Rescue Me (a quirky romance novel about secrets, forgiveness and falling in love) (9 page)

Her brows knitted together as she regarded him playfully. "What's the deal? Is something wrong? You look..." She bit her lip, a smile tugging at one side. "It's weird, isn't it?"

"What's weird?" he asked, caught off guard and completely bewildered by her question. He walked forward, catching up with her in three long strides.

"How two people who are genetically identical can be so different." She leaned closer, until he could smell her cologne, spicy, citrusy. Very sexy. Definitely Hailey.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He passed under an air conditioning vent and a shot of cool air landed there.

"It is strange," he admitted. "I've heard identical twins can be different, but never knew how different. You and Heidi are like night and day."

"You can thank our parents for that." She walked stride for stride beside him. "They never dressed us alike. Always said they wanted us to be individuals, unique and special. I'm grateful. I think it shows how wise they were." She stopped walking when they reached the end of the corridor, and after punching the down button on the elevator, she added, "No matter how much I love my sister--and I do love her--I wouldn't want to be like her."

"I never doubted you love your sister," he said, looking down into cool green eyes, framed by the darkest lashes he'd ever seen. His gaze dropped to her nose, straight and upturned just enough to add some spunk to her face, and then down to a set of full lips that quivered a tiny bit.

"I hate doctor's offices," she repeated again, turning from him and stepping closer to the elevator door. The bell rang, and she plunged through the crowd and wedged herself between a candystriper pushing a woman in a wheelchair and an elderly man supporting himself with a bent wooden cane. She smiled. "This car seems to be full. I suppose you'll have to catch the next one."

He laughed and watched her face until the silver doors hid it from his view. Then he walked to the stairwell around the corner. Taking the stairs would be good for him anyway. He needed the exercise.

When he reached the lobby, he found Hailey casually leaning against a marble pillar, staring out the glass front doors. He stepped up to her, quietly, not wanting to disturb her thoughts. As he moved closer, he watched her expression change from wistful to sorrowful. She blinked several times, and then glanced his way.

"Now, what would you like to eat?" he asked, ignoring the tears in her eyes. He didn't want to get too close to this woman. His loyalty was to Heidi. Especially now, with the question of her feelings still echoing in his head.

"How about Thai?"

He cringed. Not his favorite food. "Sure, I know the perfect little spot. It's not far from here." Then he smiled. Thai food was an odd combination, so like Hailey. Sweet and spicy at the same time. And hot enough to make your eyes water.

Shaking his head, he forced his thoughts back Heidi, to safer territory. Worrying for a close friend was easy to do. Trying to decipher a mystery like Hailey wasn't only frustrating, it was terrifying.

His thoughts still on Heidi's treatment, and how she would need his support when she started the toxic chemo, he drove Hailey to the restaurant and picked at his food. He watched her eat, thinking of their mother and wondering if she'd be at Heidi's side throughout the week. With this next course being so powerful, the side effects might easily overwhelm Margaret. His heart went out to her. She looked so weary already.

And if she wasn't able to handle it and stick by Heidi's side, how would Heidi face it alone?

"You okay?" Hailey asked, after they'd finished eating and he'd paid the check. She took one last swig of her diet soda and set the glass on the table, then waited patiently for his answer.

"I'm fine. I have a lot to think about. Work, your sister's treatment, your family."

"Why do you care so much?" She leaned forward, her gaze traveling slowly over his face until he felt it heat from the intensity.

"Heidi is a friend."

"A friend, my ass." She smiled, her expression belying the challenge in her words.

He stood, not in the mood to explain his relationship with Heidi at the moment. "Shall we? I'd like to find you a hotel room, but if we wait too long, we'll run into the same problem we faced yesterday."

He glanced down at his watch. Seven o'clock, already? Where had the day gone? It would take at least an hour to drive back to the airport, which would put them in the vicinity at about eight. He shook his head. They'd never find a hotel at that hour with the convention in town. Hailey had been right about one thing; he hadn't planned this well.

After they stepped outside, Hailey eyed the sky. "It's getting dark. Should we bother? I mean--" she stopped, her face reddening. Then she turned from him and walked quietly to his car. She sat. "I left my things at your place. We'll have to stop there first."

His heart sunk. For some reason he had the feeling once they reached his condo, they wouldn't leave again. Lifting his cell phone from its cradle mounted to the dashboard, he punched the numbers for his answering service and waited, prepared for more bad news. To his surprise, he had no messages, and an ounce of discomfort lifted.

"Would you rather stay at the condo tonight?" he offered, peering toward her and wondering why the sparkle he'd seen earlier was gone. Her shoulders sagged as though the weight of the world sat upon them.

She stared out the window, but he guessed her eyes were sorrow filled. "No, that's okay. I'd like some quiet tonight. Could we find a hotel close to the airport, so I won't have to drive across town in a taxi?"

"There's no guarantee Heidi's going to make it," he said, hoping he was reading Hailey's mood right. "But she has the best team of doctors in the state. You can trust them."

She nodded, still facing the window. "I know."

One hand steering, he reached with the other one and took her hand in his. The action felt so right and so natural it made him smile.

She finally turned her head, first dropping her gaze to his hand, which lay on top of hers. Her fingers curled over the top of it and she squeezed. Then, she looked up, scowled and tugged her hand from his grip, turning away from him again.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I was trying to help," he said into the heavy silence pressing upon his head and heart. He could swear he heard every inch as it swept by them.

"It's okay. Really."

"Do you want to talk about it? I've been told I'm a good listener." He tried to keep his voice upbeat and casual, but knew he failed miserably.

The remaining miles were spent in silence, but once they pulled into his driveway, Hailey smiled softly, taking him by surprise.

