The Charmer (18 page)

She was right. Still, he wanted her to want him to stay, so much that she would grasp at any chance to see him again. That was what women did. They got all crazy and clingy and demanding. But then, Tenley hadn’t ever acted like the women he’d dated. So it would make sense she’d just cut him loose without a second thought.

“You’re sure about this?”

“Absolutely sure,” she said.

He frowned. “So, I guess we’ll be talking to each other about the novel. You’ll work on the changes. And when they’re done, we’ll discuss them.”

“Yes. If I have any questions, I’ll call you.”

Alex sat up and swung his legs off the bed. Then he ran his hands through his hair. This just didn’t seem right—hell, it didn’t
feel
right. Every instinct in his body told him not to leave her like this, to make it clear he wanted more than what they’d already shared.

She slipped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I am going to miss you. I like having you here when I wake up.”

“That’s a good reason to see each other again, isn’t it?”

She crawled out of bed and pulled him to his feet. “Come on. Get dressed. I’ll make you something to eat while you pack. And I’ll call the garage and tell them you’re coming for your car.”

Tenley grabbed her T-shirt from the floor and tugged it over her head. “Wait a second,” Alex said. “Not so fast.” He pulled her against his body and kissed her, smoothing his hands up beneath her shirt until he found the soft flesh of her breasts.

Tenley giggled. “Wanted to cop one last feel?”

“Hey, I’m a guy. I have to have something to think about on the ride home.”

Tenley dragged her T-shirt back over her head and threw it on the bed. “All right. I’ll cook breakfast in the nude. That should give you plenty to think about for the
next two or three days.” She gave him a devilish smile, then walked out of the bedroom, a tantalizing sway to her hips.

Alex poked his head out the door and watched her as she moved down the hallway. Tenley had the most incredible body. And she didn’t even work at it.

He gathered the clothes he’d left in Tenley’s room and took them back into the guest room, then dug through his duffel for something comfortable to wear. He found a clean T-shirt, pulled it over his head, then stepped into his last pair of clean boxers. His missing jeans were mixed in with Tenley’s laundry and he tugged them on, then searched for his socks.

“Scrambled or fried?” she called from the kitchen.

“Just toast,” Alex called. “And coffee. Really black.” He might as well get back to his regular routine as soon as possible. Besides, he wouldn’t be spending the day and night with Tenley, so there wasn’t much need for extra energy.

When he got out to the kitchen, he found Tenley standing at the counter, sipping a cup of coffee, still completely naked. She handed him a mug and then retrieved his toast from the toaster.

“I like this,” he said, letting his gaze drift down the length of her body. “If a guy had this every day, he’d never get to work in the morning.”

“It’s a lot better in the summer,” Tenley said. “I’m freezing.”

Alex gathered her up in his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You are, by far, the most interesting
woman I’ve ever met, Tenley Marshall. I’m not going to forget you, even if you do make breakfast with your clothes on. Go get dressed.”

She ran back to her bedroom and reappeared a minute later in flannel pajamas and slippers. She sat down next to him at the end of the island, sipping her coffee and waiting for him to finish his toast.

“I did have a wonderful time,” she said with a warm smile. “I’m glad I stopped and rescued you.”

“I’m glad you did, too.” He reached out and slipped his hand through the hair at her nape. Gently, Alex pulled her forward until their lips met. He knew it might be the last time he kissed her, so he tried to make it as sweet and perfect as possible. When he finally drew back, Alex looked down, taking in all the small details of her face, committing them to memory.

There was a time when he thought her odd, but now, Alex was certain she was someone so special, so unique that he might never meet another woman like her again. He drew a steadying breath, then stood. The longer he waited, the more difficult this was going to be.

“I have to go. Now. Or I’m never going to leave.”

Tenley nodded. “All right.” She hugged him hard, then pushed up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you, Alex.”

He wanted to gather her in his arms and show her what a real goodbye kiss should be. But in the end, Alex took one last look, smiled and turned for the door. “I’ll see you, Tenley.”

