When they reached the town house, Carter grabbed bottled water for himself and Lila. They sat on the sofa, both consumed with what had happened today.
“I would never have guessed that it was Tanya.” Lila took a sip of cold water.
“I thought Rossini had hired someone, but he knew Tanya would do anything for him at the mention of marriage. He tricked her and she’ll spend a lot of time in prison for that.”
“How much time do you think Sapp will get?”
“Not over two years and he might get a probated sentence. He got used, too.”
“It’s really sad. So many people got hurt because Rossini is a cheapskate. If he had just paid the money to fix the roof and the wiring, no one would’ve gotten hurt.”
Carter studied her face. She appeared calm and serene, like she had the first time he’d met her. Maybe the wounds would disappear, too. “How are you feeling?”
“Great. We finally know who the arsonist is, and that’s a load off of my mind.” She sat up straight. “Damn. I had my chance and forgot to jump on Rossini for locking me in the closet.”
“I think he got the message. Don’t mess with Lila.”
Her cell buzzed and she got up to get it out of her purse with a smile on her face. She winked at him. “You got it.”
He listened as she talked. It was mostly, “Sure.
“Okay.
“It was awesome.
“That sounds like fun. I’ll see you then.”
“Are you going somewhere?” He bit his tongue, but it didn’t stop the words from spilling out.
“Savon and I are going out to celebrate.”
“Shouldn’t you rest?”
Lucky for him, her phone rang again. “Savon must’ve forgotten something.”
It wasn’t Savon. He could tell by her demeanor and her serious voice. She was happy to talk to this person and her voice echoed that. It took him a few minutes to figure out it was Heath.
“That was Heath,” she said as she sat on the sofa. “He had good news about the will. It’s the same as my dad told me. The experts found evidence of doctoring of the named heirs. The judge granted more time to investigate, so the trial date has been extended, and Heath and his family are happy about that. It’s giving the other Coltons a little longer to hold on to their father’s legacy. He said to tell you thank you.”
“I hope it works out the way you want.”
She looked down at the phone in her hands. “I would just like some peace between the families. And if the will is a fake, then we all have to be prepared for that. If it’s real, we have to be prepared for that, too. Now—” she got to her feet “—I need to take a shower and get dressed for an evening out. I’m not going to think about the arson or the will. I’m just going to have fun and drink a little and smile a lot.”
“What about your dad?”
That stopped her in her tracks. “My relationship with my dad is what it’s always been...not much. I do all the calling, but I won’t be doing that anymore. I have to step back from the relationship. He’s never going to change and I’ve finally accepted that.” She headed toward the stairs and turned back. “I guess you’ll be packing?”
“I don’t really have that much, but yes, I’ll be getting my things together. My flight leaves at eleven.”
She held up her hand. “I know. You like to be there early.”
Sitting on the sofa with an ankle resting on a knee, he felt more alone than he ever had in his life. He thought she would be upset. Maybe a little sad at his leaving, but she seemed fine. And he wanted her to be. It was just that...loneliness pressed down on his chest. Was this love? Was this what a man experienced when someone he loved moved on?
Why hadn’t she asked him to go out with them? After the high tension of the day, he would have welcomed an evening out with her.
And there it was.
He would be leaving in the morning.
And she would be here alone.
He couldn’t ask that of her. This had been a special time in his life and he would remember her forever.
She came downstairs talking on the phone and he just stared. The outfit was definitely a party dress. The black skirt looked satiny, as did the black-and-white-striped top. The silver heels made her look taller and her legs longer. A black jacket rested over her arm. Attraction stirred in his gut and made him very aware that every inch of her was woman.
She slipped the phone into a silver purse she was carrying. “I’ll see you later.”
“If you need someone to pick you up, just call.”
“Problem solved. We’re taking a cab and calling one later. We played it smart this time. Bye,” she called as she dashed out the door to the waiting cab.
He watched until it was out of sight and then he closed the door and went to the refrigerator. It was empty again. He had to get something for supper. To keep his mind busy, he ran upstairs to change into shorts and a T-shirt. Then he hit the street, the same route he’d taken the first time he went jogging with Lila. He’d like to eat one more hot dog before he left. But it wasn’t the same sitting there at the table without her. Nothing was ever going to be the same again...without her. He finally realized that.
It was dark when he made his way back to the town house. With the many streetlights, it didn’t make a difference. Streets were lit up, just calling for people to come out and play. A small grocery store was one street over and he crossed without a problem. He was getting to know Chicago. He bought the usual stuff for breakfast and snacks for the night. He planned to watch a movie or something to kill time.
