Heartwishes (20 page)

“Far, far from it,” Gemma said, but she couldn’t help being flattered. “Tris and I are becoming friends. He likes me because I don’t have any raging lust for him.”

“Raging lust? Interesting choice of words. Do you save that for Colin?”

“I give it all to my job—which I want to keep. Fooling around with my employer’s son isn’t something I plan to do.”

“I’m glad you know your own mind. When I first came to Edilean I was a mess. The most important person in my life had recently died and left me an old house I didn’t even know she owned.”

Gemma looked down at the two babies on the bed. “You look like you found your way.”

“Yes, but I had help.” She paused at the doorway. “Gemma, if you have any problems, personal or work related, you can come to Sara or me. And you may not believe it, but Tess is also a good listener.”

“Thanks,” Gemma said. When she was alone with the babies, she set herself to making them laugh and was quite successful.

“Mind if I join this party?” Colin asked from the doorway.

Gemma took a breath before she looked up at him, and when she did, all she could remember was the two of them together and naked. But it was obvious that he remembered nothing. So much for Joce’s words about two men being interested in her! She’d gone to bed with one of them and he’d completely forgotten the experience. She looked back at the babies.

Colin sat down on the side of the bed. Instantly, little Edilean put her arms up to him and he picked her up. Gemma remembered that Ellie had said he was a Pied Piper to the kids.

“How long are you going to keep ignoring me?” he asked.

“You and I were seen together so often that people started gossiping about us. I don’t like that and I think it should be stopped.”

“People in Edilean gossip about everything. Your breakfast with Tris, and the way you two leaned toward each other and whispered the whole time, has eclipsed whatever they thought about us.”

“Tris is okay; you are not.”

“Why . . . ? Oh. Because of Jean?”

“That’s right,” she said as she played patty-cake with David. “You’re practically a married man.”

“I’m not, really.”

This conversation wasn’t going the way she wanted it to. The homey setting, even the babies, was making her relax, and she couldn’t allow that. She frowned at him. “Is this where you tell me
that Jean doesn’t understand you, and that you and I should go out to dinner to talk about it?”

Colin blinked at her a few times. “Is that what you think of me?”

“I don’t think of you one way or another,” she said. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d stop showing up at my house before dawn, then running around naked. If you want something on the side, find someone else.”

Colin’s face showed his shock at her words. “I . . .” He got off the bed, still holding the baby, and stood up. “Forgive me, Miss Ranford. I was presumptuous. I—”

“Is everything all right in here?” Luke asked from the doorway.

Colin put Luke’s daughter in his arms. “Everything is fine. Great. Couldn’t be better. Is there any beer downstairs?”

“Gallons of it,” Luke said, looking from Colin to Gemma and back again.

“That’ll be a start.” He moved past Luke and went down the stairs.

“What was that about?”

Gemma was so angry her jaw was aching, but she didn’t want to show that. “I’m not feeling well. Could someone drive me home—I mean to the Frazier estate?”

“Gemma,” Luke said quietly, “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Colin, but I don’t think you should leave. Stay and have a margarita or two, and chill out. Besides, there’s nothing a man likes better than thinking a woman is home alone and crying over him.”

She looked at him in disgust. “Is that true?”

“Not in my personal experience, but I heard it in a country-and-western song, so it has to be true.”

Gemma couldn’t help herself as she gave a little laugh.

“That’s better,” Luke said. “You want to help me carry the kids
downstairs? Everyone wants to see them, and they’re fiends for being the center of attention.”

“Actually, I think I’d like that. Mike—”

“Wants to beat you up,” Luke said.

“He can try. I’m pretty fast and he’s getting old. What is he, about forty?”

Luke grinned. “Please, please let me hear you say that to Mike. I’ll dedicate my next book to you if I get to hear that. And if you hit him . . .” He trailed off, as if he couldn’t think of anything good enough to equal that sight.

“All I have to do is imagine Colin Frazier’s face on Mike’s and he may not live.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “Everybody loves Colin,” he said quietly.

“Now you’ve met someone who doesn’t,” she said firmly.

