Her Leading Hero

by Maggie Dallen

  “I think it’s for the best,” he continued, his back to her. “We’ll keep things between us professional. It will be for the best.”

  He was repeating himself. Babbling, almost, in his desire to escape.

  Risking one more glance back at Tamara, he instantly wished he hadn’t. The hurt on her face was a silent condemnation.

  He’d screwed this up, as he should have known he would. He never should have gotten involved with her in the first place, but now it was too late. He’d caused her pain, just like his father had told him he would.

  Chapter 11

  Days passed with no contact from Gregory. Not after that bizarre performance in her kitchen—the one where he all but ran away after telling her what a mistake he’d made in being with her. And he was right…wasn’t he?

  She and Marc were the last to leave the theater after what was sure to be one of the last meet-ups for Operation Petticoat. And what a meet-up it had been.

  “I still can’t believe that Alice—our little anti-love Alice—finally figured out that she’s in love with the good doc,” Marc said.

  Tamara pushed away the nagging thoughts about Gregory. For a little while there she’d managed to forget about him entirely—especially once Alice had opened up to them about her own love life dilemma.

  But somehow Alice’s dilemma had turned into a conversation about Gregory and there was no avoiding the topic. Her friend needed her help—or rather, Gregory’s help—and there was nothing for it but to help her.

  Which meant talking to Gregory.

  Her stomach did a backflip, but it was impossible to tell if it was out of dread or excitement. Because as badly as he’d hurt her, it had hurt far worse to watch him walk out of her apartment. She missed him, pure and simple.

  Marc interrupted her thoughts. “What are you going to say to him?”

  She blinked up at him as they trudged through a snowbank to cross the street.

  “Are you just going to outright say, ‘Hey stud, we need you to be the bachelor’?” He lowered his voice to a sexy baritone, making her laugh.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to say,” she said in all honesty. “This isn’t exactly a typical request.”

  Alice’s boyfriend—or whatever he was—was supposed to be the star prize for a bachelor auction to raise money for the hospital where he worked. But Alice was having second thoughts about offering the man she loved to the masses of single women who would surely want to snatch up the handsome doctor.

  So she’d asked Tamara if Gregory would be the star instead. In Alice’s defense, she had no idea what drama had been going on between Tamara and Gregory. She’d been so caught up in her own love life mess that she and Tamara hadn’t had a chance to talk. And when she’d asked this morning, Tamara hadn’t been able to bring herself to say no, not when it meant so much to Alice.

  Besides, the decision wasn’t up to her. She would just be the messenger.

  “He’ll say yes,” Marc said with full certainty.

  “How do you know?”

  He grinned down at her. “Because you’re the one who’s asking. We both know he won’t be able to say no to you.”

  She gave a snort of amusement. “Marc, did you not listen at all when I told you what happened between us the other night?”

  Marc put a hand to his heart. “I’m hurt, ma Cherie. Of course I listened. I just know something you don’t know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Gregory Blanchard is in love with you.”

  Tamara stopped walking. Unfortunately they were in the middle of the street, which meant Marc had to tug her arm to get her across before the light turned and she was run over.

  And honestly that was how she felt—like she’d just been run over by a truck. Questions flew through her brain. Was Marc right or was he being nice? And if he was right, what did that mean?

  And maybe most importantly, did she love him?

  She was dimly aware that Marc had paused next to her on the corner. “Are you breathing?”

  She nodded. Breathing, but still dizzy. “Why did you say that?”

  “What? That he loves you? Because it’s true.”

  “How do you know?” she demanded.

  “Because I have eyes.” He laughed. “It was completely obvious in the way he looked at you. Like you hung the moon and every star in the sky.”

  He waited for her to digest that before adding, “Is that good news or bad?”

  When she glanced up, he was giving her a knowing smile.

  “What do you mean?”

  He sighed and threw an arm around her shoulder, leading her back toward their apartment. “I mean, are you ready to admit that you love him, too?”

  Her response was to gulp for air. No, she was definitely not ready to admit that. It might even be true, but the idea of being in love again, of making herself vulnerable and leaving herself wide open to pain… She was definitely not ready for that.

  Marc seemed to read her mind, and he sighed once again. “You’ll get there, Tam-Tam. You’ll get there.”

  They walked in silence for a while, and it wasn’t until they were only a block from the apartment that Tamara broke it. “What am I going to do, Marc?”

  He grinned. “You’re going to ask him to be the bachelor, of course. It’s the perfect excuse to get the two of you talking again.”

  “And then what?” She honestly wanted to know, and Marc seemed to have all the answers.

  “True love can’t be denied, my sweet. You two will figure it out.”

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his romantic ideas. Up until her brief fling with Gregory, she’d been convinced that love was not in the cards for her. Not after everything that had happened with Billy. As if she’d had her chance and lost it. But what if what she had with Billy hadn’t been her only shot? She’d loved him once, but it had never been the kind of love she’d wanted or needed. It had been a childish infatuation that had grown twisted and toxic far too quickly.

