Love Will Find a Way (9 page)

The fact that they managed to avoid each other for the remainder of the evening made Emily believe that Robert's being at the cocktail party was a coincidence. As soon as she could decently do so, she found her hosts, then Lee and said her good-byes. She was out of the building and walking across the parking lot before she began to relax.

She was opening her car door when the figure of a tall man emerged from the shadows and walked toward her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the man was Robert. As he came nearer she frowned. “You scared me."

"That was not my intention. But I have to talk to you.” His shadowed countenance was grim. “And since you refuse to answer any of my telephone calls, this seemed my only alternative.” He extended one hand. “Please don't run away again."

Emily had no intentions of running away. “We can't talk here.” She couldn't imagine what he wanted to tell her, but it was becoming increasingly evident that he was not going to stop dogging her until she agreed to listen to what he had to say. “Name a time and a place and I'll be there."

"What's wrong with here and now?” He pointed toward her automobile. “We can sit in the car."

Maybe that was best. She got in the car, reached across and unlocked the other door.

Robert came around the car, opened the door and sat in the front seat beside her. “I feel like a fool having to go to such lengths to have a conversation with you."

"Is Susan inside?” Emily put her key in the ignition. Why had she asked that?

Shadows from a streetlight played across Robert's set features. “What I have to say has nothing to do with Susan."

Emily said, “Whatever it is, it must be important, you've been stalking me for weeks."

"I don't think of it as stalking.” He rested his arm on the back of the seat.

His nearness brought a rush of old feelings. “Do you deny you've been following me?"

"It's a free country.” He turned his head and stared through the windshield. “I've been following you, looking for an opportunity to talk to you. You left me no alternative. I can't reach you at your work. When I call the house, I get an answering machine. You refuse to have anything to do with my family. You've cut me out of your life completely."

He was making it sound as if she had left him. “You're the one who got the divorce."

Turning, he stared at her. “For almost a half century you have been a part of my life. Just because we're divorced doesn't mean we can't be friends. I hoped that after awhile, we could let bygones be bygones and patch up our differences."

Emily wanted nothing to do with this man, ever again. “If I'm not good enough to be your wife, why should I want to be your friend?"

Robert's voice was resigned. “It wasn't a question of being good enough."

"Then what was it?” she asked bitterly.

"We drifted apart. You had other interests that filled your life. Sometimes I felt like a chore you never quite got around to doing."

The truth of his assertion cut like a knife. “Are you saying that I neglected you and took you for granted?” She knew she had been guilty on both counts.

The muscles in Robert's face tightened. “I am not blaming you for what happened."

"But you said—” Emily began.

He interrupted her before she could complete her sentence. “I know what I said. It was not meant as a criticism. I am the one who destroyed our marriage."

She couldn't let him shoulder all the blame. “That's not true. I was at fault, too."

He smiled the saddest, most hopeless smile she had ever seen. “How tragic it is when something that once was alive and beautiful slowly dies away."

He was telling her, as gently as he could, that the love he had once felt for her was gone forever. He was offering her friendship, but that was all he would ever be able to give her. She clung to the one thing she had left, her pride. “We are not the first couple to fall out of love. We won't be the last."

After a painful silence, she reached to turn on her ignition. “I have to go. Larry will start to worry."

Robert made no effort to get out of the car. “How is Larry?"

"He's okay.” Emily dropped her hand. “Looking forward to college, he leaves next week."

"Does he? It seems like only yesterday that he was a toddler, walking around demanding that I carry him on my shoulders. Now he's ready to go off to college. Children grow up so fast."

"Too fast sometimes, I think.” Emily's hands rested on the steering wheel. “Larry's off to college and Kevin is thinking of getting married. Our sons are adults now."

"Kevin is getting married? I didn't know that.” Robert's gaze sharpened. “When did this happen? Who is the woman?"

Emily had assumed he did know even though he and Kevin were no longer on speaking terms. “He's considering it. Didn't Larry tell you?"

