Delicious Do-Over
Page 17
Yeah, the house, the kids, he could get down with all of that, he realized, but what he wanted more than anything was Lindsey.
“Hey.” Jenny brought him a beer. “You all right? You look pale.” Her gaze troubled, she touched his forehead. “You’re clammy.”
He took a pull of the ice-cold beer, let the brew slide down his dry throat. “You were right. It’s about a woman.”
Jenny sat beside him, laid her head on his shoulder like she had since she was a kid. “I knew it. I’ve never seen you like you’ve been these past two days.”
He smiled. “You’d really like Lindsey.”
“So when do I get to meet her?”
“I don’t know that you ever will.”
Jenny got to her feet and glared at him. “She lives in Hawaii?”
“New York.”
Her hazel eyes widened. “Good God, what is that—a two-hour plane ride? You have to go. You do.”
Rick smiled. “You don’t even know what happened between us.”
“It doesn’t matter. I know you. Go. You have to go.”
“Can I wait until after Mom serves my birthday dinner?” he asked teasingly.
Jenny laughed. “Yes, you may. In the meantime, I’ll find you a flight.”
LINDSEY HEARD THE DOOR open. She noted her place in the ledger on her computer screen and looked up with a smile, expecting a customer. “May I help— Rick?” She closed her mouth, opened it again, but there were no words. Maybe missing him so very much during the endless days and nights had sent her over the edge.
“Hey, Linds.” He looked so handsome dressed in a black leather jacket. And his hair… “Good job on advertising. The place was easy to find.”
She adjusted the clip she used to keep her hair away from her face but the tickle of a tendril on her ear let her know she’d only made things worse. “What are you doing here?”
“I came for you.”
She laughed nervously, only she didn’t sound a thing like herself. “What do you mean? It’s a bit far to hop over to take me to lunch.”
“I didn’t come to take you to lunch.”
“Oh, it was just a figure of speech.” She helplessly glanced over her shoulder. Shelby was in the back room waiting for a delivery, but she could appear at any second. This was crazy. She couldn’t stand here talking to Rick like everything was all right. Except it was, wasn’t it?
She’d been holding it together really well. Shelby and Mia suspected something was up, but they’d bought that she simply missed Rick and Hawaii and would get over it.
“I miss you, Lindsey,” he said quietly, watching her, his intense gaze overlooking nothing. “Something fierce.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she admitted, because it was the truth, and if she hadn’t he’d know she was lying. “You cut your hair.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged, raked his hand through the back. “Made my mom and sister happy.”
“Your birthday. You went to— Was it yesterday?” she asked even though she’d remembered, and had thought about calling him at least fifty times. When he nodded, she came around the counter to give him a hug. “Happy late birthday.”
He held her tight and buried his face in her hair. “God, how I’ve missed you.”
She trembled, ordered herself to move away. She only managed to back up a few inches. “It’s not enough, you know.”
“Missing each other?”
She nodded. “You can’t know someone in ten days.”
“And eight hours?” He smiled.
“Don’t,” she said. Because she wasn’t strong, not when it came to Rick. Seeing him weakened her resolve, shook her reason and made her ache, but dammit, she’d come so far. “The sex was great. Better than great.” She glanced back, lowered her voice. “Honestly, I didn’t know it could be that way. But consider what we do know about each other. We’re like night and day.”
“If I were three years younger, or even two years younger, I’d have to agree. Not now. We aren’t that different, Lindsey. You think you don’t know me, but I opened myself up to you, more than I’ve opened myself up to anyone. Even six years ago, I listened to what you had to say. Did you know I finished school because of you? It would’ve been easy to quit. I didn’t need a degree or a job. But you convinced me to stay the course, keep my options open.”
“Shelby’s in the back,” she warned softly.
“Everybody can hear what I have to say as long as you hear it. We know each other better than you think, and if I’m wrong, what’s the harm in getting to know one another better?”
How could she take such a risk and find nothing? She was already in love with him. He didn’t know, and she couldn’t tell him. Although, in truth, she was stronger now, more sure of herself. “I’m not Jill,” she said finally. “I’m nothing like the woman you thought you knew.”
“You’re exactly the woman I knew in Hawaii. Did you think you could make yourself over, share what we shared, and me not see you for who you are? Give me some credit.” He sighed. “You haven’t changed. You’ve just grown more into the woman you were meant to be.”
“I understand, and I agree with part of that, but I’m not Lani, either,” she said, immediately sorry she had. She saw how angry that made him, and she didn’t blame him because it had come out wrong.
