A Precious Gift Page 15

  Pushing himself to his feet, he said gruffly, “I’ll find out when you’re going to be discharged.” Then he left his wife’s room, worried about her and just as worried about their marriage.

  A few hours later, Brian took Carrie home. She kept insisting she was fine, but he knew she wasn’t. The prescriptions he’d had filled for her proved she wasn’t. In addition, she was supposed to ice her shoulder for the next forty-eight hours. He’d wanted to carry her up to their bedroom, but the expression on her face told him she wouldn’t allow that. Before she’d agree to go upstairs to rest, she’d made certain Lisa was fine.

  Ariel was still with her and she said to Carrie, “I’m glad to see you’re okay, Mrs. Summers. Now that you’re home, I’ll go back to the shelter.”

  “I want to talk to you before you leave,” Brian said.

  Ariel looked puzzled. “What about?”

  “Finding you a job so you can get back on your feet. How do you feel about filing and general office work to start?”

  “Anything would be great. As soon as I can save enough for a security deposit, I can get my own place again.”

  “I might be able to find you a place that doesn’t require a security deposit. I have to do some checking. We’ll talk about it before you leave.” He turned to Carrie. “Come on. Let’s get you up to bed.”

  However, before Brian shepherded her away, she said to Ariel, “Thanks for sticking by Lisa.”

  “We’re friends,” Ariel said. “It was no big deal.”

  “Friendship is always a big deal,” Carrie murmured with a wan smile for both girls.

  Carrie took the steps slowly because every bone in her body hurt. The doctor had ordered a CT scan, but said everything looked normal. He’d also taken X rays of her shoulder. She had been fortunate.

  Once in the bedroom, Carrie slipped into the bathroom and when she emerged she was wearing a pale blue nightshirt.

  Brian had turned back the covers for her. “Is there anything you’d like? Something to drink? Something to eat? You barely picked at lunch.”

  “I’m not hungry.” She slid into bed and covered herself with the sheet. “Are you really going to give Ariel a job?”

  “Yes. One of the clerks left and I was going to call the temp agency. Instead, I’ll give Ariel a chance. We’ll see how she does. If she’s competent, she’ll be doing a lot more than filing before long.”

  There were a few moments of silence. “Thank you, Brian.”

  “For what?”

  “For giving Ariel this job so she can get out of the shelter. For sending Lisa back home to rest this morning after you got there. For coming home.”

  Something about Carrie’s attitude bothered him. He wondered if she was still upset about their argument after they’d made love in the hot tub. Or was there something else? She was avoiding his gaze. She was putting distance between them. On top of that, she was much too pale.

  What he wanted to do was climb into bed beside her and take her into his arms. But for some reason, his instincts told him she wouldn’t allow that right now. Maybe she was just trying to get her bearings after what had happened to her. The police had taken a statement from her this afternoon before she’d left the hospital. Brian had learned the car in front of her had blown a tire and everything else had stemmed from that.

  He sat on the bed beside her. “I’m going to send Ariel back in a cab. I’d take her myself, but I’m afraid Lisa will run up and down the steps to see how you are if I leave. As far along as she is, she shouldn’t be doing that.”

  “I don’t want her worrying about me.”

  “I’ll try to reassure her.”

  Carrie put her hand to her forehead and Brian asked, “Is your headache worse?”

  “The doctor said it should go away in a day or two.”

  Brian couldn’t help but touch Carrie then. He couldn’t keep from reaching out and stroking her cheek. “Lisa’s call took ten years off my life. When she said you were in an accident and were still unconscious…”

  “I’m sorry I worried you. I shouldn’t have been so close to the car in front of me, but I was thinking and—” She looked away from him.

  “Thinking about what?”

  Her words came slowly. “My family. You. Lisa. A baby.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes, and Brian wished he could crawl inside her head and see what she was really thinking. He wiped away one of her tears with his thumb. “You rest. Do you want me to sit here with you?”

  She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I know you have things to do.”

