Sweet Surrender Read online

  “Hey, big brother,” Omar said as Pierce closed the door behind him.

  “Let me introduce you.” Pierce made the introductions, keeping an eye on Omar, who had a knack for blurting out things that were better left unsaid. “By the way, where is Sheena?” Pierce asked.

  “She couldn’t make it,” Omar replied. Pierce looked at Omar for more of an explanation. “I don’t have a clue what came up,” the younger man said.

  “That’s fine. Morton will be here soon,” Pierce said and tried to hide the disappointment. He hoped that Sheena wasn’t trying to make a statement by being a no-show.

  The doorbell rang. Pierce opened the door. “Welcome,” Pierce said. Morton stood in his doorway, looking cavalier and chic. Omar and Morton spent the next few minutes exchanging handshakes.

  “We’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done playing hand jive.” Pierce took Haley’s hand and walked into the kitchen. “Think that I may have to take you up on your offer of help after all.”

  “Good. I’d hate to be sitting off to the side simply watching all the fun,” she said.

  For the next few hours, Pierce entertained his brother, mentor and girlfriend. Laura and Beth were off on a shopping trip and he did miss Sheena not being there. The assembled company had a congenial atmosphere that allowed for them to have a wonderful cookout. Several times he looked over to Haley and couldn’t be more pleased when she’d wink back or respond with a big, happy smile. He finally relaxed and enjoyed his company when Morton whispered, “You did good,” as he walked over to fill his plate with cake and ice cream.

  Haley looked out her office window for the umpteenth time, unable to concentrate. The report she was working on was due the next morning and she’d have to pull an all-nighter to finish it. That meant having to call Laura to keep an eye on Beth for the evening.

  Beth wouldn’t be happy. She remembered that she’d promised to take Beth to buy new tennis shoes that evening. They would have to postpone that task until the weekend.

  “Haley, how’s the report coming? Do you have a draft for me to preview?” Her boss, Mr. Jackson, had startled her with his unannounced appearance at her office door.

  Haley jumped and hit the button to get rid of the screensaver of her daughter’s smiling face. “I broke it into two parts.” She punched the print key, a bit nervous that her rough draft would be viewed by her new boss. “The first part explains why we need to move cautiously with any development plans for the city.”

  “What?” He walked over to the printer and pulled out the paper before the entire document printed. “We discussed this. I told you that we were not going to get into anything political. This is the city council. There are people on it ready to pounce on an opening like this.” He waved the partial report over his head and slammed it down on the desk in front of her. “Didn’t you understand my instructions? Why do you give me so much grief?” Jackson glared at her and then fixed his suit, his eyes never leaving her face.

  Haley didn’t back down, returning her boss’s stare. Apparently her boss seemed to like these showdowns, as if they were two gunfighters sizing each other up before the shootout. Frankly, Haley found them exhausting. Had Strayer had to put up with this? Maybe it was a man thing. Jackson never held a grudge afterward, treating their confrontations as differences of opinion.

  With her re-emerging self-confidence and struggling to stay steady, Haley looked at Jackson and saw a partial image of her husband. The main differences between the two men were superficial. The two were very alike.

  Jackson could sputter all he wanted. As she read pieces of the material and data, she felt confident that she hadn’t miscommunicated anything. “Mr. Jackson, I think you should read the entire report. You’ll see that I’m recommending the city council take a more prominent role in any redevelopment plans.”

  “I want to see the rest of it as soon as you’re finished.”

  Haley shook her head and sighed. Jackson reminded her of a volcano. He erupted, emitted steam, settled down and then went back into a dormant phase. And yet there was a sting to his criticisms that she had come to expect and accept. He always apologized when she could prove her point. She’d accept that as some weird sign of respect.

  Having a higher profile job increased the exposure to Jackson and his boss. Moments like this made her wish that her previous boss was still around. He’d provided a buffer between her and upper management. Thank goodness for her staff; they had worked hard to prove that their department had the talent for success. She was very proud of them. This pride and responsibility to protect were her armor when she faced Jackson.

