California Dreaming: Four Contemporary Romances (79 page)

“It’s not a quick process,” she said. “Right now I’m trying to figure out what I want, without taking Rick, or … or anyone else into account.”
Damn.
She’d almost said his name.

Part of her waited for him to belittle her idea or the fact that she needed anything for herself. Instead there was silence.

“So I haven’t contacted Rick,” she continued. “If I hear from him I suppose I’ll have to do something, but until then … ” She shrugged.

“Good,” he said, pushing himself up to a standing position. “I won’t have to tiptoe around for a while.”

Guilt made her study the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t really think about what an imposition it would be for you to leave your home every few weeks.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Relax. It was my decision. Just let me know when I need to be gone again.”

She raised her head and saw the longing in his face. He didn’t want to be sent away, that was clear.

She shook her head. “I need to figure things out for myself first. If Rick can’t tolerate my roommates,” she shrugged, “he’ll need to get over it.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, electricity sizzling between them, kept in check by the gates of responsibility.

He patted her shoulder. “I’ve got some things to do. Need any more help tonight?”

“No. I’m off to bed soon myself. At least the doctor is still letting me do that by myself.”

When he took his hand from her back a chill took its place. She watched his back as he left the room, a new sense of loneliness invading her heart.

• • •

The weekend passed easily. In between daydreams about Hunter, Sarah continued to work on the coaching assignments. No matter how much she wanted to force him from her mind, he persisted in lodging there.

Not that she saw much of the actual man.

Probably just as well.

She began to open the mail that Mandy had dropped in her lap before she left for work. Amid the junk mail she found a travel brochure from a local travel agent.

Travel agent? Hadn’t the Internet destroyed them all?

Apparently not. This agency had morphed from providing airline tickets to helping clients plan extended trips and tours.

As she leafed through the brochure, Sarah’s excitement grew. This was her audience — people who came to the coast to get away from it all.

She flipped the glossy piece over and smiled when she saw the name and address. They were in Costanoa Village, not far from her mother’s shop. As soon as Elizabeth got back from France, she’d get her mother to provide an introduction.

If she was ever allowed to get out of bed again for any length of time. Good thing she had an appointment on Thursday. It was time to strong-arm the doctor.

Sarah needed to get on with her life!

She picked up the last piece of mail, a bulky cream-colored envelope. The block letters of her address looked familiar, but she couldn’t place the handwriting. She tore the envelope open and stared at the flowery script and elegant single rose. Hand trembling, she opened the card.

“I’ll send you a bouquet a day

Love won’t keep me away

Until you belong to me again.”

Love, Rick

A chill ran through her. This was the first she’d heard from him since he’d left in a huff. Now he sounded more like a stalker than a past lover.

Her phone rang and she dropped the note on the floor. “Hello.”

“Carol Eos here.”

“Oh.”

“We had our call scheduled for now. Do we need to reschedule? You sound upset. What’s up?”

Sarah told her about the card.

“Hmmm.”

Sarah stared at the card on the floor. Rick’s missive appeared to be a giant spider about to attack.

“That troubles me,” Carol finally said.

“Me, too.”

“Why? Exactly?”

Sarah leaned back in her chair. Talking to the coach made her feel safer. She could say exactly what she wanted without having to worry about censure.

“The more I did the exercises you gave me, the more I realized how much I’d made myself fit into Rick’s dreams and life. His ambitions always seemed more glamorous, more worthy. Don’t get me wrong — I was happy with them.”

“And now?”

Sarah laughed. “The kitchen.”

“Kitchen?”

“Mandy’s doing a great job getting things we need to pass county inspection, but she’s getting them second-hand. They work fine, but they aren’t the most beautiful, state-of-the-art fixtures. When he was here, Rick got an attitude and he and Mandy went at it.”

“How do you feel about the kitchen?”

Sarah laughed again. “I can’t boil an egg! I’m grateful if someone else cooks and I don’t care what they use. My mother’s been using the same gas stove for all of my life and she’s an amazing cook. But anyway, the whole kitchen thing made me realize that’s the difference between us — Rick is Napa stainless steel and I’m Santa Cruz second-hand.”

