Wrong Way Renee (29 page)

Eloise looked right at her and then at
Cleave
.
“I wanted to thank you for
your compliments, Mr. Nichols.”

“Everything was superb. You outdid yourself,
”
he said.
“It really mad
e our special evening perfect.”

“Thank you, sir. I'm glad you and your…lady friend enjoyed it.
”
Eloise took a long look at Rene
e but never said a word to her.

Renee pleaded with her eyes.
Please understand, please don't tell Joe.
But she said nothing. Eloise left and Renee closed her eyes a moment, trying to regain her composure.

“Are you all right?
”
Worry creased his forehead
.

What had she done? Everything was ruined.
She
sucked in a breath, afraid she might pass out
.
“Actually
, I
do
think I'm coming down with something.
Would you mind taking me home? Now.”

He jumped up to help her stand.
“Right away, sweetheart. I'll have you home in a jiffy.
Let’s go to my house.
It's clos
er and I can take care of you.”

She shook her head
, holding back tears
.
“
I just want to go home.”

He drove her to her apartment then walked her in to make
sure she was all right.

“You can go.
I have to lie down.
”
As soon as he left, she broke down. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged he
r knees to her body and rocked.

What have I done?
I've
lost Joe. Sweet, wonderful Joe.

Chapter Nine

Renee grabbed her purse
Monday morning
and
she and Becky
headed out
her
door.
“How are you holding up?
”

Becky fanned
herself with h
er hand.
“Scared t
o death, excited, you name it.”

“It'll be fine, Beck. I'll be with you.
”

“How was your fancy date with Cleave?”

“Where do I begin?” She told
her
about the
catastrophic evening with
Cleave
on the way to the car.

“Have you spoken to Joe?
”
Becky let her into her car.

Renee’s chest tightened.
“I left messages on his home and cell phone, but he hasn't called me back. And you know Joe always calls back. I think I've lost him.
”
A lump lodged in her throat
as she
buckled herself in
.
At least she wasn’t crying. She suspected she was fresh out of tears after spending all day yesterday sobbing over Joe.

“But you don't know that for sure.”

“I
do
know it. He would have called me.
I’m sure
his step
mother
told him. I wish he'd give me a chance to explain.
”
She’d left half a dozen messages on his voicemail.

Becky sped up to pass a slow moving car.

“We're not in a hurry, are we?”
She gripped the dashboard.

“Sorry.
”
She
slowed down.
“What would you say? Sorry, Joe, I was seeing this other guy, too. I mean if you're going to have a relationship, y
ou have to begin with honesty.”

Sh
e slumped in her seat. “I guess that's where I went wrong with both of them. My family wants so badly for me to be with
Cleave
. And I like
him
, I really do. But I
love
Joe. I guess I'll never have th
e opportunity to explore that.”

Becky didn’t dispute the point “So now what?”

She’d been asking herself the same question all night as she lay in bed, wide awake.
“I guess I'll just date
Cleave
. I can't move in with him, though. I don't
even think I can sleep with him—not
yet.
”
She'd been so ready to
make love
with Joe, but it wasn't like that with
Cleave
.
Her relationship with him was more about friendship. And family pressure.

Becky glanced at
her
.
“Hmm. So why continue to date
Cleave
if you'r
e not really attracted to him?”

“It's hard to explain. I do find him attractive. But I keep comparing him to Joe. I'm so beyond turned on by Joe. It's not like that with
Cleave
. I guess it's what I should do though.
”

They merged onto the highway.
“T
he lawyer wins by default
, huh
? That ought to make him feel good. If he knew, that is. What is it about Joe that turns you on
so much
? I mean, let's face it, kiddo, that attraction will only sustain you for so long. That's only on
e component of a relationship.”

“I have
more than just an attraction to Joe.
I like
him
as a person
.
He makes me laugh and I feel better than I’ve ever felt when I’m with him. I’m happy when he’s around. I was.
It’s hard to
explain
my
feelings about
Cleave
.
”
She sighed.
“I've told
him
I'm not ready to sleep with him yet. And he seems to understand. Maybe if we did make love, my feelings for him would grow. Do you think it could work that way?
”

“Sometimes. Charles didn't curl my toes when we started dating, but
as
I got to know him, the attraction grew. After w
e slept together, that was it.”

Renee's stomach churned.
“Let's talk about something else. I'm too depressed for this conver
sation. Do you want to have
a signal if you want me to leave or something
while we're talking to Justin?”

