Neither words nor temper tantrums would be enough for her mother. Her father maybe, but never her mother. Which was why she stood here now with an almost stranger prepared to play the part of happy newlywed for her parents.
“He’ll be here any moment.” Lexie’s mom abandoned her perusal of the calendar kiosk, did a quick scan of Lexie and Jim, then moved with measured lady-like steps closer to the gates.
At the same moment Jim took a step back for him and Lexie to follow, his cell phone buzzed.
From the way his shoulders stiffened and his gaze shifted to Lexie’s mom approaching the gate and back to the phone, Lexie had a pretty good idea who was calling.
“Give me a quick minute.” Turning, he tapped the phone and walked away. “Hey.”
Hard as she tried, there was no making out the conversation. Wind blew through the waiting area, carrying sound and voices away with it. But she didn’t have to hear to know who’d called. His movements were casual, relaxed, and when he turned in her direction for a moment, a bright smile lit his face. Definitely the fiancée. Lucky woman.
Lexie must have been staring rather intently, too intently. Her mother inched up beside her. “Is there a problem?” The question may have been directed at Lexie, but her gaze was on Jim across the way.
“No. No problem.” And it never rains in London.
Jim trotted back to where Lexie waited. “Sorry about that.”
“The plane is on the ground and taxiing this way.” Lillian pointed to the jet pulling to a stop at the opposite end of the gate.
As naturally as if he’d been doing so for years, Jim slid his hand around Lexie’s, linked fingers and squeezed. If her mother noticed, she wasn’t sure, but the simple sign of support helped nudge her forward.
A handsome man for his years, Alexander Hale stood six foot even, had broad shoulders, sandy blond hair and Mediterranean blue eyes. He’d been one of New England’s most eligible bachelors when Lillian Elizabeth Wainwright caught his eye. And won his heart. Though Lexie never understood how. The two were as different as sun and water. Lexie’s attention remained on her father as he descended the pull down stairs. His eyes scanned the distance quickly, then fell on her mother and the sharp edge to his gaze softened.
Never being one to let something as trivial as a barricade stop her, Lillian Hale walked around the unguarded gate entrance and strode to her husband, meeting him halfway between the plane and the terminal. Lexie remained rooted in place, watching.
No PDA for her parents, and yet to anyone truly paying attention, the long-standing affection was there for all to see. Her father gave her mother a meager peck on the cheek, but lingered a moment longer than the casual greeting would require. Making no effort to move, his eyes drank her in. His smile meant only for her.
Her mother’s hand landed on her father’s chest. To the average stranger it might appear in an effort to maintain distance. And yet Lexie only saw how the splayed fingers gently swayed back and forth in a nearly invisible caress.
And then her mother’s lips moved. The private moment between husband and wife broke, the mantle of mother and father falling heavily into place. Alexander Hale lifted his gaze to the distance. Her mother still speaking, her fingers still maintaining loving contact with her mate, her father scanned the terminal, his attention briefly falling on Lexie, bestowing her a restrained smile. Then, from the joined hands up, he quickly took measure of Jim. The smile gone.
“Batten down the hatches,” Jim whispered in her ear.
“I can’t do this. I can’t lie to my father.”
“We’re legally married, Lexie. It’s not a lie.”
“Legal but not real. To make Daddy think—”
Leaning in closer, Jim cut her off, “Graham Winston Montgomery.”
“Then again, sometimes the end justifies the means.”
* * *
Kara Harper slammed her phone down on the dinette table. “Damn.”
Sitting across from his wife, Nick glanced over his shoulder to see if his six year-old son had heard his stepmother. Slowly working his way through a bowl of cheerios while watching a recording of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bradley was totally oblivious to the adults in the house.
If Nick had his way, his son would only watch Sesame Street and reruns of Mr. Rogers. He was still coming to grips with what was and wasn’t appropriate for a little boy who just over a year ago he hadn’t known existed. Thankfully, his new wife was helping him find a reasonable balance. Turning back to face Kara, he reached for a wisp of hair that had fallen across her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. God she was beautiful when she concentrated. Hell, who was he kidding, the woman was irresistible any time.
Tapping her laptop keyboard and scanning the screen, she muttered, “Damn it,” again.
“That doesn’t sound good.” He resisted the urge to smooth away the ridge forming between her brows.
“It’s not. That was the divorce lawyer Judge Camden referred me to.”
“For Lexie and Jim’s annulment.”
“For more information.”
“Why?” The last time his wife’s expression had crumpled so quickly with this much intense irritation, she’d discovered her alleged deadbeat dad of a client’s version of the truth had little to do with reality. A situation she soon rectified.
“A quick research uncovered six reasons for an annulment in Hawaii.”
“Six is good.” His head bobbed.
Kara held up a forefinger. “Incestuous marriage.”
Nick shook his head and took a sip of coffee.
Her middle finger joined the first. “Bigamous marriage.”
Setting the cup down, he gave another single shake of his head and briefly wondered how pissed off she’d be if he leaned over and sucked on the tips of those perfectly long and slender fingers.
Kara’s ring finger sprang up and she glared at him as though she’d read his thoughts and raised her voice ever so slightly. “Underage marriage.”
