Carly Phillips - Hot Stuff

"A merger with Spencer Atkins and Associates, Spencer's already agreed."

"Over my dead body," Yank shouted and stormed out the door without looking back.

VAUGHN SLIPPED OUT of the office where Annabelle’s family was arguing like crazy. He'd listened to their dynamics with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he recognized the sounds of arguing. Lola and Yank bluster resembled the fights he'd had with his father every year. The reason never mattered. The lack harmony did. His own family never quite connected and the bickering was something he could relate to.

But on a stronger, deeper level, Vaughn felt Annabelle and her sisters' pain on hearing about their uncle's illness. He felt for Lola and understood the hurt she was suffering by being excluded from a family she considered her own. He could empathize so well. Even more, he envied their closeness and caring despite Yank's gruff, obstinate exterior. Even when they weren't getting along, Vaughn knew their love overrode everything else.

And that's when Vaughn had suddenly experienced a sharp, knifelike pain that made him feel like an outsider, much as he did in his own family.

So he slipped back into the hall.

He caught up with Mara and Nick just as Nick was placing his cell phone back into his pocket.

Vaughn knew at first glance something was wrong. "What is it?"

Nick glanced at Mara. Mara looked at Nick. Neither met Vaughn's gaze.

"Fire," Nick said at last, his face pale. He didn't have to say it was at the lodge.

The implication was obvious and Vaughn's stomach plummeted. "How bad?"

"The firefighters are working now, but it doesn't look good for the north end. We need to get back right away," Nick said.

Vaughn gaze shot to the closed office door where Annabelle remained with her sisters and Lola. Yank, he noticed, had found the nearest bar and was nursing a drink. "Yeah. Let me just leave a message and we're out of here." He headed for the old man.

"Don't you want to tell Annabelle yourself?" Mara asked.

Vaughn shook his head. "I'll let Yank know." He couldn't allow himself to see her right now. Because as far as Vaughn was concerned, his obsession with Annabelle had caused him to leave the lodge at a crucial time. With dire consequences.

He'd abandoned his lodge when he knew somebody was out to get him and destroy his dream. And he'd left for a goddamn party to be with a woman who represented everything he wanted but would never have. No. He couldn't let her stand in the way of the one dream that just might come true.

Mara followed him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't have prevented the fire, you know," she said, reading his mind.

"But I could have been there when it happened."

And he should have been.

SINCE ANNABELLE had had private time with Lola while she'd stayed at Vaughn's house, Annabelle let her sisters talk with her now, while Annabelle headed straight for her bullheaded uncle.

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."

"And a certain someone else seems to be too afraid of abandonment even to try and tell a certain sexy ex-football player how she feels." Micki raised an eyebrow, subtly daring Annabelle to face her deepest fears.

Annabelle had risen to every obstacle life had thrown her way. Micki was right to challenge her now.

Annabelle scooped Boris out of her sister's arms and stood. "We're going back upstate," she told the squirming dog. "And Micki's going to plant-sit while we're gone."

THE MORNING AFTER the fire, the dank smell of smoke still permeated Vaughn's office just as it did in his dreams. The officials pinpointed the source of the fire as a lit cigarette and if not for the previous incidents of sabotage, this would merely be classified as an unfortunate accident. But it was anything but an accident.

Meanwhile nobody was admitting to smoking or seeing anyone light up on the premises. They didn't have to. Detective Ross had just turned to Vaughn and asked one question. Did Laura smoke?

She hadn't when Vaughn had met her. She'd started later on. The detective had immediately set out to find Laura's whereabouts last night and it turned out she didn't have an alibi. Agitated from the credit problems she was having, Laura said she'd taken a sleeping pill and crawled into bed. Alone. All night long. The police continued to follow up leads but Ross was convinced Laura was the culprit.

Vaughn couldn't buy into the theory. Divorce and ugly words were one thing. Outright destroying him was something else and Vaughn just felt sick.

"Earth to Vaughn."

He turned to see Annabelle standing in the office doorway, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise sooty, smelly place. She wore her trademark miniskirt but, thanks to the combination of construction and fire damage, she'd traded her flimsy sneakers for bulky sheepskin boots. In pink to match her bright lipstick and skirt. Enjoying the combination, he let his gaze travel downward. Damn but she had sexy legs no matter what she wore.