Sweet Spot (8 page)

“I’VE FELT REALLY GOOD, right until this second,” Nicole muttered as she and Claire stood in front of a run-down apartment building.

“You need to talk to her,” Claire said.

Nicole sighed. “You being the voice of reason is really getting old. Just so we’re clear on that.”

“I know. I’m sorry. But she’s your sister.”

Jesse was also a lying, cheating bitch, but Nicole didn’t mention that. Bad enough that she had to be here. She didn’t want to fight with Claire, too.

They took the stairs to the third-floor apartment. Nicole found herself hoping her sister was gone, but Jesse opened the door when Claire knocked.

If she was surprised to see them, she didn’t show it.

“May we come in?” Claire asked.

Jesse shrugged, then stepped out of the way. Nicole followed Claire inside.

The apartment was small and dark, a studio with water-stained walls and a smell of dampness. Nicole braced herself against any feelings of sympathy. She’d tossed Jesse out when she’d discovered her in bed with Drew. If Jesse hadn’t screwed up big-time, she would have still been living in the house. Her kid sister had done this to herself.

Claire looked around and tried to smile. “Everyone has to start somewhere,” she said cheerfully. “This is nice.”

“Sure. Whatever.” Jesse folded her arms across her chest. “Why are you here?”

Her sullenness made Nicole want to leave. Unfortunately she didn’t have a phone number for Jesse anymore, so she couldn’t just call her.

“I’m dropping the charges,” she told Jesse. “Not because I want to, but because my attorney is concerned about how our case will play in court. I’ve already wasted enough money on you. I don’t want to keep doing that.”

Despite her best intentions, her gaze slipped down to her sister’s midsection. There was a slight bulge. Nicole couldn’t decide if proof of the pregnancy was good or bad.

Jesse looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

“You’re pregnant,” Nicole said coldly. “That might make the jury sympathetic.”

Jesse took a step back. “How do you know?”

“My attorney mentioned it.”

“But I told him in confidence. He promised not to say anything. What about attorney-client privilege?”

Nicole rolled her eyes. “I’m his client. I pay for his service. You’re the person who stole. What makes you think he’d do what you said?”

At that moment, Jesse looked painfully young and unsure of herself. “I didn’t realize.”

Claire stepped between them. “Jesse, I hope you appreciate the opportunity Nicole is giving you. You won’t have to worry about going to court.”

“For taking what’s half mine?” Jesse asked, the moment of weakness gone.

“Here we go again,” Nicole muttered, grateful for her encounter with Hawk yesterday. Their powerful sexual experience had made her stronger somehow. At the very least it had given her something to think about other than Jesse and Drew and being humiliated.

“Our father left half the bakery to me,” Jesse said loudly.

“In trust until you’re twenty-five,” Nicole reminded her.

“You could buy me out. That’s all I want. I didn’t steal the cake recipe. I can’t steal what’s half mine.”

Nicole felt her temper rising. “You went behind my back. You built an Internet site that looked exactly like the one we already have and you sold cakes. What would you call it?”

“Doing what I had a right to.”

“And Drew? Did we share him, too?”

Jesse turned away. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Imagine how much I don’t care about what you want.”

“I didn’t sleep with him,” Jesse whispered.

Nicole wanted to throw something. “I saw him in your bed. You were naked. He was kissing you. What would you call it?”

“Don’t be like that. Why can’t you try to understand?”

Nicole tasted fury. “Oh, so this is my fault? After all I did for you?”

Claire stepped between them. “Stop. Both of you.”

“She won’t believe me,” Jesse whined.

“She’s a known liar.” And worse, Nicole thought.

“I don’t lie.”

“You leave things out. Omission is just as bad.”

“Stop it.” Claire glared at both of them. “We have to work this out.”

“No, we don’t,” Nicole said quietly. “Some things can’t be forgiven.”

Jesse spun back to face them. “That’s right. Nicole only wants me punished.”

“At last you’re making sense,” Nicole said.

Jesse glared at her. “You know what’s so funny about all this? The baby isn’t Drew’s. It’s Matt’s.”

Nicole wasn’t surprised Jesse would go there. “How can you be sure? You were sleeping with both of them.”

Her baby sister flushed. “That’s what you think, what you’ll always think. That’s why you told him about Drew. You wanted to hurt me as much as you’d been hurt. Congratulations. He hates me, too.”

Nicole refused to feel guilty. “As always, your flare for the dramatic overrides any need to tell the truth. I didn’t tell Matt about you and Drew. I told his mother, who came over to talk to you, that you were no longer living with me.”

Tears filled Jesse’s eyes. “So you told her what you saw, what you believed happened with Drew and she told Matt. You ruined everything.”

“The person who did that is you,” Nicole said coldly.

