Mistaken Identities

by Lockwood, Tressie

  Grayson rubbed his chin. “I almost didn’t recognize the sophisticated woman I met in Los Angeles, but it turns out you’re still the same.”

  She didn’t know if that was a compliment or an insult. “Whatever. Here, Lukas, I’ll hold you up so you can do it.”

  Grayson remained silent as she showed his godson how to swing, and they both cheered when Lukas managed to make it halfway before she caught him in her arms. Grayson strode over and held out his hands to help her put Lukas down. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’m sorry to cut this trip short, but I have an emergency at the office. I tried to settle it over the phone, but it looks like I’m going to have to go in.”

  “Oh, Uncle Gray, can I go too? They play ball, and there’s these games on the computers you can play. It’s cool, Tonya. You should try it.”

  “Miss Tonya,” Grayson corrected. “She doesn’t want to be bored at the office.”

  She eyed him. “Thanks, sweetheart, but I have some work to do too that I can only take care of back at my hotel room. It was fun hanging out with you. Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

  Lukas gave her an impromptu hug around the legs, and she widened her eyes at Grayson. He peered at her in a sort of wonder.

  “You can come to my house next time,” Lukas informed her, “and see Dad.”

  Where Grayson’s expression had been light and full of amusement, Lukas’s words produced a thundercloud, and Grayson nabbed the boy by the shoulder and turned him toward the parking lot. “Let’s get going.”

  The ride back to her hotel was silent between her and Grayson and full of tales of pirates, action figures, and swords from Lukas. At her hotel, Grayson stopped the car and stepped out. He came around to let her out and placed a hand on her arm to keep her from walking away.

  “What made him say that about his dad and you? He shouldn’t know about your relationship.”

  Her hackles rose. “Don’t get all huffy with me. Maybe you think I’m trying to worm my way back into Roman’s life by using his son. If that’s what you think, you can kiss my ass. Lukas asked if I was your girlfriend. I said I knew you from years ago, and I added that I knew his father and Aunt Linn. I regret it, but I did not have some ulterior motive. Have a nice day!”

  She started to walk away again, but he pulled her back. She stumbled against him and raised her hands to ward off falling into his chest. The move turned out to be a mistake because the heat of touching him shot through her palms. She licked her lips and swallowed.

  “Let me go, Grayson. Lukas is watching.”

  He released her immediately and stepped back, driving fingers through his hair. “I want to come by later tonight.”

  “No.” With her answer, she swung on her heel and marched away. He didn’t try grabbing her again, and she sighed in relief. Let him jump to conclusions about who she was and think he knew her. None of it mattered. She would not be alone with him again or go on little outings with him and Lukas, putting ideas in both their heads. In fact, it might be time to fly back to Los Angeles and leave all this firmly where it belonged—behind her.

  Chapter Nine

  Tonya didn’t know why she had been putting this off for all the time she had been in town. Maybe she thought she would have heard something first, but then that was ridiculous. Her cell phone number wasn’t the same. There could be some kind of etiquette for visits back home and whose responsibility it was to make first contact. She laughed at her silly thoughts and then sobered as she stepped into the taxi.

  “Eighty-seven-oh-one Long Creek Drive,” she said to the cabbie.

  “You got it.”

  They pulled out of the hotel’s drive, and she settled back in her seat. If she was honest, she would admit that a week had passed since returning to Charlotte without her ever calling Letreece because she kind of held it against her old friend for not helping her when she needed it. At first they had stayed in touch with phone calls and emails. Then the contact stretched longer between each. Sometimes Tonya would “forget” to get back to Letreece, and Letreece did the same. Eventually, they broke off all contact, and it had been a few years since she had last heard from her. Now she longed to talk to her friend and reconnect. Maybe Letreece had grown as she felt she had. They were close to the same age, so why not?

