The Sweetheart Hoax Page 16

  I want you back, she heard his words echo in her heart. I want you back, too, she thought. Oh, how she wanted him back.

  Ashley came in through the side door, causing Teddy to let out a startling bark.

  “It’s just me,” she called from the kitchen. “I’ve got muffins.”

  Margot got stale muffins from The Coffee Bean and Rebecca had turned away Phil’s cookies from Misa’s. She reminded herself that nursing was what she wanted as she stacked her study materials in a pile and shuffled into the kitchen.

  “What kind?” she asked Ashley.

  Her sister had filled the kettle and turned the stove on to heat water for tea. “Some kind of pumpkin concoction that didn’t sell very well. They’re not bad.”

  Margot sniffed, shrugged, and set a muffin on a plate. “Want one?”

  “No, I’m just going to have some tea. It’s really gotten chilly outside.”

  Margot looked through the window to the darkening clouds. “It looks like rain.” The gray sky matched her mood perfectly.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ashley asked. “Are you worried about your test?”

  “No. I don’t think I can study any more.”

  “Then why do you look like you’ve lost your best friend?”

  Because she had. As miserable as she felt after hanging up the phone with Phil, listening to him whine about Rebecca and all the ways his life had changed had been the best few minutes of her week. “I’m just anxious to get on with the next stage of my life, that’s all.” She sat down at her kitchen table. “Speaking of which, did you follow up on any of those ads?”

  Ashley turned from the counter to face Margot with a beaming smile. “As a matter of fact, I did. I’ve got an interview tomorrow with a flower shop in Andover. They’re looking for a bookkeeper.”

  “Is it fulltime or part-time?” Margot asked. She couldn’t imagine a flower shop needing a fulltime bookkeeper.

  “Part-time,” Ashley answered with her eyes averted. “I figured that way I could still do some hours at The Coffee Bean.”

  “I thought we talked about this, Ash. You won’t get any benefits from a part-time position.”

  “I know, but I’m still on Mom and Dad’s insurance for a few more years.”

  “I thought you wanted to be independent? Go out on your own? How can you do that if they’re paying for your insurance?”

  “It’s just an interview, Margot.” Ashley began filling the mugs with water after the kettle started to sing. “Really, you’re getting worked up over nothing.”

  “I just don’t want you settling for less when you’re capable of so much more.”

  “I’m not going to settle. I like to think of it as taking baby steps.”

  “As long as you’re taking baby steps toward something with insurance and benefits,” Margot said.

  Ashley turned around. “Stop with the lectures. I know what I’m doing. Jeez, you’re worse than my parents.”

  “Then why don’t you go home?”

  Ashley brought a mug of tea to the table. “It’s bad enough listening to them harp at me about wasting my life. I swear, Margot, if you heard the things they said about you, you probably wouldn’t take their side so much.”

  Margot swallowed a bite of muffin that had turned to paste in her mouth. She knew she shouldn’t ask, it would only lead to more heartache and she didn’t think she could handle any more. But she was never one to do what was best for her. Her weekend with Phil was evidence of that. “What are they saying?”

  “Oh, the usual,” Ashley said as if every word weren’t tearing away bits of Margot’s flesh. “That you’re a bad influence, that I’m going to end up working at a menial job, having affairs with married men the way your mom did.”

  Margot washed away her bitter retort with a scalding sip of tea. “I’m sure they’re just worried about you.”

  “And about me spending time with you. If they only knew you lectured me daily about the same things they try to lecture me about.”

  “Why don’t you tell them?” Margot asked.

  “And spoil the illusion that you’re corrupting me with your wild ways? Never. It’s too much fun knowing they think the worst.”

  Margot tossed her muffin in the trash and dumped her tea in the sink. “You know, Ashley, you’re too old to play games with people’s lives. You need to grow up.”

  Ashley pouted, cradling the cup of tea in her hands. “I don’t understand why you defend them when they constantly say bad things about you. Can’t you for once take my side?”

  “They say bad things about me because they don’t know me. You do, and you don’t defend me. After everything I’ve tried to do for you, I don’t appreciate being your scapegoat.”

  “Scapegoat? They’re yelling at me, not at you. I’m actually protecting you from their wrath.”

  Margot shook her head and sighed. The girl would never learn. “Their wrath is called love, Ashley. They love you and they’re concerned for your future. If you want to work part-time jobs and flitter around the rest of your life, fine by me. But do me a favor and have the guts to stand up and take responsibility for your decisions instead of letting me take the blame.”

  “I don’t know what crawled up your butt,” Ashley said with an annoying roll of her eyes. “But whatever it is, I sure hope it passes soon.”

  “Real life is what’s crawled up my butt. Reality isn’t one of your stupid TV shows. I’m responsible for myself because I don’t have anyone to love me or to care what I do and how I live my life. So instead of pushing your parents away, you may want to thank them for caring so damn much and stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

  She turned on her heel and stormed to her room, Teddy in her wake. At least she had the dog, but even he was only a temporary visitor in her life. She threw herself atop her bed and did something she hadn’t done in years. She curled up with her pillow and cried into the soft fabric to muffle the sound.

