Follow You Down (20 page)

“I hope everything works out between Molly and Logan. I can tell you’ve been really stressed about it the last few days.” Dani speaks over her coffee mug while I make sure I have everything ready for my trip to New Orleans. She thinks I’ve been stressed the last few days because of Logan and work, but there is more to it than that.

I sigh and grab my car keys and my to-go cup of coffee she’s made me. “Me too, Red.”

“I gotta go. You gonna walk me down, or stay here?”

“I’ll walk you down; just let me find some shoes.”

We walk to my truck hand in hand while Dani goes on and on about her mom coming to visit soon. She can’t wait for me to meet her. I want to be excited too, but I feel like there is a black cloud just hanging over me, over my relationship with Dani. And her name is Nikki.

I kiss Dani goodbye with every ounce of passion I have inside me. I don’t want this to be the last time I hold her and kiss her, but it may be. That all depends on what Nikki has to tell me.

I hold her face in my hands and kiss her, hard, then lay my forehead against hers. “I love you, Red. You know that, right?”

“I love you too, Lucas, and of course I know you love me. You’ll only be gone for two days. Don’t get all sappy on me now.” She laughs and kisses me sweetly on the cheek. “Call me when you get there. Okay?”

“Will do, Red.” I climb in my truck and she waves at me while making her way in her building. I watch every step she takes, wondering if I’ll ever be back here.

I text Nikki and tell her I’m on my way and that I should be in New Orleans in a few hours and that I will call her when I get there.

Three days ago, Nikki started texting me; telling me we need to talk. She had seen Logan at a restaurant in New Orleans and wanted to know if I was in town, too. I ignored her at first, thinking it was just some bullshit ploy on her part to get my attention. She told me she had moved to New Orleans with her parents and Lisa, and was trying to start over. I still didn’t answer. Until she started calling.

After the tenth call in one day, I finally answered.

“What, Nikki?” I was pretty pissed off. If Dani saw her calling me, that would be the end of it.

“Fuck, Lucas! I’ve been calling and texting you for days. Why haven’t you answered?”

“Um, I don’t know, Nikki, probably because I’ve been with my fucking girlfriend. That may have something to do with it.”

“Hey, don’t be a dick to me. I need to talk to you about something serious.”

“What is it?”

“I want to talk to you face to face. Are you in New Orleans with your brother?”

“Why can’t you just tell me over the phone, Nikki? If this is some bullshit on your part to get me to see you so I’ll take you back, it won’t work.”

“It’s not, Lucas. I swear. I just need to tell you this in person.”

“Well, I’m coming to New Orleans this weekend. We can meet up then.”

She agrees and we decide to meet Saturday at a little café in the French Quarter.

She wouldn’t tell me any more about what is going on. Over the last few days, I have been stressed and on edge trying to figure out what the hell it could be. Is she pregnant? Is she trying to say it’s my kid again? Is she going to tell Dani about us? There are so many fucked up scenarios that could come from this that my mind has been running rampant, and I’ve been taking it out on Dani like the asshole I am.

Hours later, I’ve checked into my hotel and am headed to meet Nikki. I walk the few blocks to the French Quarter, nervous as fuck and sweating even though it’s not hot at all.

I don’t spot Nikki when I walk into the café because she doesn’t look like her usual self. Her hair is still blonde, but it’s in one of those messy buns on the top of her head that Dani loves so much. Her makeup isn’t the usual caked on layers I’m used to seeing her with; it’s toned down a lot. And she isn’t wearing her usual slut gear. She has on jeans and a sweatshirt. She looks, pretty, nice even. Not slutty like she usually does.

I sit down at a small table across from her and order a beer when the waitress walks up.

“You look different.”

She smiles at me and shrugs. “Well, Lisa told me that I looked like a clown with all my makeup on, so I quit wearing so much, and my dad said I wasn’t allowed to dress like a streetwalker if I was going to live with him. So, I decided to change my look up.”

