by Tina Beckett
‘Not a problem.’
Together he and the boy made their way into the dining room. It looked the same as it always had, polished cherry table laid with glistening china and silver for the meal they would be having later. Gloria had never been worried about breakage, even with such a large and active family. His own mum had rarely set out the good china.
‘There’s the basket, Nate. Let’s see if Mum was right.’
A white wicker chest was pushed against a wall, a large contingent of photographs flowing up and around it until they filled the space with black and white images.
Above the pictures ornate black letters gave a message to all who dined there.
In Stormy Seas,
Family Is A Sheltered Cove.
And it was. This family represented safety. Too many faces to count, but there must have been thirty frames, each telling a story. The birth of a child. The winning of trophies. The weddings of each of the girls. Jessica and Walter, Paula and Mark, Mallory and Stewart...
No. His heart caught on a stuttered beat, and he couldn’t stop himself from moving closer. Annabelle and Max.
That day was pinned in his memory, superseding even his most recent ones. Anna, fresh from his kiss, was staring up at him with eyes filled with love. And he was... He had his arm wrapped around her waist as if he was afraid she might wander away from him if he didn’t keep her close.
And she had. They’d both wandered.
Annabelle said she hadn’t told her parents about the divorce. He wasn’t sure if Gloria just hadn’t had a picture to replace this one with, or if she’d left it up in hopes that one day he and her daughter might mend their fences and get back together.
Little did she know that those fences had been irrevocably broken. His gaze moved over the rest of the pictures. There were no others of them. Maybe because they hadn’t had all that much to celebrate during their marriage.
Part of that was his fault. They’d been fixated on having a baby for so long, they’d never made time to look at the other things they’d shared.
A small hand tugged on his. ‘My ball? In basket.’
That was right. He’d forgotten about Nate and his ball. Forcing the lump in his throat to shift to the side, he gave the child a smile. ‘Let’s see if it’s where Mum said it was.’
He opened the basket to find children’s toys of every shape and size. Gloria must keep them for all of the grandkids to play with while they visited. And all of Annabelle’s sisters now had children. Except for her.
He glanced through the doorway to see her still helping to decorate the tree, laughing at something someone had said. She was truly beautiful. Inside and out.
She seemed to have made her peace with not having kids. At least from what he could tell. So maybe it was time for him to accept that as well and start finding the joy in life. Turning back to his task, he found Nate trying to lean over the basket to get a green spongy ball the size of a football. ‘Is that it, buddy?’
Grabbing the object from the chest, he handed it to Nate, who let go of his hand and gripped the item to his chest. ‘Ball!’
‘I guess we got the right one. Watch your fingers.’ He carefully lowered the lid and latched it to keep small hands from getting pinched. They made their way back to the room and Nate went straight to Jessica, showing her his prize.
‘Wonderful. You’ve found it!’ She glanced up at Max with a mouthed, ‘Thank you.’
He gave her a nod in return. Annabelle handed an ornament to her dad, who still stood ramrod straight and tall, probably from his days in the military. He gave her a quick hug and took the item, stretching up to put it on the very top of the tree. The man then turned towards the rest of the people assembled. ‘Shall we light it before Annie and Max have to leave?’
A roared ‘Yes!’ went up from all the kids, making the adults smile. He glanced at his watch. Seven-thirty. The gala started in half an hour, so they did need to leave soon, since the party was on the other side of the city.
Annabelle came over to stand beside him.
With the flick of a switch all the lights in the living room went off, leaving them in darkness. An affected ‘oooooh’ went up from the people gathered there.
Max stood there, the urge to put his arm around Anna’s waist almost irresistible. The way he’d done in years past. He fought it for a moment or two, then gave up. His contract wasn’t for ever. Once Sienna came back from maternity leave, he would be on his way again. So why not do this while he still could?
He slid his hand across the small of her back, the warm bare skin just above the edge of the fabric brushing against his thumb. Curving his fingers around the side of her waist, he was surprised when she reciprocated, her arm gliding around his back, leaning into him slightly as she smiled at something else her father was saying.
Then, just as suddenly as the overhead lights had been turned off, another set of lights flicked on. Swathed in layers of tiny glowing bulbs, the Christmas tree lit up the whole room like magic.
Not ‘like’ magic. It was magic. The tree. The night. The family. It was as if he’d never left three years ago. He didn’t know whether to be glad or horrified. Had he not moved forward even a little?
No, he’d done nothing to forge a life without Anna. But he needed to either do just that, or...
Or try to do something to make things right between them.
Only, Max wasn’t sure that was a good idea. They’d wounded each other without even trying. Wouldn’t they just take up where they’d left off and do it all over again, if given half a chance? Wouldn’t she ask him to leave once again?
He didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted to live here in this moment. Surrounded by Annabelle’s family and the life and love they shared between them.
Except they needed to leave, if they were going to make it to the gala in time.
