“Thanks to your big mouth, she’s broken up with me.”
“Caleb stared down at his feet. Can I get you a brew? We can sit and—”
“I didn’t come here to chat over a beer. Caroline broke up with me!”
“I gathered that,” Caleb said, examining the blood on his fingers. “And I don’t blame you for hitting me. I deserved it.”
“What the hell, man? You just ruined everything for me. Only the other day you helped me figure out I was in love with Caroline, and now, thanks to you, she broke up with me.”
“You said that.”
“Don’t get cute or next time it’ll be a black eye.”
“And you on the floor with a knee in your back.”
“Yeah, right.” Tyler shook his head in disgust. “She overheard Larry Triola telling Matt Fleming from supply all about the infamous and apparently ill-fated contract made between me and Dad around me getting my job back.”
Caleb rubbed a hand over his face. “Don’t ask me what I was thinking…”
“What were you thinking?”
“I just said…oh, forget it.” Caleb shrugged. “That’s just it. I wasn’t thinking. It all started when Larry, who’s been going through hell ever since his wife filed for divorce—”
“Smart woman.”
“Larry starts telling me how he was planning to go wild with the ladies when he was free. I was about eight beers down, not at my best, so I interjected a warning to him about his not losing control. Otherwise he might end up like you. And that led to me telling him why you were on leave.”
“Gee, thanks, bro. Kind of you to use me as a bad example to a douchebag.”
“Hey, I am sorry, Ty. I can be really stupid at times.”
“Well, you don’t know diddly about my private life, so I’d appreciate you not bringing up me or anything about my life in your bullshit bar talk with jerks like Triola.”
“Won’t happen again,” Caleb said. He hung his head and then looked up. “Are you sure it’s over with Caroline?”
“Sounds that way.” Tyler sighed. “Just when I realize I’m in love with her. And I’m still getting to know her. Remember I told you she was once a successful artist whose work I actually bought?”
“Yeah. But things all went south on her.”
“Right. While we were fighting I learned how much that meant to her, achieving that. It’s was what she’d always wanted and would go back to it if she could.”
Caleb grinned at him. “I got it.”
“What?”
“Listen, I know I messed up, but maybe I can help clean up the mess and get you guys back together.” Caleb took out his cell. “There is a certain somebody I just sold a yacht to that I would like you to meet. He also happens to be one of the biggest art dealers in the world.”
Next stop—his parents’ house. The guests would all be gone by now and it was still too early for them to be in bed. Tyler drove to the ferry and was lucky to get there just before one left; otherwise he would have to wait an hour or make a long drive up the South Fork and then down the North Fork.
He reached the house where he had grown up—and now it was the place where he and Caroline had spoken their last civil words to each other. The thought that he might not be able to convince her to come back to him sent a chill through Tyler, and he realized he could no longer imagine his future without her.
Seeing the lights on in the back of the house meant his mother and father were sitting together in the TV room, as they often did at this time of night. Tyler jogged to the back door and called out to his parents so they would not wonder who had come in.
When Tyler stepped into the TV room, his dad looked up in concern. “What are you doing back here tonight, Ty? Is something wrong?”
“Yeah.” Seeing his mother’s fear, he immediately added, “No one is hurt or anything. But I need to talk.”
And talk he did. Tyler began by explaining the whole setup with Caroline, making it clear that she had no part in the deception—and that he had fallen in love with her and lost her because of it.
Before his mother could start in on her lecture and advice, Tyler said, “That is not the whole story.” And he recounted his experience when he met little Lukas in the hydrotherapy center and how it led to him opening up and funding a new facility. “What I want you to know is that I’m not the irresponsible womanizer you think I am. The parties I have been going to and the wealthy women I have been taking out were almost entirely for the purpose of finding donors to help keep this center going.”
Thomas grimaced and shook his head. “Oh, son, that is not the right way to go about it.”
“Yeah, I guess it was a pretty dumb way to go about it,” Tyler said.
His mother chimed in, “If Westfall Yacht World takes it over, it would be great publicity for the company.”
“That,” Tyler said, pointing a finger at her, his voice hard, his tone emphatic, “is exactly why I kept it a secret. This is not about getting something for our already privileged family. This is about helping people—especially kids—who need to a chance to heal, or if full recovery is not a realistic possibility, to at least ease their pain and get their bodies stronger and lift their spirits.”
Thomas and Mindy sat their stunned for a few seconds and Tyler worried it was a mistake to tell them about this, to expect them to understand.
But then his father came toward him and patted his back, saying, “I’m proud of you, son. And I will help in any way I can. Knowing you, I’m sure you’ve got your legal ducks in a row, but my first piece of advice—dating wealthy women is a very risky fundraising technique.”
“Believe me, I get it,” Tyler said, twisting his lips. And his mother shook her head.
“You have my word,” his father continued, “I will not involve Westfall Yachts in any way, but I do know a little about publicity and that is what you need to gain attention and funding for your very worthy cause.”
