I stared at him. "And that's the usual way? You guys do this a lot?"
Joel hesitated. "I wouldn't say a lot."
I was almost afraid to ask. "About the garage, did Jake break anything? Like a window or door?"
"Nah. He told me he left it just like he found it."
If I weren't so concerned, I might've smiled. Apparently, there was some brotherly trust after all. "And you believed him?"
"Hell no," Joel said. "I drove out and checked, also made sure that Jake paid the guy."
Well, so much for the trust thing.
Pushing that thought aside, I said, "I need to pay him back."
"No. You don't. I already paid him."
"Oh. Okay. So I'll pay you back."
"That's what you think. It was a surprise, like a gift. You can't pay for that."
"But–"
"But nothing," he said. "I'm just pissed it was Jake, and not me, that found the place first."
"Oh, so you were gonna break into the garage?"
"That was the idea." He glanced away. "Which I should've kept to myself."
I had to laugh. "You're all crazy. You know that, right?"
"Hell yeah," Joel said. "Which is why I wanted them gone."
I saw his logic. But it still hurt to hear, for his sake, not mine. Tentatively, I said, "There's something I don't get."
"What's that?"
"Well, Jake retrieved my car, and saved you the trouble. Why would that make him–"
"A prick? Because he is."
"Yeah, but maybe this time, he was being nice."
"Nice? Jake?" Joel made a scoffing sound. "Dream on. He wasn't being nice. He was in a hurry to get his Camaro."
"But what did that have to do with anything?"
"I told him he'd get his car after I got yours."
"But why would you tell him that?"
"Because I figured as long as they were here, they could help me find the place, and maybe watch my back while I did it."
"But instead, he went out and got it himself?"
"Pretty much."
"Well, maybe it was some kind of peace-offering. Or maybe he wanted to keep you out of trouble."
Joel was frowning now. "What, you're sticking up for him?"
This reminded me of our last fight, back when I'd thought his brother was some poor slob, driving a beater. I no longer thought that, but this wasn't even about Jake. It was about Joel.
I squeezed his hand. "Hey, I'm on your side, totally. I just hate that you're fighting, that's all." In a quieter voice, I added, "I would've killed for a brother."
"Yeah? If you wanna trade, let me know."
"Except I can't," I said, "because I don't have one. That's my whole point. I'm just saying, maybe you're luckier than you realize." I summoned up a smile. "He's older right? So maybe he was looking out for his little brother."
Joel's eyebrows lifted, and I saw a hint of humor return. "Little, huh?"
I let my gaze drift over the length of him. He was tall and muscular, with large hands and long legs. Obviously, there was nothing little about him. At the sudden image that popped into my brain, heat flooded my cheeks and – to my total embarrassment – other places, too.
I cleared my throat. "You know what? Forget I said that." Suddenly desperate to change the subject, I said, "Hey, about the Camaro. Is that the car from that movie?"
"Flashbang? Yeah, that's the one."
"But why didn't you tell me?"
Joel gave me a wicked grin. "Because I didn't want you to know."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, well that's nice."
"Hey, I wasn't looking to advertise it," he said. "And you've gotta remember, we'd just met."
He was right. At the time, we had just met, and we weren't exactly hitting it off. "But if the car was some kind of secret," I said, "why'd you take it out that night?"
"Because my own car was blocked in, and there was no way in hell I was gonna let you walk home in the dark." His mouth tightened. "Alone."
I had to smile. "So you pulled out a movie prop?"
"Hey, I'd have stolen a car if that's what it took."
I laughed. "Oh, stop it. You wouldn’t."
"Wanna try me?"
"No," I said. "Definitely not."
Joel smiled. "Probably, I should've stolen a car. That Camaro? It was how my brothers found me."
"Because you drove me home that night?"
"Nah," Joel said, "because someone spotted the car outside the storage place, and then jumped on the internet to brag about it."
I cringed. "Oh."
"What?"
"I'm pretty sure that was April." I went on to explain how April had spotted the Camaro on her way out of town, and had called me afterward to tell me about it. I finished by saying, "So in a way, it's my fault you were found."
