Worth the Wait

by Traci Douglass

  Instead, she said to the server, “No thanks.”

  After they were alone again, Alex sighed and shook his head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be a bummer, but I warned you I’d be crappy company.” He picked up his fork and stabbed his salmon filet. “That’s why Felicity left me, too.”

  Sensing she was on thin ice, Mandy picked at her grilled veggies and chose her words carefully. “Who was Felicity?”

  “My ex-fiancée.” He shoved a huge bite of food in his mouth then spoke around it. “She left me about a month after the fallout with my dad. Said she couldn’t cope with a guy who stayed cooped up all the time, who didn’t want to be around people. Maybe my dad was right. Maybe I should’ve just sucked it up and got over it, but it wasn’t that easy. Still isn’t. If it was, don’t you think I’d have tried?”

  Wow. Mandy had no idea how to answer that. From her research for the part, she knew how isolating mental illness could be, how debilitating if not treated properly. What Alex needed was caring and concern, not judgment and desertion. She took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ear, eating several bites of her dinner while taking in what he’d just said. She’d wanted to know more about him, and now her wish had been granted. “I’m sorry that happened to you, with your dad and with Felicity. That’s more than you should have had to deal with, but please know not everyone is like that. There are people who will stand with you, be patient and help you whenever you’re ready.”

  He met her gaze, a question lurking in his dark eyes. Are you one of them?

  A string quartet started in the far corner of the restaurant, helping to lift some of the dark clouds left from the heavy topic. Eventually the mood lightened as they ate their meal.

  “How’s your fish?” she asked a few minutes later, savoring a bit of delicious salmon.

  “Fantastic,” Alex answered, with a small smile. “Great choice on your part.”

  “Thanks.” An inkling of pride fizzed inside her over the compliment. Alex didn’t give many of those these days and the fact she’d gotten one meant all the more to her. She smiled over at him as he finished off his plate of food. “And thank you again for coming with me tonight.”

  He winked and smiled, transforming his face from handsome to breathtaking. “It wasn’t awful.”

  “Well, I guess that’s a start.”

  The maître d’ stopped by to check on them. “How was everything, mademoiselle?”

  “Wonderful,” she said, her gaze never leaving Alex.

  “Très bien. And monsieur?”

  “Excellent.”

  “Could we get two slices of turtle cheesecake?” Mandy asked, not wanting the night to end just yet.

  Alex winced slightly and rubbed his leg. “Maybe to go?”

  “Certainement!” The maître d’ signaled their waiter and recited the order to him in rapid-fire French before turning to Mandy again. “Will there be anything else, mademoiselle?”

  “No, thank you,” Mandy said. “And I’ll take the check.”

  “No. I’ll take it,” Alex argued.

  “My treat, remember?”

  “A gentleman never lets his woman pay.”

  His woman? Her insides fluttered.

  The waiter returned with a small bag with the restaurant’s green and gold logo on the side. The maître d’ took it and handed it to Mandy. “You lovebirds enjoy.”

  “Oh, no,” she and Alex said in unison. “It’s not like that.”

  The maître d’ chuckled. “Les carottes sont cuites.”

  Mandy frowned, confused. “What does that mean?”

  “That’s our cue to leave.” Alex said, shaking his head. He paid the check then followed Mandy toward the exit. Outside, he stopped at the curb. “Mind if we get a ride back home? My leg is killing me.”

  “Sure.” She took out her phone and opened the app. “My treat this time. And thank you for dinner.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, the chilly breeze ruffling his dark hair.

  Moments later they slid into the cramped backseat of their Uber. Mandy pressed against Alex’s side, far more aware of his muscled thigh tensing beneath his soft chinos than was wise. She gripped the handles of their dessert bag tighter. “Do you speak French? What exactly did the maître d’ say?”

  “The carrots are cooked.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s an old saying. Means the course is set.” Alex looked over at her. “The outcome can’t be changed.”

  She had no idea what that meant, but her instincts said she’d find out soon enough.

