Something Like Love

by Sara Richardson

  Paige waited for Mom to look at her, waited for their eyes to connect, then she approached her. “I’m so sorry.” For so many things. For not being the daughter they wanted. For not trying harder.

  Silent tears puddled in her mother’s brown eyes, spilling over one by one. “Paige.” She reached out her arms and pulled her in, enfolding her in a softness she’d never known. “Don’t be sorry. Not for anything.”

  “But I haven’t been here.” She pulled away. “I will be now. I promise.” The therapy program could wait. Mom couldn’t. “I’ll help out as much as I can.”

  With a frustrated groan, Mom broke away and snatched a towel off the counter. “I won’t let you do that.” She mopped her eyes, then tidied her mascara with her fingers. “I want you to be happy. And you’re not happy here.”

  The words speared her because they were true. She didn’t want them to be true but they were. Happiness wasn’t the most important thing in the world, though. Not to her, anyway. “You’re my family. I want to be here.” It would be their only chance to repair the damage they’d each done. Even if it wasn’t her dream job, it’d be worth it.

  Mom smiled at her, but another round of tears slipped down her cheeks. She leaned back into the counter, marveling at Paige, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe what she saw. “I’ve always envied you.”

  Her? Mom envied her? Out of everyone in the family…Penny who was beautiful and graceful and refined. And then there was Pearl, shy and sweet with a singing voice that could soothe a colicky baby…

  “You’re stubborn enough to follow your heart, Paige,” Mom said, mopping her eyes again. “You chase your dreams. I’ve never done that. Did you know your father and I haven’t traveled farther than Denver since any of you kids were born?”

  “No. I guess I didn’t realize that.” God, how sad.

  “I regret it now, knowing it’ll get harder for me to travel. Your father…” She looked around the kitchen, shaking her head like she didn’t know how she’d gotten there. “He loves this place so much.”

  What about her? She’d put as much into it as he had. She’d made it her life. “You should sell it,” she blurted out, suddenly desperate for Mom to live, really live, before it was too late. “If you really want to travel. If you want to have a life…it’s not too late.”

  “It’d kill him.” Mom gave her head a firm shake, pressing her lips together. “I’d love to travel, but I love your father more.” She turned back to her pots and pans, stacking them carefully.

  “What about you?” Paige whispered. “You still have so much time. You can do so many things.”

  Mom didn’t turn around. “You’re the bravest one out of all of us. You know that, Paige?” Clang, clang, clang. She moved the pots systematically. “The way you walked with Gramma Lou those last months. We were all too afraid, but you stayed with her. You took care of her. She was lucky to have you.”

  “You have me, too.” Her eyes heated again. This was the right thing to do. She couldn’t deny it, not with the way her heart pounded. “I’m gonna work here.”

  Abandoning the pans, Mom spun. “I won’t hire you.” Her eyes glinted with a stubbornness Paige had never seen. “I won’t let your father hire you, either. You’re doing good things. You’ll get your therapy program going. I won’t let you give up on that for me. We’ll find a way to manage. We always have.”

  “But—”

  “No.” Mom took Paige’s shoulders in her hands, gazing down at her with this loving, soft expression that penetrated her defenses.

  “Let me do this for you,” she sniffled. “I know it might not seem like it, but we love you. You’re our baby girl. We let this place get in the way of a lot, but I hope you can forgive me for that.

  “I forgive you.” She threw her arms around her mother. “And I love you, too, Mom.” Just like that, the bitterness that calcified her heart was gone.

  * * *

  “Things are not looking good, Ben.” Kev’s worry furrows deepened into jagged lines that cut across his forehead. “We’re tanking. Crashing and burning. According to the latest polls, twenty percent say they’ll vote for you. Twenty freaking percent.”

  Not the best news he’d heard all day. Not the worst, either, though. Not by a long shot. Paige had a date that night. With someone else. That was bad news.