Luke stood there looking at her for a moment, then seemed to recover. “Get Davie and let’s go.” He paused at the doorway. “You know, I was a little concerned that Tess might frighten you, but I’m not worried anymore.”

Gemma scooped up the baby.

“Okay?” Luke asked.

“I’m armed and ready.”

Smiling, he followed her down the stairs.

12

T
HEY WERE SEATED
around Sara and Mike’s dining table, and Gemma marveled at the beauty of it all. The table, with its yellow and green color scheme, looked like something out of a chic decorating magazine where the credits listed Brunschwig & Fils, Scully & Scully, and ABC Carpet.

“This is beautiful,” Gemma said as she took a seat on the long side of the table. She thought she was seating herself beside Mike, but Colin took the chair next to her.

“This way, you won’t have to look at me,” he said so only she could hear.

“Thank you,” Sara said to Gemma’s compliment. Sara was at one end of the table and Mike at the other. Ramsey, Tess, Luke, and Joce took the other chairs, and they started passing bowls of food around. They were all friends and knew each other well, so Gemma ate and listened. They complimented Mike on the food and Sara on the decor of the house.

Gemma was acutely aware of Colin next to her, and when she had to pass a bowl to him, she avoided his eyes.

“How can I apologize and redeem my name?” he asked while Ramsey was telling a story about a fight at his law firm.

“I told him that if he sued and Don sued him back, then he sued again, that the only person who was going to win would be me,” Ramsey said.

“And that scary thought made them settle out of court,” Tess said, and they all laughed.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Gemma said to Colin under the cover of the laughter. “I just think it’s better if we don’t see each other.”

“We’re not seeing one another. We’re—” He stopped when everyone grew silent. “Sorry, what was that?”

“We all want to know about the Heartwishes Stone. Have you found out any more about it?” Sara asked Gemma.

“No, nothing new.” She told them of Tamsen’s letter. “She said she’d written down the story and put it somewhere ‘safe’ but I don’t know where that could be.”

“With her lawyer?” Ramsey said, and everyone groaned. “No, I’m not kidding. There’s always been a law firm in Edilean, so maybe she left something with them. There’s a warehouse full of old documents. I don’t think anyone knows what’s in there.”

“How do I—?” Gemma began, but Tess cut her off.

“You don’t. I’ll put one of the girls in the office on it and see what we can find.” She looked at Colin. “Have you had any wishes that have come true?”

“I could make one now,” he said in such a pathetic way that everyone had to stifle laughter.

“Okay, Gemma,” Ramsey said, “you have to tell us what Colin did to make you so angry at him.”

Gemma felt the blood rush to her face. “I, uh . . . I . . .”

“Let up on her,” Luke said. “She’s new here and she’s not used to being asked to tell everything about her life.”

“It’s something
I
will
never
get used to,” Mike said with such feeling that the others laughed.

“Speaking of which,” Gemma said loudly, “I’d love to hear the inside view of finding the paintings and I want to see the secret room.” As she’d hoped, everyone started at once, and within seconds they were retelling a long, complicated story that made no sense to her. There was something about a woman named Mitzi who was convicted of murder.

“Good save,” Colin said under his breath to her. “Do you think you could spare me five minutes to talk about whatever I’ve done to you? I certainly didn’t mean to be naked in your house.”

Everyone had stopped talking and heard the last sentence.

Colin didn’t even try to explain as he stood up. “Anyone want another beer?” He left the room to get more beer but came back with a baby in each arm. “They were getting bored.”

“Colin, I do believe you’re ready to be a father,” Sara said. “Decided on the mother yet?”

Colin shook his head. “Today is not my day for women. Any of you men know the cause when a woman gets mad at you?”

“No idea,” Mike said.

“None,” Ramsey said.

“I just apologize and take the blame,” Luke said.

“You poor things,” Joce said. “Why don’t you underappreciated dears go outside and enjoy yourselves while we controlling woman clean up?”

“Sounds good to me,” Ramsey said as he took a baby from Colin. Two minutes later all four men and the two babies were outside.

Gemma knew what was coming: an interrogation. She held her
breath as she waited for the women to pounce on her with questions. They’d want to know what lovable, saintly Colin could possibly have done to make anyone angry.

