Time Out of Mind (Suncoast Society #43)(79)

He opened the door for her. “Hey. That was fortuitous timing.” He held up his empty cup. “I need a refill.”

“I have my own coffeemaker,” she said, handing him one, along with sugar and creamers. “Love these people, but their coffee is shit. I will, however, cede them superior tea skills.”

He sipped it. “Nice. Gourmet?”

“Keurig.” She grinned. “I’m a diva. I admit it. I want what I want.”

He decided not to put things off. “What’d Clark say when you told him you’d found me?” He didn’t want to ask what—if anything—Mevi had said.

She glanced out the window. “I haven’t told him yet.”

“What?”

“I haven’t told him I found you, much less that I talked to you.”

“What about the others? Leigh and them?”

She shook her head before sipping her coffee. “Nope. Not any of their business. Besides, they’re not over here yet. They’re due in next weekend. Schedule change. I told the office staff I was handling some personal stuff this morning.”

Her gaze pinned him in place. “You going to let me take you out to dinner tonight so we can talk alone and uninterrupted?”

“Do you have a babysitter?”

“Since the baby’s in Florida with Landry, I’d say yes, I’d better have guaranteed child care, or he’d better run far and fast when I get home.” She smiled. “Fatherhood suits them both well. Talk about one spoiled little princess.”

He did want to spend time with her.

Scratch that. He needed to. To help regain some mental stability, if nothing else. Professional to professional, he knew she’d keep his confidences, even if they hadn’t been friends.

“Let me see how Pippa’s feeling later. She’s scheduled to be here until at least four.”

“Deal.” He knew that look all too well, and while it took her a moment to speak again, he’d suspected what she wanted to say even before she said it. “How are you doing?”

He didn’t bother insulting her intelligence or their friendship by lying. “White-knuckling.” He forced a smile. “I swear, once my time with Pippa ends, I’ll take some me time. I just can’t right now.”

“Are you really in a position to help her, though? In your current frame of mind?”

“I am. I won’t take on another client without downtime first, though.”

“What about The Compound?”

“Working there is different. It’s not as intense. It’s not all day, every day, twenty-four-seven like this is. I get breaks from them and have other staff who help them, not just me. I go home every night. Not that it feels much like home anymore. Being in Florida reminded me how much I miss it and everyone there.”

She set her coffee aside and leaned in for a hug, which he returned after setting his cup down. “Be kind to yourself,” she said.

“No lecture about me calling Clark, huh?”

“No,” she softly said. “That’s all up to you. But do you still love Mevi?”

He wished he could answer differently. “Yeah. My biggest regret. Even bigger than marrying Kathy without telling her I was bi. Although in that case, I hadn’t yet really admitted to myself I was bi when we got married. Problem is, I don’t see any way a relationship with Mevi ends happily. Especially not after how I left—if he really does love me and wasn’t playing me—and not with the logistics. So maybe it’s better I just let him go.”

“I think before you decide that for him that you should at least give the guy closure.”

He couldn’t answer her right away.

“You’re right.” He picked at his cuticle. “I’ll call Clark in a couple of weeks and pass along a message that I’d like to talk to Mevi. But not right now. Not with Pippa still needing me. I don’t have the strength to spread myself thin like that.”

Before Tilly returned to her office, she gave him one more hug. “So I’ll see you tonight unless you cancel. Dress nice. Not formal, but…nice. I’ll pick you up. No offense, the only thing I hate more than driving in this country is riding with someone as uncomfortable as I am at driving here.”

He laughed. “Because we’ve known each other so long, I’ll cede that one to you.”

“Cool. Because otherwise I’d have to knock you out and dump you in my trunk to get you there.” She grinned.





Doyle heard Tilly knock on their suite door, but Pippa beat him to answering it. He knew the woman was starved for honest attention from people who weren’t trying to get something from her.

He couldn’t blame her. It was an all-too-common phenomenon. Especially among stars who didn’t have well-grounded personal staff they’d known before they were famous, people who weren’t simply hangers-on. Because of Tilly’s protective and nurturing personality, Pippa naturally gravitated to her.

“Hello, darling!” Pippa eagerly hugged her.

“Hey, kiddo.” She carried a small gift bag that she handed to Pippa. “This is for you.”

“Really? Aww, thank you!” She opened it and let out a happy squeal. “Mint Oreos!” She practically draped herself around Tilly. “Thank you, love!”