Gideon kept pressing Max to take a brief vacation, but he had a feeling the girls liked the attention. He couldn’t leave San Diego right now. Always in the back of his mind was the hope Gabriella might phone him.
Max had come to the conclusion that a vacation was the last thing he needed right now. Tomorrow he’d drop by Karl’s office and ask to be assigned to a new case.
“THAT’S MY CAR?”
“Yes, ma’am. Looks like new, doesn’t it?”
“It does!”
Gaby’s Sentra had sustained a couple of little knicks and dings before the accident. But with new parts, it looked great. She went over to the desk to pay the initial two hundred dollars, then she got behind the wheel and took off.
It felt good to get in her car again, to have her own wheels. Tomorrow she’d go to work and talk everything over with Anita before checking in with the attorneys working on her cases.
But right now all that could wait.
Finding Max couldn’t.
After making a phone call, Gaby discovered the landlady of Max’s apartment house hadn’t rented Gaby’s apartment yet. It was some sort of miracle. According to Mrs. Bills, Anatoly had insisted Gaby was only away on vacation and would be back.
No news could have thrilled her more. At least Gaby chose to look at that good news in a positive light. She didn’t feel she deserved a second chance. After the way she’d cut him dead, that would be a tall order. But she’d finally come to her senses and was desperate for him to know she was ready to talk.
When she caught sight of the florist shop, her pulse rate tripled. Maybe Max was inside, but she saw no sign of the van as she pulled into the parking area on the side of the building. The excitement of seeing him made it difficult to breathe.
“Hello. Can I help you?” a salesgirl called out as soon as Gaby stepped inside.
“I hope so. Is Anatoly here?”
“No. I think he’s out on delive—”
“Someone wants Anatoly?” a voice resounded from a room behind the counter of the shop. Gaby looked beyond the girl’s shoulder to see a buxom woman with pink cheeks and blue eyes come hurrying through the door carrying some exquisite azaleas. She handed them to the girl.
“Good afternoon. I’m Karin Vriend. You must be Gabriella.”
“Yes.” Gaby smiled. So this was the woman Max was so fond of. “How did you know?”
“I recognized your voice from your phone calls. After the accident, you rang here to see if Anatoly was all right. You called another time, too.”
“I’m amazed you remember.”
“I have a knack for voices. Did you just get back into town?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so. Anatoly’s going to be so excited. Ever since you left, he hasn’t been his usual self.”
The woman’s words were music to Gaby’s ears.
“As long as he’s not here, I’d like to get some flowers.”
“Of course. What is the occasion?”
“I want to give them to Anatoly.”
The older woman’s face broke out in a ray of sunshine. “Now I know why he’s been so sad. A woman who would give flowers to a man is very special.”
“He once told me he loves growing things. He loves working for you,” Gaby confided. “Is he partial to any particular flowers?”
“Oh, yes. Roses are his favorite. When the shipments arrive from South America, he likes to examine them. One time I heard the sound he made when he opened the box of deep-yellow roses for the first time. He turned to me. ‘Karin?’ he said. ‘These are for a man who knows he is loved beyond all others. If a woman ever loved me that much, I would want her to give me roses just like these.’”
Still smiling, she added, “Anatoly has very definite ideas about things. White for new mothers. Pink for sweethearts. Red for brides.”
“What about wives?”
Karin’s eyes twinkled. “The pink and yellow hybrids. To represent the blending of two hearts.”
That sounded just like Max. How she loved him!
“Do you have the deep-yellow roses in stock?’
“Oh, yes.”
“Do you have two dozen?”
“I’ll check.”
As the salesgirl moved about the showroom arranging azaleas, she kept darting Gaby glances. “I’m Sylvia. I’m the one Anatoly asked to get some pink roses made up for you last month.”
Oh, dear. The last time Gaby had seen Max, she’d rejected everything he had to offer. What a fool she’d been. So much time wasted.
“They were beautiful.”
“He told me they were for a very special occasion. He said to wish him luck because he was going to need it.”
Don’t say any more. You’re rubbing salt in my gaping wound. That was the day I found out how much I loved him. And the day I left him.
“Here you are!”
Karin came through the opening with the long floral box. Like the roses Max had given her before, the heads were enormous, their color a breathtaking yellow.
“They’re perfect. I can’t wait to give these to him. Do me a favor and don’t tell him I’m back? I want to surprise him.”
“We won’t say a word, will we, Sylvia.” She put the lid on the box and wrapped a yellow ribbon around it.
Gaby started to get some money out of her wallet, but Karin shook her head.
“You’re back. I’m so happy for Anatoly, let this be my treat.”
The woman loved him almost as much as Gaby did.
“Thank you, Karin. One day I’ll find a way to repay you.” She turned to the girl. “It was nice talking to you, Sylvia. See you both again soon.”
“Don’t be a stranger!” Karin called to her as she left the store.
RECOGNIZING HE WAS in a depression, Max decided that after he’d showered and changed, he’d drive over to Gideon’s for a talk. Something had to change.
