Tell Me No Lies: The Black Orchid, Book 1 (36 page)

“And this?” I pointed at the van and the crowd milling about.

“Yeah, I heard about your grand opening on Facebook and convinced Jax to do his show from here to help drive customers to your store.”

“Why?” I appreciated the help, but I really didn’t want anything from her.

She gave me a pleading look. “I’m just trying to say I’m sorry. Okay?”

A tiny piece of the wall I’d put in place to protect me from Charlotte’s drama fell away, but I refused to return her smile.

Jax gave her a sympathetic look and placed his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close. “She told me the torrid tale.” He glanced at Kael. “Craziness, right?”

I felt Kael stiffen beside me. “Yeah,” he grunted.

“She just wants to help.” He kissed Charlotte’s cheek. “And I was glad to have a second chance with her. I screwed up the first time being afraid to commit. We both have a lot to make up for.”

He affectionately tugged Charlotte’s ponytail before heading back to the microphone.

My ex-roommate looked at me. “You look happy. Business is good. Kael’s by your side.” She shifted uncomfortably in her heels. “I’m happy for you.”

I felt bad about Gian-Carlo and how things had ended between us. We’d been friends for so long and now it was over. I would miss her, but there was no way things could go back to normal.

“You got my letter about Gian-Carlo?”

She smiled grimly. “Yeah, I got it. Thanks for explaining. I wondered why he just fell of the face of the Earth. He didn’t say goodbye or anything.” She stared at the ground. “That was hard, realizing none of it had been real.” She looked at me, careful to avoid making eye contact with Kael. “That he was just using me to get to you.”

Charlotte cleared her throat and finally looked Kael square in the face. “I want to apologize to you as well.”

One eyebrow lifted on his face. “Really?” he grunted.

“Yes, really.” She raised her voice slightly. “I was wrong at every turn with you. I did a lot of stupid, devious stuff. I should’ve handled everything differently.” She exhaled. “I know I can’t go back in time and change anything. All I have is my remorse. And I just want you both to know that.”

I could feel Kael’s eyes on me. I slipped my fingers into his and smiled at him encouragingly.

“Jax’s dad retired from the Army. I never knew that.” She paused to look at her new husband, who was bobbing his head to a rap song and taking a selfie with two soccer moms. “He and I had a long talk about what it means to serve your country.” She looked at Kael, her gaze focusing somewhere on his chest. “He explained to me that you were one of the good guys.”

The iciness of Kael’s face cracked to reveal something, not quite a smile but not exactly the frown that had twisted his lips as soon as Charlotte appeared. His hand tightened around mine and he looked at me, even as he responded to her. “As long as Rain is happy, as long as she’s good, I’m good.”

Something pretty and perfect bloomed inside my chest, filled me to the point of bursting.

Love.

I smiled at her then, a true expression of the bliss and exhilaration I felt inside. “Good luck with Jax. And thanks for bringing him out here. You’ve helped to make the grand opening a success.”

Her smile looked brittle as she looked from me to Kael. Kael wrapped his arm around my waist and we returned to the café.

When we stepped inside, Kael pulled me into his arms and kissed me gently on the forehead. “Are you okay? I know you weren’t expecting to see her.”

“I’m fine. Hopefully she’ll get on with her life, and I –
we
can get on with ours.” I snuggled against his chest, enjoying the warmth and sturdiness pressed against me. I breathed in his scent of sea salt, Mandarin orange and musk. All of my dreams were coming true, I wouldn’t let anything even the memory of what Charlotte had done mar my perfect day.

I pulled back from Kael, stood on my tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. He tightened his grip on my backside, deepening our kiss when I heard my name being called.

Peering over Kael’s shoulder, I opened one eye and then the other, and saw my assistant manager, Suzette waving at me, a frantic gesture made alarming by the wide set of her eyes. I followed the direction of her pointed finger and saw my parents seated at a table, staring at us both with lips pressed into thin lines.

“Great. First Charlotte and now this.” My parents had just seen me kiss a boy, as embarrassing now as it was when they caught me at fourteen playing Spin The Bottle with a bunch of friends at a birthday party.

