by Rita Herron
Only, where passion and ecstasy had glistened in her eyes last night, turmoil now stretched across her features. She looked miserable, which made him feel even more miserable. Hadn't she enjoyed their night together? He'd certainly thought so.
"This was a mistake," they said in unison.
"We shouldn't have, you know," Mimi said in a wobbly voice.
"It was my fault. I … I was only trying to comfort you about Joey—"
"You were trying to comfort me?"
He tried to think of a better way to phrase his concerns.
Then she threw him for a loop. "I was trying to comfort you over Hannah."
His mouth tightened. Had she made love to him out of some misguided pity? "I don't need your help getting over Hannah."
"And I don't need you giving me therapy over Joey."
"Fine, this … us … it won't happen again."
"Absolutely not."
"We'll act like it never happened."
"Right. And we won't tell anyone."
His temper flared. She'd never seemed secretive about that hood DeLito. Their public displays of affection had been almost embarrassing. "I'm certainly not going to advertise it."
She nodded. "You won't tell Hannah?" Genuine horror rang in her voice.
"Of course I won't tell Hannah. After all, I still have to work with her."
"And she's my sister."
Her chin wobbled as if she was on the verge of tears, and his gut clenched. He reached for her, the regret in his heart almost as dark as the look she gave him. "I'll check the weather conditions if you want to shower."
"Fine. Oh, and you might want to put some powder on that eye. It's a little blue." Mimi swept the wrinkled bridesmaid dress from the floor and stumbled toward the bathroom. Seth's stomach knotted as his body reacted, itching to go with her.
Of course he didn't move. He kept his feet glued to the floor. In fact, his fingers tightened around the empty condom packet. He'd been on the verge of discussing their possible problem when he'd seen her chin wobble. Maybe he'd save that conversation for the car. Once they were driving, she couldn't just run away.
* * *
Mimi prayed the soap and water and steam would clear her head and bring her back to her senses. As much as she didn't want to want Seth again, when she'd seen him standing there, all shirtless and long brawny limbs, tight-lipped and sad eyed, she'd wanted to wipe that tightness off his face and that sadness out of his eyes and make him remember how great the night had been. She wanted to make him laugh and purr her name in that husky voice he'd used in the wee hours of the morning.
But he thought their lovemaking was a mistake and so did she, and then there was Hannah, and oh, God…
Tears leaked from her eyes and she let them fall onto the shower floor, unable to stop the flood. She always seemed to be creating messes.
First, when she was little, she'd been so klutzy and messy she'd driven her own mother away. Grammy had said she was creative, and her father had laughed and bragged about her projects, but her mother had hated all the glue, glitter, paints, costumes and cooking disasters. She'd constantly complained, but Mimi had argued that her dad loved her impromptu shows, that he always ate her concoctions, no matter how bizarre they sounded. As a teenager, she'd brought home stray animals, and once she'd saved a turtle, but it smelled so badly her mother had gotten ill. Then her mother had walked out. And it was all her fault.
Her teenage years had been rocky, too—she'd bounced from one loser boyfriend to another. Then she'd dropped out of college to pursue an acting career. And this past year she'd hooked up with Joey. He'd seemed like a loner when he'd first come to Sugar Hill, and she'd fallen for his candy-coated compliments. She'd been so naive she hadn't known he was dating her to steal from her father. She'd put her father, his business and Hannah in danger because she'd been too impulsive and trusting.
And now she'd really lost her mind. She'd taken Hannah's ex-boyfriend to bed and actually imagined… No, she was not going to even entertain the possibility they might have a relationship. He had to get back to his analyzing and his stuffy family, and she had to return to her job as a manager of the café and practice for the audition.
Finally her tears subsided. She toweled off and yanked on the bridesmaid dress, feeling like a fool wearing a rumpled evening outfit at seven in the morning. Her only comfort was that no one would ever know she and Seth had been together.
