Almost Ordinary (The Song Wreckers Book 2) (24 page)

“Can we do it after dinner, and do you really refer to your computer people as the nerd herd?”

“Yes and yes.”

Katie bounced in her seat. “This is so cool. I’m in. Count me in, whatever you need.”

Caleb said, “I don’t think—”

I kicked his foot under the table. He shot me a
What the hell?
look, and I shook my head. Katie looked at me and I plastered a smile on my face.

“What?” she asked.

Katie turned toward the sink, so I caught Caleb’s eye and strummed a fake guitar, then made a sad face and mimicked crying.

“I could use your help, Katie. Thanks.”

Caleb grabbed his laptop from his dining room office, and led Katie to the family room to get started while I cleaned up the dinner mess. I didn’t mind; I wanted Katie’s mind to be occupied with my drama instead of missing the stage at Brett’s.

And it worked. Katie gathered a sleeping Evelyn at ten p.m. “Keep me updated,” she whispered on her way out.

She hadn’t said a word about The Song Wreckers, but she sure asked a lot of questions about the computer aspect of what Caleb had done. My gut said that I might be getting some pretty weird anonymous emails while Katie tested her newfound computer skills.

Whatever. I’d sent Gina the documents Ben had dug up for me. Now, I’d wait.

Chapter 31

Back into my routine of waking before the kids to exercise, I stumbled out of bed Monday morning, and dressed in the workout clothes I had pre-stashed on my nightstand. In about an hour, Vivian would wake up for the day, so I needed to get my butt in gear.

I opened the bathroom door and steam wafted in my face. “I’ll be in the basement,” I told Caleb, then enjoyed a quick couple sips of coffee in the kitchen. A little bit of caffeine pumping through my bloodstream now, then a lot more later.

Sunday’s newspaper lay spread out on the counter, out of its plastic sleeve. I hadn’t had the time to read it yesterday, so picked through it while I sipped.

The front page featured yet another politician caught in a scandal, and the Business section always bored me to death, so I flipped to the Entertainment section.

And choked up my coffee, spewing it down my chin and shirt.

Ouch, hot! I grabbed a paper towel and wiped myself down, then reread the title I hoped I’d misread:
Gina Swinger and Dex Parker Elope!

Shit! How could Gina do this? How could anyone rush into marrying someone like Dex?

I’d spent a lot of time worrying about Gina, all in vain. Gina’s love blinded her and she was going to be in for a world of hurt. Maybe not tomorrow, or next year, but one day Dex would screw her over.

I stomped down the basement steps. I put my hands on my hips and surveyed the equipment. This anger needed an ass kicking. I pointed to the Stairmaster, the Smith machine, and medicine balls.

“You, you, and you. Go ahead, make my day,” I said, not caring that they were inanimate objects.

First minute on the Stairmaster. What in the hell went wrong? I knew she checked her email throughout the day, I’d seen her do it every time we were together.

Second minute, squats on the Smith machine. Did she read what I’d sent and decide she didn’t care about his awful past?

Third minute, abdominal crunches with a six pound medicine ball. Not caring that he used to deal drugs, and that it lead to a boy’s death? That didn’t make sense. What woman would find that out about her fiancé, then rush out and marry him?

Fourth minute, lunges holding kettle bells. Unless she didn’t find out. Was it possible she never received the information I’d sent?

Shit.

Damn it.

I repeated my one-minute sequences. Stairmaster, squats, crunches, lunges. I’d hit the send button around nine-forty-five Friday night. Assuming the newspaper went to print late Saturday night, Gina and Dex would’ve had to wed Saturday by early evening in order to make Sunday’s paper. Why the rush?

I tossed the medicine ball to the side and sat up. Duh, Dex. He intercepted Gina’s email. There was no other rational explanation. Dex deleted the email, convinced Gina to elope, then sent out a press release, no doubt before kissing the bride. I was sure of it.

After five circuit rounds that had me begging for mercy, I knew what I had to do: keep my mouth shut, and pray that Gina saw through her new husband sooner rather than later.

I went upstairs and called Cindy to offer her my congratulations on gaining a new son-in-law.

She ranted about what a huge mistake Gina had made. I assured her Gina would be fine. I’m not sure I believed it, but Cindy needed to hear it, and there was nothing we could do now that they were married anyway, right?

I spent the week nervous, expecting a phone call from Gina accusing me of being a horrible, nosey person out to sabotage her relationship. No phone call came that week, so I figured she didn’t know I’d sent her the Dex files.

I couldn’t let my hatred for Dex affect my friendship or professional relationship with Gina. No matter what, I wanted to support her so I decided to buy them a wedding present.

