The Last Goodbye (The Women of Independence) (19 page)

He had to stop torturing himself. He’d
done the only thing he could for her career. Maybe some time in the future...
but it was best not to go there. One major disappointment in a lifetime was
about all he could handle. No sense setting himself up for another.

“Welcome home,
Senor
Jake.”
Enrique met him at the door of the stable. “I take care of Khamsin.”

“Thanks, Enrique.” Jake lifted the
saddle and put it on its holder. He rotated his shoulders. “Remind me to get
new mattresses up there to the old line shack, would you?” He watched Enrique
move around. “How’s the leg? I hope you’re not overdoing it.”

“No,
Senor
Jake. Much better
today.”

“Good.” He patted his stomach. “I wonder
if I can talk Esperanza into making me some breakfast.” He strode toward the
house.

* * *

“
Senor
Jake.” Esperanza was
smiling. He wasn’t surprised; she must be happy the household was back to
normal. It couldn’t have been easy feeding all those extra mouths. “I’m glad to
see you. Would you like some coffee?”

“I’d love it. Sam’s coffee could strip
paint.” He accepted the mug from her. “Am I too late for breakfast? I’d love a
big mess of bacon and eggs.”

“
Si
, I make for you. You wait out
on the verandah?”

He hesitated. He could really use a
shower, but he had nothing scheduled for today. “Okay,” he said. “Give me a
shout when it’s ready.”

He stopped short of the door and debated
going out. The verandah would never be the same. He’d never be able to go out
there without recalling Carmen curled up on the love seat, asleep. He took a
deep breath and pushed through the screen.

“Carmen?” Was this one of his dreams?
She was sleeping quietly, one hand beneath her head and the other lost in the
folds of her skirt. What was she doing here? His heart started to pound at the
possibilities.

She opened her eyes and smiled up at
him. “Jake.” Her voice was husky and sexy and it set him on fire. “You came
home.”

He was grinning like an idiot, but he
didn’t care. “Carmen. What are you doing here? I thought you’d left.”

“I had to know,” she said softly,
sitting up.

“Know what?” He was genuinely puzzled.
“What about the part?”

She ignored his question. “Do you love
me, Jake?”

“Dammit, woman, of course I love you.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I’ve loved you from the moment you stepped off
that plane.” He cradled her head against his chest. “I love you so much I can’t
think straight.”

She pulled back. “You mean like when you
rode off without a word? What was that about, Jake?”

“I overheard the actors talking about
what a great opportunity it was for you; how it would make your career. It
seemed like a good idea to remove myself from the equation.”

“For a smart guy, you make some pretty
bad decisions.” She gave him a sly look. “From now on, let’s agree to make the
important decisions together.”

He looked into her eyes. “How about this
for a decision? Carmen Santangelo, will you marry me?”

“Yes, Jake. I’d love to marry you; the
sooner the better.”

He swung her around. “Know what I’d like
right now?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Breakfast?”

He picked her up and headed for the
stairs. “No, that can wait.”

She slipped her arms around his neck.
“Oh, goody.”

“Senor Jake...” Esperanza’s words
trailed off as she saw Jake and Carmen disappear upstairs. She looked down at
the plate of bacon and eggs. “Never mind,” she said, a broad smile transforming
her face. “Welcome home.”

* * *

“We can’t begin to tell you how much we
like what you’ve done.” Marie and Alain Bourget stood proudly in their new sun
room. The weather had turned cold a few days ago, but it was warm inside.
Danielle looked up to make sure the automatic vents were open.

“Thank you, but it was mostly Nick.” Her
foreman had worked the project almost exclusively on his own, with the
exception of a few days when he brought in a plumber to deal with the small
water feature that burbled softly in a corner of the room. Thanks to the
profusion of exotic plants, the air was heavy with scent; Danielle could see
why they enjoyed the space.

The homeowners looked fondly at Nick. “It’s
been a pleasure having him around. Thanks again.” They handed her the final
cheque. “Several of our friends have expressed an interest in similar
additions. You’ll probably be hearing from them.”

Nick and Danielle exchanged glances.
He’d mentioned that they should feature the sun room on their website and the
Bourgets had given their permission for him to film the project at different
stages. Nick was an advocate of telling customers what to expect during a
renovation.

“Thanks again.” They wandered out into
the crisp fall air. Leaves skittered down the street as they walked to their
vehicles and Danielle looked up at the trees, surprised to see that only a few
leaves still clung stubbornly to the branches. Where had the time gone?

Danielle paused by her vehicle. “What
are you and Sally doing for Thanksgiving?” They had scheduled two weeks off at
the beginning of October, plus a few extra days for Canadian Thanksgiving.

“I have a few things to do around the
house, and we thought we’d take Charlie to Disneyland. It’s a perfect time of
year.”

She smiled. “He’ll like that.”

“We haven’t told him yet, but this
clinches it.” He waved the bonus cheque she’d given him. “Sal and I were
talking last night. We both work, and make good money, but we’re starting to
feel as though we’re playing it too safe with our lives. Do you know what I
mean? We’ve lived here all our lives, and we’ve never stepped outside our
comfort zones.” He paused, one hand on the door of his truck. “We don’t want
Charlie to grow up not knowing what’s out there. It’s about time we started to set
an example for him, to show him there’s an exciting life beyond this valley.”
He laughed self-consciously. “Sorry, I got a bit carried away.”

Danielle stood frozen, as one by one, his
words stripped away her carefully constructed defenses. He was right; she saw
that clearly now.

“Don’t be sorry. You’re right, and a
trip to Disneyland is a great start.” She almost ran to her car. “See you in a
few weeks.”

