Heart of Gold

by B. J Daniels

  “Where would you suggest I go?”

  She seemed to have come up with the same conclusion he had as she quickly pushed him back inside her apartment and slammed the door behind them.

  Shep saw her panic. It was only a matter of minutes before her boyfriend would reach her door. “What’s the big deal?” he asked, curious about her boyfriend as well as her reaction. What kind of guy would this grown-up Charlie be into?

  Charlie’s expression made it clear she wasn’t going to let them meet. “He doesn’t know about Lindy.”

  “That makes two of us,” Shep said.

  “You have to hide.”

  “Wouldn’t it be simpler if you just introduced us?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not ready for that.”

  “Perhaps I could hide here in your apartment? Unless you want me to go out the window.” She actually glanced at the kitchen window. “That was a joke. I’m not going out the window.”

  “Fine. Find a place to hide while I get dressed.” She rushed into the bedroom, threw open the closet door and pulled out a slinky red dress. When she turned, he was leaning against the doorjamb watching her.

  “There isn’t much place to hide,” he said. It had taken him all of two seconds to realize that.

  She groaned. “I can’t explain you without getting into all of the rest of it with him.”

  “Why doesn’t your boyfriend know about this Lindy person?”

  Charlie glared at him. “I don’t have time for this. Whatever you do, don’t answer the door,” she said as she pushed him back out of the doorway and closed the bedroom door in his face.

  He could hear someone lumbering slowly up the last flights of stairs. She’d said the man was her boyfriend. “You’re not very close if you’re keeping something so frightening from him that you had to call the judge,” he said through the door.

  The bedroom door flew open. “Daniel and I are close. Maybe I have my reasons for not telling him. Not that it is any of your business,” she said as she fought to get her dress zipped up.

  He stepped to her and turned her around to pull the zipper up the rest of the way, trying his best not to notice the lacy black bra against her pale skin.

  She spun around, flushed, her eyes bright. He stood back to take her in. The sight of her in that getup made him let out a low whistle—just before they both turned at the knock on the apartment door.

  “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I’ll hide in the bedroom. We can talk when you get back.”

  “Wait, you aren’t planning to stay here.”

  “Isn’t this where you keep seeing this person you call Lindy?” There was a more insistent knock at the door. “By the way, you look beautiful.”

  Was that blush from being flattered? Or from anger? “I can’t imagine what the judge was thinking sending you,” she snapped.

  Anger, he guessed. She shot him a warning look as he stepped into the bedroom. He started to close the door as she hurried to answer an even more insistent knock.

  He closed the bedroom door only just enough that he could still see and hear. Yep, he definitely was curious about this boyfriend.

  * * *

  CHARLIE TOOK JUST a second to try to calm her banging heart before she opened the door. She plastered a big smile on her face, one she hoped said, Everything is fine. There isn’t a cowboy math teacher in my bedroom.

  But as it was, she didn’t have to worry about Daniel taking one look at her and knowing something was wrong.

  He barely glanced at her as he pushed past, breathing hard from the climb. “I was beginning to wonder if you had stood me up.” He stopped in the middle of the living room and turned toward her. “Charlie,” he said, still sounding winded and annoyed. “You have to move in with me. I’m not climbing three flights of stairs every time I want to see you.”

  She waited for him to notice the dress, but his gaze had gone to the kitchen.

  “I really could use a beer,” he said as he took a step toward the refrigerator. “You have beer, don’t you?”

  “No, I’m out.” It was a fib. But they weren’t staying here while he had a beer—not with Shep in the bedroom probably listening to every word. “Let’s get a drink at the restaurant,” she said, anxious to get him out of the apartment as quickly as possible. As she reached for her purse where she’d dropped it when she got home, she saw that the bedroom door wasn’t closed all the way and cursed under her breath.

  Moving to the door, she grabbed the knob and slammed it hard. Her nerves felt frayed. Which explained why when Shep had grabbed her wrist earlier, she’d felt a tingling. Seeing Lindy again and finding Shep sitting on her apartment steps had her more shaken than ever. She wouldn’t be able to relax tonight until she was away from this apartment in some quiet, safe restaurant with a glass of wine in her hand.

  “About dinner,” Daniel said. “I was thinking we could have a little something here instead of going out. Maybe watch a movie on TV.”

  “There’s nothing here to eat or drink,” she said quickly. “I was really looking forward to a nice dinner somewhere before the movie.”

  He groaned. “I’ve had a really rough day.”

  Daniel had no idea what a rough day was. She doubted he’d gotten a package with a dead mouse in it or seen his dead stepsister. “Do you like the dress?” she asked, trying to change the subject as she twirled around. “I bought it with you in mind.”

  He nodded and closed the distance between them, cupping her bare shoulders with his hands. “It’s a great dress. Another reason to stay in tonight.” He slipped one strap down her arm. “Why don’t we get you out of it—”

  She pushed the strap back up. “I’m starved. We can talk about my dress later. I have my heart set on dinner and a movie just like we planned.”

