Cart Before The Horse (7 page)

“You look wonderful, kiddo.
That color on you makes your eyes bright.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” She pressed her head to his shoulder and lingered in the comfort for just one more moment before she walked back to her seat on shaking knees.

He sat down next to his wife and gave her a kiss on the

cheek.
“It looks like you’re enjoying your people watching.”

“Ed, we just don’t get downtown enough,” she said as she

sipped her drink, and her eyes followed a handsome man who walked past them.

“So, Holly, what’s new?” Her father picked up a menu and gave it a quick glance.

“I’ve just been working, as usual.”

“You should have invited Tracy. We haven’t seen her in a long time.”

Holly noticed her mother’s grunt into her martini glass.
Ed Jacobs enjoyed the eclectic mix that Tracy, or anyone else, brought to the table. Trudy Jacobs, on the other hand, would much rather be in control of the room, which didn’t leave much space for others.

“ I wanted to talk to you both, alone.”
She’d set it into motion, and there was no turning back now.

The waiter returned and took their order.
Holly ordered a bowl of soup and noted her father’s look of concern. When the waiter refilled her water he gave a slow nod as though he realized she wasn’t drinking her usual glass of wine, which she’d learned early on helped her get through a meal in public with her mother. “Not very hungry today, huh?”

“No.”
She picked up her drink and took a long sip, wishing she could hide behind the glass.

“So what did you want to talk to us about?”

Holly knew the comment hadn’t slipped by him. He was sharp. Her mother set her empty glass on the table, and her father took her hand. He gave her an admiring gaze, one Holly had seen him give her many times. The man truly loved the woman and it often had Holly questioning why. Then he turned his gaze and focused it back on Holly.

This was it.
She was about to tell a tale woven to intentionally mislead her parents into thinking she was doing everything right. Or at least the way they’d expect it to be done. It

was the right thing to do, she convinced herself. It would
soften the blow and it wouldn’t seem so backward. “Well, I’ve been seeing someone.”

Her father took a breath, but her mother straightened and spoke first. “You’re dating?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you would have told me.” She gave a shrug of her shoulders as though Holly had hurt her feelings.

“Trudy, she just did.” Her father patted her hand, calming her as he always could. “So tell us about him.”

“Oh, he’s wonderful. His name is Gabe. He’s from Boston. He’s been here for two years. He owns Maguire’s down off of sixteenth.”

“I know the place,” he said, his face lighting up.
“Nice
waitresses.”

Holly actually felt her head spin. Perhaps it was the crooked smile it left on his face. “He lives above the restaurant in a nice apartment.”

“Your boyfriend lives above a bar?” Her mother waved down the waiter, signaling for another drink.

“It’s not just a bar, Mother.
It’s a very nice place.”

“Then why didn’t we go there for lunch?”

Holly opened her mouth and then shut it again. How could she have told her mother that she wasn’t ready for Gabe to see her mother in her truest form, not just yet.

Her father patted Holly’s hand.
“Will he be joining us?”

“No.
It’s during his rush. But I was thinking we could all go to dinner in a few weeks.”

“I think that sounds nice.” He sat back and gave her a look that meant he was reading her.
It made her palms sweat and her body heat escalate. She could only hope that, for the first time in her life, he’d be wrong about what he saw. “You’re pretty serious about him?”

This was the moment.
Could she look her father in the eye and tell him? “It’s become very serious.”

Her mother shook her head.
“I can’t believe you’ve been

seeing someone so long that it’s this serious and I’ve never met him.
Really, Holly, is that how I raised you?”

Holly swallowed the words she’d wanted to use and rolled her shoulders forward. “Mother, I didn’t mean to keep him a secret.” That was true enough. It wasn’t as if they’d been sneaking around for years, months, or even days.

“I just thought you’d have wanted us to meet him, that’s all.”
Her new martini arrived and she set into it.

Another nauseous wave rolled through Holly, but her f
ather’s eyes were still studying her. To ease the feeling by holding her stomach would send up red flags. Instead, she straightened her shoulders and eased back in her chair, smiling sweetly at him.

Her father finally broke the stare and sipped his iced tea.
“You look happy.”

Holly wasn’t sure that’s what he meant, but she would just take it and hope he believed it.
“I am happy.” At least she hoped she could be.

