by Julie
"You want to do what?" he'd asked when she'd broached the idea.
"I want to open a catering business. We've got this huge, beautiful kitchen I can work in. And I can buy an oversize freezer and refrigerator and put them in the pantry. It will be perfect."
"You have to get a permit or a license. A health inspector has to inspect the premises. There will be startup costs. You'll need a refrigerated van. You might even need help. Have you thought about any of that?"
She'd gotten angry then, which was unusual for her. She'd retorted, "Of course I've thought about all of that. I've even made up a business plan and enrolled in food-management courses at the college in San Antonio. I need training to get a permit. I'm not a child, Gareth. I have a brain, and common sense - and a knack for making creative food."
He'd frowned and run his hand through his thick, dark brown hair. "It would be a full-time job. You'll run yourself ragged working for me and doing that, too."
"I won't be doing both."
At that, he'd pinned her with his hazel eyes and asked, "Just what are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting you replace me. I'm sure an employment agency could find you the right office manager in a week."
"Are you serious about this?"
"Yes. I'm completely serious. I need to do this, Gareth. I like catering, and I want to do it as more than a pastime. I need something to fill my life when you're gone."
"Maybe we should have a baby," he'd suggested.
"If we had a baby, would you not travel as much?" Hope had blossomed in her heart at the thought.
"I'm a consultant. I go to companies who need me. That's not going to change."
So be it, she'd decided that night. Then something in her life had had to change. She'd ordered the freezer and the refrigerator that week and had started looking for a van. Gareth had separated himself from that whole process, and a week later began interviewing applicants to replace her as his office manager.
Now the phone rang, breaking the sequence of Laura's thoughts. Knowing her mother was probably involved with Tony in a discussion about the cell phone, Laura placed the floral picks on the table and went to the cordless phone on the counter.
When she picked it up, she said automatically, "Delicacies by Laura."
There was a heartbeat of silence, and then, "It's Gareth."
She knew the sound of his voice as well as she knew her own name. It always had the power to make butterflies dance in her stomach. But she didn't know if she did that to him. All the hours he worked... all the trips. Could he be having an affair? Her heart answered, No. Not Gareth. She believed her heart.
"I thought you were going to get some sleep." It was the first thing that came to her mind and she didn't analyze it before it came out.
"I couldn't sleep." His voice turned lighter. "Now, if you'd come home and crawl in beside me - "
"Gareth..." Sex between them had always been fiery and passionate and erotic. But in the last few months, even that had become matter-of-fact.
"I thought I'd try," he admitted.
"If you didn't sleep on the plane, you need to sleep now."
"I need to settle things between us more."
Running her finger along the edge of the counter, she murmured, "This has been building for a while. We can't fix it in a day."
"But we can fix it?" There was hope in his voice.
"I don't know." She thought about their baby, the love she still felt for him, and her throat closed around a huge lump.
"Laura?"
"Why did you call?" It was hard pushing the words out. She hadn't been ready to see Gareth earlier, but now she didn't want the call to end.
"Uncle Isaac's birthday is tomorrow."
She had it marked on her calendar. "I know. I promised to make him a carrot cake."
"He left a message on the machine here. He wants us to come over to his place. I called him, and apparently there's something he wants to show us. I told him I'd buy steaks and barbecue them on his grill. Are you going to come along?"
Her hesitation was momentary. "Yes, I'll come along. You know how important Uncle Isaac is to me." Gareth's uncle had filled a place in her life that her own father had left empty. When she was growing up and even now, she hardly ever saw her dad. He was always on call and spent nights at the hospital with critical patients. When Laura had met Gareth's uncle, she'd been comforted by his kindness. She loved Uncle Isaac as if he were her own uncle, and she wouldn't miss his birthday.
"I know he's important to you," Gareth said. "I have to go in to the office tomorrow, but I should be home by five o'clock. Will you still be at your mother's?"
She knew he wanted her to say she'd be coming home, but she couldn't. "Yes. I'll just make the carrot cake here. Is there anything else I can make?"
"That won't be necessary. We'll stop on the way to buy the steaks and anything else we need. I'll pick you up at five-thirty."
It was going to seem odd to have Gareth pick her up at her mother's, but it was silly for her to drive, too.
"Laura, when I was in Tokyo I faxed - " He stopped.
"What did you fax?"
"Never mind. It doesn't matter. I just want you to know this house is empty without you."
"The house was always empty without you." She couldn't help saying it because it was the truth.
After a throbbing silence, Gareth's voice lost its warmth. "I'll see you tomorrow at five-thirty."
"I'll be ready."
After she said it, she knew it was a lie. She wouldn't be ready to see him again. She wouldn't be ready to be cooped up in a car with him again. She wouldn't be ready to face her love for Gareth Manning along with her resentment and the knowledge she was carrying his baby, too.
She prayed this birthday party with Gareth's uncle would give her some answers, because she couldn't seem to find them on her own.
When Gareth picked her up on Monday evening, his luxury sedan looked as if it had just gone through a car wash. And he looked...