  Maybe there was a chance for her to experience real love—the kind Meg had found with Jake and that Caitlyn had found with Ben. It was possible, wasn’t it?

  The hope that flickered in her chest had her fighting to catch her breath. Hope was a tricky thing—a beautiful emotion in and of itself. But terrifying, too. Because if she allowed herself to hope and then those hopes were dashed…she didn’t know if she could take it.

  Marc, as usual, seemed to know exactly what was going through her head. Coming to stand in front of her, he took her hands in his. “You have to talk to him, Tam. Literally, you have to if only to help Alice. So why not take the opportunity to really talk to him? You owe it to yourself and to him to give this thing a second chance.”

  She blinked up at her best friend, whose face was set in an unusually serious expression. “When did you get so wise?”

  He threw his head back with a laugh. “I have always been wise, my dear. You’ve just never needed my counsel before.”

  She gave a snort of disbelief as they headed up the stairs to the apartment.

  A little while later she found herself once again looking completely out of place in the cushy offices of The Blanchard Group. The same blonde greeted her and told her that Gregory was in a meeting but that she should wait in the lobby.

  Wonderful. Just what she needed. More time to sit and stew and get anxious as hell. What if he didn’t want to see her? What if Marc was wrong and he didn’t have real feelings for her? What if, what if, what if…

  She let out a slow exhale, hoping to calm her nerves. Nope. Slow breathing was not helping. Distraction, that was what she needed. The coffee table in the lobby was littered with newspapers, and she picked one up at random.

  She flipped through it absently, her mind unable to focus. Marc’s words kept echoing through her skull. What if Gre
gory really did love her?

  When she let herself consider that possibility, the overwhelming swell of joy fell flat in the face of reality. They barely knew each other—not as adults, anyway. It had been a brief whirlwind of an affair, nothing more. The alternative seemed far more likely.

  Maybe she’d found the kind of love typically reserved for fairy tales…or maybe she was just an idiot. A romantic who’d read too much into sex. Maybe she was no better at choosing men now than she had been as a teenager. He could have been laughing at her all along.

  He’d seen her as a way to get back at his father, nothing more. The laughingstock he could shove in his father’s face.

  No! A small voice in the back of her mind didn’t want to believe that. She wanted to believe his apology. But then, he hadn’t asked for a second chance. He’d said he was sorry, but he hadn’t offered another explanation.

  If he truly wanted her, wouldn’t he have fought for them? Maybe he was embarrassed by her history after all. What if she’d served her purpose in his life and he was ready to see it come to an end?

  So many what-ifs, so many maybes. It was impossible to know what was going on inside his head. Only his actions mattered. And he’d ended things between them, plain and simple. Maybe that was all she needed to know.

  She had her answer.

  The blonde poked her head into the waiting area, and her chipper smile grated on Tamara’s nerves.

  “Mr. Blanchard is ready to see you now.”

  She followed the woman back to his office despite the heavy weight in her gut that begged her to run away. She was here on business, that was all.

  Liar. The little voice she tried to ignore mocked her. She wasn’t just here on business—she was here because she was hoping to be proven wrong.

  Despite everything he’d said and done, a small, stupid part of her still wanted to believe that this was all a misunderstanding. That he truly did care about her and was only trying to protect her.

  Fool. How many excuses had she made for Billy over the years? How many times had she let him off the hook because the truth wasn’t what she wanted to hear or see?

  That was exactly what she was doing now. Repeating her old mistakes. Believing what she wanted to be true and then rearranging facts to make it so.

  Not this time. She wouldn’t be that idiotic ever again.

  Gregory stood when she walked in. He looked terrible, from the bags under his eyes to the mussed hair—the man standing before her bore little resemblance to the Gregory she’d had a crush on from afar.

  His eyes lacked the laughter that made him so charismatic, and his sexy smile had been replaced by a scowl. “What are you doing here?”

  Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach. After all that self-talk about not getting her hopes up, she’d done exactly that. Without even trying, the stupid optimist in her had been holding out hope. That he’d changed his mind, that he’d want to fight for her, that he truly had cared about her.

  More than anything, she’d been hopeful that she could trust her gut. The intuition that had told her she could believe this man. That he cared about her. That he was different—worth being vulnerable for and worth risking her heart over.

  She’d been wrong. Gregory didn’t love her. She’d made a fool of herself over a man.

  Again.

  Good God, when would she learn?

  “What are you doing here?” he asked again.

  Good question. Straightening her spine, she shoved away the hurt feelings and the wounded pride—and the broken heart.

  “Don’t worry, I’m just here on behalf of The Ellen. I’m not looking for another scene.” Even she was stunned by the ice in her tone. The harsh coldness covered up all the emotions jostling for attention beneath the surface.

  He raised one brow. “Is something wrong at the theater?”

  She shook her head. “Not an issue. But we could use a favor.”

