Passion Never Dies (A Promise of Passion Book 2)

by M. E. Nesser

  I went to the firm’s website and found Katharine’s last name, and I asked the florist to deliver the flowers as soon as possible. She said they would be delivered between two and four in the afternoon. I was pleased with my decision. It was strange, but not only did I want to see Katharine again, I felt like I had to. Now I had to wait and see what her next move was going to be.

  7

  I showed up at work with a renewed sense of energy. As soon as I took off my coat and put my briefcase away, I asked my staff to join me in the conference room. They glanced at one another, nervous about the impromptu meeting. I hoped their trepidation would be quelled when they realized my intent. In fact, I was confident they would be very pleased by my sudden change of heart. The atmosphere had been very sullen in our offices; it was time for a serious change. I regretted making my dedicated personnel suffer due to my personal loss. I hadn’t shown any enthusiasm at work since Bryce died, and they had learned to tiptoe around me and keep our exchanges succinct. It was time to rally my crew back into normalcy.

  I started out by thanking them all for stepping up the past year through my excruciating mourning period. They looked at me sadly. I told them that I was ready for a fresh start, and their faces lightened up. I could feel the vibe getting happier in the room as the meeting progressed. We discussed our ongoing cases and a few prospective new ones. I had an excellent staff. They were hardworking and bright, and it was time to reward them with kickass legal work. I offered them new incentives and bonus opportunities, and I could feel their renewed excitement. Today was a brand-new day.

  When I adjourned the meeting, my staff returned to their desks with smiles and laughter. It occurred to me that the entire staff had shared in my somber existence. Not anymore. There was a part of me that felt terribly guilty about letting things get so dismal. But there was nothing I could do about it now except change the way things were run and make it better. It was time to get back to doing what we all loved. The law was waiting for us to grab it by the reins and find success again.

  The morning flew by. I had a lot of work to catch up on. I needed to reacquaint myself with the cases that we were working on. It was time to stop expecting my paralegals to do all of the work for me. At 11:30 a.m. I sat back to take a sip of water and felt something strange—I was hungry. It had been a long time since I’d had that sensation. I knew that I owed my staff for all of their hard work and loyalty, so I called a local deli and had a smorgasbord of food sent to the conference room. The staff was shocked when the delivery arrived. Everyone congregated in the conference room and had a hearty lunch, including me. Morale had escalated, and I was satisfied—for now. I owed these people so much more than this, but it was a start.

  The afternoon passed as quickly as the morning had; I hadn’t realized how behind I had gotten. At 3:30 p.m. my secretary knocked on my door and said I had received a delivery. I couldn’t imagine what it could have been—I hadn’t ordered anything in ages. I told her to bring it in. When she walked in with a huge bouquet of yellow and purple flowers, I felt such warmth. When was the last time someone had sent me flowers? Oh yeah, when Bryce died. But now was not the time to dwell on that. I asked her who they were from, and she said there was a card, but it was in a sealed envelope with my name on it.

  She set the flowers on my desk, smiled at me, and scurried out of the office, closing the door behind her. I opened up the card. Holy cow, it was from Ian. He’d enjoyed himself as much as I had. This was such a sweet gesture. I didn’t know men could still be gallant in this day and age. The arrangement was stunning. I had never seen such a variety of yellow flowers in my life. And the choice of accent colors didn’t escape me. When he’d said he liked purple because it was fun and daring, I’d been intrigued. Now I had a problem, though. I wanted to thank him for the flowers, but I still didn’t have a contact number for him.

  Then I got an idea. I called the restaurant and asked to speak with Todd. Ian had introduced me to his brother the night before, so he knew who I was. I apologized for bothering him, but I told him I wanted to thank his brother for a lovely evening and didn’t have his phone number. He gave it to me freely.

  “Thank you for bringing some light into my brother’s life,” Todd told me. “I haven’t seen him smile like that in a very long time.”

  “It was your brother who turned the light on for me, Todd,” I admitted. “I’d been living in darkness for way too long.”

  “Then it sounds like a match made in heaven. Ian is a really good man. He was totally screwed by that bitch wife of his. He deserves so much better. Good luck, Katharine. I wish you both the best.”

  We hung up, and I sat there, stunned. I was good for Ian? That was not what I expected to hear. I’d been feeling so pathetic that it had never occurred to me that I could be beneficial in someone else’s life. Todd’s comment made me feel really good. Our short, but poignant, conversation gave me just the right amount of confidence to respond to Ian with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

  8

  I was getting very little done at work, so I decided to go to the gym. I worked out with my personal trainer and then ran for close to an hour on the treadmill. I couldn’t concentrate. I waited impatiently to hear something from Katharine. Around four o’clock, I called the florist to see if the flowers had been delivered. They had been. I felt like a teenager waiting to see if the girl I’d asked to the prom would say yes or not. It was such a strange feeling. I hoped she didn’t think the flowers were a premature gesture, but I had to do something. Last night had meant a lot to me.

  As I was leaving the gym, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number.

  “Ian Jensen,” I answered.

  “Hi, Ian. It’s Katharine,” she said.

