A Trusting Heart

by Shannon Guymon

  Trevor looked down at his plate critically.

  “I’m hungry. And, yes, I do get to try and make you fall in love with me. What would be the fun in trying to make you fall in like with me?”

  Megan broke down and laughed as she followed Trevor to an empty table set back from everything and everyone and sat down. Trevor was crazy, but at least he could make her laugh. Megan made up her mind to enjoy the night and forget her worries. She was surprised by how relieved she felt.

  “Um, Megan? I believe someone you know is making her way over to our table.”

  Megan put her fork down and turned her head. Who would she know here? Oh no, Taffie Carlisle. Megan groaned. She was doomed to perpetual public humiliation. Poor Trevor. Well, at least he was finding out now how cursed she was. Better now than after the cubic zirconium.

  Taffie walked right up to Megan, picked up a glass of water from the table and dumped it unceremoniously on Megan’s head. Megan gasped as Trevor stood up in outrage. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do since Taffie was a woman, so he sat down again.

  “If you come near my husband again, Megan, I’ll sue you. Just stay away from us! What did you think was going to happen? So what if Dylan knows the truth now. He’s in love with me, not you. You couldn’t handle him then—what makes you think you could now? He’s mine, got it?”

  Megan looked cautiously around the room. Their table was back away from most everyone, but they still had quite an audience. What must Trevor be thinking?

  “Taffie, I know you’re upset, but this isn’t the place. Why don’t we take a walk to the ladies room where we can discuss this in private?”

  Taffie laughed in an ugly way and then whistled as loud as she could, drawing the whole ballroom’s attention.

  “Oh, am I embarrassing you, sweet, little, innocent Megan? Well, good. Your whole family is going to be embarrassed when everyone learns the truth about your daddy. And I can’t wait. The mighty Garretts are finally going to be humbled. Your daddy’s taken so much from the Carlisles, he deserves everything he gets.”

  Megan stood to face Taffie; it was too much of a strain on her neck to be looking up at the tall, furious woman.

  “Look, leave my family out of this. If you have a problem with me, that’s fine; I’ll deal with that. But my dad has nothing to do with this. He hasn’t done anything to the Carlisles.”

  Taffie rolled her eyes sarcastically, sneering down her nose at Megan. But there were tears in her eyes and Megan could tell Taffie was horribly upset. It’s hard to sneer successfully when your nose is running. Megan’s soft heart kicked in and she reached out to Taffie.

  “Listen, Taffie, I have no designs on Dylan. It’s the truth. He’s your husband; he was never mine. I know you guys have some things to work out, but that’s between you two. Obviously you must have loved him very much to do what you did and I know Dylan must have loved you if he asked you to marry him. Trust me, I would never try to hurt you in that way. I would never try to break up your marriage. I promise.”

  Taffie looked at Megan suspiciously and then her face crumpled, letting the tears roll down her cheeks and onto her bright red kimono-style dress. Megan put her arms around the girl who used to be her best friend and hugged her until Taffie’s sobs subsided.

  “You promise?” Taffie sniffed doubtfully.

  Megan grabbed a napkin off the table and handed it to Taffie. “Have I ever lied to you?”

  Taffie smiled weakly then shook her head. She believed her.

  “Taffie! What are you doing here!?”

  The two women turned around at the near shout, cringing in unison at hearing Dylan’s voice. Taffie’s husband was furious and bearing down on them quickly. Megan squeezed Taffie’s hand one last time for assurance and then moved to stand behind Trevor’s chair. Dylan always had a way of scaring her. She was never sure what he would do, especially when he was mad and looked ready to explode.

  “Go home now. I told you not to show up tonight. What were you thinking? I told you as plainly as I could to stay away from Megan. If I find out that you’ve gone against my wishes again, you’re going to be very sorry. Now leave.”

  Megan watched sadly as Taffie bent her head submissively and walked quickly from the room, not caring who saw the tears run down her cheeks now. She was obviously devastated. Dylan didn’t bother watching her go. His eyes were on Megan.

