Memories of Love (12 page)

About four o’clock, his phone sounded.
He picked it up on the first ring.

“Hey, Grant. We’ve got a deal for
sixty. Can you go that high?” Jeff asked.

“Hell yes. I don’t want to, but…”

“She squawked at first about the
alimony, but when I made her the lump sum offer and threatened to expose her
behavior, she became more reasonable. We dickered a little. She’s a real
hard-ass.”

“She is. Anything to get this over
and done. I can do sixty. Don’t like it, but I guess it’s worth it to be free
to marry Cara.”

“Good. I’ll draw up the papers so we
can rock and roll. This is better than alimony. You don’t need to have any
further contact.”

“Agreed. I could see myself getting
pissed every month when I wrote a check.”

“Got wife number two picked out
already?” Jeff chuckled.

“It’s a long story. She should have
been the first…and only wife.”

“Good luck to you. In six months,
you can tie the knot.”

Grant expelled a breath when he hung
up the phone.
Just five months or so, and
I’m single again.
A smile curled his lips.
Not for long. I’ll be marrying the most desirable woman in the world.
He
settled back in his chair and allowed himself to daydream for a while before
returning to the contract sitting on his desk.

* * * *

On his way home, he picked up
flowers for Jane and a box of candy for Sarah. In the kitchen, he opened a
bottle of wine. Jane had made leg of lamb, roasted potatoes, and a green salad
for dinner—Grant’s favorite. He loved the aroma of the lamb cooking and licked
his lips in anticipation of the piquant mint sauce he liked to pour on the succulent
meat.

When they were seated at the table,
Grant cleared his throat as Jane served. “How was your day, Sarah?”

“Fine,” she said, trying to get a
good grip on her knife.

“Here, want me to cut that?” Grant
reached over and cut her meat into bite-sized pieces.

Sarah stabbed one and put it in her
mouth. “I had a great day today. I won a case!”

“Congratulations,” Jane said.

“What does that mean, daddy?”

“It’s almost like getting an “A” on
a test, pumpkin.”

Sarah smiled at him. “Did your boss
give you a gold star?”

“Not exactly. But he was happy.” Silence
fell on the group. Then, Grant cleared his throat for the second time. “Sarah,
I have something to tell you.” He looked down at his hands.

Immediately, her face fell. “What,
Daddy?”

“Well, Evelyn and I have decided not
to live together anymore.”

“But you’re married and married
people live together, right?” Sarah put down her fork.

“They do. But we’re not going to be
married anymore. We’re getting a divorce.”

Sarah was quiet. Jane reached over
and squeezed the little girl’s hand gently.

“Don’t you love her anymore?” Sarah’s
soulful blue eyes looked up at him.

“No, I don’t. And she doesn’t love
me.”

“Daddy, can you divorce your
children?” Sarah’s eyes were anxious.

“No, Sarah, of course not! I’ll
never leave you, honest.” He reached over and pulled her out of her chair and
into his lap. He hugged her and kissed her hair.

“Do they ever stop loving their
children, like they do their married people?”

“No, no. I’ll never stop loving
you.” Tears stung behind his eyes.

“Does that mean
Evie’s
not coming back here…ever?”

“That’s right. She’s not.”

“Is she going to marry someone
else?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

“Are you?” Sarah sat back, her gaze
connected with his.

“Not for a while.”

“Is Aunt Jane going to stay and pick
me up from school?”

“Of course I am, pumpkin.” Jane
brushed a tear off the little girl’s cheek.

Sarah hugged Grant as he held her
fast to him. “Evelyn’s been your mom for a while, so it’s pretty normal to miss
her. Nothing’s going to change from what we have now.”

Jane disappeared into the kitchen
for a minute and returned with a chocolate layer cake. “Baked this for you
while you were at school.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “My favorite.”

Jane cut three generous pieces and
passed them out. “You make the best cake, Aunt Jane.” Sarah swiveled around to
eat the confection while sitting in her father’s lap.

“Sarah’s right, you’re an amazing
baker. I wonder if Gary Lawrence appreciates what kind of wife you’d make.”

“Wife?” Sarah dropped her fork. “Is
Aunt Jane getting married? Are you leaving, too?” Sarah turned tear-filled eyes
on her aunt.

“No, no, sweetie. I’m not going
anywhere. Grant!” Jane directed a hostile stare at him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said
that. I was only teasing. Jane has no plans to get married and leave us.”

They ate their dessert in silence
then Sarah asked to be excused. Grant and Jane lingered over coffee.

“You think Cara is going to marry
you and move in here?”

He nodded.

“Doesn’t she live somewhere? What
about her house, her career?”

“She’s made twelve movies. That
should be enough for a few years. Can’t she take a few years off to be a
mother?”

