Authors: Kate Hopkins
Chapter 6
From her chair at the island, Haley watched Simon cut a red bell pepper into strips. He handled the knife with skill and ease, leading her to wonder how long he had been cooking. His tie was gone and his sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. He wore a black apron to protect his clothes. The sight of him making her dinner brought a lump to her throat. Chad never once in all the time they were together fix her something to eat. If it didn't benefit him, he didn't bother. Shoving thoughts of him to the back of her mind, she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. "Are you sure you don't want some help?"
"I'm sure," Simon said.
"Who taught you how to cook?" Haley asked intrigued.
"An instructor." He scooped up the bell pepper and dropped it into a bowl of vegetables he had all ready prepared. "Believe it or not, but I wanted to learn to cook so I could impress a girl I was interested in. I heard that women like it when a man cooks for them. So I signed up for a course in basic cooking and found that I was actually good at it and that I enjoyed it."
"The woman you were interested in. Did you impress her with your cooking?" she asked, watching him dump the vegetables into a large skillet.
"I never got the chance to cook for her." Simon added oil to the skillet and then placed it on the hot burner. He selected a wooden spoon from a drawer and stirred the veggies. "She got back together with an old boyfriend."
"Sorry."
"Water under the bridge." He gave the vegetables one more stir and then covered the skillet with a lid. Moving to the refrigerator, he opened the door and took out a bowl of marinated strips of beef. "I ran into her a few months ago. She married the boyfriend. They have three kids and one on the way. I could tell she was happy with her life." On the way back to the stove, he grabbed another skillet from the pot rack. "Have you ever done anything to try and impress a guy?"
"Yes." Haley shifted in her chair. "It was in high school. His name was Pete Garrison. He played football." She stared at Simon's frame. "You played football, didn't you?"
"Yes," he sighed, dumping the meat into the skillet to fry. "I hurt my right knee during a game and had to quit football. When the weather's nasty, I'm limping around like Gran. Please, continue."
"I liked Pete, but then so did half of the female population at school. In order to get him to notice me I had to find a way to impress him. He was obsessed with football, so I learned everything I could about the sport." Haley grimaced. "That was time I'll never get back. Anyway, to make a long story short, he was impressed by my knowledge and asked me out. We dated for a few weeks, discovered we had nothing in common, and broke up."
"It's funny how some people go to great lengths to impress someone they like."
"I learned a lesson from Pete," she said, reaching for her wine glass. "Never try to change who you are for someone else."
"I agree." Simon finished frying the meat and then transferred it to the skillet that contained the vegetables, stirring everything together. Retrieving plates from the cabinet, he spooned a mound of rice on each plate and then ladled the meat and vegetables on top. He carried the plates to the island and set them down. After grabbing forks and the bottle of white wine, he joined Haley at the island. "Your fork, my lady."
"Thank you," she said, taking the utensil from him. "This looks delicious." Her stomach growling, she loaded her fork with rice, meat and vegetables. The second the saltiness of the gravy and the sweetness of the vegetables hit her taste buds she closed her eyes and moaned.
"I take it you like it," Simon said, his eyes lit with laughter. Her mouth full, Haley gave him thumbs up. "I'm glad. It's nice to cook for someone who enjoys my cooking. Daniel never takes his time eating. He just scarf's down-"
"Simon," Haley interrupted. "As much as I enjoy talking with you . . . hush. I'm starved and right now the food is more appealing than conversation."
"I won't say another word," he said, smirking.
"Thank you."
. . . .
After dinner, Haley insisted on helping with the cleanup. She assigned Simon the job of placing the plates, glasses, utensils, and pans in the dishwasher after she rinsed them off. They worked in silence, neither one in any hurry to break the stillness that surrounded them. Once the last pan was rinsed off and placed in the dishwasher, they wiped clean the countertops and the stove.
"Well that was quick," Simon commented, folding the dishtowel and laying it over the divider in the sink.
"And painless," Haley added. "I always hate cleaning up after a meal." She cocked her head to one side and studied him. "You know, I've often wondered why you don't have a maid . . . someone to do the cleaning and occasionally the cooking."
"Actually, I hired a lady to come in twice a week to clean." Simon leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "I hired her last month, after Daniel moved in. I got tired of picking up after the slob. There's only so much-" Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."
Haley followed him as far as the living room. While he went to answer the door, she sat down on the couch and gazed around her. The living room was spacious with light brown walls, gleaming hardwood floors, a fireplace, chocolate colored leather upholstered couch and recliner, glass
coffee and end tables. Above the fireplace, there was a big flat screen television. There was no woman's touch. The room was purely masculine and screamed of bachelorhood.
