by Francis Ray
She looked tired. Part of the reason was they’d spent most of the night making love. The other part was a loudmouthed fool. “I wish we were alone.”
“Me, too.” She briefly tucked her head. “I might not make it tomorrow.”
Fear coursed through him. He caught her arm. “Don’t let him con you, too.”
“I’m immune, but he’s going to need a couple of days to get used to the crutches,” she told him. “I’d rather be here if he needs me than have him fall and have to stay longer.”
“I’m not sure that’s not his plan,” Max told her. At her puzzled look, he continued, “He’s been watching you for the past hour.”
“Because he’s angry at me for telling him off,” she said.
“More like a man who’s thinking he might have made a mistake.”
Gina scoffed. “He walked out on me, Max.”
“Then. But I’ve got a feeling he’s beginning to second-guess what a fool he was. You’ve moved on and he doesn’t like it. But if he thinks he can walk back in, he’ll have to get by me first,” Max said fiercely, taking her into his arms, forgetting who might be watching.
“And that would take some doing.” She placed her hand on his chest. “I wish we could go someplace for just five minutes.”
His hand covered hers. “You don’t want to leave the children.”
She smiled up at him. “How come you understand me so well?”
“You’re a good mother.” He kissed her hand. “It won’t be the same working in the garden not knowing you’re in the house or on the way.”
“Please tell Sophia I expect to hear that she’s mastered the crust for the tarts when I return.”
He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be thinking of you. If you need me or just want to scream, call.”
“I will.” On tiptoes, she brushed her lips across his, then she went back inside.
Max stared at the closed door for a few moments, then went to his Pathfinder. He wished he didn’t have the bad feeling that he’d found a woman he could love just to lose her. Gina wanted to have a good, loving relationship with her children. Robert knew that and had used it to his advantage. Gabrielle wanted her father and mother back together. They were under the same roof. Max had a bad feeling that that was exactly where Robert and Gabrielle wanted him to stay.
Celeste came awake, instantly missing the warmth of Alec. He’d left while she was asleep. She opened her eyes and sat up to see the tiny sheet of paper on the night table. Darkness had fallen. The bedside lamp was on. Alec could be so sweet and so irritating—like now. She was tempted to ball the note up, but she was aware she’d never be able not to read what he’d written.
You’re everything I ever dreamed of, every wish, every fantasy. I want you to know that, for me, this was real. You’ll be a part of me forever. Think of me sometimes.
Good-bye,
Alec
The tenderness she’d felt evaporated. She leaped out of bed. What kind of man wrote such a tender note and then told the woman good-bye? He either loved her or was running a game.
The answer hit her, buckling her knees and sending her plopping back on the bed. Alec loved her. The knowledge overwhelmed her. Tears prickled her eyes. She’d done it. Almost.
Standing, she went to her closet. Loving a person meant taking risks, but Alec was worth it. He was the only man for her. She just had to convince him. He wasn’t getting away from her.
She was in the bathroom running her bath before it hit her. You miss what you don’t have. Alec had to want her as much as she wanted him. She’d give him a week to realize he couldn’t live without her; then she was going after him if he didn’t come to his stubborn senses first.
The perfect time would be the birthday party that Sam and his wife were giving for Alec. And she knew the perfect present.
“What about Daddy’s jammies?” Ashton asked, his eyes round with worry, later that night.
“He can sleep in his clothes,” Gina answered, trying to get the children to bed.
“How is he going to take a bath?” Gabrielle asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to her father.
This time, Gina was stumped for an answer.
“Your mother can help me,” Robert said with a grimace. “Gina, can you fix my pillow and get me a pill?”
“I’ll do it,” Ashton said. Gina caught Ashton by the collar of his pajama top. “You can help.” Bending, Gina slowly lifted Robert’s leg, allowing Ashton to straighten the pillows. “Good job. We’ll get your father a glass of water to take his medicine, and then you’re going to bed.”
She helped Ashton with the water in the kitchen and followed him back into the den. Robert’s and Gabrielle’s heads were close together. Seeing Gina, he twisted away. Her daughter came to her feet. Gina frowned, wondering what they were talking about.
“Here’s your water, Daddy.”
Gabrielle opened the pill bottle and shook out two white tablets into her father’s waiting palm.
Robert took the medicine, then said, “I didn’t realize how much I missed you until lately. Despite the pain, it feels good being here.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “Time for bed. No argument. I’ll be up in a minute.” She watched them kiss their father, then slowly trudge up the stairs. “Robert, your stay here is limited. Remember that.”
“I’m just thankful you let me stay,” Robert said. “If you don’t mind, can you go to my place and get some of my things? Or I can have my assistant bring them over. I’d like an update on the gym in any case, and she can do both. The apartment manager can let her in.”
A picture of the well-toned woman in Robert’s arms flashed into Gina’s mind. “I don’t want any of your women here.”
“Strictly business,” he said, lying back and closing his eyes. “I’m going to try and sleep. Good night.”
