Judging Joey (9 page)

Sabrina nudged her. “Just do it. Like ripping off a bandage. Tell him what he did.”

Joey was studying her. “Maybe you should just come clean if your best friend thinks you’ll feel better.”

Would she? With them watching her, she had to say something. After taking in a long breath, she decided to tear off that ten-year-old bandage and allow her festering wound to heal.

“It was the night you and your friends played that prank on my best friend Allison and me.”

Joey flinched back like she had just poured the hot wax from the table’s candle on his hand. “Huh?” Confusion played out on his face.

Seriously? He was going to deny this too?
She’d had enough
.
“You traumatized us and ruined the only friendship I had had, making the last two years of high school unbearable.”

TJ threw a straw at Joey. “Good one, Madeline.” He knocked on the surface of the oak dining table. “Look at his face. Priceless.”

“She’s not kidding,” Sabrina said, looking at them all around the table. “Mary Beth, Kush, you said earlier you went to their high school, did you hear anything about what happened?”

They both shook their heads.

TJ threw another straw at Joey. “Dude! What’d you do?”

Joey slumped back in his chair and ran a hand through his crew cut. “Madeline, is this some sort of a joke? Cause it’s wasted on me.”

“Okay, guys, deluxe burger done medium, extra fries.” Charlisse placed the plate in front of Sabrina. “Careful, honey, plate’s hot. Cheese steak?”

As the waitress moved about delivering everyone’s orders Madeline searched Joey’s stunned face. His proud brows furrowed, his square jaw tight, his eyes stormy. Was it possible he had no recollection?

She divided her chicken wrap already sliced in half and automatically handed it to Sabrina while she studied Joey’s shocked expression. He watched her as intensely as she accepted half of Sabrina’s burger and some fries. She lifted her plate and passed half her onion rings to Sabrina as she waited for his response.

Madeline positioned everything on her plate, separating the fries and onion rings from the meat with her fork. Joey left his burger untouched. The rest of the table waited and watched.

The waitress came over. “Is everything all right? Can I get somebody something?”

“No, it’s okay, Charlisse,” Joey assured her. “Everyone, dig in.”

Madeline knew they hadn’t forgotten her mysterious high school recollection, but they followed Joey’s order and dove into their meals. They ate in silence and watched them, still interested.

Joey jerked his chair closer and placed his hand on Madeline’s again. “What gives? I thought you didn’t appreciate jokes. Could have fooled me.”

Madeline peeked up at him. Time had passed, and he was no longer that boy she had a crush on in high school. Not that she’d known him well then, but she certainly knew less of the man he had become.

“I find it hard to believe you don’t remember. Maybe it was all a big joke to you and your friends. Especially that jerk, Scott. But what you did to Allison and me was unforgivable.” Her lower lip began to tremble in spite of her brave front.

He squeezed her hand and shook his head in apparent confusion. “Who’s Allison?”

Madeline yanked her hand away and hissed a whisper through her clenched teeth. “You don’t even remember her name? The girl you and Scott invited over for a party at your house. The girl you all humiliated,” she snapped. She wanted to scream at him, but wouldn’t dream of causing a scene. That was something her mother would have done.

Again, Joey raked his hands through his hair and frowned. “Are you talking about a keg party at my parents’ house? Junior year of high school?”

“How dare you pretend you don’t remember.” This time she didn’t care who heard in the restaurant even though no one besides those at her table seemed to take notice. Sabrina eyed them both carefully.

“You’re still an arrogant, self-centered, insensitive jerk.” Madeline threw her fork down on her plate with a clang. “You and Scott deserve each other.” She couldn’t believe he was even related to Caitlin. She wanted to go on to say that she felt sorry for her young student, Christopher, who was saddled with him as an uncle, but self-preservation stopped her.

It was one thing to speak her mind about him, but she would never discuss a student. Particularly in public.

“Dudes, lighten up,” TJ barked, holding up his glass. “We’re supposed to be chillin.”

Joey raised up his glass and nodded, curling his lip into a forced grin, his eyes never leaving her. “What’s this about Scott?” He kept the stiff smile as he once again leaned in, putting an arm around her chair. “I haven’t seen the guy since graduation. And barely spoke to him after that stupid party.”

