Authors: Sherryl Woods
“Promise me something, Susie, a cross-your-heart kind of promise.”
“Anything.”
“From here on out, we share stuff, good and bad. Other wise, we don’t stand a chance.”
She heard the solemnity behind his words, and it scared her to death. “I promise,” she whispered.
He crawled into bed beside her and took her in his arms. “I hate fighting with you,” he murmured.
“I hate being fought with,” she told him, nestling her head against his shoulder. “But we’ll probably do it again.”
She could feel his smile against her cheek.
“More than likely,” he agreed.
“But we’ll be okay,” she said with rare certainty.
“We’ll be okay,” he concurred. “Always.”
She knew that like all married couples, they’d be tested. Probably more than once. She just needed to hang on to Mack’s declaration of forever no matter what hurdles they faced.
Laila drew in the first decent breath she’d taken all afternoon and faced Matthew. “Well, that was fun,” she said sarcastically. “My stomach’s in knots. How about yours?”
Matthew gave her a wary look, then said, “Think of it this way. We’ll never have to do it again.”
“You planning to leave town?”
“I meant for the first time. Everybody knows about us now. They’ll chew on it for a while. I imagine we’ll have to fend off plenty of well-meaning advice, but then the dust will settle.”
Laila regarded him incredulously. “Excuse me, but have you met your family? Or mine, for that matter?”
Just as she spoke, her cell phone rang. A glance at caller ID indicated it was her brother. She shoved the phone back into her purse.
“Who was it?” Matthew asked.
“Trace,” she admitted.
“Isn’t it going to tick him off more if you don’t pick up?”
“More than likely.”
“And that’s okay with you?”
“At the moment, it is.”
The next time the phone rang, she didn’t even take it out of her purse. The third time, she yanked it out, then snapped, “What do you want?”
She winced at the sound of her mother’s voice. “Sorry, Mom. I thought it was someone else.”
“Your brother, no doubt,” her mother said.
“I gather he’s filled you in on today’s events,” Laila said, resigned to a lecture.
“Today’s events don’t interest me,” her mother said. “I am, however, very interested in this relationship that’s been going on right under my nose for months now. Sweetheart, what are you thinking? Matthew is young enough…” Her voice trailed off.
“To be what?” Laila inquired, glancing at the man in question. “My son? Hardly. I assure you he’s of legal age.”
“Well, of course he is. You’re not a fool, dear.”
“Thank you for that, I suppose.”
“So when are you going to bring him by here, so your father and I can spend some time with him?”
“Mother, you’ve known Matthew all his life.”
“Not as someone you’re dating,” her mother retorted. “I’d suggest you make it soon, because your father is blustering about the damage this will do to the bank’s reputation when word gets out about it.”
Laila turned a grim look on Matthew. She’d anticipated something like this. Well, she’d borne her share of unwanted humiliation and interrogation today at the hands of the O’Briens and her brother. Now it was his turn.
“No time like the present,” she said with grim determination. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
She hung up to find Matthew regarding her warily. “Where are we going to be in ten minutes, or do I even need to ask?”
“My parents would like us to drop by,” she said sweetly. “And if you ever hope to borrow a dime in this town, I suggest you don’t do anything to further offend my father.”
He frowned at the suggestion. “Why would I offend him?”
“You’re dating his precious daughter,” she reminded him. “That’s offense enough. Now you need to make him believe it’s serious.”
“No problem. I’ve already told you and everyone else it is.”
“I’m not even sure
I
believe that. Trust me, my father’s going to be a tougher sell.”
“Tougher than Trace?” he asked.
“My brother was practically a single-handed welcoming committee by comparison.”
Matthew grimaced. “Gee, now I’m really looking forward to this.”
She gave a nod of satisfaction. “Good. Now you have some idea of how I felt walking into Mick and Megan’s today.”
“So this is payback?”
She smiled sweetly. “Something like that.”
“You are a very perverse woman,” he commented.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not sure I meant it in a good way.”
“Doesn’t matter. It gave a boost to my spirits,” she said happily.
When they pulled into the driveway of her family home, Matthew actually looked a little pale. It took him a long time to cut the car’s engine. Laila let herself out of the car and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Come on, kid. I’ll protect you.”
