Broken Pasts(14)

“Gary never did,” Rhea said as she clasped her hands in front of her and I watched a storm of emotions travel across Nathaniel's face.

“The McMaster Lizards, huh?” he said as he pointed at the shirt. “Isn't this a dragon?” Rhea rolled her eyes and gave Nathaniel the same answer she'd given me.

“Dragons are lizards,” she stated proudly. “They're both cold blooded.”





CHAPTER 10

I had never imagined that a man could look so good in a red bowling shirt.

I tried to keep my gaze respectful as Nathaniel opened the back door for Rhea and I to climb out of the car.

“Hey there, who's – ” Jamie paused, one hand on the door of her red convertible, the other frozen in midair like she'd forgotten what she was doing. “Dear god, Mr. Sutherland. You make me ashamed to be a married woman.”

“Hey, I'm standing right here, remember?” her husband, Joel, called out from beside his blue minivan. Boys exploded out of it in a sea of raging hormones, kicking and punching one another as they scrambled for the door. I was pleased to see that Rhea joined right in with them, not at all averse to punching, kicking, or, I cringed, biting to be one of the first ones to enter the bowling alley.

“Your family's a terrible influence,” I said to Jamie as I tried to distract her from Nathaniel's jean clad, bowling shirt wearing form. If I had thought the black slacks looked good, the jeans were even better. He'd brought them in from his car and slipped them on while I'd had my back turned. The urge to glance over my shoulder and check him out had been overwhelming, but I'd resisted. Still, the information he'd shared with me about his wife had piqued my interest, not diminished it. The mystery's been solved, Theresa. But somehow, deep down, I knew it wasn't. Until Nathaniel Sutherland was open and all his soul was bared for me to see, I wouldn't be satisfied. I knew. I just knew it.

“Joel MacMillan, this is Nathaniel Sutherland,” I announced as Jamie's husband came up to stand beside us. The fiery redhead held out his hand as I glanced over at my friend. She touched her chin and shook her head gently, sending the Mardi Gras beads she'd braided into her hair flying. They were purple and green, the perfect match to her bowling shirt and her team name, The Barney Killers. I swallowed, forced a smile and continued as the two men shook hands. “My boyfriend.” Joel's brows rose quickly and he tightened his lips as if he was holding back a laugh. He had just helped set me up with his friend a few days back. Four days later and I suddenly had a boyfriend? He wasn't really buying it, but, being Jamie's husband, he knew better than to say anything about it.

“Hey, Theresa,” Joel said as we moved to head inside. “I really want to apologize about Stuart. From what I hear, he just left you at the restaurant. Did you get home okay?” I nodded, not really wanting to relive the experience. I had run back into the building, much to the surprise of the staff, and had called for a cab while sitting in the lobby. Gary had been standing outside the entire time, staring in at me.

“Just fine,” I said. “But you might want to tell Stuart that he really knows how to screw up a date.” I glanced over at Nathaniel and saw that he was taking in the scenery, furtively scanning the crowd, the employees, the people hunched over the pool tables. Even though he was no longer wearing the suit, Nathaniel was still very much in charge of the situation. “And please get him to burn that khaki suit. It was horrible.” I can't believe I almost slept with that man, I thought with a shiver. He'd been handsome, but the way he'd abandoned the situation showed me that underneath, he was as cowardly as my ex-husband, Glen. When things get tough, the weak go running.

“So, tonight's match goes like this … ” Joel began as he licked his thumb and started paging through a notepad he'd pulled out of his back pocket. Jamie's oldest son, Ray, already had his dad's wallet in hand and was digging through it in search of cash.

“Nuh-uh,” Jamie said as she reached out and plucked the black leather away with her freshly painted purple fingernails. “What are you trying to buy?”

“I want to play the slot machines!” Ray said as he pointed to the curtain in the back of the alley. His brown eyes were practically bugging out of his head, obscured only by the bit of blonde curl that was flopping into his face. “Dad promised that I could.” Jamie rolled her eyes and threw the wallet back at him.

