Entwined with You: A Crossfire Novel

13

MAYBE IT WAS because I’d just gotten laid myself that I saw the signs on Megumi. Or maybe my sex radar, as Cary called it, wasn’t on the fritz anymore. Whatever the reason, I knew my friend had slept with the guy she’d been planning on breaking up with and I could tell she wasn’t happy about it.

“Is it on or off?” I asked leaning on the reception counter.

“Oh, I broke it off,” she said glumly. “After I hit it with him again first. I figured it’d be liberating. Plus who knows how long my next dry spell will last.”

“Are you second-guessing your decision to end it?”

“Not really. He just acted all hurt about it, like I’d used him for sex. Which I guess I did, but he’s a no-strings-attached guy. I figured he wouldn’t have a problem with a no-strings-attached nooner.”

“So now your head’s all fucked up.” I gave her a sympathetic smile. “Remember, this is the guy who hadn’t called you since Friday. He got lunch with a beautiful girl and an orgasm, not a bad deal.”

Her head canted to the side. “Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Her mood visibly lifted. “Are you working out tonight, Eva?”

“I should, but my dad’s in town and I’m playing it on his schedule. If we go, you’re welcome to tag along, but I won’t know until after work.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Is that an excuse I hear?”

Her grin was sheepish. “Maybe a little one.”

“If you want, you can come home with me after work and meet him. If he wants to work out, you can borrow something of mine to wear. If not, we can come up with something else to do.”

“I’d like that.”

“Okay, then we’re set.” It would be good for both of us. It would give my dad another look at the normalcy in my life and it would keep Megumi from torturing herself over Michael. “We’ll head out at five.”

“YOU live here?” Megumi tipped her head back to look at my apartment building. “Nice.”

Like the others on the tree-lined street, it had history and showed it off with the kinds of architectural detailing contemporary builders didn’t use anymore. The building had been updated and now sheltered residents with a modern glass overhang above the entrance. The addition meshed surprisingly well with the façade.

“Come on,” I said to her, smiling at Paul as he opened the door for us.

When we exited the elevator on my floor, I forced myself not to glance at Gideon’s door. What would it be like to take a friend home to a place I shared with Gideon?

I wanted that. Wanted to build that with him.

I unlocked my apartment and took Megumi’s purse when we stepped inside. “Make yourself at home. I’m just going to let my dad know we’re here.”

She stared wide-eyed at the open floor plan of the living room and kitchen. “This place is huge.”

“We don’t need all this room, really.”

She grinned. “But who’s going to complain?”

“Right.”

I was turning toward the hallway leading to the guest room when my mom emerged from the hall leading to my bedroom and Cary’s, which was on the opposite side of the living area. I came to a halt, startled to see her wearing my skirt and blouse. “Mom? What are you doing here?”

Her reddened eyes locked on a point somewhere around my waist, her skin pale enough to make her makeup look overdone. That was when I realized she was wearing my cosmetics, too. Although we’d been mistaken for sisters on occasion, my gray eyes and soft olive skin tone came from my dad and necessitated a different color palette than the pastels my mom used.

Queasiness spread through my stomach. “Mom?”

“I have to go.” She wouldn’t meet my gaze. “I hadn’t realized it was so late.”

“Why are you wearing my clothes?” I asked, even though I knew.

“I spilled something on my dress. I’ll get these back to you.” She rushed past me, coming to another abrupt stop when she saw Megumi.

I couldn’t move; my feet felt rooted to the carpet. My hands fisted at my sides. I knew the walk of shame when I saw it. My chest tightened with anger and disappointment.

“Hi, Monica.” Megumi came forward to give her a hug. “How are you?”

“Megumi. Hi.” My mom clearly scrambled for more to say. “It’s great to see you. I wish I could stay and hang out with you girls, but I really have to run.”

“Is Clancy here?” I asked, not having paid attention to the other vehicles on the street when I’d arrived.

“No, I’ll grab a cab.” She still didn’t look directly at me, even when she turned her head in my direction.

