Rescue My Heart (19 page)

“
It’s not a choice.” She
tightened her grip on the napkin.

“
I wish you
wouldn’t.”

Silence stretched for a
moment.

“
Goodbye,” she
whispered.

“
Goodbye,
beautiful.”

A sob caught in her throat then broke
through as she closed her phone. Miranda handed her a tissue, while
Brooke patted her on the back.

Bess spoke to the waiter. “Two
coffees, two teas, and dessert is definitely in order.”

Chapter Nine

Finally, Rory’s cast was
removed. She went to rehab three times a week and got the use of
her arm back. Resuming her dog-walking duties, she was happy to be
with her canine pals again.

Over the next two weeks, she pecked
out the remaining chapters of her book, alone. Every morning when
she took Baxter to the park, she searched the road for a tall,
handsome man riding a bike too fast, but Hack never
appeared.

Did he give up cycling
because of me? Is he still with Felicia? Did they set the date?
Does she care for him at all? Guess I’ll never know.

The
sharp pain in her chest had settled down to a dull ache. Her ears
pricked up, listening for the familiar buzz at ten o’clock that
never came.
This was my choice.
She couldn’t decide which was worse, the pain of
being with him but having him out of reach, or the pain of not
seeing him. She rationalized his absence.
Without the cast, he wouldn’t be coming here anymore,
anyway.

But she couldn’t fool herself. He had
been a big presence in her life. Hack had brought a reality, an
excitement, and a friendship she had lacked. He filled a void. Her
routines, including cooking food to delight him, had gone by the
wayside. She even stopped thinking up epithets for Felicia. Life
was rudderless—she simply poked along, taking care of essentials,
but missing the joy she’d had with him.

She
submitted her book to a publisher and said a prayer. Baxter’s cast
had come off long before Rory’s. He was due for a checkup, but she
delayed, not sure she could face Hack. Before she could call for an
appointment, the buzzer sounded. Her heart leapt for joy, and her
pulse pounded.
Hack?
Fluffing her hair, she opened the door.

“
Bruce!”

Baxter ran over and barked furiously
at him.

“
Yep, it’s me. Bet you’re
surprised,” he said, stepping into her apartment and handing her a
bouquet of red roses.

She took the flowers. “That’s an
understatement. What are you doing here?”

“
Leaving you was a
mistake.” He leaned down to pet the pug.

“
What?”

“
I see you’re all healed.
You look good.” His gaze swept over her.

She recognized the glow in his
eyes.“You’re kidding, right?” She shifted her weight.

“
I’m completely
serious.”

“
What happened to that
girl with the great job?”

“
Her? Oh, well…” He
blushed.

“
Yeah, her.” Rory rested
her fists on her hips.

“
She wasn’t so great. Not
as great as you.”

“
Tell me why.” She
narrowed her eyes.

He raised his eyebrows. “Can I come
in?”

“
You’re already
in.”

“
Can I at least sit
down?”

She made a sweeping gesture with her
hand. “Be my guest.”

“
You don’t seem happy to
see me. I thought you’d want me back.”

“
I did, for a while, but I
got over it.” She returned to the kitchen to stir soup on the
stove.

“
You’re over us?
Already?”

“
You
think I was pining, waiting for you to come back? Thought you knew
me better than that.”
Be honest. You’re
pining. Pining for Hack.

“
I’m back, if you’re still
available.”

“
I’m not
married, if that’s what you mean.”
Boy, am
I available. Hack, what’s happened to you?

“
Always joking.” Bruce got
up off the sofa and took Rory in his arms. He kissed her as his
hands wandered down her back and squeezed her butt.

“
Still
perfect,” he murmured. “Give me some sugar.” Loneliness drove Rory
to respond. Bruce looked pretty good. He wore a navy blue suit, a
shirt that matched his eyes, and a gold tie, to match his hair. His
body was still strong and powerful. She kissed him back, softening
in his embrace. Until her brain short-circuited her
response.
This isn’t Hack. You want
Hack
.

Bruce undressed her slowly, commenting
on every part he revealed. “Great body. Never met a girl as good as
you in the sack. You’re the best.” Compliments, even as raunchy as
his, had been nonexistent. She was flattered, horny, and not
thinking straight. It wasn’t long before they were both undressed.
Rory tried to focus on him, but Hack kept intruding on her
thoughts. Every touch reminded her that he wasn’t Hack.

The
magic with Bruce had passed. But it was Christmas.
Any loving is better than no loving, right? I’m
so tired of being alone
.
Lock regret in the closet and throw away the
key.

Bruce eased her back down on the sofa
and made love to her. Rory closed her eyes and imagined it was Hack
pounding into her, Hack grunting in her ear, Hack kissing her
breasts. But it wasn’t Hack’s scent teasing her nose. Her body
responded because Bruce knew all the buttons to push. Still, total
satisfaction was out of reach.

After,
Rory slipped on a robe and put on the kettle. Bruce had a beer
while she sipped tea. He invited her to his company’s Christmas
party. She cringed.
A room full of
strangers, my worst nightmare.

“
Come on. There’ll be
great food. Music. We can dance.”

“
Okay, okay.” She raised
her hand.

“
Good. It’s dress
up.”

“
I have
a fancy dress,” she lied.
I’ll borrow one
from Brooke.

“
You’ll be the prettiest
one there.” He combed his fingers through her hair. She smiled.
When he turned on the charm, Bruce could be okay to be around. Sort
of.

