He also had morons for advisors. Which explained a lot about the state of politics in our country. The fact that people actually have jobs to spin and hide the truth is beyond insane. What was more insane was that Andrew believed them. I did give them this, at least they told Andrew he should stay away from Drew until this was all over. It was Andrew who said he couldn’t stay away. Apparently this past week had been one of the happiest of his life. He’d mentioned he found his thoughts drifting toward Drew all the time and that he couldn’t imagine life without him now. He almost didn’t go to Chicago because he had wanted to be here with us.
I tried over and over to get him to see how fraught with peril this situation was, but he was so confident it would all work out. We just needed to be careful, he said. It was only one to five months, after all. Didn’t he realize how life could change in a second? We weren’t talking baseball odds and stats, we were talking about a living, breathing boy who I loved more than my own life. We were talking about deceiving him and keeping him from the answer he’d wanted to know since he was four years old. I did warn Andrew, though, that if Drew asked me who his father was, as he had from time to time, I wouldn’t lie to him. I already felt like I was lying to him. I cursed my sister for leaving Andrew that note with my name on it.
I cursed her more as I sat at my desk with a pounding headache, living off of Dr. Pepper because of the late night I’d had with her one-night stand. I had a business to run and a son to raise. I didn’t have time for all of this worry that Andrew Turner was introducing into my life. This whole situation totally validated my “no men while raising Drew” policy.
I was trying my best not to think of Andrew as I went over our list of unpaid accounts, but Liza walked in carrying a large bouquet filled with orange roses and gerberas. It was beautiful.
Liza wore a huge grin as she placed them on my desk. “These just arrived for you.”
“Who are they from?”
Her face lit up. “I don’t know. Alan from the floral shop dropped them off. Why don’t you check the card?” She was salivating to know.
I grabbed the tiny sealed envelope that was sticking out from the flowers. Don’t take these the wrong way. I just wanted to say thank you and I think you’re amazing.
He didn’t sign it, which didn’t surprise me. I wondered whose credit card he’d used to place the order. I hoped he wasn’t dumb enough to use his own since he wanted to keep this all below the radar. But I had to admire his taste. The flowers were stunning, and I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given me flowers … except for the last time he’d brought me flowers on Friday. Hmm...
I looked up to an expectant Liza. “It doesn’t say who they’re from.”
She snatched the card out of my hand and read it. “What does ‘don’t take these the wrong way’ mean?”
I smiled at her.
She gave me an impish grin. “You know who these are from, don’t you?”
“Thank you, Liza.”
“Oh, come on,” she roared. “You finally have a man and you won’t tell me who?”
“I don’t have a man, and these aren’t those kind of flowers.”
“Whatever,” she said. “Men don’t send anything but those kind of flowers.”
“How do you even know it’s a man who sent them?”
“Oh, please, Rachel Laine, I noticed the way your eyes beamed when you read the card. And women don’t say things like that to other women.”
I don’t know why my eyes would beam, other than the flowers were gorgeous and thoughtful.
My smile told her I was done talking about the matter. She shook her head and walked out the door. She knew I wouldn’t be giving up the name.
I did wonder if I should call and thank him. I didn’t want to. I was trying to forget he existed, even if it was only for the next couple of days. The Bears were playing the third and fourth game in the series over the next couple of nights at Denver’s ball field, so he wouldn’t be coming over until Saturday, after Drew’s game. I told him not to come over at all, but he wouldn’t listen to reason. He wanted to spend as much time with Drew as he could before the whole political process really started. He was even willing to skip the games, but his advisors told him it was too important for him to be seen at them. He was driving me crazy, but he did send me flowers. I should at least be polite and call to thank him. No, I’ll text him. That way I wouldn’t have to talk to him. He’d already called enough, and I was too tired from last night to deal with his lunacy.
Thank you for the flowers. They’re lovely, but unnecessary, I texted. Maybe that wasn’t the politest, but really, he didn’t need to keep giving me flowers. Besides, no amount of flowers or compliments were going to make this okay for me.
I set my phone down and took a deep breath. I went back to the unpleasant task of dealing with overdue accounts. It was the least favorite part of my job, and my head was already pounding.
Thirty minutes later my cell phone rang. I answered it in resignation, but not before I lay my head down on my desk and put him on speaker. “Yes?” I grumbled.
“If I didn’t know better, I would say you’re not happy to hear from me.”
“So, maybe you’re smarter than I thought.”
“Hey, I sent you flowers.”
“I said thank you.”
“But you didn’t call and thank me for them personally.”
“Is that required?”
“Maybe not required, but definitely warranted. I don’t think anyone has ever texted me a thank you when I’ve sent flowers, or told me they were unnecessary.”
“Do you regularly send women flowers?”
“Define regularly.” I could hear the laughter in his voice.
“You know what? I don’t even want to know.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Great, now that we agree on something, thank you again. I should probably get back to work.”
“I know you don’t have to go so soon. Tell me how your day is going.”
If anyone could see me with my head on my desk, they wouldn’t have had to ask. “Well, let’s see. For starters, I’m living off caffeine since someone kept me up way too late. And to top it off, I have the unpleasant task of contacting people to let them know I will be canceling their policies unless they pay.”
