“This is nice,” Pia said, settling on the towel next to her and looking around. “It’s been years since I’ve hung out at the pool.”
“I’ve been here on and off since school was out,” Liz told her. “The hotdogs are good.” She glanced at Pia. “How are you doing?”
“Okay. I miss Crystal a lot, but work is keeping me busy, so that’s good. I bought a collar for Jake. Sort of as a way to let him know we’re committed to each other, now that Crystal is gone.”
Liz blinked at her, not sure what to say.
“I know he’s a cat,” Pia added with a smile. “We don’t actually have those conversations.”
“Good. Because I would have worried about you.”
“I was all set to put the collar on him when Dakota scared me off.” Pia paused. “She’s one of Ethan’s sisters.”
“I’ve met her a couple of times.”
“She said a friend of hers put a collar on a cat who’d never worn one and he about ripped his head off, scratching to remove it. He nicked a vein or something and there was blood everywhere. The last thing I need is to come home from work one day to a scene in a horror movie.”
Liz winced. “Are you sure Dakota wasn’t trying to be funny?”
“I don’t think so. Anyway, Jake won’t be getting his collar anytime soon.”
“Probably a good plan.” Liz thought about Ethan’s sister. “Doesn’t Dakota work at the camp?”
“She’s the head counselor, which doesn’t sound as important as it is. She has a PhD in childhood development. Raoul Moreno owns the camp. While it’s just a summer place now, he wants to expand it into a year-round facility. Dakota is helping him with that.”
Liz frowned. “Raoul Moreno. Why is that name familiar?”
Pia grinned. “Oh, honey, you haven’t seen him? He and I haven’t actually had a conversation, but I’ve spotted him around. Talk about yummy. Tall, dark and very pretty. In a macho, Latin kind of way. He played football for the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback. Smart and athletic. Does it get better than that?”
“Sounds like someone has a bit of a crush.”
“Only from afar. I’m not interested in having a relationship right now.”
“Why not?”
Pia hesitated. “I’m not very good at them. I want to be. I want to be nurturing and know fifteen different ways to stylishly cut a sandwich. But it’s not my thing. I like kids, in theory. I don’t know much about them. But getting serious and having one of my own? I don’t really think I’m the right person for that.”
There was something about the way she said the words. As if there was more, but she wasn’t comfortable telling the story. Liz didn’t want to press. Her friendship with Pia was still new. But she couldn’t help wondering what secrets her friend was keeping to herself.
“I don’t think skilled sandwich cutting guarantees great nurturing,” she said instead. “I only know two ways.”
“That’s one more than me. Besides, you’re a natural parent. I’ve seen you with Tyler. You two have a great relationship.”
“I’m a parent because I got pregnant,” Liz told her. “I was eighteen. Instinct or not, I was a kid and I know I made a bunch of mistakes. I spent the first year terrified I was going to drop him or something. I think loving is a whole lot more important than anything. Children need to know they’re wanted.”
“That’s true,” Pia said. “Not being wanted sucks.”
“I know.”
“It’s a nonissue,” Pia said flatly. “I’m between men and I intend to keep it that way. I have Jake the cat and that’s enough.”
“At least he won’t leave the toilet seat up.”
“Exactly. I heard from Crystal’s lawyer. She wants me to come in and talk in the next few weeks. She said there was no rush so I’m assuming there’s something in Crystal’s will about a formal transfer of ownership.”
“Be sure to tell the city,” Liz teased. “There’s paperwork with pet transfers.”
Pia lowered her sunglasses and glanced over them. “You’re not all that. You know that, right?”
Liz laughed.
Pia smiled at her. “I’m glad you came back.”
Liz groaned. “Don’t say that.”
“Still being harassed by the elderly?”
“They’re not all old.” Thinking about Fool’s Gold left her feeling confused. “There are some things about being here that I really like and some that make me insane.”
“Where does Ethan fall on the list?”
