A Man Like Him

by Rachel Brimble

  They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Angela’s mind turned to their earlier conversation. They needed some time apart. Some time to reassess and reevaluate what they wanted. The reality of their different intentions bore a hole straight through her heart. A hole too big to fill with shaky promises and fragile wants.

  “Your sister’s going to hit the roof tomorrow when she sees our picture in the paper.”

  “When I explain why we’re doing it, she’ll understand...eventually. Even if she turns the air blue with her argument against it. What matters is you still want to go ahead with it. I can always call them and say we’ve changed our minds. Want to keep it private.”

  Angela stared at her lap, her mind whirling with the right and wrong thing to do. If only she knew the right way where everything would be okay. Wasn’t that the story of everyone’s life?

  “No. We’ll stick with the plan. No more running.” She tilted her chin. “If Robert’s going to come, he’ll come after he sees that.”

  He took her hand and squeezed. “No more running.”

  “Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stared into his eyes, looking for God-knew-what but wanting something all the same. “It’ll be all right...right?”

  “Right.”

  Trepidation tiptoed up Angela’s spine. From the way he looked at her, she had no idea if they were talking about Robert or them. Shame flooded her senses. Had she hurt him? Was her resistance so much that she’d totally severed their connection? She wouldn’t blame him if he turned away. She might as well have slept with him and then kicked him in the balls for everything she must be making him feel. She hesitated and then pressed a kiss to his jaw. A jaw so sculpted she could’ve bitten it.

  Yet she couldn’t commit to him or anyone. How could she when she didn’t feel the confidence to see it through? She had no right to mess with Chris’s emotions that way. No right at all. She was either with him or alone.

  “We’ll talk tomorrow.” She opened the car door and cool afternoon air swept inside. “I’d better get to work. I’ll call you.”

  “Angela?”

  She turned. “Yes?”

  “What about tonight?”

  “Tonight?”

  “You’ll be on your own.” His eyes darkened with concern.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “What if—”

  “He won’t. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  His jaw tightened. “Right. See you tomorrow.”

  Forcing her stubborn heart from the car, Angela got out and slammed the door. She walked toward the reception and felt the heat of his gaze until she stepped inside and closed the door.

  * * *

  THE NEXT DAY, Angela woke at her normal hour of seven, despite tossing and turning until the early hours. She rubbed her eyes. Even though they were itchy and sore from lack of sleep, her body hummed with suppressed energy. She headed for the bathroom. She resolutely avoided the mirror, not wanting to see the sadness in her eyes. Nor the fear. Or doubt.

  The night before had been uneventful. The quiet obliterated by the TV, then her iPad. She’d brought it to bed to watch a movie. The monotony was something to celebrate. Even though her bones ached from the physical work at the park, her mind had remained wired throughout the entire two-hour movie, but she hadn’t called Chris or anyone else. She’d gotten through the night entirely alone, regardless of what Robert was or wasn’t planning.

  She walked into the kitchen and started coffee. As the coffeemaker did its job, Angela went to the refrigerator and grabbed the milk.

  Pouring a bowl of cereal, she flicked on the small TV. The perky presenter gave an overview of the headlines. Apparently the entire world had been uneventful overnight. No bad news. No natural disasters. No Robert on the rampage.

  “That’s fine by me.” She poured a cup of coffee before putting her breakfast on a tray. The sun shining through her patio doors was too much to resist and she walked out to her small veranda.

  Breakfast passed in peaceful solitude and with each minute, more of her diminishing strength returned. For the first time in over a week, she’d eaten an entire breakfast without feeling the need to gag. She savored her coffee while looking at the horizon, refusing to acknowledge her fragile state of relaxation was anything but normal.

  If she did, it would be the metaphorical pin in her balloon of positivity. I’m feeling better because I’m supposedly engaged to Chris, even though I’m too afraid to really make him mine. Too afraid to take that leap of faith.

  I’m feeling better because for the single night I was alone, the call I dreaded all night from Robert didn’t come—yet now I’m scared why.

  Weak. Weak, weak, weak!

  Angela swallowed hard and the cup trembled in her grasp. Her cell rang, sharply awakening her nerves. She lowered the cup to the table, drew in a long breath and walked inside with her head held high. Unease rippled along her forearms, raising the hairs. She shivered.

  She stared at her phone for a long moment before snatching it up and hitting the talk button. “Hello?”

  Background noise and distant voices sounded in her ear.

  “Hello?” she repeated, pushing her hand into her hair. “Robert?”

  More noise. A faint breathing. A huff of laughter so soft she couldn’t be sure if it was male or female. “Damn you, Robert. Damn you to hell.”

  She pushed the end button and stared at the phone. Her heart raced and her hands turned clammy. Making a snap decision, she hit the speed dial for Inspector Garrett. The phone rang once, twice. Angela hung up. What did she have to tell her? Heavy breathing, laughter. It was nothing but scare tactics from a second-rate horror movie.

