“Yes, I know. But…”
Robbie squirmed in the kitchen chair at the ensuing silence. “Could we talk about something else?”
“Sure. Have you been in touch with Colin since you left?”
“I emailed him this morning to let him know I got home okay. I didn’t mention what happened when I got here, but I’m sure I’ll have to tell him eventually. He knew I was planning on surprising Luc.” She cringed at the way the conversation seemed to keep coming back to that bastard.
“Well, then. New topic,” Leah said, apparently aware of the continued theme herself. “How was work at the museum? Did you get enough experience?”
She brightened a measure. “I might have. The director in San Diego wrote me a raving recommendation and even said she would personally call the director here. I guess we’ll find out. She said she’d email me after she contacted him. Keep your fingers crossed.”
“What are you going to do in the meantime? Back to tossing pizzas?”
“I’m not sure. I have plenty of inheritance money to live off of for awhile. If the museum thing doesn’t work out, I might volunteer for a dig site somewhere just to get away.”
“Sweetie…I’m so sorry. I can’t not talk about it. It just breaks my heart.” Leah’s voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “If you need to come visit us, please do. We’d love to have you.”
“I thought you were going on a cruise?”
“That’s not until next month. Please, come visit.”
“Maybe.” Robbie traced a finger across the grain in the table. “Did you… I mean, have you…”
“Luc called last night and told us what happened. I made it very clear how disappointed in him we were. He was—”
“I don’t want to know. Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Okay, sweetie. Just know…what he did was wrong. You know it, I know it, and most importantly, he knows it. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
“All right. Look, Lizbeth’s waiting on me. I better go.”
“Call soon, sweetie, to let me know how you’re doing. I love you.”
“Love you too, Leah. Tell Lawson the same.”
She clicked off her cell, and set it on the table. She buried her face in her arms.
“You don’t have to go with me, Robbie. No one would expect you to,” Lizbeth said, rubbing Robbie’s back.
“No. I’ll go.” Her voice was muffled in the confines of her folded arms. “I told you I would. Chances are he won’t be there, anyway.”
“Even still, I can go by myself. Conrad, I can handle. I just need to get the rest of my crap out of his place.”
Robbie lifted her head to study Lizbeth. She was leaning against the table, chewing her lip with abandon, and her eyes were darting all over the place. Oh yeah, she was nervous as hell. There was no way she was gonna make her go by herself. “Let’s go.”
The car ride over was quiet, but comfortable. And Robbie found enjoyment in being out of the apartment and into the sunshine. They grabbed a coffee along the way, adding to the calm atmosphere she was reveling in. Window rolled down, she closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her face. The tranquility, however, was short-lived as they pulled out of the parking lot.
A man in a truck pulled in, then made an exaggerated swerve around them. “It’s a one way, you stupid bitch!”
Lizbeth was quick to bite back. “It’s a two way, you fucking moron! Way to show your IQ!”
Robbie let out a giggle as they squealed into the street. “Nice one, Lizbeth.”
“Men are so damn stupid. They think they know everything just because they have two heads instead of one.”
Her giggle turned into a laugh. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“What?” Lizbeth said, feigning innocence. “You know it’s true. Seriously, men are dense. Look at mine! I’ve been with that idiot for two years and we never even officially lived together! And then he hides this shit with Payten? I should kick him in the nads so hard they get lodged in his throat.” Robbie caught her glance. “Sorry, I digress.”
“Although I appreciate your loyalty, there’s no need to make Conrad sterile over it. I’ll be fine.”
Robbie closed her eyes again, and took a deep breath. She wasn’t fine, and wondered if she ever would be again, but she was determined not to dwell on it. The more she dwelled, the more she cried. The more she cried, the deeper she sank into the abyss. And the deeper she got, the less likely she would ever be able to function again.
“Look at you,” Lizbeth said, drawing her attention. “Aren’t you pissed about all this?”
“Would it help if I stomped my feet and screamed?”
