Nobody's Perfect
Pat Ballard
Chapter 1
Nella pulled the door closed behind her, stopping on
the patio long enough to replace a cushion that had blown from a lounge
chair before heading down the long flight of steps that led from the back
patio of her home down to the sandy beach. As soon as her feet touched
the sand, she turned and looked back at the house that had been her home
all of her life.
Even though the bricks on the
house were fading from the salty breezes that constantly blew against
them, and the occasional harsh storms that came ashore, her father had
always kept the shutters and trim work painted a startling white. Tears
blurred her vision as she turned and continued down the beach toward the
water. She could do her best thinking just sitting and listening to the
waves lap against the shore.
She had only taken a few steps
when she heard a child crying. Looking around, she discovered a small boy
walking toward her. She immediately scanned the beach for an adult, but
could see no one.
The only house in the
direction from which the little boy had come was approximately a half mile
away, but it was empty, unless someone had recently bought it.
“Hi,” she said, as she reached
the child. His face was covered with sand where he’d been crying and
wiping the tears with grimy hands. When he looked up at her, she was
startled at how beautiful he was. He had eyes the color of blue glass, and
the sun reflecting off his hair turned it to the color of glistening gold.
“I want my daddy,” he said,
between sobs.
“Where’s your daddy?” Nella
asked, hoping he could remember what direction he needed to go.
“I — don’t — know,” he sobbed. Nella had to get him calmed down so she could understand what he was
saying.
“Which way should we go to
find him?” she tried again. The little boy could have come from any
direction.
“To my car,” he answered.
Apparently his father had driven to the beach, but that didn’t help, as
there were several places accessible for vehicles to drive down to the
ocean.
What was she going to do?
If she started in one direction looking for the father, he might come from
the other direction and miss them. Well, there was only one thing to do:
Wait. Sooner or later the child’s father would come looking for him —
wouldn’t he?
Surely this child hadn’t been
abandoned! NO! She wouldn’t even consider that possibility. Letting
a child this small get lost on the beach was bad enough. He couldn’t be
over three years old.
But she couldn’t wait long.
She was expecting a call from the real estate lady.
Again, she turned and scanned
the beach. She thought she caught movement beside a sand dune, but as she
looked closer she could see nothing. The beach curved in the opposite
direction from which the child had been coming. Maybe that’s where the car
was parked. Should she try that? No. She decided to stick with her first
plan. Wait.
She glanced at her watch. She
had thirty minutes before the real estate lady was supposed to call her
and set an appointment to show her house tomorrow. She had to think of
something fast.
“What’s your name?” Nella
asked the child, who now seemed content to let her take charge of finding
his father.
“Jake,” he answered. His
crying had stopped altogether.
“Jake, where’s your father?”
she mumbled, mostly to herself, again searching the beach for any sign of
human movement, but seeing nothing.
“I told you, I don’t know!”
The small, impatient voice took Nella by surprise. She looked quickly back
at the child, who stood with his hands stretched out in front of him with
the palms turned upward as if to emphasize his statement.
Laughter burst from Nella, and
the small boy unexpectedly giggled.
He was darling, but Nella
couldn’t stand here on the beach and wait for the moron who had lost this
child. Suddenly, she had an idea.
“Jake, would you like to come
up to my house? I’ll give you some lemonade, and we can wait for your
daddy there. Would you like that?”
“Uh-huh!” he agreed readily.
Nella looked around until she
found a piece of driftwood she could write in the sand with, then took the
child by the hand and walked back to the steps leading up to her home. She
stopped and wrote “Jake” in the sand as large as she could make the
letters. Anyone would be able to see the writing from a good distance
away. Then she drew an arrow that went from the name to the bottom of the
steps that led up to her patio.
She talked to Jake as she
worked. “This is your name,” she explained. “Your daddy will come looking
for you, and he’ll see your name and the arrow pointing to my house and
he’ll come find you.”
“Yeah!” The child was
confident now that his father would soon find him.
“Who are you, and what are you doing with my son?”
Startled, Nella’s eyes
flew open from the relaxed nap she had drifted into. She became aware of
the sleeping child lying on her stomach and breast, and the tall, angry
man towering above her. The sun reflected off his shiny dark hair and
picked up the golden flecks in his unusual, light brown eyes, almost
giving Nella the sensation some large eagle had swooped down upon her.
