How Sweet It Is (7 page)

What would it be like not to obsess over
every little thing all the time? I’ll probably never know.

She felt herself relaxing by
increments during the long drive, helped by his humorous
chatter—until they arrived in his neighborhood. Her eyes
widened.
Boy, am I out of my
element!
Sprawling Mediterranean homes with
red-tiled roofs and established gardens looked like something
out
Architectural Digest
. Brad pulled into the driveway of one of the homes and
parked.

Delphine tried to conceal her growing
distress as he led her past agave plants and terracotta pots
spilling over with red bougainvillea. They entered a saltillo-tiled
entryway. Brad tossed his car keys onto a nearby table in the
hall.

“Have you lived here long?” she asked,
trying to make conversation.

“All my life, except of course, when I was
in Hawaii.”

“Even while you went to college?”

“No, I rented a place with a couple other
guys off campus, but still here in town. When they moved on, my mom
begged me to come home for the summer until I find a new
place.”

Delphine sent him a tense smile, wondering
what it would’ve been like to have a solid, stable life. Her
childhood had been a rootless one, moving from one rental to the
next, sometimes in the middle of the night to avoid paying rent.
She shook the morose thought away and looked around her with
interest.

From the hall, the house opened up on the
left to a living room. The décor consisted of pale earth tones and
heavy leather furniture complemented by Spanish art, pottery, and
glossy potted palm plants. Skylights flooded the room with natural
light.

On her right, she saw a dining room with a
carved wooden table and chairs, which opened into a bright, cheery
kitchen. Beyond where she stood, toward the back of the house, she
could see a small, kidney-shaped swimming pool through the French
patio doors. The open lightness appealed to her, especially after
the shabby gloom of her apartment.

“Where are your parents?” she asked.

“They won’t be back until about five.”

Delphine gave him a blank stare. “I thought
you said we would be eating together. I assumed it would be a late
lunch.”

Was it her imagination or did Brad’s face
redden?

“Did I say lunch?” He shook his head. “I
invited you for a meal, meaning dinner.”

“But I’m here much too early! It’s only two
o’clock!”

“Not too early,” he said smoothly, easing
the envelope from her hands. “I thought we could use the time to
look over your proposal.” He waved her toward the large leather
couch in the living room.

Delphine glanced at the bright room, suddenly
wishing for some shadows to hide in. California sunshine slanting
in from skylights now made her feel like she was on stage.

Squaring her shoulders, she walked across the
hardwood floor covered with a richly woven wool rug and sat on the
edge of the couch.

Brad followed her and plunked down next to
her. He motioned to the box she set next to her purse.

“What’s that?”

“Chocolates for your dad to sample.”

Brad raised a brow. “I could act as his
representative.”

She smiled at his hopeful expression. “Um,
I’ll have to let your father make that decision.”

Brad laughed. “Very diplomatic, Delphine. I
can already tell you’ll be a shrewd businesswoman.”

He opened the clasp on the envelope and
spread her papers on the Moroccan style coffee table. Then he
leaned back and put his arms along the back of the couch.

“Show me what you’ve got.”

Delphine hadn’t planned on making her pitch
to Brad. But it would be good practice for when she spoke to his
father. She picked up the papers, took a deep breath, and began her
presentation.

Brad listened to Delphine’s proposal with
half an ear while the rest of him admired the lovely picture she
made. Her silky hair had been smoothed up into a sleek chignon. He
noticed her black eyes had a hint of brown translucence when the
light hit them just right. Her delicate features coupled with such
large dark eyes gave her a vulnerable air.

His gaze dropped to her lips. They looked so
soft. Just the way he remembered they’d been in Brussels. His hand
went up to his cheek where she’d slapped him. Despite her
appearance of vulnerability, Brad knew good and well she was a
spitfire—definitely not someone to be trifled with.

He realized Delphine had stopped speaking.
She sat with her hands folded in her lap, giving him a questioning
look. “Well?”

