by Lori Foster
“In the meantime,” Denny said, “I’ll start working on getting Tim back in shape.”
Horrified by that prospect, Tim whispered, “No.”
“We’ll ice what’s bruised, then work out the stiffness with some swimming, and finish up with the sauna to relax everything.”
Both hands in his hair, Tim slumped forward and moaned.
“Sounds like you guys have everything all set.” Ashley pushed back from the table and stretched, then looked at her watch. “Just in time, too. I need to run to my place to shower and change, and then get to school.”
“Ash,” May protested, “you have school this morning? Why didn’t you say something?”
“I have school every morning during the week.”
“But you were up all night, too.” To Jude and Denny, May explained, “She works from eight at night to four in the morning, then catches some sleep before school. But last night I called her, so she hasn’t even been home.”
“It’s no big deal, May. I’ve pulled all-nighters plenty of times.”
“But not under these circumstances,” May insisted.
“And not,” Jude said, “with probable danger. I agree with May. You should stay here. At least for the rest of the afternoon.”
Typical of Ashley, she shook her head and laughed off the idea of protection. “No can do. I’ve got a test today, and if I miss it… Well, let’s just say my instructor scares me way more than the idea of some idiot who thinks with his fists.” Determined on her course, she added, “The professor can fail or pass me. But the idiot who thinks with his fists would have to catch me first. And truthfully? I’m too busy to slow down for him.”
Chapter 9
Jude could feel May’s tension when she said, “That’s not funny, Ash.”
“Sure it is.” Ashley gathered up her purse and pushed in her chair. “Besides, why would anyone want to hurt me? I’m not a part of this.”
“What if someone saw you come here?”
Ashley’s mocking gaze went to Denny. “Then that’d mean he’s not as good at watching for tails as he claimed. Surely, you don’t want to insult Denny like that.”
Denny snorted.
“She’s right, you know,” Jude said. “Denny’s good, but there could still be a risk involved.”
“Sorry. School comes first.” She waggled her brows at Jude. “Even before hunky movie stars.”
“What if someone sees you leave here?” May asked. “What if someone comes after you?”
“The mood I’ in in, the sorry SOB will wish he’d never met me.”
Denny laughed. “You’ve got cojones, child.”
“Yeah, I know.” And then to May, “Now, stop looking like that. For crying out loud, I’ll be fine. I’ll catch a nap before work.”
“Work?” Denny asked. “You’re working tonight, too?”
“Yeah, we middle-class stiffs have to pay the bills.”
“Both jobs?” May asked, and Ashley just shrugged.
Denny scowled darkly. “What do you mean by both? She has more than one job?”
“She waits tables at a restaurant a couple of times a week, too.”
“I get great tips. It’s all the personality, ya know.”
Denny scoffed.
The way May looked at him, Jude could tell she wanted him to fix things somehow. But his impression of Ashley Miles was that she made her own decisions, and neither wanted nor needed input from a near stranger.
Still, he tried. “If you’d like to take the night off, I’d be happy to compensate you for your wages.”
“Nope, but thanks anyway.”
“You’ve been an enormous help. It’s the least I can do.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“Stubborn,” Denny groused. “Will it offend your independent nature to log my number and Jude’s into your phone, so you can call us quick if you have a problem?”
“Good thinking.” She tossed her cell phone to Denny. “Have at it.”
In seconds, Denny had both numbers programmed in for her. “You had May as number one, so now I’m number two and Jude is number three. Just push a button and you’re bound to get one of us.”
“Aye aye, captain.” She tucked the phone back into her pocket. “May, you got my car keys?”
Reluctantly, May handed them over. “Please be very, very careful.”
Flashing a glance at Jude, Ashley said, “Yeah, you, too.”
“Come on, Ashley,” Jude said, “I’ll walk you to your car.” He didn’t want her warning May away from him, and he needed a chance to talk with her, anyway.
To his surprise, May didn’t try to follow. Instead, she hugged her friend good-bye, thanking her profusely for her help and making her promise to call if she needed anything. Then she turned to Denny and asked if he’d show her where Tim’s room would be.
As soon as they left the kitchen, Ashley told him, “She’s up to something.”
Because he’d been thinking the same thing, Jude raised a brow. “Do tell.”
“Normally, she’d dog my heels all the way to the car, then stand in the driveway waving until she couldn’t see me anymore.”
“Elton Pascal,” Jude said, thinking aloud. “She probably plans to drill Denny about him.”
“And he is?”
Someone Jude didn’t want to talk about, and a person May would never get near. “No one important. Just a nutcase who doesn’t like me.”
“Ah, yeah. I have some of those people in my life, too. Best to ignore them.”
“That’s what I always say.” They stepped outside into a warm September day, humid from the recent rains and still a little overcast. “So you work and go to school, both?”
“Yeah, ain’t I amazing?”
Pretty much, yeah. Compared with someone like Tim who waited for a handout, Ashley’s attitude was more than admirable. But Jude didn’t say so. He could tell she treated her determination and motivation with sarcastic wit “What about your parents?”
She unlocked her car door. “Pretend I don’t have any.”
