Conned (10 page)

I never realized that something so simple could have such an
effect on a person. Until now.

I guarantee that Rayce Dawson forgot himself a long time
ago. He left Emily to suffer the harshness of this world alone. He was her
family and he had abandoned her and it pissed me off.

I walked into our new apartment and heard Emily on the phone
ordering Chinese. It wasn't my responsibility to show her how she should have
been treated all these years. It wasn't my duty to do anything but keep her
safe and follow orders. But when I walked into the kitchen and saw her there,
her blonde hair in a messy braid over her shoulder, her curves emphasized by
the yoga pants and tight pink tank top she was wearing, and her big green eyes
that flickered with awareness when she saw me watching her, I knew. I
knew
that she was the one Mom had been talking about all those years ago. I
knew
she was the one Dad was talking about when he pulled us aside after Mom walked
away still catching her tears.

"It's your job to protect the women in your lives.
Especially the ones that love you unconditionally, like Mom said. But let me
tell you a secret." He leaned into the three of us and the serious
expression on his face softened and I just knew he was thinking of my mother.
"It won't feel like a job when you find the right one. It's a need you'll
have that will overpower all the others. And it's worth every second."

It was a
need
to protect Emily. It was a
need
to show her what she deserved even if it wasn't my job to show her.

But I had the feeling that my job description was about to
change and no one had ever stopped me from doing my job.

Emily

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Emily. Ash told me
so much about you."

Emily shook the outstretched hand of her new boss and tried
to ignore the fact that Conall was sitting right out in front of the school in
case anyone wanted to come to her new job and take her out. This whole thing
was a nightmare for her already heightened anxiety that even Conall couldn't
help relieve.

He had been very attentive to her over the weekend, making
sure she was comfortable when they strayed from the apartment, keeping her
distracted when her worries over her brother and the trial consumed her. He
talked to her like they had known each other for more than just a few days and
when it came to his family, she felt like she was a part of them.

He had done that for her and it was getting harder to
separate what was real and what wasn't. She was getting more comfortable being
alone with him. A good idea? Maybe. Maybe not. It was a nice change to feel
comfortable talking to someone for once. She had probably shared more than she
should have, but he gave her an open invitation.

Being with him made her forget the reasons they had even met
in the first place. Sometimes.

"Well, I hope it was all good things," she
replied.

The older woman, Margie, smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"It was. She seemed so excited that her oldest brother finally had a good
woman and the rest of us are as well. Little Conall was such a sweet boy
growing up. His mother taught those kids well and it's been our hope that he
finds someone that suits him. From what Ash says, you two were made for each
other."

She swallowed passed her nervousness. This was the story
they had to go with because nothing else would be as convincing, but after that
one kiss at the party a few nights ago, it was getting too easy to
pretend
she had feelings for him. His arms circling around her, holding her against
him, had been an anchor when she felt like she was about to float away. The
kiss had been convincing to
her
. Too convincing and she was afraid of
letting it happen again. She could see herself falling for Conall Brannock so
easily and that was dangerous no matter how good he looked in a suit. They
might be getting to know each other, but she was still a liar and he would
eventually hate her for it if he ever found out.

"Thank you. I think so, too."

"I can already tell that Isabelle would have loved
you."

She already knew that Isabelle had passed away from cancer
years ago, but Conall had told her the details the day they had lunch together
after looking at the apartment. The way he spoke about his mother was
spectacular and the same went for the rest of his family. From the stories they
all told, she was definitely loved by everyone who knew her.

"Isabelle and I were good friends. She was very
involved with the school when her kids were young and we all loved her very
much. Those kids had a really hard go of it when she died and that Liam was so
heartbroken, but he didn't give up on his kids. Isabelle would have haunted him
to the end of his days if he had." She chuckled and gestured for Emily to
follow her into the office, "If you are the one that was able to lock a
man like Conall Brannock down, she
definitely
would have loved
you."

It wasn't the first time someone had implied that Conall
wasn't the kind of man to ever settle down. That bitch at the party had been
proof of that as well. When she was with him, though, he didn't seem to be that
kind of man at all. Her experience with men may have been limited to a few
short relationships that ended mutually, but she knew a player when she saw
one.

