Twelfth of Never (Book 3 of the McKay series)

by Hestand, Rita

  Sandy slammed the door and went back to her room.

  Mike was washing his face in the adjoining bathroom. When he came out he noticed the tears in Sandy's eyes.

  "I'm leaving. Thanks for the bed. See ya," he said as he moved toward the door.

  Sandy was near tears. "Why were you drunk?"

  He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "I already clarified that."

  "It's not like you, Mike…" she whispered, his nearness overwhelming.

  "Just celebrating, honey. Just celebrating!" He smiled and walked out.

  Chapter Two

  Chad called the next morning. "Hi sweetie, why don't you come over for lunch today?"

  "Oh," Sandy groped to open her eyes, much less have a decent conversation. "I just got up. What time is it?" Sandy answered reluctantly.

  "It's ten."

  "We had a late night and I was tired, so I slept in this morning."

  "Great, about twelve-thirty, if that's okay," Chad said and was about to hang up. Sandy frowned; she really was tired after fighting with Letty, and worrying about Mike.

  She sat in bed last night thinking about what Letty said and worrying about her own decisions. She had been instantly attracted to Chad. He had such great manners, and it was obvious he was attracted too. They never argued. But then, if she admitted it, it was because she had held her tongue a few times. She certainly didn't like his drinking, and he seemed to enjoy the limelight with his friends. But she had been swept away at his heroic deeds and how much everyone seemed to like him. Everywhere they went people bought him drinks, everyone loved Chad.

  When she looked at her relationship with Chad from a distance though, her whirlwind courtship was a blur. He came home, he met her and he latched on to her as though she were the only girl around. When she thought about it, she wondered why he picked her.

  Deep down, marrying Chad seemed a long way off and nothing to worry about. While waiting to get married she could decide just how much she loved him. Still, Letty's implied remarks burned in her mind.

  "Have you seen your brother?" Sandy asked, turning her concern for Mike over in her head.

  There was a silence, a pause.

  "Mike? No, why?" Chad laughed.

  "Letty brought him here last night, he was drunk." Sandy couldn't keep the worry out of her voice.

  "Mike? Wow, that's unusual. Probably just celebrating our good news. News I fully intend to announce to my parents today. That's why I want you here," Chad announced. "They are going to be thrilled. They love you already."

  "Is he going to be there?" Sandy asked.

  "Who?"

  "Your brother, silly." Sandy frowned again, wondering how insensitive Chad could be.

  "I have no idea. I haven't seen him today…Mike's a big boy, I quit worrying about him when he quit school."

  That remark was so unfair. It wasn't as though Mike hadn't found a good paying job. He was good at what he did. He made money at what he did. What was so wrong with that?

  Sandy couldn't stop all the things that Letty brought up from stirring in her head. "Chad, maybe we should talk about this a little more before we go telling everyone. I haven't even told my family yet. At least not all of them."

  "What's to talk about; we're getting married, first of next year. We're going to school and eventually getting married. In six to eight years we'll have the life we always wanted," Chad said.

  Sandy groaned inwardly. Things were going too fast.

  According to Chad, in a few years their lives would be great. Only Chad would be building his patient list. She would be forming new deals with ranchers around here for her business.

  Then it hit her: 'Eventually!' Had he really said…eventually? First it was as soon as the year was up, now it was eventually. When Sandy was silent he sighed.

  "We've got our life planned; it's going to be great. If we marry too soon people will say I married you for your money. And you know better than that. Okay, gotta run, see you noonish," he said and hung up the phone.

  Deep down though, the thing that worried her most was that Chad was always talking about the money, and how in time things would all come together.

  An uneasy feeling crept up Sandy's spine. Chad was over the top about telling his folks, going to school and having their life planned. And at first, it sounded so right. But now, thinking about it, it did seem a little one sided. So why all of a sudden wasn't she happy? It made no sense. Letty was ruining her joy. She couldn't let Letty control things. She was a woman now, fully capable of making up her mind. Still the doubts Letty planted haunted her.

