Colliding With You

by Kelli McCracken

  “Cordae was so full of life, and she wasn’t afraid of anything. In fact, she had caught word that there was a talent scout in the area, and he was holding auditions at one of the local studios. She was determined to go there and be discovered. And she was.”

  Mr. Clarke’s voice cracked, causing Cassie to flinch. Theo joined her on the sofa and wrapped his arm around her. She leaned against him and concentrated on her father, who was still focused on something outside.

  “Cordae was offered a contract to go to New York and join an elite studio where she was promised to appear in movies and possibly get a part in a Broadway show. She had one more performance to do with the company she’d trained with, and being the honorable woman she was, she refused to leave until she’d fulfilled her obligations.”

  A pit formed in Jesse’s stomach when he saw Mr. Clarke brace the wall with his hand and hang his head. Nothing he’d said so far was enough of a reason for him to treat Cori the way he had. What hadn’t he told them?

  After another round of silence, Mr. Clarke shifted his stance and sighed. “I was supposed to go to her last performance but was late getting there. Cori was young at the time and sick with the flu. Her mom was late getting home from the store. As soon as she arrived, I left to go see Cordae’s performance.”

  Buzzing could be heard from across the room. Jesse glanced at Theo as he pulled out his cell phone and silenced it. He apologized for the interruption and went back to comforting Cassie, who was covering her mouth at this point. She sensed the same thing Jesse had—her father’s guilt.

  “What happened, Dad?”

  “I arrived just as the curtain went up. There was no way I could get to my reserved seat, so I stayed in the back with the ushers. Cordae was magnificent. She danced like it was the last time she ever would.” This time, when Mr. Clarke turned around, his eyes were full of tears. “It was the last time she danced. At the end of the show, the performers came out to take a bow. Cordae never saw it coming.”

  “What?” Cassie chimed in, her voice shaking as much as her father’s.

  “One of the props fell from the rafters and hit Cordae in the head near her temple. She was killed instantly.”

  He couldn’t say more. His emotions got the best of him, and for the first time in Jesse’s life, he saw a grown man weep like a baby. Regardless of what he thought of Mr. Clarke, the man loved his sister. Jesse could relate to him. If something ever happened to Jamie . . .

  Mr. Clarke blew his nose in a handkerchief he pulled from his back pocket. After rubbing it a few times, he put it away and gazed at the floor. “Losing my sister changed me. I pulled away from everyone, especially Cori. She reminded me so much of what I’d lost.”

  “It wasn’t her fault, Dad,” Cassie sobbed. She buried her head in Theo’s chest to stifle the sound, though it didn’t help much. If Cori were there, she would be just as emotional too.

  Jesse was glad she was still asleep at the house. He’d heard parts of this story before, just not from Mr. Clarke. Cassie had discovered some of it and told Cori at the Christmas party she attended with Jesse. It still didn’t explain why Mr. Clarke was so adamant about Cori not dancing.

  Mr. Clarke’s face pained as he watched Cassie cry. “I know it wasn’t her fault, Cass. At the time, I was in so much pain and couldn’t see past it. I shut myself off to grieve. In the process, I pushed her away. That’s when she grew closer to your mother. It’s also the reason I caved when she came to me the first time and asked to take dance classes.”

  Cassie wiped her eyes and then turned them on her father. “Why did you let her join?”

  He stared into the distance as if he remembered something important. “Cori was only five. I still remember the day she ran up to me and looked at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. She begged me to let her dance. It was like watching Cordae beg our father for the same. I couldn’t tell her no.”

  One thing was for certain. Jesse knew the look Cori had given her father. He’d seen it on several occasions, and it made him cave too.

  “A few years after Cori began dancing, I got a call from a detective. It seems someone tipped them off that Cordae’s death wasn’t a freak accident.” He drew in a deep breath as he shook his head. “After further investigation, they arrested one of the girls my sister had danced with for years. This girl sabotaged the props that fell on Cordae.”

