CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“The wait is over. We’ve got a date.”
Stan looked over his shoulder at Daniel. “What are you talking about?”
“For the wedding. Holly and I are getting married next year, in the middle of March.”
“Doesn’t that coincide with one of her exhibitions?”
“She doesn’t have to be in Berlin until April, so we’re compromising. If we have a small wedding at Emerald Lake, we’ll be able to get married before we leave.”
“We?”
Daniel smiled. “I’m going with Holly to Germany. We thought we’d have our honeymoon after her exhibition.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all planned.”
“For now. Who knows what will happen between now and the middle of March. What about you?”
Stan’s eyebrows rose. “I’m not getting married anytime soon, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I wasn’t, but it leads into what I was talking about. I’ve been here for an hour and you haven’t once mentioned Mia.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to say.” He handed Daniel a cup of coffee and headed toward the dining table.
“Has she finally realized she’s better off without you?” Daniel’s smile disappeared. “I was joking. What happened?”
“Nothing happened. I said goodbye to her at the hospital and did some thinking.”
“Oh, boy.”
“What does that mean?”
Daniel left his coffee on the table and crossed his arms. “How long have we known each other?”
“A few years.”
“And in all that time, how many women have you dated?”
Stan fiddled with the handle of his cup. “A couple.”
“Stella doesn’t count.”
“You’d better speed up your pearls of wisdom. Annabelle will be awake soon.”
“All I’m saying is that your thinking process tends to be quite…linear.”
“Linear?”
“You think in a straight line. If there’s a problem, you solve it and move onto the next issue.”
Stan frowned. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Talking to a woman isn’t like a linear equation. Don’t get me wrong, I like living in a black and white world, too. But sometimes, especially where women are concerned, you need to be more creative. You don’t do creativity very well.”
“I thought friends were supposed to make you feel better?”
“Most of the time they do, especially if their pearls of wisdom are rewarded with cake.” Daniel’s gaze locked on the plate in front of him. “Is there a special occasion I don’t know about?”
“Help yourself. It’s my birthday.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Happy birthday. You don’t look a day over ninety.”
Stan couldn’t even bring himself to smile. “Mia made the cake.”
“Is it laced with arsenic?”
“Worse. Sandra made a cake exactly like this one for mom’s last birthday before she died. Annabelle told Mia about the cake and she made it for me.”
“I was about to say that’s sweet, but you don’t look as though you’d agree.” When Stan didn’t reply, Daniel sighed. “Let’s go back to your original statement. What thinking did you do in the hospital?”
“I can’t date Mia. Annabelle is forming a strong attachment to her. I’m worried that she’ll get hurt if Mia and I don’t work out.”
“Is Annabelle the only person you’re worried about?”
Stan glanced at the cake. “Maybe not.”
“Have you spoken to Mia about how you feel?”
“Not since we were in the hospital. I told her I was ready to be her boyfriend.”
Daniel sighed. “I don’t want to ask the next question, but I’m going to, anyway. What other thoughts did you have in the hospital?”
“I thought about Mia’s career. She’s just resigned from her job at the college to become a full-time artist. That’s a huge adjustment for anyone to make. She doesn’t need us complicating her life.”
“Did you find the answer to world poverty and global warming while you were in the hospital, too?”
Stan’s stomach churned. “You think I went overboard with my thinking?”
“I know you went overboard. Don’t you think Mia should have a say in all the thinking you did on her behalf?”
“I only want what’s best for her.”
“Shouldn’t she decide that?” Daniel didn’t wait for his reply. “Have any of your deep and meaningful decisions got anything to do with Sandra?”
Stan choked on his coffee. “Of course not.”
“Are you sure?” Daniel held his gaze.
Stan looked away. Everything about the last ten days was still too raw, too much of everything he never wanted to go through again.
“You can’t live in a vacuum for the rest of your life, Stan. Having feelings for another woman is normal. Mia’s a great person. She’s kind and understanding and likes Annabelle. Sandra wouldn’t want you burying yourself in work. Life is for living, not hiding from your emotions.”
“I’m not hiding. I’m being cautious.”
“What you’re doing is finding excuses to stop yourself from falling in love.” Daniel picked up a slice of cake and bit into it. “This is delicious. If Holly could bake like this, I would have married her six months ago.”
