Places in My Heart

by Sheryl Lister

“I didn’t, but my heart did. And so will yours.”

  She hoped it would tell her something soon, because the only thing she knew was that her heart hurt.

  * * *

  Omar dropped down heavily on his bed and removed his shoes. It had been four days since he walked out of Morgan’s house, and his concentration during practice was at an all-time low. She had told him he had no choice but to move on, but his heart had decided otherwise. He fished his cell out of his pocket and turned it on. Almost immediately, a series of chimes sounded, indicating several missed messages. He had two emails and a text from Jaedon asking Omar to call as soon as possible. He sighed wearily and prayed there was some good news about his case against Roland. He decided to read the emails before calling. The first one detailed the second meeting with Roland’s attorney and gave Omar hope that this nightmare wouldn’t last much longer. Since the agent’s arrest a week ago, the media had been hounding Omar between practices. He just offered a standard “no comment” and kept it moving.

  The second email was one forwarded from Alonzo. He was able to get a picture of the woman who had been meeting with Roland. He clicked on the attachment and felt his eyes widen. Omar quickly dialed Jaedon’s cell.

  “Hey, Omar,” Jaedon said. “I’m glad you called.”

  “I just got home from practice and saw your messages. Roland is out on bail?”

  “Yes.”

  “Probably using money that doesn’t belong to him.”

  “That’s a possibility, but I’ve asked the judge to freeze all his assets until we can sort it out. Did you get a chance to look at the picture Zo took?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is it his secretary?”

  “No.”

  “No? Do you recognize her?”

  “I do.” He filled Jaedon in on what he knew and the last time he had seen her. The article. “I have to go. I’ll call you back in a little while. There’s someone I need to talk to.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “No. But, I’m hoping I can fix some of it. I’ll fill you in when I call you.”

  Omar disconnected, put his shoes on and left. Thirty minutes later, he pulled up in a driveway, hopped out and went to ring the doorbell. The door swung open.

  “Drummond? What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  Malcolm eyed him briefly. “Come in.”

  He followed Malcolm through the foyer, living room and kitchen to the family room.

  “You want something to drink?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Something happen with my sister?”

  He brought up the picture by way of answer. “Recognize her?”

  “Yes, but why is she with Roland?”

  “I think they may be responsible for that bogus story about my contract.” It would have been easy for Roland to plant that false story with all his media contacts.

  Malcolm muttered a curse. “What are you planning to do?”

  “Let Jaedon handle it. If he can prove they were in it together, it’ll clear Morgan’s name.” The article insinuated that Morgan had revealed the information as a way to boost her credibility.

  “Why do you care?”

  “I messed up, but I love your sister. If I can get her back, she’ll never shed another tear.” They engaged in a stare-down for several tense moments before Malcolm nodded. “What about Morgan? She needs to know.”

  “Since there’s no practice tomorrow, I’ll go by the office. My brother Brandon and I will handle it.”

  “Can you let me know how she is afterward?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks, man. I’ll keep you posted on what Jaedon turns up.” They talked a few minutes more. Then Omar drove home and called Jaedon.

  Monday morning, he was seated in Jaedon’s office, listening to Alonzo.

  “This photo was last week, a day before Roland’s arrest. You can see him handing her an envelope.”

  And two days after that story ran, Omar thought grimly. Two days after he made the biggest mistake of his life. He handed the photo back. “Since she works for the Grays, Malcolm said he and his brother would handle her.”

  “If the police can get a confession out of her, it would be easier to nail Roland’s butt to the wall,” Jaedon said.

  “Yeah, let’s hope.” That still didn’t get him any closer to reconciling with Morgan, but he wasn’t giving up.

  * * *

  Morgan stopped short at the large floral arrangement sitting in her office when she arrived on Monday. Her family was going overboard. Rounding the desk, she plucked the card off and read.

  You are my heart.

  Omar

  Her eyes slid closed. Why was he doing this? She missed him, missed him. She reread the card. What was she going to do? Tucking the card into her jacket pocket, she moved the arrangement to the small conference table and sat in her chair. She had agreed to continue working for the company at least until the end of the year, and she was on solid ground with her new job. Her commission from Omar’s contract gave her a window of comfort.

  By late morning, she had made a dent in the paperwork that had piled up while she was gone. Her head came up when a knock sounded. She smiled. “Hey, guys. Are you supposed to be the welcome back committee?” Her smile faded. “What is it?” She studied her brothers’ grim expressions. Malcolm closed the door, and then he and Brandon took the chairs across from her desk.

  “Is something wrong with Dad...or Mom?” Morgan came to her feet.

  “They’re fine,” Brandon said. “Sit down, sis.”

  She gave a relieved sigh and slowly lowered herself back down.

  “We know who leaked that story about Omar’s contract,” Malcolm said. “He came to see me last night and showed me a photo.” He handed her his phone.

