Nerds on Fire (43 page)

His hackles rose. He raised an eyebrow
at her, because he was weary of her antics.

He glanced at his watch. “You have one
minute and twenty-eight seconds.” She still entered the elevator
with him.

“
Don’t you want to get back
together with me?”

“
No.” He didn’t even have
to think about it.

“
I can’t believe you said
that.” To her credit, she did sound stunned.

Since she was here, he decided to put
forth a suspicion. “You’ve been harassing my daughter.” He stared
at her hard.

There was a quick dart of surprise. It
gave her away before her features eased into a mask of astonishment
and hurt. “Rylan,” she produced a credible burst of aghast, “how
can you say that?” She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. Nor did she
deny it.

“
You have motive and
Trixi’s troubles all started right after we broke up.”

Giant tears pooled in her
eyes.
How did she do it?
Crying on demand was an impressive
skill.

“
It wasn’t me.” The
droplets formed but didn’t leak out to mar her heavy makeup. There
was a moment when he wondered if her tears could be real. Maybe,
but he wasn’t going to be taken in by this particular professional
again. As they ascended, he noted the lights that indicated each
floor. His office
would
have to be at the very top.

He decided to play the ace up his
sleeve since they had time. “Mark’s family caught the man
responsible. He says it was you. He described you.”

This time her gasp sounded all too
real. “That’s ridiculous. There are plenty of women who match my
description.”

There was no doubt in his mind this
woman was responsible for the harassment to Trixi. “There had
better be no more trouble from you, Chrissy.” He used his hardest
voice. “And I’m tired of you stalking me and Nina.” He wasn’t a
successful businessman for nothing. “You need to get on with your
life and forget about me and my family.”

Her eyes widened, probably because she
had never seen his no-nonsense business face before. There were
skills you acquired when you reached his age.

“
I haven’t been
stalking—”

“
Stalking is what I call
it, and I believe a police officer would as well. You’re not
welcome in my life or in any of those I
love
.” He emphasized the word love,
because they had already established this. Numerous
times.

Entering into a relationship with
someone who didn’t love him was worse than any cold-blooded
business deal he had ever conducted. He aimed to sever this deal
for all time.

Contemplating her now, he couldn’t
believe he had ever been attracted to her. “Chrissy, I’d far rather
be single than marry you. As it is, I’m not single. I’ve met the
woman I plan to marry.”

The light indicated his floor as the
car stopped and the doors whooshed open. He stepped through them,
then turned to face her.

“
Why don’t you want me? I
don’t understand.” Her plea rang true.

He felt for her. “Because you don’t
love me. You want my money and now my home, but any man would
do.”

“
No, Rylan. Not any man
would do.” Her voice echoed with sadness, and he wondered if she
meant it. He hadn’t seen this side of Chrissy before.

It was oddly appealing, because he
suspected this was the real Chrissy.

“
Show yourself as you are
right now to the next man and I’m guessing you’ll get a wedding
ring, and a man who not only loves you, but also adores
you.”

She sniffed and it was delicate and
feminine. When she blotted at her eyes, her hand shook. “Thank you.
You really love this Nina you’re seeing?” It was as if a light had
lit in her mind. She finally saw what he’d been trying to tell her
all along.

“
Yes, I love Nina. If I
can’t have her, I don’t want anyone.” Even to his own ears he
sounded sincere, because he was.

The Chrissys of this world held no
allure to him now, not after experiencing a real woman.

Chrissy’s gaze turned piercing,
flashed with awareness, then she quietly punched the down button.
The elevator doors slid shut. He hoped it was the last he saw of
her.

Heart heavy, Mark returned to work. He
didn’t know why exactly, but he suspected Trixi was planning to
sever something vital. Even though the lobes of his brain that were
supposed to be for relationships were underpowered and weak, he
could still diagnose a brewing storm. The signs were
undeniable.

Not the kind of storm where he could
sever a misbehaving nerve, repair a skull fracture, or remove a
tumor, but something all together different. He stopped in the
middle of the hallway, barely aware of the activity of the busy
corridor. The tiles were the same, the soothing paint color was the
same. Even the posters informing patients of good hygiene were all
familiar. But he didn’t see any of it.

He replayed Trixi’s parting words and
more importantly, the tone of her voice and her expressionless
eyes. Those things all indicated she was considering doing
something drastic. Pain ratcheted through him so hard he
gasped.

No one came close to his skill with a
scalpel. He knew his way around the brain blindfolded. Naming the
bones that formed the skull came without thought to him. He could
identify them by feel alone. Ask him to explain a woman’s mind,
much less her emotions though, and he came up blank.

Someone bumped him and it ripped him
back to the present, so he continued on his way down the hallway.
Still not seeing anything there, but wondering in the back of his
mind, now, if he could stop whatever headed right at
him.

He needed to convince Trixi they were
worth weathering the storm together. But how to do so was so far
beyond his means, he wasn’t certain it was possible. Since he had a
better chance of helping his next patient, he wrestled his mind
back to other people’s brains. His own, and especially Trixi’s,
were well beyond him right now.

Meeting up with Mark after
work, Trixi didn’t understand why she wanted to cry. Fear bubbled
inside, choking her. The reason for this escaped her. What was
happening? And why did it have to happen
now
?

Two women, well known at the hospital
for their ability to date whomever they pleased, passed them. They
were talking but both paused to offer Mark a once over with
come-hither smiles. To his credit, he didn’t appear to
notice.

