Brianna's Navy SEAL (6 page)

"Ah, minor anxiety attack, I think. Don't worry, I'm taking medication for it.” She paused with one foot out the door. “Don't tell Mom, okay?"

"Bullshit.” Kira grabbed her arm. “What the hell? Last summer,” she shot out before Brie could answer. “Something happened last summer, didn't it? Don't look at me like that, I'm your sister, and it was pretty obvious when you came home. We agreed to let you tell us when you were ready, but you never were.” Her grip tightened, and Brie was afraid she wouldn't let her leave until she'd told her the whole horrible story. “What happened to you, hon?"

Brianna shook her head and looked away. “Nothing happened to me. I was just—well, part of it.”
Responsible for it.

After a moment, Kira's grip slowly relaxed. “Let me know if you ever need someone to talk to.” She revved the engine, and Brianna slowly climbed out of the truck, kind of surprised that she was leaving it at that.

"I will,” she finally agreed, and shut the door. But she really had no intention of admitting to anyone what she had done.

Brianna yawned as she poured her second cup of coffee while the kids were in PE. Cable joined her a moment later, taking the pot out of her hand and filling his own mug. He stood close, much closer than teachers usually stood, but not inappropriately so.

"Morning. Sleep okay?"

Brie scowled and reached for the creamer. “Do I look like I slept okay?” She narrowed her eyes at him. He looked as fresh and alert as always, though why he shouldn't, she didn't know. Except she'd had nightmares all night, and misery wanted company, that was all.

"So you volunteered for the decorations committee, of all things?” she asked, covering her mouth in another yawn. They left the lounge and started walking back to their classrooms.

"Not exactly.” He shot her a glance. “Weren't you paying attention?"

"Not exactly.” She grinned sheepishly. “So how'd you get roped into it?"

He shrugged, his knit shirt pulling against his shoulders, distracting her. She shook her head hard, once, and focused on what he was saying.

"I have no idea who she is, but she reminds me of Texas."

Brie groaned. “Darcy Langlais. Gotta be. What, she volunteered to chair the committee?"

"Yeah, and suggested me."

"You could have said no.” She frowned at her mug, which was starting to slosh, and slowed her steps.

"She didn't give me a chance. Everyone looked eager to hear me say yes, and then they all looked at you, and that scrawny balding guy—"

"Ken Salzer."

"Yeah, Ken. I met him in the coffee shop the other day. Weird. Anyway, he kind of bounced and said he'd be on the committee, and that you would be, too, and that's when they woke you up."

"I wasn't sleeping,” she muttered, just like she had to Kira the night before. “I was just distracted."

"Well, I can't complain about having to work with you."

"That's not the part that bothers me.” A few feet from her room, she could hear her cell phone ringing. She'd turned it on to check messages and hadn't remembered to turn it off. She caught it just before it shot over to voice mail. The number was unfamiliar.

"Hello?"

"Brianna, good. Hope I'm not interrupting class.” Darcy didn't bother waiting for assurances. “I want to have the first meeting tomorrow night, my house, six o'clock. You know where it is. See you then?"

Tomorrow was their usual movie night. “I—"

"Great. Let Ken know, will you? I know you two are close.” She hung up.

Brianna hit the “end” button, turned off the phone, and lifted her arm to throw it into her bag. But breaking the phone wouldn't do any good, so she relaxed and dropped it into the outer pocket.

"Darcy's calling our first meeting tomorrow night."

Cable seemed to read her mind. “It's all right, we can go to the movie the next night.” He rubbed her arm and she wished he could hold her. But they were both very careful at school and anywhere they could run into parents or school administration.

"Sure, we can.” She checked the clock. “I have to call Ken before the kids get back. You want to drive over together?"

"Of course.” He started to walk out to his own room. “I'll get you at what, quarter of?"

Brie nodded, already on the phone with Ken, already regretting not waiting until the end of the day. She could hear her kids coming down the hall, and Ken seemed to want to chat about his ideas.

"Ken, that's what the meeting's for. I have to teach now."

"Sure, right, no problem. And thanks for that great job you did on the Moore account. They were thrilled.” His voice was warmer than usual, and she cringed.

"Okay, good. Bye, Ken."

