Crossroad To Love (Fab Five Series) (18 page)

“So you really thought you could get away with it? Sneak her
in and then wine and dine me before you go back upstairs to her? Really, Jon,
do you think I am that stupid?”

Jon’s heart fell as he realized what she was saying, and it
felt as if all the breath had been suddenly stolen from his lungs.
She must
have seen Jennifer in the lobby
. He answered her in a solemn voice, “Honey,
I have no one waiting for me in a room upstairs. I would never do that to you.
What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you ‘honey’ me, you cheating bastard. You must think
I am really pathetic. I know all about your affair with the little blonde lab
tech. Don’t look so surprised, I’ve known for a while now. I was going to
confront you about it when I got back home. Now, I guess I won’t have to do
that. You have seen to it that it is all out in the open. But how in the world
could you parade her in front of my friends like that? How could you be so
cruel? Do you hate me that much?” A tear had made a trail down her cheek.

“Marianne, I don’t hate you. I love you.” Jon started toward
her.

She held her hand up to stop him. “Don’t come near me. I
don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

“Well, you’re going to hear what I have to say.”

“No, Jon, actions speak louder than words. I don’t need to
hear it.” Marianne turned away from him.

“Dammit, Mari, there is no affair. There never was.”

“And what makes you think I’d believe that?”

“I can’t believe you think I would cheat on you after all
these years.”

“Don’t pull that innocent crap on me, Jon. I am not stupid.
Julie saw you with her at the lab one night after hours. How do you think I
found out?”

“That must have been the night she cornered me, and there
was a kiss, which she initiated and I stopped. Marianne, believe me, nothing
ever happened. She has been chasing me relentlessly. I don’t want her. I want
you. I came here tonight to surprise you girls and take you out to dinner. You
know I’m fond of your friends. I wanted to see all of them while they were in
town.”

“I think you should leave now, Jon. We won’t be having
dinner with you.”

“Marianne, you need to listen to what I am saying. I don’t
have her stashed in a suite anywhere. I came here to be with you. I have never
cheated on you, I don’t appreciate being called a bastard and I certainly would
never embarrass you in front of your friends.”

“Leave or I will call security and have you thrown out,” she
replied coldly.

Jon turned sadly toward the door. “I know you somehow think
I’ve screwed up badly here, but you have to believe me. I love you and I want
only you. Please think about that.” He walked out the door, closing it softly
behind him.

After he left, Marianne collapsed on the couch in tears. She
had held them back for as long as she could. Lizzie came out of the bedroom as
Katy was coming in the door.

“Was that Jon I just saw getting on the elevator?” she asked
as she looked from Marianne to Lizzie. “Oh, my God, what happened?”

Angie walked out of the bedroom. She was feeling better
after her nap. She and Lizzie had talked while Jon and Marianne were doing
battle in the living room.

“All hell has broken loose, that’s what happened. Jon and
Mari’s issues have suddenly come to a head,” Angie answered Katy’s question as
she looked at Marianne sobbing on the couch.

“My marriage is over. He tried to make excuses and deny the
affair. He is such a liar. I’ve lived with that man for years and raised his
children. I supported him while he was in med school. We struggled as he got
his practice off the ground. And through it all, I’ve never once questioned our
love. Now, just when we finally have the life we’ve always dreamed of, I find
out it was all a lie. He’s probably been screwing around on me for years. I’m
such a fool. The whole hospital has probably been laughing behind my back all this
time.” She collapsed into sobs again.

Her friends looked at each other helplessly.

“Tell us what he said, maybe we can help,” Lizzie offered.

Angie poured a glass of wine for all of them, handed one to
each of her friends and sat on the couch beside Marianne. The other two also
sat down.

When Marianne had calmed herself, she told them about the
conversation she and Jon had just had.

 “Did it ever occur to you that he might just be telling you
the truth?” Angie warily asked her heartbroken friend.