“Megumi, would you mind sharing a cab with my mom? I’m sorry to flake on you, but I’m suddenly not feeling well.”

“Oh, sure.” She searched my face and I could see her picking up on my change of mood. “No problem.”

My mom looked at me then and I couldn’t think of a thing to say to her. I was almost as disgusted by the look of guilt on her face as I was by the thought of her cheating on Stanton. If she was going to do it, she could at least own it.

My dad chose that moment to join us. He walked into the room dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, with bare feet and hair still damp from a shower.

As always, my luck was impeccably bad.

“Dad, this is my friend Megumi. Megumi, this is my dad, Victor Reyes.”

As my dad walked to Megumi and shook her hand, my parents gave each other a wide berth. The precaution did nothing to stop the electricity arcing between them.

“I’d thought maybe we could hang out,” I told him to fill the sudden awkward silence, “but now I’m not feeling up to it.”

“I have to go,” my mom said again, grabbing her purse. “Megumi, did you want to ride with me?”

“Yes, please.” My friend hugged me good-bye. “I’ll call you later and see how you’re feeling.”

“Thanks.” I caught her hand and squeezed it before she pulled away.

The moment the door shut behind them, I headed to my room.

My dad came after me. “Eva, wait.”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“Don’t be childish about this.”

“Excuse me?” I rounded on him. “My stepdad pays for this apartment. He wanted me to have a place with great security so I’d be safe from Nathan. Were you thinking about that when you were fucking his wife?”

“Watch your mouth. You’re still my daughter.”

“You’re right. And you know what?” I backed up toward the hallway. “I’ve never been ashamed about that until now.”

I lay on my bed and stared up the ceiling, wishing I could be with Gideon, but knowing he was in therapy with Dr. Petersen.

I texted Cary instead: I need u. Come home ASAP.

It was close to seven when the knock came on my bedroom door. “Baby girl? It’s me. Let me in.”

I rushed to open it and surged into him, hugging him tight. He picked me up so that my feet left the floor and carried me into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.

He dropped me on the bed and took a seat beside me, his arm around my shoulders. He smelled good, his cologne familiar. I leaned into him, grateful for his unconditional friendship.

After a few minutes, I told him. “My parents slept with each other.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I tilted my head back to look up at him.

He grimaced. “I heard ’em when I was heading out to the shoot this afternoon.”

“Eww.” My stomach churned.

“Yeah, doesn’t work for me, either,” he muttered. His fingers sifted through my hair. “Your dad’s on the couch looking beat. Did you say something to him?”

“Unfortunately. I was mean, and now I’m feeling awful about it. I need to talk to him but it’s weird, because the person I’m feeling most loyal to is Stanton. I don’t even like the guy half the time.”

“He’s been good to you, and to your mom. And getting cheated on is never cool.”

I groaned. “I’d be less freaked about it if they’d gone somewhere else. I mean, it’d still be wrong, but these are Stanton’s digs. That makes it worse.”

“It does,” he agreed.

“How would you feel about moving?”

His brows rose. “Because your parents shagged here?”

“No.” I stood and started pacing. “Security was the reason we got this place. It made sense to let Stanton help out when Nathan was a threat and safety was a priority, but now …” I looked at him. “It’s all different now. It doesn’t seem right anymore.”

“Move where? Someplace else in New York we can afford on our own? Or out of New York altogether?”

“I don’t want to leave New York,” I assured him. “Your work is here. Mine, too.”

And Gideon.

Cary shrugged. “Sure. Whatever. I’m game.”

Walking over to where he still sat on my bed, I hugged him. “Would you mind ordering something in for dinner while I talk to my dad?”

“Got anything particular in mind?”

“Nope. Surprise me.”

I joined my dad on the couch. He’d been surfing through my tablet but put it aside when I sat.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier,” I began. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Yeah, you did.” He scrubbed wearily at the back of his neck. “And I don’t blame you. I’m not proud of myself right now. And I have no excuse. I knew better. She knew better.”

Pulling my legs up, I sat facing him with my shoulder resting against the back of the sofa. “You guys have a lot of chemistry. I know what that’s like.”

