The Lure of Love (16 page)

She came back
a moment later with the chef in tow. Dark smudges under Leeza’s eyes were
evidence of her inner turmoil.

The
commercial came to a close and Brooke pointed the remote to raise the sound.

“And in the
Fraser Valley today, respected real estate entrepreneur Matthew Weber was found
blameless in a recent mortgage fraud case.” The camera cut to a shot of Matt in
front of a low building, his arm protecting a sleek blonde woman from the
jostling crowds. Reporters shoved microphones in his face and he answered them
with practiced ease. The newscaster continued. “Weber had been accused of
wrongdoing by his former partner, Cole Jackson.” A photo popped up of a
forty-ish man with tousled sandy hair and a pasted-on smile. “In a bizarre turn
of events, Jackson himself has now been charged with mortgage fraud, and stands
to spend up to ten years in jail if convicted.” The newscast cut back to the
picture of Matt and his wife. She looked up at him with adoring eyes as he
responded to another question. “And this is Tracy Kane, reporting from the
Fraser Valley.”

A low moan
broke the silence in the room and Leeza realized it had come from her. She
turned without a word and went back into the kitchen

Brooke
watched her go then turned to Billy. “I might not see you tonight,” she said
quietly. “I have a feeling she’s going to need me.”

Billy gazed
at her adoringly. “That’s why I love you, my sweet. You do what you need to
do.” He brushed his lips against her cheek then turned to Craig. “Come on;
let’s go watch for your lady.”

* * *

“That went
well, wouldn’t you say?” Cassandra followed Matt to the parking lot. “I wasn’t
even sure if you’d get here. Where did you stay last night?”

Matt paused,
one hand on the door of his SUV. “What do you want, Cassandra?”

She moved
closer and trailed a finger suggestively down his arm. “I missed you, Matt, and
I’m sorry about what happened.”

Her scent was
almost overpowering. He wondered how he’d ever been able to stand it. “You’re
sorry?”

She gave him
that helpless look that he used to find so appealing. “You know. That business
with Cole. It was all a mistake.”

He stared at
her in disbelief. “A mistake.” He knew he was repeating her words, but he
couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did she actually think they were going to
get back together? He dropped his hand and turned to face her straight on. It
was important that there be no misunderstanding about what he was going to say.

“It’s over
between us Cassandra. Infidelity is not something you can brush aside as though
it didn’t happen.” He stared into her eyes. “Besides, I’m still not convinced
that you weren’t somehow involved in that mortgage fraud business.” He pulled
open the vehicle door. “But that’s up to the Board to determine.” He got in and
rolled down his window. “I’ll be filing for divorce right away.” He pulled out
and didn’t even notice her in his rear view mirror. He was looking ahead now.

* * *

Matt walked
into his office the next morning and was greeted with cheers from the assembled
agents.

“No speech,”
he said, holding up a hand. “I’m all talked out.” He looked at them with fresh
eyes. They were a good bunch, and had worked hard to make his company the top
real estate office on the lower mainland; no small feat. But he didn’t know
them. Not really. His faith in his fellow man had been shaken this past month
or so. Never again would he take things for granted.

He walked
into his luxurious office and looked around. At least Cassie hadn’t moved his
things out. He’d half expected that she might have taken over his desk. He sat
down and opened his e-mail. He’d sent himself a picture of Leeza at the
waterfall. She looked like a small woodland sprite against the sparkling mist.
He set her as his background picture and leaned back to survey his office.

Awards and
photographs lined the walls, each one silent testament to his steady rise up
the ladder of success. He stared at them for a moment. What did they mean, when
it came right down to it? He’d gained more satisfaction from setting up the
ball diamond at the lake than any ten deals for condos, strip mall
developments, or entirely new communities. He’d seen what touched people’s
lives and it wasn’t this. He sat down and picked up the phone. Time to make
some calls.

“I’m worried
about her.” Jamie and Brooke huddled at their usual table, waiting for Leeza.
“Her heart’s just not in it.” Brooke watched the kitchen door.

