Summer Reads Box Set, Books 4-6

by Freethy, Barbara

  "Lisa, you will go with Nick," Silvia said firmly.

  "What about the children?"

  "Bill and I will stay with the children," Kathy said.

  Lisa looked at Nick. "Do you want me to go with you?" After this morning's scene, she wasn't sure he wanted to spend another minute with her, much less a four-hour drive in the car.

  "It's up to you," he said tersely.

  "Then I'll come. If Maggie is in trouble, I want to help."

  "By the way, where have you two been all night?" Kathy asked with a gleam in her eyes. "And why did you sneak out without telling us where you were going?"

  "Mom, I'm a grown man, I don't have to tell you where I spend my nights anymore," Nick replied.

  "And I'm a grown woman," Lisa said, cutting off her mother before Silvia could say a word. "So don't even think of asking me the same question."

  Silvia smiled. "I don't have to ask. I know exactly where you were—where you were meant to be."

  * * *

  Maggie stretched out her legs in the cramped front seat of their compact rental car. After an incredible night of passion, they'd rented a car and headed south to Santa Barbara. The adventure continued.

  Jeremy glanced at her and smiled, a warm, knowing smile, the kind a man gives a woman he's made love to. They'd done things that made her blush now. Things she'd never known were possible. Jeremy was an inventive lover. But then he was a fantasy. In a few hours, he'd be history.

  Unless, of course, their wild-goose chase went in another direction and they were forced to hop a plane for Barbados or something crazy like that. Not that she could do that. She'd left her children for far too long. And as her mother had reminded her a few hours earlier, she was not a kid. She couldn't just run away from her life.

  Her little escape was almost over. And she did miss her kids. She loved them more than anything; they were her life. But when this adventure was over, she would miss Jeremy. She couldn't imagine never seeing him again, never touching him or tasting his lips. It was more than just physical attraction; she felt a strong connection to him both mentally and emotionally. In other words, she'd gone and fallen head over heels in love with a man she'd probably never see again after today.

  "What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.

  He read her mind so easily. "Nothing."

  "Thinking about saying good-bye, aren't you?"

  "You have to get back to work. I have to get back to reality."

  He didn't say anything for a long minute. "What if I asked you to stay in Los Angeles? What would you say?"

  She gave him a sad smile. "No."

  "That's it?"

  "Yes. I mean, no. I mean that's it," she said, rambling on nervously. "I have other commitments."

  "I see." His clipped answer left them sitting in awkward silence.

  Tell him, a little voice inside ordered her. Tell him about the kids and the dog and the carpools and the baseball games and the hormone-driven teenagers hanging around your house. No, she couldn't. Not yet. Maybe never. She wanted to leave with the fantasy intact. She didn't want to see the desire in his eyes replaced by disappointment, by rejection.

  Jeremy pulled off the freeway as they entered the city of Santa Barbara. He seemed to know the streets and headed toward the beach without asking for directions or checking the map the rental car agency had given them.

  "Have you been here before?" she asked.

  "Many times."

  Silence fell between them again.

  "It's him," Jeremy said finally. "You still want him."

  "Keith?"

  "Of course, Keith, the man we've been chasing all over hell and back."

  Did she want Keith back?

  For some reason the question didn't seem to have an easy answer any more. Keith had been her husband. He was the father of her children. But Keith had gone to such elaborate lengths to disappear; she doubted he had any intention of returning to their life. And even if she could convince him to do that, would she want to? If he didn't love her the way she loved him... if he could lie and cheat, then he wasn't the man she'd loved. She deserved more, she thought, and for the first time she actually believed it. But then there were the children...

  "You haven't answered my question, Maggie," Jeremy reminded her.

  "It's complicated," she said.

  "You either want him back or you don't."

  "All I want right now are answers," Maggie replied.

  Jeremy turned a corner and pulled to an abrupt stop in front of the Miramar Beach Inn. "Then let's get some.”

