Never Say Never

by Donna McDonald

  Mariah shook her head. Shock didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling. “Nothing. You don’t need to do anything else. I’ll set up a coffee date with Brent so the two of you can talk and make plans for your… date.”

  “I’d rather eat nails than have coffee with him, but okay. If that’s how this has to work, I’ll do it.”

  “Mom? Are you really sure about this? Maybe we need to talk before I…”

  Georgia shook her head. “No… no need. I’m absolutely sure. I’m just… I’m just very nervous.”

  “It will all be fine, Mom. Brent’s a very nice guy. Everyone says he’s a fun date.”

  The snort escaped. It couldn’t be helped. “I just bet they do,” Georgia said.

  “Mom… that does not sound like you really want to date him. What’s going on?”

  Georgia glared at her daughter. It figured the woman she raised to be skeptical would need blood before believing her. “I’m tired of people calling me grumpy and cranky and all sorts of other unflattering things. So I’m going to date the bastard and see if it makes any damn difference. Is that okay with you or not?”

  “Sure,” Mariah said cautiously. “I’ll check with Brent for some times that he’s free and get back to you.”

  “Fine. Do that,” Georgia declared.

  Rolling her eyes over the man who’d successfully blackmailed her into dating him, Georgia left before she blurted out the whole story.

  Ann poked at the still paper wrapped deli sandwich. She’d let some man into her life, and now that he was gone, she couldn’t eat. This felt a lot like when her husband died only worse because she knew Cal was still walking around somewhere not wanting to be with her.

  “He’s just a stupid man. Eat, damn it,” Georgia ordered, slapping her hand on her dining table and making them all jump. “Trudy drove all the way to West Chester to get these organic sandwiches because she knew they were your favorite.”

  Ann nodded. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I should eat and not care, but I don’t know how to do that.”

  Huffing, Georgia stopped eating. “You did nothing wrong. If this is anyone’s fault, it’s Hollywood’s.”

  Snorting at the unfairness of that accusation, Ann unwrapped her sandwich. “This is not Brent’s fault. Or Mariah’s. Or yours. I don’t even think it’s mine. Cal saw me dancing and got some stupid idea in his head that I needed a man with money. Should I even care about someone that dumb?”

  “Yes,” the three women sitting with her answered.

  “Why?” Ann demanded, stunned at the unanimous answer.

  Trudy held up a finger. “The man gave you orgasms. Remember the three in one sleepover thing you shared. Good sex is the foundation of a good relationship. Hard as hell to find too.”

  “And he’s romantic. You told us he danced with you in your kitchen. That’s an unusual man,” Jellica added.

  “Your boy toy’s a bonehead about how women really think, but you shouldn’t kick a man to the curb for one dumbass decision,” Georgia said, biting into her sandwich. She chewed and swallowed. “It’s okay though… I sent Hollywood after Cal to set him straight.”

  Ann gasped at the thought. “Georgia… you didn’t.”

  Georgia pushed the rest of the pickle slice into her mouth and nodded.

  Groaning, Ann bit into her sandwich. “Now Brent’s involved in my craziness. This just gets worse and worse.” She chewed and chewed, swallowing out of self-defense so she wouldn’t choke on her anxiety. “Brent barely knows me. All I did was dance with him.”

  “I agree he’s more self-serving than altruistic, but someone needed to set the man straight. The truth is Hollywood blackmailed me into going out with him. I said yes to get him to help,” Georgia reported calmly.

  Ann stared at Georgia. They all did. “You’re going out with Brent?”

  Snorting, Georgia nodded. “Yes. Handsome bastard gave me no choice.”

  “Unbelievable,” Ann said, shaking her head.

  Georgia shrugged. “What’s really unbelievable is that Hollywood missed catching your bozo boyfriend after the dance. You and I were gone before he could tell me. But he said today that he was not giving up on tracking Cal down. I gave him Stan’s name and address—figured I might as well help out. Hollywood knows I won’t go out with him unless he keeps his word and makes Cal come crawling to apologize.

  “Wow, Georgia. The man must really like you,” Jellica said, sighing with envy.

