“I don’t want
to move to California,” she said, brushing away the tear sliding
down her cheek. After four years together, there was no way to make
it easier. She loved Tom, but she wasn’t in love with him anymore,
and prolonging the agony wasn’t fair to either one of them.
He held her
hands. “You’re not thinking clearly,” he said, kissing her hands.
“The job offer came as a shock to you. You just need a little more
time to get used to the idea. I’ll go out there, get settled, find
us a place to live, and then you can join me when the school year
ends.”
Leaving behind
her family, friends, and students wasn’t an option. Nashville was
her home, and Anna didn’t want to relocate. Her time with Tom had
come to an end. “It’s better we figure this out now, before we get
married and innocent children are involved.” Since they both wanted
a large family, they’d planned to get pregnant right away.
“I can’t
believe this,” he said, searching her eyes as though he expected to
find some hint of hesitation. “I thought you loved me.”
“I did. I do…”
Her heart broke for both of them. Tom was a good man. She wanted to
love him enough to make it work, but she couldn’t convince herself
he was the one man she couldn’t live without. “Just not
enough.”
Letting his
hands fall to his sides, he said, “How long have you felt this
way?”
Tom had always
worn righteous indignation well, and tonight was no exception. He
may pretend her decision was a complete surprise, but Anna had
warned him if he applied for jobs out of state, she wasn’t sure she
could uproot her life to go with him. He’d told her he understood,
but apparently, he’d decided to take the risk anyway. He probably
assumed she would change her mind when he presented her with the
option of ending their relationship or going with him.
“Don’t pretend
I’ve blind-sided you,” she said. If anything, she felt stunned that
the man she’d intended to marry had made the decision to build a
life in a new city, with or without her. “You knew how I felt about
leaving Nashville.”
“I’m going to
be your husband, Anna. That means wherever I go, you go.”
Gritting her
teeth, she asked, “Did you ever stop to consider my career when you
made this decision?”
He rolled his
eyes. “You’re a teacher. You could get a job anywhere. Besides, we
agreed you’d stay home with the baby. So, if you can’t find a job
in San Fernando, you’ll just-”
“I don’t want
to talk about this anymore.” Suddenly, she felt exhausted,
physically and emotionally. “I have a few weeks of school left.
Then I think I’ll spend the summer at my parents’ beach house.”
“You can’t hide
out on that godforsaken island and pretend this isn’t happening,”
he said, looking disgusted. “We have a wedding to plan, a house to
buy-”
“No,” she said
firmly. “We don’t have a wedding to plan.” Tom was used to getting
what he wanted, and he wasn’t above bullying and berating to get
his way. That was one of his few flaws, but it had always driven
her crazy. “I already told you, I can’t marry you.”
“You don’t mean
that,” he said, crossing his arms. “You’re just upset.”
“I am upset,
but not for the reasons you think. I’m upset because a relationship
that’s been a big part of my life for a long time is ending.”
He scowled.
“No, it’s not.”
Sighing, she
said, “Tom, we can’t continue to live in denial. I want more out of
life.”
“More?” he
asked, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean? Being a
doctor’s wife isn’t good enough for you? Maybe you’d prefer a
famous singer or hotel mogul or-”
Anna resented
him taking shots at her family and friends just because he was
angry with her. “I want someone I can’t live without.”
“You’re so
naïve,” he said, rolling his eyes. “This is real life, Anna, not
one of those silly little books you use to escape reality.”
He’d always
made fun of her idealized view of the world, telling her that
passionate love was just a fantasy. According to Tom, the
foundation of a good relationship was mutual respect and
admiration. He’d
almost
convinced her to settle…
She kissed his
cheek. “I wish you luck in California. I hope you’ll be very
happy.”
He looked at
her a long time before he said, “You’ll come back to me when you
realize what we had.”
“I don’t think
so,” she whispered. What they had would never satisfy her longing
for something more.
Anna McCall was
jogging down the beach, enjoying the peace and tranquility she’d
come to expect on her nightly excursions, when the sound of
thumping music from her only neighbor’s house drew her
attention.
