Pink Champagne (9 page)

When Quenby finally stepped off the treadmill, she wiped her face with a towel and turned in the direction of the locker room. Indigo stepped in front of her, blocking her path. Indigo took it upon herself to play her self-designated role as gym hard-ass whenever Quenby didn’t have a session with her trainer.

“Where are you going? Today is lower body day.” Indigo pointed in the direction of the weight lifting equipment. “I know you hate lower body day, but it’s good for us, remember?”

“Yeah, sure.” Quenby tried to walk around her again.

“No, you don’t.”

“I’m just not feeling it today,” Quenby said with a sigh.

“Yeah, if we waited ‘til we felt like it, we’d never get in here.”

“I just—I’m really tired. Tomorrow. I promise.”

“What’s wrong?” Indigo asked. Her chocolate brown skin gleamed with sweat, and her dark hair was up in its usual workout ponytail. She’d slung a small white towel over her shoulder.

“I had a rough day at work.” She’d gone to work that day, telling herself it was because she had to—her monthly reports were due soon. In reality, she didn’t trust herself alone with Caleb. Every moment they spent together left in her danger of losing her heart to a man again all too quickly. How could she be sure this one wouldn’t be too good to be true?

“Does this have anything to do with that man staying in your house?” Indigo scrunched her eyebrows, giving Quenby a suspicious look.

Quenby hadn’t told Indigo about her fight with Caleb that morning, and she didn’t feel like getting into it now. She already knew how Indigo felt about the subject of Caleb. She wanted to keep Indigo thinking that Caleb was just her fun fling—and really, that was the truth. She was in control of this thing.

She didn’t want Indigo making a big deal about it. Because at the moment, she certainly didn’t feel like having a big deal made. “I just—kind of draining. All those reports.”

Indigo put a hand on her almost non-existent hip. “Sure.” She made exaggerated air quotes. “Reports.”

“You’re right. Lower body day.” Quenby started toward the weight equipment. “Let’s go.” On second thought, lower body day was better than Indigo digging for info about Caleb and reinforcing the idea that Quenby was making a mistake.

Indigo was relentless, though. She kept asking questions about Caleb, and Quenby kept side-stepping them.

“Just tell me he’s fabulous in bed so I can know you’re at least getting something out of all these poor choices you’re making right now,” Indigo finally said.

Quenby accidentally set the weight slam back into place on the machine she was using to work on her quads. After wincing at the sound, she laughed. “Okay. I’ll give you that much. He’s fabulous in bed.”

“Thank you,” Indigo said. “Now, is he—”

“Nope. No more questions.”

“Just one more.” Indigo kept at her as they went to the next machine.

Quenby laughed as she fended off Indigo’s questions. Talking to Indigo and working out distracted her for a little while.

Later, as they were leaving the gym, Quenby’s phone rang. She trailed behind Indigo when she realized Caleb was calling her.

“What?” she asked.

“Are we really going to waste time fighting about this? I leave Sunday, you know.”

“My point exactly.”

“Shit.” Caleb snapped. The line went dead.

Indigo stopped, turned around, and raised her eyebrows.

Quenby sighed and dropped her phone into her bag. What was she getting herself into?

Chapter 12

Caleb couldn’t take it anymore. He had to do something, and he didn’t have a lot of time to figure out what and how to do it.

He cared a lot for Quenby. There was no way he could be so mad about all this if he didn’t. After that night they spent together, he’d expected things to be different. And when she’d suggested they spend a day away from each other instead of giving him an answer when he asked her a direct question, it pissed him off. He just wanted to know what she saw happening with them after he flew back to Georgia. He should’ve known sex would mess things up—it had a way of doing that when feelings were involved.

Quenby was hurting, and she needed time to heal. He got that. That was why he’d been respecting her space. But that day had been a little too much for him. She couldn’t answer one simple question. It wasn’t like he’d asked for her hand in marriage or anything.

He’d just about had it with her. Yes, she was beautiful, funny, smart, interesting. Sweet when she wanted to be. And he had strong feelings for her. But he needed to be with someone who knew what she wanted. His days of playing dating games were over. He was looking for a real, serious woman to be in his life. And as sad as he was to think it, maybe he’d been wrong in thinking Quenby could be that woman.

What a fool he’d talked himself into being. He was leaving in a few days to go back to Georgia. Maybe it was just time to move on, forget about her, before he did something really stupid.

But wasn’t it already too late for that? The more he thought about it, the less he wanted to cut Quenby out of his life. In the short—admittedly very short—amount of time he’d known her, she’d added so much to his life. Every time he saw her, he lit up all over. So trying to make the objectively best decision was going to be a real challenge.

And kissing her. There was a thrill in that he’d never felt before. Any time she was close to him, he had to hold himself back from pulling her close and feeling those soft, full lips under his again.

Ha. Adia had warned him not to hurt Quenby. But who was going to protect him from her?

Caleb was a little surprised to hear rattling at the door. So she was finally coming home. She walked in, and he swallowed hard at the sight of her in black Lycra workout pants and a gray T-shirt. He shifted on the sofa.

“Hi.” She dropped her gym bag to the floor.

“Hey,” he said, shifting again.

“We don’t have much time, so I don’t see any point in wasting it. I’m going to shower. If you’re smart, you’ll join me.” She walked toward her bedroom.

He couldn’t argue with that logic. Still, as he walked into the bedroom, he wracked his brain for solutions to this dilemma of his.

