by Tori Brooks
“It’ll be awhile yet before the banks open, Paul. Shall we go fishing?” Tim asked.
Paul hesitated, then nodded. He didn’t want to leave, but there was really no point in staying. They piled back into the Bronco, Paul taking the back seat this time to think about his plans for the new acquisition. That he’d buy the cabin was a foregone conclusion. No one else wanted it; he did, and he was willing to pay what was needed. He didn’t get to be a multi-millionaire by throwing money away. But Paul knew that money was for more than just keeping score in the game called big business.
He smiled as he pictured Teri hunting snakes in the debris of the barn. A fire in the fireplace, a cozy little getaway for the two of them with a resort down the road for everyone else. He wondered how fast Tim could get it in good repair.
They pulled over near a small lake with a boat dock jutting out into the water. The lake didn’t look big enough to warrant a dock, but Paul didn’t question it. Within fifteen minutes of their arrival, all three men sat on the dock with lines in the water. They sat quietly waiting for the fish to discover the tidbits they used to bait their hooks.
After sitting silently and still for an hour, each man lost in his own thoughts, Paul’s phone beeped faintly in Tim’s pocket. Tim pulled it out and looked at the text. He smiled as he handed it to Paul and took his pole.
You’re forgiven and you can take me to dinner. I’m thinking seafood.
Ten minutes later, they were back in the Bronco and heading for the helicopter pad at the resort.
Lia met the helicopter at the airport in New York with the garment bag Paul left packed for impromptu trips. It supplemented the small bag he packed for the trip to Vermont, but not by much. Paul took the garment bag and got on the next flight to Seattle, not willing to waste the time to go home and repack. Tim would follow Paul on a later flight with properly packed bags. By the time Paul arrived in Seattle, Tim had a car and driver waiting at the airport to take him to the hotel.
“Mr. Lovett?” The chauffeur confirmed as Paul approached.
“Yes.”
“My name is Charles, sir. Mr. DeLaney has hotel and dinner reservations arranged. He asked me to give you this to review on the way to the hotel.” Charles handed Paul a manila envelope and took Paul’s bag. “This way, sir.” Charles led Paul through SeaTac International to where a limo waited at the curb with another driver. Charles opened the door for Paul and put his bags in the trunk before joining the driver in the front.
Paul was already preoccupied with the contents of the envelope by the time they pulled away from the curb. Tim was his usual efficient self, Paul noted with gratitude. The envelope held faxes regarding the cabin he looked at that morning. Old Doris’s cabin sat on ten acres and the bank was asking $700,000 because of it. Tim noted the estimated appraisals on similar properties in the area and that a local realtor believed the bank would accept $675,000 because there hadn’t been any interest in the property. Also, the road to the cabin is said to be virtually impassable except by snowcat during the winter months.
Tim had an appointment set up for the realtor to let a general contractor into the house to examine the structure, with a local architect and a photographer to take pictures and submit design concepts for Paul’s review. Paul glanced at his watch. The realtor would have opened the house for the contractor over an hour ago. As if on cue, his phone rang.
“Tim, I was just looking over your fax. Excellent work,” Paul answered with a smile.
“I’m glad you appreciate it. I just got off the phone with the contractor. He’s still looking things over, but the cabin will take a lot of work. The foundation is good, but the structural integrity has been compromised by mold and the roof needs to be replaced. The photographer is taking specific pictures of problem areas. The outbuildings are a write off, but I suspect you were aware of that.”
“They should house some local wildlife though.”
“Okay, we’ll leave the outbuildings alone. Would you like to make an offer or wait for the architect’s concepts? He’s focusing on maintaining the general impression of a rustic cabin, but adding small comforts so you wouldn’t actually be camping. A water heater, for example. I told him to plan for a large one, given Ms. Giles’ fondness for long baths.”
“Good thinking. I want it, but let’s keep it from Teri for now.”
“I assumed as much. I’ll call the realtor back and we’ll make an offer. Given the state, I think offer $650,000 and go from there.”