"What is she doing here?" Chad demanded to know loudly.
His voice was all it took for the anger and pain to come rushing back. Gritting her teeth, Haley got to her feet and marched toward the foyer.
"I made her dinner and we talked," Simon explained. "Not that it's any of your business, but nothing happened."
"I'm sure you were leading up to it," Chad snarled. "Ply her with enough alcohol to get her drunk and then take advantage of the situation. She's vulnerable and-"
"I don't have to get a woman drunk to sleep with me," Simon growled. "What do you want?"
"I would like to know that myself," Haley sneered, stepping into the foyer.
Chad turned his head and looked at her. His expression went from angry to sad and hurt. "Haley, what are you doing with him?"
"My personal life is none of your business anymore," she stated coolly.
"I love you," he croaked.
An ache pooled in her chest. Those three little words used to bring her so much joy. Now they only brought her pain. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she said hoarsely, "You only love yourself. "
"That's not true." He moved closer to her. "I made a mistake . . . a horrible one."
"Once is a mistake, but you cheated on me the whole time we were together. How-" She paused, suddenly uncomfortable with talking in front of Simon.
"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" he inquired, sensing her uneasiness.
"Please." She smiled at him weakly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Simon squeezed her arm gently as he passed her.
"You two have suddenly gotten cozy," Chad remarked coldly. "I don't like it." He reached out to touch her and she slapped his hand away. "So he can touch you, but I can't."
"That's right." Haley hugged herself. "You lost the privilege when you-"
Chad grabbed her by the arms and hauled her against his chest. Before she could demand that he let her go he crushed her mouth beneath his. He thrust his tongue between her parted lips and swept the recesses of her mouth. Repulsed, Haley felt the urge to gag. With all her might, she struggled to break free, but the more she fought against him the tighter he held her. Giving up, she held herself still and waited for it to be over.
Several seconds later, Chad raised his head, his eyes filled with lust.
"Are you done?" Haley said through clenched teeth.
"No," he breathed. "You can pretend to be disgusted with me all you want, but I know you still want me."
"What I want is for you to let me go," she snapped.
"I'll let you go if you admit that you still want me . . . still love me."
"Never!" She glared at him as she tried to get free. "If you don't let me go I will knee you in the groin."
"That's not good," Simon uttered from the doorway. "You better let her go."
Slowly Chad released her.
Legs trembling, Haley made her way over to the staircase and sat down. Feeling violated, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Are you all right, Haley?" Simon asked concerned.
"I - I will be."
"Deep breaths." His eyes filled with rage, he walked to the door and jerked it open. "No one manhandles a woman in my house. Get out before I lose it and beat the hell out of you."
Chad looked at Haley. "I won't give up on us, sweetheart." Giving Simon a look of hatred, he left.
Simon slammed the door behind him. "I shouldn't have left you alone with him."
"I wanted you to." Swearing she could still feel him, Haley wiped her mouth again. "He was angry because I let you touch me, but when he tried I slapped his hand away. He grabbed me and practically shoved his tongue down my throat. The more I struggled to get free the tighter he held me. I-" She took a shuddery breath. "I don't know what I ever saw in him. I was so blind . . . so naïve."
"Don't beat yourself up." Simon joined her on the stairs. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Why do people cheat on each other?" she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"The only explanation I can think of is that they're not happy," he said. "They feel empty inside and they will do anything to fill that emptiness."
Haley stared at him. "You would never cheat. Some how I know that you would be faithful. Has anyone ever cheated on you?"
"Yes," he sighed.
"I'm sorry." She thought of Chad and an overwhelming urge to make him suffer came over her. Taking a deep breath, she confessed, "I want him to pay for what he did to me. I want him to suffer as I'm suffering. Is it wrong of me to feel this way?"
"No." Simon smiled at her. "The saying, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' just came to mind." He turned slightly and took her hand. "If you want him to suffer . . . to pay for what he did to you, I will help you."
"How?" she muttered.
"We'll talk about it in the morning." He stood and helped her to her feet. "It's been a long day. You're upset and tired. I don't want you to be alone tonight. Why don't you stay? There are plenty of guest rooms for you to choose from."
The thought of going home to an empty house held no appeal for her. Making a decision quickly, she accepted his invitation.
"Come with me." Simon led her upstairs. In the hallway, he pointed out his bedroom and then Daniel's. "Daniel won't be home until in the morning. If you hear any loud noises around four, it's him. Pick a room. I'll go get you something to wear."
Haley picked a room across from Simon's. As she entered the room, she turned on the light and slipped out of her high heels. Exhausted, she trudged to the bed and sank down onto it. Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and willed her tense body to relax.