His fooled cheat

Chapter 6

“s**t, Holly!”

“David, I’m sorry.  I wasn’t thinking.  I just got so caught up. Did you, uh, -”

“Look, another trap is not what I am looking to fall into.”  He says it with so much anger as he pulls on his pants.  He stops dressing to stand in front of me, his jeans hanging off his hips, “I'm sorry.  I didn't mean that and no, I don't think I did.  I was about to, but that kind of killed the mood, didn't it?"

“I am not trying to trap you.”

I can’t blame him for feeling the way he does.  He must have some serious trust issues, but I need him to know that I wouldn’t hurt him that way.

“Do you really think I would pull a stunt like that?  David?”

No answer.  He yanks on his shoes and just keeps his head down.

“David!”  I urge.

“Holly, what do you want?  Romance?  A quick whirlwind one or something more?  ‘Cause I can’t do more right now.”

His words are short and he sounds edgy.  God, Marie really did a number on this poor guy.  He has moment, I realise then, where he is the David I knew.  Then he becomes the David she created; cold, brutally honest and cynical.

“I know!  We agreed to be friends first, yeah, but if I recall correctly, you’re the one that’s been hand-holding, leg-grazing and kissing tears away.  Don’t you dare act like I’m the desperate one again! “

He looks at me, sitting on my bed chest, his eyes burning and his mouth twisted into a sort of a smile, “You need to figure out if I am forgiven for ten years ago yet.”

“Yeah?  And you need to figure out if you can trust anyone again.”

I had not envisaged the evening going this route.  Realising I am still naked on my bed, I reach for the Backstreet Boys t-shirt that was tossed onto the floor.  God!  Could I just rewind to fifteen minutes ago?

He runs his hands through his hair and sighs, “Maybe this isn’t going to work.”

“Oh no!  We said we would try.”

“Look at us!  We’re fighting and we’ve only just tried to have sex.”

" Let’s just take a breather from whatever this is and try to assess things.” He laughed a bit.

“You’re laughing.  That’s a start.”  I smile at him and kneel on the bed, my mood suddenly picking up.

“It is.  OK, I apologise for jumping down your throat.”

“And I apologise for being an i***t.  I didn’t plan on sleeping with you anytime soon you know.”

“Soon?  So, you were planning on it?”

He moves over to the bed again, leaning back on his elbows, his eyes moving about the room.  I feel self-conscious as he does this.  “What?”

“I was just wondering if it was always your plan to do it here, with all of them.”

I look around and notice he is talking about the stupid boy band pics that are still posted up on the walls and I burst into giggles, “Oh God!  Must you always tease, Cleary?”

“Yes, I must.” He nods, almost serious.

I lie back down, alongside him, “I won’t lie, I did imagine being married to one or two of them at some point.”

We both break into laughter.

David stays a little while longer, until my mother comes home and reminiscent of our teen years, sneaks out through my bedroom window.  My heart does leaps when I realise that this could be our do-over.

I dream of David, Hope and I; we’re sitting at a dinner table.  Hope is telling us about her day at school and we’re so happy, all three of us.  I wake up hopeful; hopeful that we can try being more than friends and that David can have access to this little girl.  I can’t deny that I am beyond anxious to meet her, but if she is anything like David, I’m sure we’ll get one just fine.

My morning is spent lazing about on the patio, going through my Mom’s stash of Cosmopolitans.  I don’t expect to hear from David, but I secretly hope to.  I cringe as I think of the previous night and how far we actually went.  I don’t want him to think that it’s going to happen again anytime soon.

Mom is at work finishing up for the week and has promised we could do an early dinner in town followed by ice cream again.  I enjoy the talks with her now that she is more focused on her own love life.

I am surprised by the back gate opening, “Hello?”  Its Ginny.

“Oh, hey.  I thought we were being robbed.”  I tease.

“No, it’s just me.”

“Coffee?”  I offer, extending the tray my Mom had put out that morning.

“Don’t mind if I do.”  She says, as she pours a cup.  “Why are you smiling?”

“What?”  I ask, taken aback, then realise I am smiling, in fact, grinning like an i***t!

“Was David with you last night?”  she asks suspiciously.

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, he was out all night and he didn’t answer his phone.  I wanted to see if he wanted to come over to Mom and Dad’s for dinner.”  She cozies up next to me on the love seat and looks me straight in the eyes, “He was, wasn’t he?”