  …

  When they pulled up in front of the house a few minutes later, Alex was still trying to figure out what the hell he was doing. He should have left well enough alone. Kept things friendly between them, nothing more. Not opened up to her over dinner about his ex. Certainly not about the thing with his dad. He didn’t talk to people about his problems or his feelings. He wasn’t that guy. Forget what that stupid maître d’ had predicted. Forget his asking Mandy about sleeping with him. She’d never answered his question. Honestly, that was answer enough.

  The whole idea of them being together was stupid, anyway. It would never work, even for sex. There was too much water under the bridge for them. Never mind that every second he’d spent with Mandy this past week or so seemed to have opened up a whole new world for him. Forget the fact that every time she laughed or smiled or made some stupid joke, he fell a little further under her spell.

  They walked up the steps to the porch, and he shoved his key in the lock. “Guess this is good night.”

  “Nope.” Mandy waggled the dessert bag in front of him, her glowing grin rivaling the bright moon above. “We’ve still got cheesecake to eat, remember?”

  Damn. He’d wished she’d never ordered the stuff now, even though it had sounded heavenly at the time. In the foyer, he tossed his keys atop a nearby stack of paint cans, then headed down the hall toward the kitchen, desperate for some time and space alone after being so close to her all evening. “I’ll get silverware.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see what’s on TV in the living room.”

  As he dug through the drawers for forks and napkins, the sound of teenaged voices echoed through the house, along with a familiar 80s power ballad.

  What the…?

  Alex limped back down the hall to find Mandy camped out on his sofa in front of the TV he’d hooked up earlier, The Breakfast Club filling the flat-screen.

  “Remember that night we all watched this together in the basement of your dad’s house?” She flashed him a huge smile. “You and me and Dave and Nicole. We had all the lines memorized. Here, let me pause it.” She frowned down at the buttons on his remote.

  “Let me do it.” He reached for the thing.

  “No, I’ve got it.” She didn’t let go, and they ended up in a tug-of-war, until finally Alex yanked hard and Mandy flew out of her seat and straight into his chest. The feel of her hands against his chest lit a wildfire in his blood. They stared at each other as one second stretched out into a small eternity.

  Finally, Mandy stepped away, her cheeks flushed and her tone flustered as she let the remote go. “Doesn’t matter, right? We’ve both seen it so many times we could act in it.”

  “Right.” His response croaked out as he plopped down beside her on the sofa. It took longer than he expected to get his raging pulse back under control, and by then the kids had escaped the library and were roaming the halls of the high school alone.

  Mandy handed him a cheesecake container without looking at him.

  “Thanks,” he said, staring straight ahead, too, as he handed her a napkin and fork.

  Man, maybe he should’ve sat on the floor instead. This close her warmth was a sweet torture all its own. As was the glimpse of thigh he saw each time she crossed her legs. He shoved a huge bite of cheesecake
into his mouth, chewing without tasting it, too aware of her nearness to care about anything else. Then he hazarded a side glance in her direction, tracking upward from her hips and waist to the lush curve of her breasts and…

  “Enjoying the view?” she asked, jolting him out of his erotic fog.

  Damn.

  Heat crept up from beneath his turtleneck sweater. “What?”

  “You’re supposed to devour your cheesecake, not me.”

  Too bad his body thought otherwise. He tried to play it off as best he could, throwing it back at her. “Like you’re one to talk. Think I didn’t notice you watching me at the restaurant?”

  “I was being polite, that’s all.”

  “Polite?” Alex snorted. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

  She gave him a look, then faced the screen once more. “I’ll just ignore you then.”

  Feeling ornery, Alex channeled his inner John Bender bad boy and leaned closer until his lips skimmed the top of her ear. Her answering shiver fanned the flames inside him higher as he whispered, “You couldn’t ignore me if you tried.”

  Her breath hitched, and she bit her lower lip and man, he’d never wanted to be a set of teeth more in his life. All he could think about was kissing her. Would have, too, if that damned phone of hers hadn’t started buzzing.

