sound?”
A single tear ran down her cheek. “Like a really, really good idea.”
He wiped away the tear. “Two reallys? Are pigs flying?”
“Get me inside before your ego blows up anymore,” she said, and he was glad to hear a hint of laughter in her voice.
He pushed her inside to where Andie and Fulton waited. Andie had volunteered to stay with Marie while she settled into a routine. She’d told Lennox at the hospital that she’d helped care for her grandmother while she was in high school. Marie had balked at first, but eventually agreed. Lennox had wanted to be the one to stay with her, but he knew she’d never allow that.
It was probably for the best. At least until they were able to discuss what had happened and how they were going to move forward.
• • •
TWO WEEKS AFTER her release from the hospital, Marie was going batshit crazy. She was able to get around her apartment with crutches. Andie came by every afternoon to see her if she hadn’t already stopped by the main building. Even Lennox dropped in a time or two, but his visits were awkward and tension filled.
Her problem was she didn’t have enough to do. Lennox sent over paperwork she could work on, but those tasks were mainly administrative and she finished them quickly. She had already taken care of everything she could do for the Holiday Ball, and she was seriously thinking about taking up knitting or something. Absolutely anything to keep herself occupied.
Lennox came by the Sunday afternoon she was going through her books, trying to find one she hadn’t read three times already and kicking herself for not placing her online order sooner.
“You know,” he said from the doorway. “They do have electronic e-readers now, or you can download a book straight to your phone. Wonderful thing, technology.”
She glared at him. “I know that. I just don’t want to read an electronic book. I like the feel of paper on my fingers, the smell of a book.”
“Just saying, you could get so many more if you’d—”
“Succumb to the dark side?”
He eyed the pile of books. “It’d be easier to carry, too.”
She sighed. “Why are you here, Lennox?”
“And a good day to you, as well.”
Damn it, why did he have to be in a good mood? Why couldn’t he be pissy and dour like he’d always been in the past?
“Look, I’m glad everything is great and wonderful in Lennox land, but here in my reality, I’m losing my mind.”
He nodded and that’s when it hit her that he was up to something. He had that look in his eyes. God help her.
“I’ve been thinking about that because I know the last few weeks have been rough on you.” He motioned her into the kitchen. “Let’s go sit and talk.”
“I’m tired of sitting,” she said under her breath and, if he heard, he didn’t give any indication of it.
He sat down and looked at her with such excitement for whatever his plan was, she sincerely hoped she liked it. Looks such as the one he wore now were rare and she’d hate to disappoint him.
“You remember the plans I had made for the cottage?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ve decided to move forward with the renovations.”
She couldn’t help it, she smiled. The changes he’d proposed for the cottage were wonderful and she was so happy he was moving forward with them. More importantly, she knew Winnie would have loved them.
“That’s great,” she said. “I think your idea is absolutely perfect for the cottage.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, because I actually would like for you to be involved.”
She nodded. “Oh, sure. Anything you need, just let me know. I have tons of time.”
He winced at that. She felt a little bad, simply because she knew he already blamed himself for the accident and now he’d probably feel like it was his duty to keep her occupied.
“This should definitely keep you busy,” he said.
“Do tell.”
“I’d like for you to be in charge of the renovations. I can’t take care of everything that needs to be done and run the academy, too.” His eyes pleaded with her. “And truthfully, I don’t trust anyone else to oversee this other than you. Because you loved her, too.”
She couldn’t speak for several seconds. He wanted her to be in charge?
“Are you sure you want me?” she asked.
“Yes, like I said, I trust you and you were like a sister to her. You knew her better than anyone and I don’t want the cottage merely renovated, I want it to have her touch. Only you can do that. Probably better than I can.”
“Can I stay here or do I have to move to the mainland?”
“You can work from here. No need to move off the island.”
“Okay. I’ll do it.”
Just saying the words made her feel better. She had a purpose again; she felt better than she had since before the accident.
WINNIE’S JOURNAL
What do you do when your entire relationship is built on a lie? I don’t know. I’m not who he thinks I am and I’m reminded of that every time I look in the mirror. Hell, every time I look at him.
He doesn’t know. It’s so strange to me that he wouldn’t know. He for damn sure knows everything else. It baffles me how he doesn’t know this one thing that’s the most fundamental and important of all things. How is it he knows what I’m thinking, but he doesn’t know who I really am?
CHAPTER
Ten
It didn’t take long for Mariela to see that Lennox wasn’t lying about the renovations keeping her busy. Between the red tape involved with getting the permits and near daily chats with the contractor, she felt like pulling her hair out.
“Seriously,” she complained to Andie one afternoon a few weeks into the project. “Do you know how much time I spend following up with people who never get back to me? I mean, really? Who’s working for whom?”
“I agree, it’s crazy.” Andie walked into Mariela’s living room, carrying a cup of coffee for each of them. “I recently fired a few distributors for the kitchen because they lacked any semblance of customer service.”
Mariela’s phone rang, but she ignored it.
“Do you need to get that?” Andie asked.
“No, it was Lennox. He’s calling for his daily update.”
“How are things going with him?”
Mariela sighed. “It’s not. We talk about the cottage, but that’s it. Every time I try to change the subject or talk about us or what happened, he either has to leave or says we’ll talk later. And later never comes.”
“He has to talk about it sometime.”
“You would think.” Mariela took a sip of coffee. “When I told him I’d do this, I thought working on the cottage would give us time to talk and work things out. But it hasn’t. It’s the same as it’s always been.”
“Hang in there. Men just need time. They’re not as smart as we are. It takes them longer to grasp things.” Andie nodded toward her leg. “How’s your leg?”