"Larry doesn't talk to me anymore.” There was resignation in Robert's voice and a touch of reproach, “Not about anything of importance anyway."

"Well...” Happy to be on safe ground again, Emily began to explain. “It seems Kevin has met this woman, girl really. She's only eighteen. He says they're in love."

The tension between them lessened as Robert asked, “You don't believe they are? In love, I mean."

As she spoke, Emily realized that for the first time in a long time, she and Robert were communicating instead of firing words at each other. “I haven't met the girl. Her name is Stacy Morrison. She's a minister's daughter."

"You haven't seen them together?” Robert seemed surprised. “How can you be so sure they aren't in love?"

"She's young and apparently naive. You know how wild Kevin has always been and how fickle.” Emily thought that was a cruel assessment of her own flesh and blood. “After the newness wears off, he may find he acted hastily."

"Are you going to try to dissuade him?"

"That would only make matters worse.” If she had learned anything over the past few months it was that people did what they wanted to do, regardless of what anyone around them said or did. “I can only hope that Kevin doesn't do something he will be sorry for later."

"Sometimes a man is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.” There was a note of sadness in Robert's voice. “I miss my sons very much. I miss being a part of their lives."

"I know you must. I ... I'm sorry."

"Are you, Emily?” he asked softly, doubtfully.

"You know I am.” Robert's break with his sons was only one of the many things she had reason to regret.

"Then maybe you would consider helping me win them back?"

"I don't know what I could do.” Caution whispered in her ear, don't get involved.

"Then maybe you can suggest something I can do."

Emily hesitated. “You know the old adage, give advice and buy a foe."

He slid his fingers through the sides of his hair. “Then you're refusing to help me?"

Did he think she was that spiteful and unfeeling? She wasn't, at least she didn't want to be. “The first step would be getting them to accept Susan.” It took every ounce of control she had to speak so calmly about his affair with another woman. “After you and Susan are married maybe things will change."

Moisture gathered in Robert's eyes. “I'm not going to marry Susan."

That came as quite a shock. Emily wanted to ask why. She didn't. “A lengthy affair may be harder to justify, especially with Kevin."

He closed his eyes. “My affair with Susan is over. She's out of my life for good."

Robert must be devastated! Emily knew the man who sat next to her. He would not have divorced his wife, torn the fabric of his life to shreds and lost so much that he held dear, if he had not been deeply in love with Susan Barrett. And now she had left him. She whispered, “I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “I thought you'd be glad."

Why would she be glad to see him suffer? If he felt half the pain she had experienced when he left her, he must be in agony. “Is there any hope of reconciliation?"

"None, it's over."

"Maybe...” Emily began.

"Drop it, Emily.” Robert ordered. “For God's sake, let it go."

"Is there something I can do?” Was she out of her mind, making such an offer?

One of his eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Do you mean that?"

It was too late to back down now. “I do."

Robert swallowed. “I'd like to mend the rift between me and my sons."

That was something Emily wanted, too, as much for her sons as for their father. “I'd like that, too."

Hopefully he asked, “Do you think things can ever be the way they were before?"

She didn't. After a painful silence, she said so and then added, “But that doesn't mean they can't get better than they are now."

"What do you suggest I do?"

Once again Emily argued with herself and once again, she let her heart rule her head. “This estrangement didn't happen overnight. It will take time to mend."

Robert was having trouble controlling his voice. “I have the rest of my life."

She thought that it might take that long to reconcile with Kevin. Larry was not nearly so antagonistic toward his father. Could she handle being near Robert for an extended length of time and not make a fool of herself? For her sons, she could. “If Larry could see that you and I had resolved our differences, it would be a start."

Robert reached out his hand as if to touch her and then let it fall to his side. “Have we resolved our differences?"

"As well as we ever can. Why don't we forget about ourselves and concentrate on our children?"

Robert shrugged. “If that's what you want, who am I to argue?"

