by Leanne Banks
“He will if I threaten to go to the police with the information.”
Delilah began to see the plan. She smiled. “You’re going to neuter him.”
Both Benjamin and Michael blinked at her. “I hadn’t thought of it exactly that way, but I guess so.”
“You don’t mind if I join you, do you? I know a little about law,” Benjamin said.
“A little,” Delilah said with a snort. “He graduated with honors with a law degree from Harvard.”
Katie looked at her curiously, making Delilah wish she’d bit her tongue.
Michael met Benjamin’s gaze. He gave a half smile. “That could make things entertaining. Are you sure you don’t mind getting your hands dirty?”
Benjamin glanced at Delilah. “Not at all.”
An hour later, Benjamin and Michael were getting along like two peas in a pod. Katie joined Delilah in the kitchen while she made some sandwiches for a late afternoon snack.
“Why do I get the feeling that Benjamin is more than a neighbor?” Katie asked.
Because you’re a witch, Delilah thought, but forced a bland smile instead. “I don’t know. Could it be your hormones acting up because you’re pregnant?”
Katie turned silent. Too silent.
Delilah squealed. “You’re pregnant already?”
Katie smiled. She snapped her fingers. “It happened that fast. It was almost like all we had to do was think it.”
Delilah shot her a look of disbelief. “I know you had to do more than think it.”
“Well, yes,” Katie said with an expression of supreme feminine satisfaction. “Michael can be a man of action.”
Delilah felt another tug of the happy and sad feeling in her belly. “Have you told Jeremy?” she asked, referring to their youngest half-brother.
Katie shook her head. “We haven’t told anyone. I wouldn’t have told you if you hadn’t guessed.” She paused a fraction of a second. “But not so fast. I believe we were talking about Benjamin Huntington.”
“No, we weren’t. You might have been, but I wasn’t.”
“He seems like a good man,” Katie said.
Delilah felt her defenses deflate like a balloon. “He is. He’s a very good man and that’s part of the reason it’s not going to work between us.” She lifted her hand to stop Katie’s protest. She could see it coming. “I can’t talk about this right now or I’ll cry. Please just trust me.”
Katie frowned in concern. “I hate to see you hurting.”
“I hate to see me hurting too,” Delilah said.
Katie gave a sad smile and brushed Delilah’s bangs out of her eyes. It was the same kind of thing she would have done when the two of them were children. “Someday you’ll meet someone who will make you believe that everything your father tried to teach you about how bad you are was wrong.”
Delilah didn’t hold out much hope for that. “Sandwiches are ready. Let’s take them in the den.”
Every minute that Benjamin remained in her presence Delilah felt herself swinging from one emotional extreme to the other.
She wanted him to leave. She wished she’d never met him. She wanted to never see him again.
She couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. She wanted to drag him away from Michael and Katie and off to her bed. She wanted him to never leave again.
By the time Michael and Benjamin left to meet with Guy, she was ready to scream. Katie laid down for a while to rest and broke the news that she and Michael would only be staying the night. Michael had to get back for a special client, but Katie insisted that Delilah plan to visit for Christmas.
Delilah took a dip in the Jacuzzi and told herself not to think. As the clock neared midnight, she forced herself to go to bed.
The following morning, she’d barely showered when Robert, Lilly and Benjamin burst through her door. She stopped mid-bite of her English muffin.
Robert’s hand enclosed Lilly’s and Delilah noticed the engagement diamond was winking on her finger. Michael stood. Katie looked at Delilah for an explanation.
Delilah shrugged and made the introductions. “My sister Katie, brother-in-law Michael. That’s Robert Huntington and Lilly Bradford, and I believe they are now re-engaged.”
“We should have called you yesterday, but we were—” Lilly cleared her throat and her cheeks turned pink. “We were busy working out some things.”
“Lilly and Robert have decided to go public about Willy,” Benjamin said.
