“She wasn’t exactly pleasant when Rick called looking for you.”
“That’s Elise for you. She only cares about what serves her best. I couldn’t see it when we were together. Now I know better.”
Epilogue
April stared into his eyes. “Are we good now? No more upsets or secrets that need to be cleared up?”
“Actually, there is one.” He hated to ask but David couldn’t help himself. “Pierce.”
April blushed and his stomach dropped. The perfectly set table, the lovely dinner he’d prepared for her. Hopefully along with his earlier apologies, this question wouldn’t derail things.
“Oh, that.”
“Yes that.” He gritted his teeth for what was to come.
“It’s not what you think. I promise. We’re friends and I like him.” She wrapped her fingers around the wine glass and glanced across the table at him, a smile on her lips that had him worried about what she was going to say. “You have to admit the guy’s a genius. There’s no one like him.”
“Luckily.” He was being uncharitable but David couldn’t help it. He reached across the table for her hand.
“That’s so mean. How could you, David?” She brushed his hand aside. “You have no idea what a treasure you have under your nose. In Seattle, his work sells for thousands. People clamor to get an original just like the ones in my shop.”
“I don’t believe it. If it was Monet, perhaps, but it’s not. It’s some weird guy painting bright colors on dead things.”
“Picasso, Monet – they used bright colors just like Pierce. Not so different after all, is he?” She heaved out a sigh. “And that weird guy just happens to be the father of your best friend.”
His lips twitched. “But that cow skull only has one good horn.”
“We’re all scarred in some way whether we want to admit it or not. Why shouldn’t art be the same? Who says it has to be perfect? You need to learn to see the world in all its imperfect glory. Everything isn’t black and white or straight lines. Didn’t they teach you that in med school?”
“Maybe.”
“Like I expect our relationship to be, David. Because we’re so different we’ll each bring something new to each other. We can learn something we didn’t know before. Nothing in life is a given, you know. Things are fluid and can change whether we like it or not. I fully expect there to be more bumps along the way. Life isn’t perfect and you need to understand that.” She tugged on a curl and he wanted to reach out and touch it himself. Feel the softness of her hair. “Heck, even I know I have to work on myself. I leap in, give advice too readily when I should just shut up and listen. There’ll be days you wish I would be quiet. I’ll just have to learn as we go. But I’ll have you to remind me.”
“But what about Pierce? I’m still not convinced he isn’t after you. I mean,” he had the sense to feel bashful. “Look at that heart hanging thing he gave you. If that doesn’t scream lovey-dovey to you, I don’t know what does.”
“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but the reason he gave me that piece is because I made him realize that life is for the living, not the dead. I’m pretty sure your mother has said something similar to you lately.” She stared at him, smiled at the confusion in his eyes, and then chortled with laughter when the penny dropped. His mother?
“No. No way. Mom isn’t dating Pierce, surely. Is she? Did you know all about this?”
“Yes, I did. Sorry it wasn’t my place to tell you. But you have to admit, your mom has been looking pretty happy lately, hasn’t she?”
“Yes, but…”
“It’s not about you, David. It’s about what your mother wants and she seems to be very happy with Pierce. You can’t deny her a second chance at love just because you find him a little strange.”
“A little? He’s a lot strange.” A shudder rolled over his shoulders and she burst out laughing.
“No, he’s just different from you. The world would be a very sad place if everyone was the same.” She reached over the table, grabbed his tie, and pulled him close. “Now, how about we forget all about your mother and her beau and concentrate on you and me? I think we have some time to make up for. What do you say?”
A devilish gleam came into her eyes.
Now she was talking. “How right you are. As much as I hate to admit it, you do talk a lot more sense than you think you do.” His lips touched hers and everything else was forgotten.
The End
Wedding Surprise
Ann B. Harrison
Prologue
“I don’t know if I can go back, Rake.”
“Sweetheart, you can do anything you put your mind to. I know you and how far you’ve come. But it still digs at you that you’ve never made peace with the family and I blame myself for that. I kept you away from them because I was stubborn and don’t forgive easily.” He took her hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles. “You shouldn’t have had to suffer for that.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It wasn’t yours either. When Ethan tried to mend the bridges between us, I should’ve said yes then. He would’ve gotten to know his son and things would be good between the two of you but I was stupid. He isn’t my father, not by a long shot.”
“You weren’t the only one who made the decisions, Rake. I had a hand in that too, remember?”
“I know. Still, I loved my brother but he was always the good son, the one who never caused Dad sleepless nights. Not like me.” He closed his eyes, a bitter smile playing on his pale lips. “We’ve burned bridges that now need to be rebuilt, if only for Noah.” He gave her a softer smile, his face pale and strained. “I need you to promise me you’ll see it through. Make it up to Ethan if you can and let Noah see what it’s like to grow up in a small town with the same kind of freedom we had.”
She wiped away tears, knowing he hurt when she showed emotion like this. He blamed himself for their predicament. Mari tried so hard to be strong for him but his illness was taking its toll on the both of them and some days she struggled more than others. “Ha, sure. We couldn’t wait to get out of the place and you expect our son to fall in love with it?” She lifted his hand and kissed it. The once strong fingers were now thin and wasted. He loathed being so weak but this was one argument she wasn’t going to win. She’d tried before and failed.
