by Cari Quinn
She waved a hand and swept in to gather him into another hug. “You need to tell her what’s real and what’s not, before she decides for herself. If she hasn’t already.”
“What about what she should be telling me?”
“That’s not your concern right now. You need to do right by her and let her choose how to respond. Lay it all on the line.”
Yeah, pretty much the same conclusion he’d drawn. He needed to make his stand—and he already had an idea how. It was a risky plan, but at least he had one. All he had to do was put it into motion, assuming he didn’t suffer a cardiac event first.
He grabbed his gut as it snarled. “See? I have the plague.”
His mom laughed and tugged on his shirt. “Sit down. Let me make you some lunch while you catch up your old mom on everything that’s going on with you.”
“Oh, I can’t. I have a meeting with—” He broke off and cast a glance at the ceiling. “Reformed workaholic, reporting for duty. I’ll reschedule.”
“Good.” She pulled his face down to hers and kissed his forehead.
His mother had a point. He had to take a chance and put his feelings on the line. He also had to move fast, before his window of opportunity closed. For that, he would be enlisting help from Jill, who didn’t appear to hate him on sight.
And possibly from Bryan, who might. Bryan had always been extremely possessive of his baby sister and probably hadn’t been too thrilled with Cory after the caught-on-camera debacle.
None of that mattered. With help or without, he would get this done. This time, he wasn’t giving up on Victoria without a fight.
…
She’d almost made it.
In under five hours, her flight to South Carolina would take to the skies and she’d be leaving Pennsylvania behind for a few days. She’d had to do some juggling to shift around her work schedule, but luckily Jill and Lorelie could pick up her slack. The other nice thing was that her college roommate had been excited to have an impromptu guest.
See, someone wanted her. It just wasn’t a sexy, dark-haired magnate.
She hadn’t gone away on vacation in forever, but there was no time like the present to escape. Melly had been so consumed with the scouting trip for her new frozen yogurt store and then just the day-to-day reality of running her business that they’d barely had time to talk recently. Bryan was busy with physical therapy and he needed to stay near the team doctors in Maryland. Her mother would be on her own at the group home. While that bothered her, she couldn’t keep putting her life on hold forever.
Everyone would be fine.
Okay, that was a lie. She was miserable and missed Cory so badly she’d had to remove his number from her phone to keep from calling him. When her final copy of Simply Home had arrived yesterday, with her own beaming face on the cover and a handwritten note from Cory inside, she’d had to fight her impulse to see if the paper smelled like his aftershave. Then she’d analyzed his note.
Victoria, here’s your first-edition copy. I appreciate all of your hard work on this. I couldn’t have done it without you. C.
Yeah, not a lot to go on there. She probably didn’t need to call in the CSI team yet. She was in danger of seriously losing it if she thought two hastily scribbled lines could reveal someone’s emotional state.
Did he miss her, even a little?
Sighing, she glanced around the banquet hall near the Santangelo farm that she’d helped decorate for the going-away party. She had no intention of actually staying for the event, but she hoped they’d understand. Doing her absolute best on preparing the hall had been her gift to them, and hopefully she’d get to stop in at the farm before they left next week. She’d only be gone a few days.
She just couldn’t handle being there with Cory. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.
At least the place looked great. Fall-themed decorations were everywhere. A square for dancing was sectioned off with white lights, and the seating area looped around the loaded buffet table. A gigantic ornamental tree—purchased from Value Hardware’s garden section—stood in one corner, and a chugging train wound around the base. She’d remembered that Cory’s stepfather was a train aficionado so she’d scoured the shops for the perfect set. She hoped he’d want to take it with him to Arizona.
More glittery potted trees dripped with twinkling lights, and each table held a lit arrangement of cinnamon pinecones and fresh fall flowers, thanks to Lex. On the portico off the main room stood another smaller tree, its lights a warm beacon in the night. Now if the promised rain just held off, it would be perfect.
