Mr. Buff: A Flaming Romance

by Milly Taiden

  Nina hung up. “All’s fine at the office. The feds searched everywhere before they left.” Her brows drew down. “What was that sigh for?”

  Did she want to go into the situation with Andrew? To her horror, her eyes filled with tears. The story spilled from her trembling lips, and upset and hurt, she realized how much she’d come to care for the man.

  Dear God, she loved him. Her heart, uncaring that it was too soon and not heeding her advice, had fallen for him. It had claimed him as its own and was shattered into a million pieces, and she wasn’t sure how to fix it. Wallowing in self-pity, she watched Nina pace around the hospital room.

  “You need to talk to him again.”

  “No. I can’t do it. I don’t want to hear his excuses.”

  “What if there’s no excuse? What if it really wasn’t what it looked like?” Nina pulled a chair bedside and sat, taking Alex’s hands in her own. “I didn’t get the player vibe from him. Think about it. Jen said he broke up with her months ago. It just doesn’t sound like him.”

  Appalled with the situation and suddenly exhausted, she wiped at her eyes, trying to get a hold of her misery. “Yeah? Well, good for him. Too bad he didn’t follow his normal action plan this time.”

  “Alex, stop. You really need to talk to him.”

  “No, and you know what? I’m getting out of here.” She now agreed with the detective. She needed to get out of town, right now.

  “You can’t hide from your problems. This isn’t like you. You’re the first person to tell me to face things head on.” Nina shook her head, her face looking bewildered. “But don’t get me wrong. I still want you to go to the cabin.”

  “Well, in this case, I’ll take the coward’s way out. My heart is broken, and I have to think. I’m going to the cabin. I need to breathe away from my office.”

  The door opened again and an older lady and young man, both wearing white lab coats, walked in. The guy held a clipboard.

  “Ah,” the good doctor said, “good to see our patient awake, but not smiling?”

  Alex wiped at her eyes. “Sorry, Doctor. Love life problems.”

  “Ahh,” the doc said again. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” She winked at a shocked Alex. Love advice was not on her list of stuff to learn today. Maybe it should’ve been.

  “I’m Doctor Mead, and this is Doctor Nguyen. He is observing with me today.” Alex nodded to both. “How are you feeling, my dear?” the doctor asked in a grandmotherly way.

  Alex took account of her person, deciding she’d be fine to drive the distance to the cabin about two hours north. “Considering what happened, I feel normal.”

  The doctor took the clipboard from her shadow. “All tests are negative. No trauma to any part of the brain or internal injuries.” She handed back the board and pressed on Alex’s stomach. “You’re one lucky lady. Tell me if any of this hurts.” The woman poked and pressed. A couple spots were tender, but nothing to keep her from driving.

  “Well, Ms. Betre, there is no reason for me to keep you here any longer. You seem as healthy as anyone could be. No injuries that we can find.”

  Nina stood from her chair. “I can take her home?”

  “You may.” The doctor nodded then patted Alex’s leg as she turned to leave. “Take a couple days off if you can. It’ll help.”

  “I plan to,” Alex replied. The door closed. She turned to Nina. “After you tell me what happened at the office. Was anyone else hurt?”

  “No. The file cabinets kept it from going through the wall. I was in the audit department down the hall when the floor shook, and we heard a loud explosion. No one knew what had happened until smoke came from under your door.” Nina’s eyes teared. “Oh my god, it was horrible, Alex.”

  Alex encouraged her to go on. “What then?”

  “I ran to your door but couldn’t open it. You didn’t respond when I called your name. I wasn’t sure you were in there. When the horrible explosion smells hit me, I panicked. One of the guys pushed me out of the way and broke down the door.”

  Nina slapped a hand over her mouth. Alex squeezed her hand. “It’s okay, girl. I’m alive and well. Shake it off and tell me the rest.”

  Nina nodded then sniffled. “When we made our way in, I didn’t know what to think. It looked like your office was a war zone. We dug you out from under pieces of your desk, Alex. I was so scared.”

