Almost Home

by Macomber, Debbie; Duarte, Judy; Lamb, Cathy; Mary Carter

  “That I was gorgeous and young and wonderful?” Amanda answered without hesitating.

  “No,” Pete said. “That you were a gold digger.”

  “Who said that?” Amanda demanded. “Andy?”

  “Would you give Andy a rest?” Pete said. “I told you he’s a great guy. One of the best.” Amanda reached out and yanked on Pete’s towel. Kate turned her eyes as it fell to the floor.

  “He asked me out!” Amanda said as Pete scrambled to cover himself with the towel. “You’re the one who told me not to go out with him. You said he was a player—a liar—a con artist!”

  “I told you that so you’d go out with me instead.”

  “That’s a cheap thing to do!”

  “Are you saying you wish you’d chosen him?” Pete asked. Kate threw Amanda a look of warning, but as usual Amanda ignored her.

  “Well, why wouldn’t I?” Amanda said. “He’s gorgeous, talented, and rich.”

  “There it is,” Pete said. “Money, money, money. Is that all that matters to you?” Pete threw out his arms in frustration, and the towel fell off again. This time he didn’t seem to care. Kate averted her eyes until Pete finally grabbed the towel.

  “You know I’m not like that!” Amanda said. “If it was money I was after, I never would have married you!”

  “Guys,” Kate said. “Stop fighting. You already kissed and made up.”

  “Well, why don’t you go for Andy now?” Pete yelled. “You’re single, he’s single—be my guest.”

  “I don’t need your permission to seduce someone.”

  “Amanda, let’s just drop this,” Pete said.

  Kate crossed her fingers behind her back.

  “Tell me you know Andy would fall in love with me if I wanted him to, and I will,” Amanda demanded.

  Kate couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Amanda was being immature, pure and simple. Kate was embarrassed listening to their fight. If Amanda was going to continue to act like this, she was never going to have a successful marriage. Not that Kate knew anything about marriage. Or Andy. Maybe he would fall in love with Amanda. Why did the thought bother her so much? Why wouldn’t Pete just put on some pants?

  “I will catch up with you guys later,” Kate said.

  “No,” Amanda said. “You’re staying here. Pete’s leaving.”

  “Like hell I am.”

  “Then what do you have to say to me?”

  “What do I have to say to you? You’re acting like a child! This is my friend’s cottage. The ‘man of your dreams.’ You want him? Go for it. But I’m staying right here. If you don’t like it, your tent awaits, sweet cheeks.”

  “Seriously,” Kate said. “Andy paid for a room at the inn for me.” Amanda and Kate were lying on their backs in the tent, staring up at the pitched ceiling. With their suitcases, makeup, and every sweet and salty thing they could find in the kitchen, there wasn’t much room left in the tent for them.

  “I’ll bet he did,” Amanda said, tearing open a bag of Nutter Butters. “Mr. Moneybags.” She crunched on the cookie.

  Kate sighed and rolled away from Amanda. She had never been one for camping unless it included blow-up mattresses and down comforters. She was getting claustrophobic and the smell of peanut butter was suffocating. Kate started to unzip the front flap. Amanda grabbed her wrist.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “Outside,” Kate said, pulling her wrist out of Amanda’s grasp. “Going to check the yard for bears.”

  “We have to stay in here until we figure out a plan.”

  “I’ve got a plan. Let’s stay at the inn!”

  “No! I’ve got to keep an eye on Pete.” Amanda started to paw the ground around her. “Where are the binoculars?” she asked with the same alarm an asthmatic would if they lost their inhaler.

  “Is that what I’m lying on?” Kate asked, reaching under her. Sure enough, there was a pair of binoculars sticking into her back. She maneuvered them out and handed them to Amanda. Then she forced herself to take a deep breath. “Amanda,” she said. “I think you’re being ridiculous.” There, she’d said it. That wasn’t so bad. Except for the look on Amanda’s face. Kate had never seen so many shades of purple and red in one go. She had better do a little damage control. “Pete loves you,” Kate continued. “And you love him. So he’s not rich. So he told a couple of white lies. So he wants to see other women naked. At least he’s honest about it.”

