Kane lifted an eyebrow. “I’m listening, you just aren’t being concise. Which I must say is really out of character for you.”
Sheesh.
Neil swung his legs to the ground and sat up; he should have known better than to come to the weekly family dinner. The O’Rourkes were bloodhounds when it came to nosing into each other’s business—all from the best of intentions, of course, but still a pain.
He’d hardly gotten a minute of sleep since leaving Libby’s house last Thursday afternoon. Some of it was from sexual frustration, but the rest was from playing things over and over in his head and trying to figure out if things had really gone wrong, and what to do about it.
They’d kissed, then laughed together. That was usually a good sign. She’d remembered what a jerk he’d been a long time ago, but sassy mouth or not, Libby wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. Then she’d said they shouldn’t have any repeats of them kissing. He should have listened closer to that part, then he wouldn’t be so bugged about it now and wondering how serious she’d been.
“I will deal with this on my own,” he said, fumbling in his pockets for his car keys.
“You seem to be screwing this up on your own, too.”
It was the truth, and Neil rubbed his forehead. “Like I didn’t already know that. Libby is so amazing. I had no idea what she was really like. She’s that one-of-a-kind woman you didn’t think existed.”
He glanced at Kane and saw him smile. It wasn’t an irritating sort of smile; it was the one he wore when he was thinking about Beth.
“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” Neil asked, resigned. “You knew Libby would get to me.”
“I wondered.”
“You know, my life was just fine without your interference. I had everything sorted out and going the way I wanted. Now it’s all gone to hell.”
Kane clasped his shoulders. “If your life was so great before, then Libby wouldn’t have put you in a tailspin. Tell me, have you started hearing Dad yet?”
Neil froze. He’d heard Keenan O’Rourke’s voice several times since Libby had asked if his father ever regretted his choices. It was weird and reassuring at the same time. “How do you know about that?”
“Because it happened to me, and to Patrick when he was courting Maddie. It makes sense. Nothing was more important to Dad than Mother and the family, so it figures he’d find a way to reach us when we’re facing the most important decision of our lives.”
“And maybe it’s just our imaginations.”
His brother shook his head. “You know what Mom says—heaven gives us what we need. I think Libby is what you need, and you just have to accept the gift. Now let’s go eat dinner before it gets cold.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
But Neil stayed much longer than a minute, thinking about Libby and the way she smiled, and how it felt when she was tucked in his arms. Like he was on top of the world.
He rubbed his face hard, trying to clear his tired mind. Exactly how much of a brush-off had she given him? Was it her pride, or worry that he wasn’t the sort of man she wanted to be involved with? He couldn’t seem like a great husband prospect after the cutting things he’d always said about marriage and children.
“When you mess up, you do it good,” Neil muttered . He’d been so determined to make sure the women he became involved with knew the score, he’d never considered what would happen if he changed his mind. On top of everything else, he hadn’t said anything to Libby about the future, though he was sure he’d said she was wonderful.
Of course, she might have taken that to mean wonderful at her job. It was true, but she was also just plain wonderful.
With a deep sigh he finally followed his brother into the house. It wasn’t going to be easy showing Libby he’d changed, but he’d do whatever it took, because he didn’t think he could live the rest of his life without her.
“What do you mean, Neil won’t be coming in?” Libby stared at Margie as if she’d said the boss had sprouted wings and flown to the moon.
“He called and said he wouldn’t be in the office for a few days. He told me you’d handle everything and to go ahead with whatever contracts are ready. Will you certify my time?”
Libby signed Margie’s time sheet and sank into her chair in disbelief. Neil hadn’t said anything about taking a few days off on Friday. Instead of sending a limousine he’d picked her up himself, and they’d had a pleasant, totally nonpersonal conversation on the way into Seattle, then worked late on some ideas she’d had for a line of clothing stores.
He’d seemed distracted, but nothing serious.
Maybe he was finally getting himself a life. Yet the idea he was getting a life without her was much less pleasant than she might have once thought…especially since he’d escorted a beautiful neurosurgeon to a charity banquet on Saturday evening. A neurosurgeon who was the precise image of the women he usually dated—tall, cool blondes with designer clothes and lovely composed faces.
“I don’t care,” she muttered, angry she’d even noticed the newspaper article that talked about the event.
A lot of people had attended that dinner. They were raising money for a new children’s wing at the hospital, so it was an important charity. Apparently Neil donated consulting services to the board of directors and was considered responsible for pulling them out of the red. Knowing he was interested in philanthropic concerns was nice to discover, she hadn’t heard about it before.
Still…
Libby pulled out the article she’d clipped and stared at it. Neil couldn’t be seriously dating another woman. He wouldn’t kiss her like that, at the same time he was seeing someone else in a not-so-casual way.
“I am completely losing it,” she announced to the silent office. “I don’t care if he dates a hundred women.”
It was a hollow declaration, particularly since she did care.
