Chapter 22

Josie

“How much longer?” Reed calls out from my bedroom, where I’d left him lounging on my bed while he waits for me to finish getting ready. Tonight we’re headed out to a fancy dinner, and Reed showed up about ten minutes ago looking beyond amazing.

I’ve never seen him dressed up before, as it’s always been casual shorts and T-shirts for him during the hot summer months. But tonight he’s got on a pair of gray dress pants, so dark they’re almost black. He’s wearing a pale blue dress shirt that he’s made semicasual by foregoing the tie and unbuttoning it at the collar. He walked into my house with a matching suit jacket draped over his forearm.

We slept in this morning not only because I was tired from my impromptu shift, but also from the furious way he’d made love to me when I came home. When I woke up, we made love again, and then Reed started this weird chatter that had me wondering who the hell he was.

He wanted to know about any other hobbies I had, and more about my family. We’d spent weeks together with only casual chat about these things, learning about each other slowly and naturally. But now, all of a sudden, it’s like he wanted to be an expert on Josie Ives.

Of course, I was flattered at first, but then I became suspicious. Finally, I just asked, “Why all the questions, Sherlock?”

He was completely unabashed. “I played golf with Aiden yesterday. It was quickly apparent I know nothing about you.”

I had just blinked in surprise at Reed for a few moments before I could unglue my tongue from the top of my mouth. “Well…he knew me about thirty-four months longer than you did. I would think you wouldn’t be able to compare knowledge.”

“So, I’m trying to learn more about you,” he said stubbornly, and I thought it was adorable. So much so that I rolled over on top of him and shut him up with a hot kiss, which led to other things.

When we came up for air much, much later, he informed me he was taking me out to a really nice dinner tonight and I should be ready to go at 8 P.M.

It’s only 7:45, which is why I’m still in the bathroom putting on mascara, and not in the slightest bit feeling guilty that Reed’s waiting for me.

“Two minutes,” I answer, and continue putting another layer on my lashes.

If he had a response to that, perhaps a grumble that I’m still fussing in front of the mirror, he doesn’t have the chance to say it. His phone rings and I hear him say into it, “Yo…Rek.”

Except he pronounced it “Rick,” which drives Marek nutty. He doesn’t mind the nickname Rek, but he wants it pronounced right, but of course Reed never does.

“I’m over at Josie’s,” he says into the phone, and I’m guessing Marek wanted to know what we’re up to tonight.

Sorry, buddy. Tonight is date night with my man and you aren’t invited.

“Yeah, sure…come on over,” Reed says, and I roll my eyes at myself in the mirror.

Sticking the wand back into the tube, I toss the mascara into my makeup bag. Reed pops his head in the bathroom door. “That’s Marek. He seems totally wigged out about something. He’s over at my house and—”

The loud knocking on my door has Reed giving me a sheepish grin. “I’ll get rid of him.”

“We’ve got time,” I say, brushing off his worry. “You said we didn’t have to leave until eight, and as it happens, I’m all done and ready to go.”

“And you look spectacular, Dr. Ives,” Reed says as he runs his eyes appreciatively over me. I went with a wraparound dress with a geometric pattern of dark blues and grays. I paired it with a pair of matte silver heels and left my long hair down loose and curly. I went all out on the makeup, and I know it’s got to be a bit of a shock to Reed to see me this way. He’s always called me beautiful even when I’m without makeup and in wrinkled scrubs, but the glow in his eyes right now warms my belly, and I make a note to dress up more for him.

There’s more knocking on the door, this time louder.

“Damn,” Reed mutters as he turns away and heads through the bedroom. I follow him, snagging my silver hoop earrings off my dresser. I’m putting the last one in as I hit the bottom of the stairs and see Reed opening the door.

Marek bursts in past him, eyes all wild. He glances at me, but it’s as if he doesn’t even see me. He spins on Reed and says, “Man…I am about to freak the fuck out. I’m getting ready to do something really stupid, and you better stop me.”

Okay, this isn’t funny, as it’s clear Marek is distressed.

“What’s wrong?” Reed asks. Marek stomps into the living room and starts pacing, one hand clutching his cell phone and the other scrubbing at his hair.

Marek doesn’t answer, looking to be in deep concentration. Reed says, “Marek…dude…what’s going on?”

Spinning on Reed, Marek growls out, “What’s wrong is that my ex-girlfriend, Gracen, is getting fucking married tomorrow and I have to stop the wedding.”

“What?” Reed and I exclaim at the same time.

Marek’s eyes shift to me and he nods as if he’s just now realizing I’m there, before turning back to Reed. “I’m taking a plane out of here first thing in the morning to New York. I’ll be damned if she’s going to marry Owen Waller, the town’s biggest douche bag.”

“You just told me you wanted me to stop you,” Reed says carefully, and Marek’s eyes narrow.

“Did I?” he hisses, and I’d find it comical if it wasn’t so obvious that Marek is really upset. “Well, I’ll kick your ass if you try to stop me.”

Reed shoots me a look and I shrug back. I have no clue how to handle this. Marek ignores us and goes back to pacing, only to stop and look at something on his phone with wild eyes.

