Off Limits: A Bad Boy Romance

by Lauren Landish

  I couldn't say anything but just dropped my head, unable to answer. Brittany sighed, then bonked her head against my door, a sound so natural and unlike her that I couldn't help it, smiling for an instant before disappearing into my other feelings. "That doesn't mean that Patrick has been blameless in his actions either, Abby. There was no reason for him to blow up at you like that, especially not in a public place. God knows what is going to happen to his account that he stormed out of."

  I raised my head, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

  Brittany huffed through her lips, pondering me for a second before answering. "Lake Automotive is looking at expanding, adding a heavy equipment dealership to their lineup. Patrick was meeting with Hank Lake to discuss the possibility of Rawlings Construction building it for them. As Hank is also a rather working-class man, they decided that a casual meeting over beers and some burgers was better than business suits and lawyers, at least at first."

  It answered a question I'd had, and I let my breath escape in a whoosh. "So Daddy wasn't spying on me or following me."

  Brittany chuckled darkly and shook her head. "No, he wasn't. You got caught by pure bad luck, Abby. Basically, at least according to what Patrick said to me, he looked around stretching, only to see you, your friend, and that man talking. He said something, and Hank looked up and remarked that it was . . . what's his name again?"

  "Dane Bell," I answered hollowly.

  Brittany clicked her fingers, nodding. "That's right. Dane Bell. In any case, you know your father. He never forgets something like that, and when he made the connection, he lost his temper."

  "So what now?" I asked. "Brittany, I know you don't want to hear this, but I like Dane. A lot—”

  “Just stop there,” Brittany snapped, cutting me off. I closed my mouth, and she shook her head. “Just stop, please. I know what you want to say, and I'm not going to argue with you. If you're trying to get me to lessen your father's punishment on you, it won't work. But I do want peace in this house, and I do want us all to be a family. This past month, at least until tonight, has been some of the best for me and you, and I'd hope we could continue that. So don't throw a monkey wrench into that just yet. I’ll talk with Patrick, see if he's willing to calm down. I do guarantee you that you will be taking that European History final tomorrow with him sitting in the parking lot—if not in the hallway outside the lecture hall. I guess the housing development in Douglas County will have to get along with just the foreman tomorrow."

  Lessen my punishment? What am I, thirteen? Daddy’s overprotectiveness was never really a problem until now. Things are starting to go a little too far. I’m a grown woman, and at some point, it has to stop.

  “Then I guess I should get to studying," I said, sitting up. There was nothing more to say, and I just wanted to be left alone. "Thank you, Brittany."

  She smiled, and I was struck at how pretty her smile was. I saw it so rarely, and it actually suited her. I wondered if she shared that smile with Daddy, and I hoped she did. “Don’t stay up too late. Make sure you’re well-rested for your test.”

  Brittany left, and I got out of my bed, going over to my little study desk and opening my laptop. She was right. I did have a test, and while I was still emotionally shattered, maybe I could get something else into my mind before trying to go to sleep. I fired up my Mac and went to my professor's course homepage, where the study notes were sitting organized and waiting for us.

  I was just reviewing the ways the battle of Agincourt had changed warfare, and to a lesser degree, British culture, when I got a beep on my messenger program. I’d forgotten that I had it set to auto start whenever I booted up, and I wondered who it was. I was encouraged when I saw it was Shawnie.

  Hey, Shawnie.

  Hey, Abby. I tried calling your phone, but you never picked up. I was worried.

  My friend's concern touched me, and I couldn't help but smile. Daddy confiscated my phone as if I’m still a teenager. I'm still not okay, but I'm doing better than when I left The Nook. U?

  I had to wait a minute while Shawnie typed out her reply, during which I pulled up the Wikipedia on the Battle of Agincourt. If I was going to cram as much as I could last minute, going through the textbook just wasn’t going to work. Besides, I only needed a B on the test.

  Finally, Shawnie's reply popped up. I got home okay. Wish I'd have been able to bum a ride like I'd planned, but the bus was cheap. I was thinking about calling the cops though. He was so mad . . .