  Gripping the phone, she walked into the bedroom and tossed it on the bed. She needed to get showered and dressed. The park was coming together and so was her life. She whipped her nightshirt over her head and padded naked into the bathroom.

  The phone rang again.

  “Goddamn it.” She marched back and snatched up the phone, jabbing the talk button. “If that’s you, you son of a bitch—”

  “Angela?” DI Garrett asked. “What’s happened?”

  Angela squeezed her eyes shut and tears burned hot behind her closed lids. “Inspector.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing? I don’t think so. You called. You’re upset. What is it?”

  Opening her eyes, Angela dropped onto the bed. “Nothing. I had a call, but no one was there. I thought it might be him, but it wasn’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  Angela hesitated and then sighed. “I don’t.”

  “He didn’t say anything?”

  “No. It was most likely a wrong number.”

  A heartbeat passed before DI Garrett spoke again. “Do you need me to come over?”

  Angela stiffened. “No.”

  “Angela—”

  She stood and headed purposefully toward the bathroom for a second time.

  She turned on the shower. “Look, I’m sorry to have bothered you. It was nothing. I need to get ready for work.”

  Another heartbeat. “Well, if you’re sure...”

  “I am. I know where you are if I need you.”

  “Okay. We’ll talk soon.”

  Angela ended the call before the inspector could say anything else and stepped into the shower. The cool water was just what she needed to wake from her perpetual nightmare. She lathered up and washed her hair, dragging her previous good mood up from her toes until it meandered precariously through her entire body.

  Minutes later, she wrapped herself in a thick towel. She picked up her phone. Two missed calls...from Eloise. Had it been her that rang earlier? No. Her name showed on the display whereas the othe
r number had been unknown. Her stomach twisted with trepidation. It had to have been Robert. She dialed her sister’s number and walked into the bedroom.

  “Eloise?”

  “Hey, you! I’m almost there.”

  Angela’s heart leaped into her throat. “Almost where?”

  “At Templeton train station, silly. Can you meet me? Or shall I get a taxi?”

  Heat pinched Angela’s cheeks as panic infused her. “I told you to stay home. I told you to—”

  “And I told you I was coming anyway. Now, are you meeting me or not?”

  Angela closed her eyes. “You really shouldn’t have come, Ellie.”

  “I want to be with you. End of discussion.”

  Angela blew out a defeated breath. “Well, there’s not a lot I can do about it now, is there.”

  “Exactly.”

  Angela opened her eyes. “Did you call me a while ago?”

  “No, why?”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Ange? What’s going on?”

  “I think...I think Robert might have called.”

  “Why would he ring you now?” She paused. “Unless there’s something you’re not telling me?”

  Angela grimaced, her heart beating erratically. The engagement would have been in the morning’s paper. “Um...”

  “You know, something like an engagement?”

  Angela flinched. “You know?”

  “Yes, Angela. I know. What were you thinking? You must’ve known this would make national news. You and Chris were made out to be heroes in the press. Why would you do this? You know Robert will see that picture.”

  “Ellie, listen to me.” Heat seared Angela’s face at the annoyance in her sister’s tone. Eloise was so rarely angry. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. Their reunion, if it ever happened, was supposed to be fun, supportive, hopeful...not tense and fraught with aggravation. “It’s a good thing. You don’t know what it’s like to sit here waiting to see what he’ll do.”

  “Maybe I don’t, but I do know what it’s like loving you and being frightened for you. How could you do that?”

  Angela paced the room. “We had to do something. The police can’t find him.”

  “Goddamn it. You’re playing with fire.”

  Shaken and surprised by the vehemence in her sister’s voice, tears smarted Angela’s eyes, but she pulled back her shoulders. “Fine. Maybe we made a mistake, but I’m not having you talk to me like this. I’ve managed on my own for two years. I can again.”

  Silence.

  Angela glared ahead, her frustration burning a hole in the wall. She would not break first.

  Eloise sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry. This...this whole situation is terrifying. And there isn’t a damn thing I can do to help you.”

  Angela released her held breath. “Of course there is.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like promising you won’t judge my choices. I can’t handle your judgment on top of everything else. I’m doing what I think is best. It might be wrong, it might be right. All I know is I have to do something. Now that you’re here, I don’t want us to fight.”

  “Me, neither.” Eloise inhaled a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just, when I think... I’m sorry.”

  Angela slumped her shoulders. “I’m sorry, too. Let’s just start again, okay?” She smiled. “I can’t wait to see you. I’ll meet you outside the station. I’ll be right out front, okay?”

  “Okay. Will you bring this Chris with you? Just in case?”

  “In case of what? Robert?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wasn’t planning to.”

  “I’d feel better if you did. Anyway, I want to meet your fiancé.”

  Angela smiled at the sound of her sister’s smile. “Okay, I’ll see what he says.”

  “Great. See you soon.”

