Not at Eight, Darling

by Sherryl Woods

  She stood before them, determined not to let them see the extent of her own private pain. She clenched her hands together behind her back and fought to keep her voice under control.

  “I asked Dani to gather you all together for a few minutes so I could tell you personally how proud I am of each and every one of you,” she said, as Melinda sniffed and tears rolled unchecked down the cheeks of several others. Even Dani, who had remained calm for her sake earlier, was now misty-eyed. Barrie’s voice almost broke, but she quickly regained her composure and spoke from her heart.

  “We tried to do something special with Goodbye, Again and I think we accomplished what we set out to do. I’m only sorry that more people didn’t see it, that the network didn’t give us a chance to prove ourselves.

  “I don’t want any of you to regard this as a failure. Creatively, Goodbye, Again was the very best it could be, and your individual contributions made it that way. As you all know, this series was very special to me, and I will miss working on it. I will miss working with each of you.”

  She tried a wobbly smile. “But you all know television by now. We may be back together in a few months with something else even more exciting and challenging. I hope so. But whatever happens, I know that you all will go on to do great things. You’re much too talented not to.”

  Her voice broke then and, despite her most valiant efforts, tears streamed down her face. “Thank you. I love you,” she managed at last and then turned and walked briskly away. Someone started to clap behind her, and then they were all clapping. The swell of sound followed her as she went, sobbing, into her office and closed the door.

  The memory of that moment of heartfelt love and support sustained her for the next few days as she sat in her apartment or walked alone on the beach to try to decide what she wanted to do next. Although her answering service had given her message after message from Michael, she had ignored them all. There was nothing he could say now that could possibly make a difference.

  Only Dani had been allowed to disrupt her self-imposed isolation, and Barrie nearly regretted it each time she allowed her to visit. Not that she could have stopped her. Once Danielle started on a crusade, it would be like trying to halt a runaway freight train. Now her friend had the uncomfortable habit of bringing Michael’s name into every conversation, ignoring her pleas to pretend that the man had disappeared off the face of the earth.

  “He hasn’t gone anywhere,” Danielle retorted. “He is very much alive and, unless I miss my guess, very much in love with you.”

  “He had a charming way of showing it.”

  “The man made a mistake.”

  “I’ll say.”

  “Barrie, you know what they say about forgiveness.”

  “That it’s divine? I’m not feeling very divine right now. How can you even suggest that I just pretend this never happened?” she demanded. “The man ruined my life.”

  Danielle picked up a stack of messages, most of them from network officials and other producers, all seeking a meeting with her to talk over new projects. “It doesn’t appear to me that your life is ruined. There are probably a dozen solid offers waiting for you right now. You told the cast they had a future in this business. So do you.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “What are you interested in then? You’re not eating. You’re not sleeping. You’re not even seeing anyone but me….”

  “Which I occasionally regret.”

  “Go ahead. Be rotten. But I’m not leaving you to work through this alone. I’m going to stay right here nudging you until you decide to get on with your life.”

  Barrie threw up her hands. “You are impossible.”

  “I am your friend. Now tell me, what are you interested in?”

  “I’m thinking about moving to Des Moines and opening a dress shop. I think that’s about as much excitement as my psyche can handle from now on.”

  Danielle nodded wisely. “That certainly makes a lot of sense. You hate cold weather. You’ve never been to Des Moines, and you have absolutely no idea how to run a business.”

  “If I can bring a television show in on schedule and under budget, surely I can pick out a few nice dresses, hang them on racks and sell them.”

  “And be bored to tears in the process.”

  Barrie gave her a smug grin. “Not when I am married to the man of my dreams.”

  “Oh? Is there something you haven’t mentioned to me? Is Michael retiring to Des Moines, as well?”

  “No. But surely there’s some nice, quiet, sane man who’d be willing to take me on. I was thinking along the lines of the strong, silent type. Maybe a history professor who wears tweed jackets with those nice suede patches on the sleeves. It would be wonderful if he smoked a pipe. They smell good.”

  “Ah, I can see it now. Long evenings in front of the fire, watching nature shows on educational television. Long walks in the snow.”

  “No snow,” Barrie said adamantly. “I hate snow.”

  “Then you’d better rethink your plan and move to Phoenix. Unless you plan to spend several months of the year indoors.”

  “Okay, okay,” Barrie grumbled. “So Des Moines is a lousy idea, but I want something like that. I can’t take any more of this glitzy roller-coaster existence out here.”

  “Sweetie, you thrive on this roller-coaster existence. You couldn’t wait to get your first show so you could climb on.”

  “And now I’ve had it, and the ride was not all it was cracked up to be.”

