The Sweetheart Hoax Read online

  Teddy followed her into the house. She unhooked the leash and watched as he made a beeline for her cookie. She hopped around him and managed to stop her mug from overturning as he grabbed the cookie. “I guess he overstayed his welcome at the Brewster’s?”

  “They were more than happy to see him go.” Phil stepped inside, closed the door, and looked around. At least he had the decency to look uncomfortable after dumping her on Randall at the airport. “You studying?”

  “Trying to,” she said. When Teddy took off down the hall toward her bedroom, she chased after him, closing doors as she went. She cornered him in her bathroom, grabbed his collar, and shooed him outside through her door to the patio. When she turned around, Phil was standing in her bedroom, looking bigger and more masculine than ever in her pretty master suite. The knowing look in his eye told her he’d like to use the bed that stood between them in the very near future.

  “Your room smells like you.”

  She couldn’t stand in her own home and be seduced by the man who’d dropped her like a hotcake as soon as the opportunity presented itself. She wouldn’t allow herself to get burned by him again. Hadn’t she spent all afternoon with Kate, relaying the details of the weekend, strengthening her resolve to forget what happened and move on?

  “I’ve got a lot of work to do, Phil, and I’m tired.”

  “I know,” he said, but made no attempt to leave. He stuffed his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and continued to stare at her.

  Here it comes, she thought. The apology. The I’m sorry I took advantage of you speech. The let’s just be friends number she’d steeled herself all day to hear. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of saying it first.

  “Look,” she said. “Don’t get all weird on me, okay? We had a good time, we scratched an itch, and now we’re home. I’m not going to get all psycho on you, Phil. You don’t have to stand here and try to dance around what happened. We’re both adults, we shared a mutually satisfying experience, and now its over. I’m fine with it and it’s only going to piss me off if you apologize.”

  He raised his brows and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. “Okay…” he finally managed after clearing his throat. “Is this because of McBain?”

  Was it because of Randall? Of course it was because of Randall! He couldn’t have dumped her on the good doctor any faster! “No, of course not. He needed to get to the hospital and so did I. You simply suggested that we ride together. Efficient as always.”

  “No, that’s not—”

  A yelping howl sounded from the backyard. Margot flicked on the porch light and dashed out the door, Phil on her heels. “Where is he?” she asked.

  “I don’t see him,” Phil said.

  Teddy gave another howl that led Margot and Phil to the corner of her half-acre lot where he’d wedged himself between a hole she hadn’t known she had in her fence and had gotten stuck. His head was in the neighbor’s yard while his body remained in hers. “Oh no. How are we going to get him out?”

  Phil hopped over the fence in one impressive leap and began soothing the dog. “I’ll push the fence apart while you pull his head back through. On the count of three. Ready?” he asked.

  Margot nodded and they both counted aloud. Phil yanked the fence apart and Margot wedged his head back through. Teddy gave a whole body shake, what sounded like a thank you bark, and began dashing around the yard like a mad-dog.

  Phil jumped back over and put his hands on his hips. “Do you have any wire or twine? If we don’t close that gap, he’s liable to get stuck again. I don’t think he’s the smartest dog on the planet.”

  “I’m sure there’s something in the garage,” Margot said. “I’ll go get it.”

  When she came back with a few scraps of nylon string, she found Phil tossing a tennis ball to Teddy. “Where’d you get the ball?”

  “Pet store,” he said. “Danny said he’d retrieve until your arm falls off.”

  Margot watched Teddy race after the ball and return it to Phil’s feet every time, eagerly waiting for the next toss. “Let’s hope it wears him out.” She handed him the twine and took his place throwing balls to Teddy. By the time Phil took over throwing the ball, Margot’s arm ached. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow.”

  “You’ve got a pretty good arm,” Phil said. “For a girl.”

  “I am a girl.”

  Phil threw the ball into a tangle of trees along the fence line where Margot knew Teddy wouldn’t find it for awhile, especially in the dark. He turned to face her. “Yes,” he said. “You are most definitely a girl.”

