Читать книгу A Tender Touch - Lenora Worth, Rachel Hauck - Страница 10

“I like him, but I don’t date cops.”

Freddie saw the meaningful looks pass between the group of women she was having lunch with at Ana’s. She wished she hadn’t blurted that bit of information, but it was so nice to have other women with whom to share, she’d just relaxed her guard too much and let it slip. Living here on the island did that to a person. The whole town was laid-back and unhurried, carefree and pleasant. All the things she’d missed so much during her nine years of a hectic, chaotic marriage. A marriage that had sadly ended in tragedy and violence, because of her husband’s lifestyle.

“Why don’t you date cops?” Tina asked with wide-eyed interest. “I mean, yum-yum. You know, a man in uniform.”

“Yeah,” Charlotte added, her grin widening. “And Clay Dempsey is just adorable. In uniform, or in a tux. Did you see him at the wedding reception? He was so sweet, looking so nervous when he made the toast. Just a cutie-pie.”

Ana smiled over at her co-workers. “Don’t you two have napkins to fold or something?”

“Nope,” Tina said, shaking her head. “You do give us a lunch break, remember? And according to my watch, we have ten minutes left.” To emphasize that point, she popped another miniature chicken-salad puff pastry into her mouth.

Jackie, Ana’s capable bookkeeper and hostess, came out onto the porch where they all sat. “Just booked us another one of those romantic Saturday-night private dinners, boss. What’d I miss?”

“Freddie doesn’t date cops,” Tina explained, rolling her brown eyes. “Such a shame.”

“Really?” Jackie sank down on one of the bistro chairs. It was midafternoon, so the tearoom was empty for now. A cool breeze ruffled the red geraniums filling several pots on the long, inviting front porch where they had gathered. “Hey, Clay Dempsey is a cop, right?”

“Right,” Charlotte said, nodding. “And he’s been flirting with Freddie.”

“I didn’t say he’s been flirting,” Freddie responded, wishing again she’d never brought Clay Dempsey’s name into the conversation. “I was just telling Ana that he’s…you know, made pointed remarks…to me.”

“Suggestive remarks?”

Freddie shook her head at Ana’s question. “No. He’s, well, he is a sweetie. It’s rather endearing, really. He blurts out things, then freezes in a kind of nervous, self-conscious way.”

“He’s interested,” Charlotte confirmed with a toss of her curls. “Yup, he’s sure interested, all right.”

“And you know this because…?” Jackie asked, her eyebrows lifting.

“Because I went to school with Clay. We graduated from high school together. And…he never flirted with me. Clay was the quiet Dempsey, always trying to please everyone around him. He worked hard at school and played hard at all kinds of sports and vowed the whole time that he was leaving this island for the big city. He always wanted to be a policeman.” She tapped her finger on the table. “But now he’s back and he’s…flirting. Clay never flirted unless he was serious. He had to get up his nerve. Yup, he’s interested,” she said again, her tapping picking up its tempo.

“But I’m not,” Freddie said, taking a sip of her peach-mango tea to calm the jitters in her stomach. “I can’t get involved with another cop.”

“Old boyfriend?” Tina asked as she peeled the skin off her orange slice, then tossed the fresh wedge of fruit into her mouth.

Freddie didn’t want to explain, but she felt cornered. And it was good to have female friends to confide in. If these friends could be trusted. She knew she could trust Ana, but what about the rest?

“You can trust us,” Jackie said as if she’d read Freddie’s mind. “But if you don’t want to tell us—”

“She does,” Charlotte said, “don’t you?”

“I want you to understand,” Freddie replied, amused in spite of her qualms at how the women were all waiting impatiently for her to spill her worries. “But please don’t spread this around. My son—”

“They won’t repeat it,” Ana said, her eyes narrowing in a glare that told her employees they’d better heed her gentle warning. “Right, girls?”

Three heads bobbed. “No. No way. Never.”

Freddie had to smile at that. “I was married to a cop.”

“Oh, Ryan’s father?” Ana asked, concern in her voice.

“Yes.” She glanced out toward the ocean across the narrow ribbon of road. The cobalt water beckoned her. She wished she could forget the past and enjoy the tranquility of this tiny island. But she knew it would take time. “He died in the line of duty.”

All of the women became quiet then. Ana reached a hand across the table to Freddie. “That’s tough. I’m so sorry. I knew you were a widow, but…well, I had no idea.”

“How long?” Jackie asked.

“A little over a year ago,” Freddie replied, memories hitting at her with gale force. “We lived in Dallas. He’d been on the force there for six years. His father and his older brother are both police officers, too. They all took it pretty hard.”

She didn’t say how hard or that they’d made her life miserable after Gary’s death.

“Wow,” Tina said. “That’s so sad.”

Freddie couldn’t tell her new friends how horrible her former life had been. She couldn’t tell them that Gary had been controlling and overbearing, that he didn’t allow her to have girlfriends. Or that her marriage had been on the verge of ending long before her husband got killed. “I have relatives in Georgia, not far from Savannah, so I decided to move back here. I needed a fresh start.”

