When he turned the jeep off, I reached for the door handle.
“Hang on, Kate.”
I watched as he jumped out of the jeep and hurried around to my side of the vehicle, opening the door for me. Then he held out his hand to help me from the car.
I couldn’t help but smirk a little. “Wow. You really are a gentleman, aren’t you?”
A slow smile spread across his face. “I try to be.”
Then he held out his arm for me to take, which I did, and we went into the restaurant. We didn’t have to wait long to be seated. The server approached and asked if she could start us off with a drink or an appetizer. I noticed that Marcus just asked for water and I wondered if he drank much. I decided I would try to find out.
After we gave our orders and the server left, Marcus focused on me. “Tell me about yourself, Kate.”
“I think you already know the basics.”
He smiled. “I know that you’re from Vegas and that you moved here on a whim. I know you’re going to have a baby in December and that your husband passed away. I know that you have a dog named Greta and that you just started working at Billi’s and that you’re taking a self-defense class.” He paused, a twinkle in his eyes. “And I know you need more practice with the jigsaw before you take on any large projects.”
Heat raced up my face as I remembered the feeling of his arms around me when he helped me with Greta’s dog door.
As he saw my discomfort, his smile grew. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind helping.”
It felt like my cheeks reddened even more, if that was possible. I looked down at the napkin in my lap as I tried to regain my composure.
He laughed, clearly amused. “You’re cute when you blush, Kate.”
I lifted my gaze to meet his and tried to hold back a smile. “I’m glad you find it so amusing.”
“I’m sorry. I just call it like I see it.” His smile didn’t waver.
“It sounds like you know everything there is to know about me, so tell me more about you,” I said, trying to turn the focus away from myself.
The server set our water on the table and we watched her walk away.
“So?” I prompted.
“Okay. I told you before that I recently came home from Afghanistan.”
I nodded.
“I’ve been in the marines since I was eighteen, but now I’m ready to do some other things.”
“How long were you in the military?”
“Six years.”
He’s twenty-four, I thought. Three years older than me. “What made you decide to leave?”
“I’d done several tours and felt for me, it was time to move on to other things.”
“So what are your plans now?”
“College. I earned some college funds through my military service and now I want to put it to good use.”
I smiled. “That’s great! Do you know what you want to major in?”
“Electrical engineering.”
Just then the server brought our food and our conversation slowed down while we ate.
Marcus set his fork down. “So, Kate. What’s in the future for you?”
I swallowed what I’d been chewing and set my fork down as well. “I’m planning on taking some college courses this fall. I’d really like to get my Bachelor’s degree, but with the baby coming, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get that done.”
“Wanting to get it done is the first step though.”
I nodded, glad his attitude toward education was similar to mine.
“Do you know what you want to major in?” he asked, resuming his eating.
“I enjoy working with computers, so I was thinking something in IT.”
His eyebrows went up, like he was impressed, and I felt my confidence grow.
“That’s awesome, Kate.”
“So Marcus, tell me, what do you do all day? Besides help me out, I mean.”
“I’d like to spend all day helping you out,” he said, a grin on his face. “But actually I’ve been job hunting. And I think one of the jobs I applied for might just work out. I’ll actually find out tomorrow.”
“That’s great. What kind of a job is it?”
“It’s kind of like an internship, but it would be a permanent position at an engineering firm.”
Now I was the one who was impressed. “That sounds very promising.”
“Yeah. I had some training in the marines and I really liked it.”
“I hope it works out for you.”
“Thanks.”
He lifted his water glass to his lips and took a sip. I decided if I wanted to know how he felt about drinking, I would just have to come out and ask. “So, Marcus.”
He set his drink down. “Yes?”
“I noticed that you just got water. Don’t you like to drink?”
He glanced down, then to the side, then back at me. I wondered why he seemed so uncomfortable and felt suddenly worried that he would be another Trevor.
“You know, I’m actually not a big fan of drinking,” he finally said.
That was not what I had been expecting at all and I was elated. “Really?”
He looked hesitant. “Does that bother you?”
I smiled and he seemed to relax. “Not at all. I’m curious why though.”
“I don’t know. Getting drunk and losing control never really appealed to me.”
I thought of all of the things I’d found out about him: education was important to him, he had good career prospects, he didn’t like to drink, and he was gorgeous. Of course I had already known about that last one. But as I thought about how much he filled my list of qualities I wanted in a man, I felt my heart sing.
Then my other self, Lily, forced her way into my head. You’re married, remember?
But I didn’t want to be Lily. I wanted to be Kate. And never as much as right now. Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused on Marcus, who was watching me.
“So, Kate. How do you feel about drinking?”
Pulling myself back to the moment, I almost laughed. It seemed like he was the one now who was worried that I might not measure up. “Well, the reason I asked you is because I have strong feelings on drinking. When I was little, my mother was killed by a drunk driver, so I kind of frown on drinking.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear about your mother. I had no idea.”
