by Terri DuLong
I shook my head and snuggled back into his chest. “No. Just a few minutes.”
I felt his hand stroking the side of my face. “I love you, Isabelle.”
“I love you too.”
With his words ringing in my head and his body connected to mine, I fell back to sleep.
* * *
When I woke again, morning light was filtering into the room. I turned my head and saw that Chadwick was now staring at me, and I smiled.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Good morning. Did you sleep okay?”
“The best.” And I had.
And then I thought of something. “Oh, damn,” I said.
Chadwick shifted and leaned on an elbow looking down at me. “What’s wrong?”
“What time is it? I totally forgot that I have to do the coffee and muffin deliveries.”
“Not a problem,” he said, standing up and reaching down for my hand.
When I stood beside him, he nuzzled my neck and said, “You hit the shower and I’ll get the coffee and breakfast going.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” I felt a pout forming on my face.
He laughed. “And I don’t want you to leave. As soon as you finish, come back here. I’ll make it worth your while.”
I smiled. “Promise?”
He laughed again. “Oh, yeah. I promise.”
* * *
Yarrow’s head shot up when I walked into the tea shop just after seven.
“You got back from Atlanta okay?” she asked.
“Yes. It was a great trip and I loved Chadwick’s parents.”
I saw her scrutinizing my face.
“Something wrong?” I said.
“No. You just look different. Really good. You’re glowing. That must have been one special trip,” she said, and I caught the wink she sent me.
“Hmm, yeah. It was.” That was all I said before reaching for the basket and heading out.
Four hours later I was back at Chadwick’s house and we were on the patio enjoying a late-morning cup of coffee.
I gazed out at the Halifax River and smiled. Sitting here beside him on the lounge, sipping coffee and conversing seemed so natural. As if we’d been doing this forever.
“I missed you,” he said, reaching for my hand. “While you were gone.”
I smiled. “I missed you too.”
“I don’t want to pressure you, but where do you think we’ll go from here, Isabelle?”
I hadn’t given that any thought. “I don’t know. What do you mean?”
“At the very least . . . I’d like to know that we have a commitment to each other. But I’m not sure if you’d like to date other people.”
After what we had shared last night? Was he crazy?
“Absolutely not,” I said. “I love you, Chadwick. I don’t want anybody else.”
He stood up and pulled me up beside him. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he said, “Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”
We shared a deep, passionate kiss and when he pulled away, he said, “Shall we try the bedroom this time?”
* * *
The next few days flew by in a blur. We had lengthy conversations about everything from family to books and films to politics. I loved talking with Chadwick. Not only was he interesting and well informed, but he was interested in my point of view and how I felt. We cooked together, shared meals, and made love when the mood hit us. We even had a few games of Scrabble Friday evening while we sipped wine—before we ended up back in the bedroom.
By Sunday morning I dreaded all of it coming to an end and returning to my real world. The world of raising my daughter, finding a permanent place for us to live, finding a decent job, and dealing with my mother.
I had been exceptionally quiet over breakfast, and while we were cleaning up, Chadwick came to put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
“What’s wrong?” he said.
He had proved to me over the past few days how well he knew me. He seemed to have the uncanny ability to sense my moods and my emotions.
“I already miss you. I haven’t even left yet and . . . I miss you.”
He nodded. “I know the feeling.”
He took my hand and led me to the sofa.
“Okay. So how can we fix this?”
I shrugged. I had never been known for my problem solving abilities.
He let out a deep sigh. “Well, I want . . . no, I need you to know that I would love it if you would move in here with me.”
When I remained silent, he said, “Right. I’m not sure that’s the wisest idea since you have a fourteen-year-old daughter.”
That’s what had been nagging at me. “I’m glad you understand, and yes, if not for Haley, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’m not a prude, but . . . I just don’t feel that’s a great example to send to a teenager. If she was younger, it would be easier. But she’s at a tough age.”
“And I know that. So . . . here’s what we’re going to do. We will be together as much as our schedules allow. I think Haley likes me and I think she’ll be fine with that. But we love each other and we want to share that love. So we’ll just have to get creative.”
“Creative?”
“Yeah, like afternoon delights when Haley is involved with other things. She sometimes spends the night at Mavis Anne’s or your mother’s. We can take advantage of that.”
“Hmm,” I said. “That’ll work, I guess.”
“No, it’s not perfect. Far from it. You’re going to be busy over the next month with Chloe’s wedding, running the yarn shop while Chloe and Mavis Anne are gone, and I understand that. So how about if we plan to be together as much as we can during this time and then in about eight weeks, in mid-June, we reassess the situation?”
I felt a smile cross my face. “Yes. I like that idea. Very much. But I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Will you go with me this evening to Jacksonville to pick up Haley at the airport?”
“Only if you’ll get creative with me over the next few hours,” he replied.
And my smile increased.
