A Precious Gift

“I do, too. I’m afraid of what will happen to us if it doesn’t.”

And then his wife slipped from his grasp.

Brian wished he could read her mind. This adoption obviously meant everything to her. He wondered if he truly knew the reason why.

Three

On Saturday night when Brian entered the kitchen looking for Carrie, he felt a nerve in his jaw work. He immediately caught sight of her speaking to the caterer. She wore a beaded, royal-blue dress with long sleeves and a demure neckline, and he reluctantly admitted his wife had never looked more beautiful. With her hair caught at the nape of her neck in a sleek chignon, a few wavy tendrils framed her face. She’d clasped around her neck a sapphire necklace he’d given her for Christmas, and she looked…like a princess. All she needed was the tiara.

All he needed was a cold shower!

Setting aside the impulse to pull the pins from her hair and mess up her lipstick, he replaced desire with restraint. He didn’t want to need her right now. He was still angry she’d changed the whole dynamic of their lives by inviting Lisa to live with them. They hadn’t made love since before Lisa had arrived. For the past few nights, there had seemed to be an impenetrable fence down the center of their bed.

When Carrie saw him, she finished her consultation with the caterer and crossed to him.

“You’re beautiful tonight.” He couldn’t help complimenting her in spite of the tension between them.

She looked surprised for a moment. “You’re looking quite handsome yourself.”

Just standing here with Carrie now, looking at her, breathing in the classic scent of her perfume, he realized his body was completely aroused. He put the brakes on his libido. “Is everything ready?”

“Just about.”

“Where’s Lisa?”

Carrie looked worried. “She spent most of the day in her room. I made her soup and a salad for lunch.”

After a glance at the caterer, Brian took Carrie by the elbow and shepherded her into the short hallway that led to the garage. “You’re headed for disappointment if you expect anything from that girl. She’s a rebellious teenager. Her story tells you that. She’s not a stray puppy you can bring into the house, feed and pamper and who will love you unconditionally. You’re going to get hurt if you want more from her than a thank-you when she leaves. I don’t even know if she’ll give you that.” As far as he was concerned, Carrie’s soft heart had to be protected, and she needed to see the reality of the situation.

But her response told him she didn’t. “Maybe I’m more hopeful than you are. Maybe I’m hoping to form a bond with her so she can trust me. She’s been hurt, Brian, by her parents’ death, by her boyfriend walking away, by her aunt’s attitude, which seemed to tell her she was a bother.”

“You can’t perform miracles in a month.” Carrie had never before been quite so determined, quite so adamant that she could make a difference.

When Carrie took a step closer to him, there was so much longing in her dark-brown eyes, he couldn’t look away. She touched his set jaw with a caressing stroke that made fireworks shoot through his veins.

“Maybe I can’t perform miracles,” she murmured, “but I need to try.”

Her soft words crumbled his restraint. He couldn’t help but reach out and smooth his hand along the side of Carrie’s face. Her eyes became a deeper brown, and her lips parted ever so slightly. She always responded to his touch and he to hers. Drawing her to him, his lips seared hers. He held on to the passion, kept the kiss short but couldn’t resist stroking her tongue with his. Then he reluctantly released her and stepped away, hungry for her. That hunger never diminished. Yet he kept it in check, and he wasn’t sure why.

The doorbell rang and they could hear it even in the corridor outside of the laundry room.

Breaking eye contact, Carrie glanced under her sleeve at a department-store watch that fit her wrist like a bracelet. It had been a gift from her sisters last Christmas. He could buy her a diamond watch and had offered to, but she preferred wearing this one. He’d realized long ago sentiment meant more to Carrie than quality or monetary value. He was afraid sentiment where Lisa was concerned would hurt them both.

“We have to greet our guests.” She put her fingers to her lips. “I’ll stop in the powder room first.”

When she conjured up a smile, he fought the urge to kiss her all over again.

