Chapter 6

 

Tony stretched out his arm, expecting to come in contact with Cat. Instead, it landed on soft flannel.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Warm lips pressed against his forehead. “I thought you planned to spend the day asleep.”

He opened his eyes and found Cat sitting on the side of the bed. “What time is it?” he asked, moving into an upright position.

“Almost ten.” She held out a coffee mug. “I thought you might like this.”

A strange sensation he couldn’t identify settled in his chest. It had been happening a lot lately. “Thanks.”

A cup of coffee was just what he needed. The night before, he’d spent hours staring at the ceiling. He’d known there was a chance Striker would learn about them. Secrets had a way of getting out no matter how hard you tried to keep them buried. He’d never expected Striker would find out the way he had.

The poor guy. Just the thought of walking in to find his own sister in a similar position made his head hurt.

“How’s your cheek today?” A bruise had formed on her face even before they made it back to his house last night.

Cat turned the other side of her face toward him. “Not too bad. Much better than yours.”

The sight of the purplish mark on her skin made him wish he’d hit her brother harder. “I should’ve broken his arm for doing that to you.”

“He didn’t do it on purpose. We both know that.”

“I still might hit him again the next time I see him.” Tony took a sip of coffee, the simple act making his lip hurt.

“Still hurts?”

He hadn’t intended to grimace, but he must have. “A little.”

“Maybe I should have made you oatmeal for breakfast instead of pancakes.”

From time to time, he’d had women spend the night at his place, but not a single one had made him breakfast the next morning. The sensation he didn’t want to identify expanded in his chest. “I’ll manage.”

He put on a pair of sweats and followed her into the kitchen. A plate full of pancakes sat on the table just waiting for him to dive in. He didn’t waste any time. He ate two and was reaching for a third before Cat even started on a second. Breakfast had always been his favorite meal of the day. There was just something about breakfast foods that he loved. Unfortunately, his mom had never been much of a cook when it came to breakfasts. A bowl of cereal and toast or a frozen waffle tossed in the toaster had been the standard morning meal growing up.

Except for those mornings he’d found himself at Sean’s house. Sean’s mom always prepared something hot for breakfast. Perhaps that was why, when he and Sean had been younger, they’d usually hold their sleepovers at his house instead of Tony’s. Even when they’d gotten too old for sleepovers, Tony would frequently stop at the O’Brien’s house on the way to school and join Sean and his sister for breakfast.

“I need to help Sean today, but you’re welcome to stay here if you want.” He’d never let a woman stay and hang around his place while he was gone, but he understood if she didn’t want to face her brother again just yet.

Cat shifted in her seat, her arm brushing against his and sending heat across his skin. “Kelsey and I talked about maybe seeing a movie this afternoon. I’m going to call her after breakfast.”

Well, that solved her brother problem, for the afternoon anyway.

“If you do, why don’t you come back here after? I can drive you home later or you can spend the night again. Now that Striker knows the truth, you can spend as much time as you want here.” At least one good thing had come from the previous night’s events.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Tony didn’t consider his next words before he spoke. “Why don’t you just stay here until Striker moves into his new place? I can drive you over to pack when I get back this afternoon.”

Cat’s hand stopped with her fork almost to her mouth. “He’s going to be there for a few weeks.”

“That’s fine. We’ll pick up your car and clothes tonight.”

Across the table, she nodded and went back to eating. He did the same before he did something else stupid like ask her to move in with him permanently.

Following breakfast, Tony dropped Cat off at Kelsey’s place, so they could go to the movies, before he drove to Sean’s.

Mrs. O’Brien’s car—correction, Mrs. Larson’s car—was parked behind Sean’s truck. Even as he walked to the front door, he could hear the questions she’d ask when she saw his face. Even though he’d managed to avoid some of Striker’s punches, the guy had still gotten in a few good ones.

Tony waited for someone to answer the door while he put together a good excuse for Sean’s mom.

Thankfully, Sean answered the door.

“What happened to you? Did you have a run-in with a jealous husband?”

Sean knew he never got involved with married women. “I’ll explain later,” he promised as he entered the house. “Is your mom staying long?”