“That’s okay. I don’t really remember much about her.”
“What about your dad? What does he do?”
The elation I had been feeling moments before was swiftly replaced by sadness and I knew it showed on my face. I couldn’t help it. His question reminded me that whether I was Lily or Kate, I still had no family left in the world.
“Are you okay?” he asked, obviously noticing my distress.
I nodded, trying to control my emotions. I cleared my throat, giving myself a moment to collect myself. “He passed away last year.”
Marcus’ hand reached across the table and held mine. A jolt of electricity shot up my arm at his touch. I wondered if he felt it too or if it was just one-sided.
“Wow. You’ve really had a lot of bad luck lately.” Then a look of optimism appeared on his face. “But I have a good feeling, Kate. Good things are in store for you.”
Somehow that made me feel better and I smiled. “Thanks.”
He pulled his hand back to his side of the table and I missed the strength and warmth it had offered. The server appeared and asked if we wanted dessert. When we had both said no, she set the check down. Marcus grabbed it before I had a chance to even consider paying.
As we drove back to our neighborhood, we chatted about nothing in particular. A short time later we pulled in front of my house. Marcus walked me to the door.
“I really enjoyed having dinner with you, Kate.”
I gazed into his amazing green eyes and felt inexorably drawn to him. “Me, too. Thanks for taking me. And thanks again for all the help you’ve given me.”
He grinned. “No problem.”
“Let me know what happens with that job you were telling me about.”
“I will.”
I desperately wanted him to kiss me, but I also knew I’d feel terribly guilty if he did. Even though Trevor might choose to cheat on me with Amanda, I knew I couldn’t do the same. As long as I was married, I knew I needed to keep Marcus at arm’s length. I turned toward the door and put my key in the lock. I started to open the door, then turned back toward Marcus. “Thanks again for everything.”
“Take care, Kate.”
I couldn’t tell if he’d wanted to kiss me or not, but he seemed to understand that I wasn’t making myself available. I watched him walk to his jeep and drive away.
I went inside and found Greta there to meet me. “I can always depend on you,” I said, scratching her head.
Even though I had decided to pretend Trevor didn’t exist, I realized that if I truly wanted to get on with my life, I would need to make a clean break from him. I booted up my laptop and opened my email account. I hit Reply on his last message, the one where he claimed he wasn’t “with” Amanda.
Trevor,
You need to understand that we will never get back together. You literally made me a prisoner in my home. You stole my inheritance money. You lied to me and you lied to your parents about me. And you hurt me. You pushed me down. You didn’t know it at the time, but I was pregnant. You could have hurt your own child. I can’t be with you anymore.
Trevor, I want a divorce. Please understand that this will be in the best interest of both of us.
Lily
I pressed Send before I had a chance to dwell on the message I was sending.
Chapter Nineteen
As soon as I got home from work the next afternoon I checked my email account. Trevor had responded. With trepidation I opened the message.
Lily,
I’m sorry you feel that way because that’s not how I feel. I see a future for us. But I’ll tell you what, if you tell me where you are, and we can meet face to face, I’ll consider it.
I still love you,
Trevor
I hadn’t really expected he would agree with me, but I’d hoped he might. There was no way I would tell him where I was and I was extremely hesitant to meet with him face to face. I opened another tab in my browser and Googled divorce in California. After doing a little research I discovered that I would have to be a resident of California for at least six months before I could file for divorce. Even though it would have been good to know that before I told Trevor I wanted a divorce, at least I had made my wishes known. Maybe in another five months, when my six month residency was met, he would be willing to agree.
Then I researched getting a divorce in Nevada. It would be much easier there. Only one of us had to be a resident of Nevada. However, either I would have to live there for six weeks to qualify, or Trevor would have to be the one to file. Right now I didn’t have much hope of that happening. And it looked like the fact that I was pregnant with his child would complicate things.
Maybe I should hire an attorney, I thought. But I didn’t want to go that route just yet.
I shut down my computer, frustrated that my life was at this point. A year ago I could never have imagined myself in this situation. I was starting to feel sorry for myself.
“Greta, let’s go play,” I said, jumping up from the couch and walking to the back door. Greta followed eagerly behind. We went outside and played until I had pushed my troubles with Trevor to the back of my mind.
When I came back inside, I started dinner. As I was waiting for a chicken breast to bake, I heard a knock at the door. Greta immediately raced to the door, barking. Even though she was still a puppy, she had a strong bark. The sound of it made me feel safer. I walked to the door, not feeling quite as jumpy as I had in the past. After peeking through the peephole, I opened the door to see Marcus standing on my porch, a big grin on his face.
His smile was contagious and I smiled back. “What?” I asked.
“I got the job.”
“That’s great! Congratulations! Do you want to come in?” He followed me into the living room and we sat on the couch. “So when do you start?”