The following Saturday, Caleb had to go into the office for a few hours, so I gathered up the kids and drove to Fairbridge Commons, an outlet mall that housed higher end stores.

The first store I went into had all sorts of items meant to be engraved. I couldn’t convince myself to purchase a “Mr. and Mrs. Parker” engraved picture frame or Waterford toasting champagne flutes.

When Gina dumped him, I wanted her to keep my gift. No way she’d want something engraved with her married name on it.

I was tempted to buy her these cute running shoes I saw in a window so she could run the hell away from Dex. That’d be funny. Inappropriate, but funny.

I browsed a few other stores. Nothing screamed
buy me for the bride you like and groom you don’t
.

We strolled the storefronts as I scanned for any more gift ideas. The boys started pointing and saying “Uh! Uh!” so I followed the points of their fingers straight ahead to a toy store with a six-foot stuffed bear out front.

I’d heard of this store, The Wonder of Toys, from Courtney and Josh. You name it, they carried it. Courtney told me the last half of the store was dedicated to stuffed animals on one side, and a play area for kids on the other.

Inside was amazing. There were toys everywhere, and play stations set up so kids could play with all the toys. Older kid toys were in the front and along the sides. The little kids played in the middle and back of the store.

“Come on, guys,” I said as I started to push them toward the play area.

“Out!”

“Ball!”

I stopped and freed the boys from the stroller. Luckily they both ran to the same station and began stacking blocks on top of one another.

Like all toddlers, they also banged the blocks. Other kids did the same, and no one seemed to mind, so I let them go. Until Zander threw one.

I rushed over. “Zander, no! No throwing.” I picked up the block and set it on the table.

Monkey see, monkey do. Alex squealed and threw a block too. I picked it up. “No throwing,” I repeated.

I stepped backward and landed on a foot. “Shoot, sorry.” I peeked over my shoulder to see who I had stepped on.

“Hi, Molly,” Cooper said.

I didn’t say anything, just stared at Cooper. He watched Zander and Alex. Damn it.

I didn’t know what in the hell to say to him, so I asked, “Is Franny here?”

“No.”

His hands hung down at his side, each holding a stuffed animal. I felt the flush of fear drain the color from my face. Those animals were for the boys. I knew it.

“Relax,” Cooper told me.

“Why are you in a toy store?”

Cooper glanced at the boys, then at me.

Shit. Damn it.

“You might want to stop saying that in front of the kids.”

My fear spiked to anger. How dare he give me parenting advice? And who cared that he was right?

The boys ran over to another play station with oversized construction vehicles and ramps. I followed them, and Cooper followed me.

He loomed beside me.

“What do you want, Cooper?”

“I—” he began, then stopped.

“You what?” I was pretty sure I already knew what “what” was. I’d almost died once, too. I knew how it gave you a different perspective.

He still didn’t answer.

“Cooper, what are you doing in a toy store?”

“I’m not sure. I left Franny’s place, and found myself here instead of home.”

Well that answered the question as to whether he and Franny were still together.

He still sounded like the Cooper I’d first met, very matter-of-fact. He was never one to open up and talk, to me anyway, and I doubt that had changed. But I had to try.

There were some parent benches along the wall, so I grabbed the stroller and directed the boys’ attention toward them.

They played on the padded indoor park. Vivian fell asleep, Cooper and I sat. There was enough noise to ensure any conversation we had would stay between us.

I adjusted Vivian’s weight so we were both comfortable. Cooper would either talk, or he wouldn’t.

He watched the boys. “They look a lot like you.”

“That’s what people tell me.”

“They’re happy,” he said. “You’ve done a great job with them.”

“I didn’t do it alone, Cooper. Caleb’s every bit as responsible for their happiness as I am.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We watched the boys for a bit. When Alex fell Cooper asked, “Aren’t you going to help him?”

Alex looked around, saw no one was going to fawn all over him, then popped up and resumed playing like nothing happened.

“Nope,” I said.

Another minute of silence passed. I waited, knowing he had something to say or ask.

“I don’t want to interfere,” he said. “I know I don’t have that right, but I’d like to know them.”

I nodded. If he wanted in their lives, Caleb and I agreed long ago we’d make it work. Somehow.

“First off, you do have the right. Your blood is pumping through them. But if you decide to be in their lives, Cooper, you better be damn sure you won’t change your mind.”

“I don’t know if I have it in me to be what they need.”

I turned sideways to look at him. “What is it you think they need?”

He shrugged and shook his head. “They don’t seem to need anything.”

“Kids can never have too many people loving them.”

Again, we watched the boys play for a few minutes. My watch confirmed we’d been in the toy store longer than expected.

