by Jamie Pope
Derek wasn’t sure if his mother was taking a shot at Ava, but it seemed like she was. He immediately grew protective. “Ava’s a fashion buyer. Maybe she should take you shopping. You might learn something new.” His words were uncharacteristic. He always was respectful of his elders, especially his mother, even when it was impossible. But he needed to stop her in her tracks. She would tear any woman down she felt was a threat to her. He had seen her do it before.
His mother took note and straightened a bit. “I didn’t mean anything by that, sweetie. You know how your mama is.”
“I do.”
“I was hoping we could have a little chat.” She looked at Ava, clearly wanting her to leave.
“You two should have dinner,” Ava said to him. “It’s in your oven. I made seafood lasagna and salad. There’s fresh garlic bread on the counter. I’ll give you some privacy.”
“You cooked?” He frowned at her, not knowing that she had gone through all that trouble for him.
She nodded. “I wanted to.”
“You aren’t going anywhere.” He looked over to his mother. “Package deal. Take it or leave it.”
She seemed surprised with his answer, but she nodded. “I would be happy to join you for dinner. Thank you for the invitation.”
They all went inside, the tension thick around them. He could see that Ava had straightened up again. He never expected her to cook and clean for him; in fact, it made him a little uncomfortable. He wanted to be the one to take care of her, not the other way around.
“I wish you hadn’t gone through all this trouble,” he said once they walked into the kitchen. It smelled heavenly. She had placed a small red-checked tablecloth on his table. There was a little vase with wildflowers in it and a single flickering candle. She was a details person, while he was a big-picture man. But he was realizing that it was the little details that really made life special.
“It wasn’t trouble. I like doing it. In my old life I was treated like a delicate flower. I never had to cook or clean or do anything for myself because there was always a servant to do it for me. But I like to be able to cook dinner. I like to make the house pretty. I don’t do these things for you. I do them for myself.”
“Oh, honey, why?” His mother shook her head in disbelief. “You were engaged to a billionaire. You did good. I don’t know why you gave all of that up. I know my son is a catch, but, sweetie, you were at the top. I still can’t fathom why you would let him go.”
“He wasn’t the man I thought he was.”
“Cheater?” She nodded sympathetically. “It stings, but sometimes you have to put up with it to get what you need in the long run. Men that powerful and successful just cannot keep it in their pants. They want to share it with the entire word.”
“I’m nobody’s second place,” Ava said before she turned away to put the garlic bread in the oven.
Derek suppressed a smile. Max was a fool. With each passing day he was more and more grateful for that.
“Mom, can I offer you something to drink?” He opened the refrigerator and saw that Ava had stocked it for him. “I have lemonade, tea and bottled water.”
“Do have any wine? Maybe something a little harder than that?”
He did, but he purposely hadn’t offered it to her. His mother wasn’t a problem drinker, but he knew the alcohol made her a little freer with her emotions, and when she got that way his father always came up. He was going to come up tonight. He knew that’s why she was there.
“Red or white?” Ava asked when he didn’t answer at first. “White goes with seafood, but we don’t follow those fussy rules here.”
“I’ll take red then. My boyfriend is a bit of a wine snob. Won’t drink anything American. Speaking of that, you didn’t say anything about my new car,” she said as she sat down at the table. “He bought it for me. Isn’t it the sexiest car you’ve ever seen?”
“It’s nice, Mom.”
“When are you going to buy me a car?” Ava asked him with a smile.
He stepped forward and pressed his mouth to hers. “Never,” he said, speaking into her lips. “I wouldn’t want you to think I was buying your love.”
“It’s free,” she said, giving him a soft peck. “Pour your mother some wine.”
Ava served them. The meal was beautiful to look at and tasted even better. Even his mother, who ruthlessly watched her figure, was eating with gusto.
“Everything is great, Ava.”
“Thank you.”
“It really is,” his mother said, taking another bite. “I had salmon and spinach lasagna at some fancy restaurant in Miami. Yours is almost as good. You should try that recipe for Derek. I’m sure he would like it.”
“Derek hates salmon. He got food poisoning from it.”
“You did? Was this recently?”
“No, Mom. When I was fifteen, I ended up in the hospital for two days.”
“Oh.” She shrugged. “I really didn’t remember that.”
Of course she didn’t. His mother had taken him to the hospital, but had left the island to be with one of her boyfriends, and his uncle and aunt had taken care of him for the rest of the month. “Did you want to talk about something, Mom?”
“Not really. I just wanted to see how the gala was. I thought you weren’t going. I offered to go with you.”
“I changed my mind.”
“I saw the article in the paper. You looked amazing. I didn’t think you had that much fashion sense.”
“I don’t. That was Ava’s doing.”
“And did she buy you the shirt you’re wearing? It’s new and clean and fits you.”
