Alex put the weights back on their rack and stretched, gently flexing his injured knee. Brett Elliot, one of his oldest friends as well as his doctor, would personally supervise his workouts if he thought Alex was skipping them. And Brett was right; Alex had to admit it. The exercise therapy had brought him miles from where hed been after the accident.
He toweled off, then picked up his juice bottle and stepped through the French doors to the flagstones surrounding the pool. The water looked tempting with the hot June sunshine bouncing from its surface, but he had another goal in mind at the moment. Jason was off on some game of his own. It was time Alex talked to Paula. He had to find some graceful way to get them both out of this difficult situation, in spite of the fact that he hadnt yet found someone else to replace Maida.
His timing seemed perfect. Paula was coming around the pool toward the house, dressed a bit formally for her. Instead of her usual jeans, she wore neat tan slacks and a bright coral topprobably a concession for a trip to the hospital. She briefly checked her swift stride when she saw him, and then she came toward him.
Good morning. He tossed the towel over his shoulder and set his juice bottle on the patio table. Business, he reminded himself. I hoped Id have a chance to see you this morning.
Paula rubbed her arms, as if she were cold in spite of the June sunshine. Arent you going to the factory today?
Not until later, he said. Ill work at home for a while, then stop by the hospital to see how Maidas doing. He hesitated, looking for words, but since Paula was so direct herself, she should appreciate the same from him. We should get a few things settled.
For just an instant Paulas eyes were puzzled, as if shed been thinking about something else entirely. Then she gave him a wary look and took a step back.
I have to leave for the hospital. She glanced at her watch. I want to be there when Aunt Maida wakes up from the operation.
This will take just a few minutes. Weve got to discuss this idea of Maidas. He knew he sounded inflexible, but he didnt want to put this off. The longer he waited, the more difficult it would be.
He pulled out a deck chair for her. Looking reluctant, she sat down. He settled in the seat next to her and instantly regretted his choice. They were facing the gazebo at the end of the pool. They shouldnt be having this conversation in view of the spot where hed kissed her.
But it was too late now, and maybe it was just as well. That embarrassing episode should make her as reluctant as he was to pursue Maidas scheme. Hed give her an easy way out of this dilemma, that was all. And shed be ready to leave.
Paula tugged at the sleeves of her knit top. Apparently she did that whenever she was nervous, as if she were protecting herself. He tried not to notice how the coral sweater brought out the warm, peachy color in her cheeks, or how the fine gold chain she wore glinted against her skin.
Stick to business, he ordered himself. That was a good way to think of it. This was just like any business negotiation, and they both needed to go away from it feeling theyd gained something.
Be honest with me, Paula. You dont really want to work here this summer, do you?
She glanced up at him, a startled expression in her eyes. What makes you say that?
To his surprise, he couldnt quite get the real reason out. Because the last time you were here, I kissed you and created an awkward situation for both of us. Because in spite of that, I still find you too attractive for my own peace of mind.
No, he didnt want to say any of that. He tried a different tack.
You probably had a teaching job of some sort lined up for the summer, didnt you?
She shook her head, a rueful smile touching her lips. Theres not much teaching available in the summer. I was signed up with a temp agency for office work.
Office work? He couldnt stop the surprise in his voice, and realized instantly how condescending it sounded. Why? I mean, couldnt you find anything else?
Her expression suggested he didnt have a clue as to how the real world worked. Kindergarten teachers arent exactly on corporate headhunters wish lists, you know.
But arent there courses you want to take in the summer? He didnt know why the thought of Paula taking temporary work to make ends meet bothered him so much. His reaction was totally irrational.
I cant afford to take classes. She said it slowly and distinctly, as if they spoke different languages. I have college loans to pay off.
Belatedly he reminded himself he was supposed to be dissuading her from working for him. Even so, I cant imagine that youd want to come here to cook and take care of Jason, instead.
He saw immediately that hed said the wrong thing. In fact, hed probably said a lot of wrong things. Paula had that effect on him.