Minutes later she patted her cheeks to put some color into them, and hoped Seth didn't notice her red, puffy eyes. He was completely dressed, his jacket buttoned to hide the tear in his slacks, his body as stiff as a marble wall as he stood by the door. He watched her steadily, his expression closed.
She lifted her chin and asked, "Ready?"
He nodded. "Mimi—"
"No, don't." She held up a warning had. "Nothing happened. And no one will ever know. Agreed?"
He hesitated and her heart did a strange pitter-patter. Finally he said in a low voice, "Agreed."
She nodded, wondering if the roads were clear enough to drive, but decided not to ask. They couldn't possibly stay in the hotel a moment longer. Determined not to become emotional, she opened the door, only to see a couple who looked exactly like Hannah and Jake walking down the hallway of the hotel. Their hushed voices drifted toward her from the elevator, and her stomach churned.
The couple was Hannah and Jake.
* * *
Chapter 5
« ^ »
Seth started to go into the hall, but Mimi yanked him back inside the room and slammed the door. Did she want to talk? Do something else? Had she changed her mind about not repeating their—
"Hannah and Jake are in the hall!"
"They're here?"
Mimi nodded, looking horrified. "I had no idea."
"Me, neither."
They leaned against the door as if to bar it in case Hannah had seen them and might come blasting through. Tension thrummed between them.
"I suppose they couldn't get to the airport because of the bad weather," Seth said, trying to think logically.
"The flights were probably canceled."
"And the roads going to the interstate were closed."
"And this was the only hotel with a vacancy."
Their gazes caught, and he noticed Mimi's puffy and swollen eyes. "Good Lord, you've been crying. What's wrong?" He was so shocked his knees wobbled. Hannah hadn't been the emotional type, and neither was his mother. Of course when some of his patients got hysterical, he prescribed sedatives for them. But he couldn't offer Mimi sedatives, not with the possibility of a pregnancy.
She quickly averted her gaze. "I just felt sappy with Hannah getting married and Mom coming back, and I'm having PMS and … sex relieves tension."
He couldn't help but smile at her blunt honesty. Tenderness for her filled him. Hannah had been only nine when her mother deserted them, so Mimi would have been seven. It must have been a traumatic time for all of them. "How do you feel about your mother's return?"
"Stop with the shrink stuff, already." With a stubborn glare, she grabbed the doorknob. "I wonder if they've gone."
The scent of her perfume clung to her dress, tormenting him with reminders of their evening together, but her perfect pink mouth was pressed into a tight line, and her posture clearly indicated she wanted distance between them. She obviously was even more concerned about Hannah knowing they'd slept together than he was. He felt stung. "You want us to leave separately and meet at the car?"
"That's probably a good idea."
He nodded tightly. "All right. You go ahead. I'll meet you in about five minutes."
Her dress swished noisily as she pulled open the door and peered out. When the coast was clear, she darted into the hallway, dangling her pink heels in one hand, yanking at the drooping bodice of the dress with the other, then bypassed the elevator and hurried into the stairwell. He glanced out the window and finally saw her emerge from the hotel a few minutes later. She s
topped, leaned against a post and stuffed her feet into her shoes. Wobbling on her heels, she wove through the trees bordering the hotel like a thief in the night and headed toward his Lexus at a dead run.
* * *
Mimi leaned against the car to catch her breath while she glanced around the crowded lot, grateful for the trees bordering the property. She didn't think anyone had seen her, although she'd noticed a couple of reporters in the lobby, obviously interviewing stranded motorists for a story on the blizzard. Thank heavens they hadn't spotted her.
Seconds later Seth walked down the snow-dusted drive, his hands in his pockets, his face stoic as he gazed around at the ice-heavy branches of the trees. He looked handsome and calm and totally in control. Unaffected by their night together. The complete opposite of her.
Damn him.
