And Mistress Makes Three

by Francis Ray

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  “I’m going to take Gabrielle her medicine. Be good for Mama.”

  “I will,” Ashton said. “Max said we males have to take care of women. He said I should help you.”

  Ashton stared up at her so seriously, Gina felt a pang in her heart. Max thought of her when no one else did. For now, it was enough.

  It took Max thirty-four minutes to carry out his preparations and get back to Gina’s house. He rang the doorbell and waited.

  Gina opened the door, happiness widening her eyes. “Max.”

  He held up the bags in his hands. “G-rated movies, popcorn, candy, drinks. Looks like our movie date is still on.”

  Her lips trembled, then firmed. “Please come in.”

  “Thanks.” He stepped inside the foyer. “How is Gabrielle?”

  “Better, I think. She’s resting in her room.” Gina closed the door.

  Max seriously doubted if Gabrielle was really ill. The illness must have occurred suddenly. There was no way Gina would have even thought of going out with her daughter sick. “Maybe she’ll be well enough to join us later.”

  “Max, you’re back!” Ashton shouted with glee when he saw Max.

  “And I didn’t come empty-handed.” He held up the sacks in his hands. “With your mother’s permission, we’re going to pop popcorn and watch a movie. Charlotte’s Web is first up.”

  “Can we, Mama?”

  “Yes.”

  Ashton took off for the kitchen. Max leaned over and whispered as he passed Gina, “Once Ashton is asleep, I have a more grown-up movie.”

  In the kitchen, Max insisted Gina take a seat. “This I can do.” Five minutes later he had the popcorn, candy bars, and drinks on a tray. With Ashton standing beside him, he slipped the movie into the DVD player. Sitting down beside Gina on the sofa, he picked up the tray.

  Ashton squeezed in between them. “This is great. Daddy was always too busy to watch a movie with us.”

  Max carefully kept his eyes straight ahead and handed the popcorn to Ashton. “Share with your mother.”

  “I will.” Ashton grabbed a fistful, then handed the popcorn to his mother. She took a couple of popped kernels.

  “I’m going to check on Gabrielle.”

  Max watched Gina go, wondering if she’d used checking on Gabrielle as an excuse to leave. Minutes passed, then another. He had begun to wonder whether Gina was returning when she came back with Gabrielle. The teenager gave him a hard look, then curled up in a high-backed chair across the room.

  “Hi, Gabrielle. Glad you’re feeling better.”

  Gina stroked her hand over her daughter’s head. “Do you want candy or a soft drink?”

  “A Sprite.”

  “I’ll get it.” Gina left and returned shortly with the can of soda and a glass of ice.

  Gabrielle uncurled enough to move a coaster on the end table near her. Gina opened the soft drink, filled the glass, gave it to Gabrielle, and placed the can beside the coaster. Brushing her hand over her daughter’s forehead again, Gina took her seat.

  Max glanced at Gabrielle, who stared back at him. She might have won that round, but Max had no intention of giving up on seeing Gina.

  “Mama had a date last night,” Gabrielle told her father before he was barely inside the front door of the house Saturday morning.

  “Gabrielle,” Gina said, annoyed with her daughter. “It was hardly a date. You and Ashton were there.”

  “We saw movies and had popcorn,” Ashton said with his usual high spirits.

  Robert laughed and patted his daughter on the head as if she were five instead of thirteen. “If she can find a man, your mother should date.”

  He intended the remark to sting her pride. She smiled. “You’d be surprised.”

  “You can’t mean that, Daddy,” Gabrielle wailed.

  “Your mother isn’t getting any younger,” Robert said snidely.

  Gina looked at her ex, from his balding head to his long feet. He wore a white T-shirt with the name of his gym on the back, white shorts, and tennis shoes to show off the muscular build he was so proud of. “I’m a year younger than you, and have more hair.”

  He blinked. Smiling sweetly, Gina opened the front door. “Have a good time.”

  Robert took off for his convertible, with Gabrielle following closely. Her hand on Ashton’s shoulder, Gina walked him to his father’s car. Gabrielle acted as if she couldn’t wait to be gone.

