Sofia cringed. “What was the point again?”
“The point? Right. Sorry. What I’m trying to say is this Gray fellow may or may not be the man for you, but you’re still young and you have a good head on your shoulders. You have plenty of time to find a man to fall in love with, and when you do, he’ll be special.”
“Thanks, Nana. You’re right.” The idea of being alone was becoming more and more appealing. Sofia loved her grandmother, but sometimes Nana was a little too optimistic.
Particularly when all she wanted to do was open the well-stocked liquor cabinet with the key that was hidden beneath the antique silver tray.
“All right, dear, I’ll be going now. You remember how to use the stove?” Nana stood and rested her hand on her hip.
“Yes, I do.” The gas, no-electricity required stove. Shoot. Forget about having microwave popcorn as a midnight snack, or heating up leftovers for breakfast. How did Nana live?
“Good. But don’t use it while you’re drinking, okay? I don’t want to come home to a burned down house.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her cheeks blazed. Mind read once again.
Nana pulled out the liquor cabinet key and slid it across the counter. “You’re welcome to whatever I have, but don’t get carried away.”
Sofia nodded, avoiding eye contact.
“Heal your heartbreak however you choose, dear, but don’t forget that I love you.” Nana kissed Sofia’s head as she passed by on her way to pick up her suitcase.
“Love you too.” Sofia waited until the huge Buick left the driveway before she let a ragged breath.
Alone again.
~ * ~
Rachel locked her bedroom door and jammed a chair under the knob. How that would keep a ghost away, she didn’t know, but she had to try something.
Ever since she’d arrived home, the chill that was Hayes had wrapped itself around her, encompassing her, not giving her a moment’s rest. Still, she refused to acknowledge him, hoping he’d give up and leave.
“It’s okay, Rachel. All you have to do is agree to talk to me.” His voice breezed over her body, chilling it all the way to her ears.
God, it was freezing. She couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed a quilt off her bed and wrapped it around her body, but it was useless. She was just as cold, if not more so. As if she’d pressed him through her skin and into her bones.
“Go away, Hayes,” she yelled, unable to hold her tongue any longer.
“That’s my girl.” He’d slipped behind her this time.
Rachel swerved around and spotted him leaning against one of her pink-painted walls. A smile of victory was on his face, revealing his dimple. She didn’t know whether to be angry or overjoyed to be able to see him once again.
She gathered her wits and took a breath. “You have to leave me alone.”
His smile disappeared. “Not as long as you’re planning on marrying my brother. Tell me you’re not, and I’ll be gone forever.”
“Why don’t you go aggravate him? Why me?”
“Trust me. I’ve been doing my work on him.”
“Great. I’m glad to know you’re creating havoc even in your afterlife. Why can’t you let us be happy?”
“Happy?” He laughed. “Don’t kid yourself. Neither one of you is happy, especially you. And you’re not going to change that by marrying a man who doesn’t love you.”
The words hit Rachel hard, twisting a knot in her stomach. Down deep, she knew Grayson didn’t love her, but it hurt like hell to have that the assumption validated.
“Maybe he doesn’t love me…” She ground out the words. “But that doesn’t matter. He needs me. When you left him like you did, everything changed. He’s not the same man he used to be. It’s like he died inside when you died. I wouldn’t be doing him any favors abandoning him. I’m all he has left.”
“Don’t you think I know that? That’s why I’m here, sweetheart. To fix what I broke. I can’t go on—” He raised his arms toward the ceiling and let them fall to his side. “I can’t move on until you’re both happy, or well on your way.” He took a step forward, his gaze dark, pained. “And he’ll never be content if he marries you.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“Only because he’s not the man for you. You don’t love him. Not the way she loves him.” He mumbled the last sentence, but Rachel caught every word.
“Someone else loves Grayson? Who? Who are you talking about? Do I know her?” She pressed her palm to her chest. “Is he cheating on me?”
“No. The guy is too much of a goody-two-shoes to not be anything but completely loyal. I always hated that about him,” he said, but smiled and shook his head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter who the woman is. Just know there’s someone out there who’s more his type.”
“That’s just great. Thank you, Hayes, for ruining my life from the grave. It’s not like you didn’t do enough damage while you were—” She stopped herself. “Just leave. Please.”
“Look, Rachel, you’ll find another man. Someone who will give you what you need, and considering how receptive you were to me the night we spent together, I’m pretty damn sure Gray’s not that guy.”
“Go to hell.”
He laughed half-heartedly. “That’s funny you say that, sweetheart, because seeing you about to marry my brother is hell enough for me.”
“Grayson needs me—” Rachel started to say.
But he had already faded into nothingness and was gone just like that.
“Fine.” She glared at where he’d been standing. “Leave me. That’s what you’re good at, after all.”
The small room was quiet again…and warm.
Rachel had never felt so lonely.
The doorbell rang out from the living room. No doubt Grayson stood on the other side of the door, waiting to take her to dinner so he could tell her about the promotion he’d gotten to make the start of their marriage easier.
The marriage she would never be able to bring herself to enter. How was she going to tell him?