  Though almost angry that she didn’t think she was just as important as any of those things, he realized he should be angry at himself, not at her, if he’d always given her the impression that work had to come first. “I’m going to talk to Ariel for a bit and then work in my office. If you need anything, call on the intercom. Even if I don’t hear from you, I’ll be up in about a half an hour. I won’t wake you if you’re sleeping.” Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss onto her forehead.

  She closed her eyes.

  As he stood, she didn’t open her eyes again or say anything. When he left the room, he felt as if he had a lead weight in his chest.

  Something was very wrong. He had an idea that might make it better. After Ariel left, he’d surf real estate sites on the Internet and find exactly what he was looking for.

  Although Carrie adhered to her doctor’s orders to rest for twenty-four hours, she chafed at the idea of it. Yes, she had a headache and her shoulder was sore when she moved it. But she could function. She didn’t want to be stuck in her room upstairs. However, Brian had insisted, along with her doctor. Brian even stayed home from work all day Monday, checking on her every now and then.

  She had too much time to think.

  By Tuesday morning, she’d decided she’d had enough of resting. She wanted to spend some time with Lisa.

  She had withdrawn from Brian since the accident, since her visit to her parents. That was because she couldn’t look him in the eye without wanting to spill everything to him. But there was so much at stake. Not only their marriage, but the future of Lisa’s baby. Brian was changing—cutting back his hours, cutting back on the traveling. Maybe her life would right itself again, and she’d never have to tell him what she’d done.

  On Tuesday afternoon, Carrie realized her headache was almost gone. While she’d spent the morning with Lisa, Verna had been cooking in the kitchen. After she and Lisa ate clam chowder and sandwiches for lunch, Carrie asked Verna to make chocolate mousse for dessert that night since it was Lisa’s favorite.

  “Do you mind if I have a friend over tomorrow night?” Lisa asked Carrie before dinner.

  As Carrie set the table she asked, “Ariel?”

  “No. It’s a guy. Craig Latimore. He worked at the deli where Ariel and I hung out. He used to give us handouts when no one was looking.”

  “That was kind of him.”

  Lisa blushed a little. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, when Ariel and I got breakfast at the hospital the other morning, he was in the cafeteria, too. His aunt was having gallbladder surgery. I used to think he felt sorry for me and Ariel. But when I told him I was giving the baby up for adoption, he asked if he could see me sometime.”

  Carrie’s motherly instincts went on alert. “How old is he?”

  “He’s twenty.”

  Going still, Carrie studied Lisa. “Do you like him?”

  “He looked out for me and Ariel. He came and checked on us when we were sleeping in a vacant building before we went to the shelter. Craig’s the one who convinced us we’d be better off there.”

  From everything Lisa said it sounded as if this Craig cared about her. But Carrie would like to see for herself. One of the best ways to do that was to have him over to the house. “Sure, he can come over tomorrow evening.”

  “Do you mind if we just order pizza or something? We don’t have to bother you and Mr. Summers.”

  “I don’
t know what Brian’s doing tomorrow night.”

  “He might not like Craig.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Craig rides a motorcycle. And he has tattoos and earrings. He got his eyebrow pierced a few months ago, too. Maybe you should warn Mr. Summers.”

  “Maybe you should warn him,” Carrie encouraged with a smile.

  Lisa shrugged. “We’ll see. Mr. Summers might not even be home. No use getting him all riled over nothing.”

  Avoidance. She was practicing it herself these days. She couldn’t blame Lisa for wanting to take the easy way out.

  When Brian called to tell Carrie he wouldn’t be home for supper, she didn’t think anything of it. After all, he’d taken off all day yesterday.

  But after she said good-night to Lisa and sat in her bedroom, fatigue caught up with her. She was reclining on the sofa, listening to music in their sitting area, when Brian came in with a wide smile and an envelope in his hand. He’d already taken off his suit jacket and unknotted his tie.

  Now he tossed both on the chair beside the bed and crossed to her. “How do you feel?”

