Читать книгу Married Or Not? - Brenda Jackson - Страница 10

Four

Two days later Sherri woke up in a panic. She’d been having a nightmare, or perhaps her subconscious had chosen to relive some of her worst moments. She looked around her room and saw that she was alone.

She realized she was holding her breath and let it out with a whoosh, her relief overwhelming. The nightmare had probably been the result of knowing that she was being released from the hospital today. Somehow she would have to navigate the stairs to her second-story apartment. Once there, she would be something of a captive until her leg cast came off.

At the moment, getting to her apartment wasn’t her worst problem. How could she look for work like this? No one in his or her right mind would hire her. She wasn’t even sure she could work full-time right away. She’d been in good shape, relatively speaking, but she was a long way from getting over the wreck. Her little car was gone. Her insurance would only pay a percentage of her hospital bills, which were going to be astronomical. For that matter, she might not have any insurance. Had it been canceled the day she was laid off? She hoped it had been in effect until midnight of that day. She’d paid her part of the insurance premiums for the entire month and, as if all of that wasn’t enough to deal with, she also had Greg to contend with.

He’d come by to see her for both of the past two days. She didn’t want him here. She’d hoped never to see him again. Why? Because she still turned to mush whenever she was around him. That was the reason she had asked him to leave her alone after the divorce. She could deal with the hurt and the pain of the divorce as long as it was a distant memory. As soon as she saw him she was instantly reminded of how much in love she’d been with him, and how much he’d hurt her.

One of the things she found attractive about him when they’d first met was that he was a man of action and didn’t talk much. Clams were chattier, she was sure. She hadn’t understood then that without open communication between them, their marriage could not succeed.

Granted, she didn’t expect him to talk about his work. She understood that. Eventually, they didn’t talk at all. She couldn’t live that way. He knew her entire life history. She knew little about his background or past. She understood that there were people who hated to talk about themselves, but Greg had carried his reticence to an extreme.

What had ended the marriage as far as she was concerned was that she’d discovered he’d lied to her. Flat-out lied. The other things had been tough enough to deal with, but when she’d found out the truth about him and that he had hidden it from her for their entire marriage, she knew she could no longer live with him.

And yet… He’d heard about her accident and had come to see her. Okay. She could understand that a little. I mean, they had known each other intimately at one time. She supposed he could have been concerned about her.

However, she was at a loss to figure out why he came each day to see her. It was ridiculous. They had little to talk about. She certainly had no intention of getting involved in his life again.

Each time he’d left she’d politely told him not to come back. He came anyway.

Well, if he showed up today she’d give up the polite part and tell him to leave her alone. If he didn’t show up, she’d be gone. As far as she knew, he didn’t know where she lived—No. Wait. He’d said something about her living on the second floor. He couldn’t know that if he hadn’t been by there.

Well, when she saw him, she intended to set him straight. She did not want him in her life in any way. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. She hoped that the meeting would happen later rather than sooner. She needed to get her strength back before facing him. Otherwise, she might end up throwing herself into his arms crying, “Save me! Save me!”

Not her style at all, but then whenever she was around Greg, she had trouble thinking coherently.

The aide came in with her breakfast. “The doctor wants to check to see how you are this morning. He’s making rounds now, so it shouldn’t be too long.” She set the tray on the rolling table. “Enjoy.”

Sherri looked at the tray. Enjoy. Right. Clear liquids. No coffee. She had to be on a special diet until everything damaged inside her healed. She’d have to give Joan a list of the things she could eat and have her bring them home. It would be good to get home and let Lucifer, her cat, love her. Or rather push his head into her hand to love him. He was company, all the company she needed.

She began to eat, resigned to the diet for now.

Greg pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Sherri was being dismissed today and he already knew she wasn’t going to like what he’d done.

Too bad. Like it or not, she would have to accept that this was the way things would be for the foreseeable future.

Greg saw her doctor as soon as he stepped off the elevator. Dr. Hudson stood at the nurses’ station, going over a chart with one of the nurses.

