by Sara Daniel
Austin held a marshmallow over his mug and let it fall in, splashing hot cocoa on the table. “He promised he wouldn’t forget this time,” he said mournfully. The morning’s fun in the snow was long gone, replaced by the dejection of leaving a voice mail on his dad’s cell phone because Bryce couldn’t be bothered to follow through on his promise to call at the appointed time.
“He’ll call as soon as he gets the chance.” Olivia hated making excuses for him. When Bryce was around, he was a good father and Austin worshipped the ground he walked on. She didn’t want the divorce and her personal feelings to change that.
“Yeah, after it’s too dark to ski. He’ll probably be too busy skiing to come to my birthday too.” Austin sent another marshmallow off the high dive into his drink.
Olivia sighed. Unable to refute his statement with any conviction, she snagged a washcloth from the sink and tossed it to him.
He ignored the washcloth and slurped his hot cocoa.
Penelope entered the room. Her blonde hair was combed to the side. She’d traded in her T-shirt and rubber apron for a sweater. She was even wearing the earrings Olivia had given her last Christmas. She was pretty in a waifish pixie sort of way that made Olivia feel lumpy and frumpy in comparison.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere. I can occasionally clean up for dinner, you know.”
But she never did. The coincidence that she’d chosen to for their first “family” meal with Caleb made her uneasy.
Austin drained his mug and got up from his chair. Olivia caught his arm before he dashed away. “Wipe your mess first.”
He swished the washcloth over the chocolate splatters, then tossed it in the sink and ran out of the kitchen.
Olivia turned to Penelope again. “Our guest wants to brainwash everyone he meets. I don’t want you falling under his spell.”
“Dr. What’s-His-Name is perfectly safe,” she said.
She was wrong, but Olivia couldn’t argue without making it look like she was falling under his spell. Which she wasn’t. She switched tactics. “I don’t want my son learning about his creepy marriage theories.”
“What kindergartener pays attention to anyone’s marriage theories?” Penelope twisted her earring and grimaced. “Besides, he’s not creepy. He’s looking for someone he can hand the baby off on. And he’s lonely.”
Olivia plucked the clip from her hair and shook out her tangled masses, twisting her hair on top of her head and pinching the clip back in. Several strands immediately cascaded down her face.
She’d never imagined Dr. Caleb Paden as lonely. Too uptight for his own good, sure. And infuriatingly arrogant. She would be on guard for both herself and Penelope. The Forever Marriage was not going to claim more victims in her house, no matter what she had to do to stop him.
“I saw you playing in the snow with your mom,” Caleb said to Austin. The boy hadn’t said a word throughout the entire meal, and Olivia had done nothing to draw him out. Caleb was the trained therapist. It was up to him to make a move.
“I hate snow,” he said sullenly.
“It looked like you were having fun.”
“I don’t have to talk to you. My dad’s going to call.”
Olivia didn’t dispute his delusion, even when Austin ran out of the room to continue his phone vigil for a man who was sure to disappoint him.
Caleb couldn’t solve Austin’s father problems, but he could relate. He’d believed his mother for five years when she said his dad was coming back. It would have been better if she’d told him the truth. His father didn’t care an ounce for him. Now he had the opportunity to guide Olivia so she didn’t make the same mistakes his mother did.
Penelope pushed back her chair. Thus far, she’d proven cautiously receptive to his overtures and open-minded about what a good relationship entailed.
He rose with her and touched her arm. “Can I convince you to join me in the sitting room for community hour?”
Her gaze darted to Olivia and then back to him. “I’d love to.”
“It’s a date then.” Catching Olivia’s death glare, he couldn’t help but smile. He would model a Forever relationship so she could see how it worked. If it made her jealous at the same time, well, that wasn’t part of the formula, but he’d enjoy a healthy dose of personal satisfaction.
“I’ll be back at nine.” Penelope darted away.
“I look forward to it.” He watched until she disappeared from view. Then he swung his gaze back to Olivia.
She clutched the broccoli bowl with white knuckles. “Are you planning to propose tonight, or are you following a step-by-step process from The Forever Marriage handbook?”
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” He was used to people treating him with respect, reverence even, not mocking him, and certainly not openly.
“You assume I haven’t. I had the world’s politest marriage to a guy I thought was my best friend.” She turned on her heel and took the bowl of broccoli through the swinging door.
But she was no longer married. That didn’t make sense. He followed her into the kitchen. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying if I ever have a second chance at a relationship, I’m going to shout what I feel, express myself physically, and get myself a man who can satisfy me in bed.”
The temperature of the kitchen rose until more than the coffee pot was steaming. Caleb tugged on his tie. “Speaking as a therapist, I hope you never enter into another serious relationship. You’re putting the emotional well-being of your child at risk.”
Olivia faced him with her hands on her hips, clearly having no intention of giving him a glimpse of the polite way she and her ex had handled their disagreements. “I hope that was free advice. I won’t pay a penny for it. Protecting the ‘emotional well-being’ of my child is my top priority. If Austin has any scars, the blame starts with your Forever Marriage.”