“Sounds like maybe I should come up there.”
I popped up. “Why in the world would you think that?”
“Well, that way I can make dinner and take care of Drew for you.”
“Andrew, believe it or not, we’ve functioned just fine without you for a very long time. I’ve even spent my fair share of sleepless nights taking care of Drew, only to have to be up the whole next day, too.”
“That’s why you’re amazing, but you don’t have to do it all alone now.”
But what if I wanted to? “Go to your game, Andrew, and be seen.”
He thought for a moment. “I wish you guys could come with me.”
“Drew could if you would tell him the truth.”
“Rachel Laine, please, can’t you understand how important this is to me? I want to continue my father’s legacy of serving the people in my district.”
“I didn’t know your dad, but from the sounds of it, I think he would say being a father was his legacy. And now you have the same opportunity, so please let’s tell Drew the truth.”
“Rachel, I plan on doing both. I’m going to be the father Drew deserves. That includes protecting my son and his mother.” It was the first time I had ever heard any edge in his voice. “I’ll make it work. You’ll see. You worry too much”
I wanted to say that he didn’t worry enough, but I knew he wouldn’t listen. I had spent the previous night trying to get him to see all the dangers involved with going this route. “That’s my job, Andrew.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come up there tonight?”
I didn’t even need to think about it. “Positive.”
&n
bsp; He laughed at my abrasiveness. “Well, at least watch the game and look for me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else with my valuable time.”
“Have a good day, Rachel Laine.” There was too much merriment in his voice.
I lay my head back down on my desk and groaned. I had only known the man two weeks, just two measly weeks. I felt like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz—I was no longer in Kansas, and boy, did I miss it.
In the midst of my pity party for one, my dad walked in. I didn’t even bother raising my head for him.
“Are you sick?” My dad hated germs and sickness of any kind. He made each of our employees wipe down their desks and phones with Clorox wipes daily. If Drew was ever sick, my dad wouldn’t come to our house or apartment for days, just to be sure. And I wouldn’t even think of bringing him over to their house until he was completely better. I had trained Drew not to sneeze in front of him if he could help it. It was one of the many nuisances of my dad that drove my mother crazy. She told me when my sister and I were born, we were practically quarantined. My grandparents were barely allowed to touch us.
I slowly lifted my head up. “Not with anything contagious, Dad.”
It was only then he walked fully in. “Who are the flowers from?”
He sat on my couch and I joined him. Forgetting we were at work, I rested my head on his strong shoulder. “You don’t want to know.”
He reached over and placed his rough hand on my cheek. “He’s not coming on to you, is he?”
“No, Dad.”
“Then why is he sending you flowers?”
I told him of our whole convoluted conversation the night before and even the extension of it today.
“And you’re going to let him get away with that? I think you should talk to a lawyer, Rachel Laine.”
“Dad, I’m not getting a lawyer involved. That would only make the situation worse.”
“How do you think Drew is going to take it when he finds out you’ve both been lying to him?”
“Dad, don’t you think I want to tell him? No, better yet, don’t you think I wish he never showed up? I’m trying my best, okay? My son thinks his dad is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and Andrew feels the same way about him, and I’m just left … left in the middle, or left out, or however you want to look at it.” I turned into my dad and cried like I hadn’t in years. All of the stress and worry had bubbled up.
My dad wrapped his arms around me and let me have it out. Living in a house full of women, I think he had learned long ago that sometimes the best course of action was to remain silent while he offered the comfort of his arms. I appreciated that more than anything right now.
When my crying ceased, my dad held my face in his hands. “I love you, Rachel Laine, to the moon and back and back again. You’ve always done the right thing, and I’m sure you will now, too.”
His confidence in me was misplaced. In my heart and my mind, I knew going along with Andrew’s course of action was wrong, but I didn’t see what choice I had. If I kept Drew away from Andrew, he could very well get the courts involved. And how could I tell the truth to Drew now, when Andrew was unwilling to own it himself? I couldn’t count on Drew to keep it a secret if I told him that Andrew was his dad. It was going to be horrible enough when Andrew told him at the end of all this nonsense. Andrew was so convinced that Drew would be okay with it once he knew why.
I also worried about what would happen if it did get out and my sister’s name was dragged through the mud. My parents would be mortified, and then they would never accept Andrew as Drew’s father. It all made for a messy situation.
I looked up to the ceiling. Sydney, did you have any idea what a mess you were leaving me?
My dad didn’t stay much longer, but on his way out, he paused, looked at the large bouquet of flowers, and then at me. “Rachel Laine, be careful.”
“About what?”
“I don’t think you’ve ever fully appreciated how beautiful you are, or how attractive innocence is.”
I shook my head in confusion.
“Don’t be so naïve to think that Andrew Turner is only interested in Drew,” he clarified, and walked off without another word.
