Cynical Heart (Heart Series)

by Lee, Vivian Rose

  When she first saw Cab coming down the aisle with the other groomsmen, Dana’s heart pounded hard in her chest, and for a brief moment, she had to resist the urge to stoop down in between the aisle of chairs. She watched him closely, unable to pull her eyes away. He was breathtaking, and still filled to the brim with an arrogant, self-assured attitude that made him so appealing. It took her all of two seconds to realize that his chestnut complexion and beauty could still make her heart skip a beat, and with his hair neatly cut, that sexy thin trimmed beard accented his chiseled squared jaw line, and framed perfectly those oceans deep, almond-shaped, bronze-colored eyes. Suddenly he saw her, and before she could react, his cold eyes narrowed in on her like a laser beam that penetrated deep into her soul. Much to her dismay, they had connected visually, and while he made subtle gestures for her to meet with him later, her heart was ready to jump out of her chest and run down the chapel aisle in the other direction.

  As a big yellow streak ran all the way up to her spine, Dana came to the conclusion right then and there that there was absolutely no way she was going to speak to Cab Howard… at least not this day anyway. Trying her best not to appear panicky, she looked around the chapel for the nearest exit while the attending guests waited for the groom to take his place. It was possible that she still had time to escape, but it was going to be close, especially with Cab Howard now watching her like a hawk. When he turned his head briefly to speak with one of the other groomsmen, she saw an opening, and before the singer had sung her last note or Cab had turned back around, she was gone.

  After her daring escape, Dana stood there totally ashamed of herself and unable to believe what she had just done. Ever since Dell had informed her that she would be attending Duke’s wedding in his place, she had been preparing herself, giving herself a nonstop pep talk on why she should tell Cab that he was the father of her child. She even went so far as to write down the pro and cons of why she should or shouldn’t, and after much soul searching and deep thought, came to the conclusion that she would use the trip to spring the news on him. Her mind was made up when she left out of LAX, remained that way during the flight to Philly, and although she got a little antsy when she sat in the chapel, even then her mind still hadn’t changed. She was determined to do what she set out to do, but when she and Cab locked eyes, and all that resolute determination got thrown right out the window. Sometimes, saying that you’ll do a thing and actually doing a thing are two different things, and when it came time for her to step up to the plate, she got cold feet and ran out of the batter’s box. But it wasn’t all her fault alone. She thought she was ready to tell him… no, scratch that. She actually was ready to tell him, but the scowl on his face somehow immobilized her. After that, it was simply a matter of doing what she did best, and she ran away.

  She heard a group from the wedding party heading her way, and scanned the lobby for a place to hide until she could slip out and catch the next thing smoking back to LA, but all she saw by way of cover was a large potted plant. As the voices drew closer and were now just around the corner, they left her with no other options for seeking shelter. Figuring that she’d already gone this far in making a fool of herself and it was too late to turn back now, she ran over and slipped behind the large plant just as the people came into view. Carefully separating the leaves so not to give herself away, she peeked through the leaves and saw that it was only the bridal party on their way to the chapel. Seeing them and not Cab brought about a huge sigh of relief, and she quietly observed them as they passed by. The bride was very beautiful and hugely pregnant, and Dana hoped that she looked half as beautiful as that when she started to show. As the music started up, and the bridesmaids went through the doors, she watched as the bride smiled up at an older white gentleman whose arm she held onto. A few seconds later, the bridal march started, and the couple followed the bridal entourage into the chapel. Seeing that the coast was now clear, Dana stepped from behind the potted plant and back into the corridor.

  “Girl, you have definitely got some issues,” she chided herself, keeping a close eye on the door.

  This was turning out to be quite a conundrum and she wasn’t exactly sure what to do about it. She could walk out now in order to avoid a confrontation with Cab, but there was no way that she could walk out now because she had to let Duke know that she was here for his wedding first, and that more than likely would lead to a confrontation with Cab. Furthermore, to leave now wouldn’t be very professional, especially since Cab had spotted her, and he would be sure to tell Duke. A move like that would definitely mar the Whalen brand, and if that were to happen, Dell would kill her. There was also a more personal aspect to all of this. She had known Duke ever since Dell had become her guardian, and he was like an uncle to her. She didn’t know the brothers all that well though, although she had met them a time or two over the years, because at that time all of them were either in their chosen careers or college. She had met Zoey as well, but Zoey was a few years younger than she was, and by that time she had gone away to college, so the two of them didn’t get a chance to know each other better.

  Refocusing on the situation at hand, she decided that sitting at the bar was the best possible way to catch Duke when he came out of the wedding chapel, but in doing so she also ran the risk of running into the one man on this planet that she wasn’t ready to confront yet. Even so, she knew that she couldn’t hide behind that potted plant all day, and decided to get it over with come what may. With her nerves now a jumbled mess of jittery neurons and synapses, she went to the bar that was available for the invited guests, took a seat, and tried her best to be inconspicuous.

  “Can I have a ginger ale please?” She asked the bartender who was setting up for the reception.