He scowled at her as he left the car. “That is so not amusing.”
“I thought it was hilarious,” she said with a smile.
The impressive front door swung open as they approached, and her mother stood in the foyer wearing an expensive knit suit, low heels and with every hair in place. Just a casual Sunday at the Rileys, Laila noted, thinking of the mishmash of attire at the O’Briens and the chaotic atmosphere. Though Carrie and Caitlyn had free rein here, even Abby’s irrepressible twins seemed to understand this was a somber house.
“Hello, darling,” her mother greeted her with a peck on the cheek. “Matthew, very good to see you. It’s been a long time. Are you out of college now?”
Laila shot her a poisonous look. “Mother!”
“It’s my younger brother, Luke, who’s about to graduate,” Matthew said, looking more amused than petrified or insulted.
“Oh, of course. How silly of me! Let’s go into the parlor. Mr. Riley’s in there catching up on all the Sunday papers.”
Laila rolled her eyes. Who had parlors anymore, anyway? Her mother seemed to be trotting out all of her most formal Southern manners and references for the occasion.
“Look who’s here, dear,” her mother announced when they walked into what was usually referred to as the family room to distinguish it from the formal living room they rarely entered.
Lawrence Riley put down his paper and stood up. He frowned as he gave Matthew a once-over, then gave Laila a halfhearted hug.
“What’s this I hear about the two of you making a spectacle of yourselves?” he inquired directly.
“Gee, Dad, no how are you? No nice to see you?”
“I believe in getting to the point,” he said. “This nonsense can’t continue.”
Now Matthew frowned. “What
nonsense
would that be, sir?”
“You and my daughter cavorting around town making damned fools of yourselves. It doesn’t look good. She’ll be a laughingstock. It’ll reflect badly on her judgment and, in turn, on the bank.”
Matthew looked as if he might explode. Before he could, Laila stood up. “Thank you so much for your support, Dad. As always, it’s been a pleasure. We’ll run along now.”
“Hold on just one minute,” her father commanded. “You don’t walk out on me, young lady. I’m your boss.”
“Oh, pardon me for thinking that in this house you were my father,” she retorted. “If you want to discuss this in your capacity as my boss, I’ll see you in your office tomorrow morning.” She hesitated, then said, “Or maybe not. Maybe I’ll just quit now and save myself the aggravation.”
“Laila!” her mother protested, looking shocked.
“Come on, Matthew,” Laila said, ignoring her mother. “Let’s get out of here.”
“If you walk out of here right now, don’t bother showing up at work tomorrow,” her father shouted after her.
“Didn’t you hear me? I just quit,” she shouted right back.
Matthew stopped her in the foyer, his expression filled with worry. “Laila, come on,” he cajoled. “Settle down. You don’t want to do this.”
“Oh, but I do,” she corrected. “Let’s face it. Dad never wanted me in the job in the first place. Now I’ve given him the perfect excuse to get rid of me. I’ve just made his day.”
“But you love the job. That bank is a family business. Don’t let him force you out, not over our relationship. It’s just going to take a little time for him to get used to the idea.”
“Why do you care whether I quit? Are you worried I’ll blame you for ruining my life? Or expect you to marry me and take care of me? I won’t. This is liberation day!”
He still didn’t look as if he believed her. “Look, if you want to leave, I’m behind you a hundred percent, but don’t do it in haste. Think it through.”
“Oh, this has been a long time coming,” she said. “I should never have taken the job in the first place. Dad wanted Trace to have it, but my brother manipulated him into accepting me. As good as I am at the job—and believe me, I am damned good—it’s been a bad fit all along.”
As they talked, she could hear her mother trying to cajole her father into reconsidering his stance. “Listen to them,” she said. “Why would I want a job that first my brother and now my mother have to beg to get for me? There are other banks.”
“You’re going to regret this tomorrow,” Matthew said.
Laila thought about it and realized he was wrong. She felt lighter than she had in months. No question that she loved the bank, that she’d wanted desperately to be worthy of taking over someday, but there were other banks where her talents and expertise would be appreciated, not maligned. And the management at those banks wouldn’t give two hoots if she were dating Matthew.
