by Brenda Novak
Her hesitation led Micah to believe she might really have a date. Otherwise, Trevor’s enthusiasm would’ve been enough to prompt her to say no. She was too afraid Trevor would love his father more than his mother, that she’d “lose” her son, too. That was part of the reason she rarely let them spend extra time together. “He has his field trip tomorrow, so he’d need to pack a lunch.”
“We can manage that, too, Paige.”
She glanced between them. “Okay, well...can I call you in a couple of hours? Let you know?”
He wasn’t going to argue when he wanted her gone as soon as possible. “Sure.”
Relieved that she remained unaware of Sloane’s presence, and that she might leave without finding out, he started to shut the door the second she stepped away, but she stopped it.
“How do I look?” she asked and twirled around.
She’d put some effort into getting ready. She had on a purple blouse with sleeves that widened below the elbow and tight-fitting black jeans with heels. And she was wearing more makeup than usual. “You look great,” he said, but only to be nice. He couldn’t be a fair judge. They’d been through too much together. How many times had she said he didn’t love her because she wasn’t as pretty as Sloane? Sloane was gorgeous. There was no doubt about that. But it wasn’t her looks that made the difference. He was always tempted to explain that to Paige, except he knew it would only make her more insecure. Then she’d feel she didn’t measure up in other ways. Whenever she launched that argument, he’d simply shut down, refuse to talk about it. There was no reason to engage her on the subject. She was right about the underlying problem: he preferred Sloane and always had.
“Have a great night,” he said.
She seemed to come a little undone by the authenticity in his voice. “You don’t care?”
“Paige, let’s not go into that right now, okay? You’re the mother of my child. You’re doing a great job raising Trevor, and I will support whatever makes you happy.”
“That’s the part that drives me the craziest,” she muttered. “You say such nice things but feel absolutely nothing. Nothing gets below your skin. Nothing reaches your heart.”
“Paige, please.”
“Don’t worry. I’m leaving,” she snapped, and he shut the door as soon as she stomped off.
“You didn’t want me to tell Mom Sloane is here, did you?” Trevor said, looking up at him.
Micah pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered how to answer this question. It didn’t feel right to ask his son to keep a secret from his mother, and yet who Micah had over was none of Paige’s business. Not anymore. “Since your mom and I are no longer married, she doesn’t have to know about everything I do, everyone I see. That’s called respecting my privacy.”
“So you don’t want me to tell her?” he clarified.
Micah sighed as he realized that Trevor wasn’t going to understand such a careful skirting of the truth. “No, I don’t want you to tell her.”
“Does that mean Sloane is the reason you left?”
Sloane was the reason he should never have married Paige in the first place. But then there was Trevor. “She’s not, no.” Not in the way Trevor intended, anyway. “I had no idea she’d be returning to town. Sloane and I are just friends, and we should have the right to be friends, don’t you think?”
He scuffed one tennis shoe against the other, obviously torn between logic and what he’d been told by his mother. “I guess.”
“I’m trying to help Sloane. That’s why she’s over.”
“With what?” he asked.
“Her mother went missing when she was a little girl. We’re trying to find her.”
“Because you’re a policeman.”
“That’s right. But what we’re doing is nobody else’s business. That’s why you aren’t to say anything to your mother or anyone else.”
Trevor pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he considered what he’d been told. “And Mom will cry if I tell her...”
She’d yell a lot, too, but Micah held his tongue. “Probably.”
“I don’t like it when she cries.”
“Neither do I.”
“Then I say we don’t tell her.”
“That would be best,” Micah agreed.
“Okay. Can we eat?”
Micah laughed at how quickly Trevor was ready to move on. “Yeah. I’ll get right on it.”
Sloane appeared at the end of the hallway with her leather bag on her shoulder. No doubt she’d held off so she wouldn’t interrupt his talk with Trevor, but now that the discussion had ended... “Sorry to put you in a difficult position,” she said. “Is there Uber or some other car service here in Millcreek?”
“Apparently, you think this town has grown a lot more than it has,” he said with a chuckle and rested his hand on Trevor’s shoulder as they walked back toward her.
“I was doubtful. I just hate to trouble you to take me back to the motel when your son is here, and he’s hungry.”
“Then maybe you’ll agree to stay and eat with us, let me take you back later,” Micah said.
She obviously hadn’t expected the invitation. “I’d rather not impose. I have my car at the motel, so I’ll be able to get dinner on my own.”
“There’s no need. We can all run over to get the groceries. It won’t take long.”
“It’s okay with me if you eat with us,” Trevor volunteered.
Sloane’s gaze shifted to Trevor and came back again.
“My cooking will be as good as any restaurant,” Micah added, and she finally offered him a hesitant smile.
“Okay.”
* * *
Throughout dinner with Ed, Paige had a difficult time forgetting about her encounter with Micah. She almost wished she’d mentioned that her date tonight was with Sloane’s father. At least that would’ve elicited a reaction.
