Marcus looked out at the land he had called home for the last five years of his life and wondered if his stubbornness to elevate the importance of this place in his life had really been worth it. A house was an asset and one that he could leave and return to when he liked. He could even transform it into an income property without dishonouring the memory of his parents. In fact, they would have been pleased that it would be so useful to him. Marcus knew at that moment that his parent’s memory would live on in his heart forever but if his hunch was right he still had a glimmer of a chance to become a part of his wife’s present.
“Sorry Natasha but I am not signing those papers until I know the truth,” he said to himself finally. This time he would make sure that he brought her the undeniable proof of his support and love if she would have him. He would have to book a flight to Atlanta as soon as possible.
As Lucas’ town car zipped through traffic to the airport, he was thrilled that Natasha had consented to him picking her up from the airport. Finding a flight out to California at the last minute from Georgia was a challenge to say the least and he had too many appointments lined up to grant her request three days ago. Now that she was back, he wanted to reconnect with her and find out if she’d made any progress in her divorce. Watching the traffic whizz by in the opposite direction, Lucas silently wondered what it was about Natasha’s jerk of a soon to be ex-husband that was preventing their relationship from becoming closer. It was as though she would let him come so far and no further. Yes, he was always the first person she called when she needed to talk but she always resisted his romantic advances. He was her friend, and an advisor and that was it.
Although he was willing to temporarily accept that before now, he was becoming restless waiting. Until those divorce papers were signed nothing about his relationship with Natasha could move forward. After all, she was still wearing her wedding rings. He’d tried suggesting gently that she take them off and she’d ignored all of his suggestions. She took them off briefly during photo shoots but she promptly put them back on once they were over. As a talent director he could read body cues and pick up on unspoken language easily, after all he was paid a lot of money to discover the next stars in film, drama and the music industry. So, when he saw Natasha twist the rings on her finger at the end of her performance of ‘Brave’ and the expression that flitted across her features for a few seconds, he realized to his chagrin that Marcus was not out of the picture as yet. He had been patient enough and that was keeping him safely in the friend zone. It was obvious that he needed to do a little more to let Natasha know that his intentions were serious.
Tonight everything between them would change because he decided that they would share their first kiss. Nothing more, not yet at least, because he did not want to scare her away but she had to know that his feelings were real and so were hers for him. She just wasn’t allowing herself to feel them. They always had such a good time together that he found it impossible to believe that Natasha felt absolutely nothing for him.
As he sat in the car his nerves were on edge as he imagined what it would be like to finally taste the flavour of her lips. She was not a big fan of heavy lipstick but instead used a lot of fruity oils to keep her lips moist and many had the most amazing scents. It was all he could do not to lean over and kiss her the last time she had rubbed on some orange scented lip gloss the last time he had seen her. But tonight all of that would change. He needed to push a little harder to let her see that he could be much more than her faithful helper and her friend but that they could share a real and passionate connection with each other.
Chapter 14
“Natasha, you did really well on that interview,” said Lucas as he leaned forward smiling at his dinner date in the candlelight.
“Thanks Lucas, Natasha replied, I was a little nervous at first but I remembered to breathe and told myself that a stadium of fans was a bigger deal than a small studio audience so I need to get accustomed.”
“Well, it wasn’t actually just a studio audience you know, the Ellen Show is broadcasted all across the US and the world.”
Natasha froze as she thought of the tens of millions of people who might have seen her on the show, but quickly laughed when she saw the mirth in Lucas’ eyes.
“Thank God, I did not speak to you before the interview, or else I would truly have been a bundle of nerves,” she joked.
“Yeah I think you are right, I don’t think the ‘deer staring into the headlights’, look would have been good for your first major TV interview,” he continued with a laugh.
After Lucas picked her up at the airport, she’d gone home to change and now they were meeting for a celebration dinner.
“So what did you think about the recording for the song ‘Brave’. I know you’ve heard me sing it before in the studio, but how did it come off in front of that live audience?” asked Natasha.
“I keep telling you that you need to see yourself as I do. You were born for this life. Your voice, rhythm, expression, everything was simply wonderful.”
“Really?” she replied Natasha feeling a little relieved that Lucas gave such a positive review. This song ‘Brave’ was supposed to be a celebration of boldness and freedom in pursuing the dream of love but all the song did for her was to stir up afresh the full intensity of the feelings she still had for Marcus since the night he visited her. She wished that he could have been there in the studio audience enjoying the moment with her and be the one she was having dinner with. Instead here was Lucas was doing what he did best, being her friend by making her feel at ease and giving her something to laugh about.
“Lucas”, she began “I don’t know what I would do without you! Seriously, you make me laugh, you make sure I don’t forget to eat and starve myself when I am working by bringing me lunch and taking me to dinner, you hang out with me....” her voice trailed off as she looked at him appreciatively asking herself once again why couldn’t it have been Marcus.
Lucas expression grew serious but the lines of his face appeared soft as the golden light from the candles reflected in his eyes.