She actually managed to smile when she looked into his eyes. “No,” she told him. “I won’t. No regrets at all. In fact, I feel like celebrating. Since I barely choked down two bites at Mick and Megan’s, you can buy me dinner at Brady’s.”
Matthew chuckled. “You constantly amaze me.”
“Right this second I amaze myself,” she said. “And you know what? It feels really, really good.”
22
S
usie felt like some kind of minor celebrity with an entourage when she arrived for her scan on Monday morning. Not only were her mother and Mack with her, but her father and grandmother had shown up, as well. When Matthew walked into the waiting room, she scowled at him.
“This is crazy,” she said. “I don’t need all of you here holding my hand. I’m not going to know anything when the test is over.”
“Who says I’m here for you?” Matthew said. “I could use a little family support of my own this morning.”
Susie immediately studied him with concern. “Did Laila break it off again? Who could blame her after yesterday?”
“No, we’re solid enough,” Matthew said. “But she quit her job at the bank last night.”
“Why on earth would she do that?” Susie asked.
“We dropped in on the Rileys, at her mother’s request. It was basically an ambush. Her father didn’t take the news of our romance very well. He went on some tirade about how it would reflect badly on the bank, and she lost it. I tried to talk her out of doing something rash, but she blew up, quit and walked out.”
“Oh, my,” Gram said. “Serves that stuffy old man right.”
“I agree,” Jeff added. “Lawrence Riley’s going to ruin that bank with his old-fashioned thinking. Laila was the best thing that ever happened to the place.”
Susie turned to Mack, who looked vaguely thunder-struck. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you think Lawrence can pull the loan for the paper? After all, Laila’s the one who pushed it through.”
“Absolutely not,” Jeff said. “The paperwork’s been approved. As long as you make your payments, there’s not a thing Lawrence can do, at least not without causing a major ruckus in this town. The community’s already a hundred percent behind you, Mack. Everyone I know is talking about what a difference it’s making to have a local paper.”
“Dad’s right,” Susie reassured him.
“Focus, people,” Matthew said. “What am I supposed to do about Laila? I know she acted impulsively, but this is all my fault. I refused to listen when she said people might overreact to the two of us being together.”
Gram shook her head. “Laila’s a woman who knows her own mind. If she’s in love with you and you with her, then there’s nothing wrong about what’s going on between you.” She gave him a hard look. “Though personally I’d feel better about it if I saw a ring on her finger. That would take the wind out of that old man’s sails, too.”
“I think we can all agree about that,” Susie said, mostly to watch the quick rise of color in her brother’s cheeks. “How about it, Matthew? You going to make an honest woman of Laila?”
Matthew gave her a chiding look. “You say that as if the thought might never have crossed my mind. I’d marry her in a heartbeat, but I don’t think she’s ready for a proposal. She’ll probably turn me down flat, especially right now. I actually had a plan, a timetable, but this has thrown it into chaos.”
Susie studied her brother curiously. She’d never thought Matthew considered much beyond whatever suited him at the moment. “What kind of plan?”
“You know how you’ve been talking about the whole family going to Ireland once you’re finished with treatments?” he said.
“I’m thinking about next Christmas,” Susie confirmed. “It’s going to be Mack’s and my honeymoon.”
Matthew rolled his eyes. “Only you would invite a crowd along on a honeymoon.”
She grinned. “That was Mack’s reaction, but he’s getting used to the idea, aren’t you, sweetie?”
Mack shook his head. “Resigned to it is more like it.”
“Anyway,” Matthew said, “I thought I’d try to talk Laila into coming along. I’d propose in Ireland, on Christmas Eve, in fact.”
“What a lovely thought,” Gram said, looking misty-eyed. “I can hardly argue against waiting now, can I?”
Just then the technician came out and called Susie’s name.
For a few minutes she’d been so caught up in her brother’s drama, she’d almost forgotten why everyone was gathered yet again in a hospital waiting room.
Mack gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s going to turn out great,” he assured her.
Unable to speak around the lump in her throat, she merely nodded. She barely heard the other words of encouragement uttered by her family as she went into the back with the technician.
What happened next had the power to change everything, to give her a future…or to snatch it away.
