by M. Malone
He heard the sound of the elevator opening and Mara glanced at him in confusion. He pushed back from the table. "Please excuse me, everyone."
Trent held up a hand to Mara so she wouldn't get up. There were only a few people who had clearance to come up so there was no need to interrupt their dinner while he found out who was there. When he turned the corner, Avery stood in the entryway.
"Hey. I was visiting my parents. They wanted to keep Travis for a sleepover so I decided to swing by and see what you were up to. I feel like I haven't had a chance to spend any time with you since you've been here."
Laughter rang out from behind him and she looked quizzically at the sound. "Oh wow, I'm so sorry. You're having a party. I should have called first." She looked over his shoulder, naked longing and loneliness all over her face. She turned to leave. "I'll just catch up with you later."
Damn it. Trent couldn't let her leave looking like that. To what, go home to her empty place and sit alone? Eat alone.
His hand shot out to stop the elevator doors from closing. "No, you should stay. It's just family. Mara's brother and his fiancée are here. We have plenty of food."
Avery looked up hopefully. "Really? Are you sure Mara won't mind?"
"Of course not." He hoped not. "We've got plenty of food and this will give you two a chance to get to know each other better."
"I'd like that." Avery followed him off the elevator and dropped her coat over one of the stools in the kitchen.
Mara looked up when they entered the dining room. "Avery! Hello." She gestured across the table. "This is my brother Matt and his fiancée, Penny. Guys, this is an old childhood friend of Trent's, Avery Maxwell."
Avery waved to everyone as Trent brought her a plate. Mara caught his eye as he passed behind Avery's back and he shrugged. He could only hope she wasn't pissed that he'd invited Avery to stay but it was getting harder and harder to avoid uninvited guests since the word had gotten out that he was back in town. His place was starting to feel like Grand Central station.
"So, Avery how long have you known this guy?" Matt gestured toward Trent.
"It feels like forever," Avery responded. "We were just kids when we met. But there used to be a bigger group of us that hung out. Over the years it seems like everyone has scattered." She turned to Trent. "Did I tell you Trix is back in town? She called me about some new charity she's starting. It provides free art classes or something like that."
Trent froze, then forced himself to continue cutting his chicken. "Not surprised. She was determined to change the world, even when the rest of us were just focused on exams and getting our driver's licenses."
"Well, I'm not sure being a nude model for some guy who calls himself Drago is changing the world but she seems happy. She's back in town for her cousin's wedding."
Matt's head swung back and forth between them. Having known him so long, he could interpret his buddy's facial expressions perfectly. He was watching Avery, or more accurately, watching his interaction with Avery. It seemed his friend still hadn't let go of his suspicions that he was cheating on Mara. Trent sighed.
"This is absolutely delicious. Trent, I know you didn't cook this."
The comment drew laughter from the rest of the table. Even he had to smile a bit. "No, this is definitely not my doing. Mara is a magician with food. Every dinner tastes like it comes out of a five star restaurant."
Mara shrugged but her cheeks tinged pink at the compliment. "It's nothing, really. There's a little trick to how you layer the spices when you stuff the artichokes in, that's all."
Avery turned the full force of her smile on Mara. "Would you teach me sometime? I'm okay in the kitchen but I would kill to be able to make something that tastes like this."
"Of course. That would be fun." Mara glanced over at him, her eyes shining with pleasure.
For years, she'd lamented her lack of time to spend on her recipes. Once he convinced her to quit that job she hated, she could spend as much time as she wanted working on her recipe book. Hell, he'd buy a publishing company for her to distribute it if that would make her smile. Although knowing her damn independent streak, she wouldn't want him to do that. She'd want to make it on her own. Not that it would stop him from doing it anyway.
He was finding there wasn't a whole lot that could stop him from doing things to see her smile.
Chapter Thirteen
FLUSH WITH THE warmth of good wine and even better conversation, Mara carefully stacked the plates on the counter next to the dishwasher. If Trent caught her doing this he'd fuss at her to leave it for the housekeeper but it was too deeply ingrained in her to clean up immediately. She looked up when someone entered the kitchen. Avery stood behind her holding several wineglasses.
"Here you go. I figured I'd grab the ones left on the table. Trent is showing off his game room."
Surprised, Mara accepted the glasses and set them on the counter next to the plates. "You didn't have to do that. You're a guest."
Right at home, Avery opened the dishwasher and pulled out the bottom rack. "I know we've only met a few times but I already feel like we're friends. Besides, I wouldn't want to be stuck cleaning up all this by myself!"
Mara rinsed the wine glasses and set them on the counter next to the plates. "Trent is going to tell me to leave it for Bianca but I just can't do that. It'll annoy me every time I walk by the kitchen to see a mess on the counter. Plus, I'm still not entirely certain Bianca even exists. I've never seen her."
"When we were staying here, she started coming by more often. Little boys tend to create messes. I think she was happy when I moved back into James' place."
Mara's hand paused around the stem of one of the wineglasses. "Trent told me that you were staying here for a while."
