Unchained Memories (19 page)

“The floor is yours.” Matt swayed his arm, gesturing to the ground.

“Unfortunately, Matt only sees the problem from his own narrow point of view because it affects his wallet. He clearly doesn’t consider the fact that if we bring a lawsuit, it’s because someone has been grievously injured as a result of a doctor’s negligence. That our client can’t work or have a normal life and generally has to live in pain because of some mistake someone made along the way. That the only thing which might help the client is some money to make their lives more comfortable or to compensate them for lost wages and future medical bills.” Charlotte’s voice escalated with her passion. “That by making the wrongdoer pay might induce some changes to procedure to avoid a similar mistake in the future. Unfortunately, Dr. Branson turns a blind eye to all that.”

Matt was just about to respond, when Renee jumped in. “Whoa. There are some serious accusations as well as viewpoints here that might better be aired in a different setting.” She held up her hands in an effort to stop the debate. “It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing. Why don’t you two take the gloves off and enjoy the day? You can argue the next time you meet. And while I do love a good discussion, I’m really not up for this one right now.”

Renee turned toward Matt and gave him an apologetic smile as if it was her fault that Charlotte started the war.

He gave her a sheepish grin in return. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t be arguing our differences here. Maybe you and I could meet for coffee some time, and I’ll show you I’m much more reasonable and sane than your sister seems to think.”

“Maybe.” Renee’s response was flirty, leaving the invitation open.

Charlotte couldn’t believe Matt was asking her sister out on a date. Although, it was only for coffee. Was Renee ready for this? She didn’t think so. Besides, Charlotte had a real issue with Matt, and not just over the malpractice debate.

As soon as they were alone, she’d warn her off.

****

Much to Charlotte’s disappointment, they all ended up walking with Matt toward the softball field. She stayed on the outside, walking several feet behind them as the mismatched group slowly made their way across the park. Jake finagled a seat up on Matt’s shoulders, and Eva hopped and skipped between her mother and Matt, occasionally holding both of their hands. If a stranger had come upon them, he would have assumed they were a happy little family.

“Well, look who made it to the game.” Matt’s voice had Charlotte glancing up.

And her heartbeat tripled.

Clay stood there with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye. The scruffy bristle outlining his jaw looked sexy as hell. “Where’d you find the gorgeous cheerleaders?”

Charlotte stopped short, and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and kiss him until she felt just one-tenth of the heat and electricity she’d felt last weekend. But decorum, and the fact he hadn’t called her in a week, kept her rooted to her spot, acting like a shy teenager. How could the mere sight of him make her so confused?

At least he had some sense of propriety. He walked over to her, took her hand in his and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s great to see you. I tried to call you this morning, but you weren’t home or at work.” His husky whisper sent her blood rushing and her heart into hammer mode. She had to get control.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” she managed. “This is my sister Renee.” Charlotte stepped away from him to give herself some badly needed oxygen. “And her two children, Eva and Jake.”

Clay stuck out his hand to Renee and clasped it. “Nice to meet you. I’m very sorry to hear about your loss. Charlotte told me.”

“Thank you.”

Clay turned to Matt. “How did you manage to associate yourself with two beautiful ladies today?”

Matt grinned, then shrugged. “I was just walking through the park and they picked me up,” he teased. “They heard about our great softball team and decided to become groupies.”

Clay arched an eyebrow. “Keep dreaming.” He swung his arm around Charlotte and started walking with her toward the bleachers. “Although, if you want to be my groupie, I’m good with that.”

Charlotte looked up, and his green eyes held hers, laughter and warmth evident in their depths.

“I’m good with that, too.”

“What are you doing later?”

“I have to go to the office and work for a while.”

“How about if I pick you up there at around six? We’ll head up the river.”

Prickles slid up her arms and swirled through her body. Was that a veiled invitation to spend the night together at the room he’d bid on at the hospital fundraiser? Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? She nodded, afraid to speak, not daring to ask. She couldn’t be presumptuous, since there were several restaurants along the river between here and New Hope. On the other hand, she wasn’t ready to be disappointed.

