A Modern Love Story (35 page)

“I want to know who you were with.” Her eyes narrowed. “Was it Robbie?”

“I wasn’t with anyone, Payten. I didn’t feel good, so I stayed there.”

She let her arms drop as she beamed a smile. “Oh, well you could have called me. I would have come to get you.” She strolled over to the coffee table where she had various stacks of paper spread out. “Just so you know, I’m leaving on a little trip this afternoon for business—completely unexpected. But I shouldn’t be gone long. Feel free to have use of the house while I’m away.”

“I won’t be here when you get back.”

“Luc, I don’t know what you find so alluring in that apartment of yours, but you should really consider moving in here. It’s so much nicer.”

“Let me rephrase, Payten. I’m breaking up with you. I won’t be here when you get back.”

She slowly looked over at him, her face tensed into an expression he couldn’t even put a name to. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. This is over. Done.”

“You can’t just…” Her words trailed off, and then her tone shifted from accusatory to pleading. “You’re going to leave me all alone? After I just lost my father? You’d do that to
me
?! After everything I’ve done for you? After I’ve done nothing but be there for you?”

“I’m sorry, Payten. I really am. But I’m not the man for you, and you certainly aren’t for me.”

Feeling a little guilt under the relief, he turned and strode back to the door, closing it quietly behind him. But even through the solid oak, he heard a scream that sounded far more feral than grievous, and he knew for certain he had made the right call.

Thank God that was fucking over.

Chapter 14

“I can’t believe you’re finally moving in with Conrad,” Robbie said, handing Lizbeth some more clothes out of her dresser.

Lizbeth put a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. “Am I being a moron? I’m being a moron, aren’t I?”

“Not at all! It’s honestly about time.”

“It feels…I don’t know…
right,
I guess, but rushed too. I mean, until last night I just wanted him to drop dead. Okay, not
really
, but you know what I mean.”

“You never did tell me,” Robbie said, pulling open another drawer. “What did he say to convince you?”

Lizbeth smiled when Robbie glanced over. “He was really very sweet about it. After he finally got me to agree to go up to his apartment with him—no easy task, mind you—he just dumped his guts. He said that seeing what you and Luc were going through made him realize how much he wanted to be with me.”

Robbie considered this as she refolded a few rumpled shirts and placed them in a box. “Like what, specifically?”

“Oh God, Rob. We don’t have to talk about this. I’m sorry—”

“No, it’s okay. Really. I’m curious about how Conrad saw it play out. Ya know, his perspective. I know what yours is, and mine, but what’s his?”

“He knows Luc fucked up. He doesn’t condone it, but he said he also understood it in a way. I guess Luc took it hard when you left, and Payten came at him pretty hot and heavy when he was at his lowest. He doesn’t condone what Luc did, but he could see how it happened.” Lizbeth shrugged. “Anyway, he said that Luc was beating himself up pretty good even before you came back, and then when you did, Conrad saw how it destroyed you both. Of course, by that time, I wasn’t talking to him anymore. That coupled with the fact that you and Luc so obviously wanted to be together, but couldn’t because of all the shit that happened, made him realize what he had in me and that he had to get me back.”

Lizbeth looked over at Robbie and let her shoulders fall. “He explained it so much better than I just did. Plus, it took him about an hour to do it.”

“No, no. I get it. Seeing what Luc and I were going through made him appreciate you more.”

Lizbeth snorted. “You got a helluva way with words, Rob. You nailed it perfectly. Sorry. I suppose I could’ve said something like that instead of droning on about it.”

“No problem.” Robbie flashed a quick smile. “I wanted to know his perspective, and now I do. So, thank you.”

The doorbell rang and both women glanced at the clock.

“I thought Conrad wasn’t getting here until noon,” Robbie said.

“He’s not. And I told him that was the
earliest
he could come.”

“I’ll go see who it is. This dresser’s empty.” She pushed the drawer shut. “Be right back.”

Robbie picked her way through the scattered boxes—they really should start stacking these—as she meandered to the door. When she pulled it open, she was surprised to find Luc on the other side.

“Luc?” She took in his appearance—dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, stubble along his jaw—and was immediately concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fine,” he said, his voice gruff. “I just wanted to tell you something.”

Robbie took a step back to allow him in, but he shook his head.

“No. I’m good out here. But I wanted to tell you I broke up with Payten this morning, and it’s all behind me now. I wanted you to hear it from me. I’m sorry it happened in the first place—I wish it never had.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, shoulders hunched forward. “I…you’re everything to me, Rob. You should hear that from me, too. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, and I think it’s only fair to warn you that I’m going to do everything in my power to prove my love for you, and to show you what you mean to me.” He shifted, his ears going red. “Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?”