“He’s Ethan’s son. Don’t lose sight of that fact. He was only mine until now. I should’ve insisted we mend the bridges between us all but I was selfish, wanted to keep you to myself. Which is only going to make your life harder.” Rake coughed, swallowed down the pain. “Remember, you promised me to see it through. I know it’s not going to be easy but everything is there waiting for you.”
“I know and I will. You can count on me.” If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll honor your wishes. I owe you that much for saving me when nobody else wanted me.
Chapter One
“Thanks for the job, Mari. Glad we’ve got it settled and ready to go at last. You’re going to be very happy with the finished product. I’ll send the boys around in the morning to start work. Don’t be surprised if Ethan looks in later today to see what he’s up against but, don’t worry, he’s an expert in old retrofits like this. Any problems, give me a call.”
“Thanks, Christian. I can’t wait for them to start. I’ve been looking forward to getting the ballrooms upgraded.” She hung up the phone and it hit her hard. It was all about to happen just as she’d planned and now she was terrified.
How stupid she’d been ignoring the reason she was here. Easy to do when she’d found out Ethan Benson was working away from Cherry Lake. It’d given her a false sense of security being able to put off the inevitable battle looming ahead. Of course he was going to be angry. Furious with her; she could hardly blame him even if she wanted to. As soon as she’d scheduled the remodeling job with the company he part owned, the clock had started ticking. Call it a stupid move to choose him as a builder but it was her failsafe system to ensu
re they finally connected. Then she’d have no choice but to tell him everything.
“Someone looks pensive.” Her half-sister Bella Moore wandered into the upstairs apartment with a cake box in her hands.
“You could say that. The builder is finally starting work tomorrow. After all the planning and changing designs, we’re finally ready to knock out walls and make her look pretty. I thought they’d never finish that job in Poulson and come back to deal with local work in Cherry Lake.” She sighed hating that talking like that made her sound as if she was looking forward to the confrontation.
“Oh. That builder! Now I get the frantic face you’re sporting.” Bella reached out and rubbed her hand over Mari’s back. “Honey, you came here to see him, let him know about Noah. You’re doing the right thing. I know you are.”
“But I’m so scared. What if he hates me or what if he doesn’t believe Noah is his and I’m trying to trap him? What if he never forgives me for marrying Rake and is hanging onto the old theory that I’m a thief? This could go wrong in so many ways, Bella. How can I guarantee they won’t still want to press charges and have me thrown in jail? What’s going to happen to Noah if that happens?” She closed her eyes and sucked down a sob of frustration. “Maybe I made a mistake thinking I could come back and fix things. Maybe, for once, Rake got it wrong.”
“I doubt that would happen after all this time. Statute of limitations and all that. Have you thought that maybe Ethan was the one who made the mistake dumping you and then ignoring your phone calls when you tried to tell him about Noah, to say nothing about not backing you up with his father?”
“Yes, no. Different answer, different day. No matter how much I argue with myself, this has the potential to come back and bite me in the butt. I know it’s morally right to make sure Ethan knows but I’m so scared he’s going to make Noah’s life miserable because of what we did.”
“Noah isn’t a tiny child anymore. He’s very capable of making his own decisions about people so if this man isn’t nice about it, he won’t hold back.”
“But he’s only ten years old.”
“And, if I recall, I was pretty mouthy at that age. I knew what I wanted and, believe me, I could see through people. I bet you could too.”
“So long as Noah isn’t hurt. That’s been the biggest motivator here. Losing Rake was hard for both of us. If finding out he still has a father makes him happy, that makes me happy too.”
“If Ethan isn’t kind to him, he’ll have me to deal with. Nobody hurts the child, nobody, and that includes Ethan and his father.” A smile replaced the grim look from seconds ago. “But, I know you’ll do the right thing, regardless. It’s in your makeup to fix things. Look at this old place.”
“Not sure if it’s the way I’d be looking at it.” But Bella was right. Mari loved to take something old, something broken and make it shine again, the same as her youngest half-sister did. When April, the baby in the family, had offered to take over the lease on the empty shop Mari owned next to the Lake Hotel beside the medical practice, and turn it into a decorating and florists business, things had come together for the both of them and Mari knew she’d done the right thing.
Ever since Rake had died just over two years ago, she’d been on “manage mode” to get through and make it as far as she had done. In the few months since she’d been back, the old drive was waking up and the familiar tingle of succeeding crept into her mindset. Not that she could compare her past relationship to the gorgeous old building.
She had the hotel to thank for it. Funny how Cherry Lake was the only place she wanted to be when she found herself widowed with a child to raise on her own. After coming to terms with Rake’s sudden suicide following a terminal prognosis, packing up and making the move had been the hardest part and that was mainly mental. Thank goodness she’d gotten past that.
“I’ve been looking forward to doing this ever since Rake bought the place despite my apprehension about seeing Ethan again. The moment I walked in and saw the ballrooms, I knew it was something special and would be perfect for my business. It’s going to be amazing when it’s all finished, maybe even better than the wedding business I left behind.”
