On the Mend (Carolina Waves Series Book 1)

by Tina Gallagher

  Dan said he had enough main course and side items, but Lexi and I had stopped along the way to pick up a few deserts. The first supermarket we stopped at didn’t have any good options, so we ended up going to a store a little out of our way. The trip was worth it because they had a huge selection, but we ended up taking forever to decide what to get. In the end, I purchased everything that caught our eye. Otherwise, we may have been there forever.

  Lexi ran to the front door and through the house, a container of chocolate chip cookies in hand while I followed at a more sedate pace with everything else. I piled my bounty on the kitchen counter next to the cookies Lexi had thrown there. Dan spotted me through the open patio doors and gestured for me to join him at the grill. I made my way across the patio, avoiding getting hit with a beach ball along the way.

  Just before I reached Dan, Cal Chase approached from the other side.

  “Sabrina, you remember Cal? He’s going to be moving into the pool house for a little while.”

  I’m not sure what I’d been expecting him to say, but that wasn’t it.

  “Oh, okay.” I looked at Cal and smiled.

  “It’s just temporary, I promise” Cal said.

  “No, please, stay as long as you’d like.”

  “You soon to be newlyweds don’t need me hanging around.”

  “Oh please,” I chuckled. “You could be living in the house and we could go weeks without seeing each other. Don’t worry about being out here.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate it,” he said. “You’re a lucky man, Dan,” he said. “I’m going to grab a couple bags from the car and put them inside.”

  “You okay?” Dan asked.

  “Never better,” Cal replied. “Thanks again,” he said to both of us, then he was off.

  I turned toward Dan, who was busy flipping burgers. When he turned my way, I raised my eyebrow.

  “He and his wife just separated,” Dan said. “He planned on staying in a hotel.” He moved chicken legs to one side of the grill and lowered the heat. “We have room here, so what the hell?”

  Before I answered, Lexi yelled from the patio door. I glanced over and saw that she had changed into her swimsuit.

  “Can you fix my hair?” she asked. It seems that in her haste to get her shirt off, she’d ruined her braid.

  “Duty calls,” I said to Dan.

  With Lexi’s hair emergency dealt with, I took the opportunity to freshen up myself. With all my stray hair in place, I reapplied my lip gloss and returned to the party.

  There was a different vibe than just fifteen minutes before and I stood on the fringes looking around trying to figure why. Dan had finished cooking and everyone seemed to be enjoying the food.

  I looked over and saw Dan standing next to Jack Reagan, who had a brunette with legs up to her neck hanging on one side and a bleach-blonde on the other. The brunette transferred herself to Dan and whispered something in his ear. He smiled and shook his head, extracting himself from her embrace. She sauntered away, putting an exaggerated swing in her step. I couldn’t help but notice the signatures she bore on various body parts. After grabbing a beer from the cooler, she returned to her perch between Dan and Jack.

  The two men continued their conversation and I went back inside. I pulled a platter from the top cabinet and filled it with a variety of the desserts Lexi and I had purchased and attempted to compose myself. With the platter full and my riotous thoughts somewhat subdued, I brought the desserts outside and set them on a table.

  Lexi and some of the other children ran to my side and attacked the desserts. Natalie walked over to my side and snagged a peanut butter cookie.

  “Some of us girls go out for dinner and drinks once a month or so. It’d be great if you could join us sometime,” she said.

  “I’d like that,” I said.

  We exchanged numbers and discussed my schedule and availability, and even though I was engaged in our conversation, my eyes were focused on Dan. Of course, Natalie noticed.

  “Don’t worry about that,” she said. “I’m sure Jack is just lining up his off-season and spring companions.”

  “So these women just make themselves available and hope he picks them?”

  “Some of them. Others put themselves in the running with Jack but also keep their options open.”

  I followed her gaze across the pool where Dan and Jack spoke while the two women hung on their every word. For the most part, the women hung on Jack, but the brunette kept eyeing Dan and allowed her hand to brush his bicep twice that I saw. He wasn’t encouraging her, but he didn’t totally move away either.

  “Sabrina.” I was pulled from watching that woman eye fuck my fiancé when Lexi approached. “Are there any more chocolate chip cookies?”

  “Yes.” I put my arm around her shoulder. “Excuse us, Natalie. We have to fetch more cookies.”

  The party broke up a few hours later and Dan and I carried the remains of the food into the kitchen. Despite Dan’s protests, I filled and turned on the dishwasher and wiped down all the countertops. Why should Mrs. Evans have to deal with it in the morning?

  Lexi had conked out on the couch shortly after everyone left and Dan went to carry her to her room. I took advantage of the time alone to gather my thoughts and figure out what I wanted to say to Dan.

  We’ve been living in a bubble. Now that Dan is better, events like today’s will be a regular thing. I have to be honest with him about my feelings or we won’t stand a chance.

  I poured a glass of sweet tea for myself and grabbed a beer for Dan and settled into the couch Lexi had previously occupied. He returned a few minutes later and sat next to me.

