Only You

Chapter 7 Meet Courtney My Love

When Blake heard Rena, he stepped out from behind the door. She could read uneasiness in his face. No one introduced her to Courtney. "Did I come at a bad time?"

Ian leaned on his haunches. "This timing couldn't be more perfect." Blake gave him a withering look.

"We weren't expecting you," said Clarissa.

"Actually I came to see Blake. I wanted to apologize for not calling you this morning. I overslept. Actually I did call, but you didn't answer."

Blake quickly grabbed her arm. "Can we step outside for a minute?"

His fiancé stood up and reached for Rena's hand. Blake looked as if he were going to crack. Rena shook her hand gingerly. "You must be Courtney, Blake's fiancé. I'm Rena Blackshear, Ian's sister. I've heard so much about you."

Ian looked confused, like Rena had just messed up the best scandal in town, and Clarissa's mouth dropped open. Blake was stunned. Rena was surely hoping that her face did not betray the calm words that she had just spoken. Turmoil was churning in her heart.

"Wow, so Ian has a sister. I never knew it. Clarissa, why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?"

Clarissa didn't know what to say, and Blake was dumbfounded. The tension in the room was thick as a morning fog. Rena didn't like being the center of attention. She was determined to display a calm exterior under the mounting unrest.

"Oh, I'm the black sheep, but I'm certain that you will hear a lot more about me now," she said, turning to Blake with a smug look on her face.

Clarissa quickly amended Rena's statement. "What she means is that we haven't had much contact over the years. You see, she lives in New York. I didn't have the opportunity to raise her. Rena's father raised her."

"You had plenty of opportunity."

Blake stepped between Rena and Courtney. "Give us just a minute."

He took Rena by the arm and led her through the door. She was doing everything that she could to maintain composure, but inwardly she was on a steep, emotional cliff. Once the door closed behind him, he spun her against the wall and whispered. "I didn't know that you knew. That's why I asked you to call me this morning. I planned to take you out to breakfast and tell you. I wanted you to hear it from me first. I couldn't tell you yesterday, you had to deal with way too much."

As they looked at each other, there was clearly another conversation going on, yet unspoken. He was inches from her face. What she saw was a broken heart. Rena knew that there was no way he could not see her regret. They were locked in a heated gaze. Sensations from the past were welling up inside her. She remembered their torrid kisses in this very hall and wanted them at this moment more than ever before. "I never meant to hurt you," she whispered.

Just then, Courtney opened the door and Blake stepped back. "I was just coming to look for you, Blake. The seamstress just called and asked if you can come right now to be measured. She said, 'Sorry for the short notice.'"

Blake snapped his attention away from Rena. "Sure, I'll go."

Courtney smiled at Blake and then turned to Rena. "Did y'all finish your business? I know you said you came to see Blake."

"I didn't know that you would be here and was actually coming over to ask him if the two of you can have dinner with me Wednesday night. We can do it right here after the restaurant closes. I really know my way around this place and I'm an awesome cook."

Before Blake could say anything, Courtney accepted the invitation. "I think that would be a great idea. I'd like to get to know you as much as I know Ian and Clarissa. Ian can be a bear sometimes, but they are both wonderful people."