Don't Call Me Sweetheart

by Codi Gary

  “Done.” Dustin held his hand out. “Partners?”

  Marley glanced at Rylie and the three of them shook. “Partners.”

  * * * *

  On Saturday after work, a bunch of the guys from the precinct headed over to Fornier’s house to check on his recovery, and enjoy a family friendly barbeque. Luke wasn’t really in the mood to socialize, but Fornier’s wife, Maria, had insisted he come.

  Now, as he stood off to the side, drinking a beer, he’d wished he’d been able to turn her down. Watching the men around him with their wives and kids was painful, like a thousand tiny needles stabbing him in the eyes and heart. It reminded him of the moments when he’d been with Marley and however briefly it may have been, he’d imagined a future with her. Marriage and 2.5 rugrats.

  All he had to look forward to when he left was a pint of Half-Baked ice cream in his fridge and a new Chicago PD episode he hadn’t watched yet.

  “Hey, Luke!” Fornier said, making his way over to him. He still looked the same as he always did, except for the red, puckered scar on his neck. “What are you doing, hiding over here?”

  “Just staying out of the way. I’ll come out of hiding when those burgers are done.”

  “My brother-in-law is the one manning the grill and he does make a kick-ass bacon burger. Don’t ever tell him I told you that, though.”

  Luke chuckled good-naturedly. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  Fornier slapped his arm and nodded toward a couple of empty lounge chairs. “Come on, let’s take a load off.”

  Luke followed him, figuring he’d have a little conversation, eat a burger, and when everyone was distracted, sneak out the back.

  “Oh, and don’t think about sneaking out later, because Maria baked you a whole dessert assortment. She’ll be pissed if you don’t take it with you.”

  Luke had seen Maria when she was fit to be tied. She seemed taller than five-foot-one, had this huge vein that popped out of her neck, and she started cursing in Italian.

  It was actually pretty funny, as long as her fury wasn’t directed at you.

  “I’ll be sure to say good-bye to her before I leave.”

  “Good.” Fornier smiled, and Luke followed his gaze to the lanky boy of about nine. He had on a ball cap, jean shorts, and was currently showing off his dance moves to a couple of the cops’ wives, who laughed and cheered in delight.

  “Is that your oldest with the killer moonwalk?” Luke asked.

  “Yeah, that’s Kenneth. Lilly and Paula are inside having a tea party with some of the other little girls.” Fornier sank back into the chair, his expression somber. “I think about how close I came to missing all of this and…I don’t know, man. It puts things in perspective.”

  “What do you mean?” Luke asked.

  “Maria doesn’t want me coming back to SWAT.”

  Luke wasn’t surprised, but he was a little thrown by Fornier’s tone, as if he was considering calling it quits.

  “What does she want you to do? Parking duty?”

  Fornier chuckled. “Probably, but I’m not that out of the game yet. I was thinking about taking the detective exam.”

  “The hours are crazy though. If Maria wants you safe and spending more time at home, that isn’t going to help matters,” Luke said.

  “Probably not. And Lord knows I live to make sure that woman is happy.” Fornier shook his head. “The strange thing is, I’d actually be okay walking away from being a cop, but I don’t know what else to do with myself. I’ve got to work, can’t afford to go back to school…”

  “You could take online classes. Take a desk job, or a dispatch position. That would definitely be a safe gig.”

  Fornier roared with laughter. “Jesus, could you see me trying to talk down some panicking woman on the telephone? I’d be fired within the hour for cracking some inappropriate joke.”

  “Naw, you’d be great at it. You’re good with people, you know how to work under pressure, and you’re patient. Hell, you’d have to be to wrangle those three kids the way you do.”

  “Thanks, man,” Fornier said. “So, what about you? Ever think of hanging it up?”

  Luke took a swig of his beer. “What for? It’s about all I have going for me right now.”

  “No one special then?”

  Marley’s face tried to swirl to the surface, but he pushed her back down. “Nah, not a one.”

  “That’s too bad. I think you’d make some woman very happy.”

  Luke coughed, covering up the lump of emotion at Fornier’s words. Damn, what was wrong with him? If he got all blubbery over a compliment, the guys would never let him strap on a vest again.

  Swinging his legs over the side of the chair, he held his hand over his heart. “Fornier, I say this with the utmost respect and love, but if you try and kiss me, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Jessup. If I kissed you, you’d swoon like Scarlett O’Hara. Just ask my wife.”

  “What the hell are you two talking about?” Voight had come up behind Luke sometime during the conversation, and Luke had no idea how much he’d heard, but he and Fornier both started busting a gut.

  “Crazy as hell,” Voight muttered as he walked away.

  They finally stopped laughing, and before Luke knew what he was doing, he asked, “Was there ever a time when you thought you and Maria might not make it?”

  Fornier turned his face toward him, and Luke watched a shadow pass over it. “Marriage is hard. It has its ups and downs, but we’ve managed to pull through.”

  “What if she told you she didn’t care or need you around?”

  “I’d know she was either lying through her teeth or it wasn’t real to begin with.”

  Luke’s heartbeat picked up speed. “Why do you say that?”