  Cheeks pink and eyes wide, Mandy set her cheesecake aside to fumble for her device, then blinked down at the screen. “It’s an old friend from college. A filmmaker. I haven’t talked to him in years.” Frowning, she got up and headed for the hallway. “Excuse me a sec.”

  Alex paused the movie and did his best not to eavesdrop, which wasn’t all that difficult with the rush of blood in his ears. Still, he caught a few snippets of her conversation.

  “Bud. Hi. Yes, wow. Okay. Okay. Well, I’m honored you’d think of me.”

  His gut sank. Maybe her Hollywood dreams would come true sooner than she’d expected. The thought should make him happy. He’d have the house to himself, after all, just like he’d wanted. Except he didn’t feel happy at all. More like disappointed.

  An odd heaviness settled on him as she returned a short while later, her expression blank.

  “Uh, that was a director friend from school,” Mandy said, her tone quiet and slightly dazed. “He’s in pre-production for a new made-for-streaming-channel holiday movie. It’s a romantic comedy, and he offered me the lead role without an audition. They’re shooting in Tennessee in December. It’s not Hollywood yet, but this could be the break I need.”

  “That’s great,” Alex said, his tone flat. He shut off the TV and gathered his trash.

  “Yeah.” She started toward the stairs, her cheesecake left behind, forgotten. “I need to think about this a while. Thanks again for tonight. See you in the morning.”

  “Yep,” Alex said, but she was already gone. Alone, he cleaned up the remnants of their dessert then made sure the house was locked up and secure before heading to bed himself. He should be used to people leaving by now, but it still hurt. Even if he knew this whole situation with Mandy was temporary, he realized now that he’d hoped for a little more time before saying goodbye again. He wasn’t ready for her to leave. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

  …

  Upstairs, Mandy changed, scrubbed her face, and fed Duckie then flopped back on her bed still trying to wrap her head around Bud’s offer. It was a good career move, no two ways about it. Tennessee wasn’t her ultimate goal but, depending on how the movie did in the ratings, it could lead to bigger things. Romantic comedies were all the rage right now, so it could also help her build her social media platform. A week or so ago, she’d have been overjoyed.

  But now, she just felt conflicted. Alex had opened up to her tonight, at least a little. Their dinner had felt like a breakthrough of sorts, and she hated the idea of him closing himself off again. The beginnings of a headache throbbed behind her temples, and she got under the covers and shut off the light while images of the night with Alex swam through her head. Especially the part right before her phone rang downstairs. She’d swear he’d been about to kiss her, and she would’ve let him. Would’ve let him do more, too, if he’d wanted. He’d asked her before if she’d wanted to sleep with him and right now the answer was a definite yes. Or at least it had been before Bud’s call.

  Through the darkness, the gurgle of Duckie’s fish tank kept her company as she sorted through her jumbled feelings and tried to get to sleep. Usually the fact she had an easy out by way of a waiting movie role would thrill her. She hated to get tied down. In fact, deeper involvement and commitments made her run far and fast. But the thought of leaving Alex behind now made her heart hurt and her chest squeeze.

  It was scary and confusing and oddly comforting.

  Maybe she wasn’t as much like her mother as she’d feared, at least relationship-wise.

  She snuggled down beneath her covers and closed her eyes. Not that she planned to become a permanent resident of Heavenly Falls anytime soon, but she didn’t have to make a decision tonight, either. Bud didn’t need an answer for a few weeks, and there was still plenty of time here with Alex to explore this thing…whatever this was, between them.

  Think positive. Better things are just around the corner.

  For the first time since her arrival back in Heavenly Falls, Mandy thought her mom’s words might actually be true.

  Chapter Seven

  Unfortunately, a week later Mandy was no closer to a decision than she had been that night in her bed. The fact she’d just worked another busy Sunday morning shift at the diner didn’t help, either, since her brain had been too fried to think of anything beyond the next table’s order.

