Love's Deception (19 page)

Ty leaned back and studied her. “Neither,” he said, frowning. “Since I’m being completely honest, I’ll tell you the whole story. When I moved in, I was dating an interior decorator. She worked at a high-end furniture store. My green-plaid sofa and brown Lazy Boy recliner didn’t pass her inspection. After nagging me for months to let her redecorate, she talked me into leaving my credit card with her when I went out of town for a week. My idea of redecorating was a new couch, but I came home to a total apartment makeover. After I swallowed the shock of my credit card bill, I decided it looked pretty good. The bedroom furniture is nice, too. You’ll get a chance to check it out tonight.”

“What? I will?”

The mischievous grin he used to save for when he teased her spread across his face. “Sure, where else would you sleep but the bedroom?”

Yawning, Cat covered her mouth. She looked at the oversized clock hanging on the wall. “It’s getting late. Seriously, Ty, what are the sleeping arrangements?”

“You can sleep in my bed. I washed the sheets for you. There’s a guy from the ward who lives in building D of this complex. He’s divorced and has an extra room for his son who visits every other weekend. He’s letting me stay with him.”

“I feel bad for kicking you out of your apartment.”

“It’s not a problem. And I thought it wouldn’t look so good if we stayed here together. My friend Dave and his wife invited you to stay at their house, but I didn’t want you to have to stay with someone you didn’t know. Dave’s the one baptizing me, so you’ll meet him on Saturday.”

Cat nodded. “Thanks. That was really thoughtful of you.”

Ty got to his feet. “I’ll brush my teeth and get out of here so you can go to sleep.” He stood at the door a few minutes later with nothing but the clothes on his back, his keys, and his phone. “Make yourself at home. Anything that’s mine is yours. Call me if you need me. I’ll be in 114-D.” He kissed her once and turned to leave. “Hey, one more thing,” he said, looking back at her. “I don’t want you to worry. Sometimes Ashley drinks too much on the weekend and calls here, and you should know I just ignore her. But . . .” Ty stopped talking and smiled at Cat. “Maybe if you answer and tell her I’m busy, she’ll get the message and leave me alone.”

Cat let out a laugh. “I won’t worry then.”

Twenty
-
Two

Cat wandered through the empty apartment, turning off lights as she went. Since Ty had gone out of his way to mention it, she took a good look at the bedroom furniture. He had set her suitcase on his bed. The headboard of the large sleigh bed was made of rich-looking, dark hardwood, with leaves carved in the sides. She trailed her fingers across the smooth surface of the dresser as she looked at the pictures displayed there. Cat recognized his mother next to a man who must be Ty’s father. The three other frames held family pictures. The three mothers looked like sisters—Ty’s sisters, she’d bet. She picked up a picture of him holding a surfboard next to two other guys. The surf rolled in behind their tanned bodies.

Cat let out a contented sigh. Why had she been so angry with him? Like bird droppings compared to a parachute not opening—it was nothing. A little miscommunication was all. She carried the picture to the bed and sat down to study it. She never grew tired of looking at Ty. When she finished, she set it on the nightstand. Then she washed her face and brushed her teeth, feeling self-conscious that her bathroom had never been this clean when Ty visited the house. She flipped off the lights and noticed the brilliant moonlight streaming through the glass door. Positioned in front of the door was a telescope, perhaps the one his grandmother had given him. Cat gazed through the eyepiece, studying the details of the nearly full moon. But the long days preparing to leave town caught up with her. Yawning, she climbed into Ty’s bed and tucked the fluffy comforter under her chin.

Cat didn’t stir until the sound of the shower turning on woke her. She rolled over and looked at the closed bathroom door. The clock read 6:15 am. She closed her eyes until the door opened. Ty walked to his closet wearing charcoal gray slacks and a white T-shirt. He pulled a dress shirt over his shoulders and glanced at her while he buttoned it. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said.

“Where are you off to this early?”

He moved to the edge of the bed. “The office. I’m meeting Dave to go over a client’s file first thing this morning, and then I’ll be free the rest of the day. I should be back in a couple of hours. Is that okay? I might be able to reschedule with him if you want me to.”

“No need to do that. I’ll just stay here.”

He put on his tie and shoes. “Thanks. I’ll hurry.” He leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

After twenty-four hours with Ty, Cat marveled at how their relationship was nearly back to the way it was. Except for the fact that they were in California, it was perfect. Being with him was like working a well-trained horse—comfortable and safe.

They enjoyed an unseasonably warm day at Laguna Beach. The two of them ate burgers at the Surf Shack and strolled down the streets lined with tourist traps. Throngs of people filled the boardwalk and played in the water. Children built sand castles and dogs fetched Frisbees.
It’s too bad Danny’s not here,
Cat thought.

Ty set up a lawn chair for her in the shade of a palm tree. She read her book and watched him surf. After he hounded her to try it, she straddled the surfboard and rode a few waves, never once making it to her feet for more than a few seconds before toppling into the frothy waves. Coughing and spitting saltwater, she pushed the board into his hands. “I don’t know how you can do that for fun. This is killing me.”

Ty laughed. “Watch me,” he said, then paddled out to catch the next wave.

Friday night, the phone rang three times before Ty’s answering machine picked up. After the third ring, Cat was wide awake. A woman’s voice echoed through the quiet apartment. “Ty . . . I know you’re there. Pick up, baby, please. We should have dinner sometime . . .” That was all Cat heard. How annoying, she thought, to have to listen to that every weekend. The voice belonged to the ex-girlfriend Cat had talked to in Oregon.