Brad cleared his throat, chagrined to be
caught staring. Scooting forward to the edge of the couch, he
sifted through her paperwork, scanning it as he went. “I’m
impressed.”

He
was
. She’d obviously gone to a lot of
effort, and her proposal had been competently assembled.

She gave him a relieved smile. “I took a
couple of business classes at a community college several years ago
which helped, I think. And I used the library computer to put it
all together.”

Brad smiled back. “It shows. I do have a
couple of suggestions however.” When he saw her face fall, he
added, “Things I know that will sweeten the deal with my dad. Uh,
no pun intended.”

Delphine smiled weakly. “Oh, okay.”

“C’mon, we’ll go use the computer in the
den.”

****

Delphine spent the next few hours next to
Brad in front of the computer on a narrow piano bench, which he
apparently deemed superior to two chairs next to each other. She
sat pressed up against him from shoulder to knee, making it very
difficult for her to concentrate on the figures on the monitor. But
after printing out what seemed to be reams of paper, she knew that
Brad’s effort had filled out and polished her proposal in ways she
hadn’t thought of.

All at once, she wondered why he was helping
her. Did he go to the same effort for all strangers—for all damsels
in distress? And did he have a girlfriend? The thought sent an
unexpected wave of jealousy through her.

She knew her envy was misplaced. Brad was a
flirt, a highly attractive flirt, who would soon tire of the
novelty of being a kind of Lord Bountiful. And horror of horrors,
he might even turn into a villain like Snidely Whiplash, demanding
payments if her business failed.

Delphine shuddered at the melodramatic
thought. Hopefully, her figures for the business were conservative
and reasonable for the repayment of the potential debt.

Just as Brad slid the improved paperwork back
into the envelope, his parents returned home. Delphine recognized
his mother when she came into the den. She startled Delphine by
giving her a hug.

“It’s so nice to see you again,” she said,
wrapping her in a cloud of expensive perfume. After releasing her,
she sent her a speculative gaze. “Do you like Tex-Mex food? I
thought of making a French meal but decided it wouldn’t compare
with what you’re probably used to. So I thought to make American,
well, Tex-Mex, like it’s called, to give you some local flavor. Of
course, we’re not actually in Texas, but I’m sure you know what I
mean.”

“Mom,” Brad said, sounding amused, “Delphine
is American. French-American, I guess.”

Elaine Larsen furrowed her brow. “Is there
such a thing as French-American food? Like Tex-Mex, maybe it’s
called Fren-ican or Amer-ench. Do you like French fries?”

Delphine covered her mouth with her hand to
stifle a nervous giggle.

Brad groaned. “You’re frightening the guest.
And since I know she’s anxious to give her pitch to Dad, why don’t
you get started on whatever it is we are having for dinner.”

Delphine heard the deep affection in Brad’s
voice, which softened his words. Elaine kissed him on his cheek.
“Such a sweet boy. He’s the last of my four babies and the only one
still unattached.” She gave a theatrical sigh. “All this mother
needs is to see my boy happily settled with a good woman—”

“Out, Mom,” Brad growled.

She patted Delphine’s arm “After dinner,
remind me to show you the family photo albums. There are some
darling baby pictures of my son in the buff on a sheepskin
rug.”

“Mom!”

With a knowing wink at Delphine, she left the
room. From his red face, Delphine could tell Brad was embarrassed.
She felt sorry for him. Weren’t her own parents convinced Brad was
the hero come to sweep their daughter off her feet and solve all
their problems?

Ridiculous
.

She and Brad were just two adults helping
each other at a temporary intersection of life. Then Delphine
remembered she had nothing to offer Brad in return. She ignored
that thought, mentally changing the subject.

“Um, I didn’t know you had any
siblings.”

Brad’s color returned to normal. He ushered
her from the den to the living room. “Yes. I have a brother who is
the oldest and two older sisters. I arrived six years later after
the last one, and have been told I was something of a
surprise.”

