The Girl He Left Behind (8 page)

Natalie glared at her. “He'll probably be gone by then.”

That was what Eve was counting on. “Maybe not.”

Natalie swiped her tears away and heaved an exaggerated sigh. But to Eve's relief, she didn't argue further.

Eve knew she'd managed to dodge a bullet—a huge one—
and
one she should have seen coming. She should be happy. And yet, some perverse part of her
wanted
Adam to meet the twins. She guessed she would always wonder what he would think about them. If he would have any idea they were his. When she looked at them, she always saw Adam in them. Yet no one else had ever guessed. Not even her mother, and her mother adored them and spent as much time with them as she could. Even Saturday, when her mother had seen Adam up close and personal, she hadn't seemed overly suspicious or concerned. Sure, she'd been surprised to find Eve had hidden her “group dating” from her, but Eve knew her mother was smart enough to realize most kids were secretive about anything they thought their parents would disapprove of. Anna hadn't seemed to attach too much significance to the revelation. If she had, she wouldn't have hesitated to question Eve.

Later, after the twins were in bed and, hopefully, asleep, Eve poured herself a glass of iced tea and went out to the front porch to unwind and think about everything.

Was she doing the right thing contemplating seeing more of Adam? Wouldn't it be smarter—and
safer
—to stay as far away from him as possible, whether the twins were around or not? But these weeks while they were in California might be the only time she'd ever be able to have with Adam. Didn't she deserve at least that much? She knew they could never have any kind of ongoing relationship, but surely there could be no harm in grabbing this little bit of happiness.

She bit her lip.
Is this too much to ask?

She guessed, in the end, the real question was: if she did continue to see him, if what there was between them continued to grow, would she be strong enough to walk away from him again?

* * *

Because Adam's mother was doing really well and Austin had assured him it was okay to go back to Nashville and take care of the things hanging fire, Adam booked a flight for Thursday. He would stay a couple of days—have the interview with
Rolling Stone
, meet with his agent and his producer, talk to his bandmates and have his overdue discussion with Bethany. Then he'd be free to come home. “Why not go tomorrow?” Austin asked. The two brothers were in Austin's condo, having a beer after sharing some take-out Italian.

“I have a lunch date tomorrow.”

“Can't you reschedule?”

Adam heard the curiosity in Austin's voice. “I've been invited to the home of an old friend, and I don't want to disappoint her.” He grinned. “She's making pierogies.”

Austin chuckled. “I'm guessing that invitation was irresistible. So is she pretty?”

“She looks darned good for a seventy-year-old woman.”

Austin frowned. “Who is she?”

“The mother of an old friend.”

“Is that old friend by any chance a hot blonde reporter?”

Adam just smiled.

“What's the story there?”

“Eve and I dated in high school.”

“Eve?” Austin laughed.

“What's so funny?”

“Adam...and Eve. You don't think that's funny?”

Adam rolled his eyes.

“So I'm guessing you still like her?”

“Never stopped,” Adam admitted. “Just didn't know she was available.”

“And now you do.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it serious?”

“Don't know yet.”

“But you'd like it to be?”

“Don't know that yet, either.”

“What about Bethany?”

Adam sighed. Took a swallow of his beer. “I'm gonna take care of that this week.”

Austin made a face. “She's not gonna be happy.”

“I know.”

“My guess is she's been thinking wedding bells.”

“I know.”

“You gonna keep her on as your publicist?”

“We'll see. Depends how she takes the news. Whether she wants to stay on or not.”

“Well, good luck, bro.”

“Thanks. I'm gonna need it.”

* * *

Anna had worked all day Tuesday making the pierogies, frying up the onions in butter that she would serve with them, and topping off all her efforts with the nut kolache she always prepared for holidays and special occasions. She figured this lunch today, with Adam Crenshaw as her guest, was a very special occasion.

Anna couldn't believe how blind she'd been. She'd always known the marriage between Eve and Bill wasn't the perfect match both she and Bill's mother had pretended it to be. Had
wanted
it to be.

First of all, there was the shock of the twins being born too early. And even though none of them—not Anna's beloved Joe nor Bill's father, William—and certainly not Anna or Ellen Ruth—had ever spoken their doubts aloud, Anna knew all four parents had seen the ripples in the surface of their children's marriage.

In the beginning, after Anna had gotten over the shock that her dutiful and obedient Eve—a child who had never given her one moment's worry—had hidden something so important from her, she had been happy about their marriage. She and Joe had been disappointed that college for Eve would have to be postponed, but after all, she was now married to Bill. And hadn't Anna and Ellen Ruth always hoped and prayed for this outcome? Anna loved Bill like a son, and now her daughter loved him, too.