Robbie was so dumbstruck by his admission that she nearly missed the question. “What? Oh. Lunch? Umm…I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Luc.”

“Please, Robbie. I
know
I hurt you, and I hate that I did. You
shouldn’t
forgive me, but please, let me at least try to convince you to give me another chance.”

Telling herself it was only lunch, she relented, but with obvious reservations. “Fine. But just lunch.”

Luc nodded once, shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned to walk away. She began closing the door when she heard his voice again.

“What does
sleep tight
mean?”

She pulled the door back open and didn’t even think about the oddity of the question, she just answered it. “Some think it refers to when mattresses sat on a weaves of rope rather than a box spring. They could tighten or loosen the ropes to sleep loose, or
sleep tight
for comfort. But, more than likely, it’s just a made up expression to say
sleep well
.” She cocked her head to the side as she watched his smile grow. “What?”

“I love you, Robbie.” And then he walked away.

Robbie watched him until he was out of sight. She shut the door, leaning heavily against it with a sigh.

“Did I just hear what I thought I heard?” Lizbeth said, peeking around the corner.

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“Hell, yeah. Spying too!” She smiled as she practically pranced down the hall. “So, what are you gonna do?”

Robbie shrugged. “Looks like I’m going to lunch with him.”

“And then?”

“Beats the hell out of me.”

“I never saw that side of Luc before. I always thought he was a giant prick.”

Robbie laughed at the common assumption most people made. “He’s got his soft side. He just doesn’t show it very often.”

“He does to you.”

“Sometimes.”

“Ya know, I noticed something that really shows me how he feels about you. I never picked up on it before, but looking back, it’s always been there.”

“What has?”

“You have a power over him, girl. There’s no denying it.”

“No, I don’t.” Robbie looked down, then back up. “Do I?”

“Didn’t you see his ears go red when he was talking to you? No other woman makes that man’s ears turn red, but you. No one else could.”

Robbie smiled, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction.

“You should work that,” Lizbeth said, pointing at her. “But be careful. I don’t want to see you getting hurt again.”

“Don’t worry. Neither do I.”

*****

Robbie fussed over her outfit—a skirt and blouse—and then her hair. She felt ridiculous, like a teenager getting ready for her first date, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She was already nervous enough about spending time with Luc after all they’d been through, but the fact that he’d sent her not one, but
two
bouquets of wild flowers prior to their lunch date had put her over the edge. That was
not
normal Luc behavior.

To distract herself, she went out into the kitchen and fiddled over the flowers instead of herself for awhile. And while she did, a thousand questions raced through her head. What would she say to him? How would they act around each other? How do they get past this?
Could
they get past it?

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang, and briefly wondered if she’d start hyperventilating. “Jesus Christ, I can’t handle this,” she mumbled, pulling the door open.

Luc smiled wide when he saw her, and let out a breath. “Part of me was afraid you’d change your mind and wouldn’t answer.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, trying to put on a calm front. He seemed to buy it.

“I made reservations for us at The Wine Cellar.”

“Where we had our first real date,” Robbie said, her tone dropping with a pang of sadness.

“Where we had a fresh start,” Luc said, holding his hand out to hers.

She smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her. “Thank you for the flowers, Luc. They’re beautiful.”

He brought her hand toward his lips, but when she tensed he let her go. “I’ve been meaning to get you flowers for awhile now, but never seemed to get it right. Now, that’s all I care about—getting it right.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that, feeling a little stiff and defensive, so she chose not to respond. Instead, she changed the subject by asking him about business at Hooligan’s.

After that, conversation flowed freely between them. They talked about Robbie’s job hunt, her idea about finding a bigger apartment, and the L’s and their upcoming cruise. Basically, they talked about anything and everything
except
what had happened between them.

“How has Colin been? Have you talked to him since you got back?”

“Yeah. He’s doing good. At least I think he is. I haven’t heard from him in awhile. I was actually starting to get a little worried.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Luc glanced at her concerned expression. “You’ve tried calling him, I assume?”

She nodded. “The last time I got an email from him, he said to call when I had time to talk. But when I did, there was no answer. That was a week ago.”

“And you’ve tried calling him since?”

“Yeah. And I left messages too. I was thinking maybe I should have Scott go over and check on him.”

Luc made a sound in his chest at the mention of Scott, and Robbie looked at him curiously. “Did you just
growl
?”

“Of course not,” Luc grumbled, averting his eyes and stabbing at his steak.