Just One Kiss

CHAPTER SIXTEEN




JUSTICE CLOSED THE door of the warehouse and turned to Felicia. “Are you sure?” he asked. “There’s still time to add you to the deed.”

Felicia shook her head. “I don’t want to be part of the company. I appreciate the offer, but I need to be done with that part of my life. I want to find work that connects me with the community. I want what you have—a meaningful romantic relationship.”

Justice pocketed the keys and walked toward his car. He was meeting the attorney representing the seller in a few minutes and would hand them over to her. Although the keys were the least of his issues, he thought, looking at Felicia.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your relationship with Patience,” his friend said with a sigh. “You had sex with her recently. Last night or this morning. Within the last twenty-four hours. Given everyone who’s living at the house, last night makes the most sense logistically, although you could be alone in the middle of the day. If you’re both upstairs and Lillie and Ava are...” Her voice trailed off. “You weren’t asking me about logistics, were you?”

“No.”

Felicia was a mystery, he thought. All women had secrets, but her mind was both a marvel and a curse.

“You want to know how I know about the sex thing.”

“I’m curious,” he admitted.

“You’re moving differently,” she said, studying him. “Your expression is more satisfied than usual. You’re not as tense. The changes are subtle. I doubt anyone else would suspect.”

No one else would begin to guess.

“I know,” she said glumly. “I’m a freak.”

“You’re not.” He pulled her close and hugged her, pleased the movements barely caused a twinge in his mostly healed body. “You’re special.”

“I don’t want to be special. I want to be regular. Boring, even.” She rested her forehead on his shoulder. “I see everything. It’s not fun. Plus, and I say this from personal experience, being intelligent is no guarantee of happiness.” She raised her head and looked at him. “I wish you’d fallen in love with me.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t. I wish we’d fallen in love with each other. You accept me.”

“You’ll find someone else to accept you. What about Gideon?”

“I’ve been avoiding him.”

“Hiding?”

She stepped back. “No. I have a strategy. It’s based on avoidance.”

“How is that different than hiding?”

“There are some subtleties I can’t explain to your ordinary intellect.”

He burst out laughing.

She was one-of-a-kind, he thought. Her past had resulted in who she was today as much as his past had molded him. That was a truth that couldn’t be avoided.

“Stop avoiding Gideon.”

“Why? It was a single night in Thailand. Just because it was emotionally significant to me doesn’t mean it meant anything to him. Sexual intercourse starts a cascade of hormones in women. We are biologically wired to bond with a man during sex, and having an orgasm increases the effect. Men don’t have the same physiological process. For them a conquest is a reason to feel pride, not a precursor to planning for a long-term relationship.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

“Yes. I’ve been obsessing. I don’t like obsessing, but I can’t seem to stop.”

“You’re going to run into him eventually.”

“Statistically, I’m very capable of living in the same town and not seeing Gideon for at least five-point-four months.”

“That long,” he murmured, knowing better than to tease her about the point-four part. She was nothing if not precise.

“I have until October. Unless I made a mistake in the calculation.”

“And what are the odds of that?”

“Exactly.”

A white Mercedes pulled into the parking lot and a woman stepped out. She was dark-haired and wearing a tight red suit. Her heels were too high, her makeup too heavy and she eyed Justice with a predatory gleam.

“Trisha Wynn,” she said as she approached. “I’d heard you were yummy.”

Justice took in the fine lines around her eyes and mouth and guessed she was passing for someone in her forties, but could easily be close to sixty.

“Justice Garrett. This is my friend Felicia Swift.”

The lawyer gave Felicia a quick once-over, before shaking hands with both of them. Her fingers lingered over Justice’s.

“Business associates,” she said with satisfaction. “Nice.”

Justice had never felt like prey before and wasn’t sure he liked it now. He stepped back slightly.

“We’ve finished filling out the paperwork to begin the negotiation,” he said.

Felicia fished the folder out of her bag and handed it over. “Justice is buying the property with two partners. Neither of them is here, but I’ve enclosed the real-estate power of attorney for both of them.”

Trisha opened the folder and raised her eyebrows. “Ford Hendrix? I’d heard rumors, but I wasn’t sure they were true. He was a handsome boy, if I remember correctly. When is he coming back?”

