Chicago Stars 03 Nobody's Babe But Mine

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.“That,” Kevin said, “.is a really bad idea.”“Sit down, Jane.” Jim spoke in his firm paternal voice.“It’s too late for you to get a plane out tonight,anyway, so you might as well hear Cal out.Kevin, thanks for your concern.”Kevin nodded, shot Jane a sympathetic smile, gave Cal a worried look, and left.She sank down into a chair near Annie’s.Cal stuck his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat, stilladdressing his family instead of her.“She thinks I only want her because she’s playing hard to get, and thatonce the challenge is gone, I won’t be interested.I told her that’s not true, but she doesn’t believe it.”“You do like a challenge,” Lynn pointed out.“Trust me.living with somebody who’s trying to discover the Theory of Everything is more than enoughchallenge.Do you have any idea what it’s like to see mathematical formulas scrawled on the front page ofyour newspaper first thing in the morning, or on the bottom of a grocery list when all you want to do isremember to buy beer? Or how about all over the lid of your cereal box before you even have your eyesopen?”“I never wrote on your cereal box!” Jane bolted out of the chair.“You sure as heck did! Right across the lid of my Lucky Charms.”“You’re making this up.He’s making it up! I admit I sometimes doodle a bit, but—” She broke off as sheremembered a morning several weeks ago when a cereal box had been the only thing available.Resumingher seat, she spoke stiffly.“That sort of thing constitutes an irritation, not a challenge.”“For your information, Professor, sometimes I can be talking right to you, and without any warning, you’regone.” He splayed his hands on his hips and stalked toward her.“Physically you’re standing right there infront of me, but your brain has taken off into hyperspace.”She shot up her chin.“An irritation, not a challenge.”“I’m going to kill her.” Gritting his teeth, he slumped down onto the couch next to his parents and glancedover at his brother.“You see what I’m up against?”“On the other hand,” Ethan said, “she looks real good naked.”“Ethan!” Mortified, Jane turned to Lynn.“It’s not the way it sounds.It was an accident.”Lynn’s eyes widened.“A strange accident.”“You’re getting off the subject,” Annie said.“Personally, I believe Calvin.If he says he loves you, JanieBonner, he means it.”“I believe him, too,” Lynn said.“Me, too,” Jim offered.Ethan remained silent.Jane looked toward him as if he were her lifeline.He regarded her with a hint of apology.“I’m sorry, Jane, but there isn’t even any question about this.”She had let herself entertain the fantasy that they were her family, looking out for her best interests, butnow that the chips were down, blood called out only to blood.They weren’t the ones who’d wake up everymorning wondering if this would be the day her husband was going to lose interest in her.“You’re all wasting your breath.” Cal leaned forward, resting his lower arms on his knees and speaking in ahard flat voice.“Bottom line is, she’s a scientist, and scientists require proof.That’s what you want, isn’t it,Jane? You want me to prove my feelings to you, just like you prove those equations you scribble all overthe house.”“Love doesn’t work that way,” Lynn pointed out.“She won’t accept that, Mom.Jane needs something tangible to stick in her equations.And you know whythat is? Because nobody’s ever really loved her before, and she doesn’t believe it can happen now.”She drew back in the chair as if he’d struck her.There was a ringing in her ears, a searing sensation insideher head.Cal shot to his feet.“You want proof of the way I feel? Okay, I’m going to give it to you.” In three quicksteps he was looming over her.Without warning, he swept her into his arms and carried her toward thedoor.“Stop it, Cal! Put me down.”Lynn jumped to her feet.“Cal, this isn’t a good idea.”“I’ve done it your way,” he shot back.“Now I’m doing it mine.” He kicked the front door open and carriedher outside.“You can’t settle this with sex,” Jane hissed.She gathered her anger around her as a shield to protect herbroken heart.Why didn’t he understand he couldn’t use strong-arm tactics to solve something thiscomplex? He was ripping her apart, and he didn’t even seem to be aware of it.“Who said anything about sex? Or is that wishful thinking?”She sputtered with outrage as he bore her off the front porch and began walking toward the road.Althoughshe wasn’t close to being petite, he acted as if she weighed hardly anything.His breathing remainednormal, his arms steady, even as he carried her down the road toward three cars that blocked the way.He lowered her to the ground in front of his Jeep, pulled a batch of keys from his pocket, and threw severalsets on the hood.Then he steered her toward his father’s Blazer, which blocked the other two cars.“Getin.”“Cal, this is just postponing the inevitable.”He pushed her inside and shut the door.She turned her head to the window.If she wasn’t careful, he would wear her down, and she would agree tostay with him.That would be disastrous.Better to endure the pain now than have to go through it againwhen he realized he’d made a mistake.The Professor needs something tangible to stick in her equations.And you know why that is? Becausenobody’s ever really loved her before, and she doesn’t believe it can happen now.She rejected Cal’s words.This was his problem, not hers.She wasn’t so lacking in self-esteem that shewould throw away love that was honestly offered.Maybe it was true that no one had ever really loved her,but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ready to grab it when the real thing came along.Did it?Cal turned out onto the highway, interrupting the painful path of her thoughts.“I appreciate the fact thatyou didn’t air all our dirty linen in front of my family.”“I can’t imagine there’s even a piece of underwear elastic they haven’t seen.”“It’s okay, Jane.I won’t snap your head off if you bring up the subject.I know I’ve done that before, but itwon’t happen again.It doesn’t take a lot of insight to know that you see me as pretty aimless right now,and I appreciate the fact that you didn’t hit me with that in front of my family.”“Aimless?”“Just because I don’t know what I’m going to do when I stop playing ball doesn’t mean I’m not worthy ofyou.I know you might think that, but everything will change as soon as I get things figured out.I just needa little more time to sort through my options, that’s all.”She stared at him, flabbergasted [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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