"Oh, Mother…" Tinker protested. Eve immediately picked up on Tinker's pained flush, as well as the my husband jab. Had Gray been lying to her? Were he and Bambi still married? But that didn't make sense. If so, and he was the philandering type and didn't want Bambi to know he was coming on to Eve, why would he hire Eve to tutor his daughter? His secret wouldn't be safe for very long under those conditions.
Bambi's attitude toward Tinker was even more pressing, though, and she needed straightening out right now. "Mrs. Flint, pardon me for interrupting, but I was given to understand that Tinker is dyslexic."
"Well, that's what the reading specialists say," Bambi said petulantly. "But I'm sure that if she'd apply herself a little more, pay attention in class, she could do the work just fine."
For heaven's sake, where was Gray? How could Eve be expected to deal alone with the Flint family's problems? She wasn't a psychologist—just a tutor.
"Are you saying you don't want her tutored?" Eve asked. "If so, I'll leave now—"
"No, don't!" Bambi said sharply, and Eve was sure she'd detected alarm in her tone. "That is, I don't feel it's necessary, but neither do I want to go against my husband's wishes. He's such a dear. Always looking out for Tinker's and my best interests."
Well, bully for him! Eve thought sarcastically. Her temper continued to simmer.
"Personally, I think it's a waste of time and money," Bambi continued. "But Gray insists it's necessary, so I'll go along."
Just then, Eve heard a key being turned in the lock and managed to step aside just before the door behind her opened.
"Whoops, sorry," Gray apologized. "I didn't know anyone was standing so close…"
He paused and looked at the small group of people assembled there, then glared at Bambi. "What are you doing here? Where's Judy?"
"Oh, I sent the baby-sitter home," she said airily. "I wanted to meet Tinker's teacher, so I told them at the restaurant that I had a migraine and needed to go home."
Eve was shocked that Bambi would brag about lying to her employers in front of her impressionable daughter.
Gray took a deep breath. He looked annoyed with the woman, too, but he spoke calmly to Eve. "I'm really sorry about this, Eve. I was called back to the station about an hour ago, but I thought I'd be home before you got here. I told the baby-sitter to tell you that if I wasn't here, I would be shortly, and to go ahead and start getting acquainted with Tinker."
He eyed her thoughtfully. "Did you get my message?" His tone was edgy, and she wasn't sure whether he was upset with his ex-wife—wife?—or with her.
"There hasn't been time, Gray," Eve answered. "I just got here a few minutes ahead of you. I hadn't even realized you weren't in the house."
He uttered a somewhat neutral sound that could have indicated belief or disbelief, then asked, "Have you two met?"
"We introduced ourselves," Bambi said quickly. "Now, I've got coffee all made, so why don't you all go on into the living room and get comfortable while I fetch it."
She turned to Tinker. "Sweetie pie, you can come and help me carry the things out."
She and Tinker took off through the dining room and into the kitchen, while Gray and Eve headed for the living room. Gray was now clearly irritated.
"I'm sorry, Eve," he said again. "I had no idea Bambi was going to be here—"
Eve couldn't hold back any longer. "Where does she live?"
He looked surprised, but answered, "She lives up the street and around the corner on Cherry Tree Lane— why?"
That couldn't be more than a block or two away! If they couldn't get along well enough to stay married, then why live in houses that were so close to each other? Were they divorced but sleeping together whenever the urge struck? She had to find out if he was being truthful with her.
"Gray, before we go any further, I need to know what your relationship with Bambi is."
He blinked in what looked like astonishment. "I've already told you, we're divorced."
"Then why did she introduce herself as Mrs. Flint, and refer to you as her husband?"
Gray groaned, but Eve was too overwrought to notice. "There's something you need to know about me, Gray," she said angrily, before he could answer. "In spite of the way I behaved Saturday, I don't get involved with married men."
The color drained from his face, but she was too furious to care. "I'm not the type for casual relationships. I was raised in the Greek culture, and we have strongly ingrained family values."
