Surrender at Sunset

by Jamie Pope

  “You’re not just working for him anymore?” her mother asked, one of her eyebrows raised. “And we don’t have to pretend. We are a loving family, but don’t act as though you were up front with all the details.”

  “I know. I’m sorry, but I found him. Can we keep him, please?”

  “Only if you agree to take care of him.”

  “Thank you, Mommy.” She hugged her mother again.

  “I missed you, Virginia,” her mother said softly. “I’m glad you’re here.” She picked up a lock of Virginia’s hair. “I see you’re still a fan of this style.”

  “We’re letting all the cold air into the house,” she said, ignoring her mother’s jab.

  “Yes.” They went in, closing the door behind them to find the men in deep conversation. “I can see why you like this one, Virginia. Your friend is very handsome.”

  “Is he?” she asked with a straight face. “I hadn’t really noticed.”

  Her mother gave her a pointed look, but didn’t say anything. Virginia took the opportunity to walk over to Carlos and her father. “Daddy, the driveway isn’t cleared. You always clear it right away. Is your back bothering you again?”

  “A bit.” The colonel looked at his wife. “Your mother doesn’t want me to irritate it any more, even though I can push the snowblower. It’s only the shoveling that would bother it. Your brother is going to do it when he comes over. He got stuck at work yesterday due to the snow.”

  “I can clear the driveway,” Carlos volunteered.

  “You can’t!” her mother said in horror. “You’re a guest and you just got here.”

  “But your son was working all night and all I did was sit on a plane, Dr. Andersen.”

  “But airport travel during the holidays can be very exhausting.”

  “We flew private,” he said, as if it was normal. “Just point me in the direction of the snowblower. I’ll get it cleared in no time.”

  “I’ll help you, Carlos.” Virginia stepped forward. “Mom, can you make some coffee, or better yet that really great hot chocolate you always keep around?”

  “Relax, Gin.” Carlos squeezed her shoulder. “Spend time with your family.”

  “I’ll come with you, son,” her father said as he grabbed his coat and gloves. “Could use the fresh air.”

  A moment later they were gone.

  “I think your father has found a new playmate.”

  Virginia shrugged. “Any man would jump at the chance to hang out with him. People swarm him whenever we leave the house. He’s sweet to all of them.”

  “Sweet?” Her mother gave her that look again. “I did some more reading up on him. He seems to have been sweet to a lot of women. None of them known for their brains and one of them seems to have been involved in some kind of sex-tape scandal.”

  “That has nothing to do with me, Mother,” Virginia said, trying to keep her frustration at bay. “He’s my friend. He’s a nice guy and right now he’s out there clearing your driveway. I don’t care what you’ve heard about him. All I care about is what I know about him.”

  The front door opened again and Asa came rushing in. Thank God he was here. She wasn’t sure she could remain calm through her mother’s interrogation. But she was sure that it wasn’t over yet. Her mother would want to know everything that Virginia didn’t want to tell.

  “Gin’s here!” Asa grabbed her up in giant bear hug and spun her around. “You’re looking beautiful, sis.”

  “Living on an island in the Keys and being gainfully employed agrees with me.” She looked him over when he put her down. Asa was a beautiful man, superfit with a bright white smile and smooth skin the color of chocolate. “Look at you, babe. You’re swollen like a tick.”

  “I’ve been working out with some of the fire fighters. They’re into some intense stuff.”

  “You look good, Asa.” She hugged him again, resting her head on his chest. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too. Was that Carlos Bradley outside shoveling snow with Dad?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought so.” He lowered his voice and spoke into her ear. “We’re going to have a talk about this later, away from Dr. Don’t Do That.”

  “Okay.” She grinned up at him. She felt safe in telling him what was going on in her head and in her heart. He was probably the only one.

  Chapter 11

  Carlos had thought he would be uncomfortable here. It was clear that Virginia’s family hadn’t expected her to bring him. But they were kind to him and went out of their way to make him feel at home. Dr. Andersen wasn’t as warm as her son and husband. She was extremely polite, but she was distant. She kept looking between him and Virginia as if she was trying to figure out what was going on with them.

  Virginia had introduced him as a friend, and that was the role he was playing. There were times during the day when he wanted to grab her hand or kiss her cheek, but he refrained and kept his distance. He acted as if he was just her friend.

  And that was all he was. He was her friend who made love to her. Her friend who loved her. But that was it. They never talked about it. Never labeled things. But he was wondering if maybe they should. He was wondering if she might possibly want more from him.

  “You want to go to a Nets game tomorrow?” Asa asked as he looked over the hand of cards he had just been dealt.

  “Me?” Carlos asked, surprised by the offer from a man he had only known for a few hours.

  “Yeah. A friend of mine gave me tickets to thank me for a favor. You want to go? They are pretty good seats. You’re probably used to floor seats, but you can slum it for the night.”

  “Yeah, I would like that. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten a twelve-dollar hot dog.”

