Kitabı oku: «The Last Man She'd Marry», sayfa 3

Chapter Four

It took Alyx a few days and considerable humility to accept that therapist Sharleigh had been right to rebuke her for her stubborn lack of cooperation. She had to credit the scene with Jonas for the turnaround, too. How humiliating to have him see her a half year later, still carrying ten pounds she didn’t need—especially when she’d been eight under her usual weight when she’d been discharged from the hospital—and moving with the stiffness of someone a decade older.

“Okay, Grace,” she told Parke’s greyhound on the following Monday. “It’s time to swallow my pride and ask Attila the Hunette over at the rehab place to give me another chance. I’ll be back in two hours…sooner if she refuses to hear what I have to say, which is entirely possible if your response to me is any guide to go by. But whatever, I’ll be back in plenty of time for us to talk to your mommy. Deal?”

The dog just sat like the Sphinx.

“I’ll bet you speak your mind the minute you’re alone,” she told her.

Wondering if she was going to last the full duration of Parke’s trip, Alyx climbed into her cousin’s Toyota. Talking to the dog as though she was human; what was next? Thank goodness E.D. couldn’t see this or she’d never live it down. E.D. had taken to the dog at Dylan’s ranch like an extension to her family. Alyx just hoped Grace’s wailing stopped before the neighbors notified the police.

Once at the spa, she hesitated; going inside was triggering another wave of dread about what she intended to do. Sucking up had never been an option for her, not when she was a self-doubting law student, nor when she’d walked out of an envied position at a prestigious law firm after deciding making partner wasn’t worth sleeping with the man who could vote her in.

By the time she entered the center, her clothes were clinging to her as though she’d already done a thirty-minute workout. But apparently, Shar had been doing some thinking, too, and was grateful to have one less client-patient loss to explain even if Alyx was only a guest. Her lips formed a perfect O when she spotted her, and she actually left another person to greet her.

“Alyx. You’re back.”

“Don’t call security. I’m here to apologize for last week’s behavior as soon as I get the glue off the roof of my mouth.”

The blond trainer’s cheeks bloomed with a delicate peach blush and she began to pant softly with relief. “It’s okay. I should never have pushed you as hard as I did. I let myself get caught up in progress and lost sight of the individual.”

“I appreciate that.” Moistening her lips, Alyx asked, “Is there any room in your schedule to fit me in? I really want to—” she thought of Jonas’s grim inspection of her and just as quickly rejected the appeal of seeing desire in his eyes again “—to be able to get out of Parke’s hair when she returns. She will need to get back to creating her art, and I have cases coming up in court.”

“If you have the time, we can do thirty minutes right now to start getting your body prepared for the real workouts. I’ll also show you some yoga stretches to do at home. Then, if you can come tomorrow, I’ve got an hour open at one.”

“I’ll take it.”

At the end of the half hour, Alyx couldn’t pretend that she was any happier than when she’d arrived; in fact, several times she’d needed to blink away tears as Shar worked her through the warm-ups, and even started her on two machines. But the instant Alyx spoke up to point out that she’d reached her limit, Sharleigh assured her that they were through and assisted her off the machine.

“You were great,” the therapist said, making notes on her clipboard. “So are we good for tomorrow?”

“Yes, thank you. And I’ll make sure to limber up beforehand.”

“Super. How’s Parke enjoying Italy?”

“She’s missing her dog, but she’s soaking up a ton of culture and ambiance.”

“I envy her the trip. The farthest east that I’ve gotten so far is Dallas for a conference.”

While hardly in a chatty mood, Alyx appreciated the younger woman’s attempt at friendliness. “Well, I haven’t done much better than that. What worries me is that she’ll have such a great time, she’ll stay, and I’ll get stuck with her dog.”

“You could find a worse place to end up in than here.”

Afraid to be taken the wrong way again, Alyx quickly amended, “Oh, Sedona’s gorgeous, there’s no doubt about it, but I’m just as inexperienced with animals as I am with kids. Definitely not mommy material.”

The leggy blonde offered a wry chuckle. “I know a dozen men who would ask for your phone number in a heartbeat. Me, I’d love a half-dozen kids, but once a guy hears that, he loses my number, since most of the singles I meet here have already been divorced at least once and are struggling with child support and facing a future of mountainous college loans.”

Alyx couldn’t believe this gorgeous blonde had any problem with dating. “I’d think they’d lie until their tongues fell off to get some of your time.”

“Ha—yeah, well, the problem is what they want during that time.”

Alyx felt ashamed. She knew Shar attracted oodles of attention, but had unkindly assumed the woman enjoyed any and all of it. “I’m sorry about that.” Reaching out her hand, she said, “Thank you again for your help and understanding.”

