Third Time's the Charm (4 page)

Her breath shortened, and she scrambled to keep a level
head. “How long ago did you make the promise?”

“Two years ago.”

Now she was surprised. “So you haven’t dated for two years?”

“Nope. Not since about a year after the divorce.” His other
hand came out and cupped her cheek as he moved closer.

Liz’s heart was pounding like crazy, not because she wanted
him to leave, but because she wanted him to stay. “I don’t want you to break
your promise to yourself.”

His mouth curved into a smile. “You are
so
accommodating.” He inched closer until she could practically feel his body
against hers, although they weren’t touching. “And beautiful.”

“You shouldn’t let a pretty face change your mind.” It was
her last ditch effort.

“Too late.”

Her eyes closed as his lips touched hers. His hand moved
from her cheek to the back of her head, drawing her closer. Her mouth parted as
his kissing deepened, and she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck
and pressing against him.

Her mind told her she was crazy and that she should lock
herself in the bathroom and 911-text Gemma. But her body wasn’t paying
attention. His kissing slowed, and she let out a sigh.

He pulled away, his hands cradling her face. “Was that a
good or bad sigh?”

“I’m not sure yet,” she whispered.

Sloane chuckled. “I never know what you’re going to say.”

“I don’t want you to break your no-dating promise with a
predictable woman.”

He smiled and brushed his lips against hers. “Does that mean
we’re dating then?”

“Umm . . .”

He groaned. “Do I have to convince you some more?” He kissed
her again, slowly, his hands moving down her back, then resting on her hips.

How could this man—who she’d known for only a week—feel so
perfect?

His mouth moved to her neck, trailing kisses along it. Heat
shot through Liz—he’d found her weakness. In a few moments, she’d be putty in
his hands. “Sloane,” she said, moving her hands to his chest and pushing against
him slightly. “You have me convinced.”

Sloane lifted his head. “So is kissing your neck the trick?”

“Maybe.” Every part of her body tingled. She was moving into
the danger zone. She imagined unbuttoning his shirt and running her hands along
his warm chest.

“Good to know.” He drew away.

She wanted him back, holding her, kissing her. It scared her
how quickly she’d grown attached to him, as though she needed him. She took a
reluctant step away from him. “You should go,” she whispered, embarrassed at
how vulnerable she felt, at how easily she’d cave if he kissed her again.

But he seemed to understand, and he walked over to the
coffee table and picked up the bag of food. “I never turn down good Thai.” He
winked. Without any more kissing, he was out the door. For that, Liz was
grateful. If he’d kissed her again, she didn’t think she’d let him leave the
apartment.

You are such a liar.

I’m not,
Liz texted Gemma.
It just happened.
Totally unplanned. And . . .

Totally great?

Yeah. I’m sooo screwed. And he was talking to his ex-wife
like 5 minutes before! Ugh!

Well, at our age, everyone’s gonna have some baggage.

True, Liz thought.
But that doesn’t mean I have to like
it.

Seriously, Liz, he sounds pretty awesome.

He
was
awesome. Thinking of Sloane sent warm shivers
along her body. They’d talked on the phone a couple of times over the
weekend—he had to go to San Diego to check out properties—but she hadn’t seen
him since Friday night. Her mouth pulled into a frown. He was meeting Darci
tonight for that dinner.

Liz didn’t know much about Darci, but she knew she didn’t
want Sloane hanging out with his ex, even it if was business-related.
Too sticky
. . .

 Today was a slow day at the salon, and Liz had taken it
upon herself to organize the back room. Josi’s voice sailed through the open
door. “Liz, your next appointment’s here.”

Liz turned and slipped her phone into her pocket. She didn’t
have an appointment until three. She froze when she saw Sloane walking toward
her. He wouldn’t dare . . . She’d already told him she didn’t want to cut his
hair.

“Hi,” she said in a small voice when he reached the back
room. She’d wondered how she’d react when she saw him again. Now she knew—all
melty and breathless.

He didn’t stop walking but crossed to her and pulled her
into his arms. After kissing her thoroughly, he said, “Hi. I missed you.”

Liz suddenly became aware of Josi at the front desk, who had
a full view through the door, ogling.

“Uh . . . the door,” Liz said.

Sloane turned and shut it. “Better?” He grinned.

Liz folded her arms, her heart hammering at how much she
wanted to kiss him again. “I’m not giving you a haircut.”

He laughed. “You want me to go to your competition then?” He
was standing in front of her, his hands snaking around her waist.

“Do I have competition?”

“No.” He backed her up against the wall and lowered his
mouth to hers.