Nick waved out his window as he drove
away. She watched him disappear in her rear view mirror. She needed to talk to
someone. Carmen would be ideal, but she and Jake were in the Caribbean on their
honeymoon. Before she realized it, she was pulling up across the street from
Maya’s. She was quite sure that Allison was working today, and she needed her
friend more than ever. Close since childhood, they’d supported each other all
their lives, but they also didn’t hold anything back when it came to telling
the truth.

Maya’s shop was empty; a rare occurrence.
Danielle glanced up at the hand-crafted wall clock that had been made by Cole,
Allison’s husband. Four o’clock. No wonder the place was deserted.

“Hi, Danielle.” Anna came out from
behind the counter. “How are you?”

“I’m great. Is Allison here?”

Anna frowned. “No, she went home after
the lunch rush. Can I get you something?”

Danielle sighed. “I sort of wanted to
talk to her.” She looked up to see Maya coming toward her. “But I guess I could
use a cup of tea.”

“I’ll join you, if you don’t mind.” As
usual, Maya was perfectly groomed. Her long black hair hung down her back, and
she moved like a dancer between the tables. “Let’s take that table in the
corner. I’d like to ask you about a small renovation.”

Danielle tried unsuccessfully to appear
enthusiastic.

“But I can see you’re not into that, are
you?”

“Not really.” Danielle looked up as Anna
brought their tea. “Thanks, Anna.” She turned her attention back to Maya. “Can
I talk to you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Danielle studied the other woman for a moment.
No one knew very much about the shop owner, and it occurred to her that someone
with a fresh perspective might be just what she needed. She took a deep breath.

“I just had a disturbing conversation
with my foreman.”

“Nick?”

Danielle had forgotten that most people
in town frequented the elegant coffee shop; Maya knew most of them.

“Yes, but not disturbing in a bad way.” Some
people walked by outside and she followed their progress, but her thoughts were
elsewhere. “Quite the opposite, really. He said something that made me think.”

Maya raised an eyebrow.

“I’d like to run something by you.”

Maya acknowledged her with a slight shrug.

“I know you don’t talk about your
private life, so don’t answer if you don’t want to, but have you ever made a
mistake? I mean in your love life?” She inhaled slowly. “I think I may have
made the biggest mistake of my life.” She raised her head. “A few months ago.”

Maya stirred some honey into her tea.
“The movie people.”

Danielle nodded. “One in particular.”

“And you want to tell me about it.”

“Yes.” And she did. About the growing
attraction between herself and Grayson, her fear of abandonment, his invitation
to visit, and her devastating realization that she didn’t belong in his world,
where everything was make believe.

“At least that’s what I told myself,”
she added with a wry smile. “But I think I was making excuses.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I don’t really know. I kept throwing up
these barriers, telling myself I’d never fit in, but really, all he was asking
for was a chance to show me that he has a life outside of Hollywood.” She
stared into her tea. “Maybe I was afraid of rejection.”

“We’re all afraid of rejection,
Danielle. It’s human nature.”

“So, you think I made a mistake?”

“I’m the worst person to ask about
that.” She tilted her head to the side as though listening to a voice from the
past.

“You asked me a moment ago if I’d ever
made a mistake in my love life.” Tears shimmered in her dark eyes. “The answer
is yes.” She brought herself under control and sat up straight.

“When I was young...” Her eyes flickered
to Danielle. “Younger than you... I was living in Las Vegas and dating a
powerful man. Looking back, I realize that he kept me on a very short leash,
but at the time I mistook his controlling ways for affection. One weekend my
two girlfriends and I went to Los Angeles for the weekend. The girls were on
the lookout for guys, but I wasn’t particularly interested. That is, until I
met him.”

A small smile played around her lips.
“We met at Venice Beach on Saturday and from the moment we saw each other, we
knew we were meant to be together.” Her breath caught, and she stroked her
throat thoughtfully. “We were so much in love; we spent two days and two nights
together; we were never apart.” A shy smile transformed her face, turning her
into a young woman. “It was as if we’d known each other all our lives. I know
that most young couples think they’re the only ones who’ve ever fallen in love,
but in hindsight, it really was special.” Her voice trailed off.

“What happened?”

“I was supposed to go back to Las Vegas
on Sunday night, but I decided to stay over. My friends went back, and the
fellow I was dating forced them to tell him where I was. He came down and found
us having breakfast together on the Monday morning. He said if I ever saw him
again, he’d kill us both, and believe me, he would have done it.”

“What about the guy you fell in love
with in Venice Beach? What was his name?”

Maya shook her head. “No names.” She
smiled to soften her words. “He called me after I got back to Las Vegas, saying
we could go away together, but I was afraid for him, so I told him no. I
destroyed my cell phone so I wouldn’t be tempted, and told Alexei I’d lost it.”
She paused for a moment, rubbing absent-mindedly at her ring finger. “I heard
later that he’d married, so yes, I did make a mistake by not following my heart.
A mistake I’ve regretted every day of my life.”

She turned and looked Danielle squarely
in the eye. “So what’s your excuse?”

* * *

In the darkened screening room, Grayson eased
back in his chair and watched the image on the screen. They’d finished editing
earlier in the day and now he had the sound turned off; it just served to
distract him.

He didn’t know why he kept doing this to
himself. He must have watched the scene fifty times over the past few weeks,
and every time he did, he wondered if there was something he could have done
differently. He couldn’t think of anything, but then when it came to love what
did he know? Life was funny like that.

At least he’d been right about the
sunlight streaming through the trees. On the screen, Danielle rode across the
meadow, her gown and hair illuminated by the sun’s rays. He ached for her every
time he watched... God, she was lovely.