Chapter 31
“DID YOUR DAUGHTER GIVE HER PERMISSION for you to have a life?” Louise asked when Zona rejoined her and Martin. “As if I can’t guess from that grin on your face.”
“She did.”
“Good,” Louise said with a nod. “It looks like things are finally working out for the Hartman women.”
“But are you sure about this generosity? Are both of you sure?”
“We are,” Martin answered.
“As far as the house goes, I can’t think of anything nicer than it staying in the family. It’s been hard to see you struggling for so long. I’m glad I can finally do something,” Louise said.
“Finally? You’ve been there all along. Helping me pick up the pieces when things ended with Luke, then taking me in after everything with Gary imploded. Mom, I don’t know how I would have managed without you.”
“Just fine, that’s how. You’re a strong woman. Now, I suggest you get busy and track down the love of your life. I think I want to go over to my future home and talk about redecorating,” she said, smiling at Martin.
“Heaven help you, Martin,” Zona said.
“Heaven already did,” he said, and squeezed Louise’s hand.
They left and Zona got busy on her laptop. Was it too late for her to find the kind of happiness her mother had found? She hoped not. She did a search and found the location of the office for Better Builders. It was a good name for a company. It was . . . a sign.
ZONA TOOK OFF from work the second it was time for her lunch break, driving to the strip mall in Azusa where Better Builders had its office.
It was small. On one wall of the cramped reception area hung a copy of the famous black-and-white picture of workers sitting on a beam on a skyscraper in progress in New York, eating their lunches.
Another held a charcoal drawing of a house, maybe one Alec had built.
By a door that probably led to Alec’s office was a rough-hewn reception desk complete with receptionist, a lean thirty-something man with a coif, wearing jeans and a pale green shirt with micro polka dots and a sage-green tie.
The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, which made him look both hardworking and ready for a magazine shoot.
He looked up from his laptop and gave her a professional smile. “May I help you?”
“I hope so. I need to find Alec.” She knew it wouldn’t be in his office. His truck was nowhere in the parking lot.
“He’s not here. He’s at one of our sites. May I give him a message? Or would you like to wait?”
“I can’t.” Okay, she sounded desperate, and he looked suddenly wary. She let out a frustrated breath. “It’s . . . personal.”
Now he looked protective. He must have known about Angela.
“I’d be happy to give him a message,” said the man.
“I need to tell him myself.” And now she sounded more desperate and probably crazy. “Okay, I know I sound a little, um, well, it’s just that.” Spit it out already. “I broke up with him and it was stupid.”
The man nodded knowingly. “Ah, that explains so much. He’s been a bear. Wouldn’t say why.”
“I’m why,” Zona admitted. “I need to fix this.”
“You’ve got that right,” the man said. He grabbed a Post-it note and wrote on it. “It’s not far. Up in Rowland Heights.”
Zona took it. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you. Maybe he’ll become human again.”
He always had been human. Just wounded.
“By the way, my name’s Joe. I’m betting I’ll see more of you in the future.”
“I don’t bet,” Zona said with a smile. “So this better be a sure thing.”
She hurried to her car and headed for the high-end part of Covina. It came with expensive homes, gorgeous views, and a golf course. Whatever Alec was working on there, it probably was amazing.
Sure enough, she wound up at a half-complete mansion that promised at least four bedrooms and had a driveway large enough for a couple of stretch limos.
Workers in hard hats wearing dusty jeans, T-shirts, and sweat hammered on walls or ran noisy saws or walked around carrying long planks of wood over their shoulders.
And there in front of it all stood Alec, a set of blueprints in his hand, talking to another man and pointing to who knew what.
He hadn’t seen her drive up. Would he be able to hear what she wanted him to hear above all the noise? There was only one way to find out.
She took advantage of a lull in the sawing, cranked up her car’s sound system, and started the song playing. ABBA began singing “Take a Chance on Me.” She picked her way past debris as fast as she could to get to him in time for him to hear the heart of the message.
He did. He turned in confusion. Then he saw her and his eyes opened wide. He shoved the blueprints against the other man’s chest and closed the distance between them, hauled her to him, and kissed her like a desperate actor auditioning for a part.
The kiss ended to wolf whistles and applause. “Get back to work, you clowns,” he called, and led her away toward her car, ABBA still serenading them. “Please tell me that song means what I think it does and I didn’t just make a fool of myself.”
