Things Lost In The Fire (36 page)

Though she hadn’t said anything, he’d noticed the shift in her mood after he’d returned with more wine. She continued to play songs for him, but her smile was a little sad around the edges. She’d sensed his hesitation, but he doubted she really understood it.

How could she? She allowed herself to be happy in a way he never could. He didn’t deserve happiness. What he deserved was exactly what he had—a lonely, miserable existence at the bottom of the society’s barrel.

She may know some of the details of what he’d done overseas, but she’d never be able to grasp the full extent of his guilt. She’d never caused the death of another person. Never had to live with the shame of being ostracized by those who had once been called friends.

Then again, she
did
know what it was like to wage wars with family. It was something they both understood. And how ironic was it that just as they were growing closer, his father and her mother were busy trying to tear everything apart? The cynical side of him couldn’t help but laugh at the situation, despite how frustrating it was. Valerie was the same old attention whore she’d always been, and his father was in it for the money she shoved into his pockets. And while they both satisfied their baser desires, he and Sadie were left to pick up the pieces of the devastation left behind.

He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his face with his hands. At least he’d given up on his father loving him a long time ago. It without a doubt saved his sanity. Sadie, on the other hand, still held out hope that Valerie would change and start treating her less like a prized pet and more like a daughter. But he knew it was a long shot. Even dying, the woman was a selfish creature. There would be no getting through to her.

And as for him, being around Sadie, being close to her, was getting harder to resist. Even though he told himself time and time again that it wouldn’t be good for either of them, it just didn’t seem to matter now. Not after what they’d been through. What
she’d
been through.

She was in this mess because of him, which meant he owed it to her to help her through it. But it was getting more difficult by the day to hold back his need for her, not when it was so close to the surface. She made him look at the world in an entirely different light—in her light. Her positivity and gentleness, her soft humor and compassion. They were things he’d lost years ago when she’d left the first time. Now he didn’t think he could stand it if she ran away again. What would become of him when she left?

Not liking the answer to that question, he shut his eyes and rolled over, hoping to lull himself back to sleep.

B
RODY WOKE abruptly, shaking off some kind of dream involving his mother and the hot sands of the Middle East. It lingered for a second then dissipated, leaving him groggy and irritated. With a grunt, he rolled upright into a sitting position and ran his hands through his hair. The vague smell of bacon perked him up and had him inhaling deeply.

At that moment he remembered where he was, and who he was with.

Sadie.

A tired smile teased his lips as he got to his feet and wandered out into the kitchen, seeing her bustling around cooking breakfast. She sang quietly to herself as she whisked pancake batter and turned the bacon crackling on the stove.

When he approached, she tilted her head and grinned at him. “Hey. Happy Independence Day!”

Brody chuckled and stretched his arms over his head. “It’s July fourth already?”

“Yep, best day of the year.” Sadie beamed, pouring globs of pancake batter dotted with blueberries onto a molten hot skillet. They fanned out into imperfect circles and bubbled up in the center. “Are you hungry?”

Brody checked the pulse on his neck, then nodded. “Well, I’m still alive. So yes, I’m hungry.”

She giggled and began chopping up bright red strawberries. “Good. It’s tradition in my family to serve red, white, and blue pancakes with bacon on the Fourth of July.”

“Lucky me,” he mused as he came up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist. He placed a kiss on the curve of her neck, enjoying the fresh scent of soap on her skin.

She leaned into him, her arms folding over his own. “How’d you sleep?”

“Decent. How about you?”

“Much better knowing you were here.” She sighed, then turned around to face him. The glow of sunlight through the kitchen window brightened her eyes, as did her happy smile. “Back home my grandparents and I always watch the fireworks over Lake Tahoe.” She looked outside, her smile widening. “I think from the view up here we should be able to see the ones over Grand Park.”

Brody followed her gaze. “Probably. But that’s not till tonight. What do you want to do today?”

She pressed her lips together as she considered. “Maybe the beach?”

He grinned, then shifted away from her to flip the pancakes. “You read my mind.”

Once the pancakes were ready, Sadie decorated them with strawberries, more blueberries, and a dollop of fresh Cool Whip. When she was finished, he couldn’t help but laugh at the proud look on her face.

“Looks good. I didn’t know you could cook.”

She waved off the comment. “I can’t. But a sacred family pancake tradition doesn’t count as cooking. It’s a rite of passage.”

