Second Chances (21 page)

He held her fiercely, feeling the beat of her heart keeping pace with his own. His breathing slowed as he withdrew and pulled her close. David buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. She always smelled like roses. Red roses.

Kristin sighed and her body melted against him. Fulfilled, David fell asleep.

~~~

David yawned and glanced at his watch as he trudged up the staircase of the large hotel. His flight to Glasgow had been delayed, so now he had to drop his luggage off in his room, and rush to the rehearsal.

Sophie was staying at this hotel as well, to continue with the whole idea of keeping up appearances one last time. David hadn’t actually spoken to her since that night at the theater. Her agent had been acting as the go-between, relaying the necessary information back and forth. That left the assumption that Sophie was still furious. It didn’t matter and made it easier for him.

Saying goodbye to Kristin at the airport earlier had been difficult. Being apart from her actually caused him physical pain, like a kick to the gut. He wanted her know how much she meant to him and had repeated his promise that this would be the last time they would have to deal with the charade of an engagement, and the last time they would have to concern themselves with Sophie.

David yawned again while he perused the room numbers as he walked the hallway of the third floor. The light cast from the sconces along the walls was swallowed up by the glossy cherry woodwork and hunter green wallpaper. Even the carpet was a dark burgundy, muffling his footsteps as he searched for his room number. Finally, he found room three-twenty-four, opened the heavy door and entered.

The room was probably bigger than he needed, with a king size bed, love seat, and small dining area. He adjusted the tightness of his pants caused by images of Kristin lying naked on the massive bed.

David dropped his luggage by the bed and walked to the bathroom. Turning on the faucet, he splashed some cold water on his face to jolt him out of his tiredness. The cold water stung enough to achieve the desired effect.

His reflection in the mirror looked a little haggard. The flight that was supposed to have taken two hours ended up taking almost four. Paired with the stress that ate at him about seeing Sophie again, he was knackered.

After drying his face with a fluffy hotel towel he returned to the main room. His gaze froze on the small table near the foot of the bed. A bouquet of yellow roses in a faceted crystal vase adorned the table, and a small piece of paper with his name on it leaned against the base.

Had Kristin sent him flowers? David crossed to the table, picked up the note and opened it.

David,

Delighted to see that you aren’t completely daft after all. I was afraid you would try to back out of this commitment, and that would have been a big mistake. I look forward to your touch. Enjoy the roses. They reminded me of that time in Paris.

Love, Sophie

Furious, David crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it against the wall. Didn’t she understand they no longer had a relationship? That her actions had tarnished any pleasant memory he had of her?

David tossed the roses, vase and all, into the waste basket and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. The car that would take him to the rehearsal at the Royal Concert Hall should be downstairs now. He rubbed his temples and left the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

~~~

Kristin stared at her watch again. Ingrid was late for their lunch date, as usual. She shifted in her seat and looked around the brightly lit interior of the restaurant. Couples shared meals at every table, enjoying an afternoon together.

Soon she would share every day with David. Building a life together, maybe even starting a family. Excitement coursed through her, making her want to jump up out of her seat. She didn’t want to get too ahead of things, but she could barely sit still from the sensation.

She missed David so much. He had been in Glasgow for two days, and his flight was due back tomorrow night. Nervous energy bounced around inside of her, so Kristin had left the gallery to window shop. Ingrid’s call with a lunch invitation was a welcome diversion. If her friend ever showed up, that is.

Finally, Ingrid breezed into the restaurant wearing a bright blue dress and large, floppy hat to match. “Sorry I’m late, love.” Her hand touched her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

“I had one of those clients that just wouldn’t belt up. I swear, some people just adore the sound of their own voice.” Ingrid settled herself into the chair across from her and finally looked directly at Kristin. “How are you, then?”

Kristin smiled at her friend. Ingrid was always a breath of fresh air. She could always count on Ingrid for an honest opinion, even if it might be blunt. “I’m doing all right. I just had to get out of the gallery for a bit. I was feeling like I was going to crawl out of my skin.”

Ingrid arched her eyebrows as she removed her hat. “Any particular reason for that?”

Kristin’s fingers tapped out a nervous rhythm on the table. “David is in Glasgow, hosting an award ceremony with Sophie Miller.”

Ingrid’s mouth grimaced into a thin red line. “You’re bloody kidding me, right? You must be off your trolley, allowing him to be alone with psycho woman.”

Kristin exhaled a shaky breath. “You’re right, but I’m hoping he will keep his promise. That this is the last time their schedules will ever meet. Besides, he also has to address her meddling.”

Ingrid straightened in her seat, her attention immediately captured. “Meddling in what?”

Kristin’s fingers ceased their incessant noise. “Psycho Sophie has been busy trying to ruin my gallery in an attempt to keep David under her thumb.”

“How so, love?” Ingrid’s bright blue eyes narrowed.

Kristin’s shoulder’s sagged. “I had an artist back out of a show because of an offer from a larger gallery, whose best patron is none other than Dorothy Miller, Sophie’s mother.”

“Go on,” Ingrid urged.

“That gallery uses the same printer I do, and suddenly refused to extend me any credit, even though I’ve been a good customer for almost two years. And
The Guardian
let someone cancel an ad I placed, giving them a full refund of
my money
.”

Ingrid shook her head back and forth as she folded her arms across her chest. “And Psycho Sophie has been behind it all?”

“Apparently.” Kristin nodded. “I told David I thought she was, but he didn’t believe me until right before he left for Glasgow.”

