Jake closed the car door. “If you’re waiting for your mother, she’s busy tearing up the gossip line with Betty at the grocery store. Also, she’s buying cabbages, so I expect she’ll be making cabbage rolls at some point. Better be ready to work the assembly line.”
Angela laughed. “More comfort food. I expect I’m the talk of the town right now. Probably the biggest story to hit here since I got the job in Philly.” The momentary burst of cheerfulness shifted into a neutral, almost sad stare. “Great to be so popular.”
Jake came up the few steps and leaned on the short white wooden railing surrounding the porch. “Last night. You could have told me why you were coming back.” He paused. “I found the engagement announcement online. Didn’t take much to figure out why you’d be back here, the way you looked.”
“I could have told you the whole story,” she admitted, “but I chose not to.” She shook her head, the loose blond hair falling over her shoulders. “I didn’t want your pity.”
“You assume I’d give it to you.” He saw the flash of her anger and held back a smile. Jake let out a private sigh of relief.
Still the fiery woman I remember.
Bastard didn’t break you.
“What did he do?” He rested his hands on his gun belt. “Another woman?” He batted his eyes. “Another man?”
Angela grimaced at the weak joke. “I wish. Legal secretary in his office, on his desk. I walked in to see him banging her like a bloody steel drum.” She looked out over the well-kept lawn. “To hell with him.”
“Yep.” Jake nodded. “Want me to put in an alert on him for possible drug running?”
Coffee spewed across the porch and splattered his black boots. “What?”
Jake grinned. “It’s an idea.”
Angela wiped her mouth. “Oh Lord. Don’t tempt me.” She sighed. “Although it’d serve the bastard right. I can’t believe I bought into his lies, his—” She dropped her chin to her chest.
“Oh man.” He was at her side in a second to pluck the mug from her hands and put it down. “I’m so sorry, Angela.” He knelt. “You don’t deserve this.”
She leaned forward into his arms, and all he could think about was the scent of her hair, the feel of her under his hands as she sobbed, face pressed into his chest.
He stayed there for a few minutes, letting her do what she needed to do.
Finally Jake cleared his throat and helped her sit back in the chair before standing up.
Angela wiped her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Hey.” He reached out a finger and tipped her chin up so he could look into her deep blue eyes. “If you can’t cry with me, who can you cry with?”
She sniffled, the weak smile tugging at his heartstrings.
Jake ignored the warning bells going off in his head and leaned in to kiss her, his arms going around her again.
This time it wasn’t to comfort her. It was to pull her close, the fire reigniting in his heart and soul as she kissed him back, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
It was as if the past few years had never happened, their time apart nothing but a disturbing dream.
A few seconds later, a few minutes later, she pulled back breathless and wide-eyed. “I heard you were separated.”
Jake brushed his thumb over her bruised lips, marveling at how gorgeous she looked even in her distraught emotional state. “Divorced,” he rasped. “I’m divorced.”
Then Jake drew back as well, painfully aware he’d crossed a line. Don’t push it, he warned himself. Angela’s in a hurting place right now, and she needs a friend more than a lover.
She licked her lips, and he knew he had to move, do something before he gave in to his urge to bundle her off the porch and into his car, drive her back to his apartment, and drive all thought of that idiot Eric out of her mind.
“I’m sorry.” It was the only thing he could come up with.
“For what?” She frowned.
“I shouldn’t be pushing you. Not here, not now.”
Angie smiled, settling his nerves. “You’ve done nothing wrong.” She stroked his cheek. “We were always friends first. We’re good.”
Jake nodded and put his escape plan into action. “I better get out of here before your mother comes back. She won’t be happy to see me lounging on the porch.”
Angela gave him a weak smile this time. “She’s being my mother. Always trying to protect me.”
He tilted his head to one side. “That’s her job. But don’t forget, there’s others here for you.” He stood up. “Don’t forget the taillight, either. I’d hate to have to put you in jail.” He swaggered off the porch. “I’ve been watching cable. I know what you ladies get up to inside.”
Her answering giggle followed him back to his car.
Angela watched her mother park the weather-beaten station wagon in the driveway and get out. Grace plucked a jug of milk and a bag of groceries out of the trunk and headed up the driveway.
Angela didn’t get up to help. In the years before she’d left home, Angela learned that offering to do so would lead to a long speech about how her mother wasn’t an invalid and was able to carry her own food and so forth. If she was needed, Mary-Ann would yell for her to come help, and that would be that.
It was easier to sit there and wonder about Jake.
He looked good in uniform.
Too good.
She licked her lips.
It was hard to hold back a sigh, remembering the way his uniform pants hugged his ass as he walked out to his car.
First Hunter, then Jake.
Both back in her life.
But she didn’t want either of them . . . did she?
I’m a drowning woman in the middle of the desert.
Mary-Ann slowed her pace as she went up the porch steps. “Good to see you out here, getting some fresh air.” She narrowed her eyes. “Guess Jake came by to visit. I saw the police car turn the corner when I came down the street.”
“He wanted to say hello and offer a friendly shoulder if I needed one.”