Why did it feel like everything was falling apart all of a sudden? Over the weekend her parents had refused to take any more money, saying she’d done enough and it was time to live her own life. She was living her own life, and she liked being needed. Then she’d seen that article about the hospital gala, and she’d kicked herself for saying anything at all to Neil. She could have just waited to see what would happen, but no, she had to save her pride by being the one to put an end to something that probably existed mostly in her imagination.
Libby stared at her day planner and realized it all looked boring without Neil.
She pushed the planner to one side as Margie walked in, a cheerful bounce to her step. “I’m having lunch at the deli if you want me to get you something,” she offered.
“Thanks. I’ll treat us both. Order me a Greek salad,” Libby said, pulling a twenty from her purse.
Margie smiled her thanks and leaned over to take the twenty, then wrinkled her nose as she spotted the newspaper article on the corner of the desk. “Poor Neil, he wanted out of that charity dinner so bad.”
“Oh?” Libby asked, trying to sound casual.
“Yeah, you should have heard him grumbling about it on Friday. But I guess he and Dr. Dailey were co-hosts of the dinner, and he didn’t feel he could let her do it alone.”
A ridiculous relief swept through Libby. Of course Neil wouldn’t let someone down that he’d promised to help.
“I’m sure Dr. Dailey appreciated it.”
Margie giggled. “She sent a huge bouquet of flowers to him this morning. I told Neil about it when he called and he said to dump them in the trash. But they’re too pretty, so I’m taking them home. I’ll be back later with your salad.”
Libby took a deep breath and crumpled the clipping into a ball, then tossed it in the waste can.
She only wished she could take care of her aching heart as quickly.
For the next few days Libby juggled negotiations with architects and local contractors, recruiting various employees to handle aspects of the work. On Wednesday morning she drove up to Endicott to review
the floor plans of Huckleberry House with a potential architect, and nearly choked when she saw Neil’s silver Blazer pull onto the street by the Endicott café.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Libby followed Neil to the house out on Tindale Road. He got out and shook hands with Barton Masterfield, the local contractor she’d talked with about doing work on the Huckleberry House.
This wasn’t the property they were buying.
Getting out, she shut her car door with more vigor than necessary, and both Barton and Neil looked at her.
“Hey, Barton,” she said, forcing a smile. He’d married one of her old classmates and moved to Endicott to please his wife. The marriage hadn’t lasted, but he’d stayed, anyway.
“Libby, what are you doing here?” Neil asked.
“I’m going to make notes on Huckleberry House, and review the floor plan with an architect. I understood you were taking a few days off. What are you doing here?”
Barton and Neil exchanged glances, then Barton went inside with visible haste.
“I’ve decided to buy this house for myself.”
“You…what?”
The disbelief on Libby’s face wasn’t a good sign, but Neil plastered a smile on his mouth. “It’s a great weekend retreat. Cross-country skiing is supposed to be excellent up here, and since I liked the house and it’s in good shape, I went ahead.”
“But you don’t like small towns.”
“Endicott is growing on me. Besides, there’s a terrific view of Mount Rainier from the master bedroom window, and lots of room for kids and visitors and stuff.”
“Kids?”
“I’m thinking of it as a family retreat.”
Her expression was unreadable, and he had an urge to loosen his collar. For a woman who usually didn’t hide her feelings, he was having trouble knowing what to think. He had to be careful; she might have meant what she said about them not being together. He’d do his best to change her mind, of course, but it would be difficult.
“And it’s a good investment,” he added.
Boy, is that lame, he thought, disgusted with himself. He didn’t care if he threw his money down a rat hole if it made Libby happy. Good investing didn’t enter into his decision, the only time it would was if it meant taking care of his family.
“I see.” She looked at her watch and gave her suit jacket a small tug. “I have to go, the architect is meeting me at Huckleberry House in a few minutes.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Libby nodded and he followed her car to the other house. She seemed to be retreating from him, and he wished he’d gone into the office instead of making plans for the house. But he’d hoped it would show her that he wanted more than just work, that he had changed and was thinking about a family. It would take some doing—when he thought of the ridiculous things he’d always said about marriage and children, he had the urge to crawl under the nearest rock.
But he had changed and the house was his way of showing it. Considering how often she visited her parents, it was a good idea for them to have a place in Endicott. Someplace they could be private, but still see the family whenever they wanted.
He’d made other plans, too, but right now didn’t seem to be a good time to discuss them.
The architect turned out to be a bubbling, energetic woman in her fifties, wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a pin shaped like a teapot on her lapel. She greeted Libby with a broad smile and handshake, and offered a more restrained greeting to Neil.
“Neil, this is Joyce Nakama. She’s specializes in restoration architecture.”
“I’d better get busy.” Joyce gave him a terse nod, then disappeared into the house, tape measure in one hand and notepad in the other.
“What have you been telling her about me?” he asked.
“Nothing. Your reputation precedes you.”
“People can change. Don’t you think I’ve changed?”
Libby gave him a brooding look. She seemed tense and there were faint dark circles beneath her eyes, but she was pure honey to look at. He’d missed her so much, even though it had only been a few days. No wonder Kane rushed home every night to be with Beth if it was anything like the way he felt about Libby.