  Uh-oh. A deaf man would have recognized the meaning of his words. She wasn’t doing this again. “Thanks for fixing the fence.”

  Teddy ran back with the ball between his teeth. She plied it loose and held tight. “It’s getting late. You should probably go.”

  She couldn’t see his face and had no way of knowing what he thought in the pause that followed. But she did see a shadow move in her house and the fall of a curtain from the back bedroom. She had to get Phil to leave. Fast.

  She turned her back to him and walked to the gate, scanning the house as she went. He followed her to the driveway and to the tailgate of the Flannery & Williams truck. “Thanks for bringing him over,” she said.

  He pulled the food and a dog bed from the truck bed. “I’ll carry these inside.”

  “No!” She stopped him by placing her hands on his chest. “Just put them on the porch. I’ll bring them in later.”

  In the glow from the porch light, she could see his eyes narrow. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said and pushed past her. “This bag weighs forty pounds.” She quickly grabbed the other bags from the back and followed him to where he dropped Teddy’s things in the foyer where she’d instructed him to leave them.

  “Thanks again,” she said with her hand on the open door. She couldn’t wait for him to leave.

  He stared down at her with a scowl on his face. “He’s pretty strong. Make sure you keep a tight grip on his leash. Danny said he behaves best when he gets lots of exercise.”

  Why wouldn’t he just go? Didn’t he know that every second he stayed in her house was torture? “There are plenty of squirrels to chase in the backyard and I can take him down to the beach and wear him out.”

  “Margot,” Phil reached his hand out to stop her from closing the door in his face. “I want to talk to you. About what happened,” he said when she stared at him blankly.

  She closed her eyes, more weary than she’d ever been in her life. “There’s nothing to talk about, Phil.”

  “You don’t think we should talk about it?” he asked.

  “You don’t have anything to feel guilty about, Phil. I absolve you.”

  “I’m not looking for absolution.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but I don’t feel guilty.”

  Well, she thought. There you have it. Of course he didn’t feel guilty. Hadn’t she heard about his love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation for years? This was his MO. “Good. Neither do I, okay? I’m embarrassed, certainly, that your parents heard us, but I’m never going to see them again.” She shrugged, becoming more and more uncomfortable as he stood unmoving in her doorway. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Margot—” he started and then raised his brows when the old pipes moaned. The sound of a toilet flushing echoed through her small house.

  Phil nodded his head knowingly and Margot couldn’t look him in the eye. Let him assume the worst. The truth was so much harder to explain.

  “There’s someone here,” he said.

  “Yes.” She snuck a glance and saw the cold speculation in his eyes.

  “I see. You should have said so before and I wouldn’t have bothered you.” He backed out of the house and down the steps. “Good luck on your test.”

  Margot swallowed the lump in her throat and closed the door on any chance she had with the man she’d probably never get over.

  “Who w
as that?” Ashley asked as she emerged from the hallway wearing flannel pants and an oversized sweatshirt.

  “Phil.” Margot opened the back door and let Teddy inside. He bounded up to Ashley and sniffed her crotch.

  “Uh,” she cried. “What is this?”

  “His name’s Teddy. He’s a house guest, like you, except he was invited.”

  She sneered at Margot. “Very funny. I’m not a house guest,” she corrected. “I’m family.”

  Margot looked at her half-sister. They looked nothing alike. With Ashley’s straight brown hair and aristocratic features, no one would ever have guessed they were related.

  “Only when it’s convenient.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Ashley asked with her trademark pout. The best thing for everyone, her father included, was if Margot had turned her away instead of letting her stay when they’d kicked her out.

  “You need to go home and face them, Ash. You can’t hide out here forever.”

  “You don’t understand,” Ashley muttered. “You’ve never lived with Dad. He’s a tyrant.”