  “No, no.” Asa shook his head. “We aren’t eating regular hot dogs. We are going to have brisket dogs and maybe a cheddar brat, and they’ve got these pulled pork nachos that I’ve been dreaming about since I was there last.”

  “You going to eat all that, Asa?” Virginia walked into the dining room with pie and coffee for Asa, the colonel and him. “You’re all about clean eating.”

  “Yes, but when I go out, I go all out. We’re going to have a good time.”

  “It’s okay with you if I go, Virginia?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I don’t know. We came down here so you could see your family. And now we’re headed to a game without you. I want this to be okay with you.”

  She came over and kissed his cheek twice. “I’m not one of those women who pretends things are fine when they aren’t. But you know that already, don’t you?”

  He wanted to pull her into his lap and kiss her, really kiss her. He hadn’t made love to her since before they left and he wouldn’t get to for the next few days. He missed her terribly.

  “Are we going play cards, men, or are we going to blab all day?” Colonel Andersen barked.

  “We’re waiting for Virginia to sit her behind down so we can start.”

  “I went to get you pie! Don’t rush me.”

  “I thank you for the pie. Now sit down so I can beat you.”

  He liked Asa. He liked the colonel. He saw his younger siblings a lot but they just felt like part of a family and not a whole one. The Andersens were a whole family, and it was nice that he got to be a small part of it, even if it was just for a just a little while.

  * * *

  “Can I come in?” Carlos poked his head into Virginia’s childhood bedroom two evenings later. She was lying in bed on top of the covers, feeling pleasantly tired after spending a drama-free day shopping with her mother.

  “Yeah. Come in.” She felt that little rush she always got when she saw him. Her breath quickened; her heart lifted. She couldn’t recall the last time anybo
dy had made her feel like this. Maybe in high school with her first crush. Only with Carlos it was more intense.

  “You’re not going to get up?” he asked as he walked over to her.

  “No, you’re going to lie down.” She held out her hand to him and he took it, kissing it before he settled his heavy body half on top of hers on the small twin bed.

  “This bed is so small.”

  “You complaining?” She rubbed herself against him, relishing his closeness.

  “No, I like it.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so close that not even air could pass between them. He just looked at her for a long moment, studying her face before he bent his head to take her mouth. It wasn’t a hot kiss, but a slow one, a deep one, a kiss that made her forget that she was in her parents’ home in New Jersey. A kiss that made her forget everything else because there was only him.

  He was the only one who managed to do that to her.

  “How was your day?” He stroked the hair out of her face.

  “Fine.” She slid her hands up the back of his shirt, caressing his strong back. “Kiss me again.”

  “I won’t be able to stop myself.”

  “That’s okay. My parents go to bed early. We’ll lock the door and be really quiet.”

  “I respect your parents too much to do that in their house.”

  She sighed. “Goody Two-shoes.”

  He grinned. “Tell me how your day was.”

  “Good. We went shopping, then to dinner and the movies. It was a really boring film with subtitles, but my mother loved it and it kept her from criticizing my hair, fashion and life choices.”

  “Don’t change anything because of what she says.” He kissed the side of her neck. “And don’t wear anything she buys you again. I like who you are.” He kissed her neck again but a little steamier this time. “And the way you look and the choices you make.”

  “Let’s sneak out,” she moaned. “There’s a hotel around the corner. We’ll be back even before they know we’re gone.”

  “No.” He rested his chin on her hair. “At least, not tonight. We’ll sneak away and do it in the daytime like normal people,” he said, which caused her to laugh. “We’ve got one more day here and then we go home.”

  Home. She was starting to think of the oceanfront mansion on Hideaway Island as her home. But it wasn’t. She had a small apartment in the unfashionable section of Miami to go back to when his house was all done.

  “And when we get there,” he continued, “I’m not going to let you out of the bed for three days. You don’t know all the things I want to do to you. I’m keeping a list.”

  “I can’t wait.” She snuggled into him. “How was dinner with my father and brother?”

  “Your brother took us to this place that had the best damn pizza I’ve ever tasted. Miami has good food, but a man could gain fifty pounds hanging out with your brother.”

  “He’s loves food more than I do. That’s why he keeps himself in such great shape. He’s only bad during the holidays.”

  “He’s got to keep himself in shape for his job. He’s a good guy, Gin. I’m glad I met him. I’m glad I’m here.”

  She was glad he was here, too. She would have missed him. They fell quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying being close to each other. She had taken for granted that on Hideaway Island she could see him whenever she wanted, touch him whenever she pleased. There she had him all to herself, but she knew that was going to come to an end soon because it wasn’t reality. It was nice but temporary. People didn’t live in a bubble like that.

  He yawned just before he kissed her forehead. “I could fall asleep right here.”

  “Are you comfortable in the guest room? I know the mattress is a little soft for you.”

  “It’s fine.” He stroked his thumb along her cheek. “I’ve gotten used to sleeping with you every night. It feels weird to roll over and not feel you there. I think I might miss you.”