  “Honest about that,” Amanda said. “But lying about other things.”

  “About Andy Beck, you mean?” Kate prodded. Amanda didn’t respond. “Come on, Panda. Would you really rather be with Andy? From what I hear, he’s pretty moody.” Kate held her breath, praying Amanda would assure her she had no interest in Andy.

  “Andy really asked you to be part of his photo shoot?” Amanda said, playing with the binoculars.

  “Yes.” Kate knew the tone of voice Amanda was using, and although she didn’t come out and say it, Amanda was jealous. Kate hated to acknowledge that, but it was true. Amanda was a gorgeous thin blonde, used to men falling all over her. But instead, Andy asked Kate to do the modeling gig. Amanda was thinking what Kate herself had been wondering—why her? Kate wanted to think it was because there was something between them—there had to be. It was impossible for only one to feel chemistry that strong, wasn’t it?

  “He must be up to something,” Amanda said.

  “What do you mean?” Kate sat up and hit her head on the top of the tent. Either it was a tent for midgets or it was starting to cave in.

  “You saw his ex!” Amanda said, oblivious to the fact that their house was falling down around them. “She’s a model. I mean, you’re supercute—don’t get me wrong. But come on, Kate—you’re not a model.” So there it was. Not so subtle now. Kate knew Amanda wasn’t trying to be intentionally mean, but it hurt nonetheless.

  “I guess he thinks I’m beautiful,” Kate said quietly. Amanda quickly put her hand on Kate’s shoulder.

  “Oh, you are! You are. Just—”

  “Not a model. I know. I heard you the first hundred times.” Kate grabbed her suitcase and started crawling for the flap.

  “Where are you going?” Amanda grabbed the other end of the suitcase and pulled.

  “To the inn,” Kate said as they wrestled with her bag.

  “Kate. You know I love you. You know I think you’re gorgeous.”

  Kate stopped. “Then why can’t you understand why Andy Beck would want me? As if that would be impossible—”

  “I didn’t—”

  “There’s something between us, Mandy.” They stopped playing tug-of-war with the suitcase. “I really, really like this guy,” Kate said. “And you know I haven’t felt this way in a long, long, time.”

  “Oh, Katie.”

  “Be happy for me,” Kate said.

  “I am. I think.”

  “You think?”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt. You have to understand. Thanks to Pete, I’ve had a bad impression of Andy Beck for years. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Believe me,” Kate said. “I’m strong enough to handle it if I do. I learned that the hard way.” Amanda lunged forward and hugged Kate. Kate wanted to tell her she was squeezing her too hard, but she let it go. Thankfully, Amanda let her go as well.

  “What about work? Don’t you have to get back to work?” Amanda asked, handing Kate a Nutter Butter.

  “I was laid off,” Kate said.

  “When?”

  “A couple of months ago.”

  “A couple of months? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to ruin your wedding,” Kate admitted. Amanda laughed and flopped on her back. Kate put the suitcase down and did the same. The ceiling was definitely a foot closer than it used to be.

  “Turns out you didn’t have to,” Amanda said. “I did that all by myself.”

  “Go in there and tell him you love him,” Kate said.

  �
��You really think that’s what I should do?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Because you think we’re meant to be together?”

  “That,” Kate said. “And this.” She reached up and poked the ceiling of the tent. It wobbled for a minute and then collapsed on top of them.

  “I really do love him,” Amanda tried to say from underneath the tent.

  “I have to tell her,” Amanda said. She and Pete were lying by the fireplace, legs and arms entwined. It was too warm to actually have a fire going, so Amanda planned on filling the fireplace with lit candles, but thanks to Kate the only ones she could find in the house had their wicks ripped out.

  “Don’t you dare,” Pete said. “I told you that in confidence.”

  “She’s my best friend.”

  “Let Andy handle this.” The lovers eased up on the conversation for a moment and just held each other.

  “I knew there had to be a reason he wanted to photograph her,” Amanda said. “I just didn’t think it would be so mean.”