He'd gotten out of the car and was coming up the walk. His white-and-red-striped polo shirt made his shoulders look even broader. His black jeans made his legs look even longer. His precisely trimmed dark hair waved over his forehead, as if he'd taken a comb to it right after a shower. When he came close to her, he smelled of spicy aftershave, and she felt her resistance to the attraction between them melt. She wondered if her decision to stay with her mother had been the right one.
He wasn't smiling, though, and she wondered if he was thinking about their conversation last night and the truth that she'd put again in front of his nose.
"Let me take that." A gift bag dangled from her wrist. His hands went under the cake box to lift it from her arms.
The brush of his arm against hers sent a jolt through her. Her head jerked up, her eyes collided with his and she saw the desire there. She'd missed him so.
He'd said he'd missed her. But had he missed more than the sex between them? For the past few years that's all he'd seemed to want from her. It simply wasn't enough.
Her throat tightened as she took a step back.
"I was going to come in and say hi to Tony. He must be excited about graduating on Friday."
"He's out with friends. I came on out because..."
"Because?" Gareth prompted, holding eye contact.
"Because I knew if you came in, Mom would give us both the third degree."
"I've always held my own with your mother, Laura, and I don't have anything to argue about. I want you back home. Maybe she thinks that's where you should be?”
"What my mother thinks, and what I need, are two different things," she responded with spirit.
"I don't think we should be having this conversation out here over a box of carrot cake. Come on. We can talk in the car."
Agreeing with him this time, she followed him to the car. However, once inside, they didn't talk. There was strained silence, as if neither of the
m had any idea where to start. Before they knew it, twenty minutes had passed, and they were stopping at a grocery store. A short time later, they were pulling up in front of his uncle's house.
It was a small ranch house that was squeezed in between two other ranch houses. Live oaks lined the streets of the old neighborhood, and all the houses were well kept. As they walked up the curved concrete path, she knew Gareth would be pleased to see his uncle. Gareth didn't talk about his childhood much. His mother had died when he was around eight. For some reason his father had left Gareth with Isaac Manning. Gareth wouldn't talk about it. But she did know neither Isaac nor Gareth had heard from him for a couple of years now. The last note they'd received told them he was working on a fishing boat in Alaska.
When his uncle opened the door, he hugged Gareth, grocery bags and all. "Good to see you, boy. It's been forever." Then he leaned back and took a look at Laura. "You're looking mighty beautiful today."
She was wearing a green-flowered blouse and culottes and had to admit she had taken extra care with her appearance. She didn't know if Gareth had even noticed.
After a hug, she leaned back and grinned. "Here's your carrot cake. I think we should refrigerate it until dessert, though."
"No problem there. My refrigerator's empty. Gareth said he was bringing the groceries."
The small house was air-conditioned, and nothing had changed since the last time she'd been here. The tweed tan-and-brown sofa faced the TV. Gareth had bought his uncle one with a larger screen last Christmas. The pine tables, the tan recliner and anything else sitting about was more for convenience and comfort than any attempt to look stylish.
"We can stow these groceries," Uncle Isaac said, "then have supper out on the patio. Laura, why don't you go on out and look at my new rosebush. Tell me if you like the color."
After Laura slipped the cake into the refrigerator, then let herself out onto the patio, Gareth headed for the door. "I'll get the rest of the groceries."
"Wait a minute, boy."
Gareth looked over his shoulder at his uncle. "I know. You want to know about the Tokyo trip."
"Sure, I do. But even more, I want to know what's going on with you and Laura. What's the story, son?"
Chapter 2
"What makes you think something's wrong?" Gareth asked.
"All I have to do is take one look at you," Isaac offered. "Your feet are wide apart, your spine's as straight as a stick, your pride's sittin' on your shoulders as if it's waitin' to pour over."
Purposely, Gareth tried to relax. Did Laura see that same defensiveness in him? Was that another wall between them? "Laura went to stay with her mother when I was away, and now... she thinks we need some time apart." He said it as if he still couldn't believe it. He said it as if he was talking about another couple, not the two of them.
"And just what are you going to do about it?"
His uncle's question rankled because he hadn't figured out the answer yet. "I'm working on it."
"No, I don't think you are. You can't just argue with her about this. You've got to do something."
All of his life, Gareth had realized action was the best course. After his father had left him with his brother, Gareth had put all of his energy into making Isaac like him... making Isaac proud of him... making Isaac his friend as well as his guardian. He'd been proactive in his career, too, going after consulting contracts with plum companies. That had paid off, too. So now when his uncle talked about action, Gareth realized he needed a plan. But flowers, a date to a concert in San Antonio... those just didn't seem right. What did Laura want most of all? Day-to-day contact? That might be the place to start.
"We'll get over this bump in the road. Trust me."
His uncle slapped him on the back. "I do. You'll figure out what's right for you and her. But you'd better figure it out fast. The more time she's at her mother's, the worse it's going to get. Now, let's put those steaks on. I'm starved."