As expected, they’d learned nothing from the technicians or doctors at the hospital. Mack kissed Susie goodbye as she left for work with her father after the test, and headed for the newspaper office, where he found Jess and her crew turning the place into party central. She’d rearranged the desks to create an open space for guests to mingle. It was evident no work was likely to get done around there today.
The minute Jess spotted him, she dropped what she was doing and crossed the room.
“How’d the test go?” she asked, her eyes filled with genuine concern.
“No news,” Mack said. “It could be a day or two before the doctor gets the report.”
Jess frowned. “Why do they insist on doing that? They know how freaked out everyone is by tests like this. Somebody should be there to read them on the spot.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mack said, thinking of the panic lurking in Susie’s eyes as she’d left the hospital. She’d put on a brave front, but anyone who knew her could tell how terrified she was. “Let’s not talk about it. How are things here?”
“Coming together very nicely,” Jess said, her pride evident. “Bree’s bringing flowers in a couple of hours. That will dress the place up. Gail has the food under control at the inn. We’ll have that here and ready to go by five-thirty before the guests start arriving. The champagne is already chilling.”
“Including some of the nonalcoholic variety?” he asked, thinking of Susie.
“Of course.”
“Is there anything you need me to do?” he asked, feeling oddly at loose ends and not liking it. Too much time meant he could start thinking about that blasted test, just as Jess had said.
“No. Why don’t you get out of here? Take your wife out for lunch or something.”
“She’s probably better off at work. It’ll keep her mind off the test results.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Nothing’s going to take her mind off those. Yours, either, so you might as well try to distract each other. Something tells me you could be pretty good at it, if you put your mind to it.”
He grinned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Struck by a sudden idea, he made a call to Matthew, who confirmed that they had in fact broken ground for the Beach Lane house and were over there working on the foundation.
“Jess, do you think Gail would whip up a fancy picnic basket for Susie and me?”
Her eyes immediately lit up. “Of course she would. I’ll call her now and it’ll be ready by the time you get there. We always have the perfect gourmet ingredients on hand, in case our guests want to take something down to the beach. Even this time of year, there are a few hearty souls who’ll bundle up and go for a hike along the water.”
“Tell her I’ll be by in a half hour, and call Bree and ask her if she’ll make up a bouquet of some kind for Susie. I’ll grab that on my way to Susie’s office.”
Jess kissed him on the cheek. “I love seeing this romantic side of you. Will must have coached you.”
Mack laughed, thinking of the tips he and just about everyone else in town had given Will when he was courting Jess. “Yeah, that’s it,” he said.
He went home and found a blanket, then picked up the elaborate basket that was crammed full of delectable treats and a bottle of sparkling cider. Bree had put together a small bouquet that was perfect for a beachside picnic. Mack hid it all in the trunk of his car, then walked into the real estate office.
Susie looked up and regarded him with concern. “What’s wrong?” she asked at once, fear in her voice. “The doctor didn’t call you, did he?”
“No, I haven’t heard a word. I came to distract you.”
“But I just got here,” she protested. “I need to get some work done.”
“Are you really able to concentrate?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’ve been staring at the same lease for an hour.”
“Then you won’t be missed,” he declared. “Do I need to clear this with your father?”
“Dad’s not even here.”
“Okay, then, there are no roadblocks. Let’s go.”
Though she still looked hesitant, she grabbed her purse and followed him outside, locking the door behind her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see. Someplace special.”
As he made the turn onto Beach Lane a few minutes later, she gasped. Construction sounds were audible even before they reached the end of the road.
“Our house!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“It’s officially under construction,” he confirmed. “And we are going to have our first meal there.”
She turned to him, her eyes alight. “Seriously?”
“Would I kid about such a special occasion?”
He pulled off the road under a giant oak that was just beginning to get its leaves. “I’d love to eat at the site itself, but it’ll probably be safer if we go onto the beach,” he said. “I brought along an extra sweater if you’re cold.”
“The sun is perfect,” she said, her eyes wide as she took in the bustling scene. “I wish I could climb up in a tree and see it from above. From this angle it’s hard to picture what they’ve actually accomplished so far.”
