"I'm sure there is. He hired someone to take over."
"They didn't seem to work out."
Molly wasn't a swearing person, but she could barely hold back a big one. She'd had only forty-eight hours to get used to being a successful children's book author, and now this.
As soon as the attorney left, she crawled over the couch to retrieve her phone and call her new agent, the best contract negotiator in town. "Phoeb, it's me."
"Hey, big-time author! Talks are going well, but I'm still not satisfied with the up-front money they're offering."
She heard the relish in her sister's voice. "Just don't bankrupt them."
"It's so tempting."
They chatted about the negotiations for a few minutes before Molly got to the point, doing her best to say it without choking. "Kevin's just done the sweetest thing."
"Walked blindfolded in front of speeding traffic?"
"Don't be like that, Phoebe." She was definitely going to strangle on this. "He's a great guy. As a matter of fact, he's given me the campground as a surprise."
"You're kidding."
Molly gripped the receiver tighter. "He knows how much I love it there."
"I understand that, but…"
"I'm going to drive up tomorrow. I'm not sure how long I'll stay."
"At least this will get you out of that fleabag apartment until we finish negotiating your contract. I suppose I should be grateful."
It had been humiliating telling Phoebe that she'd been forced to sell her condo. To her sister's credit, she hadn't offered to bail Molly out, but that didn't mean she'd kept quiet.
Molly got off the phone as soon as she could and glanced over at Roo, who was trying to keep cool under the kitchen table. "Go ahead and say it. My timing sucks. If I'd waited two weeks, we'd still be in our old place basking in air-conditioning."
It might have been her imagination but Roo looked censorious. The traitor missed Kevin.
"Let's get our chores done, pal. First thing tomorrow we're taking off for the North Woods."
Roo perked up.
"Don't get too excited, because we're not staying. I meant it, Roo, I'm giving the place away!"
Except she wouldn't. She kicked a dish box aside, wishing it were Kevin's head. He'd done this out of guilt. This was his way of trying to make it up to her because she'd fallen in love with him and he didn't love her back.
A great big pity present.
Chapter 25
Daphne wasn't speaking to Benny, and Benny didn't care, and Melissa couldn't find her movie-star sunglasses, and it had started to rain. Everything was a big mess! Daphne Goes to Summer Camp
Lilly stopped just inside the B &B's kitchen door. Molly had fallen asleep at the table. Her head rested on her arm, her hand lay by her sketch pad, and her hair spilled across the old oak tabletop like overturned syrup. How could Lilly ever have believed she was a dilettante?
Since Molly had returned to the campground ten days ago, she'd finished the illustrations for Daphne Goes to Summer Camp, started a new book, and written an article for Chik, all that in addition to cooking and tending to guests. She couldn't relax, even though she'd told Lilly her new contract had finally given her financial stability. Lilly knew she was trying not to dwell on Kevin and understood her quiet suffering. She could have strangled her son.
Molly stirred and blinked, then looked up and smiled. There were shadows under her eyes. They probably matched the shadows under Lilly's own. "Have a nice walk?"
"I did."
She sat up and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Liam was here."
Lilly's heart skipped a beat. Other than catching a glimpse of him in town a few days after he'd issued his ultimatum, she hadn't seen him in weeks. Instead of growing easier, their separation had become more painful.
"He brought something for you," Molly said. "I had him put it in your room."
"What is it?"
"You probably should see for yourself." She picked up a pen that had fallen to the floor, then began to fiddle with it. "He asked me to tell you good-bye."
Lilly felt chilled, even though the kitchen was warm. "He's leaving?"
"Today. He's going to live in Mexico for a while. He wants to experiment with the light."
She shouldn't be shocked. Had she expected him to sit around waiting for her to change her mind? Anyone who understood Liam Jenner's art knew he was fundamentally a man of action. "I see."
Molly rose and gave her a sympathetic look. "You've screwed up so bad."
"So badly," she retorted, in one of those leftover reflexes from life with Craig.
"Not that I could survive without you, but, with Kevin gone, why are you still here?"
Lilly had made plans to meet Kevin in Chicago soon. Neither of them wanted to keep their relationship a secret, and Kevin had already flown to North Carolina to share the news with his friends, the Bonners. He'd also told Cal's brothers, their wives, and the guy sitting next to him on the plane, according to their last phone call.
Lilly yearned to see him again, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the campground yet. She told herself she was staying because of Molly. "I'm hanging around to help you out, you ungrateful little twit."
Molly carried her water glass to the sink. "Other than that."
"Because it's peaceful here, and I hate LA."
"Or maybe because you can't make yourself walk away from Liam, even though you've treated him like crap and you don't deserve him."
"If you think he's so wonderful, take him yourself. You have no idea what it's like being married to a controlling man."
"Like you couldn't have him eating out of your hand if you wanted."
"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady."
"You're such a dork." Molly smiled. "Go upstairs and see what he left you."
Lilly tried to sweep from the kitchen in a diva's huff, but she knew that Molly wasn't buying it. Her son's wife had the same kind of open, honest charm as Mallory. Why couldn't Kevin see what he'd turned his back on?
And what about the man she'd turned her back on? She still couldn't work on her quilt. All she could see now when she looked at it were scraps of fabric. There were no more surges of creative energy, no more glimpses of the answers to life's mysteries.
She made her way past the second-floor landing to the narrower flight of stairs that led to the attic. Kevin had tried to get her to move into one of the larger rooms, but Lilly liked it up here.
As she slipped inside, she saw a large canvas, taller than it was wide, leaning against the end of her bed. Even though it was wrapped in brown paper, she knew exactly what it was. The Madonna she'd admired so much that afternoon in his studio. She fell to her knees on the braided rug and, holding her breath, pulled away the paper.
But it wasn't the Madonna at all. It was the painting Liam had done of her.
A sob rose in her chest. She pressed her fingers to her mouth and scrambled back. He'd been brutal in his depiction of her body. He'd shown every sag, every wrinkle, every bulge that should have been flat. The flesh of one thigh lapped the edge of the chair where she was seated; her breasts hung heavy.
And yet she was glorious. Her skin was luminous with a glow that seemed to come from deep inside, her curves strong and fluid, her face majestically beautiful. She was both herself and Everywoman, wise in her age.
This was Liam Jenner's final love letter to her. An uncompromising statement of feelings that were clear-sighted and fearless. This was her soul exposed by the brilliant man she hadn't been courageous enough to claim as her own. And now it might be too late.