“Can you tell him that April’s here, please.” Not one to normally back down, April was having all kinds of trouble linking this woman to David and then it hit her. The ex-girlfriend was here! “You’re Elise, aren’t you?”
Elise leaned on the door frame, the smile breaking to show off whiter than white teeth. “How sweet, the darling has been talking about me. Yes, I’m Elise, his fiancé. And you are who, again?”
“April.”
“He hasn’t mentioned you but then we don’t have time to chat about the locals. Poor man is too busy begging me to come back and save him from loneliness. I’ve been in Seattle working but now I’m here so perhaps we will see more of each other, April.” She looked down at the carry bag. “What’s this?”
“Dinner.”
“Oh, the darling man. How thoughtful of him to order in for us on our first night together after being apart for so long. He always did do sweet things like this. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be home finally.” She reached out and took the bag before April could stop her. “Thank you so much, April. I’ll be sure to tell him you delivered it personally.” Elise swung around, stepped inside, and shut the door in April’s face.
She stood there, stunned. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. In her mind, David would throw open the door, wrap her in his arms and beg forgiveness for being such an idiot and she’d hold him tightly and tell him she was as much to blame for leading him on.
None of that was going to happen. If she ever saw Dr. David Morrison again, she’d be very tempted to run over him and not stop. Perhaps even reverse and do it again for good measure. How dare he have his fiancé here when he’d been courting April, or at least making noises of courting her. More furious than heartbroken, April turned on her heel and stomped back to her van. When she got home, she ripped off the white dress, pulled on her favorite overalls and grabbed her dog before heading off on a very fast, blow it out her ears, walk along the shoreline.
For once, she thought she’d found the perfect man. Sure, he needed a little encouragement to stay in town and she had to tone down some of her own habits to please him but nobody was perfect. Love and happily-ever-after was a two-way street after all. And she had been ready to go there. Lucky the lights were red and she’d found out the real story before she committed to the rascal.
April couldn’t believe she’d been that ready to change and for what? A cheating, lying, no good, conniving man when she should have known better. April prided herself on seeing people as they truly were and she never picked up on his double crossing ways. Not an inkling of his true nature. She must be slipping and that wasn’t a good thought.
She was an idiot of the highest order and she only had herself to blame.
*
“David, I’ve had an offer on the business.” Tommy’s voice rang out over the line.
Just as well he was sitting down. “Really? Wow, I’d almost given up hope of selling to be honest.”
“I did, too, but this offer came out of the blue.” He cleared his throat. “The price is what you were asking but there’s a stipulation you may not like. The buyer wants you to stay on for at least twelve months.”
“But that wasn’t what I wanted. I was hoping for a clean break.” He leaned back in his chair, toying with the pen on his desk.
“I understand and I’ve told the interested party that it may not be possible. They replied that the deal hinged on your willing participation.”
David groaned. The first offer he’d had and it came with the worst possible clause to it. “How long do I have to consider the offer?”
“They’d like an answer as soon as possible. I’ve got them to agree to a week.” Tommy sighed. “I’m sorry you want to leave, David. You’re doing a great job with your father’s practice and the townsfolk adore you. Are you sure we can’t convince you to stay?”
David pinched the skin between his eyes and wished he could open up to him like he could to his own father. “Tommy, aren’t you supposed to be trying to encourage me to sell? That’s your job.”
Tommy laughed. “You know I’ve never been a hard sell kind of man. Listen, David. It isn’t always about money with me. I’ve been so close to losing my life that I’ve had time to think seriously about life and what it means. You know that. What I’m trying to say is this – sometimes life has a funny way of working out. It might not be what we expect but that isn’t always a bad thing. You’ve settled yourself in quite well here. People trust you to take care of them. What happens if you sell? What are you going to do?”
“I’d thought of going back to Seattle and applying to the clinic I worked at before Dad got sick. My plan was to go back there if they’ll take me.”
“Can you say with certainty that you want to go back?” There was a pause on the phone as he let his words settle in. “You seemed so at ease here that I guess I hoped you’d want to stay. It’s hard getting a doctor out here with your skills and personality, David. And I’m not trying to guilt trip you or anything. I just want you to understand how much you mean to the people of Cherry Lake.”
“I appreciate it, Tommy.”
“I’ll email that contract offer over to you this afternoon. Let me know what you want to do about it. And if you need anyone to bounce ideas off, I’m always here for you.” The agent hung up.
David sat there for the longest time thinking about what he’d said. Did the city really hold more appeal than general practice in a small town anymore? It wasn’t as though he needed the money or the prestige that went with the position in Seattle. Nor did he relish the idea of trying to find his niche after being away from it for so long. So what was it that was drawing him back to the city? When he put his mind to it, he couldn’t think of a damned thing.
Arriving home to find his ex standing at his door didn’t do much for his mood. “Why are you here, Elise?”