Just as she reached to wake
the sleeping child, he raised his head slowly and looked at her. His blue
eyes were huge and beautiful from the sleep he’d just left. He smiled and
patted her face, then saw the man above them.
“Daddy, Daddy,” his small
voice was excited. “I’ve found us a new fwend! She gave me some yemonade
and it made me feel much better. Then we waited for you to find me.”
The stranger reached down and
lifted the little boy in his arms, but never took his eyes off Nella as
she slowly sat up.
“Well, do you intend to answer
my question?” The unusual golden brown eyes held heavy sarcasm, and so did
the deep voice.
Nella glanced at her watch and
realized that a solid thirty minutes had passed while she dozed. Jake had
tired quickly after drinking the cold lemonade, and had soon fallen asleep
on her lap. Her eyes had grown weary of searching the beach from her
vantage point, so she had lain back in the lounge chair just to rest her
eyes, but she, too, had soon dozed off.
Suddenly, she was the one who
felt sarcasm creep into her voice.
“Mister, your child can’t be
over three years old. How long did it take you to realize he was missing?
Don’t you know what can happen to a child on the beach?” Just thinking of
the possibilities horrified Nella, and as she talked she became angrier.
“But he’s not on the beach.
He’s here at a complete stranger’s house, and I’ve been searching
frantically for him. What are you doing with him?”
Nella resented the accusing
sound of his voice, but tried to hold her temper. “Did you find my
message?” she asked calmly.
“Yes, such as it was.” His
tone was condescending.
“Did it lead you up here?”
“Yes.”
“Then it must have been
sufficient to help you find your son.”
“But it would have been better
if you’d waited on the beach with him instead of bringing him up to your
home. That’s almost like kidnapping.” The accusing tone was back.
“That’s the most ridiculous
thing I have ever heard!” Nella’s voice had started to rise. “If I were
trying to kidnap him, would I have gone to the trouble of leaving you a
message how to find him? I think ‘neglect’ is the word we’re looking for
here, not ‘kidnapping.’”
“Look,” he interrupted. “I
didn’t mean to be so abrupt, but it was a surprise to find my son at a
stranger’s house, and asleep on top of her, at that. And, yes, it’s been
too long without my knowing where he was, but I just got him back from his
grandparents today, and I’m not used to having to keep up with an active
child. Even so, I don’t believe I need a total stranger to tell me how to
care for him. Thank you for keeping him until I got here.” He picked the
small child up and went briskly down the steps.
Nella watched as he
disappeared down the beach. She couldn’t believe what had just taken
place. She thought about the two briefly, then forgot them as she stared
at the lapping waves that rolled onto the shore below her.
Two months ago, she had been
visiting a friend in Dallas, Texas when she received a phone call that her
father had suffered a massive heart attack and was dead. She immediately
flew back home to South Carolina, and the following weeks were a
nightmare.
She had loved her father
dearly and losing him was devastating, but she was also informed that he
had accumulated many debts, and the house she had grown up in and loved so
much would have to be sold to settle the estate.
Nella had no brothers and
sisters, and her mother had died giving birth to her, so all she had was
her father and her home.
Now they both would soon be
gone.
Nella had been out of college
for six months. Her father had suggested she just relax and enjoy life for
a little while before trying to get settled into a job. She could just
hear him saying, “Once you start working, you’ll have to do it the rest of
your life.” Her father knew she’d have to leave home again and search for
work in a larger city. She smiled sadly, knowing he was just trying to
keep her close to him as long as possible.
Nella knew she could move into
Charleston and get a job there. She always enjoyed going to Charleston to
shop. That’s where the people in her small community went when they wanted
to get a touch of “city life.” She loved Charleston, with its old homes,
streets, and parks that still had the flavor of the days when the city was
the social, political, and economic hub of the royal province of Carolina,
with the many features that attracted tourists each year. She especially
loved the azaleas in the spring. But she just didn’t want to live and work
there. At this point, though, it didn’t seem as if she had a choice.
She went inside and wandered
around the house for a long time, touching the beloved walls that had
sheltered her from so many storms, looking out the windows at the scenic
views, and remembering her childhood and all the happy days she’d spent
playing on the beach. Finally she went to bed to cry herself to sleep. The
real estate lady would be here at ten o’clock in the morning with a
prospective buyer for her home.
