No More Wasted Time (24 page)

“It might be awkward for all of us at first. I’ve never done
this either. For that matter, neither have my kids. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
She had no idea how John would react to Tom or how she’d handle having him in
the bed she had shared with her husband, but none of that mattered because she
was in love with Tom.

“I hate to say it, but it’s time to go.”

There were no paparazzi to be seen when they boarded the
plane for their short flight to Las Vegas. “What’s the deal with you and Joey?
How does he know where you are all the time?” she asked inquisitively.

“Well, I like him better than most of the others. He’s not
out to be a jerk and get me pissed off or sell bad pictures of me. I’ve known
him for years and we have a decent working relationship.”

“But how does he find you? Does he follow you all the time?”

Tom wore a shitty ass grin on his face. “I know if I give
Joey the opportunity to get pictures before anyone else, he’ll be decent, like
today, and not follow me to the airport. Plus, he’ll take flattering shots.”

“That’s flat out weird. I actually liked most of the
pictures he took.”

“Good because I put the magazines in my suitcase for your
girls. So, is there anything you want to tell me before we get there? Fill me
in. Is there anything I should know or do?”

“My, my, my, how the tables have turned. This is a whole new
side of you I haven’t seen.”

“Me either. I’m way out of my comfort zone.”

“Just be yourself. Please don’t be uncomfortable. Easy,
remember, it’s supposed to be easy. The girls like you and I’m sure John will,
too.” She straddled his lap. “I’m crazy about you and I’m positive my kids will
like you. If they have a problem with us being together, then it’s their
problem. Not mine. I’ll be happy to explain our relationship, but this is my
life, not theirs. They’re my children. You’re my partner.” She wanted to tell
him that she loved him.
Not yet!

“Partner? I like the sound of that.”

“I need you to be self assured and confident like you always
are. Not for my kids, but for me. It will help me through this.” She chewed on
her cheek, knowing it would be difficult, to say the least, having him in her
bed.

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

As Tess and Tom exited the airport, John welcomed them with
a huge smile. He threw his arms around Tess, picking her up to squeeze her and
kiss her cheek.

“Hey, Mom! How was your trip?”

“It was outstanding. John, this is Tom.”

They shook hands. “Nice to meet you,” Tom said.

“Great to meet you, too. So how was the premier? We can’t
wait to hear about it.”

“We had an amazing time.”

“I can’t believe how tan you guys are. How was Bora Bora? My
sisters said you were pretty terrified of the sharks,” he said to Tom.

Tess appreciated John’s attempt to make conversation with
Tom.

“I was petrified because your mom scared the shit out of me.
She told me the sharks only attack
occasionally
. It was the craziest
thing I’ve ever experienced, but I loved it.”

“That’s what I hear. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground
more than the water. I don’t know if I could do it.”

John unlocked the car to put their luggage in the trunk.

“Nice car. I haven’t ridden in one of these yet,” Tom said
to John.

“This isn’t my car.” John’s laugh filtered through the parking
garage as he pointed at his mom. “This is her ride. My truck’s dirty and
covered with mud.”

“Nice, Tess. I would’ve never guessed.” Tom smiled, scoping
out her new black Camaro.

John threw his mom a questioning glance, waiting for her
response.

“I just went down and bought it one day.”

John drove while they caught up. He’d been working hard and
playing hard. He rattled on about biking in Utah and all the great trails
there. Tom asked him about snowboarding in Utah. That was all it took. They
talked non-stop. Tess eased back into the leather seat smiling, hoping it would
be this easy for the rest of the night.

Tess' home sat nestled at the base of the mountains
surrounding the Las Vegas valley. Pulling into the drive, Tess sighed heavily
as anxiety began to set in.

“Your home is beautiful,” Tom murmured, taking in details of
her home. He stepped out of the car, heading toward the trunk to retrieve their
luggage.

John opened Tess’ car door and whispered in her ear, “Did he
expect you to live at home with your parents like some of his other
girlfriends?”

Tess’ eyes widened in shock. Glaring back at John, she
rumbled through gritted teeth, “John Richard Mathews, you’re not funny. Knock
it off.” She wrinkled her nose at her son who just made her feel all of
forty-four years old.
Jerk. It’s not like Tom dates women in their twenties.
Maybe thirties.

