by Bette Ford
Laughing, Carmen couldn’t control her giggles. “He’s a turkey!”
“Oh! Who wants to sing?” Trenna asked, allowing Carmen to tug her out the door and down the hall to the music room.
Every time Trenna went to make her call she was interrupted. It was after one when her assistant let her know the public schools were closing. Despite her own increasing dread, Trenna asked the assistants to start calling parents to let them know they would close at three. She pushed her own problem aside to join in calling the students’ parents. The majority of the children’s parents came as soon as they were notified. By three-thirty all of the children had been picked up, and the staff had left. Finally, Trenna was free to make her call.
“Hi, Margaret, it’s Trenna. Is Maureen free? Or is she busy with a client?”
“Hi, Mrs. McAdams. No, she had a family emergency. Mrs. Hale took sick and she took her to the doctor. “
“Oh no! How is she? I’m surprised she didn’t text me. Is there any news?”
“Not yet. But she asked me cancel all her appointments for the rest of the day.”
“Let’s hope no news is a good sign. Which hospital?”
“Henry Ford.”
“Okay, I’ll start praying.”
“Good idea. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Trenna was touched by the older woman’s thoughtfulness. Margaret Hardwick had worked for Maureen since she and her grandmother started the Women’s Crisis Center.
“No, I’m fine.”
“If you need a ride home…”
“Thank you for the offer but it’s too much of an inconvenience.”
“But I don’t mind.”
“I know. Not to worry. I will be fine.” The older woman lived only a block away from the Women’s Center. It didn’t made sense for her to battle the snow when she didn’t have to. “Margaret, you take care. And I’ll check with Maureen later. Bye.”
True to her word, after she hung up, Trenna prayed for Maureen’s grandmother. She was a lovely person who was both elegant and incredibly kind.
Around five Trenna received a text from Maureen, telling her that Mrs. Hale had pneumonia and they decided to hospitalize her. Then Maureen asked if she had a ride home. She text back that she was fine where she was and would stay overnight. She told Maureen to concentrate on her grandmother.
When the telephone rang a few minutes later, Trenna grabbed it on the first ring, “Hello, Maureen. I’m fine. I don’t mind staying…”
“It’s Darrin.”
6
“Darrin?”
“Yes. I understand you need a lift home. I should be ready to leave in…” There was a pause before he said, “…fifteen minutes. That okay with you?
“Maureen called you?”
“Yeah. Look, I’m heading out now to clean off and warm up the Jeep.”
“That’s very kind of you but...”
He interrupted, “It’s not a problem,” then added, “meet me in the lot in…twenty minutes,” before he hung-up the telephone.
Telling herself she had no right to be upset, she took several deep, calming breaths. She should be thankful, full of relief that Maureen had arranged a ride home for her and grateful to Darrin for agreeing to help her out. Maureen knew that she would rather be at home than being forced to spend the night at her office. All because she wasn’t brave enough to tackle driving in the snow and possibly ice on her own.
She sighed resolutely then tucked her laptop and the early childhood professional journals she wanted to read into her briefcase. She pulled on the knee-length boots and a black down-filled calf-length coat. After wrapping a thick, pink wool scarf around her neck, she pulled on the matching knit hat and gloves.
After quickly checking the classrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms, she dimmed the overhead lights. The alarm was set and the doors locked when Trenna hurried to the rear entrance. As soon as she stepped out, blowing snow hit her in the face. It was cold, heavy, and she could barely see where to put one foot in front of the other.
“All set?” Darrin was dressed in a thick sheepskin coat. A navy wool cap covered his head and a navy scarf was wrapped around his throat.
“Yes.” Darrin took her briefcase. Cupping her elbow, he guided her around a hump of snow to the Jeep parked at the curb. The parking lot was nearly empty, as only the security team on duty.
There was no point in wishing she had worn slacks that morning. So she began to shimmy, easing her ankle-length, straight wool skirt up to her knees. Trenna gasped aloud when Darrin encircled her waist and lifted her. She was forced to encircle his neck to steady herself. He placed her inside on the high seat.
Before she could thank him, he had slammed the door and was rounding the hood. She had her seatbelt fastened by the time he climbed into the driver’s seat. Trenna shivered, but not from the cold.
“I’m sorry. Maureen shouldn’t have gotten you involved. You had to have better things to do than chauffeur me home in a blizzard.”
Darrin clicked his own seatbelt into place before he said, “Don’t apologize. Glad to be able to help.”
“I’m not your problem. Maureen meant well. She has a heart of gold, but she went too far. She has this silly idea that…” Trenna stopped abruptly.
“What?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Her hands tightly clasped in her lap. It was her problem, not his. She hated having to ask for help. Above all, she hated the paralyzing fear that gripped her whenever she got behind the wheel when the roads were slick.
She stared out the window. The snow was thick, like a heavy blanket covering the city. Darrin kept his eyes on the road and both hands on the steering wheel. The snow kept falling and had paced traffic to a crawl. They were following one of the salt trucks on the road. They joined the single passable lane and were barely moving.
