Return to You (22 page)

"You missed the event of the decade," Olivia
deadpanned.

Eve chortled and Lainie just looked grimmer, if that
was possible.

Gwen, of course, was oblivious to the subtle
sarcasm. "Tell me."

"Well, Michael and his leading lady put on quite a
show for everyone. Then there was the news that Rick has been
investigating Lainie. To be outdone by my father, who's
single-handedly orchestrated everything."

Gwen blinked owlishly. "Huh?"

"Exactly."

Lainie cut in at that moment. "I was just telling
Olivia and Eve that I appreciate everything you've all done for me.
I'd like to stay friends, if that's possible." The question
included them all but it was Olivia she stared at.

Olivia shook her head. "You don't need to ask. We
expect you to keep in touch."

Lainie murmured her promises as she hugged each of
them. She held onto Olivia the longest.

They didn't notice Rick come in until he towered
over them. He wore an unsure look that didn't suit him at all.
"Good morning, ladies."

"You have some nerve showing your face around here."
Gwen hissed at him, looking like she was about to jump up and
claw.

He scowled at her.

Lainie edged away. "I was leaving anyway. I'll call
you, Olivia."

Rick put a hand on her arm. "Wait a minute. Before
you leave, I wanted to apologize. I—"

"You were protecting Olivia, and you were misled."
Lainie covered his hand with hers. "There's no fault in that. I
really have to go now." With a faint smile at them, she briskly
left.

Surprisingly, Olivia felt sad for Parker. He'd lost
the best thing that had happened to him in thirty years.

Gwen and Rick's bickering brought her back to the
moment. "I'm outta here," she said loudly, cutting in. "I have a
store to open."

Walking her out, Eve glanced back at the quarreling
couple. "What's with those two?"

"Repressed sexual tension." Olivia left, Eve's warm
laugh following her out the door.

Olivia let herself in Romantic Notions. She left the
door unlocked. It was close enough to opening time to not bother
with it. She started her routine of straightening the store while
the credit card machine and register booted. She was getting out
the cash from her safe when she heard someone walk in.

Frowning, she emerged from the back to find Parker
looming in the doorway. He was thoroughly cataloguing every detail
of her store.

She felt herself puff up, ready to defend what she'd
worked so hard for. But before she could open her mouth, he turned
to her and said, "Elaine was right. What you've created is
impressive."

She snapped her mouth shut. What could she say to
that?

He walked toward her, cautiously, as if he didn't
want to scare her in flight. His pale eyes watched her, and in them
she could read determination. And loneliness.

She hadn't planned the next words that fell from her
mouth. "Why did you leave me with Gran?"

He stopped. Silence stretched uncomfortably between
them. She didn't think he was going to answer when he finally said,
"You're very much like your mother."

She frowned. That wasn't an answer. She was about to
protest when a memory from her childhood flashed in her mind.

She must have been four years old or so. Her parents
were in the kitchen. It was past her bedtime, but she was thirsty
and wanted some milk. She pretended she was Catwoman, slinking to
the doorway. She peered around the corner. Her dad's hands were in
her mom's long, blonde hair. He looked up and saw her. Her breath
caught in her throat. He winked at her and hugged her mom tight.
She knew she was supposed to go back to bed, but she turned around
one last time to catch him caress her mom's face before he tipped
her head back for a kiss.

Through child's eyes, a kiss was a kiss. Now,
replaying the memory, she saw the kiss for what it was—the deep,
all-encompassing love of a man for a woman. Complete rapture.

Like what she felt for Michael. And she knew first
hand what it felt like to have it ripped apart.

She stared at her father, for once seeing past her
own hurt to his. She hated it when her grandmother was right.

She took a deep breath and took the plunge. "I don't
know what you want from me."

"Just another chance."

"I won't be manipulated again. Try it and I'm gone,
faster than you can say 'take two.'"

"Fair enough."

She shook her head. She'd spent so many years angry
at him. "I'm not sure I can do this."

