Condemned (16 page)

Chapter Twenty

Jesse sat in Brett’s driveway, waiting for his friend to
speak. After Brett made some arrangements and packed the few things he wanted
to take with him immediately, Jesse drove him back to what would now become his
permanent home.

“I don’t know how to thank you for all this.” Brett finally
broke the silence.

“Pull yourself together and your life back on track. As your
friend, that’s all I could ever ask for.”

“Oh I’m going to. Starting tonight. I’m going to go see if
Flynn will talk to me. I don’t want to wait until he gets out of school
tomorrow.”

“He’ll talk to you if he’s home.”

“Where else would he be?”

“I had him hide out in Andie’s car this morning. He said
he’d stick with her no matter where she was going.”

“He’s in the city?”

“Possibly. But Shane was there and he was our best chance at
calming her down before she drove very far. Flynn has good instincts. He’s
likely to have talked to her about himself and I don’t think Andie would expose
him to any danger even if she is still as upset as she was earlier.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t. He’ll be home. You know, I’ve never
seen anyone quite that furious before or at least not with me. Hell, you weren’t
even that pissed when you figured out the sorts of things I said to Flynn. I
guess anger is better than hurt though.”

“She’s still plenty hurt. Maybe always will be.”

“I know. I can’t begin to know how I made her feel. Not last
night, not this morning, not ever probably. What I don’t get is why she was mad
at you too.”

“I promised to wait for her before I came to see you so she
could talk to you too. She was out cold when I left and I thought I had enough
time to get you back there.”

“You would have if I hadn’t gone off on Flynn.”

He was quiet for a bit. “You said you were heading back
tonight. You planning on checking on her anyway?”

“Yeah. I spoke to Wyatt when you were packing. Andie’s back
at Sadie’s.”

“Back at Sadie’s?”

“That’s right. You don’t know that she was hanging out in my
guestroom. She needed a place to hide after I told her about you and Tish so I
offered to let her stay with me. I was afraid she’d go back to her parents’ and
we’d never see her again.”

“If I didn’t know you and I had any right, I’d be jealous.”

“Oh please.” Jesse snorted. “You are the only man who ever
had any chance with her. Probably still are if you find a way to work this
out.”

“Do you really think so?”

Jesse heard the desperation in Brett’s voice. “Maybe, if you
do it right. It’s entirely up to you though. I can’t help you out with this
one.”

“I know, Jesse. I should probably thank you now for all you
did to try to help me with her already. I wish you hadn’t decided to be so
thorough with your self-defense lessons but I’m glad she can take care of
herself.”

“I gotta admit that she surprised me some with that move
this morning. I showed it to her but I never expected that she’d be able to
execute it as effectively as she did. You’re going to be sore for days.”

“I should be grateful that she didn’t kill me.”

“Hey, give me some credit here. I didn’t teach her any of
those moves. I want her to be able to protect herself but I’m not a fool.
Unlike you, I always knew there was more to Andie than she let show. I’m not
about to teach a woman how to kill a guy when the guy who might annoy her could
very well be me one day.”

“So you’ll keep going to see her even if she shuts you out?”

“Of course. She might try but nothing she says will stop me.
I’ll talk to Holly too. One way or another, Andie will be looked after. Don’t
worry about that part of it, Brett. You have concerns of your own at the
moment.”

“You wouldn’t have any ideas you’d care to share? I know
it’s up to me but if you could tell me anything that might help point me in the
right direction or keep me from doing something to make it worse?”

Jesse considered Brett’s request. “She seems fond of email.
I know she keeps in touch with a bunch of her friends that way. She was on my
computer a lot while she was staying with me. You could give that a try. I
don’t know, maybe start small and see if she bothers to open it. Build up from
there.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Brett, I’m not sure that’ll work. Andie might delete any
mail you send. If she does, don’t give up. She was more hurt than anybody I
ever saw this morning when she came back from your house. I’m sure she still
loves you but I don’t know if she’ll be able to give into that again. It’s not
going to be easy for you to reach that part of her or for her to let herself
trust you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Andie’s my friend too. I
don’t want you to rush things if you get her to talk to you. I don’t want to
have to stand by and watch if you push too hard and hurt her again.”

“I promise I will do everything possible to prevent that. I
will be extremely cautious if I even get the chance. If I were Andie, I don’t
think I’d ever let me contact her in any way. If you sense my trying to
approach her is hurting her, you have to tell me. I’ll stop if you see I’m
upsetting her more. I can’t believe how much I screwed up this time. Think of
the irony here, Jess. Andie saves my life and I manage to wreck it even worse
before I knew I was saved.”