“I guess not.”
“Then I have to go with it. No other choice, really.” She kicked back as if she could really care less. Maybe if she put on a good enough front, she’d be able to believe it herself. “I always knew he was a snake. I just never thought he’d be one with me. My own fault. I should’ve known better.”
They pulled up in front of Hooligan’s. Robbie’s heart slammed in her chest when she saw Luc’s truck parked further down the road.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Lizbeth snapped. “We don’t have to go in, Rob. I’ll just come back later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s just get this over with. I’m gonna have to see him eventually.”
“Yeah, but not the day after he breaks your heart.”
She sent Lizbeth a withering look.
“Fine,” Lizbeth said, holding her hands up. “But if he crosses the line, I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
“And I’ll let you, too,” Robbie mumbled, getting out of the car.
She unlocked and cautiously opened the door, but saw no one was in the main bar area. Maybe he’d left his truck from the night before. Sometimes he did that if he’d had too much to drink. But the light shining from the corner office had her rethinking her logic. Someone was there.
She glanced over at Lizbeth and saw her eyeing the office herself. “Let’s sneak over to the stairs. No one will even know we’re here. Well…unless my moron is up there.”
Robbie nodded her approval of the plan and they made their way through the bar. When they got to the door leading to the back room, and the apartment stairs, they heard a noise behind them. They both stopped to look towards the office.
There stood Luc.
He seriously looked like hell, and Robbie couldn’t help but take some pleasure in that. But the way he stared at her, as if he was trying to figure out if she was real or not, tugged at her heart. He looked lost to her, like some piece of him was broken. She’d known Luc a long time, knew him better than anyone else, and even she had never seen him look so exposed and vulnerable before.
When he took a tentative step toward her, the bar door burst open. Robbie saw Luc squint into the beam of sunlight blasting him as he turned, and then looked over herself. Payten was practically flying through the door and straight towards Luc, throwing her arms around his neck.
“Fucking bitch,” Lizbeth murmured as she took a step in their direction.
Robbie quickly grabbed her arm and held her back, shaking her head. Lizbeth shot her an exasperated expression before she apparently heard what Robbie had—sobbing.
“Oh, God, Luc! My father—” A cry of anguish cut through her words. “He’s gone! I can’t believe he’s gone! I was just talking to him last night. Oh, God. How can this be?”
Luc grabbed Payten as her knees went weak and she slumped in his arms. Her whole body shuddered and convulsed with an uncontrolled wail. Her shoulders heaved so hard, Robbie half-wondered if she was going into a full-blown panic attack.
Of course, if she was, Luc would know how to handle it by himself. “Come on,” she whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”
Lizbeth nodded and they headed toward the back door. Before they left, Robbie glanced over her shoulder to see Luc staring at her from over Payten’s head.
The expressi
on on his face was gut-wrenching.
Chapter 13
“I can’t believe we’re going to support that bitch,” Lizbeth grumbled, stepping into a simple black dress.
“Lizbeth,” Robbie scolded, holding up two dresses and trying to decide which one to put on, “her father died.”
“So what? What does that mean to us?”
“She was a friend to us before all this…mess. And she’s with Luc now.”
Lizbeth scowled, then pointed to the dress on the left. “Wear that one. And I honestly don’t care about her, or her damn father. And, seriously Robbie, I can’t believe you do!”
Robbie sighed as she started getting dressed. “I don’t. Not really. But I know what it’s like to lose a parent. And from what I gather, Payten and her father were very close. She must be devastated.”
“Karma. That’s what it is.”
“Lizbeth!”
“Don’t Lizbeth me. I don’t get you. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would you want to go there and see them together? You do realize you will, right?”
“Of course I do!” Robbie snapped, exasperated. “I’m not an idiot. I know they’ll be together, but I’m just gonna have to get used to it.”
“Why should you?”
