Batting her eyelashes and cooing was not her style. She was too clever and experienced for that. She’d been around her father and his associates enough to learn what held a man’s interest. It was as if she studied her victim, then moved in for the kill.
Craig had no interest in her, but he recognized the danger signs. She was way too attracted to his money, more than any attraction she might have for him. Her father, more than likely, had steered her in Craig’s direction, probably thinking she would clinch their deal. Or perhaps he wanted someone else to pick up the tab for her obvious spending.
Remembering Amelia’s words, he knew Jacelyn would not handle rejection well. If the woman could take a hint, he wouldn’t be sitting here contemplating what needed to be done. The building could be collapsing over her head, and she still wouldn’t recognize it as a clue she needed to give up the chase. Maybe he should announce his engagement. That ought to ruffle her fashionable backside. All he had to do was propose to Kelly. He had no doubt of her answer, and he planned to visit the jewelers before leaving San Francisco.
“Craig, darling. Your thoughts are a million miles away.”
Close. About three thousand.
“Are you bored with my company, Jacelyn?”
“Of course not. However, it would be nice if my dinner companion would speak to me.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to deny being her companion, but he was sharing a table with her. Still, he needed to nip this situation in the bud before it bloomed any further.
“Jacelyn, tell me why you came to a boring business meeting with your father when you could have your own dinner date.”
“He invited me, and you, to dinner. This was hardly a business meeting.” She extended her fingers over the rim of her wine glass, showing off her glittering manicure. Every gesture, every move she made was meticulous, as if she’d practiced over and over to achieve a guaranteed impact.
“That’s exactly what it was,” Craig said. “Or, more appropriately, an act of contrition.”
“What in the world would you need to apologize for?”
“I assure you, it was not me. Your father did the inviting.”
A flicker of surprise crossed her features before she suppressed it. “Do not tease me, Craig. My father would not approve a blemish on his character. To my knowledge, he’s never expressed regret for anything in his life. He’s done nothing that merits an apology.”
Far be it from Craig to explain the conduct of her father. “I believe we’ve gotten a bit off course. I presumed you would have another commitment this evening. No doubt there is a line of admirers seeking your company.”
“Perhaps I’m not interested in other admirers. I happen to like the person I am currently with.”
“In that case, we shall have a final drink.” He motioned for the waiter to refill their glasses.
As soon as the young man left, Jacelyn asked, “Whatever do you mean?”
Craig raised his glass. “I propose a toast. I will be spending very little time in San Francisco, and it is quite possible you will not see me again.” He heard her gasp and saw her hand tremble. “I wish you well, Jacelyn. To the future.” He took a large gulp and noticed she did not drink hers. She stared, he supposed she tried to collect her thoughts. Some time passed before she lowered her glass.
“Is something wrong with the wine?” he asked.
“You drop a bomb in my lap and ask me if something is wrong?”
“A toast to your health is a bomb?”
“Don’t be blasé. You know exactly of what I’m speaking,” she hissed. “How can you think I would not see you again?”
“Because I’m a very busy man and I have no time for triviality.”
“Trivial—? You consider me—”
“I consider you an accomplished, respectable woman who, with a bit of humility, could have any man she wanted. A man worthy of her poise and grandeur. Maybe even love.”
“In our world, love has very little to do with relationships.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
Sharing Kelly with Jacelyn rated right up there with other prohibited items. The idea of imparting any information about Kelly, or his love life, spoiled his good mood and prodded his patience. His personal affairs were his alone. Jacelyn had no right to them.
“I will not discuss my intentions with you, but I will let you in on a little secret. Love has everything to do with a relationship. When you find it, you’ll know what I mean. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re missing out.”
Jacelyn lifted her wine and took a healthy swallow, apparently needing the alcohol to soothe whatever raging thoughts ran rampant in her head. She placed her goblet on the table, keeping her gaze fixed on his. From her scrutiny, it seemed she cast several judgements on him. Disbelief filled her eyes, along with astonishment, then contemplation, and finally acquiescence.
“You’re saying you don’t want anything to do with me other than on a professional level.” She seemed lucid, but a man never knew when a woman would throw a tantrum. However, Jacelyn valued her image and was smart enough to envision the consequences of her actions.
“I could count you among my friends, if you so choose.”
“Only friends?”
“There can be nothing more.” He made sure his tone delivered the desired message.
“Very well. You’ve given me something to think about. I don’t agree emotions should be involved, but I will find a man who is worthy of me.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Chapter 21
Kelly breathed a sigh of relief as she plopped down on Dennis’s couch and flipped through a magazine. Packing up her office had run a lot smoother than she’d expected. George, her replacement, had done everything necessary to make the transition efficient and quick. In his eagerness, she’d almost expected him to deliver a fork-lift to cart her out of her own office. He’d be perfect for the position.