  Of course she’d never lived with their father. Until a few years ago, she hadn’t known he’d existed. And since that time, she’d seen more of her sister than any other member of her ‘family.’ “They weren’t being that unreasonable,” Margot said. “You are twenty-three years old. I don’t think you should be shocked that they asked you to cook a meal every now and again or pick up after yourself. I certainly won’t cook your meals or let you turn my house into a pigsty.”

  “But I’m their daughter,” she wailed. “And that’s my house. You don’t have to pick up after yourself in your own house if you don’t want to.”

  Margot was too emotionally spent for Ashley’s drama. If she thought she could trust her, Margot would have told her what real drama was like. “Of course I do,” she said. Her head was beginning to pound and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed. “I certainly can’t afford a maid.”

  “Uh,” Ashley said, and threw her body onto the couch. Teddy walked over and laid his head in her lap. “You sound just like mom.”

  “Well, I’m not your mother.” Margot picked up Teddy’s dog bed. “You have a college degree in accounting and you work at The Coffee Bean. Frankly, I can understand why they’re upset with you.”

  Ashley sat up and wrapped her arms around her up drawn knees. “I don’t want to be an accountant,” she whined. “It’s so boring.”

  “Then why did you major in accounting?” Margot asked.

  “Because I’m good at math and Dad kept saying I should concentrate on what I’m good at.”

  Margot bit her tongue. There wasn’t any use in getting between her father and his wayward daughter. Just because Margot had scrimped and sweated and clawed her way through school on her own dime didn’t give her the right to call Ashley selfish because she’d been spoon fed everything she ever wanted from the time she was born. “Ash, you’re wasting your education. Your degree can open up so many doors for you. I’m sure they’re just upset that you’re not even trying.”

  “I have tried, Margot. I have. But I like working at The Coffee Bean. The people there are so nice.”

  Margot rubbed her head. “There are nice people everywhere. You just need to find the right company. Something small.” She grabbed Teddy by the collar. “I’ll pick up a paper tomorrow and we can go through the ads together.”

  “Margot?” Ashley called. “Thanks. I don’t know what I ever did without you.”

  Chapter 22

  Phil sat at his desk and couldn’t concentrate. It had been four days since he’d seen Margot and his insides were shot to hell. He ran for miles every morning trying to cure his sleeplessness, but his runs only left him drained of energy and starving. He didn’t go to the club for fear he’d run into McBain and say or do something he’d regret. And at the office, the one place he’d always been able to feel comfortable, he couldn’t relax because nothing felt the same.

  Damn Margot for changing everything about his life! A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts.

  Rebecca stood at the threshold in a crisply starched shirt and pants. Her hair was neatly pinned in a professional bun. He couldn’t stand the way she never had a hair out of place. “Excuse me,” she said in her irritating voice. “Randall McBain called again when you were at lunch. He wants to meet about his plans as soon as possible.”

  Of course he did. He couldn’t avoid the man forever. “I’ll call him, Rebecca. Thanks.”

  When she didn’t move, he looked up again to see the bag he’d left on her desk in her hand. “I appreciate these treats you keep bringing, but…to be honest, I don’t particularly care for sweets.” She walked over and placed the bag of cookies on his desk.

  Phil watched her walk out and reached inside the bag for an oatmeal raisin cookie—Margot’s favorite. He took a bite and slammed his fist on the desk. That was the last straw. He got up and shut the door, picked up the phone, dialed Margot’s home number from memory, and waited until she answered on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  The sound of her voice had his muscles clenching. “I need you to come back,” he said without preamble. “Rebecca isn’t going to work out. She’s terrible.”

  Margot huffed out a breath. “Well, hello to you, too.”

  “Sorry, but I can’t take it any more.”

  “What’s the problem? I told her she could call me if she had any questions and she hasn’t called once. I assumed everything was going fine.”

  “Well, you assumed wrong. She comes into my office every morning and arranges the files on my desk according to my appointment schedule.”

  “That sounds wonderfully efficient.”