Greg waited until the two were finished and walked over. “Good morning, Dr. Hudson. I understand Sherri is being moved today,” he said as he approached the doctor.

“Yes. I was just in there. She’s doing well, considering, but will still need plenty of rest. The bones should knit back together with no problem. My only concern would be that she might start hemorrhaging. I wouldn’t leave her alone for the next several days.”

“No problem.”

Greg nodded, his mind racing. He walked to the open door of Sherri’s room and knocked on the jamb. When she glanced up, he walked inside, his hands in his pockets.

She scowled. “What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that you don’t need to keep checking on me. I’m fine.”

“Ah. You must be feeling better.”

“I am. In fact, I’m going home today.”

“Good for you.”

“So you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Okay.”

“I’m waiting for the nurse to come help me dress. So if you’ll excuse me…”

“Want me to help? I’m right here and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve helped you to dress…or undress.”

Her sigh was filled with frustration. “No, Greg. I do not need your help to dress or undress. Thank you for coming but—”

“But don’t let the door hit me in the—”

“Goodbye, Greg.”

He shrugged and walked out of the room. Hoo-boy. His powers of persuasion better kick in really fast or he was going to be in bigger trouble than he already was.

He’d finally had to face his real motive in helping her. The fact that she had no family was part of the reason, but the hard fact was that he was in still in love with her. He was supposed to be completely over her by now. Instead, he hadn’t wanted to leave her side since the accident. Once he realized that his feelings for her had never changed, he knew that he would provide whatever she needed to heal, whether or not she was comfortable with his help.

After signing her release papers, Sherri was placed in a wheelchair and taken to the lobby. When she looked outside, she didn’t see her cab. Well, it should be here soon.

“You can leave me here by the door while I wait for my taxi,” she said to the nurse.

The woman looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. “I don’t think so,” the nurse replied. As the automatic doors opened for them, the nurse continued, “You aren’t going home in a taxi, honey. Your husband is taking you home.”

The doors closed behind them as Sherri whipped her head around. She saw Greg, leaning against a black sports car parked at the front entrance, his arms folded over his chest, his ankles crossed. At the moment he was in profile, gazing across the parking lot.

Panic set in. “He’s not my husband!”

The nurse chuckled. “Well, that’s good to know. Then can I have him? Whoever he is, he’s here to take you home, according to your discharge papers.” She continued to push Sherri’s chair toward Greg.

Greg saw them and straightened. He wore wrap-around sunglasses and still had on the dazzling white T-shirt and snug-fitting jeans he’d worn earlier. He’d finished off his haute couture ensemble with sneakers that might have been white in a far-distant past.

“What are you doing here?” she said.

“I am here to whisk you away in my chariot, milady,” he said with a bow.

“That really isn’t necessary,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the nurse, intending to ask the woman to take her back to the lobby. The only problem was that the nurse was staring at Greg with a dazed grin on her face.

Sherri quickly ran through her options and realized that she had been outmaneuvered. She rubbed her forehead where an ache began to throb. “Great,” she muttered, and said nothing more while Greg and the man-hungry nurse helped her into his car.

Once inside, she stared straight ahead pretending he wasn’t there, which was a little difficult to do when he leaned over and carefully fastened her seat belt. “I know you’re glad to be out of the hospital. No one can sleep well with all the activity going on.”

She didn’t reply. There was no way she could interact with him and keep her distance, and it was essential that she remain distant.

They’d been driving for about ten minutes when she broke her silence. “Wait!”

“For what?”

“This isn’t the way to my apartment.”

“I know.”

“What are you doing, kidnapping me?”

“Nothing so dramatic. I thought you might like to go to Barton Springs and enjoy the sunshine.”

“Greg, it’s a hundred degrees today.”

“We’ll park in the shade.”

The pounding in her head intensified.

He found shade and pulled beneath one of the huge live oak trees. He left the engine and air conditioning running while he removed his seat belt and turned to her.

“I know I’m the very last person you want in your life, now or at any other time. I get that. I just want to give you a chance to look over your options.”

