One Day to Find a Husband

by Shirley Jump

  “Some people. I guess.”

  “She didn’t expect me to show up at her office, and definitely didn’t expect me to propose. When I got there, I walked in on a meeting with her and my biggest client. In that instant, I knew that the whole thing had been a fraud. My gut had been warning me, but I’d been too busy being practical and sensible to listen.”

  “What was your gut saying?”

  “That she didn’t love me and I didn’t love her, and that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. After I broke it off, she smeared my name all over town. Made it her personal mission to steal the rest of my clients.” He looked deep into her green eyes. “You were right. I am afraid of risking my heart. But then again, so are you.”

  “Me? I’m not afraid.” But her eyes were wide and her breath was quickened. He had hit a nerve, clearly.

  “Really? Then why did you do your best to push me away?”

  “This isn’t going anywhere. You said so yourself.”

  He reached up as if he was going to touch her cheek, but his hand fell away. “And you accused me of being here to steal the company.”

  “Are you?”

  “You know that answer already. Quit trying to put up walls that don’t exist.”

  “I didn’t…” She bit her lip.

  “You did and so did I. It was all so easy, because we both kept saying this marriage had an end date. You did the same thing as me, Ellie. You got close, you backed away. Got close, backed away. I think you’re just as scared as I am.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Really?” He leaned in closer. “Then what would you say if I said let’s not end this?”

  “Didn’t…end the marriage? But that was the deal.”

  “I realized something today when I was here, in your house, pretending to be your husband for the last time.” He caressed her check with his thumb. “The whole time I was wishing it was real. Because the time I’ve spent with you has been the best damned time of my life.”

  Fear shimmered in her eyes. Fear of being hurt, of letting go. Of trusting. When it came right down to it, Ellie was just as scared as he was of opening her heart. “Oh, Finn. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “That you’re ready to take that risk, too. That you want more than just the fiction.”

  She just shook her head. Finn released Ellie, then walked out the door, finally leaving behind a fairy tale that wasn’t going to end with happily ever after.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ELLIE’S heart sang with the words the doctor had just said. Great recovery. Going home soon. Should be okay to resume limited activities. Her father had surpassed medical expectations and was going to be all right. He’d be on a limited schedule, of course, but he would be alive, and that was all Ellie cared about.

  “You’re doing fabulous, Dad,” Ellie said. “The doctor is thrilled with your recovery.” Henry was sitting up today, looking much heartier than last time. The color had returned to his face, and he appeared to have put back on some of the weight he had lost while he was sick. In the next bed, his new roommate was watching a reality show about wild animals.

  “I’m just trying to do what I’m told,” Henry said.

  She laughed. “For the first time in your life?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah.” He patted the space beside him on the bed. “Come. Sit down and tell me how things are going for you.”

  “Good. Well, great.” Except for the fact that she hadn’t talked to Finn since that day at her house, things were great. She should have been relieved that the marriage was over, but she wasn’t. A part of her wondered if maybe Finn was right—if she had let him walk away because it was easier than taking the risk of asking him to stay. “The McKenna team worked with us to draw up the plans for the Piedmont hospital project. We submitted them to the client on time, and the initial review was really positive. But that’s not the really good news…”

  “What?”

  “Well, you’re about to be a grandfather.” She smiled. “Jiao will be here in a few days.”

  A smile burst across his face. “Honey, that’s wonderful! And while I’m excited to hear such good news about the business, I’m more excited about your addition to the family.” He reached for the sheet of doctor’s recommendations sitting on his end table and showed them to his daughter. “You can bet I’ll be sticking to every one of these rules because I want to take my new granddaughter to the zoo and the park and wherever else she wants to go.”

  Ellie sat back, surprised at this change in her father, a man who’d never had time for those things before, a man who had stubbornly lived by his own rules—which was part of what had made him so unhealthy. “Wow. Really?”

  “Really.” His face softened, and he took her hand. “I missed all that with you, because all I ever did was work. Lying here in this bed has given me a lot of time to think, to regret—”

  “Dad, I grew up just fine. You don’t need to have regrets.”

  “I do. And I will. I want you to know how sorry I am that I missed out on your soccer games and band performances and prom nights.” His face crumpled and tears glistened in his eyes. “Aw, Ellie, I should have been there more, and I…I wasn’t.”

  She gave his fingers a squeeze and sent God a silent prayer of gratitude for this second chance with her father. “It’s okay. We’re building a great relationship now, and that’s all that matters.”

  “No, it isn’t.” He let out a long sigh. “Once I’m out of this hospital, I have a lot to make up for with you, starting with asking you to move up here and take over the business. I never should have done that.”

  “Dad, I love architecture. I love this industry.”

  “But you don’t love commercial buildings. I knew that, and still I asked you to take over my business.” His green eyes met hers. So like her own, and filled with

  decades more of wisdom and experience. “You were happy designing houses.”

