0373659490 (R)

by Michelle Major

  “It’s not for you,” she said with an eye roll. “But you’ll need it.”

  An image of Alice popped into Charles’s mind and his heart lurched in response. But just as quickly, a wave of fear and dread rose in his throat, almost choking him. A ring was a level of commitment he’d never imagined himself making, mainly because he knew he would disappoint the woman wearing it. If that woman was Alice and he messed up enough that she tried to deny him access to Flynn... Well, that would never work.

  “I don’t think so,” he said, adjusting the collar of his Turnbull & Asser hand-stitched shirt. He snapped shut the pouch and pushed it in Kate’s direction.

  “A word of advice,” she said, pushing it right back to him.

  “Just one?” he quipped.

  Kate smiled. “Your hair is about to catch on fire from how hard you’re thinking. Keep the ring, Charles, even if you never use it. But don’t think too much about it. Some things are better when they’re spontaneous. Rely on your instinct.”

  He shook his head. “My instincts are horrible. Ask anyone who knows me.”

  “Alice Meyers is not your usual type,” Kate said, slowly rising from the table. “Have your instincts about her been wrong?”

  He stood, as well, grabbing the small ring pouch. As his fingers closed around it, the strangest thing happened. Instead of thrusting it toward Kate as he’d planned, he shoved it into his pocket.

  That earned him a wide smile from the commanding cosmetics mogul.

  “Just because I don’t look my age,” she told him, “doesn’t mean I’m not wise beyond my years.” She offered her hand to him.

  “Ms. Fortune, it was a true pleasure,” Charles said with his most courtly bow. Instead of shaking her hand, he bent over it and brushed his lips across the paper-fine skin of her knuckles.

  “A scamp,” she repeated, but her eyes were dancing.

  “Good luck with your search for a successor,” he told her as she gathered her purse.

  “Thank you, Charles.” She turned for the restaurant’s exit, walking slowly even as the rest of the customers watched. He supposed Kate Fortune was more used to being the center of attention than he was. “Good luck with your new family,” she called over her shoulder.

  New family.

  He mulled the words over in his mind and decided that they had a nice ring to them. Patting his pant pocket where the pouch was tucked, he sat back down to enjoy the rest of his breakfast, his appetite suddenly restored.

  * * *

  “I can’t do this anymore.” Alice dipped her french fry into a puddle of ketchup, then pointed it at Meredith. “I’ve gained three pounds in two weeks from stress eating.”

  It was Friday, the end of the workweek, and Alice had convinced her friend to go to lunch.

  “It does no good to avoid him,” Meredith said, forking up a bite of Cobb salad. “He keeps coming to see you, and Amanda’s starting to get mad that you aren’t paying enough attention to our Bonnie Lord Charlie.”

  “Why can’t he understand that it will look suspicious if we’re seen together all over town?”

  “Not really,” Meredith observed, “since he’s working on the ad campaign with you. Julie in graphic design told me he actually has some decent ideas about the staging for some of the It’s Texas spots, and that he’s called in favors from every famous Texan he knows.”

  “That’s true,” Alice admitted. “He has much more insight into trends in the global tourism industry than anyone gives him credit for.” She bit the tip off her fry and chewed. “But working together doesn’t justify taking me to lunch every day and hovering around my cubicle at the end of the day so he can walk me to my car.”

  “Right.” Meredith pointed her knife at Alice. “Heaven forbid someone treat you like a gentleman.” She made a pretend slashing motion across her throat. “The despicable cad...off with his head.”

  Alice rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean, Mer. Men don’t pay attention to me.”

  “Because other than those fancy heels you wear, everything about you screams ‘Don’t look, don’t touch.’”

  “I do not scream that,” Alice protested. “Do I?”

  “Why do think that condom languished in your purse for so long?”

  “Because when I’m out with you, guys don’t notice me.”

  “Charles notices you,” Meredith said, her tone turning wistful. “Sometimes when we’re in a meeting and someone else is talking, I’ll catch him staring at you and it’s...”

