Breaking His Rules (Feeling the Heat #4) (15 page)

Coward?

How did she figure that? From where he sat, it wasn’t cowardly to care about maintaining his professional reputation, or ensuring his business grew and thrived. Hell, being successful was the American way.

What will you miss out on?

Jake stared at the concrete wall in front of him. A year ago that question had an easy answer. Tonight? Not so much.

* * *

The second Melissa walked into the townhouse and flipped on the lights Chester jumped off his favorite spot on the sofa and darted toward her. “Happy to see me?” she asked as he brushed up against her calves and meowed. “Someone’s in a lovey-dovey mood.” She smiled as she closed the door and set her purse and Paige’s keys on the table right next to it. “Come here, buddy,” she said as she bent over and scooped Chester into her arms.

Moving to the living room, she sank down on the sofa and let Chester settle on her lap. Absently stroking his soft fur, her dark mood brightened a tad as he began to purr. “You’re lucky you’re a cat. No messy relationship stuff for you,” she said, then let her head fall back against the cushion. She stared at the ceiling fan that whirled around over her head and refused to give in to the dry sob that had burned in the back of her throat ever since she left Jake standing in the Timbers parking lot staring after her.

She would never see him again. Her choice. But the only one she could make if she didn’t want her heart to stay stuck in a perpetual state of broken. After their steamy interlude tonight, it would be a big mistake to continue training with him. The attraction between them was too potent, and it seemed that all he had to do was touch her and she lost all self-control. Her cheeks burned at the thought of how eager she’d been to feel his mouth and tongue between her legs. And in a public parking lot, no less.

Quitting Jake would be like trying to stop eating chocolate. Damn near impossible. But unlike chocolate, she couldn’t partake in tiny doses of Jake. She was too greedy for that. She wanted all of him. Heart, body and mind.

Blinking back the tears blurring her vision, Melissa blew out a breath and lifted her head from the cushion. The movement caused Chester to lift his yellow-green eyes to hers. “At least I’ve got you,” she whispered. A tear spilled down her cheek as he softly meowed and nuzzled his head against her palm.

As she wiped the moisture from her cheek, she noticed the stack of mail Paige had left on the coffee table. On the top of the stack was a letter with the logo of
Get Healthy Sacramento
in the upper left-hand corner. “I just renewed my subscription,” she murmured with a frown and, holding Chester steady so she wouldn’t squeeze him, she leaned forward and grabbed the envelope with her fingertips. After she’d managed to open the envelope without disrupting Chester, she pulled out the paper inside, unfolded it and began to read:

Dear Ms.
Atherton
,

Congratulations!
Out of hundreds of submissions
,
you and four other lucky readers of Get Healthy Sacramento have been chosen to be profiled in our annual transformational issue.
My assistant
,
Suzanne Lyn
,
will contact you within the week to set up an appointment for both the interview and the photo shoot.

If you should have any questions
,
please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely
,

Heidi Campbell

Editor—Get Healthy Sacramento

“Wow.” Melissa glanced down at Chester. “I forgot all about this,” she said and, unable to stop smiling, she reread the letter. Even after the second reading, she still couldn’t believe she’d been one of the lucky few selected out of so many readers. What the heck had Jake submitted that persuaded the magazine to choose her?

Tossing the letter on the cushion beside her, she gathered an annoyed Chester into her arms and hugged him. “I can’t wait to tell Jake,” she said, and enthusiastically kissed a squirming Chester on the top of his head. Just as quickly as it arose, her excitement faded. She wouldn’t be calling Jake. Not now. Not ever. She’d thank him in the interview and that would be that.

* * *

“I know it’s late,” Jake said with an apologetic grin as his sister-in-law opened the front door of the Tudor home she and J.T. shared in a neighborhood not far from his.

Angie waved her hand and offered him a warm smile. “Are you kidding? When you have a baby, this isn’t late. Jordan finally fell asleep and I was about to make myself some tea. Would you like some?” She peered at him with concern. “Actually, you look like you could use something stronger.”

“I’ll take some coffee, if it’s not too much trouble,” he said, and brushed past her as she pulled the door wider.

“It’s no trouble at all.” She closed the door and gave him a quick hug. “I have one of those coffee machines that makes one cup at a time.” Angie looped her arm around his and smiled up at him. “Come with me and tell me your troubles.”

