Say Yes to a Second Chance

by Kirk, Cindy

  A wave of humiliation washed over Adrianna. It was bad enough she’d noticed it. Her cheeks burned, knowing everyone had been talking about her and Tripp.

  Tripp’s brows slammed together.

  “If I kiss Adrianna, the way I kiss Adrianna is none of your business,” he snapped. “It’s no one else’s business either. Besides, Adrianna happens to like the way I kiss her. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

  “Well, actually—” Adrianna began.

  “Okay, okay.” Hailey rolled her eyes. “I was just curious. By the way, Dad said to remind you Radley Meints is coming over Thursday, so make sure the meeting is on your calendar.”

  “I’ll be there,” Tripp said.

  Adrianna cleared her throat, her insides still churning over that “good buddy” comment. “Who’s Radley Meints?”

  “He’s a political adviser.” Tripp straightened and wiped his hands on a dish towel. “We’re going to discuss what’s involved in mounting a campaign for mayor.”

  “You’re seriously considering running?”

  A watchful look filled his eyes. “Sounds like you don’t approve.”

  “It’s not up to me to approve or not,” she said lightly, turning away. “I just didn’t know your plans were this far along.”

  Had Tripp ever mentioned meeting with a political adviser? No, he hadn’t. That was something she’d have remembered. A twinge of disappointment mixed with rising anger nipped at her.

  “I need to know what you think, Adrianna,” he said. “This will affect you, too.”

  She forced a little laugh. “How will it affect me?”

  “You know how politics is...anyone close to me will be under the microscope.”

  Close to him. That was her. His good buddy.

  “It’s your life, Tripp. You have to do what’s right for you,” she said in a noncommittal “buddylike” tone. “Once we’ve cleaned this up, I think you’d better take me home. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tripp was thankful when Monday morning dawned and he could go into the office. Ever since Saturday night, he’d felt off-balance. He’d been happy that his dad had been able to return home Sunday, but the relaxing day he’d anticipated hadn’t materialized.

  First Adrianna had found the box. He couldn’t blame her for getting into his closet because he’d given her carte blanche to search his home. But standing in the doorway, seeing her looking through Gayle’s things had been...difficult.

  It was like watching his past and present collide. Like seeing Poppy, the box of photos and baby stuff had brought back memories—and emotions—he thought he’d put to bed. Or at least had under better control.

  He tried to concentrate on his computer monitor, but instead of the spreadsheet of figures, he saw Gayle’s smiling face on their last day together just before she’d left for the cabin in the mountains. He’d kissed her goodbye, promising to join her as soon as his late-afternoon meeting was over.

  Even though Gayle had experienced some ambivalence about the pregnancy early on, she’d seemed excited and happy that day.

  When he’d gotten the phone call telling him both his wife and baby had died, Tripp’s mind had gone blank. It was as if he’d heard the words but couldn’t comprehend. They were both...gone. No warning. No time to say goodbye.

  He remembered swallowing against rising nausea. Once his brain had started buzzing, the pain had hit like a Mack truck.

  Everyone had told Tripp to give it time, assured him that the pain would lessen. They were right. No one had warned there would be all those dark days first, when he wished he’d died with them.

  Adrianna’s texts had been a bright spot during that hard period. He realized he’d never thanked her. Never told her how much those friendly contacts had meant to him.

  A buzz sounded and he automatically pushed the intercom button, welcoming the reprieve from his thoughts. “Yes?”

  “A Ms. Poppy Westover to see you, sir,” Paula said in her official voice. “She’s not on your schedule. I wasn’t sure of your availability—”

  “I’ve got time.” Tripp pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. “Please send her in.”

  Seconds later, Poppy strolled into his office. Gone were the beehive and exaggerated makeup, the pearls and the sixties dress. In their places were sleek dark hair, trendy amber glasses and a dress with blocks of colors that reminded him of fall.

  She looked, he thought, more New York City than Jackson Hole.

  He rounded the desk to greet her.

