The Marriage Contract (11 page)

And she was the
one who listened to countless hours of his hopes for the future, his fears of
failure and his devastation when he learned his father was going to die.

She’d been
there, always.  No matter what time of day or night.  And like that old
Firebird, he’d left her and their friendship behind.  Looking back, he couldn’t
understand shy.  When had their friendship ceased to be important enough that
he no longer needed her?   

She twisted
around and smiled at him.  It was a slow, coy smile that he wasn’t used to
seeing on her.  She’d always been confident.  But now, she looked exposed, as
if that hot fire that sparked to life, making him want to pull her into his
arms, was somehow affecting her, too.  And the idea of that wasn’t half bad. 

“I should be
going,” she said finally.

He felt his
expression collapse.  “You just got here.”

She was
uncomfortable.  He could see it by the way she flitted her gaze to him and then
away.  God, he hated that.  That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be with
them.

“I’m going to
see if I can drag Roger away from Dad’s den for a little while.  There’s no
telling what my mother is up to now that Roger is staying under the same roof.”

“That bad?”

“Actually, no. 
I have to admit I thought it would be worse than it is.  They’re trying to stay
out of each other’s way, which is a blessing.  But still...”

  Her voice was
soft and when a soft sigh escaped her lips he had the incredible urge to touch
her mouth, kiss her.  Sure, he’d kissed her before.  But as a friend.  Not at
all the way he wanted to take her now.

Disappointment
hit him straight in the chest.  He didn’t want her to leave.  He wanted to sit
there—all day if he could—and just look at her, talk to her.  It had been a
long time since he’d felt this much at peace being with another person, not
worrying about weighing his words or thoughts.  It’s what he always loved most
about him and Cara.

He pulled
himself up from the stairs.  “Let me get a shirt.  I’ll walk you back.”

She shook her
head and nibbled on her bottom lip.  “That’s okay.  I could use some time
alone.  It’s a little crowded back home.”

  He watched
her pull her sneakers off her feet and step into the wet sand.  What the hell
was he thinking?  After two days with Cara, did he really think he could figure
out how the last seventeen years had affected her? 

No, he had his
own life plan to figure out.  Starting with whether or not he was going to take
the Palmer case.  That pile of newspaper clippings and court documents weren’t
going to get read watching Cara’s hip sway as she walked along the surf.

But he couldn’t
help himself.  He watched her anyway because it felt good.  He kept his eyes on
her even as he heard the sound of the phone ringing in the house, until she was
completely out of sight.  When the ringing persisted, he took the stairs two at
a time and bolted through the back door to catch the caller. 

He said,
“Hello,” just as the screen door slammed behind him.

“I’m glad
you’re in, Devin.  I was just about to hang up.”  Ruthie’s voice was as
pleasant as ever.  “I was wondering if you could do me a bit of a favor.”

He slumped into
a kitchen chair.  “You know I can never refuse you, Ruthie.”

“That’s what I’m
counting on.”

Devin
chuckled.  She was up to something all right and he’d be damned if he wasn’t
going to find out what it was.  “What can I do for you?”

“Well, it seems
I’ve gotten myself in a pickle.”  Her tone was serious.

He frowned. 
Reaching back, nestling the phone between his shoulder and chin, he opened the
refrigerator to grab another beer.  “Sounds like trouble.  Is it a legal
issue?  Something with the sale of the house?”

Ruthie’s
charming laughter came flowing over the phone line.  “Lord, no.  Nothing at all
like that.”

He breathed a
slight sigh of relief.  “Good.”

“I happened to
see Penny Brunelle this morning, and we got to talking, and I mentioned you
were in town.  Do you remember Penny?”

He thought a
minute.  “No.”

“She graduated
with Cara.  Very nice girl. Has her own bridal boutique.  Anyway, she’s going
through a divorce and with you being a lawyer and all...”

“I’m a defense
attorney, Ruthie.  I’m not sure I can be of any help.  Unless, of course, she
tries to kill him.”