“Hey, don’t look at me. If it were
me, I’d be here with Sarah no matter what. But she’s worked hard to build up
her career, seems unlikely she’ll abandon it at the drop of a hat.”

Grant’s temper began to get the best
of him. “Better to abandon her daughter…again?”

“Don’t argue with me. It’s not
my
choice. I’m just saying—”

“You’re just causing trouble, Jane.
Stay out of it.” Grant got up and started clearing the table.

Jane followed him into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry. I want you to be prepared for the possibility that she might have
other plans. Have you considered this huge life change from her perspective?
Maybe she’s already committed to another movie?”

“I can provide a good living for
her. Make her very comfortable. And I will. Anything she wants is hers. But I
need her back here with me. I’ve been without Carol Anne long enough. I never
should have let her go.” He put the plates he was carrying on the counter.

“Let her go? Did she ask your
permission?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t. I don’t think
you have any more say in the matter now than you did then. Less in fact. Then
you were already living together. She had something to lose. Now, she’s got her
own life. And you want to mess that up, intrude, and you think she’ll fall into
your plans mindlessly? You’d better rethink that and have a plan of your own
before you ask her to give everything up.”

“Jane, I—”

“I’d hate to see it blow up in your
face, Grant. You’ve got so much riding on this.”

Grant stopped.
God, she’s right.

“I don’t mean to upset you. I want
you to be ready, that’s all. I know how much you care for her, and I’m sure she
feels the same. You two can work it out. But you’ve
gotta
see things from her perspective, too.” Jane patted him on the back and headed
toward her room.

“You’ve got a point,” Grant said. He
removed the last of the dishes from the dining room before slinging a dish
towel over his shoulder and turning on the water in the sink. He thought about
his sister’s words as he cleaned up and put away the leftovers.

Jane called out from the dining
room, “And you might start by calling her Cara.”

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, Sarah opened the
door to her father’s bedroom, ran in, and jumped on him at six o’clock.

“Sarah! What are you doing?” Grant
pulled the covers over his head.

“Get up, Daddy!”

“I don’t have to get up yet. Go
away, let me sleep,” he groaned.

She tickled him, and he grabbed her,
gave her a raspberry on the neck, and vowed to get up. Then she invaded Aunt
Jane’s room.

More sleepy-eyed and grumpy than
usual, Jane and Grant sat across the kitchen table and drank their first cup of
coffee together. Sarah bounced in and poured a glass of milk. She was all
dressed and pulled up a chair.

“What’s gotten into you?” Jane
asked, rubbing one eye.

“I want to be early today.”

“Why?” Grant asked.

“Just because.”

Jane shut her eyes. “Just because
you’re excited about something doesn’t give you the right to wake up daddy and
me so damn early, missy.”

“I’m sorry. It’s a new project.”

“I have a project for you. Go clean
up your room while you wait for your dad to get dressed, okay?”

“Okay, okay. Hurry up, Daddy.”

He grunted something unintelligible
before he rose from his seat and lumbered toward his room. An hour later, Sarah
and her father left their building and headed to school. The air had a definite
chill, and Grant turned up the collar of his coat. Then, he eyed Sarah. “Is
that coat warm enough? Are you bare-legged?”

“I’m wearing tights, Daddy. My
jacket is fine.” She smiled at him.

They continued walking in silence, holding
hands, each lost in their own thoughts.
It
won’t be long now Mommy.
Evie
is gone. Daddy will marry
you. We’ll be a family.
Sarah kissed her father goodbye so she could run
ahead into the schoolyard. He didn’t stop her. Sarah dragged Molly off to a
corner to talk.

“It’s time.” Sarah cupped her hands
to whisper into her friend’s ear.

“Time?”

“For our plan.”

Molly’s brow furrowed. “What plan?”

“Remember? Josie is going to take us
to the theater, and I’m going to meet my real mom and bring her home.”

“I thought we were just going to
meet her?” Molly sat down on a wooden bench.

Sarah sat next to her. “I want to
bring her home.”

“We need Josie.”

“Right. Can we do it tomorrow?”

“I’ll ask her after school,” Molly
said.

“We have to set it up before we
leave for home this afternoon. It’s an adventure, like
Nancy Drew,
” Sarah said.

“I wanna be Bess, not George.”

“You can be Bess. I’m Nancy,” Sarah
stated.

“I’m excited. Are you?”

“I’m nervous and excited.” Sarah
jumped up and down like she had springs in her shoes.

“I’ve never done anything like this
before. We have to get home before our parents figure out we lied. Otherwise,
I’ll get in trouble.”

“Have to do it quick. Does Josie
know how to get there?”

“I think so. She knows how to get
everywhere,” Molly said.