  Georgia refused to think about their dancing and his interest in her body. “I think all I am is a challenge. He’s used to women falling at his feet. I don’t intend to, but whatever… I can play the game to help a friend.”

  “If this is supposed to be how true love works, then Cupid is stupid,” Ann declared, taking another bite. “These are good, Trudy. Thank you. It’s the first food I’ve enjoyed at all in a couple days. I can’t even drink a beer now without thinking of him. God, I can’t stand being this pathetic.”

  “My pleasure, sweetie… and you’re not pathetic,” Trudy said.

  “Well, I know one thing,” Ann said, lifting her chin. “If Calvin Rodgers doesn’t want me anymore, there’s at least nine other guys in Mariah’s folder. I’m not going back to living my sad widow life before he came along. It may take me a while to find another man I want to sleep with, but life is far too short to live it alone.”

  She turned then and looked only at Georgia. “That’s why I’m glad you’re going out with Brent—no matter how things turn out. Falling in love again is worth the risk, Georgia, even when it doesn’t last. I can’t tell you how much Cal changed my life. I may still be hurt and angry, but I can see the good he did for me.”

  Georgia laughed. “You’re such an optimist. Maybe that will eventually rub off on me. Want to stay over? That way, when Hollywood reports in, you’ll be here to hear the news first hand. Good. Bad. Or otherwise.”

  Ann shook her head. “No, thanks. I already know Brent’s not going to change Cal’s mind. Did your military husband ever change his mind once it had been made up about something important?”

  “No,” Georgia admitted. “I just learned how to effectively work around his stubbornness. You could learn to do the same. I have faith in you.”

  Ann shook her head. “My gut is telling me that nothing Brent does and nothing you do is going to make any difference. Cal broke up with me for what he considers to be my own good. You can’t fight that kind of thinking.”

  “Then Cal’s truly an idiot,” Georgia stated, not blinking as she held Ann’s gaze.

  Ann dropped her head, nodded, and wadded up her napkin. She rolled the majority of her sandwich back into its wrapper. “I’ll eat this later. I’m going to go home, have another good cry, and hopefully wake up tomorrow in a much better frame of mind.”

  After hugs and more hugs, Ann peeled herself away from her friends and went home.

  Cal silently loaded supplies in the truck bed for the two jobs he was doing tomorrow. The man was clearing his throat before Cal even saw him standing ten feet away. It was hard to believe he’d gone so soft already. Distraction in the military might get you killed. Distraction out here just let people you didn’t want to see sneak up on you.

  “Rodgers? We need to talk for a minute. I tried to catch you after the dance, but you took off before I could track you down.”

  Cal looked at the pristine doctor in his who-knew-how-many-thousand dollar suit. He understood the choices each of them had made had brought them to where they now were. He’d been mostly happy with his life until he’d lost the woman he’d wanted to a guy who had a life Cal couldn’t even fathom having.

  “Sorry. What did you need to see me about, Dr. Colombo?”

  Brent put one hand in his pocket. “I need to warn you about your upcoming Proctology visit with Georgia Bates if you end up breaking Ann Lynx’s heart. That sweet woman’s in love with you, Rodgers. Ann told me so when we had lunch. The only reason she was at the dance with me
was to be my partner after my daughter stood me up.”

  Cal shoved a box of siding into the bed of the truck. “Ann never said anything to me about love. And how is this any business of yours?”

  “I figured you military types wouldn’t scare off so easily. Didn’t you hear what I said? She’s in love with you, which makes Ann your business. Her friend, Georgia, well, she’s my business. However, I owe Ann for my second chance. That’s why I’m here to tell you that you need to fix your situation before that feisty woman decides to move on.”

  “Ann doesn’t need me. She needs someone like you to take her dancing and out to dinner. For all intents and purposes, I’m starting over in my life. My retirement isn’t going to go far in today’s economy. Since I’m only proud of my military career and the fact that I can help my father, all I can do for Ann is get the hell out of her way.”

