Chapter Twenty
SUNDAY STARTED WITH A PHONE call from Ian.
He had left my apartment around midnight.
As much as I enjoyed sleeping in his arms, I needed to be in my bed and have some time alone to think.
He had thrown a lot at me. I couldn’t believe he was still in love with me.
I wasn’t sure if I was still in love with him, but I had a feeling if we kept on this road it wouldn’t take long.
“I have a surprise for you,” he informed me.
I wasn’t sure I could take any more surprises from him. “Um, is it a good one?”
“Very good.”
I sat up from my nesting spot on my bed and ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m intrigued.”
“I have to go pick it up. I’ll bring it by around one. I just want to make sure you didn’t need anything before then.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“No.”
“You don’t need to do anything else for me. You bought enough food yesterday to feed an army, and my apartment has never been so clean.”
“This is so much better.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Call me if you need anything before then.”
“I will.”
“See you soon.”
I admit I was looking forward to it. He was kind of addicting, even if he was turning my life upside down. But in a weird way, it brought a peace I hadn’t felt in a long time.
After I tried to make myself look at least semi-human, meaning I put on some yoga pants and applied some mascara and lip gloss, Delfia called.
I could tell immediately she had some juicy news to share.
She tried to show decorum by checking on me first. “How are you doing? We were all worried at the office.”
“I’m sore and bruised, but all right.”
As soon as she knew I was on the mend, she jumped right in. “I’ve been dying to tell you this all weekend,” she started out. “I wish you could have been there, or I wish I would have thought to record it, because it was fabulous.”
“What?” I was anxious to know.
“Friday, when Mr. Greyson came back to the office after the accident, he walked in with this look of pure disdain on his face. Without even a hello he asked where Ms. Manselle was. I was honestly a little terrified of him, so I just pointed to the bathroom. He walked right over and waited for her to come out.”
I had never heard her so giddy, and that was saying a lot.
“As soon as that little wench came out, he let her have it. It was amazing.”
“What did he say?” He hadn’t given me any details.
“He told her she was classless and that she would never work for him again. Then he told her to pack up her belongings, and she should consider her advance as final payment because he would never use her designs. But the best part was when she asked if this was about you and he told her that if she ever spoke your name in any way that was degrading or defamatory, he would personally make sure she never worked again.”
“Really?”
“Kelli, seriously, it was the best.”
“I’m sorry I missed it, especially since I was lying in a hospital bed.”
“Speaking of that, when will you be back in the office?”
“I’ll probably work from home this coming week. I feel pretty wretched, and I look worse.”
“I’m sure you look gorgeous as always, but I do hope you feel better soon.”
“Thank you.”
From there, we said our goodbyes. I hung up with her, feeling even more peaceful than before. I was so happy I didn’t have to go back to that bimbo in the office.
While I had my phone in my hand, I decided to call Amanda. I really needed her advice about Ian. She was going to flip when I told her that Ian was still in love with me. That was after she rubbed in how right she was.
She picked up on the first ring. “Are you okay?”
“I’m alive. How’s Disney World?”
“You know, it’s lost a lot of the appeal it used to have when we were kids, but the girls are having a great time, so it makes it all worth it.”
I smiled to myself. Amanda was such a good mom.
“So, tell me how you are. I mean, of course, Ian has been keeping us updated, but I’ve been worried about you.”
Why didn’t it surprise me that Ian had been giving them updates? “Really sis, I’m fine, but I wanted to talk to you about Ian. Do you have a moment?”
“Uh, yeah. Spill your guts. I’ve been waiting to get the scoop. Zane wants to know too.”
Of course, he did. I’m surprised he hadn’t called Ian himself since they were buddies now.
“So . . . Ian wants to get back together, and he may have said he still loves me.”
“I knew it! Zane,” Amanda yelled, “we were right. He’s totally in love with her.” I could hear Zane laughing in the background.
“Now that you got that out of your system, tell me what to do.”
She thought for a moment. “Oh honey, only you can answer that. But I think you know what to do, you’re just afraid. And rightly so. But I will say this, ever since he’s come back, I see that spark in your eye that’s been missing for a long time. And for what it’s worth, Zane really likes him.”
“Well, that cinches it.”
She laughed. “I’m glad your sass is still alive and well.”
“I love you.”
“I know. I love you too. Listen to your heart. It hasn’t steered you wrong yet.”
I leaned back on the pillows on my bed and let out a slow breath as I contemplated what to do. I thought about making a pros and cons list, but Ian would probably find it and talk me out of all the cons.
I spent the rest of the morning watching reruns of Friends and snuggling Charlie.
I also had to do the exercises my doctor gave me for my arm.
I might have cried out in pain a time or two, but at least I could use it.
It made bathing and doing my hair and make-up so much easier, although I’m not sure why I bothered with make-up; half of my face still looked like Sam and Court’s old finger paintings.
Ian didn’t seem to mind the bruises. He had been kissing them all weekend, as if he could make it better.
I wish. I knew he blamed himself for the accident, though it was clearly the truck driver’s fault for running the red light.
But Ian kept saying he was distracted. I reminded him that we were both arguing at the time, so it was my fault too.
He wouldn’t allow me to take any of the blame.
