After taking an X-ray that confirmed Angelica’s shoulder was correctly in place, the doctor had given her some pain pills and told her to take it easy for a week or so. She felt pleasantly tired and fuzzy as she moved her gaze past Chance to Evan. He had literally saved her life today, risking his own to do it. How did she thank him for that?
“How’s the cocoa?” asked Tiffany, curling into a spot next to Angelica on the leather sofa.
A fire crackled in the big, stone fireplace and the aroma of fresh-made monster cookies wafted in from the kitchen. Rain splatted against the windows,
“Marvelous,” Angelica answered, taking a sip.
“Was it like this while you were growing up?” Tiffany asked, glancing around at the homey atmosphere.
“Just like this,” said Angelica. “I really miss it sometimes.”
Tiffany cradled her own mug of cocoa. “We’re definitely not in L.A.”
“I like them both,” said Angelica.
Though, at the moment, she preferred Cheyenne. She’d love to hole up here for a few more days and think about nothing at all.
“How are things between you and Evan?”
“Okay. Fine. He saved my life, so I guess I might have to forgive him for spying on me.”
“You might,” Tiffany agreed.
Angelica’s memory went back to the moment he’d shoved her into the tree. “Do you think—?”
“What?”
“Well, I mean, do you think he’d have done that for anybody? He really could have died. He almost did.”
While he held her dripping wet in his arms, Angelica had admitted to herself how much she missed him. Soon, once the wedding was over, he’d go off into the world and be somebody else’s hero. The thought made her intensely sad.
“You know him better than I do,” Tiffany answered softly.
“He would. He’d have risked his life to save anybody. He’s that kind of a guy.”
Tiffany put a hand on Angelica’s good shoulder. Her voice was gentle. “Is this getting complicated?”
“It is.”
“Are you going to get hurt?”
“Probably.”
“Okay, but one small point to make here. You’re a little high on painkillers right now. This might not seem as complex in the morning.”
Angelica couldn’t help but smile. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Plus, the man saved your life. You’re probably experiencing some gratitude hormones.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“I bet firefighters and police officers get laid all the time. Or, at least get offers. Though I imagine they’re professionally obligated to say no.”
Angelica could well believe they got offers. In the aftermath of the flood, she’d have hopped into bed with Evan in a heartbeat.
His gaze suddenly caught and held hers from across the room, well out of hearing distance. His smile was slow and tender, and a wave of emotion clogged her chest. Again, she went back in time, to when they were engaged, happy and in love. Those moments had been incredibly precious, yet she’d taken them for granted.
Evan said something to Chance, then crossed the over to her.
“Want me to leave?” asked Tiffany.
Angelica grasped her hand. “Stay.”
“You got it. Hi, Evan.”
“How are you doing, Tiffany?”
“Tired,” she replied. “I haven’t worked that hard in years. Well, maybe never.”
Evan gave her an answering smile. “I don’t imagine sandbagging comes up very often in corporate real estate.”
“I once had to call a plumber to fix a kitchen faucet, but that’s as close as I’ve come to flood control.”
Evan turned his attention to Angelica. “How about you?”
“I’m high on pain killers.”
“So now would be a good time to ask you a favor?”
A flutter of nerves passed through her stomach. “That depends.”
“Don’t look so scared. It’s nothing too painful.”
“But I won’t like it.”
“Probably not. Let me help you with Noah.”
She didn’t even consider it. “No.”
“You’re going to see him again before you leave Cheyenne?”
“I plan to.”
Evan perched on an armchair at the corner of the sofa. “I genuinely want you to succeed, Angie.”
“I am going to succeed.” In case nobody had noticed, she was the CEO. She could, in fact, make unilateral decisions if she wanted.
“I can help.”
Tiffany stepped in. “I don’t think Angie should be arguing right now. She should be resting.”
“You’re right,” said Angelica, taking the opportunity to exit the conversation. “I should go to bed.”
She didn’t want to fight with Evan. But she didn’t want to give in to him either. Though she hated to admit it, at the moment, a little help with Noah seemed like a good idea. And that was clearly a dangerous line of thinking.
She polished off her hot chocolate and rose to her feet.
Saying goodnight to everyone, she made her way to her bedroom. Her shoulder was tender, but she managed to get out of her shirt and bra and into a clean tank top. It was a bit of a chore to wash up and comb her hair, but she managed.
Once she was ready for bed, she sat down to reassemble her cell phone. She’d opened it up and pulled out the battery and SIM card in an attempt to dry everything out. She pressed the On button and was happy to see the screen light up. Satisfied, she set the alarm and crawled into bed.
Her quilt was warm, her pillow soft, and a lighter rain now drummed above her. The pain pills had done their job, and her shoulder was no longer throbbing. She floated quickly into sleep.
What seemed like only moments later, her phone rang.
Angelica dragged her eyes open, squinting at the screen to find it was barely after eleven at night. The number was Kayla’s, so she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Angie? It’s Kayla. You okay?”
“A little groggy. But good, yeah.” Angelica let her head drop back on the pillow.
“We saw the flood footage on LNN. Is Big Blue okay? Any damage?”
“Very little here. We’re just soggy. It rained and rained. In fact, it’s still raining.”
“We’ve booked a flight to Cheyenne in the morning. We’re coming home to help. The Dysons got hit pretty bad, and I heard the hospital is going to need a new generator.”
“The community is pulling together.”
“I know. And we want to be there.”
Angelica understood the sentiment. She was going to have to return to L.A. soon, but she’d stay as long as she could, and Lassiter Media would make a hefty donation to the reconstruction effort.
“I’m sorry to call so late,” Kayla continued. “But I wanted to let you know right away, and to tell you personally.” She seemed to hesitate. “With all this going on. Well, Matt and I were talking, and...it doesn’t seem like the right time to have a splashy, Malibu Beach wedding.”
Angelica sat up, wincing as the movement stretched her shoulder. “What?”
“We’re thinking of postponing. We need to be in Cheyenne, and we can’t be there and still be planning the wedding here. I know how hard you’ve worked.” Kayla’s tone was apologetic.
Angelica scrambled to recover. “It’s not about me. It’s your wedding. You should do what feels right.”
Kayla let out a relieved sigh. “I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sip champagne in a three-thousand-dollar dress while our friends and neighbors back home were struggling to restore power and water.”
“I understand,” said Angelica. She truly did.
“Matt is calling Conrad Norville, and the caterers, and the florist, and the musicians. But can you let Evan know?”
Angelica swallowed. “Sure.”
“Thanks. And thank you so much for understanding. Will you still be in Cheyenne tomorrow?”
“I will,” said Angelica. “For a couple more days, anyway.”
“That’s great. I’ll call you when we get there.”
“Good. Great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” said Kayla.
Angelica set down her phone and swung her legs from under the covers. She was guessing Kayla expected her to simply roll over and tell Evan about the cancellation. Since she thought they were back together again, it made sense Kayla would expect them to be sleeping together.
She sighed and rose to her feet. The house was silent. Not surprising, since everyone would have an early morning and a busy day tomorrow. She didn’t know Deke’s plans, but she’d overheard Evan last night offering to help.
No wedding, she said to herself as she padded to her bedroom door. No wedding, she repeated, opening the door and slipping through, heading down the great staircase. Okay, so no wedding.
She made her way through the kitchen, back to the guest room where Evan was staying. She knew her way blindfolded, but light from the yard filtered through the big windows, making it easy to see her way. Pale light was visible under Evan’s door, meaning he was likely still awake.
She knocked lightly.
“Yes?” he called from within.
She cracked open the door. “It’s me.”
A small bedside lamp was on. “Angie? What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”