Anything but Love

TWENTY-NINE

Rae wasn’t sure how long she’d been in the shower. Hands braced on the tiles, chin dipped, she allowed the pulsating water to pound the back of her head and shoulders. A small fanciful part of her willed the water to wash away her problems. Another small part of her beckoned the pounding water to jog her good senses.

Rationally she knew her judgment and emotions were all over the place. She knew for a fact she was a smart person. A grounded person. Yet lately she’d been making questionable choices and acting in irrational ways. Chances were most people didn’t notice. It’s not like she socialized all that much. But she noticed. And she was pretty sure Luke noticed.

He’d mentioned hormones. She’d read something about that. No doubt a contributor, but not the sole cause. She couldn’t pinpoint her reasons for acting rashly or out of character. She didn’t like media attention and yet she’d fully planned to monopolize on her new inheritance and famous mother in order promote the Cupcake Lovers cause. She’d told herself and Luke that she could handle it and then she’d bobbled her composure when the news had actually hit the fan.

She’d put the Cupcake Lovers at legal risk when she’d offered to back their publishing project without fully researching the matter first.

She’d dealt a low blow to Luke by bringing his dyslexia into their argument, but she’d felt backed into a corner and she’d lashed out.

For all her education, for all her confidence, Rae was intimidated by Geoffrey Stein. Olivia had been married to him for five years now. And although Rae hadn’t lived in their home all that much, she’d been there enough to overhear several snatches of Geoffrey’s business conversations, whether in person or over the phone. The man was ruthless. Ruthless and powerful.

And he hated Rae for rebuffing him.

She remembered the first time she caught him looking at her in an inappropriate way. And the second and the third. It made her uncomfortable. Then again, she’d caught him looking at other women as well, his appreciative gaze lingering a scant second too long. Since he was always highly attentive and even affectionate toward Olivia, Rae had chalked Geoffrey’s wandering eye up to annoying, but harmless.

Lots of men ogled.

Lots of men flirted.

That didn’t mean they cheated.

Since Rae so badly wanted to bond with her mother the few times she was home from college, she made a concerted effort to get along with Geoffrey. She’d considered their relationship platonic if not genuinely warm.

But then he’d cornered her last year, on the Christmas just after her twenty-fourth birthday. That year, Rae had joined Olivia and Geoffrey for a string of holiday parties. Olivia had been drinking heavily and enjoying the attention of a Hollywood producer. Rae had been exhausted and uncomfortable and ready to call a cab. Only Geoffrey had offered to drive her back to the mansion, saying he’d return later for Olivia.

Rae hadn’t realized how inebriated Geoffrey had been until he’d followed her up the stairs and pinned her against the hall wall, just shy of her bedroom. She’d been stunned when he’d pressed in and kissed her. She’d been horrified. She’d turned her head, broken the kiss. She’d told him to back off but he’d leaned in harder, accusing her of playing games.

“You know you want this.”

But she didn’t.

Her stomach turned, remembering how she’d frozen when his hand slid up her thigh. But then her instincts had kicked in and she’d shoved and kneed him, escaping into her bedroom and locking the door. She’d broken out in a sweat, heart pounding in fear. Would he try to break in?

He didn’t.

But he did issue a threat through the door, his voice tight with anger and pain. He’d accused her of asking for it. He’d listed signs. He’d called her a prick-teaser and he’d promised if she breathed a word of this to Olivia or anyone else, he’d deny it. And if that didn’t work he’d say Rae started it and he’d ended it. That she was trying to make trouble because he’d scorned her.

Rae had spent a sleepless night with those taunts ringing in her ears.

“You asked for it.”

She’d racked her brain, recalling the instances Geoffrey had mentioned. The signs. But she was certain in her heart of hearts that he’d misconstrued her intentions. She kept telling herself that he was drunk. Maybe he’d apologize in the morning.…

But it had only gotten worse.

A knock on the bathroom snapped Rae out of her tawdry reflections.

“Everything okay?” Luke called.

Rae turned off the shower, sluicing water from her face. “Be out in a minute.”

Her fingers were pruney so Rae knew she’d lost track of time. She hadn’t expected Luke to hang around. She’d expected him to leave in a huff, to go home, or to the Shack. She’d expected him to call her later. Her stomach fluttered and cramped at the same time. Her temper had cooled, but had his?