Delphine looked at him, wondering what the
world would be like without him. Stifling the unaccountably bleak
feeling, she silently blessed all the surprise babies of the
world.

In the living room, they found Mr. Larsen on
the leather chair which flanked the couch. He rose when he saw her
and shook her hand.

“Good to see you again, Miss D’Arleux. Brad
tells me you have a business proposition to put before me. I’m
ready when you are.” He returned to his chair and looked at her
expectantly.

Well, the man wastes no
time
. Resisting the urge to wring her
hands, Delphine sat on the corner of the couch nearest Mr. Larsen
and opened the envelope. She glanced at Brad, who stood next to the
couch. He gave her an encouraging smile.

Delphine took a breath and did her best to
sell her idea to Mr. Larsen—and to convince herself—that she had
hope for the future.

****

Brad returned her home at ten o’clock.
Delphine shut the apartment door behind her and leaned against it
for a moment. Closing her eyes, she couldn’t ever remember having
such an enjoyable time.

Brad had a great family. His parents had
welcomed her with such warmth, making her feel like an honored
guest, or a member of the family. For a heartbeat, she wished her
parents were more like—

Delphine pushed away from the door, appalled
by such a disloyal thought. Her parents were warm and welcoming in
their way. They never failed to open their arms to visitors and
went out of their way to make everyone feel at home—however
temporary that home was.

But to them, life was a merry game, often
regardless of the cost to anything or anyone. Dragging their
daughter through twelve schools in as many years had been described
as broadening her horizons. Living in their car between rentals had
been an adventure.

Memories as a child of losing favorite toys
when her parents made nighttime escapes from apartments flickered
through her mind. Delphine would never forget that plush teddy bear
won during an elementary school game—snowy white with a blue satin
bow—which had been her prized possession. She’d always kept it in
the center of her perfectly made bed, except for nights when she
fell asleep with it pressed against her cheek.

One night, she woke up on the back seat of
their old car, and sat up, shivering, to look out the window. Her
parents’ attempts to reassure her that everything was fine fell on
deaf ears when she realized that a small bag containing some of her
clothes was empty of that teddy bear. By then, she’d known begging
to be taken back to get what had been left behind would be futile.
Her tears had never worked in the past, and they wouldn’t then.
She’d eventually stopped bringing stuffed animals to bed with
her—worried she’d grow too attached and have to leave them
behind.

As she grew, and happened to have a friend or
two at the same time she had a birthday, gifts that had any value
were later taken to a pawnshop for a few dollars to buy milk,
bread, and an occasional lottery ticket.

Growing attached meant pain when it was time
to move on.

Delphine blew out a frustrated breath,
silently asking forgiveness for her unfaithful thoughts. Her
parents had tried their best. She’d not been beaten or starved, and
she’d never doubted their love—though she’d wondered at times their
expression of it.

Now, in their fragile physical states,
Delphine felt she couldn’t expect them to work. Her father received
a small amount of money through disability insurance after
suffering a work-related back injury, and his heart disease
contributed to his inability to work steadily. Her mother had been
fired from the last five jobs she’d had so the burden for provision
fell upon Delphine’s shoulders.

Some time ago, she’d quit her college classes
and taken a full time job at a bakery. It paid the bills—barely.
Now that she owed money for the airline ticket, she felt even more
decadent over her travel to Europe. Hadn’t she acted as unwisely as
her parents? How was she any different?

She squeezed her eyes shut as the pleasure of
the evening faded. Time to get back to reality. Mr. Larsen promised
to call within a week on his decision, and maybe she’d even see
Brad again.

Delphine shoved a lock of hair from her eyes
and went to check on her parents. Her father lay snoring in bed,
while her mother had fallen asleep in the armchair nearby. A pint
of toffee-flavored ice cream sat in a puddle of condensation on a
small table next to the chair.

Delphine gave a tsk of
annoyance.
When the cat’s
away
. Must she be made to feel guilty every
time she left her parents for a while?