Love Finds You in Martha's Vineyard (24 page)

Sicily let out a gasp. “We have to go save her, Dad!”

“Save who?” Vivian set down her mug with a clunk. “From what?”

“Janice is drunk,” Sicily told her. “And she's driving Waverly home.”

“Is that true?” Vivian stood with a creased brow.

“I'm afraid so.” Blake turned. “I'd meant to drive Waverly myself. Anyway, I'll run and get my car and try to catch—”

“No.” Vivian stopped him. “We'll drive the car from here. It'll be quicker.” She was already heading in the house now.

“I think you should stay here with Louise,” Blake told Sicily.

She frowned. “Why?”

“Because we might need to have some adult conversations,” he explained. “I know I'll want to give Janice a piece of my mind, and it will be easier if no one else is around to hear.”

She nodded reluctantly. “Okay.”

“Ready to go?” Vivian held out her car keys.

He nodded. “If you don't mind, I'll let Sicily stay here with Louise.”

“That's fine. But Lou already went to bed.” She turned to Sicily now. “Just wake her if you need something. And lock the door when we go.”

“I will. Just hurry and make sure Waverly is okay,” Sicily said.

Vivian handed Blake the keys, insisting he should drive, and he didn't argue. “Do you mind if I go a little fast?” he asked as he started the car. “I haven't been drinking.”

“Go as fast as you like.”

“I'll be careful.” He didn't mention the spun-out tracks of tires in the driveway, because he didn't want to worry her too much.

“I did hear Janice come home earlier,” Vivian said as he drove. “She sounded nearly as bad as the other night. But I must've been in the shower when Waverly came by. I didn't even see her. And Louise had already gone to bed by then.”

“Well, Janice had no business driving Waverly in that condition.”

“Perhaps she let Waverly drive.”

He thought about that. “But then Waverly would've known she was drunk. And how could Waverly allow Janice to drive back home in that condition?”

“Good point.” Vivian held onto the dash as he went a bit fast around a curve.

He slowed down some. “And now Janice won't be driving herself home tonight. We'll see to that.”

“Good thing I came along.”

“Yes. Thanks.”

“You know, I was rather surprised that you and Janice went out again tonight,” she said quietly.

“So was I.” Now he explained the mystery date and how he felt tricked by all three women.

Vivian laughed. “Oh, dear. What a night you've had.”

“Can I be honest with you, Vivian?”

“I would hope so.”

“And can I trust you with a secret?”

“Certainly. Ask any close friends, and you'll hear that I am quite trustworthy.”

“Well, tonight, even more than before, I realized how extremely interested I am in your daughter.”

“What happened tonight?”

So he filled her in on seeing Waverly and Sicily together and how it had deeply touched him. “It's like something in me just clicked. Almost audibly. And I thought to myself, that's the girl for me.”

She simply nodded, but there was a smile in her eyes.

“But I realize I need to clear this mess up with Janice—once and for all, and hopefully tonight. Then I won't let Janice or anyone else trick me again. Looking back, I can see how manipulative Janice has been.”

“She's always been a girl to go after what she wants.”

“Well, I plan to make it totally clear that she can't have me.” His fingers tightened on the wheel. “Frankly, I can't even see why she's been so determined. Janice is an attractive and intelligent woman. I can't imagine she has trouble finding men.”

Vivian laughed. “No, she's had numerous boyfriends. But for some reason she seemed to be set on you. Maybe it's merely a case of wanting what you can't have. Also, I've heard her speaking to her mother about how you have all these celebrity friends. Janice has always been into that sort of thing.”

“Celebrity friends?” He grimaced. “It's true I've worked with some big names, but it's not like we socialize together much. And I told her that.”

“Apparently she sees it a little differently.”

“So I've noticed. But back to my secret confession, Vivian. Once I've completely cut Janice loose, hopefully tonight, I'm curious as to what you think my chances would be—I mean, with Waverly. Or did I already ruin any hopes, due to my reluctant involvement with Janice?”