She hadn’t met
their new neighbor and hoped she wouldn’t have to on this trip. Her
father had assured her the professional race car driver, Justin
Hunt, rarely used his luxury beachfront home on their semi-private
island, making the tranquil spot the perfect place for her to
escape for some much needed alone time.
As she made her
way closer, Anna saw people on the rear deck. Some were
intertwined, others were dancing, many were drinking and laughing.
So much for peace and quiet,
she thought, clenching her
teeth. Chances of them leaving any time soon were slim, so she
decided to confront the home owner and ask for a little
cooperation. Surely he would be respectful of her desire for peace
in their shared sanctuary.
She pounded on
the door, but when no one responded, she turned the door knob and
ventured inside, hoping to find the host.
“Hello,” she
said to a handsome man pouring a drink at the kitchen counter. “I’m
looking for Justin Hunt.”
The man grinned
as he reached for a second glass. “I don’t know where he is, but
why don’t you join me for a drink?”
Anna blushed as
she dipped her head. “Um, I don’t think so,” she said, smiling to
soften her rejection. She glanced at her outfit, wincing inwardly:
cropped black running shorts, a tight black tank top, and running
shoes. Hardly suitable party attire. Not to mention the fact that
she wasn’t wearing a lick of makeup, and her long dark hair was
pulled up in a messy ponytail. Maybe she should escape before
anyone else saw her.
“Maybe I’ll
just catch up with Justin another time,” she said, stepping back.
She backed into what felt like a wall, solid and unyielding, but
when she felt arms around her waist, she realized her mistake.
“You’re looking
for me?” he whispered in her ear.
Anna smelled
beer on his breath, but that did little to control her body’s
reaction to his firm touch. “Um…” She peeled his hands off her
waist and turned to face him. She’d seen him on TV a time or two,
but the cameras didn’t do him justice. Extending her hand, she
said, “I’m your neighbor, Anna McCall.”
“Hey, you’re
Ty’s daughter,” he said, pointing at her as he ignored her
outstretched hand.
Feeling a
little silly, she let her hand fall to her side. “Yes, I am. I’m
spending the summer at my family’s beach house and-”
“No kidding!”
He disarmed her with a huge smile. “My buddies and I are gonna be
here for the rest of the summer too. How cool is that?”
Anna tried to
smile politely. The last thing she needed was a bunch of rowdy
drunks ruining her plans. “That’s nice, but I was hoping you
wouldn’t mind turning the music down a little? I like to turn in
early so I can-” She chastised herself for almost offering an
explanation. She didn’t have to explain herself.
He was
obviously waiting for her to fill in the blanks. Rolling his hand
in a circle, he said, “You like to turn in early because…”
She shrugged.
“I just do, that’s all. So if you wouldn’t mind taking the party
down a few notches…”
He threw his
head back, laughing. “Honey, we haven’t even kicked this party into
high gear yet.” His eyes took a journey up and down her body,
resting on the peaks jutting out through the thin cotton of her
tank top. “Why don’t you stick around? I bet I could show you a
real good time.”
The man she’d
spoken to earlier pushed off the counter and moved in behind her.
“Take a number, Hunt. I saw her first.”
“Too damn bad,”
Justin said, grinning. “This is my house. That means I get first
crack at her.”
Anna gasped,
shocked they would have the audacity to talk about her like she
wasn’t even there. She was used to dealing with men raised to
respect women, not barbarians who treated the opposite sex like a
prized piece of meat. “Excuse me,” she said, clearing her throat.
“I have no interest in,” she tipped her head to include the man
behind her, “partying with either one of you. I just want to go to
bed.”
Justin
chuckled. “Baby, I like the way you think.” He grabbed her hand and
tugged her toward a set of stairs.
“What do you
think you’re doing?” She tried to pull free of his grip. “Take your
hands off me!”
His friend
laughed and said, “I told you she wants me, man. Back off.”
“We’ll see
about that.” Justin winked at her. “Gimme half an hour, and she’ll
be all over me.”
“Not a chance,”
Anna said, digging her heels in. “You can take your filthy hands
off me now, or I’ll scream.”
