“But what if I was lost in the grocery store again? You said to find a familiar adult? Am I supposed to find a nice man, even if he’s only an aqua tennis?”
“Acquaintance.” My head was pounding, and I was still so shaken from all that had happened that I didn’t have the strength to talk about it anymore. “We’ll talk about it later, Cam. You’re not in trouble. I was just worried about your safety.”
After a couple of minutes of silence, Cam whispered. “I like Mr. Saunders. I want to have an office just like his when I grow up.”
I let out a long sigh. “Well, I’d hope that you have more common sense than him.”
When we got to our house, I parked in the drive, and as we got out of the car, four jets passed over us. The noise was so loud that I clutched him close, and he looked up and pointed to the sky. “Look, Mama! Do you think they’re going to the fair? We’re going to miss them?”
“I don’t think so, honey.” But I knew it was true. They had to be on their way to fly over the event. It was something that Cole Saunders would have arranged, and I’d not only quit my job for the day, but I’d slapped him. With all of my adrenaline and anger gone, I got a sinking feeling in my gut.
We went into the house, and after getting a bite to eat, I put Cam down for a nap while I soaked in a hot bath.
A half hour later when the phone rang, I knew it was Leslie wanting to ask me how Cam was doing. “Hey,” I said, not bothering to look at the ID.
Leslie was just as upbeat as usual. “So, how is the event? Is it winding down? Do you want me to come and get Cam?”
I sank down in the tub a little farther. “No, we’ve been home for two hours now.”
“Wow, was it a flop? Did they send you home early?”
I pulled the plug and stood up. “No, but I thought it was best I leave, considering I slapped Mr. Saunders across the face.”
She gasped loudly. “Holy shit! Wait, who is Mr. Saunders?”
“He’s the man who owns Saunders Aeronautical Industries. He’s worth about a billion dollars, and I slapped him like he was no more than a tick.”
“Oh, no. Did he fire you?”
“No, he didn’t, but I left. He had brought Cam to his office and gave him a toy plane without asking me first. I was terrified, looking all over for him. So, I kind of went mother grizzly on him when I did find them.”
“Geez, Jess.” The tone of her voice said that she thought I had overreacted.
I felt like an idiot. “I know. I just kind of lost it.”
“I’ve told you a million times that you can’t let your fears rule you. You have to trust the world a little bit and teach your son how to survive in it. If you shelter him and act like a maniac every time something harmless happens, you’re going to hinder his growth into a man. Do you want him to grow up and have his own life one day?”
“Of course. It’s just I was so scared. I panicked. I thought someone had taken him, and all I could think about was getting another phone call, only this time it would be Camden gone forever.” I felt a warm tear slip down my cheek as I wrapped myself in my robe. “I guess I should call and apologize or something. I feel horrible.”
“Give it time to simmer. So, is he like some creepy guy or what?”
“Or what,” I said as I walked to my bed and climbed into the sheets. “He’s probably the most handsome man I’ve seen since Cameron. He even reminds me of him a little; the color of his hair; his eyes.”
“Hm,” she said. “In that case, maybe you should grovel. Throw yourself on his mercy.” Her tone turned teasing, and I wasn’t going to sit and listen to her tell me how I needed to seduce the man I was still a little angry at.
“I’m not in the mood, Leslie. I’m going to take a nap. Call you later.” I ended the call and closed my eyes, remembering the look of shock on Cole’s face when I slapped him. I sank into the covers and buried my head with the pillow.
Chapter 7
Cole
On Monday morning as I walked into my office, I couldn’t help but notice the empty space where the model plane used to sit on the top shelf. I walked over and adjusted the others to fill the empty space and decided to put Jessica Hyde and her son out of my mind for good. I was certain she would appreciate that as well.
I’d never met anyone who had decided to hate me so fast, but then, I had broken a rule of nature by leading a cub away from its mother.
As I lowered myself into my big blue leather chair, Tanner came into the room, whistling like it was the greatest day of his life. “That event was a success, if I do say so myself.”
“It certainly was,” I said. “The staff loved it, and so did their families. I’m glad we were able to bring a little recognition to the company and to the planes. The entire day went off without a hitch, aside from my little scuffle with Jessica Hyde.”
Tanner gave me a look of apology. “I still can’t believe she had the nerve to slap you.” He walked over to the window and looked out across the hangar. “We don’t have to pay her, you know? The agreement was for the day, and she left just after noon. Besides, we didn’t hire her to abuse our CEO. If she tries to fight it, we’ll get our lawyers involved.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Look, I know that’s the way you settle shit on your side of Boston, but where I come from, that’s not how it’s done.”
He approached my desk. “We were already paying her a fortune. More than she’s worth and more than she usually gets. I talked to my cousin, and she said that when she mentioned twenty-five, she had meant hundred, not thousand. I admit it’s my fault for going so high, but I knew you wanted to use her.”
I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the corner of my desk. “An artist should be paid for their art. I’m not worried about the money. And she was just protecting her son. I wish my mother had cared so much. I’d think you should understand her even better than me, considering your mother would probably do the same.” His mother had always been a bit irrational, and I could see her lashing out and slapping a few cheeks when it pleased her.
