Take This Man (3 page)

“Your
college courses are online. You go to work, come home, and sit in front of the
computer in this little cracker box. When do you ever go out and have fun,
except when I drag you?”

“I
go out,” she murmured, in her agitation stroking the cat so firmly that Jezebel
complained.

She
went to the post office, to the local bank, to a coffee shop within walking
distance. And she ran five miles every day. That counted as getting out, didn’t
it?

Jason
was closing in, not about to let her off the hook. “Look at yourself. You’re
twenty-three years old, you’ve got a knockout face and a great body and look at
how you’re dressed.”

Elyse
glanced down at herself. She had on a button-down blouse and a pair of jeans.
What was the problem, for God’s sake? Just because the jeans didn’t have some
famous name on the butt—

“Where
do you get your clothes, anyway, the Salvation Army?”

Her
temper flared. “Not all of us can afford to buy designer fashions at expensive
boutiques, you know.”

He
brushed that aside. “And for God’s sake, when was the last time you had your
hair done?”

Her
blonde mane was pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head. “It’s easier
this way.”

“Lazier,
you mean. You dress like a middle-aged woman. You hide behind these four walls
and those frumpy clothes. Face it, Leelee. You’re as stuck in the past as I am.”

Elyse’s
face burned. She let go of Jez, who hopped off her lap to attack a toy mouse
lying on the floor.

She
looked around her apartment, seeing it with new eyes. Jason was right—it did
look Spartan; in fact, downright barren. What had she really accomplished in
the last two years? Looking at it now, she realized she’d been spinning her
wheels.

But
she didn’t have the guts to do anything about it. She wasn’t as brave as Jason.

“Elyse.”
His voice was quiet. “Come with me. Quit your job. You’ve been threatening to
for months, and it’s just making you bitchy, anyway.”

She
made a face at him. “Thanks.”

“Bring
your laptop with you, and you can keep up with all your college crap.”

“My
education is
crap
. Nice.” She rolled her eyes.

“All
you need is internet access, which you can find at any coffee house or library.
And before you offer any more lame excuses,” he added when she again opened her
mouth, “let me just say that I will foot the bill for all of the travel
expenses.”

Elyse
bristled at the way he brushed aside the inconvenience of her poverty with just
a wave of his hand. “I’m not your charity case, Jason.”

“Calm
down,” he answered in a languid voice. “If it makes you feel any better, you
can go steerage. While I’m in first class, you can ride underneath the bus with
the luggage.”

She
snorted, not only from imagining herself bumping around with the suitcases
beneath the bus, but from knowing that Jason Devereaux wouldn’t be caught dead
using any kind of public transportation.

“There
is no first class on the bus,” she informed him.

He
shrugged. Elyse wanted to wipe the satisfied little smile off his face. All her
excuses had been cover-ups, and Jason knew it.

She
wasn’t about to fess up to the real reason she didn’t want to return to Summit.
She couldn’t face Adam Vostek again. Maybe Jason was ready to face his past,
but Elyse was in no way up to dealing with hers.

She
didn’t need to tell him that, either.

She
shook her head helplessly. “I can’t.” She was ashamed of how weak and
frightened her voice sounded.

“Leelee.”

She
lifted her head and looked at her friend. His smirk was gone. He was showing
her the real Jason, the one who’d been hurt, the one without the smooth veneer,
without artifice.

“Please
come with me. I wasn’t kidding when I told you I need someone to look out for
me. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Coop, and I need you to help me
keep my head straight. As for the rest of it…” He sighed. “You don’t have to do
anything you don’t want to.”

Her
shoulders sagged with relief. He was giving her an out. A choice.

She
had a choice two years ago, too. A choice that brought an end to all her hopes
and dreams.

Adam
hadn’t loved her. If he had, he never would have wanted to share her.

Jason
was still watching her, still waiting for an answer.

She
owed him, big time. How could she refuse him now? She nodded. “I’ll come.”

He
grinned and got out of his seat to hug her. She smiled, only half-listening to
his instructions, his plans, when they’d leave, and where they’d stay.

He
kissed her cheek, and she followed him to the door, where he gave her a wink
and a little wave. Jason the charmer, once again. Elyse kept her smile pasted
on until he was gone and the door was closed behind her.

Her
insides twisted into knots and would remain that way throughout her time “back
home.” It didn’t matter. She’d tough it out for Jason. Not because she owed
him, but because she loved him.

Chapter
Three

Leave
it to Jason to make things happen. Elyse quit her loser job and a few days
later accompanied her friend back to their home town, where it all began.

On
her first morning back in Summit, she went for a run. Before she realized it,
her feet carried her to the old neighborhood where she used to work.

The
Hi-Lite Bakery. She remembered the glass case displaying the jelly doughnuts
and the old-fashioneds that customers loved. Cinnamon buns and bear claws. The
mouth-watering smells of baking bread and freshly brewed coffee.

But
the Hi-Lite was gone. Something called Get Nailed had taken its place. Sweating
and panting from her run, Elyse peered into the window at the masked nail
technicians performing mani-pedis. She was surprised at the cold lump of
disappointment in the pit of her stomach.

But
she wasn’t disappointed because she was hungry for a cinnamon bun. It had
nothing to do with missing her old job, schlepping coffee and jelly doughnuts
to impatient customers. The Hi-Lite was where she met Adam for the first time.

Elyse
had been behind the counter that morning, when he came in for coffee. That
first time, there had been no conversation other than taking his order—but she
definitely noticed him. Something lit up inside her as soon as she looked at
him.