Sarah
tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Good.”

After
school was over, Sarah asked Jane to wait while she talked to Molly and Josie.

“I
didn’t think you two were really serious about this,” Josie said.

“Please.
I need to meet my real mom,” Sarah whispered.

“We
could get into a
lotta
trouble with this shit.”

“No
one’ll
know. We’ll sneak down there and back before we’re
missed.”

Josie
shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I could get grounded.”

“Josie,
my parents are getting divorced. I need to find my real mom now so she can
marry my dad and we can be a family. Please?”

Josie
bit her lip and tapped her foot while she thought about Sarah’s words. Then,
she bent down and spoke in a low voice. “Okay, okay. But you both do exactly
what I say and not a word to anyone. Anyone! Agreed?”

The
girls nodded and squealed in delight. “Josie you are the best big sister ever,”
Sarah cooed.

“Tonight,
Sarah, you go home and tell your Aunt you’re coming for a play date at our
house on Wednesday, and that I’m picking you up at school. We’ll tell our mom Molly’s
going to your house. We meet here after school and run our butts down to the
theater, then back. You get five minutes with your mom, okay? Just five
minutes!”

Sarah nodded
and hugged Josie. “Thank you for helping me.”

Josie
eased Sarah off her. “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t found her.”

“But
we will. We will.” Sarah jumped up and down only once, trying to contain her
excitement.

Sarah
rejoined her aunt and they strolled back to The Stanford. As Sarah turned to go
inside, she glanced at the corner. She spied the tall, pudgy man fiddling with
a cigarette and smiling at her before he turned to cross the street.

At dinner, Sarah was so excited she
couldn’t stop smiling. She did everything asked of her the first time,
including helping to clear the table. Then she brought her homework to the dining
room table and got it done long before bedtime. She was even ready for bed
early. Her father read to her, and they did prayers together.

“Good night, pumpkin.” He bent down
and kissed her cheek.

She threw her arms around him. “I
love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too. You okay?”

She nodded. “Fine.”

When he left and turned out the
light, Sarah picked up her flashlight. She had found a picture of her mother
online. Josie had printed it out for her. Sarah kept it stashed under her bed.
She pulled it out and shone the beam on it.

“Mommy, I’m coming. I know you’ve
been waiting for me.
Evie
is gone. So you can move
here now. Daddy will marry you, and we’ll be a family.” She kissed the paper
and put it under her pillow. Pulling up the covers, she touched the half heart
hanging around her neck as she snuggled down and closed her eyes.

* * * *

Grant slipped a T-shirt over his
head then pulled on jeans. He was whistling and grinning as he entered the kitchen.
Jane cocked an eyebrow at him. “Going to meet your girlfriend?”

“Yep. Now that we’ve told Sarah
about Evelyn, it’s time to arrange a date for Cara and Sarah to meet.”

Jane smiled at him. “Nice to see you
chipper.”

“Nice to be chipper.” He patted
Jane’s shoulder.

“Any word from Evelyn?” Jane picked
up her mug of coffee.

“Nope. Seems she bought the lump sum
settlement. After what she’s done, she doesn’t have a leg to stand on anyway.”

“I’m glad that’s over. I never liked
her.” Jane picked up a forkful of chocolate cake.

He laughed. “Like I couldn’t tell?”

“That obvious?”

“Like a billboard in Time Square.”

She smacked him lightly on the
shoulder. “Hopefully the next
one’ll
be better.”

“Next one?” He turned to give her a
sharp look. “The only one.”

“Whatever.”

“Is Gary coming over?”

“Not tonight. He’s working on a
brief.” She sighed.

“Right, right. The Collins lawsuit.
Forgot. Don’t get too lonely. See you later.”

He rode down in the elevator,
whistling. Rex opened the door. Grant gave him a smile and a wave before going
out into the chilly, October air. Rex flagged a taxi for him, and he was at the
stage door before the show ended.

He thought about Jane’s advice.
Maybe I’d better clear it with her about
moving in and not working before she meets Sarah. Sarah is still her daughter,
no matter what. I won’t interfere with that.

He brooded about future plans for
half an hour until the last curtain call was over. Gus let him in, and before
he knew it, Cara was in his arms.

“Tonight’s audience was better than
last night. They laughed at the right places…got it, know what I mean?” Cara paced
back and forth in her small dressing room. Grant could tell she was keyed up.

He sat in the only chair in her
small quarters. “Looks good for opening night, then?”

“It’s two days away, and I’m nervous
as hell.”

“Let’s get out of here. I think I
have a way to calm you down,” he snickered.

A becoming blush colored her cheeks.
“You always used that method in the past.”

“And it always worked.” He pulled
her into his embrace for a kiss.