"So do I," he protested. "Eve, if you'll just let me talk, I can explain—"
But unfortunately he couldn't, because just then Bambi and Tinker came with the coffee. Bambi picked up the silver coffeepot and started to pour, but Eve stood up. She'd had all of this situation she could handle.
"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to stay," she said, reaching for her purse.
"But surely you can have some coffee," Bambi said, looking pleased.
"Eve!" Gray was also standing. "I want to talk to you."
"There's really no need," she said, cutting him off and heading for the door, trying to get out of there before she blew up and created a scene that would upset Tinker.
Tinker! She'd forgotten all about the child's feelings in this. The least she could do was tell her goodbye.
She stopped and gazed around the room, finally spotting the youngster silently huddled on the hearth, looking lonely and forlorn. Eve's heart went out to her, and she went back to hunker down in front of her.
"Goodbye, Tinker," she said, and couldn't resist reaching out to brush an unruly lock of hair off the little girl's cheek.
Tinker blinked, and Eve saw the glint of tears in her eyes. "I thought you were going to be my new teacher," she said, and her voice shook slightly.
"I—I…" Eve was at a loss for words. How could she explain a triangle like this to an eight-year-old? Especially when she was the focus of the dispute.
Were Gray and Bambi just using Tinker and her in a spiteful game of one-upmanship to shift the blame for their marriage having gone sour? And why had Eve let them do it? She should have followed her strong instincts and never gotten involved with Gray Flint in the first place.
The whole situation was unthinkable! Why were three supposedly intelligent adults putting a child in the middle of such an impossible situation? Tinker was much too young to handle it. Especially since she'd already been subjected to the trauma of her parents' separation— whether it was divorce or just estrangement.
"You don't want to teach me, do you?" Tinker said. "You know I'm too dumb to learn. That I'll never be smart like other kids."
Gray and Bambi gasped, and there was a wrenching sob followed by the release of tears cascading down Tinker's pale cheeks. Eve couldn't restrain herself any longer. She engulfed the little girl in her arms and held her.
Chapter Five
"Oh, honey, no!" Eve assured her. "That's not true. You're not dumb!" Eve hated that word, but it was the one Tinker used and understood. "Actually, you're very bright. You'd have to be to have come as far as you have in your studies even though you were born with a learning problem that makes it harder for you than it is for most children. Your mom and dad have told you about that, and you've pretty well overcome it now."
Tinker clung to Eve and sniffled. "Then why do I still have so much trouble?"
Eve's arms tightened around her. "Because you're not ready to do third-grade work yet. We'll have to go back to the first-grade level and catch up on all that you've missed."
Eve knew the minute she heard herself say "we" that she'd botched it, and she wasn't wrong. Tinker pulled back and looked at her. "Then you are going to teach me?"
Eve closed her eyes and groaned. "Oh, Tinker, I didn't mean—"
The child pulled out of Eve's embrace. "Then you haven't been telling me the truth. You do think I'm dumb, and you don't want to teach me."
Eve got to her feet. "No, honey, that's not what I mean," she said shakily as she looked around the room for Gray. Why
didn't he help her out?
She spotted him standing by the hallway where she'd left him, and he must have misinterpreted her expression because he addressed his daughter's declaration. "Tinker, you're being rude. It's not polite to tell Ms. Costopoulos what she thinks. You can't know that. Now tell her you're sorry."
Now Eve felt even worse. She hadn't meant for Gray to scold the youngster. She'd just wanted him to help her come up with a good excuse not to tutor Tinker. He must know she couldn't teach his daughter if by doing so it caused friction between her parents.
Tinker blinked back tears again and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, I—" Her voice broke and she started again. "But if I'm not dumb, then why can't you tutor me?"
"She has a good point, Eve," Gray said, much to her surprise and chagrin. "Can't we at least discuss it?"
Discuss it? What good would that do? The whole idea was impossible. Surely, he could see that. Why would he want her to tutor Tinker when he knew it would upset Bambi?