Ruthie’s laugh
was rich. “Oh, I know, but maybe you could have dinner with her tonight and put
her at ease...about her settlement, of course.”

He half
grinned. “Of course.” 

 Somehow he
knew there was more than just white frosting on a devil’s food cake here. 
Ruthie had been known to bake a few harmless schemes in her day where Cara was
concerned.  But this time, Cara wasn’t part of the recipe.  She was cooking up
something and Devin wondered just what that was.

“So will you
go?”

He shrugged,
looking at the pile of reading material strewn about the kitchen table, waiting
to be read. 

Cara said she
needed time alone to think.  He was positive she could see how hot he got just
watching her this afternoon and it had nothing to do with the temperature being
close to 100 degrees!  After the way his thoughts had been pulling him to her,
maybe a diversion would help put his mind and his libido back on track, back to
the way things used to be with them.

“Sure, why
not.”

“Great.  I took
the liberty of making reservations for seven at the Whaler’s Inn.”

He scribbled
down directions to Penny’s house and the time.  He washed down the dregs of his
beer and stared at the ink on the notepad.   He tore out the directions and
added the notepad to the pile on the table.  He wasn’t going to get any work
done on the Palmer case tonight if he was thinking about Cara.  Going on a
blind date wasn’t exactly his style, but Penny Brunelle might just be the
distraction he needed.

“Ruthie and a
bridal consultant,” he mumbled to himself.  “I wonder who’s getting married?”

* * *

Cara re-read
the same page from the home interiors magazine she’d been trying to read for
the past fifteen minutes.  This was becoming a habit.  Giving up, she tossed
the magazine to the end table and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the
back of her hand.  This heat wave was just another thing to add to the list of
things starting to bug her. 

Why had she
left Devin's so quickly?  She sighed heavily.  Because every time he looked at
her she wanted to fall into his arms and not let go.  She wanted to be with
him.  But she couldn't stand the feelings she was having for him, so she took
the coward’s way out and left.

Now she was
just plain bored and wished she was back at Devin's cottage with him.  She'd
already gone into the den twice in the last hour to see if Roger was done
working and got the non-committal “almost”.  She'd be damned if she'd interrupt
him again.

It had been a
bad idea to invite Roger, she decided as she plopped down on the back stairs,
arching her back to pull out the kinks.  The sun was sinking in the horizon,
giving a milky film to the water and an amber color to the sky.  At least there
was an occasional breeze to salve the heat and humidity.  She only wished she could
find something that would salve her own unrest.

The slap of the
screen door against the wooden frame jarred her and caused her to turn around. 
“Hi, Ma,” she said, slightly annoyed that it wasn't Roger.  

Ruthie blotted
the sweat from her neck with a white dishtowel.  “Are you still hungry, dear?”

“We just
finished dinner an hour ago.”

“I know, but
I’m in the mood for some fried clams?”

A half hour
later Cara stood by the takeout window of the Whaler’s Inn.  The smell of fried
seafood filled her head immediately.  She wasn’t hungry, but she needed to get
out of the house and stretch.  Anything was better than sitting at home,
brooding.

Stuffing the
change the waiter had just given her into her pocket, she clutched the bag of
fried clams and turned to leave.  As she walked over the pavement, the sound of
her white flip-flop sandals slapping the soles of her feet entranced her until
she heard a familiar low rumbling laugh. 

Her heart
pounded in her chest.  It could be anyone.  But no, she knew the sound of that
laugh.  She plopped the bag of takeout on the hood of her car and spun around,
scanning the parking lot to see if it was actually Devin.  And then she
recognized him, sitting at a table on the back porch of the restaurant.  Her
heart lifted until she saw the tall, leggy, blond wearing a white mini-dress
seated practically in his lap. 

 Penny Brunelle
hadn’t changed much.  Married three times already since high school, she’d made
a career out of arranging weddings for herself as well as others.  Now what was
she doing with Devin? 

Cara bit down
on her bottom lip.  She didn’t want to know.

