by Bette Ford
After she relocated it had taken her years to rebuild her life, to prove to herself that she was smart and capable. Things were finally going the way she wanted. She did not want to mess up now. One night with Darrin should have convinced her that it was too risky to get involved with him. He made her feel too much... He made her care about him. It was a recipe for disaster.
If she were not very careful, she would fall in love with him. She did not want that. She refused to be beneath another man’s thumb. She liked making her own decisions, liked being in control of her business and her personal life. No, love was not for her. She would not repeat past mistakes. Her marriage to Martin had nearly destroyed her.
Why had she let Darrin get so close? She asked herself that question a thousand times and still did not have an answer. It had started with kisses. His kisses were deadly…utter seduction. She had not offered a single objection. His mouth should be a banned as an illegal substance.
Overwhelmed was too mild to describe her reaction when he took her into his arms. Her brain had completely switched off as her body took over. He generated incredible heat, an overwhelming need that she hadn’t known existed. Unprepared for his brand of lovemaking was an understatement; she did not have a clue. Lost in a sensuous maze, she was unable to stop while being compelled to move forward to completion. After he left she was certain she did not have feelings for him.
This morning she was unsure. Even for those few moments on the phone with him, her heart raced with excitement. She had not planned any of this. She cared for him. It was the only reason that made sense. How had it happened? She did not want to have feelings for him.
Making love had been a dreadful mistake. It had changed everything. Oh, she was not merely upset about it. She was livid and blamed him for taking advantage of a temporary weakness. What had she been thinking? How quickly she forgot that she was nothing more than a challenge to him.
But even worse, she allowed it to happen. She had said no so often that she unwittingly became a target that he could not resist. How could she have been so foolish and let him use her?
No! She blinked hard, her eyes burned from unshed tears. Never again would she allow a man to take advantage of her. She was never going to be one of those lovesick females who routinely chased after Darrin. She may not be able to change last night’s mistake, but it would never be repeated.
Hurrying inside Henry Ford Hospital, Trenna hoped for a private word with Maureen, but was disappointed. After a night in the chair beside her grandmother’s bed, Maureen had gone home to shower and get some rest. Trenna only had time for a short visit with Mrs. Hale, Maureen’s grandmother, but promised to return.
On the drive to Sheppard’s Women’s Crisis Center she frowned. She had to stop berating herself about last night. Yes, she made a mistake. That was no reason to feel sorry for herself. She was blessed.
Unlike her friends Jenna, Laura, and Sherri Ann, Trenna had not grown up in foster care. Nor was she like Maureen, who had lost her mother much too soon. Trenna had two wonderful parents who loved each other and her. They had done their best to ensure she knew she was cared for and had provided for her future. Even though there was no special man in her life, she was fine. She was thankful she wasn’t one of those women who believed she needed a man to be happy.
It did not take long to reach the Women’s Center since it was close to Wayne State University’s campus. Although the sun was shining, it was still bitterly cold, and Trenna shivered as she hurried inside.
Glad that she arrived early enough to check the room, Trenna was relieved to find the supplies were in place and the multipurpose room was ready to go. The sewing machines that had been donated for the afternoon by a local vendor were in place. The refreshment table, filled with fresh fruit, snacks, bottled water, and sodas, was also set up. Ever efficient, Maureen had taken care of things ahead of time.
“Hey, stranger,” Trenna and Sherri Ann Weber said at the same time then laughed.
Sherri Ann teased, “It’s a shame that we both work in the Morgan Building but never see each other except when we’re here for mentoring.”
The mentoring program had been developed for teen girls, in hopes of promoting high self-esteem and confidence to ensure a successful future. The girls had never been adopted or been successfully placed with a foster family, but had grown up in the foster care system. The teen girls were part of the State’s independent living program. Some of the teens lived in rooming homes or apartment buildings that were supervised and licensed by the state.
Trenna quipped, “If you’d joined the Elegant Five, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
“And when exactly do I have time for a book club meeting or reading anything other than legal briefs?” Sherri Ann was a lawyer, who worked for Morgan and Green. “The partners keep all of us associates on our toes. Speaking of partners, tell me about the rumors I’ve heard about you and my boss colliding in our lobby.”
Trenna sighed. The last person she wanted to talk about was Darrin Morgan. “It’s no rumor, it’s true. I was not paying attention and got off the elevator on the wrong floor. Unfortunately, I ran into Darrin and nearly bounced off him. Embarrassing, but let’s talk about something pleasant. How’s Laura?”
Sherri Ann beamed. “She’s glowing. Jenna and I saw her last weekend. She could not be happier.”
“That’s great!” Trenna exclaimed.
Laura Murdock Kramer started the mentoring program when she was a social worker at the Women’s Center. Both Maureen and her grandmother had embraced the idea from its concept. They generously offered the use of the Women’s Center activity room.
Trenna had always admired Laura. Besides being a former member of the Elegant Five Book Club, Laura was smart, hard-working, and determined to help others. She strongly believed that teen girls needed positive, adult influences in their lives. Two years ago, she had designed the highly successful mentoring program.
