Blackwater 2 - Vance's rules (2 page)

“Oh, we had a nice chat. She was always such a sweet girl. I’m not sure whatever happened to you two.”

Vance snorted. So sweet she’d dumped him via a letter. She’d left town quickly after, and he hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to her. To beg her to take his worthless ass back. He hadn’t heard a word from her since, until now.

“Vance? You still there?”

“I’m here,” he grumbled.

“Anyway, like I was saying, Shayla mentioned that she was back in town and wanted to get in touch with you. I told her where you lived.” There was a slight pause before his mom added, “I hope you don’t mind.”

And bull’s-eye, Vance thought, a direct hit from Wanda the Cupid. “Mom.” He said her name in warning, knowing it was futile.

“Sorry, dear, Julie’s here. I need to go. Love you!”

Vance barely had time to bite back a curse before he heard the dial tone in his ear. He couldn’t really blame his mom, though. She didn’t know what Shayla had meant to him back then. How much he’d loved her. How he’d imagined marrying her. He’d been good at playing it off, acting as if it was all just good fun. And for sure, Vance hadn’t let on how much Shayla’s betrayal had cut him. He’d hidden the hurt well.

Her unexpected return brought all those feelings out of hiding, the good and the bad. He’d loved her so much, but when she’d dumped him, Vance had grown to almost despise her. Now she was back and looking better than ever with her cute shoulder-length red hair and hourglass figure. The grown-up Shayla had a body that didn’t quit. The girl he’d once known with the modest curves had developed into quite a woman. His cock flexed in his jeans as Vance gave in to his imagination and thought of how good she’d feel tucked up close to him. Then again, how long would she be around? Was she in Blackwater to visit or to stay?

Vance took a moment to regroup before heading back into the other room. What did Shayla possibly hope to accomplish after all these years by showing up on his doorstep? Too damn many questions, and the only way he was going to get any answers was if he stopped dicking around in the kitchen. He’d let her say whatever it was she had to say. She had something to get off her chest? Fine and dandy by him. After she was finished, he’d show her the door. He planned to make it crystal clear that she wasn’t welcome back through it too, because no way was he getting involved with the woman again. Once was enough. He’d learned his lesson the painful way.

Chapter Two

Shayla watched Vance stride back into the room, anger turning his hazel eyes cold and distant. The firm set of his powerful shoulders brought Shayla to her feet in an attempt to feel less vulnerable, not that it helped. Vance’s six-foot-plus frame dwarfed her, sitting or standing.

“If you have something to say, then you best get to it,” he ordered in an irritated voice. “I have somewhere to be.”

“The diner, I know,” Shayla replied, recalling the lovely talk she’d had with Mrs. Jennings earlier. She’d always liked the woman with the gentle smile and kind eyes. Shayla had been surprised Mrs. Jennings hadn’t hung up on her when she’d given her name, considering how she’d treated Vance.

“That’s right, you spoke to my mom.” He crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a brow at her. “Have a nice talk, did you?”

“Yes, actually, I did. Your mom is really kind.”

“She’s also not up to par, considering she had a heart attack in November.”

Shayla sucked in a breath. “Oh, Vance, I had no idea. She’s okay now? And how’s your dad doing?”

“Dad passed away a few years back. A stroke.”

She flinched at the pain she heard in Vance’s voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

He nodded stiffly. “Yeah. And to answer your other question, Mom thinks she’s just peachy, but the doctor doesn’t want her stressed.”

Ah, now she saw where he was going. “And my being back in Blackwater is stressful. Is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying you should say whatever it is you came here to say, then leave.”

“First of all, I’m not going anywhere. I’m back in Ohio for good.”

For the first time that Shayla could remember, Vance Jennings seemed truly speechless. “Huh?”

“I’ve been back for a month now. And I’ve moved my business here.” She smiled. “So you see? I’m pretty much here to stay, whether you like it or not.”