  “Katharine, hello. What a pleasure to hear from you!” I said, maybe a bit over enthusiastically.

  “I wanted to thank you for the flowers. They’re so beautiful. You didn’t have to do that,” she said in the most soothing voice.

  “You’re so welcome. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady.” I instantly felt embarrassed by my corny reply.

  “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

  “I’m only into honesty and facts, Katharine. And the fact is that last night was really special for me. I was hoping—would you be interested in going out with me again sometime?” I asked nervously.

  “I’d love to,” she said without hesitation.

  “Are you free tonight? I know you need to work on that not skipping dinner thing, and there’s no reason either of us should eat alone. Besides, I don’t want to go another day without seeing you,” I admitted. Yep, I sounded like a lovesick, pathetic schoolboy, and I didn’t care.

  “You know what? I did make the conscious decision to work on that eating thing, and I really don’t like eating alone. I’d love to see you again as well. I was sorry to see last night end.”

  We arranged to meet at the entrance of her office building after work. There was a quaint French bistro near her office that I knew had excellent food. I was a friend of the owner, so I knew I’d be able to get a table. I called him as soon as I hung up from speaking with Katharine. Jacques was thrilled that I had a date. He was the kind of Frenchman who believed in good food, good wine, and frequent lovemaking with a good woman. He was a true romantic who gave me a hard time about not looking for love after the divorce. The restaurant was small and intimate. It would give us the chance to talk in a less boisterous environment, giving us a chance to know each other better. That was my goal. I needed to know everything there was to know about this woman.

  9

  Holy crap, what was happening? I had just agreed to a second date with a man I’d just met. I couldn’t believe how excited I was. I walked into the private bath located next to my office and looked at myself in the mirror. I was dressed in a severely tailored pinstriped suit, and I had put my hair up in a twist like I did every morning. Shit, I really looked like an attorney. This wouldn�
��t do. I needed to do something to spruce myself up. I hadn’t been on a date in nearly thirty years, and while it was exciting, it was also nerve wracking. My palms were sweaty, so I washed them. I even splashed some cold water on my face. Was I really doing this?

  I walked back out to the reception area and asked to speak with my secretary Suzie in private. She walked into my office and closed the door quietly behind her.

  “Is everything OK?” she asked me with a genuinely worried expression on her face.

  “I need a favor,” I said anxiously.

  “Sure, what’s up?” Suzie asked me.

  “Um, I, um have a dinner date tonight—” I began.

  “I knew it! I told the gang that you must have met someone. That’s so awesome, Katharine. What do you need me for? Ask me anything—I’m all yours,” she said enthusiastically.

  “He’s picking me up here after work, and I look like such a lawyer,” I said futilely.

  “Give me a second,” she said and ran out of the room.

  Suzie came back with a big orange bag. She motioned for me to sit down in one of the chairs I use for my clients and stared at my face intently.

  “What are you doing?” I asked her.

  “You’re looking better, but you’re still too thin. And you have dark circles. I need to do something with this face. Just give me a minute. I went to beauty school before I got my business administration degree. I have all sorts of tricks in this bag,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eye.

  For the next twenty minutes, she applied lights layers of makeup to my face. I felt young and giddy. It was fun to do this. No one had put makeup on my face since my wedding. It was more relaxing than I remembered. I had hardly seen any of my girlfriends over the past year, so this was a nice change of pace. It was neat to hang out with another woman and talk about girl stuff. I just sat there and let her play with her makeup. I’m not sure who was more excited. It was obvious that she was very good at this and enjoyed it thoroughly. Although I loved having her as a secretary, I wondered why she hadn’t gone into a career in the beauty industry. It was obvious that she was very passionate about it.

  When she seemed satisfied with my makeup, she started to take the pins out of my hair and started brushing it. That felt so good. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed how it felt. No one had touched me in so long that I’d forgotten how much I craved it. Bryce used to brush my hair and massage my scalp. It was such a great sensation. She pulled out the rest of the pins and did something with the front of my hair so it didn’t fall haphazardly in my face, then she told me to close my eyes while she teased and sprayed my hair.

  “Voila! You’re gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

  I got up and went into the bathroom to check out what she had done to me. I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror. My eyes filled with tears. Suzie ran in to see if I liked it.

  “You can’t cry! It’ll ruin all of my hard work!” she yelled at me.

  “I’m so sorry. I haven’t seen this Katharine in way too long,” I admitted.

  “Well, it’s about time,” she scolded me.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. I can’t thank you enough, Suzie,” I said. I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I did something very out of character: I hugged her.

  “Any time. And can I make one more suggestion? You should think about undoing those top two buttons on your blouse. You look like a nun like that.” We both laughed at her remark. Sadly, I had been living like a nun for over a year. The prospect of not living in chastity was terrifying as well, but I’d deal with that hurdle when I came to it. First things first.