  He was sweet. He had his moments of pigheadedness, but this big, burly athlete was sweeter to her than anybody had ever been before, and she almost didn’t know how to take it. “You think you miss me? I would have much preferred to hear that you’re very sure you miss me and don’t think you can function without me.”

  He cupped her face in his hands, a small smile curling his lips. “Yeah. What you said.” And then he kissed her again. Softly. Expertly. Just enough to satisfy her need to be kissed.

  She heard the sound of a throat clearing and looked up to see both her parents standing just inside her doorway.

  “Shit,” she said softly. “We’re busted.”

  Carlos sat up quickly, his expression calm. “I’m sorry if I overstepped a line, Colonel and Dr. Andersen.”

  “She’s thirty.” Her father shrugged. “And you kept the door open. It was the same rules we had for her as a teenager. We just came to see if you two wanted to join us for coffee and pie.”

  “It was nice of you to ask, sir. But I don’t think I can eat any more after that dinner we had.”

  “I know. I shouldn’t have any, either.” Her father may not have seemed as if he cared about what they were doing when her parents walked in on them, but she could see that her mother was not pleased.

  “Virginia would like some pie,” her mother said.

  “Actually, Mom. I’m going to skip the pie tonight.”

  “Then, you can sit with me while I have mine.”

  Carlos gave her a look, as though he wanted to interfere, but like the smart man he was, he kept his mouth closed. “I’m going to head to bed. Good night, everyone.”

  “Good night, Carlos,” her mother responded. “Virginia. Pie.”

  She had that tone in her voice that said that she wouldn’t take any arguments. So Virginia got up and followed her mother into the kitchen. “I’m sorry you caught us kissing, but that was it.”

  “What were you thinking?”

  “It was just a kiss. And I’m going to be thirty. I’ve lived with men before. Surely you can’t be surprised by this.”

  “No. I’m not surprised by the kiss. I’m surprised that you haven’t learned yet.”

  “Learned what?”

  “You honestly don’t know? You honestly don’t know that it’s a bad idea to mix business with pleasure? You don’t think it’s a bad idea to sleep with your boss?”

  Virginia was silent for a moment, not sure how to respond. “I’m an interior designer and a grown woman. It’s not as if I’m a secretary sleeping with an executive or a teacher sleeping with her principal. I’m decorating his house and I’m doing a damn good job. I think that entitles me to do what I want with no judgment from you.”

  “What does he see in you besides sex?”

  That question caused a physical reaction in her stomach, as if she had been punched in the gut and all the air had been knocked out of her. “Is it so hard to believe that he just likes me? Is it so hard to believe that he thinks I’m smart? That we can talk to each other? That he’s thinks I’m okay just the way I am, when you clearly do not?”

  “Oh, no, you don’t, young lady. I adore you. I think you are talented, brilliant and beautiful. But you lack focus. You lack insight and you keep ending up with losers that hurt you.”

  “Carlos Bradley is anything but a loser. I won’t allow you to say that about him, especially since he has been nothing but kind to you and good to me.”

  “He’s not a loser. He’s a good man. A nice man. But he’s unobtainable for you. You always pick unobtainable men. Gay men and green-card seekers. And now you’ve gone and fallen for the holy grail of unobtainable men. Worth two hundred million dollars. Has dated woman after woman. Models, actresses, heiresses.”

  “So what? That has nothing to do with me.”

  “That has everything to do
with you. Because I saw how you looked at him, Virginia. I thought it was a crush at first, but I can see you’re in love with him. You have to learn to stop falling in love so easily.”

  “Why? Why do I have to? Who does it hurt?”

  “You. Can’t you see that it hurts you? That it takes a little piece out of you every time you do? Don’t you know that every time some man breaks your heart you change your life, your career, your location? Where are you going to go when he ends it? Because he will end it. Once he heals and goes back into the spotlight and you two aren’t stuck together in that house, things will change. And this would be okay if it was just a pleasant interlude for you, but you feel too much, too deep. You get too attached. He’s going to break your heart and what are you going to do then?”

  “Stop predicting my future. I wasn’t expecting anything from him. Not marriage. Not children. I have no expectations.”

  “You have to think about your future. You can’t always live in the now. You’re nearly thirty and you’re beautiful and you deserve stability and happiness. And don’t get mad at me for wanting things for you. Don’t get upset with me for seeing with clear eyes when yours continue to be cloudy.”

  “I don’t want to talk about this. It’s none of your business. My entire life you’ve been trying to stick me into a box that I just don’t fit into. You never were supportive of what I wanted. You never had any faith in what I could do. You never gave me the benefit of the doubt. I may not have succeeded to the level that you wanted me to, but I haven’t failed, either. And I don’t plan to. If I do, I certainly won’t come crawling back to you. So if you can’t support me, the least you could do is keep your opinions to yourself.”

  She walked away from her mother, so mad she literally couldn’t see straight. She then realized that it wasn’t anger clouding her eyes, it was tears. Her father stepped out of the hallway and collected her into his arms.