“No. Not for a while.”
She probably didn’t want to face the media onslaught, and he
didn’t blame her. She’d find it embarrassing. Everyone would say that their
marriage was just another fling and that he’d been in love with Bella all along.
They’d say Gail should’ve known better than to think she could keep him. Maybe
those people Ian had mentioned, who’d figured out that they’d done it for the
PR, would get louder and more insistent. He dealt with the media enough—and so
did she—to realize what the conjecture would be like and that it wouldn’t be
flattering to Gail. He already planned to offset that as much as possible by
telling everyone how great she was and how much he cared about her. But he had
to handle one thing at a time. “Then I’ll come back here.”
“No, there won’t be any reason for you to do that,” she said.
“If you gain custody, you won’t need me anymore. And if you don’t, if she calls
the cops because you violated the restraining order, staying married to me won’t
matter. After this, no one will believe you really care about me.”
This was more than he could handle at the moment. He’d have to
think about what to do with her later. “I just want my son. That’s why I started
this.”
“I know. He’s a great kid, so I don’t blame you. What I’m
trying to tell you is that I think you’ll have a better chance if you stay. You
should set up something consistent and reliable through the legal system,
something that won’t depend on her whim.”
But he couldn’t wait. “That could take months and months, maybe
years,” he said. “And even then there’ll be no guarantees I’ll win.”
She didn’t try to convince him otherwise. “True.”
“That’s why I have to go.”
He’d dropped a shirt on the floor. She got up to fold it. Then
she handed it to him to put in his bag and went about gathering up everything
else he’d left—clothes, books, toiletries. “You didn’t have to call a car
service, you know. I would’ve driven you to the airport.”
“I know. I didn’t want you out so late. What if you got a flat
tire?” He motioned at the stuff she was still picking up. “Forget that.”
“You don’t want it?”
“I’ll get it later.”
“Okay.” She put the jeans she’d taken off the floor on the bed.
“But before you go, there’s one more thing I want to say.”
He squirmed at her somber tone. This felt like a funeral. He
wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible, but she deserved the chance
to tell him how rotten he was for letting her down. She’d gone to a lot of work
and effort to help him, and he’d done nothing except disrupt her life. True, her
business was coming back from the brink of collapse. But in the aftermath of his
leaving, her family would be angry with her for marrying him and her friends
would have every right to say “I told you so.”
He’d even messed up her love life. He knew very well that she’d
once had feelings for Matt. Maybe, if not for his involvement, the two of them
would’ve gotten together and become the perfect hometown couple.
“I’m listening.” He was prepared to hear the worst. Instead,
she came to stand in front of him, kissed him tenderly and said, “I’ve never
loved a man so much. I hope you’re always happy.”
Completely taken off guard, he blinked in surprise. He almost
pulled her into his arms so he could feel her body against his one more time,
just in case she was right and everything changed after this moment. But she
didn’t give him the chance. With a parting smile, she crossed to the other
bedroom and closed the door.
And then the limo arrived.
29
T
he house felt odd without Simon, probably
because he’d been such a part of it. With the amount of work he’d been putting
in and his excitement over the improvements, not to mention the time they’d
spent here making love or simply sleeping together, it had begun to seem like a
home.
Their
home. Their marriage had begun to feel
real, too. But it had all ended even quicker than Gail had anticipated. He’d
abstained from alcohol and behaved perfectly since they’d made their agreement,
only to be drawn back to Los Angeles by Bella, the one variable Gail hadn’t
expected to play the part it did. She’d thought they’d have to battle tooth and
nail to get Bella to let Simon see Ty. The restraining order had convinced her
of it. Now she felt as if she’d been leaning hard on a door that had suddenly
opened.
She should’ve known better than to rely on anything she’d been
feeling since marrying Simon, especially the happiness and false sense of
security that enveloped her while living in her hometown. She hadn’t trusted it.
Not really. And yet she’d embraced it—eagerly. Once she learned about Bella and
Tex she should’ve realized that Bella had been manipulating Simon all along and
would continue to do so—and that he would never be able to resist a friendly
offer from her. After all, Bella had the one thing Simon cared about most. Ty
trumped every other consideration.
Hugging her pillow close, Gail rolled over and squeezed her
eyes shut. She’d known she’d face this day sooner or later. There was no point
in feeling sorry for herself. But all the self-talk in the world couldn’t ease
the ache in her chest.
Maybe if she got out of 811 Autumn Lane, she’d recover faster,
revert to her old in-charge, able-to-handle-anything self. If she returned to
her father’s place, she’d have to tell him and her brother that Simon had left
her, but she’d have to do that fairly soon, anyway. Might as well get it over
with.
She kicked off the covers and got up, then pulled on an old
sweatshirt of Simon’s. But before she could reach the hall the doorbell
rang.
For a moment, she hoped it was Simon. He’d only been gone an
hour. He could’ve come back. But she knew in her heart he wouldn’t, not when he
couldn’t wait to see his son.
So who could be visiting at ten-thirty?
