Falling For Nick (28 page)

And then she was gone.

Nick stared at the door, wondering what had just happened. Clea had all but told him she didn't want to marry Robert, but she still intended to go through with the wedding. This was insane. This was wonderful.

Whether she realized it or not, she'd just given him hope.

Clea let herself into her apartment, her hands shaking on the knob. What had she done? Why had she gone to Nick's? She'd wanted him to take her, right there, against the wall. Never in her life had she wanted anything more. A part of her had hoped he would make love to her despite her protests. Had she wanted to use him as her excuse to call off the marriage? She wasn't being any fairer to Nick than she was to Robert. A hot rush of shame stained her cheeks. Both men deserved better.

Taking off her coat, she hung it on the rack near the door. She took a step and the lamp beside the sofa flared to life.

"Where have you been?" Vivian asked.

Guilt washed through her. "You should be in bed, Mom."

"I asked you a question, Clea." Vivian sighed, long and heavy. "Don't bother to answer. You've been with him. I could see it when you were a teenager, and I can see it now."

"I don't want to talk." She needed time to think.

"You're getting married," Vivian said tightly. "How can you cheat on Robert?"

"I didn't cheat on him." Or had she? She'd kissed Nick. She'd allowed him to take liberties with her, and she'd barely given Robert a thought. In fact, sex with Robert had dried up since Nick's return. Somehow, she'd managed to come up with one excuse after another to avoid being intimate with Robert.

"Robert deserves better than this," Vivian said. "What're you doing? You're about to become the daughter-in-law of a United States senator. Doesn't that mean something to you Clea? It should. You have a chance to enter the inner circle, and Robert is your ticket inside. Why would you want to squander such an opportunity? Why?"

Clea's stomach turned. "Is this about what I want, or about what you want, Mom? Because if you knew anything about me, you'd know that I don't care about running with the rich and the beautiful. That's your dream, not mine. I care about John, and what's best for him."

"Robert is best for John," her mother interrupted.

"Is he? Is he better than John's real father?" Clea crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. "You weren't there tonight when I had to explain to John why everyone is against his father. John might be angry with Nick, but he loves him. Can't you see that?"

"No. John's a little boy. He doesn't know what's best for him." Vivian's eyes blazed. "Nick Lombard will never amount to anything. He'll always be poor, always be a loser."

"How do you know? No one has given Nick a chance before. He's smart. He's determined. He's even started his own car restoration business. Did you know he earned his AA in prison, as well as a stack of certifications in the automotive field?"

"From a mail-order university? Why, that means nothing."

"It means everything, Mom," Clea said, frustration eating at her. "Why can't you see that? Nick's a hard worker. He's ambitious, every bit as ambitious as Robert."

"He's done it again." Vivian frowned. "He's managed to convince you that he is the right man for you. I won't let you throw your life away on him. Think about Robert. Think about the Graceland Mitchell Internship. Are you ready to give up your dreams for a man who has brought you nothing but grief and heartache?"

At the mention of the internship Clea's heart skipped a beat. Would she give up the chance to study with Graceland Mitchell for Nick and John? She didn't know, but she did know one thing; even if she and Nick never got back together, she couldn't make a life with Robert, not when she could kiss Nick with such abandon. No matter the cost, she had to follow her heart. A strange freedom filled her. The time had come for her to make her own choices.

"I'm going to bed." Clea turned to leave.

"We're not done with this discussion, Clea Rose."

"We are for now." Clea went into the bathroom and closed the door. Tonight her life had taken a new twist. Tomorrow she would talk to Robert. She couldn't marry him. He didn't turn her inside out. She didn't crave the sight of him. Her skin didn't tingle when he touched her. The signs were all there; she'd just been too blind to see them.

She wasn't in love with Robert. She doubted she ever had been. To marry him now would be grossly unfair. He'd be trapped in a loveless marriage. She couldn't do that to him.

The thought of building a relationship with Nick terrified her. If she made the choice to pursue a relationship with him, she'd be working without a net. Her mother wouldn't support her decision. For the first time, Clea would be totally alone, personally and financially. Could she do it? Could she trust her instincts and let her heart lead her? The thought of making it on her own terrified her, but she'd never felt more in control. And she liked it.

*   *   *

"Hey, Nick." Billy walked into the garage through the open bay door.

"What's up?" Nick came around the Bel Air. It was Billy's day off, and Nick hadn't expected to see him at the garage. Right away he noticed his brother's frown. Something was wrong.

"I have bad news." Billy held an envelope in his hand.

"What kind of news?" A rock had landed in Nick's stomach.

"It's about the loan. This came from the bank." He passed Nick the envelope.

Nick's hopes and dreams crashed down around him, leaving behind a bitter disappointment. He'd wanted the loan to go through. Securing the warehouse would have allowed him to accelerate the business. "I don't need to open it. They said no."

