Recovery (19 page)

“What?” Eddie turned to face Dallas. His eyes focused on the sling on Dallas’s arm. “What happened to you?” Eddie asked, knitting his brow.

“I had a car accident,” Dallas stated calmly.

But Eddie wasn’t paying attention to Dallas anymore. He turned away, distracted by the screaming behind him. The two women were still hurling potent expletives at each other as Sammy and Uncle Ned struggled to pry them apart.

“Uh, well.” He sighed. “Mom wanted me to bring Emily.” He grimaced as he glanced back at me. “I don’t really like her but…” He shrugged, and then headed back over to the wrestling match.

“Oh, that’s sad!” Dallas chuckled as he watched Eddie slowly sulk back to his date and ex-wife. “The boy is so in love with you it’s almost pathetic.”

We watched as Colleen and Emily were dragged off to separate areas of the house amid a contingent of worried faces.

“I can’t believe Sammy brought that girl. She must have heard about Emily and Colleen’s old boyfriend,” I whispered, wondering how Sammy had found out about the affair.

“Hell, sweet cheeks,” Dallas remarked, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Sammy set the whole thing up knowing it would ruffle your cousin’s feathers.”

I looked into his face, feeling surprised by his comment, but then I realized he understood Sammy better than I did. He had figured her out. He had figured all of us out.

I took a needed sip of champagne. “You’re probably right. Sammy was not happy with the expensive divorce settlement Colleen demanded.”

“But she had to give it to her, didn’t she?”

I nodded slightly. “After the miscarriage, when Colleen refused to press charges against Eddie and began telling everyone she fell down the stairs, I knew Sammy had bought her silence. Sammy spent a small fortune on plastic surgery and clothes for Colleen, hoping to appease her.” I paused. “When Colleen finally filed for divorce, she threatened to go to the newspapers with the truth about Eddie if Sammy didn’t pay up.”

“Well, heads up.” Dallas made his voice a whisper. “Here comes our spiteful tigress.”

I looked up to see Sammy making straight for us while trying to straighten out her glistening dress. I didn’t even have time to get another sip of champagne down before she was standing before me.

“Oh my goodness,” she said as she put a stray blond hair into place. “Never a dull moment around here.” She tossed her head back, let out a fake laugh, and then leered at Dallas. “I hope I don’t look too out of sorts.”

“Nothing like a good old catfight to get the blood pumping eh, Sammy.” Dallas winked at her and displayed a cocky grin.

She shot him a curt glance and then her line of vision fell upon my necklace. “Nicci, that is a really stunning piece.” Her eager blue eyes closely inspected the gems. “Is it real?”

Dallas laughed and put his arm about my waist. “Of course it is. Why would I ever buy the woman I love fake jewelry?”

Sammy turned her attention to Dallas. Her perfectly tweezed eyebrows went up with surprise. “You bought it?”

Dallas held up his champagne glass. “I bought the dress too. It’s a pre-engagement present. Since Nicci and I will be leaving for an extended stay at her house in Hammond tomorrow, I figured this would be my last opportunity to show everyone what she really means to me. After I take some time to recover from my accident, Nicci will be moving to New York with me.”

Sammy frowned and stood back for a moment. She studied his face as if she were trying to figure him out. “How odd. I got the distinct impression from you that it wasn’t that serious between you two.”

Dallas pretended to look confused as he stared from me to Sammy. “When did I ever give you that impression, Sammy?”

“The other day at my home.” She turned to me. “He told me that it was just a fling right before he kissed me.”

I tried to control my amusement with her obvious attempt to put a wedge between Dallas and me. This was going to be fun.

“Mrs. Fallon, Dallas could never be interested in a woman like you. You are a classless cougar with the tastes of a Bourbon Street stripper.” I raised my head defiantly to her. “Besides, his family would never have anything to do with a woman of your questionable past.”

She did not speak. She did not move. Sammy Fallon kept her bitter blue eyes locked on mine. I could see the veins in her slender neck pounding away, which I took to mean I had pushed the right button.