"Olivia, I'm only asking you to meet me
halfway."

It was the earnestness in his eyes that got to her.
She nodded. She could manage halfway.

She stood there, unsure of what to do next. It
seemed like they should close the deal somehow, but a handshake
seemed cold and a hug was too intimate too fast.

He reached out and ran his thumb down her cheekbone.
Just like he used to do when she was little. Her heart began to
thaw, and she thought maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.

Chapter Thirty-three

Lainie looked out into the sea of people. She
couldn't find Olivia.

It didn't make sense. She'd talked to Olivia just
that morning to confirm her arrival time. Olivia wouldn't forget
her.

Someone jostled her from behind. Clutching her
carry-on, she moved out of the way.

She scanned the crowd again, looking for a tall
brunette with a bold sense of style. Her eyes widened when she
found someone of that description.

Everett.

She turned to the wall, pressing a hand to her
chest. She was going to hyperventilate.

"Elaine."

Collecting herself, she turned around slowly.
"Hello, Everett. I didn't expect you here."

Actually, she hadn't expected to ever see him
again.

He examined her with a vague frown. "Are you
alright? You look pale."

"I always looked pale."

"No." He brushed a finger down the side of her face.
"You're usually creamy."

She knew she had to be goggling at him but she
couldn't help it. His hand cupped her chin and tilted her head
up.

"Elaine, forgive me."

"Why?" Blunt, yes, but she wasn't going to let him
play games with her again.

"Because I need you. More than I ever imagined." His
thumb rubbed her lower lip.

She cleared her throat and pushed up her glasses.
"You finally realized this now? After seven years?"

"I'm a slow learner." He lifted her glasses, folded
them carefully, and put them in his pocket. His hands framed her
face. His thumbs rubbed under her jaw so she wanted to purr. "The
past couple weeks without you have been hell. More than not being
where you're supposed to be, you've haunted me. I tried to get rid
of your scent from my office but nothing would cover it."

"You did?"

"Foolish, I know. I should have realized I had the
wrong solution."

"You did?"

"The clear answer was to bring you back."

"Do you want me back?" Hope filled her chest—or
maybe it was love.

He gazed at her earnestly and smiled. "With all my
heart."

Chapter Thirty-four

Olivia looked at the clock for the hundredth time.
It was four o'clock. Lainie's flight arrived fifteen minutes
ago.

She suppressed a frisson of guilt and told herself
everything was going to be fine. After all, it wasn't like she
abandoned Lainie at the airport—she'd sent a reliable ride in her
place. She just hoped Lainie wouldn't turn and run at the first
sight of her father. She hoped Lainie would forgive her
meddling.

Olivia glanced at the clock again. She may have
planned this, but it was up to her father to carry it off.

She crossed her fingers.

Stepping out from behind the counter, she walked to
the door to flip the open sign over. Closed. And she wouldn't be
opening back up for a while.

"Olivia, dear, I think I need a bigger size in this
contraption."

Olivia grinned at the distress in Peachie Johnson's
voice. After fifty-some years of wearing only cotton undergarments,
albeit high-end, Peachie wanted to surprise her husband with
something special. "To put the kick back into things," she'd
whispered to Olivia.

"Be right there." Olivia grabbed a larger size in
the peek-a-boo bra from the back and took it to the fitting room.
"Here you go, Peachie."

The older woman cracked open the dressing room door.
"You're a sweetheart."

Olivia heard the front door open and close.
Frowning, she started for the floor. "I'm sorry. We're closed—"

She broke off abruptly as she saw Michael in the
doorway of her store. Stunned, she stood there and stared.

"Hello, Olivia."

She closed her eyes and let his voice rumble through
her. She waited to feel anger, bitterness, disappointment. All she
felt was longing and sadness.

She'd missed him.

But it was too late.

She opened her eyes. "I'm surprised to see you. What
are you doing in San Francisco?"