“I’m not liking where this is going.” And from the set of her jaw, he could tell it wasn’t going to get better. Where was the we made a rash decision and we changed our minds reason? Didn’t movie stars change their minds all the time? Married to husband number one for twenty minutes. Number two for three hours—a success in comparison.
Kara now held four fingers up. “Concealed disease.”
“I’m guessing stupidity doesn’t count as a disease.”
This time Kara shook her head and dropped her hand, fingers sprawled, palms down. “Last two—fraud or duress and mental incapacity.”
“There’s one. Mental incapacity. They were a bit tipsy.” And though he and Kara hadn’t attended, from the stories he’d heard of the party, everyone in attendance had had one hell of a good time, too.
“Rules for intoxication to void a marriage are more restricted than for general contracts.” Kara blew out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Neither party can escape liability unless they were incapable at the time of understanding their acts. Tipsy doesn’t count. Both were sober enough to understand the purpose and intent of marriage.”
“But neither intended to marry. Doesn’t that count for something?”
Still holding the bridge between her brows, Kara shook her head again before letting go and looking up. “Not for an annulment. I’d hoped since the hotel staff submitted the paperwork without the consent of the parties we could work with the fraud stipulation.”
“And the lawyer said no.”
“All the lawyers said no. Lexie and Jim have no choice but to file for a divorce.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Jim’s fiancée walking out the night before the wedding didn’t sound fair to me either, but no one promised the game of life would be fair.” Closing her eyes, Kara lifted her hand to her temple and made swirling motions. “Did you get the feeling there’s something Jim and Lexie didn’t tell us?”
Pushing to his feet, the dining chai
r scraped across the bamboo floors. Standing behind his wife, splaying his hands across her shoulders, his fingers began gently kneading the tense muscles.
Her head lolled forward. “Have I told you lately how much I love your hands?”
Thoughts of other things his hands wanted to do for this woman made him smile. Placing his lips close to her cheek he breathed into her ear. “Later I’ll remind you why you love the rest of me, too.” Straightening he continued, “What are you thinking about Lexie and Jim?”
“I don’t know. When we first got to Billy’s, Lexie and Jim were sitting on opposite sides of the room. But later, when we were all moving about, did you notice the way they kept finding each other?”
“Can’t say that I did.”
“Hm.”
“Kara?” Nick’s hands stilled. “What are you thinking?”
“Not thinking.”
In translation not thinking actually meant she was mentally filling in spreadsheets of information and preparing a plan. He just wondered what that meant for Lexie and Jim.
Chapter Ten
Faced with the approach of his sort-of father-in-law, Jim took in the man making his way briskly toward his daughter. Evaluating the situation and reading the enemy quickly was a key part of Jim’s job description. Alexander Hale’s hand at the small of his wife’s back gently steered her forward. Protective. Steel blue eyes focused on his daughter and the hand Jim had a firm hold on. Sharp. He maneuvered past the surrounding passengers waiting to board a commercial flight with the ease of an athlete. Fit. Many a deal was as likely to have been hammered out on the tennis court or golf course as in the boardroom. Nothing about Alexander Hale should be taken lightly.
Preparing himself for a dressing down to rival that of a rear admiral, Jim stood a little straighter. Releasing his grip on Lexie, he took a step forward, meeting the challenge. Or the enemy. Either way, Lexie needed to be out of the line of fire.
Alexander Hale’s gaze took in the strategic shift. Lexie followed Jim, slipping her hand back in his. Squeezing her hand tightly, Jim never took his eyes off her father. Lexie was right. This could get ugly.
“So you’re the man who swept my little girl off her feet.” Lexie’s father stood nose to nose with Jim.
“Daddy,” Lexie almost whined.
Jim bobbed his head. “Yes, sir.”
“My wife tells me you’re in the Navy?”
“Lt. Commander James Borden.”
“Ring knocker.” It wasn’t a question. On his study of Jim, Lexie’s father must have noticed Jim’s ring from the Naval Academy and knew enough about tradition and the military to know the nickname for commissioned officers who had graduated from one of the US military academies.
Jim nodded. Hoping the questions stopped there. EOD was never a comforting thing for family members to hear, unless they were clueless that E stood for Explosives. Alexander Hale was not clueless.
“Alex, dear.” Lillian Hale laid her hand on the crook of her husband’s elbow. “We really should have this discussion somewhere more private. We can check into the Four Seasons and then—”
“Nonsense. I hardly ever get to visit my daughter. We’ll stay with her.” Alex, as Lillian called him, let his carryon drop to the floor to set his hand over hers and patted it gently. Much the way a man would calm a distraught person. Though there was nothing distraught about Lillian Hale. The woman was as formidable as her husband. And daughter.
Within seconds, Alexander Hale had stepped out of his wife’s grasp, kissed his daughter on the cheek then pulled Jim into a hard man-hug, slapping him loudly on the back. “Welcome to the family. Son.”
It took a few seconds for Jim to regroup, smile, and spit out an appropriate thank you. Judging by the flash of horror that briefly crossed Lillian’s face, she was going to need more than a few seconds and her husband’s calming pat on the arm. Her eyes narrowed and Jim suspected a migraine was coming on. Migraine Jim.
