Jean was fussing over her like a mother hen, getting her settled in the living room, asking what she wanted to drink.
It was embarrassing. She had reached out because she needed not to be alone, and now she was surrounded by caretakers, with a man who was certainly going to want some kind of explanation, whether or not she felt like talking about it now.
She accepted the offer of tea with honey, thinking that she should have just handled her emotional storm by herself. The way she usually did. She could have walked it off. What had possessed her to call a man who had absolutely no reason to want to be her confidant?
But he had come racing to the rescue nonetheless, and that hug he had given her had meant the world. All by itself it had been healing. She wondered how she could possibly thank him.
“I’m going to bed,” Jean announced. She bent to give Holly another quick hug. “Cliff knows where everything is if you need something. The guest room is ready, too, if you want to stay.”
Not a word about Lisa. A coded message, perhaps? Maybe Jean thought she was here because of something Lisa had done. Boy, would she like to leave it that way.
She gave Cliff credit, though, for not pushing her in any way. Hell, he hadn’t even asked a single question, which was kind of amazing considering the way she had called him and then sobbed in his arms. He must want to know what all this was about, but now that she was looking at him, she wasn’t sure she could explain it.
She curled in one corner of a big leather couch. He’d settled in a matching chair facing her and sat forward with his elbows on his splayed knees and hands clasped. He ignored the tea Jean had put on the table at his elbow.
“Feeling a little better?” he asked finally.
“I’m sorry I called you.” The words burst from her.
He lifted his brows, but didn’t move. Those darn turquoise eyes of his kept right on looking at her. She wished she had a hole to crawl into.
“I hope,” he said, “that you mean you’re sorry for bothering me, not that you’re sorry I came.”
Ouch! She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it, staring down at it because it was easier. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
“No need. It was no bother at all. Obviously you needed someone. Excuse me, but I just can’t imagine you dumping those tears on Lisa.”
In spite of herself, she saw the humor in the notion. “Uh, no,” she said finally. “But I’m still sorry to have bothered you. Honestly, I should be able to deal with things myself, not call you out late at night.”
“It’s not that late. And the amazing thing is, well...” He paused. “My mother always used to say that a joy shared was a joy multiplied. I think it goes the other way, too—a burden shared is a burden lightened. That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Are we friends?” That burst from her, too, and she began to wonder seriously about the state of her mind. What was she doing? What was she trying to get at with him?
“I think we’re getting back to friendship,” he said. “Admittedly, we avoided each other like the plague for the past ten years. Admittedly, when I saw you at the lawyer’s office I was nasty. I think there was a buildup of things not said a long time ago.”
“Then maybe you should say them.”
“Why? That was a long time ago. Anyway, this isn’t about me, it isn’t about us. Is it?”
She shook her head, pulling on the fringe that rimmed the pillow.
“Was it Lisa?”
“That woman couldn’t push me to that point. Ever.”
“Then...?”
Holly sighed, darting a glance his way. Damn, he looked concerned and sympathetic. “I was just thinking generally about things. About myself.”
“And?”
She picked at the pillow some more, then tossed it aside. “I was thinking about how driven I am. Some of my colleagues have been pushing me to take a rotation to an easier job for a while. It’s not unusual. Casework, the kind that takes you on the streets
It was embarrassing. She had reached out because she needed not to be alone, and now she was surrounded by caretakers, with a man who was certainly going to want some kind of explanation, whether or not she felt like talking about it now.
She accepted the offer of tea with honey, thinking that she should have just handled her emotional storm by herself. The way she usually did. She could have walked it off. What had possessed her to call a man who had absolutely no reason to want to be her confidant?
But he had come racing to the rescue nonetheless, and that hug he had given her had meant the world. All by itself it had been healing. She wondered how she could possibly thank him.
“I’m going to bed,” Jean announced. She bent to give Holly another quick hug. “Cliff knows where everything is if you need something. The guest room is ready, too, if you want to stay.”
Not a word about Lisa. A coded message, perhaps? Maybe Jean thought she was here because of something Lisa had done. Boy, would she like to leave it that way.
She gave Cliff credit, though, for not pushing her in any way. Hell, he hadn’t even asked a single question, which was kind of amazing considering the way she had called him and then sobbed in his arms. He must want to know what all this was about, but now that she was looking at him, she wasn’t sure she could explain it.
She curled in one corner of a big leather couch. He’d settled in a matching chair facing her and sat forward with his elbows on his splayed knees and hands clasped. He ignored the tea Jean had put on the table at his elbow.
“Feeling a little better?” he asked finally.
“I’m sorry I called you.” The words burst from her.
He lifted his brows, but didn’t move. Those darn turquoise eyes of his kept right on looking at her. She wished she had a hole to crawl into.
“I hope,” he said, “that you mean you’re sorry for bothering me, not that you’re sorry I came.”
Ouch! She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it, staring down at it because it was easier. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
“No need. It was no bother at all. Obviously you needed someone. Excuse me, but I just can’t imagine you dumping those tears on Lisa.”
In spite of herself, she saw the humor in the notion. “Uh, no,” she said finally. “But I’m still sorry to have bothered you. Honestly, I should be able to deal with things myself, not call you out late at night.”
“It’s not that late. And the amazing thing is, well...” He paused. “My mother always used to say that a joy shared was a joy multiplied. I think it goes the other way, too—a burden shared is a burden lightened. That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Are we friends?” That burst from her, too, and she began to wonder seriously about the state of her mind. What was she doing? What was she trying to get at with him?
“I think we’re getting back to friendship,” he said. “Admittedly, we avoided each other like the plague for the past ten years. Admittedly, when I saw you at the lawyer’s office I was nasty. I think there was a buildup of things not said a long time ago.”
“Then maybe you should say them.”
“Why? That was a long time ago. Anyway, this isn’t about me, it isn’t about us. Is it?”
She shook her head, pulling on the fringe that rimmed the pillow.
“Was it Lisa?”
“That woman couldn’t push me to that point. Ever.”
“Then...?”
Holly sighed, darting a glance his way. Damn, he looked concerned and sympathetic. “I was just thinking generally about things. About myself.”
“And?”
She picked at the pillow some more, then tossed it aside. “I was thinking about how driven I am. Some of my colleagues have been pushing me to take a rotation to an easier job for a while. It’s not unusual. Casework, the kind that takes you on the streets
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