“You guys were tight and you haven’t seen him in years?” She leaned in as well, catching the scent of mild soap his body gave off as if trying to entice her. She clamped her teeth down. Well she wouldn’t let it get to her.

Sabrina tapped her arm. “I need to use the restroom. Be right back.” She whispered in Madeline’s ear, “Give him a chance to explain.”

Joey shouted across the table. “Hey, Kush. Remember Quarterback Scott? When’s the last time I talked to him?”

“That loser? Did he even graduate?” Kush turned to Mary Beth.

“Yeah,” Mary Beth said. “He pulled a senior prank and got suspended for a few days, but they let him come to the ceremonies. He had to move to Florida to live with his dad. I heard he married that cheerleader he was dating, the one with the shop-lifting problem. I hear his mom keeps encouraging him to divorce her and move back here.”

Madeline shook her head and turned to Joey, accusation dripping from her words. “Maybe she’s the one who stole your mother’s jewelry.”

Joey lifted a brow. “Scott and I were not friends by choice. We were on the same football team. That’s all.”

He leaned closer, meeting her gaze. “Madeline, I swear to you I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Scott invited Allison, my best friend, and me to a party at your house. He said he’d always had a crush on Allison and he even implied that you had one on me. And he promised me an exclusive for the school newspaper about some scandal concerning one of the coaches.” The more she explained, the more frustration rose in her gut. “He said you wanted me to come. He gave me your invitation. You personalized it.”

Joey moved in closer, so close she could feel his body heat rise against her arm’s bare skin. “Maddie.” His voice was low, she barely heard him whisper, “I’m sorry.”

She searched his face, trying to understand what he was saying.

“Let’s go outside for some fresh air.” He took her hand when she nodded and led her outside away from the crowd of people standing there and found a private spot near the parking lot. He leaned against the building putting a foot up on the concrete wall.

“Scott was a pig, Maddie. I never invited you to any party.” Sympathy oozed from his tone. “There was no scandal.”

“There was a party, all right.” She crossed her arms over her chest against the unexpected chill in the night’s air. Goose bumps erupted on her exposed skin. “At our expense.”

Since he still claimed ignorance, she proceeded to tell him what they had done. “When we got there, the party obviously had already started and was in full swing. Then someone noticed us and shouted something. The music stopped. The room grew silent. Everyone turned around and stared at us. Scott and some of the other football players jeered and said cruel things like we were pigs and how dare we crash their party. The cheerleaders laughed and made pig noises. Then they threw food and drinks and screamed at us to get out. They took pictures of us covered in beer and salsa dip!”

She went on to say how Allison blamed Madeline for everything. And how the rest of her high school years were pure agony.

He listened, without interrupting, and when she was spent, he reached out to wipe away the single tear she couldn’t stop from spilling down her cheek. He brushed it away so gently that for a moment she forgot about the boy she once thought she knew and concentrated on the man.

He seemed genuine. He didn’t appear to be lying to her.

“I don’t understand,” she said, trying to make sense of it all. What had been clear to her back then, now danced about in her mind without any rhyme or reason.

He shook his head. “I never wrote to you. Maddie, I tolerated Scott and his buddies because they were my teammates. His dad and mine were close friends until the night of that party. My dad asked Scott’s parents to housesit for us while we went away on vacation. Scott and his friends trashed my home. My mom noticed that a piece of jewelry was missing. We never got a straight story. First, his parents accused the cleaning people they hired to clean up the mess, then we heard it was some redhead. I’m guessing you were the redhead. But then the brooch turned up and we forgot about the whole thing. Just for the record, Scott never told me
any
of this. None of them did. As captain, they probably knew I would have gone crazy on them and had them reprimanded by the coach. I definitely would have made them apologize to you and your friend.”

She moved next to him alongside the building and rested her head against it. The cold seeped through her scalp, but she didn’t care. “I feel like such an idiot. You really don’t remember me, do you? Or Allison? All these years, to think of the energy I spent despising you, and you had no part of that horrible night. I hated Scott, too, but you hurt me the most.” Madeline hugged herself to ward off the coolness of the evening and the chill of disturbing memories. “And yes, I was the redhead branded the thief. I didn’t steal your mom’s jewelry.”

