Thrill Me

by Susan Mallery

  “Sit,” she said. “I’ll pour while you start talking. This is Del related. It has to be.”

  Maya accepted the glass of wine and waited until Phoebe settled on the sofa opposite. She took a sip of wine, then drew in a breath and wondered where to start. Maybe with the most painful truth.

  “Del’s not in love with me.”

  Phoebe grabbed a piece of cheese. “I don’t believe that at all. He’s crazy about you. I can see it when you’re together. There’s serious sparkage.”

  Despite everything, Maya laughed. “Sparkage? Because you’re twelve?”

  “Sometimes. Now what happened?”

  “Remember the commercials he and I shot? For the Lucky Lady Casino?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Maya explained about the meeting with Ernesto and Robert and what they’d offered.

  Phoebe waved her hands. “That’s fantastic. Did you say yes? You have to say yes. I mean, I’ll miss you desperately, but come on. You’d love doing that.”

  “I would,” Maya admitted. “Of course I’m interested, but I was surprised. We both were.”

  “And?”

  Maya put down her wine and tucked her legs under her. “I’ve told you about the children’s series of videos Del and I have been talking about.”

  Phoebe nodded. “You’d be able to do those, too. It’s perfect.”

  “That’s what I thought. Del and I could do both. We’d work together...” She drew in a breath. “Actually, that’s what he offered. A business partnership. He has money from selling his business. I bring the technical ability to the table. We work well together. Share a vision. It’s all good.”

  Phoebe looked at her. “So what’s the problem?”

  “All he offered is a business partnership. I thought he’d say something else.” Had hoped for words that would make her giddy. “He never once said anything about his feelings.”

  “Did you say anything about yours?”

  “No.”

  “Well, then. He could be feeling exactly what you are and be keeping it a secret.”

  “Del’s not like that.” Maya would have told him the truth, only she couldn’t. Not until he found out about Elaine. Saturday, she told herself. If Elaine didn’t call her family meeting, Maya was going to be the one breaking the news. Just forty-eight more hours.

  Only now she didn’t know if she wanted to say anything. To what end?

  “If he had any romantic thoughts, he would have said something,” she insisted.

  “You have no way of knowing that. You’re talking business. You know how guys get. They compartmentalize. Work is work and everything else is different.” Phoebe smiled at her. “I think you need to plan a romantic evening with Del and confess all. Tell him you’re interested in the business thing, but you want it to be more. He’s going to be so happy.”

  Maya wished she shared her friend’s optimism. “I’m less sure about that. He’ll probably be horrified and then run for the hills. I’ll lose both him and the opportunity.”

  “Do you want one without the other?”

  A question for which Maya didn’t have an answer. She knew she wanted to travel with Del and film his videos. She also wanted to do the project for the hotels. But to only be business partners, friends—being around Del, but not a romantic part of his life. Did she want that?

  “I don’t want to be left behind,” she admitted. “And I don’t want him falling in love with anyone else.” Talk about horrible. “I can’t believe I went so long thinking I would never trust a man to be there for me. I’ve finally found the man I trust with my heart and he’s not interested.”

  “Stop saying that,” Phoebe told her. “You don’t know how he feels because you won’t talk about it.”

  Maya heard footsteps in the hallway, then Zane walked into the family room. He approached the back of the sofa, but stayed carefully out of reach.

  “Still talking girl stuff?” he asked, stroking the back of Phoebe’s neck.

  Despite her confusion, Maya grinned. “Notice how he’s poised to bolt in case he doesn’t like the answer.”

  “I’m not big on the emotional side of things,” he admitted. “It’s a guy thing.”

  Phoebe leaned into his hand. “That’s okay. You have other, sterling qualities. We’re talking about Del and Maya. Do you want to voice an opinion?”

  Maya was surprised when Zane looked at her and said, “I support whatever you want. If he breaks your heart, I break him.”

  While not elegantly worded, she had to admit she appreciated the sentiment. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Phoebe patted the sofa next to her. “Come join us. We need the male point of view.”

  Maya expected her stepbrother to take off at a run, but he surprised her by circling the sofa and settling next to his wife. After putting his arm around Phoebe, he looked at Maya.

  “Okay. Tell me what’s going on.”

  She recapped the situation with Del, including the job offer, the videos they wanted to do and her feelings for Del.

  “I think he’s probably desperately in love with her,” Phoebe added when Maya had finished. “But he’s not going to mingle work and personal stuff.”

  “Possible,” Zane said.

  “But?” Maya knew there had to be more.

  “Be honest. Not just with Del but with yourself. What do you want? Would you be happy to be just work partners? What happens if you don’t say anything and it turns out he’s not interested? You end up stuck in Nairobi, watching him fall in love with someone else.”

  He laced his fingers with Phoebe’s, but kept his attention on Maya. “On the other hand, you could do the first commercial and see how it goes. Maybe your feelings for him aren’t that strong and you’ll discover he annoys you. Or you’ll learn it’s everything you want and you’ll tell him then.”