“She stopped by to drop off some banana bread she baked. I think she worries I’ll let Taylor starve if she doesn’t bring over food.”

“Taylor’s here too?” The news shouldn’t surprise him. Sean’s half-sister spent a lot time there, but he hadn’t counted on her being there that weekend.

“My father had to travel for business, so she asked if she could stay with me instead of my aunt this weekend.” Sean walked toward the kitchen as he spoke, leaving Tony to follow.

The sweet scent of banana bread greeted him in the hallway and guessed Mrs. Larson had taken it out of the oven right before she brought it over.

“Oh, Tony, what happened?” Mrs. Larson rushed over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Are you okay? Did you put ice on these bruises?”

“I’m fine, really. It’s nothing.” He hugged her and then tried to smile in Taylor’s direction. The pain in his lip stopped him.

“You look awful.” Over the past several months, Taylor had become very comfortable around him, and always said what was on her mind.

“What happened? Where you in an accident? Sit. Can I get you something?” Mrs. Larson asked, concern still evident in her voice.

Tony let Mrs. Larson wrangle him over to a chair. “I’m fine. I was boxing with my friend Richard last night at the gym.” The lie came to him from thin air, but it sounded darn good.

Across the table, Taylor laughed. “Looks like he’s much better than you.”

“He got lucky.”

“Well, as long as you’re okay.” Mrs. Larson patted his shoulder. “I’m going to go. Call me if you or Taylor need anything.” She kissed Sean’s cheek.

“We’ll be fine, Ma.”

Once Mrs. Larson left, Sean looked over at him. “Let’s get started, Tony. Taylor, if you need me, just yell. And if you decide to walk over to Jenna’s, let me know first.”

Sean kept his mouth shut until they entered the soon-to-be master suite. “Okay, what happened and don’t give me that bullshit about boxing with Richard. I know Richard doesn’t box. Does your latest girlfriend have a jealous boyfriend she didn’t tell you about?” Sean sat down on an overturned bucket and waited.

“Striker and I got into a fight last night.”

“Over what, who the better football coach is?” Sean cracked a smile. “Seriously, what did you do to piss him off?” His smile faded. “Wait. You’ve been seeing someone named Catrina… Not as in Striker’s little sister?”

Tony nodded.

“I don’t know what makes you dumber, dating her or telling him.”

“We didn’t tell him. He walked in on us last night at her place.”

Sean rubbed a hand down his face. “I’m surprised he didn’t kill you.”

If Cat hadn’t intervened when she had, he suspected both he and Striker would be in much worse shape now. “I think he considered it. Cat got in the way.”

“If I had ever walked in and found you having sex with Charlie, I would’ve killed you and no one would’ve stopped me. If you knew he was coming over, what the hell were you doing there anyway?”

“He wasn’t supposed to move in until today. He surprised us last night when he walked into the kitchen.”

Sean pinched the bridge of his nose. “Christ. You were having sex in the kitchen when he walked in?”

“We hadn’t made it quite that far yet.”

“Like that matters. I’m sure you were far enough along.”

Considering the fact she’d been almost naked, yeah, he’d agree with Sean on that one.

“What possessed you to sleep with her anyway? Did you already go through all the women in Massachusetts?”

Tony crossed to the large window seat that Sean had spent hour refurbishing and then turned back around. “It just happened.”

“What happened after Striker used your face as a punching bag?”

“Cat came back to my place. She’s going to stay with me until Striker moves into his new condo in a few weeks.”

“With you?”

“Do you have a hearing problem?”

“Tony, you’re making a big mistake. Catrina isn’t your type. If you let her stay with you for a few weeks, before you know it, she’s going to be expecting more, like a ring. We both know you have no plans of getting married.” Sean stood, picking up the bucket. “Dragging it out, no matter how good the sex is, will only make the situation worse later on.”

Even if he could put his reasons into words, nothing except physical torture would get him to share his reasons for staying with Cat. “Thanks for the advice,” Tony said with sarcasm.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Let’s just get to work.” Tony headed for the boxes containing the hardwood flooring. If they kept up this conversation, Sean would only try to change his mind. Perhaps he deserved that. He’d given Sean a hard time when he’d let Mia walk away that summer.

