by Celya Bowers
Jemma chuckled. “I was just tossing the idea around, Tesla.”
The older woman sat her cup down and looked at Jemma. “I know dear, but it sounds like a grand idea. I think we should all go.” She glanced at her daughter and daughter-in-law. “What do you think? I realize Thanksgiving is less than a month away, and we’d have to act fast.” She rose and retrieved her IPAD from the counter and turned it on. “There’s a three night, four day cruise. What do you say?”
“I say it sounds great, Mom,” Krista said. “I’ve been wanting to do for years.
“I’ll have to talk to my parents,” Megan announced. “We were supposed to go to Houston for Thanksgiving, but I’m sure they’ll be fine. It does sound like more fun that sitting around the house watching the Dallas Cowboys.”
Tesla nodded. “Great. Jemma, what do you say?”
She gasped. “What?”
“I’m asking you and Kassie to join our family on the Disney World Cruise for Thanksgiving.”
“I’ll have to check with the grandparents.”
Tesla nodded. “In the meantime, I’ll get things in order.”
“Don’t you have to ask Mr. Cosgrove?”
Tesla looked at her with a sparkle in those blue eyes. “It’s important to me, so I know he’ll do it.” She continued surfing the Net. “Let me know as soon as possible.” She patted Jemma on the hand. “Thank you, Jemma.”
“For what?”
“I wanted to do something different this year, because we’re retiring after all these years. This is different and fun. But I really want to thank you for putting a smile on my son’s face. I was beginning to worry about him, but you have banished all my worries. I know he’ll be just fine.” Tesla dabbed her eyes.
“He’s helped me too. He got my daughter to talk. So I guess we’re both grateful for him.” Jemma wiped her eyes too.
“Damn it,” Krista said, joining them at the table. “You two have me crying too!”
***
“Okay, tell me this again, in my good ear,” said Jemma’s mother, laughing. It was Sunday night, and Kyle had finally went home. Jemma had dropped the bomb of the impending trip with the Cosgroves.
“His mother is planning a Thanksgiving trip on a cruise ship. She’s inviting us?” Her mother asked.
“I guess, I had mentioned it and she kind of ran with it. Next thing I knew she planning this big family do.” Jemma surfed on her tablet for cruise information. “I think it would be good for Kassie. You think Dad will want to go?” The more she thought about the idea, the more it appealed to her. They all deserved something nice for the holidays.”
“It does sound like something different. I don’t know if Janna will be able to go. I think it’s her and Damon turn to host Thanksgiving for his family,” her mother told her.
“Oh, maybe we should wait,” Jemma said.
“No way!” Her mother said. “I think it will be fun. I say yes.”
“Don’t you need to talk to Dad?” Jemma already knew the answer to that.
“No, he wants what I want. Just tell me where to call to give my credit card number.”
“I will.” Jemma ended the call. She resumed looking at the website. The trip would do Kassie a world of good. Tesla was right, new memories could replace bad ones.
Sure she’d always miss her father, but at least this could help her cope. As well as her mother. There were still sometimes Jemma wished to hear one of his awful jokes.
She wiped away a tear. Damn, it had been eighteen months and she still got melancholy sometimes. They had been married a long time, she reminded herself.
Jemma finally gave into the tears that had bubbled at the surface for the last year and cried herself to sleep.
TWENTY
A few weeks later, Jemma wondered what happened to her life. She used to be a stay-at-home mom who was also a blogger and an author. She didn’t think she had time for dating and all the things that entailed. Or so she thought.
Nowadays, she was a woman with an active daughter. Kassie talked non-stop about the upcoming trip on the Disney Cruise ship. Her baby girl was so excited, it was hard to keep her grounded. Some days, Jemma just let her ask a barrage of questions about the upcoming trip. Like today.
“Is Mr. Kyle going?” Kassie asked between bites of her baked chicken.
“Yes, baby. Remember, his whole family is going. You’ll have other kids to play with.” Jemma toyed with her salad. This trip was monumental in more ways than she wanted to count. In addition to Kyle’s family going on the cruise, her parents were also going.
