A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Thank you all readers and reviewers. You're the best...but you already know that...lol.
...
She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there staring at the credit card statement, but it must have been a long while because before she knew it, Jamie burst through the door, yelling 'I'm home'. Right behind him was Dan, smiling at his grandson, obviously having enjoyed his time with him.
"Hi!" Haley greeted her son enthusiastically, putting aside all troublesome thoughts. "Did you have fun, kiddo?"
"Yep," he exclaimed before going off excitedly about all the things they'd done, which turned out to be only dinner, a walk, and an ice-cream, but for a child who saw all the magic in the world, it was spectacular.
Haley laughed. "Dinner then ice-cream," she remarked, impressed. "Good job, Grandpa," she said lightly. Last time he'd let Jamie have dessert first, claiming his grandfatherly rights to spoil his grandson, but it had ruined Jamie's dinner so Haley had had a talk with Dan about it. It wouldn't be a huge deal if Dan only took him occasionally, but he picked him up at least once or twice a week. He seemed determined to be a better grandfather than he'd been a father.
Dan simply shrugged compliantly. He didn't see that it was such a big issue, but he was thankful for the chance to know Jamie and if he wanted it to continue, he had to do whatever Nathan and/or Haley said. It wasn't so high a price to pay. "I was thinking of picking him up again on Friday, if that's all right," he said.
"Yeah, actually," Haley began. "I'm playing at Tric Friday night and I was going to ask if you could watch him."
She saw the pleased smile cross Dan's features. He was always the one to ask to take Jamie, never the one to be asked. The truth was, she wouldn't normally ask him this time either, except that most everyone she knew would also want to go to Tric as they generally did when she was set to perform. She had such great support, she was sometimes still amazed by it.
"I'd love to," Dan said.
"Maybe I could stay the night!" Jamie piped up.
"Oh, I don't know," Haley returned reluctantly. He'd never taken him overnight. "Don't you wanna come home?"
"No. Only if Dad's here," Jamie answered.
"Ok, I'm gonna try not to take that personally," Haley gasped. Didn't work. "What? Your mama not good enough for you anymore?" she teased.
Jamie rolled his eyes playfully, but was quick to explain. "Only because if Dad's here and I fall asleep before you guys pick me up, he carries me to the car and then to bed. But with you, I have to walk."
Both Haley and Dan chuckled.
"Oh excuse me for not being all buff like your dad, lazy bones," Haley returned in jest.
"It's not lazy," Jamie countered. "It's called being tired. Can I sleep at Grandpa's, please?"
"It's ok with me," Dan said. He could offer to drive and carry Jamie as Nathan would, but why would he when he'd love for his grandson to stay over?
Haley pressed her lips together. Thanks to Dan, she would now be the bad guy if she refused to let Jamie stay overnight. Yeah, there were some things about the man that still irked her. "Well...ok," she conceded, having no real choice in the matter. Even so, she was rewarded by an excited hug from her son. She couldn't squawk about that.
"Oh no," Jamie suddenly exclaimed, pulling away from his mother's embrace. "I'm gonna be late to Skype with Dad. Love you Mom. Love you Grandpa. Bye," came out all in a rush before he sprinted upstairs.
...
It was ten minutes later when Haley went in to Jamie's room to find her husband's handsome and smiling face on the computer screen, and she sighed wistfully. After all these years, he still managed to take her breath away. She was anxious for the next two weeks to go by so he could be home with them.
The three of them chatted for the next fifteen minutes or so—well, mostly Jamie rattled on about random stuff while Nathan and Haley nodded and smiled.
"Oh," Haley began when she was able to get a word in. "About that credit card you lost...?" She halted mid-sentence at her misspoken words—he hadn't lost it, he'd gotten rid of it—and was just about to correct herself when Nathan spoke.
"Yeah, what about it?"
She shook her head. "Nevermind, it's nothing," she said dismissively, while inside her mind reeled. Why hadn't he corrected her? And why did he suddenly look so tense? "It's nothing," she repeated before plastering a fake smile on and making up an excuse to leave the room.
In the hallway, out of view from Jamie and the webcam, she leaned against the wall and took a deep, shaky breath. This wasn't nothing as she'd claimed, and she really wanted to question her husband on his obvious contradiction, but she wasn't going to do that in front of their son.
She'd talk to him about it when he got home. It was only two weeks. She had this sinking suspicion that she knew what he'd done with the card, and if she was right, he was gonna hear about it. But not now in Jamie's presence, during his time with his dad.
It took every ounce of self-control she had to walk down the stairs instead of barging back in her son's room and demanding answers from her husband.
Two things she knew for sure. Nathan had lied to her, and she was cancelling that credit card first thing in the morning. She'd been ready to accept that it was a simple administration error on the credit card company's part, but she knew better now. She hadn't imagined that guilty expression that had crossed his features. Her husband hadn't been honest with her.
...
"Ok, don't hate me," Brooke rasped when she walked in Luke's house with Sawyer in tow and three shopping bags hanging on her arms.
He eyed the bags, suspecting they were full of new stuff for Sawyer, before returning his gaze to Brooke. "Now why would I ever hate you?" he drawled.
"Umm, few reasons," she replied. "First, she may have learned a new, not so pleasant word today, and second, I bought her these adorable little outfits...four of them to be exact..."
"Ahh, Brooke," he said a little exasperated. "Her closet's already overstuffed as it is."
