by June Faver
Frank snuggled closer. “I’m very comfortable,” he whispered close to her ear.
A light shiver caressed her skin. Comfortable, indeed.
Chapter 11
Frank lay grinning in the dark. He was elated. In the past, this was the way he’d felt when he had achieved something monumental.
Like when he had closed a big deal or sold a piece of property at a huge profit… No, it isn’t the least bit like that. This is different. This is personal.
And yet it wasn’t like any previous physical relationship he had ever experienced.
Reggie Lee settled against him. He felt her relax…inhaled her soft fragrance…listened to her gentle breath sounds…
He felt content. Content and elated all at the same time. Willing himself to unwind, he tried to analyze his feelings. Surely, I’m not ready to say the L word. Yet he’d almost said it. Almost declared his love right out loud, something he had never done before.
In fact, Frank was an expert at not saying it. He could not say it in several languages.
He consciously tried to decode his feelings. What was it about saying the words “I love you” that he found so objectionable?
Declaring one’s love implied commitment. As long as he never said those particular words, he was still free to pick up and leave…to go on his merry way. As long as he didn’t say it, his various girlfriends knew that their relationship was transient. Something easy between them. Something that didn’t tie either one down.
Frowning, Frank buried his lips in Reggie’s hair. Tied down. What the hell does that mean, anyway?
At the moment, he didn’t feel tied down, but rather…
He groped for the right words, thinking it was important to define his new state.
He was feeling a part of something. What?
A relationship. Yeah, sure…but what kind of relationship?
Swallowing the tangle of emotions at the back of his throat, he realized he was thinking the other word he had relentlessly avoided…
Forever.
* * *
Jill Garland heaved a big yawn and raked her fingers through her hair. She had fallen asleep on Henry Stafford’s sofa, and apparently he had covered her with a blanket when he got home.
Now, she heard movement and smelled bacon, that tantalizing aroma that could have brought her out of a coma. She straightened her clothes and followed her nose to the kitchen, where she found Henry bustling around, obviously at home in his duties as chef, and Shannon sitting at the table in a booster chair with a sippy cup of juice.
Henry saluted her with a spatula. “Good morning, Jill. I hope you don’t mind that I let you sleep. You looked so cozy, and I hated to think of you driving home when you were tired.”
She stifled another yawn. “Thanks. I slept like a dead thing.”
He chuckled. “Well, I have just the thing to fix you right up, young lady. A good hearty meal to start the day off right.”
“It smells incredible.”
Henry had started cooking breakfast. The bacon was draining on paper towels, and he had a pan of biscuits baking in the oven.
She took a seat at the table beside Shannon. “So, how was your date last night, Mr. Stafford?”
“Over easy or scrambled?”
Jill’s smile faded. “That bad, huh?”
Henry’s brow furrowed. “I wouldn’t say that.”
Jill tried not to overreact. “No? Well, how would you describe it?”
Henry broke two eggs into the skillet. They both heard the hiss and watched the clear part turn white. He slipped the spatula under each egg and turned them over long enough to cook that side and then slid them onto a plate. He handed it to Jill.
“Thanks, Mr. Stafford. This looks great.”
“I remember what you liked when you used to have sleepovers with Reggie and the other girls.” He made another set of over-easy eggs and finally scrambled two for Shannon. “You go ahead and help yourself to bacon, and I’ll get the biscuits out of the oven.”
“You sure did go to a lot of trouble.” Jill saw a bib on the table and tied it around Shannon’s neck.
“I wanna biscuit.” Shannon pointed to the pan Henry had just removed from the oven. Her big blue eyes gazed at the biscuits with longing.
“Well, let Grandpa get them out of the pan first. You show me how you eat your eggs, young lady.” Henry gestured with the spatula, and Shannon immediately scooped a bite of scrambled egg into her mouth.
Jill took a sip of orange juice. Why was he stalling about his evening out with her dad? Vern Garland could be a bit of a jokester, but had he gone too far? Had the date been that bad…or that good?
Henry placed the biscuits in a napkin-lined bowl on the table and seated himself beside Shannon. “That’s my good girl. Let me butter a biscuit for you.”
Jill reached for a biscuit and proceeded to use it to sop up her egg yolk. She closed her eyes and made an appreciative sound, which brought a smile to Henry’s lips. “Thanks for making breakfast, Mr. Stafford. I wouldn’t have done near as well.”
“Nothing’s too good for my granddaughter and the world’s best babysitter.”
“But you’re going to stall me about your date last night?” She took another sip of juice.
“It wasn’t a date…exactly.” Henry looked thoughtful. “It was more of a get-together…among friends.”
Jill grinned triumphantly. “So you and this lady are…friends?”
Henry nodded. “Well, maybe we are now. I had a good time, and I hope the others did too.”
She sat up straight, examining him carefully. “I thought you were sort of ticked off at my dad for getting you involved. What turned you around?”
He shook his head slowly. “I guess it was Sandy… She is a widow from Houston.” He wiped Shannon’s mouth with her bib.
