Page 14 of Tempting Hunter
Chapter 4
Michaela marveled at the way Hunter had handled Mr. McFarland. No better way to get that old fart’s attention than to threaten to withhold money. He hadn’t raised his voice, but the quiet authority had crackled across the room like a whip. It reminded her of the first day they’d met at a Charleston art festival three years ago. She’d been arguing with a potential customer who had been trying to haggle down the price of one of her paintings. Hunter had pointedly told the man they weren’t at the flea market, and if he wasn’t going to purchase the painting to step aside. When the man had balked, Hunter whipped out his wallet, slapped down his credit card and purchased it for himself. The wink and smile he’d shot her afterwards had gone straight to her heart and she’d fallen in love with him that instant. Every moment thereafter had been like something out of a fairy tale. Until it fell apart.I didn’t want to put you through that.Michaela had been trying to understand why ever since. One of the board members talking filtered into her thoughts.
“If you’re ready, we can tour the space where you’ll be working, Ms. Saunders.”
“That would be great.” Before she could move, Hunter was already on his feet and helping her up.
Hunter smiled. “You good, baby?” he whispered.
“Yes. Thank you.” How could she not be okay with him as her champion? As if nothing had ever separated them, he entwined their fingers, sending both awareness and confusion flowing through her. The part of her that knew things weren’t settled between them wanted to pull away. However, a small part inside of her—the part that had missed him—wanted his touch.Still craved it.
The group entered a new building that still smelled of fresh paint. The stark white walls were primed and awaiting her inspiration. Once again, Michaela’s emotions swelled. The opportunity that she’d been granted was something she would always be grateful for and she vowed to make Mr. Prescott proud. There were two wings, one for adults and another for children. An idea came to her. “Would it be possible to paint a mural on each side? Both would inspire calmness and peace, but I’d like to do something a little different for the children that reflects their carefree spirits.”
“The agreement is—,” Mr. McFarland began.
“The agreement is for Ms. Saunders to do the mural. Period.” The quelling look Hunter shot the man made him clamp his jaws shut and turn away in a huff.
Michaela wanted to cheer.Ha! Take that, you old goat!
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea,” one woman said. “I can already see it.” She clasped her hands together against her chest. “The center is scheduled to open mid-March. Do you think you can have it done by then?”
She did a mental calculation in her head. With her being on vacation, she could devote all her time to the murals. “Yes.” It dawned on her that she had no idea about supplies. Did the hospital expect her to purchase them? She’d have to ask Hunter about it later. “Will I be limited to certain hours?”
“We’ll have security patrolling this area from seven to six and we’d like to confine your time to anytime within that timeframe,” Mr. McFarland said. “Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all. I would like to have the area covered until it’s completed.” Michaela wanted the finished work to be a surprise. She could hardly contain her excitement and couldn’t wait to celebrate with Lana and Melanie. A soft nudge from Hunter brought her back into the conversation where the chairperson was asking if she had any questions. Once again, she’d been caught daydreaming. “No, I don’t have any questions at the moment. I’d just like to say that I’m honored to be given this opportunity and I don’t take it lightly. I will be forever grateful to Mr. Prescott and you and will do my best to create a warm environment that’ll provide comfort for families going through difficult times with their loved ones.”You see, I loved you enough to let you go, to not make you choose. Never doubt my love for you, Michaela. It’s the only thing that kept me going when I wanted to give up.Her breath caught. Hunter had gone through those times alone, when she should’ve been there.But he took that option away from you, a sage inner voice reminded her. As they all left the building and went their separate ways, Hunter stopped her.
“You zoned out back there for a minute. Is everything okay?” he asked, critically studying her.
“Oh. Yeah. I was just thinking about some ideas,” she lied. “Do you know if I’ll need to purchase my own paint and supplies?”
“No. I’ll take care of everything. All I need is for you to let me know the cost. I’ve been meaning to ask you about your job. Will you be taking time off or working around your bank schedule?”
Michaela nodded. “Okay. And I’ll be on vacation for the next several weeks, so I’ll be able to devote all my time to the mural. Um…I know you probably have things to do, so I’ll see you later.” She pivoted on her heel and hurried across the lot to her car. Her plan had been to call her friends, but she needed to talk to the one person who could, hopefully, make sense of what Michaela was feeling.
She parked in front of her mother’s house, got out and let herself in. “Mom,” she called out as she walked through the foyer.
“Michaela.” Her mother rounded the corner with her arms outstretched and a big smile.
She fell into her mother’s arms and held on. These were the arms that had comforted her when she skinned her knee after trying to do a somersault in the driveway. When she lost the spelling bee in eighth grade. When she missed being valedictorian by less than one-tenth of a percent. When she’d endured the whispers and stares after being a jilted bride. This was the solace she needed and it took all her effort not to break down.
Her mother eased back and ran a loving hand over Michaela’s cheek. “I’m in the kitchen getting ready to make a pan of cornbread to go with the pot of chili,” she said as she started in that direction. “You’re welcome to stay for dinner. How was the conference?”
“Boring for the most part, but there were a couple of gold nuggets. Mmm, that smells so good,” Michaela said as she lifted the lid and inhaled the smoky concoction. Rochelle Saunders made the best chili on the planet in her estimation.
“What’s going on, sweetheart?”
She slowly rotated and met her mother’s concerned gaze.How does she do that?“Is it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who knows you well,” she said and gestured toward a chair.
“Can I ask you a question?” Michaela sat and her mom took the chair next to her.
“Sure.”
“When Dad was sick, why didn’t you hire someone to come in and take care of him or have him transferred to a nursing home during those last few months?” She recalled how exhausted her mother always was and the many nights she cried. There had been an aide who came one or two days a week for a few hours while her mother ran her various errands, but other than that, Rochelle had shouldered the burden alone.
“I loved him. When I married Brian Saunders, I promised to love him through sickness and health and I took those vows seriously. That’s what love is all about, honey, and I couldn’t leave that to some stranger who didn’t know him or care. I wanted him to know that no matter what, I’d be there for him, doing whatever was necessary to make sure he didn’t face those long, hard days alone.”