His mother stood. “I’ll go put a pot of coffee on and let you two talk this over. But there is one thing I have to say to you, Tyler Brandon Westfall. You really messed up with that lovely girl. The way you two looked at each other, and you and the way you came across with her by your side was exactly what I was hoping for. If you love her, as you just said you do, then you darn well better find a way to fix it.”
Tyler nodded. “I know. I have a plan that might convince her how much I care. But I don’t know if it will work. I don’t even know if she loves me back.”
Mindy gave him a soft smile. “Take it from a woman who is old enough to have been around the block a few times—she does.”
Chapter 14
“Caroline? It’s me.”
“Come on up, Brina,” she called to her and walked to the door at the head of the stairs that they had put in when the second floor of the house was turned into an apartment.
Brina stepped in and gave her a once over. “Isn’t that dress a little bit much?”
Caroline’s cheeks went hot as she glanced at herself in the hall mirror, seeing the short, skin-tight dress and four-inch heels, not to mention the extra makeup. Of course some of that makeup was to hide the circles under her eyes that she now had from her sleepless tear-filled nights, thanks to Tyler Westfall.
“Well, I told you I needed to push the envelope a bit.”
“To what end, Caroline? You’ve spent the last three weeks going out with one man after another, then telling me the most cringing stories about them that would make any woman run the other way.”
“Lonnie wasn’t all that bad.”
Brina rolled her eyes. “Gimme a break. Wasn’t he the one who took you to a creepy horror movie that you had to walk out of?”
“No, that was Zeke. Lonnie took me to happy hour at Dirk’s.”
“Happy hour at Dirk’s bar? What did you drink?”
“Just one gin and tonic.”
Brina glared at her.
Okay, two.”
“Are you crazy?�
�� Brina shrieked. “If you start drinking again—”
“I won’t. It is okay to have one now and then.”
“No. It. Is. Not. Especially when you are doing it because you’re upset.” Brina grabbed Caroline’s wrist and pulled her to a chair in the living room.
“I can’t talk long,” Caroline said. “Bill will be here in fifteen minutes.”
“Well, I’m going to answer the door and tell Bill you are not feeling well and you have to cancel.”
Caroline huffed. “Just because you’re a nurse does not give you the right to play mommy with me.”
“No, but being your friend and business partner does.” Brina put her hand on Caroline’s shoulder when she began to get up. “Listen to me. When you first decided to do a little revenge dating, I thought ‘okay, get it out of your system.’ But at this point you are using it to self-destruct. And I have to ask again—to what end? The only end I can see is you totally messing yourself up. When instead, you could try to understand what happened with Tyler and practice a little forgiveness. I believe what he said to you that night. I believe he really loves you. Do you know what I would give for a chance to have someone like Tyler love me and want me? But you are hell bent on throwing that chance away.”
“How can I ever trust him again?”
“Because you know he is a good guy. A good guy who stumbled into love. And because the way it happened was not perfect you are going to condemn him and yourself to misery instead of allowing yourself to love him back and be happy.”
Caroline could no longer hold back her tears. “It’s too late. He has stopped calling me.”
“Anyone would think it is time to stop after calling and texting you four and five times a day for three weeks and getting no answer. Why don’t you call him? Surprise him.”
“But that will make him think I want us to be together.” Caroline sniffled, wiping her nose and eyes.
Brina got up and handed her a box of tissues. “Don’t you want to be with him? Why else would you have to excuse yourself to the bathroom to cry or run upstairs when you get overwhelmed with regret and sadness about losing him?”
The doorbell buzzed and a twang of panic hit her. “Bill is here. I have to go.”
Brina held up a hand. “I’ll get the door. Take off that dress and put on your yoga pants. You and I are staying in and watching TV tonight.”
At first ready to argue, Caroline had to admit a sense of relief filled her at the thought of not going out with yet another guy. Maybe Brina was right. This dating binge had begun to feel more like a task than fun. “Okay.”
Going to her bedroom, Caroline changed into comfy lounge clothes and washed her face in the bathroom. When Brina returned, she had one of those looks on her face. “How can you possibly want to spend even one minute with a jerk like that after you’ve been with a man like Tyler?”
“I don’t know, Brina. I’ve gotten lost. Not nearly as lost as I was when I ended up in rehab, but…”
Brina gave her a hug. “You’re one of those people born with a creative mind and a colossal imagination, so it is easier for you to get lost, but here I am, your talentless buddy, and I’ll help keep your feet on the ground if I have to get out the Super Glue.”
“Thanks, Brina. If I’d had a friend like you when everything fell apart on me in the past, I might not have let myself go so badly.”
“You had too many things going against you, between your conniving ex and corrupt dealer. That reminds me, did you ever call back that art dealer who keeps leaving messages on the coffee shop phone asking to speak with Luna?”
“Nope. It’s probably somebody who wants to do a ‘where is she now’ article.”
“But it is not a journalist calling. It’s an art dealer. Maybe it’s someone who is interested in your work.”
“I don’t have any work to show anymore.”
“Maybe you should start creating some again. You can’t ignore that part of you.”
Caroline shrugged. “I make my wind chimes.”
