Heartache Falls Part 16

"What?" Lori prodded.

"Guys notice your mom. That's not the problem. Your mom is the problem. I watched her give men the cold shoulder for two summers."

"I know." Lori sighed heavily. "I worry about her. She works so hard between the store and her baking. Nana's Alzheimer's is progressing and it's getting harder all the time for my mom to take care of her. I'd feel much better about going back to school if only Mom had a man around to help."

Chase understood her concern. He felt that way every time he thought about his mother in Eternity Springs without his dad. Supposedly Mom lived at home again and commuted to Eternity Springs for a night or two each week. Both she and his dad had told him that they had reconciled and were in the process of working out their problems. That might be so, but he knew his parents, and he didn't see how this commuting thing was gonna last.

Chase and Lori exited the truck and made their way to the Timberlake front door. Chase used his key, opened the door, and called out, "Dad? Mom? We're here. Stephen?"

No one responded.

"Bet they're in the backyard." He led the way through the house, and as they pa.s.sed a wall filled with framed candid photographs, Lori paused. "Oh, wow. I didn't see these the last time I was here. Aren't you guys too cute? This must be your brother and your sister."

"Stephen and Caitlin. I'm the well-behaved child."

She gave him a sidelong look and drawled, "As evidenced by the photo of you jumping off the mailbox wearing a Batman cape and the one of you perched on the roof of the house with ... Is that a backpack?"

"I was a World War II pilot. It was my parachute. Stephen, the tattletale, took the picture because he wanted proof to rat me out. My dad about walloped the life out of me when he found out about it."

"I guess that's one good thing about growing up without a dad. I didn't have to worry about dad wallops. Mom swats were bad enough." Grinning, Lori continued her perusal of the wall. She gestured toward one of Stephen in his high school baseball uniform. "Your brother is hot."

Chase scowled at her. "If you say so. Personally, I think he's too pretty for a guy."

Humor flittered at her lips. "You look like your dad."

Mollified, Chase dipped his head in acknowledgment. "For an old guy, he is a stud. Don't you think?"

"Fis.h.i.+ng, Timberlake?" Chase flashed her a grin, and Lori rolled her eyes, then studied a recent photo of Chase's sister. "Caitlin is a doll. I see both of your parents in her."

"She's the favorite. They try to deny it, but Stephen and I know. It's really a pain because she's our favorite, too. She has the best heart of anyone I've ever met."

Sobering a bit, he added, "This situation with our folks has. .h.i.t her harder than she lets on. A lot harder than my parents have realized. I think that's part of the reason Caitlin has gone gaga over Mr. Frat Daddy. She and Mom have always been so close. I'm surprised Mom has missed seeing it so completely."

"Maybe this is the summer for change," Lori replied. "A friend told me that sometimes when mothers and daughters are especially close, they do some really weird things as they go through the whole separating thing when the daughter grows up."

"I don't think my mom left my dad because she and Caitlin fought about Caitlin cutting her hair," Chase replied, his tone dry.

"Your mom and sister had that argument, too?"

Chase gave her a droll look, then said, "Come on. Let's find my folks."

Mac Timberlake was in the backyard pool playing Frisbee with his dog. Lori and Chase watched for few minutes through the kitchen window before making their presence known. The dog stood at the end of the diving board, and when Mac threw the Frisbee, he'd leap, catch the disk, then swim to the steps where Mac waited. Gus dropped the Frisbee, bounded out of the pool, shook to send the droplets flying, then raced for the diving board to do it all over again.

"I still can't believe my dad got another dog," Chase said.

When Mac Timberlake climbed out of the pool and reached for the beach towel draped across a nearby lounge chair, Lori let out a little sigh of appreciation. "You are right. He is a stud."

"That's sorta creepy, Lori."

"Hey, you brought it up." A teasing light entered her eyes as she added, "I wouldn't mind being Miss May if I could find a Mr. December like your dad. Just saying."

"Hey, you have Mr. June right here. What's wrong with me?"

"You live in Colorado and I go to school in Texas, for one thing. Another, we're too young." She slipped her arm through his. "Do me a favor, Chase. If you're not married in eight years, look me up."

"Eight years, huh?"

Lori shrugged and grinned. Chase opened the door and called a h.e.l.lo to his father. Mac pulled on a s.h.i.+rt, then approached them. The two men shook hands and Mac exchanged greetings with Lori. Chase asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Stephen made a run to the store. Mom isn't home yet."

"Oh. What's for supper, Dad?"

Mac gave Lori a rueful look, then said, "Some things never change. I'm grilling tonight. Steaks. That okay with you?"

"Rib eyes?"

"Strip."

"Awesome."

"It'll be a little while, though. I thought we'd wait on your mother. Her plane is running late, but she should be here by eight."

Lori asked, "Did she say how the meeting went with the chef?"

"No," Mac responded. "She didn't say much about it at all."

At that point, Stephen arrived home with a six-pack of beer and one of Diet c.o.ke. Chase introduced his brother to Lori, and the conversation turned to their respective educational pursuits for a time. Then Chase asked Lori if she wanted to swim, and soon a water gun fight had commenced between Chase, in the pool, and Stephen, who had access to the water hose. Much laughter and frivolity followed, and even Mac got in on the act.