  Maggie took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Jeremy came around to her side, and they entered the lobby together. Jeremy walked directly to the courtesy phone in the lobby and dialed Serena's room. Maggie held her breath, hoping the story they'd plotted on the way down the coast would work.

  "Serena, it's Jeremy." His eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at Maggie and mouthed the words it's her. "I brought your things because Wanda had something to do. What room are you in?" He listened for a moment, then nodded. "406. I'll see you in a few minutes." He hung up the phone and turned to Maggie. "Got it.”

  "Oh, my God. It's finally going to happen isn't it? I'm going to see my husband. I don't know if I can do it."

  "Yes, you can. Whatever happens, I'll be right behind you."

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Nick pulled up in front of the Miramar Beach Inn and turned off the ignition. Lisa let out a sigh of relief that the long, tense, silent drive was over. She'd tried to sleep but couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Nick and remembered every excruciatingly wonderful detail of their lovemaking the night before. The first time had been passionate and stormy and rushed, years of pent-up desire driving them on in a fast fury. The second time had been tender and loving, between two longtime friends who'd found each other again, and the third time had been an adventure, a discovery, a way of making love they'd never shared before.

  Three times. She'd made love with him three times. If the night had been any longer, it probably would have been four. How could she go back to L.A. and marry Raymond? How could she stay in San Diego with Nick? Two impossible choices.

  "Are you getting out?" Nick demanded impatiently, his door already open. "We're here, in case you hadn't noticed."

  "I'm waiting for my stomach to catch up with us," Lisa said sharply. "It's back on that last curve you took at a hundred miles an hour."

  Nick shrugged off her sarcasm. "You never used to be such a wimp in the car."

  "You never used to drive like you were on the last lap at the Indy 500."

  "I just want to find Maggie. Are you coming or not?"

  "I'm coming." Lisa stepped out of the car and took a moment to stretch. Across the street was a long expanse of beach, the waves breaking just a few hundred yards away. It was a beautiful spring day, blue sky, blue ocean, children laughing, birds singing. Birds! She looked around somewhat warily, but there was no sign of a robin.

  "Lisa, let's go," Nick said impatiently.

  She followed him across the parking lot and through the double doors that led into the lobby of the hotel. Of Spanish-style design, the floors were tiled, the walls covered with stucco. There were plants everywhere in the atrium-like lobby, and a fountain in the middle of the building sent up a spume of mist with its bubbling stream of water.

  Nick walked over to the registration desk and had a brief conversation with the clerk. When he returned, his face was grim. "She's not registered," he said in disgust, planting his hands on his hips.

  "She has to be here. She left hours ago. What about that woman she's chasing, Serena something?"

  "They're not going to give me a room number even if I have a name. Dammit."

  She was still trying to think of what to do next when a bird flew into the open-air lobby and lit on the edge of the fountain, chirping impatiently. "That is not a--" she breathed.

  "Looks like a robin to me.”

  She exchanged a long look with
Nick. "It doesn't mean anything."

  "Just because you don't believe in magic doesn't mean it doesn't exist." He straightened, a new energy coming into his eyes. "I'm going to find my sister."

  "How?" she asked, as he took off toward the elevators.

  "I have no idea, but I'm not leaving until I've knocked on every door."

  * * *

  "You're stalling," Jeremy said, watching Maggie with his dark, piercing eyes as they stood in the hallway. "Serena is on the other side of this door. All you have to do is knock."

  "It sounds simple." Maggie swallowed a lump of anxiety. She had nothing to fear. She was in the right. They were in the wrong. A little self-righteous indignation would be good, she told herself firmly. Get mad. He cheated on you. He lied. He betrayed you.

  She thrust back her shoulders and rapped sharply on the door. She heard a voice, a patter of footsteps, the clicking of the double locks. Then the door slowly opened.

  A woman stood on the threshold, slender and curvy in hot pink shorts and a white midriff top. Her long blond hair drifted down her back. She was a man's fantasy, long legs, big breasts, great hair.

