Bravo Christmas Reunion

by Christine Rimmer

  Hayley slanted her sister a wary look. “Are you trying to tell me something in particular?”

  “Only that I’m here. I want to be helpful. But do I have any hands-on experience with the subject in question? No.”

  “I’m just glad. That you’re here.”

  The two of them shared a look. Fond. Sisterly. It remained a wonder to Hayley, to have a sister—especially a truly terrific one like Kelly.

  Kelly said, “Okay, I’ll take a crack at it—how ’bout this? Do you love him?”

  “Passionately. Totally. Tenderly.”

  “Are you glad you married him?”

  “Every day, every hour. With every single beat of my heart.”

  “Is this a deal-killer for you, this…whatever’s bothering him?”

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Have you made it clear that you’re ready to listen when he’s ready to start talking?”

  “I think so—wait. Scratch that. I have made it clear. I’m sure I have.”

  “Is he good to you—well, I mean, so far?”

  “He’s amazing. He’s…different than before. More attentive. Kinder. He’s happy. He even said so. And if you knew him before, well, happy is not a word I ever would have called him in my wildest dreams.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay with moving back to Seattle?”

  “Huh? What’s that got to do with something bothering him?”

  “Never hurts to examine your own motivations a little, see if the problem might actually be yours.”

  “You know, for someone who claims to know zip about relationships, you’re doing really well here.”

  “Well, there was that Marriage and the Family class I took when I was earning my degree.”

  “You must have aced it.”

  “As a matter of fact, I did.” Kelly smiled sweetly. “Now answer the question.”

  “Um. Yes. I’m fine with moving back to Seattle. I like it there. I’ll miss you and DeDe. And Tanner. But we’ll get together. It’s not that far away.”

  “Do you feel that Marcus is…opening up to you, that he’s telling you what’s going on inside him?”

  “Funny you should ask that one. I do feel he’s opening up. More and more so, every day.”

  “Maybe it’s just a matter of time, then. Maybe you just need to be patient, let him tell you what’s on his mind when he’s ready to talk about it.”

  “Kelly. I am not kidding. You’re really good at this.”

  “Thanks. But the fact remains. I haven’t had sex since the anesthesiologist from the PWP discussion group. Except with myself, but that doesn’t really count, now does it?”

  The party that night consisted mostly of Kelly’s neighbors and the people she worked with. There were also several couples whose kids went to school with DeDe.

  Tanner came solo. In the kitchen, where Kelly and Hayley were taking various hot hors d’oeuvres from the oven and arranging them on serving platters, he appeared looking for a beer and then hung around to sample the crostini.

  Kelly nudged him with her elbow when he reached for a roast pepper and mozzarella treat she’d just put on a plate. “If you must, would you mind eating the ones on the rack?”

  He shrugged. “Fine with me.” He grabbed another one and popped it into his mouth.

  “And I thought you said you were bringing a date,” Kelly groused.

  He grunted. “Look who’s talkin’.”

  Marcus came in and wrapped his arms around Hayley. “Jenny’s sound asleep.” They’d put her to bed in Kelly’s room, since the spare room was the coatroom tonight.

  Hayley turned her head to share a kiss with him and then went back to refilling the serving platter.

  Kelly said, “You two look disgustingly happy. You almost make me want to join another discussion group.”

  When Hayley laughed, Tanner grunted again. “Huh? That was funny?”

  “Little private joke.” Kelly turned and handed him the full platter. “Here. Put this on the dining room table—and don’t eat them all. Leave some for the guests.”

  Tanner frowned. “I’m a guest.”

  She turned him by the shoulders and gave him a push. “Go. Please.” She picked up the platter that Hayley had just finished filling and followed him.

  Hayley turned in the circle of her husband’s arms. “Hear that?” She sang along to the CD on the stereo…. “One of my favorites.”

  “They’re all your favorites.” He bent his head and kissed her. A nice, long, slow one.

