Tempted in the Tropics (14 page)

He’d had plenty of time for the temporary high from their fling in St. Lucia to wear off. Real life had set in quickly with Mr. Ellerbee having a stroke, and Lane trying to figure where he’d be going after he left Maple Creek. He’d arranged to go to Richmond to meet Dr. Garvey, who’d graciously offered Lane a partnership. Lane had no other options at the moment, and looking for other opportunities would require opening his professional wounds that had just begun to heal. So this was “real life.” But nothing he’d done so far in real life had quelled his feelings for Paige; they’d only gotten stronger.

Tonight, he’d gotten home late, eaten a leftover slice of pizza, watched
Duck Dynasty
, and started packing some of his things. He’d just finished brushing his teeth when the doorbell rang.

Paige?

He hurried to the door and opened it. Cold air gusted in, but heat rushed through him when he saw Paige standing there, all bundled up, her long wool coat buttoned to her neck. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” she said shyly. “You busy?”

Lane shook his head quickly. “Just getting ready for bed.”
Damn.
Should he have said that? Had it sounded like a come-on?

“Oh,” she said. “Sorry. I just—”

“You want to come in?”

She stepped inside and he closed the door. “I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for my dad and me. You know, recognizing his stroke and getting him to the hospital quickly. Visiting him with me.” She gazed at him with those big, golden-brown eyes. Man, he could get lost in those eyes.

“I’m glad I happened to be in the right place at the right time, but you don’t have to thank me. Come to think of it, you already have.” He quirked up one eyebrow, still shocked that she’d shown up on his doorstep. “Want to take off your coat?”

She nodded and slowly unbuttoned the top two buttons. After fussing for a few seconds with the third one she said, “Can you help me with this?”

Lane stepped closer, his gaze never leaving hers. Was something really going on with her coat, or… He tentatively reached for the button, deftly slipping it through the hole, revealing lots of smooth skin and a lacy black bra. His pulse took off in a sprint.

“Keep going,” she whispered.

Lane’s blood ran hot as he unbuttoned each button, exposing a tiny thong that matched her lacy bra and sexy, knee-high black leather boots. He had no idea what had changed her mind about them being together, or what this meant, but he wasn’t about to ask now.

He stepped back to take it all in, and she cocked her head questioningly. Lane closed the distance between them, backed her against the door, and had his mouth on hers in mere seconds. He ran his hand down her thigh, grasped the crook of her knee, and wrapped her leg around him. She arched toward his body with a low moan that nearly sent him over the edge.

“I missed you,” he said breathlessly.

She held his gaze and languidly swept her fingertips across his lips. “I needed one more night,” she whispered, and kissed him deeply.

Lane drew her to him and lost himself in her, begging for time to stand still.

Chapter Twenty

He missed me!

Paige had sailed through the next day at the bakery with a light heart, finding even more magic in every cup of flour and teaspoon of salt she added to her special recipes. Her father was making progress, business had picked up, and Lane had missed her. He’d even asked to see her tonight. It couldn’t last, but Paige would take every moment with him she could get.

She turned off Sweet Bee’s
Open
sign, took off her apron, and stuffed it in her tote. Smiling, she grabbed a bakery box, in which she carefully arranged the heart-shaped sugar cookies she’d made for Lane. He’d be finishing up with patients right about now, and she wanted to steal what could be a big moment with him before she went to visit her dad.

Leaving her dad in Maple Creek was clearly out of the question, but living here without Lane was a miserable alternative. Was there any chance he would stay, or at least look for a job closer by? That was asking a lot, but it was the only way they’d have a shot at a real relationship. And that’s what Paige wanted—to at least give it a try. She’d denied how she felt for too long. Lane’s reaction when she’d shown up at his house last night told her he felt the same way. Maybe he just liked her in lacy black lingerie—where had she gotten the nerve to pull that stunt?—but she was pretty sure it was more than that.

Through the front window of the bakery, she saw Alice head across the street to the drugstore where she delivered prescriptions most evenings and heard and shared the news of Maple Creek. That meant Lane would be alone for at least twenty minutes.

Paige finished up in the kitchen, putting away freshly washed baking pans and making sure the oven was off. Her head was so far up in the clouds that she couldn’t even remember turning it on this morning, but clearly she had. Satisfied that everything was squared away, she grabbed her tote and the box of cookies, and hurried outside where darkness was falling fast.

She took the few steps to the office next door and peered through the plate-glass window at the empty waiting room and reception area. Her heart flitted with excitement. Eager to surprise Lane, she quietly opened the door to the practice and stepped gingerly into the waiting room. She stopped short when she heard voices—Lane’s and a woman’s. Of course he’d be running late with a patient.

Paige settled in a chair in the corner and picked up the latest issue of
People
magazine.

Within seconds, Lane walked into the office beyond the reception window, followed by a pretty young woman with dark hair whom Paige didn’t recognize. Neither of them saw her, and they walked out of her view.

“I’m just looking for a second chance,” the woman said to Lane.