He mouthed,
“Sorry”
while helping bring in their
luggage.

As they entered her home, Tom’s eyes casually glanced
around, taking in the rich, brown woodwork and walls painted the color of beach
sand. Light travertine floors ran through the entire house. Ocean blue pots
filled with tropical plants soaked up the desert sun that streamed through the
windows.

Tess and Tom strolled out back to find Tracy and JC hanging
out by the pool. John followed behind them.

“Hey, Momacita,” JC chimed.

“Hi, Tom,” both girls chorused as they stood up to give Tess
and Tom hugs hello.

Block walls encompassing the property disappeared behind the
lush palm trees and flowerbeds surrounding the pool. The entire house and yard
was drenched in an island ambiance.

“Holy crap, it’s hot. Let’s go inside and look at your
pictures,” Tess suggested. Tom agreed with a nod, noticing a thermometer on the
wall reading a sizzling one hundred and eight degrees.

They gathered on the dark, brown, leather sofas topped with
colorful pillows and throws, surfing through pictures while her girls recounted
their trip. Tracy thanked Tom for his advice about the camera, and he showed
her how to use all of her settings. They talked about their vacations, and Tess
gave a full detailed report of the premier. All three of the kids asked Tom
dozens of questions about Hollywood.

After an hour, her kids went back out to the pool. She took
Tom’s hand and moseyed to her bedroom to unpack some of her things. She didn’t
want to even bother unpacking until tomorrow, but needed to hang up her
dresses.

Tess’ bedroom and bathroom still held slight traces of
Richard. She glanced at a picture of her and Richard on the nightstand. She
dreaded the idea that Richard was watching her with Tom. Her eyes quickly fell
to the floor, evading the photo. She drew in a deep breath of air, B-lining
through the bedroom, past the bathroom and into the walk-in closet.

Tom leaned against the dark granite counter in the bathroom
while she hung her dresses in her closet. He rattled on about her house,
holding a conversation with himself.

Feelings of betrayal began to overwhelm Tess, turning her
deep sighs into hyperventilation. She inhaled deeply again, trying to collect
enough air to fill her lungs, afraid she might pass out from the lack of
oxygen.

“Tess?” he called out tenderly.

She emerged from the closet in tears.

“Come here, Tess.” She threw her arms around his waist,
holding back sniffles. He wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers
through her hair. “Do you want to go for a ride?”

She laid her head on his chest, trying to calm down.

“Tess, if it’s easier for you, we can stay someplace else.
Or if you’d rather that I go, so you can be alone, I will. I would understand,”
he offered sweetly.

She pulled her head back in surprise. “Go? No, I don’t want
you to go. I don’t want to be away from you for one night.” She bit her lip,
asking, “I just said that out loud didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. Tess, I feel the same way. You don’t have to
hide how you feel. I promise I’m not going to take off. You act like I’m going
to bolt out the door running and screaming.”

She chuckled through sniffles. “Well, I do worry.” The
desire to tell him she loved him seemed unbearable.
Not yet.
She lifted
her chin, hoping he’d kiss her so the words wouldn’t accidentally slip out.

“Do you have a different room you’d like to stay in tonight?
You don’t have to stress out. We’ll do whatever is easiest for you. Okay?”

“Let’s go for a drive.”

Tom followed behind Tess, rubbing her shoulder as they
walked back into her room. He stopped to admire the headboard made from an
ornate hand-carved door from Mexico turned on its side. “Did you do all this
yourself or do you have a decorator?”

She wiped the smudged mascara from under her eye. “No, I
don’t have a decorator. I’m too much of a control freak to let anyone else pick
things out for me.” As soon as the words left her lips, she realized she’d
abandoned those idiosyncrasies from the moment they’d met. And oddly enough, it
didn’t bother her. “Usually, I’m a little neurotic about control issues, but I
seem to be living on the edge the last few weeks.”

Tom pointed to the photo next to her bed. “Do you mind?”
asking if he could pick it up. “Where was this taken at?”

“We were skiing over Christmas at Lake Tahoe two years ago.”

