Perfect Together (Canyon Cove Book 5) (11 page)

"How about your mom? How's she taking it?"

"That's one of the reasons I think we need to go out there. She says she's fine, but I know her. She's probably in her head. She needs us right now."

"You remember him, right? I think I was around two when my dad skipped, so I don't remember him at all," I said.

"Yeah, you're like Ryker. He doesn't remember him and then there's Kellen, who's never met him. I was six when he stopped coming home and I barely remember him. He traveled for work so he'd only come home on the weekends, but most of the time he was out anyway. Mom won't talk about him at all, but I suspect he had another family."

"That's just crazy."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm convinced somewhere out there are other Navarros that I should know about. It's the only reason I might go to this service."

"When is it?"

"Don't know. She's just planning it. She wants to do some celebration of life thing, but she said she wants his whole family there. I don't know why. I mean, he didn't give a damn when he was alive, why should anyone care now?"

"I think people start thinking when people die."

"Yeah, I've heard it before, the whole life is too short crap. I'm sorry, but if it takes someone dying for you to realize life is too short, then you screwed up somewhere." He took another drink from his glass and set it on the bar with a bang. "Anyway what the hell is going on with you? Why are you here, and who's she? I thought you and Becca were a thing now."

"You thought wrong. I really don't want to talk about it right now though. And the girl, she's just the sister of some guy I know. Long story, but I'm not interested."

"That's good, because it looks like she's hooking up with Frosted Tips."

"You're kidding me," I said as I looked for Alicia.

Sure enough, she was smiling and batting her lashes at Frosted Tips. Frosted Tips's real name was Barry, and he made his money by hacking into people's websites and then securing those sites for them. One day he showed up at the bar with some strange blond pieces at the tips of his hair. We did what any friend would do, we gave him a nickname and never let him live it down.

"At least his hair looks better now," I said.

"Do you think you should warn her about Barry?"

"Nah, from what I was able to piece together about her, we might want to warn Barry about her. She's just looking for a good time."

"And what about you?" Navarro asked.

"I need to get out of here. I need to get my head together and figure some stuff out. I'm tired of always being the joker."

"Then come with me to Jersey. You're welcome to stay at the shore house for as long as you'd like, you know that. It's just going to be me and Colton to start so it'll be pretty quiet until everyone else shows up."

As much as I didn't want to leave Canyon Cove, having some time away did sound like a good idea. I could focus on the things I needed to instead of obsessing about Becca. I had to get my life in order.

"When are you leaving?" I asked.

"I was planning on leaving in the morning, but I can wait if you need some time."

"I can be ready in the morning."

"Good, I'll swing by at eight and pick you up."

Chapter Fourteen

Becca

I didn't know what to think about Gideon tagging along on my blind date. Part of me was happy. I liked that he was jealous, but another part of me dreaded how he would act. The fact that he was bringing one of his bimbos didn't make me feel any better.

The taxi dropped me off in front of La Petite Rose and the hostess sat me at a table for four. It was a great table, right in front of the picture window facing the street. Unfortunately, the street lamps caused a glare, which made it impossible for me to see outside.

Shortly after I was seated, a tall, handsome man made his way towards the table. He had spiked blond hair and the way his suit hung from him it was obvious he had a great body. He was undeniably gorgeous, but there was something about him that wasn't for me.

Taylor extended his hand as he introduced himself.

"You must be Becca Draven. I'm Taylor Oliver."
 

The way he smiled, it was as if he had known me my entire life, and I felt comfortable with him right away.

"It's great to meet you," I said. "I have to be honest. I've never been on a blind date before, so I wasn't sure what to expect."

He sat across from me and his smile grew, deepening a dimple in his cheek. The way he smiled, it was as if he had known me my entire life, and I felt comfortable with him right away.

"Well, like I tell my patients, you're in good hands," he said before he leaned closer to me. "I'm sorry, but if I don't put it out there that I'm a doctor, my mother gets very mad."

"You've got to be kidding. She's not even here."

"Oh, you never know. I learned when I was young that a mother hears and sees everything."

As I laughed, I glanced towards the door to see if Gideon had arrived yet. I should've known better than to expect him to be on time, but I still held out hope.

"Waiting for someone?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know if your mother told you, but my friend invited himself along." I shrugged as I tried to make light of it, then looked at my watch.

"Yes, I heard about that. Friends can be funny sometimes. Is he always late? Maybe he texted you."

Grateful to have him mention it since I didn't want to be rude, I pulled my phone out of my purse, checked it, then left it on the table.

"Nothing," I said, smiling as I tried to hide my disappointment.

"Sometimes no text is better than one."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me show you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Without looking at it, he set it on the table and slid it close to me. "Go ahead, check it. I bet you there's already a text from my mother."

