Foreign Affair (24 page)

“Why don’t you take one of Stephanie’s rooms?”

“She did offer me one,” Lena admitted with a shrug. “But I wanted to do this on my own. I’ve never really done that. Besides, I have a little bit of money saved until the house in Portland sells.”

Lakisha scowled. “Lazy ass man. Should’ve agreed to sell it months ago.”

“Yes, he should have.”

Lakisha stood up and stretched. “When do you start the new job?”

“Two weeks. I want to get the apartment settled this week, and maybe take the week after to relax.” Lena sat down on top of one of the more solidly packed boxes. “Stephanie has a cabin I’m going to ask to borrow for a few days. It’s this great little place buried up in the Cascades. No phone, no television, no one for miles around.”

“Ooh, girl, if I didn’t have to work I’d make you take me with you.”

“Hey, someday, right?”

“Right.” Lakisha tilted her head and smiled. “I’m going to miss you like hell, Lena Richards. But I’m proud of you for what you’re doing.”

Lena stood up and gave her friend a hug. “Thanks, hon. It means a lot. And I’ll email you almost every day. I promise.”

“You’d better.” Lakisha pulled away. “Now I’m hungry. Didn’t you say something about you taking me out to lunch? I want a big meal before I spend three hours driving my ass home.”

Chapter Nineteen

“Your place looks great.” Stephanie kicked her feet up on the couch and looked around. “I’m surprised how fast you got everything set up.”

Lena sorted through a pile of books. “I had some help from Lakisha.”

“Good deal. I always liked that girl.” Stephanie glanced at her nails. “Have you heard from Tyler?”

The book in her hand slid to the floor, and she gave Stephanie a sharp look. “Why would I hear from Tyler? I told you what happened.”

“Yeah, but I still don’t get it. It doesn’t make any sense. He just told you he wasn’t interested and sent you on your way?”

Well, after nearly screwing me in his office
. Lena’s mouth drew tight. “That’s about the gist of it.”

“Hmm.”

“I was way off track when I flew to New York. Europe happened ages ago, and I’d rather just put Tyler and that whole experience behind me.”

“Oh, come on. Who are you kidding?” Stephanie shook her head and sighed. “I think maybe if you just talked to him again and explained things—”

“
No
. Look, Steph, I tried all that. He just wasn’t interested. Now please, for my sake, let it go.”

Nice job losing your cool. She so knows you’re nowhere near being over
him.

Lena stood up, needing some kind of distraction. “Do you want to give each other pedicures?”

“I’ll do you. I just got one done yesterday.”

“Sounds good.” Lena went to the kitchen, relieved Stephanie had let her change the subject. She grabbed the bucket full of various nail polish and polish remover out of the cupboard, then went back into the living room, handed it to Stephanie, and then sat down on the couch next to her.

Stephanie took the bucket and peered at the various shades. “Okay. What color are you thinking?”

“Something pinkish.”

Stephanie pulled a small bottle and read the label. “Bridesmaid pink.”

“Ouch, maybe you should pick a new color,” Lena teased.

Stephanie scowled. “Absolutely not. It could be an omen.”

“For whom? You?”

“I think not.”

“Well, not me,” Lena protested. “Keith is out of the picture.”

“I wasn’t thinking of Keith.”

“
Steph
.” Lena groaned.

Stephanie laughed and shook her head. “All right. Okay. Just give me your toes, woman. I’m about to make them cute.”

“They already are cute,” Lena scoffed, but obediently slid her feet onto Stephanie’s lap.

Stephanie went to work, painting each toenail with near perfect precision.

“Hey, I meant to ask you,” Lena murmured. “Do you think it would be possible to borrow your cabin next week?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Stephanie used her nail to scrape away a bit of polish from Lena’s skin. “Let me just check with my brother and make sure he’s not using it.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“Done.” Stephanie stood up and stretched, reaching down to pick up the bucket of polish. “Where do you keep this?”

“Oh, second cupboard in the kitchen. It’s full of all kinds of junk.”

Lena waved her feet in the air to help them dry.

Stephanie opened the cupboard and put the bucket back inside. Then she pulled out an envelope and raised an eyebrow.

