Late Bloomer Page 11

  Edging toward the door, she smiled. He knew that mysterious tilt of her lips when she had something up her sleeve, like declaring a Gatsby Day. Who the hell knew what that was back then? Just her crazy idea. She’d waltzed into class, looking incredibly hot in a short beaded dress. Who could forget that feathered headband? All the girls showed up the next week with headbands.

  But he liked this long, swishy skirt better. Carolyn unlocked the door. Warmth swirled out. There wasn’t any question of coming in and Brody was glad. He pulled her to him for one more kiss. His body roared for more. “Good night, Teach.”

  “Night, Brody.”

  His body hummed like an electric wire all the way back to the curb.

  Chapter 10

  Church bells were ringing. So loud. Too loud. Why had she picked that ringtone for her phone? Carolyn woke up fuzzy-headed with longing. Brody had been in her dreams, all teasing eyes and sly humor. Hot kisses and roving hands. His phenomenal body and her own raging response. She pressed a hand to her forehead.

  Yep. Feverish, for sure.

  Early morning sunshine poured through the windows. The bells tolled again. She fumbled for her cell. “H-Hello?”

  “You haven’t called me.” Her mother’s crisp tone brought Carolyn upright.

  “Mom. What’s wrong?”

  “You said you’d phone with an update after you arrived.”

  Carolyn fell back onto her pillow “It’s only seven o’clock.”

  Silence. “Oh. Well, nine o’clock here.”

  “Not a problem.” She rubbed her forehead.

  “So how are things with your grandmother?”

  “She’s fine, Mom. No need to worry.” Carolyn had to step carefully. “Mama V has made a remarkable comeback.” That includes a man and possibly sex.

  “Really? That’s wonderful.” Relief filled her mother’s voice. “It’s such a worry having her out there.”

  “Yeah, she did great with her physical therapy. No wheelchair or walker needed anymore.” The very idea almost made her laugh.

  “Isn’t that surprising? I called her physician and then her physical therapist, but they won’t tell me a darn thing.”

  “And?” Carolyn yawned and stretched. She wanted to be back in those dreams.

  “They wouldn’t tell me anything.” Outrage raised her mother’s voice. “Some stupid rule blocks you from knowing about your own mother’s health.”

  “Right. It’s HIPAA, Mom.”

  “Yes, her hip. I just wanted an update.”

  “No, Mom. The stupid rule is called HIPAA. Don’t ask me what that stands for. Something about patient privacy. But you can’t just call up a doctor or a therapist and ask them to spill the beans about your relative. That’s not allowed anymore.”

  “How inconvenient.”

  “Some people prefer privacy, even from their family.”

  “Utterly ridiculous.” Her mother’s irritation wasn’t a complete surprise. This was the woman who’d rifled through her daughter’s drawers in high school. Of course, she never found any evidence of drug use or wild sexual encounters. Although Carolyn understood her mother’s concern, she was furious about the invasion of privacy.

  “How is she keeping busy? Painting and working in the gallery, I suppose?”

  Not really. Carolyn didn’t think Howard was going away anytime soon. Brody’s comments the night before helped her see that. Time to set some groundwork. She sure didn’t want her mother flying off the handle with Mama V. “Actually, she’s seeing someone.”

  “What do you mean?” Her mother’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “A therapist?”

  “No, Mama V is dating.” By now, Carolyn was whispering too, in case her grandmother was awake.

  “Dating! Since when?” The words exploded in her ear. Carolyn held the phone away and counted to five.

  “He seems very nice, Mom.”

  “Nice! Probably a gold digger. My father would be furious.”

  “Don’t you think Grandpa would want to see Mama V happy?”

  “Well, she is happy, isn’t she? At least she was the last time I saw her.”

  When was that? Carolyn thought back. Santa Fe and her mother weren’t a good match. “My face looked like a roadmap,” she’d sputtered after her last visit. “And I had constant nosebleeds.”

  Using their busy schedule as an excuse, her parents depended on Carolyn for any face-to-face with Mama V. Everyone liked it that way.

  “The name, please?’

