Stealing Cupid's Bow (4 page)

“You lost your purse?”

“Yes, and my cell phone was inside it, too.”

“Is this it?” He reached down beside him, into the pocket on the door, and pulled out a black Prada bag.

“Oh my gosh! My bag!” She clasped it to her, giving a short sigh of thanks with her eyes closed, then briefly rummaged inside to check that everything was still there.

“I’d just tossed it into the limo, and was going to have one of the guys take it to a security guard. When I saw them talking to you, I completely forgot.”

“Thank you so much. I would have been lost without it. I mean it’s not just the things inside; the bag itself is my favorite.”

“It is? Why?”

“My parents gave it to me as a gift when I moved away. Where did you find it?”

“In the airplane, off to the side on the floor, as I walked off.”

“You just made my day.” She was so happy she threw her arms around him in a hug.

He seemed surprised at the sudden affection but it quickly faded and he responded in kind. She’d meant it to be a brief thank-you hug but the feel of his arms as he slipped them around her made all of her senses come alive. Beneath her hands she could feel solid back muscles. Her cheek brushed against his soft hair, and she inhaled a deep breath of his scent before pulling herself away.

He gently let her go.

Why did he always seem so relaxed and at ease where ever he was? She wished she could be like that.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

To distract herself from the warm sensations his hug was making her feel, she pulled her cell phone from the bag and turned it on. No messages. Again the stab of disappointment. But it was less now. In fact, sitting next to Alexander on the plane had made her forget about Brad for a while, which was nice. If only there was some way to stop it all together.

Outside, the lines of the freeway sped by the window and the sun was shining brightly as it always did. She spotted familiar landmarks as they came closer to her parents’ home.

“Can I ask you a question, Alexander?”

“Sure.”

“What you said on the plane, you were just teasing me right?” She couldn’t help herself. She had to ask.

He lifted a hand to his chin considering her question, a knowing look coming into his eyes. The side of his mouth lifted a little. “Why don’t we just agree to disagree on that one?”

“But is that how you really feel?” She knew people often said things they didn’t mean.

“Just for a second, see it from my side. Trying to find love…it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Does it make any sense to waste your time on that? Why not just be happy with what there is?”

She nodded, accepting his statement. It was sad really but she could see the point of view he was coming from. It seemed everywhere she looked there were failed relationships.

Her relatives, both her cousin Jane and Aunt Nora, were prime examples. Both were such sweet, caring women, always spreading joy and helping others. But Aunt Nora was divorced and Jane was such a late bloomer she had yet to have any serious relationships. Men seemed to not see the sweet, wonderful person she was under her shy exterior.

Now Jane and her mother lived together and ran a local cupcake bakery.

Why was it that nice women ended up alone? Why work so hard all your life to be good if it didn’t bring the love you were seeking? All those new-age, law-of-attraction philosophies said you had to be what you were trying to attract. So where were their soul mates? Where was
her
soul mate? If you were walking the walk and talking the talk, shouldn’t that attract him to you?

No, instead she’d attracted Brad the cheater.

But that didn’t matter. Everyone went through a bad relationship here and there until they found the right one. If that’s what it took to find the kind of love her parents had, then it was worth it.

“Hey,” Alexander put his fingers beneath her chin and redirected her gaze to his face, “I know one thing for sure though. Your boyfriend is an idiot.”

She laughed. “Ex-boyfriend.”

“I stand corrected. But what I said is still true.”

She suddenly felt shy under his knowing gaze. The warmth of his fingertips on her skin was causing a heat to steal over her cheeks. He had full lips that looked like they could blaze a trail of ecstasy down a woman’s body.

The limo slowed to a stop, and Alexander released her and looked out the window.

“Your parents have a nice house,” he said. “Fortieth anniversary huh?”

“Yes, I’m here for a few days helping get the final touches done for the party. My mom wanted us to pick out all the decorations together. My whole family lives out here, so it should be a pretty big bash. I’ve been really looking forward to it.”

