As You Wish (The Summerhouse 3)

“Good idea,” he said. “But just so you know, if she’s some little lost lamb looking for a daddy figure, I’m out of here.”

Olivia blinked at what he’d said, but she knew he was right. She’d seen the way the waitress glanced at him. That Ray wasn’t returning the girl’s looks of I’m-willing-if-you-are raised him in her estimation.

When his cell phone buzzed, he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the ID. “This is Kathy, so I...” He was asking her permission to take the call in private.

“Of course. Take your time.”

When he spoke into the phone, his face changed to one of concern—and unless Olivia missed her guess, there was love. As she watched him go out the side door of the little restaurant, she didn’t envy his situation. He was married to a woman who had dedicated her entire life to him. Olivia had seen that many times. The woman had no children, no job, no close friends, so the husband became her reason for living. No doubt every decision she made, everything she did, was controlled by Will Ray like this?

From Olivia’s experience, men tended to like that. And way too often, men demanded that kind of subservience.

But she’d never thought of it from the perspective of a man who didn’t want that clingy attention. A man who didn’t want a wife who depended on him for everything. Olivia imagined the wife’s panic when her husband got home late from work. Hysteria at a creaking floorboard. The incessant phone calls. The constant need for his approval.

And there would be misery if Ray didn’t give her his total attention. Would there be tears over Ray’s neglect? “I spent all day cooking this dinner and you can’t even give me a compliment?”

As Olivia ate one of the lemon cookies, she thought about Ray’s problem. Yes, it would be a difficult decision to leave a woman like that. Walking away from anger would be easier than dealing with all those tears.

Olivia looked out the window to see Ray on his cell phone. He was smiling in a gentle, kind way, as though talking to a dear friend. Yes, he had a very difficult decision in front of him.

When she turned away, she saw a young woman enter the restaurant through the front door, and Olivia was sure she was the other tenant. She was in her twenties, tall, thin, and naturally blonde, with a very pretty face. She had on worn jeans, a T-shirt, and sandals. The regular attire of her generation.

But this girl was different. For one thing, she was perfect. Not just physically perfect, but in that flawless way that only a lifetime of money could achieve. When the girl turned, Olivia looked into her extraordinarily blue eyes and saw nannies and cooks, heavy silver serving pieces, Ivy League schools, and a girls’ lacrosse team.

It was in that second that Olivia made her decision. Yes, she’d stay at the summerhouse with Ray and this girl. Maybe he thought he had no interest in other women, but she’d seen the ambition in his eyes. It was better not to tempt him.

The girl came to her table. “Are you Mrs. Montgomery?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Great. I’m Elise Arrington.” She dropped her small canvas bag to the floor, took Ray’s chair, then saw the coffee cup. “Is someone sitting here?”

“Your housemate.” Olivia nodded toward the big window. Ray was still on the phone, his handsome face smiling in a sweet way.

Olivia watched Elise when she saw Ray. Would she be like the waitress? But the only sign Elise gave was a slight widening of her eyes. She has those deeply ingrained manners, learned from childhood, Olivia thought.

“He’s rather large, isn’t he?” Elise said. There was a tiny bit of disdain in her voice.

Olivia was glad there was no attraction. “I don’t know if Dr. Hightower told you, but one of the three occupants dropped out.”

Elise leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I’m to share a house with just him?”

“Ray asked if I’d mind staying there too. If it’s all right with you, that is.”

“Yes, I’d like that.” With a sigh of relief, Elise turned to the waitress—who made a point of ignoring her.

Olivia leaned back against her chair. She wasn’t sure if this was getting interesting or if she should run away. Actually, she’d been dreading this time away from her new husband.

They hadn’t yet figured out what they were going to do with their lives. Kit was retired—sort of, since he still got called back to DC now and then. Olivia had spent most of her life managing some appliance stores and trying to make a home for her late husband and his son. She’d thought she’d done a good job, but on her husband’s deathbed, she’d been told that he’d willed the stores to his son, which meant that she was without a job.

Olivia watched as Elise got up and went to the counter to place her order. The woman at the register, who Olivia knew owned the little restaurant, apologized for the lack of service. The moment Elise turned away, the owner went to the waitress and snappe

d at her.

When the waitress glared at the back of Elise’s head, Olivia had to repress a smile. Ah, the age-old fight for the dominant male. Ray was a man to be won and the waitress saw Elise as a rival.

As Elise sat back down, she nodded toward Ray. “Who’s he talking to?”

“His wife.”