A Weekend Getaway (25 page)

One more hug. A kiss on Emma’s cheek, too. “Love you. Bye.”

Emma waved and turned back to the screen, content to follow
Dora on another adventure.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO

At dusk, Parker searched for his house key while he heard
Ivy playing arpeggios and warming up her voice inside. Her fingers kept making
mistakes, hitting the wrong notes on the piano. Her voice sounded a little
flat. He’d hoped she wouldn’t be here. She slammed her palms against the keys
making a terrible cacophony.

He walked in to see her head hanging low. She jerked it up
as he approached. Mascara had smeared around her brown eyes. Her red lipstick
had faded. She blinked several times, as if willing her face to appear normal.

He would not fall for her tears this time. “Ivy.”

Her hands fiddled with her short curls as she walked toward
him. “I’m glad you’re home.”

Wanting to keep his distance, he put his hand up. “I’m not
staying. I don’t know why it took me so long to admit it, but you and I are
majorly screwed up.”

“But this is what we do. We fight, then we kiss and make-up.”

He crossed his arms. “Not this time.” Suddenly he realized
she never forgot to freshen her lipstick. If these were staged tears, her
makeup would be flawless. Something must truly be wrong.

But he had to stay strong. She’d cheated on him. She’d tried
to ruin things with Hannah. If he stayed, she would destroy every last shred of
self-respect he had. He took a breath. “I don’t know how much time I have left,
but I refuse to spend it in an unhappy marriage. Go. Be with your boyfriend.”

Her mouth gaped. “I don’t love him. I love you.”

“I don’t care.”

 
“What will I do
without you?”

“That’s your problem. I’ll let you keep this house, but
you’re going to have to start paying your own bills.”

She fake coughed. “What? We’ve been married for years.
What’s yours is mine.”

“Not necessarily. Most of the bank accounts are in my name
alone. All of our assets are because I inherited from my family and because of
the business
I
started.”

“Don’t talk like this. I made a mistake. I know that. But we
can work this out.” She glanced up at his eyes and must’ve noticed a steely
resolve. As if realizing she needed to try harder, she wrapped her arms around
his waist. “Please. You can’t leave me. Not now.”

He didn’t return her embrace. “Why not?”

“Because. . . I’m pregnant.”

He backed away. “What? Is it mine? No, it can’t be.” He
hadn’t made love to her in forever. Except for that time at the reunion. Could
it be? A strong pulse throbbed in his neck.

She reached for a tissue on a nearby glass table and dabbed
at her eyes. “You always said you wanted children. Here’s your chance.”

Cracking his knuckles, he strode across the white carpet to
the wall of windows. He stared at Lake Michigan. Waves lapped at the sand.

He had Hannah, but he’d missed out on seeing her grow up.
Part of being a father meant teaching your child about the world. The truth was
he didn’t
feel
like a dad. A baby
would provide that opportunity. But something about this scene struck him as
deja
-vu—a surprise pregnancy which forces him to
re-commit to Ivy. “Tell me something, Ivy. All of those years ago, when you
were pregnant. . . . Did you really have a miscarriage or did you have an abortion?”

“Why are you bringing this up now?”

He fisted his hands and looked at her. “Because I have to
know. I’m dying. I deserve the truth. Was our whole marriage based upon a lie?”

She stepped beside him and gazed out at the pink sky instead
of making eye contact. “Because of you, I’ve lived a charmed life. Every
morning I awake to this beautiful view. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve eaten
caviar. You saved me from a life like my mother had. If it weren’t for you, I’d
probably hate music.”

He grabbed her shoulders so the two of them stood
face-to-face. They were uncomfortably close. “Tell me.” He hated that his voice
wavered in its sternness.

She licked her lips nervously. “I already told you. I had a
miscarriage. That’s the truth.” Her palm raised in oath. “I swear to God.”

“But you were happy about it.”

A gasp escaped her lips.

He was right about that anyway. That’s why she’d never been
willing to discuss adoption.

Her manicured hands covered her face. “Okay. I’ll admit it.
I was relieved. I was young. I thought my career was on the verge of taking
off. The last thing I wanted was to be pregnant.”

“But you didn’t get rid of the baby?”

“No. Honestly. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t have to do anything. You never answered me.” His
gaze dropped to her flat stomach. “Is it mine?”

She blinked rapidly, perhaps fighting off more tears.
“Parker, I’m scared. Please stay. We can raise it as yours. We can be a
family.”

