Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1) (22 page)

"Like I said before, when you come to town, trouble comes with you."

Sixteen

Debbie Barrett lived in a modest home three blocks away. Her one-story ranch-style house showed signs of wear, with peeling blue paint and a porch swing that looked like it was about to fall apart at any second. The grass was overgrown and the flowers had died a long time ago.

"Damn. Things have really gone down around here," Jake muttered.

"Debbie probably hasn't been able to keep up the maintenance since her husband died," Alicia suggested. "Ron was such a nice man. He always ran the snack shack at the soccer games and sometimes he'd give me extra licorice."

"Yeah, he was a good guy," Jake said tersely. "This is a bad idea."

"Relax, Jake. It's fine." She rang the bell. "Debbie always liked you—didn't she? Or is there some history with you and Katherine that I don’t know about?"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about."

Before she could ask him for more details, the front door opened.

Debbie Barrett stood in the doorway, looking like a hollow shell of the woman she'd once been. Her blonde hair was gray and stringy. She'd lost at least forty pounds judging by the way her sweatshirt and jeans hung loosely on her body, and there were deep shadows under her eyes.

"Oh, my," she muttered, squinting her brown eyes in disbelief. "Is that you, Jake?"

"Mrs. Barrett," he said. "How are you?"

"I'm—well, I'm all right, I guess."

"I was sorry to hear about your husband," Jake said.

Debbie let out a sigh. "Thank you." Her gaze drifted to Alicia. "You're Jake's little sister Alicia. Goodness, I haven't seen you since you were a teenager. What brings you both to my door?" She turned her gaze back to Jake. "Are you looking for Katherine?"

"No, actually we're looking for TJ," Jake replied. "We thought you might know where he is."

"I'm not sure. I think he's at work."

"Where does he work?" Alicia asked.

"Some technology company. It has initials. I don't remember what they are," she said vaguely. "I haven't been feeling very well the past few months. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be."

"Do you have TJ's phone number?" Alicia asked.

"I have it somewhere. Oh, wait, it's in my phone." She stepped back from the door and disappeared into the house.

"Should we go in?" Alicia asked a moment later when Debbie didn't return. "Do you think she forgot we're out here?"

"She doesn't look like she's herself," he said grimly.

They waited another minute and then Jake strode into the house and Alicia followed. She was shocked to see that the house was in complete disarray. Trash and dirty dishes littered the coffee table and side tables. There were TVs on in the living room and the kitchen, each one very loud.

Debbie wandered back into the room with her phone. "Here it is. I can't believe I found it."

Alicia smiled at the older woman's look of triumph. "Can I see it?" She took the phone and sent herself a text message with TJ's phone number.

"When you talk to TJ, can you tell him I need some bread and some milk?" Debbie asked. "Oh, and some cat food, too. Lady Blair is around here somewhere."

Alicia didn't see a cat, but she could certainly smell one. "I'll tell him."

"It looks like you need some help here, Debbie," Jake interjected. "Have you talked to Kat lately?"

"She's so busy. She's a doctor now. She works long hours. Such a smart girl, my Katherine. I'm so proud of her, and TJ, too. Both my kids did okay. I did something right, didn't I?"

"I think it's time for your kids to do right by you," Jake said. "This is a big house to take care of. Maybe you could get someone in to clean."

"TJ cleans up for me. He's a good boy. He's just been gone for a few days. I guess I'm not as neat as I used to be," she said apologetically. "Tell your mom I said hello, won't you? Is she doing well?"

"She's fine," Jake said. "And I'll tell her you asked about her."

"And Jake…" Debbie began.

When she didn't finish, Jake said, "What?"

"I wish things would have turned out differently for you and Katherine. You were so adorable in high school. I always thought you were the right one for her. I never understood why you broke up."

"That was a long time ago, Debbie. You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."

"She's not in good shape," Jake said, as they left Debbie's house. "Where the hell is Katherine? Why isn't she checking on her mother?"

"I'm more interested in where TJ is." Alicia pulled out her phone and punched in his number. The phone went to voicemail with no personalized message.

