Foolish Notions (6 page)

Yeah, right, Samantha thought, as she
held the woman in a tight embrace.

“I’ll never be able to
thank you enough.” Marie sobbed in her ear.

Samantha pulled away. “I’m
going to need your doctor’s name and number so I can talk with
him. And I also need to call my work.”

James didn’t even bother to take
his briefcase into the office or hang his jacket in the closet when
he walked into the house. Sheer exhaustion drove him to let the items
fall to the floor in a heap in the foyer. He would worry about them
later, preferably in the morning after a long night’s sleep.

As he rolled his neck, it snapped and
cracked a few times, relieving the pressure, which had increased to
extreme pain, the moment Raymond had told him about the leak. A loud
growl came from his midsection; he was not only dog-tired, he was
starving. He hadn’t eaten since Shelly, his secretary, had
brought him a blueberry muffin at noon. Coffee was all he had managed
to get down before that. No wonder it felt as if he was going to
collapse alongside the things at his feet. He rubbed his stomach.
Food would have to wait—he wanted to see his mom first.

Taking a step toward the stairs, he
stopped instantly. Moving his head from side to side he sniffed the
air. That scent. He closed his eyes and savored the fragrance that
engulfed his senses.

Under the influence of her perfume,
dozens of memories popped in his head. Images, of Samantha’s
lips, her fingers, her hips, and her toes. Lovemaking and picnics.
Visions of how their bodies intertwined together as they slept in
every Saturday, and visions of late romantic dinners on the patio
beneath the stars, teased and tricked him. He believed she was there.
He sensed her. He felt her.

The ache in his stomach changed into an
intense hunger that no food could ever sedate. The powerful memories
took him by surprise. Images uncontrollably inundated his thoughts.
Some were of times they had shared together. He could see her in the
kitchen cooking, in the garden planting, and in his bed smiling.

But some were also of events that
hadn’t happened, although he had wanted them so desperately to.
Visions of children popped into his head, small fingers and toes to
kiss and tickle.

Suddenly his eyes sprang open; he
gripped the railing at his side. God, he was glad he hadn’t
come home any sooner. If this was what happened just smelling her
perfume, he didn’t dare to think of how he’d have reacted
if he’d actually seen her.

As he climbed the stairs he redirected
his thoughts to his mom. He hoped her spirits hadn’t been
broken after speaking with Samantha. She had seemed so cheerful this
morning, and he didn’t want her to lose that.

“Hi.” He was pleasantly
surprised to see his mom sitting in a chair by the window. She was
typically in bed by this time of day. She was never one to stay up
late. And now that she was sick she seemed to retire even earlier. He
kissed her softly on the brow. “It’s good to see you up.”

“It feels good to be up,”
she said enthusiastically. “For some reason I’m not
tired.”

He said a silent thank-you to Samantha
for letting his mom down easy. Marie obviously didn’t show any
ill effects from the reunion. He should have known Samantha would
come through. She always did. “Good. You need to be in good
health and spirits when you start your treatment.” He leaned
down again. “What’s that smell?”

“I believe it’s the perfume
you bought me for Mother’s Day.” Marie raised her wrist.
“I haven’t felt like getting myself all fixed up lately.
It just doesn’t seem worth it if I’m going to be sitting
around the house all day. But like I said, I’m feeling really
good today.”

“It smells nice.” God, if
this is what Samantha could accomplish just by talking with his
mother, he should have called her weeks ago. The transformation was
amazing.

“How was work?” Marie asked
seriously.

“Long,” he said with a
sigh. “I finally closed the Malone deal, though,” he
added with a positive tone.

Marie smiled proudly. “Wonderful.
You’ve been working on that one for awhile.”

He held his fingers up. “Three
months.”

“Maybe a celebration is in
order,” she said with a wink.

A smile spread across his face. “Wow,
you are feeling better.” His eyes narrowed mischievously. “What
did you have in mind?”

“Let’s go bar hopping.”

The burst of laughter couldn’t be
contained as he tilted his head back and expressed his amusement. He
indulged her. “Where to?”

