Chapter Fifteen
Dominic was up bright and early on Monday morning. He’d talked to Leanne yesterday, and she’d told him that she would be more than happy to meet with Sadie this morning. She hadn’t sounded all that enthused about taking on a new client at first, but when he’d explained what he knew about Sadie’s situation and her ex, Leanne had warmed right up.
It was only when he and Jake had gone over to visit with Damon and Jo in the afternoon that he’d learned that Leanne didn’t normally actively work with clients anymore. He knew that she worked as legal counsel for Dan Benson’s outfit, but he’d thought that she worked with other clients too, since she’d played such a big part in helping him and Damon get their inheritance.
Damon had explained to him that she’d done it as a personal favor. He’d called Leanne back to apologize, but she’d laughed at him and told him that there was no way that he’d be able to keep her off Sadie’s case now. The thought made him smile as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He had a feeling that Dale was about to find himself in a world of hurt. He didn’t feel in the least bit sorry for him. He deserved everything that was coming to him.
“What are you grinning about?” Jake asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Nothing much. I like it when justice is served, that’s all.”
Jake raised his eyebrows. “Anything I need to know about?”
He chuckled. “No. Nothing to worry about. Are you headed over to the garage?”
“I am. I have a couple of customers on the books today. Well, they’re not customers yet, but I’m hoping. They’re bringing their vehicles in for me to take a look and give them an estimate.”
Dom frowned. “Are you to the point that you need any help yet? Do you need me?”
“I’m good for now, thanks. But if you’re still interested in helping out part-time, I think I’m going to need someone soon.”
He cupped his hand around the back of his neck and leaned his head back to look up at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure if he should make the suggestion.
Jake misinterpreted his hesitation. “It’s not a problem if you can’t. I’m sure I’ll be able to find someone.”
“It’s not that I can’t. It’s that I might have found you someone else, if you want her.”
Jake raised his eyebrows. “You mean Savannah? I wondered about that, too, but she’s happy at the diner.”
That took him by surprise. “You asked her?”
Jake chuckled. “No. I thought about it. But… Things are moving slowly there. She’s amazing. I don’t want to rush her into anything – and to be honest, if it’s not going to happen, or if we get together and it goes to hell in a hurry, it’s probably not the best idea for me to hire her, is it?”
“No. You’ve got a point.”
“So, if you weren’t thinking about Savannah… Oh! You mean Sadie?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s looking for a job? I thought she’d be busy enough between taking care of Harvey and the garden center.”
“Harvey’s getting back on his feet, and he already has help in the garden center.”
“Are you saying that she needs a job?”
“She seems to think so. I think until she gets her divorce figured out… I don’t want to say too much. It’s not my place to share her business. Let’s just say that she’s not too well off at the moment.”
Jake shook his head.
“What?” Dom asked.
“I hate to admit it, but after Dad and my mom split, I got it into my head that women were out for what they could get in a divorce. Sadie doesn’t strike me that way.”
“Far from it. It seems to me that she and her ex are like your mom and dad, but in reverse. He’s the one who’s out for what he can get. She just wants to put it all behind her.”
Jake folded his arms across his chest. “In that case, tell her that if she wants a job, she’s got one.”
Dom chuckled. “You should probably at least talk to her first, see if she’s going to be able to do what you need her to.”
Jake shrugged. “Think about it, she’s more than qualified. In fact, I reckon she’d be a big help to me. I’m figuring things out as I go along – from what Savannah’s told me, Sadie built a business from scratch. And she built it into a big success. Her ex was more of a hindrance than help.”
Dom cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Savannah’s told you a lot about her, then?”
Jake dropped his gaze. “Not a lot. It’s just… Okay, I’ll admit it. I was trying to find out what I could about Sadie. She seems nice enough, but I wanted to know what you were getting yourself into.”
Dom grasped his shoulder. “Thanks, bud.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I? Are you meeting Dad at the gym?”