“Soon,” Justice said.

“He’s concerned about reuniting with his family,” Felicia said. “The intensity of close familial bonds can be difficult as one transitions from military to civilian life.”

Trisha blinked at her, then turned her attention back to Justice. “Who’s the third man? Angel Whittaker. He sounds lovely.”

“I don’t think you could take him, ma’am.”

Trisha sniffed. “First of all, do not call me ma’am. Second, I could certainly take him if I wanted to. I’d have you begging in fifteen minutes, only my assistant is out today and I have to get back to my office. Still...” She swept her gaze over him. “It might be worth it.”

Justice held his ground without saying a word.

She held up the folder. “I’ll review your offer and get back to you later today.”

She smiled once, then returned to her car. Justice released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“That was impressive,” Felicia said as Trisha drove away. “I want to be like her.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Not the overly aggressive attitude. While I’m sure she’s very sexual, it’s more of a defense mechanism. I meant the flirting. The car.”

“You want a Mercedes?”

“I want a car that says who I am.”

“They already make those. They’re called Smart cars.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. She has style.”

She had teeth, Justice thought, thinking he would make sure never to go alone to a meeting with Trisha. While he had no doubts about his ability to protect himself from the older woman, he didn’t want to get into a situation where it was an issue.

Felicia glanced down at her jeans and pale yellow blouse. “Do I need a makeover?”

He held up both hands. “Not going there.”

“You’re right. I need to talk to a woman. Maybe Patience. She’s very nice.”

Finally a topic he was comfortable with. “Yes, she is.”

“Do you think she’s in love with you?”

Justice’s relaxed mood disappeared instantly. “Why would you ask that?”

“It’s a reasonable question. You’ve been spending time together. You’re sexual partners. You stayed at her house. It’s obvious you care about her and she must feel the same way. After all, she’s trusting you with her child. For a single mother, that is more emotionally significant than inviting you into her bed.”

Patience in love with him? He hadn’t considered the possibility. She wasn’t, he told himself. They were friends and there was chemistry, but anything more...

What? Anything more was out of the question? Why would Patience think that? She didn’t know enough about him to realize how damaged he was, and she wasn’t the type to trust easily.

“I can see by the look on your face that you hadn’t considered that things might have gone further than you anticipated.”

“Did she say something?” he asked.

“No, but we’re not that close. I doubt she would confess her feelings to me. Besides, she knows you and I are friends and she would be concerned about my loyalties. Female friendship is based on emotional sharing rather than events.”

Justice glanced around, as if looking for escape. “I care about her,” he admitted. “A lot. She’s special. Sweet and funny. Lillie’s great and Ava’s tougher than any soldier I know.”

“But?”

He turned to Felicia. “You know me, probably better than anyone. Do you have to ask why it would be a mistake?”

“Yes.”

He turned away and started for the car. Felicia caught up with him and put her hand on his arm.

“Your father is dead, Justice. You’re not him. You’ve made your own way. If you were going to turn out like Bart Hanson, it would already have happened.”

He glared at her. “I killed. I was a sniper. They didn’t come looking for me, Felicia. I volunteered. You know what Bart was. How can you know what I willingly did and not say I’m just like him? The only difference is I stay on the right side of the law.”

“Exactly. You respect the rules of society. You understand the dynamics of a community being more successful than a single individual. We all have darkness inside us. Life is about balance. That doesn’t make you your father.”

“You know that for sure?” he asked bitterly.

“Yes. I know it empirically and I believe it in my heart. I have faith in you. You’re the one who thinks otherwise.” She released his arm, but her affectionate gaze held him as firmly in place.

“She’s who you came looking for,” she said softly. “If you won’t trust yourself, then at least trust her.”

Six months ago, he would have told her she was wrong. But now he wasn’t so sure. Felicia was right about Patience. She believed enough for ten men.

* * *



“MAYBE I should go back to college,” Felicia said, holding her latte in both hands.

“Is there a degree you don’t have?” Patience asked.