He checked his watch. “Dinner with the
boss. Gotta go. Can I take you to dinner tomorrow
night?”

“
Sure, why
not?”

“
Try to show a little
enthusiasm, Rory. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I was
stupid.”

“
You can say that again,”
she mumbled, under her breath.

The phone rang as Bruce was getting
dressed. It was Mary.

“
Hi, Rory, how are you
doin’?”

“
Uh, fine.” The heat of
guilt crept up her neck.

“
I’m just calling to set
up a time for Baxter’s checkup. Can you bring him in
tomorrow?”

“
Sure.”

“
Ten good for
you?”

“
Fine.”

“
See you then.”

“
Who was that?” Bruce
asked, retying his tie.

“
The clinic. Setting up an
appointment for Baxter.”

“
Do they usually call
patients?” He stopped to stare at her.

She sensed the flush traveling to her
face. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“
It’s that guy. The doc
there, isn’t it?”

“
No.”

“
I should have known you
wouldn’t be alone for long.”

“
I am alone. If it’s any
of your business.”

“
Yeah? I’ll take him on.
Pansy. Bet I KO him in the first round.” He put up his fists and
air-boxed before buttoning his jacket.

“
Stop. He’s not a factor.
I’m friendly with the nurse there.”

“
Oh, that’s okay, then.
See you tomorrow.” He bent down to kiss her and was
gone.

Rory sank down on her sofa. “What the
hell have I done?”

* * * *

Across
town, Hack shaved, getting ready for his dinner date with Felicia.
Nerves caused him to nick his chin. Swearing softly, he put on a
jacket and tie before heading for her apartment.
I’m going to tell her tonight.

“
Come in. How about a
drink?”

He looked at his watch. “No time. Our
reservation at Le Mer Bleu is for seven.”

“
This’ll only take a
minute.”

He looked up. “What?”

“
We have to talk.” Felicia
began to mix drinks at the bar.

Hack
followed her, taking her arm. “What’s going on?”
Oh, God, she knows. Damn!
His nerves kicked up.

“
I have a
confession.”

Hack sank down on her black, leather
sofa. He braced himself.

“
Your fat girlfriend got
it right. I am looking for funding for my clothing
line.”

“
You have a clothing
line?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“
Not yet. Don’t have the
money. But I have a business partner all lined up.”

“
You do? Why didn’t you
tell me?”

Felicia blushed. “We’ve been friends a
long time. I know it wasn’t nice to try to lure you into marriage
to get the money. I mean, it was more than that…”

“
Let’s continue with the
truth. We’ve never been well-matched. You know that.”

“
Yeah. You like classical.
I like rock. You like old-fashioned. I like modern.”

“
Right. You were trying to
make the charade real so I’d fund your business
venture?”

She cast her glance at the floor. “I’m
not proud of it, but that’s the truth.”

“
Why didn’t you just ask
for a loan?”

“
I don’t have any
collateral or anything.”

“
I’m sure my dad would’ve
given you the money.”

“
I never thought of
that.”

“
So, where does that leave
us now? How much do you need?”

“
I don’t need it
anymore.”

“
Oh?”

She looked up, and her blush deepened.
“My partner loves my line so much, he found an
investor.”

“
That’s good then,
right?”

Felicia slipped the emerald ring Hack
had given her off her finger. She laughed and avoided his gaze.
“You know, I always thought Paul was gay. I mean, his deep interest
in the fashion business and all. But last night, I found out he’s
not.”

“
You slept with this guy?”
Hack’s eyebrows shot straight up. “After trying to seduce
me?”

“
Yeah.” She
giggled.

“
What the hell’s going on?
Where’s the Felicia I used to know?”

“
I admit I’ve changed.
Grown up. I know what I want now, and I’m going after it. Paul
wanted me. He’s very sexy. Dresses like a dream.”

“
No baggy khakis and
button-down shirts?”

“
Nope. We shared an
amazing night. Then, he proposed to me.”

“
Proposed?”

“
Yep. And I accepted. I’m
sorry, Hack. I hope you understand.”

Hack
could hardly contain his glee.
I don’t
have to dump her, she dumped me!
He
covered his mouth with his hand to hide a grin. “I understand
completely.”

“
I’ll do whatever you want
to make it okay with your mom. Maybe I should pick a fight with
you?”

Uh oh.
Mom. Dad’ll have a fit. Maybe we can substitute Rory for Felicia,
and Mom will be okay.
“Thanks. We’ll
figure out something.”

Felicia shot him a knowing look. “Or
maybe you can bring Chubs and tell your mom she’s a fatter version
of me.”

“
She’s not chubby. Nicely
rounded, I’d say.”

Felicia made a noise of disapproval.
“Whatever.”

“
You can keep the ring, if
you want. I’m not going to give it to anyone else.”

“
Thanks.” She slipped it
on her right hand and fished around in her purse. Pulling out a
small, velvet box, she opened it to reveal a large diamond ring.
“This is from Paul.” She slipped it on the fourth finger of her
left hand.

“
Must be
love,” Hack said, admiring the stone.
Thank God. Paul, I owe you one.

“
Do you want me to break
it to Mary?” Felicia asked.

“
Oh,
dear. Mary. Hmm.” Hack sucked on his bottom lip for a
moment.
Mary hates you. She loves Rory.
She’ll be thrilled.
“Don’t worry about
Mary. I’ll explain it to her.”

“
Good. I’d hate to see her
upset. Do it when I’m not there, okay?”