"I know, I know," Brooke returned apologetically. "But I couldn't resist. Look how cute this is," she said in her case, holding up one of the outfits, all pink and frilly.
He smiled then. He wasn't sure which was cuter, the outfit or Brooke's pouty lip, for both were adorable.
Whoa, where had that come from? He silently checked himself. His marriage had just fallen apart. He wasn't even divorced yet. He couldn't be noticing Brooke's lips.
He shook the thought away, telling himself it was normal. He was a guy, after all, and what guy wouldn't notice Brooke Davis? Her beauty had captured his attention long ago so why should it be so surprising now? Just because he was heartbroken didn't mean he was blind. Even so, he couldn't dwell on it. Brooke was his friend, helping him through a difficult time. How would she feel to know he was checking her out? Well, not really checking her out, just taking notice.
He focused on the outfit again and shook his head. As cute as it was, his daughter had a couple dozen outfits that were just as cute that she'd probably never get a chance to wear before she outgrew them. Most of them were courtesy of Brooke. The woman never knew when to stop shopping.
"I'm gonna make you go through her closet," he said, half amused, half serious.
"You got it, Broody," she accepted. It sounded rather fun to her. She loved clothes. "I'll do it tomorrow. You have that appointment with your lawyer, right?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm gonna see if there's anything to be done about Peyton coming around all the time trying to see Sawyer."
Brooke nodded, but any response she had was held off when Sawyer suddenly piped up. "Where Mommy go?" she asked, wise enough to associate 'Peyton' with 'Mommy'.
"Oops, said her name," Luke said, recognizing his goof.
"She knows her name," Brooke remarked, semi-impressed. "Smart kid."
"Well, she is my daughter," Luke boasted in jest. "Luckily she's also easily distracted. Watch this," he said after Sawyer asked for her mom again. "Sawyer want some cookies?" he asked in an exaggeratingly jubilant tone.
Brooke looked on as the little girl instantly dropped the subject of mom to follow her dad to the kitchen, a happy little grin on her face when he handed her two cookies—one for each hand. Brooke chuckled to herself. If only every problem could be solved with a double chocolate chip treat. Then again, the whole world might be overweight if that were the case.
"Brilliant coping mechanism you have there," Brooke teased when Luke came to stand by her again, a smug look on his face. "Feed the kid junk food."
Lucas shrugged. "Hey, it works," he excused. At least for now, it did. "That's the first time she's asked about her in a while, and only because she heard me talking about her."
"Instead of doing that, do you think it might not be better to just let her see her?" Brooke questioned, making sure to keep her voice down and light.
"No, but something tells me you do," he returned, eyes narrowed.
"I don't know," Brooke shrugged. "I mean she is her mother. Seems kinda harsh to keep her daughter from her."
"Not any harsher than betraying us in the first place."
Brooke gave him a sad smile. He was still so angry, and he still only knew half the truth. "Yeah," she said softly. "So, what time is your appointment?" she asked, changing the subject.
"11:00."
"Ok, I'll be here at 10:30, unless you need me sooner."
"No, 10:30 is fine, but you don't have to do that, Brooke. I can drop her off at the store and swing by afterward to pick her up."
"Trust me, it's better if I come here," Brooke told him. "Victoria's already on my case about bringing her to work."
"Hey, look, if it's a problem..."
"No problem," Brooke cut him off. "Well, not for me, at least, and who cares what my mother thinks? It's my store."
"It kinda sounds like you care," he pointed out.
"No, I just...sometimes I don't want to hear it."
He nodded in understanding, opening his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Sawyer requesting more cookies.
Lucas eyed his daughter, debating on the cookie matter, then finally went and got her another. However, that wasn't good enough. She held out her other hand, wanting one for that one as well.
Lucas shook his head. "No, just one more," he said firmly. They were, after all, fairly large cookies. She was lucky to get three of them.
She didn't feel so lucky. The little girl started to whine, which turned into a cry when Lucas stuck with his answer, which turned into a full blown fit. When Lucas walked away, ignoring her, she threw herself on the floor, arms and legs flailing and screaming at the top of her lungs in a show of anger.
"Whoa," Brooke stammered, a smile playing on her lips. "Kid knows how to throw a tantrum."
"Yeah, that'd be thanks to my little brother," Lucas stated, not impressed.
Brooke quirked an eyebrow so he explained. "She was mad this one day, I don't even remember for what, something I wouldn't give her. Anyway, she was pissed and threw herself on the floor like she just did, and was just screaming and crying like I'd just beat her or something. Nathan and Haley were here," he continued. "And Nathan goes up to Sawyer, and I'm thinking 'yes, someone else take over for a while' cause she'd been literally acting up all day."
Brooke nodded, smiling at him.
"But then," Luke went on. "Nate sits down beside her and says 'that's not how you throw a proper temper tantrum. You have to get your arms and legs into it.'
"Oh no," Brooke laughed.
"Yeah. And then he says 'like this' and proceeds to show her. At first she was so shocked she completely shut right up, and I thought, 'wow, it worked. Brilliant.' But ever since then..."
"She's been doing it," Brooke guessed.
He nodded. "I keep threatening to beat the shit out of him for teaching her that but he just laughs. I guess it would be funny to anyone who doesn't have to deal with it constantly," he admitted. "But wait till they have another kid," he said in a feigned evil tone. "He'll be sorry."
Again Brooke felt the overwhelming guilt take her and had to suppress the urge to tell him the truth. He talked as though Nathan was just being a brother, and she supposed, in that case, he was. And again she wondered how he could do what he did. Didn't he feel guilty at all? Did he not have the same sense of loyalty that Lucas had?