“Yeah, you do seem to have a talent for that just now. I’m
going to take off so you can find Flynn. I do feel the need to remind you to
talk to your other friends though. I don’t really get why you stopped in the
first place but you can’t shut them out forever.”

“I know. You were right the last twenty times you said that
and you still are. I need to figure out what to say to them but I’ll work on
that too. Thanks again. I mean it when I say I don’t know what I would have
done without you lately.”

“You would have sorted it all out eventually. It would have
taken longer.”

“I’m not so sure about that but thanks for saying it. Let me
know if there’s something specific Andie needs from me, okay? I know you won’t
break a confidence but…”

“I get what you mean. I will. Take it easy, Brett.”

“You too, Jess. If I can ever do anything for you…”

“I’ll ask.” Jesse finished the sentence as Brett got out of
the car. The confrontation with Tish and Craig hadn’t been as bad as it could
have been but Jesse was glad he wasn’t Brett. He hoped his friends would find a
way to put this in the past since he truly believed they still belonged
together. He was serious that it was up to Brett now but if Andie showed him a
way to help them, he knew he would. That is if he managed to gain her
forgiveness for the way he had broken his promise to her. Maybe he should be
glad fate was making him wait to meet his destiny. Seeing what his friends were
going through made him less anxious to experience the same thing himself.

* * * * *

“Miss Sadie.” Jesse didn’t show any surprise when the older
woman opened the door. “I hate to bother you so late but I need a few minutes
of your niece’s time.”

“What makes you think she’s willing to see you? You
disappoint me, young man. I don’t know what exactly you did to her but I will
not permit you to cause any more pain to that lovely girl.”

“At least we’re in agreement. I’ve disappointed myself
several times over the last two days. Andie and I are friends and I let her
down, more than once. I assure you, all I want to do is speak with her to see
if there’s any way I can help.” Jesse’s request was met with Sadie’s continued
glaring silence. “Please, Miss Sadie. Even though I broke a promise, I still
consider us friends. I’d like to explain why I believed that I was acting with
her best interests at heart. I was hoping to make some of today easier for her
and…”

“It’s all right, Aunt Sadie,” Andie said as she appeared in
the hall behind her aunt. “I think I’d like to hear this.”

“Andrea, don’t let him bully his way in here.”

“He’s not.” Hurt was evident in her tone. “If you’ll excuse
us, I’m sure Jesse won’t be more than a few minutes.”

“Fine.” Sadie stepped aside. “I’ll be right across the hall.
Just shout if you need me.”

“I will. Thanks.” Andie’s voice sounded thoroughly defeated.

Jesse followed her into her uncle’s study before he spoke.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you. I was thinking after you turned in and I
decided it would be too uncomfortable for you to ride back here with Brett. I
know you wanted to assure him you were there last night by your own choice but
I was afraid of what would happen after you made him understand that. You know
he had to concentrate on how to confront Tish, Andie. I don’t want to offend
you but you would have been a distraction.”

Andie was silent while she considered his statement.
Finally, she nodded. “You may be right, not that I’m ready to forgive you. Why
didn’t you wake me and explain this before you left?”

“You were sleeping so soundly that I thought we’d be back
before you woke up. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Flynn. He heard me
tell Brett that we were stopping to see you before we met with Tish. I wasn’t
overlooking what you wanted. I intended to bring him to you.”

“Did she admit it?” Andie couldn’t help asking.

“Didn’t say a word. Neither did Sands. One of the other
players was Brett’s boss’s nephew who was working at the agency too. When his
uncle called him in and questioned his knowledge of who Tish was, the kid lied
through his teeth. Both he and Sands were given fifteen minutes to empty their
desks. Poor Grendle is probably going to end up telling his sister why he fired
his nephew since I doubt that the kid has the courage to tell his mother
himself. He also advised Sands to relocate and assured him he would be making
calls so it would be impossible for Sands to find work with another agency in
this city. Turns out he knows Tish’s stepfather and plans on speaking with him
as soon as the man returns from the trip he’s on.”

“So it’s done?”

“Essentially,” Jesse stated. “Brett arranged for a moving
company to finish up at the house here. He grabbed a few things to take with
him today and said he isn’t coming back.”

“Did I really dislocate his shoulder?” Andie curiosity got
the best of her.

“Hell yeah! You were spectacular.” Jesse tried for a grin.
All he got in response was silence. “He’ll be fine in a couple of days. Shane
and I popped it back into place. I take it you spent some time with Flynn?”

“You shouldn’t have put him in that position.”