  Chapter 23

  When Danny walked into the office, Phil felt relieved to break the tension between him and Rebecca. The girl hated him, Phil knew, and he didn’t like the way she watched his every move. Phil followed Danny into his office and shut the door.

  “What’s up?” Danny asked. He pushed through the files on his desk in search of something specific.

  “How’s Kate?”

  Danny stopped his search and leaned back in his chair. “She’s better. The contractions have stopped and we thought they were going to let us out, but her blood pressure’s too high.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I feel like we’re going to be there until she delivers.”

  “That sucks for both of you,” Phil said. “But it sounds like what’s best for the baby.”

  “I know. Every time I start feeling sorry for us, I try to remember that we’re lucky to have such a good hospital in our backyard.”

  “Sounds like the best you can do.” Phil took a seat, flipping his ball between his hands. Danny pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and crossed a few items off his hand-written list before glancing up at Phil.

  “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” Phil said.

  “Nothing? You’ve got so little to do that you’re just going to sit here and watch me? Must be nice,” he muttered.

  “All right, maybe it’s not nothing. But it’s not as big or important as having your wife in the hospital.”

  Danny sat back again and gave Phil his full attention. “Spill it. I’ve got some work to do before I head back.”

  Phil stood up and decided confiding in Danny was a bad idea. The man never had time for office gossip anyway. Wasn’t that what he missed most about Margot? “Nevermind.”

  “No. You want to talk about something, so talk. I know you, you’ve got something on your mind.”

  Phil pursed his lips and then gave in. He sat back down when he realized he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. “It’s about Margot.”

  “What about Mar
got?”

  “I…well, you know she went home with me over the weekend.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, we…I mean, things happened.” He ducked his head and rubbed his neck before looking back up at Danny’s impatient stare. “We slept together.”

  Danny blew out a breath. “I’m glad she doesn’t work for us anymore.”

  “You’re the only one,” Phil muttered.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I’m just not crazy about Rebecca. She’s so…formal.”

  “Isn’t that what you were looking for in a receptionist? Someone to put a professional face on the front desk?”

  “Well, yes, but, she’s…” How could Phil explain to Danny how he just couldn’t stand to see her—or anyone—in Margot’s job? “She’s cold.”

  “Cold?” Danny asked. “Sounds to me like you’re missing Margot.”

  “Of course I miss Margot. Things ran smoothly when she was here.”

  “I know I’ve been out of the loop, but are you saying things aren’t running smoothly with Rebecca? ‘Cause she’s been pretty great considering my situation with Kate.”

  “Okay, fine,” Phil admitted. “She’s doing a perfectly acceptable job.”

  “But?”

  “But nothing. Never mind.”

  Danny started rocking back and forth in his seat, watching Phil with mild interest. “So since Rebecca is doing a perfectly acceptable job, this has to be about you and Margot.”

  Phil stared at his friend and business partner. The man with whom he’d turned a dream into reality. The man who’d lost his heart years ago and had never looked back. “She’s dating McBain.”

  “Randall McBain? The plastic surgeon?”

  “The one and only.”

  “So what?” Danny said. “I’d say if she slept with you, they’re not exclusive.”

  “Yeah, I know. I mean, I hate poaching from a friend, but he’s not exactly my favorite person. Not to mention the fact that he treats women like pieces of gum. As a matter of fact, I don’t understand what Margot sees in him, except that he’s a doctor and she’s a nurse, so they have that medical connection.”

  “So go for it,” Danny said and began flipping through some invoices.

  Phil leaned over and stilled the papers. “There’s just one problem.” When Danny looked up, Phil said, “He’s a client.”

  Danny nodded and reclined into the chair. “Ooh,” he said. “I forgot about that.” He lifted his brows. “That’s a problem.”

  “I know. But the thing is, I’m not a hundred percent certain they’re dating.”

  “Sounds like you’re fishing for an excuse to sleep with her again.”

  Phil hopped up to pace, flipping his ball between his hands. “I know why you’d think that. I’m not exactly known as Mr. Relationship, but the thing is—and this is totally out of the blue—but I think I’ve got feelings for her. No, wait. I’m not going to lie. I’ve definitely got feelings for her.”

  “So you’ve got feelings for Margot and you think she’s dating McBain. Why do you think they’re dating? Did she admit it?”

  “No. I saw them, right before we left, I saw them kissing on the sidewalk in Andover.”

  “Multiple kisses or just one?”

  Phil thought back to that night on the street. He remembered the way Randall held her face in his palms, the startled look on Margot’s face, the way she seemed to melt into the kiss that lasted too long to be considered chaste. “Just one, but it wasn’t exactly short.”

  “Tongue?”

  “I don’t know. It was just a long, lingering kiss.”

  “So one kiss?” Danny asked. “What else?”

  “He was at the airport when we landed.”

  “To pick her up?”

  “I’m not sure. He said something about dropping his sister off and Margot seemed pretty surprised to see him, but you know what a weasel he can be.”