As if reading his thoughts, Annabelle looked up at him, her eyes shining with a strange glow that was probably due to the lights on the tree. ‘We should go.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay here and eat with your family?’
She lifted a handful of the fabric of her dress. ‘We got all dressed up, so let’s just enjoy the night. Okay? No expectations. No preconceived ideas.’
That shocked him. Annabelle was by nature a rigid planner. The attempts to get pregnant had been accomplished with clinical precision—the spontaneity wiped out more and more with each new wave of treatment.
If she hadn’t just said those last words, he would have assumed she was following through with what they’d planned to do. But something about the way she said it...
Well, if that was what she wanted, who was Max to disagree? And maybe it was the twinkle lights messing with some rational part of his brain, or the fact that her dress clung in all the right places, but he suddenly wanted to have Annabelle all to himself.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE GALA HAD some twinkle lights of its own. Everywhere she looked there were signs of Christmas. From the garland-draped refreshment tables to the large ornate tree in the corner, filled with presents. Those boxes, mostly filled with toys and hygiene supplies, would make their way to needy kids all over the globe. Max had brought a small gift too, placing it gently under the tree.
‘What is it?’
‘A couple of toy cars.’ He smiled at her. ‘Not very practical.’
She smiled back at him, touched by his thoughtfulness. ‘Some little boy is going to love it. Especially since it’s not practical.’
When Max had suggested staying at her parents’ house, she’d heard what she thought was a note of yearning in his voice. She’d been so tempted to just fall back into old patterns, but her parents might have started asking some harder questions if they’d stayed for the meal. Questions she didn’t have the answe
rs to. Or maybe she simply hadn’t wanted to face those answers.
So here she was, with her ex-husband, at a party. And she had no idea what she was going to do about him.
No expectations. Wasn’t that what she’d said?
Yes. So she was simply going to enjoy this night. Max was right. She’d worked herself into the ground over the last couple of weeks. Didn’t she deserve to just let her hair down and have a little fun? He’d suggested using this time to celebrate Hope’s successful surgery, so she would. And maybe she’d even send a wish up to the universe that the baby have a long and happy life.
That was what she’d do. She’d worry about what happened tomorrow when it came.
But for now, they had the whole evening in front of them, and she intended to enjoy it.
‘Do you want something to drink?’ Max’s voice brought her back from wherever she’d gone.
‘I’d love a glass of red wine, if they have it.’
‘Wait right here. I’ll go and see.’
He went off in the direction of the bar where there was quite a large crowd waiting to get something. He’d be up there for a while. She took the opportunity to study her surroundings.
Were all of these people doctors who volunteered with the organisation? Surely not. Some of them must just be donors who were here to pledge their support. Or people like her who simply wanted to know more about what happened in the places those volunteers served.
A leader board hovered over the raised platform to the left. Annabelle assumed they would unveil an amount at the end of the evening. There were also wooden boxes at all of the doors where you could drop in either a pledge card or a one-time donation. She’d gone to do just that when they’d arrived at the building, but Max had stopped her. ‘I didn’t bring you here for that.’
‘I know you didn’t.’
She’d wanted to give. Annabelle had often thought of going on one of the medical missions with the organisation, but, once she and Max had separated, the idea had been put on a back burner. Maybe she should rethink that. She glanced at the bar again. He was still waiting so maybe she could find some more information in the meantime.
She took the opportunity to move over to one of the doors where the boxes were, along with some colourful brochures about the organisation. Taking her purse out of her clutch bag, she pulled out several notes and dropped them into the slot of the box in front of her, then she went to peruse the pamphlets.
‘What can I help you with?’ A voice to her right made her look up.
A man in a tuxedo stood there, hand outstretched. ‘I’m Dale Gerrard.’ He flashed a set of very white teeth. ‘I should warn you that I’m a recruiting agent for Doctors Without Borders. And I’m very good at my job. Are you in the medical profession?’
‘I’m a nurse.’ She accepted his handshake, although it felt weird doing so with her long white gloves in place.
The man epitomised the meaning of ‘tall, dark and handsome.’ With raven-black hair and tanned skin, he probably had more than his share of female admirers. He smiled again, giving her hand a slight squeeze before releasing it. ‘Have you been on a mission with us before?’
‘No. But I’ve thought about it in the past.’
‘Really?’ His level of interest went up a couple of notches. ‘What stopped you?’
And that was something she wasn’t about to tell him. It was too personal. And too painful. She glanced back at the line. Max was still over there. But just as she caught sight of him he suddenly turned, his eyes sweeping the crowd. Probably wondering where she’d gone.
And then he saw her. Just as the man next to her touched her arm to get her attention. Even from this distance she saw Max’s brows pull together.
She looked away in a hurry, trying to focus on what the person beside her was saying. He was trying to hand her a clipboard and a pen.
Taking it with fingers that suddenly shook, she tried to corral her emotions. So what if Max had seen her? Surely he didn’t think she’d stood around pining for him year after year.