  A feeling of neediness engulfed Angela once again as she dialed Chris’s number to ask him for a ride.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHRIS GLANCED AT Angela as they sat in his car at Templeton train station. “So your sister knows about the engagement?”

  She stared out the side window. “Yes. And she nearly had a fit.”

  He grinned. “Ah. Not happy, then.”

  She turned and smiled, her eyes shining with humor. “In a word? No. She nearly bit my head off, but I know it was the shock, that’s all. She was okay by the end of the call. Desperate to meet you, actually.”

  Chris raised an eyebrow. “She’s not going to slap me or something, is she? I don’t want to be forced to defend myself against the first member of your family I meet.”

  “She’ll be fine. She’s just looking out for me.” She paused. “Just like you are.”

  His smile slipped as their eyes locked. “I want to be with you.”

  Her eyes turned somber. “I know there’s no going back from the engagement thing now we’ve started it...but I’m not in the right place emotionally to be fair to you. I can’t risk hurting you.”

  He exhaled a shaky breath, his heart heavy in his chest. “Which means what?”

  She tilted her chin. “I don’t think we should do this. Us. Not right now.”

  “I see.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the way you are. You’re a good man, Chris. Don’t change. For anyone.”

  Before he could say anything else, she got out and made for the station’s sliding doors. He tried his best to suppress his frustration. He refused to keep going over old ground with her. The night before had passed slowly. The hours jammed with what-ifs and maybes. The conclusion had been renewed determination that he was a better person today than he was a year ago and intended staying that way.

  If being nice meant being alone without the risk of heartbreak and betrayal, who was he to argue?

  Liar. I want her. I want her more than anything or anyone.

  He curled his fingers around the steering wheel. It wasn’t the best of circumstances for a family reunion, and his feelings clearly weren’t Angela’s priority. Her safety was. She was still adamant Masters would show and Chris believed her. That’s all that mattered.

  He stared at her curvaceous butt encased in denim as she hurried toward the station doors. A soft smile curved his lips as he remembered how that butt felt naked in his hands. God, he wanted her again. But the chances of them ever making love again grew less likely with each passing hour.

  Subtly shifting his semierection, he refocused and looked to the doors. The good thing was, at least her sister could stay with Angela, whereas he couldn’t. At least she had someone else looking out for her.

  With his libido well and truly contained, Chris watched the tens of people come through the sliding doors of the station. Colors and faces merged. Children with their parents, staid businessmen and holidaymakers mixed as they hurried to and fro. God only knew how Angela was supposed to spot her sister among them.

  Her delighted shriek drifted through the open car window and Chris smiled when a woman came hurrying toward her. Although two years older than Angela, she and her sister could’ve been twins. They had the same dark chestnut-brown hair and shapely figures. Whereas Angela wore hair almost to her shoulder blades, Eloise’s was slightly shorter but equally as thick and eye-catching. The two women embraced.

  They stood talking with their hands clasped together, Eloise’s suitcase forgotten at her feet. Chris got out from the car. From the way they were looking at each other, engaged in animated conversation, he hazarded a guess they were completely unaware of the people milling back and forth all around them.

  Maybe if he got them into the car, he could drop them somewhere more comfortable to talk. He had a feeling Angela would want him gone sooner rat
her than later so they could catch up properly.

  He strode forward. “Hey, anyone need a ride somewhere?”

  They both turned and Chris immediately saw the major difference between them. As he looked from one sister to the other, the same dark eyes looked into your soul, but Eloise’s were more worldly-wise and gauging as they stared directly into his—as opposed to Angela’s often soft and intimate appraisal with just a hint of guardedness that so often swept from his eyes to his lips and back again.

  A look he was starting to love.

  “Chris.” Angela laughed. “Sorry. I forgot all about you.”

  He pulled an expression of pained affront and pushed his observations to the back of his mind. “Hurt. I’m truly hurt.”

  He winked at Eloise and she smiled, the wariness in her gaze softening. She held out her hand. “So, you’re the famous Chris I’ve heard about. The one who is now engaged to my sister. After two weeks. Lord, the paper must’ve have loved it when you called to tell them that.”

  Angela grimaced. “Let’s just get out of here, shall we?” She bent down to pick up Eloise’s case.

  She marched toward the car, leaving Chris standing alone with Eloise. He smiled. “She’s kind of fantastic, that sister of yours, you know.”

  “Hmm. Well, others have thought the same before you and they ended up making her life a living hell, so I really hope you’re the real deal.”

  Chris’s smile dissolved. “Pardon me?”

  Her stare bored into his. “Robert put her through more than you can ever imagine. Once upon a time, he looked at her the way you do, too. He fell for her the way you so clearly are.” She tightened her jaw. “You don’t treat people the way he treated her when you love them. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Chris stared, defensiveness heating in his gut. “I’m not him.”

  “I didn’t say you were.”

  “I’m going to support her through this. I’m not going anywhere until it’s all done and dusted.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “Through this? As in Robert?”