  This time, Cassie gasped. She stared at her father as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Aunt Cordae was murdered?”

  “Not exactly,” her father answered. “The woman didn’t mean to kill your aunt, just hurt her. It seems she was jealous that Cordae had been offered a contract when she auditioned at the same time and received nothing.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Cassie whispered.

  “I was in shock too. It’s the reason why I didn’t want Cori to pursue dancing after high school. I allowed her to do it that long because it kept her out of trouble, unlike you, my dear.”

  Cassie looked offended at first, but when Theo captured her attention, they both chuckled. “Yeah. I guess I wasn’t an angel.”

  “I had hoped that Cori would go to college and focus on her studies. When she brought up the fact that she was minoring in dance, I forbid her to do it. I had no clue about this course she’s been taking or that it counted as credits toward her degree.”

  “Why would you forbid her to follow her dream?” Jesse didn’t mean to cut him off, but he still didn’t understand why Mr. Clarke was so against Cori dancing.

  Casting his eyes back to the floor, Jesse wasn’t sure he’d get an answer. Then the older man looked his way. “Cori is just as talented as Cordae, if not more. I didn’t want her to pursue this dream of becoming a professional dancer. I was afraid she’d make someone jealous and I’d lose her too. It was selfish, I know that, but I couldn’t bear the thought of someone hurting my little girl.”

  And there it was—the bitter truth behind his motives. Now that Jesse knew them, he viewed the whole situation in a different light. While it wasn’t the best way to handle his fears, he understood why Mr. Clarke wanted to protect his daughter. It was easy to judge someone until you were in the same fucked up situation. He could say he would have done things differently, but until he had a daughter—or even a son—he couldn’t say for sure.

  When Theo’s phone rang again, he frowned. “I need to take this call. Sorry.”

  He excused himself and got up from the end of the sofa. Once he disappeared into the kitchen, Cassie looked at Jesse. “The baby’s pressing on my bladder. I need to use the rest room. Will you excuse me?”

  “Of course.” Jesse waited until she was out of the room before he faced her father. “Mr. Clarke, I appreciate you telling me all of this, but I think you need to talk to Cori. She needs to hear this from you, not me or anyone else.”

  Mr. Clarke agreed. “Do you think you can convince her to talk to me?”

  Jesse shrugged. “I will do my best. Cori has a mind of her own.”

  Her father didn’t dispute what he said. Instead, he nodded his head. “Like I said, she reminds me a lot of my sister. Cordae was as stubborn as the day is long.”

  As Jesse stood from the chair, he thought about everything he’d learned today. He had no idea of how to bring this up to Cori. Still, it was definitely something she needed to hear. She needed to mend her relationship with her father.

  “I need to get going, Mr. Clarke, but I give you my word. I will do my best to convince Cori to come and see you.”

  “Thank you, Jesse.”

  Once he faced the fireplace, Jesse headed toward the front of the house. He was almost out of the den when Mr. Clarke called his name again.

  “Despite what you or Cori may think, I love her more than she knows.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  Jesse didn’t realize what he said until it was too late. He didn’t care if Mr. Clarke knew how he felt about his daughter. It was the fact that it was the first time he’d admitted
the truth to himself. He hadn’t just fallen for Cori.

  He was in love with her.

  Chapter 24

  Jesse trudged toward his car, relieved to be out of the house and away from the intense emotions he’d witnessed. He had enough of his own to process. It wasn’t just the fact that he’d admitted to Mr. Clarke that he was in love with his daughter. It was the relief he saw in the man’s face, along with the worry.

  He needed to get home and talk to Cori. There was much to discuss. How would she handle the news of her father wanting to talk to her? Worse, how would she react when she found out he’d spoken with him?

  As he reached his door, he heard the screen door open and saw Cassie scrambling down the steps. Theo was hot on her tail, holding out his arms as if he would catch her if she fell. She almost lost her balance when she descended the last step.

