by Unknown
She’d gradually stopped answering his calls. Her parents said she was fine when he’d called the house. “Just give her time,” Anna had instructed him. And he did, over five excruciating months.
“So there’s the recap,” Rich bit out. “Thanks so much for making me revisit that oh, so enjoyable time in my life.”
Nate wiggled his eyebrows. “That’s what friends are for.” He leaned forward and Rich glared at him across the table. He pulled away, but continued his speech. “Listen, buddy, you’re killing yourself from the inside out. She may never come home.”
“She loves me.”
“If she can stay away from you for this long—” Nate shook his head, and Rich dropped his gaze. “—she doesn’t love you, my man. I’m sorry. The truth does more than hurt, it sucks, I know. But this has got to stop.” He chuckled and Rich looked up just in time to see him puff out his chest. “I’m gonna sound all fatherly, but if you can’t pull your act together, you can’t crash in the guestroom anymore, my friend. Roxy’s actually getting ulcers worrying about you.”
“I’ll find a new place,” Rich grumbled, not wanting to inconvenience anyone with his misery.
“Dude, that’s not what I’m saying.” Nate scrubbed his hand and blew out a frustrated breath. “We’re worried about you. And it’s not just Rox and me. Olivia and Jordan are too.”
As if his ears were burning, Jordan’s name showed up on the caller ID. Rich groaned and sent the call to voicemail, wondering if his reaction just now was the same one Kate had when he called her. His stomach suddenly felt violently sick.
“You boys okay?”
Nate nodded, but Rich raised his hand and said, “Bring me another one, Fergie.”
She and Nate exchanged disapproving glances, but she gathered up the empty green bottles and walked away without saying another word. “I guess I’ll see you at home soon?” Nate asked as he stood.
“Yeah, soon.” Whatever, just leave me alone. How sad that it was not even 8:00, and there was more than a comforting buzz working on the pain of his broken heart.
Nate’s large hand landed on Rich’s shoulder with a thud. “Roxy and I are going out to a late dinner with her folks, so we might not be home when you get there. Just… well, just so you know. Later.”
Nate’s steps faded as he walked away, but another set got closer. Fergie’s face was determined as she grabbed a chair and spun it around. She sat down, straddling it, her arms across the wooden rail that ran across the top.
“Where’s my beer?”
“I’m cutting you off.”
“But I’m barely buzzed.” Completely shit-faced had been the goal when he sat down a few hours ago.
“Listen, Rich, I am sick and tired of watching you come in here every night to drink yourself stupid.”
“So don’t watch.” Rich tried to stand, but stumbled, and fell back into his chair. “Better yet, I’ll find a new place tomorrow night.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting, you moron.” She leaned in closer to him, intensity blazed in her determined eyes. “Do you not realize how hot you are? Hell, if I didn’t know how pathetic you are, I would try to get you in my pants…and I’m married.” She looked over his shoulder and smiled at Fuzzy. “You’re the whole package…or you were until you let that…”
“Careful,” Rich warned, scowling at her.
“She wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit her in that cute little ass of hers.” She flashed a sarcastic smile. “I’m serious, Rich. You have a decision to make. Either fly out there and drag her back by her hair, or get on with your life. Look around.”
Without a conscious decision to do so, his head moved from side to side, noticing for the first time all the women in the bar—some of which had noticed him.
“Yeah, they ask about you. Some of them have become regulars in hopes of being the one to crack your soggy exterior. Most nights you’re the best looking guy in this dump.”
Rich raised a brow, playing along. “Most nights?”
“Well, yeah, when my husband isn’t here. He’s the hottest man I know.” She looked over his shoulder and blew a kiss to the man behind at the bar.
A strange, unfamiliar sound burst from Rich’s body. A laugh. It felt good to really laugh. That was what Rich loved about Fergie, she could make him laugh even when he felt like shit. Which is the way he felt…always. The phone in his pocket vibrated again and Rich just let the buzzing continue.