“So is Granny and Papa,” she said. “It’s going to be fun. I wish Brooke and DJ were coming too.”
“I know. Me too, baby.”
“Are you going to kiss Mr. Kyle on the trip?”
“What?”
“I know he likes you. My friend, Amy, says grown-ups kiss.”
Well she told her, Jemma mused. “Oh, no baby.”
“Don’t you like Mr. Kyle?” She looked at her mother with those brown eyes that melted Jemma’s heart. “I like him.”
“I like him too, baby.”
“Enough to kiss him?”
“Kassie?” Jemma felt a blush coming on.
“What Mommy?” She gazed at her mother with those innocent eyes. “I was just asking. He watches you.”
Her very young daughter was a little too observant. Best to pretend and play along. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
Kassie smiled at her mother and continued eating her dinner, effectively ending the conversation. “What are we going to do on the boat?”
“Lots of things,” Jemma said, happy they weren’t talking about Kyle. “There’s plenty of things for us to do. There are character plays, pool movies and plenty of games. We’ll have lots of time to be together.”
Kassie nodded as she reached for another piece of chicken. “Mr. Kyle said that we there a super slide we could go on.”
Darn that Kyle, she thought. It was bad enough he paid for their room, he also paid for her parents’ room. They argued about it for at least three days, in the end, his persistence wore her down.
“Mommy?”
“Sorry, honey. Yes, there’s a big slide.”
“I can’t wait.”
It felt good to see her baby so excited. Every time she had that gleam in her eyes, Jemma wanted to give her the world.
Kyle sat in his office, finalizing his first upcoming vacation in five years. There were still a few loose ends that was out of his control. The biggest one was Ava. Even in death, that woman was a thorn in his side.
It had been several weeks since her death and no one had claimed her body. Her family had disowned her when their marriage fell apart. It had fallen to him to arrange a funeral for her. As much as he hadn’t wanted to own the responsibility for the woman who’d cause him so much pain, he had to step up to the plate.
He and his mother had attended the graveside service earlier that morning. He wasn’t mourning her loss. Today had been like a slap in the face to him. He’d been mourning the dissolution of their marriage since the divorce. It was time for him to grab life by the horns. Step out of his comfort zone and just enjoy the rest of his life.
There was a timid knock on the door. He knew it was his mother. “Come in.”
But it wasn’t his mother. It was Jemma. “What are you doing here?” He knew she had a deadline for her book to be finished. She was dressed in jeans and a low-cut sweater. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was looking all kinds of sexy. “You’re supposed to be writing furiously, remember?” He’d wanted to call her, but respected her work ethic.
“I know that,” she said, stepping inside the office and closing the door. “Tesla said you were feeling kind of down after the funeral.” She sat a large sack on the desk. “So I brought lunch.”
“Baby, that wasn’t necessary.” He gazed at her, taking in every drop of her beauty. Her green eyes sparkled at him. “I’m so glad you di
d.”
“So how are you feeling?” She began taking items out of the bag. She’d brought sandwiches, baked chips, and fruit salad. She also had bottles of sparkling water.
“Pretty good,” he lied. “It just kind of hit me. I really hadn’t lost anyone close to me, so this was my first.”
“Well, I have plenty experience in that area,” she said calmly. “Even though things weren’t good between you and Ava, she was still a part of your life. You’re never ready for that type of loss.”
“Right on all counts,” he said reaching for a sandwich. “Why don’t we “talk about something else?” He wanted to get out of the dark place his soul had chosen.
“Okay.” She picked up a sandwich. “Kassie ask me if I was going to kiss you on the trip.”
Not quite the conversation started he was hoping for, but he could handle the change. “Good question. Are you?”
“Kyle!” She smiled behind the bag of chips. “You’re as bad as Kassie.”
“Hey, you brought it up. She’s seen me kiss you before, I don’t know what you’re think you’re hiding from her. She’s a smart little girl.”