“Troubles?” he asked as they made their way through the comfortable living room and toward the kitchen. As usual, the scent of cinnamon and spices filled the air and made his mouth water. Knowing Angie, she’d probably been baking earlier in the day. She’d told him many times how much it relaxed her.

“How do you know I have troubles?” He followed her into the kitchen, slid onto one of the wooden stools on the far side of the island and watched as she put water on for her tea, then pulled a coffee cartridge from a canister sitting on the granite countertop. “Maybe I just dropped by to say hi.”

Angie turned from the cupboard and placed her hands on her hips. “At ten thirty?” She flashed a sardonic grin.

“Okay. Fine.” He set his keys on the counter and folded his arms in front of him. He glanced at the clear glass cookie jar. “Are those chocolate chip?”

“Yes. And you can have some with your coffee.”

Less than ten minutes later, he sat across from Angie at the kitchen table and polished off one of the homemade cookies she’d put on a plate between them. “How come J.T. isn’t as big as a house?” he asked, truly mystified as to how his brother could eat everything Angie baked and not weigh four hundred pounds.

Angie chuckled as she shrugged her slim shoulders. “I have no clue. He’s the human garbage disposal, but nothing he eats turns to fat. Maybe it’s all the working out. Or maybe he’s one of the lucky ones.”

J.T.
was
lucky. He had a wife he adored, a daughter he was crazy about and a career most guys would kill for. Jake wrapped his fingers around his warm coffee mug and met Angie’s brilliant blue eyes. Despite her unorthodox introduction into the Sawyer family, Angie fit in so seamlessly he sometimes found it hard to believe she’d only been a part of their lives for less than a year.

“When’s he due home?”

Angie pushed back her mass of curly dark hair and then picked up her mug. “He’s flying in with the team on Sunday night.” She took a tentative sip of her tea. “Monday’s an off day so we’ll get to spend some time together before the series with the Mets. I’m driving to the city Sunday morning with Jordan. We’ll stay in the condo with him until he leaves for the next road trip.”

Jake absently tapped a finger against the side of his cup. “Do you mind that? Staying at the condo, I mean.”

“Not at all. I love the city and it gives me a chance to see my sister.”

“What’s up with your mom?” Jake asked, and uttered a silent prayer of thanks to the man upstairs Sharon Sawyer wasn’t anything like Angie’s shrew of a mother.

“Things are improving.” She set her cup down and pinned him with her perceptive blue eyes. “You didn’t come over here to talk about my mother. What’s going on?” She waited for him to answer. When he didn’t, she forged ahead. “It’s Melissa, isn’t it?”

Now that he was here, Jake wondered if telling Angie the whole story would change anything. Probably not, but instead of going home, he’d headed here. Perhaps he needed a friendly shoulder, or maybe some sisterly advice. And Angie was excellent at both.

“I hurt her, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do.”

“What happened?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He waved a dismissive hand. “The bottom line is she’s quitting the gym and looking for another personal trainer.”

“I’m sorry, Jake,” she said, her tone sympathetic. “Is there anything I can do?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m not even sure why I came over here. I know I did the right thing. I can’t fraternize with my clients.”

“You don’t look so sure to me.” Her eyes softened. “And Melissa isn’t just any client, is she?”

“No,” Jake admitted. “She said I was a coward. That I care more about what people think than I do about my own happiness.”

“Is that true?”

He pondered her question for a few seconds. “I never thought so. Not until she said it.”

“Look, I know from personal experience how easy it is to let something that happened in the past skewer your entire thought process. I believed all ball players were like my father so when J.T. came along, I wouldn’t give him the time of day. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant from that one-night stand we had, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you today. I’d be holed up in my apartment in San Francisco, miserable and alone. I don’t want that for you.”

“It’s more complicated than that, Ange.”

“Do you care about her?”

I’m in love with her.
“Yes.”

“Then before you let her walk out of your life for good, you need to think about what’s going to make you happy. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.”

* * *

An hour later, after he’d left Angie and J.T.’s house and had taken Max and Mikey—who in their short time together, had become great pals—for a short walk around the neighborhood, Jake was propped up against the headboard of his bed, sorting through his mail. On any other late Thursday evening, he’d already be asleep. But with all the conflicting thoughts bouncing around in his brain, sleep had been hard to come by. This wasn’t the first time thoughts of Melissa had kept him awake. And it probably wouldn’t be the last.