"Why your fault?"
"If only I'd put two and two together, I would've asked her not to say anything."
"Hey," Joel said, "you've got nothing to be sorry for." He gave my hand a tender squeeze. "And I like April. She looks out for you."
Yes, she definitely did, even if it meant warning guys that I wasn't a sack-jumper. But there was no way I'd be bringing that up.
Still, I had to smile. "Yeah, I like her, too."
"Speaking of cars," Joel said, "how about that ride?"
I gave a happy nod, and then drove him across the street to get his car. Five minutes later, I was driving back to my place, with Joel following in his own vehicle.
With him a few car lengths behind, I turned into my driveway, only to hit the brakes when I spotted them – my aunt and uncle, scurrying like rats, along the side of my house.
I sighed. Not again.
Chapter 47
I gave my uncle a hard look. "You're early."
He was standing next to Aunt Vivian, who was doing her best to look like this was just a casual visit, which made no sense whatsoever, because they were decidedly overdressed.
Joel and I had caught up with them in the back yard, where, as near as I could tell, they'd been making for the back door. Now, we were all standing on the back patio – with my aunt and uncle facing off against me and Joel.
I gave Joel a sideways glance. If it came down to a fight, I was liking my odds.
From my uncle's expression, he wasn't. He looked from me to Joel and back again. "Uh, early?"
I crossed my arms. "Yeah. By a few weeks."
His eyebrows furrowed. And then, with an obvious effort, he summoned up a hearty smile. "Yup. We sure are."
I made a scoffing sound. "You don't even know what I mean, do you?"
"Sure I do." But then, he leaned closer to Aunt Vivian and whispered, "Do you know?"
"Oh for heaven's sake," my aunt hissed. "You do realize, she can hear you."
My uncle's gaze shifted to Joel, and he swallowed with an audible gulp. From the corner of his mouth, he whispered again. "What about the big guy? You think he heard?"
This time, it was Joel who answered. "Yeah. He did."
My aunt gave a dramatic sigh. "There's no need for theatrics." She lifted her chin. "We decided to pop in for a little visit. What, is that some sort of crime now?"
I eyed their clothes. My uncle was wearing a black tuxedo. As for my aunt, she was wearing a long, emerald evening gown and lots of sparkling jewelry. She looked like she was dressed for the opera, with herself in the starring role.
I said, "Nice of you to dress up."
My uncle beamed. "Thanks. I wanted to wear my green tux to match, but your aunt said no."
Aunt Vivian gave him an annoyed look. "Ernie. Dear. I believe she was being sarcastic." She turned back to me and added, "Which we don't appreciate, by the way."
Talk about nerve.
"Wanna know what I don't appreciate?" I said. "These little visits. Just admit it. You're not here to see me. You're here to see what you can make off with."
My aunt gasped, "Well, I never!"
Joel spoke up. "Yes. You did."
An edge crept into his voice. "But it's gonna stop."
Aunt Vivian turned to glare at him. "Who asked you, anyway?"
Now, it was my turn to speak up. "Me. That's who."
Suddenly, my uncle burst out, "Hey Melody! We brought you something." And then, with a flourish, he reached into the lapel pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small silver box, topped with a matching bow.
He held it out in my direction. "See, we weren't taking something. We were giving something." He gave my aunt a sly wink. "Right, Viv?"
She froze. "Um, well, you see…" And then, like a striking cobra, her arm shot out, reaching for the gift. Startled by the sudden motion, my uncle jerked back, and the box tumbled to the concrete. The lid popped off, and a small silver thing went rolling down the patio stairs. My aunt screeched, "Look what you did!"
Who? Me? Or my uncle?
I never found out, because already, my aunt and uncle were scrambling away, like kittens chasing a ball of yarn. Whatever the thing was, my uncle swooped it up and kept on running, with my aunt sprinting behind him.
I had to give her credit. For someone wearing heels and a long dress, she was no slouch in the running department.
