Unexpected Attraction

by Stella MacLean

  It rang.

  “Andrea, I’m sorry I didn’t call this morning,” Jake said when she answered. “I had a child in crisis and couldn’t get away. How are you?”

  Relief was followed quickly by delight. “I’m fine. Shannon and I visited with my mom this morning.”

  “Very nice. I’m sure she appreciated it.”

  They chatted a bit about their mornings and Andrea’s decision to take the day off.

  “I think you deserve the break. I also think you deserve dinner. How would you and Shannon like to go out with me?”

  “That’s really sweet, but my mom is coming here for dinner.” Yet she didn’t want the day to go by without seeing him.

  “No problem. We can spend time together tomorrow. You look after your family tonight.”

  “Thank you for understanding. I really would like to see you, but...”

  “Andrea, I want you to know how much I enjoyed last night. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. I want to be part of your life,” he said softly, filling her heart with unexpected joy.

  “Me, too,” she said, clutching the phone, clinging to the moment between them. It was a perfect sentiment to fit her perfect morning.

  * * *

  AS HE LISTENED to her words, Jake wished he could be alone with Andrea right now. He wanted to share his past with her, to have her understand what he’d done and why. For the first time since Maria’s death, he wanted to share his guilt with someone. Yet his guilt was not Andrea’s problem. It was his.

  He needed to face the fact that he didn’t trust his feelings for Andrea because he doubted his ability to feel deep and abiding love for another person. He was definitely attracted to her and he definitely wanted more. But how long he could sustain those feelings and how deep they could go...that he didn’t know.

  He’d had to live with the guilt that he’d left his wife to die alone because of his selfish need to protect himself. His love for his wife had been shattered beyond repair when he’d learned that she was still abusing painkillers. The day his wife and daughter died, he’d been slow getting to the hospital, not because of the teenager he was helping, but because he couldn’t face his feelings. Hadn’t faced his feelings where his wife was concerned for a very long time.

  That hesitation, that apathy he’d felt toward Maria was proof that he wasn’t really capable of loving someone completely.

  As he stared across his empty office, he knew he needed to find a way to prove to himself he could care deeply for Andrea. And in that quiet moment of reflection, he realized why he was there alone. He didn’t have the kind of courage it took to face his past.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  TWO NIGHTS LATER, Andrea dialed Shannon’s cell phone and waited for her to pick up. She was running late after deciding to treat herself to a manicure following her hair appointment. Jake had invited her out to dinner tomorrow, and Andrea wanted to look good.

  Her SUV was still at the dealership for some warrantied work, and she was finding the loaner car awkward to drive, especially in traffic. Finally, Shannon answered.

  “Hi, Shannon, where are you?”

  “I’m home...alone. Butch misses me, and Gram wants to see my new science project. Where are you?”

  “I’m running late. I’ll be there in about a half hour. The traffic is bad, so I’m going to take another route. I’ll see you as soon as I can get there.”

  “What’s for supper?”

  “I left a chicken casserole thawing in the fridge.”

  “Great. I’ll put the oven on and get supper started.”

  How nice it was to have Shannon back to her old self. They’d met with a lawyer and talked to the school principal about Shannon’s bullying. The bullying issue still wasn’t completely resolved, but Andrea trusted the school to do the right thing. And since there had been no word from the Jameson family about a lawsuit, Andrea felt reasonably confident nothing would come of his threat.

  Andrea turned right at the stoplight and drove toward the river. The sky was a swollen mass of dark blue clouds, spiked by shafts of light from a setting sun. The weather report had predicted late-afternoon showers, and Andrea remembered she’d left clothes on the line—among the items were a pair of Shannon’s favorite jeans that she wanted to wear tomorrow.

  Driving slowly, she changed lanes, ready to take the road leading past a line of warehouses as she dialed the house. Just as she heard Shannon’s voice, a car pulled up beside her in the left lane...so close...dangerously so. She eased her car toward the curb.

  “It’s me.”

  “I just talked to Gram and she says she wants me to come over this evening and walk Butch. I was thinking that maybe Gram and I should have a sleepover.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Can you bring the clothes in off the—”

  A sudden jolt rocked the car. The wheel jumped out of her hands. The screech of metal pierced her ears as the car swerved into a power pole. “Shannon!” she screamed as her head smacked into the rearview mirror. Pain jackknifed through her. Everything went black.

  * * *

  JAKE HAD JUST finished with a client and was about to lock his office when his cell phone rang. Caller ID showed Andrea’s home number. What a coincidence—Andrea had been on his mind every spare moment he’d had today. He couldn’t wait to have dinner with her.

  He’d been working a lot of evenings recently. But tonight he was free. “Hi, how are you?” he asked.

  “Jake?” There was a pause during which all he could hear was someone sobbing.

  “Is that you, Shannon?”

  “Mom’s been hurt. I tried Gina’s number, but she didn’t pick up. I didn’t want to worry Gram. Can you drive me to the hospital?”

  Fear stopped his breath. “I’ll be right there.”