“Don’t you see? I can’t cut him out of my life completely. Despite everything, he’s still family to me, and always will be. We have to find a way to co-exist in each other’s lives because, no matter what, we’ll always be connected.” She glanced over at Lizbeth. Sympathy tugged at her features. “Don’t worry about it. This will be a good first step. Chances are, there’s gonna be so many people there, we won’t actually have to talk much.”
“The second you want to leave, you tell me and we’re out of there.”
Robbie wiggled around in her dress, shifting it into place, and zipped herself in. “Agreed.”
“You’re a better person than I am, Robbie,” Lizbeth said, hooking her arm around Robbie’s waist to lean her head on her shoulder. “There’s no way I’d be as forgiving as you are.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I don’t forgive him—not in the least. I just know I have to work through this before I can get over it. And the sooner the better.”
Robbie had been right about the funeral. It was a good thing it was an outdoor affair, situated right in the middle of the cemetery. There was no way all those people would’ve fit in a church.
Robbie and Lizbeth decided to position themselves on the outskirts of the crowd, but even from that distance, her view of Payten and Luc was wide open. She was a bit shocked by Payten’s appearance, although if she stopped to think about it, it was appropriate for what she was going through.
Payten was wearing a black business suit and her hair was done up, as always, but her face clearly showed the gravity of the situation. Her large, black sunglasses couldn’t hide the strain on her features, and her death-grip on Luc’s arm as she looked at her father’s closed casket gave away the fact that she must’ve been holding onto her sanity by a thin thread.
Unconsciously, Robbie leaned into Lizbeth for comfort, unable to squelch the empathy rising inside of her. It was a long time ago, but she remembered exactly how that felt.
“Are you okay? Do you want to leave?” Lizbeth whispered.
Robbie shook her head as she stared at the casket, lost in her own memories.
Lizbeth reached around and held Robbie close, rubbing her arm as she did. “You just let me know if this is too much for you.”
“I remember…”
“I know. Let it out if you need to. No one is going to question someone crying at a funeral.”
Robbie nodded as the tears slipped free down her cheeks. The tone of the priest speaking over the coffin began to blend with the memory of her own parent’s funeral. To her, the speech sounded the same—same voice, same tone, same words droning into the next as the grief crushed her insides. She was lost and oblivious to everything around her as she made her own peace with the past.
“Rob,” Lizbeth murmured. “He’s watching you. I don’t think you’ll be able to avoid him. Do you want to go?”
It took her a minute to realize what Lizbeth was talking about, then her eyes landed on Luc. His posture was stiff, his stare, intense. She averted her gaze. “No. It’s almost over, then we’ll slip away. I wanted to give Payten my condolences… I don’t think I can.”
“No one would expect you to,” Lizbeth reassured, shifting Robbie so the tall man in front of her blocked Luc’s view. She handed her a Kleenex from her purse. “Here. He’s wrapping up. Let’s go.”
Lizbeth guided Robbie to the side and they nearly crashed into Conrad, blocking their escape.
“Lizbeth, I need to talk to you.”
“Not now,” she snapped, scooting around him with Robbie in tow.
“You won’t take my calls. You returned my flowers. What else am I supposed to do?” he asked, trailing after them.
Once they were away from the bulk of the crowd, Lizbeth let go of Robbie and whirled on him. “Get this simple fact straight, Conrad. I don’t have anything to say to you.”
Robbie felt a twinge of guilt, as if their fight was her fault. And, she supposed, in a fashion, it was. Lizbeth was only mad because he kept Luc and Payten’s affair a secret. If Robbie wasn’t her friend, she wouldn’t have cared less.
“Lizbeth, please,” Conrad pleaded, reaching for her hand. “I miss you. I miss being with you.”
She snatched her hand back. “Ugh, you are so going to Hell. Hitting on me at a funeral? What’s wrong with you?”
“Dinner. That’s all I’m asking for.” She scoffed. He changed tactics. “Lunch then. Anything. Just talk to me.”
