Читать книгу Husband Next Door - Anne Ha - Страница 8

Shelly twisted the towel around her fingers. Aaron wasn’t going to like what she had to say, but she couldn’t let that stop her. His future happiness was at stake, and she had to get him to see the seriousness of his situation.

She met his eyes across the kitchen. “I’m worried about you, Aaron.”

He blinked. “Oh? How’s that?”

“Do you really want to be alone your whole life?” she asked gently. “Because if you keep this up, you will be. This continuous line of women parading through here the past year…It’s bad news, my friend, and eventually you’re going to get a reputation you can’t live down.”

“A reputation?” he asked, looking amused.

She ignored the sparkle of humor in his eyes. This wasn’t a laughing matter. “Yes, Aaron, and I’ll tell you how. Imagine this—a woman meets you…she thinks you’re handsome…she’s pleased when you ask her on a date. You show up for the date—well dressed, attentive, a witty and accomplished conversationalist. Another night she comes over for dinner, enjoys a sumptuous meal and who-knows-what other pleasures…” Shelly took a deep breath. “Are you with me?”

Aaron nodded. There was an odd expression on his face.

“So—” she paused for effect “—maybe the third time she’s with you, if she’s lucky—or maybe much later, if she’s like Marcia, and isn’t all that observant—she begins to notice things. Your address book has ten female names for every male one. You tell her the funny story about the time you accidentally scheduled four different dates for the same night. Maybe she finds someone else’s earrings in the medicine cabinet…”

“You saw those, did you?”

“All three pairs, Aaron.” She shot him a look of reproof. “Don’t forget that by now the lady is probably planning for the future. When she takes a close look around, she sees these clues, these little warning signs that show the magnitude of what she’s getting into. She realizes she’s about to spend the rest of her life with a hopeless philanderer. Am I right?”

Aaron raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

“I’m glad you don’t try to deny it. We’re friends, and friends tell each other the unvarnished truth.”

“Which is what, in my case?”

“Which is that, well…” She trailed off, then tried again. “From a woman’s perspective, you’re a…a nightmare. There. I’m sorry if that hurts, but it’s the truth.”

Aaron laughed. “That’s hardly new information, Shelly. You’ve been hinting at it for the past year.”

“I didn’t think you’d noticed.” She hung the damp towel over the edge of the sink and joined him at the table.

“Maybe I should make myself a sandwich board saying Aaron Carpenter, Nightmare for Women. I’d certainly spare myself the expense of all these lavish dinners.”

She smiled. “You know, Aaron, your sense of humor is one of the most attractive things about you. But it doesn’t make you a lifetime proposition. You need to follow it up with some substance.”

“So my lack of substance is the problem?”

Shelly scrunched her forehead in concentration. “Not exactly. It’s that you take advantage of the fairy tale that people create around you. You allow these women to imagine you’re the perfect man—by dressing well, listening to them, cooking for them, and so on—and then you drive them away by revealing you’ve done it all before. It’s a brilliant strategy, actually. You never have to dump your girlfriends. They dump you, feeling they’ve had a narrow escape. And you walk away.”

He gave her a sheepish look.

She sighed, exasperated. “Somewhere out there is a woman who can make you give up your carefree ways— but she won’t have anything to do with you once word gets out. You’ll lose your only chance at happiness, if you don’t reform yourself immediately.”

Aaron was silent a moment, absorbing her words. “Okay,” he said at last. “Maybe you’re right….” He tilted his head. “But how do you know I’m looking for something permanent?”

Shelly groaned. “Everybody looks for something permanent. Everybody needs security and companionship. You’re no different from the rest of us, Aaron Carpenter.”

“True…. I don’t like to admit it, but my old life-style isn’t as satisfying as it used to be.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. She’d suspected as much, but never thought he’d say it out loud.

“If the right woman would have me,” he added, “I’d be happy to settle down.”

The right woman? Could it really be as simple as finding the right woman? A strange knot formed in her stomach, but Shelly ignored it. “And she would have you,” she said. “If you’d start doing things right.”

Aaron studied her without speaking. He seemed to be sizing her up, his blue eyes reflective, his quick mind obviously racing along some line of thought she couldn’t begin to imagine.