  “Jesse, hold up.”

  Her voice held an urgency he couldn’t ignore. He leaned against his car, waiting until she and Theo reached him. Once she did, it took her a moment before she spoke. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe.

  “Are you okay?” Theo asked her, but she waved off his question.

  “What the hell happened between you and my sister, Jesse?”

  “Beg your pardon?”

  Her words confused him. Was she referring to something in particular? The tone of her voice matched the frown on her face.

  “I just got this crazy-ass text from Mariah.” She shook her phone in his direction. “Cori texted her earlier and asked Mariah to pick her up. When Mariah got there, Cori was a mess. She was in tears.”

  Confusion washed over him. He hadn’t been gone long. What could have happened to upset Cori enough to cry, or want to leave for that matter? The news caused his pulse to quicken. His skin pimpled as chills covered his body.

  “What the fuck happened? She was sleeping when I left.”

  “Mariah said she wasn’t making sense.” Cassie handed her phone to him and pointed to the message. “Read what she wrote.”

  Jesse held the phone as he read over the text Mariah had sent.

  She’s crying so hard, I can’t make out what she’s saying. All I’ve understood was something about Jesse being a liar, how she made a mistake, and that she wants to leave Savannah.

  An ache began in his stomach and spread to his chest. Cori could not leave Savannah. Whatever had her upset, he had to make this right. He didn’t want to lose her.

  “I gotta go.”

  Cassie’s nostrils flared as she took a deep breath. She shut his door as soon as he opened it and struggled to say something else. Then Theo stepped up beside her.

  “I’ll take it from here. Calm down.” Theo kissed her forehead and then focused on Jesse. “That was Allen calling earlier. He got a call from Maggie and said she sounded batshit crazy. She said she was going to keep calling you until you answered.”

  Anger exploded through Jesse. He gritted his teeth at the mention of his ex. Something had to give. Her instability grew each time he heard from her. Why couldn’t she just leave him alone?

  “Sounds to me like Maggie called and spoke with Cori instead. I shouldn’t have left my other phone there. I just didn’t want any interruptions while I was here. I guess I could have left it in the car. Damn it.”

  “You need to get over there,” Cassie demanded. “Mariah said Cori’s insisting on leaving. The only reason they haven’t left yet is because Cori got sick.”

  Leave it to Maggie to fuck up everything, and he was the dumbass that allowed it to happen. He could only imagine what she said to Cori. If it were anything like what Allen had told him . . . Fuck, he had to get home.

  It was surreal to know that any of this was transpiring. He felt as though he were on the outside, looking in at his life as it began to crumble. Cori agreed to move in with him less than twenty-four hours ago. Their first night together in the house had been incredible. He was looking forward to many more.

  Unless he made it back before she left, there wouldn’t be anything but an empty house waiting for him. The life he wanted to build with Cori would be gone. He couldn’t let it happen.

  Cori needed to know how much he loved her.

  Tires squealed as Jesse turned up the street to the house and pulled into the driveway. Mariah’s little red sports car sat in the other spot, the one he knew would be Cori’s spot eventually. At least he’d made it back before they left. It wouldn’t have happened had he passed a cop, not at the rate he was speeding.

  Once he made his way to the front door, he heard voices on the other side. They were muffled to the point he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Cori was probably convincing Mariah that she was okay and ready to leave.

  Not before he spoke with her.

  The front door swung open as he stepped inside. Mariah stood at the bottom of the staircase—the same one Cori was descending. The instant she saw him, she stopped. Her eyes widened and her lower lip quivered.

  She didn’t say anything. Neither did Jesse. All he could do was stare at her and the bag she had in her hand. Another minute and he would have been too late. Not that he was in the clear now. He still had to get her to talk.

  “Cori . . .”

  Her name stuck in his throat. He didn’t know how to start this. What if he said the wrong thing and fucked up everything?