"Whatever you do," Lucas said, cutting into her thoughts. "Just don't let her see you laugh."
Brooke shook her troubled thoughts away and her voice took on a teasing quality. "Why? Will that send her over the edge?"
"No, it'll show her she got a reaction from you, which is what she wants."
"Pretty sure what she wants is another cookie," she countered in amusement. "Apparently, it's pretty important too. Or not," she added when the tiny girl whipped the one she did have clear across the room.
"And now you get none," Luke said sternly as he picked it up and threw it away.
That gesture certainly set her off further.
"You a poo-poo head, Daddy!" she shouted.
His back to Sawyer, he approached Brooke once more, and she noticed the corners of his mouth lift in a smile.
"Did she just call me a poo-poo head?" he whispered, clearly trying to stifle a laugh.
Brooke covered her face with her hands and nodded. "Uh huh. I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" he wanted to know.
"That new word I mentioned she might have learned today," Brooke began. "Umm, yeah."
"Oh," he said, realization hitting him.
"Yeah," she said again with a nod. "I took her to a 'mommy and me' class today and one of the other kids was going around saying it and...I guess she picked it up. Sorry."
"It's fine," he said dismissively. "If she doesn't get a reaction from it, it shouldn't last long."
"You know, you're pretty good at this Daddy thing," she complimented.
"I don't know about that but I try," he said a bit unsurely. "My mom helps, plus I did learn a few things first-hand living with Nathan and Haley in college," he added. "The three of us kinda learned together. Although I don't remember Jamie pitching fits like this."
Brooke shrugged. "I guess Sawyer inherited her mother's temper."
"Lucky me," Luke grumbled irately at the mention of Peyton. "Wait, you said you took her to a 'mommy and me' class?" he asked in wonder as her words just now sank in.
"Umm, yeah," Brooke stated, wringing her hands insecurely and suddenly feeling awkward. "I hope you don't mind. I just thought she could use to socialize with other kids," she began to ramble. "I mean, I know I'm not her mother, obviously, but I figured it might be good for her, and it's not strictly mother/child duos that go to those things even though that's what the name says, but it's not like a rule or anything. I mean, yes it's ideal that it be the mother and her child who go together, but sometimes it's not possible and..."
"Brooke," Luke cut her off, smiling at her nervous rant. "I don't mind," he said easily when she stopped abruptly.
"Are you sure? Cause you only asked me to watch her and I don't want to overstep my boundaries."
"What boundaries?" he countered. He certainly hadn't set any. "Look Cheery, I'm glad you brought her there. Thank you for that," he said earnestly. Seriously, how could she think he'd be mad about that? She'd been thinking of Sawyer's best benefit. How could that possibly make him angry? He couldn't help but think she'd make an amazing mother one day. She'd already proven that when she'd cared for baby Angie, and Sam, and now, with Sawyer, she seemed to be taking on that motherly role too. She clearly thought he wouldn't like that idea, but he did, probably more than he should. For Sawyer's sake, of course, he told himself. Peyton was right that she needed a mother, but who said it had to be her?
Okay, biology did, he berated himself silently, shaking his head of its current thought process. Who was he kidding? Eventually Peyton would gain access, possibly even joint custody, and this little fantasy of his would be for naught.
Besides, Brooke was his friend, just helping him out while he struggled. Even if he did consider going down that road with her, he doubted she would. Surely she had no interest in a ready-made family. She may have been wanting a baby for a while for that didn't mean she would want him included in the package. He didn't know why he was even thinking about it.
They seemed to both notice at the same time that all was quiet in the kitchen now. Suspiciously, Luke glanced over, expecting to find his daughter up to no good, which was usually the case when she was too quiet, but instead he found her sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep. He chuckled, as did Brooke.
"Apparently temper tantruming is exhaustive work," Brooke remarked in amusement.
"Yeah," he agreed, still smiling. "I'd better take her to bed."
"Ok," Brooke said. "Listen, I'm gonna go, and I'll see you in the morning."
"You don't want to stay for a bit?" he asked hopefully.
"I'd love to, but I've got some sketches I have to finish up."
"Yeah, I should probably do some writing too," he said agreeably. "I've kind of been neglecting it in the past little while."
Understandable under the circumstances," Brooke thought. "Well then, get to it, Broody," she said aloud. "Goodnight, Luke. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Night, Brooke."
...
Haley came to the end of Luke's walkway and softly rapped on the door before opening it and letting herself in. It was the next day and she was just on her lunch hour so she didn't have a lot of time to subtly question him on who Peyton's lawyer was. She could almost guess it was McKay & Partners. Either that or Nathan himself was seeking family law advice. She didn't even want to think what that could mean.
There was one more possibility, that of which she hoped—that it was all a big misunderstanding and someone had gotten hold of their credit card number and was using it. God, she hoped that was it, but her head told her it wasn't. That certainly wouldn't explain why he lied to her about the card.
In any case, she'd called the credit card company this morning and cancelled it. If it were Peyton or Nathan using it, then he should have been upfront with her about it, and if it, by chance, did turn out to be a stranger who'd gotten hold of it, well, then it was theft and that person had no right using it. But again, she felt it wasn't a stranger.
She knew she hadn't imagined him tense up when she'd brought the subject up yesterday. Even through the computer screen she could tell he wasn't being completely forthright with her. She couldn't help but hope he had given it to Peyton to use because the alternative...if it was for himself...well, it was better for him to have given it to a friend. Except for the lying to his wife about it part.
