CHAPTER SIX

“So you were kissing and then when his phone rang he forgot all about you?”

Angelina squeezed her eyes shut and considered hanging up on Krista. She had spent the entire night trying to forget the kiss.

Trying to forget about being forgotten.

“Don’t make such a big deal out of it. I’m already over it,” she lied.

“Good riddance. He probably wasn’t any good. Rich guys never are.”

Irrationally, Angelina felt compelled to jump to Will’s defense. “His kisses were amazing.”

“Look,” Krista said, stubbornly, “all I’m saying is once I saw that boat I knew something was up.”

“You did?”

“Oh yeah,” replied Krista. “I’d definitely be suspicious of someone as rich as he is. Besides, it doesn’t matter who he is ‘cause he has lousy taste in friends. The good looking one never turned off his phone and the other one,” Krista said as though referring to a rotted piece of fish, “seemed to think he was too good for me. The bastard doesn’t know what he’s missing!”

“I’ll say,” muttered Angelina under her breath.

“Anyway, I’ve decided to take pity on the nerd and go out with him next month.”

“He asked you out?”

Krista humphed on her end of the phone and ‘fessed up. “I sort of bullied him into taking me to his company dinner with me. But we were talking about Will, weren’t we?”

“Could we just forget it, Kris?”

Krista snorted. “Too bad they have to be so cute, with such big yachts. But there’s nothing that a little shopping can’t fix. I’ll be right over.”

Krista hung up the phone before Angelina could refuse the invitation. Which was just as well, she thought sourly.

Suddenly, she had an urge to buy something blue.

* * *

Will had planned on calling Angelina all day Sunday. It wasn’t that he was a wuss, he reasoned, it was simply that he never went into any kind of negotiations without a sure-fire plan of action, a backup plan, and a last ditch plan.

The problem was, he couldn’t seem to think straight when it came to Angelina. He kept getting sidetracked by how soft her skin was. How shiny her silky hair was.

And how luscious her mouth was.

He grabbed a beer, turned on the football game, tried to settle into his usual routine. But thirty minutes later, he had absolutely no idea who was winning the game.

He couldn't take his mind off of Angelina.

The doorbell rang. Will jumped up and spilled beer all over the carpet on his way to the door.

His ex-wife Susan opened her arms to him. “Surprise!” She hugged him then stepped past him and inside the house. “I was just visiting a friend who lives nearby. I’m dying to see the changes you’ve made since Angelina came by to work with you.”

She surveyed the living room and the kitchen hopefully and then turned to him with her hands on her hips. “You haven’t changed anything. Did you scare her off again?”

The irony of the moment was not lost on Will. “Yes. No. I don’t know. Do you want a beer?”

Susan made a face.

“Sorry, forgot you hate beer. I’ll get you a glass of wine.” He stepped into the kitchen and uncorked an open bottle of Merlot. Handing Susan the glass of wine, he said, “I did make one big change.” He led her down the hall to his office, opened the door, and moved out of the way so that she could step inside the room.

“How did she get you to do this?” She turned to him with an amazed look on her flawless face.

“I could never get you to clean up your office. I was afraid to even go into it most of the time.”

He shrugged.

She put her hand on his arm. “You have to tell me what she said.”

He moved out of touching range and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Something about stagnant energy.”

Susan threw her head back and laughed. Will knew he should have kept the changes to himself and headed back into the kitchen. He had a spilled beer to clean up.

“I never thought I’d live to hear you talking about energy.”

“Forget it, will you?” He kneeled on the carpet to sop up the spilled beer with a wad of paper towels.

Susan was clearly on a roll, though, he noted with increasing dismay. Sitting on the edge of his coffee table in what he assumed was supposed to be a sexy way, she asked, “Have you worked on your love corner yet?”

Will kept mopping up the carpet and tried to pretend this wasn’t happening. He said, “No,” and got up to throw away the paper towels.

Susan stood up. “You really should, you know, because she’s famous for being a Feng Shui Cupid”

“A Feng Shui what?”

“A Feng Shui Cupid. She can get anyone to fall in love.”

Will tried to mask his horror. She can make anyone fall in love?

He forcefully took control of his thoughts, telling himself that the idea of a Feng Shui Cupid was just as ridiculous as the idea that moving his stuff could change his life.

Then again, hadn't he felt better after cleaning up his office?

Deftly changing the subject, his ex said, “Let’s go get something to eat at that cute French bistro on the corner.”

Will couldn’t think of anything he’d like to do less, but he'd always hated to hurt Susan's feelings. Resigned to his fate he agreed. “Sure.”

He liked Susan. She had always been a good friend. But why had he married her? Had he really been so obsessed with finding the perfect corporate wife accessory?

The only thing he knew for sure was that he much preferred long dark hair, olive skin and hazel eyes over anything else.

