Trusting Hearts (The Heart Series) (4 page)

Chapter Seven

A month later Rachel was sitting in her office eating lunch and watching
Jerry Springer
on TV because that’s how her life felt right now. Rachel started cracking up with laughter because all of a sudden the intercom buzzed and Genene was saying code red. That was their sign for when Brad was coming to her office. He may be her brother-in-law but he was still her boss.

“He has a visitor with him, but I’m not sure who it is,” Genene whispered into the phone.

“Damn. Okay, thanks.”

Rachel hoped it wasn’t anyone important because her office smelled like French fries and ketchup. The knock on the door came and Rachel answered with a pleasant smile on her face.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Roberts.”

Rachel had to act professional just in case there were any important suits with him.

“Hey Rach,” Bradley responded.

Informal … Must not be that important.

“I have someone who wanted to see you,” Bradley continued.

“Oh yeah, who is it?”

From behind Brad, Colin emerged. Rachel was speechless. She literally couldn’t talk because he was the last person that she was expecting to see today. Brad and Colin could both tell by the look on her face. She knew he was coming to town for a medical conference but she didn’t know when and she completely forgot about it since Gia brought it up over a month ago.

“Hi Colin,” Rachel finally spoke when she was able to compose herself.

“Hi Rachel, How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

She didn’t want to just come right out and say that she was a train wreck.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Brad said slyly.

He probably thought Rachel was going to kill him because of the look on her face.

“Come in my office.”

“Great choice of TV programming,” Colin said jokingly.

“It was the only thing on,” Rachel said, laughing nervously.

Little did he know that she was two steps away from calling to be a guest on the show.

“So, what brings you into town,” She asked as if she didn’t already know.

“I’m here for a medical conference and I’m working on a business deal with Brad. I’m looking to change over the computer systems in my medical practice.”

“Oh, wow. That’s great.”

“I’m going back home on Monday. Gia and Brad invited me to the christening on Sunday before I leave.”

“That was nice of them. I am the baby’s godmother.”

“Gia was telling me. That’s such an honor.”

“It really is. I love him so much. He is absolutely gorgeous.”

Rachel was upset because Gia never told her that Colin was in town. She apparently had spoken to him and forgot to mention it during her numerous visits to see the baby this past month.

“I was wondering if we could see each other while I am in
town? Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?” Colin asked.

“Aww… I’m sorry I can’t tonight; I have my sons’ baseball game. Maybe we can go out on Wednesday night,” Rachel countered.

“That sounds great. I’m really happy to see you.”

“Me too,” She lied. Colin was the farthest thing from her mind. She hadn’t spoken to him in over a month.

“I’ll call you later and we can figure out all the details. I have to get back to Brad and finish our meeting,” Colin said as he kissed Rachel on the cheek and walked out of the office.

Rachel had so much to figure out. At least Vinnie has left her alone for the moment. She didn’t know how long it was going to last but it was nice while it did. She saw him at the baseball games and sometimes on the subway, which was awkward, but he still refused to divorce her. Her relationship with Carson was a whole different story within itself. She went out to dinner with him a couple times and some lunch dates. She wasn’t sure where it was leading but it was very complicated. She now knew why people put their relationship status as “It’s complicated” on
Facebook
. Rachel had a date with Carson, which was the real reason she couldn’t go out with Colin, but she couldn’t break his heart. They were going to dinner and the movies.

***

The boys were sleeping at Vinnie’s house since school was out for the summer. He was taking them to Dorney Park the next day. He had begged Rachel to go with them as a family, but she didn’t want to give her sons false hope, so she declined the

invite
. She did make sure all their bags were packed and they had everything they needed. They were very excited about the day trip. Meanwhile, she was starting to feel giddy about her date with Carson. He was picking her up at 7 P.M. So far, their dating has been kept a secret. She honestly didn’t want to hurt anyone, but Carson said he didn’t care who knew. He and Maria were completely over. Maria told Carson that she met a guy her own age that she wanted to pursue further and that she wanted to keep her options open.

Carson and Rachel’s date tonight was casual, so she put on a pair of GAP
capri jeans, black BCBG heels and a black and gray BCBG striped shirt that fell off of her right shoulder. Just as she was checking herself in the mirror, the doorbell rang. It was Carson and he looked
hot
. He was wearing a light blue striped Ralph Lauren button down shirt with a pair of jeans. His cologne was turning her on badly. She was about to pull him in the house and say fuck the movie. This is what happens when you’re forty-one and haven’t had sex in a very long

time
.