Once the game started, she could barely concentrate. She pretended to pay attention, but her eyes were trained on Clay. His fluid moves in the outfield as he ran, stooped, and caught the ball had her mesmerized, and she hardly noticed anyone else. She gave appropriate responses when Renee asked a question, but, more often than not, her mind was in freefall mode anticipating the evening to come.

“So, that’s your Clay.” Renee nudged Charlotte with her elbow, and gave her a conspiratorial nod. “He’s gorgeous. Now I see why you’ve carried a torch for him for so long.”

“I have not carried a torch,” Charlotte said a little too loudly. “And who uses that expression anyway. Are you from the fifties?”

Renee laughed at Charlotte’s annoyance. “His friend is cute, too. But you seem to have a problem with him. Is it just your career conflict, or something more?”

Charlotte debated whether to tell Renee the truth, but why hide it? “I sued him recently. He holds a grudge.”

Renee’s eyes widened. “Well that may be why he’s not enamored with you. But what exactly do you have against him?”

Charlotte bit her lip. “He’s just very outspoken about his views toward malpractice attorneys. I don’t run into him often, but whenever I do, he’s much too vocal about his disapproval of my career. And it’s none of his business. He looks at me as the ogre, all things evil in his world, where he is the white knight swooping in to help all mankind. He doesn’t realize malpractice suits make better doctors, better rules, better hospitals.” Charlotte turned her focus to her hands and twisted at her fingers.

“What else?”

“Isn’t that enough?” Charlotte knew she sounded defensive.

“Maybe. But I can tell there’s more.”

Unfortunately, Renee still knew how to read Charlotte, even after all these years. She might as well tell her. “For one, he’s a player. And two, I get the distinct impression Matt’s trying to dissuade Clay from seeing me. They’re best friends, have been for ten years, and I’m sure they give each other advice.”

Their conversation abruptly ended when Eva held Jake’s nose and Jake started screaming.

“Eva! Stop that.” Renee pulled Eva away from Jake.

“He pulled my hair,” whined Eva in response.

After separating the two, Renee looked apologetically at Charlotte. “The kids are getting restless. It’s time to move on.”

Secretly ecstatic, Charlotte set a faster pace as they walked back to Renee’s. Although Charlotte usually spent the better part of the day there, she begged off early, saying she had to get to work. In reality, she wanted to shower and change into something more sophisticated than shorts and a T-shirt, with the hope of bowling Clay over when he arrived at her office at six.

In the end, her outfit of choice, white slacks and a silky blouse, would hardly wow him.

But she would.

Chapter Eighteen

At six o’clock, Clay pulled his Jeep in front of Charlotte’s building and entered, going straight back to her office.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said as he strolled in, trying for a casualness he didn’t quite feel. He hadn’t called her for a week. Sure, he’d been busy. So was she. But the real reason had battled him every time he’d picked up the phone. Why start something he couldn’t finish? Besides, the last time he’d seen her, barefoot and sexy in his kitchen, she’d given him the distinct impression she was having second thoughts as well.

But when he’d seen her today, all his murky intentions got murkier.

“Hello, yourself.” Her slow, dazzling smile further upset the delicate balance of his unsteady resolve in her favor. Lucky for him.

“I’ve come to take you away from all this. It will be here when you get back.”

“My knight in shining armor.” She leaned back in her chair. Humor and a touch of expectation shone in her eyes. Would he disappoint her?

He hadn’t offered his overnight stay in New Hope because he was fighting his own war. If he kept things casual, they couldn’t slide into a relationship. But there was nothing casual about the way he felt when he saw her today. So the war continued. Now it was too late to invite her to the inn. Is that what he had counted on? Or was he being a coward?

Clay reached out and took Charlotte’s hand, pulling her up. He didn’t want to linger here too long, allowing her to see his hesitance. Because he didn’t want to hesitate. “Come, my lady.”

He stepped back and took a low bow, having the effect he’d hoped. She threw her head back and laughed, obliterating his uncertainty, at least for the time being.