"Olivia—"

"Olivia, dear, this is the one. Harry is just going
to keel over when he sees me in this." Peachie halted abruptly. "Oh
dear."

"I have just the thing to go with this too." Olivia
took the lingerie from the woman's hand and quickly rang her
up.

As she was leaving, Peachie leaned close to Olivia.
"Honey, you wear something like this"—she patted her goodie bag
with a wink—"and that boy won't stand a chance."

Olivia bolted the door behind her. She turned around
to find Michael closer than she expected. Much closer.

"Why are you here?" She wished her voice wasn't so
husky but she couldn't help it. From this close, she could smell
the leather of his jacket mixed with the scent of him and it was
driving her crazy. She wanted to pin him down and nuzzle his neck
to get closer to it.

He took another step so they were toe to toe. "To do
this."

She only had time to think
his eyes are so blue
before his lips touched hers. The instant they met, her arms
automatically went around his neck. His hands slipped under her
sweater, warm against her skin and she arched into them.

She broke away from him abruptly, stepping back so
she could breathe. His lips glistened and his eyes were hot with
passion.

Passion was good but it wasn't enough.

She shook her head. "I can't do this again."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yes." He raked his hair back. "I didn't come here
for this."

"You didn't?" She tried not to pout.

His lips tipped up just a little. "No. I came to
give you this." He reached in his pocket and pulled something
out.

Her breath caught when she realized what it was. A
locket. She looked closer. It couldn't be—

It was. It was
her
locket.

Tears filled her eyes and the glittering necklace
blurred. She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at it.

"I've carried it with me ever since you threw it
back at me." He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger.
"Lurch was right. I've been an idiot. I was an idiot eleven years
ago. And then I was given another chance and I blew it. Big
time."

She nodded. "Yes, you did."

"I wanted to tell you"—he drew her to him—"I wanted
to tell you I'm sorry. For what I did and everything I said. I was
a prick. And I wanted to tell you that I love you."

Her head wasn't as easily pacified by the words.
What did they mean really? He supposedly loved her before but he
still left her. "What do you want, Michael?" she asked again.

"You." He kissed her lips—a butterfly kiss—and
looked into her eyes. "I want us to start again. Fresh. I miss you,
Olivia. I went back and nothing was good without you. I had what I
thought I wanted, only I discovered I wanted the wrong thing." He
touched his forehead to hers, his eyes blazing into hers. "I want
my best friend back. I want you in my life forever."

She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to hope. There
was no guarantee he'd stay. He may talk big now, but when the next
too-tempting project came along how was she to know he wouldn't be
out the door? As she fully expected him to be.

She felt the gentle pressure of his lips on her
eyelids. "Say something."

She reluctantly opened her eyes. She needed to see
his when he answered her question. "What about your work? You can't
give it up."

"You're right. I can't. But I can be picky about the
projects I accept. And I can take you with me. If you'll go." He
gazed at her, part hopefully, part warily, unsure of her
reaction.

She narrowed her eyes. "You'd live in Northern
California? You hate it here."

"I thought I hated it here. But it's changed." He
grinned sheepishly. "Okay, maybe I've changed. I'm willing to
compromise, or commute, or whatever. As long as I can be with
you."

"I'm leaving," she blurted out.

He blinked. "What?"

"I'm going to Paris. For a few
weeks. Vacation. I needed to get away." She frowned. "I don't know
why you thought I couldn't leave here. I love it here, but I don't
need to be here
all
the time."

His grin was large and relieved. He pulled her
against him. "Maybe I could meet you there," he whispered against
her lips.

She shrugged, pretending to be casual when her pulse
was beating triple time. "Maybe."

His hands tightened on her waist. "Maybe we could go
together."

She bit her lip as his mouth grazed her neck.
"Maybe."

He nibbled her before looking her in the eyes.
"Maybe it could be our honeymoon."

"Maybe." Her grin was swallowed by a slow, thorough
kiss.