She kissed him and let herself be wrapped up in his arms for
a blissful moment, forgetting all of the complications this was bringing to her
life. For a moment, she reveled in his nearness, his touch, and the tingling
shooting all the way to her toes.

When he lifted his head for a moment, she said, “What are
you doing here?”

“I told you. I missed you.”

Liz wanted to laugh. How could he really miss her? They’d
only been on one semi-date. Should she be worried this was moving so fast?
Reluctantly, she placed her hands on his chest and put some distance between
them.

“You know I’m at work.”

“Yeah,” Sloane said, scrubbing his hand through his hair.
“Sorry about that.”

His smile was completely endearing.

He exhaled. “Look, I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like
I know you more than I really do. Like we didn’t just meet last week.” He took
a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Still, we need to slow it
down.”

“Really?” Liz laughed. “Who came barging in here?”

“Yeah, I know. I meant
me
.
I
need to slow it
down.” He moved toward the door, his expression confused, vulnerable, and
adorable all at the same time.

Liz wanted to throw her arms around him. Instead she folded
her arms. “How are you going to do that?”

“Go to Liz-aholics-Anonymous?”

“I can save you the trouble by just telling you all of my
flaws.”

He stopped at the door, his hand on the knob. “I doubt your
flaws would make me not want to barge into your work and kiss you.”

Heat spread along her neck. This room was getting way too
small for the both of them.

“What time do you work tomorrow morning?” he asked.

“The usual ten o’clock.” She cocked her head. “Are you
planning on coming in again?”

“Ten would mean I had to wait too long,” he said. “Can I
bring over breakfast around nine? I have to go to the admin office tomorrow, so
I can stop by your place first.”

“So, is this your
slowing down
plan? Getting together
first thing in the morning?”

He nodded with a sheepish smile. Liz laughed. He opened the
door and walked through the salon, stopping to say something to Josi.

Liz let out a sigh as she leaned against the doorframe and
watched him leave. Was she seriously allowing this to happen? Sloane had said
he’d made a promise to himself not to date for a while, and what about her own
promises to herself? He was right. She felt as if she knew him longer than just
a week as well.

Josi crossed the salon and stood in front of her, arms
folded across her red stretchy top. “Wow. He is like the real deal. Did you see
his car?”

Liz had seen his BMW, but she didn’t want to think about any
of that. She knew that it wouldn’t matter if he drove a vintage VW bug; she was
definitely in danger of falling in love with Sloane.

Liz kissed Paisley as the school bus pulled up to the
corner. “Bye, sweetie. Have a good day.” Liz had awakened early to get showered
and dressed before sending Paisley to school so that she’d be ready when Sloane
arrived.

She’d spent half the night thinking about Sloane and how he
was pretty much too good to be true. He could fix sinks, run a major business,
kiss like a hero in a romance novel,
and
he was into her.

Liz’s breath caught just thinking about it. She crossed the
parking lot, casting a clandestine glance toward the admin office. Sloane’s car
wasn’t there yet. She hurried to her apartment building, not wanting to be in
the parking lot when he arrived. What if he kissed her in front of all her
neighbors? A smile played on her lips at the thought, but still she bounded up
the steps to her apartment.

Five minutes passed, then ten, and Liz found herself
watching out the window, eyeing the parking lot. It wasn’t like Sloane to be
late, but anything could have happened. Liz wondered how the dinner with his
ex-wife had gone last night. Had a compromise about the business finally been
reached?

Just then, Sloane’s BMW pulled in, followed by a black
sports car. Liz took a step back, keeping herself out of view as she watched
Sloane climb out of his car. He wore a tan shirt and tie with dark blue slacks.
But instead of coming toward her apartment, he leaned against his car and
folded his arms. That’s when Liz noticed the black car had pulled to a stop on
the other side of his.

A tall woman climbed out, her black hair shoulder length.
Even from this distance, Liz could tell she was beautiful in an exotic way.
When she came around Sloane’s car, Liz narrowed her eyes. The woman’s tanned
legs seemed to go on forever, made more obvious by her sky high stilettos, and
her short skirt only adding more emphasis.

Liz’s heart thumped. Sloane was watching her, as if waiting
for her . . . The woman walked right up to Sloane and put a hand on his arm. He
kept his arms crossed, but he was definitely looking at her.

The woman pressed against him and kissed his cheek, then
drew away, but kept her hand on his arm. It had to be Darci, Liz decided.

She felt sick watching Sloane’s ex-wife, a woman he’d shared
a lot with, plainly throw herself at him. What in the world were they talking
about? Sloane shook his head a few times, but that didn’t seem to deter Darci.