  “What?”

  “It’s hot. Like the Texas plains in summer hot. Like you’re a cold glass of water and he’s been in the desert for months. Like—”

  “Enough.” Alice choked out an embarrassed laugh. She could feel her face growing warm at the thought of Charles watching her. “I get your point.”

  “Are you sure?” Meredith arched a brow. “Because from the circles under your eyes and the fact that you’re crabby most of the time, I couldn’t tell.”

  “I have a four-month-old baby.”

  “And you’re sexually frustrated.”

  Alice clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. “I can’t believe you said that out loud,” she whispered, ducking her head and glancing around to make sure no one had overheard her outspoken friend.

  “It’s true,” Meredith said, but thankfully lowered her voice. “Charles wants you, and you’re a fool not to take him to bed again.”

  “It’s complicated,” Alice said with a heavy sigh. “And he doesn’t want more complications. You know limiting what’s between us to friendship was his idea.” She took a long drink of her sweet tea. “I need to honor that.”

  “You need to tempt him more.”

  “I need to respect his wishes.” Alice shook her head. “If something happens between us and it affects his relationship with Flynn, I’d never forgive myself.”

  “Do you really think you’ll be able to live like this for the next eighteen years?”

  “I have to,” Alice said, dropping her head into her hands. “It will get easier.”

  “In your dreams.” Meredith popped a cherry tomato in her mouth. “Is he coming to the cocktail party tonight?”

  “Yes,” Alice mumbled. The Texas Tourism Board was hosting an event to celebrate the start of the summer vacation season. They’d rented an up-and-coming art gallery in a trendy neighborhood east of downtown. Many of Austin’s prominent businesspeople and civic leaders would be attending. Charles, of course, was on the list.

  “Will he be wearing a tux?”

  “Probably.”

  “Then it sure won’t get easier anytime soon.” Meredith winked. “That man is lethal in a tux.”

  * * *

  “You look lovely, sweetie,” Lynn Meyers said as she took the diaper bag from Alice and carried it down the hall toward the kitchen. The cocktail party was set to start in an hour, so Alice had driven out to her parents’ place to drop off Flynn for his first sleepover.

  Alice followed with the baby carrier, and Flynn happily sucking his binky.

  “Thanks for keeping him tonight, Mom. Are you sure this is okay?” Anxiety sat heavy in her stomach. “I’m sure I can pick him up later without waking him.”

  “Don’t be silly. Your father and I are excited to have our grandson all to ourselves for the night.” Her mom set the diaper bag on the kitchen table and tapped Alice’s father on the shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Henry?”

  He started, then looked up from the book he’d been reading. “The baby’s staying here? For how long?”

  Lynn shook her head. “Just one night. I told you about it last week.”

  “Right,” he mumbled, then glanced at Alice with a sheepish smile. “Sometimes I forget to pay attention.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, and bent forward to kiss his cheek.

  “I hope you’re going to put a sweater on over that getup,” he said, eyeing her bright red dress. “You’ve got too much skin on display.”

&n
bsp; Alice settled Flynn’s car seat on the table and glanced down at her fitted but relatively demure dress. It was a classic boatneck sheath with a red lace overlay. “The only skin anyone can see is my arms,” she told her father.

  “You should cover them,” he said. “It gives men ideas.”

  “Ideas,” her mother said with a scoff. “Don’t be old-fashioned, Henry.” Lynn unstrapped Flynn and lifted him out of the car seat. “Alice is beautiful.”

  “I know she’s beautiful,” Henry countered. “That’s the problem.”

  “I promise it’s not a problem, Dad.” Alice reached for the diaper bag. “Men aren’t that interested in me.”

  Her father pushed away from the table and stood. “At least one man was,” he said, hitching a thumb at Flynn. “I may be an old geezer, but I’m aware of how babies are made.”

  Alice darted a pleading look at her mother.

