Created In Fire (Art of Love Series) (13 page)

“No—Carrie doesn’t want her own mother involved. I don’t know about dresses. Look—if you’re interested, why don’t you come over? She just went to work and I’m making coffee. We’ll make a list of what needs to be done and decide who’s doing what. I want to try to work today, but this is a priority too. Yes. Thank you. Yes I still have some of have the hazelnut flavored creamer you like. Yes. I love you too, Mom. See you soon,” Michael said, hanging up the phone.

When the coffee was happily brewing, Michael headed back to the bedroom to dress before his mother arrived.

On the way, he passed the smallest bedroom, his thoughts going immediately to other pressing plans that needed to be made. The room needed painting. And he would have to buy furniture.

He needed more help.

Opening his phone again, Michael made another call.

“Morning. What are you doing today?” He listened politely to his father’s explanation. “Dad, do you think you and Jessica could help me paint the baby’s room. Yeah, I’ve already picked a room. She’s home today? Wonderful. Come on over. I’m just now making coffee. Mom’s coming too. She’s going to help me with the wedding. Okay. Thanks. See you soon.”

Michael hung up the phone with a click. Wrestling his clothes on, he headed to the bathroom. On the edge of the sink, he saw Carrie’s medicine and swore. She had forgotten it, and in about six hours she was going to be in trouble if she didn’t get the next dose. Mentally adding delivering it to his “to do” list for the day, he gave up on the idea of working on his art.

There were just too many other things to take care of, including Carrie.

*** *** ***

After lunch, Carrie was sitting at her desk with the phone to her ear when Erin tapped on her door. Mentally sighing, she motioned the younger woman in and to the chair.

“With the radio spot and the Lexington Center running the ad on their website and marquee,” Carrie said into the phone, “I think we’ll see at least a few hundred people come out. Keep in mind that you only need two sales to break even and we’ve already got one. The next one will pay us. All the rest pay you. Of course, I think your art is going to sell! I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t, Lana,” Carrie said on a laugh. “Look, someone’s here to see me. We’ll talk again before Friday night. Okay. Take care.”

Carrie hung up the phone and smiled tiredly at Erin. “It’s only one in the afternoon, and I feel like I put in a full day already.”

Erin frowned and snorted. Then her gaze went directly to the impressive ring on Carrie’s hand. It was the first time she truly believed what she had heard.

“Are you engaged again?” Erin asked tightly.

Carrie nodded. “Yes. I am.”

“Tom Winthrop?” Erin suggested sarcastically, knowing full well she was mentioning the wrong man.

“No—things didn’t work out well for me and Tom. How’s your love life lately?” Carrie asked, hearing the irritation in Erin’s tone. She already knew. Belinda must have told her.

“My love life isn’t great. This morning I heard an alleged friend had snapped up my boyfriend and was now engaged to him,” Erin said, trying not to sound as hurt as she was.

“Erin, we have never been that friendly, and you haven’t dated Michael in months. I assume you’ve heard we’re getting married, so say what you need to say and stop baiting me with false niceness,” Carrie said, putting a hand over her now queasy stomach.

Damn
, she thought. Stress got her every time. She was turning into such a wimp.

“You know how I feel about Michael Larson. How could you date him behind my back?” Erin demanded.

“I didn’t date him. I just—I just spent the night with him a couple months ago and we clicked. He asked me to marry him last week, and I said yes. That’s not criminal,” Carrie said, defending herself. “I moved in with him last Friday.”

“Well, you can just move back out,” Erin told her. “You know as well as I do that Michael is sowing his wild oats like every other man under thirty-five. When it comes time for him to settle down, it will be with me. He and I are kindred souls, Carrie. You hate him. You always have.”

Carrie sighed. This was a debate she really did not want to have with the younger woman who was never going to understand.

“Erin—I never told you, but Michael and I had a brief relationship when we were in college together. I hated him all this time because of that. There was always something between us from the very beginning, but I was avoiding it until a couple months ago. I didn’t set out to hurt you or anyone. It was awful enough hearing you and the others sharing details about what Michael was like in bed when I knew before any of you. I just had enough discretion not to talk about my time with him.”

“You’re lying,” Erin said, her lip trembling. “If Michael had been involved with you, he would have said so.”

“I’m not lying. Michael never said anything because he doesn’t really remember me. That’s why I was mad. Now I realize how dumb it was to dwell on the past when it can’t be changed. I never meant to hurt you, and I’m sure Michael didn’t either. He’s just—just a thoughtless guy sometimes about women. But I agreed to marry him, and I’m going to for my own reasons,” Carrie said, looking in her purse and not seeing her medicine.

Great
, she thought. She was going to be sick and there was nothing she could do.

“You don’t even love him,” Erin stated, incredulous at what Carrie said. “How can you marry a man you don’t love?”

“Erin, you don’t know me well enough to know how I feel. I care about Michael. And we have—we have a mutual need for each other at the moment. That’s all I’m willing to share with you about our arrangement,” Carrie said.

“
Arrangement? Is that how you view marriage?
” Erin spat the questions in a stream. “I always figured you were a frigid, cold bitch because you would never date anyone. Now I know it’s true. One day Michael is going to get tired of you, and you’ll be stepped over as he heads off to the next woman.”

“Gee, that’s pretty harsh,” Michael said, walking into Carrie’s office. “Your voice really travels down the hall, Erin.”

Carrie watched in shock as Michael walked to her desk with a bottle of water in one hand and the medicine in the other.

“You left your medicine behind this morning. We need buy a pill case so you can carry some with you,” Michael said, frowning as he shook out a dose and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” Carrie said, not really meeting his gaze. “I was just looking for it and realizing I forgot it.”

