Chapter 14
Fourteen
EMILY
What is he doing here?
Any other night, I would stand up here and sing all night with him. By the time we finish the song, the crowd chants otra, otra . Of course, they want an encore.
“Gracias. Gracias.” I speak into the microphone. “Un fuerte aplauso para mi amigo,” what will I name him? “Beto Andrés.”
Derek pinches his lips together like he’s holding in laughter. Before anyone asks me for another song, I add, “The band is taking a break, and so am I.”
I grab Derek’s large rough hand and pull him behind me until we’re past the restrooms, where it’s less crowded.
"Hi," he says, with scorching heat in his eyes.
“Hi, uh, what are you doing here?” I keep my focus on him and not the door down the hall that has to remain closed.
“You’re,” his gaze flies all over me, drinking me up as if I was Mark’s purple haze specialty, Nube Morada , everyone is wild about tonight. He runs his fingers through his hair. “You’re incredible. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m leaving. Remember?”
His stare cools, and my words do what I intended, because I can’t have him looking at me like that. There’s a noise down the hall. I can’t take my chances. I step closer and say, “Thanks for coming. I have to get back and help Mark.”
His eyes drift toward the door marked storage and back to me. “Rosie?”
I wave a dismissive hand in the air. “I didn’t have a name tag my first day here, and Mark found one with Rosie on it.” He smiles like it’s funny. “You want to come to the house tomorrow afternoon?”
There’s another noise. This time it’s louder, like a broom handle banged against a wall.
Shit.
Derek’s brow furrows like he heard it too.
I place my hands on his forearms to urge him back to the floor. He’s solid, unmovable granite. “I really have to get back.”
“What time are you off?”
I try my best careless smile. “When the last drunk leaves. Usually two.”
“I’ll wait to walk you to your car.”
Nope. No. Can’t have that. “Mark always walks me to my car.”
He flinches.
“Hey.” I squeeze his arm and heat travels through me from where we’re touching. “I appreciate it, and if Mark wasn’t here, I’d accept your offer. But there’s no—” There’s a bang again.
“What’s going on?” He looks from me to the door. He moves like he’s going to investigate.
“Nothing. Old building. Old plumbing.”
He stares at the door like he’s trying to decide if it’s safe or not.
“Hey.” I step closer, letting my breasts brush against him. “I have to get back to work. It was great to see you. Mark will make sure I reach my car safely.”
He nods.
When I don’t move toward the bar, he asks, “Aren’t you coming? ”
I point at the bathrooms. “Pit stop.”
He looks at the storage door one more time and then leaves.
I heave out a loud breath. I fish the key out of my pocket and open the door to the storage and slip inside.
Victoria is asleep with headphones to block out the noise, and James watches a movie on his tablet with his headphones on. He stands when he sees me and pulls them off his head. “Are we going home?”
“No. What was that noise? You know you have to stay quiet in here.”
“I was practicing the battle between Ben and Rey. Want to see?” He reaches for the broom.
“No. Be quiet and don’t touch anything.” I’m not allowed to have them here. I’m going to get fired if I get caught. I’m aware of all the dangers of having them locked in a bar in downtown.
If I had a better choice, I would have jumped at it. My grandparents took off before dinner to visit my aunt in Tijuana—it’s only an hour drive and they said they wouldn’t be back tonight. My aunt Elena making mole was important enough for them to forget I had a shift tonight. And I can’t afford to not work. I need every penny. And the nights I sing on stage, I earn more tips.
As soon as I confirm Derek has left, I’ll leave, too. I hate leaving Mark without help, but Derek being here is too risky, and I’ve put the kids in danger long enough. I don’t want to test my luck.
“I need you to be really good. Anything you need, message me.” I point at the tablet.
“What if I have to pee?” James says.
I sneak out to the janitor closet and bring in a dry mop bucket. “Sorry baby, here.”
James looks at me as if I were an alien.
“Pee there and message me. I’ll clean it up.”
James gives me an exasperated sigh.
