Me And Mrs Jones (21 page)

Jumping up from the couch, Renee hurried towards Travis but he took a retreating step back from her. “Please give me a chance to explain more.”

“I think we should take a couple of days apart from each other. I need time to think about what happened here today. Here I was trying to introduce my parents to the woman I’m falling in love with and she would rather find a way not to even have a two hour dinner with them.”

Renee blinked back the sudden tears in her eyes as she watched Travis turn away from her and head for the door leading out to his patio. She had really messed things up without even knowing it.

“I’m going outside. Could you please be gone by the time I come back inside?” Travis asked as he opened the door and then went out closing it softly behind him.

Standing alone in the middle of Travis’ living room, Renee wondered what in the hell she had just done. She might have lost the most romantic, exciting and exceptionally fun man she ever had the pleasure to be with in a long time.

****

“Have you talked to Travis since your huge fight last week over his parents?” Cruz asked as he glanced up from the client list he was working on. “I know he wouldn’t miss this show. He was the one who finally got you to agree to having it at Dana’s café.”

“No, I haven’t heard a word from him. I’ve gone by his apartment several times and even where he paints in the woods. There was no sign of him at either place.” Renee sighed. “I think he’s found a good way to avoid me.”

“Stop being so negative,” Dana said walking into the room. “Travis is crazy about you. He’ll be here next Friday. He’s probably just sorting through some stuff.”

“How can you be giving anyone dating advice and it took you forever to see how much Sheriff Arness wanted to sample your special tea?” Cruz teased and then ducked when Dana threw a sugar packet at him.

“Shut up Cruz,” Dana laughed then sat down across from Renee.

“No, seriously, how are things going with you and Sheriff Arness?” Renee asked wanting to get her mind off her own problems.

The smile that spread across Dana’s face lit up the whole room. “We’re doing wonderful. Our first date was perfect and everything has only been going uphill since. I’m really happy with Matt.”

“I’m glad for you. I would love to have the two of you over for dinner after the show.”

“Oh, I think Matt will love having dinner at your house. He’s been working so much lately that I haven’t been able to fix him many home-cooked meals. Let me talk to him and I’ll get back to you.”

“Hey, did you forget about me?” Cruz asked.

“If I’m not mistaken weren’t you just at Renee’s last night having dinner with her?” Dana winked at her. “Did you forget how to turn on a stove or something?”

“What man is going to turn down a meal cooked by a beautiful woman? Anyways, I was there when the fire marshal came by with his final report about the fire. I didn’t think Renee needed to be by herself after she found out about the arson.”

“Now, all I need is the proof Robert was the one who set the fire, “Renee said. “He’s walking around town with this smug look on his face. I saw him yesterday out with Shelia acting like he didn’t have a care in the world. God, I never hated someone as much as I hate him. How in the world did I stay with him for so long?

“I thought I was in love but now I know what true love is after being with Travis. I really need to find him and talk things out with him. He thinks I was being judgmental about meeting his parents, but I wasn’t. I was only thinking about what they would think and might say when I showed up.”

“Why would you even care?” Dana asked. “You’re the one dating Travis, not his parents. If they can’t see what an incredible person you are then there is something wrong with them. Who cares about the age difference? As long as Travis is happy with you that’s the only thing that should matter to them.”

“Where were you when I needed to hear this stuff seven days ago?” Renee asked.

“Probably on the back of Matt’s motorcycle as he took me to his cabin in the woods,” Dana replied.

“Can the two of you take a break from relationship talk for a minute and help me finalize this client list for next week? We can only invite one more person and I’m having a hard time deciding between Victor Mature and Gregory Mitchell. Both are men who love buying pricey art. Which one should get the invitation?” Cruz asked.

“Invite both of them,” Renee said. “They love having bidding wars against each other. The last time I only invited one of them, I got an email from the one I didn’t invite. I’m pretty sure one extra body won’t hurt the café all that much.”

“Are you sure about this? The last time those two art lovers were in a room together the insults were flying all night,” Cruz pointed out to her. “I’ll never forget how the rest of the guests stopped and stared at them.”

Gathering up the rest of the information for the show off the table, Renee shoved it into her bag. “Yes, I think everything will be fine and if they act up again we can always get Dana to have Sheriff Arness throw them out,” she teased, getting up from the table. “I need to get going. I called a contractor about the gallery. He should be there in about ten minutes. I don’t want to be late.”

“Is that today?” Cruz asked. “I thought Mr. Ellis was coming tomorrow. Do you need me to go with you?”

“No, I can handle this by myself. Stay here with Dana and get those final two invitations in the mail and then decide how to rework the room for next week. After I’m done with the contractor I’m going to head home.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dana questioned. “You just don’t seem like yourself lately.”

Her friend’s concern touched her but there wasn’t any need for it. She was doing just fine. She wasn’t going to allow her fight with Travis to hinder everything else going on in her life. “I’ve been more tired than usual but I think it’s from the stress of rushing to get everything done. I promise you that I’m doing okay. Please don’t worry about me.”

“Well, if you say so. But I’m going to stop by later before my date with Matt. I wouldn’t be able to have any fun if I’m worried about you all night.”

Renee thought about telling Dana not to come over, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good because once her best friend got her mind set on something there was no changing it. She might as well get ready for her visit.

“Come on by. I’ll be home. I need to figure out how I’m going to display the paintings Cruz saved from the fire. I don’t have anything else to do with my time for the next several days.”

“Stop thinking like that. How do you know Travis isn’t going to call you in the next couple of days? Don’t give up on him. You know how men are. Sometimes they just need time alone to think things through before they come back.”

