Sex, Secrets and Happily Ever Afters

by Deb Julienne

Jill put her hand on his arm. “Leave her alone.”

  Travis paced in front of the storeroom. “You have to make her listen.”

  “I don’t know what to believe.” Jill cast a glance at the curtains and bit the corner of her lip. Let me talk to her.

  “Angel,” he shouted. “I’m telling the truth. It’s over. She’s out of my life. Hell, she was never really in it. Not like you are.” He felt as if someone was gripping his heart and squeezing off the blood supply. “Delaney showed up unannounced. She thought she had a chance to change my mind. I told her it was no use.”

  Jill patted his hand. “You need to make sure that woman knows it’s over for sure. Until she does, you’re screwed. Go on. I promise I’ll talk to Angel.”

  “Thanks, Jill.” He hated to leave, but what alternative did he have?

  * * * *

  Angel wanted to believe Travis, but the look she’d seen in Delaney’s eyes made her doubt him.

  “You can come out now. He’s gone.”

  Angel walked into the showroom. “I heard everything, so no need to repeat it.”

  Jill eyed her with a touch of pity and a smattering of understanding. “Too bad you didn’t see his face. You broke his heart. Do you realize how much this is affecting him? That woman is obviously out to start shit.”

  “It’s the same woman from yesterday, the one you called Miss Phony-Baloney-Stick-Up-Her-Ass.”

  “Oh crap. That was Delaney? In that case, you made a huge mistake. That woman is Trouble with a capital T,” Jill said.

  “You didn’t see them, Jill. I saw her face. She loves him.”

  “Are you sure she didn’t see you first? Remember, she knows who you are. It was no coincidence she was here. She came to check out the competition.” Jill’s tone was pure accusation.

  “I didn’t think of that. Oh, no. We did make eye contact for a nanosecond, but I just assumed she was glancing around.” Angel had been so stunned to find another woman with Travis that she hadn’t stopped to think Delaney had played her and Travis for fools.

  “She made sure you watched everything. She set you up and you fell for it.” Jill slapped the counter. “You can’t let her get away with this.”

  “It’s too late now.” Angel wished it wasn’t so.

  Jill planted fists on her hips. “Bullshit. No, it’s not. Don’t tell me you’d let that bitch win. You’d let her take Travis from you? What about having a little bit of faith in him?”

  “He was never mine.” It was the truth and it hurt like hell.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. He’s in your heart as much as you’re in his. You two were meant to be. Only you won’t admit it because you’re convinced you’re not worthy.” Gesturing while talking, Jill knocked over a book then righted it. “I don’t know what you’re waiting for either. You said so yourself, he’s perfect for you.”

  “Be that as it may, if he’s the man for me, things will sort themselves out. I have enough troubles with my business. I need to focus on it, not him.”

  “That’s a cop-out and you know it. You can have both. Travis on your side would be a benefit. He probably has friends in the real estate business who could help you.”

  “He did offer.”

  “Then you’re a damn fool.” Jill yanked the hem of her Motley Crue T-shirt down her hips and sashayed away. “I don’t understand you.”

  Angel opened her mouth, but the only thing that came out was a sob. “I am a fool.” She completely fell apart.

  Jill hugged her. A motherly hug, one that reached so deeply into her heart it healed any bump, bruise, and injury she’d sustained. The thought of her mother sent her into a whole new batch of tears.

  “Let it out.” Jill patted her, squeezing her tightly. “Stop pushing him away, damn it. Let the man help you. Do you really mean to tell me you don’t believe him? I mean, seriously. The man wants to help you. Think about it.” Jill thumped her on the side of her head. “Not to mention, that man has begged you how many times now? Sabrina and Trent had their own bumpy road, and look at them now. It’s time to throw the past in the garbage and give Travis the benefit of the doubt.”

  “I want to. But I don’t know what to do. Regardless of how good looking he is, how wonderful he smells, how good he tastes in hot fudge, I won’t be lied to and manipulated for Delaney’s personal game. That’s what Grant did to me.”

