“Well, you can expect that to continue, just as long as you don’t hurt my girl.”
“There’s not a chance of that, sir, at least not intentionally.”
“Sometimes it’s the things we didn’t mean to do that can hurt the most,” Mick reminded him. “Take that from a man who made a lot of mistakes over the years and lost the woman he loved because of it. I’ve been blessed with a second chance, and this time I’m not going to blow it.”
The door to the kitchen opened and Megan stepped in, a worried expression on her face.
“You two have been gone a long time. Everything okay?”
Mick slapped a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Everything’s fine. Isn’t that right?”
“Perfect,” Will agreed. “We’ve reached an understanding.”
Megan’s gaze narrowed. “Isn’t it Jess with whom you should be reaching any understandings?”
Will nodded. “Exactly the point to which we’ve just agreed.”
She gave him an approving look. “Smart man.” She tucked her arm through Mick’s. “You’re not going to let this one bully you.”
“Since when do I bully people?” Mick asked indignantly.
“You’ve been known to from time to time,” she said. “It’s your forceful personality, to say nothing of your determination to get your own way. Now let’s have one glass of wine with these young people and be on our way, so they can enjoy the rest of their evening.”
Mick leaned down and kissed her, then nabbed the bottle of wine from Will’s hand. “I think I liked Jess’s earlier idea. Why don’t you and I take this home and snuggle up in front of our fire? We are still on our honeymoon, after all.”
Megan blushed. “Mick, our honeymoon in Paris was months ago.”
“That doesn’t mean the honeymoon’s over. I’m thinking we can make it last a few more months at least. I have some ideas about that. We’ll talk about ’em at home.”
Will was oddly touched by this evidence that they were still so much in love. Sure, they’d had a rough patch and years of divorce, but they were back together now and, from the looks of it, happier than ever.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” he called after them, but he doubted they heard.
When he walked into the lounge, minus the wine and without Mick or Megan, Jess regarded him with amusement. “Lose something?”
“Our company. I sent them on their way with our wine, too.”
“That’s more than okay with me. Wine right now would just make me sleepy.” She slanted a curious look at him. “What did you say to get rid of them?”
“I just told your father what he wanted to know.”
She scowled. “Do I even want to hear this? How embarrassing is it?”
“He was just being a good father,” Will said. “I told him my intentions were honorable.” He winked at her. “And that I wasn’t so sure about yours.”
“Oh, great,” Jess said with mock indignation. “So now I’m the one who’s trying to lure you into a life of sin?”
Will held her gaze. “Aren’t you?”
“Maybe I am. Are you game yet?”
Temptation swirled through him at her serious expression, the heat in her eyes. He leaned closer, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then lingered to caress her cheek. He could feel her skin warm, hear the catch in her breath. It would be so easy to close the gap between them, seal his mouth over hers and take what he wanted. What she wanted.
But it wasn’t time. Not yet. He wanted more than sex. He wanted a lifetime. And Jess simply wasn’t there yet. There was still no telling if she ever would be.
When he kissed her, it was on the cheek. He saw the disappointment in her eyes, and it gave him hope. “’Night, Jess.”
“You’re actually going to walk out of here, even though I’ve practically thrown myself at you?” she asked.
“Yes, I am,” he said solemnly. “But so you know, it’s just about going to kill me to do it.”
He was pretty sure he saw a surprised smile light her face as he walked away.
15
On Sunday Jess stewed all day about Will’s abrupt departure the night before. She was even more annoyed when he didn’t show up for Sunday dinner at the house. Not that she’d specifically invited him. She’d thought it was a given that he’d be there. She’d taken him for granted.
Of course, it was entirely possible that despite what he’d said to her, he was avoiding Mick. Looking for someone else to blame for Will’s absence, she found her father in his office after the meal and confronted him.
“Did you say something last night to scare Will off?” she asked.
Mick bristled. “Did he say I did?”
“No, actually he said things were fine, but he’s not here today, is he? Something must have happened.”
“The two of you were still there together when your mother and I left. Maybe you should think about what you said to him,” Mick advised.
Frustrated, Jess sat down in a chair opposite her father. “I didn’t say anything. We didn’t argue. I thought we were okay.”
“Then you probably are,” Mick said. “Did he say he was coming today?”
She flinched. “I didn’t ask.”
“Well, there you go.”
“But he’s almost always here,” she protested. “I’ve never once asked him to come.” She paused, then amended, “It only started changing recently. What’s that about?”
Mick regarded her with amusement. “Look, my darling girl, when men and women start seeing each other in a different way, it changes things. You can’t take anything for granted.”
Once again Jess felt guilty. That was exactly what she’d done. “Well, it shouldn’t be like that,” she complained.
Mick laughed. “I agree, but that’s just the way it is. From here on out, if you want Will to join us, it’s probably going to be up to you to invite him.” He gave her a hopeful look. “Unless you want me to do it.”
“Absolutely not. Something tells me the less time you spend with Will, the better.”
