The coffeemaker gave a final sputter. There was silence, except for their shared sighs.
Cole lifted his head, looked down at her, his eyes making promises, his hands stroking her back. “Melinda,” he whispered low. On his lips, her name sounded like a vow. Or a prayer. His mouth hovered above hers, ready to kiss her some more.
She thought, No. Wait. This is wrong. To be standing here in my own kitchen, kissing this cowboy I only met hours ago.
Somehow, she found the strength to splay her hands on his chest and stiffen her arms so their lips couldn’t meet.
He froze, waiting, for her to speak, for her to tell him what had happened, why she’d suddenly changed her mind.
She stammered, “I...this is a bad idea. We have nothing in common.”
“So?”
“So, it couldn’t go anywhere.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Oh, Cole. I...I was trying to tell you, I’m at a difficult place in my life now. I need to find...where I’m going, what to do with myself. The last thing I need is...” She sought the right word.
He found it before she did. “A man?”
“Right.”
He just looked at her.
She rushed on. “I’m sorry, Cole. But it’s true. The last thing I need right now is a man.”
His eyes searched her face. “You mean that? You’re certain?”
She made herself say it. “Yes. Yes, I’m certain.”
He sucked in a long breath. Then he dropped his hands to his sides and moved back. “I think it’s time for me to go.”
No! a foolish voice in the back of her mind cried. No, please don’t go!
“I... what about the coffee?”
Those eyes of his didn’t waver. “Better leave it at this.”
She lowered her head and pressed her lips together, in order to keep from begging him to stay.
He said, “It’s been...some night.”
She lifted her chin high, spoke firmly. “Yes. It has.”
He ran his hand back over the crown of his head, finger-combing his thick brown hair. “Thanks. For being there while my nephew was born. It meant the world to Annie.”
“I’ll see her tomorrow.” The words came too quickly, full of an eagerness she couldn’t mask. She found herself adding a bit defensively, “I told her I would.”
He granted her another long, searching look. Her heart seemed to shrink inside her chest. She just knew he was going to tell her not to come.
But he didn’t. He only said politely, “She’ll like that. And I’ll get the number of my insurance company to give you then, so you can pass it on to your agent.”
“That will be fine.”
He was still watching her too closely, a look that pulled on her, a look that made her long once again to beg him to stay.
But she didn’t beg him. She only said, “Good night, then.” And trailed along behind him to lock the door once he had left.
Chapter Five
Rudy was waiting when Melinda walked in the back door of Forever Eve the next morning.
“Darling. So glad you could make it today.”
She craned her head around the stack of boxes she’d carried in from the cab with her. “Rudy. Look. I’m really sorry about—”
He waved a long, elegant hand. “We’ll talk. But first, where is the rest of my merchandise?”
“Right outside.”
“Undamaged?”
“Yes. I promise you.”
“Then give it all to Sara and join me in my office, why don’t you?”
“Certainly,” Melinda replied with a briskness she wished she could feel. Rudy left her there with her tottering pile of boxes. She turned them over to the other salesclerk. Then she went outside to help the cabdriver bring in the rest.
When she paid him, she added a generous tip. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Hey. Anytime.” He winked at her. “Always glad to give a pretty girl a hand.” He strolled off whistling. Melinda watched as the heavy back door closed behind him. Then, unable to put it off any longer, she went to Rudy’s office.
He was waiting behind the drawing board that he used as a desk. “Shut the door, darling.”
She did as he told her. He said, “Go on. Sit down.” She moved a stack of fabric samples from a folding chair to a table nearby.
He waited until she’d taken the empty seat, then said, “So. Decided to steal an afternoon off?”