"See you tomorrow night, Brie."

She hung up and briefly dropped her head onto her arms with a groan. Ken had never called her Brie before.

By the time she climbed into Cable's truck the next night, she was in a sour mood. Cable, being a guy, didn't notice. And she didn't think he'd appreciate her regaling him with Kira's story, or the McDonald's issue. Brianna didn't really care about the McDonald's, or what the rest of the town thought about it, but she could never forgive Darcy for trying to trap Jake into marriage and didn't think she could work with her on this committee.

So why didn't she just drop off it? She was an adult. She didn't have to do things she didn't want to do.

Except she'd already agreed, and it was her own fault she didn't know who'd she be working with before she said yes. She shouldn't have been daydreaming at the meeting, and now she'd have to pay the price.

Besides, then she'd be leaving Cable to Darcy's devices. That wouldn't be fair to him. Maybe Ken and Darcy would hook up, she mused. That would solve a lot of problems at once.

"Which way?” Cable asked at the end of their street. She directed him to Darcy's old condo, which she'd apparently moved back into. She must have been renting it while she was gone. It only took them a few minutes to get there, and Brianna climbed the steps to the front door with a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.

"Brianna!” When Darcy opened the door she welcomed Brie like a long-lost friend, hugging her and making her gag on the woman's perfume. Or disgust, it didn't really matter which. She choked it back and introduced Cable.

"Ken here yet?” she asked, moving into the elaborately decorated living room. Darcy had pads of paper and pencils stacked on a coffee table next to catalogs and a few scattered sheets that looked like someone had been sketching the ballroom.

"Not yet.” Darcy kept her wide smile as she accepted their coats and offered them drinks. Cable asked for a beer, but Brianna declined, knowing she was punishing herself for no good reason. The heat was on the high side in here, the air dry, but she couldn't bring herself to accept anything from the woman she hated.

It didn't help that Darcy was looking so good. Brianna could see her through the kitchen door from where she sat in a chair set near the coffee table. She wore ivory wool slacks and a peach-and-ivory V-necked sweater that hugged her ample breasts but didn't make her look trashy. Her blond hair was now nearly platinum—maybe to hide gray?—and hung in waves to her shoulder blades. She also wore heels and swayed gracefully as she walked.

Brianna had on her favorite jeans and a Brook Hollow Mustangs sweatshirt. She hadn't even bothered freshening her makeup, and now, as she watched Darcy hand Cable his beer and sit next to him on the sofa, she wondered what the hell she'd been thinking. The woman was clearly out for him, and while Brianna had no false modesty about her own appeal, she wasn't in Darcy's league.

The doorbell rang, and Brianna considered moving to sit next to Cable, but the thought of being joined by either Darcy or Ken was unbearable.

"Ken, of course you know Brianna.” Darcy took his coat and smoothed it over her arm. “Have you met Cable yet?"

Ken's head bobbed. “Yes, yes, I met Cable in the coffee shop, and saw him at the meeting. Nice to see you.” He turned to Brianna, and his eyes lit up. “Brie. You're looking lovely this evening.

"Thank you, Ken,” she managed to say after suppressing a snort. “You look good, too,” she added, surprised that it was true. Instead of his usual geeky clothes he was wearing charcoal gray dress pants and a royal blue pullover. The color seemed to eliminate his usual pallor, and she noticed for the first time that his eyes were blue. Then she realized it was so easy to see that because he wasn't wearing his glasses. She bit back the question, not wanting to seem interested, but assumed he'd gotten contacts. Man, she hoped he hadn't gotten them for her.

"Okay, then.” After neglecting to offer Ken anything to drink, Darcy motioned to a seat, then folded herself gracefully onto the floor at the coffee table across from Cable. Of course, that placed her cleavage prominently in Cable's vision, Brianna thought, and heaved a mental sigh.

"I was working on some preliminary ideas.” Darcy lifted the sketches and handed them to Cable, then pulled a pad full of writing toward herself. “I'd like to do something a little classier than in past years."

Since Darcy had been gone for at least two years, Jake had been in charge of the only ball she'd been to. Was she going to jab at him every time they met over the next couple of months?

