Sheldon walked up to her and put his arms around her waist. “I’ve missed you…. Missed us.”
Paula could smell alcohol on his breath. “I haven’t missed you, and there is no us.” She removed his hands and backed away. “I thought I made my feelings very clear. It’s pointless to rehash this.”
“That’s not how I see it.” He took a step toward her. “We were really great together.”
“We were never that great together,” she retorted honestly. “We tried to make it work, but we just weren’t clicking.”
“You say that now, but I never heard any complaints from you before, especially in bed.”
Paula curled her lip. She wondered now how she had ever allowed him to touch her. “I guess that was my mistake,” she spat. “Now, if you’re done, I’d like you to leave.”
Sheldon frowned. “If you wanted out, why didn’t you just say it to my face instead of leaving me a damned voice mail?”
She sighed. “You know perfectly well that I left the voice mail only after you refused to listen to what I was telling you face-to-face. I simply didn’t want it to become confrontational. I never meant to hurt you. I just felt we were better off going our separate ways.”
“I don’t agree with that,” he said tersely.
Paula backed away from him. “We can agree to disagree. Either way, it’s over between us and has been for a while now.”
“Are you seeing someone else?” Sheldon asked point-blank.
Paula thought about her relationship with Chase and wondered if it would help or hurt her cause by making it part of the conversation. She decided Sheldon was only trying to stir up trouble, which she wanted no part of.
“That’s none of your business,” she responded tartly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Paula held her ground. “Take it any way you like.”
Sheldon sneered. “Is that why you broke up with me, so you could be with another man?”
Paula blinked. She would not allow herself to be intimidated by him, and she certainly wouldn’t let him make her feel guilty, knowing that their relationship had been completely over before she ever laid eyes on Chase.
“You’ve been drinking.”
He ran his hand across his mouth. “Can you blame me? I thought we had something. Then you just leave me high and dry.”
She scowled. “Let’s get real here. You’re a nice-looking guy and successful, too. If I bruised your ego, I’m sorry. I’m sure there are plenty of other single, available women you can hook up with if you want to.”
Sheldon reached out and touched her face. “That’s just it. I don’t want anyone but you.”
Paula slapped his hand away. “You can’t have me.”
“You’re sure about that?” he challenged.
“I think you know the answer.” She could feel her heart racing. “Your five minutes are up. You need to leave now!”
Sheldon grunted, stepping closer to her. “This isn’t over.”
Paula cringed, seeing the coldness in his eyes. “You’re scaring me.”
He took a breath, and his features softened. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want us to—”
The front door opened at that moment, and Isabelle came in. She raised a brow when she saw Sheldon.
“What is he doing here?” she asked nervously.
Paula locked eyes with her ex. “He was just leaving. Weren’t you?”
Sheldon contorted his lips. “Yeah, I was.”
“Have a nice day,” Isabelle told him tartly. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
He looked at Paula with a hard gaze. “See you later.”
She said nothing in response, hoping his words were merely a figure of speech. Obviously, any chance of them remaining platonic friends had ended today. He had seen to that.
After Sheldon left, Isabelle asked Paula with concern, “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Paula felt her nerves begin to calm down. “I thought if I let him say his piece, he’d leave me alone.”
“So what did he want?”
“To get back together,” Paula moaned.
Isabelle grimaced. “What did you tell him?”
“What I’ve told him before—that it’s over for good.” She drew a breath. “It just goes in one ear and out the other.”
“The man’s becoming a stalker,” Isabelle asserted. “Can you get a restraining order before he does something really stupid, if not downright dangerous?”
“I think he got the message,” Paula said unevenly. After all, she had given it to him straight this time, whether he liked it or not; the Sheldon she knew was not foolhardy when it came to assessing the situation squarely.
Isabelle batted her lashes dubiously. “And what if he hasn’t? You can’t live your life in fear, wondering when he’ll show up next.”
“I know that.”
Paula wondered if Sheldon could be dangerous. She wanted to believe he was just blowing off steam as his way of dealing with rejection. He had never really displayed jealousy or aggression during their relationship, so where was this coming from now?
She didn’t want any of this to spill over to her involvement with Chase. The last thing she needed was for him to see her as wishy-washy, or playing with a man’s emotions. The reality was, she’d been looking all her adult life for a man like Chase. He had the right combination of good looks, strong character, sex appeal, hard work ethic and old-fashioned values that spoke to her.
Hopefully, Sheldon would turn his attention to someone else, and she could continue her romance with Chase without unwanted distractions. Sheldon would just have to accept that their relationship was over.
Chapter 11
Chase made the rounds of McCord Diamonds’ jewelry stores, checking inventory, assessing needs and giving a pep talk to employees. They were now in the midst of the holiday season, and despite a struggling economy, diamonds and other precious gemstones remained popular items to purchase. In fact, Chase expected the sales figures for this year to be better than ever. It was something he hoped to build on in the future by introducing new products and having an aggressive sales campaign.