Jill appeared beside her, a vibrating laser beam already set on stun. She wore a slip dress that proved she had way more curves than Vicky and little hesitation in showing them off. “Your studly brother didn’t come with?”
“No. You know he’s not in town now. Stop trolling.”
Jill’s laugh made Vicky impulsively draw her into her arms. Jill hugged her back. “Hey, what’s this for?”
“I needed a hug.”
“You okay?” Jill stepped back. “We’ve been running around trying to get this place ready, and there hasn’t been much time to talk lately.”
Vicky smiled and wrapped an arm around Jill’s shoulders. She truly was the little sister she’d never had and she’d break the fingers of any man who ever hurt her. “I’m fine. You’re sure you can handle all this?”
Jill gave her a thumbs-up. “Under control, boss. Are you sure you have to go?”
“I have a whole wardrobe of bikinis that say yes.” Vicky grinned and stepped away. “Thanks for taking care of this. You’re the best.”
Jill nodded, her blue eyes surprisingly bright. “Look, you know I hate mush, but I wanted you to know that I appreciate your trying to stand in for my mom. You don’t have to do it, and you never give up even when I make you crazy. I love you, Vick.” She sighed heavily. “I promise not to do anything bad while you’re gone. Well, within reason.”
Vicky guffawed out a laugh and drew Jill into a hug. “You silly girl. I love you, too.
Jill edged back and glanced at her watch, a rare move for her party-all-the-time best friend. Time usually meant little to Jill. She reminded Vicky of how she’d been as a girl, and the parallels really made her nervous. The cops still foot-patrolled the water tower. Maybe because of her.
Probably because of her.
“Shouldn’t you be going? It’s getting late.”
Well, yeah, she had been about to head home, but why did it feel like Jill was hurrying her to leave? “I still have hours until—”
“There are new regulations. If you’re late to the airport, you never know what will happen with the security peeps.” Jill tugged on her arm. “You better hustle.”
Shaking her head, Vicky grinned. Maybe Jill really was that worried she’d miss her flight. How cute. “Fine, I’m outta here, brat. Be good.”
She rushed home to finish packing. She’d gotten a good start on it last night. Now if she could just find her white slip-on shoes, she’d be all set.
At a loss, she shimmied under her bed to see if they were there. Instead, she found an unsticky sticky note bearing familiar handwriting.
Hey babe, so sorry I couldn’t talk to you before I left. There’s a problem that can’t wait, and I didn’t want to wake you. I wore you out last night. Call me when you get up, okay?
And then the pièce de résistance—a smiley face. From Cory.
Her throat clogged and she rolled on her back, holding the note to her chest. This changed things. It wasn’t a declaration of love, far from it, but he’d tried to keep the lines of communication open. He hadn’t just ditched her as if nothing important had happened the night before.
Dammit, she needed sticky notes that actually had some sticky left. That’s why this one had ended up under the bed.
She got to her knees and glanced at her watch. The party for his parents had just started, and her flight was only a few hours away. Maybe she should just let sleeping mogu
ls lie and deal with this when she got back. Perhaps by then she’d have come up with an idea of how to proceed.
She puttered around for a bit, making sure the plants were watered and the stove was off. Then when there was nothing left to do, she got her overstuffed carry-on bag and turned out all of the lights except the one in the living room. She gazed at the couch, remembering the night almost four weeks ago that Cory had appeared at her doorway with his insane plan. That had become her plan, then theirs. She’d told herself she was going to launch this all-out bid to seduce him, and instead she’d been seduced herself. The loss of control had been staggering—and freeing. He’d told her he had her, and maybe he did. Maybe he would, if she let him.
Sighing, she turned off the last light and headed to the front door. Her reluctance to leave didn’t make sense. Cory wasn’t coming to make some declaration. He wasn’t that sort of man. If she knew anything, she knew that much.
When the doorbell rang, she startled. Whoa, active fantasy life. Then it rang again and she blinked, wondering what twilight zone she’d tripped into.