Liz felt guilty watching them, but she had to know what she
was getting herself into . . . if she was going to get herself into anything.
It seemed that Darci was still very much interested in her ex-husband.

Darci’s hand moved to his shoulder, then she stretched
upward and kissed Sloane full on the mouth. Granted he didn’t really seem to
kiss her back, but Liz’s mind was already consumed with the stuff of
nightmares.

She could never compete with a woman who looked like a super
model or a woman who knew Sloane very intimately and seemed to still be able to
command him like a puppy. Liz really wanted to look away, but she was glued to
the scene.

Darci drew back, and Sloane didn’t move, didn’t even uncross
his arms. The woman stepped away, her hand lingering on his arm. Then she
walked around his car, looking as though she’d just won something.

Sloane kept his gaze forward, but as the black sports car
left, he turned to watch it. Then he pulled a couple of sacks out of his car’s
back seat.

Breakfast.

Liz held her breath as she watched him cross the parking
lot, coming toward her building.

What should I do?

She did the only thing she could think of that would save
her heart. She locked the front door and disappeared into her bedroom.

Sloane knocked a couple of times, then rang the doorbell.

Liz stayed curled on her bed, eyes closed, heart hammering.
It’s
better this way,
she told herself.

Her cell phone rang. Of course it was Sloane. Liz stared at
it as the melody mocked her. When it stopped ringing, a text showed up.

Are we still on for breakfast?

Liz didn’t answer.

A couple of minutes later another text came through.
Are
you okay? Your car’s here
.

Finally, she wrote,
Sorry I’m not feeling well.

What’s wrong?

Migraine.

I’ve got a special tea I can make for that.

Of course he did. He was the Renaissance man. No wonder
Darci was still after him.
No thanks. I’m going to try to sleep it off.

A full minute passed.

Liz, can we talk?

She groaned. He must have figured out she saw him with
Darci. And she did
not
want to talk about it because then he’d convince
her that it was nothing, and she’d just fall more in love with him, and a few
months from now, they’d break up, and she’d be back to her insecure, messy
self. She could get out now while she was still ahead, while there were only
good memories between them: one incredibly sweet date and several fabulous
kisses.

When I’m feeling better,
she wrote.

OK. Leaving your breakfast by the door. Call me if you
want tea.

OK.

And then he was gone. She heard his footsteps going down the
stairs. A few minutes passed, and she imagined him going into the admin office.
She waited until she was nearly late for work before leaving the apartment and
grabbing the sack in front of the door. A gigantic blueberry muffin was in
there. She hopped in her car, expecting him to come out of the office at any
moment.

But he didn’t come out, and she found herself at work,
irritated with everything.

Even Josi got tired of the moodiness. “Spill it, Liz.”

“Not now,” Liz said. “And don’t ask me anything about
you-know-who today.”

Josi agreed, but Liz could tell she was dying to pester her
with questions.

On the way home from work, Liz felt steady enough to report
into Gemma.

“He was kissing his ex in the parking lot, right in front of
your apartment?” Gemma asked.

“Well, not right in front, but pretty close, and technically
she
was kissing
him
,” Liz said. “But they’ve been divorced for three
years, and she’s still apparently all over him. He made it sound like their
break up was totally mutual.”

Gemma was quiet for a moment, which wasn’t a good sign. She
usually knew exactly what to say. “Well, whether or not you decide to keep
dating him, you at least should let him explain things more,” Gemma finally said.

“I don’t know if I want to know his explanation,” Liz said,
turning onto the Pacific Coast Highway. “Why does this have to be so hard?”

“Because every relationship is hard.”

“I don’t like it,” Liz said, knowing she was just whining.
But luckily Gemma let her whine once in a while.

“Look, Liz, I agree you should take things slow, but that’s
just my point. Allow yourself to date him. Take a bit of a risk.”

“I’m all risked-out.”

Gemma laughed. “I’ve had to put up with your obsessive
texting and calling for the past week about this guy, and I’m not going to let
you off easy. You need to follow this through—and if it means totally breaking
off things, that’s your decision. But don’t just cut him off cold. Be decent
and listen to him, just like you’d want him to do the same for you.”

“Ouch,” Liz said.

“That’s why you love me.”

“Yeah, I do love you. So maybe we should just be lesbians.”

Gemma scoffed. “That would last for about five seconds until
the next man walked into the room.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad.”

“You’re wired for men, Liz. You can’t deny that.”

