Covering Home (18 page)

Goosebumps pebbled her skin. Journalists would kill for the inside story on what really happened in the hours prior to Amanda’s death. But she wasn’t a journalist and she’d crossed the line to something far more intimate with Caleb. Now she stood at a crossroads. Whatever he told her would change everything.

Chapter Eighteen

Caleb stood and paced from the wall to the bathroom. His legs trembled. Other than his grief counselor and his attorney, no one else had heard his account of that horrific night.

Britt tossed her notepad and pen on the floor and tucked her legs underneath her, eyes riveted on him. “I’m listening.”

He tried to quell the fear that unfurled, like those signal flags that warned of an impending storm. “Amanda and I were in Malibu, hanging with her friends. They’d finished shooting her next movie and wanted to celebrate. But their idea of celebrating wasn’t my thing, so I sat out by the pool with some surfer dude. He was high as a kite, but mellow and fun to talk to.”

Britt smiled, easing a bit of his anxiety. Man, he’d do anything to see that smile. That’s right, she loved Santa Cruz. It was well-stocked with surfer dudes. She probably knew a few guys that fit that description.

“Go on,” she said.

“Amanda wandered out and seemed a little ‘off’—”

“What do you mean?”

“Picking at me, like she was looking for a fight.”

“Did you fight a lot?”

“Not really. But we’d spent a lot more time together than we were used to, so maybe we were due for an argument. She’d dragged me to the wedding planner that afternoon and frankly I wasn’t in the mood. By the time we got to the car, she was crying and yelling—I should’ve taken the keys.”

“Did you know she was drunk?”

Caleb hesitated. “That’s the thing. It wasn’t like she was intoxicated. It was more like … completely irrational. By the time we hit the highway, she was pounding her fist on the steering wheel, slurring her words, out of her mind. She kept going on and on about how her friend Abby was expecting.”

“Expecting … a baby?”

“Yes. A baby.” He wiped his clammy palms on his pants.

“Let me guess. You don’t want children?”

“No. Yes. All those brothers?” He waved his arm toward the family pictures on the dresser. “Of course I want children. But I wanted to get married first. Spend some time away from Hollywood. But she wouldn’t listen. She kept driving at top speed through those winding, twisting curves, yelling at me about how I won’t let her have a baby and I just want to control her …”

“So this wasn’t really about a baby at all?”

“Exactly.” Caleb stabbed the air with his index finger. “I was the only person in Amanda’s life who had the guts to tell her ‘no’, and she couldn’t handle it.”

“So she’s driving like a maniac—”

Caleb sat back down on the edge of the bed. “She couldn’t pull herself together and I panicked. My options were limited. The second she slowed even a little, I tried to grab the wheel.”

“You what?” All the color had drained from Britt’s face.

“I grabbed the wheel. She fought me and we slammed into a pole. We were both thrown from the car.”

“This is unbelievable,” Britt whispered.

“That’s why only two other people have heard this story.”

“But the news, her family … everybody said you were driving.”

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

“What happened after that?”

“When I wake up, I’m lying on a lawn. There’s people leaning over me and some woman is screaming, sirens wailing. I remember I wanted the screaming to stop, it was the worst sound I’d ever heard.”

Britt winced. He didn’t blame her. The sickening sounds, the smell of gasoline and fire—he’d relived it a million times, and it never got easier. “The investigators say she burned rubber and then slammed into a light pole. Like I said, she was also thrown from the car.”

“Weren’t there bystanders or witnesses? People to support your side of the story?”

“If there were witnesses, Amanda’s father got to them first.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute.” His stomach churned. “Amanda died in the ambulance. There was nothing they could do.”

“Caleb, I’m so sorry.” Britt reached out and clasped her hand over his.

Warmth flooded through him, igniting a flame of hope he hadn’t felt in a very long time. “Thank you. That means a lot. Very few people outside my immediate family have even bothered to say that to me.”

“You can’t be serious.” She sat back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. “You’re serious. That’s horrible. Why?”

“Money, fame, political aspirations. Who knows what drives people to manipulate circumstances for their own personal gain. Amanda’s father paid me a visit in the hospital and things got very weird, very fast.”

“Were you alone?”

“Yes. I was also in shock. My fiancC)e was dead. My phone was lost, probably melted beyond recognition. The hospital called my parents, but rural Wyoming to LA in the middle of the night doesn’t just happen. He was the one person I thought might help me. At least he was a familiar face, you know?”

“What did he do?”

“So he finds me in the ER and not only is he emotionally distraught, but he proceeds to tell me that I’m going to take the fall for all of this. Because I’m just a baseball player and I’ll figure it out, but his baby’s legacy will not be tarnished.”

“Wait. What about toxicology reports? Didn’t they show anything? Surely she was under the influence of—”

Caleb snorted. “Toxicology reports were surprisingly inconclusive.”

“They botched it?”

“No. The Forrester fund made it disappear.”

“The what?”

“Greg and Lydia Forrester are loaded. He’s a hedge fund manager. She inherited her family’s money. I’m sure he knew somebody who knew somebody and made the results look like he wanted them to.”

“And you let them destroy you.” Britt snapped her fingers. “Just like that?”

“I did the only thing I knew how to do, which was to get rid of him before somebody heard what he said. My agent and my attorney were all at my bedside within a matter of hours. But by then it was too late. He’d already put the wheels in motion.”

“I can’t believe this.” Britt shook her head. “I mean, I believe you. Every word. I’m just … shocked. He ruined your career.”

“Yeah, he kind of did. But at the time, I thought I had ruined me when I grabbed that stupid wheel. My pitching arm was toast. Not only was Amanda gone but baseball looked like it was over for me, too.”

“But here you are. What happened?”

Ask her out.

