Out of the Wreckage Read online

  Still giggling, Cindy walked around the corner leading a well-dressed man. Miranda scooted her chair back to her desk and booted up the computer. A clank on the counter made her glance up. An expensive leather briefcase, gilded with silver hardware, blocked her view of the reception area. She lifted her gaze to its owner.

  The businessman had his back to her, finishing his conversation with Cindy. Broad shoulders, tapered waist. Miranda hurriedly dragged her gaze away. The new receptionist giggled yet again, causing Miranda’s eyes to roll. For crying out loud, girl, be a little subtle. She glanced up. Did she just lick her lip? She looks like she’s ready to ask him to be her baby daddy.

  The man turned toward her.

  Miranda’s mouth dropped open.

  A broad smile broke across his clean shaven face, highlighting two cute dimples. She’d know those dimples anywhere, the only pair she’d ever seen on a grown male.

  “Dylan?” Her voice came out higher than usual.

  “Miranda. I knew I’d see you sooner or later.”

  Claudia’s eyes widened, showing the whites around her irises. Her ruby-lipsticked mouth curved into a grin; her head swiveling between the two of them like she was at Wimbledon. “Well. Isn’t this delicious?” she said under her breath.

  “What the heck are you doing here?” Miranda forced her voice to stay neutral. She smiled like he was a patient ready to check in.

  He leaned his forearm on the counter, his suit stretching tight over muscular arms. “Look at you. As gorgeous as ever.”

  Miranda felt her cheeks heat. No! Don’t blush! Claudia will never let me live it down. “Oh, well, you look great yourself.”

  “MmmHmmmm,” Claudia added like a back up singer.

  “So, you’re obviously not here for an appointment,” Miranda began again, fishing for an explanation.

  His dimples flashed again. “No. Actually, I’m here for work.”

  “Wow.” Miranda’s forehead creased. “Really? What’s going on?” Dylan came from old money. She’d never known him to work.

  “Yeah, my dad suggested it was time for something new. Uncle was hiring, so here I am.”

  “Your Dad, huh?” She couldn’t help the grin.

  “Yep. And when the old man says jump, you know I’m going to say how high.”

  They both shared a small chuckle. Miranda walked around and gave him a hug before explaining their acquaintance to her co-workers. “This is an old friend.”

  Cindy shot her a bitter look while Claudia’s smile grew even wider.

  “Old friend, huh?” Claudia hummed another “MmmHmmmm.”

  Flustered, Miranda glanced back at Dylan. He still had not removed his hand from the small of her back. “Geez, a working man, huh? Last I heard you were taking your boat along the west coast.”

  “I did that for awhile. It was fun.” He laughed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. “Awesome actually but it was time for a change of scenery.”

  “So, why did your dad want you to do this?” Then, in a lower tone: “It’s not like you need the money.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not a bad job. After all, it brought me back to you.”

  Claudia stared at her like a cat watching a mouse. Not knowing what else to do, Miranda half-laughed and played with her earlobe.

  “So, I hear us Reps get to take you guys out to lunch. You know, schmooze you a bit. Anyone up for it?”

  “Me!” Cindy squealed.

  “Free food, and a show? Oh, I’m all about that.” Claudia answered.

  Miranda gave a long blink at the word show. That was just great. She could already picture the interrogation Claudia was planning to execute as soon as Dylan left.

  Suddenly, she realized everyone was waiting for her answer. She cleared her throat. “Sure. Sounds like fun.”

  “Maybe we can catch up a bit.” Dylan’s hazel eyes watched her steadily.

  “You’ll have to share all your pirate adventures.” Miranda smiled as she said it, and grabbed her sweater off the back of her chair.

  “Arrrrr.” He hobbled towards her with his finger curved into a hook.

  “Nice. Two minutes with her and already you’re a cheese ball,” Claudia said.

  Dylan laughed. “All right, let's go.”

  It was cloudy and cool as they walked toward the Olive Garden, the smell of breadsticks like an invisible lasso pulling them along.