He started pacing, stroking his five o’clock shadow. Part of
him had hoped that Ivy was growing his baby. But because of the Huntington’s,
it was a blessing that she wasn’t.

A minute later he paused. He looked at her. “Here’s the
deal. I was going to screw you out of every last penny. But that’s not right.
We did spend our entire adult lives together. And I like to think at least some
of those years were good.”

“Most of them.” She smiled a tight-lipped smile. “We should
try couples counseling.”

“It’s too late for that.”

Her willowy frame dropped onto the off-white couch. Maybe
she should’ve tried an acting career instead of singing.

He continued with the speech he hadn’t prepared. “I took a
vow to love, honor and cherish you. Just because things didn’t turn out the way
I’d
expected.
. . it isn’t all your fault. Maybe I
worked harder at my business than I did at us.” He shook his head. “Who’s to
say? But I owe
you.
. .and your unborn child
something.”

He cracked his knuckles and became entranced with the water
again. The ebb and flow was hypnotic. “I’ll divide the assets up fairly.” His
shoulders heaved with a sigh. “That’s all I’m willing to do.”

# # #

With her head held low, Beth slunk in to her cubicle and
quietly started filling up a box she’d brought. Around the corner she heard the
buzz of the call center. Voices saying, “Thank you for calling Healthy Habits
Vitamins and Herbs,” “How may I help you?” “Did I resolve your problem
satisfactorily?”

Those friendly, patient voices had all been trained by her.
Sure, she’d longed for a promotion, but she took pride in how well she’d run
things so far.

She picked up the studio picture of Emma tearing open a
pretend Christmas gift and studied it. It was the last picture before Emma had
been forced to cut off her lovely curls. Why hadn’t Beth thought to save a lock
from the salon floor?

Sighing with regret, she straightened the papers on her desk
and stared at her black computer screen. Should she log on just to make sure
there weren’t any important e-mails? If so, she’d need to pass them on to Luke.
But who cared if there was something critical waiting to be handled? This place
had tossed her aside. Thirteen years of devotion meant nothing.

She opened her bottom drawer to check for any personal
items. Chap stick, Healthy Habits Diet snack bars and a pack of sugar-free
mints. All crutches for an emotional eater. A case of bottled water she’d
purchased filled most of the break room fridge, too. Talking to customers all
day dried out one’s mouth, so she’d always kept extra water for herself and
anyone else who needed it. She decided to leave it for the staff.

Her gaze returned to the blank screen. She couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t leave the company in a lurch. With another sigh, she plopped down
in her chair and logged on. Several hundred e-mails greeted her. Automatically,
she started responding and forwarding on customer complaints. Always with a
smile and empathetic heart.

“What are you doing?” her boss—her former
boss—asked from behind.

Her breathing stopped momentarily. Why did her cheeks feel
flushed? She faced him. “I was uh, just cleaning out my desk and realized no
one knew my password. I figured I’d take care of whatever I could before I
left.”

“I’d like to talk to you in my office.” His timbre sounded serious.
She hesitated a moment before following him to his private space down the hall.

As he closed the door behind her, she envied him that
option. She’d been in a cubicle for her entire tenure with the company.
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she watched him sit behind his
big desk. He gestured for her to also select a chair.

Sitting on the edge of one, she picked at her cuticles. “I
wasn’t doing anything vicious to the computer. I was just checking e-mail.”

He shook his head. “Things were crazy while you were gone.
The phones were ringing off the hook, orders were messed up,
it
was terrible.”

“I hate that I couldn’t be here, but I. . . .I just
couldn’t.”

He leaned forward and gently raked the Zen sandbox on his
desk. “In all of the years you’ve worked here, you’ve never taken a personal
day until recently. Rarely a sick day. I checked.”

She nodded. “It was an unusual situation.” The last thing
she wanted to do was share her dirty laundry with him. Especially since he’d
fired her when she was at her most vulnerable. So she said nothing.

“You know what I realized when you were gone?”

A shrug. Why was he doing this? Was this some sort of exit
interview required by human resources?

“This company needs you. I tried to fill in and run the call
center, but I know I didn’t have your finesse. No one else has been trained to
supervise customer service.”

Oh. He wanted her crib notes before she left. “That’s
because I’ve done it for so long.”