Avery continued loading, occasionally scooting around Mara to wash things off in the sink. "Yeah. I'm not sure if he told you that James and I haven't been getting along so well. It was probably a mistake for me to move in with him. But it's just, we have a child together and I really thought that this time he'd do the right thing."
All this time she'd been feeling jealous of the time Trent had spent with Avery only to find out that she really was a nice person. It made her feel a little guilty for all the bad things she'd thought about her.
Uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken, Mara rinsed off a handful of silverware and then dumped them into the front slots of the machine. "Hopefully that will change. At least you guys have a history together. His parents know your parents. That has to help right?"
"It does help some. Like I told you, I'm not much of a cook but I'd really like to change that. Mr. Townsend, Trent's father, he's so conservative. The type of guy who likes women who can cook and are quiet and polite. As you can imagine, I am not his idea of daughter-in-law material. Being a great cook would really impress him. Maybe you can teach me how to spice things up a bit. He really likes spicy food," Avery explained. "I'm more of a boring plain chicken breast kind of girl."
"My mom taught me how to make plenty of spicy dishes. Columbian food definitely doesn't lack heat." Mara grinned, already thinking of what dishes she could prepare when they had Trent's parents over for dinner.
"See, you'll be fine then." Avery smiled and went back to loading the dishwasher.
Even though Avery was trying to be helpful, it made Mara feel even worse to be reminded of all the things she didn't know about Trent's family. Avery had been friends with him for years and probably had tons of inside knowledge. Yet she was still struggling to find acceptance.
What chance did Mara have of getting the Townsends to like her if Avery couldn't even pull it off?
* * * * *
TRENT HUNG UP the phone and leaned back in his office chair. His father was still technically on medical leave but as usual, he was ignoring most of his doctor's advice and was back in the office part-time. Trent had long ago given up on the idea of changing his father's ways but all that mattered was that his short tenure as interim
CEO was over.
He was officially off the hook.
He closed his laptop and glanced at the clock on the wall. Mara's parents were due to fly in that afternoon so he'd been trying to finish up as much work as possible before then. As if on cue, the door opened and Mara stuck her head in.
"Are you almost ready? We should probably get going. If they arrive and we aren't there, Mom will be frantic."
He stood and rounded the desk. "Definitely. Gina has a car coming for us in about ten minutes and she got confirmation that their flight is still on schedule. Don't worry."
She nodded quickly. "I know. I just don't want anything to go wrong."
"Even if something happens to delay us, it's not the end of the world. I'll just have a car meet them there. They won't be stranded."
"They aren't used to all of this, Trent. If we send a car, my mom will be offended. She'll think that we aren't really happy that she's here if we don't pick her up ourselves."
"Well, I definitely don't want them to think that. I'm really happy they're coming. Maybe it'll put a smile back on your face."
She's been down ever since the prior night, which made no sense to him because they'd been having such a great time with Matt and Penny. Even though Avery had been unexpected, she'd been relatively well-behaved during dinner. Avery's personality was a bit grating for some people but she hadn't done anything too outrageous at dinner and Mara hadn't seemed like she'd minded.
Unless she'd just been pretending to keep the peace.
"I'm not sad, just a little homesick," Mara finally admitted. "Things are so different now and since my days aren't filled with work anymore, I'm at loose ends. It's a little lonely being home all day. I wasn't expecting that."
Inwardly, Trent cursed his shortsightedness and inattention. Of course, she would be feeling a little strange going from working a full-time job to being on her own in this big place all day.
"Come on. Let's go get your parents and then we'll talk more tonight."
They rode the elevator down to the lobby and Mara followed him outside to where a limousine waited at the curb.
"Wow. This is really nice." Mara turned to him, her eyes huge when she realized the big car was for them.
"It's honestly just easier so we can all ride in the same car on the way back. Traffic can be crazy at this time of day so we might have a bit of a wait. I know you'll want to sit and talk with them."
He nodded at the driver, one of the regulars from the car service. If they were going to be in town on a semi-permanent basis then he'd need to look into getting their own driver. And he'd definitely want to get some protection for Mara. There was no way he'd be comfortable letting her roam the city on her own.
On the ride to the airport, Mara squirmed in her seat. By the time they drove onto the tarmac, her face was practically mashed against the window.
He chuckled at her excitement. "We're almost there, baby."
She turned to him, a bright smile on her face. It warmed him through to see her so happy.
They waited as the crew led her parents off the plane. Mara opened the door of the limousine before the driver could open it for her.
"Mom! Dad! I'm so glad you're here." Mara's words were cut off as her mother enveloped her into a big hug.
Carolina Simmons was an older version of Mara, slim and breathtakingly beautiful. Trent realized that if Mara took after her mother over the years then he had no hope of his obsession with her lessening as time passed.
Mara's father, George Simmons, stuck out his hand as the two women embraced behind them. "It's wonderful to see you again, Trent. Thank you so much for bringing us up on such short notice. My wife has been talking of nothing else since you suggested it."
Carolina stood on tiptoe to kiss Trent's cheek. "Thank you so much for flying us here. Your plane is wonderful. I've never flown so comfortably."
"Anytime. We're thrilled you're here to spend some time with us."