  “The ride was exactly what you knew it would be,” Danielle corrected her. “Bumpy, but exhilarating. Michael Compton is the real problem. He was the wild hairpin turn in the track you hadn’t counted on. And you can run to Des Moines or Peking, for that matter, and you won’t be far enough away to escape from that memory. The man has a hold on you, and you might as well admit it.”

  Barrie stared at her helplessly. She knew that what Danielle had said was true. As furious as she was with Michael, she hadn’t been able to banish him from her mind. His face taunted her every time she closed her eyes. Even her morning shower could not provide safe harbor. The water gliding over her body reminded her of his gentle touch and aroused in her an aching memory.

  “Is he back yet?” she asked at last.

  “He’s due in tonight.”

  “My, my. You’ve certainly kept abreast of the latest developments. Do you have his complete itinerary?”

  “Nope,” Danielle responded cheerfully, refusing to take offense at the taunt. “Just the salient points. Since you refuse to talk to him, I seem to be the next best thing.”

  “Perhaps you should go out with him, then,” Barrie said dryly, though a twinge of jealousy made her practically choke on the suggestion. “You seem to get along well enough, and you’re obviously more forgiving than I.”

  “Sweetie, I’m not about to be second best in anybody’s life. And you ought to be thanking your lucky stars that a man like Michael, who is so absolutely perfect for you, seems to think you’re better than rum-raisin ice cream.”

  “I should hope so,” Barrie retorted with a grimace.

  “I like rum-raisin ice cream.”

  “Your taste buds have been warped.”

  “That’s beside the point. When Michael gets back here, you ought to see him. The two of you can still work things out, if you’ll keep that stubborn pride of yours in check.”

  Barrie sighed. “We’ll see.”

  Danielle beamed in satisfaction. “Progress at last. I’d better get out of here while I’m still ahead for the day.”

  “Good idea.”

  Barrie spent the rest of the day walking the beach under a gray sky that perfectly suited her mood. Danielle had been right about one thing—probably more than one, but it would never do to give her too much credit—she couldn’t go on like this. She was not only miserable, she was already bored. She needed to get back to work, and a dress shop in Des Moines or anyplace else was no answer. Deep down she knew that, th
ough the idea had seemed attractively safe and serene for a few fleeting minutes in the emotional aftermath of the cancellation.

  Back in her apartment, she pulled out the file cards on which she jotted notes to herself about possible new shows. Sometimes it was only a character description, sometimes a setting, sometimes a business that seemed like a unique backdrop for some crazy characters. As she sorted through them, she began making more notes, chuckling to herself at some of the possibilities, discarding others.

  After an hour of examining all the cards several times, she kept coming back to one. The show would feature a successful workaholic father and a career-oriented mother. Their independent teenage kids would be in the throes of rebellion over having spent their entire adolescence cutting grass, cooking dinner and doing the grocery shopping. And, she thought with a wry chuckle, there might be room in this one for a sheepdog.

  When the doorbell rang, she was just envisioning the fluffy beast on the kitchen floor as the kids tried to wax around him. Or maybe even tried to use him as a mop. Her heartbeat seemed to stop as the doorbell chimed again. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind about who it was. Michael’s timing was always impeccable. She was about to create a show with a blasted sheepdog, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on it.

  When she opened the door, she stood staring at him silently for a moment. He looked terrible. He was drawn and pale, his eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep, his cheeks shadowed with the beginning of a beard. Even the dimple in his chin seemed downcast. Despite his appearance, her heart readily flipped over.

  “Rough flight?” she asked tartly.

  “No. The flight was just fine,” he responded wearily, brushing past her. “We have to talk.”

  “Don’t you think we’re having this conversation about a week too late?”

  “Probably. But the fact remains that since we didn’t we’re going to have it now.” Barrie watched in amazement as he poured himself a glass of Scotch. He must be nervous. She’d never seen him drink anything much stronger than wine.

  “For a man who’s trying to worm his way back into my good graces, you’re being awfully dictatorial,” she taunted lightly. “You might want to revise your tactics.”

  His lips twitched with a tiny smile. “A week ago I was more than willing to be contrite and apologetic. A few days ago I was ready to be charming and win you back. Now you’re lucky I don’t turn you over my knee and spank you.”

  Barrie stared at him. He was perfectly serious. She inched a step or two backward and tried to maintain a light, thoughtful tone. “Brute force would be an interesting approach to resolving the problem.”

  “It works with kids when they get out of line.”

  “I’m no kid.”

  “But you’ve been behaving like one.”

  Barrie’s eyes widened incredulously. “You have the nerve to say that to me after what you’ve done?”

  “I made a lousy mistake of timing, and the one person I care most about in the world got hurt in the process. I’m sorry. I’ve told you that. I don’t know how else to say it. By the time I realized those stories were going into print, it was too late.”