Chapter 35
By the end of the following week I was convinced that all of my stars were in alignment. Haley had seemed happy that Chadwick was with me when we picked her up at the airport. She was overflowing with excitement about the details of her father’s wedding. My mother had phoned me a few times but mostly in reference to Haley. It didn’t escape me that she could have texted Haley directly, but my world was quite rosy at the moment and I overlooked it. I had had Chadwick to dinner the evening before and Haley had gone to Barnes and Noble with Tina and Brenda, so we took full advantage of our privacy.
I walked into the yarn shop Friday afternoon to find the table full of our regular knitters.
“Oh, people do crazy things when it’s a full moon,” I heard Louise say.
“Hey, Isabelle,” Chloe said. “Come join us.”
“I finished my scarf and wanted to show you guys.”
I removed the scarf from my bag and held it up.
“Gorgeous,” Fay said. “I have a few more rows and mine will be done.”
“I love it.” Mavis Anne held up the scarf she’d knitted with a variegated yarn. “I do think I prefer the solid color better, though.”
“Everybody’s doing a wonderful job,” Chloe said. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the pattern so much.”
“What’s this about a full moon?” I asked.
Louise laughed. “Well, it’s a full moon tonight and people can really do wacky things then.”
Mavis Anne shook her head. “Oh, sure, you don’t believe that my house has energy and a soul, but you believe the moon affects people?”
“That’s different,” Louise argued.
“Not one bit different,” Mavis Anne retorted.
“Girls,” Chloe said, raising a hand in the air. “Play nice. We’re all entitled to our own opinions and beliefs.”
“Grace
is arriving on Sunday, right?” I asked Chloe, making an attempt to change the subject.
“Yes.” A smile crossed her face. “Gosh, I can’t wait to see her and Lucas and Solange.”
“Makes it nice that they’re arriving a week before the wedding,” Mavis Anne said. “It’ll give you a chance to visit and catch up.”
Chloe nodded. “I know. They’re going to take two nights during the week to spend in Cedar Key so Grace can visit everybody there. I wasn’t sure if we should invite all our friends there to the wedding but Grace said we had planned a small wedding and that’s what we should stick to. Besides, they don’t know Henry and were really more Grace’s friends than mine.”
“Makes sense to me,” Mavis Anne said. “Where’s Haley this afternoon?”
“Off with my mother. She had errands to do and Haley went with her. Any more baby news?” I asked Chloe.
“No. Treva is doing great. I told her she’d better not think about having my first grandchild until I’m back from Hawaii.”
I laughed. “Oh, and I’m sure she’ll comply with that.”
I left the yarn shop just after five and headed back to Koi House.
I had just walked in when the phone rang. I answered to hear Brenda’s voice.
“How are you?” I asked. I hadn’t heard from her in a couple weeks.
“I’m really good, Isabelle. That’s what I wanted to share with you. Tina and I are going to be moving.”
My heart fell at the thought of my daughter losing her best friend.
“Are you leaving the area?” I asked.
I heard her laughter come across the line. “No. No. But I’ve managed to save enough money and I’ve gotten a nice raise at work. We’re going to be moving into a two-bedroom, two-bath condo here in Ormond Beach.”
I smiled and shared her happiness. “Oh, Brenda. That’s wonderful news. I’m so happy for you and Tina.”
“Thank you. We’re going shopping tomorrow for furniture. Nothing elaborate, but enough to get us started. We’re moving in June first.”
“If there’s anything I can do, please let me know. Haley and I would be more than happy to help.”
Brenda laughed. “Haley already offered your services. Tina called her earlier to tell her the news. Well, I won’t keep you. I just wanted you to know. When I get settled in, we’ll have you over for a little impromptu house warming.”
“Absolutely,” I said, hanging up with a smile on my face.
Brenda Sanchez was so deserving of a break. She’d been through hell, clawed her way back, and had worked hard. It was nice to see good things happening to good people.
I had just finished putting a casserole into the oven for dinner when I heard Haley come in the back door. I turned around to see that my mother was with her. And Haley was cuddling a dog in her arms.
Of course my first words were, “What is that?” although I knew perfectly well what it was.
I heard my daughter say, “Mom, I need to talk to you,” and I knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“Why do you have that dog?”
Haley clutched the dog in her arms. A little ball of fluff that looked like there was some terrier in its heritage.
“Nana and I stopped by the rescue place. Her owner died and they were going to put Ginger to sleep tomorrow.”
I knew she was playing on my sympathy but the dog’s demise did sound harsh.
“And I suppose this was your idea?” I said to my mother.
“Well . . . I had only planned to pop by there to drop off some food I was donating. And one of the assistants told us about Ginger. It’s so sad to think just because her owner died she has to die too.”
“So why didn’t you take her?” I retorted.
“Because I took her brother, Fred.”
“Oh.” I didn’t have a comeback for that.
“Can she stay, Mom? She’s eight months old and housebroken. You know I’ll take care of her. You won’t have to do anything. We even stopped at Petco and Nana bought Ginger some dog food, a new collar and leash.”
“So where’s Fred?” I asked, finally getting the connection between the two names.
“I’m going back to pick him up,” my mother said. “I wanted to get Haley situated first.”
