Colorado 01 The Gamble (68 page)

“I should –” I started to slide from the
stool but Harry’s eyes pinned me to the spot.

“
Then you blow into town,
you.
” His voice
got low, his eyes did a sweep of me again and he continued, “The
way you look, the way you talk, the way you dress, pure fuckin’
class. No one knows who you are, you come from fuckin’
England
and suddenly you’re makin’ out
with him at The Dog, pressed to him like he was some kind of God or
somethin’. You’re hot, you could have anyone, point your finger at
anyone in this bar, you’d have him,” he informed me. “So of course
he’d nail you.”

“It isn’t like that,” I whispered.

His brows shot up. “No? So he’s let you
in? All the ones before you and he’s let
you
in? You’re hot, Nina, shit, I’d do you in a
second, count my lucky stars someone like you gave me a shot, twist
myself into knots to lay the world at your feet, so maybe he has.
What do I know? You can probably give him a baby, Anna couldn’t do
that. But, you should know, girl, and not anyone’s gonna tell you
this but me, everyone hopin’ you’re the one, you’re the one that’ll
heal all his fuckin’ wounds. You’re hot, you’re sweet, you’re even
funny. But you should know, what you ain’t is Anna.”

It was a wonder I didn’t fall off my stool
straight to the floor, his verbal blow was so vicious.

Instead, I swallowed and suggested, “Maybe I
should leave you to it.”

He lifted his drink but offered, “You get
the urge to heal my wounds, gorgeous, just say the fuckin’
word.”

I sucked in breath, deciding this was not
Harry, this was drink and anger and Shauna being such a bitch and
him taking care of her for so long, it was all that talking.
Therefore, I thought I should make some effort to help.

I leaned forward, telling him, “She isn’t
worth this, Harry.”

Harry looked away and took a sip before he
asked, “Yeah?”

“I know Max is a friend. He’s been your
friend a long time. You’re saying this because you’re angry about
Shauna and, Harry,” I put my hand on his forearm, “she isn’t worth
this.”

Harry’s eyes went across the bar to Max, his
mouth got hard and he downed the last of his drink.

Then he looked at me. “Yeah, Nina, you’re
right. ‘Course. I got sloppy seconds from Max with Shauna. Thirds,
you count Curt. So you’re right, she ain’t worth it.”

“You’re a good guy, Harry,” I said gently
and Harry’s face twisted in a way that was so hostile, so
frightening, it was difficult to witness and I felt my body go
completely still.

“
Yeah,” he said again, “a good guy.” He
leaned into me and whispered, “So good, I’ll repeat myself because
I figure you’re a good woman and you deserve it and you might be
wrapped up in him now but one day you’ll learn you coulda done
better. He loved her, Nina, she was his world. When a woman is a
man’s world and he loses her, ain’t nothin’ gonna take the place of
that and you gotta know that. This is somethin’ he wants, Max’ll do
good by you but he’ll know and the whole town’ll know, you ain’t
that to him, what Anna was, you never will be. So I’m thinkin’,
bein’ a good guy and all,
you
should know that too.”

I sat there stunned silent, my heart beating
madly, my lungs hurting, the tears burning the backs of my eyes,
all my worst imaginings come true in Harry’s brutally honest
drunken blather.

Harry held my eyes then his hand covered
mine on his arm, his face gentling and he kept whispering, “Shit,
Nina, I’m a dick.”

I leaned away and slid my hand out from
under his, saying quickly, “That’s okay.”

“I’m just pissed. Shauna made me look the
fool.”

“I understand.”

He leaned into the space I vacated, looking
like he’d teeter right off his stool. “Nina, seriously, don’t
listen to my shit. Max’s a good guy. I’m just bein’ an
asshole.”

“Right,” I whispered. “I… I need some fresh
air. Um… do… do you want a ride home? I could ask Brody, my
stepdad, Steve –”

He shook his head. “I’ll ask Jake to call
Thrifty’s, get me a taxi.”

I nodded my head. “I’m just going to step
outside a minute.”

“Nina –” he started but I moved as fast as I
could to escape.