“No. We’re doing that tomorrow. I’m meeting Sadie this morning, taking her to see Leanne.”
Jake laughed. “Wow! Is that what you meant when you were talking about justice being served?”
“Yep.”
“Good. Sadie’s ex isn’t going to know what hit him.”
“If I know Leanne, he’s about to get his ass handed to him.”
“Good. I still feel uncomfortable when I think about how Mom treated Dad in their divorce. I hate that the nicest people usually get the roughest deal in life.”
“Yeah, that’s why I want Leanne on our side. I’d never describe her as nice…” He chuckled. “I don’t even feel bad about that because I know that she’d hate to be called nice. In her case, the word nice could never be considered a compliment.”
~ ~ ~
As they walked out of Leanne’s office, Dom offered Sadie his hand. She grabbed it and clung on tight.
“You okay?”
She nodded vigorously. “I am. I’m blown away. At first, I felt bad. I didn’t like to feel as though I was asking her for a favor. I thought she was a divorce lawyer. I didn’t realize…” She looked back over her shoulder at the Prometheus Security building. “She’s some kind of corporate lawyer. She’s not…”
Dom laughed and squeezed her hand. “She is, but I think you got the idea in there that she doesn’t see this as doing you a favor. In fact, I’d almost say that you’re the one doing her a favor – giving her the opportunity to take an asshole down. Shit! Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
She stopped walking and tugged on his hand. “Please don’t apologize. Hearing you call him an asshole doesn’t offend me – not in the least. If anything, it makes me feel better. I still have moments of doubt. Moments when I wonder if I was the one at fault – if I’d done things differently, been different somehow…”
“Don’t.”
His expression gentled when she looked up into his eyes. “I don’t mean to be bossy, but please don’t waste even a minute thinking that any of it was your fault. And if you think that’s just me being on your side because obviously, I’m kind of biased, think about it this way – no matter what else he had or hadn’t done, he cheated on you. I’m not even saying that everyone who cheats is bad. Not saying that sometimes it can’t be a wake-up call in a marriage. I’m just saying that before you go trying to take all the blame on yourself, you should step back and think about the part that he played.”
“Thanks.”
They’d reached his SUV, and he walked her to the passenger side. Just as he opened the door for her, she spotted two men coming out of the building. Two large men. In fact, they were the men who’d been with him the first time she saw him in the grocery store.
One of them, the gray-haired one, raised his hand in greeting. “Hey, Dom!”
“Hey, guys. Are you okay to say hi to them?” he asked Sadie in a low voice.
“Of course.” She didn’t add that she’d like to meet them, even though that was the truth. She was thrilled that he’d asked. She was back to comparing him to Dale – Dale would leave her standing there like a spare part while he spoke to people who she didn’t know. She used to wonder if he didn’t introduce her because he didn’t want people to know that she was his wife.
She had no such concerns with Dom. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and grinned at the two men as they came over to join them.
They both smiled, and the largest one said, “You must be Sadie. I’m Cal, and this is Dalton.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” she said as she stepped forward to shake hands with them.
Dom let go of her, but as soon as she stepped back, he took hold of her hand again.
“You too,” said Dalton. “Although, you may just have made my life difficult.”
She gave him a puzzled look, but he laughed.
“Don’t worry, nothing serious. It’s just that Taryn’s looking forward to meeting you. She was disappointed that you guys couldn’t come in on Saturday night. When she finds out that I met you before she did…”
“Dalton’s Taryn’s guy,” Dom explained.
“Oh, right.” She laughed. “Is she in the restaurant in the afternoons, or only in the evenings? If she’s there this afternoon, I could stop in and introduce myself on my way home – save you from some trouble.”
Dalton grinned. “She’ll be there, and I’ll be forever grateful if you do that.”
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting her, too.”
Dalton grinned at Dom. “You might be in trouble; you never know what Taryn might say about you.”
