by Jenna Sutton
Yes, Teagan definitely knew what Bebe meant. She was exhausted from being on the road, going to meetings during the day and catching up on the rest of her work at night in a hotel room. If she kept up this kind of travel schedule, she would end up sick.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” Teagan admitted. “If Nick and I aren’t in the same city, I can’t do anything stupid.”
The sales associate returned with another box stamped with the words “Yves Saint Laurent” and passed it to Teagan. After asking if Teagan needed anything else, the snotty woman left.
Teagan handed off the box to Bebe so she could remove her shoes. By the time she’d finished, Bebe had the metallic heels ready for Teagan to try on. She slipped her feet into them and fastened the tiny buckles before standing and walking around the room.
“How do they feel?” Bebe asked. “They look gorgeous.”
“Pretty good. As good as four-inch heels can feel.”
Bebe laughed. “I’ve never worn a pair of shoes with more than a two-inch heel. I can’t believe you can even walk in them.”
The conversation gave Teagan a strong sense of déjà vu. Bebe had been with her when she’d purchased the nude patent leather stilettos she had worn the night of her birthday dinner with Nick. Her best friend had said almost the exact thing when she had seen the five-inch heels.
A wave of sadness swept over Teagan. She had been so happy that day—so excited to celebrate her birthday with Nick. More than anything, she had been full of hope.
She wished she could go back and relive that day . . . have a Groundhog Day do-over. In the new version, she would have canceled dinner with Nick and spent the evening with Bebe. Or maybe she would have been better off reliving that first day when Nick had shown up at her door. Instead of inviting him in and eating brownies, she would have ignored his knock.
Bebe called her name, and Teagan realized she was staring into space. Facing the mirror, she studied the shoes from the front and the side.
“I think they’re perfect,” Teagan announced.
Bebe exhaled loudly. “Thank God. Hurry up and pay for them. I’m starving. You need to feed me.”
Teagan followed Bebe’s directive, and ten minutes later, they sat in a cozy booth at a brasserie in Union Square. Bebe spent a few seconds reviewing the menu before snapping it closed. The gold rings on her fingers glimmered from the sunshine filtering through the windows, and Teagan wondered again what kind of significance they held.
When they had graduated from Harvard, the rings had been confined to Bebe’s left hand. Now, every one of her fingers on both hands was covered in the wire-thin bands. If Teagan had to guess, she’d estimate Bebe wore more than a hundred rings. They were unique and pretty, just like the woman who wore them.
“So tell me what’s been going on with Nick. When I left for India, you were still spending most of your time in the office instead of traveling, so something must have happened to make you even more desperate to avoid him.”
“I went house hunting with him a couple of weeks ago.”
“Why, for God’s sake?”
“Because Nick sicced my mom on me. He told her that I hadn’t made time to help him find a place to live, and my mom called me and lectured me for half an hour about how I couldn’t offer to help someone and then not do it.”
Bebe laughed. “Oh, he plays dirty. If I didn’t hate him so much for what he did to you, I’d admire him for exploiting your weaknesses.”
Teagan frowned. “He’s conniving and manipulative.”
“Now that’s the kettle calling the pot black! Are you forgetting what you did to Quinn and Amelia?”
Bebe had warned Teagan that her plan to revamp the women’s division behind Quinn’s back would blow up in her face, and she’d been right. More important, Bebe was the one who had helped Teagan understand why she had been so fixated on the redesign and why she had been so angry with Quinn.
“Did you have sex with Nick in a closet while the real estate agent was in the other room?” Bebe joked.
When Teagan didn’t answer, Bebe narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. “Oh, my God! Did you?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“Then what exactly?”
Teagan recounted the entire house-hunting debacle, including the make-out session and Rayna’s well-placed kick. She also shared Nick’s revelation that he wanted a family and his claim that they’d been in a long-term romantic relationship.
“Did you ask him what happened to change his mind about wanting a family . . . wanting to get married and have children?”
“No. I was too shocked to say much of anything except to comment on his lack of relationships.”
“You know what I think is interesting . . . the fact that Nick realizes the two of you had a long-term relationship. He must be smarter than you are because you still don’t seem to realize it.”
“He said we had a long-term romantic relationship, Bebe. I know we had a relationship. We were friends. But I definitely don’t think the term ‘romantic relationship’ applies, since he was having sex with other women.”
Bebe’s eyebrows shot up, and Teagan realized her voice had risen to a volume where other people in the restaurant stared at them. She gave them a rueful smile before returning her attention to Bebe.
“I’m not sure I agree with you. You had romantic feelings for Nick long before you two had sex, and he had romantic feelings for you, too. Have you ever thought about it this way: you and Nick dated for ten months before having sex?”
She considered what Bebe had said before shaking her head in frustration. “It doesn’t matter what it was or wasn’t. It’s in the past.”
* * *
Teagan had just fired off an email to the head of Riley O’Brien’s business development group when the guest receptionist called to let her know Bebe waited in the lobby. Since the biotech convention had started this morning and Bebe was supposed to be there, Teagan was immediately concerned. She rushed from her office to meet the other woman, and when she pushed through the double doors and saw the smile on her best friend’s face, she let out a relieved breath.
