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

a deep breath. “My sister isn’t feeling well. When I got home there was a bunch of messages from her. I need to go over there.”
    There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. “I didn’t even know you had a sister.”
    “Maggie is three years younger.”
    “Do you have brothers, too?”
    “One older brother. I’m in the middle.”
    “You never mentioned them to me. I thought you were all alone here in San Diego.”
    Nick sighed at the unhappiness in her voice, feeling both defensive and angry at the same time. He’d deliberately kept Suzanne away from the family for reasons he couldn’t even bring himself to define. “My brother doesn’t live here, just Maggie and my parents. If you want to meet them, you can meet them.”
    “Really? Why don’t I go with you, then?”
    “No,” he said flatly. “Maggie’s upset.” And Lisa will be there.
    “Look, I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’ll call you, okay?”
    “All right. Good night.”
    Nick hung up the phone, debating whether or not he should call Maggie or just go over to her house. He reached for his keys on the side table, catching his reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t help adjusting the collar of his white chambray shirt, running a hand through his curly brown hair. He hadn’t seen Lisa in five years, not since Mary Bea’s birth. He’d accidentally run into her in the hospital corridor outside of the nursery. It had been the worst possible place for them to meet, the memories of their love and their pain coming together in a rush of emotion. He’d seen the tears in her eyes as she’d turned away.
    He’d called after her, but she’d kept going. Lisa always kept going.
    Leaving was her specialty. Every time she left, she took another piece of his heart. Not this time. This time, he would make sure he left
    first.

Chapter 4

    “Would you like assistance with your luggage, Mrs. Scott?” the reservations clerk asked with a cheerful smile.
    Maggie glanced down at her one worn overnight bag and didn’t think it merited a bellboy’s tip. “No thanks, I can manage.”
    The clerk handed her an envelope with her key enclosed. “Have a nice evening.”
    A nice evening. Maggie glanced around the lobby of the San Diego Court Hotel and smiled. Marble floors, gleaming chandeliers, lush green ferns, cozy table lamps and comfortable armchairs for reading or conversing decorated the lobby. It was a grown-up room for grown-ups, not a child in sight. Thank goodness!
    Maggie walked toward the elevators, feeling like a stranger in a strange land. Most of the people in the lobby were dressed for business. The men wore suits, the women wore dresses and heels. Some people had nametags on, boasting the name of their convention group.
    The hotel obviously catered more to business than to tourism, or else the noisy children and their tired parents were tucked away in some distant wing.
    Maggie hadn’t stayed in a hotel since Keith had surprised her on their wedding nniversary three years earlier. He’d taken her to the Biltmore in Los Angeles so they could have some time alone together, the first night they’d spent away from the kids since Mary Bea’s birth.
    It had been wonderful, incredible. Keith had ordered champagne and chocolates, surprising her with the unexpectedly romantic gesture, which had been completely out of character but very welcome. They’d planned on dining in the restaurant but never made it past the king-size bed in the bedroom. Instead they’d ordered room service at midnight and fed each other like young lovers instead of two people who’d been married for ten years.
    Maggie’s smile faded as she blinked back a sudden tear. She was not going to cry. She was not going to waste the evening in a deluge of tears. Thrusting her chin in the air, she walked over to the bank of elevators and pushed the up button.
    A man in a navy blue business suit stood off to one side, impatiently tapping his foot against the marble floor. He