He looked over at her. “Did you? I couldn’t remember buying this.”
“Yes. I bought a few things for you,” she said quietly. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because you needed them, and I know it wouldn’t occur to you to go shopping.”
“This I approve of. His father was a much better dresser. Did you meet him the other day?”
“I did. Derek looks just like him.”
“I know. He’s a proud papa. He let himself have his picture snapped with you. Anyone who looks at the two of you will know you’re related.”
“He didn’t try to hide it. He introduced me as his son.”
“Was his wife there? How did the old hag respond to that?”
“He was there alone, Mom.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Derek saw a little gleam in her eye that he didn’t like.
“No. They aren’t going to get divorced. She’s his partner.”
She was quiet for a long moment, a slight frown creasing her brow. “What did you talk about?”
“There’s talk of me running for Senate. Dad said he would fund my campaign.”
“Are you going to run? You should run,” she said with breathless excitement. “I’ll help you campaign. I’ll go all around the state with you.”
She was hoping to run into Victor. She wasn’t even trying to avoid her obsession with him. They had been apart for more than twenty years and yet none of it had dulled for her. Nanny told him that she had always been a bit of a wild child, but she had been sweet and thoughtful, too. But the day she had met his father she had completely changed. “I wasn’t planning to run.”
“Oh.” The disappointment was clear in her voice. “Did you talk about anything else?”
“I’m sure they talked about me,” Ava said, getting up and taking their plates.
“We did,” he admitted.
“Bet he warned you that I might be a gold digger.”
“He did. I set him straight.”
“I’ve heard it before,” she said with sadness in her voice. “Social climber, ice queen. I even onc
e got mistaken for a high-class prostitute. I was incredibly offended until he offered me thirty-thousand dollars for one night. Then it was kind of flattering.”
She broke the tension with her statement, and Derek found himself laughing for the first time that day. “I would have run my fist through that guy’s head.”
“I know you would have. Anyone want dessert? I have chocolate cake from the Milo’s Bakeshop. Milo gave it to me for free and said to congratulate you on your award.”
“He recognized you?”
She nodded as she removed the cake from the box. “I think the big picture of us in the paper tipped him off.” Derek hadn’t read the article, but he had looked at the picture a couple dozen times. He hadn’t seen a photographer around them in that moment but whoever they were had captured something special between them. He would keep the paper forever just because of that one photograph.
“How big of a piece do you want, Derek? This cake looks delicious.”
“I bought pie for you,” his mother said. “Have some of that.”
“Okay, Mom. I will.”
But Ava didn’t cut into the pie. She continued to slice the cake and set it before him. He looked up at her, questioning. He had preferred the cake, but he hadn’t wanted to intentionally hurt his mother’s feelings for no good reason.
“It’s cherry pie,” she said softly.
“Oh.”
“What’s wrong with the pie I bought?”
“Nothing, except that if your son eats it, his lips will swell and he’ll break out in a rash.”
“You’re allergic to cherries?”
“Yes.”
“Since when?”
“Since always, Mom.” He felt himself grow weary then. She knew nothing about him. They might as well be strangers.
“Maybe if you were more interested in your son and less in the man you created him with, you might learn these things.”
“Ava,” he warned, but she was right. His mother hadn’t come here to see him, but rather to pump him for information about his father.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come over here tonight.” His mother stood in a huff. “Let me know when you’re free to talk in private.”
She stormed off, and Derek was relieved to see her go.
“I’m sorry,” Ava said, coming over to him. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I know she’s your mother and that you love her, but how could she not know you? How could she care about him more?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her stomach. “Don’t apologize. It’s who she is. I’m used to it.”
“You deserve to be loved, Derek. For who you are and for no other reason.” She kissed the top of his head.
He was loved like that, and she was the person who loved him. She replaced his clothing and stocked his refrigerator and knew what he was allergic to. She didn’t have to tell him that she loved him. He knew it in his gut. He felt it in everything she did, and now it was his job to prove to her that he felt exactly the same way.
* * *
A couple of weeks later Ava watched Derek get out of bed, naked as the day he was born and head to the bathroom. The lights were dim, but she could still see his perfectly formed nude body clearly. They had just finished making love for the second time that night. Keeping her distance from him at night wasn’t working. She tried. Some nights she sent him home. Some nights she left his bed in the middle of the night and retreated to hers, feeling cold and alone. But there were some nights like tonight that she just couldn’t leave him.
