Chapter Fifteen
The old saying went that trouble comes in threes. If only life were that predictable.
Some trouble was tragic and terrifying and heartbreaking—
when your mother's doctor tells her the breast cancer she thought she'd beaten has returned and spread to her other organs. Some trouble wasn't so bad after all—when you learn your boyfriend has been cheating on you with one of his former girlfriends. Oh, it stings at first, and you feel stupid, but when you look back you realize he really did you a favor, and you had a lucky escape.
Some trouble comes out of the blue and hits you right between the eyes when you least expect it—like when that same boyfriend—now ex-boyfriend—shows up at your job a month after he's dumped you. Shows up at the library on a Friday afternoon when customers are in a hurry after school and after work to get their business done before closing time.
Andie stood at her desk, not trusting herself to speak. A jolt of rage surged through her, followed oddly by a thread of fear.
"I'd like to talk to you, Andie." Douglas's throat worked as he swallowed nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Was he trying to make her feel sorry for him?
"This is not the time, nor the place." Her voice trembled.
Damn it. She swept past him and into the Adult Fiction stacks. He followed her. Damn again. Andie grasped the handle of a full book cart and wheeled it in front of her. Re-163
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shelving books was a page's job, but Andie needed to do something with her hands, something to keep them from trembling. God, what was wrong with her? She didn't want him back, was glad to be rid of him. Yet for some reason, she was afraid, too. Afraid she'd soften towards him and let her defenses down? Was she really that weak?
She picked up a book and placed it on the shelf automatically, the call numbers on the spine gone blurry. "If there's something you want from the apartment, leave a message on the voice mail, and I'll make sure it gets to you."
There. No trembling that time. Much better, steadier.
"Andie."
He used that tone, the one she'd heard many times before that said she was being unreasonable. He must have picked up on it, felt her fear.
"We're adults, surely we can discuss our relationship intelligently."
When she spoke, Andie's voice was soft, almost gentle.
She turned toward him. "Our relationship?" She always liked Douglas's looks—with those eyeglasses and his longish light-brown hair, she thought he resembled a sexy, rumpled professor. But now Andie recognized the glimmer of triumph flickering in his eyes behind the glasses. Her fear dissipated, and a slow-burning anger took its place. Yes. He thought he had her now. Manipulative jerk.
Douglas's eyes were an icy winter blue. Not the warm autumnal mix of brown and green of Matthew's. God. Was she ever going to stop thinking about Matthew?
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"I've wanted to call you." Douglas forged ahead, emboldened by her apparent softening. "But I knew you wouldn't pick up."
Andie bowed her head agreeably. A thought was taking form in her brain, and she began to feel stronger, stronger than she'd ever felt with him. "You know me so well." She glanced up to see Tania approaching with a shark's smile on her face.
"If you're busy right now, Ms. Benedetto, I'd be happy to help the gentleman." The look Tania gave Douglas said Yeah, happy to help kick your sorry ass out onto the pavement.
Douglas frowned. There was no love lost between him and Tania, even before he and Andie had broken up.
"It's all right, Tania," Andie heard herself say. Turning to Douglas, she said, "We'll talk, but not here."
Douglas nodded, smiling as if he'd already won. "Cool Beans, then? After work."
"All right."
"Say five-thirty?"
Andie nodded.
Tania's eyes went wide with disbelief while Douglas flashed a smile. "It's nothing we can't work out, sweetheart."
Sweetheart? Douglas rarely used endearments. He was really pouring it on now.
"When we talk, you'll see," he said.
Tania's look of surprise had changed to a glare now fixed on Andie. She ignored the smug expression on Douglas's face by simply pretending he didn't exist. When he was gone, 165
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Tania demanded, "Have you lost your mind? Don't you know what that clown is up to?"
"Yeah, I do," Andie told her. "For whatever reason, he wants me back. And he's going to get me."
Tania was furious and tried warnings, pleas, and even threats to stop her friend from keeping the date with Douglas.
But Andie had made up her mind and now she sat across the table from him in Cool Beans Coffee House with her small skim latte in front of her.
