Trouble in Loveland (The Loveland Series Book 1)

by Jennifer Peel

  He chuckled and let me go. “We better get going before the neighbors really start to talk.”

  Oh yes, we had been the talk of Mulberry Lane. Ann Lawton was the instigator I’m sure, but I loved her too much to be upset with her. Let’s just say, the old timers found it interesting that the girl next door was dating the older and divorced Ryan Carter. Some of the new families just found it intriguing, but I know a couple of people had questioned our integrity, meaning I was the reason for his divorce, and perhaps Ryan had always had a thing for me. It was nonsense, but everyone loved a good story, even if they had to make it up. Ours would be completely boring without the embellishments.

  We were meeting Alec, Rob, and Hayes, all guys that he had known as a married guy. It gave me a little pause, but I reminded myself that I loved this man and I wanted to be part of his life. All his life.

  “Do your friends mind that you’re bringing a woman to this thing?” I asked on our drive over.

  He looked over and flashed his perfect white teeth at me. “Are you kidding me? They wish their wives liked football.”

  “So, what you’re saying is, you’re lucky this chick digs sports?”

  “And, let’s not forget, understands the game.”

  “You really are lucky.” Though I didn’t think I was that rare of a breed.

  “I know.” His tone was serious, taking all the playfulness out of it. Sometimes I couldn’t figure him out.

  We arrived in twenty minutes.

  I took a deep breath and reminded myself I had nothing to be nervous about. I was wrong, but it was a nice try. You see, it wasn’t just the guys we were meeting. Alec was an idiot and brought his wife, Trixie. Does that ring a bell? Well, it should. Trixie was the maid of honor at Ryan and Victoria’s wedding. Oh yeah, and she was still Victoria’s best friend. From the moment she greeted me, I knew she had been sent there on purpose.

  She still had the peed-on-Cheerios look going for her. I think it was like a club. She eyed me carefully with contempt.

  I looked to Ryan to help ease the awkwardness of it, but all he did was drop my hand as if he was uncomfortable. It was not what I was looking for. It was as if suddenly he wasn’t feeling so lucky he was there with me. Rob and Hayes were nice to me, and Alec pretty much ignored me.

  I settled myself between Ryan and Hayes at the tall table with high back chairs. Hayes was nice enough to pull out my chair for me. Ryan was lost in his thoughts, and I could tell Trixie took note. Again, who names their kid Trixie? I wish I could say she had gained a bunch of weight and looked like crap, but I couldn’t. She didn’t look like she belonged on a runway anymore, but she was still attractive with her tresses of long brown hair and high cheekbones. Okay, so maybe she was beginning to get a little bit of a double chin, but that was just petty on my part.

  Our server came by and took Ryan’s and my order since we were the last to arrive. I was wishing we never came.

  “I’ll take a Diet Coke. Thank you.”

  “It must suck to still be underage.” Trixie laughed to herself.

  I gave her a scathing look that said, are you for real?

  Everyone uncomfortably laughed when she responded, “Just kidding.”

  Ryan ordered a beer, which surprised me. He had said on the way over he wasn’t going to drink since he was driving. My eyes questioned his change of plans, but instead of responding to me he turned to the TV to watch the kick-off, making me feel more alone.

  “Ryan said you’re an accountant too.” Hayes spoke to me after several minutes.

  I turned my attention his way. “Yes, I am,” I said it without cringing.

  “Must be nice to have daddy as your boss,” Trixie threw in.

  Who invited her into this conversation?

  I gave her an incredulous glance before ignoring her and turning back to Hayes, who was taking the same approach with her. “My dad and Ryan are both great to work for.”

  Hayes smiled at me.

  “So, what do you do for a living?” I asked in return.

  “I’m a physical therapist.”

  “That’s a great field. Do you specialize in a particular practice?

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “Most people don’t even know to ask about specialty fields. They think all physical therapists are the same. I specialize in pediatrics.”

  “Smart choice. I think dealing with children some days is much better than adults.”

