Starting Over at Lane's End (Harlequin Heartwarming) (13 page)

Chapter Eighteen

T
HE
FOLLOWING
WEEK
passed in a whirlwind. Gen spent the days patrolling the school and talking to kids. Luckily there hadn’t been another vandalism incident, which Evan attributed to her presence.

Gen was glad that the principal saw her being there as a plus, but truthfully she wasn’t sure whether she was doing much good or not. She’d ruled out Jimmy as a suspect, which left Amy as her prime suspect, and Gen still had plenty of misgivings about that. While Amy did, indeed, have large blocks of time unaccounted for and a witness seemed to remember seeing Amy buy spray paint, Gen didn’t have the proof she needed to accuse her of the vandalism and frankly, didn’t want to believe she was responsible.

Gen had gotten to know the girl pretty well. Amy hadn’t displayed any tendencies toward violence that Gen had observed, though she did seem infatuated with Brian McCullough and was somewhat jealous of Melissa. Gen kept careful documentation of her conversations with Amy, hoping against hope that something would stand out and give Gen a reason to confront the girl...or cross her off as a potential suspect.

On a more positive note, Gen had been spending a lot of time lately with Cary. They’d had lunch together twice and had spent every evening either at his place or hers.

Each night, it had been harder and harder to say goodbye. But she knew that at some point he’d want to talk about their relationship. By the time Cary picked her up on Friday at five, she was a bundle of nerves.

* * *

I
F
C
ARY
NOTICED
SHE
was tense during the two-hour drive to Columbus on I-71, he didn’t let on. For most of the way, all he talked about was the game, Coach Jackson’s game plan for the upcoming state tournament and assorted other high school business.

“The cheerleaders are staying together in rooms chaperoned by three moms,” he said as they got closer to the stadium. “If Melissa even so much as thinks about drinking, smoking or sneaking out, they’ll know about it.”

Gen was surprised Cary was worried. “Melissa seems awfully levelheaded to me. I’d be shocked to hear she did any of those things.”

“It would surprise me, too, but I have to remember that she’s a normal teenager going on an overnighter. And, well, sometimes things happen.”

Cary took the next exit, circling around the Ohio State campus until they arrived at Easton Plaza, a ritzy shopping area north of Columbus.

“The Hilton is here,” he said simply, exiting the ramp and parking in the guest area.

“I’m glad we’re not staying near the kids.”

“You and me both. Luckily we get to be avid basketball fans, not chaperones.”

While Cary brought in their bags and registered at the front desk, Gen stood to the side, finding it easy—for the first time—to let someone else be completely in charge.

When they exited the elevator, he nodded before leading the way to their rooms. He slipped in the key card and opened her door.

Gen looked around in appreciation. Dominating the room was a king-size bed piled high with down comforters, pillows and crisp white sheets. “This is lovely.”

Taking her hands, he pulled her into his arms. Gen rested her head on his chest. Felt his heart beating.

Running his hand along her spine, he said, “You’re smart yet unsure. So brave yet so delicate.” He chuckled. “You’ve had me running in circles, hoping to please you, afraid to scare you away. Wanting to tell you how I felt but worried it was too soon.”

“You make me sound weak.”

“We both know you’re not that. But it’s okay to be vulnerable every now and then.”

She swallowed. “You’re right.”

“Glad to see you’re agreeing with me so easily.”

She looked up at him. “At first I was afraid to let you know how I felt because the last guy who was this nice to me only wanted me as a friend.”

“That was his loss.”

Feeling so comfortable, listening to his heart beat while he held his arm around her, she took a risk. “Cary...what about Kate?”

* * *

K
ATE
.

Just thinking about her made his stomach twist into knots. “I don’t want to talk about Kate right now.”

But Gen didn’t let it go. “She’s a beautiful woman.”

So was Gen. Cary ran a hand along her arm. He wanted to hold her close forever.

“Cary?”

He forced himself to still his hand. “It wasn’t like this, Gen. I thought I was in love with her, but now I realize I just wanted to be in a relationship.”

Cary tried to guess what she was thinking. But all he could see on her face was confusion.

Because of that, he knew he had to keep dredging up old hurts and feelings. “We were both single, had things in common. She was attractive.”