She wiped her face on her sleeve and padded out to the living
room barefoot. He’d turned off the lights and locked up, but he’d replaced the
burned-out porch light and left that on. Nice of him to be so considerate, she
thought sarcastically, and pushed the sheet covering the front window to one
side.
It was Sophia, pretty much the last person in the world she
wanted to see. Wasn’t dinner enough?
Gail almost didn’t open the door. She wasn’t sure she could put
a smile on her face and pretend, as she’d done through dessert and an hour or so
of small talk at Sophia’s house earlier, that everything in her life was A-OK.
But she also couldn’t leave Sophia standing on the porch when the Lexus was
parked out front, giving away the fact that someone was home. She couldn’t have
done that to anybody she knew, especially in Whiskey Creek.
Hoping the woman she’d once disliked immensely, and for good
reason, wouldn’t be able to tell she’d been crying, she opened the door.
“Hi.” Contrary to what Gail had believed possible, she managed
another of the fake smiles she’d been conjuring up all evening.
Sophia didn’t immediately respond. She shoved her hands in the
pockets of the lightweight jacket she was wearing and studied Gail
carefully.
Growing uncomfortable, Gail cleared her throat. “What brings
you out so late, Sophia?”
“Alexa forgot her toothbrush so I took it over to her.”
“And that brought you here because…”
“I saw a limo pass by.” She paused as if she expected Gail to
say something, but Gail couldn’t bring any words to her mouth. Initially, she’d
been tempted to whisper, as though Simon was still in the house and she didn’t
want to wake him, but now she was glad she hadn’t. Getting caught in such a
pretense would’ve been even more embarrassing than acknowledging the sad
reality.
“It was Simon, wasn’t it?” she said. “He’s leaving town.”
Of all people to be the first to know. Would Sophia gloat? She
would have when they were in high school. Gail wasn’t even sure she could
complain if Sophia did. She’d been slow to respond to Sophia’s attempts at
friendship, and she’d been less than wise to take the risks she had. “Yes.”
“I thought so. I heard him call for a car after he spoke with…
I’m guessing that was his ex-wife?”
“Yes.” Although Gail wasn’t thrilled to see Sophia put the
pieces together so perfectly, she didn’t see any point in trying to present the
facts in any different way. As much as she and Simon had tried to pretend that
nothing had changed, Sophia had watched him make his decision from a front-row
seat.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“I appreciate that. So you came because…”
“I was worried that maybe you were having a hard time. I know
you don’t consider me a close friend, but I didn’t want you to be alone if…if
you needed someone.” She shifted, obviously feeling awkward, but soldiered on.
“I’m sure what you’re going through can’t be easy. I can tell that you love him
very much.”
Gail wished she could deny it. She wanted to say it was fine,
that she’d known she was taking a chance when she married him and had been
prepared for the worst—something that would salvage a bit of her pride.
It was fun while it lasted.
But Simon’s defection was
too new, her emotions too raw. She couldn’t seem to raise her defenses.
So she didn’t try. The redness of her face had probably given
her away. “You’re right,” she said. “I do love him, more than I ever thought I
could love someone. And it hurts like hell that he’s gone.” How was that for
full disclosure? She figured she might as well give Sophia what she’d come for.
The “mean girl” from high school could gloat if she wanted to.
But Sophia didn’t seem to be taking any pleasure from her pain.
Empathy filled her eyes, then she put her arms around Gail and gave her a long
hug.
“I’m really, really sorry,” she murmured and Gail could tell
she meant it.
“Sometimes life just sucks, doesn’t it?” Sophia added.
Gail got the impression she knew what she was talking about.
“You’re not happy with Skip, are you?”
Sophia hesitated as if it was difficult for her to reveal the
truth. She’d been selling the “perfect family” illusion for so long. But
eventually, she stepped back and admitted the truth. “No.”
“Sometimes life sucks, all right,” Gail said with a sad laugh.
“Want to come in for coffee?”
Sophia returned her smile. “I’d love to.”
They spent the next two hours discussing whether or not Gail
should return immediately to L.A., what her father and brother would think of
Simon’s defection and how she should tell them, and whether or not Sophia should
keep fighting to save her own marriage. She claimed that the bruise on her cheek
wasn’t from Skip, but Gail suspected the reality of that was too personal to
share even within the confines of their new friendship.
Gail supposed she’d find out someday. She definitely planned on
maintaining the relationship. Sophia as an adult was nothing like Sophia as an
adolescent. She’d held back, too, hadn’t told Sophia about the original reasons
for the marriage. That was too risky to tell
anyone.
“Look at the time,” Sophia said, pulling out her cell phone.
“I’d better go home.”
“You could stay here,” Gail said. “I have an extra bed.”
“No. Skip might call.” She grimaced. “He does that every once
in a while just to check up. He’s so afraid I’ll cheat on him while he’s
gone.”
“Do you think he’s been cheating on you?”
It was another hard question, but they’d built up enough trust
that this time she didn’t hesitate. “I’m pretty sure he has.”
“Why don’t you divorce him?”
“Because he’d do everything he can to take Lex and leave me
with nothing. Maybe when she gets older I’ll be willing to brave that, but…not
now. She means too much to me.”
