Sweet Temptations Collection

by Brant, Marilyn

  Seth looked at him blankly then pointed at the screen. “These kids suck.” He shook his head. “Both teams. Can’t imagine how either of those pudgy bastards can get away with calling themselves a ‘coach.’ I say bring back the guillotine.”

  Garrett quirked a brow. “Seriously, man.”

  “I am serious,” Seth insisted. “Those two dudes shouldn’t live to see Thanksgiving. They deserve to get the turkey treatment.”

  “I mean about Cait.”

  “Yeah? What about her?”

  “What did she tell you? She must’ve told you something. You know, something along the lines of what a bad boyfriend I was, how I abandoned her or kept secrets from her. Stuff like that.”

  A slow grin slid over Seth’s face. He put his feet up on the coffee table in front of them, took a swallow of beer, stared at the screen, kept silent.

  “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you?” Garrett drained his third beer and rubbed the inside corners of his eyes.

  “I’m not gonna punch you in the jaw,” Seth said, still grinning, “if that’s what’s worrying you. I think I finally outgrew that stage.”

  “Good to know.”

  Seth aimed the remote at the TV, switching it off. “Too painful to watch.” He pointed to Garrett’s empty beer bottle. “Want another?”

  “I want a case,” he admitted, “but I don’t need any more.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  He nodded.

  Seth changed the subject. “You know, that photo display you made for my mom was great. The past is all she’s got right now. It was good, and she’s hanging onto it real tight.” He paused, a hint of forthcoming revelation in the stiffening of his shoulders.

  “But?” Garrett prompted.

  “But Cait’s different. Her old memories are so mixed—some happy, a lot of them really sad—that now she’s only comforted by security. She knows life doesn’t come with guarantees or anything, but she still needs to know that wherever she is, she’ll have a place in it. A place where she’ll be appreciated and not be so vulnerable.”

  “A commitment, you mean?”

  Seth shrugged. “Call it whatever you want.”

  Garrett thought about Jacob, about commitment, and he cringed. But, then again, while Georgina Walsh was caught in her past, Garrett, by contrast, had been actively avoiding his. And the part Jacob played in it.

  He tried to let himself feel his real emotions. Look at his gains and losses straight on through his own lens. Not Jacob’s.

  He loved his brother and emulated him, true. But he also missed the happier, less suspicious boy he himself had once been. Running away and escaping into work had never been a part of him when he was a kid. Avoiding emotional commitment had been a learned behavior also.

  “So, what now, Seth? You gonna give me any brotherly advice?” He’d meant “brotherly” as in Seth’s relationship to Cait, but it was like a wallop to the head when he realized he thought of Seth as his brother, too. That he considered the two of them to be family already.

  Seth closed his eyes, and Garrett wondered if the guy would even answer. Probably thought he was a real loser. Someone he should keep far away from his kid sister.

  Finally, Seth said, “Brotherly or no, I don’t think anyone can give anyone else advice on love. That would be real dangerous. And to take it, if it’s not right for you, would be even worse.”

  Garrett thought of the people who’d given him advice on relationships recently and how their thoughts often contrasted sharply with each other. He covered his eyes with his palm. He knew what he wanted…what his heart told him. What he didn’t know was whether wanting it was enough to make it so.

  Seth slugged him not-so-gently in the bicep. “You’ve gotta look at who you are and who she is. Feel what you feel. Talk to her, not to me or to anyone else. Then decide.” He slanted Garrett a sideways look and reached for another beer. “But, for the record, I think you’re okay, buddy. Whatever happens.”

  ***

  Cait didn’t think it was possible for an early November night to drag on like winter in the Yukon. By the time morning came, she was convinced it should’ve already been Valentine’s or something.

  She arrived at school only to have a message in her box saying the superintendent wanted to see her immediately. She stopped in the office and there were two police officers, the superintendent of course and…Garrett…already waiting there.

  Cripes. What was going on?

  “Thanks for coming in, Cait,” the district’s top administrator said. “We’ve just gotten some good news.”

