The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3)(74)

“Because I bet she knows exactly who you are. She’s creepy. And there doesn’t seem to be any proof, but we’re pretty sure she’s been stalking Dakota. And she’s tried to alternately pick up Dakota and then accuse him of assaulting her. She’s making a mess for us.”

“What the hell does she want?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Dakota, probably.”

“Aw, Sid. What have you gotten yourself into? Are you sure he’s telling you the truth?”

“Yes, of course I’m sure!” she insisted. “There are many inconsistencies surrounding that woman and not once have I been confused by Dakota!”

“Were you confused by David?” he asked.

“Not at all. I thought I was stuck with David!”

There. She’d said it. Her brother just looked at her in shock.

“I had a terrible marriage, all right? It wasn’t like your marriage with Julienne, young lovers so devoted to each other. Within a year I knew I’d made a terrible mistake but I’d made the promises. I did my best knowing all the time he didn’t love me, either. But I didn’t realize he was loving someone else—I thought he was loving his career. His plans. We didn’t fight, we got along all right. I thought maybe what we had was typical, and besides, I had things to do! It was my fault, don’t you see? Because I really didn’t care. So failing in that, I—Ach! We can’t do this now!”

The kitchen had gone kind of quiet. Rob looked like he was in shock. “If it was lousy...if you didn’t love him and he didn’t love you...why...?”

“Why would I have a nervous breakdown over it? Because he used me. Because he made a mockery of work that was important. Because I was hanging in there for him, and when he was done with me, he threw me away.”

Sid’s phone chimed and, thinking it might be a text from Dakota, she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. “What super timing,” she said sourly. “Dr. Faraday, my old boss. Please find time to call me, he says. I really need your help, he says.”

“I’ll take care of the bar if you want to go call him.”

“Not now. He probably has some code problem and I’ll need my computer and some quiet. Besides, I should deal with psycho Neely. I’m telling you, she’s a little crazy and she’s making trouble everywhere. I have no idea what her goal is. If we knew her endgame, we’d know what to solve, wouldn’t we?”

“I’ll take the bar...” he said.

“No, I’ve got it.” She went through the swinging door just as Dakota was walking into the bar.

Sid watched as he stopped short, recognizing the back of Neely’s head. He frowned and she thought, See! He’s not hiding anything! He hates her and might even be a little frightened of her. He walked all the way around the bar to the far corner, as far away from Neely as he could get.

Sid slapped a napkin down in front of him. “What can I get you?”

“I’d better have a cup of coffee. Looks like I’ll have to be alert.”

“Sure, let me get that for you.” She turned around to pour from the pot, and when she turned back toward him with the coffee, all of a few short steps, Neely had moved to the chair beside Dakota’s. And he was wearing a black scowl.

“Now see, I think we all need a do-over,” Neely said brightly, seeming to include Sid in her conversation. “I don’t know what happened but—”

“What happened is that you told the police chief I assaulted you,” Dakota said, his voice gravelly and dark.

“Is that what he said? That’s not exactly accurate. It was wrong of me to say anything at all that could be misinterpreted like that, but I didn’t say you assaulted me. I just said you kissed me. I admit, that was not the truth. I shouldn’t have done that. But I was just embarrassed. And I did apologize to you.”

“And the boyfriend who was stalking you?” Dakota asked.

“Apparently my imagination. I haven’t seen him around. So,” she said, grinning. “We can all be friends now.”

“We can be polite,” Dakota said. “I think friendship between us is not in the cards.”

“Well, that’s pretty rude,” she said indignantly. “I humble myself in front of you, take blame I shouldn’t really have to take, and that’s your response?”

“I’m not going to be manipulated, Neely. That’s my response. I’d like to order an early dinner, if you’ll excuse me.”

Neely sat there for a moment, shock etched on her beautiful face. Then she turned in a huff and walked out of the bar.

Sid put the coffee down in front of Dakota. “And that’s at least the second dinner she hasn’t paid for. Maybe third. That’s quite a racket—get your feelings hurt and storm out. Without paying.”

“Glad I parked under the light out front,” he said. “Your car. Where is it?”

She chewed her lip. “I left it at Rob’s and walked to work. The boys are home. The sun will be up for another hour. All the neighbors are out on their porches and in their gardens. Surely everything will be all right?”

“Her confidence is chilling,” he said. “She’s got a story for everything and then a story for every story. What the hell does she really want?”