She’d be in Simon’s situation, fighting over her child. “I
see.”
“I’ve got to go, but first I need to use the bathroom.”
As she walked away, Gail was thinking how much it helped to
have a friend who understood and didn’t judge her for her decisions, and how
easy it would’ve been to miss that friend in Sophia.
“Gail?” Sophia had reached the bathroom but was calling
her.
“Yes?”
“Have you seen this?”
“What is it?”
“Come here.”
More than a little curious, Gail headed down the hall. Sophia
was standing outside the bathroom and gestured for her to peer in. There, on the
vanity, was a plush velvet box sitting on a scrap of paper with Simon’s
handwriting.
Sending Sophia a look that said she had no idea what was going
on, she read the note first. “I’ve been trying to figure out a good way to give
you this. Now that I’m leaving, I realize there is no good way, but I still want
you to have it.”
She handed the note to Sophia while she opened the box. Inside
was one of the giant-size diamonds Mr. Nunes had brought to show her before she
and Simon were married.
“Holy cow,” Sophia breathed when Gail turned to show her. “I’m
tempted to believe that’s a cubic zirconia but I know it’s not.”
So did Gail. After Mr. Nunes’s visit, she also knew how much it
was worth.
“Try it on!” Sophia said, and held the box while Gail slid the
ring on her finger. The setting was a simple one done in yellow gold, but it
offset the diamond beautifully. The combination was stunning.
“See that?” Sophia said, admiring it. “He does care about you.
I bet he comes back.”
Gail smiled, but shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“He has too much going on in his life right now,” she said. But
that wasn’t what she was thinking. She was remembering the moment when she’d
bared her soul to him. He couldn’t come back to “I love you,” not to continue a
fake relationship. After that, it would have to be for real.
And she’d always known he wasn’t ready for
real.
* * *
Ian climbed out of his car as soon as he saw Simon pass
through the doors of the baggage claim area and into the pickup zone. “How was
your flight?”
It hadn’t been pleasant. As eager as Simon was to see Ty, he
felt bad about leaving Gail. He kept picturing her sleeping in their new bed in
their new century-old house—and wished he was there with her. She kept him sane,
introduced an element of calm and rightness to his life that seemed to be
missing without her. Just flying into Los Angeles brought back the past couple
of years, which made him tense and irritable. The way Ian kept smiling bothered
Simon, too. Ian acted as if he’d somehow outmaneuvered Gail in his quest for
attention and control. But he hadn’t. Only Ty could beat Gail.
“Fortunately, it was short,” he said. “What’s going on here at
home?”
Ian had brought his Mercedes and not the Porsche, so he had
somewhere to stow Simon’s luggage. Simon shoved it in the trunk as Ian
answered.
“Bella’s been calling me, freaking out. She wants you to come
over right away.”
Simon checked the time—11:40—and walked to the passenger door.
“Have you seen Ty?”
“No, I’ve just heard from Bella on the phone.”
His cell rang as he slid into the seat. Hoping it was Gail
checking to see if he’d gotten in safely, he pulled the phone out of his pocket,
then frowned. It wasn’t Gail. Of course it wouldn’t be. She’d told him she loved
him, but then she’d sent him off as if she never planned on seeing him again. He
knew in his heart that unless he contacted her, he’d never hear from her
again.
Instead, it was Bella. Already. “This is her,” he said to Ian,
and pressed the talk button. “Hello?”
“Oh, good!” Bella gushed. “You’re in?”
“Just arrived.”
“So…are you coming over?”
“On my way.”
“Thank God.” The sexy, breathless quality of her voice wasn’t
quite the turn-on it used to be. Actually, it wasn’t a turn-on at all. She just
sounded like she was trying too hard.
“Is Ty there?” he asked.
“Where else would he be?”
Simon wanted to be sure. At this hour, his son would be asleep,
but it’d been so long since Simon had seen him he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait
to hug Ty’s small body against his chest. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
As he buckled his seat belt, Ian pulled into the steady flow of
traffic. “It’s good to see you, man.”
Simon eyed him. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m serious. Why?”
“You just saw me in Whiskey Creek.”
“That was different.” He tapped the steering wheel to the beat
of the rap music playing on his expensive stereo system. “Whiskey Creek isn’t
L.A.
This
is where you belong.”
“Is it?”
Ian’s hands stilled and he glanced over. “What’s that supposed
to mean?”
Simon didn’t even know. He used to love L.A., never dreamed
he’d consider moving. Now, he wasn’t so sure it was the best place for him.
Whiskey Creek had been such a welcome change. He liked the innocence of it, the
people. He had room to breathe there. “Nothing,” he said. “It doesn’t mean
anything.”
Ian put on his blinker and changed lanes in preparation for
exiting the airport. “Can you believe you got out of your bogus marriage so
easily?”
Simon arched an eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”
“Now that Bella’s willing to forget about that stupid
restraining order, there’s no need to bother with Gail.”
Simon said nothing. After the initial agreement, Ian hadn’t
wanted his arrangement with Gail to work. That much was clear.
“Right?” Ian prodded.