Their Secret Bargain Read online

  “I thought I might find you here. She’s gone, huh?”

  Garret settled himself on the stool beside Nick. Someone bumped into him from the other side and he turned to find Ethan smirking. “What are you two doing here? How’d you get in?”

  “You’re not the only night owl around here,” his uncle said from behind.

  Nick turned and found his father walking up slowly beside his brother. “Hey, Uncle C., how’s the hip?”

  “Just a bruise. Enough to make me feel old, though.”

  His father and uncle made themselves comfortable at the closest table. Nick leaned his back against the bar, waiting for the wave of awkwardness to hit as it always did whenever he had to face his family. Seconds passed but it didn’t happen. Not all of it, anyway. “What’s going on?”

  “The women are all still over at Garret’s fussing over the perfect placement of wedding presents, hanging curtains and the like. Poor Matt’s stuck right in the middle of it, but he still wanted to stay because of the food. We thought we’d come keep you company while you closed up.”

  Nick made note of his father’s anxious expression, as if he was afraid Nick would take off—as he normally did when the family gathered together. He wasn’t in the mood for this, but where would he go? As with the nights Matt had spent in the hospital, Nick didn’t want to go home alone.

  “Wanna play some Texas Hold ’Em?” Uncle C. asked with an optimistic grin. “Come on, boys, let’s have some fun.”

  His brothers got up and joined the older men at the table.

  “Nick?” His father watched him closely. “You’re not playing?”

  “Not tonight.”

  “That girl’s got you pinin’ for her, huh?” Uncle Cyrus scratched his balding head. “You should’ve gone with her.” A frown formed on his face. “I keep tellin’ you that you need to take one of those trips. Why don’t you ever go anywhere? You’d like it. Me and Dorothy love going on those all-inclusive trips.”

  “I haven’t gone because…I couldn’t read.” He blurted it out all at once, as surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth as the men in his family were to hear them. He cleared his throat, looked away, and then focused on his father, noticing he was the color of a dirty gray mop. “That’s why I dropped out. I couldn’t read.”

  A quick, sweeping glance of the others showed him Garret’s mouth gaping open.

  Realizing it, Garret quickly shut his trap and shook his head. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I didn’t know why I couldn’t do what I was supposed to do. I tried. Studied. I didn’t want to admit I felt too stupid to learn.”

  “You’re not stupid,” his father growled angrily.

  “One of the smartest men I know,” Uncle Cyrus added. “Boy, you’ve got a business mind like no one I’ve ever known.”

  Ethan frowned. “So are you saying you’re dyslexic?”

  His father’s fist hit the table and he looked sick to his stomach. “How did you find out?”

  “Jennifer Rose,” Ethan murmured. “She’s got something to do with this, doesn’t she?”

  Nick nodded.

  “That’s what she’s been doing this summer? I thought there was something serious going on between the two of you?”

  “There is,” his father told them all. “Nick told me it was serious.”

  “When was this?”

  “At the ball game.”

  “Matt’s playing ball with a broken leg?”

  “Just hanging out with his team. And we were serious,” Nick corrected. “But last night I told Jenn it was…over.”

  A roar of outrage blasted through the restaurant.

  “Darcy’s not going to believe this.”

  “I thought you loved Jenn?”

  “You told me to stay away from her.” Ethan glared at him for that one.

  “That girl would be a mighty fine catch.” Uncle Cyrus wiped a hand over his nose. “You sure you wanna call things off?”

  He focused on his uncle’s first comment and ignored the rest. “Jenn is a good woman.”

  “Then why break up?” Garret asked.

  Nick turned away, grabbed his bottle of water and walked over to the jukebox. “Jenn wrote a paper for her human-development class at the university. It was about learning and relationships and how they tie together.”

  “And she used you in it,” Garret deduced. “You didn’t know?”

  He shrugged. “I knew she was going to write about the research she’d done, trying to figure out what was wrong with me and Matt, but…”

  “Something’s wrong with Matt?” His father shoved himself to his feet. “Nick, why didn’t you tell us?”

  “He’s fine. He had some trouble in school, but Jenn’s got him up to speed.”

  “But you two have the same problem,” Ethan pressed. “Is that what you’re getting at?”

  Nick dug deep for patience. “Yeah. Something called Irlen Syndrome.” He explained what he knew about it and told them how the colored plastic sheets helped.

  “So now you can read? The words make sense because of a piece of plastic?” Ethan shook his head, the doctor in him clearly skeptical.

  “Yeah. Jenn…” Just saying her name made him miss her even more. “She said that since I listened to so many books on tape and worked in a business setting, my reading skills had developed anyway, compared to someone who dropped out and just stopped trying to cope.”

  “’Course they did,” Uncle Cyrus said.

  Nick’s father moved over to where he stood and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Nick. I was so busy yelling at you to do better, I didn’t think to stop and ask why you weren’t.”

  “You were frustrated. Just like I was with Matt.”

  He squeezed Nick’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son.” Hesitating a brief moment, he pulled Nick into his arms and pounded him on the back, tears choking his words. “I’m proud of you. You didn’t…You didn’t behave like I did.”