  A short while later, the taxi drew up to her old place of residence, and a sense of nostalgia came over her. She sighed, taking it all in, the pale grey stone on the lower half of the buildings and the red panel on the upper half. The lawns were still manicured to perfection, and the lot clean. She had to hand it to the owner of the complex. They were devoted to upkeep, but then they should be. She had struggled to pay her rent just to continue to enjoy a good neighborhood such as this one. Letreece had never mentioned issues, and Tonya had always wondered how she got along. Maybe her boyfriends had helped out. That might be possible since Tonya had jumped on Roman’s offer of assistance.

  She paid the driver and stepped out of the taxi, and he roared off to find his next fare. Walking toward the building’s entrance, she squinted at the man on the path ahead of her. He stood as if undecided about going in, his shoulders slumped and one hand tapping the side of his leg. She started to go around him but then stopped, her stomach churning. Of all the people to run into, and here of all places.

  “Roman,” she breathed.

  He froze and then spun around to face her. His eyes widened. “Tonya.”

  She had gone over the scenario in her mind countless times of what it would be like to see him again, what she would feel, what she would think and say. Her imagination put her in a restaurant, in the mall, on the street, even at Grayson’s company, which she had no reason to visit. Here, at her old apartment, had not entered her mind. Why would it, given she no longer lived there?

  She narrowed her eyes at him and took in his handsome face, older but as cute as he was seven years ago. Crow’s feet surrounded the corners of his eyes, the eyes themselves, always so bright and happy, were dulled and a bit too red. At his temples, a smattering of grey mixed with the dirty blond. He had a good, solid build except he’d grown a touch of a rounded belly, and if she still loved him, she wouldn’t have cared. Relief came in finding out she felt nothing at all. In fact, she couldn’t help comparing his state to Grayson’s, which remained sexy perfection. She should know given she’d explored it thoroughly.

  Realizing where her thoughts were headed, she cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”

  “I…” A stain of red touched his cheeks, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. She waited for him to explain, to give some excuse, but he continued to stand there.

  “Baby, what’s taking you so long to come up? You texted you were here like five minutes ago.”

  The voice behind Roman sent cold chills racing down Tonya’s back, and at hearing it, Roman appeared to have the same reaction. If she’d thought he looked guilty a second ago, he compounded it now. At first he didn’t move, and then he turned in degrees, his head jerking in Letreece’s direction. At another time, the reaction would have been comical.

  Letreece came into view, looking the same as she had years ago. Time had been good to her. She still appeared young and beautiful, but still skanky-ish in a dress that barely passed her snatch and a neckline plunging so low her navel, not to mention her breasts, peeked through the gap. Where in the hell would she wear that thing in public and not get arrested—or raped?

  “You!” Letreece sneered as she walked closer, hands on her hips. “I heard you were back in town. Why are you here?”

  Tonya raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me? What’s with the attitude? I was coming to see my old friend, and I found Roman here.”

  Triumph lighted the other woman’s face. “What, are you jealous?”

  Tonya snorted. “Of course not. Roman and I are old news, but he is married, and I know for a fact he has a sweet boy that needs his family—together!”

  Letreece got up in her face, and Tonya resisted the urge to s
hove her back or punch her. From the corner of her eye, she noted Roman’s struggle between panicking and fleeing or staying to make sure they didn’t kill each other. He didn’t have to worry, because she damn sure wasn’t going to get into a fight over him.

  “You have no right to judge us after what you did.”

  Tonya gaped. Letreece believed it too? She’d acted like she hadn’t seven years ago. “You two are grown. Handle your own business.” She spun on her heel and started off, but Roman chased after her and grabbed her arm. Shaking him off didn’t work, and she stopped to glare at him.

  “Forget about her, Roman,” Letreece called. “Let’s do what we were going to.”

  Roman cringed, but he ignored Letreece. “Please, don’t say anything about this.”

  “To who?” She jerked her arm free of his hold, disgusted by his touch.