“Do not hold her against me. That is not fair.”
“What I meant was that I’m not like your friends, your surfing crowd. I can’t treat sex so casually.” She darted a look toward the back. Unless Shelby had stepped outside to meet the truck, she’d heard everything. “I need a clear path to follow. I need routine. I need—”
“I know what you need, Linds,” Rick said quietly, taking her hand. “That’s what’s taken me so long to step up. I had to be sure I was a man you could depend on.”
Dammit, she was going to cry. She swallowed, wanting to be strong more than ever. “Rick, you—” Her voice broke. She tried again. “You have this great big life and you’re not afraid to participate. Me, I’m this little mouse who’s content to stay in her small corner. That’s who I am.”
He shook his head. “My big life? It’s all filler, Lindsey. It’s just stuff I do until—” He sighed with frustration. “You’re right. There is a lot you don’t know about me. Things I’d planned on telling you that last night you were in Hawaii. Like how I’ve done everything in reverse. You think I’m too free with money, don’t you?”
Lindsey pressed her lips together.
He smiled. “Yes, I know it seems that way. I made a lot of money when I was twenty, while I was diving I found a fix for this weird pressure valve. I ended up with a patent that made me a bundle. I invested well, and not only do all of my nieces and nephews have college funds, but I don’t have to worry for the rest of my life. I’ve made over a quarter million in surfing prize money, which takes care of the shop and leaves me some cash. If I wanted to commit to the sport, I could make ten times that amount. So it’s not about money or commitment, Lindsey.” He grinned. “You were worried about the commitment part, admit it.”
She blushed. “A little,” she said, breathless as so many things fell into place.
“Are you wondering why I never mentioned any of this?”
“I suppose so.” It was quite an understatement.
He took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He shrugged, the hesitance on his face unnerving. “Ask me anything you’d like. The first thing that pops into your head.”
“Rick, I don’t know what you want—”
“Take a minute, think about everything I just told you. Then ask me something. Anything.”
Lindsey tried to wade through the ocean of information. “Anything, and you promise to tell me the truth.”
“Yes.”
“How’s your shoulder?”
Rick blinked, then started laughing. “That’s the only question you have?”
/> “No, I have another,” she admitted, “but I want you to answer that one first.”
“The shoulder is good.” He flexed it. “Almost perfect.”
She eyed him closely. “Have you been in the water?”
He smiled. “No, I have not been in the water.”
She sighed and smiled. “I’m proud of you.”
Rick scrubbed at his face, emotion burning in his eyes. “You would be concerned only with my shoulder,” he murmured. “Everyone else wants to know what I’ve done lately. I’d be asking that question, too. I did, in fact. Until it started eating a hole in me.” He shook his head. “There’s no one who pushes themselves harder. Truth is, sometimes I try too hard.”
Lindsey smiled. “I kind of got that impression.”
His brows went up. “How?”
“Your office at the house and the sketchings you leave around, how you sometimes space out.”
“I never space out when I’m with you.”
“Mmm, sometimes, when we’d be sitting quietly, looking out over the water or whenever. Just like I did when I would dream about….”
“Lindsey, I love you.”
She gasped. At some level she’d known as soon as she saw him walk through the door, but… “I love you, too,” she said weakly. “I knew I was in trouble over two weeks ago.”
He hugged her, then held her out to look at her. “Trouble?”
“I can’t leave New York. I have obligations here.” She shook her head. “Mia and Shelby are my family, and we have a business to run. I want it to succeed.”
Rick smiled. “You’ll succeed. Look at you. You have the most incredible resolve. You’re amazing, you know that?”
She smiled back, then sighed. “A long-distance relationship would be tough. I can’t take time off now.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. I’ll move here.”
“Rick…” She touched his face. “Here? You’d hate it. You’d miss Hawaii and surfing—”
“Yeah, I’ll miss Hawaii. But we’ll still visit. Believe it or not, there is surfing on the mainland. Waves aren’t so big.” He kissed her. “You’ll like that.”
“What about the shop and Wally and the kids?”
“Yep, I’ll miss them. I’ll still see Wally when I visit, and the kids…” He shrugged. “They’re kids, they aren’t going to stick around forever. In a way, they’re like family, too. I want great things for them and I’m glad I’m in a position to help.” His expression got serious. “But I want my own family, Linds. Our family. Marry me.”