  On the sidewalk, Gina hugged Ashton, bid Gabrielle good-bye. Robert had started around to the driver’s side when Max pulled up in his SUV and parked behind the late-model Cadillac.

  “Is this one of your coaches, Ashton?” Robert asked.

  “It’s Max,” Ashton said, happily meeting Max halfway.

  “Good morning, Gina.” Max ruffled his hand across Ashton’s head. “Hi, partner. Gabrielle, glad to see you look as if you’re feeling better this morning.”

  Robert frowned. “Who are you?”

  “It’s him,” Gabrielle said, glaring at Max. “The man Mama is dating.”

  The incredulous look on her ex-husband’s face was priceless. His eyes bugged as Max came to stand beside her. Gina felt like laughing and she let it rip. It was glaringly obvious that Robert hadn’t thought that a handsome, well-built man who was four inches taller than him and who had a headful of thick black hair would be interested in her. Robert was peacock proud and hated his premature balding.

  Gina looped her arm through Max’s strong, powerful one. “Good-bye. Be careful and have a good time.”

  “I’ll see you later at the game, Ashton. Have a good time, Gabrielle,” Max said.

  Robert cleared his throat. “I—er—I’m having staffing problems. I have to get back to the gym by one. I’m dropping the children off at Ashton’s game.”

  Gina snatched her arm down and advanced angrily on Robert. “You promised Ashton. You can’t do this again.”

  “Daddy, you promised,” Ashton said. “I told all my friends.”

  Robert frowned at Gina. “You know I’d come if I could.”

  Gina bit her tongue to keep from calling him a liar. “When were you going to tell them?”

  “They understand, don’t you, kids?” Robert asked, getting inside the car.

  Dutifully they mumbled, “Yes.” Gina shook, she was so angry. “Robert—” She bit off the word when Max’s fingers curled around her upper arm. “You’ll hear from me about this.”

  “Get in the car, kids,” Robert ordered. As soon as the children buckled up, he pulled off.

  “He makes me so angry!” Gina gritted out. “He always has excuses. His visitation is every two weeks, but he seldom keeps them over an hour or two, if he comes at all. Can’t he see he’s hurting his children with his selfishness?”

  “No. He can’t.” Taking her arm, Max took her back inside. Closing the door, he pulled her into his arms. She stiffened, then relaxed. “You’re doing all you can to take up the slack. They’ll see it one day, but for now all you can do is be there for them.”

  “I am so angry at him. For so long, I made excuses for him,” she said.

  Leaning her away, he lifted her chin. “You’ll have ulcers and the sleepless nights, and he’ll keep on doing the same.”

  “You almost sound as if you’re defending him.”

  His arms dropped to his sides. “Not really. I was sort of like him. I always thought there was time.”

  “Your wife?” she asked softly.

  “Yes.” He gazed over her head as if he were seeing into the past. “She tried to get me to take time to travel, have children, have fun. I always put it off.”

  “I bet she always knew she could count on you, that you encouraged and supported her,” Gina said with absolute conviction.

  He looked down at her. “She was a social worker at the local hospital. She worked hard to help her patients, even going so far as to buy them groceries, help pay rent out of our money. I never objected. Some took,
but most of them were people who just needed a little help.”

  “You helped her make a difference,” Gina said fiercely. “You talked, had dreams, dreams you’re making a reality at Journey’s End. You’re kind, thoughtful. Robert is none of those things. He only comes because he has to, not because he wants to.”

  “For all of your sakes I truly hope you’re wrong,” Max said. “Ashton and Gabrielle need a father.”

  “He’s too into himself to see it,” Gina said, her anger building all over again.

  Max gently shook her. “Stop working on your ulcer.”

  “Not easy,” she said; then, tired of talking about Robert, she changed the subject. “Why are you here?”

  “To look at your exercise bike. We didn’t have time last night.”

  “We only got through one movie before Ashton fell asleep,” she reminded him, going down the hall to her bedroom. “And Gabrielle kept glaring at you. No wonder you decided to leave early.”

