BumpnGrind (14 page)

The deep voice from earlier said, “Is she all right,
Holcomb?”

Garrett looked up. “I think so. We need to get her out of
here.”

“Let’s go.”

Garrett stood and reached for her. “Can you stand?”

Felicia grinned at him through her tears. “To get out of
here? Just try to stop me.”

Garrett chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

* * * * *

Bliss grabbed Felicia in a crushing hug when they arrived at
the police station. “Are you all right, sweetie?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice was husky with unshed tears.

Brad hugged her too, when Bliss finally let her go. “You had
us pretty worried.” The big man gave her a wry smile. “I thought I was gonna
have to steal somebody’s handcuffs to keep Bliss here.”

Bliss grinned, her brown eyes shining with unshed tears of
relief. “Hold that thought, Bradley. I might just take you up on that!”

The tall, handsome man laughed, shaking his head.

Bruno touched her shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re okay,
Felicia.”

Felicia nodded, her answering smile wobbly.

“Garrett! Felicia!” Giorgio and Penelope rushed into the
room. Garrett kept his arm around Felicia but reached to shake his friend’s
hand.

Penelope clasped one of Felicia’s hands in both of hers.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. Garrett would have been devastated if something had
happened to you.”

“Thanks!” It was a stupid, mundane response but she found
herself tongue-tied under all the loving support.

She suddenly realized that, despite all the recent ugliness
in her life, she had found friends, new friends, and they didn’t care about her
money or her status. They didn’t judge her because she was in love with a much
younger man. They liked her because of who she was, rather than what she could
do for them.

While she’d been concentrating on all the wrong things, the
things that were really important had been working themselves out, unnoticed.
Felicia took a huge breath, feeling as if a huge weight had lifted away.

Hanks hung up the call he’d taken shortly after they’d
arrived and looked up at the crowd, his small, brown eyes widening in surprise.
“Looks like we’ll need more chairs.”

Felicia fully expected her friends to excuse themselves and
leave. But instead they helped the detective pull chairs from around the room
and they all sat down around her, like a support group.

She felt the shock and horror of the last few hours sliding
away under a newfound hope that things would be better now. Now that she had
someone to love and new friends to share that love with.

Garrett had seemed withdrawn since finding her at Geoff
Rogers’ house. He hadn’t spoken three words to her, and not many more than that
to Hanks and his friends. Looking at him now, she saw an intensity in his gaze
that was disconcerting.

As if he felt her gaze on his face he turned. He squeezed
her hand but didn’t smile. Felicia clearly read the hurt in his sexy blue eyes.

She knew she had hurt him. They’d all hurt him. They’d
assumed he’d beaten Dave Foust, judged him without even asking him about it
first or taking into account all they knew about him as a man.

It was inexcusable.

Looking at his face now, Felicia began to worry that it
would also be irreparable.

“Okay, Dave Foust has been placed under medical arrest.
He’ll stay in the hospital until he’s well enough to go to jail.”

That caught Felicia’s attention. “What? Jail? Why?”

Garrett didn’t look at her when he said, “For beating the
living crap out of Geoff Rogers and then trying to pin it on me.” Finally he
did turn and his gaze swept all the people assembled there. Felicia recognized
the pain and accusation in the look. They were his friends, and they’d all
thought the worst of him.

Bruno and Giorgio both swore under their breath. Penelope
reached for Garrett and squeezed his forearm. Bliss couldn’t look him in the
eye.

Felicia just sat there, guilty as charged. She didn’t know
the words to make it right with Garrett again. Anything she said there—in front
of all those people—would just turn the knife deeper. So she only whispered,
“I’m so sorry, Garrett.”

He turned away and looked at Hanks. “What about Rogers?”

“We have a partial print placing him in Foust’s office. And
Foust’s statement that Rogers beat him in retaliation for what he’d done at the
club that night. They’ll both be spending some time in jail.”

Felicia found her voice. “But why?”