If you have any
sense at all, Cara, you’ll get in the car and drive away before they notice
you.  What business was it of hers that Devin had a date?  So he’d come to
Westport for her birthday party, but that didn’t mean he had to stay in her
back pocket the whole time.  She clenched her teeth as she watched Penny trying
to climb into his.

Although from
the several rows of cars that sat between them she couldn’t hear a single word
they were speaking, Cara suddenly felt like she was eavesdropping on Devin's
private conversation with Penny.  She did hear all the bells and whistles Penny
was clanging to attract Devin’s attention.

She watched as
Penny stood up, pulling Devin to a stand, and wrapped her arms around his
waist, gyrating her hips as she moved.  It became a conscious effort for Cara
to keep her fingernails from breaking skin on the inside of her palms. 

And to
breathe.  She needed to breathe.  Forcing a lung full of air into her chest,
she yanked the car door open.  They were going to kiss and Cara did not want to
be around to see it.  She’d already gotten a bigger eyeful than she wanted or
needed for one night.

So what if
Devin has a date with her high school rival?

So what if
Penny was scoping out husband number four?

For all she
cared, they could go home and...

Pain brought
her thoughts back to the present.  Cara glanced down at her hand and realized
she’d been digging her car keys into the flesh of her palm.  She jammed the
keys into the ignition and roared the engine to drown out her thoughts.  Almost
forgetting the food on the hood, she opened the door, retrieved the bag and
slammed the door shut.  She turned the corner onto the main road and kicked her
foot on the accelerator, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

You’re acting
like an idiot!  There was no reason for her to be all hot under the hood about
seeing Devin with Penny.  Just because she chose to spend the night alone,
didn't mean Devin had to stay home and brood, too.  He had his own life that
didn't include her or their friendship.  Penny was an attractive woman and
Devin was a big boy.  He could date anyone he wished.

Besides, she
had Roger.

For the rest of
the ride home, she worked on trying to reason why that was a plus.

# # #

Chapter Six

The air was
still crisp as Cara jogged up the brick path, leading to Devin’s cottage.  The
sun was floating over the water just waiting to burn off the morning dew.  The
sweet scent of garden phlox and princess roses filled her head as she climbed
the porch steps.  

This had to be
a first.  She’d forced herself out of bed after setting her alarm for five
a.m., deciding she’d be the one to initiate the morning run.

She was nuts
and that was all there was to it, she realized as she jogged in circles on the
porch, trying to muster up the courage to knock on the door.  She had no idea
if Penny had stayed the night, but the idea of interrupting a morning interlude
seemed, well, kind of devilish. 

It fit her
current mood rather well.

She stopped
jogging and blew out a cleansing breath before raising her knuckles to the
glass door and rapping on the wooden frame.  “There just may be a little bit of
Mom in me after all,” she whispered.

She only had to
knock once.  Within seconds, she heard the sound of footsteps on the wooden
floor, coming closer to the door.  Regret gripped her stomach, and she had the
fleeting desire to bolt while she still had the chance.

The door flew
open and she was greeted by Devin’s smoky sleepy-eyed gaze.  A flurry of
emotions whirled around her.  The devilish feelings that filled her just
moments ago turned to panic.  Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. 

“You’re awake?”
Devin said, his voice and expression registering all the shock she felt inside.

His hair was
disheveled, as if he’d been raking his fingers through it.  He was wearing the
now-wrinkled copper colored T-shirt she’d seen balled up on the back porch the
day before and the same faded cut-offs.  He looked as if he hadn’t had a minute
of sleep.  And he was absolutely gorgeous.  She actually hated him for it.

“I’d have to be
if I’m standing here.”

Devin moved
aside so she could gain entrance.  “But you said you never get up this early. 
I had to drag you out of bed yesterday.”

My point was
to do the same to you, too. 

“Look how
you’ve influenced me.” 

Cara lifted her
hands up in the air as if she were parading a new dress. 

“Got any
coffee?”

She wandered
down the hallway toward the kitchen.  She took a quick glance through the open
bedroom door and noticed it was empty.  Amazing how a little solitude can do a
girl some good.  Especially when Devin was the one sleeping alone.