She picked up the phone on his nightstand. “Hello?”

“Oh . . . is Ty there?”

Remembering what he had asked her to say brought a smile to Cat’s face. “I’m sorry. He’s busy right now. Should I give him a message for you?”

“No . . . no, that’s okay. Goodbye.” The line went silent.
Hmm,
Cat thought to herself,
hopefully that will get her off Ty’s back
. She clicked off the phone and turned over.

On Saturday, Cat witnessed a miracle. The man she’d found hunched over a beer in Moe’s Tavern stepped into a blue tile font and was immersed in the waters of baptism. Ty’s friend Dave pulled him to his feet and gave him a hug. Before wiping the water from his face, Ty turned to look for Cat, grinning happily.

In his dark suit, white shirt, and tie, Ty received the gift of the Holy Ghost and was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during sacrament meeting on Sunday. A whirlwind of people offered their congratulations and welcomed him into the ward.

One more day,
she thought after Ty kissed her good night and went to his friend’s apartment to sleep. Where had the time gone? They talked to Danny every night, and this was the longest she’d been away from him. Still, missing her son did nothing to lessen the ache of leaving Ty. Cat had accomplished what she set out to—she’d apologized and forgiven him and made things right. But she’d also let herself fall in love with him again, and at what cost? Most women were willing to follow their men wherever their jobs took them, but she simply couldn’t live in a busy city surrounded by concrete and people. The thought of saying goodbye to Ty, perhaps forever, left her crying herself to sleep that night.

Monday was bittersweet. Knowing her plane would leave early Tuesday morning put a damper on her last evening with him. Ty must’ve noticed, because while feeding his fish he asked Cat if something was bothering her.

“No, not really. I’m just thinking,” she replied.

“What are you thinking about?”

She waved her arm around the room. “All of this. You. Tomorrow. I don’t like goodbyes, Ty. I hate them.”

He turned to drop the last of the fish food into the gurgling tank. Nemo darted to the surface for a bite. Ty opened the drawer in the table beneath the tank and put the container away, then walked to sit next to Cat on the couch. “Catherine, it doesn’t have to be goodbye. I’ll come see you and Danny. I’ll get you both plane tickets to come down here for a week. We could take Danny to Disneyland and the beach. He’d love it.”

“And then what? After that week it would be another goodbye. And I’d have to deal with Danny being sad again. He didn’t like it when you left last time, Ty. He nearly drove me crazy with his questions. I’m not sure I can handle that.” Cat shook her head and glanced away. “You have a beautiful place, but I don’t belong here. I couldn’t make myself fit into your world. I’m sorry.”

He leaned forward and held her hand. “I know, but it doesn’t matter to me that you don’t fit in here. I can fit into your world. We both know I can. Cat, this summer I spent six weeks fitting into your world.”

“What if you got tired of it? What if you came to resent me taking you away from all this? The beach, your friends, your work. I don’t know, Ty . . .”

“I won’t, Cat. That just won’t happen,” he said determinedly. “Look, can we not decide anything right now? Let me come visit you in a few weeks. Maybe Thanksgiving. And we’ll talk on the phone between now and then. Why don’t we enjoy tonight and I’ll call you tomorrow after work. Is that a plan? Have a little faith and let the future take care of itself. It always does.”

She gazed into his eyes, marveling at his pep talk on faith. “Okay.”

Ty walked alone through the crowded airport on his way to short-term parking. His last parting glance of Cat still burned in his mind. She’d shown her boarding pass and identification to the TSA guard, then turned to smile and wave at Ty before disappearing into the crowd winding its way through security and into the terminal.

He had a full schedule—a peek at his emails last night left no doubt about that. But he’d left them untouched until this morning, not wanting to waste a minute of the weekend with Cat. He took a deep breath and allowed a smile to creep across his face. He had a phone call to make. He sat in his Mustang in the airport parking lot and scrolled through his contacts. When he located Rhea Westfall, he connected to his car’s Bluetooth and waited. One ring, two rings, three rings, and then her voice formally requested callers to leave a name and phone number. Rhea was the human resources partner for the Portland office of Hansen & Kaplan, LLP.

“Rhea, this is Ty Bradford, senior manager down in Irvine. I met with you in July about a possible job opportunity in Portland. I’m calling to follow up on that visit. I’ll be in my office all day, or I can be reached at this number. Thanks.”

Rhea Westfall’s answer would determine his future with Hansen & Kaplan.

Cat wandered through the airport. After four days with Ty, this solitude was unwelcome. She’d finished her book on the beach in the shade of a palm tree, lying on her stomach with her elbows propped up on the Mexican blanket Ty had spread over the sand. Dripping with saltwater, he had plopped onto the blanket next to her a moment later. He lay down carefully at first, keeping the water from splattering her book, but when Cat touched his shoulder and moved closer to ask about the surfing, he pulled her into a wet embrace.

She didn’t bother getting a new book when she passed the bookstore, doubting she’d have time to finish it at home. Besides, untangling her own thoughts would easily consume the entire flight. Every time Danny spoke to Ty, it was always the same question—“When are you coming to my house again?” Ty had developed a standard reply. “Soon, Danny. Soon.”

Cat took a deep breath and stood to board the plane.