  When his father let him go, Nick turned to face the rest of the group. “The reason I’m telling you this is because everybody is going to know once the paper makes the rounds. It probably won’t take long for people to figure out that Matt and I were her guinea pigs.”

  “That’s why you broke up with her?” Uncle Cyrus asked. “You need a thicker skin, son.”

  “Did she use your names?”

  It figured that as an attorney Garret would be concerned with something like that. “No. She refers to us as the ‘case subject’ and the ‘subject’s son,’ but everyone will know since they’ve seen us together all summer. She had no right to make a private matter public. Matt’s going to be embarrassed.”

  “Matt—or you?” His uncle studied him, his gaze shrewd.

  “No father wants his son to think less of him,” his father murmured. “I understand that.”

  The weight on Nick’s shoulders grew heavy. “It’ll be like before. Which is why I…thought I should warn you before you heard it from someone else.”

  With an arm around Nick’s shoulders, Alan Tulane turned to face the others. “But this time isn’t the same, is it, boys?”

  His uncle and brothers shook their heads in unison and Nick felt that he might just lose it.

  “We’ve got your back, Nick—don’t worry about it. I’m glad you finally told us.” Garret sat forward in his chair. “But what happens now? When are you going to call and make up with Jenn? I have to know, because that’ll be the first question Darcy will ask me when I tell her the news.”

  “Your mother, too. Do you love her, son?”

  Nick didn’t have to think about that question for long. Despite his anger, he missed her and he wanted her. “I couldn’t see straight last night.”

  “And today?”

  He wiped a hand over his face. “Yeah, I love her. She has a boatload of baggage left over from her marriage to Dixon and from her family. She doesn’t feel…worthy. But I know deep down she wanted to help ot
her people like me. Jenn’s like that.”

  “But what if she does something like this again?” Ethan asked him. “What then? You were mad at us for years. Are you saying you can forgive her just like that?”

  Garret silenced Ethan with a glare. “You’d know something about relationships, if you ever kept a woman around long enough to have one.”

  “Boys.”

  Nick smiled grimly. “I don’t think Jenn would ever do something like this again. Not after my reaction yesterday.”

  “So you have forgiven her?”

  Had he? Looking at the male members of his family, Nick knew it was true. He had, because he couldn’t imagine life without them—or her. Forgiveness was a process, a decision. One he’d made the moment the recording had ended. “Yeah, but I can’t say what I need to say over the phone, and she’s in the Caribbean for the next two weeks.”

  “So go to her,” Uncle Cyrus ordered. “What’re you waitin’ for?”

  “We’ll take care of Matt. No worries there, son.”

  “It hasn’t been that long since I supervised the garage,” his uncle added. “Might be fun to be in the old stomping grounds.”

  “And Garret and I can keep an eye on the gym and help Uncle C. out here.”

  He was humbled by their immediate acceptance of him after so many years of distance. But wasn’t that what they’d been trying to do all along? Get him to come back into the fold? “It won’t work. I don’t have a passport, and it takes at least three weeks to get an emergency one issued.”

  That stumped the lot of them.

  Then Uncle Cyrus snorted. “Maybe you don’t, but you do have a twin who gallivants all over the world. Why not borrow his?”

  Garret shook his head with a groan. “As an officer of the court, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. I don’t think breaking the law for love is an admissible defense.”

  “What time is it in California?” Ethan asked, taking out his cell phone. He pressed a couple of buttons and held the phone to his ear.

  They wanted him to use Luke’s passport?

  Nick and his father walked over to where the others were sitting.

  “This isn’t a good idea,” Garret muttered. “Just call her. She’ll come home.”

  “I don’t want her to come home. She needs this trip.”

  “He said he needs to talk to her in person, and using Luke’s passport is the quickest way of getting him where he needs to be,” Uncle Cyrus argued.

  Nick tugged at his ear. “I’m not sure it’ll work anyway. I don’t know how to maneuver the airports. I can’t go around holding up a piece of blue plastic everywhere. People will think I’m nuts.”

  Garret shot Ethan a baleful glare and stood up. “I have nothing to do with that,” he said, jerking his head toward Ethan. “But I can help with the other problem. You got one of those plastic things on you?”

  “Luke?” Ethan grinned. “You busy? No? Good. Have you ever been to the Caribbean?”

  Chapter 22

  JENN LET HERSELF INTO her hotel room and waved goodbye to the two sisters she’d met on the beach. Originally from West Virginia, the sisters had married and started careers, but they got together once a year for a sisters-only vacation.

  Padding over to the balcony, she unlocked the patio doors and slid them open, letting the salt-laden breeze drift in. The view of the ocean was indescribable, a blue so clear and perfect it…

  Reminded her of Nick’s eyes? Fresh tears stung her lids and she blinked rapidly. She was not going to cry. She’d done enough of that lying in bed last night, listening to the surf crash against the shore.

  What was Nick doing? Was he still furious with her? She missed him with every breath she took, and she’d picked up the phone a half dozen times to call him, only to set it down again. If he wanted to call her, he would.