If he did deserve it, he didn’t want it and it wouldn’t change anything. He’d made his decisions for now.

***

 

“Who just dropped you off and where’s your car?” Kelsey asked after she let Cat inside.

“My car’s at home. You don’t mind driving this afternoon, do you?”

A little shiver went down Cat’s spine as she sat. It happened more or less every time she walked into Kelsey’s house. The place looked unchanged from when they were kids, which meant every time she walked in, she expected to see Kelsey’s parents, who had died two summers ago in an accident, to enter the room. Honestly, she didn’t know how her friend could deal with living in the giant old farmhouse alone.

“No, that’s fine. But who gave you a ride over? You should’ve called. I would’ve picked you up.”

Everyone in town would know soon enough anyway. “Tony gave me a ride.”

There had to be at least three other guys named Tony living in town that they knew, yet judging by Kelsey’s expression, her mind went straight to Tony Bates.

“Seriously? What were you doing with him? Did you run into him somewhere?”

“Since I was already at his house, it was easy enough for him to bring me over before he went to see Sean O’Brien.”

Oh, if she only had a camera. Kelsey’s expression was priceless.

Kelsey sat down right next to her. “What did I miss? When did you start spending time with Tony Bates?”

“A few months ago. We just haven’t told anyone.”

Kelsey pointed to the bruise on Cat’s cheek. “Did he do that to you?”

She’d tried to cover the mark with makeup, but it still showed through. “No, my brother did that last night.”

“No way.” Kelsey shook her head. “Even when we were little, he never hit you.”

When they were kids, Striker teased her, hide her favorite toys, and once locked her in the basement, but he never once hit her. She imagined he felt awful for doing so last night, and if he did, then he deserved it for acting the way he had.

“He didn’t mean to. Striker tried to punch Tony, and I got in the way.”

“Striker always did take that protective big brother role a little too far, kind of like Ian.”

Cat glanced down at her hands. Whenever Kelsey mentioned her older brother, she wasn’t sure what to say. Kelsey and Ian had been as close as her and Striker. It had torn Kelsey up when her brother passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Thankfully, Kelsey didn’t let the silence bother her. “Let me make sure I have this. You and Tony are dating, and I’m guessing last night Tony and Striker got into a fight because of that.”

Cat nodded. Her friend had summed it up nicely without Cat having to go into all the details.

“How did you leave things with your brother? Is he furious?”

Furious multiplied a few hundred times was probably a better way to describe it. “I left last night and spent the night at Tony’s. He invited me to stay with him until Striker moves out of my apartment next month.”

Another camera worthy expression spread across Kelsey’s face, and Cat grinned.

“I don’t know Tony well, but I got the impression he didn’t ask women to live with him.”

“It’s only for a few weeks. Not forever.” Kelsey was right though. As far as she remembered, Tony had never had anyone living with him.

“I guess. When I saw Zack at Masterson’s, he mentioned Striker was moving into the building next door to him on like the twelfth or something.”

Cat nodded.

“Zack’s question the other night makes sense now.”

She wished Zack would go back to staying out of her life. “What question?”

“After he called to see if you wanted to join us, he asked if I knew who you were dating and how long you’d been with him. I told him I didn’t know anything.”

“Zack’s been acting strange lately.” She’d almost dismissed Tony’s argument that Zack wanted her back. If he was questioning her friends, then she guessed he wanted more than just her friendship again.

“I think he wants to get back together with you,” Kelsey said. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“Last winter maybe, but not anymore.”

“Because you’re in love with Tony?”

For weeks, she’d been reminding herself she just really liked Tony. He’d become a close friend with benefits. That made it much easier when she thought about his reputation. Now that Kelsey had put love and Tony in the same sentence, her mind didn’t want to separate the two words.

“I keep reminding myself of his reputation, but it’s not helping.” Cat put her head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “And I know I’m asking for trouble by falling in love with him.”

Kelsey stood up. “So, who cares about his reputation? People change. Maybe he was with so many women before because he couldn’t find the right one. Maybe you’re it.” She grabbed Cat’s hand, pulling her up. “He did ask you to move in with him.”