Delilah gasped. “You’re kidding. Are you sure?”
Robert nodded. “It’s the best course. And Lilly wants the freedom to get to know her half-brother.”
“I don’t want to feel like I have to hide it,” Lilly said with a smile. “And Robert has convinced me that everything will be okay.”
Michael shot a glance of camaraderie at Benjamin. “I’d say Guy has been doubly neutered.”
Benjamin smiled in agreement, but it wasn’t a nice smile. He bared his teeth like a predator, making Delilah wonder just exactly what he and Michael had done to Guy last night. Not her worry. If he was still alive and his genitals were attached, then they had been nicer than she would have been.
Robert and Lilly insisted on giving Michael and Katie a ride to the airport since they had a meeting in that general direction. After a flurry of hugs and kisses and promises to call, her condo was emptied within minutes.
The only ones left were her and Benjamin.
Feeling his gaze on her, she fought the urge to scratch her neck. Surely she wasn’t getting a stress rash, she thought darkly.
“It looks like Robert and Lilly found the courage to come out of the closet,” he said.
She felt a knot tighten inside her stomach. She nodded, picking up dishes from the hastily eaten breakfast.
“If they have the courage, then—”
“They’re in a different situation,” she interjected, thinking of Lilly’s pampered upbringing.
“And different people,” he said.
She heard the slight edge in his voice and met his gaze. “That’s right.”
“It takes a lot of love to be that courageous. Takes a lot of courage to love.” His gaze turned shuttered. “I guess some people just can’t.”
She watched him leave her condo and knew he wouldn’t be walking through her door again uninvited.
The miracle of love is that it can happen to you even if you think you don’t deserve it.
—DELILAH’S DICTUM
Chapter 22
The M&Ms weren’t working.
And he’d ruined the water wall for her.
Delilah had spent the last two weeks burying herself in work at the spa. She hadn’t spoken to Benjamin once during that time and she was thoroughly miserable. She kept telling herself it was for the best, but it didn’t feel like the best. It felt horrible.
She stared at the expense reports in front of her, but the numbers blurred. She shook her head and glanced at the clock. Six-thirty. She should probably go home. Or go out, she fantasized. Go out and have a wild night on the town.
She’d probably put on her cotton jammies and watch a rerun of Friends.
A knock sounded at her door. She tensed, then remembered it couldn’t be Guy. Guy was now history, thank goodness.
Helga poked her head inside. “Miss Montague, I must speak with you.”
Delilah felt a sinking sensation. Uh-oh. Helga had probably terrorized another assistant into quitting. “Come in.”
“Are you sick?” the woman asked bluntly.
Taken aback, Delilah shook her head. “No. Why do you ask?”
“You look like crap. You have dark circles under your eyes and your skin and hair look dull. You’re a bad advertisement for the spa. Come now, I will give you a facial and you will look and feel better.”
Shocked, Delilah couldn’t produce a response. Helga had just insulted her, yet offered to help her feel better in the same breath. She rubbed her forehead in confusion. “I think I’ve probably just been worki
ng a little too hard. You don’t have to give me a facial.”
“Yes, I do,” Helga said in utter seriousness. “You look like crap.”
Helga gave Delilah one of her trademark facials and her skin glowed afterward, but she still went home and watched a rerun of Friends. She received an invitation from Lilly and Robert to attend a formal holiday party at the country club. Nice gesture, she thought, but there was no way she would attend.
One week later, Lilly called and begged Delilah to attend.
“I don’t have a date,” Delilah said.
“You don’t need one,” Lilly said.
“I don’t have anything to wear.”
“And you don’t like to shop?” Lilly asked in disbelief.
“Not during this time of year,” Delilah complained, thinking she had a lot in common with Scrooge right now.
“I’m sure you can dig something out of your closet, but even if you can’t, it won’t hurt you to get something new. It’s not as if you’re being blackmailed by Guy anymore.”