“What other choice did I have? I knew you weren’t going to
stick around at Brett’s. You weren’t about to listen to me and I didn’t think
you’d go home with Shane until you calmed down. That was the only way to keep
you from driving. I already told Flynn some of what was going on. He’s a very
sensitive kid, Andie. I know he cares about you.”

“I was going to bring him here when he refused to get out of
the car.”

“He told you about his past.”

She nodded. “He is quite a boy. I still don’t think you
should have used him like that.”

“I used you too. I’m assuming you heard that Brett took some
of his misery out on Flynn. I did as much damage control as I could but I know
you did more than I ever could. If Flynn thinks he helped you today that shored
up his self-confidence in ways my words never could. He needed to spend time
with you as much as you needed to be calmed down.”

“Perhaps,” Andie said slowly. “I don’t think Wyatt is very
happy with you today either. I wasn’t at my best when I realized that you left
without me.”

“Oh I don’t know. He sounded fascinated with you when I
spoke to him this afternoon. He was the one who insisted that I come see you
tonight and not wait until tomorrow like I was planning to. He wanted me to
tell you to call him if you ever need anything and made me promise to give you
the number that always reaches him.” He handed her the information. “What exactly
happened when you woke up, Andie?”

She shrugged but smiled slightly. “Is there anything else?”

“Um, not really,” Jesse hesitated. “About Brett…”

“Look, I appreciate all you’ve done but I can’t do this
anymore. I need to get on with my life now.”

“Andie.” Jesse touched her arm.

“Don’t.” She stepped away. “It’s over. I need you to give me
some space. I’ll be by tomorrow for my things but I don’t think I can spend any
more time with you just now. Good night, Jesse.” She moved to the doorway.

“Andie, please don’t shut me out like this. I’m as much your
friend as I am Brett’s.”

“I can’t.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry.”

“Will you stay in touch with Holly? Let her know how you’re
doing?”

“If I can. Please go.” She opened the door for him. “I’m too
tired to argue with you.”

“All right.” He brushed her forehead with a light kiss.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Can I give you a ride back home?”

She sighed and nodded, closing the door in his face.

Chapter Twenty-One

Brett sat and stared at his computer screen. He’d been trying
to think of what message to send Andie for the entire hour since he’d returned
from speaking with Flynn. Though the boy had accepted his apology, Brett knew
he had a long way to go to regain Flynn’s trust. Thank goodness Flynn seemed
willing to give him another chance. Brett vowed he wouldn’t disappoint the boy
again.

Finally, Brett decided to keep his first attempt brief and
to the point. If Andie opened it, he would proceed from there. He reread the
message for the last time, knowing it would never be enough but hoping it would
establish a tentative link.

Andie
, he wrote.
Thank you for saving my life.
Brett
.

Short, simple, and to the point. Appropriate for the
situation. Not too much. Not an attempt to push for more. A brief but true
statement that let her know he understood what she had done for him. Making
sure to set the read notification, he clicked send. All he could do was wait.

* * * * *

Andie was restless and couldn’t sleep. Maybe she’d surf the
net a bit for mindless activity. If she were lucky, she’d be able to let her
mind go blank and stop thinking enough to doze off.

Andie clicked through several sites before she went to her
email account. Instantly, she saw the message from Brett. Without hesitation,
she shut off her computer. Grabbing her pillow and hugging it tightly, she
crawled into bed and stared at the machine as if she expected it to come to
life in front of her.

Why was he doing this? What did he want? How dare he mess
with her like that? Hadn’t he done enough already? Andie’s mind raced,
overwhelming her with conflicting thoughts. Flopping on her back, she decided
that she would simply ignore it. She’d let it sit there, unread, forever.
Seeing it every time she checked her mail would remind her why she was never
risking her heart again. No man would ever possess the power to hurt her like
Brett had.

Or Jesse. Her dear friend Jesse. Ha! Jesse, who broke his
promise to her within minutes of making it. Jesse who thought so little of her
wishes that he said one thing to get her to agree with what he wanted only to
turn around and do whatever he pleased with no thought to her. Andie didn’t
need friends like that. She should stick to the children she gave lessons to.
At least they were honest. The ones who were forced to be there didn’t pretend
otherwise and the ones who liked it let their happiness show as soon as they
saw her.

And her Aunt Sadie. Aunt Sadie respected her request for
privacy without prying even though she was clearly curious. After Jesse left,
Andie had announced that she wouldn’t be hanging around with him anymore and
Aunt Sadie had accepted that declaration as well, suggesting only that she not
make any hasty decisions.

