Authors: Mariah Stewart
“Thank you. Now, Dallas, let’s get on with it.” Berry went into the house, then popped her head back out. “You should probably tell the children that it’s time for them to come in and wash their hands.”
“I’m on it.” Grant went down the steps, then called Ally to follow. The dog did so, though she appeared to be somewhat reluctant.
“She’s already your dog,” Dallas observed when she went into the kitchen. “She didn’t really want to go with Grant.”
“I hope she doesn’t think he’s taking her back to the shelter.” Berry appeared concerned. “She can’t possibly understand what’s going on.”
“I think she understands that she’s yours now.” Dallas picked up the covered serving bowls containing the green beans and the salad and took them outside to place on the table. In the side yard, the kids were showing something to Grant.
In another lifetime, they could have been our children
, she thought before reminding herself that she and Grant had been kids themselves back then. She forced herself to look away from Cody and Paige, who were heading toward the house, Fleur bouncing up and down between them.
“If we have time later, we’ll get it out and I’ll teach you how to play, okay?” Paige was telling Cody as they came up the steps.
“We have a croquet thing, right, Mom? In there?” Cody pointed across the yard to the carriage house.
“There used to be one,” Dallas replied. “I don’t know if it’s still around.”
“It’s there.” He nodded. “I saw it in a box and asked Aunt Berry what it was and she said a croquet thing.”
“Then I guess it’s still there. Did you want to play?”
His head bobbed up and down as he opened the back door. “I don’t know how, but Paige said she’d teach me.” He looked over his shoulder at Paige with utter adoration.
Paige ruffled his hair with obvious fondness and followed him into the kitchen, the white dog still trailing after.
Berry opened the screened door and passed out another serving dish.
Dallas peeked under the cover. “Oh, yum. Brown rice. My favorite.”
“It’s very healthy,” Berry sniffed.
“I know.” Dallas grinned. “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”
“Lucky for you.”
Dallas moved a plate slightly to make room for the new dish. “Anything else?”
“No, thank you. I have biscuits but I’m saving them for Cody. He said he’d like to bring something out once he and Paige are cleaned up.” Berry looked out across the lawn to the dock. “But you could walk down and get Grant after you take the salad out. The fish is almost ready and I’d like to enjoy it while it’s still warm.”
Dallas nodded and walked to the river then onto
the pier. “Grant,” she called to him. “Berry’s ready to serve dinner.”
“Oh, thanks.” He turned away from the water with a half smile on his face. “I was just thinking about the night we took Wade’s boat and we—”
“Don’t.” She held up a hand. “Don’t go there. We agreed that we were wiping the slate. That goes for the good times as well as the times that maybe weren’t so good.”
He nodded slowly but didn’t say anything until they were almost to the back steps, Ally at his heels wagging her tail.
“You know, we can pretend that certain things never happened if you want to, but the truth is that what was between us back then was very special. Some things just become a part of you, and no matter what you say, or what you do, they’re always going to be there. I’ll play along with you because pretending that we have no history together seems to make you feel better somehow, but don’t think for a minute that I don’t remember.” He paused and looked down into her eyes. “I suspect that in spite of your wanting to ‘wipe the slate clean,’ you remember, too.”
He held her gaze for a longer moment than she’d have liked.
“I didn’t say I didn’t remember,” she told him pointedly. “What I’d said was, whatever happened back then was in the past. And the past, as you know, can’t be changed.”
She might have said more, but Ally ran past them to the top of the stairs, where Berry stood.
“Dinner, dears …”
If Berry had heard the conversation, she gave no sign. Except, Dallas thought, there might have been just the tiniest bit of subtle satisfaction in her smile when she called them to the table. But all in all, dinner had gone as well as it could have. Cody was so clearly smitten with Paige, he copied everything she did, from the way she held her fork to the way she used her napkin. It was the first time Dallas had seen her son mimic an older child’s actions. At least he’d found someone with good manners to emulate, she mused.
Dinner had barely begun when they made the discovery that Fleur was evidently accustomed to being fed from the table, as she begged unmercifully. Berry and Dallas agreed that she’d have to be broken of that, and forbade Cody to slip the little scamp so much as a taste of fish. Ally, on the other hand, continued to exhibit impeccable manners—much to Berry’s delight—by curling up next to Berry’s chair and remaining there throughout dinner. No begging, no whining. No bad behavior.
