Unraveled
The receptionist sitting beneath the Walker and Raines placard smiled at her, and she returned it despite the turmoil swirling in her stomach. She hated coming in here. God willing, this would be the last time she ever had to see the inside of this office and the people in it.
Not that she had anything against her lawyer—the guy was a total shark, not to mention incredibly easy on the eyes. Carter Cross was both a welcome and unsettling distraction from the reason for her visit.
She pulled open the door and strode into the welcoming air-conditioning, then pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.
The receptionist sitting beneath the Walker and Raines placard smiled at her again, and she returned it despite the turmoil swirling in her stomach.
She stepped up to the desk and signed in.
“Audrey Stanton, here for a ten o’clock with Mr. Cross. ”
The older woman nodded and clicked away at the keyboard. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”
The appreciative smile melted from her face as a familiar voice spoke from behind her, and she automatically stiffened. “Hey, Audrey.”
She closed her eyes for a moment before turning to face her soon-to-be-ex-husband. “Scott.”
His eyes flicked over her before zeroing in on her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, thanks.” Self-consciously, she lifted one hand and arranged her bangs to cover the wound as best she could.
She’d been in her office at the health center a little over a week ago, getting ready to head out for a girls’ night with her friend Hannah, when a man seemingly came out of nowhere.
Something had sliced through the air, and pain exploded across her forehead.
The next thing she was aware of was waking in the hospital a day later.
Thank God, Hannah had let herself in and scared him away, then run for help.
Her boyfriend, Luke, had come to her rescue and kept her stable until the medics arrived.
The man had escaped, but the ordeal had cost her seventeen stitches and one heck of a bruise.
The wound was still an angry red line against her face.
“Stitches came out yesterday, but…”
Scott nodded. He knew the drill. Like her, he was a licensed medical professional, and they shared a practice in the health center downtown.
Though for how long, she didn’t know. Scott had proposed during college, and she had happily agreed to marry him, a youthful, rash decision that seemed to make sense at the time.
They’d had everything all planned out—they would graduate, start a practice together, then, once it was established, they’d start a family.
Except it hadn’t quite worked out that way.
“How’s Libby?”
Scott’s gaze cut away before meeting hers again. “She’s good.”
“And the baby?”
His face relaxed, taking on an expression of elation. “Healthy. It’s a girl.”
His words were like a knife to her heart, and she offered a small smile, then dropped her gaze to the travertine tile floor.
Up until just a few months ago, she thought everything was fine.
Not perfect, certainly, but it was… okay.
They were both busy with work, and she hadn’t seen the signs until it was too late.
From the information she’d gleaned from friends, the affair had started a little over eight months ago.
Scott had gone on a health kick and joined a new gym.
It was there that he’d met the perky little blonde and fallen head over heels for her.
The fact that he had a wife was apparently little more than a blip on his radar.
Within a couple months, Libby was pregnant, and he’d presented her with divorce papers.
Thank God they hadn’t rushed into starting a family.
She would never want to drag kids through this.
It was bad enough that they were fighting over the business.
The house, she didn’t care about. She hadn’t stepped inside since the day she’d learned about the affair.
It had taken just under ten hours for her and two friends to pack up her belongings and her fur baby, Peanut, and move her into a condo across town.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gerber? You can come back now.” The receptionist gestured to the long hallway, and she breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she didn’t have to stand there any longer and feign interest in the man who had left her for another woman.
Scott gestured for her to precede him into the room, and she slipped by, careful not to brush against him.
After his infidelity, she could barely stand to be in the same room with him, let alone touch him.
She couldn’t help the resentment she felt toward him.
He’d chosen to cheat instead of work things out or even address the issue, and she could never forgive him for that.
She knew she was better off without someone like Scott in her life, but his betrayal still hurt.
She’d known for a while that things were…
off. But after six years of marriage, wasn’t that to be expected?
The potent sexual desire they’d experienced at twenty-two had gradually declined, and the last time they’d made love was more than a year ago.
It had felt stiff and awkward, like a necessary evil performed out of obligation.
Although she’d blamed Scott for his cheating, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been partially responsible for driving him away.
In the process of building their careers, there had been so many long nights, so much to do.
And she was acutely aware that she’d changed since college, too.
She’d put on a few pounds and rarely wore makeup.
Was Scott more physically attracted to Libby or was it purely chemistry, a connection between them that had never existed between Scott and her? Maybe if she’d tried harder…
She stepped into the conference room, her gaze automatically drawn to the man standing by the coffee service.
His broad shoulders stretched the fabric of his dark suit, and his pants were perfectly tailored, skimming his muscular thighs and breaking perfectly over his polished shoes.
Carter Cross was the kind of man who had been put on this earth purely for women’s pleasure.
His dark eyes caught hers as he turned, and she blushed furiously, quickly averting her eyes as she sank into a chair.
“Would you like some coffee, Ms. Stanton? Water?” She reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet Carter’s intense gaze.
He was the only person outside of her patients who called her by her maiden name.
Though she had taken Scott’s last name for personal use as per tradition, she’d chosen to maintain her maiden name professionally.
She was proud of what she’d accomplished, and she wanted her name—and her name alone—on that degree.
Those deep brown eyes continued to bore into her, and she shifted under the scrutiny. As lawyers went, she couldn’t have chosen better. Carter Cross was a shark. Better than that, though, he was gorgeous. Not just attractive, more than handsome, the man was model material.
The lines of his face were sharp, almost angular, with high cheekbones and the tiniest hint of a cleft in his chin.
Coffee-colored eyes stood out from his lightly tanned skin, and his thick, dark brown hair was cropped short.
He left just enough at the top for a woman to run her hands through, to play with the silky-looking strands.
At a couple inches over six feet, he was every fantasy come to life.
Heat raced through her blood and she forced herself to swallow and respond. “No, thank you.”
He studied her for another moment before turning away to pour himself a glass of water.
He made his way around the table then unbuttoned his suit jacket before sliding into the seat next to her.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
This close to him, she could smell the unmistakable scent of his aftershave, or maybe his cologne.
It was musky and masculine, an apt fit for the man sitting only inches away.
She glanced over her shoulder as Richard Patterson entered the room, thankful for the distraction. He slipped into the seat next to Scott and flashed a smile in her direction. He was a nice enough guy, but since he was Scott’s lawyer, she kind of disliked him on principle. “Good morning, Audrey.”
She nodded politely, eager to start the proceedings.
She was tired of this dragging out. All she wanted was an expeditious resolution so she could get on with her life.
Whatever that meant. Ever since the incident at the health center, she’d been seriously contemplating her future.
Maybe it was time to leave the past where it belonged and start something new.
Carter spoke up. “All right, are we ready to begin?” After a quick check around the table, he launched into his discourse.
“So, we’ve decided that Mr. Gerber will retain the house and my client will receive compensation for her portion upon completion.
Now we have the matter of the office at the health center.
In light of Mr. Gerber’s infidelity, I feel that Audrey should be awarded the business and—”
“Actually…” Her head snapped toward him as she laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m strongly considering selling out. Would you mind if Scott and I spoke alone for a moment?”
Carter’s eyes blazed with fury. “Audrey, that’s not—”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Scott spoke up from the opposite side of the table.
Carter threw a glare his way, then swiveled toward her once more. “As your lawyer, I strongly advise—”
She curled her fingertips into the fabric of his suit jacket and felt the muscles of his forearm tense beneath her touch. “Just give us a minute. Please.”