A Very Merry Romance Read online

  “She said she would let me know no later than a week from today, which is next Tuesday. Until then, handle your business as usual.”

  Jonathan nodded, then slowly walked out of Joseph’s office.

  28

  “Okay, Marilyn, you know I’m always glad to see you and all, but will you tell me why I had to pick you up from the train station so late? And without telling me you were coming?” Traci asked.

  “No reason,” Marilyn said, refusing to look at her friend. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the buildings they drove by. Holiday decorations were in storefronts and in the windows of the homes they passed. She knew her parents had put up their tree by now and she couldn’t wait to see it. She had intended to buy her own tree for her apartment and had looked forward to decorating it with Jonathan. Not any longer. All she needed right now was the warmth of home.

  It was already dark but she knew the area. She didn’t need daylight to know they were leaving downtown San Antonio and heading toward the part of town where both her parents and Traci lived. Growing up, she and Traci had lived down the street from each other, and when Traci was looking for her own home, she searched in the same area, wanting Erika to be near her grandparents. A new housing community had been developed less than ten minutes away, so Traci had purchased her home there.

  “Marilyn?”

  They had come to a traffic light and she glanced over at Traci. “How are things going with you and Roman? Is he planning on coming back to--?”

  “Don’t do that, Marilyn. I’d rather you just come out and say that whatever is going on with you is none of my business instead of changing the subject. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been avoiding my calls the last few days, and then suddenly, you phone and ask me to pick you up from the train station. I can’t help but be curious.”

  “I only called you because I knew you’d be free. That is, if Erika still spends Thursday nights with your folks.” For years, the Kinseys had declared every Thursday as Grandparents Day and would pick Erika up from daycare, then take her home with them for the night. It was a tradition Marilyn didn’t see changing anytime soon.

  “Yes, Mom and Dad are keeping Erika tonight. And I’m not complaining, Marilyn. You’re my best friend. When something bothers you, it bothers me. I’d just like to know what it is.”

  Marilyn drew in a deep breath. “You’re right. I’ve deliberately avoided your calls.”

  Traci lifted a brow. “Why?”

  Marilyn studied her hands in her lap for a moment, then looked back at Traci. “Because I knew you would try to talk me out of doing something I’d made up my mind to do.”

  “Which was?”

  Marilyn drew in another deep breath. “I filed an ethical complaint against Jonathan with his boss.”

  Traci’s mouth dropped. Then she slammed on the brakes and took an unexpected turn at the next corner. “Traci? What are you doing?”

  “Your folks weren’t expecting you, so I’m taking you to my place. And you, Marilyn Erika Bannister, are going to tell me everything.”

  * * * *

  “Jonathan, would you please tell me what’s bothering you?”

  He turned at the sound of his mother’s voice. He hadn’t been able to sleep and had decided to come outside and sit on the porch a while. He had awakened that morning, thrown items in his overnight bag and come out to Whispering Pines. His home. The place he loved. The place that he hoped could heal his broken heart and help him get over a woman he no longer wanted to love. A woman who didn’t deserve his love. He needed to eradicate her from his heart, mind and soul. No matter how hard doing such a thing would be.

  “I couldn’t sleep and decided to come out for some fresh air. I love this place.”

  Felicia Laverne sat in the chair beside her son. “I think we all love it because it’s where we feel close to your father. He made this place special for all of us.”

  Jonathan nodded. “He sure did.”

  “So tell me, Jonathan. Did you invite Marilyn to spend Christmas with us?”

  He stiffened. “No,” he said with more force than he’d wanted.

  “Any reason why?”

  “Marilyn and I won’t be seeing each other anymore.”

  “Oh? I liked her a lot. You admitted to loving her, so what’s the problem?”

  Jonathan looked over at his mother. “Falling in love with her was a mistake that I won’t make again.”

  There was no way Felicia Laverne could miss the bitterness in his voice. “I’d like to know why.”

  Jonathan didn’t say anything for a moment, but he knew his mother. She wouldn’t let up until she heard the entire story and he preferred she didn’t get it second-hand. So the details needed to come from him. “Fine, I’ll tell you,” he said. And then he did. But doing so made the pain he felt cut even deeper. Made Marilyn’s betrayal that much more profound.

  “There you have it. I could lose everything I’ve worked for if Marilyn goes through with her complaint. And all because I loved her enough to want to do something about it.”

  Felicia Laverne patted him on the shoulder. “When will you know if she goes through with filing the complaint?”

  “Joseph Sanders gave her a week to think about it. She is supposed to contact him next Tuesday with her final decision.”

  “Let’s just hope she drops the complaint, Jonathan.”

  He nodded, well aware that his mother knew what it would mean to his career if Marilyn didn’t. “I love her, Mom, but I doubt I’d ever be able to forgive her for what she is doing to us. To me. Why can’t she believe I’m nothing like her brothers? I took the time to court her, to build a good relationship with her. One I thought was based on trust and respect and over time, love. But she proved there was no such thing for us. I am done.”

  “Done?”