“OK, fine!  He was here, but that’s all I’m telling you.”

I decide to keep the rest of last night to myself.  Ginny, as lovely as she is, still has the tendency to overshare and I don’t want to risk anything reaching Marie’s ears.

“Fine!  I’ll just ask him.”

“Ginny!” I urge her.

“OK!  Kidding.  Did you guys-“

Ginny, seriously, drink your coffee and think of a new conversation topic.”  I say it as much kindness as I can, but actually feel quite irritated.

“So, Thursday, tomorrow night.  You still keen?”

“I am.  Where were you thinking of going?”

“RiRa’s and then Styxx?”

RiRa’s was the Irish pub the Cleary’s owned.  This seemed safe enough, “Sure.  We could stay at my flat after so we don’t have to drive back here.”

“Great!”

Ginny stay for another hour or so and I can’t wait for her to leave so I can check my phone.  Still no messages from David.  My elation soon turns into depression.

The day drags and I think fate is laughing at me.  Would it be so bad if I called or texted him first?

“Yes, it would!”  I say aloud.

I decide to watch some TV and get caught up in Friends reruns.  Between fixing myself a tuna melt and falling asleep between shows, I completely forget about my phone.

Remembering I left it outside, I go and fetch it.  There is a missed call from David and a voice message.

“I guess a watch pot never boils, huh?”

I dial my voicemail, “Hi, its me, David.  I wanted to apologise again, for last night.  Also, I wanted to know if you wanted to meet for dinner on Friday.  Or drinks.  Wait, no, dinner.  Let’s do dinner.  Call me.”

I smile and am tempted to call him immediately.  I decide not to and plan on calling him back that evening after dinner.  That should give him some time to sweat it out like I had to.

My Mom calls me from work, her voice shaky, “Hun, could we just stay in?”

I can hear something is wrong, “Mom?  What’s wrong?”

“I’ll talk to you at home.”

I gather she won’t be in the mood to cook, so I get started on a quick dinner of salmon and spinach salad.  I worry my mother is really putting herself out there for this guy and he isn’t exactly appreciating her efforts.

She comes in and dumps all her things right next to the door.  She looks like she’s the daughter and I feel like the concerned Mom.

“What’s happened?”  I ask, rounding the island and reaching out to her.

She hugs me quickly and then sits down on one of the bar stools, “Oh honey, I’m being so foolish.”

“What do you mean?  Is it Mr Richards?  I mean Ken.”

“Let’s just say he’s decided to go back to his wife.  A wife I didn’t even know existed!” she laughs with a high-pitched shrill.

“Oh Mom!  That’s awful.  Well, I guess its good for his family, but not for you.”

“I know.  Turns out they were almost divorced and their daughter’s graduation from college brought them closer again.”

“Wow!  I’m sorry Mom.”

“I’ll be OK.  I’m just so grateful its summer vacation from next week and we won’t see each other until end of August again.”

She sighs and picks cucumber out of the salad bowl, “How was your day?”

I think about David, “Oh, it was good.  Went through your Cosmo’s from yonks ago.  I think I made it through years 1992 to 1994.”

We both laugh, “That’s a lot of reading.”

“Yeah, lots.”

“I’m going to pour a glass of wine and sit on the patio.  Thanks for fixing dinner, Holly.”

I give her a tight squeeze before she heads outside.

Dinner is focused on Mom for now and keeping her mind off Ken.  She is animated when we speak of her dating Dad and what a fool he made of himself getting her to agree to a first date.  I have only fond memories of him and the pain of losing him was eased years ago.  Mom was always such a strong person, she made sure we were OK in every way. 

“OK, so after Dad passed, you never dated again?”

“Oh no, I did, but nothing serious.  They just paled in comparison, that’s all.”

“And Ken?”

“Now he caught my eye.  I’m not sure what it was, but something drew me in.  I think after you left home, my need to nurture grew stronger and he was hurting I suppose after his divorce.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to talk to him again?”

“Of course.  He made the right choice.  I can’t hate him for loving his family.”  She shrugs her shoulders and sips on her wine, “I’ll be OK.”

“Like you said, we all deserve a second chance.”

I wake up on the couch the next morning with a blanket over myself and smile, “Mom.”  She must have put it over me after I fell asleep there.

She’s already left and I see she’s made fresh coffee and left me a couple of muffins on the counter.  I see my phone next to the plate and realise that I forgot to return David’s call.  I check my watch and see that its already after nine, so I try to ring him back.  There’s no answer and I hate leaving voice messages.

