Love and Leftovers (6 page)

While the lobsters boiled, Tate made a call, his fingers shaking as he dialed the number. "Rebecca? It's Tate."

She groaned. "Did the toilet back up? Shoot. That happened a few times last summer. I can give you the number for our plumber."

"No. Everything's fine with the house. The house is great."

"Oh, you sound panicked. I just assumed something had flooded or burned."

"No, nothing like that, but I do need your help. Things aren't going as planned."

"With the book?"

That too, he thought. "Yes, with the cookbook. Can you come up for a few days and help me work things out?"

"Of course. You sound frantic, and I'll be able to get out of three boring meetings. I'll be there tomorrow."

Tate kept sneaking glances out his window. Mike was gathering things for the beach while Lucy stood on the deck in her bikini. Her arms were crossed as Mike talked to her. She didn't look happy. Tate thought about calling out to her, asking for help with dinner, but she grabbed a towel off the back of a chair and followed Mike and Alexa down to the beach.

Too bad Rebecca can't get here tonight, he thought. Tomorrow might be too late. Mike was a man on a mission who'd be sharing his dinner table soon.

* * *

"Did you know Tate is famous?" Alexa asked her dad as they ate their beach rolls on Tate's deck.

"Famous for what?" Mike asked.

"He has a cooking show on TV," Lucy explained.

Tate rubbed his leg against hers under the table just so he could feel her skin against his. He was suffering serious Lucy withdrawal.

"I guess I'm pretty lucky then, eating food from a famous chef. It's good, thank you." Mike smiled at Tate, but there was a hardness in his eyes. He was a good-looking guy, probably Lucy's age - twenty-six. Still young enough to think his youth alone meant he'd best someone like Tate in a fight, and stupid enough to think such a show of bravado would matter to a woman like Lucy. intimidate another guy.

"I'm up here working on a cookbook. In fact, my agent is joining me tomorrow to help me go over things."

"Oh?" Lucy sounded surprised, and not in a good way.

Mike's smile morphed into a smirk.

"You should all join us for lunch tomorrow. I'm making stuffed grouper."

"We'll be here," Mike said.

"Great." Tate was certain he didn't sound sincere.

* * *

When dinner was over, Lucy started clearing dishes.

"You coming back to the house?" Mike asked.

She didn't look at him. "I'm going to help clean up."

Mike crossed his arms and leaned against the deck railing. "We can wait."

"I'm sure there's a huge mess in the kitchen; I'll be a while. Why don't you take Alexa to the ice cream parlor? It's just a few blocks away. You could walk."

"Please, Daddy?" Alex begged.

"Why don't you come too, Lucy?" Mike asked.

She put her hand over her stomach. "I'm stuffed."

"Come on, before it closes." Alexa grabbed her dad's hand and he reluctantly left.

Once they'd driven off, Tate and Lucy went inside. He set a pan in the sink and started scrubbing it. "I feel like I'm in the middle."

Lucy took two wine glasses from the cupboard. "What do you mean?"

"He wants you back and he wants me out of the way."

"He doesn't want me back. I think he can sense I have feelings for you, and he's jealous." She chose a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and poured them each a glass.

Good, I need a drink, Tate thought as he took a big gulp. "I know how guys work. He's trying to get you back."

Lucy set down her wine and looped her arms around Tate's neck. "It doesn't matter. I don't want him." She dragged her lips across his, not quite a kiss, but sexy as hell nonetheless.

"I hope not." Because you have no idea how much I want you.

She pulled away. "I should go home before they get back."

"Ah. You don't want him to know we're together."

"No, that's not it. I'm pretty sure he knew when he left last week. I just don't want him to think Alexa's not my first priority while we're here."

He squeezed her hand. "Whatever you need to do. When does he leave?"

She laughed. "Day after tomorrow."

"Good."

* * *

Lucy sat on the couch reading a book, not really following the story as she listened for Mike's return.

Alexa fell asleep on Mike even before their movie ended, and he'd carried her up to bed. If only he'd been around more to do that before the divorce, maybe they'd still be together.

And you never would have met Tate, said a smug voice in her head.

