“LET’S EAT OUT HERE on the deck tonight.” Tori let her head roll to the side to look at Jake sprawled out on the lounge chair beside her.
He gave her a lazy smile that set her tummy fluttering. “A sunset dinner? Sounds good.”
She sighed with contentment and closed her eyes. How could two days have already passed? If the next two flew by as quickly, she wouldn’t be ready to return to Houston. Not by a long shot. Though neither of them had said anything about staying the full week, she was ready to say the hell with it and stay a month if he wanted.
“I have a question.”
She looked over at him, surprised to find him watching her. “What’s that?”
“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
The question took her aback. Laughing, she shook her head. “I have trouble planning next month’s schedule.”
“I’m not talking about planning or short-term goals. We all have visions of our futures. Where we want to be at say, thirty and then forty, fifty and so on…”
She turned to watch the gulls soaring over the water, dipping occasionally, in search of fish. She’d sound obtuse if she told him the truth, that she honestly hadn’t projected that far into the future. It wasn’t as if she had many choices.
“If that was too personal, I apologize for over-stepping my bounds.”
She frowned at the hint of sarcasm in his voice. “It’s not that I find it too personal. I honestly don’t know what to say. I’ve always known I’d work for my father. He probably hopes I learn enough that some day he can turn over the reigns just like his father did.” She shrugged helplessly and darted him a sheepish look. “To tell you the truth, I’m embarrassed that I don’t have a better or wittier answer.”
He regarded her with such intense curiosity and disbelief she was ready to get up and go inside when he finally spoke. “You’ve been brainwashed.”
That startled a laugh out of her. “Brainwashed? What’s in that iced tea you’re drinking?”
He blinked, stared at her for another second, and then his lips curved into a smile. Ironically it made him look rather sad. “What about marriage, kids, going to school reunions every ten years, that whole thing?”
She exhaled slowly. “I like kids. I think. I haven’t been around too many.” She thought about the children who went to stay at the shelter with their mothers, most of them shy and quiet, almost as if they wanted to be invisible. “They’re an awfully big responsibility.”
“Yes, they are. Do your parents expect you to give them grandchildren?”
“I suppose.” She laughed at the idea of her mother in the role of grandmother.
Jake smiled. “What?”
“I was just picturing my mother stooping down to kiss dirty little faces. Not.”
He shared her laughter. “Yeah, pretty hard to imagine, all right.”
She started to relax again, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. “I wonder if Mallory is thinking about having a baby. She and Richard have been married for almost three years.”
“I take it you two don’t talk much.”
“Not since I’ve been back.” Without a second thought, she added, “Coming home again has been really weird.” She stopped and glanced over at him. This was getting personal.
“You want to explain?”
“Not really.”
“Okay.” He turned his face toward the sun and closed his eyes.
She had the most idiotic feeling that she’d offended him or let him down in some way. “I mean it’s no big deal. I don’t think anyone else would understand.”
“Try me.”
Tori sighed. “It mainly has to do with my mother. Either she’s changed, or I’m not as tolerant.”
“Probably a little of both. You’ve experienced independence. Your relationship had to change.”
“True.” She let it go at that. As annoyed as she was with her mother, she didn’t want to discuss what a domineering snob she’d become. “What about your sister? Does she have kids?”
His face lit up. “A boy. His name is Tommy. What a little spitfire. He keeps Sally on her toes. She says she’s waiting until he’s four before she has another one.”
“Uncle Jake, huh?”
“Yeah.” The way he beamed tugged at her heart, showed her a whole new side to him.
“What about you? Want any rug rats of your own?”
“Definitely.
“Really?”
“Why the surprise?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She grinned. “I guess none of my fantasies of you included children.”
“I’m hurt.”
“Hey, I was a kid myself when I was daydreaming about you.”
“And now?”
“No more fantasies. I have the real thing.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “You should be in politics.”
She laughed breezily, knowing full well his remark spoke to her sidestepping of the question. “I guess your father is happy he at least has Tommy.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t get to see him enough. Sally and her family lives in Oregon. Dad sees them maybe twice a year.”
“What a shame.”
Jake shrugged. “That’s partly his fault. He should have retired already. Then he could see them as much as he wanted.”
“Retire? He’s too young.”
“Not for the kind of work he does.”
“Maybe.” Tori shook her head. “He loves poking around the garden. What would he do?”
“Hell, I’ll fix him up with my secretary. She’ll keep him plenty busy.”
“Your secretary?”
