The Wrong Man (11 page)

Sure, stop by.

I checked the time compulsively in the hour before I closed for the night. I was irritated with my inability to relax. Every customer received a complimentary escort to the door. I would open the door graciously and take the opportunity to check the sidewalk for my
expected company. Lizzy called me out on my over-the-top
customer service.

“Are you looking for someone?” She stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding her cell.

“Yeah, I’m looking for employees who don’t waste company time on their phones,” I replied snarkily.

“Sorry, boss.” She immediately put her cell in her pocket and gave me a sheepish grin.

“No. Don’t be. I’m snappy and—”

“Oh my gosh! Look who’s here.” Liz ran to the door to meet the old dog waving his tail wildly in greeting. “Hi, Macky boy. How are you? You’re looking good today!”

And so did his hunky owner. Jake was dressed in a faded pair of jeans and a snug plain white T-shirt. His dark blond hair was slightly disheveled as usual. He was the epitome of a ruggedly handsome man. Jake held the leash patiently while Lizzy petted and fawned over his dog. He glanced up at me and flashed a sweet grin before answering a question Liz had just asked.

“We’re saving our energy for a walk on the beach, right, Mack? He gets winded walking from one room to the next now, so we have to be careful not to overdo it.”

“You drove here? Did you need my help?” Liz cocked her head to the side in puzzlement. “I told Bran I’d lock up toni—”

“No. Actually, Brandon’s coming with us.” This time his smile was megawatt gorgeous, and his blue eyes sparkled enticingly.

Lizzy giggled and did a double-take between Jake and me. “Brandon? Good luck! Bran doesn’t do the beach.”

Jake scoffed. “Everyone does the beach. You ready, Bran?”

“Uh… no. Liz is right. I’m not a fan of sun and sand. Sorry. Give me clouds and concrete, and I’m happ—”

“Bullshit. Let’s go, Good. We’re wasting daylight, and Mack’s been looking forward to this all day. Don’t disappoint him.”

I bristled at his imperious tone and the attempted guilt trip. Neither tactic would get me to do something I loathed. Because as much as I liked Mack, I hated the beach.

My hands instantly flew to my hips. “Nice try, Westley. I’m not endangering a perfectly fabulous pair of Prada loafers by traipsing through dirty sand. Not my style. You’re on your own.”

“You can walk barefoot in the sand and”—his brow rose comically at my gasp—“or we can swing by your place to pick up an old pair of sneakers. What do ya say? Look at the poor guy. Mack can’t wait to get to the beach.”

The old dog glanced up curiously at the sound of his name before huffing a breath and collapsing on the cool wood flooring. Liz giggled beside me and gave Jake a halfhearted swat on the arm.

“You obviously don’t know Brandon well. He’s kinda fussy about his shoes. Even his sneakers. There’s no way you’re going to persuade him to go. Do you mind closing, Bran? I’ll go with Jake. I promise to lock up tomorrow for you.”

I looked from her to Jake and back again. Didn’t she know he was gay? Or was this like high school all over again? Liz was pretty, very sweet, and unpretentious. If I’d known any single, straight men interested in dating, she would be one of the first people I’d think of. Jake wasn’t that guy. A second glimpse told me what I feared might be true. She had a somewhat hopeful look on her face while she waited for my answer.

Dammit. I had to go. If only to give him a piece of my mind about leading her on.

“Thanks, Lizzy, but I guess my sneakers will survive a short beach excursion. If not, I’m sure Jake and Mack will reimburse me,” I added sarcastically.

“Happily.” Jake’s wide grin split his face in two. “Let’s get going. The worst of the traffic should be over by now. I’ll get Mack in the car and meet you out front. See you soon, Liz.”

I watched Lizzy’s expression closely when man and dog finally exited the store. She let out a wistful sigh. Her long hair fell into her right eye, impeding my ability to gauge her reaction, but her smile seemed sincere, if a little weak.

“Why are all the good ones gay?” She groused with a pout.

“Hmm. I usually ask that very question about straight guys.” I brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her cheek. “Wish me luck. If I get swept out to sea, let’s hope my designer footwear doesn’t perish with me.”

Lizzy chuckled and playfully pushed me away, assuring me she’d do a good job locking up.

“Oh, and Bran?” I stopped with my hand on the door, waiting for her to continue. “I approve. He’s hot. Good luck.”