  She worked through the morning, using coffee as her only reason for quick breaks. Caffeine made her nerves a jittery mess. On edge, she finished typing the report with clammy fingers.

  Her phone rang. She debated whether to answer it. A glance at the clock showed that Beth was in her last class for the day. Maybe the babysitter was calling because she couldn’t pick up Beth.

  The receptionist’s voice played over the intercom. “Haley, you have a call.”

  Haley acknowledged the message, thanking the young woman. Once the transfer was made, she prompted, “Hello.”

  “Glad to hear that you’re still in Hampton Mews. When my lawyer said that you hadn’t called back, I attributed your lack of a response to your picking another remote spot in Maryland as a hiding place.”

  “What do you want, Vernon?” As if she didn’t know. She’d responded to his letter with a curt note stating that she had no intention of reconciling with him.

  “I missed you.”

  “No one to host your parties?”

  “Since when did you get bitter?” He said it softly. Haley knew instantly that he was angry. He hated when she was flip or sarcastic. “I want my family to be together. We are a unit,” he said.

  “I’ve got all the family that I need,” she countered. He’d never been a husband or father, but more a dictator with genuine fondness for his daughter.

  “You don’t sound yourself,” Vernon said.

  “You mean the timid mouse that you held in contempt.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you while you’re in this mental state. How is Beth? I want to see her,” he said.

  Haley took a deep breath, well, several deep breaths. He always mentioned her mental state when he no longer wanted to discuss matters with her. How could she have ever thought that she loved this man? Her youth had been a contributing factor. Beth was a product of that honeymoon period filled with starry-eyed naiveté.

  As Haley’s marriage had turned sour, she’d kept her heartache to herself. She didn’t believe in discussing grown-up issues with her daughter. And she refused to paint Beth’s father in a bad light. But that didn’t mean that she was about to roll over and forgive the past just because Vernon demanded to see Beth.

  “If you recall, the judge made the visitation and custody decisions about Beth.” Haley stared out the window, wondering how her day had taken such a nosedive into muck so quickly.

  “I’ve taken counseling and anger-management classes. I have even redecorated a room for Beth and checked into the best schools. I think the judge will be willing to give me a second chance. And I’m willing to give you a second chance. Perhaps we can fall in love again.”

  His lawyer must have made headway with the court for another hearing. The thought sent shivers down her spine. The judge hadn’t wanted to give her full custody the first time. If Vernon showed on paper that he was a changed man, then the judge could overturn his previous decision.

  She wanted Beth to have contact with her father, but she didn’t want Vernon to use their relationship for selfish purposes. The thought of his manipulations ignited her anger to full blast. But she had to be very careful.

  “Vernon, as I’ve said, I’m not interested in moving from here. I know that you want to see Beth more often, and I’m willing to work with you,” she explained.

  “Of course, it doesn’t have
to be my way or your way. I can compromise. I’d like to make a few visits, then we can play it by ear.”

  “Okay,” Haley said quietly. Even to her ears, she sounded unsure.

  “How about this weekend?”

  “Fine.” But it wasn’t fine. Things were moving too quickly. She had to think. She wanted to talk to Beth. Vernon wasn’t giving her any time to adjust, bulldozing as he usually did to keep her off-kilter. “I think Beth would like to see you,” she finished, her mind no where near the project that she’d been working on for Jackson.

  “I’ll come get her.”

  “No!” Haley fired back with alarm. “I’ll bring her to you.” She didn’t want Vernon in the same town, or anywhere near her home. He may have steamrolled his way so far, but she wasn’t budging on that point.

  “Fine,” he said.

  They finished up the conversation with the details and logistics for dropping off Beth and picking her up that Sunday.

  After the call with Vernon, Haley turned to finish her project. Her mind was more troubled than ever.