“Okay. How about I say 'Renee, would you give us a moment?' How would that be?
”
She
smirked
.

“Smart ass.”

They drove along A1A in Daytona Beach until they found the Beachside Café, which was recommended by the private investigator as a good place to meet. Becky pulled into the
lot and took a deep breath.
“I'm so nervous. I feel like I'm going to pass out.
”

Renee rubbed her friend's back.
“You'll be fine. I'll be right there with you.
”
She
glanced around the parking area and found only a few cars
.
“The place looks pretty e
mpty. Maybe he's not here yet.”

“I d
on't know. The PI told me he has
brown curly hair and brown e
yes, so keep your eyes peeled.”

“Brown curly hair. Who knew?”

They headed inside.
The
restaurant
was small
with fisherman'
s netting and lobster traps hanging
from the ceiling.
N
o hostess
greeted them
, so they sat themselves at a table near the door. The menu was written on a chalkboard.

A waitress came over and they ordered two iced teas. The door opened and a young couple
came
in.
A sheen of perspiration formed on Becky’s face
.

“Calm down, Beck,
”
Renee said quietly.
“He'll be here soon. Relax.”

The words were no sooner out when the door opened again.
A young man with shoulder len
gth, curly brown hair came in
. He spotted them right away and slowly ambled over. His brown eyes looked so familiar.

Becky burst into tears as she jumped up, practically knocking the poor guy over. She threw her arms around him, sobbing. He stood there, frozen for a moment
with a shell-shocked expression on his face
, then he returned her embrace. They hugged each other and cried for a solid
minute
as twenty years of suppressed
emotions
flowed between them.

Renee couldn't help but cry herself. She felt like she was invading a very private
, almost unbearable
moment.

Justin let go, then took a step back, looking his birth
m
other
over from head to toe as Becky did the same. They sat down, their eyes never leaving each other's.

“Justin, this is
my dearest friend, Renee Wright.
”
Becky’s
voice
trembled
.

“So nice to meet you, Justin,
”
she
said, her voice breaking.

He reached across the table to shake her hand, then turned his attention back to the woman he was there to see.
“Should I call you Becky?”

“You can call me
whatever you want
.
”
She touched his head.
“You have my hair.
”

“And your eyes,
”
he said.

She
cupped his cheek.
“
I don't know how to thank you for finding me. I've wanted to meet you for
as far back as I can remember.
I didn't want to disrupt your life. But I've always wondered. Every year on your birthday, on
April
twelfth, I wished you a happy b
irthday. You know, in my head.”

“My parents told me I was adopted when I was six. I've always
been curious
about you, too. So you're a hairdresser, I hear. And you're divorced. Can you tell me about
my father?”

The waitress arrived with two iced teas.
“You want anything, hun?
”
she asked Justin.

“Coke, please.”

The waitress returned a moment later with his soda.
“Y'all want to order now?”

When neither Becky nor Justin seemed to hear or acknowledge the waitress’s request, Renee said,
“Can we get a basket of onion rings and some cheese fries?
”
Diet be damned. She was too emotional to care.

Becky folded her arms
and leaned
them on the table.
“Your father,
”
she began, dropping her head.
“Your father was older than me. He was the first boy who paid any attention to me. He loved motorcycles and fast cars. He was a student at Georgia State, but his family lived in Orlando. We dated a few months. When he found out I was pregnant, he disappeared. I never heard from him again
.
I
learned
through the grapevine he was killed in a motorcycle ac
cident during his junior year.”

Justin raked his fingers through his hair. Renee thought she saw his eyes tear up.

“It's been so long since I've thought about him. But I forgave him years ago. He was young and scared.
”
Becky
took a sip of her iced tea.
“
You have other relatives.
My parents are great. My father is a retired teacher and my
mom
used to sub. They
're very active in our temple.”

Justin smiled.
“So is my
mother
. My dad died a year ago.
”

“I'm sorry,
”
Becky
covered his hand
.

Renee thought of her own parents. She never realized before how lucky she was to have them.

He nodded.
“Thank you. Do you have brothers o
r sisters? Any other children?”

“I have an older brother and a you
nger sister. I have no children—
except you. They would all love to meet
you sometime, if that's okay.”

“I'd like that.
I have a younger brother. He's adopted too. He's four years younger than me, still in high sch
ool.”