Return to Me Page 6

  Chapter Three

  They drove to a hole in the wall place just outside of the city. Hailey expertly navigated her pride and joy through the blacktop and into a narrow space at the back of the poorly lit parking lot. Paige twisted in her seat for a better look at the low white brick building. A neon sign in the window boasted an all you can eat buffet and dancing. "Hailey are you sure about this place?"

  "Dinner and dancing?" She shrugged, smoothing her skirt and slinging her purse over one toned, tanned shoulder. "What’s not to be sure about?"

  "It looks a little rough." She hesitated, climbing from the car but clinging to the door.

  "Oh it does not."

  "It’s next to a truck stop."

  "You wanted someplace out of the way and you have to be back home by eleven." Hailey patiently pointed out. "Now are you coming or not?"

  Paige took a deep breath, almost considered telling Hailey to take her back home. After a moment though, she released her hold on the door and reluctantly followed her friend through the dark lot and into the brightly lit diner. One hand came up to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the glare of the overhead fluorescents, her pulse speeding up when several burly men in plaid shirts and hats turned to stare.

  Actually, ogle was more like it, she sighed, unsurprised. She was used to it. Men, be they young or old, never failed to notice Hailey. It was like that everywhere they went. Men would turn and glance with mild interest at Paige for a split second before discarding her to gape at the blonde, wide eyed, pouty lipped girl at her side.

  If Paige were a vain girl, or a jealous one, she might have taken offense at their quick perusal and even faster dismissal of her dark and more toned down beauty. But the truth was, she felt a sense of relief rather than envy. She wasn’t comfortable taking center stage and the short once overs made her uncomfortable. She just wasn’t the social, sexy creature that Hailey seemed to naturally embody.

  She didn’t live dangerously, at least not by choice, and although she wasn’t exactly a wallflower, Paige knew she would never crave attention the way her friend seemed to. And personally she didn’t feel that a group of men decked out in hats with the immortal words ‘Keep on Truckin’ emblazoned across the bills, was necessarily something to envy.

  Paige smothered a giggle as she watched her ultra-tanned friend shamelessly flirt with the rowdy group. Weaving her way through the unusual mix of rough necks and teens, she sought out a booth near the door, slid hastily over the cracked red leather seat and set her purse beside the window before signaling the waitress.

  The place was so crowded that it took the harried looking woman in the apron nearly ten minutes to plunk down a soda in front of Paige, but when it finally came, the drink was icy cold and completely satisfying.

  She checked her watch after she’d finished her second Coke, shocked to find that forty-five minutes had come and gone and she still hadn’t seen Hailey.

  Scanning the crowd, she quickly surmised the reason behind the delay and averted her eyes, embarrassed enough to hastily turn away, only to come face to face with a sight that was much, much worse. A mere two tables away, Guy lounged in a booth that looked remarkably similar to the one she herself occupied.

  Both sported worn leather and chipped table tops and were so identical they might as well have been the same booth. Only they weren’t the same, and the girl draped over Guy’s lap wasn’t her. Paige felt her heart break all over again as she stared, transfixed, at the sight of the boy she had once given pieces ofherself to and his new date.

  How many did this make, her bruised heart demanded. Four? Five? She didn’t know but it didn’t really matter. Watching him with someone new tore at her, period. How could he sit there and look so…normal. Why wasn’t he hurting like she was? But most of all, how could he be kissing someone new while she was steeped in so much misery she feared she would drown in it? Paige doubted she would ever get over him, and he had forgotten all about her, from the word go. How dare he?

  Betrayal warred with hurt, and Paige reeled from the uncharacteristic urge to scream. She wanted to yell and rage and throw things at him. She wanted in that moment to hurt him like he had hurt her, except…she had told him she was seeing someone else. The lie tasted every bit as bitter now as it had that night.

  The air that swirled around her grew thick, the whir of the dusty ceiling fan above her head was too loud. Oh God she had to get out before she did something stupid like make a scene or worse, broke down in tears, which was I imminent, whether she bolted or stayed put.

  She gathered her purse and scrambled clumsily from the booth, making a bee line for the grimy plate glass doors, eager to put the cigarette smoke and honkey tonk music and things she couldn’t take seeing, behind her.

  “Hey Paige!”

  “Oh Lord no.” She prayed, frantically swabbing at her eyes with her fingers. Maybe if she didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge him, he would think she was someone else and he would turn around and leave her alone. Oh, how badly she wished she was someone else, anyone else, but Paige Frey, daughter of a criminal, the girl who tried her best to survive; she had suffered alone more times than she cared to count. But she wasn’t someone else and when Guy’s hand settled on her shoulder and spun her around, she got the hint that he wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Stop already-didn’t you hear me calling you? Hey,” He frowned, “Are you crying? Paige?” His eyes were full of questions that she no longer had answers for.