“Europe pics?”

“
Wait
.” Lena jumped up in an attempt to reach her before she could open it, but Stephanie had already pulled out the pictures inside.

“Oh, wow, look at this picture of you two.” Stephanie turned the photo to face Lena. It was the one of her and Tyler in front of Notre Dame. “I’m surprised you still have this, seeing as you want to put it all behind you.”

Lena ignored her light tone, unable to look away from the photo. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, and she blinked rapidly. “I just haven’t gotten around to throwing that one away.”

Stephanie nodded and then walked over to the garbage can. She lifted the lid and dropped the picture inside, watching Lena the entire time.

The breath locked in Lena’s throat, and she wanted to run and retrieve the picture. She hadn’t been able to resist having the image of them together printed. Or resisting looking at it at least once a day.

Her smile numb, she murmured, “Thanks.”

“Sure.” Stephanie seemed to be waiting for her to grab it out of the garbage, so she deliberately turned her back and walked away.

Lena needed to get out of the apartment for a minute. Try and compose herself a bit again.

“Steph, I’m going to drop off a check at the landlord’s. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“All right. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Lena grabbed the check off her television and walked out the door. Soon as Stephanie left later tonight, she’d get that picture out of the garbage, wipe it off, and put it in a safe hiding place.

She went to drop off the payment, desperately needing the few minutes alone. It gave her time to rid the ghost of Tyler from her mind again.

When she returned to the apartment, Stephanie was speaking on her cell phone.

“It’ll work, Danny. Trust me on this.” Stephanie glanced up and saw Lena. Her smile brightened, and she wiggled her fingers in a wave.

“Listen, I’ve got to go. My friend just came back, and we’re going to grab some grub. I’ll call you later.”

“Who was that?” Lena glanced at the garbage can, relieved to see the picture sitting unharmed on an old fast food bag.

“Just an actor friend.” She waved her head in dismissal. “You want to go get a pizza?”

Lena nodded. “Yeah, as long as it’s Pagliacci’s.”

“As if I’d go anywhere else.” Stephanie pulled on her sweater and headed for the door.

“Well, it’d better work.”

Tyler walked into the reception area and caught Danny muttering into the phone. Danny spotted him, and his eyes widened.

“Me too. ’Bye.” He replaced the receiver and stood up. “Gee, it’s almost five. Another day, another dollar. Everything should be done, all calls returned, all files put away…oh, and don’t forget that conference in Seattle next week.”

Tyler nodded and then glanced up sharply. “Wait. What conference in Seattle? I’ve got plans to see my parents. When did this come up?”

“Ugh, you don’t remember? I brought it up last week and left the itinerary on your desk.” Danny gave a nervous laugh. “I swear it had to be maintenance. They’re always coming in and throwing away things.”

Tyler exhaled in a deliberate move of control.

“Oh, dear. You’re pissed. I’m so sorry. I can see if we can get you out of it. I mean, it’ll be really hard, and we’ve already made arrangements—”

“Easy, Danny.” Tyler sighed. God, what he wouldn’t pay for one thing—just one damn thing—to go right lately. The stress had just snowballed. He’d been irritable—everyone in the office tiptoed around him.

“There’s not much we can do now about it now. How long is this conference?”

“Just a couple days. Um, I think you’re booked at the Westin, and you’re getting picked up by…a driver at the airport. I’ll get you a copy of the, err, itinerary ASAP.”

“And you’ll be calling my parents to explain the situation?”

Danny’s eyes widened in horror. “You want me to call your parents, whom I have never even met?”

Tyler cracked a smiled and adjusted the file in his hands. “Sarcasm. You, more than anyone else, should have caught on to that. So is George or Frank going to this conference?”

Danny’s smile froze and he shrugged. “Uh, no. Well, Frank’s kid is getting christened next weekend. And they only requested that one of you guys from the New York office come. George and Frank both got kids, so I thought you’d be more up for it.”

“Lucky me.”

Of course, he’d be the one who got sent everywhere. The single guy, no kids, nothing to tie him down.

“Get me that itinerary as soon as you can.” Tyler went back into his office and shut the door.