  She glanced quickly at Garrett, who was studying the faces of everyone else in the room but hers. Then she said to the older gentleman, “I-I’m glad to hear it. What’s happened?”

  “These officers apprehended Doug Chippenak early this morning.”

  “Oh, well, that’s…” What could she say, ‘that’s great’? The whole thing was just sad. “I’m, um, relieved.”

  “We knew you’d want to know,” the superintendent told her.

  “Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Miss Walsh,” the taller officer said, “we wanted to make sure your mother and sister-in-law knew how much we appreciated their tip about seeing Chippenak near the bakery. Knowing they’d spotted him there is the clue we needed to eventually find him.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell them,” she said.

  The officer grinned at her. “Of course, you and Mr. Ellis are to be commended for your detective work as well. Especially during the festival.”

  She glanced over at Garrett again. This time he was looking straight at her. She swallowed.

  “Um, thanks. But I still don’t understand why Doug did what he did. Did he give a statement explaining his actions?”

  The other officer nodded. “Best we can figure is that the man is going through a self-image crisis. He apologized for his actions. Said he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Told the Chief he just hated being boring and predictable. Hated that he had this unexciting job with steady benefits. A job he’d gotten just for being the nephew of the company president. He said there were no challenges in his life.”

  This theory rang a bell. “Garrett suggested that to me,” she told the group. “He sensed something like this while we were watching Doug at the token-exchange booth. He said the man just seemed to be bored.”

  The tall officer’s eyes fixed on Garrett with admiration. “Good insight then, Mr. Ellis.” He and his buddy turned to go. “Oh, one other thing the Chief mentioned. Said Chippenak confessed to a bunch of other petty thefts. Money he’d wheedled out of the district over the past couple years—”

  The superintendent closed his eyes and sighed.

  “And,” the officer continued, “he was babbling about withdrawing cash from—and I may have this wrong—a fitness account. Could that be?” He shrugged and shot the superintendent a perplexed look but didn’t wait for an answer. “We can get you his full statement on that later.”

  “Uh, thanks,” the superintendent murmured as the officers left. “What an odd little mess we have here,” he told her and Garrett, “but at least it’s coming to a close.” He smiled slightly at both of them. “I appreciate everything you two did to help resolve this problem.”

  Garrett cleared his throat before speaking for the first time since she’d arrived. “I was only doing my job, sir, but Cait deserves a lot of credit for going above and beyond the call.”

  She tried to shake away the praise, but Garrett cut off her nonverbal denial.

  “You know your help was essential,” he told her. Then he immediately turned to the superintendent. “Did you get an answer from the police on the whereabouts of fitness equipment money?”

  “Yes, the Chief called me earlier,” the older man said. “Doug actually did invest it in a separate account. I guess he’s really good with that kind of thing. After hearing what the officers said about him, my guess is that Doug might’ve just wanted another challenge—but one that w
asn’t illegal. He’d probably planned to let Ronald in on the location of the fitness fund as soon as he saw him, since he’d promised to give the principal credit.”

  “But Ronald was gone before the Hoopla and Doug feared getting caught if he’d stayed around to explain,” Garrett concluded.

  “That’s right,” the superintendent said. “He wouldn’t have actually stolen that account money. He knew we would’ve been able to trace it back to him after one conversation with Ronald.”

  Garrett nodded. “This sheds some light on why the other leaks were so hard to pinpoint. Doug Chippenak didn’t need money. He just needed a thrill. So he could wait for an opportunity to present itself.”

  Cait listened with interest to this exchange, glad Garrett was finally getting the closure he’d so desperately wanted on this case. “Speaking of Ronald, how is he doing?” she asked.

  The superintendent hesitated as he took a moment to glance at the principal’s dusty desk. “He’s recovering, day by day,” he said. “But I, for one, have learned a valuable lesson.” He patted his expansive belly. “The time to get fit is now, and I won’t be putting it off any longer.” He flashed a plastic card at them. “I just joined the Four Gates Country Club.”