Delilah shook her head. “I don’t understand. With the exception of when you were trying to get me to resign from the spa, you have always tried to put as much distance between you and me as possible. What’s up?”
A long silence followed. “I like you.”
Delilah stared at the phone in shock. “Excuse me?”
“I said I like you. I miss seeing you and talking with you. Okay?” She sounded irritated. “My father was right. You’re a really cool person. And you were willing to pay off Guy and take care of Willy so I could marry Robert. You’re nicer than I thought you were.”
Touched, but wary, Delilah paused for a long moment. “I’m still white trash, though.”
“That may be somebody else’s opinion, but it’s not mine,” Lilly returned in a snooty voice.
“People still think your father was my sugar daddy.”
“I know the truth and I want you there. There are a lot of people I don’t know if I can trust, but I know I can trust you.”
Delilah felt a small trickle of pleasure and pride. “I do believe you have changed, Lilly Bradford. I’ll think about coming to the party. Think,” she emphasized.
“Well think hard because I’m putting you down as a yes,” Lilly said and hung up before she could argue.
Delilah went to bed that night thinking of Benjamin, as she did every night. She told herself that she had done the right thing, that Benjamin’s life would be better without her. The next morning, however, when she saw the announcement of the opening of his new law office and partnership, she couldn’t resist sending a gift with congratulations from Lilly.
Lilly would be confused when Benjamin mentioned it to her, but Delilah figured it would take them awhile to be sure who sent it.
Sara and Paul repeatedly invited her to dinner, but seeing their open love for each other just hurt too much. Delilah grew uneasy. It had never taken her this long to get over a man. She hadn’t thought about sex at all, except for remembering the night she’d shared with Benjamin. What if she had made a mistake? What if she was in love with Benjamin and there was no cure for it?
Impatient with herself, she booked a trip to Grand Cayman for herself. The day before Lilly’s holiday party, she bought an eye-popping red dress and decided to attend. She would see Benjamin and feel horrible, then run away to the islands the next day. It was a perfect plan.
As she drove her car to the valet service, she couldn’t help admiring the thousands of white lights decorating the country club shrubbery and windows. She gave her key to the valet, collected her stub and climbed the stairs. A doorman opened the door. She showed her invitation and was directed to a ballroom.
She felt a little tingle of nerves as she stepped inside the sumptuously decorated ballroom. A band played music. Waiters carried trays of champagne and the room was lined with tables groaning with food.
Spotting Lilly and Robert, she smiled across the room. Lilly waved her over and as soon as Delilah was within touching distance, she embraced her. Robert shook her hand and kissed her on the side of her forehead.
“It’s so good to see you,” Lilly said. “It feels like it’s been ages. How is your sister Katie?”
“Fine,” Delilah said, still blinking at Lilly’s transformation. She had bloomed. Her smile was confident, her eyes sparkled. “You look wonderful.”
“I feel wonderful.” She smiled at Robert. “I would ask how everything at the spa is, but I know it’s insanely busy because even I couldn’t get an appointment today.”
“That’s a no-no. The receptionist should have told me.”
“I told her not to bother you. I didn’t really need to come in. I think I just had some last-minute jitters.” She glanced up. “Oh, here come Robert’s parents.”
“I’ll let you talk to them,” Delilah said, ready to slither away.
Lilly grabbed her arm. “Oh, no, I want them to meet you.”
Why? Delilah wanted to ask, but didn’t have time.
“Mr. and Mrs. Huntington, I’d like you to meet Delilah Montague. She’s the director of Spa DeMay.”
Mr. Huntington shook her hand in a gracious, un-prick-like way. “Heard that place does a bang-up business.”
“We do pretty well. Nice to meet you, sir,” she said.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Spa DeMay,” Mrs. Huntington confided. “Do you think they could do something with my hair?”
Delilah swallowed a chuckle. “I’m sure. Your hair’s lovely, but if you’d like a change, we have some very talented hair stylists.”