She winked at him and carried their plates into the dining room. He followed her, pleased to see she wasn’t letting her mother or fears of being stalked get to her. She deserved a day to not think about those things.

And he wanted nothing more than to make it the most special, perfect day of her life.

AFTER BREAKFAST and a shower, Brody was ready to take her out on the town. While he’d brushed his teeth and dressed, he thought of all the things he wanted to show her, all the things he knew she’d missed out on all these years. The Pier with its thrill rides and colorful populace, the white sandy beach with views of nothing but the luminous sapphire water of the Pacific, the hip taco joint with its to-die-for carnitas.

He wanted to show her the best of L.A., maybe in a subconscious attempt to convince her to stay. It was selfish, maybe, but he knew part of her didn’t want to leave. Ever since performing with her father’s band, she’d been different. Less afraid of crowds, more open to the idea of city life. It was important that she continue in that direction and not let anything else get in the way.

And it was important to him that she trust him enough to show her the life she could have. The life she truly deserved.

When he came into the living room, he found her standing beside the front door, colorful tote bag in hand. She’d slipped into a cerulean blue sarong that showed glimpses of a white bikini and the soft, lightly tanned skin underneath. Her long waves of hair were tied back in a loose bun that sat atop her head, leaving strands to frame her face.

With a hesitant smile, she lifted her tote. “I packed sunscreen, granola bars, four bottles of water, two towels, my iPod and a couple of books for us to read. Is there anything else you’d like to bring?”

As he walked toward her, he couldn’t help but laugh. He got such a kick out of her neurotic tendencies. “You know, I might need a fifth bottle of water. I could dehydrate out there.”

Her smile faltered. “Oh. You’re right. I’ll go grab one.”

“Sadie.” He grabbed her elbow to stop her and pulled her in for a quick kiss, amused by the worried look on her face. “I was joking with you.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot you like to do that.” She slipped from his grasp with one eyebrow raised in good humor. “You know, if I was more like you we’d just take off without being prepared and then where would we be?”

“Sunburned and thirsty,” he replied, grinning again as he threw his arm over her shoulders and led her out of the house. “Now let’s go before the beach fills up. I want a good spot.”

She nodded. “Okay. Oh! Maybe we should get an umbrella?”

“Too late. We’re leaving.” He ushered her outside and grabbed her keys to lock the door for her. As he clicked the deadbolt closed, he heard her let out a startled gasp. He whirled around, seeing her standing with her hands clasped over her mouth and her eyes on the front end of the curved driveway. “What? What is it?”

Instead of responding she only hovered in stunned silence. His eyes followed her gaze and caught sight of it. Rage filled him, followed quickly by remorse that he hadn’t seen it first. Maybe then he could have shielded her from it.

Spray painted in large, black letters over the concrete of her driveway right by the street was the word ‘WHORE.’ He walked over and glared down at it, shaking his head. His vision hazed with red as he stared around the street, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Whoever had done it had come in the night while they’d been sleeping. Which meant that being there for her had done nothing to help. The creep had still returned.

He bit back a frustrated growl and turned to Sadie, who looked ready to faint. He gathered her into his arms and ran his hand over her hair, soothing her. “It’s all right. Let’s just go, okay? We’ll deal with this later.”

She nodded, swallowing back the bile that had risen in her throat. “Okay.”

He led her to his car and opened the door for her. After she’d slipped inside, he leaned in. “Give me a quick second. I just need to check on something.”

He shut the door and wandered over to the side of the house, where he reached for his cell phone and called Chase. His brother answered on the second ring.

“I need a big favor.”

After he explained the situation, his brother was quiet for a moment before replying. “
You really like this girl, don’t you?
”

Brody sighed, ready to rip out his own hair. “Just do it, please.”

He hung up the phone and returned to Sadie. Now that the shock had worn off, she seemed only quietly sad. He reached for her hand and tried to smile against the anger he still felt. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Can you turn on the radio?” she asked.

“Of course.” He shoved the key in the ignition and started the car, flipping through the stations until he found good old classic rock. Joe Cocker’s throaty voice sang about getting by with help from friends as Brody pulled out of the driveway and gunned it down the street.

SADIE LIFTED her face to the sun, closing her eyes and welcoming that red-orange glow. Even with the layers of sunscreen she’d applied and the sunglasses she wore, she could still feel the hot rays cooking her skin. She didn’t care, though. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been to the beach and wanted to enjoy every aspect of it, even if she did get a sunburn.