She thought of Annie, sitting in Cole’s pickup, clutching her big belly, amniotic fluid dripping down her legs. “Something came up. An emergency.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” Rudy brushed at his silk sleeve. Rudy loved silk. And the color black. Today, he was adorned in a black silk poet’s shirt with a black scarf at the neck, a black patent leather belt and a pair of tight-fitting black slacks. He looked a bit like Zorro without the mask—a very fey Zorro, and a very put-upon one, too. “When you didn’t show up by five, I called the Erikson mansion myself. It was far from a pleasant experience. The woman is a raving bitch. She screeched at me. Repeatedly.” He tossed his head and his tight cap of raven locks bounced saucily. “She said you were rude. And totally incompetent.”
Melinda said nothing. What was there to say?
Rudy let out a long sigh. “Of course, I settled her down eventually. She’ll see me—and only me—tomorrow at two.”
Melinda felt somewhat relieved. “You’ll turn her around.”
“You’re right, I will. No thanks to you.” He folded his hands on the drawing board and regarded her reproachfully. “You said you could handle it.”
“I thought I could.”
“She hated everything?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I told you to take the After Midnight designs, didn’t I?”
“But I thought—”
Rudy clucked his tongue. “My darling. Everyone in this town knows about Evelyn Erikson. She’s fifty years old and she loves pretty boys. She also wants to be twenty again. The Premiere collection is not to her taste.”
Melinda felt like hanging her head, but she didn’t. She sat stiffly erect. “Yes. You were right.”
“Well, of course I was.” He fiddled with his sleeve again, then let out another long breath. “Melinda darling, I am going to see to it that Evelyn Erikson becomes an exclusive Forever Eve account.”
“I’m sure that you will.”
“Her support could mean a great deal to us here.”
“I realize that.”
“Good. And I do want you to understand that I believe you have talent. Some of your ideas have been...quite exciting, though your insistence on trying them out has struck me as premature. After all, you’ve only been working here for—what?”
“Seven weeks.”
“When you walked in off the street that first day, I thought to myself, ‘Ah, yes. Magnificent. The Forever Eve woman, in the flesh’.”
Melinda cleared her throat. “Well. Thank you.”
“But it really hasn’t worked out, has it?”
Melinda knew that she was about to be fired—and she knew why, too. “You promised Evelyn Erikson that you’d get rid of me, didn’t you?”
Rudy looked down at his folded hands, then back up at Melinda with the tiniest of shrugs. “So goes it in Lotusland, my sweet. And you know, you really should have called, when you decided not to wander back here yesterday.”
“Yes,” Melinda agreed in a soft voice. “I realize that.” She felt no urge at all to try to explain herself. What was the point? Staring across the drawing table desk at her boss in his poet’s shirt and flowing black scarf, Melinda saw the truth and accepted it. She was never going to make a go of it with Forever Eve. It was Rudy’s shop and it would always be run Rudy’s way. He might admire her ideas, but he’d always fight using them.
And he would never understand the choices she’d made yesterday. What would he care about the accident and how Cole had helped her? What did a young girl f
rom Texas and the imminent birth of her child mean to Rudy Delavaggio and his exclusive lingerie shop?
The answer was simple. They meant nothing. Nothing at all.
Rudy said, “That’s a Prada bag you’re carrying. You’ll hardly starve before you find something else.”
“Rudy?”
“Um?”
“You’re right.”
“Well, darling, of course I am. Let’s just write you up a final check and you can be on your way.”
Feeling uncannily good about herself, Melinda walked out of Forever Eve without a job. She called another cab, this time to a car rental place where she got herself some wheels. Then she drove straight to the finest baby boutique in Beverly Hills where she bought a complete layette, everything sky blue and sunny yellow—and a stuffed blue bunny with floppy ears. She also looked over their selection of child safety seats and chose the best one they had.
She made one more stop before heading for East L.A. General, at a florists’, for a bright blue and yellow bouquet. It was adorable, arranged in a miniature baby carriage, with a tiny yellow teddy bear sticking out the top.
At the hospital’s front desk, she learned that Annie would be checking out that afternoon.
“So soon?” she asked, surprised.
The clerk looked her up and down. “This isn’t the Waldorf.”