Mike came back down, and sat on the couch next to her. He nudged her with his elbow. "So, you and the TV chef, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's none of your business. I'm sure you've been on plenty of dates."

"And it only made me realize what we had was special."

Her throat tightened. "You didn't want what we had. You were never around."

Mike dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. After a few moments, he looked at her. "I've done a lot of growing up since the divorce, and Alexa really wants us to be a family again." He set his hand on her leg.

She removed it. "You just don't like the idea of someone else having me."

"I'm thinking of Alexa and what's best for everyone."

Lucy said nothing. Alexa would be the happiest girl in the world if her parents got back together, but it was too late. Wasn't it?

"I'm going to bed," Lucy stated as she stood.

Mike closed his eyes and nodded. "I'm taking Alexa to the water park tomorrow, want to come?"

"We'll see."

Why hadn't she just said no?

* * *

Lucy was awakened by car doors slamming. It was ten a.m. Alexa had slept late. No doubt, Mike hadn't been strict with her bedtime during their week together. Stretching, she peeked out the window and saw Tate greeting a gorgeous blonde. Probably his agent. Tate's grin was huge as he hugged her. Was this more than just a meeting about the cookbook? Her heart quickened.

Lucy quickly got dressed and twisted her hair up in a knot. She thought about putting on makeup, but realized that was a dead giveaway that she was worried about this woman.

She'd started making pancakes and bacon when Alexa wandered down from her bedroom. "Where's Daddy?"

"Sleeping in the apartment." Her hand shook as she flipped a pancake, trying to sneak a peek in Tate's backyard.

"I'm going to get him up." Alexa galloped to the stairway that led to the apartment.

Tears welled in Lucy's eyes and she couldn't figure out why.

The smells of breakfast filled the kitchen. It had been a bad idea to let Mike stay here. Spending time together felt too much like the old days. It had to be confusing for Alexa - and for her.

After a few minutes, Alexa ran into the kitchen wearing her bathing suit and snorkeling gear. "We're going to the water park!" She shrieked.

Mike wandered into the room, rubbing his eyes with his fist.

"Staying at the beach isn't as relaxing as you thought, is it?" she asked him.

"No, it's been great being here with you guys."

"Let's eat outside. It's a beautiful morning," Lucy suggested. "Grab your plates."

They filed outside and sat down. Lucy glanced over and saw Tate and his agent on their back deck. Lucy waved, and Tate started walking over.

"Who's that with him?" Mike asked, shading his eyes.

"His agent."

Tate walked up the steps and his agent followed, even more beautiful than Lucy had thought at first glance. "Rebecca, I'd like you to meet my neighbors for the summer. This is Lucy, her ex-husband, Mike, and their daughter Alexa."

"So nice to meet you," Rebecca said.

"You, too," Lucy said, suddenly self-conscious. "My friend Cory is letting me stay here this summer. It's been a joy."

Mike stood up and offered his hand. "I'm just here for a few days visiting Alexa."

"Nice to meet you." Rebecca shook his hand a bit longer than she needed to. "It's a great day for the beach. I'm heading down there soon."

"So are we," Mike said.

"What about the water park?" Alexa whined.

"We'll do that tomorrow," Mike said. "Let's go see if any mermaids washed on shore."

Alexa's eyes widened. "Okay, let's go!"

"Finish breakfast first," Lucy said.

"Aww, Mom," Alexa said.

"Yeah, aww, Mom," Mike whined.

Rebecca laughed. "Will you join us?" She asked Lucy.

"Sure."

Tate grinned. "Me, too. I've always wanted to see a mermaid."

* * *

From the way Rebecca looked in her bathing suit, Lucy was certain she'd never had children. Or eaten any of Tate's food. Rebecca and Mike threw a Frisbee on the beach while Alexa hunted for shells - and mermaids. Of course she'd changed out of the snorkeling gear and into her mermaid costume for the search.

"See?" Lucy said, swooping her hand toward Rebecca and Mike. "He's not trying to get me back. The minute an attractive woman shows up, he's gone like a dog after a stick."

"Good. Now I can have a few moments alone with you. I miss just being me and you."

