Worth the Wait (24 page)

Vivi’s stomach dropped. Despite her own issues with David, this treatment seemed cruel. Cat and Jackson would be ashamed of their behavior if they knew the truth about Mr. St. James and Janet.

“That sounds like bullying.” Vivi eyed her wine, avoiding Cat’s gaze. She uttered, “Don’t go along.”

“Gee, I’m
so
surprised you’re taking David’s side.” Cat sat deeper into the sofa and curled her legs under her bottom.

Vivi ignored Cat’s mockery. Poor David. Vivi now knew exactly how heavy a burden he’d been shouldering. If she could barely keep quiet, how the heck had he managed to do so while suffering their scorn?

“I’m not taking anyone’s side.”
Your dad is a lying jerk.
Oh, crap. Had she said those last words aloud? Relief washed over her when Cat didn’t react. “All I’m saying is that no one knows what happened. It’s possible your dad is at fault, you know.”

“I doubt it.” Cat tapped her fingernails against her glass. “If that were true, why wouldn’t David just tell us whatever Dad did to piss him off?”

“Well, your dad’s been just as tight-lipped.” Vivi leaned forward and set her glass down. She was treading dangerous territory and totally unsure whether she could reach her goal without exposing the truth. “If I were you, I’d spend my energy trying to convince them to work it out rather than taking sides.”

Contrition nipped at Vivi’s conscience because of her failure to deliver her message about family and pride to David, especially because Graciela had given so much and asked so little.

Would hearing his mother’s words help him finally begin to heal? The pull to run to him, to comfort him, tugged at her heart.
Soon.

“Maybe you have a point. I’m uncomfortable with Jackson’s plan anyway.” Cat fingered her pendant necklace. “I feel awful about David, especially since he and Laney broke up. He works so much. I don’t think he’s reconnected with old friends yet.”

Vivi felt a stab of disappointment. Perhaps he hadn’t been sending her flowers and gifts because he missed
her.

“Bullying won’t make David attend the wedding.” She gazed into her deep purple wine. “Let David and your dad work this out on their own.”

Vivi wanted to give Mr. St. James a piece of her mind. Graciela had protected him in order to keep her family together. She would hate how her plan backfired by alienating David while Mr. St. James merrily built a new life for himself.

“Honestly, I’m not really looking forward to the wedding.” Cat toyed with her long, silken hair.

“I remember when you first told me your dad had started dating, you seemed skeptical.”

“I’d seen Janet around the club for years. I remember her first husband being sort of a pompous jerk. When she and Dad got together, it freaked me out to think she’s almost twenty years younger than him.”

“I met her only once, briefly. I didn’t realize she is that much younger.” Vivi leaned forward. “Do you like her better now that you’ve gotten to know her?”

“Mm, I don’t dislike her. Dad’s gaga over her. She kind of reminds me of Laney, actually.” Cat grimaced and then laughed.

Like Laney? David’s father had betrayed a vivacious, loving woman for a cool, distant one. Vivi shivered. David’s words echoed in her mind.
God forbid we’d end up like them
.
Maybe he’d been right.

After all, Vivi would probably embarrass him in front of his colleagues and Ivy League friends. She’d be out of place in his world. An unbidden image of her own parents crossed her mind. Maybe she didn’t deserve a happy ending anyway, she thought.

Cat’s phone vibrated again. This time her face blanched when she noted the caller.

“Oh, hell no.”

“Who now?” Vivi finished her wine. “Jackson?”

“Justin.” Cat’s nervous laugh didn’t fool Vivi. “He’s becoming annoying.”

“How so?” Vivi shed her boots and massaged her cramped toes. High fashion be damned, she preferred sensible footwear.

“We broke up on Wednesday—
don’t
say it!” Cat stuck her hand out to silence Vivi. “Anyway, he keeps calling.”

“Well, that’s your pattern, isn’t it? Break up to make up. Are you serious about ending it this time?”

“I think so. He’s exhausting. I love his good points, but I can’t take any more of his mood swings.” Cat’s expression reflected indecision mixed with regret. “Now he’s convinced I’m already seeing someone else. He does this every time I go on location for work.”