After a moment's thought, Emily said, “Maybe we could demonstrate to Larry that we are on friendly terms again.” From the blue, an idea came. “Remember how we drove to Austin with Kevin and helped him settle in his dorm?"

"We were so proud of him.” Remembering brought a smile to Robert's face. “And he was so excited."

Emily tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “Maybe we should do the same for Larry.” She pushed down an inner voice of caution. “If you have time, that is. I know you're very busy."

"I'm not too busy. I'd like that very much.” His eyes held a mixture of hope and pain. “Thank you, Emily. I know I have no right to ask for your help, not after all I've done to you."

So he was still feeling guilty. There was a way she could alleviate some of his suffering. “Not all the recent changes in my life have been bad ones. I have a new career now and a new life."

Robert's voice was accusing. “You make the divorce sound like a blessing."

His bitter words stung. She retaliated by saying, “Maybe, in a way it was."

"Do you really believe that?” Was he hurt or relieved? She couldn't tell.

Pride brought Emily's chin up and strengthened her voice. “In many ways my life is better than it ever was before."

Robert shifted in his seat and stared out the windshield. “I'm glad to hear that."

Emily was feeling a little restless herself. “Then stop looking so guilty. I'm a very resourceful person. I can make it on my own."

He kept his face averted. “I hope that's true, but I worry sometimes. I don't want you to be hurt again."

Once again she reminded him, “I'm no longer your concern."

From out of the blue, he blurted out, “You can't trust a man like Thad Thackery."

She should have told him that Thad was only a friend. She couldn't bring herself to do that. By his own admission, Robert's love for her had died a slow death. It soothed her battered pride to have him believe another man might care. “I've learned not to expect too much from any man."

"I have no right to intrude into that area of your life, but—"

"That's right, you don't,” Emily interrupted. “You're stretching the limits of friendship."

He shifted again and stared at her. “Do you think we can be friends now?"

Emily squared her shoulders. “I hope so, for our children's sake."

In the dim light, his profile was grim. “Friendship is more than I have any right to expect.” His hand rested on the door handle. “I'll call you next week."

Without saying good-bye, he got out of the car and walked away. Emily wondered, as she watched him fade into the shadows, just what she had let herself in for. A turn of the key in the ignition caused the car to sputter to life. She shifted gears and drove off into the night.

As she sped along the familiar freeway, new doubts arose. Had she assumed too much by thinking that Larry would want his parents to accompany him to Austin? Would he resent her trying to mediate between him and his father? She turned off the freeway and onto a tree-lined street. Was she making yet another mistake?

Emily pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. The lights in the living room were on. Larry was home. Taking a deep breath, she got out of her car and walked toward the house.

Chapter 5

On the surface dinner with the Morrisons was a pleasant occasion. Stacy was a charming young woman. Her sisters Amy and Kim were a delight. They were twins, barely thirteen-years-old and as alike in appearance as two peas in a pod. But Emily soon discovered that they were very different in temperament and personality. The Reverend Morrison was the perfect host, thoughtful and considerate, going out of his way to make them feel wanted and welcome. She doubted that Dennis Morrison had the capacity to be unkind to any living soul. Why then, did she feel vaguely troubled and ill at ease in his presence? She tried to pinpoint the reason for her unrest and had to admit that her feelings were more a result of intuition than logic.

After an enjoyable meal Kim and Amy challenged Larry to a game of Trivial Pursuit and dragged him off to the den. Stacy and Kevin decided to walk to the corner drug store to pick up a magazine. Emily suspected what they really wanted was some time alone. She couldn't blame them for that, but being left with Dennis Morrison, even for a short time, was not something she looked forward to. Maybe she could make a quick exit as soon as Kevin and Stacy were gone. “If I'm gone when you return,” she told Stacy, “I want you to know I had a lovely time."

"Thank you, Mrs. Franklin. We loved having you.” Stacy preceded Kevin out the door, leaving Dennis and Emily alone in the cozy living room of the parsonage.