  “Love’s not complicated. I believe when two people are right for each other, shit will work itself out. Sometimes it’s harder, but at the end of the day, if being without that person is like trying to get around while it feels like half of you is missing, then that’s true love. And you don’t walk away from that easily.”

  Fornier’s words cut him to the quick and he drained his beer. “Some people do.”

  Chapter 24

  On Monday, Marley was curled up in her favorite chair reading a book when someone knocked. She set her book down and stretched as she stood up. She had to admit that after working seven days a week for seven years and being at other people’s beck and call, just staying home and being able to read one of the many books she’d been collecting for years was very relaxing.

  Don’t forget lonely.

  Marley frowned, hating the sadness that kept creeping over her at the most inopportune times. She missed Luke.

  Her eyes started filling again, and she blinked back tears. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She’d spent days crying, doing anything to distract herself from the fact that she had totally screwed up something good. Something that could have been amazing.

  With a deep, steadying breath, she opened the front door, expecting it to be Dustin with the deed to Buzzard Gulch in his hand.

  Instead, she found Kendall standing on her porch with her hands on her hips, looking irritated. Marley hadn’t seen her in over a week, and apparently jetting off with Brent to some unknown location had agreed with her. She was tan and gorgeous in a blue wrap dress and simple ballet flats, her blond hair in waves down her back.

  “Do you know I have called you four times and no answer?” she said.

  Marley rubbed at her swollen eyes, trying to wipe away the evidence that she’d been crying over Luke. So many times she’d almost reached for the phone to call him, but words failed her. The only thing that had kept her sane was worrying about the Sweetheart Café, her mom, and the new business venture.

  “Sorry, been a little out of it.”


  Kendall reached for her hand, taking it with a squeeze as she came into Marley’s home. “I heard about Luke leaving. I am so sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I ended it.” When Kendall swung around, her mouth hung open in surprise. “It was doomed from the beginning, anyway. It cost me my job, the café—”

  Kendall broke in with a cry, “How did your being with Luke cost you the café?”

  “Because if I hadn’t been with him…”

  “You could have what? Followed Sonora around all night?” Kendall shook her head. “It was nobody’s fault but my sister’s. It especially wasn’t Luke’s.”

  She knew Kendall was right, but hearing the words aloud just made Marley’s eyes mist, and she rubbed them again with a sniff. “I know. But if I don’t have a reason to justify sending Luke away, then I’ll never get over him.”

  “Why do you need to get over him? Just call him and tell him you’re sorry and you love him. I know he’ll forgive you.”

  Marley laughed bitterly. “Really? Because he practically told me that I had screwed him over, and he would never forget it. So, I’m not so sure.”

  “But—”

  “Please, Kendall, can we just save the drama for another time? I haven’t seen you in a week and I want to hear about you.”

  “And I want to know what is going on with you!”

  Marley shook her head, giving up. “Fine, but my life is definitely not all hugs and puppies. It turns out the insurance money won’t cover all of the remodel, so my mom is thinking about not rebuilding.”

  “Yeah, I talked to your mom yesterday after you’d ignored my call twice.” Kendall reached into her purse and held out a white envelope to Marley. “Here.”

  “What’s this?” Marley opened it up and when her eyes scanned the check inside, she started coughing. When she finally stopped, she wheezed, “What is this for?”

  “It’s an advance. I want you to be one of my bridesmaids and Brent wants you to edit the tell-all book he’s writing.”

  Marley gaped. “Brent is writing a tell-all?”

  “He’s tempted, especially after Sonora just got offered a huge advance for her version of what happened this summer. I’m betting she’s going to leave out her little fling with Dustin Kent and burning down your mother’s café.”

  “Probably,” Marley said.

  Kendall shook her head. “I still don’t understand why she’d make a move on Dustin when she had Brent. It is incredibly mind boggling, especially since he’s so…”

  Kendall’s voice trailed off and her cheeks turned bright red. Whatever she’d been about to say was obviously very naughty.

  Which Marley didn’t need to know anything about.

  “Some people are never satisfied, I guess.” Marley slipped the check back inside the envelope and held it out to her. “I can’t accept this. I no longer work for Something Borrowed, and even if I did, I would be your bridesmaid for free. You’re my friend.”

  Kendall pushed it back towards her. “Which is why I am giving you this. Brent and I talked and we agreed that if it wasn’t for you speaking up before the wedding, Brent would have married Sonora and been miserable until he divorced her. Now, we get to be happy together, and for that, you deserve every penny. Plus, I thought you could use some of it to fix up the diner and the rest for your move to New York.”

  Marley walked into the kitchen, turning her back on Kendall. “I’m not going to New York.”

  “What? But you said it was your dream!”

  “It was, but dreams change. I changed this summer. With the loss of the café and my mom getting hurt, I realized that I was just running from memories. Running from the constant reminder of what I’d lost and ignoring everything I’ve gained.” Marley turned on the coffee maker, her third cup of the day, and turned to Kendall with a reassuring smile. “I can be an editor anywhere, even if I go into business for myself, but this place? This is home. And I used the money your parents gave me for not contesting Sonora’s sentence to restore Buzzard Gulch.”