Sadie was relieved when he laughed. “I can pretty much guarantee that she’ll spill all my secrets, but I’m not worried.” She felt even more reassured when he gave her hand a squeeze. Until that moment she’d forgotten that he was still holding it.
The other man, the biggest of them, met her gaze. She felt as though he’d noticed the way they were holding hands, too – it seemed like he approved.
He smiled. “And now that I can finally get a word in, I’m Cal, Terry’s Cal.”
“Oh! I hadn’t put two and two together. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
She laughed. “I’m not going to make any of the usual jokes about hoping that it was all good. We all know that Terry shares the good, the bad, and the ugly without discriminating.”
Cal laughed with her. “She does. But if it’s any consolation, in the stories she’s told about when you all were kids, you always came off as one of the good guys.”
She wiped her brow in mock relief. “Good to know.”
Cal checked his watch. “I need to get going. I don’t actually work Mondays, but I had to come over for a meeting. I know Terry’s been talking about having lunch with you, Sadie, but do you two plan on coming out with everyone soon?”
She tried to sneak a glance at Dom, she didn’t want to speak for him. They smiled at each other when it became obvious that he was doing the same thing.
Dalton laughed. “Don’t put them on the spot, Cal.”
“Sorry.”
Dom laughed. “There’s no need to apologize. It’s not as awkward as it seems. I think we’d both happily say yes…” He cocked an eyebrow at her, and Sadie nodded.
“We would. It’s just that I haven’t liked to leave my dad home alone. He’s on the mend. I’m sure it won’t be too long before he’ll be glad to get me out of the way for an evening.”
“Let’s just say that we do plan on coming out with everyone soon, we just don’t know when yet,” said Dom.
After they’d said their goodbyes, and were on their way back into town, Dom turned to her with a smile. “Are you really going to stop in and see Taryn on the way back?”
She laughed. “Do you mind?”
“Not a bit. I kind of like the idea.” He laughed. “Maybe it’s just that you don’t know Taryn well enough, but not many people would voluntarily submit themselves to her scrutiny.”
“Obviously, I don’t know her, but I think I’ve heard enough to know what she’s like. I like the sound of her. I won’t lie, I do feel slightly intimidated. But when I feel that way, I find it best to just dive in head first. If she were just some woman who was curious about me as a newcomer, then I don’t think I’d bother. But she’s important to you, so I’d like to get to know her, and I’d like to set her mind at ease.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Set her mind at ease?”
She laughed. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“She’s ferocious, isn’t she?”
He chuckled. “That might be an understatement.”
“She cares about you. You’re one of her people, and she wants to protect you. She doesn’t know me. As far as she’s concerned, I’m a potential threat.”
He frowned. “She’s not… There’s nothing… She and Dalton are together.”
She laughed and rested her hand on his arm. “I know. She’s not interested in you in that way. But I’d guess that she loves you like family.”
He frowned. “I don’t think she has any family. I mean, she has Dalton.”
“I think she does. She might not have blood ties, but it sounds to me as though she thinks of you guys as her family.”
Dom glanced over at her. “You’re a smart cookie, aren’t you?”
She shrugged happily. “Maybe, in my own little way.”
~ ~ ~
When Dom walked into the gym the following morning, he had to laugh when he saw the guys standing around the front desk, and Sadie’s description of them came back to him – they really did look like a big man convention. Damon was standing with Cal and Dalton, and Russ was sitting behind the desk.
Dalton greeted him with a grin. “I’m glad to see that you’re still smiling.”
Dom gave him a puzzled look, not understanding.
“From what Taryn said, she and Sadie had a good time talking about you yesterday afternoon. I know Taryn enjoyed herself, but I didn’t know how Sadie would feel after having heard all your secrets. I take it that she didn’t give you a hard time last night?”
“No. I didn’t see her last night.”
“Oh, right.” Dalton cocked an eyebrow. “I guess I had the wrong idea. I thought that the two of you were in deep already.”
He shrugged.
