Faking It (8 page)

Erin frowned. How could she have eaten so much? Strange as it seemed, she wasn’t bursting at the seams, though. She just felt…content. The hunger
that had been gnawing at her for the last couple of days had at last abated.

“Tess, you know she doesn’t like to talk about those things,” Maggie scolded.

“I don’t like to talk about what things?” Erin asked. “So I was hungry, and yes, I do think I’ll order dessert.” She flipped through the menu that stood on the table. “That chocolate-fudge brownie looks good. I think I’ll try that.”

“Ah, yes, chocolate always hits the spot for me.” Maggie pulled the menu toward her, then frowned and handed it to Tess. “Will you please pick for me, sweetie?” She waved her hand in front of her face. “I, uh, forgot my glasses.”

Erin’s stomach tightened, but Tess didn’t miss a beat. “I say three chocolate-fudge brownies. There, does that make you feel better?”

“Much,” Maggie said with a grateful smile.

“There’s the nursery calling,” Tess said and pulled her cell phone from her purse, its musical ring clamoring over the myriad conversations around them. Frowning, she turned aside to speak to the caller.

Their server took their dessert orders. Tess bit her lip as she put away her phone. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take mine to go.”

“Oh, dear, is everything all right?” Maggie asked.

“Evan is going home sick. I have to get to the nursery. We have a big shipment coming in. I’m sorry to cut things short.”

“It’s okay, honey. You do what you have to. Maybe Erin can drive me home to save you some time.”

Erin straightened. “Whatever you need.”

“We can tie up a few of these shower details while we wait for those desserts.” Maggie whipped out the notepad and they ran through a list of options with quick efficiency, so they had the shower planned by the time the brownies arrived.

“You two are the best.” Tess rose, then hugged first her mother and then her sister. “I’d be dead meat without you.”

“No you wouldn’t, dear, but it’s sweet of you to say so,” Maggie said. “You tell Mason I want to see more of the both of you. Nothing would please me more than if we were planning a double wedding.”

Tess’s eyes rounded. “I’m not giving him any ideas. The man has already been mooning about tying me down and making an honest woman of me.”

Maggie nearly jumped out of her seat. “Mason asked you to marry him? Why didn’t you say so? Now you have to go without giving us all the details.”

“We’re as good as married now. And besides, we’ve already got our hands full with Nikki’s wedding plans. Enough.” She held up her hand when
their mother would have said more. “I have to run. Poor Evan is miserable. We’ll talk later.”

She picked up her purse and turned to Erin. “Thanks for taking Mom home. You call me. We’ll do another girls’ night.”

As she moved away, weaving a path between the tables, a feeling of desolation stole over Erin, but she shook it off. Why would she be upset over Tess and Mason possibly tying the knot? It shouldn’t bother her any more than Nikki’s impending nuptials.

And why would that upset her? She was happy for her sisters. Truly happy.

Besides, she had Jack waiting for her. It wasn’t as if her life was devoid of joy or anything. So she hadn’t inherited the McClellan gift. If Jack had been sick last night, he’d hid it well. His continued health gave her hope that she could have a normal relationship with a man. If that meant bending her rules of professionalism a bit, then so be it.

“You ready, hon?” Maggie’s soft voice brought Erin out of her reverie.

“Sure.” She gathered her purse. “Let’s go.”

Maggie took her arm and Erin guided her out of the restaurant. Her throat tightened as her mother leaned heavily on her arm. Maggie had always been so free-spirited and independent. Now her fingers dug into Erin’s arm in a grip that conveyed
that, in spite of her calm demeanor, Maggie was afraid.

The realization filled Erin with sorrow. Outside, Maggie barely blinked at the bright sunlight. Erin’s concerns over Jack could wait. For once, her mother needed her. And Erin meant to be there for her.

T
WENTY MINUTES LATER
Maggie turned to Erin from the passenger seat, a knowing smile on her face. “So you have a new young man.”

Surprise rippled through Erin. “There are no secrets in this family.”

“No, not normally. You couldn’t have kept it a secret if you had wanted to, sweetheart. If your voracious appetite wasn’t a dead giveaway, then that light in your eyes would have done it. You have moments when you are positively glowing. Now why would you want to keep such a thing a secret?”

