“How do you know?” Warrick challenged.
“Because if one had,” Randall said with calm, implacable resolve, “you would already be married by now.”
Warrick fell silent. What could he say? He didn’t know Raina well enough to judge whether or not she was marrying material, nor did he ever expect that to change. But he was intrigued, in spite of himself, by what Randall had said. Intrigued, and a little shaken. Because if anyone knew what Warrick would want in a prospective wife, his uncle did.
“Raina’s a good woman,” Randall said quietly, a note of unmistakable pride in his voice. “She’s the kind of woman who stands up for what she believes in, even if it costs her friends. She’s the kind of woman who makes time for her family. The kind of sister who makes a point of having dinner with her sibling every week, the kind of daughter who calls or visits her parents every day and who still enjoys trips to the hardware store with her old man. God knows she’s been more like a daughter to me than your cousin Lauren, who allowed her mother to poison her mind with lies about me.” He shook his head, his mouth twisting bitterly.
Warrick remained silent, knowing how much his uncle’s estrangement from his daughter still hurt and angered him. Lauren Mayne, a twenty-five-year-old aspiring actress living in Los Angeles with her mother, had made it painfully clear to her father that she wanted nothing to do with him. Since her parents’ acrimonious divorce when she was five, Lauren had spurned all of Randall’s attempts to have a relationship with her. Phone calls were rarely returned, birthday cards were often sent back unopened, gifts were accepted but seldom acknowledged and invitations to visit for the holidays were politely declined. Although Randall still blamed his vindictive ex-wife for turning their daughter against him, he also knew that Lauren, now an adult, could choose to meet him halfway if she really wanted to. Her refusal to do so spoke volumes.
But while Lauren had no use for her father, she apparently didn’t feel the same way about her cousin Warrick. When he earned his first million dollars, Lauren was one of the relatives who had crawled out of the woodwork to ask him for money. The first time she’d asked for a loan so that she could attend an elite acting school, promising to pay him back as soon as she “made it big.” When Warrick flatly suggested she contact her father—knowing she never would—Lauren had thrown a tantrum and hung up on him. The next time Warrick heard from her, she’d called to beg him to introduce her to an actress he was dating, in the hopes that the woman would introduce Lauren to her agent as well as some Hollywood bigwigs. This time Warrick had not minced words, telling his cousin to go straight to hell and to lose his damned number.
He’d never told his uncle about the phone calls. Warrick saw no reason to confirm Randall’s worst fear, which was that his only child had turned out to be nothing more than a spoiled brat who used people for her own selfish gain.
“Yeah, Raina’s nothing like Lauren,” Randall continued reflectively. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and a good heart. So don’t you go breaking it,” he warned, jabbing a finger at Warrick.
Warrick laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, pops. I’m not interested in Raina like that. And to be honest with you,” he added cynically, remembering with renewed anger what Raina had said to him that morning, “I don’t think she’d let me get close enough to hurt her, anyway.”
“Don’t be too sure about that. She still—” Randall broke off abruptly and glanced away.
Warrick frowned, eyeing him curiously. “She still what?”
Randall idly watched as Zeke and his young players left the basketball court and filed into the building, presumably for lunch, before he answered, “She still feels bad about what happened with Yolanda and the rest of the family. Raina’s a natural-born peacemaker. I can see her letting down her guard with you in an effort to reach some sort of compromise.”
“That would be most helpful,” Warrick muttered under his breath.
Randall glanced sharply at him, his lips thinning with displeasure. “Which reminds me. Don’t think for one second that I didn’t read that article in the Ledger this morning. Now, I’d like to think I had as much a hand in raising you as your mother did, so I know good and damned well I didn’t raise you to become some ruthless corporate shark who preys on others to get what he wants. I don’t care how the Wall Street Journal chooses to explain your success. That’s not the man you are. So I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you had nothing to do with that article—and I use the term loosely—written by your old girlfriend. And since this is the first major business decision you’ve ever kept from me, for reasons I won’t speculate about, I’m also going to assume that you don’t have an ulterior motive for choosing the site of Raina’s day spa for your new office complex.”
“I didn’t choose it,” Warrick said through gritted teeth. “My area research team did. And I happen to agree with their assessment of that site as the best location for our new headquarters. I make no apologies for that.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Randall retorted.
“Sure as hell sounded like it,” Warrick grumbled.
“Then you need to get your hearing checked, because that’s not what I was saying. But since you brought up the word, if you feel compelled to apologize, then that should tell you something without me ever having to say a word.”
Warrick opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. There was no point in arguing semantics with his uncle. When it came to Raina, there was no getting through to Randall.
Instead of trying, he stood and hitched his chin toward the empty basketball court. “You still owe me another game, old man.”
Randall gave him a knowing look. “Still need to blow off some steam?”
“I’m just getting warmed up,” Warrick muttered.
Chapter 10
Raina was miserable.
Nothing seemed to be going right in her life.
Her beloved spa was facing the very real threat of a hostile takeover. She’d received a ton of phone calls from people urging her to sell her land to Mayne Industries, and she’d heard pretty much the same thing from every business and community leader she’d contacted for support.