  Brent let out a jagged breath. “That’s just ego talking, boy. Ann doesn’t want someone like me—mostly because she thought she had you. True, Mariah has a folder of men interested in her. If she ever wants another man, they’re going to be easy enough to come by. If you want, I’ll just leave you to wallow in your misery. I’ll tell the women you weren’t interested in hearing what I had to say.”

  “Of course I’m interested, but Ann deserves more than I can give her. Wealthy guys like you can give her a better life. There’s no reason not to just say that. She’s been dating them all along anyway. You weren’t the only rich guy she went out with.”

  “Someone your age ought to know by now that money doesn’t make a man good or bad. Ann deserves someone to love her, not someone picking her off a shelf, which is kind of what Mariah’s matching up feels like when it doesn’t work out. Do you love her, Rodgers? Because right now I know Ann thinks you don’t. Right now, she’s probably home crying over you. That’s what women do when their hearts get broken. They bawl and it makes their eyes all puffy and red. They hate that. Trust me. So get your ass over there and fix this while you still can.”

  “No. It’s over between us. But thanks for coming by,” Cal said, turning away.

  “Fine. Okay. You’re making a mistake, though. Losing the right woman can have a long term effect. I never stopped missing my first wife until I met Georgia. That’s a long damn time to go without really loving anyone.”

  Cal turned and watched the man stride back across his father’s rough looking backyard. What did men like Dr. Colombo know about the lives of average people? Very little, he’d guess.

  It did surprise him that the renowned plastic surgeon had simply shown up here. How many appointments had he had to rearrange? Why would someone like Colombo do that?

  He didn’t for one minute think it was really about Ann, though the man did seem to genuinely like her.

  Cal leaned against the truck bed and rubbed his chest. Even having the best of intentions wasn’t making this easy.

  His own body had been aching since he’d walked away from her. Worse still was thinking Ann would never again fix him dinner, offer him a beer, or drag him to bed. Reality had set in on his drive home that night, but part of him still felt he was right.

  But what if Dr. Colombo was right?

  What if Ann loved him and he had broken her heart?

  That would be bad—very, very bad. He’d watched Ann smiling while she was dancing. Wouldn’t she just go on and do that without him? She’d had no problem dancing with Colombo and that other guy who’d asked her. That’s why he hadn’t bothered.

  The arrogant doctor had planted real doubt in his mind, even though he hadn’t shown it to the man.

  Now he was going to have to find out if Ann was okay, if only to remain sane. Cal only knew one sure way to do that, and it wasn’t going to be easy.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cal heard them yelling when he walked in. He looked at the receptionist who shook her head. What fresh hell was this? Walking to the office door, he saw Megan pacing with balled up fists. David sat behind his desk frowning at the wood surface of it.

  “I promised Mom we wouldn’t investigate the guy,” David said calmly.

  Megan nearly screamed. “Did you not hear what I said? Mom’s digging holes. You know what that means.”

  “I don’t. What does it mean?” Cal asked as casually as possible, stepping through the door uninvited.

  “It means that no balls bastard she’s been dating broke her heart,” Megan said, swiping a hand through the air. “Mom hates yard work. Hates it. Now there’s like twenty holes around the yard. She says she’s planting something, but she’s not. All she’s doing is digging.”

  Cal burst out laughing. Digging holes? “Maybe she’s just prepping for spring planting.”

  “No,” David said, frowning. “Mom dug a lot of holes after Dad died. Nothing ever went in them. After a year went by, I took a couple guys over there one day and filled them all back in.”

  “When I find the SOB who hurt her, I’m going to… well, I don’t know what I’ll do to him. Something legal, but very painful,” Megan declared.

  David’s gaze turned his way. “The yard has been a sore spot since Dad died. She’s been happy lately though, so I thought maybe it was time to finally do something to the yard. That’s why I talked to you about putting a covered deck with a built-in barbecue back there. She’s always wanted that, but Dad never would spring for it. This is the first time I thought Mom had finally put the past behind her.”

  Cal swore under his breath. He found a chair and sat in it. “Did your mother specifically tell you something was wrong with her and the guy?”

  “Ask her,” David ordered, gesturing to his sister. “Personally, I can’t understand Megan’s emotional ranting when she gets like this. I usually need her husband to translate her bitching.”

