Carly's Gift (13 page)

She dug a handkerchief out of her purse and dabbed the corners of her eyes. “Round Hill.” When he didn't immediately pick up on her answer, she added, “You know, in Jamaica. I was at a charity function with the Howards and Roger happened to mention that they were going to have to cancel their trip. He asked about you and when I told him why you weren't there, he suggested we use their reservations.”

“Why don't you go there now and wait for me?”

She refolded the handkerchief and put it back in her purse. “It was supposed to be this wonderful surprise—a second honeymoon. Linda said the cottage is—”

“I'll get there as soon as I can.” If gathering the necessary papers to take Andrea out of the country turned out to be half as complicated as he anticipated, he would have more than enough time to hop over to Round Hill to be with Victoria for a few days.

“And you really wouldn't mind if I missed the memorial service for your father?”

He reached over and took her hand in his. “I would feel worse having you stay someplace that made you feel this uncomfortable.”

“I'm sorry, David. I did want to be here for you.”

“I know you did.” He adjusted himself in the seat, started the car and pulled back onto the road. A school bus drove by as they slowed for a stop sign. The thought flashed through his mind that he should look for Andrea, but he let the idea go.

Andrea took her hand down from the window and laid it back on her lap. Because it was starting to get dark, she couldn't be sure whether David had seen her or not. She wouldn't have waved at all if she'd seen that he had someone in the car with him, but the woman hadn't been visible until they had driven past. At first, because of the height of the bus to the car, she'd thought it was her mom; then she'd seen the black hair and bright blue suit in the light from the street lamp and knew it must be David's wife. Seeing him with her gave Andrea a funny feeling in her stomach.

“Was that him?” Susan Gilroy asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

Susan was Andrea's best friend and the only person outside her family who knew Andrea was planning to go to England to live with David. Afraid Susan might try to talk her out of going, Andrea hadn't intended to tell her about it until just before she left. But the field trip to the Columbus art museum had been long and boring, and not only could Andrea think about nothing else, she couldn't concentrate on what Susan was saying. Finally she'd just told Susan what was going on. They'd talked about little else since. “Uh-huh,” Andrea answered softly, thoughtfully.

“Who was that with him?”

“His wife, I guess.”

“She's gorgeous.”

“How can you tell?” Andrea asked, instantly annoyed. “You only saw her for two seconds.” She didn't want David's wife to be beautiful. She wanted her to look like her Grandma Barbara or Susan's mother—a little on the plump side and with a smile that made you feel as if you were her best friend.

“How long does it take to see something like that?”

Brian Webster leaned forward and laid his arm along the back of the seat, his hand touching Andrea's shoulder. “If I let you see my notes on the Oriental art, can I see yours on the sculptures?”

She turned to look at him. “Will you get them back to me before first period?” Knowing Ms. Phillips, she'd pop a quiz on them about their trip the minute they got in the classroom and Andrea was already struggling to maintain a
B
in the class.

“I'll do better than that. I'll bring them by your house tonight.”

“Tomorrow's fine,” she said dismissively.

“That's okay by me,” he said, shifting back in his seat.

Brian's effort to cover the hurt expression that came to his face was not lost on Susan. “Why did you do that?” she asked under her breath. “You know he likes you.”

“David might come over tonight. I don't want him to get the idea I've got a boyfriend I'll be leaving behind.”

“What difference would that make?”

“He might think I'll get over there and get homesick and then just want to come back.”

The bus turned a corner and headed toward the high school. “You're the bravest person I know,” Susan said. “There's no way I would leave here, even if I found out I wasn't related to either one of my parents. This David Montgomery guy might be your real father, but you don't know the first thing about him. What if it turns out he's weird or something?”

Andrea began to gather her belongings. “My mother wouldn't have had an affair with him if he wasn't okay.”

Susan shivered. “It's gross thinking about your mom sleeping with some other guy. Doesn't it bother you?”

It was easier to ignore the question than answer it. “Do you suppose your parents would let you fly over next summer and spend some time with me?”

“No way. They're saving for us to go to Disney World.”

Everyone around Susan and Andrea stood and began jockeying for position in the aisle as the bus turned into the parking lot. Andrea wished Susan hadn't told her how brave she thought she was.

In order to be really brave you had to do something dangerous.

Or stupid.

The bus pulled to a stop beside a line of waiting cars. Andrea bent down to look out the window to see who was picking her up and spotted her grandmother's bright red '65 Mustang. In another couple of weeks the car would be put up on blocks in the garage to spend the winter out of the snow and road chemicals. Until then, it was the hottest thing being driven around town. There wasn't a kid anywhere in the county who got within a year of having his driver's license who hadn't tried to buy the car from her grandmother Barbara. But the car wasn't for sale—it was in safekeeping for Andrea when she turned eighteen.

As she stepped from the bus, Andrea caught sight of her grandmother. The welcoming smile, the knowing look in her eyes, and the outstretched arms were more than Andrea could bear. She put a hand over her mouth to hold back the sob working its way up her throat. When that didn't work, she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

Barbara came forward to put her arms around Andrea and led her to the car. “Have a good time?”

