Eyes On You Part 28

"Hey," Alex said again, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm also being selfish," I said. "With Sharon dead, I'm practically right back where I started."

"Let's not get ahead of the situation," he said. "We'll figure it out."

Instinctively, I leaned in to him even more and let my head drop on his shoulder. For a brief second, my anguish seemed to diminish. I drew back after a moment and was looking straight into his eyes. I reached out without thinking and touched Alex's cheek gently with my hand.

He lowered his face and kissed me softly on the mouth.

chapter 26.

I surrendered briefly to the kiss, then pulled back. There was no denying the truth. I'd liked that kiss, but it made everything too complicated.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It's just . . . right now. . . . I don't want any entanglements, Alex."

"I hear you," he said. "You have more than enough to contend with. Besides, I should let you get some rest."

"Promise me you'll do the same. Thanks to me, this has been a dreadful week for you, too."

"It's all been my choice. Call me if anything comes up."

As I closed the door behind him, I could feel that my neck was flushed.

I took a long hot shower after his departure, but it did nothing to quell how distraught I was over Sharon's death. Throughout the night, I tossed fitfully, sleeping only short stretches at a time. At moments, staring into the darkness, I thought of the kiss between Alex and me. I'm attracted to him, I realized. It had been sneaking up on me day by day. In the short months we had worked together, I'd always mentally acknowledged his appeal, but I'd tended to think of him as the guy the interns mooned over. He was five years younger than I was. A senior producer. And yet, a bond had formed between us over the past week and a half, and the s.e.xual heat had intensified, like a brush fire fanned by a breeze.

But as I'd insisted to Alex, I couldn't go there now.

When I woke the next morning, there were a few seconds when I did nothing but relish the feel of cool sheets around my body. Then memories of yesterday rammed into me. Sharon murdered.

Coffee in hand, I raced through news sites, looking for anything I could find on Sharon's murder. The Daily News and New York Post both had fairly big stories-nothing like a bludgeoned-to-death blonde on the Upper East Side to t.i.tillate the public-but there was no mention of a suspect and thankfully no reference to me.

Lisa's meeting with Potts was at eleven. As the hour approached, that was all I could think about. At noon, Lisa sent an email saying that, due to her schedule, she would be unable to talk by phone most of the day, but she was pleased with the way things had transpired. Potts and Carey had listened carefully, volunteered nothing, but asked for a follow-up on Monday. "They've clearly heard from the police and don't want to be on the wrong side of the issue," Lisa wrote. "Progress."

It looked like the situation might finally be shifting in my favor. Though it would be dumb to get too far ahead of events, I needed to at least consider what would happen if Vicky were arrested and the truth surfaced at last. There was a more than decent chance that I'd be offered my job again. I wondered if I was mentally ready for it. I'd have to interact with Carter every night. Have to work with people like Tom who'd never bothered to contact me. Certainly, my return would require a considerable PR initiative.

I would have loved to go for a run that afternoon. It had been days since I'd circled the reservoir in Central Park, my go-to method for de-stressing and clearing my head. But I didn't like the idea of being that far from home. Not after what had happened to Sharon.

Late in the day, Ann called. "I wanted to give you another heads-up," she said, her voice low, "though I suspect you may know this. A woman Vicky Cruz used to work with was murdered yesterday, and Vicky's being questioned by the police. According to her lawyer, it's just for background information."

So things were fully in motion. Of course, talking to Vicky was not the same as arresting her. I had no idea whether the police had discovered any evidence linking her to the homicide. "It's not just for background information," I told her. "There's a good chance Vicky murdered this woman."

"Is this related to your situation somehow?"

"Yes. The woman came here to help me clear my name."

There were several seconds of silence. I sensed Ann deliberating.

"I'm driving out to East Hampton tonight," she said. "Why don't you come with me? I'll have a phone glued to my head, but you can at least lie by the pool and try to relax."

Surprisingly, I was tempted. This way I'd be be privy to every piece of news Ann heard. It would also be a chance to see if we could repair the damage to our friendship.

"You sure?" I said.

"I'd really love to spend time with you, Robin. Please say yes."

"Okay, but I don't think I can pull it together tonight. Why don't I take the Jitney out there tomorrow morning?"

"Perfect. Just let me know which one you'll be on."

While I'd been talking to her, a call had come in from Maddy. I rang back immediately. After what Alex had revealed, I had a whole new view of my sweet little second cousin. But I needed her at the moment.

"You said to call if I heard anything," she said.

"Yes, what's up?"

"It just feels kind of, you know, tense around here."

"Because of the changes?"

"Partly. But it seems like more than that. Everyone's really on edge."

"Keep your ears open, and let me know if you hear anything specific."

"Of course, Robin. Do you want to grab coffee tomorrow?"

"I'm going out to Ann's place this weekend. Why don't I touch base on Monday?"

The one person I hadn't heard from today was Alex. I wondered if the awkward moment last night would impact the rapport we'd developed. I couldn't let it. I glanced at the clock in my kitchen. It was an hour before the show was due to go on. I sent Alex a text asking that he call when The Pulse was off the air.

It was nine o'clock by the time he touched base. "Wait till you hear this," he said after I shared news from my end. "Despite our warnings to be discreet, Sharon apparently told a few former coworkers that she was going to New York and why."

"How'd you hear this?"

"I reached out to that guy Nate in Albany, the one who connected me to Sharon. Needless to say, he was pretty upset with me. But he ended up divulging information."

"So one of Sharon's pals may have been loyal to Vicky and leaked the information to her."

