Page 32 of Richard

“And I am apologizing for everything," her sister’s voice intruded in the journey down memory lane. “I have been such a bitch and if I could go back, I would.”

“But you can’t,” Collette said softly. She was no longer angry and filled with hatred, but she knew that things between her and Janice would never go back to where they had been and, even so, she wouldn’t want that either.

She was ashamed of the way she had allowed people to walk all over her, especially her sister and the man she had thought was in love with her. No more! She swore.

“Look, I don’t hate you, and what happened was in the past, and it was a long time ago. I cannot promise that I am going to welcome you with open arms, but I will think about it. I lost a baby because of what you and Trevor put me through, and that is what’s so difficult to get past.”

“I never knew about the baby!”

“Would it have made a difference?” Collette shook her head. “You were determined to get your way, and nothing would have stopped you. Now you are facing your own hell, and I truly feel sorry for you, Janice. Being that miserable is debilitating.

Trust me, I know. I know what it is to be totally alone and hoping for death and never finding the courage to go about it.”

She closed her eyes briefly. “I just hope you are not halfway there. That you recover from what you are going through. I want to say that you should work things out with Trevor, but I have a feeling that it’s too late.”

“It is.”

“Then I am here to tell you that you can move on and start over. I was forced to, and work was my panacea.”

“We get what we deserve, don’t we?” she asked bitterly.

Collette considered that as one of the ducks plunged its long neck beneath the surface and came back up, splashing the others. She wondered if they were annoyed.

“No, we don’t.”

“You are my only family," her sister’s voice choked with tears, and she felt a shimmer of pity. She had often envied the younger girl for her ability to live her life with only herself to please.

And how carefree she was. Collette had always thought that her main problem was trying to please others and never herself. She had always been so conscientious about hurting others. Janice had no such compunction and had always accused Collette of being a "softie."

“People are going to walk all over you if you don’t stand up for yourself,” Janice had warned her. Ironically, her sister had been the one to hurt her the most.

“And you are mine. I always have that at the back of my mind Janice.” She rose, feeling the wind piercing the protective layer of clothing. “I will let you know what I decide.”

“Please call me Collette. I really need someone right now and you are the only person I have right now. I know I am asking a lot, but I really need my sister.”

“I will think about it and let you know. I really have to go.” She said goodbye and slid the phone back into the pocket of her jogging pants.

She stood there for a minute watching the antics of the ducks before turning and walking swiftly home. She would go to the office, finish some pressing work, and come back home to do some work. And she was not going to think about Richard McBride or his outrageous offer.

Chapter 8

She was so absorbed in the report she was reading that she failed to notice the disturbance going on in the outer office, not until her assistant burst in, a harried look on her face.

“Karen, what–”

“Mr. McBride–”Before she could finish the sentence, he came striding in. Collette sprang up from her chair as if she had been ejected, her wide eyes staring at the man who had consumed her thoughts every single day for eight days straight.

“Leave us.” His deep, authoritative voice had Karen scurrying out and closing the door behind her.

For a minute, they stared at each other in silence. His face was expressionless as his eyes wandered over hers.

“What are you doing here?” she finally spoke and hated that her voice was thin with fright.

“I think that’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” He was standing just inside the doorway, and his tall, imposing figure draped completely in black made the room appear even smaller.

“Is it the recent ad–”

“Cut it out," he snapped.

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