Summer Reads Box Set, Books 4-6

by Freethy, Barbara

  "Everything okay?" Nick asked from the doorway.

  She turned her head and sighed at the sight of him. He looked so damn good in his faded jeans and navy blue knit T-shirt, rugged and handsome and fresh from a shower. She, on the other hand, felt like a rumpled bed. "Everything's fine," she said, scolding herself for even noticing her ex-husband's looks. She didn't need to stare at him. She knew what his body looked like. She'd traced it with her mouth a hundred times. Goodness, where had that thought come from?

  "Lisa? What are you thinking about?" Nick asked curiously.

  "I was thinking about taking a shower, then a nap," she lied. "I'm tired." She walked into the hall and pulled Mary Bea's door closed so they wouldn't disturb her.

  "I'll bet you are. Mary Bea told me she loved you," Nick said softly. "She said she was glad you were her aunt."

  Lisa felt a rush of warmth steal across her body. "That's sweet."

  "Yeah, and she wants to know if we're going to live together again."

  Lisa felt a knot grow in her throat. "What did you tell her?"

  "That I wouldn't mind that at all."

  "Nick..." She searched for the right words to say but none came to mind, so she simply shrugged. Then said, "I really need to take a shower."

  "Before you go, I have a surprise for you in the kitchen."

  "I don't think I can take any more surprises."

  "Homemade chocolate chip cookies," he said. "Your number one comfort food, as I recall."

  "Oh, man. I thought I smelled cookies when we walked in the door." Lisa immediately turned toward the stairs and, despite Nick's laugh, hurried to the kitchen.

  The cookies were on a plate on the counter and were still warm.

  "They're only the slice and bake kind," Nick warned.

  "I don't care." She broke one in half and popped a bite into her mouth, then closed her eyes as the delicious warmth of chocolate and sugar melted in her mouth.

  "You look like you're having an orgasm," Nick commented.

  Lisa opened one eye and scowled at him. "Yeah, and you're interrupting."

  "It would be a lot more fun if I could share it with you."

  "Get your own cookie."

  He walked over and slid his arms around her waist, then pressed his mouth against hers, tasting the chocolate on her lips. "Mm-mm, I like this cookie the best."

  She pushed him away with a laugh. "You think you can sweet-talk me with a cookie?"

  "I know I can," he said confidently. "Just let me--"

  He stopped when the doorbell rang.

  "Probably my mother," Lisa said, heading toward the front door. But it wasn't her mother. It was Raymond.

  "What are you doing here?" she gasped.

  He sent her a satisfied smile. "I was worried about you, so I thought I'd drive down and see if I could help speed your return home." His smile faded as he saw Nick standing behind her.

  Lisa followed his gaze, realizing that Nick's mouth was spotted with chocolate, the same chocolate that was on her lips, because she'd been kissing him when she was engaged to Raymond. She suddenly felt as if they'd been caught in bed together.

  "I'm Raymond Curtis, Elisabeth's fiancé," he said to Nick, extending his hand.

  Nick ignored the gesture. "I'm Nick Maddux, Lisa's ex- husband."

  "Ex-husband?" Raymond's arm fell to his side. His eyes widened in shock as he looked from her to Nick, then back to her. "You never told me you were married."

  "You never told him you were married?" Nick asked with a mocking smile. "What else doesn't he know?"

  Chapter Twenty

  "Raymond, let me explain." Lisa took Raymond's arm and pulled him inside the house. "Come in and sit down. Would you like some coffee or a cookie?" She self consciously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, catching Nick's sardonic grin out of the corner of her eye.

  "Some coffee would be good," Raymond said tensely, obviously taken aback by Nick's unexpected revelation.

  "I'm pretty thirsty myself," Nick said, following them down the hall to the kitchen.

  "I'd like to speak to Raymond alone." Lisa paused at the door to the kitchen.

  "I've been wanting to meet your fiancé, Lisa, I mean Elisabeth. I understand you're quite the businessman, Raymond."