“Your son is a splitting-image of him.” Tom smiled sweetly.
“It’s a good photo. You looked good together.” He set the picture down, but she
picked it up and carried it with her, setting it on a glass top table in the
hallway. 

She peeked outside. “Hey, we’re going to drive through Red
Rock. I’ll be back in a while and then I’ll make dinner.”

“Sounds good,” John said.

Tess tossed the keys to Tom. “Do you want to drive?”

He tossed them back, flashing her a glance of sexy mischief.
“I’d rather see you drive.” 

She liked to drive fast, but didn’t enjoy getting speeding
tickets. They cruised through Red Rock scenic loop at the base of the
mountains. Tess hadn’t hiked there recently, but she’d driven this loop many
times over the last year. Huge boulders stacked on top of each other and the
clay colored mountains etched with veins of white, yellow, purple and black
created a beautiful portrait in the middle of the desert.

Tess stopped at an overlook and they sat on a rock to relax.
She told him about the Indian petro glyphs on the rocks, desert tortoises and
wild donkeys in the area. She had a relaxed babbling going on as they watched
rock climbers off in the distance.

He glanced at her car. “So what’s the story behind the
Camaro?”

“We always wanted to get an old one to fix up, but never
did. A week after Richard died, the day before what was supposed to be our
twenty-fifth anniversary, a salesman from the dealership called and left a
message on Richards’s phone. He had ordered this car, but never got the chance
to give it to me. So, I went down that day and picked it up.” She smiled. “I
actually, really do like it.”

“It suits you.” They sat on the rock, holding hands when he
asked softly, “Do you think you’ll ever marry again someday, Tess?”

Tess reeled her head around in sheer shock.

“I was just asking. No. I mean. That’s not what I’m asking.
I…I was just curious. I didn’t mean-”

“I understood what you meant. Sorry. Was the look on my face
that horrible?”

“Yep. It was,” he said in astonishment. “You always sound so
happy and fulfilled with your marriage, more than anyone I’ve ever known. I’m a
little shocked by the
Hell no!
expression on your face.”

“I never expected to date again, so it’s not something I’ve
even considered.” She paused, gathering her composure. “You know, when you’re
young you think, ‘This is what I’m supposed to do. Get married, have kids and
life will be perfect’. At least that’s what I thought life was going to be. No
one warns you about the challenges that lie ahead or how difficult being a
parent is going to be. My marriage was great, but it wasn’t easy. It takes a
lot of work having a family and being on the same page as your spouse. You’re a
team, but you don’t always agree on everything. Now that I’ve raised my kids, I
don’t want them to be under the impression life is going to be a fairytale. I
want them to go out and be adventurous. I always tell them, ‘When the right
person comes along, then great, but until then, don’t settle.’ I’ve seen a lot
of messy divorces that leave deep scars.”

“I wasn’t asking about your kids and you didn’t answer my
question.”

She shrugged her shoulders poignantly. “I don’t know. It’s
just a piece of paper.”

“You sound like me. ‘It’s just a piece of paper.’ I never
got past
date
until I met you. I’ve never even remotely considered the
“M”
word.”

She straddled the rock, looking him in the eye. “If you’re
afraid I’m hearing the ding dong of wedding bells in the future, Tom, you can
quit worrying. You can relax.” They grinned at each other and kissed. “Your
word is all I need. I trust you.”

“I trust you, too. Ding dong of wedding bells? That’s pretty
funny.”

She rested her cheek on his shoulder. “I feel better. This
was a good idea.”

“Let’s go.”

Tess tossed him the keys.

Tom drove the shit out of her car, pushing it to its limits.
He obviously was not concerned about getting a speeding ticket.

“Perfect timing,” Tracy said as they walked through the
door.

“You didn’t have to make dinner. I planned on grilling,”
Tess said, catching a whiff of sizzling steaks.

“Don’t get too excited, Mom. We’re just hungry.” They all
laughed.

Tess opened a bottle of wine and everyone sat down for
dinner. It was nice to visit with her kids. Tom was himself, and John even
acted pleasant. 

“Mom, we’re taking off. We’re staying over at JC’s friend’s
house tonight,” Tracy said.