At nine fifty-nine, the doorbell rang. Nella went to answer the door with
a mixture of dismay and curiosity. Although she dreaded the ordeal before
her, she was anxious to see who’d want to purchase her beloved home.
Nothing could have prepared
her for the man and child who stood before her with the real estate lady.
“Look, Daddy, our new fwend.”
The blue eyes sparkled up at Nella as the child promptly stepped through
the doorway and took her hand.
“Jake! You’re supposed to wait
until you’re invited in.” The stern voice caused the little boy to quickly
jump back beside his father and stare wide-eyed at Nella.
In spite of her sadness, Nella
couldn’t restrain a little smile as she said, “Please, do come in.”
“Miss Covington,” the tall,
thin real estate lady spoke first. “This is Samuel L. du Cannon, and his
son Jake. They’ve just recently decided to relocate to our community, and
Mr. du Cannon would like to look at your house. Mr. du Cannon, this is
Nella Covington.”
The man looked different
standing in her home. He was tall. Probably an inch or two over six feet.
His hair was very dark, maybe even black, with a peppering of gray in the
temples. Again, she was keenly aware of the golden brown eyes. One shade
lighter and they’d be yellow! Uncanny, she thought. A dark, neatly trimmed
mustache covered his top lip. His lips were well shaped, as if a sculptor
had chiseled them to perfection. Not too thin, yet not too thick. He was,
she mused resentfully to herself, a very handsome man.
She made no attempt to shake
hands with him or to even acknowledge the introduction. She knew she was
being rude, but, after all, she owed him one from yesterday.
“Did you know you were coming
here today when we talked yesterday?” Now her voice was accusing.
“No. I knew Miss James was
going to show me a house today, but I had no idea where it was.” He hoped
his answer sounded genuine.
The real estate lady was
surprised they’d already met, and was about to ask a question when Nella
shrugged and said, “Show Mr. du Cannon around. I’ll be on the patio when
you’re finished.” And she turned and left them. There was no way she could
follow two strangers around as they analyzed the good and bad points of
her beloved home.
She sank slowly into a patio
chair and closed her eyes.
“Oh, Daddy, how could you have
allowed this to happen to me?” She would have felt bitterness toward her
father had she not loved him so much.
She wished she knew what
problems he’d encountered to allow things to get this far out of hand. He
hadn’t had any health problems that she was aware of. In fact, the heart
attack had been sudden, with no warning signals. Even the family
accountant hadn’t been able to give her any answers as to why the finances
had been in such bad shape. It wasn’t her college expenditures, as she had
gone to college on a full scholarship, and had earned spending money by
typing papers for other students while she was in college.
She should have spent more time discussing business matters with her
father. That brought a smile to her lips, for she knew full well he would
never have “burdened” her with financial problems. He was of the old
school that men should take care of the household and the “women folk.”
Nella felt a tear run down her
cheek as she remembered the tenderness he always showed her. Now she had
no one. She would have had Nick, but they’d broken off their engagement
months ago. Their goals had become farther and farther apart until they
both realized they didn’t have a future together.
“Now, today, you cry.”
The small voice showed great concern.
Nella opened her tear-filled
eyes to see the angelic face close to hers. The blond hair, which curled
softly, glistened in the morning sunlight. Again, Nella was in awe of the
rich golden color.
“Yesterday, I cry. Today, you
cry. Want me to sit on your yap and make you feel better?”
Nella smiled, and the smile
she received in return was mixed with a giggle. She felt her heart fill
with warmth.
“Yes, Jake, I would love for
you to sit on my lap and make me feel better.”
After settling in to his
satisfaction, the small face turned up to Nella.
“Why are you sad?” he asked,
as he held her thumb in his hand and plucked at her thumbnail with his
finger, his eyes never leaving hers.
“I’m sad because I miss my
father and because I have to sell my home.” Nella answered the child
honestly.
“I miss my mama. Daddy says
she went to Heaven, and she can’t come back, but she’s with me whenever I
think about her, my daddy says. Hey, I know what!” As quickly as the
sadness had come, it was replaced with his new idea. “If my daddy buys
your house, you can come and live with us! You and me can be fwends for
never and never!”
Nella was surprised at how
well this small boy could talk and put his thoughts into words. Someone
had spent a lot of time with him. He was very intelligent.
