Mari blinked. “Yes,” she said hesitantly, taking in Marc’s stiff features. “He saw me get sick the other night and made a big deal about making an appointment for me. He’s a doctor, you know.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Her mouth fell open but nothing came out. She knew that both Eric and Natalie had used the money from the lawsuit to get educations and improve their prospects. Their mother had come from Puerto Rico years back with little more than the clothing on her back. She’d worked for eighteen hours a day as a maid in various locales to support her two children. Miriam Reyes had drilled the importance of education in her children’s heads.
Mari admired Natalie and Eric for what they’d done after their mother had been killed in the crash. How many people won lawsuits only to throw away the money on foolish schemes or unneeded luxuries? Not the Reyes. Instead, they had carefully planned futures for themselves, keeping in mind what their mother would have wanted for her children. No one could replace a loved one with money, but being careful about what was done with that money made a difference.
It did to Mari, anyway.
She swallowed as she glanced at Marc. “So…you found out that the Reyeses used the lawsuit money to get educations. Eric became a surgeon and Nat is an accountant,” she said quietly.
“I didn’t know—not until the other day,” he replied.
“Oh. I…I wonder…”
“What?” Marc asked.
“If…if you ever wonder what I did with my share of the lawsuit money?” She studied the pillowcase. The ensuing silence seemed to ring in her ears.
“Yeah. I’ve wondered,” he finally said.
“I want to tell you about it,” she whispered. “It’s the main reason I came back to Harbor Town.”
He looked puzzled, but his long, stroking fingers resumed their sensual massage.
“When do you want to tell me about it?” he asked.
“How about tonight at dinner? I’ll make you something here at the house,” she suggested. Mari couldn’t help but become preoccupied by his narrowed gaze on her mouth.
“How about if we make love right now, and you tell me after that?” he suggested. He grasped her shoulders and gently pulled her up several inches. Mari moaned softly at the sensation of their naked skin sliding sensually together. The hand at the back of her head pushed her down to his mouth.
“Oh…that’d be…I…” Mari mumbled incoherently between Marc’s kisses. “Marc…I can’t…doctor’s…appointment.”
He leaned back. His smile was part angel and part devil. Mari couldn’t fathom how he managed to pull it off.
“Nothing else but your health could make me stop,” he said silkily.
Mari snorted doubtfully. He turned on his side, rested his hand and watched her while she grabbed a robe out of the closet. She glanced up and caught him staring at her breasts as she covered them. He sighed and lay on his back, his gaze on the ceiling.
“It’s going to be a long wait until suppertime,” he said dolefully.
She chuckled and started out of the room to take a shower.
“Mari?” he murmured, all traces of mock sadness gone from his voice.
“Yes?” she asked, turning.
“You’ll call me if anything is wrong, as far as the doctor?”
“Nothing is going to be wrong,” she said, smiling. She saw his raised brows and nodded her head. “Yes, I’ll be sure to call in the rare event I have a dire illness.”
“Just call me. Period,” he said.
She nodded, hesitant to yank her eyes off the glorious vision of him propped up on the pillows and naked save for a thin sheet draped low on his hips. She shook her head as if to ward off his spell and exited the room.
It was hard to think like a rational human being with Marc around.
Once she reached the hospital, Mari noticed she’d missed a call from her brother. She put off returning his call, none too eager to speak with him when memories of Marc still crowded her consciousness. Instead, she called the number Allison had given her yesterday for Colleen, Marc’s sister. She still clung onto the strand of hope that Colleen would at least meet with her to discuss The Family Center and a possible job.