by Sara Daniel
“Working, I’m sure. She develops custom perfume scents. She’s a very talented chemist.” Olivia stood and walked around the far side of the table.
If he remained stranded here and needed a break from emailing Ethan and straightening out Olivia’s misguided ideas about relationships, perhaps he’d indulge in a short tour of the perfume industry. He waited for Olivia to sit to his right before he seated himself. Only then did he realize the critical question he should have asked immediately before all the others. “Who’s watching Liam?”
He was panicking too much to be certain, but he thought Olivia rolled her eyes. “He was up early this morning with the rest of us. He’s down for his morning nap now.”
“Shouldn’t you go upstairs to hear him if he cries?” Even as he said it, he realized if anyone should head upstairs to listen for the baby, it should be him. To make matters worse, he’d stepped aside and let Olivia handle Liam for the entire night. Somehow, he was going to have to figure out how to multitask his parental and company responsibilities.
“Baby monitor.” Olivia lifted her sweater to expose the electronic device clipped to her jeans. “This one vibrates if he makes noise, so I know he’s awake, but it doesn’t disturb the guests.”
Caleb concentrated on his eggs to avoid ogling the enticing flesh above her jean line. He needed to start a list of things to buy. That fancy monitor would head up the list.
Olivia smoothed her sweater back into place and fell into silence.
“I thought about our conversation last night,” Caleb said, too aware that she was listening to him chew. “I think the reason you don’t appreciate the expertise of The Forever Marriage is that you don’t know what it offers.”
This time she did roll her eyes, as she rearranged the scones on the tray in front of her. “God forbid I be both ignorant and foolish in your eyes. By all means, enlighten me in thirty seconds or less.”
He chose to rise above her sarcasm. She’d given him the opening, and he never passed up an opportunity to teach people when there were children involved. He’d graciously accept her apology for her attitude once she realized the merit in his work. “The Forever Marriage has seven main points, each corresponding to the letters of the word ‘forever.’”
“How very convenient.” She shot him a sneer as she nudged the scone tray in his direction. “Did this appear to you by divine messenger or in a Cracker Jack box?”
“It’s the result of solid research and deep thought, not a religious experience.”
“Really? I could have sworn you were trying to convert me.” She picked up a scone and took a bite.
Good Lord, she knew how to push his buttons. He took a large forkful of eggs to give himself time to calm down before he spoke. “F is ‘friendship before all physical encounters.’”
“Let’s agree to disagree on that.”
He certainly was not agreeing to any such thing. Friendship was the most important point, and he was going to fight until she recognized the truth. Or until the roads were clear enough that he could move on to the more pressing issues in his life. However, he was willing to discuss the other six points before they went back to that one. “’O is open communication.’”
“A basic of every good marriage,” she said agreeably, taking another bite of scone and leaving a tiny, tantalizing crumb at the corner of her mouth.
“The Rs are really listen and respect.”
“I have no problem with that. It’s part of being a good innkeeper and a decent human being.”
He resisted pointing out that she wasn’t treating him with respect or decency at the moment. “The Es are ‘each person must use good manners’ and ‘explore each person’s world.’ V is ‘validate each person’s dreams.’”
“And what if those dreams come at the expense of the relationship?” This time, her question sounded sincere, instead of a potshot at him.
“The dreams are secondary to the relationship, but you have to respect the other’s dreams and explore his world and dreams with him. You have to give him a chance.”
“A chance to let the marriage fall apart.” She was back to potshots. “Honestly, I don’t have a problem with most of the commandments in your little letter game, but I think you’ve left a few things out.” She set the scone on the tabletop to tick each item off her fingers. “Sex, tenderness, intimacy, needs, kissing, sentimentality. Hey, why don’t you add those and improve on your theory? You can call it Forever Stinks.”
