Passionate Bid (23 page)

“Right.”

“Well, thank you. And please pass the message to Joanie.” Carmen repeated, obviously eager to close out a deal.

“I will Carmen, but listen…”

“Yes?”

Julian knew what he was about to tell Carmen would really upset Joanie, but he had to do this. It didn”t take him long to say what he wanted to say. He pulled a horrendous idea that made Carmen screamed, “What?” Poor Carmen. She sputtered and sighed, but she acquiesced and promised to come meet him pronto.

Joanie needed the money—desperately. He should have figured it out. Why else would she dance at the Mermaid if she hadn”t needed money? So his little wife offered him a deal so she wouldn”t have to sell Sam”s woods. But why sell the property? Didn”t Saint Claire leave her anything? Well, he”d find out soon. Julian closed the door and left the home he learned to love in a very short time.

There was only one beamer parked outside the hotel. If he was right, Georgina was still in her room. Julian approached the desk. The receptionist looked tired and was on the phone. The woman said hold on and then covered the receiver. “Can I help you?”

“I lost my key and forgot my room number. The room is under my girlfriend”s name—Georgina Myers.”

“Is Miss Myers in the room?”

“Yes.”

“I”ll have to call—” The other phone line started ringing. She sighed

“You can call Georgina. She”s in our room.”

“It”s okay.” She quickly checked her computer and then opened a drawer in front of her. She took a keycard, swiped it on a machine and then tucked it into a small envelope. She wrote the room number on the outside. “Here you go,” she said then resumed talking on the phone.

That was easy, he thought. Jesus, the hotel was practically empty. Everyone was hurting because of the collapse of the economy. Even he and his partner felt it.

It didn”t take long before he reached Georgina”s suite. He rapped on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Open the door, Georgina.”

The door opened. Georgina practically flew and landed on his chest. She started crying, mumbling something about shock and a horrible mother.

It took extra effort to extract Georgina from her hold on his neck. As soon as she let go of him, he walked into the room. It looked like she was in the process of packing when he knocked on the door. And by the looked of it, she was in a hurry, too. “Going somewhere?”

Georgina looked at her room. More toys, all pink, were scattered everywhere. “Well, I thought I should go to the hospital and check on your baby. I heard she was taken there.”

“How?”

“Joanie”s neighbor works here as a housekeeper. She told me.”

“So you heard that Sam almost died.”

“No. I didn”t hear that part. Well, I”ll go back to our apartment since you”re busy—”

“Busy saving my daughter”s life.”

“Oh, Julian. It must have been horrible. I”m so sorry. How is she? You said she almost died. So she”s okay, right? Is Joanie with her right now?”

“Would you leave your daughter in the hospital after nearly losing her because someone mixed a can of cashew nuts among the stuffed toys?”

“No, of course not. Uhm, you…found the can?”

“Yes. With your name written all over it.”

“Julian, what are you accusing me of? Hurting a child is, is…”

“A crime. An attempted murder. I almost lost my daughter because of you.

You went to see Joanie not only to give her her mother”s precious heirloom, which you broke in half, but also to get rid of Sam. You have no idea what you”ve done to her. She couldn”t breathe, Georgina.”

“Julian, listen. I—”

“I suggest you leave town now and don”t you dare show up at my apartment.

If you do, you”ll find yourself filing your nails in jail.” Before his eyes, Georgina”s sweet face contorted in anger. He couldn”t believe he”d lain with this woman. She was nothing but a vile evil thing.

“You want that brat and her mother, huh? Asshole! You made me believe that you love me, that you would marry me. You are not fucking fair. What happened to your fucking promises? Huh? Does Joanie know your sweet words?”

“You forgot, it”s been a month since you left. Whatever promises I gave you, you flushed them in the toilet when you walked away because you couldn”t accept me for what I am.”

“Whatever. Fine, go to your wife and daughter. Don”t come back to me when you find out your wife is nothing but a cold fish in bed.” Julian laughed. “Is that why you think I”m staying here? To find out if my wife is good in bed? Georgina, I”ve never met a more remarkable woman in my life than Joanie. She gave me her body because she loved me and expected nothing in return. Even after what I did to her, she took me into her house, fed me, and didn”t deny me my right to know our child. Contrary to what you believe about her, she didn”t sign the papers because of my money. In and out of bed, Georgina, Joanie is a simple woman with simple needs and a big heart. And she loves reading to my grandma.”