  “Yes, it would be if I didn’t hate it when someone messed with my stuff.”

  “Okay,” she said as if speaking to a toddler. Phil didn’t appreciate her tone one bit. “Did you explain to her that you don’t want her messing with your office?”

  “What good would that do?” he asked. “She’s already been banned from Danny’s office. If I tell her to stay out of mine, she’ll quit for sure.” Then Margot would have to come back. “Maybe I should tell her to stay out.”

  “You can’t tell her to stay out completely. Just calm down. I’ll call her and explain that you only like certain things touched. Will that make everything better?”

  “No. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” He tapped his fingers on the desk. “She talks so loud, Margot. I can hear her even when my door is shut.”

  “You never shut your door,” she said.

  “I do now. And her voice. I told you her voice gets on my nerves.”

  “There’s nothing I can do about her voice, Phil.”

  “And she doesn’t like sweets!” He took another bite of the Island’s best cookies. “I brought her cookies from Misa’s bakery and she returned them. She said she doesn’t care for sweets. Who doesn’t care for sweets? There’s something wrong with her.”

  Margot sighed again, getting his hackled up. “I’ll call her about the office bit, but the rest is all about you.”

  “It’s not about me, Margot, it’s about her. I don’t like her.”

  “You didn’t like me and we got along just fine.”

  He felt like he’d been slapped. “What do you mean I didn’t like you? Of course I liked you. I still like you.” I’m falling apart because I don’t see you everyday, he wanted to say, but bit his tongue and said the only thing that was true. “I want you back, Margot.”

  “I can’t come back, Phil. Think about what you’re asking.”

  He knew what he was asking. If only she knew exactly what he was asking. “It’s not the same. Nothing is the same anymore and I hate it.”

  “You’re just going through an adjustment period right now. Give it a week or two and you’ll feel much better. I promise you will.”

  “How can you be so sure?” he asked. She’d settled him down enough to realize h
e missed her dreadfully. If he couldn’t have her in his personal like, he wanted her in his life however he could have her.

  “Because I know you. You don’t like change. Give it a couple of weeks and it won’t feel so different. You might even learn to like Rebecca. You learned to like me.”

  He was afraid his feelings had gone way beyond like where Margot was concerned. “You were easy to like. You still are.”

  “Are you better now?” she asked.

  “I guess.”

  “Good. My test is tomorrow and it’s crunch time. I’ve really got to go.”

  He sighed. “Haven’t you had all week to study?”

  “Yes, but there have been too many distractions. I can see the finish line and I’m getting nervous.”

  By distractions, she meant McBain. His hand tightened on the receiver. “You’ll do fine, Margot. Besides, if you don’t know it by now, you never will.”

  “Thanks for the confidence boost,” she said.

  “That’s not what I meant. Look, you’re one of the smartest people I know.”

  “You wouldn’t have said that a week ago.”

  The fact that she was right only made him feel worse. “And I would have been wrong. Trust me, you’re going to pass.”

  “I hope so.”

  In the pause, he could hear her breath through the phone. He wanted so badly to go over to her house and become her number one distraction. “I’d better let you go.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “You probably should. Bye, Phil.”

  “Bye.” He hung up and rubbed his hand over his chest where it ached. Damn it all to hell. He more than liked her. He was in love with her.

  ***

  Margot set the phone on the coffee table, leaned back against the couch, and closed her eyes. Why, why, why did he have to stir her up like he did? And why now? Her test was tomorrow and her head was spinning with formulas, calculations, and protocols. Not to mention all the obsessive thoughts she had about Phil.

  Teddy got up from the floor and stood before her, putting his head in her lap. The dog had become increasingly sensitive to her moods. “I know,” she cooed and rubbed his head. “We’re both a little bit heart broken, big guy. The difference is,” she explained when he gave a groan of pleasure as she began scratching behind his ears, “you get to go back to the ones you love. I, on the other hand, will end up alone, as usual.”