Chapter Nine
Grace couldn’t remember when she’d had such a nice evening. During dinner, Beau encouraged the kids to talk and drew Sherri out of her shyness so that before long she was chattering a hundred miles an hour about school and having to chase their cat Paws all around the neighborhood to get a kitten out of her jaws and how Paws didn’t hurt the kitten but wanted to keep it.
The tale ended up being quite humorous, and they all laughed as she told about her trials in the great kitten rescue. Theo didn’t talk much about school, but did mention there was an old red wagon in the garage with a broken wheel, and he sure wished it worked.
While Grace and Ida cleaned up, Beau and the kids headed out to the garage. By the time the dishes were done, the wagon was fixed, Brick was hooked up to it like a draft horse, and Theo was getting pulled around the yard, riding that wagon like a stagecoach.
Beau, Ida, and Grace sat on the front porch and watched the kids play until the house phone rang. Ida got up to answer, and when she returned to the porch with the cordless, she announced it was Tad, wanting to talk to the kids.
The pleasant mood of the evening evaporated. Grace wanted to say no, but she knew that wouldn’t be fair to the kids.
“Sherri? Honey, your dad’s on the phone. You want to talk to him?”
Sherri raced to the porch and grabbed the phone. “Daddy? Hey, Daddy. Where are you? Are you coming to get me and take me home? Are you—“The hopeful expression on her face started to fade and tears formed in her eyes. “But I’m a big girl. I’m eight. I can ride the bus home, and I can fix my own dinner and—no, Daddy, please. Daddy? Daddy?”
The wail that came from her had Grace scooping her up into her arms. “It’s okay, sweetie. Mama’s here and I love you.”
“No!” Sherri tore away from her and wrapped her arms around Ida’s legs. “He won’t come get me and it’s all your fault. You coulda just let him and Miss Amy keep kissing in the laundry room and we coulda stayed home. I could have my room and my bike and dance classes and my friends and… and I hate you. I hate you, Mama. It’s all your fault. We don’t have a home and now daddy doesn’t love us and it’s your fault.”
“Now you hush,” Ida scolded her. “You can’t blame your mama—“
“I can! You don’t know, Gran. If she hadn’t gotten mad at Daddy about Miss Amy we wouldn’t have to be here. It’s her fault.”
Ida took Sherri’s hand and tugged her along. “Come on now. Let’s get you into the tub and you can tell Gran all about it.” She looked back at Grace. “I’ll put her in my tub and tuck her in with me. You take care of Theo.”
“Thanks, Mama.”
When the door closed behind Ida and Sherri, Grace turned around to find Beau holding Theo in one arm. “I not mad at you, mama,” Theo said.
“Me either,” Beau added.
Grace tried to smile, but it felt uncomfortable, and she gave up. “You need a bath, buddy. What say I get you into the tub and you can play with your toys for a bit?”
“I want Beau to do it.”
“Oh, honey, Beau’s a guest, we can’t expect—“
“I don’t mind,” Beau interrupted and smiled at Theo. “So, let’s get you in that tub, little man.”
Theo nodded enthusiastically, and Grace surrendered. She felt as if everything was out of her control right now, even her own children.
Half an hour later, at Theo’s insistence, Beau tucked him into bed. Grace gave him a hug and kiss, turned on his night-light that projected stars onto the ceiling, and left the door cracked when they walked out.
She and Beau went back outside onto the porch. It surprised her when he took her hand and led her to the porch swing.
“We did our share of rocking in this swing, didn’t we?” he asked when they sat.
“Yeah, we did,” she said and smiled as she remembered. “Those were good times. So much easier.”
“I’m sorry about what Tad did to you.”
His soft voice and the compassion in it both touched and embarrassed her. “Did mama tell you?”
“No, Sherri did. If you’d just let him and Miss Amy keep kissing in the laundry room. I’m guessing he cheated on you with someone you know.”
“One of my best friends,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry, Grace. You didn’t deserve that.”
“How do you know?” She looked at him. “Maybe I did. Maybe I wasn’t smart enough or pretty enough or good enough or—“
“Or that’s a load of horseshit.”
“Is it? You don’t know, Beau, how it was. Those women in his law firm? Every time I’d have to go to a function with him, they’d treat me like I was one of the catering staff—with just as much respect. They looked around me and through me. I didn’t even exist. I was just a stay-at-home mom with no career and no worth.
“We lived in a community that had a locked gate, armed guards, and all the women stayed at home. They played tennis and golf and hosted parties. I had to take golf lessons and tennis lessons and go to charity lunches at the club, and I felt like an imposter in all of it.
“I didn’t fit in and I guess part of me didn’t want to. I wanted to go back to work. I’d worked at a small newspaper, taking photos while he was getting started in the firm. Even though his dad owned it, Tad had to prove himself and bring in big clients.
“So, he worked all the time. We agreed that once he made partner I would quit work and we’d start a family and that’s what we did. Only it wasn’t what I imagined. I thought we’d be a family, not that I’d be a mom and he’d just be gone most of the time. I thought he wanted kids, not just as window dressing, but to be a real family.
“As it turns out, all he wanted from me was the window dressing. It sure as hell wasn’t for love or passion or even friendship. He got that from other people. Including, it seems, from one of my best friends.”
“Grace, you can’t blame yourself. You were always too good for Tad Finley. Always. And I’d really like to punch his lights out for what he did to you, but honestly, I’m just glad you’re away from him, glad you had the courage to walk away.”
“It wasn’t courage. It was humiliation.”
“Ah, Gracie.” Beau put one arm around her and pulled her onto his lap like he’d done so many times in their past. “Honey, I am so sorry.”
Grace allowed herself the luxury of putting her arms around his neck and burying her face against him. Oh God. It was like waking up from a nightmare to discover you’re safe at home. She wanted to wallow in the feeling, to cling to it tightly and not let go.
“Grace.” His whisper was the lure of a siren with the power to have her turn her ship into the harshest of storms.
She drew back to look at him, and he whispered again. “God, I’ve missed you.”
That was all it took to have her hands moving to hold his face and her lips pressing against his. The kiss was soft at first, with her in control, but then to her surprise, it changed. Beau took hold of her hair and imprisoned her in his grasp as his lips and tongue instituted a sensual assault on her that had her lust-o-meter hitting the red line in two seconds.
Good God. Beau had always been a talented kisser, but now, dear Lord, he was like a living aphrodisiac. She wanted to rip his clothes off right there on the porch and have her way with him. Repeatedly.
“Gracie?” Ida’s voice from the door had Grace tearing away from Beau.
“Yes, Mama?”
“Honey, Sherri is crying for you. I think you need to tend to her.”
“I’m coming, Mama.” Grace stood, and Beau did as well.
“I have to see to my daughter.”
“I know.” He took her hand. “As you should. See me tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” As much as she wanted to say yes, she wasn’t sure the time was right. “I—“
“Just think about it. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Grace nodded and let him kiss her softly on the cheek. “Good night, Gracie.”
“’Night, Beau.” She watched him walk away and put one hand against the doorframe to steady herself.
What was she doing? She’d walked away from the man she’d sworn to love who had broken her self-respect. Was she now going to fall right into the arms of the man who had the power to break her heart completely?