  “I apologize for Taffie. She’s been very emotional lately. I hope she didn’t upset you too much.”

  Dylan couldn’t help but notice Megan’s wet hair and smeared makeup and knew automatically what his wife had done. His eyes turned to slits and his nostrils flared as he fought the temptation to run after Taffie and confront her again.

  Trevor cleared his throat, deciding now was a good time to make his presence known. “No apology necessary, Dylan. We’ll let you get back to your dinner now. We wouldn’t want it to get cold.”

  Dylan finally noticed who Megan was hiding behind and blinked his eyes in confusion.

  “Megan, what are you doing here with him? You can’t be here on a date. We decided that you were going to wait for me.”

  Megan started to walk around Trevor’s chair to talk to Dylan but was stopped by Trevor’s hand closing tightly around her wrist. She stayed right where she was.

  “Yes, Megan is here on a date with me. As a matter of fact, she’s my girlfriend now. So to answer your question, no, she’s not waiting for you, and, yes, you should go after your wife, because, yes, she is your wife and Megan definitely isn’t, nor will she ever be.”

  Megan closed her eyes in horror at Trevor’s audacious words. At that moment, she’d rather be at her high school reunion all over again. Anything was better than seeing the hurt in Dylan’s eyes that Trevor’s words had caused. Megan pulled her arm free and walked quickly over to Dylan before he turned away.

  “Dylan, I’m so sorry. But what he said is true. I am here on a date with him. Please go after Taffie though. She loves you very much and she’s very broken up about this whole mess. I know you two can have a wonderful marriage if you just keep trying.”

  Dylan looked at her with haunted eyes which made her wonder if she had made the right decision. Should she be waiting for Dylan? No! She couldn’t think that way; it was bad enough that he was.

  “We need to talk, Megan. Away from everyone else. Just you and me. Will you have lunch with me tomorrow at Caesar’s? Meet me there at one o’clock and we’ll work this out. Please?”

  Megan glanced back at Trevor and wished she hadn’t. His face looked like it did the night of the reunion: hard and cold. He looked furious.

  “I’ll meet you for lunch if you’ll go after Taffie right now and talk to her. Will you do that?”

  Dylan grabbed for Megan’s hand and held it in both of his before letting go slowly.

  “I’ll do anything you want me to, Megan.”

  Megan didn’t sit down again until Dylan had left the room.

  She felt completely drained and slumped down in her chair.

  “You know, we should stick to ordering in pizza. What do you think?” Megan said with a tentative smile.

  Trevor didn’t even smile as he stared at her.

  “What did Taffie mean when she said to stay away from Dylan? And please explain what Dylan could have possibly meant by that statement, ‘you agreed to wait for me?’ I’m a little confused right now.”

  Megan’s hand clenched on the stem of her glass as she stared back at the man whom she had thought was so funny just a half an hour ago. Was this jealousy? Whatever it was, she didn’t like it. It was almost as if he didn’t trust her. Megan licked her dry lips as she realized she was getting mad at Trevor for one of her own failings. She really shouldn’t get upset at seeing the mote in Trevor’s eye while there was a beam in her own. She took a quick breath and told herself to be patient with him.

  “I went to go see Dylan last week at his office. I thought your mom already told you all of this? I told him to leave my
dad alone. I found out last week that he was telling reporters terrible things about my dad’s business practices. I just wanted him to stop, that’s all. That’s why I went to see him. It wasn’t to ask him for a date or to entice him into adultery, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not like that, Trevor. I actually feel pretty bad for him. He just found out that his wife is a world-class manipulator. And, yes, he did mention wanting me to wait for him, but I most definitely did not agree to do that. Give me some credit here.”

  Trevor threw his napkin down on his plate and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to tall, good-looking, married men asking my girlfriend out on a date right in front of me. I don’t know—something about this whole situation just bothers me.”

  Megan took a napkin and tried to clean up her face. What a disaster of an evening.

