by Maya Banks
When four o’clock rolled around she couldn’t get out of the office fast enough. Settling behind the wheel of her jeep, she allowed herself a brief moment of melancholy before she cranked the engine and tore out the parking lot like the devil himself was on her tail.
She took the side streets to avoid driving down Main Street. Normally she’d wave to people she knew as she passed, but today her pariah status made her wish she had a paper bag to wear over her head.
When she finally drove into her driveway, she sighed in relief. She walked to the door but saw her elderly neighbors watching her out of the corner of her eye. Turning around, she waved and smiled brightly.
“I ought to sell tickets to this circus,” she muttered as she let herself in the house.
She dropped her keys on the table next to her purse and surveyed the empty living room. Only one of the trucks was gone out front, but all three must have gone together, because the house was eerily quiet.
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, she poured a glass of juice and escaped to the back patio. She sank into one of the lawn chairs and closed her eyes wearily. For someone who spent a great deal of her time practicing obscurity, her newfound bug under a magnifying glass act was giving her a serious stomachache.
It wasn’t the fact that everyone thought she’d screwed up. She had screwed up. It went way beyond just being a single pregnant woman. She’d acted irresponsibly in a weak moment, and now not only would she have to pay for it, but Simon and their baby would suffer as well.
She had to tell him, but every time she thought of it, her tongue swelled and no words would come out of her mouth. What could she say anyway? By the way Simon, we had unprotected sex one night when you thought I was your girlfriend and now I’m pregnant.
A tear slid down her cheek as she berated herself for the hundredth time since that night. She hastily wiped at her face when she heard the sliding door open. Footsteps approached, but she didn’t look up.
Simon knelt beside her chair and looked at her in concern. “What’s wrong,” he asked quietly.
He cupped her cheek and turned her to look back at him. “You’ve been crying.”
He always did have a knack for stating the obvious. She sighed deeply. “Just feeling sorry for myself.”
He rose and pulled a chair next to hers. “What’s got you down?”
“I’m the new topic of gossip in Cypress. I wore a maternity shirt to work today and Mrs. Hauffrey came in with the poodles.”
He winced. “Say no more.”
“Yeah.”
“Want something to eat? I’m cooking,” he said cajolingly.
She gave him a half-hearted smile. “Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”
He walked back into the house, and she closed her eyes once more. His handsome face floated teasingly in front of her again. With a shake of her head, she sat up and strode back into the house.
“Hey gorgeous,” A.J. sang out, catching her with one arm as she entered the living room. He gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of her head.
She grinned despite her sour mood.
“Now that’s better,” he said approvingly. “You looked like you’d swallowed a lemon when you first walked in.”
“Just a watermelon seed,” she teased.
He stuck out a hand to her belly. “Hmmm, nope not yet. When’s that kid going to pop out anyway?”
“You’re in the wrong spot.” She moved his hand lower.
“Hey, there it is! It’s cute,” he said as he massaged the slight swell.
She raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Cute?”
“Quit mauling her, bonehead,” Simon said with a scowl. “Dinner’s almost done so get your butt over here and set the table.”
“What’s your hurry, dude?”
“He’s got a date,” Matt volunteered with a roll of his eyes.
Toni’s heart lurched, but she fought to maintain a neutral expression. “Oh? Who’s the lucky girl?”
A peculiar expression lit Simon’s face. “It’s not a date.”
“Starla,” Matt said in a disgusted voice.
Forgetting neutrality altogether, Toni’s mouth dropped open. “Starla? The same Starla who cheated on you just a few months ago?”
“It’s not a date,” he said repeated.
“Are you out of your mind?” she demanded.
Matt’s eyes widened in surprise at Toni’s raised voice.
“Why on earth would you give her the time of day much less a second chance?” Toni shook her head in disbelief, her face growing hotter.
“I’m not giving her anything,” he said defensively. “She just wanted to talk.”
She snorted. “Talk my foot. That’s fine, Simon. But I won’t be around this time to help you pick up the pieces.” She whirled around and stomped to her room.
“What was all that about?” Matt murmured.
Simon slowly turned back to the stove. What the heck did she mean help him pick up the pieces? Maybe her pregnancy hormones were raging, or maybe she was upset over the day she’d had.
“She was just saying what you and I are thinking,” A.J. said in disgust. “I don’t understand why he’d give her the time of day either.”
Matt shrugged. “It’s his business, I suppose.”
Simon turned around. “Thank you, Matt. You are exactly right.” He leveled a pointed stare at A.J.
A.J. shrugged. “Sometimes, Simon, you are the biggest fool. If you can’t see what’s so clearly under your nose you deserve someone like Starla.”
He turned and exited the kitchen as well.
“What the hell?” Simon demanded. He looked over at Matt. “Is there something going on I don’t know about?”
“Don’t ask me,” Matt replied. “You know I’m always the last person to know anything around here. But you know, they do have a valid point. Why are you going out with Starla?”
“I just want some answers.” That and he wanted to get his mind off of Toni. It was getting ridiculous. He was dreaming about her. Fantasizing about her. If he didn’t get himself in control soon, he’d do something he’d regret.
What he’d done is pissed her off, though he couldn’t quite understand why. But then she’d always been a little overprotective of him and the other guys. Like a mama lion protecting her cubs. Heaven help the girl that ever trod on them.
He grinned. Perhaps he ought to explain to her why he was even speaking to Starla. But then it wouldn’t be as fun to see her all riled up. And he couldn’t exactly tell her the main reason he was getting out of the house with another woman. He could well envision the shock on her face if he told her about the vivid fantasies he was having about her…naked.
Why was he seeing Starla again? Was he a masochist? Or maybe he wasn’t as torn up about her betrayal as he’d let on. It had obviously upset him enough that he indulged in something he never did—drinking.
Toni flopped onto her bed in disgust. Contending with Starla was not a kink she’d planned on having to deal with. It was hard enough just to try and get him to notice her without having to compete with another woman. A woman who had held Simon’s heart before.
Her hopes sank a bit further. Starla was everything she wasn’t. Beautiful, confident, and most importantly, she wasn’t pregnant.