She shook her head of her troubled thoughts, reminding herself she didn't know anything for sure and determined to get some information from her best friend. "Hello?" she called out when she didn't see or hear anyone.
"Up here, Tutor Mom," she heard. Brooke? Why would she be here at this time?
She climbed the stairs, following the voice, and found her friend in Sawyer's closet, three piles of clothes made on the bed. Sawyer was there too, her favorite doll in one hand, sandwich in the other.
"Hey," Brooke greeted. "Looking for Luke?" she guessed. Not that it was difficult to guess since they were at his house. "He had a meeting with his lawyer this morning. Hasn't come back yet."
Haley nodded in understanding and made her way over to Sawyer, picking her up to greet her with some enthusiastic hugs and kisses. The little girl giggled but was soon squirming to get down to continue playing.
Haley set her down and glanced at Brooke. "So, you're the designated babysitter?" she questioned. 'Again?' she wanted to ask, but didn't. "Must be nice to take time off work whenever you want," she said in jest.
"Perks of owning your own company and having a mother and assistant competent enough to run the business blindfolded," Brooke answered amiably.
Her words sounded happy but Haley could tell it was eating at Brooke to feel useless at her own store, her own creation. "They couldn't make it without you," Haley said with assurance. "What's a clothing company without its brilliant designer, right?"
Brooke smiled at her dear friend. "So true," she stated with her usual pep.
"So, shouldn't Luke be doing this?" Haley asked, her gaze falling to the piles on the bed.
Brooke shrugged. "I like doing it."
"In that case, Jamie's got clothes he hasn't worn in three years if you want to stop by and sort it through," Haley said, only half joking. She always meant to get to it, but she either didn't have time, or when she did, she didn't feel like it.
"You should make Nate do it," Brooke suggested. Haley was busy enough, and it was the least Nathan could do.
But Haley laughed at the suggestion. "Nathan's not home enough to know what he wears, and even when he is, he doesn't notice," she said. "Last time I got him to just help me, he literally asked me for every piece of clothing so I may as well have done it myself."
Nodding, Brooke inspected a tiny shirt, tossing it over to the 'stained or ripped' pile. "It's a guy thing, I guess," she replied. Lucas would probably never sort through his daughter's clothes either, hence why she was doing it.
As though reading her thoughts, Haley commented on it. "Lucas should feel lucky you're willing to tackle the task for him. Doesn't look like there was much more room in her closet."
A truer statement could not be said. "Well, like Luke said, I did buy at least half this stuff, so it's only fair that I do it."
"Ahh, he guilt-tripped you," Haley teased. "Smooth move, Lucas Scott," she said as though Luke were in the room with them.
Brooke chuckled at the observation. He did guilt-trip her, didn't he? "I don't mind," she said. She rather liked all the time she could spend with the two of them.
Again seemingly reading her mind, Haley said, "You've been spending a lot of time with Luke and Sawyer lately."
Brooke nodded in agreement. "Yeah," she responded. "They kinda need the help right now, you know?" But when Haley gave a look of concern, she asked, "What?"
"Are you watching your heart, Brooke Davis?"
Returning her friend's gaze, Brooke gave her a tentative smile. Haley was one of the few people who knew her feelings for Lucas—that she'd never gotten over him since high school. Not because Brooke had told her. At least not at first. The woman had guessed, really. Brooke supposed that's what happened when you accidently let your guard down in front of someone who knew you so well. She'd been quite careful about keeping her mask on in front of Peyton after that. Nobody knew her better than Peyton did. "Always," she responded to Haley's question.
But Haley's expression remained a worried one. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Because you know, Luke's in a bad place right now, and I'd hate to see you get your hopes up and have your heart crushed. Again."
"I won't," Brooke assured her. "Trust me, my eyes are open this time." If anyone should be guarding her heart, it was Haley. She's the one who'd be crushed if she ever discovered the truth about her husband and one of her closest friends. For Haley's sake, Brooke hoped that day never came.
"I hope so," Haley replied, albeit doubtfully.
"I'm just helping out a friend in need," Brooke stated firmly.
Haley silently wondered who Brooke was trying to convince of that, Haley or herself. She didn't push the issue though. She'd expressed her concerns and, as a grown woman Brooke could do with that what she wanted. "So, the lawyer's, huh?" she said, changing the subject to something closer to what she'd come to find out.
"Yeah," Brooke answered. "She who shall not be named has been having a bit of difficulty following the temporary court order."
"I heard," Haley replied dryly, having been told all about it by Luke. "I imagine it's been hard for her not seeing Sawyer, and then giving up her career too."
Brooke pressed her lips together, unreasonably perturbed to hear Haley defend Peyton in any way. If only she knew, she would not have a single word to say in her defense. "She did it to herself," she said a little harsher than she'd meant to. "Don't go feeling sorry for her, Tutor Mom," she added. "She knew what she was doing."
"Yeah," Haley muttered, somewhat surprised to see such anger from Brooke still. After all, she and Peyton had been best friends since childhood, just as Haley and Lucas had been. Despite Peyton's bad choices, it was surprising that Brooke cut her out of her life because of them. She hoped Brooke knew that no one expected her to. She would certainly never end her friendship with Luke even if the situation was reversed and he'd been the one to commit adultery. She'd be angry and disappointed in him, yes, but they'd always be best friends.