  “Agreed,” Hayes said.

  “And what do you know about dealing with children?” Trixie asked.

  Hayes grimaced at me.

  I turned my attention back to the vile woman. “I’ve taken my fair share of child development classes, and I have several step nieces and nephews. And, I spend a lot of time with Josh.” I had to say it.

  She whipped out her phone so fast. Her fingers moved at lightning speed. I didn’t have to guess who she was texting.

  I looked at Ryan to see if he had any reaction at all. He looked at me, but I couldn’t read him. He took a long drink of his beer.

  The screen caught my attention. They had just flashed the cheerleaders. “I think Krissy is still pretty upset about not making the squad,” I said to Ryan.

  “I’m sure she’ll get over it.” He wasn’t all that sympathetic.

  “I told her I’m sure it was for a reason, that something better would come her way.”

  Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

  This wasn’t how I wanted this to go at all, and if it didn’t change soon, I would be exiting the party.

  I had a nice surprise in the form of an old teammate who, unbeknownst to me, was a waitress at the restaurant. She recognized me and came my way. I jumped off my seat and hugged her. “Ivy, it’s so good to see you.”

  She hugged me tight. “Same here. I didn’t know you were back in Colorado.”

  I released her. “Since May.”

  “Well, you look terrific. What have you been up to?”

  I almost hated to say it with my audience, but I wasn’t ashamed. “I graduated with my MBA in the spring, and I’m working for my dad right now.”

  “Look at you.” She was impressed. “We missed you our senior year. The team was never the same after you left.”

  I felt a pang in my heart. “I missed you guys, too.”

  “We should get together sometime.”

  “Absolutely. Let me put your contact info in my phone.”

  She gave me her number and I promised to call. I sat back down, and everyone was looking at me. I guess I should have thought to introduce her, but I wasn’t really feeling the love, if you get my drift. I tucked my hair behind my ear. “We went to high school together and played on the basketball team.”

  Rob and Hayes nodded like that was cool. Alec ignored me and turned back to the game, but his wife. Oh, his wife. I think hate was a good word.

  “I don’t understand why women play basketball. Their outfits are atrocious and unfeminine,” Trixie said.

  “I don’t know why chicks want to play sports meant for guys, period,” her idiot husband chimed in while watching the screen.

  I looked at Ryan like this would be a good time to jump in, but he didn’t. Fine. “Basketball uniforms are designed for comfort and to keep you cool, not for fashion shows. And as far as women playing the sport, I averaged thirty points a game, led my team to the state championship as a junior, and I would take on anyone at this table that wanted to go.”

  Ryan looked stunned, but stuttered out, “She’s really good on the court.”

  It was something, but not enough.

  I looked at Trixie who sneered at me.

  “Thirty points a game. That’s amazing,” Hayes said.

  I was so grateful the game got exciting and everyone turned their attention toward the screen, except Trixie, who obviously didn’t like the sport. She kept looking at me and then texting. I could only imagine what she was telling Victoria. Unfortunately, I got to find out after halftime. I had a feeling I should have c
alled Krissy to pick me up earlier, but I stayed because I wanted to give Ryan the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to see if he could and would get comfortable with me by his side, but the only thing that happened was he talked to his friends about things that didn’t involve me. You know, all the stuff they used to do as couples together, like a couples’ trip to New Orleans.

  The other thing that kept happening was Trixie drank like a fish, and it emboldened her. Just as the third quarter was about to start, I noticed Trixie smiling evilly at her phone; you know, like the Grinch. She looked up at me, and I knew she was going in for the kill.

  “Ryan, remember a few years ago when you said you hoped your kids never grew up to be like Charlee?”

  I whipped my head toward Ryan, and he looked at me with eyes agape. “I don’t think that’s exactly what I said.” Ryan reached for my hand under the table.

