Celia's Knight (California Love Trilogy Book 3)

by Samantha Lovern

  The two of them were quiet and then Randi smiled at her dad. “I think he’s the one, and I can’t lose him. I’m not asking you to talk to Mom for me. I just wanted you to know where I stand before I talk to her.”

  “I don’t have to like your decision because it might be a step that leads you down a road with an end result you were not expecting. But, it’s your life and we’ve raised you to know right from wrong. Now, we have to trust you to follow that path. At least, we should. I can only speak for myself, of course.”

  Randi didn’t want to start crying so she thanked her dad and walked out to the backyard to wait on Martin. She knew he would be there at any moment and she was hoping, if anything, he would be early. It would be good to get away from home before her mom came rolling in.

  Five minutes later she got her wish. She walked out so she could get in the truck as soon as it came to a stop. She didn’t even give Martin time to get out and walk around to open the door for her as he normally did. Thankfully, he didn’t question her for seeming to be in a rush.

  She got in the truck, leaned over to steal a quick kiss and buckled up. “Where to?”

  “Ladies choice.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m certain. We went fishing yesterday so you pick this time.”

  “Okay, but if you leave things up to me, I’m always going to pick pizza or somewhere with a salad bar.”

  “Great. I know a place where we can get both. It’s private. A little expensive but I won’t be hounded by autograph seekers. I’ve been there several times.”

  “Sounds like a winner,” Randi said, giving him a wink. “I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight. So, lead on.”

  Chapter 41

  Moment of Truth

  Martin hated to say anything but he could tell something was wrong. Randi was too quiet. She didn’t appear to be angry and she hadn’t mentioned Celia. He wanted to ask her what was going on, but he couldn’t. He knew he was going to have to get over his fear of messing this relationship up, as he had done so many times before.

  If he and Randi were going to get anywhere, they were both going to have to start speaking their mind. He waited for a moment, took a drink of tea and spoke, “Mind if I ask what has your attention?”

  Randi looked up. He could tell she was surprised he’d noticed anything. And, in her voice, he could hear that she sounded tired or upset.

  “I didn’t want to let it show, but I guess it’s just weighing on my mind too much.” She took a drink of soda and seemed to be thinking something over. “I hate to sound like a teenager, but it’s my mother. She wants us to stop dating. Well, it’s worse than that. She’s going to kick me out when she finds out I was with you this evening.”

  “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. I figured it was one of the pups, or work.”

  “No.” Randi let out a deep sigh. “They’re fine, and work is work. I just don’t know what I’m going to tell her when I get home and she sees that monster of a truck pulling out of the driveway.”

  Martin leaned back. He wasn’t sure how to feel. He wanted to say several things, but this was Randi’s mother and she loved her, though it was obvious she disagreed with her. “Is this because of Celia?”

  Randi shook her head. It wasn’t easy for her to meet his gaze as she spoke. “It could be. I think most of it is the lifestyle of most movie stars in general. Not many of them stay married to one person and they have kids with this person and that. I know part of it is the love scenes because she told me I didn’t need to date someone who was paid to sleep with women for a living.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I know. She’s old fashioned, and you may not like to hear this, but I can see some of her points.” Randi reached across the table and took his hand. “But, it’s not fair to judge one person by a whole industry. Some stars manage to stay married for years, and I’m sure it’s not easy, but they make it work. And, besides all of that, she doesn’t even know you!”

  Martin nodded. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t like the way this was making him feel. Randi’s mother was judging him and he didn’t like the place it was putting Randi. He could feel his pride rising up urging him to pull back from Randi. But, this wasn’t her fault. If he wasn’t careful about how he proceeded, he could make a big mistake.

  He squeezed her hand pushing down the pride and the ugly comments that could have come, and instead, went down a different path. “I’m going to ask something that I may regret. What are you going to do?”

  The smile that came over her lips and the way she leaned closer melted most of the anger he was feeling. “I’m not sure. I’m hoping if I tell her I’m moving in with you, she’ll change her mind.”

  Martin smiled and reached to push back his plate but Randi laughed and pushed it back onto its’ spot. She let go of his hand and spoke.

  “You’d better finish that meal, and don’t get your hopes up. I’m not moving in with you like that. When this finger gets a ring on it, then you can get excited and that smile can return to your lips, but not until then.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who opened that door.”

  “Yes, and I’m closing it. I will tell her I’m moving in and I’m going to sleep on your couch, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “I’d never let you sleep on the couch, and if worse comes to worse, you can stay at the mansion with Celia.” He thought she might slap him but instead he could see the wheels turning. He shook his head ‘no’. “I was just kidding. I don’t think that would be a smart move.”

  “No, it might not be a smart move, but I would consider it.”

  “You’re a brave woman,” he said, taking the last bite of his steak.

  “It’s not something I would look forward to, but I could keep an eye on her, and there would be plenty of room for the pups.”

  “We’ll try to think of something else. Remember, I said I wanted to stay out of the news not have them parked outside of the mansion waiting on one of you to start a fight.”

