Coming To Reason (A Long Road to Love) (25 page)

At first, Dan thought she meant him, and a streak of fear
shot through his chest. He had always lived by a firm rule: Never date a woman
on the rebound. The relationships never worked, but how could he explain this
to Carrie without hurting her?

Then she stated she wanted a man who did not need her to
fix his business. She hadn’t meant him. A suffocating cloud of depression
pressed upon his heart as the realization took hold.

Damn it all. He’d already broken his rule. He may not have
technical
ly
dated Carrie, and he hadn’t slept with her, but he did love her. She
had cut through all his barriers without even trying.

Maybe she
had
meant him. While she had helped a
great deal in her short stay in his company, his business had thrived without
her, unlike Trent, whose company headed toward bankruptcy without Carrie.

But the rebound issue still worried him. He shook his head
and rejoined the table conversation.

Everyone glared at him. Even Destiny seemed upset. He
turned to Carrie to make sense of the matter, but she no longer sat beside him.

Final
ly
, Jon spoke. “Damn it, man, couldn’t you have thrown her a
bone to soften the blow. You didn’t have to be such a jerk. God
only
knows how much
it hurt Carrie.”

Tiny stormed over and dumped his plate of food on Dan’s
head. Tall didn’t even scold as he followed the angry little fellow out of the
restaurant.

Mrs. G brought him a wet towel and helped clean him. Then
thwacked him on the back of the head before she left.

Jon stood and looked at Destiny. “You can come home with me
if you want.”

To his shock, Destiny stood up and grabbed her purse.

Dan stood. “You aren’t going with him. You barely know him.”

She struck Dan in the chest. “No, it’s you I don’t know.
When my father returns, give me a call.”

When Dan stood alone on the balcony, Giuseppe brought him a
tall brandy and a clean chair to sit in.

“Giuseppe, what the hell just happened?”

After a heavy sigh, and a great deal of pondering, his
friend of eighteen years final
ly
spoke. “Your fear of making another mistake just caused
you to make the biggest one imaginable.” He shook his head. “Dan, Carrie is
perfect for you.”

“She is, but it doesn’t mean I’m perfect for her. You heard
her criteria. I need her help at work. At first, I thought she spoke of me, but
clearly
not.”

His friend frowned and then groaned. “Oh God. You went into
one of your deep thought moments and blocked her out, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about when she asked if you’d take her on a
date, and you refused to answer.”

“When?”

“Right before she ran off with tears streaming down her
face.”

“Damn it! I didn’t hear her!” He pulled out his phone and
called Carrie.

His stomach turned when she didn’t answer.

He then called Destiny. She wouldn’t answer either.

He loved two women, one as a father and the other as an
equal, neither of whom would answer her phone so he could make matters right.

When he got home, his worry increased. Destiny hadn’t returned.
Sure
ly
she hadn’t
gone home with Jon Javits. He was old enough to be her father. Jon had no
business latching onto an upset eighteen-year-old girl.

He drove over to Jon’s place and banged on the door until the
bastard answered the door. When he denied Destiny was inside, Dan shoved his
way in.

Jon stormed into the kitchen and resumed writing, leaving
Dan to search the two rooms on his own. Not finding his daughter, he calmed. “Destiny
left in your company. Where is she?”

“She found someone sadder than me to comfort. Now get out
or I’m calling the police.”

Dan stormed out and returned home. Still, no Destiny. In
desperation, he drove around the city to all her favorite spots.

Nothing.

He replayed in his mind Jon’s comment about her finding
someone sadder than him. In desperation, he called Carrie’s home phone number.
“Carrie, this is Dan. Destiny is missing. I’m hoping beyond hope she’s with
you. Please call me and let me know.” He paused. “I also wish to explain why I
didn’t answer you tonight, but right now I have to find my daughter. I’m going
to be out driving around, so call my cell phone.”

He hung up the phone and went back out, worried sick he’d
lost both women he loved in one fell swoop.

When the Transit God Voice declared Carrie’s train had
arrived at track two, she hugged Destiny. “Take a taxi home. Dan has to be
worried sick.”

Destiny kicked the chair leg in front of them. “Serves him
right”

“He’s a good man and a good father. Don’t punish him just because
he doesn’t want me.”

“But he does!
Only
he has this stupid rule stopping him from telling you.”

Carrie forgot all about her train and sat back down,
pulling Destiny to her side. “What rule?”

“He won’t date women on the rebound.”

“How can I avoid being classified as such?”

“You have to have a lover in between him and the last man
you loved.”

“But why would I have a serious relationship with someone I
didn’t care about? And when I broke up with this new person, wouldn’t I fall
back into the same classification?” His rule upset her. By his standards, she’d
never be datable. How could such an intelligent man come up with such a stupid idea?
“It makes no sense.”

“It does to him. He says there’s no percentage in being the
rebound guy.”

When Carrie grasped his reasoning for not wanting to date
her, relief and bafflement warred within. “So he expects me to have
relationship with some guy I don’t want or love for some undefined amount of
time before I can date him.”

Destiny nodded.

“But what if this guy falls in love with me? Does Dan
expect me to rip his heart in two?”

“I think my dad’s theory is stupid, so don’t ask me.”

Having a half-hour before the next train, Carrie ensured
Destiny got home safe by flagging a taxi and putting her inside.