  He raced to the Taylors’. Anxiety made his eyes burn and his hands grip the wheel tighter. What could have happened? He should have asked Shannon. Skidding to a halt at the end of her driveway, he waited as Shannon ran toward him.

  “Hurry!” she said, sliding into the front seat.

  “Shannon, what’s going on?”

  Her hands shook as she fastened her seat belt. “Mom was on her way home when she had an accident. I was on the phone with her.” She clamped her fist against her mouth as tears flowed down her cheeks. “I heard the accident.”

  Jake’s stomach rose in his throat, heartsick at what Shannon had heard and what condition Andrea might be in. “We’ll look after your mom.” He steered carefully out of the driveway, around a slow-moving vehicle, then hit the gas, eliciting a snarl from his tires as he roared down the street.

  “I’m so afraid. I couldn’t get her to talk to me. Her phone was still on, but she wasn’t answering.”

  How badly had Andrea been hurt? Critically? Would they get to the hospital in time? He couldn’t lose her. He had so many plans for their life together, plans he hadn’t known about until this moment. “I’m sure your mom is okay, and we’ll be there soon,” he said to console her...and himself. He needed to believe that this time he’d make it. This time the woman he loved would be alive when he got there.

  He had to reach Andrea before it was too late to say how much he cared. After the past few days, he knew beyond a doubt that he cared deeply for her. She made his life complete.

  He turned into the emergency entrance of the hospital and slammed on the brakes. Shannon was out of the passenger door before he had a chance to speak. He got out, locked the vehicle and raced through the sliding doors behind her.

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. The doctors are still with Ms. Taylor,” the nurse told them. “There’s a waiting room—”

  “I know where it is,” Jake said, having been here with a client’s family a few months before. “Just down this corridor,” he said to S
hannon, taking her arm and leading her to the room.

  Shannon glanced around, blinking back tears. “This is where my mom waited for me, isn’t it?”

  “Probably.” He watched Shannon, her obvious distress, the way she circled the room as if searching for something.

  “I’ve been so mean with Mom. The night I was here, I was really angry and scared, and I took it out on her. And now—”

  Jake held her while she cried, huge gulping sobs that echoed around the room. “Your mom’s going to be all right,” he said, hearing the tremor in his voice. How he hoped his words were true. They had to be...

  The minutes dragged by, and gradually Shannon stopped sniffing. “Feeling better?” he asked as she straightened and pulled away from him.

  “Yeah.” She moved to the sofa and sat with her legs tucked up under her. “They’ll be here soon to tell us about Mom, won’t they?” She swiped at the residue of tears on her cheeks.

  “They will.” Seeing her need to gain control, and admiring her for it, he sat in the chair next to the sofa.

  Shannon’s smile was faint as she looked over at him. “Kyle and I are really good friends.”

  “Yeah, you are.”

  “Is that how it is with you and Mom?”

  Was it? Not really. As far as he was concerned, they were a whole lot more than friends. “I care for your mother very much.”

  “I thought so. And the other night when you made supper for Mom... Just how much do you care?” Shannon asked, a glint of humor shining in her eyes.

  He looked at Shannon, at her tearstained face, and realized that he wanted to tell her the truth. He couldn’t help but admire this teenager whose life would have been so different if the arbitrator had taken his advice about custody.

  “Your mother means everything to me. I admire her strength, her resilience, her determination to give you the best life possible.” He looked at his hands. “My wife died giving birth to our daughter. If my daughter had lived, I would have wanted her to grow up to be just like you.”

  “You really mean that?”

  “I do. And your mother had a huge role to play in how you turned out. Trust me, I know. It’s my job to help troubled teens.”

  Shannon watched him, her assessing gaze making him feel like he was under a microscope. “If you love my mother, you’d better say so pretty quick.”

  “Love?” he asked, the word circling his heart.

  “Yes. My mom isn’t getting any younger, and she deserves to be happy. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, the way she blushes when I mention your name. This is serious stuff.”

  “I hear you.”

  “You’d better,” Shannon said, fixing him with a stare. They said nothing for several minutes before she started to fidget. “Where is the doctor?”

  “We should be hearing from them pretty soon,” he offered.

  “You don’t have to stay with me.”

  “I won’t leave you by yourself.”

  “I can call Gina. Or Gram.” She played with her hair.

  Her anxiety struck a chord in him. “Your mother is very lucky to have you in her life.”

  “I’m the lucky one.”

  A nurse appeared at the door. Shannon leaped up and went to her. “Is my mom okay?”

  “She’s asking for you.”

  Shannon hugged herself. “My mom’s—” She glanced at Jake. “My mom’s boyfriend is here with me.”

  “It’s supposed to be immediate family only.”

  “He’s immediate family,” Shannon said firmly.

  The nurse glanced from Shannon to Jake, her expression kind. “Follow me.”

  “So, I’m immediate family now, am I?” he whispered as he walked beside her.

  “Yeah, so don’t blow it,” Shannon said, smiling at him.

  “I won’t. You can count on me.”

  She gave him a look that made his heart twist in his chest. “I mean it,” he said.