“Well, I know, but—”
“Her doctor makes the decisions. I’m sure if he says she’s ready, then she is.”
“Well, yes. That makes sense, I suppose.” Melinda had the flowers in one arm and the stuffed bunny in the other. She smiled from between them. “Is it all right if I just—?”
The rather harried-looking clerk actually smiled back. “Go on up. Room 341. But check in at the nurses’ station there before you go to the room, just to be sure she’s ready for visitors right now.”
“I’ll do that.”
Annie’s face lit up when she saw Melinda. “You’re early! Ohmigoodness. Flowers. They’re so cute. And the bunny...Melinda, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. But I wanted to.” Melinda thought of the other surprises she’d left in the car. She just couldn’t wait to present them. Annie was going to be so pleased.
Cole sat in a chair at the foot of Annie’s bed, long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. Melinda gave him a careful smile. “Hello, Cole.”
He nodded, pulling out of his relaxed pose and planting his boots firmly on the floor.
Melinda turned from him swiftly. She rushed to the hospital bassinet, feeling breathless and giddy—and just a little bit guilty for some silly reason. “Oh. Where’s the baby?”
Annie laughed. “Relax. They didn’t steal him. They’re just looking him over one final time. Cole, take these beautiful flowers and Brady’s new bunny and put them on that little shelf over there.”
Cole rose from the chair. He stepped up to Melinda. She felt his sudden closeness acutely. She also experienced a total reluctance to meet his eyes. She gave him another false smile and stared at the wall just beyond his left shoulder as she passed him the flowers and the floppy-eared toy.
He showed no inclination to linger beside her. As soon as he had the things in his hands, he turned and carried them to the high shelf Annie had indicated, where he set the bunny right next to the flowers. “How’s that?”
“Oh, that’s just fine. That way I can see them and feel spoiled and special, until they let me out of here.”
Melinda frowned. “Which, I understand, will be this afternoon?”
“That’s right,” Annie said. “And don’t go lookin’ worried. They say we’re ready, both of us, me and Brady.”
Cole seemed reluctant to sit again. He stood by his chair. “Listen. I think I’ll head on out and see about getting that car seat we talked about.”
Melinda had no choice. She had to reveal her little surprise. “That won’t be necessary.” Both Annie and Cole turned questioning eyes on her. She explained, “Well, there’s no need. I mean, I already got you one.”
Annie giggled in disbelief. “A car seat? You didn’t.”
“Yes, I did. And I got a few other things, too.”
“Oh, Melinda. That’s not right. You can’t just—”
“Yes, I can.” She flicked a defiant glance at the stonyfaced Cole. “And I did. So we don’t need to talk about it anymore.”
There was silence. Melinda could feel Cole’s disapproval, coming at her in waves. She did not let herself look at him. She turned pleading eyes on Annie. “Come on. I wanted to. And I can afford it. Believe me, I can.”
Annie let out a cry and reached out her arms. “Come down here. Come on.”
Melinda bent over the bed. Annie grabbed her close and Melinda grabbed back, breathing in that wonderful baby scent that clung to Annie’s skin, thinking that it felt so good, to have a friend’s arms around her in affection and gratitude.
“It’s okay, then?” she whispered against Annie’s soft hair.
“Yes. It’s okay. And thank you. Thank you so much...”
“It’s nothing. You’re welcome.” She let go of Annie and straightened again. “I had such fun picking everything out.”
The two women beamed at each other until Cole said in a flat voice, “I wrote down the number of my insurance company.” He dug in a back pocket and brought out a small square of paper.
“Oh. Yes. Of course.” Melinda took the paper, way too aware of the quick brushing of his fingers against hers. “I...I wrote mine down for you, too.” She dropped the paper in her purse and fumbled around until she found what she was looking for. “Here you go.”
He took it. “Thanks. I hope you’ve got that car seat stashed somewhere close. We’re gonna need it to take the baby home.”
“Oh, yes. I left it in my rental car.”
“Maybe you’d better show me where it is. I’ll bring it up now.”
