“Stop … ”
His hands were warm on her cheeks, but not as hot as his lips when he slowly brushed them against hers. She felt helpless in his grip as he teased her lips apart and gently flicked his tongue against hers.
“Is this so awful?” he murmured.
“Noooo.” Her heart spoke for her.
“It’s time for you to grow up, Amy.” He abruptly stopped and pulled away from her.
“That’s a terrible thing to say!” She wanted to throttle him or something. If this was his idea of teasing, she hated it.
“Maybe, but you’ve living in a cocoon, pretending you want life to go on without changing. You see me as a threat because I come from a different world.”
“Funny, I didn’t know you were a psychiatrist.”
“You’re not that hard to read, Amy. If I didn’t like you so much … ”
“If this is how you treat someone you like, I’d hate to be on your bad list. Now can we please go?”
“Fine.” The starter made a grinding noise before it turned over.
Dan was silent on the way back to town. There were things Amy wanted to say to him, but the words just wouldn’t come. He liked her, but what did that mean? How did she feel about him?
Maybe she was buying into Hannah’s fantasy, searching for a Prince Charming who only existed in stories. In her daydreams, she always found the man for her on an exotic cruise or a tour of a faraway country. His words hurt because there was a tiny bit of truth in them. Maybe she was too comfortable in her hometown, surrounded by family and people she cared about, but she wasn’t threatened by Dr. Prince.
She wasn’t.
CHAPTER 12
“I saw Dr. Prince,” Hannah said, racing up to Amy when she brought her laundry to her mother’s house after work on Friday.
“That’s nice,” Amy said. “Were you sick?”
“No, I saw him at the library. I told him about Snow White and Prince Charming. He thought it was a really cool story.”
“Where’s your Mommy today?” She knew her mother loved having Hannah stay with her, but sometimes Natalie forgot their mom still worked full-time.
“She and Daddy went to Des Moines. I get to stay with Grandma until Sunday. Dr. Prince said I look like a princess. He said pretty women must run in our family.”
“I’ll bet he did,” Amy said under her breath.
It had been nearly a week since the couples shower, and she still felt like breathing dragon fire when she thought of Dan. The more she mulled over what he’d said, the more convinced she was he was totally wrong. Far from living in a cocoon, she played an active part in the life of the town. She still enjoyed old friends like Josie and Gayle, not to mention her cousin Mandy. And she did date, maybe not often enough by Dan Prince’s standards but she had several male friends. In fact, she was going out to dinner tomorrow night with Will Davis, junior partner in the town’s only law firm.
Although he was divorced and a few years older, Will was a hot catch in the eyes of the town’s single women. This would be their first date, although he’d asked her several times before. At first she’d refused because she’d just met Dan — big mistake considering how that turned out.
Maybe Will wasn’t as handsome as the new doctor with his thinning blond hair and rather long face, but she anticipated a good time with him. He had a great sense of humor, and the buzz around town was that his wife had left him for another man, definitely giving him the sympathy vote.
Hannah held the door while Amy hauled her basket of laundry into her mother’s utility room just off the kitchen. Her mother’s house had enough rooms, cubicles, and closets to accommodate a family of ten. Both her daughters had urged her to sell it and move into something requiring less maintenance, but she steadfastly refused to sell the late Victorian house because it had been in her husband’s family for generations.
“I thought I heard you come in,” her mother said. “You don’t need to do your laundry. I can run it through the washer and dryer for you. You probably have something better to do this evening.”
“You work too hard already,” Amy said. “I’ll do it.”
“We’re going to play Pollyanna,” Hannah said. It was an old board game Amy’s grandmother had once played with her. Now Hannah loved it. “Will you play with us?”
“Maybe a game or two while I do my laundry,” Amy said, always happy to spend time with her niece.
“Dr. Prince said he’d play it some time,” Hannah said. “Maybe he’ll come over tonight, and we can all play.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Amy said, trying to let the little girl down easily. “Doctors are pretty busy.”
“Not in the summer,” Hannah said in a solemn voice. “People don’t get sick much when it’s hot. Are you going to live in a castle when you get married?”
“Honey, I’m afraid there aren’t any castles in Iowa, only cornfields.” Amy busied herself sorting the laundry.
“I told Dr. Prince I’m going to be the flower girl when he marries you. He thought a yellow dress would be nice. What do you think?” Hannah pursed her lips thoughtfully.
Stooping to talk face to face with her earnest niece, Amy struggled for a kind way to let the little girl down.
“It’s a beautiful idea,” she began, struggling for the right words. “But sometimes people aren’t meant to marry each other.”
“You’re beautiful, so you have to marry Prince Charming.”
“Honey, Dr. Prince is a nice man, but I’m not going to marry him.”
“Never?” Hannah looked so dubious Amy wanted to laugh. Instead, she gave her niece a big hug.
“Maybe I can be a bridesmaid at your wedding someday,” Amy said with a little giggle.
Hannah frowned, obviously not liking that idea. “I think Dr. Prince is a little too old for me.”
“You’re right there.” Amy stood, hoping her niece would be distracted by her favorite game.