I gathered the boys and strapped them in the stroller while Cooper watched. “Do you love her?” I asked, for some reason needing to know.

He knew who I meant. “Yeah, I do.”

Franny had helped open his heart. I wasn’t sure he’d had one.

“We have to go. Cooper, listen. Do some thinking, decide what you want from us. When you’re ready to talk, so are we.” I may have sounded brave, but on the inside my gut twisted in knots.

Cooper nodded, and kept his eyes on the three of us as we left. I bought a crystal vase from the first store we’d gone into, then drove home with a death grip on the steering wheel.

Chapter 32

I waited for weeks.

For Cooper to show up armed with stuffed animals.

For stuffed animals to be delivered via UPS.

For Dex to poison Gina against me and end my career as her songwriter.

For something to send me in a tailspin.

I tried to stay calm, and often thought I was, then Caleb would press on my foot with his own, give me a kiss, and tell me to relax. He’d wrap me in his arms and I would relax, at least somewhat. Then we’d be apart for the day and the nerves flared up again. It didn’t help that Katie kept sending me “anonymous” emails saying things like
Remember the last time we went to Traverse City and you got so drunk you rode someone like a mechanical bull?
God, Caleb had read that over my shoulder and laughed his ass off, then tickled me until I explained the story of how I literally sat on someone and rode them like a bull. Large amounts of alcohol and me don’t mix so well.

The Tampa branch of 3D was up and running, and Cooper had been spending way more time in Florida than in Detroit. Caleb ran the Detroit branch now, even though Cooper kept a tight eye on their newer employees. At the end of the day 3D was still Cooper’s business.

So yeah, Cooper was a busy man and I couldn’t picture him easing up with 3D to insert himself into our lives.

On the flip side, he was also a changed man. Almost dying, finding someone to love, those were bound to have an impact.

I hated feeling like a bomb lingered over our heads, about to drop on us, and that I had no idea how bad it would be or when it would come. I fell on old habits to help me cope. I worked out like crazy and threw myself into Gina’s album. The more messed up in the head I was, the easier it was to write music. Weird.

A couple years ago, if you’d told me I’d be sitting at my kitchen having regular get-togethers with my dad and his new wife, I would’ve laughed. Now, I’d feel that way if it were me and my mom.

As if he could read my mind, my dad asked, “Have you heard from your mother since she moved?”

I shook my head. “One email to let me know she moved. That’s it.”

I both cared and didn’t care that my relationship with my mom was broken. You could lead a horse to water, but you couldn’t make it drink. You couldn’t change a person, they had to change themselves. Family wasn’t only those whose blood ran through you. Blah, blah, blah.

I understood my mother’s emotional shortcomings weren’t my fault. I’d spent years making an effort, now it was her turn.

My dad’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Bite the bullet. What could a phone call hurt?”

I shrugged.

Caleb reached over and rubbed his hand up and down my back a few times. I appreciated the support, and that he wouldn’t try to convince me one way or the other.

A short while later I hugged my dad and Joy good-bye. “See ya tomorrow,” I told Joy.

After Caleb and I put the kids to bed I grabbed the phone and called Mama. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t upset with me for telling Deena she’d never have a singing career. Caleb put on a movie so I went to the living room in the front of the house where the sounds of gunshots and explosions wouldn’t be so loud.

“Hey, baby girl!” came blasting out, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

We didn’t talk for long. I’d wanted to hear her voice, and she wanted to talk about Evelyn and Vivian and the boys, and how much she missed them.

“You know,” Mama said, “there’s nothing keeping us here in Mississippi except Grandmama. I could find a part-time job anywhere if I wanted one, and Katie’s dad wants to retire something fierce.”

“Good,” I said. “Move your butts down here then.” Mama and Katie’s dad, Mr. Culver, divorced twenty years ago. They’d recently rekindled their lost romance. It was a comforting thought. And now that they were together after a twenty-year divorce, I knew Mr. Culver would follow Mama hundreds of miles away, especially if it meant being near his daughter and new baby granddaughter.

“It might take some convincing for Grandmama to come with us. Can’t leave her behind.”

I groaned. Mr. Culver’s mom, Katie’s grandmama, scared me a little bit. I was pretty sure she scared everyone. The one time I’d spent any time around her, she told me I wasn’t married because I had too many muscles and scars. She’d suggested I wear more makeup and poof my hair out, then maybe I could get a man. She was southern to the core, and I couldn’t picture her moving to the land of Yankees.

“Oh come on, she’s not that bad,” Mama said.

“Sure, okay.” I walked to the front picture window.

“And anyway, she’d love the chance to impart some southern wisdom on the babies.”