Instead of trying to see the precious gift he was offering, she turned it into a joke. Couples who were already taking his advice knew what a gold mine they had and wouldn’t stop due to the fallout from The Brighid Show. Unfortunately, cynics like Olivia weren’t rushing to follow his theories when his own example was being twisted as a contradiction of his teachings.
As much as he hated to admit it, there might be something to Ethan’s badgering about his personal life. He needed to put in practice what he told everyone else to do. If he had a woman in his life he trusted, who was his friend and wouldn’t embarrass him with outrageous behavior, they could pose for the media as an example of Forever in action. A woman who measured up to his principles and gave weight to his words.
Olivia was the opposite of a woman who met those criteria. Not only was she divorced, she had a kid. She was completely and irrevocably off-limits. He never so much as flirted with women who were mothers. He would not step in and out of a child’s life, leaving chaos, confusion, and abandonment in his wake.
The fact that she looked incredibly hot in those tight jeans and ragged sweater was irrelevant.
“Mom, will you play out in the snow with me?” Austin asked.
Olivia looked over at him as she finished wiping down the kitchen counter. From the set of his shoulders, she knew he expected her to say no. This winter, she’d turned him down more often than not to take care of the baby and meet the demands of the inn. Liam had awakened from his nap, but she could do it today. More importantly, she wanted to and should do it.
She was making Caleb’s life too easy for him. If she forced him to own up to his responsibility and care for Liam while he was stranded here, she had a chance that he’d realize he didn’t want to be bothered with the constant attention and mundane tasks involved. From there, he would see she was the best person to care for Liam, and they could work out a guardianship agreement where Liam could stay in her care.
It was a slim possibility, but it was worth a try.
Olivia smiled at Austin. “Yep, let’s do it. Put your snow pants on. I’ll be ready in a minute.”
With Liam in one arm and a fresh bottle in the other, she made her way to Caleb’s room. He opened the door with the phone to his ear. “Can it wait? I’m in the middle of something.”
Yes, she’d made the right call. She ignored his disgruntled look and walked in, laying Liam in the middle of Caleb’s king size bed. “Sorry. Babies don’t have any concept of adult obligations. Here’s a bottle if you need to feed him. You have diapers and wipes. I’ll be right outside your window if there’s an emergency.”
“I’ll call you back,” Caleb said to the person on the other end of his phone call. Then he set aside his phone. “You mean outside outside? What are you going out there for?”
“I’m going to play with my son.”
“Play? Do you know how much snow has come down in the past twenty-four hours?”
“That’s the point, actually. Playing in the snow happens to be a common winter pastime in northern climates, especially among children and parents caring for young children. You do realize Liam is going to want you to participate in these activities with him next year and for a decade or two into the future?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m aware parenting is a long-term commitment.”
“Are you? It’s not just a commitment. It’s a long-term relationship with your child. And writing about it takes a completely different set of skills and patience than living it.” She walked toward him. �
�Have you ever been in a long-term relationship before?”
“As a matter of fact I have.”
“Really? With a woman?” She didn’t believe him.
“Yes, for six years.”
That stopped her fire. She’d expected weeks, maybe a month. Really, who could put up with him any longer? “What happened?”
“She died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Her heart wrenched and she cupped his cheek in an inadequate attempt to convey her sympathy.
He turned his head away, forcing her to drop her hand and end the contact. “We were going to be a therapist couple. We were in complete agreement on the Forever points.”
“She was your soul mate.” Olivia ached. There was nothing she could do to ease the pain of his loss, but throwing nasty barbs at his theories hadn’t helped. She should have spoken nicer to him.
“She was my friend. We never fought or shouted at each other. We never would have slammed out the door after an argument, leaving our kids to wonder if we were ever coming back.”
“Friends can go off to explore their dreams and never come back either.” Case in point, Austin’s absentee father.
Caleb’s eyes were glazed. Olivia wasn’t sure he had heard her. “Beth and I were going to make sure the kids of this world never had to endure what we went through. I’m still trying to reach everyone. I could have saved you from dragging your kid through a divorce. Keeping your marriage together would have saved Austin untold trauma.”