She stared back at him, waiting.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I suppose there’s nothing to do but bend to your wishes…. When do we start?”

“Start what?”

“My lessons. On being less of a nightmare for women. On becoming a lifetime proposition.”

She held up her hands. “Oh, no. That’s not my problem.”

“Shelly, you can’t just pronounce sentence on me without allowing a means of salvation. If I’m going to reform myself, I’ll need a good teacher.”

“Then look in the yellow pages, because it’s not going to be me! Some other brave soul can try to fix you.”

He wore a wounded expression. “But you’re perfect for the job. You already know all my faults—which means we’d save time—and you know what women want Plus, I trust you.”

She felt her resistance slipping. “I don’t know, Aaron….”

He was right, she realized. If someone else helped Aaron, assuming he could talk them into it, he’d have to waste countless hours explaining his past behavior to them—hours that could be better spent improving his character.

And she did know all the ways he needed to improve.

Aaron shook his head sadly. "I thought you’d help me out of friendship, but I guess I was wrong….” His voice trailed off; he looked like a lost puppy.

It was a difficult look to ignore. Against her better judgment, she said, “Oh, all right. I’ll help you. No guarantees, though.”

He smiled. “Fair enough. Actually, that reminds me— what if we’re successful and it still doesn’t make any difference?”

“It will.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. You’ve neglected to consider an important point, Shel. What if it’s the woman who’s at fault?”

“Not likely.” She winked at him. “Correcting that little misapprehension will be the first step toward molding you into a new man.”

Aaron leaned forward. “I’m serious. What if my perfect woman judges me without really knowing me? What if she jumps to conclusions based on my colorful past and never sees that I’ve changed?”

He had a point, Shelly thought. It could happen. Not only did he have a colorful past, but also a dazzlingly handsome face and a lean, elegant body. Even if he managed to reform himself on the inside, he’d probably always look like a rake on the outside.

She didn’t want him to use that as an excuse not to make an effort, however. “Let’s deal with the possibility after you’ve changed,” she said. She smothered a yawn. It was getting late, and she did have the open house tomorrow.

Aaron watched her, his blue eyes thoughtful. “All right.” He carried their coffee mugs to the sink. “Looks as if it’s your bedtime, anyway. I’ll see you to the porch.” He followed Shelly outside and waited while she unlocked her door.

She stepped over the threshold. “Good night, Aaron. Have a nice time with Amelia tomorrow.”

Once inside her own apartment, Shelly lowered herself to the couch and sat there, staring into space for several minutes. Her mind kept replaying their recent conversation as she tried to assure herself Aaron really meant to change. She never would have believed it.

From the first time she’d met him, Shelly had sensed he was incapable of being serious about his love affairs. His humor and charm covered up an intense fear of emotional risk, of emotional vulnerability.

He would be a difficult case.

But if anyone could help him, she could. Shelly knew she had to try. She had to teach him how to lay the foundation for a lasting relationship, or he really would be alone his whole life. And, no matter how many jokes he cracked, she knew that wouldn’t make him happy.

Shelly got up and got ready for bed, reminding herself Aaron’s happiness was, in the end, his own responsibility. She’d do what she could, but she also had other things to think about. Her best friend, Chloe, was moving to San Francisco next week and would be staying with Shelly until she found her own place. And of course there was Eric’s proposal to consider….

She wasn’t too worried about it. Eric was the safest, most stable man she’d ever met. He was the farthest thing from a ladies’ man, and Shelly knew he’d be true to her. Though she still planned to take her time, it wouldn’t be a difficult decision.

The following day Shelly left the legal aid office at half past five and headed for the bus stop. She’d only taken a few steps on the busy downtown sidewalk when she spotted Aaron’s dark blue sports car at the curb up ahead.

“I was in the area,” he said by way of greeting. “How did the open house go?”

Shelly climbed in gratefully and fastened her seat belt. “It was great—no shortage of lawyers this time. How’s the Discovery Center?”

“Can’t complain.” He pulled into the flow of traffic. “I need to pick up some hardware on the way home, if you don’t mind.”