  He glanced around the cabin’s kitchen-turned-war-room. Kev had set up a whiteboard, which was littered with unreadable chicken scratch. Something about the statistics on how many senatorial candidates had ever overcome such a shitty deficit in the polls. Didn’t have to be a genius to figure out the odds weren’t exactly in his favor.

  “Did you hear him?” Gracie angled her head to interrupt his blank stare.

  Seeing his mother’s head bob around in front of him flipped the switch on his temper the way only she could do. “Of course I heard him.”

  “What are you going to do about it, Benjamin?” she demanded.

  “The naked show is always an option,” J interjected from the sofa where she had been parked for at least an hour reading the latest People. “Chicks dig that kind of thing. Naked men.”

  “How would you know?” he shot back.

  “Yes, Julia. That is a wonderful question.” Gracie assumed that daunting motherly stance, backs of her hands laid against her hips, head sticking out like a rooster’s. “How, exactly, would you know?”

  “It’s my favorite show. A girl’s gotta get action somehow.” She flipped to the next page in her magazine like they were discussing the weather while Gracie squeezed her eyes shut and raised her hands to the heavens as if imploring God to save her wayward daughter.

  Kev collapsed in a kitchen chair, shoulders hunched in defeat, wide forehead shining with sweat. Ben couldn’t help but feel bad. The man was killing himself for his benefit. The least he could do was come up with a plan to turn things around. When he’d run for Congress, he’d had the stats on his side from the beginning. For the most part, he’d been well liked. Amazing what one deceptive woman could do to a man’s reputation.

  Since those fabricated pictures had come out, he’d kept quiet, thought it would blow over. But now it was time to fight back. “How about a press conference?” he asked. “I’ve never directly addressed the rumors. So maybe it’s time.” He heaved himself out of the armchair and stood in front of Kev. “We could make it a big deal. Introduce the land trust, invite everyone to follow a live blog while we’re on the river…” If nothing else, it’d generate publicity for what he was about to do.

  Gracie clasped her hands. For some reason she always looked like she was posing for a camera. “It’s a wonderful idea. Exactly what we need right now.”

  Kev’s frown perked up only slightly, but it was something. “I’ll set it up for tomorrow morning,” he said as he dug out his phone.

  “Great. I’ll be ready.” Addressing the media wasn’t exactly his favorite pastime, but it’d be worth it. It’d get Gracie off his back and it’d show Kev how grateful he was for all the work on his behalf. If it weren’t for Kev, he wouldn’t even have that twenty percent of the population. He never would’ve been a congressman.

  “We should write out a script,” Gracie insisted as she floated to the table and retrieved her laptop.

  Ben checked his watch. “Actually, I’ll do it later. I was thinking I’d take J out tonight. Go have some fun out on the town.” At a certain restaurant. Where he happened to know Paige would be with Smokey the Bear.

  His sister eyed him with suspicion. “Why would you do that?”

  “It’s been a while since we’ve been out, that’s all.” He avoided eye contact so she wouldn’t see through his lie. The last thing he needed was for his mother to find out he was going after Paige. “I thought you’d enjoy seeing Aspen’s nightlife.” Elevation 8,000, specifically. He’d looked it up on his phone right after he’d ditched Gracie at the top of Aspen Mountain. Looked like a swanky place. “Better put on a dress and some heels. You n
ever know where we’ll end up,” he said with a mysterious undertone, even though he knew good and well where they’d end up. He’d already made reservations.

  With a shrug, J tossed her magazine on the coffee table. “I guess it beats sitting around here.” Releasing the brake on her chair, she wheeled herself over. “Give me twenty minutes.”

  “You got it.” Then, because his mood was getting lighter by the second, he went back to the table and sat across from his mother, who was typing furiously on her laptop. Never mind that he said he’d do it later. Not like she ever let him write his own speeches, anyway. He leaned over to take a peek. “Don’t forget to focus on the positives.” Knowing her, she would write a novel insulting Valentina. “Make sure it’s all about the land trust. The good things we’re doin’. Only give a mention to the accusations.”

  “Of course,” his mother intoned, still giving him the cold shoulder after their little chat earlier.