“See that?” He holds the phone out, screen pointed at us, but we’re too far away to read it. Apparently he doesn’t expect us to, as he turns it toward himself again. “Got this fucking email just a little bit ago. Some anonymous person, but it’s probably that fucking douche Owen himself who sent it to me just to rub my nose in it.”

“What does the email say?” I ask him hesitantly.

Marek sort of jolts as if he’s really just understanding that there are two other people in the room with him and he’s engaging in a conversation with them. He gives a confused shake of his head, then reads from his screen. “Marek…I feel like you need to know that Gracen is marrying Owen Waller on August 26. I don’t need to tell you that she’d be making a colossal mistake. No one can talk her out of it. Perhaps you can.”

He looks back up to us and says, “It’s not signed, and I don’t recognize the email address.”

“Um,” Reed says hesitantly, and takes a few steps toward Marek as if he’s a wild animal. “Why don’t you tell us who Gracen is and why is this bothering you so much.”

“She’s no one,” Marek says bitterly, but you can tell that’s a lie, otherwise he would not be freaking out.

“Try again,” Reed says, and the staunch tone in his voice seems to center Marek.

After a long breath in and back out again, Marek says, “We dated all through high school and college. It ended badly when I entered the draft after I graduated.”

“Define ended badly,” Reed commands as he crosses his arms over his chest. It’s a very good question, and one I’d ask because I’m nosy. But Reed is Marek’s closest friend on the team along with Holt, and it’s not my place.

“I ended it because I wanted a little freedom,” Marek mutters, and I can hear the shame in his voice. “Wasn’t ready to settle down with my NHL career just starting. So I broke it off with her, and last I’d heard, she went back to our hometown. She’s a neonatal nurse.”

“And you’ve not had any contact with her since?” Reed presses for more of the story.

Marek shoots Reed a frustrated look but answers grudgingly, “No. I mean…I cut it off. We went our separate ways. I haven’t heard anything about her in four years.”

I sometimes forget that Marek is a few years younger than Reed and me. He didn’t enter the NHL until after college, and he’s only twenty-five right now. That age difference has never been apparent before, but it is now. He’s freaking out over an ex-girlfriend he left behind and hasn’t thought about.

So either there’s an emotional immaturity causing this, or he’s lying to himself and he truly never left her behind in his heart. Knowing Marek, I suspect the latter.

Reed asks the most important question. “Why is this bothering you then?”

Marek glances around the room as if he’ll find the answer lurking behind my couch. He looks helplessly back to Reed and shrugs. “Because this guy is an asshole. I mean like the type who would rough up girls he dated in high school. He’s from a really wealthy family, and they’re all douche bags. Entitled. Think their shit don’t stink. Trample over the small people. He’s an asshole and a dipshit and Gracen doesn’t deserve to get stuck with that.”

“Maybe he’s not like that anymore,” Reed suggests.

Marek rolls his eyes. “Trust me…that zebra would never change his stripes.”

“Then I’m going to point out the obvious,” Reed challenges him. “You left her behind. You’ve got no right to step in and stop this wedding.”

“Well, fuck you very much,” Marek shouts at Reed, his face turning practically magenta in his rage. Reed takes a small step back in surprise. “I need a real solution here, and it can’t be to ignore it.”

Reed doesn’t respond and they engage in a staring contest. Neither one seems to know what to do, but damn if I don’t.

I cough lightly to clear my throat. Reed looks at me, but Marek just continues to stare daggers at Reed.

“I think you should go and stop the wedding,” I state firmly.

Reed’s eyebrows practically shoot out of his head, but Marek turns to look at me with such a look of complete and utter gratitude I know that’s exactly what he needed.

“And I think Reed should go with you so you don’t get arrested or something,” I add. Reed’s eyes narrow at me in a glare but I ignore him.

I walk up to Marek and put my hand on his arm. “Now, I want you to go home and chill out. Get packed and try to calm down. You’ll get this sorted out tomorrow. Go ahead and make two plane reservations and you can pay for the tickets too.”

Marek nods at me, his eyes slightly glazed, but I can tell he’s pleased with this plan. “Yeah…okay. That’s sounds good. I’ll text you the flight details.”

“Perfect,” I say brightly, then lead him to the door. I can feel something heavy vibrating in the air around Reed as I pass him, but I don’t worry about it. I sense there’s something deep within Marek that needs to do something about this girl Gracen. I don’t know if it’s to stop a wedding or to let go and get closure, but I know he’s going to have to go there for that to happen. And he totally needs Reed to keep him out of trouble.

After I close the door behind Marek I turn to find Reed looking at me inscrutably. “Not sure whether to kiss you or spank you,” he finally says.

“Kiss,” I say demurely as I grab my purse off the foyer table. “But also feed me. Don’t we have dinner reservations to get to?”

“You know you just opened up an entire can of worms for that boy,” Reed says disapprovingly.

“Yup,” I acknowledge. “But he needs to do this. I’m confident about that.”

Reed gives a sigh that sounds like agreement and mutters, “Yeah…I know. Just don’t know why I have to be the one to baby-sit him.”

“Because you’re wonderful,” Josie says with playful bump of her shoulder to mine, and I guess that’s an acceptable reason.