Ingrid absently fluffed her hair in an attempt to undo the damage from her hat. “Couldn’t you have gone with him?”

“He asked me to, but I didn’t want to face psycho. Ingrid, I trust him.” Voicing her trust out loud for the first time was a huge step for her.

Ingrid placed her hands on the table and leaned forward in her seat. “And now he’s possibly alone with that crazy woman in Glasgow, hosting some event?” Her clear blue eyes were direct as she searched Kristin’s face.

Kristin blinked rapidly, a little stunned. “When you put it like that…”

“How else can you put it? He may be well prepared to leave her for good, but psycho has put a lot of effort in ruining your business. Could she not try and do the same to ruin David’s love for you?”

Kristin moved her hands to her lap, as her pulse throbbed with sudden alarm. “But I…I trust David. Do you know how hard it is for me to admit that? I love him, and I trust him.” The words did little to calm her anxiety. Would Sophie get David to betray her? Would he no longer believe in his love for her? “It’s Sophie I worry about.”

Ingrid propped her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. “I’m not trying to throw a spanner in the works and make you doubt him. I am happy that you found love again, I really am. I just worry about you, that’s all.”

Her blue hat tilted as Ingrid smiled and shrugged. “I know how hard it is for you to trust. I just have a niggling feeling something is wrong. Plus, I’ll probably never think there’s any bloke really worthy of you, no matter how much I pressed you into putting yourself out there. I wanted you to spend some time meeting new people and dating around, not fall madly in love with the first chap you fancied.”

“It wasn’t like that, Ingrid.” Kristin leaned forward as her anxiety receded, switching to a small bristling of irritation. “You know how I have struggled with my feelings for David.”

Ingrid held up a hand, her bracelet catching the light. “Calm down. You know how my mouth can botch things at times.”

Kristin’s lips quirked with the beginnings of a smile as her friend apologized. “And to think that your job is representing people in public.”

“Oy!” Ingrid’s voice carried exaggerated disdain. “I’m good at my job, and you know it.” She waggled her finger.

Kristin giggled. It was nice to have fun with her friend, even if the conversation got heavy at times. She opened a menu. “What are you going to have?”

Kristin closed the menu. Ingrid had a point. Why hadn’t she leaned on her friend for support? “I really didn’t understand what was happening until it was too late.”

Ingrid cocked her head to one side. “Still, I’m a public relations agent, as well as your friend. So why didn’t you tell me?”

Kristin hadn’t intended to shut her friend out. David and Sophie had taken over entirely too much of her life. She sighed and threw her hands in the air helplessly. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to feel like I was taking advantage of you or anything.”

Ingrid took Kristin’s hand across the table. “I’m your friend. Asking for help is not taking advantage. It’s what I’m here for, love. And you would do the same.”

The phone stayed clamped to Ingrid’s ear by her shoulder while she opened her wallet and plucked out a credit card. “Corporate card, love. Anything is possible with this little piece of plastic.”

Kristin shook her head back and forth in awe of her friend’s brazenness. “Won’t you get into trouble?”

Ingrid waved her hand, dismissing her comment. “Don’t worry about me. We’re concentrating on you.”

She laid the credit card on the table and clutched the phone with her hand again. “My mouth might botch things with you, but it dazzles everyone else.” Ingrid leaned forward, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “And it dazzles in more ways than one, I might also add.”

“You are so bad.” Kristin’s hand fluttered to her chest as she widened her eyes in exaggerated shock. “I love it.”

Her friend winked, then pointed to the menu. “Order me a sandwich. I’m famished. We can eat before we go to the airport.”

Excitement danced around in Kristin’s chest as the truth of what she and her friend were about to do sunk in. David had wanted her to come with him in the first place.

He would be so pleased to see her, and Kristin would feel more comfortable knowing he wasn’t spending time alone with Sophie. Even if watching one last night of the game “let’s pretend” happened to be on the agenda. Kristin opened the menu again and waved across the room to alert the waiter she was ready.

Chapter Ten

David fidgeted with his tuxedo buttons restlessly as he waited in the wings for his cue to come on stage. He pulled at his bowtie, the cloth constricting his throat like a hangman’s noose. In all honesty, he did feel like a condemned man on his way to the gallows. Putting on a happy face for the public with this woman was more than he could take anymore.

The rehearsal last night had gone fairly well. Sophie had waited until the last minute to make her appearance, as she was wont to do. She’d kept it civil as he’d worked with her. No surprises and she acted professional the whole time.

At the conclusion of the evening, Sophie had disappeared without a word. He had expected a little drama, but nothing happened. Her aloof manner had him on edge, waiting for that proverbial other shoe to drop.

David fiddled with his cuff link and glanced at his watch. They only had a few minutes before they would be introduced, and Sophie hadn’t shown up yet. Actually being late would make her look bad, so David was certain she would be here, just at the last possible second.

As if on cue, Sophie breezed over to him, and the sky blue sequins of her dress twinkled like crystals in the low light. Her blond hair was pulled back from her face, cascading in waves over her shoulders. Her features were greatly softened by the style, and it reminded him briefly of how things used to be between them, before she became shallow and obsessive. Small jewels placed deliberately in the strands made her blond locks sparkle just as much as her dress. Blue stilettos emphasized her already statuesque height, making her almost as tall as David himself. Such beauty was wasted on a woman so ugly on the inside.

Sophie wound her arm through David’s as they waited for their cue from the stage.