Flawlessly Broken: (Broken Series Book 2) (38 page)

I always liked it when someone came in for the first time as they passed through. It made me proud that they had so little time in the area and they chose to spend some of it in my restaurant.

The magazine feature would probably send a lot more people our way, as well. I supposed I had Derek to thank for that, among other things. If he’d contradicted me on that sidewalk yesterday, I would have been screwed. Not that I didn’t end up screwed anyway, but having to give my real reasons to Spencer right there on the street would have been far worse.

Wouldn’t it?

I shook off thoughts of him and sighed in relief when Ali whipped the car into an open spot, snagging her messenger bag from the back seat as she flung the door open. “Come on, slowpoke. The plane has probably already landed,” she tossed over her shoulder as she got out, leaving me wondering once again why she refused to tell me what the hell we were doing there.

I hurried along behind her until we got inside and she checked the flight list.

“What flight are we looking for?” I scanned the list absently, having no clue how to be useful with no information to go on.

She grinned widely and turned to me, eyes sparkling. “We made it. Their flight just landed and they should be de-boarding now.”

“Who, dammit? Will you please tell me what the hell is going on here?” I was two seconds from stomping my foot like a petulant two-year-old.

Her hand snaked into her messenger bag and removed a small blue gift bag—the sight of which immediately made the air whoosh out of my lungs—and held it out to me. “You’ll see. Take this and by the time you finish looking through it, they’ll be here.”

I stared at it like it was going to explode in my hand and she shoved it at me with an annoyed grunt.

Giving in, I took the bag by the handles and moved to sit down on the nearest chair. I sat it on my lap and wiped my hands on my jeans, nervous. My hands shook as I reached inside and grasped the contents, a stack of cards or maybe more tickets, I wasn’t yet sure. I pulled everything out and sat the bag on the empty seat next to me.

I already had tickets for the wax museum and several exclusive, ticketed exhibits and shows for next week—courtesy of the earlier gift bags from Spencer. This bag was filled with gift cards, hundreds of dollars’ worth of cards that matched each venue and could be used in all of the various cafe’s and gift shops. There were others, too. One to Corduroy at Mount Vernon. One for Sushi Taro. There were thousands of dollars’ worth of cards in the stack and the more I saw, the more confused I became. I looked over at Ali and blinked stupidly. “What the? I don’t understand.”

She leaned in and grasped an envelope from the bottom of the stack, holding it out to me. “Maybe this will help.”

I took the small yellow envelope, about the size of an index card, and opened it, sliding out the note. It was written in small, precise letters and said:

For you, precious, but also for him. He needs this as much as you do. I’ll miss you this week but I want you to be free to focus on your guests. I love you, chuckles.—Spencer

I fought through the tears in my eyes long enough to replace the card in the envelope and look helplessly at Ali. “But I still don’t know who...”

She pointed at something over my shoulder and I turned, feeling my heart do a one-eighty, ready to burst for an entirely different reason now.

Running toward me, his smiling mother hurrying behind as his sneakered feet pumped as fast as they could...

Was Cameron.

Spencer

I AWAKENED TO
the sound of my phone chirping on the bedside table, my arm shooting out of its own volition to grasp it, despite the near-certainty that it wasn’t a message from Talia. It annoyed the fuck out of me that I would even
want
it to be, but I did. It was instinct, I suppose.

Hopeless.

Masochistic.

Pathetic.

I glanced at the screen. It was a text from Ali.

Ali: The eagle has landed.

I lay the phone on my chest and thought about that for a moment. I could practically see Talia’s reaction in my mind, and it made me smile despite myself. The phone chirped again and I opened the message to find that Ali had snapped a pic, covertly I was sure. I enlarged it and had to swallow the lump in my throat as I took in the image on the screen.

Talia was crouching on the floor, Cameron folded in her arms and her head on his ten-year-old shoulder, tilted toward the camera so that you could see her closed eyes and blissful smile. It was the single most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life and I kind of hated Ali for sending it.

She knew what that picture would do to me, dammit.

I couldn’t look away from it, not even when another text sounded. I took in every nuance of her expression, the smile on her face one of total happiness. This was what she had looked like hugging Amelia, I knew it. Everything about the photo tore at my heart, the woman and child in it, the child that
should
be in it, and the man who desperately
wanted
to be in it. Me. I traced her flowing hair with one fingertip and accidentally minimized the photo, revealing Ali’s last text.

Ali: No matter what else has or will happen... for this, I love you. And so does she.

I didn’t reply because I had no fucking idea what to say to that but I was so glad I’d done this for her. For them both.

I’d gotten the idea from that first night I spent at her apartment, I hadn’t lied to Ali about that. And once I’d set my mind to it, all I’d needed was an accomplice to help me pull it off. Lucky for me, Ali was willing to help and excited at the idea of doing something special for Talia and Cameron.

After everything went to shit yesterday, the first thing I did when I got my head out of my ass long enough was text Ali and tell her to go on as planned. I knew she wouldn’t let me down.

I realized with a wince that the note had still been tucked inside the gift bag.

The more I thought about it, the more glad I was that she’d gotten that final goodbye from me.

Our separation would be much longer than a week but the rest still applied. I’d still miss her. And, much to my detriment, I still loved her, as well. Always would.

My phone chirped in my hand again and, expecting something further from Ali, I tried to mentally prepare myself for another picture or heartbreaking text of some sort. I was disappointed to find a text from Clay instead.

Clay: Heading out for breakfast/lunch/brunch what the fuck ever you call it in fifteen minutes. Get your ass in gear. You’re buying, best man.