Still holding hands with Kael, I cautiously made my way into the back of the café where the brick walls were adorned with antique window frames, shutters and wrought iron decorations from vintage New Orleans homes. My parents were drinking coffee and sharing a dish of beignets. My father cleaned powdered sugar from his hands and stood, his hard gaze slicing through Kael.

“Shit,” I muttered to myself, my cheeks warm.

Kael chuckled beside me. “It’ll be fine, baby.” He tightened his hold on my hand and pulled me forward.

My mother turned around in her chair and greeted us. “Hello, Rain. We wondered when you’d get around to visiting with us.”

“Hi Mom, Dad.” I looked at my father. “This is my friend, Kael. I think I’ve probably mentioned him to you once or twice.”

My father made a snorting noise and slowly, painfully appraised my boyfriend from the top of his head to the bottom of his tan leather loafers. It was awkward just standing there. Kael must’ve felt extremely uncomfortable.

But when I turned to look at him, he was relaxed, smiling even. He reached out his hand to my father. “Hello, sir. I’m Kael Brady, your daughter’s boyfriend. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

My father stared at Kael’s outstretched hand for a moment longer than necessary and finally shook it. “Have a seat, son.”

Kael grabbed two chairs from a nearby round table and placed them at my parents’ table. Kael waited for me to sit and then he followed suit.

“Well, Rain,” my mother began, as she looked around the café. “The place is lovely. Very stylish, very elegant.”

Kael smiled at my mother. “Would you expect anything less from your daughter, ma’am?”

My father raised an eyebrow.

My mother laughed. “I suppose not.” Sighing, she shook her head and looked at my father. “Reminds me of that trip we made to New Orleans when we first met.”

My father’s face softened. “I brought you home to meet my mother. She was prepared to find you lacking, not good enough for her son.” He grinned. “But she was instead charmed by your beauty and elegance.”

“And my obvious adoration and devotion to her son.” She turned to look at me. “It’s obvious to anyone with eyes, ears and a heart that Mr. Brady cares deeply for you.” She looked at my father. “Isn’t that right, honey?”

I stopped my mouth from dropping open. “Mom, are you okay?”

She smiled at me over the rim of her white porcelain coffee cup. “I’ve always wanted the absolute best for you. My expectations for you have always been sky high.” She set her cup down delicately and reached for my hand. “Perhaps that came across wrong, harsh, inflexible…” Her eyes roved around the café and then landed on Kael. “But I’d say you’ve turned out alright.”

My nose tingled and for a moment, I thought I might cry. My mother had never expressed satisfaction with anything I’d done. I’d never been good enough for her, not in appearance or deed. It was all a bit much to take in.

My father cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’ll turn a nice profit. However, my present concern does not lie with whether Rain’s finances are in the black,” he looked at Kael and leaned forward. “I’m more concerned about her heart, and if you intend on breaking it again.”

Oh my God.
I slid nervous glances at Kael and my father. This could not end well. How to put a stop to this, abruptly jump up and leave? Distract my father with news of Haley’s latest shenanigans in LA? I pushed back my chair, deciding I’d contrive an emergency in the kitchen but Kael placed a steadying hand on my arm.

He smiled at my father. “Sir, I understand your concerns. If I were in your shoes, I’d feel the exact same.”

My father leaned back in his chair, still unsmiling, his hard gaze pinned on Kael. “Oh yeah?”

“I screwed up before. It was completely my fault. I allowed job concerns to keep me from the woman I loved. And—”

“And,” I interrupted before he could take more blame than necessary. I had the feeling he’d throw himself under the bus for me if he could. “It was partly Charlotte’s fault.” I shook my head, not wanting to remember everything. “It’s a long story, but she basically prevented me from getting letters and postcards from Kael.” I gave him a long look. “When I thought he’d forgotten all about me, he’d been trying to contact me. For two years he tried.” I cleared the lump from my throat. “It was all a big understanding.”

My mother pursed her lips. “I have never liked that girl. She’s been jealous of you since college. Hasn’t she, honey?”

My father nodded slightly before focusing on Kael. “Is what my daughter said true?”

“I love your daughter, sir.” His voice roughened. “It’s absolutely true.”

My father turned to look at me while I squirmed in my seat like a little girl. I wanted to crawl under the table then, but I kept my head high and a polite smile plastered on my face. I ventured a glance at my mother who laughed and grabbed my hand. “Oh honey, leave these two alone. Rain’s a young woman now. I think we can trust her to made wise decisions about her career and love.”