“Yeah, she’s a widow,” he said matter-of-factly and shaded his eyes to look out over the bay. “Look at that boat coming in from the east. What a honey.”
Tori stared at him. “Why do you have a secretary?”
“The same reason most people do. She keeps me organized.” He followed the course of the boat. “Looks like she’s docking at the place next door. I’d like to get a closer look. Want to go for a walk?”
“There isn’t a next door. That house has to be a half mile away.”
“Wuss.”
She made a face at him. “I’m not afraid of a little exercise but it’s—” She stopped to listen, thinking she heard a familiar ring from inside. “That’s my cell phone,” she said, quickly getting to her feet.
“They’ll leave a message.”
“No. I have to get this.” God, she hoped she’d done the right thing by encouraging Beth to call if she needed her. It didn’t matter. What mattered now was that Tori be available. She fumbled with the sliding glass door but got inside and answered in the nick of time.
“Tori?”
She recognized the timid voice. “Beth?”
“I’m sorry to bother you—”
“No bother at all.” Tori turned to check if she’d closed the door behind her. Not that Jake was listening. He’d gotten off the lounger and was leaning over the deck railing. “How are you?”
Beth sniffled. “Not good.”
“What’s wrong?”
“He sent me papers.”
“Your husband?”
“Yes,” Beth whispered. “They look real important and legal-like. It says I’m supposed to give him the children by Monday or I go to jail.”
Tori kept her gaze on Jake. He started looking impatient, shooting glances over his shoulder toward the door. “Did he send them himself, or are they from a lawyer?”
“Well, it’s in his handwriting.”
Tori sighed with relief. “Is it on legal stationery?”
Silence.
“Beth, have you shown the papers to Kathryn?”
“No, she’s been in court with Mary Therese all day.”
The door opened. Tori jumped.
Jake frowned at her.
“Hold on a moment,” she said to Beth. “Stay on the line, okay?” She got Beth’s promise and then held the phone away from her mouth. “You go on ahead,” she said to Jake. “I’ll catch up or meet you back here.”
“I’ll wait.”
“No. Go.” She didn’t mean to sound so sharp but she didn’t want Beth hanging up.
He sent her a curious look before closing the glass door.
She had to let it go. She’d promised Beth she wouldn’t abandon her. If it meant she had to return to Houston early, Jake would just have to understand.
DINNER OUT ON THE DECK was pretty quiet. Jake knew it was his fault. He’d acted like a two-year-old earlier. He knew her job was important to her. So what if she got one stinking call? She hadn’t been interested in that cabin cruiser, anyway. That was his deal.
The solitary walk over to the neighbors had done him good. Helped put the long weekend into perspective. Yeah, he was getting to know her better, but that didn’t mean anything. All this getaway was about was making the sex easier. No dashing across town to get to a hotel, and then skipping out in two hours.
He should be grateful. She made the affair easy. So why couldn’t he shake the lingering resentment?
“Would you like more shrimp?” she asked, passing him the plate of bacon-wrapped shrimp she’d grilled on the hibachi.
“Sure.” He took it, and then eyed her plate. She’d taken only two shrimp to start with, and granted they were huge suckers, but she still had one left. “Maybe not.”
“You don’t like it? Too much garlic?”
“I like it, all right.” He shot a deliberate look at her plate. “I don’t know if I trust them.”
Her brows drew together for a moment, and then she grinned. “If I wanted to poison you, I’d be much more creative than that.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to be such an easy mark.” He forked a couple of shrimp, relieved to have dispelled the mild tension. “Considering how much garlic you used, in self-defense, you’d better have a couple more, too.”
She took a nibble, and stared off toward the pink-and-orange-streaked horizon, the sun already disappearing. “I did get carried away, didn’t I?”
“Everything okay back at the ranch?”
She looked blankly at him.
“The phone call you got earlier. You’ve seemed preoccupied since then.”
“Oh.” Immediately her expression turned guarded, and she couldn’t have shut him out better if she’d raised a brick wall between them. “No big deal. It’ll be okay. Want more pasta or salad?”
“Thanks, I’m good.” He tried like hell not to take the rebuff personally. But, it wasn’t as if he were prying. Just trying to make conversation.
She poured herself another glass of wine and then gestured toward his empty glass. He accepted the offer, determined to relax and enjoy the sunset.
After refilling his glass, Victoria sighed and picked up a shrimp with her fingers and then leaned back in her chair, nibbling her food and absently staring off toward the sinking sun. “I don’t remember ever seeing the sky a more beautiful color.”
“We have some pretty amazing sunsets in Houston, too.”