She blew me a kiss and turned away, leaving me with a strong desire to protest. I dodged a couple of tourists with large shopping bags as I made my way toward Jake’s SUV, which was parked nearby. The window in the back was half open, and Mack’s happy, panting face suddenly popped up in an excited greeting. I could hear the steady thumping sound of his tail against the seat. I laughed as I reached inside to pet the top of his head and scratch behind his ears. He mewled contentedly with a blissful expression on his face.

“Hop in, Bran. We’re wasting daylight here!”

I flashed a dirty look at Jake through the window and whispered loudly, “He’s bossy. Why do you hang out with him?”

“’Cause he loves me. Let’s go, Good!”

I was practically flung backward in my seat the moment I closed the passenger side door. Someone was in a hurry to get to the beach.

“Geez, Ricky Bobby! Slow down.”

“Ricky Bobby? Is that from
Talladega Nights
?” Jake chuckled.

“Yeah—Whoa! You missed the turn. Go back to Robertson. My house is the other way.” I pointed lamely out the car’s window while the scenery on Santa Monica Boulevard sped by.

“No can do. We’ll waste too much time if we go to your house first. Besides this wa—”

“Hold up.” I turned in my seat to give him my fiercest glare. “You said you’d go by my house first so I could grab my sneakers.”

“Nice try. I haven’t forgotten that much about you, Bran. If I took you to your house, you’d say ‘thanks for the ride, have fun at the beach.’ So I’m taking away your opportunity for escape. Don’t worry. You’ll like it.”

“I’m not worried about anything other than your sanity. This is a form of abduction. I’m not okay with this!”

Jake burst into laughter and tossed a cheerful grin in my direction when the light turned red.

“Abduction? Nah. I don’t think this qualifies, babe. Mack likes your company. I’m not sure if you know this, but the beach is his favorite place. It’s hysterical to see the ol’ guy play in the waves. I’m not trying to be a downer, but the truth is I don’t know how many more ocean outings he has left in him.”

“First of all, do not call me babe. Ever. Second, what do you mean about Mack not—”

“He’s thirteen, Bran. That’s old for a dog. He still likes
chasing seagulls and running around a bit, but he tires quickly. Someday even getting him in the car will be too much. He doesn’t exactly love it anyway.”

“I noticed, but Mack is in great health. I bet he’s got lots of years left in him.” I swiveled in my seat to face the dog sitting at attention between our seats. “Don’t you, boy?”

“The average Labrador only lives to be—”

I put my hands over my ears and glowered at Jake. “Stop! I really don’t want to discuss averages or lifespans or anything maudlin. Real life has a way of bringing me down, and I could use a break from deep thoughts. Please.”

“Okay. We’ll keep it shallow for your sake,” Jake teased as he made a left turn onto the 405 freeway.

“Ha-ha. Since I’m a captive audience you may as well tell me where we’re going.”

“There’s a great dog-friendly beach in Long Bea—”

“Long Beach? Are you joking? We’ll be driving for days! There has to be something closer. A nice little dog park. Mack isn’t picky, I bet. He’s an easygoing kind of guy.”

“Well, thank God one of you is,” Jake snarked. “We’ll be there within twenty minutes. I promise. If you’re nice, I’ll even buy you dinner. How does an In-N-Out burger sound?”

“Hmph,” I grumbled as I took in the boring industrial freeway scenery. “Plying me with promises of fast food?”

“Really good fast food,” he said with a quick grin.

“Fine. I’m easy. Tell me about your day since we’ll be driving for hours. What did you do?” I’d adopted a syrupy tone that had Jake doing a double-take to gauge my sincerity.

“We had a mellow day. I worked all weekend, so Mack’s been at doggy care since Saturday. I picked him up this morning, and we just hung out.”

“What do you mean?” I cocked my head to the right.

“We did some laundry, napped, and—”

“No, I meant what did you mean about doggy care? Did Liz have him all weekend?”

“Liz? No. I would never ask her to keep him three days in a row. Mack’s lovable, but I wouldn’t want him to wear out his welcome. He goes to doggy care when I’m scheduled for longer shifts. It’s not his favorite, but when Mack and I became a twosome, we had to compromise.”