I had a feeling he blamed Alexa and it’s why he was so harsh with her.
I’ll admit I was okay with that, especially because she was playing him, not to mention she was a terrible designer.
It made me wonder if I should show him my designs now.
Just watching TV and the few exercises I had to do left me feeling exhausted.
The doctor said it would take my body a while to heal, but it made me feel pathetic.
I also wondered if it was pathetic how much I couldn’t wait for Ian to return.
Maybe the better question would be, was it pathetic that I was even willing to consider letting him back into my heart?
The heart he tore apart, that never fully mended.
And what about the fact that he was my boss?
It’s not that I had never had a relationship with someone I worked with, but dating the boss’s son was a tad different than dating the boss.
Ian insisted it wouldn’t be an issue as long as we kept our professional and personal relationships separate.
To me, that was easier said than done, especially since I wasn’t good at compartmentalizing like he was.
I only got a few episodes in before there was a knock on my door.
I extricated myself from Charlie and got up to answer the door with a little flutter in my heart.
With anticipation, I opened the door, expecting to see Ian, which I did, but his surprise was more than surprising.
She didn’t hesitate for a second, she threw her arms around me. “Kelli!”
I was so happy to see her, but my body didn’t appreciate her iron tight grip. “Noelle,” I moaned in pain.
Ian was quick to rescue me. “Noelle, her whole right side is bruised.”
She backed off. “I’m so sorry.”
I leaned on Ian. “It’s okay. What are you doing here?” I couldn’t believe she was actually here.
She playfully pushed Ian’s shoulder. “My dear big brother here was so worried about you he asked me to come for the week to take care of you while he’s at the office.”
I gazed up at him. His cheeks had pinkened. I think he was embarrassed, but I didn’t know why. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “You are so thoughtful. Thank you,” I got choked up.
He smoothed my brow. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I thought you might like the company and someone who could drive you around when I’m not available.”
Noelle was Noelle. “Whatever, Ian. He was a wreck when I talked to him. I’ve never heard him so worried.”
Ian wrapped his arm around me. “I think we should let Kelli sit down.” He led me in, out of the warm spring day.
It was a shame I couldn’t be out enjoying it.
Not to say I didn’t enjoy being in Ian’s arms. I stopped him before we made it to the couch and kissed his lips. “You know you aren’t playing fair.”
“I’m playing for keeps.”
Dang. That sent a thrill down my body.
“Aww, look how cute you two still are,” Noelle interrupted.
I kept staring at her. I couldn’t believe she was here.
I hadn’t seen her in almost thirteen years, and there she was, looking different, but I still recognized the mischievous glint she always had in her eyes.
She had let her pixie cut grow out, and it wasn’t dyed crazy colors anymore.
Instead, it was her natural dark hair that was similar in color to Ian’s.
She looked more settled. I assumed motherhood had added that layer.
It was weird that she was married and had a baby before me.
She was the one who had always said she was above such nonsense, but I guess meeting Sean had changed all that. I was happy for her.
Ian and I settled on the couch together and Noelle sat on the floor in front of us. She’d always preferred the floor.
“You look great, Noelle.”
She waved my compliment away. “You’re the one to talk. Look at you. Even banged up from an accident you look like a million bucks.”
“I don’t feel that way.”
“How are you?” She patted my knee.
I glanced at Ian. “Your brother has done a great job of nursing me back to health.”
“You don’t know how happy it makes me to see you two together.”
I was beginning to feel the same way.
We spent the most pleasant day together talking and catching up like old friends do.
We even reminisced about the past, and I found it didn’t hurt as much as it used to.
The Thanksgiving we all spent together many years ago was brought up, and we all decided it was one of the best. I watched Ian carefully during our conversations, he looked hopeful.
He also never let go of me unless he was making dinner, or we were eating.
He was either holding my hand or he had his arm around me.
I found myself very comfortable with him.
The day and evening passed too quickly. I was sad to see them leave late that night, but I knew Noelle needed to get settled, and Ian was returning to work the next day.
Before they left, Ian took me up in his arms after asking his sister to wait outside for him.
He kissed me gently on my lips before leaving a trail of kisses on the way to my ear.
“I don’t want you to think about work this week, just relax and get well,” he whispered.
“But I have so much work to catch up on.”
“Boss’s orders.”
“Are you bossing me around?” I teased.
He pressed his lips hard against mine, enough for me to taste the red wine we’d had with dinner. If his sister wasn’t waiting for him, I would have drank him in deeply.
“Believe me,” he groaned against my lips, “you are in charge of me. Good night.”
Whoa. I watched him walk out. He left me feeling all sorts of weird, but this time I recognized it—it was the way he had always made me feel. It wasn’t really weird, it was wonderful. I think it had just been so long since I had felt that way it seemed foreign to me.
I lay in bed that night thinking about what kind of man flies his sister in to keep me company all week when my own sister wasn’t available.
Not to mention all the cooking and cleaning he had done.
I guess he was the same kind of man who helped me not only pass calculus, but pass it with flying colors; or the same man who always took time out of his busy school and work schedule to see me every day, even if it was only to kiss me and tell me he was crazy about me.
And he was the same man who was doing everything he could to make sure my baby took off. So, what was thirteen years apart?