by Peters, Liz
“Raine, you look well,” her mother exclaimed, looking delighted.
“Much healthier,” her father noted. His smile fell. “But is everything okay? Why are you home so suddenly?”
Raine forced a smile. “It was just better for me to leave.”
She started to step away, wanting to head up to her room, but her mother’s hold tightened. Raine sighed; they weren’t going to let her go without an answer.
“I fell in love with my boss,” she admitted. “I decided it wasn’t a good idea to work for him anymore. A relationship between us would never work out.”
“That’s…” Her mother floundered. “That’s unexpected. I’m so sorry things didn’t work out for you.”
“It’s fine. At least now I have a reference to put on my resume, right?”
Her parents both studied her. She shifted, uncomfortable with their sudden scrutiny.
“What?” she asked self-consciously.
“You seem…” Her father frowned. “Different, somehow.”
“Calmer,” her mother added. “More at peace.”
Raine considered this and realized that it was true. She had felt more at peace since working with Mason and Oliver and getting closure.
“Yeah. Even though I’m sad about how things went down with Mason, I’m glad I got to work there. It helped me sort out a lot of my thoughts and feelings, and I had a lot of fun.” She sighed. “I’ll miss them, but I think I’m ready to face my demons and come out stronger. It’s like I can finally breathe again.”
Her mother hugged her again. Raine let her, smiling at her father as he discreetly wiped his eyes. It had been a long, hard journey for all of them, but she could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
She wished she could share that light with Mason. But she had to give him and Oliver the chance to rebuild their family with Emily.
Maybe, she thought, one day, she and Mason might have another chance. Then, she scolded herself mentally. That was a selfish thing to hope for. She should hope things would work out between Mason and Emily and that Oliver would finally have his mother back. They deserved that happiness.
As for Raine, she would always have those treasured moments she’d spent with Oliver and Mason. That would have to be enough.
* * *
Despite her resolve to take herself out of the equation, Raine found herself on a bus heading back toward Mason’s house the next night. She wanted to make sure he and Oliver were doing okay. Plus, she still needed to pick up her things.
She told herself those definitely weren’t just excuses.
The lights of Mrs. Prince’s small convenience store were still on when she got off the bus, and, feeling a little thirsty, Raine entered the store.
Unlike last time she had come in, Mrs. Prince was already at the counter and beamed when she saw Raine.
“Raine!” she exclaimed. “I thought I’d never get to see you even with you being back in the area!”
“Sorry, Mrs. Prince,” Raine laughed. “I’ve been very busy with my new job.”
“Yes, those Parker boys must be driving you half-crazy with their antics,” the older woman said shrewdly.
Raine laughed again. “Yeah, something like that.”
She headed to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, aware of Mrs. Prince watching her the entire time. The woman smiled when she returned to the counter.
“So,” Mrs. Prince said casually. “I imagine it must be hard being away from your own child while on this job. Are your parents looking after him?”
Raine froze. Then, she took a deep, steadying breath. “My baby was stillborn.” It felt strangely natural to tell someone what had happened, to say the words out loud. “It was why we moved. After it all happened, it was too hard to stay here.”
Mrs. Prince stared at her, horrified. “Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”
“It’s okay. We didn’t tell anyone,” Raine explained. “But working with the Parkers has helped me let go.”
Tears in her eyes, Mrs. Prince reached out to pat Raine’s cheek. She felt bad for making the older woman sad, but she was glad she could finally tell the truth with only the slightest twinge of pain.
In the end, she walked out of the store with both the bottle of water and a free package of her favorite childhood candy. Unsure of what to do in the face of a seven-year-old pain, Mrs. Prince had handed Raine the candy and demanded she take it.
She wondered how Mrs. Prince would react when the rumor mill informed her that Raine had stopped working with the Parkers. She smiled to herself. The people in this area were far too nosy for their own good.
Raine meandered down the path as night fell, stuffing the candy into her pocket and sipping her water. She was in no great hurry, and she still wasn’t sure she should do this. Surely seeing Mason so soon after slipping out of the house and leaving him that note would just make the separation harder.
And what would she do if she saw Emily there? It would hurt to see his ex-wife in the house as if she’d never left when Raine had just moved out yesterday.
But this had been her choice, Raine reminded herself. She had decided to step away for her own good and for Mason’s. And, more than anything, for Oliver’s.
The Parkers would be a family again, and she was sure Oliver would love that very much. She just (selfishly, she admitted to herself) hoped he didn’t forget about her.
Maybe, while she was there, she should tell Mason that she would love to babysit every now and then. Mason and Emily would want to go out, to rekindle their romance, and she knew Mason felt like he was taking advantage by relying on his parents so much, even if they themselves thought that was nonsense. He would probably be glad to have another babysitter he could call if he needed one.
Or maybe not. Raine had seen the way Emily had looked at her at the door. She knew the other woman had recognized her though she hadn’t yet figured out when they might have met. She imagined Emily wouldn’t be too happy if Raine kept hanging around.
