The Negotiator (33 page)

“Good. Let’s go find something to eat.”

An hour later, they were seated at a café in Chatswood Chase, a busy and popular shopping center not far from Cally’s house. They’d eaten and were enjoying coffee. Both were relaxed and sated.

“Tell me about your years in foster care,” Cally murmured, reaching for his hand.

Her question came from nowhere. He frowned and almost pulled his hand away, but then sighed. If they were going to spend their future together, it was only right that he shared his past—all of it.

“For the first few years, I drifted in and out of foster homes. I was never in any one of them for long. A teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder is hard to place. By the time I was sixteen, I was living on the streets.” He said it dispassionately, but the memories were still real. The memory of constant hunger was one he’d never forget.

“How did you cope?”

“I scavenged out of trash cans and begged for food at the back door of local restaurants. There was never much, but it kept me alive.”

Cally’s expression reflected her dismay. “Where did you sleep?”

He compressed his lips. “Under the railway bridge with other lost souls. The winters were the worst. The temperatures often plummeted below zero.” He shook his head. “I look back now and wonder how in hell I survived. I’m alive because of the kindness of Sergeant Harry Walsh and his wife, Allison. They saved my life.”

Memories of his years with the couple flooded his mind and his chest tightened. They’d been more a father and mother to him than his own and he’d be forever grateful that the local sergeant had picked him up outside the Caltex gas station one night and offered to buy him a meal.

“What happened?” Cally whispered.

“They took me in and straightened me out. When I was old enough, Harry helped me apply for the police service.”

“Are they still in Tamworth?”

“No, they were killed in a car accident about four years ago.”

“Oh, Andy!” Cally exclaimed, her eyes welling with tears. He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought off his own wave of emotion.

“I buried them side by side in Tamworth Cemetery. It’s what they wanted.”

Silence fell between them. A little while later, Andy cleared his throat and squeezed Cally’s hand. “I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve had a rough time of it, but then, so have you. We don’t get to choose the life we’re given and let’s face it, a lot of people do it tough. Sometimes adversity even makes us stronger, more determined and we achieve things we could never have imagined otherwise. Just look at you.”

She smiled and brought his hand up to her lips and pressed a kiss against it. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

Andy filled his lungs and eased it out, his heart lightening with every second. “Maybe. But I’m happy to hear it again. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.”

* * *

After lunch, they sauntered through the mall, looking at the shops and other things on display. Neither of them were of a mind to purchase anything, and they returned home quickly. Inevitably, they found themselves back in Andy’s bed. Sometime later, Cally struggled awake and her eyes gradually focused on the clock on Andy’s nightstand.

“Oh, my goodness! Look at the time? I have to go and collect Jack!” Scrambling off the rumpled bed, she hastily went around picking her scattered clothing off the floor. Andy lay with his head propped on his elbow grinning up at her, a satisfied expression on his face.

“So that’s it? You ride me like there’s no tomorrow and then jump off with barely a good-bye kiss? Talk about wham, bam, thank you ma’am! I thought that was the guy’s job?”

She spared him a brief glance and hastily picked up the rest of her clothing. With the pieces gathered in her arms, she sauntered over and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his mouth.

“Thank you,
wham bam.
” She grinned cheekily. “Maybe we can do that again sometime.”

He grinned back at her. “I live in hope.”

“You and me both.” She smiled. “But right now, I have to get Jack. Penny will be wondering where I am.”

“Speaking of going, I have to be at work in a couple of hours.”

Cally looked back at him, surprised. “You’re working tonight? I thought you were on a day off?”

“Technically, I am. My shift doesn’t start until six. It will be Monday morning when I finish.”

She bit her lip and tried to stifle her disappointment. Her gaze rested on his naked chest, already longing for him again. “Well, it’s lucky I got to spend the time with you,” she teased. “It sounds like you’re going to be busy.”

“Never too busy for you, sweetheart. Anytime you feel the need, just knock on my door. I’ll find the energy from somewhere.”

Heat exploded across her face. Andy grinned, unashamed.