  “Doesn’t sound like much, Phil. Sounds like the path is clear.”

  “There’s more,” Phil said. “I was at her house the other night, dropping off Teddy. Someone was there.”

  “Was it McBain?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I’d bet it was him.”

  “Did you see his car?”

  It had been dark when Phil had pulled into the driveway, but Margot’s garage was behind her house. “No, but it could have been parked in the back.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, man. She’s never admitted she’s dating him and you’ve witnessed one kiss? I say screw McBain. One date doesn’t equal dating.”

  “But what if they are?”

  “Find out for sure and then make your move. Either way, I’m done talking about this. But if he’s on the books, do us both a favor and don’t do anything to screw it up.”

  “Yeah,” Phil agreed. “Thanks for listening.”

  Under normal circumstances, he would have taken Danny’s screw McBain advice and gone full steam ahead. As a matter of fact, he wouldn’t have needed any advice. But this was Margot. This was different. This was important. He needed to think about his next move.

  ***

  Margot stretched her back after exiting the windowless room and decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator after sitting for so long. She felt invigorated since turning in her test. She’d passed. She knew it. All she needed now was to wait an excruciating forty-eight hours to have the results confirmed.

  Finally things were coming together. She’d be on staff at the hospital by next week. Her new and improved life would begin in a matter of days. With the sun shining in the cloudless sky and her test behind her, why didn’t she feel more optimistic?

  She’d buried herself in her studies, pausing only long enough to take care of Teddy and listen to Ashley whine about how bad her life was. Uh. Margot couldn’t bear to go straight home. She pulled off the interstate and decided to treat herself to something special. She drove into Charleston proper and pulled alongside the Inn boasting Charleston’s legendary coconut cake. Margot was a sucker for coconut cake. In jeans and a button down, she wasn’t anywhere near dressed for the restaurant, but she could place a takeout order and enjoy the lobby of the historic hotel while she waited.

  She was sitting at the bar and sipping on a glass of water when she heard a booming laugh and footsteps on the patio’s brick floor. She turned around in time to see her father’s smile turn to a frown as he spotted her. She whipped around in her seat and willed him not to have recognized her.

  “Well,” he said. In just that one syllable, Margot recognized his disdain. “It’s a little early for a cocktail.”

  She swiveled in her seat and looked him squarely in the eye. His companion had continued walking toward the hotel and the bartender had disappeared. She didn’t want to be alone with Judge Hennessey. “I’d hardly call water a cocktail.”

  He snorted his disbelief and set his hand on the back of her chair, not allowing her to turn away at will. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be back in Echo corrupting my daughter?”

  She wanted to point out that technically she was his daughter also, but that seemed too obvious a point to make. “Ashley’s a big girl. She doesn’t need my help.”

  “But you’ve made it a point to get between us.”

  “If you mean by letting her stay with me after you kicked her out, then yes, I guess I have gotten between you.”

  He stared at her with eyes as brown as a chestnut. It only pissed her off that they matched her color completely. “Your mother would be so disappointed in you.”

  The mention of her mother had Margot shooting out of her seat. “How dare you mention my mother? How dare you even pretend to know what she would have felt?”

  “She would have expected better of you. And so do I.”

  “Oh, that’s rich, Dad. How can you expect anything from a child you refused to acknowledge? Or did you deliberately wait until I was eighteen so you wouldn’t have to pay chil
d support?”

  “It was your mother’s choice.”

  “To work herself to the bone trying to support us and pay her hospital bills? I don’t think so.”

  “Where’s Ashley?” he asked. He’d never been able to answer even her simplest questions about the past and the part he played. He moved his head from side to side as he searched the deserted restaurant. “Is she with you?”

  “No, she’s not. I try to leave her at home when I hit the bar for an early drink.” The bartender emerged from the back and handed her the takeout box of cake. She signed the tab with shaking hands and felt disturbed to realize the Judge hadn’t budged. She stood trapped between him and the bar. “If you’ll excuse me, please.”

  “I don’t want you talking Ashley into anything. She’s immature and spoiled by her mother’s doing, and I can’t have her wasting her life with some dead-end job at a coffee bar.”

  “You know, you’re right. I’ve tried to tell her how much more she could make at a gentlemen’s club, but so far she just won’t budge. Must be more of your wife’s doing.”

  Margot watched his grip tighten on the chair. “You’re nothing like her, you know.” It didn’t take but a second to realize he was talking about her mother. “The woman never raised her voice to anyone and didn’t have a sarcastic bone in her body. “I can’t imagine where your foul mouth came from.”

  “Must have been from you, Daddy.” She ducked under his arm. “I’ll give Ashley your best.”

  Chapter 24

  Phil had spent hours in front of the computer working on CAD. His eyes were tired, and yet his body was wired from sitting still for so long. Rebecca had brought her lunch from home and Danny was back at the hospital. With his stomach growling and an afternoon appointment at Wyndham, he decided to take his chances and grab lunch at the club.

  The bartender had just delivered his fish and chips when McBain sidled up beside him with a scowl on his face. “You tapped her, didn’t you?”