  This morning she’d walked the beach in her bathing suit without wearing a coverup. She’d sat by the pool and ordered one of those fruity drinks with an umbrella in it. Yeah, she was slowly finding her diva side. If only Nick were here to—

  Stop it! It’s bad enough that you’re here with a broken heart. Don’t make it worse by calling Nick only to hear him hang up on you. Pining is useless.

  Sighing deeply, she entered her room and walked over to her closet. She was supposed to meet the sisters in the lobby in an hour. She had to shower and get ready, not to mention work up the nerve to dance. That was the plan for the evening. Meet the sisters downstairs and dance.

  Like nobody’s watching.

  Forty-seven minutes later, she stared in the mirror and put the finishing touches on her makeup. Just in time. She grabbed a small purse from the table, checked for lipstick, keycard and some cash and made her way into the hall.

  Downstairs she flashed the two women a smile, appreciating the way they let her tag along on their night of fun and considering them safe enough since both were married and only inclined to dance and enjoy themselves. She wasn’t in the mood to pick up a man. Perhaps not ever again.

  Music throbbed and vibrated, and inside the club Jenn smiled and nodded as they headed toward an available table near the dance floor. A waiter flirted with them, but Jenn didn’t flirt back. It hurt too much.

  “Ooh, I love this song. Come on, Jenn!”

  Laughing at the others, she automatically shook her head. “We just ordered drinks.” That was her wallflower excuse for the next five songs. Finally the sisters glanced at each other, downed their drinks and grabbed Jenn’s hands, pulling her out and into a throng of dancers. Jenn took a deep breath, her body all arms and legs and no coordination—until she remembered why she was there.

  She wasn’t Jennifer Rose, the overweight, boring teacher. She was Jenn, the fun-loving, gotta-dance diva who’d planned this trip for years, paid good money for it and was bound and determined to enjoy herself. Somehow.

  Another breath left Jenn laughing, her feet moving in time to the beat. Body swaying, arms lifted, she raised her face to the sparkling lights overhead and danced. It was fast and fun and furious. And while she was a far cry from being good at it, she wasn’t the worst one on the dance floor. Why had she waited all this time? This wasn’t so hard. Never again would she hesitate to open herself up to new experiences. If she wanted to do something, try something, she was going to do it. Why worry about what people would say? There was only one power she’d ever answer to.

  “That guy is sooo checking you out!” The blond sister yelled in Jenn’s ear, dragging her back to reality. “And he’s gorgeous. Go talk to him.”

  She shook her head automatically. “I’m not interested.”

  “Are you nuts? Look at him!”

  Still moving in time with the music, she turned her head toward where her new friend waved and froze. Impossible. It wasn’t Nick. Her eyes were playing tricks on her, because it couldn’t be him. He was angry at her. He wasn’t there. Could it be Luke?

  No. No, she felt the sizzle of excitement, the butterflies in her stomach. Things she only experienced with Nick.

  Blaming her imagination and wishful thoughts, she continued dancing until the song ended and another began. This one was slower, sexier, more in tune with couples than…

  “You might not be interested, but he is. He’s coming over here.”

  What? Jenn turned her head to see and there he was, moving toward her with an intense expression. “Nick?”

  “You know him?”

  She nodded, unable to take her eyes off him.

  “Dance with me?” He held out his hand.

  The sisters turned as one. “See ya!”

  Jenn found herself flush against Nick’s body, his eyes blazing as he studied her. The tempo was slow and sensual and with his silver-blue gaze holding hers, she began moving against him, loving the feel of his arms around her. If this is a dream, please don’t ever let me wake up. But the song ended too soon and a hard new dance beat gave her an instant headache.

  “Want to take a walk?” Nick yel
led.

  She nodded, completely and totally dazed by his presence.

  Outside, Nick led her toward the path to the beach. She stopped long enough to slip her heels from her feet and welcomed the feel of the sand between her toes. “It’s really you, right?”

  He flashed her a slow, tired grin. “Actually, no.”

  “Huh?”

  Pulling her to him, Nick lowered his head and kissed her, deep and hard and thorough. When he lifted his mouth from hers, he sighed. “I’m not me. According to the passport I’m traveling with, I’m Luke. It was the only way I could get here to you.”

  Her heart stopped beating, then quickened. He’d done that for her? “Why did you come?”

  “Because I love you. Jenn…I’m sorry I lost it. I overreacted.”

  “No. No, you didn’t. I should’ve talked to you about using you and Matt in my paper.”

  “I would’ve said no. Like it or not, you made me realize it was time to face facts. My grandpa always said we reap what we sow, and all the lies I’d told, all the secrets I’d kept, they were suddenly coming back to haunt me. I couldn’t escape the truth.”

  He stared into her eyes. The full moon and waves crashing against the shore made a perfect backdrop.

  “It was time I told my family what was going on, but I wouldn’t ever have done it if you hadn’t written the paper and forced me to.”

  She blinked at him. “You told your family?”

  Nick nodded. “And they were supportive—and angry that I hadn’t spoken up sooner. All these years, I was too full of myself and my pride to know they’d love me regardless.”

  “Oh, Nick.”

  “Just as I love you exactly as you are.”

  She was not going to cry. Not now when she had so many things to be happy about. “You know I’m never going to be a size six.”