Into the Deep 02 Out of the Shallows (9 page)

I arched an eyebrow. “I’m taking that as a compliment since I happen to know for a fact that Claudia and I are freaking awesome.”

Something sad flashed in Beck’s eyes as he smirked back at me. “I’m not to going to argue with that.”

I wish I had a magic potion to shove down his throat and make him see that whatever was stopping him from taking a chance on Claudia didn’t compare to how bad the regret would be later. I sighed inwardly and followed his tall body upstairs to the Library Bar.

I almost slammed into him when he drew to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway. I peered around him. “What’s up?” I followed his confused gaze across the room.

Claudia was cozied up in a booth with Lowe. Her laptop was open in front of her but they were sitting turned into one another, laughing about something.

The muscle under my hand tensed and I glanced down to see Beck’s fists tightening.

“They’re just friends,” I assured him.

Sure, the way they were sitting suggested otherwise but I had assurances not only from Lowe that he wouldn’t go there, but from Claudia also. Only yesterday she told me how much fun it was to hang out with a guy and not have to worry about any sexual tension.

The chemistry wasn’t there for them, which was a little disappointing, but the whole point was for Claud to have someone who would distract her from Beck, and Lowe was doing the job.

“I didn’t say a word.” Beck glowered down at me.

And just like that, I had Broody Hero of the Year on my hands. “You need to work on your poker face. It sucks.” I strode away before he could reply.

“Hey there, hot stuff,” I said as I slid into the booth.

Lowe grinned. “Hey, yourself.”

“Oh, as pretty as you are, babe, I was talking to Claudia.”

Claudia smiled and opened her mouth to reply only to freeze at the sight of Beck with me. “Oh. Hey.”

He nodded as he slid in beside me.

“Hey, man,” Lowe said, something akin to excitement in his eyes. “Guess what Claud’s doing for us?”

“I have no idea,” he replied in a tone that suggested he couldn’t give a shit.

I kicked him in the shin, eliciting a grunt.

Claudia narrowed her eyes. “Who spit in your bean curd?”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

I tried not to smile, deliberately avoiding Lowe’s eyes because I knew he’d make me laugh.

“It means,” Claudia gave a long-suffering sigh, “what’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem. I just sat down.” Beck pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket, glaring at Claudia. He looked at the screen. “According to Maggie, Melissa is doing okay. She’s even got a date this weekend.”

A little weight lifted off my shoulders. “That’s good to hear.”

Claudia caught my eye. “Feel better?”

“Much,” I admitted. “You know I hate guilt.”

Relaxing, I had a drink with my friends, listening to Beck and Claudia snipe at each other. They were on the cusp of giving me back the tension I’d just gotten rid of, so I decided it was time to leave.

“I need to go too.” Lowe slid out of the booth at my announcement. “I have stuff to do. Claudia, if you and Beck can stop griping for five seconds, why don’t you show him the plans for this summer?”

Claudia’s green eyes filled with something like panic.

“Go ahead,” Beck said, clearly not in the mood to leave her company. “Do you want another coffee?”

Instead of answering, my friend looked to me for help.

I needed to get her out of this somehow. I looked at Beck, but any excuse that might’ve been making its way from brain to tongue melted upon seeing the puppy-dog look on his face.

Crap. No wonder she has such a hard time resisting him.

I looked back at Claudia and shrugged. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

Seriously. Where was my willpower? If I couldn’t harden my heart enough against Beck to keep them apart, how the hell was
she
supposed to?

Lowe and I hit the top of the steps off Chamber Street that led to my apartment. We were about to descend them when I started at the sight of Jake coming up them.

His head down, hands jammed into his jacket pockets, he was listening to whatever band was singing through his earphones. A rush of longing ripped through me. My heart soaked in what little it could see of his familiar face; my eyes drank in his broad shoulders and long legs.

I missed him.

Even when I was with him I missed him. What we had wasn’t what we’d had before. At this point I only had myself to blame for that.