Oh. That stumped him, and made him respect her that much more. It couldn’t be easy for her, facing life completely on her own. Sure, she had May, but every young woman needed familial support and caring parents to back her.
Turning to lean against the side of the car, Ashley shook her head. “Don’t feel bad for me, Jude. I was the lucky one.”
In so many ways, she looked like May, just leaner and lankier. They were both such pretty women, with intelligent, kind brown eyes, dark feathery lashes, and high arched brows. But this was the very topic he’d meant to discuss, so he put his visual comparisons aside and kept her talking. “Meaning May was unlucky?”
“Are you kidding? I take it you haven’t met her folks yet.”
“They’re that bad?”
Ashley drew in a deep breath and let it out slow while staring off at the immense fountain gurgling in the side yard. “She’s got the psycho mom from hell, the father who’s a habitual liar about everything, and into the mix comes Tim, who in their eyes can do no wrong.”
“And that leaves her… ?”
“To take care of them all.”
“I figured as much.”
“It’s totally weird. May’s mom blamed her for anything Tim did wrong. Not Tim. May. And when Tim needed something, even if it was something May had worked hard for, her folks expected her to give it to him.”
“Why?”
“Who the heck knows? They’d say, ‘If he had it, he’d give it to you,’ as if that’d ever happen.”
Jude knew the type. “Easy enough to claim, because Tim would never have anything May needed, so the theory can’t be proved.”
“Exactly. It’s easy to slap noble intentions on someone who won’t ever have to live up to them. Money, introductions, time, attention… they expected May to give to Tim. School was the worst. She couldn’t get involved in much because Tim was involved—and she had to take him to events, c
heer him on, and then take him back home. Her mom forever claims to be sick, and her dad is too busy chasing skirts.”
“Damn.” It sounded worse than he’d imagined.
“She fought his fights, propped him up and hugged him when he needed it. She even did his homework, if you can believe that crap. Olympia, May’s mom, threw on the guilt, telling her that Tim didn’t understand the work, but she did. It was easy for her and hard for him. It’s a wonder the creep graduated—and he probably wouldn’t have without May.”
“And her mom and dad?”
“She runs for them, too. Every little thing falls on May. And if it interferes with her life, too bad.” Ashley’s voice dropped. “The amazing thing is that she’s still so damn nice. To all of them.”
And the responsibility she felt was deeply ingrained. Anyone who cared for May would have to understand her priorities and accept her unusual duty to her family.
It couldn’t be easy, yet she and Ashley remained friends. “You two are close.”
“Like sisters. I care more about her than any blood relatives. More than anyone. May thinks it was a big deal for me to do without a little sleep for her today, but she’s done so much for me, I’m glad for a chance to repay her whenever I can.”
Jude bent his knees, bringing his gaze level with Ashley’s averted face. “What’d she do for you, Ash?”
Shaking her head, she said, “A better question would be, what hasn’t she done?” She laughed. “So I owe her. And God forbid I be like Tim, forever a taker without ever giving back.”
“I don’t think anyone would accuse you of that. From what I could tell, you’re a damn good friend.”
Her eyes, so much like May’s, met his. “May deserves the very best. In all things.”
“I agree.” Jude propped one arm on the top of the open car door. “So, are you going to lecture me about hurting her?”
“Nah. May’s an adult. She can take care of herself—she’s been doing it since she was born.” Ashley turned her head toward him, giving him a hard stare. She looked lethal, but her tone was soft, almost teasing. “Only a real asshole would deliberately use May. And c’mon, Jude, you’re not an asshole, are you?”
Jude couldn’t help but laugh. “I have no intention of doing anything to hurt her.”
“Yeah, well, keep that thought in mind for when you meet her folks.” She climbed into the car and put the key in the ignition. “Wherever May is, one of them shows up. And given what you’ve got… let’s just say, I imagine you’ll have a visitor before too much longer.”
“What I’ve got?”
“Money, fame, influence. Yep, they’re gonna love you.” She pulled her door shut and spoke to him through the open window. “If you really mean to have Tim sign loan papers, get it done as soon as possible, because her dad will be on you before you know it.”
Jude stepped back as she started the car and drove away. So Ashley thought May’s father would drop in on him? His biggest problem with that possibility was that it meant he’d have little time to get closer to May.
Better get to work on it now—while he could ensure some privacy.
Jude started toward the house, determined that May would get the rest she needed… after he got what he needed even more.
Her.
———
May tuned out Tim’s complaints as they went down to the lower level of Jude’s house to the rooms he’d use. She’d already noticed the elaborate wine rack in the kitchen, and the first thing she saw downstairs was a long, well-lit, mahogany wet bar that filled an entire wall. In front of that and to her right was a game room. To her left, through an oversized arched doorway, was the home theater. On the farthest wall behind her was an elaborate gym area that contained a heavyweight bag, a speed bag, a treadmill, and an assortment of barbells and weights with a bench.
The mahogany bar, though elegant and rich, might as well have contained blinking neon lights for the way it held all her attention. Glass shelves sported a variety of glasses, while a tinted glass cabinet protected more wine bottles and hard liquors.
