Slow No Wake (8 page)

Serenity shook her head. “I don’t think it will work. Eventually, someone will get jealous or hurt. Would you want to be the one to come between two friends?”

Both of the twins made excellent points.

“I just don’t think there is any reason to make a premature decision,” Trinity said. “You may need to gather more information, if you know what I mean.”

“I really don’t think it’s a good idea for her to sleep with both of them,” Serenity said.

“I’m a firm believer in the old saying that you shouldn’t put a down payment on a car until you’ve taken it for a test drive,” Trinity said.

“You may change your opinion when I tell you that Daniel’s roommate is Mr. LaRoche.”

Both Trinity and Serenity gasped. “You’ve been seeing Mr.
LaRoche?” They asked in unison.

“I didn’t actually know he was Mr.
LaRoche until Saturday night,” I said in my defense, although technically, he kissed me after I found out.

Trinity shook her head. “That changes everything. As gorgeous and charming as he may be, he’s nothing but trouble.”

“How did we not know that Daniel lived with Mr. LaRoche?” Serenity added.

“Daniel doesn’t like to talk about it, for obvious reasons,” I said.

“So, it’s settled then,” Trinity said. “You’ll date Daniel and tell Mr. LaRoche to kiss your lovely butt goodbye.”

If only it was that simple.

I smiled and stood. “Thanks for letting me vent,” I said as I headed to the door.

“We just want to see you happy,” Serenity said.

“And we’d love to see Mr. LaRoche get knocked down a few notches,” Trinity added.

***

W
hen I got back to my office, I was still teeming with emotional energy and just as confused as ever. But maybe the twins were right and I should let go of the idea that anything of substance would ever materialize with Eddie. He was obviously just a player, who wanted to add me to his list of conquests. Better to head down the road with Daniel to see if there was any chance of a real relationship developing between us.

I heard my cell phone beep and saw a new text from Daniel.

I need to see you. Can we have lunch together?

I texted back,
Sure.

I’ll come to your office.

***

A
few minutes before noon, Daniel entered my office. “Are you ready for lunch?” he asked.

I nodded and rose from my chair.

“I’d like to take you to a restaurant instead of eating here,” he said. “If that’s okay.”

“That would be great,” I said as we headed out the door. I was glad there would be no chance of accidently running into Eddie.

The downtown place was a little hole in the wall.

“It’s better than it looks,” Daniel whispered to me as we entered the rundown diner.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

There were only ten tables in the entire restaurant and only three of them were occupied.
Not very good business for the lunch hour. We took a seat in the back corner, where it was a little more secluded.

“A buddy of mine owns the place,” Daniel said. “I try to support him whenever I can.”

He handed me one of the menus that was sitting on the table and opened the other one.

“What’s good here?” I asked.

“My favorite is the grown-up grilled cheese sandwich with coleslaw.” He grinned. “It comes with a pickle.”

“The pickle really sold it.” I smiled as I closed the menu.

Daniel grabbed both of my hands in his and looked into my eyes. His expression was serious. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I want you to know that I really like you. I hope you’ll give me the chance to get to know you better.”

“I’d like that,” I responded.

He squeezed my hands. Then he gave me his smile that lit up the room. I didn’t think I could ever get tired of his smile.

He looked like he had more to say, so I waited. He bit his bottom lip and it just about drove me crazy. All I could think about was kissing him again. I hoped I’d get the chance.
Sooner rather than later.

“I know I can’t ask you not to see Eddie. I wish I could. But it’s your decision.” His expression turned more serious. “I realize I can’t compete with him. I never could. Whatever Eddie wants, Eddie always gets, especially when it comes to women. I know the first person you’ll always see is him. Every woman sees Eddie first. But when you look further into your future, I hope you’ll see me.”

My chest tightened and my heart skipped a few beats. At that moment, Daniel was the only guy I saw. He was the only guy I wanted to see.

He drew my hand to his lips and placed one of his soft kisses on my knuckles. When our eyes met, my breath hitched.

“Will you go out with me Saturday night?” he asked.

“I’d love to,” I answered.

A short and stocky guy, wearing a chef’s apron, approached the table. He had short dark hair and dark eyes and was very tan. “Hey, Danny-O.” The guy said. “What’s going on?”

The guy sounded like he had just stepped out of
Jersey Shore
.

When the guy finally noticed me sitting with Daniel, he got a strange look on his face. “Is this the girl?”

The way he said ‘the girl’ made me sound like one of America’s Most Wanted. 

Daniel cringed. “This is
Lexie,” he introduced. “Lexie, this is my buddy, Joey-G.”

Joey-G put out a hand.
“Hey, Lexie, glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Daniel gulped and it made me wonder what exactly he had heard about me.

“So, you and Eddie going up the coast this weekend?” Joey-G asked.

Daniel shook his head.
“No, man. I’ve got a date with this lovely lady Saturday night.”

“You
gotta come, Danny. The wind and waves there can’t be missed. Bring Lexie with you. I bet she’d love it up North.”

Daniel looked very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was now taking.

“Why don’t you go with your friends, Daniel,” I offered. “We can go out another time.”

Daniel looked like I had just slapped him. He looked down at our hands for a few seconds then looked back up at me. “Have you ever been farther north? The Tampa Bay area?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Would you like to go this weekend?” he asked. I could hear the hesitation in his voice.