They were sitting in Brew-haha. Felicia had come in and Patience had joined her. The store was quiet, at least for now. Patience glanced toward the clock on the wall. The midmorning lull would give way to the late-morning rush, but for this moment in time, there were only a few customers.

“I was thinking of getting a teaching credential. I like kids.” Felicia shrugged. “But I don’t know if I’m any good with them. Do you think I could volunteer at a local school and find out?”

“You don’t have very long. School’s out in a couple of days.”

“Oh.” Felicia’s green eyes turned sad. “That’s right. Summer is traditionally the time for a long vacation. When I lived at the university, I worked year-round, so I didn’t pay much attention to things like breaks and vacation.” She frowned. “Of course, that would explain why there were suddenly fewer people in the lab.”

Patience was glad she and Felicia had made friends, but she had to admit the other woman was fairly strange. Not scary, just different. She’d always assumed that being smart was an asset, but Felicia proved the cliché of “too much of a good thing.”

“Won’t you be spending the summer helping Justice and his friends get CDS up and running?”

“I’m only helping them organize the space and then setting up accounting books and making a schedule.”

Only, Patience thought, remembering how long she’d worked to get her store open. “Something you could do over a long weekend?”

“Probably. The physical work will take longer, but the guys can do that.” She sipped her latte.

“What about medical school?” Patience asked.

“I’ve thought about that. The thing is I’m not very good with people.” She managed a slight smile. “You may have noticed.”

“You have a different style,” Patience said diplomatically. “Are you concerned you wouldn’t be able to relate to your patients?”

“Mostly. I imagine I would start talking about their disease and then I’d forget myself and draw a technical diagram. By the end of our conversation, he or she would have either fainted or run screaming from the room.” She looked at Patience. “I wish I was more like you.”

Patience nearly dropped her coffee. “Me? How can you say that? I never even got as far as community college. I went to beauty school and took night classes.”

“Life isn’t about getting an education,” Felicia told her. “It’s about the bonds we form. The connections. You have a wonderful daughter. You’re close enough to your mother that the two of you share a home. My parents couldn’t wait to get rid of me and I’ve never been able to make many friends. Especially women. My social skills have improved but...” She opened her hand, in a gesture of helplessness.

If Felicia had been anyone else, Patience would have teased her about being so beautiful. But she felt the other woman’s pain and wanted to help.

But before she could say anything, the door opened and a man and a woman walked into the store. They were in their early thirties. The woman was pale, with short light brown hair and big blue eyes. She was thin and there was something about the way she walked. Her gait was slow and unsteady. The man wasn’t much taller than her, but he was broad-chested and looked strong. They walked up to the counter.

The man turned to the woman. “What do you want?” he asked.

While the question was normal, the tone wasn’t. There was a snide edge, a meanness.

“Maybe a latte?”

“Oh, sure. My wife always wants the most expensive thing on the menu. You’ll have a coffee.”

The woman flushed, then hung her head. Madeline, the twentysomething who worked the morning shift, looked from the man to his wife and back. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” the man snapped. “She’ll have a small coffee. I’ll have a mocha.” He turned to his wife and gave her a shove. “Get out the money and pay her.”

The woman trembled as she reached for her purse. The sleeve of her loose shirt fell back, exposing a huge, dark bruise.

Patience’s stomach tightened as she fought back nausea. She didn’t have to be a trained professional to figure out what was going on. She rose, then paused when she realized she didn’t know what to do or say. If the man was abusing his wife, she should step in and say something. But what?

Before she could figure out what was the right thing, Felicia stood and walked over to the couple.

“Hi,” she said, stopping beside the man.

He turned to her, looked her up and down, then gave her a leering smile. “You’re a tall drink of water.”

“And you’re a bastard.” She grabbed his wrist and twisted.

Patience couldn’t see exactly what she was doing but suddenly the man was falling to his knees and screaming.

“I’m using the word bastard in the vernacular. I have no way of knowing if your parents were married or not,” she continued.

“Get off me! Somebody call the cops.”

The thin woman took a step back and looked frantically around the room. Patience wasn’t sure if she was looking for help or an opportunity to escape.

“This is your wife,” Felicia told him. “She should be the most important person in your world. You need to treat her with respect and affection.”

