Game Over (On the Wild Side #1)

by Cheryl Douglas

  The floral garland wrapped around the woman’s breasts and she was… very well endowed. “I was happy with the way it turned out.” It was a fairly large, colorful piece that took hours, so he was grateful for the distraction.

  Vlad laughed. “Man, you must have it bad if you didn’t even try to tap that.”

  “What are you talkin’ about?” Deke didn’t date clients, so even if he hadn’t been with Harper, he wouldn’t have been interested in the pretty girl who’d tried to slip him her number after he inked her. “You know I don’t cross that line.”

  Vlad rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna try and tell me it has nothin’ to do with that little dime who came in here to see you the other day. Harper?”

  Deke couldn’t argue. Harper was definitely a ten, in every way, but he didn’t appreciate his friend pointing it out. “Let’s just say we’re figuring things out, and leave it at that.” He didn’t mind going out with the boys for a few beers after work, but he tried to keep things professional at the shop.

  “Figuring things out, huh?” Vlad crossed heavily his inked arms as he leaned back on his chair. “Does that mean you’re bangin’ her?”

  Deke gave him a dirty look before turning back to his station, hoping to end the conversation. “Don’t make me knock your teeth out.”

  Vlad laughed, righting the flat cap on his shaved head. “Whoa! You’re really into this girl, aren’t you?”

  Deke knew there was a filthy comment to follow so he threw his hand up in warning. “Don’t say it or I will kick your ass.”

  Chuckling, he said, “Fine, I won’t say it, but you gotta tell me. That’s the girl, right?”

  The girl. Harper. The one every single one of his friends had heard about over the years because she was the standard by which he judged all other women. “Yeah, she’s the one.” The one. No doubt in his mind about that. Hell, after last night he was more certain than he’d ever been.

  Vlad stroked his full black beard. “So, why do you look like someone just ran over your dog then? If she’s back—”

  “Not sure she’s here to stay, that’s the problem.” Just saying it aloud turned Deke’s stomach, but holding it in wasn’t helping either. His friend wasn’t big on relationships, but maybe Vlad had something to offer that he hadn’t considered.

  “Ah, I get it. She’s just passin’ through town and you two hooked up. Now you don’t wanna let her go, huh?”

  “Somethin’ like that.”

  They’d never really talked about her future plans. When he offered her the job looking after Drew for the summer, he just assumed a couple of months would be more than enough time for them to re-connect. But he never considered the possibility that he’d after they’d reconnected… she’d still leave him.

  “So, what’re you gonna do?”

  “I wish I knew, man.” It felt like a no-win situation. He loved the girl. Could give her anything she wanted, except for a job doing the one thing she loved most.

  “You could propose.” He grinned. “That might keep her here.” He held up his index finger, circling it to indicate the shop. “Especially if she knew what she’d be givin’ up if she said no.”

  “Harper doesn’t care about money.” She was probably the first and last girl he’d dated who didn’t. “She just wants…” To do what she loves for a living. And how the hell could he be mad at her for that? He swiped a hand over his face, wishing he could find the answer. “She’s a teacher, Vlad. She just wants to teach.”

  “Oh yeah? What grade?”

  “First.”

  Vlad smirked. “Good with kids, huh? Bet she’d be a great mom, buddy. Maybe all you need to do to keep her here is knock her up.”

  Deke thought about last night. He hadn’t used a condom she hadn’t wanted him to pull out. That must mean she was on the pill. No way would she have risked getting pregnant when she was on the hunt for a new job. A baby would throw a wrench in all her plans. But it sure as hell would make him happy. A baby with Harper. God. That would be… the answer to his prayers.

  “Tell me what you’re thinkin,” Vlad said, grinning. He pointed at Deke. “You’re considering it, aren’t you?”

  “Don’t be an asshole.”