As he sifted through the junk mail and a few bills, he paused at the sight of the
Get Healthy Sacramento
logo on one of the envelopes. It didn’t look like a renewal notice, and since he’d been expecting a reply regarding his submission of Melissa for the transformational issue, he ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

When he finished reading it, all he could think about was how excited Melissa would be when she got the news. Maybe she also received a letter today and already knew. Jake looked at the letter again and reread the portion that pertained to him.

One last time.
He would see her one last time and then never again. When she’d driven away from him at Timbers tonight, it was as if someone had plunged a knife in his gut and slowly twisted it. With every fiber of his being he’d wanted to go after her. But then the image of the Denise debacle flashed in his mind and he couldn’t make himself do it.

Perhaps Melissa was right. Maybe he
was
a coward.

Chapter Fifteen

Melissa gaped at the television and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “No. She can’t be dead,” she said, and watched as her favorite soap opera character Shay McKade Madison lay unmoving on her ex-lover’s ornate Persian rug with a gunshot wound in her chest. “I knew it!” she exclaimed as the camera panned to the doorway and there stood Shay’s archrival Cassie Cabot at the threshold holding a gun and wearing a triumphant smile. “That bitch.” Melissa groaned as the scene faded to black and the preview scenes for Monday’s episode of
A
New Dawn
came on.

“Talk about a cliffhanger. I knew Cassie was unhinged when she kidnapped Shay’s baby, but now she’s gone stark raving mad,” Melissa said, looking at Chester, who was curled up on the overstuffed chair cattycorner from the sofa. “What do you think, Chester? Will Shay die? I haven’t read anywhere that Kayla Maxwell is leaving the show.” Chester stared at her with his usual bored expression. Melissa shook her head and hit the save button on the DVR remote so Paige could watch the show when she got home from the shooting range. They’d been
A
New Dawn
fans for years and rarely missed an episode.

After shutting off the TV, Melissa stared at the now dark screen with unseeing eyes. When was the last time she’d watched television on a Sunday afternoon? Not since that first Sunday about a month after she’d joined Jake’s Joint and found the courage walk into the afternoon kickboxing class Jake had repeatedly encouraged her to participate in. From that day on, Sunday kickboxing had been a regular and fun way to get her activity in on the weekend. But now that Jake’s Joint was history, she had to come up with an alternate plan. Mid-morning she’d stowed her bike in the back of her mini-SUV and driven to Carmichael, a small suburb that bordered Sacramento to the East, and after parking in the Five Points parking lot, she hopped on her bike and took a long leisurely ride along the American River Parkway Bike Trail. Winding along the American River, the bike trail could be called a rural retreat in the middle of suburbia. With its views of the river, the huge old trees and a multitude of wildflowers, the trail was a magnet for not only cyclists, but walkers and runners of all ages.

This morning though, her ride wasn’t as relaxing as usual. Instead of admiring the natural beauty along the trail, all she thought about was Jake. While a part of her understood the reasons why he couldn’t pursue a relationship with her, the emotional part of her was hurt that he didn’t care enough about her to reconsider his stance. Maybe if Denise hadn’t humiliated him at the reception things might be different. But she had, and for Jake the experience caused the nightmare he thought he’d put behind him to resurface with a vengeance.

Just then the doorbell rang, startling both her and Chester. Melissa set the remote on the coffee table and got to her feet. She wasn’t expecting any visitors and because Paige had warned her never to open the door without knowing who was on the other side, she put her eye to the security peephole and swore softly under her breath. What was
he
doing here?

“Paige isn’t here,” she told Nate Simmons after she’d unlocked the door and opened it.

The corners of Nate’s mouth kicked upward with a smarmy smile. “Who said I came to see Paige?” He placed a hand on the doorframe and leaned in with a wolfish gleam in his eyes. “After our chance meeting the other night, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” His lascivious gaze raked slowly down her body, then back up. “I thought maybe we could hang out.”

“Hanging out” was code for hooking up to guys like Nate. And she wasn’t interested. Not in the slightest. When he made a move to enter, she lifted her hand to the door frame to block him. “Sorry. I’m busy.”

His eyes flickered with surprise. No doubt he believed she would be so exceedingly grateful that he’d deigned to notice her formerly fat ass that she’d fall into his arms the moment he crooked his finger. Talk about a guy believing he was God’s gift. Lowering his arm, he straightened and looked at her like she was an order of fries short of a Happy Meal. “Busy? With what?”

“I have to clean the bathroom.” She gave him an overly bright smile. “Hey, I could use a hand cleaning the grout in the shower. Maybe you could do that while I scrub the toilet and mop the floor.”