  She sighed. “I know you do.”

  The nurse led them into a curtained-off cubicle at the far corner of an open area surrounding a nurses’ station, where phones rang and people moved purposefully from one urgent task to another.

  The nurse reached over and pulled back the curtain, then Shannon rushed to take her mother’s hand. “Mom, I’ve been so worried. How are you doing? Are you hurt?”

  “Just a bump on my head. The doctor is keeping me overnight as a precaution. It all happened so fast.”

  “Do you have pain anywhere?” Shannon asked.

  “Not really. I’m fine now that you’re here,” she said, love for her daughter shining in her eyes so intensely it took Jake’s breath away.

  “I brought someone to see you,” Shannon said. “He gave me a ride here.”

  “I see,” Andrea said, directing her gaze to Jake, her pupils widening into dark pools.

  “There are a lot of inattentive drivers on the road,” Jake offered as a flood of emotions he couldn’t identify rushed him.

  “Thank you,” Andrea said.

  He moved closer to the stretcher. “No thanks needed,” he replied as he struggled to keep a professional tone in his voice. “She’s a very strong young woman, like her mother.”

  “Do you have to stay in this area tonight?” Shannon asked, her eyes searching the room as if she were looking for something.

  “They’re just waiting for a room to be ready before they transfer me.”

  Shannon tucked a strand of her mother’s hair off the bandage hiding her forehead. “You look like someone from outer space with that huge wad of stuff on your head.”

  Andrea laughed, a clear ringing sound that overflowed the tiny space and bubbled around him. He’d made it here on time, and he would continue to be here for her.

  Seeing her now, her laughter, her courage, he wanted to hold her in his arms and reassure her that everything would be all right.

  As his eyes met hers, he knew there was something he could do to make Andrea’s life easier. He would talk to Melody to find out how they planned to address the bullying issue. “If you want, I can pick you up tomorrow after you’re discharged.”

  “I’d like that so much.” Her smile was everything he could have asked for in this world.

  He met Shannon’s questioning gaze. “Call me when you need a ride home.”

  “It’s okay. Gina will want to see Mom. And after she has, I’ll get her to drive me home,” Shannon said, her voice as cheerful as her smile.

  “You got it. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to Andrea.

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  As he walked to his car, a sense of peace edged in. He’d made it to the hospital on time. But more important, he’d kept himself open and receptive to not just Andrea, but Shannon, too. Wasn’t that proof he was capable of deep feeling? Maybe his experience with Maria was isolated to the breakdown of their relationship. Maybe his grief had kept him from exploring emotions. Before Andrea, that was. For her, his heart—his life—seemed wide-open.

  That knowledge filled him with a confidence he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  * * *

  THE PHONE WAS ringing when Andrea arrived home from the hospital the next afternoon.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you, Mom, but the accident happened so fast. By the time Shannon arrived and they got me to my room, it was too late to call and upset you.”

  “That’s okay, dear. Shannon told me about it when she came over to walk Butch this morning. She came with a very nice young man. I think his name is Kyle Donahue.”

  “He’s a friend of hers from school,” Andrea said, watching Jake move around her kitchen, making tea, getting milk out of the fridge.

  “He’s the one who was with her when she fell that day, isn’t he?�
�� her mother asked.

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Is he her boyfriend?” her mother asked.

  “No. Nothing like that,” Andrea said, wondering how best to tell her mother about Shannon being gay. Was it even her place to tell her? Maybe Shannon wanted to be the one to share that. Funny, only a few weeks ago, she would have made the decision about something like this on her own. But seeing how capable Shannon was of handling her life, she wanted Shannon to decide.

  They talked a little longer, Andrea reassuring her mom that she was doing well. Carrie offered to come over, but Andrea explained that she was waiting for the police to arrive to interview her. She promised to call back later.

  “They’re here,” Shannon said from the living room window.

  “It will be okay,” Jake whispered, hugging her as he followed her to the door.

  “So glad you’re here,” she murmured, opening the door.

  “Hi, Officer Winters. We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Jake said in an attempt at humor.

  The officer gave a half smile then took a seat at the kitchen table while he opened his notebook. “We have a witness to your accident, Mrs. Taylor. He was at the light a few feet from where your car was rammed. He said there were three people in the car—two males and a female. He saw the driver quite clearly and has given us a good description. He also remembers the last three numbers on the license plate. We have paint that was left on the door of your vehicle.”

  “So the paint chips on Andrea’s vehicle, the partial plate and a good description of the driver means you should be able to find who did this,” Jake said.

  “Yes, we believe so. On a hunch I checked the plates on Stuart Jameson’s car and they match the partial. The driver description matches him, as well.” The officer turned to Shannon. “If this was Stuart, do you have any idea who the woman in the car might be?”

  Shannon looked away, but not before Andrea saw the fury in her eyes. Did Shannon know who might have been in the car?

  He returned to Andrea. “Do you have any enemies, anyone you can think of who would try to run you off the road?”

  “No.” The very idea shocked her—she usually tried so hard to please everyone.