  Jill gawked. “Excuse me. How good he tastes in hot fudge? I think you left something critical out of this story.”

  Angel sniffed. “It seems I have an ice cream fetish.”

  Jill cleared her throat. “I want to hear more about your fetish later, but let’s finish this conversation first. I understand how you feel, but he’s not Grant. Travis isn’t lying to you. Delaney is the one doing the manipulation and you’re letting her get away with it if you won’t fight for him.”

  If she let Delaney push her out of the way, she’d be giving the woman a free ride on the Travis train.

  “Let me ask you one very simple question.” Jill’s expression filled with hope. “Do you love Travis?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Even so, I’m not sure if it’s lust or love. God, I’m pathetic.”

  “No, it makes sense. You have to remember your experience is jaded by Grant’s immaturity, your naiveté, and one hell of a huge heaping of self-loathing. Ever since you gave your baby up for adoption, you’ve treated yourself the same way your parents treated you. What they did to you is just as wrong as what you’re doing to yourself.”

  “I guess.” She turned away.

  Jill took her by the shoulders, gave her a light shake, and forced her to look her in the eyes. “No. In this instance, I’m right. You did what was best for your child even to the point of torturing yourself for it. Why? Were you ready to be a mother? With no job or education, how were you supposed to support yourself much less a baby?”

  “You’re right, I was a mess. I could barely remember to feed myself.”

  “Exactly, so putting her up for adoption, giving her to a family who could give her the kind of love she deserved was the best thing you could do for both of you.”

  “I did have a say in who adopted her. I wanted her to have the best of everything.” In the hospital, she’d placed her daughter, barely twenty-four-hours old, into the arms of her new parents, and they walked out of her life. She’d cried for three days straight.

  “And I’m sure she does. She may not know you love her, but you do. I can see that.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Stupid question time. Did anyone ever talk to you about the stages of grief?” Jill asked.

  Angel sniffed and blew her nose. “Yes, the counselor I worked with went through it with me. They’re denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.”

  “In your case you forgot to add forgiveness, and I’m not so sure you ever made it to acceptance. You accepted the situation because it was a done deal. You never acknowledged it was the right thing to be happy for yourself and your little girl.”

  “How do you know so much about grief?” Angel asked. Jill had more wisdom at her young age than most middle-aged adults.

  “After my dad died over in Kuwait during Desert Storm, Mom fell apart. For four years, she battled denial, anger, depression, and alcohol before she remembered she had a daughter to take care of. Thank God, we were living with my grandparents then or who knows what would have happened to me.” Jill wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “My grandmother insisted we all go to counseling.”

  “You poor thing. I didn’t realize your father was killed in the war.” Angel berated herself for complaining about her past after hearing Jill had suffered her entire life from the loss of a parent.

  Jill shrugged. “My point about you is that you’ve been hiding to protect yourself, pushing away any opportunities for happiness, and that’s no way to get over it. You have to be a willing participant, and sometimes that means getting your heart broken. Again I ask you, do you love Travis?
”

  “Yes, I do.” A shiver ran through her, from her head to toe, followed by a raging heat that enveloped her heart, warming her from the inside out.

  “About damn time you admitted it. Now, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to hand him over to that bitch?”

  “No, damn it.” Angel wanted to fight, not run. “You said I have to have faith in him. I hurt his feelings badly. How am I going to make it up to him? What do I do?”

  “You’re listening—that’s half the battle. Help me get some of those boxes in the back and let’s thin out the excess. We’ll get some work done and talk it out.” Jill grabbed a box and started loading some things no one had looked at in the past week.

  “Good idea. We’ll store them in the back. Be sure to label the boxes by products and aisle.” Angel felt more motivated than she’d been in a long time. Jill made perfect sense.

  “You’re the boss.” Jill grinned and started down the first aisle, asking as she passed merchandise if it was selling or not.