No matter how bad things were after his world had crashed years ago, with no job, no wife, he still hadn’t reached the point where he couldn’t face another day.
This was different.
A cold sweat broke out on his body. He pressed on the accelerator and headed for the apartment house using every shortcut he could think of. When he walked inside, he was greeted by Mrs. Bills.
“Good evening, Anatoly.”
“How are you, Mrs. Bills?” he responded as he passed the lounge on the way to his room.
“I can’t complain.”
“That’s good.”
Polite chitchat was impossible for him at the moment. When he reached his room, he started for the bathroom to take a shower. That’s when he heard a knock.
Not now, Mrs. Bills.
The knocking persisted. “Delivery!”
His first thought was that Gideon had said something to Karl. His boss had probably assigned him to a new case and these were his orders.
“Just a minute.”
He reached for the wallet he’d thrown on the dresser. After pulling out a couple of dollars, he opened the door.
A beautiful woman in a knockout black dress stood before him. Her shining eyes reflected the rich brown of her hair, which fell in a curve to her shoulders. She wore high heels, so he didn’t have to look down as far to see those seductive lips, which could give and give, bringing him mindless rapture.
The little witch had disguised her voice. He didn’t notice the money slip from his fingers.
Gabriella.
His heart slammed into his ribs.
“Do you remember me? One fine morning I crashed into your car. It was an accident. You brought me flowers. I told you that I should’ve been the one to bring them to you. And—”
“And I said, maybe one day you bring some to me, yes?”
Only then did he realize she held a florist’s box from Every Bloomin’ Thing in her arms. Karin had to be out of her mind with joy.
She wasn’t the only one.
“These are for you.”
“Come in
.”
He breathed in the scent of strawberries from her shampoo as she moved past him. Some instinct warned him not to touch her yet. If he did, it might ruin the moment. Max had a feeling that if he blew this now, there would be no more miracles.
He closed the door while he watched her set the box on the bed. His heart missed a beat as she lifted the flowers from the tissue.
Yellow roses.
Like a woman approaching the wedding altar, she walked toward him carrying the flowers in a sheaf over her arm.
She drew closer. He could feel the warmth radiating from her. “The man who thrust pink roses in my arms didn’t give me a card. It wasn’t necessary. I knew what was written in my Russian’s romantic soul.
“Tonight I don’t have a card. My heart’s too full to begin to find words.” She thrust the flowers in his arms. “For you, darling, with love.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
GABRIELLA HAD JUST told him what he needed to hear so he could go on living. She was prepared to love him, Max Calder.
He lowered his face in the roses to breathe their delicious perfume. When he lifted his head, he found her lovely face close to his. Those velvety brown eyes were watching, searching. A slight trace of anxiety still lingered. He had plans to fix that.
“Do you want me to call you Gaby?”
“No!” she cried. “The first time you said my name, Gabriella, my bones turned to mush.”
Max felt giddy. But before he did what his body was screaming to do, there were things that needed to be said. Maybe it was better not to let go of the roses yet.
“I always had the unfair advantage with you, Gabriella. I knew your every move except the one that brought you to Galena’s apartment in the nun’s habit. When I heard your voice, I thought I must be hallucinating.”
“You were in there?” She was clearly shocked.
“Yes. It’s a good thing that for once I didn’t know you’d given my backup the slip. But the point is, I probably know more about you than you do. Unfortunately you don’t have a clue about me.”
“Yes, I do!” she came right back. “At least the important things.”
“You mean that I’m an FBI agent.”
“No.”
He swallowed hard. Oh, hell. “What did Gideon tell you?”
“Only that you were best friends and had worked on the NYPD together. After I flew to New Jersey and calmed down, I asked my uncle Frank to do a little research because I kept wondering why you left New York to come to California. Most guys who root for the Bronx Knights prefer to stay there and watch them win year after year.
“My uncle handed me an article. I learned about the awful police-brutality charge that didn’t hold up in court. About the fact that you and Gideon resigned after being forced to testify against those officers.
“An experience that traumatic would be hard on a marriage, especially for a very young couple just starting out in life.”
Maybe Max was having a fantastic dream. With every word that fell from her lips, one of his greatest fears was dissolving.
“After Paul died, I learned about the fear of loss. Maybe if your wife had found a psychiatrist as good as mine, you’d still be together today.”
Her call to Dr. Karsh. It was all making a wonderful kind of sense.
“Lauren’s married to a surgeon from Vermont now.”
“You see?” Gabriella’s heart shone out of her eyes. “She chose the safer road. Being married to you is a scary proposition, Calder. You’re a high-risk guy. Here today. Gone tomorrow.”
Gabriella…
“That’s the reality I’ve been dealing with. That’s why it took me a whole month to figure it out. But I’ve got my head on straight now. You know what?”
“What?” he demanded, out of breath with anticipation.
“I like what you do for a living.”
With that comment, he reached a state of euphoria.
