Bejewelled

Ch 8

Gabe and the boys were at the pub he’d called them needing a good stiff drink after the night and day he’d just had, and then that blasted dream he couldn’t get out of, he had to get that green eyed witch out of his head. But that bloody dream had repeated itself, till he’d nearly yelled in frustration when finally waking up. He needed a drink to deal with her being here, coming face to face with her and the way she had toyed with him.

She was all grown up and filled out, wearing leathers and looking smoking hot, everything about that bloody woman turned him on. He needed to have a beer and think about something, anything else but her. She was off limits to him, always would be.

He arrived at the pub first and ordered a beer. The boys were fifteen minutes behind him, and he was already on his second beer by then. It was the beginning of his days off. Manny went to get the drinks and Grey sat across from him.

“Having a tough day buddy?” He asked, sounded concerned, but there was that slightly amused smile on his face.

That all-knowing look of, I know why you need a beer.

“No,” Gabe lied “Just wanted a night out. That was all.”

“Yeah, you look like it.” Grey nodded at Gabe’s casual jeans and sweatshirt, his slouching posture and lack of smile, hadn't even bothered to shave. “Yep, your definitely ready to hit the town and ready to pick up,” He mocked his friend lightly.

Gabe also knew that he could in fact snag any woman here in town, if they were single and looking to hook up, he was the town's hot guy or dream boat, as he’d heard them call him. Any girl over 18 eyed him off, not that he was at all interested, was single at the moment for a reason and was going to stay that way.

His divorce wasn’t fun, and he did not relish doing that again. Had in fact been single since Priscilla left him. Not hooked up once, didn’t want anyone around here, getting the idea they were going to be wife number two.

The boys all knew each other too well for them to not know when something was wrong or up. Gabe also knew that all of his friends knew his one Achilles heel. It had always been and still was Lucinda, and they all knew it. Nothing had changed on that front. Hell, even his wife knew it. That’s why she’d said she was leaving him. He’d never even spent time with Lucinda around his wife, those two had never met. But he guessed she’d heard plenty from his mother. Who the hell knew?

“Did she leave town? Like she said she would.” he asked, trying to sound casual like he didn’t really care at all.

“Yep, I saw her go myself.” Grey nodded.

“Good,” Gabe muttered and downed the last of his beer just as Manny popped three more beers on the table.

“How many has he had?” Manny directed at Grey, who just shrugged.

“Two and both light.” Gabe answered, glaring at the man, why they thought it was necessary to count his drinks, or not just ask him about how much he’d drank irked him.

Gabe wasn’t mad at either of them, just pissed in general, they drank and chatted, played pool and he fended off 3 women politely, who asked him if he was out for a good time tonight. He was not.

It was only a quarter past nine and both men were ready to go home to see their families. It didn’t matter how many beers he had, he didn’t have to work tomorrow. But both of them did. He wasn’t ready to head home to his empty house and be alone with his thoughts at all.

Grey’s phone rang and Gabe sighed “Let it go man, stay here and have one more drink.” He knew it was going to be the man’s wife calling him home.

Watched as Grey looked at the number and blinked, obviously not his wife, complete shock crossed his expression, but then he didn’t even hesitate to pick it up. “What’s wrong?” He asked without even saying hello.

Gabe saw Grey shoot up to his feet an instant later, and both Manny and Gabe knew that something was wrong and terribly so, there was now a deep worried frown on the man’s face. “I can’t understand you...Stop crying and calm down, talk to me.” He was saying.

He looked very worried but very impatient at the same time. Obviously, the person on the other end was not his wife, otherwise he’d have been out the door already. He loved his wife and nothing would stop him from running home to her.

It was clear to him that whoever was on the other end was completely incoherent and no matter how many times the man huffed and told them to stop crying, to calm down, it was obvious that they wouldn’t or could not, what ever was going on they were either to upset or distressed to calm down.

“For God’s sake Cinda, snap out of it.” He snapped a few minutes into the conversation. He’d clearly had enough.

Gabe’s head whipped around, they all only knew one Cinda, his Cinda.

He snapped right up onto his feet, knocking the chair he’d been sitting on to the ground and at that instant, Grey realised what he’d said, his eyes moved to Gabe’s and then his face paled and turned heavenward “Oh God, are you okay?” He asked a moment later. Must have finally made some sort of coherent sentence.

Gabe’s heart was now pounding inside his chest. Had she had an accident on the way back to the city? She had been completely reckless when she was in town. Who was to say that’s not who she is now? He didn’t know, had not seen her himself in 4 bloody years until last night.

“I know, but I can’t you know that.” He said softly, regretfully, as he eyed off Gabe wearily. “Cinda please.” He half begged, and that was all Gabe could take. He grabbed the phone from his friend and put it to his ear.

“I need you.” She was sobbing “there’s no one else.”

His hackles raised instantly “Lucinda what’s going on.” He demanded down the line, he couldn’t think of a single reason why Cinda would need Grey for anything, or why his friend would beg her like that, not to ask him for help.

She squeaked and cut the line, Gabe’s eyes had never left Grey’s the whole time, and now he was mad at his friend, furious, in fact “What the hell is going on?” He enunciated every syllable and Manny whistle low and long, when he started talking like that it was bad for all around him and they knew it.

Grey swallowed hard he’d never told his friend the woman he was so clearly in love with, totally in denial about it, but yes, in love with, had gotten married or that she’d become a widow a year ago either, and now this, he didn’t want to be the one to tell him either, never had wanted to be the bearer of bad news. None of them did. It's why the man still knew nothing at all.