“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be at the biotech convention.”
“I have some good news, and I wanted to tell you about it tout de suite.”
“What is it?”
“Can we go to your office?”
Teagan nodded, and once the two of them were back in her office and seated at the conference table, she turned to Bebe. “Well?”
“I wanted to wait to tell you because I didn’t want you to get excited for no reason, but I’ve been interviewing with a biotech company here in San Francisco. I met with the CFO this morning, and he offered me the job.”
With a loud squeal, Teagan jumped out of her seat to hug her. She pulled back abruptly when she realized Bebe hadn’t said she had accepted the job.
“Wait. Did you accept the job?”
Bebe laughed. “Yes.”
Questions shot out of Teagan’s mouth like bullets out of a machine gun. “What company? What are you going to be doing? Are you making more money? Where are the offices?”
Bebe laughed again before addressing her questions one at a time. When she finished, Teagan hugged the shorter woman again.
“I’m so happy for you. And for me! It’s going to be so fabulous for us to live in the same city again. When are you going to start?”
“I’m not sure. My contract with BioEdge says I have to give them three months’ notice, but I think they’re going to be livid I’m leaving. They’re probably going to have security escort me from my office the minute I tell them I’ve taken a job with GGB.”
Just then, a hard knock sounded on the partially open door, and Cal’s dark head peeked around it. He grinned when he caught sight of Teagan, and he pushed open the d
oor and walked in. Bebe stood, stepping out from behind her.
When Cal saw Bebe, his smile disappeared as if it had never been there. He clenched his jaw, staring at the shorter woman with narrowed eyes.
“Bebe,” he said curtly.
“Cal,” Bebe returned in an equally curt tone.
Teagan sighed, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Cal and Bebe couldn’t stand each other. It had been dislike at first sight when they’d met a little more than three years ago. Her brother’s easygoing charm evaporated the minute he got within fifty feet of Bebe, and her best friend turned into an absolute bitch whenever Cal was around.
They eyed each other for a moment. Bebe crossed her arms over her chest, the movement making her rings shine in the midmorning sunlight that slanted through the windows. His eyes fell to her hands, and he frowned darkly before glancing toward Teagan.
“I need to talk to you, T.”
“Can it wait? Bebe and I are in the middle of something.”
“No, it can’t wait,” he snapped before telling Bebe in a rude tone, “You need to leave.”
Dropping her arms to her sides, Bebe looked at Teagan. “Is it okay if I grab some coffee in the executive lounge?”
“Yes. I’ll come get you when we’re done.”
Bebe headed toward the door, but instead of moving out of the way like a gentleman, Cal stayed where he was. Bebe was forced to skirt around him, and as she passed him, he turned slightly and looked down. Bebe looked up, and their eyes met for a long moment before she dropped her gaze.
Suddenly Teagan understood exactly why Bebe rubbed Cal the wrong way. He wanted to rub her the right away.
His gaze stayed on Bebe as she left the office, and Teagan watched her brother’s eyes drop to Bebe’s butt. Her best friend was slender and petite, but she wasn’t shapeless. She had curves. All that kickboxing had given her a shapely behind, and right now it was emphasized by a pair of tailored gray trousers with big black buttons on the pockets.
Cal breathed deeply as Bebe closed the door, and Teagan chuckled under her breath. She was about to have some fun at his expense.
“I really wish you’d try to get along with Bebe.” She sighed loudly. “It just breaks my heart that my brother and my best friend can’t stand each other.”
Cal jerked his head toward her, and she studied him. He was a little flushed, his light blue eyes kind of glazed.
“She’s such a nice person. Why don’t you like her?”
He rolled his shoulders. “She’s too . . .” He paused, clearly trying to find something to say other than the truth. “Smart,” he finally said.
Teagan pressed her lips together, trying not to snicker. “Mom would be appalled to hear she raised a son who can’t appreciate a woman with a brain.”
He frowned. “I can appreciate a woman with a brain. I appreciate you, don’t I?”
He threw himself into one of the chairs in front of her desk, and Teagan sat down on the edge of it. She nudged him with the tip of her red snakeskin-print heel.
“So what’s the problem?”
“I don’t like her jewelry . . . all those rings she wears.”
“Why not?” she asked, choking back her laughter.
“They’re distracting.”
“It must be hard for you to take your eyes off them.” She gave him a sympathetic glance. “They draw attention to her fingers and everything she touches.”
He nodded, his eyes unfocused. His face flushed darker, and he shifted in the chair. It didn’t take a genius to know what he was thinking about, and she watched him with amusement for several moments. Abruptly, his gaze snapped to hers.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing,” she answered, shaking her head.
He ran a hand over his short, dark hair. “Why is she here anyway?”
“There’s a big biotech convention at the Moscone Center.” She paused, getting ready to drop the bomb. “She got a job offer from GGB this morning. She’s moving to San Francisco.”