I nod at her and take a pull from my beer when the waitress sits it down. “Well, you look nice, and I’m glad to see you meant it when you said you were going to get your shit together for Lisa’s sake.”

I keep waiting for her to drop some bomb on me, but she doesn’t. She makes polite conversation for a few minutes and asks if I want to order dinner. I decline. Eventually, I can’t wait any longer.

“Okay, Nikki, why am I here? What is so big you couldn’t tell me over the phone?”

“Candice knows about us.”

“What the fuck do you mean she knows, Nikki?”

“She knows we slept together a few months ago and she knows you saw Lisa when she was in the hospital.” No, no, this can’t be happening.

“Why would you tell her that stuff? Are you trying to fuck up my relationship?”

“No, Lucas, I swear I’m not! The day you saw Lisa, she started texting me all this bullshit about how you had only ever been with me to make her jealous. That I was nothing but a whore and you never gave a fuck about me or Lisa.” She looks down at the table and spins her beer in her hands. “It pissed me off so bad. So, I sent her a screenshot of the text you sent me saying you were on your way the night we slept together. And… and I sent her a picture of you hugging Lisa in the hospital.”

“You what? You sent her a fucking picture of me with Lisa. Goddamn it, Nikki! Do you have any idea how bad this is for me?”

“Lucas, I’m so sorry. I had only taken the picture because it was such a sweet moment. I couldn’t resist. I shouldn’t have sent it to Candice and I shouldn’t have told her about us, but I was in the heat of the moment and I just lost it.”

She starts crying and the tables around us start staring at me like I’m the reason.

“Do you think Candice will tell Dani?” Maybe she won’t. Candice has never been a cold-hearted bitch, just a little crazy.

“She’s doing it this weekend. She heard that you would be out of town and Wynee and Molly wouldn’t be working, so she said she was going to go confront her at Ricky’s.”

She says something else, but I don’t catch what it is. I’m caught up in my own fucked up thoughts. I’ve lost Dani for good. God knows I fucking deserve it, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

I throw a twenty on the table and stand to leave.

Nikki grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “I’m so sorry, Lucas. I never meant for this to happen.”

Something in her eyes makes me believe her, so I can’t be mad. I just nod at her and smile sadly before heading out the door.

I wander New Orleans for a few hours, not really sure what I should be doing with myself. I’m here to save my brother from himself. To help him get back together with the woman he loves and the woman who loves him, but I won’t be home to save my relationship with Dani.

I fucking deserve this; I know I do. I have fucked with girls’ hearts, including Candice’s. I just never expected this from her. Hell, a few months ago I would have been convinced it would be Nikki selling me out to my girlfriend, not Candice.

I wonder what will hurt her most. The fact that two days before I stood in her kitchen and told her I wanted to be with her, I fucked another girl. Or when I left her home sleeping to visit Molly and Logan, I actually saw the little girl I thought was mine.

Fucking Nikki, that’s what’s going to hurt her the most. I think she could forgive me if I just hid seeing Lisa from her. She’s told me a few times that just because I’m not blood related doesn’t mean I’m not her dad. Dani has a good heart like that. A heart too good for an asshole like me. She deserves someone who is honest with her, and, well, I’m not.

I’m walking back into my hotel when my phone rings. A picture of Dani smiling at me shows on the screen and I feel my heart clench at the sight of it.

“Hey, Red. Y’all busy tonight?”

“Slammed! I got the hang of it though, and Geo hired a new girl to be a floater for when me, Wynee, or Molly need off work.”

“That’s good. I miss you.”

“Aww, has the great Lucas Wade gone all sentimental all of a sudden?”

“Only for you, baby.”

“I miss you too, but you’ll be home soon. Then, I can show you how much I missed you.”

We talk for a few more minutes. I can hear her taking orders the whole time and being her usual happy-go-lucky Dani self.

Then I hear a voice that makes my heart stop and my fists clench.

“Are you Dani?”