  A flash of movement behind the building caught Miranda’s attention. With a clatter of noise, a teenage boy rifled through a dumpster outside a Chinese restaurant, eventually pulling out a stained paper to-go carton. His face glowed with a simple grin as he tucked the container into his olive-colored jacket and jogged up the street.

  “You see that?” Claudia asked.

  “Where?” Dylan turned around and looked, eyebrows raised.

  “Over there.” Miranda frowned as she pointed. “That poor kid.”

  “I’ve seen him before,” Claudia continued, watching after the running boy. “Homeless, I think. Someone’s got to do something about him.”

  Miranda nodded somberly, and they continued to the Olive Garden. The host greeted them and led them to a round table sitting smack in the center of the crowded room. Miranda eyed the booths by the windows longingly, feeling exposed.

  Dylan pulled out a chair for Miranda.

  “Oh, thank you.” Carefully she sat, allowing him to push the chair in. His hand brushed her arm with the barest touch. The masculine scent of his cologne—Dior Sauvage—filled the air as he chose the chair next to her.

  Warning flags.

  Suddenly, she wanted Cindy to bat her eyes, lick her lips or do whatever she had to do to catch Dylan’s attention.

  “So, how do you like repping out this way?” Claudia asked.

  “It’s good. I’ve been doing well. The dental industry is booming in the Pacific Northwest.”

  “Job security. I like it.” Claudia nodded.

  “More people are becoming dentists than doctors due to the cost of malpractice insurance,” he added, opening his menu.

  They quietly perused the items. The waiter returned with their drinks and took their order. Dylan smiled when Miranda asked for angel hair pasta. “You’ve always loved that.”

  Miranda caught Claudia staring at her from across the table. Her foot itched to kick Dylan under the table, but she resisted out of fear of his reaction.

  “Isn’t that interesting? How well did you two know each other before?” Claudia asked, her head tilted to one side.

  “Mmm, not well,” Miranda began.

  Dylan snorted and attempted to cover with a drink from his soda.

  “Hello, handsome,” Cindy whispered as she looked toward the entrance.

  “And, here comes trouble.” Claudia shot a glance at Miranda.

  Jason strode across the restaurant lobby, glaring, his brows drawn together in a scowl.

  “That’s my boyfriend,” Miranda said, fidgeting in her seat, uncertain if she should stand to meet him.

  Dylan adjusted the cuffs on his jacket. “He should join us. I’d love to meet the guy who finally won your heart.” He threw Miranda a wink. “Should be fun.”

  Miranda’s heart pounded. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that kind of fun.

  “Someone forgot to invite me to the party.” Jason’s grin was sardonic as he walked up. He wore his work coveralls unbuttoned to his waist, revealing a torn Metallica t-shirt. Grease smeared along the front of one of his forearms. His face was stony as he threw a cursory look at Miranda. “I came by your work to surprise you. Your boss told me you were here.”

  Jason reached out to hug Miranda, and she hesitated at the sight of the grease. His unshaven face showed confusion, then quickly went blank. He gave her a pat on the back.

  “I’m sorry, hun,” she whispered. “This stupid sweater is so hard to clean.” She plucked at the sleeve of her cashmere baby-pink sweater.

  Jason acknowledged it with a flick of his eyebrow before
nodding, his eyes loaded with hurt.

  “Please.” Dylan stood. “Take a seat.”

  The dark threat in Jason’s eyes was deadly. “Naw, I don’t want to interrupt. Just wanted to see my girl.”

  “Yeah, I found her. Like I told you I would.” Dylan tilted his chin at Jason and Jason glared back at him, his jaw clenched.

  The group shifted in their seats as the air electrified around them.

  “Can somebody say testosterone?” Claudia’s voice rose with a lilt on the last syllable.

  “C’mon Jason. You’re here now. Sit with us,” Miranda said. “We can pull up another chair.”

  Jason scrutinized the seating arrangement, before glancing back with a ghost of a smile, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly. “Nah. I’ll see you tonight when you get home.” Raising his hand, he barely waved and turned to leave before she could respond. Miranda watched him stalk off, momentarily stunned.