* * *
Lexie didn’t know if she should be relieved her father took so well to the idea of Jim as a son-in-law, avoiding a forthcoming battle to convince him all was well, or if she should panic at the prospect of explaining later that this good man had only been playing a part. Walking to the car, she and her mother kept pace behind her father and Jim. The two men chatted jovially about the outcome of the NBA playoffs and the upcoming baseball season.
Baseball. Her mother was so overtaken by the entire situation that Lexie could hear her teeth grinding as they walked in silence, and yet the men were talking sports. Another reason why she was better off single. Men.
In the car, Lexie buckled herself in and settled back just as her phone sounded off. Leaning over to retrieve her cell from her purse, she noticed Jim’s lips tip upward in amusement, though she had no idea why. “Hello.”
“Are you alone?” Kara asked in a hushed voice.
“We just picked my dad up from the airport and are on the way home.” Lexie kept her words as steady as possible despite the acid regurgitating at the tone of Kara’s voice.
“How soon can you ditch them?”
Okay, whatever was on Kara’s mind couldn’t be good. Lexie suppressed a surprising urge to reach over and grab Jim’s hand. Funny how quickly she’d adapted to having a supportive man around. And you’d better get unused to it pretty damn fast, she told herself. “I…” She glanced over her shoulder at her mother, head back, squeezing her eyes closed. “I don’t know.”
“I need to talk to you. Both of you. Can you find an excuse to go to the shop? I can meet you there.”
Her mind scrolled through all the reasons she could think of to justify making a quick run to the dive shop. Anything from Billy or Nick not being able to find the key for the warehouse to one of the instructors calling in sick would get her out of the house, but what excuse would require both of them leaving without drawing attention? “I’ll have to call you back.”
“Roger.” Kara smothered a laugh. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
“Right. Thanks for calling.” Lexie dropped the phone in her purse and readjusted her seatbelt.
Jim cast a quick glance in her direction and when she said nothing, he glanced back again this time taking a longer look.
“That was Kara.” Lexie paused, stalling, thinking. “Nick didn’t want to disturb my day off with my parents.”
Jim nodded and she tried to think faster. “Jonathan called in sick. Nick is out with the boat and Billy is scheduled to teach this morning’s bubblemaker class.” Lexie turned to her mom. “You remember Jonathan, don’t you?”
Without opening her eyes her mother answered, “A little on the quiet side. Doesn’t look old enough to shave, never mind be responsible for a group of people swimming eighty feet below the surface.”
“That’s the one.” Her mother was right. Jonathan looked much younger than his twenty six years. If he’d been a cop he’d be perfect to go undercover at a high school.
“What does this mean for you, kitten?” her father asked.
He hadn’t used that nickname for her in a very long time. So long that the sound of it made her cheeks tighten with a smile and her heart beat a bit stronger. “I should go into the shop for a couple of hours to cover. At least while Billy is in the dive pool for the class.”
“Does he need an extra pair of hands?” Jim asked. Bless him.
“I don’t know, but it couldn’t hurt.” Surely by the time they reached her house she could come up with a really good reason for Jim to accompany her. Strapped into the front seat, she turned as far as she could to look at her father. “Daddy, will you and Mother be okay for a couple of hours while Jim and I head over to the dive shop?”
“Of course we will. I didn’t get much sleep on the jet. I could use a quick power nap.”
“And I’m planning to take two pills and lie down,” her mother added. She didn’t need to say the entire turn of morning events had given her a headache.
“If you’re sure you don’t
mind?” she asked her father, more out of good manners than actually wanting to know. Not allowing her father time to reconsider, she tossed her daddy a bright smile. “Then it’s all settled.”
Except for her stomach. If her mother’s impending migraine and the urgency in Kara’s voice were any indication, now might be a really good time to run away from home. Again.
* * *
“That certainly went better than I expected.” Jim opened the passenger door for Lexie, then circled around and slid behind the wheel. “Though I don’t think your mother was very pleased.”
“She was pissed.” Lexie knew her mother’s silence was usually something like the eye of the storm. The brief peaceful span of time before all hell broke loose. She was not looking forward to Typhoon Lillian. Especially once the truth of Lexie’s marital status was revealed. “Do you suppose I could get away with never mentioning we had our marriage annulled and just have you conveniently deployed outside of Hawaii for the rest of our natural lives?”
One perfectly formed brow arched on Jim’s incredibly handsome face. Why did the man have to be a walking superlative? “Come again.”
“At least if both my parents disapproved of my sudden marriage, telling them down the road that we’re no longer together wouldn’t be so difficult. But Daddy is already treating you like the son he never had. I almost wish he’d hated you on sight.”
The other brow lifted high on his forehead. “A bit drastic don’t you think?”
“No.” Predicting her parents’ reactions now and later brought to mind a few other details they hadn’t really considered. Like how long would she have to pretend to still be married to keep Graham off her trail? “Do you suppose maybe Bridget would let me borrow you for a quick trip to Boston every once in a while? Like until Graham snares wife number two into his web?”
Mai Tai Marriage Page 8