“That’s not right. We need to do some cross-training. It
will be better for the company and it will help promote symbiotic,
understanding relationships. Running a company is like running a marathon. You
have to train before you do it. You might feel like you run the race alone, but
you depend on the expertise of others to eat right, stretch, know when to push
yourself and know when to ease up.” He made a few more crosshatches in the
sand, and then put down the miniature rake. “Bethany, you are one of the
experts at Healthy Habits. We can’t afford to lose you without training a
replacement.”

She crossed her arms. So they’d keep her on the payroll
until she taught someone else all of her secrets. “No thanks. You fired me.
I’ll get my things and go now.” She rose.

He stood as well. “No, no.” His fingers splayed, signaling for
her to calm down. To sit down. “That’s not what I meant.”

She sat, but her spine remained stiff.

“I checked out the on-line art portfolio you sent me.”

Hannah’s photography. Her spirits lifted a bit. “What did
you think?”

“I loved it. I think you’re on to something. Keep the
bottles and glam up the label. A cheap solution with big impact.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Hooray for
Hannah!

“I want you to come back. I overreacted when you took off
just when we really needed you here. But in all honesty, you had the time
coming.” He
steepled
his fingers. “I want you to
train your replacement in customer service so you can start working in the
marketing department. Would you like that?”

She gave in to the full smile. Marketing could be fun. She
understood the customer needs like no one else and she was a little burned out
on apologizing for things that weren’t her fault. “Would I get my own office?”
Boy, she was bold today, especially considering she was unemployed five minutes
ago.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He walked his athletic frame
around his desk and shook her hand, clasping her elbow with his other. “Sorry I
almost let you go.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

Beth’s cheeks started to hurt from her gigantic grin. “I’ll
take the job in marketing.”

Luke released her hand but remained close. “Like I said, I
was a fool not to realize how good you are with people. In fact, I want to
thank you again for introducing me to Amy. She’s so beautiful and cheerful and
fun. Can you keep a secret?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “I’m going to
propose to her this weekend.” Now his cheeks probably hurt, too.

“Congratulations!” This would be the fifth marriage she’d
helped create. She knew Luke and Amy would be running partners for life, but
Beth realized she needed to be more cautious when matchmaking co-workers in the
future.

After she chatting a bit more, she walked slowly from Luke’s
office to Drew’s while acid collected in her gut. Her knuckles rapped on his
open door.

His rust-colored head turned around and his face lit up. He
had no idea what was coming.

She softly clicked the door shut behind her. Crossing her
arms, she leaned against the door while he remained seated at his desk. A
picture of the Starship Enterprise sailed across his computer screen. This was
where it had all begun for them. Nostalgia tugged at her resolve.

“I’m going to miss working with you,” he said.

“No, you won’t. Luke just offered me a job in marketing.”
Her heart lifted a bit with the thought. She took a deep breath. Face-to-face
was so much harder than on the phone. “I’m afraid you’re going to miss
living
with me, though.”

“What?” He stood. “I thought everything was good between
us.”

His blue striped tie caught her eye. She pulled the velvet
box out of her purse. “I bought you this because I was going to propose.”

Furrowing his brow, he tugged on his ear. “You what?”

She couldn’t meet his eyes, so she looked at the box in her
hand. “Pathetic, I know. I never should’ve moved in with you. I never should’ve
allowed myself to grow so attached to Emma.”

“Are you leaving because of Missy? Did she say something
stupid? She’s always telling Emma that you aren’t her real aunt, but don’t
listen to her.”

Beth’s blood raced through her veins. “Missy definitely has
something to do with it. I can’t live with her. She’s your sister and I get
that. But I want to make my own life, my own family.” She was tired of keeping
a mental list of all her disappointments: the dirty dishes, the wrinkled
laundry,
the
never-finished house renovations. If she
were happier, she wouldn’t dwell on his shortcomings so much.

She waved the diamond tie tack in front of him. “I’m taking
this to the jewelry store and getting a refund.”

“Do you need money? Is it because of the lawsuit?”

She shook her head. So much had happened in the past week. Everything
had changed and he hadn’t a clue. “It’s because I don’t want to be pathetic
anymore. As long as I’m with you, I’m pathetic.” She sighed. “I hope we can
remain. . .” What was the word? Cordial? For lack of a better term, she said,
“Friends. Especially since we’ll still see each other here.” Her hands gestured
to indicate the Healthy Habits building.

His mouth turned down. He blinked. “Are you sure you want to
break up?”

