“He promptly pulled out his cell phone and called Jaime. Right there in front of God and everyone, he demanded that Jaime get back to Chesapeake Shores.”
“But Jaime hadn’t even gotten to Seattle at that point,” Emma said, startled. “He was probably somewhere over Colorado.”
“True. Mick told Jaime he was going to call the pilot and order him to turn the plane around.”
“But Jaime’s meeting with the planning officials was scheduled for first thing this morning,” Emma protested, shocked that Mick would go that far to try to fix things. “That was the whole point of the trip.”
“Which Jaime told Mick, who’d put the call on speaker phone. He actually asked if Mick had lost his flipping mind.”
Despite the mood she’d been in, Emma couldn’t help smiling. “I imagine that went over well.”
“Everyone in the room started laughing and when Jaime figured out he was on speaker phone, he hung up on Mick. Mick looked around at the rest of us, shrugged and told us he’d tried to make things right. And then Nell smacked him on the shoulder and told him he hadn’t tried hard enough.”
Emma frowned as a thought crossed her mind. “Jaime never mentioned that Mick had called and told him to come home.”
“Would you? Especially since he had no intention of turning right around and flying straight back.” Shanna studied her. “Oh no! Please tell me you are not twisting this all around and deciding that it means Jaime doesn’t care about you, after all, that he chose work over you, because that is absolutely not the point of the story.”
“The point might have gotten a little lost,” Emma conceded.
“It’s that Nell, and even Mick, are on your side in this. They want to see you and Jaime together. Mick would never have made that call otherwise, not even with Nell’s very public disapproval making him squirm. You have powerful allies. We all want this to work out.”
Emma gave her a weary smile. “But none of you are the ones who count. I’m not sure I have it in me to fight for this relationship.”
Shanna regarded her with real concern. “But you do love him, don’t you?”
Emma nodded. “I can’t deny that, much as I’d like to.”
“And he loves you,“ Shanna reminded her emphatically. “I’m pretty sure he has enough determination to get both of you across the finish line.”
“The finish line?”
“Down the aisle, whatever,” Shanna said. “You’re the one who’s good with words. You write the perfect ending.”
Emma suddenly had an image not of her in a fancy white gown and veil, but in something simple, yet elegant, not in a church crowded with strangers and business associates, but in a small chapel surrounded by family and close friends. There was Jaime, gorgeous and sexy in his black suit waiting for her by the altar. Was that the ending she’d write for their story?
Or was it sitting hand-in-hand on the lawn with the Chesapeake Bay shimmering before them and a couple of olive-complexioned kids running around the yard?
Or years and years from now, in rockers, still hand-in-hand, fighting over whether the surprisingly twisted ending to a book had been pure genius or a creative copout.
Were any -- or even all -- of those endings in the future for her and Jaime?
Or would their relationship die long before they ever reached the point of saying I do? And was any of that within her control…or even his?
***
“How was book club?” Jaime asked when he reached Emma late on Monday night.
“Lively. Half the people hated the book we’d read. A third loved it. And the rest hadn’t read beyond chapter one.”
“Where did you come down?”
“I hadn’t finished it,” she admitted, sounding sheepish. “I felt awful. Shanna looked at me as if it was a personal betrayal. Then she publicly excused me by saying she knew I’d had a lot on my mind.”
“Am I at fault, Emma? Am I the one who’s making you lose focus?” he asked, thinking of Mick’s call the day before.
“Maybe a little,” she said. “I miss you even more than I expected to.”
“I miss you, too.”
“Any idea when you’ll be back?”
“I’m supposed to get this cast off next week and my first therapy session is a few days later, so I’ll have to be back before then.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice suddenly flat.
“If I can wrap things up sooner, I will.”
“I know how important this project is to you,” she said. “Of course you have to untangle whatever this latest holdup is.”
“I do, you know, but I’m getting the feeling you don’t entirely buy it.”
She fell silent and Jaime knew he’d struck a nerve. He decided to wait her out. When she was nervous or upset, she couldn’t seem to stand silence for very long.
“Shanna mentioned that Mick ordered you back here,” she said eventually. “And that you refused to come.”
Jaime sighed. That explained why she sounded a little off. “Just because Mick had a change of heart, which frankly I don’t understand, doesn’t mean he wasn’t right to send me out here in the first place. I’ve dealt with the local officials from the beginning. They trust me. If Mick had come charging in here to save the day, I’m not sure he wouldn’t have made things worse. This isn’t something that can be resolved by caving in to absurd demands or throwing money around to pacify them.”
“You’re probably right,” she conceded. “Mick may be a genius on a lot of levels when it comes to his profession, but he certainly doesn’t have the same finesse you have.”
“To put it mildly,” Jaime said. “That’s one reason we make a good team. So, you’re okay? You understand why I had to come?”
“The suddenness of the trip threw me, but I really do get it,” she said.
Jaime sensed she still had more than her share of uncertainty. “You could fly out here,” he suggested. “I can arrange a ticket for a flight first thing tomorrow.” He warmed to the idea. “I’d love to show you this community. It’s really starting to take shape, Emma. You could see what it is I do.”