“I was so mad at him, I just couldn’t think straight. All I
wanted to do was lash out at him. After keeping this bottled up inside me for
all these months and trying to decide how to handle the situation, it just all
came pouring out of me, all the hurt and anger. I didn’t want to hear a word he
had to say. When I saw the two of them in the lobby together, I naturally
thought the worst. Do you think he might have really been telling the truth?”
Marianne looked to her friends for advice.

“That is all understandable, but you really need to hear him
out again, when you are calmer. Maybe he really was telling the truth,” Angie
answered.

“That’s right. I just don’t believe Jon could be that
vindictive, to bring her here, of all places,” Katy said.

“Let’s get ourselves looking presentable and go down to the
bar, have a few drinks, have dinner. Maybe if you get your mind off this for a
while, you will be calm enough to talk to Jon civilly,” Lizzie suggested.

“Good idea,” Angie agreed. The other two nodded in agreement
and the four friends began to get ready.

Meanwhile, Jon, who was still in shock at finding out that
Marianne had known for months about Jennifer, not to mention the fact that she
really believed he could betray her, headed for the bar.
I am not leaving
here tonight without getting her to understand
.
She
has to listen
to me
.
I’ll just have a few drinks and then go back up to the suite
.
Maybe the other girls could get her to listen to him. Katy had always been good
at solving everyone else’s problems.

 As he walked into the bar, he saw a familiar face sitting
on a stool. It was Michael Gray, of all people.
What is he doing in Dallas
?
Does he know that Angie
is here with the ‘Fab Four
?’

Jon walked over to his old friend and, giving him a slap on
the back, said, “Long time, no see, old friend. What brings you to the Lone
Star state?”

Michael looked up and grinned. “Hey, Doc, how goes it?”

“Not good, I’m afraid. I’m about to lose my happy home.” He
ordered a scotch on the rocks and began telling his tale of woe to his old
friend.

“Wow, you really are in a mess, aren’t you, pal?” Michael
commented, realizing he was not the only one with problems, even though it felt
that way.

“So did you know that Angie is here?” Jon asked.

Michael proceeded to tell Jon what had happened between him
and Angie in the last few days. He told the whole sad story in a somewhat
shortened version.

“We are two sorry souls, aren’t we? About to lose the women
we love, and drowning our sorrows together,” was Jon’s response after he had
listened to Michael’s sad story. “I am so sorry for your loss, man. It can’t
have been easy for her to tell you after all this time. I know the medical
condition she is talking about. It is indeed a devastating thing for a woman to
go through. It’s no wonder she was so distraught at that time. Too bad she
didn’t get some counseling. Things might have turned out differently for the
two of you. Where do you go from here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Seems to me that if you love her, you need to forgive her
and move on.”

Michael was silent, thinking about the advice he’d been
given by first Liz and Mari, then Jackie, and now Jon.
Are they right? Do I
need to get over it and get on
with my life… with Angie
?

The two men continued to drink, finally deciding they had better
order some dinner. They talked about old times and adventures they had all had
together over the years and caught up on each other’s lives. Jon was duly
impressed with the success Michael had achieved as a top notch architect. In
fact, they were so deep in conversation that they did not notice that the ‘Fab
Four’ had entered the bar and were being seated at a table across the room.
Neither did the girls notice the two men engrossed in conversation on the other
side of the room.

As the four girls looked at their menus, Katy happened to
look up and spotted Michael and Jon sitting together. She decided it best not
to say anything to the others just yet. Apparently, they had not noticed the
two men. As if on cue, Ryan O’Grady chose that moment to enter the room. This
was going to be a very interesting evening, indeed.

She would have welcomed having him here to enjoy the dinner
with her friends under normal circumstances. Instead, she had the dreaded
feeling that she would be spending this Wednesday evening controlling the fireworks
that were sure to be just around the corner. What a strange reunion this was
turning out to be. Her friends needed her to be the strong, helpful one once
again, but this time, she also needed guidance.
I’ll just have to work on
getting them settled and then I can concentrate on my own dilemma.

