Second Chances (12 page)

“Someone sent it to me.” Kristin held up the brown envelope, then tossed it on the counter. “No return address, but I can guess who it might have been.”

David raised his eyebrows. “As devious as I know Sophie to be, her actions always reflect a personal agenda. So what would be the purpose of her sending this article to you?”

Kristin let out a harsh laugh and grabbed the page from his hands. “Didn’t you read it? Because you two are planning your wedding, and contemplating children. Why wouldn’t she want me to know that?” The sarcasm she was going for oozed from her words.

David’s shoulders slumped. “You know that’s just for show. None of what she said there is true.”

Kristin shook her head in disbelief. “Really? Because it appears like I’m the one who is being lied to here, not the public.” Had she been played for a fool? But then again, they were only friends. She had no right to him. Slowly, she leaned against the counter as the fantasy she’d had about their future crumbled.

David stepped forward and gently clutched her shoulders. “I am not lying to you about my relationship with Sophie. It really is finished between us. She is just attempting to wind you up, scare you off. I’ve told you how controlling and manipulative she has become.”

“David, Sophie is not acting like she is pretending.” She raised the paper between them with a snap. “Sending this to me is the action of a jealous woman. There’d be no other reason for her to try to chase me off this way.”

David gently took the paper from Kristin’s hand. He crumpled it into a ball and tossed it across the room. “That is my opinion of what the tabloids print.”

She gently rubbed her brow with her index finger as some of her anger evaporated. The confusion did nothing but add a vise around her head. “That won’t make it go away, David.”

She flexed the muscles in her shoulders in an attempt to ease the tension that threatened to turn into knots. “This is why what happened earlier can’t happen again. You were right to be sorry.”

A sigh of defeat left David’s lips. “When I said I was sorry earlier, it wasn’t for
what
happened, just
how
it happened.”

Kristin gaped at him, her mouth slack. Some of her earlier insecurities dwindled. It sounded like he wanted what happened earlier. This was a bit unexpected. How was that admission supposed to play out with this whole mess he had with Sophie?

“So,” she began slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Are you saying that you want our relationship to be more than friends?”

David stepped forward and tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “Isn’t that what you want?” His gentle voice was like a caress.

Is that what she wanted? It had been glorious, being in his arms, but was she truly ready for everything else that came along with a relationship? Was she ready to trust him with her heart and her soul?

“I don’t know, David. There’s still Sophie to deal with, and I’m not sure I’m ready to start that kind of an intimate relationship. And definitely not in the shadow of a lie. This is hard enough for me, and I deserve more than a relationship in the shadows.” She couldn’t do it, not unless he had a clean start to give her.

His hands fell to his side. “You’re right. It’s not fair of me to ask that of you right now. And I don’t want to ruin the relationship we already have.”

As Kristin stared deep into David’s eyes, her mind danced around that last statement. The relationship they already had. And how exactly would she define that? Friends? Would-be lovers? Unrequited love interests? All of the above?

David ran his hand through his hair. “I guess I should be going. I think we both have a lot to think about.”

Her heart skipped a beat. That damn thing with the hair thrilled her even now. “Do you want me to drive you?”

“No, I’ll grab a taxi.” He walked to the door, and she followed a short distance behind. David paused with his hand on the doorknob and turned back to face her. “Do you want to try the movie thing again tomorrow?”

His expression was so full of hope that a movie would somehow set their friendship back to where it was before. But Kristin needed some time alone to think. Maybe a few David-free days would give her some perspective. “I think I need some time to sort things through in my head. I promise I’ll call you soon.”

David leaned over and brushed her forehead with his lips. Opening the door, he bounded down the stairs and she watched him disappear from view. Closing the door, she leaned back against it with a thud.

Every ounce of strength left her body as she slowly slid down the door, ending in a heap on the floor. She gathered her knees to her chest and laid her head on them. Weariness made her limbs heavy as she continued to sit on the floor.

Almost everything she had dreamt about for weeks had just happened. So why had it left her so hollow and scared?

Sighing, she hugged her knees tighter. In some ways, it was more horrible experiencing those minutes instead of imagining them. In her fantasy, the guilt and fear that had skulked up on her earlier never made an appearance.

Reality sucked sometimes.

Kristin straightened and leaned her head against the door. She pushed up from the floor with her hands and forced her legs to bear her weight, standing slowly.

The room blurred for an instant as the pain in Kristin’s head kicked into high gear. Stress and sleep deprivation always did this to her—made her head feel like it was going to explode. The throbbing inside her brain thumped in time with her pulse, like something was trying to escape her skull. The room finally righted itself, and she was able to take a deep breath.

Kristin’s life had been a whirlwind since that night at the National Gallery, and now it caught up with her. She’d let herself get too involved in everything with David, losing sleep, indulging in fantasies.

And then there was Sophie Miller. Sophie would have no reason to be in Kristin’s life if it weren’t for David. He might have his doubts about her desperation, but Kristin was certain Sophie was far from irreproachable.

Kristin steeled her shoulders and hobbled over to the kitchen counter. Yes, some time away from David could be good. The normalcy of her mundane life before she met him sounded like a vacation.

