Chapter 159

“It's not like that, Dee,” Lexi said, although she had no idea what it was like anymore, but clearly Dee seemed to take Tyler's presence as a sign that they were a couple again.

She hoped Miss Tactless would get the message and not ask any more questions, but then Tyler said,

“Yes you're right I guess, but sadly we broke each other's hearts,” Tyler said, flashing Lexi a wry grin.

Lexi glanced in Lily's direction and could see the needle on Lily's stress meter creeping into the red zone. Lily eyed the Tweedles’ untouched chocolate mousse and asked, “Would anyone like seconds on dessert?”

“Not me,” Tyler said, rubbing a hand across what Lexi knew was a washboard stomach. “I’m stuffed. Well, I think I’ll take a walk on the beach before it gets dark,” He rose to his feet, and with his eyes on Lexi asked, “Anyone care to join me?”

As if.

“I will!” Lily said, popping up from her chair with such enthusiasm that she bumped the table and sent her champagne glass teetering precariously. Daniel grabbed it before it could topple over and shatter against the glass-top table. It was a nice save and, if Lily's doe-eyed smile was any indication

Daniel stood, brushing remnants of his dinner from the front of his clothes. “I’ll come, too.”

“We’re going into town to hit the bars,” Dale said, answering for that side of the table. They all looked as though they could use a stiff drink. Or maybe five.

“I'll come with you guys,” Victor said. He'd been quiet almost throughout the meal.

Lexi rose from her chair. “I’m going to head up to my room. I have to check my e-mail.”

“But you promised no work this week,” Lily said with a pout.

“I know, but I’m expecting a message,” she lied. Gosh. There would be nothing relaxing about this week. She would be lucky if she didn’t return home a Froot Loop in need of intensive psychotherapy.

Lily clutched Lexi's hand in a death grip. “Come with us. Please.”

Lexi knew what she was trying to do, and it wasn’t going to work. She wanted Lexi to forgive Tyler. To “get past it,”

She pried her hand free. “Next time. I promise.”

Lily looked as if she wanted to press the issue but let it drop. Everyone went their separate ways, and Lexi headed upstairs, feeling uneasy and not quite sure why. Something weird had just happened down there. Something disturbing that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She stepped into her room, closed the door and leaned against it.

A disaster had been diverted, thanks to Tyler. She would go so far as to say the entire situation, while childish and petty, had actually been fun. The truth grabbed hold and shook her silly for a second. Tonight had reminded her that one of the things she missed about him, before things got so complicated between them, was that they always had fun when they spent time together.

Even worse, she was pretty sure she actually disliked him a little less than she had this morning. Oh, this was bad.

Hating Tyler was her only defense right now as she sorted things out. Her only ammunition. She depended on it.

Without that hate, she could no longer ignore the fact that he’d irreparably broken her heart.

________

Lexi learned two important lessons that night.

The first was that the only thing worse than having to face Tyler again so soon was having to face him in her nightshirt, wet, tangled hair and no makeup. Totally unprepared.

The second, more valuable, lesson was always lock your bedroom door.

“Whoops,” Tyler said from the open doorway when he saw her lying in bed on her stomach, on top of the covers, her laptop open in front of her.

She scrambled onto her knees, tugging the shirt down over her pale, sun-deprived legs, kicking herself for not visiting the tanning bed a few times before she left. Then kicking herself a second time for caring what he thought.

“What are you doing in here?”

He looked genuinely baffled. “Guess I got the wrong room.”

She couldn’t help wondering how he’d managed that, since Lily had had the decency not to put them in adjacent rooms and his was located at the opposite end of the house.

“Huh.” Tyler glanced down the hall in the direction he’d come from. “I must have made a wrong turn at the stairs.”

She dragged her fingers through her knotted hair, cursing herself for not running a brush through it. “Well, as you can see, this isn’t your room, so…good night.”

He looked casually around, as if he had every right to be there. “Hey, this is nice.”

“Yeah, it’s great.” And she knew for a fact it was not much different than his room.

Rather than leave, Tyler stepped farther inside, wedging his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. A move completely nonthreatening, but she felt herself tense. “I think your room is bigger than mine. And damn, look at that view.”

Without invitation, he crossed the room to the open French doors and stepped outside onto the balcony.

Ugh! Forgetting everything else, she jumped up out of bed and followed him. Staring at her from a balcony a dozen yards away was one thing. She could even live with the teasing, but this was her room, her only refuge this week, and he had no right to just barge in uninvited..

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving only a hazy magenta ghost in its wake, and specks of glittering light dotted the heavens. And in the not so far distance she could hear the waves crashing against the bluff. Add to that the cool breeze blowing off the water and it was a perfect night. If not for the man standing there.

He whistled low and shook his head. “Yup, quite a view.”

“Your room faces the same ocean, so I doubt the view is all that different at the opposite end of the house. Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you go check.”

Ignoring the razor-sharp edge of irritation in her voice, he propped both hands on the railing and made himself comfortable. “No, you don’t see stars like this in Olkfield.” He sucked in a long, deep breath and blew it out.

She wasn’t quite sure of the point of this, but it was getting really annoying. “Tyler, I want you to leave.”