Whisper Cape (13 page)

“I didn’t know you heard that, but I meant every word.”

“That day, I found the reason your father told me about. I loved you as if you were my own daughter. You’ve brought such joy to my life. The point I’m getting at here is, your dad wouldn’t want you agonizing over his death, and I’m sure the nightmares you’re experiencing stem from not knowing what happened. If you open up and maybe focus your energies on love instead of hate, your nightmares might lead to some sort of discovery. You may have some hidden abilities coming through in your dreams that may help bring some closure.”

“Abilities?” Just what did Maia know?

“Well, yes. I believe everyone has hidden abilities and I think if you dig deep enough into your soul, you might just find talents there you never thought possible. So, instead of looking for the negatives about ... what did you say his name was?”

“Cael.”

“Yes, Cael. Instead of looking at the negatives of starting a relationship, focus on the adventure. If you like the man, even a little, then there is something to explore. And maybe, just maybe, by focusing on him, your nightmares will subside.”

“I’ll give it some thought, but I’m not making any promises about dinner.” Addie sighed.

***

Addie hung her apron behind the bar when her shift was over. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was go home, take a hot bath, and relax.

She glanced at Darcy to see if she was ready to leave, but she was sitting in a booth nuzzling up to that slime Tim. How could she? It was next to impossible to get her mind off what Jared had said about him. Why was he so concerned about Darcy seeing Tim anyway?

“Are you going to hang out here tonight, Darcy?” Addie asked, ignoring Tim. The guy was nothing more than a noxious worm as far as she was concerned.

Tim looked up and grinned. “Hi, how are your fried wires doing?”

Her hands fisted at her sides and it took every ounce of control she had not to punch that smirk right off his ugly face.

“Addie, don’t pay any attention to him—and you, don’t tease her,” Darcy said and punched him in the arm. “There’s not much happening tonight, we’re just talking about the motorcycle ride we’re planning Saturday.”

“Have you ever ridden?” Tim asked Addie.

“No, I think I prefer the comfort of my truck cab.”

“Oh, you should definitely try it sometime, you’d love it,” Tim said.

“Maybe you have a friend, Tim,” Darcy said. “We could double date.”

Addie cringed. Was Darcy out of her mind?

“Yeah, I’ve got a buddy.”

“Is he good-looking?” Darcy asked.

“I guess. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, see if he’d be interested in going on a blind date.”

There was something about Tim—the look in his eyes—something ... evil. Addie thought of Jared’s admonition; was there something Jared was privy to he hadn’t shared?

“No thanks,” Addie said. “It would take more than a good-looking guy to get me on one of those things. There's something about having my body out in the middle of the air without any support. I'd probably get sick to my stomach.”

She wanted to grab Darcy right then and make her go home. Even though Addie was tired, Darcy was her friend and she was worried about her being with Tim, so she stayed in the bar to keep an eye on them.

“Well, see you later,” Addie said, and watched as Darcy turned toward Tim and nuzzled her chin into his neck. Addie still had to fight the urge to slap away the triumphant grin Tim wore as he stared at her, but she managed to turn and walk away. She strolled to the bar to have a beer and visit with Maia and Gerry. She really hadn’t spent much time with them lately, other than her time at work.

“Gerry, could I get a Guinness, please?” Addie asked as she sat down at the bar next to her aunt.

“I’m glad you decided to stay and visit.” Maia smiled and put her arm around Addie’s shoulder.

Gerry placed the beer in front of her.

“Thanks.” Addie smiled at him as she sipped the foam at the top of the glass.

“So sweetie, what keeps you here tonight? Are you waiting to see if the young man you told me about comes in?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier and well, I hardly know him. Maybe he wasn’t that into me and really just wanted a ride.”

“What do you mean, you gave him a ride? Addie, do you know how dangerous that could have been?” Gerry asked, filling a pitcher of beer for a group of young tourists who’d come in a few minutes earlier.

Addie sighed at his words. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do that anymore.”

“Do what anymore?” Maia asked.

“Act like a crazed father,” Addie hissed.

“Gerry, you didn’t.”

