The Real Thing

by Linda Rettstatt

  ~ * ~

  “Wow, Mom. You look hot.”

  Jane felt a flush as she descended the stairs under her son’s appreciative gaze. “Thank you.”

  “Where are you and Dad going?”

  “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Kristi said to tell you two to have a nice evening and stay out as late as you want. You know, in case you decide to stop by Dad’s place.” His face reddened. “For coffee, I mean.”

  Jane grinned. Her son was growing up way too fast. “When did you talk to Kristi?”

  “A while ago.”

  Her kids were clearly concerned about what might happen between her and Mitch. And why wouldn’t they be? The separation had already impacted them both. A divorce would shatter their world. They both had a vested interest in this date going well.

  “I don’t plan to be late,” Jane said. “I left pizza money on the kitchen counter. You and Mark enjoy. And you remember the rules—no girls in the house while I’m not here.”

  “I got it, Mom.”

  The doorbell chimed and Jane felt a flutter of anxiety, as if she’d swallowed a live butterfly. She opened the door and Mitch stood there looking like an older version of the shy boy she’d first met. He thrust a floral box at her. “These are for you.”

  The box held one dozen perfect red long-stemmed roses. “Oh, they’re beautiful. Thank you.” She leaned forward and lightly kissed his cheek, breathing in his familiar spicy scent. “Let me put them in water before we leave.”

  “Hey, Dad,” Rob called from the living room. “You gonna have her home by ten?”

  “Very funny. What are you up to tonight?”

  “Mark’s coming over to hang out.”

  “You don’t have a date?”

  “Nah. Ashley and I are cooling it for a while.”

  Jane returned to the living room, picking up her purse. “Remember what I said.” She bent and, against his efforts to duck, kissed her son on the top of his head. “I won’t be late.”

  Was that a flicker of disappointment in Mitch’s eyes? Perhaps she could let the evening unfold on its own before deciding how it might end.

  Baxter’s, the new restaurant that had opened to rave reviews in the theater district, was crowded. Mitch gave his name and the hostess led them to a table in a back corner that afforded privacy.

  “This is nice. Isn’t this place a little off our grid price-wise?” Jane asked.

  “We’re celebrating. I think it’s a good time to splurge.” He accepted the wine list.

  “Mitch, I am happy for you, about the new job. They’re lucky to get you on board.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be surrounded by kids half my age. I hope I can keep up. I have a lot of learning to do, especially with digital technology.”

  She grinned. “You’ll do it. I’d bet Rob can help. He’s a whiz with computer apps.”

  “Thanks, I think.” He ordered a bottle of champagne and handed the wine list back to the waiter. “So, how’s the book coming?”

  “It’s finished. And what a relief that is. I’ve felt as if I was dragging a four-hundred-pound gorilla around on a chain for the past six months.” She paused and stared at him. The slight gray at his temples gave him that clichéd distinguished look.

  His blue eyes sparkled as he lifted his glass to her. “To my lovely, talented wife. Thank you for not giving up on us completely.”

  A lump bobbed in her throat as she swallowed. “To the man who has given me everything that really matters in my life—love, laughter, and two wonderful children.”

  He sipped his champagne, then set down the glass and reached for her hand. “How did we get so far away from this—the people we were meant to be together?”

  Jane entwined her fingers in his. “Like Rose said, we took a wrong turn and wandered into a swamp.”

  He chuckled. “It is a bit like that, isn’t it? Like wading through quicksand. It almost sucked us down.”

  “Almost. We have the kids to thank, you know. Kristi, especially. If she hadn’t pushed us toward counseling, I hate to think of where we’d be right now.”

  He lifted her hand, turned it over, and pressed his lips to her palm. “But we’re here. Now. I know it will take some time to get back to where we were. I’m not going anywhere.”

  If he’d suggested they skip dinner and drive straight to his place at that moment, Jane would have beaten him to the door. God, she loved this man. How had she lost sight of that? She almost suggested it herself, but the waiter returned with their first course.

  They took their time over dinner, Mitch telling her more about his new job, Jane talking about her book and the tour her agent had set up for her. “I appreciate your willingness to have Rob with you while I travel. And it’s fine if you want to stay at the house while I’m away. You guys will have more space.”

  “Thanks. I thought it would be easier for him. You know, all his electronics are there.”

  “Right. I hadn’t considered that.”

  At the end of their meal, he slid his credit card into the folder before she could see the bill. She was certain it had cost them over two hundred dollars. The champagne alone could have been half that. The Mitch she’d been married to for twenty years was practical and frugal. Not stingy, but careful with spending. This new Mitch seemed to have shifted priorities, putting her enjoyment over the cost. Truthfully, though, she would have been content with a meal at a less expensive restaurant with a glass of chardonnay. The best part of the evening for her was being with this man, guard down, both wanting the same thing now.

  “Jane?”

  “Hmm?”

  He cocked his head and grinned. “Where did you go just now?”

  “I was thinking of how nice this evening has been. You know, with us not fighting.”

  He stood and moved behind her chair. Before she could push back to rise, he bent and whispered in her ear, “The evening doesn’t have to end yet. But it’s your call.” Then he pulled her chair back.