Suddenly Trenna looked on in horror as a red sports car tried to speed passed them and quickly lost control. It went spinning nearly hitting the salt truck only to plow into a pile of snow on the side of the freeway. With her heart in her throat, she pressed down with both feet as if applying the brakes.
“What’s wrong with him? Look what he caused! “
Rather than engaging the brakes, Darrin had smoothly steered them around the collision. Once they were back in their lane and the danger had passed, he said, “Relax, Trenna.” He patted her hand. “We’re fine. Do you have your cell? Good, call 911,” then he gave her the number to the closest exit.
Although her hands were shaking Trenna quickly made the call.
“Thanks. I hope everyone is okay.”
“Me too.” She quizzed, “What was he thinking? He was going too fast for the road conditions. Even I know that much. If not for your quick reaction we’d be in that pileup!”
She was still trembling when she glanced back at the mess the reckless driver had caused. Two more cars had nearly rear-ended each other trying to avoid the sports car.
She shook her head, determined not to be a basket case. She was not letting old fears get the best of her. She and Darrin were fine, and were not going to crash. She wasn’t behind the wheel, wasn’t sliding on the ice off the road. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
What had she gotten herself into by accepting a ride from him? Wasn’t it bad enough that every time it snowed she had to inconvenience Maureen? Now Darrin was involved. She might need his help, but she certainly didn’t welcome it. The last thing she wanted was to be dependent on any man…especially Darrin Morgan.
“Breathe,” Trenna silently whispered. She could not afford to let this upset her. She must remain calm. She needed to think, to figure out a way to get past this.
After all, this was Darrin Morgan she was dealing with. She couldn’t afford for him to so much as suspect she was aware of him, might be vulnerable in anyway. He could be ruthless and was not above using any weakness to his advantage. She’d seen him in the courtroom. No, no, no, he didn’t need to know how much the near crash had
bothered her.
She didn’t want to be obligated to him. Darrin was Maureen’s friend, not hers. Maureen was the one who had grown up with the Morgan twins. She hadn’t any qualms about calling either Douglas or Darrin to ask a favor. If only it ended there.
Trenna wouldn’t be surprised if her best friend was up to something. Maureen had called Darrin, not his twin. And Darrin had made no secret of his interest in her. Maureen had to be playing matchmaker. Right about now, if she was here, Trenna would have tried to shake some sense into her best friend. What was Maureen thinking? Maureen knew she still blamed him for getting Grace’s attacker off. He was the reason that Todd Marks was a free man.
To make matters worse, Trenna knew she had a problem. Her awareness of Darrin seemed to be mushrooming. He was too darn close. She could smell his clean male scent. She trembled, alarmed because she was not just softening toward him, but she was also attracted to the man. Attraction led to desire and, as far as she was concerned, desire was a slippery slope to disaster. To say she was not upset would be a gross understatement. She didn’t need this!
She had no idea when or even how it happened. It was as unexpected and about as welcome as this blizzard! Maybe she was letting her emotions get the best of her? Yes! That was it! She was overreacting. There was no denying he was attractive man. So what? He was no threat to her.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Clearly, she had let her imagination go wild and it had gotten the best of her. She should be focused on being grateful that Darrin had been willing to help her out. Trenna couldn’t believe she had gone so far as to blame Maureen. Her best friend wasn’t the villain. She had only tried to help.
Beside, the two shared a common history. They both had a lousy track record when it came to men. Thank goodness they had both recovered and moved on with their lives. They had vowed not to repeat past mistakes.
Trenna wasn’t ready to admit that between the two of them, Maureen had been the lucky one. She was grateful that her best friend had not experienced lingering heartache and pain. Maureen may not realize she was better off breaking her engagement before the wedding ceremony or that Trenna hadn’t been that fortunate.
After her husband passed, Trenna had no family ties to hold her back. She moved to Michigan to be close to her best friend Maureen and her grandmother, Mrs. Hale. Her adopted family was all she had left.
Maureen was a beautiful woman with an active social life. She made sure Trenna felt welcome. She had introduced her to her friends. She went so far as to arrange double dates. They went to charity dinner-dances, jazz concerts, the theater, bowling alleys, and the movies.
For the first time in years, Trenna was able to enjoy herself, have fun. She didn’t see the harm in her having male friends. Although she started dating in earnest, it was lighthearted, pure entertainment, nothing remotely heavy or serious.
Trenna was so thankful for their friendship. There was no doubt that Maureen had always had her back. They shared nearly everything. Back in college, Maureen tried to convince her to wait, not to rush into marrying Martin. But Trenna had gone ahead. Although there was no doubt in her mind that Maureen wanted the best for her, Trenna had been so afraid of losing Martin that she kept telling herself they were in love. It had to work out!
No, Maureen was not the problem. She didn’t have a malicious bone in her body. Trenna’s problem was over six feet tall and too handsome for his own good. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. For the first time in her adult life, Trenna was attracted to a man. And it was not just any man, but the indisputably virile and sinfully sexy Darrin Morgan.
Her reaction to him was unnerving, so intense it scared her. No, he scared her. Trenna’s response to something as non-threatening as a kiss on the forehead was crazy! How many times had she berated herself for acting like a teenager? A meaningless caress made her heart race like she was sprinting for a gold medal. He’d volunteered to take her home…not to bed.
