C
apri stood in her yard with a puzzled look on her face. For the third time since she pulled into her driveway, she’d glanced next door at Tiberius’s house. She’d been standing at the passenger side of her truck gathering portfolios when she’d heard the angry voices.
Capri tried to ignore the heated argument next door, but it was no use. She could tell that Tiberius was obviously into it with a very unhappy woman. Her voice was high-pitched and she was practically screaming.
Of course, nosiness finally won out. Capri grabbed the rest of her portfolios and padded across the yard. She stood next to the high wooden fence surrounding the back of Tiberius’s house and listened.
“You are such a bastard, Tiberius.”
“You knew that before we slept together.”
“I can’t believe I was so stupid. Sleeping with a man just because he looks good? I must be crazy.”
“Well, that’s exactly why I slept with you and I don’t feel crazy,” Tiberius threw back.
“Why am I not surprised?”
Tiberius paused. “Clarissa, did you think that just because we had sex it meant we were in a relationship?”
“Tibe, I—”
“Yes or no?” Tiberius softly coaxed.
“I thought we’d build on something. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”
A short laugh came from Tiberius. “You thought a heavy
relationship would come from a one-night stand? You knew that’s what it’d be when you came home with me.”
Through her sobbing, Clarissa tried to answer. “We had sex
more
than once…but you’re making it sound like something so much cheaper. Yes, I figured something steady could come from it—there was a connection. I guess I took it more seriously than you.”
“Then I’m sorry, that’s where you made your mistake. And for you still to harp on this…it’s been over a year.”
“Right! And there were plenty of women afterward to blur your memory of me, I’m sure! To you I was nothing more than a tenant for your grandma’s cottage. A tenant with benefits.”
Suddenly, the gate wrenched open and Clarissa ran right into Capri, scattering portfolios everywhere.
“I’m so sorry,” Clarissa whispered, kneeling to help Capri gather her books.
“Are you going to be all right?” Capri asked, taking in the woman’s red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
Clarissa wiped the tears from her eyes and shoved the portfolios at Capri. “Tiberius is a cold son of a bitch,” she grumbled.
Capri gave Clarissa a small smile. “That’s hard to believe.”
Clarissa focused her hard glare on Capri. “Watch out for that guy in there, girl. If ever there was a man who only wanted a woman for sex, it’s Doctor Tiberius Evans.”
Capri watched Clarissa stand and head down the driveway to her car. Looking at the gate, Capri debated for a moment whether to go inside to see Tiberius. Finally, she decided against it.
Tiberius didn’t want to acknowledge the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he saw Capri leaving the elevator with Jaye Horace. The new doctor looked just a bit too cozy with Capri for his liking.
“Jaye, callin’ it quits for the day?”
Capri blinked at the sound of Tiberius’s voice and looked up as the beginnings of a smile began across her mouth.
“Actually, I just removed the last of Ms. Timmons’s bandages and everything’s looking just fine.” Jaye’s dark face shone with pride and something a bit more animal.
Tiberius rolled his eyes and didn’t bother to point out that Jaye was looking nowhere in the vicinity of Capri’s foot.
“So, are you done here?” Tiberius was taking Capri’s elbow even as he spoke.
Jaye laid a hand across Tiberius’s shirt sleeve. “I was just about to see Ms. Timmons to her car.”
“Don’t bother. I’m guessing there’re a lot of other patients you need to see to,” Tiberius said as he sent a sly wink in his colleague’s direction and pulled Capri away with him.
She waited until they’d located her car in the mammoth parking deck before speaking, “If you don’t like Jaye you really should be a little more obvious about it. He might get the wrong idea.”
Tiberius picked up on her dig and didn’t bother to deny it. “Only idea he had was to get you into bed.”
“Yeah, I caught that.” Capri set her things onto the backseat of her Pathfinder. She saw the surprise in his eyes when she looked at him. “What? I guess it’s not about that for you, huh?”
“In most cases,” Tiberius folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the hood of the SUV. “At least I’m up front about it.”
“Ah…and it’s best to be up front rather than waste time trying to woo the woman?” Capri asked, though she couldn’t resist admiring the breadth of his muscular arms bared by the short-sleeved shirt he wore.
Grimacing, Tiberius scanned the sun-drenched parking deck and shrugged. “Wooing just leads to misunderstandings.”
“And are you speaking from experience?”
“More than I wish I had.”
Capri pushed up and down on her toes once. “Maybe it’s time for you to change your techniques. Maybe be a little less obvious?” She suggested playfully.
“You’d want a guy like that?” Tiberius was serious, suddenly fixing her with a probing look. “Honestly? You’d want someone who beat around the bush and acted like he didn’t want you when wanting you was all he could think of?”
“Well…” Capri followed Tiberius’s lead and leaned against her vehicle. “Seeing as how that’s the only type of man I’ve been attracting lately, I’d be willing to set my sights on a different type of guy.”
Tiberius burst into laughter that had him doubling over. Capri could practically read his thoughts when he looked up at her.
“Go on and say it,” she permitted.
“All right…
women
.”
His laughter returned and she was struck by the appeal of his expression. “So would you be kind enough to give me more detail on that, Doctor?” She worked to take her mind off the crazy somersaults being performed in her stomach.
“Okay,” Tiberius stroked his jaw as though concentrating on how best to state his argument. “Women claim to want a man who’ll wine, dine and romance them, and then they realize it was all about sex for the guy. Then they feel betrayed. If the poor bastard would’ve just been up front about what he wanted in the first place everyone would be a lot happier.”
“Everyone except the poor bastard,” Capri noted, grateful when the sun dipped behind a heavy cloud and provided shade. “But I don’t know if I’d agree with your reasoning. I can’t buy that many women would accept an offer just for sex—even if it would be more honest just to be up front about wanting it.”