She shoved the velvet box into her purse. “Yes.” Awkwardly,
she moved in for a final hug. “Good bye.” She knew she’d miss him and Emma and
the Victorian that had temporarily become her home. But deep down, this felt
right.

# # #

Saturday morning Beth woke up in a funk. Glancing at the
calendar, she saw that it was December sixth. Something about the date caused
it to circle around in her mind. December sixth. December sixth.

Downstairs she could hear the kids laughing and Sarah
banging around in the kitchen. Fortunately, this time when Beth had needed her,
her friend had answered the door. Beth had moved into the guest bedroom and
insisted on paying rent until she found her own place. Fortunately, Sarah had
started putting ads on her website and reported earning more than enough to
cover the Visa bill.

Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her nearby
purse. Unknown cell phone number. “Hello?”

“Happy Saint
Niklaas
Day!”
Parker’s friendly voice greeted her.

That’s what today was. “Same to you.” Outside her door, she
could hear the family dog barking. She turned the handle to let the terrier mix
in. As she did, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted her. She forced
herself to ignore the beckoning scent since this was the first time she’d
spoken with Parker since Dallas. “How did Hannah’s test go?”

“Fine, I guess. It takes a while to get the results.” He
paused. “I wanted to tell you that Ivy and I are getting a divorce. I moved
into the house I grew up in.”

She sat on the floor and petted the dog with her free hand. “In
Mishawaka?”

“That’s right.” He sounded pleased that she’d remembered his
hometown.

 
“I want to say
I’m sorry about you and Ivy, but--”

“But you only need to apologize for things that are your
fault.” He chuckled. “Ironically, I want to apologize for the way Hannah
treated you.”

“No. I understand. It hurts like hell.” She rubbed the
mutt’s back and he wagged his tail gleefully. “But I chose to give her away and
you didn’t. She’s rejecting me the way she feels I rejected her.”

“You are a kind, compassionate person. Tell me you don’t
believe that.”

She shrugged to herself and glanced at the checkered drapes
filtering the morning light. “I got to meet her. I know I placed her in a good
home. I need to be satisfied with that.” Although she’d never stop hoping that
she and Hannah would grow closer. In fact, Luke had said the company might fly
Hannah to headquarters to discuss her designing the vitamin labels in person.
Beth would keep her fingers crossed about that.

“Hannah will come around. She and I didn’t hit it off on our
first visit either.”

Thinking about how he’d tried to give their daughter jewelry
when she really wanted to learn how to drive a stick shift caused Beth to
smile. “I’m glad you two are finding your way.” She decided to change topics.
“Oh, I moved, too. I’m out of Drew’s house and am looking for my own place.”

“So you two couldn’t work things out?”

“No.” He’d always choose his sister over Beth. Maybe he knew
that if Missy got her act together, it would benefit his niece. A pain chipped
away at her heart. She missed Emma terribly. “I thought maybe we could
reconcile, but. . . .”

“I know it hurts when a relationship ends. Even if it’s the
right thing to do.” His voice trailed off. No doubt about it, he understood.

For a moment, no words passed between them. She petted the
dog and tried to think of what to say. Finally, she panicked, worried Parker
might hang up. “Did Saint
Niklaas
bring you
chocolates or sticks?”

“Neither.”

“That’s what happens when you stop believing.” Just last
week she’d seen
Toblerones
for sale at the grocery
store near Sarah’s house and had thought of Parker.

“I guess.”

“What will you do today to celebrate?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s a Belgian holiday! Don’t you have family to visit?”

“No. My mom moved away and my grandparents have all passed.
I’ll just hang out here and do some unpacking. I’m still settling in.”

“Well, tell me your new address.” Quickly she added, “In
case I want to send you a Christmas card.” Not that she’d probably send cards
this year. She’d been hoping to announce her engagement and include a photo of
her and Drew, but now she couldn’t. She didn’t want to tell people about her
reunion with Hannah, either.

While he rattled off the street numbers, she located a pen
and paper on the nearby desk and wrote them down. 1507 Main Street. They had a
few more minutes of surface-level chitchat before he decided to let her go.

After she hung up, she plopped back in bed to stare at a
water stain on the ceiling. The dog pushed his head under her dangling arm,
causing her to smile and pat him some more. Downstairs she heard the laughter
of Sarah’s family. She might not be wealthy, but her friend was definitely rich.