Shar smiled and shook her hand. “I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

Lesson learned, Alyx mused as she left the building. She was ready for a shower for all of the worry, then exertion, as well as something medicinal to rub on her sore muscles and joints, but she was walking with more lightness in her step. This meeting had gone better than expected, and the door was open to continue that progress. She was content.

By the following Monday, Alyx was able to get legitimate praise from Sharleigh and not have to drag herself home only to crash on a couch for an hour or two before being capable of dealing with Grace or any chore. To reward herself, she took a convoluted route home to explore more of the area and picked up fresh dog biscuits at a pet store for Grace, then a thin, organic vegetable minipizza for herself.

She was turning into the airport road when she saw a red biplane take off. Her gut told her it was Jonas, and with her heart thudding, she pulled over and watched the rendition of the vintage craft climb and glisten in the midday sun. There was definitely a person in each seat, which meant he was giving someone a tour. Jonas obviously enjoyed risking life and limb to pilot over such a challenging terrain. Her palms were growing damp at the mere thought of being up there, and she felt a spasm of regret that she’d been so cool and unapproachable last week after the market incident. It wasn’t likely that he would be so easy to forgive her as Shar had been. Then again, what if something happened to him during one of those flights and she never let him know she never meant to be unkind?

Giving into another impulse, she turned into the airport and drove up to the air-tours building. Parking beside the other three vehicles there, she leaned over to glance into the rearview mirror. The temptation was fierce, but she wasn’t about to primp when anyone inside could see her through the windows and glass door; besides, she was wearing an oversize T-shirt and capri pants—hardly anything to turn heads. She settled for adjusting her white sun visor and brushing away a smear of mascara from under her right eye. What mattered, she reminded herself, was why she was here and what she intended to say.

A little slow getting to the bottom line, Carmel, but at least you made it.

Before she lost her nerve, she went inside. The tan building was modest, a metal corrugated structure; the interior was equally industrial and without much insulation, making Alyx suspect that if you talked loud enough you could hear your voice echoing back to you. How successful this operation was, she had no idea, but the owner didn’t waste money on decor.

“May I help you?” a young woman asked from behind the reception counter across the room.

Barely out of her teens, the petite brunette looked Alyx up and down as Alyx crossed the room, and Alyx could have sworn she saw the girl’s hazel eyes turn green before they narrowed. Great, she thought, her sixth sense about her sex kicking in; Jonas could have that effect on women just by being polite; there was no telling how sweet Jonas had been to this little cutie with her snug T-shirt bearing the much advertised red biplane stretched across her small breasts and the slogan, I Flew…You Can, Too!

“Oh boy, this is bound to be fun,” Alyx murmured to herself.

“Excuse me?”

With a polite smile, Alyx waited until she reached the counter to say, “Hi. I’m looking for Jonas Hunter. I believe he’s subbing for the owner here. Was that him in the plane that just took off?” she added, pointing toward the west windows on her right.

“It’s not our policy to give out personal information.”

Alyx had to compress her lips to keep from enlightening the wren-of-a-girl that she wasn’t asking for measurements or financial data. While she knew almost nothing about what made Jonas Hunter tick, she knew more personal information about him to keep this little girl blushing through sunset. She also knew from advertisements how long these tours lasted.

“Is this a full-hour flight or a shorter one?”

“That’s the customer’s business.”

“True, but what if I wanted to book the next flight?”

“We take all major credit cards.” The girl held out her hand.

Point for Little Miss Sentry, Alyx thought. Seeing that she would just make things worse if she asserted herself, she gave the girl another benign smile and took a step back. “I think I’ll wait and get specifics from Mr. Hunter.”

“Whatever.”

As the girl spun her chair away to return her attention to the computer she’d been working on, Alyx casually walked around the room, pretending an interest in the panel of vacation brochures on the entry wall, no doubt supplied by the local chamber of commerce. There were a few well-worn chairs separated by a vinyl cactus bush and three concession machines offering snacks and soft drinks. A cappuccino dispenser and a free coffee machine were by the restrooms. She suspected a door marked Employees Only led to the hangar. The only hint of a gift shop was the T-shirts piled at one end of the receptionist’s counter. Alyx didn’t bother checking if they all matched what the receptionist was wearing. She might have bought one to help business by wearing it to the spa, but she didn’t have enough cash on her, and she didn’t want the teenage watchdog to have any more information about her than necessary.

Jonas must really be helping a good friend to be taking off from his demanding work to serve time here.

After pretending to browse through a few pamphlets and eavesdropping on a couple of phone calls, she left the building and returned to Parke’s SUV. Keying the ignition and turning on the air conditioner, she backed from the parking lot, then—when away from the window—eased around the building to the back. She saw only one vehicle there—the one Jonas had been driving the other day.

