Kate called Mr. McCormick, accepted his offer, made her flight reservations, and texted Nana with the numbers. Then she ordered a pizza and watched the end of the tragic samurai movie while she waited for the pizza delivery. Yet another reason for returning to work: her eating habits were lamentable. If she continued lying in bed and having food delivered, she’d soon weigh two hundred pounds.
After the movie ended, Kate decided on the spur of the moment to call Meg and tell her she’d stop by Missoula for a day or two on her way to Singapore.
It was time to see if some other man could ignite her libido. After three solid days of misery, she was willing to try anything to put Dominic behind her. And who better than Meg to set her straight—the queen of “sex is for fun, check your heart at the door, last names aren’t necessary.”
Meg squealed when she heard Kate would be visiting. “Really! Really, you’re coming to visit! I can hardly wait!”
“It sounds like you’re having fun out there,” Kate said. “Missoula’s not much out of the way to Singapore, and I’m not having any fun here so I thought—”
“Hey, what’s with the someone-died voice? Oh, shit, don’t tell me—”
“No, no, Nana’s fine. But”—Kate sighed—“tell me you can’t die of a broken heart.”
“Ohmygod! You didn’t! Oh Christ,” Meg said as though she were telepathic. “You really did. You slept with the billionaire.”
“Kinda, sorta”—a grumbling sigh this time—“yeah. Now all I do is cry.”
“Listen to me, sweet pea.” Meg spoke in her it’s-for-your-own-good tone of voice. “I’m going to be brutally frank. First—you’re not Cinderella. Second, even if you were, Dominic Knight’s definitely not prince material. Third, whatever happened had nothing to do with love, it was sex. And fourth and most important, even if you think your heart is broken, no one ever, ever dies of a broken heart. Got it?”
A lengthy pause.
“Trust me. Okay? I know. Remember Johnny Dare? I got over him.”
“In less than a day,” Kate pointed out sarcastically.
“So you’re behind the curve. I’ll get you back up to speed. I got to tell you, the men out here are prime examples of heavy-duty testosterone. They hunt, fish, break horses, and—I don’t know—probably chop wood in their spare time.”
That brought a reluctant chuckle from Kate. “So you’re saying if I have a wood stove—they can help me out?”
“They can help you out in even better ways than that. Guaranteed.”
“You’re right.” Kate put a little briskness in her tone, as if she actually believed Meg’s guarantee. “Why mope.”
“Hey, I’m not pretending Dominic Knight isn’t dazzling. I’ve seen him in enough tabloid magazines, always with a Barbie doll on his arm. But you know he’s only shopping, never buying. Hey, speaking of shopping”—the sudden animation in her voice was familiar to Kate, who’d known Meg since they’d been dorm mates freshman year—“you can do a little shopping too. I’ll invite all of Luke’s gorgeous, studly friends to a party, and you can look them over and take your pick. When are you coming?”
“Probably Friday.”
“Perfect. I’ll have a complete lineup on hand. You choose your favorite one night stand, have some fun and forget billionaires who have dollar signs where their hearts should be. Seriously, sweetie, one has to be practical about men who own half the world.”
“I know. Really, I’m trying.”
“Good,” Meg said warmly, like a teacher praising a slow student who finally gave the right answer to two and two is four. “Now—any preferences for your rebound sex? Tall, muscular, dark, blond, blue eyes—give me a hint.”
“Blond’s good.” Someone who wouldn’t remind her of Dominic, someone who wouldn’t trigger even the tiniest memory of a tall, dark, handsome jerk.
“Blond it is. God, I’m so glad you’re coming out! We’ll have a ball!”
After ten drinks maybe. “I’m looking forward to the party,” Kate fibbed. But she knew once she was in Missoula at least she’d be busy. Meg was a full-steam-ahead, egocentric personality who didn’t sit still. “And thanks,” she politely added. “I feel better now.” But she knew it was a lie, even as she said it.
“I’ll have a full roster of studs waiting for you,” Meg replied gleefully. “All blondes. And, may I say, it’s about freaking time.”
TWO
At the same time Kate was making plans with Meg, Dominic was seated across the dinner table from a beautiful, blond divorcee whom he’d known for years.
“I can’t believe my luck, darling.” Victoria Melbury smiled at Dominic over the rim of her wineglass. “What are the odds of bumping into you on the street in Paris?”
Factoring in the population of Paris and his previous plans to fly home from Hong Kong, he smiled and said, “Definitely a long shot.” He’d been getting out of his car in front of his apartment on the Île Saint-Louis a few hours ago when Vicky had called out his name. Dominic had met Vicky at a London party three years ago and had fallen into bed with her soon after. It was a pattern he’d repeated several times since.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said in a seductive purr. “But I wasn’t about to be shy in asking you out when you said you weren’t in the city for long.”
