I laughed as I clicked on the line.
“Put me on speaker fucker,” he commanded. I pushed a few buttons before Tyler’s voice filled the cruiser. “If you two assholes don’t come down here this weekend, I’m coming up there to beat the shit out of both of you. You never come to see me, and I’ve got a bottle of bourbon sitting here at my place with our names on it.”
“Only our names?” Trev goaded. The last time
Ty had wanted to get together he’d invited a bunch of his snobby friends. Things hadn’t been that great, and it took us a while to ever want to talk to him again.
“Yes, well our names and maybe some ladies,” he laughed. “I’ve met a few nice ones over the last month. VIP status goes pretty far in this town.”
“I bet,” I grumbled.
“So are you coming, or what?” he paused and I glanced over at Trev.
“I don’t know, are we?” I waited for Trevor to give in. I knew he was the key, and if he said yes, then the rest would fall into place.
“Fine!” Trevor threw his hand in the air before parking in front of the store to let me out of the car.
“You better get some rest, old man,” Ty cackled on the other end. “Me and the ladies are going to drink you two douches under the table.”
“We’ll see about that,” Trevor fired back. “I was drinking before you started driving, you little shit.”
“Who you calling little?” Ty scoffed. “This fine little piece I had last night said I was prime quality beef, uh huh,” he snickered.
“She musta had her beer goggles on,” Trevor laughed.
“That’d be the only thing she had on,” Ty whistled. “Well, while you two chumps enjoy Mayberry I’m gonna head to lunch. I’ll pick you up at the train station on Friday. Let me know when you’re arriving as soon as you buy a ticket.” Before either one of us could answer, the line went dead.
“That little fucker sure is full of himself,” Trevor shook his head as he turned to face me. “You sure about this? Going into the city? I mean, you know she lives there, right?”
“Who?” I decided to play dumb.
“Yeah, whatever dude. She’s there and probably runs in the same circles our little bro does. We might see her,” he shakes his head as he looks at me.
“She’s made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want anything to do with me. I’m going for Ty, not her,” I pushed open my door and paused when he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“You know, you can be upset over the way things went down. It’s ok to be hurt. Fuck,” he released me and tugged at his hair. “Maybe we shouldn’t go.”
“No.” I turned and narrowed my eyes on him. “We’re going. If we see her, then we see her. If not,” I shrugged. “Oh well.”
“Keep telling yourself that little brother. Keep telling yourself that,” he muttered as I climbed from the cruiser, shut the door, and shuffled into my store.
Did I want to see her? What would I say if I did? I could just show up at her office. I grinned at that. She’d be so pissed if I came waltzing in after the way we left things. I’m sure with a little help I could find her apartment. What then? I’d been the one to lie to her, but I needed to tell her why. She’d never given me the chance to tell her what her father made me do. How he’d threatened our son. How he’d made me swear to walk away at the price of our baby. How would I ever get her to listen, let alone believe me, after what I’d done?
THE LONGER I stayed in New York, the more Cherryville seemed to be a distant memory. My father had been right about one thing, that town changed me. I was a different person there, a person that I liked better. This version of me wasn’t the nicest, or the most pleasant to be around, but it was the only way I could function here. The cold business woman took over every part of my consciousness, pushing the real me so far down I couldn’t find her.
“Miss McGregor?” Marjorie stood by my office door with a file in her hands. I lifted my face to stare at her waiting to see what she needed. I’d been working extremely late hours the last few days trying to land a client. “They signed,” she grinned and held up the folder. “It just came in on the fax,” she quickly shuffled over to me, and placed the documents on my desk.
“You’re kidding, right?” I flipped open the file and began looking over it. Sure enough, they signed. “Well it’s about time,” I sighed as I leaned back in my chair and glanced out the window at the skyline.
“I guess all those late nights were worth it, huh?” She grinned again as she watched me.
“Yeah, sure,” I mumbled as I continued to stare at the sun as it lowered itself behind one of the many skyscrapers.
“You don’t seem happy.” Marjorie shifted on her feet.
“Oh, I’m happy. Just tired. I’ve been dealing with Dean Foster for the last two weeks. I didn’t think they were happy with the proposal we’d sent them, but this says otherwise. I just need time to unwind,” I smiled a half-smile.
“You should leave for the day. Everyone else has,” she mused. “Well, everyone but us.”
“Go home,” I flicked my wrist signaling her to go. “I’ve got a few more things to go over, but then I’ll head out. Might need to celebrate this,” I held the folder in the air as I scanned some documents on my desk. I could see Marjorie nodding out of the corner of my eye before she turned and scurried out of my office.