“Sounds good, Tim.”
“All right. I’ll be there tonight but you’re going to have to wear your back-up suit for dinner. The hotel has the information for your dinner reservations and there should be a selection of flowers waiting in your room. Daffodils are out of season, but I encouraged them to try to find some.”
“I’ll take what I can get at this point. Thank you, Tim,” Paul said sincerely.
“Good luck, Paul.”
Paul arrived at Teri’s house that evening with a small pot of spindly green leaves that would someday be daffodils. For now they looked like chives and he briefly reconsidered giving them to her. He should have chosen the roses. Shaking away his doubts, Paul cursed his sudden bout of indecision. He never second-guessed himself.
In an effort to ignore the disappointing flowers, Paul looked out his window. He’d seen pictures of the house, but he still sat in the back of the limo analyzing her home for a moment.
Teri lived in an established neighborhood. The pines grew tall and straight, surrounded by lush undergrowth. The tidy yards were hemmed by mature landscaping and the houses had the easily recognizable heavy brick style of decades ago. Her house had a wide front porch and appeared to be a sturdy little two story home. The house looked smaller than he expected considering Teri had six teenagers there most of the time.
The light was fading, but Paul could make out stepping stones leading to the front porch and around the side of the house. He looked past the four cars in the driveway toward the detached garage in the back. The house was deceptively quiet, or so it felt to Paul.
Well, he was here to see Teri. He was graced with a second chance and he wasn’t going to let it pass him by. Picking up the daffodils, Paul waited while Charles opened the door for him.
“Good luck, sir,” Charles smiled in encouragement as Paul hesitated. Paul patted his shoulder in appreciation and strolled up the mossy walk.
Dev answered when he rang the doorbell. Paul recognized him instantly, but was unprepared for Dev to know him as well.
“You’re Paul Lovett,” Dev stated simply, standing in the doorway and leaving Paul on the front step.
“Yes, and you’re Devin. I’m here to see your mother.”
“Yeah. Your name’s come up before you know.”
“Really?”
“Frequently associated with swearing.”
Paul forced a smile. “I can imagine that.”
“I think Nicholas called you a stalker.”
“I can imagine that as well,” Paul agreed, although he had trouble fitting that with his previous experience with Nicholas.
“Are you?”
“I’m persistent. I met your mother and wanted to get to know her better. Unlike a stalker, I respected her privacy and boundaries.”
Dev looked unconvinced and Paul elaborated. “I’ve intentionally stayed away from Seattle because I didn’t want to alarm her. A stalker wouldn’t do that.”
“Dev! Stop crowding the door and let Paul in. For crying out loud, kid,” Teri called as she came down the stairs.
Dev reluctantly stepped aside and allowed Paul to step into the entry. Teri wore a shimmering black sleeveless turtleneck and gray slacks. Her dark hair was pulled back into a twist and silver drop earrings caught the light as she sat on the low bench in the entry and fumbled with the straps for her shoes.
Paul reached down and slipped a hand under her chin. He redirected her face up to him, and she looked up in confusion. He smiled and slowly leane
d down to whisper in her ear.
“Thank you.”
Teri blushed and returned her focus to her shoes. Finishing that, she stood up again. He held up the pot and she smiled.
“They’ll be daffodils when they finally bloom.”
“I love daffodils!”
“I know.” Paul smiled back as she took the little pot happily.
“Stalker, Mom,” Dev reminded her and Teri turned to give him an exasperated glare.
“Be nice.” Dev refused to look contrite, watching Paul instead of meeting her eyes. “Put these on my desk, will you? And behave for Cassie.” Dev took the pot of flowers and walked away without a word.
A crash made Paul jump and notice stairs leading down to a basement he hadn’t known was there. A second ear-spitting crash followed the first, but Teri seemed unconcerned. She grabbed a matching gray jacket and purse.
