by Gina Wilkins
“That was amazing, Jamie. You moved so fast, my head is still spinning. If you hadn’t been here…”
Jamie didn’t even want to think about that. “I just happened to notice him. I guess old lifeguard habits die hard.”
“At least someone around here benefited from rescue training.” Susan looked darkly at the lifeguard, who sat now watching the almost-empty pool with intense vigilance. “With all the people at the pool today, word will get out. I’m sure he’ll be reprimanded for what almost happened.”
Jamie remembered the stricken look in the young man’s eyes. “I think he learned his lesson.”
Susan held out Jamie’s sunglasses. “These are yours, I believe.”
She took them and slid them onto her nose. “Thanks.”
Making a production of wiping her forehead, Susan sighed gustily. “To think I came to the pool to relax for a few minutes. How could I have guessed it would be this exciting?”
Almost shuddering as she recalled the moment she’d spotted little Sam at the bottom of the pool—and knowing she would be haunted by that image for some time—Jamie murmured, “Personally, I could have done without the excitement.”
Susan turned serious again. “What you did was incredible, Jamie. Maybe someone else would have spotted him in time to save him, but there’s no guarantee. And by getting to him so quickly, you probably prevented him from having any lasting repercussions.”
Jamie was becoming embarrassed by Susan’s praise. “I’m just glad I was here to help,” she said dismissively, matching her steps to her friend’s as they walked together toward the exit.
“Not half as glad as Trevor McBride’s going to be,” Susan commented.
Jamie stumbled. Trevor McBride? She steadied herself quickly. “What does Trevor McBride have to do with anything?”
Susan’s eyebrows rose. “Didn’t you know? Sam is Trevor’s son.”
“No,” Jamie murmured, turning her face to hide her expression. “I didn’t know.”
Trevor’s son. The incident had just taken on a whole new significance for her.
Had things turned out the way she had once fantasized, she would have been the mother of Trevor McBride’s children.
“YOU’RE SURE he’s going to be okay? There’s nothing else I should watch for?” Trevor couldn’t seem to let go of his son, who had been clinging tightly to his neck for the past twenty minutes.
The doctor who had examined the boy smiled reassuringly. “Sam’s going to be fine, Mr. McBride. He took in very little water and he was apparently conscious throughout the entire episode. According to your nanny, he was only underwater for a very short time. He was more terrified than anything. You should probably watch for emotional repercussions. Perhaps you should get him into swimming lessons soon to keep him from developing a permanent fear of water as a result of this.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep your advice in mind.”
Just the mention of swimming lessons had made Sam hide his face again. He’d never liked water, and didn’t trust strangers enough to take instructions easily from them—something Trevor was hoping they could change by the time he started kindergarten.
Becky Rhodes, the nanny Trevor had hired only a month earlier, was sitting in the waiting room with Abbie, who’d fallen asleep on her lap. She looked up anxiously when Trevor carried Sam out of the examining room. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Trevor answered shortly, resisting an impulse to add, No thanks to you.
Becky sagged in relief. “I’m so glad. I’m really sorry about this, Mr. McBride. I was busy with Abbie and he just fell in. I never saw him.”
Trevor’s arms tightened instinctively around his son. “Thank God the lifeguard saw him.”
Becky snorted. “The lifeguard had nothing to do with it. He was too busy flirting with a bunch of girls. If that woman hadn’t noticed Sam in the pool…”
Trevor had rushed straight into the examining room upon his arrival at the hospital. He hadn’t yet heard the details of his son’s rescue. “What woman?”
“The new drama teacher at the high school. You know, the one with the really red hair and lots of earrings and cool clothes? Ms. Flaherty. I think her first name is Jamie.”
“Jamie Flaherty,” Trevor murmured, his mind filling with almost fifteen-year-old memories of a young woman who had tempted him to be wild and reckless for the first time in his life. “Jamie Flaherty saved my son?”
Eyeing him a bit warily, Becky nodded. “Yes.”
Masking his feelings, Trevor motioned toward the exit. “I’ll drive you home. Can you carry Abbie?”
“Of course.” Becky shifted the sleeping baby to her shoulder.
Trevor scooped up the diaper bag and followed her out of the hospital, grimly aware that there were several things he had to take care of that evening—and none of them were going to be easy. Finding Jamie Flaherty to thank her for rescuing his son was one of the most awkward, but necessary, chores he faced.
The last time he had talked to Jamie, he’d rather bluntly told her that his future plans did not include her. Holding his son tightly in his arms, he was aware of a mixed sense of gratitude and dismay that she had reappeared in his life at this particular time.
2
IT WAS NEARLY EIGHT that evening when Trevor rang Jamie’s doorbell. She lived only a few blocks away, though her little bungalow was considerably smaller than the two-story, four-bedroom house he’d purchased after moving back to Honoria ten months ago.
He had never expected to find himself on her doorstep.
He rang the bell again. He could hear music playing inside. Loud, pulsing rock music. No wonder she couldn’t hear the bell. Maybe he should just forget about this, he thought, glancing toward his car. But she had saved his son’s life. The very least he owed her was a thank-you. He pressed the bell again. The music abruptly stopped.