When they disappeared around the corner of the house, I reached down and picked up the empty box, along with its lid. Attached to the lid was a small gift tag. I read it out loud. "To Bob and Marge. With love, from Ernie and Vivian."
I lifted my gaze to Joel. His body was rigid, and his mouth was tight. He was staring at the corner of the house, where my aunt and uncle had disappeared from view.
Hoping to lighten his mood, I said, "Well, Bob. What'd you think of that?"
His gaze didn't waver. "I think they need a talking to."
Maybe they did. But I'd had more than enough drama for one night. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "No. I'm the one who needs a talking to. Remember?"
Finally, he turned to look. "You said they wouldn't be back for a while."
"Yeah, well, they probably had some sort of special thing going on." I perked up as I realized something. "Hey, you know what that silver thing was?"
"What?" Joel asked.
"A little penguin. Aunt Vivian has this friend – Marjorie – who collects them. No wonder my aunt was so horrified. She probably had it made special or something."
As I talked, Joel's gaze kept shifting back to the corner of the house, as if he hadn't quite decided whether or not to give chase.
Hoping to keep him rooted next to me, I went on to tell him that Bob and Marjorie had a lake house twenty minutes away, and that they entertained a lot. I finished by saying, "So that explains the early visit." I gave a happy sigh. "There. Mystery solved."
At last, Joel turned and gave me his full attention. "You're happy about this?"
I smiled. "Nope."
He studied my face. "So why are you smiling?"
Still smiling, I tossed out a phrase I'd heard from him several times already. "You've gotta ask?"
Finally, he smiled and took my hand in his. Together, we circled the house, heading toward the driveway, so I could retrieve my keys from the car. But just as we reached the porch, Joel stopped to stare at the front door.
Following his gaze, I turned to look. Taped to the door was some sort of note. From my aunt and uncle? That would be my guess.
But that guess was wrong – unfortunately.
Chapter 48
With Joel standing a few feet away, I pulled the note off the door and gave it a quick read, only to feel myself pale with anger. I looked up and saw Joel watching me.
Concern darkened his features. "What is it?"
"Nothing."
Again, I looked down to study the note. I recognized the tight handwriting as Derek's. But even if I didn't, I'd still know that the note was from him, even though it was unsigned.
It was short, only four words. Did you pay him? Below those four words was a scribbled drawing of a cartoon cat.
In other words, a pussy.
I was still staring when the note disappeared, yanked out of my hands by Joel. I looked up to see him clutching it in his right hand, even as his gaze remained on me.
I gave the note a nervous glance. "You're not planning to read that?"
"The hell I'm not, after the look you just gave it."
"I gave it a look? What kind of look?"
"Like it hurt you." His voice softened. "And I don't like it."
"Yeah," I mumbled, "that makes two of us."
Joel rotated the note and gave it a long, silent look. When he looked up, his jaw was tight. "Who wrote this? Derek?"
"I guess."
"You guess? Or you know?"
"It's his handwriting. So yeah, I'm pretty sure it's him." I blew out a long, nervous breath. "Some joke huh?"
"Lemme ask you something. Do you think it's funny?"
I glanced away. "Not particularly. But I do like cats. So that's something, right?"
"Oh yeah. It's something." Joel gave the note another look. "Am I the 'him'? The one you're paying?"
"I guess," I said. "I mean, I can't think of anyone else, if that's what you're asking." I reached out and tugged the note from his hand. And then, I crumpled it up and shoved it deep into the pocket of my shorts.
Too bad we weren't camping. I'd toss it into the fire and laugh while it burned.
Okay, maybe I wouldn't laugh. After all, none of this was terribly funny. Still, I tried to smile. "You know what? I'm not even gonna think about it."
"Yeah? Well, I am."
I gave Joel a pleading look. "I appreciate that, honest, but this isn't what I wanted." I glanced toward my front door, which I still hadn't opened. "It's like every time you and I get a chance to talk, something stupid happens. I hate that."
"Wanna know what I hate?" Joel's gaze shifted to my pocket. "Shit like that. The guy needs a good ass-kicking."