Jamie
frowned. “It’s been ten days. I thought maybe she’d have come out of it by
now.”

Brooke toyed
with the papers on the table. “It must be hard for her, seeing the both of us
so happy. I know it would bother me.”

“Do you think
she needs a day off?” Jamie looked around helplessly. “I don’t know if that
would help, but maybe we should ask.”

“Where would
she go? Unless…”

“Unless
what?” Jamie leaned forward eagerly.

“Well, she
keeps talking about the waterfall. Maybe she’d like a day off to go there.”

“Go where?”
They hadn’t noticed Leeza come up behind them. “Who are you talking about?”

“We were
talking about you, actually.” Brooke winced when she saw her friend. Leeza’s
hair was clean, but unstyled, and she still had dark circles under her eyes.
“We were thinking that you need a day off and maybe you’d like to go back to
the waterfall.”

Something
shifted in Leeza’s eyes. “The waterfall,” she said softly. “Yes, I’d like
that.”

A sudden
thought struck Brooke. “You’re not going to do anything foolish, are you?”

It took a
moment for the question to register. “No, you don’t need to worry. I may have a
broken heart, but I’m not suicidal.” She looked at her two friends. “I’d love
to have a day off though. When can I go?”

“How about
tomorrow?”

Leeza smiled
for the first time in days. It was a small smile, but it was a start. “Okay.”

* * *

Leeza woke up
slowly and looked at the clock. There was something different about today but
she couldn’t remember what it was.

Oh yes. She
had the day off. She stretched luxuriously and thought about going back to
sleep, but it was already ten o’clock. Last night was the best sleep she’d had for
ages. Maybe things were starting to turn around.

She swung her
feet onto the floor and raked her fingers through her spiky hair. It was time
to start living again. She stood under the shower until the water turned cold,
then looked at her reflection in the mirror. She’d always had pale skin, but this
was going too far. And those bruised smudges below her eyes. What was up with
that? She leaned closer and silently challenged herself to shape up.

Billy was
re-chalking the lines on the ball diamond when she drove by. She waved at him
and he waved back. He was unfailingly cheerful and it was obvious that he adored
Brooke.  It had been hard to watch the love fest going on between Brooke and
Billy and Jamie and Craig, but she was happy for them. She really was.

She drove
past the land that would eventually be divided into lots and sold off. She
hadn’t been able to bring herself to talk to Jamie about it, because to do that
she’d have to ask about Matt.

There! She’d
thought about him without tears. That was progress, wasn’t it?

The time was
getting on toward lunch, but she didn’t care. She wanted to retrace her steps
from that day with Matt and decided to stop for coffee and a muffin. She sat at
the same table and allowed the memories to flood in, even though it was
painful.

He’d teased
her about her ability to get him to spill his guts. Even now she could recall every
word. But that closeness hadn’t been enough. In the end, he’d gone back to his
wife. Back to his job as the…what had that newscaster called him? Oh yes, a
respected real estate entrepreneur.

Had she ever
really known him? She stared into her coffee. Yes, she knew him. They had
connected on some level far beyond anything she’d ever experienced before. It
had happened the first time they met, and they’d both recognized it. He’d been
like one of those meteors they’d watched together; a bright shooting star in
her life, but he was gone now. She would never forget him, but in spite of the
way she felt now, the future looked promising. She was looking forward to the
changes that would come when the Spa opened. Brooke was already deep into the
plans, huddling with the designer and consulting with the contractor. As soon
as the Labour Day weekend was over they’d start working on the footings for the
new buildings which would be completed over the winter months. Yes, she was
confident that the Lodge would be back on a sound financial footing after the
Spa was established. If only she could feel the same about herself.

She tossed
her cup into the garbage can, returned to her car and headed for the falls. Hopefully
it wouldn’t be too crowded at this time of day.

* * *

It was two in
the morning when Matt climbed into his car. He’d caught a couple of hours of
sleep in preparation for the long drive. He’d been working flat out all week
and this afternoon had signed the final batch of papers transferring ownership
of his company.