How dare he announce her son was traumatized. He had no basis for such an opinion. If he spent more than a minute in Austin’s company, he’d realize how wrong he was. The love between a parent and a child was the only kind of love that truly endured and withstood the test of time.
Maybe if he spent enough time with Liam, he would finally come to that realization. Then he could spend time developing the father-son bond, instead of destroying relationships with his Forever nonsense.
Chapter 4
While his son cooed and kicked his legs in the middle of the big bed, Caleb looked out the window. Snow fell steadily outside. Gusts of wind sent swirls of it around the corner of the house. Despite that, Austin tromped out the door bundled in a hat, coat, scarf, and boots and lay down in the center of the snow-covered driveway, swishing his arms back and forth.
A minute later, Olivia stepped out, covered from head to toe in the same winter garb. Austin said something, waving his hands in a gesture of excitement. Olivia looked at the imprint in the snow and smiled indulgently.
Whatever her marriage and divorce had been like, Austin didn’t appear to suffer ill effects. Caleb didn’t doubt they were under the surface, but as a single parent, Olivia seemed to be doing as good a job as anyone could expect. He supposed that was a good sign, as he himself was now a single parent.
He couldn’t believe he’d brought Beth into the conversation with Olivia. Beth was the daughter of his mother’s fourth husband. The marriage hadn’t lasted two years, but he’d kept in contact with her until she succumbed to her lifelong battle with asthma and cystic fibrosis days before high school graduation. Beth would have been proud of what he’d built Forever into, but she’d have been appalled at how his actions had distracted from its mission.
Austin tipped his head to the sky with his mouth open to the falling snowing. Olivia scooped a pile of snow off the drift to the side of the drive, sprinkling the flakes over his open mouth.
Caleb’s phone rang and he turned away from the window.
“Have you looked at the résumés I emailed yet?” Ethan asked.
Caleb grimaced. Ethan wanted him to pick a wife based on a profile touting their compatibility. Caleb wasn’t an advocate of emotion of any sort, but the idea was so cold he couldn’t stomach the thought.
“I understand I’m rushing you, but you don’t have the luxury of dragging your feet. The media is doing their best to chew you up and spit you out. You need a wife, so you can show the world your Forever Marriage. Immediately.”
The laughter and teasing banter outside coaxed Caleb back to the window. Austin dashed toward the snowbank on the other side of the drive, making the snow into balls as quickly as he could throw them at his mom. She took shelter behind the tree directly in front of Caleb’s window, peeking out to throw a snowball at Austin and then bending down to pat together another round of ammunition.
Caleb pressed his palm against the cold glass as he watched. If Liam was indeed his son, he could look forward to doing this someday. Liam began to fuss, as if he read Caleb’s thoughts and wanted to join them now.
“You still there?” Ethan demanded in his ear.
“I’m here.” He walked to Liam and folded the baby’s tiny fingers around a rattle.
Liam immediately bopped himself in the head with the hard plastic. He started screaming in earnest.
“Is there a woman who can help you with that?” Ethan asked.
Caleb wasn’t sure if he was talking about the screaming kid or the marriage predicament. Either way, he couldn’t depend on Olivia. She was unacceptable as a partner, which by default meant he needed to keep her from Liam.
“Pick one of the résumés,” Ethan said, carrying on the conversation in Caleb’s silence. “They’re practical businesswomen. I’ve spoken to all of them. They won’t get carried away with emotion, say the wrong thing, or embarrass you in public.”
“That doesn’t mean I’ll be able to strike up a friendship with them.” Caleb eased the rattle out of Liam’s hand before he harmed himself further. He squeezed the phone between his shoulder and his ear so he could use both hands to pick up the screeching baby.
“Do you have a better idea?” Ethan demanded.