  She was, but she wasn’t about to tell her dad that. She would never complain about stepping in for him at WW. It was a family business, and when your family needed you, you went. Simple as that. “You’re my father. You were sick. You needed me. I didn’t mind.”

  “I know you didn’t, and that’s the problem. You are too good of a daughter, Ellie girl.” He sighed. “That’s why I want you to quit.”

  “Quit? What? Dad, you’re in no condition to run the company yourself. Not now.” She didn’t add the words maybe never. Because there was hope, and she wanted her father to hold on to that. “I’ll stay until you come back and—”

  “No.” His voice was firm, filled with the strident tones people usually associated with Henry Winston. His heart might be weak but his personality and resolve remained as strong as ever. “You have a daughter to raise. You go do that.”

  She laughed. “Dad, I still need to pay my bills. I’ll keep working and we’ll work it out.”

  “No. I want you to quit WW Architectural Design…and start your own division. A residential division. Bring those beautiful houses you designed in the South to the Boston area. And hire lots of great people to work under you so that you don’t have to put in the kind of hours I did.”

  “A residential division?” A thrill ran through her at the thought of getting back to designing houses again, to return to the work that had given her so much reward. “But who will run the commercial side?”

  “Larry and…Finn McKenna.”

  Had she heard him wrong? When had Finn come into the mix? “Finn McKenna? Why? I thought you didn’t trust him.”

  “You told me he was smart, and capable. So I gave him a call this morning,” Henry said. “He told me all about how you two collaborated on the hospital project and how well it went for everyone. I never really got to know Finn before, only knew him by reputation
, but now I realize I was wrong about him. He may be a tough businessman, but he’s also a nice guy. Cares a lot about you.”

  She let out a gust at that. “He cares about his business.”

  “He cares about a lot more than that, but I’ll let you find that out for yourself.”

  Was the Finn she had started to fall for the real man? Or was he the Hawk that had pushed her away a hundred times? She couldn’t think about that now, she decided, not with her father to worry about, and Jiao arriving any day.

  Her father shifted in the bed, and Ellie realized Henry looked a hundred times better now than he had when he’d first been admitted. It was as if having this taste of something to do had given him a new energy and it showed in his face.

  “Are you sure about wanting me to quit?” she asked. Working in residential design again, particularly if she didn’t have to be there full-time, would give her the flexibility she needed to raise Jiao. She’d be able to have time with her daughter, something the little girl was going to need after such a traumatic year. It was a gift beyond measure, and she couldn’t begin to thank her father enough.

  He reached out and drew his daughter into a warm hug. “I don’t want to see you make the same mistakes I did. I want you to watch your daughter grow up. And I want to have the time to watch her grow up, too. I didn’t build this business just to watch you repeat my mistakes.”

  Ellie tightened her grip on her father. Tears slid down her cheeks, moistened the sleeve of his hospital gown. “You didn’t make any mistakes, Dad. Not a single one.”

  * * *

  Finn had stayed away for weeks. He’d told himself it was easier this way, that he could wean himself off Ellie Winston, and forget all about her. If that was the case, then why had he gone to see her father? Agreed to the idea of joining their companies? And heading up the new venture?

  Because he was crazy. Doing that would put him in the same building as Ellie every day, and he’d known that going into this deal. He just hadn’t been able to let go, even as every day he looked at his To Do list and saw “call lawyer” at the top. Procrastination had become his middle name.

  Either way, it didn’t matter. By the time he had the particulars in place and had set up a space in the more spacious offices of WW Architectural Design, Ellie was gone. On maternal leave, he’d been told. Her assistant went on for a good ten minutes about Ellie’s trip to China, and her new daughter. Every day he heard another tidbit about Ellie and Jiao.

  And every day it felt like someone had cut out his heart and put it on a shelf.

  Now he stood at the entrance to a small playground carved out of the limited green space near Ellie’s neighborhood. Bright red, yellow and blue playground equipment dominated the center of the space, flanked by matching picnic tables and chairs. Green trees stood like sentries inside the wrought-iron fence. The musical sound of children laughing and playing carried on the air.

  Finn’s gaze skipped over the mothers sitting in clusters, chatting while their children played. Past the kids playing tag in the courtyard. Past the tennis players working up a sweat on the court next door. Then he stopped, his breath caught in his throat, when he saw her.

  Ellie, sitting on a blanket, with Jiao beside her, and Jiao’s stuffed duck flopped against the young girl’s leg. They were having a picnic lunch, the little dark-haired girl giggling as Ellie danced animal crackers against her palm. The two of them formed a perfect circle of just them. Beside her, Linda stood and watched, a happy smile on her face. The two women chatted for a moment longer and then Linda left.

  As she headed for the exit, she saw Finn and stepped over to him. “Why hello, Finn.”

  He gave the dark-haired woman a smile. “Hi, Linda. Nice to see you again.”

  “How have you been?”

  “Good.” Finn’s gaze kept darting toward Ellie and Jiao. He’d missed Ellie’s smile. A hell of a lot.

