Back In The Bedroom

REILLY GOT OFF the elevator. He was early, so he was surprised to see Cheri’s sweater hanging on the coatrack.

She came down the hall and smiled at him.

“How nice to see you two days in a row,” he said with just a hint of sarcasm. “Eddie didn’t need you today?”

“No, but that reminds me. I wanted to tell you I’m going to date your father.”

“You’re going to…why?”

“I think he’s cute.”

Reilly shook his head. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Yep.” Cheri eyed him up and down. “Hmm.”

Oh good Lord. He hated the hmm. “What?”

“Well, don’t look now, but you actually resemble a normal person. A…happy person.”

“Yeah. I’m happy. I’m happy you showed up for two days running.”

“Uh-huh,” Cheri said. She crossed her arms and leaned back. “Want to know what I think?”

He let out a long breath. “If I say no, will you go away?”

“I think you’ve been having sex.”

“Mom.” He covered his ears.

She laughed. “Well, it’s about damn time. Isn’t it amazing what getting a little will do for the soul?”

There hadn’t been anything “little” about what he and Tessa had shared.

“You going to see her again?”

“Who?”

“Who,” she said. His mother threw up her hands. “You know what? Don’t even talk to me.”

“You were talking to me.”

“Well, I’m sorry I did.” She started to go by him, then apparently changed her mind and waggled her finger in his face. “You know what your problem is?”

“Uh…” He stopped. “Is that a trick question?”

“You think in black and white, that’s the problem. Well, guess what, Reilly? Life doesn’t come in those colors. Love doesn’t come in those colors.”

“Mom, honest to God, you’re making no sense.”

“And furthermore, if you think you can make the same mistake I did and ignore what’s in your heart for thirty- something years, think again. It’s a stupid thing to do, do you hear me?”

He let out a disparaging sound. “It was one night.”

And a bathroom.

He’d never look at his Corinthian tile in the same way again. In fact, he’d been wondering if today they could try the storage closet…

“Oh, sweetie. Listen, I know you’ve been hurt before,” Cheri said, touching his face. “God, I know it. And I’ve watched you close yourself off, I’ve watched you retreat, and it’s killed me. But you’re so brave, so strong. Surely, a man like yourself knows the wisdom of trying again.”

“Mom-”

“You can’t possibly believe you only get one shot at love-”

“Mom-”

“Don’t fool yourself,” she whispered. “Please don’t. Tessa isn’t like Loralee. She isn’t.”

Well, she was right about one thing. Tessa was different. First of all, she wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. But more than that, she wasn’t a one-night sort of woman and that was a problem. If they continued on, he would hurt her that way, when hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

But she wasn’t the one for him, she was too cheery, too happy, too…everything that made his heart sing. He didn’t want to do it. Not because of her, but because there was no one woman for him anymore, there just couldn’t be-

The elevator dinged and off came Tess. She came through the glass doors and it took him a moment to figure out what was wrong. She was without her customary bright morning smile.

“Hi,” she said nervously.

Nervously?

“Eddie called me this morning. Oh, here-” she said. She set a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the front desk. “I bought you two days’ worth.”

Cheri divided a glance between her and Reilly, before moving down the hall. “I’ll just give you two a moment alone.”

“Why do we need a moment?” Reilly asked, a very bad feeling filling his belly. He turned back to Tessa. “And why did you buy two days worth of doughnuts?”

“Because I’m not working here anymore,” Tessa said quietly. “Marge should be arriving any sec-”

The elevator dinged again and when the doors opened, Marge walked off. She was a large woman with prematurely gray hair ruthlessly twisted on her head, small wire glasses high on her nose and, in Reilly’s experience, a perpetual frown on her face.

Only a few weeks ago, he’d thought she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. She worked hard, spoke to him only if necessary and never, ever looked so sexy he couldn’t work, couldn’t think, couldn’t do any damn thing except drag her into his office bathroom.

She came through the glass doors and nodded to him, then tossed her purse on the front desk and sat behind it.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

“What I always do when you need a temp. Looking for the files you leave out for me to do.”

“But-”

Tessa put a hand on his arm. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You’ve got your wish. Eddie brought Marge back,” she said.

They both looked at Marge.

Marge stared back at them.

“Eddie called me this morning,” Tessa said to him. “He’s sending me on another job. Goodbye, Reilly.”

And then, unbelievably, she started walking back toward the glass doors.

“Wait.” He shook his head to clear it, but she was still walking away from him. Lunging forward, he grabbed her hand. “What did you just say?”

“Oh, Reilly. I’ll never forget you,” she murmured and touched his face. “I had a great time.”

She pulled free, then moved through the doors toward the elevator, which was still open. She stepped on and pushed the down button. Her eyes were suspiciously damp but she was smiling when she turned back to wave. “Bye. Good luck.”

But…that sounded like a very final goodbye. Even if-and he couldn’t believe his father had done this-she wasn’t going to work for him anymore, that didn’t mean they couldn’t see each other. Right?

And in any case, he wanted her to work for him. He wanted those cheery smiles. He wanted to hear her talk and sing and laugh.

He wanted…her.

Damn it.

The elevator doors closed. And just like that, she was gone.

He whipped around and stared at Marge.

She stared right back, still not a smile in sight.

He knew Marge never smiled at work. She didn’t sing either. In fact, she often turned off the stereo on him. She often left the shades closed.

And she hated doughnuts. Now that he thought about it, that was practically sacrilegious in itself.

“Where are today’s files?” she asked, no-nonsense. Nope, no dallying for this woman.

She’d done a great job for him for a long time. She always came through when he needed her and she was a wonderful worker, but…

She wasn’t Tess.

And, he realized, it had nothing to do with work at all and everything to do with the way his heart felt as if it