She slapped on the porch light and grabbed the knob, a smile already curving her mouth. Could she have been wrong? Could Cory really be on the other side? Pulling the door open, she readied herself to launch into Cory’s arms—only to see the glowering face of her brother.
“Dammit, I’m here. He needs to cool his fuckin’ jets already. I said I would do it, and I did.” While she gaped, her brother shoved a small white card at her. “Read that.”
Chapter Fifteen
Vicky stared at Bryan’s outstretched hand as though he’d presented her with a live grenade. “What is that?”
“A card, last I checked. Open it.”
“Wait a second.” Vicky set down her carry-on. “Why are you here? The team—”
“Our game’s Monday night. I’m flying back in the morning to watch from the sidelines.” Bryan smiled at her in the faint glow from the porch light. “I’m fine,” he added when she just continued to split her stare between the card and Bryan’s tired eyes. “Really.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Gee, thanks. Considering I just got off a plane that was delayed twice due to thunderstorms, and also considering your man’s been blowing up my phone with demands I stop ‘fucking with his plans,’ I think I look pretty damn good.” He dropped his duffel bag between his feet and pushed a hand through his sandy hair.
He was right. While he didn’t look like the grinning, carefree Bryan she’d always known, he still had those rugged, handsome looks that drew women to him in flocks. Like her best friend. Jill had caught a couple glimpses of him over the years, and though the two had never even talked, she couldn’t stop working his name into not-so-casual conversation. That was Jill. Always on the make.
Then the rest of Bryan’s statement sunk in. Her man?
“Do I have a man?” she whispered.
Bryan waved his phone. “I have about thirty texts that say yes. Now will you read that damn card so you can get a move on and I can use your damn bathroom? A man’s bladder is at stake here.”
She had to laugh as she opened the card with fingers that shook. One glance at Cory’s neat, precise handwriting and she wanted to laugh harder—or hurl in sheer terror.
Romance in public, or romance in private? If you’d choose private, turn to page two. If you’d choose public, turn to page three.
Bemused, Vicky turned to page three. Would you prefer a big gesture, or something more intimate but in a public setting?
She flipped to the page of the answer she chose. What kind of big gesture would you prefer? An extravagant display of romance or a dramatic getaway for two?
This question had three options. Option one, option two, or both. She picked both and then stared at the words blurring in front of her tired eyes. Please return this card immediately for prompt romance gesture handling. Thank you. See you Saturday night.
Belly trembling with a mixture of excitement and nerves, she shot her gaze to her brother, who was watching her with wary green eyes. “What the hell is this? And what does he mean, he’ll see me Saturday night? It’s Saturday night right now, and he’s not seeing me. I’m on my way to South Carolina—”
“Yeah, and Jill told him that as soon as you told her you were leaving town for a few days. She’s been helping him out with this romance business.” Bryan rolled his eyes. “And so have I, though not to his liking.”
“We faked the relationship, Bry. We were never really together.” Though they had been, in all the ways that counted. They’d just been too stubborn and blind to admit it.
Bryan barely flinched. “Yeah, Cory told me all that when he called me to get my ‘blessing’ to be with my sister. Which I told him was pretty freaking redundant, considering he’d already humped you in front of the whole world and I hadn’t blessed any of that crap.”
A giggle escaped her, but her brother wasn’t done yet.
“Cory shuffled his plans after he made sure I was still coming in for the party and for a special meet-up with Dr. Garvey tomorrow. Now I’m here, so fuckin’ late the party’s probably almost over and he’s busting a nut trying to make sure he meets you at gate C.”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t mean he busted a nut over this. That has a very different connotation.” Vicky’s lips twitched as she accepted the e-tickets Bryan handed her. “Bora Bora? Four days from now?”
“Yeah, guess he’s going with you to South Carolina. Jill helped him book a ticket on your flight. Then he booked tix for Bora Bora for a few more days, which was his plan before you screwed things up by setting up your own trip and not going to the party.”
