Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Ted carried Caroline’s bags and her box of plants out to his car and then went back for his own bag. “Do you have everything?”
“I’m just trying to think. I stopped my mail, cleaned out the fridge, and took out the trash.” She chewed on her thumbnail as she looked around her apartment. “I feel like there’s something I’m forgetting to do.”
“We’ve got time, so why don’t you come kiss me until you think of it.”
“Because if I do that, I won’t be able to think at all. You stay over there.”
Ted flopped down on the sofa and pretended to pout as he watched her think.
He was so glad she was coming with him, especially after spending the night wrapped around her and then waking up to her in the morning.
There had never been anything quite like opening his eyes to a new day and finding her there next to him.
She leaned over her desk, giving Ted an excellent view of her backside in a fitted white skirt. He couldn’t believe it was possible that he already wanted her again.
Caroline turned around and caught him checking her out. “What are you doing?”
“Just enjoying the view, which I have to say, is even better from the front.” He made no attempt to hide that he was fixated now on the cleavage made prominent by her light blue halter.
She hobbled over to the sofa and sat on his lap. “You make me melt when you look at me like that.”
He pulled her closer. “I want you all the time, even when I’ve just had you.”
“You’d better get a handle on that, sailor. You’ve got to go back to work tomorrow.”
“Don’t remind me,” he groaned. “I’ll tell you right now I’m taking a vacation in August, and we’re going somewhere fabulous where I can keep you naked for a whole week.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.” She kissed him with abandon. “Wait!” She pulled back, leaving him panting for more. “I thought of it. I almost forgot to pay the bills. You’ve got me totally distracted.”
“Just bring them with you. We should get out of here before rush hour.” He reluctantly eased her off his lap and stood up. “Do you need your crutches?”
“Nah, leave them.” She tossed the bills and her checkbook into the bag where she had earlier put her computer. “I don’t need them anymore.”
Ted took the bag from her and slung it over his shoulder.
She locked the deadbolt and followed him down the stairs.
He opened the car door for her and stashed her bag behind the seat.
“The last time I was in this car we were on the way to the emergency room.”
“Hard to believe that was only a couple of weeks ago.” He flipped the switch to take the top down. “I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime since then.” At the stop sign at the end of her block he stopped the car and turned to her. “I know what you forgot!”
“What?” she asked, alarmed.
“Cameron Littlefield!”
Her face lit up with a huge grin. “Oh, I didn’t forget him. He’s always with me.” She put a hand over her heart.
“I hate him.”
She leaned over to kiss Ted’s cheek. “He’s not the one I spent most of last night—and this morning—making love with.”
“That’s right,” Ted said smugly. “Eat your heart out, Cameron, old boy.” He hooked his arm around her to keep her close to him as he drove them out of Manhattan.
“I was thinking about how you said you’re taking a break to write about Cameron, but did you have other work to do this week that I’m dragging you away from? ”
She shook her head. “I’m giving myself three months to write the book, and then I have to go back to work. I used my commission from the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau job to pay three months’ rent, so that bought me some time.”
He brushed his lips over her soft blond hair. “You know, if you lived with me at some point you could focus on your writing full time—if you wanted to, that is.”
She raised her head off his shoulder to look at him. “You’re very sweet, but that’s not me. I’d need to contribute.”
“But you wouldn’t have to. Maybe you’ll write a runaway best seller, and I’ll end up living large off you.”
“Now that’s a scenario I could live with.”
“What about, if . . .”
“What?”
“If we have kids someday—before the best seller, that is—would you want to be home with them?”
“I would. I’d want that very much, but I’d probably still do some freelancing, and of course, there’s Cameron to consider.”
“I’m not leaving you at home alone with him every day. No way.”
“I never imagined you to be the jealous type.”
He heard her deep sigh. “Hey, what’s going on inside that pretty head of yours?”
“I can’t believe we just talked about me being a stay-at-home mother to our kids.”
“Am I getting ahead of myself on our second full day together?”
“No. It all feels possible today, doesn’t it?”
“It is possible—all of it. I’ve never been so content to spend two days the way we just did. I could spend a month like that and never be bored, never run out of stuff to talk to you about, and never, ever, ever stop wanting you.”
Caroline pressed her lips to his until he had to pull away from her to focus on driving. “Thank you for coming all that way the other night when I needed you.”
“I thought I was going to go crazy trying to get to you.”
She held up the speeding ticket. “Is that how you got this?”
He winced. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“Ouch! Four hundred bucks! I’m not exactly a cheap date, am I?”
“Luckily you didn’t eat much last night.”
She laughed. “I didn’t realize I’d already cost you so much money, or I wouldn’t have gotten the shrimp.”
“For you, baby, sky’s the limit.”
“Ugh,” she said. “This traffic is beastly. It’s going to take us forever to get to Boston at this rate.”
“Want to take a detour and spend the night in Newport?”
“Do you have time?”
“I’m on twelve to eight tomorrow, and the house is ours until Labor Day even though we only use it on the weekends.”
“What if Chip or Parker showed up there out of the blue?”
“They never would.”
“They’d probably say the same about you, though, right?”