Gabe was likely to shoot the messenger in this regard.

“Grey damn it, if I have to beat it out of you I will.” He grated out between clenched teeth, he would risk the charge and his career right this minute. He knew there was no point in calling Cinda. She wouldn’t answer the phone now, she’d already hung up on him clearly didn’t want to talk to him.

It probably hadn’t helped that he’d yelled at her down the line, when she was already upset and distressed. Which he did know she was from Grey’s conversation with her.

“You might want to sit down,” Grey stated, and Gabe knew it wasn’t going to be something he wanted to hear.

He righted his chair and sat down, watched as Grey sculled down his entire beer in one go, then took a deep breath and looked right at Gabe from across the table and looked like he was praying that he wouldn’t shoot the messenger, actually crossed himself right there in front of Gabe and Manny.

“Cinda got married two years ago,” he said.

Words Gabe had never even thought would come out of the man’s mouth, anybody’s mouth for that matter, his mother would have told him, hell there would have been one hell of a wedding for the girl. His mother would have denied her nothing, hadn’t denied him anything for his wedding either.

Gabe’s eyes widened and his jaw ticked, but he said nothing. What was there to say? He had no right to be angry that she had moved on with her life, he had moved on himself, gotten married himself.

“Her husband James got killed a year ago, right before I transferred back here, a car ran him off the road, one witness only and they, to wound up in a car accident a few days later, though I never told Cinda that it would have been too hard on her at that point in time. The case was still open when I left.”

“She’s tough.” Gabe said, tougher than they all knew in all likelihood.

“Not as tough as you think.” Grey frowned and looked like he wished he had another beer. Manny saved him by pushing his beer across the table, and he smiled his thanks and took another drink.

“That call, has something happened to her?” Gabe asked in a tight-controlled manner. He had to stay in control. She was none of his concern really, but he had to know what was going on now. If she was that upset and crying so uncontrollably, something had to be very wrong.

“Yes and no.” Grey hurried out the last two words “her father-in-law just died, a heart attack.”

“And she called you because?”

And there it was, he thought, the real reason behind his anger. She hadn’t called Gabe for help, but his friend instead. A clear-cut decision on her part not to call him for help and support and he hated it. He hated that she would turn to Grey. Yes, they had had a relationship, but it had ended quite quickly from what he understood.

“Because she can’t call you.” Grey sighed “she hasn’t been able to call you for what? eight years now, why is that?” Grey asked putting the question on the table, a question none of them had been game to ask him. Though they’d all been curious as to why her sudden departure.

Off to university a week earlier than expected and then her lack of home visits, they’d all discussed it without him around, which of course, he knew about and they could all only come to one conclusion, that something had happened between them.

Though the three of them didn’t agree on what that something was, Manny and Johnny didn’t think that Gabe had it in him, to cross that line, no matter how much they all believed he wanted to.

They did all believed that something had definitely happened between them. Whether it was physical or not, they didn’t know. Hell, it was obvious to everyone how much he wanted the woman.

Gabe didn’t answer the question, just ignored it altogether. “Why you and not Johnny, he’s closer, isn’t he?”

“Cinda and I were close once, if you recall.”

“I do.” He grated harshly, then took a deep breath and calmed himself “are you going or not?” He changed the subject.

“I can’t. I’ve got work tomorrow and Kiren knows about Cinda and I. She’s the jealous type. You know that she would murder me.”

“So, who is going then?” Gabee asked and found himself the centre of attention. “Hell no.” He snapped even though sitting here, staying put, knowing she was in pain was practically killing him.

That woman was going to drive him to the loony bin one day. She didn’t want him in her life, and he didn’t want her in his, yet they had no choice in the matter due to circumstances of the past. His parents, who were also her foster parents, kept them bound together.

Sometimes Gabe wondered how different things would have been if he had not come off his bike that day, had not found her in the bush and saved her life. He was willing to bet it would be far less complicated.

He also knew that his marriage would have lasted longer than the year it did. Hell he’d probably still be married, though he doubted it would be to the same woman. He was certain that things would have turned out very differently, but it wasn’t going to be like that.

He couldn’t go back in time and change the past, even if he could. Gabe wouldn’t change saving her. He’d only change that one fateful day that had ruined them both and turned their relationship with each other into this bitter twisted thing that it was now.

“If not you Gabe, I’ll have to put a call into your mother,” Grey informed him, “and I’m not so sure Cinda will talk to her either.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Gabe frowned.

“Your mother will want to bring her back.”

“Of course, she will, she should.” Gabe muttered. He didn’t like it but had no choice. He’d said it and knew it to be right. Cinda needed to be brought home, her support system was here, always had been. He’d just screwed it up royally, in just one blasted evening. Hell, it took all of ten minutes.

“I assume you know where she lives?” Gabe snapped, unable to control his emotions anymore at the moment.

“Yes.” Grey nodded “I’ll write it down for you. Do you want me to call your mother or will you be doing that? And you can’t drive if you’ve been drinking.”

“Not enough to worry about driving drunk. 4 light beers in 3 hours, I’m fine. I’ll tell my own mother, when I’m good and ready. Just leave that for now.”

“Oh, and you think Lori’s not going to miss the fact that you’re out of town?”

“I’ll tell her I’m going away for a few days, make something up. Only bring the woman back if I absolutely have to. Try and get Johnny to look after her or something.”

Both his friends were looking at him with curiosity now. He ignored it. He pushed his half-finished beer across the table, took the piece of paper and got in his car. He really did not need this, but he guessed he had a good 6 hours to figure out how he was going to act and what he was going to say to the woman.