  He scowled, mainly because his friend reminded him how much he wanted a family with the love of his life. “Weren’t you listening to me? The girl has a career that matters to her. And she’s not gonna get a job in this…” He thought of ripping on their hometown, but he couldn’t. He loved this place, and knew Harper did too. Too bad it still wasn’t big enough for her dreams.

  “Hey, Deke,” Vlad said, looking serious. “If you need to re-locate, you know I could hold down the fort here, take care of the shop for you. Your brother’s coming back soon, right? Maybe you could hire him, part-time, to manage your rental units? Bet your girl could find work in Denver, and you could open another shop there.”

  Denver? Deke had never considered re-locating. He loved Carlton, and loved that he was a big part of the reason their little community was still thriving, but what the hell would life be like for him here once Harper left?

  “I’ll think about it, man.” He slapped his friend on the back. “Thanks.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Harper met Jude for a drink the night before they were heading out of town for the ball game with Drew. Things with Deke had been tense since she mentioned her job situation, and she needed to bend her friend’s ear about it.

  “So?” Jude said, grinning. “How’re things going with Deke?”

  They’d talked on the phone and texted a few times, so Jude knew they’d already bypassed the friend zone. “It was good until I told him I was still looking for a job.” She sighed before taking a deep pull of her vodka and soda. “I mean, what did he expect? Just because he has more money than he knows what to do with doesn’t mean we all do. I have to work.” She shook her head. “I want to work. I love it, you know that.”

  Jude nodded. “Of course you do. Besides, what would you do if you didn’t work, right?” She smiled. “I know I gripe about the salon, but I’d go nuts without it.”

  Just like Deke would probably go crazy without his tattoo shop. So why couldn’t he understand where she was coming from? She suspected he could, but didn’t want to accept their fate was tied to her job.

  “So, what are you gonna do?” Jude asked, eyeing her friend over the rim of her glass. “I know this gig looking after Drew is just temporary.”

  “It is. I knew that when I took it.” She sighed. “I just needed to make some money, and Deke’s offer was too good to pass up, which I’m sure was the point.”

  Jude grinned. “The man’s not stupid. He knew if you guys were spending time together it would only be a matter of time before you hit the sheets again.”

  “Or the floor.” Harper laughed when her friend’s mouth dropped. “We didn’t exactly make it to the bed.”

  “Eeee!” Jude stomped her feet on the floor, seizing Harper’s wrist. “Ohmigod! You slept with him? You have to tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single thing. Was he better than you remember? Worse? Was it a quickie… or more? Where was Drew?”

  Harper threw her hand up, trying to contain her laughter. “Would you take a breath, girl? To answer your question, it was a-mazing. But of course it was, right?” She rolled her eyes. “This is Deke we’re talking about. The man doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body when it comes to s-e-x.”

  Jude sighed, a contented smile spreading across her face. “How awesome is it to have a selfless lover for a change? We really hit the jackpot this time, didn’t we?”

  Jude had already overshared about her experiences with Jason, so Harper knew her friend’s long-time crush had exceeded her expectations in that department. “I’m so happy for you guys,” she said, smiling. “Seriously, Jason is a great guy. And I know you’ve been crushing on him forever. Maybe it was meant to be.”

  “I hope so.” Jude propped her chin in her upturned palm. “I can’t den
y the whole living together thing is a little weird, since I’ve never shacked up with a guy before. And it seems like we went from zero to a hundred in sixty.”

  Harper frowned. “You’re worried you might be rushing things?” It wasn’t like Jude to second guess herself, so maybe Jason was the one pumping the brakes. Not that she could blame him, in light of his recent divorce.

  Jude shrugged. “I don’t know. He wants to take it slow and honestly, so do I. I’ve waited a long time for this guy, so I don’t want to do anything to screw it up.”

  “I can definitely relate.” Her heart twisted every time she thought about the years she’d spent without Deke, going through the motions, pretending he couldn’t possibly be as incredible as her memories. But he was. And now she had to figure out what to do about that.