She stiffened, and anger flared in her face. Cooking is honest work. Theres nothing to be ashamed of in what my aunt does, she snapped, and she gripped the arms of the deck chair as if about to launch herself out of it.
No, of course not. He seemed to be going even farther in the wrong direction. I didnt mean to imply that.
She stood, anger coming off her in waves. I really have to leave for the hospital now, Alex. Ive told my aunt Im willing to fill in for her here as long as necessary, but, of course, you may have other plans. Either way, its up to you.
She spun on her heel before he could find words to stop her. He watched her stalk toward the garage, head high.
Great. That was certainly the clumsiest negotiation hed ever attempted. If he did that poorly in the business deal, the plant would be closed within a month.
Paula had thrown the decision right back into his lap, and shed certainly made her position clear. If he didnt want her here, hed have to be the one to say it. Unfortunately, where Paula was concerned, he really wasnt sure what he wanted.
Chapter Three
A lex hadnt hired her, and maybe he wouldnt. But she couldnt just let things go. Paula pulled into the garage late that afternoon, aware of how pitiful her junker looked in the cavernous building. Aunt Maida was still groggy from the successful surgery, but shed soon be well enough to demand a report. Paula had to be able to reassure her.
She walked quickly to the back door of the mansion. A small bicycle leaned against the laundry room door, reminding her of Jason and the matches. She should have told Alex, but their conversation had veered off in another direction entirely, and she hadnt found the words. Maybe she still hadnt.
Even the geranium on the kitchen window sill seemed to droop in Maidas absence. Breakfast dishes, stacked in the sink, made it clear that when Alex said hed fix breakfast for himself and Jason, he hadnt considered cleaning up. She turned the water on. It wasnt her job. Alex hadnt hired her. But Maidas kitchen had always been spotless, and she couldnt leave it this way.
This was for Maida, she told herself, plunging her hands into hot, sudsy water. Not for Alex.
Shed been angry at Alexs implications about the housekeeper position, but shed been just as guilty of thinking Maidas job less important than her own. Now it was the job she needed and wanted to fillif only she could erase the memory of Alexs kiss.
Enough. She concentrated on rubbing each piece of the sterling flatware. Shed come here to make up for the past by helping Jason through this difficult time. That was all.
She heard the door swing behind her and turned. Jason stood staring at her. For a moment he didnt move. Then he came toward her slowly. He stopped a few feet away.
I came to say Im sorry.
Are you, Jason? Was it regret or good manners that brought him here? Maybe it didnt really matter. At least he was talking. That was better than silence.
I shouldnt have yelled at you. A quiver of apprehension crossed his face. Did you tell my dad?
No. She pulled out a chair at the pine kitchen table. I think Maida has some lemonade in the refrigerator. Want a glass?
He nodded a little stiffly. That would be nice.
He was like his father, in manner as well as in looks, she thought as she poured two glasses of lemonade. Same dark hair and eyes, same well-defined bone structure, same strict courtesy.
He didnt have the stiff upper lip to his fathers degree of perfection, though. He watched her apprehensively as she sat down across from him.
I dont want to tell him. The words surprised her. Surely she shouldbut if she did, shed never get beyond the barrier Jason seemed to have erected against the world. I think you should, though. Its pretty serious stuff. You could have gotten hurt.
I wont do it again. Dark eyes pleaded with her. Promise you wont say anything. I wont do it again, honest.
She studied his expression. Even at seven or eight, a lot of kids had figured out how to tell adults what they wanted to hear, instead of the truth. But Jason seemed genuinely dismayed at the result of his actions.
She took a deep breath. Let me make the right decision. Please.
Okay, Jason. If you promise you wont do it again, I promise I wont tell.
His relieved smile was the first one shed seen from him. Like his father, she thought again. A smile that rare made you want to forgive anything, just to see it.
Jason didnt seem to have inherited any qualities from his mother. Did he miss her and wonder why shed disappeared? Maybe by now hed made peace with his loss.
She watched as he gulped the lemonade. Guilt seemed to have made him thirsty. Finally he set the glass down, looking at it, not at her.