“Maybe I did, but I’m not going to change as long as she’s going to do stupid things.” He pointed his finger at Addie. “That was a hell of a dimwitted and irresponsible thing to do, Addie, giving a strange man a ride in your truck.”

“Gerry, if he was going to hurt me, do you really think he would have saved my life?”

“Well, you never know. He could be some psycho who wanted to save your death for his own glory after he raped and tortured you and did … God knows what.”

“Gerry!” Maia and Addie glared at him.

“Sorry,” he said and moved to the other end of the bar.

Maia shook her head and sipped from her drink. “So, you said his name was Cael, what’s his last name?”

“Sheridan. Cael Sheridan.”

“Ah, well, so tell me more about him.”

“Hmmm ... I already told you all I know. Except, well, he has these amazing blue eyes. But there’s something different about him.”

“Yes, something different indeed,” Maia mumbled to herself.

“What did you just say?”

Maia cleared her throat. “I said, yes, so how different?”

Something in Maia’s tone sounded suspicious, but then maybe her aunt was just excited that Addie actually met someone.

“Well, he’s arrogant for one, and very mysterious.”

“Ah, so you
do
like him.”

“I just said he was arrogant. How do you get I like him out of that?”

“It’s the way you said it.”

Addie sipped her beer, “Okay, so I like him. But it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Well, it means there’s hope.”

“Hope for what?”

“Why, romance, sweetie. What else?”

“And you think romance is going to change my nightmares?”

“Maybe, but even if it doesn’t, everyone needs a little romance, Addie. Take it from me; life is more exciting when you have someone to share it with.” She glanced at Gerry.

“It’s great about you and Gerry, really, but I doubt I’ll ever find anybody I care enough about to spend the rest of my life with.” Addie wasn’t sure of anything concerning Cael. All she really knew about him was he could really kiss and she didn’t want her aunt assuming anything. The chances of Cael even sticking around the area were slim and Addie didn’t want to get all worked up about some guy only to have him take off and leave her pining for him.

“Just remember what your dad told me. Everything happens for a reason.” Maia glanced up from her drink. “Speaking of your love life, don’t look now, but here comes Jared.”

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes and took a long swallow of her beer.

“Hello, ladies,” Jared said. “Okay if I join you?”

“Absolutely,” Maia said.

Actually, Addie was grateful for the interruption and hopeful she would get an opportunity to speak to him about Darcy and find out why he was warning her about Tim.

“It seems everyone’s going to hang out here tonight. What can I get you, Jared?” Gerry asked.

“Ah, thanks boss, I’ll have a Guinness. Are you ready for another one?” Jared asked Addie.

Addie looked down at her glass, unaware she’d finished the first one. “Uh ... sure.”

“Here you go.” Gerry placed two beers on the bar in front of them.

Remembering she hadn’t eaten anything all day, Addie was starting to get a light buzz from the first drink. She stared up at Gerry through heavy eyes. Sometimes she wondered if he knew how much she admired him. As overbearing as he was, he was still the closest thing to a father she had now, and she missed her dad something awful.

Gerry looked at Addie as if he’d heard her thoughts. “Drink it slow, sweetheart. Remember you have to drive home tonight.”

“Right.” Addie nodded as she held her finger up in agreement and smiled.

“So Addie, this is unusual for you. What are you still doing here?” Jared turned toward Addie but his eyes went straight over to the table where Darcy was laughing and snuggling with Tim.

“Just hanging out, visiting with Maia.”

The three of them chatted about the fast-approaching holidays and Addie was about to crawl out of her skin, wanting to ask Jared about Tim. She was relieved when Maia said goodbye, gave Gerry a quick peck on his lips, and headed toward the door. A smile lingered on Gerry's face as he watched her leave.

As Addie sat at the bar with Jared, she glanced down at the other end and noticed Ed, her apartment manager. She waved as he looked up at her. He smiled and nodded his head. He looked lonely and she thought about going over to say hello, but now that she was alone with Jared, she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to question him about Darcy.