“She’s mine and I’ll do what I want with her.”

Felicia twisted his arm a little more, then glanced at Patience. “Did you know that the joints in the shoulder are easily disconnected? It’s a common sports injury. With the right leverage, it pops right out.” She leaned closer to the man. “Would you like me to demonstrate?”

“Who the hell are you?”

Patience walked to the woman. “Hi,” she said quietly. “Do you need help?”

The woman stared at her, her eyes wide.

“It’s okay,” Patience murmured. “You’re safe here.”

The woman stared at Patience for a long time, then shrugged out of her shirt. She wore a tank top underneath, but what was most startling were all the bruises on her arms and shoulders.

“I want help,” the woman said, not glancing at her husband.

“Damn you, Helen,” the man yelled. “I’ll make you pay for this, you bitch.”

“You’re struggling,” Felicia said, her tone conversational. “I’m not going to be able to hold you without...”

There was a loud pop; then the man began to scream.

“Hmm, he seems to have dislocated his shoulder.”

Patience led Helen outside. The screams were muffled on the sidewalk. She fished her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and pressed one of her contacts.

“Charlie? It’s Patience.” She explained what had happened as quickly as she could.

“I’ll be right there.”

The few customers who had been in the store hurried out. A few seconds later, the screaming stopped. Madeline came outside.

“Felicia put his shoulder back in place. He’s really sweating and crying and I think he peed himself. Do I have to clean that up?”

Patience stayed close to Helen. “I’ll take care of it later.”

Helen still trembled, but she didn’t move from Patience’s side. Less than a minute later, Charlie drove up in her truck. She was out of the cab and around to the sidewalk nearly before the engine had stopped rumbling.

She walked right up to the woman and faced her. “You okay?”

The woman nodded.

“Any internal injuries?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Kids?”

Tears filled Helen’s eyes. “I was pregnant once. He beat me so bad I miscarried.”

“Why don’t you leave?”

Patience winced. She knew Charlie’s question was born from frustration, but from the little she knew about abused women, this probably wasn’t the time.

But Helen surprised her by raising her head and squaring her shoulders. “I did. Twice. Then he threatened my mama. She passed nearly four months ago and I packed my bag. He put me in the hospital. I told my doctor and he said for me to be a good wife and go back home.”

She turned back toward the store. “Sam has a way of convincing people he’s not the problem. I am.”

“Not in this town,” Charlie told her.

Two police cars pulled up, with an ambulance right behind it. Mayor Marsha hurried toward them.

“I heard,” the mayor said, smiling at Helen. “Hello, child. If you want to get away from this man, we can help. I know a safe house in another town. He’ll never find you. But you have to want it.”

Helen looked at the mayor. “I want to leave him. I want to break the cycle. I swear, I won’t go back. I swear.”

In a matter of minutes Helen was whisked away in a police car. Police Chief Barns drove up and got out.

“I heard,” she said by way of greeting. “Did Felicia really dislocate his shoulder, then put it back?”

Patience bit her lower lip, knowing she had to tell the truth but not wanting to get her friend in trouble. “I, uh...”

Police Chief Barns smiled. “Impressive. I’m going to need to write a report. I wonder if a man can slip and dislocate his shoulder. Then Felicia was being neighborly by putting it back in place. I’ll have to think on that.”

She walked into the store.

In less than a half hour, nearly everyone was gone. Sam had been taken to the hospital. The police chief had her statement from Felicia, who had insisted on telling the truth. Although Patience had a feeling that the actual report would say something slightly different.

“He’ll be arrested,” Charlie said as they stood by her truck. “More important, if Helen wants to stay gone, she can. Mayor Marsha knows people who can make an abused woman disappear into a new life. She’ll get counseling and help finding a job and an apartment. It’s a chance for her to escape. Let’s hope she takes it.”

“Thanks for your help,” Patience said.

“Happy to.” Charlie looked at Felicia. “You’re my kind of girl. Glad you decided to settle here.”

She got in her truck and drove away.

Patience looked at Felicia. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“I had a lot of the same physical training as the guys. I just didn’t get to use it much. Until now.”