When he got back, he packed everything except his shaving kit, and then he took a shower and dressed in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. Lying on the sofa, watching a movie he couldn’t get interested in, he jumped at every sound, thinking she was home. But she wasn’t. The last time he looked at the clock it was 1:00 a.m. She wasn’t going to miss him at all. She had a full life and he was happy about that. He just couldn’t understand why he was conflicted about leaving.
When Lila got home, she was very quiet, not wanting to wake Carter. Then she saw him sleeping on the sofa. What was he doing downstairs? The TV was on and she walked over and turned it off. Carter stirred.
“You’re home.”
“Yes, and why are you here and not in your bed?”
He yawned and stretched, and she watched the play of muscles as they lit a flame deep inside her. “I was watching a movie.” He got to his feet. “I better go to bed. Did you have a good time?”
“We had a great time.” She sank into a chair and pulled off her heels. “I’m probably going to have sores on my feet from dancing so much.”
He frowned. “You and Savon danced?”
“No, silly. Richards was there with one of his detectives. They stopped by our table for a drink. We talked about the case and just had a good time. Richards is a good dancer and a nice person once you get to know him. He’s not so brusque.”
“And are you getting to know him?”
His voice bordered on jealousy and she didn’t like it. “For the record, Richards and his wife are separated and he’s ready to go home, but he doesn’t know how to go about it. I gave him some advice. That’s all.”
“Like what?”
She drew a deep breath and started to tell him it was none of his business, but they both were edgy and she should give him credit for that. “I told him to buy something that she really likes, take it over and tell her you would like to talk without the resentment. I guess we waited for about thirty minutes for him to figure out something that his wife liked. He doesn’t know anything about her. We laughed at him and he finally said jelly beans. His wife loved jelly beans. He left to go buy jelly beans, and it was almost midnight. Imagine a husband not knowing anything about his wife. Richards is a total cop.”
Carter didn’t say anything and his flash-in-the-pan jealousy seemed to be gone. He picked up the pillow from the sofa. “Why didn’t you ask me to go tonight?”
She was shocked and had to swallow a couple of times to speak. “Excuse me? You’re leaving in a few hours. That should have said it all.”
“What are we doing, Lila?”
“I’m trying to get through this night the best way I can.” She charged up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. She didn’t want to spend this night with him, with memories of what they’d shared all around them. She wasn’t that strong.
The next morning, she overslept, the dancing and the laughter having taken all her energy. It was 8:30 a.m. and she rushed into the bathroom, wanting to be gone by the time Carter had everything packed. She heard him in the shower. Her plan hadn’t worked. She would have to face him once again.
She changed into shorts and a T-shirt and sneakers. Her mom had called last night while she was in the cab and invited her for lunch. Myles and Jackson would be there and she wanted both her kids to be home. She said Jackson would be excited. He would have someone to play with in the dirt. Myles wasn’t too fond of playing in the dirt. But Lila would welcome it. For the distraction.
“Breakfast is ready!” Carter called from downstairs.
What? He had cooked breakfast? Where did he get the food? Instead of running out the front door, she played the good-girl part and went down to eat breakfast with him one more time.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she said as she took a seat.
“I’d rather eat something here than at the airport.”
She sipped her coffee and decided to be an adult about this. “I’ll miss you. I don’t know how our stars crossed here in Chicago, but I’ll never forget you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” he replied, his voice hoarse. “I never dreamed that when I came here I would meet the most gorgeous woman in the world. I’m sorry if you’re hurt. I never meant for that to happen.”
“It’s my own fault. You told me up front that marriage wasn’t for you and happy-ever-after wasn’t in your DNA. You’d rather be on the road traveling. You told me all that and my heart still got involved.” She tilted her head to look at him closely and her heart beat a little faster at the sculptured features and beautiful gray eyes. “You saved my life a couple of times and I will always be grateful for that.”
She got to her feet and carried dishes to the sink. “You know, I might spend the night at my mom’s. I’m going to pack a bag.” It would be good to spend time with the family, especially with Jackson. If she stayed busy, the first week wouldn’t be so bad. She just didn’t know how to remove the love from her heart. Carter seemed to have no problem. But it wasn’t love for Carter. She was just a girl he’d met along the way.
