seven

Curled on the sofa with her laptop, Julia hit Send on the proposal recommending Caliente Springs to Carter Home Goods. Two hours had passed since she first sat down, and she was now furious with Hunter. Fed up, she snatched up her phone and texted him. Where are you?

No answer.

Maybe he was driving and couldn’t respond. Or maybe he was teasing her like a cat with a mouse. Churning inside, she strode to the living room window and separated the drapes. Dusk pressed against the glass, and the streetlights glared white through the trees. Every child on the block knew the rule: when the lights came on, it was time to go home. Her phone hadn’t chirped or meowed, but Julia checked it anyway, her imagination on fire with pictures of Hunter’s Lexus upside down with the wheels spinning.

Unable to resist a minute longer, she called Hunter.

One ring.

Two rings.

She lost count until a female voice told her the subscriber’s voice mail was full. Her hand shook as she ended the call. Hunter checked his voice mail all the time. Was someone else worried and leaving messages? If he’d been in a wreck with Max, would his parents call her? They hated her now.

“Julia?”

She spun around and saw her mom wearing an expression as tight as her own. “I haven’t heard from him.”

Ellen twisted the switch on a hurricane lamp. Yellowish light hurled circles on the carpet and walls, intersecting to make arcs and ovals. “I’m concerned.”

“Me too.”

She turned back to the window, opaque now because of competition from the lamp. Instead of the street, she saw a movie of her fears play on the black glass, including the fear she refused to voice to anyone, even her mother. Hunter’s family was wealthy. If he wanted to take Max and disappear, he could do it as easily as he bought groceries.

But he wouldn’t do that to her.

Would he?

The grandfather clock gonged eight times. It was Max’s bedtime. He needed a bath and a story, a kiss good-night, and his favorite stuffed bear.

Julia banged her fist on the doorjamb. “I can’t stand this.”

Her mom stood behind her, silent, probably praying, until Hunter’s black Lexus swept around the corner. Julia jerked open the door but stopped on the edge of the concrete step. If she attacked Hunter, he’d lash back. Forcing cool air into her lungs, she unknotted her fists and choked back the sour taste of helpless fury.

Hunter climbed out of the car, turned, and stared at her. He wasn’t very tall, but his posture exuded power. So did his expensive clothes, the razor cut of his light brown hair, and the intelligence gleaming in his green eyes. A long time ago those eyes had beguiled her; now they teased and toyed with her, with Max as the prize.

Fuming, Julia waited while Hunter lifted Max out of the car, swung him in the air, and laughed when Max flung out his arms and made airplane noises. Joy, but at what cost? Hunter’s values were light years from hers. What would they do when Max was a teenager? What would Hunter teach him about girls, money, and cars? Unconsciously, she raised her hand to the base of her throat and pressed.

“Mommy!” Max shouted. “We went to the zoo.”

“That sounds fun.” Faking a smile, she lowered her hand and came down the steps. Hunter set Max on the ground and opened the trunk.

Max charged up the walk and flung himself at her legs. “I saw the elephidents.”

“Oh wow!”

“And the hipp-motomoses.”

Julia laughed, but it hurt. Max would talk about this trip for days, and she hadn’t been there.

Ellen joined them. Grinning, she ruffled Max’s hair. “Hey, kiddo. Let’s go inside. Grammie wants to hear about the elephants.”

Max turned toward Hunter, now approaching with a huge bag from the gift shop.

Julia murmured her thanks to her mother, placed her hands on Max’s shoulders, and waited until he looked up. “It’s bedtime. Give Daddy a hug and go with Grammie.”

“No!”

Shocked, Julia drew back. She couldn’t possibly allow her son to behave that way. “Max. Look at me.”

He lifted his chin, smirked, then looked pointedly at his feet—his father’s mini-me, ignoring her the way Hunter had ignored her texts and calls.

Julia shifted her gaze to Hunter, saw a smirk, and knew he was inwardly laughing at her. Angry words boiled up in her throat, but she swallowed them. Instead she placed a finger on Max’s chin and tipped up his head. His eyes popped open, but he closed them again, squeezing the lids as tight as he could.

Julia placed her hands on his shoulders, gently but with authority. “Max. Open your eyes.”

Silence. Not even a twitch.

“You have three seconds to open your eyes, or you’ll be in time-out tomorrow. No games. No toys.” She took a breath. “One. Two—”

Hunter cut her off. “Come on, Julia. He’s just revved up. We had a great time. Don’t ruin it.”

Just revved up? Hopped up on sugary soda and cotton candy was more like it. And revved up or not, she loved Max too much to let him turn into Hunter. She couldn’t discipline her son and cope with Hunter at the same time, especially with Hunter armed to the hilt with toys from the zoo, so she cut her losses.

“We’ll talk later,” she told Max. “What did you like best?”

“The gift shop.” He grabbed the bag and held it like a trophy.

Hunter laughed, but Julia saw no humor at all. By indulging Max with several souvenirs instead of telling him to pick one, a rule they had agreed upon, Hunter had undercut her authority. His extravagance turned her into the bad guy, which was both unfair and wrong. The rules protected Max.

Ellen took the shopping bag and reached for her grandson’s sticky hand. “Come on, kiddo. I bet we can find a book about elephants.”

