“Good morning.” Why did she sound so breathless?
“What are you doing up so early?”
“Making a grocery list.”
“That’s right; we’re having a guest for lunch. Phoebe may have a slight edge in looks, but you far outshine her in the kitchen. It remains to be seen if that will be enough to impress Phillip.”
“Slight edge? I’m not even in the same class with Phoebe. As for your other comment, you talk as if this is some kind of competition.”
“I didn’t mean that at all; but since she’s taken all this trouble, the least you can do is play along. She can’t make you like Phillip. By the way, that looks to be a long list. I better go with you.”
“That’s all right; you must have other things you need to do.”
“You refused to walk on the beach with us last night, and now an offer of a ride to the store is rejected. Are you trying to avoid me?”
Aubrey edged her way toward the door leading to the deck. “That would be impossible. I live in the same house with you.”
He watched her movement with amusement. “I bet you’ve regretted that decision a few times in the last twenty-four hours.”
“Can you deny that you haven’t?” she countered, her hand on the doorknob.
“No, but my reasons are completely different. Go do whatever you have to do to get ready and meet me here in an hour. We can forget our differences long enough to do the shopping.”
* * * *
Climbing into Corbin’s SUV, Aubrey noticed ominous-looking scratches on the otherwise smooth cream-colored leather. It appeared her intrepid feline had found his way into the vehicle and made the most of it.
“How long ago did Horace use your seats for a scratching post?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered offhandedly.
“You weren’t going to tell me?”
“There’s not enough damage to worry about, and the scare I gave him will prevent it happening again.”
“You should have told me. I can afford to have the scratches repaired, and it was my cat that did the damage.”
He laughed softly. “You don’t like being in anyone’s debt, do you? Are you afraid of what might be asked in return?”
Not trusting herself to reply, she ignored him for the remainder of the drive. In the parking lot, she quickly exited the car, her irritation apparent in every step. Corbin followed her inside at a more leisurely pace.
He caught up with her in the bakery. “I guess I won’t be getting a balloon or a cookie today,” he whispered in her ear.
His breath was warm against her skin, sending a delicious tingle down her spine. Giving him a not-so-gentle nudge with her elbow, she stepped away from him to get a round loaf of brown bread. “You’re going to be lucky to get lunch,” she muttered.
Taking advantage of her full hands, he bent down and kissed her on the nose. “You’re adorable when you’re angry.”
Glancing around in alarm, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“Trying to soften you up a bit before Phillip gets here. In your present mood, I fear for his life.”
She ripped the list in her hand in half and held out a piece to him. “Take this. You insisted on coming so make yourself useful.”
“Anything you say, sweet.., I mean, Aubrey.”
“Get away from me before I take your life,” she hissed.
He shook his head as he took the paper from her. “Phillip has no idea what he’s walking into.”
* * * *
Their guest arrived on time, something that endeared him to Aubrey. She disliked eating overdone or even worse, cold food. Phillip further impressed her by following her into the kitchen and making an accurate guess as to what she prepared. By the time they exchanged a list of similar recipes, the ice was broken.
Annoyed as she was by Phoebe’s arrangement of her social life, Aubrey had to admit Phillip was imminently likeable. Of medium height and build, with sandy hair and friendly blue eyes, he was a far cry from the tall, brooding type of man Phoebe usually preferred.
The conversation at the table was lively. Phillip had a gift for telling stories, and his anecdotes about the fashion industry kept them all entertained. He also told a few tales on Phoebe that had her begging him to stop. Aubrey was content to listen, and Corbin was more than happy to watch her do it.
Though Phoebe tried her best to persuade her sister to take a walk with Phillip once the meal was over, Aubrey refused to do anything until the dishes were done. Sensing Phillip was going to offer his services in the kitchen, Corbin volunteered to help her. He also encouraged Phoebe and Phillip to change into their bathing suits and make the most of the unseasonably warm weather.
Aubrey had a great view of the pair through the wide windows running along the back of the house. As she watched them together, she sighed.
Corbin heard the sigh and wondered if Aubrey envied her sister’s popularity. There was no doubt she would always take second place with Phoebe around. Though they were both attractive women, Phoebe possessed a vivaciousness and confidence missing in her younger sister. Corbin had never been more than mildly attracted to Phoebe. This made his fascination with Aubrey that much more surprising. She’d drawn his reluctant interest with an ease he was still trying to understand.
* * * *
Phoebe came out of the water first, dropping down on a towel. When Phillip joined her a few minutes later, she was applying sunscreen to her legs. When she smilingly held out the bottle, he took the proffered item and applied lotion to her back.
“You should try modeling, Phoebe. Speaking professionally, you have the figure for it, and you would make more money than you ever dreamed of.”
“We’ve had this conversation before. I don’t have the temperament to be a model.”
Phillip grinned and said, “Well, you’re depriving the male population of something wonderful.”
“You never used to flatter me. It makes me suspicious.” Laughing, she swiped the bottle from his hands and stretched out on her stomach. She could see Corbin and Aubrey as they worked in the kitchen. “What do you think of my sister?”
