Nobody's Fool (13 page)

Yes, but how much? Would he be old and gray by then? He had an image in his head of a gnarly ancient hermit who’d spent his entire life alone, longing for the one who got away and never having found anyone else to fill that void.

That was what he had to look forward to if he didn’t figure something out.

Chapter Sixteen

Jolie sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed, surrounded by discarded sketches. She’d started yet another design on her pad, concentrating on getting the line of the evening look just right.

Pleasing Melina was not easy. She nitpicked at everything, asked countless questions, offered endless ideas for improvement. Initially Jolie had hated kowtowing to her every whim, but she’d grudgingly come to accept that Melina had an expert’s eye when it came to fashion. She could take a great design and make it fantastic with something as simple as an unexpected embellishment or reworking the sleeves.

As the line began to come together and the date of the Atlanta launch neared, Jolie’s excitement grew. Her gut told her that between the two of them, they had come up with something that would make the fashion world sit up and take notice. That didn’t make her current frustration easier to take. But in the end everything she’d endured, including being ensconced in Court’s house, would be worth it.

A tap on the door sent the furrow of her frown even deeper. “What?”

Court opened the door a few inches and waited until she looked up.

“
What
?” she said again, her irritation mounting. It was hard enough to concentrate knowing he was in the same house with her, just a room or two away. To have him in what had been designated as her personal space completely ruined her focus.

“Someone here to see you.” He turned and left, leaving the door open those few inches.

Jolie set her sketchpad aside, not putting it past Court to have let in a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses for her to deal with. She came into the entryway and gave a whoop of pure joy, then launched herself into Val’s waiting arms.

“Val!”

He lifted her off the floor while she hugged him, not wanting to let go. Val was everything she needed in that moment. Home. Comfort. Friendship.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she exclaimed when they finally let go of each other. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

He looked divine as always, even though she’d tousled his hair a bit in her enthusiasm. He’d perfected business casual in a way that was
GQ
-photo-shoot worthy.

“Because that, my darling, would have spoiled the surprise. Come on. I’m taking you to dinner so you can tell me all about everything I’ve missed.”

“Don’t you mean everything I’ve missed about you?”

“Isn’t that what I said?” He grinned. “Go. Go get dressed. Keep it simple. I’m starving. Where’d Court go? Court, you’re more than welcome to join us,” Val called.

Jolie made a nixing motion before she heard Court behind her say, “Thanks anyway.”

Jolie spun around.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.” He nodded at Val and left. The television came on. Val and Jolie looked at each other.

“Oops,” Val whispered. Jolie grabbed his hand and hauled him to her room and closed the door.

“Why would you invite him?” she hissed as she tugged off her top and began rummaging in her closet. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking it was the polite thing to do. I could sense him listening to every word we said. You should have seen his face when he answered the door.”

“What does that mean?”

“If looks could kill. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t mind tangling with him if we were playing for the same team, but that’s not what he had in mind.”

“You’re delusional,” Jolie said. She shrugged into a winter white blouse and a lightweight green cardigan and skinny black jeans. She added some jewelry and ran a brush through her hair.

“You’re the one who’s delusional,” Val replied. He leaned against the bathroom doorjamb and watched her touch up her make-up and add some gloss. “The man is so not over you.”

The hand holding the lip-gloss faltered. “Even if you’re right, he had his chance.”

Val moved behind her, his hands on her waist. “He did and he blew it?”

“You know he did,” Jolie whispered.

Val kissed her hair. “Okay. Let’s go. There’s got to be a decent restaurant around here somewhere.”

Court pushed away the sandwich he’d made and turned up the TV. He’d been flipping channels for an hour, alternating between anger and despair. A reel that started when he’d opened the door for Val to the moment the pair had left for dinner played in a loop through his head.

Jolie greeting Val had been the most emotion he’d seen out of her since she’d arrived in Atlanta. Certainly since she’d been staying in his house. Mostly she ignored him or, more recently, was painfully polite. She kept her distance and stayed in her room whenever possible, where it seemed she had everything she needed. If she ventured out at all it was to the kitchen and nowhere else, although they had crossed paths in the laundry room once.

