“You’re in a dress, not a suit.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I’m always working, honey, no matter what I wear. I just have to dress to suit the occasion.”
And Elizabeth was dressed impeccably in a tightly fitting black strapless cocktail dress that wrapped around her incredible body, and designer shoes with shiny crystals across the straps that called attention to Elizabeth’s perfectly manicured toes and exceptional legs. “So you’re meeting clients, then?”
“Mick and Gavin are my clients, as well as a couple other men in attendance here.”
“Gavin isn’t really just a client for you, though, is he?”
Tara read the shock in Elizabeth’s eyes, but she masked it right away. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”
“Oh, I saw the way you looked at him at his birthday party. You have a thing for him.”
“Gavin is my client. I treat all my clients like they’re special.”
“I’m sure you do. But the way you look at Gavin is different.”
“I don’t look at him any special way. What are you talking about?”
Her normally cool demeanor was ruffled, Tara could tell. She was wondering what it would take to knock some of the ice chips from Liz’s heart. Maybe she wasn’t as cold as Tara thought.
Tara shrugged. “I’m a woman. I see things.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms. “What things?”
“The warmth in your eyes when you look at him. A certain yearning. It’s not there when you look at other men.”
Now there was fear in her eyes. If Tara didn’t think Elizabeth was a giant pain in the ass, she’d almost feel sorry for her.
Almost.
“You’re imagining things, Tara. Gavin is a great client who makes me a ton of money. You know what you see in my eyes when I look at him? Dollar signs. I do whatever it takes to make my players happy.”
“I see. So really, nothing is ever downtime for you, is it?”
“There’s always work to be done.” Elizabeth slipped her arm in Tara’s and led her toward the back of the ballroom. “And speaking of work, let’s talk about Mick.”
This should be interesting.
Elizabeth led her out the door and into the garden. The night was warm, but fortunately not hellishly so. Elizabeth walked over toward the fountain where a string of lights highlighted her red hair, which was expertly pulled up in what Tara decided had to be her trademark French twist. Pieces had been pulled down to frame her face. Elizabeth turned to Tara and smiled, but it was a calculating smile.
“Okay, Elizabeth, you got me out here. What about Mick?”
“I like Mick’s off time to be put to good use.”
“Which means what, exactly?”
“Charitable foundations, public events, premieres, galleries, anything where he can be seen and photographed. It’s good for his image and for the team.”
“And you think his relationship with me is getting in the way of that.”
“I’m glad you see things my way.”
“I’m not saying I agree with you, Elizabeth. I’m just saying I understand your meaning. I’m certain Mick can choose to do whatever he wants.”
Elizabeth didn’t frown, but Tara saw the flash of anger in her eyes. “Look, Tara. I’m sure he’s having a wonderful time with you and your son, but the appeal is going to wear off eventually, and he’ll move on. He’ll miss the glamour, the parties, the fun and excitement that he’s used to.”
Tara shrugged, refusing to let Elizabeth get to her. “And if he does, then I guess he will move on. That’s his choice to make when and if that happens. Or rather, it’s our choice to make as far as our relationship. Or do you expect me to kick him to the curb now in order to spare myself the heartbreak later?”
“He’ll leave you eventually.”
Tara refused to rub the ache in her stomach where Elizabeth’s words had created a hole. “So you say. And maybe he won’t. Maybe I can offer him something he can’t get anywhere else.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Tara, you don’t have enough to hold him, and he’s way too much of a playboy to settle down. You carry too much baggage and he can’t handle it. It’s only a matter of time. You should get out now before he hurts you. You have your son to think about, after all.”
What a bitch. No wonder she was so good at her job. She knew right where to stick the knife. “I think my relationship with Mick is none of your business.”
Now her eyes narrowed. “You don’t want me to make it my business.”
“You already have. Butt out.”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, then shut it, the anger leaving her expression and a bright smile replacing it. Tara could guess why.
“Hey, there you are. I’ve been hunting you down and couldn’t figure out where the hell you’d disappeared to.”
Tara turned, already figuring out Mick had showed up. “Hi, there.”
He cast a worried gaze between her and Elizabeth. “What are you and Liz doing out here?”
Elizabeth strolled past, a plastic smile on her face. She patted Mick’s arm. “Girl talk, sweetie. I was complimenting Tara on what a wonderful job she did on your parents’ anniversary party.”
Mick relaxed his shoulders and cast a warm gaze at Tara. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?”
Elizabeth kissed Mick on the cheek. “A peach.” She winked at Tara as she walked through he door. “We’ll talk again later, Tara.”
Mick’s gaze followed Liz, then he turned back to Tara. “What was that all about?”
Tara didn’t need Mick to intervene on her behalf, and the last thing she wanted was to cause friction between him and his agent. Elizabeth didn’t like her. So what? Tara could handle it. And if Elizabeth was right about Mick, then there was nothing she could do about it, was there? “Just chatting about the party and football. And you, of course.”
“Was she giving you a hard time?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. So, are you having fun?”
“No.”
Tara frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I couldn’t find you. Where’ve you been?”
“I’m the event planner, remember? Trying to make sure everything’s in place, and seeing that everyone is having a good time.”
His lips lifted. “My parents are having a good time, which is all that matters. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Silence stretched between them, and she hated it. “Mick ...”