Mary-Ann snorted. “Yeah. Right. Like I was born yesterday.” She walked into the house.
Angela got up and strolled in, keeping the afghan loose on her shoulders.
Mary-Ann was in the kitchen, putting the milk away. She looked up as Angela entered. “Got us a lovely roast for Sunday dinner. And some fine cabbages. They had the triple-meat blend, so next week we’re making a ton of cabbage rolls.” She gestured at the reusable blue bag on the counter. “Been awhile since I’ve been able to justify making a big meal like this without some big occasion. Looking forward to it. I’m thinking you’re not going to be in a rush to go back to all that”—she gestured with her hand—“that mess.”
“No,” Angela admitted, “I’m not.” In her mind’s eye, she saw Eric strutting around the office, making excuses to the staff and the other partners when the truth came out.
His edited version of the truth, that is.
He wouldn’t tell them about banging Kelly on his desk, and she’d sit there in the outer office, exchanging knowing looks with Eric while everyone speculated on Angela’s sudden departure.
He’d wait a few weeks, maybe months, before introducing Kelly as his new girlfriend.
Maybe he’d buy her the same ring.
Angela considered the engagement ring tucked deep in her jeans pocket. She’d pulled it off while driving yesterday, the glittering jewel too much for her to handle in her line of sight.
Her career, her life, her self-esteem—
All snatched away in a second.
“You better not be considering going back to Eric,” her mother warned as she continued to unpack the groceries. “If he’ll cheat on you once, he’ll do it again. And again. Stay here until you figure out what you want to do. Take as long as you want. I’m not going to throw you out.” She closed the refrigerator door.
“I’ve thought things over, and I’m going to make some phone calls
today.” Angela exhaled, imagining the chaos she was about to create. She’d been pondering the idea since she arrived but hadn’t made a final decision until after Jake’s visit.
Unleash the hounds.
“What are you going to do?” Mary-Ann asked.
“First, quit my job. I can’t work there. I can’t go back. It’s not an option.” Angela chased the nightmare scenario from her mind. “I’ll tell them why, but they may not care. It’s very much a man’s world.”
Her cheeks burned at the thought of what the rumor mill would be saying about her. Mentally, she’d composed the e-mail and knew what she’d say on the phone, but the facts wouldn’t dampen the gossip Eric might already be spreading about her.
The only blessing in the entire horrible scenario was that she didn’t have any major cases that couldn’t be passed on to other lawyers at the firm.
At least no one else had to suffer.
“My apartment has only a few more months left on the lease. I can get a friend to pack up my stuff and send it to me. That’ll give me some time while I recover from all this . . .” She swept her hand around, not knowing what to call it.
Mary-Ann nodded her approval, resting against the kitchen counter.
“I’m keeping the ring. I should be able to get some good cash for it. Seed money for my new business.” She pulled the afghan around her shoulders again. “I’m tired of Philly. It’s about time I came home, stayed for a while. Don’t tell me Glen Barrow can’t use a local lawyer.”
It was hard to sound cheerful, but she had to do something, anything, to get out of the emotional swamp threatening to weigh her down and pull her under.
People always joke about lawyers being nothing more than human sharks.
Sharks need to keep swimming or they’ll drown.
Keep swimming.
Angela felt like she’d been punched in the chest, her heart aching not only with the pain of the betrayal but also the upheaval in her life.
Drop dead, Eric.
I’ll survive this.
“You sound like you’ve got your head in the right place and you’re ready to put Eric behind you. But be careful, don’t go rushing off to start dating again.” Mary-Ann shook her head. “You know who I’m talking about, both of them. You’re vulnerable right now, raw and sore all over. Don’t need a one-night stand with some fellow looking for a nostalgia trip. You deserve better.”
Memories of her time with Hunter and Jake rushed to the forefront, mixing and melding as she recalled the best and the worst of the pair.
“Does Hunter know about Jake?” Angela asked. “I mean, do they each know I used to date the other?”
“No idea.” Her mother sat at the table. “They might have discovered it in passing, but I doubt anyone brought it up as a topic of conversation.”
“I can’t worry about them right now. I’ve got to take care of me.” She drew a deep breath and reached for her cell phone. “Let’s get started.”
Jake parked his car in the campus parking lot and walked over to the sports building, nodding at groups of college students on the way. Shouts and yells came from the nearby basketball court, signaling practice was in session.
A fast glance showed that Hunter wasn’t in sight. His assistant was running drills with the eager players.
Jake headed up the stairs to the coach’s office.
He rapped on the door before entering, catching Sally’s attention. The secretary rose from her desk and approached him, her eyes wide with curiosity.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here on police business,” he said before she could speak. “Need to have a few words with Hunter.”
She let out a sigh. “Thank goodness. I thought for a second it was about the permits. The students know they’re not supposed to park on the city streets, but—”
Jake smiled. “We’re good. Hunter in?”
“Sure.” She motioned him toward the office in the back. “Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
He hadn’t seen Hunter Stratham in a few weeks, the last time at a basketball game, when they’d dealt with a couple of drunk tailgaters. Hunter offered his support and chastised the bystanders for allowing the situation to degrade to the point where police needed to be called.
