18

“Hello, Jonathan.”

A chill spread through Jonathan as he turned around. The moment he looked into Shirlene’s face, he automatically took Marilyn’s hand in his. “Hello, Shirlene.”

“I figured I would run into you tonight. I know you’re a huge supporter of the Senator’s.”

“You figured right.” Then because he didn’t want to be rude, he made introductions. “Shirlene, I’d like you to meet Marilyn Bannister. Marilyn, this is Shirlene Graves, an old friend.”

Marilyn smiled brightly. “Hello, Shirlene,” she said, offering her hand. Shirlene didn’t return Marilyn’s smile, but stared at Marilyn’s hand for a moment before warily taking it.

“An old friend? Honestly, Jonathan, you can do better than that,” Shirlene said, plastering a smile on her face that was as phony as the diamonds around her neck.

“Unfortunately, I can’t.” He was not in the mood to put up with Shirlene’s BS tonight, especially in front of Marilyn. “Now if you will excuse us, we were just leaving.”

He gave Shirlene a look that could cut glass before turning, but he didn’t care. He knew how she operated. She would deliberately do anything she could to mess things up for him. But he wasn’t going to let her do it with Marilyn.

It didn’t go unnoticed to Jonathan that Marilyn was rather quiet during the drive back to her house. As soon as the door closed behind them, he pulled her into his arms and searched her face. “Are you okay?”

She smiled up at him and he relaxed somewhat.

“I’m fine, Jonathan. It’s just that women like Shirlene bother me.”

He lifted a brow. “Why?” He followed her into the kitchen. They always enjoyed a cup of tea together before he left.

“She wanted to make it clear to me that the two of you were once lovers. I got that. What I don’t understand, though, is why she can’t move on? It’s evident that you have. I guess I just don’t get why women want to hold on to a man who doesn’t want them anymore? I saw it all the time, with my brothers’ old girlfriends. They would even beg me to talk to Stuart Jr. or Roland into taking them back. Some of them, women my parents had never even met, would show up at the house, crying a river of tears. It was pathetic. What’s so sad is that even though Shirlene is a beautiful woman, her actions tonight were ugly. And they were uncalled for.”

Jonathan pulled Marilyn into his arms. “Do you know what I like most about you?”

She tilted her head and looked up at him. “What?”

“You have a lot of pride and it shows in the way you carry yourself.”

“No, what I had were brothers who treated women like crap. They played games with their emotions and then dropped them when they wanted to move on. It was sad how some of those women took it. Some even came back for more.”

She shook her head. “Others were just too humiliated. They trusted my brothers with their heart and were deceived. I can imagine how they felt. Their tears were real and the pain showed in their eyes. It affected me almost as much as it did them, because I’m the one they’d reach out to afterwards.”

She straightened her shoulders. “So, I made up in my mind--I’d never be that kind of woman. If a man deceives me, I’m gone. There will be no second chances.”

Jonathan didn’t say anything. Would she feel deceived when he told her the truth about what he’d done to be with her? No, he had to believe she would understand. Maybe he should tell her now and get it over with.

“Marilyn?”

She smiled up at him. “Yes?”

He opened his mouth to speak at the same moment her phone rang. She frowned and glanced at her watch. “I wonder who could be calling me at this hour. It’s after midnight,” she said, reaching for the phone on the wall-mount near where they stood. “Hello?”

He saw her brows lift. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

Jonathan watched as panic set into her features. “Oh no! Calm down, Mom. You and Dad need to stay calm. As soon as I can get a train ticket, I’ll be on my way home.”

Jonathan quickly moved to where she stood and saw the tears clouding her eyes. “Marilyn? What’s wrong?”

“That was Mom. Stuart Jr. was shot tonight. He’s alive, but barely. He’s in critical condition. They’ve taken him to surgery.”

He recalled her telling him that her older brother was a police officer. “Was he shot in the line of duty?”

She swiped at her tears. “No. One of his girlfriends shot him when he told her he wanted to get his wife back. Can you believe it? What was I just telling you about women who didn’t know when to let go?”

She moved around him to grab the phone book out from the drawer and began flipping through it. “What are you doing, Marilyn?”

She glanced up at him, still swiping tears from her eyes. “I’ve got to get home. I need to get a seat on the first train that leaves for San Antonio in the morning.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll drive you.”

“What?”

“I said, I’m driving you,” he said, moving to take the phone book from her hand. Then he pulled her into his arms, and just let her cry. He held her, feeling her pain and her fear of the unknown.

After a few moments, her crying subsided. He pulled back and pushed her hair away from her face. “Start packing, Marilyn. I’ll go home and grab an overnight bag and will return in half an hour. Be ready to leave when I get back.”

* * * *

After Jonathan left, Marilyn changed clothes before she began rushing around, trying to gather the items she’d need. She paused momentarily to take a call from Traci, who’d wanted to make sure Marilyn had heard about the shooting. According to Traci, Stuart Jr. was still in surgery, and the woman who had shot him had been arrested for attempted murder.

When Traci asked if she needed to be picked up from the train station in the morning, she’d told her that Jonathan had been with her when she’d gotten the call, and he’d volunteered to drive her to San Antonio. She was packing now and would be there in a few hours.

When she got off the phone, she went back to packing. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be staying but wanted to have enough clothes. She couldn’t help but appreciate Jonathan’s thoughtfulness. She was glad he’d been there for her. She appreciated his strength as he’d held her in his arms while she’d cried over her brother.

Even though she and Stuart Jr. were often at odds, right now, she was remembering the big brother who’d looked after her and protected her when she was growing up. The big brother who would read stories to her before she went to bed. The big brother who would walk her to the corner store and buy her ice cream with the money he’d earned from cutting yards. And now he was fighting for his life.

Refusing to think about the reasons why he was in this situation, she moved around her apartment, adding the last few things to her suitcase. She had just finished snapping her luggage closed when the doorbell sounded. Rushing to open it, she found Jonathan standing there. Like her, he had changed clothes and was wearing a pair of jeans and a pullover sweater. No matter the seriousness of the situation, she still took the time to admire his looks. Jonathan Madaris was definitely one handsome man.

“Hi,” she said, smiling up at him. He had no idea how much she appreciated him at that moment.

“You okay?” he asked, concern in his eyes.

“Yes,” she said, moving aside to let him in. “I feel bad that I’m inconveniencing you.”

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t. I want to be there for you.”

She fought back the urge to cry all over again. He had a way of making her feel so special. “Thank you.”

“You are more than welcome. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. I’m all set. I’ve talked to Traci. She’s at the hospital keeping my mother company. Roland is on his way, too.”

Jonathan nodded as reached down for her luggage. “Yes, I know. Roman called and told me that Traci is with your mom.”

She glanced up at him. “Roman?”

He nodded. “He arrived in San Antonio earlier today.”

“I’d forgotten all about that.”

“They were out for dinner when they got word about your brother. They dropped Erika off at Traci’s parents’ house and then went to the hospital.”

“Erika?”

“Yes,” Jonathan said, moving toward the door. “I gather Erika went to dinner with them.”

“That’s great,” Marilyn said, finding a reason to smile. “I like how Roman is including Erika.”

Jonathan lifted a brow. “Any reason he shouldn’t?”

“No,” Marilyn said, following him out the door. “No reason at all.”