  Maggie put a hand to her stomach, feeling suddenly sick. How could she compete with this?

  Jeremy's hand touched her back, a subtle reminder that she couldn't run away. She had to go forward.

  "Jeremy?" Serena asked curiously, looking from Jeremy to Maggie. "You didn't tell me you were bringing someone with you."

  "This is Maggie Scott," Jeremy said,

  Serena looked at Maggie, the name obviously meaning nothing to her. Keith hadn't told Serena her name.

  Anger rolled through Maggie like a runaway truck. "Your lover's wife," she said forcefully.

  Serena looked taken aback. "Oh, shit! You're that woman who was calling our room in San Francisco." She tried to shut the door, but Maggie stuck her foot out.

  "Not so fast--" Maggie stopped, struck by the sound of a man's voice coming from behind Serena. It called to her like a ghost from the past. Keith was here, in this room, with this woman.

  "You have to leave," Serena said. "Jeremy, how could you do this to me?"

  "She needs to talk to her husband, Serena. Let her in."

  "No, I won't. He left you. He's mine now."

  "Let me in," Maggie yelled. "I want to see my lying, cheating, son-of-a-bitch husband right now, and you're not going to stop me." Before she could move, she heard someone call her name.

  "Maggie," Lisa shouted as she and Nick dashed down the corridor.

  She whirled around in confusion. What on earth were they doing here?

  "What's going on?" Nick asked. "Maggie, please, whatever you're thinking of doing--"

  "Go away," Maggie said. "You can't stop me."

  "Who are these people?" Serena asked, as she folded her arms across her chest.

  "I'm her brother," Nick said.

  "And I'm her best friend," Lisa added.

  "Great. Then you can all have coffee, I'm closing the door now."

  "No, you're not," Maggie said, putting her hand on the door. She turned to Nick. "If you want to watch, you can watch. My husband is in this room—with his lover—and I'm not leaving until I see him. Now, all of you get out of my way."

  Maggie practically knocked Serena over as she stormed into the room. The bedroom was empty, but she heard whistling coming from the bathroom. She caught her breath at the familiar sound. The whistling stopped. The doorknob slowly turned.

  Maggie felt like she was about to explode. "Open the damn door, you bastard."

  "Maggie--"

  She shook off Nick's attempt to calm her with an angry shake of her head. She would not be stopped, not now, not when she was so close.

  The door finally opened, and a man stepped out wearing khaki shorts and a navy blue polo shirt. Her heart stopped.

  He was the same height, the same build. His hair was the same color; his face the same shape. Maggie forced herself to look into his eyes, to find the truth.

  His eyes were blue, not brown. Blue!

  That was wrong. And his nose was short and broad, not long and pointed. That was wrong, too.

  She began to shake.

  "Who are you?" the man asked.

  She shook her head back and forth in utter bewilderment. "You're not Keith. You're not Keith." She put a hand to her mouth, feeling suddenly nauseated. He wasn't Keith. This man was not her husband. She'd been following a stranger. A stranger!

  Maggie felt Jeremy move behind her. His hands came around her waist, and she leaned against him, grateful for the support. "It's not him," she whispered.

  Jeremy bent his head. "Are you all right?"

  "No."

  "What the fuck is going on?" the man demanded as Serena walked over to him.

  "She said she was your wife, Mitch." Serena said.

  "This woman is not my wife."

  Serena looked at Maggie. "Who are you, then?" she asked sharply.

  "I'm Maggie Scott." Maggie said the words slowly, finding comfort in the security of her name. At the moment, it was the only thing that seemed real.

  "Am I supposed to know you?" Serena asked again. "Jeremy, could you explain, please?"

  "Maggie." Jeremy squeezed her waist. "Do you want to tell her?"

  "Yes." Maggie took a deep breath. "You wrote a letter to my husband, Keith Scott, about a month ago."

  "I don't remember the name..."

  "You said you missed seeing him on his weekends in L.A. You wanted to know if he'd ever found the courage to tell his wife or if he'd simply changed his mind about the whole thing. You signed it, With Love, Serena."