I tapped his phone and saw several sentences of a text from his mom saying she hoped he wouldn't be late. The time on it was right at the time we were meeting. As I laughed, another text from her came through.

Mom:
She's sweet, isn't she? What do you think? Will you ask her on another date?

Taylor read the text but didn't reply to it. He put his phone back into his shirt pocket and patted it affectionately.

"Eventually she'll ask me about my date before it's even begun," he said. "She's nothing if she isn't committed."

My phone buzzed as a text came through.

Gideon:
You're in luck, I got a better offer tonight. Enjoy your date.

"Was that him?" Taylor asked. "He's not coming, is he?"

"It was him and no, he's not coming. How did you know?"

"You look disappointed."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, feeling bad. "He's my best friend and lately…" I shook my head. "I don't know. Anyway, we haven't been spending much time together lately. You don't want to hear about this. Let's talk about something else. We are on a date after all. What kind of stuff do you usually talk about on dates?"

"Just whatever comes up really. I hate to say that as many of these dates that I've been set up on, none of them is ever the same."

"So you just keep going on blind dates?"

"I do. My mother is relentless. Every few months she starts pushing for me to meet someone." He shrugged. "I can't say no. But that's enough about me, I want to hear more about you."

***

"You've got to be kidding me," Sandra said. "You're telling me you were on a date with a gorgeous doctor last night and you ended up talking about Gideon?"

"Yes," I said as I squeezed some lemon into my tea. "I couldn't help myself. Taylor was so nice but whatever we talked about, it brought me back to Gideon."

"Oh, you're just a great date. He didn't mind you talking about another guy?"

"I really don't think he did. I don't think he was serious about it being a date. It was more like meeting a new friend."

"Something's not right then. What guy doesn't mind you talking about someone else and doesn't make a move? You said he didn't even try to kiss you."

"He didn't. But like I said, I did spend the evening talking about Gideon," I said with a laugh. "Anyway, I don't think it mattered. He asked me out again."

"No way! Maybe you found the secret to getting the second date - by talking about someone else. Are you going to go?"

"I don't know. I mean I did have a good time and Taylor seems so nice, but I didn't feel that, you know."

"The 'ah ooo ga?’"

I laughed imagining a cartoon character's eyes popping out with hearts.

"That's exactly it," I said.

"And when you're with Gideon?"

I sighed. It was something I had avoided admitting to myself.

"I don't know," I said. "When we were friends, we were friends. I seriously never thought of him as anything more. But something happened." I paused to think, and Gideon's voice ran through my head, giving me that 'ah ooo ga' feeling. "I think it was the day of the benefit. You know, that fundraiser at the Boone Art Gallery. He didn't recognize me from behind because I was dressed up and geez, his voice." I sighed as I thought about it again. "But it doesn't matter. He texted me he got a better offer. I guess the girl he was taking on the date was too hot for him to show up on my blind date."

"You don't know that. Maybe he realized he was acting like an ass. You've told me he can be a bit unpredictable," she said. "Why don't you call him? Have you spoken to him lately?"

"Of course I have."

"I mean really talked. It just seems a shame to let this go."

"I'm not letting it go, it's just complicated," I said.

"Oh trust me, I know complicated."

"What's going on with Billy?"

"They released him. He told them he was fine and they let him go in the middle of the night. He was walking back to the old house when he realized he had no place to live."

"Did he call you?"

"Yes, not at first, but he got lost and I guess he thought he had no choice. I picked him up and I brought him to a hotel near the house."

"So is he okay? I mean he knows you're still broken up, right?"

"He does. He's not happy about it, but he knows he screwed up. He's looking for a new place but hasn't had much luck. I told him to give it a couple more days and then I might let him move in."

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "You were scared shitless of him just a couple of weeks ago."

"I know, trust me, I know. But it's different now. I know that's hard to understand, but when he's sober, he's great."

"And what if he starts drinking again?"

"Well, I already told him he still needs to find a place. And he's not staying in my room, he can sleep in the spare bedroom. If he even takes a sip of something alcoholic, he's gone. I will call the police this time."

I sighed, feeling worried for her, but I had to trust that she knew what she was doing.

"Alright, but if something happens or if you need me for anything, just call."

"I will," she said. "When are you going on a second date with Doctor Taylor?"

I laughed. "I never said I was going on a second date."

"I know you didn't, but I really think you should. If you're not going to talk to Gideon, then you might as well give this guy a try. It's better than staying home alone all the time."

I never minded being alone. Being alone didn't mean I was lonely. But since I lost Gideon as my friend, I did feel empty. I'd have to give going on a second date with Taylor a little more consideration.

***

As soon as I got to work on Monday, Janice popped her head into my office.

"He told me he asked you out on a second date," she said. "See, I knew it. I knew you'd be perfect for each other. You're going to go, right?"