After Mac set aside his water pistol, Chase saw him watching the clock and knew he was thinking about his mom. Lori picked up on it, too, because she swam over to Chase and said, "I hope you know how lucky you are to have such a great family."

"I do. Nothing wrong with your family, though. I love your mom."

"I'll trade you," Lori cracked as she hooked her elbows over the edge of the pool for support and allowed her feet to drift up in front of her. "Just kidding. I know she's great. I worry about her, though, because she's so alone."

"I don't know, Lori. From what I've seen, she has lots of friends."

"Friends, yes. But she needs someone in her life like your dad, and she won't let it happen." She sighed heavily while making little flutter kicks with her feet. "One of the reasons I want to find my father so much is because I've spent my entire life watching Mom turn away opportunities for love. Celeste told me that she thinks Mom needs to make peace with her past before looking toward her future."

"That sounds like Celeste," Chase observed.

"Well, I need to find Cam Murphy fast, because Mom is running out of future. In just a handful of years, she'll be staring down the face of forty."

His gaze on his father, Chase said, "You're right. It's best she get settled soon. People do some crazy things in their forties."

The phone on the wall of the backyard kitchen rang, and Mac answered it. When he hung up a few moments later he relayed the news that Ali's plane had landed and she was leaving the airport. As he fired up the grill, Lori asked, "What can we do to help, Mr. Timberlake?"

"I have it handled, thank you."

"He's the backyard barbecue king," Stephen explained. "He likes things done exactly his way. Don't even get me started about how precisely you have to fold the aluminum foil around the potatoes."

Mac chucked a rubber ball at his son on his way into the house to wash and precisely foil his potatoes for baking. When he came back outside fifteen minutes later, Chase noticed that he'd showered, shaved, and changed his clothes.

Stephen noted the spruce-up, too, because just as Chase caught the drift of cologne on the air, his brother quietly said, "Go, Mom."

Ali had a bit of a lead foot as she sped down the highway toward home. Exiting the freeway and making her way into the neighborhood, she made a conscious effort to slow down. She was anxious to be home, anxious to be with her husband and her children, regretting that Caitlin wouldn't be there with them.

Mainly, though, Ali was tired. All this traveling was wearing her down. She'd made three trips to California in the past three weeks.

Although things were better between her and Mac, their relations.h.i.+p still had a way to go to be considered healed. They'd managed to fit in only a single visit to the marriage counselor. Ali couldn't complain about it since the fault was more hers than Mac's. Her schedule had been ridiculously busy since the first trip to Los Angeles and the subsequent negotiations with Lorraine Perry's people on the phone, on site at the Bristlecone in Eternity Springs, and at their offices in L.A.

That didn't mean she hadn't done a lot of soul-searching about her marriage on her own, because she had. She'd concluded that the primary problem was that she and Mac wanted-and needed-two different things. Whether he admitted it or not, Mac wanted life to return to the way it used to be with a stay-at-home wife available for whatever he wanted or needed, whenever he wanted or needed it. Ali, on the other hand, wanted both her days and her nights to be fulfilling and satisfying. Mac did a fine job with the nights-a superior job, in fact-but the fact was that her old life in Denver didn't do it for her day-wise.

She pulled into the circular drive in front of her home, smiling at the extra cars in the drive that signaled her boys' presence. Her step was light as she entered the house. "h.e.l.lo?"

When no one answered, she deduced that she'd find them outside. Mac had told her he intended to grill steaks for their supper. She dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs, then walked into the kitchen toward the backdoor, pausing when she caught sight of her husband, her sons, and Sarah's daughter throwing a Frisbee for Mac's dog. "Eternity Springs meets Cherry Creek," she murmured as she opened the backdoor. "My own slice of heaven."

"Hey, Mom," Stephen called as he lifted the lid of the charcoal grill and turned the potatoes. Seeing her eldest offspring at the grill, Ali wondered if Mac had taken the huge step of turning over grilling duties to his son.

Mac was a backyard barbecue purist who believed that only sissies cooked with gas-real men used charcoal. Twenty years' worth of steak, hamburger, chicken, and brisket had made his heavy, cast-iron and aluminum grill a prized family heirloom, so much so that his loving sons were already trying to lay claim to it "after the old man kicks the bucket." Up until now, Mac had turned over the spatula to no other man. Had things around the Timberlake house changed more than she'd realized?

Mac saw her, smiled, then sauntered over and gave her a quick kiss-on the mouth, not on the cheek. The tension humming inside Ali evaporated. He hadn't been happy about this trip. He'd had a day off from court, and he'd wanted to spend it with her. "Welcome home."

"Thanks."

To Stephen, he said, "Go get the steaks out of the fridge, would you?"

"Sure, Dad."

As Stephen strode pa.s.sed his dad, Mac held his hand out and wiggled his fingers, silently asking for the spatula. Her son handed it over with a heavy sigh. Ali kicked off her shoes and grinned. What was that old saying? The more things change, the more they stay the same?