Liz pulled into the parking lot of her apartment. Sloane’s
car was gone. Seeing Darci all over him this morning had made her crazy—crazy
jealous. Gemma was right. She only wanted a man.

And that was the problem. A man always came with a bunch of
heartache.

“Just getting home to Paisley. I’ll call you later, Gem.”
After hanging up, Liz scrolled through the texts that had come in through the
day. Around two o’clock Sloane had asked how she was doing. She hadn’t replied
yet.

Now she bit her lip, sitting in the quiet of the car with no
distractions of work around her, and her tumultuous feelings from that morning
faded. Sloane hadn’t responded to Darci—not as he’d kissed Liz. Not even close.

Okay, just text him.

She typed:
Feeling better. Went into work for a few
hours. Thanks for the breakfast.
Liz exhaled and climbed out of the car.
She had about twenty minutes before Paisley got off the bus. Before she reached
her apartment door, Sloane had texted back.

Glad you’re feeling better. When’s a good time to talk?

He wasn’t going to let that drop, Liz realized. Thinking
about what Gemma said to her—to give him a chance and that it didn’t have to
mean she was going to date him—she texted back.

Come over at 9 tonight
.

By eight forty-five Paisley was sound asleep, the apartment
was clean, Liz had showered—again—and she was a bundle of frayed nerves.

She texted Gemma.
15 minutes! I can’t breathe.

Try to relax. It’s not like the world is coming to an
end.

Thanks for your sympathy.

J

Liz glowered at her phone, then slipped it into her pocket,
listening for any sound of footsteps on the stairs.
Maybe he’ll be late.
Maybe he won’t show. Maybe he’s with Darci.
But a couple of minutes before
nine o’clock she heard his footsteps. Still, when he knocked, she flinched.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to be
angry at him. But as he stood there, his blue-gray eyes gazing at her, she
didn’t imagine him with Darci; she imagined him with
her
, kissing her as
he had at the salon.

She stepped back, pulling the door wide open, giving him a
lot of space to enter the apartment. He walked in and didn’t hug or kiss her,
which meant he sensed the tension from her.

“Do you want a drink?” she asked.

“No, I’m good.” Sloane eyed her.

She’d forgotten how he seemed to fill the entire apartment
with his presence. It was as if everything inside of her were zeroed in on him
when she was with him. This was going to be much harder than she thought.

“So . . .” He shoved his hands into his pockets—jeans
tonight. “You saw Darci in the parking lot?”

Her throat felt too thick to answer, so she just nodded.

“Yeah, about that.” He pointed toward the couch. “Can we sit
down?”

“Of course,” Liz said in a faint voice. This must be worse
than she thought. Was Sloane getting back together with Darci? The seriousness
in his eyes made her stomach hurt.

He sat at one end of the couch, and she perched on the other
end, then faced him, ready with her speech. “Sloane, you don’t have to explain,
and you don’t have to feel bad. She’s a gorgeous woman, and she seems to really
care for you. Feel free to get back together with her—I totally understand.”

Sloane’s eyes widened. Then his mouth fell open.

She must have said the exact words he’d planned on saying to
her.

He let out a groan then leaned forward, propping his elbows
on his knees and rubbing his face.

“What?” Liz asked.

 “I guess I should have explained earlier, and I’m sorry I
didn’t,” he said. “It wasn’t fair that you had to see Darci for what she is
before I explained. And I’m sorry that what you saw gave you the impression
we’re getting back together.”

Liz folded her arms and leaned back on the couch. How was he
going to explain this away?

“Don’t get me wrong. I’ll always care for her, and I hope
she’ll be truly happy someday, but . . .” he cleared his throat, “the reason we
got divorced was because she’s a nymphomaniac.”

Liz snapped her eyes to Sloane’s face. Surely he didn’t mean
what he was saying, or maybe he didn’t understand the classification.

“I’ve heard it all before.” Sloane raised his hand as if to
stop her from asking any questions. “Believe me, my brothers are full of
all
sorts of advice. But the truth is Darci doesn’t see anything wrong with her
addictions, and she refuses to seek help.” He looked away and shook his head.
“You’d think it would be every man’s dream, but it goes far beyond the
bedroom.”

Liz held deathly still. Sloane wasn’t kidding. She could
tell by the deflated tone of his voice.

“In the last half of our marriage, not a day went by when I
didn’t discover something else she was involved with—either on the computer or in
person with another partner.” He glanced at her, his face flushed. “I even got
a phone call from a spa about her inappropriate advances toward the masseur.”

Liz had no words. She sat there stunned. Watching the pain
in Sloane’s face made her heart feel as though it were being torn in half.