“The rooms aren’t exactly identifiable yet, are they?” he agreed. The framing hadn’t yet begun. “But they’re making great progress, according to your brother. He said he dropped by this morning, and they’re right on schedule. Another week or two and it will start to look like a house.”
“I can’t wait,” she said, holding his arm as they made their way past the heavy equipment and piles of construction supplies.
When they were on the beach, about fifty feet from the front of the house, the noise suddenly stopped.
“Matthew asked them to take a break for the next hour, so we can enjoy the peace and quiet,” Mack told her, then turned on the CD player he’d grabbed at the last second. A Jimmy Buffett collection set exactly the right mood for a lazy, beachside outing even on such a chilly early-spring day.
“You think of everything, don’t you?” she said, looking pleased.
“I hope I always do,” he said as he spread the blanket on the sand. When he set the bouquet of flowers on the ground, her smile spread. “Bree must have done that. She knows how much I love daisies.”
“So do I,” Mack said. “They remind you of sunshine. You told me that once.”
Susie reached eagerly for the picnic basket. “Oh, my. Gail has outdone herself. We’ll never eat all this.” She immediately plucked out the slices of chocolate cake. “This first.”
Mack laughed. “So you’re a proponent of the dessert-first philosophy?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. This cake is far too decadent not to savor every single mouthful.”
“I love how much you savor things,” he said quietly.
For a moment she fell silent. “I think I do even more now, because I don’t know how long I’ll have left to enjoy them. Why can’t people remember to do that all the time, to live in the moment? None of us know how long we have. I just happen to be facing my own mortality.”
“Sometimes that’s what it takes,” Mack said.
“But it shouldn’t be that way,” Susie said.
Looking into her shining eyes, seeing her enjoyment of every little detail about being here, about the meal and the flowers, Mack nodded. “No,” he confirmed. “It shouldn’t be that way. Blessings are meant to be counted every day, not just on Thanksgiving or when we’re bargaining with God.”
She studied him curiously. “Have you done much of that? Bargaining with God, I mean? Heather said Connor did when she had her accident.”
“I get exactly where Connor was coming from,” Mack conceded. “And I’ve had my share of conversations with God lately.”
“Me, too,” she admitted.
Mack pulled her back to rest against his chest. “Your grandmother swears He’s listening.”
Susie nodded. “I believe that, too. I have to.”
“Then we’re going to be okay,” Mack said with more confidence than usual.
They simply had to be.
It had been one of the most wonderful afternoons of Susie’s life. Mack had driven her home to get ready for the party at the paper, changed his own clothes and hurried off. Until she was alone in their apartment, she’d hardly spared a thought for the test results all afternoon.
When the phone rang, she wasn’t even thinking about them. When she picked up, though, it was Dr. Kinnear on the line. She sat down hard on the edge of the bed.
“You have the test results,” she said, unable to keep the dread out of her voice.
“I do, and it’s good news, Susie. The chemo has worked almost as well as we’d hoped. It has the cancer in check.”
Her emotions went from high to low in a heartbeat. “What does that mean, in check? Am I in remission or not?”
“There are a couple of places that still concern us, but it’s looking very, very good. We want to wait a bit, let you recover some, and then do another round of the chemo.”
“So the cancer’s not gone?” she said, deflated. Despite all the caution she’d expressed aloud, she’d allowed herself to be hopeful.
“No, it’s not gone, but there’s every reason to be optimistic,” the gynecologist told her. “The oncologist says it’s quite remarkable for the first round of treatments to go so well.”
She thought of the nausea and other side effects of the chemo. Could she do all that again? She sat up straighter and thought of the stakes. Of course she could. If it meant having a life with Mack, she could endure whatever it took.
“Thank you for letting me know,” she told the doctor.
“Come in next week and we’ll come up with a timetable,” he said. “This is good news, Susie. It may not be exactly what we’d hoped for, but it’s very positive.”
Susie tried to remember that as she dressed for the party. She zipped herself into the knock-’em-dead dress Shanna had helped her find, put on her blond wig and was about to do her makeup when she glanced in the mirror and decided, what the hell? She took off the wig and tossed it aside. It wasn’t fooling anyone, and she was proud of getting through this first round of treatments with her spirit intact.