“Did you park?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah.”

“Come in for a minute. Do you want a beer or a glass of wine?”

“I’ll take a beer.”

“Okay,” Rachel said as she popped the top off the beer, handed it to him and poured herself a glass of wine.

“Rach, you look very sexy tonight,” Carson says seductively.

“Thanks, Carsy.”

He was standing in the kitchen entry way leaning against the wall. She needed to get a hold of herself because she was getting wet.

“Rach, come here.”

“Yeah.”

“You still turn me on the same way you did back then,” he whispered in her ear.

Rachel was now blushing and her heart rate felt like it had hit the ceiling.

“I guess my job is done,” she said with composure.

Carson chuckled. As she started to walk back to the counter to down her glass of wine, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. He turned and pushed her up against the wall. He gave her a hot, seductive kiss that left her panting for more. He grabbed her ass with his left hand and put his right hand behind her head and starting kissing her neck. She was burning up with passion. She totally forgot about the movie because her juices were starting to flow. She hadn’t felt like this in a really long time.

He started to rub his hands between her thighs. She was now moaning with pleasure. She wasn’t sure if she should stop because she knew it could go further but she wanted him to continue. She could feel his rock hard cock pushing into her through his jeans, just waiting to be released and allowed to plunge into her.

All of a sudden out of nowhere, Carson whispered in her ear and started to pull back. “Rach, I’m sorry. I respect you. You turn me on so much, I lost control.”

“Don’t be sorry. I feel the same way.”

He kissed her on the lips again. “Let’s go out and cool down. We can grab a drink at the bar after the movie.”

“I just need to fix myself up.”

A couple hours later, Rachel and Carson emerged from the movie theatre. He reached over and held her hand. She had a huge smile on her face.

“I really enjoyed the movie. Thanks so much. I had fun. You picked a great one, especially
since Channing Tatum was in it. He’s my favorite actor.”

“As long as I make you happy, that’s all that matters,” he said as he reached over and kissed her cheek.

After the movie they decided to go to a swanky bar in Center City to avoid any unnecessary drama. Carson ordered a beer for himself and a glass of white Zinfandel for Rachel. They became entrenched in conversation and the wine was flowing smoothly which is not good for someone who doesn’t usually drink. Rachel started to feel a buzz coming on after her fifth glass. She was concerned because once she started drinking she will say whatever comes to her mind, which is a bit scary. She knew Carson could tell that she was starting to get drunk.

“Carsy, you’re so hot and you smell so good.”

“Thanks,” he said smirking at her.

“Whaaaat are you laughingggg at?” Rachel said slurring her words. “You’re so cute when you smile.”

“You’re so cute when you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunkkkk.”

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go home.”

“As long as you’re cumming with me.”

Oh dear God, did I just say that?

Carson unlocked the door and walked Rachel into
the house. He was unsure of where to lie her down since she was so far out of it.

“
Where do you want to sleep at? Do you prefer the couch or the bed? I’ll tuck you in?”

“Are you going to stay with me?” Rachel asked.

“I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

Carson carried her up to the bedroom because that was what he thought he heard coming from her mouth. Rachel looked around subconsciously remembering her room. She sat down on the bed… barely. Carson was standing in front of her.

“Why don’t you lie down and rest?” he pleaded.

“Come here,” Rachel asked as she reached up, grabbed his face and pulled him towards her. She kissed him recklessly. Carson pulled away.

“Rach, I don’t want to take advantage of your alcohol induced ass. As much as I want to, you’ll hate me in the morning.”

“I can never hate you. I’m still in love with you,” she confessed.

“Are you crazy? You have no idea what you are saying.”

“Yes I do. The truth comes out when you’re drunk.”

“Carsy?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m gonna throw up.”

Carson ran into the bathroom to grab the trash can and ran back as fast as he could. He made it back just in time. He rubbed her back and held her hair as she vomited. When she was finished, he laid her down and covered her with a blanket. He went to the other side of the bed, stripped down to his boxers, slid in next to her and cuddled her to him. As he laid there, he ran his fingers through her hair over and over to give her a sense of relief.

“You’ll feel better tomorrow... I promise you,” he whispered.

Rachel fell into a drunk-induced slumber, feeling comfort able in Carson’s arms.