“Monday. And it’s a really great job.”
I could see how excited he was and I wanted to give him a hug in congratulations, but I hesitated, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.
“I knew you would get it,” I said with enthusiasm. “As soon as you told me about it, I just had a feeling.”
“Me, too. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” He paused. “The reason I came over, besides to tell you about the job, was to see if you’d come have dinner with my family on Sunday night. Kind of a celebration about the job.”
“Sure,” I said, without hesitation. His mother, Trish, had been kind to me and I thought it would be nice to spend an evening with his family. And I wanted to support him in his good news. After all, that’s what friends did.
“Great! We eat a little early on Sunday. About five.”
I nodded. “I’ll be there.” I paused. “Does your mom want me to bring anything?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Okay.”
Just then the timer went off, indicating my chicken was done. The smell coming from the kitchen left no doubt that I had been preparing dinner.
“Well, I’ll let you get to your dinner, Kate.”
I was tempted to invite him to eat with me, but I had only made enough food for me. Anyway, I told myself, you need to keep things platonic. You’re already eating dinner with Marcus and his family on Sunday. And you just had dinner with him last night. No need to overdo it.
Marcus stood and walked toward the door and I followed. “Congratulations again. I know you’ll do great.”
“Thanks, Kate,” he said, a broad smile on his face.
After he left I ate my meal, then watched television for a while. Finally, I booted up my laptop and composed a response to Trevor’s email.
Trevor,
I feel like you’re trying to blackmail me into meeting with you. That’s not going to happen. Please don’t contact me again unless you’re ready to move forward with the divorce.
Lily
I hit Send and hoped for the best.
Chapter Twenty
Billi had given me the weekend off, which was nice. Taking advantage of the free time, I drove around and checked out garage sales. I still needed a dresser and changing table for the baby. Even though I had started early, it seemed most of the good stuff was gone by the time I showed up. I did find a nice table lamp, which I was going to put on top of the baby’s dresser, once I’d found one.
Once home, I took Greta for a walk around the neighborhood and practiced some of the things we’d learned in her obedience school. She only had one lesson left before this phase of her training was done. She hadn’t had any more accidents, which I was grateful for, but she was still working on learning how to stay and how to keep from jumping on my visitors. But she kept me company and I was glad to have her.
Before I knew it, it was time to have dinner with Marcus and his parents. Even though Marcus said I didn’t need to bring anything, I had made a plate of brownies. This would be my first time meeting Marcus’ dad and I wanted to make a good impression on him and Trish. Though Marcus and I were just friends, I wanted my neighbors to think well of me.
I walked over to their house, balancing the plate in my hands, and rang the doorbell. After only a moment I heard footsteps approach and I started to feel nervous. Marcus opened the door, a big smile on his face.
“Hey, Kate. Come in.”
He opened the door wider and I walked in. Glancing around, I noticed that it was nicely decorated, in a subdued way.
“Where would you like these?” I asked, holding out the brownies.
“You didn’t need to bring anything.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
He took them from me.
“Hi, Kate,” Trish said,
coming to greet me.
A tall man that looked like an older version of Marcus followed behind her.
“This is my husband, Jeff,” Trish said. “And this is Kate,” she added, talking to her husband.
We greeted each other, then Trish invited me to come out to the backyard, where they were grilling salmon. We all chatted as we waited for the food to cook, then sat at the table to eat.
Marcus’ family was really nice and I enjoyed their company. Their kindness reminded me of Trevor’s parents and I felt guilt wash over me at the thought that his parents probably didn’t know anything about what was going on between Trevor and me. I seriously doubted he would have told them. I hoped I would be able to include them in my baby’s life though.
“I understand you’re from Vegas,” Jeff was saying to me.
I nodded, not quite able to verbalize the lie, especially when they were being so friendly to me.
“How do you like it here so far?”
I smiled, glad I could be completely honest in my answer. “I love it. Everyone I’ve met has been so friendly and I’m really enjoying my little place.” I glanced at Marcus. “And your son has been kind enough to help me with a few projects. I’ve really appreciated all he’s done.”
I noticed Marcus’ parents glance at him with a knowing smile. I wondered what secret they were keeping, but knew I had enough secrets of my own to keep me busy.
Jeff turned back to me. “Marcus has always been handy to have around.”
After dessert we played board games. I had not done that since before Dad developed his dementia. Playing games with Marcus’ family brought back all kinds of good memories. Finally it was time to go home. I thanked Jeff and Trish for having me over.
When it became clear that I was leaving, Marcus offered to walk me home. Even though I felt perfectly safe walking home alone, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by saying no. Besides, if I was honest with myself, I had to admit that I enjoyed being with him. Maybe a bit too much.
“Your family’s really nice,” I said as we walked side by side down the street that ran in front of our houses.
Don't Look Back: sequel to He Loves Me Not (Lily's Story, Book 2) Page 9