She smiled. “It does. I’ve been so afraid to take a chance, but I don’t think being with you is a gamble. I think it’s a sure thing. I’m sorry I’ve been so afraid. I’m sorry it took me so long to get brave. I’m—”
“I’m sorry you’re making this speech so long,” he said, cutting her off, and pulled her back to him and kissed her again. “Oh, man, I’ve missed you,” he said against her mouth.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said.
He smiled down at her. “Have you had lunch?”
“This is lunch,” she said. “I have to get back to work.”
“Dinner then. I’ll pick you up at six.” His brows pulled down. “Your mom okay with this?”
“Yes, she is. Except, I need to ask you one important thing. Please be honest.”
“Always. What?”
“You don’t gamble, do you?”
He laughed. “I don’t even play Mega Millions. I took math. I know the odds. And trust me, when it comes to us, they’re in our favor.”
Best gambling metaphor ever.
ALEC NOT ONLY took Zona out to dinner that night. He also included Louise and Martin and Bree. Bree grilled him mercilessly about past women, what his plans were to keep his stepsister out of his life, then poked around, looking for bad habits.
“I swear when I’m mad, and I yell.”
“So we heard,” Louise murmured.
“That’s it? There’s got to be more,” Bree pushed.
“I bite my nails.”
“And you’re not very patient,” pointed out Louise, which made Zona blush. Her mother had been one of the ones who’d tried his patience.
“You do have a temper, Alec. Admit it,” Louise said.
“You’re right. What can I say? I got stuff I need to work on.”
“Don’t we all?” said Zona.
He smiled at her. “We’ll work on stuff together.”
WORK HAD NEVER been so fun, squeezing in a couple of hikes with Darling as chaperone (Louise finally consenting to let him out of her sight), visits to favorite restaurants, bowling with Alec’s buddies. And a night of virtual bowling at Gracie’s house with her boys. And hot kisses.
Alec kept the for-sale sign on his front yard, deciding that even though he liked living right next to Zona he didn’t like the house.
“Right now I’m fine where I am, only a few minutes away from you.
If I decide to get another house, I’d rather start fresh somewhere else,” he’d said.
With someone special,” he’d added, taking her hand and making her heart turn over.
“How do you feel about the house next door?” she’d asked, and told him about her mother’s gift. “No bad vibes there, I promise.”
His comment that he wanted to be anywhere she wanted to be was exactly what she hoped to hear. “We can spy on the new neighbors together,” he’d cracked, making her laugh.
Meanwhile, the lack of proximity didn’t keep him away. Oh, yes, life was good.
Alec was on hand at Louise’s cast-off party, making margaritas for one and all while Martin manned the barbecue.
“So what do you think?” Zona asked Bree as they dug into seconds of Louise’s fruit salad.
“He may work out,” Bree said. “But no rushing, right?”
“Right,” Zona agreed.
“One wedding in a year is enough,” Bree added.
AND WHAT A wedding it was. Alec and his buddies set up the multitude of chairs in the backyard, and Louise’s pals Susan and Carol helped decorate, adorning the rows with red and orange bows and a multitude of silk flowers.
The stage where the couple would say their vows was adorned with pumpkins and vases of fall flower arrangements.
Gilda insisted on paying for Louise’s bridal bouquet, and Zona and Bree spent the entire weekend before baking the requested pumpkin cupcakes.
Louise looked ready for a fashion shoot in her cream-colored cocktail dress and Martin, who had lost twenty pounds, looked properly svelte in his new suit.
Zona and Bree both walked down the aisle with her.
The two granddaughters she’d inherited acted as flower girls and Darling was the ring bearer.
Thanks to Alec, he was very well-behaved.
He sat between Martin and Louise like a good boy during the ceremony, hardly begged at all during the reception, and didn’t jump on anyone.
Toasts were made, well-wishes were given, and so were plenty of gift cards. “Where are you taking your bride for your honeymoon?” asked one of their neighbors.
“We’re going on a cruise,” Martin said, smiling at Louise. “To Hawaii.”
THE WEDDING WAS one big lovefest. Gram was so happy she should have been in a Hallmark movie. Apocalypse Zombie Mom was gone, and her smiles reached her eyes again. Alec was smiling, too, and looking at Mom like she was found treasure. Well, she was, and he’d better remember it.
Bree was glad both her mom and her Gram were so happy. But watching them, and all the other people at the party, she felt . . . apart from it all. There but not present.
She knew why. Fen wasn’t there with her. She didn’t want to, but she missed him. Who was he with now? Had to be with someone. A guy like Fen wouldn’t stay alone forever.
Alone. She kept telling herself that alone was good. Alone was safe.