He wanted to get rid of her. She could see it in his eyes. He’d collect the other gifts she’d brought and then send her on her way.
Well, too bad for him. She wasn’t leaving until she’d seen Brady. “Thanks, but I’ll take care of it myself before I go.”
He didn’t look pleased, but what could he do? Those big shoulders lifted in an easy shrug. “Suit yourself.” Then he spoke to his sister. “I’ve still got a few other things to pick up, so I think I’ll just go on.”
He turned for the door, but Annie stopped him before he could make his escape. “Cole?”
He paused in midstride and glanced back at his sister. “Yeah?”
“Is somethin’ bothering you?”
“No, not a thing. I’ll be back at one to get you out of here.”
The worried frown between her brows faded away. “We’ll be ready.”
His guarded eyes found Melinda. “Goodbye, Melinda.” The words were polite. And final.
She waved a hand. “’Bye, Cole.” And he left them.
Not two minutes later, a nurse brought the baby back. And of course, Melinda had to hold him. He fussed and rooted for her breast.
“He’s hungry,” Annie said. “My milk hasn’t come down yet and he’s been crying a lot the past few hours.”
Melinda helped make Annie comfortable so that she could nurse, which soothed the baby even though he wasn’t getting much nourishment yet from the process. Annie looked up from the tiny mouth tugging on her breast. “The nurses tried to talk me into letting him have a bottle.”
“But you said no, didn’t you?”
“You bet. If Brady and I don’t practice, we’ll never get this right.”
Melinda reached out, tenderly touched the small head with its cap of downy fuzz. The soft spot pulsed beneath her palm. “He seems to be catching on quickly.”
“Yeah. No moss growin’ on this boy, let me tell you...”
The time just seemed to melt away. Brady fell asleep at Annie’s breast and she put him in the plastic-sided bassinet. At eleven-thirty, Annie’s lunch arrive
d: She just couldn’t eat all of it, so she and Melinda shared.
Annie said she couldn’t get over it, how the two of them got along. “Like a pair of old shoes, you know? Comfortable and easy, with no places that rub you wrong. I am so glad you came early—and that you’re here right now.” Annie pulled a Groucho Marx with her eyebrows. “But fess up now. Are you playin’ hooky from work?”
So Melinda ended up admitting that she no longer had a job.
“Oh, Melinda. Is it our fault? Because of yesterday?”
And Melinda had to explain everything. About how the job wasn’t right for her anyway. And then all about Rudy and Forever Eve—and even the awful experience with Evelyn Erikson.
Annie flushed bright red when she heard about the mirror over the huge, gold-draped bed. “What a terrible woman,” she said with a groan. “I never liked her movies much anyway. And I’m really surprised that Cole didn’t give her a big piece of his mind.”
The bittersweet memory rose up—Cole’s hand finding hers, the seemingly contradictory sensations of comfort and arousal his touch had inspired. “Cole wanted to tell her off,” Melinda confessed. “But I gave him a look and he kept his mouth shut.”
“You shouldn’t have. You should have let him blast her with both barrels.”
“No. That wouldn’t have been right.”
“Sure, it would. She deserved it.”
“Well, it’s all over with now.”
“Is it ever. And you’re without a job. Oh, Melinda. What will you do?”
“I’ll find something else.”
“But will you...be all right, until then? I mean, aren’t you a little worried? About money, you know?”
“Annie, the truth is, I’ve got plenty of that I have a trust fund. A very large one. And a few investments, too.”
“A trust fund? You mean your father’s rich?”
“Actually, most of the money comes from my mother’s side. She’s from a very old, very wealthy Philadelphia family—and you are not to worry about me. I will be just fine.” She was proud of how self-assured she sounded. In reality, she hadn’t a clue what she would do with herself next.
And Annie sensed that. “I guess, really, you’re a lot like me,” she said quietly, “trying to figure out where in God’s big world to go from here.”
Married by Accident Page 6