Still talking about lighting and fabric, Darcy intercepted the sketches Cable started to hand to Brie and set them on the table. She did it smoothly, like she didn't realize what his intent was, but it made Brie grit her teeth.

The evening went on like that. Darcy solicited suggestions, then focused completely on Cable and didn't let Brie or Ken so much as open their mouths. Ken didn't seem to mind; he pretended, but spent most of his time looking at Brianna. Cable, too, was totally clueless.

Two interminable hours later, Darcy jotted a list of instructions for each of them, handed them out, and went to retrieve the coats.

"So, Brie, can you, um, come by my office tomorrow and get a couple new accounts to do?” Ken sidled closer to her, his demeanor unchanged by his new appearance.

Brianna sighed. “Sure, Ken.” She wanted to refuse, but year-end was approaching and she didn't feel right leaving him in the lurch with tax season so close.

"He likes you,” Cable observed once they were in his truck.

Now Brianna did snort. “Suddenly and without reason, too. But that just makes this committee perfect. Ken can make moo eyes at me while Darcy plies her wares on you."

"Huh?"

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you're oblivious to her moves."

Cable shook his head. “I don't know what you're talking about.” But he couldn't prevent a little smile, and Brie tried not to pout.

"I did notice she made a lot of digs at your family. What's up with that?"

Grateful for the opening, Brianna launched into the story. “Well, Jake always loved Kira, but when he thought he had cancer he told her so, and she didn't love him, so he tried to move on and started dating Darcy. Then Kira realized she
did
love him after all, and so Jake thought he'd break up with Darcy, and she pretended to be pregnant so he'd have to marry her, which he resisted but probably would have done just because he's such a great guy. When he figured out what she was doing and called her on it, she ran against him in the mayoral race and forced him to drop out because Kira
was
pregnant, and had gotten pregnant when Jake was trying to dump Darcy, and it was a big mess but she was just rotten."

"Wow.” He laughed. “Take a breath. So how'd Jake get elected if he dropped out?"

She grinned. “He's just that good. And Darcy's an outsider. She wanted to build a McDonald's, which threatened a couple of restaurants here in town. Apparently, she decided to come back and do it anyway. I don't know why."

Cable pulled into his driveway. “So now you think she's after me to spite you?"

"No way.” Brianna got out and walked with him to his front door. “I think spiting me is icing on the beefcake."

They'd barely cleared the doorway when Cable slammed the door behind them and looped his arms around Brianna. “It doesn't matter what she's trying to do. I'm yours, Brie. She doesn't appeal to me."

She narrowed her eyes at him. “How can she not appeal to you?"

He raised one eyebrow. “I've seen you in workout clothes."

It wasn't the right thing to say. She leaned back, but he didn't release her. “Seriously, Cable. If you weren't dating me, would you date her? And I want an honest answer, or I won't trust you."

He shook his head. “I don't know.” He thought a minute. “Okay, yeah, sure, if you didn't exist, she might turn me on. There's nothing wrong with the package."

She'd asked for honesty, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. “I don't know, maybe we should cool it. I've unintentionally been in triangles before, and they never work out well. It's not worth anyone's pain, even Darcy's.” She wasn't sure she really cared about Darcy's pain, but the rest was the truth. Last summer's little war hadn't just been about golden treasure. It was unlikely this triangle—quadrangle, if they included Ken—would end in harpoonings and sinking boats, but even simple hurt feelings were bad enough.

Cable looked down at her with no expression she could read, but something roiling in his eyes. She squirmed away.

"Maybe I should go home."

"No way.” He unzipped his leather coat and hung it over the newel post, then reached for hers. “We're going to talk about this."

Brianna let him remove her coat and followed him into his living room because she didn't want to go home, but the more she thought about it, the more important it seemed that she end things now, before they got deeper, before anything got out of hand.

When she would have sat on the rolling chair in front of his desk, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the giant cushy sofa in front of the fireplace, the only other place to sit in the room.

"Do you really want to stop seeing me?” he asked.

Brianna frowned. He had to phrase it that way. “I think it would be better to stop seeing you."

"That's not what I asked."

"I know.” She took a deep breath and let her insecurity come out. “I don't want to stop seeing you, but ... I don't get the feeling you want me very much, and if you don't, you might as well, I don't know, head for greener pastures."