Staying on Course (28 page)

His words hit deep, but I was calm, knowing I truly did forgive Bryce. He seemed satisfied and changed the subject pretty quick. Apparently, it was too much girl talk for him.

Quinn jumps over the table, reaching for my phone as it rings. “It’s her again!”

‘Her’ being Nicole Betts. I’ve been avoiding her calls for the last few weeks.

“Hit end.”

“No, I think it’s time we answer her. And I do mean ‘we’.”

I shrug, not really caring. I hit answer and speaker. “Hello.”

“Devon, don’t hang up. It’s Nicole.”

“I know who it is. What can I do for you?”

“Hear me out. I know you must think the worst of me. I even think the worst of me. You have to know the position I was in.”

“I’ll humor you. Tell me exactly what kind of position you were in.”

“Liza’s been a friend of the guys forever. She was very believable and convincing with her lies. I was played as much as you were.”

My anger spikes and blood boils. “You get one phone call, Nicole, one, and this is the direction you want to take. You want to play a victim here?” Hostility drips from my words. “You’ve been blowing up my fucking phone for weeks. The only reason I answered is because I’m sick of my voicemail being clogged up with your messages.”

“If you’ve gotten my messages, you know how messed up this is.” There’s a tint of aggravation in her voice.

“I didn’t say I listened to them, just that they clogged up my voicemail.”

“Really, Devon, that’s extremely immature. We need to talk this out, woman to woman. Friendships are at stake. You have no idea the way Tommy respects Bryce. It’s up to us to work through this.” Her sweet and pitiful demeanor changes quick. Now, her voice is filled with irritation.

What the fuck?

Apparently, Quinn feels the same way by her growl.

“Does Tommy beat you, Nicole?”

“No, of course not.”

“Does he threaten you, or do you fear for your or TJ’s safety?”

“Never.”

“Does he control you? Your actions, your responses, your ability to tell right from wrong?”

“You know he doesn’t. Why even ask?”

“So when he told you it was none of your business where Bryce slipped his dick, what was your first thought?”

“That it was none of my business.”

“Wrong answer. First and foremost, throwing down an air mattress to a drunk man who is being stalked by a co-worker is the WRONG thing to do.”

“You wait a minute. I’m not at fault here. If you listened to us that night, you heard that I felt sorry for you. I was sick about it—

“No!” I cut her off. “You fucked up in many ways, alcohol induced or not. Here’s the situation. I’m a forgiving person, but not this time. We may not have years of friendship like you do with the others, but you knew how I felt about Liza. You saw the signs yourself. I believed you were looking out for me and understood my insecurities. Yet you found yourself in the middle and then on the wrong side. How can I ever trust you? ”

“Are you blaming me for this? I’m not the one lying half naked with another woman in bed. You have misdirected resentment.”

Her words sting as the image pops into my head, but I don’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she’s hit a nerve

“Can you believe this?” Quinn scoffs, pointing to the phone. “Nicole, what exactly did you think you’d accomplish here?”

“I thought I’d be able to have a civil conversation with a friend to tie up a misunderstanding. Funny, I didn’t think I’d be back in high school on speaker phone.”

“Remember when I told you Bryce was protective of Devon? Think the words I used were ‘he’d go ballistic if anyone insulted her’. Well, you’re insulting her now.”

“Hardly, I’m trying to move past this.”

“Nicole,” I sigh, “if it’ll make you feel better to apologize then do it. Otherwise, we don’t have anything else to say.”

“What the hell do I have to apologize for?” she spouts back. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

I’m done with this conversation, but Bryce’s face pops into my mind, and I think about what he’d do in the situation. He’d make a point to take the high road and leave no room for misinterpretation. As much as I’d like to cut her off, I take a deep breath and choose my words carefully.

“You’re right, Nicole. You’re way too defensive to understand why I’ve lost trust in you and your judgment.”

Quinn opens her mouth, but I give her a sideways glance and then a small shake of my head.

“But I’d like to explain something to you. If the situation was ever reversed, Bryce and I would not condone cheating in our home. In my mind, you may not have been at fault except you knew it was going on. You thought you walked in on it then you acted like things were normal. Regardless how sorry you felt for me, I can’t see myself moving on.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. No more wasting each other’s time. We have nothing more to say.”

