California Dreaming: Four Contemporary Romances (71 page)

“Yeah, I know.” His face belied his words.

“Next weekend I’m going with Mandy to buy furniture at an auction sale in Livermore.”

“I could meet you there.”

“That’s okay. It’s going to be hectic and I have certain pieces in my mind that I’m looking for. I’ve spent the last few months studying Victorian furniture. I’ve got a good idea of what will fit in the inn and enhance the rooms.”

“Sounds like a brush-off.”

She touched his hand. “Not really, Rick. It’s just when I get focused like this, I tend to say the wrong things and you get upset. I’m better off alone.”

“But you’ll be with Mandy.”

Mandy isn’t nearly the work that you are.

“Mandy’s … she’s just a friend. Really, Rick, it will be better that way. If I find anything, you can help me arrange it the next weekend when you’re scheduled to be here.”

Sarah knew she was making excuses, but she kept the smile on her face and her eyes on his, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

After a moment he said, “Sure. I’ll be happy to help.”

“Coffee?” The waitress asked.

Sarah shook her head. “We’d better get going.”

They split the check and left the restaurant.

“I’ll miss you,” Rick said and pulled her in closely.

The pounding surf should have added a romantic undertone to their kiss.

Should have.

• • •

Sarah turned south when she left Rio del Mar. It was a good day for a drive the antique shops and second hand stores of Moss Landing.

She let herself relax as she drove down Highway 1, the messy eucalyptus giving way to Watsonville’s strawberry fields. Black plastic covered raised beds stretched to the bay while hawks and seagulls soared overhead.

After the highway went from four lanes to two, she kept a lookout for one of her favorite houses — a faux castle that looked like it had been created from cement blocks. Originally gray, the inhabitants had changed the exterior paint to lime green. The incongruity always made her chuckle.

She banished all thoughts of Rick from her head. No decision could be made right now and thinking about him ruined her mood.

Why?

Not now.

As the slough began to open up by the side of the road, she kept an eye out for egrets and herons among the stalking birds. It had been a long time since she’d walked through Elkhorn Slough Preserve. She imagined hiking through the waterways with her baby on her back searching out shore birds and otters. Would she have to do it on her own?

Rick had never been one for the outdoors.

Back in your box.

Sarah eased into the small streets of Moss Landing and stopped at the first shop she saw, a cheerful yellow house held together by paint instead of nails.
Perfect.

The stylish matron who greeted her was out of place and looked like she’d drive a hard bargain.”Can I help you find something?”

“No thanks, I’m just browsing.” Almost immediately, Sarah spotted the perfect Matisse vase. It was out of period, but something needed to be done to wake up the gloomy Victorians and t would be a perfect match for red carnations.

Why am I thinking about carnations? Rick brought me daisies.

Sarah forced her mind back to the present by looking for the price. Good. The price fit her budget. Within a half hour she found several bright paintings for the kitchen and bath, along with brass glass-knobbed hooks for the entryway.

The hooks would have to do until she got a hall stand.

She thanked the woman and walked into the sunshine with her treasures. February in California. She pitied the poor people who had to deal with snow.

She hit the jackpot in the next store — a dozen sepia-toned paintings of someone’s aged and grumpy relatives. They would be perfect for the hallway and stairs. Her other find was a cut glass ceiling lamp to light the entryway.

Packages safely in the trunk, she drove out to the edge of town, parked in the lot and stared at the waves hitting the sand while letting her thoughts come uncensored.

The weekend had been a strain. For all she hoped for a reconciliation with Rick, they hadn’t made any progress. If anything, they were further apart. She’d have to work harder. Her baby deserved every chance in the world to succeed. Rick was right. Studies showed kids with two parents did better than those with only one.

At least that’s what some research said. She imagined if both parents were addicts, other options might be better.

California it might be, but the sun still went down early in the winter. As she drove north, Sarah’s spirits drooped with the darkening day. She passed the exit to the inn and went down to the seaside shops of Costanoa. She needed a drink with a friend, even if the drink was tea and her friend was the waitress serving it to her.