“That is not the same. I mean the sculptures you used to make—big, bold colorful creations that dominate a room.”
“There is no space to do that kind of work here. I would need a studio.” Caroline headed to the kitchen. “How about some coffee? And I can make turkey and Swiss sandwiches.”
“Sounds good. Got any popcorn?”
“In that cupboard. I’m so glad you showed up tonight.” She closed the refrigerator and turned to Brina. “That reminds me—why did you come over tonight? Don’t tell me it was just to check up on me.”
“No, although that is not a bad idea. I got excited about our latest ad in that new glossy magazine about the East End and wanted to show it to you.” Brina went to the table in the hallway and came back with a magazine in her hands. “Check this out.”
“Ooh, it looks fantastic.” Caroline started glancing through the magazine and stopped when she saw an article about a boy named Sammie. “This is Tyler’s hydrotherapy center.”
“What?”
Caroline went into the story Tyler had told her about it. “I never told you because he asked me to keep it a secret, like the fact that he owns the place behind the scenes.” Looking again at little Sammie’s happy smile, she murmured, “Bet Tyler would make a great father.”
“And husband,” Brina said, obviously hearing her musing comment. Her friend’s challenging expression made her meaning all too clear, but she added, “Give him a call, Caroline. If you lose this man because of your stubborn pride you will regret it.”
The next day after the cafe closed, Caroline went upstairs to shower and dress in fresh jeans and a burgundy long-sleeved tee. Kind of plain—her tattoos covered, no jewelry on her face, her ash blonde hair with auburn highlights hanging straight. Just a touch of makeup and she was ready. She grabbed her mobile phone and went down to the now-empty cafe.
Knots in her stomach, she sat at one of the tables and pressed the number she still had in her speed dial.
After two rings, he picked up. “Hello?”
The sound of his voice had her practically melting, but she focused on the fact that he did not use her name and did not sound happy to hear from her. Of course the Caller ID would have told Tyler who was calling, so his neutral tone had to mean he was either completely done with her or angry at her for the way she had treated him the past few weeks. Caroline hoped it was the latter.
Steadying her voice, she said only, “Your 3G Mocha Java is ready for you.”
Silence. Then, “I thought you were closed at this hour.”
“My heart is always open for you.”
“Then why you didn’t return any of my calls?”
“I was hurt and trying to make myself stop loving you, but I realized that is impossible.” There she said it. Now she had to wait. When they were arguing he had said he loved her. Did he mean it?
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, Caroline. I never meant to. But I can’t regret my stupid experiment because it brought us together. I’ve never done this love thing before, so it snuck up on me and I can see how we have to navigate carefully. At least we’re in the same boat.”
“Nice metaphor, Captain. So, do you want your 3G Mocha Java?”
“More than anything in the world.”
As soon as they ended the call, Caroline whipped up her special Three Girls coffee and topped it with a foam heart. About fifteen minutes later she heard a car pull up outside and her heart raced like mad as she watched the door.
When Tyler stepped inside, the sight of him was a relief and a thrill at the same time that she was running toward him before she knew it. She hurled herself into his arms and he hugged her tight, lifting her off her feet, then setting her down and kissing her with a desperation that matched her own.
If Caroline had thought they were going to sir down and discuss their situation, she had sorely underestimated the passion between them. As their hands moved frantically, their mouths never leaving each other, Tyler murmured
against her lips, “I missed you so much I could hardly get through a day without going nuts.”
“I cried myself to sleep every night.”
They stumbled through the cafe, landing on a big antique upholstered sofa, Tyler falling on top of her. Carolyn wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close, grinding into him with a need for him she could no longer deny. Hard and ready for her, he matched her rhythmic dance, while skillfully ridding them both of their pants and shoes.
He sat up and pulled her onto his lap, her thighs on either side of his, and when he lifted her and pulled her down onto his swollen shaft, Caroline moaned and gripped his shoulders as she rocked with him, panting and whimpering until they exploded together in an ecstatic shout.
Collapsing on his lap, her head on his shoulder, she whispered, “I nearly ruined what we had.”
“I should have talked with you about my situation,” he said, “telling you how it started out as one thing and morphed into another.” His hand stroked her back. “We had lots of nights where we hung out in bed all relaxed after making love when I could have brought it up and explained it to you.”
“Yes, that would have been a better way to find out than overhearing those two men talking about me.”
“I gave Caleb a split lip for blabbing to Larry one night when he had too many beers.” His fingers brushed her cheek. “But the truth is, Caroline, I was so wrapped up in you—in us—that I literally forgot all about my parents and why I ended up on the dating app. All I could think about was us. By the time the party came around, the stupid ultimatum I was in love with you so I just figured I would go to the party and show my parents I had found the woman I want to marry.”
“Don’t talk like that, Tyler. We’ve only been dating for three months and just weathered our first fight.” Caroline slid off his lap and gasped. “Oh no. We forgot to use a condom.”
He grinned. “I’d love to have a kid with you.”
Tyler's Blind Date Experiment Page 10