  “His goal is to save up some money for a house,” Jude said. “Living with me means he can do that. In the meantime, we’re having fun getting to know each other, hanging out, but who knows what’ll happen when he’s ready to move out, right? Maybe he’ll ask me to move in to the house with him, maybe not. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Wait and see,” Harper repeated, downing the rest of her drink before holding the glass up for their waiter to see she was ready for a re-fill. “I guess that’s what I’m doing too. I put out a lot of feelers out for jobs before I came here. I’m expecting to start getting some calls or emails requesting interviews any day now.”

  “Where’d you apply?”

  “Anywhere and everywhere. It’s not like I thought I could get a job here, and I wanted to get as far away from him as I could, so I just scrolled job postings for elementary teachers in different districts, researched the towns and cities, considered the cost of living, and chose the places that looked like they’d be a good fit.”

  Jude smiled. “So, just pointed to random places on the map, in other words.”

  “Something like that.” She sighed. “When my plans fell apart I just wanted to get the hell out of there, ya know? I wanted to start over somewhere new.”

  “So, why’d you come back here?”

  She’d questioned her decision the entire trip, but something was guiding her back home. Harper told herself it was her best friend. But now that she and Deke had re-connected, she wondered if it was more than that.

  “It’s home.” She looked around the crowded bar, smiling at all the familiar faces. It was the place she’d had her first legal drink. Sang karaoke for the first time. Danced with Deke on the tiny dance floor a hundred times. “Everything about Carlton… it’s just… home. What can I say? It wouldn’t be much to most—”

  “But to us it’s everything.” They shared a smile. “I get it, hon.” She squeezed Harper’s hand. “And no matter how long you stay, I’m so glad you’re back, and that we got to have this time together.”

  “Me too.”

  Leaving her best friend again would be as hard as it had been when she went away to college all those years ago. But leaving Deke again? That scared the hell out of her. They were too old for empty promises and long distance relationships. They weren’t kids anymore. They both wanted marriage and babies, but they couldn’t realize that dream together if her career took her thousands of miles away.

  The waiter returned with their re-fills and a basket of nachos they’d ordered before rushing off to tend to another table. It was Thursday night, but the place was humming with regulars.

  “What about Deke?” Jude asked, lowering her voice. “Can you really see yourself leaving him again?”

  “No.” Harper closed her eyes as she took a sip of her drink. “That’s the last thing I want to do. But I have to be a realist. His business is here. His family. His whole life. He’s not going anywhere. And I didn’t spend years in college, accumulating a fortune in student loans to wait tables in a greasy diner. Besides, I love teaching. Those kids…” Her heart hurt every time she thought about those sweet little faces she’d never see again. “They make me excited to get out of bed in the morning.”

  “Sounds like an impossible situation.” Jude’s smile was sympathetic. “So, what’re you gonna do?”

  “I have no idea. I guess I’ll just wait until I start to get some responses to the resumes I submitted and go from there.”

  “You could try and get something in Denver, right?”

  “Yeah, but it’s still like five hours away, Jude. Might as well be on the other side of the world if you’re trying to date.”

  “True.” Jude bit her lip. “But…”

  Harper knew her best friend too well, and she wasn’t one to hold back. “What? What are you thinking?”

  “How can you leave Deke now?”

  If she didn’t leave him soon, she was afraid she’d never be able to leave. But she’d committed to looking after Drew for the summer, so it’s not like she could just bail on him. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. If I leave I lose something important to me and if I stay I lose something important to me.” She raised her hand, raising and lowering it. “Deke or my career. It’s an impossible choice.”

  “Maybe there’s some other option you haven’t considered.” Jude tipped her drink back before her eyes widened. “Hey, maybe you could open a pre-school right here!” She tapped her hand excitedly on the table. “Think about how awesome that would be! You’d still get to work with kids and you wouldn’t have to leave me and Deke!”

