by Regina Cole
There was only a slim chance this would work at all, but she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t try. Her silence had gone on long enough. She just hoped Chandler would forgive her for being so late to pick him up.
The thought of Chandler’s visit actually brought a small smile to her face as she took the back stairs two at a time. Even when her world was falling apart around her, there was something to smile about. She’d have to thank him for that.
“Can I get you something else?”
Chandler shook his head at the waitress with a rueful smile. “No, I’m good. Sorry I’m kind of camped out here on you.”
She laughed and winked as she took his empty glasses. “It’s fine! You’d be surprised how many people end up killing a few hours here waiting for their ride.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Chandler took a sip of the fresh beer she’d brought him and watched as she walked away. She was pretty cute, actually. She couldn’t hold a candle to Eliza, but then again, nobody else really could, either.
He wiped the froth from his upper lip with a sigh. Where was she? She’d promised to pick him up almost two hours ago. He’d sent her a couple of texts, even called her, but the phone had dumped straight to voice mail. The negative side of him wondered if she was ditching him. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened, but it was certainly not something he’d expected from her.
No, he was being ridiculous. Eliza wouldn’t do anything like that to him. She probably got held up by work, or traffic, or something equally as innocent.
Taking another sip of his beer, he looked around the airport. It was smaller than he’d anticipated, but this little restaurant and bar, placed just beyond the security barriers, made for a decent place to keep an eye out for her. He had a pretty good buzz going. He only hoped it wouldn’t take a nosedive when he finally heard from Eliza.
He checked his phone again. No texts. Maybe he should check his e-mail, just to be sure....
As soon as he tapped the app to open it, his screen lit up with an incoming call. Eliza.
He answered it with a quick swipe. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Chandler, I’m so sorry. I’m on my way right now. Don’t hate me.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine. Seriously. Are you okay? You sound a little upset.”
She sniffled, and the sound was so pitiful it broke his heart. “No, I’m fine. It’s no big deal. Just a misunderstanding at work. I’m sure I can clear it up soon. But anyway, enough about that. How was your flight?”
“Uneventful. I was able to get some work done, so that was good.”
“Great. Okay, I should be there in about twenty minutes. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. I’m fine. See you in a few.”
Chandler killed the call and spun his phone thoughtfully in his hand. It would take some work to draw Eliza out of her shell enough to figure out what was going on. At times like this, his vow to keep from investigating her behind her back was decidedly inconvenient. Oh well. It was for the best.
He drained the rest of his beer, left enough cash to cover his tab and a sizeable tip, and wheeled his suitcase to the exit. There was a row of benches near the doors. He’d hang out there and wait for Eliza, spending the time thinking about ways to distract her from her work problems.
That shouldn’t be terribly difficult if she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her.
He sank down onto the bench, watching as a family walked out the glass doors. The chill of the air swirled past, sending a shiver through him. It felt good, though. Cleared his mind a little.
Once he’d gotten down to it back home, he’d realized just how obsessed he’d become over Eliza. His thoughts centered on her, even when they hadn’t spoken in a day or two. He kept imagining what it’d be like to bring her back home with him, to show her the places that he loved. To walk along the beach with her, hold hands as they navigated the windswept and rickety old pier. Would she go fishing with him? Lay out on the sand during the warm spring days? He could picture here there so perfectly that it was kind of scary.
He wondered if he was just using Eliza to replace Andrea. After all, he’d thought his ex-wife would do all those things with him, too, hadn’t he? Chandler frowned as a cab pulled to a stop at the curb. No, he was wrong. Andrea hadn’t ever been interested in his home, or their life together. After her initial bout of sympathy for him, she’d stayed attached to Chandler because he was stable enough to support her so-called art career. She hadn’t sold so much as a piece in the three years they’d been married. Money was a problem between them, but he could have dealt with that. What he didn’t understand, and what had finally split them up, was his asking for sex what she termed “much too often.”
He snorted. Twice a week was too often? And it wasn’t like he didn’t take no for an answer; he always did. He’d made sure to listen to her, to try to do things to get her in the mood. But rather than deal with his “overactive libido,” she’d opted to walk out.
Chandler looked down at the bland, beige industrial flooring beneath his feet. He’d blamed himself for a long time. But eventually he’d come to the conclusion that he and Andrea were just wrong for one another. And if that was the case, then there was a woman out there who’d be much happier to see him.
He looked up, and his face relaxed into a smile almost instantly. Eliza was standing behind the open driver’s side door of a green Honda. Her face was lit with that happy, overwhelmed expression that people got when they’d received a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
He grabbed his suitcase and ran out the doors, directly to her. Dropping the handle, he picked her up and held her so tight. She clung to him, her arms wound around his neck, her face buried against his shoulder as sobs shook her. Or was it laughter? He couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter.
He set her down gently and kissed her as hard and deeply as he’d been longing to for the last few weeks.
A honk from behind them forced him to let her go.
