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“Fuck,” I said, not bothering to hide my dismay because…well. Fuck.
Cecil Golden gave me a lazy smile, eyes crinkling up at the corners. That smile had once made my heart stutter. Now, I only felt annoyed, maybe even a little angry, when he braced his hand against the doorframe and leaned in closer, clearly ready to unleash his charms.
The way things ended between us, I wasn’t looking for a repeat.
Even if James weren’t in the picture, I still wouldn’t want Cecil back.
“Aren’t you even a little happy to see me?” Cecil asked, a playful sulk on his handsome face.
“Am I supposed to be?” I asked, standing in the doorway as he tried to peer past me. “You haven’t seen or talked to me since I left San Diego, and now you show up on my doorstep unannounced and uninvited.”
“Hey now…” He straightened, his features sobering. “You’re still upset with me.”
Actually, I wasn’t.
It had hurtat the time. Who wouldn’t get upset if their boyfriend constantly told them how disappointing they were? In front of friends and family. After a year of verbal abuse, I suffered such a blow to my self-esteem it took me a long time to recover.
Initially, I hadn’t seen it, but he had done me a favor. Imagine if I had married Cecil Golden. It would have been a disaster of epic proportions.
Confident once more, I smiled faintly. “If that’s what you want to believe, Cecil, knock yourself out. But…do it elsewhere. I don’t have time.”
I went to step back, hand on the door.
He stepped closer, reaching out. “Tina, wait.”
“I’m not interested, Cecil.”
“I know…I…look, can I come inside? Just for a few minutes? There are some things I’d like to say.”
The sound of a powerfully roaring engine caught my ears, and I looked past him. At the sight of the sleek silver car approaching the curb, my heart skipped a beat.
I couldn’t stop the wide, silly smile that spread from ear to ear.
James was here.
Stress and pain caused by the conversation with Dina dissipated, as did the exhaustion I had felt after seeing Cecil. Everything just felt…better.
The small driveway barely had room for two cars, and Cecil’s oversized truck took up every available inch and then some.
Cecil stopped talking. I hadn’t paid attention to what he’d said over the last few seconds—nothing I wanted to hear, anyway.
I was busy staring at the silver car and James. As he raised the convertible top and climbed out with unhurried grace, his sunglasses hid his eyes, but I knew he watched me. I could feel the intensity of his gaze.
Cecil noticed my distraction and scowled when he saw James walk around the car.
“Who the hell is that?”
“I’m expecting company,” I told Cecil as his eyes came cutting back toward me.
I hadn’t been, but it didn’t matter. James was here, and I’d much rather see him than Cecil any day of the week.
“New client?” he asked, his tone light. His eyes were anything but that.
I cocked a brow. “No.”
His stare hardened. The smile didn’t fade, though. “I see. Then I guess I’ll be going. Sooner or later, you’ll come around, won’t you?”
I didn’t answer, and after a few more seconds, he gave me a brilliant smile and walked to his truck.