She combed her wet hair off her face, slathered on lotion, and pulled on the thick, complimentary robe provided by the hotel. She padded out of the bathroom in her bare feet, a lingering cloud of steam billowing behind her.

“You were in there an awfully long time,” Luke said. “Must’ve felt good.” He gestured behind her. “Mind if I—”

“Help yourself.”

He nabbed his duffle then paused at her side, his free hand brushing hers. “Truce?”

She nodded, relieved that he didn’t press more about Geoffrey. She was overwhelmed and desperately trying to sort out her feelings on several matters. Being at war with Luke wouldn’t help.

“Breakfast on the table. Dig in.” He squeezed her fingers then moved toward the bathroom. “I won’t be long. When I get out, what do you say we go house hunting?”

She looked over her shoulder at him. “Don’t you need to go to work?”

“Not until tonight.”

“I have a real estate booklet that I picked up down in the lobby,” she said. “I circled some contenders.”

“Sounds good. I have a place in mind, too. Eat up and get dressed, Champ. Full day ahead.”

He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Rae alone and wondering. Champ? He’d never called her that before. An endearment of sorts and not one she’d ever heard him use on anyone else. Something unique to her. She smiled. The warm feeling blossomed as she followed her nose.

Scrambled eggs, wheat toast, and a side of pancakes. OJ and milk. He’d remembered the things she’d like most from the other morning. She massaged an ache in her chest, touched by Luke’s thoughtfulness.

He cared.

Cared enough to remember what foods she liked. Cared enough to take off half a day to help her find a house. And because he cared, he’d pressed her about Geoffrey. Logically, she knew that and her mind whirled, unsure how to handle the subject if it came up again. Because Luke cared, if he learned Geoffrey had made a sexual advance, and then proceeded to use that against her.… If he knew how the man had continued to taunt Rae.… How he’d made her question her judgment.… How he’d tried to influence how she handled her inheritance.…

Luke would intercede on her behalf.

She couldn’t allow that.

She couldn’t risk Geoffrey using his power and influence to push back and push back hard. Who knew how far he’d go? What if he somehow compromised Luke’s finances? His business? His reputation?

Although she couldn’t prove it, Geoffrey had somehow cost Rae the two teaching positions she’d recently applied for within the Los Angeles school district.

“Maybe you’d have better luck in another part of the country,” he’d taunted the last time Olivia had had Rae over for dinner, just days prior to Rae learning she was pregnant.

Clearly Geoffrey wanted Rae out of their lives and the farther away the better. It was the first time she’d seen eye to eye with the man. Considering Olivia had no intention of leaving her husband and especially after Rae had learned she was pregnant, leaving California—for good—had been an easy decision. The way Rae saw it, as long as she didn’t rattle Geoffrey’s chains, she was free and clear to live the life of her choosing.

The in-room phone rang and Rae abandoned her breakfast to answer. “Yes?”

“Ms. Deveraux? This is Len Jeffries, comanager of the Pine and Periwinkle. I thought you’d want to know that a couple of photographers and reporters are lingering in the lobby. I think they’re hoping to get a picture or a word with you. One of them asked about you at the front desk. We didn’t give out your room number or any personal information. But they seem tenacious. As they haven’t done anything wrong, I can’t ask them to leave. I just thought you should know.”

“I appreciate that, Mr. Jeffries.”

“If you’re planning to leave at some point today and don’t wish to interact with these gentlemen, I could come up and escort you out through a lesser known exit.”

“That’s very kind.”

“We at the Pine and Periwinkle appreciate your business and strive to respect the privacy of all our guests. I’ll give you my cell number. Call any time.”

Rae jotted down the number and thanked the man. She hung up then contemplated switching on her laptop and the television. Was she in the news again today? What were they saying? Her curiosity almost got the best of her but then she decided she didn’t want to know. Not this minute. She’d had a roller-coaster morning with Luke. She was eager find an even keel. To get her thoughts together. What did she want most to accomplish and how much could she reasonably take on while allowing time to settle into a new home as well as building a relationship with Luke? Problem was there was so much she wanted to do, so many people she wanted to help and now that she had the finances to work wonders, she was like a flipping kid in a candy store.

