I nodded. “We didn’t get to do our Polaroids over the weekend. I thought you might want to work on it now.”
“We’ll get to that later. But you know you don’t need an excuse to come see me. Did he—”
A single knock on the door saved me from whatever string of questions she had lined up for me. She sidestepped her desk and opened the door. “Bún riêu?” she asked when she returned.
With a nod, I scooted my chair closer to the desk and let the steamy crab-and-tomato soup warm me up. Gingerly, she tossed sprouts, extra minced peppers, and cilantro in the broth. I grabbed the chopsticks she offered and started with the noodles. Soul food.
While I ate, she busied herself with the papers on her desk, eyes darting to me every now and then. I focused on the task in front of me and shoved small bites in my mouth in hopes the soup would numb this tightness in my chest.
When I finished, I blew out air and met her gaze. “I lied. I want him.”
“Of course you do, sweetie. What’re you gonna do now?”
“Stay away?”
She gave me a naughty grin. “Did he try something?”
I nodded, raising an eyebrow.
“That good, huh?”
“You have no idea.” I shuddered at the memory of his hands on me.
“Well, I hate to say it, but he might change his mind after Max comes to live with you.”
“I thought about that. You may be right. That’s if we’re there long enough.”
“What do you mean?” Lines appeared across her forehead.
I couldn’t stand the pity in her eyes. It was the same look she had when I first told her I was pregnant. As if she wanted to make everything better but didn’t know how.
“Oh.” She slapped her hand on the desk. “I almost forgot. I did a little digging. He’s married.”
“I know.” I sat back on the chair and covered my face with my hands.
“And he’s going through a nasty divorce.” Her breath hitched. “Omigod, you slept with him.”
My head snapped up. “What? No. Though I strongly considered it.”
She blew out air and shook her head. “Apparently, the wife wants to keep his company. Can you believe that? Some women just have ovaries the size of Pluto.”
“Wait. What?”
“You know what I mean.” She shrugged.
“No. The other thing. She wants his company?”
“That’s what I heard. You met her? What’s she like?”
I gripped both chopsticks in one hand and made a stabbing motion. “Scary?” Truth was, she was strong, full of confidence, perfect. In short, Cole’s type.
“Another reason not to get involved. I’m telling ya—men are trouble. Even when they’re not married.” Shoulders slumped, she reached out and squeezed my fingers. “Just stay strong, and all this will blow over. Focus on Max. Men like Cole, they tire quickly.”
“Do I want him to get tired?”
“Yes.” She squinted at me. “There’s more. Tell me.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “His wife knows I’m living in the cottage…her cottage.”
Annie covered her mouth, eyes wide. With a nod, she urged me to continue. “And she wants me to get him to sign the divorce papers. Apparently, sleeping with him will do the trick. As if it were that easy.” I snorted and smoothed my hair away from my face. My cheeks felt sticky from the running mascara.
“Right. So she can keep the company.” She stood and paced her office a couple of times.
“That would be my guess. She’s in a hurry too. I have two weeks to get it done.”
She sat at the edge of her seat, picking sprouts off my bowl and eating them. “You’re not going through with this, are you?”
“Of course not.” No need to mention that earlier today I had every intention to… I grimaced. Stop it. Don’t think about that.
“You need to tell him. Tell him what Bridget asked you to do. Why would she even ask you?”
“She threatened to kick me out of her cottage.”
She closed her eyes, pinching her nose. It was nice to know someone was on my side. “You need to tell him.”
“Okay,” I said with renewed fortitude that, honestly, I didn’t feel. “You wanna do the pics? I’m sure my face is a mess, but…” I needed to do something to keep my mind off Cole.
“Yeah, let me grab my camera.”
While I waited, I dug through the bag and pulled out the sequined skirt. No doubt Annie already wrote a great piece on how to wear it. I pulled my pants off and slipped into the skirt. It was comfortable and sexy. If Cole could see me in it… A pretty outfit wouldn’t make him love me, but the idea he might be in as much pain from unrealized desire as I was made me feel better.
