Changing Lanes (The Lone Stars Book 3) (14 page)

“That’s very sweet of you, but I can’t take it.” She took a deep breath. “This is a large and expensive gift. It feels like you’re trying to impress me. I don’t need a car to like you. I already like you. So, I’m going to say thank you, but no thank you.”

He walked up to her and held his hands out. “That’s not it. I’m not trying to impress you. I just think that this car is more you than the Volvo. You’re a top–down radio blaring kind of woman. I’m just trying to help you achieve the real you.”

“Did you just say that you’re trying to help me achieve the real me?” Was there something wrong with who she was? True, she probably wasn’t as splashy or exciting as the other women he’d dated, but she’d never thought of herself as defective. It was starting to piss her off that he wanted to change her into someone she wasn’t. The urge to yell at him was almost overwhelming. “I’m sorry, I’m late. I’ve got more patients to see.”

She never lashed out … ever. It was unproductive and uncivilized. Yelling only made things worse.

“Wait, I’ll walk you back to your office.” He sounded desperate and not a little mad himself.

“No thanks. I need a few minutes to gather myself before I head into the office.” All she wanted was five minutes alone to puzzle out the fact that she was possibly falling for a man who wanted to make her into someone else. Just once she’d love an uncomplicated relationship. Did those even exist?

“Okay, but hang on. Let me get Kisses’s things out of the trunk.” He called after her.

She turned around to find him pushing some buttons on a key fob. The trunk popped open. He rushed around to the back of the car. A few seconds later, he brought her an armful of puppy things. A bed, a bag of food, several toys, and a rawhide bone that was approximately four times larger than Kisses. She held her free hand out to take the load, but he stepped back.

“I’ll carry this up for you.” Every word was clipped. He was angry. That was fine, because so was she.

In stony silence, they walked through the lobby of the professional building, got into the elevator, and rode to her office on the fourth floor.

When the elevator door opened, Devon turned to her and said, “It’s just a car. Nothing more.”

“It’s more than that and you know it. What did you say? You’re trying to help me achieve the real me.” She matched his chilly tone. “What’s wrong with this version of me?”

He studied her face letting the words sink in. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t want you to change, I just thought that you were more of a fast–driving convertible girl.” His voice faded away as understanding dawned on his face. “Crap, I just screwed up big time, didn’t I?”

How did anyone stay mad at this man? She bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling and nodded.

“Are we still on for tomorrow night?” He wasn’t pleading, but it was close. “I can fix this…you know, once I figure out exactly where I went wrong. I can fix it.”

How was she supposed to say no to that?

“Yes, we’re still on for tomorrow night.” She shook her head. “You’re just so damn cute, sometimes I want to smack you.”

“If I promise to stop being cute and apologize for…” his tone implied it was a fill in the blank question like the sum of two plus two is…

He opened the front door to her office, waited for her to walk in, and set the dog things on the closest chair. He turned to go. “That sounded a little desperate, didn’t it?”

She squeezed her thumb and index finger about an inch apart. “Just a little.”

“I’ll work on it.” He shook his head. “That was even more desperate.”

“Thanks for my birthday party. It’s the first real party that I’ve ever had.” She snuggled Kisses.

Devon sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re welcome. Can I call you tonight?”

“Tomorrow would be better. I’m going out with my teammates tonight.”

His face fell as he turned on his heel and walked to the elevator.

She needed some time to think. Devon wanted more from her than she wanted from him. He’d bought her a car and a puppy. She couldn’t help but feel pressure even if he didn’t mean for there to be. Things with Devon had just become complicated.

Chapter 10

Devon wanted to beat someone up … preferable himself. He sat in the new Mustang in the hospital parking lot trying to figure out his next move. The car had been too much too soon, but he’d been driving by the dealership and he’d remembered that she’d wanted one all those years ago. He thought it might trigger her memory of him, but all it had done was make her mad. Now that he thought about it, he was a little angry himself. He’d done everything he could think of to get her to remember him, but nothing worked.

Did that mean that she hadn’t felt the same way about him? His mind was willing to go there, but his heart wouldn’t let him. She had loved him and he would stick with that story until she told him otherwise.

At least he’d gotten her to keep the puppy. That was something.

What should he do next? Did he hang onto the car incase she wanted it later?

His phone rang. He worked it out of his front trouser pocket. It was his mother. He slid his finger across the bottom of the phone to answer the call.

“Hello.”

“Since I can see you sitting alone in the Mustang, I take it Laney wasn’t excited about the car.” Her tone was soothing.

“You can say I told you so.” Devon nodded and then looked around. “Where are you that you can see me?”

“I’m in Lara’s room. Look at the last window on the far left of the fourth floor.”

He glanced up and saw a figure waving in the last window on the left.

“Please, I would never say I told you so because it’s always implied. And I never state the obvious.” She laughed quietly.

“I know I shouldn’t have bought it for her, but I couldn’t resist. I want her to have nice things, and I want to be the one who gives them to her.” He sounded sad and pathetic even to his own ears. And he wanted her to remember him. He couldn’t get it out of his mind—if she remembered him, they were meant to be together.

“I know. You want to be her hero … just like your father. He didn’t buy me a car, but a washing machine. On our second date, I came home to find that my washing machine was dead. The next day a brand new one was sitting in my driveway with a red bow on top. Based on the bow I see from all the way up here, you had the same idea.” The smile in his mother’s voice lightened the heaviness around his heart.