  I didn’t bother asking for clarification, besides I didn’t need to speak. Trixie was on a roll. Even her husband was embarrassed and telling her to lay off it. Oh, but she wasn’t going to. “I remember, Ryan. You said you hoped you never raised such a spoiled brat that couldn’t stand on her own two feet.” She laughed at how funny she thought she was.

  I willed myself not to cry. Is this what Ryan really thought about me? I couldn’t even look at Ryan. I yanked my hand away from him, stood up, grabbed my purse, and left.

  I heard Ryan say to Trixie as I walked away, “That was completely uncalled for.” Hayes and Rob agreed, but it was too little, too late.

  I desperately wanted out of there. I pulled out my phone to call Krissy as soon as I made it outside. I was starting to dial her number when I heard Ryan call my name. I walked away. He was the last person I wanted to see.

  “Charlee, where are you going?” He easily caught up to me.

  “Why do you care?”

  “Let’s go home.” He let out a heavy sigh.

  I didn’t answer him, I waited for Krissy to answer her phone, but she never did. I threw my phone in my bag and huffily walked toward his car, and he followed. He opened my door for me, but I refused to look at him or thank him for the gesture. I got in and faced the window and took deep breaths and reminded myself that I didn’t let men make me cry.

  “Don’t you think we should talk?” Ryan broke the minutes of dead silence.

  “Sure. We can talk about why you let your friends humiliate me or why it is that you think I’m a spoiled brat who can’t stand on her own. Or if you choose, you can talk about why you ignored me. Take your pick.” I glared at him.

  “Well, what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “It’s not like you were being very friendly to Trixie either.”

  “Are you kidding me? She was terrible to me from the get go. I’m sorry if I didn’t sit there and take what she was handing out, but you know, maybe if you showed some deference toward me, she wouldn’t have felt like she had the right to talk to me that way.”

  “So this is my fault?”

  “Yes.”

  He stewed for a minute. I could see his grip on the steering wheel get tighter and tighter. “You know, maybe Victoria was right. Dating you was a mistake. You don’t know the first thing about life. It’s been handed to you. Everything is just for fun for you, and maybe she was right about you just dating me for an out. You don’t even know how worried your dad was about you during college. And now you won’t batten down and take your CPA exam and …”

  I didn’t hear anything else he was rambling on about because the blood was rushing through my head. I couldn’t believe he was saying these things to me. I couldn’t believe my dad had talked to him about me, and I couldn’t believe Victoria’s accusations. The tears started to form, and as much as I wanted to stop them, I couldn’t. No wonder he had been so cautious with me, I kept thinking.

  He pulled into my drive and forcefully threw his car in park, before turning it off. He was opening his door, but I wasn’t having it. He was going to hear the truth.

  “Ryan.”

  He stopped, turned, and looked at my tear-stained cheeks with some emotion. He almost reached out to comfort me, but stopped himself.

  “You say I don’t know the first thing about life and maybe you’re right. And maybe my dad had reason to worry about me, but he was worrying for all the wrong reasons. He should have been worried that I was living with a mother that sometimes didn’t come home or worse yet, sometimes she did come home and she brought with her the most worthless men you would ever meet. Or how about a mother that accidentally, or on purpose, it was hard to tell, overdosed on sleeping pills and alcohol? So maybe I didn’t know what I was doing, and yes, I took advantage of my dad’s money and guilt, but I was just trying to get by and be the adult. You know, the one that paid all the bills and did the grocery shopping and cleaning. The one that made the dean’s list every year.”

  His mouth fell open and he uttered, “Charlee.”

  “Looking back, yes, I wish I would have done things better, but I’m sorry I’m not perfect like you and Victoria. I was doing the best I could at the time. I was trying to get by and not lose myself or even stop to think, because if I thought too much, I would have lost it.”

  He reached out to touch my arm, but I batted it away.

  “So I got a degree I hate because I didn’t have to think about it. I took a job I hate because it was my only option, and by the way, I passed my CPA exam. I was waiting to get it in the mail so I could surprise you and my dad with it.”