  Kev sat down next to him. “Are you really up for a live blog?”

  “Sure.” He didn’t see any problem with it. They had a satellite phone so there should be coverage the whole way. “We can upload videos and pictures.”

  “What about Paige?” Kev asked a little too innocently.

  “What about her?”

  “Will she be fine with that?”

  Gracie stopped typing and looked up at him, another lecture brewing in her eyes.

  He pushed back and jolted to his feet. Nope. Not going there again. He and Paige were none of their damn business. “Sure. She’ll be fine.” He pulled out his keys and headed for the door. “I’ll go warm up the car. Tell Julia I’m outside.” He didn’t want to be late, after all. Not since he’d come up with a new game plan for how to win her over.

  No more hitting on her. No more checking her out. No more asking her out. Instead, he planned to take Elsie’s advice. Treat her right.

  That’s why he had to get to the restaurant. Because something told him that was the one thing Smoky the Bear didn’t know how to do.

  Chapter Twenty

  Elevation 8,000 was not Paige’s typical scene. Case in point, the twenty pairs of stilettos she’d seen click-clack by her in the fifteen minutes she’d been waiting on the bench right inside the door. She didn’t wear stilettos. Didn’t even own a pair. Paige glanced down at her black ballet flats. What was she thinking setting up a date with Luke? After the day she’d had, she should be soaking in the hot tub at the Walker Mountain Ranch, sipping one of Avery’s famous strawberry basil margaritas. Instead, she was at some snobby restaurant waiting for a fireman who’d already proved he was an ass once, and who was now…she glanced at her watch…nearly eighteen minutes late.

  He had two minutes to show or she’d have gotten all dressed up for nothing. Well. If you could call it dressed up. After the whole blow-dryer incident, she’d decided she wouldn’t go too far in the “dressing up” department. Wasn’t worth it, the time, the effort. The potential fire hazard. So after she’d visited Mom, she’d gone home, showered, let her hair air dry into the typical waves that most of her friends told her they envied. She’d applied a hint of powder to even out her skin, then a touch of mascara. The only thing she kept from Ruby’s stash was that yummy lip gloss.

  And she hadn’t agonized on what to wear, either. She’d picked a short, flowy black skirt that fell above her knees and a ruched shirt the same color as the Caribbean Sea, with a nice high neckline, seeing as how Luke’s eyes tended to wander. When she looked in the mirror, she’d been surprised. She looked pretty good. Well, better than okay, anyway. At least she’d thought so until she showed up at the restaurant designed for the rich and flawless.

  It was the trendiest place in town, minimalist-chic, they called it. Quiet and dim, with round booths and hanging lights and exposed brick. One steak cost as much as the shoes she wore, and they were genuine leather. She’d only eaten there one other time. Jory brought her when he was home from college for a visit. She’d eaten the most decadent stuffed portabellas, then he’d ordered chocolate crème brûlée. After that, they’d driven out to the old ghost town on Castle Peak Road and he’d convinced her he needed something to remember her by. The thought made her sick. She’d wanted her first time to be with someone who actually loved her. She wanted it to be memorable and special. That night Jory proved she wasn’t worth memorable and special. And Avery was right. She bailed out of every relationship before the man could do what Jory did to her. That’s why she was here. With Luke. It wasn’t for Gracie’s benefit. It was so she could run from Ben…

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Luke strode over to where she sat. He looked nice, dressed in a green button-up shirt and khakis but his eyes were bloodshot and he wore a sloppy smile on his face.

  She stood and assessed him. “You’re late.”

  “Sorry,” he said with a sheepish grin, and sure enough, the smell of alcohol hazed around her.

  You’ve got to be kidding. “Did you stop and drink a keg on the way here?” she asked in a harsh whisper. Not that she was one to judge, but really?

  “The guys and I went for happy hour,” Luke whispered back. “Damn, Paige. Lighten up. You used to be fun,” he complained.

  She shoved the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder. “Yeah. Well, this was a bad idea.”