~ * ~
Gray stuffed his hands in his pocket and forced a smile on his face when Rachel opened the door. “Hi,” he said, and stepped into her tiny apartment. He glanced around, looking from her flowery sofa to the rows of books she had lined on her bookshelf, to the burgundy rug on the floor.
But he couldn’t make himself look into her eyes. Not after being fired from his job. How foolish he’d been, to punch his co-worker, and in front of his boss too. Luckily, Beaver had agreed not to press charges as long as Gray agreed to leave the building and never step within a hundred feet of it.
Stupid.
He’d come up with a backup plan, though. He’d get another job. A better paying one that didn’t include him kissing anyone’s ass.
“Grayson.” Rachel’s voice was low and careful, different from her usual false cheerfulness.
Intrigued, he met her stare. Her face was paler than normal, her lips were pinched together, and her red-rimmed eyes brimmed with tears. She was sad about something, which was rare. Gray hadn’t seen her cry since Hayes’s funeral, and never before that. The woman was good at controlling her emotions.
“You okay?” He reached for her but she stepped back.
“No. I’m not feeling well. Would you mind if I postponed dinner?” A tear ran down her cheek as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
“What’s wrong? Can I get you something?”
“No. I don’t want anything from you.”
“Okay.” This was interesting. Since when did timid Rachel talk like this? “What’s going on, then? Are you angry with me?” Maybe she’d found out about him losing his job.
“I’m not a virgin.” She blurted it out so fast, Gray had to rewind and replay the words in his head.
Then it hit him. She’s not a virgin.
He had to admit it wasn’t a huge surprise. Especially after seeing the type of guys she used to date. He teetered on his feet before asking, “Was it the piano pla
yer from the restaurant?”
More tears streamed down her face as she shook her head, leaving Gray feeling uneasy. Warily, he took a step toward her, but she backed away.
“It isn’t that big of a deal,” he said. “It’s not like it happened when we were together, right?” He watched as her body trembled. “Right?”
“I’m sorry, Grayson.”
Oh. Huh. “Okay. When did it happen?” His mind was numb, and he couldn’t think of anything else to say or feel. Should he be jealous? Angry?
Should he leave and never look back? His life plan was falling to pieces in the span of less than a day, and he had absolutely no control over it.
Rachel wept before him, pathetically. What the hell was wrong with her? The worst was said and done. He could forgive her and move on. That was possible. He had control over his own feelings, at least.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said, trying to comfort her. Did he really want to know who it was anyway? “Nobody’s perfect. Just say it was a mistake, and we can forget all about it.” Some of his plan could be salvaged, at any rate. He could tell her about losing his job and they’d be even. It would all work out.
“I can’t forget. I’ve tried, but he won’t leave me alone.”
“Who?” Gray tensed. If someone were threatening his fiancée, he’d kill him.
She sobbed. “It was Hayes. I slept with Hayes.”
“My brother?” Gray’s voice cracked as the air was sucked from his lungs. This couldn’t be true.
“I’m so sorry.”
He put a hand up. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t apologize to me. Hayes wouldn’t have done that to me. Why are you lying about this?” Hayes might have acted like a fool all his life, but he’d had values and a strong loyalty to Gray. The brothers had made a pact in high school that they would never let a woman get between them. Ever.
You don’t sleep with my girl and I won’t sleep with yours. Gray clearly remembered the words they’d said on a handshake one night after a party where Christie McCrery had attempted to play them against each other. The evening had almost ended in a fistfight between brothers, until they realized how stupid they were being by choosing a woman over each other.
“This is bullshit.”
“I’m telling the truth, Grayson. I understand if you want to cancel the wedding.” She placed her freezing cold hand on his forearm.
He stepped away from her grasp, thinking her touch might tip the scales of his shaky balance. His sanity. Anger and uncertainty raced through his veins, making him woozy.
“Rachel, if any part of this is true, not only do I not want to marry you, I never want to see you again. And Hayes? My God. I can’t believe it happened. You were never even alone with him.”
“When you were away on business.” She swiped at a tear. “He came over then.”
“The weekend before he died? Is that when you’re saying it happened?” His gut clenched. If his memory of Hayes could be any more distorted, she’d done her best to make it so.
With unsteady legs, he headed to the door.
“He wants me to tell you that he’s sorry and that he loves you,” she said before he could open the door.
Gray spun around. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s here, Grayson.” Her lips quivered. “He wanted me to tell you that.”
For a moment, Gray believed her. His heartbeat sped as he glanced around the room a few times and, of course, saw no one. Either his ex-fiancée was playing mind games, or she was going nuts.
“Get some help, Rachel,” he said as he walked out the door.
~ * ~
Gray stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway. The condo in downtown Indianapolis he’d purchased with Hayes five years ago was still his home. It seemed a lifetime ago they’d moved in. They were fresh out of college and ready to take on the worlds of business and women. Together, they were going to conquer both.
Too many memories.
Every day since the accident, Gray had told himself to sell the condo. Now that he’d lost his job and his fiancée, he didn’t see any other choice. He couldn’t afford the mortgage for this condo and the San Francisco loft he’d bought with his brother not long ago. The loft had been purchased with the dream of sailing the coast with Hayes, but the plan had been buried along with his twin. Now, Gray had to give up a residence, and since the loft was mostly paid for, he would move there.