“Well, you
do
work with beautiful men.” Vivi’s brows went up. “I can see how that might be intimidating.”

“Half of them are gay, Vivi. Damn shame, too.” She blushed. “But I’m not a cheater. Either he trusts me, or not.”

“True.” Vivi’s stomach growled, causing Cat to laugh. “Um, so where and when are we going to eat? Obviously I’m getting hungry!”

The resounding click of the front door’s lock caught their attention before Cat answered. Stunned, they stared at each other and then at the entry, as if watching a movie. Seconds later, the front door swung open and Justin stepped inside.

“What the hell, Justin?” Cat leaped off the sofa and strode toward him, pointing her finger toward the door. “Get out!”

Justin scanned the living room, probably seeking evidence of the suspected boyfriend. Visible relief settled in his features when he saw Vivi sitting alone on the couch and only two glasses of wine on the coffee table.

Vivi studied him from her catbird seat. She might not like Justin, but he was a head turner. His ruggedly handsome face had a boyish quality, like Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

“I can’t believe you barged in here.” Cat held out her palm. “Give me back my key. Obviously I can’t trust you.”

Vivi’s brows shot up. If Cat hadn’t already taken her key back, then she wasn’t really done with Justin.

He slid the keychain into his front pocket, crossing his arms like a petulant child. “Not taking my calls now?”

“I’m not at your beck and call.” Cat’s eyes bulged. “We are over! Give me my key, then go. Vivi and I have plans tonight.”

He studied Vivi’s outfit, then looked Cat up and down, taking note of her sexy sandals and low-cut dress. “You ladies look fine.” He fingered a skein of Cat’s hair and whistled. “You’re not dolled up to stay in and watch a movie. So, who are you meeting?”

Cat brushed his hand away and turned to reach for her phone. “Justin, get out or I’m calling security to come remove you.”

“Put the phone down, Cat.” His authoritative command startled both women.

Every muscle in Vivi’s body went rigid and the hair follicles on the back of her neck tingled. Justin’s face grew ruddy; his hands fisted by his side. Thinking back to Cat’s reluctant confession on Block Island, it seemed quite possible they could all find themselves on tonight’s eleven o’clock news.

Suddenly Justin changed tactics, softening his expression. “Just be honest with me. If you met someone else, then tell me.” His shoulders slumped. He dipped his chin and lowered his voice. “Don’t make me hear it from someone else, Cat. You owe me at least that much respect.”

“Why bother? You never believe me.” She stared at him for a minute. “There is no other man, not yet, anyway.
You’re
the reason this never works. I can’t take your accusations and crazy behavior anymore.”

“I love you.” He clasped her wrist. “How am I supposed to feel when I see the way every man leers at you? I know those photographers prey on women. Don’t hate me because I care.”

“I don’t hate you, Justin. You suffocate me.” She tried to pry his fingers off her wrist. “Please let go. Vivi and I are leaving for dinner.”

He glanced back at Vivi. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. It’s a surprise.” Vivi tried to appear sympathetic in order to defuse the situation. She didn’t want to repeat old mistakes by doing something to make a bad situation worse. “I think you ought to work this out another time, after you calm down.”

He ignored Vivi’s request and turned back to Cat. “Are you meeting others tonight?”

“None of your business.” Cat puffed out her chest.

Oh, frick!
Vivi’s stomach dropped. This wasn’t the best time for her friend’s defiant streak to join the party. Justin’s and Cat’s temperaments were too combustible. The air in the apartment felt positively explosive.

“I’ll leave once you tell me the truth.” Justin tightened his grip on Cat’s arm. “Are you meeting others for dinner?”

“Let go.” Cat’s winced in pain. “You’re hurting me.”

Rather than release her, he rammed her against the dining chair. “Just answer my damn question, Cat. I’m not an idiot. Clearly you’re dressed to impress, or maybe you plan to whore around with your friend and pick up strangers.”

“Okay, Justin, this is getting out of control.” Vivi stood, but her miniature frame was less than threatening. She took a step toward them. “Please let go of Cat.”

