Operation Revenge (21 page)

He arched an eyebrow. "Is that all you have to say?"

"I'm a little stunned." Haley took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "I had no idea how you felt about me."

"Now you know."

"Now I know." She grimaced. "I'm afraid I don't have a very good track record when it comes to relationships."

"Neither do I," Simon told her. "I'd like to think it's because we were with the wrong people."

"I-I want to see where this could lead." She squeezed his hand. "I want to give us a chance . . . a real chance, but I need for us to take it slow. I don't want to rush things."

"I agree," he said softly.

She smiled at him. "I'm glad we had this talk."

"Me too." He leaned in close to kiss her and she quickly turned her head. "Haley-"

"Not while I'm sick." She heard him growl. "I'm sorry. I want to kiss you too, but as long as I'm sick we have to be careful." She placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

"I'll hold you to that promise," Simon declared.

Haley cocked her head slightly. "Tell me something. When you suggested that we pretend to be a couple, was it really to get back at Chad? Or was it so you could be with me?"

He picked up her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed her palm. "I won't lie to you. There was a part of me that came up with the plan so I could be with you." He nuzzled her soft skin. "Are you upset with me?"

"No," she breathed. "I'm glad you were devious." He grinned. "Your plan brought us together. I don't want to think about what my life would be like if you hadn't thought up your plan. Something tells me it wouldn't be pretty. I don't-" She was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Grabbing it from the nightstand, she checked the display screen and saw it was Chad. Her heart sinking, she put the phone down.

"It's him, isn't it?" Simon said quietly.

"Yes." Haley listened to the phone ring. Every shrill ring was like a needle piercing her skin. "Why won't he leave me alone?" she croaked. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of him. I want it to stop."

"Sweetheart." He laid his hand on her covered leg. "I think it's time to call the police and have a restraining order placed against Chad. He's harassed you long enough. It's time we do something about it."

"Do you honestly think he would abide by the restraining order?" Her eyes grew moist. "You and I both know he wouldn't let anything stand in the way of him getting what he wants. A restraining order would be useless."

"All right," Simon uttered. "Then we'll have your cell number changed. That way he can't call you. If he starts calling the house then I will have that number changed as well."

Haley nodded. "Okay." She breathed in deeply, feeling the knot in her stomach ease slightly. "I'll call my cell phone provider tomorrow."

"Until then, turn off your phone," he said.

She turned the phone off and returned it to the nightstand. "Promise me something."

"If I can."

She shifted on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable spot. There wasn't one. Sighing heavily, she gave up and sat back against the padded headboard. "Promise me that no matter what he says or does you will behave yourself. I don't want you doing anything stupid like beating him up. Sure it will feel good while you're doing it, but it will only make things worse later."

"You're asking a lot of me, sweetheart," Simon told her with a frown. He got up from the bed and moved to put some distance between them.

Haley watched him as he walked over to the window. He pulled the curtains aside and looked out into the darkness. She stared at him, wondering what was going through his mind. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him. Instead, she waited quietly and patiently for him to break the silence. While she waited, she sipped the tea, the liquid doing nothing to warm her.

After a few minutes of silence, Simon turned to face her. "I can't make you any promises, Haley, but I will tell you this. I won't do anything without thinking about the consequences first."

She wasn't satisfied with his answer, but she knew it was all she was going to get from him. It would have to be enough. She rubbed her forehead and sighed once again. "I can see now that our relationship isn't going to be an easy one. Something tells me you're going to be a handful."

He smirked at her. "You can handle me just fine, Denton."

Lord, give me strength,
she silently prayed.

Chapter 22

Simon was in his office, Thursday morning, putting the files he would need for work into his briefcase when he suddenly felt as though he was being watched. He glanced up and saw Haley standing in the doorway. She was still in her nightgown and robe, her long hair tousled from sleep. The sight of her made his heart skip a beat and he smiled at her. "Good morning."

"Good morning." She shuffled into the room and paused beside him. "Going back to work, I see."

"It's time." He put the last of the files in his briefcase and shut the lid. "You're getting better and don't need me to take care of you."

"Maybe I should go back to work too."

"No, not yet." Simon turned to her and took her by the arms. "It's too soon for you. I want you to take it easy for a few more days."

"So going out to dinner tonight is out of the question."

