True Love (48 page)

For a moment Alix’s eyes lit up, but then she shook her head. “Maybe after Izzy’s wedding.”

“Right,” he said. “After the wedding.” He looked away so she couldn’t see the fear that crossed his face. That’s when his grandfather would leave the earth and maybe Victoria would go with him.

Jared looked back at Alix. “If you can keep your hands off me long enough, I’d like to show you a much better idea for that east wing.”

“Different maybe, but not better. And as for hands off, you promised me a meal eaten off my stomach. What happened to that?”

“You didn’t see the chocolate mousse I brought back with me? It’s made for smearing across your bare belly. But first I have to teach you about remodeling a house.”

“I am your pupil and eager to learn. Did you bring any whipped cream?”

“A whole bowl full of it.”

“Get those papers and let’s get started,” she ordered—and Jared obeyed.

The next morning Victoria was sitting at the kitchen table and for the first time in the big old house, she was feeling lonely. How strange
it was to be there but not to see and talk to Addy. Over the years they’d developed ways of doing things, who they’d see, where they’d eat. Now the house seemed enormous and empty.

Last night at dinner, Victoria had loved seeing some of her old Nantucket friends—but it hadn’t been the same. Addy wasn’t there. Victoria’d always had to work hard to get Addy to go out with people, but she enjoyed it once she was there. As for Victoria, she’d loved having someone nearby who knew the truth of whatever she was saying. She’d look at some man and say, “How very interesting!” then at home she and Addy would sip their drinks and laugh about how dull and pompous the man was.

But last night there’d been no one to look at with raised eyebrows and suppressed laughter—and Victoria had missed Addy horribly.

Standing at the kitchen sink and pretending she was washing dishes was Jilly Taggert. Victoria knew there was a married name but she didn’t remember it. She’d met Jilly’s sister-in-law, the writer Cale Anderson, at several functions and had liked her. That they wrote in different genres and their sales were fairly equal prevented the jealousy writers so often had for one another.

Victoria looked over her coffee cup at Jilly and knew there’d be no deep friendship there. At least not now. Right now all Jilly could do was stare out the window toward the guesthouse, her eyes searching the garden for any sign of movement. She was waiting for Ken to appear.

She and Jilly had chatted some this morning about inconsequential things, nothing important, but Victoria could see that Jilly was ready for a life change. She’d been widowed many years ago and now her two children—twins, a boy and a girl—were leaving home to go to college—which made Jilly free to go wherever life took her. And she was
ready
.

Victoria knew that Ken was going to be a problem. She’d learned through long, painful experience that her ex-husband had to be pushed to
do
things. It was so bad that after their five years of marriage Victoria’d had to jump into bed with another man to try to
make Ken listen about how miserable she was. He’d been oblivious to the way his parents snubbed Victoria, of how they’d constantly reminded her that she’d been a waitress at the country club where Ken played tennis every day—as if she could forget! No matter what Victoria did, it wasn’t good enough for his parents. But worse was how they watched little Alix as though they were judging her. They seemed to be waiting to see if she was going to be like them or become like her mother and take life without the seriousness it deserved.

Victoria had cried, pleaded, and threatened in an attempt to get Ken to listen to her complaints, but he’d just talked to her like she was a child and said she was exaggerating everything. In an attempt to placate her, he’d said that what he liked about Victoria was that she was the opposite of what he’d grown up with. The truth was that Ken didn’t believe in displaying emotion—but then up until he met Victoria, his life had been so perfect that he’d had no reason to feel anything deeply.

From Victoria’s point of view, going to bed with Ken’s business partner was something she
had
to do. It still amazed her that Ken had never wondered why she’d done it in their house, their bed, and just when he’d said he’d be home.

But Ken’s anger and hurt didn’t have the effect Victoria’d hoped it would. Afterward, he
still
wouldn’t listen to her. He just wanted to yell or sulk, with nothing in between.

Frustrated beyond her ability to cope, Victoria decided to give her husband time to calm down. She took little Alix and ran away to Nantucket, but she’d never thought of staying away. She just wanted Ken to know how it felt to be truly miserable—which she knew he would be without them. And also, she wanted to put him in a place where he
had
to listen.

But an afternoon of dancing and an old cabinet falling down had changed everything.

Since then, Victoria had felt some guilt that Ken had never seemed to recover from his hurt of the divorce. Over the years, as she’d seen
him with one ghastly woman after another, she’d tried to keep her mouth shut. It hadn’t been easy.

Victoria had seen that each of Ken’s former girlfriends had all been the same: outspoken, almost gaudy, ambitious. Victoria couldn’t help being flattered that the women were poor copies of her—which meant that they weren’t right for Ken.

From her perspective, she thought he was afraid to love again. He didn’t want to risk having his heart ripped out a second time, so he’d taken up with women who liked him for what he could give them. But then they made breaking up an easy choice.

As always, Addy had been quite perceptive about what was going on. “If you hadn’t kicked Ken in his very heart,” Addy said one night, “he would have become a mediocre architect struggling to stay in business. And he certainly wouldn’t have so much as canceled a tennis game to help some kid stay out of jail. But you showed him what rage can do.”

It took Victoria a moment before she could laugh at that backhand compliment, but it was so true that she did.

