He pulled a twenty and a ten from his money clip and laid them on the table. Lifting the glass with his whiskey, he downed the two fingers. “This could devastate Wade. Do you even care about your family business?”
Skylar was prepared to give me every guilt trip possible. The problem was that I wasn’t guilty. He was. “Do I want my life to be a contract to keep control of my family’s dream?” As I spoke the question, I realized the answer applied to more than Skylar and me but also to Van’s proposal. “No. I do care. I just won’t live my life regretting that decision.”
I lifted my coat and began to walk away but turned back. “Drive safely, Skylar. As far as I’m concerned, your employment at Wade is secure. I suppose that isn’t up to me right now, but I don’t wish you ill. I simply have never been in love with you and am relieved I learned that sooner rather than later.”
He came closer, reaching for my arm and pulling me toward him. His arm surrounded my waist as his lips took mine.
It took less than a second for the ice-cold connection to fuel my protest.
Using both hands, I pushed against Skylar’s chest until he stepped back, tripping over one of the chairs. From the corner of my eye, I saw the bartender watching. No longer did I care what was overheard. “If you ever touch me like that again, I will personally see to it that you and your family are out of Wade. For the final time, we’re done. Goodbye, Skylar.”
With that, I turned, keeping my head high as I went to the elevator and hit the up button. When the doors opened, I stepped inside. As the doors closed, I made no effort to look beyond my own space. I didn’t know if Skylar Butler had left the bar, was in the lobby, or had exited the hotel.
I didn’t care.
As I gathered my things in the room, I decided to call down to the bar.
“Hello, this is Julia McGrath in room 426. Can you tell me if the man with whom I was sharing a drink has left?”
“He’s gone. I asked him to leave.”
I let out a long sigh. “Thank you.”
“Lady, are you in for the night?”
“I’m checking out.”
“Before you head out to your car, stick your head in here and I’ll send one of the busboys out with you.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your assistance.”
Julia
I took comfort in the darkening sky and even in the new covering of snow that melted against my windshield and accumulated on the twisty lane as I drove back toward Van’s home. After the run-in with Skylar, it truly felt liberating. This was a new world, and I had no doubt that I’d made the right decision.
The rental car was once again filled with my luggage, everything I’d brought with me from Chicago. I didn’t have many changes of clothes, but that didn’t even tempt me to return either alone or with Skylar to Chicago. Seeing Skylar was awkward enough; the thought of facing my parents or his caused my stomach to twist and turn.
I knew that I shouldn’t feel that way. I wasn’t the one who cheated on Skylar.
Will my parents see it that way if they know about Van?
I’d given that some thought as I’d packed. The conclusion I’d come to was that I’d broken off the engagement before setting out on my quest.
I believed that meeting Van helped me to see that there was a bigger, brighter world beyond Chicago, the Butlers, and even Wade Pharmaceutical. Without that knowledge, it would have been more difficult to send Skylar back to Beth or whoever he had in store for his future. My thoughts were on my own future.
Perhaps I was reluctant to face those people back in Chicago because I wasn’t remorseful about the canceled wedding. I felt bad for the money my parents had spent, but that was it. The brief conversation I’d had with my mother this afternoon before seeing Skylar reaffirmed my decision to stay away through the holidays.
Now I wondered if she knew Skylar was driving up here. After all, she’d pleaded with me to work things out with him. I held fast to my conviction when I spoke with her and with Skylar. Our wedding was canceled.
I didn’t mention to her that I’d received a new marriage proposal or any other details about the recent events that led me to accept a job offer. To say that Mom was as shocked as Skylar when I told her that I took a job in Ashland would be an understatement.
When she asked for more detail, I was vague.
If Donovan Sherman was as big of a name as he claimed—and he was because I did a quick internet search—then my father would recognize his name. I wasn’t ready to have that conversation. Therefore, I purposely left Van’s name out of our discussion.
For some reason, when Van and I met and were in the cabin, I hadn’t thought too much about his age. I simply saw him for the incredibly handsome man who saved me, showed me that there’s life beyond Chicago, and listened to my woes. Of course, with the intimate turn our night together took, I knew that he took care of himself. He also had stamina and experience and expertise in what women wanted.
While waiting to be sure Skylar was gone and doing a quick internet search of Donovan Sherman, I’d found a bio that listed Van as one of Forbes wealthiest men in the United States and at the same time gave very little personal information. I also learned the date he was born, letting me know that he was forty-one years old.
His financial status didn’t surprise me.
His age did.
I couldn’t decide if it bothered me.
If my age doesn’t bother him, why should his bother me?
As I crested the hill, the golden lights from Van’s home shone through the darkness, reminding me of a Thomas Kinkade painting. As the large structure came into view, a sense of peace settled over me combined with hopeful anticipation for what this reprieve from my real world would entail. The feelings were foreign, and I welcomed the thrill of the unexpected coursing through my circulation.
Red sin.
With my life’s road map torn to shreds and left wadded in a trash can—especially after the encounter with Skylar—Van was an adventure upon which I was excited to embark.
Even though Van had proposed marriage, I wasn’t certain that either of us wanted to go that far. I wasn’t looking for forever. I’d had that promised to me and that promise meant nothing. What I sought from Van was the way I felt when I was with him. I was already addicted to the adrenaline rush, giddiness, and fluttering heart that came with each encounter.
As I pulled the car onto the large driveway, the front door opened. Van was no longer in his custom suit from earlier but wearing clothes such as he’d worn the first time I met him. There was nothing about him that made me think of him as old.
Putting the car in park, I subconsciously scanned from his dark hair down his wide shoulders and trim waist. The flannel shirt he wore over the thermal twisted my core in a way that brought warmth to my cheeks. I wouldn’t need more clothes if Van had an ample supply of flannel shirts he’d be willing to share.
Then again, I’d agreed to the employee and employer titles. I didn’t suppose that included borrowing my employer’s shirts to wear as a nightgown.
His smile radiated warmth through the cool air as he came down the steps and opened my car door. “You returned.”
His green gaze was upon me, drinking me in and sending detonations to my nerve endings. With only his stare, he was doing things to me that I never knew were possible. Offering me his hand, I willingly placed my palm in his and stepped from the car. “Did you think I wouldn’t return?”