"I'm afraid so."

"Simon." Haley placed her hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Please, I need to get out for a while. I've been cooped up in this house for days now. I'm starting to go crazy. All I'm asking for is a few hours. We don't have to go to a fancy restaurant. In fact, I would prefer something simple. We could go to O' Connor's. We haven't been there lately. What do you say?"

Her pleading eyes begged him to say yes. With her looking at him that way, it was difficult for him to tell her no. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "All right." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll call O' Connor's and make reservations. I have one condition though. We're only going to dinner. Afterward, we're coming straight home. I don't want you to over do it."

"That's fine." She turned her head and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"You can thank me by kissing me again."

"Put it on hold, you two," Daniel said, walking into the office. "I need to talk to you, little brother."

"Can it wait?" Simon inquired, wanting his brother to go away so he could be alone with Haley again.

"Afraid not, man."

"I'll go see if I can help with breakfast." Haley kissed Simon one more time and then left the room.

Daniel closed the door and then turned to face his brother. "You have trouble coming your way, bro."

Frowning, Simon perched on the corner of his desk. "Care to explain that to me?"

"I was standing outside the club, last night, smoking a cigarette when-"

"Wait," Simon snapped. "Since when have you taken up smoking?"

"A while back." Daniel moved to the couch and plopped down on to it. "Don't worry. I don't smoke in the house. Anyway, I was having a cigarette when these two guys and Chad came out of the club. They stopped a short distance from me. I was in the shadows, so luckily no one saw me. I listened to their conversation. Chad was telling them that he was going to make you and Haley suffer for stabbing him in the back. I didn't hear any more because they walked away."

"He can do whatever he wants to me," Simon stated, his eyes flashing, "but if he does anything to Haley he'll be the one to suffer."

Daniel stretched his legs out before him. "I think he'll use you to make her suffer." He cleared his throat. "It's not too late to end things with her. I mean a lot of your problems would go away if you broke it off with-"

"We're not having this conversation." Simon crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Nothing is going to make me walk away from Haley. Now that I have a chance with her, I'm not going anywhere. Besides, with me out of the picture she would be defenseless against Chad. Thank you for telling me what you heard last night. Keep your ears open and let me know if you hear anything else."

"I'll do that."

"Now about your smoking-"

"Don't start," Daniel growled. "You do and I'll get up and leave."

Simon sighed heavily. "Fine, but you do know it's bad for your health."

"Tell it to someone who cares."

Haley was in the kitchen, later that day, fixing her a cup of tea when the doorbell rang. She set the cup on the counter and left the kitchen. Making her way through the living room, she crossed the foyer to the door. She peered through the peephole and saw it was Sandra. Eager to visit with her sister she unlocked and opened the door. "This is a pleasant surprise." She embraced her. "I'm glad you came by."

"I had some time on my hands and thought I would drop by and see you."

"Get in here." Haley released her and stepped back. "I was just making a cup of tea. Would you like some?"

"Thanks, but no." Sandra shut the door. "I can't stay long."

"Let's go into the living room." Haley led the way there. "Make yourself at home. I'm going to go get my tea and then I'll join you." She hurried to the kitchen, where she grabbed the cup of hot water from the counter. She added honey and then a teabag. After she fetched a spoon from the drawer, she went back to the living room. "Are you sure I can't get you something to drink or eat?"

"I'm fine," Sandra assured her. "So where is everybody?"

"Simon went back to work." Haley sat down on the couch. "Dana took Marian to get her cast removed and Daniel is upstairs sleeping."

"How are you feeling?"

Haley smiled weakly. "I won't lie. I'm a little tired and I wear out easily. I think it's going to take me a while before I feel a hundred percent again." She stirred her tea. "How are Jeffrey and the kids?"

"They're doing well," Sandra answered. "Tomorrow is Jeffrey's last day at the old company. He starts working for Simon on Monday. Speaking of Simon. How are things between you and him?"

"Things are wonderful." Haley took a sip of tea. "We're taking it slow. We don't want to rush things. I'm-" The phone rang, cutting into what she was going to say next. "Will you please hand me the phone?"

"Sure." Sandra snatched the cordless from the end table and handed it over.

"Thanks." Haley pushed the talk button and raised the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, sweetheart," Simon said. "What are you doing?"