Straight From the Hip(71)
“I’m going to get a beer. Want anything?”
“I’m good,” Izzy told him.
“Me, too,” Dana said. A few seconds later, she added, “You’re going to be pleasantly surprised when you get a look at him. Seen him naked yet?”
Izzy grinned. “Not seen. How about experienced?”
“That’s my girl.” She lowered her voice. “I’ve heard about some interesting leads on the explosion. I’ve made friends with a couple of guys on the team and they’re keeping me informed. I hope it leads somewhere. The Dallas police are all over the guy who hacked into Skye’s foundation. So far he’s not talking, but I think it’s just a matter of time until he cracks.”
“I hope so,” Izzy said. “I’m so ready for us to take Garth down.”
“Me, too. I plan to do everything in my power to crush him like the bug he is.”
“Can I watch?”
“Every second of it.”
NICK LOOKED at Izzy from across the yard. She sat with her sisters and they were all laughing about something. There were over a dozen people at the picnic—friends, not a corporate retreat. It was personal.
He didn’t do personal. Didn’t believe in it. He knew he had to keep himself apart—part of the ongoing punishment.What would Izzy say if he told her that? Or did she already know? Had she guessed? Thinking about her made him wonder how long he had to pay, which was a stupid question. The payments never ended. There would never be atonement. He couldn’t ever do enough.
He spotted a car heading up the driveway. He hadn’t expected anyone else. The small import screamed rental car. He headed toward it, then stared at the young woman who climbed out.
She was petite, with red hair and too many freckles. He recognized her immediately. Her name was Denise and she’d been the first kid he’d ever had at the ranch.
Aaron rushed past him, shrieking like a girl. “You made it. I wasn’t sure you would.”
They hugged.
“Made it” as in she was invited? Nick looked at Aaron. “What’s going on?”
“A nice surprise to help you remember you’re one of the good guys.” Aaron hopped in place as he beamed at Denise. “I haven’t seen you in forever. You look fabulous.”
Denise laughed. “So do you.”
Nick moved toward them. “Hi.”
“Hey, Nick.” Denise smiled at him, then looked past him to the crowd. “No one said there was a party.”
“Nothing big. It’s a barbecue for friends.”
Denise had been a sullen, withdrawn teenager whose mother had been in and out of her life for years. When Denise had been fourteen, her mother had taken her out on the streets to bring in money as a prostitute. Denise had endured for nearly six months, running away time and time again, until she was picked up by the police and turned over to foster care.
It wasn’t the drinking and drugs that had made her caseworker nervous. It had been the cutting. When things got too bad, Denise cut herself.
She’d been in therapy about a year when she’d shown up as his first kid. He hadn’t known what to do with her, but Rita had stuck her on a horse and Aaron had talked boys and fashion. She’d stayed a long weekend, then had returned half a dozen times. Nick had written her a letter of recommendation to college and paid her tuition. Scholarships had funded the rest.
“You have friends?” Denise teased. “What happened to solitary guy?”
“He’s growing,” Aaron said, hugging her again. “We’re all so proud. And look at you. I love your haircut. It’s perfect.”
“I learned everything I know about fashion from you.”
Aaron waved his hands in front of his eyes as if trying not to cry. “I need to get a glass of water.” He moved away.
Nick turned toward Denise. “Everything okay?”
She grinned. “Better than okay. Aaron e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago, just to say hi. He suggested I stop by. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. Mostly because I should have come to see you before. I wanted you to see this.” She pulled a small card out of her back pocket.
He took it and stared at the ID. It was for Denise, showing her to be a student at the UCLA medical school. He felt a flush of pride. “Good for you.”
“I’m going to be a doctor. I’m leaning toward specializing in trauma. It’s grueling and I should be back there studying, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Nick. How you helped me.”
He handed her the ID card. “You did this yourself.”
She shook her head. “I don’t just mean that you paid for most of my college. I never told you before, but that day you came and got me…” She looked down, then back at him. “I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t stand hurting myself, but I didn’t know another way to manage. I’d decided to kill myself. I’d figured out exactly how to do it. Then you showed up and made me come here and everything changed.”