His body heated in direct correlation to her hot, angry words. “Don’t blame me just because you didn’t know about my model.”
“Oh, I knew about it.” She gave him a look of utter contempt, which for some absurd reason he found sexy. “I followed it to the letter. That’s why I’m a divorced single mom. If you want to save children from going through divorce, dump your model in the garbage and start flipping burgers for a living.”
She could have slapped him. Caleb couldn’t have been more shocked. There must be some mistake. His hormones were distracting him and he heard her wrong. She was confused. She misinterpreted something. “Did you buy my books, or did you just glean the talking points from a TV show?”
She sneered at him. “Don’t worry about your royalties. You got more than your share. I have an entire set. Would you like to autograph them before or after I burn them?”
Okay, this was more than a miscommunication. He needed to calm her down so they could have a rational discussion. The reputation of his model was involved. He had to find out what she did wrong to cause it to fail her. “When did you start using Forever?”
“Before I got engaged.”
The optimal time. He dug a little deeper. “Which points did you follow?”
“All of them. All the time. He was my best friend. We had great communication. We always said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and respected each other.”
Caleb gripped the countertop. She was supposed to be a nonbeliever he had to convert. He never imagined her dislike for him stemmed from her failing with his methods. He pushed himself up straight and walked to her, cupping his hand over her shoulder. “What went wrong?”
She shoved his hand away. “Don’t give me that mellow, understanding voice. You’re not my therapist.”
“I’m not trying to be. But if there’s a problem with Forever, I want to fix it.”
“That’s not what you want.” Maybe coming close to her wasn’t the best idea. She was livid. “You want me to tell you something I did, so you can prove your model’s perfect and I’m at fault. Yes, my marriage
failed and I carry some responsibility. I blame myself for reading your books and believing they held the secret to everlasting happiness.”
Her pure fury shocked him. He’d met a lot of irate people over the years. But they were angry with their spouses, themselves, parents, and bosses. Not him. He was the one with the answers, the one who redirected the rage into something healthy. “I’d like to interview you after we’ve both cooled down and are well rested. We’ll go through the points of Forever one by one and determine where your marriage broke down. If any problems surface with the model, I can address them in my next book.”
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. You underestimate the power of sex.” She advanced toward him.
All the physical senses he thought he’d gotten under tight rein ran wild. Caleb backed up a step, trying to regain his control, but came up hard against the counter. Olivia kept coming, boxing him in. He pulled on his tie again, hoping it was knotted tightly. He needed his tightly buttoned image to remind himself he was a professional and his question was strictly as a therapist. “How was the sex in your marriage?”
“Sometimes mediocre. Usually lousy.”
With the unholy gleam in her eye, he had trouble comprehending the possibility of a sexual experience with her being less than earth-shattering. Heat radiated from her. His body was dying for her to lean her hips into his.
“How’s your sex life?” She reached up and unknotted his tie with deft, sure fingers.
“Good enough,” he lied. Too late he realized she’d broken the wall of one-way revelation he always maintained. Even with his lie for an answer, she’d drawn him in and was consuming him with sexual fantasies.
“Since you’re judging me, I ought to get a chance to judge your statement for myself.” She yanked the tie, sliding it out from under his starched shirt collar and heating the back of his neck.
“Stop it.” He was unnerved to find his voice wasn’t quite steady. Women who knew who he was and wanted to be part of his life wrote letters highlighting the benefits of friendship. “Let’s focus on what went wrong in your marriage.”
She worked her fingers under his collar, pushing the top button through the hole. “How can you stand having this so tight? You can’t take a full breath.”
He’d been able to breathe just fine until her knuckles rubbed over his Adam’s apple. Her fingers were smooth and competent. Despite his resolve, he could feel his arousal pulsing with each of her movements. He stood rigid while her fingers slid down to the hollow of his throat.
She worked the second button free. A few more strokes and he would react as if she was stroking a much lower part of him. He had to keep control of himself and be the voice of reason. Obviously, Olivia had none. “Stop.”
She dropped her hands and stepped back immediately. “I apologize. I never accost my guests.” A brittle laugh spilled from her delectable mouth. She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms.
He wished he hadn’t been so insistent about peeling her off him. He had the craziest urge to gather her in his arms. He didn’t give in, of course. His body was hot and shaking. The contact would send him over the edge.
“I’ll check on Liam.” She started to move around him.
“No.” His voice was sharper than he intended and she stopped immediately. Standing in the close confines of the kitchen with her body language screaming for him to hold her and comfort her was more than he trusted himself to resist. “I’ll take care of my son. You better check on your son.”
“No doubt he’s having an emotional meltdown after suffering through a divorce caused by his mother following your stupid marriage rules,” Olivia mocked, recovering her equilibrium before he did.
Caleb absorbed the parting shot, grateful she’d defused his need to hold her. He wouldn’t let her make him doubt himself. He knew he was saving marriages. He had plenty of success stories to back him up. One disgruntled customer didn’t mean he should give up on the product.
But marriage wasn’t a product. It was a relationship with lifelong consequences. Olivia’s child wasn’t a disgruntled customer. He was an innocent, hurting youngster. Caleb knew too well what he was going through.