“If you get arrested,” she called after him as he took off running, his best friend, Anthony, in tow. “Don't come crawling to me.” Jamie turned a pointed look on Joel. “If he gets arrested … ” she started again as I caught Nathaniel's eyes and smiled. He smiled back and I felt my heart contract painfully.

“Are you kidding?” Joel asked as he perused the yellow paper. “He just hit puberty. He's as big as an ox.” Jamie rolled her eyes and pulled a lollipop out of her purse. “Ray has more hair on his chest than I do. I bet he could order a beer and not get carded.”

“Six months,” Jamie said as she winked at me and I wrinkled my nose. “He was already masturbating at six months. Don't tell him I told you, though. He'll deny it.” She elbowed Nathaniel in the side. His brows rose, but he didn't say a thing. My friends were a bit quirky: Gary had hated them. Why hadn't I taken that as a sign? Oh yeah, because Glen had left me an emotional wreck. I had felt like I needed someone. Was that what I was doing with Nathaniel, too?

“So tonight, it's The Blood Suckers,” Joel pointed at his red and gold bowling shirt with the mosquito emblem. “Versus The Barney Killers for the championship.” He paused and sat his notebook down on the table next to lanes five and six. We'd used the same lanes every Friday night, barring holidays, for the past seven years. I'd had my very last date with Glen here when I was pregnant. It was full of memories, both good and bad. I had to admit, though, that as I watched Rhea and Blaine, Jamie's youngest, pick out their balls, that they were more good than bad. “The McMaster Lizards are out, unfortunately, but they can play winner.”

“You are on,” Jamie said as put her purse down and started grabbing people to head over for shoe rentals. “Maybe Nathaniel can save your team in the Ultimate Grandmaster Ruler of All Bowling Championship that starts next Friday.” I flushed and tried to jump in, convinced that she was making Nathaniel uncomfortable. But he didn't look it, not one bit. “Want to know a secret, Mr. Sutherland?” she whispered as Joel took Rhea and Blaine up the carpeted stairs behind us.

“I'd love to.”

“The only reason The McMaster Lizards are doing so poorly this season is because when it's just Rhea and Theresa, they have to take turns rolling a third ball. See,” she pointed at herself. “Ray, Anthony, and I are on a team, and Joel, Kyle, and Blaine are on a team. And well,” she paused and bit her lip as if she was revealing some juicy tidbit. “Rhea's a great player, really, one of the best in our league. But Theresa … She's never had an orgasm. It f*cks up her game, just so you know.”

“Oh, god,” I said as I put my head in my hand and looked over at Nathaniel. “There's a gentle adjustment period when getting to know Jamie,” I promised as my friend walked away, winking.

“I like her already,” Nathaniel said, but his expression was all for me. He was staring at me, watching me with interest and an undisguised bit of lust. In his eyes was an intriguing glint that went beyond our casual acquaintance. Did he feel any of the same things for me as I did for him?

“Am I interesting to you?” I asked, voice quiet, almost husky. There was this bit of something in the air, like a taste of heat, of friction. I realized then that we were standing way too close for two people who knew nothing about one another. I took a step back.

“Fascinating,” he said, but that single word had so many meanings that I was having trouble decrypting them. I took a deep breath and glanced away.

“Want a beer?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“I might have crossed the line with you, but I'm still going to keep you safe. Under different circumstances … ” I nodded and put my hands on my lower back.

“Right. Got it. Maybe some other time?” I looked up suddenly and met eyes that shone under the dim lights of the bowling alley like jewels.

“Maybe next Friday?” he asked. I swallowed, hard. Were we making a date? Really? Did I want to go there? Could I help myself?

“Sure. Want to meet here?” I asked as I tried to breathe through my nose.

“I could pick you up … ” he ventured and then paused. “That is, if you think you'll no longer be needing my services at that time?” I bit my lip and tucked my fingers into my pockets. I was still working under the assumption that Gary would go away. Just leave me alone and disappear. And I couldn't ask Jamie for more money. If I wanted Nathaniel, and Cedric, around then I was going to have to dip into my house fund. Not happening. Gary was not taking that dream away from me. Still …