Читать книгу Saving Alyssa - Loree Lough - Страница 12

CHAPTER FOUR

BILLIE SAT AT her desk, trying to get comfortable as she keyed in html code on a client’s website. Not an easy feat with one foot propped on an open file drawer. She missed her exercise ball, but since the accident, she’d had to make do with her old, non-ergonomically correct chair. That alone, she thought, hobbling toward the kitchen, was incentive enough to keep the ankle iced and elevated, per doctor’s orders.

The doorbell rang as she grabbed a fresh ice pack. According to the wall clock, it was nearly nine o’clock.

“What kind of nut drops by unannounced at this time of night?”

A peek through the front door’s sidelights told her: Troy, the oldest of her twin brothers, dodging moths drawn by the porch light.

She threw open the door. “Holy smokes, Troy, what are you doing here?”

“I, ah...” He chuckled quietly. “Good to see you, too.”

“Sorry. That didn’t come out right at all.” She wrapped him in a hug. “I’m just surprised to see you.” Stepping aside, Billie waved him into the foyer and tried not to stare as he dragged a big, bulging suitcase inside. “Good grief. Is there a body in there, or are you planning a trip around the world?”

He looked at the bag and shrugged. “I kinda left in a hurry, and just jammed stuff in there.”

“Uh-oh. What’s up?”

“Can we talk about it later?”

“How much later?”

“Feed me, and maybe I’ll feel like dredging up the bad news.”

“Always the tough guy, huh?” Billie pointed toward the hall. “You know where to stow your gear.” On the way to the guest room, he nodded toward the home office space she’d fashioned in one corner of the living room. “I’ll stay out of your hair. Promise. You keep designing those websites as if I wasn’t even here. This is temporary. I just need to get my head straight before I go ho—” He cleared his throat. “Before I go back...” he frowned slightly “...to Philly.”

He’d started to say home, and changed his mind. That worried her almost as much as the notion that her big, rough-tough marine brother, who’d earned a Purple Heart and a Silver Star in Afghanistan, had come here to hide. But from what? She hobbled alongside him and pointed at the hideous black soft cast the E.R. doctor had prescribed. “I’d never admit it to anyone else, but my ankle is killing me.” Silently, she acknowledged that if Noah Preston hadn’t insisted on driving her home earlier, it would hurt a whole lot more.

“What did you do to yourself this time?”

“Took a curve too fast during a race,” she said, limping along behind him. “You can have your Superman and Captain America. My hero is the tree that kept me from going over the edge.”

He rolled the suitcase into the guest room’s closet. “You’ve fixed the place up real nice. Hard to believe it’s only been a year since you moved in,” he said, glancing around. Then, pointing at her ankle, Troy said, “Let me guess. You’re planning to go out again, next chance you get.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I love cycling.” It had saved her, in more ways than one. But since Troy knew that almost as well as she did, Billie saw no need to remind him of those awful, scary months following the stillbirth.

“Maybe I’ll get a bike and go with you, see if riding can fix what’s wrong with my life, too.”

The sadness in his voice wasn’t lost on Billie.

“Another fight with Victoria?”

He only shook his head.

“You’re way too good for her,” Billie said. “I never understood what you saw in—”

“Do me a favor and drop it, okay?”

She took one look at his all-business expression and decided to press him for details later, after he’d had a meal and a good night’s sleep. “You still driving that small convertible?”

“Yeah....”

“Then we’re in luck. I traded my car for a small pickup, and it came with a double bike rack. I know where we can get you a great mountain bike, too...if Victoria hasn’t talked you into another cruise or something.”

“Billie, c’mon. Give it a rest, will ya? You don’t hear me asking when you last talked to that idiot you married, or how you can afford this place after caving to avoid a confrontation with the jerk—who took way more than he deserved in the divorce settlement—if you ask me. Or if you regret giving up your job as a flight attendant just because Chuck the Pilot didn’t like you being in the air when he wasn’t.” Her brother took a breath and plowed on. “Or if you’re sorry you left Philly, where the baby is buried.”

“Okay. All right. I get the message. I’m sorry! If I’d known you would bring up every awful thing in my past, I never would have—”

“I’m the one who’s sorry.”

And he looked it.

“I have a good mind,” she said, pretending to pout, “not to show you where the extra hangers and clean towels are.”

Troy laughed halfheartedly. “You’d only be punishing yourself....” Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, “Now show me what you’ve done with the place since we moved you in.”