What had started off as an enjoyable evening morphed into something different as a wave of irritation slithered through her innards. They weren’t together any more, so Max had no say in her life. None.
Lifting her chin, she focused again on the man next to her. ‘Yes, I would love to fill one out.’
‘Great. Why don’t you come behind the table with me and you can have a seat while you do?’
So Annabelle did just that, following Dale around the edge of the table where there was a line of seats, although no other representatives were there at the moment.
She sat down, suddenly glad to let her shaking legs have a break. Then she ducked her head and did her best to concentrate on the questions on the form, filling them in and hoping that Max didn’t storm over here and embarrass her.
He wouldn’t.
Her ex had never been a particularly jealous type. And there was no reason for him to start now. Especially since they were no longer a couple.
She was scribbling something in the box of the sixth question when a glass of red wine appeared in front of her. Swallowing hard, she glanced up. How had he got back that fast?
Sure enough, Max was standing in front of the table, taking a sip of whatever amber liquid was in his glass. ‘Are you thinking of going on a medical mission?’
‘I... Well, I...’
Dale, probably realising something was amiss, smoothly filled in the blanks. ‘Annabelle was filling out a form to get more information on what we do.’ He glided to his feet and offered his hand. ‘I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Dale—’
‘I remember you. You were in Sudan with me two years back.’
‘That’s right. I haven’t been back in a while. I’m doing recruiting work now.’
Max was gracious enough to smile at the man. ‘And you’re doing a great job of it, from what I can see.’
Looking from one to the other of them, Dale thanked him, and then said, ‘I take it you two know each other.’
‘You could say that.’ His smile grew. ‘Annabelle and I are married.’
‘You’re...’ All the colour leached out of the man’s face, leaving it a sickly grey colour. ‘I didn’t realise...’ He glanced down at the form she was filling out. She had indeed put Annabelle Ainsley. She’d thought about using her maiden name, like at the hospital, but Ainsley had just seemed to flow out of the pen of its own accord. She had no idea why, but right now she could clobber Max for making this poor man feel like an idiot. Except a tiny part of her wondered why he’d spoken up and claimed she was his wife. He could have just played it off with a laugh and said that, yes, they knew each other from long ago. It would have been the truth, and it might have saved everyone some embarrassment. And yet he hadn’t. He’d spoken the truth, without actually speaking it. Because they had not been husband and wife for almost three years.
Dale recovered, though. ‘Well, maybe you can go on the next mission together, then. And since you already know the ropes, I’ll let you help Annabelle finish filling out the form. I’m sure you can answer any questions as well as I can.’
With that, the man headed over to another person who was glancing at the literature, engaging him in conversation.
‘Why did you do that?’ She peered up at him.
‘He’s a flirt. I was trying to save you from being hit on.’
‘Maybe I wanted to be hit on.’ That was unfair. She didn’t want to be. But she also didn’t want Max taking it upon himself to be her rescuer when he hadn’t been in her life for almost three years.
His gaze hardened. ‘Did you?’
And it now came down to telling the truth. Or lying just to get back at him. ‘No. But I could have handled it on my own.’
‘I’m sorry, then.’
&
nbsp; Annabelle let her emotions cool down. No harm done. And maybe he really had been trying to keep her from landing in an awkward situation. ‘It’s okay. And thank you for the wine.’ She picked up the glass and took a sip.
‘Did you really want to fill out a form?’
‘I did. I’ve thought about volunteering in the past, but it never worked out.’
Max came around the table and dropped into the chair that Dale had vacated. ‘I remembered us talking about it years ago. I thought you only said that because it was something I wanted to do.’
‘It’s been in the back of my mind for a while. I just never got around to doing anything about it.’
The sleeve of his tuxedo brushed against her upper arm as he leaned over to see what she’d filled out so far, his warm masculine scent clinging to her senses in a way that no one else’s ever had. If Max had been worried about Dale, he needn’t have. She had no interest in the other man. While she could recognise that the recruiter was good-looking and charming, she’d felt no spark of attraction.
In fact, those sparks—as Max had called them—had been few and far between. And they’d never been strong enough to make her want to be with someone else. Not while there was still a piece of paper that had gone unsigned for far too long.
Maybe it was time to confront the issue. ‘Do you want to sign the divorce papers? Is that why I’m here?’
His gaze darkened, lips thinning slightly. ‘I brought you here so you could see what I’ve been doing with myself for the past three years. If I remember right, you were the one who expressed an interest.’
The soft anger in his voice made her fingers clench on the pen. Okay, so maybe it had been rude to come out and ask, but the subject was like the elephant in the room that no one wanted to talk about.
And evidently, Max still didn’t want to talk about it. Something in her heart became lighter, though, at the words. So he wasn’t any more anxious than she was to finally close the chapter on their failed relationship.
But why?
Did she really want to sit here and dissect all the possible reasons? Or was she simply going to take another sip of wine and go back to filling out the papers? She lifted the glass to her lips.