  Pete pulled Amanda in tighter and spoke softly. “It’s not mean. He’s an artist. He likes the unusual.”

  “She’s not going to do it.”

  “We’ll see. I think it’s about time, don’t you?”

  “Does he know what happened?”

  “A little.”

  Amanda pulled back so she could look at Pete. “Does he know Jeff was my brother?”

  “Yes,” Pete said.

  “What did you tell him?” Amanda asked. “Word for word.”

  “I told him Kate and your brother dated, and five years ago they were in a horrible car accident and Jeff didn’t survive. Since then, she’s worn long sleeves.”

  “Jeff and Kate weren’t just dating. They were more in love than any two people I’ve ever known.”

  “They were young,” Pete said. Amanda supposed Pete was right, but when it came to Jeff she had a bottomless need to defend him. In her eyes, he was perfect.

  “So it doesn’t count?” Amanda demanded. Pete sighed.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “I’m just saying their love had never really been tested.”

  “We’ve never really been tested,” Amanda said. “And look at us.” Pete laughed loud and long. Amanda’s first instinct was to defend herself, but at the last minute she relaxed and laughed with him.

  “What?” she said after a minute, which made Pete laugh even louder.

  “I’d say you freaking out and canceling our wedding was a test, wouldn’t you?” Pete said. Amanda stopped laughing as a wave of guilt rolled over her.

  “Will you ever forgive me?” Amanda asked. Pete made a noise in the back of his throat and kissed her neck.

  “I already did,” he said.

  “What do we do now?” Amanda asked. Pete moved his hand lower.

  “Not that, silly,” Amanda said, stopping his hand with her own. “About our wedding.”

  “The guests have all gone home. I say same place, same time, next year.”

  “Next year?” Amanda sat up. “Next year?”

  “Or we elope,” Pete said, pulling her back down. “Panda. You can’t just ask people to turn around and come back. Think about all the money they spent flying here.” Pete stopped when he saw the look on her face. He kissed her. “I’m sorry.”

  “No. You’re right. It’s all my fault.”

  “We could have a civil service so that you and I would really be married, then next year—or six months from now—we could have a wedding for friends and family. How does that sound?” Amanda squeezed Pete’s hand in consent.

  “What about all the presents?” she said, lifting her head and gazing in the direction of the table where they were all stacked up and waiting.

  “Etiquette says we have to give them back,” Pete said, covering her eyes with his hand.

  “All of them?” Amanda said, swatting his hand away.

  “You want waffles, don’t you?”

  “I want waffles,” Amanda said. “And fondu.”

  “No margaritas?”

  “And a margarita. But we can return the toaster.”

  “It’s triple-slotted.”

  “Oh, right. That baby isn’t going anywhere, either.”

  “We’re terrible people.”

  “No,” Amanda said. “I’m a terrible person. You’re just in love with a terrible person.”

  “You’re not a terrible person, sweetie,” Pete said. “You’re just a little piggy.” He oinked and pinched her on the bottom. Amanda swatted him away again.

  “Did anyone give us a frying pan?” she asked.

  “Because you want to hit me over the head with it?”

  “It’s amazing how well you read my mind.”

  Chapter Ten

  It wasn’t going to be anything like the first book. That was the beauty of it. The first book had been a picturesque guide, a people pleaser, color photos of tourist attractions and designer dresses for Michelle. It was the scar on Kate’s arm that gave him the idea. From the inception of the book, Andy had wanted to do something more artistic, something that communicated what he wanted to say to the world. “Golf on Martha’s Vineyard” was not it.