“Jesus, I can’t deal with this right now.” He strode across the room and grabbed a pair of black work boots from the front door. “Just say what you wanted to say and go.”

Shayla’s heart sank at the finality of Vance’s tone. “No, not like this,” she said, frustrated at herself for believing the visit would go better. For believing they could be civil. More than anything, Shayla was mad that even though Vance was sending her the “go away” vibes, she still felt something for the man. “I’ll come back when you aren’t so busy.”

“I’m always busy,” he gritted out.

Shayla merely stared at him, unwilling to be browbeaten into giving him a clipped version of why she’d dumped him. Of why she’d come back after all this time. “I’m not about to try and condense it into a few short, easy-to-swallow sentences just so you don’t have to deal with me,” she said, feeling bolder than she should. “You’re just going to have to make time.”

“Fine.” He sat on the edge of the couch and started to pull on his boots. “But don’t expect me to stop whatever I’m doing just to accommodate your newfound conscience. I did that once. Never again.”

Oh, now that was going way too far. “You sure as hell weren’t the only amenable one back then, Vance.”

He stopped lacing up and glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I did whatever you wanted, and you know it. I never said no to you. Never.” Of course, she hadn’t really wanted to say no, but that was beside the point.

Vance laughed, but the sound was far from joyful. “Is that why you broke up with me in a letter? Because you knew if you faced me, you wouldn’t be able to go through with it?”

She slumped at the bitterness in Vance’s voice. “No, that’s not the reason.”

He shot to his feet. “Then why, damn it? Spit it out, Shayla!”

Shayla lost it. “I was trying to protect you!”

“Bullshit,” he ground out as he pointed a finger at her. “You were protecting yourself. You never gave a damn about me.”

“Forget it.” She threw up her hands and headed for the front door. “I should’ve known better than to come here.”

A pair of strong hands took hold of her shoulders from behind, halting her exit. “You aren’t getting off that easily, Shay,” Vance said as his warm breath caressed her neck. “Not this time. You came here to tell me something, and you’re damn well going to follow through this time.”

She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, then turned in his arms so she faced him once again. Vance’s hard body brushed against her, and Shayla’s knees threatened to buckle. Good Lord, he was so lean and powerful, as if fat didn’t dare come near him. Electricity raced through her bloodstream at his nearness. When his intoxicating woodsy scent hit her senses, Shayla had to force herself to stay cool. “You don’t want me here, and I get that. In fact, you have every right to be angry. It was a mistake to expect anything different from you. I’m sorry.”

“I—” His cell phone started to beep, forcing Vance to let go of her in order to grab it out of the clip on his belt. He frowned when he looked at the screen. “Damn, I need to go,” he said as he hit a button.

She nodded. “The diner, I know.”

“But this isn’t finished,” he said, calmer now. “Come back tonight. Seven o’clock.”

Was he really extending an invite to her? Shayla wanted to hope, but she, better than anyone, knew hope could lead to a big heaping pile of disappointment. She bit her lip and looked down, uncertain what to do. Would she be setting herself up for another fight? For more disappointment? “I don’t know,” she admitted, closing her eyes tight to hold back the tears.

“You coming here took a lot of guts, and you wouldn’t have bothered if you didn’t have something important to get off your chest. You caught me off guard showing up so suddenly, Shay, that’s all.”

She looked into his eyes and saw the anger was gone. Maybe he really would listen to her. Maybe he’d even believe her. “Seven?”

He nodded and smiled a little, although it seemed forced. “I should be finished up by then. I can give you my undivided attention.”

“I can’t ask for more than that.” Shayla picked up her coat and pulled it on. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Vance only nodded. As Shayla opened the front door, the blistering cold took her breath away. It was abundantly clear that January in Ohio was nothing like the weather she’d grown used to in Florida, and she wasn’t at all prepared for it. Her coat was too thin, and the frigid air went right through her. At least that was what she wanted to think was causing cold shivers to travel the length of her spine. When she got in her car, she dared to look back. Vance stood tall and proud in the doorway, watching her. Even from the distance, Shayla could make out the annoyed scowl.

