“Nobody talks like that. I’m a bird, you’re a bird.”
“That’s not what he said.” She threw a piece of popcorn at him. “Besides, it’s romantic. It’s a beautiful, poetic way of saying he loves her.”
He chuckled and reached for a kernel. “You eat that stuff up, don’t you?” The popcorn hit her square in the nose.
“Yes.” She pelted him with three more. “I love it. To know someone loves you so much that he is willing to do anything. Noah spent years as a recluse building her dream house in the movie.”
“So that’s what love means, huh? Building a two-story house to win her over?”
“No, you big jerk.” Laughing, she threw another handful of popcorn at him.
“I’m not cleaning this up.”
“Noah built the house as an expression of his love for her and his belief that someday she’d come back to him.”
“Lucky for him that she did.”
“I give up.” She threw up her hands, and the bowl teetered on her lap. Popcorn spilled onto the floor. They both reached to steady the bowl, and Travis’s hands landed on hers. Maggie’s eyes grew big, sucking in a breath. She always jumped when he touched her. The day he had apologized, he had thought she didn’t like it. But the way her eyes now softened and her lips curled into a smile, maybe she didn’t mind it so much.
“What do you think love means?” she asked.
The whispered question clenched his heart. How the hell could he answer that? Love could make your deliriously happy, but, in his case, it could also cut you to the bone.
He shrugged.
“No thoughts on the matter?” She smiled and raised her brows, challenging him to delve into the subject.
Whatever love meant, he wasn’t going there with her. Sticking to the movie plot was easier. “Want to know what I think?” He took the bowl from her, placing it on the table, and reclaimed her hands, letting them drop to the narrow space between them. “I think Noah and Allie finally figured out they were meant to be together.”
“What? Like some kind of predestined thing?”
“You know, like they wanted to do life together.”
“Like a soulmate?”
“That’s a sappy word, but yeah.”
“Not a romantic bone in your body.” She smiled, laying her head against the back of the sofa.
“I wouldn’t say that. I can be romantic when I need to be.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, remember that candlelit picnic?”
“The one where I got pregnant at sixteen?”
“Thanks for killing the buzz.”
They both laughed, and to Travis’s surprise, she laced her fingers between his.
“It was romantic, Trav. So pretty with the candles flickering and the blanket spread out beneath the trees.”
“See, I can be romantic.”
“Yeah, you can.” She pulled a hand from one of his and brushed a finger over his cheek. “You did a lot of romantic things. I guess I just forgot.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“A lot’s happened.”
He grabbed her finger and pressed it to his lips, hoping she wouldn’t pull away. “I’m sorry.” He murmured against her tender skin. “I’m sorry for not being there for you and Carly. For being so messed up. I shouldn’t have gone out all the time. I should’ve tried harder.”
“We were so young.”
“No, I let you down.”
“It’s okay.” She cupped his face in her hands. “I’m just as much to blame. I shouldn’t have run out on you.”
“It about killed me.”
“Me, too.”
He held her gaze, drinking in the words they had never spoken. If he had only apologized sooner, would things have turned out differently?
“If I could have a do-over, it wouldn’t turn out the same,” he said, leaning in and slipping his hands around her waist.
“Life doesn’t give us do-overs.”
“You don’t believe in second chances?”
She didn’t answer. Her brows furrowed, and her smile faded, but still she held his face in her hands. She studied him as if seeing him for the first time.
“You’ve changed.”
“Nah, I’m the same guy. Just older and with less hair.” He chuckled, running his hands up the sides of her body. It felt good to touch her again.
“I hate that you were in that accident, but I think it’s mellowed you.”
“Maybe.”
“I like the new Travis.”
“Do you?”
“You don’t fight with me anymore.”
“Disappointed?”
She shook her head, dropping her hands to his shoulders. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Then don’t. I think the last couple of weeks here have proven we can get along.”
“Maybe so.”
She dropped her hands and scooted out of his arms. The heart-to-heart ended. Maybe he’d said too much. Hit a nerve. Tapping the remote, she cuffed a handful of popcorn from the bowl as The Notebook came back to life. Her gaze stared straight ahead. She was done talking.
Travis pressed his back into the sofa, taking a sip from his beer, and watched the movie. They sat silently, both engrossed in the movie or in their own thoughts. A few minutes in, Maggie pulled one foot to her lap and ground her thumb into her heel.
“Feet hurt?”
“I need some new shoes.”
“Here. Let me.” Before she could protest, he reached down and gathered her ankles, setting her feet in his lap. He kneaded the balls of her feet, and she released a satisfying breath.
“That’s what I need. A foot massage.”
“And you’re going to get one.”
She lay back on the sofa and tucked a pillow beneath her head. “This is amazing.” She closed her eyes with a sweet smile on her face. “Magic hands.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I’ve been told that.”
She leaned up her elbows, sucking in a breath. “Who’s told you that?”
He answered with a smile.
“Spill it.”
“You.”
“Did I?”