After Stephen wrapped her in a bear hug on his way into the house, Ali exchanged hugs and kisses with both Lori and Chase, then nodded when Mac gestured toward the pitcher of iced tea sitting on the backyard kitchen's bar. She slid onto a barstool while Mac filled a gla.s.s with ice from the backyard kitchen ice maker. "So, tell me about your trip," he said.

Ali gave him a cat-and-cream smile. "I have a preliminary contract from the TV people in my briefcase. I need one of my favorite lawyers to give it a once-over and advise me on areas to negotiate."

Mac's brows winged up. "Well, well. Aren't you something? Congratulations."

"Thank you." Ali dipped her head.

"Have your dad look at your contracts. He's a master." Mac studied her for a long moment, then slid a gla.s.s of tea toward her and asked, "So, what's wrong?"

"You know me too well."

Ali explained her unease about the TV chef's proposed investment in the Bristlecone and, as a result, Eternity Springs. "I'm probably being stupid about this, but the more I learn about what Chef Perry wants, the more uneasy I am about the idea of Hollywood coming to Eternity Springs."

"What is it that bothers you?"

"I don't know." Ali shrugged. "Yes, I do. I love a good meal as much as the next person, and Lorraine Perry's recipes are divine. But her menu is going to be expensive, well beyond the reach of most of Eternity's citizens. That's not what our town needs. We need a nice restaurant that serves excellent food at modest prices. That's not Lorraine Perry's Colorado cuisine, as shown on the Food Network on Tuesdays at eight!"

Mac looked up from the grill. "Have you talked to Celeste about it?"

"No. She is so excited. I swear I never expected Celeste to be someone who is blinded by celebrity. That's half the reason why I agreed to attend a meeting on Monday at Angel's Rest between Celeste and the chef's agent. Someone needs to hold Celeste's hand to prevent her from signing something she shouldn't. I'm afraid we don't have all the facts."

"Monday? Couldn't one of your friends do that?"

Though his tone remained casual, Ali read disapproval into the comment. Feathers ruffled, she stiffened. "I want to oversee this. It's my project."

Mac took a moment to reply. "Sorry. I didn't mean that as criticism."

She grimaced, knowing she'd overreacted, but also aware that her husband wasn't happy that her work required so much of her time. Both she and Mac had learned to step carefully in the minefield their marriage strayed into upon occasion.

Mac tried again. "What sort of menu does Lorraine Perry envision for the Bristlecone?"

She recognized the peace offering. "She's calling it 'upscale mountain cuisine.' Game meat, trout. What that town needs is a good Italian restaurant, not mountain cuisine."

Tired of fretting about the new Bristlecone, Ali changed the subject by asking Mac about his work and schedule for the next few weeks. He mentioned the upcoming Big Brothers/Big Sisters luncheon, then asked, "You shouldn't have a conflict with that, right?"

Ali mentally reviewed her date book and inwardly winced. She did have a meeting scheduled with one of the investors. This was the first Ali had heard about the charity luncheon, but she decided that this wasn't the time or the place to mention the conflict, so she only smiled and said, "That luncheon is always entertaining."

Luckily, Mac didn't appear to notice that she failed to directly answer his question, and Stephen took a seat beside her. Talk turned to his upcoming year at Stanford. A short time later, Chase and Lori joined them and the conversation broadened to include CU and Texas A&M. It was an enjoyable evening with good food and interesting conversation, and when Ali went upstairs with Mac, she was feeling warm, mellow, and happy.

In their bedroom, Mac walked to the window and in the process of closing the blinds, looked out toward the pool and observed, "I like Lori. I hope to h.e.l.l he's responsible and careful with her."

Careful? What does he ... oh. s.e.x. He was thinking about teenage s.e.x and a teenage pregnancy. "Lori is a strong young woman who knows what she wants-and what she doesn't want. They're more friends than a romantic couple these days. She won't let Chase interrupt her dreams."

Mac opened his mouth, then shut it again without speaking. Ali realized that once again they'd brushed the boundary of another mine field. Biting back a groan, she turned toward the master bathroom. "I think I'll take a quick shower."

"Okay."

In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and removed her makeup before stripping off her clothes and stepping into the shower. The hot water felt good as it washed the travel weariness away, and she lingered longer than she'd intended.

She'd just shut her eyes and lifted her face into the spray when she heard the shower door open. She turned her head and smiled as Mac stepped inside. "Well, h.e.l.lo there, handsome."

"I got impatient."

"Sorry. I guess I'm in the mood to move slow tonight."

"Oh?" He reached for the bath gel. "I can do slow."

He could. He did. Spectacularly. So spectacularly, in fact, that Ali found herself thanking his foresight in adding that second water heater when the kids were entering their teens. Though they'd showered together on his visit to Eternity Springs, they hadn't showered together at home in quite some time, and they hadn't needed the second water heater in far too long. By the time he switched off the now-chilly water, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel to dry her, Ali was so relaxed that she sort of billowed her way to the bed and crawled beneath the sheets.

They smelled like Mac, and Ali smiled. It was great to be home. As Mac switched off the lamp, she murmured, "Home is where the heart is."