Andie sighed. Sure, Aunt Sadie appeared willing to give her
time to tell her what happened. Knowing her aunt, Andie knew better. It was
only a matter of time before the seemingly innocent questions began. And if
that didn’t work, Aunt Sadie would flat-out demand a full explanation. Since
Jesse had already told her of the jam Brett was in with Tish, Andie had said
that she and Holly had found a way for him to get out of it. Aunt Sadie was too
observant not to know there was much more that Andie had left out. She’d simply
told Aunt Sadie that she, Jesse, and Brett had had a falling out in the process
of resolving Brett’s problems and Andie wouldn’t be spending time with either
of them.

Andie made a point of encouraging her aunt not to let her
differences with them affect Sadie’s own friendship with either man. Jesse’s
arrival had been uncomfortable but Andie explained it by saying that he was
worried about exchanging his car for the items she had at his apartment. Aunt
Sadie let it pass without any questions but Andie knew how temporary that would
be.

How could she possibly tell the woman she cherished most
that her roguish friend had taken all the love she’d willingly offered him and
twisted it into something awful? He turned their night of shared passion into
something ugly and made it seem meaningless. He took the special feelings he’d
filled her with before she went to sleep and changed them into degrading, dirty
reminders of his mistake, as Brett had termed it. The most wonderful experience
of her entire life was something he regretted taking part in. How could she
have been so naïve to think she would be different from all his other
encounters? Aunt Sadie was always teasing Brett about his playboy ways. She’d
probably be quick to point out what a fool Andie was to believe that she’d be
any different from all the others. She might even scold Brett like she usually
did when he gave her that charming grin and shrug just after he admitted the
latest woman in his life had already been left behind.

Andie tossed and turned until dawn before she gave in to
temptation. Ignoring the part of her that insisted she would be sorry, she
returned to her email. After another lengthy debate, she finally opened Brett’s
message, swearing that nothing he said would make the least bit of difference.
His brief statement caught her off guard. Andie didn’t know what to make of it.
She chided herself for assuming she’d find some sort of flowery apology
intended to smooth her reaction and let her down at the same time, not that she
wanted that from him.

As she continued to ponder his words, Andie was annoyed when
she realized that it pleased her to have him acknowledge her role in extracting
him from the situation he had been in with Tish. Well, good. At least he wasn’t
completely unconscious. Of course Jesse would have told him how she and Holly
had recorded Tish’s conversation with Craig at the restaurant. Jesse probably
made him send that little missive too, just like he attempted to smooth it over
between Brett and Flynn. Damn him for interfering when Andie had asked him
directly to stay out of her life!

Fine. Brett had done what Jesse’d told him to do. Now it was
done and she could find a way to pick up the pieces. So what if she’d spent the
past few months picturing them together. So what if Brett was the perfect
combination of masterful dominance and unselfish giving sexually. So what if he
was interesting and charming and just plain fun to be with. Andie didn’t care
in the least that she had thought of him as the perfect match for her since the
moment they’d met. Even if he had believed that he was about to be married to
another woman, he still had no excuse for the note he’d left when he took the
cowardly way out and had hidden from her that morning.

* * * * *

Brett checked his computer even before he poured his first
cup of coffee. Andie had read his email! She had actually opened it within ten
hours of his sending it. What to say next? Brett forced himself to walk away
from the keyboard. Jesse had cautioned him not to push too hard if she opened
his messages. He had to take his time and consider his next words to her very
carefully and not give into his inclination to be hasty.

Sipping his coffee, Brett debated how to proceed. He could
try begging her forgiveness and groveling until she actually spoke to him.
Instinctively, he knew that would be the wrong approach with her. Andie had been
so willing to be dominated while they were together. The last thing she would
want was a man who fell to pieces. He would need to find a way to show her that
he was strong and secure enough to admit he had made the most dreadful mistake
with the way he turned his back on her. He somehow had to make up for his
cowardly retreat. He had to show her that he was capable of establishing her as
the center of his world, someone as essential to his life as breathing was,
while appearing in control of both their lives.

What a surprise Andie had turned out to be! Thanks to Jesse,
he’d finally recognized the special woman she was. What a fool he’d been not to
see that on his own. Or, more accurately, he’d been a fool to keep denying what
his friends kept pointing out to him. Now that he permitted himself to think
about it, Brett was ready to accept that he’d always known Andie was different
and he’d simply been fighting his reaction to her. If only he hadn’t done that
to them. At least she had enough sense to listen to her heart. Fat lot of good
that did him, with the careless way he’d trampled it the first opportunity he
had to get close to her.

