Channel 20 Something (23 page)

“Tell you what—I’m going to be in Oxford doing a story and live shot for the six, but I’ll be free right after the show. Want to drive up and meet me and we can just eat there? Maybe somewhere on the Square?”

“Sounds great. I’ll call you when I get to town—should be around six-thirty, okay?” Hale said.

“Perfect. Looking forward to it.” I hit the end-call button and slipped the phone into my purse then sat looking straight ahead at the highway, legs crossed, hands primly clasped on my knee. In my peripheral vision Aric was staring at me. And staring. And—

“I’m having dinner with Hale tonight,” I finally blurted.

“I heard.” The words sounded like they’d been through a food processor.

I tried not to be defensive, keeping my tone matter-of-fact. “We have some things to discuss.”

A harsh exhale preceded Aric’s reply. “I thought you already discussed
things
. I thought he understood it was over.”

He was angry. Goody. So was I.

“Well, we were together for years, Aric. I think I owe it to him to let him say everything he wants to say, give him full closure.”

Under his breath he muttered, “That’d better be all you give him.”

“What?” I was absolutely floored to hear him sound so possessive, as if a few weeks’ worth of booty calls and one family dinner entitled him to decide the kind of interaction I could have with Hale or any other guy for that matter. It wasn’t like we were married or even engaged.

After a long, bruised silence Aric responded, “Okay. Fine. I’ll wait around in Oxford while you have your talk with Farmer Hale, and after he gets his
closure
, I’ll drive you home.”

This was becoming more ridiculous by the minute. Did I have some kind of latent fetish for controlling men like my father? The thought was no less than terrifying. “I had no idea you were such a control freak,” I said.

He shot a bitter look over at me. If he gripped the steering wheel any harder, the leather coating was going to start smoking, but his voice was calm and measured. “I’m not a control freak, Heidi. I’m just not thrilled about the idea of
my girlfriend
going out for a cozy dinner with her ex. Who’s still in love with her.”

“I seem to remember we discussed this and agreed we’re not calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend. We’re just seeing where this goes.”

“As
I
recall, you handed that proclamation down from the mountain engraved on stone tablets, and I agreed because you left me no other choice.” He took a deep breath, started to speak and stopped, then started again. “And I believe that all changed the minute you told me you wanted to be with me and I made love to you. To make it clear, so there’s no miscommunication this time—I don’t want you to go out with him, and I
really
don’t want you riding home with him tonight.”

“Well.” I paused, debating over whether to laugh or slug him while he was driving. No. Physical abuse was never justified, even when the party in question was being completely unreasonable. “Thank you for so explicitly stating what
you
want.” I sounded like a fed-up teacher confronting the class clown. “But I’ve already told him ‘yes,’ and I’m going. Hale and I dated for four years. I think I can manage a meal in a public place and an hour-long drive together without jumping his bones. Not that you’d have any
right
to say anything if I did, since you’re so anxious to ship me off to Nashville.”

He didn’t answer, but kept driving and remained silent until we’d arrived in Oxford and he’d parked. Then he turned to me and stared.

Still defiant, I tried to hold his gaze, but the flash-broiling of my skin distracted me. The interior of the car seemed to heat up in seconds, as if we were sitting in a microwave, though the autumn day was cool.

When he finally spoke, Aric’s tone was dipped in molten steel. “Was it just sex for you, Heidi? If that’s all it was, then you’re absolutely right. We don’t owe each other anything.” Then he opened the door and got out of the car. I thought he was going to stalk away, but he leaned back into the doorway and pinned me with a hard look. “Have a nice dinner.” He said it in the same way you might tell someone to
have a nice life
.

And those were the last words we said to each other all day aside from technical directions during the story shoots and the live shot. Uncomfortable to say the least.

As the day went on and I cooled down, I reflected on our argument, cringing at parts of it. My parts, mostly. How bitchy I must have seemed. He had no idea about Janet’s illness, or the disconcerting offer she’d made me right before I’d gotten into the car with him. Not only must my responses have seemed overblown, but they were totally out of left field.

