by Layla Holt
After pouring her coffee into a cup, she sat down at the island with it. Just then, her phone shrilled. She glanced at the screen. Luca. Her stomach lurched at the coincidence of thinking about him less than five minutes ago to having him call her.
Her first instinct was to ignore the call. But what if something had happened to Mamma. She had high blood pressure and took her pills every day. There was the time she had decided that she was tired of them and stopped taking them without consulting her doctor or telling anyone. Megan was the one who had found her, in a heap on the kitchen floor.
Papa was not that healthy either. He lived with diabetes and it sometimes flared up. No, she couldn’t ignore Luca’s call even if she wanted to.
“Is everything all right?” she said, her body tight with tension.
“Is that the way to greet your husband?” Luca drawled in a voice and accent she had once thought was hot.
Irritation gripped her. How dare he refer to himself as her husband? Megan gripped the phone tightly, until she it made a cracking noise and she loosened her grip. She wasn’t going to let him rattle her. He was nothing to her now. “Ex-husband.”
His tone grew serious and cajoling. “Did you think about what we talked about?”
Megan was too angry to answer. He actually believed that he could coax her into going back to him? If he did, it was entirely her fault. She had allowed Luca to walk all over her and waste five years of her life.
“Come on Megan, we were so good together. So in love. Have you forgotten those early days?” Luca said softly.
Against her will, an image came to her mind of the very first time she had met Luca when he had come to the airport to pick her up. She had been so naïve and so trusting. She had fallen for him hard. And he had made all sorts of promises to her and she had believed every word.
His words pulled her to the present. “I made a mistake Megan. Mamma won’t stop telling me and I agree with her. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Please come back home.”
His misery made her heart lurch. How she would have loved to hear those words from him two years ago. She had been desperate for any sign that he still cared. That their marriage still had a chance of surviving and thriving. That they could still be happy.
“It’s true what they say. You only realize what you had when you lose it,” he said.
Max did not have to lose something to know it’s rarity. Megan was startled by the thought. The more she thought about it, its truthfulness hit home for her. If she ever did heal enough to consider loving again, she would want a man who appreciated her from the very beginning.
“What do you say?” Luca said, a tinge of confidence in his voice.
He thought he knew her so well. What he had known was the worst version of herself. A version that would never see the light of day ever again.
“No Luca, I’m not coming back. We’re divorced and I’ve moved on with my life. I suggest you do the same.”
“Baby…”
It was the last thing she heard before she disconnected the call. Megan stared at her cold coffee in distaste. She was on a high as she was speaking to Luca but now it felt as if she was toppling down a cliff.
She wrapped her arms around herself to stem the shiver that was coming over her. The cottage, which had been so warm after her shower, suddenly became small and unwelcoming. The walls were closing in but worse than that was the ice creeping into her heart.
Megan rushed to her room and grabbed a light jacket and left the house. Outside, the wind whipped her face and howled as if nature was also in distress. She entered the main house from the back door.
Megan followed the cheerful voices to the play room and stood at the door.
She had not expected that her parents had company. She leaned against the door and watched her parents, Adrian, Leah, Ruby and Dean playing with the kids. Matt and his younger cousin Kayden were climbing on the rock thing on the wall.
Her mother was the first to see her. Her smiling expression changed to a startled one. “Megan.” Her mother rarely became flustered but these days, she seemed to do that a lot, especially when she was in Megan’s company.
Megan plastered a smile on her face and entered the room. Silence descended in the room before everybody spoke at once. Then silence fell again.
“I didn’t know you guys were here,” Megan said, wishing she had not come.
“We didn’t want to bother you,” her mother said. “But what a nice thing for you to pop in. We’re about to have dinner. Please join us.”
Megan stood there nodding, aware of how uncomfortable everyone looked. It felt as if she had been trapped in a block of ice for five years while her family had moved on without her. Sure, she had left the country but she had been present for each of her brother’s weddings.
Her gaze shifted to Leah, her brother Aiden’s wife. She had the most perfect face Megan had ever seen. They had never had a chance to bond but from what Megan knew of her, she was sweet and warm, albeit a little reserved. Megan shifted her gaze to Ruby and when their gazes met, she inhaled deeply.
Once upon a time, Ruby had been like her sister. They had gone shopping together, lunch and to the movies. And they had talked about everything under the sky, or so Megan had thought.
She had been by Ruby’s side planning the wedding of the year between Ruby and her brother Dean. Like everyone else, Megan had been shocked when Ruby had not shown up for her own wedding. At the time, she remembered feeling almost as betrayed as Dean had felt.
Then her brother and Ruby had rekindled their romance but by then Megan had been in Italy and married to Luca. Now, they stared at each other warily. Then Ruby winked at her and Megan was reminded of the Ruby she had known.
She was still as beautiful as she had been in her modeling days, with high cheekbones and lips that could tempt anyone. But it was her personality that a person who had met her never forgot.
