Andi shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I still vote for the scooter.” Rhett danced his eyes at Jules and muttered. “Scraped skin is preferable to deaf ears, isn’t it?”
“Rhett,” she admonished as she pulled out a larger keyboard. “Here, this one is perfect. It has a tiny drum set on it. Look.”
Andi oohed and aahed at its features and pressed every button several times to discover its purpose.
“Now, let’s get some paper and we’ll wrap it up nice and pretty.” Jules grinned at the five- year-old as she pranced in excitement.
“Can I help wrap it?”
Jules tweaked her chin. “May, and yes, ma’am, you may.”
It didn’t take long to pick out a purple character roll of paper with a matching cascading bow. When they exited the store, the heat hit like a flyswatter to the face. The sun broke behind the clouds, and a light wind brought the smell of wet pavement to Jules’ nose.
“Yay, me and Goldie can go to the beach.” Andi walked through a shallow puddle in her polka dot kitty cat flip-flops that matched her skirt and top.
Rhett loaded the purchases into the trunk. “Well, since it’s the last day, I don’t see why not.”
“I can’t wait for Goldie’s party tonight. It’s going to be so, so fun.”
Jules took a deep breath. Fun. Definitely relative. Being in Cora and Pete Grayson’s presence this week had triggered Rhett’s arm about her shoulders, random intimate touches, even a shoulder rub. It was getting harder and harder to endure his masquerade of love. She exhaled. One…more…night.
* * *
The last day. Thank the good Lord above. Rhett didn’t bother to glance at Pete who lowered himself on the towel next to him, soaked from the ocean’s surf. Rhett, now nearly dry, sat up and sprawled his legs on either side of the wooden recliner, his eyes firmly on Jules and Andi as they waded in the shallow waves with Cora and Goldie. He could feel Pete’s perusal.
“What’s up with you and Jules?”
His head snapped in his direction. “What do you mean?”
Pete shrugged and grabbed his dry towel to dab the moisture on his chest. “I don’t know. You both seem…nervous. You guys have a fight?”
Rhett firmed his jaw, thankful his mirrored sunglasses hid his narrowed eyes. “Everything’s fine.”
Pete gave a short laugh. “Okay. Just saying.”
Rhett lowered his head and exhaled. “It’s…I don’t know. Complicated.”
Pete threw the towel, leaned back on his hands, and stared at him. “Well, it can’t be easy for Jules to take on a ready-made family.”
“That’s not it.”
Pete raised his sunglasses. “Then what is it?”
Rhett shrugged. “It’s between us.”
His friend crossed his legs at his ankles, pulled his shades down, and shifted his gaze to the women and children. “Wondered why you were doing so much jogging. Is it workable?”
He inhaled a long breath. A wave came in and nearly took Jules down trying to protect Andi from being dunked. Her face turned up in a laugh, and the sun transforming her hair to a strawberry blond fire as she hugged the child against her.
Her suit formed a second skin across her shapely body, and it brought a mental picture of her in the tie-dyed two-piece. Her new tan complimented her muscle tone. As if he needed one more reason to notice her. Was it doable?
“I’m not sure.” Excellent answer. Was there anything he was sure of? He’d been so against marriage. Now…he could hardly remember why. Last night had been the longest of nights, with Andi lying between him and Jules on the other side of his bed. He couldn’t sleep. All he thought of was…her.
“Listen. Let me take care of it.”
Rhett screwed up his face and jerked his head toward his friend. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see.”
* * *
Goldie stood in the kitchen chair of the Grayson’s rental and squealed in joy as she ripped open Andi’s gift. The smell of burnt candles still drifted through the air. Jules wiped frosting from her finger with a napkin and tensed as Rhett’s hand rested on her shoulder. One more smile may shatter her face into a million shards. Given she operated on a few hours sleep, how much pressure could she absorb before she burst into tears?
“Let’s go to my room.” Goldie snatched up the keyboard, and Andi scooped up the new playhouse, and off they ran.
“Oh, dear. I apologize for my daughter’s rudeness.” Cora laughed, gesturing toward the empty hallway. “But as you can tell, she was thrilled with your gift.”