Chapter Eight

Panic set in as Rachel woke the next morning. Her head was splitting and she had no idea what time it was. As she turned over, she became mortified. Carson was lying in bed next to her sound asleep. She tried to get out of bed, but she physically couldn’t. She was so sick.  Rachel had to call Genene to let her know that she wouldn’t be in today, but she couldn’t find her phone. Normally she kept it next to her on the nightstand, but she had no energy to look for it. She drank too much last night and vowed never to drink again. Carson was starting to wake up.

“Are you okay?” He asked, with a concerned look on his face.

“I can’t find my phone.”

“It’s in your purse downstairs.”

“Uh… I can’t make it that far.”

“I’ll get it for you. I’ll also get you some Advil and a glass of water. You’re going to need it.”

“Why’d you let me get so drunk last night?” Rachel asked.

“Nobody told you to do mind eraser shots,” he said laughing at her. “You said and I quote, “I need to erase Vinnie from my mind.”

“Oh, my God… They must be called that for a reason.”

“I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you nor was I going to take advantage of you.”

“So we didn’t have sex,” Rachel asked questioningly.

“Trust me. It would take more than a mind eraser for you to forget it,” Carson joked.

“Pig,” Rachel said pushing his arm playfully.

Carson left the room laughing hysterically. Rachel ignored him and rolled over in bed as she mentally hoped for the agony to go away. When Carson came back to her bedroom, she chased the pills down with a glass of water and called Genene to let her know she wouldn’t be in. Rachel let Genene know that she could call her blackberry or email her if there was an emergency.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” Carson asked, hoping she said yes.

  “No, it’s okay. You can go to work. You have a divorce case to work on.”

“Yeah, well…”

“Carsy, I’m sorry about my drunken behavior. I haven’t gone out in a very long time.”

“You needed it.”

“I ruined our date.”

“I had fun.”

“Oh yeah, cleaning vomit is fun.”

“Listen, I’ve been thinking. I don’t want to keep this a secret anymore,” Carson said with a serious look on his face.

“Have you lost your mind? Were you doing mind erasers too?”

“Funny. I don’t want to hide anymore.”

“We have to for now, just until I can figure things out. I have a date tomorrow night with the doctor.”

“What did you just say?” Carson asked, clearly pissed off.

“I have a dinner date with Colin. He was in the office yesterday with Brad. He asked me to go to dinner with him last night but I told him I had to go to the boy’s baseball game.”

“You lied.”

“I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

“So you care about his feelings.”

“I care about everyone’s feelings.”

“Rach, cancel it.”

“I can’t. He’s friends with Brad and Gia. If I cancel, then I have to see him at the baby’s christening on Sunday. They invited him.”

“This is insane. I have to see you with the doctor at the christening…” Carson said in an angry tone.

“It’s not like I’m going to be
with
him. Are you going?”

“Yes. Gia and I work together and I’ve known Gia since she was a baby.”

“I just figured since Maria was going to be there, you would have chosen not to attend.”

“We don’t speak to each other.”

“Maybe you’ll rekindle,” Rachel said in a sarcastic tone.

“Come on Rach, it’s not like that.”

“You never know what will happen when you see each other.”

“I see her every day at work.”

Rachel was running out of comebacks and needed to make Carson understand.

“Colin lives down the shore. It’s not like we’re getting married on our date. We’re friends, plus I’m still married, in case you forgot,” Rachel confirmed.

“I clearly remember since I’m your lawyer.”

“Well, my lawyer would rather be here arguing with me than finalizing my divorce.”

“Oh yeah? Fine. I’m leaving.”

“Fine!”

“I’ll talk to
you
later. Instead of waiting for Vinnie to sign, I’m just taking it to trial,” Carson declared as he walked out of the room and slammed the door.

Rachel’s face dropped. She felt like she was blindsided. She didn’t know if she was ready to go to trial with Vinnie. She knew Carson was angry and it would never get to that point but the reality of the situation was so surreal. Carson was amazing and she loved being with him. But she was just so torn. The stress was eating away at her insides.

***

When six o’clock finally arrived, Rachel decided to get out of bed and get something to eat. She was really hungry but she knew she would vomit if she ate anything substantial. Instead, Rachel decided to eat a slice of toast and a cup of hot tea, since that’s what sick people usually ate. No sooner than she took the toast out of the toaster oven, she heard a key slide into the lock of the front door.

Great, hopefully Vinnie’s not here. Isn’t there some kind of law where your exes or soon to be exes shouldn’t just barge into your home?

