Suzy spotted the DVD player and was unable to resist asking, “Hey Nick, do you have any movies in here? Maybe Barney?”
With a chuckle, Nick said, “very funny, but I wonder who would have been laughing if you and the princess up here had to fold yourselves in a two-door compact car.”
From where she was sitting, Suzy saw Beth’s head whip towards Nick at his ‘princess’ comment. That’s just what she needed, these two hating each other. She should talk to Nick about taking it easy on Beth; he probably didn’t understand how sensitive she was to comments that she thought were negative in any way. Maybe it was time to give Beth the same advice she’d given Claire—‘get laid.’ That had actually worked out pretty well, she thought with a satisfied smile.
Chapter Eleven
They arrived at the doctor’s office with only a few minutes to spare before her appointment. Beth walked up to the window to let them know they had arrived and Nick helped her into a seat. Beth sat on one side and Nick on the other as if they were using her as a buffer between them. Both Nick and Beth stood when the nurse called her name. Beth gave him her best eye roll and said, “I think I can take it from here. Why don’t you go sit in your mini-van until we are finished?” Suzy snickered, even though Beth wasn’t usually so rude. The nurse tried to hide her smile, plainly amused by a man who looked like Nick driving a mini-van.
Nick looked down at Beth and tweaked her nose saying, “Chill princess, there’s no reason to get your panties in a wad. I’ll wait out here.”
By this time, the nurse could barely contain her amusement as she ushered them down the hallway and to an examination room. Suzy studied her sister after they were left alone, asking, “What’s the deal with you and Nick? You two can’t be in a room together for more than a minute without biting each other’s heads off.” Good grief, she was sure that Beth actually just huffed at her question.
“It’s nothing Suzy; he just irritates me, that’s all. Haven’t you noticed the way he calls me princess all the time? I know he’s just doing it to be insulting.”
Confused, Suzy asked, “Why would you think that?”
“Oh come on, by calling me princess, he’s just trying to point out the fact that I’m anything but that. Kind of like if he called me beautiful or something. It’s his way of making fun of the way I look.”
Suzy was shocked, and even though she didn’t know Nick that well, she felt certain he hadn’t meant his comment in the way that she took it. “Beth, you’re beautiful and if Nick called you that, he’d only be telling you the truth. I’ll tell him that the nick-name he’s given you is bothering you.”
Beth grabbed her hand, saying urgently, “No, please don’t say anything to him. I’m sure you’re right, he’s just kidding, and it’s no big deal.”
Suzy wanted to argue, but at that moment, the doctor came in and she was forced to postpone their conversation. He explained the process of having the hard cast put on as he un-wrapped the soft cast. He also gave her instructions for caring for the cast and advised her to call his office if she had problems or concerns. Soon the doctor and his nurse were layering thin strips of wet plaster over her ankle and calf. She was surprised at how fast the wet mixture appeared to harden. Suzy thought longingly of her stiletto heels and wondered when she’d ever be comfortably wearing them again. Why do I care what type of shoes I’m wearing? I’m sitting here in sweat pants yet again. All I need are a pair of orthopedic shoes to complete the picture. I can tell everyone years from now; I used to be sexy until I broke my ankle. It was all downhill from there.
When the cast was complete and dry, the doctor helped her to stand and she almost pitched forward when she tried to walk with her crutches. It was like trying to move a cement block with her toe. The doctor said if it didn’t cause pain, she could use a special boot they made to go over casts for walking. The nurse put one on her cast and Suzy had to admit that using the crutches as well as putting weight on the cast was a much easier combination.
As soon as they got to the waiting room, a harassed looking Nick held out a cell phone to her. “Please talk to my love-sick brother before he either freaks out completely or drives me crazy. He’s been calling every five minutes for the last hour.”
Suzy smiled as she put the phone to her ear. “What have you been doing to your brother? If you don’t leave him alone, he’s going to hop into his mini-van and leave Beth and I stranded here.”
The sound of Gray’s voice in her ear sent a tingle through her. “God baby, I’ve been so worried. What took so long? Is something wrong? Did they hurt you?”
Suzy’s head was spinning at the barrage of questions Gray was belting out. Nick was right; he did seem to be freaking out. “Um…calm down Gray, I’m fine. It takes them a little while to actually put a cast on, you know. Everything is ok, really. I have my cast now and the walking boot so I’m in much better shape than I was this morning when you left.”
She could hear Gray expel a deep breath. “Thank goodness, I’ve been out of my mind with worry. I thought something had happened to you, and my brother was no help at all. Why didn’t you let him go back with you?”
“Gray, get a grip, I’m fine, I promise. How was your trip? Do you think you will have to be there all weekend?” Suzy had been surprised that Gray had been forced to leave for a business trip on a Friday. He’d explained that the customer they were trying to land was having a gathering at the CEO’s home that weekend and he’d been invited. This was a chance to meet the other principals of the company and conduct business in a less formal atmosphere. He was hopeful that he’d be able to close the deal on the Monday following the gathering. The customer was located in Nevada, which meant hours of travel time and a time difference, as well.
