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“She’d changed so much in those months after Ray’s death. I told her what I thought she could handle. And I sent money when I had it to spare. It was enough to appease her curiosity.”
He slowly shook his head. I gulped my wine. I might have vowed to change my life when I turned forty, but it didn’t mean I welcomed other people judging my choices.
“Mom never even met Tony. The marriage was so short.” Ugly and short.
“I guess we all have regrets.” He shrugged.
“Hold up. You have regrets? I’ve got to hear this.”
“Not being there for you and your mom is at the top of my list these days.”
“Unacceptable answer. What’s a real regret? The thing that keeps you up at night. If I hadn’t shown up at that gala, we wouldn’t be sitting here. So it’s not me and Mom.”
Derek put a last bite of food in his mouth, chewing slowly. He took a gulp of water before wiping his mouth with his ironed napkin and refolding the linen in his lap. It was a delay tactic.
“Lies. I regret the lies I’ve told and lived. The repercussions have shaped everything.” It was a somber answer. Honesty bled from his every pore as he spoke. “I try to avoid them now at all costs.”
“I always thought of you as a Boy Scout.” It was hard to reconcile my image of Derek with his confession.
He chuckled. “Thanks, Lee.”
We shared a smile, eyes meeting, and he looked like the younger version of himself that I remembered. It was all in the cocky half-smile and the glimmer in his hazel eyes. That look had slayed my teenage heart.
I broke the connection, reaching for the last sip of my wine. My plate was clean. I should leave.
“Well, thanks for all this. Unless you want help cleaning up, I should get going. I’ve got to limp my poor car home on a doughnut.”
“A car that nice and no full-size spare.” He swept our dishes off the island to the sink and filled the dishwasher. He even knew how to scrape plates and load them efficiently. Derek’s housekeeping skills put mine to shame. He was a domestic god.
“I know, crazy. I’ll be stuck with it for a day or two. There’s a big client coming in tomorrow. I can’t afford to miss him. The tire will wait until I have time to get the car to the dealership.”
At my words, his eyebrow rose, and he fumbled the serving spoon he was rinsing. The clatter roused Onyx and made me cringe.
He was gearing up to say something that would piss me off. I lifted my hands to stop his words. I shouldn’t have let him off the hook for the tracker.
“Don’t get all in a wad. The client is the new quarterback for the Dolphins.” I acted like his reaction hadn’t hurt, but it had. Oleander was a thriving above-board business, one I tended carefully. Not all my deals were shady.
It was definitely time for me to go.
“Lee, I wasn’t—“
“Jumping to conclusions? Yes, you were. It was written all over your face. Forget that I told you anything about my other business. It’s best for both of us that way.” I wadded up my napkin and chucked it on the marble countertop. Throwing a scrap of cloth lacked the dramatic effect, but it would do.
His jaw clenched, and he looked down at the sink.
“Onyx. Come.” My dog came to heel, and I clicked on the leash.
“Honestly, I wasn’t.” He sighed and looked at me. “I was going to ask if you’d let me deal with the flat tire for you.”
“Why?”
“Apology for the tracker and for years of being a shitty friend to you and Ray.”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. The car is my problem. Not yours.”
“I’d like to help you out.”
“It’s fine.” It was time to leave before the wonderful meal turned sour in my stomach. His help would only land me in jail or worse.
