The Cottage (25 page)

“I deal with that every day,” she said and he nodded.

“I learned that lesson the hard way,” he said honestly and smiled at her. He liked her. He couldn't understand what she was doing with a man who was all about show and pretense. Everything about her seemed honest and real. “Thanks for being nice to Jason. I'll take care of it.”

“No, I will,” Mark interjected. “He's my son. I'll pay for it. Just be careful next time,” he said to Jason, and then glanced at Jimmy. “And that goes for you too.”

“Sorry, Dad,” Jimmy said, looking apologetic, and they all laughed as Jessica and Jason watched them. Jason figured he had gotten off pretty easy, except for Mr. Winslow yelling at him, but everyone else had been pretty decent. He had expected his dad to kill him when he saw the ball sail through the window. “It was a great throw though, Jason. I'm proud of you.”

“Let's not go that far,” Mark added. He didn't want to give Coop an excuse to evict them. “Let's keep our ball sports on the tennis court from now on. Deal?” Both Jason and Jimmy nodded, as Alex put her shorts back on over her wet bathing suit and pulled on her T-shirt.

“I'll see you guys soon,” Alex said as she left them, with her long dark hair wet behind her. Both men
watched her go, and Mark commented as soon as she was out of earshot.

“Jessie's right. He is an asshole. And
she
is a great woman. He doesn't deserve her, no matter how good he looks. He's going to make mincemeat of her.”

“I think he's going to marry her,” Jessica added with interest, joining into the conversation. She wished her father would go out with someone like Alex.

“I hope not,” Jimmy added, as he put an arm around Jason, and the four of them went home to the guest wing. Mark was doing another barbecue for them, and Jimmy had agreed to stay for dinner.

And upstairs, in the main house, Alex was scolding Coop, who was still fuming.

“He's just a kid, Coop. Didn't you do things like that when you were a boy?”

“I was never a boy. I was born wearing a suit and a tie, and sprang full-blown into manhood, with good manners.”

“Don't be such an asshole,” she teased as he kissed her.

“Why not? I enjoy having tantrums. Besides, you know how much I hate children.”

“What if I told you I was pregnant?” she asked, with a look that nearly made his jaw drop.

“Are you?”

“No. But what if I were? You'd have to put up with skateboards and broken windows and dirty diapers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all over the furniture. It's something to think about.”

“Must I? I'm getting nauseous. You, Dr. Madison,
have a vicious sense of humor. I hope your father beats you when he sees you.”

“I'm sure he will,” Alex said coolly. “He usually does.”

“Good, you deserve it.” It was a meeting he would have given almost anything to be at. But Alex hadn't invited him, and she didn't intend to. “When are you seeing him?”

“On Tuesday.”

“Why do you suppose he wants to see you?” Coop asked with obvious curiosity. He was convinced it was about him.

“We'll see,” Alex said with a smile, as they walked slowly arm in arm up to his bedroom. She had a sure cure for his tantrums. In fact, the incident with the baseball was already nearly forgotten as she kissed him. And a moment later, the broken window was the farthest thing from his mind.

Alex could have predicted
the way the meeting with her father went on Tuesday, or at least to some degree. It was the way meetings with him always went. Nothing ever changed in her dealings with him.

He arrived five minutes early, and he was waiting in the cafeteria for her when she arrived. He was tall and slim, with gray hair and blue eyes, and he looked stern. He always had to have an agenda when he saw her. He could never just talk to her and ask her how she was. Instead, he seemed to go down some kind of mental list, as though he were running a board meeting, and in some ways he was. The only affectionate thing he said to her that even indicated that they were related was that her mother sent her love. And her mother was no warmer than he, which was why she had tolerated being married to him for all those years. But it was her father who had total control. Except over Alex. It was the bone of contention between them, and had been a raging battle all her life.

It took him exactly ten minutes to get down to business with her, and he didn't waste any time.

“I wanted to speak to you about Cooper Winslow,
Alex. And I didn't want to do it on the phone.” It made no difference to her. Their exchanges were so distant and so bloodless, being face-to-face added nothing at all.