“He’s on both sides.”
“See? Men are a complication.”
“Tell me about it,” Liz grumbled. “I know he wants a relationship with Tyler and I encourage that. But then he goes and does something stupid like the injunction and I want to bitch slap him.”
“Can I watch? It would be the highlight of my week.”
Liz smiled faintly. “Probably not his.” She sighed. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“Because you don’t know how you feel about him? How could you? It’s been years, but you were in love with him once and now you have Tyler together. It’s got to be complicated. Trying to decide if you still love him.”
Liz felt the world tilt to the right. She grabbed on to her towel to keep from sliding away. Only nothing was really moving—it was all happening inside of her.
“I don’t love Ethan.”
Pia’s expression turned pitying. “Speaking as a professional, I can tell you that denial is a dangerous place to live. It really messes up any long-term planning. I’m not saying you love him, I’m saying you have to decide if you might.”
“No. I don’t accept that. He denied me in public—twice! He never tried to find me. I’m sure he hasn’t thought about me in years.”
“Interesting. So your feelings are dependent on his? I wouldn’t have thought you were that shallow.”
Liz sputtered. “Excuse me? That’s not what I’m saying.”
“It’s what you said.”
Liz sucked in a breath. “The point is I’m not interested in Ethan that way and he’s not interested in me. We have a child together. There are details that have to be worked out. Nothing more.”
Care about Ethan? Love Ethan? Not on this planet. She barely liked him. Okay, sure she wanted him, but that was different. Having a sexual connection was hardly significant.
“You’re wrong,” Liz added. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”
Pia picked up a bottle of water and opened it. “Isn’t there a line in Shakespeare about protesting too much? I can’t remember, but then, I’m not the literary one here.”
“No. You’re the crazy one.”
Instead of getting upset, Pia only smiled.
Liz glared at her, then crossed her arms over her chest and stared out at the pool. Love? That was just plain stupid. She didn’t love Ethan. She refused to do more than like him and that was just for her son’s sake. Anyone who implied otherwise needed some serious mental therapy.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TALK ABOUT A BAD IDEA, LIZ thought as she stood in front of the house where Ethan had grown up. Denise had called to invite her and the kids over for dinner. Sort of a family bonding time. Liz had wanted to say no, but hadn’t been able to think of an excuse. Ethan’s brothers were out of town, but the triplets would be there. Which meant five members of the Hendrix clan to face down.
Liz kept telling herself that Denise had been perfectly friendly the last time they’d talked. That everything would be fine. The problem was she couldn’t quite believe herself.
She clutched the flowers she held tightly, then led the way to the front door and rang the bell. The children clustered behind her, talking about the newly installed shower in the upstairs bath back home. For reasons Liz couldn’t understand, the glass blocks around the window had been a big hit.
The door opened.
“You made it,” Ethan said.
“Was there any doubt?” she asked, trying not to let her ner
vousness show.
“We were taking bets.”
“Great.”
“I’m kidding,” he corrected, stepping back. “Come on in.”
She walked inside. Tyler came after her and hugged his father, while Abby and Melissa huddled together. Denise appeared, looking relaxed and pretty in a matching light green crop pant and T-shirt set. There was a rhinestone pink flamingo filling the front of her shirt, and she had pink sparkles on her flip-flops.
“Come in, come in,” the older woman urged as she hugged first Tyler, then the girls. She took the flowers Liz offered. “Aren’t you sweet? They’re beautiful and I have just the right vase for them.” She frowned. “But it’s up high and I can’t reach it. Melissa, honey, can you get it for me?”
“Um, sure.” The teen followed her into the kitchen.
“I always wanted to be tall,” she could hear Denise saying. “You’re so pretty. I don’t even want to think about all the boys you have interested in you.”
“Me, either,” Liz agreed, allowing Ethan to ease her down the hallway toward the large kitchen. Abby and Tyler trailed after them.
