Second Chances (14 page)

“You heard the doctor,” Gavin growled as they pulled into the driveway with the girls a few hours later.

“I will take care of myself later,” she argued in a low voice.  I have too much to do…”  The girls needed a meal, then baths and books before bed.  There would be clean up after dinner as well.  Maybe around eight she could relax.  A wistful look fell over her face as she thought about enjoying a few minutes that evening in the hot tub.

“You will take care of yourself
now,
” he commanded, interrupting her reverie.  He parked the car in the circular drive so that her door opened to the sidewalk then threw an arm in front of her as she prepared to climb out of the vehicle.  “What did I tell you?”  He asked exasperated.

“I forgot,” she complained.  She eyed the pill bottle clutched in her hand. “So how long will it take for them to kick in?”  She asked.

“Well, you would have to actually take one first,” he reminded angrily.  Turning to face the girls in the back seat he said, “Why don’t you head upstairs to your mom’s room and find her bathrobe and bathing suit.”  He turned to Hannah.  “Where are they?” 

She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly refusing to help out.  “I have to make dinner,” she argued.

“I’ll have something delivered,” he countered, preparing for her next argument.

“The girls need baths after dinner.”  She stared at him evenly.

“Tonight they can shower without your assistance.”  She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her before a single sound could be uttered.  “I’ll check to make sure they get all the soap out of their hair.”

Her eyes narrowed.  “And I have to read to them before bed.” 

He sighed.  This is where it would get difficult.  “I’ll carry you upstairs.”  He closed his eyes, hoping he could somehow avoid going into that room.

“All the way to my bed?”  She asked with a doubting eyebrow raised.

He swallowed hard.  “All the way to the hall outside your bedroom.”  He knew she felt she was winning, so he reminded her of her proclamation.  “I thought you were self-sufficient,” he challenged.

Her eyes narrowed once more.  “You are an evil, evil man.”  Her shoulders drooped in defeat.

“Now tell the girls where to find your suit and bathrobe,” he urged.

Sighing, she gave the girls the information and sent them on their way.  Moments later, Gavin was at her car door, not merely opening the door for her, but gently pulling her forward until he was able to lift her and haul her into his arms.  She gasped in surprise.  He was treating her as though she were precious, fragile, and important to him.  Her eyes began to fill with unspent tears, so she turned her head towards his chest so he couldn’t see. 

Pausing just inside the door, Gavin asked sadly, “Am I hurting you?”

Cautiously she shook her head.  How would she ever be able to explain all the new feelings that kept assaulting her, ever since she had been in his employ? 

Once they reached the study, he set her down in one of the leather chairs before the sofa.  “The girls should be here any moment with your robe and suit,” he said quietly.  “I trust you can change without assistance.”

She very nearly laughed.  “Don’t worry.  You will not have to attend to my every need.  And you most certainly will not have to see me naked.”

Why was that not a comfort to Gavin?  He wouldn’t mind taking care of her.  Maybe it was because she worked so hard to be independent that it seemed like such a triumph if he could do something for her, something that she couldn’t do herself.  “I’ll be just outside the door; when you are decent call for me.”   Turning on his heels, he wandered out to the foyer and leaned against the wall.

Seconds later, the girls came struggling down the stairs with the bathrobe.  “I wanna give her the robe,” one of them said. 

“I got it off the hook.  I should get to give it to her.”

“I dragged it down the stairs.”

Gavin almost laughed.  “Well, I bought it,” he chimed in.  “I guess I should give it to her.”  He reached for the robe.  The girls’ faces drooped.  It was not the reaction he had imagined.  Dropping to his knees, he said, “What if we go in and give her everything together?”

The girls beamed shyly at his suggestion, glanced at each other, finally nodding their approval.  With one girl in each hand, they entered the study together, each one feeling triumphant.

