Broken Pasts(19)

Cedric didn't respond, not for a long time. I even had to peek at him to make sure he was still there. Just as I was about to repeat my question, he answered me.

“Yes.” And that was it, no elaboration, nothing. His face was cold and blank, not just a professional facade, but something else. Cedric was hiding something from me. I knew that just as surely as I knew that Nathaniel had other secrets, things he hadn't told me. It was instinctive. I cracked an egg into the pan and let it go, for the moment. Of course, my mind supplied all sorts of other answers. Is the killer still alive? Did he escape? Is he out there now? I hoped not. I hoped Cedric was just being strange because it was a such a difficult subject for him, but I doubted it. Something was up with these two, and I was always game for a good mystery.





CHAPTER 13

The day came and went as it's wont to do, and soon I found myself peeping out the blinds in my bedroom, just to see if I could grab a sneak peek of Nathaniel pulling into the driveway. I was already dressed in my best “girls' night out” look which consisted of the very classic little black dress with a scooped neckline, a pair of emerald pumps, and Rhea's Kukui nut necklace. My eyes were smoky and mysterious (at least when I squinted), and I had a slash of “Slut Red” lipstick on my mouth (courtesy of Jamie), so I was feeling pretty good.

Until Nathaniel called and said he couldn't make it.

“What?” I asked, feeling sorely disappointed. “Why?”

“Well,” Cedric began as his brow crinkled and he lifted the phone away from his ear. “Something came up at the office. One of our employees killed a man during a job.” I clamped a hand over my mouth and didn't know what to say. Cedric smiled weakly. “It happens more often than you'd think. Still, Nathaniel needs to be there to make sure that justice is served so to speak. Self-defense is a hard one to prove in court.”

“I … ” I had no idea how to respond to that.

“Do you mind if I make a personal call? I need to call my date and cancel.”

“Your date?” I said. It had never occurred to me that Cedric might have a special someone. Why, I don't know, but I blinked at him in surprise. “Oh, you can't cancel your date,” I said as a minivan pulled into the driveway. Joel was here to pick up Rhea. I started down the hallway with Cedric at my heels and tried to figure out a way to help the poor guy. He was obviously disappointed, whether he was showing it or not. “I refuse to let you tag along with me when you've got a lady friend waiting,” I said as I peeped my head into Rhea's bedroom and found her engulfed in a Pokemon game of some sort. “Grab your things. Joel's here.”

“Are you going to have sex on a beach?” Rhea asked me, and I had to pause and stare at her for a moment before it sunk in.

“You mean the drink?” I said, tugging at my emerald earrings and wondering if they clashed too much with the necklace. “You mean, am I going to drink a Sex on the Beach?” Rhea nodded emphatically as she stuffed some books into her backpack and hopped off the bed. “Maybe. Why? Where did you hear that from?” She shrugged and moved past me, grabbing a notepad filled with penis drawings on her way past. Am I a terrible mother?

“Perhaps,” Cedric said, trying desperately to grab my attention as I moved back down the hall and followed Rhea into the kitchen. His face was red and he was actually sputtering. “Perhaps I could call someone else in. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but I … ”

“Have a super hot date?” I joked as I reached for the door and paused when Cedric put out a big meaty hand and stopped me in the nick of time.

“Am going to propose,” he blurted, and I had to pause and stare at him with my mouth agape.

“Mom,” Rhea said as she elbowed me in the side. “Say, Congrats. That's polite.”

“Congratulations,” I blurted as Cedric checked the peephole, swept Rhea and I to the side with a gentle sweep of his arm and opened the door to Joel. He stared at the Viking-like man with wide eyes, and I leapt in to explain.

“This is Nathaniel's … brother, Cedric.” The big man boomed with laughter as he reached out and grabbed Joel's hand for a shake.

“What she means is, I'm his business partner. Not a lick of shared blood between us!”

“Cedric's getting married,” Rhea said proudly, as if she'd known all along. Joel blinked and tried to smile. Apparently Jamie hadn't briefed him on the situation. I slid between them and grabbed Rhea's bag from her hands, transferring it to Joel's.