“Dana, you are so positive. But right now, I need to stay focused on what we’re doing. I can’t be thinking about Travis, it will only throw me off track.” Renee gave Cruz a smile and then touched Dana on the shoulder before she left the café.

Pausing by the side of her car, Renee took a few minutes to pay attention to everything going on around her. Most of the time, she was in such a hurry to get back to the gallery she never stopped to notice anything. Now, she had more free time on her hands than she knew what to do with.

How did she manage to lose her business and Travis within a week of each other? Was her need not to fall in love again pushing true love away from her.

Whatever happened she wished for another chance to fix things with Travis. The gallery could be rebuilt and new paintings could be hung on the walls, but would she really be able to find someone like Travis again in her lifetime? Sighing, Renee unlocked her car door, got inside her car and pulled out of the café’s parking lot but before she headed home there was something she needed to do.

****

Back at her house, Renee held the white pharmacy bag against her chest as she inched her way upstairs to her bathroom. She had wanted to do this with Travis, but tonight hadn’t turned out as she had planned. He was gone from her life, so it was up to her to find out if what didn’t seem possible might actually be the real thing.

She slowly pushed open her bathroom door and then closed it behind her. Sitting down on the toilet seat, Renee’s hands trembled as she opened the bag and pull out the box. She could barely hold the container in her hands because they were shaking so badly. As much as she tried to deny the truth and think it was something else, Renee had to come to grips with the truth and if the test turned out to be positive then she would deal with it.

One thing was for sure, with or without Travis’ help, if the test showed she was actually pregnant with her first and probably only child there was no way in hell she wouldn’t keep it.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Friday night. Renee’s gallery showing

Why am I standing outside on the sidewalk instead of going inside and just apologizing to her for acting like an immature jerk
? Travis thought about that question several times as he watched Renee through the café window work the crowd. .

Tonight was her show to raise money to help rebuild her gallery and instead of being inside positioned proudly at her side as her boyfriend he was staring at her through the window like some loser who didn’t know how to admit that he had done something wrong.

Why did he blow up at her like that when she was at his apartment?

He should have been mature enough to see her point of view instead of getting all pissed off and telling her to leave. The moment the door closed behind her he realized the mistake he’d made. He fought down the urge to run after her and beg her to stay because his pride had set in.

Allowing Renee to walk out his front door turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life. Several times, Travis picked up the phone to call Renee but he ended up hanging up after only a couple of rings. He didn’t know what to tell her. How could he apologize for not listening to her fears?

For a while he’d searched for a woman who was genuinely real and true to herself. Renee constantly showed him all the sides of her personality and he loved how she was a combination of sexiness and intelligence. She never told him what he wanted to hear just to soothe his ego. She stood up to him on several occasions and showed him an inner power he wasn’t aware Renee even possessed.

Could he actually have gotten upset by the tiny notion that what Renee said might have some truth to it? His parents might not have been as understanding as he imagined? He had worked so hard to win Renee over and the mere thought of his parents not liking her didn’t sit well with him. The thrill of romancing and pursuing Renee everyday kept him going after the chase.

Little by little she started opening up to him more which gave him hope at winning her heart over. The idea and act of finally having Renee seeing him as the man in her life was a temptation he couldn’t put to the side.

When he finally had her looking at him the way he’d dreamed of was very intoxicating to him and he wanted to share the love he felt for Renee with his parents. However, he ended up pushing Renee away and all that he’d worked so hard for was gone.

How could Renee ever think about forgiving him? He’d promised her that he wouldn’t hurt her like her ex-husband had, but he ended up hurting her ten times worse. Renee deserved to be put on a pedestal and have him do whatever it took to make her happy.

Seeing the tears in her eyes at his apartment had cut him deeply, but not enough for him to man up and apologize for being a complete and utter asshole.

Over the past week while he’d been away from Renee, Travis had learned one thing. He was heads over heels in love with Renee Jones. She’d made him a better man for the short period of time she was inside his life and now that she was gone, he was empty and alone.

This couldn’t go on any longer.

Renee belonged with him and he was tired of standing outside watching her through a window. Travis came to a decision. He was going inside Dana’s café and begging Renee to take him back. Hell, if he had to start over from the beginning getting to know her again then he would do it. However, he wasn’t willing to believe there wasn’t anything between them anymore.

Moving away from the window, Travis opened the door and walked inside blending in with the crowd, but he wasn’t interested in the conversation about art going on around him. He only had his sights set on only one objective...a beautiful woman named Renee Jones.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Placing the empty champagne glass back on the waiter’s silver tray, Renee excused herself from the small crowd of collectors who were eyeing one of Travis’ paintings that Cruz had luckily rescued from the fire. She couldn’t stay there a minute longer or she might burst into tears. Renee had thought she might be able to handle talking about his art work, but it was more difficult than she thought.

She needed to get away for a few minutes to clear her head and get comfortable since she was more tired than usual. The best place would be Dana’s office. Looking around the room, Renee spotted her friend over near the side of the room with Matt’s arm around her waist. She felt nothing but happiness for her girlfriend. Dana had been waiting for so long to find a good guy and Sheriff Arness was that guy. They truly made the perfect couple.

Taking one last look at them, Renee turned down the hallway that led to Dana’s office. Pushing open the door, she went inside closing the door behind her. Renee kicked off her shoes and sighed when the thick carpet eased between her exhausted toes. The silence of the office was already relaxing a lot of the tension from her body.

Tonight was turning out to be a huge accomplishment for her. All of her regular clientele showed up even with the short notice and were buying paintings left to right. Renee knew she should be on cloud nine but she couldn’t shake the loneliness she felt from the absence of Travis. He should be here celebrating with her, but he wasn’t.