Her employees were worried about job security. That afternoon, Raina had caught one of her massage therapists surfing the Internet for openings at other spas. Trey was sulking and grumbling under his breath about the tragic demise of small businesses in America. Tina looked like she didn’t know whether to give Raina a hug, or ask her about the internship for her brother. Thankfully, she did neither.
Before Raina left for the evening, a forlorn Nikki informed her that she’d noticed a decrease in the volume of walk-in appointments that day. At any other time this news wouldn’t have generated too much concern, as the massage therapists were usually booked solid in advance and could barely accommodate customers who didn’t have reservations. But on a day like today, any news that even hinted at profit loss was like sounding a death knell.
Raina was furious with Warrick for waltzing back into her life after twelve years and turning her world upside down in a matter of three days.
So it was downright inconceivable that she could find herself feeling guilty—guilty!—about what she’d said to him during their argument that morning. Every time she replayed the words in her mind, a fresh wave of shame engulfed her.
I guess you can take the boy out of the gutter, but…Well, you get the point.
What in the world had possessed her to say something so malicious, so unforgivably condescending, to Warrick? No matter how angry or frustrated she was, there was no justification for the way she’d callously ridiculed the man’s background. Warrick could no more control growing up in the projects than she could control being born female. His strength and resilience, his unrelenting determination to overcome the obstacles in his life, were some of the many things Raina had always loved and respected about him. She’d never looked down on him or his family. Ever. If anything, she�
�d admired their closeness, their strong ties to the neighborhood and their ability to turn any occasion into a festive, joyous event where everyone, family and strangers alike, felt welcome.
Never in a million years could Raina have imagined using Warrick’s humble upbringing against him. She’d come off sounding like the stuck-up bitch Yolanda Mayne had once called her during a heated argument, for which she’d immediately apologized when she saw the wounded disbelief on her friend’s face.
But for months afterward, Raina had wondered if any of Yolanda’s siblings—namely Warrick—also believed that she was a snob, one who thought she was better than they were because her father was a doctor and her family lived in a nicer neighborhood.
Judging by the bone-chilling smile Warrick had given her that morning, he clearly hadn’t been surprised to hear such contemptible words come out of her mouth. Something in his eyes had told Raina that instead of shocking or even offending him, she’d only reinforced a perception he had about her. A horrible perception.
And for some reason, that made her feel exponentially worse.
Not even her sister’s tirade against Warrick could assuage Raina’s guilty conscience.
“I can’t believe he’d have the audacity to come back here after all these years and try to put you out of business!” Reese ranted when she called Raina that evening on her way home. “Does he have no shame? Haven’t he and his family put you through enough?”
“Apparently not,” Raina murmured dryly.
“How can you be so calm about this?” Reese shrieked. “You should be furious!”
“Believe me, I am. But I’ve had a few days to deal with it and get over the initial shock.”
“And that’s another thing. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me what was going on, Raina! I had to find out from one of my patients who read the article in the Ledger. And don’t even get me started on that trifling hussy Deniece. She’s always been jealous of you.”
Raina snorted. “I don’t know why. She had Warrick.”
“And she can keep him! He’s nothing but a low-down snake in the grass. As far as I’m concerned, those two deserve each other. Now we know why he kissed you yesterday, Raina. He was trying to seduce you into giving him what he wanted.”
“Obviously,” Raina muttered, silently castigating herself for being gullible enough to believe that Warrick, like her, had been swept away by passion.
Reese said angrily, “Now will you believe me when I tell you that Warrick Mayne can only hurt you?”
Raina blew out a deep, shaky breath that burned in her lungs. “Yes.”
Hearing the note of resignation in her voice, Reese’s tone gentled. “You sound like you could use a hug. And a pint of mint chocolate chip Blue Bell ice cream. I can be at your loft in an hour.”
Raina chuckled softly. “Not that the offer doesn’t sound tempting—the hug and the ice cream—but I already have plans tonight. You’ll be happy to know that Bradford invited me over to his house for dinner, and I accepted.”
“Good for you! Bradford is such a nice guy, Raina. Everyone at the hospital really likes him, and you should see the way he is with his patients. Those kids adore him! And I know he feels totally embarrassed about that little stunt he pulled after dinner on Monday night.”
“I know,” Raina said wryly. “Those were the first words out of his mouth when he called me today. He apologized profusely and said he made the mistake of thinking I might be one of those ultraindependent women who prefers to go half on everything, like the last woman he dated. I wasted no time setting him straight. But I see you’d already done that, even though I asked you not to.”
Reese chuckled. “Like I said, Bradford is a nice guy. I couldn’t just sit back and let such a simple misunderstanding come between you two. And, hey, since he’s cooking dinner for you tonight, at least neither of you has to worry about splitting a bill.”
For the first time that day, Raina laughed.
“Anyway,” Reese drawled, “I’m glad Bradford is keeping you company tonight, otherwise I would have had to cancel my date.”