He shifted and braced his arms on either side of her against the wall and hovered over her. “Why did I hurt you the most?” His warm breath whispered across her face.

She brought her shaking hand to his cheek and caressed his strong jaw. No sense holding back now, she thought.
He already thinks I’m certifiable.

“I liked you so much. And I wanted you to like me.”

Chapter 8

Joey tipped up her chin and forced her to look at him. Tears welled in her green eyes and something twisted so deep in his gut it hurt. To think he was the cause of her pain. Since the carnival, the more time he spent around Madeline, the more a faint memory gnawed at him. One that included a tall, skinny, but cute girl with a mop of fire-engine-red curls that bounced about as she followed whichever teammate she was interviewing.

His thumb brushed over her lip. “Did we ever talk?”

She nodded, but didn’t speak. Her lips were smooth, satiny. Was he that insensitive in high school? He could kick himself. Why didn’t he ever notice her?

He traced her lips, her cheek, her ear, pushing back a lock of the smoothest hair he had ever touched. He reached for her hair again, compelled to stroke its silkiness. “What did we talk about?”

She swallowed and cleared her throat, then swiped impatiently at her eyes. “Sports, mostly. I interviewed you a couple of times after a game.”

“I bet you wrote killer articles.”

“I did.”

Joey laughed at her assuredness. She could be vulnerable one minute and cocky the next. He admired that in a person. It made her real. Not like most of the women he’d met recently. They were sure of themselves all the time.

“Maddie. Do you mind if I call you that?” When she didn’t object, he said, “I’m sorry for being an insensitive jerk in high school. To be honest, I do remember this cute, determined redhead with a pen and pad following some of the guys around. Even if it looked like it, I wasn’t ignoring you or trying to avoid you. Just wrapped up in my own world. I never would have hurt you on purpose.” He stood up straight and held out his hand. “Can we start over? I’m Joey.”

His truthfulness seemed to penetrate and she teased him with the start of a smile, placing her hand in his. “Madeline.”

Her hand trembled, and as he covered it with his, he brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles. They warmed to his touch and she rewarded him with a true smile this time. He was about to lean in for a kiss when she moved away.

“What’s wrong?”

“I still have my doubts about you.”

“I promise you, I’m innocent. And I believe you. About the jewelry, I mean.”

She shrugged, but offered no further explanation.

“I guess I’ll have to prove it to you,” he added. Then he took her hands and brought them down in front of him.

“Your nephew’s in my class.” Madeline looked around, as if checking to see if anyone saw them together. “It’s not right. I don’t feel comfortable.”

“Are you saying it’s a conflict of interest or something? He’s not my child. I doubt there’s a rule against it.”

She let go of his hands and rose up to her entire height. Heels and all. “No rules that I know of, but it’s not appropriate. I’m a new teacher. I can’t afford a blemish to mark my clean slate. It would be foolish to give my principal or the board any reason not to give me tenure in two years.”

He grinned at her analogies. “I’m insulted. No one’s ever called me a blemish.”

She put a hand on his chest and grinned back. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. Look, Joey, I need this job. Fraternizing with relatives of students might be frowned upon and I can’t take a chance of not getting rehired over it. I probably shouldn’t even be eating dinner here with you.”

He shook his head about to argue that in their close-knit town everyone fraternized with everyone, but she held up a finger.

“Promise me you’ll keep this moment between us. And don’t say anything to Sabrina. She thinks I worry too much. Speaking of Sabrina, she must be wondering what happened to me.” Madeline’s voice grew tight. “Us.”

He shook his head and grinned again at the intriguing redhead. “Your wish is my command.” He bowed and gestured like a genie.

They headed back. He needed a moment to clear his head. At the door, he whispered in her ear, “Nature calls.”

She nodded. He took a moment to admire her from the back as she waltzed toward their table.

He wanted to kiss her like no other woman he’d ever known. She was sweet yet passionate, intimate and genuine. There was no pretense with Maddie. He’d be the first to admit most of the women he dated were the opposite. They had an agenda. It had never bothered him a bit, since he could always figure out what it was they wanted from him. Usually, just a good time. No strings. No problems. If he sensed they wanted to change the terms, wanted more, he would break it off. The deal was off.