“I know. I just still think of her as this fragile child who needs me to shield her from the world.”
“She isn’t,” he said. “She’s very capable of handling anything.”
“Yes, I see that. She’s excited about the trip. She can’t wait to get on the slide. Thank you very much for telling her about it,” she said.
“Sarcasm?” He chuckled as he finished his sandwich. “The kids were talking about it Sunday and she overheard. Then they were talking about riding it, and one thing led to another.”
“You wiggled out of that one,” she said smiling.
The trip was in two weeks. They were actually closing the ranch the week of Thanksgiving. Bruno and the other ranch hands would still be there to feed and exercise the horses. “Speaking of the trip, I have your plane tickets. Mom wanted everyone to sit together. Thank goodness, Justin has to take a later flight. I’ll be flying out with you, Kassie and your parents. Mom and Dad are taking the early flight. She wants to go sightseeing in Miami before the ships takes off. She’s really taking this traveling thing seriously.” He shook his head.
“Kyle, you really didn’t have to buy our tickets or pay for the rooms for that matter.”
He reached across the desk and grabbed her hand. “I know I didn’t. I wanted to.” He turned to his computer, printed out the travel itinerary and handed it to her. “Just say thank you.”
She shook her head as she took the paper. “Thank you.”
Jemma placed the paper in her purse. “I’m really thankful for you, Kyle.”
His blue eyes turned very dark. “I don’t want you to be thankful, Jemma. I want you to be….hell I don’t know. But I don’t like you being grateful.”
“Why?” Must be some kind of man thing, she guessed. “I’m very thankful for you.”
“It sounds like everything we do together is out of pity, not because we have a connection or enjoy each other’s company.” He stared at her. “So before we get on a cruise ship, I need to know, is it out of pity?”
“I’m not that good of an actress, Kyle. I’m with you, because I want to be. I mean being grateful is a part of it, but that part is so small it doesn’t really count. Even if Kassie hadn’t started talking I would still have went out with you, because you’re a sexy, caring man.”
He smiled. “You think I’m sexy?”
“Yes. Even if I didn’t love you, you’re still sexy.” Oops, she said it. Maybe he hadn’t heard it. That was what happened when one suppressed emotions, she mused. They surfaced at the most inconvenient time.
He instantly rose from his seat, strode from around the desk and pulled her into his arms. “You love me?”
There was no use denying it. Destiny had put it out there in the universe. “Yes,” she muttered.
He kissed with the pent up frustration of a teenager. “Good. I love you, too.” His lips played with hers between tiny bites. “I was beginning to think it was pity and you didn’t have any feelings for me.”
She slipped her arms around his waist. “I keep trying to keep those feelings underneath the surface.” She leaned against him, feeling safe and secure as always.
“How long before you have to pick up Kassie?” He kissed her again.
“Three hours,” Jemma said, “Kyle, you’re not seriously thinking about having sex now!”
“Why not?” His hands slipped under her blouse and started caressing her belly. “My place is just across the way. Come on, what do you say?”
She pulled his hands from under her sweater and held them in hers. “I say, I want this moment to be special. We just declared our love for each other, I don’t want a quickie.”
She could see the disappointment in his eyes, but still he nodded in agreement. “You’re right. There’ll be other times.”
She stepped back from his embrace and noticed his erection. “My, my, I guess you really were ready.” She ran her hand over the growing bulge in his pants.
“You’re really not helping,” he whispered. “In fact, you’re increasing my dilemma.”
Feeling empowered, she kissed him. “Did I mention that Kassie was spending the weekend at her grandparents? They want to see her before we leave on the cruise.”
She saw the confusion on his handsome face. “Jared’s parents,” she clarified. She waited for the information sink in.
A slow smile covered his face. Without warning, took one giant step toward her and pick her up, swinging her around the room, like she weighed two pounds. “That’s great! Great ready for a night to remember.” He planted a noisy kiss on her lips before her let her down.