Fergus Brannock? The very definition of a player.

Conall? She just couldn't picture it.

They chatted about Aislinn and Lucas and the coming wedding
which Emily pretended to be participating in. Margie told her that she couldn't
guarantee more than a few days a week, but that Emily would definitely be high
up on the list of available substitute teachers. Something she hadn't expected
and was extremely grateful for.

"Alright, we have you starting today in Mrs. Gordon's
classroom. She teaches Geography and has informed me that the students should
be spending the majority of the class doing a few worksheets. Here are her
instructions," Margie said cheerily and handed over a small stack of
papers.

Emily flipped through them and felt the familiar thrill she
got whenever she prepared for a day of teaching. It may not be as exciting to
other teachers and she knew several that really hated their job to the point
that they whined and complained about it whenever they could. Emily, however,
lived for teaching. It was amazing to her that the students she taught were
dependent on her to give them information they would need for their entire
lives. The responsibility had been daunting at first and now, it gave her a
satisfaction she never felt before teaching.

"You look like you're ready to face the day,"
Margie chuckled and made her way around the desk to stand with her again.

Emily smiled and her cheeks felt hot. "I love
teaching."

"Good. We need that here. Ash didn't tell me, but are
you going to school to get your teaching degree or anything?"

For a split second, Emily had forgotten herself and opened
her mouth to tell Margie that she was a teacher in Denver and missed her
students terribly, but she quickly snapped it shut and tried to recover.
"I'm planning on starting classes next semester. Conall and I thought it
would be best to get settled in first."

Margie smiled knowingly and bumped her with her elbow,
"You think you two will tie the knot soon?"

"Oh," Emily breathed and looked down at the papers
in her hands to avoid the woman's hopeful expression. "I don't know about
that. It's still pretty soon."

"Ash told me you have known each other a while."

"Yes, we have," she replied. Shit, this was harder
than she thought. "But we wanted to take the time to really get to know
each other better. It was more of a long distance friendship anyway," she
said quickly, using Conall's own words.

Margie waved her hand dismissively, letting her off the
hook, "Oh, I understand that. You two have plenty of time. I'm impressed,
though. Kids these days rush into marriage so quickly that they don't realize
how little they know about each other."

Emily nodded in agreement and smiled widely, hoping it
didn't look completely fake.

"Let's get you to class then, you'll have about ten
minutes to prepare before the first bell. Come along then."

She followed Margie out of the office and through the winding
halls of the school to a small classroom with three windows that let in the
bright morning sun. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the classroom
and feeling a bittersweet twinge in her chest. Margie left a few seconds later
and promised to meet up with her for lunch.

Emily walked over to the biggest window next to the
teacher's desk and looked outside. The teacher's parking was very close and she
could see Conall in his big silver truck with the window open and his arm
hanging out. His head was resting back against the headrest and he was talking
on the phone. She felt awful that he would be out there probably dying of
boredom until the school day ended and promised herself to find some time to go
out and chat with him.

They had started telling each other stories about growing up
while they devoured the Chinese food she ordered for them the other day and she
about died from laughing so hard. His childhood had been filled with silliness
while hers was spent praying that her parents remembered to at least stock up
on some groceries for her and Rayce so she could feed him. She'd tried to avoid
talking about her childhood, but he pressed and when she told him about her
parents, she wished they had never started talking in the first place.

"How old were you when they died?" he asked
gently.

"Eighteen. Thank God. It was still a fight to get
custody of Rayce, but at least I didn't have to worry about going into the
system myself."

"And Rayce? How did he take it?"

"He was glad he got to stay with me, but losing my
parents had been harder on him. Sure, he knew what they were like, but it was
nothing compared to when he was a baby. They calmed down when he got older, but
still… it wasn't enough."

They had sat in silence for a while before he asked another
question unrelated to her family and it was as if the sadness of her childhood
had never even entered the room. He was easy to talk to, but it was the way he
was so sensitive to anything that made her uncomfortable that had her trusting
him explicitly.

She turned back to the classroom and smiled. Despite the
chaos that had been her life these last several months and the guilt she felt
from being a deceitful player in this whole scheme, she felt a small sense of
peace. Conall had given her that and talking about Aislinn with Margie made her
feel like she actually had a family to brag about.

