In her room, Aubrey absently laid the envelope on the bed. Though she was thrilled about Corbin winning the job in New England, she couldn’t help but remember his comments about his heart. He spoke like a man trying to escape an unpalatable truth while fighting an internal battle he’d already lost. How could Mandy still have such a hold on him?
For something to do, she drew out the pictures again and laid them on the bed. A small smile crossed her face – Corbin liked them. That was something she would remember every time she looked at them. After a moment, she counted and then counted again. She was positive Phillip had brought ten pictures, but must have been mistaken, for there were only nine. With a shrug, she went into the bathroom to wash her hair.
* * * *
The following afternoon Aubrey was sitting down to eat lunch when she glanced through the window and spied a woman coming up the stairs. There was no mistaking the features that had been seared into Aubrey’s memory. The smile was at the same time beguiling and confusing, the face even lovelier in person than in print.
Aubrey walked reluctantly to the door, her body stiffening with anger. How could Mandy appear so relaxed and carefree standing on the deck of the man she left at the altar? She callously ruined his chance of happiness and now wanted to be welcomed back into his life.
Aubrey opened the door slowly, forcing a smile to her lips.
“Hello, you must be Aubrey. I’m Mandy Martens.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mandy. Please come in.”
Mandy stepped into the house with an eagerness that left Aubrey wondering if she possessed any sensibility at all.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch.”
Aubrey motioned her to a chair. “No problem; can I get you something?”
“No, thanks,” Mandy said as she sat down and looked around the room. “I’ve often thought of what it would be like to be here again.”
Did she mean on Tybee or in Corbin’s house? Aubrey chose the former. “It must be difficult to get down this way with your schedule.”
Mandy smiled impishly into Aubrey’s strained features. “It wasn’t so much my schedule that kept me away; it was doubt about my reception. I’m sure you know how things played out between Corbin and me. But I always meant to return; that was always part of the plan.”
“I think you’ll find many things have changed since you left.” Aubrey felt Mandy deserved that for what could only be described as a nauseating show of confidence.
Mandy’s attractive laughter filled the room. “Nothing too permanent, I hope. I liked things the way they were before. I understand you know Phillip, the photographer I worked with last week.”
“I know him slightly; I met him through my sister.”
“You evidently made a great impression; he couldn’t stop talking about you.”
The words were friendly enough yet Aubrey couldn’t relax. This was all leading to something. “I don’t know what he could have said – we hardly know each other.”
“He said enough to make me curious to meet you.”
“I’ll have to thank him for his kind words.”
“Of course, I’d have wanted to meet you anyway because you work with Corbin. I couldn’t believe it when I heard you live here, too. ” Mandy looked at her speculatively for a minute. “You’re not at all what I expected.”
A brief smile touched Aubrey’s face. “I’m not sure what to say to that.”
“It’s actually a compliment. You’re a rare thing these days – a genuinely nice person. I won’t keep you from your lunch any longer.”
Aubrey stood at the window and watched as Mandy slowly became a speck on the horizon. Her lunch and the work needing her attention were forgotten. The opening and closing of the front door hardly impinged on her consciousness.
“I was beginning to think you’d been kidnapped. You’re usually glued to the computer screen at this time of day.”
Aubrey swung around slowly, hoping her agitation of mind wasn’t evident to Corbin. “That’s where I should have been, but I had a visitor.”
“You don’t seem to have enjoyed whoever it was.” He strolled over to the table and waved a hand toward her half-eaten meal. “Did your visitor keep you from eating?”
“I forgot about that.” She gathered her plate and walked to the sink, hoping Corbin would go elsewhere. Unfortunately, he seemed in no hurry to leave. Should she tell him about Mandy’s visit? Or was that playing right into the other woman’s hands?
Corbin watched her throw away her food without comment. Aubrey could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
After a few tense moments, she asked, “Can I make you something?”
“No, thanks. Are you going to tell me who came to see you? Or should I guess?”
Aubrey’s eyes rose to meet his. “You already know, don’t you?”
“A man doesn’t forget the fragrance worn by the woman he fell in love with. It seems Mandy hasn’t changed in that respect at least.”
Her cheeks burning, Aubrey quickly looked away from him. After all this time, he still remembered Mandy’s perfume.
“Did she leave a message or was this just a test run to get the lay of the land?” he asked with a faint smile.
He might not be able to resist her, but he wasn’t taken in by her tactics. “She left no verbal message, but her nonverbal one seems to have worked very well.”
Corbin nodded. “She should have been a movie director; she’s a master at setting a scene.” Not bothering to elaborate, he pointedly changed the subject. “I have a few calls to make, one of which is to Phoebe. I made the mistake of mentioning our trip to Maine. She wants first dibs on any articles I may choose to do on it.”
As Aubrey watched him go, she marveled at Corbin’s composure. He displayed none of the emotion she would have expected. It was as if Mandy’s reappearance amused him; like a parent enjoying the antics of a child. Was she the only one worried about where all of this was going to end?
