Burned Read online

  Nick shrugged. “That’s gotta be rough on Gabby with a toddler and a pre-teen underfoot. Has she started to drink heavily yet?”

  Jon took a bite of the sandwich in front of him. “Gabby is an excellent mother. She manages to hold down a career, run the house, and keep track of the kids while I’m away. I’m lucky to have her.”

  “What about the spice? Is the spice still there between you two?”

  Jon raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the questions, Nick? Are you planning on settling down?”

  “Not a chance. One failed marriage was enough for me,” Nick said leaning back in the chair. “I’m just wondering with all she has to do when you’re here, is there still any, ya know—any heat left in the marriage.”

  “We have plenty of heat in our marriage. Even with the kids underfoot, we make time for us. Anyhow, this issue with Amira will blow over. Gabby has to realize Amira isn’t a little kid anymore and give her some space. But, it does bother me sometimes that I’m not home to help out more.”

  Nick proudly replied, “Knock on wood I’ll never have to disappoint another woman with the promise of marriage. I’ll date the right woman forever, but marriage is not for me.”

  Jon rolled his eyes slightly. “Whatever, Nick. After your accident, you dated that nurse for a year before you broke it off. You were crazy about her.”

  “She was sweating me. She kept hinting at marriage, and that was enough to run me off. Speaking of which, what’s going on with Ant? I saw Lincoln today, and she was asking me questions about him.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  Nick checked for anyone standing around before he spoke. “She was asking me about Melanie. Jon, is Ant screwing around with her again? She has been here a couple of times, so something is going on with them.”

  Jon groaned and twisted his lips into a snarl. “Damn it, I knew this would happen. What did you say to Lincoln?”

  “I didn’t say anything. But you ain’t answering my question either. What Ant does is his business, but seeing Lincoln look the way she did today, I couldn’t help, but feel sorry for her.”

  Jon rubbed a hand down his face. “Unless he is lying to me, he swears he isn’t doing anything with Melanie. He claims they are nothing but friends. I told Anthony to be honest with Lincoln if he was having those feelings for Melanie again. Sheez, he is going to screw around and lose her for sure.”

  Nick got up from the table and went to the fridge. He opened a can of Pepsi and took a long swig. “She is too young for him. Hell, I wouldn’t date a woman his age.”

  “That’s because you’re young and shallow. Lincoln is young but smart; she’ll handle Anthony one way, or another.”

  “Don’t forget she’s a beautiful woman. He better watch out before another man walks away with her.”

  Jon frowned. “Nick…”

  “I’m not talking about me. A waiter at Red Lobster was hitting on her hard. I saw her when she came in, and I saw them talking, but I didn’t approach her until I was leaving. If I had told her about Melanie coming here to see Ant the next guy to hit on her will have her number.”

  “She didn’t respond to the man and that’s what matters.”

  “I’m gonna be honest, Jon. She didn’t do it because when he tried a second time to hit on her, I was sitting there. I pretended to be her man so he would stop. What’s funny is she didn’t correct the situation or put me in my place.”

  “Come on, Nick, that doesn’t mean anything. Sometimes women get tired of being hit on. You saved her the agony of telling that guy to get lost.”

  “Okay,” he said crushing the can in his hand before dropping it in the recycle bin. “I’m just dumb Nick and nobody takes me seriously around here. But, I know what I saw today. Lincoln is on to Anthony. And as his friend, you should let him know.”

  Jon got up from the table to put his plate in the dishwasher. “Why do I have to tell him? If you feel so strongly that he should know, you should tell him.”

  “I disagree. You all hang out together as couples. Just watch how Lincoln behaves the next time you all are out together.”

  “I really don’t want to get involved, Nick. Anthony and Melanie are dangerous together. I don’t want to be the one to hurt Lincoln by ratting out Anthony.”

  “That’s why this isn’t right, Jon. We got this dumbass code of honor we swear by. How can we stand by it if it causes another person to get hurt?”