Her throat too constricted to allow speech, Andrea nodded.

“I always did enjoy art museums myself,” Barbara said, opening the car door and waiting until Andrea was inside. When they were safely out of the parking lot, Barbara asked, “Your place or mine?”

Andrea wiped the tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. “Yours,” she said softly.

Ten

David stepped out
onto the balcony of the “cottage” Victoria had rented for them—or more appropriately, he supposed, subleased for them from the Howards. Anywhere else in the world the place would have been called a villa, but here everything was low-key.

The disappearing sun had ignited the sky, setting the clouds on fire and turning the sea into a sheet of gold. He had to admit the setting was everything Victoria had claimed, and after the cold of Ohio, the warm tropical breeze had been a welcome change. The only thing missing was the peace of mind that should have come hand in hand with such beauty.

Before leaving Ohio, he'd done everything he could to facilitate being made a legal guardian for Andrea, discovering that the busier he kept himself, the less time he had to think about the overwhelming responsibility he'd so blithely assumed. Now it was simply a matter of waiting for the papers to make it through the courts, for Carly to gather Andrea's medical and school records, and for her passport to arrive.

After a week and a half at Round Hill by herself, Victoria had found it difficult to exchange even the most banal of civilities when he'd called two days ago to tell her there had been yet another delay. Yesterday he'd had to acknowledge to himself that his presence in Baxter wasn't as urgently needed as he'd tried to convince himself it was and that he couldn't move things along any faster by standing around with his hands in his pockets waiting for something to happen. It was obvious that the prudent thing to do, if he ever hoped to close the gap between Andrea and Victoria, was spend some time in Jamaica.

Montego Bay wasn't the easiest place to reach from Cleveland. He'd arrived tired and out of sorts and it was all he could do to keep his mouth shut as they drove from the city to the peninsula to the accompaniment of Victoria's endless tirade about being abandoned at the lush resort.

As was her custom, the minute she'd finished venting her anger, she was on an even keel again, as if nothing untoward had happened. Her unwillingness to let disagreements carry over for days was one of the things he found most appealing about her. She could carry a grudge, but was disinclined to sustain an argument.

Not until he'd been forced to accept the impossibility of ever getting together with Carly again, had he realized the hope of doing so had somehow survived their meeting at the mill. Not even losing her daughter to him, could make her desert Ethan and her sons. He would have to be content knowing she still loved and trusted him enough to turn Andrea over to him.

The soft fall of footsteps drew his attention. Victoria came up behind him, slipped her arms around his waist and brought her hands up to splay them across his chest. The breeze picked up traces of her Panthere perfume, surrounding him with its exotic fragrance. She pressed her lips to the middle of his back. He could feel her heat through his shirt.

“I've missed you,” she said between the kisses she rained on his shoulders. “Do you realize how long it's been since we made love?”

He forced himself to relax and was startled to discover just how tense he had been. “Too long,” he finally said, turning to look at her. She was wearing the robe he'd given her for her birthday, a thin pink thing with lace and pearls at the neck and sleeves. Only she wasn't wearing the gown that went with it. The breeze caught the material and pressed it to her skin. Three dark points formed an erotic, beckoning triangle.

A fierce hunger consumed him. He caught her and covered her mouth with his own, as if he meant to devour her. She responded in like, raking her hands through his hair. Pulling him closer, she pressed herself hard against him, fitting her curves into his planes.

“I thought I would go out of my mind waiting for you to get here,” she said, standing on tiptoe to touch her tongue to his ear. “All of those gorgeous men on the beach and the women fawning over them.” She brought his head down for another kiss.

He fumbled with the closure on her robe; when it refused to yield, he grasped either side in his hands and ripped it open. Pearls scattered across the pavement. He bent his head to her breast.

“You just destroyed three hundred pounds,” she scolded with a quick intake of breath.

It didn't surprise him that she knew the price he'd paid for her gift. He lifted her into his arms. “And it was worth every one of them.”

She smiled in satisfaction. “It's been a long time since you reminded me so clearly why I married you.”

He carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. After hastily stripping off his own clothes and tossing them on the floor, he joined her. She wrapped her hand around his penis, opened her legs, and guided him inside.

She was wet and warm and eager, lifting her hips to meet his thrusts, catching her breath and letting it out again in pleasured sighs. He closed his eyes and drifted into the red void of sensation.

Just as he felt himself climbing the final peak, he heard a voice whisper his name. An ache went through him as he felt more than saw Carly and remembered how it had been to lie with her. Without intending that it happen, the woman under him became Carly. Making love changed from a need for release to a hunger to give. He felt Carly's name on his lips and closed them tightly against the urge to call to her.

Caught in a trap of his own making, David could only go through the motions, listening to Victoria's breathing, waiting for the quick cry that would tell him she was near climax and then kissing and stroking her until she had settled or was ready to go again.

He would match her motions and mimic her sounds and then, as soon as they were finished, take her to the pool and make love to her again. She would never know his mind and heart had been hundreds of miles away. His secret would be safe.

For now.

Eleven