Page 63 of Chasing a Second Chance
She smiled. One of his favorite chores in the kitchen had always been using the rolling pin on the dough. She had taught him how to cook and was glad he knew his way around the kitchen. “You most certainly can. I finished cooking the apples earlier.”
She leaned against the counter. “But before we get started, let’s talk.”
“I’d rather we didn’t, Mom. I’m leaving for Atlanta on Friday, and I want to spend this Thanksgiving with you, without you being mad and disappointed in me.”
Her heart nearly broke that he thought she was mad and disappointed in him, and knowing she’d given him a good reason to think that. “I’m not mad with you, Garlan. You were right.”
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Right about what?”
“You have to live your life the way you want,” she said. Then she tacked on, “And as long as what you’re doing is legal, it’s your choice to make.”
“But?” he asked, as if he’d known there was one coming.
There was. “But, as a mother who lost the man she loved doing the very thing you want to do, all I can ask is that you train well and be careful.”
Iris knew her husband had trained well. He’d been known in the industry as the best there was. She’d also known how careful he’d been with his stunts. He’d told her numerous times he couldn’t help but be careful because he didn’t intend to leave her a widow anytime soon. Yet, in the end, he had.
She knew from the investigation ordered by the regulatory safety agencies that the fault was not caused by Garlan, but by a defect in the car. Even with all the money she’d been awarded from the settlement, nothing had brought her husband back.
“What are you saying, Mom?”
“I’m saying, or rather asking, that you bear with me, and consider me a work in progress. I will worry, but like everything else you’ve ever decided to do, you will have my support.”
He crossed the floor and pulled her into his arms for a hug. “Thanks, Mom. You don’t know how much that means to me,” he said.
When he released her, she gave him a wry smile. “At least I have two years to prepare myself.”
“I will finish at Harvard. Even Dad got a college degree before deciding to become a stuntman.”
“Yes, he did.” Taking a deep breath, she said, “Now roll up those sleeves and let’s bake that pie.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
As far as Iris was concerned, Thanksgiving had been perfect, regardless of the bombshell her son had dropped on her. Garlan had gone on and on about how great the food was, and a part of her felt her son was back to being the fun-loving kid he’d always been.
After helping her clean up the kitchen, they had watched a movie, and during one of the commercials, he’d told her about a girl he had met at college named Mandy, short for Amanda. They had gone out a few times, and she was part of the group he was skiing with over the holidays. He said he might invite her to Westmoreland Country when he joined everyone there for New Year’s. Iris told him she was looking forward to meeting Mandy.
Garlan had left early Friday morning for his flight to Atlanta, and she had remained at the beach house the rest of the day alone, trying to come to terms with everything. Talking to Dillon and Pam after a walk on the beach had helped. Like Dillon had told her, a lot could change in two years, even his interest in being a stuntman. Two years had led to a change for Derringer, who had planned on joining the rodeo circuit after getting a college degree. And if Garlan’s plans didn’t change, they should all accept his choice in the career he wanted.
Not surprisingly, Dillon had shared that Garlan had confided in him about his fear of Iris’s finding out because the last thing Garlan wanted was for his mother to be disappointed in him. Dillon had encouraged him to discuss it with Iris and had been hoping things would turn out well, and they had.
She had returned home early Saturday morning, deciding not to stay at the beach house through the weekend as she had originally planned. There was another place she wanted to be. Namely with Matt. He’d told her on Monday that his flight from Paris would arrive in LA early that morning. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was noon. That meant he was probably home now and recovering from jet lag.
He had called on Thanksgiving morning to wish both her and Garlan a Happy Thanksgiving. Just hearing the sound of his voice had meant a lot, and a part of her had wished he’d been in LA to give her the hug she had needed and the kiss she had wanted. Twice she had reached for her phone to call him, but hadn’t wanted to wake him in case he’d gone straight to bed.
Straight to bed…
Why was she imagining that? Matt, naked and between the sheets. And why was she thinking that he shouldn’t be in that bed alone? That she should be in there with him, even if it meant they would both do nothing more than sleep.
Iris rolled her eyes.Yeah, right. Even now, she could recall the many times she had fallen asleep after having been made love to in the most passionate way, with the feel of his lips on hers. Then only to be kissed awake a short while later with those same lips. Matt was definitely a man known to be thorough.
By the time she had put all the leftovers away that she had brought from the beach house, she had made up her mind what she wanted to do. Matt had made sure being exclusive meant she could come to his home and visit with him at any time. Unfortunately, she hadn’t issued him a similar invitation and pushed the thought from her mind as to why she hadn’t. Conquering the issue with Garlan had been enough for this week, and she didn’t want to tackle another.
Smiling and feeling downright giddy, she raced off to her bedroom to get ready for her Matt Caulder adventure. And this time, she planned to be prepared.
* * *
Matt turned his face into the pillow as he continued to dream, refusing to rein in either his frustration or desire. His desire for the woman he was imagining in his arms, in his bed, the woman stroking his passion to unlimited heights, and the frustration of knowing deep in the recesses of his sleep-induced mind that this was only a dream.