“A prelude?”

“…of things to come.”

She grabbed her coat and opened the
door just as Gus was about to knock. “Beat
ya
to it,
Gus.”

He chuckled. “Sure did, Ms.
Brewster.”

Grant took Cara’s hand as they
walked up the few blocks to her hotel.

“Let’s get room service tonight. I’m
too keyed up to sit in a restaurant and be quiet and demure.” Cara toed off her
shoes and placed them next to the sofa.

“Sounds good to me.”

She plopped down on the couch while he
retrieved the menu. They placed their order, Grant paid with his credit card,
and they sat back. Cara snuggled up to him, and he drew her into his arms. His
pulse kicked up at the thought of making love to her.

“I told Sarah about Evelyn last
night,” he whispered while nuzzling her neck.

“Oh?” Cara sat up. “How did she take
it?”

“She was upset at first, but then
she seemed to recover. I didn’t expect her to ask, what she did...”

“And that was?”

“She asked if parents can divorce
their children.”

“Oh, my God! How terrible!” Cara’s
hand covered her mouth.

“Right? I was shocked, but I
reassured her.”

“Does this mean I can meet her?”
Cara’s expression was anxious.

He nodded. “As soon as you want.”

“How about right after opening
night? I’m kind of preoccupied…obsessed is more like it…”

“You? Never,” he chuckled.

Cara batted him gently on the
shoulder.

“Day after opening night it is. In
the afternoon?”

A mischievous gleam shone from her
eyes. “Can I come with to pick her up at school?”

“What an idea! Awesome surprise,
you’ll blow her away.” He laughed, winding his arms around her.

Cara grinned. “Exactly!”

He leaned down to kiss her.
“Perfect.”

Before they could get amorous, their
dinner arrived. New happiness sparked all Grant’s appetites. He had ordered a
steak while Cara had selected a seafood salad. The waiter uncorked a bottle of
Chablis and poured two glasses. Grant gave him a generous tip.

By dessert, Grant was getting
impatient. They had ordered strawberries dipped in chocolate. He picked up one
and fed it to Cara. Then he licked the strawberry juice off her lower lip. She
gasped when his tongue came in contact with her chin. He snaked an arm around
her waist and slipped his fingers under the back of her T-shirt. She sighed at
the contact.

Bending down, he nuzzled her neck.
“Let’s have dessert in the bedroom,” he whispered.

She arose and took his hand.

* * * *

Cara saw desire glistening in
Grant’s eyes. Since they had first gotten back together, it seemed his ardor
for her grew with each date. She loved being wanted by him. He made her feel
like the most beautiful, sexiest woman on Earth.

Her back still tingled where he had
been caressing it only moments before. Making love with Grant had been on her
mind all day, to help take the edge off her restlessness and nerves about the
outcome of opening night. Only making love would ease her stress, and there was
no one better for that than Grant.

She turned to face him.

“Let me undress you,” he said,
tugging her blouse up over her head. She wiggled free, and he tossed it on a
chair. His gaze fastened on her pink satin bra.

“Now you.” Cara pulled his T-shirt
up, but when it got to his head, she couldn’t help running her hands over his
chest, through the smattering of dark brown chest hair.

“Hey, don’t leave me like this,” he
chuckled, arms straight up in the air.

She stepped closer and pulled the garment
over his face, then returned to studying his
pecs
. “You
can do the rest. I’m busy.”

He laughed as he discarded the shirt
and embraced her. With one hand, he unsnapped her bra. She let it fall to the
floor and pushed right up against him, skin to skin.

“That’s much better,” he muttered,
his hands moving up and down her back.

Grant unbuttoned and unzipped her
jeans in a flash. She did the same to him, and they simultaneously shimmied out
of them. Her pink satin panties captured his attention immediately.

“Those are almost too pretty to take
off.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

“I said ‘almost.’” He took her hand
and led her to the bed. After stripping off the covers, he hitched his thumbs
on either side of her panties and pulled them down. She stepped out of them. He
dropped his boxers and joined her, stopping for a minute with one knee on the
bed to stare at her. “You are the most beautiful woman in New York City.”

She reached out to him as the warmth
of pleasure at his compliment suffused her face. He crawled up to her, placing
one leg on either side of hers, trapping her.

“I have you now. You’re mine. And
I’m never letting you go. Believe me?”

She nodded.

“Good. Let’s see, where does one
begin the most delicious smorgasbord ever?” He kissed her, angling his head to
deepen it as his hand found her breast.

Cara wound her arms around his neck
and sank into a state of bliss. “I want you, G,” she whispered in his ear.

Heat pooled in her loins. She
reached down, closing her fingers around him, surprised to find him already
erect.