  “I know. I would be, too. I guess the police were called?”

  “Yes, you didn’t look hurt, but you were unconscious, so the ambulance took you anyway just to make sure.”

  Alex nodded and flipped back the sheet. “Good enough. Nothing I can do about it. Help me get dressed?”

  Nina handed her the bag of clothes sitting on the floor. “You go on in the bathroom and change.” Next, she pulled out her phone from where she stashed it in her pocket. “I got a quick phone call to make.”

  17

  Andrew hung up the phone, his fear subsiding. Alexandra’s girlfriend had just called and wanted to talk with him. If he couldn’t have his love, Nina would be the closest thing he’d have.

  Unfortunately, he had to wait until she had finished running some errand, which would be another twenty minutes. It had been several hours since this morning’s circus show. What was a few more minutes?

  A knock on his door surprised him. Jen should’ve locked up on her way out.

  The door opened and Jen stuck her head in. “I thought I sent you home for the day,” he said with a smile.

  She walked in carrying a white plastic bag. “I know,” she said. “But I figured you wouldn’t eat unless I brought you something.” She winked at him. “I know you.”

  Andrew laughed. “Yes, you do. Better than anyone.”

  “Don’t you forget that,” she said and laughed, setting the bag on the desk. She pulled out tall boxes of rice then the scent of his favorite Chinese dish wafted to him.

  Up to that point, he didn’t realize how hungry he was. After his workout, he usually had a protein bar and banana. Today, that was completely forgotten.

  She set a second meal on the desk and scooted the chair in front of his desk closer. “This is nice,” she said. “It’s been a while since we’ve done this. You should slow down, Andrew. You’ll make yourself sick with all the stress and late hours.”

  He chuckled at her words. She sounded like a seasoned mother even though she was only a couple years older than he was. “Mother knows best,” he said.

  She leaned forward and patted his hand. “Yes, she does.” She snatched a set of chopsticks off the desk and opened a box of rice. “How are your parents, by the way?”

  “I haven’t talked to them in several weeks,” he answered.

  “Are they still in Europe?”

  He looked up, surprised that she knew where his parents were. “Yeah, how did you know?”

  Her eyes rolled. “Your mother sent a postcard from Rome to the office, if you remember.”

  She did. He’d forgotten about that. He wondered how she was doing on her own. “Do you need anything? Is everything good with you?” Again, he felt bad for not being around to listen when she needed an ear to vent about her divorce. If there was one thing he’d learned, it was that women needed to talk to let go of internal stress and anger.

  Mom used to get so stressed out over her job, Dad eventually hired her at his office so he would have peace and quiet at home. He remembered his dad telling him women were too high strung to work in a man’s complicated world. It was more like Mom was too high strung, period.

  Her smile turned shy. “Thank you for asking, but I’m doing okay.” She stared down at her food. “It would be nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who would listen and care. I could really use that.”

  “You were with Alexandra and another girl at the club last week. Neither of them has time?” He knew Alexandra wouldn’t be available. He planned to have her in his bed as long as possible.
<
br />   Jen shook her head. “I’m not sure a girlfriend would help—”

  A voice called from the lobby. “Hello? Jen? Andrew?” His assistant perked up.

  “Nina?” Jen hurried into the front room and hugged the third woman he saw in Alexandra’s group at the club. Through the open door, he saw them whispering. Then Jen jerked away suddenly.

  “Oh,” Jen said. She turned and walked back to his desk and gathered her meal. “Nina is here to see you.” He’d forgotten to mention that he got off the phone with Nina shortly before Jen brought in lunch.

  Nina stepped into his office and stood by the door. Jen turned on her heel. “I guess I’ll go home now since I’m not being paid to be here.” She stopped by the door and dumped her food into the trashcan then walked out.

  Nina shot a glance at Andrew as if to ask him what the deal was with Jen. He shrugged. He would be the last one to know what went through a woman’s head when pissed off.

