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"She is a beautiful woman." He said mildly as he took off his clothes. "And one I had not seen in a long time."
"You are planning on seeing her again."
"I suppose I will." He climbed the steps and slid in next to her. "Can we shelve this conversation?"
"You don't want to talk about her."
"No." Turning around, he turned out the lamp. "You should get some sleep."
He did not touch her for the first time since meeting each other, and she felt the fear spiking her heart. She could have demanded they have it out right then and there, but pride was involved.
She could not understand how such a wonderful time in her life had turned to crap like this. Punching the off button on the remote, she turned her back and plumped up her pillows.
Beside her, Callum felt the emotions and uncertainties warring inside him. Bianca had been the only woman who had come close to asking her to marry him. He had been smitten by her so much that he had followed her to Europe to persuade her to return to the States.
But she had turned him down. He had tried a second time, and she had not budged. Seeing her inside the restaurant was like a punch in the gut, bringing back those feelings. He was conflicted. He was so conflicted that for the first time since meeting Lynn, he did not want to touch her.
This was strange because it was all he had thought about ever since he had sat there watching her in that play. He thought he had put it all behind him, but seeing her had brought it back up.
They had unresolved issues, and they had to be dealt with. Turning his head, he stared at the woman with her back turned to him and was about to reach for her when he pulled his hand back. Sighing softly, he turned away and tried to go to sleep.
*****
She was gone the following day and had left a terse note. 'Have some errands to run. Don't think the dinner thing is a good idea.'
He reread the note and reached for the phone to call her. The call went straight to voicemail. 'Hi, this is Lynn; you know what to do.'
"Lynn, look, I apologize for last night. Please call me back." Hanging up from her, he sat on the edge of the bed and dragged his fingers through his hair restlessly. He should go to her and try and explain why he behaved the way he did last night. But did he have a reasonable explanation?
He had to clear this thing up with Bianca before he could think of going ahead with a relationship with Lynn. He had to find out what he was feeling and remove any residuals before he could move forward.
And perhaps she was right; they should call off the dinner for now. Dragging himself out of bed, he padded off to the bathroom, stopping to look at the signs of her being there. Her panties were in the hamper, and the damp towels from their last foray in the tub.
Moving over to the triple sink, he leaned against the counter, his fingers tightening until the knuckles turned white. Bending his head, he sucked in his breath and tried to control his rioting emotions. Taking another deep breath, he went to take his shower.
*****
She was not going to cry. She was a big girl, literally, and she could take it. She had been disappointed before, not like this, but she could damn well take it. The man had swept into her life, charmed the pants off her, showered her with gifts, called her his woman and practically asked her to move in with him.
She had seen him calling her but had ignored the call, and he had not called back. It did not matter that their pictures were plastered all over the society rags and that they were now considered a couple. She could live with the backlash.
She would also have to call her brother and explain that dinner was off. Shutting off the engine, she closed her eyes and realized she was not looking forward to it.
Deciding to get it over and done with, she made the call.
"You had better be bleeding out on the side of the road."
"Then I would be calling nine-one-one." She told him mildly.
"Lover boy kicked you out?"
It was so near to the truth that she had to fight the spear of pain through her heart.
"I decided to get an early start. I have been neglecting some things lately, like grocery shopping and meeting with the children in the home downtown. And speaking of which, we are putting off the dinner thing."
"Why?"
"I just told you-"