Max scooted happily toward Ellen, but he stopped midway and faced Hunter. “Daddy, can you stay?”

“No, son.” Hunter dropped to a crouch, putting himself eye to eye with Max. “That’s your mom’s decision.”

Max swiveled his head back to Julia and looked up, imploring her with his eyes to do the impossible. “Mommy, can Daddy stay with us?”

Julia didn’t resent Max’s desire for a father, but she was furious at Hunter for using Max to manipulate her. Refusing to let even a flicker of ambivalence show, she shook her head. “No, Max. We’ve talked about this.”

“But—” His bottom lip wobbled.

Hunter pulled him into his arms. “Hey, Max, don’t cry. This is between Mommy and Daddy. I’ll see you in a few days. I promise.”

The hug ended with Max sniffing back tears and Hunter giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Ellen took Max into the house, leaving Julia alone with Hunter. If she took one false step, the fragile peace they maintained would disintegrate. But what did she do about his manipulation, the way he blamed her for their separation? If she fought too hard, they might end up in court with a judge deciding how to raise Max. She couldn’t allow that to happen, because a judge would see the good man Hunter reflected to the world, not the one who twisted truth to his own advantage. She couldn’t compete with Hunter’s income, polish, or charm. And without a successful business, she couldn’t provide for her son.

God? Is this from you? Are you telling me to take that job with Zeke?

Her eyes caught on the mulberry tree, and she recalled the day her father had cut it down to nothing but the trunk and the three main branches.

“Daddy, it’s going to die.”

“No, Princess. Just watch. A year from now it’ll have all new growth. In a few years, it’ll be stronger and prettier than ever.”

That was her life—a tree hacked to three main branches—Max, her mother, her new faith. And like that tree, she was going to come back stronger. If Hunter didn’t approve of her decision to spend a month at Caliente Springs, so be it.

Determined to hold her ground, she faced him. “We never finished talking about Max and school. I’m sorry about the other night, but it couldn’t be helped.”

A smirk lifted his lips. “So what happened?”

A goat ate my phone. I haven’t laughed so hard in ages! And then . . . Julia shoved the picture of Zeke’s shining eyes out of her mind. “My phone needed to be replaced. A trip to the Apple Store wasn’t on my schedule, plus I was in a meeting with a big account. You know how that is.”

He preened with the ego stroke. “Yeah, I get it. But I needed to talk to you. One minute, that was all I needed. When you didn’t give me an answer, I confirmed the school meeting for Monday at nine.”

“I’ll be there.” The one-sided decision was just like Hunter, but tonight Julia could use it for leverage when she brought up Caliente Springs.

Hunter stuck out his hand. “Peace?”

Julia stared down at his smooth fingers. The handshake was an old custom between them, the way they used to end silly quarrels. If she didn’t shake his hand, she’d look petty. If she did, he’d hold on a little too long. She flipped a mental coin and shook back.

“Peace.”

Hunter grinned. “You’re forgiven for the phone tag.”

Julia lifted her chin. “So are you.”

He laughed, not at the joke but at her. Every cell in her body rebelled, but she sealed her lips. This wasn’t the first time she’d taken a mental punch from Hunter, and it wouldn’t be the last. She was in his good graces, so she took advantage.

“I have some news.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“I’m coordinating a wedding near San Luis Obispo. Have you heard of Caliente Springs?”

“It’s a nice place. Old. But it used to be classy.”

“I’m going to be working there for a few weeks. I thought I’d make it a vacation for Max and my mom.” She saw no reason to mention Zeke.

“Nice.” Hunter sounded pleased, even impressed. “I hope you have a good time.”

“We will. About your weekends—”

“Don’t worry about next Saturday.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Jeff Donahue is in town. We’re getting together for drinks. I’ll come up to Caliente Springs the Saturday after that. The three of us can spend a weekend together.”

No, a thousand times no. A family-style weekend with Hunter was out of the question. It sent the wrong message to Max, and she especially didn’t want Hunter treading on Zeke’s territory. “That won’t work. I’ll meet you in Santa Barbara. We can trade him off there.”

His full lips pulled into a mocking smile. “So you’re willing to meet me halfway after all.”

“Hunter—”

He held up one hand. “I know. You think it’s over between us. But Julia, it’s not. You still love me. I know you do. Let’s run off to Vegas and find one of those wedding chapels. Don’t you think we owe it to Max?”

Julia owed her son the best life she could give him, and a loveless marriage struck her as the wrong place to start. With her throat tight, she glanced at the full moon shining through the tree branches. If she didn’t get Max to bed soon, he’d be cranky for church.

Schooling her features, she looked back at Hunter. “I have things to do. I’ll see you Monday.”

“All right. I give up, but just for tonight.” After a seductive look, one she didn’t return, he climbed into the Lexus and drove off.

Julia went inside and headed for the bathroom. Max was still in the tub, kicking his feet and making motorboat sounds, while her mother used a cup to rinse baby shampoo from his spiky hair.

“I’m going to take the job,” Julia said.

Ellen paused with the cup in the air. “That’s great. When do we leave?”

“How about Monday afternoon?”

“Perfect.”

“Good. If you’re okay with Max, I’ll call Zeke now.”

When Ellen nodded, Julia went to her room, closed the door, and took her phone out of her pocket.