“Let’s go sit over there.” Addie pointed to the corner table. She thought of Cael as they headed over to it. She didn’t want Jared to misconstrue her intentions, but she really wanted to talk to him privately.

As they sat, he smiled. “What’s up?”

“Why does something have to be up? Can’t we just sit and talk?”

“No, you’ve never wanted to sit at a private table with me and just talk before, so I’ll say it again, what’s up?” He wrapped his hands around his glass, resting his forearms on the table.

Addie mimicked him. “Well, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop this morning—but it was hard not to, considering the way you and Darcy were yelling at each other. What did you mean when you said you didn’t trust Tim?”

“Oh shit ... I guess it doesn’t matter anymore,” he said as he lowered his eyes and rubbed his finger around the edge of his glass.

“What doesn’t matter anymore?”

“Hiding the way I feel about Darcy. The way I’ve felt about Darcy since we were in high school ... actually even before then.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I mean, I knew you two dated, but I didn’t know you still had such strong feelings for her. Does she know?” Addie didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Wait a minute, I thought you liked me?”

He chuckled. “I do like you, as a friend, remember?”

“Yeah, but what about wanting to kiss me the other night? What were you doing?”

“Sorry about that. Yeah, Darcy knows how I feel but she won’t give me the time of day. Darcy and I were together since high school, but last year I cheated on her with some girl who really didn’t mean anything to me. I drank too much and one thing led to another. I guess I used you the other night. I didn’t intend to try to kiss you, but when I saw her kissing Tim, I couldn’t help myself. I thought I could make her jealous. I’m really sorry.”

“You used me?” Mortified, she wanted to yell at him, as she realized everything he’d told her the other night was a lie. “What about those things you said to me in my truck?”

“I really meant all those things. I’ll always be your friend.” He sat back and took a sip of his beer. “I thought you would be relieved when you found out I didn’t like you that way. You know, I’m not an idiot, I can tell if a woman’s interested in me or not.”

“Well ... a girl does have her pride,” Addie pointed out.

“I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” He leaned in, placing his hand on top of hers.

She smiled weakly. “Okay. I guess I’ll forgive you this time, but if we’re going to be friends, you can’t be deceiving me again.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“If you like Darcy so much, why do you always tease her and call her ‘Double D’ when you know she hates it?”

“When I make her mad, it’s the only time she will even acknowledge my existence. Having her yell at me is better than nothing at all.”

“Wow, you have it bad.” Addie couldn’t help but watch Darcy and Tim snuggling in the booth.
Poor Jared
.

“Okay, I get the part about your feelings for Darcy, but are you just jealous of Tim or do you really not trust him? Because, you know, there’s something weird about that guy—I don’t like him.”

Jared sighed. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” He sat back in his chair and glanced at Darcy and Tim, then leaned forward again so his face was over the center of the table. “Okay, here’s the deal. I think he’s married and isn’t telling her.”

“Married?” Her outburst caused a few heads to turn and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “Married?” she whispered.

She was feeling the beer and the second one was going down much too quickly.

Jared sighed. “Yeah, I think so. She won’t listen to me because she thinks I’m just jealous. Maybe you can talk to her.”

“She’s right. You
are
jealous, but how do you know he’s married? He’s not wearing a wedding ring.”

Jared tilted his head and she realized he thought she was a moron.

“Oh yeah, I’m an idiot,” she acknowledged. “He would take it off, huh?”

Jared nodded. “I’ve seen him in town with a woman and a little boy. The boy called him ‘dad.’”

“Well, maybe the woman wasn’t the mother, maybe it was just someone he was seeing, or maybe ...” Addie stopped, realizing she was making excuses for a man she didn’t even like. “Well, I’ll see if I can bring it up without her getting mad at me. She does have a tendency to over-react sometimes.” She shook her head, disgusted. “I can’t believe this, poor Darcy.”

Jared placed his hand on top of hers. “Thanks, Addie, I appreciate your help.”

“Sure. Oh, and poor you,” she added.

She looked up, surprised to see Cael standing behind Jared, frowning at them. She yanked her hand away from under Jared’s and looked up at Cael as he placed his hand on the back of a chair.

Chapter 14