Erin turned in to her aunt Sophie’s driveway. “There is someone. I’d just rather keep it private.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course. Why would there be anything to worry about?” Surely whatever Jack was keeping from her couldn’t be any worse than her not telling him she was Typhoid Mary.

“Are you sure? You seem…a little off.”

“I’m just adjusting to my new place and revamping my business.”

“I hear that’s going well.”

Erin braced herself for the same lecture she’d heard from both Nikki and Tess on her giving up feng shui. “It has been. Very well, in fact. I’ve just signed a new client.”

“Oh, I see.” Her mother’s sideways glance sent apprehension skittering up her spine, though she made no comment about the feng shui.

“You see what?” Why had she thought that she could keep anything from Maggie? The woman was a walking lie detector.

Maggie’s shoulders shifted in a slight shrug. “You have mixed emotions about this young man. Guilt. What are you feeling guilty about? Something to do with your work.” Her eyebrows lifted. “He’s a client.”

Busted. “How is it that you always know these things?”

“Sweetie, you are so easy to read. One of the easiest. You have the ability, too.”

“I don’t think so. I’m not like you.”

“I suppose that’s true. We have never been much alike, and the gift manifests differently in each of us. Plus you and your sisters are a whole new generation. But you still have the gift, and part of that is the empathic nature,” Maggie said. “You feel it with your
young man. You feel what he feels. It bonds you in a way you can’t escape.”

“Maybe.”

“Certainly it does.” Maggie lifted her purse strap to her shoulder. “Do you want to come inside? Thomas has made some adjustments to my studio. Nothing like you would have done, hon, and I think we could do more with the lighting. It still isn’t right. Maybe you could tell me your opinion?”

“I have some lights I got in the other day that aren’t going to work for what I had in mind. Maybe we can do something with those.”

“Great, sweetie, now call that young man and let him know I’ll keep you just a few short minutes. I’ll meet you inside.”

“No, it’s okay. It’ll be fine. I’ll get there when I get there.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.” Erin followed her mother up the walk.

Out of the blue, memories of classmates’ teasing flowed over Erin. Maggie’s constant shuffling from man to man hadn’t escaped their notice. In spite of the agony, Erin had endured. She loved her mother and she meant to help her in any way possible.

As they ascended the stairs leading to the wide wraparound porch, Maggie missed a step, stumbling against Erin. She clutched the rail and grabbed
Maggie’s arm to stabilize her. Her heart raced. “Are you okay?”

Maggie nodded, her mouth set in a firm line. “I’m sorry, dear, that was clumsy of me. I just…I didn’t see the damn thing.”

Erin took a deep breath. “It’s okay.”

“No. It isn’t.” Maggie stopped halfway up the stairs. “I’ve got the good sense not to drive myself around anymore, but there is no reason why I can’t walk up a flight of stairs on my own.”

“But, Maggie—”

“Don’t ‘but Maggie’ me. I will not have everyone coddling me. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell all of you.”

“Now wait a minute. I was not coddling you. You nearly fell. I caught you. Thank God we didn’t both go tumbling down these stairs.”

All the fight seemed to drain from her mother. She ran her hand across her eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It gets a little frustrating at times.”

Erin’s throat tightened. “Of course it does. It’s perfectly understandable. But you have got to cut yourself some slack. You’re going through an adjustment period.” Her voice faltered and she stopped.

Maggie wrapped her arm around her. “It’ll be okay, pumpkin. I’m not sure how, but somehow, some way, this is all going to work out just fine.”

Not trusting her voice, Erin nodded and Maggie let her go to take the rest of the stairs on her own, her head held high. When they reached the top, she turned to Erin, smiling, though her drooping eyes appeared unfocused. “See? I merely have to concentrate on not being so clumsy. You certainly don’t have to see stairs to climb them.”

“No, I suppose not.”

“I’ve started classes you know,” Maggie said as they pushed through the front door.

“What kind of classes?”