The doorbell rang once more, and Brian went to the foyer. There were two couples there—the O’Briens and the Hammonds—as well as Derrick Dennehy, who’d obviously come without his wife. That was peculiar since he’d spoken to Derrick the day before yesterday and the lawyer had assured Brian they’d both be there. Maybe Jackie had picked up the flu bug that was going around.

As Carrie joined them and guided the O’Briens and the Hammonds into the living room where hors d’oeuvres were waiting, Derrick held back and grabbed Brian’s arm. After the maid had gone to the kitchen, he said, “Jackie couldn’t make it tonight.”

Something in Derrick’s voice warned Brian it wasn’t a simple flu bug that had kept his wife away.

Adjusting his striped silk tie, Derrick looked uncomfortable. “She moved out yesterday and it looks as if we’ll be getting a divorce. I had no idea this was coming. It came out of the blue.”

The same age as Brian—in their midthirties—Derrick and Jackie had been married after their college graduation.

“Out of the blue?”

Derrick shook his head in exasperation. “You’d think I’d know a woman after living with her for twelve years. But then she said that was the problem. She maintains I haven’t really been living with her all these years. I’ve been spending too many nights in my office, too many weekends out of town drumming up more business so she could drive that fancy new Italian sports car. Now she tells me she’s met someone who makes her the center of his world. I don’t know how he can do that and work, too!”

Abruptly Derrick shook his head. “I didn’t mean to go into all that. You’re the first person I’ve told.”

“I’m sorry, Derrick. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes. Put together this deal in Alaska. It will give me something else to think about. The contracts to develop it would keep me busy for the next few months.”

As an attorney, Derrick took care of much of the legal work that came up with the projects Brian coordinated. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Carrie raised questioning eyes to Brian as he and Derrick entered the living room. Brian gave a slight shake of his head, and when neither he nor Derrick explained why Jackie wasn’t present, Carrie understood she should stay away from that topic.

It wasn’t until Ted Hammond, Rob O’Brien and Derrick were engaged in business conversation and Ted and Rob’s wives had escaped to freshen up in the powder room, that Brian took Carrie aside out of earshot of everyone to explain, “Jackie left Derrick.”

Carrie was shocked. “You’re not serious.”

“He never saw it coming. She found someone else.” To Brian, that was what it boiled down to.

Because Carrie looked pensive, Brian asked, “Did you know? Did she say anything to you?” The circle of women who ran the foundation boards Carrie served on included Jackie.

“When I had lunch with her before Christmas, she’d been unusually quiet. In the past she’s mentioned that she’s been lonely and Derrick is never home.”

“Well, he wasn’t seeing other women. He was working.”

Brian knew his tone was defensive, but he was identifying with Derrick. He added, “She belonged to as many committees as you do. I don’t understand how she could be lonely.”

“Committees and volunteer work are not the same thing as intimate time with a spouse.”

Intimate time. Time in bed when a husband and wife coupled? Or was Carrie talking about conversations over dinner for two, an impromptu visit to the zoo, a walk in the rain? They hadn’t done any of those for a long time.

Peggy O’Brien and Carla Hammond were laughing as they came into the foyer. Peggy patted Carrie’s shoulder. “My, my, my. You two look much too serious. Is there a problem?”

Brian could see his wife consciously relax and find a smile for her guests. Once, she’d told him she’d had training in relaxation techniques. He supposed that had something to do with learning to pose for the camera.

Now he could almost believe she wasn’t still thinking about their conversation as she said to Peggy, “Dinner will be ready any minute. You can have your choice of wines to go with the seafood Newburgh and prime rib. The server will explain the merits of each. Let’s gather everyone and go into the dining room.”

Brian marveled at Carrie’s ease in turning the conversation to their guests. His wife definitely had tact. Maybe that came from having to referee three sisters vying for her parents’ attention.

However, although Carrie had changed the subject smoothly, it hadn’t left Brian’s mind—neither Derrick’s situation nor his wife’s comments.