The Time of Her Life (26 page)

“He is such a good man,” she said softly.

Walter met her gaze with those fading eyes that saw so much.
“He is. One of the very best.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

O
KAY
, P
UERTO
V
ALLARTA
wasn’t Tahiti, but
the coastline was different from the Atlantic beach trips Jay had been making
all his life. He wanted to experience
luxury
redefined
where
relaxation and adventure were at
his fingertips.

He’d genuinely considered Tahiti but couldn’t rationalize the
expense with what he’d paid the arborist and his crew to trim the arbors. Not
without sitting pretty on his portion of the sale at any rate. And at the rate
things were going, he wouldn’t be sitting pretty anytime soon.

Not and still be able to look himself in the mirror.

So he made the best of the time he had because he didn’t feel
right leaving Susanna for too long. He boarded a plane and forced everything out
of his head. He needed to clean the slate, to take a deep breath, to unwind, so
he could think.

He relaxed at a world-class spa and found adventure fishing on
a deep-sea excursion. He stayed up late walking along the beach. He slept late,
unworried about people who might need him. He let the constant crash of the
Pacific surf lull him.

He ate in five-star restaurants when he was hungry and slept
through dinner when he wasn’t. He drank intensely alcoholic drinks with little
umbrellas in the middle of the day.

He didn’t even text Susanna for the first five days. She had
his number and had promised to call if the roof caved in.

And he was okay with that. Because day by day he thought less
about what was going on in North Carolina and more about what was happening in
Puerto Vallarta. Until one day, the day he’d taken his first scuba diving
lesson; in fact, he made it back to his room after dark, sat down with a beer
completely sunburned and exhausted from the day, and realized he hadn’t thought
about home once all day. It was as if North Carolina and everyone in it had
fallen off the planet.

Except for Susanna.

Thoughts of her managed to creep in as he sat in bed watching
episode after episode of
Special Victims Unit.
He
remembered the way she curled around him as they lay together in bed at night,
her cheek pressed to his chest, her breaths soft against his skin.

How she hopped out of bed in the morning, asleep one minute
then fully awake the next, going from room to room, opening the plantation
shutters, flooding the cottage with sunlight.

The way she propped up against pillows, reading before bed, her
lashes fluttering shut and chin dropping to her chest as she dozed with the book
still in her hands. When he’d go to take the book, she’d awake instantly and
whisper in that drowsy voice, “I’m not asleep. Just resting my eyes.”

He wondered what she’d look like in a bikini with all those
delicate curves, her beautiful body such a tempting combination of womanly
softness and neatly maintained strength.

Did she even like the beach? If so, did she prefer splashing
around in the surf or tanning on the shore?

There was so much about Susanna he didn’t know.

And wanted to.

Something happened then because the next morning as he walked
the beach, deciding how he wanted to spend the hours until sunset, he noticed
two boys fishing in the distance.

The smaller of the two cast then stood visibly bristling with
impatience as the line drifted back toward shore. The other one cast then leaned
over with some suggestion or advice. Probably telling the fidgety kid to chill
out. Then their lines tangled and they started bickering.

Jay thought of himself and Drew, remembered long-ago fishing
trips with their dad and grandfather, remembered dragging the skiff out into the
middle of the lake themselves when they could sneak away for a few hours during
summer afternoons before someone gave them something else to do—like repair
rotting slats on the fence around the barn, repainting the gallery railing at
the house, pruning the arbors or the thousand other things that needed doing
around home.

He also remembered Drew asking,
“What’s
with this family?”

Alzheimer’s was what was with this family. That much didn’t
need saying. Drew had run from the reality of their genetics and regretted
handling things that way. He was worried that Jay was doing the same. Is that
what Jay was doing?

He smiled and wished those young boys a good catch as he passed
and continued his walk in the surf, amazed by how clear everything suddenly
seemed in his uncluttered brain, as clear and sharp as the sun sparkling on that
Pacific surf.

Finally.