  “Henry, will you set up the portable crib I bought for Flynn? The box is in Alice’s old bedroom upstairs.”

  “I’m on it,” her dad answered, but first turned to his grandson, who was balanced in his wife’s arms. “How do you feel about Civil War documentaries?” he asked, tickling Flynn’s little toes.

  The baby gurgled in response, making her father laugh. “Good point. We’ll start with the Revolutionary War.”

  He stepped toward Alice and gave her a gruff hug. “Wherever you’re going tonight, I have no doubt you’ll be the most beautiful girl in the room.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Alice whispered, emotion making her voice catch. Her father might be the epitome of the absentminded professor, but she knew he loved her.

  He shuffled toward the hall, then called over his shoulder, “Put on a sweater.”

  Lynn gave Alice a gentle smile. “He means well.”

  “I know.”

  Her mother shifted Flynn up to her shoulder. “He’s also right. You are a beautiful woman. I can’t help thinking there’s something going on in your life that you aren’t sharing with me.”

  Alice automatically shook her head. “It isn’t worth mentioning.”

  “Has anything changed in the situation with your young man?”

  “I don’t have a young man, Mom.”

  “But there is one you want.”

  Alice wanted a particular one with every fiber of her being. “I want Flynn to be happy more than anything else.” She pulled a piece of paper from the diaper bag’s front pocket. “Here are instructions for tonight. He gets one more bottle before bed.” She reached out and placed a hand on Flynn’s back. “I hope he sleeps for you. He was up twice last night.”

  “We’ll be fine,” her mother assured her.

  “I could come back here after the reception is over,” Alice offered quickly. “You don’t have to stay up, but that way I can deal with him when he wakes.”

  Lynn shook her head. “I can handle a night with him, Alice. Go home after your event and sleep. You’re a wonderful mother, but even the best parents need a break.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Alice wrapped an arm around her mother’s thin shoulder. “What would I do without you?”

  “You’ll never have to find out,” Lynn whispered, returning the hug.

  As excited as she was about the thought of a full night of sleep, Alice still had trouble leaving Flynn at her parents’ place. She reviewed the contents of the diaper bag twice, checked that her father had set up the crib right, insisted on changing the baby’s diaper and generally fussed as much as her mother would allow. Lynn finally pushed her out the door with a gentle nudge.

  Alice knew Flynn was safe with her parents, and as she drove back toward downtown Austin, some of her anxiety disappeared. She even switched on her favorite radio station, cranking the volume and singing along with a catchy pop tune. A night off might be just what she needed to recharge and bring some much-needed emotional order back into her life.

  By the time she arrived at the event venue, she was even mentally prepared to see Charles. Although she’d avoided him for most of the workday, she had sent a text that they should probably keep their distance at the party, so as not to attract attention or suspicion about their relationship. Every day Alice saw more of Charles in Flynn, from the boy’s laughing blue eyes to the set of his chin when he was upset. If she and Charles were seen together too often, it was only a matter of time before the truth of the connection they shared would come out. She understood it would happen eventually, but Alice wanted to remain in her safe bubble with just the three of them as long as she could.

  Charles hadn’t responded to her text, and he wasn’t at the party when she arrived. Maybe he’d grown tired of her vacillating between wanting to be with him and needing space. She certainly had. At least she’d gotten sick of the needing space part, even though she continued to tell herself it was better for all of them in the long run. Charles wasn’t known for his long attention span, and she still expected him to move on to his next conquest at any time.

  She’d dropped her car back at her apartment and then taken a cab to the event, so she accepted a glass of champagne from one of the passing waiters and then hung at Meredith’s side as they made their way through the party. The fizzy liquid made her feel like she was drinking bubbles, and helped her relax. She even noticed a few of the men throw glances in her direction. Perhaps Meredith was right and the reason Alice didn’t date, even before Flynn, was because she was too guarded when it came to men.