“Are you happy to be back in the area?”

“I think so. Of course, I’ve spent most of my time confined to this chair, so I can’t be positive. The traffic may get to me. But I’m creating an island of serenity here, someplace that’s big enough for guests
and
my family.”

“What about Rick?”

Sarah contemplated the card again and a tingle of fear ran through her. “It’s not going to work between us. We’re too different. We don’t want the same things. And now he’s creeping me out.”

“You know you need to have that conversation with him.”

“I know.”

“So when will you do it?”

“Soon.”

Carol cleared her throat.

Sarah rolled her eyes. The coach never let dates be vague or too far in the future. “By the end of next week, okay?”

“Sooner would be better.”

Sarah didn’t want to talk with Rick at all. “That’s the best I can do.”

“Okay.”

As she wrapped up the conversation, Sarah’s mind raced. How the hell was she going to tell Rick she was done with him?

She glanced at the note on the floor.

How would he take it?

By the time Thursday’s appointment with the doctor rolled around, Sarah had received three more cards, each more effusive than the last.

She was preparing for Mandy to take her to the doctor when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Mandy called out.

In a few minutes she returned to the living room, a bouquet of daisies in her hand. “Who are these from?”

“I’m afraid to guess,” Sarah said.

“Want me to open the card?”

“No, thanks.” Sarah took the small envelope and opened it.

Another declaration of undying love.

The coach had been right. Sooner was definitely going to be better.

“You look ill. Good thing we’re going to the doctor.” Mandy extended an arm to Sarah to help her up. “I’ll bring the car around.”

“I’m not sick — at least not in the way you’re thinking.”

Mandy paused on her way out of the room. “Want to talk about it?”

Sarah hesitated. “Not yet.”

“Okay. Whenever.”

Sarah smiled. Mandy had turned out to be a good friend.

On the way to the doctor’s Mandy entertained Sarah with stories about the restaurant’s customers. “Daytrippers are starting to come over again. Must be spring,” she said. “I try to eavesdrop on some of the conversations, hoping it will become the next best thing from Silicon Valley so I can buy stock in the company.” She shook her head. “But I can’t figure out what they’re talking about — it all seems to be letters and numbers.”

Sarah chuckled. She knew the type.

“What’s Hunter working on? Do you know?” Mandy pulled into the doctor’s parking lot.

Sarah’s pulse picked up as she thought of her other roommate. “He’s working most days for his friend, Joe. In between he’s building another cabinet.”

“Like the one in the entryway? It’s gorgeous.”

“Not that style. More like a china cabinet from what he said.”

Mandy pulled up to the curb and started to get out.

“Stay,” Sarah growled. “I’m not that much of an invalid. If Doctor Hadiya doesn’t let me out of bed I’m going to become psychotic though.”

“Like that’s different?” Mandy grinned at her.

“Pain.” Sarah smiled back, got out of the car, and walked into the clinic to begin her wait.

An hour later, she finally got into the doctor’s checkup room. An early morning baby delivery had messed up the entire schedule.

Sarah contemplated the wall posters as she shivered in the chill room. She had a few more months before she had to go back to internal exams — something she wasn’t anticipating.

Two light raps let her know the doctor was about to enter.

Hadiya Patel seemed tired today, her usual bright eyes underlined with weariness.

“Tough morning?”

“Mmm. Difficult delivery. Now lie back. How are things going?”

“Okay. I’m ready to get out of bed. I’ve got things to do, an inn to open.”

“We’ll see.”

“Why do you want people to call you ‘Doctor Hadiya’? Isn’t Hadiya your first name?”

A brief smile made the doctor human again. “Too many Patels. It’s like Smith in English. I wanted to be able to be distinguished.”

“Oh.”

They both examined the miracle growing inside of Sarah, the little blob that was becoming more human-like each time a test was done.

“Do you want to know the sex?” Doctor Hadiya asked.