  Frowning, she took the phone. She brought her hand to her mouth and stared in disbelief. “Evelyn and Roland? But how did she—” Morgan remembered the day she found Evelyn standing over her desk. “Oh, no. This is my fault.”

  Brandon shook his head. “This isn’t your fault.”

  “It is. I left my notes on the desk.”

  “Every employee here signs a confidentiality statement when they’re hired. She knew the rules. And she was paid twenty thousand dollars. That is a crime and we’ll be pressing charges.”

  “What!” Morgan jumped from her chair.

  Malcolm sighed. “You need to calm down, Morgan.”

  “And you need to pray I don’t caress her face with my fist when I see her.” She charged around the desk.

  Malcolm hopped up, wrapped his arms around her and blocked the door.

  “Get out of my way, Malcolm! And let me go!”

  “No can do, sis. Dad called the police, and she’s probably been taken in already.”

  She wrenched away from him and slammed her hand on the desk. Her chest heaved and her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to strangle the woman. Bracing her hands on the desk, Morgan closed her eyes drew in several calming breaths. All this drama and for what? “Did she say why she did it?” When neither Brandon nor Malcolm answered, she opened her eyes and angled her head in their direction. The two brothers shared a look.

  Finally Brandon answered. “She was angry because she had to be transferred to you and didn’t like someone younger than her telling her what to do.”

  “She tried to wreck my life because I’m younger than her,” she said, almost in disbelief.

  “And Roland was trying to find a way to get back at you and Omar. Apparently he wasn’t too thrilled by that set-down you gave him,” Malcolm added.

  “How do you know all this?”

  “When we showed her that picture and told her she was looking at
some jail time, she started singing like Jill Scott,” Brandon offered. “My guess is that she’s probably going to throw Roland under a bus and back it over him. Added to the other charges against him, he’ll definitely be looking at some jail time.”

  “I hope so.”

  Brandon rose to his feet. “You going to be okay?”

  Morgan nodded.

  He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to check with Dad. I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay.”

  When he left, Malcolm ran a comforting hand down her back. “Just so you’ll know, Omar made sure the reporter will correct the story.”

  “How is he?”

  “About as miserable as you,” he said with a chuckle. “This is why I’m staying single.” He shuddered.

  She rolled her eyes. “Go home.”

  He laughed. “I’m just sayin’. Way less drama.” He hugged her. “You coming on Sunday?”

  “Have I ever missed a home game?” It would be the first preseason game.

  “No, but you didn’t have a vested interest in one of the players, either.” He winked and exited.

  Morgan leaned against her desk. She needed to make a decision about this relationship soon.

  * * *

  By the time Sunday rolled around, she was still confused about what to do. She loved Omar, but fear had a grip on her. If it didn’t work out, she didn’t think she would be able to take it. She didn’t want to feel that kind of pain in her heart again.

  Brandon and Justin were already in their seats when she arrived. She greeted them with hugs. “Where’s Siobhan?”

  Justin laughed. “She said she wasn’t sitting out here in this heat.”

  “Yep, that’s Vonnie,” she said, joining in his laughter. The smile froze on her face when her gaze connected with Omar’s out on the field.

  “Hmm, looks like another Gray is about to take the plunge,” Justin said.

  Morgan’s face heated. Thankfully, the game started. Omar was playing terribly. She groaned when he missed another easy pass. Near the end of the second quarter, she told Brandon and Justin she’d be back and made her way through the crowd of people headed to the concession stands.

  Flashing her credentials to a security guard, she was able to gain access to the restricted area. She caught one of the Cobras staff members she knew before he entered the locker room. “Hi, Joey.”

  “Morgan,” he said with a smile. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I hear congratulations are in order.”

  “Thanks. Can you do me a favor?”

  “Anything for you, beautiful.”

  She handed him a folded piece of paper. “Can you give this to Drummond?”

  “I’ll pass it along,” he answered and pushed through the doors.

  “Thanks.” It was time to settle this, one way or another.

  Chapter 20

  “Hey, Drummond.”

  Omar turned toward the voice.

  “Got a note for you.”

  “Thanks.” Curious, he unfolded the paper.

  I didn’t work my butt off to get you a once-in-a-lifetime contract for you to be playing like a kindergartner touching a football for the first time. Get your head in the game, Drummond. Meet me outside the locker room.

  He chuckled. That was his Morgan. The vise around his heart loosened.

  In the second half, Omar played like a man possessed and logged one hundred five yards and two touchdowns. Afterwards, he had postgame interviews at the podium. He answered question after question and was anxious to be done. He spotted Morgan standing in the back, promptly lost his train of thought and had to ask the reporter to repeat the question.

  “There are rumors that you and your new agent have parted ways. Is that the truth?”

  Holding Morgan’s gaze, he said, “That’s not the truth at all. I’m very happy with my agent and see no reason to change.”

  “There’s been some speculation that there’s a new lady in your life. Is there a reason you’re keeping her a secret?”