  Harper loved her BFF’s enthusiasm, but starting a business now wasn’t even on her radar. She was still drowning in student debt. “This market isn’t large enough to support that. Besides, you’ve heard the stats. Half of new businesses fail in the first year. I can’t afford to fail, Jude. It would freakin’ bankrupt me.” Just thinking about the possibility gave her heart palpitations.

  “You could always get a loan from that rich boyfriend of yours,” Jude said with a sly smile. “I’m sure he’d give you very, uh, favorable terms.”

  “Shut up!” Hell would freeze over before she’d accept a penny from Deke. Well, except for the salary he paid her to look after his nephew. That was money she’d earned. Not a handout. “That’s not gonna happen. You know how many women have probably gone after Deke because of his money over the years? I refuse to be—”

  “Yeah, that’s the only reason a woman might be interested in him, right?” Jude rolled her eyes. “Have you taken a good look at the guy recently? Muscled, inked, mouth-watering perfection.”

  Like she needed to be reminded. She’d been up close and personal with him last night and had been salivating the entire time. “Still, I refuse to take advantage of him. Or take risks with his money. That’s crazy.” She shook her head emphatically. “I won’t even consider it.”

  “But you would consider leaving him? Breaking his heart? Destroying any chance you might have of a future with him?” Jude shook her head. “Why? Because of your stupid pride? That doesn’t make sense, girl.”

  It was more than her pride. Even if she was gambling with her own money and didn’t have a mountain of debt, it was still too risky. Besides, did she really want the added stress of running her own business when she could work in a classroom, have evenings, weekends, and summers to herself, and skip the stress? To her, signing on for that didn’t make sense.

  “Look, I know you’re trying to help, but what you’re suggesting isn’t an option for me.”

  “Okay, it’s your call.” She looked Harper in the eye. “So, when are you gonna tell Deke that last night was a one-time thing?”

  “Uh—”

  “You can’t keep sleeping with the man if you’re not gonna stick around, Harper. That’s not fair to him or you.”

  She was right, but damn, it hurt like hell to admit it.

  “I guess I’ll have to tell him this weekend.” And pray he doesn’t hate me.

  ***

  Deke had managed to secure tickets to both Saturday and Sunday games, so by the time Sunday night rolled around, Drew was exhausted. He’d watched every
inning with wide-eyed excitement and Deke even managed to snag a fly ball for him as a memento.

  It was so sweet, watching the serious case of hero-worship he had for his uncle. And Harper got it. She’d never met a man who was so good with kids. And not just with Drew either. The kids they’d talked to at the batting cages before the game and the ones sitting beside them spent the whole game vying for Deke’s attention.

  They’d had a great time. But there’d been an underlying tension between them and Harper knew it was because Deke was trying not to get in too deep until she’d made a decision about her career.

  After they’d read Drew a bedtime story and he’d drifted off, Harper whispered, “Can we go next door and talk?”

  They had adjoining suites and Deke had remained firmly behind his side of the door both nights, making her even more confused. If their time was limited, wouldn’t he want to take advantage of every minute they had together? It wasn’t like Deke to hold back, or play it safe. And she had to know what he was thinking, before her speculation drove her crazy.

  “Sure.” He took one last look at Drew, who was sleeping peacefully, before crossing the room to his suitcase. “Thought we might need this,” he said, holding up the monitor.

  She wanted to ask why they hadn’t put it to use before, but bit her tongue. Once they were in her suite, she asked, “You want something to drink?”

  “No thanks, I’m good.”

  They’d gone to a steakhouse for dinner, after the game, but Harper had been so nervous she could barely finish half of her meal. She knew this talk was inevitable, but no matter how many times she’d rehearsed it, she couldn’t find the right words.

  “Do you think the other night was a mistake?” she asked, finally. “When we had sex?”

  His expression turned dark and stormy, like he was barely hanging on. “First of all, we didn’t have sex, Harper. I made love… to the woman I love. And no, I don’t have any regrets.” He swore softly, turning his back on her. “Jesus, how can you even ask me that?”