He sucked in a breath, and she smiled innocently. “I’m so excited. She’s going to be working just a few blocks away, within touching distance. She’s going to be around all the time.”
His eyes widened. “Damn.”
“What did you say?” she asked, even though she had heard his comment just fine.
“Nothing,” he replied harshly before vaulting to his feet and striding out of her office without another word.
She convulsed into laughter and then laughed even harder when she realized that Cal had been so flustered by their conversation that he’d forgotten the reason he had dropped by her office in the first place. She was still laughing when Bebe returned to her office. The shorter woman smiled at Teagan’s mirth, closing the door behind her.
“What’s so funny?”
She shook her head. Bebe would figure it out soon enough.
“I was just about to come and get you.”
“I saw Cal walk by, so I assumed you were done.” Bebe frowned. “I know he’s your brother, but he’s such a jerk. He’s nothing like what you described when we were in school.”
“I must have been blinded by sisterly love,” Teagan said, pushing back a smile.
“Totally blinded.” Bebe made a little moue. “I need to get back to the convention.”
“Okay. Let me walk you out.”
Bebe moved to grab her bag from one of the chairs grouped around the conference table, and just then, another knock sounded at the door. Teagan shot Bebe an apologetic glance, and her friend waved her hand, indicating she didn’t mind the interruption.
“Come in,” she called out.
The door opened, and Nick stepped into her office. He looked toward her desk, and when he realized she wasn’t there, he scanned the room until he found her. Teagan gasped when she saw his face and rushed toward him.
“What happened to you?” she asked when she reached him, gently turning his face so she could see the damage.
His gorgeous face looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to it, and she could only imagine how much it hurt. He leaned down a little bit so she didn’t have to stretch to reach him, and she stroked the horrible, purplish-black circle around his eye before tracing the terrible cut on his lip.
Cupping his bruised jaw, she looked into his green eyes, one of them swollen and bloodshot from the massive shiner. He rubbed his face against her hand and closed his eyes when she smoothed his hair with her other one.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“Double-black diamond. Cal’s helmet. My face.”
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
He shook his head, dropping his hands to her waist to pull her closer. He opened his eyes, and they stared at each other.
“You need to be more careful. And you need to stay away from Cal when he’s on skis.”
He nodded, laughing softly. He looked over her head, and his lips quirked.
“Hi, Bebe,” he said, dropping his hands from Teagan’s waist and stepping away from her.
Teagan spun around. She had totally forgotten Bebe was in the room. She had forgotten everything but Nick.
“Hello, Nick. It’s been a while.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
“And yet it feels like yesterday,” Bebe continued.
Teagan looked back and forth between Nick and her best friend. His lips tilted in a small smile, and he nodded toward Bebe before meeting Teagan’s eyes.
“I’ll come back later.”
Teagan watched as he left her office, his tight backside wrapped in a pair of faded Rileys and his broad shoulders covered in a light blue plaid shirt. Bebe cleared her throat, and Teagan jerked her eyes back to the other woman, flushing guiltily at the look Bebe gave her.
“I forgot just how hot Nick is,” Bebe said. “Eve
n with a black eye and a split lip, he’s hotter than 99.99 percent of the male population.”
Teagan wished she could forget. But he was imprinted on her memory. Imprinted on her soul.
“I’m glad I was here to see that,” Bebe added.
Teagan scowled. “Nick is not a ‘that,’” she replied, insulted on his behalf. He was more than just a hot body.
A lot more.
Bebe laughed softly. “Kanya, for a smart woman, you sure are dumb sometimes. I was talking about how you reacted when you saw Nick’s face.”
Teagan grimaced. “It looks terrible. It shocked me.”
“What’s more shocking is the fact that you can’t see Nick is totally, completely, madly in love with you. I have no doubt you are the reason why he changed his mind about getting married and having children.”
“No. You’re wrong.”
“Yes,” Bebe shot back. “And you’re in love with him, too. You never stopped loving him, and you’re never going to stop loving him.”
Teagan stumbled over to her office chair and collapsed into it. Her heart thundered in her ears, and her chest was tight.
“That’s not true. I hate him.”
Bebe made a rude noise. “Stop lying to yourself, stop lying to me, and most of all, stop lying to Nick! You can’t resist him because he’s it for you.”
Bebe rounded Teagan’s desk and leaned down to stare into her eyes. “You can’t keep denying your true feelings, Teagan. Deep down inside, you know I’m right. It’s hard to forgive someone when he’s hurt you so badly, but in Nick’s case, it’s worth it because you’re not going to be happy without him.”
Bebe rested her behind against the edge of the desk. “You need to stop running from Nick. You need to have a real conversation with him and tell him about the baby. You need to ask him why he never returned your phone calls and why he suddenly changed his mind and came after you. And when you’ve talked to him, really talked to him, you need to ask him what he wants so you can decide if you’re going to give it to him.”
Chapter 30
“Amelia, I know Quinn gave you something new to wear today, but Ava Grace tells me you need something old, something borrowed, and something blue,” Teagan said.