  Oh, why had she even brought this up? Carolyn could picture the silver pen in her mother’s hand as she overlooked downtown Chicago. “Haynes. Howard Haynes.” And she smiled. Wait until Mom had her personal assistant look him up. Howard Haynes of Palm Beach and Santa Fe. She almost giggled. “So what have you and Dad been doing?”

  While her mother ran through an exhausting list of activities, Carolyn responded with proper enthusiasm. So many boring galas or fetes, as some called them. To their credit, her parents supported these charities with more than just a phone call. They were true philanthropists. And they also helped organize them.

  “You really should come over for the Spring Fling.” Her mother named a Chicago event that included an auction, a dinner and a dance. Guests were usually over sixty and Carolyn would rather eat ground glass.

  Come over. That meant from Gull Harbor. She wouldn’t be here anymore. No more sopapillas or flamenco. No more Brody and his liquefying kisses. She clutched the covers. Feeling like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Carolyn had been sucked out of Santa Fe by one comment, and she didn’t like it.

  “I’ll check my calendar, Mom.” Guilt tugged at her complacency. It had been a while since she drove into Chicago. Negotiating the Skyway and the Dan Ryan gave her hives the last time. She hated the traffic, not to mention the height.

  “You could always take the train.” Her mother often suggested Amtrak to help Carolyn deal with her “affliction.”

  “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

  “You have a birthday coming up, dear.”

  Holding out her bare left hand, she frowned. “I know, Mom.”

  “Your father and I, well...”

  They wanted her married, providing grandchildren. “Please don’t worry about me, okay?” Morning sunlight had crept into the room. Carolyn’s stomach growled.

  “Well, don’t you think it’s time you met someone? The right people, of course.”

  Carolyn’s sigh was followed quickly by her mother’s. They did the double sigh a lot. “I think I hear Mama V. Gotta run.” She tried to make her tone brisk, as if her grandmother really needed her, which of course she didn’t.

  “Keep me updated,” Mom said crisply, as if she were talking to her assistant.

  “Sure, I will.” She crossed her fingers. “Give Daddy my love.”

  “Of course. Bye, darling.” The call ended.

  Well, that was that. Carolyn set her phone on the nightstand. Rolling over, she cradled the extra pillow in her arms. Closing her eyes, she tried to recreate last night. Her lips tingled in response. Her thighs remembered the press of Brody’s body against hers. Other parts of her took it from there. All systems were go.

  But the pillow wasn’t as muscled as Brody. Tossing it aside, she threw back the covers. Mama V wasn’t in the shower yet. No noise from any area of the house. She’d better take advantage of the empty bathroom and grab a shower.

  Twenty minutes later, Carolyn lolled on the back patio with her coffee. She took her time spreading orange marmalade on an English muffin. After ten minutes or so, the screen door opened and closed behind her. Her grandmother floated out in her purple caftan, carrying a breakfast tray. Whoa! That was a problem. Carolyn shot up to take the tray of freshly toasted muffins.

  “Now, sit down. Relax.” Her grandmother had always been so independent. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  Carolyn set the tray on the table. “Nonsense. Look at you. You’re too gorgeous for this early in the morning.�
�� Howard was no doubt the cause of these new ensembles.

  She glanced down at her gray track pants and t-shirt with a hoodie for warmth. Not exactly sex kitten material.

  Her grandmother gave a coquettish shrug. “Can a woman ever be too beautiful, whatever hour?”

  “You’ve changed. You know that?” Carolyn told her, sitting back in her chair.

  “Change is good, right? Pass the marmalade, please.”

  Nudging the jar toward her, Carolyn smiled. “I meant change in a good way.”

  “I’m happy. Is that how I’ve changed?” Her eyes danced.

  “And is Howard the reason?”

  Setting down her butter knife, Mama V took a bite and chewed slowly, thoughtfully. “I don’t think a man can make you happy, sweetheart. No one can. But you can be happier with a companion.”

  Carolyn glanced away. Was this what she’d been missing?

  “How was your date with Brody?”

  Such a subtle shift in topic. “Great. The dancers were wonderful.”

