What the hell is he doing here?
Paige leaned her back against the front door and let out a harsh breath. She’d ordered groceries and had mistakenly assumed the delivery had arrived early. She’d also opened the door without even looking out of the glass like one of those naïve women in a horror flick. If there was a crazed lunatic on the loose, she’d be dead. Except, it wasn’t a killer on the other side of the door. It washim.
“Go away!” she shouted. The windows were open, so she knew he heard her.
“Paige,” he called through the door. “Please. Open the door.”
“ No.”
“I came all the way here to see you.”
Paige didn’t dare turn around. If she looked at him, even through the glass, she would cave. If she met his brown gaze, she’d want to step into his comforting arms. And she couldn’t do that right now.
After she’d found out about Julius’s upcoming wedding to Catherine Davis, she’d made the decision to leave town. Partly because she didn’t want to be the sorry, sad, jilted ex-wife in front of the entire world. Partly because she couldn’t feel comfortable in her house anymore. But mostly because she was tired. She needed a change in scenery, she needed to unplug, she needed peace.
Retreating to the lake house had been exactly what she needed. She’d slept the first two days, then she’d moped for a few more. Paige had just started to feel her legs beneath her again, emerging from inside the other day to take a walk along the beach. Last night, she ventured into town for ice cream—in disguise, of course. This morning, she rode her bike along a public trail. No one had recognized her, and she’d been able to blend in. She had even chatted with some of the other riders. It felt good to talk to someone who didn’t want anything from her.
“Drew, leave,” she ordered. “I don’t want you here.”
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she walked over to the window. “What do you want?” Slow footsteps on the front porch signaled he was approaching the window. “How did you convince my mother to give you the address?”
Paige had made her mother promise not to tell anyone where she was, especially him. He’d obviously charmed her mother into giving up her location. To make matters worse, her mom hadn’t even given Paige a heads-up on their call that morning. Shaking her head, she made a mental note to call her mother and let her know she wasnothappy.
“Paige, please.”
Closing her eyes, she exhaled. It was the second time he’d said the wordplease, butthistime it felt different. She heard the sincerity in his plea, imagined how he looked when he said it. Andrew had a good voice, deep and raspy. The low timbre coupled with her raging emotions did not make her confident she’d be able to resist him for long. The mere presence of him, the fact that he’d come to see her, made her want to let him in. Even if it was just to take in his scent. He always smelled like comfort and calm, like home. Which was why he needed to leave.
“Paige.”
She jumped away from the window. Even though there was a wall between them, she felt him as if he was standing right in front of her. “Answer the question,” she snapped, forcing the edge back into her voice.
“I asked her,” he replied. “She didn’t want to give me the address, but she did.”
Paige huffed, folding her arms over her chest. “You worked her.”
He chuckled. “You know your mother. When is the last time someone worked her?”
Staring at the ceiling, she sent up a prayer for patience. He was right. Her mother had been in the game for years and she didn’t become Tina Mills, legendary R&B singer and actress, because she allowed people to charm her.
“Your phone is off,” he said.
“There’s a house phone here. The people who need to reach me have my number.” That small group consisted of her mother and her attorneys. Paige had no idea why she’d explained herself, even a little bit.
“Can I come in? Can we talk?”
Paige slumped against the wall. Because,Lord help me, she wanted him to come in. She wanted to talk to him, hear from him. At the same time, he was part of her problem. He’d abandoned her when she’d needed him the most. He’d ignored her calls and sent someone else to handle her. The anger she’d felt at him a few days ago, or even an hour ago, sparked back to life.
“You know what?” she said. “I’m not doing this. No, you can’t come in. We can’t talk. Go. Away.”
Paige walked away from the window, from him. He’d leave once he realized she was serious. He was a gentleman, and he always honored her wishes. She headed to the kitchen, straight to the bottle of wine on the countertop. After pouring herself a healthy glass, she took a long gulp.Get it together, Paige.
Briefly, she considered calling the police. But she wouldn’t do that to him. He didn’t deserve that. Picking up the cordless house phone, she stepped onto the patio off the kitchen. She sat down on a wicker chair. It wasn’t her chaise lounge, but it would do for now.
Taking another sip of wine, Paige kicked her feet up and rested them on another chair. She dialed her mother. The stunning views of Lake Michigan centered her as she waited for her mom to pick up.
“Hey, babe,” her mother said, in the same singsong voice she’d always had.