The kitchen was light and bright, obviously the center of the home. The blue floor tiles warmed up the white cabinets and dark granite. There were stainless steel appliances and lots of storage space. It was the perfect kitchen for a large family.
Through the far door, Liz saw the table in the dining room had been set for nine and there was still plenty of room. Ethan’s family had always been large.
“We’re keeping it simple tonight,” Denise announced as she put the flowers in water. “Barbecued chicken and salads. I made a few fresh pies earlier today, so we have them for dessert. Now let’s go into the family room. It’s more comfortable there.”
She led the way into a big open space filled with comfortable-looking sofas and chairs, plenty of small tables scattered around a fireplace. A long bar stood against the far wall and a big TV was mounted on the opposite wall.
Ethan’s sisters were already in the family room. They stood as Liz and the kids entered, moving next to each other.
“Sweet,” Tyler said as he stared at them. “You’re really Dad’s sisters?”
“Uh-huh,” Montana said. “Which means we’re your aunts. Very cool. I know I’d like me for an aunt. I’m Montana. You’ve seen me at the library and I babysat once.” She pointed to her head. “Long hair. I’m the pretty one, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“You’re a lot of things,” Dakota muttered. “Hi. I’m Dakota, Tyler. This is a lot to take in, huh? Don’t worry. You’ll get used to there being three of us. This is Nevada.”
“Long hair, medium hair, short hair,” Tyler said. “That works.”
Liz put her hands on his shoulders. “Don’t get used to it too much. Women tend to change their hair.”
“We might,” Montana acknowledged. “Nevada just cut hers. She says this cut is more sensible.”
Nevada, the quietest of the triplets, only smiled. “I’m not out there looking for attention.”
“Or a man,” Montana added. “It wouldn’t kill you to date.”
“Like you go out every weekend?” Nevada quipped.
“I’m waiting for the right guy,” Montana explained.
“You mean the perfect guy,” Nevada said. “He doesn’t exist.”
“You’re all making me so proud,” Denise said with a shake of her head. She turned to Abby and Melissa. “You two are sisters. Do you fight?”
Abby grinned. “A lot. But it’s okay. We still love each other.”
“She can be a pain, but I’m used to it,” Melissa conceded.
“That’s encouraging.” Denise motioned to the sofas. “Everyone have a seat. Ethan, you’re in charge of the bar tonight. There’s lemonade for those not yet of drinking age. I made a very nice fruit sangria for the adults. Or we have the usual drink fixings.”
“Sangria sounds nice,” Liz said, taking a seat on one of the sofas. Both Melissa and Abby settled next to her. Tyler wandered over to the bar and sat on one of the stools. Everyone else found a place in the room.
The girls kept glancing at Ethan’s sisters. Finally Melissa asked, “What’s it like to be a triplet?”
“Easier now,” Dakota told her. “We have our own lives. We’re close but because we’re interested in different things, we don’t have the same friends, hang out at the same places.”
“Back in school, almost no one could tell us apart,” Montana said with a laugh. “We used that to our advantage.”
“Your names are nice.” Abby’s voice was low and shy.
Denise brought the girls each a lemonade. “And not my fault,” she stated. “Just remember that.”
“What do you mean?” Liz asked.
Denise sighed. “Giving birth to triplets isn’t easy and I had a very hard time recovering. The boys were scared and being very difficult for their grandparents. To make them feel better and give them a distraction, their father promised they could name the girls anything they wanted.”
Liz laughed. “That’s giving away a lot of power.”
“I know,” Denise agreed. “When I found out, I nearly had a fit. But by then, it was done.”
“I like their names,” Abby said.
“I like yours,” Dakota told her.
“Would you like to see their baby pictures?” Denise asked.
Melissa and Abby both nodded.
Montana groaned. “Mom, please. Not the baby pictures.”
“I was on bed rest for nearly four months with you three. I can do anything I want.”
