“Do what?” A startled laugh escaped her.
“All you need is a place to stay until you get settled, right? Well, you can stay with me. And since you won’t have to pay rent, you won’t be pressured to take a job until you’re sure it’s what you want. You can take the whole summer to look around, get to know the city, decide what you want to do.”
“And then what? Move out?”
He shifted uneasily. “Well, yeah, I suppose.”
“Brent, I…” She placed a hand over her stomach to calm the emotions rioting through her. The idea of living with him was thrilling—and entirely too tempting. “I can’t move in with you.”
“Why not?” He scowled.
“Because it would completely negate my reason for coming to Houston.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” he argued. “It would simply help me look after you while you’re getting settled.”
“Look after me?” She stared at him, struck by the irony that so many people depended on her for so many things, then turned right around and thought of her as incapable of taking care of herself. That Brent would be one of those people hurt. “I don’t need anyone to look after me, Brent. What I need is a little freedom to take care of no one but myself for a change. And I can’t very well do that by going straight from being my father’s dutiful daughter to your live-in girlfriend.”
He stared at her a moment, his face blank but his eyes filled with hurt. “Fine.” He jerked her overnight case from the backseat and handed it to her.
She took it on reflex, then frowned at him in confusion. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you.”
“Whatever.” Her garment bag came next. “It’s your choice.”
She took the bag, wishing she could take her words back as easily. When she realized what she was thinking, she stiffened. He was the one who should apologize, not her.
In spite of the anger, a sinking feeling settled in her gut. “Will I still see you tomorrow?”
He drew up short, clearly affronted. “I told you I’d drive you home, didn’t I?”
She wrapped her arms about her bag, clutching it to her breast. “I can take the bus if you’d rather not.”
“Christ.” He started to turn away, then whirled back. “Why are you being like this?”
“Like what?” She stiffened. He was the one acting strangely!
“Just tell me what time to pick you up.”
“ Nine o’clock,” she answered, not entirely sure she wanted him to drive her home if he was going to act this way.
“Fine, I’ll see you at nine.” He glanced at his watch. “Right now, though, I need to get to work. Let’s get your stuff inside.”
“I’ve got it.” She blocked him with her shoulder.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you in the morning then.” He gave her forehead a quick, impersonal kiss, got in his car, and drove off.
She stared after him, not sure whether to be angry or hurt, and not sure which of those emotions Brent was feeling. But dammit, she refused to be treated as a helpless weakling.
—
“So you want to tell me what that scene outside was all about?” Melody asked as Laura lowered herself to sit cross-legged in front of the coffee table. They’d spent the afternoon rearranging Melody’s studio, something Melody claimed she’d wanted to do for months but had needed an extra set of hands. Between Melody’s vivacious chatter and the dogs getting underfoot at every turn, the tension in Laura’s stomach had begun to ease. Something in Melody’s tone put it right back, though.
“What?” she asked cautiously as she set a bowl of popcorn on the table and joined her friend on the floor. Karma, the female Rottweiler, sat before her with hopeful eyes glued on the popcorn as she licked her chops.
“That little discussion you and Brent had by his car,” Melody said as she sprinkled sea salt over the howl.
“Oh,” Laura said softly. Growing up in a small town had taught her the dangers of confiding in the wrong person. But Melody didn’t strike her as the judgmental, gossipy type. Sighing, she gathered a handful of popcorn. “Brent asked me to move in with him.”
“Oh?” her friend prompted.
“I told him no.”
“Boy, I’ll bet that’s a word he doesn’t hear much!” Melody laughed as she tossed a kernel toward Chakra. The big male caught it in midair.
Laura started to nod in agreement, until a thought occurred to her.
“What?” Melody asked.
She glanced up, then shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Ah, come on, Laura. We’re roommates. And this,” she waved a hand over the coffee table full of health food “—is a slumber party.”
“Another first for me.” A sad smile crept up on Laura. “I’ve never been to a slumber party.”
“You’re kidding.” Melody shook her head, then took on a big-sister expression. “Well, the first rule is: All secrets, confessions, and fantasies about men will be shared. Rule number two: No tape recorders, taking notes, or little brothers allowed. And last but not least: No judgments tonight, or embarrassment tomorrow. So spill it.”
Offering a kernel of popcorn to Karma, Laura tried to gather her thoughts. “I think you may be right, about Brent not hearing the word no very often. Not because he’s irresistible, which, by the way, I happen to think he is, but because…” She frowned. “I don’t think he leaves himself open to rejection very often.”
“Then he must have really wanted you to move in with him.”
“I don’t know.” As Karma settled beside her, Laura stroked the Rottweiler’s coarse coat. “I think the offer surprised him as much as it did me.”
“Are you sorry you said no?”
“Actually,” she smiled. “I’m rather proud of myself. No is a word I’ve been trying to work into my vocabulary. I just…” The frown returned. “I just wish it didn’t hurt to say it.”
“Hurt others? Or hurt you?”
Laura looked at her. “It’s the same thing isn’t it?”
“See?” Melody gestured toward her. “This is the problem with people who have too much blue light in their aura.”