“Mom!” screamed Jason. “We’re home!”

“I’m in the kitchen,” Rachel yelled back. Her head felt like it was going to explode.

“Why are you in your pajamas?” Jeff asked, raising his eyebrow with concern.

“I’m not feeling well. I called out today.”

“You look like shit,” Vinnie blurted out.

Rachel gave him a look that said don’t piss me off. He backed off.

“Do you need anything?” He said changing his tune.

“No. I’m going back to bed.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

“No!” Rachel snapped in a pissed off tone and a miserable look on her face.

What doesn’t he get?

“Did you guys have fun at the water park?”

“Yeah, it was fun. I want to go back.”

“We can go back. You have the whole summer.”

“Can all four of us go?” Jeff asked with a hopeful expression.

Rachel noticed that Vinnie was silent. He was probably afraid to answer but Jeff was waiting patiently. Rachel was going to let Vinnie be the bad guy, because she was tired of always having to break their hearts. They didn’t know the truth.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, buddy,” Vinnie said, being the bearer of bad news.

“Can’t you two just make up? You’re adults.”

“Well, Mom’s mad at me because I messed up.”

Jeff looked at Rachel. “Mom, people make mistakes. You should forgive him. He’s the greatest.”

“Oh, Jeff, You’re way beyond your thirteen years,” she responded.

Meanwhile Jason was sitting quietly at the kitchen table eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

“What’s wrong, Jay,” Rachel dared to ask.

“I like this girl, but she won’t give me the time of day. She says I’m a player. Can you believe it? She’s the only girl I like.”

“Hmmm… You’re dad has experience with that sort of thing. Talk to him.”

Vinnie gave Rachel a dirty look then laughed out loud.

“Come on Jay, I’ll tell you all about women.”

“For the love of God, I’m going to bed.”

***

An hour later, Vinnie went up to Rachel’s room to tell her he was leaving.

“I thought you already left,” Rachel asked.

“I was playing video games with the boys. Do you need anything?”

“No. I’m good.”

“I’m trying to be nice to you.”

“And?”

“Some woman is trying to date me. I told her I was married.”

“That’s a first. If you’re looking for my approval, then I say go fuck her.”

“Rach, come on. I’m trying to have an adult conversation with you.”

“Shouldn’t we have had that conversation before you cheated?”

“Rach, I’m trying. You can’t keep me hanging on forever.”

“I gave you twenty-three years of my life. You can wait until you die for all I care.”

Vinnie turned to walk out the door, but turned to the side and faced the chair by the door.

“What’s this?” He asked.

“What?”

“Why is there a man’s belt on the chair in
my
bedroom?”

“First of all it’s
my
bedroom and that is none of your business.”

“Are you fucking someone?”

“Actually no. I haven’t had sex since before your
Jersey Shore
episode in September.”

“Here I am trying to win you back and you have moved on completely!”

“Come on, Vin… You’re not a victim, so stop playing one. I’m sure there’s someone in your life. Drop the act.”

“This isn’t over. I’m going to find out who he is,” Vinnie promised. “Is it the florist?”

“What florist?! Now get out of my room!” Rachel screamed.

Vinnie turned and slammed the door behind him.

There’s a lot of that going on today!

Rachel texted Carson as soon as Vinnie left.

“You left your belt in my bedroom this morning when you stormed off and Vinnie found it.”

“Good. Wait, are you back with Vinnie? Why was he in your bedroom?”

“To tell me he was leaving. He dropped the boys off.”

“Did you tell him it was mine?” Carson asked.

“No, he thinks it’s the doctors.”

“He knows about the doctor.”

“Yeah, because he saw flowers in my office from him like a month ago.”

“Are you serious with this guy, Rach? Be honest.”

“I’m not. I swear. I saw him for the first time in eight months the other day when he was with Brad.”

“We need to figure out what’s going on between us. Should we stop dating until you make a decision?” Carson asked.

“I don’t want to but obviously you think I’m with everyone.”

“Seriously, you’re going out on a date with someone else tomorrow night.”

“We’re friends.”

“Ok, well when you decide what you want, let me know.”

“What about Maria?

“She moved on and I moved on with you. Her new boyfriend will be at the christening on Sunday. Gia called to let me know.”

“I’m sorry that you have to see that.”

“It’s okay. I’m over her but I want us to work. Just give us a chance.”

“We’ll give it a try. What could go wrong?”