* * *

After an exhausting trek through every store in the mall, Krista insisted on taking Angelina to dinner before dropping her off at home. Having learned early on that it was usually easier to give in to Krista than to fight her, Angelina agreed. The bistro Krista picked was a little too close to Will’s house for Angelina’s peace of mind, but odds were a million to one that she would run into Will there.

Besides, she couldn't go through the rest of her life trying to avoid him.

Their server had just delivered them their wine when a breathtaking blonde walked through the door. Angelina tried not to stare, but the woman was so perfect—perfectly dressed, coiffed, made up, even her shoes were perfect—Angelina felt a senseless urge to pull out her sunglasses and put them on even though the sun was long gone.

Krista turned to see what had caught Angelina’s attention. “Now there’s a piece of work. Think any of that’s real?”

But before Angelina could reply, Will walked into the restaurant behind the goddess.

At least, she noted grimly, he had the grace to look chagrined when he saw her. Her prayer that he would ignore her so she could sneak out was not granted as he headed over to her table.

Angelina whispered to Krista in a shaky voice, “My worst nightmare has just come true.”

Krista called out to a nearby waiter. “My friend and I need another couple of glasses of wine here, pronto. Unless you’re thinking of switching to something a little more potent Ang?”

Heck yeah, I’m ready for something a whole lot more potent, like this gorgeous man standing in front of me, she thought hysterically. And then she remembered who he was with - Ms. I’m-too-perfect-to-be-real – and the fact that he had clearly found her completely forgettable.

Angelina tried to convince herself that it didn’t hurt, but it did. There was no way she could ever compete with a woman like that.

In lieu of any better ideas, she fortified herself with a big gulp of white wine. Unfortunately when she looked back up, not only was Will still standing there, but the perfect woman had joined him.

Will cleared his throat and made the introductions. “Angelina, Krista, this is my ex-wife, Susan.”

Angelina’s heart sank even further as she looked at the woman who had hired her. This perfect vision was the woman who hoped Angelina’s Feng Shui Cupid powers would win back the affections of her ex-husband? Couldn’t she have just flicked her glossy hair over her shoulder and given him a come hither glance to do the job?

Worse still, Angelina was hit between the eyes with a sick dose of guilt for betraying the woman who had hired her in good faith by kissing Will.

She wanted nothing more than to run out of the restaurant. At this point, fleeing the country wasn’t out of the question.

“You’re the Feng Shui consultant, aren’t you?”

Angelina mustered up all of her “I-am-a-seasoned-professional” reserves. She stood up to shake Susan’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

The stunning woman caught her totally unaware with a hug. “It is so incredibly fabulous to meet you in person. I just cannot believe what you’ve done with Will’s office. Believe me, I tried for years to get him to clean it up, but nothing worked. You’re a miracle worker. May we join you for dinner?”

Angelina noted Susan didn’t wait for an answer as she gracefully lowered herself into a nearby chair.

Susan seemed totally oblivious to any tension as she made herself comfortable. She ordered a salad and glass of wine from the hovering waiter, who practically fainted when she spoke to him.

Angelina desperately searched her brain trying to find a way out of this awful dinner. She sent a potent look across the table to Krista, silently imploring her to help think of an excuse to bolt. But Krista was clearly sitting back and enjoying the show.

And some show it was. As Susan talked on and on about meeting the Feng Shui Cupid in person, and all of the miraculous things she had done for her clients, Angelina could only wish that she’d taken more time with her appearance that morning.

Jeans and a t-shirt really weren’t cutting it. But the sad truth was that she could do a full makeover, top to bottom, and she still wouldn’t be anywhere near playing in Susan’s league.

If Susan was a Victoria Secret’s model, Angelina was one of the Fruit of the Loom gang.

* * *

“Now where was I?” Susan said many moons later. “Oh yes, Will and I were having such a good time at his house tonight when he invited me to have dinner with him.”

Will barely managed to keep from spewing his wine all over the table when he heard that flagrant misrepresentation of the few minutes they had spent in his house.

Susan immediately exclaimed, “Oh honey, are you all right?”

Honey?

“I’m fine.”

Susan explained, “It’s so hard to remember we’re not married anymore. Sometimes a honey or two just slips out, doesn’t it?” She gave Will a positively adoring look.

Will couldn’t believe his rotten luck. Here he was in a bistro he didn’t want to be in, having a dinner he didn’t want to eat, with a woman he didn’t want to be with, staring into the eyes of the woman he did want to be with.

Not to mention the fact that being around Angelina had the oddest effect on him, causing his usually razor sharp mind to turn to mush. He just couldn't stop staring at her.

Krista kicked him under the table. “Try not to be so obvious.”

Oh yeah, he had almost forgot. His ex had some crazy notion that they were going to get back together. How the heck was he going to make it clear that he wasn’t the slightest bit interested in her anymore?

Most men—OK, pretty much every man alive—would have jumped at the chance to be with Susan. She was good looking and sweet. But she didn’t have even an ounce of what the woman beside her had—a magical, sensual allure.

If his brain kept this up, he would have to give up his company to write sappy love songs. He was glad for Krista’s advice, though, and made haste to act accordingly. There was no point in letting Susan know she had competition.