  “You leave Saturday for Denver? Do you need a ride to the airport?” Angel wanted to help Jill. After what she’d just learned, she realized just how hard it would be on Jill to be strong for her mother during the chemo treatments.

  “What? Anxious to get rid of me?” Jill laughed.

  “Not at all. Anxious for your return. I haven’t felt this good in a long time and it’s all thanks to you.”

  “Kat said she’d take me. I’ll be gone about two weeks. It just depends on how fast Mom rallies from this round. And I have a feeling your anxiety is more about your ice cream fetish.” Jill tried to keep a straight face, but it was impossible.

  Angel finally admitted what’s she’d done to Travis, just not in graphic detail, and they both ended up laughing.

  “I’ll send some lotions, shampoos, and creams for your Mom, a little something for you to pamper her with.”

  “That’s sweet of you. She’ll love it.”

  “And for the record, it’s going to be lonely around her without you. You’re fun to have around.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  Angel went into the back room and leaned against her desk. Had she been wrong to send Travis away again? She didn’t want to admit how much it had hurt her to tell him to leave. She sucked in a deep breath, grabbed a gift box, and went about collecting items she wanted Jill to take to her mother.

  She had to keep her mind off Travis because there was nothing more she could do for the moment.

  Chapter 11

  If Travis didn’t talk to someone soon, he was going to explode. Of all the times for Angel to come looking for him, damn his luck. He leaned against his car and speed-dialed Kat.

  She answered on the second ring. “What’s up, buttercup?”

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “What, no pleasantries? What’d you do now?” Kat’s laughter echoed through the line.

  He wasn’t amused. “Not me. It’s Del.”

  “Well, fuck. You just took the zippity right out of my doo-dah-day.” Kat sounded exasperated. “What happened now? Didn’t I tell you to get rid of her?”

  He still couldn’t believe that he’d played right into Delaney’s hands. “I tried. You were right. All I know—”

  “Back up, and say that again,” Kat said.

  “What—”

  “The part where I’m right.” Kat’s snicker grew into a full on belly laugh.

  He didn’t need any of Kat’s smart-assed comments, not now. “Cut the crap. This is an emergency.”

  “What happened?” Kat asked.

  Muffled voices drowned out Kat’s side of the conversation. “Who’s with you?” Travis asked.

  “Sabrina and Trent. We’re having lunch. Why don’t you join us?”

  He hadn’t eaten much in the past few days, and he wasn’t hungry, but he had to keep up his strength. “Where are you?”

  “We’re at the Indian restaurant around the corner from the magazine.”

  “On my way.” He disconnected, jumped into his rental car, and roared down the street. Between Trent, Sabrina, and Kat, one of them was bound to offer an answer. Because if he didn’t find a way to get Delaney out of his life, for good, he’d be screwed. Life without Angel wasn’t worth all the riches on earth.

  At the restaurant, he settled into the booth next to her.

  “What’s so urgent?” Kat asked.

  Thank God he could trust them to help fix his blunder. “Oh nothing, except that while I was telling Delaney we’re through, Angel showed up at my hotel and misunderstood the whole scene.

  “Oh no. What did you do?” Sabrina covered her mouth.

  “Fuck,” Kat snapped.

  “Damn. I’m sorry.” Trent grimaced at Travis and put his arm around Sabrina.

  “Now she won’t listen to me. She thinks I’m still hung up on Del. You guys have to help me figure out a way to straighten this out.”

  The waitress took his order then brought him a glass of water.

  “I didn’t know Angel was there. I went by the store to see if she’d go for some coffee. After she accused me of reconciling with Delaney, she refused to speak to me.” Travis still couldn’t believe his bad luck.

  Kat glared at him. “What did Delaney want, as if I don’t know?”

  “Why are you so mad at me?” Travis asked.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m furious at Delaney. Why does she need to start trouble, especially for you, now that your life finally has started to come together?” Kat flexed and fisted her hands.

  Did Kat know Jack checked into the Prescotts about her folk’s crash? That made much more sense. He’d have to warn Jack.

  Trent said, “I thought you cleared that whole mess up.”