Pete chuckled and popped Rhett on the shoulder with an open hand. “Yep. Thanks, man for the annoyingly loud toy you just gave my daughter.”
“No problem.” Rhett grinned.
“Remember about paybacks, buddy.” Pete nodded at him, eyebrows elevated.
Jules pulled away and collected the cake plates scattered across the glass tabletop.
“Oh, no, Jules. Let me get that.” Cora waved her off. “Since Andi’s spending the night, I’ll have plenty of time to clean up.”
Jules froze. “What?”
Cora’s eyes flew open. She parked a hand on her hip with exaggeration and shot a glance at her husband. “I thought you told me this was set up?”
“Actually, I said we should mention it to them.”
“That is not what you said.” Pete’s wife’s eyes widened and her mouth opened. “Oh, no. I already told Goldie she was staying.”
Jules set the dishes on the counter. “Well, maybe once we get back—”
“She can stay.” Rhett’s voice cut in.
Jules’ mouth popped open. She shut it quickly and avoided his gaze.
“Are you sure? Oh, wow, I’d really appreciate that. Me and my big mouth.” Cora laid a delicate hand on her lips and cringed. “I’m really sorry, but Goldie would be so disappointed.”
* * *
Pete was a genius. Rhett could hardly hide a grin. “No point in disappointing Goldie on her birthday. And you’re right. It’d be nice to have a little alone time.”
His glance flicked to Jules’ stiff features, and then to Pete’s dancing eyes. He winked at his friend and took Jules’ elbow. His heart pounded a tattoo through his chest. Time to find out if this was doable.
“Well, we’ll leave her in your care. I mean, if you don’t mind.”
Cora flipped her hands towards the door. “Scoot you two. I think it’s a fabulous idea.”
Pete pulled the slider open. The fire pit still burned from roasting hot dogs earlier. His buddy growled in a pitiful New Jersey accent. “Yeah. Get outa here.”
“Well, thank you for everything.” Jules’ voice trembled.
“Yes, for everything.” Rhett waved and flicked one last appreciative gaze at Pete before they stepped out into the near darkness. He guided her to the stairs and to the edge of the surf.
She tugged free. “You don’t have to pretend anymore.”
Jules paused and jerked the sandals from her feet. The horizon glowed with a blinding burst of orange before complete sundown. The wind pulled at their clothes, and Rhett’s shoes sank into the soft sand. The waves washed the shore with a steady swish as they walked in silence. Four houses down, they came abreast of their rental, and she veered toward the balcony.
“Jules, wait.”
She stopped and turned.
“Let’s walk a little bit.”
“What for?” Her arms crossed tight over her chest, sandals dangling.
Rhett slid his hands into his pockets. “Just because.”
She grunted. “Fine.”
They paired up and Jules meandered into the foamy edge of the water while Rhett stayed just above the breaker.
“I’ve been thinking about us.”
Her head turned toward him. “Is this concerning that whole ‘mom’ thing? Because if it is—”
“No.” Rhett halted. “I mean, you and me.”
Jules froze, backtracked, an
d climbed the sandy swell to stand in front of him. The glow of the fish diner a few buildings down the beach illuminated her face. “There is no ‘you and me.’”
Rhett gave a whistle. “Oh, I beg to differ.”
* * *
Jules narrowed her eyes. Why did that light have to be right in her face? It put his expression in the shadow. She tossed her sandals aside, stepped beyond him, and paced a bit, giving him an opportunity to turn toward the light. Perfect. She set her hands on her hips. “I’m not sure I’m following you.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, Jules. This pretend marriage doesn’t feel much like pretending anymore.”
She blinked and furrowed her brow, and glanced away from the light to shield her face. “And?”
His hands came up in question then fell to his sides. He glanced down the beach. “Celeste messed up my whole idea of marriage, you know.”
Jules drew in the cool salty air and lowered her head. She steeled herself. “Actually. I don’t know.”
He brought a hand up and rasped his chin. “My marriage to Celeste wasn’t exactly a happy one.”