“I told you. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Luc. If I had it to do over again, I would have. Come on, gorgeous. You know you mean the world to me.”
She crossed her arms. “You are so full of shit, I’m surprised your eyes aren’t brown.”
Despite the verbal lashing, Conrad’s mouth twitched into a smile. “There’s my girl. Come on. Give a guy a chance.”
Robbie was so captured by the confrontation in front of her that she didn’t even notice Luc’s approach.
“Robbie?”
Robbie flinched at the sound of his voice and Lizbeth spun around. “Uh uh. No way, buddy. Get the hell away from her.”
“Robbie, please. I just want to talk to you a minute. Can you give me that?” The insecurity in his voice disarmed her as she nodded.
“Rob, you don’t have to do this,” Lizbeth said, eyes blazing as she stared Luc down.
“I know. It’s okay. Finish up with Conrad. I’ll be right over here.”
“And you,” Lizbeth said to Conrad, jabbing a finger in his chest. “You better not have been running interference for him so he could get Robbie alone.”
“Swear to God, Lizbeth,” Robbie heard Conrad say as she turned, “I had nothing to do with it.”
“You better not have, you asshole.”
Luc walked beside Robbie as she distanced them from everyone else. “What did you want to talk about?”
They stopped to face each other. Luc looked like he wanted to reach for her, but shoved his hands into his pockets instead. His dark eyes settled on her, searching her face until she wanted to squirm from the attention. She hated it when he did that. He knew her too well to hide from that probing stare.
“Are you okay? I mean…I know you’re not okay, but with the funeral and everything…” He took a deep, steadying breath. “I saw you crying. Memories haunting you?”
She nodded, blinking back the tears threatening to resurface. “Just saying my own goodbyes again.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
She decided to take it as an open invitation. “Yes. I need you to keep your distance from me for awhile. I get it, okay? I just need time to get used to the idea and adjust my”—she fumbled for the right word as the moisture crep
t into her eyes—“thinking. I need space to do that.”
He kept his hands to himself, but stepped closer, his brow creasing and eyes pleading. “I’ll give you whatever you need, Robbie, but can I say something first?”
She bit her lip and waited.
Dragging his hands through his hair, he took another step closer. “I know that I screwed up, and I’m so sorry. I know that’s not enough, but…” He tentatively cupped her face in his hands, then wiped at her tears with his thumbs. “You’re my family and I lost sight of that. I’m sorry I hurt you.” Seeming to remember himself, he quickly took a step back. “I know I’ll never be able to redeem myself in your eyes, but I have more I want to say. Only when you’re ready though.”
Robbie stared at him, not sure how to take him. It wasn’t very often he opened up, and she hated that she struggled to believe his sincerity.
“You ready to go, Rob,” Lizbeth said, stepping next to her.
“Yeah.” She glanced over her shoulder as they walked away. “Bye, Luc.”
He closed his eyes and nodded.
*****
A week after the funeral, Payten’s frustration level was at an all-time high as she punched a number into the TracFone. She drummed her fingers impatiently as she waited for Kate to answer.
“Ms. Carmichael. What can I do for you?”
“Oh, don’t give me that Ms. Carmichael business.” Payten smiled, feeling more relaxed already as she kicked her feet up onto her desk, her long, slim legs crossing at the ankles. “I need your help.”
“Your man denying you again, Payten?” Kate asked, a hint of incredulity in her voice. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Another woman keeps drawing his attention away. Ex-girlfriend of all things. I simply need to keep him focused on me for a time, and everything will be fine.”
“Just jump him and be done with it. The man wouldn’t resist you. After all, he’s a man.”
“I’m the grieving daughter. He’s supposed to want to comfort me. I can’t be all aggressive while I’m in mourning. Suggestive, yes. But that’s not cutting it…hence the need for a little assistance. That’s where you come in.” She angled her foot, admiring her Jimmy Choo’s, then leaned forward to swipe at some dust on the toe.
A Modern Love Story Page 20
