Risky Business

by Melissa Cutler

  Allison stood, but didn’t follow her. “You don’t understand, Chelsea. I lost this place. It was never mine to begin with, as it turns out.”

  Chelsea paused with her hand on the refrigerator door and squinted at Allison, her brows pinched together.

  “Lowell never filed the paperwork to become the rightful owner of the corporation in the eyes of the law, and now the previous owners are laying claim to it. They’re coming to assess the property next week. I’m going to put in a bid to be the live-in manager, but there’s no guarantee I’ll have a job or a place to live after next week.” She drew a deep breath, then added, “So it’s time for you to hit the road again.”

  Chelsea abandoned the fridge and walked to Allison, then threw her arms around her. Allison hugged her back. As frustrated as Chelsea made her sometimes, Allison’s heart was so full of love for her, so much love that it ached sometimes.

  “You’re going to be okay, Allison.”

  Despite Chelsea’s smoke-scented hair, Allison held her tighter and smiled through a fresh wave of tears. “You’re going to be okay, too, Chelsea.”

  “We’re like cats. We always land on our feet.”

  “Where are you going to go?” Allison asked.

  “You know that gig in Florida I told you about? It looks like that’s going to happen. I wasn’t going to tell you until after the hockey game.”

  Whether Chelsea would have given her advance warning or disappeared after leaving her a note, she’d never know. It didn’t matter, really. Chelsea was who she was, and nobody could change her, not even Allison. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  Katie’s cry for attention drifted down the stairs. “And so the day begins,” Allison said on a sigh. “You get your electrolytes and nap, because you’re on the hook to watch Katie tonight during the gala.”

  “Aye aye, captain. Is your dress ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “You know how you’re doing your hair?”

  “Uh, the usual?”

  Chelsea rolled her eyes. “So, you mean boring? Don’t worry, I’ll help you do it up fancy tonight. What about Theo’s suit? I bet it needs ironing.”

  Don’t think about it. It had been her motto when she’d first met him, and it would be her motto again today for an entirely different reason, until she had the time and privacy to process all that had happened between them.

  Katie’s cries were growing ever more impatient. Though Chelsea waited for an answer, Allison started for the stairs. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Allison had promised Olivia she’d help with setup for the gala’s silent auction, so even though all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and spend the day snuggling with Katie, she knew her friends were counting on her.

  Inside the gala tent, the air buzzed with excitement. Volunteers from the community and Wounded Veterans International bustled in every direction among the sprawling tent of round banquet tables decked to the nines in reds, whites, and blues befitting the night’s patriotic theme, as a peppy song flowed from the sound system.

  Marlena, Olivia, Presley, and Harper were already at the silent auction tables when Allison and Katie arrived, fussing over the placement of gift baskets and setting pens near every bidding paper.

  “What did you donate, Marlena?” she heard Harper ask as Allison headed their way.

  “A certificate for four massages. I hope Norm from the dry cleaners doesn’t bid on it.”

  “What’s wrong with Norm?” Allison said, reaching them.

  “Hi, cutie pie,” Olivia said to Katie, shaking her foot. To Allison, she said, “Norm likes to leave Marlena little ‘presents’ in her dry cleaning. Dried flowers, poems.”

  Already, Allison felt better and stronger. No matter what happened with Cloud Nine, she knew she’d made friends for life. “That’s cute,” she said. “He has a crush on you.”

  Marlena wrinkled her nose. “He’s married! With four kids.”

  “Oh, well, maybe not so cute. I’ll have to make sure I’m the winning bidder, then,” Allison said.

  “Did you remember to bring the Cloud Nine gift certificate?” Olivia asked.

  “In my purse.” Allison swung her hip out so Olivia could grab the manila envelope containing a certificate for a week’s rental of a houseboat since Allison’s hands were full with Katie. She had no idea if the Malones would honor the gift certificate, but she had to hope they were decent enough people to support a charity like this.

  A wave of sadness rippled through her. She cleared her throat and fought it back into the tiny little box in her mind she’d planned to keep it locked in for the rest of the day. She refused to let her uncertain future ruin what might be her last hurrah with the town and friends she’d come to love.

  “I plan to be the winning bidder,” Marlena said. “I’ve always wanted to rent one of Cloud Nine’s boats. There’s so much of the canal I haven’t seen.”

  “Sounds like a girls’ trip,” Harper said. “I’ve always wanted to cruise the canal, too. I see the boats go by every day and I can’t believe I’ve never bitten the bullet and done it.”

  “Oh, my God, we’d have so much fun together. Allison, let’s make this happen. What month do you think, August?”

  Allison swallowed a lump in her throat, trying to find the words to tell them the truth. She wasn’t ready to talk to them about Cloud Nine or Theo, because she knew she’d cry and ruin everyone’s fun, but she cared about them too much to hide the truth from them.

  “I have something I have to tell you guys. Yesterday, I found out—”

  With a sound like a snap or a pop, the lights cut out and the music shut off. The tent went dim and the hushed whisper of concerned volunteers skittered through the shadows.

  “That’s not good,” Harper said.

