Wanted: A Real Family. Karen Smith Rose

the best thing for both of them was for him to leave.

      After she rose and walked him to the door, again the same question was in her eyes. Do you believe I would do such a thing?

      But he couldn’t answer her now. He couldn’t let his guard down long enough to sort it all out. But he did run his thumb down her cheek, relishing the softness of it. He did say, “We’ll talk again. Soon.”

      Then he walked away.

      The following evening, Amy held on to Sara’s hand tightly as her mother led her up the flagstone pathway to the vineyard’s office building. She still hadn’t met Raintree’s chief winemaker, Liam Corbett. His comings and goings were at different times than hers. She’d come over to the offices today to see Jase’s assistant. Marissa had watched over Amy on moving day. Since then they had chatted a few times. Sara felt comfortable with her and today she needed some advice from an insider at the vineyard. She could have left already, Sara knew, but her little boy, Jordan, was still at The Mommy Club day care when she’d picked up Amy. Sara was hoping she could catch her if she was working late.

      She stooped down to Amy. “This won’t take too long, and I’ll make your favorite supper when we get back—burgers and French fries. But you have to eat a little bit of broccoli, too.”

      “Dipped in cheese?”

      Sara smiled. “You’ve got it.”

      Amy’s Mary Janes tapped on the Mexican tile as they approached the first office in the long hallway. Located beside the winery, this was the hub of Raintree’s business activity. Windows allowed Sara to see Marissa inside the first office. She was waiting at the printer, collecting documents as they spewed out. She was a beautiful woman, a couple of years younger than Sara. Her hair was the deepest brown and curly. Her chocolate-brown eyes were as expressive as her wide mouth, and she didn’t hide what she was thinking. Right now, Sara needed her opinion.

      There was a walkway through Marissa’s office that led to a much bigger office beyond. Sara suspected that was where Jase usually sat, at the massive mahogany desk. There were double file cabinets behind it and beautiful paintings of Carmel and Big Sur. His chairs as well as his desk blotter were wine-colored leather. The wood paneling was as fine as the Oriental rug on the floor.

      The printer stopped spewing out paper and Sara knocked lightly. Marissa’s face broke into a wide smile. “Sara, it’s so good to see you. You, too, Amy. How do you like your new room?”

      Amy stayed close to Sara, then peeked out around her legs. “I like it.”

      Marissa laughed. “Well, good.” Her attention went back to Sara. “Are you feeling more at home here?”

      “I am, but that’s what I’d like to talk to you about. First, let me ask if I’m tying you up. I don’t want to keep you from picking up your son.”

      “I often work late, but now and then, Jase will give me a whole afternoon off. It evens out. He had new orders come in tonight that I had to organize and give to the account manager.”

      Sara took a few folded sheets of paper and crayons from her purse. “Do you mind if Amy sits on the floor to draw?”

      “She doesn’t have to sit on the floor. Come here, pumpkin. Sit up here at my desk.” She took hold of a pump at the side of the chair and gave it a few squeezes. The chair rose a few inches, making it easier for Amy to draw. “Okay, there?”

      Amy nodded.

      Marissa motioned Sara toward the file cabinets. “What can I do for you?”

      “The cottage is wonderful,” Sara assured her quickly. “Jase has been welcoming. But I don’t want to take advantage of living here. The problem is, there could be a delay with the insurance money on the house.”

      “Red tape?”

      Marissa’s question was an honest one. She felt more like a friend than a stranger. Should she be honest with her?

      “You look troubled about something,” Marissa noticed.

      She was obviously perceptive, too. “I am. The insurance company is investigating the fire because I had a lot of debt.”

      “Who doesn’t?”

      “Mine was substantial, so substantial I believe they think I set the fire.”

      “Oh, no! You can’t be serious.”

      “I am. No one knows about this besides Jase, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep it a secret.”

      “Of course, I can. What do you need from me?”

      “I wondered if you know the best place to look for rental properties. I’d even consider a couple of rooms in someone’s house. I want to keep the cost as low as I can. My main problem is moving Amy again. She really is settling in and likes it here. What would you do if it were you and Jordan?”

      “If it were me and Jordan, I think I’d stay as long as I could. The vineyard is a beautiful place for Amy to play … a beautiful place to get your footing again. I’m sure Jase doesn’t mind your being here.”

      “I don’t know.”

      Marissa swept her hair back over her shoulder and studied Sara. “He seemed welcoming when you moved in. Besides, when a man and woman who have chemistry are in the same room, anyone can tell.”

      “Oh, no! There’s nothing going on between us. My mind was on Amy and—”

      “Tell me you didn’t see how fine Jase looked as he moved in that sofa. Tell me you didn’t notice how gray his eyes are, how his hair falls over his brow, that there’s still that wanderlust element around him that makes a girl want to just run away with him.”

      “Are you thinking of running away with him?” Sara asked, partly as a defense, partly because she wanted to know.

      “No, he’s not my type. I’m attracted to the bad boys, the ones who love ‘em and leave ‘em.”

      Taking a stab in the dark, Sara guessed, “Jordan’s father was one of those?”

      After a brief hesitation, Marissa nodded. “He absolutely was, and it wasn’t like I didn’t know what I was getting into. I just wasn’t careful enough.”

      “I’m trying to be careful,” Sara assured her. “I have to, for Amy’s sake. Chemistry is fine, but when there’s no future beyond it—”

      “You don’t have to tell me about that. I know. You have to be Amy’s future, and I have to be Jordan’s. But there is another side to that. Sometimes we want to be independent women and accept no help from anyone else. That just makes our lives harder. The Mommy Club found me my position here with Jase. It was a gift from heaven because I could get insurance benefits from working here in order to pay my bills when Jordan was born. At first it seemed too good to be true. But Jase had looked at my high school transcript. He liked what he saw. My boss at the restaurant where I was waitressing gave me a good recommendation. He said I was a hard worker, so Jase decided to take a chance on me. It was a gift I accepted. You should consider the cottage a gift you should accept, too. You’ll know when the time’s right to leave.”

      “I owe The Mommy Club so much. Is there anything I can do now to start paying them back?”

      “Sure. You can help out at the food drive on Saturday.”

      She remembered the event Kaitlyn had told her about when she’d moved in. “Can I bring Amy?”

      “Sure. It’s at the day care center. A couple of volunteers will keep the kids occupied so we can work.”

      “What time?”

      “We’re starting early, around 8:00 a.m., but when you get there, you get there. I’m hoping we’ll have so many hands, it will all get organized quickly.”

      “You can count on me to be there.”

      The