by Holly Jacobs
"I'm sorry about this afternoon."
"Okay." She opened the door a crack, holding on to the handle so that there was a narrow opening.
"I mean, I found out where Samuels got his information. Do you remember a nurse named Stella?"
"Stella was very nice." She gave Riley a meaningful look and added, "Unlike some people."
"She remembered you too and told Samuels that you were looking for the guy who had brought you in, Riley Calhoon. He took it from there."
"Okay." She shrugged her shoulders.
"What I'm saying is, I jumped to a conclusion and I'm sorry."
"So am I." Sorry that she'd been wrong thinking she was building something with Riley.
A relationship.
Yeah, that's what she'd imagined. But it hadn't been. A relationship required trust, mutual respect. He didn't feel either toward her.
"Then we're okay?" he asked.
"We're fine. Now, if you'll excuse me."
She started into the apartment, holding on to the door so Riley couldn't enter.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
"No."
"I thought you said we were fine."
"We are. I'm fine here, and you're fine wherever it is you want to be as long as it's not here."
"Paige, I'm sorry."
"So am I. I'm sorry that for a short time I forgot that your cup is always half-empty. I used to feel sorry for you, but now I'm rethinking it. You're right. I mean, there I was, thinking something was growing between us, something special. I'd put on those damned rose-colored glasses, moved into Polly World, lock, stock and barrel, and was convinced that things were going to work out between us. And look what's happened."
"Things can work between us. I want them to."
"No, you don't. If you did, you would have offered me some measure of trust. But the first chance you had of convincing yourself I was out to get you, you grabbed it. If I had told your colleagues, then all your paranoid, cynical fears were confirmed. I think you were relieved that you had some tangible excuse to break things off with me."
"I wasn't. I'm not." He raked his hand through his hair. "I don't want to break things off."
"Doesn't matter. Because I'm done. You win. Life sucks. You suck. We're over. Pollyanna's glasses have just chipped and she's moved back into the real world. She's learned that life doesn't always have a fairy-tale ending. You're no hero, and I was never a princess that needed saving."
"But I—"
"Goodbye, Riley. I've got to change."
She shut the door in his face.
10
WHAT HAD HE DONE? And how was he going to undo it?
The questions pounded at Riley. He'd chased away the one woman who'd ever mattered to him. The one woman he loved.
Loved.
He'd spent a lot of time weighing the word, as if he was measuring its use for some column. And no matter how he twisted it, it was the best word to describe his feelings for Paige.
He loved her.
Riley Calhoon loved Paige Montgomery.
I love you. That's what he wanted to say to her. He couldn't contract any of the words, but it was a short enough sentence. He'd willingly turn it into a longer sentence though, if it would make her believe him. He'd feed her rhapsodizing, poetic proclamations of his love. He'd prattle on and on about the depths of his feelings, because even the prospect of prattling didn't faze him. He'd prattle away happily if only Paige would listen to him. But she wouldn't.
She was screening her calls at home, and told the receptionist at the station not to put him through. Though he tried tailing her, she threatened to get a restraining order.
That was a very un-Paige-ish thing to say.
It was more something Riley would say. The thought that he'd driven her to taking on his dismal view of the world depressed him.
At wit's end, he decided to go to Annabelle. He found her in the solarium playing solitaire.
Solitaire.
That's how Riley was going to end up. Solitary. Alone for the rest of his life. Once upon a time that's how he'd thought he wanted it. Now? A life without Paige wouldn't be much of a life.
"Annabelle," he said as he took the seat opposite her.
"Thought you'd show up eventually. You certainly made a mess of things, boy."
"I didn't mean to."
"No, I don't suppose you did. You're a man, and men tend to be prone to mistakes. You'd think Paige was smart enough to know that. But the girl put you on a pedestal—"
Riley snorted. Pedestal?
"I don't think so," he said. "The thing about Paige was that she saw me as I was and liked me anyway. Obviously, she hadn't seen everything and when she dug a little deeper she didn't. This is hopeless."
"Oh, you're absolutely a boneheaded, thick sort of man, Riley Calhoon. You're just going to give up?"
"I don't know what else to do. I've called, I've followed her, hell, I even wrote her. It was a long, sappy tome of a letter. I got it back unopened, marked 'return to sender.'"
"So think of something bigger." Annabelle discreetly pulled a card out of mid-deck and laid it on the solitaire hand.
Riley was too depressed to call her on her cheating. "Bigger?"
"When you've dealt yourself a rotten hand, you simply have to stack the deck with something bigger and better. You hurt her feelings by not believing in her. Now you have to do something big, something out of character, to show her you were wrong. It just so happens that I've been thinking of ideas. There's always your column. I mean, rather than writing about what's wrong with the world, write about what's right. Write about love."
"Annabelle, what would people think if I started writing about love? I write about issues—stories that mean something. What would they think?"
She slapped the deck of cards on the table and looked him in the eye. "They'd think that you're in love."
"I'd look foolish."
"You're supposed to look foolish when you're in love. The bigger the fool, the bigger the love."
"Is that written down somewhere?"
