by T. M. Cromer
Val shoved back his chair and stood. “Jesus! Now you are just trying to make me lose my dinner. I need a beer.”
“That was downright cruel. You ladies should be ashamed of yourselves,” Royce admonished but destroyed the seriousness of his lecture by grinning. “I’ll buy him that beer. It’s the least I can do.” Before he moved away from the table, he whispered in Hope’s ear. Due to her sister’s flaming cheeks, Faith could only assume he’d said something naughty.
A tidal wave of envy washed over her. Being surrounded by couples in love drove the dagger of unhappiness deeper into her chest.
“Spill. What happened between you and hot stuff?” Hope asked.
“We went our separate ways tonight. The end.” Faith glanced around the bar. “I thought Jacob was supposed to be here already?”
“He was but left about ten minutes before you arrived. Boyfriend drama.”
“Well, shit. He was supposed to be my plus one.”
Ashley leaned forward to catch her attention. “Want to talk about it?”
“Nope. It’s not worth it. Just another one of ‘Faith’s screw-ups.’”
Both women frowned at her self-mockery. To avoid eye contact, she studied the bar.
“Uh oh.”
Hope’s warning had Faith’s head whipping around. There, by the front door, was Rand with a blonde bimbo attached to his arm. Faith became enraged as she’d never been before. He had to know if she hadn’t been here, one of a thousand people she knew would be, and they’d be delighted to rub his latest conquest in her face.
At that moment, she could’ve cheerfully choked the life out of both Rand and the skank. The love she had died a painful death. With one last look of contempt in his direction, she turned her attention to her family.
“I’m sorry, Faith,” Hope said quietly.
“Can we not talk about this anymore?”
“Do you want to leave?” Ashley offered a smile for show.
“No.” Faith smiled in return. “I’ll be damned if that sonofabitch runs me out of my favorite bar.”
Hope approved her grit. “Good girl.”
“Where is that damned waitress with my drink?”
“It’s a busy night,” Ashley warned. “It took us a good twenty minutes to get ours.”
Faith put on a good show for the group. She laughed. She teased. She even went so far as to be cordial when random men approached to talk to her.
At some point, Royce and Val stumbled back to the table, arms around each other’s shoulders as if suddenly the best of friends. Faith laughed for real this time. There was a lot of past history between the two, and to see them both make an effort to set aside their grievances delighted her.
Val hadn’t been in his seat a full minute before he started to rise. “Is that bastard here with another woman?”
Panicked he’d make a scene, Faith snarled low in her throat. “Sit down, Val. If you confront him, I’ll never forgive you.”
Wide-eyed, he did as she bid. “But—”
“No buts. Please, let it go. For me.”
“Are you saying it doesn’t bother you that he’s here with some ho?” he demanded.
Faith lied straight-faced. “Not at all. In all honesty, I was ready to move on. Ol’ Randall Crandall was boring the life out of me.”
THROUGHOUT DINNER, Rand had fought the advances of the ditzy blonde Justin brought along for Rand’s date. Her fake, oversized breasts and garish lipstick did nothing for him. By the time dinner had ended, he’d come to the conclusion that the only woman he wanted was Faith. All others paled in comparison. He worked excuse after excuse through the treadmill of his mind, but short of being rude, he couldn’t find a plausible reason to dump the group.
“Anywhere to get a drink around this place?” Justin interrupted his musing.
Rand shot him a tight smile. “There’s a local pub called the Spigot. Unless you want more upscale.”
“Nope. The Spigot is perfect. How ‘bout it, ladies? Up for a little fun?”
The two women chorused their agreement, and Rand rubbed his temples. The headache was unbearable. All he wanted was for this night to be over so he could start groveling to Faith. He’d start by confessing his love and hope to hell she took him back.