Where was the mechanic, the rest of the staff? Who serviced the planes? If that was Jonas’s responsibility, too, there was yet another skill of his that she hadn’t known about.

She was frowning as she spotted the plane coming in for a landing. One of the shorter tours after all, she thought…unless there was some kind of mechanical problem?

Adjusting the car’s gear to Park, she shut down the engine and got out to watch the plane land smoothly and taxi toward the hangar. Jonas stopped the metal bird about thirty feet away, next to a second, black biplane and shut down its engine. He hoisted himself out before assisting a tall elderly man off the wing and to the ground. After shaking hands, they hugged.

“Great ride, son. Thank you.”

“Was it anything like you think your grandfather flew?”

“One difference for sure—no one was shooting at us. Guess you would have to charge extra for that experience.”

“And find another pilot.” Jonas bowed his head. “He must have been a remarkable man. I’m glad he lived to share the stories with your dad. It was a privilege to take you up. Safe drive on the way back to the hotel. Those pink Jeeps are everywhere at this time of the day. Good enough drivers, but the girls are awfully pretty and apt to turn your head.”

Laughing, the man wheezed, “They are that.”

As the man left, Jonas turned to her with a surety that told her he’d been aware of her standing there all along. She couldn’t tell anything by his expression. He’d slipped off his goggles as soon as he’d cut the engine, and replaced them with his sunglasses. He looked good, though, with his hair whipped by the wind, his face wind-and sun-bronzed, and his black polo shirt and jeans framing a lean and toned body. If he told her to scram without hearing her, she wouldn’t blame him, but she would be sorry. So sorry.

“Please don’t look at me as though you’re afraid that I may be about to announce a pregnancy,” Alyx told him, trying for dry humor. “We both know you have nothing to worry about.”

“I might not mind if it got you to talk to me.”

Was he insane? “I’m about to turn forty, Jonas. By the time a child of mine would be ready for college, the cost will be so high, Donald Trump will need scholarship help.”

“From what I’ve heard on the news, plenty of women are just starting their families at forty.”

What was he doing? “Bad joke. I didn’t come here to talk about children.”

With an indifferent shrug, he asked, “So why are you here?”

She knew if she turned and walked away now, he would let her because she’d shown him that as far as she was concerned, everything was on her terms. Somehow she needed to get through this and get some things said.

“I owe you an apology,” she blurted. “I was rude the other day.”

He stared back at her with that same give-nothing-away face, then after some seconds, he lowered his gaze to the concrete. “You had your reasons.”

“Thank you, but I was being a coward.” That got his attention, which told her that he’d been doing considerable thinking about that meeting, too. “Can I simply say that the attack did a lot to undermine my recovered self-esteem? Not having been a social butterfly to begin with, at this point I’m maybe a bad shopping trip away from being a recluse.”

Jonas abruptly looked away. “That put-down regarding your appearance was—it was crap, Alyx. You could never look bad.”

With a wry twist of her lips, Alyx replied, “You are a gentleman.”

“No, if I was, I’d never have lashed out like I did. It was a cheap shot.” He sighed. “And you still haven’t learned to take a compliment.” His gaze fell to her shoulder. “You didn’t have any other repercussions from that slug who grabbed you last week?”

“No. I’m sure the manager was so humiliated that he threatened his relative’s life himself. But I plan to give my cousin a heads-up when she returns. She doesn’t need to experience that or worse.”

Jonas nodded. “Good idea. How long before she gets back?”

“About three more weeks. How about you?”

“Just about the same if Zane doesn’t go crazy on me and launch himself off his ten-foot-high balcony into the dry riverbed making this whole effort moot.”

“Another good patient, eh? Your karma must be catching up with you, Hunter.”

He bit off a laugh and folded his arms across his chest. “Or something.”

Alyx wished he would take off the sunglasses so she could see his silvery-blue eyes. But she supposed she deserved this restriction. She wasn’t religious, but she was spiritual and believed in the concept of penance.

“You’re able to take that much time off from the Bureau?” His expression gave nothing away, and yet Alyx felt his armor come up as though a medieval castle had suddenly slammed all doors. “Sorry, sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“I’m on leave.”

Of course he was. He’d said as much. What had he said? She’d been so caught up in her own misery that it must never have registered for more than seconds. Alyx mentally hit her palm to her forehead.

“I expected a promotion and didn’t get it.”

Stunned that he would share so much, Alyx wanted to respond with compassion and so was slow to do so. “I’m—”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

Recovering, Alyx frowned. “Of course it matters, Jonas. I just have no right to ask about your personal business.”