She sighed. “They’re extremely limited.”

“Not necessarily.” He paused, cleared his throat and finally continued. “Please hear me out before you say anything. Okay?”

She just looked at him.

“I spoke to Joan a couple of days ago about your situation. We agreed that you can’t stay at the apartment. With no elevator you would be trapped up there. It isn’t safe and it could be quite dangerous.”

She lowered her head, not wanting to look at him. “Then why didn’t Joan tell me herself? I’ve talked to her every day.”

“I asked her to let me talk to you about everything.”

“You mean there’s more?” she asked, wishing her voice didn’t sound as though she were on the edge of hysteria.

“Yeah. There is. Joan will be leaving in a few weeks—”

“I know that! She’s been planning this trip for two years!”

“Yes, well, then you probably don’t want her to cancel the trip,” he replied smoothly.

“Of course I don’t. I don’t need her to look after me.”

“That isn’t the point. Without your paying half the bills on the apartment, she’ll need the money she set aside for her holiday to pay all of them.”

Sherri slumped in her seat and closed her eyes.

“My suggestion was that she get another roommate, which she has done.”

Her eyes flew open. “You did what? Are you out of your mind? I no longer have a job. I no longer have a car. And, thanks to you, I don’t even have a place to live? Gee, thanks, Greg. You’ve certainly made my day. Maybe you’d better drop me off at the Salvation Army. I understand they look after the homeless with no jobs.”

She hadn’t realized how loud she’d gotten until she stopped. Her voice still rang around them. She took several deep breaths. I can get through this. Somehow, some way, I can do this. I’ve got friends. I’ve got…what, exactly? A broken arm and leg and I’m presently recovering from surgery. Oh, yeah. I’m in really great shape.

After a silence that stretched between them for several minutes, he asked, “Are you through?”

Oh, how she’d love to brain him over the head with her cast. With her luck, she’d probably break her arm again.

“Yes,” she muttered, looking out the side window so he wouldn’t see the tears that filled her eyes.

“What I think would work out best for you is to stay with me until, quite literally, you get back on your feet.”

She whipped her head around to stare at him so fast she’d probably added whiplash to her other injuries.

Horrified by the suggestion, she could only stare at him. So many thoughts raced through her mind that her head was spinning. The whole world had gone mad. Or at least her tiny part of it. Didn’t he know it would be impossible for her to live with him again? Was he so insensitive to her feelings that he didn’t understand how painful being around him would be for her?

She settled on one major objection that she’d already heard him explain about her apartment. “You live in a second-story apartment, too.”

“I’ve moved.”

“When? Yesterday?”

She saw his lips twitch. She was glad somebody was enjoying this nightmare.

“About three months ago.”

“Good for you.” She gazed out over the park. She could hear splashing from a nearby pool and saw people sitting in the shade. What she wanted to do was to get out of the car and walk away. And she couldn’t.

She was well and truly trapped by her own circumstances.

“Not really.”

“The move didn’t work out the way you hoped?”

“My great-grandmother died a few months ago and left me her home.”

“Oh, no! Millie’s dead?”

“Well, she was in her nineties, after all. She didn’t suffer. She just didn’t wake up one morning.”

“Oh, Greg. I am so sorry. You were so close to her.”

“Yeah, I know.” He waited a couple of beats and said, “Here’s what I would like to do, if you’ll allow it. As you know, there’s plenty of room for you and me to stay in the same house and never see each other. Once your casts are gone you can get back some of your muscle strength using the pool.

“Your doctor said that it would be a while before you’d be able to get along on your own. It makes more sense for you to stay at my place until you’re mobile. You’ll be comfortable there and I’ll be available if you need help.”

She knew she would need help. She still had trouble dressing, and getting a shower would be a major ordeal. But there was no way she would accept that kind of help from Greg.

Sherri shook her head. “It’s kind of you to offer, Greg, and quite generous considering the history between us. Sharing a place, no matter the size, would be tantamount to living together again and I can’t do that.” She looked away and repeated softly, “I really can’t do that.”