Once his group stepped through the doors of the bar, all hope died. There Faith sat with a bird’s eye view of the door and the woman fawning over him. Her features could have been carved from stone and the glacial quality to her eyes froze him to his core. Within seconds, she’d dismissed him and concentrated on the conversational thread of her group. Because Justin marched their group front and center, Rand was forced to watch as one guy after another took turns hitting on her where she sat two tables away.
Irritated and working his way into a temper, Rand met Hope’s frosty eyes across the distance. One perfectly manicured brow lifted in challenge, as if to ask, what are you going to do about it? He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to storm over to their table, punch the living daylights out of a few horny-ass men, haul Faith over his shoulder, and take her home to lock her away from the entire male population.
“You know, Crandall. I’m not entirely oblivious.”
Justin’s comment had him whipping his head around. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not entirely oblivious to what’s going on. Isn’t that the hot piece of ass who was in your office earlier?”
“That was the woman in my office earlier, yes.” Rand hoped to make the point women were not sex objects.
A crafty expression crossed Justin’s countenance. “Seems to me, you don’t like me referring to her as a piece of ass.”
Fuck! He was about to lose a client. “You know something, Justin? I really don’t. I don’t like you referring to her at all.”
“So, me screwing her is out of the question?”
Rand saw red. Hands curled, he rose to his full height. “I think you should look for another firm to represent you, Mr. Tidwell. I’m no longer interested in your business.”
Justin’s hearty laugh boomed. “I’m just messing with you, boy. For years, I’ve been trying to get you to loosen up. You’re as tight-assed as they come.” To the women, he said, “Ladies, do you mind stepping outside to wait for me?”
“But what about him?” The blonde bimbo asked with a tug of Rand’s arm. “I want him, Justy.”
“Doll, I don’t know how to break it to you, but the man is already taken. Isn’t that so, Crandall?” Justin directed the last part toward Rand, who stood shell-shocked as he struggled to process what his client was saying.
Rand shook his head and grinned. “I suppose it is.”
“Good luck, man. You’re going to need it after tonight.”
The two men shook hands and Justin ushered the pouting women out the door. Rand picked up the bill, threw a tip on the table, and made his way through the tables to stand behind Faith in time to hear her dismiss him and their relationship.
He watched as one by one, horror filled the eyes of the table’s occupants. Rand drummed up all the dignity he possessed. “Well. It’s always good to know where you stand.”
Faith’s shoulders tensed, but she didn’t turn. The little coward. He didn’t intend to let her off the hook that easy. Rand rested one hand on the table and the other on the back of her chair. He leaned close and asked, “When should I come by to pick up my things?”
“Never,” she turned and spat. “I threw all your stuff away.”
He studied her blazing chocolaty eyes and noted they darkened with her anger. Fool that he was, he wanted to haul her close and kiss her until she forgot her own name. His cool gaze dropped to her glossy lips. As he was about to straighten, she had to push his final button.
“Oh, and I scrubbed my toilet with your toothbrush for good measure.”
Rand hauled her to her feet and dug his fingers into her dark mane. Because he couldn’t let the challenge go, he crushed his mouth to hers. If this was goodbye, he intended to leave her with so
mething to remember him by.
Her moan egged him on as did the catcalls from the bar patrons. The kiss lasted forever, yet only a minute passed. Rand pulled back, and this time, the deep mocha eyes were full of desire.
He smoothed a hand down his shirtfront and tugged at each cuff. “Boring, my ass.”
BECAUSE HER LEGS WERE SHAKY, Faith plonked down in her seat rather than chase after Rand and beg. What she would’ve begged for would be the question of the hour. Most likely one more night of bliss in his arms. Or perhaps she would beg him not to leave her. Definitely, another one of those bone-melting kisses topped the list.
She touched her fingers to her swollen lips. The man kissed like the God of Sex.
“I’m pretty sure every single person in this bar needs a cold shower,” Hope proclaimed and pressed her drink to the column of her throat. She shoved the box of eclairs toward Faith. “Here. Go get him.”