Dumbfounded, he stared at her for a few seconds then a slow grin spread across his face. Melissa had to admit, with his dark wavy hair and even darker eyes, Nate was most definitely easy to look at, but even at her highest weight she’d never been hard up enough to consider getting involved with a player like him.

“I don’t do bathrooms.” Nate shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels. “I do my best work in the bedroom.” He winked. Melissa suppressed a gag. “Just ask your sister.”

Gross.
Like I’d ever sleep with a man Paige had been with.
That only happened on soap operas
,
or Jerry Springer.

“That’s not information I’m interested in. But I’ll take your word for it.” She looked past him as a deep blue BMW sports car pulled up to the curb in front of the townhouse. Her mouth gaped open as the driver turned off the engine and got out of the car.
What the hell is Shauna doing here?
Melissa could have sworn she’d heard Shauna and Kurt were honeymooning in Maui for an entire month.

“Isn’t that your cousin?” Nate asked as Shauna, looking tan and not as thin and fragile as she had at the wedding, strolled up the walkway toward them. “The one whose picture Paige put on the dart board one time when we were playing?”

“That would be me,” Shauna said with a wry grin as she came to a halt just behind Nate. Her perfectly arched brows drew together as he turned to look at her. “You look familiar.” She stared at him for several seconds as if trying to place him. Then recognition dawned in her eyes. “I’ve got it. Weren’t you named one of the top ten bachelors on the
Sacramento Life
website last month?”

Nate’s chest swelled. “I certainly was. Number one, as a matter of fact.” By the proud tone in his voice it appeared he believed being named the number one bachelor in Sacramento was as impressive as being a member of Mensa. Not that Melissa believed Nate had a clue what Mensa was. She also doubted he could spell it.

“How nice for you,” Shauna said dryly, then looked from Nate to Melissa. “I was hoping to talk to you. But I can come back if you’re busy.”

“No, don’t go,” Melissa said, desperate for any reason to send Nate on his way. “I’m dying to hear all about your honeymoon.”

Shauna’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you sure?” She shot a cursory glance at Nate. “I don’t want to interrupt you and...and...” she trailed off and looked back at Nate.

“Nate. Nate Simmons,” Nate supplied quickly as he gave Shauna an appraising glance. “And you’re not interrupting. Melissa and I ran into each other the other night and didn’t have nearly enough time to get reacquainted.” He turned and gave Melissa a pointed stare. “I hope to rectify that very soon.”

“Goodbye, Nate,” Melissa said as politely as she could muster.

“I’ll see you soon.” Nate winked, then turned and ambled past Shauna toward the sidewalk.

It would be rude to tell him she’d rather walk over hot coals than to ever see him again, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Come in.” Melissa gestured to Shauna with her hand. “And thanks for the save,” she said as Shauna moved past her and entered the living room. She closed the door and sighed with relief. “I was trying to get rid of him,” she explained. “Your timing is impeccable.”

“He’s very good looking,” Shauna said, then wrinkled her nose. “But something about him gave me the creeps.”

“You and me both,” Melissa said. An awkward silence fell between them. Although she and Shauna had forged a sort of tentative truce at the wedding, she hadn’t expected her to drop by for a chat. “So what brings you by? I thought you were still on your honeymoon.”

“We got back last night.”

“Let’s sit down.” Melissa gestured toward the sofa. “How was your trip?” she asked, after they’d settled on the sofa. Chester stayed rooted to his spot on the chair but kept his watchful eyes trained on Shauna.

“Wonderful.” Shauna set her purse on the coffee table, then leaned back to get comfortable. Her short white sundress showed off her newly acquired suntan. “We stayed in a private one-bedroom villa at the Grand Wailea.” She sighed, the dreamy expression her face spoke volumes. “It was very romantic.”

Tamping down a twinge of envy, Melissa smiled. “I’ve heard Maui is beautiful. Did you find any time for sightseeing?”

Shauna’s eyes lit up like Fourth of July sparklers. “Yes. We went snorkeling, watched the sunrise at the top of Haleakala—that’s a dormant volcano—and we visited the aquarium.” A dimple formed in her right cheek as she grinned. “And, of course I did some shopping. But mostly, we hung out at the villa and enjoyed the beach. The water is so warm. Kurt tried para-sailing and loved it.”

“It sounds like it was everything a honeymoon should be,” Melissa said, amazed that she and Shauna were having such a normal conversation. It was almost as if they liked each other.