She was about to explain why
she couldn’t do what he suggested when she looked up into a pair of golden
brown eyes.
“Is that his idea, or yours?”
There was no mistaking the accusation in the voice.
Nella was instantly angry.
Slowly and very gently she stood the child down from her lap and rose from
the chair. Stretching to her tallest five-foot-seven-inch height, she
stared daggers into the arrogant man’s eyes. “Sir, you are quite
despicable!”
At that moment the real estate
lady came through the door, not noticing the tension in the air.
“Okay, Miss Covington. Mr. du
Cannon has decided to take the house, so we’re going over to my office to
draw up the contract. He’ll present his offer and the three of us can go
over it. Will two o’clock Friday be okay with you?”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine,” Nella
agreed quickly. She just wanted these people to be gone.
As the car drove away, Jake
waved from the back window until the car was out of sight. How could such
a loathsome man father such an adorable child, Nella wondered?
She turned back inside and
looked around miserably. She knew she should start packing, but she just
couldn’t bring herself to do it yet. Instead, she went to the phone and
called her best friend, Julie.
“Julie, can I come over and
bring a cheap bottle of wine? I need to unwind and talk.”
“Nella? It’s only 11:45 in the
morning.”
“I know, but I do need to
talk. I’m signing the closing contract on the house Friday.”
Now the voice on the line was
full of concern. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry! You come on over, and don’t
bother about bringing wine. I’ve got some real expensive stuff here. We’ll
have lunch and drink wine until you feel a lot better!”
Friday came much too soon. Nella reluctantly parked her car and
walked slowly toward the real estate office.
As she entered the plush
office a small, familiar figure ran toward her. “Hi Nel — uh, Miss Cubington!
Daddy said I shouldn’t call you Nella. I must call you Miss Cubington.”
“Jake! Please come sit down!” Sam du Cannon tried not to sound too
impatient with the child.
As Nella settled into a chair,
she smiled at the boy. He was such a darling child. Too bad he’d probably
grow up to be unbearable like his father.
As she watched him he quietly
slipped away from his father, who was in deep discussion with the real
estate lady, and came to her. In a conspiratorial whisper, he asked, “Can
I sit on your yap?”
Just as quietly, Nella lifted
him and settled him on her lap. He snuggled back against her and became
instantly quiet and content.
When the other two people
finished their conversation, Sam du Cannon looked up and spotted Jake on
Nella’s lap. She saw a flash of emotion in those strange-colored eyes. It
wasn’t anger, but she didn’t try to analyze it. She imagined those eyes
could wreak havoc on a woman if he decided to turn on the charm. She could
almost imagine how warmly they’d glow if he were speaking soft words of
love. She mentally shook herself off that disturbing train of thought.
He seemed about to speak to
the boy, then changed his mind as the real estate lady started discussing
the closing of the contract on the property that was once her haven, her
escape, her home.
Nella barely listened to the
drone of voices as they went on and on. She knew the seemingly efficient
Mr. Du Cannon would see to it that everything was in proper order.
“Miss Covington? Miss
Covington?” She was brought out of her deep concentration by the real
estate lady’s persistent voice. “You need to sign where I’ve made the Xs.”
As Nella leaned forward to
sign the stack of papers in front of her, she realized that her lap burden
had sat very quietly through the long, boring transaction. But now, his
father stood and lifted him from her lap. His hand brushed hers as he
lifted the child. She was aware of, and irritated with, the bolt of
electricity his touch sent coursing up her hand and arm.
They all shook hands and said
the appropriate things. Nella headed for her car. Her hand was on the car
door handle when a voice from behind stopped her.
“Miss Covington?”
She turned to face the man,
wondering what he could possibly want now. She didn’t have time to hide
the tears rolling down her cheeks.
This time there was surprise
in his eyes, then something a lot like compassion, which was the last
thing she wanted to see. She wanted to shout “what do you want?” but the
lump in her throat kept her from uttering a sound.
“Miss Covington, there’s a
small restaurant around the corner. Will you come and have lunch with Jake
and me? There’s—” here he paused, as if uncertain whether to go on or not,
then continued, “there’s something I want to discuss with you.” As he
talked, he’d taken a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the tears from
her face. She tried to turn her face away, but he firmly held her chin and
gently wiped all the tear stains away.