Snapping out of his reverie, he noticed his ex had scooted even closer to Angelina and was sketching something on a napkin. She beamed at him across the small table, looking like a kid in a candy store.

“Angelina is giving me a few tips right now. I’m drawing my floor plan for her. Isn’t it exciting?”

Will grunted noncommittally.

“Tell me again,” his ex-wife said, “where the love area of my house is and what I need to do. I can’t wait to get home and try this out.”

* * *

If Susan got any perkier – or nicer - Angelina was going to be sick. Of course, she supposed if she looked like Susan and had the world lining up to kiss her feet, she’d probably be annoyingly cheerful too.

Circling the Love and Marriage corner of Susan’s floor plan, Angelina gave the woman a few tips on displaying things in pairs, using red and pink, and hanging romantic art. A few minutes later when the waiter brought them their food, she forced down a couple of bites so that no one would see how out of sorts she was. Too bad her $20 salad suddenly tasted like it was entirely made of bitter lettuce leaves.

Finally Susan patted her perfect lips with the napkin. “If you will all excuse me, I’m going to go powder my nose.”

After she had left, Krista leaned in to Angelina and said, “I thought people only said that kind of stuff in the movies.”

Angelina fought back the frantic giggle that was bubbling up in her throat.

“Krista,” Will said, “would you mind leaving Angelina and I alone for a minute?”

Her friend sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Whatever you have to say to Angelina, you can say in front of me.”

Angelina turned to Krista with a smile, appreciating her show of solidarity, but the truth was she wanted to get the whole thing over and done with as quickly as possible.

“It’s okay Kris. Would you mind getting the car from valet parking? I’ll be out really quickly.”

Krista reluctantly stood up. “I’m right outside,” she said, pointing her finger at Will, “so don’t try any funny stuff or I’ll sic your ex-wife on you.”

“What do you want now?” Angelina wasn’t wasting any time on pleasantries. Although she was nervous and guilty, she was also angry, which helped steel her nerves.

“Did Susan tell you why she hired you to work with me?”

So, Will must have finally figured out that Susan wanted to reconcile, Angelina thought with perverse satisfaction. She wanted to see him squirm, but she could never divulge her private conversation with Susan to him.

Trying to act detached and professional, she replied, “She is obviously concerned about you.”

She could tell Will had more questions about Susan’s motivations, but instead he switched tactics, reaching across the table for her hand.

“I want to apologize about what happened last night on the boat. About taking that call. And I need to explain about why I’m here with Susan.”

Angelina’s mouth turned into what might have resembled a smile if she hadn’t been about to shatter.

“That kiss was a mistake. A really big mistake. It won’t happen again. And you don't need to explain anything about you and Susan. I hope you'll be very happy together.”

And with that she swept out of the restaurant in as grand an exit as she could pull off, desperately hoping that Krista already had the car running, ready for a quick getaway.

* * *

“I thought the torture would never end.” Angelina said as she slid into Krista’s car.

“No kidding. That woman couldn’t get enough of you. She was practically sitting in your lap.

Your lover boy looked like he was going to punch her.”

“He’s not my lover boy.”

“So,” Krista said in a knowing voice, “now you’re bitter because she wants him back.”

“I am not,” Angelina protested, much too loudly.

“You are so falling for him.”

Angelina glared at her best friend. “I am not.”

Krista rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, now that I’ve given it some thought and have seen you two together again, I’ve decided it’s a good thing.”

Angelina snorted. “Name one way it could possibly be good.”

“How about four? One, he is so hot for you I was practically getting singed at the restaurant.”

“Stop making things up.”

“Shush, I’m not done yet. Two, he’s filthy, stinking rich.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hello! Am I done with my list yet? Let’s see, where was I? Three, according to you his kisses light you up like the Fourth of July. Are you ready for number four?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Too bad. Because number four is the incontestable fact that the two of you are perfect for each other.”

Angelina shook her head, refusing to believe it would ever work out between her and Will.

“Try this instead,” she said to Krista. “How about number one, his ex is perfect, number two, she’s gorgeous, and number three, she’s nice.”

“None of that matters,” Krista replied confidently.

“How can you say that? You saw her.”

Krista pulled up in front of Angelina’s house. “He doesn’t look at her like he looks at you.”

Angelina was afraid to hear anything else Krista had to say, so she got out of the car.

“Sparks, baby. They're flying.” Krista started to pull away and then hit the brakes, yelling out the window. “By the way, I’d go pick up the latest copy of People, if I were you.”

Angelina stood on the curb and watched Krista’s car round the corner, wondering about her friend's cryptic comment about the magazine. What could People magazine possibly have to do with the mess she had dug for herself?

She went inside her house, ignoring the mess in her living room again and went through the motions of getting ready for the bed. She hoped that once she crawled under the covers she would be able to dull the sight of Will and his vision-of-loveliness-ex wrapped in each other's arms.