“I don’t even know how to thank you,” Hunter said.
“Play hard, go to college, keep your nose clean. You too, Will. Think of this as an opportunity not a punishment. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Hunter. Let you know how I get on.”
Hunter rose and grabbed Will’s shirt, tugging him along like a toddler. Will stopped at the top of the porch steps and turned slightly, his profile illuminated by the streetlights. “The gun didn’t have no bullets. I’ve never even fired it.”
“You broke in, intimidated the hell out of me, and scared years off my life. If you weren’t so big, I’d take you across my knee and spank you good. Promise me you’ll get rid of it.”
Hunter stood a few steps down. “I’ll make sure, Miss Lilliana.”
The boys were almost to their cars when Lilliana called out, “Hunter! Was Alec still at the Pavilion when you left?”
“Yep. He and the other coaches were in a meeting.”
She waved and retreated to the house. Once they were away, she locked every door. If Alec showed up, he’d have to ring the doorbell. He needed to know what was going on. The longer her scheme marinated, the more hair-brained it seemed.
Her call went straight to voice mail. Her text went unanswered. Football. He was wrapped up in football. Everything was fine.
Except nothing felt fine. The pit in her stomach flooded with nerves and doubts. Her instincts screamed. Right or wrong, a sense of abandonment grew.
23
The next morning, after she’d fortified herself with coffee, she made a call to her Hancock relative judge, catching him before his tee time to pose a hypothetical question for a friend. He assured her that punishment was at his discretion within certain boundaries, but a court-ordered juvenile boot-camp-type program sounded ideal for her “hypothetical” situation. After everything had settled, she would work on Will again.
Next, wearing dress pants, a blazer, and heels, Lilliana sidled into the bank. She pushed dark sunglasses to the top of her head. The rehearsed request that scrolled through her brain sounded outrageous.
But there were advantages and disadvantages to being related in some way to half the town. Disadvantages included a smaller dating pool and everyone nosing into your business. Advantages included receiving many favors. It was with equal amounts relief and trepidation that Lilliana approached the assistant bank manager, who happened to be a relation.
“Kyle! Great to see you.” Lilliana pasted a parade-worthy smile on her face and held out a hand for a shake.
Two years older in years, but at least two decades older in spirit, Kyle Hancock pulled the waistband of his slacks up over his ever-expanding potbelly and returned the shake. In a jovial, salesmanlike voice, he said, “Lilliana, sugar. What can we do you for this morning?”
She kept her smile in place, but lowered her voice to businesslike tones. “I need a check cashed.”
“I’m sure one of our tellers could help you.” He put a hand on her back and exerted pressure to herd her toward the half-dozen windows, but she resisted.
“Actually, it’s a rather sizable check, and I need a big chunk of it in cash.”
Kyle’s dark Hancock eyes remained crinkled even though his smile had disappeared. “Follow me.”
Once she was seated across from him in his office, she handed over the gallery check. “I need four thousand in cash, and the rest deposited in my account.”
Kyle’s gaze darted between her and the check. “What are you doing with the cash?”
“Is it your business?” Lilliana sat on the edge of the wooden chair, her ankles crossed, her back straight, her hands folded over the small duffle bag in her lap. Instinctively, she fell back onto Aunt Esmerelda’s lessons of ladylike, confident body language.
“As Ben Larkin is out of town and I’m in charge, it most certainly is. Not to mention, you’re my cousin.” Kyle’s jaw was set.
He wasn’t going to give her the money. Nerves cut the reins she’d put on her tongue. “Second cousin. We could get married in Alabama. No law against it.” What the eff was coming out of her mouth? “Not that I want to marry you. I don’t. Seriously. Not that you’re not a fine catch for some woman out there. I can’t believe no one has snatched you up.” She forced her lips together.
“I see some things never change.”
“What do you mean?”
“You always did run your mouth when you were nervous.” His expression lightened. “I’ll never forget when you told old Jessup that he smelled like mothballs but went on to declare it was your favorite smell in the whole world.”