The trek out to his rental car was the longest walk of his life. Every step required enormous willpower. When he looked back, she was standing on the porch in her pajamas, the cold morning wind blowing at her dark hair. He waved as he drove past the house to the driveway. And all the way to town, Alex tried to come up with an excuse to send him back to the cabin.

Tenley was right. They’d been caught up in a wildly enjoyable affair, but that was all it had been. Passion had turned to infatuation and he’d mistaken it for love. Love didn’t happen in four days or even four weeks. And though his interest in other women had always faded quickly, Alex knew that his feelings for Tenley would be with him for a very long time. He would never, ever forget Tenley Marshall.

“Y
OUR PERSPECTIVE IS OFF HERE.”

Tenley studied the drawing, then nodded. “You’re right. I always make that mistake.” She cursed softly. “This is why I should have gone to art school. People will see things like that and know I’m an amateur.”

“No, they won’t. This is highly stylized, Tenley. You can break a lot of rules. In fact, in this kind of work, you can make up your own rules. It’s your universe. I’m just pointing out some areas you might want to consider,” her grandfather said.

“Right,” she murmured.

It had been three days since Alex had walked out of her life. He’d called twice, but she’d ignored his calls, knowing it would be easier if they didn’t speak for a
while. Still, she’d listened to the sound of his voice on her voice mail over and over again.

She’d been working on the novel nonstop, but her progress had been cursed with fits and starts. With only her own resources to depend upon, Tenley found herself second-guessing the decisions she made. Her first impulse was to call Alex and discuss her concerns with him. But she realized that if she wanted to be an artist, she’d have to stand on her own. Or fail.

Though failing had once been a viable option, the more time she spent on the novel, the more Tenley wanted to make it work. This was a great story, a story that was so tightly woven into her own that she had trouble separating herself from Cyd. She’d grown to like the girl. She was strong and resourceful and determined. She was a survivor.

Yet even with a new story swirling around in her head, Tenley still couldn’t keep her thoughts from wandering to Alex. She hadn’t thought it would be this difficult. Once he was gone, she assumed her life would get back to normal. Sure, she’d think about him occasionally, but thoughts of him would soon fade.

In reality, she’d become obsessed with remembering. Each night, before she fell asleep, she’d go through each image in her head, lingering over them like a photo album. Yesterday, she’d actually made a drawing of Alex in the perfect state of arousal and she was quite taken with it, until she realized it was bordering on pornography.

On the floor in front of the fire, in the sauna, in the
studio, in his room—everywhere she turned there were reminders of him.

“Tenley!”

“What?” She stood up, spinning around to find her grandfather standing behind her, his arms crossed over his chest.

“How long are you going to be like this?”

“Like what?”

“Your young man has been gone for, what, three days?”

“Yes, three days.”

“And when is he coming back?”

“He’s not. And he’s not my young man. He’s just a guy I knew for a while.”

“I see. And how long do you plan to mope around?”

“I’m not moping. I’m just distracted. I have a lot of things on my mind and not enough time to think about them all. Speaking of which, if you don’t go through those bills of sale and mark the inventory numbers on them, I’m going to have a lot more to be crabby about than Alex Stamos.”

“This arrived for you today.” Her grandfather held up a large envelope. The logo for the university in Green Bay was emblazoned on the corner.

Tenley took it from his hand. “Thanks.”

“So you’re going to start school?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “This summer. I’m going to take a writing class, too.”

“Why not spread your wings a little further, Tennie? Check out some other schools. The Art Institute in
Chicago has a great school. You could go down there and stay for the summer, really immerse yourself in something new.”

Though the Art Institute might have a fabulous school, Tenley knew why her grandfather was pushing that choice. It would give her the opportunity to rekindle her relationship with Alex. The thought had crossed her mind more than once. But she wanted to simplify her life, not make it more complicated. “I can’t do that. I have responsibilities here. I have my dogs and cats and horses to care for. And I don’t have the money to stay in Chicago for the summer. If I go to Green Bay, I can drive back and forth.”