Back in his car, Chase headed for the office with Antwerp on his mind. He would be making the trip to Belgium next week. He wondered if it was too soon to ask Paula to accompany him on such a journey. Yes, they seemed to be establishing a real relationship that was bordering on serious, but was he ready to take her to the land of diamonds for a romantic getaway separate from his business trip? Maybe she wasn’t ready to take things to such a level until they got to know each other better outside of their sexual relationship.
I don’t want to mess things up or take away from the strides we’ve already made.
Chase also didn’t want to sit back and let life pass him by. Rochelle’s death had proven to him that you had to make every minute count, for the future was always in doubt. With Paula, he wanted to embrace the present and experience as much as they could together. That included spending time away from their comfort zone. But she had to want it, too. Wherever they were headed, it would take the two of them to make it work.
Chase pulled into his private parking space in the garage. He checked his cell phone and noted that Paula had sent him a text message.
Hi. Thinking about u. Call me. P.
A smile crossed his face. He couldn’t help but recall their last hot and heavy sexual escapade. Everything about Paula was driving his libido crazy.
He punched her number on his speed dial.
“Hey, there,” she said in a sugary voice.
“Hey. I got your message.”
“What are you up to?” Paula asked.
“I just got back from visiting some of our stores,” Chase told her.
“I see. So you go around checking on everyone to make sure no one’s slacking off on the job?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, something like that.”
“And did you make anyone sit in the corner?” Paula tease
d.
Chase laughed, loving her sense of humor. “Fortunately, it didn’t come to that.”
She chuckled. “That’s good.”
“Are you working today?” he asked.
“Nope. Not officially, anyway. I’m just hanging out with Isa.”
“I’d love to meet your grandmother sometime, if I’m not being too presumptuous,” Chase said.
“I’d like that, too,” Paula said keenly. “And I know Isa wants to meet you. I’ll talk to her, and we’ll set up a meeting.”
“Sounds good.” He saw this as a perfect opportunity to set up his own introduction. “Speaking of which, I’d like you to meet my best friend.”
“Oh, I’d love to. Just name the time and place.”
“My house on Wednesday at seven.”
“I’ll be there,” Paula promised.
Chase smiled. “Great.”
“By then, I should have some ideas on paper for your den.”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something that will transform it into another room I’ll want to spend more time in.”
“It seems to me that you already found a good way to make use of it yesterday,” Paula said.
Chase grinned thoughtfully. “I’d say we both did.”
“Any complaints?” Paula dared to ask.
He chuckled. “None whatsoever.”
“Just checking.”
“You’re turning me on,” Chase admitted.
She laughed softly. “You’re insatiable.”
“And you aren’t?”
“You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.”
“I’d rather figure it out with you in private,” he replied in a lascivious tone of voice.
“I accept your challenge,” Paula said with a giggle.
“That’s sweet music to my ears.”
“From the sound of it, I’d say you and your new beau are definitely in sync,” Virginia said enviously, holding a basket of clean clothes.
Paula was sitting at Virginia’s kitchen table. She’d just finished her conversation with Chase. “I didn’t know you were listening.”
“The dryer isn’t that loud. Besides, with the cutesy lilt to your voice, it was obvious.”
“Okay, you’ve got me,” Paula admitted. “We were having a little fun.”
Virginia put the basket down and wiped her brow. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I wish I were so lucky.”
She was between relationships, and Paula imagined it wouldn’t be long before another man had hooked her.
“Your time will come,” Paula told Virginia.
“Not soon enough,” she complained.
“I thought the same thing not so long ago. Then things changed. I’m feeling pretty good these days.”
Virginia grabbed her mug from the counter. “That’s great.”
“Chase definitely seems like he’s ready to romance a woman,” Paula said, sipping hot chocolate.
Virginia smiled. “And that would be you?”
“Yes, I’m happy to say.” Then Paula’s smile fell.
“Okay, so what aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing,” Paula hedged.
Virginia peered at her. “Come on, I know you too well not to realize when something’s up.”
Paula sighed, deciding she needed to confide in her friend. “Sheldon stopped by my house earlier today.”
“He what?”
“Said he wanted to ‘clear the air,’ so I let him in.” Paula paused. “Big mistake.”
Virginia sat down. “What happened?”
“He wanted to get back together.”
“And I assume you told him where to go?”
“Yes, in so many words,” Paula said. “Only he didn’t want to listen. He’d been drinking, too.”
“I never knew him to be much of a drinker,” Virginia said. “Not that you have to be an alcoholic to overdo it.”
Paula wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think Sheldon was drunk, but that’s not the point. He still made me uncomfortable.”
“Did he try anything?” Virginia lowered her eyebrows with concern.
“Nothing happened, other than the fact he doesn’t seem to get that what we had is over. I’m just afraid of what he might do next.”