Royce snatched the box back. “Don’t be hasty, woman!” He doled out two eclairs on a napkin and placed them in front of Faith. “There. I’m being generous. And if all else fails, hit him in the back of the head with one.”
Hope smirked.
“I’m not chasing him,” Faith declared. She did have her pride after all. Plus, the support of her knees was still in question.
“You’d be a fool if you didn’t.” Val surprised them all. “The man is crazy about you, kid. Even someone as obtuse and stubborn as I am can see it.”
“He rejected me for another woman tonight. If I go after him now, I’ll look pathetic,” she said so low as to be nearly inaudible.
“At the risk of sounding like an insensitive asshole, I’m going to say, wake the fuck up, kid. In case you didn’t notice, he didn’t leave with her. He came over to this table for you. He kissed you.” Val’s words were harsh, but then, the truth could be. “And for a man who hates public displays and wants to remain professional at all costs, his body language when he confronted Justin Tidwell earlier said he was ready to mangle the man. What does that tell you, Faith?”
It was clear the whole family thought she should go after Rand. However, some as-of-yet unnamed emotion held her back. “I can’t.”
The pity in their expressions drove her to her feet and caused her to flee the bar.
CHAPTER 15
A lone in bed that evening with only her regrets for company, Faith questioned her decision. Why in the world had she not gone after Rand? After she’d had the chance to reason it out, it was clear he’d only gone with Justin and the other women for business purposes. A step back and a clear head had revealed his reticence when she replayed the scene. She could’ve handled it better.
She craned her neck to check the time. Two o’clock in the morning was the worst. With no one to call and no lover to entertain, the only option left was to binge eat ice cream and gorge on sappy movies.
Faith threw off the covers and padded to the bathroom. A sound from downstairs caught her attention. Careful to avoid any squeaky floorboards, she tiptoed to the top of the stairs. Heart pounding, she made a quick study of the foyer. Nothing. About to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard the sound again.
What the hell? She eyed her nightstand from the hall. Did she go back for her phone? Faith leaned as far as she dared over the banister. Darkness greeted her. For a full two minutes, she debated the merits of going downstairs. Not smart for a lone woman in a t-shirt and panties. But did she take the time to get dressed?
Because she was a Fiore, and Fiores were not known to be cowards—or particularly smart—she grabbed a candleholder from the hall and inched down the stairs. Halfway to the bottom, she contorted to check the kitchen. Nothing seemed to move in the dark room. Two more steps and she slowly peered around the wall to the living room. A barely audible whine greeted her.
The box residing on her sofa hadn’t been there earlier. Curious, in spite of the fact that it could contain a severed head or something equally horrific, she moved into the room. A light flared to life in the corner of the room. A bloodcurdling scream bubbled up from her toes. At the sound, the whining noise from the box became an anxious bark, and the man who sat in the armchair by the light covered his ears.
“Good God, Faith!”
“Rand?” She placed the candleholder on the sideboard and her hand on her heart. “What the hell are you doing here? You about gave me a damned heart attack.”
“I thought we should talk.” His pale eyes pinned her in place as he stood.
Her heart went into overdrive as he closed the gap between them.
With two fingers, he shifted a thick strand of hair away from her face. “It occurred to me, you might have been trying to save face earlier tonight.”
Frozen, she continued to stare, throat closed on all the things she wanted to say.
“Am I right?”
The floodgates opened and tears trailed down her cheeks. Still, she remained unable to speak.
“I thought so,” he said gently and pulled her close.
“I’m sorry I embarrassed you.”
“What?”
His astonishment had her explaining, “In your office. I’m sorry I embarrassed you in front of Sascha and Justin.”
He groaned and hugged her tighter. “You didn’t embarrass me, Faith. You never could.”
“Then why were you so cold to me?”
“Growing up the way I did… dealing with abusive parents… I don’t express myself well. You…”
She stopped his stumbling flow of words with a fingertip against his lips. “I get it. I mean, I didn’t at the time, but I do now.”