Then again, she supposed Brooke had her own reasons for being angry. She'd hidden her love for Lucas for years for Peyton's sake, and then Peyton had gone and broken his heart. Surely that would feel like a slap in the face for Brooke.
Just as it would be a slap in the face for Haley if Nathan was now helping Peyton against Lucas. "Who's her lawyer?" she asked, hoping it came out subtle.
"No idea," Brooke answered. "But whoever she is, Luke said she's good. Hopefully his is better."
"Yeah. How's she paying for it, I wonder?"
"I know, right?" Brooke agreed, having wondered that herself. "They were broke. I mean, Luke had to borrow money. I'm assuming she did too."
"From who though?"
Brooke shrugged. "Her dad maybe? Who knows? Maybe she's sleeping with the lawyer in exchange for his services."
Haley laughed. "You just said it was a female lawyer."
"Oh, right. Her then," Brooke amended. "Anyway, why do you ask about her lawyer?"
"Just curious," Haley blew off, keeping her tone light. But just in case she wasn't convincing, she changed the subject again. "So, you know I'm playing at Tric this Friday, right?" she asked. "You going?" she added when Brooke nodded.
"Yeah, as long as we can get someone to watch Sawyer..." She halted mid-sentence at the look Haley gave her, realizing before the other girl said a word, how that sounded. "Wow, I just said 'we', didn't I?"
"You did," Haley confirmed.
"God, you're right," Brooke started to freak out. "I am in way over my head with this, and who am I kidding? Of course I'm getting my hopes up. What am I gonna do, Haley? Am I crazy?"
"Not crazy," the other brunette assured her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "And what you're gonna do is be careful," she advised. She'd say stay away from Lucas altogether for a while if she thought Brooke would listen. Not because she wouldn't approve of them getting together, but because Luke's heart was so fragile right now and Haley knew how he tended to react to heartbreak. She didn't want to see Brooke hurt again.
Brooke nodded, taking in the advice, knowing she should follow it. "Yeah. You too, Tutor Mom," she couldn't keep from saying.
"Me?" Haley scoffed. "Like you said before, I've been married since the dinosaur age. Pretty sure my heart's safe."
'Don't bet on it,' Brooke nearly came back with. Instead she confirmed her presence at Tric Friday night. "I wouldn't miss it," she said firmly.
"Miss what?" came Lucas' voice as he entered the room, causing the two older girls to jump in surprise, and Sawyer to drop everything and run to him. He picked his daughter up and eyed the other two curiously.
"Hey," Brooke greeted, sincerely hoping he hadn't heard any more than that last bit of her conversation with Haley. "How'd it go?"
He shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to get too much into it in front of Sawyer. "He said he'd get on it," he replied simply.
"Good. That's good," Brooke replied.
"Yeah," he agreed. "So what is it you wouldn't miss?"
"I'm playing at Tric Friday night," Haley answered for her. "And I expect you both to be there," she joked though she was serious about wanting them there.
"Ok, as long as I can get a sitter, I'm game," he said with a nod.
It didn't go past either girl that he'd said 'I'.
"Who's watching Jamie?" Luke asked, figuring most of the people he generally got to babysit—his mom, Andy, Skills—would likely all be at Tric. And then, of course, there was Haley herself who would definitely be there, and Nathan was out of town still, though if he were home, he'd be going to Tric too. That left Lucas with few options. Maybe he could share Haley's babysitter as they'd done many times in the past.
"Umm, Dan," Haley answered, knowing what her best friend had been thinking. Also knowing he was no longer thinking it.
Lucas frowned. Why Nathan and Haley let that monster near Jamie was beyond him, but he'd given his opinion on that to both of them already and they didn't listen, both adamant that he stay out of that particular situation. He was their son, fine, but Sawyer was his daughter, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake—as he saw it—that they were making. Hell, he'd hand over permanent custody to Peyton before he'd ever leave his daughter in Dan Scott's care. With these thoughts running through his head, all he managed to say aloud was "oh."
An unusual and awkward silence filled the room until Sawyer broke it with some endless chatter that would sound like babbling to those who didn't spend a significant amount of time with her. For the three adults currently in the room, she was understood perfectly. Well, mostly.
Lucas chuckled at the two year old's stories before turning to Brooke and telling her he'd stopped off at the cafe and bought lunch if she was hungry.
"Starving!" Haley piped in truthfully.
Luke laughed at his best friend. Leave it to Haley to invite herself. He would, and has, done the same at her house so it was only fair. "Yeah, I guess we could feed you too," he said in jest, all awkwardness gone.
"Good, cause I'm also running out of time," Haley replied flippantly, racing out of the room, leaving the others to follow laughingly.
She wouldn't get what she came for that day, but she did have a nice lunch with her friends, which was good too.
...
"You know, every time I hear her sing, I get even more amazed than the time before," Quinn Fletcher told her husband, David, as she stared proudly at the stage.
"Your baby sister does seem to get better and better," David agreed, wrapping an arm around his wife. "And more confident," he noticed.
Quinn and Brooke shared a look and laughed.
"You obviously weren't the one who had to pry her from under the table backstage earlier," Brooke stated with a giggle. "That was all me and Quinn."
"I don't know why she gets so nervous still," Quinn wondered aloud. "Look at all these people," she said of the full-house. "They're all mesmerized by her."
David scanned the crowd and had to agree. All eyes were on Haley James Scott as she performed. His own eyes lingered on the guy sitting at the bar, recognition putting a frown on his usually pleasant face. "Hey, isn't that the tool that was hitting on you last summer when we were having problems?"