She was about to decline the
lunch invitation when a small hand tucked inside hers and a pleading
little voice said, “Please come, Miss Cubington — please.”
Nella smiled at the upturned
face, then looked at the man in front of her. “I don’t know what you could
possibly want to discuss with me, but okay, I’ll have lunch with you.”
Settled in a booth in the
restaurant, Nella smiled behind her menu as the little boy beside her
studied his menu and pretended to be reading it.
“I want a hambooger and
fryers,” he stated in a matter-of-fact voice.
“Don’t you think you need some
vegetables?” his father asked.
“I don’t want any vegbables,
Daddy.” His pleading eyes and face would have been hard for the toughest
heart to resist.
“Okay.” His father smiled and
agreed reluctantly, “but next time we’d better have vegetables.”
It was the first time Nella
had seen the man smile, and she was dumbfounded at the change it made in
him. His facial features softened, and if Nella had thought him handsome
earlier, he was surely breathtaking now. To keep from staring at him she
went swiftly back to studying her menu.
After the waitress had taken
the orders, Sam looked directly at Nella for the first time since they’d
sat down. “Miss Covington, I have a proposition I want to discuss with
you. Now, please hear me out before you object. When I’m finished we can
discuss any questions or objections that you might have.
“Jake’s mother died one year
ago. She and I had grown apart prior to that, but for Jake’s sake we’d
remained together longer than we should have. Her parents have never
approved of me and they were constantly encouraging her to break up the
marriage. They never thought I was good enough for Vanessa. Last year,
when I was out of town on one of my business trips, Vanessa was involved
in a car accident and she was dead on arrival at the hospital. Naturally
her parents believed that if I’d been home like a good husband, she would
never have been out in that car, at that time of night, with that man. In
their minds, the wreck and the fact that they lost their daughter was
entirely my fault. They could never believe any wrong of their little
girl.
“They’re determined to take
custody of Jake. They don’t believe I’ll be a good father because I travel
a lot with my business, and they don’t want their grandson to be raised by
nannies and strangers.
“I can see their point of view
to a certain degree, but a lot of children have been raised by a loving
nanny.
“At any rate, they have the
best lawyer they can find on the case. He’s good, too. I know him by
reputation, and he’ll turn over every stone for some small piece of dirt
to hang on me. So far he’s found nothing, but if I should ever slip up, or
if he can make it look like I’ve slipped up, then I’ll lose my son
forever, and I just can’t take that chance.
“I’ve had an idea in the back
of my head now for some time, and I think you’ve furnished the missing
piece. You see, I don’t ever intend on becoming involved with another
woman on a long-term basis. Sure, I’m a normal man, but with a good bit of
precaution, a man can lead a normal life and find someone occasionally to
relieve his tensions.”
Nella could not believe how
cold and hard this man must be. He spoke as if he had no heart at all. The
only time she saw a hint of softness and compassion was when he talked to
his son.
“Anyway,” he continued, “Jake
does need a woman’s touch. He needs a mother, if you will, and surely not
that bitch of a grandmother. I quiver to think of him being raised and
influenced by her.”
Nella was dumbfounded that he
was talking like this in front of Jake. Maybe his in-laws had a point. But
she listened as he continued.
“So, for some time, now, I’ve
been thinking about what kind of woman I need to fill the bill of a mother
for Jake—and Miss Covington, I think you’re the one. Especially since Jake
seems so taken with you.”
Nella started to speak, but he
raised his hands to stop her.
“No, hear me out. You see, if
you marry me, you’ll be able to stay in your beloved home. Of course, we
won’t share the same bedroom, as this is strictly a business deal. So
we’ll all be winners here. You’ll get to keep your home, Jake gets a
mother, and I won’t have to ever worry about being attracted to you.”
Nella stared at the man in
silence until he raised his eyebrows in a questioning gesture.
“Oh, may I speak now?”
He only nodded.
“What do you mean about never
being attracted to me?”
His chuckle was genuine.
“Well, I never have been, nor
will I ever be, attracted to a large woman. Oh, I like women with a good,
healthy looking body, but not too much body.”
Nella could only stare at the
man in stunned silence. She had been a chubby child who had grown into a
plus-sized woman. But she had been raised to be proud of herself, to be as
healthy as possible, to look her best, and, most of all, to be proud of
her heritage—part of which was a plus-sized mother and grandmother. All
the family pictures her father had kept through the years had shown a
family history of plus-sized women, and she never questioned the fact that
she had inherited the genes they all carried and handed down to her.