  Daniel groaned again. “You’re killing me. All right,” he said with a heavy sigh. “It’s freezing cold outside but if you’re determined...” He sighed. “You drive a hard bargain.” He put his arm around her and they headed for the door.

  She’d been looking forward to this date, but she felt as if she was juggling not only her job and the Amanda problem and Lindy and Shep but also now Daniel.

  Of course Shep was right. She should just tell Daniel everything and then she wouldn’t have to keep secrets from him.

  Why was she so worried about how Daniel would take the news? If he loved her as much as he said, he would understand. He’d probably be protective and concerned about her.

  Was she demented? Of course he wouldn’t understand. She’d had years to think about it and she didn’t understand. Anyway, he’d just said he’d had a rough day. This wasn’t the time to tell him about the worst thing she’d ever done in her life.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  WHAT A JERK, Shep thought as he heard the two of them leave. He opened the bedroom door to peek out. He’d gotten enough of a look at Daniel to know he didn’t like him—even before the man had opened his mouth.

  Going to the window, he looked down on the street in time to see them drive away. No surprise, Daniel drove a muscle car with a muffler that made it sound more souped up than it was. As the two sped off, Shep studied the spot across the street where Charlie had seen the figure she thought was this Lindy person.

  There was no one standing there at the moment, but he could see how it was a perfect spot for someone to appear—and disappear—quickly.

  He turned from the window and looked around the apartment, aware of how much it reflected the Charlie he’d known. The place felt cozy, lived in, loved. He stepped to one of the pen-and-ink drawings on the living room wall. It was a girl standing at the edge of a lake, the water shimmering with the last of the day’s warmth as the sun set off to one side of it. On the other side of the girl, black clouds gathered for what appeared to be an oncoming storm.

  The one side of the pai
nting radiated hope. The other...fear of something approaching? Maybe he was reading too much into it, but it made him wonder about the woman who’d drawn it. He couldn’t help the disturbing feeling that came over him. He thought of the girl he’d known. Whether or not she was the woman in the painting, he feared trouble wasn’t coming for Charlie. It had already found her.

  Opening the refrigerator, he found a beer in the far back and helped himself as he wondered what else Charlie had lied about to her boyfriend. Taking the beer into the living room, he settled on her turquoise couch. All of the furniture he noticed was brightly colored. Somehow that seemed like a good sign, he thought, like the sunshine in the drawing.

  The place had been tastefully decorated. No clutter. Just a few books and some photos of what appeared to be Charlie with young women friends. He took a sip of his beer and noticed a worn leather binding facing him on the bookshelf. Recognizing it, he rose and went to it.

  Pulling out the old leather-bound photo album, he ran his fingers over the soft cover. At the judge’s boot camp, everything of value that they had was stored in lockers for the day they either returned to society or the police bagged their personal possessions and took back to jail.

  Shep recalled Charlie saying she had only one thing she would never part with—a family photo album. He’d gotten the impression it was her only valuable possession. While she’d never let him see the photos inside it, he wasn’t surprised that she still had it.

  Plopping down on her couch, he slowly leafed through the pages. There was Charlie as a baby with her mother and father. Apparently she’d been named after her father, Charles Farmington. He continued through the album until he realized there were no more photos of Charlie’s mother. Just a teenage, sad-looking Charlie and her father.

  After that, there were only a few photos. One of Charlie’s father with another woman. It appeared to be a wedding photo. It had never been tacked down.

  Like the wedding photo, the last photograph was also loose on its page. It was of Charlie about the same age as she was in the photo with her and her father. But in this one, she stood next to a blond girl. The other girl looked older. Neither girl appeared to be happy about having her photo taken. They stood just far enough apart that he suspected they weren’t friends. Charlie especially seemed wary of her.

  He started to put the album away when another single photo fluttered to the floor. Stooping to pick it up, he was surprised to recognize a much younger version of himself. The shot had been taken at the boot camp the judge had sent them to. It was a photo of the two of them, both grinning, both sunburned and looking tired—but also happy.

  Shep couldn’t help but smile at the young Charlie and Shep. Fraternizing with the opposite sex at boot camp was prohibited. But still, they had, even knowing what it could cost them because they couldn’t seem to stay away from each other. This photo alone could have gotten them kicked out.

  That she’d kept the photo sent a wave of warmth through him. They’d broken the judge’s rules that day by slipping away and going skinny-dipping in the icy creek. He chuckled, remembering the foolish chance they’d taken even before they’d dressed and were heading back and asked a kid from a neighboring boot camp to take the photo with his instant snapshot camera he’d snuck in. If they had gotten caught... Where would they be now if the judge had kicked them out of the program?

  And yet the judge had asked him to help Charlie as if... Shep smiled. As if he’d known about the two of them.

  At the sound of a key in the lock, Shep quickly slipped the photo into the photo album and put it back where he’d gotten it. He glanced at his watch as he picked up his beer. What was Charlie doing back so soon?

  He rose as she came in the door. One glance at her and he could tell that she’d been crying.

