Page 53 of A Chance at Forever
“I will. And I wish you could be, too.” He flashed a boyish grin and left through the front door.
The painkiller she took kicked in, and Victoria fell asleep within a few minutes.
A call from Derek woke her midmorning. “Tori, are you okay? Do you need me to come out there?”
She yawned. “I’m fine. And, no, Derek, that won’t be necessary.”
“We’re worried sick about you. Mia said you had a close call and could have died. Don’t do that again, do you hear me?” Derek’s gruff voice mirrored his concern for her.
“I don’t intend to, big brother.”
“By the way, who’s this Rusty Sinclair that Mia mentioned? He’s the one who found you, right?”
Victoria fingered a loose thread in the throw blanket and inhaled a deep breath. “Well, um, he’s my neighbor, and we teach together. He’s also the head football coach. Rusty and I actually met in West Bend, Colorado, where I stopped to get a bite to eat with Bud.”
She tried to sound casual, but Derek knew better. “Oh, Tori, no, no, no. Not again.”
“What do you mean ‘not again’?”
“You falling for another guy and getting hurt.”
Victoria bristled with indignation, though she discerned a tiny element of truth in her brother’s harsh observation. “Okay, let’s get something straight. I’m not falling for another guy like Alan. He’s a liar and a cheater and amoral.” She paused and gathered her breath. “Rusty is honest and ethical. He’s amazing, actually. And for the record, we’re friends. Reallygoodfriends. I don’t know what I would do without him.”
“Carter and I need to meet this ‘really good friend.’ We can fly out tomorrow.”
“Huh. I appreciate your interest, but it’s impractical. You’re launching the new fragrance named after Mom during the holiday season, and the clothing line in the spring. You’re up to your eyeballs in work.”
“True. But you’re more important than work.”
“You’re sweet to say so. Please don’t worry about me. You’ll meet Rusty soon enough. Maybe during Christmas.”
She heard Derek’s landline phone ringing in the background. “Gotta take this call, Sis. We need to talk more about honest and ethical Rusty Sinclair. Soon, okay? Bye.”
“Bye. Give my love to Dad and Carter.”
*
Rusty stared atthe dark water of the lake below his bedroom window and nursed a shot of forbidden whiskey. Alex had warned him to avoid alcohol, but sometimes he needed a drink, like tonight for instance. He’d come home after football practice and found Victoria napping on the sofa. Her alabaster skin, dark hair fanning out beneath her head, and soft pink lips attracted him, and he lost his tenuous hold on his self-control. He’d roused her to wakefulness with his deep, hungry kisses. Victoria had wrapped her arms around his neck, gazed at him with sleepy bedroom eyes, and whispered his name. She’d totally undone him.
Victoria had thawed chicken breasts for dinner, and while he grilled them, she’d sautéed fresh zucchini. Over their simple meal, he’d entertained her with his play by play of the annual class games competition between the freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In a surprising upset, the freshmen beat the upperclassmen in every single game, much to the seniors’ dismay. To add insult to injury, the faculty won the tug-of-war competition against the seniors. She’d hung on his every word, and her eyes drank him in as if he were life-giving nectar.
He’d never been so affected by a woman in his entire life.
He’d never been so scared in his entire life.
Once again, Rusty had stayed with Victoria until she’d fallen asleep. Only with great reluctance had he left her alone.
He drained his glass and set it on the nightstand. With his head and heart in sync, Rusty decided to make a play for his future. A future that included the only woman who’d ever made him feel alive.
CHAPTER 16
School let outat two-fifteen. Rusty sent his assistant coach a text message asking him to cover football practice for him while he went to pick up Victoria. Dress rehearsal for the Bear Claw would be starting soon.
She waited for him next to her Mustang. Victoria’s long hair blew across her face in the wind, and her eyes shone with excitement. Though she could tolerate putting weight on her much-improved ankle, Rusty had insisted she use her crutches. Pleased that she’d listened to his advice, his heart swelled at the sight of her. A powerful emotion choked him.
Rusty pulled up behind the Mustang and jumped out of the cab of his truck. He greeted Victoria with a quick kiss. “Hi, baby. You good to go?”
“Absolutely. I can’t stand being cooped up in the house all day.”