  "Well, yes," Raymond said proudly. "I run a very successful advertising firm, Curtis and Associates."

  "Lisa told me you're a shark."

  Raymond darted a curious glance at Lisa. "I hope that was a compliment."

  "It was, of course," she said, feeling like a spectator at a tennis match. But she wasn't a spectator. This was her life, not Nick's. "Excuse us," she said firmly, pulling Raymond into the kitchen and shutting the door behind her.

  Raymond stared at her like she was a stranger, and as his gaze ran down her rumpled slacks and blouse, his expression grew more incredulous. "You look like you slept in those clothes."

  "She did," Nick said, stepping into the kitchen.

  "My God, did you sleep with him?" Raymond demanded.

  "No," Lisa snapped, trying to ignore Nick's amused smile. "I slept with my five-year-old niece in the hospital. I left you a message."

  "Right. You said something about an emergency."

  "She's fine by the way."

  "Well, that's good," he said a little awkwardly.

  "Where were you anyway?" she asked.

  "I had a breakfast meeting with Paul to discuss his handling of the Nature Brand account."

  "Paul?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You gave Paul my account? How could you do that?"

  "I waited for your ideas," Raymond replied, his voice sharp, his expression tense. "They didn't arrive as promised. I have to have something to present tomorrow at my lunch meeting. I can't go in empty-handed."

  "You can't reschedule?"

  "No, dammit, I can't," Raymond said. "I have a business to run, and you're showing an amazing lack of reliability."

  "My friend is in trouble."

  "Your ex-husband?" Raymond tipped his head toward Nick, who was lounging against the counter.

  "No, my ex-husband's sister, Maggie. That's why Nick is here, Raymond. He's helping me take care of the kids."

  "So you're living here together?"

  "Not exactly together."

  "I wouldn't say that," Nick said.

  "You won't say anything, because you're leaving." Lisa walked around the kitchen island, grabbed Nick's wrist and dragged him out of the room. "Stay out, this is my business." She slammed the door in his face.

  Raymond looked at her in bewilderment. He shook his head, opened his mouth, then shook his head again. "I can't believe you were married. You never said a word. Why?"

  "I was young when we were married. It was eight years ago."

  "I told you about my ex-wife. Why the big mystery?"

  Now that he asked, Lisa didn't know why she hadn't told him, except that she hadn't wanted to think about Nick, much less talk about him. "There is no mystery. I just don't think about him anymore."

  "What else haven't you told me?"

  Lisa hesitated. "Sit down." She pulled out a chair for him at the kitchen table.

  Raymond sat down, waiting for her to begin.

  She took a deep breath, wondering if she could really get out the words. She hadn't told anyone about Robin, hadn't spoken about her from the day after the funeral until she'd arrived at Maggie's on Friday night.

  "Elisabeth, what is it?" Raymond prodded. "Surely, it can't be that bad."

  "It is bad, Raymond." She sat down and folded her hands together on the table. "Nick and I had a baby, and she died when she was two months old of sudden infant death syndrome, which means they don't really know what killed her." Her words came out in a terrifying rush, and she wasn't sure any of them made sense.

  Raymond didn't reply for a long moment. Then he put his hand over hers. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

  "It's not something I talk about. Nick and I separated a few days after the funeral,
" she added. "It was a very painful episode in my life, and I never told you because I didn't want to relive it."

  "And that's why you don't want children, because of this baby that you lost?"

  "Yes.”

  Raymond sat back in his chair. "I have to admit I'm surprised. I never imagined you'd been through such a terrible experience. You've always seemed so young and pretty, untouched by life." He paused. "Come back with me to L.A."

  She tensed. "I can't leave Mary Bea. We just brought her home from the hospital, and her mother hasn't returned yet."

  "Why can't you leave her with her uncle?"

  "Because I promised Maggie I would stay. And Mary Bea, too."

  "You promised me you'd help me win this account," Raymond reminded her, suddenly all business again. "This is very important to the agency, to our future together. You should have a sense of responsibility, a loyalty to me, to the company, to your job. I don't understand what's going on in your head, Elisabeth."

