Like a sudden flash, it hit Veronica. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard this. Every time in the past when Veronica had asked Nellie about Rick’s business trips she’d unwittingly hit a nerve and Nellie would somehow work it into the conversation that Rick had asked her to meet him on his trip, yet Nellie never had.
“Why don’t you?” Nellie started back to her front door and Veronica went after her. “Why, Nellie? Why haven’t you ever gone and met him?”
Nellie stopped at the front door and glared at her but there was more pain in her eyes than anger. “I told you. I have work.”
“Always?” Veronica pushed knowing she’d already pushed too far and hating Rick even more by the minute. How dare he do this to sweet Nellie? “Is it because you’re afraid of who you’ll find him with?”
Nellie walked in the door, the pained look in her flooded eyes killed Veronica. “You should leave.”
“I’m sorry!” Veronica cried out. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
“Just go.” Nellie closed the door just as the tears slid down her face.
Veronica leaned against the door and knocked softly. “Nellie, I’m sorry. Please talk to me.” After minutes of no response she knocked again as her own tears slid down her face. “Call me if you need anything, okay? I love you.”
She wiped the tears away as she made her way slowly down the steps. Even this made her think of Noah. All this time she’d pegged him as undependable and not serious boyfriend material because of his age. Rick was almost thirty, had seemingly committed to marriage yet he was turning out to be the biggest lying asshole she’d ever known. The guilt weighed even heavier now. This time for so unfairly lumping Noah in the same category as Rick based solely on his age.
CHAPTER 22
The guys came over on Sunday and were there all day. It’d been a while since they’d had a virtual boxing fest like the old days. Noah checked with Roni first before okaying Hector to bring over his PlayStation3. They worked on changing the oil on Roni’s car all morning, then moved indoors for the boxing.
Noah told her she didn’t have to but Roni insisted on making them snacks and then lunch. She made sandwiches which she cut in half and piled high on a tray. Though the guys all said they weren’t hungry the pile of sandwiches were inhaled within minutes.
Her fussing over them had actually helped to distract her and get her mind off what she’d been moping about for days. She and Nellie were still on the outs and Roni was beside herself with guilt over having hurt Nellie’s feelings.
Noah tried to tell her she’d been right to speak up and tell Nellie how she felt, especially given the fact that Roni said Nellie would have done the same thing had the tables been turned. Still as much as she tried to pretend nothing was wrong, there was no masking it. She was sad and he hated to see her that way.
That afternoon Roni kept herself busy in the kitchen and later in her darkroom. She’d just walked out of the darkroom and Noah turned, glad to see her smiling for a change.
Someone knocked at the front door and Roni walked through the front room to get it. They’d ordered pizza but it was way too soon for that to arrive. Since Noah had been living with her, the only people that ever came to the door were solicitors. Not once had she had any visitors. Even Nellie was yet to drop in since he’d been there.
They’d moved on from boxing to Call Of Duty, a military type game where they paired up in teams. “Noah, what are you doing?” Abel nudged him with his knee. “You’re supposed to back me up, he almost got me.”
Hector laughed, going heavy on the bombs taking advantage of Noah’s slipup. Noah made a few maneuvers getting his man out of harm’s way but his eyes were back on the door where Roni smiled as she greeted whoever it was. She glanced back at Noah with an expression he couldn’t quite make out before she walked out onto the porch closing the screen door behind her.
“Dude, can you fucking pay attention?” Noah looked back at the screen in time to see his man blown up. “You see?” Abel nudged him again.
The screen changed and Noah was down one life. He only had two left but he couldn’t care less. He paid more attention now but still glanced back at the front door repeatedly. From the window that was partially covered with thin drapes he could see a man leaning against the railing of the porch but he couldn’t see Roni. She was probably leaning against the wall.
It could be anyone, a solicitor, a neighbor, but his already tightening gut told him otherwise. Since Roni had gone back to work, she’d mentioned reacquainting with old friends. That look she’d given him as she walked out put him completely on edge.
Noah managed to stay in the game for another fifteen minutes until he and a very annoyed Abel were wiped out. Fifteen minutes was a relatively short time considering they could’ve gone on much longer had Noah actually been trying.
Noah stood up tossing his controller on the sofa. “Leave it off, Hector. The game is gonna start if it hasn’t already.”
“Oh yeah. The playoffs are on today,” Hector said, flipping it from the PS3 to television mode.
Gio, who was always the first to catch on to what was going on in Noah’s head, didn’t miss a beat asking in a curious but cautious tone, “who’s that out there with Roni?”
Noah shrugged on his way to the door, but he was about to find out. He opened the door leaning his upper body out. As he suspected, Roni was leaning against the wall just outside the door. Noah recognized the guy immediately and smiled feeling an immediate relief wash over him. No way could Roni be into this asshole, though he did wonder what Kratz was doing visiting her. “Small fucking world.” Noah reached out his hand to shake the dean’s.
Roni shifted nervously. “You know Derek?”
Like a flame doused with ice water the relief Noah felt just moments earlier was snuffed in an instant. “Derek?”
