A Courtesy Call (Green Division Series Book #2) (18 page)

“Can it wait until we get on the plane?”

“No.”  Cass shook her head.  “I’m staying here.”

Mike didn’t believe what she’d said.

“I must be tired because I swore you said you were staying here.”

“I am,” she said confident.  “I love it down here and Aiden has offered me a room in his apartment until I get on my feet.”

“Uh huh.”  Mike’s eyes doubled in size and shifted over to Aiden.  Aiden nervously looked away.  “You’re coming home and going back to college on Monday.  Your life is in Maine.”

“It’s the beginning of the semester, I will get most of my money back and start college down here in spring.  I love it here Dad.”

Raleigh wasn’t getting involved in this discussion and had no intention of jumping in. 

“You aren’t giving up your life and college for some week long romance.  You’re coming home.  End of story,” Mike said sternly.

“What about you?”  Cass’s voice rose.  “You’re one to talk about vacation romances, considering where you spent last night.  Aiden got a good view of your bare ass.”  Aiden blushed and averted his eyes.

“I’m not the one talking about moving down here.  There is nothing and no one worth moving to North Carolina for.  This was a week of fun.  That’s it.  We’re going home so say goodbye.  You don’t even know him.”

Raleigh let go of his hand and stood back.  She knew how Mike truly felt. 
Nothing and no one worth moving to North Carolina for.  A week of fun.
  The words echoed.

“Maybe I don’t know him as well as you know Raleigh, but I know him.”  She gave her father a dirty look.

“We’ll discuss this when we get home.  Regardless of if you want to move out here, you have affairs you need to put in order in Maine first.  Can you make that compromise?”

“Yes,” she sighed. 

“Let’s go.  We’re barely going to make it.”  Luckily Raleigh’s house was only twenty miles from the airport. 

“Are you coming with us Miss?”  Aiden asked Raleigh.

“No.”  She shook her head.  “I have a busy day planned.”  A busy day of being pissed off.

Cass walked over to Raleigh and hugged her affectionately.  “Thank you so much for everything this week.  I had an amazing time and will never forget it.  I hope to see you again soon.”  She smiled.

“I’ll be here and you’re welcome to come by anytime.”   Raleigh tried to smile, but failed.

Aiden and Cass walked outside giving Raleigh and Mike time to say goodbye.

“I had an amazing time too.”  Mike put his hands on her hips.  Raleigh looked away from him.  “You have my number, call me.  I know your life is a little more hectic than mine, but when you have time.”

Raleigh didn’t answer.  Mike lowered his lips to hers and kissed her.  She wanted to yell at him, but instead she got lost in his kiss.  She wrapped her arms around his back and he pulled her tight into his arms.

“Good bye.”  He breathed between kisses. 

“Bye,” she whispered. 

Mike pulled away from her and left one last kiss on the tip of her nose.  He hurried out the door and Raleigh closed it behind him. She knew she shouldn’t be upset, after all, she was the one who told him it wasn’t complicated; it was “like Vegas”.  In the light of day, she was very wrong.

Aiden bid farewell to Cass under Mike’s eagle eyes.  The points Aiden earned while volunteering to return their rental car was withdrawn when he tried to steal his daughter. 

*****

“I can’t believe you want to move to North Carolina,” Mike said in the darkened living room.  The topic had been suppressed until they were unpacked and everything was in order.  Sammy settled down after mauling Mike upon Chance dropping her off.

“It would be an opportunity.”  She patted the seat next to her on the couch.  Mike sat down.  “I’ll compromise.  I’ll finish out this semester and move after winter break.”

Mike huffed.  He thought before he spoke though.  It wouldn’t be until January, which was nearly four months away, a lot could happen in four months.  He would hope for the best.

“Okay.”  He clasped his hands tightly together.  “You’d leave your poor father alone back in Maine to run off with a Brit.”  He shrugged.

“Dad...”  She nearly cried at this.  “I don’t want to leave, but I don’t love Maine.  I love you, but I want to see more, experience more than Maine.”

Mike put his arm around her shoulder.  “I can’t blame you for that.  I want you to see the world.  I want you to be happy.”

“So you won’t hate me for moving away?”

“You know better than that Cass.  I’ll miss you and want you here with me, but if it will make you happy, I’ll help you move—under one condition.”

“What?”

“I will help you with rent, or you can live on campus, but you aren’t moving in with a stranger.”

“He’s a good man.”

“Good man or not, you’ve not moving in with someone you’ve only known for a week.”

Cass sighed and rose to her feet.  “Okay.  I told Aiden I’d give him a call when I was home and settled.”   She walked away.

Mike ruffled Sammy’s ears.

“Dad?”  Mike gave Cass his attention.  “What happens between you and Raleigh now?” 

“Nothing.”  Mike wished the answer was different.