“Hold on a second, Lucas.” She pulls the phone away from her mouth, but I can still hear her talking.

“That’s me. Can I help you?”

“My name’s Candice. I was wondering if you had a minute to talk.”

“Um, sure. Hold on just a second.”

She brings her mouth back to the phone. “Hey, Lucas, I’m gonna have to call you back in a few minutes.”

“Red!” I’m sure my voice sounds panicked, because I am.

“Yeah.”

“I love you, okay? Just remember that. I love you, and I’ve only ever loved you. Just… just know that.”

“There you go being sappy again, Lucas. I love you, too. I’ll call you back soon.”

With that, she disconnects the phone, and I know she won’t be calling me back soon, or ever at all.

That was weird. Lucas is never that lovey-dovey; not that I mind, it’s just out of character.

“What’d you say your name was again?”

“Candice.” This girl looks a little familiar, but I really can’t place her. She’s pretty. Her hair and skin are dark like Jasmine’s and her teeth are perfectly straight and white. She seems nice enough.

“What do you need to talk to my about, Candice?”

“Actually, I would rather do this in private. Can we go somewhere else and talk?”

“Right now, we’re too busy for me to take a break, but if you want to sit around for a while and wait, that’s fine by me.”

She does just that, taking an empty seat at the bar, but never ordering anything.

I fix drinks all night, but never stop wondering what this girl wants to tell me. I have a feeling in my gut though, that whatever it is, it’s bad, really bad.

Two hours later, the bar has calmed down enough for me to take a break. I pat the countertop space right in front of Candice, and motion for her to follow me.

We walk through the swinging doors to the back where everyone takes smoke breaks.

“Now, what is it that you need to tell me?”

She smiles at me, but this one doesn’t look sweet; it looks a little evil.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Nope, if I did I wouldn’t have asked you what your name was.”

“Well, I’ve known Lucas for years; you could say he and I are friends.”

“Why do I feel like you’re trying to insinuate that you’re more than friends with him?”

“Well, because I am. Before you came along, I was Lucas’ go-to girl for a very long time.”

So this is crazy Candice! Lucas has told me a few things about her, none of them really positive. “Oh, you were his fuck buddy. I’ve heard a lot about you, crazy Candice.” I laugh a little under my breath at the nickname Lucas gave her.

“You think that’s funny? You think you’re any different from me? Are you actually stupid enough to believe he really fucking loves you? He doesn’t love you!”

I stand up from the chair I’ve been sitting in and walk right up to her, standing on the tips of my toes so we are face to face. “Listen here, you don’t know jack shit about mine and Lucas’ relationship. So watch your mouth. It’s not my fault he got bored with you.”

She rolls her eyes dramatically. “You really think he won’t get bored with you? God, you’re even dumber than I thought you were.”

“Look, Candice, I’m sorry you got your heart broken, but whatever shit you’re trying to pull, isn’t going to work here. I’m not going to listen to you bash my relationship, so how about you get the fuck out of my bar.” I turn my back on her and start heading back inside.

“You know he fucked Nikki a few months ago, right?” I stop cold in my tracks.

Turning around to face her, I study her eyes to see if she is just bullshitting me, wanting me to be angry with Lucas so she can try to get him back.

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not, but here’s the proof.” She shows me a screen shot on her phone between Nikki and Lucas. She texted him her address and he told her he was on his way there. I look at the date. That was the night I told him I didn’t want to be his girlfriend. Two days before he stood in my kitchen and told me he wanted us to be together. Motherfucker.

“Oh, and did you know he saw Lisa a few weeks ago, too. You know who Lisa is right? Nikki’s daughter.” She shows me another picture on her phone. This one is of Lucas hugging a small, brown-haired girl. They’re both smiling. What the fuck is going on here?

“Why are you showing me all this stuff, Candice?”

“Because Lucas Wade is a heartless liar. He doesn’t really love you. I don’t want you to get hurt like I did. I’m trying to do a good thing.”