He'd placed his hand on top of hers. "I'm so glad you decided to listen to reason." His tone said it all—she was a stubborn, wayward child, and he was the mature adult. He often turned the tables on her that way. Why was she only recognizing that now? Douglas cleared his throat. "People make mistakes, Andie. It's part of being human."
Andie's eyebrows rose. He spoke as though she were the one to blame for their separation. He was magnanimously extending forgiveness for her sins instead of asking pardon for his own.
Then at least he had the decency to look a bit embarrassed. "You know Gretchen was with me the night you called. I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I wanted to tell you..."
Why didn't you? Andie might have asked. Certainly he had plenty of opportunity to do so before he moved out. But she knew there were only two possible answers: he'd been too cowardly to tell the truth or he'd wanted to keep Andie on the string in case things didn't work out with Gretchen. As apparently they hadn't.
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It didn't matter now, and Andie didn't put him on the spot.
She wanted to make it easy for him.
"I understand," she told him, smiling and squeezing his fingers.
He blinked in surprise and Andie quickly backtracked. She shouldn't make it too easy—he'd get suspicious. She pulled her hand free. "I mean, I was hurt."
"Of course you were. Of course," he answered soothingly.
His hand reached for hers again and Andie allowed him to clasp it, but made no effort it hold his in return. "It was a big mistake. It didn't take me long to realize that. To realize who I really belong with."
It didn't take long for Gretchen to kick your ass to the curb, Andie thought. Maybe she had gone back to the other guy. Or maybe she realized Douglas, once she had him, was no great prize. But whatever the reason, Gretchen had given him the old heave-ho.
Andie was not the same fool she'd been a few weeks ago.
The real reason Douglas was here, making nice, was because he had nowhere else to go.
And he assumed she'd fall into his arms again.
"It's stupid, us being apart," he went on. "We belong together."
That's it? Andie wondered. No groveling, no self-recrimination, no promises of happily-ever-after? Was she not worth even one measly "I love you"? Apparently not. That had to be the laziest, lousiest apology ever given. It was downright insulting.
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But why should he make the effort? She was boring old Andie, wasn't she? Andie the Librarian—predictable, safe, and deadly dull—desperate enough to accept anything thrown her way. At least that's what Douglas believed. Well, let him believe it. For a little while longer.
"I need to think," she murmured, looking away so he didn't see the disgust she felt. Still, she registered his surprised annoyance. Well, hell. Had he really thought she'd let him back tonight?
"Of course," he answered grudgingly.
"Where are you staying?"
His mouth twisted in frustration. "Max is letting me crash at his place."
Andie glanced away again, this time to hide her grin. His friend Max was a slob, which was sure to be driving Douglas crazy. No doubt that was another reason he wanted back in their—scratch that—her apartment. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering with humor. "Well, that's nice. It's good to have friends."
He grunted.
"We need to talk more," she told him. "In private. Why don't you come by tomorrow night." She looked up at him with a promise in her eyes. Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. "Maybe we can settle things then."
His eyes lit up as he agreed. Andie wanted to laugh. This was too perfect. When he explained he'd promised to meet Max for dinner, Andie urged him to keep the date. "You don't want to disappoint your friend."
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Not that she cared about Max. Andie only wanted to get rid of Douglas to enjoy a few moments alone to savor her victory. When they parted she was afraid he'd try to kiss her goodbye, but he changed his mind—thank God—and pressed her hand instead.
Andie lingered at the table, finishing the last few sips of her drink when someone pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.
Tania glared at her. "You're not going anywhere until you hear what I have to say." Tania brought reinforcements.
While she sat directly across from Andie, Latisha took the chair to Andie's left. Andie's mouth went slack with surprise.
"Where did you come from?"
A pretty African-American woman with long-lashed eyes and full red lips, Latisha indicated a far table with a roll of her neck. "We were over there, hiding behind the menus like a couple of spies."
Latisha might have been embarrassed, but Tania was furious. "Why are you even talking to that asshole, after everything he did to you?"
"Take it easy." Andie laughed.
"No, I will not. I'm not going to stand by and let you get dumped on again." She glanced over to her girlfriend. "Tee, come on, back me up here."
The other woman sighed and looked at Andie. "This really wasn't my idea."
"I didn't think so. This set up has Tania Talcott written all over it."