“I didn’t pressure him, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Mick said indignantly. “I just asked him what’s what. He told me. That was the end of it.”
Jess doubted it had been quite that simple, even though both men claimed it had been. “Then make sure it stays that way, Dad. This is between Will and me.”
“Then what are you doing in here talking to me about it? Go talk to him.”
She stood up. “Maybe I will.”
But when she left the house, the thought of trying to track Will down to see why he hadn’t come to dinner struck her as pathetic. It shouldn’t matter that he hadn’t been there. He’d missed other dinners and she hadn’t been rattled by it. Why now? Why was she taking his absence today personally?
Of course, it was precisely as her father had said—when men and women started dating, everything changed, took on new meaning. Maturity and self-confidence flew out the window. It was ridiculous.
Instead of going looking for Will, she called Laila.
“What are you doing?” she asked her friend.
“Trying to come up with an excuse to leave my family before they start badgering me about why I’m dating a different man every few days instead of settling down,” Laila said.
“Meet me,” Jess suggested. “You can explain it to me, instead. I’m calling Connie, too. She was suspiciously absent from Sunday dinner today. She and my Uncle Thomas. Either they’re avoiding each other or they’re off somewhere together. I want to know which it is.”
Laila laughed. “Oh, goody. Potential gossip. Where shall we meet? It’s too early to go to the bar at Brady’s.”
“How about the inn? We can go for a walk on the beach and then order pizza later.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. It’ll take me that long to extricate myself from the inquisition that’s brewing over here.”
Jess disconnected that call, then hit speed dial for Connie�
��s cell phone. “You weren’t at dinner today,” she said when her friend answered. “Where are you?”
“Home.”
“Alone?”
“Why would you ask that?” Connie asked, instantly on the defensive.
“Because Uncle Thomas was missing in action today, too. Is he with you?”
Connie laughed, though it sounded a little forced. “No, he had a foundation board luncheon in Annapolis.”
“How nice that you’re keeping track of his schedule,” Jess commented. “What’s he doing for dinner?”
A guilty silence that spoke volumes greeted the question.
“Oh, my gosh, he’s coming to your place, isn’t he?” Jess said, gloating. “That’s why you stayed home, to get ready for his visit. Is tonight the night?”
“The night for what?” Connie inquired testily.
“You know, when the two of you will get down and dirty.”
“What a lovely description!” Connie said. “He’s coming here for dinner. That’s the plan.”
“And beyond that?” Jess pressed.
Connie gave a nervous laugh. “I wish I knew. I’m actually scared to death about what might come next.”
She sounded so genuinely terrified, Jess took pity on her. “Nothing else has to happen if you don’t want it to.”
“I know that. It’s not as if he’s pressuring me. We haven’t even been on that many dates. I just know that sooner or later, sleeping together is going to be the next step. What if I’ve forgotten how?”
“I’m pretty sure you don’t forget how to do sex,” Jess consoled her. “You’re just out of practice. And word is that my uncle has some pretty smooth moves.”
“Do you actually discuss stuff like that in your family?” She sighed. “Of course you do. Nothing is off-limits for the O’Briens, which is yet another reason why your uncle dating me is probably a bad idea.”
“Not to worry. We’d never openly discuss something that intimate,” Jess insisted. “But Uncle Thomas does have quite the dating history. There has to be some reason women flock around him.”
“Oh, God,” Connie murmured in despair. “I did not need to be reminded that I’m competing with half the single women in Annapolis, who’re probably far more sophisticated than I am.”
“Stop that!” Jess ordered. “It’s going to be fine. He likes you. You like him. After that, it all comes naturally, or so they tell me.”
“I hope you’re right,” Connie said, but she didn’t sound convinced.
“Look, Laila’s coming over to the inn and we’re going to hang out. I was going to invite you, but you’re obviously tied up. Call if you need either one of us. We’ll talk you down or race over there to run interference. Whatever you need, okay?”
“Thanks. I wish I were going to be there with you.”
“No, you don’t,” Jess said. “Or if you do, you’re crazy. Relax and have fun. Despite my teasing, my uncle’s a good guy and he would be very, very lucky to have you in his life.”
She was smiling when she hung up. It seemed love was in the air, at least for one of them. As for her, well, that remained to be seen.
Thomas arrived at Connie’s with flowers, candy and a new book about the bay that he’d been telling her about. He was more nervous than he had been when he’d had to speak before the board earlier. Though he was used to public speaking and it came naturally enough, he was always on edge when he had to explain to the foundation’s biggest donors why more progress hadn’t been made on restoring the bay’s waters. The last thing the foundation could afford was having their donors decide they were wasting their money.
Right now, though, that seemed like a piece of cake compared to facing Connie over a dinner table in her home. There was something about the privacy and the expectations that seemed to go with it that made him feel like a kid again…and not in a good way. He was not one of those men who was interested in reliving his youth. Those days had been damn awkward, if he recalled correctly.
