When she spoke again her voice was muted. “Sorry, Eli, I was hoping you were Ana. She practically ran out of the office this afternoon to hot-foot it to see her doctor. I was worried something was wrong.”
“She didn’t mention anything before she left?” Eli asked. The concern in his voice only made Leila more anxious.
“No, just took off.”
She could almost hear Eli’s analytical mind jumping into action. “Did she seem nervous? Excited? Worried?”
“Those pretty much all look the same on Ana. Happy or sad, she always looks like she’s going to throw up.”
Eli’s chuckle helped her anxiety climbed back down a few notches. “Maybe it’s good news, then. Ana and Warren have been trying to get pregnant for quite some time now.”
Leila’s face broke out in a huge grin. “Do you think that might be it? Oh, that would be so great if Ana was pregnant!”
The pleasant sound of Eli’s laugh rang in her ear, but Leila was distracted by Luke turning around to stare at her with a strange expression. She couldn’t quite read what he was thinking, but the look made her want to tone down her enthusiasm.
“Uh, sorry, you called for something. What were you going to say before I took over?”
“Yes, I did have a reason for calling,” Eli said. “I have a work function next Wednesday evening, a dinner. Vance in bringing Stephanie, and she insisted I bring you so she’d have someone to talk to.”
Leila ran through her schedule quickly. The whole next week Luke was going to be out of town, and things were relatively quiet at work. “Yeah, sure,” she said after a moment’s thought.
“Really?” He sounded surprised.
“Yeah.”
The line was quiet for a moment, and Leila wondered what he was thinking. “Great. Having you there will make the evening infinitely better. I’ll pick you up at eight.” Eli grumbled something she didn’t quite catch, before saying, “Can I fill you in on the details later? Vance is trying to call me right now.”
“Sure. I’ll talk to you later,” Leila said. And after a hasty goodbye she hung up.
Luke surprised her by wrapping her up half a second later. He slipped her phone out of her hand and tossed in on the coffee table. There was no irritation in his eyes, but Leila felt the need to apologize anyway. “Sorry, Luke, I thought it might be Ana and I was worried.”
“Hmm,” he said as he kissed her. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. Eli thinks maybe she’s pregnant.”
Leila reached up to kiss Luke again, but something—probably either hearing the word Eli or pregnant—made him pull back. His eyebrows pulled together in thought. “You sounded pretty excited about her being pregnant.”
“Yeah,” she said slowly, “I know they’ve been trying for a while.”
Luke’s hands slid down and settled on her lower back. He looked at her seriously. “Do you want kids?”
The abruptness of the question surprised Leila, but she didn’t have to think about the answer. “Yes. Do you?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”
His answer surprised her. Maybe it was just being a woman, but Leila had known she wanted children from a pretty early age. She had loved her mom dearly and wanted to share that bond with her own children. The idea that Luke had never thought seriously about whether or not he wanted children made her wonder.
“What about getting married?” she asked.
Luke didn’t answer right away. “I want to get married, but I’m in no hurry. I want to be sure before I commit to something like that.”
Leila found that almost funny given his love for risky adventures. “How long do you think it would take you to be sure?”
He shrugged. “It’s not like I have a time limit, but a couple of years probably. I’m not one of those people who would marry someone after a couple of weeks or months. My parents dated for five years before they got married, and they’re still together and happy.”
“My parents dated for three years,” Leila said.
Luke nodded, as if that confirmed his point. Leila wasn’t convinced. “You don’t think you’d ever meet someone, and know right away that they were the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?”
“No.”
“So,” Leila said, probing, “when you met me, what were you thinking about me? You asked me out that night, so you were obviously interested.”
“I was interested,” Luke agreed, “but I wasn’t thinking that I wanted to marry you in that moment.”
“Then what? And I swear, if you say you were looking for a romp between the sheets I will kick you out,” she warned, though she didn’t really mean it. Her thoughts that night certainly were centered on whether or not he would make a good catalog photographer.
Luke responded to her teasing by pulling her onto the couch with him. She curled up on his lap, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for his answer. He grabbed her chin and kissed her fiercely before giving in.
“I will admit that I thought you were incredibly sexy the first time I saw you—eyeliner on you cheek and all. I very much wanted to kiss you that night and see where it led, but I wanted to know more about you, too. I wanted to know why a marketing director was herding models, and why you had sounded so frazzled on the phone earlier that week.” Luke kissed her more gently. “I didn’t think about proposing to you right there in the dressing room, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”
Without warning, Leila’s head felt like it was trying to float free of her body. Her brain tried to process what Luke had just said. Was he admitting that he thought about marrying her, or just that it was a possibility—vague or otherwise? If he did think about marrying her, would it really take him a few years to know for sure? Was Leila willing to wait that long? Her mind raced to the point of making her dizzy on top of lightheaded.
She laid her head against Luke’s chest. His arms immediately folded around her. She was still trying to straighten out her thoughts when Luke made a wild change in topics and threw her for another loop, saying, “We should double date with Eli some time.”
“What?” Leila asked, sitting back up.