Adam
had noticed her, too. He came in for coffee every morning after that, chatting
with her when the early rush was over. Before long, they began dating—shortly
thereafter, they became exclusive.

She’d
fallen in love with Adam so quickly, it left her dizzy.

Elyse
shook her head. What was the saying? “If something seems too good to be true,
it usually is?” That was how it had been with Adam. She was so sold on him, so
totally in love, she’d have done anything he asked. She’d been completely
trusting.

And
completely blind.

“Excuse
me.”

A
girl with purple hair and a pierced nose paused in front of her, and Elyse
realized she was blocking the door. “Sorry.” She stepped aside. Still cooling
down after her run, she walked to the end of the block. As she waited for the
crosswalk sign to give her the okay to cross, she loosened up with some
stretches.

Elyse
was disgusted with her own stupidity. What was she trying to accomplish, poking
at old sores by toddling around her old haunts? Had she been hoping to see
Adam? Thinking he might still visit the Hi-Lite every morning for his black, no
sugar?

How
fucked up was she?

As
she waited for the light to change, her gaze drifted to the Hamburger Haven on
the other side of the street. A red truck with the words “Vostek Brothers Lawn
Service” in white lettering was parked near the side entrance of the
restaurant.

With
her heart banging in her chest, Elyse crossed the street. Her feet slowed, and
her eyes remained glued to the truck. It felt surreal. Had her thoughts about
Adam had somehow conjured him?

It
might not be him. Matthew, his brother, could be driving. One of the Vosteks
was inside the restaurant, ordering breakfast. She should leave now, get away.
But Elyse couldn’t leave—her feet were fixed to the pavement.

She
waited. A woman came out with two children. A heavy man with a mustache held
the door for them, then went in.

Then
it was him. Adam. With a small bag in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the
other. A large coffee, black, no sugar. Elyse remembered.

Hurrying
to his truck, he didn’t see her. Popping the truck lock, Adam opened the door
and climbed in. As he pulled the door shut, his head turned her way. Elyse’s
breath caught.

He
looked at her, but it didn’t seem to register. He started the truck, checked
his mirrors, and began backing out.

Her
stomach curdled with disappointment—he hadn’t recognized her. Then another
possibility occurred to her—maybe he had recognized her, and turned away.
You
don’t exist to me anymore.

Surprising,
how much it hurt. But hadn’t she given him exactly the same treatment the night
she left Summit with Jason, the night she left without a word?

That
was different, though. Wasn’t it?

Still
backing up, Adam looked out the back window, to the left and right. This time
he blinked, put his foot on the break. Stared at Elyse.

A
car trying to get in the lot beeped its horn, and Adam pulled his truck back
into its space. The car moved past. Adam cut the truck’s motor and sat there
behind the wheel. Just sat.

Elyse
finally got her feet to move. They moved in the direction of his truck of their
own volition, without any direction from her brain, which was still trying to
emerge from its fog.

Adam
opened his door and slipped out of his seat. “Hey.”

“Hi.”
Her voice was breathless. She self-consciously pushed a strand of hair from her
face. This
would
be how they’d meet after two years. She must look quite
a sight—in her running clothes, sweaty, red-faced, her hair limp and messy.

He
was perhaps a bit thinner than he used to be, but otherwise Adam hadn’t
changed. His broad shoulders, suntanned skin, even the crinkles at the corners
of his eyes were all thanks to the outdoor labor that was part of his job.

He
still looked so good to her.

Though
Adam did not rival Jason in runway model perfection, it was his masculine
imperfection that always turned Elyse on—the long nose, the heavy eyebrows
looming like storm clouds over his brown eyes, the square chin. His dark hair
was a bit too long—he’d always been haphazard about haircuts—and swept back
from his high forehead.

As
she gazed at him, Elyse felt the familiar longing shiver through her. The same
as it had always been.
Oh, no. This isn’t good.

Adam
waited a moment, then shook his head as though he too thought the whole
situation surreal. “I didn’t think it could be you.”

“Yeah,
I…” She shrugged. “Yeah.”

Again,
an awkward pause. “Visiting?”

“Yes,”
she answered quickly. “For a little while, I’m not sure yet how long. I’m here
with…” She let the sentence hang unfinished, suddenly not wanting to mention
Jason’s name.

Something
flickered in Adam’s eyes as her words trailed off, and his demeanor cooled.
Elyse’s own temper prickled as she guessed what he was thinking. What right did
Adam have to judge her? She’d left without a word, true. But it was because of
him
.
And it wasn’t like he tried to track her down. Never even called her, for God’s
sake. He didn’t give a damn.

“I
stopped by the Hi-Lite.”

“It
closed. A few months back.”

“I
saw, yeah. So you get your coffee at the old Haven now, huh?”

“Yeah.”

They
had nothing to say to each other. Or maybe too much to say, and silence was
their only means of self-protection. Elyse felt numb and utterly defeated.

“Well.”
Eyes lowered, she stepped back, preparing to leave.

“You
still with Jason?” His tone was sharp, accusing.

Her
gaze flew to him. Adam’s face was expressionless, but the tautness of his jaw
and the narrowing of his eyes bespoke his anger.

“I
know you left with him that night. And when I went to your place the next day,
you and the cat were gone. Devereaux just happened to leave town at the same
time,” he told her. “It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to put it together.”

Elyse’s
mouth fell open. “You went to my place? What for?”

Adam
lifted a shoulder. “What difference does it make now?”