He hit the release on his key and opened the door for her—a real gentlemen—and she scooted under his arm and practically dived into the car. He climbed in, switched on the ignition and turned to look at her. "I don't think anyone saw us together."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
He turned on the radio, then pulled down the drive. "I stopped at the desk to ask about the roads. Apparently the plows were out early, so I think we can get through."
"We have to," Mimi said, her skirt crinkling noisily as she twisted the material in her lap.
Several minutes passed, tension building as they slowly wound down the mountain road. A few icy patches looked hazardous, and Mimi held her breath as Seth expertly steered the car around them. When they finally turned onto the interstate, he cleared his throat.
"We have to talk," he said in a dark voice.
"I think we already said everything we need to say."
"I don't think so." He reached into his pocket and lay an empty foil packet in the middle of the console, the shiny paper glowing like a red neon sign.
Mimi instantly reached out her hand to cover it as if the few people daring enough to brave the roads this morning could see into the car and would know exactly what had transpired between them. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to tell you something."
"I know what they are," Mimi said through gritted teeth.
"Did you take a count of how many we used?"
"What? You mean did I count the number of times we… Well, no. But it was a lot." She was sore in spots where she had never been sore before.
He clenched his hands around the steering wheel. "Well, I did. And I came up short."
Of course he would count. He was practical, logical, rational Seth Broadhurst. Mimi felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as she realized the direction of his conversation—the topic was much more frightening than the icy roads. "You mean we … forgot one time?"
"I believe it was in the Jacuzzi."
"All those bubbles…" Mimi said, distracted by the memory. "We were so carried away…"
"I've never gotten carried away and forgotten before." He rubbed a hand along his neck, sounding disgusted. She wasn't sure if it was because he'd gotten carried away or because they'd forgotten or because of the possible consequences. His hand snaked over hers. "You will let me know if anything happens, won't you, Mimi?"
"I … it'll be fine. I'm … I'm sure."
He shot her an uncertain look.
"Well, almost sure. I told you I was PMSing."
His eyes darkened. "I will take full responsibility if … you know, if something happens."
Of course he would take responsibility, whether he liked it or not. Noble, nice, responsible Seth, exactly as Hannah had always described, except for the sex part. Hannah—dear God, what would she tell her sister if she wound up pregnant with Seth's baby? "Nothing is going to happen."
He arched a brow at her clipped tone. "Just promise me you'll tell me."
Mimi dropped her head into her hands, a headache pinching at her temples. "But you don't want kids."
"Neither do you."
"I won't get pregnant."
He said nothing, simply stared at her. "Promise me you'll tell me, anyway."
Mimi sighed. "Okay. But it's not going to happen." The memory of her hope chest floated through her mind—the baby blanket and rattle.
She clutched her stomach, feeling nauseous. No, the items in her hope chest had been placed there by mistake, just like the incredible night with Seth had been a mistake. Neither one meant anything. They weren't an omen of the future as Hannah's hope chest had been. Her future involved acting and TV and … other men.
As soon as she returned to Sugar Hill, to her own apartment with her dog and cat, everything would return to normal. She'd simply hit the fast erase button in her mind. And nobody would ever have to know she and Seth had spent the night together.
* * *
"Is this what I think it is?"
Mimi stared in horror at the newspaper Alison held in her hands. A color photo showed her and Seth, looking dreamy-eyed and glued together as they headed toward their hotel room. At least the story wasn't on the front page. And she and Seth weren't really the focus of the picture; they were actually in the background. Obviously the reporter had been interviewing a couple from New Jersey stranded on their way to the beach, and he'd caught them in the photo.
So much for nobody finding out she and Seth had been together.
"Mimi, is it?"
"Er … no, not exactly."
Alison plopped onto Mimi's bright yellow U-shaped sofa with a paper bag, then pulled out bagels and coffee. "What does that mean?"
Mimi scratched her dog's ears while she scanned the article. Some stranded guests had spent the night in a local school caféteria, others at churches, when they couldn't find hotels. The reporter listed the couples' names. At least he hadn't identified her or Seth.