Carter had everything in the car. He had to go back and say goodbye, and it would be difficult. Lila deserved all the best things in life and he couldn’t give her that. He found her sitting on the bed and waiting for him to drive away. Her eyes glistened and he knew they were tears. He swallowed the constriction in his throat.
“This isn’t easy for me, either.”
Her eyes met his. “I know, so don’t feel bad about it. You can’t produce love by snapping your fingers. It just wasn’t meant to be for us. Call me every now and then if you get a chance. But it’s not mandatory.”
“Are you going to open another gallery?”
“I think I’m out of the gallery business, but only time will tell. I have an appointment with the insurance agent next week and I should get my money soon. By then I should know what I want to do.”
“Hmm...”
“I wonder if the insurance company will pay out to Sharon.”
“I’m sure lawyers will tear into it like vultures and she’ll probably get half of what the building is worth. But I wish her the best. She really came through when we needed her.”
“She’s a nice lady. The nice ones always get stuck with the jerks. My personal opinion.”
“Is that aimed at me?”
“I wish I could dredge up that much anger, but I can’t. Have a good life, Carter.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. He couldn’t resist. He wanted to keep his lips against her warm skin, but time had run out for them. “You, too.” Then he added the hardest word in the English language. “Goodbye.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Lila sat on the bed with that resolve in mind, but her strong willpower couldn’t stop a tear from slipping out and running down her cheek. She reached for a Kleenex on the dresser and wiped away the emotions of the past couple of weeks. He was gone and soon he would be just a memory, a very good memory of a special man.
The front door opened and she paused. Was that Carter? Had he forgotten something? She threw the tissue in the trash can and waited for him to enter the room.
The lines on his face were drawn and his gray eyes were dark and troubled. “Did you forget something?”
“I couldn’t start the car.”
“Oh. I’ll take you to the airport.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t mean that.”
“What did you mean?”
“I couldn’t physically make myself start the engine. Everything I love is here and I can’t walk away from it. I can tell myself all kinds of stories, but they even ring hollow to my ears. If you’re not going to open another gallery, come to London with me.”
What did he say?
She shook her head to clear it of cobwebs. “You want me to go to London with you?” She said the words slowly to get it right.
“Yes.”
“And then what?”
“We live our lives the way we want...together. If you get homesick and want to come home, we’ll come home.”
Her heart was beating so fast she had to stop and take a deep breath. “Is marriage on the table?”
“If you want it to be.”
She ran a hand over her hair. “Carter, you’re blowing my mind. Just a few minutes ago you said you had to go. You’ve been saying that since you’ve been here. Marriage, home and family weren’t for you and all that stuff. What changed your mind?”
“You. I know you love me. I can see it in your eyes every day and yet you’re willing to let me go because you think that’s what I want. Slowly you’ve been changing my mind. I like waking up with you and fixing breakfast. I love everything about you. I was too stubborn to admit it. Just now I couldn’t start the car. I couldn’t forcibly make myself do it because I was leaving behind everything I wanted. Besides, what kind of woman would tackle a criminal for me—someone who loves me. I love you, Lila Colton. Come spend the rest of your life with me.”
She placed her hands on her hips, trying to balance herself, trying to believe everything he was saying. “Where would we live?”
“Anywhere you want to. We would have to sort it out down the road. I can’t leave Neil on the spur of the moment. We have to talk about a lot of things.”
“I’m listening.”
“You could be my assistant searching out art fraud. We would be together a lot, but I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“I’d like that. But I want you to be very sure about changing your mind.”
“I am. I knew something was missing in my life and now I know what it was. It was you.”
Not able to stand it anymore, she practically jumped into his arms and held on for the bliss that was to come. “I love you,” she whispered. “For a lifetime.”
He held her face in his hands. “I love you, too. I’m thinking about what kind of house we would like.”
She buried her face in his neck and breathed in the masculine scent of him. “Let’s leave that until later. First, you have to tell my mother you’re taking me far, far away.”
“That might be my biggest challenge.”
She jumped back. “Oh, Carter, your plane is leaving at eleven. You have to hurry.”
“I canceled the flight and now I have to make a new one. I just wanted to make sure you’d say yes.”
“Yes. Definitely yes.” She put her hand over her mouth. “First problem.”
“What?”
“I planned lunch with my mom, and Jackson will be there. He knows I will be there. I can’t break his heart. What are we to do?”
He pulled out his phone. “Let me see when I can get the latest flight out. You do have a passport, right?”
“Yes. I’ll get it.” She hurried upstairs, found it and rushed back to Carter. “It’s up to date.” Her heart was about to burst with happiness.
