Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (49 page)

“
Well, I see Bruce waving. Got to go.” Mary Beth bent low over the table and in a theatrical whisper said, “You make a cute couple.”

Kelly waited until Mary Beth was seated and then said between clenched teeth,
“That woman gets on my nerves.”

Rob chuckled.
“Ah, the disadvantages of a small town. Jessica could never quite accommodate herself to it.” He sat back preferring to observe Kelly’s reaction than to worry about the gossip Mary Beth was sure to stir up.

Kelly eyed her nearly empty glass.
“Why did you bring Jessica to Lanham?”

Rob watched her lift the glass to her lips and take a sip. Why was that motion sexy when Kelly did it? He swallowed hard, trying to douse his sudden need to taste those lips. To lick them dry of alcohol. For a moment, he envied that margarita glass.

Rob shook himself mentally, trying to refocus. “I was tired of Chicago,” he said. “The crowds, the trains, the politics. I even came to hate the rivalry between the Cubs and the White Sox.”

“
Why Lanham, though?” She cocked her head. “Why not live in a small city such as Louisville?”

He glanced away, feeling her probing gaze.
“Would you believe it if I told you I was homesick?” He turned and met her eyes once more.

“
No.” She paused thoughtfully. “But I’ve never been homesick. I never wanted to come home.”

“
I felt out of my league in Chicago.” He paused. Kelly was the first person he had ever revealed that to. “I had a successful law firm, an expensive house in Highland Park, a happy marriage, so I thought, but at heart I remained a small town boy from Indiana.”

“
You seem happy here.”

“
Happy enough.” Rob lifted his hand for the waitress to bring the bill.

Kelly drained the last of her drink and placed her rumpled napkin on the table.

“Good thing you’re not driving,” he quipped.

“
You’re assuming I can walk?”

He laughed and pushed his chair back in watching Kelly
’s face blush pink. “You’re good for me, Kelly Baron,” he said. “Thanks for coming back to town.”

They strolled in silence up the hill to Kelly
’s house. He held her elbow as if to steady her perfectly steady gait. She didn’t pull away.
Why?

He wondered about many things, especially her much beloved daughter C.B. He wanted to ask Kelly more about the grown girl. He was cautious. What happened in Kelly
’s past was none of his business. Apparently she hadn’t been the nun most guys had thought. He knew about one time. Must have been more times with other guys.

All he knew is that he liked the grownup Kelly and didn
’t want the night to end. “Care to sit on the swing?”

“
No, I’d better go in.”

“
Curfew?”

“
No, silly.” She turned at the door and stared at him. A tiny smile curved her lips.

“
Scared?”

Her smile faded.
“Yes.”

A rising swell of desire flooded through his body. He wanted her.

Rob touched her upper arms lightly. “Of me?”

“
Of many things. Myself, especially.”

“
Then I’ll say good night.” He didn’t want to push her. She looked as if she were a filly about to break and run.

Very carefully Rob reached up and tenderly touched Kelly
’s cheek with a fingertip, leaving a symbolic kiss and the promise of more to come.

Chapter Eight

Tuesday morning

Today I
’m forty.

Kelly tried to ignore the fact as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror the next morning and plucked a gray hair from her forehead. For some reason being forty seemed so
old
. Yet she felt the same, and as Rachel kept reminding her, she had her whole life ahead of her.

Kelly could no longer ignore the inevitable when she entered her mother
’s sparse kitchen ten minutes later and discovered a colorful, wrapped birthday gift setting on the table.

She paused. The aroma of brewing coffee filled the room. A clock ticked on the wall. Kelly slowly lifted the small, flat box and stared at it. Decorated in pink and purple paper with a purple bow on top, the box looked professionally wrapped. Something about it said
“expensive.”

Her mother came in.
“Open it,” she urged.

Kelly glanced up.
“You didn’t have to buy me a gift. I’ve been trying to avoid this day.”

“
I wanted to get you something. Something special. You’re my daughter.”

Smiling slightly, Kelly fought back a strange sadness. When had her mother made such a big deal out of her birthday? In the past when controlled by her strict husband, her mother didn
’t make this day special. What was different this year? Her father was gone, of course, and Howie was in the picture. Maybe that was it.

Kelly
’s throat tightened and she slipped the tape from the end of the package with a fingernail, peeling off the paper. She lifted the lid. On a cushion of cotton rested a pair of diamond teardrop earrings.

“
They’re fourteen karat white gold,” her mother said, apprehension in her voice.

Kelly glanced up to meet the nervousness in her mother
’s eyes. She so wanted to please. “You shouldn’t have done this,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t have this kind of money, Mother.”