All of sudden she wanted to know. “Can you tell?”

“Mmmm-hmmm.” The doctor smiled at the image floating around.

“Yes.” Sarah held her breath.

“A girl. You’re having a baby girl.”

A girl. She hugged the knowledge close to herself and grinned. Her mother would be ecstatic.

“Can I get out of bed?” There were things to do for her little girl.

“I think so. With some restrictions of course.”

Of course.

But it didn’t matter.

I’m free.

Sarah was sitting at the kitchen table when Hunter came back from work.

“You got released.” He pulled a beer from the fridge and snapped it open. “I’m glad for you. Lying around like that would have driven me crazy.”

“That’s why you’re a ‘man of action’ and I’m a pregnancy statistic.” She grinned at him.

He chuckled. “Imagine that. So now that you’re a free woman, what are you going to do with yourself.”

“I’ve got an inn to open, remember? There are supplies to buy and people to see. And I finally get to drive again!” She raised her hands in victory. “Unfortunately, the car won’t start.”

“I’ll look at it after I grab something to eat. You eaten?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been trying to think of what to make, but the cooking portion of my brain, what little there was of it, seems to have shut down over the last few weeks. You and Mandy have spoiled me.”

“You’re spoilable.”

Good thing he had his back to her as he peered into the massive refrigerator. The heat in her cheeks was a dead giveaway to her reaction to his comment.

“Ah. Here we go.” He pulled out a small steak and placed it on the counter, following it with a few packages of vegetables from the freezer. A container of rice, soy sauce and group of mysterious cans and jars joined them.

“Stir fry?” He pulled a rounded frying pan with steep sides from the pot rack over the stove.

“Don’t you need a wok?”

He stared at her. “Boy, you really don’t cook, do you?”

She shook her head.

“Good thing you have me to take care of you or the baby would starve.”

They stared at each other, Sarah’s heart melting into his eyes.

No guile. No ego.

A good deal of hidden pain.

She dropped her gaze to his mouth.

Mistake. She remembered those lips on hers.

He must have thought the same thing because he started moving again. “So no restrictions?”

“Restrictions?” No, his mouth hadn’t restricted her at all.

“On activity. You know. The doc.” The clanging pot on the stove brought her back to reality.

“Oh. Well. I need to make sure I’m resting for an hour at least twice a day. And no strenuous anything.”

“Guess that leaves sex out.”

“What?”

He chuckled. “I wondered if that’d get a reaction. Just kidding.”

Too bad.

A sizzling aroma of spice and pungent oil arose from the pan. “Where’d you get the flowers from?”

Shit.
She’d forgotten to get rid of them.

“Rick.”

The figure at the stove stilled. Hunter turned around and looked at her. If she’d been a butterfly she’d have been pinned to the board. “Is he back in the picture?”

“No, I’ve decided we can’t make it work.”

“Then why is he sending flowers?” The piercing stare became more intense.

“I haven’t told him.”

“Don’t you think it’s about time you did?”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“That would be good.” Hunter turned back to the stove, but the air in the room had chilled.

The coach was definitely right.

• • •

Sarah spent a restless night. Rick and Hunter chased her and each other across her nightmares. In the morning she was wrung out and no closer to knowing what to say to Rick than she had been when she had gone to bed.

Frustrated, she pulled out her notepad and sent an email to her coach asking her if she had any suggestions.

Then Sarah headed to the shower to see if she could add a brighter beginning to her day. She’d finished dressing when she heard her mother’s voice calling from the living room.

“Sarah? Where are you? And when are you going to stop leaving this front door unlocked?”

Sarah strolled into the living room with a smile. “It’s an inn. That’s what people are supposed to do — walk in.” She kissed her mother’s cheek. “How was your trip? You look great — like you’ve just come back from Paris.”

“Should you be out of bed?”

Sarah’s grin broadened. “Yep. Doctor Hadiya said as long I was careful I was free.”

“How wonderful!” Elizabeth gave her daughter a big hug. “How about everything else? Will Rick be here this weekend?”

“No. We broke up.”