“I hope I can wrap it up quickly. I don’t like leaving you this soon after your accident.” Lowering his voice, he continued, “I’m going to miss lying beside you tonight. I’m afraid I’ve gotten spoiled to having you in bed beside me. I want your face to be the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake in the morning.”
Even though her heart was melting at the love she could plainly hear in his voice, Suzy kept it light, “You aren’t going to make this easy for me, are you slick?”
Gray laughed, always seeming to appreciate her sense of humor and know exactly what she was trying to say. “You might as well wave the white flag right now, sweetheart, because there will be no retreat.”
“I’d be disappointed if there was,” Suzy admitted.
“I’ve got to run, baby, please be careful today and I’ll call you tonight.”
When Suzy pushed the end button on the cell phone and handed it back to Nick, he was making a gagging motion with his finger. Since she couldn’t take her hands from the crutches to hit him, she settled for sticking her tongue out to which she got nothing but laughter in return.
Soon Suzy was settled in the back seat and Beth was forced to the front beside Nick again. Claire had called Nick while they were in the doctor’s office to check on Suzy and he’d invited her to lunch with them. They were going to eat at the sandwich shop around the corner from Danvers.
Claire was waiting for them in the parking lot when Nick pulled up in his mini-van. Suzy had to admit that seeing a pregnant woman laugh that hard was almost scary. Nick gave them all a look of disgust and walked ahead to hold the door of the restaurant open.
After they were settled at a table, Suzy looked at Claire and bluntly asked, “When is that bun coming out of your oven? You look like you’re about to explode.” Claire choked on the drink of tea she’d just taken and Beth had to pat her on the back until she could catch her breath.
“By bun, I assume you’re referring to my baby, and he or she’s due in about three more months.” Rolling her eyes, Claire continued, “I’m sick of the swollen ankles, the fatigue and the hemorrhoids are a real pain in the butt.” As soon as the last word left her mouth, Claire seemed to remember Nick’s presence.
&nbs
p; Suzy wasn’t sure whose face was redder at that point, Nick’s or Claire’s. They both looked like they wanted to climb under the table. Suzy jabbed her elbow in his ribs and said, “For heaven’s sake Nick, you have been around the block more than a few times, stop acting like a convent girl.”
Nick held his hands up, still refusing to make eye contact and said, “Ladies, I don’t have many rules, but I have to draw the line at talking about hemorrhoids, tampons or PMS. If you want to talk about sex, then I’m your guy, well unless it’s with my brother, but no talk of the female cycle or anything hanging out of your body, ok?”
They all laughed, and Suzy called the waiter over to order a beer for him. For such a ladies’ man, the guy really needed to loosen up. She had to appreciate the fact that although he didn’t know them all that well, he was still willing to spend his day taking her to a doctor’s appointment and then spend lunch with three women. From what she could tell, like his brother, Nick was a good man.
All too soon lunch was over and they dropped Claire back at the front doors of Danvers. Suzy tried to convince Nick to let her go into the office to pick up her mail, but he adamantly refused. He did offer to pick it up on Saturday and bring it to her. By the time they made it home, Suzy was exhausted and her body seemed to be aching all over. She didn’t want to admit it, but she’d overdone it a bit today. She was grateful when Beth suggested she rest on the couch for a while.
Nick offered to stay for a few hours so that Beth could go to the supermarket and pick up some of Suzy’s clothing. She’d refused to wear sweat pants for another day so Beth had caved to pressure and promised that she’d have her own clothing by tomorrow.
~~~
Gray sat on the bed in his hotel looking down at his cell phone. He’d wanted to hear Suzy’s voice, but according to Nick’s text, she was sound asleep on the couch. Disappointment stabbed through him even though he’d just talked to her a few hours earlier. Running his hand across his face, he admitted that Nick was right about him, he was a love-sick sap. Being away from her was tearing him apart. He knew that once she was his, he’d be able to breathe easier when they were apart. Right now with so much hanging in the balance, he was afraid of losing ground while he was away. He just couldn’t start over again with her. It had been hard before, but now that he’d finally established intimacy between them, even though they hadn’t had sex, the bond was there. He’d go to pieces if she walked away now. Giving someone this type of power scared the hell out of him. If he was smart, he’d probably run and never look back. He knew that he’d past the point of no return, his life was with Suzy and a life without her was nothing at all.
The one thing still stopping him from relaxing was Reva. He wasn’t naive enough to believe that the silence since changing phone numbers would last. She’d be back and it was high time he dealt with it. He couldn’t start a life with Suzy with something like that hanging over them. It was also time that he came clean with Suzy and told her what was going on. When she’d asked about him changing his cell phone number that morning, he’d been stumbling around like an idiot trying to find an explanation. Gray had always believed in being honest and he wasn’t going to continue keeping something like this from her. He didn’t want to tell her over the phone, but as soon as he got home, it was time to level with her and hope that it didn’t change anything.