“I came here tonight to apologize and ask you to forgive me for not telling Justin right off to send his playmates away. God, it was the most boring night of my life. All I could think was that you were somewhere in those sexy-ass heels and I was stuck with two women who couldn’t string together an intelligent sentence between them.” He heaved a sigh. “I don’t know how Justin stands it. When they left the Spigot, I rushed right over. Only, you were telling everyone and their brother we were over and I was boring.”
Faith’s eyes closed against the pain in his voice. “I’m sorry,” she choked. “If it helps, the entire group knew me for the liar I was.”
“Was it a lie?”
His insecurity hurt. She’d caused this with her temper and distrust. “Yes. A whopper. I don’t think you’re boring at all. You’re the most interesting person I know.”
With great care, he drew back and tilted her chin up to meet his troubled eyes. “I don’t always know how to express myself. You’d think after thirty-four years, I’d be better at it, but I’m not.”
“I don’t care, Rand. Your being here is enough. You don’t have to be that guy who always brings me flowers or showers me with pretty speeches to show he cares.”
A whimper from the box caught her attention.
“What about puppies? Is it all right if I bring you a puppy to show I care?”
Her eyes widened and she flew to the box. There, nestled inside a blanket, was a Yorkie pup. It peeked its head up and made a barely audible sound.
“Ohmygodyoubroughtmeapuppy!” she gushed. Faith lifted the little beastie and held it to her heart, only to raise it again to kiss its tiny head. “A puppy! Ohmygod!”
“So that’s a good thing, right?” he laughed.
“The best,” she agreed. As she held her new baby up to introduce herself, she noticed a half-chewed gift tag hanging from her tiny pink collar. Cradling the pup in one hand, she turned the tag over. It read, “I love you, trouble.”
She nearly crushed the pup to her chest as she dealt with the impact of the written words. Randall Crandall loved her. Her. Filterless Faith Fiore, the resident weird chick.
He cautiously approached her still form. “Faith?”
Her eyes brimmed with new, unshed tears. Rand’s features were a blurred mess, but his hesitancy nearly broke her heart. Here was a man who feared rejection. A man who had spent the majority of his life c
losed off because the risk of showing he cared was too great. Yet, right this moment, he was laying everything on the line.
A rapid series of blinks dispelled her tears. She needed to see his face when she said the words in her heart. “I love you too, Randall Crandall,” she whispered. “More than you could possibly imagine.”
He lifted the tiny Yorkie and placed the pup back in the box. Then he hauled her close and buried his face in her hair. “Thank you.”
Surprised, she struggled to see his expression. “Thank you?”
A self-depreciating smile twisted his lips. “I’ve never had anyone love me before.”
“Oh, Rand!”
“Don’t. I didn’t say it to elicit your pity. That’s the last thing I want,” he stated gruffly. The intensity in his blue eyes impaled her. How had she ever thought they were cool? The warmth there could heat up the whole of the Arctic for at least a year. “I said it because to be loved by you is the greatest gift I could ever receive, trouble.”
She flung her arms around his neck, tangled her fingers in his thick hair, and dragged his mouth to hers. Faith had every intention of showing him how loved he was for the remainder of their days.
A sharp yap broke them apart. Breathing ragged, they stared at each other in bewilderment. A second yap had them glancing into the box. The puppy sat, tail wagging, wide awake and ready to play.
Unable to resist, Faith reached for the sweet beastie. Warmth spread down her shirt. “Um, Rand?”
He ruffled the fur behind the puppy’s ear. “Hmm?”
“When was the last time you took her out?”
“Out?”
“To go to the bathroom?”
Eyes wide with horror, he stepped back to check her shirt. “I’m torn.”
“Torn?”
“Part of me feels horrible that she peed on you. The other part is loving the way that wet shirt is clinging to your breasts. And those nipples, God!”
With a giggle, she shoved the dog into his hands. “The back garden is fenced. I need a shower.”
His deep, heartfelt groan had her laughing in earnest.
