Page 34 of Reckless Curves
Chapter Eleven
The longer Tom worked on Kendra’s van the next day, the angrier he became at Marcus. One of the rear struts needed replacing, two of the tires were worn down, and there were spots of rust on both rocker panels. The battery terminals were slightly corroded, and the vehicle had a small oil leak.
His first instinct was the same as Marcus’; just buy Kendra a brand-new car and be done with it. That wasn’t an option because Kendra would never accept it and everyone would find it odd. The one complicated thing about Bad Boy Autos was that they were all up in everyone else’s business most of the time.
So, the next best thing was upgrading the van as much as possible for the time being. That meant all new tires, fixing all the engine issues, and a decent paint job. He couldn’t do the paint job right away, but he could take care of all the other stuff.
After double-checking the tire size, Tom grabbed his keys from a hook. He turned around and startled when Lexie stood there.
“Jeez, Lex. Trying to give me a heart attack?”
She grinned. “Nope. Just wondering what’s up with you.”
“Well, I’m going to Kix’s place to get new tires for Kendra’s van and a few other things. We don’t have those kinds of tires, so…”
Lexie shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. You’re acting weird.”
“I am? How?”
“Well, you’re not a chatterbox, but you’re really quiet today. And you blew me off last night. We were supposed to meet, remember? You never usually put ‘getting some’ ahead of me. What gives? Who is she?”
Tom swore inwardly over Lexie’s perceptiveness. “Uh, shit. Sorry about last night. I’ve just got a lot on my mind with Dad and all.”
“Oh. How’s he doing?”
Tom shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Sam said that he’ll be in the hospital for a couple more weeks unless he’s doing okay, then they’ll let him go home.”
Lexie’s expression turned sympathetic. “Sam wants you to go see him, doesn’t he?”
A long sigh escaped Tom. “Yeah. He keeps trying to force me to make amends with Dad and I just don’t have it in me.”
Lexie put a hand on his arm. “I know he put you through hell, but maybe you should consider it.”
Her statement incensed Tom because it seemed like she was siding with Sam. But then he’d told no one how bad things had gotten with his father. The beatings, the neglect—sometimes having to steal because there was no food in the house… “I gotta get going. I told Kendra I’d have her van back by noon.”
Lexie gave him a resigned look and dropped her hand. “Okay. Go. But we will talk—and soon. If you like, I’ll come with you when you visit with your father.”
Tom left the shop, his mind churning with mixed emotions. He hated lying, or misleading his friends—both Lexie and Marcus.
* * *
Kendra paced across her living room as the time neared for Tom to collect her so they could visit the rentals she’d selected. She’d tried to contact Marcus, but he’d gone out of town. Telling him would have to wait.
She’d only seen Tom briefly when he’d dropped her van off that afternoon and she’d wanted to confess her desire to give their relationship a go, but he’d acted distracted and distant and it made her wonder if he regretted kissing her last night. Although she knew that it wasn’t a good idea to show Tom how much he still affected her, she hadn’t been able to control her yearning for him.
She remembered the night of her prom. It was about twelve months after she’d gone into remission. She had hardly been at school over her senior years, and the word cancer seemed to put all the boys off. No one want to touch her, or kiss her, as if she carried germs they’d catch.
Her parents wanted Marcus to take her, but she refused to go to prom with her brother as an escort. She would not go at all until Tom reminded her it was her life and why should she care what anyone thought.
She told her parents she’d prefer to go solo with Stella.
When they arrived at the entrance to the prom, Tom stepped out of the shadows with the boy Stella was dating, and he escorted her to her prom. Stella and Tom had set it all up.
She’d been the envy of the senior girls. Tom in a tux was something to behold. Sexy, strong, older—suddenly it seemed as if dreams came true. He’d given her a night she would never, ever forget.
And when they danced… being held in his arms as if she was the most important person in the world, his gaze never leaving her face…, she fell completely in love. What young girl wouldn’t?
And the kiss he’d placed on her lips when he’d put her in the limousine to go home sealed her heart as his.