“You have a date?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Reese said indignantly.
Raina grinned. “Oh, hush. You know very well what I meant. Who are you going out with?”
“Take one guess.”
Raina’s eyes widened. “Dr. Carracci?”
“Yes!”
The two sisters squealed like they’d done as children on Christmas day.
“I knew it!” Raina exclaimed, grinning broadly. “I saw the way he was watching you over dinner last night. He couldn’t take his eyes off you, Reesey. How could you have doubted that he’s attracted to you?”
“I don’t know,” Reese said with a muffled groan. “He’s just so damned good-looking—”
“No argument there,” Raina agreed, thinking of the hunky Italian surgeon with the dark bedroom eyes and sexy accent.
“—and I didn’t know whether or not he dates black women,” Reese continued. “I’ve certainly never dated outside my race.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” Raina said unequivocally. She cut in front of another car that was moving too slow. “So how did this date come about?”
Reese laughed. “He had me paged, if you can believe it. He was in surgery, but he wanted to make sure he caught me before I left for the day. Girl, when he came out of the O.R. and saw me standing there, he gave me this smile that just melted my insides. And then he asked me out to dinner.” She sighed. “It was so romantic.”
Raina smiled. “Sure sounds like it. Where’s he taking you for dinner?”
Reese giggled. Smart, sensible, older and wiser Reese actually giggled. “I don’t know. He’s being so mysterious. He just told me to be ready by eight. When I asked him how I should dress, he said anything I chose would be perfect, because I always look beautiful no matter what.” Another dreamy sigh.
Raina grinned. “Listen to you. Who are you and what have you done with my big sister?”
Reese chuckled. “I know. I’m pathetic. And—Oh, crap! I’m running late.”
“Where are you?”
“Still at the hospital tying up some loose ends. I have to hurry home and change!”
“Maybe not,” Raina drawled humorously. “Dr. Carracci thinks you look beautiful in anything, even the lab coat you’re probably wearing right now.”
Reese giggled. Again! “I gotta run, girl. You and Bradford have a wonderful time tonight. I want to hear all about it tomorrow.”
“I was going to say the same thing to you. And don’t stay up too late past your bedtime.”
Reese laughed. “What bedtime?” Sobering after a moment, she said gently, “Raina?”
“Hmm?”
“Everything’s going to be all right. I promise you that.”
Raina managed a tremulous smile. “Thanks, Reesey.”
As she got off the phone, she knew she didn’t share her sister’s optimism. Her life was falling apart before her very eyes, and there seemed to be nothing she could do about it.
Raina frowned, rethinking that sentiment. While she might not be able to control the words and actions of others, she could definitely control her own.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she pulled up the cell phone number she’d programmed into her handheld after contacting Randall Mayne yesterday. She pressed the button, then waited with mounting tension.
One ring. Two. Three—
“Warrick Mayne.”
Raina’s heart jackknifed. Her throat locked up for several moments.
“Hello?”
“Warrick, this is Raina,” she finally blurted.
There was a heavy pause.
“Raina.” His voice was about as warm and inviting as an Alaskan glacier.
Taking a deep breath to shore up her courage, Raina forged ahead, “Before you ask, no, I’m not calling to tell you I’ve changed my mind about your offer. I haven’t, and I still think
you’re a heartless jerk for trying to pressure me into selling. That said, I owe you an apology. What I said to you this morning in the parking lot was inexcusable. I was angry and I lashed out, but I wanted you to know that I’ve never felt that way about you or your family. You may not believe me, but it’s the truth, and I wanted you to know that.”
Warrick was silent for so long that Raina wondered whether he’d hung up on her. But a quick glance at her caller display screen confirmed that he was still on the line.
When he finally spoke, his voice was bitingly mocking. “What’s the matter, Raina? Can’t stand the idea of someone actually thinking you might be a snob?”
Raina bristled. “You can think whatever you want. I don’t give a damn.”
“Obviously you do, or we wouldn’t be having this little conversation.”
Her temper flared. He was right, and they both knew it. “Go to hell, Warrick,” she snarled.
He chuckled softly. “You told me that already. And yet, I’m still here.”
“Surprise, surprise. Not even Satan will take you.”
“Looks that way. Make a right at the next street and pull over,” he said abruptly.
“Wha—?” Raina’s gaze flew to the rearview mirror. She gasped, shocked to discover that Warrick’s Bentley was right behind her, smoothly pacing her. How long had he been there? “Are you following me?”
“Yeah, Raina,” he drawled sarcastically. “Like I really have nothing better to do than follow you around the damned city. Pull over.”
“What? Why?”
“Because my phone battery’s dying and I’d like to continue this conversation.”
Raina didn’t believe him, but she slowed down anyway and hooked a right at the next turn. It was a deserted, dead-end street marked by a No Thru Traffic sign. Warrick must have known that. He knew the city like the back of his hand.
She drove nearly to the end of the street and parked at the curb. As Warrick pulled in behind her, she climbed out of her car, spoiling for a fight.
Touch of Heaven (St. James Sisters Book 1) Page 13