“Too bad Ken let his heart turn to stone,” Addy added and Victoria couldn’t help nodding in agreement. Yes, much too bad.

But now, as Victoria looked at Jilly standing by the sink, constantly looking out the window to see Ken, that old feeling of guilt ran through her. This woman was right for Ken, but would he be smart enough to act on it? Or would he be so damned scared that he’d spend years making up his mind?

When Jilly looked as though she’d seen something heavenly on earth, Victoria knew that Ken was coming. She got up, went to Jilly, and kissed her on the cheek. “I like you,” she said. “Remember that.”

When Victoria saw Ken walking toward the house, she threw open the door and hurried out to greet him. She had to admit that he looked better than he had in years. The usual hangdog, melancholy sadness that lingered in his eyes wasn’t there.

“Darling,” Victoria said loudly as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed both his cheeks.

Pulling away, he glanced at Jilly standing in the doorway. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Victoria said. “Can’t I be glad to see the father of my child?” She slipped her arm in his and moved to the side, but kept him where Jilly could see them. “I met your newest and I must say that she’s adorable. She’s so sweet that I think even you can handle her.”

“Victoria, you can emasculate a man in a sentence. I need to go.”

“No,” she said, smiling and holding firmly on to his arm. “You and I have to talk about our daughter. I’m sure your bland little doll won’t mind waiting for a few minutes.”

Ken, his face already angry, pulled out of Victoria’s grasp, and glared at her. “Jilly is far from bland. She—” He waved his hand. “What do you have to say about Alix?”

“I was just wondering about her and Jared. You know what he’s like, and I’m afraid he’s going to cast her aside and break her heart.”

“You read too many of your own novels. Jared and Alix are well suited. I need to—”

“You mean they
work
together? I hear he has her doing all his drafting for him. What’s he doing while she works? Picking up girls at a local bar?”

“Victoria, I don’t have time for this! Jared is a good man and you know it. He and Alix—” Ken took a breath to calm himself. “Look, I need to get to work myself. I’m late as it is.” He turned away.

“Thank you for letting this Julie live in the house with me. She’s so docile and eager to please that she’s doing all my washing and she cleans up the kitchen for me. I wonder if she irons. Can she cook? I want to have a dinner party on Saturday, so your Julie can take care of it for me. Thank you so much for lending her to me.”

“Victoria!” Ken growled, his teeth and fists clenched. “If you—”

“If I what, darling?” She smiled at him sweetly.

Ken was so angry he couldn’t speak. He gave his ex-wife one more look of rage, then stomped off into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Victoria watched as Ken stormed over to Jilly, who was still standing by the window. Ken grabbed Jilly and kissed her so hard and with so much passion that when he stepped away, she looked dazed. Ken held tightly onto her shoulders and Victoria saw him speak to her with such force that all Jilly did was nod yes.

Moments later, Ken slammed out of the house. He didn’t so much as slow down when he went past Victoria, but he said, “Get your own damned maid!”

Turning, Victoria looked at Jilly through the window. She still looked to be in a state of shock. She disappeared for a moment, then opened the back door and practically ran to Victoria.

“Ken said that I wasn’t going to be your maid so he wants me to pack and move into the second bedroom in the guesthouse. With him.” She was blinking rapidly. “Victoria, I don’t know what to say except …” She took a breath. “I love you. Really, I do. If there’s anything I can ever do for you, please let me know. Ken—” She broke off at the sound of quick footsteps coming toward them.

Victoria put her finger to her lips as she said loudly and in an arrogant tone, “Of course my undies have to be washed by hand. And my sheets are from Lion’s Paw so they’re ultra luxurious. I need them ironed as I
must
have crisp sheets.”

Ken stopped by the two women and glared at Victoria before turning to Jilly. “Why don’t you spend the day at the site with me?”

“I would love to,” Jilly said. “Just let me get my bag.”

Left alone with Victoria, Ken gave her a look of contempt before going to his truck.

Moments later, Jilly hurried out of the house, big bag over her shoulder. She slowed down long enough to kiss Victoria’s cheek. “Thank you, and I owe you,” she said, then hurried after Ken.

Victoria listened for the truck leaving the drive, then, smiling, she returned to the house.

In the upstairs window, looking down at her, Caleb too was smiling. “You had to do the same thing the first time they met,” he said, chuckling.

Victoria spent the rest of the morning returning calls and emails and setting up her beloved green room. It was Addy who’d encouraged her to so thoroughly indulge herself with the color scheme.

“Why not please yourself?” Addy said. “It’s what I do every day.” She was referring to the fact that she only accepted invitations to events she really wanted to attend. When Victoria wasn’t there, she mostly stayed home.

Victoria had agreed and done her beautiful room all in green. At home she never dared do something like that since, even as a child, Alix was as critical as her father.

“Mother,” Alix had said when she was just six years old, “you have to think of the overall concept.”

Victoria hadn’t known whether to be horrified or amused. She chose laughter. But then so much of the time Victoria felt like she was the child and Alix was the adult.

Just before noon, Victoria began preparing lunch for three. That meant she took packages out of the refrigerator and arranged the contents on platters. Alix had shown her how to use a microwave but Victoria hadn’t yet mastered it—not that she’d let anyone see, that is. She found it rewarding to let other people feel needed.