  “It’s not a date, Trevor. Look, why don’t I just slip out the back and call a cab? You can stay and mingle with all of your business buddies and I can go home and get cleaned up. What do you say? We can get together and have lunch sometime when there aren’t hundreds of people for me to embarrass you in front of.”

  Trevor shrugged, not caring whether they had made a scene or not. He had gotten past the stage in life where he cared what people thought of him.

  “No, thanks. You already have lunch plans tomorrow.”

  Megan grimaced at the sarcasm and ran her fingers through her wet hair. Maybe the slick look would work for her? “I’m sorry if the thought of me talking to Dylan upsets you, but we do need to settle this. Besides, I need to ask him a couple questions about my father.”

  Trevor leaned back in his chair and shook his head in surrender. She was really going to see that jerk for lunch. Of course it wasn’t a date, but it was killing him just the same. He didn’t want her in the same state with that guy.

  “Can I come as a chaperone?”

  Megan laughed and picked up her fork. She didn’t care if her shrimp was soggy, she was still hungry.

  “No, you can’t. But I promise to fill you in on everything when you come over tomorrow night. My favorite mini-series is coming on A&E. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Any boyfriend of mine has to prove he can sit through an English romance with his eyes wide open and a smile on his face.”

  Trevor sat up, grinning back at Megan’s flirtatious smile. Little did she know, he had sat wide awake through many board meetings, and had come away very refreshed. Sleeping with his eyes open was one of his specialties. He was the perfect boyfriend for her.

  Twenty-One

  MEGAN WATCHED HER SISTER skip around the kitchen smiling at nothing in particular.

  “What are you doing, Linette?”

  Linette grabbed a cereal bowl from the cupboard and glided over to join her sister at the table.

  “What does it look like, silly? It’s called breakfast. I have to hurry though; I’ve got a class at ten and Blaine is meeting me at the gym for a quick workout. He thinks pumping iron will give me more energy.”

  Megan hid her smile in her bagel. Blaine was true to his word. He was being good for her sister. She was definitely putting him on her Christmas card list.

  “You’ve been seeing a lot of him lately. Don’t you think you should be seeing other people, too? I mean, he’s great and all. Very good-looking. But what do you really know about him? What’s his family like? Is he LDS? It just seems like you guys are going kind of fast.”

  Linette shook her head smiling and finished her bite of cereal.

  “I’m seeing a lot of him because I like being with him. If I liked being with other guys, I would be. I’m not sixteen, Meg. I’m practically an old maid like you. Oops!”

  Linette blushed and looked at her sister from underneath her eyelashes. Megan grinned and shrugged. If she was in New York or California she wouldn’t be considered anywhere near an old maid. Utah County was a different story.

  “Just for that, you have to do the dishes tonight.”

  Linette scowled at her sister and stuck out her tongue as if she were sixteen.

  “But seriously, don’t you think Blaine is just the most amazing man in the world? You know, there’s more to him than you think. He lived in foster homes most of his life. He learned about the church when his last foster family took him in. After going to church for a year, he asked to be baptized. His foster family adopted him and had him sealed to them in the temple. Isn’t that beautiful? And he went on a mission to Honduras.”

  Megan choked on her bagel. Blaine? He looked so cultured, so refined! No one would ever guess he hadn’t had the best of schools and all the advantages of a wealthy upbringing. He really was an amazing man.

  “The thing I can’t understand is what he’s doing wasting his time with me. He could have anybody. He’s smart, gorgeous, and rich. And the best kisser in the world. Talk about being struck by lightning. But here he is taking little ol’ me out and about. I just don’t get it. How could I go from being the second unluckiest person—you being the first, of course—to being so lucky I go around pinching myself all day? I can’t get over it.”

  Megan frowned at her sister, wanting to shake her.

  “You’re right, Blaine is amazing, but you’re just as amazing, if not more so! You’re beautiful, Linette! Get it through your head—you’re beautiful. And you’re talented. You’re graduating with honors and you’ve already got jobs lined up. You’re smart, you’re kind, and you’re the best sister in the whole world. Who wouldn’t want to go out with you?”

