Carly Phillips - Hot Stuff

She found him at the bar, talking to the same bartender who'd served at their party. She glanced at his half empty glass. "Scotch?" she asked.

"Is there anything else?" He downed the glass and pounded it on the table.

The bartender complied by pouring him more. "Miss?" he asked Annabelle.

"Club soda with a wedge of lime, please."

"Sissy drink," Uncle Yank muttered.

"Yeah well I'm a girl so what do you expect?"

He shrugged. "I raised you girls to have balls."

"And thanks to Lola we have feminine sides, too. And because of you both we have big hearts. So what happened to yours?" she asked, not disguising her real feelings.

He slid the unfinished drink across the bar, then turned to face her. "It takes more heart to let someone go than to make them stick around and suffer."

She pursed her lips in thought. It was probably best not to remind him he'd strung Lola along for years without giving her hope of anything permanent. After all, it had been Lola's choice to remain at The Hot Zone despite her unrequited feelings. Apparently now Yank was finally taking into account how his self-centered attitude might affect Lola, too late to do any good.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Annabelle finally said. "If you love someone and they love you, nothing else matters." Wasn't that the reason wedding vows contained the words, for better or for worse?

"I'll always be here for you," she assured him. "And if you let her, Lola would be here too." Annabelle rose to her feet and hugged her uncle tight.

"Where are you going? We have Lola's dumbass business proposition to discuss."

Annabelle recognized the subject change. Her uncle's eyes were moist. Maybe on some level, she'd gotten him to think. But she wasn't about to discuss The Hot Zone's future when they were all so emotional or her uncle was on his way toward getting drunk.

"I'm going to find Vaughn." He'd promised he'd be there for her after the family fallout and she needed him now.

"He's gone," Uncle Yank said.

Annabelle turned around fast, certain she'd heard him wrong. "What did you say?"

"Vaughn's gone. He asked me to relay the message." Uncle Yank stared at his drink once more.

"What message?" she prodded.

"Something about having to leave because there was a fire at the lodge." Yank took a solid gulp. "Guess everyone's having a crappy day," he muttered.

He didn't know the half of it.

ANNABELLE HEADED BACK to her apartment, Micki alongside her. No sooner had she unlocked the door and stepped inside than Boris attacked, jumping up and down on his hind legs, his tail wagging like crazy.

"There's nothing like a doggie greeting," Anna belle said as she scooped the white ball of fluff into her arms.

Micki laughed. "I hear you. Find me a man who'll lick my face and breathe in my ear and I'll die a happy woman."

"It's good to know you want so much out of life. Annabelle's grin dimmed. "What's bothering you anyway? You seemed uncharacteristically grumpy back there."

Micki was the happy-go-lucky sister who rarely complained. It was unusual to hear her gripe, especially after a party.

She shrugged. "I'm just getting tired of being alone, you know? Maybe it's an early midlife crisis. It'll pass, I'm sure."

"Well I'm here for you no matter what."

"And I'm grateful for it," Micki said. "Speaking of grateful, I don't think I've thanked you for taking care of the apartment for me while I was gone."

Micki swung her lithe body onto the comfy couch Annabelle had purchased from a Pottery Barn catalog. "Not a problem, sis. What's a little plant watering, right?" she said with a touch of sarcasm as she gestured around the living room, her sweeping arm encompassing Annabelle's vast collection of beloved plants. "Anyone ever tell you this place looks like the Garden of Eden?"

"Hah, hah. Is that your way of saying I owe you?"

"Just a little." She squeezed her fingers together, "Next time you might want to consider getting a live-in plant-sitter."

"Is there really such a thing?" Micki rolled her eyes.

"I was joking."

"I know." Annabelle joined her sister on the couch and released Boris so he could jump into Micki's lap. "And it looks like I'm going to owe you some more. I might have to go back to Vaughn's."

"Annie," Micki groaned, leaning back against the couch. "Do you realize how many times I have to refill the watering can to feed these thirsty monsters?"

"Did you try talking to them? They're usually much more pleasant if you sing 'You Are My Sunshine' while you're pouring water and misting their little leaves."

"Misting?" The color drained from Micki's cheeks. "You never said anything about misting!"

"Joke," Annabelle said, chuckling. She'd missed spending time with Micki while she was away. Nothing beat hanging out with her sisters. Unless she counted hanging out with Vaughn.

She thought about the fire at his lodge and she shivered.

"Whew." Micki wiped a hand over her forehead. "You're really in love, aren't you?"

What had they been talking about? Annabelle tried to remember. Oh, yeah. Her plants. "I love all living things," she said to her sister. "I can even tell you where I got each one of these babies and how long I've had them."

"Impressive," Micki muttered. "But I was talking about Brandon Vaughn. The big, sexy guy in the tan chinos and black Polo shirt today. Remember him?"

"Vividly." Annabelle sighed. From the moment she'd realized Vaughn had not only received more horrible news about the lodge, but that he'd chosen to leave for home without her, she'd been torn up inside.

On the one hand she told herself that by letting her handle her crisis while he took off to handle his, he'd done the only practical thing. On the other hand, he could have told her in person if for no other reason than he was paying her to handle public relations. And a damaging fire would desperately need PR. Yet he hadn't come to her.

And her gut told her that his reasons had nothing to do with business or with allowing her personal space. His avoiding her had everything to do with creating distance between them.

"Hello?" Micki tapped on Annabelle's head with her knuckles. "Where did you go?"

Annabelle kicked her feet up on the table. "No place pleasant."

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" Micki suggested.

Annabelle nodded. "Might as well."

"You love him?"

She nodded, refusing to meet her sister's knowing gaze. "And before you say a word, it's not the same as the other times." She knew her sisters thought she gave her heart too easily and too fast, and maybe in the past, she had. This time was different.

"How do you know?"

"I could name a bunch of reasons," Annabelle said.

"Like?" Micki scooted closer. "I really want to know."

Annabelle let her thoughts drift to Vaughn and how he made her feel. "Like how when I'm with him I know I'm safe. I'm not so focused on the past and: what I don't have in my life. And it isn't all about sex." Even though that was incredible. "It's so much' more than that. But there's one more reason I know this is more real than ever before."

"You've got me hooked."

Annabelle forced herself to meet her sister's gaze. "Because I care more about what he needs than what I want. How else would you explain the fact that when I should be in Greenlawn doing my job, I'm home debating with myself whether or not he wants me there?"

Micki nodded. "Like I said, you're in love with him. So are you going to sit home and feel sorry for yourself or are you going to go after the one person who actually completes you in this damn lonely world?" Micki asked as she absently scratched Boris's scruffy head.

Annabelle rolled her eyes. "Someone's been watching Jerry Maguire again."