  She frowned. “You do realize you’re arguing for telling him and for not telling him.”

  “Just trying to be fair.” He released Phoebe and shifted forward on the sofa. “The deal with the videos. You want that?”

  “The ones for the kids? I do. I think it’s a great project.”

  “Then if you decide to go into business with Del, let me know. I’ll front you the money to buy in as an equal financial partner. I know you bring the talent, but in business, whoever has the money has the power. I don’t want you to have to worry about that with Del.”

  He was still talking, but Maya stopped listening. Tears filled her eyes. She stood and crossed to him. Zane rose and pulled her close, then kissed the top of her head.

  “I thought it would make you happy,” he murmured.

  “It does.”

  She felt Phoebe join them in a group hug and let the love wash over her. Whatever happened with Del, she had this, she thought. People who cared. She wasn’t that kid trying to survive anymore. She was thriving.

  She sniffed, then straightened. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Both of you.”

  “Of course,” Phoebe said, squeezing her hand. “We’re family. We’re here for you, Maya. No matter what.”

  Maya nodded, then returned to her seat and sipped her wine. She asked about the ranch and conversation shifted away from her and her confusion about Del.

  As she listened to Phoebe and Del talk and laughed at their stories, she wondered why it had taken her so long to figure out the truth. Why had she needed to come home to Fool’s Gold only to realize it was time for her to leave?

  * * *

  DEL FELT THE excitement humming through him. He was back at his cabin, but he couldn’t settle. He paced, he made notes on his laptop, then paced some more. There were a thousand things to organize, he thought eagerly. Details to be worked out.

  He and Maya h
ad to come to terms with Robert and Ernesto. Once that was done, they could start making other plans. His gut told him their first shoots should be in China. The country was huge and growing. Everything it did had an impact. To document that, to share it with kids back here, could help them better understand their future.

  A lofty goal, he thought, chuckling to himself. But why not? With Maya as his business partner, anything was possible.

  He returned to the kitchen table and his laptop, prepared to attack more lists, when his cell rang. He picked it up and saw his father’s name on the call display.

  For a second, Del hesitated. He wasn’t in the mood for one of Ceallach’s rants about Nick and how he was wasting his talent. Because there was no way the old man was calling to talk about Del. Still, his father rarely phoned. He pushed the talk button.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “It’s your mother.”

  Del stood. “What do you mean?”

  Ceallach’s voice shook as he spoke. “She’s gone.”

  “You’re not making any sense. How can she be gone?”

  “She’s not at the house. I came in from work and she wasn’t here. I finished my commission today. We always celebrate. She had a big dinner planned. I couldn’t find a note or anything, so I drove into town.”

  Del didn’t like the sound of any of this. “What happened?”

  “I’ve found her car, but no one has seen her. I’ve been calling her cell and she doesn’t answer. I’ve spent the last three hours going from store to store, and she’s nowhere. Not shopping, not having dinner.” His father’s normally strong voice broke. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Del glanced at the clock on the stove. It was nearly eight in the evening. Not unusually late for anyone to be out, but they weren’t talking about anyone.

  “Does she have friends in town?” he asked.

  “How would I know? She’s never out in the evening. Never. She sees her friends during the day. She’s home at night. With me.” Ceallach cleared his throat. “She’s gone. Left. I should have known this would happen eventually.”

  Del was already walking toward his truck. He wasn’t as upset as his father, but he would admit to some worry. His mother was a creature of habit. Taking care of her husband was the most important part of her day. She would never deliberately worry Ceallach. So where was she?

  “Mom didn’t leave you, Dad. She wouldn’t. She loves you. Something else is going on. Have you talked to the police?”

  “And say what? It’s been three hours. They’re not going to care. They’ll assume she’s fine. They’ll tell me they can’t do anything for twenty-four hours. Not unless I suspect foul play. She’s left me. I know it. I’ll never work again.”

  “Dammit, Dad, this isn’t about you. For once, get your head out of your ass and think about someone else. Who are Mom’s friends? Have you talked to them? Maybe she had a girls’ night out thing and you forgot.”

  “She wouldn’t do that.”

  “It makes more sense than her leaving you.” Del started his truck and waited until the phone switched over to Bluetooth. “Dad, Mom loves you. She’s not going to leave.”

  “There are things you don’t know. Truths in a marriage.” Ceallach groaned. “I should have seen this coming.”

  “You’re not helping, Dad,” Del said loudly. “Where are you?”

  “By Jo’s Bar.”

  “Give me five minutes. I’ll meet you there.”

  “I’m calling your brothers.”

  “Good idea.”

  He hung up, then phoned Maya. It took her several rings to answer.

  “Del? What’s up?”

  “Where are you?”

  “With Phoebe. Why?”

  He explained what had happened. “I know my dad is overreacting,” he told her. “There’s a logical explanation for whatever is going on. She’s somewhere. I thought you might have some ideas.”

  What he’d really been hoping was that Maya was with his mother. Now that he knew she wasn’t, he was willing to admit to some small measure of worry.