  It wasn't that bad, Shawnie. And before you start, I know I'm 22, I'm an adult, yada yada yada. I threw in a couple of emojis, a shrugging one and a sheepish grin, then hit enter.

  Okay, but it's true. Actually, I had another question for you.

  Go ahead, I wrote. I'm just perusing Agincourt.

  Good, I hear it's always on the test. Anyway, I'll be blunt. What were you about to say before your dad yelled out? I hope you weren’t going to say that you love him.

  It was my turn to sit back, thinking. Finally, I decided it was too late in Shawnie's and my relationship to lie. I don’t know.

  Ok. Well, if you need my help, you got it.

  Good ol' Shawnie. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. Thanks. But for now, the main thing I need is to study. See you tomorrow morning.

  Good night, Abby.

  * * *

  It took nearly a week, but eventually Daddy started to calm down and relax. I think part of it was when I showed him the results of my History final, an A minus that ensured that I would get on the Dean's List for my last semester as an undergrad. I got my phone back and was even allowed to attend my last few days by myself, without Daddy or Brittany taking me to campus like some sort of junior high school kid.

  During that time, I texted Dane three times, the first to say that I was sorry about what happened, the second as a reply to his asking how I was doing, and the third just to see how he was doing. I didn't want my bad luck to rub off on him. I wanted to text more, but more than that, I wanted to hear his voice again. I just couldn't take the risk though, as desperate as I was. I wasn't sure I could control myself if I did.

  The fact was, other than when I was studying or in the tests themselves, I was constantly thinking about Dane. I’d just finished my last final, the defense of my capstone project with the head of the biology department when my phone rang and I saw that it was an unknown number. A wild idea flashed through my mind, and I answered the phone, hoping that it was Dane calling from a new phone or something. "Hello?"

  "Hi, Abby, it's Chris Lake," Chris said, disappointing me, but at the same time setting loose a wild idea in my mind. "How're you doing?"

  Chris sounded like he hadn't heard about my little incident at The Nook, so I assumed that Dane hadn't told him, nor had his uncle. If they hadn't, I figured there was no reason for me to either. "I'm doing okay, Chris. Just finished my last final. How about you?"

  I could hear him chuckle, but again, there was that sense of something different that I'd felt when I saw him smile the time I'd given him my phone number. It was like I was listening to a stranger, and not the guy I'd dated five years earlier. Most disturbing, though, was that whoever Chris had become, he wasn't exactly someone I was interested in. "I'm doing well. I just closed a pretty big investment property deal and was looking to celebrate. I was thinking of getting together with some people, and wondered if you'd like to come with me. Nothing major, it's not a date or anything, but just a bit of a party out at the site of the deal."

  "Oh? What sort of site?" I asked, curious if nothing else. It wasn't that I didn't like Chris. I just wasn't interested in him. Besides, while it’d require my lying to Daddy, seeing Dane would be worth it.

  "I just closed the deal on a housing development on Blalock Reservoir," Chris said. "It's a little south of Atlanta, near Jonesboro. Do you know it?"

  "I've been down there a few times," I said honestly. It had been years, but Daddy had taken me down there to do some fishing, just for fun. "
It's a nice little area. I think the last time I was down there, we went to Lake Spivey. That's nearby, right?"

  "Right. Well, we just signed a deal with the Clayton County Water Authority that's going to allow us to put in a whole development down there. The land actually already has a lake house. That's where the party's going to be."

  My idea started to sound more and more plausible, and I couldn't help it. I smiled. "Sounds like fun. When's the party going to be?"

  My smile must have come through in my voice, because Chris sounded a lot more excited than he had at the beginning of the call. "Saturday at noon. What do you say?"

  Wild hope flared in my chest, and I answered quickly. "I'll see what I can do. Can you text me directions? Daddy's been a bit protective, and he's not going to like a man coming around the house and calling on me right now."

  "That sounds like the Patrick I remember. Okay, I'll send them to you. And bring your swimsuit if you’d like. I think someone's going to bring their boat, and there might be some tubing at least."

  “I might do that. See you later, Chris."

  "See you later, Abby. Bye."