“Natasha,” he said softly, “you know why I do it!” he said his voice low and smooth as he looked directly into her eyes meaningfully.
“Lucas don’t,” Natasha began, but Lucas reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand and traced the outline of her cheekbone with his thumb, silently asking her not to respond and spoil the moment. Natasha reached up and took hold of his hand to draw it away as an uncomfortable feeling passed through her and as she did she saw him glance briefly at the rings she still wore before looking down at his plate quickly before gently disengaging his hand.
“I just wanted you to know that I think you are exceptional to keep taking care of me like this. I appreciate all that you have done to help me get to this point and I won’t forget it,” she said warily while watching him retreat. She wasn’t trying to lead him on but more and more it was becoming obvious that Lucas was getting frustrated with her.
Lucas looked at her for a moment and exhaled forcefully. “Natasha, I was serious about what I said to you that day in Forsyth Park. I love you and I want you in my life. So, I am only doing what comes from the heart naturally,” he admitted plainly.
“I know Lucas, but I’m not over Marcus! I’m still in love with him,” blurted Natasha.
“You are?” asked Lucas trying to restrain the degree of deflation he felt at hearing her utter those words. “But I thought you sent him the divorce papers. You know what that means for your career. Hasn’t he signed and returned them to you as yet?”
“No, not yet!” replied Natasha barely audible.
Lucas observed her demeanour and knew that although she had made several bold steps she was still wrestling with the failure of her marriage. He wanted nothing more than to help her to release that pain and uncertainty from her life. He knew she couldn’t get married under her contract but that wouldn’t stop her from being able to be with him even if it meant doing so secretly.
She would make her publicity appearances but she would come home to him. He knew how this worked but Marcus would never accept her new life.
“Are you having second thoughts about the divorce, Natasha?” asked Lucas holding his breath and silently hoping that she wasn’t.
Natasha did not respond immediately to Lucas’ question because the truth was that she did not know the answer as clearly as she thought she did before anymore. Yes, her contract indicated that she had to be single by the time her first album was launched, but she didn’t want that and she was not sure that she still wanted her contract, at least not under the current terms. Couldn’t the terms be renegotiated she wondered? Maybe with her successes so far, she had a bit more leverage than she had in the beginning?
“I guess I am just feeling a little sentimental about things”, she said not revealing all that she was thinking. Lucas would just try to tell her that it could never happen.
At that moment Natasha’s phone rang and she fished it out of her purse.
“Hello?”
“Natasha, its Ashley!
“Ashley? How are you? I thought you were going to call me last week to arrange your flight to come visit me,” said Natasha jovially thinking of the wonderful time she and Ashley planned to have shopping and reconnecting with each other.
“Listen, our plans will have to go on hold for a while, I have some bad news for you. I hope you are sitting down.”
The gravity of the tone in Ashley’s voice caused Natasha to sit up straight in her seat.
“Oh no! Is it Marcus? Did something happen to him?” said Natasha feeling the blood drain out of her face.
“No, Natasha, it’s your father! He was playing cricket for charity today at Lombardo Field when he had a massive heart attack.”
Natasha felt slack jawed as tears began to well up in her eyes and the stab of pain near her heart caused her to clutch her chest.
“No Ashley, it can’t be true!” she agonized raggedly.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this over the phone, but Natasha, you have to come home right now. The doctor’s have given him only a few days to live and your mother is completely devastated”, said Ashley now crying into the receiver as well.
“Oh no! No, this can’t be happening! Ashley no!” cried Natasha as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
“Text me your flight info and I will pick you up at the airport, the doctors are saying that he does not have much time, so you need to hurry!” warned Ashley.
Natasha disconnected the call and stood up looking around frantically and glanced at her watch.
“Lucas, I need to get back to the airport right now, I have to go home!” she cried loudly grabbing her purse and while attempting to stand knocked down her glass in the process.
A few patrons at the nearby tables looked around to see who was causing the commotion.
“Okay, let’s go!” said Lucas quickly, trying not to draw any more attention to them as they left the restaurant. He could not help overhearing that something tragic happened and that it may have involved Marcus. As much as he disliked the man and wanted him out of the way he did not want the guy to die tragically and chided himself inwardly for that split second of hope. As they left the restaurant, they were lucky enough not to run into any camera men. Natasha did not realize as yet that she was fast becoming a star and paparazzi were looking for any and every reason to take the pictures of the rich and famous at their worst. Before leaving, he left a tip for the waiter told the host to cancel their order. Lucas patched a call through to his driver to come immediately and held Natasha as she broke down in racking sobs against his chest.
“Natasha, tell me what is wrong, let me help you,” said Lucas.
Between her blowing her nose and more tears he was able to get broken bits of the story that her father had suffered a heart attack.
“Okay, it’s going to be alright. I will take care of the travel details.”
Lucas was not going to let Natasha fly home alone in her condition so he called his personal assistant and asked her to cancel his appointments for the next few days.
