[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Julian at a Young Professionals meet-and-greet, not a bar.
 You ve seen Hunter, Lacey said.  We were out to dinner last week and the
waitress all but propositioned him before she even took his order. Why would he keep
coming back for sex with me of all women, let alone go to the Met with me, if it didn t
mean something to him? If I didn t mean something to him&
 It s totally out of character, Claire agreed.  That s what worries me. There are
rules for things like this and you two aren t exactly following them.
Despite her growing feelings for Hunter, Lacey had to agree. They were both in
unexplored territory. She knew nothing about the emotional consequence of casual sex.
He knew next to nothing about forging a long-term relationship. The chances of one of
them making a total mess of the situation were very, very good.
Claire reached across the table and clasped Lacey s hand.  Sweetie, I m not trying
to rain on your parade. Hell, I m the one who suggested you have a little fun. This,
however, is beyond fun and now I m afraid you re going to get your heart broken.
 Well then Hunter will be the second man to break my heart as well as my second
lover, Lacey said. Her casual laugh sounded just a bit brittle to her ears, so she
returned Claire s grip.  I m enjoying myself with someone I actually like. That sounds
like a win-win to me.
 It s okay to like him, Claire said.  You should at least like the guy you re sleeping
with. Just& be careful before you go all the way from like to love, okay?
92
Liberating Lacey
Well, that was the tricky bit, because she was already halfway there. Every time he
made himself just a little more available, opened himself even the tiniest bit, she fell a
little further.
You aren t the only one going through a whole list of firsts in this relationship.
Given that on a good day Hunter was as inscrutable as the Sphinx, his remark could
mean anything. She could daydream all she liked, but he probably meant sex. Hunter
didn t talk about escapades with previous girlfriends any more than he talked about his
personal life and he seemed as shocked as she was by the pheromone charged intensity
that ramped up with each encounter.
Of course he meant sex. Nothing more emotional than genuine affection. Certainly
not love.
Claire s gentle warning reminded her that it was entirely possible she was tripping
down the primrose path all by her blissfully naïve self. He d said nothing, exactly
nothing, about a future, about anything more than the next date. He wouldn t even leave
a change of clothes at her house, for God s sake.
Use some of that business savvy in your personal life, Lacey. If you can t handle a second
devastating break-up in less than two years, then for your own good learn how to separate sex
from your emotions.
 You re sweet to worry, but you really don t need to. I ll be careful, she said. She
set her empty mocha cup on the table, then changed the subject with a smile she had to
force more than she liked.  Do you have a few more minutes? Let s go look at the new
designs at the Coop.
* * * * *
 It s going to rain.
 It s not gonna rain, Hunter said, but one glance at the wall of iron-gray clouds,
low and threatening over the trees at the western edge of Memorial Park told him he
was delaying the inevitable. Rain was coming, and not just a random shower.
Lacey simply shook her head.  Fine. It s not going to rain. So you watched Knight
Rider and got interested in muscle cars?
It was pretty damn cute how she learned the lingo for things, his kit, cars, and used
it. She was even picking up on cop jargon, the codes for shifts or calls.  Yeah. I had
Matchbox cars, but KITT, the car on the show, was so cool. The red lights zipping back
and forth under the hood, how it could drive itself. My big Christmas present that year
was a toy version. I played with that car for hours, slept with it, he said, keeping one
eye on the horizon. The first sign of lightning and they were inside.  That spring I left it
at the tee-ball park and didn t realize it until it was bedtime and I couldn t find the car. I
was trying to be tough, not cry, you know? Dad and I searched for over an hour with
flashlights until we found it down by the tree line.
93
Anne Calhoun
She watched him like he was saying something really important, a smile curving
her pretty lips. Maybe he was. After the conversation in her driveway he knew she
wanted more about him. He hadn t talked much about his childhood or his family,
because nothing good would come of that. Listening to her talk about her doting stay-
at-home-mother, ballet and horseback riding lessons and debutante balls was different.
But, wearing a khaki skirt and pink top with flowers along the square neckline and her
red hair left to dry in its natural waves, she didn t look so far out of his league.
And if he kept telling himself that he just might believe it. He was delaying the
inevitable for more than just the weather.
They d both had busy weeks so he hadn t seen her since the night of the party. He d
called after a particularly shitty day, just to hear her voice, knowing she was about to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]