A Taste of Trouble Part 26

"I'm fine. But..." Everything else was not.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say."

"Save it, 'cause there's more."

His eyes widened.

"Nancy was the one responsible for the inspection, the mistake in the advertising, and for me not getting my business loan." And maybe the fire. But that was a heavy accusation, and she just couldn't bring herself to say that out loud. Not until it had been proven by the police.

"What the h.e.l.l, Liv?"

She pulled the bed cover over her body. He might as well know everything. If she was going to heal, she would have to say it out loud, come to terms with this new information. "Jake works for my dad. I was just a game."

"That slimy son of a-" Brett fisted his hand on his thigh, his knuckles turning white and the muscle in his jaw working overtime as he clenched his teeth. But after a few beats, his face and body relaxed. "Patti told me about your dad once. How he left you and your mom."

She acknowledged with a quiet hum, but her thoughts were all over the place. "You know, I pegged Jake the minute I met him," she continued. "But something told me he might be different." Tears flooded her eyes. "He only needed to get me to that book launch so that he could get a promotion. I even told him about my father and he still..." She was a blubbering mess. "I'm sorry."

"No sorries. I may not be as compa.s.sionate as Patti or as supportive as Austin, but I'm here and I can listen." He leaned in, offering his shoulder.

She smiled and, for a second, forgot her worries. "Patti's lucky to have you."

Brett shrugged. "I know."

She snorted out a laugh and fell into his open arms. There was nothing s.e.xual about their embrace, nothing awkward or inappropriate. Just comfort and understanding. Exactly what she needed.

"What's that?"

She looked up and followed Brett's gaze. He was looking right at the photo Jake had left.

"Jake left it for me. I guess he had it delivered before the evening went south."

Despite the crack through the middle, the picture was still very much distinguishable. "Is that you?" He tilted his head, trying to get a better look.

She sighed. "Yep."

"Did he take that picture?" Brett rested his chin on her head.

"Yep."

He hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry to say, but he's good."

"You can say it. It's not like I want him dead or anything."

"Austin might."

They both laughed.

Liv remembered the night at the gallery so vividly. The night he opened up to her. The way his face lit when he stepped through the doors, the way he nervously waited for her to comment on the photo. Everything about the man she thought he was had disappeared, and in its place was revealed a sweet, talented, compa.s.sionate man. She loved that he was so honest, so vulnerable.

She pulled away and stared up at Brett. A questioning expression had settled on his face.

"What's wrong?"

He shook off his stoic expression. "Nothing." He gripped her shoulders, holding her at arm's length. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm better now." She pulled out of Brett's grip and leaned back on the headboard. "I guess I needed to get it all out. Thank you."

"Oh, I almost forgot why I was on my way out." Brett took an envelope from his back pocket. "This was left downstairs for you. Manny the security guy asked me where you were and I said I'd drop it off."

The envelope had no name or address, and it was sealed. Mysterious. Maybe this was Jake's way of apologizing. Maybe it was from Nancy.

She looked up at Brett. He shrugged. Liv stopped hypothesizing and removed the single piece of white paper. The handwriting was unrecognizable. She scanned down to the bottom and her eyes widened at the name that had signed the note.

"Liv?"

She reached for Brett's arm, squeezing for comfort.

Dear Olivia, Saying I'm sorry will probably never be enough to fix the damage I've caused.

You see, I'm not a good man. One morning I woke up and realized that I had settled. I was selfish, still am selfish. I had dreams and desires I wanted to pursue. I had no business being a father and a husband. Leaving the two of you was the best decision I've ever made, because it gave you a chance at a happy future.

Please do not blame Jake for my mistakes. I betrayed him just as much as I betrayed you, and I don't blame him for quitting his job. Don't be quick to give up on him. He loves you. I've spent so much time feigning love that I know the real thing when I see it.

I want you to know that I think about you all the time, and I'm proud of the woman you've become. I don't expect a thing from you, but if you can find it in your heart to tolerate me, even if for only a few minutes, please meet me at City Tavern. I will have a standing reservation for three in case you decide to give another man a second chance.

