But I don’t.
Instead we all have a drink together, and fall into that comfortable familiarity that we all share.
“How are those high school kids treating you? Do I need to ride into the school and scare any little punks into respecting you again?” Rhett asks, eyes full of mischief. He did that when I first started and was having some trouble with a group of senior boys. They were making inappropriate comments toward me, and I made the mistake of mentioning it to him.
“Nope, I’ve got it all under control, thank you,” I reply in a dry tone. “How about you? Any club girls that I need to bring into line...again?”
Yeah, the man across from me makes me crazy, and not in a good way. I’ve acted in ways I’m embarrassed of. And I shouldn’t be fighting over any man. That’s not the person I want to be.
Clover downs the rest of her drink. Poor girl, always stuck in the middle.
Rhett clears his throat. “No, I don’t think you need to make a scene like that ever again.”
“That’s dependent on your actions, not mine.”
See?
Crazy.
Clover laughs under her breath. “Okay, it was a little bit funny. Cara is usually so self-contained, but in that moment even I was scared of her.”
“You and me both,” Rhett replies.
Now it’s my turn to down my drink.
“Are we still going away next month or has that changed?” Clover asks us, referring to the road trip we had planned for the long weekend. “We need to decide now so I can book the accommodations.”
“I’m in,” I reply, looking forward to the beach getaway. “Rhett?”
“Sorry, I forgot,” he replies, wincing.
Clover sighs. “What a surprise.”
I’m not surprised either. We definitely aren’t on his list of priorities these days, and it hurts. We all used to be so close, and now it feels like everything is different.
“We can all go another time. It’s just really hectic right now. Not that I’d ever admit it to his face, but Arrow is getting older now, and he needs my help.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Clover replies, but still sounds disappointed.
I know how she feels.
Two beautiful women saunter up to the bar, right next to us, both checking out Rhett. Yes, he’s a good-looking man, but it’s the cut that really draws their attention, and I know that because it happens no matter which biker I’m around at the time.
Hell, it still happens when I’m out with my dad, and he’s in his fifties.
I asked my mom once how she deals with it, and she shrugged and said, “He’s mine. He goes home with me, and he’s not going to give them the time of day. I have nothing to worry about.”
One of the women smiles and winks at Rhett, and he turns, finding me watching him. He wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple. “I really am sorry, Cara. I know I haven’t been around. But I’m going to make it up to you tonight.”
I soften as he presses his lips against mine, and then against my forehead. He gazes into my eyes and I remember why I fell in love with him, but when he looks away, the connection fades and reality sets back in once again.
Relationships aren’t always easy. Maybe this is just a phase, a rut that we are stuck in. Sure, he’s been busy recently, but we have a life together.
And it’s not all bad. Rhett and I know each other so well, and we have a connection that isn’t so easy to give up on.
I know how he’s going to make it up to me tonight.
But for the first time ever, I question if it’s going to be enough.
Chapter Three
Decker
After checking into the hotel, I grab my keys and go for a drive to get something to eat and scope out the town. I know this is work, but it feels good to get away, and it’s almost like a little mini vacation. Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the last time I had any kind of break—it’s been all work, no play for me ever since I graduated the police academy.
I end up on the beach for sunset, coffee in hand and a smile on my face as I watch the waves crash on the sand, the sun disappearing in front of my eyes. This career change for me is more than just gaining freedom—it comes with a whole new perspective on life, and a little self-care for me. I needed this.
“Hey,” a pretty redhead says to me, waving as she approaches. She’s wearing a green bikini, her lips painted in gloss. “You here alone?”
“Pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line,” I tease. She takes that as an invitation and sits down next to me.
Getting women has never been an issue for me. Finding one that I can really, truly connect with and want to stick around? Whole different issue. I know how I come off, and how people see me. A woman once told me that I’m the kind of man you enjoy but never keep. I didn’t know what to think about that, but I guess she was right, because I’ve never been kept. They see the confidence, charm, the smile, the green eyes that can get me anything I want, and they judge me from that. But there’s a lot more to me, which most people wouldn’t know. I’ve always been a jokester, but underneath I’m a deep thinker, and I like to relate to other people on that level.
“Equality,” she replies, nodding toward the water. “Want to take a dip?”
I shake my head. “I have to get back to work. Thanks for the offer, though.”
I walk back to my car and drive back to the hotel. Enough playing around. This isn’t a vacation. I’m here for a reason, and her name is Cara.
* * *
It’s not exactly appropriate to hang around a school, but that’s where I find myself come Monday afternoon, parked just outside the gates, watching as people come in and out. I personally don’t know why anyone would want to be a high school teacher, but props to them, because someone has to do it and I’m glad it’s not me.
I look down at the DMV picture I have of Cara. She’s an attractive woman. Extremely so. Warm brown eyes, smiling right at me, long, lush brown hair and her lips upturned at one corner. I find myself wondering how she will react to finding out that she has a half sister. Or maybe she already knows and doesn’t care. Some people aren’t so friendly with certain sides of their family, and the fact that she took her stepfather’s last name makes me think she isn’t too close with her own biological father.
She apparently has a boyfriend who is a biker; I saw his name on the deed to her house. I hope that’s not going to be an issue for me and he’s not going to cause any problems. I’m here today to make sure I have the right woman, and to figure out the best way for Constance to approach her.