Everyone in their group turned to look.
Clay Evans.
"Yeah," Quinn acknowledged. "But what makes you say he's a tool?"
"Any man who hits on another man's wife is a tool in my eyes," David replied begrudgingly.
Quinn shook her head and laughed. "First of all, it was a mild and mutual flirtation designed to wake my husband up..."
"Maybe for you, it was," David grumbled. "Not for him."
"Second," Quinn went on, "you and I were separated, and third and most importantly, nothing came of it."
"Not because he didn't want it to," David countered. "And from the way he's eying Haley right now, someone ought to warn Nathan to watch this guy around his wife."
"Oh stop," Quinn returned playfully. "He's Nathan's agent and best friend."
"Yeah? Well I'm betting he doesn't look at her like that when Nate's around."
"Like what?" Seriously, everyone was looking at Haley. What was David's problem?
"Like he's trying to picture her naked," David answered.
Quinn rolled her eyes and swatted at him. "He's not. Every single person in here is watching her, and the reason for that is because she's amazing."
David didn't say any more, but he kept his eye on the guy. He didn't trust him at all. He knew when a man wanted a woman and Clay Evans definitely wanted his friend's wife. The son of a bitch had already almost gotten between him and Quinn. He wasn't going to let him do the same to Nathan and Haley.
Brooke watched Clay as well, wondering what he was doing here, not only at Tric, but in Tree Hill. Shouldn't he be in L.A. with Nathan and whatever other clients he had?
Her gaze took on a curious expression as she thought she saw what David was talking about. Did Clay like Haley? Like, like like?
Never one to sit and wonder, she made her way toward him.
...
He couldn't take his eyes off her radiant beauty. The way she carried herself onstage, her voice, it all enthralled him, and he again found himself silently saying that Nathan didn't deserve this perfect woman. Not that he did either, but he would certainly never stray as his best friend did. Was he his best friend still? Clay wasn't sure. He'd lost so much respect for him that he couldn't say one way or the other. All he knew was the guy was a fool.
When Clay had first been introduced to her, he'd thought 'of course Nathan Scott has a hot wife', and then he'd gotten to know her better and discovered she was just as beautiful on the inside. He'd found himself drawn to her more and more throughout the past few years, much the same as he'd been drawn to Sara. He never thought he'd ever find another woman who captivated him as much as his wife had.
There was a significant difference though. Sara had been his. Haley, another's.
Then again, that may change soon. Of course, it also may not.
He turned when he felt someone tap his shoulder, and he smiled as he faced the brunette, his natural charm instantly kicking in. "Brooke Davis," he greeted. "Looking as lovely as always."
Kinking her brow, Brooke returned the flirty manner easily. "Not looking so bad yourself," she said before turning her smile on Chase and ordering a drink. Before she turned back Clay's eyes were already back on Haley. Oh yeah, he had it bad. "She's good, huh?"
"She's incredible," Clay returned, his smile widening.
"You know she's still with Nathan, right?" Brooke asked bluntly.
Clay met her eyes, ready to question her comment and deny any attraction to Haley if need be. But then his shoulders slumped, as he somehow knew denying it to her would be futile. She knew. Was he that fricking obvious?
"Is that because she's forgiven him for the Peyton thing or because no one's told her about it?" he wanted to know. Brooke's silence gave him his answer. "That's what I thought," he said with disapproval.
"Look, Nathan and Peyton are over," Brooke explained defensively. "He wants to make his marriage work."
Frowning, Clay scoffed at the remark. "Is that what he told you? That him and Peyton are done? Because the night you caught them together, he told Haley he fell asleep right after dinner. He swore to me for months in L.A. that nothing was going on with him and Peyton. That's what cheaters do, Brooke. They lie. You can't be a cheater without being a liar too. They go hand in hand."
"Peyton said it too," Brooke returned softly.
"Like I said, cheaters," Clay returned pointedly. "I don't buy it and neither should you. Nathan said what he had to say because he got caught. But I've seen how he looks at Peyton and how she looks at him. They'll do it again."
Brooke didn't want to believe that. "I don't know, Clay," she said doubtfully. "She didn't go back to L.A. with him," she informed him.
"She didn't?" Clay asked, clearly hearing this for the first time.
Brooke shook her head. "She's been in Tree Hill for the last month. He went back to L.A. alone."
"Explains why the press has died down about them," he thought aloud.
"Yeah," she replied. "Look, I'm sorry. I understand your position."
"Do you?"
Did she ever. She nodded faintly. "Being in love with your best friend's wife, or husband, sucks. Especially when you see them being wronged."
"You're in love with Lucas," he guessed.
"Since high school," she admitted. No point denying it.
"I'm sorry," he said earnestly. "Are they still together? Luke and Peyton?"
Brooke shook her head. "No, she confessed her sins, so to speak, minus Nathan's part in it, and they've since split up."
"So we're not exactly in the same position, are we?" Clay returned. "Since Lucas is actually available for the taking."
"Being single doesn't make him available," Brooke countered. "His heart's still with her, and I'm not looking to be a rebound."
Clay's gaze momentarily returned to Haley, and he smiled sadly. As bad as it sounded, he'd gladly be a rebound if that's all he could get. "I don't think you have to worry about that," he said to Brooke, looking somewhere past her. "Cause the way Luke's glaring at me right now spells jealous and, trust me, guys don't get jealous over rebounds."
