Beauty and the Big Bad Wolf
Page 13
Her eyes widened. Either she was surprised or she didn’t believe him, or both.
“I came to see you.”
“But you said—”
“I know what I said. That my work came first. But after you left, I couldn’t work. I need you.”
“Me?” She looked stunned. Her face paled, and she gripped the rail along the side of the elevator. He had a momentary feeling of panic. What if she didn’t want to hear this? What if she wanted nothing more than to escape from these glass walls? He couldn’t tell. But he had to go on until he’d said everything. He had to give it his all before he gave up and went home empty-handed.
“You. I used to live for my work. Inventing was my first love. I believed that, even when I couldn’t make myself continue. Then you came along….”
“And barged onto your property,” she said with a smile tilting one corner of her mouth.
“Yes. No. Whatever you did, you shook up my world. You made me start thinking about something, someone, besides myself.”
“And that’s why you’re here today?”
“Yes.”
“You said you hadn’t changed.”
“I was wrong. I have changed. Maybe not enough, but…”
“Enough for what?” she asked. They reached the lobby. The doors opened and a crowd of people got in the elevator. He and Amelia stepped back, and were squeezed together against the far wall. He put his arms around her waist. He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. She sighed softly and his hopes rose. She hadn’t pushed him away. Maybe she couldn’t, given the circumstances. Maybe she would have if there’d been more room.
They rode back up again, this time without speaking, just listening to the inane conversation going on around them.
“Wow, what a view!”
“Don’t stand too close to the window.”
“Look, there’s the Golden Gate Bridge.”
This time, they got out on the top floor and went into the restaurant. After they’d ordered a bottle of white wine, he said, “Where were we?”
“You said you’d changed,” she reminded him.
“I have. And so have you.” He reached across the table and took her soft hands in his. “What do you think, is there any hope for you and me?”
“For you and me,” she repeated. “As in…”
“As in, you and me together…forever.”
“Brian…”
“Don’t say no. Think it over. If you don’t want to live in the country, we’ll live here.” He waved one hand toward the view out the window. “It’s a beautiful city.”
She stared at him as if he’d suggested living on Mars. He grinned at her. “What’s wrong? You think I’m some kind of country yokel who couldn’t fit in here?”
“No, no, of course not, I just… Give me a few minutes to digest this.” She took a sip of her wine, then set the glass down unsteadily, as he watched anxiously. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. If she wouldn’t live with him in the country or the city, what hope was there for them? None. Then it wasn’t about geography, it was about something else. It must be because she didn’t love him. He let her hands go and stretched his legs out in front of him.
“I didn’t realize this would come as such a shock to you,” he said ruefully.
“A shock? Why wouldn’t I be shocked after you told me you were a lousy husband and a lousy lover, and now you’re saying you want to try all over again, here in the city?”
“Well, of course, I was hoping you’d say you’d rather live in the country at my house.”
“You were?”
With every word she said, his spirits sank deeper. What had made him think she felt the same way he did? Still, he refused to give up. He had another card to play—the grandmother card.
“You’d be near your grandmother. And you and I would go for long walks in the woods, pick berries, make love under the trees. You’d bake apple pies….”
“Who do you think I am, Betty Crocker?”
“No, no. You don’t have to bake. You don’t have to do anything. But if you want to do something, you can work with me or…”
Now her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were full of unshed tears.
“Amelia, for God’s sake, don’t cry. I’ll shut up. I won’t say another word. I’ve said way too much already. And all you’ve done is remind me of what an idiot I’ve been, what ridiculous things I’ve said to you.”
Suddenly, her tears turned to laughter. She laughed softly at first, then louder. Finally, she had to press her hand against her mouth to force herself to stop.
“I… I’m sorry,” Amelia said, glancing around the room to see if anyone had noticed her outburst. “What do you want me to say, Brian?” She honestly didn’t know if he was proposing they move in together, that she quit her job to bake pies for him and that he’d changed enough…for what?
“Say whatever you want,” he said. “Just tell me the truth. Frankly, I didn’t expect you to cry or laugh, but whatever. At least I haven’t bored you. What I was hoping you’d say was that you’d fallen in love with me the way I’ve fallen in love with you. I know—it’s too soon. That’s why I hope you won’t say no, just say you’ll give it some time.”
“How much time?”
“Would five minutes be enough?” he said, looking at his watch. “Because I’m desperate. I love you, Amelia.”
“All right,” she said. Her head was spinning. She wanted to believe him, but she needed more time. More than five minutes. “I’ll quit my job. Don’t make too much of it. I realized when I got back that I hate it. So it’s no big sacrifice. But I’ll hang on to my apartment, because it’s rent-controlled. That way, you won’t feel any pressure if it doesn’t work out.”
“Hey,” he said, “don’t worry about me. I can handle pressure. Just tell me one thing, truthfully—do you think you could ever fall in love with me?” He leaned across the table and looked into her eyes. She couldn’t speak over the lump in her throat. They sat at the table for a long moment. When he couldn’t take it another minute, he tossed a pile of bills on the table and took her arm, and they headed for the exit.
In the elevator on the way down, they were once again squeezed together in the corner. This time, he kissed her between the 32nd and the 24th floors, and she kissed him back between the 24th and the lobby, only somewhat oblivious to the knowing looks and smirks from the other passengers.
She put her all into that kiss. It was a kiss that said what she couldn’t say in words. That she loved him, she wanted him and she’d go anywhere with him. She thought he’d get the message, but apparently he still needed confirmation.
“Is that a yes?” he asked, slanting an intense look at her as they crossed the lobby, hand in hand.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she said, stopping abruptly under the ornate chandelier in the middle of the high-ceilinged lobby. “I love you, Brian. I fell in love with you the day you took me on the roller coaster.”
“Uh-oh. Life won’t always be as exciting as a roller-coaster ride,” he said.
“That’s okay. The best part was having your arm around me, knowing you were there for me. That’s what I’ve missed.”
He hugged her to him, and they went out into the dark city streets to ride the cable car, stroll Fisherman’s Wharf and have dinner at a little Italian restaurant she knew.
Drunk with love and lust and the promise of an incredible, happy future, Amelia said good-night to Brian at her door.
“I can’t wait to see the expression on Granny’s face,” she said.
“If we get an early start, you can see her face about noon. Can you wait that long?”
She threw her arms around him and kissed him, a kiss full of promise. A kiss that said she could only wait so long—so long to tell Granny they were in love and getting married and living happily ever after, right next door.
It was almost noon the next day when they arrived at Granny’s cottage in the woods. She was out in her garden, her legs
propped up on a stool, her face tilted to the sun.
Brian coughed discreetly as they opened her front gate.
“You two,” she exclaimed, her mouth falling open in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought her back, Helen. She told me she couldn’t live without me, so I took pity on her and brought her with me. Of course, I’ll have to make a few sacrifices—clear out a few closets, that kind of thing.”
“Wait, wait,” Granny said, waving her hand at them. “Are you saying…?”
“I’m saying, we’re getting married and living happily ever after. Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf—right next door. How does that sound?” Amelia asked.
“It sounds like a fairy tale come true.”
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5465-0
BEAUTY AND THE BIG BAD WOLF
Copyright © 2005 by Carol Culver
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*Miramar Inn
†Best-Kept Wishes
**Fairy-Tale Brides