She ducked her head. “Okay, I’m really going now.” She turned and headed toward the kitchen. She could still hear his chuckle as she walked down the corridor to her room to dress.

* * *

Amidst calls of thanks and another round of farewells to Penny Baker and her son, Cally ushered Jack to the car. No sooner had the door closed behind her, than he leaned forward, his face alight with curiosity.

“Where’s Andy, Mom? Is he at home?”

Cally checked her rearview mirror before pulling away from the curb. She glanced back at Jack. “He was when I left, honey, but he’s working tonight. He might have gone by now. His shift starts shortly.”

Jack’s face fell in disappointment and Cally couldn’t help but feel a pang. Her boy had grown close to Andy and she couldn’t be happier. She only hoped Jack’s fondness would extend to being pleased when she told him Andy was there to stay.

Nerves jangled in her belly. She wanted to tell Jack about Andy’s proposal, but she wasn’t quite sure how to do it. It was clear he liked Andy, but that didn’t mean he wanted him permanently in his life. It wasn’t long ago that Andy had moved in as a roommate. Now, she was about to tell Jack he was there to stay.

“So, how was the sleepover?” The words tumbled out of her mouth and she winced at her cowardice.

“It was great. Jimmy and I got to watch TV until ten last night and this morning, we went to the Aquarium. You should have seen the sharks, Mom! They were absolutely huge. I can’t wait to tell Andy all about it.”

Emotion tugged at her heartstrings and she cast around once again for a way to broach the subject. “You really enjoy having Andy around, don’t you?”

“You bet! He took us to the beach and he showed me and Jimmy how to snorkel. He even bought us ice cream. I can’t wait to tell him about the Aquarium.”

“I like having Andy around, too.”

Through the rearview mirror, she saw Jack staring out the window. His expression didn’t change. She was going to have to be a bit more direct.

“You know, Jack, Andy and I really like each other. Over the last few days, we’ve done a lot of talking and… We’ve decided we’d both like to spend more time together.”

“You and Andy like each other? That’s great, Mom. I like Andy, too.”

Her heart tightened at his innocence. She grimaced and tried again. “Jack, what do you think about Andy moving in permanently?”

“Permanently? What do you mean, ‘permanently’?”

“Oh, you know, like he’d live with us forever.”

“Forever? Like never going back to his own place?” His eyes swam with confusion.

“Yes, honey. Like forever.” She flicked her eyes back to him. “We
really
like each other, Jack.”

“Like you want to kiss him? Is that what you mean?”

Cally started coughing to cover her embarrassment. Someone had probably written a how-to book about breaking this kind of news to children. She wished she’d taken the time to read one. She could have done with some advice on it right about now. Determined to see it through, she pushed her embarrassment aside and strove for a casual tone.

“Sometimes, when grown-ups
really
like each other, they do kiss. It makes them feel good and lets them show that they care.”

“Like when you kiss me?”

“Yes, kind of like that. And grown-ups usually sleep in the same bed.”

His brow furrowed. “I saw Jimmy’s mom and dad kissing last night. They sleep in the same bed.” He turned his head to look at her. “Is that what you and Andy want to do?”

She sighed softly in relief. It looked like he’d finally understood. “Yes, honey, that’s what Andy and I would like to do. That’s if it’s okay with you?”

From the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug. “I guess so. But don’t you have to be married to sleep in the same bed as someone else? Jimmy’s mom and dad are married.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She’d intended to leave the marriage talk for another day, after he’d had time to get used to the idea of her and Andy together, but if he was prepared to talk about it, it would be best to deal with it now.

“Actually, Andy and I have talked about marriage. Would you mind if we got married?” She waited for his reaction, her stomach taut with nerves.

Jack’s face turned serious and once again he looked out the window. She held her tongue, wanting to give him time to come to terms with the idea. As she turned into their driveway and brought the car to a halt, he turned back to face her. “If you and Andy get married, does that mean he’ll be my dad?”

Her heart melted at the earnestness on his face. “Would you like it if Andy was your dad?”

