The Charmer (20 page)

“I know what you mean. There aren’t that many interesting single guys living in Sawyer Bay. Though prospects improve in the summer.”

Alex reached out and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. It felt so good to touch her. “We could skip the restaurant,” he said. “We’re just a couple blocks from the Drake. We could order room service and spend some time alone.”

She smiled weakly and Alex immediately regretted his suggestion. He was moving too fast. And it was obvious her feelings for him had changed.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.

“You’re probably right. Best to maintain a professional relationship. But it worked out pretty well for us when we did it the first time.”

“Yes, but that was just for fun.”

Alex watched the traffic as it slowed in front of him for the light. What did she mean by that? Was that all he’d been to her, just a few nights of fun?
Maybe all this distance was simply her way of letting him down easy.

As they drove along the lakeshore, Alex pointed out the major landmarks. Acting as tour guide kept the conversation light and interesting. But in his head, he was cataloguing all the questions that needed answers. Why couldn’t she love him? She didn’t really believe that ridiculous Web site, did she?

They were so obviously compatible, both in and out of bed. He loved talking to her. She didn’t babble like most of the women he’d dated. And she wasn’t obsessed with her looks or her clothes. Over time, Alex had realized that it was the little things that he found so attractive.

Tenley didn’t wear makeup, at least, not anymore. From the moment she got up in the morning until the time she went to bed, she never once looked in the mirror. She combed her hair with her fingers. She wore clothes that were comfortable and shoes that didn’t kill her feet.

And she read books. She didn’t watch silly television shows or buy fashion magazines. She had a stack of classics on her bedside table. She was smart and talented and witty.

“And when you have a free moment, you go out and do something useful with your time,” he muttered, “rather than going to get your nails done.”

“What?”

Alex glanced over to find Tenley watching him with an inquisitive expression. Had he said that out loud?
“Nothing,” he said. “Here we are.” Thankfully, the parking valet provided a distraction. He opened Tenley’s door for her and helped her from the car, then circled around to grab the keys from Alex.

When they got inside, Tenley excused herself and headed toward the ladies’ room. Alex waited outside and watched as two women went in and came out before Tenley. What was she doing in there? He reached for the door and pulled it open. “Tenley?”

“What?”

“Is everything all right?”

He heard a sniffle. “Yes?”

Alex stepped inside, then locked the door behind him. He heard the tears in her voice. She was locked in the center stall and he rapped on the door. “Come on, Tenley, open up. I don’t want to have to crawl under.”

He heard the latch flip and he pushed the door open. She sat on the toilet, her eyes red, a wad of toilet paper in her hand.

“Go away,” she said.

“No.” Alex reached down and took her hand, then pulled her out of the stall. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know.” This brought a fresh round of tears and she turned away from him and sat down on a small chair in the corner. “God, I hate crying. I feel so stupid.”

“Are you upset with me?”

“No.” She paused and wiped her nose. “Yes. Maybe. You just make it so difficult.”

“What?” He pulled her into his arms and smoothed his hands along her waist. “I don’t mean to.”

Alex’s fingers found her face and he tipped her gaze up to his. Her eyes were red and watery and he brushed a tear away with his thumb. He didn’t have the words to make her feel better because he didn’t know what was wrong. So Alex did the only thing he knew would take her mind off her troubles. He kissed her.

But what began as a sweet, soothing kiss, slowly turned into something more. Her mouth opened beneath his and he took what she offered. How many nights had he lain in bed, thinking about this, about the next time he’d touch her and kiss her and make love to her? This wasn’t exactly the setting he’d imagined, but at this point, it didn’t matter. Tenley was back in his arms again.

He grabbed the lapels of her jacket and pushed them aside, desperate to find a spot of bare skin to touch. They stumbled back against the sinks and Alex picked her up and set her on the edge of the counter, stepping between her legs.

She had too many clothes on and there wasn’t enough time. He glanced over his shoulder and considered the stall for privacy, but decided against it. The door was locked. If someone knocked, they’d have to stop. But until then, he—

“No,” she said, pressing her hands against his chest. “Don’t do this.”

