The Fountain of Infinite Wishes (Dare River Book 5) (40 page)

And so they kicked off their day by taking turns throwing darts at the felt board in their private work space off the conference room. He shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, but the pressure in his chest didn’t abate any.
 

When Charlie called it quits for a client meeting, she gave him a long look and said, “As a strong and sometimes bull-headed woman, I can tell you not to give up on Shelby. Figure something out.”

He glared at her. “I’m trying, dammit.”

“
Try harder
,” she said, leaving the darts with him.

After a few more drills to the bulls-eye, he composed himself and headed back toward his office, only to discover Louisa McGuiness in their waiting area. He stopped short. Their eyes met. Her face was pale. Wrinkles he hadn’t remembered seeing cut strong grooves in her face. Over the pounding of his heart, he made himself walk forward.

“Louisa,” he said, hoping his face was devoid all expression. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I told your assistant not to bother you until you finished conferring with your colleague,” she said, clenching her hands.

He noted the gesture. “Why don’t we talk in my office? Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you,” she said politely, so he showed her to his office.

He told himself to keep his cool. After closing the door, he extended his hand to the more informal meeting table to the right of his desk. She sat in the chair as if expecting it to be rigged with dynamite.

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

She put her hand to her heart, her eyes filling with tears. “I owe you an apology. I’ve been nothing short of horrible to you, and I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I was a horrible person.”

He shook his head. “Louisa, you’re not a horrible person. In fact, you have my admiration. I see a lot of people experience betrayal, and not all of them turn their lives or the lives of their children into something worth writing home about. You managed all of that, and from where I’m sitting, it’s pretty incredible.”

She took a moment to compose herself. “You have no idea how much those words mean to me—especially this morning.” Her mouth lifted with a half smile, and then she reached for his hand. “You’re a kind man to say that, Vander. I can see why Shelby fell in love with you, and why the rest of my children hold you in such esteem. I was a fool to treat you like I did, and I hope you can forgive me and put it behind us, so I can show you how happy I am to have you be with Shelby and come around our family.”

He didn’t know that he’d be coming around anymore after last night, but that didn’t change what she was saying. “You were protecting your family. There’s nothing to forgive, but I appreciate you saying that nonetheless.”

“Shelby must be pretty angry with you,” Louisa said, shaking her head. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. You were put in a terrible situation. If I can do anything to help…”

The last thing he wanted was more back-channel conversations. He’d had his fill of them. “Shelby will decide what Shelby will decide. I only hope she’ll remember how much I love her and realize that this situation…will never happen again.”

Louisa barked out a laugh and brushed at tears in her eyes. “Good heavens, I hope so. I feel black and blue this morning, but more at peace than I have since their daddy left. I thanked God for that this morning, and I thanked Him for your role in bringing it about.”

Other people had told Vander such things, and they always made him uncomfortable. Coming from her, he wanted to squirm. “I was just doing my job, Louisa.”

“I see it differently, Vander,” she said, finally releasing his hand. “I’m sorry about the burned cake we left for you.”

He’d thought it a fitting metaphor for where his relationship with Shelby stood right now. “It’s why I love her. She doesn’t mince words.”

“Not often, no,” Louisa said. “Please come to dinner on Sunday. I’d invite you to church, but Shelby tells me you don’t attend—which doesn’t bother me in the least, I want you to know.”

He studied her. “I believe you mean that last part.”

She nodded. “I do. Well, I should let you get on with your day. Vander, I…thank you again for not holding a grudge against me and for trying to do right by Shelby and my family.”

The pressure in his chest seemed to increase the longer her green eyes rested on him. He didn’t know if he’d ever see this woman again. That would be up to Shelby. He hoped he would, though. “Thank you for coming, Louisa. Most people wouldn’t have thought to, especially after the day you had yesterday.”

“God doesn’t want us to let our bad behavior stretch out,” Louisa said as they walked to the door. “Mine had already lasted way too long. Have a good day, Vander. Don’t give up on my daughter.”

“I don’t plan to,” he told her.

“Good,” Louisa said. “What’s your favorite meal, by the way?”

He thought about it for a moment, knowing why she was asking. “Fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Nothing better than that, if you ask me.”

“We’ll have that this Sunday,” Louisa said. “I’ll expect to see you there.”

There she went again.
“Louisa.”

Her smile was the first easy one he’d seen. “I have faith in you two. Plus, I’m doing a lot of praying, and my prayers are usually answered.”

“When aren’t they?” he quipped, opening the door.

“When love isn’t at the root of the matter,” she said, making his hand fall to his side. “That’s not the case with you and Shelby. Goodbye, Vander.”

“Goodbye, Louisa,” he said, and then jumped an inch when she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling wider now. “You’ll get used to it. Rye, Clayton, and Jake have, and they’re all as tough as you are.”
 

She walked off before he could compose a reply. Charlie popped her head out of her office.

“You okay?” she asked, looking in the direction of Louisa as she headed down the hall for her meeting.
 

He shrugged. “I have no idea. Go back to work.”

His current case files didn’t distract him. All he could think about was Shelby, and what he could do to make her see reason. She was stubborn, but under that, she was hurt. He needed to make her believe in him again. In them.

Light flickered on the ceiling, reflecting something from outside. It seemed to dance across the room like liquid gold. Suddenly it hit him.

He knew how to win Shelby back.

Chapter 40

Shelby’s intent to wallow the day away proved futile. J.P. called her to share his
perspective
on what Vander had done. That’s what her brother had the audacity to call it. She’d cut him off and told him she needed to make up her own mind.
 