Well, she could still offer. If Mason never called her to babysit, then so be it. She already planned to visit, as a friend, to see Oliver, so it wasn’t like they’d never see each other again. Emily obviously had a problem with her, but it wouldn’t keep Raine away completely.
Raine had the sudden vision of Mason and Emily sitting on the living room sofa, their hands clasped together, chatting as Raine played on the floor with Oliver. The image was disturbing, so she shook it away.
She didn’t think Mason was oblivious enough to put her through something like that.
She hoped, anyway.
As she got closer to the mansion, Raine felt herself dragging her feet. This was such a bad idea…
“Raine?”
Startled, and not even realizing she had reached Mason’s gates, Raine looked up. She faltered, barely able to believe her bad luck. Of course she would run into Emily.
“Emily, what are you doing here?”
Emily frowned. “I’m here to speak to my husband.”
Ex-husband, Raine mentally corrected, unable to help the petty thought.
“I’m living nearby, so I decided to walk,” Emily continued. Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“I left my things here,” Raine said with a shrug. “I figured I should come and get them.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “At night? When you live on the other side of the city?”
Raine didn’t answer. How did Emily know where she lived? The two women stood in tense silence, staring at each other.
“My neighbor told me she’d heard that you quit working for Mason,” Emily finally said. “Why?”
“I thought it was for the best.” Raine didn’t think Emily had a right to hear her reasons, especially if Mason hadn’t already told her.
Emily’s expression turned condescending. “Regardless of anything else, a job with Mason was a steady income. Do you have anything else lined up?”
“Not yet,” she said dism
issively. Why did Emily even care? “Mason said he’d give me a good reference, but I’m not that worried right now. I want to settle back in at home first.”
Emily looked at her appraisingly. Raine straightened her back, trying to pretend that the thought of not having a job any longer hadn’t been bugging her.
“I have a friend looking for a nanny,” Emily said. “Mason told me you’ve done an amazing job with Oliver, so I thought it might be something you’d like to consider. She put an advertisement up, but she hasn’t found anyone she likes yet.”
Raine frowned. Emily was throwing her for a loop. Why was she helping Raine? What was her angle here? “Thank you.”
Emily withdrew a card from her pocket and scribbled a number and name on it with a pen she found in her purse. “I’ll put in a good word for you,” she said, holding the card out for Raine to take.
Raine wondered if this was Emily’s way of getting rid of her. If Raine was busy with a new job and wasn’t around as much, then Mason wasn’t likely to feel as tempted to resume the fledgling relationship he and Raine had started before Emily’s sudden arrival.
Still, Raine appreciated the offer. She smiled and took the card. “Thanks, I’ll think about it.”
Emily nodded and turned to walk through the gates. She didn’t wait for Raine to follow her, and Raine got the impression she wasn’t meant to.
She sighed. Oh, well. She knew it was a bad idea to go there, anyway.
Raine put the card in her pocket and turned to walk away. She had settled back in at home, and she even had another job prospect. She could come and get her things when she was better prepared to face Mason.
It was time to move on.
Chapter 17
“Where’s Raine?” Oliver asked.
Mason felt his heart breaking for both his son and himself. As he had expected, Oliver didn’t entirely understand that Raine wasn’t coming back to the mansion. Although that could be because he hadn’t told Oliver much, still hoping he could track Raine down and convince her to return for their son’s sake.
Mason sighed, leaning over to press a kiss to Oliver’s curls. “Sorry, buddy, but she had something important to do.”
“Will she be back tomorrow night?” Oliver demanded. “Because I want to make another dinosaur with her! I think Dino might be lonely.”
“Oh? What color would Dino’s new friend be?”
“She’d be yellow!” Oliver declared, his eyes sparkling.
Mason wondered if it was just a coincidence that the boy dinosaur Raine had already made was blue, the same color Oliver always assigned to his father in cars and other toys, and that the girl dinosaur he wanted made was yellow, Raine’s preferred color.
“I’m sure she would love to make another dinosaur with you,” he said, resolving to message Raine about it. “But she might not be here for a while, okay?”
Oliver’s face fell. “But I want her here to say good night.”
It felt like someone had punched Mason in the gut. “Why don’t we talk to her about that tomorrow?”
It was a cop out because he wanted Oliver to go to sleep, and because he didn’t want to upset Oliver. Maybe, too, there was a tiny part of him that hoped Oliver’s pleas might convince Raine to return to work with them—even if she didn’t want to revisit hers and Mason’s romantic relationship.
“Okay,” Oliver said with a wide yawn. “But you have to remember to call her, okay?”
“I will,” Mason promised.
Oliver’s eyelids drooped, but he forced his eyes open wide. “Can you call her now? I want to wait for Raine to come home.”
Mason’s heart ached. “It’s too late to call her now, Oliver. I bet she’s about to go to bed, too. We’ll call her tomorrow.”
Oliver pouted, but he allowed Mason to tuck him into bed. Sighing, Mason left the room and stood outside for a long moment, staring at the closed door across the hall. He hadn’t gone in since he’d found Raine’s note, hoping she’d come back and unpack her suitcase and tell him it had all been a mistake.