Heads turned as Ryan O’Grady walked across the room. His
looks and charisma made him a very attractive man and every woman in the bar
had noticed that fact. He knew where he was headed, though, and gave no notice
to any of the other women in the bar. He spotted Katy’s table and walked
straight to her.

“Pardon me for intruding, ladies. I found that I just
couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see Katy, so I thought if you would permit me,
I’d buy y’all a drink. Then I will leave you to your girl time,” he announced
as he stood beside Katy and smiled.

“We’ll always take a free drink from a handsome man. Pull up
a chair, Ryan,” laughed Lizzie as she looked to Katy for approval. Katy nodded.

He took a seat at the table with them. “When I spoke to you
on the phone earlier and you said you had plans for this evening, I was
disappointed, even though I know you’re in Dallas to spend time with your
friends. So I thought this way, I could spend a little time with you and still
give you time with Lizzie, Marianne, and Angie.”

Katy blushed and then replied, “Perfectly all right, Ryan.
I’m glad to see you. Did you have a busy day at the restaurant? And how is it
that you were able to sneak out tonight by the way, after being gone last
night?”

“We try to take turns being at the restaurant. That way none
of us gets burned out. Chloe took off and did some shopping earlier in the day,
so she is covering for me tonight. And I think my sister-in-law approves of
you, so that makes it much easier for me to get away. In the old days, she
wasn’t so agreeable at times.” He grinned mischievously.

Chloe did more than shop this morning
, thought Katy,
remembering her conversation with his sister-in-law when they had coffee
earlier. She turned her attention back to Ryan.

“Lizzie’s husband is flying in tomorrow to talk with you
about the ads. So we’ll all be at the restaurant tomorrow night. You will be
there, won’t you?” Katy teased.

“That’s what I hear. And, yes, my yellow rose, I will be
there with bells on.” He smiled and took her hand in his as he spoke. “Michael
will be there, as well, I believe. Marianne, you should have your husband join
us. You live in the Dallas area, don’t you?”

Marianne paled and replied, “Yes, as a matter of fact we do.
I am not sure if he will be able to make it or not.”

“Well, the invitation is open. If he can, he is more than
welcome. We should all get to know each other. Some of us will be working
together, and if Katy and I are going to become an ‘item’ I need to get to know
her friends.” He winked at Katy as he added the last comment. She blushed again
and smiled up at him.

I wonder if he will still want to become an ‘item’ when I
tell him who I really am.
She was going to have to do that soon. Tomorrow
night after the dinner was when she had decided to tell him. She did not want
to ruin the dinner. It was going to be hard enough with Angie and Michael there
together and with Marianne and Jon at odds.
Oh, I need to get those two gals
in gear so I can concentrate on my own woes.

After a few drinks and polite conversation, Ryan rose to
leave. “I will leave you ladies to your girl talk now. Have fun and I’ll see
all of you tomorrow night.” He leaned over and gave Katy a kiss on the
forehead. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” He grinned at them as he waved goodbye.

The ‘Fab Four’ watched in awe as he walked out of the room.
He really was taken with their little Katy. It was quite obvious he was
interested in starting something with her. And it was such a shame that it
probably would never happen.

“You have to tell him soon, before this goes any further,
Kate,” Lizzie said as Ryan walked out the door.

“I know. I plan to tell him tomorrow night, after dinner. I
just hope he can handle the information.” Katy sighed as she thought about how
she would break the news to him.

“And to think our little Katy is the woman who stole the
heart of Dallas’s most eligible bachelor. Way to go, girlfriend.” Marianne
laughed for the first time all evening.

Angie went white all of a sudden. She gasped.

“What in the world?” Marianne followed her friend’s gaze and
saw what had alarmed her. Jon and Michael were seated at a table across the
room, apparently in deep conversation.

“Probably commiserating about how we ruined their lives,”
Marianne said grudgingly.

“Forget about them. We’re here to have dinner and a good
time. If they see us, we will deal with it then,” Lizzie advised her friends.
“No use starting something here in the bar.”