“I can’t say it often enough, Grant,” Berry told him
when he and Paige were leaving. “I couldn’t be happier with Ally.”
“I’m glad it worked out for everyone and that you’re happy,” he replied.
“Outrageously so,” she assured him.
“Me, too,” Cody told him. “I love Fleur.”
Berry glanced down at the white dog, then looked a little closer.
“What is that around her neck?”
“That’s the new collar we bought her today,” Cody explained. “Paige is taking the black one back to the shelter and the leash, too, so she can use it for another dog.” He knelt down and snapped the new leash on Fleur. “See? She likes it.”
“Yes, well, not everyone can wear that shade,” Berry murmured. “It’s rather … well, striking.”
“And see? We got purple for Ally, ’cause purple is your favorite color.” He shook the contents of the bag onto the floor and proudly held up Ally’s new purple accessories.
“Lovely,” Berry told him. “It’s actually more of a shrieking violet, though, wouldn’t you say?”
“I thought the expression was
shrinking
violet.” Dallas picked up the new leash and collar and handed them to Berry.
Berry held up the leash. “Shriek or shrink?”
“I see your point.” Dallas nodded.
Grant laughed and put his arm around his daughter. “Thanks again for a great dinner, Miss B. We had a great time, didn’t we, Paige.”
“It was fun.” Paige leaned over and tapped Cody on the tip of his nose. “Next time you get the croquet set out and I’ll teach you how to play.”
“Okay.” Cody was content with the promise.
“I’ll get back to you about the fence,” Grant said over his shoulder as he and Paige walked to his Jeep that was parked next to Dallas’s rented car.
“Thank you, dear.” Berry went onto the porch, Ally at her heels.
“Dallas, I’ll be seeing you,” Grant called to her just before he got into the car.
“Most likely.” She did her best to appear nonchalant, though she was anything but.
“Well, that was lovely, don’t you think, dear?” Berry said after waving good-bye to the departing car and coming back into the house. “Grant is still … well, he’s Grant, what more can I say?” She laughed. “And his daughter is delightful.”
“Paige is a very sweet girl, yes.” Berry had already made it obvious how she felt about Grant and Dallas wasn’t going to take the bait. “Dinner was very nice. Someday you’ll let me in on the secret of pulling together a meal like that in little more than an hour.”
“Easy-peasey, as they say. You call your market and tell them what you want, and they have it ready for you when you pop in to pick it up.”
“When did you call the market?”
“While you and Grant were chatting after we left the barn. I went straight to the car, my cell phone in hand. Speed-dialed Jaime at the market, asked what kind of fish was fresh today and what salads he had already made up. His wife makes them all from scratch, you know.”
“You amaze me.” Dallas shook her head.
“It’s my idea of fast food. Now, where did Cody go? It’s time for us to take our dogs out for one last
spin around the yard before we all turn in for the night. Would you like to join us?”
“Thanks, but I want to make sure everything’s in from the back porch and get the dishes into the dishwasher.”
“I appreciate that. I am a bit tired,” Berry admitted. “It’s been a big day, hasn’t it, Ally. Now, let’s go find Cody and Fleur and take a little walk together.”
Dallas finished loading the dishwasher and turned it on just as Berry and Cody came into the house with their new best friends.
“Mom, I don’t think Fleur wants to sleep downstairs on her dog bed,” Cody told Dallas.
“Where do you think she wants to sleep?”
“I think she wants to sleep in my room,” he said earnestly.
“I think you might be right. Take the dog bed upstairs and put it next to your bed.”
He ran from the room, the little dog at his side, pausing to pick up the dog’s bed from the hall where he’d left it.
“He is one happy little boy tonight,” Berry observed.
“He told me he was happier than he’s ever been anywhere. Including Disney World.”
“My, that
is
happy.” Berry smiled. “Thank you for telling me. That warms my heart. I want nothing more at this stage of my life than for the people I love the most to be happy.” She frowned. “Which reminds me. Have you spoken with your brother this week?”