Once I was alone again, the hours seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, it was nine at night. I yawned as I pushed back from my desk to gather my things. While shutting down my computer, I stared out at the nightlife. The city was coming alive and the urge to go out and find someone to celebrate with was starting to grow. I knew I should probably just go home and rest. I’d been going on such little sleep lately that if I stopped to rest, it would take no time at all to fall asleep, but the thrill of landing a tough client was outweighing the need to rest.
I made my way downstairs, climbed into my car, and headed home. After making a quick change into this cute little black dress I’d bought just last week, I called my driver and began making my way to Club High Ball. Only the best of the best got in there, so I knew I’d be in good company. Thoughts of the last time I was there and running into Tyler didn’t even register. It had been a month, and I’d never seen him again. What were the chances that it could happen tonight?
ONCE WE ARRIVED in the city, Tyler had taken us back to his loft. It was sleek and modern, nothing like what we had growing up in. Ty had done well for himself. He’d gone from toy cars and collecting bugs to high-end furniture and several nice paintings on his walls. The loft was on the Upper East Side and had a great view. There was a set of French doors on one wall that opened to a small balcony that overlooked the street. It felt strange hearing all the city sounds. I was used to sitting outside and hearing crickets. Here, all you heard were horns honking and the sounds of vendors below. I didn’t understand how he and Morgan could want to live in place like this.
“You ready?” Ty called as he stepped up behind me. We were supposed to go to this club that he knew about. It was exclusive, and was going to take some work to get in to. Ty had a VIP pass, but Trevor and I were going to have to dress the part to get in. Gone were my usual faded jeans and t-shirt. Tonight I looked like I could fit right into one the offices in Ty’s building. He’d insisted that we looked normal for where we were going, but the dress slacks that I was wearing made me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t dress like this unless I was going to a wedding or a funeral.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I grumbled, “Can’t we go somewhere where I don’t need all this?” I lifted my arms as I stared at him.
“No, sorry, bro.” He shook his head before Trevor rounded the corner scowling. “Dude, lighten up.”
“I wear enough dress pants on the job. I was hoping for jeans this weekend,” Trevor shifted as he straightened the belt he’d just put on.
“We look good,” Tyler nodded. “The ladies aren’t going to know what hit ‘em,” he chuckled.
“Speak for yourself,” Trevor moved close enough to shove Ty. “I’m married.”
“He’s not,” Ty pointed at me. “Let’s go. The lines can get pretty long.”
We made our way downstairs as Ty hailed a cab. None of us wanted to worry about driving drunk, and honestly, after seeing the way people drive in the city, I didn’t want to even attempt it.
It didn’t take long, but soon the cab pulled up in front of
a building lined with dark glass. “We’re here,” Ty grinned as he tossed a few bills at the driver and climbed out. We followed behind him, and I felt like a little kid staring wide-eyed on Christmas.
The front of the building was so dark it looked black. It had a martini glass outlined in lights with name “Club High Ball” scripted beside it. A mob of people held back by a velvet rope lined the front sidewalk, and two men dressed in suits guarded the door. They were wearing sunglasses, which I thought was odd since it was night time. Women dressed in clothes that barely covered them stared at the three of us as Ty led us to the front of the line. He flashed his ID and another card at one of the men who then stepped back to let us pass.
“That was easy,” Trevor mused as the other man opened the door for us. “You acted like we’d have to beg to get in here.”
“I haven’t been here in a while, but having one of these helps,” he tucked the card he’d been holding in his pocket. “The VIP lounge is upstairs,” he pointed to the corner where a staircase looked to disappear into the dark.
We slowly made our way upstairs as the pounding beats of the music engulfed us. I’d been in clubs before, but nothing like this. Ty was definitely moving up in the world. When we reached the VIP area, there were plush booths around the edge and a few high top tables scattered throughout the room. A long bar ran across the back wall with stools. Two bartenders were moving with ease as they served drinks, and a cocktail waitress was flitting from table to table. Men in high end suits and women with enough name brand items draping them to fill a boutique filled most of the tables, so we took a few of the stools at the bar.
“Man, the first time I came here,” Ty shook his head as he remembered some distant memory. “I met this woman. She was so hot. Almost jumped me on the dance floor. I thought we had something,” he shook his head again. “She said she’d meet me out front, then she gave me the slip.” He pouted like the little boy I used to know, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Walking Among the Cherry Trees: The Cook Brothers Series Page 12