I laughed. “I highly doubt she wants anything from him, man. Maybe another promotion, but you know her. She loves you too much.”
“I know, I know. I just didn’t like the way he was acting around her. Something about him irked me. And then he sized me up when I kissed her, like I couldn’t see him through the corner of my eye. He wants her, but if he lays a finger on her, I’ll arrest his ass for assault and break his arm while doing it.” He rubbed his forehead. “We got into a heated debate about it last night. She went to work upset this morning. I’ll have to make up for it somehow.”
I chuckled. “Picking dinner up will be a start.”
“Yeah, I guess. Kinda glad we’ll have some time alone soon. We haven’t had time to ourselves in months. Our anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. Going to Paris for the first time.”
“That’s good for you guys and a great getaway. You’ll love it there, D. There’s a completely different vibe in that city. And it’s so diverse. That’s what I love most about it.”
“Yeah. I hear a lot of great things about it.” He finished off his sandwich and then took a few gulps of coffee. As he chewed and swallowed, the walkie-talkie on his shoulder crackled and a voice came through. It was low enough for only the two of us to hear.
He grabbed the walkie and pressed a button, responding to the call, then said, “Ahh, I gotta go. Some break-in downtown.” He slid out of the booth and dusted himself off before standing up straight. “Oh, uh, before I take off, I wanted to ask if Kandy could use your pool this summer? She’s been dying to take a swim since we got back from the beach. Claims she misses the pool and has been nagging that we need to have one built. She talks about it every damn day, and it’s driving me crazy. That girl is not going to be happy until my pockets are inside out , I swear.” I laughed when he did, but the mere mention of her name stirred my stomach, making it feel too small for the sandwich I’d just eaten.
I played it cool. “You know you guys are always welcome, D. Tell her she can drop by anytime and to grab a key from security at the gate. I’ll add her to the entry list today.”
“Cool, cool.” He looked me over twice, and for a moment I wondered if he could sense that I was hiding something. “You’re a great friend, man. You know that?” Relief. “Ever since I met you, we instantly connected. You remember that? The click was impossible to miss. Not sure what the hell I would do without you, Cane.”
He clapped my shoulder, and I gave him a slight smile before he took off. Though I was glad he hadn’t sensed my deception and lies, his words still slayed me.
Derek trusted me. Deep down to his core, I knew if anything were to ever happen to him, he would want me to take on the role of being Kandy’s father figure. He’d said it once, a long, long time ago.
Taking on that role could never happen now. He’d have to find another candidate—a man who didn’t want to bend his daughter over and fuck her senseless.
28
KANDY
“I’m so glad Mr. Cane is letting us use his pool!” Frankie was excited, but I think I beat that excitement by a million.
I had begged Dad over and over again to get in touch with Cane to see if he’d let us swim in his pool. I mean, Cane had bragged about it over dinners at the beach so much that I wanted to experience myself. He wasn’t lying about the built in waterfall. It was beautiful.
I knew if I had asked, Cane would have made an excuse, just so he wouldn’t have to be around me without them, but if Dad asked, he wouldn’t say no. Sure enough, it worked.
Frankie picked me up from my house the morning after Dad told me, and drove us to his place first thing.
“I’m glad too. You still volunteering at the camp this weekend?” I asked, rubbing sunscreen on my thighs.
“Yeah. It’s like a big brother thing. The kids are all in foster care, and I kind of know how it is to feel abandoned, you know? It’ll be great to connect with them and let them know there’s hope.”
“Aw, Frank. I think that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said!”
“Yeah, maybe it is. But if you ever tell anyone about it I’ll cut you in half.”
I laughed, placing the bottle of sunscreen down and turning over to lay on my belly. I placed one hand on top of the other, then rested my chin on top of my hands.