“Quiet, Vivi. This is between her and me.” He shoved Cat up against the wall, with his one hand firmly pressed on her breastbone and the other holding on to her hair.

The veins in his neck bulged, sending a tide of crimson rushing to his cheeks. “Are you planning to fuck someone tonight just to show me how much you don’t care?”

Vivi recoiled at his ugly tone and language. Seized with panic, she couldn’t think straight. On instinct, she bounded toward Justin and pounded on his back. He barely noticed, so she tugged at his arm, using her full body weight to try to pry him off Cat. Her heart kicked in her chest as she realized how little effect she had against his strength and size.

“Get off me, Vivi!” he spat. He turned and flung her away like a dishrag.

Her feet left the ground. In disbelief, she flew through the air, feeling as if she were moving in slow motion. A thunderous crack split the air, followed by a sharp burst of pain.

Then everything cut to black.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
T
WO

D
avid tossed his cell phone onto his mahogany credenza and stared out the window. The late-summer evening light cast a peach glow across the city skyline. While both New York and Hong Kong were surrounded by water and boasted huge plots of densely clustered skyscrapers, he missed the dramatic mountain ranges surrounding Hong Kong.

He’d been in New York only a few months, yet his memories of Hong Kong already seemed ancient.

He glanced at his silent phone, willing it to ring. No such luck. Beside the lifeless phone sat a calendar with Vivi’s birthday circled in red. Had she liked his gift? She hadn’t called. She continued to ignore his e-mails, too.

She was locking him out of her life.

Nothing he’d done to date had softened her attitude. Seeking balance between pushing too hard and not hard enough, he’d chosen not to call her. Now he was beginning to feel desperate. Walking this tightrope required all his patience.

But he’d never quit.

He looked at the other date circled on the calendar—the one in black. Two weeks remained until his father’s wedding. Cat and Jackson had been refusing his calls in an obvious effort to strong-arm him into attending the affair.

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, then swiveled his chair back to face his desk. To his right sat a silver-framed photograph of Vivi, his siblings, and him, taken at his law school graduation dinner. He lifted the picture, tracing all of their faces with his finger. Vivi’s gap-toothed grin leaped off the photo.

“Ahem.” Laney stood in the doorway of his office, holding a contract in her hands. Her finely tailored suit hugged her body, but David felt no lingering attraction for the woman who’d caught his eye and eased his pain not long ago. Of course, objectively she was beautiful. Her physical appearance and brains used to be enough. Now they left him cold.

He returned the photo to his desk and waved her in. Since returning from Block Island, they were engaged in a delicate dance of cordial behavior at work. Her noticing him staring at that photo might shred what little civility remained.

“Is that the indemnity agreement for the Ingram deal?” He smiled politely.

“Yes.” She approached his desk and laid it on top of his desk blotter. “I think I’ve found a way to address the problems with the intellectual property protection. Let me know your thoughts once you review it.” She turned to leave without so much as a smile or polite remark.

“Thanks, Laney.” Without turning to face him, she raised her hand in the air to wave an acknowledgment. He called out, “Have a nice weekend.”

Then she was gone. He glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. Friday night. Of course, he had no plans. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his face with his palms.

Three weeks ago he’d returned from Vivi’s apartment feeling like the walking dead. Seeing himself through the lens of her eyes had sickened him.

Selfish. Cowardly. Hypocritical. Unforgiving.

All revolting traits. Traits that mirrored the sour pit in his stomach that kept growing larger each day.

When he’d arrived home after that confrontation, he’d found Laney sitting on the floor of his bedroom closet, poring through a midsize cardboard box she’d found stowed there. A box labeled “Vivi,” which contained various photographs, works of art, and letters she’d sent him throughout the past decade.

Some of the letters appeared to have been read and tossed on the floor around Laney’s slumped figure. Her hair had obscured her face while she sifted through the photographs, studying them intently. When David walked in on her, he’d been stunned by her invasion of his privacy. But the tears streaming down her cheeks had stopped him cold.