“If you need anything, message me.” I tap the tablet, again .
It’s like the crowd tripled since I took my break. I slip under the bar and start taking orders. They don’t stop.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and my heart jumps into my throat. I take a customer’s credit card and turn my back to them and act like I’m ringing them up. I check my phone and devise a plan to sneak out and get to James if he needs me. It’s not James. It’s my mother-in-law.
She stopped calling after I video called her a week ago so she could chat with Victoria. I wasn’t keeping her away from her granddaughter. I was keeping her away from me. Lillian is a kind woman, but has bad habits. Bad habits Ryan tried to fix.
I tuck my phone into my back pocket without reading the message. If I do, it will make an already bad evening worse. I turn around and thank the paying customer and start taking more orders.
As I set down three more Nubes Moradas , I’m aware of being watched. I turn toward the end of the bar, and there’s Derek with a bottle of water in his grip, watching me while the person seated next to him chats. I take a few more orders tracking him, making sure he stays seated.
He chats with whoever takes a seat next to him for the next hour while I fill endless orders. Half an hour after the band finishes, the crowd thins. I walk over to Mark’s side, as far out of earshot from Derek as possible.
“Do you have any oranges?” I raise my voice in case Derek is listening.
Mark grabs a couple from the cooler. He leans close as he hands them to me. “Want me to check on them?” he whispers.
“Please. Or try to get rid of him,” I mumble back. “Says he’s going to walk me to my car.”
“How chivalrous.” Mark grins. “How are you going to thank him?”
I roll my eyes. “Please check on them.”
Mark leaves and when he comes back gives me a subtle thumbs up .
It’s another half hour before we wipe everything clean and put away. Security escorts the last of the stragglers out of the bar.
“Thanks for waiting, but Mark is here. It’s okay,” I say to Derek when security asks him to leave.
“Thought we could talk while we walked.”
My back straightens. “We can talk right now.” If it will get him to leave, I’ll talk. Whatever he wants. I give our security a nod so he knows Derek isn’t a problem.
“We have to make some tough decisions,” he says.
Oh. That’s what he wants. “You can visit him as much as you like in Crofton. I won’t get in the way of you having a relationship with James. But he needs to know you’ll be there when you say you will.”
His expression is full of doubt.
“I’m staying in Crofton. I’m not moving from there.” My shoulders drop. “You don’t trust me.”
“You’re good at hiding.”
I sigh. “I know I haven’t given you much reason to forgive or trust me. Mark said I should accept your offer to go to Nashville. I could get to know what your life is like there. Learn more about you.”
He smiles. “Mark is a wise man.”
Because I need a change of topic, I add, “He also thinks Tyler is the hottest of the three of you.”
Derek sputters out a laugh. “No contest.”
I lean forward so my hands rest on the edge of the bar. “Going to Nashville is a perfect opportunity to earn your trust.”
Derek rubs at his chest. “Are you saying you’ll go?”
“I have to make sure Nana and Papa will take James to Maddox’s party. And I can’t be gone for more than 72 hours. I have to pack us up for the move.”
“My dad could take him. I want James to get to know him, Charlie, Tyler, and Jesi, too. I’ll make sure you come back when you need to.” He clears his throat like there’s more he wants to say but he’s overthinking it .
“Say it.” I prompt.
“Any chance you’d stay? I want to take James to my dad’s. I want to have him stay a night with me. I want him to know where I grew up. He has a whole family he doesn’t know about.”
My attention drifts to the hallway. “You sound like Ryan.”
Derek sips on his water. “I’m sorry you lost him.”
I clear my throat. “He used to send me random texts of dates and locations. They were your shows. He’d bring you up once in a while. Tell me we should go. Talked about how we could have a life with you in it. I never told him what happened in Virginia. I was upset and told him I chickened out from telling you, which wasn’t very far from the truth. He said we could figure something out. It would be different but we’d all get used to you being around.”
He leans forward and before he says anything, my phone vibrates in my back pocket. Shit.
