Truth or Dare (25 page)

So why Leo?

Why this date?

Why now?

The only answer she could come up with was she desperately, hopelessly needed someone to distract her from the shambles her life had become over the last month. And aside from Tyler, Leo was the only man in the last year who seemed even remotely capable of it.

And when she’d called Ava to purge her guilt, she’d gotten the straight talk she needed.

The dictate that she not be an idiot. Hot Doc would clear April for the pact and she should just suck it up and go. He was a big boy who would understand her acceptance of a single date didn’t equate to a binding marriage contract.

So instead of texting Leo with a tricky case of Ebola, Maggie picked a nice dress from her closet. Did her hair. And tried not to think about November and the first time Leo had planned to take her out, but hadn’t shown.

She tried not to wonder what would happen if Leo was late. If he got called back to work for an emergency and she ran into Tyler. But then that thinking came to a crashing halt because Leo wasn’t late.

He was on time. Charming. Comfortable and easy.

Looking the part of Hot Doc, in a nicely after-hours way. The scrubs had definite McDreamy appeal, but a suede sport coat and jeans weren’t wasted on the guy, either.

He took her to an intimate wine bar first and then to dinner at one of the city’s most popular new restaurants. Told her about his medical exchange trip to Asia, and asked about the gallery, listening closely when she told him about the recent turn of events.

The conversation flowed from one topic to the next. The guy was, without question, a competent date and Maggie couldn’t deny that she’d enjoyed herself immensely, nearly putting Tyler out of her mind for at least a few minutes at a time. But best of all, when she was with him, she still felt in control. No threat of slipping into a pair of bad-idea jeans with Leo.

He was safe.

Exactly what she needed.

After dinner, Leo drove her home and walked her to the door.

“I had a good time tonight, Maggie.”

She smiled at him sincerely. “So did I.”

“I’m glad.”

And then, before she realized what he intended, his hand slipped around the small of her back and he’d pulled her in for a kiss.

If she’d had a clue what was coming, she’d have stepped out of range or put a few of her other evasive tactics to use. But the guy had no tells. He’d been all stealth, catching her in a light embrace and kissing her before pulling back to look into her eyes.

“Sweet,” he murmured, a hint of a smile there on the lips he’d just pressed to hers.

Maggie didn’t know what to say. What she thought.

She couldn’t remember the last time someone had kissed her without her knowing it was coming first. Without inviting it on her own terms. It surprised her.

Tyler’s kiss had taken her by surprise, too, but in a wholly different way. With Tyler’s kiss, even seeing it coming, she hadn’t been prepared for the impact. For the way it affected her in a full body-and-mind meltdown kind of way.

This kiss wasn’t like that.

This kiss was…nice.

Like Leo.

The gruff sound of a throat clearing from the end of the walk had Maggie jerking back like she’d just been busted making out by her dad. Only this was definitely worse, because while there wasn’t any judgment on Ford’s face, just a sort of sheepish apology, the fact that Tyler was standing beside him looking at the sidewalk told her he’d seen.

Leo was quick to recover, leaning in conspiratorially toward her ear. “Sorry, Maggie. Didn’t realize we had an audience.”

Maggie was about to make a crack about it being a little early in their relationship for exhibitionist kink, when she stopped short. She wouldn’t have thought twice before saying it to Tyler, but with Leo? It was different.

“Hi, guys, you remember Leo?” she offered lamely, wondering if all three of them could see the heat in her cheeks.

Ford rubbed at the back of his neck and started up the walk toward them, Tyler a step behind, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

But whatever nerves she’d been suffering, apparently Leo was immune. “Apartment Three I know, but I don’t think we’ve met. Leo Martin.”

The guys made their appropriate noises of greeting, and Ty went inside while Ford ended up letting Leo have a look at his hand, which had healed well.

After another minute of sidewalk chitchat, Leo seemed to give up on Ford going inside without Maggie, and with a parting squeeze of her hand, took off.

Ford held the door and when he caught Maggie’s curious stare on him, shrugged. “It was a first date. You girls put your rules in place for a reason. Just making it a little easier to follow them.”