  “Poppy—” he extended both hands “—I’m glad you stopped by. We didn’t get a chance to visit on Saturday.”

  “Thanks for seeing me.” Her red lips curved up in a smile and she gave his fingers a brief squeeze.

  “I like the glasses.” He gestured for her to take a seat, then took the one beside her. “Are they new?”

  “Relatively recent,” she admitted. “Wearing contacts had become a chore. But I desperately need the vision correction. Without glasses, I can barely see ten feet.”

  She’d been squinting at the party, he realized, not scowling. Some of the tension he’d held inside eased. They hadn’t had a chance to talk privately after Gayle’s death. At the funeral, he’d gotten the feeling she blamed him for letting Gayle go to the cabin alone.

  “I probably should have phoned for an appointment.” She sounded uncharacteristically unsure. “I hope I’m not interrupting any lunch plans.”

  Tripp glanced at the clock on the wall. He hadn’t even realized it was already that time. He briefly wondered if Adrianna was available, then remembered she’d told him her day would be a busy one.

  “I haven’t eaten. If you don’t have plans we could grab a bite. Catch up.” Tripp may have spoken impulsively, but inviting her felt right. She’d been a good friend to Gayle and to him.

  A look of surprise followed quickly by pleasure crossed Poppy’s face. “I’d like that.”

  “Are you in the mood for anything in particular?”

  She gave a little laugh. “Is Perfect Pizza still in operation?”

  He nodded.

  “When I first moved to New York, I craved their chicken Tuscany.”

  “The pizza with the cream-cheese topping.”

  A touch of pink colored her cheeks. “I know it’s rather decadent, but hey, you only live once.”

  True, he thought, and sometimes not for all that long. Tripp pulled his thoughts back to the woman beside him. “Will Bill be able to join us? It’d be great to see him again.”

  Okay, that might be stretching the truth a bit. Poppy’s husband, Bill Stanhope, was a prominent NYC neurosurgeon. He’d been divorced with grown kids when he and Poppy had met and married. Bill was arrogant and a bit of a jerk, but for old times’ sake, Tripp could endure his company for an hour or two.

  “Bill is ancient history.” Poppy lifted a hand in an airy wave, but for a brief second he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes. “We separated a couple years ago. Our divorce was final last January.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Tripp was sorry. Even though he hadn’t cared for the guy, Poppy had once seemed very happy with Stanhope.

  “Yes, well.” She glanced at the Apple watch on her slender wrist. “I need to run a quick errand. Would meeting there at 12:45 work for you?”

  He smiled. “I’ll see you then.”

  Once Poppy left, Tripp refocused on the screen, trying to get a few more minutes of work done, but again he found it difficult to concentrate.

  He thought about texting Adrianna to see how her day was going, but held back. Tripp wondered if this growing need for her, if this involvement with her, was a mistake. They’d gone so quickly from friends to casual lovers to his wanting to be with her all the time. Which was a problem. He wasn’t ready for a full-fledged relationship. He didn’t have the time. Like now—here he was thinking of her when he should be working.

  If he did commit to running for mayor, his
days and nights would be packed to the brim with meetings, fundraisers and required events.

  But what was the solution? Walk away from Adrianna? The sick feeling in the pit of his belly told him he may have already waited too long for that to be an option.

  No, he told himself. No promises had been made. No words of love exchanged.

  The tension gripping his chest eased. When he looked at the screen, the spreadsheet beckoned.

  With one eye on the clock, he resumed working.

  * * *

  Adrianna’s Monday started off far earlier than she’d anticipated. One of the patients who’d been scheduled for an induction that morning had shown up at the hospital with food poisoning at 4:00 a.m.

  Even though Adrianna had gone to bed early, racing thoughts had kept sleep at bay. Still groggy, Adrianna had jumped out of bed and headed to the hospital. Dr. Michelle Davis, one of the ob-gyns she worked with, had beaten her there. Her colleague had taken one look at Adrianna’s pale complexion and red eyes and teasingly asked if she was certain she hadn’t had any of the macaroni salad the patient had ingested.