  After taking a sip of his beer, he said, “Ok, what’s on your mind?”

  Despite my serious thoughts, I chuckled. The man knows me too well.

  “I’m not comfortable with the groupie thing.”

  His eyes widened, then he relaxed. “Bri, that’s not something you really need to worry about?”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I don’t…” he waved his hand around as he searched for a word. “…go there. It’s not something I do. I never have.”

  “What about Jack?”

  “What about him?”

  “Does he bring women like that around often?”

  “No,” he said, but didn’t sound convincing.

  “No?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “What exactly does that mean?”

  “Jack usually has a woman for each season. Sometimes he brings whoever he’s with to events and or on the road, and sometimes he doesn’t.” He shrugged. “I’ve never paid too much attention.”

  “He had two women with him here today.”

  “Yes he did.” He took a long gulp of beer, then picked at the label on the bottle before answering. “He was, uh, trying to decide which one he wants to spend the off season with.”

  Since Natalie had said as much, his words weren’t news to me, but I still snorted.

  “Why choose? I’m sure both of them would be happy to service him.”

  “Jack is what he is, but he’s not a total man-whore. He’s pretty much a serial monogamist. At this point, he sticks to one woman at a time.”

  “How big of him.”

  He rubbed his eyes and sighed.

  “Bri, what’s going on here? What are you upset about?”

  “The whole groupie thing freaks me out. Theoretically, I’ve always known they existed, I’ve just never seen them up close and personal or heard first-hand experiences of them.”

  He cursed under his breath. “The wives do like to talk.”

  “Dan, this isn’t about the wives.”

  “Then what is it about? And what does it have to do with you and me?”

  “You’re good friends with Jack.”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “If those women are around him, they’re around you.”

  “I just told you that’s never been my thing.”

  “The
y’re still around. And that brunette was making it known she were yours for the taking earlier,” I said. “Christ Dan, she was at your home, putting the moves on you in front of your daughter and fiancée.”

  “Putting the moves on me?” he asked, obviously getting aggravated. “Bri, that was nothing. You have no idea what some of those women do.”

  “If those words were supposed to make me feel better, they failed.”

  He shifted. “Bri, I love you. I lost you once because I was an idiot, I certainly wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.”

  I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m just not comfortable with it.”

  He kissed my forehead and pulled me in for a hug, but didn’t say anything else. After all, what could he say?

  38

  Sabrina

  The hot water pounded on my neck, draining some of the tension that had collected there. I leaned against the tile and enjoyed the sensation.

  I turned the water off and squeezed the excess moisture from my hair. After wrapping myself in my tattered blue robe, I grabbed a bottle of raspberry scented lotion from the vanity and headed to the bed. As I moisturized my still-damp skin, I thought about Dan. You always hear about professional athletes and the women who make themselves readily available to them, but until you see it first hand, it’s hard to believe. The wives talked about it so matter-of-factly, it’s obviously part of their everyday lives.

  The problem is, I don’t know if I can live like that. That thought was echoing through my head when I heard a soft knock on the door. “It’s open.”

  Dan entered, looking freshly showered himself.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I shrugged.

  “Honey, I swear I’ve never hooked up with women like that, and I certainly wouldn’t now.”

  “I believe you, it’s just…” I gestured vaguely, hoping my hands could say what I didn’t want to.

  “What?”

  “I hate the fact that women like that even exist,” I said.

  He shrugged. “It’s just the way it is.” I snorted. “I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s a fact of life.”

  “It’s not a fact of my life,” I mumbled. But Dan heard.

  “It is if you’re with me.”

  I looked directly into at him. “What if I can’t deal with it?” My eyes filled with tears and his image blurred in front of me.

  He blinked several times and straightened. “I guess that’s something you have to decide.” After squeezing my hand, he stood and left the room.

  I burst into tears after the door shut. The waterworks lasted for nearly an hour and when I was all cried out, I felt drained, but my mind was clear. If I can’t deal with all this, I have to decide now. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of us, not to mention Lexi, if I can’t. I need some space to figure things out.

  I stood and got dressed, then packed a bag. After scribbling notes for both Dan and Lexi, I crept down the stairs and left.

  Dan

  I knew she was gone even before I entered her empty room. I felt her absence as if it was a physical thing.

  I found a note lying on her pillow.

  Dan,

  I’m so sorry. I’m just a little freaked out and need time to think. Please tell Lexi I’ll be in touch. I don’t want her to think I’m abandoning the two of you. I do love you both, so much.

  Sabrina

  I crumbled the note and threw it against the wall.

  I can’t believe this. She just left for no reason. No fucking reason at all.

  Part of me wants to choke the wives for telling their groupie tales. But I can’t blame

  them. If Sabrina can’t handle those women being in my presence, how will she deal if things ever get intense? I can control my actions, but I can’t stop people from saying things about me. And sometimes those women make up stories to get attention. Nothing has ever gotten out of hand for me that way, but some of the other guys have had things written or said about them that weren’t true. How would Sabrina react if a nasty story showed up online?

