I never planned on getting married, at least not now. I never really thought about it. It’s not that I don’t believe in love… hell, my parents are an example of a long-lasting marriage. While he had watched most of his team fall in love one by one, it had never hit him. Until now.
The past two days had been such an unexpected surprise. Time spent with Lynn had been fun and getting to know her had been interesting. She held his attention with her conversation and made him laugh with her wit. She was part brainy and part goofy. And oh, so beautiful. Hell, even in the middle the night I was wondering if she would consider waiting till I came back to work with Dad.
When that memory struck, he tried to discern why he reacted so badly at finding out they were legally wed. The truth was he could not come up with one reason to not want to be married to Lynn. And one very good reason hit him straight in the heart.
I’m in love with her.
His phone had vibrated often ever since he got to the bar, but he’d ignored it until now. Disappointed that the messages and missed calls were not from Lynn, he saw they were all from Nancy and his mom. He grimaced, remembering that his poor behavior was not only witnessed by Lynn but also his family. Shit, I need to make this right!
He threw several bills onto the bar and offered a chin lift to the bartender as he slid off the stool. Hustling through the lobby, he waited impatiently for the elevator to take him up to the ninth floor. A couple shared the elevator and he grimaced as he observed their linked hands, soft smiles, and looks of adoration in their eyes. Fuck… that had been me and Lynn. As he jogged down the hall, he had no idea what he was going to say to her but knew to beg for forgiveness—even groveling—would be top of the list.
His hands shaking, it took three tries to get the door open. Rushing inside, he scanned the room, finding it empty. “Lynn? Babe?” He stalked into the bedroom and then the bathroom. The counter was cleared. No makeup. No hairdryer. No toothbrush. Whirling, he went back into the bedroom and discovered her bag and clothing were gone. God dammit!
Pulling out his phone to call her, his gaze landed on the coffee table, now void of everything except a note and a white gold wedding band. A much smaller version of the one on his hand. His breath left his body in a whoosh and he dropped onto the sofa as his legs gave out, his gaze never leaving the ring. With trembling fingers, he picked up the note.
I’ll meet with an attorney and file the paperwork for a quick divorce.
Fuckin’ hell! Glancing down at his phone, he called her.
“Hi, you’ve reached Lynn Cox, Forensic Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call. Thank you. Goodbye.”
Disconnecting, he called again but heard the same message. “Lynn, I’m so sorry. Listen, babe, I’m back up in the room. I know you’re upset but let’s talk. Come back up or call me and tell me where we can meet.”
Uncertain if he should search the casino or wait for her to come, it hit him that it was almost check-out time, and since she’d packed her bags, she had no plans of coming back up. He hurried back into the bedroom and bathroom, tossing his belongings into his bag. Snatching the note and ring from the coffee table, he shoved them into his pocket and headed out of the room toward the elevator.
Dialing her again, he left another message. “I’m heading downstairs because I just realized it’s check-out time. I’ll meet you in the lobby, sweetheart. We’ll talk on the way home. It’ll be fine, I promise.”
Making his way to the reception desk, he turned in his room card and checked out. The bright expression on the receptionist's face barely registered.
“Mr. Bell, how was your stay? I hope you found everything you needed and were looking for at our lovely resort.”
Blinking, he nodded. “Yeah, yeah I did.” As the young man continued to punch on his computer screen, Nolan scanned the area for Lynn. Growling in frustration when he could not find her, he almost missed the receptionist's statement. Turning his attention back to him, he asked, “What was that you said?”
“I said that I was sorry your bride had to go ahead and leave early.”
“My bride? Lynn? She left early?”
At the evident surprise on his face, the receptionist’s eyes widened and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily. “Uh… yes. She checked out about an hour ago and said that she had to leave before you because there was an emergency at home. I’m sorry, Mr. Bell. I assumed you knew.”
Blinking, he shook his head. “How did she leave? I’ve got the truck.” Ignoring the young man’s obvious discomfort, he leaned forward on the counter and repeated, “How did she leave?”
“She… she called for a taxi service.”
His head jerked back. “Taxi service? All the way back to Knoxville?”
“I know it’s a long way, but it’s not that unusual. We have guests who fly into Knoxville and want to spend time in the casino. The taxis do set a reasonable rate.”
After grabbing his receipt, he bent and snagged his bag from the floor. Hustling to the parking lot, he tossed his bag into the passenger side of the pickup truck and climbed inside. Dialing Lynn again, he left another message. “I just found out you’ve left already. I can’t believe you’re taking a taxi back to Knoxville. Babe, we need to talk. As soon as you get this message, give me a call.”
Pulling out onto the road, he glanced at the casino growing smaller in the rearview mirror, and a sharp pain hit his chest at the thought of leaving the place of so many shared memories. He had at least two hours before he got back to his parents’ house, so he settled in for the drive.
Lynn never returned his call, but that didn’t keep him from trying several more times to reach her, each time getting her answering message.
“Hi, you’ve reached Lynn Cox, Forensic Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call. Thank you. Goodbye.”
She’s the fraud examiner, and I’m the fraud. I fell in love and didn’t admit it… not to her, nor to myself.
The taxi driver glanced in the rearview mirror as he pulled into Lynn’s apartment complex. Having not spoken the entire two hours it took to get home, she didn’t doubt that he wondered if she were asleep. But the whole trip had been a reminder of how different her world was than two days ago. Back into Tennessee… through Gatlinburg, where she turned her face away from the window when they passed the turnoff and sign for the Cupid of the Mountains Wedding Chapel. Back through Pigeon Forge and then finally into Knoxville.
Offering a halfhearted smile to the driver as he deposited her at her apartment building, she thanked him as she swiped her credit card, giving him a hefty tip.
Climbing from the back seat, she made sure to have her purse, laptop bag, and overnight bag. Pulling out her keys, she began walking up to her apartment, not surprised to see Nancy sitting on the top step.
She smiled at her best friend but shook her head slightly. “You know I love you, but I’m really not in the mood to talk right now.”
Nancy said nothing but stood and wrapped her arms around Lynn, holding her close. Lynn remained quiet, afraid that if she spoke, she would begin crying again. After a moment, Nancy pulled back and said, “Come on, let’s go inside. We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. But I can make a cup of tea or pour a glass of wine, whichever you think you need.”