“Why not? He’s your best friend, but I barely know the guy. You know it bothers me that you hang out with him, so why not let me get to know him better? Why don’t we all go out after I get back? Next Saturday.” He said it like it was the most average request in the world. Maybe it was. Leila could not seem to wrap her head around it.
“Okay,” she heard herself mumble, not sure why she had agreed to such a terrible suggestion. She had no idea how they had gone from talking about marriage to inviting Eli along for a double date. Luke seemed pleased by her response, but Leila wanted to cry.
Chapter 20
Breaking A Promise
Eli was reaching for his keys with his white bow tie still dangling around his neck when the doorbell rang. He groaned at the interruption. He should have left ten minutes ago to pick up Leila, but a call from Mount Rose Hospital about his mother had put him off schedule, not to mention ruined his pleasant mood. Eli hurried over to the door. The tux he was wearing should have been excuse enough for whoever it was, but he prepared a quick getaway response as well.
Pulling the door open, Eli was greeted by a long black dress bag. He was rather confused until Leila’s head poked out from behind it “Would you take this please? I’m about to drop everything.”
Obediently, Eli took the bag. The shoe box and shoulder bag, along with a stack of notebooks and folders bearing the St. Claire logo that were clutched in her arms provided a very valid reason for her request. Eli quickly took the stack of work papers from her as well and stepped back from the door.
“What are you doing here? I was just about to leave to pick you up at your apartment.”
Leila dumped her packages on the couch and flopped down beside them. “I got held up at w
ork, and then I had to pick up my dress. Thanks, by the way, for forgetting to tell me until two days ago this so called business dinner was a formal occasion.”
“Sorry,” Eli said as he laid the dress carefully across the couch back, “I meant to tell you when I called last week, but I got interrupted and forgot.”
She waved him off looking tired and a bit frazzled. “You were very close to having me show up in this.” She gestured at her grey dress slacks and cream colored cashmere sweater.
“You look beautiful,” Eli said.
His thanks for the compliment was a scowl. “I tried to call you to tell you that I was coming over to change, but I kept getting your voicemail.”
Eli’s expression darkened. “Sorry, I had a call earlier. Business.”
“Well, thank goodness they held you up long enough for me to get here.” Leila sighed and pulled herself up from the couch. She took the dress bag from the back of the couch. “How much time do I have?”
Eli glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. “We should leave in half an hour if we plan on making it to the hotel on time.”
Her frown wasn’t encouraging. “I’ll hurry, I promise.”
The shoe box and shoulder bag joined the dress in Leila’s arms. “Do you mind if I change in your room? The guest bathroom doesn’t have anywhere for me to hang my dress.”
“Go ahead.”
She smiled thankfully before dashing off to make the change from bedraggled marketing director to veritable Cinderella. He wondered if she knew the bathroom was through the washroom, and that there was a much bigger mirror there. His feet carried him forward, but his rational mind forced him to a stop. The last time they were both in his bedroom together things got … complicated.
Eli suddenly felt the need to be as far away from his bedroom as possible. He turned before thoughts of Leila slipping the buttery soft sweater she was wearing off of her body could take hold. The kitchen became his haven, preparing the genmaicha tea he had bought especially for her a task to occupy his mind. It was her favorite blend. It always seemed to ease away her stress. He figured they could probably both use a cup that night. By the time Eli heard the familiar sound of his bedroom door opening, the scent of the genmaicha had saturated the air.
“Did you make me tea?” Leila asked from behind him.
Eli turned with the travel mug in hand, but nearly dropped it when he saw her. The pale green taffeta was wrapped around her body in the most flattering way possible. It swept down from her left shoulder and up from the hem of the dress to gather at her slender waist. The ends bunched together there, creating a rosette flare. The bodice was covered in an intricate lace that spilled over the edge of the dress to curl up toward her right shoulder. The pearly green color made the bare skin of her right shoulder glow. The skirt of the dress flowed down from her waist to her toes, completing the transformation into a beautiful princess.
“You look amazing,” Eli said.
She beamed and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Eli! I was hoping you would like the dress. It reminded me of Grace Kelly when I saw it, and I couldn’t resist buying it.”
“You look even better than she did,” Eli said, “and yes, I did make you tea.”
Her expression was blissful as she took a sip of the tea. “Thank you, Eli. You’re the best.”
“I won’t argue with that,” he said with a grin, “but we should really get going.”
They were in the car a few minutes later, making their way toward the hotel that was hosting the annual American College of Psychiatrists award banquet. Leila quietly sipped her tea and let her hectic day dissolve away as they drove. She looked so peaceful by the time they reached the hotel Eli was sad to disturb her. Leila, however, perked up when she saw that they had arrived and abandoned her tea excitedly when the valet opened her door.
When Eli walked around the car to her, she slipped her hand onto his arm and walked toward the hotel with as much poise as Grace Kelly. Eli smiled, reminded of their first date when she had latched onto him like the very ground was going to fall out from under her feet at any moment. Although her claims that she didn’t belong in Eli’s kind of crowd had died away recently, he had worried she would feel out of place at such a posh affair. She proved he had no reason to worry not five steps into the banquet room when Edgar Stanfield, one of the most prominent psychiatrists in the area, approached them.