Marie drummed her fingers. “We
could start at that bar down on Sunup Drive. I heard that’s
where you young kids go to do . . . what do they call them?
Shooters?” She turned and looked at him seriously. “Now,
what exactly are shooters?”

“Never mind, Mom.”

She shook her head, disregarding the
thought. “What’s the name of that place? Do you know
which one I’m talking about?”

Of course he knew which bar she was
referring to. That was the nightclub where he had met Samantha. They
had gone there often while they were together. It was their exclusive
place that reminded them of when they met. “Nightlight.”

“Nightlight, that’s it.
Well, we could start there and end up God only knows where,”
she said with a hoot.

“I don’t know if I’m
up for a night of bar hopping.” He moved to close the window.
“I have to be up early tomorrow.”

“Spoilsport.”

“I know, I know. But one of us
has to—”

“Marie—”

James halted in mid-turn when he heard
the voice. His smile disappeared as his gaze moved to the other side
of the room, searching the vicinity the voice had come from. It took
only moments for him to find the object that was causing his heart to
pummel against his chest like a drum keeping a turbulent tempo. The
glimpse prompted his eyes to find hers in hopes they weren’t
viciously deceiving him. When his eyes met with Samantha’s for
the first time in a year, her words trailed off into an uncertain
whisper. She slowly faded into a blur and then came back into focus.
He shook his head to clear it.

James’s gaze went to the neatly
folded stack of clothes in her arms before it shifted upward to the
golden streaks that highlighted her hair. The gorgeous, blond mane
was swept back into a loose ponytail. The warm hues enhanced her
face, which didn’t have a trace of makeup on it. Her slender
figure was clad in capri pants and a silk tank top. He studied her
eyes.

His gaze remained fixed on her, just as
it had the first time he had seen her—an unbreakable stare. She
looked the same. Her natural beauty still radiated from her,
producing a wholesome, sweet glow. If he hadn’t known some of
the things they had done together he would have thought her childlike
innocence was authentic. Yes, she looked the same. She blinked, and
it caused him to really inspect the clear blue surrounded by sandy
lashes. Something was missing. Physically, she was as stunning as
always, but there was definitely something different about her. He
took an unconscious step forward. Her eyes didn’t shimmer like
they used to. They were sad eyes.

“James? Did you hear me?”
Marie asked.

“Huh?” He reluctantly moved
his attention from Samantha to his mom. “Sorry. What?”

“We have found our nurse,”
she said happily. “Samantha is going to take care of me. Isn’t
that wonderful?”

His eyes darted back to Samantha. “I—I
thought—” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Are
you going to—” He cleared his throat.

“James,” Marie said firmly.
“James?”

“May I talk with you?”
James muttered to Samantha.

Samantha opened her mouth, closed it
again. Then said, “Sure.”

“Alone,” he said as he
turned and left the room.

“Sure.” The word snapped
out much too fast.

Marie said nothing as she watched
Samantha leave the room.

* * * * *

Samantha’s heart boomed as she
followed him down the hall. She paused at the top of the stairs to
catch her breath as he continued on. Her hand covered her heart as
she fought to control her breathing. Oh, my God, oh, my God. The
phrase not only echoed inside her head but in her heart, too. Had she
made the right decision? This was going to be much harder than she
had planned. She hadn’t been prepared for what she was going to
feel when she saw him.

The feelings that she had for him so
long ago couldn’t still be lingering inside her, could they?
She knew the answer to that. She had loved him too deeply, too
completely, for them to just fade away. Even after what he’d
done.

For the last year she had tried to
forget everything about James, especially how handsome and masculine
he was. At night was the hardest, alone in her bed. Memories of how
it felt to be held and loved by him consumed her. She would lie awake
for hours aching for someone to hold her and touch her. She thought
the absence of a man in her bed for a year had somehow made her
exaggerate how virile James was. It was just the opposite. He was
that and more, no exaggeration was needed. Seeing him tonight was
proof of that.

