A Family Reunion

by Jackson, Brenda

  Since today was her day off from the hospital, she was dressed more comfortably than usual, having chosen a slim calf-length printed skirt and a rib-fitting blouse. The sandals she wore she had purchased during her shopping spree while attending the family reunion. Alexia had seen them first, and the both of them had ended up buying a pair. They were cute as well as comfortable. Deciding she hadn’t wanted to be bothered with her hair, she had swept the long strands up on her head in an elegant French twist.

  Entering the main lobby of the building, she immediately went to the elevator. When the elevator door opened, she stepped inside. By the time she had reached her destination the nervousness returned. She shrugged, determined to go through with this.

  It wasn’t hard finding Mr. Garrison’s office. His nameplate was big as day on his office door: RYAN J. GARRISON, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. Inhaling a deep breath, she opened the door and went inside. An older lady, who she assumed to be Mr. Garrison’s secretary, was seated in the spacious and elaborately decorated outer office. The woman looked up upon hearing her approach. “Yes, may I help you?”

  “Yes. I’m here to see Mr. Garrison. I have a one o’clock appointment. I’m Rae’jean Bennett.”

  The woman smiled. “Yes, Ms. Bennett. You’re early. Mr. Garrison hasn’t returned from lunch. Do you mind waiting?”

  “No, not at all.” Sitting in one of the chairs, she picked up the latest issue of Black Enterprise from off the table in front of her. She had read several of the articles by the time the secretary called her name to get her attention.

  “Mr. Garrison just returned and I’ve told him you’re here. He’ll be out in a minute.”

  Rae’jean nodded. Since she was certain no one had come through the room where she’d been sitting for the last half hour, she could only assume there was a back door to Mr. Garrison’s office. She returned her attention to the article she’d been reading.

  Moments later when she heard the door to Mr. Garrison’s office open, she lifted her head. As soon as she looked into the man’s face, she was stunned. She blinked twice, then a third time, not believing who she saw. Walking toward her was the man who’d been her neighbor. The man she’d lusted after on many occasions.

  She took a deep breath, forcing air into her lungs. From the look of it, Ryan Garrison was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him. He stopped his approach and stared at her.

  Rae’jean took another deep breath, not knowing what to do. She noticed the secretary had stopped typing and was eyeing them with curiosity. Mr. Garrison noticed his employee’s interest as well and cleared his throat. He then took the final steps over to her. He cleared his throat again. “Ms. Bennett?”

  She could only nod as she got to her feet.

  He offered her his hand. “I’m Ryan Garrison.”

  Rae’jean wasn’t aware she had given him her hand until she felt it encompassed in the firm, warm strength of his. After he had released her hand it still tingled from his touch. She somehow found her voice and said shakily, “I’m Rae’jean Bennett and I have an appointment with you.” For some reason she felt the need to explain why she was there.

  A quick smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Would you come into my office?”

  Rae’jean thought that as long as he continued talking to her in such a deep, sexy voice she would go just about anywhere with him. And his smile wasn’t half-bad, either. She took another deep breath, forcing herself to get a grip. She didn’t want to be any form of entertainment for Mr. Garrison’s secretary, who was still watching them.

  Adjusting the straps of her purse on her shoulder, Rae’jean allowed Ryan Garrison to escort her into his office. He closed the door behind them, shutting them off from the secretary’s prying eyes.

  “Please have a seat, Ms. Bennett.”

  She immediately took the seat he offered, not sure how much longer her legs would be able to support her. She had begun to feel them buckling under her the moment she saw just who Ryan Garrison was.

  “Well then,” he said, sitting at his desk in a chair directly across from her. “What can I do for you?”

  Rae’jean met his gaze and thought his question was a loaded one, with numerous possibilities. Her heart began thumping wildly against her rib cage. She was reminded of the first time she had seen him when she’d stood at the window, watching him move into her apartment complex. There had been something about him that had drawn her to him even from two floors up and across the span of the parking lot. It had been something immediate, tangible, forceful.

  Pretty much like right now.

  She watched his eyes probe deep into hers and knew that, like her, he was remembering that day and was probably also remembering another time their paths had crossed. It had been the day she’d been rushing to work and had accidentally bumped into him. He had touched her to keep her from falling. That touch had seared her insides. It was a contact she could not forget.

  And from the looks of it, neither could he.

  “You’re no longer wearing an engagement ring,” Ryan Garrison said, lifting his brow questioningly.

  His words, soft yet husky, filtered through the room. She was not surprised he had decided to clear the air by confronting the strong sexual attraction that neither of them could deny.

  “I’m no longer engaged,” she said as she continued to meet his gaze. “We decided to be just friends.”

  He nodded slowly as he continued to watch her through dark, intense eyes. “I liked him, your former fiancé.”

  Rae’jean raised a brow. “You know Grady?”

  He shrugged. “Not on a personal level. I know that, like you, he’s a doctor. We ran into each other on the elevator a few times when he was visiting you. He’s a friendly person.”

  Rae’jean couldn’t help smiling. That was Grady all right. “How did you know I was a doctor?”

