by Sonia Parin
She drew in a sharp breath and rested her hands on his shoulders.
“He’s fine. It’s all under control now,” Theo assured her.
She appeared to relax, but only marginally.
“You’re the first person he asked about.” He hadn’t meant to reveal that fact, not yet. Not until he knew more about her, but considering how reluctant she’d been to speak with him, he decided he needed all the leverage he could get.
Her eyebrows drew down. “I don’t understand. I met him ten years ago,” she shook her head. “I’m surprised he still remembers me.”
“He usually stays in touch with… his friends. Did you have a falling out?”
The hint of a smile appeared. “Your father’s much too nice for that to ever happen.” She reached for a comb and tapped it against the palm of her hand. After a moment, her lips stretched into a sincere smile. “I met him on the set of one of his movies. It was the chance of a lifetime for me. A friend works as a make-up artist and needed some help. The moment I met your father, we clicked. We enjoyed each other’s company and then it was time for me to come home. I knew what I was getting into. Jon’s not into long-term relationships.”
True, Theo thought. Although divorced, his parents had remained friends. They’d been teenagers when they’d met at acting school. Within a year, his father had won a major role in a film. Then, within a few months of that, his mother had fallen pregnant. Marriage had never been on his parents’ agenda, but they’d both agreed to it for the sake of their old-fashioned parents...
“You never considered keeping in touch with him?” he asked.
“I walked away but… I’d developed feelings for him. Knowing he didn’t do permanent, it would have done me more harm than good to stay in touch. Let’s face it, Jon Kendrick is a lovely and considerate man but he is obsessed with his career.”
Instinct told him to put everything on the line and not miss his chance. Go for broke. “He wants to see you, Claire. It would mean a lot if you would go to him.” If she’d wanted to exploit her relationship with Jon, or become a hanger on, Theo reasoned, she would have done it long ago. “How soon can you leave?”
“What?” Her eyebrows shot up and she shook her head. “I can’t. No, no I can’t do that.”
* * *
“He’s into older women.” Eddie drained her glass of champagne and slumped down on the sofa. Sophie Wright had called an emergency girls’ get-together to discuss her final wedding plans and they’d all decided to meet at the pub. When she’d seen Sophie arrive with a box full of cakes to sample and a couple of dresses for her to try on, she’d changed the venue to her private apartment.
“If we keep this up, I’m going to crash here tonight,” Sophie said as Eddie poured them each another glass of champagne.
“Be my guest. I can easily polish off another bottle.” And in the process, perhaps forget about the last couple of days. If she hadn’t played around with the idea of having a fling, she wouldn’t feel the need to drown her sorrows.
“I wouldn’t dream of letting you drink alone, but you have to promise me you’ll try on at least one of the dresses first. I know you. You’ll wait until the last moment to find something to wear to the wedding and not even care if it looks good on you or not.”
“When did we decide green was my color?”
“It’s not green. It’s jade. I also brought along the aquamarine blue just in case.”
“Theo’s eyes are blue, like the deepest part of the ocean.” Eddie shot upright and slid to the edge of the sofa. “That came out wrong. I promise I’m not pining. The thought is running around my head in a loop and I can’t stop it.” She brushed her hand across her stomach. The quivery sensation wouldn’t go away, and if she hadn’t already drunk half a bottle of champagne, she’d be jumping around the room trying to get rid of the excess energy inside her. She hadn’t been able to stand or sit still all day, the need to do something… to say something nipping at her heels. Spending more time than she absolutely had to with Theo Kendrick had been a bad idea. Now she knew she liked him. She liked looking at him, she liked engaging with him…
“You feel like you’ve missed your chance.”
Eddie laughed. “When in fact, I didn’t stand a chance. You can’t change a person’s predisposition, or is it predilection? Clearly, he has a thing for mature women and I… well, I throw darts and hunt boars and work in a pub.”
