Getting Lucky (30 page)

“And keep your fingernails to yourself, P,” he said. “It’s assault even if I’m not in uniform.”

Hope stared at all of them, rubbing her cheek. Wow, TJ hadn’t been kidding when he said there was a lot of drama around here. There was also a lot of emotion. And history.

Hope shook her head. She might be in over her head. She wasn’t used to people…
expressing
themselves quite like this.

And who knew a slap could hurt that much?

Michelle smirked at Hope from around him. “Nothing to say now, Chatty Cathy?”

“My mother was a pacifist,” Hope told her. “She raised me to solve problems by
talking
.”

“Well, your voice makes me what to hit someone. And you’re the closest someone,” Michelle told her.

“Knock it off, Shell,” TJ said, stepping in front of Michelle and blocking Hope’s view of her.

His back was to Hope, but she definitely heard the nickname, and the way he crowded close to Michelle spoke of how comfortable he was up against the other woman.

That
made Hope want to slap her back.

“But my mom and I didn’t see eye to eye on everything,” Hope told her, advancing a step.

TJ looked at her over his shoulder. “Don’t,” he said simply.

Hope stopped and looked at him. “I was trying to be nice.”

“Well, TJ doesn’t really go for
nice
,” Michelle said. She’d stopped fighting him but sure hadn’t put any space between them.

“Enough,” TJ said to Michelle firmly.

He looked at Hope again. “Are you okay?”

She rubbed her cheek once more and then dropped her hand. “Yes.”

“I’ll take care of this,” he said.

Hope wasn’t sure she liked how that sounded. “Let her go. I’m fine. We’ll just leave.”

“Or I can kick her ass for you.”

Hope turned to look at her sister. Scott had let go of her, but he grabbed her wrist when she took a step forward. “I don’t think so.”

“Who—” Hope started.

“I’ve got it,” TJ said firmly to Peyton.

Hope swung back to look at him. She was surprised to find Joe, Travis and Jason suddenly standing behind TJ looking grim.

“I’ll take her home,” Joe said. He didn’t look happy about it.

“I’ll help,” Travis added, frowning at Michelle.

Jason didn’t say anything, but his stance and expression said he was in too.

Hope felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced over to find Lauren and Phoebe standing beside her.

“TJ, think about it,” Lauren said. “Don’t screw this up.”

TJ focused on Hope. Hope met his eyes. In them, she saw a plea to trust him.

Like all of the other things she’d sensed about him, she knew that he needed to know that she was on his side, whatever he did.

She looked around. Things had definitely gotten dramatic. And she was right in the middle of it. She gave him a single nod. “Go.”

TJ took Michelle’s upper arm in a firm grip and started for the door.

“You’re taking her home with you?” Peyton demanded. She elbowed Scott, but he had his thumbs through her belt loops and she didn’t get any space.

“I’m taking her to her mom’s,” TJ said, stopping by a table and grabbing what was evidently Michelle’s purse. He gave Hope a pointed look. “I’ll see you at the farm.”

He herded Michelle out the door. As it shut behind them, Hope became aware that the only sound in the bar was the song playing overhead about trucks being better than cars. Or something.

“What an
ass
,” Lauren breathed.

But Hope didn’t think he was an ass. He was trying to contain the situation and reduce the drama by removing the instigator. Of course, Michelle had completely instigated the whole thing specifically for the purpose of getting his attention and, probably, getting him alone.

He helped
everyone
. Even the woman who had hurt him more than anyone. And the fact that it made him even more attractive to Hope was confusing as hell. Didn’t anyone stand on their own two feet around here? And why was she sort of crazy about the guy who was most often picking them back up?

“It’s okay,” Hope said, mostly meaning it. “This is their…thing. He needs to have a talk with her, but it can’t be tonight when she’s drunk and jealous.”

“She has no right to be jealous,” Lauren said. “
She
left
him
. He’s not hers anymore.”

But he wasn’t really Hope’s either. She lifted a shoulder. “He’s not the type to leave someone. Even if that person’s drunk and bitchy in bar.”

And that was something she loved about him. Even as it pissed her off because it hurt him over and over again.

“He’s not,” Lauren agreed. “I guess it’s hard to consider him an ass when he’s actually doing something good.”

“You have nothing to worry about, you know,” Travis said to Hope. “Nothing ever happens between them.”

Hope knew that. TJ wouldn’t mess with a married woman. The man had integrity coming out of his ears. Hell, Hope wasn’t married and had climbed on his lap last night after he’d seen her half-naked and he’d still sent her to bed alone.

“I know,” she said. “I’m fine. Really.” She looked over at Peyton. “Are
you
okay?”

Peyton glared at Scott, who grinned at her in return. She pushed the table back where it belong and righted the chair Michelle had knocked over. She sighed as she dropped into it. “I’m fine. She’s not as tough as she thinks she is.”

Hope sat down across from her. “Well, thanks for defending me. But you didn’t have to do that.”

“Probably not,” Peyton agreed. “TJ was right there. But it felt good.” She grinned. “That girl needs more people to stand up to her and tell her to fuck off.”

Hope didn’t comment on that. Though she kind of agreed.

“Well, you’re not going to the farm to wait for him,” Phoebe declared, taking another of the chairs at the table.

Hope wished she hadn’t vowed to show Peyton that alcohol wasn’t always the answer.

It wasn’t always the answer. It was rarely the answer. It had probably been over a year since Hope had put anything other than a bit of wine into her body. But she hadn’t forgotten the nice warm, fuzzy feeling a shot of something stronger could give.

She wanted to go to the farm and wait for TJ.