  “Yes. Done. I don’t plan to fall in love ever again. It’s not worth the pain. Goodnight, Mom.” He got up and after kissing her on the cheek, he went inside the house.

  Felicia Laverne Madaris stayed out and glanced up at the sky. The moon was bright and there were so many stars out. But there was darkness surrounding Whispering Pines tonight. She drew in a deep breath. Her son was hurting and she didn’t know how to stop his pain.

  * * * *

  “So there you have it, Traci,” Marilyn said, sitting at Traci’s kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of her. “I found out Jonathan is just like the rest of them. I fell in love with him. I slept with him. Then I found out I was nothing more than a pawn in his game of seduction.”

  Traci stared over at Marilyn. “And you think that’s all it was? A game?”

  “Yes. Didn’t you hear what I told you? He deliberately sent me to another school.”

  “Yes, I heard. But I also heard you say that he told you he loved you, and that he fell in love with you the first time he saw you.”

  Marilyn frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Although, I admit I thought I could have felt some interest on his part that first day we met, when we shook hands, but I dismissed it, figuring it was my interest reflected back. But I was smart enough to know that it couldn’t go anywhere. But to think that he’d manipulated my career just to get what he wanted, then plan for my downfall--”

  “Your downfall? Take a good look at your situation, Marilyn. Granted, maybe Jonathan should not have transferred you to another school, but are things really so bad? You are doing what you love, while at the same time helping out students who badly need your expertise in math. Just think of what would have happened to all those kids at Cullers if you hadn’t been sent there. Yes, Jonathan might have had ulterior motives when he came up with the idea, but you can’t argue that it wasn’t a good one. It was downright brilliant, if you ask me.”

  Traci took a sip of her coffee, and then pointed her finger at Marilyn. “And another thing...whose idea was it that the two of you sleep together? Did Jonathan twist your arm?” Seeing Marilyn’s defeated look, Traci added her coup de grace. �
�So who really seduced whom?”

  Marilyn put her coffee cup down. “I’m tired and want to go to bed now.”

  Traci smiled. “That’s your way of saying you don’t want to hear what I have to say. My words of reason. That’s fine. I love you, but I think if you go through with filing that complaint, you will be making a huge mistake.” She put her cup down as well. “Come on, it’s late and way past our bedtime. I’ll drop you off at your parents’ house on my way to work in the morning.”

  * * * *

  You will be making a huge mistake…

  Traci’s words rang through Marilyn’s head, keeping her awake. She stared up at the ceiling, replaying everything over in her mind, starting on the day she had walked into Jonathan’s office for the first time. Okay, she would admit to the possibility that she and Jonathan were attracted to each other immediately. Still, if that was the case, they had both tried to fight it. At least, she’d tried to fight it. It looked as if Jonathan had had other ideas.

  However, the one thing she couldn’t deny was that her presence had been needed at Cullers. And she had Jonathan to thank for seeing that. He couldn’t have known that she didn’t have a car, and when he did find out, he’d set up the arrangement she had with Robin. And she also had Jonathan to thank for giving her support when Stuart Jr. had been shot. He had immediately put whatever plans he’d made on hold to drive her to San Antonio to be with her family. And he hadn’t just dropped her off, but stayed with her and her family until they’d learned that Stuart Jr. was out of danger.

  Why was she suddenly thinking that all of Jonathan’s good deeds might outweigh that one bad decision? And what if she was wrong? What if it hadn’t been a devious plan of seduction after all? What if Jonathan truly loved her?

  Traci had been right. She was the one who invited Jonathan into her bed. He hadn’t rushed her, but had been gentle with her, knowing it had been her first time. And afterwards, he had taken care of her.

  Marilyn closed her eyes, not wanting to think any longer. But deep down, she knew she needed to make sure whatever decision she came up with regarding Jonathan was the right one.

  29

  “Why are you back? We weren’t expecting you until Christmas Eve.”

  Marilyn leaned down and placed a loud smack of a kiss on Stuart Jr.’s cheek. “You don’t sound like you’re glad to see me.”

  He playfully pulled her hair. “Keep it up and I’ll start thinking you like me.”

  She sat on the sofa beside him. “I’ve always liked you. It’s just your personality that sucks.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah, ouch is right. And speaking of pain, I hear you’re doing great with your physical therapy.”

  “I’m trying.”

  “And I’m glad you are. According to Mom, you haven’t had even one pity party.”

  He shrugged. “Was I supposed to?”

  “No, but that never stopped you before.”

  “Ouch again,” he said, grabbing his arm as if her words had pained him. “Did you come all the way from Houston just to insult me?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then don’t.”

  Marilyn smiled. She was having fun sparring with her brother, something they had done all the time when they’d been kids. But they’d done a lot less of it once they’d gotten older. She knew exactly when things had changed. It was after girls began filling her brothers’ heads that they were God’s gift to women.

  “So why are you back?”

  She flopped down on the sofa and glanced over at Stuart Jr. “Do I need a reason to come home?”