“Hang on.” I move away from him and read the caller’s name. It’s my grandpa.
“ Mija, necesito un favor .” He explains the favor he’s asking for. My nana forgot her passport card and pass to cross back into the country. He wants me to go to the house, find them, and drive into Mexico to my aunt’s house, and bring them back. She also forgot her blood pressure meds, so it’s not like they can wait until morning. I have to go tonight.
I release several expletives when I hang up. This is why I’m going home. Where Holly and Mike will be there for me and will watch the kids when they say they can.
“What’s wrong?” Derek moves around the bar closer to me.
“Nana forgot her pass for crossing back.”
Shit. I fucked up.
“Crossing back?” Derek asks, and I can see the wheels turning as he catches me in my lie. “Are James and Victoria there, too?”
“No.” My voice wobbles, and I don’t like it.
I could lie. I should lie, but I asked him to trust me .
He glances towards the back of the bar. He shakes his head like it’s not possible.
“You go help them,” he says, bringing out his phone. “I’ll relieve the sitter.”
I swallow. No words come out.
“I’ve got it.” I sound like I’m talking through mud because I know what I have to do. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He rubs at his forehead. “Call me when you’re back across?”
“Of course.”
He leaves.
My legs almost give out on me. “That was close,” I say to Mark.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says, tapping the register.
“Aren’t you closing?”
He shakes his head. “Mario swapped with me.”
“Thank you.” I could kiss Mark.
We walk to the storage room and, like predicted, they’re asleep on the blankets I left on the stack of boxes I arranged. I’ll worry about explaining on my next shift. Mark hefts James into his arms, and I grab Victoria. I lean my ass into the front door’s push bar to exit. When I’m halfway out, it’s pulled open from the other side. I’m ready to tell whoever wants in we’re closed when I’m met with Derek’s clamped jaw and questioning eyes.
“What’s going on?” He glares at Mark, then me.
James stirs, and Mark runs a soothing hand over his back. James settles down and Derek reaches for him. Mark releases James who curls into Derek’s hold.
“I’m taking them home,” Derek whisper shouts.
“Why’d you come back?” I ask.
Derek’s angry glare has me snapping my mouth shut. “Came back to offer you my truck. Didn’t want you crossing in your old wreck of a car.”
Guilt mixed with indignation fuels my defenses. “It’s not a wreck. ”
I move toward the parking structure, with Mark and Derek behind me.
“Emily.” Derek says louder than necessary.
“Do you really want them to wake up to us arguing in the middle of—” A giggly pair of drunk girls pass us, holding each other up. “All this?”
“You’re the one who brought them here.”
“I’m not discussing this right now. I have to go home and help my grandparents.”
“I’m taking your car and you can take mine,” Derek says as we weave our way to the parking structure. “I’m watching them. There’s no way you’re taking them.”
“I can watch them,” Mark says. “You can go with her.”
I could kill Mark.
“I can drive you there. I don’t have my passport,” Derek says.
“I don’t need you to drive me there, and I don’t need your car.” But, ugh, he’s right. His new truck is much more reliable than my car. My car is temporary anyway.
“I’ll go with her,” Mark says. “And I’ll drive. My car is from this century.”
I roll my eyes at Mark. Time is ticking, and I need to get the kids to bed and help my grandparents. “Fine. Meet at my house. I have to get my nana’s passport and mine.”
Derek follows me to my house. As soon as we arrive, I instruct him on what to do if they wake up. I point to where the children’s meds are if they aren’t feeling well. He asks if they’ve been sick, and I say no. He asks why he would need to worry about meds. I don’t answer.
“It will be hours before I can get back. I put my work schedule on their fridge. They forgot. And it’s not only tonight. When I tried a day job, I’d get calls from the school that she was late picking up James. And fines for picking up Victoria late cut into my meager savings. It’s cheaper to work nights if I’m getting fines. I don’t ask her for much, because this happens.”
How the heck am I going to think I can rely on anyone, much less a man who spends most of his life on the road?