Lindsey’s heart swelled. Hadn’t she once thought he’d make a good dad? So why was the fear still there? She loved him. She believed he loved her. “But, Rick—”
He released her, leaned on the counter and smiled that great big smile of confidence she loved and envied. “Bring it on. Throw out every obstacle you want. I’m not going anywhere. I’m sticking around, Linds, until you get it, even if I have to rent a place down the street. I love you. We belong together.”
A noise came from the back. They both turned. It was Shelby, her eyes damp. “Lindsey! If you don’t marry him, I will.”
Even as her eyes filled with tears, Lindsey laughed, then turned back to Rick. “I do love you.”
His eyes closed briefly. When he opened them, they were full of love. “For now, that’s all I need,” he whispered as he kissed her.
Epilogue
Eight months later
“YOU LOOK WORRIED.” Lindsey slid an arm around Rick’s waist as he studied the new basketball court that had just been finished in time for the community center’s grand opening tomorrow afternoon.
“Hmm?” He put an arm around her shoulders, smiled at her upturned face and kissed the tip of her nose. “Nah. I was just thinking I should have put in a third court.”
“Good grief. Look how much you’ve already accomplished in such a short time. We have plenty of room to add another one if we need it later.”
He hugged her tighter against his side. “I like it when you say we.”
“Why wouldn’t I? We’re in this together, right?”
“Along with Mia and David, and Shelby and Annabelle, not to mention my sister and her brood—have I left anyone out?”
Lindsey drew back to stare at him. Everyone had pitched in, using their respective expertise to make the brand-new center in the middle of a New York City neighborhood a reality. David and Mia handled the legal issues, Shelby the promotion and their friend Annabelle, who worked part-time at Anything Goes, had donated a sizeable amount of money, matching dollar for dollar what Rick had contributed. His nieces and nephews had drawn up the wish list of kids’ activities and his sister had helped Lindsey with all the ordering and shipping of material.
Rick had negotiated the purchase price of the gigantic warehouse and then personally designed each detail to maximize the space enabling them to cater to a wide range of ages. With so many people lending a hand, the project had gone quickly and smoothly. But until now, Lindsey had never considered the possibility that they had imposed on Rick’s unique dream of providing a safe, productive place for at-risk kids. She wasn’t even sure why she felt uneasy now. Something was off with him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He frowned at her, his eyes dark with concern. “I know I’ve been working long hours lately but it won’t always be that way.”
“No.” Lindsey squeezed his arm. “Are you kidding? I love what you’re doing with our new brownstone, and this place—” She spread a hand. “You’re going to make such a huge difference in so many kids’ lives. I just hope we all haven’t changed your vision for it too much.”
He looked at her with such a surprised expression that she knew that wasn’t the problem after all. “These kids nowadays need all the help they can get. If anything, I’m touched that everyone’s become so involved.” He drew her close, circled his arms around her. “I hate that we haven’t had enough alone time.”
“I expect you’ll make it up to me,” she half-teased.
“Yep, we’ll have plenty of time alone while we paint our bedroom, the kitchen and the living room.”
“That’s not what I had in mind.” She swatted his butt and he laughed.
“If Annabelle can cover for you at the office so we can go to Hawaii next month, I figured I’d schedule the painters while we’re gone.”
Lindsey nodded. “She said I could take the whole month if I wanted, but I told her we’d only be gone ten days.”
“Hmm, a whole month by ourselves.” He kissed the side of her neck, ran his hands down her back until she was flush against him.
“Hey, watch it.” She narrowed her gaze when she felt something suspiciously hard in the vicinity of his fly.
“What? No one’s around.”
“Yeah, but—” She moved her hips. “What is that?”
Chuckling, Rick reached in his pocket. He brought out a small blue velvet jeweler’s box.
Lindsey stared while he flipped it open. A diamond solitaire sparkled under the lights. Rick inhaled deeply and then got down on one knee.
“Are you kidding?” she murmured, overwhelmed.
“Lindsey Shaw,” he said solemnly. “Finally, finally, will you marry me?”
“Of course I will, you dope. Get up.” She tugged at him until he stood, and she wrapped her arms around his neck while she laughed and cried at the same time.
He lifted her off the floor and swung her in the air. “I love you, baby,” he whispered. “I’ll always love you.”
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0173-6
DELICIOUS DO-OVER
Copyright © 2011 by Debbi Quattrone
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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*Men To Do
**Do Not Disturb
†Million Dollar Secrets
††Stolen from Time
‡Spring Break
Table of Contents
Letter to Reader
Title Page
About the Author
Books by Debbi Rawlins
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Copyright