Chapter Nine
Though Corbin never again referred to Mandy’s visit, it was a subject that never completely left Aubrey’s mind. Mandy wasn’t a woman who left things to chance. Having excited his curiosity by coming to the house, would she be content to wait and let Corbin make the next move?
Either way, Aubrey wanted the suspense to be over. Between her romantic side chasing a dream in which Corbin suddenly falls in love with her and her more practical side telling her to find another job, Aubrey didn’t know which way to turn. Was Corbin having a similar problem?
His words to her about his heart leading him into trouble had been more telling than he knew. If he hadn’t been able to forget Mandy after six years, all the preparing in the world wasn’t going to help him. Aubrey loved him enough to hope Mandy’s return would give him the happiness he sought.
With a suddenness typical of most things in life, the event Aubrey had been anticipating with such anxiety reached fruition. It happened on a day that began normally enough. Corbin, his desk covered with blueprints, supply lists and a stack of bills, buried himself in his office immediately after breakfast. Aubrey decided to get out of his way by going to the grocery store.
When she arrived home a few hours later, hungry and irritable, the first because she’d neglected to eat enough breakfast, the second because the store didn’t carry several items she needed, she could find no sign of Corbin in the house. Muttering under her breath, she carried in what seemed like twenty bags of groceries without assistance.
As she emerged from the walk-in pantry, the neatly arranged shelves testimony to her efforts, Aubrey saw them. They must have been walking on the beach when she came home, but were now sitting side by side on the deck. Corbin was smiling, his attention wholly on his companion. Wearing an orange bikini consisting of very little actual material, Mandy epitomized everything a man could desire.
The fear that she might be caught staring at them was the only thing that drove Aubrey away from her position at the w
indow. As she watched Horace push his way through the door of the kitchen, she wondered how two people who’d parted in such dramatic fashion could talk so amicably now.
In answer to his grumbling, Aubrey grabbed Horace, his bowl, some food and went upstairs. She had no desire to be hanging around downstairs should the happy couple decided to meander inside. Besides, a good cry would probably make her feel better, and her room was the place for that. Before she could indulge in this activity, her phone rang. By the time she finished listening to Phoebe vent about a problem at work, she was over the initial shock of what she’d seen. She was also famished. How could she be hungry when her heart was breaking?
Corbin and Mandy were nowhere in sight when she arrived in the kitchen. Drawing a ragged sigh of relief, she reached into the refrigerator for the eggs.
She never heard Corbin come in and halt just inside the door. A sense of peace settled over him as he watched her. Her hair wasn’t in its usual braid, but flowed loose down her back, swaying attractively with every movement. Who wouldn’t find comfort in being around someone so uncomplicated? There was no hidden agenda with Aubrey. The man who earned her love would never know a moment’s doubt. He came further into the room and touched her lightly on the shoulder.
Aubrey jumped and turned toward him with a frown. “You love creeping up on people. I can’t imagine why.”
“I never knew I possessed so many annoying habits until you moved in. What are you fixing?”
“An omelet with cheese and mushrooms. Would you like one?”
“I’d love one; what can I do to help?”
“You can put the fruit salad into bowls and set the table.” Aubrey hid a smile. Here she was talking about food when all she wanted to do was throw herself into Corbin’s arms and beg him to forget Mandy and take her instead. It was amazing the level to which one would cheerfully go for the sake of love.
During lunch, Corbin talked of the looming trip to Maine and everything else under the sun except Mandy. His silence on that subject wasn’t a surprise, but it irritated her. He’d poked his handsome nose into her business often enough. But then again, maybe she was better off not knowing the details of an event that ended any faint hopes she had.
Corbin carried his plate to the sink and then turned to her with a smile. “You make a good omelet.”
“Thank you; I thought they were okay. My mom could make really good ones. They just melted in your mouth. Of course, she used a ton of butter, so I’m not sure how healthy they were.”
“You’re in the South – we don’t cook anything without butter.”
“And you can’t get along without your sweet tea.”
He laughed. “The world would be a dark, dismal place without sweet tea.”
“Oh, I know. I’m hooked on it now.”
“By the way, I won’t be here for dinner tonight.”
She kept her eyes glued to the glass she was washing, a nod her only indication that she heard him. So, here they were – the words she’d been expecting. It hadn’t taken Mandy long to reinsert herself into Corbin’s life. The reunion was off and running.
“Don’t you want to know what I’m doing?” he asked in a mild voice.
Aubrey looked at him then, her eyes darkening, whether in anger or hurt he didn’t know. “You’re not usually so anxious to tell me your plans,” she countered.
“Aren’t I? Well, this time I want you to know. I’m going out with Mandy.”
She must act normal no matter what it cost her. Running from the room wasn’t an option unless she wanted to give herself away completely. “How did that come about?”
“I was taking a break from going over those worthless blueprints Mike sent me. I walked toward the lighthouse and there she was. What could I do but forgive and forget, right?”
He stopped, waiting for some kind of response, but Aubrey didn’t have one. Every coherent thought left her mind. Had he really said ‘forgive and forget’ in that lighthearted way? Was he human? This was the woman who’d betrayed his love. His attitude defied description. With a start, she realized Corbin had resumed talking.