But very early on, something seemed wrong. Lacking. Anna had glimpsed something in her daughter's eyes, something that disturbed her. And Eve had never acted like a young woman madly in love. She had acted more like a settled wife who was a comfortable friend to her partner. Where was the passion? Anna had asked herself. She'd often seen Bill put his arm around Eve or give her a kiss or a look, but she'd never once seen Eve do the same in return.

Anna had tried to talk to Eve about her marriage, but Eve wouldn't confide in her. All she would say was “We have some problems, but we're working on them, Mom. Don't worry.”

Don't worry.

As if any mother who loved her child could
stop
worrying when she knew her child was in trouble.

And then came the day when Eve had told them she and Bill were divorcing. Joe had actually cried that night, but he was already sick with his cancer, and his emotions were close to the surface. Anna had done her share of crying, too, but what could she do?

The only good thing was that the divorce was as amicable as it was possible for a divorce to be. Bill and Eve had remained friends, and there seemed to be no animosity between them. Even the shared custody of the twins hadn't seemed to cause problems—or at least, not many.

But
now
.

What would happen now?

Eve might not suspect Anna had discovered her secret, because Anna had taken care not to give her daughter any reason to, but all Anna had had to do was see those gray eyes of Adam Crenshaw's, and she'd felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach.

She'd known instantly.

Did Bill?

Or had Eve deceived him the way she'd deceived her parents? Surely not. And yet, maybe she hadn't had to say anything. Bill had always loved Eve—that had been apparent from the time they were kids. Maybe Bill had seen his chance to have Eve and taken it.

And what about Adam? Did
he
know about the twins? Anna didn't think so. He couldn't have been that good an actor, to come into her home, to pretend. No. He didn't know. So that meant Eve had never told him she was pregnant.

Why not? Had she thought he wouldn't want to marry her? He hadn't struck Anna as the type of person who would have abandoned her, and yet he
had
gone away and left her behind. When Anna had asked him about his start in the music business, he'd told her he'd left Crandall Lake the moment he'd earned his high school diploma. He hadn't even stayed for graduation.

Anna's heart ached as she thought about what it must have been like for Eve when she'd realized she was pregnant. If only she'd felt she could tell Anna. Anna wanted to weep when she realized how desperate Eve had probably felt.

I let her down.

The knowledge made Anna determined to learn the entire story. And equally determined to get to know the father of her grandchildren.

Chapter Eight

I
t was hard to say goodbye to the twins, but Eve knew their departure for California was the best thing for everyone. After promises to Skype or do FaceTime calls every night and assurances they'd be texting back and forth and sending lots of pictures, they kissed and hugged and said their “I love yous” and Eve finally let them go.

After that, she moped around for a while, then told herself to put on her big-girl panties and get to work.

The morning at the paper passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was noon and time to leave for her mother's. She and Adam had agreed to meet there. When she arrived, she saw his car parked out front. She knocked on the front door, then let herself in. She could hear him and her mother laughing in the kitchen. Her heart squeezed at the sound.

“Everything smells awfully good,” she said when she entered the kitchen.

Her mother, standing at the stove warming the pierogies, turned and smiled.

Adam, sitting at the table with a glass of lemonade in front of him, grinned up at her. “Doesn't it? I can't wait.” His eyes swept her, taking in her slim black pants and red crocheted top with an appreciative look.

He didn't look so bad himself. But then, he never did. He was one of those fortunate men who wore his clothes with a casual elegance, whether dressed in faded denim as he was today, or in a tux, as he had been in so many of the photos she'd seen over the years.

“Did the kids get off okay?” her mother asked.

“Yes. They were so excited.”

“Where were they going?” Adam asked.

Eve explained.

“That means I'm not going to get to meet them,” he said. “I'm disappointed.”

“My daughter was disappointed about that, too,” Eve said. “She tried to get me to call you last night. She wanted bragging rights with her friends.”

“You should have.”

Eve shrugged. “It was late.”

“I'm a night owl.”

“Natalie has to learn when I say no, it means no.”

“Some of us have a hard time with that,” he said, laughing.

Eve couldn't help grinning in return. She remembered that about him. How could she not? She'd never been able to say no to him.

Anna turned off the heat under the pierogies and transferred them to a serving platter. The platter joined a small serving bowl containing a tomato-and-cucumber salad, which was already on the table.

As they ate, Adam told Anna about his mother's progress. “She's doing so well I'm going to fly back to Nashville tomorrow.”

Eve's heart contracted. The disappointment she felt was so acute, she was afraid it showed on her face.

“I won't be gone long, though,” he said. “I just have some things I have to take care of in person, then I'll be back. In fact—” he turned to look at Eve “—I'm thinking of spending the rest of the summer here.”