  He hesitated before answering, “I saw you leave the apartments a few times dressed the part.”

  Rae’jean nodded. She wondered if he’d often done what she’d done, stand at the window and watch him come and go. “You moved,” she suddenly blurted out, unintentionally making it sound like an accusation, a personal affront. She didn’t know if he took it that way, since his expression didn’t change. It was still intense.

  “Yes. My house was finished.”

  “Your house?”

  “Yes. I was having a new one built. My wife got the old one.”

  Rae’jean continued to stare at him, but that one word wife made a lump form in her throat. “Your wife?”

  He nodded slowly. “My ex-wife, actually. I’m divorced.”

  “For how long?” Rae’jean didn’t think for a minute asking him that was none of her business. For some reason she felt she had a right to know. Evidently he thought so, too, because he answered.

  “Six months.”

  Which would have been about the time he had moved into the apartments, she thought. “Any kids?”

  “No, and I take it you don’t have any children, either.”

  “No, I don’t have any.” She waited for him to ask the next question, and when he didn’t say anything but continued to look at her she chuckled softly.

  “What’s so amusing, Ms. Bennett?”

  “This entire situation. I think the both of us can agree that it won’t work?”

  “What won’t work?”

  “My using your company to find my father.”

  “And why wouldn’t it work?”

  Rae’jean shook her head, wondering if she really had to spell it out to him. “Because…” She hesitated, looking for the right words to use.

  “Because we’re so attracted to each other that neither of us can think straight.”

  His straight-to-the-point, no-beating-around-the-bush attitude caught her off guard. She shifted in her seat and nervously crossed her legs. “Are you always inclined to say whatever’s on your mind, Mr. Garrison?”

  “It depends on timing. I was very much attracted
to you when we were neighbors, but the engagement ring you wore made doing anything about it impossible. I don’t believe in invading another man’s territory.”

  “And now since you know I’m no longer engaged?”

  He sighed deeply as he continued to look at her. “Bad timing again, since I have a policy of not getting personally involved with my clients.”

  Strange, Rae’jean thought, she should have been elated that things would be strictly business between them, since she wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone again just yet. But still, his saying things would be strictly business between them was easy. The challenge would be in making sure things stayed that way. “And you’re sure things will remain strictly business between us, Mr. Garrison?”

  “I’m positive, Ms. Bennett.” He sat up straighter in his chair. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s discuss the real business at hand,” he said, pulling out a writing pad. “You indicated that you want me to find your father.”

  Satisfied that things would be kept on a business level between them, Rae’jean began talking. For the next thirty minutes or so, she told him about her history and the information Uncle Victor had shared with her regarding her father. She watched as he periodically wrote down notes, thinking that he had a really nice set of hands. She mentally shook herself. She shouldn’t be thinking of his hands, or any other parts of him for that matter, although she had to admit he looked just as good sitting across from her dressed in a suit and tie as he did the other times she’d seen him wearing T-shirts and jeans. She quickly decided she liked him better in jeans. He looked awfully good in them, she reflected.

  “Ms. Bennett?”

  Rae’jean blinked as she met his intense gaze. While he’d been talking to her, her mind had drifted elsewhere. She wondered what he’d think if he knew she’d been thinking about him. “Yes?”

  “Like I was saying, finding your father shouldn’t be much of a problem, since you have a name and a place where he was working thirty years ago. I’ll keep you updated each week.” Fees were then discussed and agreed on.

  “How long do you think it will take?” Rae’jean asked and stood after he did.

  “It depends. I’ll have a preliminary report to you in a week. Do you want my courier to deliver the report or do you want to come by here and pick it up?” He came to stand in front of her.

  Rae’jean weighed his question with serious consideration. If he had it delivered to her then she wouldn’t have to come in contact with him. “You can have it delivered.”

  He nodded.

  She reached her hand out to him. “Thanks. I appreciate all your help.”

  He took her hand in nothing more than a businesslike handshake. “And I appreciate your giving us the business.”

  With nothing further to say, Rae’jean turned and walked out of Ryan Garrison’s office.

  Ryan Garrison walked over to the window and looked out. His breath got caught in his throat the moment he saw Rae’jean exit the building and begin walking along the sidewalk. His senses heightened as he watched her retreating back as she crossed the street to her car. How many times had he stood at his apartment window and watched her walk across the parking lot? More times than he cared to count and then some. He’d gotten to pretty much know her schedule and would have his coffee in his hand as he stood at the window and watched her while sipping his coffee and admiring every damn thing about her. Especially her walk. It was pure sensuality in motion. He’d had no idea that a woman’s walk could be a total turn-on. Even when she had turned to walk out of his office he’d gotten a rise out of it. Big-time. He was glad nothing had compelled her to glance back at him. There was no way she would have missed seeing the huge bulge straining against the zipper of his pants.

  It was a considerable time later before Ryan could summon the energy or the inclination to go sit at his desk. He wished there was some way his mind could do an instant replay of what he’d just seen. Back at his desk he picked up the writing pad and glanced down at the notes he’d taken. Swearing creatively, he tossed it aside and rested his head back against his chair. If this just didn’t beat all. In his line of business coincidences never ceased to amaze him.