  He opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but quickly closed it when she said, “Not one word. I do not want to hear it. First someone sent me a dead mouse and then I find you of all people on my front step and I see...” Her voice broke.

  Shep would bet that Daniel had been a bigger jerk after they’d left. “Have you had anything to eat?”

  She shook her head.

  “I’m ordering Chinese because I’m starved and you really don’t have anything to eat in your refrigerator.”

  She nodded and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her as he pulled out his cell and made the call.

  * * *

  CHARLIE TOOK HER time changing into jeans and a T-shirt. As she hung up the red dress she’d bought with Daniel in mind, she felt both sad and angry. All he’d wanted to do was get it off of her. She tried not to cry. She didn’t want to even think about her so-called date.

  Daniel hadn’t wanted to go to dinner and a movie. He’d suggested fast food and going back to her place because a couple of friends were still staying at his. With Shep at her apartment, that wasn’t happening. She’d made excuses when in truth she’d just wanted a quiet dinner in a real restaurant and a sappy movie—just as she’d told Daniel.

  “What? A rom-com?” he’d demanded. “I hate to pay good money for a movie that we could watch at your place and be more comfortable, you know what I mean?”

  She knew what he meant. They’d argued and he’d brought her home. Before that, she’d even considered telling him about Lindy at dinner—and about Shep. But it was clear that he had only one thing on his mind and it wasn’t food. Nor was it hearing anything about her day. Or taking into consideration what she wanted and needed.

  She knew she wouldn’t have argued with him if her day hadn’t been such a disaster—and his apparently as well. She’d been glad when he’d taken her back to her apartment, then sped away after she made it clear that he wouldn’t be coming up.

  Still she didn’t like leaving things the way she had. She would call and talk to him tomorrow—once she got rid of Shep.

  Seeing Shep again on top of everything had thrown her for a loop. All those old feelings had come rushing back at the mere sight of him. He’d saved her all those years ago at Judge Landusky’s boot camp in more ways than one.

  But the big one had been on the obstacle course one day. Exhausted, covered with mud, sick and tired of everything, she’d fallen from a rope fence and lay facedown in what smelled like a pigsty when she’d felt someone grab her by the waist of her jeans and haul her to her feet.

  She’d thought it was one of the judge’s wardens and had been ready to tell him what he could do with his boot camp. To her surprise, it was Shep. Their first meeting hadn’t gone well so this was very unexpected. He’d insisted she go first through the rest of the course and when she’d faltered, ready to give up and go to jail, he hadn’t let her. He’d met her gaze and said, “I’ll be right behind you. You can do this.”

  Charlie had found some inner strength and finished the obstacle course. True to his word, Shep had stayed behind her, watching her back. He’d picked her up at a time when she’d needed it desperately and here he was again.

  With a curse, she knew she was going to have to tell him about Lindy—all of it. He was the last person she wanted to confess to about the horrible thing she’d done. Just the thought of telling him made her stomach twist. Why had the judge sent him of all people?

  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t leave until she told him, and he proved Lindy was dead and she was seeing things, she realized with a groan. He was bound and determined to pay his debt. That she got. But apparently, he also hadn’t gotten any less stubborn over the years either.

  Leaving her feet bare, she padded back into the living room to find him in the kitchen. He’d gotten out plates and napkins, saying the food was on its way. She really was hungry and knew eating would help her not feel so desperate. Also it would delay telling him about Lindy.

  At the knock at the door, he told her to have a seat and he’d get dinner. The scent alone made her stomach rumble as he came back with it.r />
  “I wasn’t sure what you liked so I bought a variety,” he said as he put down the sack and began taking out the small white boxes.

  “It smells so good,” she said, watching excitedly. Her stomach was growling loudly and she knew he heard it. She was thankful that he hadn’t asked about her so-called date.

  “Kung pao shrimp, sweet and sour pork, orange peel beef, fried rice and lo mein, how does that sound?”

  “Wonderful.” She could actually work up a smile. “Thank you.”

  They ate in a companionable silence, making her remember how easy it had been to be around Shep all those years ago. She wasn’t sure she would have made it through that whole ordeal of the judge’s boot camp if it hadn’t been for him—and not just that day on the obstacle course. She’d been self-destructive back then, wanting to punish herself for what she’d done but still unable to admit it to anyone but herself.

  When they finished dinner, she put the leftovers in the refrigerator and dumped the empty containers in the trash. She felt full and content and better than she had all day—until Shep asked, “You’re going to have to tell me about Lindy, you know.”

  “Do we have to do it tonight?”

  “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on, Charlie.”

  She doubted there was any help for her—let alone from Shep. He said he was a middle school math teacher. How he could help, she couldn’t even imagine.

  “Charlie, do you trust me?”

  Looking into those familiar eyes, she realized she did. This handsome man had been the sweet boy who’d stolen her heart at the tender age of sixteen.

  Now just when she thought she’d finally put the past behind her...

  She padded into the living room to plop down on the far end of the couch. He took the other end. Tucking her feet under her, she turned toward him.