92 Pacific Boulevard - Debbie Macomber [118]
“No, you hadn’t. You knew exactly what you were doing and so did I.”
Gloria released her breath. He was right, and while she’d like an excuse for their brief interlude, there was no point in lying—to him or to herself. “Why can’t you be like every other man? Notch your bedpost and go on to the next conquest?”
“Is that what you think of me?” He actually sounded hurt.
“I apologize. But apparently you read more into our…encounter than you should have.” She didn’t want to hurt him. Hurting anyone went against her nature; nevertheless it was best, as far as she was concerned, to forget this and move on.
He continued to look out over the water. “At first I thought your reluctance had to do with Linnette.”
It had. Gloria had met Chad, and they’d spent that one night together. Then, through a fluke, she’d discovered that her sister had a crush on him.
Except that, at the time, Linnette hadn’t known they were sisters. No one did.
After being adopted as an infant, Gloria had grown up in California, in a loving home with wonderful parents. Then, six years ago, she’d lost them in a plane crash. Her life had faltered until she managed to learn the names of her birth parents. It was a shock to discover that after they’d given her up for adoption, they’d gone on to marry and have two other children. These were Gloria’s full siblings, her sister and brother. Hungry for the connection with family, she’d moved to Cedar Cove.
Then, as luck would have it, her sister had moved into the apartment next door. Her birth father, Roy, sometimes said that luck, good or bad, was all a matter of timing. In this case, the timing and the luck were both. Good and bad. Linnette, a physician assistant, had a huge crush on Dr. Chad Timmons, and Gloria had quickly bowed out of the relationship with Chad, preferring to step aside rather than risk destroying her chances with Linnette because they were both interested in the same man. She’d made so many mistakes, and sleeping with Chad was near the top of that list.
The night with Chad had been completely out of character. She felt embarrassed thinking about it. Even after Linnette had started dating Cal Washburn, she’d decided not to see Chad again. She’d convinced herself it was just easier that way. Less awkward.
“Linnette is out of the picture,” he added gently.
“She has been for quite a while.”
Chad sipped his coffee. He still didn’t look in her direction. “My point exactly.”
“Why is it,” Gloria demanded, “that you have such a hard time accepting the fact that I’m not interested?”
“Because I know it’s a lie.”
“You have a rather high opinion of your charms.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed readily. “However, I doubt it.”
His remark amused her. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” He turned to face her then, with his back to the railing. “I scare you to death because I’m the first man to get past your guard. You have your life carefully planned out and falling in love didn’t fit those plans. Take a memo, Gloria: Life is full of surprises. Not everything happens according to schedule.”
“Excuse me. I thought you were a family physician, not a psychologist.”
He ignored that. “I don’t mean to sound egotistical, but you’re in love with me, and like I said, it scares you to death.”
Her laugh was forced and high-pitched.
“If you want to laugh,” he said in a bored voice, “go ahead, but we both know the truth.”
In response, Gloria conspicuously checked her watch. “Your time is about up.”
“I thought you’d be able to acknowledge your feelings and admit that what we shared was very, very good. I guess not.”
“And you know all this about me, about us, after one night? One foolish, drunken night, I might add.”
“No. It’s taken me a while to figure it out.”
For reasons she couldn’t explain, a lump had formed in her throat.
“As you say, my time’s about up. And I don’t just mean my time with you now, this afternoon. I wanted you to know I’ve given my notice at the clinic, but before I left Cedar Cove I felt I should tell you how much I wish things were different between us.”
An unexpected feeling