Hanks focused small, hazel eyes on her. “Why did Foust beat
Rogers? I’m guessing it had something to do with pinning it on Mr. Holcomb, as
he said. The man was most insistent that night that we round up Holcomb because
he’d threatened his client prior to the beating.”

“His client?” Garrett’s lips twisted with distaste.

Hanks nodded. “Yeah. Rogers was a client of his at one time.
Rogers was working for Foust when he accosted Ms. Jeffries in the club that
first night. It was apparently all a plan by Foust to set up the scenario where
Mr. Holcomb got blamed for beating Rogers.”

“Rogers figured it out and went after the lawyer.”

Hanks looked at Giorgio and nodded. “Foust insists he
attacked from behind and hit Rogers with a baseball bat before he could see
him. Something must have tipped the man off.”

“Nice guy,” Bliss mumbled, glancing at Garrett guiltily.
Brad rubbed her back in sympathy.

Felicia suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Turning to Hanks,
she said, “I’m not feeling well, Detective Hanks. Can I go home now?”

Hanks stood up. “That’s a good idea. I have enough
information from you for tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow and get your complete
statement.”

“Will you give me a ride home?” she asked Garrett.

Garrett shook his head and turned away. “I’m sorry but…I need
to go.” He walked out of the room, leaving all his friends behind, looking
shocked at his abrupt dismissal of them.

And breaking Felicia’s heart clean apart in her chest.

Chapter Thirteen

Felicia stared glumly at the computer screen and fought
tears. The excited words of a newly converted cougar stared back at her. She
remembered the thrum of excitement from those first looks, that first,
tentative touch, and the thrill of knowing that a young, sexy man could find
her attractive.

The experience, though terrifying at first, had been
incredible. Felicia knew she’d never be able to replace it. She knew now that
she was in love with Garrett. She probably always would be. He was a wonderful
man.

And she had treated him horribly.

Her heart twisted and she stood up, eager to get away from
the evidence of another woman’s joy at having found a new love in a most
unexpected place.

Felicia moved restlessly around the house. She’d been at
loose ends for the past two weeks, since Garrett had walked out of her life and
left her alone and feeling stupid.

She’d received a conciliatory call from Ben Miller at
Children’s Hospital. Apparently his young wife had discovered what he’d done in
firing Felicia and had given him no end of grief about it. He’d obviously been
trying to get back in his wife’s good graces by bringing Felicia back.

Felicia hadn’t committed herself to anything. She didn’t
think she wanted to go back. She needed to move forward, put the past behind
her, and try something different, something that would stir her senses and give
her a new purpose in life.

Sitting down at her computer with a sigh, she started
searching for a job that would fit those parameters. An hour later she gave up
and headed into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat.

The cupboard was bare.

Felicia grabbed her purse and headed out. There was a deli
downtown that she and Bliss liked. It had a truly stupendous salad with chicken
and a warm, spicy dressing. She couldn’t wait to taste that salad again.

It was the first thing she’d been excited about in weeks.

She parked on the street outside the deli and headed inside.
An attractive woman sat hunched over a stack of papers at a small table in
back, chewing despondently on a large salad.

Without stopping to examine her motives too carefully,
Felicia headed toward the woman. “Penelope?”

Penelope looked up, her attractive face brightening in a
smile. “Felicia! How are you?”

Felicia indicated the empty chair at the table and Penelope
nodded. Sitting down, Felicia placed her purse on the table in front of her.
“To tell you the truth I’ve been better.”

Penelope reached across the table and touched Felicia’s
hand. “You haven’t heard from Garrett?”

Felicia struggled to hold back tears. She sniffed,
determined not to make the visit about Garrett. “How are you? Did you get the
studio back in shape?”

A shadow fell over Penelope’s face. “The insurance company
is dragging its feet. They want to wait until the legal issues are ironed out
before they’ll pay for the damage.” Her gaze lifted to Felicia’s face, filled
with frustration. “That could take months or years.”