Carter laid his phone on the bar. “How does eight o’clock tonight sound? First-class.”
“Wonderful. Thank you.” She slid into his arms.
An hour later, they were in the car and on their way to the suburb of Wheaton.
“You’re a long way from your mother,” Carter remarked.
“Sometimes that’s a plus.” She winked at him. “My mom tends to still baby me, and I’m the oldest—at least, by a few months. Myles and I have always been close. I just wish he and Faith would get back together.”
“They’ll work it out.”
“Turn right.”
“Is this it?”
“Yes. The big building is the nursery and the house is in the back. It’s a two-story green Craftsman with tons of light and fresh flowers and airy windows. They sell everything from fresh flowers to fruit trees to prickly cactus, which I have a few scars from.”
“I’ll check later.”
She chuckled. “You already have.”
“This is a big place.”
“Landscapers buy a lot from them and they’re busy all the time. They work hard and that is just one of the little things I love about them.” She pointed to an area near the house. “Park there.”
They went into the house arm in arm. “The smell is intoxicating,” Carter said.
Her mother met them at the back door with hugs. “I thought Carter was leaving?”
“Mom, I have some news.” She told her about London.
“That’s so far away. I’ll never get to see you.”
Rick placed an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Now, honey, she’s grown. Let her live her own life. We’ll miss her, but we’ll celebrate twice as hard when she comes home.” Rick shook Carter’s hand. “It will just take some adjusting.”
Myles walked in with Jackson, who had two big trucks under his arms. “Look, Li, I brought trucks to play with.”
Lila rubbed his hair. “Yes, you did. We’ll do that after lunch. Grandma is waiting for us to eat.”
“Okay.”
They gathered around the dining room table and Lila breathed in the scent of fresh flowers that were sitting in the center of the table. That would be a memory of home for the rest of her life. Her mom always had flowers on the table when they ate. The whole house smelled like a broken perfume bottle. That was what she used to think. Now she thought of how lucky she was to have that treat in her life.
Her mom and Rick brought the pot roast and all the trimmings to the table. Two chocolate pies were on the buffet.
“Everyone is very quiet,” Myles said.
Rick told him about London. “Your mom is a little down.”
“Mom.” Myles shook his head. “How old is she now? It’s time to let go.”
“Where she going?” Jackson asked.
“London,” he told his son.
“Is that far away?”
“Yes, it’s far away.”
Jackson’s face crumbled into a baby-cry expression. “I don’t want her to go.”
Lila pulled him into her arms. “I’m not going to be gone forever. I will call you and talk to you on the phone. And we can see each other on the iPad. We can do all sorts of things. It’s just like talking in person.”
“Can I get a cell phone of my own?”
“You walked right into that one,” Myles said to Lila. “And the answer is no, in case you’re wondering.”
Lila made a face at her brother.
Her mother began to remove the plates and Lila hurried to help. She put an arm around her mother. “Why are you so upset? Don’t you want me to be happy?”
Vita turned and hugged her. “Of course I want my kids to be happy. Myles and Faith are separated and you’re moving away. I feel like an old woman clinging to my babies.”
“You love too much.”
“Yes, I do, and you’re a lot like me. I’m just hoping your feelings for this man are real, the lasting-forever kind.”
“They are, Mom.”
She reached for a dish towel and wiped her hands. “I felt the same way about your dad. It didn’t take me long to figure out he wasn’t my knight in shining armor. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Carter?” Lila called.
He came into the kitchen looking a little startled. She was startled, too, at her mother’s reaction.
“Tell Mom our future plans.”
“Um... We’re going to London so I can validate a painting, and from there I suppose we’ll come back to Chicago so Lila can finish up all the paperwork with the fire. Lila’s going to be my assistant and we’ll be working together like you and Rick. Eventually we plan to build a home somewhere in Chicago or somewhere close to her mother.”
Her mother’s whole demeanor changed. “You’re coming back?”
“Yes,” Carter replied. “What did you think?”
“I thought you would be living there.”
Carter shook his head. “No, ma’am. Lila’s roots are here and I would never take her away from that. We’ll be in and out for the next couple of years.”
Her mom patted his cheek. “Oh, you sweet boy.”
Myles poked his head around the door. “All clear?”
“Yes,” her mother said. “Now let’s eat chocolate pie. Where’s Jackson?”
Jackson wolfed down his pie and then played with his trucks.
“Heath called me, Myles. I haven’t had a chance to tell you.”
