Crossroad To Love (Fab Five Series) (10 page)

“I see,” Chloe smiled knowingly. She had been right. “They
certainly make a striking couple, don’t they?”     

“The problem is, they belong together and both of them are
too stubborn to admit it. Everyone can see it but the two of them,” Marianne
chimed in. “Or maybe they do see it and are too stubborn to do anything about
it.”       

“Well, I think I know a few people like that,” Chloe replied
with a glance at her handsome brother-in-law. “Take that one for instance,
sworn off women for ten years now. He needs to get over it and find someone
special to share his life with. I keep trying to tell him not all women are
like that hateful Marnie he thought was so great. I could have told him she was
not the princess he thought she was. I didn’t like her from the first day I met
her. But luckily, we lived hundreds of miles apart and I didn’t have to deal
with her often. She was not my idea of a perfect sister-in-law… or wife. She
was out for everything she could get, that one.”

“But I thought I heard his wife had died. Are you saying
they split up?” Marianne asked, surprised at Chloe’s outburst.

“Oh, she died all right. She was killed in a car accident on
her way home from a so-called business trip with her boss, who turned out to be
her lover. Ryan found the divorce papers and a pretty impressive engagement
ring in her purse after it was recovered from the accident. She’d already
signed the papers. He sold the ring when he got rid of her things. He had no
idea she’d been cheating on him for over two years with her boss. He was
devastated by that and by her death. He got hit with both barrels.”

“So that’s why he has sworn off women for all these years,”
Katy said thoughtfully. It made more sense now.

“Yes, poor guy, he sold everything, lock, stock, and barrel
and came out here to start over. He’s done well with the business, but never
could let himself get serious about anyone. And believe me, plenty of women
have tried. I wish so much for him to be happy with someone who deserves him.”
The younger woman smiled in Katy’s direction.
And you might just be the one
,
she thought, smiling to herself.

That explains a lot. It’s no wonder he had such a hard
heart when it came to the
fairer sex. I wonder if I could change his
mind
.
Silly girl, many others have tried. You
heard what Chloe
said.

“I need to quit gossiping and get back to the kitchen. The
lunch crowd will be coming in soon. Lizzie, did you talk with your husband?”

“Yes, he will be flying out on Thursday. Can you meet with
us?”

 “Why don’t y’all come here for dinner Thursday evening?
Then we can meet on Friday to sign the contract.”

“That sounds good,” Lizzie replied happily.

Ryan walked over to Katy. “I am going to take a big chance
here, little lady. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? We could go
over some more of your ideas for the restaurant designs and talk about your
future trips to Dallas.”

Katy was quick to reply, “That sounds lovely, Ryan. Would
you like for me to meet you here?”

“No, I’ll pick you up at your hotel around seven, if that is
agreeable? Where are you staying?”

“I’m at the Prava, I’ll meet you in the lobby at seven,
then.” Katy’s stomach was churning as a delightfully warm feeling spread
throughout her entire body at the thought of an entire evening with him.

“You’re on. See you then.” The man with the gold flecks in
his eyes winked at her as he turned to walk away.

“I’ll look forward to it, Ryan.”
I am going to get my
chance
.  Tonight she could try to draw him out, maybe get him to open up to
her about his grief. She could even share her story with him. He might see that
it was finally time to move forward. 

And as Katy pondered the evening ahead, across the room,
Michael was staring into the beautiful brown eyes of the woman he loved.
“Angie, I didn’t tell you because I had planned to surprise you and take you to
dinner tonight. When you told me you were coming to Dallas, I almost fell off
my chair. It was all I could do to not tell you that I would be here this week
as well. My surprise didn’t quite work out the way I had planned, but how about
it? Will you have dinner with me in the Big D tonight?”

“Okay, Michael, I will have dinner with you tonight, but the
rest of the week is for the ‘Fab Four,’ got it?”