Lowe chuckled beside me as we waited for Jake to reach us. “I never had a chance, did I?” he joked.

I made a face. “I’m that obvious?”

“Only when he’s not looking,” he said, seeing way more than he should.

Perceptive pain in my ass.

Jake looked up, faltering on a step. At first he didn’t seem sure how to react to the sight of me with Lowe, but he quickly shrugged it off, bestowing a gorgeous smile on me. He pulled his earphones out. “Hey, you,” he said, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs. He leaned down to kiss me, his lips soft. He smelled great.

“Hey,” I whispered back, unable to speak any louder over the force of my emotions. It still surprised me that my feelings for him had the ability to bowl me over without warning.

“Hey, man.” Jake nodded congenially at Lowe. I was relieved.

Lowe seemed to be too. He gave Jake a small smile and nod. “Well, I better get back to the apartment. I have an essay due in two days and we have a gig tonight.”

“Good luck.” I waved goodbye and watched him take the steps two at a time.

“I was coming to get you.” Jake tightened his arm around my waist, and I found myself swiftly falling into his eyes. “I called Beck and he mentioned you were worried about Melissa?”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. Just guilt. But apparently she’s doing okay.”

His dark eyes looked troubled. “I’m glad she’s okay. But you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

I could see his own guilt in his eyes and instantly felt bad for bringing Melissa up. “Ja—”

My ringtone blasted, cutting me off. Giving Jake a look of apology, I dropped his hand and dug through my bag.

My pulse sped up at the sight of the caller ID. My dad.

Relieved more than I could say but still angry and hurt that he hadn’t called in ages, I hesitantly answered.

“Where are you?” he asked abruptly.

Disappointed by his tone, I huffed, “Last time I checked, I was in Scotland.”

“Smart-ass,” Dad grumbled, the edge chipped off his tone. “What I meant is where exactly are you, right now? Because I’m standing in your apartment after your roommate stupidly let me in without checking my identification first. Does that happen a lot? Because maybe while I’m here, I should hold a stranger awareness meeting with you girls.”

I didn’t hear anything after “I’m standing in your apartment…”

“I’ll be right there.” I hung up, eyes wide on Jake’s curious expression. “My dad is here.”

Jake’s eyebrows squished together. “
Here
, here?”

“Yup.” I turned and started down the steps.

“Hey, I’m coming too.” Jake hurried to catch me.

Marching into the courtyard of my building, I threw over my shoulder, “Do you think that’s wise?”

“I think he’s here for a reason and I think
we
need to reassure him.” His hand curled around my arm. “Would you slow down—as in, calm down?”

My breathing was way too fast. “I can’t.” I pushed my building door open and rushed the stairs. “My dad has flown all the way across the ocean to come talk to me. That’s not a good sign, Jake. My parents don’t exactly have the kind of money where plane tickets aren’t a luxury.” I stopped in the middle of the first floor and Jake immediately wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s going to be okay,” he promised. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t want you to get punched.”

“If I get punched, I get punched. It’s no less than what I deserve.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

I gasped at the sound of my dad’s voice, wrenching back from Jake to gaze up onto the next landing. My dad stood above us, huge, intimidating, and not at all happy to see me in Jake’s arms.

“Before anyone says another word,” Jake said, “let’s get inside.”

My dad threw him a disgusted look but turned and headed back upstairs toward the apartment.

There was a great deal of pounding going on in my chest as Jake and I followed.

Dad stood in the middle of the kitchen. His dark hair, speckled with gray, was mussed, and he had day-old bristle on his cheeks. He looked exhausted.

“Your roommate left,” Dad’s voice rumbled. “We’ll have privacy to talk as soon as
he
leaves.”

I braced for the battle to come, the nerves suddenly disappearing as indignation moved through me. Dad was the one intruding on our lives. He’d flown clear across an ocean to have this out without even telling me, after having shut me out for days.

I was
not
a child.

“Jake stays.”

