Extreme Love Makeover (3 page)

The old dirt road was now paved, and I could no longer see the houses that used to sit tucked deep into the woods. As I approached the ‘Y’ in the road where I knew to hang left toward to the cove, I slowed, spying another bouquet of wildflowers anchored on a tree. A smile spread across my face and I delighted in how he remembered my love for games, because the flowers were tied to the right.

Following his sign, I veered right down a road which used to be nothing but trees and an occasional tent set up for the weekend. Now, there were ‘Posted’ signs along both sides, and I wondered what Mitch was up to. Then I saw the most beautiful house on the bluff. Dusty blue siding, full walls of windows all along the first floor facing the lake, a gorgeous wrap-around porch along the front and stone built up along the face of the carriage house garage.

Another bright bouquet marked the entrance of the driveway.

My curiosity wasn’t the only thing heightened as I crept up the drive, admiring the landscaping and architecture of the home. I couldn’t have done better myself. It had to belong to some doctor friend or something. Although, he’d loved this piece of land since I could remember. My mind refused to believe Mitch built a house on our spot, because that would mean he’d never stopped caring.

I stepped onto the grounds, holding my ever-growing bouquet, and slung my bag over my shoulder. Individual flowers tied along the porch railing lead me all the way around the house. I couldn’t deny I was almost giddy with excitement.

From the top of the back deck I had a spectacular view of the cove and beach below. A small fire had been made, and a table set with linens and candles. My breath caught in my chest as the young girl-in-love fought for control. The girl I was back then might have been foolish, but the woman I was now knew exactly what she wanted. For as much as I’d needed this meeting to be closure, I could no longer deny the part of me that wished for a new beginning.

I scanned the scene below but Mitch was nowhere to be found. Then again, maybe his heart wasn’t in it the way mine was leading me to believe. I took a hesitant step on the stone stairs leading down the bluff. With every snip-snap of my flip-flop I was reminded of his anger. Maybe he’d asked me here to finish having his say, knowing if I was in our special place I might not run away.

Smart man, but big girls don’t back down. I had just as much to say as he did. And this time, he was going to listen. By the time I was through, he’d be in need of some reconstruction of his own.

I dropped my bag by the fire and continued toward the table dressed with a platter of fresh fruit and chilled shrimp cocktail. He’d even set up a bucket of my favorite chardonnay on ice. This certainly didn’t look like the setting for a slaughter. As a matter of fact, it looked very romantic.

And I was very confused.

***

A noise in the water startled me and I whipped around, feeling silly when I didn’t see anything. Probably just a fish jumping, I thought as I took in a deep breath to quiet my thundering heart. I was about to steal a piece of melon when I heard the splash again.

The melon ball tumbled into the crystalline sand.

Mitch stood to his full height in the lake, slicking his thick brown hair away from his face. Droplets of water danced off his tan skin and chiseled muscles, and I noticed the Celtic knot tattoo around his bicep. He could easily be a descendent of King Triton.

When we were younger, I would have stripped down to nothing and rushed in to greet him. Heat surged through every core as if a stray spark had caught my dress and I was burning from the inside out. I couldn’t stop staring. Oh yeah, a part of me longed to greet him, but we were different now. My knees wobbled and I placed my hand on the table. I still wasn’t sure why he wanted me here.

Mitch paused when he saw me, and smiled as wide as the beach while he waded to shore. I could see the sparkling reflection off the water in his eyes. He shook sand off his towel then used it to dry his hair before blotting any remaining water from his skin.

“Why Miss Scarlet, I’m ever so glad you could attend this evening.” He bowed at the waist after tying the towel low across his hips.

I was slowly and torturously coming unglued.

Putting on my best southern drawl possible, I snatched a linen napkin and fanned it down my face and neck. It did nothing to cool the heat still raging within. “Oh Rhett, you did all this for lil’ old me?” Throwing the back of my hand to my forehead, I feigned a fainting spell worthy of an Oscar.

