by SJ McCoy
“That doesn’t matter. I want to be with you. I need to make sure that you’re okay.”
“I get that, but even you can’t deny that I am okay now. A couple of days in the hospital, a couple of days being fed and waited on by you, and I’m doing better than I have in a long time. And much as we both struggle to realize it most of the time, I’m a grown-up. I don’t need to be dependent on you—no matter how much we’ve both enjoyed playing the roles again for a couple of days. I want to look out for you, too, Mom. I know you like Ted. And I know you’ve talked to him every night.”
Audrey looked away. She hadn’t realized that he knew.
He put his hand on top of hers. “And that’s not a complaint. He seems like a nice guy. Ally thinks the sun shines out of … him. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t want you going putting yourself last again. You did that all our lives growing up. It’s supposed to be your time now. I hate thinking that I might be screwing that up for you.”
“You’re not!”
“You’d still be in Summer Lake with Ted if it weren’t for me.”
“True. But that doesn’t mean you’ve messed things up for me. You said it yourself. I’ve still talked to him every night. It’s not as though your accident wrenched me away, and I’m never going to see him again.”
Brayden smiled. “So, does that mean you’re going to go up there this weekend?”
She frowned. “No. I’m not. Why do you think that?”
“Oh. I heard Clay McAdam was playing. I thought you …”
Audrey shook her head. “Izzy?”
He shrugged but couldn’t hide his smile. “Don’t blame her. It’s not her fault.”
“It is. I told her that I’d been invited to go. But I also told her that I’m not.”
“See, that just makes me feel bad. I’m making you miss out on something you’d enjoy—and on seeing Ted again.”
“I’ll see Ted again soon enough. I don’t need to go back to Summer Lake for that.”
Brayden shrugged. “Okay. I don’t want you to get mad at me. I just need you to be sure that if you’re staying here this weekend, it’s because you want to, not because I made you.”
She smiled. “I know. It’s my choice. So, let’s not argue about it. Now, I’m going to make some fruit salad. Do you want some?”
“Well, if you insist.”
She laughed. “I do.”
She got busy in the kitchen slicing fruit. Brayden was right, of course; she could go back to the lake for the weekend if she wanted to. But she didn’t. She meant what she’d told him. It was more important to her to be here with him. Not because she was so worried about him anymore. He was doing fine, the headaches had stopped, and he could get around on his cast without any problems. It was more that she was indulging herself. She hadn’t thought she’d ever have either of her kids at home with her again; she wanted to make the most of having him here while she could.
Her phone rang, and she picked it up off the counter, expecting it to be Izzy. She knew that she was another one she’d have to convince that she really didn’t want to go back to Summer Lake this weekend.
Instead, Richard’s name flashed up on the display. She made a face. He’d called on Wednesday to check on Brayden after he’d been released from the hospital. Why he needed to call her again, she didn’t know.
“Hello?”
“Why answer as though you don’t know who it is?”
She pursed her lips. It was going to be like that, was it? “Don’t start, Richard. What do you want?”
“What do you think? I want to know how Brayden’s doing.”
She bit back a retort. Why would she think that was the obvious reason when he’d hardly bothered to check? “You can call him. He has his phone.”
“Why are you being difficult?”
“I didn’t realize I was. He’s doing fine; he’d probably appreciate hearing from you. I thought it might be nice if you called him yourself.”
“I thought it might be nice if I came over.”
“What? Why?”
“To see our son, of course. Tomorrow’s Saturday. I could come over. We could grill some burgers and hang out. Like old times.”
Audrey frowned. “You really want to do that with him?”
“I do. I know I haven’t been there for him and Ally as much as I should.”
“Okay. If you want to spend some time with your son, then you’re welcome to come here tomorrow. I have plenty of burgers, you can grill if that’s what you want.”
He sounded so smug when he spoke again. “I knew you wouldn’t turn me down.”
“Of course not. So, what time do you want to come?”
“Say, noon?”
“That’s great. I need to go. But you won’t change your mind, will you?”
“I won’t. I can stay over if you want, too.”
Audrey shuddered. She tried not to use Izzy’s word for him too often, but he really was an asshole. “If that’s what you’d like.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
Did he really think that she was going for it? That she’d let him come over and stay here with her?
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Audrey. It’s been too long.”
“Bye.” She made a face as she hung up. She finished making the fruit salad and took it through to Brayden in the spare room.
“Thanks, Mom. Are you one hundred percent sure that you don’t want to go away for the weekend?”
“Actually. I think I will.”
He grinned. “Was that Ted on the phone?”
“No. It was your father. He said he wants to come over and see you.”
Brayden made a face. “He’s bringing Natalee here?”
“No, but he said he’d be happy to stay over.”
Brayden made a face. “He was suggesting that he could stay with you?”
Audrey shrugged.