Yours, Robert Shelton Her father was the last person she expected to hear from. She felt...nothing. She was neither mad nor sad, happy nor disgusted. She was numb.

"It's from my father." Liv looked up and met Brett's kind eyes. She held it out to him and he took it from her, his eyes scanning the words. She heard him curse softly under his breath.

Seeing her father at the book launch had been unbelievable. Almost like an out of body experience. She still couldn't reconcile that the man who looked so happy and sure of himself was the same man she remembered from her childhood. And the words in this letter didn't describe the b.a.s.t.a.r.d she had created in her head all those years ago. If these words were true, then her mother never revealed the truth about why he left.

She would need to think long and hard before she even toyed with the idea of giving her father a second chance. That she was even considering it was a sign that she had changed. It was Jake who'd changed her. It was Jake who'd opened her mind and sewn up most of the tear in her heart. But then he'd stomped on it and handed it to the man who had broken it in the first place.

Even if she let go and tried to forgive him, she was reminded of the pain. She needed answers. Maybe a trip home to see her mother was just what she needed to put everything into perspective.

"Are you all right?" Brett rubbed her leg.

"I think I'm going to visit my family." She needed some motherly advice, and a motherly explanation.

"Are you sure about that? I've heard some pretty interesting things about your family."

She laughed. "It's been a long time. I should visit."

"Do you need me to do anything?"

Brett wouldn't be able to solve her problems, and she would never ask. But right now, all she needed was to feel loved. "Do you think you could just let me hug you for a little while longer?"

He opened up his arms and she fell back into his embrace. She sighed against him, letting the world fall away, even if for only a moment.

Jake sifted through the drawers of his desk looking for personal items to pack. He'd let the dust settle before returning to his office. He also wanted to make sure that his boss wouldn't be there. Luckily, he was away on a business trip.

He was surprised at the lack of personal items in his office. He had a picture of his nephew, a baseball that was autographed by one of Toronto's star players, and an extra s.h.i.+rt and tie. He'd been here for ten years, and this is all he had to show for living and breathing this place twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Pathetic, really. But it worked to his advantage. He didn't want a single memory of this place.

He breathed deeply, thankful for getting out while he still had the opportunity to start over.

And then there was Liv. She wouldn't return his calls. And he'd left a hundred messages. Short of stalking her bakery and condo, Jake had done everything he could to get her to talk to him. He couldn't sleep. He could think of nothing but apologizing, making things right. He loved her. And he needed to make her believe they were meant to be together.

When he looked up, Maggie stood in his doorway, tears in her eyes. "Are you sure you have to quit?"

He nodded. Despite the bad taste in his mouth regarding Weston Communications, Maggie would be the only person he missed and regretted leaving.

"Don't worry, Maggie. You'll have another hotshot publicist in my office in no time."

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, "I don't want another hotshot."

Jake smiled. At least someone in this place was loyal. He slipped his things into a bag Maggie had given him. He didn't even have enough to fill up the banker's box she'd set out for him earlier. "Good-bye, Maggie. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Of course we will. I still have two nieces you haven't met yet."

He laughed. "Fair enough." He leaned in and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for everything. I couldn't have done my job without you."

She sniffled, and he was sure she'd rubbed her nose along his s.h.i.+rt.

"You'll be fine, Jacob." She patted his cheek. "There are great things ahead of you."

Maggie was right. There were great things ahead of him. He was certain of it.

He drove aimlessly through the city streets. Instead of driving home, he drove uptown toward Liv's bakery. It was time to step up his game. An in-person appearance was in order. One visit couldn't be considered stalking...could it?

Which is what he should have done from the beginning. He should have told her that night and gone to her condo and asked her to trust him. He didn't blame her for storming off. Why should she trust a man who blatantly deceived her in order to get what he thought he wanted?

The corner office. The promotion. He didn't want any of that. And why he thought he needed it to find a job in art was beyond him. Maybe self-doubt. He wanted to make it so that no one could pa.s.s him up.