It took longer than she expected to get changed as gingerly as she was moving.  While she worked, she concentrated on other things to alleviate the pain.  Currently, she was comparing Brett and Gavin.  Gavin had surprised her.  He was gentle and affectionate, far from the cold-hearted businessman she imagined she was hiring on with.  He seemed determined to take care of her, which was a new and unusual experience.  He even seemed to be bonding with the girls.  In the last few days he had spent as much time with her children as their own father had over the last month.  She sighed.  And she didn’t even have to wonder how Brett would have responded to her injury.  After he was done berating her for hurting herself, he would have moaned about having to chip in and help more.  Apparently she was better off as Gavin’s employee than she ever had been as Brett’s wife.

Convinced that all her parts were covered, she called half-heartedly for Gavin.  As quickly as he entered the room, she was convinced that he had been hovering just outside the door.  “I’ve been giving this some thought,” he said.  “I think you should be in the hot tub every day while we try to get those strained muscles to heal.  You need to take it easy or you’ll wind up bedridden.”  His face turned a shade of pink.  Why just last night in what little sleep he had managed, he had dreamed just that: Hannah in bed, riding him.  He changed the subject.  “If you don’t take care of yourself, I’ll be forced to hire help for the help,” he joked.  “And we should probably have you massaged every weekend to be safe.”  Then without another word, he swung her into his arms and carried her to the patio, depositing her on the side of the hot tub while he assisted in the robe removal.

He meant to take an almost nurse-like approach.  Moving slowly, he held her wrist as he tugged the robe over her shoulder.  There was a momentary hitch as he untangled it from her bikini top.  Heart pounding, brow furrowed, he ran his hand tenderly around her back to feel for the hang up.  Goosebumps formed all over him as he grazed her soft, warm skin.    At last, success, and her robe
was removed.

His heart gave an extra robust thump against his rib cage once her bikini was revealed.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her.  It was exactly what he imagined she might wear; a simple two-piece with solid brown bottoms accented with a belt that matched the teal print of the halter-top.  Gavin had no desire to make her uncomfortable under his gaze.  He moved instantly to help her into the hot tub and left very specific instructions that she wasn’t to get out until he returned, then hurried away.

Minutes later, Gavin found himself in his haven, the study, staring at his desk while he massaged his temples.  He was disgusted…with himself.  How quickly his desire for revenge had turned into lust.  How quickly he forgot he wanted to cause her pain when he saw her suffering.  How he wanted to spend every moment with her, unraveling all her little mysteries, and worse…making her happy. 

Clearly, this revenge wasn’t going to work out as intended anyway.  She could never ever return to his office.  So now what was he going to do with her?  Leaning back in his chair, Gavin gazed around the room.  The place did need some sprucing up.  As Hannah had indicated, it appeared that his decorator hated him.  And Joe did give her a more than reasonable estimate to redecorate the entire house.  And if worse came to worse, he was sure he could find a hundred little things that needed doing that had simply been pushed to the wayside, given his busy schedule.

Slowly, a smile spread across his face.  At least he had a valid reason to keep her in his life.  Just as quickly, it was replaced by a frown.  When had he ever worked so hard to keep a woman in his life?  When had he last felt so strongly about a woman period?  He sighed.  Hannah had been soaking for nearly an hour.  He had better go remove her before she wilted.

The hot tub had worked wonders.  As soon as Gavin came to get her, Hannah was ready to leap out of it and get back to business.  “Slow down,” he warned as she hastily reached for her robe.

Her cheeks were pink, she knew, but she hoped he’d think it was from the heated water she had been in and not his heated gaze.  She felt her cheeks grow warmer at his chastising.  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”  He asked as he helped her into her robe, grazing her skin with the back of his hand. 

Hannah tilted her head to the side a moment.  Sometimes she thought he actually enjoyed making her uncomfortable, other times she felt guilty even considering it since she had thoroughly mucked up his life in the few short days since she’d been a part of it.  “Sometimes,” she admitted. 
Sometimes when I catch you staring at me,
she thought. 
Sometimes when you touch me and I suddenly feel as though I could go up in flames
.  Her eyes closed momentarily as she thought about him touching her, relishing the quiver in her abdomen.

She sighed.  “Well, I’m ready to make dinner now.”

Gavin nearly growled.  She was so stubborn.  “Too late,” he said as evenly as he could manage.