“I’m sorry you ended up getting involved with someone who turned out to be such a jerk,” Virginia said sourly.
“You and me both,” said Paula, shifting in her chair. “I just want him to leave me alone so it doesn’t spill over into my relationship with Chase.”
“Have you told him about Sheldon?”
“I told Chase I had an ex who proved to be a mistake, without getting into specifics.”
“Probably best to leave it at that,” Virginia said and sipped her coffee. “No reason to dole out lurid details if Chase doesn’t ask about them. The only thing that really matters is that Sheldon is strictly a thing of the past and Chase is hopefully a big part of your future.”
“That’s my way of thinking,” Paula concurred. “For maybe the first time in my life, I think I might have found my true match with Chase. I just want us to have a fair chance to grow without anyone trying to mess things up.”
“Do you want me to talk to Sheldon?” Virginia volunteered.
Paula knew that Virginia had known Sheldon before they met, albeit only casually. But should she have to intercede on her behalf?
“You don’t have to—” Paula began, not wanting to get her friend involved.
“It’s okay,” Virginia insisted. “He has to get it in his head that you’ve moved on, and he should, too, for everyone’s sake.”
Paula touched Virginia’s hand. “Thanks. I really appreciate this.”
“I’m happy to do it for my best friend. If Sheldon wants to create problems, he’ll have to take us both on.”
Paula leaned over and hugged Virginia. She hoped to put Sheldon behind her once and for all so she could focus all her energy on the one and only man she really wanted to be with these days.
“This is Monica,” Chase said to Paula. “She works with me, in addition to being a very good friend. And this is Zachary.”
“Hi,” Paula greeted them. She did a quick scan of the woman, finding her very attractive and nicely dressed in a black pantsuit and matching pumps. The man, in a dark suit, was well-built and bald.
Monica extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Paula. Chase has told me all about your decorating skills.”
Paula shook her hand. “I suspect he went a little overboard,” she said modestly.
“You can see for yourself,” Chase said. “Check out the great room.”
“Very nice,” marveled Monica as she entered the room.
“Yeah, it is.” Zachary nodded with appreciation.
“Thank you.” Paula was tempted to hand out business cards but didn’t want to make a bad first impression as someone who was only interested in seeking new clients.
“Can I get everyone something to drink?” Chase asked and went through the choices. The consensus was red wine. “Coming right up. In the meantime, everyone sit down and get comfortable.”
Paula sat across from Monica and Zachary. She wondered how Monica and Chase had come to be such good friends.
“I understand you worked on Chase’s father’s house,” Monica said.
Paula nodded. “Yes, I redecorated his recreation room.”
“Maybe Chase and Sylvester will want you to do something with their corporate offices, too,” Monica suggested.
“Have you worked there long?” Paula asked curiously.
“Yes, I’m the vice president,” she replied. “And Zachary is a gemologist for one of our stores.”
“I see.” Paula glanced at him, and he smiled in return.
“It keeps me pretty busy,” he said, “except for when this lady steals me away.”
Monica laughed uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t exactly call it stealing. More like borrowing.”
“I stand correct
ed,” Zachary said.
“He gets like this sometimes,” Monica said with amusement. “Get used to it.”
Paula chuckled. So they were an item and apparently spent their fair share of time around Chase for work and play. Paula noticed that Monica seemed to be sizing her up.
“Chase and I go back a long way,” she said. “We lived in the same dorm in college and were once almost inseparable.”
Paula contemplated that. Had their relationship always been platonic? And just how close were they today?
“So you were friends with his late wife, too?” Paula asked with interest.
“Yes. Rochelle was a wonderful lady and the love of Chase’s life. He was devastated when she died.”
“I’m sure he was.” Paula wondered if this was Monica’s attempt to try to undermine her relationship with Chase. Or was she trying to get under her skin?
“It’s good to know that Chase is dating someone again who is not only gorgeous, but obviously very talented,” Monica expressed. “I really hope things work out between you guys.”
“Thank you,” Paula said, coloring. “So do I.” Monica obviously had Chase’s best interests at heart.
Chase returned with the drinks and a tray with snacks. He was a little nervous about Monica meeting Paula, though not sure why. Probably because he wanted them to like each other, since they were both important people in his life. He’d also found Monica to be a good judge of character and sought reassurance from an old friend that his choice in Paula as a girlfriend was a wise one.
Chase sat next to Paula, feeling warmth emanating from her. “I hope Monica didn’t inundate you with twenty questions.”
“Not at all,” she said.
“We’re just getting to know each other,” Monica chirped.
He grinned. “That’s great.”
“One nice, big, happy family,” Zachary said with a laugh.
Chase studied him. He seemed like a nice guy, even though he didn’t really know him. Was Zachary just a casual fling for Monica, or had she also found someone she could develop a serious relationship with?
Monica grabbed a pretzel. “I was just telling Paula that you and Sylvester might want to give our offices a makeover.”
Christmas Diamonds Page 10