Vivian smiled. “I'd like to think my daughter is not that small-minded.”

“No, I didn't think she was.”

“Unfortunately, I haven't been able to spend much time with Waverly yet.” She sighed. “She's been so busy renovating The Gallery. I had no idea she would jump in like that, especially after her initial disappointment.”

“She's pretty enthused about giving the place a facelift,” he agreed. “She's certainly gotten Sicily on her bandwagon. Not that I'm complaining…”

“Okay, now that you shared a secret with me, Blake, may I share one with you?”

“Absolutely.”

She paused for a long moment, and he got worried she might change her mind. After all, town was only a couple of minutes away. But at last she said, “Louise is the only one who knows this so far. I do plan to tell Waverly, but—well, the timing hasn't been quite right.”

“Uh-huh?” He waited.

“I'm in the final stages of cancer, Blake. I don't care to go into the medical details. Suffice it to say that I have opted for no more treatments. I would rather live out my final days on my own terms, and not under the influence of chemo or radiation or endless doctor's appointments, none of which have worked anyway. I came to this conclusion while spending time in Nepal. I don't want anyone, most of all Waverly, to argue with me about it.”

He nodded somberly. “I can respect that. But I am sorry to hear—”

“So, you see, I had multiple reasons for wanting Waverly to move to Martha's Vineyard.”

“I can understand that.” They were just coming into town now. He was extremely relieved that they hadn't spotted any smashed-up red convertibles or emergency vehicles along the way. At the same time he was saddened by Vivian's news. “Do you know how long you have?” he asked quietly.

“No, they never really know those things for certain. The last doctor said it could be weeks…months…perhaps even a year.”

“How long ago was that?”

“A couple of months now.”

“And you still haven't told Waverly?” He turned onto Main Street.

“First, I wanted to get my affairs in order. Then, as you know, I did what I could to get her to come out here.”

He pointed to the arcade as he turned down the alley that ran alongside it. “So I've heard, but you didn't actually tell her this place was an art gallery, did you?”

She smiled weakly. “No, I honestly did not do that. Not consciously anyway. I call it a gift of fate. Or perhaps God's hand was in it. Because if she'd known what it really was, she never would've come.”

“Yes, she mentioned that.”

“Janice's car!” Vivian pointed to the red convertible. “There it is.”

Relief washed over him. “So, at least we know Waverly made it safely home.”

“Now you can drive my wayward niece home too.” She shook her head. “Good luck with that.”

He put the car in park, then reached over, placing his hand on Vivian's shoulder. “It means a lot that you told me what you did tonight, Vivian. I promise your secret is safe with me, but I do hope you'll tell Waverly
soon.”

“In due time. First, I want to just be with her, get to know her again—without all the focus being on…well, you know.”

“I guess that makes sense.” He looked curiously at her now. “And you're okay to drive back by yourself?”

“Yes, yes,” she snapped at him. “I'm perfectly safe behind the wheel, thank you very much! Now, please, don't you start acting like I'm a sorry old invalid. Do you understand me, Blake Erickson?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded.

They both got out of the car, and despite her short lecture, he waited for her to get into the driver's seat, then closed her door. He was only being a gentleman. Then, feeling slightly protective of her, he watched from beneath the shadows of the stairs as she maneuvered the car out of the tight alley, back onto the street, and on her way.

Bracing himself for whatever came next, he went up the stairs. He wondered if Waverly might've figured out Janice's condition and talked her into staying the night. Perhaps that would be for the best. Except that, knowing Janice, she could become fairly irrational under the influence. Because of that, he wanted to make certain all was well. And, he realized, he'd need her keys to drive her car home. She obviously must've found where he'd hidden them. Really, he could've been a bit more creative.

Midway up the stairs, he felt them shaking and was reminded how these steps needed some serious structural attention. Then he was nearly to the top step when he heard a loud cracking below him. Suddenly the whole works swayed dangerously beneath him—almost like an earthquake. Fearing he was about to go down with the entire staircase, he made a flying leap to the top deck where he grabbed onto the doorknob in fear that the whole structure was about to tumble.