Cary shook his head. “But it was never right.” He looked into her face. “She wasn’t you. She and I weren’t
us
.” He lowered his voice. “What we had pales in comparison to this.”

Pleasure lit Gen’s lapis-blue eyes, which made Cary light up, too. “Can we stop talking now?” he asked and kissed her quickly before she could say another word.

Cary felt a peace he hadn’t felt since before his parents died. Finally his future was settling into place. What he and Gen had was real and strong, as strong a relationship as he’d ever hoped to attain. He had no doubts about them, only a perfect sense of calmness.

Chapter Nineteen

“R-E-B-O-U-N-D!” M
ELISSA
AND
the rest of the cheerleaders yelled out. “Rebound that ball!”

Brian McCullough missed the shot. The point guard from the Pacers grabbed the ball, dribbled down the court and scored two more points.

Green-and-white banners swung madly in the air. Bells and whistles sounded. Fans from Lane’s End groaned.

The score was now 35-22. The Lions were doing their best, but it was obvious to everyone in the stadium that they weren’t going to win the state championship. From the first dribble, the team from Toledo seemed to tower over their tallest kids. They passed and shot and played better.

As the action began again, Dave whistled low. “Ouch,” he murmured to Cary and Gen. “That forward stole the ball without so much as a ‘Have a nice day.’”

As Jimmy’s pass to fellow teammate Gideon Young fell short, Cary nodded. “It’s getting ugly.”

Dean, who sat two rows down, glanced up at Cary. “Brian doesn’t look too good.”

No, he didn’t. The star forward’s face was flushed and he looked out of breath. Perspiration soaked his hair.

As the Pacers scored again, Brian shook his head in frustration.

In the stands, Cary did his best to be optimistic. “It’s not over yet. They still have a shot.”

But as the third quarter melted into the fourth, it was a forgone conclusion. The Lions were going to lose.

When the final buzzer sounded, the score was Pacers 46, Lions 38.

As the Pacers drenched their coach in Gatorade and cheered their victory, half the Lions had tears in their eyes. Some folks in the crowd did, too.

On the court, Melissa was hugging Brian, all six-foot-two sweaty inches of him. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, tears openly trailing down her cheeks. Brian whispered something that made her smile as the rest of the team slapped one another on the back.

As they made their way out of the stands, Cary nudged Dean. “Look at Melissa.”

“She loves that kid,” her father said. “It’s pretty obvious he feels the same way.”

Cary smiled as Brian kissed Melissa’s brow before joining his teammates.

After waiting a beat, Dean strode down the bleachers’ metal steps and signaled his daughter over.

Gen, who’d been talking to Christy and a couple of other teachers, linked arms with Cary. “They were so close to winning. I feel so sorry for those boys.”

“Me, too.”

* * *

A
CROWD
GATHERED
AT
the front entrance of the stadium, far more subdued than at any other time this season, a few people halfheartedly waving wrinkled banners and signs as they watched the basketball team load their bus. When it pulled out, the remaining spectators valiantly cheered the boys one more time before dispersing.

“What are you guys up to now?” Christy asked.

“Melissa’s riding home with the team, so I’m going to go check out of the hotel,” Dean said.

Cary turned to Gen. “Ready to head back home?”

She nodded.

As she walked next to Cary toward the parking lot, a dozen emotions swam through her: disappointment for the team, weariness as the excitement of the past couple of days caught up to her and happiness because she felt as if she and Christy had forged a friendship.

But overriding everything else was contentment. She and Cary were getting to be a real couple. It was so nice to be able to concentrate on the present and not have to worry about the past anymore. And as far as the future...well, that would take care of itself.

Once they were alone in the truck, Cary slapped his hand against the steering wheel. “What a bummer. It would have been so cool if they’d won.”

“It would have been,” she agreed. “Luckily our weekend wasn’t a total loss.”

When he turned to her, warmth lit his eyes. “Last night was wonderful.” Although they’d had separate rooms, they’d spent several hours kissing and talking about their lives and dreams.

She sighed. “Yes, it was.”

He started the engine and pulled out onto the highway. Gen leaned her head back against the headrest, already imagining being in his embrace as soon as they reached Lane’s End. Hopefully, they could spend most of Sunday together, too.

Cary turned on a classic-rock station and they sang along to the Eagles as the Explorer zipped down the highway.