  “Much better than yesterday.”

  Lowering himself beside her, he studied her. “But you overdid it today, didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t do much. I mostly kept Lisa company.”

  “Your body needs to recover from what you’ve been through. You’ve got to give it time.”

  Pushing herself into a sitting position, she promised, “I’ll give it time. But I can’t stay up here in bed. The headache’s gone, and as long as I don’t lift anything, I’m fine.”

  “I’m convinced,” he said with a laugh, though she could see he wasn’t. He wasn’t going to press her, but he was still going to watch over her.

  “I have something to show you.” Lowering himself beside her on the sofa, he unfastened the clip on the envelope and pulled out two pages of photographs. “I took these today, and I’d like you to look at them.”

  She took the two glossy sheets of digital photos and studied them. On one page the pictures were all scenery—pines and alders and maples. In one photograph she could make out a narrow stream. “This looks like a beautiful property.”

  “It is. Look at the other one.”

  On the other sheet the setting was wooded, too. But in the midst of it sat a one-story house, all cedar and glass. Photographs captured the house from different angles. A wide shot showed split-rail fence surrounding the property.

  “That looks lovely, too.” She turned curious eyes to Brian’s.

  “I know you’ve always thought this house was too big. When we got married, I thought it was the kind of place you’d want, and that’s why I went ahead with the deal. But you like Leigh and Adam’s home, so…”

  He pointed to the pictures of scenery first. “We could build exactly what you want right here. It’s a beautiful property. I know the developer. If you want a log home like Adam and Leigh have, or something more traditional, we could plan it together.” Then he ran his thumb over the other sheet of photographs. “On the other hand, this one’s already built. It’s only about a quarter of a mile from Leigh and Adam. It’s about five years old. The man who built it is changing jobs and moving to Seattle. I walked through it today, and it’s quality. It’s one floor, four bedrooms, which would be great because I could use one for my office. Other than that, it’s pretty compact, with a kitchen, dining room and family room. I think you’d like it.”

  Carrie was totally stunned by what her husband was proposing. “But you like this house.”

  “I did. But it is big. And after being in Adam’s house, I understand what you mean by not feeling lived-in. You can’t shout from one room to the other here. Our baby will be crawling around and get lost!”

  Brian’s expression said he actually cared about that, and Carrie felt tears come to her eyes. Brian was changing. He’d listened to what she’d said and was trying to do something about it. “I would love a smaller, cozier house. But only if that’s what you want, too.”

  “What I want is for you to go along and look at it with me as soon as you’re feeling better. It hasn’t been listed yet, and the owner’s going to give us first look. I don’t want you to feel pressured, either. If not this one, we’ll find something else. Or we’ll build.”

  Feeling lighter than she had in weeks, Carrie kissed his cheek. “Looking at a house won’t be too strenuous. Let’s go tomorrow.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m positive.”

  “All right. I’ll come home around three. If for some reason you don’t feel like it, just let me know. We have time, Carrie.”

  Did they have time? Right now she felt closer to Brian than she had in weeks. Was that because they now had a common goal? A home with a child in it. Isn’t that what they’d always wanted?

  Brian pushed the pictures back into the envelope. Then he surrounded Carrie with his arm and leaned back against the sofa. “I haven’t had supper yet, so I’m going to go down and see what leftovers are in the refrigerator. Would you like a cup of tea?”

  “You don’t have to—”

  Leaning close he kissed her temple. “I want to. Then we’ll just snuggle up and watch the news together.”

  He was telling her he wouldn’t make love with her until she was ready, until she felt her body was ready. How long had it been since they’d just lain together holding each other?

  “I’d like that,” she murmured, her voice catching.

  Brian gave her a squeeze and rested his jaw on top of her head. “Everything’s going to be all right, Carrie. You’ll see.”

  Carrie desperately wanted to believe Brian’s words. She would believe them. That was all there was to it.