“I know you don’t like me to bring it up, but you’ve been awfully nice to Margie. She’s much less stressed,” Libby murmured. “And you’ve encouraged Duncan. He’s really relaxed around you now.”
Neil cleared his throat uncomfortably. Originally he’d planned those things with Margie and Dunk Anderson to prove something to himself and to Libby. But people’s lives were too important to use that way, it was one of the things she’d taught him.
“I’m the one who benefited,” he said. “Margie’s a great secretary, and Dunk is funny as hell when he isn’t breaking stuff. Did you know he does a standup routine mimicking Kane and me? It’s a riot.”
“I…yes, I know. You don’t mind?”
“He doesn’t mean any harm, and people need to laugh. Why should I mind?”
Libby’s tummy wobbled. Why couldn’t Neil have stayed obnoxious? It was hard not to love someone who was smart and thoughtful and could laugh at himself.
The architect came trotting down the stairs and Libby turned around, grateful for the interruption. “What do you think?”
“I love this house,” Joyce said, enthusiasm crowding her voice. “And to be frank, you don’t need an architect unless you’re planning to install private bathrooms for each room.”
“Is that what you’d recommend?”
“Certainly not. You’d have to reduce the size of the bedrooms, and divide the existing bathrooms. It would be a shame since the structure has never been altered. You have a splendid opportunity to share Huckleberry House the way it was originally built. That doesn’t happen often. I’ll spend more time inspecting the place, but I don’t expect to change my mind.”
Neil eyed the small woman with respect. She had to know there were big bucks involved in the project, but she was turning down the work because it was the right thing to do.
“We’d like keep you on retainer,” he said. “We have twelve properties so far, and some of them need more remodeling than others.”
“All right.”
Joyce turned immediately and pulled out her tape measure again, apparently heading for the kitchen. Neil gazed after her, fascinated. How did Libby find people like that?
“She’s great,” he murmured.
“I know. A while back Joyce gave us free advice on restoring the church. As my father says, she can be abrupt, but she’s honest and doesn’t play games.”
“That’s what’s so great about her,” Neil said. He looked at Libby and saw flickers of unhappiness in her eyes, and his gut knotted. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Like I believe that.” He turned her around and marched her into the sunlight. “What gives, and don’t say it’s nothing.”
“It’s personal.”
“So?”
“So we’re working, and it’s…personal.”
“Libby, everything is personal when it comes to feelings,” he said in exasperation. “You’re the one who showed me that.”
“You’ll think it’s silly.”
“I guarantee that isn’t true.”
She didn’t say anything for a long minute, then sighed. “Mom and Dad have refused to take any more money from me because my brother has graduated from college, the medical bills are paid off, and they say I should focus on my life. I’ve always been the one they counted on, and now…they don’t need me any more.” She shrugged.
If she hadn’t told him there wouldn’t be any more kissing or touching, Neil would have hugged her on the spot.
“They still need you, Libby. They’ll always need you.”
“But I want to help them. Why shouldn’t I make things easier? I was already making a big salary, and now I’m making more. And it isn’t as if I’m deprived, you saw my house. I can do both. Kane gives great bo
nuses and stock options.”
Neil knew the Dumonts were trying to free Libby in more ways than just financially. They wanted her to find love and fulfillment, the way they’d found it with each other. The way his own parents had found it.
He finally understood what it was all about—love was the benchmark for everything else.
Without it, nothing else mattered.
He gave into temptation and pulled her close, wondering if she realized how perfectly she fit against his heart.
“You could do anything, Libby,” he whispered, some of his own tension draining away as he absorbed her scent and warmth. “I know it seems like the ground’s been ripped away from your feet, but it’s still there. Just like the mountains standing around us.”
Libby closed her eyes and let Neil hold her.
It did seem like solid ground wasn’t there any longer, but it wasn’t just because of her parents, it was because of Neil. He’d upset her world, shaken up her heart and made her want things she knew weren’t possible.
Yet even knowing all that, she still felt better with him, than without him.
That evening Libby stared into the flickering light of the fire and stroked Bilbo. She was so confused. She didn’t have any reason to think Neil was seeing someone else, and he truly wasn’t the sort of man to court one woman and practically make love to another. On the other hand, she wasn’t anything like the cool, sophisticated women he’d always dated, so it was unlikely he’d consider a permanent relationship with her.
Did he actually talk about kids and the Endicott house being a family retreat? She sighed. It would be so perfect, having a place near her parents, with all that sky and sun and meadow for gray-eyed children to play in.
“Oooh!” Libby yelped, startling Bilbo as she hit her head on the soft back of the couch, trying to knock some sense into herself.
He meowed and eyed her warily.
“Can you believe I am so stirred up about Neil O’Rourke? I would have done anything to avoid him two months ago, and now I’m thinking about babies with gray eyes and melting at the thought.”
The Bachelor Boss (O'Rourke Family 3) Page 13