Court muted the television and stared up at the ceiling. He didn’t know what he was going to do about Jolie. She made him crazy. She wouldn’t forgive him. She wouldn’t even talk to him. He’d hurt her and she was never going to get over what he’d done.

He couldn’t blame her. He couldn’t go back and change it. He couldn’t make it right. But he also couldn’t believe he’d lost her for good. As long as she was here, living in his house, he had hope.

Or so he thought until he’d seen her reaction to Val’s surprise visit. Pure, unadulterated delight. Court resented every second of the time she was in Val’s arms. Val looked just as delighted to see her as she was to see him. They’d wasted no time going to her room, although they hadn’t been in there long before they left for dinner.

That didn’t make sense. If Court was with Jolie and he hadn’t seen her in weeks, the last thing on his mind would be food. Then again, they had all night. Court had no idea how long the guy was staying. Jolie was under a lot of pressure. She didn’t have time for distractions.

Before he could further contemplate Jolie sleeping with another man in his own house, he picked up the murder mystery he’d been wanting to read.

He hoped it wouldn’t give him any ideas.

Court was engrossed in the story when he heard the front door open and the murmurs of voices. Footsteps receded down the hallway toward Jolie’s room then all was quiet. Court sighed and put down the book. How, he wondered for the thousandth time, had he screwed up so badly?

“I’m so glad I get to stay here instead of some five-star hotel,” Val said. They’d both completed their nightly beauty rituals and were in bed with the light off. “I’ll take company over comfort any day.”

“Me too. I wish I didn’t have to work. I wish we could do something tomorrow.”

“I’ll find a way to entertain myself, so don’t worry about that. But I do want to meet Melina. Then tomorrow night let’s do something fun and fabulous. Go to a club. Drink. Dance. We can invite her along.”

“She probably won’t go. She’s training. Her coach is very strict.”

“Then we’ll go by ourselves. Unless you want to invite Court. Watching him eat his heart out might be amusing.”

“Give it a rest, Val. Go to sleep. Don’t hog the sheets.”

“All right. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

The next morning Jolie made Val breakfast, pointedly not offering Court any when he joined them to pour some coffee into his travel mug. “Have a good day,” he said politely before he left.

“Oh, he hates me,” Val said gleefully. “Hates me. Hates me. Hates me. I love it.”

“For heaven’s sake, Val. That’s ridiculous. You’re no threat to him.” Jolie began loading the dishwasher.

Val giggled. “Right you are, but does he know that?”

Jolie frowned. It hadn’t occurred to her before, but it was entirely possible Court had no idea that Val was gay. She thought back to Court’s reaction to him in New York. He must have had the impression that she and Val were a couple. At that time she hadn’t cared what Court thought. Nor did she now.

Liar
.

Had she subconsciously been using Val to make Court jealous?

“I don’t know what he knows or doesn’t know,” Jolie said, not bothering to hide her irritation.

“Oh, shut up,” she said when she caught Val’s smug look. She slammed the door of the dishwasher. “Let’s go.”

“Melina, this is my dear friend, Val. Val, Melina.”

“
Enchante
,” Val said, laying it on extra thick. He took Melina’s hand in his and bowed, kissing the back of it. “I’m a huge fan.”

“Oh, dahlink,” Melina said to Jolie. “I like him.”

Melina and Val laughed as if they had shared some inside joke. Jolie fought not to gag. “I’m going to give him a quick tour and then he’s leaving. Aren’t you, Val?”

“Yes, but I’ll be back to take you out tonight. Melina, please say you’ll join us.”

“I cannot. Hans would have my head. Perhaps another time. Val, you must come to our show. It is going to be spectacular.”

“I wouldn’t miss it. Lovely meeting you.”

Melina kissed Val on both cheeks and left. “The pleasure is mine.”

Val watched her leave. “Wow. She has got it going on. Beauty, charm, style. An impressive package.”

“Careful, darling. I’m getting jealous,” Jolie said with a hint of Melina in her voice.

He turned back to her. “Never. You’re always my number one.”

“Uh huh.” She steered him toward the workroom. “Come have a look at what we’ve done so far. Feel free to offer opinions. Just remember the only ones that count around here are Melina’s.”

They stopped just inside the workspace. “Oh. Hello, Krystian. Val, this is Melina’s cousin, Krystian. Krystian, this is my friend Val who’s visiting for a few days.”

