Deliver Me (6 page)

But this woman did. And he had no idea how, or even if she would ever
again be his Amanda.

A deep, searing pain pierced his chest.

Jeffrey let out a slow breath before saying softly, “Amanda?” She
remained silent. Jeffrey gripped the steering wheel in frustration. “Can’t you
even acknowledge my question?”

“You didn’t ask a question,” she said in a soft, stoic whisper, as if she
weren’t aware she’d even spoken.

“Dammit, Amanda! I’m tired of this. Have we gotten to the point where we
can’t even talk anymore?”

She let out an exaggerated sigh and shifted in the seat. She still didn’t
look at him. Instead, she stared at the crowded highway ahead.

“Exactly what do you want to talk about?”

This wasn’t the time to bring it up. Not when she was in this mood. But
when wasn’t she in some type of mood? Even before she became pregnant she’d
made an abrupt metamorphosis into this person who wasn’t receptive to anything
he had to say. He might as well just come out with it.

“We need to talk about what Dr. Holmes discussed with us today.”

“What about it?” she asked glacially.

“Don’t do this, Amanda.”

“If you want to have a conversation, you need to stop speaking in
riddles. Now, exactly what about today’s appointment is such a burning issue
with you?”

“You need to move back into the house,” he stated bluntly.

She was quiet for a moment, before saying in a soft voice, “No, I do not.”

“You heard what Dr. Holmes said. Stairs are out of the question, and you
can’t do anything strenuous.”

“I don’t plan on taking up kick boxing.”

Her calmness pissed him off. Jeffrey would have preferred she show some
kind of emotion--even anger. To have her remain so cold, so unfeeling, made it
seem as if she didn’t care anymore. If she didn’t care, then Jeffrey knew he’d
lost her.

“You have to climb two flights of stairs to get to that apartment. You
can’t stay there. I’m not letting you endanger the baby.”

She turned to him, the first gleam of fire in her eyes he’d seen in
months. “Do you think I would intentionally put my child in danger?”

“I don’t know. You weren’t very excited when you found out you were
pregnant.”

Amanda sucked in a breath, her eyes wide and wounded. “How dare you.” Her
fierce words were drenched in hurt.

It was a cheap shot and he knew it. Both he and Amanda had been floored
when they discovered their one night of booze and memories had resulted in a
baby, especially since years of fertility treatments had only left them with
heartache.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

The traffic started moving again. Jeffrey bypassed the exit that would
have taken them to the apartment complex Amanda had moved into when she’d
decided she could no longer stomach living in the same house with him. Ten
minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the house they’d shared for
eleven years as husband and wife.

“Just for a few days, Amanda. Let’s try it out and see how it works.”

She remained silent.

“Amanda...”

“I need some things from my apartment.”

Jeffrey let out a rush of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“A few days,” she stated. “That’s all I’m willing to give.”

***

Monica sprinkled a few drops of balsamic vinegar over the exotic
concoction of leafy vegetables and tossed them around the bowl with wooden salad
tongs. She threw in a few croutons from the box on the counter and carried her
dinner to the sofa to eat in front of the television.

The warm colors in her inviting living room helped ease the tension from
her neck and shoulders. Monica loved her new apartment, with its brick
fireplace and wrought-iron balcony overlooking a cozy courtyard. It was vastly
different from any of the places she’d lived in St. Louis, and the more she
thought about it, the more Monica realized this place was just her style.

Maybe that’s why she’d been in such a rut for so long? She had been
immersed in the wrong scenery.

Monica stabbed a leaf of spinach and stuffed it into her mouth. She
reached over, grabbed the remote from the end table and flipped through a few
of the sixty thousand channels on digital cable. The necessity for a channel
dedicated just to game shows, or golf, was beyond her.

The phone rang. Monica pushed the mute button while reaching for it. She
cradled the headset between her shoulder and chin.

“Hello?”

“What’s up, girl?” It was her best friend, Nia.

“Just killing a few brain cells while I eat dinner,” Monica answered. “What’s
up with you?”

“My life is as boring as ever, which is why I called. Give me some
details, girl. How do you like it so far?”

“It’s been great, except for the fender bender I had today. Other than
that, New Orleans is wonderful.”

“Meet any men?”

“That’s not the reason I’m here, Nia. In fact, the male species is the
absolute last thing on my mind.”

Monica crossed both her fingers and toes after telling
that
lie. Ever since her run in with a
certain obstetrician, the male species—one delectably fine specimen, in
particular—had taken up every crook and crevice of her mind. Not an hour
had passed today when Dr. Elijah Holmes’ image had not run through her head.
Anytime his name was mentioned, Monica found herself straining to hear the
conversation. It was pathetic.

She tried to tell herself the only reason she paid attention to anything
concerning the man was to make sure she wasn’t around if he had to make another
trip down to the ER. She’d had her fill of his arrogance at their first
meeting.

Yet, Monica couldn’t deny the tingle of excitement that had crept up her
spine when she’d seen him at the end of the day—even though he’d almost
mowed her down. Again.

“Just because it’s not your number one priority does not mean you can’t
look,” Nia chastised. “If not for yourself, you can find someone for me.”

“You have a husband,” Monica reminded her.

“I’m getting tired of him.”

Monica laughed. Her best friend would never tire of her husband. Nia and
Phillip were sickeningly in love. The fact that Phillip was Monica’s older
brother by four years made their relationship even more special. Their union
had legally made them sisters, although in her heart, she’d been Nia’s sister
forever.

