Some Like It Hot (11 page)

“I do love you, Gina.”

“No, you don’t, Mitch. At least you don’t love me as much as I love you, and I can’t take it any longer. Just give me a divorce so I can get on with my life and you can get on with yours. And I hope that the two of us can remain friends.”

She had waited, had hoped and prayed that he would cross the room and take her into his arms and tell her that he did love her as much as she loved him, and that he didn’t want a divorce…but he never did. Instead he just stood there looking at her for a long moment before walking over to the closet to begin packing his things. An hour later he had walked out the door without looking back.

Gina blinked when the sound of a car horn broke into her thoughts. She drew a deep, shuddering breath and slowly went back to her desk. Anything and everything that she and Mitch had ever shared was now in the past. They had been divorced for two years and the only thing they now shared was friendship…and possibly a business deal if she agreed to it. He had asked that she give him an answer within a week and time was running out. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since that night but knew he was still in town, and could only assume he was staying out at his ranch. She gazed at the piece of paper he had given her at dinner that night, which contained the phone number where he could be reached. Before she could change her mind she picked up the phone and began dialing.

“Hello.”

Gina felt every muscle in her stomach constrict at the sound of Mitch’s voice. She thought it was everything a male voice should be—deep, throaty, and seductive. She couldn’t help remembering that same voice whispering sensuous and sexy words in her ears while he made love to her. She closed her eyes briefly as the impact of those memories swept over her like a warm silken caress.

“Hello.”

She blinked her eyes, coming back into awareness when she realized she hadn’t responded to his first greeting. “Hello, Mitch. This is Gina.”

Mitch silently sighed and allowed himself a moment of profound thanks. At least she had called. When days had passed and he hadn’t heard from her, he had gotten worried that maybe she would not accept his offer. Even now he still wasn’t sure that she would. “Yes, Gina?” he asked softly.

“About your offer for me to do the interview.”

He swallowed hard and tried not to sound too anxious. “Yes, what about it? Are you interested?”

Mitch’s gut twisted at the brief pause…and then she said, “Yes, I’m interested. I would love to do it and want to thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

Mitch felt the tension in his shoulders ease and let out a deep, ragged breath of relief…and of thanks. “It’s my pleasure, Gina,” he said huskily.
And,
he thought,
I can guarantee you that in the end it will be your pleasure as well. You can count on it.

Gina was still having misgivings about accepting Mitch’s offer when she drove down the long driveway leading to his ranch house. A frown marred her features when just ahead she saw what she thought to be the most dilapidated-looking structure she had ever seen. It resembled an old worn-down farmhouse more than a ranch house.

She blinked twice, thinking she must be seeing things. Surely this building wasn’t the ranch house Mitch had purchased. Apparently so, she thought a few seconds later when he got out of a black Durango SUV in front of the house when she brought her car to a stop. She blinked again. He was wearing jeans. Other than that calendar he had posed for last year, she could count on her right hand the number of times she had seen him in something other than business attire. He’d always stressed that a person should always dress for success, so even while lounging around the house he’d worn casual designer slacks and shirts, a totally different look from the well-worn jeans he was sporting now. She couldn’t help but appreciate the well-put-together male body, a definite eye-catching look. It was the kind of look that could distract a woman something awful. She shifted her attention to his face and caught her breath at the same time that her heart stuttered. The dark shadow covering his chin, along with the well-worn jeans, made him look like a desperado from yesteryear.

A very handsome desperado at that.

“Good morning, Gina.” He greeted her with warm brown eyes and a heart-stopping smile as he opened the car door for her.

“Good morning, Mitch. Are you sure today is a good time to start?” she asked, trying not to concentrate on the deep huskiness she heard in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m sure. We can get started just as soon as I get your opinion of the place.”

Gina walked around the side of the car and took a good look at the building that was supposed to be a ranch house. Up close it was worse than she’d thought.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked, coming to stand next to her.

She tried to focus on his question and not on him standing so close beside her. Once again it was beginning to bother her that after two years, he still had the ability to stir her physically. “Well, I guess it has potential,” she finally responded. “But it depends on what you plan to do with it.”

He smiled. Gina had always been blatantly honest; almost too much at times. “I plan to live here,” he said softly.

“You’re going to tear it down and rebuild?”

Mitch chuckled. “No, I plan to remodel.”

Gina glanced back at the huge house that was barely standing. He had to be kidding. And she told him so.