He was surprised at how well things had progressed between them. The feel of her hand on his butt yesterday had both shocked him and almost brought him to his knees. He’d always desired her, even with the front she presented to him and the world. You couldn’t be a male and not immediately take notice when she walked into a room. Suzy was a drop-dead gorgeous woman and she didn’t dress to minimize it. It wasn’t that she dressed specifically to draw attention to it; she was just unique and her style represented that. He wouldn’t change anything about her. Just smelling the light fragrance of her perfume when she walked by him was enough to make him hard as a rock.
He’d been amused by her when they’d first met. She seemed to do and say a lot of things just for the shock value. He had a feeling being raised by such uptight parents had something to do with it. He’d bet that she’d spent her adolescence finding ways to get a reaction out of them. They probably about had a coronary the first time she walked out wearing an eye-popping animal print. Gray saw through the smoke and mirrors to the person underneath that camouflage. Suzy might seem tough, but she was breakable. She acted like she didn’t want or need affection when in reality, she craved it. She wanted someone to love her enough to peel back her layers and see the person inside.
As Gray started dressing to attend a party at the home of their potential new customer, he was still uneasy and the feeling bothered him. He decided to text Nick again to make sure everything was ok. He hated to have these gut feelings because they invariably drove him crazy until whatever was causing them finally presented itself.
Chapter Twelve
Gray had been gone for almost two weeks. Suzy had no idea it was possible to miss someone as much as she’d missed him. The simple trip that Gray had assumed would last no more than a week had run much longer than he’d imagined. He had been in Nevada for a little over a week and then in California dealing with a supply problem, which luckily he’d finally settled. The new guy at Danvers, Declan Stone, was flying down to California in the morning and Gray was handing the reins over to him. He thought someone should be there for a few extra days to ensure there were no other issues and he didn’t want it to be him. He’d wanted to fly home for an evening just to see her but she’d put her foot down, or her boot at least. As much as she wanted him home, she didn’t want just a few hours. She had big plans for Gray tomorrow night when he finally made it home and she didn’t want to be rushed.
Suzy was feeling much better than she had when he left. She’d learned to manage pretty well on her crutches and was much more mobile now. Things that she’d always taken for granted like showering or going to the bathroom still required more time, but she was getting the hang of it. Beth had finally brought over her clothing and it felt better to look more like herself. Skinny jeans were out since she couldn’t fit them over her cast, but skirts were comfortable even if she had to settle for ugly flat heeled shoes to go with them.
Gray had insisted on Nick staying with her and Beth at night. She was glad to have him in the house, but Beth seemed to hate every moment of it and never failed to let Nick know. If Suzy didn’t know better, she’d swear it was some form of foreplay between them. Beth had been working at Danvers for the past week. She went in to pick up messages and mail and returned the calls and handled correspondence for Suzy. She planned to go back to work on Monday. She knew it would be a fight with Gray, but she couldn’t stay home forever and with several projects in the works, she had to be there in person some of the time.
Suzy smiled as she thought of how many times each day Gray called her. Their last conversation of the day was usually at night when Gray was back at his hotel and Suzy was settled in bed. She’d never been one for phone sex, but their nightly talks had gotten pretty interesting. She was sure that Gray went to sleep each evening just as tightly wired as she did.
Even though she wore a heavy, awkward cast, she planned to finally give both Gray and herself what they had both been longing for when he got home tomorrow. She’d already told Beth and Nick that they should make plans to return to their own homes. Beth had blushed and Nick had given her a thumbs-up along with a wicked grin.
Today Suzy planned to go shopping for a special purchase even if it took her all day to hobble into the store. Beth would be appalled to be pulled into Victoria’s Secret, but she’d not be deterred. She was a woman on a mission and that was to get something special for tomorrow night. Maybe it was time she also helped Beth pick out a few things for herself. If there was one thing she knew, wearing sexy undergarments just made you feel sexy. It was like a powerful secret that you carried, or in this case, wore with you all day.
&nb
sp; Nick had invited Claire and Jason over for a barbeque that evening and Beth said she was going to invite a girl from the office that she’d gotten to know. Suzy thought it sounded like a great evening, and it would have been perfect had Gray been there.
Beth came into the bedroom to help her shower and get dressed. They had gotten the hang of using the cast cover and the shower seat and after a few mishaps; they had it down to a science. Suzy used the chair that Gray had put in front of the vanity for her while she dried and styled her hair and put on her makeup. Beth stood beside of her doing her makeup as well. Soon they heard Nick yelling for them from the other room.
Not Planning on You (Danver's Book 2) Page 10