  “She wants things the way they used to be.”

  “I know, and that’s the number one reason why I haven’t shipped her off to Siberia without a return address,” Gina joked, then sobered. “She loves her father.”

  Max curved his arm around her, gave her a slight squeeze. “She loves you, too. She stuck up for you Sunday. And for helping set me straight she can glare at me all she wants.”

  “Like I said, I’ve never met a man like you.” Gina stepped into the bedroom. Her gaze went to the bed. Suddenly she was glad that Robert had converted the small study off the den into a bedroom when he’d moved out of their bedroom almost a year before he left. “You were just worried about what Nettie would think of my plans.”

  “That wasn’t the reason.” He waited until she looked up. “I was thinking of you more and more instead of Sharon when I thought of Journey’s End. I felt guilty and made you pay.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I forgot that Sharon, more than anyone, never asked more of me than I could give.” His thumb grazed across Gina’s lower lip; then he walked over to the exercise bike. “I wouldn’t get on this thing, either. The small seat is a killer.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Why don’t you find a chore or two to do while I take this off so I can find a comfortable replacement?”

  Yesterday she might have been embarrassed, thought of her broad hips, but Max had shown her he was interested in her and not her dress size. “All right.”

  “When I’m finished, if you’d like, you can follow me to my mechanic and he can check your brakes.” Hunkering down, he took a screwdriver out of his back pocket. “They’re squeaking.”

  Robert had never taken care of her car. Once she’d called him when she had a flat and, although he said he was coming, he hadn’t. An hour later, a passing motorist had stopped and changed the tire. Afterward, her father had taught her how to change a tire herself. “I’d appreciate it.”

  “Afterward, we can act like tourists if we have time before we go see Ashton’s game.”

  “He’ll be so disappointed Robert won’t stay,” she said.

  “You’ll be there,” he told her, staring at her over the bike.

  “And so will you.”

  “Nothing could keep me away.”

  Smiling, feeling better, she left the room. Was it possible that she had finally gotten something right? She certainly hoped so.

  Alec stared at the almost empty shelves of the refrigerator and thought of the shrimp salad and lemon pound cake that were there earlier. His stomach growled. He shut the door, went to the phone, and picked up the list of restaurants that offered takeout.

  Twice he ran his blunt-tipped finger down the list that Celeste had left. Nothing appealed to him. Tossing the list aside, he folded his arms and stared out the window. Was it the food that was unappealing or that he couldn’t stop thinking that Celeste had finally gotten the message that he didn’t want to be bothered and left him alone. So why wasn’t he happy about it?

  Alec shoved his hand through his unbound hair. There was no reason to keep thinking about Celeste, missing her. Yet he did. She wasn’t coming back until Monday. The thought made him feel an emptiness he wasn’t comfortable with, but no matter what, he couldn’t push it away. It was ridiculously easy to visualize her face, exquisite and mischievous, remember the arousing taste of her mouth, the silken texture of her skin.

  He groaned at his body’s quick arousal, the sharp ache he knew could only be satisfied by one woman. He could fight it, but he wouldn’t win. If he were to have any peace before Monday, he needed to see her. He now had her cell and home phone numbers, knew where she lived. Yet he couldn’t just drop by or call after asking to be left alone. There had to be a good reason.

  With her busy schedule, she could be anywhere. Was she thinking about him or had she relegated him to the past? He liked that thought even less.

  “Dunlap, you’re losing it.”

  Perhaps the reason for him being unable to get her out of his mind was that he felt obligated to her. One meal didn’t make up for all the times she’d fed him. Maybe if he did something for her, he’d get some peace. The idea had merit, but what?

  The solution came to him almost instantly. He reached for the receiver and dialed.

  “Hello.”

  “Brianna, great. This is Alec.”

  She laughed. “Hi. You sound excited.”

  He frowned, then forged ahead. Pregnant women were overly emotional. “I need your help.”

  “I’m sorry, Alec, but I can’t help you talk Helen out of your birthday party,” Brianna said.