Jill tried to get hold of her emotions. She was rather appalled that her own father was interested in a woman other than his deceased wife…and that he had gotten his best friend to get similarly involved. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. There would be a face-to-face with her dear old dad. “I’m glad you found someone interesting.”
He made a waving gesture. “It was just an evening with friends. Vern was right. It was fun to hang out with a couple of nice women. I actually danced with Sandy. I hadn’t danced in so long.” His face took on a very sad expression.
Jill blotted her mouth with her napkin. “I am so very glad you had a nice evening. I’m sure Reggie Lee wouldn’t want you to be alone.”
He smiled. It was a smile that almost looked happy. “I’m not alone. I have my two girls. Reggie Lee and Shannon are my whole world.”
Jill swallowed hard and managed not to break down in tears. “You have a great family, but it’s good to have friends too.” She stood and took a few steps toward the refrigerator to hide her expression from her best friend’s dad.
He regarded her stonily. “I have friends.”
She reached over to squeeze his hand. “I know you do. I’m just letting you know that…” She swallowed hard. “That it’s okay for you and my dad to have female friends. I don’t want you to think that I would be judging you if you find someone nice…to be with…you know?” Jill spread her hands and leaned back against the refrigerator, while Henry stood gazing at her uncertainly.
Henry snorted out a little huff of air. “I appreciate your permission, Your Majesty.” His brow was furrowed as he glared at her. “But I don’t need your permission to have friends…to have a friend of the female persuasion.”
“Aw, I know you don’t. I just wanted you to know that I’m okay if you and my dad are ready to start dating. My mom’s been gone a while, and I know she wouldn’t want him to be lonely.”
Henry’s face was unnaturally red, so Jill turned to the refrigerator. She opened the door and
looked inside with no idea why she had chosen to do so. Finally, she reached for a carton of orange juice and refilled her glass. She glanced at Henry again and poured a glass for him as well. “Here you go. I think we both need some vitamin C…so drink up.”
Wordlessly, Henry reached for the glass and sucked it down in record time. Then he rinsed his glass and placed it in the top rack of the dishwasher. Henry was done talking.
* * *
In the morning, it was rather confusing. Reggie Lee woke up tangled in the sheets and Frank’s limbs. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was…and what she had done the night before.
Her neck was resting on Frank’s cushy bicep, and he was still asleep.
Watching him, she noted his peaceful expression. Dark-brown lashes rested on his cheeks, hiding those green eyes that seemed to reach all the way to her soul.
The fact that Frank’s arms were still curled around her was very comforting, especially considering her wanton behavior the night before. No, she couldn’t blame this escapade on him. He had given her plenty of chances to shy away, but…her needs screamed for release.
A little smile played around her lips. Just this once, it was all about me.
She gazed at him again. Glad she had given in to her desires. Glad Frank had been the one to fill them. Sad that he was not the kind of man to settle down.
Still, she didn’t regret losing her heart to him. Whatever the consequences, she would have this good memory of their time together.
She refused to become embittered, like the redhead in the restaurant the night before. The image of the beautiful woman’s angry and jealous face popped into her mind…but the woman hadn’t wanted to cut ties with Frank. “Call me,” she’d said.
Reggie Lee swallowed. No! I won’t become some bitter, left-behind woman. I’m going to wallow in whatever attentions Frank gives me, and then when he moves on, I will never let him know how much I ache for him. Never…
When she glanced at Frank again, the green eyes were regarding her with great interest. “Good morning, beautiful.” His voice sounded even deeper than usual.
She smiled. “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
Reggie let out a snort of laughter. “Yeah, sure.”
“Me too.”
They made love with less urgency than the night before. This could best be described as languorous. Frank seemed driven to find each and every erogenous molecule of Reggie’s flesh. When he was done with her, she collapsed against him, gasping for breath.
“Oh, Frank…that was just…just…”
A wry grin spread across his face. “Exactly.” He kissed her temple and snuggled her close for a few minutes. “I—I think we should get out of bed and explore this beautiful city.”
“Mmm…does that have something to do with breakfast?” she said. “Because I’ve used up a lot of calories and I’m feeling a bit peckish.”
“Peckish?” He roared with laughter. “Really?”
A flush crept up from her neck. “I…uh, I read it in a book once.”
Frank kissed her again. “I’m feeling peckish too. Head for the shower and I’ll join you in a minute.” He opened a drawer in the bedside table and removed a menu. “I’ll order breakfast.”
Reggie slipped off the bed, intensely aware of her lack of clothing. When she glanced at Frank, he was studying her.
“Work of art. You…are a work of art, Reggie.”
She drew a sharp breath but smiled as she walked to the bathroom. Maybe there was a little swagger in her step.
* * *
“Stafford’s,” Henry answered the landline in his store. It was a slow day, and there was only one customer inside.
“Henry? That you?”
Henry rolled his eyes. “Of course it’s me, Vern. Who did you think it was?”
Vern chuckled. “Just making sure.”
“It must be a slow day for crime in Rambling, Texas.” Henry leaned against the counter.
“Ha! That’s about right. I just sent three deputies to direct traffic at the schools. Not that there’s much traffic, but it will keep them boys busy for a while.”
