CALIFORNIA PARADISE
Chapter Seventeen
It was after dinner, and most of the guests
had left. Jack was still in the dining room, listening to Walker’s story about
his last hunting trip. Rose smiled to herself.
She was in the gardens, sitting by herself on
a rocking bench, recollecting all her thoughts and enjoying the fresh air.
Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her.
"I was wondering where you went."
Her heartbeat quickened. It was Cal.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
He came into the light and held out his
hands. "I come in peace."
"Sorry. I’m just a little jumpy tonight,
that’s all."
"It’s okay."
"Do--do you want to sit down?" She
scooted over and he plopped down next to her.
"Are you having a good time
tonight?" he asked.
"Cal, stop it with the small talk. Why
are you out here?"
He looked her in the eye, and she saw him for
what he was: harmless. "I--I need your advice."
She sighed. "Go on."
"Jack. Do you think he’ll ever
forgive--"
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"But why?"
"Think about what you’re asking
me."
"But we get along so well in the office,
I thought that maybe--"
"We get along well in the office,
too."
"You mean you haven’t forgiven me
yet?"
"You never asked."
"Will you forgive me?"
"Yes."
"Oh, Rose. Thank you--"
She held up her hand to silence him.
"Cal, I’m only forgiving you because I truly believe that you have
changed, and that you’re a good person. However, if you do anything that even resembles
who you once were, I will forget that this conversation ever took place and
hate you for the rest of my life."
"Rose, you don’t know how much this
means to me. Do you think that if I asked Jack--"
"No."
He chuckled in spite of himself. "Okay.
But I need your advice on one more thing."
"Shoot."
"Isabella and I have been together for a
long time now, and I love her very much, but I--I just don’t know how to tell
her that. I mean, I’ve said I love you, we’re married, and I’m the father of
her children, but I’ve never felt as if she knew how I really feel about
her."
"Okay. I’ll give you my advice, but only
because it takes a lot of guts to ask me something like this. What you have to
do is go out of your way to be kind to her. Constantly."
"How do I start?"
"Well, what is she doing right
now?"
"She’s in the study reading. She’s not
big on socializing."
"Okay. We can work with that. How about
you bring up a warm blanket and hot cocoa for her?"
"I--I can do that!"
"Good."
He got up, eager to try out Rose’s idea. When
he was almost out of sight, he turned around again. "Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
*****
When she heard a knock at the door, Isabella
put her book down and went to open it. What she saw made her gasp in
surprise--her handsome husband with a quilt and a steamy cup in hand.
"F-for me?" she asked.
He smiled. A warm smile. A sincere smile.
"Who else?"
He handed her the cup and spread the quilt on
the floor. Then he gently pulled her down to him.
"Isabella?"
"Yes, Cal?"
"I know I’ve told you this a thousand
times before, but never, ever, have I meant it this much. Isabella, I love you
more than life itself, and nothing in this entire world will ever break that
love."
"Oh, Cal. I love you, too!" The
rest of her speech was lost in a passionate kiss.
*****
On their way home, Rose turned around to Jack
and said, "I think I really made a difference tonight."