“She’s a better cook than you; that shrimp was fantastic.”
“Is that all you can say? She’s intelligent, considerate, honest, and has a great sense of humor.”
“She also has nice eyes,” added Phillip, not sure where all this was leading.
“Would you do me a special favor?”
“I’m not looking to get involved with anyone right now,” he said on a laugh.
Phoebe sent him an annoyed glance. “I’m not asking you to marry her; just take Aubrey out while you’re here.”
“What about Corbin?” he asked slowly.
“What about him?”
“Aren’t they together?”
“Where did you get that idea? He’s her boss, not her boyfriend.”
“Are you sure? He doesn’t act like just her boss to me.”
“Stop making excuses. Will you take her out or not?”
“No, I won’t. I’m here to work. Starting tomorrow, I won’t have a minute to spare.”
“What happens tomorrow?” she asked sarcastically.
“My models start arriving, for one thing.”
“Is that all?”
“That happens to be a big deal. By the way, did I tell you one of the models for this photo shoot is Mandy Martens?”
“How did you manage that? She can name her time and place, can’t she?”
“I didn’t do anything. It was the location. Apparently she spent some time here before she became a model.”
“Here, meaning Tybee Island?”
Phillip went on eagerly. “Yes, and if the grapevine can be believed, she was engaged to Corbin.”
Phoebe shook her head. “I think you’ve got him mixed up with someone else. I’ve known Corbin for years, and he’s never mentioned being engaged to a famous model.”
“Why would he talk about it when it’s obvious
things didn’t work out?”
“I’ll believe it when I hear it from his lips.”
“What are you going to do? Ask him?”
“Of course not. I have other ways of getting him to tell me.”
Phillip shrugged and changed the subject. There were more interesting things to talk about.
* * * *
Aubrey spent the afternoon ordering supplies and requesting work permits for a small project Corbin was doing for a friend. He worked on his laptop for a while before disappearing to get ready for a local homebuilder’s association meeting. He reappeared dressed in a dark suit that looked more expensive than her entire wardrobe.
“You look nice,” she remarked calmly, her words at variance with her feelings at that moment.
“Thanks, but I prefer jeans. Is Phillip staying for dinner?”
“No, he and Phoebe are going to a movie.”
Corbin was flipping through a folder of papers and didn’t look up. “I thought she invited him over to meet you.”
“I was asked to come along, but I have other plans.”
He glanced at her then, his face unsmiling. “I see.”
“Are you jumping to conclusions again?” she asked with a coldness that made his eyes narrow.
“As you’ve told me often enough, it’s none of my business.”
Aubrey shrugged as she watched him go. If Corbin had given her the chance, she would have explained that her claim to have plans was to prevent further urging by Phoebe to join them. Phillip clearly wanted Phoebe to himself, and who could blame him.
Her ‘plans’ were nothing more than taking a bath and reading a book. In any case, what was done was done. If Corbin preferred to believe she was going out with Richard, there was nothing she could do about it. Putting away her work, she picked up Horace and wandered into the kitchen. Here she found Phillip fixing a drink.
“Phoebe is upstairs getting changed. She said for me to help myself.”
Aubrey nodded and smiled wryly. “Unless she’s changed in the last six months, she won’t be down for a while.”
“I’ll wait out on the deck, if that’s okay. You can join me if you like.”
“Let me feed this little guy first.”
When Aubrey returned, Phillip was watching the setting sun with a stillness that made her reluctant to disturb him.
It was some time before he became aware of her sitting behind him. He wondered how many women would have understood his disinclination to talk and not be offended by it. “I didn’t see you there,” he said in apology.
“I know. You were miles away.”
He took a moment to study her. Next to Phoebe, or any of his models for that matter, she was just another pretty girl. And yet there was something in her expression, a certain look that was intriguing. Phillip began to understand why Corbin might be drawn to Aubrey. The artist in him wondered if his camera could capture something of what he was seeing.
“Would you mind if I took some pictures of you?”
She laughed in surprise. “Why would you want pictures of me?”
“Let’s just say I have a whim to see how you would appear in black and white film.”
Again she demurred. “You should ask Phoebe; the camera would love her.”
“I have enough pictures of Phoebe. What can it hurt? I promise no one will see them but me and you.”
Having pictures taken was the last thing Aubrey wanted, but she could see no polite way of refusing. “When would you want to do this?”
“Not tomorrow; how about the day after? It will have to be early, around sunrise. Can you manage that?”
“Sure. What should I wear?”
“Something light-colored, and leave your hair down. I’ll meet you on the beach.”
“I hope you won’t be disappointed.”
At this point, Phoebe joined them. “What’s all this about being disappointed?”
Phillip stood up and stretched. “I’ll fill you in on the way. You’re worth the wait, Phoebe, but if we don’t hurry, we’re going to miss half the movie.”
Once they were gone, Aubrey returned to the kitchen. She was stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce when the doorbell rang. Her eyes widened when she opened the door and found Richard standing on the welcome mat.