“Hey,” he said, holding her hands.
“Hey to you,” she said, rubbing at her cheeks. “I’m so sorry I’m late. You ready?”
He nodded and picked up his suitcase. “Let’s get out of here.”
Stowing his suitcase in the trunk, Chandler tried to calm his insides. It was so good to see her. These last couple of weeks had been unexpectedly difficult. But they’d been good, too. Eliza had actually talked to him. She hadn’t revealed her darkest secrets, not even close, but she’d showed him glimpses of her life, her likes and dislikes, the person she really was.
It was so easy to like her, so easy to want to spend more and more time with her. So when he climbed into the passenger seat, he didn’t hesitate to reach over and lace his fingers through hers.
“Sorry again,” Eliza said as she turned on her signal to merge into traffic. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and released it so she could drive.
“No, totally fine. I had a couple of beers, did some work. It was cool.”
“Okay. If you’re lying to me, though, just know that I’ll make you sleep on the couch.”
Chandler snorted. “As if. As soon as you figured out what’s in my suitcase you’d graduate me to the bed again.”
She shot him an interested look. “Did you bring fun stuff? Like the things you had in Hawaii?”
“I did.”
She grinned, but just as quickly her expression faded. “That’s great.”
Chandler shifted in his seat to get a better look at her face. “Okay, that’s enough. What happened at work today?”
“Nothing.”
“Liza. You’re acting like you lost your job.”
She winced visibly, and Chandler instantly felt like shit.
“Oh damn. I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Eliza rubbed a tear away from her cheek. “It’s something that’s been coming for a long time anyway. My boss and I . . . Well, it’s not important.”
“If you’ve been wrongfully terminated, your boss can get in trouble for that. If you tell me the situation, I can help you try to get your job back.”
Her mouth fell open, and she slammed on the brakes.
24
Eliza’s heart leapt into her windpipe, her foot pressing hard on the brake pedal. Fortunately, the cat scampered across the road, seemingly unhurt.
“Sorry about that,” she said when she could breathe again. “I didn’t want to hit that stray kitty.”
“It’s okay.” Chandler’s voice was just the tiniest bit strained. “I thought maybe you were mad at me for sticking my nose into your work.”
Eliza bit her lip. Selfishly, she’d love to have his feedback on the job situation. But was that really wise? What if he asked her about the rumors Tyler had spread? Chandler had been open to her sexual suggestions so far, but that secret fantasy of hers had already blown up in her face one time. This long-distance relationship was hard enough without adding another layer of worry on top of it, right?
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. It’d be so wonderful to lay all her troubles out for him, but she wasn’t there yet. She’d have to give her own solution time.
“I’ve taken some steps to try to get things settled out. There’s a personal issue with my boss and me. Of course, my boss is the CEO’s son, so that complicates things. But you don’t want to spend your trip here talking about my problems.”
This relationship wouldn’t last forever, she was fairly certain of that. If the distance didn’t kill it, the fact that she wasn’t the person she’d pretended to be definitely would. So she might as well do her best to enjoy what little time she had left with him. Stupid? Maybe. But a few days of happiness would definitely make her feel less lonely in the coming days ahead.
“I know it’s not really any of my business, but I’m a good listener if you want to tell me what went on.”
Why wouldn’t he let it go? Eliza braked slowly at a red light, biting her lip to keep from saying something stupid. Maybe just a change of subject would fix things.
“So, it’s getting late, but have you had dinner? You probably ate while you were waiting for me, didn’t you? If you didn’t, then there’s this great little pizza joint not far from my house. We can call something in, maybe go pick it up. . . .”
She trailed off as Chandler’s broad hand lay atop her knee and squeezed gently.
“If you’re hungry, that’s what we’ll do. Pizza sounds fine to me.”
For some reason, the fact that he didn’t press her for more information made her even more emotional. The breath that she drew in next was kind of shaky, and she pursed her lips to blow it out slowly.
Maybe she needed medication. Surely she shouldn’t be getting this upset over every little thing.
Well, you did just get fired by your ex-boyfriend, then talk to the big boss about the nasty rumors flying around about you for an hour or so after that. Then someone you care a lot about was nice to you and offered to help. Yep, you’re definitely stressed and in need of drugs.
Wait a minute: care a lot about? Eliza swallowed hard. It was true. She cared for Chandler more than she had any other guy since, well, ever.
It was a startling realization.
“This is a cute neighborhood,” Chandler observed as she turned in at the front of her subdivision. “Have you lived here long?”
“Ever since I got out of college. My job helped me find this place. It’s quiet, I like it.”
She pulled into her driveway and killed the engine. For a moment they sat there in the silence. Eliza closed her eyes and breathed.
It was nice, him being here beside her. She felt safer somehow. Normally just coming home was stressful. She always imagined that some neighbor or other was staring out their windows at her, making reports to the neighborhood watch about her comings and goings, just in case she ever showed up on a sex offenders list.