  When they came up for air, she said, “And we’re not even under the mistletoe….”

  The next day was Christmas Eve. They spent it at the apartment, in their pajamas, watching holiday programming on television.

  They went to bed early—and then were up again at a little after eleven, when Jenny got hungry. Once the baby was fed and changed and back in her crib, Hayley led Marcus into the living room.

  She plugged in the tree and she put on a slow Christmas song and they danced in their pj’s and slippers.

  “It’s midnight,” she said, when the song was over and the stereo fell silent and it was just the two of them, standing in the middle of her living room, swaying together in the quiet. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas, my darling,” he whispered.

  She left him, but only long enough to play that song again.

  The next morning they went to Kelly’s to open presents. Then Kelly made French toast for their Christmas breakfast. They had a big turkey dinner at three that afternoon.

  It was a great Christmas, Hayley thought. The best she’d ever had. Her first Christmas with her family and it was everything she’d ever dreamed it might be.

  Tuesday, the twenty-sixth, she told him at breakfast that she was going to start packing. But Marcus was having a moving company handle moving all her things.

  He told her she didn’t have to lift a finger.

  So she took him at his word. They hung around the apartment in the morning, went out and bought groceries in the afternoon. Marcus carried Jenny and walked along beside the cart as Hayley picked up what they needed to get by for the next few days. They rented movies and sat on the couch watching them, their arms around each other.

  The rest of the week went more or less the same way. They joked that they were turning into a couple of couch potatoes. Before long, they’d start calling each other Spud.

  Friday came and their two weeks in Sacramento were up. But Marcus suggested they could just stay until after New Year’s. It was only three more days and nothing much was going on at Kaffe Central over the big holiday weekend anyway.

  As it turned out, Kelly had a party to attend at a friend’s house on New Year’s Eve. Tanner had a date.

  So Hayley and Marcus and the baby spent the big night with DeDe at her house. They watched a Disney double feature and DeDe tried to keep her eyes open till midnight.

  She didn’t succeed. At eleven-thirty, she was crashed out in her nest of blankets in the family room.

  On New Year’s Day, they took down the tree, put away all the decorations and packed their suitcases. Hayley felt wistful. The holidays were winding down. Tomorrow they’d be heading for Seattle.

  The next day, they were in the air by eight in the morning. And at five to eleven, Marcus eased his Jaguar in next to the Hummer in the garage of the house in Madison Park.

  The two-story place was just as she remembered it: Ultramodern. Gorgeous. Sleek and just a little bit sterile. So clean it squeaked because of his housekeeper who came in twice a week.

  For the time being, they put Jenny’s soft-sided porta-crib in the sitting area of the master suite. Hayley started unpacking and Marcus went down to his office to check his phone messages.

  He was back in no time, standing in the doorway to the combination closet/dressing room. “Three messages. One from a guy selling siding, one from the Democratic National Committee and one from the March of Dimes. I should change my number more often.�
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  She glanced over her shoulder as she put a stack of sweaters in a drawer. “You changed the house number, too?”

  “Yes, I did.” He offered no explanation.

  And it seemed kind of silly to ask for one. But it did strike her as odd. It wasn’t as if he’d moved or anything.

  He said, “I hate to leave you all alone, but I think it’s probably time I checked in at work.”

  She went to him and slid her arms around his lean waist. “Jenny and I will be just fine.”

  He kissed her nose and then took one of her hands from behind his back and put a card in it. “The current alarm code and the new number here. Also, there’s my number at Kaffe Central in case you’ve forgotten it. And if you need to go anywhere, the keys to the Hummer are—”

  “The secret kitchen compartment?” There was a section of cabinet in the kitchen that held a hidden door.

  He nodded. “I should be back by six.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “I know you will.” She kissed him goodbye and finished unpacking.

  It didn’t take long. There wasn’t a whole lot to unpack. Most of her clothes would be coming up with the movers next week.