She hesitated. “Are you just trying to pacify me, or do you really want me there?”
“I want you here,” he said at once, suddenly needing to get her wholeheartedly on his side and involved in his life, his whole life, not just the fantasy world they’d created for themselves in Chesapeake Shores for a brief moment in time. “This is important to me. I want to share it with you.”
Another of those long silences fell and once again he waited while she sorted through her feelings.
“How about this?” she said at last. “This is a quick trip and you’re dealing with a crisis. Why don’t we plan it so I can go with you next time, when you’re under less stress and you can maybe even spend a couple of extra days showing me around Seattle?”
“I would love to do that,” he said eagerly. If she fell in love with the area, all the better. Now that the words were flowing again, he felt certain she could write anywhere. Of course, who knew where his next project might take him, but most likely it would be somewhere else in the Pacific Northwest. He’d come to love the beauty of this part of the country, the shimmering blue waters wherever you looked, the sunny days when Mount Ranier’s snowy peaks were on full display.
“So, we have a plan?” he persisted.
“We have a plan,” she confirmed, sounding happier.
“I told you we could figure this out, Emma. Will you try to have a little more faith?”
“I’ll work on it,” she promised. “Now tell me about this crisis. Have you charmed those officials into your way of thinking?”
Jaime filled her in on the contentious meeting he’d had that morning and the amount of paperwork he had to supply by morning. “It’s nothing they haven’t seen before, but they claim it’s not in their files. They’re suddenly demanding excessive proffers that weren’t in the original agreement, more roads, a bigger school, the list goes o
n and on. I think they figured out Mick’s company has deep pockets and they’re trying to backtrack to dip into them.”
“Can they do that?”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Then I should let you get to it,” she said.
“And you should get back to your writing,” he suggested. “When are you going to let me read what you’ve written so far?”
“We’ll see,” she said evasively. “It’s not quite there yet.”
“But you’re happy with the direction it’s going? You feel as if you’re in control again?”
“I’m hopeful,” she said carefully.
“Need any more inspiration?” he teased.
She laughed at that. “It definitely couldn’t hurt. Sweet talk me for a minute,” she suggested, “and I’ll write a love scene that will set the pages of the book on fire.”
So that’s exactly what he did, which made it a whole lot harder to concentrate on all those dull pages the planning officials wanted to see first thing in the morning. Suddenly he was highly motived to wrap up these endless meetings. All he could think about was getting back to Chesapeake Shores as quickly as possible and getting Emma back into his bed. He still had a whole lot of moves she’d never experienced and once this cast was off for good, he intended to share every one of them with her.
Come to think of it, a lifetime might not be long enough for all the plans he had for the two of them.
Chapter Nine
Jaime’s anticipated return to Chesapeake Shores had been delayed yet again. His original surgeon in Seattle had removed the cast and he’d been to physical therapy twice out there. Emma’s resolve to keep the faith in their relationship was being sorely tested despite Jaime’s repeated requests that she fly out to join him.
“Why won’t you go?” Shanna asked, regarding her with exasperation.
“Because if this crisis is dragging on and on, he needs to focus on resolving it. He doesn’t need me around as a distraction.”
“If you two were together permanently, you wouldn’t be a distraction. You’d be his support system,” Shanna suggested lightly. “That’s how a real marriage works, Emma. You’re there for each other in the tough times, not just when everything’s perfect.”
Emma took her friend’s words to heart, but she still didn’t make a reservation to fly to Seattle. She wasn’t sure whether she was deliberately trying to let the relationship die, testing Jaime’s commitment to her, or her own to him. Whichever it was, she wasn’t going to take a chance on flying out there and being in the way.
She was just finishing up her shift at the library, when Mick walked in.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked.
“Sure. Can I help you find a book?”
He shook his head. “This is personal.”
Startled, she simply stared at him. “Then we should probably go somewhere else to talk. My shift’s over. Let me get my purse.”
As she grabbed her purse in the office, her mother cornered her. “What’s Mick doing here?”
“He wants to talk to me.”
“About?”
“I have no idea, Mom.”
“Well, he might be chairman of the board of this library, but he doesn’t have the authority to fire you,” her mother said, her expression grim.
“Please don’t jump immediately to some worst case scenario. I’m sure it has something to do with Jaime and whatever it is that’s keeping him in Seattle for so long.”
Her mother looked relieved by the suggestion. “You’re probably right. Call me later and fill me in. Okay?”
“I will,” Emma promise.
A few minutes later, she and Mick had cups of coffee from Panini Bistro and were sharing a bench overlooking the bay on Shore Road. The air was still, too still. Emma thought they were likely to have a storm before the day was over.
She studied the man beside her. She didn’t know Mick well, but he looked worried. A frown marred his handsome, weathered face. “Is something wrong?” she asked eventually.
“I was going to ask you that. I know it’s not my place to meddle…”
She gave him an amused look that had him shrugging.