  Jon leaned against the sink folding his arms across his chest. “We look out for each other on the job first. It is not our job to meddle in his private life.”

  “Right. But how would you feel if I knew Gabby was stepping out on you and didn’t say anything. Would you be mad at me because I didn’t tell you or did tell you?”

  Jon lowered his head. “I would be pissed either way. But I guess I would want to know.” He drew in a breath. “Alright, I’ll talk to Anthony about Melanie, but I’m not going to say anything about Lincoln asking you questions about him.”

  “That’s all I’m asking. Just find out what his intentions are with Melanie.”

  “We could be right in the middle of their shit if we pursue this, Nick. Are you prepared for that?”

  Nick scratched his head. “Yeah, I am. That woman was hurting, and I knew why and couldn’t say anything. Jon, if you think about it, Ant is the reason women think all men are alike. A woman doesn’t have a problem going to a girlfriend and spilling the beans if she sees a man cheating. Why are we supporting him knowing what he is doing is wrong?”

  Jon shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know if he is cheating. We’re speculating.”

  Nick grumbled. “Please, it’s Melanie and I’d bet my paycheck he’s cheating on Lincoln.” The alarm sounded sending them to the trucks. “We gotta roll.”

  *****

  Lincoln circled the parking lot of Anthony’s apartment complex once more. The heavy rain made it hard for her to see out the car window. She purposely waited until nightfall to avoid detection by neighbors who knew her. If he were either exiting or entering the apartment, the darkness would allow her car to blend in with the rest of the cars in the lot.

  The third time around she gave up and drove out of the complex. His car wasn’t there, and his fifth-floor apartment was dark. Anthony wasn’t home or at the firehouse. She had made a drive by the firehouse first to make sure. The trucks were out on a call, but his car was not in the lot. She recognized the vehicles that belonged to Jon and Nick, but Anthony’s White Denali was not in the lot.

  Frustrated she drove until she reached Regan’s house. Regan should be home from work since it was almost 1:00 o’clock in the morning. She usually got home from the television station around midnight. Racing from the car to the front porch to avoid getting soaked, she rang the doorbell.

  The front porch light clicked on bathing her in a bright light as Regan opened the door. “Lincoln, what are you doing out in this weather and this late?”

  “Can I come in? I’ve been driving around for hours, and I don’t want to go home.”

  Regan dragged her sister inside. “Good thing I heard the doorbell. I was getting ready to take a bath. Anyhow, you look a mess. Have you been crying?”

  Lincoln flopped down on the sofa. “He’s lying to me. I know he is.”

  Regan sat next to her sister. “Lincoln, you have got to stop obsessing about Anthony cheating on you. You don’t have any proof, and he hasn’t given you any reason to think he is doing anything wrong. Give the man a break.”

  “Regan, I do not imagine this stuff in my head. I will get proof before I throw everything away. I know I sound like a broken record, and you’re tired of me whining about it. I have nowhere else to turn, Regan. If you could just let me tell you why I think, he is cheating then maybe you’ll get where I’m coming from.”

  “Baby, the water is ready. Are you coming up?”

  Regan turned to answer Orlando. “Honey, I will be up in a minute. Lincoln stopped by.”

&
nbsp; “Oh, hey, Lincoln,” Orlando shouted from upstairs.

  Lincoln got off the sofa and headed for the door. “Oh my God, I didn’t think about Orlando being here. I’m gone. You two get back to your evening.”

  “Wait. I’m not letting you go anywhere this upset. You’re staying here tonight. I don’t want you driving in this weather. Your mind won’t be on the road but on Anthony.”

  “No, I’m not staying. Whatever is going on upstairs is private. I’ll be fine, really.” She ran to her car ignoring Regan’s commands for her to stay. There was no way Regan would chase her wearing a short silk robe and in her bare feet. She was too girly to get wet and muddy.

  Lincoln backed out the driveway narrowly missing a car coming down the street. She saw Regan raging on the porch like a mad woman, but she kept going. If she could rally the determination, she would keep driving until she reached Chicago. She could use a hug from her mother and cup of her special hot cocoa.