“What?” Laura laughed.
“People with blue auras. You’re entirely too self-sacrificing and motivated by the needs of others. You have a very nice sky-blue aura, by the way, with pretty streaks of sunshine yellow.”
“Thank you. I think.” Laura frowned.
“I, on the other hand, am all orange and green. Not bad, but not very lofty.” Melody spread her arms, showing off her caftan. “I keep wearing purple, hoping it will stimulate my spiritual chakra, but I fear I’m simply too entrenched in the physical plane. I like good food, hot sex, and a soft comfy bed. So sue me.”
Laura hid a smile as she munched on the popcorn.
“You, however, don’t have enough orange light.” Melody tilted her head and squinted toward her. “Or at least you didn’t. I’d say last night must have been pretty steamy.”
“What makes you say that?” Laura froze with a kernel halfway to her mouth.
Melody raised her hands and danced her fingertips around Laura as if touching a field of light. “You have these little orange sparks floating around you, like fireflies.”
“And?” Laura prompted, fascinated.
Melody tossed another piece of popcorn to Chakra. “Orange light comes from the sexual chakra. And yours has been sadly repressed since I met you. Good thing you and Greg finally parted ways, or he’d have snuffed the orange light right out of you.”
Blushing, Laura glanced away, and noticed the time. Brent’s newscast would be on soon. “Would you mind if I watch the news?”
“Lord, is it that late already?” Muttering about how time always seemed to get away from her, Melody fumbled through the seat cushions on the sofa for the remote control. Turning back to the TV, she began flipping channels. “Speaking of Greg, now there’s a man who needs to get his chakras adjusted. His orange lights are completely out of whack.”
&n
bsp; Laura grinned. “I’ll have to tell him that, the next time I see him.”
“Now that I’d like to see.” Melody gazed off into space. “I can just picture his baby-smooth cheeks turning all red, and those hazel eyes of his blinking behind those cute little glasses.”
“You have a good memory.”
“I’m a people watcher.” Melody shrugged. “Speaking of people and auras,” she gestured toward the screen, “he certainly has an interesting one.”
Laura turned, and her breath stilled at the sight of Brent speaking into the camera, so calm and collected. He seemed like a different man from the one she’d stood with on the sidewalk mere hours before, or the lover whose bed she’d shared last night.
“Can you really see people’s auras?” she asked. She had been around enough holistic medicine to believe in the existence of auras. She wasn’t sure she bought into the claims about prophecy and healing, but she wasn’t ready to brush the entire idea off as hogwash, either.
“In person, yeah I can read ‘em pretty well,” Melody said. “Can’t see a dang thing through a TV screen though.”
“Tell me about Brent’s,” Laura asked, mesmerized by the sight of him, even with the volume turned low.
Melody studied his image, as if to help her memory. “It’s very colorful and full, like a rainbow. Except … he has this hole, a big black one surrounded by a ring of red, right over his heart chakra. I noticed it that day in Beason’s Ferry, when he dragged you out of the clubhouse.”
“He didn’t drag me,” Laura insisted.
Melody just smiled. “I noticed it again today, the minute he came through the gate. Then, when the two of you were talking out front, the red ring started glowing and pulsing like crazy.”
“What does that mean?” Laura glanced at her friend.
“Well, the black hole is probably an old wound. Being near you seems to aggravate it, kind of like picking at a scab, which is what makes the red pulsate. But then, sometimes we have to pick at old wounds in order for them to heal. I just hope your blue lights don’t get sucked down in his black hole in the process.”
The phone rang before Laura could respond.
“I’ll get it.” With the dogs bounding after her, Melody headed for the kitchen. She returned a moment later.
“It’s for you. Dr. Velasquez.”
“Oh!” Laura leapt up. “My last interview.” With her heart racing, she sidestepped the dogs and snatched up the phone. She pressed a hand to her stomach to compose herself took a deep breath, and answered.
“Yes!” she exclaimed minutes later and threw her arms around Melody in a spontaneous hug. “I got the job!”
“I thought you wouldn’t know for a while.”
“He decided not to wait. He wants me to start right away. Day after tomorrow, if possible. I’ll need to go home to pack my things, get my car, and come right back.”
“Why don’t we take my van so I can help you move,” Melody suggested.
“Really, you mean it?” Laura felt as if she were floating off the floor. Melody’s van would allow her to get everything in one trip. Not that she had much to move but her car was a fuel-efficient compact that would never hold all her plants, books, and boxes of clothes. “That would be great. As long as you don’t mind— Oh! Wait, I need to call Brent to tell him I don’t need him to come get me tomorrow. What time is it?” She glanced at her watch. “The news is still on. I’ll leave him a message to call me.”
—
Brent dropped into the chair at his desk. Now that the show was over, he had nothing to keep his mind off of Laura and the stupid way he’d acted that afternoon. What had possessed him to ask her to move in with him?
He was supposed to be taking things cautiously to ensure she stayed around longer than a couple of dates, so that the ends when it came, was relatively painless for both of them. Instead, he’d made a fool of himself, first by getting too protective, then by getting mad and storming off. If only she didn’t tie him all in knots, he’d be able to think when he was around her.