Nella had been told on
numerous occasions that she was a beautiful woman. She had turned many
heads with her long auburn hair, her smoky blue eyes, and her hourglass
body. Although she was large, she’d always been proud of her body, and had
always taken care of herself. She wasn’t about to let this man’s misguided
opinion upset her. Even though he was trying to be discreet in his
wording, she could sense what he was actually saying.
She was about to tell him in
no uncertain terms what she felt for him when two small arms circled her
neck. She glanced around at the beautiful little boy standing on the seat
beside her. His face was close to hers, and suddenly he kissed her on the
lips.
“Well, are you gonna marry us?
I’ll be so happy if you do. I don’t want to live with my ’nother
grandmother. She makes me go to bed-out with my goodnight milk when I’m
bad. And sometimes I can’t help but be bad when I’m with her.”
Nella knew she was a fool, but
what did she have to lose? Her father was dead. Her engagement was off.
And she didn’t have a home or a job. She had nowhere to go, and no one to
turn to. If she went with this plan, she could stay in her home, at least
until she decided she couldn’t stand to be in the presence of this man
anymore, and she would surely be appreciated and loved by Jake. Hopefully
Sam would stay gone most of the time on business trips and she wouldn’t
have to see him except on his occasional trip home. Then his time would be
taken up with Jake, so she still wouldn’t have to see him that much.
Undoubtedly she could stand him on that basis. Especially when she thought
of all the other benefits.
She thought her heart would
pound out of her chest as she made her decision. She looked up at the man
who sat patiently waiting as if he knew what her answer would be. Then she
looked at the little boy who still had his arms around her neck.
“I’ll consider it, but I have
to have at least until this time tomorrow to give you an answer.” Her
voice shook as she spoke.
“What does that mean, Daddy?
Is she or not?”
“She will.”
Nella wanted to reach across
the table and slap his arrogant, handsome face, but she kept still,
knowing he was probably correct. But she wasn’t going to give him the
satisfaction of agreeing on the spot.
The child gave a shriek of joy
and said at the top of his voice, “Hey eberybody, Miss Cubington’s gonna
marry us!”
And as if on cue, the people
in the surrounding area applauded and cheered. That made Jake even
happier. As they left the restaurant, he was jumping about and giggling
with joy.
As they reached the cars
parked side by side, Sam du Cannon spoke. “We’ll just go back to our
respective dwellings for the night. I’ll contact you tomorrow and you can
tell me what your decision is. I think it’ll be a major advantage to all
of us if you do agree to this.”
He was already in charge of
her life. Nella could not believe she was actually contemplating this
stupid undertaking.
“Oh, and Miss Covington, I
noticed that you ordered the lite plate at lunch. Please don’t feel like
you have to eat cottage cheese and fruit when you’re with me. Just
continue to be yourself.”
Angrier than she had been in a
long time, Nella’s voice trembled with emotion when she answered him.
“Mr. du Cannon, I have never,
nor shall I ever change my lifestyle to try to impress you or anyone else,
no matter how pumped up you are with your own importance! You are, without
a doubt, the most pompous, arrogant bigot I have ever run across in all of
my twenty-five years. Why I’m agreeing to even consider spending one more
second with you is beyond me. I truly must be out of my mind.”
And with that, she slid into
her little red Volkswagen and ground the gears out of the parking lot.
Sam du Cannon stood for a few moments beside his black late-model Rolls
Royce and pondered her temper tantrum.
He had first seen Nella in the
grocery store a couple of weeks ago. She’d been talking to a young woman
with a small child, and Sam had been drawn to her by the expression on her
face as she talked to the baby. Her eyes had held a soft glow as she
talked, and the baby was obviously responding to her as it cooed and
smiled back at her. Sam felt at once that she would make a good mother, so
he waited until she went through the checkout line, then asked the lady
checking groceries if she knew Nella. The woman assured Sam that Nella was
single.
But before asking Nella to
marry him, he’d talked with several of the leading people in the community
concerning her quality of character and her morals. Everyone had praised
her. Everyone knew her and her father, and spoke very highly of them. He’d
even set her up yesterday, when he deliberately let her think he’d lost
track of Jake. He’d been watching them all along from behind a sand dune.