"Hi, TJ, it's Alicia Monroe—Jake's sister. Your mom gave me your number. I need to ask you something. Could you call me back at this number? It's really important. Thanks." She looked at Jake as she ended the call. "Hopefully, he'll get back to me."

"Thanks for using my name," he said dryly.

"I wasn't sure he'd remember me. And I wanted to sound friendly, like what I have to ask him is no big deal."

"Well, if he does call you back, you should tell him that his mother needs help. I'm worried about Mrs. Barrett. She definitely isn't the woman I remember."

"Maybe Mom can check in on her or get some of the other women in the neighborhood to help her out. You should ask her."

"Or you could."

"We both know any suggestion that comes out of your mouth instead of mine will be better received."

Jake sighed. "You're not going to give me that
Mom loves you best
speech, are you?"

"Obviously I don't need to, because you know it's true."

"When did you say you were leaving town?"

She smiled at his half-teasing, half-serious comment. "Probably not as soon as you would like."

* * *

Michael stabbed the raw steak with a fork and turned it over on the grill, and then stepped back from the heat as Joanna came over to check on the meat.

"Those are looking good," she said. "And they smell heavenly, not like any steak I've ever cooked. You said your father is a chef?"

"Yes. He owns a Cuban restaurant in Miami. He taught me the value of spices at a young age. We didn't have a lot of money, but my father could take the cheapest cut of meat and make it into something delicious." As he said the words, he realized how infrequently he thought about his father in a positive light. Maybe it was time to call a truce on all the bitterness and anger.

"And your mother, does she work?" Joanna asked.

"My mother died when I was very young. My stepmother works in the restaurant with my dad. I have three half-sisters as well."

"I'm sorry about your mother."

"It was a long time ago."

"But it's a pain that never goes away. Losing a parent is the worst thing in the world." She paused. "I know that Alicia still aches for her father. I've wanted so much to comfort her, but we usually end up getting in a fight. We've never been able to communicate very well. Sometimes it's like we're strangers instead of mother and daughter."

"Strangers wouldn't feel as much as you two do."

"Has she said anything to you about me?"

He saw the need in her eyes and couldn't help but fill it. "She told me that she loves you. She said that you were often a single mother when your husband was in the Navy and that she appreciates how well you took care of them."

Joanna's jaw dropped at his words. "I—I have to admit I'm a little surprised. She's never told me that."

"I'm sure there are things you haven't told her, either. It's easier to get angry than to show feelings," he muttered. "At least, it has been for me."

"That's true. You're quite insightful, Michael."

"No, I've just done a lot of things wrong. I'm trying to learn from some of those mistakes." He checked on the steaks again. "These are almost done. Hopefully, Alicia and Jake will be back soon."

"I'm sure they went to see Debbie, to ask about TJ. Alicia is like a dog with a bone. When she wants something, she goes after it."

"I've noticed."

"I'm going to set the table. We'll eat out here. It's cooled off a bit, and I prefer to be outside whenever possible."

"Good idea."

As Joanna disappeared into the house, he took the steaks off the heat so they could rest. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cooked anything. It had all been take-out, home delivery, or gourmet restaurants the last few years. And he certainly hadn't been to a family barbecue in a while.

Alicia's family had its issues but it was easy to see the love underneath the tension. If the going got tough, they'd stand up for one another. He had no doubt about that.

But as much as he was enjoying the grill, he was beginning to wonder where Alicia and Jake had gone and whether or not they'd found out anything helpful.

He looked up as the side gate opened, happy to see they were back, but judging by their expressions, their meeting had not gone very well.

"We went to see TJ," Alicia said, coming over to him.

"I figured."

"He wasn't there. His mother gave us his phone number, but he didn't answer. I left him a message to call me back."

He saw the discouragement in her eyes, but he knew it wouldn't last long. "Well, the steaks are ready."

"They smell incredible."

"They do," Jake agreed, stepping over to the barbecue grill to check out the meat. "What kind of rub did you put on them?"

"Oregano, lime juice, cumin seed, a few other things."

