Drawing Hearts

by J. M. Jeffries

  “No, not yet,” Maya objected.

  Lydia leaned over to kiss Maya on the cheek. “He’ll be here tomorrow. He’s not going anywhere.”

  “But...but,” Maya said.

  “Your mother needs to rest.” Miss E. took Maya by the hand and led her out the door. Kenzie followed. Again she imagined herself in the bed holding her own baby with Reed right next to her. She shook the image away. She didn’t have time for babies. She had a full life and she liked it exactly the way it was. She was happy. Yet a tiny thought lingered at the back of her mind that she could be happy with a baby. Miss E. had always told her that if she wanted something bad enough, she’d find a way to make it work.

  She argued with herself all the way back to the hotel. By the time she pulled into the parking lot she’d convinced herself she didn’t have the time for a husband and family. As she unlocked the door to her suite, she’d convinced herself that as much as she liked Reed, they had no future of any kind. She was content with her life and had no plans to change.

  * * *

  Reed sat in front of his computer slowly scanning though the long lines of code. The problem of the short-changed cash cards for the casino stayed front and center in his mind as long as he didn’t think about Kenzie. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Every time he forced himself to focus on the problem at hand, something would distract him and his thoughts would drift back to her.

  She didn’t talk about money or expect glitzy things from him. She’d been delighted with the flowers he’d brought and not once took him to task because he hadn’t splurged on roses or some other exotic flower. She’d accepted his offer of flowers with a gracious delight that left him wanting to be with her more and more.

  Early in his career, he’d been caught off guard by the beautiful women chasing after him. He’d dated them, but the more they expected expensive, extravagant gifts or trips to Paris, the more he started to distance himself until he’d stopped dating almost completely. One woman had even gone so far as to ask him on their second date for a DNA test to see if the combination of their genes would generate beautiful children. He’d dropped her so fast he thought she was still spinning in place. One tabloid had even named him one of the most elusive bachelors in the world.

  Kenzie was different. When she looked at him, she saw him for who he was. Not just a wealthy man, but a man. She wanted to have fun with no strings attached. Though she didn’t seem particularly interested in him, he found himself growing more interested in her. He liked being with her. She didn’t ask him why he drove a Lexus rather than a Mercedes. She didn’t ask him why he didn’t wear Ralph Lauren or have a Rolex. She didn’t ask him about his portfolio or what it was worth. She didn’t question him about what he was, but about who he was. He didn’t have the answers since he wasn’t certain who he was yet.

  A knock on his door revealed Donovan pushing a cart into his office, Scott following behind. Heavenly smells accompanied the tray.

  “You haven’t eaten all day,” Scott said, “so I brought you an early dinner.”

  Reed glanced at his watch. “Since it’s barely afternoon, wouldn’t it be a late lunch?”

  “Details.” Donovan uncovered three plates, the scents of a medium-rare filet, white asparagus on a bed of wild rice and coffee tickling Reed’s nose.

  Scott leaned over Reed’s shoulder. “Have you found anything of interest?”

  “Not really. Just lots of lines of code, and so far nothing sticks out. This could take a while.” Reed reached for a fork and knife. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how hungry he was. He could go for days without eating, especially when confronted with a challenging problem. And a problem this enormous wasn’t going to be easily solved. He wished he could speak to the company that developed the software, but it had long since been out of business and he’d been unable to track the head developers.

  “I did figure out the money is being siphoned off, but I haven’t been able to track where it’s going.”

  Scott took a chair at the conference table and uncovered a plate of brownies. He took one and bit into it. “That’s a start. If you can trace where the money is going I can put my contacts on it and find out who’s at the receiving end.”

  Donovan sat down. “I can’t help thinking that the health department issues, the construction problems and the security issues are all related in some way.”

  “I see the patterns, too.” Scott pulled out his notebook. He’d told Reed he’d been documenting all the odd things that had been happening over the past two months, which prompted Reed to do the same.

  “You’re not the only paranoid person in this place,” Donovan said.

  “Paranoia has kept me alive,” Scott offered.

  “I’m not particularly paranoid, but the hotel and casino have too many irregularities that keep cropping up and shouldn’t be a problem. But they are.” Reed opened his own notebook and stared at it. His mind created patterns out of chaos.

  “There are fail-safes in place designed to prevent these things from happening,” Scott added.

  “Then why are they happening?”

  “I don’t know. but there is no such thing as being lucky or unlucky. Someone is driving these events.”

  “But you’ve been able to explain the problems away when you identified the people behind them,” Reed said, still squinting at his notebook.

  “I think we have some kind of conspiracy going on,” Scott added with a frown. “We’ve been able to catch the visible people, but not the invisible ones.”

  “Paranoia,” Reed said.

  Scott shook his head. “Not paranoia. Someone who is pulling strings has intimate knowledge of how the casino and hotel operate. If we can narrow down our suspect pool, I can use my sources to find out who is doing this.”

  “I’d better get back to work,” Reed said.

  “Not until you’ve eaten something.” Donovan shoved Reed’s laptop aside and pushed the plate in front of him. “Eat.”