  “No, it’s not that,” he told her. He’d already gotten a stern talk from Sam about the party, but it wasn’t needed. Alec loved Helen like the sister he’d never had. He’d never disappoint her.

  “Then I’m in.”

  “It’s about Celeste,” he said, and explained what he needed.

  “I’m on it, Alec. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks, Brianna. Bye.” Alec hung up the phone and waited.

  “Hello, Celeste.”

  The last person Celeste expected to see when she answered the door was Alec. She’d thought of him, missed him fiercely, but this time she was determined to stay away.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yes.” She moved aside to allow him to enter. Alec stepped inside, than abruptly halted, his sharp, somewhat accusing gaze jerking toward her. She didn’t moan in frustration, but it was a near thing. She’d completely forgotten she had a guest. “Enrique Santiago, Alec Dunlap.”

  Enrique, suave, handsome, and lithe, moved toward Alec with elegant grace, his hand extended. Always protective of her, he had followed her when she went to answer the door. “Dunlap.”

  “Santiago.”

  The handshake was brief, but the men continued to stare at each other. Not since her early college days when guys were crawling out of the woodwork to date her had something like this happened. “Alec, I was just about to get Enrique a glass of wine. Would you like anything?”

  “No.”

  “Please have a seat.” She waved him toward the den. “I won’t be but a minute.”

  “I just wanted to give you this.” Alec handed her the pink gift bag.

  Taking the bag, Celeste pushed aside the white tissue paper, then let out a loud whoop. Impulsively she hugged Alec. “Thank you.”

  The tension left his face, and he almost smiled. “Dalton signed it for you.”

  Celeste hugged the book to her chest. “An ARC for Sudden Prey. The book isn’t supposed to be out until January.”

  “Dalton’s publishing house is sending out copies for early reviews. I figured I owe you.” Alec glanced at Enrique and his face harshened again. “I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”

  Celeste didn’t gasp or hit Alec over the head with her new book for his insinuation. She simply walked to the door. “I won’t keep you.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, then started toward her.
<
br />   “I’m the one who should be going,” Enrique told her. When he was even with Alec, he said, “You don’t deserve her,” and kept walking until he stood in front of Celeste.

  “You don’t have to go,” she said, meaning it. Their engagement hadn’t worked out, but they remained friends.

  His smile was the saddest she’d ever seen. “You don’t know how badly I wished that were true. I hoped that one day you would wear my ring again.” He glanced at a fuming Alec. “I see now that it will never happen.”

  She had never wanted to hurt him. Her heart had chosen, and there was nothing she could do about it. “You’re a wonderful man, Enrique.”

  “Just not the man for you.”

  “No.”

  His long, elegant fingertips brushed across her cheek with exquisite gentleness. He ignored the guttural sound coming from across the room and waited until Celeste threw a worried glance in Alec’s direction, then looked back up at him. “You never looked at me the way you look at him.”

  “I’m sor—”

  “No, don’t say it. There has always been honesty between us,” he chided gently. “Your heart chose—not wisely, I think.” He glanced at Alec. “Jeans and scuffed boots. He isn’t worthy of you.”

  “Don’t let us keep you,” Alec said.

  Enrique, one of the most successful and influential lawyers in the state, coolly looked at Alec. “You won’t.”

  Celeste laughed, then sobered. “There is a very lucky woman waiting out there for you.”

  “But I wanted you.” Bending, he kissed her on the cheek. “Good-bye.”

  Celeste closed the door behind him, then leaned her head against it.

  “Are you all right?”

  “No,” she whispered, and heard the roar of a powerful engine, Enrique’s Ferrari.

  “You want to sit down or for me to get you a glass of water?” Alec asked, clearly anxious.

  Lifting her head, Celeste faced him. Why this man and not Enrique, a man who adored her, would lay the world at her feet, would pamper and spoil her?

  “Celeste?”

  “I don’t know if I like either of us right now.” The book clutched in her arm, she went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. “We hurt a wonderful man.”