“Darling, I missed you.” She walked over to him, raised a hand to stroke his chin.
David backed away, the thought of her touch making his skin crawl. What did he ever see in her? “I don’t want you here.”
“You don’t mean that, David. It’s pain making you say that and I’m so sorry for making you wait for so long. I know you still love me.” She licked her lips in what could only be described as a sexy move. Once it would have made him quiver, but not anymore. “I made a mistake, I’ll admit it. I never should have let you go, taken the job over you. It was a silly thing to do and now I’m here to make it better.” She advanced on him again, a predatory smile on her perfectly painted lips.
“You’re wasting your time. I got over you ages ago.” He walked over to the couch and pulled off his tie, for the first time believing it was true. “Please leave.”
“You can’t push me out, David. I have nowhere to go tonight and I won’t risk driving back to Seattle until after I have a rest. That’d be asking for an accident to happen.”
“I’m sure there’s a room available somewhere in town.”
“Apparently not. Something to do with a quaint festival or some such rot.” She sank down onto a chair and watched him. “I admit I made a mistake just when you needed me most. I’m very sorry about your father.”
“Thank you, but that’s in the past, as is our relationship. I’ve moved on, Elise. I’m not the same person anymore.”
She bounced to her feet, a hopeful smile on her face and came toward him. “Oh, David. I’m so pleased to hear that. Neither am I. I’ve had time to think about my life and the future I want. I bet we both want the same things now. We were always so in tune with each other.”
“Hardly. You wanted to be the one counting the dollars, owning the business. I wanted to be the one helping people, something you couldn’t understand. We’re nothing alike and I can see that now.” He walked into the kitchen, brushing past her as she hovered ready to pounce on him. “I want you to leave, there’s nothing for you here.” A vaguely familiar bag sat on the kitchen counter. “What’s this?”
He brushed her off. “You don’t get it do you? I don’t want you here, I don’t want you back, and I didn’t order a romantic dinner for two.” It would seem that April had that idea though, and now she was probably running into Pierce’s arms to be consoled. What a monumental mess. How on earth was he going to fix this?
“But who would bring us dinner if you didn’t order it?” She stared at him, her face blank. For someone so bright, she couldn’t imagine he would have a life after she’d dumped him.
“Never mind. Stay in the spare room then, but you leave in the morning, Elise. I don’t want you here, understood?”
“But, darling…”
“If you don’t leave, I’ll throw you out.” He picked up his car keys and walked to the front door.
“I’m not giving you up that easy, David.”
He looked at her with pity, a bitter smile on his lips. “You already did.”
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m sorry to dump this on you, Mother, but I need a bed for the night. Is it okay if I come over and sleep in my old room?” How degrading, having to ask if you can have your childhood bed but it was better than staying in the house with Elise and he wouldn’t foist her on his worst enemy. He couldn’t bear to be around her either.
“Oh, darling. Um, of course you can. I’m on my way out for dinner but you’re more than welcome. You know that.” Her voice sounded uncomfortable somehow. Her words clipped more than usual.
“If it’s inconvenient I can go elsewhere. I don’t want to intrude.” He also didn’t want to see who she was dating just yet either. Coming face-to-face with the man who was replacing his father wasn’t a good idea at this point in time especially when he couldn’t get his own love life together.
“Don’t be silly, darling. Come over, I’m not leaving for half an hour anyway. You can tell me what’s going on.”
Ten minutes later, he was sitting on the familiar couch pouring his heart out to his mother.
“I don’t know what to do. I made the mistake of walking out on April because I thought she was getting too chummy with Pierce, and never called her to apologize, and then she came over with a meal she’d cooked to make up with me and what happens? Elise is there trying to worm her way back into my life, which scared April off.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve got some explaining to do.”
“Oh, I know that. The thing is, how on earth will I get her to believe me anyway?”
“Well, I suggest you take the evening to think about what you really want, David. If you still have feelings for Elise, it would be cruel to drag April along. She’s a lovely girl and I like her enormously. But if you want to go back to what you had, well, Elise is here and obviously ready to recommit from the sound of it. I hardly think leaving things for one night will change anything.”
“I don’t get it, though. Why would Elise come back now professing to love me when she couldn’t bear the thought of being here before? All she ever wanted was to own a string of family practices, rake in the money and scoffed at the idea of being a local doctor’s wife. I’m hardly going to move back to Seattle now. My life is here, I get that now. My future is here and that’s not going to change.”
“Maybe she’s had a taste of what she wanted and found it was bitter on her tongue. Maybe she has a secret to hide, perhaps she’s not as good as she thought she was, who knows.”
“You could be right. Compared to April who isn’t scared to put herself on display, warts and all.” And he’d blown it.
“Such a loving soul, too. You could do far worse, David.” His mother patted his hand and stood up.
“But we’re so different. I keep thinking that’s a recipe for disaster as much as it pains me.”