  She wondered impatiently how long an exchanging of vows took, and surmised that it couldn’t be any more than 15 or 20 minutes at the most. When she heard a round of applause and cheers from the guests followed by a deafening silence, she took a sip of her drink and sat it down at the bar. Applause again; the ceremony must be over. Eager for its end, but secretly regretting it, she lifted the glass and took another sip, before sitting the half-full glass down and taking another deep breath. Here we go again. She took a look around to make sure that no one spotted her, and went back to her hiding spot behind the potted plant where she had a full view of the now open double doors.

  The bride and groom exited the door first and stood right in front of the plant, which in her eyes was great news. It looks like this was going to work out perfectly she smiled, but the bride had other plans.

  “Hurry up Ellington, I have to pee!” She heard her say.

  Dana mumbled a curse and watched as Duke quickly led his wife away. She had taken a step from behind the plant seeking another way to get in touch with Duke, but when the wedding party began to exit the chapel, she quickly rushed back behind it. Her actions hadn’t gone unnoticed. Out of his peripheral view, Cab saw a flash of taupe move swiftly behind the large potted plant, and shook his head. Curious, he stared at the plant for a long moment, and when he saw the large foliage part and a pair of familiar eyes peering out, he frowned.

  “Hey Cab I need to talk to you a minute,” Satch called to him, drawing away his attention for a second.

  Determined not to make the same mistake twice, Cab looked back at the plant just as the parted leaves slammed back together. He looked down seeing the tip of a taupe high-heeled shoe sticking out at the base of the pot, and smiled. He then turned his full attention to his brother just as Satch joined him.

  “Hey… you’re smiling?” Satch asked, given that a Cab smile was such a rare occurrence.

  “What do you want Satch?” Cab replied impatiently. He had his prey cornered behind a potted plant and this time there was no way he was going to let it get away from him.

  Dana silently stomped her foot. “Why the heck did they have to talk here?” She mouthed to herself as she rolled her eyes. She looked at her watch a few minutes later, and rolled he
r eyes up again. That Satch sure was long winded. C’mon guys! Wrap it up already!

  “I’ll see you inside,” Cab said. He glanced back at the potted plant.

  He purposely moved away just far enough out of sight of the plant that he still had a clear view without being seen, and when the leaves parted again, he had a pretty good idea who was behind the large leaf foliage. He folded is lips to keep from smiling, unable explain the sheer elation he felt in the pit of his stomach.

  Dana sighed. At last, he was gone. She stood to her full five feet four inch height, took a deep breath, smoothed down her dress as she patted her ruffled hair, and slipped her clutch bag under her arm ready to leave her hiding spot. She stepped out, taking a cautious look right and then left, and now that the coast was clear, she could slip out undetected, call Duke later, and make her apologies.

  Unbeknownst to her however, Cab was watching closely, and when he saw the plant rustle and the taupe shoes make their move, he made his move.

  Looking behind her, Dana stepped out from behind the plant and slammed into something hard like a brick wall, and would have fallen flat on her butt if that brick wall hadn’t grabbed her by the arm. Knowing that the jig was up, she squeezed her eyes shut tight.

  “Open your eyes Dana,” the brick wall ordered.

  “I don’t want to,” she whispered.

  “Open them!”

  She opened one eye only to see the most beautiful man glaring down at her.

  “Hi Cab,” she replied meekly.

  “Are you hiding from someone?” He asked, his slow, sultry voice causing a shiver to stir at the base of her spine.

  “Hiding? Me? Of course not!” She replied haughtily as she pulled away from him.

  “I didn’t think so. Come with me. We need to talk,” he demanded, not waiting for her approval and pulling her along.

  All she could do was follow. This is your chance dummy! Tell him! Tell him!

  Cab’s heart pounded nonstop in his chest. No woman on this planet had ever affected him the way this daffy woman had, and he was still finding it hard to believe that she was hiding behind a potted plant! His lips twitched, trying their hardest to break into a smile, but he quickly stilled them. He didn’t want anyone to think that he was happy to see her, and least of all Dana Whalen. He was not going to let her, or another woman overwhelm him ever again.

  When Dana suddenly stopped walking and pulled her hand away, Cab stopped and quickly faced her to see what the problem was.

  “Cab, something has come up and I can’t talk to you right now. Maybe we could meet before I return to LA instead?” She wondered, not ready to deal with any of this just yet.

  “No,” he said as he reached for her hand.

  Offended by his stubborn arrogance, Dana scowled. “No?” She replied, fisting one hand and placing it on her hip. “Like I said Cab, I can’t talk to you right now!”

  “Okay,” he said calmly, this time extending his hand to her instead.

  Dana looked up at him suspiciously. Cab’s sudden subtle smoothness caught her completely off guard.

  “Okay?” She asked, more out of curious consternation than anything else.

  He nodded matter-of-factly and again extended his hand. “At least come in to see Duke and meet his new bride,” he offered.

  Not necessarily trusting him, Dana slowly placed her hand in his as he gently pulled her to him, and although she may not have known it at the time, he would have agree to anything right now if it would have kept her by his side. This woman had no idea how much she had plagued his body and mind ever since that night, nor could she have known that she had never been far from his thoughts. She was the only reason why he flew to LA so much in the past few months, and he did so repeatedly with the hopes of running into her. That bit of information however, was something that he would never admit to anyone, and especially not to his brothers who would never let him live it down.