  She had the usual mountain of baby necessities for Jenny. She put the baby stuff in one of the empty drawers in the master suite’s giant closet/-dressing room for now, so everything would be in easy reach.

  They’d left a gray day in Sacramento. Seattle was the same, but colder, the streets and sidewalks dotted with thick patches of snow from a recent storm. Hayley sat on the end of the bed, which was bigger than king-size, had a block of brushed steel for a headboard and a quilted bedspread the color of a cloud. She stared out the big window at the gray sky and the gleaming surface of Lake Washington beneath it.

  Already, she missed her tiny apartment and her old, comfortable furniture. No, none of that stuff would fit in here. Except for a few pieces she just couldn’t bear to part with, the rest was already slated to be picked up in Sacramento next Tuesday by Goodwill.

  She lay back with a sigh and imagined the changes she was going to make to the house. Brighter colors would do the place a world of good. And soon she’d be unpacking her personal treasures, setting them around.

  When she lived here before, the place had never really felt like home. This time, it would. Hayley planned to make sure of that.

  “That’s it, then?” asked Marcus.

  Joyce rose from the chair on the other side of his desk. “You’re all caught up. I’ll set up the meetings for tomorrow, as we discussed.”

  Again, there’d been no mention that Adriana had called. “Thanks, Joyce.”

  She left him.

  It was now more than two weeks since his ex last tried to contact him. Adriana must have finally accepted the hard fact that he never wanted to see or hear from her again.

  He was glad he’d kept his mouth shut about the issue with Hayley. He’d gambled she didn’t need to know. And he’d won.

  Marcus sat back in his chair, feeling good. He was meeting with the head of the Central California expansion project for updates in half an hour. And he had a couple of high-priority calls he had to make. What remained of the day after that, he’d spend checking in with his people in person, getting anything that had strayed off the rails firmly back on track.

  Hell. Maybe he’d surprise Hayley and get home by six, after all.

  The doorbell chimed at a little after four, just as Hayley finished changing Jenny’s diaper. She snapped the baby back into her sleeper, wrapped her in a fluffy blanket and carried her downstairs with her to the entry hall.

  The bell chimed again, an impatient sound, as Hayley pulled open the wide door. The woman standing on the gray flagstone steps wore skinny black pants and high platform heels and a short, bell-shaped cashmere jacket.

  She ran a slim hand back through her gorgeous mane of tawny-colored hair. “Hayley.” Bored. Dismissive. Her amber-colored gaze made a slow pass over Hayley’s clean-scrubbed face, her too-big sweater, her baggy cords and comfortable clogs. “Hello.”

  Hayley cradled her baby closer. Even if she hadn’t seen pictures, she would know this woman. There was something about her: an air of privilege, the scent of money, an absolute assurance that anything she wanted would automatically be hers.

  It all snapped into place for Hayley in that instant. Her instincts had been right. Something was bothering Marcus.

  Now she knew what.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “And you must be Adriana,” Hayley said coolly. “Marcus has told me so much about you.” She found a lovely, petty satisfaction in the look of wary surprise that crept over the blonde’s perfect face. “And I’m sorry, but he isn’t here right now. Try him at his office.” She swung the door shut.

  Adriana stuck her designer shoe in it before it closed all the way. “I came here to talk to you.”

  Hayley considered the concept of letting her in, of hearing what she had to say. But no. That would bring nothing but Trouble. Capital T. “Look. I’m just not comfortable inviting you in. I don’t know you—I mean, beyond what Marcus has said about you. It wasn’t all that good, frankly. And he said nothing about your…stopping by today. Because I’m sure he had no idea that you were coming.”

  Adriana tossed her shining hair again. Even in the gray light of the winter afternoon, that hair shone with glints of pure gold. “A baby,” she muttered. “I knew it, but I couldn’t believe it. Marcus doesn’t even want children. But he is so very honorable, isn’t he? So he’s married you. He would have felt that he had to. So…archaic. But that’s part of his charm. Oh, what a fool that man can be.”