Under normal
conditions, the sale of his company would have taken much longer. He had his
top salesmen to thank for getting him out from under so quickly. They had seen
the writing on the wall and had put together an amazing offer and now he was on
his way. He’d packed lightly. Just a few suits and he wasn’t even sure if he’d
need those.

The highway
would be relatively free of traffic. Mainly truckers at this time of night. Perhaps
a few cars as well, but it should be an easy trip. He shoved his bags in the
back of the SUV and looked up. The moon was full now. It seemed like only yesterday
when he and Leeza had commented on the pale light thrown by the new moon. And
yet in other ways it was a lifetime ago.

He paused for
a moment and considered what he was about to do. Was he doing the right thing? Absolutely.
He’d never been surer of anything in his life. He got behind the wheel, drove
through the quiet streets toward the freeway and headed toward his future.

* * *

“Hey Matt!”
Billy greeted him with his usual broad smile when he pulled into the parking
lot. “Good to see you, man!” He stuck his hand through the open window and the
men shook.

Matt got out,
stretched his legs and looked around. “Is she here?”

“Who?”

Matt’s head
snapped around; it took him a moment to realize that Billy was joking.

“You can
check with Brooke. She’s inside, but I think Leeza took the day off.”

Matt’s
shoulders fell. “I guess I didn’t time that very well, did I?” He looked up to
see Brooke standing on the verandah.

“Hello Matt,
is that you?” Her welcoming smile was encouraging. “I suppose you’re looking
for Leeza.”

He was almost
overcome with emotion. It felt so good to be back here among these people. “Yes,”
he said simply. “Can you tell me where she is?”

“She’s gone
to the waterfall.” She looked down at him as though trying to read his
intentions. “I think you know the way.”

“Sure do.” He
turned to Billy. “Gotta go.”

“Matt.”
Brooke leaned out over the railing. “Will you be staying? Jamie’s ready to move
on selling that property.”

He grinned up
at her. “I certainly hope so.” He gave her a jaunty salute then got back in his
car.

* * *

There were
two cars in the parking lot when he pulled in about an hour later. He
recognized Leeza’s and his heart started to race.

He walked the
short trail to the lookout point. As he approached, a couple came up from below
and stopped to catch their breath.

“It’s
beautiful down there,” they said together. Matt smiled and walked to the
guardrail that rimmed the lookout. Mist boiled up and he didn’t see her at
first. He leaned over and spotted her perched on a rock, very close to the spot
she’d been standing when he took her picture. He couldn’t see the expression on
her face but she appeared to be gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

He made his
way down the trail, checking every once in a while to make sure she was still
there. When he finally made it to the bottom he stood looking at her for a few
moments, drinking in the sight of her. It had only been ten days but she looked
thinner. He hoped she hadn’t been sick. He opened his mouth to call to her,
then realized that the sound of the waterfall would drown out his voice.

He pulled out
his cell phone. He’d kept her number on there, his touchstone while he was
sorting out his former life.

He pressed
the dial symbol and waited.

* * *

Leeza had
been thinking about Matt and was momentarily startled at the sound. She didn’t
receive very many calls, and had to pat her pockets to locate the phone. She
pulled it out and answered without checking the call display. “Hello?”

“Turn
around.”

Her mind must
be tricking her because she thought she heard his voice. She crushed the phone
against her ear.

“Turn around
Leeza.”

She rose
reluctantly. Was she dreaming? If so, she didn’t want to wake up. She turned
slowly.

He’d stepped
out onto one of the large flat rocks lining the shore. Mist swirled around him
and she looked again. He was still there.

“Matt?” she
mouthed.

He put his
phone to his ear and she did the same. “Matt?” she repeated. “What are you
doing here?”

“I’m here
because you’re here.” His beautiful mouth curved in a grin. “I love you Leeza.”

She ran
across the rocks and skidded to a halt in front of him. He needed a shave and
he looked tired, but there was something different about him. He looked
confident and relaxed and he was everything she’d ever wanted. “You look
tired,” she said, touching the stubble on his cheeks. Desire raced through her
veins like wildfire.