A fresh start. He had power over that.
He was ready to leave behind this city and every bad memory it held—sweet, beautiful Rachel, who wasn’t so innocent after all. His loyal, fun-loving brother, who had been even more selfish than Gray remembered.
He clenched his jaw as he continued down the hall. Five doors down he stopped at his condo. His hands shook as he pulled the keys from his pocket.
Was it animosity or anguish surging through his body? They didn’t deserve either. They were the ones who made the mistake, not him.
“Fuck you, Hayes.” Gray slid the key into the lock, and as he did, a chill wrapped around his neck. He rubbed at it, paying it little attention, while he attempted to open the door. But the lock wouldn’t budge.
He yanked the key out and made sure it was the right one, then shoved it back in. Still the key wouldn’t turn. He grabbed the ice-cold doorknob and tried to twist it. Nothing. The building’s central air system was probably cranked to the max again, but how would that jam his lock?
After several more attempts with the key, Gray finally gave up. He’d need to call a locksmith and hopefully they would be open and willing to help at this hour. His watch said eight o’clock, but it felt like midnight. It had been a long bitch of a day, and he wanted nothing more than for it to end.
The sooner, the better.
He pulled out his cell phone, but it was dead…and cold. “Fuck.” He lost control, clenched the phone into his hand and punched the door with it. The phone screen cracked, and his knuckles throbbed with pain from slamming up against the hard wood.
“Problem, dude?” Gray’s new neighbor directly across the hall stuck his blond curly head out the door.
What was the guy’s name again? Gray couldn’t remember. The young college-aged kid had moved in—probably on his parent’s dime—about a month ago.
“Can I use your phone to call a locksmith? My lock is jammed.”
“Ah, that sucks, dude. Come on in.”
Gray followed the young guy into his condo. His place was smaller than Gray’s place, or maybe it just seemed that way, given a pool table took up most of the living room, and there were clothes, pizza boxes, and beer cans spread out everywhere. The kid treated his condo like a dorm room.
But Gray didn’t give a shit. His only goal was to get into his home, drop into bed, fall asleep...
And maybe dream of her.
The irony killed him. All he had left to look forward to was being with Sofia in his sleep, the same woman he’d pushed away. The woman who could make him forget everything with one touch.
“Here’s the phone.” The kid handed him a black cordless and sank into his beanbag in front of the big screen T.V.
“Thanks. Do you have a phone book?”
“Nah. Just 411 it. My old man pays for it.”
Figures.
“What does your father do?” Gray asked out of curiosity.
“Who fucking knows? He owns a lot of shit, like, DashAir. You know, that airline that has the airplanes all painted like taxicabs. Lame, huh? Hey, but if you ever want to get hooked up on a flight deal, come see me, dude. My ex-girlfriend flew to Cali for like a hundred bucks or some shit like that.”
Gray nodded, not wanting to pursue the conversation any further. He pressed the talk button and put the phone to his ear, but there wasn’t a dial tone. He hit the button again and it beeped several times.
“Ah, sorry, dude. That means it needs to be charged.”
“You got a cell?”
“Lost it this morning. My stepmom is su
pposed to be ordering me a new one. You can crash on my couch for tonight if you want.”
Another chill struck the back of Gray’s neck so hard, he couldn’t ignore it this time. “No. I gotta get out of here.” He hurried to the door, but stopped when a thought hit him. “You hear about any problems with the main AC?”
“Nah, dude. You?”
~ * ~
Gray dropped into his BMW and revved the engine. Thank God his car cooperated when nothing else in his life did. Maybe he’d go for a drive. He could find a hotel and straighten out everything in the morning.
Yeah, that was what he needed to do. Just find a bed somewhere and get some rest. If he had a friend left in the world he could go to them, but he had no one. Blood drained from his face at the realization. The emptiness left a hollow pit in his mind where numerous memories could hide, covered by a protective blanket of darkness. Memories he’d thought weren’t worth rehashing. There used to be a time when friends were abundant. But after Hayes died, Gray had let all his friendships perish as well.
Why return their phone calls when all they wanted to do was tell Gray how sorry they were?
Well, he didn’t want their pity.
Cold air burst from the air vents unexpectedly. Gray looked down at his hands that hadn’t moved from the steering wheel, or had they? Had he turned the air on without realizing it?
God, he needed some sleep. He shut the controls off and rolled down his window. The sun had set and the summer evening air had a comfortable breeze. The aroma was pleasing as well. It relaxed him.
Vanilla.
Sofia.
He inhaled the scent and laughed. The woman bewitched him, and he had no idea why. She wasn’t his usual type, but for some reason, as he drove down the highway, he longed for her. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Just kiss her.
Even though he’d done much more with her in those dreams.
Considering how he’d treated her and how she’d responded, Gray was sure he didn’t have a chance in hell to make any of those dreams come true. Not now. She was furious with him, and he deserved every bit of her anger.
Bewitching You Page 7