  Now that she was back at the house and unpacking more of her stuff, she hoped to gain some clarity on the situation. The air smelled of lemon polish and floor wax from the buffers who’d been in the day before to redo the floors. Alex had rearranged some of the furniture downstairs, too, and gotten the rooms painted. There was still work to be done, but the place felt more like an actual home now.

  “Hey,” she said, walking downstairs a short while later. Alex was unloading some more of his stuff from his storage pod outside, and several boxes were scattered around the living room. “Anything I can help with?”

  He looked up at her, his dark hair mussed and a shadow of stubble on his jaw. “Hey. Um, if you want, you can start opening those boxes over there.”

  “Sure.” She grabbed one and found a bunch of computer cables and extension cords. The next one held a small Chinese dragon statue encased in wads of old newspaper. Mandy laughed, holding it up to admire its cute little fang-filled roar. “Where’d this come from?”

  “Oh, that’s Ming,” Alex said, grinning. “Dave got him for me in Chinatown when I passed my state boards. Dragons are supposed to be good luck.”

  “Well, we can always use more of that, eh?” She set the little dragon on the fireplace mantel then opened another box, this time finding a stash of DVDs. “Looks like we need to have a movie night soon.”

  “Yeah?” Alex shrugged, not looking at her. “Maybe. First I need to put another coat of shellac on the banister.”

  “Aw. C’mon.” She held up Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. “We can order burgers and see how many of the locations we recognize.”

  He looked at her finally, relenting. “Okay. But I control the remote this time. Deal?”

  “Deal.” She set the DVDs next to the TV then grinned. “But I decide the drinking game.”

  “The what?” he frowned. “Booze probably isn’t a good idea.”

  “After the week I’ve had, booze is an excellent idea,” she countered. “Besides, we’re adults, and we’re not driving anywhere.”

  Alex shook his head and headed toward the hallway. “Fine, but I don’t want to be up late. I’ve got a lot to get done on the house in the morning. They’re bringin
g the new appliances tomorrow.”

  “Yay.” She called after him, “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

  …

  “Okay, explain it to me again,” Alex said as they sat on the sofa later, their bags of food between them and a case of ale on the coffee table. “You said we take a drink every time Ferris breaks the fourth wall?”

  “Yep.” Mandy nodded toward the screen where the movie started playing. “Also, whenever Jeannie complains, when Rooney gets attacked by the dog, or when someone mentions Ferris’s health.”

  “So pretty much all the time?” Alex raised a brow at her. “And how do you win? By passing out?”

  “No.” Mandy grabbed a handful of fries in one hand and an ale in the other then settled back into the cushions. “The goal is to finish your last drink by the time the Ferrari goes into the ravine. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Alex grabbed a bottle of ale just as Ferris’s parents walked into his room to find him sick in bed. “Drink?”

  “Drink.”

  Soon enough, Alex finished his burger and fries and third bottle of ale. He was feeling no pain now, not in his leg or anywhere else for that matter. “Did you know that when this movie was made, Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Gray were engaged?”

  “Really?” Mandy pointed at the screen as someone mentioned Ferris needing a kidney. “Drink.”

  “Drink.” They toasted and Alex guzzled down more alcohol. “Yep. And while things didn’t work with them, the actors who played his parents ended up married and had two kids.”

  “Sweet.” She giggled. “Thanks, Mr. Trivia.”

  “No problem, Ms. Remote Hog.” She hurled a napkin at his head, and he ducked. “What? We agreed I’d have control this time.”

  “Whatever.” Onscreen, Jeannie answered the front door to a singing nurse for Ferris. “Drink!”

  “Drink!” He downed more ale, finishing off bottle number three then cracked open number four. He glanced at Mandy as the family dog attacked Rooney. “Drink?”

  “Drink.” Mandy winked, and an unexpected bolt of lust zinged straight to his groin. Whoops. Wanting her was a bad idea, though it was getting more difficult to remember why. He liked Mandy. They were both here, both single. Why shouldn’t he want her? He frowned at the crowded scene of downtown Chicago on the TV. “Have you ever been to a parade?”