By the time Saturday night came, Amy had lost enthusiasm for her date with Will. It wouldn’t be fair to cancel, but she just couldn’t muster any excitement at the prospect. After working all day, she was sure she’d be a poor companion.
Still, her date had made reservations at the best restaurant within fifty miles. The Corral was just outside a nearby town, and in spite of its Western theme, it offered fresh Maine lobsters, and thick Iowa pork chops along with choice cuts of Omaha beef. The meal was well worth the drive, but was she being fair to Will? He should be going out with someone who would appreciate his company more.
Maybe because she wasn’t feeling up to the evening, she made a special effort to look her best. She’d only worn her little black dress with thin spaghetti straps once several years ago. It hugged her curves like a second skin, but apparently that was the latest fashion. The bodice was low cut and sprinkled with sparkly fake gems. Amy was her own harshest critic, but she had to admit she looked hot.
When Will came to pick her up, his jaw dropped.
“You look fabulous.” He sounded a little breathless, but maybe he’d run up the stairs to her apartment.
“Thank you.” She grabbed her little red clutch purse, calculated to add a little bling to her outfit.
Maybe she wobbled a little walking down to his snazzy sports car, but at least she felt more in the mood to go out, knowing she did look her best. It was possible she’d enjoy herself more than she anticipated.
• • •
When Belinda had shown up on his doorstep Saturday afternoon, Dan didn’t know whether to hug her or throttle her. Now, after hours of conversation that led nowhere, he’d reluctantly suggested they go out for dinner.
The soonest he could get a reservation at The Corral, the only restaurant in the area likely to meet with her approval, was nine P.M.
<
br /> “I’ll have to shower and change,” she said in the voice that used to send shivers down his spine. “Why don’t you join me for old time’s sake?”
“That’s not going to happen.” He turned away when she started to peel off the minuscule excuse for a dress.
“Don’t you want to see what you’ve been missing?” she purred, reminding him of her bad-tempered Persian cat.
“I haven’t missed you, if that’s what you’re implying. I’m going to the Windmill Motel to get a room for you. Then tomorrow you’re leaving.”
“I thought you’d be glad to see me.” She tossed her dress on his couch, but he didn’t turn to check out what she was wearing under it — if anything.
“I’ve talked myself hoarse trying to convince you it’s over between us,” he said, going to the door. “You were right when you refused to come here with me. You’d hate it.”
“I didn’t know I’d miss you so much.”
Dan shook his head, using anger as a shield against her attempt to seduce him. She was as gorgeous as he remembered, but their separation had made him realize how superficial and self-centered she was.
When he got back, she was sitting on the end of his couch in her panties and bra, engrossed in working on her nails.
“Don’t get polish on the couch. It belongs to my landlady,” he said, going into his bedroom to get ready for the meal he felt obligated to buy for her.
The alternative was a cozy dinner for two in his apartment, and that was a very bad idea. He was usually slow to anger, but her melodramatic avowal of eternal love had been so phony, he was ready to kick her out. The only thing that stopped him was her father, a highly successful cardiologist in Chicago. His recommendation figured prominently on Dan’s resume, and he didn’t want to alienate him.
He took a long shower, mostly cold since Belinda had emptied the hot water tank that supplied his apartment. By the time he emerged from his room wearing his navy blazer — one she’d given him so he wouldn’t look scruffy at some affair in Iowa City — she was wearing a red dress so short it made her legs look like stilts. The neckline plunged down to her navel, making the dress look like a bathing suit and reminding him of the gravel pit that served as a swimming hole in Heart City.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, not wanting to remember watching a sunset with Amy.
He hadn’t seen her since the baby shower, even though he dropped into the drug store far more often than necessary. If she hid in the back room when she saw him, he couldn’t blame her. He had been out of line making a kiss into a spectacle in front of her friends. At the time, he didn’t know why, but maybe he was marking his territory in front of the local guys.
For whatever reason, he’d goofed. His thought was if he gave her some time, she might forgive him. He didn’t have much hope that she missed him as much as he missed her.
“How far is this place?” Belinda asked. “I can’t believe there’s a decent restaurant within a hundred miles.”
“Far enough,” Dan muttered. Far enough so Amy wouldn’t see him with Belinda. If there was any chance at all they could be friends, he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about his ex-girlfriend.
Dan insisted on taking his van, and Belinda didn’t argue as she once might have. She probably didn’t think there was anyone worth impressing in rural Iowa.
Surprisingly, The Corral was crowded, and they had to wait in the bar for a table to be vacated. Belinda kept up a steady stream of chitchat, apparently not noticing his indifference. He checked his watch every few minutes, eager for the evening to be over.
Years ago, he’d been kicked in the solar plexus in a game of flag football. He felt the same impact when he followed a hostess through the crowded dining room and saw Amy at a table for two with a guy he didn’t know. Her date was leaning across the table, his hand on top of hers and his mouth going a mile a minute.
When the hostess laid two menus on a table, Dan moved quickly to seat Belinda with her back to Amy. He didn’t care whether his ex-girlfriend saw her, but he wanted the chair facing her table.