Billie gave him a tour of the five-room cottage, and then headed to the kitchen to pour two glasses of iced tea. Troy carried the tumblers and followed her to the back deck, where she flopped onto a lounge chair.

“I can’t believe how much you did in such a short time,” her brother said. “The folks made it sound like you were living in an unfurnished shoebox.” He sat on the other lounge chair. “If I could find a place like this, I might never go back.”

Evidently, things with his fiancée were worse than Billie had thought. “I know you’re vulnerable right now, so maybe this isn’t the best time to tell you there are at least two houses for sale within walking distance.”

He didn’t comment, and instead gestured to her small, fenced-in yard. “Did you plant all that stuff?”

“Artfully dodged, Jack Dawson,” she teased. “And to answer your question, yes, I planted all that stuff. Gardening is way cheaper than a therapist.”

Troy reached across the space between them and squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you’re doing well. You had us worried there for a while.”

“Us. What a laugh. I know the rest of the family meant well, but you were the only one who was really there for me after Chuck dumped me.” She returned the squeeze. “And whether you like it or not, I intend to be there for you, too.”

“I’m countin’ on it.” He leaned back, crossed one ankle over the other. “So are you seeing anybody?”

“Between the web design business and cycling, there isn’t time for stuff like that,” she answered. “Besides, I’m not exactly girlfriend material.”

“Yet.”

Billie only shrugged. Thankfully, he hadn’t quoted their parents: “It’s been two years, Billie. You need to get hold of yourself. Put Chuck in the past and move forward with your life.”

She had moved forward. New home, new job, new friends and hobbies. But she was far from ready to consider a new man in her life.

Troy stared up at the sky. “Yeah, this is great, all right.”

His stomach rumbled, and he explained, “Like I said, I left in a hurry.”

“What say I make us each a sandwich?”

Inside, he sat at the bar counter as she assembled the ingredients. “It’s almost as if you knew I was coming,” he noted.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Ham and Swiss on rye toast is my favorite sandwich, too, remember.”

They ate in a comfortable silence.

Billie thought of how their parents didn’t seem to have any trouble airing their grievances. Clearly, it was a trait she and Troy hadn’t inherited. He rarely talked about his overseas assignments, and even when he did, the discussions were tip of the iceberg, at best. Except for that night several months after the stillbirth, when he’d come to make sure she was all right. It had been the two-year anniversary of the roadside bomb that had wiped out all but four men in his unit.

“So how’s the website business?”

“I’m doing well enough to keep the wolf from the door.”

“I didn’t see the Cannondale anywhere around,” he said. “Did you wreck it in the accident?”

“It’s a little scratched and dented, but not totaled.” She remembered all the repairs Noah had told her he’d make. “The guy at the bike shop might need to order parts, but,” she said, pointing at the ankle, “I’m not going anywhere for a while, anyway. From the way he talked, it didn’t sound expensive. At least, I hope it won’t be. I hate to dip into the savings I’ve squirreled away for real emergencies.”

“Real emergencies?”

“The furnace is on its last legs, and so’s the water heater. And in a year or two, I’ll probably need a new roof.”

“Sounds like you’re planning to make Ellicott City your permanent home.”

Billie shrugged. “I guess I am.” She looked around at the mismatched flea market lamps she’d rewired, the cushiony sofa she’d reupholstered, the glass-topped coffee table she’d made from an old wire spool. Billie didn’t even care that “shabby chic” wasn’t chic anymore, because piece by piece, she’d rebuilt her life, just as she’d rebuilt the bar counter in the kitchen.

“Mom won’t be happy to hear you’re not coming home. She figured you would...eventually.”

“Soon as that twin of yours and his wife have a couple of kids, she’ll have happier things to distract her. Besides, this is the last place Chuck will think to look for me.”

“Todd and Dani aren’t planning to have kids for another year or two. Besides,” Troy added, “after accusing you of getting pregnant on purpose to justify cheating on you? Even Chuck isn’t stupid enough to get in touch with you.”

Billie harrumphed.

Her brother paused, then turned in his chair. “Whoa. Are you saying he did?”

“No. I haven’t heard from him since the house sold. I just don’t want him adding insult to injury by calling to say he sold all our furniture.”

“Or worse,” Troy added, “to announce that scuzzball he left you for is pregnant.”

That hurt far worse than Billie cared to admit.

“I still can’t believe he got more upset about losing your half of the house than about losing the baby.”

Billie shook her head. “Why would that upset him? He never wanted her.” Heart pounding with the bitter memory, she said, “He never believed she was his, anyway.”