  Better this happen now rather than later, I guess.

  Now I can just hope there is a later for us.

  I left her room and headed toward the kitchen, where Jeff was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “Want some?” I shook my head and sat at the counter. “What’s wrong? You look like you just ate shit.”

  “Sabrina’s gone.”

  “What do you mean gone?”

  “I mean gone, as in, not here.”

  “Fuck,” he said. “What happened?”

  “Jack brought some women to the party last night and it freaked her out. The stories the wives had to tell didn’t do much to help the situation.” I dragged my hands through my hair and held the back of my neck. “She said she has to think.”

  Before Jeff could reply, Lexi bounded into the kitchen. She looked around the kitchen and said, “Do you know where Sabrina is? I was gonna ask her to do my hair.”

  I looked at Jeff, who cringed.

  “Honey, come here.” I picked Lexi up and perched her on my knee. “Things have happened kind of fast here, and Sabrina needed some time to think.” She scrunched her nose. “So she went back to her place for a little while.”

  “She left?” Tears filled here eyes as her bottom lip quivered. “Again?”

  She jumped off my lap and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. I heard her bedroom door slam, then silence.

  “That went well.”

  As much as I love her, at this moment I hate Sabrina for hurting us like this.

  39

  Sabrina

  “Tell me what happened,” Kevin urged.

  After brooding and crying for two days, I finally called my brother and informed him of my whereabouts. He appeared on my doorstep an hour later.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said.

  “I bet it’ll make you feel better.”

  “Bet it won’t,” I said, sounding like a four-year-old.

  “Sabrina, if you don’t tell me what happened, I’m going to Dan’s and pounding the information out of him.”

  “This time it’s not his fault,” I said.

  “What happened?” he asked again.

  I explained, in detail, about the stories the wives had told me and what I’d witnessed at the pool party.

  “What did he say?”

  “Basically, that if I’m going to be part of his life, it’s something I have to put up with.”

  Kevin stood and shook his head. Hands on his hips, he said, “I can’t believe you just left.”

  “What should I have done?”

  “Figure out how to deal with it.” He held his arms out, gesturing as if what he was saying should be obvious. “He’s right this time and you’re totally wrong.”

  “Kevin, you didn’t hear the stories and see those women. The one did everything in her power—except strip—to get Dan’s attention. And I’m sure she would’ve done that if kids weren’t there.”

  “Did he seem interested in her?”

  “No.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  He took my hands in his and squeezed. “It is easy.”

  “Considering our history, it’s not.”

  “Considering your history, do you really think Dan’s gonna screw things up again?” I shrugged then shook my head. “And you said the wives were sharing stories, but they’re still married. They didn’t freak out and leave because groupies exist in the world.”

  Put like that, I feel like an idiot. Why did I make this out to be such a big deal?

  “I just don’t want you living in limbo for another ten years,” Kevin said. “You deserve to be happy, and I don’t think you can be without getting this settled between the two of you.”

  “I know you’re right, but I just can’t face him yet.”

  “But you do plan on facing him.”

  I nod
ded. “Eventually.”

  Kevin and I went out to dinner and thankfully, the subject of Dan had at least been dropped, if not totally forgotten. I returned home and fell into bed. Thoughts of Dan kept running through my head, and I knew I’d have to go face him sooner or later…if not for Dan and me, then definitely for Lexi. I figured I’d just need a few days to get myself together and work up the strength. Unfortunately, I wasn’t awarded that luxury.

  40

  Sabrina

  The incessant buzzing was a shock to my system, and no matter how hard I pounded on my alarm clock, it wouldn’t stop. I sat up and studied the object of my discontent, only to find that it wasn’t making a sound. Still, the buzzing continued and was soon followed by a pounding.

  I slipped out of bed and shuffled to the front door. Brushing hair out of my face, I flipped the lock and turned the knob. The door flew open and I jumped back to avoid getting hit.

  “Is she here?” The voice registered before the words, and I looked up into Dan’s eyes. I was too shocked to speak. “Is she here?” he repeated, carefully spacing the words.

  “Who?” I managed to ask.

  “Lexi. Is she here?”

  “No, why would she be?”

  “Because she’s not home, and I’ve looked everywhere else.”

  My addled brain started working at that point, and his words finally sank in. My heart pounded double-time. “Where is she?”

  “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here.” Dan said the words as though he was mad at me, as if he had the right to be.

  “When did she leave?”

  “Sometime this morning. She was playing Xbox when I went to workout, but was gone when I was done.”

  “You don’t think someone took her?” The thought was so horrifying I barely pushed the words out.

  Dan shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “She left a note.”

  “What did it say?”

  He pulled a wadded up paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. “That she’s going to find you.”

  I scanned the note, confirming his words, my eyes stuck on the last sentence.