“No, I didn’t,” Jesse yelled. “I didn’t sleep with Drew. I didn’t.”

Claire looked disappointed. “Jesse, we can only make this work if we start from a place of honesty.”

“I’m being honest.” Jesse wiped away tears. “Why won’t you believe me?”

Nicole felt more disappointed than angry. She’d seen Drew and Jesse in bed together. Jesse had been naked, at least from the waist up. Nicole had seen that much.

“I’m tired of this,” she told Claire. “Let’s go.”

“No!” Jesse threw herself in front of the door. “You have to listen. The baby is Matt’s. You have to believe me.”

Claire shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jesse. You were in bed with Drew. We all know that happened. Why can’t we start from there?”

Jesse straightened. “Fine,” she said, tears still filling her eyes. “If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll talk about. I screwed his brains out for days. We couldn’t get enough of each other. Is that what you want to hear? I gave him everything you never could. Is it all better now?”

Nicole pressed her hand to her stomach. “I have to go.”

She pushed Jesse out of the way and left the apartment. Claire followed.

“I’m sorry,” her twin told her. “I thought we could get through to her.”

“That’ll never happen,” Nicole murmured, wondering if she was going to throw up now or wait until she got home.

JESSE SLAMMED the door shut behind them, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She retreated to her sofa and curled up on the hard, smelly surface, wishing she could go back in time. Just five minutes. Maybe if she had a do-over, she could explain it to them, in a way that made sense.

It wasn’t true, she thought as she cried and tried not to feel so incredibly alone. None of it. But they didn’t care. They only wanted to believe the worst of her.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew that was her fault. Nicole liked to point out how much of a screwup she was and Jesse knew she was right. She didn’t mean to get in trouble…it just seemed to happen. But this. She didn’t deserve this.

She was guilty of being friends with Drew, and maybe bad judgment, but nothing more. Sometimes Nicole could be difficult. Jesse and Drew had gotten into the habit of talking. Just talking. She wasn’t interested in Drew and even if she’d had a crush on him, she wouldn’t have done anything about it. He was Nicole’s husband.

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, but that didn’t close out the memories of that last night at Nicole’s house. How she, Jesse, had been upset about Matt. It had been late and she’d been in her room. Drew had come in and she’d welcomed the chance to talk.

She’d explained her fears and hopes and how she knew in her heart, Matt was the one she would love forever. Drew had hugged her.

She’d guessed he’d been offering comfort, which had been okay, if a little awkward. She’d accepted his embrace. But then he’d kissed her.

She’d been so stunned, she hadn’t known what to do. He’d kissed her and started talking about how this monogamy business wasn’t the real her. She was always flirting with different guys, including Drew. And then he flattered her, telling her that she was pretty and so much softer than Nicole. That she could do so much better than Matt.

It was almost instinct to respond. To agree that she wasn’t a one-man kind of girl. She never had been. It was like she was watching herself from a great distance. Then he’d pushed off the T-shirt she’d worn to bed and touched her breasts. Something inside of her had snapped.

She’d tried to stop him. She’d been quiet, not wanting Nicole to find out, instinctively knowing her sister wouldn’t believe that she hadn’t initiated this. And that’s when Nicole had walked in.

Drew had jumped up and started saying how she’d come on to him. That this had been all her idea. Nicole had looked at her with such hatred, Jesse had felt as if she’d been branded.

She’d known then that nothing she could say would matter.

Jesse pressed her hand to her stomach. She was pregnant with Matt’s baby, and no one would believe her. Especially not the two people she loved most in the world. Nicole had already turned her back on her and Matt had done the same.

She pulled into her driveway and saw an unfamiliar car parked in front of the house. Brittany climbed out and waved.

“I have a really big favor to ask,” the teenager said as she walked over. “It’s Raoul’s birthday. He’s turning eighteen. I want to cook him something special, but I’m not sure I can pull it all together. Would it be okay if I cooked it here and you helped? Then I’ll take it over to him.”

Nicole didn’t know what to say. While Brittany seemed like an okay kid, Nicole didn’t know her. They’d only spoken a few times. So why would she…

The fake dating. Hawk had obviously told his daughter they were going out.

“I’m happy to help,” Nicole told her. “But doesn’t your dad cook?” He’d been a single parent for a while and he seemed the type to learn that sort of thing.

“He does, but this is different. It’s for a guy.” Brittany wrinkled her nose. “He understands that I date, but I don’t think he likes it.”

“Typical father,” Nicole murmured, remembering how her dad had lacked any interest in her life. Someone being attentive would have been nice.

“I know. But he loves me.” Brittany smiled as she spoke, as if she were very sure of the fact. And why wouldn’t she be? “So is it okay? Helping me with dinner? I know you have a date with my dad tonight. I won’t make you late.”

“Sure. Come on in.”

