by Abigail Keam
“This house is impressive,” said Eva, sipping on her wine.
“Thanks. If Mom ever decided to sell, she would get top dollar.”
“No doubt. Your boat is impressive, too.”
“That’s the Sea Horse. That was really the love of my dad’s life,” laughed Mike.
“It was your dad’s boat?”
“Oh yeah. We’d go out every weekend. Fish. Swim. Snorkel. Find an island and picnic. We had a blast.”
“I’m sure Jenny enjoys it.”
Mike’s face turned dark. “I can’t get her on it. She’s terrified of the ocean. Sometimes I wonder if I’m being cruel, making us live in the Keys. I just keep hoping it’s something that she will outgrow and love the ocean as much as I do and as her mother did.”
Eva started to respond, but Mary poked her head out and called them to dinner.
Eva decided her questions could wait until later.
25
Dinner was sumptuous, consisting of a tender pot roast with all the trimmings.
Eva had two helpings of meat, potatoes, carrots, soft rolls slathered with lots of butter, and a huge slice of chocolate cake with caramel icing.
Finally Jenny couldn’t wait any longer. “Eva, can I bring your purse to you?”
Eva laughed. “I did say there was something in my purse, didn’t I. Go and bring it here.”
Jenny jumped out of her chair and gathered the purse, dumping it in Eva’s lap.
“Jenny, you know better than that,” scolded Mary.
Eva laughed. “It’s all right. I shouldn’t have made a little girl wait so long.”
She dived into her purse and brought out a rhinestone child’s tiara and bracelet. These were some of the few items she had asked her lawyer send to her in Key Largo. “Every girl needs a little bling for special occasions,” Eva said, handing them to Jenny.
Jenny squeaked, “Are these for me?”
“They are. Now go try them on.”
Jenny carefully took the jewelry pieces and ran to her room.
“You didn’t have to do that,” said Mike.
“They were mine when I was a kid. I don’t have any children myself so . . .”
“That’s very nice of you, Eva,” concurred Mary. “Especially since they were yours when you were a child. As you can hear from the squeals coming from Jenny’s room, the bling is delighting my grandchild.” Mary rose from the table. “If you don’t mind, children, I’ll be saying my goodnights now. It’s going to take awhile to get Jenny ready for bed and I need to make an early night of it myself.”
“We’ll clean up, Mom,” assured Mike.
“Yes, let us clean up,” agreed Eva, looking at Mike.
“So nice to meet you, Eva. I hope Mike brings you back often.”
Eva nodded. She was pleased that Mary seemed to approve of her. She liked Mary and hoped to see more of her.
After Mary went to see about Jenny, Mike and Eva make quick work of cleaning up. Finally, after everything had been washed and put away, Mike cut a big chunk of cake for Eva to take home.
“Oh, I can’t,” lied Eva, lustfully eyeing the cake. She could hardly keep from licking her lips.
“You better take it. It’s too much temptation for me to have chocolate cake lying around.”
Eva laughed. “Okay, if you insist.” She grabbed the cake container out of his hands.
“Now I know if I ever need to bribe you, my mother’s chocolate cake is the ticket, I see.”
Eva laughed again. In fact, she realized that she hadn’t laughed this much in a very long time. It felt good to be out from under the shadow of her divorce. It felt good to live again.
“Let me take you home,” said Mike. “I know you have an early day tomorrow too.”
“Yes, I do, but this was delightful.”
“Maybe we can do it again?”
Eva looked into Mike’s gray eyes. “Yes. I would like that very much.”
“Then we will make it happen again very soon.” Mike gazed at Eva, suddenly realizing that she was the same age his wife would have been. He also recognized how lonely he had been and the strain of raising a child without her mother. He had always been awkward telling women his true feelings but he wanted to with Eva. He just didn’t know if it was appropriate considering that he worked for her. Maybe he should wait until after the renovation of the motel was finished.
Mike helped Eva into his jeep and drove to the motel, all the while thinking of what to say to her.
Eva noticed that Mike was unusually quiet on the drive back to the motel. She wondered why.
When they pulled into the driveway, Eva got ready to jump out and unlock the gate, but Mike grabbed her arm. “Wait a minute, Eva. I want to talk with you.”
“Okay.”
The stars glowed in the night sky as warm breezes caressed Eva’s skin. In the distance, the horn of a ship sounded in the bay. Mike looked very handsome. It was a night made for romance, but Eva was determined to push those thoughts from her mind. She didn’t want to become another notch on Mike’s belt.
“During these past months that I’ve worked for you, I’ve come to appreciate the kind of woman you are.”
“You mean I pay your salary on time.”
“Yeah, that’s funny, but it’s not what I meant. I think you are kinda cool.” Mike almost bit his tongue. He was sounding like an idiot. “I was wondering if you might be interested in . . .”
“Eva?”
Surprised, both Mike and Eva swiveled around.
Out of the darkness strode a man faintly lit up by the highway’s streetlights.
“Who’s there?” demanded Mike.
“Eva. It’s me.” The man came up to the jeep. Light flooded his face.