“I would like to,” I said, without realizing what I was getting myself into.

Daniel smiled. “It’ll be fun.”

Joey-G slapped Daniel’s back. “It’s gonna be a great weekend. The boys are all back in town.”

I gulped. As much as I wanted Daniel to be happy, I wondered what it would be like spending the weekend with Eddie, too.
Yipes!

Joey-G took our orders and promised the grilled cheese was going to be ‘to die for’ and he didn’t lie. The lunch was delicious, especially the pickle.

***

W
hen I got back to my office, there was an email from Mr. LaRoche.

TO: Alexandria
Wilkens

FROM: Edward
LaRoche

SUBJECT: Client Issue

Alexandria – I believe you have been assigned as the primary therapist to one of the students in my science class. I am having some issues with this student and I would like to discuss them with you. Would it be possible for you to stop by the science classroom this afternoon after four, when the students are released for the day?

Thank you – Mr.
LaRoche

I emailed him back.

TO: Edward
LaRoche

FROM: Alexandria
Wilkens

SUBJECT: RE: Client Issue

Mr. LaRoche – I would be happy to meet with you regarding a student issue. I get off at 4:30.

Sincerely –
Lexie Wilkens

I received an email back.

TO: Alexandria
Wilkens

FROM: Edward
LaRoche

SUBJECT: RE: Client Issue

I definitely want to be there when you get off. ;) See you at 4:30.

Ugh. I stepped right into that one. And why did I have the feeling that Eddie really didn’t want to see me about a student?

The lights were out in the science room when I entered. What little illumination the room had, came through the slats of the blinds that weren’t completely drawn.

I saw Eddie sitting at his desk with his eyes closed. Was he meditating? Taking a nap?

“Mr. LaRoche,” I called out as I walked over to his desk.

He opened his eyes and stared at me. “Alexandria, thanks for agreeing to meet me.”

“So why didn’t you tell me you were a science teacher?”

He gave me a sly grin. “You never asked.”

“Mr. LaRoche doesn’t have a very good reputation with female staff members,” I chided.

“Eddie doesn’t have a good reputation with females either,” he countered.

“At least you’re consistent.”

He rose from his desk. “Let me show you something.”

I met his gaze and our eyes locked for a moment. “You really didn’t have to talk to me about a student, did you?”

He grabbed my elbow. “Come with me.”

Eddie led me toward the back of the room. He unlocked a door and pulled me into a dark storage area. A bit of light was seeping into the small space from under the doorframe. I could barely make out the contents of the shelves, which seemed to be lined with textbooks and an assortment of chemistry equipment. The small space had the faint odor of chemicals, which made me feel like I was in high school again. I just hoped there weren’t any old dissecting pigs nearby.

“What are we doing in here?” I snapped.

Eddie flipped on a small overhead light. “I wanted to talk to you and I wanted to make sure we had some privacy.”

I folded my arms in front of my chest. “You couldn’t wait until this evening? You could have just barged into my apartment and made yourself at home on my couch. That would have been just like old times and very private.”

“Danny-O changed his work hours. He’s no longer doing any night shifts.”

I could feel my eyes go wide. “Why?”

He cocked his head to one side and smirked. “Why do you think?”

I had an idea of why, but I wanted Eddie to say it. “I have no idea,” I lied.

“Danny-O wants Eddie to play nice and stay away from his girlfriend.”

“But what about his internship hours?”
I asked with growing concern. I didn’t want Daniel to jeopardize his graduate degree and his career prospects just to keep Eddie away from me.

He shrugged. “I guess Tom’s going to switch his internship to a morning shift instead.”

I breathed a small sigh of relief, then I looked into Eddie’s eyes. “You realize I’m not Daniel’s girlfriend. We just started dating.”

“And do you realize that everyone who’s close to him calls him Danny?”

I could feel anger starting to bubble inside. Eddie had a way of doing that to me. How could someone be so infuriating and so attractive at the same time?  “Daniel has never told me to call him anything else but Daniel,” I said through gritted teeth.

“That’s because he would never say anything to rock that cute little Love Boat you’re now both sailing on. He doesn’t want to lose you. He would do
anything
not to lose you.”

“How do you know that?” I seethed.

“Because I know Danny-O. He’s like a brother.”

I pointed an angry finger at Eddie. “This is the way you treat someone so close? Someone, who you say is like a
brother? You bring his girlfriend into a dark closest to…to…whatever it is you think we’re going to do in here?” I was getting so enraged, I could feel my hands shaking.

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Is that a proposition?”

“No, that’s not a proposition. What’s wrong with you?”

Eddie shrugged. “What do you want me to say? That I’m a good person?
An honest person? A decent person? Do you want me to say that I wouldn’t screw my best friend’s girlfriend? Sorry, sweetheart, but I’m none of those things.” He got so close to my face, I could feel his breath. “I’d fuck you in a heartbeat and enjoy every minute of it. I know it would break Danny’s heart and I’d still do it.”

I felt like all the breath had been sucked from my body. The small space we were in suddenly felt even smaller, as if the walls were closing in on us. I just needed to escape. I needed to get as far away from Eddie as I could get.

“I’ve got to go,” I said as I turned to leave.

He grabbed my elbow and spun me around to face him. His eyes were ablaze. “You’re not little Miss Innocent either. If you care so much about Danny, what are you doing here with me?”