Aaron parked the car in the industrial district. Shelly entered the huge outlet store with him, but stayed at the front near the gardening supplies while Aaron cruised through the aisles, grabbing items off the shelves. Almost every week she accompanied him on some shopping trip or other—he was always buying supplies for different projects with his students.

A former investment banker, Aaron had left the rat race in order to work with children. He now ran an after-school activity group in San Francisco’s Mission District, drawing students from low income families in the neighborhood. Often, the parents had to work two jobs in order to get by, and Aaron’s Discovery Center helped keep their children off the streets. It nurtured the youths’ creativity and self-confidence and gave them a place to belong.

In the course of her own work at the legal aid office, Shelly had been able to refer several families to Aaron’s group. She liked being part of a larger network of people helping others. It was one of the things that kept her going whenever she felt overwhelmed by her clients’ problems, as she had at times during the open house that day.

Shelly was lost in thought when Aaron reappeared by her side with a cart full of tools and supplies. He paid for them and they walked back to the car.

“Were you thinking of Eric?” he asked as they drove off.

“About work, actually.”

“Oh,” he said. “Does that mean you’ve already made your decision?”

“Of course not. This is too important to be hasty.”

He shook his head with feigned regret “And you dismissed my proposal so easily…. It’s a good thing I don’t have feelings.”

“Only in the short run,” she returned, her voice tolerant. “In the long run it sharply decreases your odds of finding someone permanent. But we’ll save that for one of our advanced lessons.”

“Speaking of which, when can we get started?”

She shrugged. “How about tonight? I could come over and spend a few minutes pointing out the trouble spots in your apartment—photos of previous girlfriends, stacks of old love letters, and so on—and start to address the deeper issues of your treatment of women. At the very least, you need to learn how to dump your girlfriends properly. No more of this cabbage quiche stuff.”

He gave her a rueful look. “Great, as long as it doesn’t take too long. Keep in mind that Amelia is coming for dinner tonight.”

“Amanda.”

Aaron looked confused.

“Her name’s Amanda,” Shelly repeated.

When they reached their building, an old, converted Victorian, she followed Aaron inside his apartment. She dropped her purse onto the sideboard by his front door and hung her suit jacket in his hall closet. “How much time do we have?”

Aaron looked at his watch. “An hour and a half—”

“Good. Plenty of time.”

“—during which I have to shower and cook dinner. But we can steal a few minutes.” He led her to the kitchen and produced a sheet of paper from his drop-front desk. “Here. Make a list or something while I take a shower.”

“But—”

He laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “Shelly, I know you’d like to help, but I can clean myself pretty well. Save your instructions for things I’m not already good at.”

“That wasn’t what I was going to say,” she muttered, but he was already gone.

She sat down at his kitchen table and drew up a plan for teaching Aaron how to be a better man.

Shelly had filled half the page when she heard him calling her name. She got up and walked cautiously into his bedroom. The inner door leading to the bathroom was open, and Aaron stood in front of the sink wearing nothing but a towel.

She’d never seen him wearing only a towel before. He’d wrapped it low around his hips, leaving more of his torso bare than was, Shelly thought, quite necessary. She tried to ignore the strength in his shoulders and the beautiful lines of muscle that rippled as he moved.

With a hand towel, Aaron cleared the steam from the mirror right in front of him. He met her eyes in the glass. “I decided we should be efficient. You can talk to me while I shave.”

Shelly didn’t think this was a very good idea, but she didn’t see how she could back out of the situation without him guessing why. “Okay. Where do you want to start?”

He splashed water on his face and dampened his shaving brush. “You said I should learn how to dump a woman properly. Why don’t we start there?”

“Okay,” she said, distracted by the supple movements of his body as he drew the brush through his shaving soap and lathered his face. The clean citrus scent of the soap drifted out to fill the room, and she inhaled deeply.

“I’m waiting.”

She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus. “You’ve been getting rid of your girlfriends in a mean and manipulative way. I’m going to teach you to be more honest about your feelings.”

Aaron rinsed out his razor and began to shave.