While Gareth barbecued the steaks, Laura set the redwood table on the covered patio with thick paper plates. As the meat sizzled, his uncle disappeared into the garage and Laura went inside to fix a salad. A few minutes later she returned.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
She hesitated a moment and then said brightly, "Sure. I'm going to put the candles on the cake and get it ready for after dinner."
Gareth didn't like the feeling that Laura was trying to elude him. He didn't like the stilted conversation between them. He didn't like the rock in the pit of his stomach that told him he'd better fix this situation fast.
Ten minutes later, he opened the kitchen door and found her still fiddling with the candles. Crossing to her, he dropped his arm around her shoulders. "That looks wonderful. I don't know if he'll have enough air to blow them out."
The contact of his fingers on her bare arm was instantaneously electric. The best thing they'd ever had going for them was the chemistry between them. Now he was going to have to use that to remind her why they'd gotten married.
She tensed, but she didn't pull away. "I'll help him if he runs out of steam," she said lightly.
"Is that the cake with the pineapple in it?" he asked.
"I like that recipe best."
Her body was so close to his that their body heat combined in the kitchen. The temperature kept going up as her perfume filled his nostrils, as the sweet femininity of her tempted him. Now he turned her to him, forgetting about the cake... forgetting the steaks on the table outside... forgetting his uncle was in the garage.
"I'm not sure we even said hello when I got home."
"No, we didn't," she agreed, her eyes going wide.
"There's more than one way to say hello."
As his arms went around her, the look in her eyes told him she wasn't going to resist. It told him she'd missed him, too. That missing had been a palpable ache in his chest that had gotten even worse when she'd said she was staying at her mother's. Now, as he bent his head slowly, he savored every nuance of anticipation.
Her long dark lashes fluttered down on her creamy skin. Her mouth parted ever so slightly for him. Her body swayed to meet his. Everything about Laura had always turned him on, and tonight was no exception. Although he was hungry for her, he wasn't going to rush, or take, or steal. Slowly, he nibbled her upper lip, realizing he wanted to give her so much pleasure she'd want the kiss to last all night. When his lips moved to the corner of her mouth and she gave a soft sigh, he knew he was creating the desired effect. Then he was laving her lower lip with his tongue. Her soft moan was the signal he needed. His teasing, kissing foreplay changed into something serious. When his lips sealed to hers, he took possession. As her arms went around his neck, his tongue seductively slid into her mouth. Her body was tight against his, familiar yet exciting, the same and yet different, arousing as it had been the very first time.
There were always fireworks when they kissed. That's what kept them coming back for more. He'd missed the fireworks, and her soft seduction, and the sounds she made when he pleased her.
Then, suddenly, Laura's arms slipped from his neck and she was pulling away. "Gareth, we can't do this." Her voice was shaky and her breathing was as uneven as his.
"Why not? We're even married." He tried to keep his voice light, teasing.
"We've always had chemistry. We both know that. But that's just going to confuse everything."
"Maybe it can make everything a lot clearer." He kept his tone even, wondering how she could deny what was so obvious to him - they belonged together.
However, she shook her head and moved to the screen door. "If the steaks are done, they're going to get cold."
"Damn the steaks, Laura! Aren't we just as important?"
"Right now, your uncle is the one who's important. It's his birthday, and I don't want to spoil it."
Just then his uncle emerged from the garage onto the patio and called into the kitchen, "The steaks look great. I have something to show you two when we're f
inished. You're going to love it."
Gareth raked his hand through his hair in frustration. Yes, they were going to celebrate his uncle's birthday tonight. But he was also going to figure out how to get Laura back into his arms.
*
At dinner, Laura sat next to Gareth on the bench across from Uncle Isaac. Her husband's kiss had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. The passion between them had always been a bonfire, and she'd known from the moment she'd first met him that they could be consumed by it. Tonight that bonfire had to be doused. She couldn't let it interfere with her logic and her feelings, and the direction she knew she and Gareth had to go. She had a baby to consider now and she couldn't be persuaded to overlook their problems because they were good together in bed. However, as they made conversation with Uncle Isaac, catching up on the latest trends in the supercenter where he worked as a department manager, she was aware that Gareth was attempting to remind her of the desire between them any way he could. He reached around her for a napkin on the back edge of the bench, his strong arm solid against her back. His shoulder brushed hers time and time again as he ate and they talked. When she tried to slow her heart rate, his knee grazed hers under the table as he reached for the steak sauce.
By the end of the main course, she hopped up from the bench, eager to get the cake, eager to make her escape.
"Need help?" he asked.
"Just hold the door," she murmured as she went inside and lit the candles - all sixty-three of them.
Isaac laughed when she set the cake in front of him. "You expect me to blow those out on my own?"
"Give it a try. I'll be right beside you if you need a little help."
From somewhere, Gareth produced a camera, and as she stood beside his uncle, he snapped one picture after another. Isaac had blown out all but three candles when she saw he needed help, leaned forward and puffed the last three out. She heard the shutter click again, and when she looked up, Gareth was studying her with such intensity, she felt her cheeks flush.