“It was for Chief of the Austin office, that district.”

“Austin…?” He’d wanted to move to Austin? Since when? Did this have anything to do with her? It couldn’t possibly; they hadn’t known each other long enough for something like that. It must have been to get closer to Dylan and E.D. “I’m so sorry. Do they know?”

“Who?”

“Dylan and E.D.”

“No, Alyx,” he repeated monotonously. “They don’t know and I’d appreciate it if it stays that way.”

“Of course.” She didn’t know how she felt about the news herself. What would it have been like if they hadn’t been a half-day’s travel apart? “Did they tell you why they didn’t give it to you?”

“They don’t do that,” Jonas said with the calm of someone trained to pass a lie detector test. “They stick to the ‘most qualified agent and seniority’ jargon. But it was politics and everyone involved knows it. I’m a little less of a ‘yes, sir’ man and less politically correct than the guy who got the position. My divorce, despite being old news for a couple of years now, didn’t help. The man with the final stamp of approval has a thin skin regarding giving up on marriage and a long penchant for resentment for anyone who does, regardless of the reason.”

“That’s—” Alyx bit her tongue to keep from saying too much. It was her experience that the very people who censured others would be better off keeping their noses in their own business. “Can you fight it?”

He grunted. “Even if I could, would the end results be worth it? It’s not smart to be seen as challenging authority if you’re hoping to get their support down the road.”

“I don’t know what else to say except that I hate this for you.”

“Thanks.”

And to think that when he had been in the most need of support, she had symbolically slammed a door in his face. Under the circumstances, she wouldn’t have been any help, but she knew from experience that sometimes listening made all the difference.

“If you’re under the perception that I feel you should bear some guilt over this, don’t be,” Jonas said. “It wasn’t to be…none of it.”

There was that word again. Perception had popped into her head several times in the last few days since being reunited with him. They’d certainly been guilty of being wrong about each other, jumping to conclusions without asking or having all of the facts.

“So what happens now?” She didn’t want to hear any more bad news, and why she was prolonging this conversation she couldn’t fathom for the life of her, but the sympathy and questions kept spilling through her lips as fast as water through a burst faucet during a winter freeze.

“I’m trying to decide. I guess that’s why this situation with Zane was so appealing to me. It could buy me time to think.”

Flying two tongue depressors attached to a motor was a sane formula to figuring out the rest of your life? Alyx knew he was vested for his pension—it was easy to do the math since he’d previously informed her that he’d joined the Bureau right after college—but only just. Plus that wasn’t the only thing to consider.

“You can’t quit the Bureau?” Seeing his eyebrows rise above the sunglasses, she sighed in self-exasperation. “Let me rephrase that. I meant, aren’t you worried—considering the age of your son—of expenses coming up? College, for example?” But as soon as the questions had been posed, Alyx touched her fingers to her lips. “Forgive me. It’s none of my business.”

Jonas shrugged. “No, but I don’t mind. At any rate, I’ll sort it all out before Blake graduates and spends what I’ve already put aside for him. It isn’t my way to let anyone else carry my load.”

Meaning ex-wife Claudia’s new and very wealthy husband. No, Jonas was no less proud than she was. They still knew next to nothing about each other’s familial history, but it wasn’t all about DNA. Character was about nurturing, too, and she was beginning to suspect they had more in common than she initially concluded.

“No, you would never.” After those soft words, Alyx smiled an over-bright smile and took a step back. “Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I wish you luck, Jonas. Really. With everything.”

“Thank you, Alyx. It was generous of you to do this.”

“No, just necessary.”

Feeling as though she’d been given her cue that he didn’t want to hear any more—and she knew she should have left a minute ago—she remained rooted in place. The reason wasn’t a mystery; she was suddenly realizing this was probably the last time she would ever see him.

“Alyx—”

As Jonas took a step closer, Alyx also heard a door squeak open behind her. Then she heard a sweet voice call out.

“Jonas? I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a problem on the phone? I’d call Zane, but he’s at the doctor’s for a checkup.”

“Be right there,” he called back to Miranda. To Alyx, he said, “Sorry. I do need to take that. Do you want—”

“I’m late anyway,” Alyx interjected quickly and backed toward the SUV. “The dog gets pretty stressed if I’m gone too long. Take care, Jonas. And I mean that.”

Before he could get another word out, she was climbing into the vehicle.

Imbecile, she chastised herself as she fumbled to get the key in the ignition. She didn’t know the perfect exit line when she heard it. He forgave her, and that’s all she’d come for, all she needed. Now they could move forward with a clear conscience and goodwill.

But as she drove away from the airport, Alyx couldn’t deny a bittersweet something twisting her heart.