  Nina closed the door and then plopped into the chair Jen vacated.

  “You look tired,” Andrew said, then quickly added, “in a good way.” Eh, that’s not what he wanted to say. “I mean, your tired look is...still pretty?” Damn, it sounded like he was hitting on her. “No, what I meant—”

  “I get it, Andrew,” she said, letting him off the hook. “Let’s move on, shall we?”

  “Yes, please.” He set his chopsticks on his rice to give her his full attention. “Why isn’t she answering my calls?”

  “Now hold on a fucking second. You’re the one who needs to answer some questions here.” She snagged the fortune cookie sitting on the desk and popped it open.

  “I’m sorry. I just—I need to see her.” He ran a hand through his hair.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re the one who is making me look like an ass, buddy.”

  “Yeah? How’s that?” Was she there to help or what?

  “Because no matter how cute you are, if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have given you a chance in the first place.” She smiled.

  “Why wouldn’t she have given me a chance?”

  She leaned forward, her face serious. “Her asshole ex cheated on her, pretty much dragged all her self-confidence through the mud. She’s had a hard time trusting her own judgment and other people since. She acted like it was a minor breakup, but I know he messed with her head in the end.”

  Quiet, he absorbed her words. Anger surged, and he wished for a way to dole out some pain to the idiot, Jack.

  “Why are you telling me this?” He needed to find Alexandra, speak to her.

  She sighed, shook her head, and gave him a sad smile. “She left to get away. She would’ve never done that before. She’s confused, scared she’s made a mistake again, and doesn’t want to get hurt.”

  “I would never hurt her. I need to find her, please.” Frustration was clear in his voice.

  “Yeah? Well, you mind telling me what the hell happened here earlier? After that, I’ll consider helping you.” Folding one leg over the other, she leaned back.

  “I have no interest in Leslie. The stupid woman can’t get it through her head we’re through, were through months ago. I’m at my wit’s end with her. Short of calling the police on her, I’m not sure what else to do.”

  When he saw Nina’s unconvinced look, he sat forward. “Look—” He sighed. “What I’m about to tell you is going to sound strange, but just listen. I—the moment I saw Alexandra, something caught my attention about her. It was like an invisible pull. I found out she had a boyfriend, so I stayed away, but the connection I felt was always there.

  “Every time our eyes locked from across our offices, I wanted to talk to her. These days of us getting to know each other? I’ve never felt so...at peace. I don’t want to lose that. I would never hurt her. Please, just tell me where to find her. I promise I only want to make her happy.”

  “All right, I can tell you’re not the slime she’s imagining you to be right now. That’s telling you a lot. I had a feeling about you two since the night at the club.” She grinned and studied the nails on her hand.

  “So, what should I do?”

  “How badly do you want her back?” Her dark brows lifted.

  “More than anything.”

  She gave him a nod. “I’m leaving as soon as I can to join her at my family’s cabin up at the state park. After we have a pow-wow, I’ll make sure she calls you. Will that work?”

  It would have to if that was all he was getting. “Yeah. I’ll have my phone with me all night. Have her call no matter how late it is. I probably won’t sleep until I hear from her anyway.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Nina replied, getting up from the seat. She hesitated like she wanted to say something else. “Be easy on Alex when you talk. She’s had a long day already. We’ll talk later.”

  18

  After getting dressed in the hospital room, Alex had Nina drive her to the parking garage at the office building to get her car. Alex stopped at her apartment to pick up a few things then headed for the cabin.

  Alex had been to the cabin a couple times as a child. Back then, the family wasn’t as big, and it was easy to schedule time with aunts and uncles and cousins. At that time, she thought of it as boring. Nothing to do but walk around in the trees and look at the waterfall. Funny how that sounded like heaven to her now.

  A couple miles south of the homesite, she stopped at the Piggly Wiggly to get food for the next two days. She’d missed lunch and was starving right now. It was currently two o’clock; breakfast had been at six.