I realise he is probably on site somewhere and won’t be able to answer.  So, I decide I’ll wait for him to call me back.

Each time my phone buzzes, I imagine its him, but its Ginny messaging about the evening’s plans and then Leah checking in.

I go and pick out something to wear for the night out.  I haven’t brought much along that’s night out appropriate, so I go through my Mom’s closet and I find one of her cocktail dresses.

I end up spending time on my hair and make-up as it’s the first time I’m going to a nightclub like Styxx.  Ginny arrives at my place at six-thirty to pick me up.  She looks effortlessly gorgeous, as usual, in a black lace dress.  The Cleary genes are ridiculous.

I check my phone just before we leave and realise that I still haven’t heard back from David.  Ginny quickly takes my mind off anything David-related by gushing on about some DJ that is playing at the nightclub that evening.  I feign interest as best I can, but my mind is overrun by thoughts of her brother.

We get to the pub just after seven and its bustling.  Ginny grabs me by the hand and pulls me towards the bar.  I recognise Mr Cleary immediately.  He still looks the same, despite some wrinkles and a slight greying of the hair at his temples.  He is blond and tall with wide-set shoulders and a lady-killer smile, as my Mom used to say.  I can see how Mrs Cleary must have fallen for him.

“Well, if it isn’t Holly Forbes!”  he makes his way around the bar counter and pulls me into a bear-hug.

“Mr Cleary!  How are you?”

“I’m great!  I haven’t seen you in ages.  Married yet?”

I blush, “No.  I’m too high maintenance.”

“Aw, I doubt that.  You’re perfect wife material.  Always said it.”

I am sure I’m scarlet at that point.  Ginny interrupts, “Dad, could we get two pints please?”

“Get Jamie to pour it for you.”

My heart immediately beats faster, Jamie Cleary, the last person I would want to see.  I just got an odd feeling when that guy was around.

“Sure thing.”

“You have fun.  Maybe some of your sweet nature can rub off on that wild one.”  He motions to Ginny, who is leaning over the bar, her butt nearly on full display.

“I’ll see you around Mr Cleary.”

He kisses me on the forehead and waves me off.

I try to avoid going too close to the bar area, to avoid Jamie, but he spots me and winks an eye at me.  I want to throw up.

Ginny spins around and nearly spills the two pints, “Whoah!  Come on, let’s grab a seat.”

“What’s Jamie doing here?”  I ask immediately, not wasting time on doing so.

“Oh, he’s been helping Dad out a lot lately, trying to understand the place because he wants to take over when Dad retires.  So, Dad is putting him through his paces.  Making him do everything from the books to cleaning toilets.”

“Oh, but isn’t he working already?”

“Yeah, but Dad wants one of the boys to take over in the next couple of years.  David has too much going on and I doubt he would want to be quarrelling with Jamie about this.”

“Why would they argue?”

“Jamie takes being the eldest very seriously.”  She says this with mock seriousness and then laughs.

“Got it!”

I decide to swallow my pride after checking my phone again, “Hey, have you heard from David today?”

“Yeah.  He was at our place for breakfast this morning and then I dropped Holly with him after I picked her up from school.”

I suddenly feel my spirits drop.  What could have changed that he hasn’t returned my calls?  I drink most of my beer in a single gulp to avoid saying anything stupid or sounding whiney.

We enjoy some burgers and even more beer, Mr Cleary insisting we enjoy it all at his expense.  By nine, we get ready to leave and before I see him, I feel him.  David is standing at the bar, talking to his Dad and he looks stressed.

I wave, like an i***t and he distractedly waves back.  I have no idea what it could be that’s got him so upset.

“There he is!”  Ginny shrieks.  She runs over to him and flings herself at her brother.  I follow slowly and wait on the outside, while he peels Ginny off and carries on talking to his Dad.

He rubs both hands, frustrated, over his face and squares his shoulders, turning to me.  I can’t help, but notice how amazing he looks dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans.  He is biting his lip and stuffs his hands in his pockets.  No hug then, I guess.  I nervously play with my hands and look around.  Ginny motions behind his back, with her hands, that she is going to the bathroom

“Holly, what are doing here?”  he almost sounds irritated.

“I had plans with Ginny to come into town.”

“I mean, what are you guys doing here at the pub?”  he seems slightly more annoyed.

