CHAPTER.

25.

She awakened inside the circle of Mike's arms, skin to skin. The summer sun turned the window blinds golden. The light seemed so fresh, so new. As if she was seeing that precise color for the first time in her life.

Mike Taggart had breathed new life into her. She'd been so alone for the last few years, so stuck in her routine that she'd forgotten how it felt to wake up cradled in someone's arms. She looked around the room, and everything seemed different.

But these feelings couldn't be trusted. This after-s.e.x giddiness had overtaken her before, and unfortunately her silly brain had mistaken it for love. It would be better to label it lunacy. That way she could avoid making the mistakes she'd made in the past.

Mike would be gone in a few days. And this euphoria was really more like a river at flood stage. It would tear through her life uprooting stuff for a while. It would be exciting and dangerous. But eventually her life would settle back between the riverbanks. She'd go back to her routine.

But right now, she would stay for the pleasure of it because Mike sure did know how to give and take pleasure. She closed her eyes and snuggled into him, listening to his even breathing.

She was thinking about waking him up for another round when his phone rang.

She turned and studied him as he groped for the phone. Sleep lines creased his face. His hair stuck out in all directions. He looked as if he'd been had-a few times. Which made her feel hot all over. He checked the caller ID, and then he glanced up at her.

His poker face was back.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed and pressed the talk b.u.t.ton at the same time. He stood up and walked into the bathroom. Clearly the call was private. But being the niece of a first-cla.s.s southern busybody, Charlene got out of bed and listened at the door.

Only every other word was intelligible, but she got the gist of the conversation. The call had come from someone in Vegas-someone involved with the World Series of Poker.

She let go of a sigh and headed back to the bed, where she found the T-shirt and sweatpants she'd borrowed from him. She put them on and then sat there for a long moment.

Tigger jumped up on the bed and meowed loudly. Without thinking, she stroked the cat's head, between her ears. Tigger closed her eyes and pressed up into the caress.

"I know," she said to the cat. "He's going back to Vegas. Sooner rather than later." A knot formed in her throat.

The cat climbed into her lap and curled up, purring loudly. "Are you worried, too? Tim Lake can't take you. And Mike's going to leave you behind."

The cat meowed as if she were actually carrying on a conversation. "Poor Tigger. What's to become of you? And me?"

She contemplated this rhetorical question while simultaneously wondering why the conversation in the bathroom was taking so long. Did Mike have someone waiting for him back in Vegas?

Oh, boy, that was a poisonous thought. It didn't matter if he did. She didn't want to fall in love with Mike. She knew that would be a fatal mistake.

The doorbell rang just as reality blasted through her.

"It's gotten busy in here all of a sudden," she said to Tigger. She picked up the cat and placed her on the carpet. Then she padded out to the front door and looked through the peephole.

Wilma Riley stood on Mike's stoop wearing a lavender, one-of-a-kind, go-to-church dress that she'd probably designed herself. Charlene decided it would be a good thing to hide from Wilma, but then Wilma hollered loud enough for everyone in the Edisto Pines Apartments to hear.

"Don't pretend you're not in there in Mike's apartment, Charlene. I know good and well that you are. I saw Mike carry you off last night, and since I have your keys, I'm thinking you probably want to talk to me."

Charlene jerked open the door. Wilma stood there with a disgusted look on her face as she took in the oversized T-shirt, baggy sweats, and messy hair.

Wilma rolled her eyes heavenward. "When will they learn?" She shook her head. "I've got your purse and your keys and your wallet and your shoes. I looked all over for your common sense but couldn't find it." She held up the items.

Charlene blushed. "Sorry, Wilma."

"Don't apologize to me. I'm happy to help."

They stood there for an awkward moment. "You know, hon, he's not the staying kind," Wilma said in a much kinder tone of voice.

"I know."

"Okay, just so you're clear on that."

"I am."

"All right, guess I'll leave. And if you decide you need someone for a pity party in which we verbally emasculate the entire male species, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Wilma, I appreciate it."

"It's nothing. But next time, hon, you might want to go easy on the mantinis."

And with that, Wilma turned and headed down the stairs.