Dad opened his mouth to argue and I held up a hand to stop him.

“Jake stays,” I insisted.

Jake was treated to a look that would fell a mountain lion. “Fine,” Dad snapped.

“Can I get you anything?” I gestured to the kitchen.

“Coffee.”

“Jake?”

Jake gave me a small smile but shook his head.

I brushed past my dad to prepare his coffee. “I can’t believe you flew all the way over here. I take it Mom knows.”

“Of course she knows. I had to dip into our savings.”

“You didn’t
have
to do anything.”

“My daughter is in the middle of making two momentous decisions in her life and she wasn’t even in the same country as I was. Of course I needed to do this.”

“If you’re here to talk, Dad, then we’ll talk. But if you’re here to tell me what a giant mistake I’m making without hearing me out, then you might as well leave now.” I shot him a look. “Which would be crap because I haven’t seen you in two months.”

Dad’s eyes softened. “Can I get a hug?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling like a little girl, trying not to cry. Abandoning the coffee, I strode over to him and sank into his tight embrace. No one gave good hug like Jim Redford.

He held on to me longer than usual and I let him because I knew there was a possibility we were about to have a huge falling-out.

When I pulled back, I shot a look over his shoulder at Jake. His eyes were downcast.

“Jake,” I whispered his name without even meaning to, drawing his gaze to me and causing Dad to pull away.

Dad looked at Jake. “You’re not what I want for her. She’s strong and she’s brave. She deserves to be with a man equal to that.”

“Dad—”

“No, Charley, don’t.” Jake cut me off. When he looked into my dad’s face, his expression was unbending and resolute. “I admit I wasn’t that for her when we were younger. But I’m not that guy anymore, Mr. Redford. I don’t like that guy any more than you do, and I’ve not just promised Charley that he’s gone for good, I’ve promised myself.”

“That’s just talk, Jake. I’m only interested in actions.”

Instantly defensive, I stomped back to the coffee. “What do you want him to do? Don a mask and fight crime?”

“Can we do this without your usual smart-ass commentary?” Dad glared at me.

“Nope.” I shoved a mug at him. “Somewhere you and Mom have lost sight of who I am. Just because my parents have decided to rewrite my whole personality doesn’t mean that the rewrites are going to stick.”

“This is nuts.” Dad shook his head, his tone calm despite his words. “You can’t throw away law school for a job that’s dangerous and underpaid. And you can’t erase the months of shit you went through trying to get over him.”

“Let me ask you a question, Dad.” I leaned back against the counter. “Did you honestly think talking to me in person was going to… what… convince me to think your way?”

“No, I came here to see what it is that’s going on in your life that would suddenly cause you to make these massive decisions, decisions that impact your entire future. It’s not just about me worrying about you and Jake; it’s me completely exasperated by your attitude toward your sister and this notion of you becoming a cop. Your recent actions and decisions ring with immaturity and frankly, Charley, that was something I never thought I could accuse you of.”

“That’s because she’s not,” Jake argued.

Dad ignored him. “You’ve got this childish, naïve, rose-colored view that being a cop is a great thing—you wear a uniform people will respect, you save lives, fight crime. And that makes life worth it—”

“Bullshit,” Jake uttered quietly, his features taut with anger.

“Jake…” I moved toward him but Dad reached out an arm to stop me.

“No,” Dad said. “I’d love to hear this.”

“How dare you stand there and condescend to her,” Jake continued, calm, despite the flints of anger in his eyes. “You might think Charley taking me back is a bad idea, but stop letting that color every single thing you know about her. You
know
her. How can you say she’s living in some fantasy world about being a cop? Do you want to know the real reason she wants to be a cop? Because it’s who she is. She can’t stand by and watch people suffer. She can’t witness something wrong and not want to do something to make it right. What about your nephew—Ethan? Murdered and no one was brought to justice. She knows being a cop isn’t easy, she even knows it can be thankless, but she still wants to do it. For her—for Ethan and all the people like him.”