Derek shook his hand heartily with a smile. “Well, he probably remembers me only as Dean Kratz, but yeah I remember Noah. How the hell are you?”
Noah nodded suddenly at a loss for words. The dean was Roni’s ex?
“You two related?” The dean asked with a curious smile.
“No, uh,” Roni glanced at Noah then back at Derek. “Noah is my roommate.”
That fizzled the dean’s smile a little. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Noah said, looking him square in the eyes.
Noah took in the Dean from top to bottom. He hadn’t changed a whole lot since he last saw him. Still tall, well built for his age and he still carried that pompous air about him, but something was gone now. Maybe it was because Noah was no longer at the mercy of his rule or maybe it was that he’d just jumped to the top of Noah’s list of all time assholes, but he was no longer as intimidating as he’d once been.
“Roni mentioned her roommate was a boxer but I would’ve never made the connection. I remember you boxing even back when you were still in school.” The dean gave him a once over. “What are you a junior lightweight?”
Noah caught the double ended jab and chuckled. The guy was big but not as big as he obviously thought he was. He stepped out into the porch so the asshole could get a good look at his lightweight frame. “Light heavyweight actually.”
Derek raised his eyebrows as Noah crossed his arms in front of him. A car pulled into the driveway grabbing all their attention for the moment. The driver reached in the back seat and jumped out of the car with pizza boxes. “Oh, let me get my purse,” Roni said, stepping away from the wall.
“I got it,” Noah said, sticking his hand in his pocket.
“You sure?” Roni asked.
Noah nodded as Gio walked out the front door pulling money out of his pocket. He handed Noah two tens. “This is me and Abel’s share.”
Noah took the money and walked past Derek. Turned out the man who once towered menacingly over him was exactly his height now. After paying the delivery guy he turned back to Roni who held the door open for him. Gio had already gone back inside. “The paper plates are in
the pantry. I’ll be right in,” Roni said as Noah walked toward her. “I’m just gonna walk Derek to his car.”
Derek’s expression seemed even more off put by Roni’s sudden dismissal than Noah felt about the idea of her wanting even another minute alone with the douche. He blatantly smirked at Derek then turned to Roni. “I’ll wait for you to eat,” Noah said meeting Roni’s eyes and to his relief she nodded.
The smug smirk he’d given Derek when Roni announced she was seeing him off whether he was ready or not was all the goodbye the guy would get from Noah. His hypocrisy only went so far. As much as he hated leaving Roni out there with Derek, he wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing it, but pretending he’d been even slightly pleased to see him again had been as far as he was going.
Noah slowed as he walked by Roni, giving her a knowing look. She may not have given him the go ahead to question her personal life like he’d given her but she had to know this was something that would be discussed as soon as he got a moment alone with her.
It wasn’t just the fact that her hanging out with an ex-boyfriend was enough to make Noah’s insides grind, but this guy was scum as far as he was concerned. Not only had Noah always thought him a total prick, he’d left Roni high and dry at a time in her life when she most needed him. Why would she even consider staying friends with him? He didn’t deserve her friendship.
Gio eyed him as Noah stalked through the front room toward the kitchen. The guys all followed him stopping around the center island where he put the boxes of pizza down. “Let me grab paper plates,” Noah said as Hector reached for a slice.
“So what’s Dean Dickhead doing here? Don’t tell me he and Roni are related.” Hector said as he chewed.
“He’s an old friend.” Noah said placing the paper plates down on the counter.
He walked over to the front stopping at an angle where he could see Roni and Derek talking by his car but they couldn’t see him. The dean’s body language was just as Noah remembered, upright and full of authority. Noah hadn’t asked Roni much about her relationship when she’d mentioned Derek before but now Noah had plenty of questions, especially since she obviously held double standards. This guy was way older than her.
~*~
“Wow,” Derek said as they walked down her porch steps. “I haven’t seen that kid in years. I’m surprised he’s not in jail.”
Roni turned to him, her arms crossed in front of her. “What makes you say that?”
Derek chuckled. “That kid sat outside my office more than my damn receptionist when he went to Garfield.”
She wasn’t sure but it made sense that Derek might have reason to try to discredit Noah. She’d seen his expression when she told him Noah was her roommate. Just the fact that she’d previously mentioned her new roommate was a guy she was sure had already gotten him speculating. His showing up here unannounced today was not on impulse like he’d said it was. Derek did nothing on impulse.
But she decided to bite anyway. “Why was he at your office so often?”
“Typical troublemaker. Did you run a background check on this guy before letting him move in?”
The thought had never even occurred to Roni. “No, because he’s a friend. What do you mean troublemaker? What kind of trouble?”
Derek shrugged leaning against his car, obviously in no hurry to leave. “Ditching, fighting, drug trafficking, you name it.”
“Drug trafficking?”
“Yeah, I’m telling you the kid is trouble with a capital T.” He frowned glancing back at her house. “So what? This guy trains you and you just invite him to move on in?”
“No.” She hesitated, fumbling to find the best wording. “He had issues.”