  ***

  Although nothing could rival her endless night, the school day wasn’t exactly speeding along either.

  Of course, it didn’t help that the school board members had been meeting in the building the entire day. She saw Shelley McAllister fawning all over Garrett. Hanging on his words the way Ginger from Gilligan’s Island might cling to a life preserver and her favorite bottle of nail polish.

  Cait was making photocopies after lunch when she overheard them in the hall.

  “Tell me, Garrett, are you planning to join Four Gates as a full member next month?” Shelley drawled. “Chucky and I would love to meet you there for lunch.”

  “Don’t know, Shell,” Garrett said. “I didn’t see ice cream on the dessert menu. I doubt I can stomach the alternatives.”

  Shelley laughed. “You goose!”

  Cait heard her smack Garrett playfully. How dare that woman touch his body…

  “I simply do not know how you routinely eat that stuff and still stay trim, darling. I’m so much happier now that I’m living a life with minimal toxins.” Shelley sighed blissfully.

  “You do seem cheerier,” Garrett said.

  “Oh, yes. Living in Wisconsin’s a challenge, though. You know what I recommend to combat it? Yoga,” Shelley declared. “It’s a terrific relaxant. You should come to my class sometime.”

  “That’s a generous invitation, Shell,” Garrett said with such sincerity Cait almost teared up.

  He probably wouldn’t so much as drink a cup of coffee with her in the staff lounge, but he’d consider going to yoga with Shelley McAllister. Cait finished her copying and burst out of the room. She couldn’t bear to listen to another word of this.

  The redhead’s back was to her as she emerged into the hall, but Garrett saw her and must have known she’d overheard them. He gave her a long, indecipherable look before returning his attentive gaze to Shelley—Self-Crowned Fitness Queen of the Midwest.

  “When are the classes?” she heard him ask the board member as she sprinted to her classroom.

  Cait clutched her papers tighter, whispered calming words under her breath and tried to block Garrett Ellis out of her mind.

  ***

  By 5:00PM the school building was nearly deserted, but Cait refused to leave. She grabbed her staple remover and began taking down last month’s bulletin-board display to ready the area for the children’s upcoming Thanksgiving projects. She put away the classroom basket Marianne had sent her, sealing it—with the sound of finality—in a big box of Harvest Hoopla decorations.

  Opening up the November/Thanksgiving box, she reached in to get a handful of laminated paper leaves…and one of her favorite decorations, a chunky turkey. She peeled off a long strand of masking tape and glanced around the room for the perfect spot. Where would Gobbler want to go?

  “Moving on?”

  She swiveled to face the door. “I—um—what?” she asked Garrett, who was leaning against the doorframe in such a familiar way her throat began to constrict.

  “It’s beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving around here,” he said with a half-grin. “Johnny Appleseed Day, the Harvest Hoopla, Halloween…they’re all just memories now, right?”

  She tried to force herself to relax. “Well, you know how it is with the children. Once a holiday’s been celebrated, we need to move right along to the next one.” God, what an inane comment. She exhaled. Hard to believe their relationship had been reduced to such superficialities.

  Garrett nodded absentmindedly. He carried a large plastic bag, the kind with a handle, and he reached into it.

  “Then maybe it’s not too early for me to give you this,” he said, handing her a circular piece of brown construction paper with multicolored strips sprouting from it. “Unless…unless it’s too late.”

  She took Garrett’s “turkey” card and held it gingerly in both hands. “Y-you made this for me? Today?”

  “I did,” he said. “I saw the kindergarten classes making them this morning after our meeting with the superintendent. Big brown round bodies…long pointy tail feathers…” He sent her a tiny smile. “It looked like an art project I could handle without Marianne’s help.”

  Cait swallowed, hard. She began reading the words on first of seven colored feathers glued to the paper card. “I appreciate your kindness.” She looked up at him, not quite believing he was standing there talking to her let alone giving her presents.

  “There’s more,” he whispered.