“Come on,” she said, holding out her hand, “give me your keys and I’ll drive you home.”
Rich considered protesting for only as long as it took to realize he was more than just buzzed, but not quite plastered. Either way, he was in no position to drive. The keys dropped into her hand with a clank and she smiled victoriously as her fingers wrapped around the pieces of silver.
On the short drive of only a couple miles, Fergie kept her opinions to herself, singing along to the radio. Her husky voice was only sexy when she spoke, the girl couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. The screeching hurt his ears but broke the grimace he’d been wearing for months. He smiled, a real smile.
They rounded the corner and the headlights glanced off a dark green Volkswagen Jetta. Somewhere in the back of his mind was a voice screaming that Rich should recognize it, that he knew it from somewhere, and that it being here was relevant—and really important. But instead, Rich listened to Fergie’s horrific rendition of Toby Keith’s, I Wanna Talk About Me.
“Well, here we are, Mr. Spencer.” She eased the car to a stop.
“Hey, thanks, Fergie. Do you realize that tonight is the first time I’ve really laughed in months?”
She nodded. “I would have guessed as much.”
The light came on in the car as she opened the door, and the sudden illumination hurt his bloodshot eyes. The damn cell phone buzzing in his pocket was going to drive him insane. Damn, Jordan! His head pounded as Fergie closed the door with an unnecessary slam. Rich cautiously opened his door with a quick jerk of his hand.
Fergie stood next to the car, waiting to escort her intoxicated friend to the door.
“I can do this alone,” Rich informed her, only to stumble as he stood to his full height.
She laughed, making him smile. “Yeah, you look like you’re as steady as…a kite in the wind. Hold on to me, and I’ll get your drunk ass to the doorstep, but that’s as far as my obligations to you go, my friend. As hot as you are with your clothes on, I can only imagine what you look like….” She shook her head and bit her lip, groaning as if the thought of having sex with him really was something she’d considered. She was mocking him. There was no real seduction in her words. “My imagination is quite active, and it’s best to leave you fully clothed in my thoughts.” She wiggled her brows and tried to look sexy.
“Wow, you’re a real charmer. I can see why Fuzzy married you.”
Her head flew back and she erupted in a contagious laughter that had him clutching her to keep from falling. The porch light was on, and she slid the key into the lock, turned it, and opened the door. She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a friendly kiss to his cheek. “I mean it, Rich. Please take a long look at things. This is no way to live. Hell, you’re not living, you’re not even surviving. If she comes back…” She squeezed his hand and rephrased her statement. “When she comes back, is this what you want her to find? Come on, dude, you’re just pitiful…even for a hottie.”
Rich pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thanks, Fergie, you told me the same thing Nate’s been saying and… Well, it must have been your creative delivery of the message, because I get it. I can’t promise I’ll be all smiles and sunshine and shit, but I promise to try and be better. Good enough?”
The sides of her lips lifted. “Good enough. ’Night, Rich.” An engine started, as she stepped off the porch and walked back to Fuzzy, who had just pulled up in their car.
The Jetta purred as the driver urged the pedal toward the floor. Damn, why do I know that car? Rich tried to f
ocus as it drove away, but that only made his head hurt worse.
Fergie waved from the curb and Rich returned the gesture then stepped inside. The house was dark, except for the hall light that, as a rule, was left on if coming home after dark. He hung his keys on the hook and headed in the direction of the kitchen for another beer before he gave into his promised sobriety.
His phone buzzed again. “What?” Rich growled.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“What’s it to you, Jordan?”
“Fine. Whatever,” he snorted. “I have just been trying to get a hold of you all night to warn you…” His statement drifted off.
“Warn me? Why?” Riddles didn’t have a chance of getting solved in his current condition.
“Dale called, and Kate starts back tomorrow. I wasn’t sure whether or not you knew, but I just wanted to give you a head’s up. Being blindsided by that…” He sighed. “Well, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow.” The line disconnected without waiting for a response.