"What? He's here?" she asked, glancing around.
"Just walked in," Clay told her, not missing the way her eyes lit up. When she excused herself, he nodded politely and went back to staring at Haley, deciding that he and Brooke were not in the same boat at all, for Haley had never looked at him the way he saw Luke look at Brooke. No, she only looked at Nathan that way.
He finished off the contents of his drink and ordered another. Not in the same boat at all, he thought dismally.
...
"Hey, pretty girl," Lucas greeted, the old term of endearment slipping from his tongue.
It made Brooke's stomach flutter and she smiled at him. "Hey," she greeted back. "You made it."
He nodded. "Shared my mom's babysitter," he revealed. "This teenage girl who lives just down the block."
"And you're good with that?" Brooke chuckled doubtfully. Lucas wasn't one to leave his daughter with just anyone.
He shrugged. "My mom swears by her and I trust her so...here I am."
"Here you are," she repeated, glad for it.
"What's Clay doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't he be in L.A. doing...agent things?"
Crap, she hadn't even asked. She'd lost her head the moment Luke had walked in, forgetting all about her purpose for going to talk to Clay in the first place. She suppressed a giddy smile. Was Luke jealous as Clay had mentioned? She shook the thought away. Wishful thinking, no doubt. She had to stop doing that. "No idea."
Luke shrugged in return, as though it weren't really important anyway. He didn't even want to think about what that feeling was that stirred within him when he saw Brooke semi-flirting with Clay. Friends, he reminded himself. But when Haley broke out into a ballad, he couldn't stop himself from asking her to dance. Friends dance.
"I'd love to," she said with that dimpled smile of hers that he'd always found so incredibly sexy.
Friends, he repeated silently as she grabbed his hand and led him to the dance floor.
...
Clay was well feeling the effects of the alcohol by the time Haley approached him after her first set.
"Clay, oh my God, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
His heart thumped in his chest at the friendly greeting she gave him. But then...
"Is Nathan home too? He never said a word about it, but he does like to surprise me. I don't even know why it still works anymore since he does it all the time..."
Before she could go on, he informed her that no, her husband wasn't with him.
"Oh," Haley said, shoulders slumping, clearly disappointed.
Clay's shoulders slumped too.
"So what are you doing here?" she asked again.
He hesitated a moment. Should he tell her he'd been fired from the agency? Obviously, she'd have questions. Oh, what the hell. She'd find out sooner or later when he remained in Tree Hill.
"Oh wow," she gasped once he'd told her. "Why? What happened?"
"I refused to represent a morally bankrupt client any longer, and they didn't like that," he answered with a deep scowl on his face.
"Oh," Haley said again, not knowing what else to say on that, and not at all sure she disagreed with the agency's actions. After all, he was hired to represent athletes in their careers, not judge their personal lives. It wasn't up to him to pick and choose who he was willing to work for.
He sensed her uneasiness, saw her disapproval and was suddenly ashamed for his hasty actions. Had he made the wrong move? No. He couldn't work with him and that was that. He'd done what he had to do. "Yeah," he said aloud. "So you'll be seeing me around a lot more."
She nodded politely. "So what does this mean for Nathan?" was all she wanted to know. Clay was a grown man. If he wanted to throw away his career for whatever reasons, it was his own choice. But her husband's career shouldn't have to suffer for it.
Of course she asked about Nathan. Damn, he didn't deserve her one bit, he thought for the hundredth time in the past month. "They replaced me. Don't worry about Nate," he said with barely concealed animosity. "He'll be fine."
"Good to know," she said with a visible sigh of relief. "Listen, I'm gonna go chat with the gang," she said next, indicating her group of friends. "You wanna join?"
"Nah, I'm ok," he replied, not much up for a crowd. He'd only come to see her play and basically find out what the situation with her and Nathan was currently at. And now he knew. He wasn't at all sure he agreed with Brooke's decision to keep quiet about Nathan and Peyton's affair, but neither was he sure whether this urge to tell Haley was for her sake, or his own.
She left him there and he watched her fight off the crowd of admirers on her way to her friends, politely dismissing advances from the more bold among them.
By the time she went up for her second set, he'd polished off two more drinks. And by the time she was done, he was three sheets to the wind.
He staggered over to her and claimed the last dance of the night, which she generally reserved for Nathan if he were present. Karen always ensured a few dj'd songs at the end of the night to give her live performers a chance to dance a bit too.
Haley took in Clay's condition warily, already foreseeing her toes being trampled on if she accepted. Giggling at the prospect, she placed a halting hand to his chest and kindly passed. He seemed to be having a hard enough time just standing there and she was quick to tease him for it.
He laughed at her assessment but didn't disagree. "Come on," he urged, taking her hand. "You can lead."
Laughing herself, she pulled her hand from his grasp. "I somehow doubt you could follow," she said in jest. "I'll take a rain check." Seriously, he was practically falling over as it was.
He was not to be deterred though. He was much too drunk for that. "Come on, Hales," he slurred. "I've known you more than two years now and have never gotten to dance with you." He reached for her hand again, only to have it shoved away, by David this time.
"Hey, she said no," her brother-in-law said in a dangerously low tone.
Clay actually laughed, and slurred his words. "Wasn't asking you, big guy," he said with a sloppy attempt at removing the bigger man's hand.