  A Cheshire cat smile creased Mama V’s face. “Of course they are. How about Brody? I do like him.”

  “Me too.” Right now, she had no words to describe Brody Wolf. Her body was practically screaming agreement. Yes, yes, we like him. And we want more. The descriptions she would have conjured up three days ago didn’t fit. Not anymore. “Brody is fun. Sweet. Sensitive. Different.” The last word held a note of wonder.

  And hot. But she didn’t want to go into that.

  “If you mean he’s different from when you taught him, of course he is.” Three tiny finches hopped onto the pavers. Crumbling a toasted edge in her fingers, her grandmother scattered them. The birds went crazy.

  Carolyn was still puzzling over Brody, trying to define their relationship. “When I think of how I matured in college, well, I guess Brody did too. I remember him as a goof-off. Now he can be funny but he’s a lot more thoughtful. Mysterious, even.” She had the strangest feeling that she knew only a part of his story.

  “Really? Always good to have some secrets. Oh, I’ll bet he was a dickens when he was a teenager.” Mama V’s chuckles died and she went into her business mode. “Wendy’s covering the gallery today so I thought we might shop a little this morning and hit Tia Sophia’s for lunch. Then up to Ten Thousands Waves.”

  “Up to...” The words lodged her throat. The center was situated high in the mountains.

  Her grandmother patted Carolyn’s hand. “Don’t worry. It’s not a mountain. Just a hill in the rocks. I’ve planned a special treat for us. But if you don’t want to go, I’ll understand.”

  “No, it’s fine. Thank you. Sounds wonderful.” Carolyn wasn’t going to spoil it.

  Her grandparents had always shown their love with exciting plans. They’d taken Carolyn to see The Nutcracker when her parents had been busy planning their annual Christmas Eve open house. Her grandparents didn’t just fill in the gaps, they made things wonderful for her. That hadn’t changed, even though now it was just Mama V.

  “Take your time. I’m going to get dressed.” Humming, Carolyn took her dishes into the kitchen. Then she chose her clothes from the stash Diana had sent, settling on the torn jeans, a light white sweater and the leather jacket. The new boots were the final touch. Several times the night before she’d caught Brody staring at the boots. She’d chosen well. The tooling was intricate and the turquoise toes? The final touch.

  Today she spent time on her eyes with a swipe of earthy brown eye shadow, an arc of ivory beneath each brow. Brody’s earrings completed her western look. And it felt so right. Sweeping up the front of her hair with a claw clip, she let her newly-blonde hair fall softly to her shoulders. No braid. Yep, perfect.

  Wandering the square with Mama V later, Santa Fe called to her from every shop window. Leather and suede, colorful embroidery and weavings, pottery and blown glass. The magic of the small town made her feel like she’d stepped into a different world. Land of Enchantment. Yes, it was.

  Brody’s world. While she shopped with Mama V, Brody was never far from her mind. How could he be? Leather, denim, boots. Every piece of merchandise would be better with His Hotness in them.

  Better. Brody did everything better. She reached out for a brick wall to steady herself.

  “You okay?” Her grandmother tugged on her sleeve.

  Get it together. “Of course.”

  “Come on then.” Her grandmother steered her into a shop filled with the rich smell of leather.

  “But I don’t need anything. Diana sent me all those clothes.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to look around.”

  Sure. Okay. Her grandmother’s impish expression didn’t fool her. Purses hung from hooks on the wall, and the circular display racks held jackets, vests and even chaps. “Smells yummy, doesn’t it?”

  “Sure does.” A muted aqua jacket caught her eye. Running her hand down the soft front panels, she enjoyed the feel of it.

  “Try it on, Carolyn.” As if to encourage her, Mama V slipped into a long western duster that swallowed her up. She looked comical but cute.

  The aqua jacket felt light on her shoulders, fit perfectly and smelled wonderful. “I’m in love.” When Carolyn twirled in the three-way mirror, her earrings swayed with her.

  “Especially nice with the jeans.” Tilting her head to one side, Mama V smiled and relinquished her oversized coat to the sales girl.

  “Yes, but I don’t need this.” Carolyn couldn’t stop touching it.