“I have nerve showing up here, don’t I?”
She motioned him in. “Yes, you do.”
“My date stood me up,” he admitted as he followed her into the kitchen.
“Did she really? That probably doesn’t happen to you very often.”
“It doesn’t.” He strolled over to the stove and peered into a covered pan. “Hey, are these homemade meatballs?”
Aubrey laughed. “Are there any other kind? Of course, they’re homemade. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Are you serious?” he asked with obvious surprise. “I’m amazed I made it this far.”
“Life is too short to hold grudges. You apologized, and I forgave you.”
“Are you alone again? I wanted to meet your sister.”
“Forget it.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say. Would you believe me if I said I’m trying to change my ways?”
She stopped stirring the sauce to look at him. “I don’t know. I hope you are. The bond between a man and a woman is too special to be treated lightly. Focusing only on the physical aspect of a relationship is like cheating on an exam. In the end, you still don’t know anything.”
He eyed her with a faint smile on his lips. “I’ve done quite a bit of cheating. It will take time to learn new habits. You can’t expect miracles overnight.”
“Would you mind getting the salad out of the refrigerator?”
Richard removed the glass bowl and set it on the table. “You’ll never guess who walked into my rental office yesterday afternoon.”
“An angry husband?” she inquired flippantly.
He took the plate she handed him. “Would I bother you with that kind of information? It was none other than Mandy Martens.”
Aubrey’s brow wrinkled. “Never heard of her.” She joined him at the table.
“Are you kidding?” When she smilingly shook her head again, he went on. “Well, she’s famous in her own right, and then there’s the little matter of her and Corbin. They were big news around here five or six years ago.”
Aubrey remembered Corbin’s comments about marriage and wondered if this was the woman who caused all the trouble. “What did she want with you?”
“To rent a house. We’re supposed to get together to look over a few possibilities. All too soon, Corbin is going to be coming face to face with his past.”
No longer feeling hungry, Aubrey made a pretense of eating. “And what did this past entail?”
“A romance that looked to be heading toward the most celebrated marriage this area had ever seen, and then ‘poof’ it was over. Mandy left Tybee, went to New York and became a successful model.”
Aubrey pushed her plate to the side. “It’s strange that she would come back after all this time,” she said after a moment.
Richard finished off the last meatball and sat back with a satisfied sigh. “Corbin is still single, too. Things could get interesting.”
Aubrey began to clear the table. She needed to do something to distract her thoughts. A hundred questions were swirling around in her head. With an indifference that was assumed, she began to load the dishwasher. “That’s one way of putting it.”
Richard helped himself to an apple from the bowl on the table. “I have no interest in Corbin’s affairs. I only mentioned it because you work for him. Did he and your sister go out and leave you all alone?”
“Phoebe went out with a friend, and Corbin had a meeting.”
Richard tugged the dishtowel out of her hands and pulled her through the door leading to the deck. “Is she staying long?”
“I don’t know her plans.”
“I might stop by tomorrow. Right now, let’s go for a walk.”
/> They took their walk, during which Richard questioned Aubrey relentlessly about Phoebe. When they parted at the bottom of the stairs, she couldn’t resist teasing him.
“You’ve spent a lot of time asking questions about someone you haven’t met.”
His glance fell, and he seemed embarrassed, an emotion Aubrey wouldn’t have associated with him. “It’s silly, isn’t it? Ever since you mentioned her, I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind. I can’t explain it better than that.”
Neither could Aubrey nor could she offer him any sort of encouragement. Phoebe wouldn’t thank her for any interference. Richard was on his own in this endeavor, and she had real doubts about them being in any way compatible.
* * * *
When she entered the house, it was much later than she realized. Leaving on a few lights for Corbin, she ventured upstairs to take that belated bath. After a long, relaxing soak, she slipped into a pair of pajamas in a shade of lavender that reminded her of Corbin’s eyes.
The next few minutes were spent looking for Horace whose disappearance had coincided with Richard’s arrival. After checking all his favorite hiding places upstairs, she made her way to Corbin’s office. The door was only half closed, something which should have warned her. When she stepped inside, she stopped dead in her tracks. Corbin was at his desk, tie loosened and shirt sleeves rolled up.
“I didn’t realize you were home.” Very conscious of her flimsy attire and his growing amusement, Aubrey went on in a small voice, “You said you’d be late.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t,” he said with a wicked grin.
Scrunching her toes into the thick carpet, Aubrey looked away from those gleaming eyes. “I was looking for Horace.”
Corbin pointed to the window where silhouetted against the night sky was the figure of a kitten. “He came out from under my desk greeting me like a long lost friend.”
“So that’s where he’s been hiding. He took off when the doorbell rang.”
The smile faded from his face. “Maybe he didn’t like your date.”
“I didn’t have a date. I didn’t feel like having Phillip pushed down my throat so I said what it took to get Phoebe off my back. Now, are you satisfied?”
Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance Page 10