Return to Me

  Chapter Ten

  Paige spent the night tossing and turning-and sometimes crying-in the den. She briefly considered dragging her pillow and blanket up the stairs to her room, but by the time she finally rolled off the coach to make good on the plan, the sun was practically up. She sighed at the delicate pink rays that streaked across the mirrored finish on the wood floor. There would be no point in going to bed now.

  It was Thursday, the day Erik’s parents were supposed to come for dinner. Well, it was pretty clear those plans were in the toilet now. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger and rubbed gently as she made coffee, leaning one hip against the counter while she waited for the brewer to hiss and spit out the last few drops of the precious liquid.

  When the phone rang a few minutes later, she sprinted into the hallway to grab the cordless desk phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Paige, it’s Guy.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m happy to hear from you, too.”

  “Sorry,” She apologized without further explanation. “What’s up?”

  “The department will probably be in touch later today or tomorrow, but I wanted to give you a heads up-we’ve got a suspect in custody.”

  “Oh?”

  “We think he’s the one who planted the shark in your pool.”

  “Oh! Are you sure?” She gripped the phone tighter.

  “He hasn’t given us a full confession exactly, but he’s admitted to being an old enemy of Denmari’s and made reference to the shark as a hypothetical situation. We’re fairly certain we’ve got our perp.”

  “I see.” She sighed, nerves tightening in her stomach at the thought of random mobsters coming after her for no apparent reason. “Hey wait,” Her eyes lit for a split second as an idea struck. “Now I get it-swim with the fishes.”

  “What?”

  “The shark. Maybe it was supposed to be more of a symbolic threat. You know, the old mob saying-“

  “Swim with the fishes.” Guy agreed. “Well that puts a new spin on things, doesn’t it?”

  “But it doesn’t really make things better.”

  “Then this should make you feel safer. You shouldn’t have any more trouble. He was surprised to hear of Denmari’s passing.”

  “So he’s not after me?” Her spirits lifted.

  “Nope, at least he says he’s not.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “Yeah, it’s great news.” He agreed. “Well, I’ve got to get going, but…”

  “Okay, well thanks for letting me know, Guy.”

  “Yeah. Take care, okay?”

  “You too, bye.” She murmured, disconnecting without making any mention of Hailey or the brief conversation she’d had with her the previous day. Maybe Hailey hadn’t even mentioned it to him. Not that it mattered either way.

  She chugged the remainder of her coffee and headed into the kitchen to start cleaning. Later, she promised herself, she would start packing and making preparations to return to New York, though the idea didn’t hold the same appeal that it did before.

  So she held off on the packing, instead she spent the morning and much of the afternoon on the second floor of the house, windows open and the radio blaring as she went from room to room, giving each her personal attention until they all shined.

  A radio announcer started talking about five o’clock traffic and Paige remembered that it was almost time to eat dinner. She wasn’t very hungry, but the chili she’d started hours earlier would be done by now and she needed to at least head downstairs and turn off the stove.

  The doorbell sounded when she was only halfway down the stairs and she caught a glimpse of a familiar tall form through the frosted glass. Her heart rate kicked up a notch. What was he doing here? She hurried to the door.

  “Erik what-oh,” She paused, looking behind him. “Hi Gene, hi Erin.” She nodded politely before opening the door to admit Erik and his parents.

  “Come in, make yourself comfortable.” She smiled at his parents and gestured toward the dining room before grabbing Erik’s arm and pulling him down the hall and into the study.

  “I can’t believe you had the nerve to show up here for dinner-and bring your parents with, no less!”

  “I had no choice.” His eyes dared her to argue.

  “No choice? Are you kidding me?”

  “I haven’t told them yet.”

  “So? You could have said I was sick. Or busy-anything. I don’t believe your nerve.” She chastised.

  “You can believe what you want to, I really don’t give a damn, Paige.” His hand cut a harsh swatch through the air that fairly crackled between them. He remained facing her, his vivid gaze never leaving her face.

  “Good,” She sneered, “Because I quit giving a damn about you a long time ago.”

  “Liar.” He challenged.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” He said roughly.

  “Fine.” She bit out when he didn’t speak again. “But I’ll be damned if I understand why I have to act as though I like you.”

  “Don’t argue.” He nudged her in the direction of the kitchen. “Just go. Let’s get this over with.”

