Just The Way You Are(7)

"My grandmother had a stroke."

"I'm sorry."
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Jimmy's simple words brought a lump into her throat. "I'm sorry, too. We were supposed to get together a few months ago, and I canceled out on her. Now I might never have a chance to talk to her again."

"Hey, you gotta have some faith there, babe. You gotta believe in what you want to happen. Then it happens."

Her lips curved into a reluctant smile. Jimmy was an incurable optimist. She'd watched him sit out a potential hurricane to get the perfect shot for a magazine cover. And damn if he hadn't gotten the shot. But then Jimmy was used to getting what he wanted. With his dark Irish good looks, he could have been a model instead of a photographer. Instead he'd opted to make a career and a fortune for himself with photographs that were always so much better than anyone expected.

Jimmy was almost too good, capturing her face, her eyes, in ways that seemed far too revealing. Sometimes, Tessa wasn't sure if it wouldn't be safer to work with someone else, someone who didn't see nearly as much as Jimmy did.

"You still there?" Jimmy asked. "Or have I once again bored you to sleep?"

"That's you, the ultimate in boring."

"Ouch. So, when do you think we can reschedule?"

"I don't know. I'll have to call you."

"My schedule is free right now. Just let me know."

"Thanks. You're a pal."

There was a momentary hesitation on the other end of the line. "Yeah, you're a pal, too, babe. See ya."

Tessa shut off the phone as the limousine pulled up in front of her grandmother's house. It was too soon. She wasn't ready. She wanted to tell the driver to keep going, to take her somewhere else, but he had already turned off the engine and come around to open the door.

She automatically smiled, but she couldn't move. Her gaze drifted past the chauffeur to the Tucker house next door. She remembered her grandmother telling her that Sam's parents had moved to Arizona, but the house looked the same. Whoever lived there now hadn't even put on a new coat of paint, hadn't taken down the basketball hoop over the garage or trimmed the rosebushes by the front windows.

Her heart caught again on the memories. How could she do this? How could she smell the flowers blooming with the scent of summers past? Even the breeze sang of long-forgotten songs and childish words from their neighborhood ball games. If she closed her eyes for just a moment, she could be right back there in the days of innocence, no problems, no betrayals, no fears.

"Miss MacGuire? Are you all right?" the chauffeur asked.

Tessa shook her head. She wasn't all right. Maybe it would be better to leave now, before anyone knew she was here. She could go back to the airport and call Mr. Beckett, make up a story, something. She'd been gone so long. Who really needed her now?

* * *

Sam walked into his childhood bedroom and smiled at the sight of his daughter lying in twisted covers on the same twin bed he'd slept on as a child. Megan's curls were as tangled as the sheets, her face as pink as a blooming rose, her dark lashes sweeping against her cheeks in the gentle motion of sleep.

At least one of them was at peace, he thought, remembering the night before. For long, tense hours he and Alli had been at the hospital, watching Phoebe MacGuire struggle to come back from a stroke, the damage from which they still had yet to determine.

It wasn't fair. Phoebe shouldn't be in the hospital and Megan shouldn't be asleep on his old bed. She should be at home, in the house he and Alli had bought together, and so should he. At least Alli had let him keep Megan for the night, instead of fighting to take her home.
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It was funny, but whenever he thought of Alli, he saw a lioness, fighting for what she wanted, for those she loved. She'd fought for him, tooth and nail, down and dirty, willing to risk everything and everyone. So why wasn't she fighting now? Had she really stopped loving him after so many years? Had she really stopped caring?

He should be glad, he told himself. Hadn't he felt smothered by her never-ending crush on him? Hadn't he paid the price of his freedom, his future, because of her reckless, relentless love?

He knew it wasn't fair to blame it all on Alli. He'd been there that night all those years ago. He'd drunk too much that Christmas, realizing for the first time in his life that he was nowhere near as important to Tessa as she was to him. If he had been, she would have come home with him instead of going to Aspen for a modeling job. The realization had scared the shit out of him. Without Tessa, he didn't know who he was, and stupidly he'd thought he'd somehow figure it all out by having sex with Alli.

He regretted a lot of things about that night, but the one thing he wouldn't regret was this child sleeping before him. Leaning over, Sam pulled a stray curl off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. Megan's breathing didn't even catch. She was fast asleep. She didn't have to be at summer school for another hour, and he'd already asked Gary to take his early-morning fishing trip out, so they had some time.