  Unfortunately he’d made the mistake of discussing his ideas with Michelle first, and then before he knew it she’d invited herself to lunch with his agent, and he definitely shouldn’t have had two drinks during lunch because suddenly Michelle was selling the book idea—not the artistic visions he had in mind, but the tourist photo book of the Vineyard. And Andy didn’t stop her. He let love trump art, which in his eyes made him no artist at all. He’d given up his vision to please her. But this time would be different. He already knew he wanted to shoot the next book in black and white, but when he saw the scar on Kate’s arm, he had a flash. Almost literally. The scar looked like a lightning bolt. He would photograph her on various spots of the island, all in black and white, but he would illuminate the scar with a golden glow, make the lightning bolt really stand out, and then he’d pick an object outside her, the keyhole of the lighthouse door, a shell on the beach, the handle of a golf club, whatever, and he’d highlight it in the same glow. He couldn’t even explain to anyone exactly why he wanted to do the photos this way, but it excited him, and that was the whole point—the love of it.

  Of course, there were a couple of problems. Getting his agent to agree to the new concept was one. Getting Kate to agree to it was the other. He wasn’t sure which he was looking forward to least.

  He approached Pete first, luring him out with an invitation to golf. As Andy and Pete started the course, Andy listened as Pete talked about Amanda.

  “It’s the best thing that could have ever happened,” Pete said, taking a swing. “She’s been all over me ever since. I’m telling you—you want a woman to go crazy for you, almost marry her, then say something stupid.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Andy said. “So what else can you tell me about Kate?” He’d planned on waiting until they were finished golfing and settled in the pub with a few pints, but he couldn’t help it—he had to know more about her. Besides, he’d heard enough about Amanda and Pete’s renewed sex life to last him a lifetime. He wanted to ask if they were going to plan another wedding, but he was afraid of the answer. When Pete groaned, Andy hoped it was because he just overtopped the hole.

  “Amanda was right,” Pete said. “You’re after her. Is that why you want her for the shoot?”

  Andy didn’t answer until he hit his ball. It fell perfectly on the green, only a few feet away from the hole.

  “You get to play more than me,” Pete grumbled as they walked. “So are you like into her, into her—or what?”

  “As an artist, yes. She’s ignited my interest artistically.”

  “Yeah, right. Well, you’ve got Amanda all wound up about it.”

  “Why?” They reached Pete’s ball. He swung, and they both watched as the ball bounced pathetically before rolling to a stop near the base of a tree. A s
quirrel scrambled over and sniffed it.

  “I like fishing better,” Pete said, struggling to hit his ball away from the massive tree. “We should go fishing.”

  “What’s Amanda’s problem with me?” Andy asked. Pete’s ball finally made it onto the green and rolled a hair past Andy’s. Pete jumped in the air and roared. His gloating was cut short when Andy’s third shot disappeared into the hole.

  “Bastard,” Pete said.

  “She called me a bastard?”

  “No. I’m calling you a bastard,” Pete said. “Isn’t that your third birdie?”

  Andy laughed. “I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands,” he said. “But maybe you should let the squirrel take this shot,” he added as Pete prepared to swing. Pete gave a fake laugh as he swiped at the ball. “Seriously,” Andy said. “What’s Amanda’s problem?”

  “I told you Kate dated her brother right?”

  “I think you mentioned that.”

  “Well, they were attached at the hip. Madly in love. The works. Kate’s been through a lot. Amanda doesn’t want her to get hurt.”

  Andy thought about the project. Would it really hurt her? It certainly wasn’t his intention. He had to think like an artist. The scar made her interesting, period. And it was shaped like a lightning bolt. He couldn’t let emotions destroy his vision.

  “And,” Pete said as he chopped the grass with his golf club, “Amanda kinda thinks you’re a player.” This got Andy’s attention.

  “Why the hell would she think I was a player?”

  “Might have been something I said.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told her you were a player.” Andy shook his head as Pete laughed.

  “Well, she needn’t worry,” Andy said. “I’ve no romantic interest in Kate. She’s work to me. That’s all.”

  “Does she know that?”

  “Why wouldn’t she?”

  “Look. I’m not as paranoid as Amanda, and Kate’s a grown woman—but she has been through a lot. And truth be told, I’ve seen a bit of a spark in her lately. I wouldn’t want to see her get hurt, either. She used to be a singer, did you know that?” Andy shook his head. “Well, she was going to sing at our wedding. She hasn’t sung in public in five years. Just like she hasn’t taken off her long sleeves. Just go easy on her, man.”