  With that remark, she turned and left my bathroom. I stared at myself for a long time. The girl had some talent—I actually looked pretty. I hadn’t felt like this in ages. It was a really good feeling. “I think I am ready for this,” I thought to myself. I did as she’d suggested and unbuttoned my top two buttons to reveal a little cleavage. Suzie was right; unbuttoning my blouse made me look sexier. I put on some more deodorant and a little perfume and brushed my teeth. After reapplying more lipstick, I had to sit down. This was overwhelming, and I needed a minute to compose myself before I went downstairs. If nothing else, at least I knew I looked a lot better than I had yesterday.

  10

  I got to the entrance of her building about fifteen minutes before we were supposed to meet. I had met with presidents and secretaries of state, and I’d never been as nervous as I was right now. This could be a pivotal point in my life. For the first time in years, I think I was ready to be in a relationship again. It thrilled me. It also scared the living shit out of me.

  I entered her building five minutes before our scheduled time and paced the foyer. Every time I heard the elevators open, I stared at them in anticipation. I had been on dozens of dates since my divorce, and I’d never felt like this. I think I actually had butterflies in my stomach. My palms were even a little sweaty, which was a new sensation as well. I was really excited to see her again. God, I hoped she felt the same way about seeing me.

  When Katharine finally exited the elevator, I felt like a tidal wave had struck me. She was stunning! I’d thought she was beautiful when we met the night before, but the woman walking toward me now was breathtaking. I smiled at her, and she blushed. She walked confidently toward me and extended her hand to take mine. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She smelled divine. I let the kiss linger and whispered in her ear, “You look absolutely breathtaking.”

  She leaned her head back, looked me in the eyes, and said with the most beautiful smile, “You look pretty breathtaking yourself, Mr. Jensen.”

  There was no way I was letting go of her hand, so I held on tight and escorted her out of the building. We chatted the whole way to the restaurant, never letting go of each other’s hands. She was carrying a briefcase, so as soon as we were outside, I took it from her hand and carried it for her.

  She had never been to the bistro before and was excited to be going there. Jacques approached us as we entered the restaurant, gushing about my beautiful date. It was actually a little embarrassing. He took Katharine’s arm from me and escorted her to the table, chatting with her the whole way. I followed like a puppy dog. After he seated us, he patted me on the back and said, “It’s about time, my dear friend.” Then he quietly disappeared. Before we had a chance to order anything, sparkling water and a fabulous bottle of French wine were brought to the table, compliments of the owner.

  It was a small, intimate restaurant with soft, French music in the background. Since Katharine was new to this restaurant, she let me do the ordering. I loved being able to do that for her: I knew what it felt like to make decisions all day at work, and it was refreshing to have someone else take on the responsibility now and again. Whenever I’d ordered for my ex, she would find something to complain about. Even if she loved what I picked out for her, she bitched about something. Sharing a meal with Katharine was turning out to be so much more pleasant, and it was only our second dinner together. Katharine also loved drinking wine as much as I did, and Jacques had picked a fabulous vintage. As soon as our glasses were poured, I toasted to eating dinner with a special woman two nights in a row. Even though we barely knew each other, I knew she was special. She smiled, thanked me, and took a sip.

  I’d never been able to sit and talk with a woman as easily as I did with Katharine. At one point during the meal, she asked about my marriage. “Last night I spilled my heart to you about my husband, would you care to share what happened with your wife?” she asked me cautiously. “Of course. Let’s see…where to begin?” I thought for a minute before I responded. “Monica was so much fun when we met. She was full of life and we had such a blast together. We met our senior year in college. When we graduated from college, it seemed like the natural progression to get married. She said she wanted children, but now I’m not so sure. After our first daughter Emily was born, Monica got really depressed. She had a really hard time caring for her. Thankfully, our mothers’ were a
ble to take turns watching the baby. Before we knew it, she was pregnant again. At this point in my career I was finding a lot of success and making a decent living. After our second daughter Sara was born, she asked for a nanny…then a housekeeper. Before I knew it, she wasn’t spending any time with our girls. She became very demanding. She wanted a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck. She was charging obscene amounts of money on our credit cards. She spent a lot of time away from home. I didn’t know where she was going or what she was doing. It got to the point where we were no longer intimate and we barely spoke to one another. I knew something was going on. Finally, I hired a private detective to follow her. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was going on. She was having an affair with a guy at the gym. I was devastated. I knew I couldn’t stay with a woman who was unfaithful, so I told her she needed to get out. She was happy to leave as long as I gave her a ton of money and agreed to keep the kids. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she didn’t want the children, but I was. So we got a divorce, and I got full custody of our girls. Not a fairytale romance, huh?”

  “Oh, Ian, I am so sorry,” Katharine said as she took my hand lovingly. “I am so sorry for you and your daughters. I cannot imagine how any woman could give up custody of her children.”

  “It has been really difficult on the girls,” I told her sadly.

  “Of course. It has to be hard on all of you. They are lucky to have you, though. And I have to wonder why any woman in her right mind would cheat on you?” she said with a smile.

  “Well, thank you for that compliment, Mrs. Collins. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why anyone has the need to be unfaithful. I believed in the vows we took, and I thought Monica and I would be married forever. Getting a divorce never entered my conscious mind. When I learned of her betrayal, I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart. The pain was inmeasurable. I loved her so much and I gave her everything she wanted, but it still wasn’t enough.”