Between Land and Sea (15 page)

Chapter 28

Each day Barbara went into the office feeling uneasy and apprehensive. What if more flowers arrived? What if Lois and the others started asking too many questions about Graham and his intentions? And even worse, what if one of them mentioned the flowers to Graham or someone at the Art Shoppe?

She did not want any more flowers or other overtures from Stewart. They had agreed to wait until the summer and she expected him to honor that agreement. She also wanted him to respect her need for time and space away from him.

She was starting to wonder if a relationship with Stewart, Graham, or anyone at all was even a good idea. In the mermaid kingdom, she had always deferred to Annabella’s wishes. That submissive behaviour would have continued if Andrew had not left her. As an older, successful man, he would have controlled many of her activities. And she would have given in to him. That’s how Annabella had raised her. Andrew’s abrupt departure had given her the independence and confidence she now enjoyed and guarded very closely. Barbara was surprised by this last thought.

She got caught up on all her correspondence in record time. Late Friday afternoon, she found herself sitting at her desk with nothing to do. There were no clients to see or paperwork to complete. She noticed the other counselors milling around Lois’s desk. She could have joined them but didn’t feel comfortable doing so. While she was civil with everyone, she chose not to join any of their gossip sessions.

Barbara started rereading one of her files, and, out of the corner of her eye, caught sight of the same delivery person from the other day. It looked like he had more than one bouquet of red roses.

She caught snatches of conversation. “More flowers?” “Did he buy out the shop?”

This time, the delivery person came directly to her desk and deposited the two bouquets with a flourish. She accepted the card and dropped it in her purse.

The other counselors clapped and a few of them gave her the thumbs-up sign. Lois approached her desk. “It looks like you’re in for a romantic weekend. Graham may just pop the question.” She looked speculatively at Barbara. “That would solve a lot of your problems, wouldn’t it?”

Nosy bitch
. She was surprised by her angry thought, but she was losing patience with Lois and her barbed comments. She smiled brightly. “I like to solve my own problems, Lois. I would never expect a man to do that for me.”

“With someone like Graham Scott in your life, you won’t have to worry about money or the future.” She added, “Oh, and I saw Carolyn the other week. She’s planning to come back the first week of February.”

“Lois, I like to handle the staff announcements around here.” Janice’s steely voice startled the two women.

Lois mumbled an apology under her breath and returned to her desk. Janice sat down next to Barbara. “I was planning to tell you on Monday, but I guess Lois beat me to it.”

“It’s all right, Janice. I knew this position would only be temporary. I haven’t worried too much about it.”

“I’m still hoping that something will come up for you here. If not, I’ll put out some feelers and help you get another job.” She looked more closely at Barbara. “But you’re worried about something else, aren’t you?”

Barbara was not surprised by Janice’s perceptiveness. She was a highly qualified and experienced social worker who had spent over four decades dealing with people and their problems. Barbara nodded and tried to hold back the tears that were starting to form.

Janice got up quickly. “Ladies, why don’t we call it a day?”

The other women in the office did not waste any time. In less than ten minutes, the office was cleared. Janice waited until Leslie closed the door behind her. She turned to Barbara and spoke in a gentler tone. “I’m here for you, Barbara.” She nodded at the flowers. “Do you want to talk about the man who sent you the roses?”

Barbara looked up in surprise. Was it that obvious? The others had assumed that Graham had sent the flowers. If Stewart continued to send flowers, Lois and the others would become more suspicious and start asking more questions. “I-I—” She rummaged through her purse and took out the card. She ripped it open and read the message.

190 more days. Do you really want to wait that long? Call me. Love, Stewart.

She handed the card to Janice.

Janice raised one eyebrow. “I take it these flowers are from Stewart Tobin.” She explained, “When you first mentioned his name, I was curious. I called some of my friends from Harlequin, and they filled me in on the life and times of Stewart Tobin. He’s quite the ladies’ man.” She shot a concerned look at Barbara. “You haven’t been divorced that long, and I’m willing to bet Graham was your first male companion. Be very careful around someone like Stewart Tobin. He’s not wired for long-term commitments. You’re better off with Graham.”

While Barbara nodded in agreement, her insides were in turmoil. She wasn’t certain if
she
was wired for a long-term relationship. As it was, she planned to leave Carden in less than a year. She wondered what Janice and the others would think of her then. She forced a smile and tried to speak in a more controlled voice. “I had a fling with him. I guess it could be classed as a one-night stand. I didn’t expect him to send flowers.”

“What does he mean by the 190 days?” Janice asked.