  “Very well then,” She extended her hand, “After you.” His damnable self-assurance was making her nervous. She would not relax her guard until she saw him and his parents safely out of her house, with a locked door between her and them.

  “Gene, Erin, what a surprise.” Paige’s voice fell flat as she followed Erik’s broad form into the formal dining room.

  "Sit down." Erik nudged her shoulder roughly.

  She bit back a retort; instead taking her seat with as much grace as she could muster. Reminding herself that it wasn’t Erik’s parents fault that he was such a rotten asshole helped somewhat.

  “Is this a bad time?” Erik’s mother frowned, her brow furrowing in her smooth, slightly lined face. Her sky blue eyes, Erik’s eyes, radiated concern and Paige felt her anger begin to thaw.

  “No, of course not,” She assured the attractive couple in a smooth tone. “It’s been such a busy day that I’m running a little behind. If you’ll give me five minutes, I’ll have the table set. I hope chili is okay.”

  “Chili will be fine, dear.” Erin waved away the remnants of Paige’s concern and reclaimed the high back next to her husband at the dark mahogany dining table, politely refraining from giving note to Paige’s pale, drawn look, or to the faint shadows under her eyes.

  “I’ll help you.” Erik was moving beside her in an instant, ignoring the dirty look she threw at him and walking too close behind her all the way to the oversize kitchen.

  She would have argued with him, told him she didn’t need help-and probably thrown in a snide remark or two, but she didn’t want to alarm her unexpected dinner guests. Erik’s parents were basically good people, though his father could be a little on the stern side, and she genuinely liked them both. Once they cleared the kitchen doorway, though, all bets were off. She rounded on him, all the pent up frustration and anger shooting to the surface, and tossed his arm off of her elbow.

  “I didn’t ask for your help and I don’t need it.” She hissed.

  “Tough shit.”

  “I mean it, Erik, I don’t need this aggravation. Go back to the dining room and entertain your parents while I whip up dinner for four.” His parents were luckier than they knew that she had opted to make a pot of chili on this particular evening. Anything in a pot had to be able to feed an army, didn’t it? Was there even such a thing as a small pot of chili? Paige didn’t think so.

  “I told you before, I want to get this evening over with, and the sooner the better. Just let me help you with the damn food.”

  “Finally something we agree on.” She muttered, moving to the stove and carefully lifting the stainless steel lid from the matching pot. She angled slightly away for a moment, holding the lid stiffly at an angle as plumes of steam rose off the chili and dispersed into
the air, carrying with it the scent of heaven. "Here." She thrust a stack of bowls at him.

  “Smells good.” Erik nodded his approval and did his part to help by holding the large soup bowls out for her to fill.

  “My chili is always good.” Her chin came up a notch, and she purposely avoided glancing in Erik’s direction as she filled a tray with the now full dishes.

  “I didn’t say that it wasn’t.”

  “Did I say you did?”

  “Look,” He said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here. But can we at least pretend that everything is normal?”

  And that was probably the core of the issue, she reflected, eyeing him over kitchen island; he was good at pretending. Too good. “Fine.”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  Yeah.”

  “So, what else?” He asked, turning back to the food.

  “Crackers, salt, and pepper go on that tray over there.” She sighed, pointing to one of several shelves that lined the wall near the hanging racks.

  “Got it. Anything else?”

  “Nope. You carry the condiments, I’ll get the food.”

  “No, switch me.” He argued. “I’ll take the food and you carry the crackers.”

  “Why? I’ve already got the food.” She tossed over her shoulder without pausing.

  “Paige, get back here. That’s heavy.”

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” She huffed, entering the dining room full steam ahead. Her expression eased somewhat when she noticed the way Erik’s parents drew back a little.

  “Is everything okay?” Erin bit her lip and craned her neck to view her son standing behind a very pissed off looking Paige.

  “Fine.” Paige bared her teeth in a smile.

  “Great.” Erik gave Paige a wide berth and slammed the tray full of crackers and spices onto the table, causing a few stray wafers to flip off out of the stainless bowl and skitter across the high polished table.

  “Well, really, Erik.” His father complained, both hands coming up to grip the table in front of him.

  “Dinner is served.” Paige announced with a scowl, plunking her own tray down and brushing at the mess of crumbs Erik had made before turning to pass out the individual bowls to her guests. “This table is gorgeous, but anything with this much sheen to it makes the littlest mess appear that much worse, don’t you think?” She rattled on in a last ditch attempt at being a good hostess.