Tanner seemed to think that was funny by the way he chuckled and shook his head. “No, my mother never would hit anyone. She’d have paid someone to do it. My mother fights her battles with her money, not her delicate fists. And she wouldn’t dare dirty her hands over me.”
“Well, a hardworking single mother who has little money uses her fists.” I rubbed my cheek. “I’d say she wasn’t a very rich woman.”
“Hit you hard, huh?” He gave me a wide grin, and I could tell he had liked hearing about that part of it.
“Hardest I’ve been smacked around since the night Mickey Carson and his friends nearly killed me.”
As we shared a chuckle, a knock sounded at my door, and I looked up to see Jessica standing in the doorway that Tanner left open. She looked nervous and very beautiful. Her hair was swept up in a loose bun, and she wore a skirt that made her look professional but showed enough leg to get my attention.
“Forgive me,” she said. “I wanted to come and see you. There was no one downstairs at the reception desk.”
I got to my feet. “Please, come in.” As she stepped inside, Tanner gave her a burning glance. “Tanner, if you’d excuse us?”
Tanner gave me a look of uncertainty but didn’t argue. Instead, he gave a nod and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
She shifted on her high heels and appeared anxious. I knew it couldn’t be easy coming down and facing me again after what had happened, and I was even more impressed with her now.
“I wanted to come down and apologize in person. It’s bothered me all weekend, what happened, and I felt like I needed to explain myself.”
I appreciated the gesture. “All is forgiven, so there’s really no need. I wasn’t thinking, and I can see why my actions were out of line.”
Her shoulders slumped forward. “I accused you of being a pervert.” She winced.
I chuckled. “I believe the word y
ou used was sicko, but tomato, tom-ah-to. You were angry.”
“And I hit you, which was totally out of line and unprofessional, and if you don’t want to pay me, I’ll understand. But I thought I’d leave you a few of the proofs, just to let you see that I do intend on releasing the photos when I’m done processing them.” She approached me and placed an envelope on my desk. “I hope you find them satisfactory.”
I opened the folder and pulled out the pictures. “Wow, these are great. The color is so saturated and pure.” She not only had brought pictures of the planes, but some of my employees standing near our banners with the beautiful backdrop of cotton candy vendors with their colorful carts and one of me. It had to be the best picture I’d taken in my life. “You’re very talented, Ms. Hyde.”
She leaned in closer to my desk, her blouse hanging open to show her perfect cleavage and lacy bra. “I thought that one turned out especially well,” she said, pointing to the picture of me. “And there are many of the planes to choose the best image for your large print.”
I looked up at her, and she stepped back. She was not only beautiful but talented, and I already knew she had an amazing kid. “You look nice. Your hair, it’s different.”
She put her hand to her hair and smoothed it over her ear. “Thank you. I have a job interview in an hour.”
“Are you not a full-time photographer?” The thought that she wouldn’t be doing what she loved full-time really bothered me. I found myself wanting to help.
“I’d like to be, but it doesn’t really pay well.”
“From what I heard, you made twenty-five grand in one day. If that’s not good enough, I’m in the wrong business.” I gave a chuckle.
She stood up straight and gave me an apologetic look. “I don’t expect you to pay me. Not after what I did. I walked out of the job after I struck you. It was totally unprofessional.”
I held up a hand to stop her. “You were being a mother in that moment, not my photographer. And since I’m a man who believes in keeping my word, and that artists aren’t paid enough for their talents, I insist you accept full pay for your troubles.”
“It’s really not necessary after I behaved so terribly.” She didn’t seem like she would let me, but I knew how important a payday like this was to a struggling mom. I suddenly found myself wanting to help her more.
“Have dinner with me.”
The words seemed to take her by surprise. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I really just wanted to come and explain that the only reason I lashed out was because I was so upset. You see, since my husband’s death, Camden is all I have in the world that matters.”
“I understand that. And with what happened, you could make it up to me over dinner. I’d like a chance to prove that I’m not a sicko.”
She pulled her lips into a tight line as if she were trying not to laugh. “It was out of line for me to say such a thing. I don’t even know you to judge you. I’m sure you’re a nice guy.”
“I am.” I said deadpan.
She laughed, and it was the most amazing sound. I couldn’t help but give a chuckle.
She had the prettiest brown eyes I’d ever seen, so deep and soulful one moment, clear and inquisitive and full of humor the next. I couldn’t give up. She had to be the most interesting woman I’d met in years. “Let me prove it. Come on, you’ve made your mark on me. And I don’t mean with that right palm.” I gave her a pleading look.
She smiled but seemed to grow uncomfortable. I wondered if she had even been on a date since her husband had passed away. “I should go,” she said, backing her way to the door. “I’ll come back on Friday with the pictures, though, and then you can tell me which image you like for the office.”
I gave a casual shrug. “And I’ll have your full check waiting. Along with another invitation to dinner.” I searched her eyes, and for a moment, she seemed like she might accept.