After her talk with Jesse, Nicole welcomed the distraction.

Brittany ran back to her car, then returned with a couple of grocery bags. “I wanted something special, you know. Raoul’s been in foster care for a long time. Ever since his brother went to jail. Not that his home life was all that great before. He’s been moving around a lot. I don’t know if anyone else even remembers it’s his birthday.”

Brittany pulled items out of the bag as she spoke. Nicole looked over the contents.

There was beef, noodles, carrots, a small package of beef Stroganoff mix, sour cream and premade cookie dough that just had to be heated in the oven.

“Looks easy enough,” Nicole said.

“Good. I brought casserole dishes and one of those insulated carriers to keep everything hot while I drive over to Raoul’s.”

Nicole organized Brittany’s supplies, then turned on the oven to preheat and got the teenager set up with a cutting board and a knife.

“I trim the meat, right?” Brittany asked.

“Yes. Try to keep the pieces about the same size so they’ll cook at the same rate.”

“Okay.”

Brittany cut away. “Thanks for helping with this. I didn’t know where else to go. My friends’ moms would probably help, but I felt weird about that.”

Nicole wasn’t sure why. “Have you two been going out a while?”

“Five months. Raoul is so great. He’s really responsible and he loves me a lot.”

An interesting combination. Nicole thought about the stolen doughnuts, then reminded herself that he’d more than made up for his actions. She was happy to have him working in the bakery.

“Do you know where my dad is taking you?” Brittany asked.

“No.”

“I’m sure it will be really nice. He likes to take his girlfriends to nice places. A good quality in a boyfriend.”

Nicole nodded because she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t actually think of Hawk as her boyfriend.

“He dates a lot,” Brittany added. “Just so you know, he doesn’t get serious. Not that I mean anything bad by that. I’m sure he likes you a lot.”

Nicole sensed that she was being sent a message—she just wasn’t sure what it was. Did Brittany want to warn her off or help her out?

Rather than deal with the question, she dug out a big pot. “This,” she said, “we’ll use for boiling the pasta.”

AFTER BRITTANY LEFT, Nicole headed upstairs to get ready for her date with Hawk. She was more nervous than she would have expected, even reminding herself it wasn’t a real date. This was him keeping his half of the bargain, nothing more.

Still, she flipped through the contents of her closet, groaning when she realized she had nothing to wear. She decided to start at the beginning and try to figure out what was appropriate for a high-profile non-date possibly taking place somewhere nice.

As it was still pretty warm, she settled on a sleeveless floral print dress with a narrow skirt. She’d been fake tanning for the past couple of days, so her legs looked decent. With dangly earrings and low-heeled sandals, she decided she wouldn’t look half-bad.

Before dressing, she rolled her hair in hot curlers and put on makeup. She finished dressing, then got out the jumbo can of hairspray and prepared to spray her hair into submission.

The curlers came out, she finger-combed her curls, then sprayed until she coughed. The dangly earrings completed the outfit.

As she made her way downstairs, she found herself nervous about seeing Hawk again. The last time he’d been in this house, they’d been having hot monkey sex. She barely knew the man, but she’d already seen him naked. How strange was that?

There was a knock at the front door. Her stomach immediately plunged to her feet. She felt like she was going to throw up. This was a bad idea. What on earth had she been thinking?

Forcing herself to keep breathing, she opened the door.

“Hi,” she said, trying to keep her voice from coming out in a squeak.

“Hi yourself.”

The message to her brain, telling her to step back, was automatic. Which was a good thing, because she was incapable of thought.

Hawk looked amazing. He wore slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, a tie and sport coat. He looked like one of those sexy sportscasters. Or a male cover model.

He filled out his clothes perfectly—as if they’d been custom-made for him. Maybe they had. She managed to raise her gaze to his face. He smiled at her and the nerves got worse. An entire parade of butterflies began practicing their marching-band routine.

She felt weak and oddly aroused at the sight of him. Would he consider blowing off dinner and doing her instead?

“I made reservations,” Hawk told her. “The Yarrow Bay Grill. Have you been there?”

“No, but I’ve heard about it.” That it had a stunning view, an excellent wine list and incredible food.

“I don’t usually make reservations,” he grumbled. “You’d better be impressed.”

He could do her later, she thought as she smiled. “I am impressed. I’m all quivery. I’ll barely be able to walk to the car. Of course I have a stiff knee so that could be part of the reason.”

“You’re being snarky.”

“You picked up the phone and dialed and now you want a plaque?”

“It’s a guy thing.”

“Apparently.”

“You look great.”

“Thank you. You look very nice, as well.”

“I did the tie especially for you. I thought you’d like it.”

“I do.”

She told herself not to read too much into his words. They weren’t on a real date. They were partners in a bargain that would make most people who knew her shake their heads.