Her mother set her martini on the table, sloshing it onto her hand.
“So how serious is this man about you?”

“He’s very serious.”

“As in he likes you enough to take you out to dinner, or as in he has a toothbrush at your place.”

“Mother, I’m thirty years old.”

“But age has no bearing on what people think of you.” Her words slurred.

Holly leaned in. “I don’t care what people think of me.”

“Obviously.”

That was it.
She was tired of being Trudy Jacobs’s scapegoat for her own life. Anger coursed through her veins, and with gritted teeth Holly leaned in closer to her mother. “Would it help you to know we are so serious we’re
getting married?”

Oh, damn.

The plan had been to ease them into thinking that was the plan, not to tell them she was getting married. Now she’d lied to them and all because her mother had made her so crazy and

mad. The sickness in her belly was becoming harder to suppress, but she had no choice. Her mother’s eyes flew open wide and her father’s lips softened in to a pleased smile. She didn’t know which reaction to focus on.

Her mother covered her chest with her hands and groaned.
“I can’t imagine.” She reached across the table and yanked Holly’s hands toward her. “Where’s your ring?”

“We didn’t exchange rings.
It was just something we discussed.” Holly pulled back her hands, set them in her lap, and balled them both into fists.

“What kind of man doesn’t propose with a ring?”

“Mother, I’m not one for surprises.” And that was the most truth she’d spoken all day.

“Holly, I think that’s wonderful.”
Her father smiled and wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Our little girl is getting married.”

“There is so much to do.
We have to start planning.” Their food arrived as she was dropping names of caterers and bridal gown designers. Holly knew her list wouldn’t include herself or Tracy, as her mother had never thought much of her
chosen career.

“Mother, we’re not having anything big.
In fact we’ve thought about just having a private ceremony and perhaps a nice dinner with friends and family after.”

Her mother reached for her drink with shaky hands and sent gin splashing over the sides.
She managed to get it to her mouth and sip without spilling it down the front of her. “You’re going to deny me a wedding?”

Oh, she had no idea of the disappointment she was about to go through. “Mother, first of all, it’s not your wedding.
It’s mine, and it’s what we want.”

The waiter set their food down and Ed continued to smile at Holly. He leaned toward her. “Well, I think it sounds
wonderful. I can’t wait to meet him.”

Holly picked up her napkin and set it in her lap.
She took

her spoon and stirred her soup, but she couldn’t help but notice her father’s eyes still lingered on her.

“Holly, is there anything else you want to tell us?”

All she could do was plaster on a smile and shake her head. No, she certainly didn’t want to tell them anything else.

Chapter Four

Holly hadn’t thought much about crowds when she’d headed to Maguire’s for dinner, as she’d promised Gabe she would, but it was Friday night. The line out the door nearly made her turn around.

Chandra hurried toward her as she saw her and waved her around the line of people that waited.
“Hey, Holly. Gabe is in his office. He said to grab you if you showed up.”

Holly gave her a nod and headed back to the small office she’d been in once before.

The door was open and Gabe sat at his desk.
His head rested on his hand as he was looking over an order on his desk. Absentmindedly, he worked his fingers in his hair, and Holly smiled. Even with his face hidden, he was handsome.

The thought that she’d already memorized his face struck her like she’d been jabbed in the gut, and she shook it off.
She didn’t need to be watching him and thinking about how attractive he was. There was enough to worry about after her disastrous lunch with her parents and that little bit about their getting married. She needed to stay her course and be the friend who was carrying his child. Once he found out she’d gone that far, would he even be able to call her a friend?

She cleared her throat to get his attention.

His head snapped up and he smiled. “Hey. I was hoping you’d come by.”

“I should go home.
You have a line out the door. Is it always this busy on Friday?”

“Always.”
He stood up and his gaze moved over her. “You

look beautiful.”

She looked down at her casual attire.
“It’s becoming more comfortable by the day to dress down.”

“Has anyone told you yet that you’re glowing?”

There was an urge to shake away his compliment about being beautiful, but was he really looking close enough to see her glow? Is that what he expected? “I don’t think I’m far enough along to glow.”

He winked.
“You are. C’mon, let’s get some dinner and take it upstairs. The noise in here tonight is giving me a
headache.”

