The Lure of Love (17 page)
“You too” he
said, cupping her face in his hands. “But we can fix that.” He kissed her,
gently at first and then with all the pent-up passion he’d been saving up since
the first day he saw her.
When they
finally broke apart she looked into his eyes and saw her future. “Come on,” she
said, and held out her hand. “Let’s go home.”
Ten months
later
“I didn’t
know there would be this many cameras.” Brooke spoke to Craig in an undertone.
“Although I suppose there’s no such thing as too much publicity.”
Between Craig
and Billy, the opening of The Spa at Long Lake would have more than its share
of news coverage. Billy, who still actively endorsed several products, had a
lot of connections with media, and had cashed in on them. One of Craig’s
friends had been fascinated by the story of the three women partners, and had chosen
to make his own documentary featuring both the fishing lodge and the spa.
Jamie, Brooke
and Leeza had cut the ribbon earlier, accompanied by cheers. Friends,
neighbours, former guests, tradesmen, even Nettie…they were all there to help
the three couples celebrate their new endeavour and to wish Jamie and Craig
well. They had been married the previous month and honeymooned in the Cook
Islands. Jamie was still tanned; she’d never looked happier.
* * *
A car pulled
into the parking lot and Billy broke away from Brooke’s side. He didn’t
recognize the man behind the wheel. “Hello there, may I help you?” he asked,
scanning the vehicle for more passengers. The man was alone.
He climbed
out and looked around. “Am I too late?”
Billy’s eyes
narrowed. “Too late for what? I’m afraid this is a private function.”
“Too late for
the Grand Opening.” He pulled himself up to his full height. “I’m Brad
Stephens. Brooke’s father.”
Billy
swallowed his surprise. “I’m afraid you are, sir. But Brooke is here.” He looked
up and she was walking toward them, her expression unreadable. She slipped her
arm through Billy’s. “Hello, Father.”
The man
looked nervous and Billy felt a jolt of pity for him, but this was Brooke’s
show.
“I’ve been
hearing about this place and I wanted to come and congratulate you.” His eyes
showed his appreciation for the refinished exterior of the Lodge and the
beautifully landscaped grounds leading to the Spa. “I hear you’re a born
entrepreneur.”
“I’ve had
help.” She squeezed Billy’s arm. “Where did you hear all this?”
Brad Stephens
gave a sad smile. “I’ve been following your career ever since you left home.”
He swallowed. “I’m proud of you, Brooke; your mother would have loved this
place.”
Brooke
relaxed. “Thank you…Dad.” She released Billy’s arm and started leading her
father toward the Spa. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Billy watched
them go; the woman he loved and the father who had unwittingly shaped her into
the woman she had become.
Brad leaned
over and murmured to his daughter. “Isn’t that Billy Talbot? I think they call
him Slick Billy.”
Brooke
glanced over her shoulder, her eyes full of love. “No, that’s not Slick Billy.
That’s Billy Talbot, the man I’m going to marry.”
* * *
“I’ve got bad
news and I’ve got good news.” Matt walked into the kitchen, where Leeza
insisted on overseeing the food preparations personally.
She looked
up, dark eyes flashing. “Let’s have the bad news.”
“The bad news
is, your hors d’oeuvres are all gone.”
“And the good
news?”
“The good
news is, they want more.”
“Of course
they do.” She handed him another tray. “Here, take these out.”
He looked
around. “Don’t you have staff to do this?”
She pretended
glare at him. “Matt Weber, are you getting all uppity on me? Just because you
sold every one of those lots in six weeks doesn’t mean you can sass me, you
know.”
“I know.” He
slid the tray onto a rack, suddenly serious. “Actually, the good news is
something else.”
She looked
up. There was something in his tone…
“Yes?” she
said breathlessly.
“My divorce finally
came through.” He fumbled in his pocket and brought out a small box.
“Will you
marry me, Leeza Campeau?” He opened the box and took out a square cut diamond
in a platinum setting. Caught in a beam of sunlight, it sparkled enticingly.