Of course there was no response. Kate was back in town, coming back to work, and hadn’t even bothered to call him. Unless…
His mind raced back on track, the pieces of the soggy puzzle sliding into place. The green Jetta—Kate’s Jetta. Shit! She had been so close and Rich was too drunk to know it. But why hadn’t she stayed, and what the hell would she have said anyway? There was only one way to find out.
Intoxicated fingers fumbled with the speed dial. The phone rang twice before a familiar voice answered, “Hey, man.”
“Nate, do I sound drunk?”
“Um, no.”
“’Kay, thanks.” And without any further comment or explanation, Rich hit the big red ‘end’ button. His heart pounded ferociously against his ribcage and his lungs struggled for breath.
What did all of this mean? It bothered him that she hadn’t talked to him about coming home. She hadn’t even answered any of his calls in the last month. Maybe she wanted it to be a surprise, he tried to delude himself. Sweaty palms made dialing her number difficult. The phone actually hit the floor once.
Rich finally dialed the numbers that were second nature to his fingers and waited for the ring, praying that this would be the time she would actually answer. Four rings. Five. And then, her beautiful voice spoke the all too familiar phrase, “You’ve reached Kate. Leave a message.” Rich closed the phone without leaving a message. What was the point?
The butterflies that fluttered in his stomach only moments before were now gone, replaced by some really big predatory bird, hell bent on shredding his insides. She was in town, coming back to work, and didn’t even have the decency to answer…
A buzzing sound nearly stopped his heart. Kate’s number was on the caller id and the butterflies were back. He cleared his throat and answered, “Hello?”
“Sorry I didn’t get to the phone fast enough. I was in the bath-… Well, anyway, hi.” She sounded so…normal.
“Kate?” he asked, unable to believe it really was her.
She laughed. “Has it been that long?”
Relief tried to push away the fear and anger, but ultimately the booze in his veins wouldn’t let her comment go without a response. “Yes, Kate, it has been that long. Why in the hell haven’t you…”
“Rich, please, I don’t want to fight.” Her voice was quiet.
“I don’t want to fight either,” he admitted. “I love you, and…”
“Rich,” she interrupted him again, “please let me talk.”
“Fine—” The talons were back, clawing at the lining of his stomach. “—talk.” He didn’t really care that he sounded harsh and cold—not too much, anyway.
“Rich, I came by tonight.”
“That was you.”
She giggled nervously. “Of course it was me. I wouldn’t just waltz back into the newsroom without giving you some kind of warning.”
Rich didn’t want a warning. He wanted for her to need him, to want him. “How thoughtful of you, Kate.” The compliment oozed sarcasm and he could almost hear her wince.
“I guess I deserve that.” She paused and her breath was the only sound between them. Rich waited—impatiently—refusing to give her any kind of reprieve. “I, um…” She stopped again.
His tongue ached from the pressure his teeth issued. The tinny taste of blood filled his mouth and he snapped. “Why did you come by, Kate? It’s not like you’ve been dying to talk to me. Hell, it feels like you’ve done nothing but continually push me away.”
“Rich.” Tears invaded her speech. “Oh, Rich, I am so sorry. I can only imagine how hard… You know what? I really wanted to do this in person. Can we meet for breakfast in the morning?”
Yes! Hell, yes! “I can’t. How ‘bout lunch or maybe dinner?” Yeah, it was a pathetic attempt at playing it cool.
“Dinner it is.” She sighed. “I have missed you, Rich. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was hesitancy in her voice.
“I’ve…”
“I’m happy for you…that you’ve moved on, I mean. Bye.”
She missed him. That was good. She wanted to ‘do this in person’. That was bad. She was going to dump him on his pathetic, shit-faced ass. And she was happy that he’d moved on. What the…?
Fergie!
Shit!
Chapter Twenty-Five
When the alarm went off at 7:00am, Rich was already awake, staring at the ceiling. The DJs announced the time, made some stupid insignificant jokes, and tossed to commercial. Did they not realize that today would be life altering for him? Of course they didn’t. Did Kate?