Lilliana fanned her face with a hand, trying to dissipate some of the heat. “That was so embarrassing, but I was only eight, for goodness sake.”
Kyle’s forehead wrinkled like a bulldog. “Are you involved in something illegal?”
She sputtered a few inane denials. “Certainly not. I’m having some work done on the house and the fellow prefers cash.”
“Is he an illegal?”
“Not to my knowledge. He quoted me the best price by far.”
“And, asked to be paid in cash?”
Ignoring the slight condescension in his voice, she gasped and lay a hand across her throat. “I can’t afford any of the other quotes, Kyle.”
He sighed and steepled his fingers at his mouth. “I wouldn’t do this for just anyone. You understand me?”
“Understood.” She handed over the duffle bag she’d brought with her to carry the cash.
Kyle raised a brow. “What’s this for?”
“The cash.”
“Dang, girl. This isn’t a heist.” Kyle left the duffle and left the office, still chuckling.
Once she was alone, she shifted in the upright chair, tapping her heels in rhythm to the elevator music drifting through the doorway, a million thoughts bouncing around her head like a pinball machine.
Should she have asked for unmarked bills? Isn’t that what the baddies in movies always requested? Kyle would be onto her for sure. Anyway, some midlevel Alabama gangbanger wouldn’t care. He wanted his money. End of story.
How long did it take to count out four thousand dollars? Maybe Kyle was calling the police, familial ties be damned. No way would she survive an interrogation from Rick. Whether she’d known him since they were little or not, he still intimidated the spit out of her. All policemen did. What was Alec doing? Why hadn’t he returned her calls? Should she suck it up and drive by his house?
A quarter of an hour passed before Kyle walked back in the office. It had felt both faster and slower.
Kyle dropped a small stack of bills on the desk and slid over two documents for her to sign, one for the withdrawal and one for the deposit. She signed and handed the papers back and pointed at the cash.
“That’s all of it?”
“Yep.”
Lilliana had pictured a briefcase full of cash. She’d obviously seen too many movies. But as the money wouldn’t fit in her pocket, she shoved it into the duffle bag anyway. Kyle escorted her through the sliding double doors of the bank and into the cool, bright sunshine. She pulled her sunglasses down and took a step. Kyle wrapped a hand around her upper arm. “You call me if you need anything, you hear?”
Even though Kyle had never joined in the silly games they’d played as children, he’d never failed to be kind. She patted his hand, and he released her. “Thanks, cuz. I will.”
The clicking of her heels against the marble steps sounded too loud, and although she didn’t look over her shoulder, she imagined Kyle watching her walk away. Her stiff body refused to unloosen, and she hoped it wasn’t as obvious as a neon sign blinking overhead that she was carrying several thousand dollars for a drug dealer. A nervous sweat broke under her arms and across her chest in spite of the cool air.
She turned the corner down a short alley between buildings to where she’d parked. Alec was a quarter of the way into the alley, headed in her direction, but he stopped. Instead of greeting her with a smile and an apology, he gl
anced over his shoulder as if escape was a more attractive option.
All her midnight fears came rushing back. “Why didn’t you call me back? Or at least a text.”
“I had some thinking to do.”
It was obvious he wasn’t taking a step toward her—proverbial or otherwise. She closed the distance between them, her heels clacking. Shadows ringed his bloodshot eyes, and stubble trailed down his neck. Had he gone partying and done something bad? “About what?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Anger hardened his eyes and voice.
Confusion burnt a path through her body bringing heat into her cheeks. She was the one on the higher moral ground here, wasn’t she? And how did he already know about Hunter and Will? “I was trying to tell you, but you never returned my calls.”
His eyes narrowed. “Logan wasn’t lying? I took your virginity in college?”
The conversation had veered straight off a cliff. Sand filled her mouth sucking all moisture out, leaving her throat scratchy and only able to choke out one word. “Yes.”