Ready to make up and move past it, I looked for opportunities to apologize and reconnect, but between our two stories, we were jamming all day long. And I’d never seen Aric so… unavailable.

At one point during a rare lull in the action, I’d actually started. “Listen, Aric, I—”

“Let’s just work, okay?” he’d said in a dull tone, not even looking at me.

And—like that—I was angry with him again. I mean, yes, we’d fought and
yes
, I’d been bitchy, but couples fought all the time. Why was he taking this so far? I certainly wasn’t going to find out as long as he was acting like a male deer locking horns with another buck.

Aric held onto the silent scowl all day and right through the newscast. When Hale came to pick me up afterward outside the basketball arena, his friendly face was a welcome break from Aric’s withering gaze.

He lowered his window as the car rolled to a stop. “Hey there, beautiful.”

“Hi.” I walked toward Hale’s car, but stopped. I looked back at the live truck. Aric was nowhere in sight, probably helping Tony break down the equipment. I couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye to him. I held up a finger to Hale. “I’ll be right there.”

Aric couldn’t have already headed back to the news car, could he? He’d stay and help Tony. Unless he was desperate to get out of there. To get away from me. I walked back toward the truck, and as I rounded the corner someone grabbed my arm and crowded me up against the side of the tall vehicle—oh, it was Aric.

“I’m glad you came back. There’s something I want to say before you run off for a date with your ex.”

And then he was kissing me. Hard. Hot. Crushing in the best possible way. All the tension of the day’s angry impasse was expressed in the way I kissed him back, all the
I’m sorry
and
I didn’t mean it
and
what was I so mad about again
?

The taste of him, the feel of his arms around me, his body pressing against mine was unspeakably good after the horrific stress of this day. After the way I’d stupidly pushed him away. It was euphoric to be surrounded by him. His sweet, imploring kiss erased all my arguments, proved the absurdity of my self-deception. I was crazy for this guy. And I would definitely be crazy to walk away from him and get into Hale’s car after this.

Aric lifted his mouth, keeping his forehead pressed to mine, his strong body still pinning me against the side of the live truck. His breathing was heavy. He sounded like he was fighting for air when he spoke. “Whatever he says to you tonight—whatever it is he wants—remember… I want you more.”

I sucked in a breath, my heart slamming against my chest wall. Before I could respond, he kissed me again, a shorter more aggressive kiss that had me squirming to get closer to him.

When he pulled away, I tried to reassure him, tangling my fingers in his hair as we stared at each other, our faces only inches apart. “It’s okay. You have nothing to worry about. Hale just wants the chance to say a proper goodbye.”

“I don’t buy it,” Aric shook his head. “No guy in his right mind would let you go without a fight.”

“Aric… he already
has
let me go. I’ll call you later, okay? I won’t be late.”
Why was I doing this again?

Aric stepped back and released me, rubbing his thumb along his bottom lip and looking at me with eyes that reminded me of some large, wounded animal. “Heidi… you’ve been so worried someone would break your heart again.” A long pause. “Did it ever occur to you I might be worried about the same thing? That you were going to break
my
heart?”

I stared at him, struck silent with shock. I slowly shook my head back and forth.

“Do you think I’m not scared, too? My father’s told me all my life that commitment leads to misery, but I’m willing to take a chance. With you. To believe in what I feel instead of what I’ve been told. I love you. I’m
in love
with you. And I was wrong to act the way I did today. I just want you so damn much. I want you to be mine. Mine.” Aric paused as if questioning his resolve. And then he looked me straight in the eye. “I
will
let you go if that’s what’s best for you, if being with him makes you happier than being with me. But I don’t think it will. I think we belong together.” He gave a quick shake of his head and let out a sharp breath as I stepped toward him. “You should go. He’s waiting.”

He turned and strode off in the direction of the news car.

Wow.
My breath came out in a long whoosh. “Aric?” I called after him, but he kept his head down and didn’t stop.

I had all the inspiration I needed to make it an early night with Hale.
Maybe he’d settle for fast-food drive-thru?
How much did we really have left to talk about anyway?

Hale and I sat at a cozy table for two near the front windows of City Grocery, an upscale eatery on Oxford’s charming town square. A candle flickered on the linen-covered table between us, adding to the intimate atmosphere.