Just then there was a loud crash—it sounded like an explosion—and a light went on. Standing before him, dressed in a tank top and shorts, with a toothbrush hanging from her lips, Waverly stared out the glass door with a horrified expression.

“What on earth is going on?” she asked as she flung open the door.

“The stairs!” He pointed down to where the stairs were now missing. “Let me in before the whole deck gives way.”

She grabbed him by the arm and jerked him into the room with surprising strength.

“Thank you,” he gasped.

“What happened” she demanded, “to make the stairs fall?”

“Well, you knew they were in bad shape.”

“Yes, yes. But what are you doing here, knocking down my stairs, at this hour in the first place?”

“I was—uh, just coming up to see that everything was okay—”

“Of course everything's okay. Why wouldn't it be okay?” With a drip of white toothpaste on the side of her mouth, she shook her toothbrush at him. “Just for the record, Blake Erickson, this is a pretty lame way to get yourself invited into a girl's apartment late at night.”

At that instant she looked down at herself, as if she'd just realized her state of dress, which he had to admit was rather attractive, then turned to make a dash to the bathroom. After a couple of minutes, she emerged with a white terry robe tied securely around her waist and a foamless mouth.

“Seriously, Blake, what is going on with you?” she asked in a slightly gentler tone.

He glanced around the studio. “Is Janice here?”

“Janice?”
Waverly shook her head like she couldn't believe him. “You came all the way here, knocked down my stairs, to see Janice, who lives right next door to you? Have you utterly lost your mind?”

“Then she didn't drive you home?”

“No, of course not. She was drunk. As if you didn't know.” She frowned at him.

“Yes, you're right. I did know.”

“So, you knew she was drunk, yet you thought it was okay for her to drive me home—”

“No, no. That's just the point.”

“What
is
the point?” She pushed an auburn curl away from her face.

“The point is, I was worried that Janice had driven you here, and that she was drunk, and something might've happened to, uh, both of you.”

“Oh.” Her expression softened. “I guess I can understand that. Thank you.”

He was disappointed now. He'd already prepared his final farewell speech for Janice, and now it would have to wait until tomorrow. “So she really isn't here?”

“I already told you Janice is
not
here, Blake. So sorry to disappoint you. Maybe if you go home, you'll find her waiting on your front porch.”

“No, no, that's not it. It's not like that at all, Waverly.” He ran his fingers through his hair and moaned. “You don't understand.”

“Look, Blake, I'm sorry if your date wasn't so great. Sicily and I saw you on the beach, and you looked a little sad.”

“I'm not sad,” he said for the second time tonight.

“Oh?” She blinked. “Okay, then. You're not sad. And Janice is not here. I suggest that perhaps it's time for you to go home.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “But I, uh, I need the keys to Janice's car, so I can get home…unless you'd like to loan me your bike again.” He smiled weakly.

She smiled back. “No, no, I think I'll keep my bike right here. And I'm sure that your girlfriend will be most pleased to have you return her car. Although I did enjoy driving—”

“She is NOT my girlfriend!”

Waverly jumped. “You don't need to shout.”

“I think maybe I do.” He was starting to pace now, rubbing his beard, and about to begin rambling. This was something he only did when he felt backed into a corner, and normally only when he was alone. “It's like no one is listening to me, Waverly. Certainly not Janice. I think that woman is blind, deaf, and plain dumb. And Louise? She doesn't listen either. Louise has it all figured out; she's already planning weddings.”

“Weddings?”

He turned and shook his head. “No. Definitely no.
No weddings
!”

“Fine.” She held up her hands like she was slightly afraid of him. “I'll get the keys.”

“Even my own daughter won't listen to me,” he continued loudly. “I told her I was finished with Janice, and what does she do? She goes out and helps to arrange tonight's stupid misery date.”