  Reed smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

  * * *

  After their aborted attempt to go to Circus Circus, Kenzie was happy to go to the balloon races. She didn’t expect to have the events start at four thirty in the morning. Despite the early hour, she and Reed stood in the chill to watch the Dawn Patrol. Lighted balloons dotted the dark sky like beacons, bobbing in the air, their colors starkly bright against the blackness. The sight was so beautiful that she felt tears in her eyes.

  As the sun peeked over the horizon, classic planes flew over the field in formation while the national anthem blasted out over the loud speakers. The huge crowd hushed.

  Reed held out a huge cup of coffee for Kenzie who took it greedily. “Thank you,” she said between gulps.

  “It’s cold.” He held his own cup of coffee with both hands.

  “When we decided to attend, I expected events to start at a civilized hour...like 10 a.m.” She drank more coffee, needing the caffeine.

  “I hate when the world doesn’t run on my time,” Reed said with a chuckle.

  His grin widened.

  Kenzie felt a wild lurch in the region around her heart. He looked so boyish with the mischievous grin. Again, the urge to push his hair out of his eyes made her half raise her hand. A strange feeling surged through her.

  This man was doing something to her. She didn’t know what, but she felt so odd, so light-hearted and so happy. Yes, he made her happy. Sam had never made her feel happy like this. She sipped her coffee, trying to analyze what she was feeling and why.

  They wandered around the enormous field where the huge, hot-air balloons were still tethered, waiting for their start time. Ascension was at six forty-five. Dawn was still peeking over the horizon and the colorful balloons were so majestic Kenzie was awed.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a balloo
n shaped like Darth Vader’s head.” Reed pointed at a balloon in midfield.

  “How does that make you feel?” she asked curiously.

  He started humming the Star Wars theme. “I want to run home and get my lightsaber.”

  “I want to stick cinnamon buns on the side of my head.” She cupped her ears. “Look, there’s a Smokey the Bear balloon.” The balloon, tethered to the ground, swayed gently in the morning breeze.

  In a deep, growling voice, Reed said, “And only you can prevent wild fires.”

  She shook her head laughing. “You spent way too much time watching TV when you were a child.”

  Reed laughed, sounding a little embarrassed. “I feel as though I should deny that accusation. I was really more into comic books.”

  Did he just nerd out on her? What the hell. She liked him just fine.

  “I remember,” she said.

  Throngs of people surrounded them as they found a spot to watch the ascension. Somewhere a loud noise sounded and after a few moments, balloons started to ascend into the morning sky.

  Kenzie watched, entranced. “That is so beautiful.”

  Reed nodded as his gaze followed several colorful balloons rising up. Sharing this moment with him was incredible. He slipped his hand over hers. Kenzie glanced at him, startled. His hand curled around hers, warm against the morning chill. She leaned against him, savoring his warmth.

  Despite the rockiness of her romance with Sam, she’d never felt so tingly and comfortable and excited with him as she did with Reed. Reed confused her. His kindness and thoughtfulness made her rethink her views on marriage. Lydia’s new baby made her rethink her feelings on family. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted something more than just a career. She wasn’t quite certain what she wanted, but she wanted it with Reed. That thought gave her pause. She glanced at him.

  Reed’s face was alight with wonder as he watched the balloons ascend toward the morning sky, the sun casting brilliant light over them. All the colors brought her back to her thoughts about her own line of clothes. She wanted to design clothes in these vibrant colors for women in all shapes. Maybe it was time to rethink that dream.

  “This is so amazing.” Reed slid an arm around her shoulders. “The hot air balloons in these different colors going up so high make me want to be up there, too.”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “Me, too. It makes me think of all the possibilities.” The cares of her world fell away a little bit as she imagined being up so high in the sky, dangling from the tiny gondolas, watching the world become small. The idea was both powerful and scary.

  The balloons floated away growing small in the distance.

  “We can take a ride in one.” Reed gestured at a couple of balloons at the very edge of the field.

  “You mean fly away?”

  “Not exactly, just kind of up and then down again.”

  “Okay.”

  Reed led the way to an area off to the side of the park where a number of balloons hovered, anchored to the ground by thick ropes. Some were already ascending; others waited for passengers. He paid the fee for them and a man helped them climb into the gondola. Inside the gondola, the pilot grinned at them. Behind him were several large cylinders and a burner.

  “Ready for your ride?” he asked.

  Kenzie nodded. The pilot turned to the burner as a man outside detached all the ropes but one tether. She gripped the edge of the wicker basket, half terrified, half awed as the balloon slowly ascended into the air. Reed held on to her, but a glance at him told him he was just as awed.

  “This is amazing,” Reed said as the ground receded farther and farther.

  “Everything is so small,” Kenzie replied.

  A gust of wind caught them and the gondola swayed. Kenzie clutched at Reed. His arm slipped around her, steadying her.

  As they rose higher, Kenzie said, “This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “You’re beautiful.” Reed kissed her, not the delicate first kiss he’d given her, but a more searching one, more passionate and filled with promise.

  She caressed his cheek, her thoughts in turmoil. She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder, and let all her cares drop away. This one moment was filled with promise and she wanted to savor it.

