by Beverly Farr
“I’m Ginny Russell, –-” She hesitated. Who was she exactly? Derek had said that he loved her on the phone last night, but that didn’t mean he had told any of his staff about a change in her status. “I’m Mr. Landon’s decorator, and I’d like to speak with him,” she said finally.
The woman opened the door wide to accommodate Ginny’s crutches. “Come right in, she said graciously. “Careful with that step. Mr. Landon told me about your foot. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Her heart might be breaking, but she would be fine.
“It’s so nice to meet you. You’ve done a beautiful job on this house. When I interviewed for the position as Mr. Landon’s housekeeper, I felt right at home. It will be a joy to work here.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Ginny murmured, wondering when Derek had hired a housekeeper.
She saw that he had put up the Amish quilt in the dining room. As she had expected, it looked wonderful.
“Mr. Landon is currently busy with an interview, but I’ll let him know you’re here.”
Ginny sat on one of the couches in the living room. She adjusted a granite bowl on the coffee table. The room looked exactly as she had envisioned it – elegant, yet inviting, filled with simple beauty and no pretentiousness.
She hadn’t realized it, but as she was decorating Derek’s house, she’d been creating a home – one she would also love to live in.
She swallowed a lump in her throat, fighting back tears. She refused to cry.
“Ginny!” Derek exclaimed, striding into the room.
Ginny’s heart contracted painfully. This was the man she loved: warm and confident, happy to see her. He was beautifully dressed in a crisply tailored suit and gleaming white shirt. She’d never seen him look so handsome. “You shouldn’t have come,” he said, reaching down to give her a quick kiss. Her breath caught at the touch. “But I guess that’s like asking a bird not to fly. This house is your baby and you wanted to make sure it photographed well. I’ll introduce you to the journalist and the photographers.”
Ginny looked up at him as if she could memorize his face. He loved her. It shown in his eyes, his voice, radiating through him. Heaven help her, she didn’t have the heart to break the spell. Not yet. She would savor this happy moment with him as long as she could. “I’d like that,” she said quietly.
He beamed. “You stay right here. I don’t want you walking around any more than you have to.” He searched her face, as if sensing her underlying sorrow and touched her cheek gently. “You doing okay?”
She nodded, unable to speak.
“Good.” He kissed her again. “I’m glad you came.” He stood and walked towards his office. “Gentlemen,” he said in a clear voice. “You’re in for a treat. I’d like you to meet the love of my life.”
#
Derek watched as the photographer positioned Ginny’s arms for a casual portrait. Ginny sat patiently on a chaise lounge. She was beautiful.
“I’m not promising we’ll use it in the magazine,” the journalist said.
“Either way, I’d like the proofs,” Derek said, smiling at Ginny. Part of him still couldn’t believe that she was here, in his house, and that she loved him.
He was a lucky man to have been given a second chance. He felt like shouting from the rooftops, “Ginny Russell loves me!” He also wanted to make certain she didn’t get away.
Nine years ago, he’d rushed her off to Las Vegas, without giving her time to think. He’d been afraid someone else would snatch her up. Perhaps that had been the cause of their problems; they’d married too quickly.
This time, he was equally impatient, but he’d do his best to control it. If she wanted a big wedding with all the trimmings, he’d go along happily. He’d even be nice to Miranda.
The photographer adjusted his lights and took several pictures.
“I’d like one with both of us together,” Ginny said quietly. “We never had a nice photograph last time.”
That’s right. Ted had taken a few snapshots, but Derek didn’t know what had happened to them. This time, they would do everything right. Derek sat next to her on the couch and put his arm around her waist, holding her close. She smelled faintly of roses.
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” he whispered in her ear.
#
Don’t rock the boat, Ginny thought as she smiled for the camera. He loves you; you love him. Why cause problems for yourself?
Why couldn’t she ignore the auction and forget that he had put it back online? Normally, she wasn’t one to sweep problems under a rug, but if she wanted to hold onto their happiness, maybe she should -- just this once.
No -- that would never work. She had to know why he’d done it, or she would never be able to live with him, to trust him.
After the journalist left, they ate a lunch that Derek’s new housekeeper prepared. Ginny pushed pieces of her salad around on the new plate with her fork.
“You’re awfully quiet today,” Derek said. “Is your foot hurting again?”
Ginny shook her head. “No. I’ve been thinking. About us.”
“This sounds serious.”
“It is. This morning I watched my mother on national television discussing your auction of my wedding invitation.”
“Did she say I was the seller?”
“No.”
“Good, that will make my lawyers happy.”
Was that all Derek cared about? She chose her words carefully, giving him a chance to confess, if he would. “She said the auction was still running and that the bidding had reached over two hundred thousand dollars.”
He frowned. “She’s mistaken. I pulled the auction two days ago.”
“It’s back online. I saw it.”
Derek was silent for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. “There must be some mistake, some software glitch, because I –” He paused. “No. You think I purposefully put it back online?”
“What else am I to think? It’s exactly as it was the first time, with my engagement photograph, the seller’s comments -- everything the same.”