He deserved to have someone waiting on him for a change. But she also wished that he’d chosen tonight, had chosen
her
, to be the one to break the Michelle habit.

It was an old, deeply ingrained habit—she got that. Michelle had big problems—she got that too. But the not-quite-as-at-peace-and-enlightened part of her wanted to be reason enough for him to finally say no to his ex.

“See,” Hope told Peyton. “You can’t let other people steal your happiness. Michelle demands and manipulates TJ into putting her needs first, and when he does, it sucks away
his
peace and sense of self while building Michelle’s up. That’s not how it should work.”

Peyton nodded. “That’s what my mom does.”

Hope focused on her. “What is?”

“She takes my happiness. She always has to be the most important thing to my dad, and taking care of her sucks so much of his energy that there’s nothing left for me.”

Hope sat forward and took Peyton’s hand. “You can’t depend on your dad giving you your energy and happiness anyway,” she said. “You have to make your own. Be strong. Do what makes
you
happy. Don’t make it about other people. That includes the drinking and partying and the things you do to get his attention,” she added. “That’s still all about
him
. You need to do things for
you
.”

“How do I do that?” Peyton asked. “Just ignore my mom and dad?”

“No.” Hope knew about being independent, but she’d never had to
become
independent. That had, essentially, been forced on her. “But when something happens that makes you
unhappy
or makes you feel like you’re not important, you need to tell them. And then you need to get away so that you don’t keep feeling that way.”

“Show them that they can’t treat me like that,” Peyton said with a nod.

Hope squeezed her hand. “No. Not about them. It’s not about how they feel or showing them anything. You need to make yourself feel better. It’s about realizing that you have the power to choose and you don’t
have
to stay in a situation that makes you unhappy.”

“Like what you just did with TJ?” Peyton asked.

Hope glanced toward the door. “Yes. Like I just did with TJ.”

Then she immediately looked at the clock over the bar’s cash register. How long was he going to be gone? What was he going to do when he realized she wasn’t waiting at the farm?

“Hey, who’s the guy?” Hope nodded toward the man who’d grabbed Peyton off Michelle. He was leaning against the bar under the clock.

Peyton looked at him with a frown. “Scott Hansen. Our cop.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “He’s a cop?”

Peyton nodded. “I’ve known him forever. He grew up here too. He was a few years older but I knew him…you know, even before he started hauling me down to the police station.”

Scott Hansen was very good-looking. And he was keeping his eye on Peyton.

“He seems interested in using his handcuffs on you,” Hope teased.

Peyton snorted. “He’s only ever done that
once
. I bitched so loudly that he finally took them off to shut me up.”

Hope laughed. “Let’s dance.” Hope pulled Peyton, Phoebe and Lauren out onto the dance floor.
She also caught Jason Gilmore’s eye and motioned for him to join them.

Hope didn’t know the names of the bands she was dancing to, but she did know that if she was going to be upset about TJ choosing Michelle over her, the music definitely helped. It seemed that a lot of the songs were about kissing in pickup trucks and drinking—also in pickup trucks.

Six songs in, Hope felt a strong hand around her upper arm.

TJ pulled her around. “I went out to the farm.”

Hope looked up at him. She didn’t say a word, just cocked an eyebrow.

TJ had the good sense to look contrite. “She listens to me. It was faster this way.”

She still didn’t say anything. She was glad he was back. She knew nothing had happened. She knew that it would take time for him to truly be done with Michelle—if he was
ever
going to be completely done. She knew that she had just gotten to town and had no right to judge him or lecture him or be upset about anything.

He took her hand and pulled her close. “I’m really sorry. I maybe should have let Joe and Travis take her. But—”

“You were protecting them.”

He looked at her with mild surprise. “Yes. And her.”

Hope lifted both eyebrows.

“They would have chewed her out. Told her she was messing with me. Told her to stop. They would have made her cry.”

“Because they would have been trying to protect
you
,” Hope said.

He blew out a breath and then gave her a quick nod. “I guess so.”

“It’s okay to let people help you once in a while. To defend you. To take on some of your problems,” she said.

“I’m not good at that.”

“I know.” She did. And she was again struck by how that fact about him was something she loved and hated at that same time.

“But she’s taken care of now. We have the rest of the night,” he said, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her close. “I’m all about you now.”

She looked into his eyes. She’d meant what she said to Peyton. Her happiness couldn’t be about the things TJ did or didn’t do, or should or shouldn’t do, or the commotion and emotion in his life. Her happiness was in her control. And being with him tonight would make her happy.

“Then let’s go,” she said.

His eyes heated and he took her hand. “Hope—”

“I can’t believe you went with Michelle.” Peyton pushed in next to Hope, frowning at TJ. “Why do you keep giving her your happiness? You need to be stronger than that.”

TJ’s jaw tightened. His gaze went from Peyton to Hope and lingered. Then he met Peyton’s angry glare. “Being there for someone no matter what takes strength.”

“She knows you’ll always help her. She uses you,” Peyton said.

TJ focused on Hope. “I know.”

“Why do you let her do that?” Peyton asked.

“Because that’s what good guys do. We help people. Even when they don’t deserve it or don’t help back. Especially when they don’t deserve it. Because that’s sometimes when they need it the most.” He turned to Peyton. “Nobody’s alone here.”

Hope felt her breath lodge in her chest.

He was so…magnificent when he was all stubborn like this.

He’d tried to be stubborn with her. She knew that from minute one, he had tried to keep his distance, keep his walls up high. But it hadn’t worked. And she loved that about him—the softness and sweetness that he couldn’t help underneath it all. He might be acting all annoyed and determined right now, but it was fueled by a caring spirit that he couldn’t suppress.