He turned the corner onto Eglinton and had to bypa.s.s police tape. Shock and horror gripped him as he stared at the burned-out building that used to be Liv's bakery. He drove by rubbernecking, unable to tear his gaze away from the scene. Burnt. Completely burnt. What if she was in there? What is she didn't get out in time? Liv!

A car horn jerked him out of his trance and Jake hit his brakes hard, almost ramming into the car in front of him. He swerved around, violent curses from the other driver penetrating the windows, but he didn't care. He drove like a crazy person, weaving in and out of traffic. He wasted no time and parked on the street in front of Liv's building. The doorman immediately recognized him and buzzed him through.

He raced past the desk with a "thanks, man" and pushed the elevator b.u.t.ton a good ten times before one appeared. The ride to the top of the building felt like the steady climb on a roller coaster, his stomach tightening with every floor that ticked off on the digital screen. And when he stepped off, a rush of adrenaline washed over him. He knocked on her door. Then a little louder. No answer. What if she was in the hospital? What if...

He didn't want to think of that.

He turned, unsure of his next move, until he remembered the door across from the elevator. Patti and Brett's door. It was worth a shot.

He could hear the frantic worry seeping from his knuckles at his incessant knocking. But he didn't care. He needed answers.

Brett opened the door and smiled.

"Is she okay?" Jake blurted.

Brett's face wrinkled in confusion.

"Liv? Is she okay? The bakery. The fire? I-"

Brett reached over and gripped his shoulder. "She's fine, dude."

Relief. He hadn't realized his heart was beating so fast. So fast and so hard it might have jumped right out of his chest if he had to wait a minute longer for an answer. He settled, and registered where he was. The unfamiliar condo, the wrong number on the door. He couldn't even recall how he'd gotten here.

"Come in," Brett said. "You look like you could use a beer."

Jake entered the condo and Brett closed the door behind him. He gestured to the couch. "Have a seat."

Brett sauntered to the kitchen, his boots heavy against the floor. Although he had noticed his tattoos the night at Mclean's, he hadn't realized just how many, or rather how covered, his body was. His white tank top revealed more ink than skin.

To the right, an unfinished canvas sat on an easel, paint and accessories on a table beside it. Bright art hung on all the walls and modest furniture was positioned around the s.p.a.ce. Oversized windows in the kitchen allowed the sunlight to enter, basking the entire area in natural light.

"Baby, who was at the-" Patti entered the living room and immediately her lip curled up in a sneer. She crossed her arms over her chest and widened her stance. "What are you doing here?"

"He's just checking up on Liv." Brett had come back with two beers and handed one over.

Jake nodded his grat.i.tude. Although he couldn't bear the thought of putting anything in his queasy stomach.

"I just drove by the bakery." He ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't know. I thought maybe she was hurt, or..." He couldn't even speak the words.

"She's fine." Patti softened, a sympathetic expression settling on her face.

Jake took the seat on the couch closest to the door. They sat in silence. He drummed his fingers against the bottle, and Brett sipped from his own in the chair across from him. Patti had perched on the arm of the couch. As far away from Jake as possible.

"Look, I just wanted to make sure she was all right. I'll get out of-"

"I remember where I know you from," Brett said.

Jake tightened. Brett knew him?

"I recognized you that night at McLean's but couldn't place you." Looking at the canvas, maybe they had met once before at a gallery. "I saw your picture."

"What pic-" Liv had shown Brett the photo he left for her.

"She didn't bring it over," he said, as if respecting the intimacy of such a picture. "I was over there and it was on the bed."

The bed? What the h.e.l.l was he doing in her bedroom?

"I've been to your fundraiser at the DownTown. I've heard you raise a s.h.i.+tload of money each year."

He did. And that was the main thing. Not his art. His love of art was secondary. His goal was to raise as much money as he could, because one day there would be a cure for Alzheimer's.

"You should think about doing more fundraisers. I'd be happy to donate some pieces, and I know a lot of people who'd be willing to donate as well."