He nodded hesitantly. “I think so. I’ve never had a dad,” he replied quietly. “If Andy became my dad, I’d have someone to bring to school on Father’s Day.”

Her throat tightened. She fought back tears. On some level, she’d always known he was missing out by not having a father. She’d tried so hard to compensate for the absence of one in his life by loving him with every atom of her being and, until recently, she’d even managed to convince herself that it hadn’t mattered.

And here they were.

One of the reasons she’d invited Andy into her home was because of Jack. She couldn’t believe how well things had turned out. If she’d known how wonderful it was going to be, she’d have tried taking in a male boarder years ago.

A denial immediately rose up in her throat. It wasn’t about having
any
man in their life. It was about Andy.

As images of him bending down to kiss her filled her head, she distractedly brought the car to a stop in front of her garage. His car was gone, of course, and she couldn’t help the pang of disappointment that he’d already left for work. It was followed quickly by a slight twinge of irritation at how quickly her emotions had become governed by the presence or absence of a particular male. Knowing she couldn’t do anything about her traitorous heart, she gave herself a mental shrug and turned back to face Jack.

“I’m so pleased you’re happy about Andy, honey. He makes me really happy, too.”

“I can’t wait to tell Jimmy and the other boys. They won’t be able to tease me anymore about not having a dad.”

The pain of his words penetrated her heart at the same time they registered in her mind. She had no idea he’d been tormented about not having a father. He’d never once said anything…

Anger boiled up inside her at the injustice of it. She gritted her teeth and forced an even tone. “Who’s been teasing you, sweetheart?”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “I dunno, Mom. Just some of the kids at school. You know how it is.” He looked away.

“How long has it been going on?”

He shrugged again and continued to stare out the window. “I dunno. I’ve always been teased about it.”

She thought about what he said and frowned. “You mean, right from
kindergarten
? Is that what you’re saying? Even when we were living in
Armidale
?”

“Especially then,” Jack mumbled. “The kids in Armidale seemed to know more about my dad than
I
did, especially some of the older ones.”

She caught the glint of tears in his eyes and her heart broke. How could she have been oblivious to what he’d been going through for years? Had she been so caught up in her own misery and then later, with her concerns over her aunt, that she’d failed to see what had been happening to him?

Pressing the button to release her seatbelt, she opened the door of the old Toyota and stepped out of the car. Pulling open the back door, she slid across the seat to where he sat and pulled him into her arms.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry,” she whispered against his hair. “I had no idea.”

Jack’s shoulders began to shake and tears ran down his cheeks. He buried his face against her shoulder. He sobbed like his heart was breaking and Cally felt his pain deep inside her.
How could she ever make it up to him?

She’d done the best she could. Did all she knew how to do. It wasn’t about making it up to him, it was about moving forward in a new direction. With Andy at her side.

Her arms tightened around him. Soothing him with mindless murmurs of comfort, she pressed kisses against his hair and prayed the guilt that threatened to overwhelm her wouldn’t destroy them.

The ringing of a cell phone startled her. The sound was so foreign, it took her awhile to realize it came from inside her handbag where it lay on the front passenger seat of the car. Andy was the only one who knew the number.

Her heart leaped in excitement and her lips tugged upward in a wry smile.
Yep, she was a goner, for sure.
Her young son was crying his heart out in her arms and yet she still couldn’t help the spike in her pulse at the thought of speaking to Andy again.

Knowing she couldn’t do anything about answering the call, she listened to it ring out before it stopped, diverted to her voicemail. She found herself hoping he would leave a message and couldn’t help the relief that surged through her when the phone beeped to indicate one had been received.

He’d helped set up her voice mailbox the night he’d given it to her and he’d also issued some brief instructions on how to use it. As soon as she had Jack settled, she’d listen to his message and try not to miss him too much.

Jack’s sobs had quieted to the occasional sniffle. She lifted his chin until his eyes met hers. “I love you so much, Jack Savage. I’m not sure what you heard about your dad, but the truth is, I loved him then too. Things didn’t work out between us, but you know what? It didn’t matter because I had you. My beautiful gift from God. My son who I love with all my heart.”