  “No.”

  “Yes you are.” He groaned.

  “Just leave me alone, okay?” She pulled her arm from his grasp and dropped her watery gaze to the slick pavement. It had rained while she’d been inside sipping cola and watching the love of her life paw all over someone else. A fresh wave of tears threatened to overflow.

  “Please don’t do that.”

  “What do you care?”

  “I care.” He insisted, wrapping his arms around her, one hand winding around thick strands of dark hair and pressing her head to his t-shirt clad shoulder.

  “Then why-“ she started, quickly pressing together lips that tasted like salt before she could finish the humiliating query that was probably none of her business in the first place. Not now anyway.

  “Hey, you broke it off with me,” He gently reminded her, wiping at her cheek with the pad of one thumb.

  “I guess I did.” She swallowed, stiffening in his hold.

  “So what is this about? What are you trying to tell me?” His breath warmed her cheek and she shoved away from him, suddenly alarmed that he meant to kiss her and fearing very much that she would be ill if he did.

  “I am not trying to tell you anything. Let me go.”

  “Paige-“

  “Go back to your date.” She whispered without looking at him.

  “Is that what you want?” A hard edge crept into his tone; Paige felt as though she were teetering on the edge of a cliff.

  “Go.” She forced herself to answer, her heart pounding as he glared down at her, sweet concern replaced by barely suppressed anger.

  “Fine.” He was gone before she could utter any second thoughts, any regrets…and she had plenty. Conflicting feelings churned in a sickening, twisting mass and she was desperate to get out, to get far away from this parking lot and this place.

  After a brief debate over the wisdom of returning to the restaurant in hopes of locating Hailey, she opted not to bother. For one thing, there was the tricky issue of actually finding the girl. Paige checked her watch-at least thirty minutes had elapsed.

  Hailey could be anywhere by now, and, she winced, her friend was liable to be with anyone at this stage in the evening. If she did somehow manage to track her down, convincing her to cut her fun short and leave would still be another matter.

  The odds were not good, Paige decided, scanning the lot and sighing in relief when she spotted the payphone tucked close to the side of the building. It was rusted and looked so old she experien
ced a moment’s panic that she’d lift the questionable receiver and find that it was broken. But for the first time in the entire wretched evening, luck was on her side. She hurriedly dug around in her purse, coming up with exact change to feed into the contraption.

  Shaking fingers stabbed at the number pad and she kept her thoughts on simple things like soap and hand sanitizer while she waited anxiously for him to pick up. What if he wasn’t at home? Whom else could she call if he refused to come and get her? But no, she acknowledged, if he were home, he’d never leave her stranded. The phone rang three times, then four. By the sixth shrill ring, she tasted defeat and was ready to hang up, unsure of what her next move would be and very, very scared.

  “Hello?”

  “Erik!” She exhaled on a rush.

  “Hi…are you okay?”

  To her abject mortification, she began to cry in lieu of an answer to his open concern. The warmth in his voice reached through the phone line and effectively opened the floodgates; once she’d gotten started, she couldn’t seem to stop the hot flow of tears.

  “Okay, okay…it’s okay sweetie. Are you at home?”

  “N-no.”

  “Just tell me where you are.”

  She managed to give him the name of the truck stop before replacing the receiver in the cradle, clinging to his promise to be there within the hour. He made it in twenty minutes. Tires squealed as they fought to find traction on wet pavement and she watched as he brought the truck to a screeching halt in front of her.He was out of the cab and around the heavy duty vehicle in record timing, kneeling before her to lift her tear stained face to meet his eyes. “Are you hurt?” His voice was steady.

  “No.” She shook her head and gulped.

  “Tell me what-“ He began, only to be interrupted by the bells jangling over the door.

  “What the hell is going on?” Guy demanded, stepping out of the restaurant with both his date and Hailey in tow.

  “Paige what is he doing here?” Hailey added, pushing Guy aside and hurrying over to where Erik was slowly helping Paige to her feet.

  “Who’s she?” The date put in, looking bored.

  “It’s nothing Tanya.” Guy replied before swinging back to face Paige. “What’s he doing here?”

  She couldn’t find the words to answer him, and so she was glad when Erik stepped forward and spoke for her. She was still reeling over being referred to as an ‘it’ and ‘nothing’. The first embers of temper began to smolder deep within. Damn Guy.

  “Ah,” Erik smirked. “I think I see what’s going on here. Paige, tell me if I’m close. Hailey brought you to this dive tonight and promptly left you on your own so that she could latch onto the hairiest man in the joint. And this must be none other than Guy’s latest bimbo.”