“
Howie helped me pick them out and pay for them.”

Was this in reality a gift from her soon-to-be stepfather? A way to buy her consent to this whole miserable affair? Kelly didn
’t want these flashy earrings any more than she wanted to be here. Unfortunately, she had to accept them. If she turned the gift down, she would hurt her mother’s feelings. Kelly didn’t want to do that. She loved her mother.

Looking down, Kelly picked an earring from the box and held it up, meeting her mother
’s eyes again. “These are lovely. Thank you.”

“
Do you really like them?” Her mother hovered near, almost wringing her hands in relief. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t. Maybe you can wear them to the wedding.”

“
Yes, maybe I can.”

With a heavy heart, Kelly slowly inserted the stud into her earlobe. The earring was light. It tickled her cheek when she moved her head. She picked up the other earring and inserted it. Her mother
’s eyes were alight with pleasure.

“
What do you think?” Kelly cocked her head to one side and smiled.

“
They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful. I love you so much.”

“
I love you too, Mother. Thank you.”

Her mother hesitated. Then she took a step forward and hugged Kelly.

Why couldn’t you have done this when I really needed it?

Kelly shut her eyes and returned the hug, sorrow overwhelming her.

****

Later in her room, Kelly finished packing away all of the old items she didn
’t want. She stripped the pink and purple flowered bedspread from the Jenny Lind bed leaving only the sheets and the blanket, and packed them into a box to donate, probably to Rob’s yard sale. The bed was perfect for C.B.’s new house. Kelly’s heart warmed as she envisioned it in a child’s bedroom.

With the drawers empty and the old clothes in the closet packed away, only the Cabbage Patch doll skipped the donation pile. It sat forlornly on the bed by itself.

As she stood in the middle of the room surveying the footlocker, which she still needed to address, Kelly’s iPhone played a “Danny Boy” ringtone. She picked it up from the dresser. “Hi, C.B.”

“
Happy birthday, Mom!”

“
Thank you.” Kelly couldn’t keep the grin from her voice. She loved hearing from her daughter.

“
I’m sorry Daniel and I can’t make it up there today, but we’ll see you Friday night and bring our gift then.”

“
I understand.” Kelly sat down on the bed. “I’m trying to ignore my birthday anyway.”

“
Ah, Mom.”

Kelly changed the subject quickly.
“Would you like my old Jenny Lind bed for your guest room? I can have it moved.”

They talked a minute about the bed and her mother
’s plans for the house. Kelly didn’t mention Rachel’s idea. Staying in Lanham and running a bed and breakfast was a non-starter as far as she was concerned. Yet she still didn’t have any plans for what she’d do after Friday night’s wedding. She refused to think that far.

“
Mom?”

C.B.
’s voice was full of indecision. “What, pumpkin?”

“
There’s a girl at work who recently found her birth father,” C.B. said out of the blue.

“
That’s nice.” Kelly kept her tone noncommittal.

C.B. took a breath.
“Turns out her father is a recovering drug addict, not the man she imagined.”

Kelly said nothing, unable to speak.

“It’s really sad for my friend,” C.B. went on quickly, her voice sounding troubled.

“
I bet it is,” Kelly finally replied, swallowing her fear. “Why do you bring this up?”

“
I was wondering about my own father.”

Kelly clenched the iPhone.
“We talked about him when you were a teenager and agreed it was better for you not to know anything about him.”

“
Yes, Mom, but that was before I married Daniel.” C.B.’s voice grew bolder. “He says that we need to know my family history for when we have children. Suppose I’m a carrier of some sort of genetic disease. It would make a difference whether we decide to have children or not.”

Kelly
’s heart contracted with pain, forming a hard knot in her chest. The day she dreaded had arrived. “You can trust me when I say that you’ll be okay to have children.”

“
That’s not the point, Mom.” C.B. raised her voice. “Daniel says unless you don’t know who my father is, you should tell me. He says I have the right to know.”

When had Daniel taken over? If Kelly wouldn
’t name C.B.’s father, was Daniel implying she’d been a slut? Kelly gritted her teeth, biting back sudden anger. C.B. was her child. She knew what was best and keeping the secret of her father had never interfered with their relationship until now. Until Daniel.

“
Daniel doesn’t have anything to say about this.”

“
He’s my husband,” C.B. said simply.

Tears burned behind Kelly
’s eyes. She controlled her voice and spoke softly, “He may be, but I’m still your mother. I know what’s best.”

“
Do you, Mom?” C.B. cried. “Do you?”

