Thrill Me

by Susan Mallery

  “They’re going to be a great segment,” she said.

  “I agree.”

  He walked around to the passenger side of the truck and held open the door. When she went to step inside, he placed his hand on her arm.

  “It’s okay that we didn’t make it.”

  The unexpected comment caught her by surprise. She felt a quick jab of pain. Or maybe just loss. “I never gave us a chance. We can’t know what would have happened, although I have to admit, I don’t think our odds were great.”

  “Because you didn’t love me enough?”

  “No. You were never the problem. It was me. Until I moved to Fool’s Gold, I’d never seen a successful marriage. Except for the ones on TV and those weren’t real.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

  Of course he would have questions, she thought. Because as a teenager, she’d never told anyone the truth. Being honest came at too high a price. So she’d glossed over the ugly details, mentioning only that her dad was gone and her mother enjoyed having a kid.

  “My dad took off before I was born. My mom had a string of boyfriends, but none of them lasted. She didn’t have girlfriends she hung out with.” Her mouth twisted. “I had friends at school, but I wasn’t exactly the girl you invited home for a sleepover. I think I made the other parents nervous. So I didn’t get to see what normal was like until we moved here.”

  She squared her shoulders as she spoke, prepared to defend herself if necessary. Because you never knew.

  Instead of speaking, Del pulled her close for a brief hug. When he released her, he said lightly, “So you’re lucky I came along, huh? Learn from the best.”

  She groaned. “You have such an ego.”

  He winked. “Is that what we’re calling it? And thank you.”

  As quickly as that, equilibrium was restored. An impressive gift, she thought as she climbed into the passenger seat and he shut her door. Just one of many.

  * * *

  TWO DAYS LATER Maya sat at a big table at Jo’s Bar, enjoying lunch with the girls. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done anything like this. Sure, she and Phoebe ate lunch or dinner together. But that was just the two of them. In her world, Maya hadn’t had much in the way of group girlfriend plans.

  As she listened to the easy conversation going around the table, she wondered why that was. She supposed that a lot of her friends back in Los Angeles had also been competitors. No one had time for get-togethers. Or a willingness to get too friendly with someone who could steal your job. Or maybe it was a Fool’s Gold thing.

  There were seven of them around the table today. Madeline, a pretty blonde who was part-owner of Paper Moon—the local bridal gown boutique. Destiny, a recent transplant and songwriter, Bailey, the mayor’s assistant, Patience, the owner of Brew-haha and someone Maya remembered from when she’d been a teenager, Phoebe, and Dellina, Phoebe’s wedding planner and another local.

  “I swear it was him,” Madeline was saying. “In the flesh. I thought I was going to die.”

  “You sound like you’re fifteen,” Patience told her with a grin. “I said that with love, not judgment. Jonny Blaze, here in town? There’s going to be a lot of swooning.”

  “He’s so good-looking,” Madeline told them. “And that body. Those muscles are real.”

  “You want to trace every inch of them?” Maya asked, reaching for a chip from the large platter of nachos that had been delivered.

  “Twice!”

  Everyone laughed.

  Phoebe smiled at Madeline. “He’s very nice. Single, I think. Want me to introduce you?”

  Madeline shook her head. “That would ruin the fantasy. What if he’s not as great as I think he is?”

  “What if he’s better?” Maya asked.

  “Is that likely? I don’t think so.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Conversation flowed easily. Maya watched Phoebe chat with the other women and liked the changes she saw in her friend. Gone was the tension. Instead, her friend was relaxed and happy. Fool’s Gold looked good on her. Or maybe it was being in love with Zane. Because love sure brought a glow to Phoebe.

  Had she looked like that back when Del had been her world? Maya hoped so. Although she’d been terrified, she’d loved him as much as she’d been able. Certainly more than she’d ever loved another man.

  Working with him now was nice, she thought. Easier than she would have guessed. He was a good guy. Funny, charming, a fantastic kisser.

  Thinking about their kiss made her smile. If she couldn’t forget that chaste lip encounter, then she should be grateful he hadn’t taken things further. Had they done more, she would be so distracted she wouldn’t be able to get anything done.

  It wasn’t him, she told herself firmly. She’d just been too long without a good kissing. As soon as she got her act together and found a boyfriend, she would be fine. Or so she hoped. Because it would be foolish to still have a thing for Del. He was so over her as to practically think of her as his little sister. At least that was how he acted. Which was a good thing, right?

  She shook off Del thoughts and turned her attention back to the lunch conversation.

  “...super busy,” Dellina was saying. “We are a town that likes to party.”

  “Which makes you the person to call,” Phoebe told her. “I’m glad I was able to get you while you still had time.”

  “Me, too,” Dellina told her with a smile. “Weddings are my favorite.”

  “Do you have many this fall?” Maya asked.

  “No more than usual, but I sure have a ton going on over the holidays. The Hendrix family is planning a Christmas reunion blowout that is getting more complicated by the day. Score is being their usual PR selves and hosting a huge customer event in mid-December.”

  Patience laughed. “Ask your handsome husband to help with that one.”

  “Believe me, I will.”