Damon came to stand beside him. “Not everyone jumps in head first right out of the gate – just because Dom and I are twins, it doesn’t mean that he’s going to move right in with Sadie like I did with Jo.”
Dalton laughed. “I guess not.”
Dom smiled and let the conversation flow around him for a little while. They were talking about how they’d first gotten together with their women. He knew that Damon had stayed over at Jo’s place after their first couple of dates, and after that, Dom didn’t think that he’d ever stayed at his own house again – he’d effectively moved in with her. Dalton and Taryn had been neighbors for a while – and enemies for a while longer than that, but it sounded as though they’d moved in together as soon as they started seeing each other as well.
He tuned back in when Cal met his gaze and held it. “It was different for Terry and me. She had Elle and little Skye living at home with her. It took a while before it seemed right for me to stay over – and even before Terry felt comfortable leaving them at home and coming to stay at my place.”
Dom nodded. As usual, Cal was more perceptive than the others. It wasn’t an issue with Sadie yet – they hadn’t even been out on a date – but Dom was already acutely aware that they didn’t have a place they could go to be alone together. He wasn’t even thinking about spending the night together … Okay, so he had thought about it more often than he wanted to admit, but even before they got to that point, they couldn’t enjoy an evening at home together without company.
Neither of them had their own place. She was at her dad’s, and he was sharing Damon’s house with Jake.
Damon raised his eyebrows. “How’s that going to work for you and Sadie?”
He chuckled when Cal winked at him. That guy was good at steering the conversation where it needed to go.
“I don’t know. It hasn’t come up yet, but…”
“It sounds to me like it might be time for you to start looking for your own place,” said Dalton.
“Maybe.” He checked his watch. “Right now, it’s time to get started on my workout.”
“And it’s time for us to quit standing around here gossiping and get to work,” said Cal.
After they’d gone, Dom followed Damon over to the treadmills. Before they climbed on, Damon gave him a puzzled look.
“What?”
“Is it time – time for you to start thinking about a place of your own? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you to stay where you are for as long as you’d like.”
“Thanks, I know that. I… I was starting to think about it even before I met Sadie.” He chuckled. “I was thinking more about me cramping Jake’s style than the other way around but either way, it might be time.”
“Do you have any ideas about where you want to look?”
“I like the idea of Four Mile Creek. Obviously, it’s close to you and Jo, and close to the restaurant for work. The only trouble is there’s not much available for sale there. All the waterfront lots sold out, and the properties that come on the market aren’t the kind of thing I want.”
Damon winked at him. “I know what you mean – there’s no reason that you should settle for a two-bedroom rancher now that you’re a man of substantial means, is there?”
He couldn’t help smiling back. “No. I wanted to take some time to get used to it. Now that it’s sunk in that I can buy pretty much anything that comes on the market around here, there isn’t anything that I want.”
“Would you consider building?”
He nodded slowly. “I would. I… I think I told you before, when we were in Yuma, we bought what I thought was the perfect lot. We were going to build, but then Polly found her perfect house. We bought that instead. After she died, I thought I might get around to building on the lot one day but…” He shrugged. “You know how that went. I stayed for a while, but that place just didn’t feel right without her.”
Damon nodded. “I’m hoping that Summer Lake is the right place for you now. I’m hoping that Sadie might be the right person, but it’ll take time before you can know that.”
“Yeah. I feel like the next chapter of my life might be starting to fall into place, I guess I’ll just have to hope that the right house comes along.”
“Or the right piece of land,” added Damon.
Dom gave him a puzzled smile. “What are you thinking that you’re not telling me?”
Damon chuckled. “I think for now, I’ll just keep it under my hat. I’ll save the telling you until later.”
“I’d argue with you, but at this rate we’re not going to fit in much of a workout before your first client comes in.”
With that, he climbed onto the treadmill, and Damon got onto the one next to him. A few minutes later, they exchanged grins as they kept dialing up the speed. It wasn’t the ideal way to warm up, but it was a fun competition.