  But before she could walk away, Luke linked his arm through hers. “I rescued you from a tree today,” he reminded her, nudging her ribs. “Come on. Have dinner with me. It’ll be great to catch up.”

  “I don’t know—”

  “Mr. Simms,” the hostess interrupted her. “We have your table all ready.” She batted her eyelashes exactly like most women did in Luke’s presence.

  With a hand on her back, he prodded her to follow the hostess. “It’ll be a blast. I’ll even pay,” he promised.

  “Fine.” She ground her teeth, but let him nudge her across the restaurant, following the hostess’s swaying hips. She did love the crème brûlée…

  “I reserved a quiet table in the corner,” Luke murmured, resting his hand on her ass.

  “Great.” She swatted his hand away and walked faster. What had she gotten herself into?

  * * *

  Damn it, they were gonna be late. Ben sped down the Walker Mountain Ranch’s driveway and swerved out onto the highway.

  From the passenger’s seat, J’s eyes swept over him in a skeptical glare. “So what’s up? Why’re we going out?”

  He kept his eyes on the road and shrugged. “I wanted some good wine.”

  “Bryce stocks plenty of good wine,” she reminded him. “You’ve been acting weird all day. What the hell happened?”

  That was a loaded question. Where to start? He flicked off the radio. “Gracie cheated on Dad. Did you know that?”

  His sister jerked her head and gaped at him. “What? Are you kidding?”

  “Definitely not a joke.” Though it was tempting to have a good chuckle. His mother, the saint, the perfect senator’s wife, had her own scandalous skeleton in the closet.

  J was quiet for a few minutes, seemed to be watching the scenery pass by the window. “Wow,” she finally murmured. “I guess it all makes sense.”

  Sense? Gracie cheating on Dad definitely did not make sense. Dad had given her everything, treated her like a queen. “What’d you mean?” he asked, a rise of anger in his voice.

  “No wonder she tries so hard to make everyone think she’s perfect.” J shook her head. “She’s overcompensating.”

  Huh. Hadn’t really thought of it that way. “She thinks Paige would do the same thing to me.”

  J’s head tilted as if considering that possibility. “What do you think?”

  He’d thought about it all day, after what his mother had said. And it hadn’t changed anything. “I’d be willing to take that risk.” If Paige would let him. “She doesn’t have the same issues as Gracie.” His mother’s malfunctions were far beyond anything he could understand.

  J patted his arm. “Well, if nothing else
, Paige is honest. I’m pretty sure she’d tell you she wasn’t happy before she went and screwed someone behind your back.”

  He laughed. “Good point.”

  The GPS guided them through the streets of downtown Aspen. It was a cool town. The sidewalks were packed with people strolling, kids running, families holding hands. They passed a park where fountains sprayed right out of the concrete and people laughed and splashed.

  “You still haven’t answered my question, though.” His sister’s probing gaze called out his attempt to distract her. “Where are we going? And why?”

  He couldn’t lie to her. She was too smart. They’d been co-conspirators too many times in the past. He eased off the gas to slow down and obey the speed limit. “Mom was giving Paige shit after we landed in the tree.” A flush shot to his face just thinking about it. “So she acted like she was dating one of the firemen, who was a real ass, by the way.”

  J’s eyes got all wide and lusty. “A fireman, huh?”

  Anyway. “She set up a date with him. Tonight. So I thought we’d show up. Make sure everything was goin’ okay.”

  “Wow, Benny. You’ve got it bad,” she teased.

  There was no denying it. He didn’t even want to deny it.

  “So if you and Paige ride off into the sunset together, that fireman is fair game, right?” His sister pulled down the sun visor and peered into the mirror to apply lipstick.

  “No,” he snapped. “He’s a tool, J. You’re not allowed to go near him.”

  “Okay. Whatever.” She sighed the martyred sister sigh, but her eyes glistened with excitement.

  He flicked the visor back into place and gave her his I’m-your-older-brother,-you-have-to-listen-to-me look. “You’re coming for support. No ditching me for some macho fireman. You got that?”