“Well, I appreciate the big brothering.” Riding a wave of warm emotion, she stepped in and gave him a hug. And then to really show her gratitude and make sure he didn’t start worrying about her intentions, she added a quick jab. “Except he already kissed me. Without gagging, I might add.”

Ford grinned, heading for his door as Maggie started upstairs. “Strong stomach. Maybe you’ve found Forever Guy.”

Maggie returned a dutiful laugh, thinking she really hoped not, as it seemed kinda crummy form to be thinking about another man’s kiss when Forever gave you his first.

Ford’s door thunked closed below as Maggie turned onto the landing half expecting to find Tyler there. Maybe half hoping. Wanting to tell him she hadn’t known he was there. She hadn’t seen the kiss coming. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him.

Then feeling like a fool for thinking she needed to say anything at all.

It didn’t matter. The hall was empty.

Tyler was staring out his open window, the phone at his ear, his mom talking about something he’d lost the thread of, when he’d caught Maggie’s laugh, drifting in on the early spring breeze.

She was with Leo again.

Hot Doc. The guy who’d somehow gotten past her guard and was now opening the door to a convertible for her. Wanting to know about dinner. Making a joke and earning that joyful, free sound Tyler couldn’t get enough of from the woman he couldn’t have.

A week already since he’d stumbled upon Maggie taking the first step forward in a life he’d made the choice not to be a part of, and it wasn’t any easier today than it had been when Ford caught him by the chest and physically put his body between Tyler and the kiss he had no fucking business feeling anything about, but had been mindlessly pushing toward to stop anyway.

“Tyler, honey, did you hear me?”

Tyler closed his eyes to focus on the call.

“Yeah, Mom, sorry. Still here.”

“I was just telling you I ran into Mike Zientek when I took the car in for that noise we talked about last week. And by the way, you were right—it was the bearings. But Mike told me they’d been trying to woo you back to the firm.”

Clearing his throat, he sat forward and pinched his nose. “Yeah, I’ve had a few offers, but they want me back in New York.”

“They aren’t the only ones. Tyler, consider it, honey. You loved that job. If it hadn’t been for…
her,
you never would have left.”

Probably not, but the what-if game was one Tyler couldn’t afford to play and hope to maintain the meager shred of his sanity he had left.

“Honey, it’s time.”

Tyler felt that same coldness settling into his gut as they circled back to the same well-intentioned impossibility. It was time to move on with his life. Come home. Start over.

What he could never understand was how his mother of all people would think something like that was possible.

“No. Gina called. We’ve seen each other a few times.”

Silence as his mother processed the new information.

“Charlie?”

“Not yet. But it’s going to come. Soon.”

Gina had told him she didn’t want Charlie confused any more than he needed to be. And even though it was killing him, Tyler agreed. It wasn’t often Gina put Charlie first, and he wasn’t about to knock it. Even if a part of him knew it was bullshit. Gina wasn’t letting him see Charlie because Charlie was leverage.

“She’s still with the singer.”

“For now.”

“Tyler.” So much said in that single pleading word. “How long—?”

“As long as it takes,” he cut in, hating the desperation in his mother’s voice, and doing everything he could to curb the frustration in his own. “They fight all the time, Mom. It’s not going to last.”

It couldn’t.

They fought about money. Something Tyler’s marketing work had always kept them in plenty of.

About whether Ray was banging groupies after the show. Not part of Tyler’s personality makeup. Whether he and Gina had been together because of Charlie or not, he never would have cheated. Ever.

About what kind of father Ray was to Charlie. And that last was what killed him. The thought that his son wasn’t getting the love and attention Tyler ached to give him was what kept him playing Gina’s waiting game day after day. It was the reason, no matter how long it took, he couldn’t give up.

“All right. All right. I just thought”—his mother’s sigh filtered through the line—“you’ve sounded different lately, is all. More like your old self. And I thought—well, you know what I thought.”