He shot me an examining glance, his gray eyes stormy and serious. “You have that with Cross. I saw it when he came over for dinner. Are you going to try to work things out with him?”

“I’d like to. Would you have a problem with that?”

“Does he love you?”

“Yes.” My mouth curved. “But more than that, I’m … necessary to him. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me.”

“So why aren’t you together?”

“Well … it’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always?” he said ruefully. “Listen. You should know … I’ve loved your mother since the moment I saw her. What happened today shouldn’t have happened, but it meant something to me.”

“I get it.” I reached for his hand. “So what happens now?”

“I head home tomorrow. Try to get my head on straight.”

“Cary and I were talking about coming out to San Diego the weekend after next. We thought we’d drop in and just hang out. See you and Dr. Travis.”

“Did you talk to Travis about what happened to you?”

“Yes. You saved my life hooking me up with him,” I said honestly. “I can’t thank you enough for that. Mom had been sending me to all these stuffy shrinks and I just couldn’t connect with any of them. I felt like a case study. Dr. Travis made me feel like I was normal. Plus I met Cary.”

“Are you two done talking about me?” As if on cue, Cary walked into the room waving a take-out menu. “I know I’m fascinating, but you might want to save your jaws for the Thai food we’ve got coming. I ordered a ton of it.”

MY dad caught an eleven o’clock flight out of New York, so I had to leave it to Cary to see him off. We said our good-byes before I left for work, promising to make plans for the trip to San Diego the next time we talked.

I was in the back of a cab on the way to work when Brett called. For just a moment, I debated letting the call go to voice mail, and then I got over it and answered. “Hi, you.”

“Hello, gorgeous.” His voice rolled over my senses like warm chocolate. “Ready for tomorrow?”

“I will be. What time is the video launch? When do we need to be in Times Square?”

“We’re supposed to arrive at six.”

“Okay. I don’t know what to wear.”

“You’ll look amazing no matter what you’ve got on.”

“Let’s hope. How’s the tour going?”

“I’m having the time of my life.” He laughed, and the husky, sexy sound brought back memories. “It’s a helluva long way from Pete’s.”

“Ah, Pete’s.” I’d never forget that bar, although some of the nights I’d spent there were a bit hazy. “Are you excited about tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I get to see you. I can’t wait.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“I’m excited about the video launch, too.” He laughed again. “I wish I could see you tonight, but I’m taking a red-eye into JFK. Plan on dinner tomorrow, though.”

“Can Cary come? I invited him to the video launch already. You two know each other, so I figured you wouldn’t mind. Too much, anyway.”

He snorted. “You don’t need a cockblocker, Eva. I can restrain myself.”

The cab pulled over in front of the Crossfire and the driver stopped the meter. I pushed cash through the Plexiglas slot and slid out, leaving the door open for the guy rushing over to hop in. “I thought you liked Cary.”

“I do, but not as much as I like having you to myself. How about we compromise and agree that Cary comes to the launch and you come to dinner alone?”

“All right.” I figured it wouldn’t hurt to make the situation easier for Gideon to deal with by picking a restaurant he owned. “How about I make the reservation?”

“Awesome.”

“I’ve got to run. I’m just getting to work.”

“Text me your address, so I know where to pick you up.”

“Will do.” I spun through the revolving door and headed toward the turnstiles. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it. See you around five.”

Tucking my phone away, I entered the nearest open elevator. When I got upstairs and was buzzed through the glass security doors, I was greeted by Megumi’s phone thrust in my face.

“Can you believe this?” she asked.

I pulled back enough to bring the screen into focus. “Three missed calls from Michael.”

“I hate guys like him,” she complained. “Hot and cold and all over the place. They want you until they have you, then they want something else.”

“So tell him that.”

“Really?”

“Straight up. You could just avoid his calls, but that’ll drive you crazy. Don’t agree to meet with him, though. Having sex with him again would be bad.”

“Right.” Megumi nodded. “Sex is bad, even when it’s really good.”