Derek scoffed. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”
“Issues with his place,” Roni added, the annoyance building by the second. She knew Derek would have something to say about this, and his emphasis on referring to Noah as a kid hadn’t gone unnoticed either. “The storms did a number on his roof.” She wouldn’t mention it was the roof over a garage. Derek would love that. “I had the extra bedrooms so I offered to rent him one.”
“Convenient. I’d get the money upfront if I were you.”
Roni rolled her eyes. “I gotta go, Derek.” She began to walk away.
“Hey, listen, Veronica.” Derek’s condescending tone had suddenly softened. “I’m sorry. I know you said he’s your friend. It’s just that I’d like to think me and you can still be friends, too…at least. And I do still care about you, so I can’t help but feel a little concerned here. Who knows maybe he’s changed. It has been a few years. All I’m saying is what I do know about him is no good. So just be careful. Okay?”
Roni turned back to him with a weak smile. “No need to worry. He’s a great guy.”
As expected, her last comment raised questions. She saw it in his eyes but he didn’t ask. Instead he went on to a topic she’d hoped to avoid. At least for now.
“So once you get settled in at work you think we can get together some time?”
She’d used the excuse of being too busy trying to get back on track with her work schedule to answer or return his calls and texts. It was a lame excuse and she’d hoped he’d take the hint. She didn’t see how getting together with him would work now. Noah would no doubt have issues with it.
Every moment she spent with Noah now, every one of their friendly good night kisses, her need to move things forward with him began to outweigh the feeling that she’d be taking a huge risk. All this time she’d been telling herself that he was too young and would want to be out there playing the field. Yet he was free to do that now and he spent all his free time with her. That had to count for something.
A smile and a nod was the only response she offered Derek, then added, “text me,” before walking away.
She’d at least pretend to consider it. She told herself once she felt completely comfortable being back at work and her life went back to what she considered the norm, she’d take that plunge and next step with Noah. But considering the speed at which their relationship was progressing that plunge might come a lot sooner than she planned.
One thing was for sure if she did do this with Noah, she was doing it all the way. No keeping their relationship discreet and keeping it a secret from people like Derek. She’d already seen the disapproval from him and he only thought Noah was her roommate. She was sure he wouldn’t be the only one who would be close minded about their relationship. Hell, up until very recently she’d been just as close minded about the possibility as well. But she didn’t care. This was yet another reason why she had to be absolutely sure about it because once she did this there’d be no turning back. Their relationship would be out in the open for everybody to know about. Besides she was certain Noah wouldn’t have it any other way.
Until then she’d hold off giving Derek a solid reason why she couldn’t get together with him anymore. Saying her roommate “the trouble making kid” wouldn’t like it, sounded a little silly. But saying her live-in boyfriend wouldn’t like it, held a lot more weight.
As promised, even though the guys had apparently gone through two of the pizzas already, Noah waited for her to eat. It didn’t surprise her that he wanted to talk before he ate. The guys were now in the front room still munching on pizza as they watched a football game. Noah leaned against the counter as Roni placed a slice of pizza on a paper plate.
“So Dean Kratz is Derek uh?”
“Yeah.” She glanced up at him as she stuck a pepperoni in her mouth. “Like you said—small world. I’m surprised he remembered you out of all the kids he’s dealt with over the years.”
She smiled hoping that would stir up some talk of his troublemaking days. She had to admit she was curious about the drug trafficking comment. Noah was an occasional drinker if that, and she knew drug use wasn’t allowed even in amateur boxing. Noah was verging on the ‘my body is my temple’ type. Though obviously he didn’t take it quite that seriously she just couldn’t see him doing or
much less trafficking drugs.
Noah ignored her observation completely and got straight to it. “So what’d he want?”
“To say hello.” She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. “You want one?” she asked holding out the can.
“No, I’m good. Did you know he was coming?”
“No.” She popped open the soda and took a swig before setting it down on the counter. “He said he’d been meaning to stop by for a while.”
She wouldn’t encourage an interrogation by offering too much up front but she could understand his concern. Given the fact that he’d allowed her to unleash her questions about Rita when she hadn’t the slightest will to hold them back she’d allow him to ask away, but she’d keep her answers short and to the point.
“So are you two friends again or is there something else I should know?”
She hadn’t even realized her eyes had been glued to her slice of pizza until the change in his tone made her look up at him. “Should know?”
“Yeah, like you planning on picking up where you left off him?”
“No, of course not.” A simple no would’ve sufficed.
Adding the of course not was uncalled for. It confused things and she immediately saw it in his curved lip and suddenly bright eyes. It validated a decision she was yet to make. Not that it was one she wasn’t close to making but this was too fast—too soon. This was a huge life changing decision, that could ultimately break one of the best friendships she’d made since Nellie. She needed more time to think it through.
“So you told him it’s outta the question?”
“He didn’t ask,” she said. “I just don’t have any interest in picking up where we left off.”
And that was the truth right? That was the reason she’d so swiftly and adamantly nixed any idea that she would even consider reconciling with Derek. There may be a bigger reason soon but for now she wanted to make this absolutely clear.