"On second thought," she said, stepping from the car. "I think I will accept your generous offer of hospitality."

Uneasy with having her in his home another night, he watched her climb the stairs and wait at the front door.

Misery hidden behind the fakest smile she'd ever worn, Hailey waited at the top of the stairs for the strangely alluring doctor who'd forced his way into her life. Somehow, he'd managed to drag her back to the city she had vowed never to step foot within, and he had turned her brain to mush. All in a little more than thirty-six hours. If she weren't so overwhelmed, she might have found him amusing.

He finally stepped from the car and strolled up the sidewalk, stopping next to her. With his head tipped down, he eyed her, caution and curiosity reflected in his expression.

She beamed in return, sending his brows even closer over his aristocratic nose.

She laughed, not so much because she felt like it. No, if anything, she felt like crying. Hard, long, soul-shattering sobs. But the laughter would have to suffice, and as crazy as it was, it actually made her feel better. When the surge of cachinnation ceased, she cleared her throat with a soft cough and waited for him to open the door.

He stepped into the foyer and turned on a light. "Would you like something to drink? I have soda, beer, wine--"

"Do you have any tea? I could use something warm and sweet right now." She followed him to the kitchen and watched him sift through the contents of a cabinet. Her vision blurred, and she mindlessly stared through him, thinking of her sister. "How's Heidi?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

He spun around, an orange box of herbal tea in one hand. "She's doing okay--is excited about the procedure."

She nodded, and an icy cloud enveloped her like a frigid, damnable shroud. Her hands covered her face. Her eyes stung. "It shouldn't be like this, you know?" Her voice sounded muffled and broken.

A pair of hands, warm and comforting, settled on her shoulders and drew her forward a couple of steps. Her body leaned into his, and the cold shell around her heart cracked. Her self-control shattered as well, as sobs hurled from her soul, filling the room with bitter sounds of her grief.

He held her, ever so softly and gently, as though she was composed of the finest china. His kindness only heaped guilt on top of her misery. All he'd ever wanted to do was help Heidi. He'd never done anything self-serving. Yet she'd been so damn determined to prove something--what that was, she'd forgotten--she'd made almost every minute over the past three days completely wretched.

Soon, the welcoming waves of calm washed away the turbulence, and she could trust herself to speak. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest. She couldn't look up, didn't want to see the expression on his face, which she was sure would be either pity or cool detachedness. She couldn't live with either.

But he didn't let her stay huddled and hidden. He gently forced her chin up with an index finger, until her tear-hazed gaze met his. "No, I'm sorry." His blue eyes glistened, and his full lips quivered slightly. Deep furrows lined his forehead. "I've been a jerk, treating you the way I have."

That was not what she'd expected. She stepped back and smudged away the remaining tears chilling her cheeks and tickling her jaw, searching the vivid depths of his eyes. She didn't know what she expected to see there. The truth, perhaps. Who this man really was. He wasn't like any man she'd met before.

"Are you for real?" was all she could say. She regretted the words the minute she spoke them. "I mean, I've been such a pain in the ass, and you've done nothing to deserve it, and--"

He shook his head and palmed her face, gently running his thumb over her lip. The provocative touch startled her for a moment, and her breath stilled. Her heart fluttered like newly-hatched butterflies.

Something in his face eased her, a genuineness, guilelessness. He wasn't out to take advantage of her, she realized with relief. He was just showing her kindness. Friendship.

"I want to help you," he said. "Will you let me?"

She nodded. "I don't want to hide from my sister. I mean, I will if that's what she wants, but she's sick, and I don't think it's right--"

His smile stopped her cold, and she realized she was rattling on again.

"Sorry," she muttered, dropping her gaze to his chest. "When I'm upset I tend to chatter." She stared at his tear-stained golf shirt with the country club logo emblazoned on the pocket.

"I've seen worse faults." He stepped away, leaving her feel empty all over again. He found a mug in the cupboard, then went to the sink and filled it with steaming hot water from a separate tap.

Watching, she said, "I've seen those do-hickeys on TV but never saw how they worked. That's pretty nifty."

"Yeah, it's handy when you like tea or instant coffee. Nothing beats a pot of home-ground, percolated coffee, but I usually don't have time to brew a pot. I'm not a tea-drinker, but I keep a box handy for when I have company."

She nodded, suspecting who the company would have been. Heidi liked tea too.

After placing her cup, saucer, spoon and tea bag on a tray, he found some cookies, and made himself a cup of coffee. He led her to the relative darkness of the den, a cozy room paneled in deep mahogany with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining a long wall. A fireplace sat at one end, a cozy couch and ottoman facing it.

Rainer set the tray on the ottoman and motioned for her to take a seat on the couch, then handed her the cup and saucer. "Sugar?" he asked, standing before her.

She shook her head and watched him fill nearly half his cup with the white granules. A smile pulled at her mouth. "You'd better watch that stuff. It'll kill you."

"I've done worse." He sat, stirred his coffee with the same slow, thoughtful motion he'd used when they'd met at the restaurant. "Now, will you tell me what happened between you and Heidi? Tell me everything. I want to help."

Hailey swallowed, but it wasn't the tea she forced down her throat. She bit into a cookie and considered his question. Yes, she could tell he wanted to help her, but would he, once she explained it all? Or would their newfound, tenuous friendship, something that was suddenly more valuable than she liked, be shattered into a thousand jagged-edged shards by the truth?

She wouldn't lie.

Maybe she could tell him a little. Not too much, and nothing specific. She swallowed one more time, caught a deep breath as though readying herself for a plunge into icy water, and prepared to speak.