Bad Girls Don't (35 page)

“So?”

“So, she was golden. I’m not. I’m a rebel. I may be able to tempt him into having sex with me, but not into falling in love with me.”

“Why shouldn’t he fall in love with you?”

“There are tons of reasons.”

“Give them to me.” Angel curled up on the couch beside her. “Starting with the one that scares you the most.”

Leave it to Angel to get right to the heart of the matter. There was no bullshitting her.

The bottom line was that Skye had never had a man love her the way she needed to be loved . . . but was afraid she didn’t
deserve
to be loved.

Yes, Skye believed she deserved to be happy. She deserved to follow her own rules. But real love? Maybe that required a goodness she didn’t possess. Maybe that was reserved for people who colored inside the lines. Golden people, like Nathan’s dead wife, Annie. And do-gooders like Nathan.

“Talk to me,” Angel urged, squeezing Skye’s shoulders in a universal maternal sign.

“What scares me the most is that I—” Skye shook her head, unable to continue for a moment. “What if I’m not meant to find real love? What if I never do?”

“Then fate would have something bigger in mind for you. But I don’t think that’s the case.”

“The tarot cards aren’t always right. They indicated Milton was the saboteur. And remember, they also said that garlic gelato would be a big hit at your gelato store, and instead it totally bombed. Like I’m totally bombing in the love department. The sex is great. It’s the other stuff that gets messed up.”

“So what happened tonight?”

“I told Nathan that it ended here. That he couldn’t just show up and have hot, wall-banging sex in my private office and then say he was sorry or that it shouldn’t have happened.”

“Hot, wall-banging sex, huh? Maybe Nathan was concerned that he might have hurt you?”

“He hurt me by saying the things that he did. It’s over. I’ve learned enough from my past mistakes to know when it’s time to cut my losses and end it.”

“But in the past, you weren’t in love with the man.”

“Sometimes I thought I was.”

“The same way you’re in love with Nathan?”

“No.” Skye slowly shook her head. “There’s never been anyone like Nathan.”

“Exactly. And that’s why you don’t have a manual to fall back on here. A way to read him.”

“Even getting a fix on his auras is difficult,” Skye said.

“Yes, I’ve noticed that myself. In some ways he’s like Tyler. Not just regarding the wall-banging sex,” Angel said with a grin. “But also in that Nathan is a man of few words. Not someone who opens up easily.”

“Not someone who opens up at all.”

“I wish there were something I could do to make the pain go away.”

Skye leaned her head on Angel’s shoulder. “Thanks for always being here for me. I don’t tell you that enough, I know.”

“Of course I’m here for you. That’s what parents do. Love unconditionally.”

“What about men? Do they ever do that with the women in their lives? Love unconditionally?”

“I believe so. It can happen. And you certainly deserve to have it happen to you. Because that kind of love is the kind that you are capable of giving, and therefore are very deserving of receiving.” Angel hugged her tightly. “And don’t you ever forget it.”

 

 

Early the next morning, Angel insisted that Skye go off with Sue Ellen and Lulu to a nearby farmer’s market, as planned. The only change was that Angel took Toni to visit the llamas instead of letting the little girl go with Skye.

Skye suspected it was so that she could talk to her friends about Nathan if she needed to.

It was a perfect Saturday morning, and the market was in full swing. A crisp September breeze had set the fall leaves dancing in the air. Some of the trees were beginning to get a golden glow about them. Blue tarps tied to supporting poles covered the various stalls selling organic produce from local family farms. Other stalls offered fall flowers as well as homemade baked goods and jams. Dried corn and assorted gourds were also set out in artistic displays.

By mid-October, the hardwood trees on the surrounding hillsides would begin boasting magnificent hues of red, yellow, and gold. Skye knew because she’d arrived in Pennsylvania in late October, missing the peak colors of fall. She’d been looking forward to seeing them this year.

Having grown up and lived mostly on the West Coast, the concept of four seasons with different vibes for the various times of the year was one that appealed to Skye.