“Good idea,” Jackie said, getting up. “Girls, I think we need to get back to work. Let’s get the kitchen in order so we can knock off early this afternoon.”

Ana shot her friend a thankful look. Freddie was relieved that none of the women pressed her further, but she felt as if they couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and whisper about what she’d just revealed. Soon, she was alone with Ana, the sound of seagulls cawing giving her a sense of peace. The afternoon breeze had a touch of fall in it.

Freddie lifted her head, enjoying the fresh, crisp air. “I love it here.”

Ana nodded, poured them more hot tea. “This island has that effect on people. It has a way of healing any hurts.”

Freddie took a sip of tea. “I can see that. Rock and you, Stone and Tara—you all seem so happy.”

Ana’s smile was bittersweet. “It wasn’t always that way. Rock and I had a lot of things standing between us, but we managed to work them out. I’m happy for Tara and Stone, too. Oh, and I got a postcard from them today. They’re in Paris, shopping for pieces to refurbish Hidden Hill, and of course, Tara is worried about the girls.”

“Your parents are with them in Savannah, right?”

“Yes, but you know how it is, being a mother. Tara can’t wait to get home and help the girls get ready for school.”

“Yes, I have to get Ryan settled into his new school, too,” Freddie said. “I can’t believe he’ll be in first grade this fall, plus he has a birthday coming up in October. And speaking of that, I’d better get over to the day care and pick him up. I promised him we’d go frolicking on the beach this afternoon.”

Ana looked wistful. “I can’t wait to be a mother.”

Freddie saw Ana’s secretive smile. “Any chance that might be happening?”

“We’re trying,” Ana admitted. “You know, we’ve only been married three months, so we don’t want to rush things, but we’re both so ready to be parents.”

“You’d be a great mother,” Freddie replied, happiness for Ana pushing away her own dark memories. “And Rock—that man has such a way with children.”

“Yes, he does,” Ana said, her smile beaming. “Tara’s girls love him so much.” She went back to gathering dishes. “Anyway, we’ll see.”

“I hope you get your wish,” Freddie said, touching a hand on Ana’s arm. “Being a mother—it’s like nothing else. The love you feel…well, let’s just say it’s going to be hard to watch Ryan grow up, but I guess that’s part of the deal. Until then, though, I’m going to enjoy him being a little boy by taking him down to the beach to make sand castles.”

“School starts next week. Better enjoy these last days of summer.”

“I intend to,” Freddie replied as she grabbed her tote bag.

“I am sorry about your husband,” Ana said. “I mean, we all knew you were a widow, but I guess no one wanted to be too nosy and ask exactly how your husband had died.”

“Now you know,” Freddie said, hoping Ana wouldn’t press for details. “I’m adjusting, though.”

“That’s good. It took Tara a while to accept her first husband’s death. I’m so glad she found Stone.”

Freddie thought about how happy and in love Stone and Tara had looked at their wedding reception, a little stab of some unspoken emotion piercing at her heart. “They make a beautiful couple.”

“Freddie?”

She turned to find Ana staring at her. “Yes?”

“About Clay?”

“He’s very nice and very cute. But…I can’t date a cop.”

“That’s too bad,” Ana said, a determined look on her face. “Clay is different from his brothers. Rock was once bitter and a bit controlling, and Stone had just shut down on all levels, but thankfully, they’ve both changed a lot lately. But Clay—he has a tender nature that hides all his hurts.”

“What kind of hurts could Clay Dempsey possibly have? He seems very down-to-earth and centered to me.”

Ana smiled again, then began gathering their dishes. “Like I said, he has a tender nature that hides a world of hurts. And…he was so young when the Dempseys lost their father. He might be a big help to Ryan.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Freddie replied. “But I don’t intend to get involved with another policeman.”

“End of discussion?”

“End of discussion.”

Ana didn’t look convinced, Freddie thought as she walked back up the street toward Ryan’s day care, the sound of the ocean’s continuous waves falling into a rhythm with her footsteps. The air smelled so clean and pure, she took a deep, calming breath and put Clay Dempsey out of her mind.

But if she admitted it to herself, Freddie knew she wasn’t entirely convinced of her declaration to not get involved with a policeman. Clay did seem like a nice enough person. But then, she’d only had two conversations with the man.

Clay Dempsey might be different from his brothers.

But would he be any different from her husband?

“She’s different from the women I’ve dated back in Atlanta,” Clay told his mother later that day.

They were sitting in Eloise’s vast, high-ceilinged kitchen. Eloise was peeling peaches for cobbler, while her trusty caretakers Cy and Neda Wilson worked on a dinner of blue crabs and fried oysters—both favorites of Clay’s.

“Are you dating her?” Eloise asked, the pride and hope in her silver eyes making Clay cringe.

“No, Mother. I told you, she’s Samson’s doctor.”

The big dog heard his name and came trotting into the kitchen, whimpering a greeting.

“Yes, he’s talking about you, fellow,” Eloise said, smiling down at the waiting dog. “I can’t pet you right now, Samson. My hands are covered in peach juice.”