Laughing, I headed back to my cubicle. I had other things to do besides referee someone else’s love life. Mark was juggling several accounts at once, with three campaigns rolling into the final stages. Creatives were at work and mock-ups were slowly making their way across his desk. That was my favorite part—seeing all the strategizing come together.

By ten o’clock, Mark and I were deep into debating the various approaches to a divorce attorney’s ad campaign. We were trying to find the right mix of sympathy for a difficult time in a person’s life and the most prized qualities of a lawyer—the ability to be cunning and ruthless.

“I’m never going to need one of these,” he said, somewhat out of the blue.

“No,” I replied, once my brain caught up to the fact that he was talking about divorce attorneys. “You never will. I’m dying to congratulate Steven at lunch. I’m really so thrilled for you two.”

Mark’s grin exposed his slightly crooked teeth, which I thought were cute. “I’ve never been happier.”

It was nearing eleven and we’d switched to a guitar manufacturer’s campaign when my desk phone rang. I ran out to my cubicle to grab it and had my usual greeting cut off by a squeal.

“Oh my God, Eva! I just found out we’re both going to be at that Six-Ninths thing tomorrow!”

“Ireland?”

“Who else?” Gideon’s sister was so excited, she sounded younger than her seventeen years. “I love Six-Ninths. Brett Kline is so freakin’ hot. So is Darrin Rumsfeld. He’s the drummer. He’s fine as hell.”

I laughed. “Do you happen to like their music, too?”

“Pfft. That’s a given. Listen”—her voice turned serious—“I think you should try talking to Gideon tomorrow. You know, just kinda walk by and say hi. If you open the door, he’ll totally barge through it, I swear. He misses you like crazy.”

Leaning back in my chair, I played along. “You think so?”

“It’s so obvious.”

“Really? How?”

“I don’t know. Like how his voice changes when he talks about you. I can’t explain it, but I’m telling you, he’s dying to get you back. You’re the one who told him to bring me along tomorrow, didn’t you?”

“Not precisely—”

“Ha! I knew it. He always does what you tell him.” She laughed. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Thank him. I’m just looking forward to seeing you again.”

Ireland was the one person in Gideon’s family for whom he felt untarnished affection, although he tried hard not to show it. I thought maybe he was afraid to be disappointed or afraid he might ruin it somehow. I wasn’t sure what the deal was, but Ireland hero-worshipped her brother and he’d kept his distance, even though he needed love terribly.

“Promise me you’ll try to talk to him,” she pressed. “You still love him, right?”

“More than ever,” I said fervently.

She was quiet for a minute, then said, “He’s changed since he met you.”

“I think so. I’ve changed, too.” I straightened when Mark stepped out of his office. “I have to get back to work, but we’ll catch up tomorrow. And make plans for that girls’ day we talked about.”

“Sweet. Catch you later!”

I hung up, pleased that Gideon had followed through and made plans with Ireland. We were making progress, both together and on our own.

“Baby steps,” I whispered. Then I got back to work.

AT noon, Mark and I headed out to meet Steven at a French bistro. Once we entered the restaurant, it was easy to spot Mark’s partner, even with the size of the place and the number of diners.

Steven Ellison was a big guy—tall, broad shouldered, and heavily muscled. He owned his own construction business and preferred to be working the job sites with his crew. But it was his gloriously red hair that really drew the eye. His sister Shawna had the same hair—and the same fun-loving nature.

“Hey, you!” I greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, able to be more familiar with him than I was with my boss. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, darlin’. Mark is finally going to make an honest man out of me.”

“It’d take more than marriage to do that,” Mark shot back, pulling out my chair for me.

“When haven’t I been honest with you?” Steven protested.

“Um, let’s see.” Mark got me settled in my seat, then took the one beside me. “How about when you swore marriage wasn’t for you.”

“Ah, I never said it wasn’t for me.” Steven winked at me, his blue eyes full of mischief. “Just that it wasn’t for most people.”

“He was really twisted up over asking you,” I told him. “I felt bad for the guy.”

