Carrie looked into her rearview mirror as she drove away. Rick was watching her. She sighed. At least with him out of town she wouldn’t have to worry about him stopping at his lawyer’s office or coming to her place unannounced. Why hadn’t Cathie called her?
She was tired of being the sensible one. Where Rick was concerned she certainly hadn’t been. This weekend she’d get him out of her system, help him with Herbert and turn into levelheaded Carrie again. But she was starting to like the bold new version better.
She pulled into the school parking lot with a few minutes to spare. It was due more to traffic than her getting away from Rick. She might not keep a job if he were a regular in her life. Staying in bed would be far too tempting. But she had no intention of going back to a place where a man had that much control over her life. She wasn’t letting anyone tell her how she should eat, dress or act. Space was what she needed to figure out what she wanted in a man.
After a few nights with Rick, hot sex would be near the top of the list. He’d set a high standard.
Shaking her head, she made herself focus on calling Cathie. She pushed the button and waited through a couple of rings until a groggy voice said, “Hello.”
“Cathie, is that you?”
“Yeah.”
“Where’re you? Why haven’t you called me back?” Carrie made no effort to conceal her aggravation.
“Rock and I are still at the beach.”
“What about your job?” Wouldn’t Cathie ever grow up?
“I called in sick. I’ll be home tonight.” She made it sound like it was no big deal.
“Look something has happen here. I need your help. More like permission.” Carrie explain what was going on with Herbert and that she would be seeing Rick again. She left out the fact they had slept together. For some reason she wanted to keep that to herself, treasure it for a while before sharing it, even with Cathie. “You see I’ve got to tell him who I am.”
“Hey, the Herbert business is on you. All I asked you to do was go to the gala. I didn’t tell you to get involved with the guy’s business.”
“Cath, he’s a nice person. He doesn’t deserve to be lied to.”
“And I don’t deserve to be called on the carpet for some decision you made that might get me in trouble with my boss.”
“He won’t fire you for something so minor.” Maybe calling in sick for three days, yes.
“You don’t know that. Rick Marshall is an important client. If my boss finds out I’ve made a fool of him, what do you think will happen? What if Rick threatens to take his business elsewhere?”
Rick might do that. He’d made it clear he didn’t like liars. He was certainly not going to like being misled as to who she was.
“I still have to tell him. I can’t keep lying for you,” Carrie said.
Cathie’s exasperated sigh came over the phone. “You’re not lying for me anymore. You decided to agree to the meeting.”
“I told you I didn’t want to get involved to begin with. You begged me to. I’m always helping you out. Now, it’s your turn to help me.”
“You could’ve said no. I didn’t force you at gun point to get into my dress,” Cathie said in a flat matter-of-fact voice.
She was right. Carrie had had a choice. But she’d lived so long doing what Cathie wanted, she hadn’t really stopped to think how it might affect her. Hadn’t expected to like Rick so much.
“Don’t think these lies won’t catch up with you,” Carrie said disheartened and disappointed by her twin’s blasé attitude, and lack of support.
“Not unless you start blabbing.” Once again she’d put it off on Carrie to cover for her. “I’ve got to go. Rock want to go to the beach.” With that, Cathie disconnected them.
Carrie was no better off for having spoken to her. She was tired of things always going in Cathie’s direction in their relationship. It didn’t matter what Cathie said, she was going to tell Rick the first chance she got. She wasn’t going to continue the deception. He deserved better. How she was going to accomplish that she had no idea.
Rick was a reasonable man, if she handled it correctly maybe he would understand. No matter how it went, she vowed never again would she change places with her sister—ever.
Chapter Seven
Rick was at Cathie’s at five o’clock sharp. He couldn’t believe how long the last few days had been. More than once he’d started to call her but had stopped himself with the reminder that this was a fling. Not a relationship. Would he like for it to move that direction? He wasn’t sure. Lauren’s dishonesty still had him weary of trying to find something serious. Yet something about Cathie had him believing she was different.
In truth, he could already tell she was. Her laughter, her wit, did something to him. Calmed him somehow. Being around her was like when he had been refinishing his banister. Therapeutic. Easy. Right. Surely his people judgement wouldn’t let him down again?
It didn’t matter, for now a fling was all she had agreed to.
Cathie opened the door to his ring and he swooped her into his arms, giving her a kiss that had him rock hard with frustration, before he pulled away. He growled, “I wish I had time to see your bedroom but we’ve got to get going.”
“Well, hello to you too.” She smiled. She was as excited to see him as he was her. He could get used to that.
“Hey.” He really looked at her. She wore a little sundress in a floral print that showed off most of her shoulders. Her legs were bare except for bobby-socks and canvas shoes on her feet. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Everything about her was completely appealing. There was nothing there of the flash woman he was used to seeing.
“Is something wrong?” She looked worried.
He smiled. “No, not at all. It’s just that you don’t dress anything like you do at work.”
That concerned looked reached her eyes for a second. “I, uh, have to look the part there. This is more like the real me.”
He took her hands and looked at her small perfect face. “I like the real you.”
Her smile was soft as she said, “I like you too.”
That simple statement had him feeling better about himself than he had in a long time.
Cathie’s face turned serious again. “Rick, can we talk for a minute?”
“Let’s do it on the way. We don’t have much time if we’re going to stop by the site and still get out to Mike and Melissa’s.”
“Site?”
“Yeah, I wanted to go by there. I brought the blue prints to show you. Where’s your bag?” She pointed next to the door. He picked it up and took her hand. “Ready?”
Cathie grabbed her purse. “As I’ll ever be.”
As he drove to the site, Rick talked about his plans and the surrounding area. Carrie asked a few questions but mostly she listened. There was no good chance for her to tell him. She would do it on the way to his friend’s. Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the grass lot.
She climbed out of the car and looked over the space.
“Come around here and I’ll show you what I have planned.” He pulled some rolled up papers from the back seat of the car.
Carrie came to stand close as he spread the architectural drawings out for her review. She traced a finger along the lines of a couple of buildings. “Tell me a little bit about these.”
Rick explained the apartments he had planned, and the shopping area. As he did, he pointed around the field in the directions of where he envisioned the buildings being located. She studied the acres around them. “It sounds amazing. Have you thought about a green area, with maybe a playground? It would help bring young families in. Add that to a community center and you could bill the development as multi-age.”
“That’s a great idea! The only problem is that I’m not sure there’ll be room. I still have to figure out where to put Herbert’s community center. I already have my architect working double time to make the additions.” Rick rolled the plans up.
“I’m sure you’ll impress him. Your ideas are good enough that you don’t need me.”
He placed the plans in the car. He valued her vote of confidence. His ex-fiancée had never shown any interest in his work. His bottom-line yes, to actually look at plans, never. “Not according to Herbert.”
“Just take off your tie, unbutton your shirt three buttons and show some chest. He should be putty in your hand,” she quipped.
Rick threw back his head and roared with laughter. Her tinkling mirth joined his.
He was still working to control his humor when he said, “I’m not sure my cleavage will be as appreciated as yours.” It had been ages since he’d laughed. Or been around a woman who made him laugh. He could use more of that in his life.
“You never know until you try.” She gave him a teasing grin.