Paige hoped she hadn’t just gotten bad news about her health—or maybe even the health of one of her parents, considering the age of most people in Maple Creek. Whether the woman was a patient or a relative, Paige wished her well, yet hoped she and Lane would wrap it up quickly because her dad was expecting her.

“It’s really no different than what you’re facing,” the woman said.

Lane sighed loudly. “That’s what you don’t get, Stephanie. It is really different.”

Stephanie? Dark hair, medium height. Pretty in a reserved kind of way.
Liza’s description of Lane’s ex-fiancée echoed in Paige’s mind. What was she doing here?

Paige’s pulse pounded so hard she was surprised they couldn’t hear it.

“That’s what you haven’t understood through this entire mess,” Lane said calmly. “I didn’t break the law. I didn’t cause our practice to be shut down. I didn’t cheat on you.”

Paige could hardly stand to hear the hurt in his voice. How could Stephanie have done that to him?

“I regret all that,” Stephanie said. “You have no idea how much. And I want to make it right. Your dad said Dr. Garvey hired you for one of those partnerships in Richmond, and that there’s another spot. I need you to recommend me—you know I’m a good doctor. If Garvey was willing to hire you, then maybe he’d take a look at me, too.”

Paige’s heart sank. She’d known Lane was leaving, and she’d known about the opportunity in Richmond. But hearing it confirmed quashed some of her hopes. Even so, she was determined to tell Lane how she felt. Maybe he’d change his mind. Magic
did
happen, and it would be pretty awesome if Stephanie would magically disappear right about now.

“I can’t get involved in who Dr. Garvey hires,” Lane said.

“But if we were both practicing in Richmond, maybe
we
could get back on track. I’m sorry for what I did,” Stephanie said. “I have no excuses. But even if Dr. Garvey doesn’t offer me the partnership, I’ll move to Richmond with you. If you’ll give me a chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life making everything up to you.”

Paige bit her bottom lip until it hurt. If she could get up now and leave without them seeing her, she would. She couldn’t stand to hear any more. Freakin’ Stephanie could offer him what she couldn’t. But he’d said he didn’t love freakin’ Stephanie. There was no way he was going to end up with her after what he and Paige had shared. Was there?

“I—” Lane started.

“Shh,” Stephanie said. “I don’t want an answer now. Let’s go to your place and talk about it. About how things were before everything fell apart. We can get that back—I promise.”

Paige half wished she could see Lane’s face, and she was half glad she couldn’t.

“That’s gonna take a hell of a lot of talking,” he said.

“Lane…” Stephanie pleaded.

“Okay,” he said curtly. “Fine.”

Okay? Fine?

Did he really want to talk things out, or had he just said that to shut her up?
Or does he want her back?
Paige sat there like a fool with the heart-shaped sugar cookies she’d baked for him, her temper simmering with every word she heard.

“Let’s get out of here, at least,” Lane said to Stephanie.

Paige froze in her seat. There was no way they could walk out without seeing her.

Stephanie entered the waiting room first, and Lane followed. Both of them seemed to see her at the same time, but Lane appeared way more shocked than Stephanie.

“Paige.” He looked awkwardly between her and Stephanie. “What are you doing here?”

Paige’s heart raced as she stood, put the bakery box on the registration counter, and opened it. “I brought you some cookies. But now I see they’re all wrong. Let me fix them for you.” She quickly picked up each of the half dozen heart-shaped cookies and broke them in half, then shoved the box into his hands.

Stephanie watched, wide-eyed. Paige shot her a scathing look and headed for the door.

“This isn’t what you think,” Lane said. “I can explain.”

As she left, Paige turned to him and said, “That’s going to take a hell of a lot of talking.”

…

Paige stayed as late as she could with her dad, trying to focus on his progress and keep things positive, even though she was seething inside. Driving home, she thought about the conversation she’d heard between Lane and Stephanie, replaying it in her mind for the twenty-fifth time. After what Stephanie had done to him, why hadn’t he just told her to get the hell out of his life and stay there? Especially after seeing how different things could be with Paige.

Hadn’t he felt the same way she did? Her heart ached as she thought about their time together last night and his words that had sounded so sincere.

I missed you…

Paige gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove past his house on her way home and saw a rental car parked in the driveway. She was supposed to be the one with Lane tonight, not Stephanie. Now her plans to get together with him had been permanently postponed.

The reality of the situation was sinking in. He’d left his office with Stephanie, not her. Lane had made his choice. At this point, Paige was glad he was leaving tomorrow before he complicated her life and hurt her business even more. Given the chance, she’d personally load every stinkin’ thing he owned into a U-Haul and drive him out of town.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lane tensed as he stepped into Sweet Bee’s, thinking this might be the last time. Sure, he’d miss coming in for his morning espresso, but he’d also miss Paige, and the magic she’d brought to his life. She’d never wrecked his head the way Stephanie had last night, showing up unannounced, dredging up their past, and making Lane question his future. Paige had been straight up with him about everything. No drama. No games. No having to prove anything. She’d stuck to her word, kept things real, and stolen his heart in the process.