  Cal watched Megan glare at David. She looked like she was going across the desk after her brother. Ann must have had her hands full with these two.

  He spun a chair around at an angle. “Sit, Megan,” he ordered, using his command voice.

  Frowning, the younger woman took the chair. Cal drew in a breath. “Let’s just cover the basics for now. Did your mother say anything about what was bothering her? How do you know it was a problem with the guy she was dating?”

  Megan shook her head. “Mom said it was..” Fingers raised in the air for quote marks. “…nothing I needed to worry about.” A huff followed that. “She was covered in dirt and still digging. Her eyes were red from crying. Does she think I’m stupid? That damn younger guy she likes probably threw her over. Only the serious shit sends Mom after the shovel.”

  Cal looked at David. “Is that true?”

  David’s nod was brief. “Yeah. Every word about the serious shit is true. It sends her after the shovel.”

  “Oh, hell,” Cal said. “This is really bad, isn’t it?”

  Twin nods and frowns more than answered his question. His mistake was growing in magnitude. These two tackled problems to the ground. If they were upset, something was definitely wrong. He couldn’t keep fooling himself.

  Cal looked at Megan and drew in a breath before speaking. “I swear on my life that I never in a million years meant to hurt your mother. I’m in love with her, Megan. Please don’t hit me. I need my entire brain to figure out how to fix the shit storm I accidentally started.”

  David leaned across the desk. “Rodgers? Are you telling me that you and my mother…? Seriously?”

  Cal nodded. “Yes. I fixed her pantry. Ann asked me to stay for dinner. So I did. I’ve been seeing her ever since. I kept seeing her even while she was seeing all those other men… which was why I had doubts.”

  “Other men? My mother was seeing other men?” Megan exclaimed.

  “You know… The Perfect Date rich dudes from that service,” David filled in.

  Megan snorted. “Oh, them. She didn’t like them. They were just her way of making sure…” Her gaze rounded to Cal. “She really, really liked you, dumbass. You were the only one she liked. She refu
sed to tell me and David who you were. She also jumped David’s ass for wanting to investigate you before she sleeps with you.”

  Cal sighed and put his gaze on the ceiling, grateful for Ann’s discretion about their relationship. It meant he might walk out of David’s office alive. Finally, he nodded. “Last Friday, I saw her dancing with one of her so-called dates. The man’s suit cost more than my sports car. I panicked.”

  “You mean your ego did,” David said.

  “Yeah. Fair enough,” Cal replied, shrugging as Colombo’s chastising came back to haunt him again. “She looked so happy out there dancing. You should have seen how happy she looked.”

  Megan swiped the air again with her hand. “Mom dances with anyone because she just loves dancing… even belly dancing. It was so embarrassing when I was a kid. All my friends in school knew because Mom used to teach classes to their moms.”

  “Belly dancing?” Cal asked, stunned by the images chasing through his mind. He rubbed a hand over his face, wondering when and how Ann might have chosen to tell him. His body tensed, tightened, and longed for her. His stupidity was becoming more and more clear.

  “Get a grip, Rodgers,” David ordered, smirking over the man’s reaction to the news.

  “How the hell can I make this up to her? I have to.”

  “Admit you’re a dumbass and apologize,” Megan ordered, crossing her arms. “Then let her rant until she starts to cry. Once she cries, then apologize again. That’s when she’ll finally hear you.”

  Cal stared at Ann’s daughter a long time. “Okay.” He glanced at David and back at Megan. “You two got any real problems with me and your mother?”

  “Not if you stop acting like a no-confidence loser and make her smile again. God, I’m glad I chose the freaking Marines. Army guys are such wimps.”

  “Hey now,” Cal said, glaring at the girl for the first time.

  “I went after and married the richest man in Cincinnati. That makes me fully qualified to give you shit for not having the balls to go after my mother who hasn’t dated in years. And David has to go home to an attorney every day—an attorney who can slice you open with words alone. You fall in love with someone, Cal… that’s what you do… you go home to them and deal. My mother is a saint next to the people David and I married.”