Mara squealed when her father ruffled her hair. She grabbed him around the waist. "Looking good, Daddy. Have you lost weight?"
He groaned and looked over at Carolina. "Your mother has put me on a diet."
"Your doctor has put you on a diet. You have high blood pressure."
George looked at Trent wryly. "I can't imagine why."
"Oh hush," Carolina teased. "I am just looking out for you. What will I do if you aren't here to take care of me?"
For some reason the words seemed to make Mara sad. Trent wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been looking at her right then because she immediately squared her shoulders and pasted on a bright smile. What was that about?
He made a mental note to ask her about it later. But they had to get on the road if they wanted to beat the traffic.
"The driver has already transferred your luggage from the plane so we can head back. My parents are meeting us at our place tonight for dinner."
Carolina nodded. "Excellent. Then we can talk about the most important thing."
"What's that?" he asked.
"Your wedding, of course. I'm thinking perhaps we need to think a little bigger."
As Carolina ducked into the limo, Mara sent him a look of abject horror before she got in, too.
* * * * *
MARA SCRUTINIZED THE neat row of julienned carrots before her and the ingredients she'd lined up on the counter. She preferred to keep things simple with vegetables so she was planning to do a quick sauté in an onion and butter reduction.
"Mom, is the grated orange peel ready?"
A little citrus would add just a hint of spring to the vegetables without overpowering their natural sweetness. The zesty julienned carrot salad would go well with the spicy beef flanks she was preparing for dinner.
Carolina handed over the bowl of orange zest she'd just finished grating. "What are you planning for the main course? I should have probably warned you that your father is supposed to be watching his salt."
"I already made some plain marinated chicken breasts for Dad since I know he has to watch what he eats."
"I'm so glad you remembered. Your father will probably wish you had forgotten though. The bland food has been difficult for him to adjust to."
Mara laughed. "I bet it has. It was no trouble. I can use the leftovers for salad toppings tomorrow. Besides, I'll sneak him a little bit of the beef flanks. A little won't hurt, right?"
"I don't think so. His problem is mainly stress. I thought when he retired things would be better but now he has started taking consulting jobs. I think he's bored."
"I can understand. Even though I'm enjoying having this time to cook and do things I normally don't get to do, I also feel a little lost. Before I was so busy but I felt like I had a purpose. Now, I don't know."
Her mom wiped her hands on the dishtowel next to her and then put her arm around Mara. "You have a purpose now. You are taking good care of your future husband. This is a good thing. I worried about you working so many hours and then driving home alone at night. Before long you will have children and then you will have no time to worry about these things."
Mara put the knife down carefully on the cutting board before turning to her mother. The last thing she wanted was another bloody mishap. Now that she understood about Trent's past, the incident with the knife made so much sense. His shock and panic at the sight of her blood must have taken him straight back to that horrible night. The last thing she ever wanted to do was cause him to relive the worst day of his life.
"Mom? Is it possible to ever really know a man? I mean, even after all these years do you feel like you really know everything about Dad?"
If her mother wondered what caused her to ask the question, she didn't let on. She just pulled Mara over to sit on one of the barstools. "Tell me what is going on, Marina. First you're avoiding planning the wedding and then the next thing we hear, you're with Trent in this big, fancy place. Flying in private planes. What is really going on?"
That was all it took for Mara to lose her tenuous
hold on her emotions. "Oh Mom," she sobbed. She sank into her mother's hold, sniffling softly as all the feelings she'd tried to bury came rushing forth. Confusion, fear, inadequacy and hurt.
A lot of hurt.
"Things are so messed up. I didn't know about Trent's family being so wealthy. He said that he doesn't like talking about it because then all people see is the money."
Carolina made a soft sound of agreement. "I can understand that. People do crazy things for money. But this is not the biggest issue. I am more concerned about why your eyes look so sad."
Mara wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I felt so confused when I found out. Like maybe he didn't trust me enough to tell me before. Now that I'm here I understand a lot better. His family isn't close. Not like we are."
"Then that will be your gift to him. To bring a sense of family and comfort to his life. Just like I did for your father. That is my purpose and I feel great pride in it. There's no shame in making love and family a priority in your life."
"Then you didn't just marry Daddy to get away from your village?" she asked quietly.
Carolina pulled back abruptly, her dark eyes searching Mara's face. She steeled herself for her mother's censure. Instead, her mother squeezed her shoulders very gently, like she was afraid to hold her too tight. "Oh sweetheart, is that what you thought?"
Mara nodded, suddenly feeling very small. "You always told me that I was so lucky to be beautiful so I could marry a rich husband. That's all you've ever seemed to care about, is that I get married and be taken care of. When I turned fifteen—“
"At your quinceañera party," Carolina finished with a sad smile. She pulled Mara into another embrace. "My baby, I haven't been the best mother, I know. I was too caught up in being the perfect wife. From the moment I saw your father, I knew I'd never want anyone else. It wasn't the money. It was him. The way he looked at me. I think you know what I mean."
"Yeah. I definitely do." Mara thought of the way Trent watched her. Sometimes it felt like she'd dissolve under the intensity of that stare.