It was on that thought that she heard the first bell and a
stream of students started pouring into the room.

Here we go.

***

"How was it?"

Emily looked up from studying the ground as she made her way
to Conall and his truck. He was holding her door open and grinning, his blue
eyes more intense in the sunlight.

She smiled and exhaled a long breath, "It was
wonderful."

"Good."

She climbed into the truck and watched as he made his way
around the hood to the driver's side. When he climbed in, she waited for him to
start up the ignition and fiddle with the stereo. She noticed it was something
he always did before taking off and once they were on the road, he didn't touch
it again unless it was to mess with the volume. It was a simple thing, but she
thought it was adorable.

He put the key in the ignition, but paused and turned to see
her watching him. "Any problems with Margie?"

She shook her head, "Nope. Almost slipped about
teaching in Denver, but it got easier after that."

"Good."

She waited again, but he didn't turn the key and when she
looked back to his face, he wiggled his eyebrows at her teasingly and flashed
his white teeth with a smile. "Any eighth grade boys fall in love with
you?"

She narrowed her eyes for a moment before she answered with
a teasing smile. "Not that I know of."

Conall shook his head and turned to face the windshield as
he started the truck. "It'll happen."

Emily wasn't sure how to respond, but he started fiddling
with the stereo before she had the chance and she got caught up in watching
him. Once he found a station that wasn't playing commercials, he shifted the
truck into reverse and backed out of the parking space without another word.

They drove for a few minutes and when she noticed that they
were heading in the opposite direction of their apartment, she asked him where
they were going.

"Got some files in from Captain Miller and need to
print them out. Since we don't have a computer at the apartment, I need to stop
by Dad's."

"Okay."

"Ash wants to do a dinner tomorrow night before her and
Luke take off on vacation and before Dad leaves to Ireland."

"Okay."

"She was hoping you would help her."

Emily felt her cheeks flush with surprise. "Me?"

He nodded and kept his eyes on the road.

"Why?"

He shrugged and glanced at her sideways looking a little
uneasy. "Girl stuff."

She smiled and the surprise turned into anticipation. She
needed some girl time and helping Ash with the few last minute things before
Liam's party had been refreshing. "Sounds good."

"So tell me about your classes."

Emily's smile widened. What could she say about her classes?
"They were so great. The kids were sweet and it was just nice to be back
in a classroom."

"Any troublemakers?"

"Not at all. They were almost better than the students
I had back in Denver, but that may be because I'm just substituting."

Conall nodded as he listened. "What were you
teaching?"

"Geography."

He frowned, "Sounds boring."

"It's not bad. I'm used to teaching English, of course,
so it was a little bit of a challenge to do something different, but I like a
challenge."

"Did Margie say how often you'll be able to work?"

Emily tried not to bounce in her seat with excitement.
"She said a few days a week, but that I would be high on the list to
call."

He turned away from the road to throw her a knowing grin,
"Good to hear. Will you know about a schedule ahead of time, though?"

"Most likely," she shrugged. "Margie said
that a lot of the teachers don't really call in sick so it will be more of a
planned thing."

"Good."

She bit her lip and watched him drive. He was acting normal,
but there was something about him that was making her feel more tingly than
usual. The tension was there in the truck, but it didn't stress her out like it
had before. "I gave her your phone number. I wasn't sure if that was
okay."

"Of course it is. It's the only number to reach you at
right now. We'll go today and get you one, but it can only be used to contact
work or someone in my family. I'll program the numbers in."

She nodded in agreement and suddenly wished she hadn't said
anything about it at all because it reminded her of another lie she was getting
so good at telling. After Ash asked about whether or not she had spoken with
her brother, she hadn't really thought the need to lie about it again would
come up. She already had a phone, but no one knew about it and no one ever
could. It made her feel sick to think it was just another thing she was keeping
from him. When the marshals discussed her relocation, she worried that in all
the chaos, they would find it and her only connection to her brother would be
lost. She knew she needed to use it soon, especially after what happened before
coming to California, she made a promise after all, but she wanted to wait a
little longer. She wanted to feel this peace for just a little while.