“For a few weeks, remember.”

“A few weeks could turn into forever.”

People did change; Kelsey had a point there. Still, she wasn’t ready to drop to her knees and tell Tony she loved him.

“What if he did ask you to move in with him? Would you do it?” Kelsey asked as she grabbed a jacket from the closet.

When Zack first moved out, it had been the first time in her life she lived alone. It had taken a lot of getting used too. Now, she didn’t mind it. She had complete freedom to do things her way. Still, she did look forward to the nights Tony spent at her place. She enjoyed cuddling up next to him in bed and waking up in the morning and watching him sleep.

“I think so. Of course, that would probably cause World War III between Tony and my brother.” Cat climbed into the passenger seat of Kelsey’s pickup. “Maybe with my parents too. They really want me and Zack to get back together.”

Kelsey started up her truck. “I think they do too, but I bet they’d accept it if you and Tony got serious,” Kelsey said as she backed out of her driveway. “Your dad has always liked Tony, and, well, your mom loves everyone. Maybe you should just tell them you’re dating Tony and see what happens.”

Cat didn’t share her friend’s confidence. “I’ll be staying at Tony’s house. Soon, everyone in town will know about us.”

“Good point. Looks like you have just given everyone in North Salem something new to talk about. The gossip mongers have been bored since Mia left town and Sean’s mom married Mr. Larson.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad I could help them out. Now, let’s talk about something else.”

“I met your friend Eric that night at Masterson’s. He said to say hello. He showed up after Zack called you.”

“I haven’t seen him in months.” While she tolerated Zack’s friends Ryan and Jude, she genuinely liked Eric, another guy they’d gone to college with.

“He seemed nice. He asked me to dinner next week.”

“He is. I think you’ll like him.”

Kelsey looked over at her when they came to a red light. “He was surprised when you weren’t there. I got the impression Zack told him you would be.”

“That doesn’t––”

Music erupted from Cat’s purse, and she pulled out her phone. “Now what does he want?”

“Who?” Kelsey asked.

“Zack.” Cat let the phone ring.

“Are you going to get it?” Kelsey turned left and headed for the movie theater parking lot.

She’d told Zack everything she had to say that day in her cubicle. “Nope. He can leave a message.”

The phone grew silent as the tiny icon appeared, letting her know she had a message. A message she’d deal with later.

***

 

Cat watched Kelsey back out of the driveway and then used the key Tony had given her that morning to let herself in the house. After the movie they’d stopped at Peggy Sue’s for lattes, but hadn’t been able to finish them because Kelsey had gotten called into work. In addition to teaching at the middle school, Kelsey also waitressed at Masterson’s several days a week, as well as whenever someone called in sick. Sometimes Cat worried her friend worked too much. Occasionally, she tried to tell Kelsey that, but she always insisted she was fine.

After fishing out her cell phone, she left her purse on the table and made her way over to the recliner. After the movie, she’d noticed she had several messages on her phone. One she knew was from Zack. A quick check of her caller list showed the other two were from her brother. She didn’t care to deal with either man tonight, so she put the phone down.

Using the handle on the side of the recliner, she propped up her feet and looked around. Like she suspected, Tony kept his house neat and tidy. It even looked like he either dusted or had a cleaning service come in to do it for him. The mantel over the fireplace held pictures of his nephew. The top two shelves of the built-in bookcases held mysteries and thrillers as well as books on sports. The next few shelves held DVDs.

Funny, but she hadn’t pictured Tony as the type to sit and read for enjoyment.

No other pictures or decorations hung on the walls and the whole room was painted the same off-white as the kitchen and bathroom. In fact, she’d noticed the walls in the kitchen were also empty. She hadn’t been in the other rooms yet, so she didn’t even know what they were.

Cat pushed the recliner into an upright position and wondered if Tony would mind if she checked out the rest of the house. He’d told her to make herself at home.

Standing, she walked down the hallway past his bedroom and opened one of the closed doors.