  “You look fabulous in it.” Then Mama V switched to her more practical approach. “Those Michigan winters get mighty cold.”

  “Oh, they do but I have plenty of coats.”

  Turning to the sales clerk, Mama V said quietly, “We’ll take it.”

  Although she protested all the way to the register, Carolyn knew it was useless. Her grandmother never took no for an answer.

  “I’d like you to enjoy your inheritance while I’m here to see it.” Her grandmother produced a gold card.

  The implications brought a lump to Carolyn’s throat.

  After circling the plaza a little more, they found a seat at Tia Sophia’s. “I sure like your new wardrobe,” her grandmother told her after they’d ordered.

  “Diana’s been a great addition to Gull Harbor. You’ll have to meet her when you visit.”

  “Oh, I will. But I hope you’ll visit here more often.”

  She covered her grandmother’s knuckled hand with her own. “Me too. I don’t know what’s held me back. Maybe I have been too focused on my work. During June and July, I teach summer school and tutor kids, mostly freshmen. But they’d find someone else.”

  “We’re all replaceable.” Mama V stared off into the distance. For a brief second, tears glimmered in her eyes. Grandfather was not replaceable. Carolyn still missed him and her own eyes filled. What was it like to love so completely and then lose that person? She hoped one day to know that kind of deep love.

  Total commitment carried risks. Life had taught her that.

  By the time the waitress arrived with the food, they had lightened up and were on to other subjects. Mama V was telling her about the summer opera. “The theater is breathtaking. I do wish you could come.”

  Thinking back to when Howard and Alan had suggested the opera, Carolyn tensed. She wouldn’t want any return trip to be misunderstood. “I’ll think about it, Mama V.” Playing with one of her earrings, she looked up to find her grandmother smiling. Quickly, she dropped her hand.

  After lunch they stopped at Jackalope’s for a quick tour through their unending out buildings. A flamenco CD caught her interest, and she quickly bought it while Mama V looked at furniture. The music would remind her of that night at El Farol with Brody.

  Memories. Would that be all she’d have?

  What more did she want?

  No time to dwell on that as they hopped in the car, and her grandmother took off. Mama V jabbered all the way up the mountain, veering from one topic to another. Turning h
er head to one side, Carolyn closed her eyes so she wouldn’t panic.

  When they entered the main lodge of Ten Thousand Waves, her edginess from the ride was replaced by a curious sense of peace. They followed a girl to their room, the sun radiating off the stone path. Utter calm filled her soul. Once again, her grandmother was giving her a wonderful experience. “This is so nice. Thank you.”

  “Oh, we’re just starting,” her grandmother huffed. The upward path and the few stairs weren’t easy for her. “Wait until you see.”

  Like the serene outdoor areas, their room held no fussy frills or heavy flowers. A single orchid arced gracefully from the side table. All of the furnishings were done with modern simplicity.

  “Your massage appointment is at two o’clock,” the girl said, turning to leave.

  “Thank you, Irina.”

  As the girl left, Mama V squeezed her shoulders together. She looked excited as a child. “Pretty great, isn’t it?”

  “Different.” Carolyn could book a massage in Michigan City or St. Joe, Michigan. But none of the facilities had this simple elegance. Shoulders settling, she realized she’d been tense. About what? Cripes, she was here on a vacation. But when she thought about Brody, every muscle in her body leapt to life. She was like that frigging orchid, reaching for him.

  This was insane.

  As she changed into her bathing suit, blue eyes came to mind and she shivered. Donning one of the fluffy white robes, she felt as if Brody’s blue eyes were laughing with her, the way he had in high school when he’d done something goofy. But now, those sky blue eyes could darken to navy.

  Now he wasn’t always joking. Would she hear from him? What if he didn’t call again before she left Sunday?

  “Are you coming, Carolyn?”

  Following her grandmother’s voice, Carolyn wandered outside to two soaking tubs on the private verandah. Her grandmother was standing next to one, a small footstool set by the side of the tub. Her hair was protected in a pink shower cap, and she’d left her robe on a bench. “Could you help me, sweetheart?”

  “Sure, Mama V. Of course.”