“There she is,” Mrs. Huntington said, turning her head to the entrance. “I wasn’t sure if she would come.” She glanced back at Delilah. “Oh, excuse me. My son’s fiancée just arrived from Connecticut and I must see her.”
Connecticut. Fiancée. Delilah’s mind snagged on the words. Her stomach sank to her feet, but she couldn’t resist searching the crowd for Benjamin’s perfect former woman. Or maybe they’d gotten back together. Her stomach knotted again. Maybe the woman had come to her senses.
She saw the blonde woman dressed in black with her hair pulled back in a classic chignon and knew who she was in an instant. Mrs. Huntington slid into view pulling Benjamin with her.
Benjamin. Her heart rose into her throat. In that black tux, he looked good enough to eat. She had the odd sense of watching her own funeral, but couldn’t tear her eyes from the mini-drama playing out across the room.
Benjamin’s fiancée smiled and opened her arms. She felt an inexplicable stabbing sensation. He embraced her and brushed a kiss across her cheek. The knife inside her turned.
As if he knew he was being watched and it bothered him, Benjamin glanced over his shoulder and his gaze met hers.
Delilah panicked. “Oh, no. Caught,” she muttered, biting her lip. “Definitely time for a trip to the powder room.” She moved as quickly as her unsubstantial high heels would permit and tried to exit through a side door. It was locked. She quickly walked to the next one. Locked. In frustration, she eyed the fire exit.
“Hello,” she heard from behind her and closed her eyes. Benjamin, of course.
Delilah swore under her breath. She had known she would see him again. She had even hoped that seeing him would help her make some sort of peace with herself. And if not, the Caymans awaited her tomorrow. The Caymans were looking more necessary to her survival every minute.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and stared at his chin. “Hi.”
“How did Lilly get you to come?”
Delilah chuckled, feeling awkward. “She played on a soft spot. She said she needed me.”
“So the magic four-letter word is need,” he said.
She smiled and her eyes met his. “I don’t know that it’s magic, but it worked for Lilly.”
“You look beautiful.”
“You do too,” she couldn’t help saying because he did. She felt as if her eyes were trying to drink him all the way down to her toes. Coming here
had been a terrible mistake, she thought. It had been a terrible mistake to ever meet him. The truth hit her hard even though she’d suspected it for some time. She was never going to get over Benjamin.
“I know your secret,” he said with a smile.
“Which one?” she asked nervously.
“You sent me a plant for the opening of my office.”
“Did not,” she said.
“Did too,” he said.
“Did not till infinity.”
“It was dead.”
She dropped her jaw. “It better not have been dead. I told them to send the freshest—” She broke off, realizing he’d just tricked her.
He grinned. “Would you dance with me?”
Her pulse quickened. “What about your, um, date?” she asked.
“I don’t have one. Do you?”
“No, but what about your fiancée?” she asked, wondering where the beautiful blonde woman had gone.
“My mother invited her without my knowledge.”
Delilah made a silent O of surprise.
“She was under the mistaken impression that I was suffering from a broken heart due to my former fiancée. Right about one, but wrong about the other.”
Delilah felt a lump in her throat and a horrible longing in her soul. She shouldn’t ask. She absolutely shouldn’t ask, but she had a devil of a time doing what she should where Benjamin was concerned. “What was she right about?”
“She was right that I’ve been suffering from a broken heart, but not because of my ex-fiancée.”
She could barely breathe. “Oh.”
He reached for her hand and she couldn’t find the will to snatch it away. He twined her fingers through his and tugged her closer to him. “Dance with me,” he told her.
Her emotions in turmoil, she let him pull her into his arms. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea,” he told her. “Have you missed me?”
She tried to make her mouth form the word No, but it wouldn’t cooperate. Delilah frowned.
The music was sweet and romantic and he smelled as wonderful as usual. Her pulse was racing like a machine gun as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