“I was thinking.” Annie closed the office door behind her. “Instead of doing full-body shots, I want to do close-ups. Let’s start with the legs.” She sighed. “Are you sure you’re up for this tonight?”
“It’s better than sitting at home thinking about Cole and how cozy he must be in his bed made of gold.”
“That sounds uncomfortable.” She laughed. “Some people have way too much money.”
“I like that he earned his money.”
“Wait. I thought we were hating on him.”
“No. We are.” I stood in front of her as she kneeled to angle the camera, aiming at my thigh. I dipped my chin and pictured Cole’s long fingers brushing the inside of my knee.
“You’re thinking about him,” she said, her face flush against her camera.
“Am not.”
“The goose bumps on your legs say otherwise.” She peered up at me. “Just clear your mind.”
“Okay.”
“Oh and hey. Some good news. I found a model for the fund-raiser on Saturday. You’re off the hook.”
“Thanks. I really don’t have time for parties right now. Sorry.” I took a lungful, making a mental list of everything I still needed to finish before the weekend. Or trying.
Relax. I’m not going to kiss you. Cole’s words echoed in my head.
Annie was right. Cole would lose interest as soon as he realized that whatever picture he’d conjured in his mind about me was incomplete. I wasn’t like his other weekday girls. I was a mom. My feelings for him didn’t matter. Max was the only priority. I had room for nothing else, not when I was so close to delivering on my promise to him. I could finally be the mom Max needed. Throwing that away over a hot magnate with amazing abs would be beyond selfish of me.
“Do you think he’ll hate me?” I had to stay away from him, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to hate me over this thing with his wife.
Annie wrapped her arm around my waist and shimmied a little, which got a small chuckle out of me. “I don’t know. But why would he? This isn’t your fault. Just tell him before his wife does, twists things around, and Cole kicks you out.”
Chapter Eleven
The Family Life
Cole
“You were right. Is that what you want me to say?” I asked Em.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“Don’t ‘sir’ me. You know what I’m talking about.” I slumped into the lounge chair by the pool.
The swim had helped my mood some, but Em’s furtive glances at the cottage reminded me of the last night I’d spent with Valentina. Trying to seduce her with expensive champagne and stupid cheese wasn’t one of my best ideas. It was quite possibly one of the worst.
“I’ve noticed she’s kept to herself all week.”
Had it only been a week? I couldn’t tell. The days were blending into each other again. The last seven days had felt like one long-ass day. Em placed a highball glass on the small table next to me—the bourbon I’d asked for two hours ago. She’d taken to refusing me alcohol before noon. Sure, I could’ve gone inside and gotten my own damn drink. But not so deep down, I knew she was right. Again.
“She thinks I’m an asshole.” I took a long swig of the bourbon and soda water. “I’m staying away from he
r. For real, this time.”
“I didn’t know she had a son.”
“Yeah. I forgot to tell you.” I rubbed my face.
She glanced up. Her smile went from a small tug on the side of her mouth to a full-on grin. My heartbeat picked up the pace. For a moment, I hoped Valentina had reconsidered and was on her way to me to apologize. I turned slowly in my chair.
“Now that you’re in good company, I’ll go back to the kitchen and make some lunch.” On her way out, she stopped to pet Pirate.
The stupid cat was back, limp and all. He padded his way around the pool and casually jumped on my lap. As if he hadn’t been gone all week.
“Where the hell have you been?”
His response was a long purr as he readjusted his weight to sit high on my chest. I scratched him behind the ear while I examined his twisted paw.
“Some pet you are.”
“Is that your cat?” The new voice took me by surprise. My house was as close to a fortress as it could get. No one got in unless they had my permission. The boy looked at me intently with eyes I’d gotten to know very well in the last couple of weeks. This had to be Max.
“No, he’s not my cat.” I didn’t want to make friends with the kid. Staying away from Valentina meant staying away from Max too. Besides, I didn’t like kids much. “I don’t even like cats.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure of what? Of course, I don’t like cats.”