Charlene closed the door just as Mike, wearing his PJ bottoms, came out of the bedroom. "Sorry about that. It was business."

"I figured." She held up her purse and evening shoes. "My keys have been returned. So I'm thinking maybe it might be better all the way around if I just scooted home now."

He frowned. "You don't have to go."

"I know. And truly, I had a great time this morning. But we both know this was just a little fun between the sheets. And I don't think I should be here when Rainbow gets back."

Charlene slipped out the front door before Mike could react. And when the door slammed in his face, he had a moment of self-doubt.

She left him? She left him?

Wow.

His pride wanted him to go right over to her place and drag her back. He briefly envisioned something like throwing her over his shoulder the way he did with Rainbow when she misbehaved.

But the other part of him-the careful part-was happy to let her go. She had called it correctly. The events of the morning had been triggered by l.u.s.t.

But still, he couldn't believe that Charlene, adorable girl-next-door, was completely unfazed by buddy s.e.x. Somehow that didn't fit his notions of her.

Still, she'd made it easy for him to walk away.

And given the news he'd just gotten, letting her go would be wise all the way around.

Dragon Casinos had finally offered a short-term sponsorship deal. They wanted Mike to wear their logo during the upcoming World Series of Poker, and they were willing to pay him a bundle to do it. And if he made it into the top ten money winners, they promised him a long-term contract.

Paul had been justifiably proud and happy about the work he'd put into schmoozing these guys, especially since Mike had been out of pocket for the last couple of weeks. The Taiwanese owners of Dragon Casinos were giving him twenty-four hours to accept the deal. And if he accepted, he needed to be back in Vegas by Thursday, at the latest, to meet with the princ.i.p.als and sign the contract.

He'd be a fool not to take this deal.

But for some stupid reason, he'd told Paul he needed a little time to think about it. Paul's reaction had been priceless. He'd spent five minutes yelling at Mike and accusing him of getting all mushy over a kid.

Paul had it halfway right. Mike had gotten mushy over Rainbow. But if it were just Rainbow, he'd be okay leaving her with Timmy. No, Rainbow didn't have him second-guessing his life. But Rainbow and Charlene together sure did.

Angel sat in the back booth at the Kountry Kitchen nursing a cup of coffee, a hangover, and a broken heart.

He should not have chased after Dave last night. Savannah might have told him to go for it, but he should have known better. A man like Dave, who was not ready to come out or even accept himself, could not be bullied or chased or seduced into it. Chasing him like some crazy person was not the right approach.

Angel looked down at the worn Formica tabletop, tracing the geometric designs with his fingertip while he counted up all the stupid mistakes he had made last night.

Starting with drinking too many mantinis. Not to mention driving after consuming that much alcohol. He had behaved in a shameless, dangerous manner. He was ashamed of himself.

He vowed that no matter how bad the situation got at the animal shelter, he was never, ever going to suggest a bachelor auction again. AARC had raised a lot of money last night, but people had behaved badly. He was not alone, but that did not make him feel any better.

"I thought I might find you here."

Angel looked up in astonishment. Dave Underhill stood beside the booth with his fingers jammed into the pockets of his jeans. His dark hair curled over his forehead. He was so handsome.

"I should apol-"

"No." Dave sat down in the facing booth. "I should apologize for yelling at you."

"You want some coffee, handsome?" Flo called from the counter.

Dave looked up and gave her one of his to-die-for smiles. "Uh, no thanks."

"So where's Charlene taking you to dinner?" Flo asked.

"Don't know yet. I guess it's up to her."

Flo winked and hurried off to refill empty cups at the other end of the dining room.

"You think Charlene bought me some time?" Dave asked.

Angel laughed. "I just heard from one of the volunteers that Mike Taggart carried Charlene off last night. Obviously Flo hasn't yet heard that bit of gossip. But I am thinking that, when the good church ladies are finished with Sunday services, they will get busy and soon everyone will be wondering why Charlene bought you but went home with Mike."

Dave shook his head. "I'm not ready for this."

"I know that."

"No, you don't understand," Dave said with some urgency. "I've known I was different since I was like thirteen. I don't want to be different. So I've tried to live a straight life. I'm still trying."