He loved hearing stories about his father. For five years after he died, she couldn’t talk about him because it was too painful. “What did you do?”

“I made him return it. It was too big of a gesture too soon. He gave it expecting nothing in return, but it still made me uncomfortable. Even though he gave it with no strings attached, I wanted to attach some. Think about it this way, if she’d accepted such an expensive gift this early in the relationship, would she really be someone you could see yourself with long–term?”

He’d dated more than his fair share of gold diggers. One woman had come straight out and stated she expected expensive presents regularly and then helpfully gave him a list of acceptable gifts. That hadn’t worked out.

But Laney was different. What they had together started a long time ago. The Mustang had been one of her dreams back then and now he was able to make that dream come true. It was more than just buying her things, it was taking her back to the past so hopefully she could see what was right in front of her.

“What did Dad do with the washing machine?” Devon rubbed the tense muscles at the back of his neck.

“He did what you’re going to do. Park it in the garage until she’s ready to accept it. Just because she won’t take it now, doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want it.” His mother always knew the right thing to say.

“You are wise Master Yoda.” He felt like he’d lost any ground that he’d gain with Laney. Had he actually said that he wanted to help her find the real Laney? Now that he thought about it that sounded terrible. She was perfect just the way she is, but he’d made her feel imperfect. It tore at him…like little cat scratches to the soul. He’d hurt her, he hadn’t meant to, but he had.

“Give her some time. Let her finish her workday and then text her. Go with a simple ‘I’m sorry’ and for goodness sakes, don’t send her flowers or some other gesture. Just a simple ‘I’m sorry’.”

He had to admit, sending flowers had crossed his mind … more than once.

“A grand gesture followed by another grand gesture only works when you’ve done something to piss her off that’s not related to a grand gesture.” His mother rattled something that sounded like a candy wrapper. “You’re coming on too strong. You should dial it back a little.”

He couldn’t dial it back. He’d waited so long to see her again, he didn’t want to waste a minute of time with her. His father had lost six precious months with his mother after he’d met her. Devon wasn’t about to lose any time with Laney.

It was time to come clean with his mother. “Remember EJ? That’s short for Elaine Janece.”

He let that grenade fall between them.

There was nothing but silence from the other end of the phone.

“And Laney is short for Elaine and Laney’s middle name is Janece.” He rolled his eyes. Clearly a lost night of sleep was costing his mother some brain cells.

“Oh.” He heard the phone shift like she was sitting up. “OH. I’m going to need a notebook to keep all of her nicknames straight.”

“I recognized her, but she hasn’t recognized me.” That was downright depressing. It scared him that she hadn’t remembered him. Was that a sign that he’d been in love with the wrong woman for almost half his life?

“I’m sorry baby. That sucks.” He heard the sewing machine she’d brought to the hospital whirl in the background.

“How’s Lara?” He should consider putting the top up, he was getting sunburned. He hit the button on the visor and the roof unfolded from the back.

“She’s sleeping. That kid could sleep through an F5 tornado.”

“That’s good I guess. What does she think about coming home with us?” The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to make whatever kind of home Lara wanted. It had been just him and his mother for so long that it would be nice to have someone else around.

“She’s excited I think but also a little scared. The hospital is all she knows … or all she can remember. It’s safe here and she knows what to expect.” His mother continued to sew.

He understood the need for safety. “Whenever she’s ready, I think we should move her in.”

There he went again with the grand gestures. Was there something in his DNA that made him go big or go home? But he’d never been this way before. He liked to do things for his friends and family, but not on this scale. Did Laney bring out this need for him to take care of people?

He kind of liked that about himself. It was comforting to know that she brought out the best in him. Did he do the same for her?

“Why haven’t you told her that you’re DJ?” He could hear the reproach in her voice.

“Because I want her to figure it out.” Something inside him wouldn’t let go of the dream that Laney would come to her senses and realize he was DJ. At first, it might have been pride, but now it was more than that. When she did put two and two together, it would be validation that they were meant to be together.

“Have you ever thought that she might be mad that you didn’t tell her?”

He sat back. Why would that make her mad? If anything she should be embarrassed that she hadn’t remembered him…that is if she really had feelings for him back at camp.

“No.” He traced the stitching on the steering wheel. Laney might be embarrassed, but not mad. “What do you mean?”

“There is the possibility that she might feel duped. She’s a pretty headstrong and upfront kind of person. Don’t you think she might not be too pleased that you’ve failed to mention something of this importance to her?”

Women. They were so complicated. Laney mad because she hadn’t remembered. It wasn’t his fault she didn’t remember him. Was there seriously a possibility of her blaming him for not remembering? That was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard … but so like a woman. God knew they didn’t make sense. Had they ever made sense—had Eve been a perfectly rational being not capable of yelling at Adam for forgetting to take out the trash until that whole apple thing had messed her up? Or had God’s companion creation for man evolved into something that He hadn’t quite foreseen?

“I’m just saying that she might not be too happy that you’ve kept this from her.” The sewing machine stopped.

“I haven’t kept anything from her. I just didn’t point out that she should remember me. That’s all.” He was in the right on this. It may be the only thing he was in the right on, but by God he was right.

“Whatever.” His mother sounded frustrated.

He glanced at the clock on the dash. “Sorry mom, I’ve got to go.”

He was going to be late for practice, and that would cost him a few miles around the track. What a sucky, fitting end to a terrible day. He’d woken up in such a good mood and then everything had gone downhill from there. The only thing that could turn his day around was a smile from Laney.

Good God, he was pathetic.