Stay With Me (28 page)

“Progress,” I said. “That was fast. Did you blow him in the bathroom or something?”

“No, just a hand job under the table,” she said.

I burst out laughing. To hear her knock out a crude comment like that was priceless. And perfect. “Well, thank you for your service.”

“So—what bad elements, and who is that?” she asked, leaning against the doorjamb and thumbing behind her.

“What were they doing?” I asked.

“He was holding her hand,” she said. “I’m a little confused.”

“Feel blessed,” I said. “I got to see them swapping spit and groping.”

“Oh!” Lily said, taking a step back and holding up a hand. “God, ugh, no!”

“Yep, and it’s just like you’re imagining it.”

“Stop.” Lily looked over her shoulder. “Hey, you have a customer.”

I got up and peered around the corner. There was a brunette casually browsing, but not really. She had that surface shopping look about her, picking things up while actually looking ahead at what was around. And she kept glancing at Dad and—Jemma. Lord.

“I gotta get back,” Lily said. “Jim said you owe him for whoring out his wife.”

“And he wants what? He already gets it for free.”

She laughed and turned but then stopped and leaned back on the jamb again.

“Savi, I’m sorry we had to bring Ian back here.” A little line of goose bumps lined my spine. “You’ve come such a long way since those days, and—”

“Have I?” I said, chuckling. “What great strides have I made?”

“I’m just saying, don’t let him get under your skin again,” she said, and then narrowed her eyes. “Or is it too late for that?”

My stomach burned at the core like acid was cooking there. “He never got out of my skin, Lily,” I said. “But it’s—different now.”

She blew out a slow breath. “I’m just saying, Ian’s—” She stopped, searching for the right way to say it. There was no right way.

“Ian’s a wild card,” I said. “Unpredictable, unexpected, a drug I shouldn’t have.” I nodded. “I know.”

“I don’t trust him, Savi,” she said. “I mean, I know he’s back here to help us and everything, and I’m grateful,” she added. “But there’s just . . . there’s a lot of secret phone calls and yelling and—I don’t know. Just doesn’t seem like he’s on the up-and-up.”

I chuckled but there was no joy in it. “He was never on the up-and-up.”

Lily didn’t smile. “Just be careful. Be wary.”

And my
boyfriend?
The one with the alias and the mob connection? Should I be wary there, too, or that’s all good?

“Careful. Wary. Got it.”

My phone rang and Lily swiped under her eyes and blew me an air kiss. “Later,” she mouthed.

“Lemon cake,” I mouthed back before picking up my phone. “Hello?” I answered.

“Nice try, Barnes,” the voice said.

“Excuse me?”

“I called the bank,” he said. “There’s no Emery Slade working there. Not at any of the nearby branches either.”

Terrence. Glorious.

“And this means what to me why?”

“Because you called here impersonating a bank employee,” he said.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. “Why are you calling me, Terrence?”

“To let you know your little trick didn’t work,” he said.

“If you mean trying to get back the service we pay for, that you are purposely denying, well, I’m sure the city commissioner or the mayor or hell, maybe even the police might be interested in hearing about it,” I said.

“Now I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I’ll bet,” I said. “Your wife’s signs sucked, Terrence. I didn’t want them. I’m sorry if she’s pissed off, but grow a pair and pick up the garbage.” I waited a beat. “Before I send the mob out on you.”

I heard a scoff. “The mob.”

“Yep.”

“Watching too many TV shows, Barnes,” he said.

“I wish,” I said, clicking off.

I got up and meandered out into the showroom. Dad and his new—friend—had disappeared, and the brunette woman was studying a display of carnival glass.

“Are you familiar with carnival glass?” I asked.

She turned around, smiling slightly, dark hair framing dark eyes and a petite face. She had a no-nonsense standoffishness about her. I recognized the type.

“A little,” she said. “My mother collects the blues. I prefer the oranges.”

“So do I,” I said, smiling.

“Actually, I’m in town visiting my mother, and thought I’d do some running around,” she said.

“Oh, who’s your mom?”

“Clara Sullivan,” she said.

I smiled bigger. “As in Mrs. Sullivan, my father’s—” I had nothing.

“Yeah, I pause on that description too,” she said.

Glorious. I chanced a quick glance toward the door to be sure my father and his new friend were gone, and walked closer, holding out my hand.

“I’m Savanna,” I said. “Most people call me Savi.”

“Cody,” she said.

“Wow, and I thought I had a different name,” I said.

“It’s Cordelia, actually,” she said with a smirk.

“Ah,” I said. “Cody.”

“Exactly.”

“So, you thought you’d run a little recon on who your mom’s hanging out with?” I said, then held up my hands. “I would do the exact same thing, that’s why I’m asking.”

Cody shrugged. “She’s all I have. My brother lives too far away, and family is important,” she said.

“Totally agree,” I said. “So where are you visiting from?”

“Doing a little recon now yourself?” she asked, a smile on her face, but her eyes were guarded.

I shook my head. “Not really. I know Mrs. Sullivan well enough. I know she likes puzzles. I don’t think she’d go on a shooting spree or anything, but I never really gave much thought to whether or not she had kids.”

Cody laughed. “She does love her puzzles.”

And she still hadn’t told me where she was from. Point taken.

“Well, my dad just stepped out.” At which point he stepped right back in, mercifully alone. “Oh, never mind that, here he is.”

“Here I am,” Dad echoed amiably, holding out his hand. “I’m Theo. How can I help you?”

Cody shook his hand. “I’m Cody Sullivan, Clara’s daughter,” she said.

One of his eyebrows twitched, but otherwise he handled that very smoothly.

“Cody, it’s nice to meet you,” he said. “Your mom talks about you all the time.”

“As she does about you,” Cody said. “You have a great place here.”