“How can I refuse a request like that?” Her blue eyes sparkled as she picked up her purse, leaving everything spread out on her desk for another day.

Guilt pinged through his brain as he escorted her to his car. He was not being honest, showing her a romantic, spur of the moment side of him he’d conjured up. So unlike the real him. The workaholic who rarely made time for a dinner date, much less a meandering drive up the river with the distant hope of making a night of it.

He headed out of town, keeping the crazy conversation in his head where it belonged.

“So, where are we going?” Charlotte asked as they crossed the Delaware.

“I thought we’d have dinner at Claude’s on the river. Between Yardley and New Hope. It’s gotten great reviews, it’s a beautiful night and I managed to get a reservation.”

“How lucky, Dr. Montgomery.”

He took her hand and kissed it. He was lucky. Very lucky.

They dined outside, under the stars, with candlelight, wine and wonderful food. While Charlotte had started off a little cautious, he’d chalked that up to their week-long separation and the probability of confusion over his mixed signals. Was she wondering why he hadn’t invited her to stay the night at the inn? He began to wonder that himself.

While their time apart should have cooled off any thought—by either of them—they should embark on a relationship, in his view, it hadn’t worked. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Gorgeous, smart, caring. With as much as he hated her career choice, he had to admire her determination to help her clients through a difficult time. She cared about them, just as she’d cared about the children in the hospital ten years before. She wanted to make things better for her clients, as he did his patients. That should be enough for him.

As dinner progressed and the wine flowed, both of them settled into the pace of the evening. Clay finally buried his misgivings, convincing himself to relax and let whatever happened, happen.

“Would you like to take a walk along the path?” His uncharacteristic romantic suggestion almost made him cringe.

“Sure.” Her smile blazed through the darkness.

The paved walkway traveled along the river and was decorated with old-fashioned lamps and park benches; very quaint. He took her hand in his, needing that physical contact which had been impossible across the table. While heat travelled through him at the connection, Charlotte’s fingers seemed to tense.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, confused by her changing mood.

“No. Nothing.”

She stared past him at the flowing river.

He stopped and stood before her, forcing her to look at him. She blinked then lowered her lids. “Something is wrong. What is it?”

His stomach knotted, waiting for her answer. What if she was having second thoughts about their getting together? The same thoughts he’d had, but managed to bury.

He touched her cheek and with gentle fingers lifted her chin. Her clear blue eyes finally connected with his.

“I know I shouldn’t say this.” She paused and the full intensity of her gaze reached down into his soul. “But I don’t want to be one of your casual affairs. Someone you call once in a while when you’re lonely, or have the night off. I...I don’t want to get hurt. So if I’m just one of many, please tell me. I’ll understand.” She smiled, a sad smile. “I’m usually the one who shies away from relationships. But with you…I want more.”

Her words slid through his being like silk, untying the angst-ridden knots that had tripled while waiting for her to explain her tenseness. He nodded, unable to speak, hoping she could see what she was doing to him. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her. Lightly at first, almost asking permission. But his need for her burned through the center of his soul and he captured her lips more forcefully. Breaking the contact, he whispered, “I’m falling for you, Charley. There’s no one else.” His hoarse voice underscored his emotion.

She kissed him back, her mouth opening under his, inviting him into her world, a world he would beg to inhabit. She moved her hands up his chest, sending electricity to every nerve she touched. A sigh escaped her mouth, almost undoing him. He slid his mouth to her neck, knowing her pleasures, driving her to distraction.

“I want you,” he murmured, looking straight into her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you before. I wasn’t sure we should stay. But we have a room in New Hope. Let’s use it.”

Holding his breath, he waited for an answer, ready for her to refuse his late invitation, but praying she wouldn’t.

“Yes.” She smiled as she found his lips with hers and took control.

Pleasure coursed through him at her ardor. “I think we better go before we make a scene.” His eyes searched hers. “I adore you, Charley. And if it’s more than a casual relationship you want, I’m there.”