“You okay?” Chandler’s deep, soft voice came out of nowhere. His hand rested lightly on her thigh, caressing softly.
Chandler. Her blood fired then, the tension she’d felt at work flipping into something else entirely. He was here, in the flesh, and there was nothing between them except the center console of her car and a few pesky clothes.
Easy obstacles to get around, really.
She leaned toward him, and fortunately for her, he met her halfway. Their lips touched and she instantly opened her mouth to him. He delved deep with his tongue, his hand tangling in her hair. Her hand ran down his chest, memorizing the planes of his body. It felt like a year since she’d touched him like this, much too long. With her fingers playing over his flat abdomen, she moaned as he pulled her hair gently.
“We should go in the house,” he said softly against her mouth. “Unless you’ve always wanted to do it in your car?”
Eliza shook her head as reason came crashing into her. No, she didn’t want to climb into the backseat like a naughty teenager. Well, she did, but not here. Not with all the eyes that surrounded her here. She didn’t need more rumors spread about her sex life. Better get Chandler inside before someone noticed them steaming up the windows.
“Sorry. I kind of got carried away.” She reached for the door handle, but he laid a hand on her thigh before she could leave the car. His gaze was direct, serious.
“Don’t ever apologize for kissing me, Liza. Ever.”
She looked at him for a moment while her brain whirred. Chandler was definitely unexpected. As soon as she thought she had everything figured out, he’d do or say something that took her aback, but always in the best of ways.
A smile crept across her face and she glanced down at the console between them. “Okay.”
They got out of the car then, Eliza opening the trunk so Chandler could remove his suitcase. As they walked across the yard to her front door, Eliza fumbled with her keys.
She’d cleaned up a little, but she probably should have made more of an effort. What would he think when he saw her junky house? She wasn’t ready for an episode of Hoarders, she did clean regularly, but there was just a lot of, well, stuff lying around.
As the key slid into the lock, a nervous string of words came out unbidden. “Sorry about the mess. I work a lot of overtime, and well, I’ve been meaning to get a storage unit for some of this stuff. When Mom and Dad sold our old house and moved away, I kind of inherited a lot of the unsold furniture and knickknacks.”
The door creaked as she swung it open. She scooted inside, her back to the house as she waited for Chandler to enter. As he did, his head swiveling to take a look around, her embarrassment grew.
Putting a hand on her stomach, she laughed weakly. “Well, it’s rough, but it’s home. I’m sorry. I guess it’s a lot worse than you expected. I can take you to a hotel, if you’d rather sleep somewh—”
A finger appeared on her lips, silencing her.
Chandler’s suitcase fell to the floor, a dull thump against the hardwood. His gaze locked with hers as his finger drew downward, pulling her lip slightly. Instinctively she puckered, kissing the tip of his index finger.
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. Your house looks great. There’s only one problem.”
“What?” Eliza’s voice was breathy, Chandler’s fingers tracing their way down her throat.
“This isn’t the bedroom.”
Eliza had appeared ready to jump out of her skin ever since they’d pulled out on the highway. The closer they got to her home, the more Chandler worried. She was almost like a different person from the one he’d met in Hawaii. There had been traces of this frightened creature there, sure, but they’d only been a tiny part of her. Here? They were the majority of Eliza’s outward character.
Somethin
g was very wrong here for her to feel so threatened. But for now, all he wanted to do was distract her. When Eliza got turned on, her problems melted away. She was honest, and beautiful, and free. He wanted to give that to her almost as much he wanted to sink deep into her.
Almost.
“Bedroom,” he repeated, his fingers dancing along her collarbone. A delightful shiver went through her. “Where?”
“This way.”
Threading her fingers through his, she led him down a narrow hallway. The door at the end was painted blue. It reminded him of the ocean they’d spent so much time next to in Hawaii. Eliza turned the knob and let him inside.
The bedroom was different than he’d expected. Even though Eliza had told him she wasn’t really the kind of woman who dressed up and liked pretty things, somehow he’d been picturing a lacy, white, feminine kind of bedroom.
A queen-sized bed dominated one wall, dark wrought-iron head- and footboards standing out starkly against soft gray walls. The curtains and bedding matched, muted colors swirling together and reminding him of plumes of smoke rising from a campfire. Dark furniture lined the other walls, simple, plain.
All in all it was a pretty plain room, but the more he looked around, the more he realized it suited her perfectly.
“I’m sorry it’s not fancier.” Eliza tucked a stray hair behind her ear. The simple gesture gave him a better view of her jaw, her long neck, the sweet places he loved to kiss and nibble.
Damn. He was getting hard again.
“It’s perfect.” He steered her toward the bed. She hesitated a moment before sinking down onto it. “Wait right there. I brought a few surprises with me that should help keep your mind off work and on me.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Surprises?”
He grinned but didn’t respond. He just left the room and headed back for the suitcase in the hall.