“No, I’m not kidding. Believe it or not the structure of this place is still good. I’ve hired a really good team of professionals to assist me in restoring it to how it used to look.”

She couldn’t help but find that idea amusing. “Back in the eighteen hundreds?”

Mitch shook his head, grinning. “No, not quite that far back, but I have plans for this place. It will take me awhile but I hope to have it livable within a year.”

“That will take a lot of time and work.”

“I have the time and will enjoy doing the work.”

Surprise showed in Gina’s face. “You won’t be working?” she asked, then clarified by saying, “Your regular job as CEO of your corporation?”

“Yes, I’ll still be working. In fact I’m meeting with the Madarises again later today. But I no longer spend all my time working my regular job, Gina. I have a couple of young executives for that. That gives me the time to do some of the things that I enjoy doing.”

“Well, that’s a switch,” she said before she could stop herself. “I remember a time when all you did was work.”
And never made time for yourself or for me,
she thought bitterly.

“Yes, I know. And I hate that I did that when I think of all that I lost in trying to be successful.”

Gina actually heard regret in his voice but a part of her hardened. Too bad he hadn’t realized that two years ago. It would have spared her a lot of heartache and pain. He’d been so quick and eager to make a marriage commitment with her, but hadn’t been so quick and eager to do what it took to make their marriage work. In the beginning a part of her had understood his need to do what was necessary to make it to the top. But she could not understand nor accept the degree in which he had done so. First there had been the countless hours of overtime that would extend into the weekends. Then, when he had made operations manager and later operations vice president, there were the business trips that carried him from one part of the country to another. He literally thrived on the hustle and bustle of the business world, and more times than not he was packed and ready to fly out, destination unknown, at a moment’s notice. It became a norm for her to come home from work and find a note letting her know he was gone again.

Gina sighed. There was no reason to waste time thinking about their past. The only reason she was here was to talk to him about the interview. But still, she couldn’t help glancing around and asking, “So, where are you staying? At a hotel in town?”

“No, I’m staying in that trailer over there through the trees.”

Gina looked where his fingers pointed and saw a trailer very much like one of those usually stationed on a construction site, only it was a tad larger. “You’re staying in that?” she asked disbelievingly.

“Sure. It has a bath, bed, and a small kitchen. Everything I need.”

Gina knew he could afford a hotel room if he wanted one, so that couldn’t be the issue. “Why are you staying out here instead of at a hotel?” she couldn’t help asking.

He smiled. “I like it here. It’s so quiet and peaceful. Out here I’m attuned with nature, my surroundings, and with myself. I think this is the perfect place to be.” He met her inquisitive gaze. “This used to be my grandmother’s home.”

Gina sucked in her breath, shocked at his revelation. “But…but I thought you were born and raised in Beaumont.”

“I was. My father was born in this house. He moved to Beaumont when he met and married my mother, and that’s where I was born and lived until they were killed. Then I moved here with Gramma Eleanor when I was six.”

He smiled warmly upon remembering that time in his life. “She was everything a grandmother should be and I loved her dearly. Together, she and I spent many hours walking this land, taking care of her gardens and farm animals. My life was the happiest until I turned ten. That’s the year she got sick and died.”

Gina swallowed upon hearing the pain in his voice. He had never shared this part of his life with her. She’d known his childhood had been less than grand, but he’d never shared any intimate details like he was doing now. “Where did you go after your grandmother died?”

“To an aunt and uncle who took great pains to let me know I was a charity case. And because of their attitudes, I rebelled and got into all kinds of trouble. As punishment they sent me to live with my uncle Jasper.”

She nodded. He
had
shared stories with her about his uncle Jasper. “He’s the one who had a drinking problem, right?”

“Yeah, he’s the one,” he said angrily through his teeth.

Gina knew his anger was not directed at her but was the result of lingering memories he had of the man who had tormented his life during his teen years. She glanced around the property again, now seeing it through different eyes and accepting it for what it really was. This was the place Mitch had been most happy during his childhood. This was the place that had brought him the most joy.

“Did you inherit this place after your grandmother died?” she asked. If he had, he had never mentioned it during the time they’d been married.

“No, my father had a brother, and when Gramma Eleanor died this place automatically went to him. As you can see he had no use for it and over the years let it run itself down. It was only recently that I was able to negotiate a deal to buy it from my aunt when my uncle passed.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. Aunt? Uncle? He had never, ever mentioned that he had any relatives. In fact, she remembered distinctly asking him about any when she had made out wedding invitations and he’d told her there were none. Evidently he’d not grown up close to them.

