Save the Date

Chapter 63

63

Cara heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. She stuck her head around the kitchen doorway. “Bert? Is that you?”

A blond head came into view. “It’s Leo.” He topped the last stair and flashed her his trademark Southeastern Region Salesman of the Quarter smile. “The shop door was open and unlocked, but there was nobody around downstairs, so I thought I should come up here and check things out. You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked in this neighborhood, Cara. Anybody could walk right in here, like I just did.”

“Thanks for the helpful advice, Leo. What do you want?”

He glanced around the kitchen. “I saw all the boxes downstairs. You’re moving?”

“Yes.” She slammed the packing-tape dispenser on the top of a cardboard box of dishes and dragged it across the closed flaps, snapping off the tape at the end.

“How come? I thought you liked it here. It looked like a pretty sweet setup.”

“The building has been sold.” Cara moved over to the next box. Leo leaned over and plucked a mug from a nest of wadded-up newspaper.

“Hey, I remember these. They were a wedding present from my aunt, right?”

“Keep it,” Cara said.

“That’s okay,” Leo said, handing the cup back. “I got plenty myself.”

He leaned back against the counter, crossed one foot over the other, oblivious of the fact that he was in her way.

“Where are you moving to? Not out of town, right?”

She put the tape down on the countertop. “Is there a point to this drop-in, Leo? Because if there is, I wish you’d get to it. Bert will be back with the van any minute now, and I want to finish boxing up this kitchen.”

He glanced around the kitchen. “What happened to your new boyfriend? How come he’s not the one doing all the heavy lifting?”

Cara flushed. “None of your business.”

“Sounds like he’s out of the picture now. Just as well. The dude was not in your class, at all.”

Leo reached in his pocket, brought out a Chap Stick, and ran it across his lips, smacking them noisily, and in the process reminding Cara of how much she’d loathed that particular nervous habit of his.

“Again. Why are you here?”

“Well yeah,” Leo said. “The thing is, your dad called and asked me to look in on you.”

“Why would the Colonel do that?”

“He’s worried about you. He said he’d tried calling you several times, at the shop and on your cell phone.…”

“Who gave him my cell-phone number?” Cara demanded. “I didn’t.”

“Okay, I might have shared that with him. But only because he was really concerned about you. He called me because he said he hadn’t heard from you, and he was even thinking of flying down here to see if you were okay.”

“I knew I should have changed that number after we split up,” Cara said. “He actually asked you to come over here and spy on me?”

“It’s not spying. We were married for Pete’s sake. I care about you.” He ran an index finger down her cheek, and Cara flinched. “You dad cares about you. “

“The Colonel cares about the fact that I still owe him money,” Cara said. “Did he appoint you his new collection agency? Or are you his idea of a leg-breaker?”

“He never said a word to me about money. He said you’re having some challenges, that’s all. He thought maybe I could help. I would help, if you’d let me.”

“‘Challenges’?” Cara hooted. “I’m pretty sure my father never used that word in reference to me. He probably told you I’m a screwup and a failure. Did he tell you he wants me to close up the shop and move back home?”

“He mentioned that,” Leo said cautiously. “Your mom is gone and you’re his only kid. He’s lonely. Why is that so hard for you to swallow?”

“Because I know the Colonel. If he’s lonely, why has he never, not once, come to Savannah to visit me? And don’t give me any bullshit about him hating to travel. He goes to Vegas two or three times a year. If he was so worried about how my business was doing, why didn’t he come down here to see for himself? Since I moved here, I’m the one who has to fly or drive up to Ohio, to see him on his own terms.”

“I can’t answer why your dad does or doesn’t come down here,” Leo said. “Okay, he’s set in his ways. That’s the military, right? He’s always been like that. The Colonel just wants what’s best for you, Cara. I want it too. You say you’re moving because this building was sold, maybe that’s true. But I think you’re moving because business stinks, and you can’t make the rent here. It’s no big crime to admit it, you know. So what? Walk away. I don’t happen to agree with the Colonel about you moving up home again. There’s nothing in Ohio for you. On the other hand, I think enough time has passed, we should take another shot at making things work between us.”

Cara blinked. “You really think so?”

“Yeah.” He nodded thoughtfully. “We’ve both changed a lot. Matured. Maybe we got married too young to be able to appreciate what we had. But now, I know where I’m going, and what I want.” He leaned in so close Cara could smell his cologne. “I want you, Cara. That’s all. Just you. What do you say we load all these boxes in my car and take them over to my place?”

She took a step backward, and then another step. She could actually feel the blood rushing to her face, her fingertips tingling—with what? He’d caught her off-guard, that was sure.

“Move in with you again? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Close up the shop. But how do I pay off the Colonel?”

“I got money. I’m doing great. They just gave me the two biggest accounts in the territory. I’ve actually been thinking of selling the condo, buying a house again. Have you seen those houses out at Southridge? Four bedrooms on the golf course, swim and tennis club. You could decorate it like you like.…”

“And then what?”

“Whatever you want. I don’t know, you could maybe keep doing flowers if you wanted, work for somebody else, not as much pressure. And I was thinking, maybe next year, we could start a family.”

“Have a baby?”

He nodded. “Yeah. My mom is crazy to have another grandchild.…”

She felt a roaring sensation in her ears. “Are you crazy? I’m not moving in with you, Leo. I’m not closing up my business and moving to some country-club development. I am not taking money from you to pay off my dad, and I am most definitely not having your baby.”

“We could wait on the baby like another year or so.…”

“Leo!” Cara was shouting. “We are over. We’ve been over. I don’t need your money, or your pity or your advice. Maybe you have matured, but I seriously doubt it if you were able to convince yourself that this fantasy of us remarrying and moving to the suburbs could ever become reality.”

“You don’t have to shout,” he said, putting on that hurt look of his. “I was just trying to help out, okay? You want to talk about fantasy?” He gestured around the kitchen, with its chipped laminate countertops and faded linoleum.

“This right here is a fantasy. You can’t even afford this place, and you think moving someplace else is going to fix things? Who are you kidding? The Colonel is right—you are a screwup. You’re pathetic, Cara. Really. So you just keep on doing what you’re doing. Stay right here in your dreamworld. Move on over to the next roach motel. You’re all about doing everything for yourself, not accepting help from anybody. Maybe that’s why the boyfriend left you. Great. Keep it up. Be a ballbuster. You’re going to end up the crazy dog lady of Savannah, broke and alone.”

“Get out,” she whispered. “Don’t call me again.”

“Not a problem,” he snapped, heading for the stairs. She stood in the hallway, watching him go. She heard the front door open, and now Bert was heading back to start retrieving the moving boxes. “Some asshole parked a black Lexus in the loading zone out back,” he called.”I had to park the van a block over.”

Bert stood in the downstairs hallway, glowering when he spotted Cara’s ex.

“I’m just leaving,” Leo said curtly.

“Shitbird,” Bert muttered.

Cara couldn’t help it. She had to have the last word. She ran down the stairs after Leo. “Tell the Colonel he’ll get his money. Tell him I have three weddings and a big fat contract to do all the flowers for a new hotel in town. Tell him…”

It was too late. She heard the back door slam.