Laura, and her two best friends, Sherri Ann and Jenna Gains Hendricks, had grown up in the foster care system. Like the girls they mentored, they had never been adopted. But unlike the teen girls in independent living program, Laura, Sherri Ann, and Jenna were fortunate to have been raised by Mrs. Frances Green, a warm, loving older woman. Early on the three had adopted each other and became foster sisters, and over the years they remained close. All three were well-educated, highly successful women.
When it came time to find mentors, Laura wisely recruited her friends, book club members, as well as the Center’s staff. Since its onset, Sherri Ann and Jenna had volunteered. Like Laura, they wanted to give back.
The mentoring sessions were on the first and third Saturday afternoons of the month. Thanks to community support and generous donations, scholarships were established for the girls who would be graduating from high school with plans to further their education.
To everyone’s surprised, last year while on a vacation to the Caribbean, Laura met and fell in love with Wilham Kramer, the man of her dreams. Wilham, hotel mogul and artist, swept her off her feet. They married, currently lived in Chicago, and were expecting their first child. As a wedding present, Wilham became the major contributor to their scholarship fund.
Trenna stood in for Maureen and greeted everyone with smile. But as soon as she spotted Grace Brooks, she started to feel guilty even though she knew she’d done her best to help and support Grace emotionally. But it hadn’t been enough. Trenna was relieved when Grace gave her warm hug.
Maureen and Trenna had been in the courtroom when Grace had pointed out Todd Marks as her rapist. The three were devastated when the jury came back with the not-guilty verdict. Because of Darrin Morgan’s superior skill in the courtroom, Grace’s rapist had walked away a free man.
Grace regularly volunteered at the Center, even though Maureen was no longer her rape counselor. Grace often joined Maureen and Trenna for dinner and a movie.
Maureen had kicked off the belt-making project by taking the girls shopping
at the fabric store. They excitedly picked out the cloth and notions. Some of the girls had also purchased material for matching skirts. They planned to wear their creations on a supervised outing to the theater. They all seemed to be excited and looking forward to the event.
It was a blessing that Vanessa Grant Prescott, dress designer and bridal shop owner, was a mentor. She showed the girls how to cut out the patterns and use the sewing machines. Vanessa married Ralph Prescott, ex-NBA player and businessman, and was a close friend and fellow book club member.
Trenna took a seat in the back of the room beside Sherri Ann and Jenna. She didn’t realize she was tense until she nearly jumped out of her skin when Amber squealed with laughter.
“Look! Look!” she yelled, holding up a nearly finished belt. The other girls were ooohing and aaahing while the mentors clapped enthusiastically.
“You okay?” Jenna whispered.
Sherri Ann interrupted, “Are you worried about Mrs. Hale?”
Trenna shook her head. “Mrs. Hale is doing well. They don’t think it’s her heart, but she had to stay overnight at the hospital.”
“If nothing’s wrong, then why are you shaking like a leaf?”
“I’m cold,” Trenna said, rubbing her hands up and down the sleeves of her cardigan. “No matter how many layers I put on, I can’t get used to your Michigan winters.”
“Silk long johns,” Sherri Ann said.
“Forget that, you both need what Vanessa and I have,” Jenna said. “A husband to snuggle with. There is nothing like it.”
Both married ladies giggled as if Jenna had told a joke.
“To each his own poison,” Sherri Ann rolled her eyes. Like Trenna, she was also single.
Trenna frowned. Busy pretending last night never happen, she didn’t want to think about Darrin. She certainly didn’t want to remember the pleasure she found in his arms. She wouldn’t be surprised if Sherri Ann had seen her boss in action. Everyone in the building knew about Darrin’s reputation as a first-class womanizer. Evidently, Trenna had temporarily lost her mind when she slept with him. She vowed that it was a mistake that she would never repeat.
“Look, Ms. Trenna!”.
“It’s gorgeous!”
Trenna hadn’t hesitated to hire the girl. Tasha was in the first group of girls being mentored to graduate from high school and enter college or a vocational school. Tasha was a hard worker. Trenna was impressed that, in addition to her work at the nursery school, Amber was a full-time student at Wayne State. She was on the dean’s list, never late for work, and managed to get everything done. Somehow, she also found time to encourage the younger girls by volunteering at the Women’s Center. Most remarkable, she was doing it on her own, without the benefit of parents or family to fall back on.
That first group of successes had strengthened Maureen and Laura’s dedication to the mentoring project. Determined to expand, the two had met several times during the summer and in the autumn. Neither was going to let a little thing like living in different states keep them from reaching as many teen girls as possible through the independent living program.
Vanessa, Jenna, Sherri Ann, and Trenna had gone with Maureen to meet Laura for a ladies weekend of shopping and fun in the Windy City.
“Mine is the prettiest!” Ginger Langston boasted.
“No mine!” someone else shouted.
The excitement was contagious, judging by the way the normally reserved Grace was beaming. It was good to see. Grace had been through so much and had worked hard to get her life back on track.
It might not make sense to anyone else, but Trenna couldn’t help resenting Darrin for his part in getting Marks off. Nor could she stop feeling guilty for what she had done: sleeping with the enemy. She’d made a huge mistake! Seeing Grace made her feel like a traitor. She should have never gotten involved with Darrin Morgan!