He had to think of a way to show her that he was serious. He couldn’t stand being forced to think of Sunday as their last day together. It was getting so that she was all he could think about. No distance, failed wedding, jerk ex-fiancé or anything else could change that. He had to have her. He had to show her that he wasn’t like that other guy. He had a few days left to do that, and he was determined not to blow his chance.

Chapter 13

Saturday afternoon, Quenby spent much longer than usual picking out just the right outfit, doing her makeup, and fussing with her hair. Luckily for her, her hair seemed to sense the importance of the day and didn’t give her as much of a fit as it usually did.

It was scary how easily he could talk her into things. They were going to spend all day at a festival somewhere out past Charlottesville. Apparently, that was how he wanted to spend their last day. She could’ve just as easily spent it in bed, but he insisted that going to this thing would be fun.

She knew she was playing a dangerous game, but unlike him, she wasn’t playing into dangerous fantasies about getting attached. She knew better than to think anything serious would start between them. But it wouldn’t hurt to give him this day at the festival.

She walked out to the living room where he waited for her.

She smiled.

He returned the smile, hazel eyes twinkling. He wore a gray collared shirt with the few top buttons unbuttoned, displaying a delicious bit of his smooth, tanned chest. Apparently, he spent a lot of time out on his boat in the summer. His summer tan hadn’t faded yet. His light wash jeans went well with it. Her eyes went down to his boat shoes. No socks. Of course.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Let’s do it,” she said. She laughed nervously, a little surprised at how nervous she was all of a sudden. “I mean, let’s get out of here.”

He chuckled. “All right.” He stood and walked with her to the door. “Our first date.”

“Date?” That was a strange thing to call it.

Caleb grinned, flashing straight, white teeth at her. “Isn’t that what you call it when two people who like each other go out to try and get to know each other better?”

She laughed. “I guess.” Although she didn’t really see the point. Why did he insist on avoiding reality?

“You guess?”

“We’ve talked about this. Besides.” She continued in a playful tone. “How do you know I like you?”

He held the door open for her. “I dunno. Guess I was just hoping you felt the same way as I do.”

“And how’s that?” She walked out and locked the door after them.

He winked at her. “I just told you. Now are we going to get out of here or not?”

“I guess.”

“You and that guess. You’re saying that a lot, ‘I guess’.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “I love the way you say ‘guess’.
 
You make the ‘e’ sound like long ‘a’.”

“Well, at least you love something about me.”

Quenby’s cheeks burned.

Quenby owned a white Toyota Corolla. It had no leather interior and no extras, was clean and smelled like oranges. Derek had always used a citrus-scented cleaner on the interior of their cars. She’d been trying to air out that smell all week, but it just wouldn’t go.

“Mind if I drive?” he asked.

“Nope.” She tossed him the keys and headed for the passenger side. She didn’t feel like driving a long distance anyway. She didn’t see how he could. They hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.

The drive along 64 West was nice. Quenby always enjoyed riding along that road in the autumn with the leaves turning warm, rusty colors.

They arrived in Barboursville around noon. Caleb had brought her to an autumn festival. There were booths set up selling apples from the recent apple harvests, preserves, quilts, and other foods and crafts. The delightful smells of sugar and frying fat, funnel cake and cotton candy filled the air. Kids ran around carrying helium-filled balloons on strings and shrieking with laughter. Their parents stood around watching them with adoring smiles and carrying on conversations with each other.

They wandered over to a magic show, and the magician asked for volunteers. Caleb surprised her by stepping up. He hammed it up with the magician and had everyone in the audience rolling with laughter. She’d seen the tricks involving handkerchiefs, a deck of cards, and fluffy yellow baby chick and a top hat a dozen times before, but they were still entertaining. Especially with charming Caleb on stage.

He hopped down from the stage and came back to her side while the crowd gave him roaring applause. When he put his arm around her, she said, “You looked good up there.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. So at ease. I would’ve been nervous in front of all these people. I’ll bet you’re good at public speaking.” She definitely wasn’t.

He laughed. “Want to know a secret about me?”

“Sure,” she said.

“I used to have a stutter. It kept me from making the debate team in middle school.”

“You? Really?”

“Me. Really.” He grabbed her hands and kissed her knuckles. “Want to know another secret?”

“Yeah.” He could’ve gotten that response to just about any question he asked at that moment.

“I’m falling for you.”

Quenby pulled her hands away. “Don’t start.”

“Did you ever consider that maybe this isn’t easy for me, either?” he asked. “But I’m not running anywhere.”

“Why isn’t this easy for you?”

“You’re not the only one whose marriage plans didn’t work out,” he said. “I was engaged. Twice.”

“Twice?”

He nodded. “Once to my high school sweetheart, Liz. She ended up marrying my cousin.” His gorgeous face twisted with a scowl for a moment when he said the word “cousin.” Then his expression went blank, and he said, “And last spring…I broke off an engagement with this poor woman. I thought I could make it work, but my heart wasn’t in it.” He shrugged. “I thought I was cursed when it came to women. Before I met you, that is.”

Quenby stared into his eyes, trying to decide what to do with all he’d just told her.

He chuckled. “Or maybe I’m still cursed. Things don’t seem to be going so well here.”

“How can you be so sure? I mean, about me. Us.” She had feelings for him, strong ones, but she was afraid to trust them. She had been wrong pretty much every time when it came to guys so far in life.

“The facts that I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you when we’re in the same room since I first saw you and that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we met are pretty strong clues. Caleb linked his arm through hers. “You know, it seemed like a horrible thing to think at the time, but I was relieved when you called off the wedding.” He pushed a brown curl away from her face and murmured, “When you said you weren’t getting married that day, I knew I had to see you again.”