“I’m so glad you were able to see me tonight.” Hale cleared his throat and flicked his gaze from my face to my hands to the table and back to my eyes.

“Sure,” I said, studying his face. He wasn’t acting quite… normal. Well, I was a bit nervous, too. I’d never done the relationship post-mortem thing, having only
one
other relationship in the rear-view, and God knew there’d been no closure on that one. It was so much better to end things this way, civilly and sanely. “I’m glad you called. I think it’s a great idea for us to talk things over.”

I’d expected the two of us to grab a couple of barbeque sandwiches at Handy Andy, or maybe go to a cute little joint like the Ajax Diner. But Hale had somehow gotten us reservations at one of Oxford’s nicest places. Not that I was complaining. I sipped my Chardonnay and looked up from my menu to take in the restaurant’s exposed brick walls and colorful local art, a mix of historic and chic combining to create a perfect date-night ambience.

But this wasn’t a date. As Hale continued to fiddle with his silverware and sneak glances at me over his own menu, I began to wonder whether he realized that. The waiter came back with our appetizer, crab and bacon fritters, and took our dinner orders. I’d decided on the olive-oil seared salmon and Hale went with the Grocery’s famous shrimp and grits.

I kept waiting for him to bring up the topic that was our reason for being here. He was the one who’d suggested getting together, and honestly, I had no idea how to begin a talk like this. But Hale kept the conversation light, filling me in on the latest challenges he faced with his family’s farming business, something he’d always been passionate about. After his older brother had opted out of the Gentry family birthright and moved as far away as he could get, Hale had taken up the gauntlet with impressive dedication.

By the time we finished our entrees it seemed like all non-breakup-related conversation had been exhausted, and I was actually sneaking glances at my watch. It was getting late. Aric might be driving past my apartment, checking on me and wondering where I was. Wondering why I was spending so long with my ex-boyfriend.

“Let’s order dessert.” Hale’s eyes held a mischievous sparkle that surprised me. He’d always been more of an apps man than a dessert fan.

“I really shouldn’t. My meal was huge, and I should be getting back home. It’s an hour drive to Pineland from here, and then you’ll still have an hour to go to Louisville.”

“Come on. It won’t take that long. We can share one. Just look at the menu,” he cajoled.

As if on cue, our waiter returned with two dessert menus and shoved one into my hand. Still shaking my head in protest, I took the menu from him and opened it. There were three options listed with photos beside them. Southern Pecan Cheesecake, Chocolate Lava cake with vanilla bean sorbet, and—the last item description had been covered over with a folded slip of paper. And the photo beside it was not of a dessert but a beautiful, and very large, diamond solitaire ring. My stomach dropped. What was this? I reached for the folded paper with trembling fingers and opened it. Inside, written in Hale’s distinctive handwriting, were four words and a question mark.

Will you marry me?

My heartbeat jumped from digesting-a-rich-meal comatose into horror-movie-running-for-my-life pounding. I blinked several times, fighting through a whirling sense of panic to make sense of what my orbital nerve was trying to tell my brain. Whatever the elusive message was, it wasn’t good.

“See anything you like?” Hale asked.

I looked up at him, feeling as if my eyes were bulging from my head. He wore an eager smile and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“I…” No other words came out, only a wheezing, choking noise. Oh God. This wasn’t happening.

Hale left his chair and went down on one knee in front of mine. I couldn’t breathe. A sumo wrestler sat on my chest. No—no one on my chest—it was—no, no, no. Why was he down there on the floor?
Get up Hale.
We’re breaking up, making it official, you can’t be proposing
.

The scene had grabbed the attention of the restaurant’s other patrons, who were turning toward us like dominos falling, grins breaking out on their faces one by one.

“Hale—” I breathed, barely finishing the word, as my brain had been deprived of actual oxygen for too long at this point.

Hale lifted one of my ice cold hands from my lap and gave me a tremulous smile. “Heidi—I love you, I have for a long time, and I’m hoping that you found at least one of those dessert options tempting. I hope you’ll find the real thing even sweeter.”