Henry heaved a loud sigh. “I suppose there was a purpose for this call, although it seems to have eluded you. Were you just feeling lonesome?”
Vern let out a loud guffaw. “Aw, I was just lonesome for the sound of your voice, you old heartbreaker, you.”
Henry held the phone away from his ear as his friend’s raucous laughter continued. “Glad I could amuse you. Maybe you should get back to work. Isn’t that what we taxpayers are paying you for?”
“Sure thing,” Vern said. “I just thought you might like to know how your date with Miss Sandy went.”
“Oh, brother! I know how it went. I was there.” Henry put the phone down on the counter while he rang up his customer and counted out change. “You come back to see us,” he called out as the customer left the store, setting off the metal bell clanking against the glass of the front door.
“Hank? You there?”
Henry picked up the phone again. “What are you yapping about, Vern?”
“Well, I was going to share some news with you. My friend Lolly called me from Houston to tell me what a good time she had at the VFW.”
“That’s really nice, Vern. I’m glad you showed Lolly a good time. Is there anything else? I need to unload some cases that were delivered earlier.”
“Aw, you’re no fun.” Vern let out a derisive snort. “I suppose you don’t have time to hear what your date thought of you…so I’ll just be hanging up now.”
“Wait!” Henry realized he was being tooled around by an expert. “Okay, spill it.” He drummed his fingers on the counter.
“Well, it seems that Miss Sandy had a great time. Lolly told me that she hadn’t seen her best friend so relaxed and happy since her husband passed away.”
“That’s great. Glad she enjoyed herself.”
“Aw, Hank. Don’t be such a jerk. It’s a big deal.” Vern huffed out a sigh. “It’s a good thing that you did. You know, being nice to your fellow man, but she’s a woman.”
Henry leaned against the counter. “Listen, Vern, my good friend. It was nice to go out, and I did have a good time, but this lady lives four hours away. There is no point in trying to make a big deal of it. It is what it is. We’re here. The ladies are there.” Henry raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship. If I wanted to have a girlfriend, there are plenty of local ladies available. Every Sunday, I take my daughter and granddaughter to church, and the ladies outnumber the men, like, five to one…at least the ones in our age group.” He made a growling sound. “Trust me, if I wanted to date someone, I would choose a nice lady who lived right here in Rambling. You know, a local girl…someone I have something in common with.”
“Aw, Hank. Don’t get your feathers ruffled. I’m not suggesting that you marry the woman, but it’s okay to have a good time once in a while. I was thinking they could come here now and then…and maybe we could go to Houston. You know, for fun. You do remember fun, don’t you?”
Henry heaved a sigh. “You may remember that I own a store and it’s open seven days a week. I do not have time for fun. My idea of fun is playing with my granddaughter and keeping my beautiful 1969 Pontiac GTO Priscilla in mint condition.”
“Aw, you’re no fun at all.”
“I’ll see you at church, Vern.” Henry hung up and nodded at a longtime customer who always came in to get his weekly scratch-offs.
* * *
“She’s much bigger in person.” Reggie gazed up at the Statue of Liberty as the ferry cruised by. “But she’s gorgeous…and green.”
“You’re gorgeous and not even green.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and was gratified when she leaned against him.
&nb
sp; The day was overcast. He was afraid it might rain, and he hadn’t brought an umbrella. Reggie wasn’t dressed for the weather, but he thought they would stop and buy her more suitable outerwear.
His throat tightened when he realized he felt very protective of Reggie. What else? Protective and possessive. Squeezing her shoulder was comforting to both of them. It also alerted other males that this woman belonged to him. Back off, buzzards.
After the harbor tour, Frank took her to lunch in Chinatown. She seemed to be delighted with every aspect of New York City…his city. And every time she expressed her delight, his chest swelled with pleasure.
“Thanks for the coat.” She stroked her hand over the cashmere sleeve. “It’s beautiful.”
“Nah. It’s a coat. You’re beautiful.”
She dimpled, a flush staining her cheeks. She started to protest, but he held up his hand.
“No argument. You’re beautiful. That’s a stone-cold fact.” He toasted her with his tea.
Glancing down, she straightened the napkin in her lap. “Um… How do you eat with these things, anyway?” She picked up her chopsticks and waved them in the air.
“You pretend they’re tongs.” He demonstrated the action, picking up a snow pea and offering it to her. When she leaned forward and opened her luscious lips, he fed her as though she were a baby bird.
“Very tasty, but can’t I just have a fork?”
He gestured to the waiter. “Please bring the lady a fork.”
She smiled her gratitude. “Thanks,” she whispered. When she was fully armed with the utensil, she scooped up a bite of moo shu pork and chewed thoughtfully. “Yummy. Why don’t we have Chinese food in our little corner of the world?”
“Because someone would undoubtedly chicken-fry it and pour gravy over it.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m going to miss this.”
That made him smile. “Good. I’ll have to bring you back to the city for your next fix.”
“I’m in. What is this stuff?” She gestured to another bowl on the table.