He felt out of place in his own house, like he didn’t belong there without Raine. The whole place seemed darker and colder without her presence. Mason headed downstairs, deciding a glass of whiskey was just what he needed.
He had thought about searching for Raine all day, but he hadn’t known where to start. He’d had to stop himself from just calling or messaging her, remembering how she’d told him not to contact her in his note. Anyway, it would be better to see her face-to-face, where he could make her listen to him.
Mason had just poured a small glass of whiskey when he heard a knock on the front door. He jumped up. Could it be Raine?
He rushed to the front door. He didn’t know why Raine would have returned now, but if it was her, then maybe he could gather up the courage to ask her to stay even after he told her the awful truth of Oliver’s birth.
Mason threw open the door, a greeting on his lips. But reality crashed down around him when he saw Emily standing there, looking expectantly at him.
Of course it wouldn’t be Raine. Raine had left just yesterday. There was no way she would return so soon.
“What are you doing here, Emily?”
If his rude tone upset her, she didn’t show it. Her eyes just hardened as she raised her chin stubbornly. “I told you I’d come back later. We need to talk.”
He didn’t want to talk to his devious ex-wife, but he stepped aside to let her into the house.
He led her to the living room, ignoring the face she made as she stepped over the scattered toys. She had always preferred to spend her time in the then-spotless living room, unlike Raine who liked to hang out in the kitchen. It amused him to see her discomfort at the mess.
He didn’t offer her anything. He didn’t want her to stay, and he knew she would drag out her time here if she had a drink.
“So?” he pressed once they were both sitting.
“Mason…” Emily hesitated. “First, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Mason stared at her, surprised. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her apologize for anything.
“I was selfish,” she continued. “Raine wasn’t even in the picture, but I saw how much you loved her son, and it made me jealous. Eventually, I couldn’t bear watching any longer, and I ran away.”
“I figured all that,” Mason said, unimpressed.
“Yes… well, I did a lot of thinking these last few years,” Emily said. Her back was straight and her gaze was even. She looked the same as she did when she’d told him she wanted a divorce. “I missed you, but I needed to get my head in order. Now, I… I want to be with you again, Mason.”
He closed his eyes. It was just like Emily to do something like this. It had been five years. Why did she think it was okay to come back into his life and do this to him? Especially when he had just started to work things out with Raine.
“That won’t be possible, Emily.”
Her eyes flashed. She wasn’t used to not getting her way. “Because of Raine?”
“Partly,” he admitted. “But mostly because you left Oliver and me five years ago without a backward glance. We didn’t hear a single word from you in that entire time. And now you think you can just show up and demand we start again? It doesn’t work like that.”
“It isn’t a demand. I still have feelings for you, Mason. I just want to see if we can be together again—”
“We can’t,” Mason cut her off, standing. “If you still had feelings for me, you wouldn’t have done what you did. You would have at least called or sent a letter here and there. But none of that matters, anyway. I don’t want to have a relationship with you anymore, Emily.” He turned away. “I think you need to leave.”
There was a long moment during which neither of them spoke. It was a battle of wills, and Mason didn’t intend to lose. Even without Raine in the picture, Emily had hurt him. She had abandoned him. He refused to look past that this time.
“I ran into Raine outside the
gate,” Emily blurted.
He whirled around, shocked. “What?”
“She said something about retrieving her things.”
Raine had been here? What did that mean? He felt his heart beating faster. Maybe she had wanted to see them?
“She didn’t come in with you, though?”
Emily smiled bitterly. “No, she didn’t. We spoke at the gate, but she didn’t follow me when I entered the grounds.”
“What did you say to her?” Mason demanded.
“I was perfectly polite,” Emily said, sounding offended. “In fact, I offered her a job.”
“A job?” Mason asked, startled.
Emily pursed her lips and looked away. “I’m not a fool, Mason. I know that what I did to Raine was horrible. So, when I heard she had quit working for you, I contacted a friend of mine who’s looking for a nanny and told her how well Raine had done here. She was very interested, so I offered to give her number to Raine. I was going to visit Raine tomorrow; it was a lucky coincidence I ran into her tonight.” She shrugged. “My friend lives closer to Raine than you do.”
It was a strangely kind move from Emily, but Mason wasn’t foolish enough to think his ex-wife felt any real regret. More likely, she had realized how important Raine was to Mason, and she hoped he would appreciate her trying to make up for what she’d done to Raine. Or she just wanted to make sure she got Raine out of the picture.
Mason honestly didn’t care about Emily’s motivations. It was great that Raine already had another job prospect, and he was thankful Emily had done that, even if it didn’t make up for what she had done seven years ago. But the thought of Raine working for someone else made dread curl in his stomach.
There had been a part of him that had expected Raine would eventually return. Surely the two of them were adult enough to be friendly for Oliver’s sake? But if she was already looking at other jobs, then the chances of her coming back on had fallen drastically.