“All right,” a woman’s voice called. “I’m coming. Keep your pants on, okay?”
She opened the door. After only a moment’s pause, she cocked her head and planted a hand on her slender hip. “Why, Trevor McBride. Fancy finding you here.”
The last time Trevor had last seen Jamie, she had been a sophomore in high school, he’d been a senior. Despite her instant recognition, he knew he’d changed a great deal since then. With the exception of her hair color, he couldn’t see that Jamie had changed much at all. The years had been extremely kind to her.
He took a moment to study her. Looking as though she had just run her hand through it, her dark red hair stood in damp spikes around her face, which was flushed and beaded with perspiration. She wore a towel around her neck, a turquoise T-shirt, black shorts, baggy socks and expensive-looking athletic shoes. Several stud earrings decorated each of her ears, but he didn’t see any other jewelry. If she had worn any makeup earlier, it was gone now.
The grubby look had never particularly appealed to him. But on Jamie, it was most definitely appealing. He had always found himself drawn to her, even when he’d made every effort to resist the attraction.
That was something else that hadn’t changed, apparently.
He lifted his gaze to her face, seeing himself reflected in her vividly green eyes. “Did I interrupt something?”
“Tae-Bo.” She wiped her face with one corner of the towel. “Wanna join me for a quick punch-and-kick?”
“No, thank you,” he answered politely.
She grinned. “The last time we talked, I think I asked if you wanted to duck behind the gym for a little kiss-and-grope,” she mused. “And I’m pretty sure you took me up on it.”
He cleared his throat, refusing to be drawn into his youthful indiscretions. He definitely remembered when he had first kissed her behind the gym. And he remembered just as clearly telling her it couldn’t happen again. Even though it had on an occasion or two. “The reason I’m here…”
She laughed…exactly the same way she’d laughed at him almost fifteen years ago. And it made him feel as awkward
and self-conscious now as it had then. How could she still do that to him? “I know why you’re here,” she said. “And it has nothing to do with a stroll down memory lane.”
“No. I wanted to…”
She moved out of the doorway. “Come in, Trev. I need a drink.”
No one else had ever called him Trev. He wouldn’t have let anyone else get away with it. Somehow, it had always sounded sort of natural coming from Jamie. “I can’t stay long,” he said, glancing at his watch. “My mom’s sitting with the kids and—”
“We’ll just have a quick drink,” she said over her shoulder.
He could either follow her or be left standing alone on her porch. With a rather wistful glance back at his car, he stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind him.
It was no surprise to discover that Jamie’s decorating was as vivid and unconventional as she was. An almost dizzying array of fabrics and colors clashed and competed with a number of objects Jamie had collected. His gaze slid from a six-inch plastic Statue of Liberty to a porcelain figurine of Marilyn Monroe, then paused for a moment on one of the dozens of framed photographs in the room. This one showed Jamie snuggled up to a man who looked suspiciously like a famous television comedian. Next to it was a shot of Jamie mugging with an Academy Award–winning actress.
There were others, but he didn’t take time to study them all. Nor would he allow himself to be impressed. After all, Jamie’s New York acting career had lasted less than ten years, and now she was teaching drama at the local high school. Like him, Jamie had ended up right back where she had started.
He wondered if her return had been any happier than his own.
Without bothering to ask if he wanted anything, Jamie poured bottled water over two glasses of ice and pressed one into his hand. She drank half her own without pausing for air, then set the glass on the counter, her full, unpainted lips glistening with drops of moisture. “Before you launch into the speech I’m sure you’ve carefully prepared, I just want to say that there’s really no need. I happened to be close by when your son fell into the pool this afternoon and I jumped in to pull him out. Anyone else would have done the same thing.”
“But no one else did,” he replied. “You saved Sam’s life, Jamie. There’s no way for me to adequately express my gratitude.”
“Let’s just stick with ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome,’ shall we?”
His lips twitched, though he was trying not to smile. This was too important. “Thank you.”
She nodded briskly. “You’re welcome.”
“It isn’t enough, you know. Not for what you did.”
She shrugged. “I’m just glad I was there.”
“So am I,” he agreed, his tone heartfelt.
She picked up her glass. “Let’s take these into the living room.”
Once again, he had to follow or be left behind. He took a sip of his water, then left the full glass on the counter as he trailed her into the other room. “Jamie…”
She kicked off her shoes and curled up on her jewel-tone striped couch, waving him into a nearby chair. “Your kids are adorable, Trevor.”
“Thank you.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He had expressed his gratitude—at least, as much as she had allowed him to—which was all he’d intended to do. He hadn’t planned on an extended visit. After all, despite a couple of memorable past encounters, he and Jamie Flaherty were basically strangers.
“How old are they?”
“Sam turned five last month. Abbie’s fourteen months.”
“I heard that your wife died last year. I’m sorry.”
He had no intention of talking about his late wife. He merely nodded in response to her expression of sympathy.
“Are you a good father?”
She asked the question completely seriously, as if he should be able to easily reply with a simple yes or no. Even when they were kids, he’d never known quite how to respond to many of the things Jamie said. “I do my best.”