He hadn’t managed to get Stephanie to leave his house until after midnight. Sleeping had been impossible after that, so he’d stayed up a few more hours, packing and trying to decide what to do about Paige. Seeing Stephanie had only made him want Paige more. With Paige there were less expectations and more freedom to be himself, less seriousness and more laughter. No betrayal and more trust. But today he had to say good-bye to her. His future was in Richmond. Hers was in Maple Creek. He might be moving forward, finally, but he was leaving his heart behind. Lane dreaded facing her after what had happened last night, but he owed her that much. And he wished he could give her more. Pressure built in his throat and he swallowed hard.

Cyn stepped out of the kitchen and came to the counter.

Not Paige?

“One last espresso?” Cyn asked. “I hear Dr. Hartley’s back. Sadly, the
X
s on our calendar back there have got your days in Maple Creek down to one.”

“You have
X
s on a calendar counting down the days until I leave?”

“More like until Dr. Hartley comes back and we can get the Special Recipe program running like it used to.” She scrunched her face as if it just occurred to her that she’d shared too much information. “But then Paige kinda turned it into a how-many-more-days-do-I-have-with-Lane kind of thing, so that’s why I said it’s sad you’re down to one.”

His heart clenched. “Really? Paige was counting the days she had with me?”

Paige came in the back door of the kitchen carrying a box that was nearly as big as she was. “Cyn! The Valentine banquet committee went for my idea to make petits fours for everyone. We got an order for three hundred of them! How awesome is that?” She dropped the box on the floor, stepped out of the kitchen, and caught sight of Lane. Her excitement died in an instant.

“Hey,” he said awkwardly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Last day, huh?”

“Cyn was just telling me about the calendar you two have back there,” Lane said.

Paige cut a look at Cyn. “TMI.”

This was going to be worse than Lane thought, and that was saying something because he’d expected it to be kind of bad. “Got a couple minutes?” he asked Paige.

“Only if you leave me alone forever after that.”

Ouch.

Cyn shifted her gaze from one of them to the other, and didn’t seem to get that she should disappear.

“You can get started folding some of those itty-bitty bakery boxes back there,” Paige tipped her head toward the kitchen.

“Gotcha.” Cyn hurried off.

Paige led him over to a corner table, away from the couple of customers seated on the other side of the bakery. They sat down and Lane noticed the stress around her eyes and mouth. She had enough on her—keeping up with her father’s care and keeping the bakery running. He hated to think he was the cause of a lot of it, too.

“So you got the partnership in Richmond?” she asked.

He nodded. “It’s an awesome opportunity, considering.” Just looking at her made him want to cancel his plan to leave and stay in Maple Creek, but he really had no choice. His meeting with Dr. Garvey in Richmond had reinforced that without a doubt.

“I’d imagine job offers would be hard to come by after the struggles you’ve had,” Dr. Garvey had said. “The process alone would be like going on trial every time you put your name out there.”

Even though I wasn’t guilty.
He’d lost so much already. Now he was going to lose Paige, too.

“I’m happy for you,” she said sincerely. “You deserve it.”

He could hardly believe he was leaving a girl like her behind. She was 100 percent genuine, and amazingly levelheaded.

“And you deserve to have your Special Recipe program running like it’s supposed to. I’m sure Uncle Pete will get you back on track.”

“Faster than the Acela.” She bunched her lips and nodded. Man, he wished he could kiss her one more time.

“Your dad comes home this week, right?”

She nodded slowly. “He’s gonna be all right, I think.”

“I think so, too.”

They sat quietly for a moment.

“About Stephanie,” he said.

Paige met his gaze and shook her head quickly. “That’s between you and her.”

“There is no me and her.”

She took a deep breath, seeming to debate what she was going to say next. “Just so you know, I came over to your office last night to ask you…” She shrugged one shoulder. “If you would stay here, or at least look for a job at a practice closer by.”

If only he could say yes. “Paige, I—”

“I stupidly thought we could give things a try.” Her eyes welled and she blinked several times.

Lane’s heart tore in two. This was his opportunity to admit he had fallen for her, to selfishly beg her to come to Richmond with him—and bring her dad, too. But he couldn’t ask her to do that to her dad or to herself. And telling her he loved her would only make things worse.

He rubbed his forehead and dragged his hand down his face. If he wasn’t stern about this, she might have hope. As much as it hurt, he couldn’t leave her with that. His chest tightened, and he cleared his throat. He had to do this for her, even though it was killing him. “It’s just not going to happen with us.” He held her gaze, willing himself to hold it together for her.

A tear trickled down her cheek. “I’m thinking that’s a no,” she whispered.

He clenched his teeth until they ached. If he stayed a second longer, he was going to lose it. “I’d better go,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ve got a few last patients to see.” He reluctantly stood, hardly believing he was getting ready to leave her. “I just wanted to say good-bye.” He leaned down, kissed her on the cheek, and walked away from love.