Seattle was only a few hours from Portland. He crossed the room and glanced out over the city. He could always rent a car and drive down to see Lena. Then apologize for being a complete asshole and beg her to leave Keith.

You’re a fucking idiot
. He took a deep breath to ease the tightness in
his chest. Picking up the phone, he dialed his parents’ number to call off the visit.

By the time the sun started to rise on Monday morning, Lena had already packed and loaded up her car.

She slammed the trunk of her Volkswagen and ran over to Stephanie, who stood watching her from the sidewalk.

“Thanks for lending me the cabin. A week away is going to be wonderful.”

“I’d tell you to call me…” Stephanie grimaced. “…but there’s no phone, and you won’t have cell service anywhere near the cabin. So be careful, because it’s a long drive, and you’re going to be out there all by yourself.”

“I’ll be just fine. Besides, there’ll be a forest ranger somewhere if I get really desperate.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s just what you need.” Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Go jump the forest ranger.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you again.” She gave her friend another tight hug.

“You’re welcome. I hope you have a great time and get everything you’re looking for.”

“Everything I’m looking for? That’s a steep order to fill. I love you, Steph. See you soon.”

“Love you too, sweetie. ’Bye now.”

Lena jumped into the Bug and gunned the motor. She hit the gas and didn’t look back.

The road to Stephanie’s cabin was narrow. It wound through tall, rugged peaks, which, in winter, would be capped with snow. Oftentimes during heavy snow, the roads far up into the mountains would be closed for weeks at a time.

Her car sped down the isolated road, and Lena sighed, feeling almost content for the first time in months.

She rolled down the window and allowed her arm to drape out, the summer sun tickling her skin and promising more freckles.

Pulling her hair down from its short ponytail, she tossed her head and inhaled the clean mountain air. The sun stabbed through the huge evergreen trees, creating a dancing light show on the curvy road.

After flipping through her CD case, she slipped her favorite jazz album into the stereo.

The smooth sound of a walking bass, paired with the husky throaty vocals of Nina Simone filled the car.

She passed a sign welcoming her to the last town for nearly eighty miles, and stopped to fill up her gas tank and buy groceries for the cabin.

Back in the car a half hour later, Lena glanced at the receipt and gave a soft whistle. What was it about the cost of living when you were in the middle of nowhere? She could have bought almost twice the amount of food back in the city for the same price.

She stuffed the receipt back into the paper sack and shrugged it off. It was worth it for the week she would be having.

Just relaxing and not thinking about Tyler. Damn it. She winced. She’d just broken her own rule by thinking about not thinking about him.

Someday he’d be a distant memory. Someday. Slipping on her sunglasses, she pulled out onto the deserted road and made for the cabin.

Tyler glanced around the baggage area, scanning the crowd for someone who would be holding up a sign with his name on it. He saw parents waiting for kids, husbands waiting for wives, and then his gaze landed on the figure before him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.

“Tyler Bentz, how the hell are you?” Stephanie’s slender body rushed toward him. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. “Wow, it’s been a while.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Tyler demanded. “Is Lena waiting in the car or something?”

Stephanie’s teeth flashed in a big grin, and she gave a tinkling laugh. “Lena? Of course not. She has no idea you’re here and probably wouldn’t care to know.”

She waved a hand in dismissal. “Anyway, I heard you were coming into town for a conference and volunteered to pick you up.”

“You just happened to hear I was in town?” he repeated and gave her an incredulous look. “I’m not sure how stupid you think I am. Where’s my driver? Did you pay him off?”

He adjusted his carry-on bag and turned away from her, walking toward the exit.

“Tyler, stop.” Stephanie called after him. “Come on. Let me give you a ride into the city. Your only other option is a taxi.”

“Which is beginning to sound better by the moment.” He glanced at her, irritated as all hell that he had to deal with this shit after a long-ass flight.

“Tyler, we’re friends. At least I’d like to think so,” Stephanie encouraged. “So, please, let me drive you to your hotel.”

“How did you know I’d be here? Indulge me.” He stopped abruptly, folding his arms over his chest.

Stephanie sighed and then shrugged. “Fine, I got chummy with your assistant when I dropped by your office a while ago. I asked him to let me know if you ever came to Seattle.”