Trixi frowned at them, but they
ignored her as though she was invisible. So long as she wasn’t
inconspicuous to Mark, she didn’t mind. Without him, she’d be so
lonely.

Then she remembered Gran lived with
her and that was comforting. Yet Gran wouldn’t live forever. Trixi
shoved additional negative thoughts aside. These weren’t helping
her and could plummet her spirits faster than falling down an
elevator shaft. No good ever came out of either.

The women, when they saw Mark wasn’t
paying attention to them, moved on. He instead turned to her and
his eyes were naked. So raw in fact, she gasped. Trixi reached out
to him. “Mark.”

“
You’re thinking of leaving
me.”

She swallowed hard and shook her head.
“No.” Her voice was as raw as his eyes. How to say what was in her
heart?

Most of the problem was she didn’t
know. It was all there, jumbled together, simmering, growing hotter
and hotter, like it was put on to boil and she was afraid it would
overspill before she was sure of what was there. Before she had
time to remove anything dangerous.

Her life had changed so fast she
wasn’t certain where she was.

“
Yes, you are.” His voice
was thick.

“
I’m just questioning where
we’re going.” Her throat ached.

Mark’s eyes turned another notch
bleaker. “Apparently nowhere.”

Pain tore through her. With such
intensity she couldn’t speak.

They were standing beside his car, in
the middle of the doctor parking lot. Since this conversation
proved to be excruciating, this was a fitting place. She might need
intensive care if her heart was in fact being ripped
out.

If this is what breaking up felt like,
she never wanted to go through the experience again. If being in
love was like this torment, she certainly didn’t want to be in love
again.

He must have read her decision in her
eyes because his eyes froze over and he nodded firmly and then
helped her into the car. Mark drove them home, the fully blasting
heater doing nothing to dispel the chill. It remained downright
freezing.

Mark drove, remaining unresponsive to
her overtures to resume the conversation, maybe salvage it. When
they arrived home, he followed her inside.

She was standing helplessly in the
kitchen when he burst through again with a packed bag and his
briefcase.

“
Mark,” she
whispered.

“
I can’t live here with you
like this,” he said brusquely, as though he had shut off a part of
himself, from both of them. She needed to say so many more things,
but he closed off, and the opportunity passed.

Her heart twisted and throbbed. As a
medical professional, she was well aware this was a serious
condition. Yet she was helpless without his cooperation.

Tears welled and she fought them from
falling because they weren’t fair to him.

“
I don’t want to lose you,”
she said, but he had already shut the door.

The sound of his engine reverberated
through the quiet evening as he tore off. She was still sifting
through their conversation, trying to figure out when they had
broken up. Had they?

It seemed like he thought
so. This was exactly what she
didn’t
want. The silence around her
was daunting. She got up to check on Gran, only to find a note
stating Miriam had visited earlier and Gran intended to spend the
evening with them.

It was the final straw. Trixi lowered
her head and sobbed.

Chapter 42

After
driving around for a while, trying to sort through his chaotic
thoughts, Mark found himself pulling into Leo’s driveway. He was
resigned to see Katy’s vehicle already there. This would be easier
without Trixi’s best friend. He had hoped if Leo and Katy were
together this evening they were at her house instead.

Fate couldn’t be so kind. He exited
his car and took a deep breath before surging toward the door. His
brother opened it before he got there.

“
What are you doing
here?”

“
Thanks,” he answered,
surliness hiding the fermenting hurt and pain.

Katy slipped around his brother and
stared at Mark with an expression he wasn’t capable of reading.
“You had a fight with Trixi.” It wasn’t a question.

Leo stepped out of the doorway and
used the arm he hooked around Katy’s waist to move her with him. It
was probably unnecessary though because they were so in-sync they
moved as nearly one entity. His heart hurt again.

With that organ thumping painfully,
Mark stepped into the house. The smells of dinner assaulted his
olfactory senses, but his stomach sent up a definite protest. The
very thought of food made him shudder.

“
What’s going on?” Leo
asked finally, after they stood there staring at each other for
long moments.

“
Let’s go into the family
room.” Katy spun Leo so he could lead the way.

Mark had lived here long enough to
know exactly where the room was, he didn’t need to follow them, but
found himself trailing his brother mindlessly anyway. He couldn’t
think through the thick haze his brain had become. This didn’t bode
well for his future. Most of his patients expected his brain to
work lightening fast and his hands to move with precision and
accuracy.

“
What happened?” Katy
asked, after she placed a hand on Leo’s knee when he opened his
mouth. They were seated together in the massive armchair Leo had
instantly taken a liking to. Mark had fun teasing him when Leo
purchased it, but now Leo and Katy fit together perfectly in the
chair. Like it had been made for them.

His heart hurt again.

Stiltedly and with long pauses, Mark
explained his conversation with Trixi in the parking lot. It took a
long time to tell because there were still some questions as to
what had actually happened. He stumbled over a few details, because
he couldn’t believe the conversation had even occurred and he
didn’t want to think about life without Trixi. Yet she had made it
clear she didn’t want to be with him.

When he looked up, Katy’s wide eyes
were only exceeded by her dropped jaw. He might even see a peek of
her tonsils. Leo wasn’t as gape mouthed. Mark couldn’t see his
tonsils because he knew for a fact Leo didn’t have them. They’d had
them removed when Mark was in fourth grade and Leo in
third.

“
Are you out of your mind?”
Katy not only managed to close her mouth, she also uttered the
entire question in exasperated tones.