She had started her job at the senior center. It was just four days a week for five hours, just enough to get her out of the house and interacting with the people of the island. She found herself organizing group outings. Last week they had gone to the beach. Two days ago she had commandeered the community trolley and had bused a group of fifteen seniors to Carlos’s house. Virginia had given a painting lesson to the seniors right there on the beach. Her sister-in-law didn’t bat a lash when she told her that she had taken the job at the senior center. Her brothers were a different story. They both acted like she had gone off the deep end. They both still acted princess unable to do meaningful work, but she really enjoyed being with the seniors. She enjoyed planning things. She liked taking them shopping and helping them pick out clothes they felt good in. Seeing them smile made her feel good. This job gave her the kind of satisfaction that she had never gotten as a buyer. She looked forward to going to work, and when she wasn’t there, she was with Derek. Helping him with his business, fielding calls and taking orders. He even trusted her with the key to his showroom in town when he had a meeting he couldn’t get out of. She had recently sold four pieces to some tourists. He offered to pay her commission, but she didn’t want anything from him.
Max had given her expensive baubles, gowns and possessions that in the long run didn’t mean anything. But Derek gave her his time, attention and affection, and sometimes she felt spoiled by it.
Derek walked back in the room, his face serious as he crawled back in bed. He gathered her close and brushed the hair off her forehead. She had noticed a slight change in him since the night they had dinner with his mother. Only she didn’t know if the change had anything to do with his mother or the big argument they had before she arrived. He had been a little quieter, a little more introspective than usual. They had said some deep words to each other. Words they had never mentioned after that night. Ava had been so annoyed with his selfish mother that rehashing it didn’t cross her mind.
“What’s the matter?”
“I have something to tell you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to respond.”
“If you tell me you’re cheating on me, I will grab the heaviest thing I can find and do you great bodily harm.”
He flashed a quick smile. “I would never cheat. I’ve seen you enraged before.”
“What is it, honey?” She stroked his cheek with the backs of her fingers.
“The condom broke.”
“I’m on birth control, and I get tested yearly. The last time was right after I found out about Max. You’re the only one I’ve been with since.”
“I’ve been tested, too. That’s not the issue. I was thinking more about pregnancy.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” She was quiet for a long moment. “But what if I weren’t on birth control? What if I did get pregnant? What would you do?”
“I think you would already know what I would do. I definitely wouldn’t want my child growing up like I did.”
“I’m not like your mother. Our baby would be the center of my life.”
“I know, but it’s important for me for my child to grow up in a stable two-parent home. I want the mother of my child to be my wife. I would want a family.”
“But we’re living in modern times. Two people can co-parent without marriage. They can raise a well-adjusted, happy child. It’s not fair to the parents to be stuck in a loveless marriage just because they had a child.”
“You asked me what I would do if you were pregnant. I would ask you to be my wife. I know our marriage wouldn’t be loveless. I know I wouldn’t feel stuck. You don’t have to ask me what I would do. The question is what would you do?”
Chapter 18
Founder’s day celebration week had finally come. It took months of planning, but it all had come together. The parade had taken place earlier in the day, and the entire town came out. All of them smiling, happy to be there and celebrate their small island town. There were art exhibits and shows. Every artisan in town displayed their work. There were food vendors and souvenir sellers and the biggest farmer’s market their town had ever seen. It was a good week, and it wasn’t over until tonight. The dinner dance was the event that everyone looked forward to all year. Ava was only supposed to do the decorati
ons, but as the week had passed he found that he was turning over more and more responsibilities to her. She had become a fixture in his life. In this town. She took over the organizational aspects of his business. She answered his emails, took down his orders, set up a dedicated phone line to separate his business and personal calls. She anticipated his needs before he knew he needed them, and he wanted to find a way to repay her. But nothing in the world seemed good enough.
She was still attempting to keep a small amount of distance between them. A month had passed since they had fought about it, since she’d told him that she was scared of how much she felt for him.
Yes, it had only been a few months, but when it was right it was right, and they owed it to themselves to try.
He walked into the event expecting to see some cute Paris theme, but he was blown away. The room had been transformed into something magical. It was dark in there, the walls draped in silky blue fabric. There was no light coming from the fixtures, but the room was illuminated with thousands of little twinkling lights. And there were street lamps. Full-size wrought iron street lamps. Derek didn’t know where they had come from, but there were a dozen of them lining what looked like a stone path that led to the dance floor and stage. In one corner of the room there were benches and live bushes full of fresh flowers. On every table there were miniature Eiffel Towers surrounded by lush violet flowers, and on each place setting there were little Tiffany-blue boxes.
“Derek,” Nanny said as she touched his shoulder. She was dressed for the evening in an elegant royal-blue cocktail dress. Her long white hair was swept up.
“Hello, Nanny.” He kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. You’re looking handsome yourself.”
“Ava,” he explained. “I cannot believe what she did to this room.” He took it all in for a long moment before speaking again. “I don’t know how she pulled it together in such a short amount of time.”
“She’s incredible.”
“She is.”
“You’re in love with her.”