“The book is coming out in the summer. I’ll be going down to Chicago in late June.” She decided not to tell Janice about the deadline she had imposed on Stewart.

“Hmm. You are definitely in bed with the man, in more ways than one. You don’t want to jeopardize your future in the literary world. From what I hear, he is well connected in both the U.S. and Canada. And as your agent, he will be spending a lot of time with you for the next year or more.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Call him and tell him to stop sending you flowers. Speak firmly and insist on a professional relationship.” A thoughtful look appeared on her face. “How attached are you to these flowers?”

Barbara shrugged. “I don’t really want them. But I shouldn’t just throw them away.”

“Let me take them to the nursing home near my house. I’ll ask the receptionist to give them to a couple of the ladies who don’t receive too many visitors.” She started to pick up the flowers. “You probably don’t want Graham to see another man’s flowers in your apartment. And about Graham, you should tell him about Stewart.”

“I can’t do that right now. I feel so embarrassed and ashamed.” Barbara started to cry softly.

Janice stroked her arm and let her finish crying. “You don’t have to do it this weekend, but think about doing it soon. It’s better if he hears it from you.”

Barbara gasped. “You don’t think Stewart will call him.”

“No, I was thinking more about the local gossip machine. You have a number of very observant and talkative colleagues who might tell a few other people about the flowers. That could get back to Graham.” Janice looked at her watch and pointed to the telephone. “I’ve got a few more letters to send before I leave. Why don’t you call Stewart from here? It will sound more businesslike.”

Barbara waited until Janice closed the door of her office. She took out her address book and found Stewart’s phone number. She dialed the number and could hear her heart pounding as she waited for him to answer. Part of her hoped she could get away with leaving a message on his voice mail.

“Barbara! I was hoping you would call.” The familiar voice unsettled her.

“I’m calling about the flowers. I don’t want you to send me any more flowers.”

“You don’t like them?” He sounded hurt.

“The flowers are lovely, but I don’t appreciate receiving them. You agreed to give me time and space. You have not done that.”

“So, no more flowers.”

“That’s right.”

No one spoke for a few seconds. He sighed. “I still think about Monday. I haven’t forgotten about that afternoon we spent together. Have you, Barbara?”

She did not dare admit that he had occupied the lion’s share of her thoughts all week. She decided to ignore his question. “You promised to give me time and space, Stewart.”

“Enjoy your weekend, Barbara.” He sounded amused.

“Goodbye, Stewart.” She hung up quickly.

Chapter 29

It was back to normal, or more precisely a pins-and-needles normal. After one week of no flower deliveries, Barbara started to relax and get into the spirit of the holiday season. It was her first Christmas holiday and she was looking forward to it. In the kingdom, they had celebrated the fifteenth of each month with a festival. And of course there were always birthday parties.

Graham had not celebrated Christmas since Marjorie’s death. This year, he was determined to make up for lost time. Each day, he called or met with Barbara to talk about the food, decorations, or gifts.

She took out a few craft books from the library and created wreaths, swags, and tree ornaments. She ended up decorating her own apartment and Graham’s house. Together they searched for trees and found two perfect ones, a small one for her apartment and a majestic seven-footer for Graham’s house.

She was also spending more time at Graham’s. While she had been there a few times for dinner, it seemed that Graham was more comfortable spending time in her apartment. They always had sex at her place. As she walked through the house, she realized that, in many ways, it was still a shrine to Marjorie. Pictures of her could be found in every room.

When Graham wasn’t looking, Barbara took a closer look at the photos of this delicate, fragile-looking woman who had captured and held Graham’s heart for almost thirty years. But beneath that serene blonde exterior, she could see traces of boundless love and passion. Marjorie had been a homebody, content to raise her family and illustrate children’s books in the makeshift studio Graham had created for her.

Barbara examined the shabby furnishings which had not been updated in years. The house itself had good bones and with the right touch it could look stunning. It was similar in size and structure to the Furness home in Chicago. There, Doris and Edgar had spared no expense in showcasing their home. But would Graham welcome any decorating suggestions? He seemed content with the status quo and might object to any changes that might diminish or destroy Marjorie’s memories.

Why I am even thinking about decorating this house? I won’t be here long enough to live in it.
She forced herself to focus on the task on hand and finished decorating the banister. As she made her way down the stairs, she saw Graham at the door with a stack of gaily decorated parcels. He placed them under the tree and stood back, admiring the growing pile of gifts.

“That must be it, the last of the gifts. If you’re not careful, there won’t be any room for Santa’s gifts.” Barbara said with an easy smile.