“I’ll give you the money,” her grandfather said.

“No, you won’t. You don’t have the money to give me.”

“No?” He laughed. “I have a lot of money. Money you don’t even know I have. I’ve put it all in a trust for you. I don’t think you should have to wait for me to kick the bucket before you can use it. So I’m going to give it to you now.”

“I can’t take your money,” Tenley said. “You should spend it on yourself.”

“I intend to. In fact, now that you’re planning on attending school, I might just go somewhere warm for the winter.”

“You hate California,” she said.

“I was thinking about Greece.”

Tenley gasped. “Greece? Since when?”

He picked up a paintbrush and examined it closely.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Greece. Your grandmother hated to fly, so we couldn’t go. And after she died, I had you to watch out for. But now that you’re moving on, I think I should do the same.”

Emotion welled up inside of her. She’d never meant to be a burden on her grandfather. She was supposed to care for him, not the other way around. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you—You should go. Oh, it would be wonderful. Think of all the things you could paint.” With a sob, she threw her arms around her grandfather’s neck. “Thank you for being so patient with me. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure things out.”

He patted her back. “Not to worry. It all worked out in the end. You found a man and that’s the only thing that matters.”

“I didn’t find a man,” Tenley said stubbornly. “Alex went back to Chicago. He’s gone.”

“What difference does that make? If he’s the one you want, then a few hundred miles won’t matter. When I met your grandmother, she was living in the upper Peninsula. and I was living in Minot, North Dakota. We managed to find a way to make it work.”

“I don’t want to make it work,” Tenley said. “I’m not ready to be in love.”

Her grandfather shook his head and chuckled. “It’s not like you can prepare for it. It just happens and when it does, you have to grab it and hang on for dear life. It doesn’t come along that often.”

Tenley took her drawings and put them back inside her portfolio, then zipped it up. “Well, I don’t want to
be in love. Not right now. I have too many other things I have to do. It would just get in the way.”

He reached out and placed his hand over hers. “Tennie, I really don’t think you have a whole lot of control over that. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always admired your resolve. But on this one you’re wrong.” He tapped her portfolio. “Good work. When you’re done, I think a trip to Chicago might be in order. It’ll give you a chance to check out the school at the Art Institute.”

“What would you do without me during the summer?”

“I was thinking I’d hire one of those college students who are always wanting to intern at the gallery. Someone who’s not so much trouble.”

Tenley giggled. “You’re not going to get rid of me with insults.” She picked up her portfolio and walked to the door. “If I go to Chicago for the summer, you’d have to take care of my dogs and cats. They’d have to move in with you. And we’d have to board the horses.”

He held out his hands. “A small price to pay for your happiness.”

She zipped up her coat and walked out the door into the chilly afternoon sun. Once, her days had been spent in a holding pattern, just waiting for something to push her forward again. Alex had done that for her. He’d given her a reason to move on and for that, she’d be forever grateful.

Someday, she’d tell him that. Someday in the distant future—when she’d be able to look at him and not wonder if she’d given up too soon.

T
ENLEY HAD BEEN
to the Art Institute several times when she was younger. As she walked down the front steps, looking back at the classic facade, she let the memories wash over her. Her parents had been together and Tommy was still alive. They’d rushed up the front steps, racing each other to the door, hoping to see everything in just one day. And while her mother and father lingered over the paintings, she and Tommy found their favorite spots.

Tenley had been fascinated by the miniatures, like little dollhouses with each tiny piece of furniture perfectly reproduced. Tommy was drawn to the Greek and Roman coins, comparing them to his collection of Indian head pennies at home.

It had been one of the last times they’d traveled together as a family. But to her surprise, the memory didn’t cause the usual ache in her heart. Instead, she felt only a tiny bit of melancholy as she recalled the affection they’d all had for each other. Tommy had lived a short life, but he had been well loved.

Maybe that was what life was all about—searching
for a place to feel accepted. Since Alex had left, Tenley had made the decision to walk away from the past and begin again. Though she was excited at the prospect, she was also a bit frightened.