  The hurt that flashed over his expression managed to piss her off more than anything, and she turned her thoughts to how she would find a taxi in this residential neighborhood without calling for one. Then she remembered two blocks down was a major street where she might have some luck.

  “Tonya?” Roman pressed. “This is my first time here. I was scared to take this step. I’ve never been unfaithful to my wife. You understand, don’t you?”

  Her eyes hurt she stared at him so hard. “Are you fucking serious?”

  He didn’t seem to get how repulsive he was at that moment. “Can I talk to you?”

  “No. I’m not your counselor, and you know it’s not appropriate either way. Just leave me alone. Good-bye, Roman.”

  She started off down the street, not looking back. This time, he didn’t try to stop her. Of course she wondered if he would go back to Letreece and follow through, but that was just curiosity, not jealousy as Letreece assumed. Bitterness rose that he would think she, a cheater, would understand his weakness. All that after he had behaved as if he were above ever stooping that low. He had some nerve. Now she knew hers and Letreece’s friendship could never be rekindled. What was in the past needed to stay there.

  * * * *

  “Hey, Gray, what’s up?”

  Grayson frowned into the phone. He waved at Roman just leaving his office and made sure he had shut the door before responding. “Hello, Letreece. I don’t usually hear from you. In fact, I’m surprised you have my number.”

  She laughed as if he had made a joke. He had never truly liked her, feeling she could have been a better friend to Tonya. Somehow, the woman appeared to support Tonya with one breath and tear her down with the next. He had believed Tonya was intelligent enough and strong enough to notice the insincerity, so he never called Letreece on it or shared his thoughts with Tonya. After Tonya left, he had confronted Letreece, demanding to know where Tonya had gone, and for the first time he had seen, the woman had stood by her defense of Tonya as having the right to privacy. Later, being true to her character, though, she had let slip to Aunt Linn that Tonya had gone to live with a cousin in Houston. He didn’t know why he bothered to trace her, but knowing she had family had allowed him to let the matter rest. His position at that time included being there for Roman until he got over her. Not until Aunt Linn got sick and started asking for Tonya did he make a decision to find her.

  “We’re friends, aren’t we?” Letreece asked, interrupting his train of thought. He didn’t bother answering the question, and she went on, a hair less enthusiastic. “I thought it was only right that I call you.”

  He stiffened, his senses going on alert. Something told him he would not like her next words, and an image of Tonya rose in his mind’s eye. What information could she possibly have that would interest him? “Why is that?”

  “I saw Tonya with Roman.”

  Grayson’s stomach plummeted, and a bit of bile rose in his throat. He flared his nostrils and worked to even out his sudden rough breath. The crackling next to his ear said he held the phone too tight, and he loosened his grip. “Why are you telling me?”

  Again, she released the irritating giggle, too young and silly for a woman of twenty-eight or twenty-nine. For that matter, the attitude did not match the conversation. Letreece came off as too happy about the news she shared, which pissed him off. “Well, Roman has a sweet son. What was his name? Um, Luke?”

  Grayson gritted his teeth. “Lukas.”

  “Anyway, he has a sweet son that deserves to have his family together. You know what I mean? Then here comes Tonya back to town trying to get into the middle of that. It’s not right, and I thought I should tell someone. I wasn’t sure if Roman was feeling weak or what. I heard he was having marital troubles.”

  Two seconds, and Grayson would haul his phone across the room. He resisted the impulse and spoke with precise enunciation. Even as he did, he doubted Letreece recognized the thread his tolerance hung from. “Who told you that?”

  “Oh, who knows? Things get around. Charlotte might not be a small town, but gossip gets spread at lightning speed.”

  He didn’t believe her.

  “I was thinking,” she went on, “you could—”

  He disconnected the call and started to dial Roman. Before that call could go through, he ended it and dialed Tonya instead. She answered on the third ring, a bit breathless. “You were running?”

  “No, in the bathroom.”

  He switched the phone to the other ear. “How about I take you to dinner tonight?”