He took her hands in his. “Let’s sit down.”
“Okay.”
He led her to the stone bench near the fountain, then sat next to her. She half turned to face him.
“Tell me what’s bothering you, Tara.”
“Nothing’s bothering me, other than me needing to apologize to you.”
He cocked his head to the side. “For what?”
“For blaming my failures—and Nathan’s—on you. I was a mess the other day when Nathan got drunk. I wasn’t there when it happened, and for some reason I felt I should have been.”
He rubbed her hand with the pad of his thumb. “So now you’re supposed to be psychic?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. This parenting thing is hard. And doing it by myself all these years has been even harder. Sometimes I fail. A lot of times I fail.”
“Guess what? Even two-parent families fail. No one’s perfect at raising kids.”
She took a glance through the doors at Mick’s parents, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes as they slow danced. “Some manage to get it right without screwing up.”
“You think my parents raised perfect kids?” He tilted his head back and laughed, then got serious again. “I think there are a few things you need to know about me, Tara. I’m not perfect. Never have been and never will be. I made mistakes when I was young. I messed up. Bad.”
She crossed her arms. “I find that hard to believe. Look where you are now.”
“Right. But you only see the finished product. You don’t see what it took to get me here.” He looked around. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, but not here. Later, when we get back to the house. It’s important, and it has to do with your idea of perfection. And Nathan, too.”
She cast him a questioning look. “I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t, but I don’t want to talk about it here where there are so many people. Can we table this conversation for later?”
“Sure.”
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Let’s go inside and dance. Show me your disco moves.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Oh, Lord. I might need some dance lessons from your mother before I attempt the hustle.”
He slid her hand in the crook of his arm. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
THIRTEEN
IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR THE PARTY TO WIND DOWN. Mick’s family and friends could party all night long, but this time the venue hadn’t been booked for the duration of the evening, so they’d moved everybody out of the ballroom by midnight. As a gift to Mick’s parents, the kids had gotten them a suite at a very posh resort, so they’d already packed up and headed over there for a night in the honeymoon suite. Nathan was spending the night with Mick’s cousins again, which meant Tara and Mick had his parents’ house to themselves for the night.
Tara ran upstairs and changed, grateful to get out of her sole-killing high heels and the tight dress. She slid into a pair of shorts and a tank top, then came back downstairs to find Mick had done the same thing. He’d shucked the suit and put on a pair of to-the-knee cotton gym shorts and a sleeveless tank.
“Better?” he asked.
She sighed in relief. “My feet were killing me, so yes, definitely better.” She sank onto the sofa next to him.
“Want something to drink?” he asked.
“No, I’m good. How about you? Want a beer or something?”
There was something odd about the way he looked at her. “Have a bottled water here, so I’m fine.”
“Okay.”
She propped her elbow up on the back of the sofa and leaned her head in her hand.
“Tired?”
“I’m okay. How about you? You’re the one who ran ragged all day taking Nathan to the ball game and keeping him entertained so I could get everything set up. And then you helped with the party.”
“I didn’t organize the party. You did. And Nathan is never a problem, so stop apologizing for your son.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You do. A lot.”
She sat up. “Do I?”
“Yes. You make Nathan sound like an inconvenience to me, and he isn’t. If he was, I wouldn’t be with you. I knew almost from the beginning that he was a part of your life, Tara. I get that he’s part of the package, so stop apologizing for his existence.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. That’s what she’d been doing? Oh, God, it was. She’d been apologizing for Nathan, for having him, for him being in her life. “You’re right. I have been. I’m sorry.”
Mick swiped at a tear that had escaped down her cheek. “You don’t have to apologize to any man that you have a son. He’s a great kid. You owe no one explanations or apologies for your life.”
She shuddered out a sigh. “I guess you’re right. I keep holding up other people’s childhoods and lives as examples of the perfection that I always found lacking in my own.”
“No one’s life is perfect, Tara. Not yours, not mine, no one’s.”
“So you say. Hard to see the imperfections through all the happiness sometimes.”
“You see what people want you to see, not what’s necessarily there.”
“You’re telling me your life wasn’t perfect. I find that hard to believe.”
He leaned back against the sofa and shoved his fingers through his hair. “There’s something I want to ask you. It has to do with Nathan.”
“Okay.”
“I’d like your permission to take him to a meeting with me when we get back home. I think it would be beneficial for him.”
“A meeting? What kind of meeting?”
“An AA meeting.”
Tara’s eyes widened. “Alcoholics Anonymous? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you want him to go to an AA meeting? Nathan’s not an alcoholic. As far as I know, that was his first foray into drinking.”
“Did you talk to him about that night?”
“Yes. Of course I did. He understands what he did was wrong. And he felt terrible.”
Mick’s lips lifted. “Of course he felt terrible. He had a hangover. But that’s how it starts, Tara. One party, a lot of drinks. It’s social. It’s how they get accepted. Often it doesn’t stop there. I’d like him to see some cold reality.”
“I think that’s a little harsh, Mick.”
“Yeah, it is harsh. But it’s real. It’s not glossed over, and it’s not a sit-down lecture from his mother that he probably only half paid attention to. It’s never too early for them to hear what it’s really like when drinking gets out of control.”
“What do you know about AA?”
“Plenty.”
She cocked her head to the side and frowned. The way he looked at her, cold and straightforward ...