"Excuse me?" Tania huffed. "Hello, sitting right here."
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"Andie's a grown woman." Latisha was addressing Tania.
"She has every right to make her own decisions about who she will and will not allow into her life."
Andie nodded. "Exactly. Thank you, Latisha."
"Even if," Latisha went on, zeroing her big brown eyes on Andie, "those decisions are absolutely disastrous to her own well-being."
"Hah!" Tania crowed. "Thank you, Latisha."
"I know you're doing this because you care about me, and I really appreciate it," Andie responded. A lovely sense of rightness flooded her, allowing her to feel beneficent. "But it's all right. I know what I'm doing."
"Oh my God." Tania rolled her eyes heavenward. "This girl needs to be committed, she's cracking up. She is hell-bent on getting her heart broken again."
"That's not going to happen," Andie promised in a soothing voice.
"Oh, of course not." Tania's voice dripped sarcasm. "Let me guess. He's gonna change, it's all gonna be perfect from now on, you're his soul mate, you complete him."
"Nope." Andie shook her head. "He didn't say any of that."
"He didn't? Well, what did he say?"
"Well, apart from a half-assed apology, he really didn't say much of anything."
Tania gave her a narrow-eyed stare, then turned to her girlfriend. "Okay. Maybe I should be committed. 'Cause I hear her talking, but it's not adding up."
Latisha frowned. "Hmmm. It's not making a lot of sense to me, either. Care to explain, Andie?"
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Andie lifted a shoulder. "It doesn't matter what he says. Or doesn't say. He's a liar and a cheat. I could never trust him again."
"Then why are you even...?"
"He wants to come back. To safe, boring Andie. I'm going to show him just how un-boring I've learned to be." She smiled at her two friends. "I'm going to blow his little mind.
Then I'm gonna drop him like he's hot."
Fate had practically dropped Douglas into her lap. What had gone around was finally coming back around, and Andie was going to get even. She sat back in her chair, smiling smugly as her two friends processed her little bombshell. A moment later, Tania wore a devious smile while Latisha frowned.
"You're going to sleep with him?" Latisha asked.
Before Andie could reply Tania broke in, "I love it. Serves the son-of-a-bitch right, after everything he did to you." Then she saw the somber look on her girlfriend's face. "What's the matter with you?"
"I don't like it." She shook her head, sending her long slender beaded braids swinging, brushing her shoulders. "It's a bad idea, Andie."
"What's bad? Dumbass will be getting exactly what he deserves. It's karma, baby!" Tania grinned.
"It's revenge," Latisha answered. "And remember,
'vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.'"
"Well, maybe." The redhead wriggled her eyebrows. "But who's to say we can't give the Lord a li'l hand from time to time?"
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Latisha snorted and rolled her eyes. She turned to Andie.
"Are you sure this isn't really about Matthew?"
Andie flashed a look at Tania, who flushed and shrugged her shoulders. Tania knew about the weekend with Matthew—
well, about most of it. It hadn't taken her long to wriggle it out of Andie, who wanted a shoulder to cry on anyway.
"She's the only one I told, I swear." Tania answered the unasked question. Andie shouldn't be surprised her friend shared the information with Latisha. And she wasn't really upset. But even Tania didn't know what Andie had overheard at the Pizza Palace.
Andie's lips firmed. "Of course not."
Latisha sighed. "Well, this other man—what's his name again?"
"Douglas," Andie said softly.
"Well, maybe this Douglas does deserve what you're planning. But is it what you deserve?"
Andie's forehead crinkled, but it was Tania who spoke.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Every time a woman gives her body, she gives a piece of her heart along with it." Latisha gave Andie a probing look. "It seems to me your heart's already been smashed up pretty well. Do you really want Douglas to have another piece of you? More than he's already taken?"
Latisha's brown eyes bored into her, and for the first time since she'd come up with the plan, Andie hesitated. Then she shook her head, refusing to let doubt undermine her. She looked from Latisha to Tania, who now appeared to be having some doubts herself.
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Andie gave a huff of frustration. "Don't you get it? I'm not giving him anything. I'm taking something back."
She was taking back all the self-respect Douglas had stolen from her.
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