Her hesitation must have encouraged him, and he continued. "You'd scheduled the next two hours to spend with Tinker, so why not spend them with me, instead?"
He glared at Bambi. "Since Bambi has decided to take the rest of the day off, she can take Tinker on home, and we can have a little privacy to try to sort this thing out. Okay?"
Bambi looked mutinous. "No, it's not okay," she interrupted as though he'd been addressing his remarks to her. "I'm Tinker's mother. I have a say in this."
Gray looked at Tinker, then at Eve, and back to Bambi. "All right," he said. "If that's what you want. You and I will talk in the office." He motioned for her to precede him down the hall.
Bambi hung back, obviously displeased. "Why can't we do it right here?"
"Do you want to talk to me, or not?" he growled, making it plain that it would be his way or not at all, Obviously he had no intention of arguing with his unreasonable ex-wife in front of their daughter and his guest.
A few seconds after Gray and Bambi disappeared down the hall, the sound of the door shutting broke the brief silence. Eve and Tinker looked at each other, at a loss for words. Eve cleared her throat and looked around.
"Your dad has a lovely home," she commented.
Tinker nodded. "It's okay, but you should see mine and Mom's. It's bigger and has an upstairs. My grandma used to live with us, but she died."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Eve murmured.
That must have been Bambi's mother, since Gray had said his parents lived in Texas.
"I miss her," Tinker said, and there was sadness in her voice. "She used to sew dresses for me, and for my dolls. She baked cookies and pies, too, and she never called me stupid or lazy like my mom does when she tries to help me with my homework."
That last sentence made Eve uncomfortable about the way the conversation was going. Although her first inclination was to jump to Tinker's defense, she'd always thought it reprehensible to solicit gossip about family members from an unsuspecting child, and she wasn't going to do it now.
Instead, she cast around for another subject. "Why don't you tell me what you've been studying in school? What are your favorite storybooks?"
Tinker didn't seem to mind talking about her schooling, and a short time later Gray and Bambi rejoined them, both looking out of sorts. Apparently theirs was not as amicable a divorce as Bambi had implied earlier.
Gray fastened his attention on Tinker as he walked to the closet door and took out a windbreaker. "Put this on, baby. You're going home with your mom now, but we'll talk again tomorrow."
He helped her into the jacket, and they hugged and kissed.
When he'd finished with his daughter, he took out another coat and helped Bambi into it. With her, he was polite but impersonal. Neither one spoke to the other. He didn't look or act like a man who was pining for his ex-wife.
Eve had been standing in the living room, facing the entryway and hall, her back to the fireplace. When Gray turned and came toward her, she could see the lines of tension in his face, and the frustration in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry about this, Eve," he apologized. "I had no inkling Bambi was going to show up and make a scene. I should have expected it, though. I don't know why I'm always surprised when she pulls these nasty little stunts."
Eve couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He looked so beaten down. Ordinarily, it would have been none of her business and she wouldn't ask questions, but by bringing her into the midst of this donnybrook with his ex-wife, he'd made it Eve's problem, too. She was entitled to know what was going on.
"Are you telling me the truth about being divorced from her, Gray?"
"Yes," he said, and held up his hand. "I swear. I have the papers to prove it if you want to see them."
"That won't be necessary," she said quickly, embarrassed that he felt he had to offer.
"I can understand why she still calls herself 'Mrs. Flint,' but why does she keep referring to you as 'my husband'? It wasn't just a slip—she did it several times, and very deliberately."
He shook his head and took her by the arm, sending waves of warmth up and down it. "Come, let's sit down," he said, and guided her to the couch where they both settled themselves comfortably.
Gray started to reach for the silver coffeepot, but then paused. "The coffee's still warm, but could I interest you in something a little stronger?"
He looked as if he could use a shot of whiskey or brandy, and she nodded. "Wine would be fine with me. I'm not much of a drinker, but please feel free to have whatever you prefer."
