“Oh, no!” She shot out of bed, then staggered and nearly fell.
Somehow, he managed to get inside the room quickly enough to catch her and guide her back to the bed.
“I’ve missed my first appointment,” she explained, raising her good hand to her pounding head. “I was supposed to meet Abby, the event planner at the Pullman Mansion, at eight. I’ve got to go!”
He frowned at her. “I don’t think you’re up to it.”
She’d been stupid to drink last night. She wasn’t used to that much alcohol. “I don’t have any choice.” Her tongue felt thick and unwieldy. “Have you seen my phone?” She glanced around but couldn’t locate it.
“Your purse is out on the counter.”
When she started to get up, he pressed her back. “I’ll get it.”
He returned with a glass of water, two ibuprofen tablets and her purse, which contained her phone. At least she hadn’t left it at the bar last night. She figured, at this point, she should be grateful for the little things.
“She’s tried to reach me five times,” she said as she checked her call record. “My mother and Noelle have both called twice.” She lifted her eyes to his. “What am I going to tell them?”
“I say you tell them that you’re not feeling well and to get by the best they can without you.”
“I can’t do that! The wedding’s tomorrow night.” She rubbed her temples, hoping to mitigate some of the pain. The hand she’d injured was no longer swollen, but it was still sore, which didn’t help with her hangover.
He urged her to swallow the painkiller and watched as she obeyed. “Fine. Get in the shower. I’ll call and tell them you’re on your way.” He took the glass. “Then I’ll drive you to your car.”
It wouldn’t go over very well to have Brandon act as her secretary when she’d blown such an important appointment. They’d assume she was purposely causing problems, that it was a vindictive attempt to strike back at Noelle. But it would postpone the confrontation until she felt more equipped to handle it. And letting them believe she was having an affair was better than the pathetic truth that she wasn’t handling Kyle and Noelle’s union quite as nonchalantly as she’d planned.
Regardless of anything else, she deserved one small rebellion, didn’t she?
“Thanks.” She handed him her phone. “They’re right there on my list of favorites.”
“Towels are on the rack to the left of the sink,” he said. “You’ll see them.”
Despite the pressure she was feeling to hurry, she could only move gingerly. She made her way to the door before turning back. “Did Kyle come to the bar last night?”
He met her eyes. “He did.”
“I thought maybe I dreamed that part.”
“No.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Olivia didn’t understand why, but she couldn’t look away.
“You could steal him back if you want,” he said at length. “You know that, right?”
He was serious. He was telling her that if Kyle was the man she really wanted to be with, she could fight for him and would probably win.
But it wasn’t so simple. There were other people involved. Not to mention the baby.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt the people that would hurt,” she said.
“Despite what Noelle has done to you?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
“Then you must not want him enough.”
“I don’t,” she said. “Not anymore.” That didn’t mean what she was going through didn’t hurt. The disappointment, the disillusionment, the sense of betrayal and the blow to her self-esteem were very real and ever-present, especially when she was in Whiskey Creek. But she couldn’t get back with Kyle knowing he had a child with her sister. How would they interact with that child? How would they interact with her family?
At least, for the first time since falling in love with Kyle, she was feeling desire for another man. The excitement that brought told her life after Kyle was possible; she just had to be careful or she’d land herself in an even worse situation.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said.
Suddenly she became very conscious of the fact that she was wearing nothing but her panties and shirt. She was better covered than if she were wearing a bathing suit. But what had almost happened last night, what she’d wanted to have happen, made her feel very exposed.
The way his gaze traveled over her body, as intimate as a caress, made her br**sts tingle. She struggled to find her voice. “Did I really try to rip off my clothes when you put me to bed?”
He grinned, which was answer enough.
“Thought so.” She’d actually brought it up so she could apologize. “I’m sorry. From what you said on the phone, I assumed that…that you might welcome a bed partner.”
“You think I was rejecting you?”
She felt her eyebrows slide up. “Weren’t you? I slept alone last night.”
“Next time ask me when I have the option of saying yes.”
Chapter 8
Olivia had left her luggage at Brandon’s house. Since she didn’t have a better place to stay, it’d seemed silly to lug it in so she could get ready, then lug it back out. He would have done the carrying for her, of course. He was a gentleman that way. But since her family already knew she was with him, there was no reason to leave his cabin on their account. He’d invited her to use his guest room for as long as she wanted, and she figured she might as well take him up on it.
That meant she’d be going back….
“Olivia, what do you think?”
She blinked before focusing on her mother, who was wearing a flowery dress and had her hair sectioned off in rollers with a scarf tied over the lot, making her look very 1960s housewife. “About what?”
“The bows that go on the chairs!” The impatience in Nancy’s voice suggested she’d already asked once. “Noelle doesn’t think they match the table runners. Are you sure these are the shade we ordered?”
Removing the sunglasses she’d been using to hide her bloodshot eyes, Olivia tried to focus. She’d expected these meetings to be difficult. But she was so preoccupied with Brandon, she was finding them more of a nuisance than a challenge.
“They’re a shade off,” she admitted. “I borrowed these from River City to save money, remember? That’s what you wanted me to do.”