“Why not?”

“I thought this was a sufficiently important matter, to warrant our meeting in person.” For Alex, the fact that he was her father would have been enough to warrant seeing him, but that didn't even occur to him. There always had to be a reason. “It's a delicate matter, and I'm not going to beat around the bush.” He never did, but then again, neither did she. She would have hated to admit it, but in some ways she was not unlike him. She was ruthlessly honest, not only about others, but also about herself. She had principles that she adhered to and she was very clear about what she believed. The major difference between them was that Alex was kind, and he was not. Arthur Madison wasted no time on emotions, and never minced words. And if something unpleasant had to be done, he was the first one to volunteer. He just had.

“How serious is this affair between you?” he asked bluntly, his eyes narrowing on hers. He knew her well, and he was reading her face. He knew she wouldn't lie to him, but it was unlikely that she would tell him how she felt either. She felt that it was her business and not his.

“I don't know yet,” she said carefully, and in fact it was true.

“Are you aware that the man is up to his neck in debt?” Coop had never said it to her, but the fact that he had tenants had suggested to her that things were
tight. And he was no longer getting a lot of work, in fact hadn't in years. But she had assumed, incorrectly, that he had some money put away. And of course, The Cottage was worth a great deal. Her father knew it was the only asset he had, and there was an enormous mortgage on it.

“I don't discuss his financial affairs with him,” she said succinctly. “They're none of my business, any more than mine are his.”

“Has he asked you about your income, or your inheritance?”

“Of course not, he's much too polite for that,” she countered honestly. Coop was far too well bred to discuss her money with her.

“And too shrewd. He has probably done a thorough check on you, just as I did on him. I have a file an inch thick on him on my desk. And it's not good news. He's been in over his head for years, he has a mountain of bad debts. His credit is nonexistent, I don't think he could borrow a book at the library, if he tried. And he has a knack for attracting rich women. He's been engaged to at least five.”

“He has a knack for attracting
all
women,” Alex corrected him. “What you're saying is that he's after me for my money? Is that correct?” Like him, she cut to the chase. They were an even match. And she was hurt that he was suggesting that Coop only saw her as an easy mark. She was absolutely certain that he loved her, and it was unfortunate that he also happened to be in debt.

“Yes, I am. I think it's entirely possible his motives aren't as pure as you'd like to think, and he's setting
you up. Maybe even unconsciously. Maybe he's not even aware of it himself. The man is in a terrible spot. Alex, desperation is not a good thing, for either of you. It might even force him to want to marry you, when he might not otherwise. Aside from that, he's far too old for you. I think you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I had no idea you were even seeing him, until your mother saw you with him at the Academy Awards. We were both quite shocked. Apparently he went out with someone she knew many years ago. He didn't do anything inappropriate, but he's been around for a very long time. And I assume you know about this illegitimate baby with the porn star. That's just the icing on the cake.”

“It can happen to anyone,” she said calmly, hating her father for every word he had said, although nothing showed in her face. She had concealed all of her emotions from him for years.

“Those things don't happen to responsible men. He's a playboy, Alex. He's had a life of extravagance and self-indulgence. He hasn't saved a dime. And his debts currently amount to just under two million dollars, not to mention the mortgage on his house.”

“If he gets one decent part in a movie,” she defended him valiantly, “he could wipe out his debt.” She loved him, no matter what her father said.

“The trouble is, he won't. He can't get work. He's too old. And even if he got a windfall, which is unlikely, he's far more likely to spend it, just as he always has. Is that who you want to be married to, Alex? A man who is going to run through money like water, and spend every cent he gets? And possibly yours as
well? Just why do you think he's pursuing you? It would be impossible to believe he doesn't know who you are, and who I am.”

“Of course he does. I haven't given him a penny, and he hasn't asked me. He's extremely proud.”

“He's full of hot air. All hat and no cattle, as they say in Texas. He can't afford to support you or himself. And what about this woman expecting his child? What's he going to do about that?”