“Drums,” Teri explained when she noticed Paul staring at the basement stairs. “You’ll want to be out of here before they start what is commonly referred to as ‘practicing,’ otherwise I carry Excedrin.”
Paul nodded. “Very well, shall we?” He opened the door and held out his arm. Teri took his hand and pulled him through the door as a series of loud bangs started behind them.
Chapter Thirteen
“You know, it’s funny,” Paul started to pull the conversation back around to Teri after they were seated and had ordered. Since leaving the house, she’d questioned him about what he’d been doing while she was thinking, not accepting simple answers. Finally he admitted letting Tim remove him from the office and eventually take him up to Vermont. He skipped over finding the cabin, but did describe his brief fishing experience with Bob, the mountain man. She picked his mind for details, and he suspected she was covering up something herself.
“What’s funny?” Teri asked, sipping her Dr. Pepper. “Aside from my new habit of drinking soda from a wine glass I mean.”
“I was under the impression you thought Dev’s band had a bit of talent, but you dragged me out of there pretty fast.”
“Do you listen to the radio much?”
“No.” Paul’s brow furrowed slightly as he tried to decide if she was wandering off topic again.
“Then you’re not prepared for what passes for music these days.”
“Ah. Sparing me a headache. I appreciate that.”
“You’ll be inflicted with them eventually, but I can at least ease you into it. Bryan’s also experimenting with drum solos which even I can’t take for long.”
“But you do plan to introduce me to them?”
“I assume that’s somewhere in your plan.”
“It is,” Paul agreed. “I’m more interested in what your plans are.”
Teri shrugged. “I’m not sure I have one, at least not like you do.” She cocked her head slightly and looked at him thoughtfully. “Do you plan everything?”
“As much as can be.”
“See, here’s the thing, Paul: I don’t.”
He smiled. “Trust me, I’m well aware of that.”
“No, I really don’t. I set a goal and then just kind of walk sideways that direction. If I walk straight for it, then I get all flustered when things sidetrack me. So I don’t. I head generally that way and eventually I get there.”
“Whereas I set a goal and head for it and anything that distracts me gets dealt with. Sometimes less gently than I might have otherwise, but I always keep the goal in sight.”
“Which is why your plans are going to override mine, if I bothered to make any.” Teri reached across the table, fished the pick out of Paul’s martini and ate the olive off of it. Paul signaled to the waiter.
“Can I have extra olives for my martini, please?”
“Of course, sir.” The waiter walked away with a purpose.
“So, no plans. Okay, can I ask what your goal is?” Paul smiled and took Teri’s hand.
“Goal?”
“The one you’re walking sideways toward.”
“Oh. Well, I have a house full of teenagers who know who you are, how I tried to avoid you, and that I changed my mind yet again. My goal right now is survival.”
“Dev mentioned Nicholas called me a stalker. I don’t think I made a good first impression.”
Teri flushed and Paul lifted her hand to kiss her fingers tenderly.
“I’m not worried about it. He’s a teenage boy who’s not used to anyone courting his mother. While I did try not to crowd you or frighten you, I suspect I do fit the definition of a stalker. Of course Allen seemed to fit that description too. It seems to be the best way to get your attention.”
“Yes, well, it was Jess that called you a stalker, not Nicholas. He’s been on your side. Dev will come around, he just needs time.”
“And you’re willing to give me that?”
“Yes.” Teri looked at Paul in confusion. “You’re not on probation. I made a decision to set the wife issue aside and move on. So we’re moving on.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that,” Paul smiled. The waiter returned with a fresh martini, with three picks holding three olives each in it. “Thank you.”
“Well, that works. Now you can even have one.” Teri smiled as Paul held out a trio of olives for her. She plucked it deftly from his fingers and sucked the first olive off the pick in a manner that would have been suggestive if she’d done it that way on purpose. Even though there wasn’t any ulterior motive that Paul could see, he still found the picture arousing and shifted slightly in his chair.
“I generally don’t eat the olives.”
“Then what’s the point of the martini?”