  I headed toward my car when I heard Shawnie call my name. I turned around, waving. "Hey, Shawnie! What're you doing here? I thought your last class was yesterday."

  My friend came closer, shaking her head, the long ringlet curls of her hair bouncing with every motion. "You're right, but did you really think I was going to let you defend your capstone without me at least checking on you? Besides, in the last week I've barely seen you. At least, not without a parental shadow. How're you doing?"

  I took out my car keys and unlocked the door. "Tell you what: we can talk while I give you a ride back to your place or something. I owe you that much after The Nook.”

  "I'll always take a free ride," Shawnie said, going around and climbing into the passenger seat. She hissed when her mostly-bare legs hit the dark leather seats of the Camaro that I'd gotten as a high school graduation present, and I noticed she was wearing kinda short shorts. She pulled her knees up and rubbed the backs of her legs. "I keep forgetting about these damn seats.”

  "Don't worry, my A/C is super blasting," I replied, turning on the engine and cranking the cold air. Within seconds, we could already feel a difference, and I put my car into reverse and backed out of my parking spot. "Hey, I just had a call and a crazy idea, and I was wondering if I could run it past you."

  "Go ahead, I love crazy ideas. The Wright Brothers were batshit insane for their day," Shawnie said, slowly lowering her legs to the leather with a contented sigh. "After all, so were a lot of the most famous aeronautical engineers."

  I was stunned for a second, not sure what the hell to say to that, when I just waved it off. “Well, I just got a call from Chris Lake. You remember the name, right?"

  Shawnie nodded as I turned right and headed north toward her apartment. "Yeah, your ex-boyfriend who also knows Dane, and you ran into a little while back. By the way, you're beginning to sound like a soap opera with this love life of yours. What's up with him?"

  "Well, he invited me to a lake party this Saturday, and I was kind of thinking of doing a little rope-a-dope. Shawnie, I've really got to see Dane, but with Daddy all up in my business, I need some help."

  Shawnie grinned and tapped a quick beat on the dashboard of my car in front of her. "I like it. What's your idea?”

  * * *

  When Daddy got home from the office that night, he found me relaxing in the TV room, stretched out on the couch. He gave me a smile, something that I hadn't realized I missed until we went days without his being anything but angry at me. "Well now, Abby girl, how did it go?"

  "I'll find out in two days. But I think it went really well. If it did as well as I think, I'll be sure to get into the GT Master's program. Also, I had an interesting phone call."

  "Oh?" Daddy said, unable to contain his excitement. He had always been supportive of my academic pursuits, as he felt that education was the key to a better life than what he'd built. "And what was that?"

  I sat up, trying my best to put on a cute expression for him. I don't normally turn on the charm on him, but I just had to this time. "Well, Daddy, do you remember Chris Lake? You know, of Lake Automotive?"

  "Of course, baby. You and he dated back when you were a senior in high school. If I remember right, you were pretty down when you guys broke up. I never understood why either."

  I shrugged, playing it off. I didn't have time to explain it, and besides, it didn't matter. Chris was my past. I was more interested in my future. "I dunno. But, I ran into him the other day, and he's doing really well for himself. He's taken over half of Lake Automotive, and he's got his own real estate company now too."

  He looked impressed, though he probably already knew that, and if I wasn't so focused on my plan to try and meet Dane, I would have been upset. "Good for him. I always thought he was a good boy. Although he'd be what, twenty-eight, twenty-nine now?"

  "I think twenty-nine," I said quickly, trying to advance the conversation. "Anyway, I got a call from Chris today. His real estate company just closed a big deal out on Blalock Reservoir, and he invited me to a company barbecue party to celebrate the deal this Saturday. I thought if I went, maybe he would keep you in mind when it came time for the actual construction of his project."

  "Wheelin' and dealin' for me, baby? I don't need that," Daddy said, but I could see him smile despite himself. He tried, but he worried too much about me, including the size of my bank account once he passed on. A good marriage, in his opinion, was essential to that. "What about Chris himself? Like I said, I remember you two were pretty sweet on each other."

