by Dorie Graham
She glanced at her watch. She’d been waiting for over an hour and still no sign of Marshal Bennett, the head honcho behind the small bagel empire.
“Ms. Bryant…” The petite blonde behind the receptionist’s desk peered at her. “He’ll see you now.”
A mixture of relief and panic—if there was such a combination—swept through Lauren. She drew a deep breath and stood. “Thank you.”
Clutching her briefcase, she headed down the endless hall to the double doors at the end. With her head high, she knocked twice. At the muffled “Come in” she turned the knob, then entered.
Bennett was a serious-looking man in his midfifties. He glanced up from his spot behind a massive cherry-wood desk. A frown drew his eyebrows into a deep vee. “Ms. Bryant. Have a seat.”
Her stomach tightened as she sank into the chair he indicated. “Mr. Bennett, thank you for seeing me.”
He remained silent, the frown seemingly etched in place.
“First of all, I’d like to offer my apologies for not being present at the shoot and for the subsequent trouble that ensued in my absence.”
“You trusted your man, Star, to handle things for you?”
“Yes, I did. Elliot is very capable. It’s true, sometimes his sense of artistic justice can get a little out of control, but I believed he would handle the shoot in a responsible manner.”
“He was responsible all right. Responsible for running that director right off the set.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Bennett. If you would just give us a second chance, I promise we’ll make it up to you.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Lauren’s insides heaved. He couldn’t be saying what it sounded like. “You tell me what it’ll take for us to keep your business. We’ll make this right.”
Bennett leaned forward and his eyes narrowed. “Oh, we’re doing business, all right, Ms. Bryant. We have a contract and I expect Entice to honor it.”
A measure of relief flowed through her, but still his expression remained stern. “Yes, sir. Thank you. I’ll reschedule the shoot right away.”
“As I said, I don’t believe that will be necessary. We’re behind schedule as it is. There simply isn’t time. Besides, the last thing I want is to go over budget.”
He had a point. She opened her mouth to comment, but he continued before she could utter a sound.
“I was rather impressed with the final cut Star sent.”
“Final cut?”
“Your man. I knew I liked him from the start. Temperamental, for sure, but I can see now what he was after. And I think he was right. That director was a bit of a prima donna. Sorry I insisted on him.”
“Excuse me. I’m missing something here. Elliot sent a final cut of the commercial?”
Bennett raised his hands and for once the frown lines disappeared from his forehead. “I was surprised myself. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but apparently he sat through the editing process himself. They used what footage we shot that day, which was enough to come up with a passable commercial.”
He rocked back in his chair. “He actually saved us money by having the shoot cut short. Ingenious. You need to hang on to that one. He’s got real talent. A star for sure.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I take it you haven’t seen it?”
“The commercial?” Embarrassment warmed her. Why hadn’t Elliot told her?
“Yes. You’ve got to admire a man who cleans up his own messes.” He turned to the console behind his desk and withdrew a videocassette. “Why don’t I put it on?”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
ADAM DROPPED his keys on the kitchen counter. He closed his eyes and rubbed his calloused hands across his face. If he was a drinking man, he’d be headed for a bar right now.
God he was tired.
He flipped on the light and the kitchen came into full view, stoking memories of that first night with Lauren. He pulled out a chair, then sank heavily onto it.
How he missed her. He missed her scent, her smile and the sassy way she spoke to him. He missed the way he lit up inside whenever she was around.
Sadness pressed down on him. He dropped his head to his arms and let it take him. If only he could go back to that night. He never would have touched her if he’d known it would come to this. How would he go on if he didn’t have her in his life?
The doorbell rang. His heart thudded dully. She’d shown up that night on his birthday when he’d least expected. Could it be she’d come to make things right between them again?
He held his breath, almost afraid to hope as he opened the front door.
Rusty stood in the darkness of his front porch. Adam switched on the front light. He stood back, gesturing the young man in, disappointment tightening his throat.
“Hey.” Rusty entered, then stopped in the entryway, swinging his arms stiffly.
“Rusty.”
“I…um, wanted to apologize for being such an ass yesterday. I don’t know what got into me. I just seem to lose my head when it comes to women. They get me so mixed up.”
“Yeah, well, I can relate.”
“So, do I still have a job, or what?”
Adam paused to give him a long look. “Consider yourself on warning. I can’t make special concessions for you, Rusty. You want to keep this job, you’d better take it seriously.”
“Yes, sir. I swear it won’t happen again.”
“Is that all you were worried about?”
“No, man, you’re my bro. I don’t want to mess with that.”
The concern in Rusty’s eyes melted a measure of Adam’s reserve, though some of his earlier anger remained. “I’m still mad at you.”
“Yeah, I guess you have a right to be.”
“You have a point, though. I suppose I should have left you to work it out on your own in the first place.”
Rusty nodded thoughtfully. “I’m too used to letting you step in.”