I left my untouched beer on the bar and
started toward the door, lifting my hand to pull my hair out of my
face. Holding it at the back of my head in a bunch, I looked over
to the pool tables. Max had his back to me and I watched him lean
over, lining up a shot.

I looked to Mom’s table and saw Arlene,
Linda and Jenna leaned into Mom, listening with rapt attention
likely to Mom telling some crazy, but true, story.

But Kami’s eyes were on me.

That was fine. In the dark of the bar she
couldn’t see what I was certain my face looked like and even if she
could, she was Kami. She wouldn’t care.

I headed out the door without my coat, the
chill night air instantly biting into my skin and I welcomed it.
Something to focus on, something not the jumble of thoughts
piercing my brain. I looked to my right, my left then headed right
to the end of the building where an overhead light illuminating the
parking lot was out. Darkness, aloneness, somewhere to get my
thoughts together or, better yet, force them out of my head.

I leaned against the building, taking in
deep breaths, feeling the tears hovering at the edges of my eyes,
one escaped and I felt it slide down my cheek.

How could one minute, hope be so precious in
my heart that I’d be something to Max, something special, the best
he ever had. And then the next… nothing.

Void.

Empty.

She was his world,
Harry said about
Anna.

She was his world.

She was his world.

Sweetheart,
Charlie said into my head,
he was drunk,
acting like an ass. Talking shit.

“Go away,” I whispered into the
darkness.

“Nope, not until you tell me where Mindy
is.”

My head came up and twisted around and I
stared in shock and not a small amount of fear at Damon Matthews
standing three feet in front of me.

Just what I didn’t
bloody
need.

I straightened from the building and looked
over my shoulder at the entrance. Damon filled my vision, having
moved to cut off my escape route.

“I’m talkin’ to you, English. Where’s
Mindy?”

My eyes went to his. “Mindy?”

“
Yeah,
Mindy,
” he clipped, his face snide. “Remember her?”

“Damon, she’s –”

“Not answerin’ her fuckin’ phone, that’s
what she’s doin’.”

“Mindy is dealing with some things now,” I
explained.

“
Yeah, who isn’t?” He took a step forward,
I took a step back and he stopped. “See, she ain’t home, she ain’t
at Becca’s, she ain’t comin’ to work, she ain’t answerin’ her
phone.” He took another step forward and I took a step back, my
legs hitting the bumper of a parked car and I stopped but he closed
in. “Brody’s stayin’ at our place, the locks’ve been changed, I
can’t get to my shit. Landlord says Maxwell moved my shit in a unit
and I gotta pay the rent on it before I can get my own…
fuckin’
… shit.”
On the last three words, he leaned into me, so close I was pinned
to the car and I reared back as far as I could, putting my hand to
the bonnet to stop from toppling over.

“Got a problem, Damon?” I heard and I leaned
to the side to see Kami standing behind Damon.

Damon straightened and turned to Kami.
“Shove off, Kams.”

“Don’t mean to be tellin’ you your business,
Damon, but Max sees you out here gettin’ in Nina’s face, he’s not
gonna be pleased,” Kami told him.

“Fuck Max.”

“Just tryin’ to be nice,” Kami said and
normally I would have laughed at the concept of Kami being nice but
I was too scared out of my wits to even crack a smile.

“You know where Mindy is?” Damon returned to
his earlier topic.

“I know you get anywhere near her, I’ll cut
your balls off and nail ‘em to the doors of Town Hall,” Kami
replied casually and my eyes got big at her words and the coolness
with which she delivered them, especially since Damon could
probably twist her into a pretzel.

“Kami,” I whispered.

“Yeah?” Damon sneered over my saying her
name, leaning threateningly toward Kami.

Kami leaned in too and sneered back,
“Yeah.”

They had a staring contest while I held my
breath and then surprisingly Damon looked away, muttering, “Fuckin’
bitch.”

“Word of advice, Damon, keep outta Nina’s
space, yeah? Mindy and Nina, boy, both off limits to you. You hear
me?”

“Fuck off.”

Kami looked at me and stated, “He heard
me.”

Damon gave me a look that would blister
paint off the walls but I just held his eyes until he turned and
marched away.

I stepped away from the car and looked at
Kami. “Thanks.”