  “Has he tried calling her?” Maya asked, her voice tight. “Your dad. Did he call her?”

  “He says she’s not answering. Maya, what aren’t you telling me?”

  “I might have an idea of where she is. Meet me by Morgan’s Books in twenty minutes.”

  She hung up before he could ask her anything else, and he knew that five minutes after she left the ranch, she would enter a dead space in cell coverage. There was nothing to do but wait for her to show up.

  He drove into town. During the short trip, he tried his mother’s cell several times. It rang and rang before sending his call to voice mail. Once in town, he easily found his father. For once Ceallach looked old. Tired. There was a stoop to his shoulders and something that looked a lot like fear in his eyes.

  Three years ago Ceallach had survived a mild heart attack. Del had spent a couple of days at the hospital, then helping his mother get his father settled. Back then, Ceallach had been full of bluster, despite the episode, barking orders and insisting he would make a full recovery. He hadn’t looked scared. In fact, until tonight, Del had never seen his father afraid of anything.

  “We have to find her,” the older man said as Del approached. “I don’t care what she’s done, I just need her back. She keeps my life going. Without her...”

  Del told himself there was love buried in there somewhere, but it sure wasn’t easy to find. He wanted to point out that if his father took a little extra time to appreciate his wife, they might not be having this conversation right now.

  “Maya’s on her way back from her brother’s ranch,” he said instead. “She has some ideas on where to find Mom.”

  Ceallach stared at him. “Who?”

  “Maya? I dated her ten years ago. She’s the reason I left Fool’s Gold. She and Mom have stayed friends all this time.”

  “Have I met her?”

  Del swore. “Dad, if you’re right and Mom’s left you, you have no one else to blame.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” his father growled, and turned away from him.

  “Then why don’t you do something? Act like a normal person once in a while. Bring her flowers. Tell her you love her.”

  Ceallach swung back to face him. “You think I don’t love her? She is everything to me. She’s the reason I breathe. Without her I could never create a single piece. She knows that. She knows that better than anyone. She protects me, takes care of me. She allows my work to happen.”

  Del glared at his father. “Then why would she leave you?”

  Aidan’s SUV pulled up beside them. Ceallach hurried toward the vehicle. Nick jumped out of the passenger side.

  “Where’s Mom?”

  Del knew the moment was gone and he would never hear his father’s answer. There was a reason the old man had jumped right to Elaine leaving.

  Aidan joined his brother. “What do you mean she’s missing? Mom doesn’t just walk out on her family. Did you two have a fight? What did you do to her?”

  Ceallach glared at the three of them for a second, then dropped his gaze and inhaled slowly. “I don’t know what happened. Nothing out of the ordinary. I’ve been busy. Working. She’s always home and now she’s not.”

  As much as Del wanted to join Aidan in blaming their father, he knew that line of questioning wouldn’t help anyone.

  “Maya’s on her way in from the ranch,” he said. “We’re meeting her at Morgan’s Books. Let’s get there and wait for her. She knows Mom. I think she has an idea of where she went.”

  “If she doesn’t, we’re calling the police,” Aidan said grimly. “And the search-and-rescue team. We’re going to find her tonight.”

  Cheap talk, Del thought, understanding his
brother’s frustration. But willing something to happen didn’t matter a damn.

  They walked the short distance to the bookstore. About three minutes after they arrived, Maya pulled up. She got out of her car and approached them.

  “You still haven’t found her?” she asked Del.

  “No, and we’ve been calling her cell. She’s not answering.”

  Maya looked more resigned than upset. Del put his hand on her shoulder.

  “What do you know?” he asked.

  “I have a good idea where she is. Come on.”

  Before he could ask what she was talking about, she started walking. She circled the building to the side, then opened a door leading to a staircase.

  Del glanced at the mailboxes on the wall, the open entryway. There were apartments above the retail businesses on the street. Small places that were often summer rentals. Why would his mother be here? Unease tugged at him as he followed Maya up the stairs.

  When they reached the second floor, Maya led the way to a door at the end of the hall. She knocked once, then used a key to let herself in.

  Del followed, along with his brothers and father. He didn’t know what they were thinking, but he could only stand in the middle of a small studio apartment and wonder what the hell was going on.

  There were two large windows overlooking the park, a small kitchenette, a TV and a door leading to what he would guess was the bathroom. His mother lay asleep on a daybed, Sophie stretched out next to her. There were fresh flowers in a vase, a couple of his father’s smaller pieces of glass on the table by the bed and jazz softly playing from an ancient clock radio.

  Maya knelt by his mother and gently shook her shoulder. “Elaine, honey, you have to wake up.”

  His mother stirred, then opened her eyes. “Did I over—” She looked past Maya and saw the four of them, staring at her. Her mouth formed an O.

  “Mom!” Nick hurried to her side. “What’s going on? We were so worried. Dad said you were missing and you weren’t answering your cell.”

  “I’m sorry,” Maya murmured. “They were frantic. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to call from the car, but you didn’t pick up.”