A moment of silence passed. Rusty was right. He wasn’t a kid anymore. And he was certainly capable of handling his own affairs. Hadn’t he done so for the past year? Granted, that had ended with him scuttling home penniless, but maybe Adam was partly to blame. He’d always taken care of Rusty’s problems for him. Now was the time for Rusty to learn to do this for himself.
Smiling for the first time in days, Adam clapped him on the back. “We’re cool, buddy. I only wish your sister would come around as quickly.”
“Man, I still don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Well, it might not matter now.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
Adam stared at Lauren’s brother and suddenly all the anguish he’d suffered over the past few days made complete sense. “Yeah, I guess I do. Does that bother you?”
“I don’t know. It’s a little weird. Guess I’ll have to get used to it.”
“Only if she forgives me.”
“Well, what did you do to get her so mad?”
What had he done? “I talked her into playing hooky, and while she was gone her business fell into chaos and she’s now struggling to keep from losing her key account.”
“Hell, that’s one for her ego. They really need her around that bad?”
“Apparently. And she’d been telling me as much, but I guess I wasn’t listening.” He clenched his jaw as a wave of guilt swept through him.
“Personally, I think unless you kidnapped her or something, she went of her own free will, but, hey, I’m not the one to interpret the inner workings of any female’s mind. Not even my sister’s.”
“Well, I never meant to cause her any trouble. I’ll just have to wait for her to cool off and come to her senses.”
“You never got into fights like this before, did you? The whole sex thing probably did you in.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind the next time I start lusting after a lifelong friend.”
Rusty nodded, his lips pursed. “You know, I think I’m go
ing to try that.”
“What? Lusting after a lifelong friend? I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Naw, I mean just the friend thing. I can see where it could make things a lot less complicated.”
“Or not.”
“Oh, right. But this girl’s different. She—”
“What girl?” Was that the light, or was Rusty blushing?
“I met this girl—”
“Rusty—”
“She had a flat tire by the side of the road. I can’t believe no one was stopping. She was good and determined to change it herself and I think she could have, but she was wearing this dress…” His eyes took on a far-off sheen.
“You’ve already got the lust going. You sure you want to keep it friendly?”
Rusty frowned. “Well, I just want to get to know her first. Really get to know her, you know? Then maybe later we can get into the lust part. All that stuff about friendship being a good foundation. I think there’s got to be something to that. You’ve got to have a good foundation to weather the storms. Don’t you think so?”
“God, I hope so.”
This time, Rusty gave Adam a reassuring clap on the back. “You and Lauren, you’ve got foundation. Think about it. No way a little storm like this is going to swamp your relationship. You’ve got history.”
The hope Rusty’s arrival had snuffed earlier sprang to life in Adam’s chest. The kid had a point. “So, what do I do? Wait for the storm to pass?”
“Hell if I know. But here’s one thing. Have you told her you love her?”
Adam heaved a breath. “No, I don’t guess I have.”
“Well? It’s something.”
“Right.”
If only he could find the right time and place to tell her. The trick would be to get her to listen to him in the first place.
13
LAUREN PERCHED on Elliot’s desk. “So, why didn’t you tell me?”
He peered at her over his glasses. “About the bagel commercial?”
She nodded. “I’m so grateful that you pulled it off, but I felt really foolish when Bennett brought up what you’d done and I didn’t have a clue.”
“I didn’t know if he’d go for it. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
She leaned over and gave him a hug. “Well, thanks. You really saved our butts.” Leaning back, she smoothed his boa. “I guess I’ve been a bit of a control freak. Maybe I can let up a little on that.”
A wide smile split his face. “A little loosening up wouldn’t hurt you, but I’m still counting on you to keep us on the straight and narrow.”
“No problem there.”
His phone rang. She gave him a smile, then headed back to her own office. A moment later he leaned around her door. “Lauren, we’ve got a guy out here. He dropped by to see if we can do something to perk up his jewelry business. Also, there’s someone on line two. It’s another potential client. Where are they all coming from?”
Lauren turned from the market analysis she had started for another new account that morning. “Beats me. Do you want the live one, or the one on the phone?”
“I’ll take the phone.”
She nodded. He moved back down the hall to his own office and she headed to their reception area.
Over the past two days new business had been flooding their way. Not that she minded. It was exhilarating and certainly appreciated. It was odd, though. Sure, they snagged an occasional referral, but never anything like this.
“Hello,” she said to a dark-haired man in tennis clothes. Her heart gave a little pang as she thought of Adam. “I’m Lauren Bryant. How can I help you?”
“Ms. Bryant—” he flashed her a dazzling smile “—Curtis Simpson. Thanks so much for seeing me. I hope it’s okay that I dropped in.”
She grasped his hand in a hearty shake. “Oh, sure. No problem. Why don’t you come into my office, Mr. Simpson?”
“Thank you.”
He followed her back to her office, then took a seat as she settled behind her desk.
“Now, what can I do for you today?” she asked.
“Well, I guess you could help put the sparkle back into my jewelry stores.”