He smiled. “Yes, they would. I need to return their calls from yesterday anyway, so I could do that and find out where they are. What do you say?”
“You’re the one who has to work, so whatever you want is fine with me.”
“Hey, just because you’re not working right now doesn’t mean you don’t get a vote. I want to be careful not to treat you the way old what’s his name did.”
“You’re incapable of treating me the way Brad did.”
“Brad.” Ted turned up his nose with distaste. “Brad and Cameron. I hate them both.”
“It’s okay, baby,” she cooed. “You’re the only one I want.”
Pacified, Ted smiled. “In that case, I’ll let you go long enough to return those calls, and then I want you back over here with me.” He lifted his arm to release her and reached for his cell phone to call Parker.
“Hey, Duff,” Parker said when he came on the line. “Where’ve you been hiding?”
Ted swallowed hard. “Just been one of those weeks. I got your message, but couldn’t call you back before now. What’s up?”
“Jeez, man, did you hear about Smitty? Broke up with Caroline and went to Australia for like a month or something. All of this since we saw him on Sunday!”
Ted glanced over at Caroline who was looking out the passenger window. “Yeah, I got the gist from your message.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“No, we never connected.”
“I’m sorry, but the whole thing is so bizarre. He was all over her this weekend, but when he told me they broke up he was so matter-of-fact about it, like it was no big deal.”
“Did you talk to Chip?”
“Yeah, he thinks it’s fucked up, too. But I guess we’ll have to wait until Smitty gets back from Sydney to get the full story.”
“I guess so. Did you call Gina?”
“Two more days. I’m holding out.”
“You’re a sadist.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re right.”
“How’s your week going?”
“Hideous. I was in depositions all day today, and I’m in court all day tomorrow. Are we riding together on Friday?”
“I don’t know if I’m going. Roger’s wife is pregnant and she’s had some complications, so I hate to ask him to cover for me right now.” Only part of that was true—Roger’s wife was pregnant.
“Oh, man, that sucks. You’ve hardly gotten to use the house at all this summer, and now with Smitty gone, our gang is dwindling.”
“I know.”
“Well, I’ve got a meeting. Give me a call on Friday if you can go.”
“I will. Let me know what happens with Gina and if you hear from Smitty.”
“Will do. You do the same.”
Ted flipped his phone closed. “Parker’s in Boston tonight.”
“Who’s Gina?”
Ted filled her in on the woman Parker was interested in.
“So he’s waited a year to contact her? That’s so romantic.”
“You think so? I told him he was nuts to wait that long.”
“It was the right thing to do. She’ll have had time to put the pieces back together.”
“Not only is my lady very beautiful, but she’s very wise, too.”
She smiled. “What did he say about Smitty?”
“Just that the whole thing seems bizarre. Let me call Chip and see what he has to say about it.”
“Fucking crazy,” was Dr. Taggert’s take. “He spent the whole weekend with us and never says a word about going to Sydney for a month? What’s up with that?”
“I guess he didn’t want to put a damper on the party.” Ted wondered if Smitty already had the trip planned or if it came up after he figured out what was going on between Ted and Caroline. And how exactly he had figured that out was something that continued to gnaw at Ted.
“There’s something about it that stinks if you ask me,” Chip said. “Did you talk to him? What did he say to you?”
“No, we never hooked up before he left. I was in the clinic all day yesterday, so we missed each other.” Ted gritted his teeth to withstand the bout of conscience.
He glanced over at Caroline, and just the sight of her was enough to remind him that the lies were worth it.
“So how are you? Did you guys set a date yet?”
“Tonight. Elise’s parents are coming in from Massapequa for dinner.”
“That’s exciting. Let me know what you decide.”
“You know you’re in the wedding, right? I’m going to have to draw straws among the three of you for a best man, but you know you’ll be right up there with me.”
“Sure I do. Smitty and I would understand if you asked Parker. We know you go back further with him.” The two of them had first met in prep school.
“That’s kind of what I was thinking, too, but I don’t want you guys to think—”
“Chip, we wouldn’t think a thing of it. I promise.”
His relief was audible. “Thanks, Duff. I’ll call you when I have the date.”
“Give the bride a kiss for me.”
“I’d love to.”
Ted laughed and hung up. “Unless Smitty didn’t really go to Sydney, we’re good to go in Newport,” he said to Caroline.
“Is there some way you can find that out?”
Ted nodded and flipped open his phone again to call Smitty’s office.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Smith is out of the country. He’s checking his voice mail if you’d like to leave a message.”
Ted started to say no but then changed his mind. “Yes, please.”
She transferred him to Smitty’s extension, and Ted’s gut twisted at the sound of his friend’s voice.
“This is John Smith. I’m currently out of the country. Leave a message, and I’ll return your call as soon as I can. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Peter Nielson at extension 337.”
At the tone, Ted said, “Hey, it’s Duff. Everyone’s worried about you. Give me a call when you get a chance.” There was more he wanted to say, but Ted decided that was enough for now.
To Caroline, he said, “Smitty’s really gone.”
She reached for his hand. “Then let’s go to Newport.”