“No. I called him and left a message but he hasn’t called back.”
“So did I. I wonder what he’s up to these days.”
“We’ll track him down, don’t you worry.” Dallas kissed Berry on the cheek. “You and Ally go on up to bed. I think I’d like to work for a little bit. I’ll close up when I’m finished.”
“All right. I’ll see you in the morning.” Berry bent over and unhooked Ally’s leash. “Come along, pup, and I’ll show you to our room.”
Dallas had just finished in the kitchen, locked the back door, and turned off the lights, when her phone rang.
“Hey, Norma,” she said after a glance at caller ID. “What’s up?”
“What’s up is your divorce. I called Emilio’s attorney last night and offered him the deal we discussed. I told him that I’d heavily lobbied against it but that it was your idea and you insisted, and that there was a twenty-four-hour window before the offer went away forever.” Norma paused, and Dallas knew she was sneaking a drag from a cigarette that she’d supposedly given up last month. “Because if his client is too stupid to see a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a killing in real estate, then he didn’t deserve it. Ted—that’s Emilio’s lawyer—couldn’t hang up fast enough. Long story short, he flew to Arizona and talked to Emilio, who apparently isn’t as dumb as I thought he was—at least where real estate is concerned. Ted called me from the rehab center and told me to draw up the papers, which I’m doing now. I’ll get them to him by messenger in the morning, and I told him I wanted them signed and back in my hands by four tomorrow afternoon because I already told
the judge that we were not asking for a continuance of the upcoming hearing.”
“What happens then?”
“Then I make my case to the court to have the divorce finalized, Ted agrees on the record to all the terms including the child custody arrangement that you wanted.” Another covert drag on the cigarette. Dallas was tempted to tell Norma that she wasn’t fooling anyone but decided to let it go. “Knowing this judge and given the package we’re bringing is nice and neat, I think it’s almost a done deal. The property division was the only obstacle, and you removed that with one swift blow.”
“And that’s it? We’re divorced?”
“I left out a few steps for the sake of brevity, but yes. You’ll be footloose and fancy-free.” Norma chuckled. “Oh, to be single and gorgeous in Hollywood.”
“You
are
single and gorgeous in Hollywood,” Dallas reminded her.
“But ‘lawyer’ just doesn’t have the same cachet as ‘famous Hollywood superstar.’ ”
“You do just fine.” Dallas smiled. Norma did better than fine. “This is fabulous news. I can’t thank you enough for pushing this for me.”
“It’s why you pay me the big bucks, girl.”
“You earn it.” Dallas could hardly belive that this ordeal was actually going to come to an end. Other than Cody’s visitation with his father, Dallas’s dealings with Emilio were going to be limited. “By the way, were you able to get in touch with Victoria Seymour or her agent?”
“Did we not only discuss that project last night?”
“Yes, but did you call—”
“Yes, I called her literary agent, whom she thanked in the acknowledgments, so it was easy to track her down. The agent is on vacation until next week.”
“Did you ask for a number where she can be reached?”
“I asked that she call me as soon as she receives my message, that it’s a matter of great importance to her and to her client. She’ll call me back or I’ll track her down next week. Not to worry. I’m on it, Dallas.” Norma paused. “I don’t remember you ever being this impatient over anything. Not even your divorce.”
“I’m just really excited about the possibilities.” Dallas realized she’d been biting a nail, something she hadn’t done since she was a child.
“I can see that you are. I started reading it again last night, and completely see the movie in this novel. But I do think you’d make a perfect Charlotte.”
“I’m not thinking about starring in it. I’d like to try my hand at directing. I can just see this story unfold on-screen and I want to be the one to do it.”
“I will do my best to see that that happens.”
“I know you will, Norma. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Wait till we get the rights.”
“I have faith in you.”
Dallas hung up and realized she was still standing in the darkened kitchen. She closed up the rest of the house, then went upstairs to tuck Cody in. She found him already in bed, under the covers, his head on the pillow—next to Fleur’s.
“Sweetie, I don’t know that you want her to sleep on your pillow with you.”
He nodded vigorously. “I do. And she wants to. See? She’s smiling.”
“I think she might get too warm under the blanket. She is wearing a fur coat, you know.”