My Best Friend's Stepfather #3(2)

“Do you think he’d remember you?” she asked.

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Of course she’d assume he’d only met Dare the one time when they’d talked to discuss what kind of work would complement his studies. She had no idea that Dare had taken a special interest in Adam. Adam was a friend of his stepdaughter’s. Even though Adam and Helen didn’t know each other very well—they were connected only by the fact he was a friend of her friend’s brother—Dare took Helen’s request to help Adam seriously. He’d wanted to ensure Adam was happy in the position and getting the most out of it he could.

And it was during that fall that Dare had gone through one of the most traumatic times of his life.

“When are you seeing him next?” Adam asked.

“In two days.”

Adam just nodded. It was time he went and paid Dare a visit.

* * *

Adam pulled up in front of the gray brick house that he knew Dare was staying in while he was here in Autumn’s Ridge. It wasn’t the same place he’d owned when he used to live here. That had been sold off after the divorce. Apparently, according to Ashley, this was a new place Dare had bought some years later. Dare had business holdings in town, but Adam hadn’t thought Dare made enough trips to town to warrant having a house here, but then Adam didn’t really know much about Dare’s comings and goings.

All he knew was that Dare had never made a move to contact him.

And that hurt.

He got out of the car and walked up the stone path, breathing in the sweet scent of lilacs. Ash loved lilacs. Every time she came here, that fragrance was bound to delight her.

Once at the entrance, he drew in a deep breath, then rang the doorbell. His stomach tightened as he waited for Dare to open the door.

How would Dare react to seeing Adam on the other side of the door? What would he say?

He saw a shadow through the beveled and frosted glass design on the door. He braced himself as the door opened.

Helen stared at him, her eyes wide. Then she frowned.

“What are you doing here?” Her acerbic tone grated.

“I’m here to see Dare.”

“Well, he’s not in.” Then she slammed the door in his face.

He stood staring at the door as her shadowy shape disappeared inside the house.

* * *

“What the hell was that all about?” Dare asked as Helen marched past. When he’d heard the male voice at the door, asking to see him, he’d put down his newspaper and walked toward the foyer, only to see Helen slam the door.

“It was no one.”

Well, that was a lie.

“Helen, I don’t need you filtering who I see.”

“Whatever,” she called as she stormed down the hall to her room.

He opened the front door. Standing on the other side was Adam.

His gut clenched. God, he didn’t think it would be this hard seeing him again.

“Hello, Dare.”

“Adam.”

“Helen doesn’t seem very happy to see me.”

Dare gripped the doorknob tighter. “She’ll get over it.”

“I’m here to talk about Ashley.”

Dare nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

“So you do know I’m the other man she’s seeing?”

“Not the whole time. Just since the other day when she told me she’d been seeing her boss.”

Adam frowned and Dare could just hear the cogs in his brain turning. Dare hadn’t contacted Adam in all these years since … painful memories tore through him and he gritted his teeth as he pushed them aside … but he’d kept tabs on Adam. He’d wanted to know that he was all right. That his life was going well.

That he was happy.

But this mess with Ashley sure put a crimp in that.

“May I come in?” Adam asked, still standing in the cool evening air, waiting.

Dare glanced over his shoulder, thinking of Helen brooding in her room. Just waiting to be a pain in the ass if he and Adam came inside to talk.

He gazed at Adam, really looking at him for the first time since he’d opened the door. God, he looked good. He could see the hint of sculpted muscle through the T-shirt he wore and his arms were well defined. His chestnut brown hair was swept back from his handsome face and his dark brown eyes were still as deep and haunting as Dare remembered.

And just as full of pain.

“I think it’s better if we go out somewhere.” And for more reasons than Helen’s probability of being a nuisance. Being alone with Adam would be too painful. And too … tempting. “How about a drink at Wanabee’s?”

He grabbed his keys from the bowl by the door then stepped outside. “We can take my car if you like.”

“I’ll meet you there.”