“How can I be too late?” She asked, glancing about for a clock.

“Because I already ordered dinner, just like I told you I would.”  He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow.

“And I told you that I was going to earn my keep around here.”  Hannah folded her arms in an effort to match his stance.  The entire time she soaked, she had pondered his words.  He thought this was a mistake.  She couldn’t be cut loose so quickly.  Even with thirty days notice, the girls deserved some stability in their lives. 

He stiffened.  “We need to talk about that.” 

Feeling around behind her, Hannah found the steps.  She suddenly needed to sit down very badly.  Swallowing her fear, she lowered herself to a seated position. “Go ahead,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“I can’t have you working at the office as my personal assistant any more,” Gavin said evenly.  He kept clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides.  If he didn’t, he knew he’d be by her side, soothing away that frightened look.  He closed his eyes as images of Hannah pressed against his chest assaulted him. 

“So, this is my notice,” she said, as bravely as she could muster, yet instantly tears formed in her eyes.

At that, Gavin was completely undone.  He had gathered Hannah in has arms almost as quickly as he had drawn breath.  One arm was wrapped around her back, pulling her as close to him as their bodies would allow, the other hand was knotted in her hair.  “No, you ridiculous, exasperating woman,” he muttered into her hair.

Relief seeped through her and Hannah pushed herself far enough away to look into his eyes questioningly.  “Then what?” She asked.

And Gavin knew exactly what she meant.  What was to become of her?  He didn’t want to answer that question yet.  He wanted her to answer some of his own.  “Is this the kind of marriage you had, the kind of relationships you’ve had that you believe yourself to be so…disposable?”  His voice was incredulous.  How could any man not want her in his life?  He’d known her for a few days and couldn’t imagine not having her around.  That idea nearly knocked the air from his lungs. 

“Yes,” Hannah responded, breathily, struggling to hold back tears that were a combination of relief and recognition of the damaged insecure woman she loathed to have become.  Her throat hurt from holding back a symphony of sobs.  Her body shuddered from the effort.

“Oh, Hannah,” Gavin moaned into her hair.  “I couldn’t do that to you, or the girls.”  He stroked her back, her shoulders, and gently lifted her onto the edge of the tub so that she was forced to look him in the eyes.  He forced her chin up with his thumb, caressed his way up her jaw line until he held her face in his hands.  “I think we’ll both be more productive with you working from home.”  He gave her a tender smile.

He was teasing her, she realized suddenly.  She perked up some and offered a hesitant smile in response.  “Just what does that mean?”  She playfully demanded.

Smiling more widely now, Gavin responded.  “I won’t ever get anything accomplished if I spend every afternoon at the doctor with you.”

Laughing, Hannah swatted at him playfully.  “Fine, you wretched man!  We’ll discuss this further at dinner.  Right now I want to get dressed.”  And with that, she was lowered ever so gently to the patio before heading up the stairs to her room.

Gavin was still standing there on the patio with a silly smile on his face when the squealing began.  Without hesitation, he flew up the stairs, taking two at a time.  Panting and out of breath, he found himself standing inside his old bedroom. Recouping his senses, he quickly backed out of the room, grabbing at his heart.

Hannah was twirling around the room, squealing happily.  Her bathrobe had come undone and was radiating out about her as she moved, exposing her entire bathing suit clad body.  Realizing she was no longer alone, she stopped, cinched the belt, and rushed over to grab Gavin’s hand.  “Look!”  She tried to draw him into the room to see the miraculous transformation that had taken place while she was at work.

The walls were a silvery blue, just like she had originally imagined.  The carpet was a plush contemporary shag in a light cream that she couldn’t stop running her toes through.  New brushed nickel curtain rods had been installed over the windows and held gauzy cream crushed crepe curtains.  On the bed was a silvery blue comforter piled high with pillows. 

“I can see from here,” Gavin said shifting uncomfortably.  His hand had unconsciously tightened around hers, but still he couldn’t be compelled to enter the room. 

