California Dreaming: Four Contemporary Romances (113 page)

Like most agreements, the devil was going to be in the details. “How is she going to value the business?” he asked. At her blank look, he explained what he meant—how was Sally going to determine the price of the business? He followed the question with several others.

Even if Sally was a friend, no one was going to take advantage of Mandy on his watch, no matter how inadvertent it might be.

“Whoa!” Mandy said and pulled out her lime green covered smartphone from her purse. "I need to get some of this down. I can see I have more questions for Sally.”

He managed to get a few more questions and ideas out before the waitress returned with their food.

“Nice presentation,” Mandy said. “Of course, that’s the thing with California. Fresh fruit is always available for culinary artistry. Other places, not so much.” She took a mouthful of spinach and mushroom omelet. “Yum. Good choice!”

As they ate, their conversation turned to his brothers and their wives since Mandy would meet them that night. After they finished their meal, they ambled around the small beach town, admiring artists’ offerings and trinkets. They made it to the beach and set off across the sand. James held out his hand, and she took it.

“Have you told Dana that we’re seeing each other?” she asked.

Mandy’s question startled him, and he tried to fluff it off. “Are we? Seeing each other?”

She looked at their clasped hands. “It looks like it to me.”

A warm glow, one not caused by the sun, filled him, but it was edged with the chill of caution. “Does that mean you’re moving down here?”

She took a deep breath and was silent for a few moments. “I obviously have more details to work out with Sally.”

He wasn’t sure if he should say anything. He chose silence.

His tongue hurt from the pressure.

“If I move down here, I’m going to need to manage some type of relationship with Dana. It’s not going to be easy.” She stopped and turned to him. “Yes, James. If I can work all of it out, I’d like to come down here. Is that still okay with you?” Her eyes darted back and forth, scanning his face for the answer.

“More than okay.” He took her in his arms and kissed her.

The promise of the future radiated from James’s kiss. A kaleidoscope of sensations flooded through her. Sexual arousal, of course, but more importantly, safety. With James, she knew what she was getting. He knew how to create a family because he was part of one.

She returned his ardor, praying she would be able to give him as much as he was giving her.

“You’re thinking too much,” James said, his mouth a whisper away from hers.

“Probably because we’re on a public beach.”

“In front of God and everyone.”

“Yes.”

“Definitely, yes.” He lowered his mouth and took hers again. This time she allowed herself to be swept away by the physical touch of his lips on hers, the hard planes of his body, and the touch of his hands on her, pulling her ever closer to him.

After a few moments, they came up for air. She looked around and saw a few people glance away, while others gave her a smile and a thumbs-up.

“I think we’d better stay at your place tonight,” she said.

“My mother will have a fit.”

“Your mother will have to get over it,” she said and retook his hand. It was going to be interesting to see how his brothers' wives dealt with James’s opinionated mother.

By mid-afternoon they’d explored all the nooks and crannies of the beach town they wanted to see. On the way back to the car, James pulled her into a trinket shop they’d passed early that morning.

“Haven’t we seen everything?” Her voice sounded whiny. Maybe she needed a nap.

“One more thing.” He led her to a display of molded sandcastles, picked one up, and handed it to her. “I want to get you this to remind you of our day…and…” His face reddened slightly. “I’m not good at this. But I want to remind you I’ll always protect you as much as I can from the bad things in life. I’m so glad you’re moving here. I love you, Mandy.”

She looked at the turret-studded object she held. Her eyes misted. Possibilities for everything were ahead of them. Her heart knew the emotion they shared was deep and real. “I love you, too, James. Thank you.”

“Of course,” James said, “we’ll need to put a white picket fence around it instead of a moat.”

Joy spilled from her heart as she laughed.

After they’d left the beach town behind, she pulled out her phone and a business card from her purse. She stared at them.

“Thinking what to say to Sally?” he asked.

“No, my father.”

“Oh.”

She could tell he was biting his tongue. Several times during the day she’d been aware that he’d forced himself into silence instead of asking what was so clearly on his mind. She loved him a little bit more for the effort.