"Exactly. Here's an even bigger bombsh.e.l.l: Nate talked to Sharon's boyfriend, Hal, who told him that he had a voice mail from Sharon early Wednesday evening saying that Vicky had called her, wanting to talk. The boyfriend tried to reach Sharon several times that night, but she never picked up. I bet the person who betrayed Sharon pa.s.sed Vicky her cell number, too."

"Do you think Nate could have tattled to Vicky?"

"He's an older guy, and he seems pretty genuine. Says he thinks it was an editor at the station who'd always loved, in his words, working both sides of the street. He thinks she may have stayed in touch with Vicky and turned over the info to curry favor."

"Why would Sharon end up meeting with Vicky? Wouldn't she realize how dangerous that could be?"

Silence.

"You still there?" I asked.

"Yes. I was just wondering if Sharon might have been open to discussion."

"What do you mean?"

"What if Vicky offered to pay her to keep quiet?"

I groaned. "I don't want to believe that," I said. "And if Vicky was willing to pay Sharon, why turn around and murder her?"

"Maybe it was all a ruse to wrangle her way into the apartment. Or maybe Sharon ended up demanding more than Vicky wanted to pay."

I wasn't buying it. Even if it was true, I was still the catalyst for Sharon's death. I felt exhausted suddenly. "I probably should get to bed," I said. "I'll be away this weekend, but I'll stay close to my phone. There's bound to be news."

"You aren't going back to Westport, are you?"

"Not on my life. No, I'm taking the Jitney to East Hampton tomorrow morning. To stay with Ann Carny."

"Have a good weekend," he said. "I'll be in touch."

Thirty minutes later, he phoned back. "A lawyer pal called last-minute and invited me to Sag Harbor. Can I give you a lift out that way tomorrow?"

"Actually, that would be great," I said. A ride would make the trip far less of a ha.s.sle. Plus, it would guarantee a chance to make certain everything was smoothed over with Alex, that my pulling away from the kiss hadn't done any damage.

I texted Ann the update, and then fell into bed. Sharon was in my dreams that night, trying to say something I couldn't understand. When I woke with a start in the morning, I felt completely frayed.

Alex had said he'd pick me up at nine, and from there we'd exit the city via the Triboro Bridge. At about 8:45, as I finished my espresso, the doorman rang up. "There's a gentleman here to see you," he announced.

"Um, fine," I replied, realizing that Alex had made better time driving uptown than planned. "I'll be right down."

I hurriedly tossed sunscreen into my toiletry case, double checked that I'd packed running shoes, and rode the elevator downstairs.

"He's outside," the doorman said as I dashed through the lobby.

I stepped onto the sidewalk. Carter Brooks was standing right there.

Well, well, look who'd turned up? Like a bad penny, Aunt Jessie would have said. My body tightened defensively. What I didn't feel, I realized, was a hint of attraction to the man.

His eyes fell to my duffel bag. "I take it you were expecting someone else," he said with a half-grin.

"What is it you need?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

He was wearing a blue-and-white-checked b.u.t.ton-down shirt and off-white flat-front pants. Hamptons-bound, too, I figured.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I've been thinking about you."

"Oh, is that right? I guess you were in such a tizzy about me pa.s.sing out on-set that you lost my cell number."

"I'm sorry I didn't get in touch before now. I just wasn't sure of the best way to handle the situation. It's all been a big mess, as you can imagine."

"How dreadful that you were inconvenienced."

He raked a hand through his thick brown hair. "It's not about inconvenience, Robin," he said, lowering his voice as two people exited the building. "Potts was very insistent that I steer clear. He got wind of our relationship, and he wasn't pleased to say the least."

"Did you mention to anyone that you were seeing me?"

"Not a soul, so I have no freaking clue how we were busted. But trust me, I'm sorry I gave in to the pressure not to call."

Trust me. That was a laugh. "That wasn't the only reason you showed no concern, was it?" I said. "You hated the item that ran about me and the show."

He pulled back his torso slightly, obviously surprised that I'd gone there. "It wasn't only the item that got me. Tom let on that you were jockeying to play a bigger role. I didn't like how you were maneuvering things."

"For your information, it was Potts who suggested I play a bigger role, not me. And what was wrong with that?"

"Whatever. I just want us to be on good terms, that's all."

"Did you tell Potts that I was obsessed with Vicky?"

"Of course not," he said adamantly.

"And what about my past? Did you let him in on what my stepmother had done?"

"What?" he said, looking indignant. "Think what you want about me, but I'm not that big of a sc.u.mbag."

I bet that was what all the sc.u.mbags said. "I really need to head back upstairs," I told him. "Happy paddleboarding."

"Robin, wait," he said, reaching for me. "Like I said, I'm sorry. I'd like to work with you again. I hope there's a way that can happen."

I tugged my hand away and hurried back into the building.

Back in my apartment, I sat on my couch, trying to decode Carter's visit. The timing had to be meaningful. My best guess: that someone had hinted to him that I might be coming back to the show, and he wanted to be sure he'd put out any fires.

That could very well mean that Potts was seriously considering bringing me back.

Could I believe that Carter hadn't yakked to anyone about our hook-up? Somehow Potts had found out. And so had Vicky. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known to make sure the napkin with the brownie had been signed with a C.

Alex arrived on time, and he smiled as I slid into the car. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and his facial scruff was a little longer than usual. I felt something stir in me at the sight of him. I thought of the kiss again, the taste of his mouth.

He'd made a coffee run before stopping at my place and he nodded toward the cup holders as we pulled away from the building. "Just black, right?" he said.

"Yes, thanks for remembering. You must be glad to be escaping the city, too."

"For sure. I don't even care about hitting the beach. I just want to read. I loaded about ten books on my iPad this summer, and I've hardly made a dent."