Seeing he wouldn’t budge, Hannah walked closer to him, head cocked to the side, radiating joy.  She eyed him for an instant, as if measuring him, his mood, his height, and then with a moment’s hesitation, stood on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his nose.  He wrinkled it in response, earning a giggle.  “Thank you,” she said, as if in explanation.  And without taking her eyes off him, she backed up three paces, released his hand, and slowly shut the door.

As soon as the door closed, Hannah’s cheeks were ablaze.  How did this man inspire such responses from her?  She kissed his
nose
!  It was so uncharacteristic.  She lay back on the bed for a moment and gazed up at her tray ceiling.  Maybe he was simply inspiring her to be more like the woman she wanted to be.  Maybe she had been tense and uptight for far too long.  Maybe it was time to relinquish the reigns some and let someone else in.  She shuddered at the thought, until she remembered his eyes.  They had seemed a cold, distant, even icy blue, until today.  Today, his eyes seemed warmer, cheerier, and beckoning.

Beaming, Hannah laid out paper plates around the coffee table in the hearth room.  She giggled a moment later when she caught herself humming.  From where had that bubbled up?  In the center of the large square wooden table she opened the take-out containers, pleasantly surprised.  There were three different varieties of chicken wings, boneless wings with ranch, buffalo, and honey mustard style dipping sauces.  And it appeared he had purchased every side on the menu at Wing Stop.  They had the homemade fries, potato sal
ad, coleslaw, and baked beans.  Hannah shook her head, imagining that most of the food would go to waste.

That was where he found her, staring down at the spread of food, hands on hips, frowning.  He paused, trying to understand her reaction.  “You disapprove?”  His brow knit together as he tried to decide how to remedy the situation.

Startled, Hannah looked up and carefully masked the emotion of her overly expressive face.  “It’s not that,” she attempted to explain.  “I just hate seeing food go to waste.”

Instantly he understood.  She had spent the majority of her life carefully watching her spending, the last few months being the worst, with no extravagances, nothing to spare.  He studied the table, seeing it for the first time through her eyes.  Though he had meant only to have all his bases covered since he still had no idea what everyone liked and disliked, to her it would look excessive.  He sighed.  Then as though he suddenly realized his surroundings, he scowled. 

“Why are we eating on the floor?”  He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

“We’re not eating on the floor.”  Hannah explained patiently, her eyes twinkling.

“We’re not?”  He challenged, pointing to the lack of seating.

Giggling, she replied, “Nope.  We’re having a picnic.”  She tugged at her chin and frowned.  “A rather high end picnic, apparently.”  She could feel his eyes boring into her, compelling her to explain.  Sighing, she collapsed on the overstuffed sofa that was fast becoming her favorite piece of furniture in the room.

“I always tried to make mealtimes fun after Brett left,” Hannah said quietly.  “The food wasn’t always much to look at, so I at least wanted to provide some atmosphere.”  She offered him a half smile before continuing.  “I would lay the table cloth on the floor that I used to camouflage the card table which doubled as a dining room table and then we would have picnics.  The food looked better by candlelight.”  She chuckled.  Motioning around, she added, “We never had so much food to share or such a nice way to picnic.” 

Gavin stood silently staring first at her, then at the coffee table loaded with fast food.  He could hardly bear to hear the stories of her past.  Every time it sparked a fury in him that someone could desert her, desert the girls, and leave them destitute.  Then he felt something else.  It was pride.  His Hannah had persevered.  He swallowed and did a mental head slap. 
His Hannah?

Eyeing him suspiciously, she asked, “Have you ever had a picnic?”

“Of course,” he replied indignantly.  “Mother would have us eat out on the patio quite often growing up.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Your childhood makes me sad.”

“What?”  He spluttered.

“That’s not a picnic.”  She glanced outdoors.  He had this lovely yard, perfectly manicured, an abundance of flowering trees and plants that he never took the time to appreciate.  “When it gets warmer,” she assured him, “we’ll remedy that.”

The girls were utterly charming at dinner.  Their past had not allowed them to try all the various sides offered, so Hannah encouraged them to branch out and try new things.  The results were hilarious.  Neither of them liked baked beans, complaining both of the texture and flavor.