Costanoa Grill was empty except for a few patrons watching a basketball game on the bar television. Sarah spotted Mandy and waved. Mandy pointed to a window table and mouthed, “It’s mine.”

Sarah gratefully lowered herself into the wooden chair. Although she’d slept in, her lack of a nap was beginning to catch up with her.

“What’ll it be?” Mandy asked. “How was your weekend?”

“Tea. Tense.”

“Chamomile for you, my girl.” Mandy slid a menu onto the table. “You should eat something.”

“I had a late lunch at Ben’s, the new restaurant in Rio del Mar.”

“Then you definitely need dinner.”

Sarah’s stomach rumbled in response.

“See? I’ll be right back.” Mandy dashed off to another corner of the restaurant.

Sarah stared out the window at the small shops that made up the town. Across the street was a tiny, but elegantly appointed inn. She knew from talking with her mother that it was doing well.

I hope my inn will be as successful.

Mandy placed a pot of tea on the table, along with a cup and a tea caddy with a variety of individual packets and sweeteners. A creamer and saucer of lemons were set beside it.

Sarah stared at the bounty. “I hadn’t thought about what I needed for tea service.”

Mandy slid in the chair across from her. “Me either. It makes me wonder what else I left off your list.”

Sarah laughed. “I’m sure opening the inn will be an adventure. As long as we have enough paper towels and toilet paper we should be fine!” She poured her tea, using the chamomile Mandy had suggested.

“So — tense, how?”

Leaning back, Sarah sipped her tea before she answered. Mandy was at work, they weren’t getting into a long discussion. And she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share.

“Spill.” Mandy must have sensed her hesitation.

“I’m confused. I should be doing everything I can to make sure my baby has an intact home. But I say things that upset Rick and we wind up fighting. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

“Maybe it’s not you. It takes two to tango — remember?”

“But it
is
me. I can’t seem to keep my thoughts to myself.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can’t do this all by yourself. He has to accept you the way you are. What kind of parent is he going to be if he gets mad every time he doesn’t like what he’s hearing?”

Sarah put down her cup. She’d never looked at it that way.

“What do I do?” Her voice was musky with tears.

“Can you talk to your mother? Annie?”

Sarah shook her head. “Like I said, Mom has her own perspective on this matter. If I talked to Annie without Mom? Are you kidding?”

Mandy frowned. “You’ve got a point.” She stood. “Wait a minute. Both Annie and your mother talked to someone. A life coach, I think. She may be able to help.”

“Maybe.”

A patron at another table signaled for Mandy. “Got to run. I recommend the crab cakes.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll put the order in.”

I wish the rest of my life was this easy.

Her phone rang. Sarah glanced at the number on her screen. Her mother.

She let it go to voicemail.

• • •

The next morning Sarah rose with determination. She was going to stop letting other people derail her life. She didn’t need to talk to a life coach or a therapist. What she needed to do was put some steel in her spine and get things done.

An hour later, she was stymied. The plaster lath behind the wallpaper in the entry hall wasn’t strong enough to hold her hooks. In fact, all she’d managed to do was put several large holes in the walls. As for the light fixture, she had no idea how to get power to that part of the room without electrocuting herself.

She sighed. She was going to have to hire an electrician.

The one thing she could do was work on marketing. She walked away from the mess, brewed a cup of tea, and settled in her office. As she was bringing up the website to work on it, her cell phone rang again. She glanced at the readout and let it go to voicemail.

Her mother could get answers from Rick if she wanted them so badly. Sarah didn’t know what to say.

An hour later, a knock on the door disturbed her progress.

She expected to see her mother, but when she opened the door she was surprised to see Hunter standing there. She smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, but the silence wasn’t unpleasant.

“Is your — ” he began.

“Rick? No, he’s not. He doesn’t live here.”