Unlike the other rooms she’d seen, this one contained personality. Framed pictures of various New England sports venues hung on the walls, as did his college diplomas. A large well-organized desk sat near the far wall. Two large bookcases filled another wall. These, however, didn’t contain any books. Instead, they were filled with various trophies and pictures. Cat walked into the room and went straight to the bookcases.

Most of the trophies were ones Tony had earned when he’d played sports. A few, though, were ones he’d gotten since coaching both the high school football team as well as his nephew’s little league baseball team. The pictures depicted a wide range of years. In some of the pictures, Tony appeared to still be in elementary school. Others had been taken within the past year. In fact, one photo she recognized because Pop had the same one in his office. It contained Pop, Striker, and Tony, as well as the previous year’s entire Varsity football team after they won the state championship.

Cat looked away from the picture. When Pop found out about her involvement with Tony, she hoped it didn’t affect their working relationship the way it was sure to hurt Striker and Tony’s. Pop, Striker, and Tony worked great together. Since the three of them had started coaching together, the North Salem football team had gone to the state championships four times and won three of them. While Tony might not plan to coach again next year, they still had the remainder of this season to get through.

Pop won’t let it get in the way. He cared too much about the team to let that happen. She hoped the same held true for Striker. She’d hate to see all the team’s hard work go down the drain because of her.

She glanced around at the other photos and trophies and then left the room. The closed door next to Tony’s bedroom ended up being just another personality devoid bedroom. A full-size bed with a plain gray comforter and a chest of drawers were the only things in the room.

Closing the door, Cat went back into Tony’s bedroom. Except for his office, this seemed to be the only room he’d put much thought into. Twice the size of the guest bedroom next door, this was the only room not painted off-white. Instead, the wall behind the king-size bed was painted crimson red while the other three walls were painted white. A silver comforter sat near the foot of the bed, revealing the flannel sheets. Nightstands matching the chest of drawers and the bureau flanked either side of the bed, and a framed picture showing a mountain range hung on a wall while a flat screen television hung on another.

Out of habit, she made the bed before she walked back into the lifeless living room. Her own living room was painted a light purple, one of her favorite colors. Framed pictures of the ocean and her family hung on the walls. Anyone who walked into her apartment would take one look at that room and know things about her. With the exception of Tony’s office and bedroom, the rooms in his house said nothing about him. Was that intentional? Had he only bothered with the rooms that most people would never see because he didn’t want to reveal too much of himself? It seemed that way, but why bother? Surely, he’d brought women to his house before and they’d seen his bedroom.

A vision of Tony and some faceless woman came to life, and Striker’s words came back to haunt her.

So what if he’d slept with a thousand women? As long as he didn’t do that while they were together, it wasn’t any of her business.

Cat conjured up an image of her and Tony in his king-size bed together instead. Her brother’s words disappeared along with the upsetting image.

“Good, you’re back, beautiful.” Tony entered the room from the kitchen.

The same little tingle that always danced through her when Tony called her beautiful shot through her. “I got back a little while ago. Kelsey got called into work.”

Tony sat down next to her, kissing her before he spoke again. “I’m sorry your day got cut short, but I’m glad you’re here.”

Don’t read too much into those words. “We didn’t plan on doing anything else except have coffee anyway.”

His fingers started undoing her braid. “What do you say we head over to your apartment and grab your things? Then on the way back here, we can grab some takeout.”

She was in no rush to see her brother again. At the same time, she couldn’t stay at Tony’s without clothes. When they left the night before, she’d grabbed only the barest of essentials. That wouldn’t cut it for work tomorrow, and she needed her car. “I guess we have too.”

“If you want to tell me what you need, I’ll go up and pack your stuff. You can just get your car and come back here.” His fingers slipped through her hair.

“And risk Striker sending you through a window?” Cat shook her head. “Besides, I can’t avoid him forever.” She hadn’t yet listened to the messages he left. Maybe her fairy godmother had come along and changed Striker’s mind for her. “He called me twice today.” She didn’t mention she’d also gotten a call from Zack.

“What did he want?”

“To lecture me, most likely. I don’t know. I didn’t listen to either of his messages. His opinion matters little to me.”

“I know what you mean.”