She jerked her chin up. “What?”
He grunted. “Celeste was…difficult.”
“Difficult?” She couldn’t help reiterating. It wasn’t the word she’d expected.
“Yes. I hate to say it, but she made life miserable. She was beautiful, and we hooked up in college. But our biggest problem became the fact she wasn’t a Christian.” He turned and started walking back the way they’d come. Jules snatched up the sandals and jogged to catch up.
“My walk with the Lord wasn’t strong then, and I kept ignoring the warning signs that she wasn’t right for me. Her folks were Italian and had a successful restaurant here in Florida. I was from Dallas. She modeled some during college. After graduation, we ended up back in Texas, and I started working at an entry level job.
He paused and cleared his throat. Jules’ insides churned. “We got married, but from the very beginning she wasn’t happy. I didn’t earn enough money to support her lifestyle, and she began to resent me. She talked her parents into coming to Texas so she could start a restaurant, and we went into all kinds of debt. Her business showed some success until she had a spat with the chef, who was really the backbone of the place. Then things sort of slid downhill.”
Jules glanced at him. His head hung and his shoulders hunched. Her heart swelled for him. For the first time, without an audience, Jules caught hold of his hand. He slowed a moment and stared at her. In the shadows, she could see the haunted sadness on his face. He took a deep breath.
“Then we found out about Andi, and it all hit the fan. She was furious at me for getting her pregnant.”
“Why?” Jules couldn’t suppress the whispered question.
“She didn’t want to give birth to a child because it would wreak havoc with her body, and she wanted to model again.” He ran his other hand through his hair. “I finally convinced her that the right thing to do was to have the baby. She stayed and gave birth to Andi and lasted exactly five months. I came home after work one day to an empty house. I called the baby-sitter, and Andi was still there.”
“Oh, Rhett, no.”
He shrugged. “That wasn’t so unusual. Celeste was often late collecting her. I picked up Andi, and when we got home, I looked around the living room and realized several of Celeste’s things were missing. But after I checked the bedroom, I realized all her stuff was gone.”
Jules caught her breath. “What happened?”
“I didn’t see her for almost a year and a half. Then she just showed up, knocking at the front door. But she looked terrible. I let her in, and she told me she was dying of cancer. She’d spent the last few months saying goodbye to her parents and asked if she could stay with us.”
He came to a stop and brought Jules’ hand up to his chest. His voice grew thick. “What could I say? She was still my wife.”
With a deep breath, he started walking again. “She made it seven months. Her funeral was two weeks before Andi’s third birthday.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
The beach house neared, so Jules angled towards it and climbed the stairs to the deck. Rhett pursued in silence. Jules propped her arms on top of the wooden railing, and Rhett followed suit, their shoulders touching. They watched the waves for a long time. The silver moon emerged through the clouds, adding an ethereal light to the darkness.
Finally Rhett spoke. “The worst thing was I couldn’t recover past my failed marriage. I’d made some terrible choices. I didn’t want to ever get in such a position again.”
He paused for a moment. “My only consolation came in convincing her to accept Christ before she died. Celeste never apologized for leaving, or not wanting Andi. And she blamed me for everything that went wrong in our marriage.”
“I’m so sorry. But I’m thankful for her salvation.” She linked her fingers with his larger ones and shivered. The wind had picked up. Rhett pulled his hand from hers, draped his arm over her shoulders, and snuggled her close to his warm body.
He turned towards her. “You know what?”
His chest pressed against her shoulder. She hated to move. The closeness would pass, and she ached to stay near. Here, there were no people to impress. Just the two of them, becoming intimate.
She drank in the cool oxygen as she studied him. “What?”
“It’s taken me a while to realize it, but it’s different with us.” He drew her into his embrace and rubbed his hands down her back.
His breath brushed her cheek. The waves crashed beyond the deck. The air around them whipped, but the space between them crackled warm and electric.
She fingered the button at his collar and stared at his mouth. Words appeared foreign. “Uh-huh.”
He pressed her to him and her heart quickened. His raspy cheek stroked hers, and he whispered in her ear. “Jules.”