  Randi laughed. “I’m hoping Mom will back down. Who knows? The mood she’s in right now, she might call my bluff. I don’t want to spend any more time with Celia than I have. Now that I think of it, I might not feel safe staying in the same house. But, I would like to see the look on her face.”

  “You are cruel, Randi Sanders. I don’t think she could do much to you. Mike says she’s in a wheelchair and will be on crutches before she can get around good.”

  “I’m sorry. When it comes to most people, I’m an angel, and if we ever do meet, I’ll be polite. I just want her to know that you are off the market.”

  “I think she knows, and you need to know that if she wasn’t flat broke, she would not be in that house. It’s not what I wanted to do, but what I felt I should do.”

  Randi smiled. “I’m not complaining, but I don’t have to like it. I understand why you let her stay. I’m sure you feel guilty for the way you acted. I believe you when you say you didn’t set out to deceive anyone.”

  “I’m glad you do, and I didn’t.”

  “I know, and when I step back from the jealousy, I can see that you feel obligated to help her get back on her feet. She’s homeless, and until she’s able to get a job, or go back to live with her parents, you’ll be taking care of her.”

  “There is no need to feel jealous. There is nothing about Celia that I want, other than to see her healthy and working. Mike’s helping by staying at the house and that is a big help to me. If he wasn’t there, I don’t know what I would do.”

  “What’s going on with those two anyway?” Randi asked.

  “I have no idea. Love can come at you out of nowhere. I was surprised when he started taking up for her. Before the breakup, he was always asking me why was I dating her? Or, what did we have in common? I don’t know if he feels guilty or if he thinks he had something to do with the breakup. He didn’t, but I’m not sure he understands that.”

  “I was around him and I think he has
feelings for Celia.”

  Martin nodded. “I think you could be right, but I also know something else.” Martin leaned forward and grinned.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s time we change the subject. We might need to go shopping.”

  “Shopping? Why?”

  “All kinds of things… sheets, pillows, towels, and tell me, exactly how many suitcases will you need?”

  “Are you going to move me in with Celia after all?”

  Martin smiled and shook his head. “No. I’m moving you in with me.”

  Chapter 42

  A Glimmer of Hope

  Even though it had only been a few days since the accident, Mike could see Celia was getting better. They were seated at the dinner table eating a delicious meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade yeast rolls which Celia’s mother, Vicki, had prepared.

  It was good to see Celia laugh. She joked with her brother and made it a point to ring the little brass bell at least twice during the meal. It was all good. They talked about the past and some about her future. Her mother seemed to be excited about Celia getting a job, but warned that she needed to heal completely first.

  “I’m not sure, Mom. I think I could work from a wheelchair, and who knows, maybe someone would feel sorry for me and buy a car.”

  “That’s the spirit, Sis,” Roger said. “You got to use whatever you can to get by in this world. If you can flutter your eyelashes and pull on their heart strings, do it.”

  “For now, it’s the only thing I have as an option, and that’s thanks to Mike. He’s pretty sure he can get me on, but I’ll have to start selling cars quickly because I’m pretty sure it would be a trial basis. Right?”

  “It can be. The downside to selling cars is that you don’t get paid until you sell one. That’s why you’ll have to learn to read people so you can recognize a customer who is a ‘looker’ from a person who is a serious buyer. You don’t want to spend too much time with someone who is just looking, but be friendly. They may possibly be the one who comes back next week to buy.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “You’ll be great at this, Sis. You’re pretty to look at, and you’re smart. Tell them what they want to hear and you’ll do great.”

  Mike leaned on the table and shrugged. “That can be true. You also need to keep in mind that there are repeat customers. Some people buy a new car every year, and others, you’ll never see again. If this is something you think you may want to do long-term, you’ll need to consider that when you tell a customer that a car gets good mileage, and it doesn’t, they might come back next year and remember what you said.”

  “Good point. So don’t tell them something that’s not true because it might come back to bite you.”

  “Exactly. But Roger is right; a pretty face will go a long way. And, you will probably get more of the women customers. Buying a new vehicle can be a little scary and most women would rather talk to another woman. They would think you would be more understanding if they don’t know everything there is to know about the vehicle.”

  The chatter about cars went on throughout the meal and Mike could tell that Celia was really interested in learning more. Once the dishes were in the sink and Mike had helped as much as Celia’s mom would allow him to, he went out on the patio. Roger had wheeled Celia out, but as Mike guessed, he was walking around talking on his phone.

  “He’s not much of a babysitter,” he said, as he came out and sat down.

  “I don’t really need one. He’s talking to some girl he used to date. I heard him bragging about staying here in Martin’s home.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “No. I understand what he’s about. I just wish he would grow up and get serious about life. I wish I had done the same years ago.”

  “We all look back and wish we’d done some things differently.”

  Celia turned and looked at Mike. “Okay, Mr. Perfect. What did you do wrong in your past that you would like to live over?”

  “Mr. Perfect? Where did that come from?”