In a flash he was behind me like I knew he would be, like he always did when we fooled around this way. His arms, still cool from the lake, held me tight and when I opened my eyes, our faces were only inches apart. The napkin floated on the breeze, tumbling down the sandy beach, freeing my hand to touch the man I used to know so well.

“God, you look incredible.” His hot breath tickled my face, echoing the words inside my head.

Thank God he’d said them, because for once, I didn’t have a voice. My traitorous hand grazed the skin on his chest, dipping down over a perfectly sculpted pectoral muscle, then back up to the hollow of his neck and around to his broad shoulder. I kept my eyes on his, I didn’t need to look. Hell, I’d memorized every inch of this man’s body. I knew every freckle and hair on his head.

“Sid? I asked if you’re thirsty.” He sounded confused as he tipped me to my feet and guided me toward the chardonnay.

“Thirsty? I’m very thirsty. As a matter of fact, I’m parched.” I took the glass he offered and downed it before he could even finish pouring his own. Licking my lips, I held it back in front of him. “More please.”

“Sure.” He chuckled while he refilled, and I felt the threads of my self-control loosening.

What happened to maybe going for a swim like we used to? What about my practiced lecture? Oh God, what happened to my closure?

Gone, they were one-hundred-percent out of here. Actually, they were on the heels of my self-control which perched nicely on Mitch’s broad, broad, broaaad shoulders. Why couldn’t he have gotten old and fat?

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why am I here?” Hey, I could be all business too. And right now I had to focus or I was going to do something I’d regret. Maybe.

“Because I left you the note.” His gaze roamed over me and he added, “So is that bite a promise?” He winked and I caught my breath.

“No, seriously.” I tried to keep cool as my body temperature continued to rise. This time I sipped my wine, looking at him over the rim of the glass.

“What if I bite you first?” Those cocoa eyes glistened with mischief and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Mitchell!” I gasped and he laughed before taking a sip from his glass.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.” He dipped a shrimp in cocktail sauce and dropped it in his mouth, tossing the tail onto a small plate.

“Sorry?” I repeated, not hiding my surprise.

“I had no right to come down on you like I did yesterday. I was still in shock you were back in town, and then to have to work so closely with you on this project...” After taking another drink, he finished his thought. “I guess some of that old hurt came back and I didn’t know how to react.”

“I know. I felt the same way.” An odd feeling crept over me as the tide tickled the sandy shore. We were young lovers again about to embark on a summer-sweet journey. I pushed those memories out of my mind with the caw of a circling gull. “But there are things that need to be said, Mitch.” I stabbed a melon ball with a toothpick, and placed it between my teeth.

“Oh, I agree.” It was his turn to look at me all seductive-like over the glass and I fought to keep my business demeanor.

“You need to know why I left.”

“I’ve been wondering for twelve years, Sidney. You never answered any of my letters, so why tell me now? What’s done is done.”

I sighed, knowing he was right and that I had to make things right even if it was too late. “I had some major growing up to do.” I winced because I knew how lame that sounded. “I had dreams and I was determined to make it as a model in New York. It was all I could think about.”

“So what happened?” He looked me up and down.

“Can’t you tell? I placed a hand on my hip and gestured at my body with the other. “I like food way too much to stay a size two.”

His laughter was deep and light and warmed my heart. “You look great to me. Why didn’t you ever come back?”

“I’d failed at the one thing I’d wanted bad enough to make me walk away from a future with you. My family had money, and I couldn’t even buy my way into being a famous model.” The gull over our heads screeched before heading toward the water. We watched as the bird dove to catch a fish. I returned to my story, still feeling the need to clear the air. “Real life was not how I’d imagined it. How could I return to you as plain old Sidney? After hurting you the way I did, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to face you again.”

“But I loved you whether you were a famous model or not. I thought you knew that.” We shared a tender moment and I felt tears building behind my eyes. “Come here.” Mitch took my hand and led me to a blanket spread out next to the fire. He knelt down and brought me with him.

“I was sure you hated me.” The words spilled out as we faced each other on our knees.