“What the hell, Devon? I called to work this out. It’s stupid and silly. This type of shit happens all the time, and it’s up to the women to mend the fences.”

“I disagree. I think it’s up to women to stick together and know to look out for whores who weasel their way into the mix. In my mind, you were one of those women.”

“What the hell am I going to tell Tommy?”

There it is; this is about Tommy. “Tell him you’re pathetic at apologies.” I hang up and fight the impulse to throw my phone.

“Gotta say, I was seriously wrong about her.” Quinn sits back and crosses her arms, pouting. “I hate when that happens. Usually, we can pick out the bitches within a second.”

“I think we get a pass on this one. Nicole isn’t a bitch, but she wants to be liked and keep the peace. If Liza wasn’t lying, and she and Bryce ended up together, Nicole wanted to make sure they still had a relationship. Sounds like Tommy’s the one she’s keeping happy, regardless of morals.”

“Well, that’s done. Let’s see if Bryce sent any updates.”

She slides my computer across the table. Bryce tries his best to send daily emails, specifically to see if Quinn’s made me smile. He never really says it, but I know he’s letting me know about any run-ins with Liza.

My pulse races when I see a series of messages from him. I laugh out loud at the subject line of the first one.

Subject: Safe for Quinn Jackson’s Eyes

Quick note to see if you’re smiling today. Did you get the chocolates? Good news is that our run has been successful, and we’ll be heading in on time, maybe even early. At this point, I’m sure Quinn told you I’ll be there for your big event on Saturday night. But I have another surprise. Nate’s coming and bringing Jamie. They’re staying at a hotel.

Quinn- check your email- privately. I’ve transferred some money and instructions to you. I know you want to kick me in the balls, but hopefully this will help soften the punishment when you see me.

I’ll call when I can. Dev- next email is for your eyes only.

“Okay, that’s my cue to leave. I’m gonna call Dean. See you in the morning.” Quinn leaves me in the kitchen, and I wait until her door shuts to open the next message.

Devon,

Being on this ship has opened my eyes to the world without being able to contact you. I lie down and my mind floods with images of your face. This time away has physically hurt, not being able to hear your voice after all that happened. I wake up in a cold sweat, wondering if you’re going to leave me. You said you forgive me, but I haven’t forgiven myself.

I promise to never let anyone come between us again.

This weekend, we will have a lot of reasons to celebrate. In case you don’t already know, you’re an incredible and amazing woman. Lucky for me, I get to spend the rest of my life telling you these things every day.

I love you, baby, and I have one last question.

When are you going to marry me? June seems too far away.

My heart belongs to you. See you soon.

I re-read the email three times with tears filling my eyes. It’s not healthy for him to continue to carry this blame solely on his shoulders. I became an easy target once I let my insecurities grow. This weekend, we’re going to talk, and he’s going to finally let it go.

I bounce in place, then pace, watching out the window. Quinn and Dean sit behind me on the sofa making jokes, but I ignore them. The snow is falling, and Bryce is an hour late. Nate has called a few times to say they are close, but the weather has them delayed.

I stop pacing and go to the kitchen. The appetizers are laid out, the wine and beer chilled, and the most recent bouquet of flowers from Bryce is in the middle of the table.

Dean walks in and surprises me by yanking me into a hug. “Calm down, sweetness. He’ll be here soon.” His voice is so smooth and velvety that I instantly relax.

“You know everything, don’t you?” I muffle into his sweater.

“Yes, and I know he’s as anxious to see you as you are him.”

“Not possible.”

He holds me a little tighter, and Quinn yells she’s going to ‘sedate me with wine and tequila’.

“Listen, I have about one minute here, but I need your advice.” Dean steps back and looks behind him. “I’m coming back in two weeks when Paul and Michelle are here for her exhibit. She knows I’m bringing my family, but there’s more to it. I want to ask her to marry me.”

I start to scream but slam my fist to my mouth. I bobble my head.

“You think she’ll freak?”

I bobble again.

“Will you help me with some of the details?”