Eva sat stunned, unable to move.
“Eva, do you know this guy?”
“Unfortunately, I do. It’s Dennis. My ex-husband.”
26
Eva could barely believe her eyes. “What are you doing here?” she gasped. The last person in the world she wanted to see was standing in front of her.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Hi, I’m Mike Bishop,” interjected Mike. He noticed that Eva’s face had drained of color.
“I’m Dennis Reardon.” Dennis leaned over Eva to shake Mike’s hand. “I’ve been waiting for hours.”
Eva got out of the jeep. “How did you know where to find me?”
“It took a while since you went back to using your maiden name, but I finally tracked you here.”
Mike cut in, “Eva, want me to stay?”
“No, but thanks. I’ll be all right.”
“Are you sure?”
Eva turned to Mike. “I’ll be okay. You don’t need to stay. Really.”
“If you say so. I’m only a phone call away.” He gave Dennis a hard look.
Dennis looked at Mike and then at Eva, wondering what was going on between them.
“I’ll see you in the morning then,” declared Mike, giving Dennis another sharp look.
“Yes. Nine on the button,” concurred Eva.
Reluctantly, Mike started his jeep and pulled onto the highway.
“Who was that?” asked Dennis after Mike drove away.
“Not that it is any of your business, but that was my general contractor. I just had dinner at his house.”
“With his wife?”
Eva, exasperated, spat out, “No, with his mother.”
“He’s awfully old to be still living with his mom, isn’t he?”
“Dennis! What do you want?”
“Nodding at the motel, Dennis asked, “Can we go in?”
“No!”
“Look, Eva. I’ve come all this way to talk with you. I’m worn out. I’ve got something important to tell you.”
“Why don’t you tell your new wife? I’m not interested.”
Dennis’ face crumpled. “We lost the baby, Eva. There was something wrong with her heart. We had her only for a few weeks.”
Eva felt sick. “I’m so sorry, Dennis. I had no idea.” She unlocked the gate and let Dennis through. Helping him with his luggage, she showed him into the office and through to the living area.
Dennis looked about with a discerning eye. “You’ve done well, Evie.”
Eva flinched at the use of his nickname for her and remained quiet.
Dennis strode around the room looking at the details. Finally he poked his head in the bathroom. “Typical Eva. Keep the old look but full steam ahead on the bathroom amenities. No skimping there.” He smiled at her. “Looks fantastic. Top notch.”
“You didn’t come here to discuss this motel.”
“May I sit?” asked Dennis, looking longingly at the recliner.
“Suit yourself.”
“This is not the way I intended it to be.”
“Sneaking up on me in the dead of night?”
“I thought you were at the grocery store or something like that, so I waited.”
“You never dreamed that I might have a date? Some kind of a social life?”
“Was it a date?”
Eva remained silent.
“Of course. None of my business.” Dennis pushed back his hair. “I came to apologize for what I put you through.”
“Please,” scoffed Eva.
“I know you are skeptical, but I am really sorry for all that I did.”
“It happens.” Eva tried not to sound angry, but Dennis was opening up old wounds. She really wanted him to go away.
“After the baby died, things fell apart. We couldn’t keep it together. I blame myself too, but she was so young and lacked the maturity to handle this type of crisis.”
“You shouldn’t diss the mother of your dead child. It’s unseemly,” snapped Eva.
Dennis threw up his hands. “I’m not. I’m just telling you why things happened the way they did.”
“And I guess you were the Rock of Gibraltar.”
Tears welled up in Dennis’ eyes. “Oh, Evie. It was horrible.” He began to sob.
Stunned, Eva gaped at the distraught man crying in her recliner. She patted Dennis’ shoulder as he shuddered. “I’m sorry, Dennis. I really am . . . for the both of you.”
Dennis reached up, grabbing Eva’s hand and holding it tightly.
She handed him a tissue with her free hand.
Finally he stopped crying and blew his nose. The handsome face was swollen and red from grief.
Eva got Dennis a glass of water.
After drinking some water, Dennis seemed calmer. “All that time our baby was ill, I kept thinking that I wished I could tell you. I needed to talk with you but you weren’t there. It was then I realized that I loved you deeply and that a marriage is about much more than sex.”
“At forty, you’re just now realizing that?”
“I guess I’m a late bloomer. I just had to see you and tell you what had happened.”
“What you just have to do is go back and try to make your marriage work with your current wife. You shouldn’t be here.”
“It’s over. She has filed for divorce. To tell you the truth, I was relieved.”
Eva sat back, taking stock of Dennis. She had always thought of him as a catch, a real go-getter in business, and a man of substance. For the first time, she realized that he was a narcissistic child.
“Now that you’ve told me, you can go on with your life.”
“I was hoping . . . that is I’ve taken a sabbatical from work. When I learned about this motel, I thought I could help you. It would be a project that we could do together to rebuild our relationship.”
Eva shook her head. “Dennis, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’ve got a new lease on life here and you’re not part of it. You need to go back to New York.”
Dennis’ face crumpled. “Please don’t send me away, Eva. I beg you. I feel so . . .”