She laughed. "I have an idea that would make you look like an even bigger fool. If you're brave enough. It's something that might just be big enough to make Paige sit up and take notice."
Looking foolish was something Riley tended to avoid, but he'd already looked about as foolish as he could in Paige's eyes. And he'd discovered those were the only eyes that mattered. So what if the rest of the world thought he was nuts? If he had Paige back, it didn't matter.
Annabelle's grin was unsettling, but Riley found himself saying "I'm listening," anyway.
"Well. . ."
Two hours later, Riley still couldn't believe he was taking Annabelle's advice. If Paige needed him to make a fool of himself to prove his love, then this one stunt was going to make her feel like the most loved woman in the world.
He sucked in a deep breath and pressed his case before he could talk himself out of it.
He faced WMAC's news director and assignment editor. "Paul and Stephanie, you've been trying to put a gentler spin on the news here at WMAC and, from the statistics, it seems to be working. What if I had an idea for something new and innovative? Something no one else in the market has ever done. Something guaranteed to reach your target audience of women and keep them tuned into WMAC."
"We're listening," Paul said.
"Well. . ."
"THIS IS DANA MARCUS here at WMAC news, where nice news matters. We're interrupting your program for this breaking news story." She paused a moment and said, "Riley?"
The camera panned to Riley Calhoon, who was seated behind the news desk. "I'm Riley Calhoon. Generally, you only see me in the paper, but today I'm branching out with a news flash. I'm in love. If you're a regular reader you might be surprised, but no more so than I. I'm in love. There it is."
He took a deep breath and tried to control his racing pulse. "I'm hopelessly, head over heels in love with WMAC's own Paige Montgomery. So in love, in fact, that
I want to marry her. The problem is, I did something stupid and she won't talk to me. So I took this drastic measure to reach her. Paige. I love you. I'm sorry. Give me another chance."
The camera moved back to Dana. "We'll keep you updated on this emerging story, here at WMAC, where nice news matter and matters of the heart matter most. Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast."
THE PHONE RANG.
Paige glanced at the extension by her bed and saw three empty glasses and groaned.
She'd switched from regular floats to diet cola because she was on the television and had to watch her weight. But diet cola didn't negate her bloated stomach.
Floats might be her comfort food, but if she was any more comforted, she might explode.
The phone kept ringing. She'd turned off the answering machine last night. She didn't want to talk to or hear from anyone.
Whoever was calling was persistent.
Paige had been lying in bed, thinking about getting up, but not going much further than thinking about it. Oh, she'd got up and went to the bathroom once—after all those floats it was a necessity—but afterward had immediately crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over her head.
She was depressed.
Riley used to taunt her about seeing the glass half-full. Well, right now the glass was totally empty—she'd probably drunk it down along with all those floats—and she didn't know how to get it back.
The phone continued ringing, and Paige mustered up enough energy to answer it. "Hello?"
"Paige, how could you be so cruel?" came a voice she knew she should recognize but couldn't quite place.
"Who is this?"
"Pearly. Pearly Gates over here at Snips and Snaps. We had to pull a television into the salon because everyone's been following the story all day. Even the new girl, Merry, is hooked. He was stupid, but honey, all men are stupid. If you hold that against them, you'll never hold a man against you. And like we said that day Riley came in here, he's definitely a holdable man. Make up."
"Pearly, what are you talking about?" Paige asked, flipping back the covers and sitting up.
"Have you turned on the television today?"
"No."
"Turn on WMAC. You'll see. Then go find the boy and make nice." Pearly hung up.
Paige pulled herself out of bed and turned on the television in her room. What she saw was a soap opera. Pearly wanted her to watch a soap opera?
Paige crawled back in bed, pulled up the covers, closed her eyes and listened to the drone of voices. Some woman argued about who Diego really loved.
No one. That's who that Diego loved, Paige thought bitterly. Men were like that. They made you think they cared, and then they broke your heart.
Not that her heart was broken. No, not at all.
She wasn't in bed pining for Riley. She was simply. . .
"And now it's time for a Marry-Me-Paige-athon update, here on WMAC, where nice news matters and matters of the heart matter the most."
Paige sat up and stared at the television screen.
The camera focused on Riley. He was looking a little worse for wear. His face was stubbled, and he looked weary. He started talking about the hockey game and almost getting hit with a puck. "Maybe that's when it hit me, this is a woman I could love."
What woman was he talking about? Certainly not her. He didn't even like her. He thought she'd betrayed his confidence. But she knew that it wasn't the thought of her telling, as much as his way of backing out of their relationship. He didn't want to need her and that was just fine with her. She didn't need him.
"She was so warm, so giving. Maybe she'll be forgiving as well? Paige, if you're listening, I'm sorry. Call me."
The camera turned back to Dana, who said, "Stay tuned for our next Riley break at the top of the hour."
What was Riley up to? Better yet, why would WMAC think this was news?
Just then the doorbell rang.
Suddenly, very aware of her ratty sweats and bedhead hair, she peeked out the spy hole. The building's super stood, scowling, outside her door.
She cracked the door an inch, leaving the chain on, trying to hide behind it. "Yes?"