“Yep.”
Her smile grew big as her eyes hooded. She looked so damned sexy laying there. “Yeah, I guess I did.” She dropped her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. Quiet filled the room as he continued rubbing her tired feet. After a few minutes, he’d thought maybe she’d fallen asleep, but with her eyes still closed, she said, “I really should go to bed. I have to open in the morning.” She didn’t move.
“It’s late.”
“I know, but this feels so good.”
“I can give you another foot rub tomorrow.”
“That would be great.”
“And every night.”
Her eyes opened, and her feet slid from his lap. “You’ll spoil me. I might let you stay forever with a deal like that.”
“Sounds fair.”
She squeezed his hand and stood up. This special time was coming to an end. Travis lowered his cast to the floor and gathered his crutches from the side of the sofa.
“Let me help you.” She reached down and held his arm as he rose up on his good leg.
When he teetered, she wrapped her arm around his waist to steady him. He slid his arm around her. “We were talking about do-overs.”
“Yeah, and I said there are no do-overs.”
“You sure about that?”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and he could’ve sworn she leaned in.
“Isn’t that what happened in The Notebook?” He pulled her closer, their noses nearly touching. “She gave him a second chance.”
“She did.”
“Well?”
“I don’t know.” She tucked her hand behind his head, gliding her fingers up the back of his neck, while her gaze crashed with his. “I just don’t know.”
Travis leaned in, and she
curled out of his arms, disappearing down the hall.
Chapter 18
“So, I’ve been going over mom’s bookkeeping for the bar,” Carly said as she rushed into the living room, carrying a pizza box and kicking the front door behind her.
“Hello to you, too.” Travis reached for his crutches and lowered his casted leg to the floor.
“Hi.” She kissed him on the forehead. “Don’t get up.” She plopped onto the sofa beside him and set the pizza on the coffee table. “The only mistakes she’s made in the past two years were the deposits in April and early May. I couldn’t go back any further because Aunt Penny came in the office.” She held out her phone for Travis, swiping left as she showed him photos of bank statements, the checking ledger, and the bookkeeping software.
“You didn’t get caught snooping, did you?”
“No, I kept the duster in my hand at all times. When I heard her coming, I real quick got back to cleaning.”
“I don’t feel right about you going through their records like that.”
“It’s okay. They’ll never know.”
“But you didn’t find anything.”
“Well, no, but I’ve done some investigating and I think I know who did it.”
“You’re convinced money was taken? No way your mom just made a mistake?”
“Dad, seriously? Mom can tell you how much she spent at Walmart three years ago on a Sunday in August.”
“Good point. She might run around like a chicken with its head cut off, but she doesn’t forget anything or make mistakes when it comes to money.”
“Exactly.” Carly popped to her feet, holding out her hand to her dad. “Come in the kitchen with me. I’m starved. Plus I want to show you the work schedule from April. I haven’t shown that to you yet.”
Travis laid his hand in hers and hoisted himself up on his good leg. She grabbed the pizza and disappeared into the kitchen. Just like her mother, she moved at one speed—fast.
He tucked the crutches under his arms and maneuvered toward the kitchen. The pain in his ribs had subsided to a dull ache. With Brody’s help, he had returned the wheelchair and walker to the medical supply company and had only crutches to help him get around. Other than the clunky cast on his leg, he was feeling almost like his old self.
He followed Carly into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table, while she dished up a slice of pizza for each of them.
“So, while I was cleaning the bathroom.” She stopped chewing long enough to protest. “I told Aunt Penny I wanted a bonus for that disgusting job.”
“What did she say?”
“She gave me an extra twenty.” She took another big bite but kept on talking. “I was cleaning the sinks when Melissa, that waitress with the long, curly hair, came in. She refilled the paper towels while I cleaned. Anyway, I asked her if she ever helped close up. She does. Three nights a week.”
Carly stopped long enough to take a drink of iced tea, and then she went back to her story.
“I told her my mom was so upset about the deposit mix-up. She’s blaming herself for making a mistake. But I told Melissa ‘my mom doesn’t make those kinds of mistakes.’ Then she told me how Aunt Penny had questioned everyone but Buddy.”
“Melissa actually said Buddy?”
“Yeah, so I said ‘why would she question Buddy?’ and she said because he worked both nights that the deposits were wrong. Sometimes when he helped Mom close, he took the night deposit to the bank for her.”
“But aren’t those bags locked?”
“Melissa saw him digging through the office desk one time. She thinks he might have taken the key.”
“And she told all this to Penny?”
“Yes.”
“Then why hasn’t Penny done something about it?”
Carly threw up her hands, waving her half-eaten slice in the air. “No clue.” She shoved the pizza in her mouth, staring at Travis as if the ball was now in his court. It was his turn to share his detective work.
“I did a little sleuthing of my own.”
“What did you do? Go through her drawers and closet?”
“No. Your mother would know if someone had been rooting through her stuff.” He rolled onto this hip and pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. “I called a friend at the police department and asked him to do a background check on Buddy.”