“I already know. Dad called. Carin called. Enough said.”
“How do you feel about it? Dad said it was all my fault because I told Heath about the experts. And ruined his life. He won’t be invited to any poker games because of what I did. Carin is very distraught and upset, and I’m supposed to call and apologize.”
“Are you thinking about that?”
“No. I want to know if the will is a fake or not. I think we’ll sleep better if we know. That’s just my opinion, it seems.”
Myles wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sometimes I think about how good it would be to have that much money. Faith and I are arguing about money and how important it is to me. She thinks family is more important. If I inherited a lump sum of money, it would certainly make my life easier. But then I remind myself that Carin has never given me or you anything that I can recall. She’s not going to share that money with anyone.”
“You would side with Carin for the money?” Lila was appalled.
“I said sometimes I think about it, especially when I’m really down about Faith. That’s it. Let me be clear in case you’re not. I don’t plan on sharing anything from the grandmother from hell. I haven’t forgotten that she said I would never amount to anything and she wasn’t going to spend one dime on a needless education.”
Lila placed her hand on Myles’s. “Money is not going to solve your problem. Only you can.”
Jackson came into the room with trucks in his arms. “Is it time to play?”
“Yes, son.”
For the next hour, they all sat out in the backyard watching Jackson play. He had a motorized dump truck that he could drive. He would fill it up with the smaller truck and dump the dirt to help Rick. Sometimes he wanted Lila to help put dirt in the truck with her hands.
“Carter, come play with us,” Jackson shouted.
Without pausing, Carter removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his slacks. And then he pulled off his dress shirt and laid it on the porch.
“We have to load my truck with dirt.”
They played in the sand, moving it from one spot to the other. Finally, Carter put his truck and sand in the bed of Jackson’s truck. Lila followed suit.
Jackson got out of the truck shaking his finger at them. “You’re doing it wrong.”
Carter got to his feet and chased Jackson around the yard. “I’m doing it wrong? Wait until I catch you.” Jackson’s screeches echoed around the neighborhood. They laughed and played and it was a nice family afternoon.
Her mom had a gardenia bush blooming at the end of the house. The decadent white blooms were heavenly. She sat in a swing with Carter since Jackson was busy avoiding them.
“I’ve never seen a place like this. It looks all dressed up and just waiting for somewhere to go, but it has that feel of home. Raising a kid in an apartment in New York wasn’t my parents’ best idea. Kids need to be raised here in the open with all the flowers and the trees and lots of space.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “It’s getting late and we better go. I have to pack a few more things.”
They got to their feet and Carter found his shoes and socks and put them on. They hugged and kissed everyone.
“When you coming back?” Jackson asked.
“Soon, and I’ll bring you a gift.”
“A gift?” He clapped his hands and then looked at Myles.
“Okay.”
Her mom insisted they have another piece of chocolate pie before they left. They were sitting at the kitchen table when a young girl walked in with a red clay pot in her hands.
Her mom waved her over. “Sara, come on in.”
“I didn’t know you had company.”
“That’s okay. I’d like for you to meet my beautiful daughter and her boyfriend, Lila and Carter Finch. And this is Sara Sandoval. She’s helping with marketing.”
The pot crashed to the floor, splintering into many pieces. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Calm down,” Rick told her, and he had the mess cleaned up in no time.
“Did you need something?” her mother asked.
“Oh, yes. A truck driver came into the office and said he has five hundred of—” she glanced down at the floor “—those and wanted to know where to put them.”
“I’ll take care of it,” her mother said. Then she hugged Lila so tight she could barely breathe. “Take care of yourself. I love you, baby.”
The trio made it out the door, and the young girl looked back and said, “Nice to meet you.”
Lila and Carter made it back to the car.
“You seem deep in thought,” Carter said.
“That girl. Who did my mom say she was?”
“Sara Sandoval.”
“She seemed nervous. Did you think that?”
“A little. I think it was just seeing strangers when she only expected your mom and Rick.”
“It’s a little strange that Rick hired her. Rick says he’ll hire family if he needs help. We have all worked there from time to time when we were in college or needed money. He was adamant about outsiders for some reason. That girl looked vaguely familiar.”
Carter reached over and took her hand and squeezed it. “Let it go. Your mom will tell you if she’s someone you need to know. Let’s think about our future. It’s going to be the best times of our lives.”
“An adventure.” She squeezed his hand, and every problem she ever had vanished with the feelings inside her. Life with Carter Finch would be an adventure.