  Dylan flipped a napkin across his lap, his face plastered with a sarcastic smirk. “He still doesn’t seem to like me much.”

  Miranda scrambled for her glass and took a couple gulps of water. Why did Jason look at me that way? This is a nightmare. Dylan’s comment finally sunk in and she cast him a worried glance. “What do you mean, he doesn’t like you?”

  “Your boyfriend’s been a bit unfriendly both times I’ve seen him.”

  Miranda felt a jab of shock. “You’ve met him before?”

  “I drove to your place last week, when I heard you lived in the area. You know, to catch up on old times.”

  “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”

  Dylan shrugged. “Must have slipped my mind. Kind of like it slipped his. Then I saw you today at the office, and it was all water under the bridge.”

  Their food arrived in a big fanfare of waiters brandishing Parmesan cheese graters and pepper mills over their plates.

  Miranda’s stomach rolled at the scent of the marina sauce, no longer hungry. She leaned in close after Dylan was served and whispered, “Who did you tell him you were?”

  Both Claudia and Cindy changed their positions so they could hear.

  Catching their movement, Miranda cracked out, “Guys?”

  “Well, what do you expect? This is the most exciting thing that’s happened all week,” Claudia answered, taking a bite of her salmon.

  “It’s not exciting. It’s no big deal,” Miranda murmured. She shook out her napkin and laid it over her lap. Her thoughts tumbled in a whirlwind as she stared morosely at her plate.

  “Don’t worry.” Dylan winked at her. “I just told him we used to date.”

  “Dylan!” Miranda shrieked, and then blushed as the other patrons attention at her outburst. Lowering her voice, she protested. “That’s not true,” And swatted him with her napkin.

  “No?” His eyes twinkled as he stabbed a scallop and brought it to his mouth.

  “No! We never dated.” She closed her eyes at the memory of Jason’s piercing glare. How am I ever going to explain this to him?

  Claudia leaned back in her chair with a big smile, her fingers interlaced behind her head. “Don’t stop now. This suddenly just got a whole lot more interesting.”

  “It’s nothing. I have no idea what he’s talking about.” Miranda grabbed a bread stick and pulled it in pieces, jamming one of them in her mouth. Her mouth felt as dry as chalk dust. Just keep chewing.

  “Wow, really?” Dylan said and laid a hand over his heart. “I’m kind of hurt.”

  “I’m about to throw this bread stick at you.”

  He laughed. “I thought it was quite meaningful. Our time together, I mean.”

  “Ohhoooo.” Claudia smirked and leaned forward on the table with her chin cupped in her hand. “Tell me more.”

  Miranda drew her mouth into a thin line. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just giving me a hard time.”

  “All those walks in the park.…” Dylan continued.

  “You were walking me home from work!”

  “Those late nights in your apartment.”

  Miranda blushed furiously. “It was storming outside. I felt guilty sending you out into it.”

  Dylan winked at her. “Like I said, good times.”

  “Seems like you two have a lot more catching up to do.” Claudia waved at the passing server. “Can I get a to-go box?” Then leveling her gaze at Miranda, “Cindy and I will be moseying our way back to the office so you can figure this out.” She wagged her finger at Miranda, “But, be careful, girl. Jason didn’t seem too pleased.”

  “Claudia, Cindy, you don’t have to go.” Miranda protested as they both gathered their food. Dylan held out his card to the server. “Just put their meals on my tab,” he said.

  “Wait! No!” Miranda frantically dug through her purse for her wallet. The waiter had already left. “Dylan, what the heck are you doing?” She gave a deep exhale, feeling completely exasperated.

  “Just for old times’ sake. Besides, I’m schmoozing you, remember?”

  “The only old times we had were as friends.”

  He arched an eyebrow at her and lifted the corner of his lip suggestively.

  She blushed and stared down at her hands.

  …there was that one time.