  “You forget that Martin used to talk about you. He never had anything bad to say about you. Not once did he ever talk about some problem you’d had or a mistake you’d made.”

  “Well, trust me. It wasn’t because they weren’t there. I’ve made plenty of mistakes.”

  “Name me a few and make me feel like I’m not the only one who would like to relive part of their life over.”

  Mike thought about it for a moment and decided that he would humor her. He pulled a table over and stretched out, putting his legs up. “Let me see. When I was six years old, I had this tricycle that I really didn’t like.”

  “Okay. Okay. Let’s not go back that far.” Celia turned from watching Roger and gave him a look of playful annoyance.

  He grinned at her and shrugged. “Okay. How about when I was in high school and I wish I had asked Patricia Owens to the prom.”

  “That sounds interesting. What happened?”

  “Nothing. I went alone and stood in the corner wishing I’d taken dance lessons.”

  “What I meant was, why didn’t you ask her out? Were you not as handsome back then, or were you just shy.”

  “Shyness, I guess, was part of it. I’m not so sure I’m handsome now so who knows what Patricia thought? I never did get up the nerve to ask her out. I did try to talk to her a few times and it got me nowhere.”

  Celia laughed. “Men. You are all alike, always looking for a compliment. You’re worse than women.”

  “Does that mean you think I’m handsome?”

  “See I told you. Always looking for someone to stroke your ego.”

  Rather than ask again, he went on. “The next thing I would live over would be in my twenties. I should never have asked Sally Justice out. That was a wasted eight months of my life that I would like to have back.”

  Celia sighed. “I know what you mean there. I’d like to have about four of those ‘not dating wishes’ to wash clean some of my past.”

  For a few moments they were quiet, but he just had to know, so he spoke. “Would one of them be Martin? Or, is that topic off limits?”

  He thought she might snap at him, but instead she just nodded, then she shook her head. “I’m torn on that one. I’m not sure. Sometimes things happen for a reason. You’re being taught something that you needed to learn. I’m not sure if things had happened any other way that I would be where I’m at today.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “I think so. Sometimes we look back on our life and wonder, ‘how in the world did I get here?’ Then we have that other moment that says, ‘I’m ready to start over with a clean slate’. Then, all at once, you get a glimmer of hope that makes you think, ‘tomorrow might not be so bad after all’.”

  Chapter 43

  Cloud Nine

  When Randi walked up the driveway after kissing Martin goodnight, she didn’t care what her mother might say. She was in love with a kind, considerate man, and it felt right. Martin’s kisses, and the way he talked to her, made her feel like she could do anything. The pups met her on the way and she bent down to greet them.

  They were jumping all over her, kissing her, and in general, acting like they hadn’t seen her in years. They did this all the time and she loved on them and talked to them. “I love you guys, too. You’re so sweet. Did Julie go home? Did she feed you supper before she left you?”

  “No. I fed them. Julie had to go home early. She forgot about a school project when you called her.”

  The cool tone in her mother’s voice brought Randi out of her mindset of playing with the pups. She didn’t rise, but did look up. “Thanks. I did call her on short notice.”

  “I assume that was Martin?” her mother asked, and this time Randi did rise.

  “Yes. He had a script to study so we called it an early night.” Randi didn’t want to argue with her mother and she was hoping that they might just end this on a good note. Her mother
didn’t seem angry.

  Her mother turned and started to go into the house. Randi spoke, wanting to catch her before she went in. “Mom, I want to apologize. I know you don’t want me to see Martin, but I can’t stop seeing him. Not yet. I need to know if this is as real as it feels. I’m in love or falling in love and I’m afraid I’ll lose something special if I turn him away.”

  Her mother nodded, and crossed her arms. “I can understand how you feel, but I can’t stand by and watch you make such a mistake. I’m standing by my word. If you keep seeing him you need to move out.”

  Randi was shocked at the way her mother was acting, but she was also shocked at how she felt inside. If anyone had asked her a few months ago if she would go against her mother’s will for a man, she would have said, ‘no’. Now here she stood, doing just that.

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yes. I’m serious. You’re not seeing things clearly. This man cheated on his girlfriend with you. Doesn’t that mean anything? Doesn’t that show you what kind of person he is down deep inside.”

  “I know we started off on the wrong foot. They were having problems, and I’ve told you, he tried to tell me several times and something would always interrupt him.”

  “I just can’t believe my own ears, Randi! If you could just hear yourself, hear what you’re saying, maybe you would get off cloud nine and come down to earth. Maybe you could see the truth.”

  “Mom, I don’t want to argue with you. I’m not going to stop seeing Martin. You may never understand how we met, or believe that he’s an honest person, but . . .”

  “No buts. Either you are seeing him, or you are not. That is all I need to know.”

  Randi shook her head in wonder, and she could see the surprise on her mother’s face when she spoke. “I’ll move out tomorrow. Is that soon enough?”

  “What? You’re moving out?”

  “Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said? I’m in love! I may marry this man. If you insist that I don’t see him, I have to move out.”