  The lights flickered, then came back on as Duke stormed into the tent, a walkie-talkie to his mouth and Liam, Will, and Brandon trailing behind him. When he spotted Allison and her friends, he changed directions and headed their way.

  “Oh, good, Allison. Where’s Theo? He was supposed to be here hours ago, and I can’t get him on the phone. The power’s on the fritz, as you can see.”

  There was no sense in hiding the truth, when the team’s success in the exhibition game, the quality of the ice, and the gala were all riding on Theo’s presence. She couldn’t take a chance on them waiting for Theo to come to their rescue. It broke her heart all over again to have to tell them, but she loved her friends too much to pretend everything was okay.

  “I don’t know if he’s coming back.”

  That got everyone’s attention.

  Liam crowded closer. “Did you say if or when?”

  She drew a steadying breath and let another wave of sorrow pass through her before she answered, “If. I think you should all have a seat. I have something I need to tell you.”

  She sat at the nearest table and they gathered around her, concern etched on their faces. Marlena took Katie off her hands and stood nearby. Allison folded her hands on the table, sat up straight, and started the story of how her world had crumbled right before her eyes.

  When she got to the part about Theo taking off the night before, Will stepped away from the table. He paced the floor behind the table, radiating such violent anger that it stole Allison’s breath. Liam seemed to draw into himself, his face blank, his hands in his pockets.

  “Theo just left, without a word?” Duke looked stricken, confused. “He’s not that guy. I’ve known him for ten years. He’s not the kind of man to walk away like that.”

  Allison agreed. But then, she hadn’t thought Lowell was greedy until she saw his gold Corvette being towed away. No. She wouldn’t compare Theo to Lowell. Theo was ten times the man that her ex-husband was. A hundred times.

  “He’s not. Maybe he just n
eeded time away to think. Maybe he’s back at the landing as we speak, but I doubt it. He packed up before he left. His toothbrush, his reading aids, and prescriptions. He was obviously planning to be gone for a while.”

  “Forgive me for asking a stupid question, but have you tried calling him?” Harper said.

  “He left his cell phone on Lanette.” For whatever reason, that detail seemed to solidify their opinion of Theo’s actions. She could see on their fallen faces that they believed her now.

  “What are you going to do? Where are you going to live?” Brandon asked, reclaiming her attention.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’ll have to move. I’m meeting with the new owners next week. What I do know is that Katie and I are going to be all right.”

  Duke patted her hand. “Of course you will. You’re a fighter.”

  For the first time in her life, she felt like a fighter, not just a survivor. She’d fought one battle or another the past year—and it hadn’t broken her.

  Liam cleared his throat, though he didn’t quite meet her eyes when he said, “You can move into my apartment complex, me and Olivia’s. We have a spot opening at the end of the month. I’ll take care of you with a fair rent.”

  She touched his arm. “Thank you. We might just take you up on that.” To everyone else, she said, “I should let you guys get back to work. I have a gala to get pretty for.”

  Will stopped his agitated pacing and turned to face her. “I’ll pick you up and take you to the gala.”

  Her heart gave a squeeze, he looked so fierce and hurt at the same time. Will reminded her of a misunderstood monster in a fairy tale, like Beauty and the Beast—the hulking, scary-looking kind who lived alone outside the castle walls, angry about his situation and afraid of his strength and his power to wound, afraid of people, but with the biggest heart in all the land.

  “Thank you, Will, but I came to Destiny Falls to learn how to stand on my own two feet, so I’m going to be taking myself to the gala tonight.”

  ***

  Theo sat in a diner booth across from Stephanie and Jeff Malone, Oscar at his side. The lawyer had insisted on joining him at the meeting, despite the three hour drive. He was fairly certain that Oscar and Theo’s connection as fellow veterans who’d been wounded in combat had played a role in his choice to go so above and beyond to help Theo on the miniscule rate that he was charging him.

  Theo had been too restless to return to Lanette after he and Oscar had met. He’d driven through the night to Cleveland, making plans and preparing for their afternoon meeting with the Malones.

  They’d been talking for a while, going through the new contract proposal and the latest appraisal Theo had paid to have done when he was originally preparing to buy the business. Theo had done his best to lay out his proposal to the Malones, with Oscar’s help. Still, the Malones looked unconvinced.

  “This is a very generous offer, but we can’t afford to make any snap decisions. We need time to think,” Jeff said.

  Oscar nodded. “We understand. There’s no hurry.”

  From his stack of paperwork, Theo withdrew a business card and a cashier’s check for a down payment. He slid them across the table. “Here’s my card. And you take this as a token of my intentions. Either way, even if you decide not to sell, I want you to have it.”

  Oscar set his hand on the check. “That’s not advisable, Theo.”

  “I don’t care. They need the money and Shorty gave me a job when I didn’t think I was good for anything after I got out of the VA hospital and physical therapy. I owe him so much more than this. I could never repay him for what he did for me, and I never took the opportunity to tell him that when he was alive. I hope this counts. I hope he sees us here today and sees that we’re all trying to do the best we can with what he left us.”

  Jeff looked like he was going to refuse the money, as any proud man might, but his wife picked it up from the table and folded it. “Thank you. I think he must see.” She nodded, her eyes getting dewy. “I think he knows.”