Those relationships were safe.

At this moment, he recognized Maddie was unlike them. She would expect something different. Maybe it was best that she snuffed out any possibility of having a relationship, other than friendship. Besides, his sister Caitlin would have a cow if she found out he almost kissed Christopher’s teacher, especially after the lecture she had given him. Criminals, he could handle. His sister’s wrath was a completely different animal.

Joey was about to head for the restroom when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Joey, buddy, how’ve you been?”

The hairs on the back of his neck actually stood up. He didn’t know what irritated him more—a passed-out sloppy drunk that vomited in his patrol car or the pompous arrogance in Alex’s ex-boyfriend’s voice. It took a mere second to decide he’d take his chances with the inebriated criminal.

Joey turned about and glared at the man who had crushed his partner’s heart. “George. Crawled out from under your rock tonight?”

George grinned and put his hand to his heart in mock injury. “And I thought you and I were friends.”

Joey balled fists at his sides, fighting the urge to knock the smug, bleached-white smile off George’s too-tanned face. “Friends? Not after the way you treated Alex,
counselor
.”

“Sounds like you don’t have your facts straight. I always treated her fine. Speaking of my ex, where is the pretty lady tonight? I didn’t see her with the crew over there. I hope she’s well.”

Joey moved forward. “Stay away from Alex. She wants nothing to do with you. Stop harassing her.”

George narrowed his light eyes. “Whoa, where did that come from? Going out to dinner and bumping into old friends is hardly considered harassment.”

“You know full well we come here most Saturday nights. Alex was afraid you might show up so she decided to go elsewhere. Can’t take no for an answer, huh?”

George frowned, and threw a ten on the bar. That caught the bartender’s attention.

The bartender handed him a mixed drink and George left the change on the bar and refocused on Joey. “That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. I don’t know what Alex has told you, but it’s
she
who’s still hung up on
me
.”

Joey flew to within inches of George’s face. His body temperature rose to the danger zone in a flash. “If you so much as look at her, she’ll slap you with a restraining order. And I’ll make sure it’s enforced!”

“Take it easy. You’re way off base. But if you must know, Alex and I should have ended it years ago.” George slugged his drink and shifted an ice cube around in his mouth. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

Joey got instant satisfaction when he noticed a bead of sweat break out on the guy’s forehead. So he’d hit a nerve. He practically smelled the stench of smoke burning from George’s unusually gigantic skull as he contemplated his options. Joey could only wonder what women saw in the guy. “Stay away from Alex, George.”

Madeline reached the table and Sabrina hauled her into her seat.

“Where’ve you been?” Sabrina demanded, but managed to keep her voice down. “I thought maybe you left me stranded here. I met the best-looking guy tonight during your disappearing act. He offered me a ride home if you didn’t show soon.”

Madeline raised her brows in disbelief searching for this mystery man. “Where’d he go? I want to meet the
best-looking
man in this restaurant. Tell me all about him.”

“Well, he came over to say hello to everyone at the table. He has the lightest blue eyes, blond hair, nice teeth. Good tan. His name’s George.” Sabrina sparkled with enthusiasm as she quietly described him, taking great pains that no one else at the table would hear. “We exchanged numbers.”

Madeline understood her friend’s need to keep her enchantment from George’s friends. No woman wanted a man to see too much eagerness. Men found it a real turn off.

Picking up her bag from the floor, Madeline unzipped it saying, “Mind if we get going soon? I’m wiped.” She bit into a fry.

“Sure, no problem. Eat something before it gets ice cold, then we’ll go. Hope you don’t mind, but I said we’d try to make it again next time. I had a lot of fun.” Sabrina said that loud enough for TJ and Lynn to hear. They smiled at her and nodded.

Madeline rummaged through her bag for her wallet. “Um, I don’t know, maybe.”

Everyone at the table began to protest, insisting she come back the next time. She spotted her wallet, but nearly drowned them out as she noticed something else was missing. “That’s weird. I can’t find my red datebook. It’s not here.”