Sorting the belongings in her apartment had been more difficult. The fear of Robert showing up on her doorstep had kept her on edge. She hadn’t been afraid as much as she just didn’t want to deal with the aggravation. She delegated as much as she could to Sandi, who assured her she’d take care of everything. Kelly would need to send her a really nice gift.
In under three weeks, she’d rushed back to Charlotte. With Dennis at work and Craig in San Francisco, she had very little to do. She’d expected nerves to attack and make her question her actions. None emerged. Confident she’d done the right thing, Kelly was happier than she could ever remember. Craig filled her thoughts, her hopes, her dreams. She just wished he were with her right now.
They spoke two or three times a day, and every evening before she went to bed. She felt like a teenager with her first crush. Only this would last a lifetime. Giddy with excitement, she couldn’t concentrate on the pictures on the pages. She tossed the magazine aside.
When her cell rang, she grabbed it, thinking it might be Craig. A familiar number registered on the screen.
“Hello.”
“Hello, beautiful.”
“What do you want, Robert?”
“I’d like to apologize.”
Avoiding him had been easier than she’d anticipated. He could have approached her at any time while she tidied up her business in Richmond. He’d been reasonable and left her alone. Until now. She supposed she owed him the chance to end things on a calmer note.
“Go on.”
“I wanted to see how you were doing. I'm surprised you answered your cell. I tried contacting you at your office, but the receptionist refused to put me through.”
Tammy may look like a ditzy blond, but she knew how to handle the public, and did her job well. “I was busy, Robert. Trying to catch up on weeks of absence.”
“Yes. You were gone a long time. I’m guessing the move is permanent?” He sounded practical, not judgmental.
“If you’ve talked to Sandi, I’m sure she told you I moved.”
“Yes. I’m sorry I missed you. I’m in Charlotte on business.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Robert was here? “Business?”
“A lead. I thought while I was here, maybe we could talk.”
Business? Coincidence? She didn’t believe it for one minute. She didn’t know what brought Robert to Charlotte, but her gut told her he’d come specifically to see her.
“Robert, I think—”
“You never gave me a chance to explain.”
“Explain you have a wife?”
“We’re getting a divorce. My marriage ended long ago. There’s no pressure, Kelly. I thought, maybe, since we were once close, that you’d be willing to see me. Just talk.”
Close didn’t begin to describe their relationship. She couldn’t believe she had actually once considered marrying him.
“Come on. Join me for dinner. Don’t let things end the way they did, with your last memory of me being betrayal. I messed up, I know that. I’d like to take you to dinner. For old time’s sake.”
Did he really just say ‘for old time’s sake’? He must have taken her silence as weakening.
“Dinner, Kelly. Just dinner. Then you can go on with your new life.”
She chewed the end of her finger. Why had he done it? Why her? Did he care? She probably shouldn’t, but she’d like to know the answers to a lot of questions. Maybe they could talk and end things more amicably.
~ ~ ~
The Blue Restaurant & Bar was a sophisticated Charlotte uptown restaurant. Kelly had agreed to meet Robert, unwilling to reveal the location of Dennis’s apartment. Naturally, Robert would choose an award-winning restaurant with an exceptional executive chef.
Lights sparkled from the chandeliers and reflected off the glass wall circling the center. The maître d escorted her to a table where Robert waited. He quickly stood, his expensive suit displaying his vanity and self-importance.
“Kelly. You look lovely as always.” He reached for her hand but she withheld it. With impeccable manners, he helped her with her chair, then took the one across from her. Tall and well built, Robert filled out a suit quite nicely. Cut perfectly to his physique, he wore charcoal grey, never black. Black was for tuxedos and funerals. His salon cut had every hair in place. He was good looking. His smile was what first caught her attention. Nothing seemed attractive about him now.
“Thank you for coming,” he said.
“I can’t help but remember the last time we were together in a restaurant.” The image of a woman who claimed to be his wife was burned into her memory.
“We weren’t exactly together, if you’re referring to the last time I saw you before you ran to Charlotte.”
“No. You were with your wife.”
The waiter picked that moment to appear at their table. Robert asked if she agreed on his choice of wine, then ordered an appetizer.
“Yes, Kelly. I was with my wife, who was soon to be my ex-wife.” He held her gaze for a moment, then continued. “We were discussing our divorce when you saw us. You never gave me the chance to explain.”
“Really, Robert? What is there to explain about a wife you never told me about?”
“For fear of repeating myself, I was getting a divorce. My marriage had been over a long time before I met you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I know I should have. I didn’t want to lose you. Once I’d settled everything and she signed the papers, I was going to tell you. She can be vindictive. I didn’t want her targeting you with her nastiness. If she knew I was interested in someone, she’d draw out the process just to spite me.”