“Fuck!” He exploded into motion, kicking at the bricks. The edge of one crumbled into pieces. “Why’d you lie to me?”
“I didn’t lie.”
“I asked you more than once if we had met at Alabama.”
She stared over his shoulder at the moss-covered bricks, trying to control her anger, but it was impossible. “All right, yes, I lied. Because I knew you’d self-flagellate like some medieval monk. You taking my virginity at some frat party would be your hair shirt, and you’d never look at me or yourself the same way.”
“I deserved to know.”
“Really? It was my virginity, and I chose to lose it to you. You didn’t rape me or coerce me into sex, Alec.”
“So we had drunk sex, and you skipped home to brag to all your friends about how you banged the quarterback.”
His crass assessment unleashed her tongue. “Actually, I didn’t tell anyone for a long time. You rolled off me and pretty much told me to get out. I was humiliated and hurt and hated you for a really long time.”
He rubbed over his mouth and jaw with a hand that trembled. His defensiveness had been a front for his pain and yet she’d still lashed out. She held out a hand and softened her tone. “It was a long time ago, and you don’t even remember it. Can’t you let it go?”
“Did you leave Alabama because of me?”
In the middle of a minefield, she knew one lie would annihilate their relationship. “If you hadn’t been such a jerkwad, maybe I wouldn’t have had the motivation, courage—whatever you want to call it—to head to New York and pursue my dream. I took the easy road by going to Alabama, but it wasn’t what I truly wanted.”
“No wonder you hated me.”
“For a while, yes. But, it hasn’t eaten away at me the last ten years. I’ve lived a damn good life. Art school in New York was the best thing to happen to me. Obviously, I don’t hate you now, Alec.” She attempted to catch his eye, but he seemed to have retreated inside himself. With the desperation of trying to hang onto a rope slipping from her grasp, she said, “I love you.”
Finally he met her eyes, anger and guilt and love warring. He took a step backward, and then another before turning around and walking briskly out of the alley without another word.
A sense of finality crashed through the alley in his wake. That was it? Their relationship was over because of something that happened a decade earlier? No, it was over because she hadn’t told the complete truth.
Tears burned a path through her sinuses, and she sniffed to keep them contained. Apparently, Alec never read the relationship manual that stated white lies told to keep from hurting a partner were acceptable. Granted, this omission might have been more gray than white, but her motive had been to protect what was growing between them.
Her hands slipped along the handles of the duffle bag. She was lurking in an alley too much cash than was comfortable. Not smart. Even if it was only Falcon and not New York City. She double-timed it to her SUV and locked herself inside, gripping the steering wheel. She didn’t have time to wallow and cry. Hunter and Will were counting on her.
And, she’d been counting on Alec, but he was gone.
24
Alec sat in his truck and watched Lilliana walk to her SUV, taking in everything about her. From her unusual dress clothes and heels to the empty-looking bag she clutched to her chest like a lifesaver. She ran the back of her hand under her nose and stumbled on loose gravel. His hand went to the door handle. Maybe he should . . . No. She’d lied to him.
When he’d told Logan about moving in with her, Logan joked about how crazy it was that Alec had punched Lilliana’s V-card in college and now they were getting serious. The shock felt like being dipped in liquid nitrogen—frozen and brittle.
Everything clicked into place—Lilliana’s animosity for so long, her evasive answers to his questions about her time at Alabama, Jessica Wilde’s vague insinuation. Was their relationship some elaborate plan of revenge or did she really love him?
She sat in her SUV for a long time. In spite of the lie, he loved her. Maybe she hadn’t told him because she hadn’t wanted to hurt him. After nurturing his past betrayals and fuck-ups, he couldn’t recognize normal behavior. He had the door to his truck halfway open when her SUV lurched forward and headed out of the parking lot.
The bitterness of his past seemed to melt away. The realization she might actually love him—the real him, not the college quarterback, not the NFL’s rising star—had straightened his warped sense of what love was and what it could be.
