Kevin put both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes focused on the road. “Let’s just say a ballerina would do little for Walsh and Miles.”
His tone made Lauren wonder if he’d had other ambitions besides a career in business. She could not picture him as anything but a successful CEO, yet that meant nothing. Pressure from parents to pursue certain avenues in life was not unheard of. Her own parents had supported all the decisions she and her siblings made, but many of her classmates in high school had faced such pressure. If Kevin had bowed to his parents’ pressure, would he expect the same from his own children? While way too soon in the relationship to be thinking about children, the answer to such a question would tell her a lot about him. Depending on how far this thing between them went, she’d have to approach the subject. But not tonight. Who knew how he might interpret such a question?
“What did she do instead?”
“She got a degree in finance. Olivia worked for the company until she married Greg last year.”
She couldn’t imagine the woman she’d spoken with at dinner being happy pouring over financial numbers and spreadsheets. “What about you? Did you ever think about doing something other than business?”
“When I was ten, I decided to be a rock star like the ones on TV. I already knew how to play the piano, so I took up the drums. Practiced every free minute for about three years. Gave it up when I went to boarding school. I haven’t touched a drum set since.”
When she’d asked the question, she hadn’t been referring to his childhood dreams. Few people followed through with those. If they did, there would be an over-abundance of astronauts and doctors in the world. “What about later on?” They passed under a streetlight, and she noticed Kevin’s grip on the steering wheel tighten.
“No, I planned to take over for my father and then venture into politics at some point.”
“When I was ten I wanted to be an actress in the movies. Then for a while I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Sometime around my junior year in high school I decided on teaching.”
“I’m sure your parents were happy when you decided against the dolphins.”
“I don’t think so. They always supported everything I wanted to try. Dance, singing, art classes. They did the same with Kelly and Matt. One summer they even let Matt go to space camp because he insisted he wanted to be an astronaut. What about you?”
“My parents made sure I had plenty of extracurricular activities,” Kevin answered stiffly, before lapsing into silence for the remainder of the car ride.
Chapter 6
Nate pulled into a spot in the parking lot of O’Donnell’s Family Restaurant and Pub. After a day of interviewing victims, he wanted nothing more than a cheeseburger and a cold beer. Both of which he could get here.
Passing by the door into the restaurant side, he headed straight into the pub. Despite the crowded parking lot, few patrons were inside. Two guys sat at the bar while two more played a game of pool down at the far end of the pub.
“Do you want a menu?” the bartender, a bodybuilder type with a bald head, asked when Nate sat down.
“No need. Give me a cheeseburger and a bottle of Sam Adams.”
The bartender slapped a cardboard coaster on the bar and nodded. “You got it.”
Behind Nate the door opened, sending in a blast of unusually cool April air. Nate didn’t bother to look over. Instead, he looked up at the large-screen TV hung on the wall where the sportscaster gave his predictions for that weekend’s Bruins game against the Rangers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone pull out a bar stool and sit.
“Callahan,” a male voice said.
He immediately recognized the voice and turned to find Matthew McDonald, Lauren’s older brother, seated next to him. “Hey, Matt. On your way home?”
When the bartender put a bottle of beer in front of each of them before Matt said a word, Nate assumed Matt was a regular at the pub.
“No. I come here every Thursday night. I’m in a pool league. Starts in another thirty minutes.”
Nate took a swallow of his beer. Maybe he’d look into the league at some point. It’d be a good way to reconnect with the guys in town. Although, his job might make it difficult to commit. Most nights he got home by seven, but it wasn’t a guarantee. A career with the FBI wasn’t exactly a nine to five position.
“Lauren told me what happened the other night,” Matt said with a hard edge to his voice.
The mention of Lauren’s name caused Nate’s mind to zero in on that night at her house. Waking up from his nightmares with her leaning over him had sent his body and mind swirling through emotions. Everything from desire to shame assaulted him. That night had also told him something. Lauren still cared, despite her words of denial. She hadn’t hesitated to come in when she thought he needed her, and she’d made his favorite breakfast.
Even with the hints that she cared, Lauren still refused to outright admit it, and so far he hadn’t come up with a good way to melt the ice barrier she’d erected between them. So, rather than beat his head against it, he’d backed off.
Nate opened his mouth prepared to answer when the bartender placed his food in front of him. The scent of the grilled burger and melted cheese made his stomach rumble. He’d skipped lunch and right then he figured he could down two of these burgers. “There was no way I could leave her stranded out there. Only an asshole would do that.” Even if it hadn’t been Lauren stuck out there that night, he would have stopped and helped.
“We all know you’re not that.” Matt’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Nate’s hand paused with the cheeseburger halfway to his mouth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You left her to fend for herself once before.”
Using all his self-control, he brought the burger back down to the plate. He wasn’t used to anyone talking to him with such animosity and disrespect. “What the hell are you talking about?” Nate rested his forearms on the bar, his hands clenched and his knuckles white.
Matt glared at him as he took a swig from his own beer bottle. “The summer you took off for the Naval Academy and left her to handle things herself.”
Nothing Lauren’s brother said made any sense. “If you’ve got something to say, then say it. Otherwise get lost.” He didn’t even try to keep his voice low. The guy was pissing him off.
Matt’s face exploded with fury, and he slammed his beer bottle down on the bar. Around them people turned to look, and the bodybuilder bartender headed their way. “Forget did you? Let me refresh your memory. After you two graduated, you took off and left my sister behind pregnant. Real upstanding of you.”
An IED exploded in Nate’s chest and he stopped breathing. Lauren pregnant? Baby? No, Matt was wrong. She would’ve told him. “Bullshit.” His voice came out strangled. “She never said anything.” She would’ve told him something like that.
Matt shrugged a shoulder as some of the red faded from his face. “Maybe she thought you knew. Hell, even I suspected before she told me. She was so sick that summer. She couldn’t eat anything, and she slept so much.”
He did remember that, but back then he’d assumed it was stress and anxiety. Their lives were about to change as they left for college. “I didn’t . . .” His voice trailed off as questions mounted. How could she have kept something like that from him? Where was the child now? Had she given it up for adoption? Had she had an abortion? Nate needed answers and he needed them now. Pulling a twenty out of his wallet, he dropped it next to his plate, which contained his uneaten meal. Without another glance at Matt, he stood.
“Leave her alone, Callahan. Lauren’s happy and with someone. She doesn’t need you messing up her life again.”
Nate ignored Matt. As much as his fist wanted to make contact with Matt’s face, he walked past Lauren’s brother and out the door.
Somehow, he managed to make it from the pub to Lauren’s without getting into an accident, although he didn’t know how. Anger filled him as he drove, making it impossible to focus on anything. From her driveway he saw a light on inside the house. As he approached the front door he heard JoJo barking before he even rang the doorbell. Then as if he’d conjured her up, Lauren pulled open the door, a calm expression on her face.
How can she be so relaxed? Right then he felt like a ticking time bomb of emotion ready to explode. Without waiting for an invitation inside, he pushed past her then grabbed the door from her hand and slammed it closed. Perhaps sensing Nate’s anger, JoJo stepped in front of Lauren as if to protect her.
“Nate, what’s—” Lauren began taking a step away from him.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Nate shouted in a harsh, raw voice.
“Listen, Nate, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but now isn’t the time. I just got home from teaching ballet to six-year-old girls. I’m tired.” Lauren crossed her arms over her chest, her voice defensive. “Whatever the problem is it’ll have to wait.”