  Last night she'd been on cloud nine. She'd met Chad's folks for the first time and they did love her. He had kissed her senseless before he dropped her off. But it was sobering to come home and find Mike, dear, hard-working Mike in her bed. And he'd been hung over, and never looked sexier. Although Mike never seemed to realize that he was quite a hunk. Truth be known, she'd guarded her heart around him. But it shocked her that for a moment last night, she wished it was Mike she was engaged to. She'd never seen him like that and what bothered her even more was that Chad didn't seem the least concerned about Mike drinking. Where was the brotherly love, the concern?

  Their family was different, she admitted. That had been apparent from the start. But Chad should have been the one to go to the bar and bring Mike home. And he certainly should have been more concerned about him when he didn't come home.

  Last night she hadn't a care in the world, but in the light of day, and with Letty talking to her, she began to have doubts.

  She had to admit she had been swept off her feet with Chad. He had latched onto her so quickly; she had no time to say no. He didn't take no for an answer. Their romance had been a whirlwind of parties and good times. He was handsome, a good kisser, she sighed when she remembered how his kisses always led to a little playing around. Playing around she hadn't minded. And even though they had talked about it, Chad seemed satisfied that she wanted to wait until she married to have sex.

  Someday he'd be a doctor, making a good living for them both, while she in turn would be a vet, her lifelong dream. With the money her father had allotted for her she saw no problems to her future. Why did Letty have to plant the doubt in her mind?

  She felt like Wylie Coyote in a cartoon, she was putting on the brakes. She could smell the dust under her feet. Where had she been the last few weeks? It wasn't like her to lose her head over a man. It wasn't like her to let a man lead so much of the time.

  She sat on the edge of her bed and fretted for nearly an hour before she ran a bath and got ready to go over to Chad's.

  She wore white jeans and a white peasant blouse that accentuated her figure, but wasn't too risqué. When she suddenly realized she was dressing for his parent's sake, she shook her head. "Oh…." She'd combed her hair into a ponytail and dabbed a little make-up on. She examined herself in the mirror and once satisfied, she went downstairs.

  When Mike showed up at the door a few minutes later, she was startled.

  With a five o'clock shadow he was devastatingly handsome. He didn't look himself, with bloodshot eyes, and hair that looked mussed.

  "Mike, what's going on?" she asked him.

  Mike smiled. "I wanted to apologize for being in your bed."

  "Not necessary," she started to say.

  He threw a hand up. "Good. I thought we were going to go over what shots you wanted for your wedding today?"

  She glanced about. "Oh, well, we can do that another time. I mean, we got a few months before the wedding. And you don't look so good today."

  "Well, thanks for that." He pretended to be hurt. "I don't feel so good either."

  When the door closed behind him, he winced and shook himself.

  "I didn't mean you didn't look good…I've never seen you unshaved…" She smiled. "It's kind of sexy." She laughed.

  "Kind of sexy?" He raised a brow and eyed her. "Hmm. Well, that's not exactly bad now is it?"

  She punched him
in the shoulder. "You know it isn't bad."

  "I don't know whether to enjoy the compliment, or be mad for the observation."

  "Oh, you know I didn't mean it that way. You know you’re handsome. I was warned about you a long time ago." Sandy laughed.

  "Oh, by who?"

  "Letty, of course. She said you were too worldly for me."

  "Really? I’m too worldly?"

  Mike's smile didn't reach his lips though as he nodded.

  "You should be home, nursing that hang over." Sandy absently rubbed his arm after hitting him.

  He looked at her hand, and then she moved away. He grabbed his head.

  "I know it's kind of early, but you sounded so impatient to plan it all out the other day. I got the feeling you were in a hurry."

  Sandy blushed. "Yeah, Chad gets me a little going about that. He talks about it like its tomorrow."

  "I noticed." Mike nodded. "Well, okay then, I'll shove off for now. See ya…" He started to leave.

