Delaney hated to admit it, and certainly would never cop to it out loud, but she missed finger waves. Actually, she missed Wannetta. But it went deeper than missing one nosy old woman. She missed living in Truly. She missed living in a place where people knew her, and where she knew most everyone.
She removed the clips from the bib of her lederhosen and set them on her work station. On both sides of her, stylists cut and combed in the upscale salon in downtown Boise. Ali’s Salon was located in a renovated warehouse, and everything about it was trendy and new. The kind of salon she’d always loved working in before, but it was different now. It wasn’t hers.
She reached for a broom and swept up the hair of her last client. For the past ten years she’d lived in places where she had no past, no history, no girlfriends who’d lived through the agony of junior high with her. She’d lived in four different states, always looking for that elusive something, for the perfect place to grow some roots. Her life had come full circle, and it was ironic as hell that she’d found the perfect place exactly where she’d left it. She felt like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, only she could never go home. Not now.
Boise was a nice city and had a lot to offer. But it didn’t have a cross-dressing Santa or parades every holiday. It didn’t have the same pulse and heartbeat as a small town.
It didn’t have Nick.
She finished sweeping the hair into a pile, then reached for a dustpan. Not having Nick in the same town should have made her feel better. It didn’t. She loved him, and she knew she always would. She wished she could move on and forget about Nick Allegrezza, but she couldn’t even force herself to leave the state. She loved him, but she couldn’t live near him. Not even for three million dollars. The decision to leave hadn’t been all that difficult. There was no way she could live through the next five months seeing Nick with other women. Not for all the money in the world.
The bell above the door rang as Delaney emptied the hair into a trash basket. She heard a collective intake of female breath from the other work stations and the thud of boots.
“Can I help you?”
“Thanks,” said an achingly familiar voice. “I found what I’m looking for.”
She turned and looked at Nick an arm’s length away. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you.”
He’d cut his hair short. One dark lock curled and touched his brow. He took her breath away. “I’m busy.”
“Give me five minutes.”
“Do I have a choice?” she asked, fully expecting him to say no, so she could then tell him to go to hell.
He shifted his weight to one foot and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Yes.”
His answer threw her and she turned to Ali, who worked at the next station. “I’ll be back in five minutes,” she said and walked toward the door. With Nick right behind her, she walked into the hall and stopped beside a pay telephone. “You’ve got five minutes.” She leaned back against the wall and folded her arms over her breasts.
“Why did you leave town in such a hurry?”
She looked down at her new suede platforms. She’d bought them to make herself feel better, but they hadn’t helped. “I needed to get away.”
“Why? You wanted all that money pretty bad.”
“Evidently I needed to get away more than I wanted the money.”
“I told Max about you and me. Angel Beach and Silver Creek belong to you now.”
She hugged herself tighter, fighting to hold it all together. She couldn’t believe they were talking about some stupid property she didn’t care about. “Why did you tell him?”
“It didn’t seem right that I inherit everything.”
“Is that what you came to tell me?”
“No. I came to tell you that I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t care,” she said because she didn’t want to care. “I told you I loved you, then you called Gail to come over to your house to have sex.”
“I didn’t call her. She just showed up, and we didn’t have sex.”
“I saw what was going on.”
“Nothing happened. Nothing was ever going to happen. You saw what I wanted you to see, to think what I wanted you to think.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Why?”
He took a deep breath. “Because I love you.”
“That isn’t funny.”
“I know. I’ve never loved any woman but you.”
She didn’t believe him. She couldn’t believe him and risk her heart again. It hurt too much when he broke it. “No, you love to confuse me and drive me crazy. You don’t really love me. You don’t know what love is.”
“Yeah, I think I do.” His brows lowered, and he took a step toward her. “I have loved you my whole life, Delaney. I can’t remember a day when I didn’t love you. I loved you the day I practically knocked you out with a snowball. I loved you when I flattened the tires on your bike so I could walk you home. I loved you when I saw you hiding behind the sunglasses at the Value Rite, and I loved you when you loved that loser son of a bitch Tommy Markham. I never forgot the smell of your hair or the texture of your skin the night I laid you on the hood of my car at Angel Beach. So don’t tell me I don’t love you. Don’t tell me-” His voice shook and he pointed a finger at her. “Just don’t tell me that.”
Her vision blurred and her fingers dug into her arms. She didn’t want to believe him, but at the same time, she wanted to believe him more than she wanted to live. She wanted to throw herself into his arms as much as she wanted to punch him. “This is just so typical of you. Just when I’m convinced you’re a big jerk, you trick me into thinking you’re not.” A tear spilled over her bottom lash and she brushed it away. “But you really are a jerk, Nick. You broke my heart, and now think you can come here and tell me you love me and I’m supposed t-to forget everything?” she finished just before she lost control and burst into tears.
Nick wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest. She didn’t know it, but he didn’t plan to let her go. Not now. Not ever. “I know. I know I’ve been a jerk, and I don’t have a good excuse. But touching you and loving you, and knowing you were planning to leave me, made me crazy. After we made love the second time, I began to think maybe you’d decide to stay with me. I started to think about you and me waking up every day together for the rest of our lives. I even thought about kids and taking some of those breathing classes when you got pregnant. Maybe buying one of those mini-vans. But then Gwen came home, and you said you were leaving, and I figured I’d been fantasizing again. I was afraid you really would leave, so I made you leave me sooner. I just didn’t think you’d leave town.” From within the folds of his leather jacket she sniffed but didn’t speak. She hadn’t told him she loved him and he was dying inside. “Please say something.”
“A mini-van? Do I strike you as the mini-van type?”
It wasn’t exactly what he’d hoped for, but it wasn’t a bad sign, either. She hadn’t told him to go to hell yet. “I’ll buy you whatever you want if you tell me you love me.”
She looked up at him. Her eyes were wet and her makeup was running. “You don’t have to bribe me. I love you so much I can’t think of anything else.”
Relief flooded him and he closed his eyes. “Thank God, I was afraid you’d hate me forever.”
“No, that’s always been my problem. I never could hate you as long as I probably should have,” she said on a sigh and ran her fingers through the side of his short hair. “Why did you cut your hair?”
“You told me once I should cut it.” He brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “I thought it might help win you over.”
“It’s nice.”
“You’re nice.” He kissed her gently, tasting her lips. His tongue entered her mouth and touched hers with a soft caress meant to drug her while he reached for her left hand and slid a three-carat diamond solitaire on her ring finger.
She pulled back
and looked down at her hand. “You could have asked.”
“And take the chance you’d say no? Not hardly.”
Delaney shook her head and returned her gaze to him. “I won’t say no.”
He took a deep breath. “Marry me?”
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his throat. “Now take me home.”
“I don’t know where you live.”
“No. I mean Truly. Take me home.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, knowing he didn’t deserve her or the happiness gripping his chest but taking it anyway. “We could live anywhere you want. I could move the business back to Boise if you’d like.”
“I want to go home. With you.”
He pulled back far enough to look into her eyes. “What could I possibly ever give you compared to what you’ve given me?”
“Just love me.”
“That’s too easy.”
She shook her head. “No it’s not. You’ve seen what I look like in the morning.” She flattened her left hand on his chest and studied her finger. “What can I give you? I get a handsome guy who does look good in the morning, and I get a great ring. What do you get?”
“The only thing I’ve ever wanted.” He held her tight and smiled. “I get you, wild thing.”
RACHEL GIBSON
***
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Truly Madly Yours Page 30