“Well, well, well,” she whispered through her fangs. “After all these years you’ve finally grown some balls. Don’t think you can play at my level, Nicci. You’re way out of your league.”

“And what is your league, Sammy?” Dallas questioned in a menacing tone. “Seems to me you’ll never be in Nicci’s league. You’ll never be smart enough, beautiful enough, and definitely not sophisticated enough, to ever be the kind of woman Nicci is.” He paused. “Did you really think I would betray Nicci to take up with a woman like you? I don’t sleep with trash.”

“You’ll pay for that,” she snarled and then she turned to me. “Both of you.” She took a breath and nervously glanced around to the people surrounding us. “I’m going to destroy your family, Nicci. And when I’m done—”

“You will do nothing of the kind.” Dallas lowered his voice as he leaned in closer to Sammy. “If I find out you have hurt my fiancée’s family in any way, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”

For the first time in all my years of dealing with her, I saw fear in Sammy Fallon’s eyes. She took a step back from Dallas and struggled to regain her composure.

“Mom, can we take Emily home now?” Eddie asked as he came up along side of Sammy. “She’s crying and I don’t want to…” He stopped and stared at his mother. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.

I could see a light tinge of red starting to creep up Eddie’s throat.

“What’s going on?” Eddie asked, a little louder than before.

“It seems your mother is some kind of frustrated nymphomaniac hell-bent on destroying my love for Nicci,” Dallas explained to Eddie.

Eddie looked confused. “What’s a nymphomaniac?”

Sammy rolled her eyes at her son. “He just insulted me, Eddie. He and Nicci have been playing your mother for a fool.”

“Nicci?” Eddie turned to me. “What is Mom talking about?”

“Get your whore of a mother out of here, Eddie, before someone gets hurt,” I said, raising my voice just enough to be heard by those around us.

The partygoers surrounding our little group suddenly grew quiet.

“Whore?” Eddie shouted. “Nicci, don’t call my mother a whore.” He took a step toward Dallas. “You told her to say that, didn’t you? My Nicci wouldn’t say anything—”

“Your Nicci!” Dallas laughed with astonishment. “My God, man, are you blind? She’s my Nicci.” He paused and glared at Eddie. “How on earth could a woman like Nicci ever be interested in a wife-beating drunk like you?”

The whole courtyard had instantly grown quiet.

“Why you—” was all Eddie got out before he jumped on Dallas.

“Eddie!” Sammy screamed as she grabbed for her son.

But Dallas was, once again, too quick for Eddie and ducked to the side of Eddie’s advancing fist. The redheaded mop of hair quickly fell to the bricked paving beneath our feet. In an instant, Sammy was at her son’s side, holding him back from making another attempt at Dallas.

“No, Eddie!” Sammy shouted. “Not here,” she said, lowering her voice so only Dallas and I could hear. Eddie seemed to calm in her arms, and he stopped fighting to get up off the ground. “We’ll get them, my baby, but not now. Not in front of all these people,” Sammy whispered. She then helped Eddie to his feet. Eddie’s green eyes were filled with rage as he stared at Dallas.

“Come on,” Sammy urged as she tugged on Eddie’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

Sammy quickly disappeared with Eddie into the rear of Val’s house. All eyes then turned to us.

I could hear Dallas breathing next to me in the stillness of the courtyard.

“’Bout time somebody set those two straight,” a man’s voice called from the bar.

Dallas and I turned to see Uncle Lance toasting us with his champagne glass.

A twitter of laughter mixed with some applause broke out around us. A wave of relief swept over the guests and the uneasy air surrounding us lifted. The murmur of conversation began again and people quickly rekindled their party mood.

I looked over at my uncle and mouthed a silent thank you. He smiled at me and then turned back to the bar.

“You amaze me, Nicci,” Dallas whispered beside me.

“I amaze you?” I laughed and then took a deep breath. “That’s a first.”

“Just when I think I’ve got you figured out, something like that little confrontation with Sammy happens, and I see a whole new side of you.”

“I’ve wanted to say those things to Sammy for a long time.”