But Micah hadn’t asked. That alone made the encounter upsetting. Unlike so many other divorcées, she couldn’t complain about her ex being stingy or abusive or jealous. Micah had been insufferably nice throughout the divorce, had given her everything she asked for and was always there for Trevor. Even when she claimed she needed extra money, just to make him see how much more expensive it was for them to live apart, he’d write her another check. He gave her much more than what was stipulated by the court.
He did so out of guilt, of course. He felt bad that he didn’t love her and couldn’t stay with her even for Trevor. So she used that to her advantage. Why shouldn’t he suffer when he’d made her suffer so terribly?
“Are you okay?” Ed stepped onto the back patio, where they’d eaten, with another bottle of wine.
Her expression was far too pensive, she realized, and forced a smile. “I’m great.”
“You liked your meal?”
“It was magnificent.” Sloane’s father had treated her like a princess ever since she arrived. He’d made corn on the cob, asparagus, baked potatoes, filet mignon and Alaskan King crab legs, which she’d only ever eaten twice before in her life. Together they’d also polished off a rare and expensive bottle of wine while he told her interesting stories about his job, city gossip and how he wanted to go to Paris and Rome one day, as though he might take her with him.
Dating a wealthy guy had its benefits, even if he was older, she decided as she stared out over the backyard. In the past, Paige had made entirely different kinds of memories at this house. She used to play in the tire swing, hide in the garage and roll down the hill that was off to one side. It was a bit jarring when she thought about it, but Ed didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that he’d first met her as a little girl. He also didn’t seem to be nearly as bad as she’d envisioned, given what Sloane believed about him. Despite her fears and worries after Randy’s visit, Paige was now thinking that maybe Randy had a right to be upset. What
if Ed was innocent? Accusing someone of such a heinous crime would not be fair. If anything, Clara must’ve done something to piss Ed off so badly he reacted in a rage and caused a terrible accident. He was an impassioned person. She could see him erupting and then covering up anything that eruption had caused. But now that she was sitting here having dinner with him, she couldn’t imagine him intentionally harming anyone.
He popped the cork and refilled her glass. “I want you to know something.”
She looked up to meet his gaze. There were a few wrinkles at the edges of his eyes, which were more amber than brown, like Sloane’s. And the smile lines around his mouth were more exaggerated than those of the men her age. But he still had classic good looks, had always reminded her of George Clooney. “What’s that?”
He bent down so his mouth was close to her ear. “You’ve been driving me crazy in those jeans.”
That comment was totally inappropriate to say to a friend of his daughter’s and yet Paige couldn’t get angry. She’d come here knowing his offer was of a romantic nature, and she’d been flirting with him ever since she arrived, testing her power. “You’re no longer seeing that woman from Dallas?” she asked. “The one I’ve spotted you with around town?”
He put the bottle down and sat in his own seat. “Simone? No. That was never serious. I won’t move away from Millcreek, and she won’t leave Dallas, so we were doomed from the start.”
Wasn’t that what he liked? Then he never had to make a commitment. She’d heard enough gossip about his love life to understand he was a ladies’ man who preferred to keep his options open. “I’ve never known you to date anyone from town. They all come from outside, don’t they?”
He gave her an endearing, almost boyish “you got me” grin. “There hasn’t been anyone here I’ve been particularly interested in. Until now.”
Paige couldn’t help being flattered. Out of all the women in Millcreek—and he could have his pick—he’d chosen her. It’d been so long since she’d felt desired. She wasn’t sure Micah had ever really been turned on by her. It was possible she’d only imagined he was, at times, because that was what she longed to see.
Although she’d trade anything to hear Micah say what Ed had just said and mean it, that wasn’t going to happen, at least not where they were in their relationship right now. So why not take what she could get? A rich older man to spoil her wouldn’t be terrible, even if it didn’t last. With Ed she didn’t have to be the aggressor. That was a powerful aphrodisiac. She hated feeling as though she was constantly fighting for the smallest crumb of Micah’s attention. The fact that Ed would be the last person in the world Sloane or Micah would feel good about her dating also made him appealing. She’d never seen herself as the type of person who would go after revenge for any reason, and yet the resentment and hurt she carried around with her had turned her into someone she didn’t even know, someone she never dreamed she’d become.
“You’re not worried that this could get complicated?” She regarded him from beneath her eyelashes as she sipped her wine.
He leaned back to study her. “I don’t see any reason we have to look too far down the road. Why don’t we simply enjoy the here and now? I’m having fun, aren’t you?”
Ruger sat at his feet. The dog didn’t dare beg for food; Ed made sure he knew better. But the animal was, no doubt, hoping someone would drop a morsel. She could tell by the level of attention he paid her hands, how he watched as she lifted every bite to her mouth.
“Can I feed him this last piece of meat?” Paige indicated what she had left on her plate.
“No, that wouldn’t be smart.”
“Because he might take off my hand?” she said with a chuckle.
Ruger’s behavior when she first arrived had frightened her. He’d seemed determined to tear her to pieces, until Ed opened the door. Then he’d calmed down and behaved impeccably.