She took a deep breath and smiled through her pain. Making a decision, even a small one, flooded relief over her and eased some of the weary tension in her body. Kristin leaned over her bag and rummaged through it again. Now, if she could only find that damn Ibuprofen.

~~~

David hurried down the stairs of Kristin’s townhouse and started down the street. The cool night air ruffling his hair calmed him. The smell of chips wafted over from some diner open late. If he hadn’t still been full from Kristin’s fine meal, he may have tried to find out where the place was.

He decided to walk for a bit to clear his head before catching a taxi. The evening had given him a load of things to process. But mostly, what he thought about was Kristin’s soft body underneath him, as he tasted her lips and inhaled her flowery scent. What he wouldn’t give to experience those moments again.

But then his damn phone had to ring incessantly. Bernard had gotten hold of a copy of the article from
The Sun
as well, and had wanted to go over any kind of a response with David before it hit the stands. Of course, Bernard was full of congratulations and best wishes, thinking all of it was true. But David’s only thoughts were of returning to the discussion that had been interrupted.

Kristin’s moans of pleasure echoed in his head. She had responded so openly to his touch. Her total change of heart after the cell phone interruption was unexpected. Fear and guilt clouded her lovely eyes, just as it had that first night they met. He craved to see her smile and the desire in her almond shaped eyes instead.

For the first time, she wanted to be left alone. Instead of moving forward, it was like their relationship had taken a step backward. But hadn’t he told her friends only?

And the article Sophie mailed didn’t help matters. All because Sophie—

David’s phone chirped. He glanced at the display. Sophie’s name blazed across the lights, he grimaced and opened the phone with a clack.

“Sophie.” His voice was flat, but the anger was there, just at a simmer.

“David, love, how are you? I’m sorry I wasn’t available when you called earlier. Today was a very busy day on set. What is it that you needed?”

David heard voices and music in the background. Sophie was more than likely out somewhere, living it up. She’d probably been able to talk to him the entire time, she just wanted to let him stew. “I think you know what I want to talk about. How could you have told that reporter all of those lies?”

“I panicked, darling. I just said what came off of the top of my head. So sorry if it upset you.”

David clenched and unclenched his free hand at his side. “You never panic, Sophie. You are always over prepared for everything. Pretending to be together for a while is one thing. Spreading lies about wedding plans and children is another thing entirely.”

The background noise from Sophie’s end died down considerably. “There was a time, love, when we did talk about those things.” Her voice had grown hushed, but David remained unaffected by her change in tone, his hot anger seethed under his skin.

“Why did you send a copy of the article to Kristin?”

The silence on the other end stretched out for a few long seconds. If it weren’t for the sound of Sophie’s breathing, David would have thought the call had been dropped.

“I just wanted to give your friend a reality check. I wanted to make sure she was aware that you are off limits.” Her voice had resumed its normal edge.

David shook his head back and forth. He couldn’t scream at her like he wanted or she would just hang up on him. “This has got to stop, Sophie. I know how to be discreet, and I am losing patience with your antics. I’m desperately close to calling off your whole charade, damn the consequences.”

Sophie’s shrill laugh pierced through him. “It’s so cute when you try to stand up to me like that. Really it is. But you shouldn’t make threats you aren’t prepared to follow through with. And you just admitted to how prepared I always am for anything.”

David swallowed the anger that threatened to erupt. Now wasn’t the time for this. He wanted to deal with this situation rationally, not in a fit of fury. That reaction would only feed into Sophie’s unstable wrath.

He heard her sigh softly. “I must go now, David. I have to be on set fairly early. Do take care, love.”

Click
.

David stared at the silent phone for an instant before he shut it. He gripped it so tightly, he was certain the casing would crack wide open. What part of him had loved this woman? Had she always been so unfeeling and controlling?

David relaxed his grip and stuffed the phone into his pocket. Breathing deeply, he stepped off the curb and raised his hand to hail a taxi.

Chapter Six

“You know, when you rang me to go on one of our lunchtime shopping sprees, I assumed you would actually want to participate, instead of staring off into space.” Ingrid stopped perusing the shoe displays and turned toward Kristin with arched brows.

“Anything you care to share with your
best friend
?” Ingrid emphasized the last two words sarcastically.

A wave of guilt washed over Kristin. She hadn’t exactly shared with her friend what had been going on. How could she let Ingrid know about David and the friends/not friends situation as well as Sophie? “Once more with the sorry, here. I know I haven’t exactly been a stellar friend lately.”

Ingrid returned the sandals and inspected some black patent pumps. “One might even think a man was involved somehow.”

Kristin blanched. Of course a man was involved. Even though she hadn’t seen or spoken to him in a few days, David was the cause of her pensive mood. What perspective she’d gained from his absence remained to be seen.

Ingrid set the pumps back in their home, turned to Kristin and crossed her arms. “So, love, are you going to spill it, or what?”

Well, was she? Kristin had spent a lot of the time over the past few days going over and over her relationship with David, and in her studio sketching, with little to show for it. Maybe it was time to trust her best friend with her confusion, desires and fear, after all.

Kristin’s gaze roamed around the busy shoe store trying to decide. Women milled in small groups beside various displays, or sat in the available chairs with stacks of boxes surrounding them as they admired their newly-clad feet in front of the sales personnel.

Shoe shopping was one of her favorite activities to share with Ingrid. They often embarked on these adventures to allow for the healing properties of retail therapy. And they each had a closet full of footwear to prove it.

Kristin spied a couple of unoccupied chairs in a corner across the room. “Let’s go sit for a minute.”

Linking arms with Ingrid, Kristin walked toward the empty chairs and sat. Ingrid crossed her legs. “So, are you going to talk to me?” Her blue eyes regarded Kristin questioningly.

Kristin took a deep breath. “First, you have to promise me that you will not breathe a word to anyone about what I’m about to tell you.”

Ingrid leaned forward with interest. “Ooh, you know I’m always up for a good dose of gossip. It helps to know everything in my field of work.”

“I’m being serious, Ingrid. I need my friend right now, not the agent.” Kristin laid her hand on Ingrid’s forearm.

Ingrid’s playful demeanor quickly vanished. She covered Kristin’s hand with hers. “All right, love. I promise.”