She took a deep breath and shook her head. “And I’m sure I’ll still think it’s a bad idea. It’s not that I don’t like you, but I have a son, Mr. Saunders, and I really have no time for dating.”
“Please, call me Cole. And since I like you too, we can be friends, right? No harm in that.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “I’ll see you Friday, Cole.” As soon as she spoke my name, I realized I needed to hear her say it again and again, preferably in the height of ecstasy.
“I look forward to it, Jessica.” I was sure to try and return the favor, speaking her name as seductively as possible. She brushed her fingers over the front of her blouse and gave me a soft smile as her cheeks reddened.
She stepped away, and as she went toward the door, she hesitated, but then shook her head and walked away. I watched the gentle sway of her hips and the perfect curve of her ass as I rubbed my cheek. I wasn’t going to give up on her. I wanted to know her better and see what made her tick. And I had a feeling if I wanted her, all she needed was a little push.
Chapter 8
Jessica
I didn’t have room at home for an official home office, so when I had a big job, my bed became my desk. I had the photos I’d developed, as well as my laptop and the scan disk card I had them saved on.
I really had taken a lot of pictures, and I couldn’t imagine how many I’d have taken if I’d stayed the entire day. I still felt embarrassed by the way I’d acted but felt a little better knowing that Cole had understood.
I looked across the bed from where I stood and saw a picture of Cole that I’d had produced into a five-by-seven. He had a million-dollar grin, and his eyes were as blue as Cameron’s had been. I looked hard at the picture, trying to lose focus, and dropped it to the bed when I realized what a dangerous game I was playing.
Cole was not Cameron. He never could be. And I needed to remind myself that those sexy blue eyes were where the similarities ended. I hadn’t even looked at a man since Cameron had died, and I had vowed that I’d only think of myself once our son was raised.
It was a long vow of celibacy, and I’d made sure to stock up on enough batteries to get me through it. Cole was good for a fantasy, but that was all he could be.
I took the picture from my bed and crawled up to sit against the pillows. Then I looked at the photo and lay back, letting my legs dangle off the edge of my king-sized bed. I thought of what might happen if I had accepted his offer and gone to dinner and where he might have taken me. A fancy restaurant where the waiters spoke with fake accents and kissed your ass for those high-dollar tips, or someplace more suiting my style, like a greasy hamburger joint where the fries were so soft from week-old grease that they melted in your mouth and somehow still managed to taste like heaven.
Heaven? That word reminded me of Cameron, and I asked myself if he’d care if I went on a date, but before I could search my heart for the answer, Leslie came barging into my room. “There you are!”
I sat up so quickly that the photograph slipped out of my hands and fell to the floor in front of her.
She grinned when she looked down and saw the picture. And then she raced me to the damned thing to pick it up. She beat me to it and picked it up to wave it like a fan. “Did I interrupt something?” She gave me a cool smile, and I tried to snatch the photograph from her hand.
No luck. She clicked her tongue. “Who is this handsome stud?”
“That’s Cole Saunders, and I was just organizing my prints.”
She chuckled. “He’s definitely spank bank material. Are you sure you weren’t about to get romantic with these blue eyes?”
“Stop it!” I snatched the picture from her. “He’s handsome, yes, but I’m keeping things professional. I still feel bad about the fair. I slapped him.”
She gestured to the picture. “You’ve been playing the part of a widow too long. That’s not a man you slap, Jess, unless you’re riding his enormous dick and screaming his name.”
She had always tried to shock me with her vulgarity, even though I had grown up in the same community she had, where vulgar
ity was written on every sidewalk and curb. “That’s never going to happen.” I wasn’t even going to comment on the possible enormity of his penis or admit that I’d already wondered what he’d look like naked. She was bound to make much more of it than necessary.
She tilted her head and gave me a sideward look. “You know what happens when you say never? Never turns into never again.”
I rolled my eyes. She was so ridiculous sometimes. “What does never again turn into?”
“Oops,” she answered with chuckle.
I pushed past her. “Very funny.” I led her into the kitchen where Camden was playing with his matchbox cars and airplanes. I looked down and realized he’d borrowed the breadbox to be his own hangar, and the entire floor around it was laid out like the event. He had recreated the entire fair.
I grabbed a couple of sodas, and it wasn’t until we were sitting on the living room sofa, getting ready to watch Real Housewives seconds later, that I continued. “He did ask me out to dinner.”
Her jaw nearly hit her lap. “What? Don’t tell me you turned that gorgeous, rich man down.”
I let out a long sigh. I knew I was going to catch hell. I don’t know why I’d even told her about it. “Okay, I won’t, but that’s exactly what happened.”
She shifted on her cushion to face me. “When?”
“When I went down to apologize. Turns out he’s a nice guy who was just being sincere, and I turned into a lunatic over it. I told him I was sorry, he said all is forgiven, and the best news is, he’s insisting I take the money he promised me.”
“That’s good. At least you will still come out on top, but you really should reconsider his offer. How often does a man like that ask you out?”
“Never, but why should I? I’m not the dating kind. I haven’t been on one date since Cameron passed away, and I wasn’t very experienced before I met him. I still feel married to him in a way, you know?”
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