  Linette raised her eyebrows, looking doubtful.

  “I believe you happen to be one very partial sister, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

  Megan picked at her bagel, not wanting to make her sister uncomfortable with her next question. She didn’t even really have to know. She was just plain curious.

  “How’s it going with that counselor you’ve been seeing? Do you like him?”

  Linette ate the last bite of cereal before putting down her spoon and pushing the bowl away. She ran her fingers through her shoulder length brown hair and sighed. She didn’t especially like talking about her anorexia. Even to her own sister.

  “It’s going good. He’s really nice. He’s the same counselor who helped Blaine through some of his problems when he was a teenager. He makes me feel normal, you know? Like I’m somebody.”

  Megan smiled across the table at her sister.

  “You are somebody, Linette. I’m just glad you’re realizing that, too.”

  Linette left ten minutes later, leaving Megan alone with her house, her dog, and her thoughts. She really had nothing to do until lunchtime when she was supposed to meet Dylan. She didn’t have any floor time at the office until the next day and she didn’t have any clients to call and check up on. Cora seemed to be happy right now just looking through books of house plans. They hadn’t even decided on a builder yet. As far as selling her house, the appraisal had come back and they were expecting the signs to go up in the next couple days. She had already scheduled the man from the magazine to take the picture of Cora’s house to put into the next issue, so she was set. All caught up and nothing to do but . . . look at her brand new credit card just lying on the counter, practically calling her name.

  Megan shook her head and walked into her bedroom to look through her closet. She had to pick the perfect outfit for her lunch with Dylan. She couldn’t help smiling though as she thought about how happy her sister was. Blaine was turning out to be a really neat guy. Best kisser though? She sincerely doubted it. She already knew who held that title.

  Twenty-Two

  MEGAN LOOKED DOWN AT the clothes she had chosen for her lunch appointment. Faded, junky jeans and her oldest and dearest BYU sweatshirt. She checked out her reflection in the window of the restaurant and smiled. Ugh! She wasn’t even wearing foundation and her hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail. She looked like she was getting ready to clean house. Perfect. Dylan would take one look at her and run screaming back to his wife. Megan walked confidently
through the doors and didn’t even care as the hostess sneered at her while escorting her to the table where Dylan was already seated.

  “Hi, Dylan. Hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

  Dylan did a double take of Megan and then smiled slowly. “You’re worth the wait, Megan. I keep telling you that.” Megan frowned as she sat down opposite Dylan. This wasn’t exactly the reaction she had been hoping for. She picked up the menu uncertainly and looked at Dylan over the top. He was still staring at her with that dopey smile on his face. Megan put the menu down, folding her hands on top of the table. Enough was enough.

  “Dylan, I will never marry you.”

  Dylan’s smile slipped a fraction. “Don’t say that, Megan. If you want, we can discuss marriage after the divorce is final, if you’re uncomfortable doing it now. There’s no reason to make up your mind this minute. Don’t think of yourself as starting a relationship with a married man. Think of it as starting over again with the only man you were meant to be with. Me.”

  Megan closed her eyes wondering how she could convince him that this just wasn’t going to happen. Ever.

  “I’m planning on marrying someone else, Dylan,” she said surprised by her own statement. “I don’t know what else to say to convince you. I really think you need to focus on keeping your marriage to Taffie together. A temple covenant isn’t something anyone should take lightly.”

  Dylan’s eyes lost some of their luster as he put his menu down next to hers.

  “I never married Taffie in the temple, Megan. I always knew it wouldn’t be that kind of marriage. You’re the only woman I want to go through eternity with.”

  Megan felt the sweat pop out on her forehead. He wasn’t comprehending the situation at all. He obviously didn’t want to.

  “I’m so sorry. That must have broken Taffie’s heart.”

  Dylan laughed harshly and signaled the waiter. “Bring us salads and breadsticks, now.”