Stan rubbed his forehead. “I’m listening to a man who can be bribed with cake.”
“There are worse people to listen to.” He handed Stan a piece of cake. “Eat, then call Mia. If you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to date her, you’d better tell her. Just make sure you’ve made your decision for the right reasons. Being scared of loving someone isn’t the right reason.”
“You should have been a psychologist instead of a computer programmer.”
Daniel smiled around a mouthful of vanilla frosting. “It’s easy when it’s someone else’s life. With Holly, it’s different. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be here for you.”
Stan stared at the slice of cake. Mia had spent most of her life wanting to please everyone. Letting people down wasn’t part of her nature, no matter what the impact on her life.
She had a major exhibition in San Francisco and more reasons than ever to focus on her career. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything distract her from reaching her full potential—even if that meant saying goodbye to one of the most important people in his life.
***
Mia paced backward and forward. Two hours ago, Stan had called to see if he could talk to her. Since then, she’d changed clothes at least five times, fiddled with her hair for at least fifteen minutes, and drunk so many cups of coffee she was in danger of hitting a caffeine overdose.
His truck stopped in her driveway and she took a deep breath. By the time he rang her doorbell, her nerves were stretched so tight they were in danger of snapping.
“Hi, Stan.”
“Hi. Thanks for seeing me.”
“That’s okay.” She closed the door behind him, hoping he didn’t notice how nervous she was. “You can go through to the living room if you like. How’s Annabelle?”
“She’s resting. She was exhausted by the time we arrived in Bozeman.”
Mia nodded and sat on the edge of a chair. “Did she like her surprise?”
“She loved it. She’s sleeping on the sofa at the moment.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. “Thanks for the cake.”
“I hope you didn’t mind? Annabelle loved the story about the birthday cake bursting into flames. I thought it might bring back some good memories for you.”
“It surprised me.”
She bit her bottom lip. That didn’t sound good. “I’m guessing that you’ve decided you don’t want to see me again?”
His brown eyes shot to hers. “How did you—”
“It wasn’t hard.” She clenched her fist, focusing on Stan instead of the insecurities rolling inside her stomach. She’d had a stern talk with herself after he’d called. She wouldn’t get upset if he didn’t want to date her. She would be strong, confident, and full of caffeine.
“What happened after I left the hospital?” she asked. “I thought you wanted us to date each other.”
“I’m sorry, Mia. I shouldn’t have made a promise that I hadn’t thought through. I’m just not ready to have a relationship with anyone.”
Mia’s heart pounded. “Is this because of Sandra?”
Stan looked down at his hands. “I’ve already lost one woman I loved. If anything happened to you or we decided our relationship wasn’t working, it would be devastating.”
“You can’t live your life expecting the worst. We could be happy for a long time.”
“I can’t afford to take that risk. It’s not just me, Mia. I have to think about Annabelle and what’s best for her.”
There wasn’t a lot she could say to that without sounding desperate. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“So am I, more than you probably know.”
She wouldn’t be sucked into an emotional rollercoaster with him. Over the last week, she’d learned a lot about herself, about the type of person she’d become, and not all of it was good.
She could see that this conversation was as difficult for Stan as it was for her. “Would it be okay if I saw Annabelle once more?”
He sat upright, looking even more stressed than when he’d first arrived. “You’re welcome to visit her. If you’ve got time tomorrow, she’d love to see you.”
“Thank you. I’ll call before I visit to make sure she’s awake.”
Stan nodded. “I really am sorry, Mia.”
She stood and so did Stan. There was no point in making this discussion more painful than it already was. “Claire and Hannah will coordinate the gala with you. I’ll help, but only in the background.”
“Thank you.”
Mia nodded and walked toward the front door. “Good luck with everything.” She couldn’t bring herself to say it was nice meeting him, because it had been more than nice. She’d thought Stan was the man for her, but he wasn’t.
“Did your paintings make it to San Francisco without being damaged?”
“They did.”
“I’m glad. Good luck for the exhibition.”
Tears stung her eyes. It was time for him to leave. She opened the door, glad of the cold nor’wester hitting her face. “Bye, Stan.”
He hesitated. Whatever he was about to say was lost when her cell phone rang.
“I’ll leave so that you can answer your phone. Bye, Mia.”