After the last chorus of “Hotel California,” Cary cleared his throat. “Maybe tomorrow we can get together and talk about how to handle things from now on.”

Tomorrow?
Gen turned to him. “Why tomorrow? Are you busy tonight?”

“Well, no.”

Warning signals rang in her ears. “You don’t want to spend more time together?”

“Of course I do, but I’d rather wait until we decide how to explain our relationship to Melissa.”

“Melissa? Why does it matter what she thinks?”

He chuckled, but the laughter sounded strained. “Because I’ve practically raised her. Because Dean and I have been talking to her about relationships for the last month. I’d rather have us both on the same page, if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t. What we have is completely different than what goes on between two kids in high school,” she retorted, feeling her confidence slipping. What
did
they have?

“I’m not disputing you. I completely agree that our circumstances are different than any teenager’s.”

“Cary, we’re adults.”

“Look, this isn’t the right time.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry I brought this up now. Maybe we should wait—”

“We’ve got this whole drive. Cary, what are you trying to say?”

“That it’s important to me to be able to tell Melissa that we’re serious about each other. I mean, obviously you know how much I love you.”

“What?”

He flicked a wary glance her way. “I thought you understood what I was talking about last week when I said I was serious about you.”

He reached for her hand. “I thought you felt the same way. I’m completely, totally in love with you, Gen. I can’t wait to see where this goes.”

Cary was moving too fast.

Did she love him? She thought she did but wasn’t sure. Old fears of laying out her heart, only to get it stomped on, came rushing back. She was afraid to lose him...but now she was just as afraid to lose herself.

At her continued silence, he laughed, the noise bitter and despondent. “Well, that went over real well.”

Gen winced and backpedaled, fast. “Maybe we could keep our relationship private for a while.”

“That’s going to be pretty hard to do. Everyone knows we went to Columbus together.”

“But all we did was kiss.”

He very carefully pulled his hand from hers. “What did last night mean to you?”

Everything.
It meant everything. But she was afraid to admit that. “It was great.” Gen was glad it was dark inside the truck’s cab; she hoped it concealed her blush.

Because the night before had been so much more than that.

The tender way he’d held her in his arms and their sweet kisses had made her want to forget all her silly worries and agree to anything he wanted.

But she still wasn’t sure. Desperately she tried another tack. “Don’t forget, I’ve still got the investigation at school to worry about.”

He looked irritated. “I hadn’t forgotten.”

“Good. Because that’s what is important to me.” She rushed on, tripping over her words to try to get him to understand. “I do have a lead. I’ve been taking everything slow—mainly because I didn’t want to make a mistake but also because I’ve enjoyed spending time at the high school so much.”

She closed her eyes in a futile effort to calm herself. “What I’m trying really badly to say is...I’m close to finishing up this case.”

“You want to hold off on our relationship until after you close the case?” In the dim light Gen watched his jaw tighten.

His anger made her desperate. She tried again. “I know it means we’ll have to take things one step at a time, but well, that’s what we have been doing.”

Cary’s grim expression didn’t change.

Had she ever seen him look so harsh? She made one last attempt to explain. “What I’m trying to say is...nothing has to change.”

“It already has, Gen.”

“Well, I don’t like how you’re pushing me toward a public commitment. I told you I’m not great at relationships.”

“What happened to everything we talked about?”

“I’m just asking you to go slow.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t believe it. What is it with me? This is almost the exact thing that happened with Kate. After we got close, she broke up with me.”

Now Gen was angry. “I’m not breaking up with you and I’m nothing like Kate. You’re overreacting.”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s not fair. You can’t bring your old relationship into this. What’s happening between us is entirely different.”

“Don’t talk to me about fairness.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “And don’t sit here and tell me that the only thing you’re worried about is my hang-ups. Yours are just as much of a problem as mine.”

“I guess we have nothing more to say.”

“I guess not.”

Slumping in her seat, Gen cursed the fact that Columbus was two solid hours north of Lane’s End. They had ninety more minutes to get through before she could cry or find some other outlet for her grief.

With a sharp flick of the switch, Cary turned up the volume on the radio. An old Steely Dan song filled the cab as he sped down the highway.

After ten minutes, it was obvious neither one was going to say another word.

After another five, Gen pretended to fall asleep.