He swore under his breath. “It’s that damn necklace all over again.”
“No, I believe you about that -–”
“Then why not now?” When she couldn’t answer, he said, “You’re quick to believe the worst of me. You always have been.”
Ginny reached for his arm, but he pulled away. “If you’ll just tell me why, so I can understand, I won’t be upset,” she said. “I know you love me. Were you mad because I wouldn’t break up with Phillip right away? Is that why you did it?”
Derek looked at her with growing distaste. “I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to learn,” he said in a deadly quiet voice. “I must be slow, but if you keep hitting me over the head with a two by four, eventually I’ll learn.”
“What are you talking about?”
He pushed himself away from the table. “You and me. I can’t win. Nothing I do makes any difference with you. I was a fool to think you could change, that you could learn to trust me.”
Ginny’s heart was breaking. “Don’t leave. Talk to me. I love you.”
His eyes were cold. “You don’t know what love is.”
#
Ginny walked with her crutches from Derek’s house to her mother’s. She would tell her mother the wedding was canceled, and then she’d go home to cry.
She’d tried to talk to Derek further, but he had turned her away. There’s nothing more to say.
Crandall opened the door and escorted her to the living room. “Would you like a pillow for your foot?”
“No, thank you. But you can call a taxi for me. I plan to stay only a few minutes.” She couldn’t drive by herself, yet.
Or was she leaving her car in front of Derek’s house so she’d have an excuse to see him again? Part of her couldn’t accept the fact that they were breaking up again, just when they were beginning to get together. He’d said he loved her. He’d been so happy to see her at his
house, introducing her to the journalist, having her picture taken.
And then she’d ruined everything with her suspicions.
But if Derek was telling the truth and he hadn’t put the invitation back up for sale, who had?
“Virginia!” her mother said happily, walking into the room. “Did you see me on television?”
“Yes.”
“I looked nice, didn’t I?” She sat in one of her wing chairs and crossed her legs. “I thought the lime suit worked well on the set. So many people make the mistake of wearing blue on that show and then fade into the furniture. They look like talking heads with no bodies.”
Ginny’s mind was so full of Derek, it was difficult to pay attention to Miranda. She did notice that her mother did not mention her foot or ask her how she was doing; like her daughter, Miranda was too preoccupied.
“It was very nice, yes,” Ginny murmured.
“Did you notice that I had eight minutes of air time?”
“I didn’t keep track of the time.”
“Well, I made Crandall record it, so you can see it again whenever you want. And it might make the websites, too.” She looked thoughtful. “I need to learn how to get on Youtube.”
Ginny didn’t think she could bear to hear Miranda brag for the next half hour, so she came to the point quickly. “Derek canceled the auction two days ago. Do you know how it came back online?”
Miranda looked uncomfortable for a few seconds, then she shrugged her elegant shoulders. “Someone else must have put their invitation up for sale.”
“One of my fictitious ex-lovers, I presume,” Ginny said wryly. “Come clean, Miranda. I think you did it.”
“Who me?” she questioned, then at Ginny’s pointed silence, she pouted. “And what if I did?” she said defensively. “It’s not a crime, is it?”
Ginny wasn’t too sure about that. “But why? For weeks you’ve told me you hated it.”
“That was before they wanted to put me on television,” she said clearly, as if explaining the matter to a child. “I saw that the auction had stopped, and I was worried that they’d cancel the television interview, so I started it up again.”
In Miranda’s warped sense of values, it made sense. “How did the bidding get so high, so quickly?”
“That was easy. I made Crandall and Mrs. Richards bid on it.”
If that wasn’t illegal, it was certainly unethical. Ginny was astonished by her mother’s Machiavellian approach.
And she had thought Derek was responsible. How could she have been so blind?
Miranda said, “I don’t see why you’re upset. It was just a little white lie. It didn’t hurt anyone.”
Only her and Derek.
She couldn’t blame him for being angry. He was right. She should have believed him. And now her doubts had destroyed whatever feelings he had for her. He might have loved her before, but that love couldn’t last in an environment of distrust.
Her mother added, “Besides, I thought it might be a way to help pay for the wedding.”
Ginny remembered that Phillip had said something in a similar vein a month before. “Don’t tell me Phillip was part of this scheme!”
“No, it was my own idea.”
“Then I suggest you talk to your lawyer. Midas might not take kindly to a seller inflating the price of an item by fraudulent bidding.”
“There’s no need to get nasty,” Miranda said airily. “I’ll close the auction myself, today. No harm done.”
No harm done? Ginny didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I also need to tell you that I’m canceling the wedding. Phillip and I are not getting married.”
“What’s the matter, did you have a fight? Those little premarital spats mean nothing. Go kiss and make up. I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”
True to form, her mother thought she had been the one at fault. She had been, of course, for deceiving herself into thinking that the lukewarm friendship she had for Phillip was love, but it would have been nice to have Miranda on her side, just once. “I’m not going to marry Phillip,” Ginny said clearly. “Not a week from now. Not ever.”