  Serena's confusion slowly turned into understanding. "Oh, that letter. Keith. Yes, I remember him."

  "I should hope so. You were having an affair with him," Maggie said, still trying to put the pieces together, only they didn't seem to fit anymore.

  "I wasn't having an affair with Keith Scott," Serena said, rolling her eyes as if she found the idea utterly ridiculous. "Is that what he told you?"

  "He didn't tell me anything." Maggie put a hand to her mouth as the bile of reality rose in her throat. "Oh, my God, he's dead. He's really dead." Her eyes blurred with tears. "He's not here. He's not alive. It wasn't a game. It was real. The fire was real." She turned to Jeremy in desperation. "My husband is really dead."

  Jeremy stared at her with compassion. "I'm sorry."

  "He's dead?" Serena asked. "I don't understand."

  "Do you want to finish it, Maggie?" Jeremy asked quietly.

  "Who the hell are you?" Nick demanded.

  "Someone who cares about your sister," Jeremy replied.

  Maggie ignored both of them, her attention focused solely on Serena. "You didn't know he was dead, did you?"

  Serena shook her head. "I wouldn't have written him if I did, although I guess that explains why he never got back to me. I was surprised, because he was so taken with the ring." She paused. "Did he tell you about the ring?"

  "What ring?"

  "The ring he wanted to buy for you."

  "He never said anything about a ring," Maggie replied. "When I got your letter, I couldn't help wondering who you were. There was perfume on your stationery. Your words sounded so personal, intimate. You mentioned weekends in L.A, with Keith, weekends when he was supposed to be on business, weekends when I couldn't call him; he could only call me."

  "I didn't mean to imply--"

  "The day before he died, he withdrew eight thousand dollars in cash," she said, cutting her off. She needed to tell Serena everything, to get rid of every last doubt. "The withdrawal and your letter seemed tied together. I decided to find you, so I could ask you if he'd given you the money. But when I heard you'd gone to San Francisco with a man you'd once thought was dead, and then we saw you getting into the cab..." Her voice drifted away as she once again looked at the man standing next to Serena. "You look like my husband. When I saw you, I started thinking maybe he hadn't died. Maybe he'd taken out extra life insuran
ce as an attempt to ease his guilt on running off with Serena."

  "I think I can answer one of your questions," Serena said. "The eight thousand dollars was the price of a diamond ring I showed your husband. I sell jewelry, Mrs. Scott. Your husband came in to the Beverly Hills store where I work several times last year. He fell in love with a ring that he wanted to give you for your anniversary. He told me that you'd married young and didn't have a proper ring."

  She stared down at her empty finger. She'd taken off the ring to sleep with Jeremy. Now, she felt like a traitor to Keith.

  "Your husband was a nice guy," Serena continued. "Although he never could quite get the courage to buy you that ring. He said he'd been brought up to be sensible, and you'd probably rather have a new car than a new ring. I told him he was crazy. Any woman would want a ring over a car."

  She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. It sounded just like Keith, practical to the end.

  "He told me how much he loved you," Serena added. "He said you'd been together forever, but the marriage just got better and better. It sounded like a fairy tale to me. I guess that's why I wanted him to buy you that ring. It seemed like a good way to have happily ever after."

  Happily ever after. Her husband had loved her. The tears fell down Maggie's cheeks unchecked. Keith had been faithful to her and the children. And she'd doubted him. He had never given her any reason to doubt him, but somehow she'd let it happen. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in you." She hoped that somewhere he could hear her, he could understand that it was only loneliness and grief and fear that had led her to such a ridiculous conclusion,

  She looked around at the group, suddenly realizing the size of her audience. "I'm sorry for barging in on you, Serena. We'll go now." She headed toward the door, breaking free from Jeremy, brushing by Nick's outstretched hand and Lisa's concerned face.

  Once in the hall, she leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. It was over—finally.

  Lisa gave her a compassionate smile. "Are you all right?"