  With the reception now in full swing, Dana and Cab stood in the doorway and watched as Duke and Cat took their first dance as man and wife.

  “Duke’s wife is very beautiful,” she commented, smiling as the two of them looked lovingly into each other’s eyes.

  “Yes she is Dana, both inside and out,” Cab replied. “Come with me. The family table is over here.”

  Dana calmly let Cab lead her inside the packed room where they walked towards a trio of attractive ladies standing to the side with drinks in their hands. She didn’t miss the appreciative looks they gave to Cab, nor to the fact that he seemed oblivious to their admiration. As they passed the group of lovelies, a smug smile lit her face. Although she knew that she shouldn’t, she gave them a wink and mouth one simple word to the three of them. “Mine.”

  Catching their reaction out the corner of his eye, Cab stopped walking and looked over at her. “What are you doing?” He asked, looking at her suspiciously.

  “Nothing,” Dana replied sheepishly, turning her head as if something else had grabbed her attention.

  Cab shook his head and continued walking towards a group of tables, stopping at the large round one that was reserved for the family. From the instant that they arrived tableside, all heads turned to look at them. As was their manner, all of his brothers came to their feet in the presence of a lady, and Dana had to admit that the Howard brothers were a handsome bunch, each with their own unique and very distinguished look.

  “I didn’t know you brought a date to the wedding?” Satch asked, looking at Dana with an approving eye.

  “And a beautiful date she is too,” Dizzy said with admiration.

  “Pull it in hounds,” Zoey scolded. “Hi I’m Zoey.”

  Dana smiled. “Hi,” she greeted in return.

  “Day-yum! Oh please, please tell me that you have a sister!” Jelly pleaded, his tongue nearly falling onto the table.

  Cab frowned in subtle defiance. Although he didn’t want to make it a big issue, he clearly didn’t like his brother gawking at Dana, even though he had to admit that she did look beautiful in the taupe dress that matched incredibly her topaz eyes. Still, he had to say something.

  “No, but she has a big brother that won’t mind kicking your butt,” Cab growled. “Everyone, this is Dana Whalen, Dell’s sister. She flew in from LA for the wedding.”

  “This is Dell’s little sister?” Satch asked. “You were just a little thing when I last saw you!”

  “Well, she’s all grown up now. Can I have this dance?” Dizzy asked, wasting no time and extending his hand.

  Cab eyes narrowed. “Back off Diz,” he snarled.

  When Dizzy grinned at him and took a step back, Dana laughed, prompting Cab to look down at her. It also didn’t go unnoticed by anyone sitting there that the entire time the two of them stood there, never once did he let go of her hand.

  “Dana, these knuckleheads are my brothers. There’s Satch, Jelly, Dizzy, and Yaz, Zoey’s husband.”

  At the mention of their names, each brother nodded his head respectfully.

  “Come sit beside me,” Zoey invited.

  Dana moved towards Zoey with Cab following close behind her, and took a seat that Cab pulled out for her that placed her between Diz and Zoey. Cab however, remained standing behind her chair, and the fierce scowl that he planted firmly on his face was directed squarely at his brother Diz. Dana turned her head and looked up at him. All movement stopped, and everyone sitting at the table looked at Diz, who was staring starry eyed at Dana. When it finally dawned on him that the table was now quiet, he looked around.

  “What?” He asked, looking around the table. He looked up and the expression on Cab’s face said it all.

  “Oh, sorry,” he apologized as he got up and sat in another empty seat. “So Dana, how has it been since the merger?” Zoey asked. “I imagine that you’ve been very busy.”

  “Well, to be honest Zoey, I haven’t been all that involved. I’ve been going through some personal issues lately, and I took a short sabbatical to put things back into perspec
tive. And now that all that’s cleared up, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be getting back to work starting Monday. I certainly missed it.” She turned to Cab. “And speaking of work, I really appreciate you filling in during my absence Cab, but now I’m back and ready to give one hundred percent to catch up.”

  “Well we are certainly glad to have you on board,” Diz said grinning.

  Cab gave Diz a cold glare. He loved his brother, but right now Diz was starting to get on his nerves. “She works out of the LA office Diz.”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind coming to Philly once in a while, right Dana?”

  “Whatever the business needs,” she answered with a smile.

  While Dana and Zoey were talking, Cab looked across the table at his three brothers drooling over Dana, and he didn’t like it. Why he did like it he wasn’t sure, but he didn’t.

  “Cat and Duke are coming over,” Cab said in an attempt to turn his gawking brothers’ attention off Dana.

  Duke stopped with Cat at his side. “Duke, look whose here,” Zoey said.

  Duke’s eyes lit up. “Dana! Girl, get over here and give me a hug!” He grinned.

  Dana rose and quickly stepped into his embrace.

  “Hi Duke,” she smiled.

  “Baby, this Dana, Dell’s little sister,” he introduced.

  Cat embraced her. “I’m so happy to meet you. Now before you go back to LA, you have to come over for dinner,” Cat invited.