  "That was a while back, but yes, I liked Chris a lot. Besides, I thought a bit of a lake party would be fun, and let me de-stress after all of this. And it's not like its going to be some sort of wild college party or anything. Probably a lot of polo shirts and khakis, I bet."

  He sat down in his easy chair and started to sit back, then stopped. "Wait. I remember when I was talking to Hank Lake—Dane Bell is living with Chris."

  "Really? I didn't know," I lied through my teeth, pretty convincingly. Inside of me, I felt a little twinge, but that twinge quickly went away. “I just wanted to go to the party, that's all."

  He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You're a big girl now. I'll give my permission. But, there’s one condition."

  I rolled my eyes but tried my best to hide it. He’d just said I was a big girl, then followed it up with he’ll give his permission with a condition. “What's that, Daddy?" I asked, trying not to get up and cheer.

  "Chris is a good man, but he's loyal to a fault. If he goes all noble or anything and invites that traitor, Dane Bell, you are not to hang out or even talk to him. If he approaches you, you politely inform him that you are not to speak with him, and you go on your way. I will not tolerate you and him spending time together, Abby. Understand me?"

  I nodded and prepared to give him a big lie for the first time in my life. "I promise. If Dane Bell is at the party, I will not speak to or hang out with him."

  CHAPTER 12

  DANE

  I was sitting in the park on the grass overlooking the pond, relaxing after a long day at work, content if not wildly happy. After the incident at The Nook, I’d worried about three things. First, that Abby was okay. Second, that she still wanted to see me. We'd had such a great conversation and connected at the end. I needed just a few more minutes, and to be honest, I was actually angry about it. Thankfully, before I went to sleep, I saw that Abby had sent me a text message that she was okay and that she would talk to me when she had the chance.

  However, there was a third concern that left me sleepless for the rest of the night. I just couldn’t help but think I was going to walk into work at Lake Ford and find myself terminated. When Hank Lake called me into his office the next morning, I was sure of it. I hadn't even started my shift yet.

  "You wanted to see me, Mr. Lake?" I asked, mentally deba
ting if I was willing to debase myself enough to beg for my job, or at least ask to finish out the day. I could have used the money.

  Hank looked up from his chair, noticing that I was at least in clean clothes, my coveralls freshly washed and still actually smelling slightly of fabric softener. "Yeah, Bell. I just wanted to tell you that what I saw last night, stays last night. To be honest, I was impressed at how calm you stayed."

  I was stunned. Recovering quickly, I found my voice. "Thank you, sir. I apologize if I caused any trouble."

  Hank shook his head. "Not at all. I've met Abby Rawlings before. She's a beautiful young woman. Of course, I assume you know that she and Chris were involved before."

  I nodded. "Yes sir. But when I met Abby, I didn't know that. When we were in the service, Chris never told me her name. It wasn't until later that the connection was made."

  Hank tapped his desk, pondering for a moment before shrugging and continuing. "I see. Well, that's not here nor there, I’d prefer to stay out of that issue. In any case, I just wanted to let you know. By the way, I saw you weren't scheduled for the weekend this week. Planning on enjoying the time off?"

  It was my turn to shrug, as I was still flummoxed from the past thirty seconds of conversation. "I was thinking I might look at some apartments if I get the chance. I'm not quite ready yet, but I'm itching to stand on my own. I looked in the paper and saw a few cheap places that don't need a big deposit."

  "Most likely in neighborhoods where you're going to be putting that military training of yours to daily use," Hank said with a laugh, tossing his pen onto his desk, where it clattered before coming to rest on his blotter. "All right, I'm not going to tell a man not to be a man. If you need a reference or anything, give them my number."

  That conversation had calmed my last fear, and the rest of the week went well. Now, on Friday night, I was in the park relaxing after work not because of lack of funds, but because when I came back to the Tower, I found a tie hanging on the doorknob of the apartment. Holding my ear to the door confirmed that Chris did have some female companion over, a quite vocal one at that. I figured tonight would be a good night to just chill out, and backed away from the door, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my evening. From the sounds of it, Chris and the lady were enjoying each other's company, and I'd need plans until at least midnight, if not morning.