  Adrianna had responded that not everyone looked as good as Michelle did without makeup, then squirted a stream of Visine into her eyes.

  While Michelle tended to the food-poisoning patient, Adrianna had turned her attention to a forty-two-year-old first-time mother who was past her due date and also scheduled for an induction. Preferring to go the natural route, the pregnant woman had been given a tincture of black and blue cohosh.

  The herbs had worked remarkably well and labor had progressed rapidly. Even as the new mom and her husband were cuddling their baby girl, Karla Anderson had shown up at the emergency room, distraught and crying.

  Karla advised the E.R. doc that the last time she’d felt her baby move had been over twenty-four hours earlier. Dr. Wahl, one of the doctors on duty, had been unable to pick up a heartbeat. Concerned, he’d contacted Adrianna, and Karla had been transferred to the maternity area.

  There was a quality of unreality to the situation, Adrianna had thought. Karla had been in only last week for her monthly ante-partum visit and the pregnancy had been progressing normally. Yet, the additional tests confirmed the E.R. doc’s findings.

  Adrianna sat down with Karla, held the young woman’s trembling hands and explained her baby would be stillborn. Adrianna was surprised at how calm and rational she sounded when her heart was breaking inside. She cradled the sobbing Karla in her arms and held her for the longest time.

  Once hospital social worker Lexi Delacourt arrived, they quietly and gently informed Karla of her options. After more tears, Karla chose to wait until her mother got back into town at the end of the week instead of being immediately induced. She was on the phone with the baby’s father when Adrianna slipped from the room, leaving the young woman in Lexi’s capable hands.

  It was barely one o’clock and Adrianna felt like an old dish towel hung out to dry, whipping in a brisk breeze. She needed Tripp. Needed to feel his arms around her. Needed his comfort. His warmth.

  It isn’t weakness, she told herself. When you love someone, you’re there for them. And they’re there for you.

  She hadn’t heard from him, but then, she’d told him she’d be tied up most of the day and he’d mentioned something about finishing up a big presentation. Adrianna knew how single-minded Tripp could be once he got involved in a project. If she was lucky, he’d be in his office. If she was even luckier, he’d be alone.

  Adrianna changed out of her scrubs and freshened up before heading to the executive office suites. Paula was at her desk. The personal assistant gave her a quizzical look when she saw her. She wondered if it was the lack of makeup or the dark circles under her eyes.

  “I’m here to see Tripp.”

  “He left for lunch a little while ago.” Paula looked confused. “I thought he was meeting you.”

  Adrianna fought to keep the disappointment from her voice. “He probably had a business meeting.”

  “I don’t think so.” Paula’s brows puckered. “He mentioned something about chicken Tuscany at Perfect Pizza. That’s not a place he’d typically choose for a business meeting.”

  Adrianna paused. Would he have gone out to lunch alone? Yes, especially if he was in the mood for that kind of pizza. Her hopes rose.

  “Shall I have him call you?” Paula offered. “Tell him you stopped by?”

  “No need.” Adrianna waved a vague hand. “I’ll catch up with him later.”

  When she left Tripp’s office, Adrianna headed out the front door of the hospital. It was a glorious fall day with a crisp bite to the air, but Adrianna barely noticed. Normally she loved hearing the crackle of dried leaves crunching beneath her feet. Today, they were an irritation, scattering dust across the tops of her shoes.

  The plan had been to simply walk for several blocks, stretch her legs, then return to the clinic for her late-afternoon appointments. Or so she told herself. Before she knew it, she was downtown. Because Perfect Pizza was just off the main square, she decided to take a quick detour and see if Tripp was still there. See if he wanted company.

  She stepped inside the café and smiled at the young man behind the counter waiting to take her order.

  “I’m meeting someone,” she informed him before turning toward the dining room with its knotty pine booths and picnic-style log tables.

  She spotted Tripp immediately. Her heart, which had lurched in her chest at the sight of him, suddenly dropped to her toes. He wasn’t alone.