Chapter 5
Olivia went through the bedtime routine with Austin, settling him in bed with the phone tucked within his reach. Back downstairs, she set up the sitting room for community hour. She started the fire and arranged the liqueur bottles and scones. Caleb was wearing his tie again as he walked in with Penelope. He poured a cup of coffee and held it out to her.
Penelope took it along with a scone, her cheeks flaming red, a wide smile plastered across her face. It wasn’t hard to see that soon she would imagine herself in love with him. Olivia would have to sit her down for a chat about heartbreak. But that would have to wait until they were alone.
He directed Penelope to two chairs turned slightly toward each other. Olivia couldn’t help wondering if he considered cuddling on the couch too physical.
“Did you know your sister used my books in her marriage?” Caleb asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Olivia used to quote you all the time. I learned to tune her out.” Penelope straightened abruptly, looking horrified by her gaffe. “I mean, only because it didn’t apply to me, of course.”
Penelope didn’t need Olivia’s guidance. She could kill this relationship on her own. But the reminder of her over-the-top Forever devotion embarrassed Olivia into wanting to retaliate. “I believe your exact words were, ‘What’s the fun of being married if you can’t do anything without consulting an instruction sheet?’”
“Marriage isn’t about having fun,” Caleb said. “It’s about harmony and friendship.”
Olivia snorted and seated herself on the couch. Just in case Penelope didn’t kill off this sham, Olivia was going to make sure no man who could make such pompous statements with a straight face ended up with her sister.
Penelope glared at her. “What else do you do besides this marriage stuff, Caleb?”
“I’m very focused,” he said. “There isn’t time in my life for anything but marriage responsibilities.”
Olivia tucked her feet underneath her and relaxed against the cushions. Penelope had to see she had absolutely nothing in common with this man and nothing to keep them interested in each other.
Instead, she smiled. “That’s exactly how I feel about my perfumes.”
Caleb braced his elbows on his knees as he leaned toward her. “I’m very interested in learning more about them.”
Olivia gagged on her scone.
They both turned their gazes on her.
“You don’t believe I’m sincere?” Caleb asked.
“I think you can probably fool us into believing you are.” She held his gaze. She was determined not to be fooled, and she was going to keep her sister’s eyes open too.
He stood and stalked toward her. “Why do you say things like that? Your sister has something special to share. No matter what I say now, she won’t believe I’m truly interested.”
“I don’t believe you are.” Olivia stood to meet him head on. “The Forever books tell you to show an interest in the career and hobbies of any woman you’re pursuing. I have no doubt you’re great at following your own instruction sheet.”
She wasn’t going to let him play Penelope’s insecurities against her. Olivia knew what Caleb was about. She wouldn’t let him hurt her sister.
Caleb kept coming toward her until his face was inches from hers. “Of course, no one is good enough for your little sister. But you won’t even let her have a chance at happiness.”
She wasn’t like that. Olivia shoved at his shoulders, but she was ineffective in moving him. Unlike earlier, she couldn’t even rip away his stiff, cold exterior. “You’re welcome to your egotistical, erroneous theories, but don’t force them on my family.”
“And you’re welcome to play the bitter divorcée to the hilt.” He paused, looking down.
She foll
owed his gaze to her breasts brushing against his chest with each agitated breath. She was not going to attack him again. She wasn’t bitter. She wasn’t going to the other cliché either, sleeping with every man who crossed her doorstep. But she’d be damned if she backed down. If her breathing bothered him, he could step back.
He reached between them, his knuckles grazing her stomach. She gulped for breath as the touch ignited her nerve endings and made her wish she was the type to sleep with men indiscriminately. Anything to satisfy the ache building inside her.
Caleb lifted the monitor attached to his belt. “Excuse me. Liam apparently thinks it’s morning already. Perhaps we can try the community hour tomorrow, Penelope.”
“Yeah, sure,” she muttered, as he walked out of the room. She set her uneaten scone aside. “You got what you wanted, Olivia. I hope you’re happy.”
Olivia pressed her hand to her stomach and tried to rub away the feeling of his fingers brushing against her. “I want you to be happy. It could never happen with him.”
“You’re always right, aren’t you?” Penelope stomped out of the room. A moment later the basement door slammed.
Caleb walked to the window in his room and pulled back the curtains. He leaned his forehead against the cold glass and stared out at the dark, snowy night while Liam cried inconsolably in his arms. He took responsibility for his own mistakes, and he’d badly bungled his evening with Penelope. Olivia had instigated the situation, but he should have redirected her hostility. Without her deliberate antagonism, his time with Penelope wouldn’t have ended with her getting the wrong impression about which sister he wanted.
Now, instead of a date with the woman who could possibly fulfill his Forever requirements, he was waiting for the woman who openly scorned him to bring Liam’s bottle and work her magic to soothe the fussy baby.
“I’m here.” Olivia knocked on his door and let herself in, crossing the room immediately. She put the bottle to Liam’s lips, but he continued to thrash in Caleb’s arms. “Oh Liam, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”