“I’m not complaining about my face.”
“I know. It’s your body. You can’t do what you used to. Hell, I can’t either, but that’s a byproduct of growing old. When I get crabby I remind myself about the alternative, which is being dead.” She grinned. “Not my first choice. As for your life, so you can’t be the coach you were before. You still love sports. Can’t you find some way to be a part of them? What about the kids who have physical limitations? Who teaches them to play on teams? Who shows them what their bodies are capable of and how to be a winner from a wheelchair?”
Josie blinked. “You mean like a special education PE teacher?”
“I don’t know. That’s your field of expertise, not mine. I’m just saying that if you want to still be involved with kids and make a difference, there’s nothing stopping you. You’ve got your brain. Use it.”
Josie considered the possibility. She’d assumed that because she couldn’t go back to her old job, teaching was no longer available to her. But maybe she’d been too quick to give up. Maybe there were alternatives.
“Which leaves only one thing,” Annie May said, her brown eyes intense and focused. “That fool man of yours.”
Josie swallowed. She didn’t want to talk about this because it would mean admitting her secret desire. Something she’d barely been willing to think in the darkest corners of her mind. Yet if she didn’t say the words aloud, they couldn’t be real.
“I want him back,” she whispered, not looking at her friend. “I want a second chance at a marriage. I still love him and I want him to love me back.”
“So where’s the problem?”
Josie shook her head. “He doesn’t love me. At times I think he doesn’t even
“You were divorced, honey. What did you expect?”
That Del would pine for her. That his life would crumble when she left. Not that she could tell Annie May that.
“Jasmine wasn’t about being in love,” her friend said. “She was about being lonely. Yes, Del has dated and been involved, but he hasn’t been in love with anyone. You’re the one who used to have the key to his heart. The lock might be rusty, but I know it hasn’t changed. Find that key and use it.”
“I’m afraid,” Josie admitted.
“You can’t win if you don’t even try.”
“What if I lose?”
“At least you’ll have the truth. And you’ll be able to look yourself in the eye, knowing you gave 100 percent.”
She would also have a broken heart. She realized now that she’d never stopped loving her husband. She’d locked her feelings away and refused to look at them. It took a life-threatening accident to bring them back to light. If she tried to win back Del and lost, she would be destroyed. If she didn’t try, she was going to be destroyed. There didn’t seem to be many options.
“Del, your mom is on line two.”
Jan’s voice came through the intercom. Del bit back a curse as he dropped into his seat and reached for the receiver.
Ever since Jasmine had exploded into his office, he’d been trying to get home to check on Josie. He didn’t know what she’d thought of his ex-girlfriend showing up the way she had, but he doubted she’d been happy. He couldn’t call to check on her because she didn’t pick up his phone line, and events had conspired to keep him stuck in his office for the past several hours.
First there had been the theft of some equipment at one of the job sites. Then a zoning commissioner had dropped by to talk to Del about a planned development on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. There had been phone calls from customers, and a minor dispute between employees. Finally, when he was about to walk out the door and head home, his mother called.
He pushed the button on the intercom. “Thanks, Jan,” he told his secretary/receptionist, then punched the flashing button for line two. “Hey, Mom. How’s it going?”
“Fine, Del. Your father and I are in Kentucky and we absolutely love it here. The grass is the most extraordinary color, and the horses-” she sighed “-they’re stunning. I’m making noises about wanting to retire here but your father refuses to listen.”
Despite his need to get home, he couldn’t help smiling as he listened to his mother’s voice. “Dad would miss the water.”
“I know. He keeps reminding me. And I tell him that we could have our very own pond, but he’s not impressed. So what are you up to these days? How’s work?”
Del’s grandfather had started the family construction firm. Del’s father had taken it over, then had passed the business on to Del. For most of the years of their marriage, Catherine Scott had not only taken care of the house, her husband and her son, but she’d also helped out in the office several mornings a week.
“Business is good.” He hesitated. “Someone bought the old Miller place. We’re doing the remodeling job.”
“Really?” Delight brightened his mother’s voice. “I’m so happy. I adore that old house. Frankly, it deserves new owners. Those last people just let it sit for so long. Tell me about the new owners. Are they putting the master on the third floor?”
“Yup. In fact I got approval on my plans earlier this week. We’ll be starting the framing Monday.”
Catherine laughed. “Good for you. I always did like that design. The master suite is going to be spectacular. So tell me about the family that bought the house. Do they have many children? That house cries out for the sound of laughter. What do they think of the neighborhood? Are they-”
“Mom,” he said, cutting her off. “One or two questions at a time, please.”
“Oh, all right. So, spill the beans.”
He leaned back in his leather chair. What was he going to say? How could he explain what was going on in his life? He didn’t expect his parents to either approve or disapprove, but he doubted either of them would be silent.
“Josie bought the house. She’s back in town.”
There was a moment of silence, then the sound of his mother exhaling slowly. “Josie? After all this time?”
He couldn’t tell from the tone of her voice if she approved or disapproved. “I was surprised, too.”
“Are you two getting along? If you’re doing the remodeling, you must see quite a bit of her.”
He’d come this far, he thought wryly. He might as well get it all out in the open. “She’s staying at my house temporarily.”
Then, before his mother could respond, he filled her in on Josie’s accident and her subsequent recovery. He explained how she’d collapsed and was spending a few weeks in a wheelchair. Finally he outlined his offer to take care of her during that time, which meant her living at his house.
“I see,” his mother said slowly. “Josie in a wheelchair. I can’t begin to imagine what that must be like for her. She was always such an athletic girl. Running, playing sports. And so pretty. Is her face really completely different?”
“I didn’t recognize her for a while,” he admitted. “She’s still attractive, but she doesn’t look like herself.”
“That must be odd.”
“I’m getting used to it.”
“Del, I…” His mother cleared her throat. “I don’t know if I should say this or not, but I’m going to. I love you very much and I always liked Josie. When you told me you were getting married, I thought you were both a little young, but your father and I hoped you would mature together.” She paused.
Del braced himself for what was coming. Obviously, he and Josie hadn’t matured, at least not in a way that allowed them to keep their marriage together. He knew his mom was going to warn him against getting involved with Josie again. Probably very sensible advice but for some reason, he didn’t want to hear it.
“I’ve always felt terribly guilty for my part in breaking up your marriage.”
He stared at the phone. “What? Mom, you’re crazy. You didn’t do anything to hurt my relationship with Josie.”
Catherine Scott sighed. “Not directly, perhaps, but I did have a minor role. You see, I know how Josie felt about me. We got along very well, but she was intimidated by the way I had always taken care of you. She couldn’t compete with that and I doubt she wanted to. To be honest, I didn’t want her to, either. What if she’d done a better