“Lucas you don’t have to do that for me. I will be fine, I can get home alone,” protested Natasha between sobs. “Ashley will meet me at the airport.”
“Natasha, I am praying that all will be well when we get there but I am going with you, I don’t think you should be alone right now. Think of me as a shoulder to cry on. I promise not to get in the way of you and your family’s business,” he swore realizing he meant every word except where it regarded Marcus Nicholls. There was no way that he would allow Natasha to return to Derrien Island vulnerable and in need of a loving embrace without him there to give it to her. He wanted her as his and was willing to play hardball if it came to that. He would make sure that she saw her family but that any connection she shared with Marcus would be snuffed right out.
They finally reached the airport after making a quick stop at Natasha’s home to collect her luggage. Once they purchased tickets for the next available flight Natasha texted Ashley with her expected time of arrival on Derrien Island. She also called her personal assistant and head of her management team to cancel her appointments for the rest of the week.
It was 1:00 a.m. and for the first time in months Marcus had settled into a restful sleep. The sound of the telephone beside his head jarred him awake and he groggily reached out to drag the receiver back into bed to his ear without opening his eyes.
“Hello”, he slurred still not finding his voice as yet.
“Marcus, look I am sorry to wake you up, this is Ashley!”
“Ashley, it’s really late, what’s up?”
“Yeah I know sorry, but this is really urgent. I thought you should know that your father-in-law Reverend Mitchell is in the hospital. He suffered a massive heart attack today and the prognosis is not that good.”
Marcus sat up and rubbed his eyes sobering up quickly as Ashley spoke. No one had contacted him with this news and he was their son-in-law. He felt slightly offended by that but pushed it aside quickly because this was not the time to harbour those kinds of feelings.
“I already called Natasha last night and she is flying back home and will arrive later this afternoon. I know that she will probably kill me for telling you this but I didn’t want you to miss an opportunity to be there for her, you know what I mean?” stated Ashley meaningfully.
Natasha was on her way home? That did not give him much time to implement his plan and he wished it was under better circumstances. She must be really distraught by the news.
“You know I would be there in a heartbeat if she would let me. What can I do to help?” he offered.
“I really want this separation thing between you guys to be over. Frankly, every time I think about it I feel like strangling you both. So anyway, I thought that you could use my jeep to pick her up from the airport. She is expecting me and you could use that time to show her that your relationship is not over by being there for her and supporting her. She sounded really upset on the phone! I know she will probably kill me for this but I can’t help thinking that you should be the one there instead of me!”
“I would have to stay out of sight until the last moment for this to work Ashley and even then Natasha could be really offended by the deception,” he remarked still not confident about this plan. It could backfire and worsen things between them again.
“Her mind will be focused on getting to the hospital and she will be too much in a hurry to make a fuss anyway. I think you are the one she needs now!”
“Okay, I’ll do it!” he agreed.
Ashley gave him the necessary flight information and he scooted off the bed to write the info down on the notepad he kept near the phone.
From the information that Ashley gave him, Natasha would be arriving in the afternoon around four thirty.
“I will come by your place around four to get your jeep then. I hope this plan does not make things worse Ashley!”
“No
thing ventured, nothing gained my friend. I will leave the outcome of this totally up to you guys! You know, I always liked you with Natasha because you guys balance out each other even though it seems like you are both too stubborn to see that. Look, get some rest because you will need it later today!” replied Ashley before hanging up.
With this news, all thoughts of sleep fled far away from Marcus’ mind. Natasha’s father, a generally robust man had always seemed so indestructible to him. It was hard to imagine him now as anything but that. Ever since Natasha married him, her father had openly resented their relationship. He was a hard man who was set in his ways and he constantly held Natasha’s pregnancy and rushed marriage against him even though it happened years ago. It did not help matters now that he and Natasha were separated and she was pursuing a singing career. He could only imagine the gossip and her father’s embarrassment as people remarked on how little influence he had over his own daughter’s life now.
Despite this, Marcus knew that Natasha loved her father and even though he was generally cold toward her she never forgot his birthday or a Father’s day. In a way, she always seemed to be trying to pay back a debt to him that could never be repaid. A debt she should never have been made to feel she had to pay at all.
“Natasha, you must be so devastated by all this,” said Marcus aloud and to himself, simultaneously rubbing a hand across his face. In doing so he felt the incredible growth of stubble on his chin and jaw line and realized just how unkempt he had become lately. He went in to the office twice a week now and had spent more time here writing at all hours to finish his last book on time. Being at home gave him time to think and it confirmed that he did not have to work as hard as he did before. In fact, these last two months when he called in to check with the managers a few times his businesses were running like clockwork still. To prove to Natasha how serious he was about relocating with her, he would need a career with some flexibility and he was beginning to see that he could allow his staff to run the restaurants here with some guidance from him occasionally. Also writing was something that he could do anywhere in the world.
Forgotten Love (Derrien Island Trilogy) Page 16