When he rang the doorbell, pleased with himself for being right on time, Connie opened it with her cheeks flushed, her hair mussed and her expression clearly flustered.
“I have to grab the chicken before it burns up,” she announced and took off without so much as a welcome.
Thomas shook his head and followed her into the kitchen, where he found her already bent over an open oven door.
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked, just as she backed up and straight into him, the slightly-past-golden-brown chicken wobbling dangerously in its roasting pan.
He was about to reach out to steady it, when she yelped, “No, it’s hot!” She practically dropped it on the counter, then heaved a sigh before turning to look at him. “Sorry. I’d planned to be more on top of things by the time you got here.”
He set down the gifts he’d brought and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “It’s fine. We’re fine. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” It was amazing, but her obvious attack of nerves had steadied his.
“But I almost ruined the chicken,” she protested. “I must have baked a hundred chickens in my time, and I’ve never practically burned one to a crisp.”
“The chicken’s not burned,” he assured her.
“Maybe not, but it’s going to be dry as a bone.”
“We’ll just smother it with gravy,” he consoled her, only to see panic cross her face.
“I forgot all about the gravy. What is wrong with me? Nobody serves mashed potatoes without gravy.”
Thomas resisted the desire to laugh. Instead, he met her gaze and held it, then slowly lowered his mouth and covered hers. He felt her sigh against his lips, then relax in his arms. When he pulled away, she looked a little dazed, but a whole lot happier. And so sweetly vulnerable, it made his heart ache.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much. Thank you.”
“Kissing you was hardly a sacrifice,” he assured her. “In fact, I think I might do it again.”
This time a full-fledged genuine smile broke across her face. “I wish you would.”
And so, he did.
A couple of hours later, with not one bit of dinner salvageable, they ordered pizza. Thomas assured her it was the best meal he’d had in recent memory. The appetizer had been pretty darn incredible, as well.
Bolstered by her talk with Laila and calmed by their long walk on the beach and a couple of glasses of wine, Jess picked up the phone and called Will on Sunday night.
“I missed you at dinner today,” she said when he answered.
“Is that so?” he said.
She could almost see the smile on his face. “It is. Where were you?”
“Trying to catch up on Lunch by the Bay paperwork. It’s gotten a little overwhelming.”
“Maybe you need to hire someone to help you keep up with it,” she suggested.
“I can manage.”
“Not if you’re skipping meals and not if you intend to court me the way I deserve to be courted.”
Her comment apparently stunned him into silence.
“Will?”
“I’m here.”
“Maybe where you should be is here,” she suggested.
“Jess, what has gotten into you?”
“Not a thing,” she claimed. “Well, a couple of glasses of wine, but that’s not what’s made me daring.”
“Oh? Then what has?”
“I’ve decided to go after what I want.”
“And you want me? You’re sure of that?”
“Tonight I do,” she declared.
“What about tomorrow?” he asked warily. “Or the day after that?”
“Sorry. I can’t see that far into the future.”
“And I can’t live just for the moment,” he said with unmistakable regret. “I want it all, Jess. Not a couple of hours or a night, because you’ve got an itch you want scratched.”
She sighed heavily. “I guess I knew it was a long shot. You’re very hard to seduce.”
<
br /> “Not really,” he assured her. “You just have to figure out the magic words.”
Jess considered what he was telling her. She knew the words he wanted to hear, the same words most women wanted to hear—a simple “I love you.” She wasn’t there yet. She didn’t know if she ever would be. How could she guarantee forever, when she couldn’t even stick to something for a couple of hours?
“I know the words, Will. I just can’t say them.”
“I know that, sweetheart. You’ll say them when the time is right.”
“What if it never is?” she asked plaintively.
“There you go, selling yourself short again.”
“I’m being realistic,” she contradicted. “I don’t have a good track record with follow-through.”
“You have a business that says otherwise,” he reminded her. “Stop pressuring yourself, Jess. I’m a patient man. And I like what’s happening between us.”
“It’s too darn slow,” she said in frustration.
Will laughed. “You should see it from my side. Glacier-slow doesn’t begin to describe it. It’s going to be worth it, though. I’m counting on that.”
“You’re either the most amazing man I’ve ever known or the craziest,” she said.
“Let’s go with amazing,” he said. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“When?”
“I think I’ll surprise you.”
She murmured a curse under her breath that had him laughing again. “I think I’ll move annoying to the top of the list,” she stated in exasperation.
“What list is that?”
“The one I’m keeping of your traits,” she told him.
“At least you’ve finally noticed I’m alive. I’ll take that as progress.”
He hung up before she could snap another curse that would blister his ears. Then she thought about the conversation and found herself grinning, after all. The man did know how to keep her on her toes. Maybe that was exactly what she’d needed all her life.
Will’s day fell apart on Monday. He had a patient in crisis and everything else had to be put on a back burner. He canceled his afternoon appointments and headed for the hospital, where the woman had checked herself in but now wanted to get back out again. She was creating such a fuss the staff had pleaded with him to calm her down.
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