  She glanced toward Mariah. “Did you call him?”

  “No. I sent a text to your sister. She must have told him.” She paused long enough to see Jesse nod. “Cor, you need to talk to him. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t care about you.”

  “I care a hell of a lot more than she knows.”

  Cori huffed at his response and shook her head. “Yeah, right. Women like me are a dime a dozen to you. I can’t believe I fell for your bullshit.”

  Her words cut deep. Of course she would think so poorly of him. Maggie had poisoned her mind. Now he had to prove his ex-girlfriend had lied again.

  As he approached the staircase, Mariah backed away. A second later, he heard her tell Cori, “I’m going to give you two some privacy.”

  “You’re not leaving, are you?”

  He hated the fear he heard in Cori’s voice. She took a few steps closer as if to stop her friend from leaving. All it did was bring her a foot away from him.

  “You need to talk this out, Cori. There’s a lot at stake. If you still want to leave afterward, call me.”

  Mariah waved at him before slipping out the door. She didn’t leave Cori a chance to argue. Good. He needed someone on his side today.

  Cori threw her hands up in the air once the door shut. She narrowed her eyes at him then turned around and marched up the stairs. When she turned toward their room, he followed her.

  By the time he made it to the doorway, Cori dropped her bag. Her hand covered her mouth as she hugged herself. She shook her head at him and turned around.

  “Don’t do this, girl. Talk to me.”

  “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  Her voice shook as she spoke. Jesse hated that she was this upset. At the same time, it said a lot about her and how she felt about him. If she didn’t care about him as much as he did her, she wouldn’t be this devastated. That meant there was still hope.

  “You may not have anything to say but I do, and you’re going to hear me out. It’s only fair you hear what I have to say after listening to Maggie spew her lies.”

  “Her lies. Your truths. There’s no difference.” Her voice cracked as she peered over her shoulder. He flinched at the sound then crept closer to the foot of the bed where she stood.

  “There’s a huge difference. She doesn’t want me to be with anyone but her. That’s not what I want. I want to be with you, Cori. Don’t allow her to come between us.”

  Cori sobbed. “This isn’t about Maggie. I had already decided to leave before she called.”

  It felt as if someone had kicked him in the chest. If Maggie’s lies weren’t the reason she was leaving, he
had no idea what it could be. Had he said or done something the night before? She never let on like anything was bothering her. Their evening had been perfect.

  “I don’t understand, Cori. Why do you want to leave?”

  “Because if I don’t, you’ll end up asking me to leave anyway.”

  His mouth gaped. “How can you say that? As soon as I heard you were leaving, I rushed over. I was doing sixty in a thirty-five because I was afraid I wouldn’t make it in time.”

  She spun to face him as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I heard your phone call this morning, Jesse. Every. Single. Word.”

  “What phone call?”

  “The one you got right before you left. I know about the baby.”

  Holy fuck. He thought she’d been asleep during his phone call with Allen. It’s why he’d stepped out of the room once he answered it.

  “The baby isn’t mine, Cori.” He needed her to believe him. When he saw new tears on her cheeks, his chest constricted. “I swear on my life, Cori, I’m not the father. Maggie and I dated a year ago. I haven’t touched her since then.”

  Perhaps he’d gotten through to Cori. Her tears finally stopped. Then her brows folded together. It wasn’t a look of anger he saw but more a sign of confusion.

  “Maggie?”

  “Yeah,” he answered. “That’s why Allen called this morning. He found out she was pregnant and he wanted to razz me about it. He had me going for a minute. Then he confessed to making it up, at least the part about me being the dad.”

  Cori blinked as she stood in silence, taking in what he said. Nothing he told her had been a lie. Would she see that? Would she . . .

  “Wait a second. If you didn’t know I was talking about Maggie, who did you think I was talking about? You’re the only person I’ve been with since she and I split up. Even when the band went to California a few months ago, I wasn’t sleeping with anyone.”