“Why not?”  I feel irritated now.

Before he can answer me, I hear her soft sing-song voice before I see her.  Marie is coming towards us, her smile changing to a frown as she sees me.  I want to avoid contact with this woman and I also don’t want to let my friendship with David affect his chances of seeing his daughter.

“Oh, I see why not.”  I say to David.

“Holly!”  she coos, “How are you?”  She hooks her arm into one of David’s.  Now I really feel like throwing up.  Images of the two of them from a decade ago spring to mind.  She flaunted David in front of me to the point of humiliation.

“Marie.  You two out for dinner?”  I ask, not giving David a chance to lie.

“Yes, we are.  Did you decide to do the ladies night thing?  Single women have it so tough nowadays.  You must be so lonely out here in Portland.”

I felt like punching her in the face!  I look at David who is cringing, but he doesn’t say anything.

“No, I keep busy.  I’m spoiled for choice out here.”  And then before I think, I say it, “I mean, look at Jamie over there.  Single too and probably wondering when we’re leaving for Styxx.”

David pulls his hands out of his pockets and I see him move towards me, but I back away, “You guys enjoy your dinner.”

There is no way I am asking Jamie to join us, but I walk over to him anyway and think quickly as I lean over the bar, “Hey, I just wanted to say, you don’t have to worry about trying to ruin things for David and I.  It isn’t going to happen anyway.”

He smiles, “Clearly, you realise that the better brother was right in front of you.  Sorry you missed that boat.”

“Not a problem.”  And for the love of me, what I do next is completely out of character.  I lean over further to kiss him on the cheek, but he turns his head and we lock lips.

Before I can pull away, he puts both hands on my face and kisses me full on.  With no reason to slap Jamie, I just pull away, feeling totally ashamed of myself and head back passed a pissed off looking David and smug Marie.

Before I know it, David is behind me, “Holly!”

I stop and turn around and he pulls me into the passageway leading to his Dad’s office.

“Hey!”

“What the hell was that?”  he asks.

“What, me calling you out?”

“No, God damn it!  You sticking your tongue down Jamie’s throat.”

“I kissed him on the cheek, well, I went for the cheek, but, wait, no.  Don’t turn this around.  You walk in here for dinner with your ex and want to make me feel bad?”

“We’re meeting to discuss the adoption and what it would entail.  We were both already in town and just wanted to get it over with.”

I throw my hands in the air, “Were you there for the conversation with Marie?”

“Yeah, Marie’s a b***h, I know.”

“Then why just stand there?  You can’t be that scared of her. Sure, she’s Satan in a twin set, but surely you know how to shut her up by now.” 

“You know I’m in a sensitive space with her right now.”

“Its just weird, OK?  I never heard back from you today after I called and then you show up here with her.”

He sighs, “Holly, I told you this would be an issue.  If you can’t handle this, then maybe we shouldn’t be pursuing anything.  I also just got busy today.  In fact, Ginny called to say you’d be at some club later and I should call if I wanted to join.”

“Look, let’s just finish up.  I want to get out of here.”  I say dryly.

I think we have said as much as we could and frankly, I need to get away from David.  Even though I am completely in awe of how hot he looks, leaning against the office door.  I would give my right arm to kiss him right then.  He moves away from the door and stalks towards me, and for a minute, I think he just might kiss me.  He puts both hands on my lower back and pulls me closer, “I know what you want Holly, but I’m not going to kiss you.  Especially after that stunt you pulled with Jamie, as amazing as you look in that dress.”

He leaves me standing there, as he turns to leave.  I feel like slapping him across the face then instead.

I am utterly confused and turned on at the same time.  David Cleary is going to be my undoing I realise and I need to keep my wits about me if I am going to make this work.

When I leave the office, he is already seated at a table close to the bar.  He follows me with his eyes as I walk to the front door, right passed him.  Ginny is waiting with my purse and looks utterly baffled.

“What’s going on?”  she asks.

“I’ll tell you in the cab.”

“OK, but I want to hear everything!”

I look back at David and realise there isn’t anything I can say to justify why I kissed Jamie, besides a jealous streak.  I perhaps need to ask Ginny how to handle Marie in future.   

Maybe a couple of shots wouldn’t hurt tonight, I think to myself.  “Ginny, tonight I want to forget about the Cleary brothers, please!”

She laughs, “OK.  Tequila or Bourbon is usually my fuel of choice.”