“Love?”
“I’m over thirty. I know the difference between infatuation and love. I’ve known her since June. She’s dominated my thoughts every single day since then.”
“You have a reputation.”
“I do. But that’s manufactured by the media.”
“Not all of it.”
“No. Not all. Look, I don’t regret anything I’ve done. I was a young man with lots of success, lots of money and lots of women. But I never hurt anyone. I never misused anyone. Everything I’ve done has been with consent. And none of them has been Mary. That’s how I know the difference. I’m not going to apologize for what I’ve done in the past with people before I even met her. But I can tell you that since the moment she came into my life, that Damien has been retired.”
“She’s special. She works harder than anyone I’ve ever met. She takes care of the people she loves. She needs a man who is worthy of her.” Jules looked him up and down. “You that guy?”
“I sure hope so. I’m trying my best.”
“If you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down. She’s my family.”
He nodded. “I’d expect nothing less. But I don’t plan to hurt her.”
“Which is why I made you an Americano and didn’t throw it in your face.” She smiled and he laughed. “She has always been there for me. For all the people she loves. I don’t blame you for loving her. I don’t know how anyone could resist loving her. If you’re who she’s chosen, you’re part of us too. You make her happy. I like that. Keep it up.”
She turned and went out to deal with customers.
* * *
Mary went home, showered and then headed over to Gillian’s place. Miles had just gotten home from school and he chattered nonstop about this or that class, music composition, the song he’d been working on for a project.
When they were alone, Miles told her about something he’d seen on the Internet. She didn’t know how to process it, so she’d stew on it a while to figure it out.
Gillian came back into the room, smiling when she saw him still chattering away to Mary. She kissed her son’s cheek. “Enough. You’re going to talk Mary’s ear off. Go on and do your homework. I made you a sandwich; it’s on the counter.”
He grinned. “Thanks, Mum!” He sped from the room, cats in his wake.
“Looks like he loves school.”
“I have to admit I was wrong about how amazing a choice this school would be for him. I wanted him to be with his friends and to keep his life here. But he’s made more there. The kids there are talented like he is. And better than that, he’s connected with this huge part of himself. All that art that lives in his soul.” She shook her head. “I should have known. My time at Juilliard was incredible because I was surrounded by people who were like me.”
“I know you, Gillian. You’re feeling guilty for not having him in the school for years.”
“How could I have been so blind to it?”
“Hush, you. You thought about his life in terms of his safety, of the stability in the face of all this change. By that I mean you’re his mum and you did what you should have. There’s enough guilt in this world. Don’t let this small thing add to it.”
Gillian was an amazing mother. She had no idea how good at it she was. Miles was beyond lucky to have her. Mary squeezed her friend’s hand.
“You’re good to me.”
“I only speak the truth.”
Adrian came into the room with Damien. Damien saw her and lit up. She felt it to her toes.
“Miles was just gushing about his composition class.”
Adrian grinned. “That kid. Man. So proud of him. He hit the ground running and he’s been kicking ass. Even doing the homework for his academic courses. Should have seen their faces when Damien showed up with me today when we picked him up. I think they like him better than me.”
“Yeah, sucks to be you and all. Triple platinum, sold-out tour, hot wife, baby on the way, great kid. Too bad you’re so ugly.” Damien snorted and headed straight to Mary. “Hey, you.” He kissed her.
“Hi.”
“How’d the job go?”
“The client is pretty difficult.” Mary sighed. “She was very specific about what she wanted. I advised her that some other choices would work better. She insisted on what she wanted. And of course then she threw a giant tantrum about it. Thank goodness I had all our e-mails printed out and with me in a file so I could refute her claims. And Cal’s card to hand over when she threatened not to pay me.”
He frowned. “What a bitch.”
Mary shrugged. “Sometimes you have clients like that. Mainly they’re pretty nice.”
“This isn’t going to hurt you, is it? It was Kathy Bonebright, right?” Gillian’s concern made Damien’s gaze sharpen.
“I think most people who know her know what she’s like. I won’t be working with her again, even if she hadn’t sworn me off as incompetent in front of the entire room.”
“She did wha?” Gillian’s eyes flashed and Adrian squeezed her shoulder.
Mary laughed, turning to Damien. “You may not have noticed, but when Gillian gets mad, she loses consonants and her English comes out.”
“Who is this woman, Curly?”
“She’s no one. Her husband has money and she thinks it makes her important. But I know my food, I know my business, and anyone who’s worked with me knows it. I’m fine.”
“She said you were incompetent?” Gillian was mainly sweet, but when someone she loved was threatened, she could be a sharp-tongued bitch.
“Yes. In front of half her party. So tacky. Most of them cringed in embarrassment. Several of them asked for my card. She’s nothing to me, Gillian. It’s all right.”
“She’d better watch herself.” Gillian sniffed. “Incompetent? I’ll show her incompetent with my boot.”
Mary hugged her friend. “I love you.”
“Of course you do. You have excellent taste.”