  They stood, arms around each other as the balloon started to descend. As they stepped out of the gondola, an unusual shyness crept over Kenzie. She didn’t know what to say or how to act. Reed studied her cautiously as though expecting to be rejected.

  “I apologize,” Reed said, “it was wrong of me to take advantage of the moment...”

  “Stop.” She held up her hand. “Stop. This was the most wonderful moment in my life. I want more. I want more with you.”

  “I want more with you, as well.” He leaned toward her, brushing his lips across her forehead.

  Chapter 6

  Reed sat on the sofa in Miss E.’s RV. She moved about the small galley, heating water on the stove. A floral teapot sat on the counter with two delicate matching teacups. In the couple of years he’d known Miss E., he’d learned she loved making a fuss over other people. Tea was a ritual with her.

  She put cookies on a plate and set the plate at his elbow on the side table. Then she poured the boiling water into the teapot, waited a few minutes, then filled the teacups and handed one to him. She added sugar and cream to her tea. He preferred his without extras.

  “You look troubled, Reed,” she said as she settled herself in her favorite recliner. “What’s on your mind?”

  He wasn’t certain how to broach the subject of his feelings for Kenzie. Miss E. was a good friend and somehow, kissing her granddaughter seemed inappropriate. He sipped his tea as he gathered his thoughts.

  “I’m not making any headway in the discrepancies with the money cards used in the casino. The person who wrote the software was brilliant and finding the one line of code that...”

  “You’re babbling, Reed.”

  He paused. “I am, aren’t I?”

  “Tell me what’s wrong and I know it’s not the money.”

  He fell silent for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say. “I like Kenzie,” he finally blurted out.

  “Of course you do. She’s very likeable,” Miss E. replied.

  “You misunderstand me. I...really...really...like Kenzie. More than I should.”

  “What do you mean by ‘more than you should’?”

  “She’s your granddaughter.”

  “This isn’t a problem with her...skin not being paler.”

  He stared at her, aghast. “I don’t care about that. I’m talking about how beautiful she is, how adventurous.” How beautiful. How carefree. He wanted more than kisses, he wanted... His thoughts shied away from what he wanted. After all, he was talking to her grandmother.

  “I’m her grandmother. I’m not sure I want to know how adventurous my granddaughter is.”

  He stopped, jolted, aware that his thoughts about Kenzie were anything but chaste. He’d been dreaming about her a lot and those dreams were hot and sensual and each morning when he woke his whole body ached for her.

  Miss E. burst out into laughter. “That is an inappropriate facial expression if I’ve ever seen one.”

  “What?” He touched his face.

  “You had this grin on your face. I can see you like her in that very special way.”

  From the tiny smile on her lips, he could tell Miss E. was playing with him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “Every second,” she replied, leaning back and taking a sip of her tea. “Have a cookie and tell me what’s going on.”

  “Are you okay with me dating Kenzie?” Not that he and Kenzie were an item yet, but he was planning. His plan included a lot of hope, and goi
ng after what he wanted was the way he worked out a problem. He’d never worked out a campaign to woo a woman before. Kenzie was going to take a lot of preparation.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because technically I’m her boss, you’re my friend and her brothers could beat the crap out of me. Those are just a few issues off the top of my head.”

  “I don’t know why you’re talking to me. Shouldn’t you be talking to Kenzie?”

  “I’m a detail person, although I’m trying to loosen up.” He jammed a cookie in his mouth before he could say more than he wanted. Having Miss E. know he desired her granddaughter made him uncomfortable.

  “Stop that. Go with your gut. Throw everything to the wind and enjoy. Gamble a little. Kenzie’s special, if I may say so myself. If you have feelings for her, stop talking to me and do something about it.” She stood, took his teacup away from him, and opened the door to the RV. “Get out of here. Go get what you want and stop trying to think it through. Falling in love isn’t like writing software. Falling in love is about discovery, about the journey. Get started on your journey, Reed, and stop analyzing it to death.”

  “I’m trying.”

  “And don’t be Sam.”

  “Sam?”

  “Her ex.”

  “I have no idea how this Sam was with Kenzie.”

  Miss E. sipped her tea for a moment. “Be yourself. Be spontaneous and don’t insist on doing things your way.”

  “This Sam doesn’t sound like he liked Kenzie very much.”

  “He liked her just fine. But he liked himself more. Now...” She pointed at the door. “Go out there and do what you do.”

  Reed left, walking back to the hotel. Miss E. had just given him her version of the golden ticket. He couldn’t wait to find Kenzie and get started on his campaign.

  * * *

  The bridal boutique was well lit and overflowing with racks of bridal gowns and dresses for the bridesmaid and mother of the bride. Rows of white gowns were bracketed by rows of bright jewel-tone colors and more rows of pastels.

  A number of women browsed the shop with older women who were probably their mothers. Grace Torres, Nina’s mother, frowned at a rack of pastel dresses with the sign “Mother of the Bride” hanging over them. Kenzie tried to imagine Grace wearing one of the insipid pastel dresses and couldn’t. Grace’s personality was too big, too infectious for her to put her dainty size-ten body into one of those too-frilly dresses.