He stared out the window at the empty spot where the convertible had been. For a while things
had
been different. There’d been more than waiting. There’d been a few months when he’d started feeling like the guy he used to be again. When he said what he thought. When he smiled because he was actually happy. When he’d laughed because he meant it.

Because of Maggie.

She’d made him feel like maybe there was more to life than all the things he hadn’t been able to see past losing. But now he’d given her up, too.

“I just want you to be happy, honey. I love you. We all do.”

“I know. Love you, too.”

Maggie stared at the empty wall that had previously showcased one of her favorite artists’ work. It had taken her more than a year to build the relationship with Willa Pinora so the painter would be willing to show her art at the gallery and only one meeting with Royce for Willa to pull her work completely. It wasn’t the end of the world. The space would be filled, but however it was done, Maggie wouldn’t be a part of it.

Packing up Willa’s collection and signing off on the release paperwork had been Maggie’s last task for The Shrone. Royce and Hedda were in the back, probably doing something disgusting, but once they reemerged, Maggie would hand over her keys.

She had the weekend off, and then Tuesday she’d be making the trek down to the River North district, where Dolores had hooked her up with a suddenly short-handed gallery. The pregnant co-owner had been put on bed rest three months ahead of her due date and they’d been scrambling for another body to fill in. The job lasted six months, and it would be time Maggie could use to investigate the neighborhoods, collect a paycheck, and work out her plan.

A half-hour later, the keys were turned over to Hedda, who clung to Royce for support as though she were watching her only child head off to a war from which no one returned. Maggie offered a small wave and then set off for this last walk home.

She watched for Tyler. Envisioning his deceptively easy stride moments before he rounded the corner and his eyes found hers. One wild thump of her heart got away before she reined it in. Before he broke the contact, focusing instead on the ground ahead of him.

Because that’s how it was now.

Maybe today he’d stop. Talk.

She knew better, but still a part of her couldn’t help—

“Looks like you could use a drink.”

Maggie jumped, not having noticed the Mercedes pulling up to the curb beside her. The top was down and with one arm slung casually across the wheel, Leo waved a bouquet of pink roses in her direction with the other.

Walking to the car, she leaned in with a grateful smile.

“I thought you were on tonight.”

“Called in a favor from a colleague. Figured you’ve got a fairly significant life change going down, and thought for this new phase, I’d get in on the ground floor.” Waggling his brows, he grinned. “Hop in and I’ll get you drunk. Or buy you dinner. Either way, we’ll toast new beginnings.”

Sliding into the passenger seat, she glanced down the street to where Tyler was now only half a block away.

“Ready?” Leo asked, and when she looked over at him, he nodded down the sidewalk. “Did you want me to wait on him?”

She could see Tyler watching them. And she knew if she waited, all she’d get was a brief wave and flash of a half-smile that only served to make her want more.

“No reason to.”

The ache in his chest wasn’t going away and it had nothing to do with the miles of pavement he’d been eating up. Sucking air, Tyler tried to focus on Charlie. Replay the last conversation he had with Gina when she’d been dabbing the corner of her eyes with a tissue, telling him how much she wished he’d been Charlie’s father. How much easier everything would be. But no matter how he tried to stay on track, his thoughts kept jumping the rails so all he could see was Maggie watching him from down the street and then getting into Leo’s car and driving off.

All he could feel was this new hole forming in the center of his chest, just a little over from the one he was praying he could repair.

“You all right?” Leo asked, propping a shoulder against the stone facing of the building’s entry as Maggie unlocked the security door.

As promised, he’d wined and dined her. Laughed and listened when she talked about her years with The Shrone and offered support and encouragement for her fledgling plans. He was exactly what she needed, when she needed it most.

“Nervous,” she answered honestly, turning back to him, one hand still on the knob behind her. “It’s going to be different, you know? I’m used to being in charge. I’m used to having an intimate relationship with every piece of art that’s shown. But as of Tuesday, I’m going to be the new girl. Learning the ropes. Learning the clientele. Learning…everything.”

Leo reached out and caught a bit of her hair to wrap around his finger. Then, meeting her eyes with his calming, gentle gaze, he promised, “You’ll be amazing.”