He smiled. "Wine's fine with me, too. Is Merlot okay?"
"Great," she said as he got up and went into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a carafe of red wine and two sparkling crystal glasses.
He set the smaller tray next to the bigger one on the long coffee table and poured the ruby liquid, then handed one glass to Eve and took the other for himself.
They both settled back again and took a sip of then-drinks. "Now," Gray said with a sigh, "where were we? Ah yes, Bambi's insistence on referring to me as her husband. It's just her way of annoying me. You see, she didn't want the divorce, although she didn't fight it very hard once she was assured I'd continue to support her as well as Tinker."
Eve blinked. "But she works…"
"Yeah, she does now, but only part-time. She and another woman split the dinner-hour shift. When we first met, she was a receptionist in my dentist's office. She's good with people—bubbly and amicable with that childish vulnerability that makes them want to take care of her."
He hesitated as though reminiscing. "Actually, that's what drew me to her, and I didn't realize there was nothing behind that facade until it was too late. I wanted a woman, and she wanted an adoring knight in shining armor."
He grimaced. "We were married just two months after we met, and that was a mistake. It's not nearly enough time to get to know someone and find out if you're compatible before taking the big step."
He cleared his throat. "By the time we'd both decided the marriage wasn't going to work, we found out she was pregnant. Neither of us wanted our child to be the product of a broken home, so we declared a truce. She quit her job to stay home and take care of the baby, and didn't work again until six years later, when we finally had to admit we were totally incompatible and filed for divorce."
He looked thoughtful. "In the interval, she liked being the wife of a TV personality, even if it was just the weatherman. She gave parties and got involved in charity work, stuff like that."
He leaned forward and poured more wine into his empty glass, then held the carafe out to her. But she shook her head; her glass was still half full.
"She didn't want a vocation," he said, almost to himself. "She's always needed someone to take care of her."
A thought niggled at Eve and she voiced it. "If she's unable or unwilling to take care of herself, how did she ever get custody of Tinker?"
"Joint custody," Grant corrected. "I agreed to it. I firmly believe that a child needs b
oth a mother and a father, and we had these two houses just around the corner from each other."
"We'd originally bought this one as an investment, so when we separated, I moved in and let Bambi have the larger one. She prevailed upon her widowed mother to come and live with her and Tinker after I moved out. Margie was a wonderful woman, and I knew she'd keep Bambi in line and see to it that Tinker was well taken care of when I couldn't be there."
"She must be the 'grandma' Tinker told me about who died," Eve commented.
Gray ran his fingers through his hair. "Yes, she was. She died very suddenly a few months ago of a heart attack. I'm sure that's why Bambi is being so possessive of me now. She lost her mother, and she's afraid she'll lose my support, both financial and emotional, too."
Eve thought of her own cherished mother, and felt a pang of anguish at the thought of losing her. A tide of compassion for Bambi washed away some of the censure that had tainted her impression of the woman.
Gray took another sip of his wine and set the glass down. "Eve, I want you to understand one thing. I'm not going to let Bambi's obstinate self-centeredness interfere with my daughter's education. Tinker will be tutored this summer so she can start school next fall on the same level as her classmates. I just hope you will agree to be the one to teach her. She likes you, and you're eminently qualified. Please, say you'll do it."
Eve cupped her glass in both hands and watched the twinkle of light playing off the crystal. She believed him. There was no reason not to. She also agreed with him. It would be wrong to deny Tinker the help she so desperately needed just because her mother was exhibiting a streak of childish jealousy.
She looked up and found Gray watching her closely. How could she refuse him? His voice was stilled, but his eyes pleaded with her. It would take someone stronger than she to resist, and, besides, it was important for Tinker's sake.
She sighed. "All right, if you can square it with her mother, I'll do it, but it's imperative that Bambi approve and let Tinker know she approves. Otherwise, we'll just be wasting my time and your money. I can't build up her self-confidence when her mother just tears it down—"
A Man Worth Marrying Page 6