“I'll pick you up in the morning, okay?” I said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Rhea stuck out her tongue.

“Because you'll be drunk?” she asked, and I had to ignore her. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Yes. Mommy is going to get plastered with some women she doesn't know and get her mind off all of the shit that's going on in her life. It's a grown-up thing.

“Thank you again, Joel,” I said, but he shrugged off his own good nature with a wink.

“No problem,” he told me with a smile. “I owe you one to make up for Stuart anyhow.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it before putting an arm around Rhea and guiding her to the car. “Come on, kid. Let's see if you can kick those boys' butts at air hockey.”

I smiled as I closed the door and turned to Cedric who was thumbing through his phone with purpose. Thing is, I didn't want a new bodyguard to drag around on my girls' night. I reached out and put a hand over his Cedric's screen. He glanced up at me.

“You know what,” I said, hoping this would go over smoothly. “I don't need a bodyguard tonight.” Cedric's mouth was open and his booming voice was raising in protest when I continued, hoping to make my case before he talked me out of it. “I'll be out with the girls, in clubs, restaurants, wherever. There'll be people around, lots of them. Afterward, I'll go home with Jamie, sleep on her couch.” Cedric was not convinced. “She has three pit bulls,” I added. Cedric shook his head. “Mean ones.”

“I don't think it's safe, Ms. McMaster, I really don't. If you don't want a new bodyguard, I'll stay.”

“Cedric,” I said, using my best mom voice. “You are not skipping your proposal dinner for little old me. Look, why don't you send Nathaniel over to pick me up in the morning? I'll give you Jamie's address.” My heart fluttered a bit at the thought of the dark haired man with the emerald eyes and the world's most well pressed suit. I have got it bad. I need this night.

“Nathaniel would kill me if – ” I narrowed my eyes on Cedric's. He was desperate to get out of here, I could see that. I didn't blame him one bit. I mean, how much more important can a date be?

“When Jamie picks me up, you can sweep the house and lock up, and I'll see Nathaniel in the morning. It works out for everyone.” Cedric was caving. I was so close … And then his phone rang and whatever it was that he saw on the screen sealed the deal. “Take it,” I said with a smile and watched as his need for professionalism warred with his desperation to speak to his girlfriend. Love won out and he answered the call. The future Mrs. Bair was one lucky girl.

***

“I'm going to fire their asses,” Jamie said, already half-drunk. I had no way of knowing how much she'd drank. The woman downed shots in mere seconds, punctuated them with neon colored drinks, and drowned it all with dark beers and honey colored ales. I couldn't keep up. “You are unprotected,” she slurred. “You are an unprotected woman.”

“You think Gary's going to sneak up on me in here?” I asked as I tried my best to shout over the pulsing thump of the music. I adjusted my skirt and tried to pretend that I was not way overdressed. And ten years too old. “Besides, they don't control what I do. I'm the client, Jamie. I make the decisions.”

“Seriously,” she said as she watched the group of friends we'd come with bump and grind with men half their ages. “I am pissed. I am going to call that Nathaniel Sutherland tomorrow and file a formal complaint.”

“You'll do no such thing,” I said as I slid her drink away from her and looked down at it. It was flaming. Wow. Since when did drinks flame? I was so out of my element. I looked around for an escape route and landed on the women's bathroom. Would it be any better in there? I doubted it. Probably just a bunch of drunk college girls puking their guts out. Gross. “Let's talk about something else, shall we?” I asked as I tried to loosen up my shoulders and figure out how to drink the damned thing. Jamie leaned over and blew it out, pushing the drink closer to my elbow with her brows raised defiantly.

“Can't we go out to dinner at an Italian restaurant or something?” I asked with a sigh. “Somewhere more appropriate for women our age?”

“Our age?” Jamie gasped as she sat back and hiccuped. She winked at the shirtless bartender and licked her lips. “Speak for yourself there, darling. Grow-down a little.”