  A rush of heat shot through her. What was she supposed to do? Rose hadn’t given them those specifics about their date. What did she want to do? That was simple. She wanted to go back to his apartment and become reacquainted with this man in every way. And why shouldn’t they? They were, after all, still married. She turned to face him in the narrow, dimly lit corner. “I’d like to see your apartment.”

  Mitch’s eyebrows shot up. “Good thing I cleaned up today.”

  He’d obviously held the same anticipation. “Good thing.” She grinned all the way to the car.

  ~ * ~

  Mitch lay perfectly still with Jane curled against him. He was afraid to move as if one slight shift in position would burst the bubble they were in. Her fingers rested lightly on his abdomen. Her breath blew cool across his chest. Her hair tickled his chin. He tuned in to the rhythm of her breathing, his hand cupping her bare shoulder.

  This had been the first time in a long time that he’d felt as if they made love. And that thought made him almost want to cry. Almost. Except real men didn’t cry after sex. He turned his head to draw in the sweet scent of her shampoo. God how he’d missed this woman. Everything about her.

  Jane shifted, draping a leg over his. She pressed a kiss into his shoulder. “I don’t think this is where Rose intended our date to end.”

  “Then we won’t tell her.”

  “She’ll know. She’s all seeing, all knowing.” Her laugh rumbled into his chest.

  Mitch laughed with her, more because of the ease between them than because of her comment. “Because we’ll both go into her office with a smile?”

  “That would be a dead giveaway that something good happened.”

  He sobered and hugged her closer. “It is good, isn’t it?”

  “It is.” She threw her arm across his waist, practically crawling on top of him. “We still have a ways to go, but this—this is good.”

  Her cell phone chirped from her purse across the room. A moment later,
Mitch’s cell phone on the nightstand trilled. He glanced at the screen. “It’s Rob.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost one-thirty.”

  “He’s probably worried. You should answer.”

  “Already went to voicemail.”

  Jane sat up and reached across him. “Let me call him back so he knows we’re okay.”

  Her breast brushed against his cheek as she reached for the phone. His response was immediate and he squirmed against her thigh.

  “Mitch! Stop it,” she giggled. “Rob, it’s Mom. Yes, I know it’s late. I’m at Dad’s. We stopped here for…uh…coffee. I’ll be home soon. We were just about to leave.”

  “Not yet,” Mitch whispered.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, then paused. “Okay, sweetie. You boys go on to bed. Leave the security alarm off. I’ll be there soon.” She ended the call and frowned at Mitch who nuzzled her breast. “I have to go.”

  “No, you don’t.” His fingers trailed along the inside of her thigh, eliciting a gasp. “Not yet.”

  “Mitch…. Oh….”

  An hour and a half later, they both giggled as they tiptoed across the lawn to the front door. The motion sensor lights came on, bathing them in bright light. Jane fumbled in her purse for her key.

  Mitch took the key from her and was about to insert it into the lock when the door swung open. Rob stood there, hair tousled, eyes at half-mast. “It’s about time.”

  “You should be in bed,” Jane said.

  “I was. But you two were making so much noise, I thought we were being robbed.”

  “You knew I was coming home,” she countered.

  “I thought you were coming home hours ago.” He squinted against the light. “Hey, Dad. You staying?”

  “Just bringing your Mom home. How about you and I catch that new Tom Cruise action movie next weekend?”

  “Sure. Night.”

  When their son was safely upstairs, Jane smacked Mitch on the arm. “See that. You got me in trouble.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, how will you ever explain your hair, makeup and….” He pressed a fingertip to the side of her neck. “Or that.”

  Her hand flew up to her neck. “You gave me a hickey?”

  “A love bite.” He pressed his lips softly to her neck. Then he met her gaze. “I love you, Janie.”

  “I love you, too. When do you think it’s okay for you to move back in?”

  He cupped her cheek with his palm. “So you’ve missed me, huh?”

  “I’ve missed us.”

  “Let’s ask Rose at the next session.”

  Jane knit her brows together. “Do you think she really cares?”

  “Probably not, but hearing all the sordid details will give her a thrill.”

  She gasped. “You are not going to give her all the sordid details.”

  He grinned. “It was a little sordid, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. And if you noticed, I did not give you one order or direction.”

  “See. I can be your romantic hero.”

  Her eyes filled, reflecting the light. “You are my hero, Mitch. You’re the only one I want.”

  Just then a car slowed and a bright light flashed across them. Officer Scott Blakely called from his police cruiser, “Everything okay here?”

  “I’m really starting to dislike that guy,” Mitch muttered.

  “Oh, he’s okay.” She waved at the officer.

  Mitch gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll assure him I’m not spying on the neighbors or abusing my wife. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  He ambled toward the police car, stopping only to glance back as Jane closed the door. “Officer Blakely. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were watching me. Or my wife.”

  “I’m on patrol duty tonight in this neighborhood. Saw the lights, the door open and thought I’d check it out, given the hour.”

  “No problem here. Just on a date with my wife. But thanks for keeping an eye on things.”