  “Hey-“

  “Why you-“

  “God,” Erik steamrolled over Hailey and Guys collective outrage, “No wonder you’re upset. Let’s go. I’m taking you home.” One hand cut the air in a slashing motion when Hailey opened her mouth to argue the decision. “Save it. Come on Paige, let’s get the hell out of here.” And without another word to the stunned trio behind them, he ushered her into the truck, climbed in beside her and hit the gas. Gravity propelled Paige to the back of the seat and one hand shot forward to clutch at the tan leather armrest.

  “Erik, don’t think I’m not grateful here, but… are we going to go ninety all the way back to town?”

  “No,” His foot eased on the accelerator. “That was for their benefit. In case they didn’t get that I’m pissed.”

  “I think you made your point.”

  “Hey it’s a guy thing.” He shrugged, maneuvering the slick streets with ease.

  “Thanks for that, by the way.” She sighed, resting her head against the back of the seat.

  “So how was my theory?”

  “The one where Guy rips out my heart and stomps on it and Hailey hops onto a trucker?” Paige quipped humorlessly, not bothering to mask the bitterness in her tone.

  “Yeah, that one.” His lips twitched.

  “Pretty much spot on.” She admitted, loosening her hold on the armrest and lightly fingering the miniscule sun creases in the thick leather.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m glad you came to get me.”

  “I’ll always come after you sweetheart, you know that. Are you really okay?”

  “I think so,” She attempted a smile.

  “I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah,” Erik’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his eyes remaining straight ahead. “But that can wait. So what did that jerk say to you?”

  “I was sitting there watching him with...her.” She swallowed refusing to call his latest conquest by name, though certainly the girl, Tanya, couldn’t be faulted for dating Guy. “I ran out and he followed, helpfully pointing out that I broke up with him.”

  “That was nice of him.” Erik shook his head.

  “And then he threw it in my face that I had someone else.” She took a deep breath.

  “Where would he get an idea like that? Everyone knows you’ve been holed up in your room for weeks.”

  “Everyone knows?” She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

  “Well…”

  “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

  “Why does he think you’ve got someone new?” Erik neatly redirected her thoughts.

  “I may have led him to believe that.” She hedged.

  “And how did you ‘maybe’ do that?”

  “I told him I was in love with someone else-that I’ve been seeing someone else.” She elaborated, her eyes swinging to the side when his brow furrowed.

  “Are you?”

  “No.”

  “Then why…” He slowed the truck.

  “It’s such a long story Erik.” She sighed and turned to gaze out at the black night beyond the window. “Actually no, it’s a short but complicated story. I…” She faltered, needing to tell someone, desperate to finally dislodge the truth and bring it to light. Yet scared to voice what had become her terrifying reality. Erik seemed to sense her reluctance.

  “What is it Paige? You can tell me anything.”

  “I think I would rather talk about what you were about to say earlier.”

  “Forget it. You first.” He steered the truck to the shoulder of the road, shifted into ‘park’ and unclipped his seat belt before turning to face her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Giving us more time to talk. Now out with it Princess. Tell me your short but complicated story.” He smiled.

  “I can’t see you.”

  “Yes you can.”

  “Hardly.” She retorted nervously. “I can’t talk to you if I can’t see you.”

  “You’re talking to me right now.”

  “Oh, fine, well…I lied to Guy because…” She paused, took a deep breath and darted a glance behind her shoulder, half expecting Denmari to pop out from the brush that grew wild on the side of the road and surrounded most of the vehicle. When nothing happened and silence reigned inside the warm interior of the truck, she found her nerve and her voice once again. “I lied to Guy to protect him.”

  “I don’t follow-protect him from what?” Erik leaned in close.

  “From Denmari.” Her tone was pleading, “He caught me sneaking out with Guy in the middle of the night. Well, no, that’s not exactly how it happened. He came home early and I came home late, with Guy.”

  “I bet that went well.”

  “Yeah, well. Denmari told me I had to break it off with Guy.” She coughed, embarrassed to tell Erik about what she and Guy had done, and about being slapped later in the evening.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this before. I bet that skag Hailey knew all of this weeks ago.” He shook his head.

  “Very funny. Erik please this is serious. Denmari didn’t just tell me to stop seeing Guy. There’s more.�
� She whispered.

  “I’m sorry, I’m listening.” He straightened, one arm draped over the wheel.

  “He hold me if I didn’t end it with Guy, then he would end Guy.” She finished.

  “Well lots of fathers-stepfathers-say stuff like that.” He reasoned.