His eyes twinkled. “Well, there you go, maybe you shouldn’t listen to me.”

She didn’t say anything, but inside she agreed that she wouldn’t.

Cole opened the door of the limo while Donovan pulled her luggage from the trunk. Alexander took the luggage from him, walked her to the door, and pushed the doorbell.

“Listen,” he said. “If you get tired of planning, come by and have a drink with me.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a heavyweight, white business card with beautiful gold lettering on it.

It simply had his name, the hotel name, and a phone number. She tucked it into her bag.

“It was really nice meeting you…” she began to say when the front door was yanked open. Her mother stood there with a gleam in her eye Raine knew all too well. Raine groaned inwardly. She’d told her mother the night before what had happened with Brad. And now she was showing up with another man in tow. The gleam could only mean one thing. Alexander would be immediately at the top of her mother’s list of eligible bachelors for her. Her parents had been nagging her to settle down for a long time.

“Oh, honey, you made it!” Her mother gave her a warm hug.

Raine hugged her back. “Hi, Mom.”

“And who is this handsome stranger? You didn’t tell me you were bringing anyone with you.” She warmly shook Alexander’s hand.

“Mom, this is Alexander. We actually just met on the plane. He was nice enough to give me a ride. Alexander, my mother, Mary Daniels.”

“Well, it’s just so nice to meet you, Alexander.” Her mother fluttered. “Won’t you come in?”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Daniels, but I unfortunately have to get going. Another time perhaps.”

“Oh…are you sure you can’t just stay for a few minutes? Raine rarely brings any of her friends home.”

“Mom, I would hate to hold Alexander up any longer,” Raine interrupted. “I’m sure he has things he needs to do.” Plus, she didn’t want to give her parents any more ammunition with which to bombard her. Having a man in the house would just get them way too excited. On the surface he seemed ideal husband material in every way. That’s what her parents would see. What was her mother thinking? She just broke up with someone. Plus she couldn’t imagine herself with someone like Alexander. His bitterness toward love marked him as the wrong candidate for potential boyfriend material.

“Oh, well, it was very generous of you to help Raine, Alexander,” her mother said.

“Yes, it was. Thanks, Alexander,” she said. “Maybe we’ll see each other again soon.”

He smiled mischievously. “I’m sure we will. It was a pleasure meeting you both.”

They stood on the front step as he left. Her mother waved as the white limousine pull away from the curb.

Once Raine had settled into her old room, she came downstairs to the kitchen where her mom was putting together a snack for her. Raine sat on a stool at the breakfast counter with a cup of black tea. On a small plate next to her she also had some oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies from the bear-shaped cookie jar that had been her grandmother’s. It was comforting, that cookie jar. There was always something yummy in it because her mother loved to bake. It was just one of many childhood memories she relished.

Sitting in the kitchen, talking with her mother, was another one. It felt so cozy and safe to be back home. Everything looked exactly the way she remembered it. The flowery wallpaper had been there her whole life and the dining set with its country-style chairs were the same. She knew tonight they would all sit in their usual chairs. Hers had gum pressed underneath it from when she was a teenager.

“Honey, it’s so great to have you home.” Her mother smiled at her as she prepared a salad.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to be here, Mom. The last twenty-four hours have been pretty awful, and I’m looking forward to focusing my mind on planning something as wonderful as your anniversary.”

“It’s going to be all right. Time heals everything.”

Raine’s mouth twisted wryly as her mother reached into the cupboard and brought out a box of tissues, which she set on the counter in front of her. She knew her daughter well and was always prepared for her emotional storms.

She patted Raine on the shoulder. “Don’t you waste another thought on him.”

Looking at the box, she took a deep breath, but felt the familiar prickle of tears again. When was she ever going to toughen up? Raine grabbed one and dabbed at her eyes but there wasn’t much moisture there. That was a good sign.

“Do you have any idea how long it was going on?”

“No idea. I just caught him in the act yesterday and we haven’t spoken since. I haven’t heard from him at all.” There weren’t any tears coming out just a mild tightness in her throat. She coughed a little to clear it. “He is so not worth another single tear. I can’t believe I cried on the plane while I was sitting next to Alexander.”