“You’re right. When I was a kid I used to sit in the garden and watch the sun set sometimes. I loved it when the black rain clouds would roll in off the bay and the pinks and oranges would look all the more vivid.”
“You don’t watch sunsets anymore?”
She shook her head. “Sad, isn’t it? Seems like I’m always too busy.”
“Not me. Never too busy for a sunset or a sunrise.”
She gave him a curious look. “You spoke of a secretary earlier…”
“Selma. She slaps me upside the head when I need it.”
“You haven’t told me exactly what you do.”
“Landscaping.”
“You work for someone?”
“Nope. I have my own company. It’s small. Only thirty full-time employees, and a dozen part-timers who work when they need the money or we have a big job. I like to get my hands dirty every once and a while, too.”
“That’s terrific. Do you do residential or commercial work?”
“Both.”
“I assume you like the work.”
“I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t.”
She blinked, and looked away, but not before he saw the wistfulness in her eyes. It turned his stomach. “I’m glad you’ve found your calling and didn’t follow in your dad’s footsteps because it was easy.”
“Is that what you did?”
Her entire body tensed, and her chin lifted. Her lips parted but she hesitated, as if mentally debating her reply. Finally she said, “Probably.”
He waited anxiously for her to expand, not wanting to push her but hoping she’d feel comfortable enough to confide in him. The silence lengthened. Disappointed, he forced his gaze toward the open sea.
“I wish I had more contact with people,” she finally said. “Of course I’m probably being premature. I need to learn more about the company before I’m assigned a position.” She glanced briefly at him. “Which could end up being in promotion or sales.”
“You don’t know yet?” The words were barely out of his mouth and he cursed himself.
At the censure in his voice, she tensed again. “I haven’t given it much thought. I’m sure my father will— Look, I really don’t want to talk about work. This will probably be my only vacation this year.”
“What?” He dropped his fork, letting it clatter to the plate.
She looked sharply at him.
He winked. “Don’t forget. We have a date with Disneyland.”
A smile slowly curved her lips. “I haven’t forgotten,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, suddenly looking like the little girl who used to stand at the window all those years ago. “I might even hold you to it.”
“THIS IS SEEMING LESS and less like a good idea.”
“Chicken.”
“You’re damn right, and if you had any sense you would be, too.”
Chuckling, Jake dropped his towel in the sand. “Come on, Victoria, where’s your sense of adventure?”
She stood at the water’s edge, wishing the moon wasn’t quite so full. “Someone could walk by and see us. It’s not like the beach has been deserted.”
“No one’s going to be walking around this late at night.”
“We are.”
“No, we’re going skinny-dipping.”
“I think not.”
“Come on.”
Tori shook her head. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“Okay.” Jake shoved off his shorts and threw them somewhere near his towel. “But I sure wish you’d join me.” He stopped briefly to kiss her, a soft coaxing kiss that really got to her.
She watched him walk into the water, and then glanced around. In the distance, she saw muted light coming from the direction of their nearest neighbor, but other than that, not a soul in sight.
Jake had even turned off most of their lights. The deck was dark and only a light in the kitchen burned. A soft glow came from the bedroom, courtesy of the unusual shell night-light at the baseboard near the bathroom door.
God, she loved that house. Everything about it, from the sprawling rooms that blended into each other, to the quirky décor of beanbag chairs and tree stump end tables to the fish netting and shells on the walls.
“Victoria,” Jake called out, drawing her attention back to him. “The water is mighty fine.”
If there were a perfect night to go skinny-dipping, this was it. Dark enough that it took her a few seconds to locate him, and deserted enough that just maybe they wouldn’t get arrested.
She sighed. Okay, she was overreacting. The Galveston police surely had better things to do than arrest people for skinny-dipping. But that didn’t mean some little snippet wouldn’t make it to the Houston Chronicle about Harrison Whitford’s daughter being cited for lewdness.
She shuddered at the thought.
“Come on, Victoria.”
She laughed at the childlike impatience in his voice, and then cupped her hands around her mouth to counter the breeze that had picked up, and called, “Make me an offer.”
“What?”
“Give me a reason to join you.”
He moved closer to shore until the water hit him waist-level. “What? I can’t hear you.”
She cupped her mouth again and hollered. “I said, what do I get if I—” Too late she realized what he was up to. He dashed out of the water easily covering ground over the hard-packed sand while she stumbled and lost her footing.
He caught her around the waist as she tried to right herself. “You want me to make you an offer, huh?” And then he picked her up, kicking and laughing, and carried her to the ocean.