Graham’s eyes twinkled. “There’s always room for one more gift.”

Barbara had never seen him so happy. At times like this, she realized just how kind and thoughtful he really was. The Christmas season was bringing out his younger, less encumbered side and making him look even more attractive. She sighed. That’s all she needed to further complicate her life.

“Another sigh.” Graham spoke with concern. “Since you got back from Chicago, you’ve been sighing a lot. And you look a bit startled whenever someone knocks on a door or enters a room. Do you want to talk about it?”

Barbara hadn’t realized that her nervousness about Stewart and his gifts was noticed. She managed a half smile. “I guess Chicago was a bit too much for me. There was lots of activity and movement.”

“There’s no need to go back there again. Call up that agent and tell him to meet with you in Toronto. Lots of agents do that for their writers.” He added, “If you want, I can talk with him.”

That must never happen, she thought. Stewart must never meet Graham. She cleared her throat. “There’s no need to do anything now. I don’t have to meet with him until the summer.”

“That’s all right then.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “I can go with you. I’d love to see the Art Institute again. And I hear there’s a new park behind it.”

“Millennium Park,” Barbara said. Her smile was frozen in place. She couldn’t imagine Graham with her in Chicago. And visiting Stewart’s favorite haunts. It was unthinkable. She spoke in a neutral tone. “I’ll let you know as the time gets closer.”

Graham, pleased, glanced around the room. “You’ve done an amazing job with the decorations. I can hardly wait for the kids to see all this.”

Barbara welcomed the change of subject. “So, when are they coming?”

“They’re all coming on the twenty-third and leaving early on the twenty-sixth. He added, “They won’t be able to stay for the Open House. I had to arrange for their Red Car. I’ve never had to do that before.”

Since Marjorie’s death, the children always left after only a couple of days. They did not want to spend too much time in this house filled with ghosts of Christmases past. Four years after Marjorie’s death, Graham was only now starting to move on.

He was looking at her intently. Barbara had agreed to spend this weekend before Christmas getting the house cleaned and decorated. While she had accomplished a lot that morning, an afternoon of work awaited them. There was definitely lust in Graham’s eyes, but he would not initiate anything here, not with Marjorie’s picture staring at them in every room. And they didn’t have time to run over to her apartment for a quickie.

While they had sex a number of times since she returned from Chicago, Barbara felt guilty and uneasy afterward. What she really needed was a month or two without sex. She wanted time to clear her mind and think rationally about the two men in her life.
Be careful what you wish for . . . you may get it.
She shivered as that intrusive thought materialized in her mind.

“I can turn up the thermostat.” Graham started to move toward the other room.

Sometimes, he was just so solicitous, it was almost suffocating. She wondered if Stewart would be like this if they lived together. While the sex with Stewart was all-consuming, she doubted he would hang on her every word or gesture. She definitely needed her space. Space was something she had never even thought about in the mermaid kingdom. There, she had been constantly surrounded by other young mermaids and had frequent meetings with Annabella.

Annabella. The familiar anger and resentment did not rise to the surface. Did she miss Annabella? That last thought was surprising and brought a sad smile to her face. She was moving on.

“Barbara! Barbara!”Graham was waving his hands in front of her.

“Sorry! I was just thinking of my grandmother.”

“You’ve never mentioned her before. Is she still living?”

“She is no longer with us.” Barbara pointed toward the boxes in the living area. She had spent most of the morning collecting and organizing the children’s yearbooks, awards, and other school memorabilia. “Those boxes should be moved to the basement. Gwen and Peter can look through them and decide what they want to keep.”

Graham raised his eyebrows at the sudden change of subject. “Great. I really appreciate all the time you’re spending here. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

Barbara squeezed his arm. “I’ve enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to meeting your children and hosting the Open House. This holiday will be one to remember for all of us.” She spoke sincerely.

Graham looked at her carefully. “I don’t want you overdoing it. For the past two weeks, you’ve been going nonstop. You work all day at the office and then spend your evenings and weekends baking, cleaning, and decorating. I don’t want you collapsing on Christmas Day.”

“Not to worry. I’m only working three days this coming week. Janice is closing down the office until after New Year’s.”

“She does that every year,” Graham said. “It makes sense. Not too many people are looking for employment advice at this time. She gets to spend more time visiting her children in Alberta and the staff members enjoy an extended holiday.” He moved toward the boxes. “Back to work.”

They worked diligently all afternoon and into the evening, stopping only to eat pizza. Graham had insisted on take-out food. He didn’t want her cooking a meal after working so hard.