Her eyes were narrowed as she looked at me,
ignored my gratitude and asked, “What’d Harry say to you?”

My body jerked then I recovered, my eyes
sliding from hers. “Nothing,” I murmured then I had an idea, it was
probably a hopeless idea seeing as this was Kami but I had to give
it a shot. I looked back at her and asked, “Listen, are you sober?
You think that you could drive me –?”

Kami cut me off by declaring, “Max’s takin’
you home.”

I tried again. “But, see, suddenly I’m
feeling –”

She cut me off again. “Then we’ll go get
Max.”

Still knowing it was hopeless as this was
Kami but Kami or not, she was still a woman and women knew women or
at least the ones I knew did, I tried to communicate with her
without actually saying anything and I whispered, “Kami.”

“There they are!” my Mom shouted and I
looked around Kami to see the entire group, sans Arlene and Jenna,
flooding out the door.

“Darn,” I muttered and Kami shifted around
so she was facing the party bearing down on us, Max and Brody
bringing up the rear.

“
Steve says I have to go home!” Mom
complained. “Says Max says that over imbibing in altitude could
be
dangerous.
”

I avoided looking at anyone but Mom and told
her, “I hear that’s true if you aren’t used to it, Mom.”

“Oh, pish posh,” she declared, waving her
hand in front of her face, this movement sending her off balance so
she fell to the side and Kami, Steve and I all lunged forward to
put a hand on her. “I’m fine!” she yelled when she was steady again
on her feet and we all moved back.

“You’re rat-arsed,” I told her.

“
Whatever,” she mumbled then turned to
Linda and announced, apropos of nothing, “I
love
your son and I love
you
and I
love
your
daughter,” she looked at Kami. “You have
the
most
beautiful
hair I’ve ever
seen
.”

“Thanks, Nellie,” Kami muttered, shifting on
her feet, embarrassed by the praise and I stared at her a second
before I heard Steve speak.

“Let’s get you home, love.”

Mom leaned forward and muttered to Kami and
me, “He’s always spoiling my fun.”

Kami looked at me and I shrugged for this
was likely true, then again sometimes Mom’s brand of fun needed to
get spoiled before someone got hurt.

Then Mom hugged a surprised and stiff Kami
then released her and she got a return hug from Linda and finally
she gave me one. After Mom was done embracing the female
congregation, Steve kissed my cheek and said his good-byes and they
moved to their rental car.

“I got work tomorrow,” Kami announced, she
gave me a look which I couldn’t read then, thankfully, she said,
“Later,” and she moved away without giving anyone hugs but she did
give a halfhearted wave which I thought was quite nice, seeing as
it was from Kami.

I was just grateful she didn’t share the
Damon Incident or her astute insight into the fact that Harry upset
me before she went.

“I’m her ride,” Linda muttered, her eyes on
me and they were twinkling for what else could she do? Kami, I was
learning, was Kami.

Linda kissed Max’s cheek and then Brody’s.
She was carrying my coat and purse and she gave them to me then she
gave me a hug and when she did she said in my ear, “Like you, Nina.
You’re a good kid.”

I clenched my teeth and swallowed the tears
as her head came up. I smiled weakly at her and nodded.

“I’m off,” Brody announced as Linda moved
away and I shrugged on my coat. “Seein’ as that shit went down with
Mins, work gave me to the weekend so we’ll get together again
before I leave, yeah?” he asked me.

“Sure,” I said even though I was not
sure.

He gave me a mountain man hug, in other
words I was engulfed in his arms and the hug was so tight I could
hardly breathe. Then he clapped Max on the shoulder and took
off.

I continued to avoid Max’s eyes and I did
this by watching Brody until he was out of sight.

“So, what’ll it be, Duchess? You want me to
teach you how to play pool or do you wanna go home?”

I looked at his collarbone and told him,
“Let’s go to your house.”

I felt rather than saw the change in his
mood before he asked, “My house?”

My eyes shot to his and I saw he was
studying me intently.

“Um… suddenly, I’m exhausted,” I
explained.

Max didn’t look like he bought my
explanation. He kept examining my face for several moments before
he looked over his shoulder at the parking lot then back at me.