“Good show, Michaels,” Connie said as she took her seat at the desk facing his.
“Thanks.” Nodding in acknowledgment, he picked up his phone. He had several messages in his voice mail. The last one was from Laura saying she had something to tell him and for him to call as soon as he could. From the excited tone of her voice, he assumed the news was good.
When he called, Melody answered the phone. “Wait a second, I’ll get her.”
“Brent!” Laura’s voice came on the line, sounding as excited as she had in her message. “Guess what?”
You’ve changed your mind about moving in with me, he thought impulsively, then squashed that thought with a smirk. “I haven’t a clue.”
“I got the job! The one I wanted. With Dr. Velasquez, the pediatrician.”
His stomach clenched. “Laura, I don’t think it’s safe for you to work in that part of town.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll do fine.”
“You aren’t even used to locking your doors, much less doing the hundreds of other things that will keep you from having your car stolen or getting mugged.”
“Then I’ll learn.” Her voice turned surprisingly stern.
“You can’t be serious.” He battled back another surge of protective instincts. But dammit, this was Laura, and the thought of her getting hurt made his heart stop. “You had two other interviews today. Why don’t you wait to hear from them before you make up your mind?”
“Because this is the job I want.”
“Why do you do this?” He raked a hand through his hair. “You’re always chasing after lost causes. When are you going to start looking after yourself for a change?”
“I am looking out for myself.”
Brent noticed people listening and dropped his forehead to his hand. “We’ll talk about it when I pick you up tomorrow.”
“Actually, that’s why I called,” she said in a stilted tone. “I don’t need you to come get me after all. Melody’s going to take me back to Beason’s Ferry to get my things.”
The coldness crept outward from his chest. “Laura, I said I’d take you home, and I will.”
“No, really, it’s not necessary. Melody has a van, so I’ll be able to move all my stuff in one load.”
He couldn’t help but wonder if Melody’s van was just an excuse not to see him again. Had he blown it that badly with Laura that afternoon?
“Are you there?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Another silence fell. “Well, that’s all I needed to tell you,” she said at last.
“Fine. Look, I’ve got a lot of work to do here.”
“I see.” She hesitated. “I guess I’ll let you go, then.”
“Laura, wait.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Call me when you get back in town … if you want to talk. All right?”
“Yes, of course.” The silence grew thicker, more painful.
He tightened his grip on the phone, wishing he could reach out and grab hold of her, hold on so tight she’d never leave him. But he could feel her slipping through his fingers. “Drive safely, okay?”
“Okay.” She paused. “I guess I’ll see you when I get back then.”
“Sure.” He squeezed his eyes shut as he hung up the phone. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
“Hey, Michaels, you okay?” Connie asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Perfect.” If you count being a perfect ass as fine. At least now he knew how he’d feel when Laura eventually dumped him—as if someone had opened up his chest and ripped his heart out.
Chapter 16
Laura stared out the front window of the old Chevy van, too numb to feel anything. A mere two days ago, this same view of sunshine and wildflowers had seemed so full of promise, in spite of her argument with her father about her moving.
At least she’d understood that argument and her father’s reasons for trying to control her. Brent, however, made no sense. He was th
e one who’d encouraged her to stand up for herself—then, when she’d gone after what she wanted, he’d behaved as if she’d insulted him. And after she’d rearranged her whole life just to be near him… Although, that wasn’t fair. She’d rearranged her life because it needed rearranging. If nothing else, she should thank him for adding the extra incentive to do what she should have done years ago.
“Hey, you okay over there?” Melody gave her a concerned look.
“Hmm?” She blinked to bring herself out of her fog and found Melody watching her. In spite of how late they’d stayed up the night before, the woman looked surprisingly fresh with the air conditioning blowing her long red curls. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
“Sorry.” Melody wrinkled her nose. “I guess we sort of overdid it on movies and girl talk for your first slumber party.”
“No, I enjoyed it. Really.” Laura laid a hand on Melody’s arm to convey her gratitude. After she’d spoken to Brent, she’d been too stunned even to cry. Melody had somehow understood she wasn’t able to talk about it, so they’d stayed up most of the night watching Lethal Weapon movies and drooling over Mel Gibson.
Although as another mile marker passed by the window, she remembered that Brent wasn’t the only concern she had to wrestle with. She still had her father to face.
“Melody, I think I should warn you about something. My father isn’t exactly thrilled about my moving to Houston, and he may be a bit … unpleasant today.”
“Unpleasant?” Melody scowled. “In what way?”
“Not physically, or anything like that,” she hastened to explain. “No, he’s more the master of guilt. By the time we leave, you won’t even have to open the door for me. I’ll feel low enough to slide right under.”
“Ah.” Melody gave a knowing nod. “Sounds like my father.”
“Oh?” Laura cocked her head to study her new roommate more closely. The woman wore her carefree style like a badge, but there were currents beneath the surface that hinted at deeper emotions.
“Yeah.” Melody sighed. “My father could hurl guilt and belittling insults like fists, always knowing exactly where to jab to cause the most internal damage.”
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