* * *

S
USANNA
STROLLED
THROUGH
the arbors with Walter, Chester and the arborist,
inspecting the work. The annual pruning had been completed in a week, but the
crew had discovered rotting wood on the trellises that supported the climbing
roses. She’d learned then that the climbing roses weren’t actually true vines.
They relied upon the trellises for support, so after conferring with Chester,
she had Walter authorize the funds to have the work done. Replacing the wood
without disturbing the climbers was a delicate job but after they were resecured
to the new portions of trellis, they appeared to have never even been touched.
The arborist proudly displayed his work by giving the new wood a sturdy
shake.

“These old beauties are good to go. Unless a hurricane blows
through, and I happen to know they’ve weathered a few of those already.”

“Mr. C.’s going to be real happy with the job you did,” Chester
said.

Butters and Gatsby arrived then, tails wagging as they barreled
right into midst of the group looking for attention.

“Hi, guys.” Susanna knelt, petting the dogs to keep them from
knocking down Walter in their excitement.

“Come with me and I’ll write you the check.” Walter glanced at
Susanna. “You heading back?”

“You go ahead.” She smiled at the arborist. “Please don’t
forget to leave that information about the monthly service contract with Walter,
okay?”

“You got it, Ms. Adams,” the arborist replied before following
Walter and Chester to the golf cart, leaving Susanna and the dogs alone in the
bright noon sun.

“Come on over here, guys.” She plopped down and tucked her feet
up on the bench. “That’s better. I’m tired today.”

Not such a surprise as she’d pulled an all-nighter when a
family had arrived on the property to tour the facility at midnight. Susanna had
thrown on clothes and arrived quickly, but as they’d traveled in from Delaware,
they hadn’t been in a hurry to leave. Susanna had invited them into her office,
where she’d served steaming mugs of VIA, and chatted for two hours about The
Arbors and the care they could expect for their mother.

Idly stroking the dogs’ heads, she savored the warmth of a
sunbeam and hoped Chester was right and Jay would be pleased. She hadn’t
mentioned the job to him.

In fact, they hadn’t spoken all that much in the nearly five
weeks he’d been away. He texted the occasional cell phone photo of a
particularly beautiful sunset or plumeria blossom. He called every few days, and
began the conversation by asking, “Anything I need to know?”

She’d been fortunate enough to be able to honestly answer, “Not
a thing.”

Then the conversations were strictly about them. How Susanna
was holding up with her and the dogs at night. How the dogs were behaving. What
was going on with Brooke and Brandon. How Jay was enjoying his downtime. What
his latest adventure involved. Scuba diving. Snorkeling. Deep-sea fishing. The
latest political thriller in a beach chair while getting plowed on local
rum.

She was happy he was having a good time but yearned to be with
him. She missed him terribly but was glad she could provide peace of mind so he
could actually leave. She felt relieved she didn’t have anything eventful to
share and protective of his need for privacy when anyone asked where he was.

And, always, she felt the stress of knowing this situation
mirrored the reality of their lives.

In order for Jay to leave, she’d need to stay.

If Jay stayed, she’d need to leave.

Then there was the biggest life-changer of all, a life-changer
responsible for her erratic emotions, a life-changer yet to be addressed.

Susanna must have dozed in that glorious sunbeam because the
next thing she knew the dogs’ barking awakened her.

Yawning widely, she opened her eyes and found Jay, as though
kneeling in the walkway beneath the neatly trimmed arbors was exactly where he
should be.

His beautiful green eyes raked over her, a melting expression.
“Sorry to disturb you. You looked so peaceful.”

Something inside her sighed in relief at the sound of his
voice—he wasn’t a dream. “You’re home.”

“Straight from the airport.”

Pushing into a sitting position, she resisted the impulse to go
to him. Suddenly the most important thing in her world was feeling his arms
around her. But the dogs were busy trying to lick his face. All was right in
their world again.

Susanna said the only thing she could think to say. “You look
well.”