Lucy lowered her sunglasses to look at him. "It's never going to be just me. Alexa is always going to be part of the picture, you know." Her throat was thick. Their week together hadn't been real. It would never be like that again, with all the time in the world to do whatever they wanted alone together. That had all been a summer fantasy.

Tate frowned. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. Alexa is wonderful. I spend so much time thinking about what recipes I could surprise her with."

"You do?"

He nodded. "Yes. What I meant was I wanted time alone with you, away from him."

The wind kicked up and blew over their umbrella. Tate ran to get it and stuck it back in the sand. It reminded Lucy of how the whole thing between the two of them felt - very unstable.

"You and Rebecca are just friends?" Lucy asked.

"She's my agent. I'm not sure I'd even say she was a friend."

"You've never ... "

He gave her a look. "No."

She settled back in her chair. "Good. I don't want to share you, either."

He smiled and, after making sure no one was watching, leaned over to kiss her.

Mike carried Alexa on his back up from the ocean, with Rebecca following. "When's a good time to sit down and go over the cookbook stuff?" She asked Tate. "I want to show Mike and Alexa the lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, do you two want to come?"

"We can go over the cookbook tomorrow morning. Enjoy yourself today. I'm going to work on a few things this afternoon."

Rebecca looked at her. "Lucy?"

"No, I'm good. I might take a nap - I didn't sleep well last night."

Rebecca shrugged. "Okay. You guys ready?"

* * *

Tate couldn't believe how well his plan was working. Mike led Alexa and Rebecca to his truck. After they drove away, Tate took Lucy by the hand and they ran back to his house, leaving the umbrella and chairs on the beach.

"They'll be gone at least an hour," Tate said as he tumbled into bed with Lucy.

"That's not enough time," Lucy said.

He kissed her as he undressed her. When he worked his way up her neck to her lips, she groaned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not. Tell me." He rolled off her and sat on the bed, watching her.

"I don't want to get back together with Mike, I really don't. But you're right, I did think he was trying to patch things up. But then a beautiful woman shows up and I'm off his radar like that." She snapped her fingers. "How many times can he hurt me? Why was I never important enough to him?"

Tate shook his head. "I figured he'd do that."

She pulled back from him. "What?"

"I thought when I invited my agent here, he'd make a move. She's single and very flirty."

"Is that why you invited her here?" Her voice was flat.

"I did need to talk to her about my cookbook. Her being a diversion was a bonus." He reached for her hand but she pulled away. "I panicked, Lucy. I don't want to lose you."

"So you thought you'd manipulate the situation without telling me? I spent six years with a man who never told me anything - where he was going, who he was with. And I didn't like it." She slid on her cover-up. "I need to take a walk."

He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing but just watched her leave. He'd screwed things up enough already. It was like he'd baked a perfect soufflé - and then dropped it. This was turning out as well as his new cookbook.

He groaned and fell back on the bed.

* * *

Lucy walked down to the beach and brought their chairs and towels back to the house, trying to figure out why she was so upset. Tate had invited another woman here to distract Mike. That meant he liked her, but what he'd done wasn't considerate of her. What if she wanted to be with Mike, and Tate had ruined that?

She brushed the sand off her hands. If Mike could be so easily distracted from trying to get her back, she should thank Tate. Tate wanted her, and she'd never felt that desire from Mike. Not really.

Mike's truck pulled into the driveway. She took a step back as they climbed out. Alexa ran over. "We got to climb inside the lighthouse! It was so high up we could see everything, the whole wide world!"

Lucy squeezed Alexa's shoulders. "Sounds like you had fun."

"I'm going to see how Tate's getting along with his work," Rebecca said and jogged up the steps to the other house.

Lucy scooped up Alexa. "You need a nap, kiddo."

Alexa didn't protest.

"Mind if I'm not back until after dinner?" Mike asked. "Rebecca and I were going to hit some antique stores and then grab something to eat."

"Of course not. I know how you love antiquing." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Sure you don't want to stay and talk more about getting back together?"

Mike sighed.

"Have fun, and be on your way tomorrow morning." Lucy carried Alexa to her bedroom and tucked her in for a nap.