Thanks to the suped-up air-conditioning, the room was cool as he whipped the blanket off his nearly naked body. He dug his toes into the bath towel-soft carpeting. Rich rubbed at his temples, praying that the little man inside his head would turn off his jackhammer. The pounding was loud, incessant, and really painful.
A quick shave, shower, and change of clothes later, Rich stood in front of the mirror examining, scrutinizing exactly what Kate would see. The unruly hair that had never bothered him in his life was suddenly an enormous irritation. His eyes were puffy, bloodshot, and felt like they were full of rocks. And who the hell gets a pimple at thirty?
He certainly was a sight to behold. Fergie was right. Kate had come back, and he was a lush. Exactly the kind of man she was looking for, his thoughts taunted.
After running his fingers through his hair one last time, Rich headed toward the kitchen for some breakfast. Three Advil sat in his palm while he reached into the refrigerator for a beer to wash them down.
“Breakfast of champions?” Nate laughed from the doorway. “What are you doing, Rich?”
“Oh, come on, Nate, you know the best cure for a hangover is another beer.”
He nodded. “And a greasy burger.” His arms folded across his chest. He leaned against the door jam and attempted a smile. “Jordan called.”
“So?” Rich shrugged.
“So…don’t let her do this to you, man. You deserve better.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I’m such a keeper.” He popped the pills into his mouth, cracked open the can, and took a swig.
Nate responded with a dramatic eye roll. “I like Kate, I really do. But dude, she’s killing you.”
Rich’s hands flew up in warning protest. “I appreciate your concern, I really do.” Nate winced as Rich used his words. “I love her, Nate, and I’m going to fight for her. If she dumps me on my ass today then you can lecture me some more, okay?” His stomach rolled, and he tried to keep the emotion hidden from Nate.
“Okay,” Nate said softly, stepping out of the doorway as Rich stormed past. “We’re just worried…”
“Save it. Please.”
Nate’s concern would have been touching if it hadn’t been so damn annoying and made Rich feel like such a loser. Safely inside the news vehicle, Rich allowed himself a few moments to dwell on his situation. He’d kept up a brave face, but his friends had seen right through his act. They knew him too w
ell. Rich hated it; their worry, their concern…their pity.
The thought of seeing Kate today had his heart alternately racing and screeching to a halt. His lungs refused air only to gasp from the lack of it. His emotions were on overload. Rich wanted to scream in joy and curl up in a ball to sob like a baby all at the same time. Kate meant everything to him, even after all this time. What if she didn’t want him?
Forcing the thought out of his mind before any kind of emotion could break through, Rich started the engine and headed in the direction of Kate. A Krispy Kreme caught his attention, and his stomach growled at nearly the same time. Having only alcohol in his system wouldn’t do anything beneficial, he needed something to absorb it.
“A dozen glazed and a dozen assorted,” he ordered. He may as well share.
“Anything to drink?”
“Um, yeah, give me a large Dr. Pepper.”
The female voice gave him the total and asked him to pull around, which he did. There wasn’t a line, and he pulled right to the window. The young blonde handed him the boxes just as his phone rang.
“Good morning, Olivia.” His voice was flat, more of a statement than a greeting.
“Rich, are you coming in today?” she asked after a long hesitation.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
“Oh, um…well…I don’t…” Her tone was frantic, panicked. “Rich, I need to talk to you. It’s um…It’s about Kate.”
Rich pulled the car into a space of the Krispy Kreme parking lot, threw it into park, and heaved an annoyed sigh into the phone. “Olivia, I am going to say this once, so listen good. I don’t want to discuss Kate with you—or anybody else. Got it?”
“But Rich…”
“No! I’m not budging on this. Goodbye.” And he snapped the phone closed, tossed it onto the seat next to him, and opened one of the red and white boxes, pulling out a glazed donut. He chewed slowly. The sweet, sugary texture melted on his tongue. His stomach gurgled as the food reached it, growling for more. After devouring the first one, he polished off another then took a huge swig of his drink.