Page 54 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
Chapter Twenty-Five
I’ve got no hold on you and we’ve made no promises. That’s something neither of us want. Right?
Fee’s heart raced. This beautiful man had brought her back to life but he’d made himself perfectly clear from day one. Taking several steadying breaths she knew what she had to say. ‘No, Tom, that isn’t all it was for me. But I didn’t read too much intoit either.’ Something flared in his warm eyes and she couldn’t decide if it was relief or disappointment. ‘I need to check my emails before we go back to Black Cherry.’
For a few seconds he stared hard and then blinked. ‘Fine.’
Fee slipped out of the bed and pulled her clothes on, purposely keeping her back to him until she was fully dressed. ‘Let’s hope the internet connectionis more up-to-date than the decor.’ She flashed a bright smile.
‘If they aren’t you’ll be resorting to tin cans and a piece of string.’ Tom played along and Fee ached to kiss him all over again. ‘I’m going to risk the shower.’ He tossed back the sheet and met her gaze without a hint of embarrassment. Tom strolled across the room, collecting his abandoned clothes as he went and disappearedinto the bathroom.
Fee sagged against the wall in an effort to catch her breath.
She settled in the only chair and got her tablet out of her bag. At least the internet connection lived up to its promise and the reply she was waiting for popped in. Had she been too rash in offering to go and visit? Fee wasn’t sure how she’d feel if Allain rejected her now.
Wonderful. Tellme the dates you’d like to travel and I’ll send a plane ticket. Stay as long as you like. We’ve a lot to talk about. Allain.
Before she could overthink her reply Fee tapped in a couple of brief sentences and hit Send. She’d suggested flying to New Orleans on Saturday and returning on Tuesday. If things didn’t go well she could bail and explore the city instead, but if they got on okayit should be the right amount of time for a first meeting.
Tom flung open the bathroom door and emerged fully dressed. ‘Did you have any luck?’
‘Yes, thank you. No tin cans needed.’
He gave her a cautious smile. ‘Anything from Allain?’
Fee nodded and briefly told him the details.
‘Are you sure it’s wise to meet him alone?’
‘Why not? It’s clear fromeverything I’ve seen online that Allain is a respectable businessman and we’re talking about New Orleans not the remote mountains of Afghanistan. You’re being ridiculous.’
He didn’t have any idea of the kind of situations she’d found herself in over the last fifteen years and managed to survive on her wits and quick thinking. In comparison this should be child’s play.
This wasn’tthe sort of man he prided himself on being. Tom was pissed because she’d coolly dismissed their lovemaking as nothing more than a pleasant interlude although he’d asked for it with his stupid half-assed comment about love. The one he hadn’t had the guts to finish.
‘Are you offering to come with me?’ Her eyes flashed in a definite challenge.
‘I’ve got new guests checking in on Saturdayto see to.’ Fee’s satisfied smile made him want to call her bluff.
‘Exactly. I suggest you abandon the alpha male chest-beating attitude and recognise the fact I can survive a few days in the wilds of New Orleans without a bodyguard.’
Tom hated the way she made him sound childish. He turned away without saying another word, picked up his keys and wallet from the bedside table andchecked around for any more of their belongings. ‘Let’s go.’ Tom stalked out of the room and headed for his truck. He hopped up into the driver’s seat and waited for her to join him.Don’t be childish, Thomas. His mother’s admonition rang in his head. Mentally gluing his hands to the steering wheel he didn’t react when he saw her coming.
Neither of them spoke on the drive back throughPine Ridge and up the mountain.
‘Park at your cabin and I’ll walk from there.’ Fee’s quiet request as they pulled into Black Cherry annoyed him. Tom wished she’d shout and rant at him so he could yell back. Anything to get this aggravating politeness out of their systems.
‘Of course.’ Tom stopped the truck as she’d asked. ‘I’ll be real busy the rest of the week. I’ve got cabinsto get ready and a lot of odd jobs to catch up on. I hope your trip goes well.’ Fee nodded and jumped out but he couldn’t be a complete moron any longer. He hurried to join her and couldn’t resist the urge to touch her one more time. Tom smoothed his hands around her face. ‘If you needanythingcall me. Guests. Family. I’ll leave it all if you need me.’ It was as close as he could get to spellingout how important she was to him.
She opened and closed her mouth several times without any sound coming out. Fee jerked from his grasp and walked quickly away from him.
Tom stood rooted to the ground until she was safely inside her cabin. With a heavy sigh he locked the truck and dragged up to his own cabin. When he slammed the door shut behind him he knew it was a damn good jobhe’d poured the whisky down the sink the other night.
Fee told herself it was for the best that she was getting away from here for a few days. She went through the motions of making a sandwich she wouldn’t eat and sat at the kitchen table. Opening the mindfulness book she was supposed to be reading Fee only lasted a couple of minutes before pushing it and the plate of food to one side.
If she stayed inside for the rest of the day she’d go crazy and walking around the lake wasn’t an option if her aim was to avoid Tom. Today’s weather was unseasonably sunny and mild and she had a half-decent camera so she didn’t intend to waste either one. On the way back from Norris she’d spotted several interesting old houses and barns and got an idea in her head of a collection of shotsof abandoned structures – places that once meant so much to the people who built them but outlasted their purpose. It was a different way of telling the story of a particular place and one she was curious to explore.
You see things the rest of us don’t, cherie. I don’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse.Remembering Pierre’s last words to her sent a wave of grief flooding through Fee.He’d given a typical Gallic shrug, kissed her and breezed out of the hotel only to be blown to pieces because his mind was on her instead of his surroundings. In such an intense lifestyle one moment of inattention was all it took to lose everything. She couldn’t live that way anymore.
Fee pulled the abandoned plate back in front of her and picked up the sandwich. She needed to take careof herself because there was no one else to do it for her and she didn’t need there to be. Pierre’s love proved to be false. Her mother’s casual indifference would never change. The appearance of her possible biological father was interesting but nothing more. As for Tom… he’d been a friend and lover when she needed one but that was as far as it could go.
She took a large bite of hersandwich and forced herself to swallow. Once she got the first mouthful down the next was easier and before she knew it her plate was empty. One step at a time. DrMichael had tried to tell her it was the only way but she hadn’t been willing to listen. Maybe coming to Black Cherry hadn’t been the worst decision after all.
Tom hunched over his desk and contemplated the radio in front ofhim. He itched to call his father but had no real excuse. Hank would sense his mood and demand to know what was wrong. A tiny smile made its way across his face as he knew who he could visit. His grandmother would call him an idiot but she’d also ply him with whatever delicious cake or pie she had in her kitchen and give him a dose of much needed TLC. Just because Fee was self-sufficient and didn’tneed anyone the same didn’t apply to the rest of the human race. Maybe one day she’d understand that relying on other people to help her through life wasn’t so terrible.
Whistling tunelessly to himself he grabbed a sweatshirt from the bedroom. The work he needed to do could wait until tomorrow morning. He had a grandmother to sweet talk.