“You can’t be sure they were texting each other. Wait and see what he’s like tomorrow. For all you know, he might have been getting in touch with his broker. Men like him do that a lot.”
“Maybe. Whatever. I don’t know.” She groaned. “I’m a mess.”
“I’m sorry I suggested having a fling with him. I take full responsibility for seeding the idea.”
“Your idea was harmless enough. Unlike mine… For a while there I thought since disasters come in threes I should get that third disastrous relationship over and done with, but then my optimism kicked in and I wondered if I could be third time lucky.” There had to be some sort of rule of thumb she could follow. Something to guide her. “What if my life is actually ruled by Murphy’s Law? Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”
“You shouldn’t allow your life to be dictated by an adage.”
The sudden rap on her apartment door should have had her jumping to her feet armed and ready with a welcoming smile, but instead Eddie called out, “Come in. Tonight’s freak show is a free-for-all.”
Joyce entered, and striding toward the middle of the room, she took a bow. “Ladies, it finally clicked.”
“Um… cue drum roll?” Sophie asked.
“Yes, that would be appropriate, but we should wait for Helena. I passed her in the hallway. She just stopped to take a phone call.”
“This is a foot tapping moment,” Eddie said draining another glass.
Then Helena arrived. “You’ll never guess—”
“You need to wait your turn. I was here first,” Joyce said.
Helena made a lips zipped sign and sat down next to Eddie.
Joyce drew in a deep breath. “Okay, here goes. Jon Kendrick.”
“The Hollywood movie star,” they all said in unison.
“None other.”
Eddie shrugged. “What about him?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Joyce asked.
Sophie held up the empty bottle of champagne. “Not to us. Our mental capacity has been somewhat diminished.”
“Jon. Theo. Kendrick. Do I need to spell it out?”
“Are you saying they’re related?”
Joyce gave a vigorous nod. “Father and son. Theo keeps himself out of the limelight, but I found a photo of him in one of the weekly gossip rags.” She drew out her copy and opened it to a dog-eared page. “There,” she said tapping the picture.
“You’re pointing to a profile and a grainy one at that.”
“He’s standing several steps behind Jon Kendrick, but it’s definitely him.”
“There’s only one way to know for sure. We’ll have to ask him,” Sophie said.
Joyce shook her head. “We can’t do that. It would be so un-cool. People like him want their privacy.”
“Sure they do.” Eddie rolled her eyes. “And that’s why you racked your brain trying to uncover his identity and even teased him about it.”
“That was then, this is now. We can’t let him know that we know.”
“Straight from the mouth of someone who hasn’t had a drink yet,” Eddie said as she poured Joyce a drink.
“Do you think he’s in the movie business?” Helena asked. “Maybe he’d here to scout for talent.”
Eddie shook her head. “You came in late, so you missed the latest. Theo Kendrick came to Eden looking for Claire Muldoon. He’s into older women. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.” Nothing other than the fact she’d been thinking a great deal about Theo and how maybe she should consider doing something outside of her comfort zone. Eddie wondered if s
he could clock up the experience, or at least the attempt at an experience, as her third disaster. Then she’d be free to get on with her life. She could almost see a flicker of hope at the end of the tunnel.
Helena bit the tip of her thumb. “That explains why I saw him go into the salon. And after Claire let him in, she flipped over the closed sign and pulled down the shutter. Oh, that was my news.”
Eddie turned to Sophie. “Those cousins you mentioned yesterday, do you have photos of them?” At some point, Eddie had to accept her fate. But first, she had a few butterflies in her stomach to drown.
* * *
“There seems to be a case of sensitive eyes this morning,” Theo said as he watched Eddie trudge into Joyce’s café wearing dark sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat.
“We had a pajama party last night,” Joyce said. “It got a bit wild.” Joyce set his coffee down and then leaned against the back of a chair.
“You’re slurring your words.”
“No surprise there. My thoughts are slurred too. Mind if I join you?” Joyce asked as she pulled out a chair. “It’ll take me a while to crank myself up into action.”