Ruby was the most alive and in the present person that Megan had ever met. She had a laugh that was as big as her personality and looking at her now, Megan’s heart ached as she thought about the friendship they had both lost.
“Shall we go in to dinner?” her mother said again and Megan turned and led the way to the dining room.
Matthew and Kayden were beyond themselves with excitement at being allowed to sit with the adults for dinner. Kayden, her two-year-old nephew sat next to her.
Dinner commenced and as she ate, Megan sensed her father’s gaze on her. she met his stare and he gave her a small smile which warmed her inside.
During dessert, little Kayden placed his small hand on hers. His touch was so soft, it was like a feather touching her. She placed her hand on his and smiled at him. She hadn’t been around children much and she didn’t know how to relate to the sweet tiny humans.
“You’re Aunt Magan,” he said and everyone burst out laughing except for Megan.
She looked at him as solemnly as he was looking at her. “Yes, I am Kayden.”
He nodded and then continued eating. She smiled. That one gesture made her feel less alone, less like a stranger with her own family.
Conversation resumed. On her left side, Ruby nudged her. They hadn’t spoken throughout dinner even though they were seated next to each other.
“How are you doing? I’ve been wanting to ask you for dinner but we’re under strict instructions not to bombard you. We’re to give you time to settle,” Ruby said, speaking softly so that no one else could hear her.
Megan laughed. “Who gave the instructions?”
Ruby gestured widely with her free hand. “Aiden, Dean… all of them.”
“I’m not fragile,” Megan said. To her surprise, it made her feel warm inside to know that her brothers had been looking out for her, even though it was completely unnecessary. Five years ago, it would have incensed her.
She had been such a child and so sure that she knew everything.
“I know you’re not fragile,” Ruby said.
After dinner, she was the first to excuse herself. “It’s been a long day,” she said and clamped a hand on her mouth to stem a yawn. Only it managed to escape which made Matt and Kayden laugh.
“What time is your bed time Aunt Megan?” Matt asked.
“It passed a long time ago,” Megan said and they erupted in another fit of giggles. She was going to enjoy getting to know her nephews and nieces.
“I’ll walk you to the cottage,” Adrian said.
She said goodnight to everyone and walked out into the night, with her older brother following closely behind. The wind had abated and now the night was quiet and peaceful. She could hear each of their footsteps on the graveled ground.
“We’d like to invite you for dinner. Let me know when you want to come. But no pressure, okay?” Adrian said.
Megan remembered what Ruby had told her and smiled. “Okay.”
At the cottage, Adrian hugged her and whispered into her ear. “We’re all rooting for you Megs.”
She had tears in her eyes when she entered the cottage.
Chapter 8
“This is the second time you’re getting two coffees to go. Who are you taking it for?” Nancy asked as she brought my coffee to go.
“None of your business,” Max said. He was in a lousy mood and he hadn’t slept well.
During his dinner and drinks date with Nancy, he’d kept seeing Megan’s dejected face when he’d turned down her offer for coffee and dinner. He’d been resentful all evening until Nancy had complained about him not living up to his end of the bargain.
He’d tossed and turned for half the night wrestling with the realization that being with Megan again had awoken his feelings for her. How was he supposed to be her friend when all he wanted to do was to wrap her in his arms and kiss her gently?
“My you’re grumpy this morning,” Nancy commented. “Just be sure to keep it above board with whoever you’re taking coffee for. You’re mine for a month Max Foster.”
He took his coffee, paid for it and left. He got to the cottage earlier than usual and leaned on the car sipping his coffee. A few minutes later, the front door swung open and Megan stepped out.
Max’s breath hitched. She looked so beautiful in a red blouse and a black skirt that went over her curves like a second skin. Heat enveloped him as he watched her walk towards him. Her eyes were hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses.
“Good morning,” Megan said cheerfully.
“Good morning,” he said and handed her the coffee.
“Thank you. How am I ever going to wean myself off you Max?” she demanded, her lips curved in a sexy smile.
His eyes refused to leave her mouth and a deep longing to kiss her came over him, consequences be danged.
“Are you okay?” Megan said, jerking him to the present. “You look as if you’re stuck in time.” She pushed up her sunglasses to her forehead and flashed him a look that took his breath away.
He shook his head. “I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep very well.”
“Aww, I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay.” He grabbed the front passenger door for her and closed his eyes as she slipped in. He was a fool to have thought that he would be able to keep his feelings reined in.
When he wasn’t with her, he was thinking about her. What kind of twisted person was he to think about Megan romantically so soon when she was still obviously hurting from her failed marriage?
“How was your evening?” Max asked her when he settled in the driver’s seat.
“It was okay. I went to my parents’ house and was surprised to find Adrian and his family as well as Dean and his family.”
“Must have been a fun evening,” Max commented. He was glad that she had not spent the evening alone.
“It was okay, a little awkward at first but it worked out pretty well. Ruby and I got to talk a little which was nice,” Megan said.