The vegetable stand in front of them did not appear to have a similar appeal for Sue Ellen, who was eyeing the produce suspiciously.

“Do you want to try some of the eggplant?” Skye asked.

“I don’t eat anything purple,” Sue Ellen stated firmly.

“You don’t eat anything that doesn’t come out of a can or a box,” Lulu scoffed. She’d exchanged her skull earrings for skeleton ones, and was wearing her baggy black pants with the metal studs. Her goth look caused some curious looks from passersby. So did the saying on her T-shirt. EARTH FIRST! WE’LL STRIP-MINE THE OTHER PLANETS LATER.

Since Pennsylvania had long been coal-mining country, the sentiment conveyed was one that hit home.

Also hitting home for Skye was the fact that it really was over between her and Nathan.

“What is that?” Sue Ellen pointed to a basket filled with odd-shaped tan-colored things.

“Ginger.”

“It looks obscene.”

“Only if you have a dirty mind.”

“What about this?” Sue Ellen demanded. “You can’t claim that
this
isn’t obscene.”

“It’s a cucumber.”

“It’s huge. That’s just not right.”

“I’ll tell you what’s not right,” Lulu declared. “Whatever is going on between Nathan and Skye.”

“Nothing is going on,” Skye said.

“That’s what I mean. All those sparks led to nothing?”

“It led to hot, wall-banging sex in my office at the Tivoli, right between two Cary Grant posters.” Skye’s internal editor was definitely not on duty at the moment.

Sue Ellen eyed her uncertainly. “You’re kidding, right?”

“She doesn’t look like she’s kidding.” Lulu’s forehead wrinkled in concern, making her pierced eyebrow stand out even more. “She looks like she’s going to cry.”

“Skye never cries,” Sue Ellen declared. “Right, Skye?” And just like that, the tears came.

“Now look what you did to Skye,” Lulu said accusingly. “You made her cry!”

“How?” Sue Ellen was clearly at a loss. “What did I say?”

“You insulted her vegetables. You know how she feels about her organic vegetables and the farmer’s market. And you go and make fun of eggplants, ginger, and cucumbers the first five minutes you’re here.”

“The wildberry jam looks good,” Sue Ellen noted, moving on to the next stall. “Want me to buy some?” she asked Skye. “I’ll buy a case if you want me to.”

“Come on.” Lulu led Skye over to the benches set out nearby. “What’s going on? Why are you crying if you and Nathan had wall-banging sex? He didn’t have wall-banging sex in your office with someone else, did he?”

“No.”

“Was he no good at it?”

“He was wicked awesome,” Skye admitted.

Lulu shook her head. “So the problem is . . . ?”

“I’m stupid,” Skye wailed.

“So? Men usually go for stupid women. Ow!” Sue Ellen rubbed her arm where Lulu had pinched it. “What was that for? It’s not like that fact is a secret or anything.”

“It’s not true,” Lulu said. “Do you know how many men prefer smart women?”

“No, and neither do you, so don’t even try pretending that you do,” Sue Ellen retorted.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Skye declared, scrubbing the tears away.

“You haven’t really talked about it at all yet,” Sue Ellen pointed out.

“Change the subject,” Skye ordered.

“Okay. Do you know how many people squander their lottery winnings within a few short years?” Lulu asked.

“No, and I don’t want to know,” Sue Ellen said.

“Seventy percent. I read an article on the Internet about a woman who won five million and is now broke, living in a trailer park somewhere.”

Sue Ellen bristled. “There’s nothing wrong with living in a trailer park.”

“Is that where you’d live if you had five million dollars?” Lulu asked.

“No way!”

“How is this information supposed to cheer me up?” Skye demanded.

Lulu snapped her gum. “You didn’t say we were supposed to cheer you up.”

“We need chocolate for that,” Sue Ellen said. “A Blizzard would be good. Is there a Dairy Queen around here?”

“Skye doesn’t eat stuff like that,” Lulu reminded her.

“Which is why she needs cheering up.”

 

 

“This is the last time we’re doing this,” Angel informed Adam as he got out of his limo. Toni had fallen asleep in the backseat of Angel’s VW van, and Angel stood close enough to keep an eye on her in case she woke up.