  “Are you absolutely certain this is a good time?”

  “Yes. Why do you ask?” Paige took her own seat and smiled across the table at Erik’s mother, barely noticing the way the woman’s eyes widened as Paige scooted her chair in closer to the table, wood scraping ominously on wood.

  “It’s just that, we are getting the feeling that you and my son are not getting along so well this evening. If there’s something you both want to talk about…” She trailed off, looking back and forth between her son and the girl whom she’d known for almost twenty years.

  “Now, Erin, I’m sure the kids don’t want the two of us intruding on their personal business.” Gene hurried to fill the silence before either his son or Paige could speak, desperate as usual to avoid an emotional scene.

  He could have rested assured; because Paige had no intention of being so rude as to discuss her and Erik’s personal conflicts and shortcomings over the dinner table with his parents, no less. Erik, on the other hand, obviously felt no such scruples. A feral light came into his eyes as he met Paige’s stare across the table. Her own eyes narrowed in a silent warning that went ignored and unheeded when, a moment later, when Erik opened his mouth to speak.

  “Thank you, mother, but I don’t think you can help with this particular problem.”

  “Oh, well…” The older woman stammered, her spoon pausing halfway to her mouth, “I hate to see the two of you fighting. You’ve been such good friends all of these years.”

  Paige’s eyes slid away at that statement.

  “Yes, well, if you must know the truth, Paige and I have recently decided to part ways. So there you have it,” Erik shrugged and downed a spoonful of chili with apparent relish, “This dinner will probably be the last time we see each other. More iced tea?” He inquired with a polite but strained smile.

  “Oh…”

  “Well.” Gene cleared his throat.

  “Erik, I really don’t think your parents are interested in hearing about our problems.” Paige said, coming to the older couple’s rescue, much to Gene’s visible relief. “And even if they are,” She continued with a glance toward Erin, “I highly doubt that this is the time or the place to air our dirty laundry.”

  “This is damn fine chili, Paige.” Gene cleared his throat before making a show of taking a bite and nodding his head. “You’re a wonderful cook.”

  “Yes, Paige is good at a great many number of things. A regular jack of all trades.” Erik’s snidely spoken remark drew all eyes his way once again.

  “Erik.” Gene said in warning.

  The table fell silent once again, much to Paige’s relief, and probably Erin’s as well, she thought with a covert glance at the woman. Erik’s mother was a sweet, kind hearted woman but she had been one hundred percent correct in her earlier assessment. She really didn’t want to know the ugly, gory details of the war that raged on between Erik and herself.

  Paige smothered a sigh and lifted her water glass to her lips with a hand that shook only a little. Deep down, though she didn’t readily admit it now, she still loathed conflict. Some people loved a good fight, but she wasn’t one of them. Never had been and never would be, she reflected, wincing at the abnormally loud clink her glass made when she set it back down on the table a moment later.

  Her gaze slid briefly to Erik’s half hunched over form, his head bowed over his food. That didn’t mean she would run from it anymore, she thought, eyes narrowing. Erik had wronged her in a big way and if he thought she was being unreasonable in her anger, well, that was just too damn bad.

  She was still reeling from his betrayal…among other things. The way she figured it, she could probably make a mile long list of the things that had her reeling as of late. Topping the list would be Erik’s bombshell that he had lied about being gay. Their night of debauchery would be a close second, if not an all-out tie for the number one spot.

  She kept remembering things she wished she could physically blot from her mind, like how his chest had felt hot and hard and taut against her lips. Her eyes left his form for another brief moment as the memory of how she had clung to him, took center stage in her mind. To her abject humiliation, that night played through her mind like an x rated slide show, each erotic image racier than the one before it. The way she had felt his shirt molded to his body, the heat that had ensued once he took it off…the blindfold…She drew a deep breath and told herself to stop.

  Rehashing the details of their lovemaking would serve no real purpose, but it seemed she could do nothing about it. It was impossible not to remember how he felt inside her, how deliciously bad she’d felt when he had lifted her against the wall in this house, as if he were so out of his mind with wanting her, he couldn’t wait to take her to a bedroom-only his surefootedness kept them from toppling to the floor in a heap because from that moment on she had been out of her mind and along for the ride.

