Seducing Simon(61)

She stayed there through the night, staring out over the great expanse of water. The tide came in. The tide went out. Before long, the sun started to peep up, bathing the beach in soft light. And still she sat, huddled on the sand with only her regrets to keep her warm.

She knew she needed to get to a phone. Call Doc and tell him she wouldn’t be in, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. With a frown, she checked her watch, her bleary eyes registering that it was past seven.

Sighing, she stretched her cramped legs and struggled to get up.

Whatever her difficulties, she owed it to Doc to at least give him a call.

He’d worry if she didn’t show up.

She drove further down the peninsula and stopped at a gas station to use a payphone. She left word with Marnie, not bothering to expound on her reason for missing work. As she slid back into her Jeep, she gripped the steering wheel, gritting her teeth to keep the tears at bay. Her head felt like a cabbage, and her eyes were swollen and raw.

No idea where to go, but she wasn’t going home. Not yet. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Simon. The disgust in his eyes had nearly killed her. Never had she imagined him looking at her like that.

She finally turned her Jeep toward the ferry, arriving fifteen minutes later. She got right on and sat in her car while the ferry crossed the bay.

It was cold. It was miserable. The weather was a perfect match for her mood.

Once in Galveston, she stopped at a fast food joint and grabbed breakfast, though her stomach rebelled at the idea of food. She then parked along the seawall and sat in her Jeep watching the waves roll in.

She didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out she’d screwed up royally.

Chapter Twenty-Three

A.J. replaced the phone on the base and looked over at Matt. “I don’t like it. She’s still not there.”

“She’s probably just not answering her phone,” Matt suggested.

“No, I drove by there this morning. Her Jeep wasn’t there and she’s not at work.”

“Well, she screwed up, man. I mean she’s my sister, and I love her, but she’s screwed the pooch this time. Maybe she decided to hide out for a few days.”

A.J. frowned. “Dude, she’s pregnant and probably upset as hell. You saw Simon. I doubt he just quietly walked away. Pull your head out of your ass. You and I have no reason to be angry with her.” Matt’s eyes flashed. “She could have ruined our friendship. Hell, she probably already has. I doubt seriously Simon’s going to want to hang around much anymore if she’s here.”

“You are messed up,” A.J. said quietly. “She’s your sister, and she’s my friend. Simon isn’t blameless in all this. I’m worried about her even if you aren’t.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Matt said. “Give her time to cool off. She’s always been like that.” A.J. shook his head but didn’t respond. He had a bad feeling about this, and he’d feel a hell of a lot better if he knew where Toni was.

By noon, Toni was either too tired to know better or she’d decided she stood to lose nothing by calling Simon. Maybe today he was calmer.

Maybe they could talk things out. And maybe she was nuts.

On the way back from Galveston, she stopped by the same gas station as before and nervously picked up the phone to call the house.

She stood in the booth holding the receiver, her fingers poised over the numbers. Coward. This is what got you into this mess to begin with.

Before she lost her nerve, she punched in the phone number and waited with growing dread for someone to pick up. She shook from the cold, her face like a block of ice from the wind blowing over her tear stained cheeks. To her extreme relief, Simon picked up on the second ring.

“Simon?” she asked tentatively.

“What do you want,” he cut in before she could say anything further.

“I—I thought we could talk. Can we meet somewhere?” Her voice shook, and her grip tightened on the receiver in an attempt to bolster her waning courage.

“We have nothing to talk about.”

He hung up before she could respond, leaving her standing with the phone still to her ear. Slowly she cradled it back and stepped from the booth. Something in side her broke. She could literally feel it snap. Her mind seemed to break apart from her body and float free above her. She ceased to feel the biting wind, even as it began to spit tiny ice crystals.

Numbly, she returned to her Jeep, unsure of exactly what to do next.

The thought of driving an hour and fifteen minutes home was unbearable. She wasn’t sure she was in any shape to drive anyway. She hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours.

Making a quick decision, she spun her Jeep around and drove to the only hotel on the peninsula, a run down cheap sleep a few miles from the ferry.

After securing her key, she let herself into the dark room, not bothering to turn on the lights or open the curtains. She crawled into the threadbare bed and cried herself to sleep.

“I still don’t like this,” A.J. said grimly as the guys stowed their gear in their lockers.

“What don’t you like?” Simon asked, though he pretended interest.

All his thoughts centered on a petite, brown haired, brown-eyed temptress. His emotions had calmed from deep anger to extreme disappointment and sadness. He loved her. There was no doubt about that. But what she had done had stunned him. He wasn’t sure where to go from here. He hurt. She hurt him.