Damien absently tugged on one of her curls only to watch it spring back into shape. “What’s the plan for the evening?”
“We’re having dinner with my family.”
He raised a brow. “We are?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I bumped into my mother on the way over here just now. She invited me to dinner. I told her you were here and she said she’d set an extra place. Is that all right?”
“Yes. I’m happy to meet them at last.”
20
Damien was never nervous. But he sure was now. He gave himself a little pep talk about how he totally could do this. Her mother was a woman after all. He was good with women. But this was Mary’s mom and dad. People who were really important to her.
Mary squeezed his hand. “I promise you they’re really nice people. She just wants to get a look at you. If she thought you were a bad guy, she wouldn’t be inviting you to dinner, I can tell you that much.”
“Oh yeah? There’s a story to that. Tell me.”
“Let’s see, um, five years ago? No, six. I went out with a guy for a while. He was nice enough. But I never quite trusted him. Anyway, it got back to her that he had a fiancée of all things. This woman he’d actually been living with down in Tacoma. I had no idea. He had an apartment here; how on Earth could I have known? But she found out and she tracked him down. She never told me what was said. He never told me what was said. But he confessed about the other woman and moved out of his apartment that same week. She’s sort of ruthless. So what I’m saying is she’s not one to hide or beat around the bush. If she likes you, she likes you, and she does not have people she dislikes at her kitchen table.”
She pulled up the driveway and got out.
“You should let me open your door.” He frowned at her and she laughed, holding a hand out.
“I promise next time. Come on.”
He noted that she did not bring any food.
They went up the front steps. She tapped on the door and they went in. “It’s me!”
“In the kitchen.”
She shut the front door and he took her coat, hanging it on the coat rack near the door, along with his own.
“Come on back then. Your father is making what he thinks is a compelling argument as to why we should have ice cream with the pie.”
“My dad has really high cholesterol and high blood pressure,” Mary told him in an undertone. “He’s always trying to sneak his favorite foods, most of which are forbidden now.”
The house was nice. Pictures of the kids from babyhood into the present day all over the walls. Nothing fancy. Nothing run-down. It was clear a family had been raised there with love. He liked that a lot.
Jeanne Whaley stood in front of a very tall man wearing a sheepish expression.
“I don’t see why a little tiny scoop is a problem.”
“Because you have Doritos in your shed. Don’t think I don’t know.”
“Hey, guys.” Mary moved to hug her mother and then her father, both of whom turned to face Damien. “Jeanne and Mike Whaley, this is Damien Hurley. Damien, my parents.”
Damien smiled and held his hand out. “It’s really a pleasure to meet you.” Mary and her mother bore a very strong resemblance. The shape of the eyes, the curly hair, the smiles were very similar as well.
Jeannie looked him up and down. “Mary says you’re a musician.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He looked to her father and took his hand in a shake. Not too hard or too long. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Manners are a good start. There’s beer in the fridge. Want one?” Mike tipped his chin.
“That would hit the spot. Thank you.”
“Sit. I’ll get one for everyone.” Mary moved to the fridge as they all sat.
“Company is here. Ice cream is a must for company. Jules sent over the cherry walnut bars. It’s a crime not to have ice cream with them.”
“Are you sucking in your cheeks? Mary, look at your father pretending to be scrawny to get some ice cream. I hope it hits the spot as it clogs your arteries and kills you. Leave me with three kids. Two of them without enough sense, though Juliet will save Cal from himself. Ryan? Well, goodness knows. You can’t die yet because it would be terribly unfair to leave me with these creatures to raise on my own.”
“What’s for dinner?” Mary interjected smoothly as she put the beers down on the table.
“Meatloaf. Mashed potatoes, corn. Tomatoes and cucumbers. Oh, and bread.”
“Yum.” Mary sat next to Damien. “She makes the best meatloaf in the whole world. I promise.”
“I’m not one to turn down meatloaf. It’s one of my favorites.”
Jeanne turned her gaze back to him. “Do you play cards?”
Mary snorted. “Watch her. Dad, how’s the computer?”
“Slow. This thing keeps coming up telling me I won a laptop. Pretty cool, huh?”
Mary paled and Damien had to work really hard not to laugh as he knew she counted to ten. “Dad, I told you about that. You didn’t really win a laptop. No one ever wins the laptop. Did you give them any information?”
“I clicked the pop-up thing. Is that bad?”
Mary looked to him and he bit the inside of his cheek.
“Go on and fix your dad’s machine. I’ll watch the meatloaf and in the meantime, Damien can play some cards with me.”
“Watch your wallet, boy. She’s crafty as well as beautiful. The curse of a Whaley female.” Mike winked at his wife. “The blessing too. Always got your back in a corner. Vicious.”
Jeanne waved a lazy hand at him. “Charmer. Go on and don’t worry, Mary, I’ll keep him safe.” Mary’s mother patted his hand with a cheeky grin.
“Lord,” Mary muttered as she escorted her father from the room.