I finally find my voice and squeak, “Of course.”

“It’ll be a big weekend. You’ll be on-spot.”

“Of course,” I repeat.

“Thank you.” He looks relieved.

“They’re driving up,” Quinn shouts.

I swing my head between the living room and him, and he does a head jerk for me to go. I jump into his arms and kiss his cheek then sprint to the door.

Nate, Jamie, and Bryce all get out of the truck and rush toward the apartment in the snow. I run directly to Bryce. He picks me up and covers my mouth with his own. He carries us into the apartment and breaks apart to set me down.

I move to hug my brother and Jamie. When I step back, her eyes are shining. I grin and introduce her to Quinn and Dean.

We go to the kitchen, and Bryce holds me close. Nate opens the wine and serves Jamie first then pours for Quinn and me.

Out of nowhere, Quinn slaps Bryce’s shoulder with both hands and shouts, “Never again, you hear me! I’ll kill you!”

“Never again,” he agrees, rubbing his arm, and yanks her into a hug. He mutters ‘thank you’, and she sniffs.

Jamie looks at me with warmth and understanding then sidles up to Nate who throws his arm around her protectively.

“Okay, enough, let’s eat, and I have a surprise!” I step away from Bryce and rush to my room to grab the box even Quinn doesn’t know about.

When I get to the living room, everyone has a plate of food and has found a seat. Bryce puts his food to the side and sets me on his lap.

“These are the articles and pictures that didn’t make it to the exhibit, but they’re pretty amazing. Shana gave me permission to share.”

I pass around pictures and papers from the blue team about our summer experiences. Quinn already knows most of the stories but helps me explain them to everyone. I immediately fall further in love with Jamie when she starts to organize each story by category. She scoots to the floor, and Nate moves behind her, massaging her shoulders.

“If these are the rejects, tomorrow night will be more than I ever imagined.”

“You have no idea,” Bryce pipes in. “These girls will be famous.”

I blush and see Quinn’s cheeks flush.

We sit around for another few hours, looking at papers and pictures. Finally, after three bottles of wine, Nate insists on taking Jamie to the hotel, and Dean forces Quinn to bed. Bryce helps me clean the kitchen and then picks me up and carries me to my room.

He’s quiet as we get ready for bed, and when I reach for my pajamas, he stops me and hands me a new long sleeved t-shirt that says ‘Property of US Navy’. I slip up and curl into him, waiting for him to talk.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

I rub circles on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Liza’s taken care of. She’s being reassigned and possibly transferred. It took a few weeks, but she’ll soon be permanently gone from my life. I won’t have to see her at work every day.”

“How did this happen?

“Let’s just say, I found a way to influence people who make decisions. Even though I’m new to the base and haven’t been serving long, I’ve spent years getting to know people. Nate and I are damn good at our jobs. Not only because we have the formal education but also because we love the dynamics and details. I spoke to a few people, and Liza will be meeting with her boss in a few days.”

“The Bryce voodoo magic.” I giggle.

He chuckles under my cheek and strokes his fingers through my hair.

“How’s she going to take it?”

“Personally, I don’t give a flying fuck. She’s lucky I didn’t trash her name. I wanted to destroy her but took the best route to get her away from me.”

“It’s not your style to ruin her career. Should we be worried about any backlash? “

“I don’t think she’s one to boil bunnies, but she’s going to freak out. She’s worked really hard to get where she is, and this is going to hit her hard. She’ll have to start over with a new team wherever she lands.”

“Has she tried to contact you?”

“Every fucking day. It was hard on the ship, but I managed to avoid her. She also had to spend a lot of time trying to dodge the rumors. I think the captain even had someone assigned to watch her closely.”

“Rumors?”

“Yeah, I heard she liked to fuck on the ship, even though it’s prohibited. I even heard she has no problem sleeping her way to the top.”

“Oh my God! You did that!”

“I’ll deny ‘til I die.”

I giggle until my side starts to ache. “Bitch deserves it. I only wish I could have seen her face.”

“Oh, she was pissed. No one, not even the other females, wanted to associate with her for the risk of being labeled. After the way she treated Dani at Tommy’s that night even Dani dropped her.”