  “It’s not a matter of keeping secrets. It’s about keeping my personal life personal. Any other questions?” He paused for a few seconds then stood. Finally! It took another ten minutes before he found Morgan. “Hi.” She wore a pair of shorts and a fitted tee that clung too enticingly to every curve. Dressed this way, she didn’t look like an agent, but she did look like the woman he loved. And he did love her more than he ever thought possible.

  “Hi.”

  “How are you?”

  “Okay.”

  “Congratulations on signing Noah and Kent.”

  “Thanks.”

  They fell silent. “You’d probably sock me if I kissed you right now.”

  “You’re probably right.” A smile peeked out.

  “Then you’d better start talking or I’ll just deal with the consequences.”

  “I don’t know where to start. I thought I could get over you, but it’s not working.”

  “I’m glad because I’ll never be over you. What can I do to make this work? I can’t give you up. You own my heart, Morgan.”

  “How do I know this won’t happen again? What’s to say the next time you see something questionable, you won’t believe me? I can’t go through this again,” Morgan whispered with tears in her eyes.

  Omar’s heart ached seeing the pain reflected in her eyes, and he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. “Let me follow you home and we’ll talk there. I want to hold you in my arms so bad it hurts.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can, sweetheart.” He watched until she disappeared into the thinning crowd.

  An hour later, he was on her doorstep.

  “Come on in.” She had changed into another pair of shorts and a tank top and was barefoot.

  Omar shut the door behind him and held out his arms. “I need to hold you, baby.” She came to him and he enfolded her in his embrace. He swept her into his arms, carried her to the living room and sat on the couch with her on his lap. Their eyes held, and he covered her mouth in a tender kiss. A rush of emotions washed over him—relief, joy, peace and most of all, love. Having her in his arms again was like a balm that soothed his heart. He couldn’t stop touching or kissing her. It felt like months had passed since the last time they were together.

  Morgan’s hands were just as busy. She and Omar were a tangled mass of hands and lips tasting, exploring and feeling.

  “It’s so good to hold you again,” he murmured.

  “I missed you holding me.”

  At length they came up for air, but he kept her in his lap and rested his cheek against the top of her head.

  “I’m sorry,” she said sometime later.

  He lifted his head. “About?”

  “I left my notes on your contract on my desk.”

  “That didn’t give her the right to do what she did. It’s not your fault. This was all Roland’s doing. From what Jaedon told me, Evelyn took a plea in exchange for her testimony. She may still have to do some time, but with all the other charges, Roland will be going away for a long time. He told me that he talked to you, too.”

  “I warned Roland what would happen if I saw one thing. He must have thought I was playing.”

  Omar chuckled. “That’s my girl. Well, now he knows for sure.”

  “I don’t want to talk about them anymore.”

  “Me, either.” He would much rather have been making love to her, but tamped down on his desire because they needed this time just to be together.

  Morgan stared up at him. “Can we make a pact to always ask questions before jumping to conclusions?”

  “Absolutely.” He sealed the deal with a kiss.

  “W
hat are you doing tomorrow since there’s no practice?”

  “I was thinking I could take you over to the restaurant to meet my parents. We’d have to go a little earlier, say five-thirty or six, so I can get home.”

  “That’s fine. No late nights for you. I’ll be making sure you’re not breaking curfew. I’m glad the Cobras are one of the teams who don’t hold camp in the middle of nowhere anymore.” Since building a state-of-the-art facility three years ago, upper management felt the players still bonded during the fourteen-hour days.

  “So am I.”

  “Speaking of curfew...”

  “I have a little more time.” He wanted to pack her up and take her to his house. But doing that would guarantee a sleepless night, so he contented himself with holding her. They would have plenty of time to play catch-up.

  * * *

  “I’m glad you agreed to come with me tonight,” Omar said Monday evening.

  “Please. I wasn’t missing out on a chance to taste this famed barbecue.”

  “Let me get my kiss now, because once we step out of the car, you’ll have me on lockdown.”

  Morgan laughed and stroked a finger down his chest. “You act like you don’t get kisses...and more.”

  He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “Mmm, the more might get you naked in the backseat of this truck right now.”

  The thought, as scandalous as it was, sent pinpoints of desire shooting through her. “We need to get out of this truck.” She reached for the door handle.

  “Yeah, yeah. And take your hand off that handle.” He got out and came around to open her door.

  She pulled him down for a slow, drugging kiss. “That ought to hold you for a while.” She strutted off toward the entrance.

  Omar groaned and caught up to her. “You little tease.” He held the door open.

  Morgan was enveloped in the warm, cozy atmosphere the moment she crossed the threshold. The people who worked there seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the patrons. An older woman conversing with some diners turned their way, and her face lit up. She hurried over and smothered Omar in a big hug.

  “Hi, baby. I’m so glad to see you.”

  Omar chuckled. “You saw me less than two weeks ago, Mom.” To Morgan he said, “Morgan, this is my mother, Miriam Drummond. Mom, Morgan Gray.”