Alex was stunned and he immediately stepped away. “What is it?”

She pulled her jacket back up and slid off the counter. “I can’t do this. I—I have to go.” Tenley hurried to the door and pulled on it, but it wouldn’t open. “I need to go.”

“Tenley, wait. I’m sorry. I didn’t—It’s just been such a long time and I—”

She finally realized the door was locked and when she turned the knob, it opened. He followed her out into the lobby, but she headed back out to the street.

“Tenley.” He took her hand. “Where are you going?”

“I have to go home. I can’t stay here.”

“Don’t. I promise, I won’t kiss you again.”

She raised her hand for a cab, but he pulled it down. A cab screeched to a halt in front of the restaurant. Christ, he could wait all day for a taxi and now, when he didn’t want one, there were ten available. She pulled the door open.

“Wait,” Alex said to the driver. “We’re not through.”

“Go,” Tenley said.

“No! Wait.” He reached into his pocket for his wallet, ready to pay the driver to do as ordered.

But Tenley pulled the door shut. “Go, now!” she shouted at the driver.

Alex could do nothing but curse as the taxi roared off down the street. The valet stood at his desk, observing the entire scene with a dubious expression.

“Bad date?” he asked.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Well, at least you didn’t buy her dinner.” He grinned. “Do you want your car?”

Alex nodded. He sat down on a bench, his breath coming in gasps, clouding in front of his face in the cold air. What the hell had happened? Where was the woman who’d crawled into his bed and seduced him on the
night they met? Or the woman who ran into the snow stark naked?

Something had happened to the free-spirited Tenley he knew three weeks ago. How could someone have changed so fast? He reached for his cell phone. She’d spent the previous night in a hotel and left her car parked there. Maybe if he tracked her down, he might catch her before she left.

Alex stared at his phone, then shook his head as he realized the impossibility of that task. The bottom line was Tenley didn’t want to be with him. Whatever they’d shared had faded. And he’d just killed what was left of it with his behavior in the bathroom.

When the valet returned with his car, Alex gave him a fifty-dollar bill and slipped behind the wheel. He’d made only one mistake in his life and Alex suspected he’d never stop regretting it. He’d left Tenley that morning after his sister had called.

He should have stayed. He should have lived up there with her until he was absolutely certain she was in love with him. He knew her heart was fragile and yet he thought they’d just be able to pick up where they’d left off in a week or two. Only in the meantime, Tenley had erected a wall around herself, too high and too thick for him to broach.

He’d missed his chance with her and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

T
ENLEY LOOKED
at her reflection in the mirror, trying to see herself as others might. Gone was the streak of
purple in her hair. Gone was the dark eye makeup and the deep red lipstick, the black nail polish.

She smoothed her hands over the bodice of the red vintage dress. She’d found the garment in a trunk in her grandfather’s attic and had thought the shawl collar and wide skirt made it a classic design. When she’d brought it down, her grandfather had grown all misty, remembering the night her grandmother had first worn it.

In her ongoing effort to get out more, Tenley had invited her grandfather to the Valentine’s Dance, held at the fire hall in town. The dance was one of the biggest events of the winter season. Everyone attended. Jimmy Richter’s Big Band came in from Green Bay to play and the Ladies Auxiliary made cake and pink punch. Anyone who was single was invited to attend, from teenagers to retirees.

Tenley suspected her grandfather had ulterior motives for accepting the date. Rumor had it he and Katie Vanderhoff had been seen together at Wednesday-night bingo for the past four weeks in a row. Though he might have wanted to ask Katie to the dance, Tenley knew the potential gossip would have scared him away. Considering the suitability of the match, the gossips would have had them married off before they stepped on the dance floor.

Tenley heard a knock on her door and she took one last look in the mirror. “You can do this,” she murmured. “It’s just a silly dance.”

But it was more than that. Since her trip to Chicago, almost two weeks had passed. She’d begun to see her life
in a different light. She wanted to find someone to love her, a man who might make her feel the way Alex did. But Tenley knew it would take time. She wouldn’t fall in love in aweek or even a year. There were too many things in her past that kept her from surrendering so easily.