  The rain had stopped by the time Lincoln got home. Inside the apartment, she typed a reply to Regan’s text message letting her know she’d made it home. She put the phone on the charger, and she went into the bathroom to turn on the water in the tub. She waited for it to warm before putting in the stopper and pouring in a handful of lavender scented bath soap. The small bathroom quickly filled with the aroma of a spring day.

  Undressing she dumped the clothes in the hamper and slid into the warm sudsy water. She didn’t care her shoulder length hair wasn’t tied back. She didn’t care about anything at this point. What she wanted was a clear mind to ease the numbness taking her over. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax.

  She was a single 28-year old woman in the prime of her life. The stress Anthony was putting her through made her feel unattractive and undesirable. If he’d lost interested in their relationship, she could deal with that. What she couldn’t deal with was his sneaking around. All he had to do was say he wanted out, and she would grant his wish. It would hurt, but that was the ugly part about being in love. She had broken a few hearts, and she wasn’t immune to getting burned either. Sometimes being in love with the same person is not meant to last forever.

  When the water turned cool, she got out the tub, dried off and dressed for bed. She turned back the covers on the bed when she remembered she’d left the phone on the charger. Lincoln retrieved the phone and noticed a missed call from Anthony, but he did leave a voicemail message. When she listened to the voicemail, there was no verbal message, but the noise in the background caught her attention. Lincoln promptly returned Anthony’s call but got his voicemail. Panic took over. Is he hurt? She paced the living room. What if he was calling me to meet him at the hospital or something? She redialed his number again, and it went straight to voicemail.

  Baffled, she listened to the voicemail over and over. She had to have listened to it thirty times before giving up. The muffled sound stuck in her ears. She couldn’t make out if it was moaning or his butt was sitting on the phone dialing her number by mistake. Anthony had a bad habit of keeping his cell phone in his back pocket instead of on a belt clip or in a shirt pocket.

  In the kitchen, she looked for the list of phone numbers Anthony left in case of an emergency. Nick’s number was at the bottom of the list. Lincoln held the phone against her chest pondering what to do since it was so late in the evening. Firefighters rarely got a full night’s sleep and to wake him up over nothing would weigh on her conscious.

  She tapped the number in her phone but did not hit send. She bit her bottom lip. She was turning into one of those women she claimed she would never be—a worry-wart. And the notion of anything happening to him was silly. Anthony was an experienced firefighter, and if he’d been in an accident, someone would have called her by now.

  Her fears turned to anger. She returned to the bedroom and crawled between the sheets. She lay on back looking at the ceiling and said, “Besides, he isn’t at work, dummy! If he did call, it was a freaking mistake.”

  The next morning, Lincoln arrived at work tired and in a bad mood. She’d spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, finally drifting off only to have the alarm clock jar her out of bed.

  Evelyn sat at her desk humming. The two shared a workspace. “Good morning, Lincoln. How was your day off yesterday?”

  Lincoln rubbed her eyes, trying not to smear the extra concealer it took to cover the dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. Her light caramel skin would not be able to hide any blemishes or darkness under her eyes. “It was productive,” she replied grumpily.

  “Are you in a bad mood this morning? What has you down or should I say kept you up all night? Was Anthony off last night too?” Evelyn’s smile was more on the sinful side than playful.

  “Anthony and I don’t hump all night long, Evelyn. Good grief, get your mind out the gutter or get a man.”

  “Excuse me for kidding around,” Evelyn snapped back.

  Lincoln felt bad jumping on the woman. Evelyn was one of the nicest people who worked in her department. When she had to run a personal errand, Evelyn would cover for her. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m not feeling well this morning. Plus, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  Evelyn softened her stance and asked. “Do you want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.”

  “Thanks for the offer but it has to do with my sister’s wedding. I have a lot left to do for Regan’s wedding. I didn’t think being maid of honor would be so stressful.”

  “Girl, that’s a demanding responsibility. That’s why I refuse to do it. I’m happy to serve as a bridesmaid or an usher. Less stress that way.”