  Her name seemed wrong on his lips. Maybe that was the problem; she'd become Lisa again. But that would change, she told herself. She just needed to get herself together again. "I just need a few days, Raymond. I know it's inconvenient, but it's important to me. And it's not that much to ask, is it?”

  He let out a sigh. "I suppose not."

  She gave him a smile. "I do appreciate your driving all the way down here to see me. It means a lot to know that you care that much about me. I'm sure Maggie will be home today or tomorrow, and I promise I will come home as soon as she walks in the door."

  "I hope you do," he said, getting to his feet. Pausing, he gave her a long, measuring look. "But don't come back until you know what you want, Elisabeth—for both our sakes."

  His cryptic words hung in the air between them as she walked him to the front door. He kissed her on the cheek and then left. She stood in the doorway, watching his car pull away, and wondered if he wasn't taking her future with him. At least, the future she'd been planning to have the last few years.

  Nick came up behind her. "He didn't stay long. No quickie in the kitchen?"

  She shot him a dark look. "You had no business getting in the middle of our personal conversation.”

  Nick frowned as he gave her a searching look. "He's old, Lisa. What are you doing with him?"

  "He's fifty-two," she said tightly. "Not that it matters. We have a lot in common. Age doesn't make a difference."

  "Doesn't it?"

  "Not in our case, no."

  "I guess you finally found that father figure you were always looking for.”

  "That isn't it at all. Raymond doesn't try to change me, to take over my thoughts, to rule every aspect of my life. He's a good man."

  Nick stared at her for a long moment. "Maybe he is, but you still haven't told me that you love him."

  "I love him," she said, feeling as if she had to push each word out.

  "Not very convincing."

  "Well, I'm tired." She moved into the house and shut the door. "And I really wish you hadn't told him that we were married."

  "How was I to know it was a secret?"

  "You didn't have to say anything. You were just trying to stake some claim on me."

  He tipped his head. "Maybe I was."

  The doorbell rang again, and her pulse leapt. "Maybe Raymond decided to come back. I didn't like the way he left." But when she opened the door, there were two other people on the steps, two people she really didn't want to see—Bill and Kathy Maddux, Nick's parents.

  Bill was an older version of Nick, long, lean legs, a strong build and gray hair. Kathy was a short, rather plump blond with a big smile.

  "Lisa," Kathy said with amazement. "Good heavens, I haven't seen you in ages. Give me a hug." She opened her arms, and Lisa couldn't help but respond. The warm greeting seemed surprising given their conflicted past, but then again Kathy was a generous woman.

  "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" Nick asked, as she stepped back and gave Nick's father an awkward smile. "Your trip doesn't end until Friday," he added.

  "Tell him, Bill," Kathy said to her husband.

  "You tell him."

  Kathy rolled her eyes. "Your father got seasick."

  "The boat was just too damn big. Couldn't find my way half the time," he said gruffly.

  "They were on a cruise of the Greek islands," Nick said to Lisa.

  "That's right," Kathy said. "We went halfway across the world, and all your father wanted to do was read his golf magazines."

  "Now if they'd had a golf course on board, I'd have been happy."

  "Anyway, we decided to come home early. We missed everyone. Where's Maggie?”

  "Why don't you both come in and sit down?" Lisa suggested. "Nick made cookies. Would you like one?"

  "Nick made cookies?" Kathy asked, putting a hand to her heart. "Good heavens! What exactly did he want from you, Lisa?"

  Lisa felt a rush of heat splash across her cheeks at the teasing question. It reminded her of the way things used to be.

  "I made the cookies for Mary Bea," Nick interjected. "She just had her appendix out."

  Kathy's expression turned to worry. "Oh, my goodness. Is she okay?"

  "She's fine," Lisa said. "She's sleeping."

  "Oh, I have to go see her. I promise I won't wake her up. Come on. Bill. Let's go check on our sweet thing."

  As they left the room, Lisa turned to Nick. "What are we going to tell them about Maggie?"