Caleb looked around. Ben had left a while ago, but it felt like he was standing there, whispering in his ear. That’s crazy. She’ll never go for it. He resisted the suggestion, while Britt sat there and stared at him.

“Are you okay?”

Words rushed from his lips. “Meet me later. In Tokyo.”

“What?”

“I don’t want this to be the last time I see you. Please. Dinner. Dessert. I don’t care. We’ll go anywhere you want. I’ll tell you the rest of the story.”

“Are you bribing me to go out with you?”

“Is it working?”

She laughed and shook her head, then looked down at her hands. His heart thumped against his ribcage. What if she said no? He didn’t have a plan B. But this couldn’t be goodbye.

Britt nodded. “Okay. What time? Where?”

“I’ll pick you up at your hotel room. Seven o’clock.”

“Seven it is.” She cleared her throat and picked up her notepad and pen, tucking them both inside her briefcase. “I’ll send Paul and the guys over to grab some footage, maybe a couple of still shots. It won’t take long.”

He sat motionless on the end of the bed. Her words jolted him back to reality. Did he really just bare his soul to a sportscaster? Then he remembered his manners and jumped up to walk her out. “Whatever you need, it’s fine.”

She slung her bag over one shoulder. Hand on the doorknob, she turned back to face him. “Thanks for trusting me. You won’t regret it. I promise.”

“You’re welcome.”

A shy smile formed on those pink lips. “See you later.”

All he could manage was a casual wave of his hand before she disappeared into the hallway. Closing the door, he reached for his phone. Ben was never going to believe this.

Britt dabbed on lip gloss and stepped back from the full-length mirror. A tunic and skinny jeans—too casual? Her denim mini skirt lay discarded at her feet.
No
. Too flirty. This was goodbye, after all.

“You’re overthinking this,” she whispered, scooping up the skirt and tossing it on top of her suitcase. But Caleb was all she’d thought about since they left the Seibu Dome. It wasn’t that she needed to hear the rest of the story—the dramatic conclusion had been splashed all over the headlines for days. Obviously he’d found his way back to baseball or he wouldn’t be playing in Japan’s professional league. It was tonight that concerned her. What did the mysterious Caleb Scott have in mind?

Tugging her boots on, she stole a glance at the clock. 6:57. Butterflies took flight in her abdomen. He’d be here any minute. Right on cue, someone knocked on her door. Grabbing her purse from the desk, she stole one last glance at her reflection before twisting the deadbolt.
Relax.

She opened the door, her heart stuttering at Caleb’s wide smile.

“Hey.” His gaze swept over her. “You look great tonight.”

“Thanks.” She stepped out into the hallway, tugging the door shut behind her. “So do you.” His white button-down shirt, cuffs rolled up to reveal chiseled forearms, hung untucked over dark-washed jeans. His hair, usually concealed under a cap, gleamed in a disheveled-on-purpose style. As he led the way toward the elevator, she relished the opportunity to enjoy the view.

“Are you all packed?” He asked, pressing the call button.

“Just about.” She fiddled with the handles on her purse, the reality of their circumstances butting up against her obvious admiration for the way his jeans hugged his muscular thighs. Couldn’t they talk about something else?

“Britt?”

“I’m sorry. You were saying?” The elevator doors parted and they joined a handful of couples inside.

“Are you looking forward to seeing your family?” His eyes locked on hers, one curious eyebrow arched.

“I am. We’re all going to my brother and sister-in-law’s for Easter.” Britt stood next to a gorgeous woman in a leopard print dress and black stilettos, clinging to the arm of an impeccably dressed older man. It looked like everyone was intent on a night out—must be the warmer weather. Caleb still hadn’t mentioned where they were going.

“Is Easter your favorite holiday?” Their shoulders touched and warmth began its slow journey throughout her body. Wow. Undivided attention had never been a problem for her, but something about those incredible eyes focused on her alone—

She cleared her throat and watched the numbers change as the elevator descended. “I do look forward to Easter. So much hope and a sense of promise around the resurrection, you know? But holidays were always a mixed bag without my mom. I have no memory of her, obviously, but everyone else does. They went all out to make holidays fun, but there’s an undercurrent of sadness that never goes away.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “That must be tough.”

“It’s getting better now that Kristi and Lucas have a family. The kids’ enthusiasm is infectious. How about you? Favorite holiday?”

“Ranchers don’t take too many days off.” The elevator stopped and Caleb moved even closer to make room for more passengers. The spicy scent of his aftershave teased her senses.
Oh boy.

“When I was a kid, I loved the Fourth of July. Everybody went to the parade and there was a huge picnic. We only did the essential chores—but I haven’t been home for the Fourth in ages.” Caleb stared out the glass wall of the elevator car, lost in a memory.

“What about Christmas? With a house full of boys, I bet your family has some fun traditions.”

“Christmas is very … loud. There’s tons of great food, family visiting from out of town—It’s a good time.”

Britt shook her head. “I’ve never heard Christmas described as loud.”

“Then you’ve never experienced a Scott family gathering. You’ll have to visit the ranch sometime.”

The vague invitation hung between them, weighted by all that it implied. She stared into his eyes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I—I’d like that.”

He grinned. “Good. I’ll have my people contact your people.”

The elevator arrived on the ground floor and the other passengers spilled into the lobby. Caleb’s arm slipped around her waist, confident and protective, as he guided her through the crowd and toward the hotel’s exit.

“I have a surprise planned. I hope you’re up for something a little different,” he said.

Her heart shimmied, both from his touch and the anticipation. “I love surprises. Where are we going?”

“Come with me. I think you’ll like this.”

One tall, handsome baseball player with an incredible smile, pulling her close and offering an adventurous evening in Tokyo … what’s not to like?

Chapter Nineteen