“Then where do you want me to take you?”

She rubbed her forehead where her headache had intensified. “I don’t have any idea, but I need to lie down somewhere. I can stay at your place until I figure out what I’m going to do, I suppose.” She’d be living a nightmare until she was able to find a place to rent. She had enough savings to pay for all the deposits and the first and last month’s rent if she was very careful. After that, she’d be without resources.

“Of course,” he said, pulling out of the parking space. “I know you’ve been through a terrible ordeal and this is far from being a perfect option, but it was the only one I could come up with for now.”

“Having you come back into my life when I’m in this condition hasn’t helped, believe me,” she said, rubbing her forehead.

She saw his jaw clench, but she was too exhausted to care if she’d been too blunt. Her emotions had been all over the place since she had seen him standing beside his car today and had discovered that he wasn’t going to be out of her life. At the time, she’d thought she could hold out another few hours. Not days or possibly weeks.

“Nice wheels. Did they come with the house?”

“The house came with a tidy sum from a trust fund.”

“It must be nice having money,” she muttered bitterly.

“Not necessarily,” he said in response.

They rode the rest of the way in silence. She recognized the neighborhood and thought about the times they’d visited Millie when they were married. She’d thought Millie was the only family Greg had. In fact, he’d told her Millie was his only family and she had been able to relate to being raised without parents.

Once Sherri had left Greg, she’d missed seeing the elderly lady. It would be strange to be in her house when she wasn’t there.

“Is Lorraine still there?”

“No. After Millie died, she said she wanted to retire. She’d looked after Millie for many years and Millie left her enough to live on in comfort.”

They pulled into a long driveway that ended at a three-car garage behind the large home.

Greg walked around and opened her door. She hadn’t thought about how she would get into the house because, frankly, too many other things were going on in her head.

He reached inside the car and effortlessly picked her up. There was nothing for her to do except put her arms around his neck. She was at the end of her stamina. All she could do was lie against his chest and close her eyes.

Millie’s place was so beautiful with its colorful flower beds and shrubs. Once inside the gate between the high privacy hedges, the view opened up to reveal a pristine lawn spotted with large trees and an Olympic-size pool.

“Millie always enjoyed her pool,” she murmured to herself. She closed her eyes again.

“She kept herself in great shape. Probably why she lived as long as she did.”

A wide expanse of floor-length windows and French doors looked out over the vista. As Greg stepped up onto the redbrick terrace, a woman opened one of the doors.

“Ah, Hannah,” Greg said, smiling. “Thank you for opening the door.” He looked at Sherri. “This is Sherri. Sherri, Hannah.”

So he was married. He could have mentioned that when she was going on and on about their living together. He must have found her quite amusing.

He could have told her at some point. It made no difference to their relationship, or rather lack of relationship. Sherri was glad to know that he’d found someone else. She didn’t know why she was so surprised. He was handsome, well-educated and now could give any woman whatever she wanted.

Being this close to him was so disturbing. He wore the same aftershave, the one that had haunted her for months after she’d left.

Greg carried her through the wide hallway toward the front of the house. A wide, curving staircase went up to the second floor. Before they reached the stairs, Greg stopped in front of a closed door.

He gathered her closer, if possible, and opened the door. This had been Millie’s room. She remembered it well. Millie’s light perfume still lingered. A motorized wheelchair was near the bed. She wondered if Millie had needed it during her last few months. If so, Sherri knew Millie would have hated to be confined to a chair.

He carefully placed her on the bed and stepped back. “I’ll be right back.”

She closed her eyes and was drifting in a sea of pain when she felt something move on the bed. Her eyes popped open and she gasped. Two cats had jumped on the bed and were daintily stepping up to her.

“Where did you two come from?” she asked them in astonishment.

Greg said from the doorway, “When Joan mentioned that you had planned to take care of both cats while she was gone, I volunteered to keep them here, since she didn’t want to split them up.”

He handed her a glass of water and two capsules. She recognized the pain meds from the hospital.

“How did you know I was taking these?”