“Enjoyed myself immensely. I’m not going to lie. Need to take
vacations more often.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Only one thing would have made the trip better.”

“What’s that?”

“If you’d have gone with me.”

That worried place inside eased up a bit more. Susanna
understood that what had been happening inside Jay had started long before she’d
entered the picture.

“I’m glad you’re home.” She’d fallen in love against all
practical arguments, was relieved to see him again, so healthy and alive and
incredibly handsome with his deeply tanned skin and sun-bleached hair.

She hadn’t realized until this very moment that she’d never
seen him at peace. What came next didn’t matter so much, not when she knew he’d
found whatever he’d gone in search of.

“I missed you,” he said softly, and she saw her own longing
mirrored in his gaze, which suddenly looked so much greener against his
burnished skin.

“Me, too.” Such simple words that weren’t simple at all.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Fine. I didn’t sleep last night. The Coltranes came in from
Delaware for a midnight visit. By the time they left, I figured I’d play
catch-up tonight.”

He didn’t ask how the visit went.

“I didn’t think you’d be back until sometime next week.” Before
he had to give Northstar a firm decision.

The sudden intensity of his expression warned that there was
nothing casual about his mood. “There wasn’t any need to stay away. I know what
I need to do.”

Was it possible time stopped? That the breeze no longer rustled
the dry leaves overhead? That the birds scrambling in the nearby brush silenced
their chirping twitters? That the sun stopped baking the midday air with its
heat, a drowsy effect that was contagious?

Even Butters and Gatsby seemed unnaturally still, as if sensing
their future rested on Jay’s next words.

“I won’t be signing the papers, Susanna.”

His admission filtered through her slowly. He would stay, which
meant she would go. Hopefully not to Seattle.

“You’ll be at peace with that decision, Jay?” That was all that
mattered.

“Once I got away, I started thinking with a bit of clarity, and
I knew what I wanted. Not all that hard to figure out once I realized what my
problem was.” He chuckled, a bit sheepishly, as if he still couldn’t quite
believe the answer had been there when he’d looked for it.

“Oh.” She waited.

Pushing to his feet, he sat beside her on the bench, stretching
his legs before him. He reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through
hers, the casual touch of a man with the right to touch. “What I want isn’t out
there. It’s here with the people I care about. You helped me figure that out. I
need to start living again. That’s been my problem all along. I can’t run from
that.”

Susanna had no words, nothing profound to say. All she could do
was squeeze his hand to acknowledge the enormity of this admission, manage her
own heartbeat, which was suddenly racing.

“I’m the only one holding me back from living my life. And now
I know what I want, I need to get out of my own way. I know what I want.”

Their gazes met for a suspended instant and she knew right then
what he was going to do. Leaning forward, he pressed his mouth to her forehead,
such a tender touch.

“I want you, Susanna.” Then he rested his forehead against hers
and they were nose to nose, breath to breath.

“What about the family you want?” she whispered.

“You’ve got one. I’m thinking there’s a place for me in it.
Brooke and Brandon are great. I liked them, and they liked me. One day they’ll
have kids of their own, who’ll need a granddad. I can be that. I can’t think of
anything I want more.”

She shut her eyes to resist the tears suddenly tickling behind
her eyes.

“I came up with a great plan for The Arbors, too.”

“Another one?” She sounded almost normal. As long as she kept
her eyes closed.

He chuckled, a burst of warm breath against her mouth, almost a
kiss. “It requires a leap of faith on your part.”

“Really?” As if she hadn’t been making
those
left and right since deciding to leave New York.

“I want you to quit Northstar and run this place with me.”
Squeezing her hands tightly in his, he said, “You won’t get this kind of job
security anywhere else.”

“I’ve got good benefits and a great retirement package.”

“But if you marry me, you’ll have my retirement, too. And the
house is paid off. Both of them, actually.”

A relief so profound washed through her, robbed her ability to
reply. She just held on to him, her anchor in the whirling emotions. The future
suddenly didn’t feel so uncertain, lonely.