down the steps, laughing as he shouted, “Hey, I told Anna to take that off the list!”
Anna
I was still pissed at Robert for the way he treated me on Saturday. I had no problem with staying away from Carter. After the way he manipulated me on Thanksgiving, I wasn’t exactly beating down his door to speak to him. But nobody told me who I could and couldn’t talk to. If Robert had simply asked me not to see him, that would have been a different story. But he hadn’t gone that route, and until he saw that I couldn’t be controlled like that, I wouldn’t be speaking to him.
I rushed out the door Monday morning, falling a little behind from my usual schedule. After slamming the door shut, I ran to my car, barely avoiding twisting my ankle in a pothole on the way. Glancing at the clock, I saw that I just barely had time for my coffee this morning, but that was only if the bakery wasn’t packed with people. I hated to be late. I had been late my first day at the office and it set the whole tone for my day, which hadn’t turned out very well.
As I pulled down Main Street, I swore at the lack of parking spaces available. “Ah!” I cried giddily as I saw a person backing out right in front of the bakery. I pulled in and jumped out of the car, rushing to the front door. Luckily, no one was in line, so I hurried to the counter to order.
“In a hurry this morning?” Mary Anne asked.
“Yes,” I said desperately. “Can I have my usual?”
“I’ll be quick.”
“Thanks,” I smiled as she hurried off to gather my order. I heard the door open behind me and turned around. Robert stood in the doorway in his suit, looking devilishly charming and instantly making me regret the way I walked away the other day. I could feel my throat closing up as he took his first steps toward me. I didn’t want to push him away. I wanted us to work this out.
“Anna.”
I swallowed hard. “Robert.”
He smiled slightly as he stopped directly in front of me. “You look beautiful this morning.”
“Thank you…I thought you headed back to the city already.”
“I should have. I have an important meeting this morning, but I couldn’t go home without telling you something.”
I blinked several times, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Robert hadn’t left and gone back to Chicago. I knew it was only an hour away, but he had stayed, despite me slamming the door in his face.
“Okay.”
“Anna, you know I love you. I never stopped. And I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I want you in my life. But something I haven’t made clear is that I’m terrified.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing you again. You see, I have this irrational fear that when I drive back to Chicago, you’re going to see Corduroy and he’s going to start whispering in your ear and convince you that you belong with him.”
“Robert-“
“I know,” he interrupted me. As I stared at him, I could see it now. This powerful man was still that same boy that I fell in love with. He was just as nervous as that first night we made love. “Anna, I haven’t had you by my side for all these years, and it terrifies me to know that Carter has had a thing for you since we were kids. He’s here and I’m not. I can’t control what happens now.”
“You don’t have to control it. You don’t have to worry about Carter, because even though I think he’s good-looking, he’s not the man I want. Even when I was mad at you, I still couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to be with you again.”
“So, do you accept my apology for being an ass the other day?”
The door opened behind him and a gorgeous woman walked in, her hips swaying as she sashayed toward the counter. I didn’t recognize her and that was odd for such a small town. For a moment, I had this crazy idea that she was from the city, here to claim Robert as her own. And then Robert followed my gaze and his jaw dropped to the floor.
“Lucy-“
“Lucy?” I asked. “You know her?”
“Uh…” He looked between us, his head swiveling back and forth. “Anna, I can explain this.”