“Like you’re drowning? I know the feeling.”
“Please let me stay until the motel is completed. Then I’ll go back to New York. I’ve changed and I need to feel that I’m doing something constructive with my life. I need to be around something solid and familiar.”
“Like me.”
Dennis looked hopefully at Eva.
She stood. “It’s late and I have to get up early in the morning. You can stay in Bungalow Two for the night. It’s almost finished. But tomorrow, you need to go back to New York.”
Dennis stood. “I understand.”
“Two is next door. There is plenty of light on the pathways.”
Dennis reluctantly gathered his luggage and departed the office.
Eva watched from the window as Dennis lumbered down the pathway until he entered the bungalow. She didn’t know what to think. She didn’t know what to feel.
Eva just knew that she felt triumphant that Dennis had crawled back to her. And she knew that was dangerous.
She would have to watch it.
27
Eva awoke before her alarm clock went off. She showered and dressed, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
As soon as Dennis awoke, she was going to call a cab to take him back to Miami where he could catch the next plane to New York.
But that would take care of itself. Right now she needed to concentrate on work.
Today she was going to finish tiling the bathrooms, while Mike and Juan restored the floors. Mike was supposed to bring a sander with him to work, so he would be a little late. He had to pick it up and the rental office didn’t open until eight.
She could already hear Juan in Bungalow One sweeping the floors.
Eva ate a quick breakfast, and then made her way to Bungalow One to join Juan and finish the bathroom tiling.
She was about to greet Juan when she got an unwelcome surprise.
Dennis stood wearing jeans and a work shirt, helping Juan ready the floors for sanding.
“What are you doing?” blurted Eva.
Juan blinked at the two of them challenging each other and discreetly exited the bungalow.
“I thought I would stay and help you finish the renovation,” replied Dennis, pushing a broom.
Eva snatched the broom away from Dennis. “I don’t need your help. You need to go back to New York.”
“I got your message that you don’t want me anymore, but still I owe you. Let me help you with this. I am free labor and it will save you a bundle. Then you will get something out it and I can go back to New York knowing that I tried to make things right.”
Eva shook her head.
Dennis plowed on, “I won’t bother you with my needs. I am just an old friend here to help you. I’ll stay in the Bungalow Two and as soon as the motel is finished, I’ll go back home.”
His assistance would help keep costs down, but Eva wondered about the emotional costs. Would Dennis keep his word and leave her alone? She started to relent.
Sensing Eva’s doubt, Dennis grabbed back the broom. “Juan and I’ve got this. You go do your thing.”
“If you stay, you take orders from Mike.”
“Sure. Anything you say.”
“First time you cause trouble, you go. Understand?”
“Absolutely.”
“Just as long as you understand.”
“Sure.”
“Then I’ll go in the next building and work.”
Dennis turned his back and continued sweeping.
Confused and caught off guard, Eva tried to put a brave face on her decision to let Dennis stay, but somehow she felt she had caved in.
What price would she have to pay?
28
“You let that guy stay and now he’s to work under me?” groused Mike, standing in the bathroom doorway.
Eva looked up from her tiling. “He’s only going to stay a short while and he’s a good worker. If he doesn’t do what you say, he goes.”
“That’s great. Now I have to baby-sit your ex.”
“He’s an extra pair of hands and we can get the motel ready sooner with his help. Come on.
Bend a little,” coaxed Eva, wiping the hair out her eyes.
Mike punched the doorjamb and stomped out of the bungalow.
Eva stared after him in surprise.
Why did Mike care so much that her ex-husband was in town?
She put it from her mind as she concentrated on the job at hand. By late morning, she had finished the bathroom and went to the next building to work, but the tile hadn’t been placed in the unfinished bathroom. Irritated, Eva went to find Mike since she couldn’t move the heavy tile herself.
She found Mike and Juan with Dennis finishing the floors in the first bungalow. Eva had to admit the floors looked great.
“Whadja need?” snapped Mike at her.
Eva had to admit Mike’s grouchiness stung. “I need tile in Bungalow Three.”
Mike started to respond but Dennis beat him to the punch. “I’ll get the tile for you. Where do you store it?” he asked as he followed Eva out.
Mike scrutinized them walking to the storage unit for the tile.
“You’re pushing her away,” commented Juan watching Mike watch Eva.
“Mind your own business,” advised Mike.
“Just saying you catch more bees with honey.”
Mike turned and glared at Juan, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Just saying,” said Juan.
“I hear ya,” spat Mike. “I hear ya.” He knew Juan was right, but how he could make it right with Eva was the $64,000 question.
29
After lunch, Eva and Dennis worked on the bathrooms while Mike and Juan continued working on the floors.
After a couple of tense hours of working with Dennis again, Eva fell into a comfortable pace with him. It seemed as though they had never parted. They were so familiar with their work routine, but seemed to anticipate each other’s moves.
It didn’t take long to tile the bathroom and they moved on to the next bungalow.
Eva had to admit that the tiling was going faster and with fewer complications with Dennis helping her. Maybe his staying was not such a bad idea after all.