"You gotta do something, Paige."
"About what?" she asked.
"Have you looked out your window?"
"No."
"There are people out there with signs."
"Signs?"
"Saying things like Riley's Sorry and Marry Him, Paige. They're marching up and down the street out there, and the other residents are starting to complain. Three of the marchers have tried to get up here. I had to hire someone to watch the door. This is a quiet building. You know I like you. Everyone here does. But that doesn't mean we can put up with this."
"I'm sorry, Henry. I didn't ask these people here. It's all Riley's fault."
"Well, you have to do something."
Something. She had to do something.
She racked her float-addled mind for something she could do.
Her parents. They were in Florida.
Florida was a long way from Erie and Riley Calhoon.
"I'll do something. I'll leave town until this all dies down. I'll make sure everyone knows I'm gone, so maybe they'll leave you all alone." Her giant cat rubbed against the back of her leg. "Will you feed Cuddles while I'm gone?"
"You know that cat hates me," Henry grumbled.
"No, he's reformed. Remember, last time he didn't even try to claw you."
"No, he just hissed and sounded as if he was possessed." The big man paused a moment, and then added, "But I'll do it, if you'll just leave till this blows over."
"I will."
Paige shut the door and looked out the window. There were half a dozen people out there, just as Henry had said.
Her fingers trembled with fury as she dialed the office and got put through to Stephanie.
"Hello. WMAC. Stephanie Cooper speaking."
"Steph, what the hell are you doing?" She realized she swore, but she was beyond caring. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew she didn't like it.
"What I'm doing is putting on one of the smartest marketing ploys of my career. The phones are ringing off the hook. And the e-mail. . .Paige I'm forwarding them all to you. They're all telling you to forgive him, to take him back."
"I don't want them and I don't want him."
"Paige, our viewers are seeing this as a true romance story. They're identifying. We've been working at making this station woman-friendly. Well, you can't get more woman-friendly than a good love story. Riley's looking like the hero. He's every woman's fantasy. Come on. It was one stupid mistake, Paige."
"You're on his side, too?" Paige couldn't believe it. She thought Steph was her friend, and yet, she'd allowed Riley to commandeer the station and now she was pressing his case.
"This is business. Good business. Our ratings are going way up," Stephanie said. Immediately her voice dropped and she added, "But that's not all it is. I'm not taking sides. Or if I am, I'm taking yours. I'm hoping you don't throw away a good thing because he hurt your feelings."
"Don't you see, if I stay with him, being hurt would become the norm. He's a pessimist—always willing to believe the worst. Do you really think he's going to change?"
"Yes," Steph said. There was a certainty in her tone. "Have you listened to him?"
"Just the last update."
"Well, you've missed a lot. He told about rescuing you and mistaking your appendicitis as labor. He told about your following him for an interview. He's being open and honest. How could you doubt his sincerity? Come on in and tell him you forgive him. Let me interrupt the show and tell everyone you're on the way down. The whole city will be tuned in."
"Forget it. Remember when I said I need a few personal days? Well, let's dock my vacation a few more days because I'm leaving town."
"What do you mean?" Steph asked.
"I mean, I'm going to take my vacation elsewhere. There are people marching outside my ho
use. My super is complaining. And I've already had a call from my beautician, yelling at me. I'm not waiting around for any more. I'm leaving."
"Paige you're being awfully hard-hearted about this."
"I'll be back in the office next week. Riley had better be gone by then. Bye, Steph."
"Paige—"
Paige hung up and immediately the phone rang. She picked it up without even thinking. "Hello?"
"Paige Montgomery, just what are you thinking?"
What had Riley done to her? One more torture, that's what. On top of everything else she had to deal with, she had an irate Aunt Annabelle. Her aunt could be tough enough to deal with, but when she was annoyed, watch out.
"I'm not going into this with you, Aunt Annabelle."
"You're not too old for me to take you over my knee, young lady."
"I'd pay to see you try that." Cuddles crawled onto her lap and she stroked him, comforted by his warmth.
"When are you going to put the boy out of his misery?"
"I'm not. I'm going to Florida to visit Mom and Dad. Maybe I'll even do Disney World."
"Paige—"
"Goodbye, Aunt Annabelle. I'll see you when I get home."
"Stubborn. You're pure and simply the most—"
Paige hung up and, before the phone could ring, she called the airlines and bought a ticket to Orlando.
RILEY STARED DISMALLY at the camera. It was off but would be back on shortly. He'd been sure this idea would work. Sure that it would touch Paige.
He remembered their first date, all those months ago. He'd mocked Paige when she'd commented about a couple in the restaurant. . .
"They look so happy. I wish I had my camera. I'd find a way to work them into a segment."
"You'd call them news? See, that just goes to prove my point, you're not a real reporter."
"And you, who claim to see the world in such cynical terms, can't see that two people who've found love is news? That finding love is something that should be honored and acclaimed?"
"I think you're incredibly naive. Have you looked at the statistics lately? Love doesn't last."
That's what he'd said then. But now? Now he believed that love could indeed be forever. If the two people involved were right for each other.