Now her heart jumped. “Really?”

“Yeah. I'm going to give the guys in the band a month's vacation, then have them come here to get ready for our tour. In the meantime, I'll have to find somewhere suitable to practice. I'll get Marty—my manager—to start looking.”

“You can probably find something in Austin,” Eve said.

“That's what I figured.”

“Why are you going to all that trouble?” Anna asked.

He grinned. “Two reasons. I discovered I like being here. And I want to keep a closer eye on my mother.”

Eve's mind was racing. Bill would have a fit when he realized Adam was going to be around for such a long time. He would jump to the conclusion that Eve was somehow involved in Adam's decision. Had she been? She was still trying to think of something to say when Adam's cell phone rang.

He quickly looked at it, then said, “I'd better take this. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay,” Anna said. “You go ahead.”

He answered the phone, said, “Hold on a minute, Marty,” then pushed his chair back and walked out of the room. Eve avoided her mother's eyes and continued eating. She could hear Adam talking in a low tone but not what he was saying.

He was back a few seconds later. “Sorry,” he said again. “That was my manager. He's found a studio in Austin that we can rent the month of August, and even use in September until our concert date there.”

“That's good news,” Anna said.

Eve wondered what her mother would say if she knew the truth. She doubted her mother would be so enthusiastic if she had any idea that Adam's presence could jeopardize her grandchildren's happy and settled lives. For the remainder of lunch, Eve was unable to relax again or to enjoy being there. All she could think about was how Bill was going to react to the news and how she was going to avoid Adam meeting the twins.

Finally lunch was over. Anna insisted on packing up some of the kolache and sending it off with Adam. “Do you want some, too, honey?” she asked Eve.

“Sure. Thanks.”

Eve knew Adam had noticed she wasn't herself because he kept giving her curious looks. Her mother had noticed, too, and Eve knew she'd be subjected to a few uncomfortable questions later on. She guessed she'd better figure out how to answer them.

In the meantime, all Eve wanted was to get out of there. Thank God she hadn't ridden with Adam and could go off in her own car where she could think straight. And maybe, if she was lucky, some miraculous answer would come to her about how to avoid the possible disaster Adam's continued presence might bring about.

* * *

Adam had intended to deal with all the other things he had on his plate in Nashville before having his talk with Bethany, but she forced his hand by showing up at his house a little after eleven o'clock Thursday night.

If he could have pretended not to be there, he would have, because the last thing he wanted was to have what was sure to be an emotional confrontation with her when he was tired from the long day. He'd planned to pour himself a drink to unwind and then hit the sack. Unfortunately, the lights were all on and she could see he was home.

He sighed wearily and opened the door. “Hey,” he said. “I was gonna suggest we get together in the morning.”

“Sweetie, I couldn't wait that long. You've been gone for weeks! And I missed you.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Adam couldn't stop the flinch that was automatic.

She drew back and stared at him.

The silence seemed deafening, and Bethany's green eyes hardened as their gazes locked. “I thought so,” she said, stepping back.

“Bethany...”

“Don't try to deny it.” Her mouth twisted into an ugly line. “Who is she?”

Adam sighed. “Look, there is no ‘she.'”

“Oh, really? I wasn't born yesterday, Adam. I've known for a while now that something was wrong, so don't try to give me any bull—”

“There
is no she
. What we had, you and me, it...it just ran its course. I know I should have talked to you about this weeks ago, but I kept putting it off. I'm sorry.” When she said nothing, just continued to give him an icy glare of disbelief, he plunged ahead. “It's not you. It's me.”

“You know,” she said tightly, “that old line, ‘it's not you, it's me' is insulting. At least be man enough to say what you really feel. You're tired of me. You want to move on to something new, so you're dumping me. And if there's no one else
at the moment
, there probably will be tomorrow. I mean, hell, Adam. All you have to do is crook your little finger and women will be jumping into your bed.”

Adam had never felt like such a heel. She had a right to be angry.

“Are you firing me as your publicist, too?” she demanded.

“I don't want to. You're the best there is.” That wasn't completely true. She was
one
of the best, and he would prefer someone else now, but it would be wiser to wait and see how things worked out. Maybe she would decide on her own that a continuing business relationship would be too awkward.

She studied him a few seconds longer, an unreadable expression in her eyes, then shrugged. “Okay, then.” Opening her purse, she took out the separate key ring with the keys to his house and the card for the security gate. She tossed them on the table in the entryway. “What time do you want to meet tomorrow to go over your publicity agenda?”

They settled on eleven in the morning at his Music Row office.

They said a strained goodbye, and once more, there was something in her eyes that bothered Adam, something that said he hadn't heard the last of this.