The man exuded confidence and power, not to mention wealth. He shook Eli’s hand firmly and welcomed him. When he turned to Leila, a snatch of fear that she would balk shot through him. It wasn’t that he worried she would embarrass him. He wanted to prove to her that she could be every bit as polished and competent as these people. He worried she would blame herself is she wasn’t perfect. He held his breath when Edgar greeted her.
“And who are you, my dear? Eli didn’t tell me he was bringing such a delightful young woman with him tonight.”
Leila smiled and took his offered hand. “I’m Leila Sparro. Are you and Eli friends?”
“Oh yes,” Edgar laughed. “I was Eli’s mentor all through his college years.”
“You still are,” Eli argued.
Edgar clapped him on the back and laughed. “You hardly need me looking over your shoulder anymore, not with the award you’re receiving tonight.”
“You’re getting an award?” Leila asked. She frowned at him. “What else did you forget to tell me?”
“I may have neglected to mention that you have to sit next to Guy,” Eli teased.
Leila wrinkled her nose at him, but she was smiling. She and Guy actually got along very well. Slapping him within the first twenty minutes of meeting him usually was the best way to handle Guy. Edgar chuckled along with them. He knew Guy very well, and was all too familiar with his knack for causing trouble. Edgar had fielded far too many complaints about Guy’s aggressive nature when it came to the opposite sex.
“Oh, Eli,” Edgar said, suddenly looking very serious, “I wanted to ask you how you mother was doing.”
The question soured Eli’s disposition immediately, but Leila was suddenly very attentive. “She’s about the same.”
“That’s a shame,” Edgar said sadly. “I had really hoped she would be doing better by now. Perhaps …”
Whatever he was about to suggest was interrupted by his wife, Genevieve, walking up and stealing him away with a quick apology. Eli breathed a sigh of relief when his mentor disappeared into the crowd. The curious glint in Leila’s eyes made him want to shrink away as well. He hadn’t said a word about his mother to her since the symphony, but he knew she must be dying to know more. That subject was not one he planned on discussing with her any time soon.
Thankfully, Eli spotted Vance and Stephanie at their table a moment later. He led Leila toward them at a brisk pace. When they arrived at the table he was spared from having to explain any of Edgar’s comments by Stephanie. She jumped up right away to offer Leila a hug. Two seconds later she was gushing about Leila’s dress, asking a million questions about the fabric and designer. Vance stepped back from her bubbling enthusiasm and walked over to Eli.
“She came, huh? Her boyfriend didn’t have a problem with that? Or does he not know?” Vance asked.
“Luke knows she’s with me tonight.”
Vance raised an eyebrow. “And he didn’t mind?”
Eli scoffed, unable to keep a small smile from his lips. “Oh, I’m sure he did, but he’s in Oklahoma, and Leila has made it clear to him that we are just friends—and not the kind with benefits.”
That last part Leila hadn’t actually said. The word benefits had slipped out that day, and at first he hadn’t known what she meant. Once her babbling apology settled down he had realized what benefits had to do with them. After that, remembering her scarlet blush made him smile whenever he thought about it.
“Luke actually believes you and Leila are just friends?” Vance asked.
“I doubt it, but I think he rea
lizes that Leila thinks we’re just friends.” Because that was all she would allow them to be. “Not to mention that when he asked her to stop spending time with me, she flat out refused.”
Vance grinned. “Did she now?”
“She did.” Eli was smiling as well.
For several moments they were both quiet. Eli couldn’t take his eyes off Leila. Stephanie talked way too much, but Leila never seemed to mind. She answered her questions, returned compliments, and enjoyed their friendship. It was encouraging to see Leila talk to another woman besides Ana. Making friends wasn’t easy for her, but luckily Stephanie had no sense of personal boundaries when it came to pushing her way into other people’s lives. She built friendships by sheer enthusiasm.
“You’ve done a great job with Leila,” Vance said as a psychiatrist name Karen Peterson approached the table and began speaking with Stephanie and Leila. “Look at how natural she is with everyone. She never would have considered attending an event like this when you first met her. She barely made it through that night at the club. It was obvious she felt intimidated by everyone. Now it’s like she’s been a part of poker night for years.”
Eli watched as Leila spoke easily with the woman. Stephanie had met Karen several times before at similar events, but Leila didn’t know the woman at all. He smiled as he watched her. There was none of the hesitation and hiding he had seen when she first met Vance and the others. Leila talked to her like an equal, which was perfectly fitting. Then he thought about Vance’s comment.
“I didn’t do anything with Leila—nothing more than be her friend, anyway,” he said.
Vance made it sound like he was secretly treating Leila, manipulating her into becoming more confident. That wasn’t it at all. He gave her advice like any friend would, encouraged her, and told her what a wonderful person she was. There was no trick to it, no treatment. It worked the same way beating down a person did. If you told someone something for long enough they eventually believe it, for better or worse. This time happened to be for the better.
“How’s the date shark thing going?” Vance asked.
Date Shark Page 20