“Looks like to me you were deep in the process of slaying a dragon for me,” Michael told her, his voice flat. “How’s that going?”

“About like I expected,” Carrie said tightly, looking over to see Erin going white as her gaze bounced between them and their intimate, teasing conversation. “Erin doesn’t believe I knew you in college, Michael.”

“I knew Carrie in college—yes, I slept with her,” Michael said, looking at Erin.

He had liked the younger woman. She had been fun and hadn’t held on too tightly. He had thought she was being honest with him. It bothered him now to know he’d been so wrong about her. He should never have dated her more than once.

“How did Carrie talk you into marrying her when most women you dated never even got a second date?” Erin demanded.

Carrie snorted and laughed without humor. Michael put one hand on the back of her chair and the other on her desk.

“I asked Carrie to marry me because I want her to be my wife. She did nothing to talk me into it. If anybody did any coercing, it was me talking Carrie into it. Hell, I had to draw up a prenuptial agreement before she would discuss it,” Michael said, feeling brutal honesty was the only way to be clear in the situation. “I’ve loved Carrie for years, Erin. Now that I have succeeded in getting into her life, I’m doing everything I can to stay there. And yes, I know she doesn’t completely return my feelings, but she is neither frigid nor a bitch. Don’t try to come between us because it won’t work.”

“Okay. That’s enough, Michael,” Carrie said, putting a hand on his wrist.

He was angry at Erin, and Carrie could understand that. But Erin was also devastated, and from what she could tell, Michael didn’t really care. Carrie knew all too well how much it could hurt to love Michael when he didn’t love you back.

“Erin’s got enough to absorb,” she told him. “I can see why she’s surprised. You and I haven’t exactly had a reputation around here for being friends.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me, Carrie,” Erin said, rising with as much dignity as she could.

Tears threatened to fall, but Erin was determined that was not going to happen in front of Michael Larson. She was suddenly seeing him in a whole different light. She was seeing that he was a user and not just thoughtless.

“You know, Michael, I honestly hope Carrie never loves you back. You’re the kind of man who doesn’t deserve her love or any woman’s,” Erin said sadly, walking to the door. “It would do you good to know what it feels like to be taken for granted and discarded when the mood hits.”

After Erin left, Carrie scooped the medicine off her desk and into her purse.

“One dragon down and only four or five more dozen to go,” she said sarcastically, sipping the water Michael had brought to her.

“Do you want another apology now or will I see you at home later?” Michael asked, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“I’ll see you later,” Carrie told him, giving him a sad look. “We’ll save it for our dinner conversation. I’ll try to refrain from saying
that I told you so
.”

Michael walked to the door, stopped, and turned around.

“Do you think I led Erin on? Because I don’t think I did. I never promised her anything outside the time we were together. You’re the only woman I’ve ever made any promises to,” he said.

Carrie sighed and leaned back in her office chair, staring at the man who kept intruding into her life and turning it upside down on her. It was hard to believe he didn’t realize the effect he had on women. He was personally as powerful and disturbing as any art he created.

“It doesn’t matter what I believe, Michael. It’s not my business to judge what was between you and Erin, nor do I want any more details. I know she was hoping you would come back to her when you got tired of dating and sleeping around. She’s not the first woman to hang her hopes on the wrong man,” Carrie said, struggling for a neutral tone.

Michael shook his head. “I honestly wasn’t just a bored guy sleeping around for the hell of it. Maybe I seem like a bastard now, but I sure as hell don’t get it. If a guy loves a woman, he’s going to say it—or at least, that’s how I was raised. I’ve always been careful not to commit to anyone I was just dating casually. That’s why I’ve been very clear on how I feel about you. We are not casual. My feelings for you are different.”

“Well, I guess women tend to live more on hopes and dreams than men do,” Carrie said reasonably. “I don’t think you were a bastard today, but I do think you were a little cruel. However, I also don’t think anything less than cruel would have been taken seriously. Erin will probably give up chasing you now. You can add that slain dragon to your list. I wasn’t making much progress with her until you showed up.”

“Great. On that note, I’m leaving now,” Michael said. “See you later.”

He’d spent the day planning their wedding and choosing paint colors for the baby’s room. Now he felt like shit for something that wasn’t even his fault when all he was trying to do was defend Carrie’s right to be in his life.

As he walked down the hall, Michael fervently hoped he didn’t have to come back to Carrie’s work for a while. When Belinda said goodbye to him, Michael threw her a frowning wave, but otherwise ignored her. He’d known enough indiscreet women to last him a lifetime.

Chapter 10

They didn’t talk about the fight with Erin over dinner that evening after all. Michael had overwhelmed her with wedding plans and informed her that his mother, Ellen, was now getting the rest of it together.

After one day, Ellen had found a chapel in Richmond and talked Michael’s minister into performing the ceremony.

Carrie swallowed hard at the realization that she now had a wedding date. In a short two weeks, she was going to become Carrie Larson. She looked for the Zen calm she’d been trying to develop about it, but found only stark terror instead.

And when she thought about Erin, the thought of marrying Michael made her ill, which was irrational because they were only getting married for the baby’s sake. What did it matter to her how insensitive he was to the woman’s pain? It wasn’t like she was planning to live with him for the rest of her life.

Appetite gone, Carrie refused the offer of the last piece of leftover cheesecake. His panicked look made her laugh.

“I’m not sick, just not hungry enough,” Carrie said.

“Stressful day,” Michael said. “Want your apology for having to deal with Erin now?”

“No. No need. I swore I wouldn’t swipe at you over women from your past,” Carrie said lightly. “I keep my word.”

Michael put his hand on the table and wiggled his fingers. “Give me your hand.”

“I’m fine, Michael.” Carrie said, leaning back in her chair.