But Leeza scarcely looked at it. She had eyes only for Matt.
“Marry me,
Leeza so we can make lots of babies.”
She met him
half way across the kitchen and he slipped the ring on her finger. She smiled up
at him through tears of happiness. “I can’t think of anything I’d like better.”
*
* * The End * * *
Thank
you for reading.
If
you enjoyed The Lure of Love,
please
leave a review
where
you purchased it.
Please
continue reading for an excerpt from
Blogging
From the Heart
For
a complete list of Mona Ingram’s e-books,
Visit
her Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/author/monaingram.com
Mona’s
website:
Mona’s
Blog:
…and
now here’s that excerpt
from
Blogging From the Heart
:
One
“I’m not
taking no for an answer and that’s that!” Zoey was shouting to be heard over
the background noise. “Listen, I know sports bars aren’t your favourite thing,
but you have to get out.”
Claire knew
it was a waste of time to fight with her friend when she was in one of her
moods. She’d just keep calling until she caved. “Oh, all right. I’ll be there
in about half an hour.” She disconnected and tossed her cell onto her bed. She
knew she’d probably regret giving in, but Zoey was right, she did need to get
out. Even though it was Saturday, she’d spent the day working on a project.
That was the trouble with being a freelance graphic designer…the work was
always there…waiting.
She flicked
through the clothes in her closet and grabbed the first thing she saw. A black
turtle-neck sweater and black slacks. She changed quickly and looked at herself
in the mirrored closet door. “Great,” she muttered aloud. “I look like a piece
of licorice.” Her cap of flaming red hair was the only colourful thing about
her. “To be more specific” she said, a wry smile on her lips, “a licorice cigar.
The kind with the little red sprinkles on the end.”
Claire paused
at the door to the bar. The sound was almost deafening but she was here now,
and she’d promised. She fought her way through the crowd. Zoey and Tony always
sat in the same spot. Her friend was there now, seated at one of the many long
bar-height tables facing the massive screens. The table was littered with beer
jugs, glasses, nacho baskets and the remains of an order of hot wings. She
miraculously found a stool on the opposite side of the table and cleared a
space. “Where’s Tony?” she asked, looking around.
“Gone to the
head.” Zoey had taken to dropping nautical terms into her conversation ever
since taking a party cruise a few weeks ago. Claire knew it would pass; it was
one of the quirky things she loved about her friend. Zoey lowered her voice a
couple of notches. “Listen, I just spotted a guy I want you to meet. We see him
in here all the time, and he’s hardly ever with a woman.”
Hardly ever.
Yeah, right. Claire knew what that meant. “No thanks, Zo. I’m not interested
right now.” When would her friend learn that jocks didn’t interest her? She
ordered a white wine spritzer from the server and climbed up on the stool.
“Well too
bad, ‘cause he’s on his way over here right now.” Zoey raised a hand. “Hey
Kyle, I want you to meet my friend Claire.”
“Well, hello
Claire!” He braced an elbow against the bar and gave her his full attention.
She’d be willing to take bets that he rehearsed the move at home.
“Hello,
Kyle.” She stuck out her hand. He looked at it for a moment as though unsure
what to do with it. Claire managed to suppress a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
He recovered
nicely and brought her hand to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine.”
She almost
groaned aloud at the corny line but was distracted by the arrival of her drink.
“Let me get
that,” he offered, reaching for his wallet.
She already
had her money out. “Thanks for the offer, but I like to buy my own drinks.”
“Fair
enough.” He gestured to her glass. “What are you drinking?”
“It’s a white
wine spritzer.”
He made a
face. “Nobody drinks those any more.”
She gave him
her sweetest smile. “They do if they have to work tomorrow.”
A roar went
up from the crowd and Kyle turned around. “What did I miss?” he asked Zoey over
his shoulder.
“Vancouver
scored!” Zoey was bouncing up and down, the oversized Canucks shirt flapping at
the arms.
Claire
watched the delirious crowd as they relived the goal through several replays.