Patience impulsively hugged her. “You were terrific. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I shouldn’t get involved, but you got right in that guy’s face.”

“I hate bullies. He was a jerk.” She brightened. “I wonder if he’s going to sue me.”

“That would mean admitting he was beaten by a girl.” Patience linked arms with her and led her back inside. “Just for the record, you are good with people. I’m just saying.”

* * *



“CAN WE put flowers on the ribbons?” Lillie asked.

Justice glanced at Steve, who held up both hands.

“I’m hardly an expert,” the older man said.

Justice wasn’t, either, but he was good at solving problems. He stepped back and studied the bike. Tomorrow was the Spring Festival—yet another Fool’s Gold tradition. Kids rode bikes and were pulled in wagons all decorated with flowers and ribbons and bows. The festival took place over Mother’s Day so dads were supposed to do the work and the mothers were to watch and marvel. As Lillie didn’t have a father, he and Steve had volunteered to help her decorate her bike.

With the help of a glue gun and fasteners, there were pastel-colored ribbons flowing from the handlebars. A big bouquet of silk flowers sat in the basket. Now the question was how to make a garland they could weave through the spokes.

Lillie sat cross-legged on the grass by the driveway. Steve wove thin strips of plastic through the spokes.

“We could glue the flowers onto this once it’s secure,” he said.

Lillie nodded. “That would be nice.”

Justice studied her. She wasn’t her usual happy self.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, hoping she felt okay.

She looked at Steve. “You’re my daddy’s dad.”

Steve froze, then nodded.

“Did you like him when he was little?”

Justice sank next to her on the grass. That wasn’t the question she wanted to ask, he thought. She wanted to know why her father hadn’t loved her enough to stay.

Steve turned toward her. “I wasn’t there for him, Lillie. I left when your dad was small.”

“Why did you go away?”

“Because I thought work was more important. Because I wasn’t grown up enough to understand what I was losing and work things out with his mom. I regret what I did, but I can’t change it. When I left, I taught Ned a very wrong lesson. That it’s okay to leave your children.”

“It’s not?” she asked softly.

“No, it’s not.”

Justice put his arm around her. She leaned against him, watching Steve.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “How could you go?”

How could he go?

Steve turned away, but not before Justice saw tears in his eyes.

Justice kissed the top of Lillie’s head. “You take a dance class, right?”

She looked at him. “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Some of the other students are better than you and some are worse, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“The ones who are better can do things you can’t do yet.”

“They can do a lot of things I can’t do. I’m scared to go up on my toes. It’s going to hurt.”

“Some people are better at relationships than others. Some people have a natural ability. Like dance. Others have been hurt along the way and are afraid to try. Your dad was hurt by his dad. That’s not an excuse,” he added quickly, knowing he was giving Ned more of a break than he deserved, but this wasn’t about him. This was about Lillie.

“He’s right,” Steve told her. “My dad was a—” He stopped, then swallowed. “My dad wasn’t a great guy, either. So I never knew what a good dad was like. I walked out on my son and my son walked out on you.”

“Am I going to be like that, too?” Lillie asked, sounding worried.

“No.” Justice held her tight. “You’ll be like your mom, because that’s what you’ve learned. You’ll be loving and kind and you’ll always be there.”

Lillie considered that. “I’d rather be like my mom than my dad.”

“Your dad left because of me and because of who he is,” Steve said. “Not because of you. He’s missing out on a great daughter. I know he’s going to be sorry one day, just like I’m sorry about what I did. But I’m very grateful I’ve had the chance to get to know you.”

“Me, too,” Justice said.

Lillie hugged him, then rose and hurried to her grandfather. She flung herself at him and he held on tight.

Justice stayed where he was, a part of what was happening and still separate.

This was something he would always remember. The warm spring morning, the bright blue sky and the half-decorated bike. But mostly what he would remember was the beautiful girl who gave her heart so easily and asked for so little in return. Ned was an a*shole. Worse, he’d hurt his daughter. But Justice had been given a chance to be a part of her life.

Was he willing to put the past behind him and move on? Was he ever going to be at peace when it came to his father, or should he accept that the ghosts were a part of who he was? Accept and finally reach for that which was most precious?