  "Mike, wait…" she hollered as he walked out the door and onto the porch. "Chad invited me for lunch at your folks' place, could you drive me over?" she asked wanting to find out why he got drunk, when he didn't drink.

  "Sure, I guess so. Although I wasn't planning on going there. Are you ready now?"

  "Yeah, I am. I'll call Chad and tell him you are bringing me over," she cried, reaching for her cell phone from the charger.

  "Fine," he muttered and moved toward his car.

  "Mike…is something wrong?" she asked. "You don't seem the same, lately."

  He glanced over his shoulder. "No, nothing, let's go."

  Dodger came running up to her when she came outside, and Sandy bent to pet him. Dodger was a German Sheppard her dad had bought when Duke died. Sandy had grown attached to him and he never failed to greet her every time she came out of the house. Sandy felt she had sadly neglected her canine friend.

  "You be a good boy, and I'll bring you a treat. I promise." She scratched behind his ears.

  Dodger whined and wagged his tail, as she got in the car.

  But when Mike shoved the transmission into drive and sped out of the drive kicking a cloud of dust up, Dodger barked and she took another look at him. Sandy was sure there was something going on with him. Mike was a great driver, not prone to recklessness.

  "Chad…look, I ran into Mike. He's bringing me over, okay?"

  "Sure…saves me the trip." He laughed.

  "Okay, see you in a bit…" She hung up.

  As she hung up, she noticed how fast Mike was driving.

  "Mike, would you mind pulling over, I want to talk to you," she insisted as soon as they got on the road.

  "It's not a good time, honey. I've got a hum-dinger of a headache." Mike groaned.

  "Please…stop the car. I want to talk to you. And you should have a headache, after yesterday."

  He let out a held breath, pulled the car over and threw it into park. He was so out of character, she did a double take of him. He still hadn't shaved, his hair was messed, and his clothes a little wrinkled. No, this was not the Mike she knew.

  "Okay…what's up?"

  When he turned to look directly at her, he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked away, pulling his sun glasses off the top of his head.

  "There's no other way to put this. Are you alright with me and Chad getting married?" Sandy asked.

  Mike's expression puzzled Sandy.

  "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

  "I don't know. It's just that ever since Chad came home, you've been acting funny," Sandy insisted. "Things have changed. A lot of things. I don't understand it all, and I'd like to."

  Mike frowned and turned away to stare at the lonely road. "It has nothing to do with you. You should know I want you to be happy. Just not happy about going home right now."

  "What's wrong? Why don't you talk to me about it? Maybe I could help in some way."

  "It's a long boring story and I'm not up to it today. Another time, maybe. Just remember it has nothing to do with you," Mike assured her. "It's nothing I can change or do anything about."

  "Promise?"

  "Promise."

  She kept staring at him intently.

  "If that's all that's bothering you, we should be on our way," he insisted, his hand on the ignition.

  Suddenly she moved toward him, and kissed him on the cheek, an impulsive action on her part. She simply felt like kissing him.

  Shocked that she was doing it, he turned toward her and then their lips met, briefly, tentatively. As though neither of them wanted to pull away, but thought better of it, and did.

  She hadn't meant to kiss him; he hadn't meant to turn at just the moment she kissed him. Their lips met shyly, barely tasting, barely melting into each other.

  As he gently pulled away, he studied her lips a long moment.

  "Wow…that's one way to ease a hang-over." He smiled and started the car.

  Sandy was speechless.

  What had just happened?

  Mike had almost kissed her back. The touch they shared shocked Sandy. The electrical tension between them magnified as she moved to her side of the car once more. She'd never kissed Mike before. He had always kept his distance, but that kiss wasn't planned. And it shocked them both.

  His words softened the shock and she shot him a shy smile. Mike always knew how to get out of an embarrassing situation. She should be glad, but something in the back of her mind niggled. What would have happened if they had allowed the kiss?

  Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. The image of them together wouldn't go away. Her senses came alive at that moment. She smelled the soft scent of a well groomed man. The tension inside the car was like a live wire, waiting to be touched.

  When she had pulled away, she felt as though she might have missed something very special and the curiosity of his unreadable features made that live wire spin about.

  You didn't touch a live wire and suddenly pull away from it, it left the body wanting something it didn't get, she reasoned.

  Deciding to make light of the situation too, she nodded. "Glad I could help."

  His smile began to fade, and they rode quietly to his folk's house. But that almost kiss had changed things between them, and she knew it.

  The house was a big two story frame built in a cul-de-sac. The huge pecan trees surrounding it brought a very elegant and old southern look to the neighborhood that didn't quite fit in.

  Yet, despite the look, Mike's parents were not rich. They were middle income and just a tad snooty about it. Sandy had often noticed that people in middle income tended to act like they were better than they were. This description fit them. Sandy squirmed. Why was she no longer sure of herself, her feelings, and what she had gotten herself into?

  And why was the notion that she should have kissed Mike full on the lips floating around in her head, now?

  She felt ill at ease, not with Mike, but with her own predicament.

  First Letty's scolding, now Mike's near kiss, it was too much to think about at one time.

  Besides, he hadn't really kissed her. She hadn't felt the softness of his lips, had she? She hadn't heard his in-drawn breath had she? She hadn't felt the electrical friction from his five o'clock shadow. His heart hadn't pounded as loud as hers, had it?

  Last night Chad's folks had welcomed her with open arms. They obviously approved of their son's choice of women. So why did she weigh that now? Was it the money they approved of, or her? Letty had also warned her that she might not be accepted for herself again. And why did she suddenly doubt Chad's folks? When Chad talked about them it was as though he didn't care what they thought. But now, she began to see things from a different perspective.

  All because of a near kiss?

  Sandy sat a quivering mass of jitters as they went inside and sat in the parlor waiting for everyone to join them.

  That near kiss had changed things between her and Mike and she knew it, and she shouldn't be making more of it than there was. B
ut she had, she glanced up at Mike who aside from having a hang-over was being a generous host, by offering her some lemonade.

  Chad strolled into the room, his gaze going from her to his brother. A frown laced his face as he stared at Mike. "Heard you celebrated the engagement yesterday. How you feeling bro?"

  "A little rough around the edges, thanks. If you'll excuse me; I need to take care of something." Mike rushed from the room. Chad shook his head.

  "Well," Chad stared as his brother headed for the kitchen. "He really did tie one on, didn't he? I don't think I've ever seen him like that. He's actually got a hang-over."

  Sandy smiled. "Yeah…A little too much celebrating."

  "He needs to learn how to handle his liquor, though." Chad laughed glancing at her. "One of the lessons of manhood, you know. Ask any Marine. I'm surprised at how many parties he's gone to with those models of his and still he won't drink. Mike's way too sensible."

  "Do you believe that?" Sandy couldn't stop the frown she aimed at Chad. "Mike's not used to it. And I don't think he should get used to it. Some people can't hold their liquor you know."

  "Why not? Nothing wrong with drinking if you know how to handle it. It's all a part of being a man," Chad insisted. "After all, he spends his time taking pictures of some of the most beautiful women in the world; one would think him worldlier, huh?"

  "He doesn't just take pictures, he's a professional photographer. And yes, he does take them of the top models. He's really good at his job." But warning bells rang in her head. That's not how she looked at it. She should have set Chad straight about her attitude toward drinking. It had been an opportunity she let go. But the afternoon was already proving difficult, she wouldn't make it worse.

  "Always defending the underdog, aren't you, honey?"

  "Underdog, is that how you see your brother?" she demanded. "As an underdog?"

  "What else, he lets mom and dad run completely over him, all the time. He needs to stand up to them and defend himself. They'd respect him if he did."

  "Why don't you stand up for him?" she asked, softening her voice a bit.