Anxious to get on with her day, Rae gobbled down two more forkfuls of eggs and bit off a hunk of toast before moving to the bureau. She rooted through her wardrobe, settling on dark blue jeans and a funky tunic sweater. She also pulled on a pair of flat-heeled sweater boots, a style she’d favored while posing as frumpy Rachel. Only these boots hugged her legs to the knees instead of scrunching to her ankles. She dragged some gel through her hair then, standing at the small vanity, used the blow dryer and her fingers to style her hair.

She’d just finished lining her eyes and swiping on red-tinted lip balm when Luke emerged from the bathroom.

“You look pretty,” he said.

“You look sexy.” He’d pulled on a pair of jeans and zipped, but had yet to fasten the button. The waistband parted enough to tease Rae with thoughts of the delectable package just below. She dragged her hungry gaze up his bare torso, amazed yet again at all the glorious ridges. “I think your muscles have muscles.”

“Are you ogling my body, Ms. Deveraux?”

“I shudder to think what you have to do to look like that. How many hours do you spend at a gym?”

“Home gym and not all that much. I’ve always been athletic.”

“Not me. I’m a klutz when it comes to sports.”

“Do you like sports?”

She shrugged. “In school, I was one of those people who was always last to be picked on the team. So, no.”

“What about something like pool? Or bowling?”

“Not something I’ve been exposed to.”

“We’ll have to do something about that.” He held up an incredibly wrinkled brown tee. “Would you be embarrassed to be seen with me wearing this?”

“Would you like me to iron it for you?”

“I guess that’s a yes. You iron?”

“Don’t you?”

“I toss wrinkled stuff in the dryer.”

“No dryer here as you can see.” Rae moved to the closet and took out the ironing board.

“Let me help. The least I can do since you’re ironing my shirt.”

Rae grabbed the iron while Luke unfolded the board. “The comanager of the inn called while you were in the shower,” she said.

“Len?”

“Yes. Len Jeffries. Do you know everyone in town?”

“Pretty much.”

“Anyway he said there are reporters and photographers waiting for me. He said he can sneak me out the back if I want.”

“How do you feel about that?” Luke asked as he poured a cup of coffee from the carafe.

“I don’t know what they’re going to ask me and I’m undecided on how I want to move forward with a couple of things.” Rae said as she ironed. “I think I’d like to avoid the press until I know more details about what’s happening with Sugar Tots and the CL recipe book. I also have to figure out how I’m going to handle all these requests for donations. Of course, I could always just answer their questions with “No comment.”

“I’m not sure that’s the best tactic. Sounds like you’re hiding something that will only make them snoop or hound you more.”

“True.” Rae glanced up. “Why are you smiling?”

“I like watching you iron.”

Her stomach fluttered. “That’s just weird.”

Still smiling, he finished off his coffee.

Rae tossed him his shirt and unplugged the iron. “To be honest, I usually throw wrinkled stuff in the dryer, too. This suite is spacious and lovely, but I’m missing the conveniences of a house or apartment. The place you want to show me. Does it come with appliances?”

“It does,” Luke said as he pulled on the tee and then a green and brown long-sleeved flannel.

“Where is it?” Rae asked as she stuffed her own real estate booklet into her purse.

“Opposite end of town, about five miles from city limits. Nothing fancy, but it has a great view of the mountains.”

“I love the mountains,” Rae said. She unplugged her phone from the charger and tossed it in her purse. No doubt there were several messages. From her lawyer. That anchorwoman at Vermont Today.

Just then Luke’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then glanced at Rae with a raised brow while answering. “Hey, Sam.”

Rae reached for her coat, hoping Sam had called to make peace.

“No,” Luke said. “Flew back last night. Yeah. Me, too. Dad’s had some tough knocks.” He nodded, cleared his throat. “I appreciate that, Sam. Thanks. Rae? She’s right here. Ah. That’s because she turned off her phone last night and I’m guessing has yet to turn it back on. No. Why?”

Rae looked over and caught Luke’s gaze as she slowly zipped her coat. He didn’t look happy.

“Huh.” He looked away and snatched up his own jacket. “That’s fucked. No. I … What’s Harper’s advice? Yeah. Okay. I’ll let you know. Thanks, Sam.” He signed off, brushed a kiss over Rae’s mouth, then passed his phone. “Call Len and tell him we’d like to be escorted out the back.”