Grace was Trenna’s friend and she was bound to be upset when she learned the truth. Darrin had done his job, but there was no denying that he was the reason Todd Marks was walking the streets. Because Marks was a free man, Grace no longer felt safe in her own home and had been forced to move.
Trenna sighed. Why had Darrin taken the case? He was already very successful. He didn’t need the notoriety or the money. So why? Was it because Marks came from wealth? Or was Marks an old friend? Maybe it had been about ego, and Darrin had set out to prove he was smarter than the head prosecutor on the case was.
“Your turn, Vanessa!” Grace prompted.
Vanessa nodded, then went up to the front to show the girls samples of beadwork that had been done on lace, denim, and leather that might be added to a neckline, hem, or cuff.
Trenna frowned, upset with herself. Instead of being involved with the girls, she was wasting time thinking about Darrin. Why couldn’t she forget? Her response to him was intense, unlike anything she had ever experienced. She hated admitting that she wanted him. Only it had been a huge mistake.
Full of remorse, her conscience nagged at her, a reminder that she was God’s child and must do the right thing. Lying by omission served no purpose and changed nothing. She needed to speak to Grace and be honest.
12
Darrin was shivering from the cold by the time his twin left the gym. What he couldn’t figure out was how he had fallen so fast and hard for the one woman in the entire metropolitan area who wanted nothing to do with him.
“Okay, babe,” Douglas said into his phone. “I’ll see you at seven. Yeah, I will. Love you, bye.” Using the keyless entry, he started the motor and disengaged the locks to let them both inside. They tossed their bags on the backseat.
Darrin silently waited, bracing himself for a ribbing from his brother. Instead, Douglas complained, “Man, the cold is not letting up today. I hoped we’d at least get into the twenties. At least the seat warmers are doing their thing. It’s the best feature in this model.”
“You’re not going to say anything?” Darrin asked with a frown.
“About you being a jackass? No point. We’re not too far from your favorite pizza place. Hungry? Want me to stop?”
The combination of a heavy heart and dark thoughts pushed food from Darrin’s mind. “No thanks.”
He didn’t think he could feel any worse but he soon discovered he was wrong. He felt like a heel when Douglas said, “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll listen,”
He immediately blurted out, “I blew it with Trenna last night. I still can’t believe how badly I messed up. I gave her a ride home. She invited me to dinner. One thing led to another. Instead of following my instincts and taking things slow I rushed ahead like a lovesick kid. It all blew up in my face, Doug.”
“Did you say Trenna?”
“Yeah, you know how I feel about her.”
“I do,” Douglas nodded. “Back up. Take it from the beginning.”
Darrin told his twin about the call from Maureen. Eager to spend time with Trenna, he hadn’t given the weather a thought. It had been about her. He admitted that they’d made love and it had been pure magic for him. He left it at that.
He didn’t say that, given half a chance, he would have made love to her again and again. But something had gone terribly wrong for her. While he had no regrets, she had a boatload. But he couldn’t forget her heated responses to his lovemaking.
He surmised, “I thought the pleasure was mutual, but evidently I was wrong. Trenna asked me to leave. She acted as if I took advantage of her, seduced her, and she resented me for it.”
Thoughtful for a moment, Doug eventually said, "Give her some time. She’ll come around.”
“No, she won’t. Look, you didn’t see her face when she asked me to leave.”
“Come on, bro. You didn’t force yourself on her!”
Darrin winced. “Yeah. I know. But you didn’t see her face. It was how she looked at me during Todd Marks’ trial. She made no secret of the fact she resents me for getting him off.”
“Bro, you’re a damn good attorney, period. Plus it was
business, not personal. As for the other, there is certainly nothing wrong with a man making love to the woman he loves. If that was the case, we’d all be behind bars.”
“Wait! I never said the ‘L’ word.”
“You don’t have to. You‘ve been chasing her down since the day you two met. Or did you think I didn’t notice that you haven’t been involved with anyone else?”
“Okay, I’m guilty,” he confessed. “I want her. She’s gorgeous.”
“It’s a lot more than that and we both know it,” his twin snapped.
Darrin sighed heavily. “Having feelings for her has turned out to be a huge mistake. I was a fool to believe that once she got to know me things would be different.” He snarled with frustration, “She can’t have feelings for me. She’s still in love with her dead husband!”
“Say what?” Douglas took his eyes off the road for a second.
“You heard correctly.”
“You think…“ Douglas stopped and then asked, “Did she come right out and say that…?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then how can you be so sure? Her husband has been gone… What? Over four years?”
“Yeah.”
When Darrin said nothing more Douglas prompted, “We’re talking about Trenna McAdams. Yeah, she’s a book-club-reading, bible-toting, and churching-going lady, but like you said she’s also beautiful, and like Maureen she owns her own business and has no shortage of dates.”
Darrin frowned. “So?”
“Hear me out! In looks, Trenna and Maureen, are like ebony and ivory, but in personality they could be two peas in the same pod. Maureen also dates frequently and likes to have fun, but doesn’t sleep around.”