Haley could see the situation potentially escalating and quickly shot David a warning look. "I've got this, thanks," she said sternly. What was with every James husband going all alpha-male? David was like that, Nathan was certainly like that, and her sister Vivian's husband was the same as well. Did they all think her this weak damsel in distress in need of protection? And from Clay at that, whose only mistake was a drunken, somewhat pushy, request to dance? David acted as though she were in grave danger. Ridiculous.
Granted, she didn't want to dance with Clay, but that was only due to his current condition, and she was perfectly capable of turning him down and dealing with his alcohol-induced attempts to persuade her.
She looked at Clay now, his eyes so glossy and blood-shot that she could barely see the white around the pupils. "Rain check on that dance," she told the guy she very much considered, through Nathan, a family friend. "You should go home and sleep it off," she added quite sternly.
When he didn't move, David got in between again, shoving the smaller guy toward the exit.
Clay protested loudly, and Haley had to shake her head, knowing the poor guy would not only have a killer hangover tomorrow, but would also surely be embarrassed over making such a scene. If he were lucky, he wouldn't remember that part.
"Take it easy, will ya," David warned softly. "I'm just gonna put you in a cab," he said of the taxis he knew would be lined up outside at this time just waiting for drunken fares.
Clay sneered, not believing for one second that that was all he'd do. This guy had had it out for him ever since he'd flirted with Quinn last summer. But hell, he hadn't known she was married. Well, yeah, he had, but they were separated. How was he supposed to know they were so close to reconciling? He'd seen her as a beautiful James sister. Not quite the one he wanted, but one that was within his reach.
David knew what Clay thought—that he was taking him outside to rough him up—and oh how he'd love to do just that. It wasn't that he was a violent man by nature—he really wasn't—but he was fiercely protective of his family, and this guy...well, he just got under his skin. If Haley couldn't see it was more than a dance he was after, then she was being uncharacteristically naive. Even so, he wouldn't hurt the guy, knowing Haley, and probably Quinn too, would jump down his throat for it.
"Count your lucky stars Nathan's not here tonight," David muttered under his breath. Surely the dark haired Scott would not go so easy on the guy hitting on his wife, best friend or no.
Clay scoffed again. Truth was, he missed his best friend a lot. He truly did. But he couldn't see past the way he treated the woman he himself had come to care for so deeply. It was more than friendly feelings he had for Haley, yes—had been for a while now—but he'd never had a mind to come between her and Nathan. He'd had too much respect for both of them, individually and as a couple, to even think about crossing that line.
Even when Nathan had hooked up with those party sluts near the beginning of his career, Clay had still respected him. Of course he hadn't gotten to know Haley all that well at that point, but that wasn't really the reason Clay had still seen Nathan as a good man despite those momentary lapses of judgment. It was because Nathan had backed out of the party scene voluntarily in order to change his behavior and hold on to a marriage he still seemed to cherish.
Clay had had a staggering amount of admiration for his friend at that time. He knew it wasn't easy for Nathan to forego the parties and combat the loneliness that ensued because of it. But he'd done it, spending much of his time alone while the other team members celebrated and socialized. Nathan had recognized his own weakness and attacked it. Clay couldn't have been more proud nor had he once thought that his friend didn't deserve his wife. He'd made mistakes, big ones even, but had taken the necessary steps to ensure he didn't make them again. As far as Clay was concerned, there was nothing else to do about it. Nothing else to be expected from a flawed human being, as we all were. Everybody fell short sometimes.
But this thing with Peyton Sawyer was on a whole new level, and Clay could not respect that. She wasn't a drunken one night stand Nathan could barely recall. She was an ongoing affair. A woman he consciously and soberly fucked for months. His brother's wife, at that. No, Clay could not respect that at all. Not even in his drunken haze.
"What? You think Nathan's the better guy?" he slurred. "Cause he's not. He's not the good guy you all think he is." Then louder, he went on. "You hear me, Haley? He's not the perfect husband you imagine him to be. Just ask Brooke. She can tell you."
Before he could say any more, David had him outside, his own fury rising. If this guy didn't shut up, he would beat his ass, consequences be damned.
Instead he tossed him in the back of a cab and, to ensure the driver got paid, he gave him more than enough to cover the fare. "Keep the change," he said gruffly. Compensation for having to deal with the little weasel in back.
Meanwhile, inside, Haley's, and everyone else's, eyes fell on Brooke, all curious to know what Clay's remark was about.
Haley was the one to ask. "What did that mean, 'ask Brooke'?"
Trying to keep a cool front while her stomach tightened in knots, Brooke put on a fake smile. "Who knows?" she asked flippantly, hoping her voice wouldn't betray her. "The guy's wasted."
Haley smiled back. "You think?" she asked with a small chuckle. "I sure don't envy his headache in the morning."
"No, definitely not," Brooke returned with a small—and fake—chuckle of her own.
And damn did she feel like shit for it. Keeping Nathan's secret was one thing when all she had to do was keep her mouth shut. Outright lying to one of her closest friends was an entirely different story. A story she didn't care for one bit. She only hoped for now that Haley—and Lucas—didn't see right through her.
They didn't.
But unbeknownst to even Haley herself, another seed of doubt had just been planted and was taking root deep within her soul.
...
A/N: I know, I know, a great big chapter in a N/P story with only one line for Nathan, and Peyton nowhere to be found. Sorry about that. Some of these other things had to get set up and there was nothing to make them do in the meantime, except for the stuff they've already been doing...lol. So just imagine that Peyton is still crying and upset, and Nathan is still bored, lonely and deep in thought. LOL. They'll be back next chapter.