  Theo felt the last link in his chain of regrets shatter. Why had he never considered before how lucky he’d been? So many people had helped him out through the years, but he’d wasted his time feeling like he was battling the world, defending himself against other people’s agendas, that he didn’t see everything that Shorty and Duke, his innumerable doctors and therapists, and even his Bomb Squad teammates had done for him.

  Now, he was the one in the position to help others. He had money, he had his health, and he had the love of a good woman. If he could make this right for her, and help the Malones out in the process, then he really would be the luckiest man in the world.

  Even if this didn’t work, then he’d have enough money to buy a house for her and Katie elsewhere in Destiny Falls. They’d never be rich, but he could work full-time for Duke and make enough to let her be the stay-at-home mom she’d always wanted to be. He only hoped that would be enough to convince her that he’d changed from the selfish man he’d been to someone worthy of her love.

  He held his hand out for them to shake. “When you decide, call me. You won’t regret this.”

  Outside the diner, the sun was lower in the sky than he’d expected. It was funny how pulling an all-nighter messed with a person’s ability to tell time. He had a three hour drive back to Destiny Falls, which meant if they were on the road by three-thirty, he’d make it back in time to escort Allison to the gala.

  “Oscar, what time is it?”

  “Five thirty.”

  Theo’s head dropped. “Are you sure?”

  “That meeting took a while. We were in there for a solid three hours.”

  “I need to borrow your phone.” In his haste, he’d apparently driven off without his the night before.

  Both Allison’s cell phone and Cloud Nine’s phone went to voice mail. What if she didn’t think he was coming back? Why hadn’t it occurred to him before this moment that she might think he took off in the middle of the night for good?

  He called her cell phone again. “Allison, it’s me. I know I’m not there right now, but I’m on my way. I can’t wait to see you in that dress. I’m sorry about everything happening the way it did. I had something I had to take care of, but I’m coming back to Destiny Falls right now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He paused, then screwed up his courage and added, “I love you.”

  ***

  Theo stopped by Lanette and changed into a suit in record time, not bothering to shower or shave first. Allison would just have to accept him the way he was, because he was already more than two hours late to the gala. This time, he remembered to grab his cell phone before heading out in his truck.

  The white gala tent rose from the darkened parking lot of Destiny Falls High School, its lights glowing in the foggy night air. He had no idea what he was going to say to Allison, or if she would even speak to him, given the way he’d taken off without notice. Looking back, it’d been the wrong move to leave like that, even though his intentions had been noble.

  He hadn’t gotten halfway through the parking lot when his phone rang with Oscar’s ringtone.

  That couldn’t be good. He sagged against the nearest car and answered the call. “Don’t tell me the deal’s off. I can’t take it tonight.”

  “No. Just the opposite, actually.” Theo’s chest stopped aching at the sound of optimism in Oscar’s tone. He stood up taller. “I just spoke with the Malones. They said that while they were praying about whether to accept your offer, one of their creditors called, which they saw was a sign to take the deal. I was still in the area, so I met them at a notary. It’s done.”

  He braced a hand on his forehead, blinking, his mouth open. “We have a deal?”

  “We do. Congratulations. Allison is now the sole corporate partner of Cloud Nine Incorporated.”

  Theo slid his hand down over his closed lips unt
il the strongest wave of his emotions past, along with the threat of tears. “Thank you.”

  Maybe Allison would forgive him for being late after all.

  “Go have fun tonight. And, hey, I’ll see you at tomorrow’s game.”

  “Thank you, Oscar. My God, thank you.”

  He had no sooner ended the call when Will emerged from behind a truck, fury written all over his face. He pointed at Theo. “You son of a bitch.”

  Before Theo could get his arms up to defend himself, Will wound back and punched Theo in the cheek and nose. Theo stumbled back, seeing stars. His phone clattered to the ground.

  Will charged him again. He wasn’t wearing a prosthetic and when he slammed into Theo, and he jabbed his stump into Theo’s gut. “Remember what I told you I’d do to you if you broke Allison’s heart?”

  He punched Theo in the stomach again, but this time, Theo blocked it.

  “Stop, Will. Listen to me, damn it.”

  But Will was too mad to hear him. “You left her, and you left us. Was this some kind of game to you? Because this is our life. We counted on you. And you left.” He swung at Theo’s head, but Theo managed to duck and fight back with a fist to Will’s stomach.

  Will stumbled back. Theo tasted blood, either from his nose or his lip, he couldn’t decide. His whole face throbbed.

  “I didn’t leave Allison.”

  “Is that right? Because she came to the gala by herself tonight. She had to break it to us today that you were gone. It broke my fucking heart to see her like that.”

  He charged Theo again. Will was taller and heavier than Theo, and there was no way Theo could subdue him. All he could do was try to hold his own and defend himself until Will either ran out of steam or someone else noticed the fight and broke them up.

  He blocked Will’s next jab, then swung, hitting Will in the stomach. While Will recovered his wits, Theo scrambled out of his reach.

  They panted, circling each other. “I’m trying to tell you—I didn’t leave her.”