"Maybe he does. But that would hardly be helpful." I sighed. "Can't we just forget it?"
"Here's another question," Joel said. "Before I showed up, was there anything between you?"
"I already told you. No. Never."
"You sure about that?"
"Definitely." And I was. Whatever Derek's problem was, it didn't stem from any romantic interest. I was absolutely sure of it.
When Joel said nothing, I said, "Oh come on. You have brothers. And you don't always get along, right? And just because someone leaves a rude note, it doesn't mean they have a crush on someone."
"A crush?" Joel said. "The guy's an asshole. And he's jealous. It's a dangerous mix. You know that, right?"
"But there's nothing romantic about it, so he can't be jealous."
Joel's mouth tightened. "There's more than one kind of jealousy."
"Yeah," I said. "I know. Like right now? I'm jealous that we're spending so much time talking about this."
At Joel's stony expression, I took a deep, calming breath. "Listen, I so appreciate that you care about this, but come on. Last night was totally crummy, and I don't want tonight to be, not for either of us. So can't we just put it behind us?"
Joel gave my pocket another long look. Finally, he said, "Alright. If that's what you want."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
And then, he added, "But only because you're gonna tell me what's going on."
Something in his eyes told me there was no point in arguing. After all, we'd agreed to swap secrets, and this was definitely part of it, for better or worse.
This is why, a few minutes later, we were standing side-by-side on the back patio. Together, we gazed out over the endless dark waters of Lake Michigan, illuminated only by the nearly full moon. The interrogation hadn't yet begun, and I wasn't looking forward to it.
But at least we were no longer arguing. After walking through my front door, I'd reminded myself that none of this was Joel's fault. If it weren't for Derek's stupid note, we'd probably be having a perfectly lovely time.
True, we'd both agreed to spill our secrets, but thi
s wasn't the way I'd envisioned it.
The night was warm with a cool breeze coming off the lake. Even here, high above the water, I could hear the waves lapping at the rocky shoreline below the bluff.
Hoping to ease some of the tension, I'd gone into the kitchen and pulled out one of my birthday gifts – a bottle of cabernet from Dorothy the librarian. I'd filled two glasses – one for me and one for Joel.
Even if he didn't need it, I did.
With my glass in-hand, I watched him from the corner of my eye as he gazed out over the water. As for his wine, it remained mostly untouched, sitting on the wide railing in front of us. Next to his glass, I'd placed the half-empty bottle, which I'd lugged out here, just in case.
Watching him now, I couldn’t help but notice the difference between this Joel and the pissed-off guy who'd yanked the note out of my hands.
He was a mystery, full of too many contradictions to count. He was sweet, but tough. Sensitive, but stubborn. Sexy, but slow to make any moves.
Was I complaining? I wasn't sure. April had been right. I wasn't quick to jump in the sack. But a sack with him? Now that would be something.
Already, I knew he was a great kisser. And from the little contact we'd had already, I knew that I loved the feel of his rock-hard body against mine.
Of course, this had been through layers of clothing. But it's not like we'd been wearing padded parkas or anything.
Even so, it was more than his body, or those soulful eyes of his, that made my heart flutter and thoughts run wild. It was a feeling that I couldn't quite describe, like I'd only scratched the surface of who he really was.
Joel's voice, quiet, but laced with steel, interrupted my thoughts. "So, are you gonna tell me?"
I gave a little jump. "Yeah. Of course." I turned to face him. "That's why we're out here, isn't it?"
Like me, he had turned inward, and was now facing me instead of the water. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I tried not to squirm under his penetrating gaze.
I said, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but…" I hesitated. "Why is this so important to you?"
"You don't know?"
I did know, in the sense that I knew that he liked me. But that hardly seemed a plausible reason to take such an interest in my problems. Struggling to find the right words, I said, "I know that we've really hit it off." I gave him a shy smile. "And I know that I like you. A lot. And I think you like me…"
Something Tattered (Joel Bishop Book 1) Page 18