All the familiar smells of Aunt Sophie’s house wrapped around Erin, an assortment of herbs and spices and sunshine that made this the one place all the girls ran to when they needed comfort or just a friendly ear. No wonder Maggie had chosen to stay here. The rustling of pots sounded from the kitchen and Sophie emerged, her hair tied up in a bandanna.

“You brought us a special treat,” she said as she kissed Erin’s cheek. “Don’t mind me, I’m in a cleaning mood.”

“She’s going to see what she thinks about the lighting,” Maggie said.

Sophie blew out a long breath. “It’s always about that damn lighting. If she’s going to paint blindfolded, I don’t see what the big deal is. What does it
matter? It’s a bunch of nonsense, is what I say. Don’t you think so, Erin?”

“Tell me about your classes, Maggie. Are they some kind of art classes?” Erin asked, hoping to change the subject.

Of course, the notion of Maggie continuing her painting was absurd. She had to accept that her painting career was coming to an end. A shiver of sadness raked through Erin and she blinked back unwanted moisture from her eyes.

“Thank you, darling, for not agreeing with my sister—or for at least not saying so.” Maggie moved into the sunroom. “I know I said we’d make it quick, but just sit with me for a minute. Sophie, you’ll get us some tea, won’t you? I haven’t had my special blend yet today. I forgot it this morning.”

“I’ll get your tea. Meanwhile, maybe your sensible daughter will talk some sense into you,” Sophie said, then moved off into the kitchen.

After she’d gone, Maggie sank to the soft cushions of a lounger and motioned Erin to the love seat near it. “She’s fretting, you know. You can always tell because she gets in these cleaning moods and she scours everything. It’s driving me crazy, but she’s my sister. I love her. And she’s been a dear to let me stay while I sort things out.”

“So how are you? Really?”

Maggie didn’t answer for a minute, just stared into space. “I have my good days and my bad days.” She shrugged. “But what am I going to do? It is what it is. These classes are helpful. My doctor recommended them.” She chuckled softly. “I wish they were art classes. They’re classes for the visually impaired. They’re teaching me how to cope with everyday things like stairs and fixing breakfast and setting up my environment.”

“Maggie—Mom, how can I help?”

“You can not worry about me or feel sorry for me. Lord knows I’ve done enough of that myself and I am sick to death of it.”

She swung her feet over the edge of the lounger. “Let’s go look at the studio, then send you on your way. Who am I to hold you hostage with poor-me stories when you have a hottie waiting for you.”

“It’s okay. I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“Come.” Maggie rose, motioning to Erin as she headed to a room adjoining the sunroom.

One side of the studio faced the backyard. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Aunt Sophie’s herb garden. Birds flitted from the branches of trees at the center of the garden. “The natural lighting is good, like in the sunroom.”

Erin flipped a switch on the wall. Soft light shone over a half-painted canvas and an assortment of
brushes and paint stored in neat bins on a nearby worktable. “This is nice backlighting Thomas put in, but maybe we can try some halogens. I’ll see if I can get Thomas to help me with them over the weekend.”

“He’ll be by tomorrow. Do you want me to ask him?” The hope in Maggie’s eyes was more than Erin could resist.

“Have him call me when he gets ready to head this way and I’ll see if I can meet him.”

Maggie squeezed her hands. “Thank you, dear. Now are you or are you not going to tell me about this new crush of yours? I have never had such a dry spell, self-imposed or not. I am dying for a little romance. Just tell me how you met.”

Her mother looked so young and full of life in that moment, Erin couldn’t help but squeeze her hands in return and smile. “He walked right into my shop the other day.”

“And did your heart do a little dance at the sight of him?”

“I guess it did.”

“Oh, look at you glow. I can see that well enough.” Maggie dropped her hands. “You run on to him. Tell him I’m sorry to have kept him waiting.”

“He’s supposed to be working.”

“Right, well that’s going to stop the minute you walk through his door, hon. Go, enjoy.”

“Here’s the tea.” Aunt Sophie set a tray on the table. “And you’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“She has a hot young thing waiting for her.” Maggie winked at Erin.

“Then what are you doing farting around with us old gals? Off with you.” Aunt Sophie waved her toward the door.