After the movie ended, Kate decided on the spur of the moment to call Meg and tell her she’d stop by Missoula for a day or two on her way to Singapore.
It was time to see if some other man could ignite her libido. After three solid days of misery, she was willing to try anything to put Dominic behind her. And who better than Meg to set her straight—the queen of “sex is for fun, check your heart at the door, last names aren’t necessary.”
Meg squealed when she heard Kate would be visiting. “Really! Really, you’re coming to visit! I can hardly wait!”
“It sounds like you’re having fun out there,” Kate said. “Missoula’s not much out of the way to Singapore, and I’m not having any fun here so I thought—”
“Hey, what’s with the someone-died voice? Oh, shit, don’t tell me—”
“No, no, Nana’s fine. But”—Kate sighed—“tell me you can’t die of a broken heart.”
“Ohmygod! You didn’t! Oh Christ,” Meg said as though she were telepathic. “You really did. You slept with the billionaire.”
“Kinda, sorta”—a grumbling sigh this time—“yeah. Now all I do is cry.”
“Listen to me, sweet pea.” Meg spoke in her it’s-for-your-own-good tone of voice. “I’m going to be brutally frank. First—you’re not Cinderella. Second, even if you were, Dominic Knight’s definitely not prince material. Third, whatever happened had nothing to do with love, it was sex. And fourth and most important, even if you think your heart is broken, no one ever, ever dies of a broken heart. Got it?”
A lengthy pause.
“Trust me. Okay? I know. Remember Johnny Dare? I got over him.”
“In less than a day,” Kate pointed out sarcastically.
“So you’re behind the curve. I’ll get you back up to speed. I got to tell you, the men out here are prime examples of heavy-duty testosterone. They hunt, fish, break horses, and—I don’t know—probably chop wood in their spare time.”
That brought a reluctant chuckle from Kate. “So you’re saying if I have a wood stove—they can help me out?”
“They can help you out in even better ways than that. Guaranteed.”
“You’re right.” Kate put a little briskness in her tone, as if she actually believed Meg’s guarantee. “Why mope.”
“Hey, I’m not pretending Dominic Knight isn’t dazzling. I’ve seen him in enough tabloid magazines, always with a Barbie doll on his arm. But you know he’s only shopping, never buying. Hey, speaking of shopping”—the sudden animation in her voice was familiar to Kate, who’d known Meg since they’d been dorm mates freshman year—“you can do a little shopping too. I’ll invite all of Luke’s gorgeous, studly friends to a party, and you can look them over and take your pick. When are you coming?”
“Probably Friday.”
“Perfect. I’ll have a complete lineup on hand. You choose your favorite one night stand, have some fun and forget billionaires who have dollar signs where their hearts should be. Seriously, sweetie, one has to be practical about men who own half the world.”
“I know. Really, I’m trying.”
“Good,” Meg said warmly, like a teacher praising a slow student who finally gave the right answer to two and two is four. “Now—any preferences for your rebound sex? Tall, muscular, dark, blond, blue eyes—give me a hint.”
“Blond’s good.” Someone who wouldn’t remind her of Dominic, someone who wouldn’t trigger even the tiniest memory of a tall, dark, handsome jerk.
“Blond it is. God, I’m so glad you’re coming out! We’ll have a ball!”
After ten drinks maybe. “I’m looking forward to the party,” Kate fibbed. But she knew once she was in Missoula at least she’d be busy. Meg was a full-steam-ahead, egocentric personality who didn’t sit still. “And thanks,” she politely added. “I feel better now.” But she knew it was a lie, even as she said it.
“I’ll have a full roster of studs waiting for you,” Meg replied gleefully. “All blondes. And, may I say, it’s about freaking time.”
TWO
At the same time Kate was making plans with Meg, Dominic was seated across the dinner table from a beautiful, blond divorcee whom he’d known for years.
“I can’t believe my luck, darling.” Victoria Melbury smiled at Dominic over the rim of her wineglass. “What are the odds of bumping into you on the street in Paris?”
Factoring in the population of Paris and his previous plans to fly home from Hong Kong, he smiled and said, “Definitely a long shot.” He’d been getting out of his car in front of his apartment on the Île Saint-Louis a few hours ago when Vicky had called out his name. Dominic had met Vicky at a London party three years ago and had fallen into bed with her soon after. It was a pattern he’d repeated several times since.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said in a seductive purr. “But I wasn’t about to be shy in asking you out when you said you weren’t in the city for long.”