“That’s bull. You know it, I know it and that no-good piece of garbage knows it.”

“There’s ice cream in the freezer,” she said, interrupting his tirade. “What’ll it be? Ice cream sandwich or chocolate marshmallow swirl?”

He glanced at the clock. “Ice cream. At ten-thirty. You’re kidding, right?”

She started for the fridge. “If we’re gonna be up all hours, rehashing our sad pasts, I want something to sweeten the atmosphere.”

“Our sad pasts,” he echoed. “If that means you expect me to spill my guts about what happened between Victoria and me...”

“I’m going to get it out of you sooner or later,” Billie said matter-of-factly.

“You still a fan of the evening news?”

“Are you still a jarhead?”

She knew what he’d say, and Troy didn’t disappoint: “Once a marine, always a marine.”

But ten minutes into the late-night news, he was dozing, one arm crooked over his face as he sprawled on the couch. The scene reminded her of happier times with her twin brothers. “Lost my job,” he said at last, without moving.

“No way. Why? Your boss loved you! I was there, remember, when he announced you were the new regional manager. Is he having money troubles?”

“No, he’s doing great. I’m the one who’s having troubles. Not money troubles, but...” Troy levered himself up on one elbow. “I just couldn’t live the lie anymore.”

“What lie?”

“Don’t get me wrong—I care about Victoria—but I’m not in love with her. I know you believe she thought of me as nothing more than a paycheck, but she’s really a great gal, and deserves to be with someone who’s crazy about her.”

He sat up, leaned both elbows on his knees and clasped his hands in the space between. “So I sat her down and told her the truth, then gave the boss two weeks’ notice. No big surprise...she gave me the weekend to clear out.”

Billie sat beside him. “Why do I get the impression all of this happened a long time ago?”

“Not that long,” he said dully. “Just two weeks.”

“You left the house two weeks ago?”

He nodded.

“Troy! Where have you been staying all this time?” She gave his shoulder a sisterly punch. “And why didn’t you call me!”

“I’ve been in a hotel. And don’t give me that ‘why didn’t you go to Mom and Dad’s’ nonsense. You know the answer to that even better than I do.” He heaved a deep sigh. “As for why I didn’t call you, I could say it was because I didn’t want to heap my troubles on top of yours, but that would be a lie. Truth is...I’m ashamed of myself.”

“Why?”

“I let things go on way too long. I kept telling myself that once she got to know me— really know me—she’d break it off. Who knew she’d do the old head-over-heels thing?” He groaned quietly. “She deserves better. A whole lot better.”

“So it’s really over between you two?”

“Yeah.” He hung his head and whispered, “Yeah, and it’s best for Victoria.”

For the first time since they’d entered adulthood, Billie felt more centered and mature than her big, rough-tough marine brother.

“Sorry I misjudged her,” she admitted. “Sorry I wasn’t there for you, too.”

Billie slid an arm around his waist and simply held him, and after a moment, Troy disentangled himself and got to his feet.

“You sure it’s okay if I crash here for a while?”

“Stay as long as you need to. Tomorrow I’ll give you a copy of the front door key.” She looked up at him. “Have you told Mom and Dad where you’ll be?”

“I’ll call them tomorrow.”

Billie stood, too. “And what about Victoria? Does she know where you are?”

He nodded. “She’s going to call once the house is sold.” Troy gave a halfhearted chuckle. “Ironic, isn’t it, since I only bought the place because she was so crazy about it.”

It seemed to Billie he must have loved Victoria, at least at first.

“I guess she’s taking a page from your book, Billie—sell, move forward, don’t look back.”

“And so should you. Whether you want to admit it or not, what you did was a gesture of love.”

“How so?”

“Some guys might have waited until after the wedding, when a child or two might be involved. She’s hurt now, but someday she’ll realize how much more it would have hurt if you hadn’t been honest.”

“How’d you get so smart?”

“Runs in the family, I guess.”

Troy yawned and stretched. “Well, I’m beat. Think I’ll turn in.”

“Good idea. You know what Mom says....”

“Things always look better in the morning,” they said together.

Laughing, Billie gave him a shove. “See you tomorrow, then...y’big softie.”

“Better watch it, tough girl. I still have fifty pounds and eleven inches on you.”

At the guest room door, he kissed her forehead. “You’re a lifesaver, kid.”

“Guess that runs in the family, too.”

Troy nodded.

“If you need anything,” she said as his door swung closed, “make yourself at home.”

“Thanks. I will.”

The latch clicked as she whispered, “Sweet dreams.”