Thirty minutes later, I was calling Cruz. He answered on the first ring, which told me that he already knew what was happening. Actually, I was sure everybody on planet Earth was aware of my situation.
“Tennessee.”
“Hi,” I replied calmly, desperate not to be a wuss on top of being a pushover. “Sorry I’m calling. I know we haven’t spoken in three days—”
“Your bail was set for five-thousand dollars. Your dad pulled some strings, plus that’s your first offense, and frankly, everybody knows it’s bullshit.”
I heard him moving around. His car door slamming shut. He was already on his way here to bail me out. My heart surged with unexpected pleasure and warmth.
“Oh. Okay. So my dad knows.”
“He knows.”
“He’s not here.”
“He said you should sit there for the night and think about what you’ve done.” Cruz delivered the sentence wryly. There was a brief silence as I digested this.
“So not everyone knows I’m innocent.”
“Suppose not.”
“And you?” I asked finally.
“I know you didn’t do it,” he said simply.
Thank you.
I mouthed the words, but didn’t say them.
I couldn’t say them.
I still couldn’t show weakness to the man who was so outrageously out of my league, no matter how much I wanted to. I choked on them. Tried to get them out. Failed.
“Have you spoken to Bear?”
“Yes. He’s with his father,” Cruz answered shortly.
I heard him driving. The sounds of the summer crowd on the street, of cars honking, and teenagers laughing in the background.
“Is he freaked out?”
“He is upset with the situation, but he knows it’s not going to amount to anything. Your sister will pick him up from Rob’s in a couple hours, and he’ll sleep over at your parents’.”
“So everyone knows I’m in jail, and yet nobody has bothered to show up.” The taste of these words in my mouth made me want to throw up.
“They know it’s only a matter of time until you get released.”
“Still.”
“I’m on my way,” he said.
“But you waited for me to call.”
It dawned on me that he only got into his car after I made the call, even though he already knew what my bail bond was.
“Yes.”
“Why?” I gulped.
“I said I’m tired of chasing you. At least now I know what it takes for you to pick up the phone and call.”
I was going to text you, I wanted to cry.
The shame of failing this relationship somehow pained me more than any other failure in my life. I pressed the phone to the bruised side of my face, where my sister’d struck me, and tried to swallow the ball of tears in my throat.
But then Officer Corrigan took the phone and ushered me back to my cell.
It only took me one second to realize Cruz and I were not together anymore. All I needed was to watch him through my cell as he strode over to the booking officer of the police station.
The officer swung her eyes up from her computer screen and took him in. Tall, lean, and perfect. Clad in black slacks, a navy cashmere sweater, and a white dress shirt underneath.
He oozed confidence and elegance.
He was also currently bailing out his puck buddy for allegedly trying to murder his ex-girlfriend.
I stood up and walked over to the bars, watching him, mesmerized.
Feeling my gaze on him, he shot me a look, ignored my little pathetic wave, and turned his attention back to the booking officer.
Now that I had time to digest everything that was happening, I was also impressed with his willingness—not to mention ability—to front five-thousand dollars for bail money on someone he wasn’t seeing anymore.
Tragically, I tried smoothing my hair into place and slapping my cheeks for some color when two officers I didn’t know approached my cell to release me.
Cruz waited for me at the front desk, hands shoved inside the pockets of his slacks.
“Thank you,” I said, refusing eye contact with him.
He smiled tersely. “That’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me.”
I frowned at him. “Surely, that can’t be true.”
He’d bought me an entire wardrobe, took my son under his wing, stood up for me at the rehearsal dinner, and much more. But now that I thought about it, I really didn’t thank him for anything he’d done for me throughout our short but stormy relationship.
My stupid pride really was out of control.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Another first for you,” he pointed out, opening the door to the police station for me. “Aren’t you just a box full of surprises today, Tennessee Turner.”
“Darn it. I suck.” I heaved out a sigh as I dragged my feet out the door.
“That you do, and you could use some guidance in that territory, too.”
Did he just criticize my oral skills?
“Did you drink a truth potion or something?”
I dragged my feet to his car, feeling miserable. He was cold and pragmatic, and suddenly, I realized I shouldn’t have taken for granted all the times he’d been sweet and caring to me.
“I’m in the process of giving up on some things,” he explained, opening the passenger door for me.
“Such as?”
“The fucks I give about what people think about me. Watch and learn.” He slammed the door after me.
I watched as he rounded his car, buckled his seatbelt, and started the car. He didn’t look at me. He didn’t ask how I was.
Instead, he explained in a deadly quiet, calm voice, “Now we’re going to drive out of town, where we are going to have a cup of coffee and discuss our relationship.”
“Now?” I spluttered.
Now was a terrible time for me to fall at his feet and explain it wasn’t that I wasn’t into him, it was that I was a complete and utter nut-less idiot (oh, the irony). I’d also just spent four hours in a jail cell.
Sure, every now and then people who used to work with my father stopped at my cell to tell me the allegations were not going to hold water and that at worst I’d be out of there by tomorrow morning, but still…
My reputation in Fairhope had taken yet another blow, and I’d have to start sucking up to my parents if I wanted to salvage my relationship with them.
“Now’s as good a time as ever.” Cruz barely touched the steering wheel when he drove, which I found both sexy and scary. “I have to pay a visit to the Duggars to make sure baby Bella is all right, and that leaves me an entire hour of giving you a piece of my mind.”
“I can’t wait to see her.”
I placed my elbows on my knees, lying unabashedly. I liked the Duggars well enough. They were blue collar, which meant they didn’t judge me as harshly as the rest.
But I certainly had bigger fish to fry than seeing their recent addition.
“She’s very cute. Looks like an alien.”
His face opened up when he talked about the baby, and my womb clenched. It was the first time in thirteen years that thing had given me any indication it was still inside my body.
Huh.
“Do you want kids?” I played with the hem of my uniform.