“You are not old by anyone’s standards. I’ve seen you both turn a few young hotties’ heads in your own right.”

“Sophie’s got herself a hottie.”

“Really?” Erin asked her aunt. “That’s great, Aunt Sophie.”

“He’s one of Mason’s uncles.”

“The man is head over heels.” Maggie shook her head. “Imagine, every one of you matched up but me.”

Sophie said, “Don’t let her fool you. Her cell phone never stops ringing. Your mother breaks a heart a day and she mopes when the rest of us get lucky.”

“Get lucky?” Maggie’s eyes rounded. “There’s no luck in the matter. And don’t you act like you haven’t been in and out of your own share of relationships.” She turned to Erin. “Don’t let your aunt fool you into thinking she’s all innocent. She’s just a little more low-key than I am.”

Erin hugged them both. “I’d love to stay, but Jack
really is expecting me. I hope to get some work done today. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bring this Jack by.” Aunt Sophie nudged Maggie. “Help brighten up the place.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” Erin said as shivers of foreboding ran up her spine.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Maggie moved to her worktable and picked up a paintbrush. “We’d love to see you both if it works out. If not, don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll stop by again soon.”

“Okay, now scoot before the traffic gets bad.” Aunt Sophie walked her to the door, but Maggie had already turned to the canvas near the window.

Erin slipped into her car. Sadness welled up inside her. How could Maggie lose her sight? It was so unfair. As the sorrow gripped her, thoughts of Jack drifted through her mind. No matter what else might be happening between the two of them, she needed him. She pushed her way through the early Friday traffic, anxious to reach him.

“J
ACK, YOU LOOK LIKE HELL
. Is it your heart?” Amanda clapped her hand over his forehead. “Are you running a fever?”

He pushed her hand aside. “How did you get in?”

“The door was unlocked. I rang the bell.”

“I guess I was dozing.” He licked his dry lips. The
pounding in his head seemed to have subsided and the nausea had passed.

“Do I need to call someone? Your doctor?”

“Don’t freak on me. I’m okay. It’s just a little bug or something. I had it the other day, but it cleared up. Thought it was a twenty-four-hour thing. I’m fine. I’m feeling better.”

“You’re sure it isn’t the other?”

“I’m sure. I spoke with my doctor’s office earlier. Could you please get me some water and maybe some ibuprofen?”

“Sure.” She left, returning a few moments later, shaking her head. “This is not a good thing, Jack. You scared the crap out of me. When I saw you lying there, all pale—”

“Stop. I’m okay. This is—” he took a sip of water “—temporary, whatever it is. Maybe I ate something that didn’t agree with me.”

“Should we call your doctor again, just to be sure?”

“They asked me a bunch of questions, then said to take it easy and call back if I’m still feeling bad in a few days, which I won’t be. I’m much better already.”

“Good.” She sank to the edge of the bed. “How come you haven’t returned my calls? You know that just makes me worry. I hate being the only one who knows what’s going on with you. You need to talk to your mother about this. She should know.
Heaven forbid something should happen and there I am left to explain to one and all what a martyr you were.”

Irritation grated through him. “I’m not a martyr and you know why I won’t tell her.”

“I know, but she would want to know.”

“It’ll only make her worry. She’s been worrying enough already with the way I keep putting her off.”

“You’ve started the weaning process,” Amanda said. “You should have started years ago. It’s harder because you’ve made yourself so indispensable.”

“No one’s indispensable. She’s learning to stand on her own. I’m learning not to feel bad about that. At least she has Aunt Rose and Bobby.”

“Right, they’re so much help, because they also count on you to do everything. Bobby isn’t the handyman you are and he doesn’t spend the time with your mom that you do. But you’re right. They’ll learn to manage on their own. And you should not feel guilty. You’ve got all you can handle right now.”

“Still, she’s had enough grief. I hate to put anything else on her.” He pushed himself into a sitting position, suddenly feeling better. “See? I’m fine.” He yawned. “In fact, I feel pretty good.”

“You’re not as pale.” She frowned. “You have got to start returning my calls. Don’t make me worry like that again.”