Gabe made them each a plate of the buffalo meatloaf, which was the special.
He poured himself a beer, and Holly opted for an iced tea. They walked silently up the steps to his apartment and set their plates down on the table.

Holly looked around as she placed her napkin on her lap.
“Do you even have groceries here? It’s very nice to think you could just go down and get whatever you wanted to eat.”

“It’s fine.
But you have to think there are thirty items on that menu. Now if you come in often, you have a favorite. It’s what keeps you coming back. But when you’re faced with those same items every night, no it’s no luxury.”

“You don’t like buffalo meatloaf?”

“Like it a lot. I’ve had it six times in the last two weeks. I’m starving for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.”

She laughed and wiped her mouth.
“Now that is something I could cook for you. I’m an expert at boiling water
and noodles.”

“Would you?”

“What?”

“Make it for me?”

She wanted to burst out and laugh, but his seriousness stopped her. “Really? That’s what you’d like me to do for you when you feed me like this?”

He nodded and took a sip of his beer.

Holly shrugged.
“Sure. You tell me when.”

“Tomorrow.
Eight o’clock.” He set his beer down. “Unless that’s too late for you.”

“No, that’s fine.”

“There’s a lull in the rush at eight. The door is always unlocked, just come up. I have everything, except milk, butter, and the mac and cheese.”

“It’ll be ready for you.”
She couldn’t help the smile on her lips. He was fun. At least she’d made the biggest mistake of her life with someone whom was genuinely fun to be around.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.
I met someone today.”

The giddy feeling from his silliness slipped from her, and worry filled her.
Did someone mean a woman? That was okay, she told herself. They weren’t a couple. They didn’t have a binding relationship, except the baby. She straightened her shoulders and sucked back a breath.

“Someone you’re seeing?”
Did it sound as snippy to him as it did to her? “Is it serious?”

Oh, God, she was turning into her mother.

“What? No. No. That’s not what I meant.” There was a crease between his eyebrows, and she realized she’d missed
the mark.

“Oh, I just assumed.
I’m sorry.”

“I met a man.
He gave me something. I want to show you.” Gabe stood and dropped his napkin on the table. He walked over to Holly and knelt next to her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring case.

Holly felt her throat close up.
What was he doing?

“Gabe…”

He opened the ring case. “Does it look familiar to you?”

Inside was a ring of rose gold and a karat ruby center stone.
Holly held her hand to her chest, where her heart rate rose. Yes, that ring looked familiar to her—it had been a gift that her great-grandfather had made the year she was born. “That was my great-grandmother’s wedding ring. The one my great-

grandfather gave her on their fiftieth anniversary.”

“Yep.”

Holly swallowed hard. “Who did you meet exactly?”

“You really have to ask me that?”

“You met my father.”

“Yes.
He came in to meet me around four.”

“He didn’t mention it.”

“I didn’t suppose he did. Imagine my surprise when he said he wanted to meet the man his daughter was going to marry. Funny, but I don’t remember the proposal.” Gabe’s head cocked to the side, and he watched her intently.

Holly covered her mouth and stood.
“Oh, Gabe. I’m so
sorry.” Her cheeks filled with heat, and she lifted her
hands to them. “It just slipped out. I just couldn’t take my
mother’s attitude.”

“So you told them we were getting married?”

“Well would it be so bad?” That wasn’t what she wanted to know at all.

“It isn’t what we decided.”

That made the lie she’d told so much worse.

Holly’s head spun.
How had she let herself get into such a predicament?

Gabe stood and set the ring on the table then turned to her.
He brushed his fingers down her arms, and then pulled her into him as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Do you want to fill me in now on what your parents think is going on?”

She looked up at him. His dark eyes were soft.
She’d expected him to call her out on her lie, because that’s what her mother would have done. He should be mad. He should be storming about. But he sat and waited for her to explain what had happened. “I told them I’d met someone.”

“And they decided that meant we were getting married?”

“No, my mother started in and, well, it just came out. I didn’t mean to tell them we were going to get married. I just wanted to make them assume it.” His eyes narrowed, but his

demeanor was still soft. He was still listening. “I figured they’d

get to know you and I was sure they’d like you.
You’re
a nice guy.”