“Okay, meddling is exactly what I do,” he conceded. “But it’s different with Jaime. He’s been with me a long time and I count on him. But I also think of him as a son and I want him to find the happiness he deserves.”
Emma had some idea of where he was heading, but she said only, “I know he appreciates the faith you have in him. He’ll do anything not to let you down.”
Mick nodded. “But I might have put him in an untenable position sending him back to Seattle too soon. He seems distracted, and that’s not like him.”
“And you think that’s my fault?” she asked, shaken.
“I do,” he said, then quickly added, “But it’s not something I’m blaming you for or him, for that matter. I think it’s wonderful, just inconvenient, given the situation we have out there.”
“He says it’s complicated.”
“Complicated enough that my lawyers are now involved,” Mick said.
The revelation surprised Emma. Jaime hadn’t mentioned that things had progressed to an even more serious level. “I had no idea it had gotten that bad. I just knew it was taking longer than Jaime had anticipated to resolve. Could the whole development be scuttled?”
“I doubt it, since we’re already pretty far along in the building process, but it’s going to require a lot more time and energy to resolve than any of us were counting on. The greedy sons of…” He censored himself. “Well, they’re trying to change the rules in the middle of the game.”
“Jaime had mentioned something about that.”
“Then you understand why he needs to focus.”
“Of course.”
“The problem is that he’s clearly worried that the delay is going to foul things up with you. Ma’s been all over me about the mess I’m making of things for the two of you. I offered to go out there and take over, but Jaime wouldn’t hear of it. I’m out of ideas on how to fix this.”
She could hear the frustration in his voice, but even more she heard genuine concern. “This is Jaime’s work. It matters to him. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“I do if it causes problems for you and him. That matters more than anything that’s going on out there. Jaime knows that. I just want you both to understand that I get it, too.”
Emma took a slow sip of her coffee and let Mick’s words sink in. He’d somehow succeeded in accomplishing what Jaime hadn’t been able to with all of his reassurances or Shanna with her prodding. Mick had convinced her of the depth of Jaime’s feelings by letting her know that he was allowing those feelings to interfere in doing what he needed to do for his job, a job that up until recently had meant everything to him.
“I can resolve this,” she said, her voice filled with quiet resolve.
Now it was Mick who looked startled. “How are you going to do that?”
“I’m going to Seattle. Until just this minute I thought I’d only be in the way, but I’m beginning to think that I can do more if I’m there to support Jaime, if he knows I’m with him no matter what.”
Relief spread across Mick’s face. “You’re ready to do that? I don’t want to push you, but I do think you’re right. He needs you by his side, so he’s not worrying that he’s going to lose you over this untimely absence.”
“I’ll make sure he knows that we’re solid,” she promised. “Don’t tell him I’m coming, okay? I’ll fly out tomorrow. I’d like to surprise him.”
“My jet’s at the airport now,” Mike said, his expression hopeful.
Emma shook her head. Mick O’Brien had never lacked confidence in his powers of persuasion, that’s for sure. “You knew all along what I’d do, didn’t you?”
“I’d hoped,” he corrected. “I know what I would have given years ago if my Megan had shared my work with me. It was my own fault that she didn’t. I was comforta
ble leaving her here with total responsibility for our children, but I shut her out of something that was a huge part of my life. That was a mistake. Maybe you and Jaime can get that part right. You’ll have a stronger life together, if you can.”
She nodded. “Thank you for making me see that.”
“Shall I tell the pilot you’ll be ready to leave in an hour?”
She stood up, eager to get started, but realistic about what she needed to accomplish, including explaining to her mother that she was quitting her library job with no notice. “Make it two. I have some arrangements to make and some packing to do.”
“Whatever you want. I’ll have a car pick you up to get you to the airport here, and another car waiting at the airport out there. Thank you, Emma.”
Impulsively, she reached out and hugged him. “As meddlers go, you’re not a bad one to have on our side.”
He laughed at that. “I have a whole lot of people in my family who’d argue that point with you.”
“They’re all happy now, aren’t they?”
“Come to think of it, not a one of them could deny that.”
Emma was pretty sure Jaime wouldn’t either when he figured out that her arrival in Seattle was as much Mick’s handiwork as it was an epiphany on her part.
***
At the end of another totally frustrating day, Jaime returned to the house he’d built on a piece of land overlooking Puget Sound. It wasn’t far from the community he was building. Eventually, in fact, when the planned houses were all in place, it would be within the city limits of the newly built Puget Village. He’d hoped to keep it for himself, just as Mick had his home in the heart of Chesapeake Shores.
Tonight, though, the house felt empty. Now that the painkillers were a thing of the past, he poured himself a glass of wine and went onto the deck with its amazing view of the sound. Towering trees reflected in the water, along with streaks of color from the setting sun. Sailboats glided across the water on the evening breeze. Not even the sound of powerboats and jet skis could entirely disrupt the serenity of the setting. Usually the view alone was enough to calm him, but tonight he felt particularly restless.
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