Adam looked at the farmhouse at the end of the long drive they were standing on. “Is that why you had us meet at this out-of-the-way place?”

“This isn’t an out-of-the-way place, it’s a piece of property I’m thinking of buying.”

“And you wanted my opinion of it?”

“No, I really couldn’t care less about your opinion.”

“Then you won’t be upset to hear that I’m reconciling with my wife.”

“No, I won’t be upset.” Angel wondered if she’d driven him back into his wife’s arms by having a fit in his office the way she had, throwing cold water on herself as if she were on fire. “I’m glad for you. Glad that the meditation made you realize what’s important in your life.”

“I don’t know that I’d go that far.”

Angel sighed. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to admit that I helped you.”

“You scared me. When you went ballistic in my office like that.”

Okay, that answered
that
question. “Well, whatever I did to motivate you, I’m glad it worked. I hope you and your wife will do well together.”

“Yeah, me, too. I guess I was sort of going through some kind of midlife crisis or something.”

“That happens.”

“To you, too?”

“In wanting to recapture the past? No, that wasn’t an affliction I had, thank heavens.”

“Julia told me she’s pregnant. I’m going to be a grandfather.”

“Yes, you are. And you better not mess that up.”

“Mess what up? Luke and Julia? They’re getting married. The guy should have come to me and asked for my permission first.”

“No, he shouldn’t have. He doesn’t need your permission. No one in this family does. They don’t need my permission either. Remember, being a parent means—”

“Loving your kids unconditionally. Yeah, yeah—I know. So, what do you think about their getting married?”

“I’m happy for them.”

“Do you see yourself ever getting married?”

“No, I really don’t.”

“What about that bum in your life?”

“He’s not a bum.” Angel instantly defended Tyler. “He’s an incredible man.”

“If he’s that incredible, why don’t you marry him?”

“Well, for one thing, he hasn’t asked. But even if he did, I don’t want to get married. I’ve spent my life refusing to be hemmed in by arbitrary traditions like marriage. I don’t like the formality of it. I prefer a spiritual meeting of souls.”

“Well, if you ever change your mind, here’s the name of my attorney. He does a great job on prenups, in case this latest business venture of yours really takes off. I saw the website and heard that Hollywood is going crazy over your scarves.”

“Apparently so.”

“You don’t sound too thrilled.”

“I have conflicting feelings about it.”

“Now there’s something new,” Adam said. “You having conflicting feelings.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that I never met anyone so averse to success.”

“At other people’s expense.”

“Who are you hurting by being successful? All those other business ventures you had, didn’t you want them to thrive and be a success?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“But what?”

“I don’t know if I’m any good at being successful.”

“Listen, if you can teach a type-A like me to meditate, even a little bit, then you’ve got what it takes to be successful at anything.”

Angel was on the verge of crying. “Really?” “Entrepreneurs don’t cry.”

“New Age entrepreneurs do,” she retorted before hugging him good-bye.

As Adam drove away, Angel opened the van door to check on Toni.

“Was that a capitalist pig?” Toni asked sleepily, pointing to the departing limo.

“No, that was just a man.”

“A man you’re still in love with?” Tyler demanded from the other side of the van.

Angel jumped a foot in the air. “Tyler! What are you doing here?”

“Following you. I parked down by the road and hiked in.” Angel was stunned. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to know what you were up to and you weren’t telling me. I’ve known for some time now that something was going on, and I suspected it involved Adam. So I came to see for myself.”

“Did you hear what I told him?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Then you should know that he’s going back to his wife. I don’t have any feelings for him. I love you. You’re my soul mate.”

Instead of saying she was his soul mate too, Tyler said, “Did you want to get married?”

“What?” She blinked at him. “No. What made you think that?”

“You did point out that I hadn’t asked you.”

“And then I added that I don’t want to get married. Honestly, I don’t.”

“Not even to your soul mate?”

“What’s a soul mate?” Toni demanded, hopping out of the van to join them.