by Morgan Rayne
“So why wasn’t he at the hospital?” Vicki wondered the same thing, but obviously Stella knew because she chimed in.
“The team he works for had a bunch of away games, but they are finally back in town for a stretch of home games.” Everything in Vicki’s world stopped at that very moment. This could not possibly be happening to her.
“Stella…what team does he work for?”
“The Crush, why?” That still didn’t mean it was him, so Vicki tried to control her voice as she asked another question.
“What is Coop’s full name?” Her sister gave her a confused look and scrunched up her nose like she was trying to think of it. If there was any mercy in this world, Stella would not say the name of the one person Vicki despised the most.
“Cooper Wilde I believe.” All the air left her body like someone had punched her in the gut.
“Are you okay, you don’t look so good?” Vicki didn’t feel so good right now. Of all the people that it could have been, why did it have to be him? Not only was it him, but now that Lindsay was moving in here Vicki would have to see him away from work too. The walls felt like they were closing in, and she needed some air. Ignoring the concerned looks from both Jessie and Stella, she went out the front door and leaned over the railing of the porch.
“Victoria, what the hell is going on? Why did you turn white as a ghost when I told you his name?”
“It’s him” was all she could say.
“Him who?” Stella’s exasperation was clear, so Vicki finally turned around to explain.
“You know the new client I’ve been having so many problems with, the one that has me so mad I can’t see straight sometimes, the one that drives me absolutely crazy.”
“Yeah…” Stella drew the one word out like she couldn’t figure out why Vicki was telling her about this client.
“Well Kyle’s longtime friend and my client are one and the same. Cooper Wilde is my client from hell.” Jessie and Stella glanced at each other and then back to Vicki. They were trying so hard to hide their amusement, but there was nothing funny about this.
“Don’t you dare laugh.” Her warning was their undoing, as Stella and Jessie laughed so hard tears were streaming down their faces. Vicki stood there glaring at both women until a car pulling up in front of the house caught all three of their attentions.
Vicki turned around to see a sleek black Mustang with tinted windows now parked behind her car. The windows may have been dark, but she knew exactly who would be stepping out.
They didn’t have to wait long, as the door opened and out he came. With the same annoying smirk he always had, he started walking towards them. When he reached the bottom step, he slowly removed his Aviator’s and looked only at her.
“I didn’t know image consultants made house calls.” Vicki wanted nothing more than to wipe that cocky expression off his face, but she would not let him see her sweat.
“You didn’t know a lot of things. Like your roommates fiancé is one of my best friends.” All the color drained from his face and he was now looking from Stella to Jessie and then back to her.
“You’re that Vicki.” What the hell does that mean? She’s that Vicki? The man had some nerve, but instead of arguing with him like always, she just shrugged.
“It would appear so.” They stood staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, until finally Stella came forward and stuck out her hand.
“Hi, I’m Stella and this is Jessie. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He seemed as caught off guard as she did, but he smiled and exchanged handshakes with both women. As they all stood there getting acquainted, Vicki slipped back into the house.
She wanted nothing more than to hop in her car and leave, but Lindsay was her friend and that would just be selfish. The sound of Cooper’s deep booming laughter turned her attention back to the still open door, and Vicki groaned.
Over the last two months, this man had been the cause of all her stress. Between the constant worry over how he was acting and the heightened state of arousal he left her body in on a regular basis, Vicki didn’t know how she was surviving.
Determined to push him out of her mind, Vicki picked up the roll of streamers and started hanging them up. She was trying to reach a spot high on the wall, when a strong hand closed over hers and lifted it the rest of the way.
Her pulse was racing and her heart was beating so fast she was sure he could hear it, as he bent down and whispered in her ear.
“Need a hand, mine tend to work wonders.” Vicki tried to stop the shiver that ran down her spine, but failed miserably. Shaking off the unwelcomed sensation, she turned around and handed him the roll of streamers.
“Knock yourself out” And with that she walked to the kitchen to help the girls with the food.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Lindsay loved her surprise welcome home party, and was even more surprised when she noticed all of her things had been moved into Kyle’s house already.
“We didn’t think you would want to go back to the apartment, so we took care of it. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, and you’re right I wasn’t looking forward to going back in there.” Vicki hugged Lindsay gently.
“I’m so glad you’re safe and happy now. You deserve it.”
“Thank you, I never thought this day would come.” Lindsay had been through hell and was finally getting her happily ever after. Looking around the room and seeing all of her friends and family so happily paired off, she started to wonder if maybe it just wasn’t meant to be for her. Maybe her career was the only love she would ever have.
She didn’t want to ruin the party with her depressing thoughts, so Vicki excused herself and went out back. The stars were shining brightly in the night sky, and she made a wish on the brightest one. Now she would just have to wait and see if wishes really do come true.
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About the author:
Morgan Rayne discovered her love of romance novels at an early age. Escaping into the world of happily ever after’s and true loves was a great out let when life wasn’t so great. Writing a romance novel had always been a dream, but one she never thought possible to achieve. Being a stay at home mom has allowed her the opportunity to now follow that dream. When she’s not playing with her kids, cooking dinner or writing, Morgan loves to listen to any and all kinds of music, dance around the house and read on her iPad for hours on end.
Discover other titles by Morgan Rayne
Spring Towers Series:
A Different Kind of Fairy Tale
Let Me Love You
Book 3- Victoria’s story- coming soon
Connect with Me Online:
Twitter: Morganrayne12
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pages/Morgan-Rayne