“Now then.” She pulled out two decks of cards. “I’ve got a few games I like to play. ’Course they’ve got special rules, but you’re a quick one, I wager.”
He liked Jeanne Whaley. Even when she played cards fast and loose, and he wasn’t quite sure, but he thought she may have played fast and loose with the rules too.
“You must like her a lot to let me cheat so much.” She lifted her beer and tapped it to his.
“I do like her. A lot.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m trying. She’s wily, your daughter. We’re moving forward into something deeper. I hope, anyway. It’s going slow. She wants it that way so I’m doing my best to accommodate her wishes.”
“Lots of differences between you.” She caught his eye. “You live in another state. Part of your job is to travel around a lot. A fast life. Mike is atrocious with computers. But I’m not. I researched you and your band.” She didn’t say more. She didn’t have to.
“Fame is . . . well, it’s not easy, no matter how well adjusted you are. So much is beyond what you can do anything about and you have what seems like an unlimited amount of money. People don’t tell you no. In fact there are people around you who make it their business to get you everything you ever dreamed of. We live hard. The road is sort of crazy. But we have a business, it’s our band and we know better than to screw that up.”
She looked him over carefully. “What does your family think of this thing between you and Mary?”
“They like her. She’s a small-town girl in a lot of ways. When we’re not on the road we live on a ranch. Work on a ranch. It’s grounding. My parents have been married thirty-six years. They’re solid people and they see that Mary is solid too. She values the things they value. Family. Hard work. Compassion.”
“How do you think this will work with you out there traveling around? Surrounded by women and drugs. You live over four hours away even when you’re not on the road. My daughter has a life. She’s built something for herself.”
“I know that and I respect her business. I respect her life. I don’t want her to give it up to be with me. I don’t know how we’d handle the living situation. But we have a ways to go before we take that step anyway.”
“Fair enough. You plan to get out there and start nailing every female you take a liking to? On the road?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. That part of my life is over.”
She looked up from her cards and he realized she was the disciplinarian of the family. She caught him in place and held him, the threat in her gaze totally and utterly clear. The only other woman who had that gaze of terror was Sharon Hurley. “You see to it that it is. Because if it isn’t, if you hurt her, you’ll have me to deal with. I will hunt you down and make you sorry you ever looked twice at my daughter.”
A shiver of fear went through him. Man, she and his mother could possibly have been separated at birth.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She smiled, the threat relayed. “All right then. I believe you owe me ten dollars. I’m going to get the bread under the broiler.” She stood.
“Can I help?”
“The plates are up in that cabinet. It’s just the four of us tonight. Silverware is in that drawer.” She pointed and went about her work and he set the table like he was supposed to.
* * *
“So? You ready to hightail it back to Hood River yet?” Mary asked him, backing down the drive.
“Nah. Your mom is a great cook, though not in your league. Don’t tell her I said so though. Your parents are nice people, just like you said. Though your mom is really scary.”
She laughed. “What’d she say?”
“Don’t worry about it. She’s concerned for you. I get it. It’s my job to prove her fears are groundless.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” He took her hand. “My job to prove it to you too. I get it. You’re wary. My track record isn’t the best. But to be fair, I’ve never really made any attempt to be in a relationship with a woman. I want that with you. I’m willing to wait you out. To prove to you that I’m ready for it.”
She didn’t say much as they drove back to her place.
When she stopped the car, she turned to
him. “I’m really scared.”
“What for, Curly? I’m laying it all out on the table for you. I want you. Not for a fling. I don’t want to date you. I want there to be an us.”
“There’s a lot of temptation out there. I can’t compete with that.”
He nodded. “I can’t lie and I don’t want to. Yes, there is. But you’re wrong to think you can’t compete with it. You’re better than anything out there. There’s you. Here. Waiting for me. There’s nothing that can beat that, temptation wise. I’ve done faceless, nameless women in every city. I don’t want that anymore. I want you. I want what you make me feel.”
She licked her lips and he knew she was deciding on whether or not to share something with him. Finally she sucked in a breath. “My pictures with Daisy were copied from her Twitter account and put on the Internet.”
Damn it. “What? When?”
“Today. Miles actually told me. He saw it on some board he visits. I guess it’s officially news in some sense that Mary Whaley is dating Damien Hurley.”
He scrubbed hands over his face. “I’m sorry. Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“He only told me a few hours ago. I’ve been processing it. Trying to figure out if it mattered more than being with you.”
The pause she took felt about a million years long.
“But it doesn’t.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding.
“Daisy locked her account. Took all the pictures of me off. She changed the settings on her Facebook account too.”
“Do you hate me?’
She shook her head slowly. “No. You didn’t do it. And if we’re going to do this, I have to get used to it, I guess. I don’t like it that my friends have to be affected by it. But I don’t like the alternative even more.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Yeah. So, all right. We can take it slow. But I need to tell you I’m not that woman, you know the one who looks the other way when her man is out on the road. If you betray me, there won’t be a next time. I’m not stupid. I’m not desperate. I won’t pretend that I don’t see it.”