He released her
hand. “Look, I didn’t mean to scare you. I would never-”
She raised her
hand to halt his explanation. “Forget it.” Breathing hard from fear
and anger, she ran out the door and down the stairs to her
bungalow.
Anna locked the
door and leaned against the cool glass at her back, willing her
breathing to return to normal. The sound of a tap on the glass door
made her jump.
Turning around,
she saw Justin’s friend looking a little sheepish.
“Sorry,” he
mouthed.
Deciding she
would look like a paranoid fool if she ran away again, she opened
the door a crack, keeping her foot firmly wedged on the other side.
“What do you want?”
“I just wanted
to apologize for the way we acted. We’ve both had a few too many
tonight.” He lifted a shoulder. “I know that’s no excuse, but…”
Anna opened the
door a little more. “That’s okay, I understand.” She couldn’t
relate to getting drunk, since she rarely indulged in more than a
glass of wine, but she was willing to accept his apology if it
meant he would be on his way. “No harm done.”
He offered his
hand. “Name’s Mitch, by the way.”
Shaking his
hand, she offered a tentative smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mitch.
My name’s Anna.”
“I know.” He
grinned. “I overheard you introduce yourself to Justin,
remember?”
“Oh, right.”
She cursed her shyness and her ex, who put her in the position of
having to figure out how to relate to men on a new playing
field.
“I know we got
off on the wrong foot,” he said, shoving his hands into the pockets
of his jeans, “but I was kind of hoping we could get to know each
other a little better.”
She frowned.
“Why?” When his hot gaze passed over her body, it all made perfect
sense. She may be a conservative kindergarten teacher, but regular
jogging and Mother Nature had cooperated to give her the body of a
fitness model. “Oh, I get it. No, thanks.”
He had the good
sense to look embarrassed getting caught checking out her assets.
“That’s not what I’m after, Anna. Honest. I was in a serious
relationship for a long time, but we just broke up. To tell you the
truth, I’m really not into the party scene anymore. It would be
nice to get away from the craziness for a while.”
Trying to
decide whether he was sincere, Anna regarded him carefully. “Why’d
you come if you weren’t up for it?”
He shrugged.
“It beats sitting home feeling sorry for myself.”
Anna could
relate. She’d been at the beach house for the past several weeks
doing exactly that. “I guess anything beats that,” she said,
smiling.
“Does that mean
you’ll have a drink with me?” He obviously sensed her hesitation
because he said, “We don’t have to go inside. Why don’t I grab a
bottle of wine and meet you out on your back deck? One drink before
you turn in for the night?”
Anna rarely
took risks, especially with men, but Mitch seemed harmless enough.
Besides, she would have to get used to dating now that she was a
free agent again. “Okay, I’ll meet you out there in ten
minutes.”
He grinned.
“Sounds good.”
She listened to
him whistling a happy tune as he cut across the beach to his
friend’s house.
***
Justin glared
at Mitch as soon as he walked in the door. “Why the hell did you go
after her?”
Mitch laughed.
“Are you kidding me? Did you get a good look at her, man?”
There was no
denying the woman was stunning in an effortless way that seemed to
evade the women parading around his house in string bikinis.
“Yeah, and I
also heard her tell us to back off. She’s not interested.” He
shrugged. “She’s probably got a husband or boyfriend waiting for
her back home.” Justin watched his friend take a bottle of red wine
from his wine rack before reaching into the overhead cabinet for
two glasses. Mitch had spent more time at the house than he had,
and he knew the layout well. “In fact, I think her old man told me
she’s engaged.”
“I didn’t see a
ring,” Mitch said, reaching into the drawer for a corkscrew. “And
if she is engaged, I don’t think she would have agreed to have a
drink with me.”
Justin muttered
a curse. No woman at his house appealed to him as much as his
neighbor, and thanks to his big mouth, his best friend was the
lucky s.o.b. sharing a drink with her.
“Man, did you
see that body?” Mitch said, chuckling. “Un-freakin’-believable. You
think they’re real?”
Glaring at him,
Justin said, “Why do I get the feeling you’d like to find out?”