Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Carter lifted his free hand and rapped his knuckles on the door, three short beats that seemed to linger in the stillness of the quiet afternoon. The main road was empty, the small neighborhood seemingly lifeless. He suspected most people were still at work, their kids at daycare or in school.
He shifted anxiously, praying she was there.
The driveway was empty, but the little condo had a one-car garage, so he could only hope her car was parked inside.
He had called the health center to see if she was at work today but was told she’d taken the rest of the week off.
He was still furious about how their last meeting had gone.
She had looked fine on the surface, resolute in her decision to completely cut ties with her past. It bothered him because he wanted to know how she was doing mentally and emotionally. Audrey was an enigma, and he had a feeling she buried her true self way down deep where no one would see it.
He knew he wanted Audrey the first time he laid eyes on her beautiful face; the fiery red of her hair was rivaled only by the flames in her eyes.
His fingers clenched the handle of his briefcase, reassuring himself with a squeeze that it—and, more importantly, the information he was about to deliver—was still there.
Tucked under his arm was a bottle of Dom that he’d picked up on the way, because, well… he still hadn’t figured that part out yet. Maybe he was an idiot for thinking she’d welcome his presence, but he wouldn’t know unless he tried.
His patience was rewarded when, moments later, muffled footsteps approached the door and hesitated on the other side.
He sucked in a breath as the pause elongated.
He could feel her eyes on him through the peephole, wondering why he was there.
That made two of them. He fought the doubt slowly creeping up inside and struggled to school his expression into one of calm aloofness.
Finally, the snick of the lock turning in its case reached his ears, and he let out the breath he’d been holding.
Audrey’s face peered around the door, brow furrowed. “Mr. Cross?”
He smiled charmingly despite the churning in his gut. “Please, Audrey, call me Carter.”
The corners of her lips turned down even as she opened the door wider and allowed him to enter. “What can I do for you?”
He strolled into the entryway and turned to watch Audrey as she diligently closed and locked the door, then turned toward him, wary eyes fixed on his. “Actually, I’m here on your behalf. I couldn’t show up empty-handed.”
He extended the bottle of champagne to her, and her eyes swept over him, one sardonic eyebrow cocked upward. “Oh? I guess four hundred dollars an hour buys me a bottle of Dom Perignon. Maybe I should get divorced more often.”
His smile dimmed a bit, irritation overriding the giddy anticipation he’d felt. Still, he bared his teeth at her in a semblance of a smile. “This is a congratulatory gift.”
Audrey crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought the gift was that you’re going to relieve me of my scumbag ex-husband so he’s free to marry that little blonde tramp?”
His heart went out to her. He saw it all the time, but it had never affected him before, not the way it did with Audrey. Her husband had treated her poorly, and she deserved better than that.
His gaze swept over her. Clearly, she’d been relaxing or taking a nap, judging from her laid-back outfit.
He’d only ever seen her in beautifully cut suits or dresses, but even in yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt, the woman was beautiful.
Beyond beautiful. Gorgeous. Why would that idiot leave her for another woman?
It didn’t matter. Scott Gerber’s loss was going to be his gain.
He lowered the bottle of champagne that she still hadn’t accepted. He hadn’t come here with any real plans, but the longer he stood there staring at her, the more he itched to have her. The real gift was her freedom. She could be with whomever she wanted now. He intended to make sure she chose him.
“That, too,” he admitted. “I have something for you.”
“Fantastic.”
His lips compressed at her sarcasm. He set the briefcase on a side table and extracted the folder within. “Here.”
Her eyes met his, her body immediately tensing. “What does he want now?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Scott was approved for the loan to buy out your portion of the practice, so all I need is your signature to make it happen, and we’ll get it all finalized.”
He passed the sheaf of papers to her, and she stared at them, dumbfounded. “It’s… Really?”
Was that disappointment he saw there?
She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out a heavy sigh, her voice low. “Thank God. I was worried he wouldn’t come up with the money.”
He lifted one shoulder. “I know the loan officer at the bank who approved him.” Her head tipped to one side in question, and he continued. “If it makes you feel any better, he’s getting raped on interest.”
A slow smile spread over her face, lighting her eyes, and his chest constricted at the sight. “Actually, it does.”
He grinned back. “I thought it might.”
She flipped through the papers, found the correct tab, then hastily scrawled her name and the date on the lines. He filed it away, then snatched up the bottle of champagne. “Come on. After all this, you deserve a drink.”
Leaving the briefcase behind, he pushed past her in search of the kitchen, leaving her to follow at her own pace.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he stumbled to a stop as a streak of white blew past his feet.
A tiny, curly white-haired dog eagerly circled him, and he knelt down to scratch the dog behind the ears. “Hey, there.”