“I will be good, I promise. I’ll leave you alone with your
friends until we get back home. I’ll meet you in the lobby of your hotel around
seven-thirty then, if that’s all right with you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Now I have to go. We’re planning
to do some sight-seeing today.”

“Have fun,” he yelled after her as she joined the others. He
watched her every move as she walked away from him toward her friends.

Why did Angie let him get to her? Just the thought of
spending an evening in Michael’s company sent chills running up and down her
spine. He said he would be good. But could she say the same? Yes, they would be
good, alright.
We could be so good together, if we
let ourselves
.
She had not forgotten how it had been for them. She would never forget his
touch, his kisses, lying in bed on lazy Saturday mornings all those years ago.
The heat between them was still there, she was sure of it. How would she get
through tonight and all the days that were ahead of her without giving in to
that heat?
I can’t let it happen
. She was going to have to be very
strong. They were once husband and wife, but that did not mean she was willing
to start an affair with him now, all these years later. She could not settle
for that when she had once had it all.

As the group of four drove to their next stop, two of them
silent, each one was deep in her own thoughts of the evening that awaited them.

Katy looked at her friend, Angie, wondering what thoughts
were going through her head.
Anyone with eyes can see that she still loves
Michael and he still adores her.
What was it all those years ago that tore
them apart? Had she really chosen her career over her love for Michael or was
there more to it than that? Michael had never fully understood. Michael had been
her world. What changed so suddenly? It must have been something major.
I
really
need to talk with her, but my own life is in such turmoil right
now, would
I really be able
to help her
? These thoughts,
jumbled with thoughts of Ryan O’Grady and his tortured past consumed her mind
for most of the afternoon.

Little had she known when she embarked on this adventure
with her friends a few days earlier what changes were in store for them in
Texas. Lizzie had an exciting future to go home to, her feelings of uselessness
behind her now. Angie had the chance for a new start with the love of her life,
and Katy had a chance for a new career and a new life. Katy’s thoughts went to
Marianne.
My heart goes out to her
.
I wish there was a way I could
help
her save her marriage
.
She loves Jon and I know she doesn’t
want to give up without a
fight. I need to find a way to give her the
strength to fight for what she wants
.

Over the years, all of the women had seemed to call on Katy
whenever there was a problem. And at times it wasn’t easy being the one in the
group that everyone turned to for guidance. She would find a way. She would
find a way with Angie, with Ryan, and with Mari. She wouldn’t be Katy if she
didn’t.

The girls returned to the hotel after a fun-filled afternoon
of shopping and sight-seeing. The tour of South Fork Ranch and the history
behind the house was indeed interesting. They had lunched at a small café on
the grounds and had spent most of the drive back talking about the upcoming
dates for the evening. Katy’s thoughts had run rampant all afternoon and the
conversation had been good for her.

“I feel like a kid again, discussing the evening’s date with
you guys,” she said as they entered the suite with their packages. She had
bought a new dress for the occasion. It was a very feminine, very soft shade of
lilac. The swirly skirt hit her just below the knee and the cowl neckline was
perfect for the pendant she had planned to wear with it. It came with a
matching shawl and she would wear her black, strappy sandals with it. A pair of
drop earrings would complete the picture. She’d had her nails done while they
were out and they were painted lilac to match her dress.

“It’s good to see you so happy, Katy,” Angie answered her
friend with a smile.

“I know it’s been a long time coming, but I could really
fall for this guy. I will have to be cautious, though. I know you all are
worried that I am getting in over my head with the confirmed bachelor of Dallas,”
she replied with a sigh. “But after hearing what Chloe had to say earlier
today, I can understand that part of his life a little better. He had his
reasons for not wanting to become involved with anyone seriously. It was easier
for him to play the field.”

“Who knows, you may be the one to break the spell,” laughed
Marianne.

“I’m going to try and draw him out tonight, make him talk
about the past, if I can. That is the only way that I have a chance of getting
through the wall he put up all those years ago. I wonder just exactly how many
years it’s been.”