“He looks like he belongs to you.” The boy was inquisitive and to the point. He was smart and pragmatic. Like his mom.
“He just lives here, okay? He doesn’t belong to anyone.”
The boy reached for Pirate’s hurt paw. Pirate rubbed his head against Max’s hand, making him squeal. “I love him. Can I hold him?”
“Why are you asking me?” I shrugged.
Max lifted Pirate off me, and the damn cat let him. The traitor. “What happened to his paw?”
“I don’t know. He started coming around less than a year ago. His paw was already like that.”
“Maybe he was looking for food.”
“Yeah, I think so.” I leaned forward to touch Pirate’s paw. “At first he wouldn’t let me get near him. It took me days to earn his trust. Or rather, to figure out he liked canned tuna. He’s been here ever since. Comes and goes as he pleases.” Somehow, we were having a conversation now.
“He’s the best cat ever. What’s his name?”
“I call him Pirate because of the black spot on his face and, well, the paw.”
“And because he’s so fluffy.” Max squeezed the cat tight. Even threw in a shimmy at the end.
Pirate, on the other hand, was dead weight in the kid’s arms. Maybe he was the worst pet because I was a bad human companion. Great.
“How about you, kid? Do you have a name? How did you get through my security?”
He laughed, looking like a smaller, younger version of Valentina. “I’m just a human kid. I can’t get through all those policemen.”
“They’re security guards.” I furrowed my brows at him. He didn’t care.
“My mom brought me here. In her car.” He pointed toward Valentina’s private driveway, pushing brown, wavy hair away from his eyes.
“And what’s your name?” I was hoping to intimidate him with a string of questions.
“I’m Maximiliano Andres de Cordoba.” The kid was hilarious. And so serious for a five-year-old.
“Wow. That’s quite a name. Can I call you Max?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “What’s your name?”
“Derek Weston Cole,” I said, but my answer lacked his conviction.
“Max.” Valentina’s voice carried across the yard.
“What the what?” He jerked to his feet.
Pirate dropped to the lawn and ran for it. By the time I rose from my chair, the cat was already inside the house.
“That’s my mom. I have to go.”
He took off without saying good-bye or asking why I was here, which led me to believe his mom had talked to him about me. The thought brought a warm feeling to my chest. With a sigh, I picked up a towel from the rack behind me and dried my hair. If I hurried, I could have lunch with Pirate. He always ate in the kitchen with Em while she cooked.
The giggles stopped me in my tracks. Coming down the path, all legs and hair, was Valentina, with a smile I hadn’t seen before. My heart squeezed tight, and I rubbed my chest to ease the ache. Max had his arm wrapped around her hip. He was tall for his age, but he looked small next to her. They made quite a pair—same dark, wavy hair and brown eyes. I sat back on the chair and took a long sip of bourbon, feeling a kind of peace I hadn’t felt since I kissed Valentina.
“Good afternoon,” she said from a distance. She’d stopped at the small patch of grass on the other side of the pool.
“He’s the friend I told you about.” Max waved excitedly. “He lives with Pirate.”
I chuckled. “The cat lives with me. Not the other way around.”
He nodded. “Do you want to play baseball with us?”
Valentina’s hand shot out to stop him from inviting me to their game. She turned to me and mouthed an apology. Sorry.
Oh, sweetheart, say it. Say you’re sorry for sending me away.
“Max, I’m sure Mr. Cole has many things to do. Let’s just play on our own, okay?”
I sat down, made myself comfortable, and watched them play. Em returned, carting a lunch big enough to feed a small country. Pirate trailed behind her as if wrapping up a conversation they hadn’t finished in the kitchen. She parked the cart next to the towel rack and proceeded to set the table. I hadn’t told her I was ready to eat, and she knew I never ate by the pool. What was she up to?
Across the lawn, Valentina and Max had switched to playing catch. She had a good arm and had plenty of advice to give to Max.