He’d been a jerk, not her. Vivi had been right about that much, at least. Laney had invested far more in their relationship than he. Even when she’d denied him being the reason she sought a transfer, he’d known she’d been hedging her bets with him. He’d been complicit in the deception, and then he’d failed her.

He’d touched her shoulder as he’d knelt down to pick up the papers from the floor.

“You love her.” Laney’s strained voice had only made him feel worse.

Of course he loved many things about Vivi. She’d been one of the most important women in his life, and possibly his truest friend. He nodded. “She’s been my best friend for a long time.”

“No. You
love
her.” Laney had shoved the photos in his face. “Look at you. In almost every photo you’re staring at
her
, not the camera. And there’s so much joy in your face. You’ve never looked at me like that.”

“Laney, let’s not do this.” He’d gently pried the photos from her hands and returned everything to the box. “Come on, let’s talk in the living room.”

He’d helped her up off the floor, made her some tea, and then listened to her cry. She’d railed against him for not coming back from Block Island sooner, for not ever saying he’d loved her, and for not making their relationship more important.

David hadn’t wanted to cause her more pain. He’d bitten back any defense or justification that sprung to mind, accepting all the blame. Once she’d tired of complaining, she’d packed up the few things she’d kept at his home and walked out the door.

Now he glanced again at the photo on his desk. Laney had been right. He was always looking at Vivi. She made him feel light and cheerful in a way no one else ever could. These past weeks he’d come to privately acknowledge he did love her, and not merely as his friend. But what good was love that ended in heartache? And what good was love without forgiveness?

He desperately wanted her forgiveness. Yet as he remained unable to forgive his father, Vivi remained equally unyielding.

Of course, his father hadn’t begged for David’s forgiveness. After David had moved to Hong Kong, his father had sent a handful of rather impersonal updates by e-mail, but that was all.

His mother had always said forgiveness was a crucial element of love. It seemed the crux of David’s problem turned on whether he loved his father enough to forgive him.

His mother had loved the man enough to forgive his betrayal—enough to beg David to do the same. So even if David didn’t love his father enough, could his boundless love for his mother enable him to find room for forgiveness?

He blew out a breath and opened his eyes. The agreement Laney had left sat in front of him. He didn’t feel up to reading it now. He stuck it in his briefcase, shut off his lamp, and went home.

He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt and now stood alone in his kitchen. The weekend. Vivi hadn’t called about the flowers and camera lenses he’d delivered earlier. She might have plans tonight, possibly with Franco, or some other man. Knowing so little about her love life bothered David.

She’d always kept it separate from him until Block Island exposed so much. Once again, he pictured Franco kissing her, like a recurring nightmare. His hand curled into a fist.

His phone vibrated against the thick concrete countertop, mercifully pulling him away from the imagery. His heart dropped to his stomach when he read his sister’s incoming text message.

Need u ASAP. 911 @ home.

He called her, but she didn’t answer. David pulled on his running shoes, grabbed his phone and wallet, and ran out the door. He sprinted the three blocks to Cat’s apartment. Blue and red police lights lit up the front of her building. His muscles froze on his sharp inhale as his mind began racing. When he broke from his trance, he went straight to her apartment.

Her door was unlocked, so he let himself inside, where he was greeted by the jarring sound of walkie-talkies. Cat and Jackson stood on the far side of the living room talking to a police officer. David’s muscles eased upon finding her unharmed.

She looked up and ran to him the instant their eyes met. Collapsing against his chest, she trembled and cried in his arms. He stroked her hair while looking over her head to throw Jackson a questioning glance. Jackson nodded but stayed by the cop, so David spoke softly into Cat’s ear.

“What happened?” He kept the alarm from his voice.

“Justin.” She sniffed. “He barged in and we fought. The police needed a statement. God, I was so scared.” Her voice cracked behind another sob.

“Okay, calm down.” He set her back and looked her over. “You’re okay? He didn’t hurt you?”

She touched her bruised bicep. “Not seriously.” Then she glanced to her left and burst into tears again.