“Don’t worry. You don’t need to protect me. I play dumb most of the time when it comes to Dad, but I’m not stupid. He sleeps around on her. I figured he’d try to make a move on you again after last weekend.”
Audrey was shocked but didn’t want to say anything.
“He probably won’t even want to come if he knows you’re not going to be here.”
“I thought it might be a nice way for you to spend some time with him.”
Brayden smiled. “I’m not interested in spending time with him, Mom. And I don’t need him here to babysit me if you want to go.”
Audrey blew out a sigh. She’d thought she was being clever, getting Richard here by making him think that she wanted to see him and then not being around so that he’d spend some time with Brayden.
“What’s up?”
“I think I messed it up.”
Brayden popped a blueberry in his mouth. “You didn’t. You go to the lake. Let Dad come over. He won’t stick around long once he realizes that you’re not going to …” He stopped, and his cheeks turned red.
It made Audrey sad that even Brayden understood his father well enough to know that he was only looking to have sex.
“How about I call him back and tell him that he can’t come?”
“It’s up to you, Mom. I think you should go to the lake.”
Her phone rang again, and she made a face at him. “I’ll be back for your dish.”
It was Richard again.
“Yes?” she answered.
“I was hoping you might say that. I was calling to ask if you want me to come tonight?”
“No. I don’t. And to tell you the truth, I don’t plan to be here tomorrow either.”
“But you said—”
“I said you could come over and grill burgers and stay the night. I didn’t say anything about being here myself.”
“But we could—”
“No, Richard. We couldn’t.”
“You know you want to.”
She let out a bitter little laugh. “No. I know I don’t want to. In fact, I can’t think of anything
I want to do less.”
“Let me guess, you’re still seeing Ted Rawlins?”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “Good luck with that. He won’t waste much time on someone like you.”
“What do you mean, someone like me?”
“You know full well what I mean, Audrey. You’re past it. To be fair, you looked pretty good last weekend, all done up like you were, but now I think I about it, you’ve saved me a disappointment. You might look good in a decent outfit, but I already know what’s underneath. Old. Saggy. Like I said. Past it.”
“You really are an asshole, Richard.” She hung up and braced her hands against the island while she waited to stop shaking. He was only being vindictive, but she couldn’t deny that his words stung.
“Hey. Are you all right?”
She turned to see Brayden leaning in the doorway.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
“What did he say?”
She shook her head. She was hardly going to tell him.
“I’m sorry he upset you. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad you called him an asshole. He is.”
“I wish you hadn’t heard that.”
“I’m glad I did.”
Her phone rang again, and she eyed it warily, not wanting to get into a shouting match with Richard.
“Don’t answer if it’s him,” said Brayden. “He’ll only upset you.”
She nodded and looked at the screen. It was Ted. She’d been looking forward to speaking to him, but now wasn’t the time.
Brayden limped to the counter and looked at the screen. Before she could stop him, he picked it up.
“Hi, Ted … No. Sorry. She’s not around. Can I get her to call you back in a little while? … Yeah. Thanks. I’m doing great now. I’ve told her she should come up there this weekend… Oh. I see … Maybe you should come here, then?”
Audrey stared at him. What was he playing at?
Brayden smiled at her when he spoke again. “You wouldn’t be inviting yourself. I just invited you. And since I’m the reason that she’s here and not there … Yeah. Okay. But I’ll get her to call you … I will. Bye.”
He hung up and smiled at her.
“What are you playing at?”
“Being helpful. Since he didn’t want you to feel pressured to go up there, I suggested that he should come here.”
“And what did he say to that?”
“He said he’d love to, but he couldn’t just invite himself. You heard my answer to that.”
She smiled. She had, and she loved him for it.
“I said I’d get you to call him later. I figured you might need a minute to get over Dad being such an asshole first.”
She wanted to tell him not to call his father that but wasn’t that much of a hypocrite.
Brayden smiled. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
She let out a little laugh. “Thank you. I think.”
~ ~ ~
Ted hung up and set his phone down. He’d called a little earlier this evening because he was supposed to be going over to the Boathouse to watch Eddie play. Brayden had surprised him when he picked up and surprised him even more when he’d suggested that he should come to Ventura.
Audrey had already told him that she wouldn’t be comfortable coming back to the lake this weekend, and he respected that. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might go there to see her instead. He’d love to—it seemed like so much more than three days since he’d seen her. They’d talked every night for hours on the phone, but it wasn’t the same as being with her.
He went and stood in front of the windows of his room and looked out at the lake. This place had grown on him since the first time he’d come to visit Eddie. He’d thought it was just a backwater small town, and it was, but it was such a beautiful place, and it was filled with the kind of people he was happy to call friends.
He went back for his phone when it rang and smiled when he saw Audrey’s name.
“Hey.”
“Hey. I’m sorry I didn’t answer before.”
“That’s okay. It was good to talk to Brayden. He says he’s doing much better.”
