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He and the doctor spoke of her condition and upcoming surgery as if she weren’t in the room. At first she listened in befuddlement, and then anger stirred. This was her health, her child.
“I will decide when the surgery is to be scheduled,” she said fiercely.
Piers touched her once on the knee. “Of course, yineka mou. I am merely trying to understand all that is at stake here.”
She flushed, sure she sounded petty and difficult, but she could literally feel the threads of her life slipping away, becoming permanently tangled in his.
“It should be done soon, Mrs. Anetakis,” the doctor said. “I’ve consulted with a colleague of mine who will be assisting. It’s a delicate surgery to be sure, but we feel confident of its success.”
“And my baby?” she whispered.
He offered a soothing smile. “Your child will be fine.”
“All right.”
As they prepared to leave, the nurse gave Jewel instructions for when to report to the hospital. The entire thing scared her to death. Before she’d been able to put it out of her mind, but now it was there, staring her in the face.
“Come,” Piers said quietly. He guided her toward his car and settled her inside.
For the first several miles, they drove in complete silence. Jewel stared out at the passing scenery, her mind occupied with the coming surgery.
“Tell me something. If you could live anywhere, anywhere at all, where would it be?”
Startled by the unexpected question, she turned to look at him. “The beach, I suppose.” She smiled suddenly. “I’ve always dreamed of one of those big houses that overlooks the beach from a cliff.” Her eyes closed as she imagined the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks. “A patio to watch the sun set in the evenings. What about you?”
His eyes never left the road, but she could feel him tense slightly.
“I’ve never given it much thought.”
“Where did you live before? I mean before all this?”
A sardonic smile quirked his lip. “I don’t have a permanent residence. I travel often and when I’m not away on business, I choose one of my hotels and I stay there.”
“Your life sounds a lot like mine.”
He cocked his head to the side and glanced at her for a moment. “How so?”
She shrugged. “No home.”
He frowned as though he’d never had such a thought. And then his lips twisted ruefully. “I suppose you’re right. Indeed I have many residences but no home. Perhaps you can solve that for me, yineka mou.”
They pulled into the long drive to the house, but it wasn’t until they came to a stop in the circle drive that Jewel saw the car parked in front of them. Was Piers expecting more company?
Then her gaze traveled to the front entrance and to the man sitting on the steps by the door.
“Kirk!”
As soon as the car stopped, she flew out and ran toward her friend.
Kirk rose when he saw her, a deep scowl on his face. But he caught her as she ran into his arms and hugged her fiercely.
“What the devil is going on, Jewel?” he demanded.
“I think that should be what I’m asking,” Piers said coolly.
Jewel turned to see Piers staring at them, his eyes steely.
“Piers, this is a good friend of mine, Kirk. Kirk, this is Piers…my husband.”
Kirk swore. “Damn it, Jewel, I told you to wait until I got here.”
She swung back around to Kirk. “What are you talking about?”
“I e-mailed you after you e-mailed me telling me your situation and that you were marrying this guy.” He made an angry sweeping motion toward Piers.
“But I didn’t get any e-mail. I swear. I had no idea if you’d even get mine.”
Piers stepped to Jewel’s side and wrapped an arm around her. He held her so tightly that she couldn’t move.
“And did you rush all this way to offer us your congratulations?” Piers asked smoothly. “I’m sorry to say you missed the ceremony.”
Kirk frowned even harder. “I’d like to talk to Jewel alone. I’m not leaving here until she convinces me that this is what she wants.”
“Anything you have to say in front of my wife, can be said in front of me.”
“Piers, stop,” she said sharply. “Kirk is a very dear friend, and I owe him an explanation.” She pried herself away from Piers and laid her hand on Kirk’s arm. “Have you eaten anything?”
Kirk shook his head. “I hopped a flight and came straight here.”
“Come in then. We can go out on the patio to eat, and we can talk.”
She could have broken a stone on Piers’s face. Without a word, he turned and stalked away, disappearing into the house.
“Nice guy,” Kirk muttered.
Jewel sighed. “Come on in. I’ll get us something to eat.”
Eleven
P iers stood in the living room, sipping his drink and staring broodingly to the terrace where Jewel sat entertaining her guest.
Just who was this Kirk to her? Was he the father of her child? Had he left her high and dry and now had a change of heart? For all he knew, the two of them could be taking him on the ride of his life.
His eyes narrowed when he saw Jewel smile and then laugh at something Kirk had said. Then they both stood and Kirk drew her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
Piers’s fingers curled into tight fists at his side. Then, before they returned inside, he walked away, determined not to give her the satisfaction of rising to her bait.
He was halfway across the room when he realized what he was doing. Running. That made him more furious than the thought of her making a fool of him. No woman was going to
force him into retreat.
He turned to face them when the French doors opened. His gaze swept coldly over Kirk and then Jewel. She answered him with a frown, her eyes reproachful.
“Everything cleared up?” he asked mildly.
“Not really,” Kirk said in a tight voice. “I’ve offered my assistance to Jewel so that her only alternative isn’t marriage to you.”
“How kind, only it’s too late. She’s my wife.”
“Divorces are easy enough to get.”
“I suppose they are, providing I was willing. I’m not.”
“Stop it, both of you,” Jewel demanded. “Kirk, please. I appreciate your help more than you know, but Piers is right. It’s too late. We’re married, and I want to make the best of it.”
Kirk’s expression softened as he looked at Jewel. “If you need anything at all, get in touch with me. It might take me a few days to get to you, but I’ll be there, okay?”
Jewel smiled and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Kirk. I appreciate everything you’ve done and for letting me stay in the apartment.”
So it was Kirk’s apartment and not Jewel’s. She obviously hadn’t been exaggerating when she said she had no money and no place to stay.
Guilt crowded into his mind again at the idea of her alone and in desperate need of help.
Kirk kissed her forehead and then pulled away. “If you’re sure there isn’t anything I can do, I’m going to head back to the airport and see if I can hop a flight today. If I’m lucky, I can be back on location in a day and a half.”
“I’m just sorry you made the trip for nothing. If I’d gotten your e-mail, I would have told you not to bother coming.”
Piers fought to maintain a neutral expression. Deleting the e-mail had backfired on him. If she was telling the truth.
She walked Kirk to the door, and they both disappeared outside. A few minutes later, Piers heard the car drive away and then Jewel came back inside, her expression stormy.
“What the hell was all that about?” she demanded.
He raised an eyebrow at the force of her anger. She was bristling from head to toe and her eyes shot ocean-colored daggers at him.
“Funny, I should be asking you that question.”
“What are you talking about? Kirk is a good friend of mine. The only friend I have. If you have a problem with that, you can take a hike.”
“So fiercely loyal,” he murmured. “I wonder, though, if that loyalty extends to me?”
“Cut the crap, Piers. If you want a fight, let’s fight, but I don’t have time for little psychological games.”
“Is that what we’re doing? Fighting? It’s a little soon for our first marital spat, wouldn’t you say?”
“Go to hell.”
With that, she turned and stomped up the stairs. A few seconds later, the door to her bedroom slammed with enough force to shake the house.
So she had a temper. He’d purposely baited her for no other reason than his anger over his apparent jealousy. The woman had him tied in knots, and he didn’t like that one little bit.