Gina suddenly felt rattled. She had learned more about Mitch in the past few minutes than she’d known in the entire four years they had been married. There had been certain things he’d never discussed with her. His family, or lack of one, had been one of those topics he’d avoided. A part of her was surprised at the depth of what he’d revealed.

“So, where do we start?”

His words were casual, soft-spoken, yet they had the effect of something hot and luscious, snapping Gina back to the moment. And the tone, all sexy and sensuous, sank right into her bones. “Where do we start what?”

He gave her a crooked grin. “The interview.”

Realizing that her thoughts had gone off in another direction, one that set a tingling in her midsection, she quickly reeled them back in. “How about if we agree on the questions I want to ask you?”

“You can ask me anything, Gina.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m sure there are some things you’d want to avoid sharing with the world. Things you hold sacred that you want kept private.”

“Like our marriage?”

She lifted her chin. “I said things
you
hold sacred, Mitch. Our marriage was never one of them.”

There was a sudden quietness. The only sounds that could be heard were those of insects buzzing about and the distant sound of water flowing in a nearby stream. The smile on his face was gone, replaced by something close to misery. If that were the case, then the saying that misery loved company was true because she was right there with him. For two people who had once loved each other deeply, they had made a complete mess of things.

“I did hold our marriage sacred, Gina,” he finally said softly. “Maybe not as much as I should have, but I did. I want very little said about our marriage in this article. There’s no reason letting the entire world know what a complete fool I was in letting you go.”

“Dammit, Mitch,” Gina said, staring up at him and feeling the sudden threat of tears in her throat. How dare he say something so bold, that he realized he’d made a mistake in letting her go? A part of her was glad he did recognize it, but then another part knew the realization had come two years too late.

“Why, Mitch? Why are you saying these things? And why now? Why are you being so repentant?”

His expression went from misery to regret. “Because I am. I’m fully aware of what I lost the day you divorced me. I’m also aware that too much damage was done for any type of repair. I’ve accepted that, Gina. But that doesn’t keep me from acknowledging just how wrong I was and what mistakes I made.”

Gina took a breath, full of emotions. He hadn’t been the only one who had made mistakes. She had to admit that she had made a number as well. She had gone into their marriage thinking it would be simple and easy. After all, they loved each other and love would certainly be enough; however, the first time she saw that it wasn’t enough had been difficult for her to handle.

She sighed. Rehashing the past was a waste of time. Their marriage was over. There was no way they could ever go back. She knew it and hoped that he knew it as well. She decided to ask him to make sure. “You do know that we can never go back, don’t you, Mitch?”

He sighed deeply. “Yes, Gina, I know it and I’ve accepted it. But we can be friends, can’t we?”

“We’ve always been friends, Mitch, even when we weren’t in touch. My parents were separated for over twenty years and remained friends because of Trevor and me. And although we didn’t have any children together I see no reason to become enemies just because we decided we could no longer live together as man and wife. Things between us just didn’t work out and we moved on. End of story.”

Mitch knew that this wasn’t the end of the story. It was just the beginning. He hadn’t been completely truthful with Gina just now when he’d said that he had accepted the fact that they could never go back. He had every intention of winning her back, and he knew it meant patience on his part. Patience had never been one of his strong points, but somehow, someway, he would pull this off. He had to. First, he would strengthen their friendship and then go from there.

He glanced down at his watch. “How about if we decide on those interview questions over lunch?”

“Lunch?”

He smiled. “Yes. I can still fix a mean grilled cheese sandwich if you’re interested. And I just might be able to find a few lemons to squeeze while I’m at it. You’ve always loved my lemonade.”

Gina smiled. That was no joke. For the first year of their marriage they had lived on Mitch’s grilled cheese sandwiches, lemonade, and love.

Love.

They had been so much in love that first year, she thought. Then things had changed after he’d gotten that promotion he’d always wanted. “I’d love a sandwich and lemonade.”

“Come on, then. My modest kitchen awaits you.”

He held his hand out to her. She hesitated a brief moment before placing her hand in his. Immediately the touch of his hand on hers made her shiver although the Texas sun was hot and shining bright in the July sky.

Mitch felt her tremor and looked at her. “Are you okay, Gina?”

She nodded that she was okay. However, a part of her doubted she would ever truly be okay again now that Mitch Farrell was back in town.