It was because of her best friend that Monica and Phillip now shared such
a strong connection. Although he claimed he’d never fostered it, Monica had
been immersed in an unhealthy sibling rivalry with her older brother since
childhood. Phillip had been the golden child, and Monica had spent her entire
life playing catch up. It wasn’t until Nia had demanded Monica and Phillip
finally talk things through that they had opened up to each other about their
strained relationship. Monica was closer to her brother now than when they’d
lived in the same house.

“I won’t close my eyes to any romantic possibilities,” Monica reassured
Nia. “But I’m not actively seeking anyone out, either. I can use a little
me
time.”

“I hear that, girl. Sometimes, I’m ready to knock Phillip unconscious
with a skillet upside the head just so I can have the house to myself for a few
hours.”

“Oh, shut up. You know you’d go crazy if he didn’t call you at least five
times a day.”

“Nah, three’s enough.” They both laughed.

“So, when do you think you can make it down here?” Monica asked as she
flipped silently through a few more channels.

“As soon as we’re done with the union contract negotiations. After all
the work I’ve put in, I’m not letting any of the imbeciles I work with close
the deal.”

“I agree with you there.”

“Besides, Phillip would go ballistic if I left in the middle of the house
renovations. He can’t decide on a simple paint color without asking me a
hundred questions about it.”

“As if you’d let anything be done in that house without your approval,”
Monica snorted. Her best friend was nothing if not bossy.

“And you got that right.”

Monica shook her head. Nia would never change.

“Well, handle your business. Just know that you’ve got a bed waiting for
you in the French Quarters when you’re done.”

“I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a hot beignet,” Nia crooned.

“We’ll have them fresh every morning,” Monica promised.

“That’s Phillip pulling into the drive,” Nia said. “I need to go.”

“Give him my love.”

“Will do. I’ll talk to you later, honey. You take it easy.”

“I love you, girl.”

“Love you, too.”

Monica settled the cordless phone back onto its base and was suddenly
overwhelmed by a surging rush of homesickness. She missed her best friend. To a
certain extent, she even missed her family. Monica allowed a small smile to
trace across her lips at the thought. She had spent most of her teenage years
trying to get out of her parent’s house. The fact that she missed her family
came as a surprise, even to her.

The Gardner household had never been close-knit. They didn’t have the
time to become close, everyone had been too busy pursuing their goals. Their
parents had demanded excellence from their three children. Phillip hadn’t
disappointed, becoming the youngest person to make partner at his law firm, a
firm he now owned outright. Ashley, who had come as a surprise gift from the
stork when Monica was eighteen, was a child virtuoso. She had mastered Mozart
by the age of ten and had spent the last four years studying at Julliard.

The fact that their middle child was a respected physician wasn’t enough
when compared to the other two geniuses. While Phillip broke records in the
courtroom and Ashley played for foreign dignitaries at Carnegie Hall, Monica
had missed out on being named chief resident, and had taken too long to become
an attending. If not for Nia there to keep her sane, Monica figured she would
have long ago cracked under the strain of trying to live up to her family’s
high expectations.

Thank goodness for her best friend. Monica and Nia had been joined at the
hip for as long as she could remember. Both thirty-four years old, theirs was a
friendship that had spanned countless broken hearts, failed math tests, and
Friday night sleepovers.

They had never lived more than a few minutes from each other. Both
attended the same university and pledged the same sorority. The only time they’d
differed was when it came time to choose a career. Monica had followed her
dream of becoming a doctor, while Nia held fast to her pledge to take the
business world by storm. But they had remained closer than blood siblings
through it all.

And if Nia didn’t get her butt down here soon, Monica would renege on her
promise to stay away from St. Louis for at least a year.

Stop that
!
 
She was not going back to St. Louis, and
she refused to let a little bout of homesickness get the best of her.

With more determination than she’d felt in some time, Monica hopped up
from the sofa and went into her bedroom. She changed into black spandex running
pants and threw a T-shirt over her head to cover her sports bra. Twenty minutes
later, she pulled into her parking slot at Methodist Memorial. Monica grabbed
her gym bag from the back seat and headed for the employee’s fitness
center—one of the perks that helped seal the deal when she decided to
take the job.

She remembered the layout from the tour Dr. Slessinger had given her. She
rounded the corner on her way to the butterfly press machine and had to crouch
to the floor to avoid being pummeled by a red punching bag gone astray.

Monica righted herself and found Elijah Holmes trying his hardest to
control the wayward equipment. She had to take a second to collect herself. He
had the unnerving ability to knock every thought out of her head, and replace them
with thoughts of him.

Eli was sin wrapped in dark chocolate. His body was scandalously put
together, with muscles that rippled underneath his brown skin. He was tall and
lean and gorgeous. His skin glistening with sweat, she had the most powerful
urge to lick him dry.

Monica quickly recovered from her plunge into lust-filled insanity. She
plunked her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Are you determined to kill me
my first day on the job, Dr. Holmes?”

“I didn’t see you,” he puffed out through labored breaths.

“That seems to be your favorite excuse.”

“Honestly, I did not see you. You have this gift for popping up out of
nowhere.”

Monica tried to end the conversation by moving past him, but he stopped
her with a hand on her forearm. She looked down at the strong brown hand that
held her then brought her eyes back to his face, sending him a look that had
him letting go of her arm in an instant.