  Poppy Westover sat across the table from him, her dark hair shimmering in the overhead fluorescent lights. They were laughing, Adrianna noted dispassionately. While she watched, Poppy reached over and playfully took his hand.

  It was the maraschino cherry on the top of a rotten morning. Adrianna edged back from the dining area, not wanting to be seen. Wishing she hadn’t seen...

  “Did you find your friend?” the boy behind the counter asked.

  “He must have already left.” Before he could ask any more questions, Adrianna was out the door. The breeze was cool against her hot cheeks as she turned toward the clinic.

  * * *

  Tripp noticed Adrianna was unusually quiet over dinner at The Coffeepot. It wasn’t as if she’d been busy eating. She’d barely touched the catfish on her plate. He filled the silence, talking about everything from his father’s recent lab work to his upcoming board of trustees presentation.

  Even though Adrianna smiled in all the right places and made sounds of acknowledgment, something in her eyes, in the rigid set of her shoulders, worried him.

  “I stopped by to see if you were free for lunch today.” She waited to speak until the waitress had refilled their iced tea and left the check on the table.

  “I’m sorry I missed you,” he said, encouraged by the fact she was ready to converse.

  When he’d first told her about his day, he hadn’t mentioned seeing Poppy because it didn’t seem all that relevant. Perhaps he’d been wrong to omit it. “Poppy stopped by. We had lunch at Perfect Pizza.”

  Adrianna offered a brittle smile.

  “I found out she was squinting at the party—” he forced a laugh “—not glaring at me. She needs her glasses to see but didn’t wear them because they were too modern for her outfit.”

  Something flickered in Adrianna’s cool green eyes when he paused to take a breath.

  Tripp pressed his lips together to stop the rambling.

  “Hmm.”

  “What do you mean by ‘hmm’?” he asked, feeling guilty but not knowing why. Feeling frustrated, too.

  She traced a finger on the tabletop. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately.”

  “About what?”

  She straightened in her chair. “Our relationship.”

  A quick chill sprinted up his spine and he noticed the coolness in her eyes had leeched into her voice.

  “What about our relationship?” He found himself stumbling over the words.

/>   “You’re a busy man, Tripp. You don’t have time to date.”

  It had been what he’d told himself all along. Why, then, did it sound wrong coming from her lips?

  He pulled his brows together. “Is this because I had lunch with Poppy and forgot to tell you?”

  “You didn’t forget,” she snapped, then ran her fingers through her hair. She blew out a breath. When she spoke again her voice was calm and well-modulated. “Anyway, I’m not your keeper.”

  “That’s right. You’re not.” At his raised voice, several patrons at nearby tables turned to stare. When he spoke again, his voice was conciliatory. “Look, I’m sorry. I should have told you about the lunch. We did a lot of reminiscing about Gayle, that’s all.”

  “Oh.” A look Tripp couldn’t decipher crossed her face. “You can talk to her about Gayle, but not to me?”

  Tripp held on to his temper with both hands. It was almost as if Adrianna was spoiling for a fight. Well, he wasn’t going to give her one.

  “If you have something to say, just say it,” he said in as mild a tone as he could muster.

  “The box of Gayle’s stuff,” she reminded him. “I tried to talk to you about her then, but you shut me down. She was my friend, too.”

  She was also jealous of you.

  For a second he thought he’d spoken the words aloud. Words he’d vowed never to say to her. Adrianna didn’t deserve to have the memory of her friendship with Gayle tarnished by unjustified accusations spoken in the heat of anger.

  After speaking with Poppy today, Tripp felt he understood a little better what had driven Gayle. Poppy firmly believed his wife’s insecurities had stemmed from her father’s infidelities. His cheating had affected Gayle much more than Tripp realized.

  The fact that Gayle had feared Adrianna would be a better match for him had further fueled her insecurities.

  Although Tripp had loved Gayle deeply, he reluctantly admitted—but only to himself—that he and Adrianna were a better match. Adrianna enjoyed spending time with him and his family. She loved Jackson Hole and while her job was important to her, it wasn’t her life.