She was overreacting. She should be laughing her head off. But the strength of her response to Darrin was far from amusing. If only she could dismiss his kindness, and pretend that he hadn’t gone out of his way to help her and the foundation.
But he had taken her out to dinner. He had introduced her to his friends and potential investors. During dinner he had high praise for her accomplishments, boasted about school and her talent. Most importantly, at the end of the evening, he hadn’t taken advantage of her in any way.
Since that night she had been unable to get him out of her thoughts. Nor had she been able to forget how it felt to be close to him. Had she started to trust him? Unfortunately, Trenna did not have an answer.
To make matters worse, she was unsure she trusted herself to be alone with him. He made her tingle, all over. Goodness! She didn’t want to think about what it would be like to be held in his arms or feel his lips on hers.
Shifting in his seat, Darrin did not allow himself more than a glance at Trenna. He did not enjoy her being so quiet and tense that she barely moved. Her hands gripped the sides of the seat. He could see she was clearly terrified of the road conditions. What he wanted to know was why.
When Maureen called to ask for a favor, hoping he could help her friend, he had jumped at the chance. Longing to see Trenna, he was not about to let pride get in the way. One dinner in her company had left him hungry for more. The last week and a half had been brutal, and his ego had certainly taken a beating. Darrin wasn’t used to a woman putting so many roadblocks in his way. But then Trenna was nothing like the women in his circle of friends. She was unique, one-of-a-kind.
The wind had picked up, sending blowing snow straight into the windshield while the temperature dropped. The sun was setting, and road conditions were rapidly deteriorating. They were inching along in the only barely passable lane.
Hoping to distract her, Darrin asked, “Any news since the Murrays toured your school?”
“Not yet, but I am very hopeful. They seemed very impressed with the school.”
“I’m not surprised. Like you, your school is first class.”
Warmed by the compliments, she smiled. “Thank you. But I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. It’s going to take time to decide, especially with so much money involved.”
“True. Jackson and I have been friends for a long time. He is not impulsive, nor is he likely to run for the hills at the first sign of trouble. From what I understand, his accountant has gone over your books, and the Murrays have a copy of your goals and your long-range objectives. And all was good.“
“Yes, but it’s a lot to consider. He’s not interested in taking over the scholarship fund, but in expanding the number of children per class. He talked about following the children from nursery school, elementary, middle, high school, and through college. That will take millions.”
Darrin nodded. “It will be a life changing project that will affect the children and their families.”
“If the Murrays says yes, I will owe you for…”
“You owe me nothing.”
“I appreciate the introduction.” She laughed. “It’s very exciting. It has been a struggle to remain patient.”
He swallowed a groan, realizing how much he enjoyed her laughter. She rarely showed any amusement around him. Unfortunately for him, her defenses always seemed to be in place. He was far from being a novice with women, but when it came to Trenna, he had no clue how to get close to her.
“You’re taking the expressway?”
“They clear the freeways first.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. ”I know what I’m doing, Trenna. It’s better to take our time and get there safe and sound. Besides, I promised Maureen I’d get you home. I keep my promises.”
With the heavy, wet snow pelting the car, it was slow going, even in an SUV designed for rough terrain.
‘Oh, yeah,’ he smiled. Neither one of them were going anywhere in a hurry. He had to remember to send Maureen flowers. He owed her.
“It’s getting dar
k.”
He heard the anxiety in her voice. “We’re fine. I’m curious. Do you remember the night that you came by to pay your respects to my family after my father passed?”
“Of course. What about it?”
“You and I were at odds, yet you went out of your way to help me. I don’t understand why?”
“It was a difficult time for all of you. I’d lost family also. I knew what it was like. Besides, I’m a child of God so, of course, I’d do the right thing.”
He nodded before he asked, “Have you ever been skiing?”
“You’re kidding, right? I was raised in Charleston and went to college in Atlanta. I rarely saw snow and nothing like what you have here.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing.” Darrin began telling her about his first ski trip with his parents. The twins were seven. On the first day the twins were horsing around on the chairlift, and Darrin fell and broke his left arm. Their mom wanted to go home, but their dad said it wouldn’t be fair to Douglas. The next morning on his first real hill Douglas fell and broke his right leg.”
Laughing, Trenna said, “Both of you with broken bones, your poor parents. Evidently they couldn’t take the two of you anywhere.”
He chuckled. “Exactly what our folks said.”
“Did that stop you?”
“Are you kidding? We loved it! We couldn’t wait to get back on the slopes!” Darrin explained that by the time they were in middle school they were competing, and in college they were both on the ski team.
“Wow,” she exclaimed.
He said with a straight face, “Does that mean I can’t convince you to go ice fishing with me in late January? By then the ice on the lake should be thick enough to build a shanty.”
Trenna stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m serious,” he fibbed.
“No, you’re not.” Her giggle soon gave way to bubbling laughter that shook her petite frame.
Thoroughly charmed, he grinned. “It will be fun. Once we deck you out in a couple layers of long johns and three or four pairs of socks, we will drill a hole in the ice…”