Damn, if she hadn’t been hot! He never would have guessed
that beneath the quiet, kind exterior lurked the innocently wild, submissive,
daring, sensual woman she’d proved to be. Just thinking about her behavior was
making him hard. Brett groaned. He had to cut that train of thought off
instantly. No way could he mention what happened between them physically. Not
until she was willing to give him a chance to prove he deserved her forgiveness
and was worthy of becoming part of her life. Hell, at this point, he’d settle
for being in the same room with her. She didn’t have to bother speaking to him
as long as she didn’t make one of them leave.

Brett spent the next several hours putting things away. The
moving company he’d arranged to clean out the house in the city wasn’t coming
until the next week but he had plenty to do with the possessions he had already
relocated. In the master bedroom, he paused, wondering which closet Andie would
prefer. No matter how long it took, he would find a way to bring her here. When
he’d purchased this house and had shown her around with Sadie, Andie had
genuinely seemed to like it. He remembered some of her timid observations and
suggestions. Maybe he would take her advice with them in hope that it would
please her if she ever came back. No, not if. When she came back. To stay. With
him, where she belonged.

Whoa! Just because Andie opened one little thing from him,
didn’t mean she would do it again. No getting ahead of himself here. Back to
treading lightly and making every word he sent her count. He could say
something stupid and chase her from his life forever, that is, if he already
hadn’t.

When the phone rang, Brett realized that this was the first
day that had passed in two months without him drinking his lunch. He was
actually hungry for a change. Soon as he hung up with whoever it was calling
him, he’d need to make a trip to the grocery store.

“Hey,” Jesse responded when Brett answered the phone.

“Jesse, hi. Did you see her? How’d she seem to you?”

“If I weren’t such a good friend, I’d have to be offended by
the way you skipped right over me.” Jesse laughed.

“Sorry. Again. Maybe I should answer the phone with an
apology and get it over with right away.”

“Oh shut up. I’m just busting on you. You sound good for a
change. What did you do this morning?”

“You’ll be very pleased to hear that I actually managed to
be productive. It’s amazing what I can accomplish when I’m not hung over and
drowning the pain with more booze.”

“It’s a miracle!”

“I know I deserve that,” Brett admitted. “Thanks for not
letting me chase you away, Jess.”

“Don’t mention it,” Jesse sounded pleased. “Seems like
you’re coming to your senses again.”

“Starting to. I took a good look at my life last night. I
can see now how much I screwed up just about every bit of it. I have a lot of
work to do before I get it all even close to straightened out. And I don’t mean
just Andie here.”

“I take it that means you still haven’t spoken with Jordan?”

“I called him earlier and told him I was here and needed to
take a week or two to get things in order.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. What are you
waiting for? I just don’t get you on this one, Brett.”

“I just… I can’t… It’s not… Oh, hell, I don’t know. I’ll
talk to him soon. I have to. And Shane.” Jesse remained silent. “I went over
and apologized to Flynn last night.”

“And?”

“I’m helping him and Joey with the tree house tomorrow.”

“So he decided to let you make it up to him.”

“I get to try. I’m planning to be very honest if he lets me
talk while we work. I’m not going to hold much back other than the specific
details of how I hurt Andie. Maybe if I can show that I trust him I might
regain some of his that I destroyed.”

“Sounds like the way to go about it,” Jesse agreed. “I bet
Shane and Alyssa are curious.”

“I’m sure they are, especially since Shane saw Andie
yesterday. I’ll talk to them soon too. After Jordan. Um, can I ask about Andie
now?”

“Yeah, not that I can tell you much. I saw her last night
even though, if Sadie’d had her way, I wouldn’t have. I explained why I went to
get you without her and how I really believed she’d still be sleeping when we
got back. I told her how you dealt with Tish and that you’d left the city for
good.”

“That’s it?”

“She asked if she really dislocated your shoulder. Flynn
must have told her that Shane suspected she had. Sorry but she didn’t say
anything either way when I said we popped it back for you. She came over for
her things this morning and gave my car back but she said she doesn’t want to
see me.”

“Damn.” Brett knew he was the cause of that too.

“Wyatt gave her his private number and had me tell her to
call for any reason and I know Holly won’t let Andie ignore her. I’ll give it a
day or two but I’m not planning on being banished so easily. I’m not so sure
how many good friends Andie really has, since I got the impression that most of
them are casual. I don’t think she has anyone who ever stuck around very long.”

“But you said she emails people.”

“Yeah but I think it’s more fluff than substance. She seems
closest to Sadie but I’ll bet there are some things they don’t discuss.”

“So she doesn’t have anyone to help her trash me?”

“I don’t think so and if she did, they’d be trashing me too.
You worse, of course.”

“She read my email.”