“Yeah.” Mark flipped through the menu. “She’s my witness to your cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Feel bad for me,” Steven retorted. “I wooed him with wine, roses, and violin players. I spent days practicing my proposal. I still got shot down.”

He rolled his eyes, but I could tell there was a wound there that hadn’t quite healed. When Mark placed his hand over his partner’s and squeezed, I knew I was right.

“So how’d he do it?” I asked, even though Mark had told me.

The waitress, asking if we wanted water, interrupted us. We held her back a minute and ordered our food, too, and then Steven started relaying their anniversary night out.

“He was sweating like mad,” he went on. “Wiping at his face every other minute.”

“It’s summer,” Mark muttered.

“And restaurants and theaters are climate controlled,” Steven shot back. “We went through the whole night with him like that and finally headed home. I got to thinking he wasn’t going to do it. That the night was gonna end and he still wasn’t going to get the damn words out. And there I am wondering if I’ll have to ask him again, just to get it over with. And if he says no again—”

“I didn’t say no the first time,” Mark interjected.

“—I’m going to deck him. Just knock his ass out, toss him on a plane, and head to Vegas, because I’m not getting any younger here.”

“Definitely not mellowing with age, either,” Mark grumbled.

Steven gave him a look. “So we’re climbing out of the limo, and I’m trying to remember that fan-fucking-tastic proposal I came up with before, and he grabs my elbow and blurts out, ‘Steve, damn it. You have to marry me.’ ”

I laughed, leaning back as the waitress put my side salad in front of me. “Just like that.”

“Just like that,” Steven said, with an emphatic nod.

“Very heartfelt.” I gave Mark a thumbs-up. “You rocked it.”

“See?” Mark said. “I got it done.”

“Are you writing your own vows?” I asked. “Because that’ll be really interesting.”

Steven guffawed, snagging the attention of everyone nearby.

I swallowed the cherry tomato I was munching on and said, “You know I’m dying to see your wedding binder, right?”

“Well, it just so happens …”

“You didn’t.” Mark shook his head as Steven reached down and pulled a bulging binder out of a messenger bag on the floor by his chair.

It was so packed that papers were sticking out of the top, bottom, and side.

“Wait ’til you see this cake I found.” Steven pushed the breadbasket aside to make room to open the binder.

I bit back a grin when I saw the dividers and table of contents.

“We are not having a wedding cake in the shape of a skyscraper with cranes and billboards,” Mark said firmly.

“Really?” I asked, intrigued. “Let me see.”

WHEN I got home that night, I dropped my purse and bag off in their usual place, kicked off my shoes, and went straight to the couch. I sprawled across it, staring up the ceiling. Megumi was going to meet me at CrossTrainer at six thirty, so I didn’t have a lot of time, but I felt like I just needed a breather. Starting my period the afternoon before had me riding the edge of irritation and grumpiness, with a dash of exhaustion tossed in for shits and giggles.

I sighed, knowing I was going to have to deal with my mom at some point. We had a ton of crap to work through, and putting it off was starting to bug me. I wished it were as easy to work things out with her as it was with my dad, but that wasn’t an excuse to avoid addressing our issues. She was my mother and I loved her. It was hard on me when we weren’t getting along.

Then my thoughts drifted to Corinne. I guess I should have figured that a woman who would leave her husband and move from Paris to New York for a man wasn’t going to give up on him easily, but still. She had to know Gideon well enough to realize hounding him wasn’t going to work.

And Brett … what was I going to do about him?

The intercom buzzed. Frowning, I pushed to my feet and headed over to it. Had Megumi misunderstood and thought we were meeting here? Not that I minded, but …

“Yes?”

“Hi, Eva,” the guy at the front desk said cheerfully. “NYPD detectives Michna and Graves are here.”

Crap. Everything else lost significance in that moment. Fear spread through me with crawling fingers of ice.

I wanted a lawyer with me. Too much was on the line.

But I didn’t want to seem like I had anything to hide.

I had to swallow twice before I could answer. “Thanks. Can you send them up, please?”