“Good luck with that, honey. I am not sure he will want to
talk about it. From what Chloe said, he was devastated.” Lizzie entered the
conversation, still concerned for her friend.

“I’ll just have to be very careful how I approach the
subject. Maybe if we can both talk about the past, we can move on, hopefully
together,” she added with a secret smile.

“Angie, my dear, what is on the agenda with the wonderful
Michael for the evening?” Lizzie turned to her other friend.

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t. I would like to have
another chance with him. There I’ve said it out loud. It’s no secret that I
never got over him. But it has been so many years and we have both changed and
grown. We may find that we are two totally different people now, which could be
a good thing, or on the other hand, could be a bad thing. I want so much for
this evening to work out, but like Katy, I need to be very cautious. I need to
keep my wits about me and let my head rule over my heart tonight. Michael is no
longer my husband. He is a work colleague and I would do well to remember
that,” Angie answered thoughtfully.

“Well, you really need to talk about the reasons you split
up all those years ago. Maybe then you can tell if it would work out to try
again,” Marianne advised.

Angie did not answer her friend. No one knew the real reason
they split up except Angie’s mother. There was more to it than the career.
There were other things that had made Angie decide to divorce Michael all those
years ago. Painful things she had kept bottled up inside all these years. She
had done it for Michael.
But if I tell him now, will he
understand?
After all these years of silence, could she ever make him understand why she
did it?
Could I make any of them understand
? Her mother had urged her to
talk to him, urged her not to end her marriage. But she was so filled with
grief at the time, she did not listen. She wondered now if that had been a
terrible mistake.

Now that I know he never remarried and started the family
he’d always wanted,
should I tell him the truth
? If they had any
kind of a chance at reconciliation, she could not keep her secret any longer.
He would have to know. And knowing what she had done could be the end of them
forever.

“Race you for the shower!” Katy teased her friend,
interrupting her disturbing thoughts.

“You go first, Kathryn, my dear. Make yourself beautiful for
your man,” Angie teased back. They had joked like this so many times in the
past when getting ready for dates in high school and in college. It brought
back many fond memories.

 “All right, I’ll try not to stay in there too long. I know
you need to get beautiful for your guy too.” And with that Katy grabbed her
packages and headed for the bathroom, anxious to get ready for Ryan.

“You got awfully quiet there for a minute, Angie. Is
everything okay?” Lizzie asked after Katy left the room.

  “Oh, just thinking about tonight. It’s a big step, seeing
Michael again.”

  “Well, you know if you need to talk, we are always here. I’m
sure that we’ll have lots to talk about tonight… or tomorrow morning… whichever
the case may be.”  Marianne laughed at Angie’s reddening cheeks.

  “Your new outfit should knock old Michael’s socks right
off.” Lizzie had helped Angie pick it out this afternoon. It was pink, of
course. Michael had always loved Angie in pink and still, to this day, she
almost always chose that color when shopping for special occasions. 

“Socks, shirt, pants…” Marianne teased.

“Marianne, stop it… If you had your way, Michael and I would
skip dinner altogether and head straight to the bedroom. And what you’re
suggesting can’t happen.” Angie worried. “It just can’t.”

“Just funning with you, Angie, don’t fret so much,” Marianne
reassured her friend. “It might be just the thing you both need to knock some
sense into your heads,” she added with a giggle. But Angie knew better. It
would only make things worse. She had to stand her ground.

Katy entered the living room. Her new dress hugged her
petite figure in all the right places. She looked stunning. The other three
each nodded in approval.

“You look ravishing, Katy. Dallas’s most eligible bachelor
doesn’t stand a chance tonight.” Angie was the first to speak.

 “You are simply gorgeous.” Lizzie smiled in agreement,
tears pricking her eyelids.

“I am so happy for you, Katy.” Marianne had tears in her
eyes as well. This evening had been a long time coming for Katy, and Marianne
was truly happy for her friend. After all, it was just one date. What harm
could it do?