She stared at him a few minutes longer, then went to her room. Undressing, she bathed and climbed beneath the covers. Memories of Max there with her washed over her. She hugged the pillow, smelled his scent. They weren’t likely to be together for a while, but when they were they’d make up for lost time. Smiling, Gina drifted off to sleep.
During second period at school, Gabrielle borrowed the cell phone of a friend and went into the girls’ bathroom. Her hand clenched; her stomach churned. She wanted her family back the way it was, but she was scared.
Her daddy said he needed her, the family needed her. She had to make the call early, before her mother and Max had a chance to talk. She couldn’t let her family down. Her daddy was counting on her. Before she completely lost her nerve, Gabrielle pressed in the number she’d memorized.
“Journey’s End,” Max answered.
Gabrielle’s mouth dried.
“Hello.”
She wiped her hand on the side of her skirt. “Max, this is Gabrielle.”
“Is everyone all right?”
Don’t be fooled, her father had warned her last night and again this morning. Max doesn’t care about you or Ashton. He’s just using you to get to your mother. “We’re super; that’s why I called. My parents are getting back together. You don’t need to call or come by anymore.”
Silence.
“Max, are you there?” She bit her lips. What if he called her mother? Her daddy said he wouldn’t, but if Max did, her daddy told her to say Max lied.
“I’m here, Gabrielle. Your mother loves you; never forget that. Good-bye.”
The line went dead. Gabrielle shivered. She’d done it. She’d saved her family, so why did her stomach still feel queasy?
TWENTY
Robert was getting on her last nerve. If he wasn’t complaining, he was demanding. By ten Monday morning, Gina wanted to scream and would have if she hadn’t briefly spoken with Celeste and Sophia earlier. Celeste sounded like her old self and Sophia like a woman on the brink of falling in love.
Hearing the doorbell, Gina got up from the desk in her office and went to answer it. A tall, attra
ctive light-skinned black woman with red hair in a stylish nylon black and white sweat-suit stood on the porch, a small suitcase in her hand.
“Yes?”
“Good morning. I’m Kathy Owens, Robert’s assistant,” she said. “You must be Gina.”
Gina returned the smile, glad it was a different woman than the one she’d seen the day Robert asked for a divorce. “Yes. Please come in. Robert is in the den.” Showing the woman in to Robert, Gina excused herself and went back to her office, glad Robert had someone else to make demands on.
However, less than an hour later Robert yelled for Gina to help him to the bathroom. “Can you help me take a bath?”
“I’ll help you to the bathroom and you can take a sponge bath,” she said.
“Come on, Gina,” he cajoled. “I can’t reach all the places.”
“Take it or leave it!”
“I never thought you’d treat me this way,” he said, his head tucked so low his chin touched his chest.
“That makes two of us.” She waited until his head lifted. “I never thought you’d divorce me, but I got over it. Make up your mind, Robert. I have work to do.”
“The sponge bath.”
Helping Robert to the bathroom, Gina spread a towel over his lap, maneuvered his shorts off, and propped up his leg. Preparing the sink with hot water, she gave him a washcloth.
“I remember a time you would have enjoyed washing me.” His gaze dropped momentarily to his lap.
“It’s a good thing for you that I’ve forgotten the past and the way you treated me and the children, or I would have left you in the emergency room. Call when you’re ready to go back to the couch.” Opening the door, she went to her office to call Max. She needed to hear his voice.
“Journey’s End,” Sophia said, excitement ringing in her voice.
“I guess we won’t be taking that trip to New Orleans after all?” Gina quipped.
“You got it. Albert called me from the airport to tell me good-bye again, and to remind me not to forget our chess date when he returns in two weeks,” Sophia said. “As if I would.”
Smiling, Gina took her seat behind her desk. “I’m so glad things are working out for you.”
“Me, too. I just hope he doesn’t meet some woman or begin to question why he’s interested in me while he’s away,” Sophia said, her laughter sounding a bit forced.
“Albert impressed me as a man who knows what he wants,” Gina said, meaning every word.
“I hope so,” Sophia said. “We’ll miss you around here. Our first guests arrive Friday afternoon.”
Disappointment slumped Gina’s shoulders. “I know. I’ll try to get by, but I’m not sure. The last test batch of the signature dishes tasted fantastic.”
“You were here with me, but nothing beats a failure but a try.” Sophia laughed. “At least they’re longtime friends and love us.”
Gina chuckled as well. “You’ll do fine. Is Max around?”
“He’s outside in the garden as usual. I’ll get him.”
“Thank you.” Gina relaxed back in her chair, aware of the dreamy smile on her face and not caring one bit.
“Hello, Gina.”
“Max,” Gina almost purred the name. “Thanks again for yesterday. You saved my sanity.”
“I was glad I could help,” he said. “Since I know how busy you’re going to be, you don’t have to come back at all. I’ve taken too much of your time as it is.”
Her heart lurched. Her skin chilled. “What?”
“You were great, but with the first guests arriving Friday, it’s even more important that I pay strict attention to Journey’s End, and you have your business and now your ex to care for, so you’ll be busy as well. I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”
“I— I don’t understand,” she managed.
“I’ll put your final check in the mail this afternoon. Thank you for helping turn Journey’s End into a place I’ll always be proud of.”