“I like it a lot. When we’re together, it’s magic. So here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll make every second count. Enjoy every moment to the fullest. Living on the edge with Anatoly was the most exciting experience I’ve ever known. I think that’s why I got so upset when it all came to a stop at the police station.’
Max had felt exactly the same way. Deep laughter rumbled out of him.
“Tell me about it, sweetheart. I had the time of my life investigating you. The first thing I did was search your apartment before you got home from the hospital after the accident.”
Her lips twitched. “The possibility of that occurred to me on the plane back to Atlantic City. Where did you hide the bug?”
“Inside the lampshade.”
He could see those incredible wheels turning. A lot of activities went on in her living room. Verbal and physical. Color filled her cheeks.
“I know what brand of toothpaste you use, the difficulty level of your crossword puzzles. I know what day you went to Sea World. I saw the unpaid parking violation you got at Chicano Park. Some day we’ll talk about Brill’s Content together. Your subscription to AGO surprised me, because I never found a gun or a concealed-weapons permit.”
Her eyes were smiling now. “I hate guns.”
He should have known. “I noticed a bunch of oversize T-shirts in your drawer. If you’ve been sleeping in them, you can forget that.”
“I figured since I was moving in here with you, I’d better get a new wardrobe to impress you. So I tossed out most of the clothes I had shipped back to New Jersey. Of course, I did save one of the shirts. In case of an emergency.”
Max put the roses on the bed and pulled her into his arms. “What kind would that be?” he whispered, kissing her throat before he worked his way up.
“In case we have an argument.”
“I don’t follow your logic.”
“If I have it on when you come to bed, you’ll know we have to talk first.”
He was trying to get down to some serious love-making. Maybe if she stopped talking…
“The answer is yes, if you’re working up to a marriage proposal. You might as well know now, I don’t sleep with men I’m not married to.”
His groan resounded in the room.
“If you’re going to be angry, blame my mother.”
“I’m not angry,” he said. “I’m happy. In fact, you’ve made me the happiest man on the planet.”
“That’s good, because I have to ask you a question.”
“Anything.”
Then he stopped her with a kiss. They made magic together. There was no doubt about it.
“This is important,” she gasped a few minutes later. “I know Anatoly didn’t go to church. What about Max Calder?”
“Are the Irish Catholic?”
For that he was rewarded with such a passionate response he was willing to answer her questions all night. No sooner did they make it to the bed than his cell phone rang.
“Don’t answer it,” she begged. “You’re still on vacation.”
“You think I want to do anything but get you in my arms? But I’m afraid it might be Girls’ Village. I promised Sandra she could call me if she needed anything.”
“That’s one of the reasons I love you so much.” She slid her hand in his pocket and handed the phone to him. He clicked on and said hello.
“Mr. Calder? This is the maternity floor at St. Anne’s. We have a patient named Sandra from Girls’ Village. She’s going to be delivering soon and asked if you could come.”
“We’ll be right there. Thank you for calling.”
Gaby had already leaped off the bed. “We’ll go in my car. It’ll be faster than the van.”
He kissed her again before they left the apartment.
“Good night, Anatoly,” Mrs. Bills called out as they hurried toward the foyer.
He caught Gabriella around the waist to stop her.
“My fiancée and I want you to be the first to know that we are getting married as soon as possible.”
Mrs. Bills’s
face became wreathed with smiles. “Congratulations.”
Gabriella kissed his cheek.
He turned to his landlady. “For the next month we will stay in both rooms. After that, we are going to move into our dream house on the beach.”
“You’ve got one of those?” Gabriella asked as they hurried out to her car.
“And a Porsche 911 cabriolet.”
“Is all that part of another con?”
“After you become Mrs. Max Calder, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Let’s get married in Las Vegas tonight.”
“If we do that, then I’ll never know if you married me for my money.”
“It’s tonight or nothing.”
“You drive a hard bargain. Karin’s going to be disappointed.”
“We both had the wedding of our dreams the first time around. They were a big pain.”
Max burst into laughter. Life with Gabriella was going to be something else.
“The thing is, my mother will be a lot more disappointed if I can’t tell her I’ve been a good girl. You’ve got to help me out here, Calder.
“The way I feel about you, I can just about hold out long enough to see Sandra through her delivery. But I don’t know about the trip to Las Vegas.” She frowned. “It’s a good thing one of us has to drive.”
He gave her a long, hungry kiss. “You’re right about that, darling.”
“I filled the tank with gas. I brought some Dreher’s beer with me from Atlantic City. It’s on ice in the trunk. And there’s chips and dip and Cracker Jack. That ought to help keep us occupied if we start feeling desperate.”
If Max felt any more desperate—with love for this woman, that is—he’d probably go up in smoke.
WHILE GABY WAS WIPING Sandra’s face with a cold damp cloth, the resident popped into the labor room. He glanced at her and Max. “It’s time to take Sandra to the delivery room.”
She grabbed Gaby’s hand so hard, her nails bit into the palm. “I’m scared.”
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