Hunter pursed his lips, opened his mouth as if to ask something and shut it again.

The cool morning air began to seep into the house and she shivered.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t make you stand her with the door open. “I stopped by to see if you needed any help. As a friend, I mean. Nothing more. I’m at loose ends waiting for another sheetrock job and figured you could use some help. Any more leaky faucets?” He grinned, but there was a question in the smile.

“You said you were familiar with electricity. What
exactly
do you know about electricity?”

“You mean other than turning it off before you start work?”

Damn.
He wasn’t going to be able to help. She so wanted to have him around.

I shouldn’t be having these thoughts.
She looked at Hunter and warmth flooded her body.

No need to think about it now.

He glanced at the entryway walls. “Looks like you went looking for wires.”

“No.” She followed his gaze and grimaced. “I was trying to hang hooks.”

“Tough to do on plaster lath.”

“So I discovered.” She shivered again. “I don’t think there’s anything to help with if you don’t know much about electricity. Thanks for stopping by.”

“Wait!” he said as she started to close the door. “I can handle electricity. I was just kidding around.”

“Really?” The corners of her lips lifted. “Come in! Let me make you some coffee!”

He chuckled. “What do I get if I know how to fix those holes?”

“Leftover chocolate torte from the Costanoa Grill?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Daisy raced from her spot in the drawing room, barked excitedly, and stood on her hind legs, her paws on Hunter’s shoulders.

“Hi there, Daisy,” Hunter said. “But you better get down. Not a good habit to get into. I’m sure the highfalutin people visiting Sarah’s Inn wouldn’t take too kindly to being pawed.”

Daisy obediently got down.

Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Highfalutin?”

Hunter laughed. “One of brass was an older guy from the south. He had some really strange expressions. I guess I adopted a few.”

“I guess, but if I don’t solve my electric problems, I’m not going to have guests of any kind.”

“At your service, ma’am. Although I have to say … ” He looked around the bare room with a grin. “Some furniture would do as well.”

She laughed and joy eased the tension from her shoulders.

Once she’d set the coffee and cake on the kitchen table, she sat down with him.

“Still planning on a slow open for the spring?” he asked.

She nodded, breaking off a piece of cake with her fork. “Mandy and I — you met her at the work party — are going to an auction next week in Livermore. I hope to find enough pieces to furnish at least one bedroom and the sitting room. Why don’t you come with us? We could use a strong back.”

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She had no right. In fact, Rick had specifically asked her not to date while she was trying to work things out with him.

It wasn’t a date. Not really. But still …

Hunter shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m here to help, as a — ”

“I know, as a friend.”

“My going with you to Livermore could be misconstrued. Especially, by your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. Rick’s the father of my baby.”

Hunter looked pointedly at Sarah’s waist. “You can’t be that far along. So he was someone to you fairly recently. I’m not sure why you’re making that distinction if you’re seeing him again. You are, aren’t you?”

She stared at the table top, unsure how to answer, except there was nothing to do but tell the truth. Taking a deep breath, she plunged in.

“I found out I was pregnant in December. I’m due in August. Yes. Rick and I were together then. But as soon as I told him about the baby he wanted no part of it.”

“And now?” Hunter gazed at her steadily, seeming unafraid of her answer.

She looked down at the table. “Now? I don’t know. We’re trying. He’s coming out every other weekend. But … ”

She didn’t know what to say.

“Well, you have to give it a chance.” His face was stoic, as if he was hiding his disappointment.

Anger flashed, although she wasn’t quite sure why. He was only saying what she’d said to herself. “Why? My mother raised me fine after my dad died.”

“Rick is alive.” Hunter sipped his coffee.

She fumed. He shouldn’t be on Rick’s side. “What about you? You told me your parents didn’t love each other, but they stayed together. Was that better for you or not?”

He put down his coffee cup and looked out the window. “I really can’t answer that.” He stood up and added, “How about you show me where you want this new lamp of yours.”