  When he had moved out of his apartment, he’d thought he would never see his sexy and gorgeous neighbor again, although he’d known he would continue to think about her and that images of her would sneak into his dreams at night. He’d hated the idea of lusting after another man’s woman, especially a man who seemed to be such an OK guy.

  He wondered why she and her fiancé had decided not to marry. Irreconcilable differences perhaps? That was a good one to use. At least that’s the reason Cherise had come up with when she had divorced him. He guessed it wouldn’t have been kosher to use the truth—that she had gotten pregnant from another man—as the real reason she’d wanted him out of her life, so she could be free to marry her baby’s father.

  His breath hissed through clenched teeth. The pain of her betrayal still hurt, although he told himself a million times a day that it didn’t. And because of her, he now had an ironclad rule of not getting involved with any of his clients. Cherise had shown him the hard way the pitfalls of that.

  So no matter how much Rae’jean Bennett interested him and regardless of the fact that she was no longer an engaged woman, he would make sure things stayed strictly business between them. He wasn’t ready to get seriously involved with anyone, and from the looks of it, neither was she.

  Chapter 31

  “If I hear another verse of ‘Zip-a-Dee-Dooh-Dah’ I’m going to go nuts,” Michael leaned over and whispered in Taye’s ear as they watched the girls race off to yet another ride. They’d been at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Disney World since nine that morning, and it was now almost four o’clock. Sebrina, Victoria, and Kennedy still seemed to have an abundance of energy left. Monica hadn’t made the trip, since she was still in Texas with Taye’s brother Darryl and his kids.

  Taye shook her head, grinning. “It was your idea to buy a four-day pass,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, well, the next time I do something stupid like that, I give you permission to slap me silly.” He glanced down at his watch. “How much longer do you think they’ll want to hang?”

  Taye smiled, hearing the weariness in his voice. They had arrived in Orlando early yesterday, and the girls had been eager to get her and Michael to commit to four days of fun at Disney’s theme parks. She had held back from agreeing, but Michael had readily agreed, saying that he wanted the girls to enjoy themselves this week. “Do you want to know the truth?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I heard them say they wanted to stay until closing time.”

  “Closing time! Are they nuts? Have they forgotten we’re supposed to get up early and do Epcot tomorrow?”

  “Oh, they haven’t forgotten. They just plan to make sure they get your money’s worth, Michael.”

  He reached out and playfully grabbed Taye around the neck, bringing her closer to him. “Cute, Taye. That’s real cute. You like rubbing salt into a wound, don’t you?”

  “As long as it’s not my wound.” The two of them laughed as they made their way over to where the three girls stood in line for Splash Mountain. The sign indicated a thirty-minute wait.

  “Uncle Michael, do you and Aunt Taye want to ride with us?” Victoria yelled out.

  “No thanks, I’ll pass, but Taye may want to,” he said, slanting a teasing grin down at her.

  Taye shot him a ‘don’t even try it’ look before answering Victoria. “I’ll pass, too. My head’s still spinning from that last ride.”

  “Come on then,” Michael said, taking hold of her hand. “Let’s go and find a place to sit and chill awhile.” He turned his full attention to the three girls and made sure that, likewise, he had theirs. “When this ride is over, we expect the three of you to stay put here until we return. Understand?”

  “Oh, Daddy,” Kennedy said, frowning as she squinted up at him. “You’re
treating us like we’re kids.”

  Michael smiled. “If I am, it’s because the last time I looked, the three of you still were. And if you’re not, you’re doing a pretty good imitation by the way you’re running around this park with a kid’s look of excitement in your eyes. You almost knocked a couple down racing for Space Mountain.”

  Kennedy rolled her eyes skyward but said nothing.

  Michael chuckled as he walked away holding Taye’s hand.

  “You seem to handle Kennedy quite well, Michael,” Taye said, smiling up at him. She noticed he had not released her hand. To passersby, they would appear to be a couple.

  “It comes with practice. She’s been a cross to bear at times, trust me. But it’s been a lot easier these past three to four weeks. I have your girls to thank for that.”

  “How so?”

  “They’re so well mannered and appreciative. Kennedy notices and it’s rubbing off on her. She actually thanked me last week for the money I gave her to get her hair done. Boy, was I shocked.”

  Taye nodded. “Don’t think Sebrina and Monica have always been Goody Little Two-shoes. I had some rough times with Sebrina a few years back. Whenever she returned from spending the summer with her father and grandparents she would drive me off the deep end. They would spoil her rotten while she was with them, and when she came home she would expect the same treatment. I had to nip that in the bud big-time.” She sighed deeply before continuing. “And Monica was hell-bent on throwing temper tantrums at one time.”

  “How did you handle it?”

  Taye smiled sheepishly. “I showed her that I could throw a few tantrums myself. For a week or two following a couple of my demonstrations, the girls tiptoed around me like I was a looney tune. After that we pretty much understood each other.”