  "I don't know. I'm thinking."

  "Think fast. They'll be back in a second.

  "Maybe I'll let you explain it."

  "No way. They're your parents. And I'm sure they don't care much for me anymore."

  "My mother just tried to squeeze the life out of you."

  "She was being polite."

  Nick looked at her in amazement. "Are you kidding, Lisa? My parents love you. They always have."

  "Not after I left you the way I did," she said.

  "They told me it was my fault."

  "They wouldn't have said that.”

  "Oh, they did, trust me."

  "Your dad has never been able to look me in the eye since that terrible night in the hospital."

  Nick put his hands on her arms and gave her a little shake. "You could find rejection in an ant who decides not to make his home in your kitchen. My father doesn't look anyone in the eye when it comes to personal, emotional matters. He can't let his feelings show, whether they are good, bad or indifferent. You're the one who used to tell me that, remember?"

  "Yes, I guess I did," she said slowly. Something else she'd forgotten. Why was her view of the past so distorted?

  "My parents know that what happened to Robin was no one's fault. And we both share the blame in what happened to our marriage." He gazed into her eyes with a deep, sobering intensity. "We both do, Lisa."

  "I know," she whispered, her eyes blurring with weary tears. "And you don't know how many times I wished I'd done things differently."

  "That makes two of us."

  "Mary Bea is still asleep," Kathy interrupted, as she walked down the stairs with Bill at her heels.

  Lisa stepped away from Nick's grip. "That's good to hear. Would you like something to drink or eat?"

  "Right now I just want information. And maybe a cookie," Kathy said, turning toward the kitchen while her husband muttered something about catching the news on television.

  Once in the kitchen, Kathy sat down at the table and gave Nick a determined, motherly glare. "All right. What's going on?”

  "Cookie, first?" Nick asked with a smile, as he sat down at the table and slid the plate over to her.

  "Chocolate chip, huh? Lisa's favorite." Kathy sent them each a speculative look. "Yes, I'll take a cookie, but you're not going to distract me with food. I can eat and listen at the same time. What's going on with Maggie?”

  "Maggie needed to get away for a few days to get her head straight," Nick said.

  "Straight about what?" Kathy asked.

&
nbsp; "I don't know." Nick rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "She's a little nuts at the moment."

  "What does that mean?" Alarm rang through Kathy's voice, and she leaned forward. "Is she having some sort of a breakdown?''

  "Nick, you're scaring your mother." Lisa softened her voice deliberately, hoping to ease some of the anxiety she could see on Kathy's face. "Maggie had some questions about Keith's death that she needed to resolve. That's all."

  "She thinks Keith might still be alive," Nick said bluntly.

  "Well, don't sugarcoat it, Nick," Lisa said in disgust.

  "She's a mother, she can take it."

  Kathy put a hand to her heart and took several deep breaths. "Why would my usually sensible daughter think that her husband is alive, when we all know that he died in a fire almost a year ago?"

  "She thinks she saw him," Nick replied.

  Kathy gasped. "What?"

  "It's a long story. There are all sorts of other things, insurance money, missing cash." Nick shook his head. "I'll admit, I'm getting worried. Maggie was supposed to be back on Sunday. She doesn't even know Mary Bea had her appendix out, because her cell phone died, and we keep missing her when she occasionally calls in."

  Lisa hated the look of worry that crossed Kathy's face. She and her husband had just come back from a long overdue second honeymoon. They were rested, relaxed. At least they had been.

  "Well, I'm glad you're here, Lisa," Kathy said with a sigh. "It's good to see you again, and it's especially nice to see you and Nick together."

  "Forget it, Mom. She came down at Maggie's request, and she's marrying someone else in a month." Nick shoved back his chair and stood up.

  "Oh." Kathy looked taken aback, but she quickly recovered. "Congratulations. I hope you'll be happy."

  "Thank you. I think I'll check on Mary Bea. If you'll excuse me..." Lisa headed out the door, feeling a desperate need to escape. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about her upcoming marriage with her ex-in-laws.