“Sounds like she knows a lot about baseball.” Em piled sandwiches on a plate. She suppressed a smile as she added some PB&J sandwiches.
I almost wanted to apologize to Valentina for Em playing the matchmaker, except Valentina hadn’t notice the lunch feast Em was working on. Max had her undivided attention.
“You used to play baseball, right?”
I finished my drink in one swig. “That was a long time ago.”
When I set the glass down, Em replaced it with a water goblet. I downed that too, keeping my eyes on Max’s glove. He had it tilted too low. A ball with more speed would easily bounce off his hand and hit him in the face. Bloody noses were something I was familiar with.
Before I could think about what I was doing, I dashed down the path along the side of the pool and headed toward them. Valentina’s eyes got bigger than normal, and her lips parted. She looked spooked. When was the last time she saw a shirtless guy? Max, on the other hand, was grinning at me, ready to welcome me to their game.
“Okay, kid. Let me show you a trick.”
“Excuse me.” Valentina wedged herself between Max and me while keeping her hands away from me, working hard to keep her breathing steady. “I think we’re doing just fine.”
I took the ball and glove from her. She reached for it, but I kept it at arm’s length. “Let me just show him. I’ll be fast.” I winked at her.
She crossed her arms but didn’t send me away. Good. Progress. I turned my attention to Max. “You gotta charge the ball. Don’t wait for it to come to you. Step and catch. Got it?” I showed him the motion. From the corner of my eye, I caught Valentina covering up a grin. “That’s also a good life philosophy.” I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I’m sure you think it is.”
All my life I’ve never been afraid to take a step and reach for my goals. For the past few months, I’d been afraid to move forward, to follow my own advice, until Valentina reminded me what fighting for crazy dreams looked like.
“You got it?” I asked Max. “Let’s try a few throws.” Valentina’s glove was small on me, but I shoved my hand in it as best I could. I gave it a
few squeezes before I showed Max the ball. “Heads up.” I threw a pop fly. He waited too long. By the time he charged, the ball had hit the grass.
“I almost had it,” he said.
“You gotta get under it.” Valentina picked up the ball and tossed it to him. Then she spun to face me. “He’s afraid of the ball.”
“Okay, Max, let’s try it without the glove.”
“I don’t think so. The skin will come off my hands.”
Valentina laughed, and I found myself chuckling along with her. The fluttering in my stomach returned with renewed vigor. And like a drug addict, I succumbed to the high.
“ ’Kay. Can you show me?” Max asked, and effectively blocked all the fantasies swirling around in my mind.
“Throw it back,” I said.
He did. Jeez, the kid had an arm on him.
Valentina beamed, scooting closer to me. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”
“Ouch.” I flick my wrist before I pitched the ball again. “Don’t wait for it,” I called out.
When he caught it, he jumped high and pumped the air. “Mom, did you see that? I did it.”
We kept at it for more than an hour, until Max dropped to the ground and announced he needed a break. “I’m tired.”
“What? Come on. We just got started.” I was fired up. It’d been too long since I played ball. But the kid didn’t budge. “Fine. How about some lunch?”
“No, we don’t want to impose.” Valentina was quick to respond, as if she’d been waiting for the invitation to come just so she could turn me down. Again.
“Impose?” I eyed the feast Em had laid out. “Look at that. Are you really going to let all that food go to waste?”
“Please, Mom. Can we have some watermelon?” Max asked.
She couldn’t say no to him. What would it take for her to stop saying no to herself? Last week, she made me understand why she couldn’t be with me. All this was for Max. How long before she understood she mattered too?
“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked me.
I nodded, offering her my arm. To my surprise, she took it and allowed me to escort them to the other side of the pool. I didn’t think we were ready to call this progress, but it was something. Her hand on my arm sent goose bumps up my shoulder and down my spine. Taking a big risk, I placed my right hand over hers. She playfully bumped her shoulder against me, her eyes soft and bright. That was different. I’d gotten all kinds of looks from women. Gratitude wasn’t one of them.
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