But she had felt something with Alex and she was certain she could find that again if she only got out there and started looking. She had made one vow to herself. No more one-night stands. Sex for fun was a part of her past. From now on, she intended to act a bit more circumspect.

She grabbed her coat from the bed, then hurried to the door. The dogs tried to follow her outside, but she slipped out without them. “Sorry,” she said.

Her grandfather stood on the porch, dressed in his best suit, his hands behind his back. He slowly brought out a plastic box and Tenley was delighted to find a corsage there. “It’s an orchid,” he said. “I used to buy your grandmother white orchids all the time. She loved them because they lasted so long.”

Tenley took the box from his hand. “I’ll put it on in the car. It’ll freeze out here.” She hurried down the steps and hopped inside her grandfather’s Volvo. Shivering, she rubbed her hands together and then held them close to the heat. “Are you really sure you want to do this?” she asked.

“Your grandmother died four years ago. I think it’s time I got out there and met some ladies. Not that I want to get married again, but I would like to have some company if I decide to see a movie or dine out.”

He’d combed his bushy hair and shaved off the usual
stubble that covered his cheeks. “You look very handsome,” Tenley commented. “All the ladies will want to dance with you. I heard you’ve been spending time with Katie Vanderhoff.”

He grinned. “Maybe. It’s those damn cinnamon rolls. I stop by for coffee in the morning and she feeds me one of those and I think I’m in love. That’s how your grandmother won my heart. With her apple pie.”

“Well, you’ll have to be sure to ask her to dance. Just make sure I get the first and the last one.”

Tenley flipped the visor down and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair looked silly, all curled and poufed up. As soon as she got to the dance, she’d take it down.

“You look very pretty,” her grandfather said, steering the car onto the road. “No more blue hair. Or was it purple? I can’t remember.”

“I’ve decided to be perfectly normal for one night. I’m even wearing underwear.”

“I don’t need to hear about that,” her grandfather said, wagging his finger, “although, I am glad to hear it. I wouldn’t want to have you twirling around on the dance floor wearing nothing beneath your skirt. And I do love to twirl a girl.”

By the time they got to town, Tenley was nervous. She’d been off the social radar for so long she knew her appearance would cause a lot of speculation. Everyone in town knew about Alex and her romance with him. But as far as they understood, that was still going on, long distance.

If they asked, she would have to tell them the truth—she and Alex had parted as friends. Friends who didn’t speak to each other. Friends who couldn’t possibly be in the same room without wanting to tear each other’s clothes off.

The dance was already well under way when they arrived. Her grandfather grabbed her coat and hung it up, then held out his arm gallantly, a broad smile on his face. “You look lovely. Absolutely lovely. I wish your grandmother could see you. You look just as pretty as she did on the night we met.”

“Thank you,” Tenley said. “Are you ready?”

“I am. Are you?”

She nodded. They walked toward the entrance to the hall and stopped at the ticket table. Harvey Willis’s sister, Ellen, was selling tickets and complimented them both on their snazzy attire.

The interior of the firehouse had been transformed. The trucks had been moved outside for the night and lights had been strung from the overhead beams. A small stage was set up on one end and the band was already in the midst of their rendition of “Moon River.”

To Tenley’s relief, there were plenty of familiar faces in attendance. If no one asked her to dance, she’d at least be able to chat. But as she scanned the room, her gaze came to rest on a face she hadn’t expected to see.

Her fingers dug into her grandfather’s arm as she gasped. “He’s here,” she whispered.

“Who’s here?”

“Alex. He’s standing right over there.”

“Oh, look at that,” her grandfather said. “Now, doesn’t he look handsome. And what’s that he has in his arms? Looks like roses.”

“Did you know about this?” Tenley asked.

“Well, he did call a few days ago. Wanted to know if the dance was on Saturday or Sunday night. I just told him what he wanted to know. I also mentioned you’d be attending.” He unhooked Tenley’s hand from his arm and gave her a little push. “Go on. Talk to him before some other girl snaps him up.”