“Support her if he has to,” she said fairly, “he doesn't even know yet if it's his. She has to submit to tests in July.”

“She wouldn't accuse him of it if the baby weren't his.”

“She might. I actually don't care about it. It's not pleasant, but it's not the end of the world. These things happen. It matters to me a lot more that he's nice to me, and he is.”

“Why wouldn't he be? You're rich and you're single, not to mention the fact that you're a very attractive girl. But frankly, if your last name weren't Madison, I don't think he'd be giving you the time of day.”

“I don't believe that for a second,” Alex said, looking her father right in the eye. “But we'll never know, will we, Dad? I am who I am, and I have what I have, and I'm not going to select the men in my life by the size of their trust fund. He's from a respectable family. He's a good man. Some people don't have money. That's just the way it is. And I don't give a damn.”

“Is he honest with you, Alex? Has he ever told you he's in debt?” He was pressing the point, and trying to undermine everything she felt for Coop, and he for
her. But she didn't care. Even if she'd never seen his balance sheet, she knew who Coop was, his quirks, his virtues, and his flaws. And she loved him just as he was. The only thing that worried her was the fact that he didn't want children at his age. That concerned her far more, because she did want them at some point.

“I already told you, we don't discuss financial matters, his or mine.”

“The man is forty years older than you are. If you marry him, God forbid, you're going to wind up being his nurse.”

“Maybe that's a risk I'll have to take. It wouldn't be the end of the world.”

“You say that now. When you're forty, he'll be eighty, twice your age. It's ridiculous, Alex. Be sensible. And be smart. I think the man is gunning for your wallet, not your heart.”

“That's a disgusting thing to say,” she said heatedly.

“Who can blame him? What if he's trying to provide for his old age, and trying to save himself now, and this is the only way he has? It's too late for him to do it any other way. You're the only meal ticket he has. The girl having his baby isn't going to support him. It's not pretty, Alex, but this book is very easy to read.

“I'm not telling you to stop seeing him, if he means something to you. But for God's sake, be careful, and don't marry him, whatever you do. And if you do, if you're foolish enough to risk it, I can assure you I'm going to do everything I can to stand in your way. I'll talk to him if I have to, and warn him off. He's going to have a very powerful enemy in me.”

“I knew I could count on you, Dad,” Alex said with
a tired smile. Even if he meant well, he did it in such an ugly, painful way. It was the way he had always dealt with her. It was all about power and control. And when Carter had run off with her sister, hours before her wedding, he had blamed Alex, and told her that if she'd handled him right, he never would have done it to her. Everything was always her fault. Although she'd heard he was less enthused about Carter these days. He had invested a lot of her sister's money in the stock market unwisely, and lost it all. Fortunately, she still had a lot left. But if nothing else, it proved he wasn't very smart.

“I know you think what I'm saying is very unkind, and it is. I was worried about him, and about you. And when I began looking into it, I was horrified by what I found. He may be attractive, and obviously he is, as you say, and charming I'm sure, undoubtedly fun to be with, all of which is very alluring at your age. But the rest is an absolute disaster, and I don't think he'll make you happy in the long run, if he even marries you. He's never gotten married before. He didn't have to. He just has fun and then moves on to the next one. That's not serious, Alex. And it's not what I want for you. To see you paraded around, swept off your feet, and tossed away. Or worse yet, married and used to meet his financial needs. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am,” her father said unhappily. But if anything, it didn't warn her off Coop, it only increased her allegiance to him. Her father's speech had had the reverse effect. Hearing about the extent of Coop's debt, she felt sorry for him.

Mercifully, her pager went off at the end of his
speech. It wasn't an emergency, but she used it as an excuse to bring the meeting to a close. They hadn't eaten a thing. What he had to say was far more important, and he felt it was his responsibility. He had discussed the entire matter with her mother, and as usual, she didn't want to get involved. But she had encouraged him to speak to Alex. Someone had to talk to her. And he was always willing to do the dirty work. It had been a very unpleasant hour for both of them.