  “My pleasure. You have a good night.” The police cruiser eased away from the curb.

  Mitch watched as the upstairs light came on in Jane’s bedroom. Their room. He couldn’t see a thing through the closed blinds, but already knew her silhouette, the curve of her hip, the slight roundness of her belly as she stripped to change. He would do something special to celebrate the end of this craziness and the restoration of their marriage. Maybe combine it with their anniversary in June. And he knew exactly what would make her happy.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jane sat across from Mitch’s grandmother and toyed with the spoon beside her plate. “I do love Mitch.”

  The older woman frowned. “Then I don’t understand. Why are the two of you still separated. You love him. He loves you. It should be simple.”

  “It’s never that simple. Come on, Louise, you were married to Mitch’s grandfather for almost sixty years.”

  “Yes, and it wasn’t always easy. You’re right about that. I never said it was easy. I said it was simple. The math, I mean. So what are you going to do?”

  “We’re working things out. It will just take time. We’re dating again.”

  “Don’t take too much time. You never know when the clock is going to run out.”

  Jane covered the old woman’s hand with hers. “I know. You still miss Howard, don’t you?”

  “Every day.” A little smile tugged at the corners of Louise’s time-lined face. “You never forget your first love. Especially when he’s your first and last. Is my grandson your first love?”

  Jane nodded. “Yes, he is.”

  After a brief pause, Louise steadied her gaze on Jane. “You never did say exactly what happened.”

  How to explain this to a ninety year old? “We both changed. Well, I guess I changed and then Mitch….”

  “You became that character—Janelle DuMonde?”

  “You could say that.”

  “I just did. I could see the change in you. At first, I thought it was a good thing—you becoming the writer you were meant to be. You were happier. Then I saw how that personality seemed to overtake you.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I trusted you and my grandson to work things out. I knew in the end you’d both do the right thing.”

  “How could you be so sure?”

  “I didn’t live to be ninety and not learn how to read people. I just knew.”

  A shadow blocked the light from the window behind Jane and she looked up.

  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Mother. Hello, Jane.” Charlotte loomed over them.

  “You didn’t look everywhere until you came in here,” Louise replied.

  “Mother, I’d like to speak with Jane for a few minutes, if that’s okay. Alone?”

  “Take me back to my room. It’s time for my afternoon nap anyway.”

  “I’ll take you.” Jane stood. To Charlotte she said, “I’ll be right back.”

  On the way to Louise’s room, the older woman said, “Don’t let her get to you.”

  “Who, Charlotte?”

  “My lovely daughter. She can be a real pill sometimes, but she has a good heart.”

  “I think I can handle Charlotte,” Jane said.

  “Humph. You’re a better woman than I am. She’s controlling, demanding, and often times tiresome. But she’s my daughter and I have to believe she means well.”

  Jane grinned. “I’m sure she does.”

  After settling Louise in her bed and covering her with the hand-made afghan that draped the foot, Jane squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and returned to the visitor’s parlor to face Charlotte.

  “Sit down, Jane. We need to talk.”

  These were the last four words she wanted to hear coming from her mother-in-law.

  “What can I do for you, Charlotte?”

  “You can listen. This split between you and my son is ridiculous. In my day, you didn’t just go your separate ways, you stuck in there and wor
ked things out.”

  “I agree.”

  “Okay, then, well….”

  “Charlotte, we’re trying. But we have to do it our way. And you have to trust me and Mitch.” The truth was, Jane was having so much fun with their dating, she wasn’t that eager to have Mitch move back in. But her mother-in-law would think she was being ridiculous.

  Charlotte regarded her for a moment. “That’s pretty much what Mitch said, too.”

  “And?”

  “And I want to believe it, but….”

  “But you’re used to being in charge and being the one who knows best.”

  “I deserve that.” Charlotte pursed her lips. “I had a wonderful marriage to Mitch’s father. It was cut short far too soon. I hate to see the two of you wasting precious time together.”

  The emotion in Charlotte’s voice and the pain in her eyes disarmed Jane.

  “I said this to Mitch and I’ll say it to you, too. You and Stephanie both are like the daughters I never had. I know I don’t act as if I feel that way sometimes, but I do. You’re a part of this family and without you, well, it upsets the balance.”

  Jane grinned. “Are you trying to tell me you care about me?”

  Charlotte’s mouth twitched at the corners. “I’m trying.”

  Jane reached across the table and touched Charlotte’s hand. “I care about you, too. We’re on the same side here. Mitch and I have made…progress.” Heat rushed into her face when she thought about their progress. “We’re getting to know one another all over again.”

  “I’m glad. I’ve been alone for a long time, Jane. I wouldn’t wish that on any woman.”

  Jane sat back and gazed at her mother-in-law, seeing the lines in her face, the sadness in her eyes. “Why have you never remarried?”

  “I had my one love. I’ll never find another like him.” Then Charlotte actually blushed. “But I do have a date next weekend for dinner. No reason I can’t enjoy a man’s company for the evening.” She stood abruptly, morphing back into the Charlotte Jane knew best. “I have to go. I’ll stop and check on Mother before I leave. I’m glad we had this talk.”