“Much as I hate to say it, your mother is probably right. I should see my father while I’m here.” She glanced at him. “Do you mind if I tell him about us?”

“It’s probably better he find out about it from you than from any of the gossip-hungry bloggers in this town.”

“Yeah.” She stared at the phone as the miles blurred by, wishing it could give her a script to read to her father.

“Do you want me to pull over so you can have some privacy?” James asked.

She shook her head. There was nothing she was going to say that James couldn’t hear.

Finally, she stabbed the numbers on the business card into her phone. Within a few rings her father picked up.

“Mandy?” he asked.

“How did you know?”

He chuckled. “I don’t have many contacts in the 831 area code.” After a brief pause, he continued. “I’m glad you called.” An ache of warmth and pain echoed in his voice.

“I’m in LA…” She hesitated, not knowing how to address him.

“Will you have time for us to have a cup of coffee?”

She sensed him steeling himself for rejection.

“I think that’s possible.”

“That’s wonderful. Do you have transportation? I could pick you up somewhere.”

“Let me check.” She muted her phone. “Can you take me to a coffee shop tomorrow?” she asked James.

“Anything you want.” He pointed to the sandcastle. “Remember, I’m your protector.”

She smiled and unmuted the phone. “I can get a ride. Where should we meet?”

Once arrangements were wrapped up, she slid the phone and business card back into her purse, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes. Her hands trembled on her thighs.

James’s warm hand covered hers. “It will be okay. I’ll stay nearby. If you need me, all you have to do is call. Okay?”

“Okay.” His support boosted her spirits, but repairing the broken bridge to Dana was something she’d have to do on her own, and it would take time. Her therapist had warned her not to expect big changes from either of her parents right away, if ever.

“We enter into silent agreements with people we are close to,” he’d said. “When we try to change the agreement, the other person will often dig in his or her heels and object to the change. If you’re persistent and consistent, the relationship will adjust. But it’s going to take a while.”

They spent most of the trip back to Irvine without conversation, the music jacked up to the max. As they got closer to his parents’, her nerves returned. Would the rest of his family like her? Would they quiz her about her family? Her future in LA? With James?

“Is your mother really going to object if we go back to your place tonight?”

He chuckled. “You never know with my mom. She could have a fit, or she could think it’s a great idea.” He squeezed her hand. “Let’s see how it goes.”

James’s brothers were different versions of him. Michael, the doctor, was a more polished version, while his brother David was a model for almost any man in Silicon Valley. Michael’s wife Melanie exuded the sheen of a real estate agent, but put Mandy at ease with her jokes. In between chasing after her three-year-old, David’s wife June filled her in on the family dynamics.

“James is a middle child,” June told her. “He’s always been the odd kid out. Then there was the thing with Theresa. He told you how she dumped him, right? Oh, Chrissy, no! Not that!” She leapt up to grab her daughter who was intent on emptying the nut bowl onto the floor.

“Mandy, can you help me in the kitchen?”

Darn.
She didn’t want to be alone with James’s mother. “Sure.” She walked into the kitchen. She should be comfortable there, right? She was a chef.

“Could you put the mashed potatoes in a bowl and carry them out?”

And a waitress. Mandy nodded and went to work.

She’d filled the bowl and picked it up to carry it to the dining room when Jane said, “James tells me you’re going back to his place tonight.”

Mandy almost dropped the bowl. “Uh. We were thinking about it. Yeah.”

She faced Jane. To her relief, James’s mother was smiling.

“I think that’s a fine idea,” Jane said. “Now get those potatoes to the table before they cool too much. We’re almost ready.”

The woman definitely had her moments.

Mandy plunked the bowl on the table. Within minutes, everyone was gathered to eat.

They also focused their attention on Mandy. In between bites of roast beef, potatoes, and green beans, she fielded questions about her past, her present, and her future.

Halfway through the meal James squeezed her hand. “Enough,” he said to his family. “Give her a break.”