  Chapter Nine

  Summer

  Jason’s truck was parked by the barn when she pulled into the driveway. The sun was setting, splashing the house’s shadow across the side of the barn. Miranda turned off the ignition and rubbed her temples for a second as she eyed the house through the windshield. How did we get here?

  She replayed the look Jason had given her just before he’d stalked out of the restaurant. As soon as she’d returned to the office, she’d texted him. He hadn’t answered or even read her texts as far as she could tell.

  The fact he’d already met Dylan and kept it a secret bothered her. It bothered her equally as much that he’d assumed she was keeping a secret from him.

  Miranda rubbed the back of her neck as she approached the front door. She took a deep breath to fortify herself and walked inside, laying her purse on the counter.

  Jason sat at the far end of the kitchen table. He was hunched over his laptop, refusing to look up at her.

  “Hi,” she said softly. He typed studiously and continued to ignore her. She hesitated a moment, stepped closer, and reached for his arm. Jason pulled away before her touch could connect, and her hand dropped to her side like a wilted flower. “Want to talk?” she asked.

  “About what?” His voice was low and monotone.

  “You seemed upset today. At the restaurant.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would I be upset?” He shut the laptop lid more firmly than necessary. “You having lunch? No big deal. Right?”

  “Okay—”

  “I mean, after all, what guy wouldn’t want to walk in and see his girlfriend laughing with an old boyfriend?”

  She shook her head in protest. “It wasn’t like that.”

  Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Oh yeah? His hand was resting on the back of your chair.”

  His hand had been on my chair? Miranda hadn’t noticed. Her face filled with heat—half embarrassed, half irritated. “I heard you two had already met.” She straightened her shoulders, watching him. “He said he’d shown up here a few days ago.”

  Jason stared at her, his jaw clenching.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He tilted his head back with a look of incredulousness. “Wow. So, I’m the bad guy? Whatever. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was so important to you. “ He scoffed. “Especially since you’ve never mentioned his name before.”

  Miranda briefly closed her eyes. “There was nothing to mention. He’s someone I met when I lived in Seattle. It was no big deal.”

  “No big deal, huh? That’s not how he described it.”

  “Why do I feel like I’m caught between two dogs having a peeing contest?”

  Hurt flashed across his face. “Peein
g contest, huh? Then why do you care that I didn’t let you know he came by?”

  “I care because you’re acting so weird about it right now.”

  He shoved his chair back and stood.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out to the porch. I need some fresh air.”

  “But we’re talking.”

  He exhaled deeply. “So follow me.”

  Jason walked out the back door and dropped heavily into the swing causing the springs to protest. Miranda followed, her thoughts racing to make sense of his reaction. She settled on the cushion next to him and pulled her feet up under her. “Jason, I’m not your enemy.”

  “I know that.”

  “Okay. I wanted to remind you because it feels like you’re getting defensive.”

  “So, tell me about Dylan. Did you date him?” Slowly, he rocked the swing.

  “I guess I should have told you. I never expected to see him again, and you know how I wanted to forget everything about Seattle. Yeah, he’s an old friend. I guess you could say we dated.” Her blue eyes caught Jason’s. “Briefly. He wasn’t my type.”

  “I find it hard to believe that someone you describe as a friend, who’s also rich and good looking, wasn’t your type. What is he? A secret axe murder? Does inappropriate things with.…?”

  Miranda groaned. “He’s just wasn’t, okay? I don’t like guys who think money is the answer to everything. There’s more to life than that.”

  “That’s good, since I don’t have a trust fund.”

  “You don’t have the snobby attitude either.”

  “Yeah, he did seem like a pretentious jerkwad.”

  Miranda laughed. “He can be.”

  Jason slid a bit closer to her. “Guys like me don’t get to have girls like you.”

  She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, his soft hair tickling her skin. “I could say the same thing about a girl like me. You’re awesome, and I love you.”

  He rested his forehead in the warm crook of her neck. “I love you too. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Jason!” She pushed his head back. “Why are you talking crazy like this? You aren’t ever going to lose me. I’m sticking to you like a burr on a dog’s butt.”