She found him in the kitchen. He was
rummaging through the refrigerator for something to eat. Neither one
of them spoke as she took a seat at the bar. She could tell he was
contemplating what to say. He always busied himself when he was
deciding on something he wasn’t sure about. If his back were
not to her, she would be able to see the deep crease that formed
between his brows when he was in thought. She had seen it many times.
When they were playing a game of chess or when he was poring over
reports. She would touch that deep crease, rub it until it softened,
and then tell him he was too serious. The gesture always caused him
to smile.

“Want one?” James asked, as
he tossed the fixings for a sandwich on the counter.

“No, thank you.” She tried
to interpret his expression. “Are you angry with me?”

He shook his head, unable to look at
her. “Anger is not what I’m feeling.”

“Then what is it?” As she
watched him she realized that he truly didn’t appear to be
angry. Instead, he looked confused. It wasn’t often that James
Taylor was at a loss, but clearly he was now.

“I didn’t think you’d
be here. I didn’t think that you’d—” He was
quiet for a moment. “I just didn’t think you’d be
here,” he finally said.

“I’m sorry to disappoint
you.”

“I’m not disappointed.”
For the first time since they’d come downstairs he looked at
her. “I’m not disappointed, I’m surprised.”

She stifled a nervous laugh. “To
be honest with you, so am I.”

James returned to arranging cheese and
greens on a slice of bread that he had coated with mayo. “Why?
I don’t understand.”

“I think she really needs me.”

“I’m sure she does, but . .
.” His voice faded away and he moved back to the refrigerator.

“But what?” she asked
curiously.

He shook his head and lifted his
shoulders as he dropped more items on the counter. “How is this
going to work?”

“I’m going to take care of
your mom.”

There was a long silence, and then he
looked up at her again. “And it’s as simple as that?”

“It has to be as simple as that.”

“And if it’s not?”

“We don’t have to make this
complicated, James.” Good God, it wasn’t going to be that
simple but she couldn’t tell him that. She didn’t even
know how to explain to him why she had agreed to the job, because she
herself didn’t know the answer. Maybe it was her sick way of
trying to prove to herself that she was over him. Or perhaps she was
trying to conquer a deep emotional yearning. Hell, maybe she just
wanted to torture herself. Who knew? She sure didn’t.

“Isn’t it already
complicated?”

“It doesn’t have to be.
We’ll make this work,” she said confidently. “We
have to make it work, for Marie.”

Nodding, he said, “You don’t
have to do this.”

“I want to do this.”

James pressed the completed sandwich
together. “You’re sure?” He took a bite of the
sandwich, chewed, and then swallowed. “I’m afraid I won’t
have enough time to find a new nurse if you change your mind.”

“I won’t change my mind.”
She watched him take another bite before adding, “I love her,
too.”

The intensity of compassion and warmth
in her voice made him turn toward her. “I know you do.”

“I’m not going to back out,
if that’s what you’re worried about.” She was a
woman of her word. Once she decided to do something she did it.

“What about your job? This is a
full-time position.”

“I’ve already taken care of
it. I was due for some time off.” The truth was, after she left
James, she had worked nonstop. Her supervisor had expressed concern
that she might be working herself too hard. In a year she hadn’t
taken any vacation time or sick leave. She was always the first to
volunteer to pull a double shift or to cover for someone else. When
she called her supervisor this afternoon and told her she needed some
time off, she was more than happy to give it to her.

His eyes found hers. Staring deeply
into the warm blue pools, he spoke. “I don’t know what to
say.”

She didn’t either. “A
thank-you will do.”

His voice dropped. “Samantha, you
know I thank you. I just don’t think ‘thank you’ is
adequate. You have gone beyond the call of duty as a nurse and
friend.” And ex-girlfriend. “This job isn’t going
to be easy and the circumstances are just as difficult, yet you are
willing to do this. I thank you more than you’ll ever know.”

Samantha gently smiled. He was making
her sound like a saint. She wasn’t entirely certain her motives
for taking the job were that commendable. Right now, there wasn’t
much she was sure of. “I spoke with her doctor today. You know
her treatment is going to be aggressive. I don’t know what
you’ve been told but this isn’t going to be easy on her.
She is more than likely going to be very sick and weak.”