“I did for a while, but then I realized I had some growing up to do of my own.” He stretched out, propped himself up on an elbow and I did the same. “I moved on with my life the best I could, worked every job imaginable, and put myself through school. But I never did forget you, hence the house behind me.”

“You didn’t?” My heart melted knowing he’d built his house here even though it reminded him of me, of us, and the obvious pain I caused him.

“Dad had purchased the land as a wedding present for us. When there wasn’t a wedding he held onto it until I got my head on straight and could pay off the loan myself, or sell it. I didn’t have the heart to sell so I built the house.” Mitch flicked a grain of sand off the blanket. “What about you?”

I rolled to my stomach, finding it hard to face him. Sifting sand through my fingers, I continued with the truth. “I took some time and seriously thought about what I wanted out of life. And you know what? All the fun and love I’d felt here in Cape Vincent with you and your family was what helped me decide.”

“How so?”

I turned back to my side, bracing myself on my elbow. His eyes held genuine interest and I was once more transported back to our youth and all of the talks we used to have about our futures. I’d missed having someone to talk to like this over the years. Sure, I’d had boyfriends but no one had lasted. They weren’t Mitch. I sighed, recognizing the strength of our connection while trying to keep our current lives in perspective.

“Your dad taught me about tools and the satisfaction of making something from scratch. So I went to school for architectural design, and wal-lah, Helping Homes was born. I think I had to go through everything I did, to become the woman I am today.”

“I think what you’ve done is far better than strutting your stuff on the runway, although I’d pay big money to see that.” Mitch grinned, and I swatted at his arm.

“Shut up!” I tried to whack him again but he caught my wrist.

Our eyes locked and I saw the passion that had never quite died for either of us boiling beneath the surface. He dropped my hand, placing his on my hip and pulled himself closer. His lips touched mine, so soft at first I thought I was dreaming. He became more demanding, and I let him explore with his hands and his mouth as the sounds of the shoreline muffled in my brain, bringing me back to a time long ago.

He tasted like a hint of cocktail sauce. The weight of his body as he guided me to my back on the blanket felt like we’d never been apart. My hands cupped his chin, and I kissed him deeper. He rubbed against me so I could feel his arousal through my dress, and when I heard a moan from deep in his gut, I lost myself in him.

The sun set behind us as we made bittersweet love. Memories of old collided with who we were right now, like the waves crashing the rocks at high tide. I thought of the house on the bluff, and although I didn’t see a ring on his finger, there could be someone special in his life. Mitch could have found someone who knew nothing of me or our past, someone who had taken my place and healed his broken heart, and who’d never understand the kind of relationship Mitch and I had.

Maybe Mitch was trying to close this chapter in his life too. We would work each other out of our systems and be free from all the old ghosts. We could move on and never look back. Eventually, years from now, we would forget as all ill-fated people do. I held in my tears, held on to this moment, and held him close to me one last time.

***

No one on my crew asked, and I didn’t offer any information. I could tell by their looks Kyle had informed them of my meeting with Mitch. My stomach clenched, and I swallowed hard to keep my breakfast from coming up. I’d be counting down the hours ‘til we could move out of Cape Vincent and on to the next job.

Mitch and I had made love all night and fallen asleep wrapped in the blanket. Every emotion imaginable had played through my head during our wonderful evening together. I came to my senses just before dawn and escaped back to the trailer before the awkward ‘morning after’. Walking away had been so much easier all those years ago. After what I felt last night, I couldn’t bear to hear him say good-bye for good.

Page turned, chapter done, book closed.

We all walked across the parking lot to where the mayor and his staff were setting up for the ribbon cutting. A transport van arrived and unloaded Jim, much to the delight of Kyle and the rest of the crew. I was about to join them, when a familiar tan hand grabbed my arm, and I sucked in a breath.

“I missed you this morning.”

“I couldn’t stay. Big day today, you know.” I removed his hand and kept walking.

“About last night...” he said as he kept pace beside me.

“Mitch, it’s okay. Let’s drop it.” If I talked about it, I’d never survive it. I smiled at my crew as we passed, giving Kyle “the look”, meaning I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone.