“You’re not staying there.”
“Just until she gets on her feet,” Nina said.
“I don’t want anyone staying in the cottage right now.”
“Oh, come on, Marc,” Nina said. “You’ve let other people stay there over the years.”
“I said no.” Marc turned to Kari, nodding at his phone. “I checked the schedule. The bus leaves in less than an hour. If you’ll let Gus know you’re heading to the bus station, he’ll arrange for somebody to pick up your luggage.” He grabbed up the two twenties and held them out to her.
Kari glanced at Nina, who looked at Marc with an irritated frown, then turned away. Finally Kari took the money, her face falling into misery all over again. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she said to Marc. “I don’t blame you for not being able to do more.”
He should have been happy about that. So why did it make him feel like crap?
“Will you give me your address so I can return the money to you later?” she asked.
“No need.”
“No. I insist.”
“Cordero Vineyards, Rainbow Valley, Texas. It’ll get there.”
Kari nodded, looking even more forlorn than before, and her sad, defeated expression almost made him change his mind. But he couldn’t give in. How was she supposed to stand up to her father if she didn’t return to Houston? He had to hold his ground. No matter what Nina thought, it was best for all concerned. It was .
Wasn’t it?
“Well, then,” Kari said. “I guess I’d better be going.” She turned to Nina. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Nina said. “You be careful now.”
Kari rose from the booth, put her purse over her shoulder, and she and her disorderly little dog went up to speak to Rosie. Then Marc watched out of the corner of his eye as she left the café and disappeared down the street.
Nina sat back and eyed Marc carefully. “That wasn’t like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve let all kinds of people stay in that cottage over the years. Last fall after the wildfire, you let that man and his wife who lost their house stay there for a whole month. So why not let Kari stay? Is it really that big a deal?”
“I don’t even know her.”
“You didn’t know that man and his wife, either, yet you stepped right up to help them.”
“They had a problem through no fault of their own. Kari left her fiancé at the altar and ran. If she’d confronted her problem instead of running, she wouldn’t have ended up here.”
“Not everybody is like you, Marc. Confrontation is hard for some people. Kari’s as sweet as she can be. Why won’t you help her?”
“You offered her the cottage without even asking me,” Marc said.
“I had no idea it would be a problem.”
“And then I was the one who had to say no.”
“So say yes instead.”
“Not this time.”
“Marc—”
“Will you knock it off ?”
Nina clamped her mouth shut, but he could tell she still had plenty to say.
Marc hated being the bad guy. He hated Nina insisting on something he did not want . And he hated feeling as if he was doing something wrong when, at this point in his life, nothing was more right.
So why did he feel like the biggest jerk alive?
“I know what this is about,” Nina said.
“Oh, you do?”
“You think your life is going to be just rosy the day you get to hop on that motorcycle and head down the highway, and you’re already resenting anybody you think might get in the way of that.”
Yes, by God, that was exactly right. It was nice that Nina was aware of how he felt. What wasn’t nice was her tone that said he had no right to feel that way.
“But here’s what you don’t know,” Nina said. “When the time comes, you won’t be able to do it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I am getting on that motorcycle. I am heading down the highway. And everybody else can take care of themselves for a switch.”
Without another word, Marc slid out of the booth, paid the check,
“Just until she gets on her feet,” Nina said.
“I don’t want anyone staying in the cottage right now.”
“Oh, come on, Marc,” Nina said. “You’ve let other people stay there over the years.”
“I said no.” Marc turned to Kari, nodding at his phone. “I checked the schedule. The bus leaves in less than an hour. If you’ll let Gus know you’re heading to the bus station, he’ll arrange for somebody to pick up your luggage.” He grabbed up the two twenties and held them out to her.
Kari glanced at Nina, who looked at Marc with an irritated frown, then turned away. Finally Kari took the money, her face falling into misery all over again. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she said to Marc. “I don’t blame you for not being able to do more.”
He should have been happy about that. So why did it make him feel like crap?
“Will you give me your address so I can return the money to you later?” she asked.
“No need.”
“No. I insist.”
“Cordero Vineyards, Rainbow Valley, Texas. It’ll get there.”
Kari nodded, looking even more forlorn than before, and her sad, defeated expression almost made him change his mind. But he couldn’t give in. How was she supposed to stand up to her father if she didn’t return to Houston? He had to hold his ground. No matter what Nina thought, it was best for all concerned. It was .
Wasn’t it?
“Well, then,” Kari said. “I guess I’d better be going.” She turned to Nina. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Nina said. “You be careful now.”
Kari rose from the booth, put her purse over her shoulder, and she and her disorderly little dog went up to speak to Rosie. Then Marc watched out of the corner of his eye as she left the café and disappeared down the street.
Nina sat back and eyed Marc carefully. “That wasn’t like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve let all kinds of people stay in that cottage over the years. Last fall after the wildfire, you let that man and his wife who lost their house stay there for a whole month. So why not let Kari stay? Is it really that big a deal?”
“I don’t even know her.”
“You didn’t know that man and his wife, either, yet you stepped right up to help them.”
“They had a problem through no fault of their own. Kari left her fiancé at the altar and ran. If she’d confronted her problem instead of running, she wouldn’t have ended up here.”
“Not everybody is like you, Marc. Confrontation is hard for some people. Kari’s as sweet as she can be. Why won’t you help her?”
“You offered her the cottage without even asking me,” Marc said.
“I had no idea it would be a problem.”
“And then I was the one who had to say no.”
“So say yes instead.”
“Not this time.”
“Marc—”
“Will you knock it off ?”
Nina clamped her mouth shut, but he could tell she still had plenty to say.
Marc hated being the bad guy. He hated Nina insisting on something he did not want . And he hated feeling as if he was doing something wrong when, at this point in his life, nothing was more right.
So why did he feel like the biggest jerk alive?
“I know what this is about,” Nina said.
“Oh, you do?”
“You think your life is going to be just rosy the day you get to hop on that motorcycle and head down the highway, and you’re already resenting anybody you think might get in the way of that.”
Yes, by God, that was exactly right. It was nice that Nina was aware of how he felt. What wasn’t nice was her tone that said he had no right to feel that way.
“But here’s what you don’t know,” Nina said. “When the time comes, you won’t be able to do it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I am getting on that motorcycle. I am heading down the highway. And everybody else can take care of themselves for a switch.”
Without another word, Marc slid out of the booth, paid the check,
Similar Books