“Your nanny—”
“I fired her this evening.”
Jamie blinked. “You fired her?”
“She almost let my son drown. She told me herself that she never saw him go in the water. She knew he couldn’t swim.”
“She was playing with Abbie. She seemed very fond of her.”
“Yes, she was good with Abbie,” he conceded. “But she didn’t bond well with Sam. Because she couldn’t communicate well with him, she tended to ignore him. I have two kids. I need someone who will look after both of them while I’m working.”
Jamie studied his face a moment. “You always were a bit intolerant of other people’s failings.”
“When it comes to my children’s safety, I will always demand perfection,” he answered flatly, oddly stung by her criticism.
“Of course.”
He couldn’t quite read her expression now. Satisfied that he’d made his point, he added, “Tomorrow, I’ll make sure that sorry excuse for a lifeguard loses his job, as well.”
“I hope you don’t do that. He’s young. The pool’s only been open for a couple of weeks. He was completely shaken by what almost happened today. I’m sure he’ll be more vigilant from now on.”
“Not at the pool where my children swim, he won’t.”
Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “Funny,” she said, her voice soft. “I remembered you being stuffy and arrogant, but I never thought of you as a complete jerk.”
“Jamie, he almost let my son drown!”
“He made a mistake. A huge one, I’ll admit, but I think he deserves a second chance. Do you expect me to believe that you have never in your life made a mistake, Trevor McBride?”
“No.” His voice was grim. “I don’t expect you to believe that.”
“Give the boy another chance. Have him reprimanded, if you like—or do it yourself—but don’t make him lose his job.”
Even when they’d been young, even when Trevor had known Jamie would only bring him trouble, she’d always been able to sway him. He sighed. “All right. I won’t have him fired. But I hope you’re right that he’ll do a better job in the future. Lives literally depend on it.”
“I know. And I wouldn’t risk them recklessly,” she assured him.
“I’ll take your word for it.” He watched as she shifted on the couch, folding her long, bare legs into a more comfortable position. Her baggy shorts gapped at the tops of her legs, revealing intriguing glimpses of smooth thighs. His reaction to those glimpses made him scowl and abruptly raise his gaze to her face again. “I heard you’d moved back here,” he said. “I have to admit I was surprised.”
“I came back in March,” she acknowledged. “My aunt, who still teaches at the elementary school, called me about the opening for a drama teacher at the high school for the remainder of the second semester. The former teacher hadn’t planned to leave for a couple of years, but when her husband was diagnosed with cancer, she retired to take care of him. They needed someone on very short notice, and I just happened to be available.”
“I didn’t even know you had teaching credentials.”
“My college degree was in secondary education with a theater minor. I’ve always believed in having a back-up plan, and teaching was mine. I worked as a sub in New York schools between acting gigs. This job’s a piece of cake compared to that experience.”
“I can imagine. So, are you staying on now that the school year’s finished, or are you headed back to Broadway?”
“I spent much more time off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway,” she corrected him with a wrinkle of her short nose. “I was ready for a change. I’ve signed on for another year at Honoria High. The kids want to put on a production of Grease in the spring, and I promised to help them.”
“Sounds like a big job.”
“It should take most of the school year to put it together. We’re going to do a smaller production in December—A Christmas Carol, maybe, or The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I’ll also be teaching speech clas
ses.”
“So you’re giving up acting?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just taking a break for a couple of years.”
Trevor knew what a two-year “break” could do to an acting career—especially for a woman nearing thirty. There was more to Jamie’s story than she had told him—not that it was any of his business, of course. But he wondered how long she would be content to live in Honoria after her years in New York.
He wondered how many people were speculating about him in much the same way.
Glancing again at his watch, he stood. “I have to get back to the kids. Thanks again, Jamie. If you ever need anything…I owe you one.”
Her mouth tilted into a funny smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She pushed herself slowly off the couch and walked him to the door. “It’s good to see you again, Trev.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” Which was, he decided, the truth in a strange sort of way. “Good night, Jamie.”
Her arm brushed his when she reached unexpectedly around him to open the door. His reaction to the casual touch seemed out of proportion—which only illustrated how stressful his day had been, he mused. It had left him completely rattled. He made his exit while he could still do so with something approaching dignity.
JAMIE WAITED until Trevor had closed the door behind him before she sagged bonelessly onto the couch. Oh, wow, she thought dazedly. The guy had been gorgeous in high school. He was even more so now that he had a few years of maturity on him.
He still seemed as skittish and elusive with her as he had ever been. And he still looked at her in a way that made her heart pound in her throat. It gave her some comfort that she had managed to hide her reactions to him.
This time, she told herself, she would not let Trevor break her heart. If anything happened between them now—and she still wasn’t ruling that out—it would be on her terms.
AS WITH MOST small Southern towns, shopping at the local discount superstore in Honoria was a major social event. Sooner or later, everyone ended up there. It was almost impossible to stop in even to grab a couple of items without running into someone you knew. There were several women who wouldn’t dare go shopping for toilet paper without doing their hair and makeup.