Her mother chuckled. “I’m sure he didn’t mind. It’s not healthy to bottle up your emotions. You go ahead and cry. It’s just us girls here in the kitchen.”

Raine nodded. To console herself, she reached into the jar for another cookie.

“Besides, maybe it’s divine timing that you’re unattached now,” her mother said. “Otherwise you might never have hit it off with that handsome Alexander.”

Raine laughed. “Ha! Alexander…he doesn’t believe in love. But you’re right, who in their right mind could resist looking at him twice?”

Her mother gave her an amused look. “You never know. Men say things they don’t mean all the time. And he seemed very gentlemanly to me, giving you a ride and carrying your bag to the door. I don’t think he would do that for just anyone.”

“By the way, where’s Dad? And when are Jane and Aunt Nora coming over?”

“I’m not sure where your father is at the moment. I sent him to the store to get a few things. He’s been gone for about an hour now,” she said with a frown as she glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Your aunt and cousin will be here later for dinner.”

“Great, I can’t wait to see them! How’s their business going?”

“Really well. In fact there was an article in
Good Housekeeping
about their cupcakes. I kept it to show you.”

“Maybe we can do something extra special with their cupcakes for the party,” Raine said, lighting up.

Her cousin and aunt made the best cupcakes ever and every year their little bakery was getting more and more popular. She couldn’t wait until they were all settled in the living room talking like old times and laughing.

Her mother had a strange look on her face. “Sure…that sounds like a good idea.”

“Mom? What’s wrong? Did you have something else in mind?”

“Well, I just don’t want to go too overboard with this party. That’s all.” She wiped her hands on a dishcloth.

Raine’s brows lifted. It was extremely unlike her mother to not get excited about a party. She loved to socialize.

“Overboard? It’s your fortieth anniversary. Of course it’s going to be a big bash.”

“Well, let’s just try to keep it simple.”

“What? Why?”

She could see her mother hesitate. Then she walked over to sit on the stool next to Raine. “Honey, I was hoping to have this conversation with you later. But I don’t think we’ll have much private time this week, so I may as well tell you now.”

“What’s wrong, Mom?”

“Well, things haven’t been so great between your father and I for a while now. It looks like we are going to separate.”

“What? Are you serious?” Raine echoed. Her stomach dropped.

“Yes. With it being so close to the party and all, we didn’t want to cause a big scene and ruin everyone’s fun. We know a lot of the family has been looking forward to it. Sorry to dump this on you when you just got home, but I guess it’s better for you to know now. And since your father’s not here…well, he’s never here anymore. But you know how he hates to have emotional conversations. So, of course, I’m the one who has to tell you.”

Raine felt as if her head was standing still and the world was spinning all around her. She could not believe what her mother just said. Had things gone downhill because she’d moved away from home? She heard of things like this happening once children left. Guilt rose inside her.

“How can you do that after all this time? I never even suspected there were problems….” She didn’t mean to whine but that’s how it came out.

Her mother waved her hand. “Oh well, honey, you’ve been away from home for a while now. Things have been changing ever since you moved out of the house.”

The guilt twisted her guts even more and she felt sick to her stomach. “Well, can’t you go to counseling or something? What about your marriage vows?” She felt silly saying it but she was desperate. This could not be happening. The cozy home she felt safe in a moment ago was going to evaporate imminently.

“Your father won’t go. You know how stubborn he is. The more I try to work things out, the more he digs in his heels. He just…. I don’t know, it’s not the same. I guess the spark has gone out of our marriage. We lead separate lives these days.” She rose and went back to rummaging in the kitchen.

“Oh, Mom,” was all Raine could say, sensing from her mom’s tone that things were really bad. “Shouldn’t we call off the party?”

“No. Your father and I have no desire to ruin it for everyone. We’ve agreed to wait until next week.” She looked down at the dishes in her hands. “Anyway, I’d better get started with dinner.”