He wanted to see how she’d handle a sticky situation, and she had handled
it quite impressively. Who would have thought about leaving a message in
the sand like that? And Jake had obviously taken to her instantly.
That’s why he’d thought he’d
found the perfect solution for his son’s life. A small community to grow
up in and a good, solid woman to raise and influence him.
He really hadn’t meant any
harm by the statements he’d made about her size. In fact, for Jake’s sake,
that was a good thing. He’d always heard people like her were easy-going
and jolly.
But this temper thing — he shook
his head in concern as he got into his car. He’d have to speak with her
about that.
When Nella stopped her car she realized she was in front of Julie’s
apartment. She almost never stopped by Julie’s without calling first.
She was careful to never take advantage of her friendship, but she was too
angry at this point to consider anything except talking with someone who
really cared how she felt.
“He whaaat?” Julie
couldn’t believe what Nella was telling her.
“You heard me. He wants me to
marry him so he can have a mother for his son. His in-laws are trying to
prove he’s an unfit parent, and he thinks if he has a wife it’ll be harder
for them to find something against him. Oh, and get this. He made it very
clear that he won’t have a problem being attracted to me because he
doesn’t like large women.”
“No! He didn’t say that! What
a jerk! Well, obviously you said no, didn’t you?”
“I told him I’d think about
it.”
“Nella! Are you crazy? You’d
have to be out of your mind to agree to his proposal. You can just get
that out of your head right now. As your best friend, I won’t sit by and
let you make that kind of mistake.” Julie was adamant with disgust.
“But Julie, listen to me. I
could keep my house. I wouldn’t have to worry about moving into Charleston
and finding work that I’d probably hate. I’d just be a glorified nanny to
Jake. And Julie, that is the most precious child I’ve ever seen. I think I
already love him.”
“It sounds like you
already have your mind made up.” Julie’s voice was filled with disbelief.
“No, I haven’t decided yet,
but there are some good points to think about. If I don’t have to be
around this Sam person much, it won’t be a bad arrangement at all. He
travels with his work, so he’ll be gone most of the time. It would just be
Jake and me at home, and that would be wonderful.”
“Nella, if you’re really
considering this, at least call Sheriff Dansby and see if he’ll run a
profile check on this man. For all you know he could be some kind of
criminal.” Julie’s voice was so full of concern that Nella agreed to let
her call the sheriff.
Luckily the department was
having a slow day, so the deputy took the information and did the check
while Julie waited on the phone. It only took a few minutes before the
deputy came back on the line. Nella watched Julie’s face change
expression.
“No!” she said in disbelief.
“Really? WOW!”
Now Nella was concerned. Maybe
Sam du Cannon was a ruthless killer. What a mistake it’d be to get
involved with someone like that! She was glad Julie had made the call.
Just before Nella was convinced the stranger needed to go straight to
jail, Julie hung up the phone.
“You are not going to believe
who this man is!”
“What? What? Is he a criminal?
Is he an escaped convict? What?” Nella’s impatience made her jumble her
words.
“He’s probably the wealthiest
man in Charleston. He’s the owner of one of the largest sea food chains in
the nation. If you marry that man, you’ll be one wealthy woman. And I’ve
changed my mind totally. I say go for it! You deserve all the happiness
you can find.”
“But Julie,” Nella reminded
her, “this won’t be ‘happiness’ if I decide to do this. It’ll only be
‘security.’”
“So how much different are the
two? You know, really?” Julie had always been more materialistic than Nella.
“For me there’s a lot of
difference,” Nella assured her. “I’d rather be happy with someone I love
and not have anything, than own millions of dollars and not be with
someone I really love.”
“So what are you going to do
in the meantime, while you wait for this special person to love? Where are
you going to live? What are you going to do for a living?” On any other
occasion, Julie’s total change of attitude would have been humorous.
“I don’t know yet. I don’t
know what I should do.” Nella felt her head would explode from unmade
decisions. She said good-by and left her friend’s house.
As she pulled her car into the
driveway of her beloved home, the sun was setting. The scattered clouds
reflected beautiful purple and blue hues, with streaks of red mingled in
here and there. All blended with the ocean, turning the view into her own
gorgeous oil painting.
She knew instantly what her
decision would be. She would keep her home, at whatever cost, for as long
as she could.
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