Oh yeah, tonight was bound to be a big old bowl of cherries.

Chapter Three

“Goddamn it, Brodix, I told you that wall cannot be removed,” Vance gritted out. “It’s a load-bearing wall.”

Brodix held up both hands. “Fine, whatever. Christ, what’s your problem? Someone piss in your Wheaties?”

True to form, Brodix appeared as fresh as a freaking daisy even though he’d already put in a few hours of work. His long-sleeved, navy-blue shirt looked as crisp as when he’d walked in that morning, and there wasn’t a hair out of place. How the man could stay so damn clean even as sawdust coated the floor was a mystery.

Vance tossed his hammer aside and moved closer to his brother, angry when he saw him pecking at the small device in his hand. “I’d be in a fantastic mood if I didn’t have to constantly repeat myself.” He pointed to the black-and-silver piece of electronics in Brodix’s hand. “Hell, if you’d listen instead of playing with your damn calculator, maybe I wouldn’t have to.”

“I’m trying to figure out how to pay for this, remember?” He looked down and punched a few more keys, then shook his head. “The material for this remodel is going to cost us a friggin’ bundle.”

“Vance.”

When he turned around to find Sammy standing a few feet away, frowning, Vance knew he was in for it. He could practically feel his oldest brother’s disapproval. “What?” he shot right back.

“You and I need to talk.” Sammy pointed toward the kitchen, then turned and started walking, as if Vance would simply follow.

Of course, that was exactly what he did. He always had a hard time saying no to Sammy. They all did. It wasn’t that Vance was afraid of him. They’d butted heads and left bruises on each other plenty over the years. It was more about respect. Before Wanda and Chet had come along and adopted them, they’d all looked to Sammy for guidance. Even though he’d only been a kid himself, Sammy had done what he could to watch out for the rest of them at a time when no one else had wanted to take on the lousy job.

When they reached the kitchen and the swinging doors closed behind him, Vance felt boxed in. Immediately, he wanted to turn and leave. He hadn’t felt that way since his father’s death, helpless and at a complete loss as to what to do. No doubt, Shayla’s sudden reappearance in his life was doing a number on his calm, well-ordered world.

“You’ve been snapping at everyone since you got here,” Sammy said, leaning his large, six-foot-plus frame against the stove. His work boot started to tap out a rhythm against the tile floor, and Vance immediately recognized it as a sign that Sammy was settling in to give one of his lectures. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Vance bit out. “I’m just tired of constantly repeating myself.”

“Vance, we all know you have the biggest part to play here since your construction company is doing the work, but Brodix has been working day and night trying to crunch the numbers to keep this thing within budget. No easy task.”

Vance immediately felt like shit. He shoved a hand through his hair and admitted, “I know. I’m being a pain in the ass.”

Sammy shrugged. “Yeah, you are, but why?”

Vance knew there was no way around it. If he didn’t tell Sammy about Shayla, their mom would. “You’ll find out sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.”

Sam stiffened. “I seriously hate surprises, Vance.”

“Shayla’s back in town,” Vance bit out. Saying her name brought her image to his mind. She was older, but the years had been good to her. She’d lost some of the sweet innocence that he remembered, but she’d gained a good amount of backbone to replace it. Her thin frame had filled out in all the right places too, he’d noticed. God, how was it possible to be attracted to someone who’d torn out his heart? Was he just that pathetic?

“Shayla Riggs?”

“You know any other woman with that name?” he asked, wishing he could start the day over again. “Yes, Shayla Riggs.”

“Damn,” Sammy muttered. “And she’s been by to see you?”

“This morning. She stopped in as if she hasn’t been gone for the last twelve damn years. Can you believe that shit?”

His brother shook his head. “Fuck, no wonder you’ve been acting like you wrestled with a porcupine.”