“What’s wrong?” Joey slid back into his seat and must have noted her panic because his smile turned quickly into a worried frown. He searched her face for answers.

“I always carry my datebook with me and it’s not in my bag.” Madeline bent down and scanned the wood floor. She bit down on her lip in frustration. In attempt to conquer some semblance of order, she tried to recall when she had actually last seen it.

Sabrina held up her hands in a wide stretch. “Okay, let’s think. You went to the dentist this morning. You must have had it out to write in your next appointment.”

Madeline shook her head. “No, their computer was down. The receptionist said she’d call me to schedule. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen it since yesterday at school.” Holding a finger to her chin, she remembered checking her email and reading a post that the next staff meeting was changed. She’d made a note of it in her date book at her desk. She glanced at Sabrina.

Joey ripped out a slim black state-of-the-art smartphone. “Teachers. Still using notebooks and pencils. Don’t worry, it’ll turn up.”

“My paycheck was in there. I was going to go to the bank this morning, but my appointment ran late.”

“Don’t you have direct deposit?” Joey asked.

“No, I never signed up for it at work. I kind of like getting a real check and going to cash it in person.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “You need to get in this century.” She grabbed Madeline’s forearm. “Maybe it was stolen. First your picture frame. Now this.”

“Stolen?” Joey said. “You were robbed? Where? When? Did you report it?”

“No need to report anything. Just some kids fooling around.” Madeline drained her drink and took another bite of her meal, refusing to believe it could be anything else but pranksters. “I’m going to have to call Payroll on Monday and tell them what happened.”

Sabrina cut in. “You’re going to talk to the students at the Halloween Safety Assembly, right?”

When Joey nodded, she continued, “Make sure you tell them to respect other people’s property.”

Joey leaned back and crossed his very muscular arms. “No worries. Roger already asked me to do that and I said I’d take care it. Prank or not, it’s stealing. The students have to learn there are consequences.”

Madeline agreed with Joey. Even if the students didn’t realize her check was folded into her book, they were messing with her finances. She signaled to the waitress and had the rest of her cold food wrapped to go. Too drained to eat any more anyway, she’d microwave it the next day for lunch.

They chatted a few more minutes with everyone at the table, then said their goodbyes. As Madeline and Sabrina left, the others immersed in a conversation about the latest reality TV show Madeline had never seen. They rounded the corner, and Sabrina pointed out a nice-looking man at the bar.

“That’s him,” she mouthed. “George. Isn’t he cute?”

He winked at Sabrina, and she waved back.

Madeline smiled, too, then grasped Sabrina’s arm before her friend took a detour to talk to him. Madeline needed to get out of there. Away from Joey. Away from the memory of their near kiss.

Sabrina shouted, “Call me.”

George shot her the okay sign as Madeline had to practically drag Sabrina out into the fresh air. The crispness slapped Madeline in the face and brought her back into reality.

On the way home, Sabrina needled her about what had happened with Joey. Madeline told her everything about the high school party. When she explained her discussion with Joey outside the Grill, she admitted that he was sweet and understanding. She left out the part that he would have kissed her if she’d let him. Of that, she was sure.

She tuned out Sabrina’s chatter, nodding where appropriate and adding an affirmative word here and there, all the while engrossed in her own affairs. Literally. Was it possible Joey was innocent and had nothing to do with that awful incident? She may have misjudged him, but still whether purposefully or not, indirectly or not, the man
had
traumatized her. It was a part of her life she’d never forget.

Aside from that, his nephew was in her class and she would see Joey in the school whenever he was there in his role of Safety officer. So not cool. Worse, he could pop in any time and she wouldn’t know he was there unless she bumped into him or he deliberately came by her room. Being the Safety Officer meant he would have scheduled class visits with some of the students, but he could stop in any other time at will. And she could be caught unaware.

“Earth to Madeline.” Sabrina poked her in the arm holding the steering wheel. “I said, if I don’t hear from George in a couple of days, I’ll call him. What do you think?”

“Uh, yeah, call him.” Madeline tightened her grip on the wheel, slipping back to the memory of Joey’s near kiss and the feel of his rock-hard chest.