Samson’s big brown eyes widened, then he circled the long butcher-block work space and found a worn spot on the hardwood floors.

“Good boy,” Clay said, watching the dog. Samson’s eyes held a trust and loyalty that still amazed Clay. He wished humans could be so trusting.

“You know, Samson is Josiah’s first name,” Eloise said, that burning hope still in her eyes. “Or is it his second name? Anyway, we call him Josiah. He lives out in the marsh—you met him at the wedding. You’ll probably get to know him when Stone and Tara return from Europe. Your brother expects you to help him out in that swamp.”

“That swamp is going to be their front yard,” Neda reminded Eloise with a chuckle. “I still can’t picture sophisticated Tara living out in the marshes.”

“Tara is tougher than she looks,” Eloise replied as she finished the last peach, then began layering the slices into a long glass baking dish. “And so is our Freddie, I believe. Now, Clay, tell me more about her.”

“I don’t know a whole lot,” Clay admitted, silently laughing at the way his mother had turned the conversation back to Freddie Hayes. “She’s been here a few weeks. She’s living in a small cottage down by the boardwalk, not far from the animal clinic, and…she sure is prettier than old Doc Bates.”

“You can say that again,” Cy called from the stove. He was a big man with a precision crew cut. He’d been a cook in the navy and now he cooked for Eloise.

“I heard that,” Neda said as she passed by with flour and sugar for the cobbler, her eyes twinkling. “But you’re right. Fredrica is a pretty woman.” She gave Clay a meaningful look.

“Is everyone on the island determined to get Freddie and me together?” Clay asked.

“Pretty much,” Eloise said without a trace of guilt or coyness. “You’d make a perfect match.”

“I don’t even know the woman that well,” Clay countered, his easygoing nature being sorely tested.

“You have lots of free time to get to know her,” Eloise pointed out. “And didn’t you say you’d be working with her anyway, doing Samson’s therapy?”

“Twice a week,” Clay replied, already looking forward to that, although he would never admit it to his mother. “We’re going to do water exercises in Stone’s pool and out in the ocean. And we might drive into Savannah for some hydrotherapy in the whirlpool at this big veterinarian center Freddie suggested.”

“You mean, you and Freddie would both take Samson?”

“Maybe,” Clay replied to his mother’s question. “If she’ll go with us.”

“Ask her.”

Clay let out a long breath. “Mother!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll hush. But I was right about Ana and Tara. They’re both married to your brothers now.”

“Yes, I happen to have noticed that, since I attended both weddings.”

“Well—”

Clay sank back in his chair, rolling his eyes. Rock and Stone had warned him. “Mother.”

“Not another word,” Eloise said, her spangled earrings shimmering as she helped Neda finish the crust for the cobbler. “Dinner will be about another half hour, Clay. You could take Samson for a walk on the beach if you want.”

“Good idea,” Clay said, glad to be out from under her overbearing, well-meaning analysis of his sorry love life. “C’mon, Samson,” he called. The dog was immediately alert and jumped up. Clay noticed Samson wasn’t as fast as he once was, but he had improved since the injury. That was something to be thankful for. “We’ll be back around six.”

“Everything should be ready by then,” Eloise said. Then she came around the counter to touch Clay’s face. “It’s so good to have you home.”

Clay liked his mother’s hands. They were creative and graceful, just like her. He’d always tried so hard to please his mother, after they’d lost their father. He’d wanted to make her smile again. He’d failed miserably. But he remembered those hands, late at night, moving over his face when she thought he was asleep. He remembered her tender touch, even if he couldn’t remember her acting like a normal mother. Unlike Rock and Stone, Clay held no resentment toward his artistic mother. Maybe because he’d been too young to see the obvious, or maybe because he was so young at the time, he saw what his older brothers never had. His mother had lived for their father, and then she had lived for her work. Rock and Stone had resented her for that. They’d always thought their mother had neglected them.

But Clay knew better. He knew his mother loved her three sons, even if she didn’t go about showing it in the usual ways. He had always felt it in her touch. So tender, so loving.

He took her hand now and kissed it, noticing that it was veined and aged, but still soft and tender. “It’s good to be home.”

He turned to head up the long central hallway of the rambling Victorian beach house, Samson trotting eagerly behind him.

“Clay?”

He pivoted to see Eloise standing silhouetted at the end of the hall, her flowing skirts making her look as if she was from another time.

“Yes?”

“When are you going to tell me, Son?”

“Tell you what?”

“About that night, about how you got hurt that same night Samson was injured.”

Clay stiffened. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m over it now, Mother. I’m fine.”

“I wonder,” she said, one hand braced on the doorway into the kitchen.

“Don’t,” Clay said. Then he motioned to Samson. Together, they hurried out the front door and down the sloping yard to the dunes and the sea beyond.

As Clay followed the dog that had saved his life, he closed his eyes to the pain of his memories. He didn’t want to talk about that night. And he didn’t want to think about being a cop right now.