“Hmm,” Tiberius massaged his neck and considered her point of view. “There’re a lot of women in the world,
Ms
. Timmons. Anyway, I’d rather be up front and
not
get what I want than hide it
and suffer consequences later.” He massaged a sudden pain that streaked through his forehead. “Hell, even when you
are
up front, the chances of suffering consequences are still pretty high.”
Now Capri was frowning, too. “Sounds like most of your experiences have been bad.”
“Not all, but enough to jade me, I guess.” Tiberius remembered his conversation with his older colleague, Oscar Addison, then.
Silence settled between them and Tiberius realized he’d lost track of the time talking to Capri. The sun began to beam down again and he pushed off the truck to open the driver’s-side door.
“Sorry for holding your ears hostage.” He helped settle her behind the wheel. “I know your work is very active but you should rest that foot as much as possible anyway.”
“All right.” Capri allowed herself just a few more moments to gawk at him.
“I’ll be over later to check on you.”
“Oh, Tibe, you don’t have to—”
“I’ll be over later.”
Without arguing the point, Capri started the ignition and left the parking lot. Tiberius watched her leave and told himself to forget about it. He’d go check on her as any concerned doctor would, and that would be that. He’d had enough of mixing neighbors with pleasure.
“So does anyone know what Avery’s excuse was for being late to the shoot this time?”
Everyone laughed over Capri’s question. She’d offered to treat her crew that afternoon and they were enjoying a working lunch at a small, unassuming restaurant not far from her new neighborhood.
“Got a sick aunt who lives out in Kendall,” Barry Coines spoke between bites of his broiled scallops. “Said he had to go see her and got tied up with things. He’s her closest relative.”
“And how many of us believe that?” Capri took a poll of the group after silence surrounded the table for the better part of fifteen seconds.
“That’s cold, Capri.”
She flashed a wink at her assistant. “I didn’t say he was lying.”
“But you don’t buy it?”
Capri popped another popcorn shrimp into her mouth. “I’d probably buy it a lot faster if he’d said there was a sick ex-girlfriend who needed him to make her chicken soup and he was her closest lover.”
The group roared with laughter drawing interested glances from Tiberius and his friends, who were also dining at the restaurant. The newly formed retirement committee had decided to meet for a weekend lunch at the same seafood bar.
Losing whatever interest he had in the staid conversation at his own table, Tiberius focused in on Capri. He had to smile at himself for likening her to some sugary treat atop a cake. But, God, she was lovely with her curls pinned haphazardly upon her head and the candy-pink tennis dress that molded to her lush curves while leaving her toned arms and legs enticingly bare. The dainty amethyst anklet she wore simply beckoned an onlooker to her tiny feet encased in white slide-in sneakers.
He was more pleased than he realized to see her there. The SeaBar was in the shopping outlet exclusive to their development and frequented by most everyone who lived there. He’d told her how good the food was and hoped she’d give it a try. Judging from the amount of laughter roaring from her table, he figured they were enjoying the food. Of course, he also wondered when any of them might have had the chance to take a bite.
She was a mystery, he thought, with the face and body of a goddess. She didn’t seem to flaunt them though. Tugging on the hem of his gray polo shirt, he shifted in his seat and observed her lunch partners. Probably coworkers, he thought. He hoped.
Anyway, she didn’t seem the type who would flaunt her lovers either. There was something almost, innocent, about her. He kept coming back to that word and shook off the assumption yet again. Still, it niggled at him and he didn’t know why. Besides…neighbors and pleasure didn’t mix and he’d be just fine with never knowing why.
He’d have to be.
“Tibe, is this gonna work for you? Tibe?”
Tiberius’s resulting stare clearly prompted further explanation.
Monroe Wilkins grinned and tapped a finger to the diagram on the paper. “We figure delegating tasks to everyone will make the meetings more productive and push this thing further along.”
Smiling at the eager anesthesiologist, Tiberius made an effort to browse the detailed drawing. Then, closing his eyes, he massaged the bridge of his nose. “Something’s just not clicking for me about this, guys. The thing seems…dry, stale.” He pushed the page across the table. “The man’s retiring. He should be thinking about everything he’s accomplished and what’s still in store for him instead of it seeming like the end of the road. These
tasks
have ‘end of the road’ written all over them.”
“So give us some specifics here. What’s the best way to handle this?”
Tiberius met Sara Kramer’s inquiry with a slow shrug. “I haven’t got a clue.”
The pediatrician laughed, and soon everyone else at the table joined in.
“You know, I think we’ve beat this horse long enough. Anyone object to adjourning here?”
Tiberius’s suggestion was met with a round of agreement. The group cleared out without a moment of hesitation. Capri was finishing up her lunch appointment and noticed Tiberius motioning for the check.
“Could I interest you in walking back with me?” she asked, smiling when he looked up at her.
“Hey,” his baritone voice was soft as he stood. “Yeah, yeah, that’d be good.” He winced a little then and glanced down at her sneakers. “Actually I drove my gas guzzler. You sure you’re up for walking on that foot?”
Capri knew then that had her injury been truly serious the man would’ve probably forbidden her ever to walk again. “I think I’ll be all right, Doctor. Shall we?”
“So how’d you like the SeaBar?” Tiberius asked once they’d set out for the short walk back to their respective homes.
“It was great. I actually may never eat at another seafood place.” In the short time she’d lived at Seaside Trace, Capri had come to realize that the area wasn’t as stark and intimidating as she’d once believed. The residents were friendly, open, and seemed to treasure the fact that theirs was a walking community. The day, of course, was sunny and warm, but it was the cyclists, skaters and walkers that truly added to the brightness of the neighborhood. Capri gave herself a mental pat on the back. Her decision to move had been a fine one indeed.