  Eleven

  When Carrie and Brian returned from their outing to visit the wooded property and the house the following day, Carrie felt as if she’d just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. She’d liked the house a lot and Brian had seemed as enthusiastic about it as she was. They’d spent time in it, poking into cupboards, turning faucets off and on, admiring the wood trim.

  Afterward Brian had taken her by the shoulders and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to build? We could custom design everything.”

  “I’d custom design it just like this,” she’d told him, loving the blue-and-green motifs in the kitchen, the beautiful ceramic tile floors in the bathrooms. “What I like best of all is that we’re right down the road from Leigh and Adam.”

  “Should I call the owner with a figure?”

  Slow, thick, honeylike happiness had flowed through Carrie then. She’d nodded, and Brian had kissed her—a long, sweet kiss that had made her dizzy.

  As Brian followed Carrie into the kitchen now, she said, “Lisa was going to have a friend over. But I didn’t see his—”

  “His what?” Brian asked Carrie curiously.

  “His motorcycle. He rides one. And, from what I understand, he had his eyebrow pierced, too.”

  A look of consternation came into Brian’s eyes, but he didn’t express it, possibly because he didn’t want to break the mood between them.

  “Maybe it’s just as well he didn’t show up,” Brian murmured with a wry smile.

  However, when they went to the family room, they heard voices and found Lisa and the boy sharing pizza, laughing and watching a video on TV. The laughter stopped at once as Brian and Carrie entered the room.

  Lisa introduced Craig, watching Brian all the while.

  Afterward Brian said, “Carrie tells me you have a motorcycle.”

  “I parked it in the back. I didn’t want anybody stealing it if it was out front.”

  “We rarely have theft in this neighborhood, but I guess it’s always a possibility.”

  Carrie could see Brian was trying to give the boy the benefit of the doubt, one he hadn’t given Lisa at first look. Craig’s brown hair was long on one side and stood up on the other. His T-shirt proclaimed, “Ron’s Deli Rocks.” His
jeans were tattered, but Carrie suspected he might have bought them that way. Despite the oversized jeans and T-shirt, she could tell he was slim and tall.

  When an awkward silence settled over the room, Lisa motioned to the half pizza on the coffee table. “Do you want some?” Her eyes danced with teasing sparkles, and Carrie knew full well she didn’t expect Brian to accept.

  But to both Lisa’s and Carrie’s surprise he replied, “Sure. We could order another one so we’re sure we have plenty. What movie are you watching?”

  “It’s a chick flick,” muttered Craig.

  The outing had tired Carrie out and she realized she still wasn’t back to normal. As she and Brian joined the teenagers, she merely nibbled on her slice of pizza. She just wasn’t hungry.

  After Brian questioned Craig about his hobby of working on motorcycles, he looked over at Carrie’s uneaten slice of pizza. His two were finished.

  Standing, he held out his hand to her. “Come on. Let’s go upstairs and look at those pictures I took on the digital camera. If you kids need anything—”

  “We’ll be fine, Mr. Summers,” Lisa assured him.

  Brian gave Lisa a look that said he didn’t know if he should leave her alone with this young man, but he did.

  At the foot of the stairs, he studied Carrie. “You’re pale. I kept you too long at the house, didn’t I?”

  “No, you didn’t. I had a wonderful time looking at it with you. But my shoulder is hurting, and I’m feeling a little queasy. Sometimes the medicine does that.”

  “Then why don’t you go upstairs and crawl into bed? I’ll print out the pictures we took and bring them up.”

  When he started for his office, she clasped his elbow. “Brian.”

  “What?”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For finding the house. For understanding how I feel about it.”

  “I feel the same way,” he admitted. “Now go on. Get comfortable. Before I come up, I’ll make sure Craig isn’t dismantling his motorcycle in our family room.”

  Smiling, Carrie climbed the stairs. Whether Brian realized it or not, he was acting like a father. No matter how his relationship with Lisa had begun, now they were developing ties, and Carrie loved seeing that.