  Haley honked the horn. She had taken the afternoon off to meet Beth immediately after school to get on the road for her trip to their old neighborhood. Friday could go down as a personal low from the time that she’d awoken that morning. Haley’s mind had constantly wandered throughout the day.

  She honked the horn again and stuck her head out the window. “Beth!”

  Haley waited for her daughter to come running out of the house with her overnight bag. After a few seconds, she turned off the engine, muttering under her breath. Given their late start, they’d be traveling through the rush hour and darkness, Haley thought glumly. Just then Laura appeared on the porch.

  Haley was used to seeing Laura at her house, but she didn’t usually come this early. She tried not to think that perhaps something was wrong.

  “Beth is around back helping Pierce,” Laura said.

  “Helping Pierce?” Haley walked along the side of the house, listening for any sounds that could give her a hint of what Pierce and Beth might be working on.

  She rounded the house and almost bumped into a ladder propped against its back side. Laura walked up beside her. Both women stared up at the roof. Haley cupped her mouth to hold back her scream.

  “Hey, Mom, I’m helping to fix a gutter. Pierce said the last rain soaked the side of the house and may have seeped into the first floor.” Beth looked down at them from her perch on the roof. She leaned forward and waved.

  “Beth, would you come down please,” Haley said. She used a soft, cajoling tone that she was far from feeling. Heights didn’t bother her daughter, but the visual sure did a number on her nerves. “Where the heck is Pierce?”

  “He was here a few minutes, ago,” Beth said.

  Pierce walked into the backyard, his forehead wrinkled, looking perplexed. Haley folded her arms, waiting for him to look at her or at least to look at Beth.

  “Why would you let Beth go on the roof?” Haley asked.

  Pierce finally caught sight of her. His ready smile instantantly vanished as he ran forward to where she stood.

  “Beth, didn’t I tell you to wait?” Pierce dumped the materials he had in his hands into Haley’s arms. He took a step toward the ladder. “Wait right there. For heaven’s sake, sit down, you’re making me nervous,” he said.

  Beth stepped toward the ladder, still grinning. “I can do it. Watch me.” She turned and eased one foot down onto the first rung. Then she swung her other foot around and reached for the second rung.

  “I’m coming. Don’t move another inch,” Pierce shouted.

  Haley watched the scene unfold. Once Beth’s feet touched solid ground, she was going to wring her neck.

  “It’ll be okay, Haley.” Laura had placed an arm around her shoulder. “Pierce will get her down safely.” Haley was grateful for Laura’s attempt to calm her nerves, but she felt Laura’s fingers digging into her shoulder as Beth eased down a few more rungs.

  Haley closed her eyes as relief coursed through her body. She heard a sound that she knew came from the ladder. She opened her eyes to see Beth dangling with one hand. Her screams tore through the air.

  Her daughter had lost her footing.

  “Pierce, save her!” Haley clutched Laura’s hand.

  “Hang on,” Pierce ordered. He moved quickly up the ladder inches away from Beth.

  “I can’t.” Beth’s hand slipped. She fell through the air. Pierce’s hand barely missed her as he reached for any part of her body as she passed him.

  Haley didn’t know if she was screaming or crying. She knelt beside her daughter, moaning her name.

  “I’ll call an ambulance,” Laura said and dashed off toward the house.

  Beth didn’t respond. Her eyes were closed and she lay very still.

  “Pierce, help my little girl.” She grabbed his sleeve until he lowered himself next to Beth. “Make her wake up, please.”

  Chapter 10

  Haley loosened the dirt with her fingers. She wished that Beth would join her. Haley was convinced that her daughter was missing out on a wonderful experience. Instead Beth remained in the house, in her room. Her arm was still in a cast, but the nasty bruise on her forehead had faded. Maybe she ought to be glad that her daughter was reading, although her book selection appeared to be focused on one subject—dieting.

  “Care for some help?”

  “Where did you come from?” Haley initially jumped at Pierce’s voice, but now her pulse raced for a different reason.