His heart ached at the loneliness in her voice. Max was sure that she was unaware of it but being away from her family for so long had converted her into a stranger. Plus, she had grown up a lot in that time. They were probably uncomfortable with the new Megan and didn’t know how to relate to her.
Max’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and glanced at the screen. Nancy. He hated not answering calls but he couldn’t take her call without explaining to Megan who she was.
Megan probably wouldn’t ask in words but he would feel the need to explain. And what was he going to say. She’s my fake girlfriend. He could just imagine the confusion that would be drawn on her gorgeous face. Some things were best left a secret.
“Shouldn’t you pick that up?” Megan asked.
“I’ll call back later,” he said, shifting the car into gear.
A humorless laugh broke out of Megan.
“What?” Max said.
“That took me way back,” she said. “Luca never ever answered calls when he was in the same room I was. It took me years to know why. I was such an idiot.”
Guilt grabbed Max by the throat. His situation was nothing close to her ex-husband’s behavior and yet he felt as if he was lying to her by not answering Nancy’s call.
“He was the idiot, not you,” Max said.
“Can I ask you something and please don’t give me a flippant answer?” Megan said. “Why is it that you’re not married or in a serious relationship? Even Lance got married.”
Max laughed. They had all been sure that Lance, Megan’s older brother and one of the twins would never get married. He’d loved women too much to tie himself to one.
“Have you ever fallen in love?” she asked him.
“Isn’t it a little too early in the morning for such a question?” Max grew serious and contemplated whether to tell her a version of the truth or not.
“Have you?” Megan said.
He’d forgotten how persistent she could be when she wanted something.
“I have, yes.”
“What happened?” Megan said.
Max chose his words carefully. “She fell in love with someone else and got married. That was the end of that.”
“I’m sorry,” Megan said. “That must have hurt terribly.”
“It did but I got over it.”
He was glad when the ride to her office was over and he brought the car to a stop in front of Candin Inc. What would she say if he told her she was the woman he had fallen in love with? What would happen was that he would frighten her off and she would not be comfortable with him anymore.
She held the door and smiled at him.
Something happened and he engaged his mouth before his brain. “Hey, I know a pretty good restaurant where we could go for dinner.”
She lowered her head and looked at him from the top of her sunglasses. “I bet you do. Sure I’d love to.”
Max couldn’t stop grinning like a fool on the drive to his office. He was whistling as he entered the building.
“Good morning,” Liz said looking up from her computer screen. “You have a visitor waiting in your office.”
Max grinded to a halt and his smile disappeared. “Who is it?” No one came to his office without an appointment.”
“You’ll see,” Liz said, trying to hide a smile.
He pushed the door open and saw his mom’s back. He went to her and kissed her cheek. “Ma, to what do I owe such an early visit? I thought retired people woke up after ten in the morning.”
“We need to talk Max,” she said, clearly in no mood for jokes.
He knew why she was here and he should have expected her visit after the previous day. He pulled his chair back and sat down. “What’s up?”
Creases of worry formed on her forehead. She licked her lower lip. She was probably trying to figure out a polite way to ask him about Nancy.
“I don’t understand you. I know I sai
d I’ll always support you but Nancy. You two have nothing in common.” Her voice was strained. “What’s going on and what happened to that girl you always loved. Dean’s little sister.”
“Megan?” Just saying her name made him long for things he had no business longing for. “She got married ma, I told you.”
“I heard she was back.”
No one could accuse his mother of lacking persistence. She and Megan could have been soul sisters.
“Yeah, but she’s gone through a lot and we’re just friends,” Max said firmly.
“Fair enough but what’s going on with Nancy?”
He looked at her concerned face and knew he couldn’t lie to her. It had been just the two of them for so long. It wasn’t fair to worry her.
“This is going to sound stupid but I want you to hear me out before you say anything.”
“I’m listening,” she said.
“It’s not real.” Max told her all of it from Nancy’s reasons for wanting to pretend that he was her boyfriend to his reasons for agreeing to it. She looked at him like he had lost his mind. He didn’t blame her. He would have thought the same had their roles been reversed.
“You’re a fool Max Foster, a kind hearted fool. So what happens if you meet a girl you actually like and want to date?”
He had already met her but he wasn’t going to tell his mother that. She would call him every day and demand an update.
“It’s not for long. Just for a month,” Max said.
She shook her head. “I’m just glad my instincts were correct. Don’t get me wrong. I like Nancy, but you two are just wrong for each other.”
His mother stayed for another ten minutes and then he walked her out.
“You look a lot happier Mrs. Foster,” Liz said to his mother as they were walking past the reception desk.
“I am,” she said. “See you soon.”
He saw his mom to her car and returned to his office to begin his day. At ten he went online to search for the perfect restaurant to take Megan. The only trouble was that too many of them came up in the search results. What he needed was someone who went out to dinner a lot. Someone who knew all the good places. Dean. As a lawyer, he took his clients out a lot as did his wife Ruby who owned a big jewelry making company. More than anyone else he knew, they were always going out to eat.