“Julian, sweetheart—”

“Stop it. If it were up to me, I”d file murder charges against you. But I”ll leave it up to Joanie to decide what to do with you. She has a heart of gold, but I tell you—if she saw you right now, she”d do more than cut your hair. You know how these wives are. And Joanie”s no different. She will bite your head off.” 271

Julian didn”t mention the phone call to Joanie. He”d wait until Sam was in bed for a nap, and then they would talk. Oh, yeah. They would talk.

No one who saw Sam right now would believe that yesterday she was an inch away from death. His little girl was bending over peering down a small puddle, hoping to see a tadpole or a crab. She was talking to Dolly, asking the doll if she had seen anything with scales. He laughed at that. Julian didn”t think Sam would see one, but he told her that she might spot one later after she had her lunch. He looked at Joanie. His wife looked so tired he bet she”d fall over if she weren”t leaning against the porch”s post.

“Sam, hon. We need to go inside. We have to feed your little tummy. And Mama looks like she needs something to eat, too.”

“I don”t want the one that made me sick. Ick!”

“No, hon. Only good food this time. Let”s go.”

“Okay. I want cornflakes with milk and butter and sugar and a spoon.”

“We”ll see.” Julian picked up Sam and carried her on his shoulders.

Joanie opened the front door for them, still not saying anything. He hated it.

He wished she would lash at him, hit him, whatever. Not like this. Her silence was deafening. He bet she wished he wasn”t here with them sharing lunch and talking to Sam. She had told him to leave, but because of what happened he couldn”t bring himself to get in his car and do just that.

He would talk to Joanie, and if she still wanted him out, then he”d leave.

Sam ate her sandwich and finished half a glass of orange juice before she looked for her sketchpad to draw more butterflies. He remained on his chair and watched Joanie clean the table.

“Are you tired of watching me yet? You”ve been doing that all night. When I opened my eyes this morning, you were staring at me. What, did I grow an extra head overnight?”

“You”re finally talking to me?”

“Would you rather that I don”t?”

“No, love. I don”t mind hearing your voice morning, noon, and night. And if I”d been offered a job of watching you all day and night, I”d gladly take it. I like looking at you. Watching you, Joanie, is like standing on the edge of the meadow filled with blooming flowers. So beautiful. So wonderful. So enchanting.”

“Oh, dear. I am not a painting, Julian.”

“You”re better than a painting. You”re warm, alive, and…I love you.” Joanie almost dropped the plate she was drying. Since yesterday, her nerves were worse than when she started having labor pains. She could hear her heart beat loud in her ears when Julian left the hospital to get Sam”s doll. It took him a long time and he didn”t return until late. The whole time he was gone, she kept thinking what he was doing and where he was, if he was okay. She saw how distraught with grief he was from the moment they saw Sam lying on the floor. She couldn”t help but think that perhaps he was blaming himself for what had happened and decided to stay away from them, to be alone, to think.

It had crossed her mind, too, that maybe he left without saying goodbye. But when he showed up looking like he had a fight with himself, eyes red, holding a bouquet of flowers for Sam and her, balloons that the nurse took away because there were so many, and the biggest blowup butterfly she”d ever seen, she cried.

Yes, his gesture was touching, but seeing him again was what had made her emotions open like the floodgates. She didn”t want him to leave. But she was afraid to show what she truly felt.

Julian obviously loved his daughter and it was her fault that Sam nearly died. If she weren”t so hung up on her own hurt feelings, she would have watched Sam. All night, she believed that Julian saw her as an unfit mother. She couldn”t cook, or clean, she danced erotically at the bar, and it looked like she failed as a mother as well. So why did he say what he”d just said. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

Joanie looked at the man she never stopped loving sitting on the chair with his legs stretched in front of him with one ankle on top of another. His arms were crossed on his chest. He wasn”t smiling.

“But I think I heard you wrong.”

“What did you hear?”

“You said, you said that…I didn”t quite get it.”

“I—love—you—Joanie. There. Is that clearer now?”