  “When do you get to celebrate the holidays?” Maya asked. “It must be tough with so much going on.”

  “It is,” Dellina admitted. “Sam and I are going somewhere warm and beachy in mid-November. Before the madness strikes. No cell phones, no internet. I can’t wait.”

  Madeline sighed. “Sounds heavenly.”

  Maya leaned toward her. “What are the odds that you’re picturing Jonny Blaze on a beach right this second?”

  Madeline raised her eyebrows. “Excellent, in fact. The man moves me. It makes me shallow, but I can live with the flaw.”

  “I really can introduce you,” Phoebe said. “I think Jonny needs a nice girlfriend in his life. He doesn’t date much.”

  Patience grinned. “I’m not sure Madeline is interested in dating him.”

  Destiny turned to Maya. “I heard you used to live here. Back in high school. Is that right?”

  “Uh-huh. For a couple of years. My mom and I moved here from Las Vegas. There was some culture shock for sure.”

  “I would guess. Are you enjoying being back?”

  “Very much. I like the small town vibe.”

  “Me, too. I’m a recent transplant. There’s something about this town.”

  Patience leaned toward Maya. “I heard that Eddie and Gladys can’t do their butt contest anymore. Please say that isn’t true. I love the butt contest.”

  “Don’t tell them you love it,” Maya muttered. “I’m trying to get them under control.”

  “Good luck with that,” Dellina told her.

  “I love them, too,” Phoebe admitted. “They’re so adventurous. Remember how great they were on the cattle drive? They weren’t afraid of anything.”

  “You say that like it’s a good thing,” Maya told her, then sighed. She had a feeling there was no winning on the Eddie-Gladys front. They
were like bad weather. Easier to hunker down and endure than try to fight the inevitable.

  “Oh, I heard you’re going to help out with the Saplings,” Patience said. “That’s so great.”

  It took Maya a second to figure out what the other woman was talking about. Because she had no plans to help with trees.

  “You mean the little girls in the Future Warriors of the Máa-zib?” Maya asked. “Yes, I was asked to give a talk on how to use a camera.”

  Patience smiled. “I know. My daughter is a Sapling now and you’ll be talking to her grove. The first year they start out as Acorns. The second year they’re Sprouts, then Saplings and so on. We’re all excited about the afternoon. It’ll be fun.”

  “I hope so,” Maya murmured, thinking she wasn’t sure she was qualified to teach several eight-year-olds how to do anything, but she would do her best.

  * * *

  DEL STUDIED THE two paths that cut through the forest. The one on the left headed straight up the hillside and looked a lot less used. As he wasn’t looking for company, he picked that one.

  The afternoon was clear and warm. Although it was still technically summer, he’d seen more than a few leaves had started to turn. In a month or two the whole mountainside would be red and gold with changing leaves. A beautiful sight he wouldn’t be around to see.

  While he was glad he’d decided to come home to see his family he couldn’t say he would be sorry to leave. He was already feeling restless. There was a whole world out there and he needed to be in it. The only question was what to do with himself when he got there.

  Even as he turned over possibilities, he found himself feeling he should talk to Maya. She would have a sensible solution. Or if not, she would be willing to brainstorm with him. She was smart, with enough creativity to keep her interesting.

  Thinking about Maya meant remembering their last conversation. When she’d admitted never seeing a successful romantic relationship until moving to town.

  He’d grown up with parents who were embarrassingly in love with each other. Even when he hadn’t understood why his mother put up with his father’s drinking and moodiness, he’d never questioned her devotion to him or Ceallach’s to his wife. They were a single unit made up of two halves. Like a coin. Without one, there couldn’t be the other.

  He might not be interested in a traditional relationship for himself, but—

  Del circled around a tree and paused to grab his water bottle. There was no point in lying to himself. He did want something traditional. Maybe not exactly what his parents had—he wanted a relationship of equals—but still, the together forever appealed.

  He supposed in his and Maya’s case, they’d both been too young. She’d been dealing with things he couldn’t possibly have understood. She’d reacted to her feelings and he’d been caught in the fallout. With Hyacinth, well, he’d chosen badly there.

  Which left him with a problem. He knew he wasn’t the kind of man who would be comfortable in one place for very long. He wouldn’t mind a home base, as long as he didn’t have to spend much time there. But how was he supposed to find someone who shared that dream with him? Hell, he couldn’t even figure out what to do with his life, let alone find his damn soul mate.

  He dropped the water bottle into his backpack and continued up the trail. The path was rocky and steep, just challenging enough to be interesting. The hike might take longer than he’d planned, but he had plenty of time. Not to mention GPS so he wouldn’t get lost. One of the advantages of the new search-and-rescue program was cell towers all over the mountains. With a smartphone even the most tenderfooted of tourists should manage to find his or her way back to civilization.

  Or not, he thought humorously, considering how many search-and-rescue calls there had been this summer.

  He wondered if he and Maya should talk about interviewing the search-and-rescue people for their videos. Although maybe talking about getting lost wasn’t good for tourism. He knew Maya would get the humor of it, though. She always did.