Billy nodded. "They wanted a bigger down payment."

"I knew it." He thrust the envelope back at Billy. "Why did I let you talk me into it? I knew we didn't have enough cash between us."

"We'll find another way," Billy said. "This business was meant to be."

Nick went over to the pop machine, fed it some coins and hit the cola button. He grabbed his soda, twisted off the top and took a long drink.

"We'll try another bank," Billy said optimistically.

"Changing banks isn't going to help."

"I could sell my trailer," Billy offered. "That would get us some cash."

"No." Nick took another sip of his soda. "There has to be another way. I'm not giving up. I can't. Not now. I've made promises to my son. I want to build something for him he can be proud of."

A slow grin lit Billy's face. "That's great, Nick. Maybe we can sell off some of Mom's stuff."

Nick frowned. "Be realistic. Maude didn't own anything of value. Certainly nothing that can bring us the kind of cash we need."

"I guess not." Billy's smile faded. His shoulders slumped.

Nick finished off his soda, chucking the bottle into a nearby recycling bin. "I need to get back to work."

"I think I might have a solution to your problems," Mr. Mullin said.

Nick and Billy both turned to face their boss. Nick hadn't realized Mr. Mullin had overheard his conversation with Billy. The older man had been in his office most of the afternoon, glued to his computer.

"What kind of solution?" Nick asked, exchanging a glance with Billy.

"I've been watching you, Nick," Mr. Mullin said. "You are a fine mechanic. I think you probably know as much about cars as I do, maybe more. I've read your business plan. Your ideas are sound. I'm already seeing them at work." He nodded to the Bel Air. "You know I love this place, but I'm getting too damn old to run it. I want to retire. If you boys are interested, we may be able to work out a deal."

Nick couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mullin wanted a deal? No one had ever given him a break before. His first instinct told him not to trust this good fortune. Why would Mullin want to help him?

"A deal?" Billy grinned. "Of course we're interested. Right, Nick?"

"I don't know," he said, unable to keep the skepticism from his voice.

Mr. Mullin walked to him, placing a gnarled hand on Nick's shoulder. "Nick, I've known you since you were a boy. I gave you your first job, and I sure as hell never believed you killed the Bloomfield boy in cold blood. I never had sons of my own. You and Billy are the closest thing I've got to children. I'd like the garage to go to someone I like and respect. Why don't the three of us sit down tomorrow morning and talk about this?"

Sincerity shone in the old man's eyes. Did he really see Billy and Nick as sons? Until this moment Nick never realized how much he respected Mr. Mullin, how much the old man had done for him and Billy over the years. How could he have been so blind? Had there been other people in Port Bliss who had pulled for him, despite the evidence being stacked against him? He thought of Mitzi. She'd been on his side. And Sheriff Kincade, he'd been giving Nick advice his entire life. Damn. Why hadn't he seen it sooner? He'd spent so much time wallowing in self-pity he hadn't noticed that some of the people in the town had supported him.

"All right. Let's talk." Nick's excitement rose. He extended his hand, and Mr. Mullin shook it.

The old man smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. After he let go of Nick's hand, he turned to Billy, shaking his hand.

"We'll talk tomorrow," Mr. Mullin promised.

"You bet," Billy agreed.

Mr. Mullin chuckled as he went back into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Can you believe it?" Billy asked. "He wants to make a deal with us."

"If he's talking about selling us the place, we still have to come up with the cash," Nick reminded him, giving himself and Billy a reality check.

"Still." Billy looked beyond Nick to the open door of the garage. Nick followed his brother's stare, surprised to see John.

"Hey, John," Billy greeted. "What brings you here? You coming to visit Nick?"

"Sorta," John said.

Nick's heart froze. He couldn't forget the look on John's face yesterday when he'd said he hated them all. What had Clea said to John? How much of Nick's twisted relationship with Boomer had been explained to him?

"Where's your mom?" Nick asked.

"She let me come alone." John hovered in the doorway, as if he were afraid to come in. "She said she'd be by at six to pick me up."

By sending John alone was Clea trying to avoid him? After last night, Nick wouldn't blame her. They'd both said and done things they shouldn't have.

"I'll leave you two alone then." Billy headed toward the door. "I've got plans to make. See ya, John." He touched John's shoulder as he passed the boy. "Talk to you later, Nick."

"I'll call you when I get home," Nick said, walking to meet his son. "I'm glad to see you, John. We have a lot of work to do today."

"On The Boss or the Bel Air?" John asked.

"I'm putting you to work on The Boss. I was about to apply the final coat of paint to the door. I need your help."

John had gone over to the bay where The Boss was parked. He ran a small hand over the side of the shiny yellow car.

"It's a smooth paint job," Nick said, coming to stand beside him. "The best I've seen."

"Yeah."

An idea flashed in Nick's mind. "You want to go for a ride?"

"Really?" John tilted his head to better see him.