  It was jarring to reconcile the most incredible night of her life with the betrayal Erik had slammed her with less than twenty-four hours later. Paige’s mouth formed a startled oval when she realized Erik was no longer hunched over the table, but staring right back at her. Worse, she could tell by the alertness, the watchfulness in his expression that he had a good idea of the direction her thoughts had taken.

  “Excuse us.”

  The words were forced from a jaw that looked to be clenched tight enough to cut granite, but Paige refused to feel intimidated. “Yes, excuse us, please.” She repeated the terse instruction to his shocked parent
s and stomped out of the dining hall hot on Erik’s heels. “It’ll be a cold day in hell when you scare me, so don’t even try it.”

  “You’re scary enough for the both of us.” He snorted, leading the way into the study at the far end of the house and slamming the door behind them.

  “Go to hell.” She fired back, whirling to move past him in order to open the door and slam it herself. That would show him, she fumed. No one pushed Paige Frey around-no one. Erik of all people should have been well versed in that fact by now.

  “Oh grow up.” His eyes raked over her in a single scathing glance.

  “It’s my damned door; I’ll slam it whenever I feel like it.”

  “I can’t believe you. You’re unreal, you know that? I ask you to do one simple thing and you act like a spoiled child. Would it have killed you to keep my parents out of this?”

  “Oh?” The hand that wasn’t gripping the doorknob fluttered to her chest. “Help me out here, Mr. Honesty-“

  “Don’t start with me-“

  “No, really, tell me, Erik, just tell me what right you have to criticize. So they’ve seen me in a bad mood, oooh big deal.” Paige flung her arms out dramatically. “You let them think you’re a homosexual for five years. I don’t think you ought to throw stones.”

  A gasp from the other side of the door had them both spinning around, Paige shocked and Erik grim.

  “Oh, now you’ve done it.” She clucked.

  “Just open it.” He sighed, though he reached around her unmoving form a second later, opening the door and bravely facing both of his parents.

  “You heard that, huh.” Erik sighed. It was impossible to miss the gray pallor of hismother’s face. Gene was the first one to break the silence.

  “You’re not gay?” He shouted with a barely restrained exuberance that had Paige biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

  “No.”

  “Son, what on Earth is going on here? Did you…ah, change back?” Gene’s enthusiasm dimmed only slightly in the face of confusion.

  “Change back?” Erik frowned. “I don’t think that’s possible.” He considered.

  “Well, hell, boy you would know better than me.”

  “Yeah, Erik.” Paige was unable to resist the urge to goad him.

  “I think you’ve done enough.” He said, turning to favor her with a scowl.

  “I haven’t done anything. You, on the other hand, have a guilty conscience.”

  “Well if you-“

  “He’s saying he’s never been a homosexual.” Erin broke in softly.

  “But-“ Gene’s brows snapped together.

  “Mom’s right, Dad. I’m not gay and I never have been.”

  “Not even a little?” Gene scratched his head and regarded his son with alternating relief and bewilderment.

  “How can you be ‘a little gay’?” Erik huffed, plowing a hand through his hair. “Where are you getting this stuff?”

  “I just don’t understand.” Gene grumbled.

  “I lied. To you and Mom, to Paige, and everyone else. That’s what happened. I’ve never been with a man. I’ve never thought about being with a man. And in case you’re both wondering why Paige is so damn angry at me, it’s because last night I made love to her and let her think she was sleeping with another man.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Paige exploded, mortified at his bold outburst.

  “So, there you have it everyone,” He continued ruthlessly. “I’m sorry I’m such a bastard, okay?”

  “Erik,” Paige ran to catch up to him. “Wait.” She stopped him at the doorway with a hand on his arm. The look in his eyes reminded her of a wounded, caged animal and the pain she saw there clenched on her heart like a fist. “Hey…” She whispered, looking up at him and really seeing him for what felt like the first time in a long while.“Don’t go, okay?”

  He remained silent but allowed her to turn him back to the room, back to his stunned family.