Felicia felt responsible for what had happened to Penelope
and wished she could help somehow. “I’m so sorry, Penelope. I know how much
that business means to you.”

Penelope forced a smile. “It’ll work itself out. At least
I’m rich in love.”

“How is Giorgio?”

The shadow finally fell away from Penelope’s face. “He’s
wonderful as always! I’m so blessed…” Her smile faded as she realized that her
happiness might not be exactly welcomed by the woman sitting across from her.
“Oh, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be silly. The world can’t stop just because my
heart’s broken. I’m glad you and Giorgio found each other. You’re both
wonderful people.”

Penelope grasped Felicia’s hand. “Thanks. You’re pretty
great too.”

Felicia looked away, all too aware of her guilt about
Garrett.

“I understand you like yoga?”

“I love it. It keeps me sane.” She patted her hip, smiling.
“And in shape.”

Penelope took a bite of her salad. Silence reigned as she
chewed and swallowed. “I feel the same way. You should come to the studio a
couple of times a week. We have really awesome classes.” She determinedly kept
her gaze on her salad. “And the best instructor in town.” Her gaze slid toward
Felicia’s face, sparkling with mirth.

Felicia stood up. Not sure how to take Penelope’s
playfulness. “I just might do that, Penelope. It would be good for me to get
out of the house a few times a week.”

Penelope looked truly pleased.

Felicia ordered her salad to go and left, waving goodbye to
Penelope and feeling the other woman’s eyes on her back as she returned to her
car.

Had Penelope been trying to tell her something about
Garrett? Was there a chance? Felicia shook her head, refusing to set herself up
to the kind of pain those hopeful thoughts would bring her.

Garrett was gone. She’d just have to learn to live with
that.

* * * * *

The studio was filling quickly. Garrett had been moved to
the smaller studio until his was repaired, and it was sometimes a little tricky
fitting all the participants into the room. The overcrowding had spurred some
interesting entanglements and the occasional mass collapse, domino-like, during
some of the balancing poses.

Overall the practitioners in Garrett’s class had been good
natured about it, though Penelope had been fretting because they’d had to limit
the class sizes until they could find a way to get his larger studio repaired.

Garrett checked his music and switched out the CD he’d had
in there from that morning’s class to one that fit his mood better. He’d used
upbeat rock music for the morning class, but his current, slightly depressed
mood said classical to him.

He kept himself apart from the social interactions going on
behind him as long as he could. He just didn’t feel much like joining in. He
probably should have given the class to Giorgio or Penelope and taken the night
off.

He was having trouble getting over Felicia.

Garrett had thought he could walk away from her and never
look back. He’d thought his hurt pride would be enough to help him make that
break. He didn’t want to be with a woman who could think that badly of him, a
woman who would assume he’d not only beat a man near to death out of temper,
but who would also hurt her if he got angry.

He’d been sure his pride would make the separation easy.

But pride was a poor partner and it did nothing to heal the
pain of a broken heart.

“Namaste.”

He dropped the blocks he’d been getting ready to distribute
and turned, the blood running from his face as he looked at her. He frowned to
cover up his shock. “Felicia.”

She looked wonderful in her snug little top and sleek yoga
pants. She’d pulled her dark hair back into a smooth ponytail that made her
look about twenty. Her eyes were sad and she had her hands clasped in front of
her, nervously twining her long fingers.

She was a feast for his starving eyes.

“How are you, Garrett?”

Grabbing up an armful of blocks, he stepped down from the
raised platform and started laying them out beside the mats.

He could feel her eyes following him around the room. He
fully expected her to walk out. He was being rude and he knew it but he had
nothing in his armory of accepted behaviors that told him how to react to her
sudden reappearance in his life.

He was surprised to find her sitting on the edge of the
platform, waiting for him, when he returned to the front of the room.

“Garrett, I’d like to talk…”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the studio,
shocking both of them. Stalking across the lobby with her in tow, he opened the
office door and glared at Penelope until she stood up from her desk and walked
out, squeezing Felicia’s hand supportively as she slid past.