“Has business been a little off?”
His eyebrows drew together. “Down over thirty percent this last quarter.”
“I’m sure we can help. Now, tell me what kind of advertising you’ve been using.”
Forty-five minutes later she smiled down at his signature. Another contract. And this one had walked right through their door. Somehow, it seemed too good to be true that Entice had picked up so many new clients on their own.
“Mr. Simpson, tell me, where did you hear about us?”
“Well, I’ve heard nothing but good things about your agency.”
“That’s great. From anyone in particular?”
“Actually, several gentlemen at my tennis club recommended you.”
“Really?” Tennis club? Adam had to be at the root of this.
“Sure, Clyde Morris, Brad Chambers and especially Adam Morely all spoke highly of Entice Advertising.”
So, Adam was behind this. She felt suddenly humbled by his generosity, especially in light of her not-so-forgiving attitude. Regret flooded her. He hadn’t exactly forced her to take that day off. Perhaps she’d been wrong to blame him. She owed him an apology.
She cocked her head, remembering the names of some of the new accounts they’d acquired over the last few days. “You wouldn’t happen to know Steve Hanks, Mitch Brewer or Rebecca Burgundy?”
“Oh, sure. They’re all members at the club. You seem to have found a nice pond to fish from.”
“Yes, it seems I have. Thank you so much for your business. I look forward to working with you.”
“Me too, Ms. Bryant.” He shook her hand before leaving.
She stared at the closed door. So, she had Adam to thank for sending her all this new business. She should have known he’d go out of his way to help her, even though he was probably still angry with her.
With a sigh, she picked up the phone, and dialed his number. Her heart thumped in anticipation. She missed the sound of his voice. She waited through four rings, then to her disappointment, his voice mail picked up.
“Hi. It’s me. I…I’ll call you later.” Her throat tightened as she hung up the receiver.
She didn’t just miss his voice. She missed him. Every blessed inch of him. But even if they put this last fiasco behind them, nothing else had changed.
They just didn’t want the same things. Wasn’t it better to end their relationship now, before they both got any more attached? She blew out a determined breath. She had to at least try to salvage what she could of their friendship.
The bell on the door rang as their mail carrier entered. “Good afternoon,” he said as he handed her a bundle of mail.
“Thanks, Frank. You have a good one.”
He nodded as he slipped back out. She set aside the pile of envelopes without opening them, then sank into a nearby chair, her gaze riveted on the medium-size package in her hands. It bore the same labeling as her previous gifts.
Slowly, she tore away the brown paper. As before, the rose-covered gift wrap lay beneath. She smoothed her hand over the glossy flowers, then peeled away the paper.
“Oh, Adam,” she whispered. “What have you sent me?”
It was a book of love poems. She traced her fingers along the gilt lettering, then opened the cover. The same neat handwriting adorned the first page.
Love is the enchanted dawn of every heart.
—Alphonse Marie de Lamartine
A deep sigh escaped her. He still wanted them to be lovers. Was there some way for them to compromise? Would he be willing to prolong having kids, respect her need to continue working once they did?
Her head ached. It was too much to think about for now. She set the book aside, then glanced through the rest of the mail, pausing when she came to a pink envelope. The return label bore a Secret Temptations logo.
She opened it to find an invitation to Norma’s lingerie party. “I’d almost forgotten,” Lauren murmured to herself.
Since she and Adam were at odds, the party didn’t conflict with any plans she’d made. And she had promised Norma. Maybe her attendance would convince Norma to sign with them once and for all.
Determined to charm the woman, Lauren lifted the phone, and punched in the number etched in gold at the bottom of the invitation.
“Norma,” she said when the woman answered, “it’s Lauren Bryant. I’m calling to RSVP about your party. I would love to come.”
ADAM’S STOMACH tightened as Judith McDougal slipped into the seat opposite him. Steam rose from the two cups of coffee sitting on the table between them. He’d felt a little guilty asking her to meet him in this coffee shop across town, but he hadn’t wanted any repeats of their last meeting.
She looked as scrubbed clean and wholesome as before. “So, how’re the cookie sales going?” he asked.
“Cookies?”
“Girl Scout cookies. Don’t you guys sell cookies?”
“Oh, yes, but that’s usually around March.”
He nodded. “Right. So, what did you find for me?”
She handed him a manila envelope. “I believe I’ve determined the identity of Lauren’s secret admirer.”
His blood rushed through his ears. Somehow, he’d been hoping the guy didn’t exist, but of course, those gifts had come from somewhere. Slowly, he opened the envelope, then drew out a photograph of a young man, probably somewhere around Rusty’s age. He looked vaguely familiar.
“Who is this?” he asked.
“His name is Mark Patterson. He’s a graduate student at the University of Georgia, working on his master’s in English education. A really smart guy. Good grades. Doesn’t seem to get into any trouble.”
“How does he know Lauren?”
“Well, his father owns a building housing a women’s center in midtown. Seems he does some maintenance work there from time to time.”