  She looked in the mirror and still saw the shy, gangly book nerd with thick glasses and a mouth full of braces. But motherhood had changed more than her sleep patterns. It gave Alice a confidence she didn’t have before. The knowledge that she was making it work, despite the difficulties of being a single mom, helped her see herself in a different light.

  It was time she let other people see more of that light. She left her friend and approached the bar, squeezing in next to an attractive man who had earlier smiled at her across the room. He turned when her arm brushed the sleeve of his coat, his eyes crinkling at the corners. They were nice eyes, a warm coffee color, but nothing like the vivid blue of Charles’s gaze.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” the man asked, one corner of his mouth tugging up.

  “The drinks are free tonight,” she observed, then shut her eyes for a moment. That was his opening line, she realized, and she’d already messed it up. But the man only grinned at her.

  “Then can I order you a drink tonight and buy you dinner tomorrow?” He held out a hand. “I’m Troy, and those are the most fantastic shoes I’ve ever seen.”

  She glanced at the red, strappy heels Charles had bought her and felt a pang of longing that had nothing to do with the guy standing in front of her. “Thanks,” she answered. “My...they’re new. I’m Alice.” She placed her hand in his, expecting to feel at least a semblance of the sparks that always lit across her skin when she touched Charles.

  Nothing. She ignored the disappointment that spiked through her.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Alice. What are you drinking?”

  Alice felt a hand clamp down on her arm. “Nothing that you’re ordering for her.” A clipped British accent spoke from behind her.

  She whirled to find Charles glowering at the man next to her.

  “Charles Fortune Chesterfield,” Troy said, his dark eyes widening a fraction. “Your reputation precedes you.”

  Charles’s expression grew stonier. “As does yours, Warner.” He tugged on Alice’s arm. “If you’ll excuse us.”

  “Stop,” Alice sputtered, as Charles pulled her away. But before she took two steps, Troy grabbed her by the other wrist.

  “Maybe she doesn’t want to be excused,” he said, his drawl growing more pronounced. Alice knew what that meant for a Texan. The thicker the accent, the quicker trouble was brewing.

  Charles had called him “Warner,” which meant that she’d been asked to dinner by Troy Warner, heir apparent to one of the largest privately held oil companies in the state. The firm was headqu
artered in Houston, but the Warner family were longtime supporters of the state’s booming tourism business. They owned a sprawling guest ranch in the Texas Hill Country and were stakeholders in several of the state’s professional sports teams.

  She glanced around to see a number of people near the bar staring at them, and realized she was literally being pulled in two directions by these very different—but very alpha—men. Stepping out of her shell was one thing, but being made a public spectacle was quite another.

  “Enough,” she whispered, shaking free from both of their grasps. “This is not a competition.”

  Troy leveled a look at Charles. “Are you sure about that, sweetheart?”

  “Positive,” she muttered as she caught Amanda’s eye from the other side of the bar. Her boss’s brows rose so severely they almost hit her hairline. Alice needed to defuse this situation as quickly and quietly as she could. “I’m going to walk away from both of you to powder my nose. I suggest you shake hands or do some backslapping or whatever men do when they’re finished with a ridiculous display of egos.”

  Plastering a smile on her face, she turned first to Troy and leaned in for a polite but distant hug. She was pretty sure Charles growled in response, but she ignored the sound. “Thank you for the dinner invitation,” she said softly, “but I have to decline.”

  “It’s a pity, sugar,” he said as she moved away. “My loss, I’m afraid.”

  Next she wrapped her fingers around Charles’s muscled arm. To a casual observer it would look like a friendly squeeze, but Alice did her best to surreptitiously dig her nails into his custom-fitted tux jacket. She looked into his clear blue eyes, the sweet smile never leaving her face, and whispered, “I hope you understand why I’m going to kill you.”

  His opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head. “Going to powder my nose,” she repeated, loud enough for the people around them to hear.

  Then, with her face burning and her knees knocking, thanks to the curious stares she received, Alice hurried across the room as fast as her wobbly legs would carry her.