She opened several cabinets in the storage unit below the TV and pulled out albums. Melissa and Abby joined her, as did Tyler. The triplets exchanged a glance and slowly moved over to where Denise had the albums open. Liz got up and walked to the bar.
“Does she do this a lot?” she asked.
Ethan grinned. “More than she should. It was worse when my sisters were in high school and starting to date. They had to bring the guys home to meet the folks, but ran the risk of the pictures coming out. My younger brothers made money by distracting her.”
“It’s almost enough to make me grateful for my inattentive mother.”
“Don’t get too comfortable,” he warned. “Any second now she’ll start lamenting her lack of grandchildren. I’ll be off the hook for a while because of Tyler, but my sisters are feeling the pressure.”
Even though she was standing in the room and seeing it all as it happened, there was a part of her that wondered if any of this was real. Were there actually families that interacted with each other? That laughed and fought and made up for years and still had that loving connection? While she and Tyler were close, it was just the two of them.
Or it had been, she thought, correcting herself. Her small family had just doubled in size with the addition of Melissa and Abby.
Liz felt her chest tighten and she had to consciously suck in air.
“You okay?” Ethan asked.
“I guess.” She looked at him. “I’m responsible for them. Melissa and Abby. They’re living with me permanently.”
He seemed confused. “That’s not news.”
“I know. Roy asked, I agreed. I never thought about saying no. It’s just…I never really put the pieces together before now. They’re my responsibility. I’m going to have to take care of them. Doctors and dentists and schoolwork and talking about boys. Until now it’s all been theoretical. I’m not prepared for teenage girls. Technically Abby’s not yet a teen, but still.”
He walked around the bar and sat next to her. “You’re doing great. Just keep with the plan.”
“I don’t have a plan. I don’t have anything. What if I mess up?”
“You’ll say you’re sorry and then you’ll start over.”
That seemed too simplistic. The responsibility was suddenly overwhelming. She’d gone from being a single mom of one child to being responsible for three. How could she have missed that?
&n
bsp; What now? What would be best for them?
She turned toward the far wall and saw Denise bending over a coffee table, flipping pages in a photo album. Tyler, Melissa and Abby were clustered around her. The triplets hovered nearby, correcting or adding to the stories.
This was good for them, Liz thought. Seeing a big family in action. Feeling a part of something. They’d already been through so much. Not a thought designed to make her feel good about her decisions. Because in a few weeks her plan was to take her nieces from everything they’d ever known and move them to San Francisco.
She knew the argument. Her life was there. The schools were great, the house big enough. They would adjust. Kids did it all the time. But she couldn’t escape the voice whispering that staying here would make things easier for everyone. Well, everyone but her.
Tyler wouldn’t mind being uprooted. He might protest about leaving behind his friends, but the truth was he loved Fool’s Gold. And she had a feeling he would gladly trade time with his friends for time with his dad.
“Earth to Liz. You okay in there?”
“Don’t distract me with the facts,” she snapped.
He held up both his hands, as if to show he was unarmed. “I’m not the enemy here and you’re not making sense.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m confused by all of this.” And at the core of it, she was confused by him.
“Can I do anything to help?” he asked.
“Spike my drink?”
He grinned. “You got it.”
* * *
DINNER AT THE HENDRIX HOUSE was loud and fun and delicious. By the time the kitchen had been cleaned up—a job complicated by too many people trying to help—dessert eaten and more pictures viewed—this time of Ethan as a boy—it was nearly ten.
Ethan insisted on walking them all home. There were hugs for Denise and the triplets, promises to do this again soon, and then they were out in the cool, clear night.
Once they arrived, Liz herded the kids upstairs to get ready for bed, then turned to Ethan.
“We all had a great time,” she began. “Please thank your mom for the—”
Susan Mallery Fool's Gold Series Volume One: Chasing PerfectAlmost PerfectSister of the BrideFinding Perfect Page 47