  “Please take your foot out of the door.”

  She kept it right where it was. “I’m back in Seattle now. And I’m not going away. He’s going to have to deal with me. I’d advise you to tell him that.”

  Hayley resisted the powerful urge to say something really rude. Self-control mattered in a situation like this. “Your foot. Move it. Now.” Her heart was suddenly thudding in a sick, swift way and Jenny, picking up on her distress, was starting to fuss.

  “You won’t keep him. He’s mine. And he knows it, too.”

  Hayley rocked the baby and pressed her lips to the velvet skin at her temple. She whispered soothingly, “Shh…”

  And Marcus’s ex still had her foot in the door. “I just think you should know where you stand.”

  Hayley patted Jenny’s back and stroked her head—and spoke with a calm confidence that surprised even her. “I have nothing to say to you. And I’ve asked you to leave, repeatedly. This is a gated community. I have no idea why the guy in the gatehouse let you in, but you’re not welcome here. Do I have to call security to get you to go?”

  “Oh, please. You wouldn’t dare.”

  “See, that’s the problem, isn’t it? You might have hired a detective to find out all about me. But that doesn’t mean you know me. You don’t have a clue what I might do.”

  There was a stare-down.

  It surprised Hayley no end when Adriana blinked first.

  She pulled her foot out of the way. “Tell Marcus he’s being childish. I need to see him. And I will.”

  Hayley didn’t waste time replying. She pushed the door shut and turned the dead bolt.

  Then, since her knees felt absurdly weak, she leaned back against the sturdy hardwood and tried to breathe normally.

  Jenny let out a wail.

  Hayley rubbed her tiny back and rocked her gently from side to side. “It’s okay, honey. Okay. All right…”

  But it was not all right.

  As soon as Jenny settled down, Hayley put her in her crib. Then she picked up the phone, started to dial Marcus’s cell—and hung up before she hit the final digit. This wasn’t an issue to be dealt with on the phone.

  She stared out the window at the gray day and wondered what she ought to do next.

  Kelly…

  She’d never wanted her
sister as much as she did at that moment. Kelly would be at work now. But maybe Hayley would luck out and get her at a quiet moment. She reached for the phone again, half dialed her sister’s cell—and stopped.

  Wait. Calm down, her wiser self advised.

  Really, what was she so afraid of? Marcus’s ex was hardly going to break into the house and attack her. The woman had done what damage she could for the day.

  And that damage was plenty.

  He’s going to have to deal with me. Please tell him that…he’s being childish. I need to see him.

  So Marcus had been refusing to see her. For how long?

  Hayley knew the answer instantly: from that first night she’d sensed that something was wrong. On the phone. When she was in Sacramento and he’d come back here to Seattle to set things up for their two weeks together.

  God. That was before the reunion. Almost three weeks ago.

  Marcus called at seven-thirty. “I’m scum. I’m late and I know it. But I’m on my way home now.”

  “Great.”

  “Hungry? How about Italian? I can—”

  “There’s food here. Jenny and I went shopping.” Actually, it had been therapeutic. By the time she put the groceries away, she’d started to get a little perspective on the creepy visit from Adriana.

  The situation wasn’t good. But it didn’t have to be the end of the world unless she let it.

  “I believe you are my ideal woman,” he teased.

  “It’s only lasagna and salad.”

  “See? You’re a mind reader. Italian. Just what I wanted. Half an hour.”

  “We’ll be here.”

  He found her upstairs. She’d just fed and changed Jenny and was putting her to bed.

  He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Mmm. You smell good…” He nuzzled her neck and she sighed and thought about how maybe she should wait to tell him about his ex until after he’d eaten, at least.

  But really. Honesty was the deal here. To put it off any longer, to sit down to the table with him, share a meal, hear him talk about his day, to give herself time to think about how much she loved him, how she wished this problem would just go away, to possibly allow herself to put it off till later still….