  Paige wet her lips and took a deep breath. “Gene, Erin, I’m sorry you had to find out about…well,” She briefly caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “All of this, I guess, this way. But please don’t think badly of your son. He’s not crazy, or even a liar.” She was conscious of Erik standing beside her, of his intense gaze suddenly fixed on her. “I know that he lied, but…but he did it for me. My step-father was not a nice man-you probably knew that already,” She said, nervously, at Erin’s sympathetic nod. “A lot of people knew it, but what wasn’t such common knowledge back then is that he was a member of the Italian mafia. He tried to isolate me and Erik wouldn’t let him. So, instead of putting his own life in danger, or leaving me alone, he pretended to be gay in order to escape my step-father-and his ‘associates’-notice. No one cared if a homosexual boy was always hanging around me. I understand that now. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to do, but life’s forced us to make some hard choices and…he did that for me.” She paused and turned to Erik with a brilliant sheen of moisture blurring her vision. “Erik I’m sorry. For not wanting to forgive you…for not truly seeing you until it was almost too late. I-“ Her voice broke and the next thing she knew he had taken the half a step to bring them together. With his arms wrapped around her and the warmth of his throat at her lips, she whispered the words that had been on the tip of her tongue for years. “I love you.”

  “Say it again.” He demanded, pulling back to look down into her eyes.

  “I love you, Erik. You’ve been with me all along, right in front of me all this time...”

  “I wanted to tell you so many times…”

  “Do you remember the night you told me, before we went to Alaska-you had come to my rescue yet again,” She glanced up at him with shining eyes, “I thought you were going to ask me to be your girlfriend.”

  “I was going to, and then…”

  “I know,” She pressed one finger to his lips. “And I know it doesn’t matter anymore but I wanted to tell you, you have to know…I would have said yes. That was the night that I started to realize how just how much you mean to me.”

  “Paige, it’s not too late for us.” His voice was hoarse with emotion, “It never would have been. I think I would have waited two lifetimes for you. I love you so much…” He whispered against her mouth. “Baby you’re it for me.”

  “And you for me.” She whispered back. And for the first time in years, they were finally home.

  The End

  Coming Soon from Riley Sinclair

  Carolina Blue

  Prologue

  She forgot her underwear again; that's right Brittany eat your heart out, there's a new diva in town. Could she be called a habitual panty offender? Sure, absolutely and on any other day she would have chalked it up to feeling sexy, embracing the bygone era of the sixties, having a hot date, or just a plain old forgetful nature. Today, however, was not a normal day. Sure it looked like your average Tuesday autumn morning, but the sweet rays of sunshine that her four inch heels were chasing across the pavement were woefully deceptive because on this particular Tuesday Kandi was headed to her very first court appearance-sans panties.

  Only Kandi knew the heat that she was sure had already stained her cheeks a vivid scarlet had nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with impending public humiliation. Unless of course, she were to accidentally drop her purse and bend over and then everyone on Bleeker Street would know exactly why she was blushing like the school girl she was not.

  She passed the time chastising herself all the way down the widely crowded street, trying to ignore the looks from passerby, people who were dressed for success in their best blazers and suits and ties. This was mostly because becoming indignant would have required standing up straight, in all of her five foot four inch semi- nude glory and that was a bad, bad idea at the moment.

  It was impossible not to wonder about the judge she was about to face. The name on the papers delivered by the county sheriff read ‘Lovall’-Judge
Toni Lovall. Kandi made a face as she did an awkward step-hop up the polished concrete stairs of the courthouse, all the while praying that no one was directly below her on the staircase. Toni sounded like a woman’s name, and that basically meant she was in for it. Kandi could see it now-‘her honor’ was probably some Judge Judy look alike with the temperament of a rattlesnake. Was it too late to run? Probably, Kandi admitted in defeat when she spotted the cop seated at the front desk in the middle of the lobby.

  “Courtroom number four?” She asked with as much dignity as she could summon.

  “Down the hall.” He pointed to the fork in the layout to his left.

  Kandi cringed when his facial expression went from indifferent to incredulous. He probably thought she had been busted on charges of prostitution, she thought a little desperately. I’m not like that! She wanted to scream. Except…maybe that wasn’t technically true, a small quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered. So she hung her head and trudged down the hallway, each click of her heels taking her closer to courtroom number four and echoing her own impending doom. Right then, she wished for a lot of things-her mother, time…for what? To do things differently? To change her ways? Kandi paused in front of the heavy door with the number ‘4’ stenciled in faded gold across the glass.

  She was dreaming impossible dreams again. Her mother was dead, her father was God only knew where, and it was too late for a change of heart. She was who she was-Kandi Mason, former socialite, current fallen angel of the Mason family and a bad girl all the way. She was also screwed-Toni Lovall didn’t look a thing like Judge Judy-she looked worse.