Bella put the pretty pink cake box she carried in on the kitchen table. “I’m pleased for you. You’ve worked so hard, but then you always did. It’ll all come together. I know it will.” She took the lid off and looked at her creation, her lips turning down. “Drat. I’ve messed up the icing.”
Mari stared at the gorgeous pink cake, dipped her finger into the frosting around the base where it was already smudged and took a sample. “Oops, me too.” She sucked her finger and giggled. “I gather that’s for us? I’d hate to have ruined it if you’re delivering it somewhere else but you know the risks you take bringing cake in here.”
“Nope. It’s for you and Noah. Jake’s complaining his pants are getting too tight. I’m overfeeding him apparently and I had to try this recipe out for my portfolio.” She rolled her eyes and they shared a giggle. It was well known that Jake was a health nut but with the love of his life being a famous chef, he struggled more some days than others.
“Fabulous. I love cake and so does Noah. You know it won’t go to waste here.”
“That’s what I thought and you’re the one person I know who never puts any fat on no matter what you eat.” She smiled, pushed the cake closer to her sister. “This is one of the recipes I want to put in the wedding cake book. I want to call it ‘Pink Perfection.’ A hint of rosewater in the frosting kind of takes it to a whole new level.”
“Wonderful, I think it’s very pretty with a side of whimsical. And, for your information, I’m too busy to put on weight, that’s why.” Mari swiped her finger along the other side of the cake, taking another generous dose of pink frosting. She stuck her finger in her mouth and closed her eyes to get the full benefit of the ingredients, her preferred way of tasting anything. The rosewater was there but not enough to be overpowering. A hint of something sweet and fruity hovered in the background. So did the romance and the love that went into her sister’s baking. “You’ve nailed it. That is so yummy. I can’t wait to taste the cake itself. Noah will be thrilled to bits. He’s rather partial to your baking and lucky for me because I don’t have a creative bone in my body when it comes to sweet treats.”
Bella grinned as if to agree with her. “It’s very pink I’m afraid but I couldn’t help myself. It all goes together nicely even if I say so myself. Raspberry cream between layers and a hint of rose essence in the butter cake. I think you’ll like it. If it makes it into the cake selection, I’ll make each layer a darker shade of pink so when it’s cut into, it’ll be stunning.”
“All your creations are anyway, but I love that visual.”
“Right, enjoy. I’m off to pick up Cory from practice.” She ran down the stairs and Mari eyed the cake. It was tempting to cut herself a big slice now. A sugar hit might go a long way to helping her take the step she’d been dreading ever since she found out her foster parents, Pearl and Jeff Benson were home from their big trip away. Going over to see them, begging forgiveness and following up with Rake’s plan for her to fit back in was scaring her half to death.
“Hello.” A voice she recognized rang out from down in the hotel foyer, jolting her out of her mental fog and sent her stomach rushing to her feet. Caught out again, Mari had thought she had until tonight to bolster up her nerves before she came face-to-face with Ethan. A cold sweat broke out over her skin, sending a chill down her back and making her hands clammy.
“Anyone up there, or anywhere? Hello.”
The thump of footsteps came up the carpeted stairs and Mari went to the door and peered down. “Ethan.” She stepped out onto the landing and stared at the man running up toward her.
The days she’d tried to talk herself into going out to the cherry farm and letting them know she was back in town seemed like a distant memory now. It was easy to ignore the job she kept putting off at first because they were away on a
long cruise overseas and it gave her leeway to get used to being in Cherry Lake before she saw them again. Also a chance to explain to Noah the real story about his family and why he didn’t know about them yet.
When she heard they were home, Mari psyched herself up to go and see them but nerves got the better of her and she put it off for another day, and that crept into another. The guilt she felt at being such a wimp when she had to face them almost swamped her. It was the right thing to do for many reasons. Even though Rake had made her promise to get in contact and mend the fences between them before he died, the shame of falling back on her promise to him was all encompassing. She still couldn’t face the Bensons. And now it’d come back to bite her in the ass just as she knew it would.
Ethan Benson stopped at the landing and smiled at her a second before the greeting faltered.
He tilted his head and blinked. “Mari?”
“Ethan. Hi.”
The boy she first fell in love with had turned into a man while she was gone. He’d filled out, grown taller and had an air of casual grace about him. It was hard not to compare him to his older brother but they were nothing alike. Rake was his own man; honest to a fault with those he loved. She had to remember the reason she ran away was because Ethan sided with his father against her, destroyed her faith in Ethan and his ability to love her as much as she loved him. Faced with his betrayal, he’d left her with little choice.
His face went through a myriad of changes before he stepped closer and wrapped her in a big, warm hug that brought a sudden rush of tears to her eyes. She’d been expecting anger, hatred even, for what she’d done when they finally crossed paths. But not this. Not from the man she’d deserted without a word. The man she’d sworn to love until her dying day. Planned a family with and talked about growing old with until he’d announced she was hemming him in, making decisions for him that he didn’t want to be part of any longer. The man who’d eventually let her down when she needed him the most and left her feeling adrift without a paddle in an ocean of doubt.
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