  “I’m listening,” he said as he resumed his seat and stared at the computer screen. He might be listening, but he was ignoring her presence as if she was a lowly peon and not a business partner. Certainly not a lover.

  She briefly explained the situation—how their star bachelor could no longer participate in the fundraiser. How it was for a good cause, how the organizers had hoped Gregory might step in… She spoke as if on autopilot, her voice oddly even.

  When she was done, Gregory looked up with a weary sigh. “So they want me to sell myself to the highest bidder.” He met her gaze, and for the first time she thought she saw a flicker of emotion. “And is that what you want?” he asked.

  To see him paraded around and handed over to some other woman to be her dream date? No! He was hers.

  But of course that wasn’t true. It had never been true. Just a figment of her imagination—what she wanted to be true.

  Maybe she was crazy after all.

  She shrugged as if it meant nothing to her. As if he meant nothing to her. Maybe if she acted like he didn’t matter, it would come true. “It’s in the best interest of the theater. So yes, this is what I want.”

  “Fine. I’ll do it.” He dropped his head to continue reading whatever was on the screen in front of him.

  She had been dismissed.

  As she walked out of his office building, a numbness stole over her. He didn’t care about her. He truly didn’t care. She’d been foolish enough to trust a man with her heart for a second time, and for a second time she’d had her heart broken as a result.

  She shivered as she stepped outside into the frigid air.

  She knew the truth now, she told herself, that was something. Better late than never. And yes, her heart had shattered into a million pieces, but she would recover in time. That much she knew from experience.

  At least this time she had friends and the theater to help her through. She supposed it could have been worse.

  She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it on so she could call Alice and let her know that he’d agreed. She’d had the sound off to avoid being disturbed during their meeting and when she glanced at her phone she saw she’d missed a call. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, thoughts of Gregory pushed out of her mind at the shock of seeing this phone number pop up on her screen.

  It was quite possibly the only number she still knew by heart. The first one she’d ever learned.

  She’d missed a call from her parents.

  Chapter 12

  Gregory had to assume there was a special place in hell reserved for people like him. But then again, maybe he was already there.

  “You, my friend, are an asshole.” Ben was sprawled across his couch when he stated the obvious.

  Gregory was determined to not look up from his book. Ben had long ago decided that he was always welcome at Gregory’s and never bothered to call before dropping in. Most of the time he was right. Not today. Today, Gregory wanted to be alone with his misery. His voice was clipped when he finally asked, “Is there a reason you’re here?”

  Ben’s laugh irritated him. It was hard enough being around his old friend these days thanks to Ben’s new fantastically irritating love of life. Which had clearly come as a result of his even more annoying love of his girlfriend.

  Gregory’s head shot up, and he studied his friend. “Did Caitlyn send you?” And by that, he meant, had Tamara talked about him? He fought the urge to roll his eyes at his own ridiculousness. Here he was, the cold, heartless cad…and he was about ready to fly out of his chair at news of his ex.

  If he could even call her his ex. They hadn’t been together long enough for that. So what did that make her? His former lover? Too callous. That didn’t come close to defining the way she’d burrowed through his defenses and taken up residence in his heart.

  Ben’s answer cut through Gregory’s romantic nonsense. “No one sent me. I came because it’s
obvious your head is so far up your ass that you’re going to require some assistance getting it unstuck.”

  Gregory glared at his friend. “Very funny.”

  “I know.” Ben’s mirth grated on his last nerve.

  Gregory sat in stony silence as he debated whether to throw his best friend out onto the street or get this conversation over with and avoid all future talks about his emotions or lack thereof.

  He opted for the latter. Mainly because knowing Ben, if he failed on his current mission, he would recruit his girlfriend to help with future interventions. Ben he could curse out and even strike, if need be, but if Caitlyn were drawn into this? He’d be unarmed. For all he knew she would use her honesty and tough-love tactics to reduce him to a whimpering puddle of tears.

  He caved with a growl. “Fine. Say what you came here to say and then get out.”

  Ben grinned. “So you can get back to moping in peace?”

  Gregory fell back in his seat. “Exactly.” What use was there in denying it?

  Ben leaned forward on the couch and starting rubbing his hands together. Donning an over-the-top American accent, he launched his sales pitch. “What if I were to tell you that you never need to mope again. Yes, sir, the answer to all your problems is so easy you’ll slap yourself silly that you didn’t think of it yourself.”

  Gregory refused to smile despite his friend’s ridiculous antics. “Let me guess. I should pull my head out of my ass.”

  “Wrong!” Ben dropped the accent as he met his friend’s gaze. “All you have to do is admit you love the girl.”

  Gregory’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach at hearing the word said aloud. He opened his mouth to deny it but couldn’t. Not just because this was his oldest friend and he never lied to him, but because lying about it seemed like yet another betrayal against Tamara.

  So he kept his mouth shut. Ben seemed content to wait for a response all day, if need be, but their heavy silence was broken by the sound of the doorman buzzing to let someone up.