“David! Really? Have you forgotten how different your father and I were? Do you not remember the arguments we had over music or art and then the laughter of making up? You’re already so in love with her and you can’t see it.”
“No, you’re wrong. It’s not going to work out between us.”
She gathered up her handbag and blew him a kiss. “Help yourself to whatever you want. There’s plenty of food in the refrigerator. And don’t wait up for me!” She giggled and hurried out.
A sense of loss washed over him as she closed the front door. Life seemed to be around the wrong way at the moment.
David sat on the couch until the light began to fade thinking about his situation. He didn’t want Elise back. She’d let him know what he meant to her and it wasn’t very much. Nobody wanted to come second best to a career. He wanted the woman he loved to value him over everything else, just as he would feel for her. And he didn’t want to sell the business.
No matter how much he tossed things over in his mind, the face he kept seeing belonged to the wild-eyed girl with flowers in her hair. The kind eyes, the wide bright smile, and vivid personality. April was all the things he didn’t think he wanted in a wife but knew he couldn’t live without. The big thing was, how on earth would he be able to fix things with her? It would take some thinking and he had all night to do it.
He got up and headed down to his room, hoping a spark on enthusiasm would trigger an idea. Sadly, the single bed with the shelf over it holding his basketball trophies didn’t inspire anything other than a burst of despair. Something his mother said irked him. Maybe she has a secret to hide or she isn’t as good as she thought she was.
David grabbed his cell phone and called an old work colleague. They chatted about mundane things for a moment and then he got to the reason for his call. “Michael, do you remember Elise?”
“Who could forget her? Steamroller on steroids that one. Don’t know how on earth you held her in check. Always after the big prize if I recall correctly.”
“Yes, she was.” And it still hurt.
“Hey, didn’t you try to get her to move down and do general practice in your old hometown with you?”
“She turned me down and that’s when we broke up. She always wanted to own the practices while I wanted to work them.” He glanced out the window, saw the moon throwing very little light over his mother’s front yard. The darkness matched his present mood.
“She might well change her tune now then, after what happened.” Michael laughed. “That’s if you can look past her ‘exploits,’ that is.”
David almost dreaded asking but he’d called for a reason. “Tell me what she did.”
“Pretty much slept her way into the top job after you left. Became manager of the practice. Last I heard she was asked to leave because of an affair with one of the other guys. He asked her to leave before it got any worse. They didn’t want the embarrassment.”
David dropped to the bed, horrified. “Seriously?”
“Yes, deadly. I don’t know what she thought she’d achieve but it didn’t get her anywhere except into hot water with the powers that be. The man in question’s wife is on the board of the company that owns a string of clinics. What a debacle.”
“Crap.”
“What’s going on, David? You’re not thinking of hiring her are you? Or worse still, getting involved again?”
His stomach churned and he had to take a few deep breaths to ward off the nausea. “No. No, not at all. I wouldn’t even consider it.”
“Good. We hardly need to remind you of the stress she caused you already. Find a nice local girl and settle down. Its time you got serious and stopped being so hard to please.” Michael’s voice burned into his brain.
“Is that what you think?”
“If I wasn’t a good friend, I wouldn’t be saying this but take a look
at yourself. When Elise got her claws into you, you turned into a frump, an old man. I know you were always set in your ways but, heck, she really stomped the joy out of you.”
The sad part was, it was true. He’d put it down to work and determination to get where he was knowing that to please Elise he’d have to work harder and be stronger. Be more resilient and more focused. And along the way he’d turned into a dull copy of his former self. It’d taken April to make him see that life was to be enjoyed.
“You’re right. Even my own mother’s trying to push me into a relationship.” He moaned and glanced in the bedroom mirror. Dull and boring. What on earth had April seen in him? “I appreciate your advice and thanks for the info on Elise. I’ll deal with her first thing in the morning.”
“So she has come crawling back trying to you. I might have guessed that’s where she went. Don’t fall for her, David. You’ll live to regret it.”
“I know I will.” He had to deal with her before she got her claws into the community and his friends. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem and, David, don’t leave it so long before you call me again. I miss hearing how things are going.”
“Sure, thanks, Michael.”
Next he tried calling April. He needed to apologize and beg her forgiveness. The thought of her coming over to bring him dinner gave him a warm feeling inside he didn’t want to lose. Bad luck her running into Elise. The phone went to voice mail then hung up. He tried again, hoping she would pick up but she didn’t. He left her a message begging for a return call.
He lay back on his bed and stared at the luminous stars flickering on his ceiling that his father had put up for him when he was a child and wished he was young enough to believe in the power of wishes.
*
April couldn’t sleep. She’d tossed and turned most of the night and it was before the break of dawn that she found herself sitting on the floor at the open window of her bedroom, her chin on her hands, and Hamish leaning against her, gazing out at the street.
The Moore Sisters of Montana: The Complete Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 46