Chapter Nine

She lay still on her bed after the tears subsided. She stared out the window and watched the clouds float by. She refused to let her eyes encounter his recliner, refused to think about him sitting there smiling at her. She was numb and she wanted to stay that way. She’d heard him leave earlier and that just made her cry all the more. She’d never seen him like that, so angry. She didn’t understand. She’d obviously misjudged the animosity he felt toward Alex. But that he would think that she could possibly have any attraction for him just made her ache. How could he think that? She thought she’d made it clear how much she loved him. The only thing she felt for Alex Ovechkin was a little pity. He was always compared to Sidney and Sid had put an end to his dreams on more than one occasion. Sidney always won.


She heard the door. He was back. She held her breath. She suddenly became aware of every little sound. She heard the clink of his keys in the ceramic bowl by the door. She heard the rustle of a plastic bag being laid on the table. She heard the glass door to the deck slide open. She heard the muffled shit he exclaimed as he dropped something metallic on the deck floor. What was he doing?

Her curiosity got the better of her and she quietly went down stairs. He was kneeling near the wall scraping white paste over a fairly large hole that had been covered in wire mesh. He had obviously spilled some of the white powder when mixing. His arms were dusted in it. It gave the hair on his forearms a luminous quality. He finally noticed her and gave her a weak, abashed smile.

“The guy at the hardware store said this was how to do it, but I guess I’m not very good at it,” he said quietly, like a little boy who had gotten in trouble.

“I could help you with that. I’ve done it before,” she offered smiling softly at him.

“Why does that not surprise me?” He’d risen from his knees and now held out the spackling knife toward her with a timid smile on his lips.

“So… you put a hole in my wall.”

At least he had the good manners to look ashamed.

“I’m so sorry, Payton,” he said, reaching for her and pulling her close. “Please forgive me.”

That was all she could take. Earlier, it had hurt so much thinking he didn’t have faith in her. Now as he held her in his arms, she knew that it couldn’t really be the case. She leaned back and took his face in her hands, drew him down to her and kissed him firmly on the lips. He kissed her back, first soft and then deeper until she was weak in the knees. She held him tight, nestling her face into his neck. She was close to tears again. He ran his fingers into her hair.

“Baby, don’t cry. I’m so sorry. I will never do that again. I’ll never interfere in your work no matter what jerk your working with.”

She looked up at him, the tears threatening to break through without her consent. “Don’t you know I love you more than anything? Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes, I do know and I do trust you. I … I just didn’t… I couldn’t stand the idea of you being in a position where you’d have to fend him off.”

“Do you really think he’s going to come in here with an entourage to do a spread for a magazine and come on to me? He’s coming to get his pictures taken, not to get laid.”

“I really don’t think he would make the distinction.”

She mouth dropped open and she looked at him incredulously. “I really had no idea you felt that way.” She paused and then added, “I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. I was an ass. Photo shoots are your job. I have no business commenting on your clientele.”

“It is just my job. Sidney, if you don’t want me to do it, I can cancel. This would be good for my career, but you are so much more important to me than that. If it means that much to you, I won’t do it.” It came out in much more of a pleading way than she intended, but she found that she actually meant every word.

“I would never ask that of you. I’ll be okay. I overreacted. But will you do me a favor?”

She looked up at him questioningly.

“Don’t offer the recliner.”