  Wanting comfort food, she threw in several boxes of mac and cheese, bread for PB&J, a can of buttermilk biscuits, and containers of soup. She thought about fried chicken but decided it would be too messy. Cleaning wasn’t planned for this week. Then she got to the small bakery section, and end of story. She wiped them out of everything they had left. Now she’d have a reason to get up. Chocolate iced donuts. Who wouldn’t get up for those?

  Trunk filled with groceries, she continued up the narrow state road to the campgrounds and cabins. Nina’s grandparents purchased the land before the area was declared a national forest under the protection of the government.

  Alex had to admit the piece of property was in the best location. The state park bordered the back, and a creek ran through the front yard that led to a waterfall about a mile down.

  The fall had a steep drop that was stunning to see from the top and bottom. She couldn’t wait to see it again. Maybe she’d check it out before it got dark tonight.

  Pressing down on the accelerator, she urged her car up the steep incline. She didn’t remember the hills being so big or the curves so sharp. Of course, she wasn’t driving back then either. She sat in the back of the car playing, oblivious to the harsh world around her.

  When the cabin came into sight, a huge grin spread across her face. The place was a bit older and a bit rundown, but it was still beautiful.

  No place in New York City came close to this peace and serenity. No one for miles and miles.

  Walking inside brought back so many memories. Dad was still alive and Mom was healthy. She imagined the smell of lemony Pledge that Nina’s relatives used in excess when they visited. Every piece of wood always shined in the place.

  Instead of unpacking all she had, she tossed her overnight bag on the sofa and stuck the cold groceries into one bag and shoved it into the fridge. She’d have all night to settle in.

  Right now, she wanted the solace that only nature could bring.

  She stepped out the back door, several yards from the woods, and took a deep breath. A twinge of pain tweaked her ribs. She slapped a hand over it and rubbed gently. Maybe she’d take a shorter walk than intended. The waterfall could wait till later.

  The scent of pine sap and needles struck her at once. More memories of playing tag and Marco Polo came to mind. If she ever had children, she would make sure they experienced more than just city life. The asphalt jungle was too overpowering, breaking every connection to
nature.

  The leafy canopy high above kept most of the sunlight from reaching the ground, but here and there, rays broke through, streaming down like beams from heaven. She heard the stream in the distance, rushing toward its destiny. Which made her think of her future and that led to Andrew.

  Her heart was crushed all over again. When something was so good, it wasn’t bound to last. Maybe if they hadn’t had sex before they knew each other’s name. No, that wouldn’t have made any difference. At the time, it felt right, the right thing to do. Still felt that way. She’d never regret the time she’d spent with him.

  He would forever be her only love.

  As she bent over to pick up an empty water bottle, she hated when others littered, something slammed into the tree above her hand, just were her head was.

  She straightened to investigate, and the sound of a rifle echoed around her. Her eyes whipped to the bark, seeing a deep indention in the trunk.

  Oh shit. Was someone shooting at her? What the hell? No one knew where she was but Nina. Maybe it was one of her friend’s relatives or neighbors protecting the property. She ducked behind a tree.

  “Hello!” she called out. “Nina gave me permission and the key to be up here. So everything is okay. I’m not trespassing or anything.” She dashed to another tree, a bullet in her wake. Instead of stopping to negotiate, she took off through the forest. That was probably the best chance of surviving.

  If she could put enough distance between her and the shooter, then she could maybe find somewhere to hide. But how far was that distance? Would whoever was shooting give up after so long?

  They couldn’t be aiming for her. Perhaps they thought she was a deer or something. Was deer season even close to this time of year?

  Breathing heavily, she pulled up at the banks of the stream. Here, the waterway was much deeper and wider than the flow closer to the cabin. She hadn’t thought she’d run this far already. The falls weren’t much farther down.

  A stick snapped behind her in the trees. She turned and searched the dancing shadows caused by the branches swaying overhead. Not wanting to dawdle too long, she stepped to the side. A rifle sounded and a bullet hit the tree in front of her.