“Thanks.
My mother thanks you too.”

She rubbed her hands on her pants.
She was worried he’d hate her forever, and he was cracking jokes. “I thought once they liked you, I could tell them about the baby and then say we broke up. They’d understand because they know I’m difficult to live with.”

“For being such a smart person, you sure sell yourself short.”
He shook his head. “Why didn’t you just tell them about the baby?”

Her mouth dropped open and regret balled in the pit of her stomach. “I couldn’t.
I couldn’t bear to see my mother’s disappointment. She was shocked enough that I’d met a man and that he’d even considered marrying me.”

Gabe wiped a tear from her cheek and then turned to the table and picked up the ring box. He looked at the ring and his shoulders dropped as he turned back to her. She’d waited her whole life to get that ring, and now here was the man given that responsibility and he’d been forced into it.
She waited for him to close the box, hand it to her, and ask her to leave.

“When your father gave me this, he said it was your great-grandmother’s wish that you have it as your engagement ring.
And he knew it isn’t exactly your style, so I have permission to buy you a very gaudy diamond for your wedding ring.”

She reached for the box.
“I feel so stupid. I’ll take it back to him and explain.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort.”
He took out the ring and set the box back on the table, then turned back to her. “You’ll wear it.”

Gabe slid the ring on her finger.

Her hand shook. “I can’t do this. It’s like I’m lying to my great-grandmother now.”

“Let’s call it a promise ring, then.
I promise to take care of

you and our baby if you’ll make me macaroni and cheese for dinner every few weeks.”

That made her laugh again.
She wiped away her tears. “What will you tell people?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “That you’re an amazing person that I get to spend my life with.
That’s no less the truth.”

Disappointment actually shook her.
A small part of her had hoped he’d ask her to marry him. “Holly, we’ll be sharing our lives no matter what. Marriage isn’t everything.” He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I didn’t tell your father about the baby. He didn’t ask, though it felt like he knew there was something else.”

She nodded.

“Tell them I gave you the ring. I won’t tell them that we’re not getting married.”

She swallowed back the sting of regret. “Thank you, Gabe.
You’re making this much easier than it should be.”

“I like my macaroni and cheese really cheesy,” he said with a wink as he sat back down at the table.

Holly lay in bed and held her hand out in front of her.
The ring caught the lights from the city that filtered through her window. What a special surprise it had been. Had her father always planned that?

She wondered if the uneasy feeling she’d had all day was the guilt of lying to her parents or her pregnancy.
Either way she was both joyous and remorseful, and she didn’t know how to untangle the feelings.

She rolled over, tucked her hands under her head, and looked out the window at the city.
So many people. Gabe lived only a few blocks away and had for years. How many times had they crossed paths along the way? She eaten at Maguire’s in the past few years. Had he been there? Was she so focused on herself that she hadn’t noticed him?

She closed her eyes and tried to force sleep to take over her

body, but his face kept creeping into her mind.

They were going to share their lives no matter what, she reminded herself.
It didn’t seem so bad. The prospect of it made her even a little giddy. Would her son be Gabriel Maguire Junior? Or was Gabe a junior? She’d never even thought to ask. Would her daughter be as uptight as she was? How would she teach her child to be normal?

She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling.
How, in such a short amount of time, had her structured and organized life become so messy?

She rolled again, pounded her pillow into place, and laid her head back down.
She needed sleep. She needed to get up the next morning and go grocery shopping. The kitchen of Gabe Maguire needed staples so she could cook for him once in awhile, starting with macaroni and cheese.

Gabe locked the door to the restaurant and waved to Chandra as she drove away. It was almost three in the morning, and it had been a good night.

The wine order for next week would have to be bumped up, and so would the meat order. And even though the holidays were a few months away, he was going to need to think about his fish orders and incorporating them into specials. Business was even better than he’d hoped.

He turned off the lights and double-checked to make sure the coffeepot behind the bar was off. The chef always made sure the kitchen was clean and cold before he left, but Chandra had more than once forgotten to turn off the coffeemaker.

Gabe walked up the stairs to his apartment.
He’d been surrounded by noise all night, and the peaceful sound of his feet on the floor made the tension he hadn’t realized was in his shoulders release.