“She couldn’t stay long, so I asked her to have dinner with me. Why didn’t you come out and say hello? It’s not like you’ve never met her.”
Aubrey found a lump in her throat. “I thought you might want to be alone.”
“Being alone with Mandy has led me into trouble before.”
Aubrey smiled, but it was a feeble attempt. She was holding on to her composure by the thinnest of threads. “Where are you taking her?”
He looked at her speculatively through half-closed eyes. “I’m not sure yet, but it will have to be somewhere off the island. If people see us together, it will be front page news around here.”
“You’re right about that. I hope you have a nice time.”
* * * *
Aubrey spent most of the afternoon in her room. She was still there when she heard Corbin leave. Coming downstairs a few minutes later, she caught sight of Horace, who having followed the one he considered his master to the front door, had stationed himself there to await his return.
“I know how you feel, but you better get used to it. He’s not going to have time for us anymore.” Scooping up the reluctant feline, she carried him into Corbin’s office and was soon immersed in her work.
When the doorbell rang later in the evening, Aubrey got up slowly, stretching stiff muscles. Swinging open the front door, she saw Richard, with Chloe hiding behind his legs.
“Hello, mermaid. Can we come in and play?”
Aubrey smiled despite her somber mood. “Is this your date for the evening?” She bent down and held out her hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Chloe. How’s your head?”
“Oh, it’s all healed. Uncle Rich and I are going for ice cream later. Do you want to come?”
“That sounds like fun. Count me in. Would you like to play with Horace?”
“Who’s Horace?” Chloe asked excitedly.
“My kitten. He’s in the laundry room. Let’s go wake him from his nap.”
Richard followed the other two, watching with amusement as Chloe whispered softly into Horace’s ears and squealed with delight when the kitten stretched and yawned. They carried him into the living room, and Aubrey showed Chloe how to get him to chase a ball of string. Once the child was fully occupied, Aubrey joined Richard on the couch.
“Uncle Rich, huh? I didn’t know you were Chloe’s uncle.”
“Tammy is my sister. She told me about meeting you.”
“So, you’re babysitting tonight. You have unexpected depths.”
“I told her not to count on this happening too often,” he said with a teasing grin. “I have other things to do with my free time.” His eyes went to Chloe’s bright head and he added softly, “I thought you might need some company tonight.”
Aubrey felt her face grow warm. “Why is that? Corbin is often away from home in the evenings.”
“True, but he’s not often in the company of Mandy Martens.”
“Can anyone make a move around here without everyone knowing about it?” she asked in an annoyed tone.
“Not really, but in this instance, I was in the right place at the right time. I had some more papers for Mandy to sign. When I dropped them off this afternoon, we got to talking about our plans for the weekend. She mentioned having dinner with Corbin. I know how upset you’ve been about her coming back so when I heard that, I decided to come by and see how you’re doing.”
“That was sweet of you, Richard, but unnecessary.”
He reached for one of her hands. “I doubt he’ll risk getting hurt again.”
“I think the opposite,” she said grimly. “I just hope she sticks around this time. He deserves to be happy.”
“Don’t we all?” he asked flippantly. “But if the man can’t see what’s right under his nose, he deserves what he gets.”
“He apparently likes what he sees. And who can blame him?”
R
ichard squeezed the hand he held. “I was referring to you. You’re the one under his nose.”
Aubrey’s eyebrows went up. “You’re joking, right?”
“I think the man’s an idiot. You’re worth a hundred of Mandy.”
“This must be the new Richard talking,” she said teasingly. “You didn’t think I was so wonderful before.”
He shrugged. “Even I can tell quality when I see it.”
“Thanks, Richard.”
“So what’s your plan? You love him, don’t you? What are you going to do about it?”
She didn’t attempt to deny it. “I’m not going to do anything; I would die if he found out.”
“That’s a strange attitude – I’m doing everything I can to let your sister know how I feel about her.”
“So I’ve heard. I hardly recognize the man she describes to me on the phone.”
His cheeks colored slightly. “Phoebe has had an unusual effect on me. I never believed love could so alter my outlook.”
“It alters everything, Richard.”
The conversation ended there as Chloe popped up behind them suddenly. “Uncle Rich, I’m thirsty.”
“I can take care of that, sweetheart,” Aubrey assured her.
Richard trailed the pair into the kitchen with the comment that they should leave to get the ice cream since it was getting close to bedtime. This comment galvanized everyone into action. They piled into Richard’s car and were soon enjoying their icy treats.
* * * *
After her guests departed, Aubrey was reluctant to face the quietness of the house. She made her way to the edge of the water and sat down on the sand. As she watched the tiny crystals sift slowly through her fingers, she thought of how her own time on the island was slowly slipping away. How much longer did she have?
From there her mind winged its way to Corbin. How could he let Mandy back into his life so easily? For pride’s sake alone, he should have shown some measure of reluctance. The fact that he displayed none at all was surely an indication he still loved her. Aubrey could think of no other explanation for his attitude toward a woman who’d treated him so cruelly.
Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance Page 13