Chapter Ten
My dad’s parting thought bounced around in my head for the rest of the day, and even after Drew and I got home. I didn’t believe it was true, but part of me thought, What if it was? How would I feel about it? It had been so long since a man had those kinds of feelings for me; I wasn’t sure how I would react. But Andrew wasn’t just any man. He slept with my sister, which should have automatically eliminated him. And did I mention the havoc he was wreaking on my life? It wasn’t true anyway. How many times did the guy say he didn’t want me to think he was interested in me? And if I had any doubts at all about how he felt, they were all cleared up later that night as Drew and I watched the third game in the series.
The game started off like any other baseball game for me—blah. It was such a boring sport. The only thing it had going for it was the way some of the players looked in baseball pants. I knew my girlfriends would agree with me. I thought of Cheyenne and her “Official Baseball Butt Inspector” shirt. My friends were all huge fans of the sport. Jessie even sponsored one of the men’s summer league teams. She tried to convince me to sponsor one, too. The answer was a definite no.
As I sat there watching some of the more attractive men on TV, I stupidly thought, I bet Andrew would look great in those pants. I hated that he was starting to consume my thoughts.
It didn’t take long for things to get interesting. It shouldn’t have surprised me that the cameras would pan over to the box seats and show Andrew. He was kind of a legend in Denver. It probably shouldn’t have surprised me that he was sandwiched between two blonde bombshells, either, but for some reason it did. It also shouldn’t have shocked me or annoyed me when he kissed them both on their cheeks or pecked their lips. My annoyance only flared because he had a son that was watching and I thought he could have shown a little decorum. It had nothing to do with what my dad had said earlier. Right?
Drew’s eyes bulged as he watched Andrew make a spectacle of himself. The commentators were also having fun with it. They remarked how he had found a great way to deal with retirement. Andrew certainly looked to be enjoying himself as he took turns kissing each young woman, and I do mean young.
“He’s kissing those girls!” Drew exclaimed.
Girls was right. What a pig. I turned off the TV. I didn’t want Drew to see his dad make a spectacle of himself. I could do without it, myself, as well.
“Hey, turn that back on,” my son cried out.
I was holding firm on my decision. “I’ll record the rest and you can watch it tomorrow.” That way I could fast forward through his father’s idiocy. Yeah, he was family oriented, but it probably wouldn’t matter. He would win his stupid election because he was handsome and popular.
Drew wasn’t happy at all with my decision, but I was the mom and I was making an executive decision. We spent the rest of the evening before bedtime working on Halloween decorations for his class party at the end of the following week. Drew kept commenting about Andrew and those girls.
“Are those girls his girlfriends?”
“I don’t know, bud. But it’s not right for a man to have two girlfriends at one time.”
His expression indicated I was speaking a different language. I don’t think he really cared about girls yet, except Emmy, but that was innocent. Thank goodness. But this was an excellent time to have a talk about respecting girls and women.
“Eww, I don’t kiss girls, Mom!” I was told after my spiel.
I winked. “Let’s keep it that way for a long time.”
He smiled at me.
I loved that smile.
As I sat in bed that night, I stewed some more. I also began to worry. What if those were his girlfriends? What if Andrew married one of them? I didn’t want some silicone Barbie doll to be my son’s stepmot
her. This added a whole new layer to the Andrew problem. I hadn’t thought about stepmothers before. And from the looks of Andrew’s tastes, my son would be getting an unrealistic view of what real women looked like. I was suddenly worried about Drew liking his new stepmother more than me, or wanting to live with them because Andrew could provide a mom and a dad. And Andrew was more fun than me.
Any nice feelings I’d had toward Andrew went out the door. I was so tempted to tell him not to come over anymore, and that if he wanted to see Drew, he would have to sue me. Instead, I lay there on my bed, curled up in a ball, with tears welling up in my eyes, cursing him and Sydney. It was at that point the idiot decided to call me. It was eleven o’clock, for crying out loud. I didn’t answer it. I wasn’t at his beck and call.
He left a message. “I know it’s late. I wanted to say goodnight and see if you caught the game and the stellar last inning. I’ll call you tomorrow to talk about it.”
He sounded happy. I was anything but.
I woke up with the same headache from the previous day, but I pushed through it. I would have liked to lay in bed all day, but that was never an option for a mom, and besides, I knew it would only make me feel worse. I knew I would sit there and fret over things that were out of my control while cursing Andrew all day long. Work would be a much needed diversion.
On the way out the door, Andrew called. I ignored it again. I had no desire to talk to him. It was bad enough he was coming over here tomorrow. My head began to pound more.
My head and my heart only felt worse when Drew talked about Andrew all the way to school. He was so excited to see him the next day.
We pulled up in the car line and we had a moment where we weren’t moving. I turned back to him. “I love you infinity.” I tried not to choke the words out.
“I love you infinity plus one”
I smiled and breathed deep. That was all that really mattered.
I kept trying to tell myself that all the way to work, even though my phone went off two more times. I felt the impulse to chuck it out the window. Why did he have to be so persistent? When I pulled into the office, I listened to the messages he left. They basically said he had wanted to talk to Drew before he went to school and he wanted to see how our night was last night. He also wanted to know what he should bring to make for dinner on Saturday. He was so presumptuous.
Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) Page 8