Not too long afterward, her mama had called as well to tell her she’d swung by Vander’s office—holy heavens alive—and ask for his forgiveness regarding her actions, which he’d given without hesitation. While she was reeling from that information, her mama had informed her she was making Vander’s favorite meal—fried chicken and all the fixings—this coming Sunday, and Shelby had better make sure he was present to enjoy it.

When her mama had finally let her get off the phone, Shelby was fit to be tied. How dare her family interfere like that and tell her what to do! Had they all learned nothing?

Being with Vander was her decision, not theirs. For once, they needed to butt the hell out.

Then Gail called, and Shelby was certain Vander had enlisted her help somehow. Yet her boss was all business—she had insisted she needed to see Shelby ASAP to go through the profit and loss balance statements for all her businesses since she’d had a brainstorm the night before about opening up a new business—a juice bar on the Vanderbilt University campus. Gail thought it would require little overhead and sell like gangbusters with the more affluent, health-conscious crowd. Shelby agreed to swing by after lunch, not seeing another choice.

When she arrived at Gail’s, the security gate seemed to take forever to open, and she realized she was feeling surly. Her boss didn’t know why she was in a bad mood, and she didn’t need to lead with it. If Gail sensed something was up, she’d pounce on her like a mad terrier until she spilled her problems, and Shelby wasn’t ready for Gail’s kind of leopard-print couch therapy. The woman would probably swing her white feather boa around as Shelby talked about her daddy.

She parked her car in the circular driveway. After grabbing her purse and valise, she made sure not to slam the door. The fountain was gurgling, and Shelby turned her head to look at it. The cherubs seemed to be frolicking in the spray like usual, and suddenly the magic and playfulness of it made Shelby grind her teeth.

She really
should
throw a coin in the fountain. Heavens knew, she had plenty of wishes to request right now, but the last thing she wanted to do was throw a coin in that fountain today.
 

When she thought about all her dreams—the ones she’d had about finding her daddy and being with Vander—they seemed so foolish now.

Vander was right. It was stupid to wish for anything. It was even stupider to throw coins into a fountain. What a waste of good money.

Shelby turned around and started up the brick path, struggling to ignore the pain in her heart.

“Aren’t you going to throw a coin into the fountain today?” she heard a familiar voice ask.

Turning her head in the direction of the sound, she watched Vander materialize from behind one of Gail’s white Plantation columns and head down the steps. He held two white cloth bags in his hands, and for the life of her, she had no idea what was in them.

Not that she cared.

She told herself not to care he was here either—or that there was a look of intense longing in his beautiful eyes. It was best to take a step back and shut this down right now.

“I was just thinking you were right,” she told him. “I was stupid to think it worked.”

Her heart broke saying it, but in truth, her heart was breaking all over again just from seeing him.

“I’m sad to hear you say that,” he said, reaching her. “I was just thinking how right
you
were. In fact, I have some catching up to do. Would you help me?”

“With what?” She glared at him. “I’m not going to change my mind.” But she was softening, dammit, hearing him talk like that, seeing him look at her like he always did.

“Your prerogative,” Vander said, thrusting out a bag, which jingled suspiciously, and fitting it in her hand. “But I would like your help.”

When she took the bag out of reflex mostly, her shoulder wrenched, and she realized what was inside. “You brought a
bag
of coins?”

He started walking to the fountain’s edge. “No, I brought two. Come along. I need to get started, or I’ll be here all day.” Dropping the bag, he opened it and drew out a handful of coins. There were quarters and dimes and nickels and pennies inside. Hundreds of them from what she could see.

“You’ve plumb lost your mind,” she said, her aloof waning.

“Don’t the poets say love makes us all a little crazy?” he quipped, his mouth tipping up. “Now, for my first wish. Please don’t critique me. It’s my first time, and I’m nervous enough as it is. This is a big moment for me.”

There was no playfulness in his voice now, and she watched as he selected a quarter in his right hand.

“I’m starting with this coin since it’s the biggest I have.”

Their eyes met, and she couldn’t look away.

“My first wish is to watch the woman I love grow old and to have her smile at me until her teeth fall out,” he said, tilting his head to the side as if gauging her reaction.

“Do I know her?” she made herself ask, and even to her ears, she sounded like a bitch.

His face fell, but he threw the coin in. Then he selected another. A dime this time. “My second wish is for her to forgive me when I ask and to never hold a grudge, knowing I love her and would never hurt her intentionally.”

Pain radiated in her bones. “That’s a low blow.”

His chest lifted like he was struggling to breathe as much as she was. “Doesn’t make it less true.” He threw the coin in. “Maybe this isn’t the right approach.”

Lifting the bag of coins he’d set on the ground, he approached her and extended his hand. She stared at him, trying to decide if she should give it to him. If she did, it would mean she’d forgiven him like he’d asked.

“The coins, please?”

She shook herself. He hadn’t wanted to hold her hand. When she thrust out the bag, the coins jingled again. He grabbed it and took off for the fountain, both bags making a pleasant music as the money danced inside them. At the edge, he undid the top of the other bag and then hefted them up into his arms again. He leaned forward, and suddenly she understood what he was going to do.

“Stop! You can’t throw in all those coins. You’ll clog up the fountain.”

He turned back and looked at her. “So what?”

“Don’t you understand? Jeffries will kill you, and God knows what Gail will do to you. That fountain cost over a hundred thousand dollars. It’s Italian!”