Her protector. How nice to have a champion.

She smiled at him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jane nodding approval.

“So how about them Chargers?” Mandy asked with a grin.

Everyone at the table laughed. For the rest of the meal the conversation focused on football and LA’s lack of a home team.

As soon as the dessert dishes were cleared, James and Mandy slipped away.

• • •

James pointed to a squat brown brick building set back from the street. “There’s my building.” He took her hand. “Are you sure about this? I can still take you back to my parents’.”

Nervousness zinged her stomach, but she smiled. “I’m sure.”

He led the way into his apartment. “It’s small, but works for me.” He showed her the galley kitchen, combined dining room/living room, small bath, and the single bedroom. He stared at the bed for a moment before he turned back to her. “Look, maybe this isn’t a good idea.”

She took her bag from his hand and set it on the floor. “I’m fine with this.” She kissed him to show him just how comfortable she was.

“There’s something else I need to tell you.” He took her hand and led her to the couch. Misery etched lines around his mouth. “Like I told you, Mateo and Theresa got married before he shipped off the first time. I thought it was pretty fast, but didn’t say anything. The man was going to war. Who knew what would happen.” James swallowed. “Mateo left me a letter I was to open if anything happened to him.”

Her stomach churned. A sixth sense told her she wasn’t going to like what came next.

“Theresa started to show a few months after the wedding, and I figured they’d had to get married.” He took a deep breath. “After Mateo was killed in action. Theresa was devastated. I helped her get through it. She—” He choked on the words. “She told me she’d made a mistake, she’d always loved me. I wasn’t sure if that was true, or if she was looking for a father for Ruiz. Either way, I knew it would never work. Then I opened the letter.”

His eyes were liquid pools.

Mandy’s heart ached for him. So much pain.

“What did the letter say?”

He let go of her hand and disappeared into the bedroom, returning a few seconds later with a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to her.

She uncurled it and read.

If you’re reading this, bro, I didn’t make it. I’ll miss the fun times we could have had. And I’ll miss watching the kid grow up.

There are a few things I’m going to tell you that are hard. I should have told you before, but I’m so in love with Theresa, I can’t bear the thought of losing any part of her. I don’t know what you would have done if you’d known.

I’m asking, no, begging you to take care of her and Ruiz. If you fall in love with Theresa again, I hope you marry her. But knowing what a stubborn bastard you are, I doubt it.

This is what you need to know. Theresa was already pregnant when we hooked up. The boy’s yours, bro. I didn’t want to keep it a secret, but she wouldn’t let me tell you.

I’m sorry, James. It should never have been this way.

See you in heaven, Mateo.

Mandy stared at the letter for several moments, her heart aching for the man she loved. How could his friend do that to him? “What did you do?” she asked in a whisper.

“I confronted Theresa.” James sat down again. “I’m afraid I wasn’t very nice about it. “I told her I’d take a paternity test, but she didn’t want it. She said Ruiz thinks Mateo was his father and she wants to leave it like it is.”

“But if you are his father, you have rights!” Her anger burned for both of them.

He took her hands and kissed them. “I love that you’re so angry for me. Ruiz has rights, too. Since I have no intention of marrying Theresa, I didn’t want to confuse him. I stay in his life. I’m Uncle James.” He grinned, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “If he gets curious later, I may tell him, but for now leaving things the way they are seems best. Besides, Theresa’s got a new guy in her life, and that’s difficult enough.”

“I’d like to meet your son. If I’m going to be part of your life, I need to be part of all of it.” She touched her hand to his cheek. He may be her protector, but she wanted to be there for him and love him.

He nodded. “I’d like that.” Leaning over, he kissed her. “Thank you for understanding.”

He took Mateo’s letter from her and put it on an end table. Then he gathered her in his arms. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Even though I disrupted your life plan?”

“Especially, since you threw that damn plan out the window.” He kissed her again, a kiss that held promises of more.

She responded, letting her body tell him he wouldn’t be sleeping alone that night.