She waited for him to explain his comment. When he said nothing else, she took his free hand. “Did Sean say something to you?” Other than Sean, he hadn’t planned on seeing anyone else today. Although she saw no reason why Sean would have an opinion on their relationship.

“O’Brien is always giving me a hard time.” Tony stood up. “Give me ten minutes to shower, and then we’ll leave.”

She nodded. Maybe with some luck, Striker wouldn’t be around when they got to her apartment.

Her brother’s car wasn’t outside when Tony pulled in next to her car. Perhaps her fairy godmother was around today after all, and she’d manage to get in and out of her place without another confrontation.

“Do you want me to come up with you or wait out here?” he asked.

Cat paused, her hand on the door handle. “You can head home, and I’ll meet you back there if you want.” She didn’t need help packing, and if Striker did return before she finished, it might be better if Tony wasn’t around.

“I don’t mind sticking around in case you need help.” He opened his car door.

“It might be better if you don’t. Just in case. Besides, it shouldn’t take me long anyway.” She glanced around when she heard another car pull into the lot and said a silent pray when she saw it was only Mr. Fox arriving home.

Tony frowned, but closed his door. “If that’s what you want. Do you want me to grab some takeout on the way home?”

“Sure, surprise me. I’ll grab my stuff and head back over to your house.” Cat leaned over and kissed him on the cheek careful to avoid the bruises. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

She didn’t give Tony a chance to argue. Instead, she got out and walked away. When she reached the apartment door, she turned and waved in Tony’s direction before opening the door and jogging up the stairs.

One of her brother’s sweatshirts hung off the back of a kitchen chair and several dirty dishes remained in the kitchen sink. At another time she would’ve added the dishes to the dishwasher and hung up the sweatshirt, but tonight, she walked by both. If her brother planned on living there, she’d let him take care of himself. It wasn’t like he didn’t know how.

She grabbed the suitcase she kept in the spare bedroom and dropped it on her bed. Then she grabbed several outfits from her closet. Tony had a washing machine, so she could do laundry, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be wearing the same three or four outfits for the next few weeks either.

Once satisfied that she had a descent assortment of clothes, she headed for the bathroom. She’d never make it more than a few days without her own hair dryer and favorite shampoo.

“You’re back.” Striker’s voice reached her in the bathroom.

Phooey, she was so close to being done. Just a few more minutes and she would be out of there. It looked like her fairy godmother had called it a day.

Carrying what she needed from the bathroom, Cat walked back into her bedroom, not bothering to stop and even say hello.

Unfortunately, Striker didn’t get the hint she wasn’t in the mood for a conversation.

“What’s this?”

“A suitcase.”

Striker walked in, his arms crossed over his chest. “I can see that. Where are you going?”

“Tony invited me to stay with him while you’re here.”

“That’s insane, Trina. Don’t do it.”

“We’re not exactly getting along right now, and I don’t want to hear it from you every time Tony and I get together,” she said as she zipped up her suitcase. She hated arguing with Striker, but she refused to let him boss her around at the same time.

“That’s because you know I’m right.” Striker dropped his arms by his sides as he walked closer to her. “Tony’ll have his fun and toss you out.”

“Funny, that sounds like someone else I know.” She pulled her suitcase off the bed and took a step back. “I’ll talk to you later.”

She tried to leave, but Striker grabbed her shoulders. “Catrina, don’t be like this. You deserve better than Tony Bates.” Striker now sounded less angry and more concerned. “Zack called me today. He said he’s been trying to get in touch with you. He’s the kind of guy you should be with.”

Zack again. Man, the guy just didn’t quit, did he? “Then you go out with him. I’m not interested.” She moved away and he brother’s hands fell by his sides again. “If you need me for something, call me. Otherwise, you know where everything is here.”

She passed by her brother and hoped he didn’t intend to say more.

“I give it maybe a week, Trina,” Striker said as he followed her into the kitchen. “Then you’ll be back home again.”

She wanted to tell her brother he was dead wrong and she wouldn’t be back until he moved into his new condo next month. She kept her mouth shut, though, as she pulled back on her jacket. She knew her brother might very well be right.

“Have a good week.” She didn’t wait for a reply as opened the door and headed downstairs.