Sure, I thought. Put this dog’s life in my hands. If I said no, it was as good as signing her death warrant. And if I said yes, I had the irrational feeling that my mother would have won. What exactly she had won I wasn’t sure.
Refusing to commit one way or the other, I said, “Whatever.”
“Does that mean I can keep her, Mom?”
I let out an exasperated sigh and shrugged. “I guess,” I replied, and walked into the other room.
When I returned to the kitchen, my mother was gone and I saw Haley in the backyard with the puppy. She did look happy. Really happy. And I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what pissed me off the most: the fact that my mother had upstaged me in providing that happiness. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
After we finished supper, I told Haley to clean up and I’d be back shortly. She didn’t question where I was going. I jumped in the car and drove to my mother’s house.
She opened the door with a smile on her face, oblivious as to why I was paying her a visit.
“Come on in, Isabelle. Can I get you anything?”
“No. I just want to talk to you.”
I followed her into the family room where I saw an identical replica of Ginger curled up in a soft dog bed near the sofa.
I spun around to face my mother before she could ask me to sit down.
“I’m not staying,” I said. “I just want you to know . . . I don’t appreciate your interfering in my daughter’s life. You had no right . . . no right at all . . . allowing Haley to bring that puppy home. It wasn’t up to you to make that decision. You forfeited your own rights as a mother thirty years ago when you walked out on me.”
I saw my mother flinch and the sad expression that crossed her face, but I didn’t care.
“And you can’t go looking for a second chance with my daughter. It doesn’t work that way. You knew I’d have to allow her to keep that dog. Otherwise, I’d be the bad guy. And I won’t allow you to come between my daughter and me. So if you want to be in her life . . . and right now, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea . . . you need to back off. Do you understand?”
I was ready for my mother’s excuses. I was ready for her to yell and raise her voice as loudly as I had. To argue with me.
But all she did was softly say, “I’m sorry.”
Without another word, I marched to the door, flung it open and headed to my car. By the time I got inside and turned the ignition key, I realized my hands were trembling.
Instead of driving home, I went to Biggby Coffee on Granada, got myself some mocha – whipped cream – flavored concoction and sat outside at one of the tables consuming calories and trying to calm down. Louise had been right—people do wacky things with a full moon.
When I felt sufficiently calm, I dialed Chadwick’s number and related the episode.
“Do you want me to come and be with you?” he asked.
I didn’t miss that his first concern was for me.
“No,” I mumbled.
“Well, Isabelle, you were talking about getting a dog for Haley.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t up to my mother to do that.”
“Maybe not,” he said. “But sometimes we have no control over those things. Sounds to me like it was love at first sight for your mom, Haley, and the puppies.”
When I didn’t respond, he said, “Maybe you need to lighten up a little with your mom. She was only trying to do the right thing.”
I felt my anger flare again. “Oh? And I wasn’t? So I’m the bad guy here?”
Before he had a chance to reply, I disconnected the call.
How had everything that had been going so well turned to total crap?
I sat there for at least
an hour nursing the remains of my coffee and thinking.
Getting up, I tossed the container into the trash, got into my car, and headed to Petco, where I purchased a fancy pink dog bed, packets of treats, and assorted puppy toys.
Louise was definitely right. People did wacky things at a full moon.
Chapter 36
The following week flew by. Grace, Lucas, and Solange arrived from France and were staying at a nearby hotel. Chloe and Henry were busy finishing up last-minute details for the wedding, and Mavis Anne, Yarrow, and I were keeping things going at the yarn and tea shop.
I hadn’t heard a word from my mother, but Mavis Anne mentioned she’d spoken to her and she was all set to work at the yarn shop the following Wednesday. I refused to think about how awkward that would be.
The only thing I cared about was that Chadwick and I were okay. I had called him back after I got home and apologized for my rudeness, and he accepted my apology.
When I had walked into the house with my offerings for Ginger, even Haley seemed to forgive my earlier words and behavior. I didn’t pay much attention to the puppy but had to admit that she didn’t seem to be causing any trouble. Haley assumed total responsibility for her care.
I awoke the morning of the wedding and was preparing the coffeemaker when I heard whining at my feet. Normally the puppy didn’t come downstairs until Haley did. Chloe had spent the night in her old room, wanting to stick to the tradition of the bride not seeing the groom before the ceremony, so I thought maybe she was up and heading into the kitchen. I also thought she could tend to the puppy.
But the whining continued and Chloe wasn’t coming.
I looked down at the pup. “You have to go out and pee, don’t you?”
More whining.
If she piddled on the floor it would be my own fault. So I bent down and scooped her up into my arms. I was surprised at how soft her fur was. She looked up at me with adoring eyes.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” I said. “I’m not won over that easily.”
I carried her outside to the garden, where she promptly squatted and peed.
I was foolishly pleased that I had been correct about what she wanted. I let her sniff a little while longer and then took her back inside.
After getting my mug of coffee, I took it into the living room and settled on the sofa. Ginger had followed me and was now sitting at my feet staring at me. She let out a couple of soft woofs.