“I don’t know why, but I assumed Liz was your primary dog whisperer. She told me she helps out, and she mentioned you don’t like leaving him—”

“I don’t, but I’m a firefighter. My hours are crazy. I can’t leave
him alone for days. A couple of hours is fine, sure. Not factoring in basic care and feeding, he’s diabetic. It would be cruel. As far as Liz is concerned… I think she likes watching him once in a while. She’s a great girl, and she’s sweet to Mack. I think she has a crush on him.”

“You mean she has a crush on you.”

Jake furrowed his brow though he kept his focus on the road. I studied his profile, noting the light beard growth on his strong chin. His lackadaisical style was dangerously close to messy but somehow it suited him. I had a very real compulsion to brush the back of my hand against his stubbled jaw and feel the rough texture on my skin.

“Well, do you?”

“Huh?”

Nice job daydreaming, I chided myself. I pulled my cell phone out of my bag in a harried motion, as though concerned I’d missed an urgent message from Beyoncé. If he called me out on my lack of attention, I’d blame it on her. I threw him an absent sideways glance I doubt fooled him for a moment.

“I didn’t lead her on. You know that, right?”

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. “Yes. I know.”

“Good. I don’t go out of my way to advertise, but it’s not in an effort to avoid being honest.”

“I believe you.” I held up my hand. “She’s obviously infatuated with you, and Mack, of course. But definitely you. I agreed to this beach journey so I could give you a piece of my mind. Liz isn’t just my employee, Jake. She’s a friend too. I didn’t want her to get hurt by lies of omission or—”

“I didn’t lie.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. She figured it out anyway.”

“Oh. How?” His tone was nonchalant but I sensed a steely element underneath the calm.

“I think she clued in when you didn’t jump at her offer to accompany you on this fucking grand adventure to a pile of sand. And by the way, what is wrong with Santa Monica Beach? It’s closer. Why on earth are we—”

“Shh. You’ll see when we get there.”

“Are we almost there?”

“Yes, princess.”

“You know, I get the impression you think I’m a skinny, limp-wristed homo, Jake. Please tell me I’m wrong. I don’t want to have to dust off my black belt and kick your ass.” I kept my tone light as I singsonged my threat.

Jake chuckled softly.

“And this is funny… how?” I scowled.

We’d finally pulled off the freeway and were stopped at a red light. Jake shifted in his seat and stared at me with an intensity I couldn’t read.

“Bran, I know you’re strong. Very strong. You don’t have to kick my ass to prove it to me.”

Oh.

I sucked in my bottom lip, feeling a bit overwhelmed. I knew he wasn’t referring to the size of my muscles. I
was
strong within. I knew it and plenty of my friends did also. There was something about hearing Jake Westley, someone significant from my past, utter those words. It made my pulse hum excitedly. I couldn’t have begun to decipher why, so I changed the topic to something mundane, like the weather. We reached our destination before I bored us to tears with speculation on the unlikely probability of springtime rain in LA.

The parking lot was located across the street from the beach and was practically deserted. I glanced at my watch. It was almost 7:00 p.m. No wonder. Late May meant there was still plenty of daylight but most sane people were home eating dinner now, not frolicking at the beach.

The incessant whimpering from the passenger in the backseat reminded me we were here for Mack. And Mack was really excited. He whined loudly and threw in an occasional bark when Jake parked and turned off the engine. When we unfastened our seatbelts, he was pacing from one end of the confined space to the other as if looking feverishly for a means of escape.

“Someone’s happy to be here,” I noted, reaching back to pet Mack, who began barking like a madman. The sharp sound reverberated inside the SUV and in my head. Suddenly I was anxious to be outside too.

“Cool it!” Jake commanded. Mack went quiet and sat patiently waiting for release. “It’s okay, buddy. You’re here. Let’s get your leash and ball. Want to go play?”

Mack barked once and wagged his tail furiously. I laughed at his exuberance as I opened the door and stepped outside. It was a gorgeous evening. The sun was low and cast a soft light over the coast. There was a row of two-story homes on one side of Pacific Coast Highway and a wide expanse of sand and sea on the other. I gazed at the ocean. There were a few clouds dotting the horizon, which would make for a beautiful sunset. I smiled in spite of myself. I hadn’t been interested in joining Jake and Mack in the slightest, but I was glad to be here now.

I stretched my arms over my head and listened to Jake’s calming voice telling Mack we were almost there. The panting dog excitedly brushed against my leg as if to say “Let’s go, Bran!” He let out another round of barks and pulled his leash toward the ocean.