“He is.”
Ted had to wonder whether she knew that her son had suggested he should go and visit them. Much as he wanted to see her, he didn’t think he should bring it up. “That’s good. Do you guys have any plans this weekend?”
She was quiet for a long moment. “No. And I know he invited you here. Sorry about that.”
“Sorry? Why?”
“Because you’re there with your family.”
“I’ve been here all week.”
“And you have plans with your friends tomorrow night.”
He smiled. “Those were our plans, not just mine.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“That I messed them up.”
“You didn’t. We’ll have plenty more chances to come and hear Clay sing.”
“We will?”
“I hope so.” He frowned. “What’s wrong, Audrey?”
“Nothing.” He heard her sigh.
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
“Not exactly. Saying there’s nothing wrong isn’t entirely true, it’s just that there’s nothing I want to tell you about.”
He sat down on the bed. “Are you closing me out?”
“No! I don’t mean it like that.”
“How do you mean it?”
“I … I talked to Richard earlier.”
Ted wasn’t surprised. Her ex-husband seemed to be the only thing that ever upset her. “And you don’t want to tell me about that?”
“It’s … I’m sorry, Ted. This is what I didn’t want to do.”
“What is?” His heart was racing. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he’d already learned that whenever Richard’s name came up, nothing good ever followed.
“He … he said some hurtful things. And I know he was only doing it to upset me, but, well, it worked. He’s knocked my confidence.”
“Your confidence in what?”
“In myself … and in you.”
Ted frowned. No way was he going to let that man come between them. “What did he say?”
“This is going to sound so pathetic. I don’t want to need your reassurance, but I do.”
“Tell me?” He managed to keep the anger out of his voice. He hoped he sounded encouraging.
“He … well, he tried to invite himself over here for the weekend.”
Ted’s hand balled into a fist beside him.
“He said he wanted to come and see Brayden, and then he suggested that he could stay over, too.”
“Stay … with you?”
“That’s what he was suggesting.”
“I see.”
“You know I don’t want that.”
He did. At least, he believed he did.
“I said that he could. It was stupid.”
Ted’s heart felt as though it might beat out of his chest. His pulse was thundering in his ears. “You wanted him to stay with you?”
“No! I told you, it was stupid. He was being all smarmy, and I went along with it—just to see how far he’d go, really. He said he’d like to spend the night, and I said he should—thinking that it might be a way to get him to spend some time with Brayden and that it would free me up to come and see you.”
Ted felt his shoulders relax.
“He went for it—can you believe that? I don’t know where Natalee is, but he would have come and spent the night here. Then he called back and said he could come tonight if I wanted him to. And I had to tell him, I don’t want him here at all. That I’d said he could come and stay—with Brayden. That I didn’t plan to be here.” She blew out a sigh. “When he understood that I’m really not interested, he got mean. Told me that he didn’t know what he’d been thinking. That I might look all right dressed up but that he knows what’s underneath, and it’s not pretty.”
The
simmering anger Ted had felt toward Richard was about to boil over. “He’s an idiot, Audrey. He’s just lashing out because he can’t have you.”
“I know, but he kind of has a point, too. I am old and saggy compared to Natalee. And what he said the other day is true too.”
“What?”
“That a man like you wouldn’t waste much time with someone like me.”
“That’s not true, Audrey. It’s not true, and you know it.”
“But it should be. Why would you want me when you can have any woman you want?”
“You’re the woman I want.”
She was quiet, and he knew that she wasn’t just waiting for him to flatter her with reassuring words.
“You know it’s true, Audrey. I know what’s underneath your clothes, too—and I love it. I love every inch of you—I plan to show you just how much when I see you again. I told you this the first night we met. You’re a beautiful woman. Inside and out—and underneath your clothes. Don’t let him get inside your head.”
“I’m sorry. I told you I know it’s pathetic, but it got to me.”
“I understand. I just don’t want you to let him shake your confidence, not in yourself or in me—or in us. Okay?”
“Okay. That’s why I told you. I don’t want to let it eat away at me.”
“I’m glad you did. Can I come and see you?”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“But—”
“I was going to go out tomorrow night anyway. The only thing I would miss with the family would be breakfast on Sunday morning before I leave, and Marcus hates getting up for that. He won’t mind skipping it. I could be in Ventura by six tomorrow evening.”
“I’d love for you to come.”
“Then, I’ll be there.”
“I can’t wait.”
He smiled. “Neither can I.” He planned to remind her just how beautiful she was.
Chapter Fifteen
Audrey jumped when the door from the garage opened, and Izzy bounced into the kitchen.
“Jeez! I’m not that scary, am I?”
“You are when I’m not expecting you!”
“Sorry. I was going to call, but I knew that if I did, it would only give you time to think up a more solid excuse.”
“Excuse for what?”
Izzy grinned. “To get out of going to Summer Lake. I think we should go.”
