Fate Interrupted (21 page)

Dean looked back
up, his face turning white as a ghost, dust particles floating in the beams of sunlight
between them. “Let me make a call and get back to you tomorrow,” he said,
getting up and taking the document. “In the meantime, I need a dozen cupcakes.”

Ben frowned at
him for two or three seconds and then sprang to his feet. “I can’t tell you how
much this means to us, man,” he said, dropping his smoke into the cup with a
hiss. He scurried behind the counter and Dean followed, watching Ben fill a
white pastry box. Evy tried not to stare at the way Dean’s slacks hugged his
curves but it was impossible not to. Just looking at him tightened a knot of
need in her gut. She tore her eyes away, fighting the flush of heat between her
legs.

Ben handed the pastry
box to Dean and walked him to the front door, speaking softly along the way.
“If we lose this shop it is game over, boss. We invested everything we had in
this place and we have played it by the rules.” He jerked his chin toward the paper
in Dean’s hand. “
That
is total
bullshit.”

Dean nodded and
craned his neck to see around him, making Evy’s stomach wrench. “We’ll get this
straightened out, trust me,” he said, raising the box and trying to smile.

Brooke wiped her
face. “Thank you, Dean.”

Dean took Ben’s
outstretched hand and shook it before spilling back outside. Evy watched the door
slowly shut behind him, twisting her fingers on the table. She could still
smell his cologne blending with the cigarette smoke in the air. She wanted to
run out onto the street and catch him before he got away.

“I just don’t
get it,” Brooke moaned again. “This can’t be happening.”

Ben locked the front
door and came back over. “He’s going to fix everything up now,
babycakes
,” he said softly, stroking Brooke’s hair. “He’s a
smart guy.”

Evy jumped to
her feet and pushed past Ben.

“Hey!” he
bellowed, falling into another table.

She slammed hard
into the front door, forgetting to unlock it, cursed out loud and turned the
deadbolt. She pulled the door back just enough to slip through and sprint out
onto the sidewalk. She stopped, looked the way he had gone and inhaled a deep
breath. “Dean!”

Dean stopped in
his tracks a half a block down but didn’t look back. They stood like they were
made of stone, neither making a move. Evy stared at his back and opened her
mouth to tell him to come back but nothing came out. He had clearly heard her. Slowly,
Dean continued walking away without looking back. Evy shut her mouth, despair
wringing the breath from her lungs. She clapped a hand over her heart as Dean
turned a corner and disappeared into downtown Milwaukee.

Chapter
Eleven

Dean’s car sat
in the street, a parking ticket already under the wiper. He had been in such a
hurry, plugging the meter had been the last thing on his mind. Grumbling, he snatched
the ticket and crumpled it into his fist while opening the driver’s side door.
A black Cadillac Escalade with shiny rims and thin tires honked as it whizzed
past. Dean flipped the driver off before climbing inside the Jeep. He slammed
his car door shut extra hard and threw the balled up ticket onto the passenger side
floor mat. Silence enveloped him as he set the pastry box on the seat next to
him and tried collecting his thoughts.

He pulled the folded
notice from an inside coat pocket and studied the signature at the bottom. Rage
pumped through his veins and he swore out loud, hitting the steering wheel with
a closed fist. He dug his cell from his slacks and pulled up Megan’s number as
traffic sped past. He glanced to the seat next to him, gazing through the pastry
box’s clear plastic top where a rainbow of frosting swirled about inside. His
chest rose as he took a deep breath and hit the call button. Megan’s phone
began to ring, signaling his arteries to pump faster.

She answered
with a sultry voice on the second ring.
“Hey you.”

Her excited tone
sent a cold shiver running down his spine. “How’d it go at the doctor’s?”

“It went good. Sibyl went with me and then we
stopped at
Saz’s
for lunch, which my stomach is
protesting, but other than that everything is fine.”

“That’s great news,”
he said, fighting to control his ire. “So how did your dad react when you told him
I had to be in court?”

She exhaled a
long breath.
“One thing you have to
understand about my father is he always thinks the sky is falling, but once he
found out Sybil was taking me he was fine.”

Dean snorted into
the phone as a UPS truck loudly motored past. “Listen, I just wanted to
apologize and, if you’re not busy, I’d like to swing by with some cupcakes for
you and your family.”

Megan paused.
“That is so sweet, Dean, but you don’t have
to do that.”

His eyes
narrowed. “It’d be my pleasure.”

“Well, I’d love to see you.”

“Sounds
good.”
His checked his watch and hesitated before speaking again. “Your dad home from
work yet?” He couldn’t tell if her delayed response was making him hot or the
fact that the windows were up.

“He just got home a little while ago,”
she said
slowly.
“Why?”

“Just want to
apologize and…say hello.”

And odd laugh
slithered from her lips.
“Well, I’m sure
he’ll appreciate the gesture.”

“I bet he will,”
Dean mumbled crossly.

“What’s that?”

“I
said, where do you live?”

***

Megan’s house
was a two story Colonial with white pillars flanking the arched front door.
Brightly colored flowers bordered the winding front walkway, separating it from
a meticulously trimmed yard. Despite the lack of rain over the last few weeks,
the grass was plush and green and Dean could only imagine what their water bill
looked like. With heavy legs, Dean stepped up onto the spacious front porch and
looked back at his car parked in the street. He adjusted his sports jacket and
reached for the doorbell, imagining an impressive response but hearing nothing
when he pushed it.

He tried to
smile, wondering if the doorbell even worked. Dean swatted at a lazy bumble bee
patrolling the potted flowers dotting the porch. The way his luck was going he wouldn’t
be surprised if the thing stung him. Instead, it flew off and disappeared into
a red fuchsia, hurriedly collecting its fill of nectar and pollen.