"That doesn't work, you know. And in the meantime you are not doing any of the women you date any favors."

"I haven't dated any women recently. The truth is I'm not attracted to them."

"Of course you're not."

"Look, Angel, maybe this is easy for you. But it's not for me. I am attracted to men but I don't want to be. I don't want to live my life as a gay man."

"Sometimes you do not get a choice."

"Maybe so. But I do have a choice about coming out. I can't imagine anything that would hurt my parents and sisters more. They are all pretty religious. I'll lose them if I come out, and I love them. My family is more important to me than anything. I can't do that to them."

"So you torture yourself instead? That makes no sense. I am sure your family loves you. Give them a chance to show it. I think they deserve the chance to love you for the way you truly are. I'm not guaranteeing that they will not walk away. Sometimes that happens. But more often, you discover that your family has always known. That they have been waiting for you to be honest."

"Daddy is not like that. He's a deacon in the church back home. This will destroy him."

Anger boiled through Angel. Why did it have to be so hard? Dave was not the only person who had stayed in the closet because he was afraid of losing his family. Angel had heard this story so many times. And sometimes it was true. Sometimes parents disowned their children because they couldn't accept the truth.

He pulled in a deep breath before he spoke again. Dave didn't need his anger. He needed so much more than that. Angel leaned in. "Dave, I want to tell you something important. A while ago, Miriam Randall told me that my soulmate would be a veterinarian. And shortly after she said this, I broke up with my boyfriend and moved here. And then you came to town. I believe in Miriam Randall. And she says that me finding love with a vet is part of what she calls 'the Lord's plan.' So you should take that as a sign. You need love to live a full life. So if your biological family can't love you for what you are, maybe you need to make a new family of people who can."

Anger and a killer hangover were two things that didn't go well together. If he stayed he might say something that would hurt Dave. Dave had to work this out for himself. So Angel stood up and threw a couple of dollars on the table for his coffee.

"Think it over. And when you are ready to be loved for the person you truly are, call me. I will be there for you."

"So tomorrow, after camp, we'll be packing up your things and moving you to the parish house," Mike said, using every skill he'd ever learned as a poker player to keep his voice and his face calm and neutral. It wasn't easy.

Rainbow's big amber eyes were dry. And in some weird way the fact that she wasn't crying made this explanation of what was about to happen all the more difficult.

And d.a.m.ned if her big solemn eyes didn't remind him of Angie.

Of course the situation was entirely different. He wasn't a scared, hurt kid anymore. He was a grown man, with the chance of a lifetime waiting for him in Vegas. And while he might have wanted to find a way so that Rainbow could keep her cat, the tragedy of losing Tigger paled in comparison to what she would be getting. Tim and Andrea would make sure she grew up right. And Mike would make sure she never wanted for anything her heart desired.

Except for Tigger. "I don't want to move into the parish house," Rainbow said. And the frown on her face suggested that a tantrum might be only moments away.

"It's called a parish house. That's what they call the place where ministers live. And you are going to live in the parish house because Pastor Tim is going to become your dad."

Rainbow continued to stare daggers at him. And d.a.m.ned if the cat didn't join in. The animal was sitting on Rainbow's lap, and they were all on Martha Spalding's ugly green velour couch.

The cat's half-lidded, slightly creepy stare seemed to suggest that Tigger understood perfectly where she was going tomorrow morning-and it wasn't the parish house. It was actually a place where she was likely to perish. And at the hands of humankind.

A wave of guilt percolated up through him. He'd tried so hard to find the cat a home. But there wasn't a soul who wanted or needed another cat. The only person he hadn't asked was the girl next door. And things being what they were, he was not about to initiate any kind of conversation with Charlene. Charlene was best left in the past.

"Okay, it's time for bed," he said, because he didn't know what else to say. He couldn't fix this situation. Rainbow would just have to live through tomorrow. She'd forgive him one day. He was giving her a good life.

Rainbow hugged Tigger to her chest.

"You know the rules," he said, his heart breaking for her. "Tigger sleeps in the office." Every part of him wanted to let Rainbow take the cat into her bedroom one last time. But that would only make the parting much more difficult tomorrow morning.