“But why? I am nothing but a twit and a mother who couldn”t even take care of her own daughter. A mother who had to dance practically naked at the sleazy—

”

“To put food on the table.”

“I can”t cook, that isn”t—”

“You tried. And I love my food well done.”

“I”m a horrible mother who plans to sell her daughter”s precious woods.”

“I am sure for a good reason. Joanie, I know you”ll give your life for Sam and no way on earth that you”d hurt her on purpose. Now, tell me why you have to sell the woods.”

“I need the money.”

“We all do.”

“You do?”

“Honey, even Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, has bills to pay every month.

So?”

“Look around you, Julian. I am sure you noticed that this house is falling apart.”

“I did notice, but when I met you all thoughts about the mold, bowed porch, stained ceiling and foggy windows disappeared. With you, in this house, everything looks wonderful, beautiful. No mansion or penthouse could beat this house. You made this place a home, a place where any man would want to come home to.”

Joanie didn”t know what to say to that. Julian grinned. Drat the man. He knew he rattled her senses and was now enjoying her discomfort.

“Well, that is surely the nicest thing anyone has said to me. Thank you, but the reality is I need to do something about this home. The carpenter told me that it”s important that I replaced the roof because it leaks, the windows because they can”t stop the draft from coming in, and the ceiling—moldy from the water stains.

Living around mold and drafty rooms is not good for Sam. I don”t have money to spend on that. I closed my painting shop when Dad died. I couldn”t afford the rent.

I owe the bank money from when Sam got sick last time. The only way to solve my problems is to sell the woods. I know Sam loves that place. But I love her, too. And she, her health, is more important than anything.

“But then you showed up. I saw an opportunity to avoid selling the lot. Your money.”

“Which you don”t want any more. You signed the forms in exchange of me leaving. And you went ahead and contacted your agent to tell her that you changed your mind and want to sell the property to her client.”

“Yes. How did you know about that?”

“Your Windermere agent called.”

“Yeah?”

“Sam”s Woods is sold.”

Wham! The news hit her so hard it paralyzed her. She heard a sound of her plate shattering as it hit the floor, but the sound seemed far away. Joanie groped for something to hold onto when the kitchen began to tilt.

Son of a bitch! Julian was on his feet right away when Joanie swayed like a tree. He barely managed to break her fall. He scooped her up, carried her into the living room and set her on his lap. Joanie fought him, pushing his chest, urging him to release his hold on her. He didn”t. Damn, he”d surprised her. But he thought she was set on selling the property?

Julian pressed Joanie”s head against his chest, planting kisses on her hair.

Hot tears soaked his shirt, but he didn”t care. More likely, he”d keep the shirt unwashed. To preserve her tears, her scent. “Honey, I”m sorry.” Joanie sighed and rubbed her nose on his shirt. “Sorry. You”re shirt is—”

“Shhh…Don”t worry about it.” Man, she”d give him hell if he told her the truth of what happened to the woods, of the deal he”d made without talking to her first. But buyers never talked to sellers. They both went through their agents.

“I”m sorry for breaking down like this. Normally, I am stronger and hardly cry.”

Julian recalled calling her a crybaby because she was a softy. “It”s understandable. And if I could hold you like this while you cry, I don”t mind at all.”

“I soaked your shirt.”

“No problem, hon. You could wipe your nose with it, too.”

“Afraid I already did.”

“I don”t mind.”

“Julian, the woods. Losing it is like losing Dad all over again. But I have to sell it, you understand? I”m not a bad mama.”

“Of course you”re not.”

“Dad bought the property for Sam so she could run around there to find bugs. And he… he.” Joanie swallowed. “He built the bridge for Sam so they could pretend to be fishing and to keep Sam”s feet from having to cross the creek.”

“Joanie, I have to tell you something.” Julian tipped her chin up to look at her. Her eyes were red and her face blotchy. He”d never seen a more beautiful woman than her.

Without saying anything, he dipped his head for a kiss. Joanie met him more than half way. He meant to give her a comforting kind of kiss. A quick touching of their lips. But the moment he felt her soft lips, his body came to life, especially the part directly beneath her bottom. He nipped her bottom lip and she opened for him. Their tongues met, sharing essence of taste that sent his senses spiraling down to the abyss of passion.