She closed the door behind him and slid to the ground. Whoever was on the phone could wait. She had more important things to do. Things that involved a box of tissues and the extra vanilla cake she’d made yesterday.
***
Someone knocked on Stan’s office door. He looked up and saw Claire and Hannah standing in his office doorway. “Come in. Gina must be away from her desk.”
Claire took the lead. “We won’t take too much of your time.”
Stan walked toward the chairs on the far side of his office. Claire and Hannah were here to give him a gala update. With three days until the fundraiser’s doors opened, he was feeling more than a little nervous.
“Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”
Both women shook their heads.
Claire opened her laptop and sent him a cool smile. “You’ll be happy to know that everything is on track. There has been a rush of last-minute requests for tickets, but Gina had to say no. Nick’s gallery can’t take one more person.”
“At least we have the community’s support,” Stan said. “Are we keeping their contact details for another time?”
Hannah nodded. “Gina’s adding their names to a spreadsheet.” She opened her satchel and handed him a document. “This is an update of the budget. As you can see, Mia kept everything within the parameters you set.”
His heart clenched tight. He hadn’t seen Mia since she’d visited Annabelle four days ago. “How is she?”
Hannah and Claire’s eyes narrowed.
“She’s busy,” Hannah said eventually. “Even though her exhibition hasn’t officially opened, there has been a lot of interest in her portraits. Nick is busy negotiating gallery exhibitions for her over the next eighteen months.”
“I’m glad it’s going well.”
Claire lifted her chin. “Are you?”
Hannah cleared her throat and glared at her sister. “Mia is special. It was only a matter of time before other people started appreciating what she can do.”
Stan had a feeling Hannah wasn’t only talking about Mia’s artistic talent. He knew she was an amazing person. Anyone would be privileged to call her their friend.
Claire handed him another document. “This is a list of the people who have made additional donations to the neonatal unit.”
Stan’s eyebrows rose when he read the figure at the bottom of the sheet. “One hundred and fifty thousand dollars? That’s unbelievable.”
“Mia and Gina have worked hard to attract donors.” Claire looked at her sister. “Should we tell him about the auction?”
Hannah shrugged. “I can’t see why not.”
“What auction?” Stan asked.
“We’ve organized a charity art auction at Nick’s gallery on the night of the gala. So far, sixty-two items have arrived.”
Stan’s mouth dropped open. “You did that for the neonatal unit?”
“A lot of people made it happen,” Claire said. “As well as the artists, Gina, Nick, and our friend, Molly have helped. We published an online catalog that people can view. Your friend, Daniel, is working with Annabelle’s school. They’ll provide live coverage of the auction via the gallery’s website. Phone bidders will be able to see what’s happening in real time.”
Hannah turned her laptop around. “In case you’re wondering why Daniel didn’t say anything, we swore him to secrecy. This is the catalog.”
He scrolled through the listings, astounded at the quality of the art. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you.”
Hannah picked up a piece of paper that had fallen on the floor. “Because the gala is at Nick’s gallery, we’ve been able to stage most of the event earlier than normal. Mia has been helping us.”
Guilt sent a sharp stab of pain to Stan’s chest. “She has?”
“She leaves on Thursday afternoon for San Francisco.”
He nodded, not sure what to say.
Claire took one look at him and sighed. “What happened between you and Mia is none of our business, but I need to tell you something. Mia thought the world of you and Annabelle. If your decision to walk away from her had anything to do with how you thought she felt about you, then you were wrong.”
“It wasn’t Mia,” he muttered. “It was me.”
Hannah slid her laptop into its case. “I hope you know what you’ve given up. Do you have any questions about the gala?”
“No. You’re very organized.”
“In that case,” Claire said. “We’ll see you on Friday night.”
“Unless you want to help with the staging,” Hannah added. “Mia will be with us until three o’clock on Thursday. Gina has our cell phone numbers if you’ve got any questions.”
Stan stood and shook their hands. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Claire said. “I hope Annabelle’s feeling better.”
“She is. I’m going home to spend the rest of the day with her.”
After Mia’s friends left his office, Stan dropped into the nearest chair. He missed Mia more than ever. Just talking about her made him want to pick up the phone and call her. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he’d worked out how to let go of the woman he thought he would love forever.
***
Mia studied the glass cabinets in the middle of her granddad’s gallery. “I’m not sure they’re in the right position. I think we need to move them closer to the wall.”