He shrugged. “I got a list of your medications from the doctor.”

Sherri swallowed the capsules, chased them with the water and lay down again. She was grateful that these were fast acting.

After a moment of silence, Greg said, “I forgot to ask Joan their names.”

“This is Lucifer,” she replied. Lucifer reached her side and butted his head against her hand, purring all the while.

“So is this one Satan?” he asked with a teasing glint in his eye, a look she’d always loved.

“No. Angel.” She glanced at Angel. He had lifted his back leg and was now engrossed in cleaning himself.

She scratched Lucifer’s ears and under his chin until he settled in next to her, his front legs across her chest. Sherri looked up at Greg. “You hate cats.”

He stood watching her from the foot of the four-poster bed, his hands in his back pockets. “Yep.” He smiled. “Looks like he’s missed you.”

“Why would you accept the care and feeding of animals you don’t like?”

He stood there and looked at her, as though he could see her soul and understood all her emotions. Which was impossible.

“Good question,” he finally replied thoughtfully. “So far, I haven’t found a sensible answer.” He turned away and headed for the door. “Get some rest,” he said over his shoulder, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

When Sherri opened her eyes sometime later the room was in deep shadow. She noticed that the sun was beyond the treetops. She must have slept all day. She looked around her and saw the two cats still on the bed and sound asleep.

Lucifer enjoyed stretching out on his back as far as his long legs would go. Angel preferred sleeping in a ball. One was on either side of her.

A small lamp came on near the door and Sherri saw Hannah standing in the doorway.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but you didn’t eat anything at lunch and Greg said you need to eat something. May I help you into the chair?”

Sherri pushed herself up on her elbows. Hannah looked Swedish, with beautiful skin and flaxen hair. She was tall, almost as tall as Greg. They made a nice-looking couple.

“Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”

After they maneuvered her into the chair, Sherri pushed a button and it moved silently across the room. Hannah opened a door. “This is your bathroom. Will you need help?”

Not in this lifetime.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

She managed to get inside and closed the door. The room was about the size of her bedroom in the apartment. There was a free-standing shower and a large tub with jets. A long counter and mirror stretched across the width of the room.

Sherri had never been inside this particular bathroom. She found a washcloth and filled the sink with water. She bathed herself as well as she could. Somehow she would have to learn to help herself into the shower once her dressing came off. When the nurse changed it that morning, she had used a smaller dressing, saying that the incision looked healthy and was healing. There was a built-in seat inside the shower, plus shampoos, conditioners and creams. The place could have been a five-star hotel.

After struggling to get her clothes off, she wet a washcloth and washed herself with soapy water.

Sherri was drying off when she heard a tap on the door.

“Yes?”

Hannah said, “I’ve laid out your clothes for you. Greg will check in on you in about forty-five minutes.”

Sherri finished drying herself and opened the door. She looked at the clothes laid out for her. They were new. She moved to the closet and opened the door. The walk-in closet had all of her clothes and several new things that still had tags on them.

She spun her chair around and crossed the room to the dresser. When she opened the drawers, she discovered all of her things were here…plus several new items.

He’d certainly been confident that she would fall in with his plans. Why not? He’d made certain that she had no place to go except here. She hated to admit that he’d been right about everything. She really couldn’t have taken care of herself. What she had trouble understanding was why he’d do this for her. He’d put himself out to see that she had everything she needed, including Lucifer. Which was another thing. He’d once mentioned that he was allergic to cats. She’d been disappointed because she’d always loved them and once she settled into her apartment she had found the kittens. Thank goodness Joan had wanted one, too.

Now here they were, content to be nearby. It was difficult to be upset with him; he’d done so much for her at a time when she’d desperately needed help.

She took underwear out of the drawer and with a great deal of effort managed to get the pants over her cast. She was already exhausted. Hannah had laid out a simple pullover dress that was new. Sherri slipped it over her head. She pulled the sling over her shoulder and slipped her arm into it.

She was as ready as she would ever be. She saw no reason to wait for Greg. With new determination to be nicer to him, Sherri left the room.