They weren’t friends, not in Jake’s eyes. When Jake arrived to take the position as chief, he’d been asked by the council what he knew about Glen Barrow. He told them what he’d heard—it was a great place to live, a wonderful place to raise a family—and that he wanted to keep that sanctuary safe for all.
The interview went over well, and he’d gotten the job.
Then he’d faced Maggie, who’d demanded to know how exactly he knew so much about a small town in rural Pennsylvania.
He’d confessed, and that prompted an argument about Angela. Who she was and what position she’d occupied in Jake’s life.
At the time, he’d told her the truth—college ex-girlfriend, and he never thought about Angela after they’d broken up and he’d entered the police academy. When the position opened up at Glen Barrow, it’d been an obvious decision to apply, given he already knew something about the community.
Maggie thought otherwise.
“Why do you want to live here? Why didn’t you get a transfer to a real city, a big city like Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?” Mags had moaned.
It was the final nail in the coffin. A few months later, she’d packed up and left, claiming the stress of being married to a cop was too much for her.
Jake hadn’t put up a fight.
It became painfully obvious Maggie didn’t want to be a policeman’s wife.
She just wanted the status that went along with it.
But he’d stayed silent and let her go, given her the lion’s share of their belongings and sent her on her way with best wishes for a good life.
He couldn’t do anything less.
He’d thrown himself into his work and put everything behind him. The information that Hunter had also dated Angela was something he heard around town, nothing worth mentioning before and nothing worth discussing.
Now his world and Hunter’s were about to crash into each other with dangerous possibilities.
He knocked on the doorframe.
Hunter looked up from his desk and waved him in with a smile.
If Jake didn’t know better, he’d have believed there was a special memo sent out dictating how sports coaches had to dress. Hunter always wore white shirts and khakis, the beige Windbreaker hanging on the back of the office chair.
“Hello.” Hunter put down his pencil. “I can guess why you’re here.” He crooked a finger at the door.
Jake took the hint and closed it before taking the open seat in front of the desk. He placed his uniform hat in his lap. “I’m sure you can. Question is, what we’re going to do about it.” He lifted his left leg and rested his boot on the edge of the desk. The black polished leather shone under the fluorescent lights.
“Angela’s back in town. She’s likely going to stay for a while.” Once more, Hunter smiled. “And when she gets over that asshole, she’ll be open to dating again.”
Silence hung in the air between them for a full minute, each sizing up the other.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Hunter said. “My days of street brawling are pretty well behind me.”
Now Jake smiled. “Good. You’d lose.”
Hunter arched one eyebrow. “Don’t bet on it.” He eyed the policeman. “You don’t know everything about me.”
“I don’t,” Jake replied, “but I know I could take you.”
Hunter leaned back in the chair, forcing a creak from the wooden seat. “Maybe,” he drawled, his blue eyes locking with Jake’s green ones.
Jake fought the urge to shift in his seat, uncomfortable under Hunter’s scrutiny.
He stared back, not giving an inch.
After a minute Hunter grinned again and broke away. “Maybe not.”
Again, Jake returned the smile.
<
br /> Hunter dropped the grin and stared at him with a sudden intensity. “But I will make you bleed if you don’t make this all about her.”
Jake frowned, taken aback by the statement.
This wasn’t what he’d come to talk about.
Hunter entwined his fingers and leaned forward. “You’re not stupid and neither am I, so let’s cut through the crap.” His voice was low and firm, talking to Jake as an equal. “Angela’s in a bad spot right now. Betrayed by the man she thought she loved, that she was engaged to. She’s emotionally vulnerable, and I have no doubt if I went after her she’d be in my bed soon enough.” He eyed Jake once more. “Maybe you could do the same. But it won’t be right for her. Not for the future.” He pointed at himself. “Angela and I, we broke up on good terms. I’m guessing you did the same. We know if she jumps into bed with either of us, it’s going to be a rough morning after.”
“Good point,” Jake conceded. “She’s in a bad place right now, cleaning up the mess from the asshole.”
“Exactly. It might be a night of fun, but she’d feel awful the next day, and she doesn’t need that on top of everything else. Not to mention bringing the wrath of Mary-Ann down on our heads if Angela goes home weeping and crying about how she wasn’t ready to deal with another relationship and feels like crap for starting up with either of us. So I’d like to propose a deal.”
“A deal?” Jake crossed his legs. “A deal about what?”
“About Angela.” His smile was back. “This town doesn’t need us to be at war with each other. We’ve got enough mutual friends that’ll be forced to take sides. It’d be a losing proposition for everyone involved. Best to avoid it at all costs.”
Jake couldn’t disagree with the man’s logic.
“What do you suggest?” he asked.
“I propose a gentleman’s agreement between us. Three months’ moratorium on getting into bed with Angela Kenzie. Visit her, call her, be a good friend. But no getting it on.”
“‘Getting it on.’” Jake smirked. “I like that phrase. Leaves a whole lot of space for interpretation.”
Game On (Entwined Hearts) Page 3