  “Yes, especially since you have a boyfriend now. Where is he, by the way?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Marilyn figured with her brother’s womanizing reputation, he probably did. “And what do you see?”

  “I have a feeling you dumped the guy.”

  His statement surprised her. “I dumped him?”

  “Yes and it’s a shame if you did. I liked him. I might have been doped up on meds, but I could tell he cared a lot for you.”

  “You think so?”

  “I can only say what I saw.”

  She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Like you said, you were pretty doped up.”

  “Ro and the folks weren’t on any meds, and they all thought the same thing. So tell me, Lynnie, why are you here?”

  Marilyn drew in a deep breath. Lynnie had been her brothers’ nickname for her, only neither one of them had called her that in years. At least, not since they claimed she’d forgotten that blood was thicker than water. They accused her of sympathizing with the women they’d dated too much to suit them. And after Stuart Jr. married, she had become one of Arlene’s biggest supporters. That had driven a wedge between her and Stuart Jr. At the time, she hadn’t cared. She’d known what her brother was capable of.

  “Lynnie?”

  Maybe it was his use of the nickname, or the fact that they were sitting on the sofa talking in a way they hadn’t done in years, that got to her. All she knew was that he’d become her big brother again. The one who’d promised to always be her protector.

  According to her parents, Stuart Jr. had changed. He was even attending church on a regular basis. Hallelujah! It was as if that crazy woman Greta had shot some sense into him. It was sad, however, that it had taken a near tragedy for that to happen.

  Her parents said that he limped out the door twice a week to attend physical therapy. He told them he was working hard to get himself together so he could get his wife back. Marilyn knew Arlene called on occasion to see how Stuart Jr. was doing, but she refused to come to visit him and was careful not to give him false hope that she would ever take him back.

  “I caught him playing your games, Stuart Jr.,” she finally said.

  Her brother went still and stared over at her. “Are you saying you caught him two-timing you?”

  She quickly shook her head. “No.”

  “Then what?”

  She really didn’t want to talk about it, but she needed another perspective. A man’s. So, moments later, she began telling Stuart Jr everything. When she finished he didn’t say anything for a minute. And then in a quiet tone he said, “Ro and I just weren’t ready to settle down. It never occurred to me, and I’m sure it never occurred to Ro either, that you would assume all men were like us.”

  She shook her head again. “I don’t think that.”

  “Don’t you, Lynnie? You rarely dated in high school and I doubt you went out at all in college. You were afraid the guy would be like us and you would be like all those girls we hurt. I regret doing that to them.”

  She stared at her brother, surprised. Had he honestly said that?

  “At the time, I didn’t realize what kind of impact our actions had on you. I was one selfish bastard.”

  She nodded. “Yes, you were. And conceited, too. Don’t forget that one.”

  “Okay, selfish and conceited.”

  A small smile touched her lips. “And self-centered.”

  “Stop while you’re ahead, Lynnie. Now back to Jonathan.”

  She was surprised he remembered Jonathan’s name. “What about him?”

  “I think you were wrong about what he did.”

  “He deliberately had me transferred to another school, Stuart Jr.”

  “Dammit Lynnie, what was he supposed to do? He’d fallen for you. Before long, you would have been stealing kisses, or worse. It would have been just a matter of time before someone found out. Then you both would have lost your jobs. As far as I’m concerned, he was looking out you. He did you a favor.”

  He paused for a moment, thinking. “Is the job you’re doing, the one he transferred you to that school to do, so awful?”

  “No. I love what I do?”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “He played me.”

  Stuart Jr. shook his head. “No, it sounds like he saw you as the woman he wanted in his lif
e, and took steps to make sure that happened. Nothing could have happened if you’d stayed where you were. You were temptation, and so he found a way to create some distance between you.”

  “He could have told me,” she argued.

  “No, he couldn’t have. Admitting to being interested in you would have violated that no-fraternization policy, even if he’d never made a move. I know. We have a similar policy at the police department. A lot of good officers have lost their jobs over it, even though they’d done everything in their power to keep the relationships under-wrap. Trust me, others can detect when something is going on. Nothing is a secret forever.”

  Marilyn didn’t say anything, but appreciated the fact that her dad had decided to come into the room at that moment to watch the evening news. Her mother had left an hour ago to visit a sick neighbor. Before she’d left, though, the four of them had done something they hadn’t done in years--eat dinner together. The only person missing had been Ro, who had gone back to medical school.

  “So when are you going to buy a car, Marilyn?” her father asked.

  She glanced over at him. According to her parents, Stuart Jr. was taking care of all their financial needs, since he was now living with them. So they had told her not to send any more money. “Hopefully, before New Years.”

  “Good. You’ve been without one long enough,” her father said.

  Stuart Jr. leaned over and whispered, “And don’t you think you’ve been without your man long enough as well?”

  * * * *

  Sitting astride Lark’s back, Jonathan galloped across the plains of Whispering Pines. The wind was hitting him in the face but he didn’t mind. He needed this feeling of freedom, this sense of release and this measure of self-determination. He had to find the willpower to let go of a woman he had allowed into his very soul.