All over the province the same scene would be playing out…in bars, in homes,
and those unfortunate enough to be working would be listening on the radio. She
sometimes wished that she could be more enthusiastic about the great national
pastime, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not in this lifetime, anyway.
“You’re not
watching!” Kyle’s eyes were lit with excitement. “That was a classic goal.”
“She never
watches.” Zoey had settled back down and took a drink from her beer glass.
“You don’t
like hockey?” Kyle looked at her as though she’d grown horns. “Why not?”
She didn’t
really want to explain, but the disbelief in his tone compelled her to speak.
“I grew up with hockey. My father is obsessed with the sport and he had my
brother on skates as soon as he could stand up. It was all anyone ever talked
about in our house, and to be honest I just got to the point where I started to
tune out.”
Looking back
now, she had to admire her father’s dedication. The early morning practices,
the endless purchasing of equipment, the unfailing support. Hockey in her home
had been a family affair. She couldn’t begin to count the number of games she’d
been to when Cam was just starting out; sitting cold and miserable on the
benches in an unheated rink. Fortunately for Cameron, his hard work had paid
off and he was now playing in the minor leagues, with dreams of NHL stardom.
She loved her
twin; there would always be that unbreakable twin bond, but she didn’t have to
be overly enthusiastic about his sport. Her one concession was Cameron’s games.
She’d attended every one since he started in the minor leagues, cheering him on
along with her parents and his current girlfriend.
The latter
was subject to change without notice; it seemed that hockey players had their
pick of willing women and her brother was no exception.
“So…..”
Kyle was struggling to come up with something to say. His gaze darted around
the bar, resting briefly on each of the screens, some of which actually showed
sports other than hockey. “Do you like
any
sports?”
Claire
pretended to think. She didn’t want to be difficult, but she had nothing in
common with this man. “I like tennis,” she said finally.
That blank
look came over his face again and she took pity on him. “I started watching
Rafa Nadal when he was seventeen and I’ve followed his career ever since.”
He opened his
mouth and she thought he was going to prolong the conversation, but he’d
spotted Tony returning to the table and relief flooded his face. “Hey, man!” he
said. “You missed a great goal.” They fell into a discussion and Claire turned
back to Zoey.
“Why do I
bother?” her friend asked, shaking her head. “What’s wrong with this one?”
Claire gave a
small shrug. “Nothing. He’s actually quite good looking.”
Zoey leaned
across the table even though there was no danger of their conversation being
overheard in the cacophony of the bar. “Listen, my friend. You had a bad
experience with Harrison, but that’s over now.”
Her friend
was right, but it didn’t make the hurt any less. “I’m just not ready, you
know?” She met Zoey’s eyes.
“Okay, but
promise me you won’t bury yourself in work to the exclusion of everything else.
What’s that all about, anyway?”
“I’ve got
this crazy idea that I might take some time off and go to Hawaii. I’ve looked
online and there are some fantastic places to rent, right on the beach.”
“You’re
kidding! You, Claire Collins, actually taking time off? Pull the other one.”
“I’m serious,
Zoey.”
“And when
were you going to discuss it with me, your best friend?”
“I just
started thinking about it. Remember last week when it rained for three days in
a row?” She gave a small laugh. “That was enough to make anyone think about
sunshine.”
Zoey nodded.
“Ain’t that the truth.” She waved a hand. “Ignore me; I’m just jealous that I
can’t go with you. Tony’s parents are having a big do for their thirtieth
wedding anniversary in May and we’ve promised to go to Toronto.” She groaned.
“Not exactly a tropical destination.”
“Never mind,
it’ll be fun.” Claire motioned toward Zoey’s engagement ring. “And it’ll be a
great way to get to know them before you and Tony get married.”
“Yeah, there is
that.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. Claire waited for her to come back from
wherever she’d gone.
“Have you
ever thought about doing a blog?” she asked, apropos of nothing.
“Like I have
so much extra time.” Claire frowned. “Besides, I don’t have anything I want to
blog about.” She paused. “Why do you ask?”