  Lincoln managed to smile. “I should have let Carter do it. Then she would be the one tearing out her hair waiting for folks to call back. I have to throw a bachelorette party for Regan, and I have no venue because the woman won’t return my calls.”

  “Look at it this way, Lincoln. Regan can repay the favor at your wedding. When will that be by the way? I want to make sure I attend your wedding. I bet a firefighter wedding is awesome with the groomsmen dressed in uniform. You could have the trucks lined up on the street outside the church…”

  Lincoln pinched the nerve between her eyes. “Evelyn, please stop. I can’t do but one wedding at a time. Besides, I’m not getting married anytime soon.”

  “I don’t believe that. I bet Anthony is waiting until the right moment to pop the question. I have never seen a man so crazy in love before.”

  She had thought the same until the end of last year. “Well, we’ll see. I’m going to get some coffee. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Walking down the hall, she spoke to a couple of people before entering the break room. Selecting the coffee she wanted, she put it in the machine and waited for it to brew. While waiting for the coffee to finish, she removed her cell phone from the pocket of her blazer to listen to the voicemail again. Maybe she was too tired last night to comprehend the message.

  She shook her head; it sounded the same. It was either a shallow moan or some other non-verbal sound too weak to detect. It was as if the mouthpiece of the phone was covered with something. “It had to be Anthony’s butt,” she said sliding the phone back in her pocket.

  Taking her cup from the coffee maker, she went to the counter to add cream and sugar. Her phone vibrated. She answered without looking at who was calling. “Hello.”

  “Good morning, baby. What’s with the dry voice?”

  Her heart raced. “Anthony, where are you? I tried to call you a few times last night to no avail.”

  “I know, that’s why I’m calling you now. We had a long night at the firehouse. I didn’t have time to call or pick up my phone until now. So what’s going on?”

  He is determined to keep up the lie. “For one, the message you left me last night. Did your butt dial my number again?”

  “Oh that. Y-yeah, I didn’t mean to leave that. You can delete the message.”

  Now he is stuttering…a sure sign he’s lying. Anthony hated to
lie, and when he did, he would stutter. “Are you coming to my place after work or going home?”

  “Oh dang, I promised Kevin I would help him remodel their basement. Do you want to come over there with me?”

  He knew dang well she didn’t. Gwen was not a favorite person of hers. “No, you go ahead. I’ll find something else to do. Look, I have to go. Call me whenever.”

  “Wait. I don’t get a goodbye, or I love you?”

  “You pick which one you want and say it on my behalf, Anthony.”

  “What’s with the attitude, Lincoln? I’m sorry I’m busy and haven’t been around to hold your hand. You know what my life is like.”

  “I’m not asking you to hold my hand. I’m asking for a little respect.”

  “Now I don’t respect you? Is it that time of the month for you?”

  His anger fueled hers. How dare he turn the tables and make this my fault. “I wish I could blame my attitude on that but this time it has to do with you. Anthony, while you’re drinking beer and helping Kevin tonight, maybe you should put some thought into our relationship and where it is going. I don’t see it going anywhere right now. What do you see happening between us?”

  “Damn, woman, you’ve caught the wedding fever. Lincoln, I won’t be pressured into getting married. I’ll do it when I’m ready.”

  A few IRS agents filtered into the break room. She tucked herself into a corner for privacy. “I’m not going to argue with you over the phone. We’ll talk about this in person when you have time for me.” She clicked off the phone and took her coffee from the counter. Her bad day just got worse.

  Evelyn bumped into Lincoln in the hallway. “Lincoln, was the coffee machine broken? You look as if you could bite the head off babies. Let me call Anthony to come get you. Whatever is bothering you is not going away, and I want you to keep your job.”

  For the sake of her pride, she had to pretend everything was kosher with Anthony. “You’re right; I shouldn’t be here today. My stomachache is getting worse, and I should go home so my man can take care of me.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll let the supervisor know you left ill.”