  “You could have told me when you first made the decision.”

  “That’s just it,” he said, running his fingers through his hair nervously. “I didn’t make the decision. It was made in New York. I was flying there to try to talk them out of it. I wanted to move the show and give it another chance. I thought the changes you had made…”

  “We had made,” Barrie murmured distractedly as she focused on what he had just said. It hadn’t been his decision at all. He had wanted to save the show. Knowing that suddenly seemed to make all the difference.

  “Whatever. I thought they were working and that the show was finally on the right track. I thought a new time slot would bring in a new audience to sample it.”

  Barrie sat down next to him, her heart lighter. “You were really going to do that?” she said softly. “You were going to bat for us?”

  “I wanted to. I was overruled. And before I could talk to them about the revised schedule I had in mind, the stories broke. By then it was too late.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

  He stared at her indignantly. “How was I supposed to do that? Leave a message with your answering service?”

  “You could have told Danielle.”

  “I did.”

  “She never said a word.”

  “I asked her not to. I told her because I needed her on my side, but I wanted to be the one to tell you myself.”

  Barrie threw her arms around Michael’s neck and hugged him, her lips brushing a kiss across the stubble on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For believing in Goodbye, Again.”

  “I told you from the beginning that I believed in it, just the way I’ve been telling you that I believe in us.”

  Barrie took a deep breath and said softly, “You said something like that on the phone the other day. Did you mean it?”

  Michael grinned at her wickedly. “You didn’t give me the chance to say much. What especially are you referring to?”

  She poked him in the ribs. “You know very well what I mean. Don’t make me say it.”

  “Why not? I think you owe me that much for you evident lack of faith. What did I say?”

  “Blast you, Michael Compton. You’re taking all the romance out of this.”

  “Out of what?” he taunted innocently.

  “Your damn marriage proposal. You asked me to marry you.”

  “I did? Gee, I must have been in a daze.”

  “Are you in a daze now?”

  “No.”

  “Well, then?”

  “Okay,” he relented at last, cupping her chin in his hand and tilting her head until he could look directly into her hopeful brown eyes. “I love you, Barrie MacDonald. Will you marry me?”

  She sighed and smiled contentedly. “Yes,” she promised. “On one condition.”

  Michael’s brows flew up. “My God, is this going to be anything like negotiating a contract?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Should we call your agent?”

  “Oh, I think I can look out for my own interests on this one.”

  “So what’s the condition?”

  “That you will never, never say goodbye again.”

  He grinned at her. “That’s going to make it tough to leave for work in the morning.”

  “Don’t go,” she suggested, her fingers exploring the inside of his thighs until he moaned softly. “I can keep you occupied.”

  “We’ll be poor.”

  “We’ll be happy.”

  “We’ll be bored.”

  She looked at him askance and intensified her touch. “Oh, really?”

  He groaned. “Forget bored.”

  “Is it a promise? You’ll never leave me again.”

  “I will never leave you again,” he vowed solemnly, his lips hungrily capturing hers.

  When his tongue teased against her lips, then dipped inside for a taste of honeyed sweetness, Barrie groaned, too, and melted into Michael’s arms. But when his touch became increasingly more intimate as his fingers explored her shoulders, the tips of her breasts, her already throbbing abdomen, she couldn’t resist pulling away to note in a prim, shocked tone, “Michael, it is barely eight o’clock. Don’t you think you’re getting a little carried away for this particular time slot?”

  “You’re sophisticated enough for what I have in mind at any hour,” he retorted dryly. “Besides, we’re not on television.”

  “Thank goodness,” Barrie replied, moving back into his embrace.

  “Thank goodness,” he echoed.

  * * * * *

  “Sherryl Woods writes emotionally satisfying novels about family, friendship and home. Truly feel-great reads!”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

  Looking for more great t
itles from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods? Download the complete Calamity Janes collection today for unforgettable stories of fierce friends facing challenges in life and love:

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  The Calamity Janes: Gina & Emma

  The Calamity Janes: Lauren (August 2015)

  Also available in ebook, discover the incredible Devaney Brothers collection and enjoy the heartfelt tale of five brothers torn apart in childhood, who are ultimately reunited by love:

  The Devaney Brothers: Ryan & Sean

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  Catch up with the O’Brien family in Chesapeake Shores, where stories of friendship, family and love await. You may never want to leave!

  The Inn at Eagle Point

  Flowers on Main

  Harbor Lights

  A Chesapeake Shores Christmas

  Driftwood Cottage

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  Beach Lane

  An O’Brien Family Christmas

  The Summer Garden

  A Seaside Christmas

  The Christmas Bouquet

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  Sweet Tea at Sunrise

  Honeysuckle Summer

  Midnight Promises

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