Forty minutes later they were seated in a booth overlooking the small marina at Yarrow Bay. Lake Washington glimmered with sunlight.

Hawk flipped through the novel-length wine list, then ordered. When their server had left, he leaned forward.

“Brittany called me on her way to Raoul’s house. She told me you helped her with his special birthday dinner. Thanks for that.”

“It was fun. I was a little surprised she came to me, though.”

“I would have done it, but she knows I would have given her a hard time. Teasing daughters is a father’s prerogative.”

“Mine was never much into that.” He’d always been a distant man, more interested in what was on TV than the lives of his daughters. “Brittany is a lovely girl. She thinks the world of you. You two have a very special relationship.”

He shrugged. “We do okay. I want to take all the credit, but it was mostly Serena. By the time she died, all the basics were in place.”

Nicole didn’t know what to make of the information. Should she ask more about Serena or change the subject? Honestly, she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to know.

“Have you lived here all your life?” he asked.

She nodded. “Even during college. I went to University of Washington and lived at home. With the bakery, there wasn’t much chance of doing anything else.”

“Why?”

She picked up her water glass, then put it down. “My family has owned the Keyes bakery forever. I grew up knowing I would always be a part of that heritage. That I would one day take it over.”

“You have sisters, don’t you? Why do I think you have sisters?”

“I have two. Claire is my fraternal twin. You might have heard of her.”

The server appeared with a bottle of red wine. After opening it, he poured some into a glass for Hawk to taste. Hawk sipped, then nodded. The server poured them both wine and left.

“Why would I have heard of your sister?” Hawk asked.

“Claire Keyes?”

He shook his head, then stopped. “She plays piano?”

Nicole smiled. “Concert pianist. Famous soloist. She’s played all over the world, made top-selling CDs. When we were three years old, we went to a friend’s house. Claire walked up to the piano and started playing. We’d never even seen one before, so everyone went crazy. Life changed. Claire started taking lessons. When she was six, she and my grandmother left so she could study in New York and Europe. Jesse, my youngest sister, was born that year. A lot of things changed.”

“She was just gone? You must have missed her.”

“I did. It was like someone had cut off my arm. When I was twelve, my grandmother decided Claire’s schedule was too grueling for her. She came home and my mother left to travel with her.”

What Nicole didn’t mention, what still made her angry, was how happy her mother had been to go. She’d been excited by the opportunity to travel and see the world, live in five-star hotels and hang out with the rich and famous. Never once had she even hinted she would miss what, and who, she was leaving behind.

“The bakery was my dad’s but he was never much into it,” Nicole continued. “I had to handle things at home with Jesse and I started helping out in the bakery. When Claire and I were sixteen, our mom was killed in a car crash. I sort of took over after that.”

She stopped talking. Was she saying too much?

“You studied business at college?” he asked.

She nodded. “So I could take over the bakery.”

“What would you have done if you’d had the choice?”

No one had ever asked her that before. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I have no idea. It was never an option. I knew I would inherit the bakery.”

She’d accepted her fate, had never considered there might be other paths.

“You, not your baby sister?”

Nicole didn’t want to think about Jesse or the fact that both her sisters were pregnant. “She never had a lot of interest.”

“Do you like what you do?”

She thought about an average day, the people she worked with, the rhythm. “Most of the time. I mean hey, I’m surrounded by cupcakes. Where’s the bad?”

He grinned. “Good point. I always knew I wanted to play football. I grew up north of Seattle, outside of Marysville. Small town, small high school. Football was going to be my way out.”

“What about your family?”

“It was just my mom and me. My dad died when I was little. What I remember about him isn’t good. Money was tight, but that was okay. My mom was so damn proud of me. She really believed in me. When things got hard, I thought about my mom.” Hawk picked up his wine but didn’t take a drink. “She lived to see me get to college on a scholarship, but not much longer after that. I wish she could have seen me go pro.”

“Maybe she did.”

He looked at her. “I like to think so. She was great when I found out Serena was pregnant. We were seniors in high school. I thought she was going to kill me, but she just said we’d handle it.”

Nicole wasn’t sure what her father would have said if she’d shown up pregnant. Not that it ever would have happened. Between school and working in the bakery and raising Jesse, there hadn’t been a lot of time for dating. Or fun.

“How did Serena’s parents take it?” she asked.

“They were angry. They told her if she didn’t give up the baby for adoption and never see me again, they would have nothing to do with her.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. She was devastated. But I told her we’d get married and be a family. It took a hell of a leap of faith for her to believe me.”

“She was in love.”

“We both were. It was terrifying at first. We got married right after graduation and moved in with my mom. The coach at Oklahoma University put us in touch with some folks down in Norman and they really helped out.”

Nicole didn’t know much about football but she knew he’d picked the right kind of school.