“Don’t let him fool you. He’s not a vicious animal.”
“He sounded downright dangerous when I rang the doorbell.”
He stroked his dog’s head. “Naw, he’ll put his tail between his legs if he’s ever really challenged. He’s nothing like some of the other dogs I’ve had over the years.”
She put her fork on her plate, couldn’t eat another bite. “You sound disappointed.”
“I am, a little. I respect strength. Don’t you?”
She felt herself flush. He was characterizing himself as strong, powerful, and she understood why. “But does your dog need to be mean? What is it you’d like him to do? If he was prone to bite, and he got loose, he could go after one of your neighbors.”
“I wouldn’t mind him going after one certain neighbor.” He winked at her. “I’m kidding. It’s not that I’d like him to do anything in particular. I guess it’s like owning a fast car. You’ll probably never go screaming down the freeway at 150 miles per hour, but it’s nice to know you’ve got what it takes under the hood. I don’t have a security system. I don’t need one with a dog like this.”
“You don’t need one, anyway. We don’t have a lot of crime in Millcreek, especially in this area. I doubt anyone would dare break into your house, anyway.”
He reached over and took her hand. “Paige?”
She watched him adjust her rings so they were all straight. “What?”
“Why are we talking about my dog?”
Her mouth went dry. “I don’t know. I’m nervous?”
“Because...”
“I haven’t been with anyone except Micah and...this seems to be drifting in that direction.”
“Are you concerned about how he might react if we get...involved?”
Not in the way he thought. She wanted to rattle Micah, to wake him up and make him realize that he was walking away from the best thing to ever happen to him. “We’re divorced. What I do is no longer any of his concern.”
“Good. Because I don’t give a shit what he thinks about it.” Ed’s chair scraped the concrete as he pushed it back and stood. “I bought you a gift today, one you’re going to like.”
Paige’s heart started to thump against her chest. What was she doing? She had the sudden feeling she’d gotten herself into something she might later regret, but she also felt she was in too deep at this point. “What is it?”
“It’s in my bedroom,” he said. “I’ll show you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sloane couldn’t remember when she’d had a better time. Things were sometimes awkward between her and Micah—when there was a lull in the conversation and their eyes inexplicably locked for no particular reason, or they happened to brush against one another as they were moving around the cramped kitchen, cooking or cleaning up, but Trevor provided a nice distraction. Sloane enjoyed getting to see how he behaved with his father.
She liked the happier, more relaxed kid he was with Micah better than the worried, sad kid he was with Paige. She could only attribute the difference to each parent’s attitude. Micah acted as if all was well, so Trevor responded in a similar manner. Paige acted as though she was miserable, and that meant Trevor had to worry about her and carry a lot of angst. The impact Paige had was sad and yet Sloane couldn’t fully blame her. She understood that Paige was struggling emotionally and probably couldn’t help what she was doing to her kid.
“Can we watch a movie?” Trevor asked when the dishes were done. Micah had insisted he help clean up. It would’ve been easier to do the work without a third person in the kitchen, but Sloane respected that Micah was trying to teach his son to do his part.
“Not tonight, bud,” Micah said. “You’ve got school in the morning.”
Trevor’s scowl looked a lot like Micah’s when he was displeased. “A movie doesn’t take long.”
“It takes two hours, and that’s two hours you need to be sleeping.”
Trevor went to the window to part the blinds and peer
outside. “We haven’t heard from Mom. Maybe she’s still planning to pick me up.”
Micah checked his watch. “I doubt she’s coming tonight. It’s almost ten. She must’ve forgotten to call, is probably assuming I’ll put you to bed—which is exactly what I’m going to do.”
He looked back over his shoulder at them. “Is Sloane staying over, too?”
Sloane chose that moment to break in. “No. I’ve got to get back to the motel. You wouldn’t mind riding along while your father drives me, would you?”
“No.”
“Good. Thanks for letting me have dinner with you.” She grabbed her bag. “Ready?” she said to Micah.
He scooped his keys off the counter and followed them out.
Sloane felt better leaving his house under cover of darkness; there was less risk of being seen together.
On the ride, they talked about the changes that’d taken place in Millcreek while she was gone. “Have you seen the new arts center at the high school?” Micah asked.
“They have a new arts center?” she said.
“They requested a new gym but they couldn’t get the money appropriated until they upgraded the computer lab and arts department.”
“So when do they get the new gym?” she asked drily.
“Soon.” He grinned. “Thanks to your father. He fought for it.”
“I’m not surprised. He was always a big sports buff.”
“How come you’re staying here?” Trevor asked as they pulled into The Wagon Wheel.
Apparently, he hadn’t been paying attention when she’d said she was going to the motel this morning—or he hadn’t clued in to what or where the motel was. “There aren’t a lot of other options in this town,” she said as she climbed out.
Micah rolled down the passenger window, so she shut the door before saying goodbye. “You won’t be calling anyone else on the list we put together tonight, will you?”
“No. It’s too late. People here are already leery of me. The last thing I need to do is give them reason.”