Claire stuck her hands on her hips. “We’ve already moved the cabinets twice. The jewelry looks fantastic under the pendant lights. What do you think, Nick?”
“Do not bring me into this discussion. You girls can sort out this yourself. I have other things I need to do.” He looked around the gallery. “Has anyone seen my cordless drill?”
“It’s over here,” Hannah yelled from the front of the room. “I borrowed it to attach one of the panels to the wall.”
While Nick was getting his drill, Mia walked around the cabinets. “You’re probably right. More people can look at the jewelry if it’s in the middle of the room.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Now, all we need are the garlands of pine to string along the bottom of the cabinets.” Claire hunted through a pile of boxes. “I think I’ve found them.”
It took another fifteen minutes to give the glass cabinets a woodland feel, but Mia was happy with the end result. “The gallery looks amazing.”
“I agree,” a deep voice said from behind her.
She spun around, too surprised to do more than stare at Stan.
“You made it.” The smile on Claire’s face confused Mia. “You’ve come at a good time.”
Mia had no idea that Stan would be here. If she’d known, she would have found something else to do, or at least made sure she was in the workroom.
“You’ve been busy,” He said. His gaze roamed over the paintings they’d hung on the walls, the plinths with bronze, copper, and stone sculptures, and the garlands they’d strung over everything.
Claire picked up another garland. “Wait until the lights are dimmed and the dry ice hits the air. It will look magical. Did you see the mural when you came into the gallery?”
“No. I came in the side door.”
“Show Stan the mural, Mia.”
Her gaze shot to Claire. “I’m not sure I’m the best person. Hannah’s already by the mural. She could show Stan what we’ve done.”
“Nonsense. Hannah’s busy putting the finishing touches on the castle. It won’t take long.”
Mia didn’t want to make a big deal out of Stan being here. It made perfect sense that he would want to check everything before Friday night. She only wished he’d visited the gallery tomorrow, when she wasn’t here.
So she did what any self-respecting, broken-hearted woman would do. She stuck a professional smile on her face and started walking.
Stan moved fast to keep up with her. “Can we talk for a minute, Mia?”
“I’m not sure we’ve got anything to say to each other. You explained how you felt last week.”
“I wanted to wish you all the best for your exhibition.”
Mia’s bottom lip trembled. She would not cry. She was a strong, independent woman who had shed enough tears over the last week to sink a battleship.
She slowed down, then came to a complete stop. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t ignore him. He was a nice guy, just not her nice guy. “Thanks. I’m nervous about opening night, but everything should be okay.”
Stan looked just as uncomfortable as she felt. “Hannah said there has been a lot of interest in your portraits.”
“That took everyone by surprise, except granddad,” Mia mumbled. “How is Annabelle?”
“She’s almost bounced back to her usual self. Apart from pulling the pole around with her and feeling tired, she’s happy.”
“I’m glad. Tell her I’ll take some photos of my exhibition and email them to her.”
“I’ll do that.” Stan stepped forward. “Mia, I wanted to say—”
“Hello, Stan Lewis.” Nick’s booming voice filled the gallery. “You have come to check that everything is in place for your fundraiser?”
Mia breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes her granddad could be so overprotective that it drove her insane. But today, she was thankful he was here.
Nick stood between her and Stan. “You will see that we are well underway. The girls have been working long hours to make this a night no one will forget.”
“It looks amazing.”
“Have you seen the mural that will be the main backdrop?”
“No. Mia was about to—”
“Let me show you what has been done. Afterward, I would like to have a word with you. Man to man.”
Mia’s gaze shot to Nick’s face. The relaxed smile he usually wore had been replaced with a very Greek, very ferocious scowl.
Stan’s eyes widened. He looked at the drill in Nick’s hands, then back at her grandfather’s face. “You might as well talk to me now. I probably deserve most of what you’ll say.”
“No.” Mia’s voice bounced off the walls.
Claire and Hannah looked up from what they were doing.
She cleared her throat. “You don’t need to talk to Stan, granddad. He doesn’t want to go out with me. It’s not the end of the world.” But it sure felt like it, especially when her granddad turned his sad eyes toward her.
“I am your pappouli. I look after my little girl, especially when her heart has been broken.”