"Come on, you might as well tell me," Alison said matter-of-factly. "Maybe I can help cushion things for Dad."
"He's going to freak and think I'm totally irresponsible, especially after I was so stupid with Joey."
"Are you going to tell Hannah?" Alison sighed and stirred sugar into her coffee. Mimi left hers unsweetened and tore off a tiny piece of bagel for Wrangler, her pug, and another piece for Esmereldo, the stray cat she'd taken in the week before. "No, I don't want Hannah to find out. Since she's out of town, maybe she won't see it."
Alison studied her and Mimi squirmed. "Oh, my gosh. You actually slept with him, didn't you?"
Mimi nodded miserably, the horror of what she'd done escalating. "It … it just happened. One minute I was comforting him over losing Hannah and he was talking to me about Joey, then he started looking at me funny, all hot and sexy and different, and I challenged him to dance because I didn't think he would, and he did. And it was dark and he's actually quite muscular under those suits, and the music was so romantic and he was so tender, exciting kind of tender, not like Joey, and he isn't boring like I thought he'd be."
Alison blew into her coffee. "Good Lord, Mimi."
"I know." Mimi moaned and folded her legs Indian-style on the couch. "It was because we were stranded, sharing those close quarters. We tried to get two rooms, honest."
"I thought you didn't even like Seth. Remember the things you said to Hannah when she was engaged to him? That she might be dreaming about sleeping with another man because Seth wasn't the kind of man to elicit fantasies."
"I know." Mimi dropped her head forward into her hand. "But he was different last night. Way different."
They sat silently, sipping their coffee. Alison tore a bagel in half and offered part of it to Mimi, but Mimi declined, her throat too full of disgust to swallow food.
"So are you two an item now?"
Mimi nearly spilled her coffee on Esmereldo. "No. We agreed it was a mistake. It won't happen again." She shuddered. "But it gets worse, Ali. Jake and Hannah were at the hotel."
"Did they see you?"
"No, I ducked out a side door and Seth followed later."
Alison sighed. "Good. Not that I don't
want you to be happy if you want Seth, sis, but it is kind of awkward since he and Hannah were almost married."
"Don't you think I know that? I still can't believe I actually did the wild thing with him."
Alison arched a brow, her mouth quirked sideways. "So it was wild, huh?"
Mimi grinned in spite of herself. "Wilder than I'd ever imagined."
"Hmm. Then maybe you should go out with him and see where this thing goes. Maybe—"
"No, we've never dated each other's boyfriends before."
"Seth is an ex-boyfriend."
"Ex or not, we've never done that and I don't intend to start." Mimi gestured toward the photograph. "Do you think anyone will recognize us? I mean, I do have my back to the camera, and you can't really see Seth's face that clearly."
"You're right. I recognized you because of the dress."
Mimi felt glum again. "Yeah, that bridesmaid dress is pretty obvious."
"But look on the bright side. Hannah's out of town on her honeymoon and won't be back until next week, so she won't see the paper. By then, the news will be old."
Mimi nodded. "Maybe Dad won't read the paper, either."
"Dad always reads the paper. He's compulsive about checking his new ad for the week."
"Great. He'll probably knock on the door any minute."
"Maybe he'll be so busy at work he won't have time. And I think he was meeting Mom for lunch."
"What's that all about?"
Alison shrugged. "I don't know. I still can't believe she came to the wedding."
"I'm glad for Hannah's sake, but it was a shock," Mimi said, shifting restlessly. "Did you talk to her?"
"No." Alison picked at a chipped fingernail, looking troubled. "At least, I tried not to. But she made it a point to catch me in the corner."
"She tried to do the same to me, but I cracked a joke and escaped. What did she want?"
"You won't believe it."
"What?"
"She's setting up a law practice here in Sugar Hill."
Mimi's heart raced. "She's moving here permanently?"