Again, I looked at my mother wondering at the complete 360.

“I’ve just been too hard on you.” She shrugged. “Haley and I talked. She made a lot of sense.”

That Haley.

I decided to just accept my mother’s new attitude with graciousness. Everything was going well in my life, why question it? I looked at my father with hope. One down, one to go.

“Daddy—”

He raised his hand and I stopped mid-sentence. “Rain, I’m very proud of you. We both are.”

“Thank you.” I blinked and couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“You’ve accomplished a lot and I know you’ve got your head on straight. I’m not worried about you. And if this guy,” he paused, “if
Kael
makes you happy, then we’re happy too.” He looked at my mother. “Right?”

She smiled at me, a wide sincere grin that crinkled the fine lines around her pretty blue eyes. “Right.”

My father stood. “We’ve taken up enough of your time on your special day, so we’ll get out of your hair and let you get back to running things.” My dad ruffled my curls like he’d done when I was a little girl and my mother followed suit, lovingly pinching my cheek on her way out.

I smoothed my hair down and silently watched as they made there way through the crowded dining area. “Well, that was weird.”

I sat down and pulled Rain onto my lap. I couldn’t wait to get her alone tonight. I’d been away for months and I missed her mouth, her breasts, her…everything. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and cuddled my face into her chest before pulling back to look into her beautiful face.

“Seems like everything is falling into place for you, baby.” I couldn’t stop staring at her lips. Later, I’d tie her up and kiss her for hours beginning with her lips and ending with…It had been a few months since she’d seen me off at the airport’s international departures terminal and I’d been a fiend for her ever since.

Her amber eyes glowed almost golden with happiness. “So, how was Kiev?”

I’d been gone on assignment and just arrived at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport this morning. “Good.”

She lowered her voice. “And your mission? Complete?”

Laughing, I nodded. It still felt odd to share the details of my work with her but it also felt good to be able to tell the truth. And yeah, I was breaking all kinds of rules, but I didn’t care. I was done lying to the woman I loved.

I trusted her with my secrets. All of them.

I spoke in a whisper, matching her hushed tone and smiled, “We got the bad guys.”

“How’s your sister? Sounds like she’s been advocating for you.”

“Hands down, I’ve got the best sister. Haley’s always in my corner, and she’s doing great. She moved to LA and in her first month got the role of the sexy neighbor on a new sitcom.”

“Does that mean no more modeling?”

“She’s still doing a few modeling jobs, but I think she’s been bit by the acting bug. She’s taking lessons.” I laughed. “So, we’ll see. Oh, Quinn was traded to the LA Rams, so they’re dating again. He’s interested in opening up a Lola’s there too. And maybe a food truck.” She made a satisfied face. “But baby steps. And no, he doesn’t want to sell.”

“It’s like you can read my mind.” I brushed a stray curl from her face. “I visited Luke in prison on my way home. He’s being held at a black site for guys like him.”

Rain smiled uneasily. “Rogue agents?”

“Something like that. It’s a not very cushy place located in a hard-to-find corner of East Africa. Very hot. Very dusty. They’ve got him breaking rocks with a hammer, working in a mine or something like twelve hours a day. Needless to say, he’s not enjoying himself.”

“Good. He deserves to suffer. If I hadn’t broken up with you, he would’ve killed me and thought nothing of it. I still get nightmares thinking about that.”

“Well, he’s got plenty of time to think about what he’s done. But he will get out in a year.”

Rain’s eyes widened. “Why so soon?”

I shrugged. “You heard what he said at the storage place. He knows stuff. He spilled the dirt on heads of state, other rogue agents, even celebrities…He knew the location of several terrorists on the president’s unofficial kill list and a couple on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. He trades in secrets.”

“And death.” She wrapped her arms around her chest and shuddered.

“You have nothing to worry about it, even when he gets out. He’s not coming after you, he knows better. And while he and I may work together again in the future, you don’t ever have to see him again.”

I had stopped by Luke’s prison just to have a friendly chat. We’d talked about many things, our careers.
Rain. He knew that if he ever so much as looked at Rain funny, next time I’d just kill him, friends or no. And I wouldn’t think twice about it. He understood.