“Who? Chief Kirk?”
“It doesn’t matter who.”
“But he’s a friend of yours. He bought weed from you.”
Travis rocked back in his chair, bowled over by Carly’s statement. “Who told you that?”
“Nobody told me. I knew what you were growing. And I was there one day when he came over, and the two of you went into the spare bedroom. I’m not stupid.”
“Great. Now you know your dad was a drug dealer.”
“No, I know you did it to help his wife with her MS. He had brought you a twelve-pack of beer that day. I don’t think that kind of payment makes you a drug dealer.”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
“I think it was very admirable of you. You took a risk to help a friend.”
“We both could’ve gotten in big trouble.”
They ate a moment in silence, and then Carly got back to the topic at hand. “So, what did he say? Was the chief able to find out anything about Buddy?”
“He texted me a few minutes before you got home.” He pulled up the text on his phone and read what Chief Kirk had learned. “Buddy Garrett’s real name is Frederick Eugene Garrett Jr.”
Carly spewed her tea into a napkin. “Fred?”
“Yeah, Little Freddy Garrett.”
“Oh, my God. I wonder if Mom knows.”
“She should. She’s planning to marry the dude.” Travis took a sip of water and continued. “He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on February 12, 1986.”
“Same year as Mom.”
“He graduated from Highland Springs High School—”
“No way.” She dropped her pizza on her plate, her eyes wide with surprise. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yep, I remember the little twerp from back then.” He returned to the report. “He attended West Virginia University but dropped out his sophomore year. He’s had a long list of jobs, mainly in retail and fast food, and has worked at Trident Oil and Gas for about a year.”
“Sounds like this background check was a waste of time.”
“Hold on there, missy, I’m getting to the good part.” He cleared his throat, fighting to keep the anger out of his voice. “He’s been married twice and has three kids between them. He was behind on his child support but is now caught up.”
“No way. I think Mom thinks he’s never been married.”
Travis nodded and then went on reading. “His car was repossessed a while back. Apparently that fancy rig of his is a company truck. He was evicted from an apartment in Ohio due to not paying rent.”
“He told Mom he’s trying to sell his house back in Indianapolis.”
“Sounds like he’s lived all over.” He focused back on the information. “He has no criminal record, but he was fired from his last job before going to Trident and was denied unemployment compensation based on suspicious activity while on the job.”
“Suspicious activity. What does that mean?”
“I’d say he had done something illegal, but his employer decided not to press charges. They fought to stop his unemployment, and he didn’t appeal, knowing they had something on him.”
“Like stealing money?”
“Maybe. Look, we don’t know if he took the money from the bar.”
“But we do know he’s a liar, he’s broke, and he’s not what he pretends to be. We need to tell Mom.”
A loud, raspy breath drew Travis and Carly around to find Maggie standing inside the kitchen doorway, her hands over her mouth and her face red with fire.
“Get out!” She shouted so loud it hurt Travis’s ears. How long had she been standing there? “Did you hear me?
Get out.” She charged toward the table and grabbed the pizza from in front of them, throwing it in the trashcan.
“Mom. When did you get home?” Carly’s face had gone white as stone.
“Long enough to know you two have been plotting against me. Drumming up garbage to ruin my happiness.”
“Maggie, listen to—” Travis stood on his good leg and reached out to her.
“No.” She backed away from him, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around her waist. “I mean it, Travis. Get out.”
“Mom, you have to listen to us. Buddy is not the man you think he is.”
“Go to your room, Carly. I don’t want to see either one of you right now.”
“But, Mom—”
“Go, Carly.” She pointed toward the door, fire in her eyes. “And, Travis, you have five minutes to get out of here.”
He couldn’t leave her like this. He’d never seen Maggie so distraught. He reached for his crutches and hobbled toward her. “Mag, honey, you have to hear us out.”
“Oh my God. Don’t you dare call me honey. You have no right.” Hot anger flushed her face as her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them. “I should’ve known you’d go behind my back to stir up trouble. But you . . .” Her arm jutted out, and she pointed a finger at Carly. “I never thought you’d do something like this.”
“Mom.”
“Go to your room, Carly. I won’t tell you again.”
Carly’s tears fell thick and fast down her face. He’d never seen the two of them even mildly upset with one another. He had to do something. Pulling Carly into his arms, she buried her face in his chest and held on to him as sobs racked her body. He couldn’t let this come between them.
“Maggie, it wasn’t Carly. I was the one who looked into Buddy’s history. Carly had nothing to do with it.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’ve both been plotting behind my back. Trying to stop my marriage to Buddy. Ruining my happiness.”
He couldn’t stand to see her this way. Veins stood out on her neck, and her hands were fisted at her side. She looked like she might literally explode. How could he leave her like this?
“Buddy is a good man. An honest man. I wouldn’t marry him if he wasn’t. I wouldn’t make another mistake.”
“Mag—”
Whatever Love Means Page 16