  Kendall tilted her head to the side, her brow furrowed. “What is Buzzard Gulch?”

  “It’s an old ghost town on the hill. My business partners and I are going to restore it and turn it into a wedding venue. In fact, we were talking about how nice it would be to have more in house services for Something Borrowed, and we could really use a talented photographer.”

  “I thought you didn’t work there anymore,” Kendall teased.

  “I don’t, but Kelly, Rylie, and Dustin are my business partners and I spent seven years at the place. I want to see it grow and thrive.” Marley listened to the bubbling brew boil behind her, music to her ears. “Do you want some coffee?”

  “No, I’m okay,” Kendall said.

  “Anyway, Kelly and I are on good terms, especially with the changes she’s making to Something Borrowed.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. Kelly has put into place a code of ethics in the contract for future brides. Any harassment and degradation of a Something Borrowed employee will result in termination of the contract with no refund.”

  Kendall sat down at her dining room table, her face brightening. “Wow. And you’re really going to stay here?”

  “This is where my family and friends are.” The coffee pot beeped, signaling it was done and she filled her Coffee, I love you cup three quarters of the way full. “This is where I want to raise my children and build a life with the person I love.”

  “And who is that?” Kendall asked.

  Marley shot her a dirty look as she leaned against the counter. “Don’t be cute.”

  “I’m always cute. I’m just saying that you’ve got this great plan, but what if you just let the love of your life go—”

  “I didn’t let him go. I chased him away.”

  Kendall sat down at the table, staring at her. “Do you even know why?”

  A thousand lies threatened to roll off her tongue, but instead, she told the truth. “I was afraid of getting too close? Of putting myself out there and losing him? Of getting my heart broken when he didn’t feel the same way.”

  “Well, that’s dumb,” Kendall said.

  “Gee, tell me how you really feel.”

  “I’m serious, you are an idiot. I mean, I was in love with my sister’s fiancée , about to watch him pledge to love her for the rest of their lives, and just before the I dos, he came to me and told me that he loved me too. And when he was still going to go through with it because of obligation, you saved the day. I lived with heartbreak for a year and now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Life is crazy and you have to embrace it, the good with the bad.”

  Marley reached down to pick up Butters, who was nibbling on her toes. When he nuzzled into her neck, she sighed at the warmth his small body brought her. If her life had gone differently, she wouldn’t have been here to rescue him.

  “He lives in L.A. and I live here. It wouldn’t have worked unless one of us was willing to make a change and I finally know where I belong. I can’t leave.”

  “But did you ask him to? Did you say, ‘Luke, I love you and I want you to stay and be with me?’”

  “I couldn’t ask him that,” Marley said.

  Kendall looked like she wanted to choke her. “Why the hell not?”

  “Because it isn’t a fair question. Relationships are about compromises. It isn’t right if one person sacrifices everything for the other.”

  “What isn’t fair is making him think he doesn’t have the option to decide.”

  Marley carried her mug over and sat across from Kendall, Butters against her chest. “I can see we’re just going to keep arguing about this.”

  “Only because you’re being a giant dumbass.”

  Marley set her mug down and picked up the white envelope, waving it at Kendall. “Can we get back to this ginormo
us check and how I can’t accept it?”

  “Just accept the help.” Kendall reached forward and wrapped her hand around Marley’s, crinkling the envelope. “I love you, no matter how you came into my life. You were always supposed to be my friend, no, you’re more than that. You’re my guardian angel, cupid, and fairy godmother all in one. And you deserve to find your happiness.”

  Marley’s eyes pricked with tears. “I love you too.”

  Kendall wiped at her own wet eyes with a laugh. “Now that that’s settled, let’s talk wedding details. We’re going to do a small, private ceremony in two weeks at the Kent’s Winery, and I want to do a fall theme. Very simple and lots of DIY. Are you in?”

  Marley went to Kendall and gave her a big hug, making Butters squirm between them. “So in.”

  * * * *

  Tuesday night in L.A., Luke met Brent for drinks at Casey’s Irish Pub, Luke’s favorite bar, celebrating Brent’s engagement to Kendall. Luke was putting on a good front, but the truth was, having Brent there made him think of Marley. How she smelled, how she felt held against him. The way her smile could light up her whole face.

  He missed her like crazy and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. She didn’t want him. Had pushed him out of her life.

  Luke held his glass up to Brent, forcing a smile. “Congratulations on marrying the right girl this time.”

  He took a deep draw of his whisky, but noticed Brent wasn’t drinking.

  “What’s up? Not going to toast your own good fortune?”

  “How are you doing, man?” Brent asked.

  “I’m good. You know, just working, eating and sleeping. Don’t have time for much else.”

  “That so? Because Kendall talked to Marley.”

  Luke needed another if they were going to go down this road. Signaling the bartender, he didn’t respond, and Brent pushed forward.

  “Seems like she’s pretty miserable without you, man.”

  “That was her choice, not mine.”

  Brent swirled his glass. “Maybe so, but I think—”

  “Drop it, okay? I don’t need to hear how she regrets the whole thing and that I should call her. I’m not interested in anything she has to say.”