If her head spun any more, it was going to topple right off her shoulders. No doubt about it.
“He’s losing his shit because I was late,” Bryan continued, oblivious to her mental turmoil. “He’s already at the airport and refused to leave in case you showed up. I told him I could just stay there and he could try to find you here, but he has a precise order he needs stuff done in and I guess I messed it up. Like I control the weather.” He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Whatever. The dude needs to chill. It’s just a vacation.”
Everything crashed in on her at once. Their breakup, finding Cory’s note under her bed, Cory’s grand gesture. That he was waiting for her at the airport, like a scene out of a movie. A screwy one, granted, considering all the obstacles they’d had to get to this point, but wasn’t that what made the best endings?
They even had a guy desperate to pee at the end of their flick, like any good theatergoer who couldn’t bear to get up before the closing credits. It was practically perfect.
Oh, God, what if she was about to get everything she’d ever wanted?
Her head swam and she reached out for something, anything, to steady her. She gripped her brother’s strong biceps, swaying forward until she could drop her forehead to his chest. Closer to his upper stomach actually, since he was so freakishly tall. “I’m going to faint.”
Without faltering, he picked her up in one arm and his bag in the other and somehow got both of them inside. As he limped back to shut the door, her face crumpled even more. Her poor brother. What was he going to do if he couldn’t play football anymore? “You can’t flip out right now,” he told her in his sternest big-brother voice. “You have a plane to catch.”
That did it. Forget fainting, she was sobbing.
She rushed forward and pressed her face against Bryan’s familiar-smelling team jersey. While she let out all her tears, he awkwardly patted her back and murmured soft, soothing things. The roar in her ears blocked out most of them.
When she finally got herself together, she glanced up at his reassuring—and confused as hell—face and blurted out the words she’d held in too long. She wasn’t going to let the fear of losing those she loved rule her for even a moment longer. “I have to tell you about Mom.”
…
She wasn’t coming.
Cory pac
ed near gate C, his carry-on in one hand and a balloon in the other. A frigging balloon.
His stomach was so knotted he couldn’t even drink the swill they called coffee. He just paced, and watched the time, and clutched his balloon like a security blanket on a string.
If she didn’t come, that was it. He was giving up romance entirely. Obviously he wasn’t meant to plan grand gestures. She clearly didn’t feel the way he did for her, and she’d made her stand loud and proud. Bryan had delivered the card, and she’d decided to ignore his overture. Once he pulled the dagger out of his chest, perhaps he’d even learn to accept that.
Hell no, he would not accept it.
He tossed his bag over his shoulder. He was going to go to Vicky’s town house and make her understand that, yes, he was an ass, but he was the ass who lo—
“Boo.”
His heart and feet thudded to a halt. That whispered “boo” had come from right behind him. Halloween was still a month away. Ghosts shouldn’t be accosting him in airports yet.
That meant only one thing.
He pivoted to face Victoria, his sweaty grip faltering on his balloon. She tilted her head at his symbolic offering. “‘Get well’? Am I sick?”
No, she was not ill in any shape or form that he could tell. She’d pulled her sunny hair up in a high ponytail and wore a Mariners jersey with jeans and flats. Casual, traveling clothes. She still sparkled more brightly than the diamond that glinted in her nose.
Or the one in his pants pocket.
Rather than share his relief that she’d arrived—and that she didn’t seem to loathe the very sight of him—he thrust the balloon in her direction. “They didn’t have any others left. Besides, see the heart?”
Her eyes widened as she accepted the balloon and studied the heart on the side that didn’t say “Get well.”
“Oh. Yes. Lovely. Uh, thank you?”
Her genuine puzzlement made him grin. To hell with being cool. He dropped his bag and hauled her off her feet into his arms, planting a kiss on her mouth that turned her sputters into soft, eager moans in a minute flat.