  “No you don’t understand.” Frustrated, Paige thrust a lock of brown hair behind one ear. “The next morning he said he would make him disappear. That he had done it before and that people have ‘accidents’ all of the time.” She blurted, curling her fingers into invisible quotation marks around the chilling word.

  “Oh…”

  “And that’s not all.” She hurriedly continued. “I had one of his business partners investigated. Quietly of course.”

  “You did what? Where does a seventeen year old girl go to have someone investigated? Is that even legal?”

  “You don’t want to know and probably not. But you’ll never guess what I found out. There’s talk of him being in the mob.”

  “The mob.” Erik stated in disbelief.

  “Erik I’m serious.”

  “My God you are, aren’t you.” He muttered, raking a hand through his short dark hair. “So Denmari…”

  “Is probably affiliated too.”

  “Shit. That puts a new spin on his threat, doesn’t it? I see what you mean now.”

  “I know.”

  “Have you told anyone else?”

  “No. Just you.”

  “Good. Don’t say anything to anyone else.”

  “You don’t think they would do anything to me for talking, do you?” She breathed, unsure of whom ‘they’ were, beyond Denmari and his business associate but paranoid nonetheless.

  “Who knows?” Erik muttered. “But either way I don’t like the idea of you in the middle of this.”

  “Well it would stand to reason that since I’ve broken it off with Guy, Denmari will go back to mostly ignoring me, with the occasional stern look thrown in, although lately he’s been hinting that he doesn’t like you and I spending so much time together. I really screwed up when I got caught with Guy.” She sighed dismally.

  “So that’s why you told him you were seeing someone else?”

  “Yes, I tried ending it a few nights after my little chat with Denmari but Guy wasn’t backing off and kept demanding to know why. He was insisting that whatever was wrong could be worked out.” Her eyes squeezed shut at the memory. “It was the best I could do, and now everything’s such a mess.”

  “Ah, Paige, come here.” He soothed, reaching across the bench seat to meet her in the middle and keep the shadows at bay. “Everything will be okay, you’ll see.”

  His hand felt so nice in her hair, smoothing and stroking the long tresses until she relaxed enough, let her guard down just enough to believe for a moment that he spoke the truth. She desperately wanted to believe that her life would cease its out of control spin, and sooner rather than later. She closed her eyes and exhaled, letting go for a few seconds.

  “What time do you have to be back?” He murmured without moving away from her.

  “Probably soon.” She finally sighed, forcing herself to ease out of his hold and peer at the faint green glow of the dash clock, squinting at the numbers displayed there.

  “It’s ten-thirty.” He helpfully supplied.

  “I’ve got half an hour.” She pouted, the heavy weight of reality settling back into place.

  “We had better be on our way then.” He sounded as regretful as she felt.

  “Hey wait.” Paige stilled his hand when he would have fired up the truck. “What were you going to tell me earlier?”

  “Oh that.” He looked away. “It’s not important.” Erik told her after a long pause.

  “Yes it is and I want to know.” She insisted, and when five minutes had passed and she thought he wasn’t going to tell her, felt certain she’d go crazy if he didn’t say something soon, he looked her straight in the eye and said “I’m gay, Paige.”

  “You’re what?!” Her voice was shrill with shock and disbelief.

  “I said I’m gay.”

  “I heard you.” She rolled the window down, gulped at the semi-cool air.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” She rounded on him. “You’re telling me you’re gay-you’re just now telling me that you are gay and all you have to say is ‘okay’?”

  “Paige…”

  “No. No. I’m sorry.” She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “That’s not fair.”

  “If you can’t understand or…” He stammered, clearly at a loss.

  “I don’t know about understanding,” She exhaled through her teeth. “But you are my best friend, Erik. If you’re happy, well then, so am I.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. So when did you, ah, find out?”

  “I wasn’t sure until recently.” He admitted.

  “How?”

  “How did I know or how did this happen?” He smirked.

  “Both I guess.”

  “I just knew it, ah, realized it. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Have you had a boyfriend?”

  “Paige.”

  “Well have you?”

  “Not yet.”

  “But you will.” It was a statement and she fought to quell the rising disappointment that she couldn’t begin to understand.

  “Yes I will.”

  “Does your family know? Or are we keeping it a secret for now?” She bit her lip.

  “I’m going to tell them tonight.”

  “You want me to come with you?”

  “No, but thanks doll. It’s something I’ve got to do on my own. Besides, I have fifteen minutes to get you home or I’ll be swimming with the fishes.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “No, it probably isn’t. I want you to be careful okay? I mean it Paige. Don’t make waves- and stay away from Denmari as much as you can.”

  “I’ll try.” She nodded. “Will you come pick me up tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be there.”