David followed her gaze to the living room coffee table and the bloodstain on the carpet underneath it.

“Oh, Jesus.” His eyes darted back to Cat. “Did you hurt him? Do you need a lawyer, Cat?”

She shook her head, unable to speak through her sobs.

“Jackson,” David called. “Whose blood is that?”

Jackson’s grim face worried David, but didn’t prepare him for the answer. “Vivi’s.”

David’s knees buckled beneath him and he sank to the floor. Cat crouched down beside him.

“Is she . . . is she dead?” Unable to focus, he felt bile rising in his throat. He leaned forward and pressed his fingertips against the hardwood floor.

“No. She was unconscious when the EMTs took her. Her head was gashed open.”

“What the hell happened?” He rose to his feet as adrenaline began pumping through him, causing his muscles to twitch. As Jackson approached, David barked, “Where’s Justin? I’ll kill him!”

“Shut it, David.” Jackson grabbed David’s arm and backed him into the corner of the room. “The cops are here. You know better than to make threats.”

The room spun again, so David gripped Jackson’s arm while refocusing.

“Justin took off when Vivi hit the table.” Jackson scowled as his eyes drifted to the bloodstain. “Fucking coward.”

“Did you see her?” David couldn’t control his shaky voice. “Did you see Vivi?”

“No.” Jackson put his hand over David’s. “She’d been moved before I arrived.”

Tears clouded David’s vision. He had to go to her.

“Take Cat to your place when the cops leave. I’m going to the hospital.” Without waiting for Jackson’s reply, he kissed his sister’s head and hurried out the door.

David sprinted without stopping. The eight blocks to Lenox Hill Hospital whizzed past in a blur. When he arrived, the emergency room coordinator advised him to take a seat and be patient.

Vivi had been taken for CT scans, MRIs, and EEG tests. No one would provide him any information about the severity of her injuries. Frustration mounted as he met with one dead end after another.

Stuck in the waiting room, he spent the next two hours researching skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries on his phone. Each page he read made him sicker and more concerned: hematomas, swelling, neurological damage, and worse. When he noticed how hard his knees were bouncing, he stood to stretch and move around.

Hospitals reminded David of the months he’d spent with his mother during her chemo and radiation therapy. Images of holding her hair back when she got sick from the chemo, wiping her forehead with cool cloths, and holding her hand while she rested all replayed in his head.

He hated hospitals, and prayed this visit ended with better results than his mother’s had. Losing Vivi would be crippling. He loved her. He’d taken her, and her love, for granted for too long. If she made it through this incident, he swore he’d not waste another moment. One way or another, he’d win her back.

To distract himself, he called Jackson to check on his sister. He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning the police had issued a warrant for Justin’s arrest on charges of third-degree assault. Once they found him, he’d be in jail for at least a day until he was arraigned. Cat would be safe with Jackson until Justin was in custody.

By eleven o’clock he’d eaten his third bag of chips. Dinner. A mixture of salt, grease, and worry settled like a hard lump in his stomach. Exhaustion overwhelmed his senses. He slouched into the uncomfortable vinyl chair while nodding off.

When the nurse finally called his name, it startled him. He bounded from his chair, leaving the crumpled bag of chips discarded.

“How is she?” He studied the nurse’s stone-faced expression for clues, only to come up empty-handed.

“She’s resting and conscious.” She pushed open the doors leading to the emergency room beds. “You can see her now.”

“Does she need surgery?” He held his breath.

“The scans looked clean. She needed twelve stitches on her scalp, but nothing more serious. She’s got a significant concussion, so she’ll be on restricted activity for a while. We’ll release her tonight. Someone should be with her for the next day or two to wake her periodically and watch for warning symptoms such as vomiting or changes in vision, just to be safe. We’ll give her a packet of information on how to handle her recovery.”

David nodded at the nurse, although he’d barely heard the details. He’d stopped listening once he’d learned she’d come through this intact. Tears filled his eyes. His body quaked from fatigue.

The nurse drew back the curtain surrounding Vivi’s inclined bed. When Vivi saw David, her eyes grew wide and teary.