“Still, you should have been honest. You had months to tell me.” Kelly unfolded her napkin to give her fingers something to do.
“Every week I thought I was closer to an agreement, then she would back-pedal.”
“Still, you should have told me about your marriage. You could have shared your plans for divorce. Can you understand how horrible I felt finding you there with another woman, then finding out she was your wife?”
“I’m sorry,” he said again. Kelly wasn’t sure she believed him.
“I’ll never forget the fury I saw in your eyes.”
“I was as surprised as you were.”
Kelly made an unlady-like snort. “I’m sure.”
The food was delivered. Robert picked up the conversation as though they had not been interrupted.
“I thought you’d ruined everything. Finding out about you only made her fight me more. And I wanted that divorce.” His softly spoken words had a harsh edge to them. “She didn’t want me. She just wanted to pull my strings, have me dancing like a puppet.”
The one good thing that had come out of this whole mess was Craig. While running away from Robert and renouncing all men, Kelly had bolted smack dab into a man she could not live without. She’d fallen hard and fast, and was the happiest she’d ever been.
Considering her good fortune, she supposed she could be civil to Robert.
“If you want forgiveness, Robert, then okay.”
“Okay? That’s it? Darling—”
Before he misinterpreted things, she hurried on. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re over.”
His face took on an expression of bewilderment. “How can you say that? What we had—”
“Had, Robert. Had. Gone. Finished.”
“You don’t mean that.” His voice caught, and his face scrunched up in pain.
“Of course I mean it. You’re married.”
“Not for long. Seeing you made her realize I was serious about the divorce. When I told her I’d fallen in love with you, she had to face that she and I were at an end. Now you and I can truly be together.”
Love? He had no clue.
How in the world could he think they could pick up their relationship from where it was before the restaurant scene?
“No, Robert. I’ve moved on. I’ve met someone else.” He studied her for so long, she grew uneasy under his scrutiny.
“I see.”
Isn’t that what everyone said when they really didn’t see at all?
He lifted his wine glass, slowly and methodically, and took a generous sip. He returned the goblet to its precise spot before his gaze met hers. “You care about this man you say you met?”
You say you met? Did he think she was making it up? Talking about Craig with Robert seemed bizarre. Craig was her happy place, and she didn’t want to share such wonderful thoughts with her ex.
“Yes, I care about him.”
“What’s his name?”
“That’s not important—”
“If he’s not important—”
“That’s not what I meant. You have no right to ask. You’re not a part of my life anymore.”
He settled back in his chair while composing himself. “It looks again like I must apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you. I have to say this, Kelly. Perhaps you are on the rebound.”
Kelly clenched her jaw to keep it from dropping. “You can’t be serious.”
The waiter came to their table. With a flick of his wrist, Robert waved him away. “Think about it. You ran from me. Isn’t this infatuation kind of quick?”
She’d forgotten how persuasive Robert could be. He could talk a tourist into buying the Statue of Liberty. Infatuation?
“I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Like you hurt me?” If she were being honest, she had to admit she’d been angry. Furious. But not hurt.
“I deserve that. But you deserve someone who loves you. A
man who will be good to you.”
“You think you are that man?”
“You love me too, Kelly. I know you do.”
“No, Robert. I don’t.” What she’d felt for him was never love. Craig had taught her what real love feels like. She’d only known him a short time, but the all-consuming need burning in her soul was deeper than any love she could have dreamed.
“You did,” Robert said. “I think you still do.”
Oh, God. He was in denial.
“Kelly,” he spoke softly as he leaned forward. “Tell me I haven’t lost the best thing that ever happened to me.” He reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, just like he used to do. The gesture seemed too familiar. Had it only been two months ago she’d been deeply involved with this man?
Now, his touch left her cold.
His hand came toward her again. She sat back, out of his reach. Something flickered in his eyes, then was quickly gone.
She didn’t trust him. She did trust her instincts, and her gut was telling her to tread carefully. Robert had been furious when she’d spouted off to him in front of his wife. She’d thought he’d been angered by her making a scene. The flicker of hate she just noticed permeating his gaze sent alarms ringing louder than any fire alarm drill.
She wished Craig was with her now. She’d found the man of her dreams, and she didn’t need Robert complicating things.
~ ~ ~
Kelly flicked a switch and soft lights flooded the corners of the living room, giving her a sense of comfort. Thank goodness, the dinner with Robert was over. It took some careful maneuvering on her part to mollify him, but she thought she’d gotten through. When he insisted on bringing her home, she summoned every skill she had, all of her experience dealing with obnoxious men, insisting they part ways at the restaurant. Maybe now she could finally relax.
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