“Fresh Maine lobster,” Belinda said, scanning a menu while Dan’s still lay unopened in front of him. “Probably freshly thawed. People here probably don’t know where Maine is on the map.”
Amy was laughing at something her date said when a server with a dessert cart blocked his view.
“I suppose I could make a meal of the Cobb salad,” Belinda said, frowning at the four-page menu. “I can’t imagine eating a pork chop thick enough to stuff.”
“Order whatever you like,” Dan said, his eyes still focused on a side-view of Amy.
“Well, what are you getting?” Belinda turned in her chair to see what was distracting him.
“Is the blonde someone you know?” Her tone was brittle.
“The pharmacist at the town’s drug store.”
“Oh, yuck, one of those little lab rats.” Belinda crinkled her nose in a way he’d once found cute. He didn’t now.
Belinda had majored in art history, something she’d never have to use to make a living, but it gave her something to talk about at cocktail parties.
Ignoring her snide remark, Dan watched as Amy stood and started walking in his general direction. She didn’t see him at first, so his guess was she was headed toward the restrooms. She was only one table away when she looked directly at him and paused.
The date must be special. She was wearing a little black number that set his pulse racing. For a few moments, he forgot that Belinda even existed. Her blather went unnoticed as he met Amy’s gaze.
“Hello, Dr. Prince,” she said as she passed his table.
Dr. Prince! That was bad. He didn’t want to introduce her to Belinda, but his heart skipped a beat when she went by with a faint trace of a smile.
When she wobbled a tiny bit on her spike heels, he wanted to race over and steady her. The dress did wonderful things for her backside, and he could hardly believe how gorgeous she looked. And all this was wasted on some guy with thinning hair and a girlish laugh he could hear from across the room.
“The server would like your order,” Belinda said in a frigid voice.
“Oh, sorry.” He hadn’t even noticed the young man in a maroon jacket standing beside their table. “Make it the stuffed pork chop with baked potato and the vegetable of the day.”
Whatever he ordered would taste like dust, so he picked the entrée most likely to irritate Belinda. Would Amy believe they were there to cement their breakup? Most women would storm off in tears in the circumstances. Could he convince Amy about how cold and calculating his ex could be?
What had he ever seen in her? She was thin enough to be a fashion model and prickly when she didn’t get her way.
Slumping back in his chair, he knew he wasn’t being fair to Belinda. After three years in med school, he’d been eager for a permanent relationship. He’d pursued Belinda because she was sophisticated and witty. As a doctor’s daughter, she seemed to understand the demands of his chosen profession. It had hurt when she refused to come to Heart City with him, but now he realized how wrong they were for each other.
Especially since he was falling in love with Amy.
The thought shocked him. She was cute and lively, fun to be with, but he’d never put his feelings into words. What should he do about it?
“Have you forgotten I’m sitting here?” Belinda asked in a plaintive voice.
“Sorry.” It was all he could say. He was on edge, waiting for Amy to return to her table — to her date. Was the guy serious competition? Would showing up here with Belinda be the nail in the coffin as far as a relationship with Amy went?
When she came back, she circled around the whole room to avoid passing the table where he sat. What did that tell him? Was she avoiding him because she cared or didn’t care?
/> Apparently they were skipping dessert. As soon as she reached the table, her date stood and took her arm. A minute later, they were out of sight, but Amy wasn’t going to be out of his mind anytime soon.
When their food came, he ate without tasting, contributing little to the listless conversation. Belinda was the slowest eater he’d ever seen, but eventually he was free to leave the restaurant.
He left her outside the door of her motel unit.
“This is the last time I’ll see you, isn’t it?” She sounded genuinely regretful.
“Yes, we were good together for a while, but I think we both knew it wasn’t a forever thing.” Saying it aloud make him realize how true it was.
“Have a good life,” Belinda said, sighing and leaning toward him to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
“You too. Drive carefully on the way home.” He walked away because there wasn’t anything else to say.
After he said good-bye to his former girlfriend, he was miserable for a reason that had nothing to do with their parting. Had he blown his chance with Amy? Was there any way they could work through all the obstacles between them?
He wasn’t proud of himself when he drove by her apartment. The light in her window was out, but what did that mean? He didn’t even know what car her date had driven, and it wasn’t his style to spy on women, not even one he was falling in love with.
CHAPTER 13
“Would you mind making a couple of deliveries on your way home?” Bert asked Monday afternoon. “You can leave now so you don’t have to work overtime.”
“Glad to,” Amy agreed. It had been a slow day at the store, and the air conditioning had been running full blast to make up for the sizzling weather outside. She was happy to get out of the artificial cold.
“Mrs. Greenwich needs her blood pressure medication,” Bert said, handing her a white paper bag. “And the other delivery is here in town.”
After hanging her white jacket in the employee area in back, Amy smoothed the pink tank top she was wearing under it and grabbed her big shoulder bag. Bert handed her the two sacks to be delivered, but she didn’t look at the larger one until she was out in the over-heated interior of her car.
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