  His shoulders dropped and he hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want to hear your apologies, and I don’t want to see you anymore.” I unclicked my seatbelt, wiped my eyes, and opened my door. “Don’t come in to get Josh. I’ll have my dad bring him over to you.”

  “Okay.” He spoke into his lap.

  I whipped back around. “Oh, and if I wanted an out, believe me I wouldn’t have chosen you. For your information, I could have been married by now to a man who loved me more than anything and he would have never let his friends treat me the way yours did, if an out was what I was looking for. So don’t flatter yourself, Ryan Carter!” I slammed the door, but I had a second thought and opened it back up. “And by the way, you and your friends and your ex-wife can all go to hell!”

  He looked up, stunned. I slammed his car door again and ran in.

  I marched down to the family room, and there were Josh and my dad.

  “You’re home early, honey. What’s wrong?”

  I stared at him hard. “Don’t talk to me.” I was so not happy with him.

  “CJ?”

  “I mean it, don’t talk to me. You need to take Josh over to Ryan.”

  I picked Josh up off the floor where he was playing with his blocks and snuggled him to me. He gently touched my face. “Why are you crying, Cherry?”

  It only made me cry harder. I kissed his cheeks. “I’ll see you later, big guy.”

  “I love you.” He was the sweetest kid.

  “I love you, too,” I choked out.

  I set him down and glared at my dad, who stood nearby looking as confused as ever. I ran down to my room and grabbed my basketball.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As soon as I heard my dad leave with Josh, I headed back upstairs with my basketball. I thought about leaving, but I was too emotional to drive. I couldn’t even talk to Krissy I was so upset. So this is what everyone thought of me? Maybe they had good reason to, but they had no idea what I had to put up with and struggled through. No wonder Ryan treated me so indifferently at times, and especially today. Believe me, I wasn’t excusing him, oh, no. I hated him with a burning passion.

  I shot basket after basket after basket while thinking about my next move. For sure, I was moving out as soon as possible. New job, definitely. Dying a little inside because the man I fell in love with was the wrong man, check. Every time I hit the backboard I pictured Ryan’s perfect face. I would have loved to chuck the ball at his actual head,
and my dad’s for that matter. How dare he talk to Ryan about me like that! This was all his fault in the first place, the philanderer.

  I don’t know how long I was out there, but it was getting dark, and my dad still hadn’t come back. I assumed he was still at Ryan’s and they were probably talking about me. No matter, I was washing my hands of the idiots.

  I was working on my layups when my dad came walking home. I ignored him. I was in no mood to talk to him or anyone with a Y chromosome, unless they were three years old.

  “Hey, baby girl,” my dad called out tentatively as he neared.

  I ignored him, went up for my shot, and missed. Ugh! I hadn’t missed one until he showed up.

  “You didn’t follow through.” Only kindness filled his voice.

  “Don’t talk to me.” I dribbled back, turned, and shot from the three-point line. The ball hobbled in and through the net.

  My dad grabbed the ball before I could rebound it.

  Whatever. I turned and walked toward the house.

  “CJ, please talk to me,” my dad called out.

  I ignored him and kept on walking.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I heard him say.

  I turned from where I stood near the porch. “Because I wasn’t going to give you the satisfaction of knowing what you did to mom.”

  He dropped the ball, looking dumbfounded. “Honey.” He walked closer to me, kicking the ball onto the grass. “How could you think that? I loved your mom. I still do. And, more importantly, I love you. Had I known what was going on, I would have brought you home and gotten your mom the help she needed. I would have never allowed you to go through that.”

  I held onto the rail of the porch, and the tears started up again. My dad took that at his cue and took me up in his arms. I didn’t even bother fighting him. I let him hold me. I soaked his shirt with my tears. I’m sure we were giving the neighbors more to talk about.

  He stroked my hair. “Baby girl, I love you so much. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too, Daddy. I’m sorry I took your money.”

  He hugged me tighter to him. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. I knew something wasn’t right. I should have done more to find out. I’m sick thinking about what you went through.”