  “I’m sorry. I have something I have to do.”

  He frowned, and his voice came out sharper than he intended. “What?”

  She took a moment to answer. “That’s my business.”

  “Tonya,” he warned.

  “Was there anything else, Grayson? I’m busy right now. I told you I’m trying to keep up with work while I’m here. I have some ideas for a class I will be conducting when I return, and I want to figure out the details.”

  He had no way of keeping her on the phone, and the longer he tried, the greater the risk of his sharing what Letreece had told him. Tonya would assume he jumped to the conclusion of her guilt and probably never speak to him again. Their relationship, or whatever one termed it, hung precariously as it was. With the past between them, he realized they weren’t going anywhere, but at least for now, he could enjoy her company. That is, if she stopped running from him as she had done in the past week. She hadn’t even allowed him to take her to see Aunt Linn, preferring instead to take public transportation.

  “Fine,” he said. “I will talk to you another time.”

  She agreed and hung up. Let her think she put him off. He had every intention of pressing his advantage. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. If she were with Roman, he would find out the truth soon enough.

  Grayson spent the day with his mind on Tonya, leaving little for the tasks piling up on his desk. He handled what he could and then left the office to return home. After a shower and change of clothes, he headed over to Tonya’s hotel. He had been outside waiting forty-five minutes when she appeared, and he strolled toward her. The moment she spotted him, he saw the pulse jump at her throat and the way those luscious lips parted, giving him memories of the night they had shared her bed. He wanted many more nights spent between her legs.

  “Gray, what are you doing here? I told you, I have plans.”

  “So do I.” He held out his hand and gestured with the other toward his car. “With you. Come on. Let me buy you dinner. Then we can see what activities we can get up to.”

  Her brow rose, and instead of the anger he expected, she shook her head, amused. “Fine. You’re stubborn. What if I had a date?”

  He dipped his head so she wouldn’t see his expression as he bent to open the door on the passenger side of the car. Those were the last words she should have spoken to him at that moment, but he refused to let her know it.

  “I promise you a good time.”

  She smirked at him as she slipped into the car. Tonight she wore jeans, snug on her curvy figure. While they looked good, he didn’t like how t
he thick denim would keep his hands from direct contact with her body.

  “You’re pretty confident.”

  “Always,” he agreed. “And that’s what you like about me.”

  She laughed, a more melodious sound than the one Letreece produced. “Maybe.”

  After a light meal, where Grayson engaged Tonya in conversation that kept her laughing, he suggested bowling, and was gratified to see shock register in her expression.

  “I would never think of you as a bowler.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he assured her. “Stick around and find out more.”

  She went quiet, and he kicked himself for the sappy suggestion. A short while later, Grayson watched her move toward the bowling lane with a ball. He grinned at the way she almost tiptoed, stopped cold, and then swung the ball wildly before releasing it. He jumped to his feet and started after her.

  “Let me show you before you kill us all.”

  Her innocent expression did things to the room in his pants. “I knocked down four.”

  “Yes, but at the risk of chopping off a couple of legs. It’s not worth it.”

  The switch from innocent to indignant had him bursting out laughing. He didn’t remember letting go that much in a long time. After he had selected another ball light enough for her to hold, he stood behind her and positioned her hands on it.

  “You just want to cop a feel,” she accused him.

  “That and to stay alive.”

  “Stop acting like I’m homicidal.”

  “This isn’t an act.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, but the corner of her sweet lips twitched. “Okay, show me, but I don’t think I’ll get it.”

  For the next twenty minutes, he instructed her, and for his pains, he got to brush against her wonderful round ass. Tonya’s improvement turned out to be nonexistent. He couldn’t believe a woman who moved with such grace and sensuality had zero skill in fluid motion for bowling. Each time she threw, the attempt seemed awkward, and in the end, he put it down to a mental block. She wasn’t able to unwind, which surprised him given the way she had been so long ago.