“So remember what we talked about? Go see him.”
“I can’t!” she wailed.
“Why not?”
Because the thought of him telling her she was uptight rolled over and over in her head like a video recording of all her worst fears. “I don’t know.”
Suzanne huffed in impatience. “The man just might need a friend this week as all hell breaks loose over him and his career. Maybe you should be that friend.”
The thought that Ty would be hurting hurt her. Imogen suddenly knew what she needed to do. “I will. I am. I’m going to.” She jumped off the couch. “Can I talk to you later? I have something I need to do.”
“Hopefully it’s to take a shower,” Suzanne commented. “Your hair could use some help.”
“Later. I have to do something else first.” She knew exactly what she needed to do.
Imogen wanted to spend her life with Ty.
But before she told him that, she had a few projects to take care of.
SATURDAY blew. Sunday blew harder. Monday sucked less in comparison. Tuesday would have been a shitty day in a better week, but under the circumstances, Ty thought it wasn’t half-bad. Wednesday and Thursday were a numb blur, and Friday brought relief that maybe the worst of it was over.
So maybe knocking Evan Monroe to the ground hadn’t been one of his better ideas. He could admit that. He had even apologized to Evan.
But he’d had his ass chewed from one end to the other by everyone from his car owner, Carl Hinder, to his sponsor rep, to Toni, to Ryder and his own mother. He’d been issued a penalty and a fine. The money he didn’t care about, but the penalty of losing points had knocked him out of running for the championship. That honor had gone to a driver who wasn’t even on the Hinder Motors team, which had really upset Carl.
Ty pulled into Ryder’s condo parking lot and rubbed his eyes. It had been stupid. He knew that. But what could he say? Love made a man crazy, and he was crazy in love.
Now that the week was behind him and the season officially over, he was planning to have a beer with Ryder, then he was going over to Imogen’s unannounced and probably unwanted. He was going to apologize for his harsh words, then he was going to pretty much beg that she take him back.
It wasn’t going to be sophisticated. It wasn’t going to be attractive.
But he was a man on the edge and he wanted his woman back, no matter what it took.
He was going to throw some more Shakespeare at her. Hell, he’d quote the Bard until the cows came home if she wanted him to, and he was going to tell her that he had signed up for a private tutor to assist him with his reading skills, or lack thereof.
As he walked to Ryder’s front door, he rubbed at the pain in his chest. He was getting old. He constantly had a burning sensation in his chest, like acid reflux or something, and he would kill for an antacid. He knocked on the front door but Ryder didn’t answer, even though Ty could hear him talking to someone inside the condo. It was a woman, and Ty heaved a sigh. Just what he didn’t want—having to make small talk with Ryder’s flavor of the week.
Opening the door, he stepped inside and saw it was actually Suzanne who Ryder was talking to, which brought him some relief. He could handle Suz hanging around, since he’d known her for ten years. Plus he could potentially pump her for information about Imogen.
Suzanne and Ryder were arguing.
“He was supposed to be here!” Suzanne said in an irritated stage whisper.
“Well, what am I supposed to do about it?” Ryder asked. “I asked him over, but I can’t make him show up on time.”
“She’s getting antsy! She said she has plans. Which scares me because she’s been shut up in her apartment all week. I’m afraid she’s going to do something drastic.”
“Like what?”
“Dye her hair blond or something scary like that.”
“Oh, damn, that would be bad.”
Ty started down the hall. “Who is dying her hair blond?”
Suzanne squawked and put her hand to her heart. “Jesus, you scared me.” Then she frowned. “It’s about time you got here. I’ve had a hell of a time keeping Imogen here for no apparent reason whatsoever.”
“Imogen is here?” Ty’s heart rate kicked up a notch, and even as his palms grew sweaty, he was relieved. He wanted to fix this, the sooner, the better.
“Well, duh. Of course she is. That’s why Ryder invited you over, so we could force you two to be in the same room and work this out because you’re driving us insane.”
“Shouldn’t we act like it’s a coincidence that they’re both here?” Ryder asked.
“Wait a minute.” Ty just realized what Suzanne had said now that he knew who they were talking about. “Imogen is going to dye her hair blond?”
“Probably.”
“No. No, no, no. You can’t let her do that. She looks perfect the way she is.” The very thought of her ruining that lush brown hair with bleach made him downright sick to his stomach.
“So go in there and tell her. She’s in Ryder’s living room listening to her iPod—”
Ty stopped listening to her as he moved toward the living room, trying to figure out what he should say. The words were jumbling in his head, how he wanted to tell her he was sorry, that he loved her, that he wanted to spend his life making her happy. He paused for a moment in front of her just to drink in the sight of her sitting on the couch.
Earplugs in, she wasn’t aware of him yet, and she was wearing a black sweater and jeans, a lot like the ones she’d had on that night out on Tammy’s porch. Her glasses were sliding down her nose, but her hair was neat and tidy in a ponytail.
It was then he realized that he’d left the ring in the car because he hadn’t known she was going to be there. Debating whether to forge ahead or to go out and get it, he was standing there in indecision when she looked up.
“Oh! Ty.” She yanked the buds out of her ears. “What . . . what are you doing here?”
Standing there like an idiot at the moment. Not sure of her mood, whether she was still furious with him, or if she was having second thoughts like he was, he tread lightly. “I was on my way to your place, actually, but I stopped off to have a beer with Ryder first. Good thing I did, since you’re here.”
“Suzanne and I were having coffee and she needed to get some paperwork from him.” She glanced down the hall. “I think they’re arguing so I put on my headphones.”