Dallas grimaced beside me. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

“Did you get the response you were hoping for?” I asked.

He nodded. “We’ll find out when we get to Hammond, but I think our little scene provided Eddie and Sammy with plenty of motivation for revenge.”

I took a big sip from my champagne. “One more to go,” I said as I looked down at the empty flute in my hand. “I’m going to need another one of these before I can face Michael,” I confessed as I showed my champagne glass to Dallas.

“Too late,” Dallas murmured next to me. “Our man just walked in the door and he has already spotted you.”

I felt my grip tighten on my glass. “Do you think Hattie has told him about us?” I asked nervously.

Dallas casually glanced over at the entrance to the courtyard and smiled. “Oh yeah,” he added, widening his fake grin. “Aunt Hattie has definitely passed on the good news.”

I raised my eyes and immediately saw Michael standing at the entrance to the courtyard; his pale blue eyes were all over me. He was dressed in an impressively tailored black tuxedo. His mother, Ginny Fagles, was next to him. His mother’s short red hair was coifed perfectly and she was wearing a fitted black tea-length dress with a choker of saltwater pearls around her short neck. I could see the resemblance between Michael and his mother as they stood side by side. They had the same coloring and stocky stature. Ginny Fagles was chatting away to some woman on her right. She didn’t seem to notice when Michael left her side and quickly walked over to where Dallas and I were standing.

Dallas extended his hand to Michael as he approached us. “Ah, Dr. Fagles.” Dallas tauntingly accentuated the title of doctor.

Michael quickly shook Dallas’s hand. He nodded cordially at me as his eyes lingered on my necklace. “Nicci, you look very nice this evening,” he said, frowning.

I could hear the tension in his voice. His face had that constipated look again and his cheeks started turning a pale shade of red.

“Nice!” Dallas roared with sincere laughter. “Are you kidding? She looks like a queen! My Nicci looks absolutely spectacular.”

Michael’s eyes traveled up and down my gown. The constipated look turned into something resembling the surprised stare of a fish suddenly caught on a hook. “I don’t remember you ever wearing anything so audacious.” He pointed to my necklace. “And when did you get that?”

“Audacious?” Dallas laughed again. I almost kicked him, thinking he was overdoing it. “No, my dear Doctor, Nicci was made for such expensive trinkets,” Dallas assured as he put his right arm about my waist, pulling me to his side. “I bought it for her. It’s an early engagement present,” he added.

Michael scowled at Dallas, but addressed me as he spoke. “I heard your aunt just mention to my mother that the two of you are getting married.”

Dallas looked at me, grinning like an exuberant schoolboy. “Can’t let this fine beauty get away from me.” He turned to Michael. “Once I get a little R&R in Hammond then I’ll be taking Nicci back to New York with me.”

Michael eyed the sling over Dallas’s left arm. “I heard about your accident. Lucky for you it wasn’t worse than a few cuts and bruises.”

“I’m mending slowly. My Nicci’s a wonderful nurse.” Dallas nuzzled my ear playfully.

Michael’s eyes burned into mine. “Yes, she had great potential in the medical profession. Shame you gave all that up to write books.”

I cleared my throat nervously and went to take a sip from my champagne only to find my glass empty.

“Well, excuse me for a moment, Doctor Fagles.” Dallas released his arm from around my waist as he stepped away from me. “I’m just going to go and find Val.” He glanced over at me. “I want to ask her about the caterers she has here tonight, darling. In case we want to use them for the wedding.” Dallas took the empty champagne glass from my hand. “And I’ll get you another one of these. Back in a moment, sweet cheeks.” He patted my bottom right before he walked away.

I groaned silently to myself. Dallas slowly made his way to the house, exaggerating his infirmity as he moved through the crowd.

“Nicci, we must talk,” Michael whispered, moving closer to me. “I came here tonight to see you again and to beg you to reconsider your relationship with that man.” His greedy eyes traveled up and down my body. “Seeing you again the other day with him made me realize what you meant, what you mean to me.” He shook his head. “You cannot possibly be serious about him.”