For a minute, Miranda was too stunned to speak. Then her face grew red. “How can you do this to me? After all my plans! You can’t cancel a wedding a week before the wedding! What will I do?”
Her mother’s hysteria seemed to wash over her like a tidal wave, leaving her gasping. With sudden, devastating clarity, she knew that Derek was right. Her mother didn’t love her. She never had. She was too selfish to love anyone, and it had taken Ginny this long to see the truth.
She’d been wrong about everyone: Phillip, Miranda, and Derek. She said very quietly, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience this causes you.”
“Inconvenience?” Miranda shrieked. “What will I tell my friends?”
“Tell them it’s my fault.”
“That won’t help,” her mother snapped. “What will I tell The Retreat? I have confirmed reservations for six hundred people!” She paused for a moment, and her eyes narrowed with calculation as she thought. “I have a solution. Marry Phillip anyway.”
“What?”
“Go through the motions. No one needs to know. If you’re not happy, you can divorce him six months later.”
Like mother, like daughter? “No.”
“But don’t you see, that way we wouldn’t have to cancel the wedding and the reception.”
“No.”
CHAPTER TEN
On Monday, Ginny received a letter from the Retreat saying that they had accepted her proposal. Innovative Designs would be awarded the contract to design the new hotel rooms and lobby. Charlotte was thrilled and danced around the office, then noticed Ginny merely sitting at her desk, staring.
Charlotte said, “I know you can’t dance with your foot still in its brace, but don’t you think this calls for a celebration?”
Ginny was in no mood to celebrate. After her talk with Derek, she felt numb. She forced herself to come to work, to eat, to pretend to live.
You don’t know what love is.
She made herself smile. “Yes. Celebrate. Take the rest of the day off. Take your kids out to eat.”
Charlotte grabbed her purse. “Thanks, I will. And with my new raise, we can go somewhere nice.”
“Have fun,” Ginny called after her.
After Charlotte left, she sat at her desk, staring at her computer. She brought up the Midas website and watched the dancing penguin for a few minutes. She saw a new statement on the home page that Midas reserved the right to cancel any auction at any time.
Derek must be talking to his lawyers, again.
#
On Wednesday evening, Ginny decided to tackle the cardboard boxes Phillip had left on her coffee table. Most of the contents were trash, and she knew it would be therapeutic to throw it out. It might not help her get over Derek, but it would occupy her mind for a few hours.
She sat on the couch and started emptying the boxes, with two large garbage bags near by – one for things to throw out, and one for things to take to the women’s shelter.
She pulled out old clothes, books, and spiral notebooks from college classes. She sneezed from the dust. She lifted out her old jewelry box. The years of storage had not been kind. One drawer was missing, and a corner of the lid had broken off. She opened the lid, finding a pair of tarnished sterling silver earrings she had forgotten. She pulled out the remaining drawer -- empty, except for dust -- and saw that there was something caught at the back of the drawer opening that rattled.
She reached inside and pulled out the necklace from her father.
She held the heart shaped locket up to the light. It was exactly as she’d remembered it – a simple gold heart shaped locket with a diamond in the center
Here was the proof, after all these years, that Derek was exactly what he said he was. He had never lied to her.
She remembered something she’d heard once. If you want to kn
ow whether someone loves you, look at their actions, not their words. Anyone, like Phillip, could profess his love, but it was what one did that mattered.
Derek had shown her that he loved her by his actions and his words. He’d hired her to decorate her house, when she needed money. He’d taken her to the hospital and been so kind, bringing her home and making certain she would be all right. He teased her, and he flirted with her, but whenever she said no, he’d respected that.
He’d loved her and she’d thrown his love away.
#
On Thursday, Charlotte came into her office to tell her that Ms. Davis from the Dallas Register wished to speak to her.
“Let her in,” Ginny said, surprised. She minimized the furniture site she had been pretending to read.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but if I could have five minutes of your time –”
Ginny said, “What are you doing here? I thought the story of my broken engagement was old news by now.”
“It is. I’m writing something else,” Ms. Davis said pleasantly.
“About the renovations for The Retreat?” Ginny guessed.
“No, but I heard about that. Congratulations. Instead, I would like your reaction to your mother’s plans to marry a fifth time.”
Miranda marrying again? She would have heard about it, if it were true. Miranda would have announced it herself. “Someone is pulling your leg.”
“No, I have it confirmed that in two days your mother will marry Phillip Stewart. There will be a reception afterwards at the Retreat.”
Ginny gave a whoop of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Charlotte asked, appearing in the doorway.
Ginny waved her hand, unable to speak.
“Miranda is marrying Phillip Stewart,” Ms. Davis informed.
Charlotte said, “That’s terrible,” which made Ginny laugh harder, until tears came to her eyes.
It was too ridiculous, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Her mother hadn’t wanted to cancel the wedding, so she’d decided to change brides. Perhaps she’d decided to take her own advice, to marry him and divorce him in six months.
In his favor, Phillip was closer in age to Miranda than he had been to her. He’d always liked Miranda, and her dislike of him could have been jealousy. And they had spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks: talking to the minister, choosing the cake, and cleaning closets.