***

When Carrie arrived home, she noticed the answering machine
wanted to talk. She turned it on and walked into her office. At the sound of
Dan’s panicked voice she hurried back to the kitchen and called him before
hearing the rest of the message.

The moment he answered, she spoke.

“I put Destiny in a taxi to go home almost two hours ago.
Please tell me she got home.”

“Yes, she’s here. Thank you for watching after her. I’ve
never been so scared in my life.”

With the emergency resolved, her confidence gave way as she
remembered asking Dan if he’d like to go on a date with her. While he’d made no
verbal reply, his expression had looked as if she’d given him a stomach ache.

“Carrie, we need to talk.”

She opened her mouth, but her lungs seemed para
ly
zed.

“Tomorrow then? You will be at work, right?”

God. She’d never considered the possibility he might want
her to leave her job.

“Please come in tomorrow.”

Just tomorrow? He
did
want to fire her.

“Okay.” She squeezed enough air from her chest to rep
ly
and hung up.

She didn’t get much rest, but she did have a plan as she
left her house the next day. It all depended upon the last caller on her
messages last night.

Instead of going straight to work, she went to the Ritz
Carlton and called Ian from the lobby. His wide-awake voice calmed her nerves.
She didn’t know how this conversation would go if she woke him up from a much
needed sleep.

“Ian, this is Carrie.”

“Ah, you got my message. Any chance I can have an hour of
your time this morning?”

“I happen to be standing in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton,
hoping for the same.”

He gave her his room number and she hurried up.

Upon knocking on his door, she lost her nerve and had a
great desire to run back to the safety of the elevator.

She might have followed her inner voice’s advice to flee
had Ian not opened the door, pulled her in, and hugged her with genuine
affection. “I’ve been so worried about you ever since I read the
Gossep
article. So I flew over to do whatever you need me to do.” A lock of his black
shiny hair fell upon his forehead as he tilted his handsome face and grinned.
“I think I can take Trent down, if you wish. I’m an excellent kick boxer.”

He led her to the couch and sat down beside her with his
arm around her shoulders. “I have to admit, I can’t imagine a world where any rational
man would marry Coco rather than you. Thus, I have irrefutable proof Trent is
not only spoiled, self-centered, and dishonest to the core, but he’s certifiab
ly
insane.”

“Coco’s pregnant and her daddy threatened him.”

“Ahhhh. Well, then he’s not crazy, just stupid. Who the
hell would have unprotected sex with her? God, this child could very well be
the Antichrist.”

Carrie chuckled and hugged him. “I thought the same thing.”

His lips pressed on the top of her head. “Any chance I can
convince you to return to the West Coast with me?”

“And leave my house?”

“Unless it’s really tiny, it won’t fit in your luggage.”

“Do you come to the East Coast much?”

“Yes. And the reason I hadn’t called on prior visits is
because Trent threatened to trash my service if I did.”

“Trash it how?”

“By telling everyone I didn’t teach you a damn thing and I
screwed around with you during your time in San Francisco.”

She pressed against his chest. “I don’t want to hate Trent.
I was happy getting over my delusional love for him, but if my eyesight gets
much clearer, I’m going to give up on love forever.”

He stroked her hair and chuckled. “Then let’s not talk
about Master Trent anymore. Instead, let me observe your indomitable spirit has
proven me wrong.”

She stared up into his beautiful blue eyes. “What do you
mean?”

“I predicted the person we aren’t talking about would
destroy everything special about you.”

“I’ve
only
been in here five minutes. How do you know whatever you
saw in me is still there?”

He caressed her cheek and stared deeply into her eyes.
“Trust me, it is.”

His words strengthened her. She breathed in to steady her
nerves and spoke before she thought too much about this plan of hers.

“Then can we have a long-distance affair?”

“Whoa!” He sat back and stared at her in shock.

Horrified by her second rejection in two days, she covered
her face. “Forget I asked. I’ll become a nun instead.”

“Hold on, I didn’t say no. You shocked me by delivering
good fortune out of the blue.”

She shook her head. “Thank you for trying to spare me, but
I saw your expression. It’s okay. Dan didn’t want me either.”

He petted her hair like a frazzled kitten needing to be
calmed. She pressed against his chest and burst into tears when he pulled her
close.

Why do all men pretend to like me? Were my parents right? Am
I simp
ly
unlovable?

“You didn’t ask Dan to be your lover in a similar abrupt
manner did you?”

“Worse,” she muttered into his chest.

He set her back so he could see her.

“What’d you do?”

“In front a bunch of my friends, I explained why I could
move on without remorse or regret.”

“I’m curious about your miraculous recovery myself.”

She repeated her explanation. To Ian, she even admitted Trent
had tried to force himself on her, requiring Sam to save her. “If you need a
driver, you might see if Sam wants to relocate to San Francisco. He might be
ready to let go, as well. I told him Trent already knew they were brothers, but
he’d never admit it because he liked Sam driving him about.”

She met Ian’s angry stare. “Somewhere in his life, Trent broke.
He lacks the ability to love anyone. He will always place his own needs above
anyone else’s.” She laughed bitter
ly
. “It doesn’t even have to be a significant need. Sam is living
proof. For the pleasure of being driven from A to B, he chooses not to claim a
brother, whom he could love if he could comprehend the basic emotion.”

“I agree.” Ian brushed the hair from her eyes. “And I’m
quite astounded you see the truth. I thought you permanent
ly
blind.”