  He thought about what she’d told him. Although he believed her, he had trouble imagining what it must have been like never to have seen two adults in a happy relationship. No wonder she hadn’t been able to deal with the two of them falling in love. Her past also explained her close relationship with his mother.

  After he and Maya had broken up, he’d thought it was strange that she stayed in touch with Elaine. Now he knew it had something to do with her upbringing. Elaine would have provided stability and caring—two things Maya would have needed. She would have been the nurturing mother Maya had never had.

  Maya could have told him the truth, he thought. Been honest. He would have understood. But she’d held back and they’d never had a chance. Ironic that the first woman he fell for kept just as many secrets as his family did. Was there anybody out there who told the truth? Although he supposed he was being hard on Maya. She’d been a kid and scared.

  How would things have been different if he’d known she was afraid? If he’d been able to see her breakup as fear talking rather than her heart? Would he have been able to explain that to her? Would she have listened? Told him what she was thinking and feeling? And to what end? Could they have made it, like the old people on the mountain?

  Questions that would never have an answer, he told himself. What was done was done.

  He continued to head up the mountain. About a half hour later, he paused as he heard an unusual sound. It was man-made. A chain saw? Del swore. Was some moron illegally cutting down trees?

  He turned toward the noise. Following it was easy. Fifteen minutes later, he stepped into a clearing and stumbled to a stop. The grinding, biting sound did come from a chain saw, but the person wielding it wasn’t cutting down trees. And he wasn’t a stranger. Del stared as his brother Nick used the machine to make unbelievably delicate cuts in a trunk that had to be at least ten feet high.

  Nick was wearing goggles and gloves to protect his eyes, hands and forearms. He stood on a nest of sawdust. Although it was too soon for Del to know what the sculpture was going to be, he knew it would be huge.

  Behind his brother he saw a tall building. Wide double doors stood open and inside were dozens of completed sculptures. Bears and deer, each so lifelike that it seemed any one of them could take a single step and be alive. He saw a dancing girl, standing en pointe, her arms held above her head. A woman holding a baby in her arms.

  The work was brilliant, and more impressive considering the medium and how the sculptures were achieved.

  He thought about his father’s criticism that Nick was ignoring his gift and knew the old man was wrong. Which meant Nick hadn’t told him what he was doing. Based on the location of his work space, Del wondered if anyone knew what was going on.

  Slowly, carefully, he backed up until he was in the brush again, then turned into the forest and continued on with his hike. He wasn’t sure if he was going to confront his brother about what he’d seen or let it go. Because not telling anyone was kind of a Mitchell tradition.

  * * *

  MAYA HAD NEVER had a garden before. Her apartment in Los Angeles had come with a tiny balcony that she’d never once used. Her office had windows and a view, but she’d never been in it long enough to consider a houseplant of any kind. But now that she had a house, she was determined to make the plant thing work.

  Her rental came with a perfectly nice yard. There was a lawn, along with hedges and other green plant things. But there weren’t any flowers. So her first week in town she’d gone to Plants for the Planet—a local nursery. She’d bought three big pots and flowers to go in them. The lady at the nursery had promised geraniums couldn’t be killed, so Maya had chosen them.

  Now, in the quiet of the evening, she carefully watered her plants. It had been warm and she didn’t want them dying from the heat.

  So far the week had bee
n a good one, she thought. She and Del had made progress on the videos, she was caught up in her other work and the house was ready for Elaine to spend a couple of days with her after her surgery in the morning.

  As soon as she thought of Elaine, she felt tension in her body. Not only worry about the cancer, but a sense of foreboding about keeping the secret. While she respected Elaine’s reasons, Maya knew in her gut the other woman was wrong not to tell her family. They loved her. They would want to be there for her. Sure Ceallach could be difficult, but as much as he was an artist, his wife was his world. He would be devastated when he finally found out what she’d kept from him.

  Maya also knew that she could offer advice, but ultimately the decision was Elaine’s. Maya would be her friend, help where she could and do her best to keep her mouth shut about the rest of it.

  Which was what friends did, she reminded herself. This was what she’d come home for. Plants to be watered, friends to hang with. There was a rhythm to her days that was a lot less frantic than it had been back in Los Angeles.

  She finished and went back inside. She had her favorite shows she’d recorded and there was a book she’d been wanting to read. But instead of reaching for either, she crossed to the small built-in bookcase and pulled out a worn scrapbook. She settled on the sofa, sat cross-legged and opened the book.

  She’d been seven or eight when she’d started the scrapbook and she thought maybe she’d put in the last pictures when she’d been in her early twenties. Probably right after college.

  The pages were simple. They were covered with pictures of places in the world she wanted to go. The first choices were obvious. Paris was represented by the Eiffel Tower. London by Buckingham Palace. But as she’d gotten older, her dream destinations had grown little more unexpected. There was a photograph of a café outside of a mountain village in Peru. The shore of the Galápagos Islands. She’d always planned to get there.

  But working in local television didn’t exactly lend itself to exotic travel. Vacation plans were often disrupted by unexpected events. She hadn’t minded so much when there was actual news, but she’d had to cut short a trip once because of a rumor that Jennifer Aniston got engaged.