Ryan moved with her and nodded his greeting. “Hi.” He made sure the two letters came out as menacing as possible and were easily translated to read: Hurt her and I’ll find a way to hurt you back.
James focused his attention on Vicki. “Has your solo work turned into a group project?”
He was smiling, but Ryan didn’t buy it. He was about to advance on the man, but Vicki put her hand on his arm before he could get his fist any closer to the creep’s face.
“Ryan and I were just taking a little break together.” Despite how flustered he could tell she was, she sounded remarkably calm. “Is there anything you needed before this afternoon, James?”
“I wanted you to be the first to hear the good news about Anthony.”
Hearing her ex-husband’s name from the douchebag’s self-satisfied mouth had Ryan seeing red.
Blood red.
Chapter Seven
Panic—and hot on its heels, fury at the sensation—skittered up Vicki’s spine. She should have known her ex wouldn’t be able to keep out of her business.
It didn’t help, of course, that James and Anthony had been friends so many years ago. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised to find out that James had been the one to contact Anthony, simply to try to get under her skin.
“How is he?” she asked in an easy voice as she remembered to play her part of happy girlfriend by wrapping her arms tightly around Ryan and leaning into his broad chest.
She thought she saw a flash of surprise cross James’s face at her relaxed response and was pleased she’d pulled it off.
“Very well, actually. And quite generous to do us all the favor of joining the fellowship board at such a late date.”
Vicki couldn’t stop her eyes from widening this time. Anthony had joined the fellowship board?
Ryan beat her to the punch. “Are you saying that Anthony will be voting on Vicki’s project?”
Despite the fact that James was wearing his best poker face, it was perfectly clear to Vicki just how pleased he was by this turn of events. He’d found the perfect way to punish her for turning down his advances.
“Yes, he will, along with the rest of the board. He and I were just going over the fellowship contenders’ portfolios, but of course he’s already quite familiar with yours.” He gave Vicki an understanding look. “And while it’s understood that he has a special familiarity with your skills, I have no doubt that he will be well able to judge your project on merit alone without favoring you unduly.”
Favoring her? Nothing could be further from the truth. Vicki was right at the bottom of his favorites list...and had been since long before they’d divorced.
She could feel Ryan bristling with the need to defend and protect her. She appreciated the strong friendship that was behind that urge, but just having him here with her was enough.
She wouldn’t rise to the bait, but she needed to know. “When will he be coming to San Francisco?”
“While he will be judging via photos and video, I have asked him to squeeze the awards ceremony into his very busy schedule.” James smiled at both of them. “I believe he’s making travel arrangements as we speak.”
Vicki didn’t bother smiling back. Why should she, when there was no point? Her refusal to sleep with James had lowered the lid on her coffin. Anthony’s arrival—and vote against her fellowship sculpture—would nail it down.
Still, she refused to give James the satisfaction of thinking he and her ex had broken her. Not when it was so clearly what they were after.
Pushing her rage down far enough to be civil, she said, “I know you have so many demands on your time, James,” in a soft but steely voice. “I really appreciate your taking a few moments to stop in to see me.”
It was the world’s politest dismissal. One even he couldn’t ignore.
“It was a pleasure seeing you again, Mr. Sullivan. Best of luck with your game this afternoon.”
As soon as he left, Ryan said, “They can’t do this, not when they know he was married to you. There’s no way he can judge your work with any kind of impartiality.”
“Of course they can do it. And I suspect they’re thrilled about the drama of it all—that they all feel like they’re choreographing a juicy reality show.” She narrowed her eyes. “I won’t give them that drama.”
Ryan pulled her into him and held her there for several sweet moments. She wrapped her arms around him, too, and let the steady beat of his heart against her cheek soothe—and strengthen—her. She knew him well enough, and had a good enough sense of the power he must wield via fame and fortune, to guess just how hard her friend was working to push back his need to take care of the whole messy situation for her.
“I don’t have to be at the stadium for a few more minutes, if you want to get out of here for a while.”
Vicki had never been a quitter, but she’d finally been pushed right to the edge of her bounce-back threshold. “I can’t let them win,” she said softly. “So that means I need to finish what I started here.”
Ryan stroked a hand over her hair. “That isn’t why you need to finish it, Vicki.”
Surprised, she looked up at him. “Sure it is.”
He pulled her over to the clay she’d been shaping with her hands in a rush of inspiration when he’d walked in thirty minutes ago. “This is why you need to finish.” He paused to give her time to study the beginning she’d been so excited about before James had come to crush her like a bug. “Because your project is amazing.”
Yet again, she wondered what she would have done without Ryan there.
“Are you going to be okay?”
She took a deep breath. “Yes, I think so.” A quick shiver moved through her. “I still feel a little icky all over, but fine.” She tried to smile at him. “I’m glad you were here, though. But not just because of him.” She felt suddenly shy. “It was fun teaching you how to work the wheel again. Maybe we could try again sometime when we both have more time?”
“I had fun with it.” He pulled off the apron she’d given him and gave her forehead a kiss as he handed it back to her. “And with you.”
Vicki desperately wanted to read more into every word he said, into every brush of his skin against hers, even into the friendly kiss he’d brushed against her forehead. At the very least, James’s visit had been a good reminder that anything with Ryan beyond friendship was just a game they were playing.