Audrey’s footsteps stopped just behind him, and he glanced at her over his shoulder. “What is he?” He glanced back at the dog. “Or is it a she?”
“He. His name is Peanut.”
She watched him with a strange sort of expression, and he tipped his head at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head bemusedly. “He’s usually not a big fan of men. He hated Scott.”
He grinned and gave the dog one more good scratch before rising to his feet. He set the bottle of Dom on the counter and turned toward Audrey. “You know what they say, dogs are an excellent judge of character.”
She made a derisive sound in her throat before directing her next words to the dog. “Looks like your instincts are broken, Peanut. He’s a lawyer.”
She said it like it was a dirty word, and he couldn’t help the laugh that rumbled up out of his throat. Dramatically, he slapped a hand over his heart. “Dr. Stanton, you wound me.”
A mischievous smile broke over her face. “Not yet.”
He loved that smile. She didn’t do it nearly enough, but the curve of her mouth completely transformed her face. She was still out of his league, but the smile made her softer, more human… more approachable.
“You didn’t dislike me so much a few minutes ago,” he teased.
She rolled her eyes playfully. “You do have your uses, I guess.”
He loved this side of her—the one that was open and unguarded. Though he knew almost every detail of her life, he hadn’t really had a chance yet to meet the real Audrey and learn what made her tick. It was something he planned to rectify immediately.
“Let’s break this sucker open. Where are your glasses?” She gestured to a cabinet, and he pulled two flutes down. “Would you like to do the honors, or should I?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never been good at that kind of thing.”
“All right.” He peeled the foil off. “I guess it’s my turn, then.”
“Just don’t break anything,” she warned. “I’ve seen videos where those things ricochet and shatter windows. I wouldn’t want to have to sue you for damages.”
He grinned at her. “I’d find a loophole.”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain the smile that overtook her pretty mouth. “No doubt you would.”
He extracted the cork with little difficulty, but she still jumped at the loud pop that resounded in the room. The liquid fizzed as he poured it into the glasses, the crisp aroma reaching up and tickling his nose. He recorked it, then extended one to her and picked up his own. “To new beginnings.”
She lifted her glass and touched it to his. “To cheating husbands.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re horrible at this. You can’t toast to that.”
“I certainly can,” she retorted. “That’s why we’re here today.”
He let out a beleaguered sigh. “Fine, keep your toast. I’ll just have to come up with another one. To…” He threw a flirtatious smile her way. “To beautiful, intelligent company.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “To a great pair of boots.”
The smile slipped from his face as his eyebrows drew together in confusion. What was she talking about?
“For when the crap gets too deep,” she clarified, her lips twitching with humor.
He studied her for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “You’re something else, you know that?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she snapped back.
“Good. I meant it as one.”
Her gaze met his over the rim of the glass as she took her first sip.
He could tell the precise moment the bubbles hit her tongue because her eyes closed in pleasure.
He watched, mesmerized, as she drained the glass, then twirled the stem of the flute between her fingers for a moment before glancing up at him.
“So you came all this way to bring me a bottle of champagne?” She lifted the bottle and refilled her glass. “It’s good, don’t get me wrong, and I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t believe you for a second.”
“Fair enough, and true. I was driving past the store when it caught my eye, and it sounded like a good idea at the time.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I actually just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
Surprise flashed in her eyes before she quickly blinked the emotion away, replacing it instead with a cool detachedness. “I’ll be okay. The cut is healing fine, and I’ve been putting cream on it to help with the scarring.”
Her hand automatically lifted to her face, fingertips tenderly brushing the cut.
His gaze drifted to the pink line that cut across her forehead and into her hairline.
The stitches had come out, but the scar itself was still an angry pink.
Ironically, it didn’t detract from her beauty.
If anything, it almost brought her down to his level. Not quite, but almost.
She skirted his real question—how she was doing emotionally.
He watched her gaze flit around the kitchen, landing on everything but him, and he debated just how far to push her.
To Audrey, he was just her lawyer; he wasn’t even a friend she could confide in—yet.
Winning her over would be one heck of a journey, and he was going to enjoy it.
He cleared his throat. “I also wanted to bring you the paperwork.”
She snorted, and her hand dropped back to her side as she threw a dubious look his way. “Which you could have mailed.”
“I could have, but I didn’t want to.”
“You came all the way out here just so you could hand-deliver these? Why?”
He took a predatory step toward her, and her eyes widened as she retreated until her back was pressed against the edge of the counter. “Because I couldn’t wait one more minute.”
“For… what?” Her voice was breathless, and the fire in her eyes melted away, revealing a mixture of confusion and… was that desire? He sure hoped so.
“You want to know why I’m here?”
She nodded, eyes hooded and sultry as she watched his every step. He set his glass down with a hard clink and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. His gaze dropped to her lips.
“This.”