Her stomach churned at the sight of so much alcohol. Did Jude imbibe while watching movies on the sixteen-foot screen? Maybe while he exercised? Did he consider drink an accompaniment to anything he did?
Most women wouldn’t care. They’d love Jude’s company, no matter how they spent their time. Other women didn’t have her loony family to contend with, either.
A glance at Tim told her that he’d noticed the liquor supply, too, and that couldn’t be a good thing. Her brother had adopted their mother’s unfortunate habit of overindulging. Right now, he looked at all that alcohol with covetous greed.
Trying to sound enthusiastic, May turned a full circle to see everything. “I can’t believe the size of this house.”
“There’s a lot more to see,” Denny told her. Then, denying Tim the opportunity to ogle the bar, he said, “This way.” Down a short hall, he opened a door to a moderate suite of rooms, including a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting area with a television, DVD player, and the requisite monitor—though this monitor wasn’t on.
Tim made a beeline for the bed and cautiously stretched out atop the beautiful quilt with a heavy sigh. “God, I’m sore.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, and with a look of distaste, Denny eyed him. “Lying around will only make it worse. The pool and sauna are at the other end of the floor. You’ve got ten minutes, then I’ll be ready for you, so don’t fall asleep.”
Eyes closed, Tim said, “I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“Don’t need one. There aren’t any ladies here except your sister, and she’ll be resting.” And in a final warning, “Ten minutes.”
May touched her brother’s foot. “Denny will have you feeling better in no time.”
Giving her the cold shoulder, Tim gingerly turned to his side without a reply. It embarrassed May that her brother could be so childish and unappreciative, especially when she saw Denny’s jaw flex in anger. She strode out of the room—but again stopped to stare at that elaborate bar with worry.
“Surly jerk,” Denny muttered as he joined her. He patted her shoulder and said, “Even the young and stupid have to grow up, whether they want to or not. Life has a way of seeing to it.”
On the pretense of cleaning her glasses, May ducked her head. But Denny, not one to miss much, noted her preoccupation with the bar. Scowling, he took two quick steps back into the room to confront Tim. “By the way, alcohol might dull the pain, but it does more harm than good.”
“Oh God, not a lecture on top of everything else.”
“I’ll lecture you whenever I damn well feel like it, and you’ll either listen, or take a hike down the driveway to deal with your problems on your own.”
Tim curled a little tighter on the bed but refrained from arguing.
“Now here’s a lesson you should take to heart. Booze might appeal to you right now, but it’s a downer, and you’re lower than a snake’s belly already. It directly affects brain cells—in those who have them, that is. I’m still undecided about you.”
“Ha-ha. Don’t make me laugh.”
Unfazed by Tim’s sarcasm, Denny continued, “It increases the workload on the heart, making you more tired than usual, and causes high blood pressure, vomiting, and ulcers. It widens blood vessels, which’d make your headache worse and cause a drop in your temperature. Because it reduces your body’s ability to make blood cells, it can leave you more susceptible to infection. And it can stop your kidneys from maintaining a proper balance of body fluids, meaning it’ll bloat your not-so-pretty mug.”
“All that, huh?”
“And more.”
“So why the hell does Jude have a supply if it’s such awful stuff?”
Denny smoothed his hand over his hair, and for the flash of a second, May could see a tattoo on his skull. “For parties and guests and a responsible social drink here and there. But drinking is forbidden when you train with me.”
&nbs
p; “I’m not training with you.”
“As of right now you are, so understand this. I know exactly how much alcohol is in every bottle. If you touch so much as a single drop, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Tim said something May couldn’t hear, but she saw Denny nod before pulling the door shut.
“Thank you.” After years of practice, making excuses for her brother came naturally to her. “He’s out of sorts, but I’m sure he appreciates all you’re doing.”
“No, he doesn’t. But who cares? Ain’t doing it for him, anyway.”
May wondered about that but let it go when Denny took her arm. “So what’d you want to talk to me about?”
Surprised, May gave a self-conscious laugh. “How did you know… ?”
“You’re easy to read, missy. A refreshing quality, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“No, I don’t mind.” They walked together through the game room and beyond. Denny was all business, whereas she took in her surroundings with awe. Just as Jude had claimed, he still had plenty of bare walls. The pieces he’d purchased would look wonderful with his décor, but she had a few more in mind that would really fit the overall tone of his home.
She’d discuss it with him, May decided. And whether he liked it or not, she’d gift him with a few pieces out of appreciation for all he’d done and still intended to do. She couldn’t personally afford many of the artists that she represented, but excluding her commission would help.
“This is the racquetball court,” Denny explained, letting her poke her head through a thick door where tall white walls and a glass viewing area framed light, highly polished wooden floors. “Jude loves the sport. And of course, this is the pool. That room at the end there is the sauna.”
“Wow.” Seeing the enormous indoor pool that resembled a natural pond almost made her forget the questions she wanted to ask. Lush plants, smooth rock, and boulder walls were everywhere. At one end of the irregularly shaped design, a small waterfall trickled into the water, rippling the surface. A space had been sectioned off for a connecting hot tub. “This is incredible.”