As she turned to leave, Adam followed her outside and stood on the top of the wide, shallow steps leading up to the front door. He watched as she got into her BMW and drove down the long drive to the gated entrance. Although a person needed a gate card to enter, all you had to do to exit was drive up to the gate and it would open. After the gate closed behind her, Adam continued to stand there until the taillights of her car had disappeared around a copse of trees. Only then did he turn, walk inside and lock the door behind him.

Part of him was relieved the ordeal of breaking the news to her was over. The other part of him, the cautious, skeptical part honed after years of hard work and experience in a tough business, knew breaking it off with Bethany had been too easy.

That look in her eyes, the one he couldn't interpret, had meant something.

And that something wasn't anything good.

* * *

Eve generally talked to her mother every day or so. Sometimes the calls only lasted a couple of minutes—just a quick “how are you?” Or a “can I pick up anything for you when I'm at the supermarket?” So she wasn't surprised, but she
was
prepared when her mother phoned on Friday.

“Are you going to be home tonight?” her mother said when Eve answered.

“I'm planning to. Why?”

“I thought I'd stop by for a while.”

Eve immediately knew she was in for a grilling. For a moment, she wished she'd said she had plans, but what was the sense of putting her mother off? Sooner or later, Eve had to answer her mother's questions. Might as well get it over with. “Why don't you come for dinner? I'm fixing salmon.”

“I'd love to. Can I bring anything?”

“No, I'm good. I have stuff for salad, and there's some rosemary bread in the freezer. I'm at the paper, but I'll be home by six.”

By the time Anna arrived, Eve was ready for her. She knew exactly what she was going to tell her mother. And what she wasn't. And she'd also decided she would not be the one to bring up Adam's name. She would let her mother introduce the subject.

Her mother waited until they were seated at the table and had begun to eat. She complimented Eve on the food, then said lightly, as if it wasn't really important, “I enjoyed having Adam for lunch Wednesday.”

“Good.” Eve smiled. “I think he enjoyed it, too. I
know
he enjoyed the food!”

Anna's blue eyes were thoughtful as they met Eve's across the table. “He's a nice man. Much nicer than I would have imagined.”

“He
is
nice.” Eve reached for a piece of bread and took a bite of her salad.

“I have to admit,” her mother continued, “I was a bit shocked to find out you'd dated him in high school. I thought I knew everything you were doing and everyone you knew.”

It took every bit of willpower Eve possessed to keep her voice light, and she prayed she wouldn't blush or stammer and betray herself. “I'm sorry, Mom, that I didn't tell you about Adam. I knew you'd never let me go out with him. And...I wanted to.” She gave her mother a sheepish smile. “I was a kid. He seemed exciting then.”

“
Then?
He's exciting
now.
Don't you think?”

What was her mother up to? This wasn't the way Eve had imagined this conversation. “Yes, of course,” she answered slowly. “He's a big star. But I'm no longer a naive young girl.”

Anna didn't answer immediately—just took a bite of salmon, then blotted her mouth with her napkin. When her eyes met Eve's again, an emotion was reflected in their depths that made Eve's heart lurch. “I'm not naive, either, Eve.”

Eve swallowed. To give herself time to think, she picked up her water glass and took a long drink. When she set the glass back down, her hand was shaking, and she hurriedly put it in her lap to hide it. Although she wanted to look anywhere but there, she couldn't manage to tear her gaze from her mother's. Time seemed to stand still, and every sound was heightened: the tick of the wall clock, the roar of a lawn mower somewhere nearby, the distant honk of a horn, the hum of her refrigerator, her own breathing.

Anna finally broke the silence. “Does Bill know?”

The quiet question affected Eve like a pin stuck into a balloon. She sank back against her chair, and didn't even try to stop the tears that erupted.

“Oh, sweetheart!” Her mother jumped up and walked around the table. Crouching, she put her arms around Eve.

Eve wanted to stop crying, but for so long she'd kept such a tight lid on her emotions. Her mother's simple question had unleashed something inside Eve, something filled with pain and regret and desire and sorrow. Something she might never again be able to pretend didn't exist.

“It's okay...it's okay,” her mother kept saying.

But it wasn't okay. It hadn't been okay since the day she'd chosen to let Adam go.

Her mother's arms tightened around her and she kissed the top of her head. “Eve, honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you like this. I love you. You know that, don't you?”

It took a while, but Eve finally ran out of tears. When she took a long, shuddering breath, her mother released her and stood. “Do you want me to leave?”

Eve looked up. She must be a mess, because she wasn't a pretty crier. Her face got blotchy and red, and her eyes swelled up. She shook her head. “No. I—I want to talk about this.”