He no longer wanted her. Her throat stung. Her eyes burned.
“Please tell Ashton and Gabrielle good-bye for me,” he said. “Good-bye, Gina.”
Clutching the phone, Gina felt tears sting her eyes, her body tremble. Max didn’t want her. How could that be after Saturday night?
“Gina, I need a fresh glass of water!” Robert yelled.
Closing her eyes, Gina tried to make sense of the conversation she’d had with Max. She couldn’t have been that wrong about him. She couldn’t.
“Gina!”
Getting a dial tone, she called Celeste. “Please be there.”
“Serendipity.”
When she heard Celeste’s voice, tears rolled down Gina’s cheeks. “Max broke up with me.”
“What!”
Gina sniffed, wiped away tears with the back of her hand. “Just now on the phone.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Gina hung up the phone and reached for a tissue. “Max,” she whispered, and let the tears flow.
“Gina!”
For the second time in her life, a man she loved had dumped her. The second time hurt a thousand times worse. Putting her head on her desk, she gave over to the tears.
. . .
“Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t come over there and rip you a new one?” Celeste snapped as soon as Max answered the phone.
“Since I deserve it, I can’t.” The phone clenched in his fist, he walked to the screened-in porch.
“You—What did you say?” she demanded.
“Take care of Gina. I—” He shook his head. Everywhere he looked, the gardens, the pier, the house, he was reminded of Gina there with him, reminded of what he’d never have.
“What’s going on, Max? I just hung up from talking to Gina. She’s devastated. What kind of game are you playing?”
“I can’t explain, Celeste, but I want only the best for her.”
“Crap!” she spat. “I am so tired of men talking nonsense. If you care about someone, you tell them. You have a problem, you discuss it and work it out.”
“Sometimes, no matter how much you want to do that, it’s impossible.”
“You men need to get a grip. Once I straighten Alec out, you’re next.”
The line clicked dead. Max continued to stare out the screen. He didn’t know who Alec was, didn’t particularly care.
He did know that Gabrielle had lied, but he realized that she would always be a wedge between him and Gina. A mother shouldn’t have to choose. He loved Gina enough that he wouldn’t even consider asking her to. Pitching the phone on the padded chair, he headed to work in the garden. As he walked to the flower bed, he no longer felt the excitement, the sense of accomplishment.
Without Gina by his side, nothing would ever be the same again.
. . .
“There’s something else going on with Max,” Celeste told Gina the moment she got her alone in the bedroom with the door closed. Not for anything did Celeste want Robert to realize what had happened.
Gina’s lower lip quivered. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.” Celeste pushed her toward the bathroom. “Put some cold compresses on your eyes and rest. I’ll take care of Big-mouth and start dinner.”
“Celeste, you have work to do.”
“If I needed you, where would you be?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “To everyone, you have a headache.”
“Maybe Max is worried about the grand opening this weekend?” Gina said.
“Could be.” Celeste marched Gina into the bathroom. “I don’t want to see you until the kids get home.” Closing the door, Celeste went to the den. “Gina has a headache. There’s a new sheriff in town. One who won’t be run ragged. Do I make myself clear?”
“No wonder you can’t keep a man,” Robert quipped.
“That’s right. I can be as mean as a snake.” Grinning, she grabbed the end of the pillowcase enclosing the pillow his leg was propped on. “Want to try me?”
Robert’s eyes bugged.
“I didn’t think so.” Celeste straightened and went into the kitchen.
After much debate, Gina decided to casually let Gabrielle and Ashton know during dinner that Max wouldn’t be coming around any longer. Celeste had left to meet a client shortly after the children came home.
Trying to keep from crying again, Gina gave the reason she hoped more and more was the truth—he was busy with his B and B. The disappointment on Ashton’s face had made her heart ache. From Gabrielle there was nothing. But for the first time in Gina’s memory, after dinner her daughter helped clear the table and wash the dishes without being asked.
“Ashton, turn that thing down. I’m trying to rest,” Robert bellowed from the den.
Gina rushed into the room to see Ashton with his head down. “Robert, what do you think you’re doing talking to him that way?”
“Trying to rest,” Robert said. “The TV is too loud. Ashton understands, don’t you, son?”
Coming slowly to his feet, he nodded. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“There’s only one TV, Robert,” Gina reminded him. “They’re allowed to watch TV once they’ve finished their homework and chores.”
“They don’t mind letting me rest, do you?” Robert asked.
“No, Daddy.” Gabrielle put her hand on Ashton’s shoulder. “You want me to kick some balls to you?”
He looked at his daddy. “I guess.”
Steaming, Gina waited until they were outside. “This is their house, Robert. You have to make allowances for them, not the other way around. I don’t want to hear you yell at Ashton again, or you’re out of here.”
“He’s my son, Gina. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.” Leaning back on the sofa, Robert closed his eyes. “This pain is making me surly.” His eyes opened and he stared at her. “But the accident made me see things more clearly. I should have never left you and the children.”
“What?”
He reached for her hand. “Gina, can you forgive me and give me another chance?”
She was stunned. “You can’t be serious?”