But to Gemma’s relief, the three women said nothing to her. Even Tess was quiet. They quickly started clearing the table in that way that showed they’d known each other a long time. Gemma took two bowls into the kitchen and Sara handed her a roll of plastic wrap. Gemma covered containers and Joce put them in the refrigerator.

“What would you wish for?” Sara asked Gemma as she put dirty plates in the dishwasher.

“You mean from the Heartwishes Stone?” The truth was that after hearing Tris’s story she was almost afraid to say, but then she reminded herself that she wasn’t a Frazier. “I guess it would be to get a good job at a great university. It feels like I’ve spent most of my life working toward that.”

“Sara is disappointed that you aren’t wishing for True Love. She’s a serious romantic,” Tess said.

“Did Mike court you with kickboxing?” Gemma asked Sara.

The three women looked at one another as though there was some great secret in Sara and Mike’s courtship.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” Gemma said.

“Don’t mind them,” Sara said. “They’re just laughing at me. You guys ready to join the men?”

“Sure,” Tess said. “Even being able to smell the beer cheers me up.” She was rubbing her big stomach. “Gemma, you have any more boyfriends besides Tris and Colin?”

“You have a lover outside your husband?” Gemma shot back.

All the women laughed.

“She was the same way with me when we first met,” Joce whispered as they went out the door. “She’ll quit after a while.”

“Actually, I’m beginning to like it,” Gemma said.

Colin was waiting for her outside the door, and as soon as they were alone, he said, “If you’d just tell me what I’ve done, maybe we could fix the problem.”

Gemma didn’t want to look in his eyes for fear that he’d see everything. “I told you that I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my job. I think it’s better if you and I stay apart.”

“Because of Jean,” he said. “If you want to know the truth about her and me, why didn’t you ask
me
?”

“Would you have answered me?” she asked.

He hesitated, as though considering his answer. “Yes. I believe I would have.” For a moment, he stared at her, seeming not to know what else to say.

Gemma walked away to join the group sitting in the shade and took a chair near Mike. They stayed outside for an hour, sitting on big chairs and talking amicably. Gemma didn’t drink for fear that she’d get too relaxed and blab about what happened between her and Colin. The babies were on a blanket and everyone took turns playing with them.

Gemma was quiet as she listened to them talk about people they’d known for years, had even grown up with. She liked what they were talking about. Luke wanted Mike to help him with a plot idea for a book. Sara was talking to Joce about one of the old buildings around them, while Tess and Rams—as he was called—talked with Colin about the man Tris had mentioned, Mr. Lang.

They know each other so well, Gemma thought. The group knew each other so thoroughly that they easily slid from one topic to another. This is it, she thought. This is what I’d like to have, to belong to. I’d like to be part of this easy camaraderie where I know people and we care about each other.

To Gemma, the only downside to the day was Colin. Whenever he spoke, she looked away.

“Gemma,” Sara said, “we’re leaving you out.”

“No, it’s nice. I spend so much time alone that it’s great to hear other people talk.”

Mike got up. “Gemma, could I see you inside for a moment?”

Gemma wanted to run around the house to the road and keep going. Was her ignoring of Colin going to get her a “talking to”? She followed Mike into the house and shut the door behind her. “Look, I’m sorry about Colin, but—”

“You thought I invited you in here about him?” Mike asked as he opened the lid of an old wooden trunk. “Colin can handle his own problems. Besides, I’m sure he deserves whatever you dish out to him.” He pulled out a pair of boxing gloves. “I thought you might like to do something familiar.”

“I would,” she said, but glanced down at her jeans and flowered shirt. It would be difficult to move in them.

“I thought about that, so we got you a welcome gift.” Mike handed her a paper bag. “Sara guessed at your size.”

Inside the bag was a new workout outfit of shorts and T-shirt, even a sports bra, and in the bottom was a pair of soft shoes, the kind worn in a boxing ring.

“I can’t accept these,” Gemma began. “It’s too much.”

“It’s nothing. I hear you think you can take me.”

Gemma grinned. “Luke has a big mouth.”