“The drink itself is the point, honey. Not everyone can relax with a Dr. Pepper.”
“You’re too stressed then.” Teri ate another olive. “You need to learn to enjoy the subtle beauties in life.”
Paul smiled at her, “I plan to.” His eyes drank in every movement she made. The way her lips pursed as she sucked another olive off the pick, the way strands of hair left out of the twist bounced as she turned to face him. And the way her cheeks blushed when she saw the way he was looking at her. He didn’t notice at first when she started watching him as well, but when she wrapped her tongue around the third olive and toyed with it, it got his undivided attention and the twinkle of mischievous amusement in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Are you teasing me or tempting me?” Paul smiled and took a drink of his martini.
Teri used her teeth to snap off the last olive and Paul’s smile broadened.
“I’ll take that as teasing.”
“Maybe.” Teri shrugged as if it didn’t matter and picked up her wine glass. She elegantly took a small sip then shuddered, threatening to spill her drink.
“Martini-laced green olives don’t mix well with Dr. Pepper I presume.”
“Not at all.” Teri took a drink of water. “That didn’t help either.” Paul handed her his martini and she took a sip.
“Did that help?”
“Sort of. My taste buds are now numb.”
“Now drink your water. Refresh them a bit.”
Teri did as she was told, but put the glass down still shaking her head. “Can’t quite shake it.”
“Well, I certainly can’t resist your damsel-in-distress routine.” Paul took a drink of his martini and stood up. Teri looked up at him and shook her head slightly in confusion. He stepped around to her side of the table and pulled out her chair slightly. Teri started to rise, but Paul put a hand on her shoulder and bent down to whisper in her ear.
“Remember, you started it,” and he slipped a hand under her chin and pulled her face to meet his. He kissed her passionately, letting his lips play softly against her lips, massaging and coaxing them apart before his tongue gently teased hers. He let his tongue caress hers for a moment, sliding alongside, darting along the surface. Paul knew Teri would taste the martini on him and together with his own unique taste would overwhelm the last lingering traces of cola that he could now o
nly barely detect.
He kissed her much longer than was strictly necessary for the technical purpose of the kiss. In fact, Teri was on the edge of her seat and on the verge of pulling herself up into Paul’s arms. He desperately wanted to feel her body pressed against his, but he was fairly certain the restaurant would be upset by the scene that would follow.
Reluctantly, Paul pulled away, breaking the intimate contact he’d wanted for far too long. He wanted dinner to be over and to somehow lure Teri back to his hotel, but he wouldn’t risk it. She’d given him a second chance and he wasn’t going to throw it away by pushing her to move too fast.
Teri’s eyes remained closed as Paul straightened and eased her to the back of her chair. He resumed his place and took a drink as she finally opened her eyes and looked at him. Paul tried to read her expression. Several emotions seemed to be trying to express themselves and he calmly analyzed the mixture as Teri continued to simply stare at him.
Her eyes seemed bigger and bluer than he was used to, almost cornflower now. He attributed her wide eyes to surprise, then reconsidered. It seemed almost like wonder, but he’d only seen that before in children. Now that the thought occurred to him, Teri’s lips seemed softer and her bottom lip pouted ever so slightly. A tiny smile sat on her lips too, barely perceptible, but it brought out what could almost be dimples in her cheeks. Even her chin and forehead looked softer and younger somehow.
He realized he was still holding his drink and staring at the woman across from him, much like she was staring at him. He’d shaken her up, but in a good way, Paul decided.
Smiling at her, he took another sip and set his glass down. Teri snapped out of whatever trance she’d been in and an impish look replaced the childlike awe she’d had a moment ago. She straightened slightly, taking on a subtly alluring posture as the waiter arrived with a tray.
“Well, that worked. Thank you.” Teri smiled and reached over to pull a pick of olives from Paul’s glass. Keeping her eyes on him, she very carefully traced the outline of the protruding red pimento with her tongue, then suggestively sucked the olive off the pick.