Yet, trust lagged behind love. Why was she dressed up? What was the deal with the bag? Suspicion punched at his stomach. Something was going on. I was trying to tell you, but you never returned my calls. She had definitely not been referring to her long-lost virginity.
Muttering a curse, he started the truck and drove by Hancock House, but Lilliana’s SUV wasn’t out front. He texted her before heading to Hunter’s house in Mill Town. No one was home. He drove up and down the streets looking for familiar cars. A few people were out raking leaves or walking, but the streets were mostly barren on the crisp afternoon.
He headed back through town, finally parking in the football pavilion lot. Had Will made a reappearance? Hunter hadn’t mentioned anything and hadn’t seemed worried or distracted during the game, but he’d taken off right after the brief team meetings.
He texted Lilliana again. No answer. She was giving him a taste of his own childish treatment from the night before. Loneliness mixed with rising panic washed over him. He broke down and called Logan.
Logan answered on the second ring, the buzz of a busy kitchen behind him. “Dude.”
Alec checked his watch and mouthed a curse. Logan would be right in the middle of dinner preparations at Adaline’s. “Sorry, man, I wasn’t thinking about the time. I’ll catch you later.”
“No! Hang on a sec.” The noise decreased. “I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
“For that thing with Lilliana. Jessie nearly took my balls off. Apparently, it was a girl secret, and I ran my mouth. Didn’t realize things were so complicated. Let me know how I can make things right.”
Alec’s hand relaxed on the steering wheel. “Actually, I’m looking for her. Or Hunter. Have you seen either one of them?”
“When I left, Lilliana was out at the house with Jessie. Hence my near denutting. Hunter picks up shifts at Huck’s sometimes on the weekends. Worth a drive-by. What’s going on? Anything I can help with?”
“Honestly, I have no clue what’s going on, but I have a bad feeling it involves Will Galloway. Right now, I just want to lay eyes on Lilliana and Hunter and make sure they’re okay.”
“Call me if you need me. I mean it.”
Alec swallowed. Logan did mean it, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had a real friend. “Appreciate it, man.”
He disconnected and headed toward Huck’s. Sure enough, Hunter’s
car sat in a gravel lot behind the convenience store. Alec parked off to the side and headed to the front entrance. Before he made it within ten feet, Hunter pushed the door open with a shoulder, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, his head down.
“Hunter!”
The boy looked up and slowed. His eyes widened and a panicked look came over his face as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. Alec hoped that wasn’t the case as he fell into step beside him. Hunter fumbled with his keys, keeping his gaze focused anywhere except on Alec. They stopped by his beat-up car, and Alec positioned himself in front of the driver’s door.
“What the hell are you and Lilliana up to?” He didn’t try to mask the protective growl in his voice.
Hunter bobbled his keys to the ground, crouching down to avoid an immediate answer. On his slow rise, he said, “Nothing. Why? What did she say?”
The boy gave her up with the rush of edgy questions. Alec breathed out long and slow to control the frustration. “Tell me.”
The keys jangled discordantly as Hunter transferred them hand to hand. “You’ve got to swear not to go to the police.”
His mouth dried making his next words husky and low. “I can’t promise that until I know what’s going on. Are you and Lilliana doing something illegal?”
“No,” Hunter said too quickly then added in a whisper, “Maybe.”
“Super-reassuring. Getting arrested will annihilate your scholarship chances. Tell me so I can help.”
Not very succinctly, and with more excuses than his brother deserved, Hunter got the story out. Alec ran a hand through his hair, his stomach pulverized in the gravel at their feet. The thought of Lilliana, alone and vulnerable, shot adrenaline-fueled urgency through his body.
All his thoughts muddled into one—protect Lilliana. “When and where is this meeting supposed to take place?”
Hunter rattled of the time and the name of a dead-end street in Mill Town. “I’ve been worrying all day. I took off early so I could meet her even though she told me to stay out of it.”
Melting into You Page 24