“You like her,” Cass said.

Mike didn’t elaborate. 

“You always taught me to fight for what I wanted.” 

“This is different, Cass.  I’m going to hit the hay.  Night hun.”  He wasn’t going to have a conversation about his one night stand with his daughter.

“Night Dad.”  Cass walked to her bedroom to talk to Aiden.

“C’mon Sammy.”  Mike stood and Sammy attentively trotted behind him to his upstairs bedroom.

ONE WEEK LATER

“This is my girl.”  Raleigh pulled up a picture on the internet of a woman in her mid-twenties. “Lacie Acosta.  She’s a free agent.  She quit LaQuint last year.”

“Why did she quit?”

“A family situation.”

“So why isn’t she back on LaQuint?”

“They wanted her to come back before she was ready and she wouldn’t, so they nulled the contract.”

“Why her?”

“Because she’s the best.  Just trust me Tom.”  She enlarged the photo.  Lacie had a small build and dark Latin skin. She wouldn’t be turned down for any sponsorship deals due to her appearance.   “I want her.  And think how
marketable
us two hot chicks would be.”  She bumped Toms shoulder.

“She’s yours, pending contract price.”

Marketable.
  That’s all Raleigh had to say and Tom was sold.

“Jen,” Mike rang his secretary’s extension.  “I need you to get in contact with Lacie Acosta, she used to work for Team LaQuint.  We’ve got ourselves a new co-driver.”

Aiden walked over to Raleigh’s side and she gave him a high five.  Aiden was the one who’d found Lacie when their first round of candidates were shot down by Raleigh.  So long as Miss Acosta was reasonably priced, she’d be welcomed to the team.

*****

“Cass told Chance you guys had a great trip.”  Mitch grinned knowingly as they drove the back logging roads of the North Woods.

“It would have been greater if she hadn’t found the
love of her life
out there.  She wants to move down there in January.”

“Young love.”

“Its four months away.  Plenty of time for them to fall out of love.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Mitch threw in.

“Thanks for the encouraging words.”

“She said you had a pretty good time too...”

Mike waited for him to finish, but he didn’t.

“What did my daughter tell Chance?”
That girl needs to learn to keep a secret.

“She said you made friends with a pretty famous woman.  You know that’s gonna get around boss.”

“Cass was the one who made friends with her.”  Mike turned onto a rough dirt road and the truck bounced around.  “I tolerated her.” 

Mike didn’t want to go into the intimate details of his temporary romance with Raleigh.  He wasn’t advertising it.  He’d be the only man in the world who wouldn’t brag about sleeping with that gorgeous of a woman.

Mitch analyzed Mike’s face.

“No fucking way!”  His mouth gaped.

Mike looked over at Mitch.  “What?”

“You slept with her.”

“Where did you pull that one out of your ass?”  Mitch denied vehemently.

“Why don’t you deny it with a straight face.  You haven’t gone on a date since—since I’ve known you at least.  And then you go on vacation and sleep with practically a model.  I’m jealous.”

“Should I tell Chance that?”

“Hey, what’s said in the truck, stays in the truck.”  Mitch pointed his finger at him.  “My mind is blown.”  Mitch took his hat off and shook his head.

“You screwed Raleigh Jo Dawson.”  Mitch was in shock.

“I didn’t screw her,” Mike said offended. 

“Then what?  You made love to her?”

Mike
’s jaw tightened and he decided it wiser to neither deny, nor admit the accusation at hand.

“Remember what you said, what’s said in this truck, stays in this truck.  You don’t even tell Chance.”

“Mum’s the word boss.”  Mitch put his hat back on.  “So it’s true.”

Mike groaned.  Raleigh had been on his mind since their parting kiss a week prior.  “Like Vegas” was as far from the truth as it could get.  He’d only known her for a short period of time, most of which was spent fighting, but he missed her.

“You haven’t slept with anyone since your ex so that must have been explosive.”  Mitch was getting too personal for Mike’s old fashioned ways.  Mike turned the radio up and hinted that he’d gone too far.

*****

“Lacie Acosta called back.  She flying in for a meeting tomorrow at noon,” Jen said through the intercom.

“Thank you,” Tom answered.

“She’s onboard.”  Raleigh smiled.

“Not yet.”  Tom warned.  “She’s apprehensive.  The plan is for you two to spend the afternoon in the car together, get a feel, and see how your attitudes match.  If all that goes well, we’ll go out to dinner and talk negotiations.”

“Perfect.”                            

“We have another race next week, so this has to happen fast.”  Tom ran his hand over his forehead.

“It’s gonna work out,” Raleigh said, a fake smile plastered on her face.  Lacie’s apprehension made Raleigh nervous.

“I’ve got a meeting, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”  Tom slid his jacket on.  It was a rare day when he wore a suit. It had to be an important meeting.