  Linda thumbed toward Ellie. “You know, you really should go over there and meet Jiao. She’s a wonderful little girl.”

  Finn opened his mouth, shut it again. He wasn’t sure what to say. If he admitted he’d never seen Jiao before, then Linda would know the marriage had been a farce and maybe that would cost Ellie. Maybe even undo the adoption Ellie had worked so hard to bring to fruition.

  Linda put a hand on Finn’s arm. “Don’t worry. I already figured it out.”

  “You did? How? Was it because I didn’t go to China with Ellie?”

  Linda laughed. “No, it was something much more simple. Your shoes.”

  “My shoes?”

  “When we came by the house, you had clothes in the closet and a wallet on the bedside table, but not a single pair of shoes anywhere. I had had my suspicions about Ellie’s fast marriage, but I didn’t say anything.”

  Damn. He couldn’t believe he’d missed such a simple detail. He’d thought he’d covered everything. He’d almost ruined the most important thing in Ellie’s life. “Why? I thought Ellie had to be married to adopt Jiao.”

  “She did. And she was. I told the Chinese orphanage that her husband had to stay in America for a family emergency, so they didn’t wonder why you didn’t come to China to pick up Jiao. Either way, I knew that with or without a spouse on paper, Ellie was going to be a fabulous mother.” Linda glanced over her shoulder at Ellie and her daughter. “She loves that little girl more than life itself. That’s a blessing.”

  “I agree.” The two of them seemed to go together like peas and carrots. Envy stirred in Finn’s gut. He had never felt more on the outside than he did right now. Ellie had everything she’d ever wanted, and it hurt to realize that didn’t include him. Perhaps if he had handled things differently, they wouldn’t be here right now.

  Maybe he shouldn’t have married her at all. If they’d kept things entirely on a business level, then he wouldn’t have this deepening ache in his chest for a life he never really lived. This stabbing regret for a relationship that had slipped away.

  “You know, it’s a scary thing,” Linda said.

  “What is?”

  “Giving your heart away. Ellie did that, not knowing if she was going to be able to bring Jiao home. But she took that risk, and put everything on the line, because she loved that little girl.” Linda’s gaze met his. “And I think you took a big risk, too.”

  “Me?” He snorted. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You married her and stood up as her husband when she needed you most. That’s a risk. And you gotta ask yourself why you did it.”

  “Because she needed me.” He watched Ellie with Jiao, their faces close together as they laughed over something. It was the perfect picture of maternal love. Yes, he’d done the right thing in helping Ellie. In that, he took comfort.

  “Maybe,” Linda said. “And maybe you did it for more than just that. Maybe if she believes that, she’ll take that risk, too.” Then she patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to work. Enjoy your family.”

  Linda was gone before Finn could tell her that this wasn’t his family. Not at all. And no amount of wishing would make it so.

  He was about to turn away when a dozen kids from a daycare center came bursting into the playground, and Finn stepped aside to let them through. Ellie looked up at the sudden noise of the newcomers. Her eyes widened when she saw him. She’d seen him, and leaving was out of the question.

  He crossed the park to Ellie. “Hi.”

  There couldn’t possibly be a lamer opening than that. All these weeks, he’d thought of what he’d say when he saw her again. “Hi” wasn’t on the list at all.

  She looked up at him, sunglasses covering those green eyes he loved so much. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m…” He hadn’t played that out in his head, either. “Looking for you.”

  Better to start with the truth than t
o make up something. Besides, his lying skills were pretty awful. And where had lying gotten him so far anyway? Still stuck in his empty apartment, staring at the wedding band sitting on his nightstand, wondering if he’d made a huge mistake by letting her go.

  Beside Ellie, Jiao bounced up and down, saying something that sounded sort of like “cracker.” Ellie smiled, then placed another animal cracker in Jiao’s palm, keeping an eye on her daughter while the toddler ate the treat. “How did you know where I’d be?”

  “The women at the office are always talking about you and your daughter. They fell in love with her, I think.”

  Ellie grinned and chucked Jiao gently under the chin. “That’s easy to do.”

  “Anyway, they said you come here almost every day.”

  “Jiao loves to be outside. I think it’s because she was inside for so many months at the orphanage. So we try to make it here every morning.” Ellie gave her daughter a tender glance, then turned back to Finn. “Why were you looking for me? Is there something going on at the office we need to talk about? Because really, Larry is your go-to guy on the commercial side, now that I’m handling residential.”

  It stung that she thought the only reason he would seek her out was because of work. But then again, when had he ever made it about the personal? He’d always retreated behind the facade of the job. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “We’re fine. I should be back at work next week, but just part-time. Heading up the new division.”

  He’d heard all about Ellie’s move into the housing sector from her father. He’d spent a lot of time talking to Henry Winston in the last few weeks, and found he liked Ellie’s father a lot. He was becoming not just a friend to Finn, but also a sort of surrogate father. “I know.”

  “How are things going with the merger?”