  “Checking on my property. Making sure that there are no wild parties, surprise tenants not on the lease, you know, the regular stuff a landlord has to do.”

  “I’m burying the beer cans as we speak,” Haley said and wrinkled her nose.

  “I’ll let you off with a warning, this time.” He knelt next to her.

  She felt him watching her, studying her process of digging shallow holes, gingerly placing the young plants in the holes and refilling each hole. With a final pat, she sat up on the special wheeled gardening stool.

  “Looks easy enough,” Pierce said.

  “Good. You can start over there and then we’ll meet in the middle.” She’d already suspected that she’d be finished with her side before he finished his. At least there was one thing that she had mastery of over the small-town doctor.

  They worked in easy silence. Haley had remembered to wear a hat with a wide enough brim that covered the upper part of her face and the back of her neck. Pierce wasn’t quite so fortunate.

  “Let’s take a break,” she said, thinking gardening was tougher than it looked.

  “I have six more plants for this row,” Pierce said. He stabbed into the dirt with the small spade she’d given him and flung it aside.

  “Keep doing that and you won’t have enough soil to refill the hole. Be gentle.” She scooted herself over to him. “Here, let me show you.” She took the little gardening spade from him.

  Many manicurists had scolded her for the state of her hands. They’d listen in horror as she told them that she didn’t wear gloves when gardening. Once upon a time, she’d been fastidious about such things.

  Gardening had proved to be one of those activities that she couldn’t enjoy unless her hands touched the soil. There was something magical and powerful that connected her to all living things when she ran her fingers through the dirt. The little plants allowed her to admire and create beauty. In the garden, she didn’t have to live up to anyone’s ideals.

  “You have a knack for this,” Pierce complimented. “I bet you had a banging backyard at your previous house.”

  “I guess I did.” They’d had a landscape company that had mowed, trimmed hedges and performed cosmetic touches to their expansive four-acre property. But she’d had a small plot that they hadn’t been allowed to touch. It had been her little playground with garden vegetables and flowers. Vernon had hated the garden and hated seeing her working in it.

  “What else are you doing?�
�� Pierce asked after they’d completed the row.

  “I think that’s it.”

  “We don’t get to admire our handiwork? Well, mostly your efforts,” Pierce said.

  “I’ll give you points for trying.” She smiled at him.

  He returned the honor with a smile. Haley felt as if a sunlamp had been directed onto her face. A smile shouldn’t have that kind of hypnotic effect. His eyes were magical, too. His gaze had the ability to surround her with an intensity that featured honesty. Its hypnotic effect could only be due to Pierce’s straight-shooter character.

  “Looks like you have a few war wounds.” She brushed her hands off on her shorts and then stretched out his arm for her further examination.

  “Minor,” he said, yet he didn’t take his arm away.

  “I’ve got a medicine cabinet filled with all sorts of remedies. You tend to do that when you have a kid.”

  Haley blushed under his stare. Maybe she was talking too much, but she couldn’t help it. He made her so nervous.

  She turned to head toward the house. He followed. His arm that she had held moments ago had slipped around her waist. She looked up in his face for an answer. All she could do was blink.

  He was always the gentleman around her. And those eyes at this minute didn’t erase that impression. His demeanor had been overlaid by his attraction to her.

  “Here, let me get that,” he said. He adjusted the spaghetti strap that had fallen from her shoulder to her arm.

  “Thanks.” Thank you for being attentive. Thank you, my gorgeous landord, who can rev my heart into high gear. Thank you for touching my skin, she thought. She was surprised that touching her hadn’t scorched his finger. And especially thank you for not removing your hand that is cupping my shoulder, where I can feel each finger leave an imprint, she concluded.

  She tiptoed. Seemed like a good idea since he was at least half a foot or more taller. His eyes narrowed, but he remained silent. Nothing in his body language stopped her or made her hesitate.

  Before the outside world seeped into her consciousness, she slid her hand up his neck and pulled his head down to her.