I shot him a quick reply and sat up in the bed, marveling at the tangled covers around me. Apparently, I’d tossed and turned in my alcohol-induced sleep. At least I didn’t have a hangover to go along with everything else, though I was a little fuzzy on the details as the night had worn on. I didn’t even remember coming back to the room, which wasn’t like me.

I was just stepping out of the shower and—after spying my haggard expression in the mirror—contemplating whether or not to give my beard a trim when someone began banging on my door.

Fucking Clay. So impatient.

I knew it wasn’t Brant. He was too laid back to tell someone they had fifteen minutes and then knock on the goddamn door in ten. Brant would probably wait an hour or more without batting an eye, it’s just how he was.

The pounding came again as I pulled my shirt over my damp hair and tugged it down, walking barefoot to answer the door.

“I’m coming, dammit! Pipe down,” I snapped, jerking the door open and staring into the widened eyes of Derek Wheeler.

What the...?

I stood there for a moment, just blinking at him, totally thrown off balance by his sudden appearance.

He looked slightly afraid but somehow determined. It was an odd combination. His clothes looked like they’d been slept in and there were dark circles around his eyes.

Up all night with the woman I loved, no doubt.

That thought did it. Finally, anger fell over my face like a curtain, narrowing and pinching my features until I looked at him through slitted eyes. “What... the...
fuck.
.. do you want?” I drawled slowly, gritting my teeth. This guy was stupid. Or suicidal, because if he came here to gloat, I was going to break his fucking neck.

He stepped back and lifted both hands in front of him in surrender. “Whoa, I’m not here to fight. I’m here to talk and I think you’re gonna want to hear what I have to say.”

“Doubtful. Extremely doubtful,” I snarled from my position in the doorway, crossing my arms over my chest to keep from taking a swing at him. “I think it would be in your best interests to leave. Now. Before I do something that lands me on the six o’clock news.”

His arms crossed over his chest, mirroring my stance. “I’m not here to serve my own interests. I’m here for Talia and what’s in her best interests. And yours.” He gave me a moment to let that sink in and softened his voice. “I owe her. Just hear me out. If you still want to punch me when I’m done, I’ll stand there and take it, but at least let me say what I came to say before I have to get my jaw wired shut, okay?” When I made no move to invite him in, he dropped his arms to his sides and his eyes to the floor. “Please.”

Letting him into my room was the last thing I ever thought I’d be doing, but there he was, walking through the door and making his way to the couch.

Before I could even cross the room behind him, he started talking in rapid fire sentences. “This is going to piss her off and I know that, but I have to do right by her even if she doesn’t see that it’s the right thing just yet. I can live with her hating me for this, if that’s what happens. I just couldn’t leave without telling you the truth.” He took a breath and started to speak again when I put up a hand and stopped him.

“You have to slow down before you stroke out. Not that I’d mourn the loss, but I’m curious now and I don’t want you keeling over before I find out what was so important that you risked literal life and limb to come here.” I grabbed a water from the mini-fridge and tossed it to him. “Start from the beginning and dial back on the tempo.”

He uncapped his bottle and took a long swallow just as there was another knock at the door.

Shit. Wasn’t I the popular one all of a sudden?

I opened the door this time to find Brant, clean-shaven and remarkably bright-eyed, considering how much he’d had to drink last night. “What’s up?” I asked, knowing damn well what he was there for.

“Clay said to give him a few minutes. Gran called and is reaming him out for not coming to see her this weekend, which may take a little while. He flagged me down in the hall, said he would have texted but he’s too busy groveling,” he chuckled. “That little woman is kind of scary.”

Damn right she was. I smiled despite myself and nodded back over my shoulder, waiting for Brant to sneak a peek at my guest.

When he did, his brows furrowed and he leaned back, mouthing, “Who is that?”

“Talia’s ex-boyfriend turned current boyfriend,” I muttered under my breath and cracked my jaw to relieve the tension created by having to utter those words about another man.

He gave me a conspiratorial look and asked, “Do I need to rent a van and buy some shovels and lye, or do you have this handled?”

I dropped my chin to my chest as I fought back laughter, my shoulders shaking despite my best efforts. I was quickly learning that Brant didn’t have to say much to make an impact. When I was sure I could speak without laughter bubbling out, I told him, “I got this one, dude. I appreciate the offer, though. But you can help me distract Clay for a little longer in case I need time to find a wood-chipper or whatever? Say half an hour? Tell him I’m on the phone with my sister. He knows how long-winded she is.”

Brant gave me a quick nod and headed off back the way he came.

I turned back to my unexpected guest and folded myself into the wing-back chair across from him. “So, let’s hear what you thought was so damned important.”

“Talia lied,” he said simply, taking another sip of his water. “She’s not with me. Never was. Never will be.”

I sat up woodenly. “Don’t try to play me, Derek. I saw you together, remember?”

“You saw her telling me goodbye and wishing me well after I practically begged for her forgiveness for what I did when we were in college. Nothing more.” He frowned at me, a disbelieving look on his face. “You honestly believed a woman like Talia would cheat?”

“When it’s right in front of my face and she’s admitting to it, what reason do I have not to believe it?” I countered.

“Because you should know her better than that. A man who truly loves her would have known. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here. Because I thought you were the real deal and now I’m not so sure.”

I sat with my elbows braced on my knees, hands fisted together. “And what difference does it make to you? Either she was telling the truth and you already have her, or she was lying and you’ll
never
have her. Either way, how I feel about her shouldn’t make one damn bit of difference to you.”