“When you break off a relationship,” she said, “you need to be straightforward about it. Don’t drag it out or pretend you’re not doing what you’re doing. Insincerity is really hard to deal with when someone is giving you the ax. Do you understand?”

Aaron shrugged. “I guess.”

“Okay, then.” She cleared her throat. “You can practice on me.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Go ahead,” she said. “Dump me.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

He held her eyes in the mirror. “Because I can’t. We’re not going out.”

Shelly sighed in exasperation. “Use your imagination, you big oaf!”

He rinsed his razor and took a few more strokes. “Okay, but if we were going out, I probably wouldn’t want to dump you.”

Shelly tried to stay calm, though she felt her temper rising. “Your delaying tactics are getting on my nerves.”

He turned his head and smiled at her. “I’m only trying to be honest and straightforward.”

“You know, I think you’re just sensitive about having a woman teach you how to be a man.”

“Certainly not.”

“Then prove it. Dump me.”

Again he paused. “What should I say?”

“Try, ‘I’m not in love with you anymore.’”

His brows drew together. “But what if I never was in love with her?”

“Just say it.”

He swallowed. “I’m not in love with you anymore.”

“Say it like you mean it.”

“But I don’t mean it.”

Shelly thought for a minute. “How about, ‘I don’t think our relationship is moving in the right direction.’”

He said it. It even sounded as if he meant it.

“Good,” she said. “Really good. You’ve opened up the dialogue. Now, what if I started to throw a fit? What if I got all distraught and weepy?”

He smiled into the mirror at her. “I’d take you in my arms and—”

She felt her pulse accelerate. “No, no, no! That’s not right at all. You’re trying to break up, not get back together.” She paused. “Try saying, ‘I’ve lost interest.’”

“I’ve lost interest In this ridiculous exercise.”

Shelly expelled her breath impatiently. “You are so aggravating!” She retreated farther and sat down on his bed. “If you’re not going to cooperate, I might as well not help you.”

Aaron turned around to look at her. Flecks of lather dotted his smooth-shaven cheeks. “Are you giving up so soon, Shel?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“Of course not. I’ve still got a few things to say, but they can wait until you’re finished. I want your full attention.”

Shelly lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She heard a rustle as he turned around and the splash of water in the sink.

Aaron came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. He’d slipped into his dark blue bathrobe and was toweling his hair. Shelly sat up, but turned her face away.

He tossed the towel onto the bed beside her. “So, shall we continue?”

She stood up. “Yes. Um, I want to compliment you on how clean your bedroom is. You must have made a special effort for…”

“Amanda,” he said.

“Right. Amanda. You’ve cleared away the evidence of previous female visitors. That’s good. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve simply hidden the stuff. In the closet, perhaps?” She threw open the closet doors and peered inside. Sure enough, a tube of lipstick sat on the shelf at the top. She turned to Aaron with a victorious look.

He ignored it. “Could you hand me the brown trousers hanging in the middle?”

Sighing, she reached into the closet. “These?”

“No, two over. Yes, those.”

Shelly slipped the trousers off the hanger and held them out.

He laid them on the bed. “Thanks. You were saying?”

“Oh, nothing.” She stepped away as he moved to the closet and selected a linen shirt to wear. “I don’t know why I even bother.”

Aaron crossed to his bureau. He picked out boxers and a pair of socks, tossing them on the bed with the other clothes.

The room was starting to feel quite warm, Shelly thought. And Aaron was entirely too casual about his state of undress. “Uh, I’ll leave you alone for a minute.”

He winked at her. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Shelly breathed a sigh of relief as she escaped from the room. It shouldn’t be like this between two friends, she thought, more disturbed than she cared to admit. It especially shouldn’t be like this right now, when she was thinking of marrying Eric. Why did Aaron’s attractiveness suddenly seem inescapable, when she’d always managed to ignore it in the past?

Well, she told herself, she would just have to be stronger. She would have to get her nervous system under control and keep things on the right level.

Aaron joined her in the kitchen a few minutes later, fully clothed but with his hair still slightly damp, and set to work on dinner. “So. What else do I need to learn?”

