One True Love by Barbara Freethy Read Free Book Online Page A

sleep. Finally, the silence had come, the horrible, deafening silence.
    Roxanne ran to the phone and dialed a number. Lisa couldn’t raise a voice to stop her.
    “Uncle Nick,” Roxanne said. “Mom went away and Mary Bea won’t stop crying, and I think…” She paused, staring at Lisa in uncertainty. “I think Aunt Lisa needs you.”
    No, don’t say that, Lisa begged silently. The last thing she wanted was for Nick to think she needed him, but it was too late. Roxanne hung up the phone.
    “He wasn’t there,” Roxy said. “I’m sure he’ll come over when he gets the message.” She turned to Mary Bea. “It’s okay. Uncle Nick will be here soon. Everything will be all right. You’ll see.”
    Lisa turned away, feeling as panicked as Maggie. She couldn’t handle the memories or the kids, and she certainly couldn’t handle Nick. She wanted to run away, but this time there was nowhere to go.
    Aunt Lisa needs you. The words ran around in his head as Nick played the message one more time. He couldn’t believe his ears. Why would Lisa need him? Why would she even be in San Diego? He rewound the tape to the messages left earlier that day. Maggie’s voice came first.
    “I’m burning out, Nick,” she said in a rush. “The kids are driving me crazy. They fight all the time.” She paused to tell one of the kids in the background to be quiet. “I can’t even talk on the phone without being interrupted. Some days, I feel like I can’t go on—”
    The desperation in her voice touched a deep, resonant chord within Nick. He remembered that feeling of not being able to get up, to get dressed, to go on. He also remembered Maggie standing behind him, supporting him.
    Guilt swept through him. He should have been there for Maggie this past year, but he’d been so busy launching his business that he’d let it consume his life. When he’d asked Maggie if she was all right, if she needed anything, she’d always said no. Why hadn’t he seen she was just covering up, pretending?
    Because he hadn’t wanted to see. No one had. After the funeral, after those first few weeks of grief, they’d all gone on with their lives, believing that Maggie had cried all her tears. He should have known better. It wasn’t until later that the real grief came, that the inescapable truth of being alone hit home.
    Maggie’s voice came back as the machine played the next message. “I need to get away, Nick, at least for the day. Could you watch the kids? I hate to ask, but Mom and Dad are gone. I won’t even think of calling them and ruining their trip. I’m not that bad.” She tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. “I just need a good night’s sleep. Anyway, call me when you get in.”
    The next message was from Roxanne. Apparently unable to reach him, Maggie had called Lisa. That didn’t surprise him. What shocked the hell out of him was that Lisa had actually come.
    He couldn’t stop the sudden surge of energy that ran through his veins, the anticipation, the fear. For a long time he’d wanted Lisa to come back. But as the weeks turned into months, then years, he’d let anger and disillusionment build a huge, impenetrable wall around his heart.
    Now that it was complete, the last thing he wanted was to tear it down.
    Aunt Lisa needs you. Roxy’s words rang through his head. He tried to drum up the anger. So what if Lisa needed him. Hadn’t he needed her? Hadn’t she turned her back on him? Why the hell should he help her?
    The phone rang. He started, giving it a wary glance. What if it was Lisa? What would he say? The phone rang again and again. The machine picked up and after a moment, he heard a woman’s voice. It wasn’t Lisa; it was Suzanne.
    “Nick? Are you there? I made reservations for eight o’clock at the Bella Vista in La Jolla. I hope that’s okay.”
    Nick reached for the phone. “Suzanne. I’m here.”
    “Oh. I made—”
    “I can’t go,” he said abruptly.
    “You can’t go? Why not?”
    Nick took