“Thank you very much,” Dad said.

“Yes, we love it,” I piped in. “Hope to keep it around for a long, long time.”

Dad’s look reminded me of when we were little and acting up in a public place. The one that said
I’m going to tar your butt when I get you alone
.

“Well, I’ve got to go finish my errands,” Cody said. “I’ll tell Mom you said hello. She said she probably wouldn’t see you this week.”

“Yeah,” Dad said. That was it? Just “yeah”? “Nice to meet you, Cody.”

“You too,” she said.

And she was gone.

“Care to elaborate?” I said.

“Nope.”

“Dad, Mrs. Sullivan’s daughter just came to check up on you,” I said. “Just seconds after—whatever that was.”

“Let’s get back to work, Savi,” he said, brushing past me, smelling of roses or carnations or something.

“See, getting back implies that you were working,” I said. “Which you were not.”

“Then you get to work and I’ll watch,” he said, walking off.

“Did you and Mrs. Sullivan break up?” I said.

“Oh, good grief,” he said, slowing and leaning his head back, ostensibly to pray for my mouth to shut. “We are not fifteen, we’re not going steady, there is nothing to break up from.”

“That’s bull, Dad,” I said. “You liked her. You just didn’t like how much you liked her.”

“I’m not listening to this.”

“Please tell me you at least had the decency to let Mrs. Sullivan know about this non-breaking-up thing,” I said. “So she doesn’t have a stroke one day running into you and Jemma like I did.”

“Please call Abby,” he said, heading up the stairs to shut me up. “She’s called here for you twice already this morning.”

“Oh, crap, I forgot,” I said, walking to my office. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

He started humming, which in his world meant it was.

I plopped back in my chair and dialed Abby on my desk phone, plugging in my cell.

“What if I’d been dead?” she answered.

I blinked as my cell came to life with a cacophony of notifications. “Well, you wouldn’t be calling me.”

“And if I were kidnapped for ransom? Held in some horrible rat-infested place, waiting for you to pick up your phone.”

I laughed. “It was dead, not lost, and I’m sorry, baby, but anyone calling me for ransom just screwed the pooch. They tapped the wrong family.”

“Wow, I feel loved,” she said.

“Was there a reason you’ve been hunting me down?” I asked. “Or you just felt particularly surly today?”

“Actually, I was calling to say holy shit, Mom,” she said. “The fund you left for me at the bank?”

“Fund? You mean for turning twenty-one?” I said. “Baby, I told you I was going to try to help you out a little.”

“A little?” she said. “My God. Thank you! You sure you can afford this, seeing as my kidnapper was going to be so disappointed and all?”

I smirked. “Yes, it’s all good. I saved it up. Just be frugal.”

Abby laughed on the other end. “I love you, Mom!”

“I love you too, baby girl.”

I hung up and rubbed my face, listened to my dad putter around upstairs. I wished for a cot and a pillow, then eyed the couch.

No. All I would do over there is think too much. Replay what I’d almost done, over and over, chased by the ball of acid that sat in my belly every time I thought of Duncan.

I checked my phone and pulled up the text messages from him.

MORNING, BEAUTIFUL.

THOUGHT OF YOU ALL NIGHT, AND THINKING OF YOU ALL DAY TODAY.

I couldn’t respond. I kept flipping from guilty to enraged and back again every half hour, with a twist of gut stabbing for good measure. How could I have believed in him? The way he looked at me—it all felt so genuine. How fucking scary was he? I felt a burn start in my throat and I swallowed hard to shove it back. No. No way in hell was I going to cry over him—or anyone—who was going to manipulate me.

I sent him a smiley face in lieu of real words, basically just so he wouldn’t get concerned and call me. I still couldn’t talk to him yet. I had to gear up first.

I pulled up my photo inventory files and tapped furiously on the keyboard. “What the hell can I sell on eBay today?”

• • •

I had to stop by Lily’s to pick up pie. Or cake. Or brownies. It didn’t particularly matter, I didn’t need any of it. But Lily had both a pecan and a Key lime pie waiting for me. My favorites. Made with love and probably marinated in guilt.

Even more of what I didn’t need was parked in Lily’s driveway. Glorious. I took some deep breaths and sent that anxiety out to the universe. It would be okay. I’d get in and get out, hug hug, thank you thank you, and leave. And then I’d go home and have pie. And ice cream.

I knocked and walked in the back door like usual, greeted by two ancient cats named Felix and Oscar.

“Hey, guys,” I said. “Take your arthritis meds today?”

That earned me a snooty mewl and a head flip, but I was okay with that. I wasn’t all jiggy on them either.

“Hello, hello?” I called out, walking through the empty kitchen, scoping the counter for my pies in case I could just snatch and run.

No such luck and no people in sight, so I sucked it up and trudged to the back patio door, where there were voices on the other side. Male ones.

“Man, I miss this,” Ian was saying.

“Miss having you here,” Jim said.

“I mean, Florida is awesome, and the water’s right there,” Ian said. “But damn, it’s nice to be with family again.”

“Been too long, man,” Jim said. “Ever think about coming back?”

There was a pause, during which I didn’t dare breathe.

“That’s complicated,” Ian said finally.

“I know,” Jim said. “You have your empire out there and all,” he added with a chuckle.

I heard Ian scoff. “I wish I could say that was the only complication.”

Exactly.
I closed my eyes at the sound of clinking bottles.

“Just open the door, Savi,” I whispered. “Look for Lily and motion her this way. No big deal. You’re such a fucking wuss.”

I shook it off and opened the door, of course instantly face-to-face with him. Okay, not truly face-to-face, since he was technically about fifteen feet away, but the air lock that took place as soon as we saw each other may as well have made it two inches. Heat engulfed my head and I just focused on finding my sister.