“Room for one more?” Eddie asked when she reached his table.
“Good morning. How’s your head?” For someone emerging from a night of indulgence, she sounded perky and looked… as enticing as the first day he’d seen her. Theo frowned. Sifting through his first impressions, he had to admit he had found her attractive.
“My head is fine,” Eddie said as she sat next to him. “But the rest of my body is functioning at slow speed and I can barely stand up straight.”
Theo chuckled. He’d come close to sharing their pain. If he’d given in to the temptation of oblivion last night, he’d be moaning and groaning this morning too. Instead, he’d kept a clear head and had spent most of the night thinking, not that it had helped provide a solution to his latest hurdle. In hindsight, drinking the night away might have been a better option.
“Joyce tells me you girls had a party last night.” Theo pushed his cup of coffee toward Eddie. “I think you need this more than I do.”
“You, sir, are the perfect gentleman. As for last night, we imbibed copious amounts of bubbles and savored numerous cakes,” she said doing a very good impersonation of what she’d referred to as his snooty tone. “The jury is still out on which flavor we prefer for Sophie’s wedding cake. Otherwise, it was a perfect night. That’s my version, and I’m sticking to it.” She took a long sip of her coffee and sighed. “How about you? What did you get up to?”
“I played a game of pool with your brothers.” He watched the two women exchange a look that struck him as nothing short of conspiratorial.
“Was that after you had your hair cut? Yes, before you ask, you were seen entering Groomingdale’s at approximately six-oh-ten in the evening.”
“And now you want details.” Theo wanted to throw his head back and laugh. Despite Claire’s discretion, they’d been caught red-handed. He hunted around his mind for an excuse but couldn’t find one. He supposed he could let them assume to their heart’s content, so long as it didn’t hurt anyone.
“Your hair looks the same, but not in a bad way. In fact, we wouldn’t mind knowing your secret. Every strand seems to sit perfectly. But that can keep for another day. Come on. If you’re going to spend any time in this town, you’re going to have to learn to share details. Nothing you do escapes attention.” Eddie’s nose wrinkled. “I just realized. We live in a fishbowl. Nothing’s a secret.”
Joyce nodded. “I prefer to think of it as the circle of trust. It makes it sound less intrusive.”
Theo sat back and crossed his arms.
“Oh no, you’re not allowed to exclude yourself from the conversation.” Eddie finished her coffee and leaned forward. “We will get the truth out of you eventually.”
“At the risk of—”
Eddie lowered her sunglasses. “A boycott. That’s what’s at risk here. Think about it. Where will you get your caffeine fix? And you should also know we’re armed with some facts, so we can cross-reference whatever you tell us.”
“What if it’s not my tale to tell?”
“Please don’t take advantage of our sluggish brains.” Eddie drained a glass of water. “Anything you leave unsaid now, will fire up our suspicions. We have nothing better to do.” She stuck out her lower lip.
Theo shifted in his chair, his eyes fixed on her mouth. “I see nothing short of the truth will satisfy you,” he mused. There had to be something in the town drinking water to make the women of Eden so stubborn and determined. For the second time, he’d managed to spook Claire away. Who in their right mind turned down an all expenses paid trip overseas? Not to mention a personal invitation from Jon Kendrick. Claire Muldoon had been the first person his father had thought about when he’d regained consciousness. Any woman would give their eyeteeth to be in her shoes.
Eddie wagged her finger. “That cone of silence you’ve got happening is not going to work with us. We have ways of making you talk.”
“It’s amazing,” he said, “You’re functioning at a less than normal capacity and you still manage to do a splendid job of wearing me out.”
She gave him an impish smile and rubbed her hands. “Juicy details coming right up.”
“Oh, no. I might look defeated but I’m not beaten yet. My pride is on the line. What sort of man would I be if I kiss and tell?” Theo mentally kicked himself and wished he could withdraw the comment. These women were too sharp to miss a beat. If he’d been alone with Eddie, he would have thrown all reason and common sense out the window.