Is Maida really going to come back?
The question startled her. Sure she is. Why do you think she wouldnt?
I heard Daddy talking. He fixed her with an intent gaze. He told me she just needed to rest a while, but I heard him tell somebody on the phone that she was in the hospital. Is she going to stay there?
Never lie to a child; that was one of her bedrock beliefs as a teacher. If something was going to hurt, going to be unpleasant, a child had the same right as an adult to prepare for it.
Only for a little while, she said carefully, remembering Alexs determination to shield his son. She had to go into the hospital to have her hip fixed.
His face clouded. I dont want her to stay there. Cant Dr. Brett just give her some medicine?
The bereft tone touched her. I know you dont want her to be away, but medicine wont fix whats wrong. She had to have an operation, and they gave her a brand-new joint. Now she has to stay at the hospital and do exercises until shes better.
Like my dad does for his leg?
Sort of like that. She seemed to see Alex again in the workout clothes hed worn that morning, and her mouth went dry. Then when shes well, shell be able to come back.
His gaze met hers, and she read a challenge in it. You didnt come back. Not for a long time.
It was like a blow to the heart. Jason was talking about when shed been his nanny. Maybe, underneath the words, he was thinking about his mother, too.
She longed to put her hand over his where it lay on the table, but he was such a prickly child that she was afraid of making him withdraw. She prayed for the right words.
I want you to listen, Jason, because Im telling you the truth. Maida loves you. If she could have skipped the operation to stay with you, she would have. Shes going to come back, and in the meantime, youll be okay.
Are you going to stay? His lips trembled. Are you? I know I said I wanted you to go away, but I didnt mean it. I want you to stay.
Guilt gripped her throat in a vise so tight she couldnt speak. Shed asked God to show her what to do. Was this His answer, in the voice of a troubled little boy?
She cleared her throat. Im not sure, Jason. But Im going to talk to your daddy about it.
When? Urgency filled his voice. When?
Somehow, whatever it took, she had to convince Alex to let her stay. She stood. Right now.
Alex had been trying to concentrate on work for the past half-hour, but all he could think about was how hed manage the coming weeks. His business, his family, his home were too intertwined to separate.
He didnt have any illusions that it would be easy to replace Maida. First of all, no one could really replace her. She was the closest thing to a mother Jason had.
Tension radiated down his spine. Jason had had enough losses in his young life. It was up to his father to protect him from any more.
It was also up to his father to provide for his future. If this deal with Dieter Industries didnt go through, and soon, the Caine company would be on the verge of collapse. Their hand-crafted furniture would go the way of the lumber mills founded by his great-grandfather. Probably not even his private fortune could save it. Several hundred people would be out of work, thanks to Caine Industriess failure.
He didnt have the luxury of time. Dieter was sending someone over within weeks. Alex had to be ready, or they all lost.
He glanced up at the portrait of his father that hung over the librarys tile fireplace. Jonathan Caine stared sternly from the heavy gold frame, as if he mentally weighed and measured everyone he saw and found them wanting. He would no more understand the firms current crisis than hed be able to admit that his mistakes had led to it.
His fathers stroke and death, coming when he heard the news of the crash, had seemed the knockout blow. But Alex had found out, once he took over, just how badly off the company was. And hed realized there were still blows to come. Hed spent the past two years trying to solve the companys problems, and he still didnt know if he could succeed.
This was getting him nowhere. Alex walked to the floor-length window and looked down at the townhis town. He knew every inch of its steep narrow streets, folded into the cleft of the mountains. Sometimes he thought he knew every soul in town.
Caines had taken care of Bedford Creek since the first Caine, a railroad baron, had built his mansion on the hill in the decade after the Civil War. Bedford Creek had two economic bases: its scenic beauty and Caine Industries. If the corporation went under, how would the town survive? How would he?
The rap on the door was tentative. Then it came again, stronger this time. He crossed the room with impatient steps and opened the door.
Paula. That jolt to his solar plexus each time he saw her ought to be getting familiar by now. Im sorry, but this isnt a good time.
This is important.