She heard a noise outside the door. So had Kyle. He put his finger to her lips to quiet her. He walked soundlessly in cowboy boots to the door. She watched in stealth mode, as he swung the door opened and his mother stood at the door.
Tesla didn’t even look embarrassed. “Okay, you caught me. I was making sure you two were talking and not making out like horny teenagers. From the moans I heard, I’m glad I was wrong.” She smiled at the both of them.
“Mom, we were talking.”
“Right. I’m very excited about the trip, Jemma. I can’t wait to see Florida,” she said. “I want to enjoy every minute of it. I’m sorry that we won’t get to fly out together. But I want to see some of Miami before we get on the boat.”
Jemma shared the older woman’s enthusiasm. This one trip had so much riding on it. Jemma hoped that it would help Kassie, and Tesla wanted to introduce her husband to traveling. “Me, too, Tesla. My parents are flying out with us.”
“I can’t wait to meet them.”
“They can’t either. Unfortunately they’re going to Austin this weekend to the barbecue festival. My Dad loves anything related to cooking.”
“Kyle tells me he’s from England.”
“Yes, he’s a retired college professor, so is my mom,” Jemma said proudly. “I’m glad they’re getting to do the things that make them happy.”
“Yes, I can’t wait for that. Turner is a little harder sell, but he’s coming around.”
“I’m glad,” Jemma said. She really liked Kyle’s mother. In fact, she liked his entire family. She glanced at Kyle. “I better get going. I have to pick up Kassie.” She picked up her purse and headed out of the door.
“Hey,” Kyle called. “Didn’t you forget something?
Jemma stared at him. Surely, he didn’t expect her to kiss him in front of his mother. “What?”
Tesla laughed. “I think he wants his good-bye kiss.” She blocked Jemma’s exit. “Oh, go ahead. It’s not like we all haven’t seen you guys sneaking kisses during Kassie’s lessons.”
Jemma knew when she was licked. She walked to Kyle and kissed him quickly on the lips, but he wasn’t having that. He pulled her to him to deepen the kiss. She felt her knees buckled, she pulled away from him to get her breath.
“Kyle!”
He had the nerve to look innocent. “Hey, that has to hold me until Thursday when you bring Kassie for her lesson.”
“But I’ll see you Saturday, remember?”
He grinned. “Oh, that’s burned into my brain, sweetie.” He kissed her quickly. “I’ll walk you outside.”
She realized it wasn’t a question. She nodded at Tesla. “See you Thursday.” Kyle grabbed her hand and led her out of the office building and to her car.
Tesla watched her son and Jemma walked out of the building. She’d prayed for this moment and it looked like finally her son was giving love a chance. She might not have picked Jemma herself, but she was so glad her son had. Kyle was actually taking a vacation. Sure he and Jemma had separate rooms, but she was sure the relaxation of a cruise would be just what they needed.
TWENTY ONE
Jemma looked at herself in the mirror. Her curly hair hung free about her shoulders, her dress was an off-the-shoulder number and complemented her honey-brown skin. She rarely wore make-up, but tonight she decided to go with some mascara and lipstick.
Kassie had left with grandparents a few hours ago. The house seemed way too quiet. Since her talking had returned, she was a chatterbox. As if she was trying to catch up on six months of not talking.
Jemma checked her appearance again in the mirror. The doorbell rang. She grabbed her purse and hurried downstairs and opened the door to the sexiest cowboy she’d ever seen.
He was dressed in a dark suit. It did wonders for his athletic frame. “You look very handsome, Kyle.” She stepped back to let him inside her house.
“You are gorgeous,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. Then he kissed her on the mouth. “Are you ready for a night you won’t forget?”
“So ready.”
Kyle was correct. So the night was off the charts. They started out at a Brazilian restaurant. Jemma was amazed at the amount of food they ate. She’d never been to a restaurant like this in her life.
Waiters, equipped with a sword-like knife walked around with high end cuts of grilled meat on long metal skewers. “Just pulled the flag when you want more,” Kyle said. He made quick work of the meat already on his plate. It was his second serving.