Shauna’s expression clouded. “It was much better than the wedding. That’s why I’m here. I did a lot of thinking while I was in Maui. About Denise and what she did at the reception, but mostly about my own behavior over the years. I was so cruel to you, Melissa.” Moisture welled in her eyes. “And you didn’t deserve it.” She blinked several times. “Do you remember when we were about nine or ten years old and Uncle Daniel and Aunt Claire invited me to go to Disneyland with your family?”

Melissa nodded. “We had so much fun. I think we must have rode Space Mountain a hundred times.”

“That’s
still
my favorite ride.” Shauna chuckled. “After the fourth or fifth time, Paige was over it, but you kept going on it with me. Just because you knew how much I liked it. You never made me feel like I was a third wheel on that trip. I felt like the three of us were sisters. My parents have taken me all over Europe, but Disneyland with you and Paige is still the best vacation I’ve ever had.” She dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her fingers. “And a few months later, I turned on you. Looking back, I can see how easily Denise manipulated me. But still, I’m ashamed I let her do it, and I’m ashamed I’ve been so horrible to you.” She paused. “This might sound like a lot to ask after how badly I’ve treated you, but I’d really like the chance to make amends. Maybe it’s not too late for us to be friends again.”

“Friends?” Melissa arched a brow and wondered if such a thing was possible. It was like asking the Road Runner to suddenly become pals with Wyle E. Coyote. Or expecting Little Red Riding Hood to trust the Big Bad Wolf. “You think?”

Shauna’s smile was pensive. “I hope. We are family, after all.”

Melissa’s heart clenched at the silent plea in Shauna’s eyes. Paige would consider her a soft touch, but she couldn’t help it. It was obvious Shauna was truly remorseful for her actions. What kind of person would she be if she didn’t give her cousin a second chance?

“It’s not too late.”

A sudden luminous smile transformed Shauna’s face. She reached for Melissa’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”

“What about Denise?” Melissa asked, thinking of the pair’s heated exchange in the restroom at Pebble Beach.

Shauna’s smile faded and her eyes turned hard. “I haven’t spoken to her since the wedding and I don’t intend to. What she did to me and Kurt
and
to Jake was deliberately cruel.” She paused. “How
is
Jake, by the way?”

“That wasn’t his best day,” Melissa said, not wanting to get into the gory details of how Denise had turned his life upside down. Correction,
their
life upside down. Denise had killed two birds with one stone. She was probably still gloating about it. The bitch.

“When you see him, will you tell him I’m sorry?” Shauna paused and gave her a tentative smile. “Or better yet. If I’m not rushing things, maybe you and Jake could come over sometime soon for dinner. Then I can apologize to him in person.”

“That’s a lovely gesture, but I don’t think that’s possible. Jake and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

Shauna’s eyes widened as she relinquished Melissa’s hand. “Because of what happened at the wedding?”

“Yes. Because of our trainer/client relationship, he thinks it best we don’t date.”

“But...but you seemed so happy together at the rehearsal dinner. Even Kurt noticed how into each other you were.”

“We
were
happy.” Melissa’s heart began to ache. “But it’s over now.”

* * *

Jake stared at the membership report he’d pulled from the gym’s database, but if anyone were to ask him what was on it he’d be hard-pressed to answer them. He’d been trying to read the damn thing for the past twenty minutes but all he saw was a bunch of blurred numbers. Were his membership numbers up or down? Who knew? How many members had paid extra for the towel service and/or the monthly body-fat test? Who cared? Not him. Not today.

He wasn’t sure why he had expected Melissa to show up for the kickboxing class, but her no-show status finally confirmed to him that she never planned to return to the gym. He’d hurt her that badly.

With a snort of disgust, he tossed his pencil atop the report and leaned back in his chair. It creaked like a door hung on a rusty old hinge and he made another mental note to buy some WD-40 and oil it into submission. Swiveling the chair to look at the corkboard behind him, he stared at the card Melissa had given him months ago.

Was that card all he had left of her?

He stared at it and remembered the day she’d given it to him. Her shy smile as she handed it to him had taken his breath away. From that day on, he’d made a point to look for her in the gym. Disappointed when he didn’t see her, but looking forward to their training sessions because he’d get to spend an hour with her. Now that she’d stopped training with him, he finally understood how much the time they’d spent together in the gym meant to him. Never seeing Melissa again didn’t seem a fair price to pay in order to prove to people he didn’t give two shits about that he wasn’t a hypocrite.