  “So did I. In fact, I was downright rude to her.” Travis sipped his water. “How can anyone be so desperate?”

  “All the more reason to sever the ties.” Kat stabbed at her food.

  If Travis was right, her behavior about this whole thing was beginning to make more sense.

  Sabrina chimed in. “You’re forgetting something, guys. Wasn’t it your parents who caused so much havoc in your lives? Don’t you think if two big knuckleheads like you fell into that trap, it would even more difficult for a woman to handle? You make her sound like a barracuda. Surely she’s not that bad.”

  “Gee, thanks, honey,” Trent said.

  “Sabrina, I love you to bits, but you’re completely naïve about this. I went to school with her. I’ve seen her make grown men cry.” Kat wiped her mouth on her napkin then pulled her cell phone from her purse.

  “What are you doing?” Sabrina asked.

  Kat put up a finger while she dialed her phone. “Hey Del, sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I’ve been swamped with classes. What? You’re in town already?” She winked, put a finger to her lips, and hit the speakerphone. “Your note said you weren’t due until the weekend.” Kat’s voice feigned just the right tone of surprise.

  “I came in early to do some shopping. Do you have time for a drink?” Delaney’s voice oozed with falsehoods.

  Travis was nauseated.

  “Sure, I’d love to see you. Where are you staying?” Kat pretended to put her finger down her throat.

  “The Embassy at the Capital Mall,” Del said.

  Travis couldn’t believe how sincere Kat sounded. God, he hoped she knew what she was doing.

  “How long are you here for?” Kat asked.

  “A few days.”

  “On business?” Kat raised a brow then made a yap-yap-yap gesture with her hand.

  Four seconds of silence passed before Del answered. “Business…and a bit of pleasure.”

  “Fine. I’ll meet you in the bar at eight.”

  “I can’t wait. Talk to you later.” Del sent air kisses.

  Kat ended the call and dropped it in her purse. “Kiss, kiss, my ass. I’ll find out what she’s up to tonight.”

  Travis’s cell
phone rang. He pressed talk. “Dan, what did you find out?”

  All eyes were on him. The anxiety on their faces mirrored how he felt.

  “I have an update for you. But you’re not going to be happy,” Dan said.

  “Tell me.”

  “It seems the owner received an offer. He wants to accept. I managed to convince him to hold off until he hears back from me today,” Dan said.

  “You said it wasn’t on the market yet.” Travis had an inkling what was coming.

  “It wasn’t, but a buyer tracked him down and gave him an offer too good to refuse.”

  “Shit. Any chance he gave you the buyer’s name and the dollar amount?” No way was this a coincidence.

  “Yes, as it happens. At first, he didn’t want to give me the name or the amount, but after I mentioned your name, his eyes lit up. I’m sure he had visions of dollar signs and the possibility of a bidding war.” Dan sniggered.

  “Let me have it.” Travis loosened his tie and took a sip of water. As his confidence waned, his nausea grew.

  “The buyer offered two point five million for the building.” Dan’s voice was unemotional, all business.

  “Oh.”

  “What?” Kat leaned forward.

  Travis put a hand up to hush her. “Holy shit! When is he supposed to let the buyer know?”

  “After he hears back from me,” Dan said.

  He hoped it wasn’t too late. “Do we have time to make a counteroffer?”

  “Until the end of the day. What do you want me to do, Trav?”

  “What does the property include?” Travis asked.

  “Five store fronts, as well as two apartments above each store. Sacramento is on a revitalization kick. The property is well worth the money.”

  “You’re right. Ask the buyer if they’ll take three million, but he has to accept today.”

  Sabrina’s eyes bugged out, but Trent and Kat exchanged grins.

  Dan said, “Will do. I’ll get back to you.”

  “By the way, who is the buyer?” He had to ask, but he already knew the answer.

  “Prescott, Sloan Prescott.”

  “Son of a bitch. I should have known.”

  “What?” Kat, Trent, and Sabrina asked in unison.