"Impressive," Jake said.

"We'll see how it tastes."

"There you are," Joanna said, as she put the plates down on the table. "Good timing. Did you see Debbie?"

"Yes. She's not well, Mom," Alicia said. "She seemed disoriented, out of it, and her house was a mess."

"Really?"

"The word mess doesn't begin to describe her house," Jake put in. "There was abandoned food on tables, lots of trash, and she couldn't seem to remember where her cat was. She needs help. I don't know where TJ is or Katherine is, for that matter," he added, a hard edge in his voice. "Someone should be taking care of Debbie."

"I had no idea things were that bad," Joanna said. "I'll go over there tomorrow and check in with her."

"That would be good," Alicia said. "It wasn't like we just caught her at a bad time. It looked like she'd been living that way for a while."

"I have to admit I haven't seen her since the funeral. I'll call my friend Lauren. She lives across the street from Debbie. Maybe she can run over there now, and I'll go tomorrow."

"Did you learn anything else?" Michael asked as Joanna went back into the house to make her call.

Alicia shook her head. "No. Debbie said TJ worked for a tech company but she couldn't remember the name. She said it had initials. Maybe it was MDT. We can look him up online after we eat." She let out a breath. "I really thought we were going to catch a break."

"It was a good idea," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And something may still come of it. Right now, you need to take a breath and eat what will hopefully be the best steak of your life."

Her smile made his heart turn over. "You don’t lack for confidence, Michael. I hope you can back it up."

"I always can."

"We'll see."

He laughed. "You're going to be tough on me, aren't you?"

"I don't think you'd want it any other way, would you?"

He met her gaze. "No, I wouldn't."

"Hey, you two, are we ever going to eat?" Jake asked.

"Right now," Michael said, taking the steaks to the table.

* * *

Dinner with her family was more fun that she would have ever imagined
, Alicia thought as they ate Michael's perfectly cooked steak along with salad, green beans, and fruit for dessert. During the meal, the conversation was easy and not filled with criticisms or questions. That was mostly due to Michael's presence at the table. He certainly seemed to have charmed her mother.

Michael and Jake got along well, too. They both loved sports, and she quickly found out which baseball teams were contending for the play-offs. She also discovered that the Miami Dolphins football team was on an undefeated roll for September, and that Michael still apparently followed his childhood team despite the fact that he'd been living in New York the last ten years.

It was nice to see a more relaxed side of the man with whom she'd spent several intense days. He wasn't thinking about the darkness of the last two months. He was just being himself. He talked, laughed, joked and fit right in with her family. In fact, he made her feel like she fit in, too, and he wasn't even trying to do that. It just happened.

She'd thought it would be difficult to be home, to see her mom and brother, but it was amazingly fun. Either they'd mellowed or she had, or perhaps they'd all changed, but aside from a few digs from her mother about the length of her hair or her unwillingness to call home more often, there was no real tension. It reminded her of the family they'd been before her father died, before the sadness and the uncertainty and then the pain, before they all got tense and angry and dealt with their grief in different ways, often by lashing out at one another.

No one had forgotten, but time had lessened the hurt, and she was grateful for that.

Michael gave her a smile from across the table and she smiled back, thinking how attractive he was in the late afternoon light. His dark hair set off the lightness of his eyes as well as the sun-touched color in his cheeks, the strength of his jaw, the sexy line of his mouth, a mouth she very much wanted to taste again.

He must have followed her train of thought because his gaze darkened and a look of promised intimacy passed between them. They'd been dancing around the sparks of attraction since the first minute they'd met. One of these days, those sparks were going to catch fire, and it was going to take a lot more than a few kisses to put those flames out.

But she didn't want to get burned. She didn't want to get hurt. And Michael had the potential to do that, because she already cared about him, which meant her heart was on the line, and she never put her heart on the line. But Michael seemed to understand her and accept her in a way that no one else ever had. And she thought she understood him pretty well, too. She'd been able to peek past the curtain he probably usually hid behind. He'd opened up about his life, and she doubted he did that often.