Searching for Beautiful(58)
The phone clicked.
Gen tapped her finger against her lips, uneasy about the request. Should she call him? What if he wanted to give her stuff back and move on? If he was busy with work, she wasn’t surprised he’d get someone to call her—David refused to let distractions get in the way of his patients. Such a good doctor. How could he be so cruel and manipulative?
Gen didn’t want to think about it too long. Heart pounding, she dialed the familiar number and listened to it ring. Once. Twice.
“Hello.”
His rich voice poured in her ear. She used to love listening to him, especially when he taught. Until such a beautiful voice began whispering subtle barbs in the dark, drawing blood and never understanding why she got upset. Gen fought a shudder. “It’s me. Sally told me to call.”
“Ah, yes. We’re getting slammed here today with a bus accident. I haven’t had a moment.”
“What do you want?”
He paused. “I don’t want to keep anything from you, Genevieve,” he said. “If we’ve decided for a clean break, of course you can have your belongings. Let’s be adult and not make things worse.”
She relaxed a bit. He didn’t seem in a rush to try and get her back. Maybe now that she’d quit the hospital he realized it was truly over. “I agree.”
“I’ll drop by tonight with your computer and some other things. You can make arrangements to get the rest when I’m out of the apartment.”
“Oh, no need, I can wait.”
His tone held disapproval. “Your computer has personal files. Since you’ve left the hospital, you need to make arrangements, and I don’t want to be responsible. I’ll be there around seven.”
“I have a dinner appointment.”
“Then six. I won’t stay. I’m not in the mood to drag this on any more than you are. Agreed?”
There was no reason not to. He was being reasonable and wanted to return her items. “Yes.”
“Very well. I’ll see you tonight.”
Gen tried to get back to work but depression settled in. She was so . . . sad. To be in love and think you knew a man, only to find you had fallen in love with a stranger. Her upswing began to slide. Maybe she didn’t need to get back out there. It might be better to lie low for a while.
Arilyn came through the office dressed in black yoga pants, a long skinny shirt, and comfortable clogs. Her hair hung loose and rich, and a tote bag was thrown over her shoulder. “Hey. How’s it going today?”
Gen smiled. “Pretty good. I’m acquainting myself with the files on some clients, getting a feel for the computer program, and answering the phone.”
“You’re doing great. I have a manual I created that I think can help. I’ll grab it at home.”
“I can wait—no need to get it now.”
Arilyn sighed. “I have to meet the plumber anyway. Not sure how much more I can take of my rental. Besides leaky ceilings, burst pipes, and barely any heat last winter, now my electric is on the fritz.”
Gen raised a brow. “What about your landlord? That’s illegal.”
“He’s useless. I leave messages, but he’s out of state, so he rarely gets back to me. He’s desperate to sell. I may have to move, but it needs to be a place that takes dogs.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll start asking around.”
“Thanks. I’ll drop the manual by after my yoga class.”
“Umm, how is yoga going, A? With . . . him.”
A shadow crossed her features. “We’re having some growth spurts. But he’s committed to me this time, and I’m sure we’ll work it out. It’s difficult when so many students develop a crush and he feels he needs to give them part of himself as a teacher. Lines get blurred. He’s truly an amazement.”
The affair with her yoga teacher had been going off and on for a while. Gen didn’t know the full story, but from her friend’s expression, endless defensiveness, and refusal to use her lover’s first name because of the need to hide their relationship, Gen didn’t have a warm, fuzzy feeling. The last time Arilyn caught him cheating, she changed. Her calm center scattered, and she couldn’t focus. Kate had threatened to show him the true meaning of yoga by beating the hell out of him, but after a week they’d gotten back together and Arilyn defended him wholeheartedly.
Not a good scenario.
But since Gen had run out on her wedding, she had no judgment. “I’m glad,” she said. “You deserve happiness.”
Arilyn smiled. “And so do you. How are you holding up?”
Gen sighed. “David’s coming over with some of my stuff tonight. I was in a good mood today, but it suddenly hit me that I really screwed things up. I can’t believe I spent two years in a relationship with a man I loved and I didn’t see what was really going on. I wonder if I can trust my instincts after all.”