Page 12 of Heart in Waiting
CHAPTER FIVE
After the dinner fromhell, Reese escaped into the library for some breathing room. She couldn’t handle any more time with her family and their other guests. No one had said anything to her specifically, but she felt as if the world was closing in on her. As if they all looked at her and saw the mistakes she’d made. Maybe she should dip into her mother’s alcohol supply. She could always count on her to have top-shelf scotch.
She went to a nearby cabinet and opened it. Inside every imaginable type of liquor greeted her. Reese could have chosen any of them, but she searched for the one she’d been thinking of. Once she located the fifth of scotch, she pulled it out to examine it.
“Do you think that’ll help?” Dane asked from directly behind her. Damn him and his stealthy ways... “When has drinking ever solved anything?”
“It may not,” Reese replied as she turned to face him. “But it will feel good for a little while.”
“At what cost?” He reached over and snatched the bottle from her hands. “You should keep a clear head. With what you might potentially face, it might make the difference between life and death.”
“Isn’t that what you’re for?” She didn’t need to deal with his overprotectiveness. If he and Carter insisted on babysitting her, why shouldn’t she do whatever the hell she wanted? Her life would not be her own again until Nolan was found and put behind bars. She wasn’tsafe. At least, that was what they kept telling her. Reese didn’t believe for a single moment Nolan cared a damn for her. She grabbed the bottle back from him and took off the lid. Instead of finding a glass, she tipped it back and drank straight from the source. Why bother when she fully intended to keeping it for herself?
Dane sighed. “All right.” He brushed his hand through his hair, giving him a decadent, disheveled look she found all too appealing. His brand of handsome tended to be more sinful and wicked. When he smiled, he had dimples that made him even more gorgeous. It was perhaps a good thing he didn’t tilt his lips upward much or she’d have been a goner. “I can’t stop you from doing something profoundly stupid. I’m to follow you home and stay with you until you go to work tomorrow. Perhaps it’s best if you let me drive you there to avoid killing someone on the way.”
“Since I don’t have a choice.” Reese shrugged. “I’m not going to argue the point.”
“Carter and I are trying to protect you.”
“By suffocating me.” Maybe she was being a tad shrewish. Deep down she did understand their motivations and that they came from a place of concern. She couldn’t help how she felt. It irritated her that she had to deal with any of the bullshit. Why couldn’t the transport team have done their job and delivered Nolan to the prison? Was it that hard to drive a bus and unload some prisoners behind a fenced in building? “Seems like your time would be better served going out to find Nolan. I can take care of myself.”
“And you’re doing such a bang-up job of it, aren’t you?” Sarcasm dripped from each word. He nodded at the scotch. “There’s no reason to keep a clear head is there? Why, anyone who might face a serial killer would do the exact same thing. You know, scramble their brains with alcohol—greatchoice. I applaud it...truly.” His expression told a different story though. The muscles in his cheek clenched together, and his eyes appeared to darken as he spoke. If he started to actually clap his hands, she’d punch him.
“It’s not as if I’ve made any stellar decisions of late. I did date said serial killer for longer than I like admitting.” Her blindness was her biggest regret. Dating Nolan had damaged her relationship with Claire and made her look like the biggest fool in the world. What was one more mistake to add to the long list she’d made of late? She took another swig of the scotch. “Why is it you’re so different than him? You share at least half of the same genes.”
The muscles in his left cheek twitched at her inquiry. “Maybe dear old Dad’s genes didn’t taint me as much, or maybe he got the bad ones from his mother’s side.” He shrugged. “I don’t pretend to understand the complexities of our genetics.”
She nodded absentmindedly. “It is complicated how those things work, isn’t it? Look at me and my siblings. Claire chose to go into law, but not as a lawyer—no, as a paralegal. Might have been smart on her part as it involves less schooling and a decent income. Carter though—a cop? They’re both all about the law, and I’m completely opposite. I had to go big and become a doctor.”
“I think it is admirable,” Dane said quietly. “You all want to help people in your own way. It speaks highly of you all, if you think about it. Considering what a bitch your mother is...”
Laugher spilled out before she could control it. Her mother was plain awful, but no one had ever come right out and called her a bitch before. She could love him for that alone. Too bad she stopped believing in such an elusive emotion a long time ago. Something like love was for her sister. Reese didn’t deserve it, even if she craved it more than anything in the world. She’d never seek it out, and she prayed no one was ever foolish enough to love her in return. It wasn’t because she was unworthy. She kept making bad decision after bad decision, and in the end, she’d ruin that too. Remaining alone would save her from the heartache of destroying anything good that might come her way.
“Thanks for that,” she said as she wiped the tear from her eye. “I needed a good laugh. Mother is something else. Do me a favor, and if you ever decide to call her that to her face, let me know so I can be there to see it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He nodded at the bottle. “Have you had enough?”
“Not really,” she replied. “But we should go.” Staying at her mother’s for any length of time would lead to an argument. Rachel Jackson thrived on conflict, and Reese had dealt with more than enough of her mother’s drama for the evening. She could use a good night’s sleep, and she would feel safer knowing Dane was there with her.
“But I am taking the scotch with me.”
“Fine,” he agreed. “Do you want to say goodbye?”
“To my mom?” She almost laughed again. “I’ll pass on that.” Her mom would dig into her again. She didn’t need her to explain what a fuck-up she was for the thousandth time. “Everyone else left, didn’t they?”
“They did.”
Showed how much they cared about her welfare... None of them had bothered to check in on her before they left. Reese put the cap back on the bottle then looped her arm through his. “Then there is nothing here for either of us. Let’s go to my place and have some real fun.”
She was joking of course, but suddenly it seemed appealing. What would he do if she kissed him? Would he be appalled, or would he welcome it? Maybe, when they were safe and sound behind closed doors, she’d explore that option. She wanted to feel something more than desperation and misery. Something about Dane spoke to her soul, and she wanted to see if he understood her needs.
“Whatever you want.” His small smile almost brought out his enticing dimples. “As long as you listen to me about the important things.”
He led her out of the library and they exited the house. Thankfully, they didn’t come across her mother as they made their escape, and she’d made sure to lock the door behind them as they left. She didn’t even glance where she parked her car and let him escort her to his. He opened the door for her like a gentleman and made sure she put her seatbelt on. Reese clicked it in place and set her prize scotch between her legs. It would be wrong to take a swig from it while he drove—maybe she’d be bad and do it anyway.
Dane drove straight to her condo. She didn’t ask him how he knew where she lived. Carter had probably filled him in on anything important. It was Dane’s job to keep her safe, after all. She trusted the two of them to see to that part at least. Heaven help her if she was left to her own devices. She’d probably already be dead...
“Here we are,” he said blandly. “Give me your keys.”