I groaned again and we said our good-byes. I held the cordless phone and enjoyed the view for a moment. Our front yard had several large, mature trees that were beautiful this time of year. Yellow, orange, brown, green, and red leaves, some of which had fallen to the ground already, made a pretty picture. They were illuminated by the street lights which made it more picturesque.

It’d be great if Mama and Mr. Culver moved here. Grandmama, not so much. I smiled at the thought of having more people that I cared about live near me.

I yawned and slid the curtains closed, headlights flashing my eyes at the last second.

With my hands gripping the curtains, I waited. Headlights only flash into the front window if someone turned into the driveway.

One second passed, two, then the sound of a car creeping up the driveway.

I opened the curtains enough to peek out and a large, black SUV came all the way up close to the house. Only one person with a 3D vehicle would come this late without calling first.

Cooper.

Shit. Not that I hadn’t been waiting for this to happen all along.

The motion-sensor light on the garage lit up. Even without being able to see detail at this distance, Cooper’s silhouette had a hard edge to it.

He stepped out of the SUV and spotted me through the window.

“Caleb,” I called over my shoulder, then opened the front door.

The silhouette became distinct. Even if near death and falling in love had softened him, Gabe Cooper still had that mean son-of-a-bitch look about him. The Bad Boy, at six feet tall, dark-brown hair with a touch of gray at the temples, dark-brown, always-serious eyes, and a hard body that intimidated most people, now stood two feet in front of me.

I blew out a noisy breath. “Come on in.”

Cooper stepped inside as Caleb walked up beside me.

“Ram,” Cooper said with a nod.

“Cooper,” Caleb said.

As the three of us made our way to the kitchen, I recognized this moment as a pivotal moment: Caleb and I were mere minutes away from having our family changed.

Maybe I didn’t breakdown because Caleb stood by my side, or maybe I’d been expecting this all along. Whatever the reason, I kept my calm as we settled at the kitchen table.

“Would anyone like something to drink?” I took an iced tea out of the refrigerator and held it up.

Cooper reached for it. “Thanks.”

Caleb didn’t care for iced tea, and we were out of pop, so I handed him a beer and grabbed another iced tea for myself.

“Caleb says the Tampa branch is doing pretty well,” I told Cooper. “Congratulations.”

Cooper’s shoulders relaxed, and I felt the same from Caleb. Like me, they were glad the ice was broken, and that I hadn’t dived right into the deep stuff.

“There’s a lot of rich, important people down there,” Cooper said. “There was no other company that offered the protection services like we do in a single company. The timing was right for us.”

Caleb slung his arm around the back of my chair. “You picked the best location, established the right kind of clientele, took good people down with you. Success was a given, you knew what you were doing.”

“I only took those men from the Detroit branch because I knew you’d train the new men to our standards. I never could’ve opened another branch if I didn’t have you to take the reins at home.”

Caleb swigged his beer. “You and I may not see eye to eye on everything, but you know I’ve always got your back and take care of the things you can’t.”

My heard thumped
bam, bam, bam
in my chest. No one missed the not so hidden meaning in Caleb’s words. And here I thought we were getting somewhere with Cooper acknowledging how much he trusted Caleb, and Caleb telling him he’d always be there. It was the
take care of the things you can’t
part that made me nervous.

Neither man flew off the handle easily, but these two had a complicated history because of me and I hoped subtle insults wouldn’t exacerbate that.

Cooper squeezed the bottle in his hand, and the popping noised caused from the plastic crumpling in on itself made my heart’s
bam, bam, bam
thump
BAM, BAM, BAM.

A vein had popped out on the side of Caleb’s neck, the only sign his calm might not last.

I searched my brain for something to say that would break the tension. “So I like that new Ben intern. He seems competent and doesn’t take bribes. Not that I tried to bribe him. Well I did, but it’s not like I asked him to break a law or anything. I think. Actually, I’m not sure. The point is, he didn’t take the bribe.” Great, the babbling fucktard joined the party.

“Here we go,” Caleb said, and lightly tugged ponytail.

Cooper relaxed his grip. “That’s good to know, I guess.”

“Well, I only offered him two dollars. I mean, I thought I offered him forty dollars. Caleb took the twenties out of my purse and didn’t tell me so I reached in and grabbed ones instead. So maybe he would’ve taken a forty-dollar bribe. No, probably not.”

I chugged my iced tea to shut myself up. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve then opened my mouth to tell Cooper that I was positive Ben wouldn’t have taken a bribe of any amount. Lucky for me Caleb slid his arm from behind my chair and put the iced tea bottle up to my mouth.

I chugged some more, grateful he stopped me from my idiocy.

I set the bottle down, and Caleb said, “Cooper. Why are you here?”