The thought sounded like a bugle call, rallying his troops. He smiled to himself and sat back letting the idea take shape and gather momentum as it marched through the main street of his mind. Yes, he would have pulled her against him and kissed her and if that didn’t make her forget what she’d been talking about, then he would have kissed her again. He’d seen it happen in so many movies surely it could work in real life—
“Do I have something on my mouth?” she asked, “Oh, please tell me I’m not dribbling.” She snatched a napkin and gave her lips a brisk wipe, in the process making them look plumper, more inviting.
If temptation came by any other name, Theo thought it would have to be Eddie Faydon. And if he spent any more time with her…
He tried to shift his attention away from her mouth, but he’d have better luck trying to entice a kid away from an eat all you want candy store.
If he kissed her…
Would she moan with pleasure or laugh with glee and excitement for what would follow?
“Theo? Are you still with us?”
“I don’t really know how to answer that.” He had both their attentions. “I haven’t been myself lately. I’ve recently experienced something unexpected and it’s thrown me off kilter.” That had to be the reason why he kept losing track of his purpose here.
“That’s something we hadn’t considered,” Joyce said. “He’s escaped from a funny farm.”
Eddie laughed. She’d pushed her sunglasses back in place so he couldn’t see her eyes, but he’d bet anything the laughter didn’t reach them, and it would have nothing to do with her night of indulgence.
As enticing as she was, Eddie Faydon was not part of his plans. Now, he only needed to convince his body…
Chapter Six
“You don’t seem to understand the severity of the situation,” Theo said in response to Claire Muldoon’s raised eyebrow. He’d spent the better part of the afternoon sitting on her front porch waiting for her to arrive and he was prepared to sit there all night until he got a reasonable answer out of her.
After his breakfast at Joyce’s Café, he’d returned to the pub. He’d called the hospital for an update and had ended up having a brief conversation with his father. He’d sounded crestfallen. Almost defeated. So, Theo had lied saying Claire had been out of town and was expected to arrive within the next couple of days.
Claire closed her car door and, folding her arms across her chest, she strode up to him. “You can’t be here.”
He rose to his feet. “I need to know why you won’t get on a plane and—”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for what happened to Jon. I suppose I could call him and have a chat, for all time’s sake. But I can’t jet off to the other side of the world at the drop of a hat—”
“It would only be for a few days.”
“You don’t seem to understand. Responsibilities aside, I don’t see what good a visit from me would do.”
“Plenty. He sees the accident as his wake-up call. He doesn’t want to live with regrets.” Theo dug inside his pocket and drew out the velvet case he’d been carrying around all this time. He didn’t know if the ring had been meant as a token gift for the time Claire had spent with Jon Kendrick, or if he’d planned on taking the relationship a step further, he only knew his father’s heart had been in the right place.
“Mom.”
Claire gave an impatient shake of her head. “I told you to stay in the car, Ben.”
Theo’s gaze zeroed in on the boy who’d stepped out of the car and was leaning against it. Hearing his mother’s order, the boy threw his head back and huffed out a breath.
Theo’s fingers tightened around the velvet case he’d planned on giving Claire as proof that Jon Kendrick had also had feelings for her. “You didn’t say anything about being married.” Or having a child. This changed everything. And not for the better.
“I told you I couldn’t just up and leave and I meant it.”
* * *
Eddie had two more stops to make before she could go home and curl up under the covers to enjoy a well-earned pity fest. She tipped back the bottle of water until the last drop slid down her throat. Pushing her sunglasses back in place, she emerged from the car, opened the trunk, and retrieved Mrs. Larson’s dinner. Once a week she made the rounds, visiting Eden’s elderly to drop off their meals and menu request forms for the following week. Everyone knew better than to engage her in conversation because that would make her late for her next stopover and invoke the wrath of the next person, so everyone made sure to stick to bare essentials.