  She blinked and turned to the next one. “I’m grateful for the way you greeted my sister and my mother—you’ve made friends for life.” She shot him a curious look. “You knew your mom stopped in here?”

  He bobbed his head. “Yep, she told me right away. She’s not as naturally sneaky as Marianne is.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at that. She returned to her turkey. “Your professionalism and creativity are assets to the school.” She took a deep breath and read the next two. “Your trustworthiness is a gift I treasure.” Then, “You make days (and nights) fun.”

  “Keep reading, Cait.”

  Feather number six. “Your family is as important to me as they are to you—I’m glad you’ve shared them.” The words began swimming in a haze of tears.

  “Just one more, sweetheart,” he said.

  “I’m thankful for you,” she read, “and I love you.” Tears, impossible to hide, slid down her cheeks. She pressed the paper turkey to her heart. “I don’t understand. I thought you were leaving. I thought—”

  “It’ll be Thanksgiving soon, Cait. When I think of all my blessings, all that I have to appreciate in my life, you’re at the very top of the list. I wanted you to see my gratitude.” He took a deep breath. “See, I made a choice, and I’m not going anywhere. I want to stay in this little corner of Wisconsin with you.”

  She couldn’t restrain herself any longer. He came back to her. He loved her. He was hers. She threw her arms around him. “I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions,” she murmured. “I missed you.”

  “I know,” he said. “Me, too…on both counts. Think we can work it out? Talk more. Run away from each other less?”

  She nodded into the crook of his neck. “I know we can.”

  “Good, because I’m not quite finished yet.” Garrett took a half step back, rummaged in the plastic bag and pulled out a blue cooler about the size of a large lunchbox. “Open it,” he urged.

  She flipped the lid on the mini-cooler. The familiar pink-and-white label winked at her from atop a thick ice pack. “Kool Kreme Ice Kreamations,” she said. “You saw the Koolemars?”

  “Yes. I called in for a special request, and he made this new flavor for us to my exact specifications.”

  She lifted the ice cream out of the cooler
, studying the label. “‘Luscious Lovers’ Tryst—rich vanilla ice cream swirled with sliced strawberries and warm kisses.’” She blushed deeply. “Garrett, you didn’t tell him about that night when we…”

  He shook his head. “Just open it up.”

  She pulled off the lid and saw the smooth, tempting ice cream. Yum.

  “I brought two spoons,” he said, reaching into the plastic bag again, grinning at her. “I have one more thing, too…” He fed her a truly luscious spoonful of ice cream, then he dug into the bag one final time, retrieving the last item.

  “A turkey-shaped fruit and nut basket!” she exclaimed. “I saw one of these in The Nutty Fruit catalog.”

  “The basket’s from my family,” he said, watching as she untied the ribbon and removed the plastic wrap. “They want you to fly out for A Very Connecticut Thanksgiving, by the way. I’m just warning you.” He winked at her. “But the velvet box in the center of the basket, should you choose to accept it, is from me.”

  Garrett handed the dark blue box to her and kissed her lips gently. “Cait, I’ve never been happier than when I’m around you. Please say you’ll consider marrying me.”

  For several moments, Cait was unable to utter a sound, but she did manage to nod.

  “So, you think that’s a good idea, then?” He kissed her one more time.

  “I do,” she said, kissing him back. “I love you, you know that, right?”

  “I do now,” he said, pulling her close to him.

  She let him open the box and slip the ring on her finger. After several moments of losing herself in the warmth and comfort of his embrace, though, she laughed. “Our ice cream is going to melt—I think we should go home. And besides, Mr. Ellis, as I recall, you’re a creative, adventurous guy with unusual tastes. Shouldn’t we see what other ideas you can come up with?”

  “Why, that’s excellent thinking, Miss Walsh,” he said, smiling. “Are you a fan of s’mores? Because I just so happen to have a brand new bottle of chocolate syrup in my kitchen. And we could pick up a box of graham crackers and a bag of marshmallows on the way back there and…”