The door startled
him when it opened. Megan greeted him with a warm smile and a big hug. “This is
such a nice surprise,” she whispered in his ear, pulling back and peering into
his eyes. “Thank you for doing this.” She caught him off guard with a quick peck
on the lips that was too casual for comfort.

“You must be
Dean!”

Dean’s eyes darted
over Megan’s shoulder. A pleasantly plump woman stood in the doorframe with an affectionate
smile stretching from ear to ear.

“I’m Nancy,” she
said, offering her hand.

He shook her warm
hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you,” he said, extending the pastry box. “These
are for you.”

Her face got
round. “Oh, this one is a keeper, Megan!” she said with a laugh, examining the
dazzling colors inside. “Thank you, Dean. Come on inside.”

Megan took
Dean’s hand and led him into the house like they had been dating for years. The
smell of new construction and seafood smacked him in the face as he stepped
into a foyer with a large chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling above.

“Wow, you
weren’t kidding, Meg. He is a tall one!”

Dean blushed as
Nancy looked him up and down.

“How tall are
you, Dean?”

“Six-four.”

“A looker, too,”
Nancy grinned, closing the door. “I hope you can stay for dinner. It’s just
about ready.”

Dean smiled
politely as she whisked the cupcakes into the kitchen and left him alone with
Megan. His eyes climbed a grand staircase spiraling up to the second floor.
“Nice place.”

Megan tugged on
his hand. “Come on,” she said, towing him into an open kitchen with an angled
breakfast bar. “You want a beer?”

“Sure.”

“So what kind of
law do you practice, Dean?” Nancy asked, saucing up a steaming casserole dish
of jumbo shrimp and pasta with a garlic sauce that made his stomach queasy.

“Corporate,” he
replied, tilting from his heels to his toes.
“Mostly limited
liability.”

“Ooh,” Nancy cooed
impressively, setting some dirty mixing bowls into a large sink, her short brunette
curls bouncing with the motion. “That is wonderful.”

“Here
ya
go,” Megan said, handing him a cold bottle of Heineken
and ushering him to a chair at the breakfast bar.

Dean sat down
and took a long drink like he was dying of thirst, Evy’s gaunt face flickering
through his mind. Her green eyes had lost their sparkle and it pissed him off.
He glanced into the large living room behind him where no one was watching a
Brewers game on the giant flat screen.

“So are you from
Milwaukee, Dean?”

He turned back to
Nancy and forced a smile. “Born and raised.”

“Whereabouts do
your parents live?” she asked, spraying off the bowls in the sink.

“Not far from
Bayshore
mall.”

“Glendale,
huh?
That’s a fantastic area. I just love that outdoor mall!”

Megan’s hand quietly
slid across the breakfast bar and took his.

Nancy stopped
spraying the dishes and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Well, it is so nice to
finally meet you. I hope to meet your parents real soon as well.”

Dean winced with
her wish. She actually thought he was in this for the long haul and, in a weird
way, he felt sorry for her. She seemed like a nice lady and he didn’t look forward
to disappointing her.

Nancy took a sip
of white wine and swallowed. “Are they excited?” she asked, setting the glass
down next to a six burner range.

His eyes
thinned.

“About the baby?”
she said, nodding to Megan.

Dean’s face
flushed. A bead of sweat trickled down his back and got lost in his button down.
He licked his lips and opened his mouth to reply.

“There he is!”

Dean’s pulse
kicked into overdrive with the booming voice. He twisted in the chair,
everything spinning in a blurry haze, and found Clay’s million dollar smile
hovering just behind him.

“Glad you
stopped by, Dean,” he said, slapping him on the back.

Dean got to his
feet and glared at Clay for a few uneasy seconds. Clay’s smile slowly faltered
and Dean punched him in the jaw with a hard right hook. Clay’s head jerked
violently to the side. He staggered backwards, stunned by the blow.

Nancy screamed
and dropped the casserole dish to the floor. It shattered into pieces, covering
the custom tile work with tonight’s dinner. Megan bolted from her chair as an olive
colored wall with white trim broke Clay’s fall. He shook his head and clutched
his wounded jaw, gawking at Dean through dazed blue eyes that quickly turned
cold as ice. “What the hell,” he sneered, advancing on Dean with closed fists.

Dean cocked his
fist and sprang forward just as Megan jumped in between them.

“Stop!” she
shrieked, planting a hand into their chests and glaring up at Dean.

“What the hell’s
wrong with you?” Clay barked, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

“
This
is what’s wrong with me!” Dean spit
back, shoving the notice from Sugars in Clay’s face.

“What is this
all about?” Nancy
asked,
horrorstricken by the violent
outburst in her own home.

Clay glanced at
the document but didn’t take it, so Megan snatched it instead, skimming it from
top to bottom. She looked up at Dean, her brow creasing. “What is this?”

“
That
is the notice he gave my
girlfriend’s restaurant today, notifying them of the revocation of their liquor
license!”

Nancy’s face
wrinkled.
“
Girlfriend
?”

Megan turned to
her father with an icy glare of her own. “Is this true?”

Clay ran a hand
through his disheveled locks, exhaling a salty breath. “That’s what happens
when people serve minors in my district.”

“They didn’t
serve any minors, you asshole!”

Nancy gasped.

Dean turned to
Megan. “He had their license revoked because I didn’t take you to the doctor
this morning.” He snatched the paper from her hands and waved it in Clay’s
crumpled face. “And for your information,
Clay
,”
he said, lowering his voice, “this will never stand up in a court of law
because their security footage tells a completely different story than the
dates on this notice.”