A snowball hit his window. “Oops, sorry.” Olivia laughed as she brushed a chunk of packed snow off his window, her voice distant with the glass between them.
Liam stopped crying and turned a gummy smile at the window, wiggling happily.
“Come on, Austin. We’re disturbing Liam and Caleb.” Olivia backed away.
Liam’s face crumpled.
Caleb traced his finger around the wet, blurry remains of the snow on his window. Yes, she was disturbing him. On too many levels.
But there was another woman living in the house. A woman with enough of Olivia’s qualities to be enticing, but not so much that she was an unacceptable Forever candidate. “Give me a couple days to test the situation here and I’ll get back to you.”
“You don’t have days to make this right,” Ethan reminded him.
“Buy me some time. Spin the PR.” Caleb tossed his phone on the desk and settled Liam more comfortably in his arms. “Let’s find a woman who will make you her first priority.”
Liam kicked toward the window, still searching for Olivia.
“She’s not an option.”
Caleb headed down the basement stairs with the screaming baby in his arms. With each step, he saw a wider view of the room. It looked strikingly similar to the rundown high school chemistry lab where he’d barely managed to eke out a passing grade two decades ago. A multitude of test tubes and jars littered black rectangular freestanding counters. A slim woman stood in the middle of it all. She wore a rubber apron and plastic goggles and was frowning over a notebook, seemingly oblivious to the howling child who was damaging Caleb’s eardrums.
“Hi, Penelope. Is this a bad time?”
She didn’t respond. Finally, Caleb lightly placed his hand on her back. She jumped and her pen clattered to the floor. “Oh, Dr. Paper, hi.” She pushed the goggles on top of her head. Her short, blonde hair spiked up in the front and flipped out at the sides. She looked like a fourteen-year-old waif, a kid herself. Like Beth, when she’d catalogued the merits of Forever with him.
“It’s Dr. Paden,” he corrected, jiggling Liam lightly to stop his cries. “Caleb, actually. You said you didn’t mind if I came down and checked out your work.”
“No, I don’t.” She wiped her hands on a paper towel, giving it all her conce
ntration.
“Olivia says you make perfumes.” He wasn’t used to instigating anything other than strictly work-related conversations with women. Of course, when he looked at it that way, this was entirely work related.
“Yes, scents customized to a person’s personality and whether they intend to wear it for everyday or a special occasion.” She finished with the towel and tossed it in the garbage. It missed the rim, falling to the floor among a multitude of other crumpled papers.
“Do I have an appropriate scent?” he asked. If he got Penelope to look at him, surely she would notice Liam’s fussing. Then she would take pity on both of them and calm the baby. Olivia would have immediately reached out to the child.
Penelope, though, took his question at face value. She rounded the table and literally stuck her nose in his neck.
Caleb waited for his senses to click into high alert like they had when he’d observed Olivia bending over the table this morning, her jeans cupping her round, enticing fanny. Nothing happened. Penelope was a woman he could be completely comfortable around, and that was a necessity to establishing the foundation for friendship.
“Not bad.” She stepped back without a hint of flirtation. Her gaze didn’t flicker toward the screaming bundle in his arms. “Your perfume suits you. Conservative, manly, subtle. Let me know if you’re ever in the mood for something sexier.”
It should have been a come-on, but looking in her eyes, Caleb saw only innocence and business. “I’ll do that. Thank you.” He caught her hand before she moved out of reach.
As he shook it, she smiled tentatively at first and then wider. “Of course, you also have a hint of sour milk and spit-up on your shoulder. And Liam smells like he needs a diaper change. If you want to take care of that and come back later, I can walk you through the steps to make a perfume.”
She didn’t offer to help with the baby, but she was giving him a chance to explore her world. He’d give her the chance to explore Forever, too. An ingrained affinity for children wasn’t a necessity to creating a solid relationship. Olivia wouldn’t make him lose his focus just because she had a knack for soothing his child.