“Too much,” she said.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It is. Despite your claim that you want to reform, you’ve shown no interest in what I have to say.” She waved at the notes she’d written earlier. “I had a bunch of good ideas, but I think I’ll keep them to myself until you’re ready to learn something.”

“Give me the short version for now, at least”

She brushed a tendril of long blond hair from her eyes and met his gaze squarely. “Take life more seriously and stop flirting with everyone.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. When you meet the woman you want to spend your life with, you’re going to have to do both of those things. There are other things, too, but they’re incidental.”

His brow wrinkled. “Are you sure these are universal rules? You’re not just telling me what you want in a man, are you?”

“Listen, Aaron, you asked for my opinion. Maybe you’ll be lucky and fall in love with an irresponsible clown who wants an open relationship. But you probably won’t”

His shoulders slumped. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. And now I’m going to leave before your lady friend arrives.”

“Don’t you want to meet Amanda?”

“No.”

“It’s your last chance. I’m going to follow your advice and tell her I don’t love her anymore.”

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but I’ll skip the sideshow.”

Back in her own apartment, Shelly heated a can of soup and ate it in front of the television. Then she listened to a new CD, reorganized her kitchen cabinets and thought about the pros and cons of marrying Eric.

It didn’t help. She couldn’t keep her mind off Aaron and his guest next door.

Shelly knew he didn’t really intend to break up with Amanda. Not tonight, at least. He couldn’t reform himself that fast, and he wouldn’t be Aaron if he didn’t string her along for a few more weeks. But when he lost interest, Shelly hoped he’d keep her advice in mind, and end it responsibly.

She remembered his breakup with Marcia last fall. Aaron certainly hadn’t handled that very well. Sure, Marcia had jumped the gun a bit—expecting him to abandon the Discovery Center, take a job in her father’s advertising agency and make her his wife—but that still didn’t justify Aaron’s behavior.

First he’d tried to slip quietly out of Marcia’s life. But when she proved to be too tenacious, he’d acted out of male desperation, telling her he loved someone else.

“Not a smart move, Carpenter,” Shelly muttered. She put on another CD and paced up and down the living room.

Aaron’s little deception had backfired. Shelly would never forget the day she’d come home to the sight of Marcia camped out on the front steps, her Donna Karan blouse all rumpled, her carefully applied mascara running down her cheeks. During the scene that followed, Shelly gradually realized Marcia thought she was Aaron’s mystery lover.

It would have been funny if it hadn’t been so embarrassing. Shelly had pointedly mentioned her new relationship with Eric West, but Marcia refused to believe she wasn’t carrying on with Aaron. Marcia wouldn’t even believe Aaron’s denial when he got home an hour later, but finally she’d departed.

Shelly hoped never to have to live through such an encounter again. Ever since that day she’d distanced herself from Aaron’s love life, going out of her way not to meet any of his girlfriends.

She stopped pacing as she heard the muffled click of Aaron’s front door. Surprised, she glanced down at her watch. Only an hour and a half had gone by since Amanda had arrived. Strange, Shelly thought. In the past Aaron’s dates had usually lasted quite a bit longer.

Well, maybe he’d broken up with Amanda after all. Shelly grimaced, anticipating a tearful farewell on the porch, but moments later she heard laughter, both male and female. Clearly the romance was still going strong.

Shelly knew she shouldn’t be so nosy, but she couldn’t help listening to the shuffle of footsteps as the couple descended the stairs. As they reached the sidewalk below, she gravitated to the large bay window of her apartment. Surreptitiously she nudged the lacy curtain aside and peered down at the lamp-lit street.

She stared for several seconds before her brain comprehended what she saw. Aaron was there, all right, and so was a gorgeous brunette who must be Amanda. But they were several feet apart. And a second man stood with his arm draped possessively around Amanda’s shoulders, shielding her from the cool night air.

Shelly shook her head, bewildered. Was that even Amanda? Who was this other man, and why was he so friendly with her?

As she looked on, Aaron shook hands with both of the strangers. He stood watching as they got into a car and drove away. Only when their taillights disappeared around the corner did he turn back toward the stairs.

Shelly heard Aaron whistling as he ascended the steps. Making a split-second decision, she grabbed her keys and dashed outside.