If she could have disappeared, she would have. “It’s not as bad as that. Stan and I want different things. It’s better finding out now, than in a few months.” When that didn’t make much difference to the scowl on Nick’s face, she added, “We’re both adults, granddad.”
Nick’s gaze landed on Stan. “It is time you started acting like it.” And with the last of his words ringing in Mia’s ears, he stomped toward the workroom.
Mia sighed. “I don’t know what to say, Stan. Granddad can be overprotective, sometimes.”
“He loves you.”
Tears filled Mia’s eyes. “Yes, he does.”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, Mia. I care about you. I never planned on any of this happening.”
“I know you didn’t.” Mia straightened her shoulders and wiped her eyes. “I’ll show you the mural. I think you’ll be pleased with it.”
Stan touched her arm. “Before we see it, I’ve got something for you.” He handed her a brightly wrapped parcel. “Annabelle made this for you.”
“She did?” Mia felt like an emotional wreck. Her hands shook as she pulled open the tape and looked inside the box. Annabelle had painted a beautiful picture of the mountains. “It’s lovely.”
“That’s the view from the princess bed you made. She wants you to know how much she appreciates what you did.”
“I’m glad it made her happy.” Mia studied the snow-capped mountains, the way the sunlight dipped and rose with the swell of the land. Knowing Annabelle had been thinking about her made the painting even more special.
“She wanted me to give you this, as well.”
Mia opened the card that Stan handed her. In small, neat writing, Annabelle had written, “Come back soon. I miss you.” Her heart skipped a beat when she reread the simple but heartfelt words.
“Are you okay?” Stan asked.
Mia nodded. “Does Annabelle know that we aren’t seeing each other anymore?”
“I told her we’re friends and that we won’t be going out together. What did she write?”
She handed him the card.
He took a deep breath. “I’ll speak to her.”
The sadness on his face made her heart break all over again. She knew what it felt like to miss your mom, to crave the one thing you could never have. “Come on. I’ll show you the mural and then I need to leave for the airport.”
Stan followed her to the front of the gallery.
She told him about the decorations, the candles, and mirrors they’d placed in different areas. But mostly; she talked to fill the silence between them. It was hard enough seeing him today; it would be worse saying goodbye.
***
Mia opened the workroom door. Nick was sitting behind his desk, reading something on his computer.
When she closed the door, her grandfather turned around and sighed. “I am sorry, Mia. I should not have lost my temper like that.”
She pulled out a chair and sat beside him. “Stan isn’t a bad person.”
“I know he is a good man. But a good man needs to treat my Mia with respect. He knows this, but he still broke your heart.”
“It’s okay, granddad. My heart will mend.” She looked closely at her grandfather. “How did he know that he has to treat me with respect?”
“I told him at the ranch. If he breaks your heart, he has me to deal with.”
Mia groaned. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“There is nothing wrong with knowing where you stand.”
If Mia thought it would make a difference, she would have told her grandfather that it was the twenty-first century. She could stand on her own two feet and fight her own battles. But her words would have bounced off Nick’s Greek pride and not even left a dent.
“Where is Stan now?” Nick asked.
“He left the gallery a few minutes ago. Annabelle painted me a picture of the mountains.”
“She is a good girl.”
Mia looked through the office window. The snowplows had been busy, making it easier for people to navigate their way through town. She wished it were that easy to clear her head and heart of the things that were worrying her.
“What am I going to do now, granddad?”
Nick patted her arm. “You will let Stan work out what is important in his life. While he is doing that, you will go to San Francisco for your exhibition. I will meet you there on Saturday and we will show everyone what a talented artist you are.”
Mia kissed his cheek. “Stan already knows what’s important to him and it isn’t me.”
“Do not be so sure. Sometimes, we need time to appreciate what we do not have. If Stan is half the man I think he is, he will see this.”
“You believe in true love, granddad. I don’t know if it exists anymore.”
Nick pointed to the memory wall. “There is true love. It is all around us, Mia. You just need to believe.”
“I want to, granddad.”
“I know you do. One day, you will find what you are looking for. But for now, there is a plane you need to catch.”
She gave her granddad a hug. “Thank you.”
His arms tightened around her. “Do not worry about Annabelle and Stan. It will be what it is supposed to be.”
Mia knew he was right. Life had a way of working out how it was supposed to all along. She just wished it didn’t hurt so much.