Her hands snaked behind his neck and splayed against the silk of his dark hair. She shivered and exhaled through parted lips. Something like warm liquid mercury filled her, and her pulse thundered.
He withdrew and searched her face. The porch light illuminated the desire in his blue eyes, and she wet her lips. His hooded gaze returned to her eyes, and his mouth descended to hers. Their lips touched lightly then separated.
He probed her expression for several seconds before his mouth came back to hers, more demanding this time. A flame kindled in Jules’ chest as he pressed her even closer with firm pressure. His mouth trailed a path of kisses down her jaw and to her neck, and Jules closed her eyes, struggling to breathe. His scent filled her senses and normal thought patterns fled. She arched, savoring the wave of pleasure at his touch. And suddenly he pulled back.
“Wha…?”
“Do you want to go inside?” His voice rasped low and husky with emotion.
“Uh-huh.” She groaned.
His arms drew her against him, his lips tasting hers for a moment and stealing the air from her lungs. Passion stirred the flames higher. His hands caressed the small of her back and roamed to her upper arms and massaged her tense muscles. She peered at him through heavy lids and sighed, yearning to be drawn back into his embrace.
“Jules?”
“Hmmm?”
“If I take you inside, I’ll take you to my bed.”
The fragrance of his skin enveloped her, and she desired nothing less.
“Then take me.”
He picked her up, cradled her against his chest, and swung her through the door with ease. She buried her face in his neck and clung to his thick corded shoulders. Tonight the masks came off. No more marriage pretense.
* * *
The next morning, she woke to a Rhett-scented bed, and she smiled in memory. He’d already risen, but she stretched out, enjoying the cool sheets and that fact she was truly Mrs. Rhett Carsen. Her little reverie ended when she heard the sound of the door and of crying echoing down the main hallway. Andi’s sobs and Pete’s voice drifted to her ears.
>
She vaulted out of bed, wrapped herself in the sheet, and grabbed her clothes before making a beeline for her room. She dressed in a flurry, flipped her hair into a bun, and hurried through the hallway. Andi’s howls came from Rhett’s bedroom. She looped around and paused in the doorway as Rhett examined Andi’s legs.
“What is it?” she asked, entering the room.
Angry red splotches splayed across the child’s legs and several welts had risen.
“I don’t know. Maybe jelly fish stings. I’m not sure.”
“They hurt, Daddy. Ouch, ouch.” Andi bawled.
He turned to her. “Listen, I’m going to take her to the emergency clinic we passed on our way in from the airport just to make sure. You okay to stay here?”
Jules stuttered. “Uh…yeah, I’ll start the packing.”
“Good.” He cradled Andi and strode down the hallway then took the stairs at a jog.
Jules scurried behind them and rushed ahead to open the door to the garage. She waved as they got in the vehicle and drove off.
Jules puckered her face and chewed her lip. He hadn’t even asked her to come along. A rock settled in her stomach, and she chided herself for being so immature. She should be praying instead of pouting. Tears trembled on her lids as she sent a prayer heavenward. Then she set her jaw and cleaned the house.
Out went any leftover food. She finished the dishes then collected the trash. She packed her own suitcases and organized Andi’s clothes, filling one suitcase with dirty laundry. Finally, she went to Rhett’s room and stood, hands on hips. She took a deep breath. Why hadn’t he included her? Was she nothing more than a one-nighter? A groan tore from her as she sank to the side of the mattress. She pressed her fingers to her mouth. Good enough to spend the night with, but not important enough to be included during a family crises.
Oh, snap. Had she become some handy roommate whose duties now included…. She jumped up and shook her entire body in revulsion. Oh, please no. She froze and huffed air into her lungs in panic. He hadn’t told her he loved her. Had he fed her some sob story to spend the night in her bed? Heavens above. What was worse than being a glorified nanny? Being Rhett’s escort.
Her sobs rocked the walls, and she rushed headlong into the bathroom to splash the blotchiness and grief away. Somehow, she had to pull herself together and make the trip homeward.
Reviving Jules Page 22