“
I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“
You can’t protect me forever. I have the right to know my family history.”

Kelly heard the determination in her daughter
’s voice. “We’ll talk about this later,”

“
Sure, Mom. Later, always later. When are you going to stop running?”

The conversation came to an abrupt end when the phone went dead. Kelly slowly lowered her iPhone and clutched it in her right hand. She stared straight ahead at the faded, bare wall.

What am I going to do?

Nothing at the moment. She would coast along as always, avoiding the hard stuff and doing her best.

****

That evening Kelly and her mother dined at Howie
’s house, a spectacular custom-built home in the Locust Grove subdivision, the expensive part of town. The three-story Victorian, finished seven years earlier, had gray siding and a wrap-around porch.

At their knock Howie opened the door wide, stepping back to let them enter his home.
“Welcome!”

Mother is going to live here?
Kelly’s first impression of the interior was one of awe and delight. A wide cherry staircase swept from the second floor to the dark hardwood of the open foyer.

“
Isn’t it lovely?” her mother asked when she noticed Kelly eyeing the grand staircase.

“
Perfect for a lovely bride,” Howie interrupted proudly before Kelly answered.

“
Oh, Howie, you’re so sweet.” Her mother grasped his outstretched hand, and Howie pulled her into a loving embrace.

To escape, Kelly turned quickly and entered the living room with its warming buttery yellow walls. The floor-to-ceiling windows were dressed with plantation shutters and accented with drawn-back, burnt-orange drapes.

“Are they at it again?”

She stopped at the sound of the very familiar male voice. Rob rose from a wingback chair, glass in hand, and grinned at her with a flash of appreciation in his eyes.

“Public display of affection,” Kelly told him. “You said I’d get used to it, but I seriously doubt it.”

He laughed, dismissing her concern.
“Can I get you something to drink?”

“
No thank you.”

“
Come on. A little wine? Another margarita?”

“
No!”

He laughed again as if they shared a secret.

Kelly stood awkwardly in the wide doorway staring at C.B.’s father. Guilt washed over her. Guilt and fear. “Okay, maybe a little wine. Something red.”

“
My pleasure.” Rob went to the sidebar as their parents came into the room, arms linked like a couple of school chums.

“
Have a seat, Kelly.” Howie escorted her mother to an ivory sofa. “Do you want something to drink, dear?”

“
Nothing, darling.”

Darling?
Kelly thought she’d be sick as her gaze traveled between her mother and Howie, who sat down beside her and picked up his martini glass from the coffee table. A jar of faux lemons and a silk floral arrangement brightened the cherry coffee table.

“
This is an Australian Shiraz.” Rob returned and handed Kelly a wine glass. “It’s a fruity variety. I hope you like it sweet.”

“
I’m sure it will be fine.” As she took the glass, Kelly gazed up into the blue depths of Rob’s eyes, fighting the painful lump in her throat.

“
Take my chair,” Rob offered. He brought a dining room chair into the room and sat down, watching Kelly over the rim of his glass.

Kelly watched him back, afraid to speak, her heart thudding in her throat. A rope of memories connected them as they sat there staring at each other across the room.

C.B. wanted to know about her father. How could she tell her daughter the truth after keeping the secret for so many years? If C.B. found out her father was a perfectly respectable lawyer, would she ever understand Kelly’s reasoning—the pure panic of finding out she was pregnant, the fear of her father and for the safety of her unborn child, Mrs. Scott’s interference, and the lack of support from anyone but Aunt Bess, who urged her to move away from Lanham?

No
. C.B. would never understand. Kelly hardly understood herself any more.

Full of black despair Kelly scowled, looking away, unable to meet Rob
’s eyes any longer.

This was not going to be a good evening.

****

At the urging of their parents, Rob left the dinner table to show Kelly the garden. Kelly
’s last image as she left the house was of Howie and her mother sitting in the living room where her mother was pouring coffee from a silver coffee pot into dainty Wedgewood cups. Her mother looked happy, at ease in her new environment. She handled the three-piece silver coffee service as if she had been born to do it.

Kelly battled against a sick feeling that rose in her throat. When had her world turned upside down? Everything was skewed, especially her feelings.

“We were set up again,” Rob said strolling beside her, his faded jeans hugging his long legs and lean hips.

“
I’m sorry about that.” Kelly felt her face warm as Rob surveyed her quietly.

“
I don’t mind. Your mother is persistent.”

“
Is that how she snagged your father?”

Rob shook his head.
“No, I think it was more like shared circumstances and loneliness. My father had two good marriages. After his second wife died, he didn’t like living alone.”