Krystian made himself invaluable to Melina by fetching and carrying and running errands. He also kept the workroom neat and organized, picking up after Jolie, Melina and Sophina. He was young, handsome, with a dancer’s lithe body and charisma in spades. Jolie was certain he’d be following in his famous cousin’s footsteps soon, just not on the tennis circuit.

The two men shook hands. “A pleasure,” Val said, giving Krystian a once over and eating him up.

“Likewise,” Krystian replied. Their hands stayed together long past the handshake. Jolie looked from one man to the other and stepped back as sparks flew between the pair.
Oh.

“Val was going to give himself a tour of Atlanta today. Krystian, if you’re not too busy, maybe you could go with him. Show him some of the sights. I can handle things here.”

Krystian had been in Atlanta long enough to know his way around. In spite of his youth, or perhaps because of it, he’d be the perfect companion for Val.

“I would enjoy this,” he said, “if you would as well.”

“Delighted,” Val said, his smile never wavering. “Jolie, you’re a genius,” he added without looking at her.

“If you will wait a few minutes while I prepare,” Krystian said.

“Of course.”

Once he was gone, Val pretended to swoon. “And it’s not even Christmas. Why didn’t you tell me about him? I wouldn’t have waited so long to visit.”

“I’m sure I mentioned him. You don’t think he’s too young for you?”

“Honey, once they’re over eighteen, there’s no such thing. I’d say he’s definitely over eighteen.”

“Twenty-something, certainly. Hurry. Come have a look at what we’ve done before he gets back.”

Val oohed and aahed in all the right places while Jolie rattled on about Belgian lace and the clever placement of zippers, but she wasn’t fooled for a moment. Val kept one eye on the doorway and the second he heard Krystian in the hallway he interrupted her spiel about their marketing plan aimed at price-conscious twenty-somethings.

“All right, I’ll get out of your way and let you work. Maybe Krystian knows someplace fun we can go tonight. In fact, maybe he can join us.” He bussed Jolie’s cheek absentmindedly. “We’ll figure out the details and call you later,” he called out just before the front door closed behind them.

Jolie smiled. She hadn’t seen Val with a crush in almost a year. She’d been worried he was becoming jaded and perhaps too picky, finding fault with nearly every guy he dated and moving on.

Maybe he was looking to settle down and didn’t want to settle for anyone he couldn’t see himself with long-term?

Even if Krystian was destined to be just another of Val’s flings, she was grateful to him for getting Val out of the way and entertaining him in the process. She had work to do.

Minutes later Sophina joined her, a cup of coffee in a sealed travel mug. She sipped while Jolie reviewed the day’s agenda.

Court arrived home that evening to discover Jolie and Val out on the pool deck. He’d been brooding to the point that even he was sick of himself. He’d counseled plenty of clients over the years that if what they were doing with their careers wasn’t working it might be time to try something else. He decided to take his own advice, to stop berating himself for the mistakes he’d made with Jolie and confront his dilemma head-on.

He retrieved a wineglass and when he stepped outside he made himself smile at the pair of them. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Val said. “The more the merrier. Jolie’s always happy to be surrounded by adoring males, aren’t you dar—oof!”

Val made a show of rubbing his shin.

“Sorry, Val. My foot must have slipped.”

“How are you enjoying Atlanta, Val?” Court asked. He settled back in his chair, playing the part of the relaxed, interested host.

“I wasn’t keen on it at first, truth be told. But I’ve seen a different side of the city today. There are parts of it I’ve already grown quite fond of.”

Court couldn’t miss the secretive look Val sent Jolie. He wondered if Val was planning to be a permanent fixture in his home because Jolie was here. A couple of days was one thing. But if Val planned to stick around for a couple of months Court might have to move out of his own house.

“Surely you’d never leave New York,” Court said, testing the waters.

“Oh, I don’t know. If the opportunity were enticing enough.”

Jolie laughed. “Please, Val. You know you’d never leave the big city. Although I could see you rearranging a few things for that enticing opportunity.”

“Definitely. What about you, Court? Ever consider leaving Atlanta?” Val asked.

“Not really. I can work from most anywhere. But I suppose if something I couldn’t say no to came along, I’d relocate.”