“Consider it done.” Grinning, Brianna glanced at her watch. “I’d better get back before my lunch break ends. It’s really busy this time of day.”
Samara nodded as Brianna rose from the chair. The girl’s expression was earnest. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me, Samara. I promise not to let you down with this job, or anything else for that matter.”
“I know,” Samara said with a soft smile. “Oh, Brianna, before you leave…” She opened the bottom desk drawer and grabbed her purse. She withdrew a sealed envelope containing the money from her poker winnings and handed it to Brianna with a wink. “Just a little something I picked up over the weekend.”
Puzzled, Brianna tore open the envelope and peeked inside. Her eyes bulged at the sight that greeted her. “Oh my God! There’s over four hundred dollars in here!” She raised incredulous eyes to Samara’s face. “I-I can’t accept all this money, Samara.”
“Sure you can,” Samara countered briskly. “Consider it a signing bonus. Or, if you want, think of it as tips you deserved but never received from cheap customers.”
Tears misted the girl’s eyes even as she grinned. What waitress couldn’t relate to being stiffed by cheap customers? Samara certainly remembered those days.
“What should I do with the money?” Brianna asked, her voice thick with emotion.
“Whatever you want. Buy a nice Easter dress for Lola and yourself, then use the rest to open a savings account. Just a suggestion.”
“Thank you, Samara. Thank you so much.” Overcome with gratitude, Brianna hurried around the desk and threw her arms tightly around Samara’s neck. Samara laughed and hugged her back, feeling a bit misty-eyed herself. In many ways, Brianna Lynch had become the little sister she never had, but had always wanted.
“You’re going to be just fine,” Samara whispered into Brianna’s hair. After another moment, she drew back and tweaked the girl’s nose affectionately. “Now get out of here before you’re late. I don’t want those folks firing you before you have a chance to quit.”
Brianna grinned as she bent to retrieve her umbrella from the floor. “We’re supposed to get back our test results in class tonight. I’ll call and let you know my grade.”
“You do that. And kiss Lola for me.”
“I will. Thanks again, Samara.” Brianna left the office giving a shy wave.
Samara dialed Joanne Newsome’s extension to inform the relieved human resources manager about their new hire and to request the necessary forms to begin the paperwork.
After she hung up the phone, she consulted her watch and saw that it was two-thirty. She’d worked straight through lunch, making phone calls and finalizing details for the summer launch of the Youth for the Arts and Literacy project. That morning she’d attended a meeting with Jasmine Woodbury, a dance instructor at the Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts. The teacher was excited about the YAL project and already knew of several wellknown artists who’d be willing to conduct community workshops. Before the school year ended, Jasmine would hold auditions for the dance troupe, and once the student participants were selected, they could begin practicing for summer performances.
That week, Samara had meetings with two of their former corporate sponsors interested in renewing partnerships with the Institute. FYI’s debts would soon be settled, their creditors appeased. Things were finally looking up for FYI.
So why does it feel as if something’s still missing?
Samara chewed her bottom lip, staring blindly at her computer screen. For the umpteenth time in two days, her thoughts strayed to Marcus. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since Sunday night, when he’d driven her home from the airport. During the two-hour flight, he’d seemed a little withdrawn, making no attempt to seduce her as they’d joked about earlier in the day. And when they reached her house, he’d quietly declined her invitation to come inside, citing an early meeting in the morning.
That was when she knew something was definitely wrong. Every woman on the planet understood that when a man used the “early morning meeting” excuse, he was as good as history. Now, thinking back on it, Samara realized the kiss Marcus had given her at his father’s house—the one that nearly knocked her off her feet—had been the kiss of death. In his own way, he’d been telling her goodbye.
Oh, girl, stop being so melodramatic. You don’t know what was going through that man’s mind when he kissed you like that.
The bottom line was, she didn’t know Marcus Wolf as well as she would’ve liked. Although they’d spent an entire weekend together, talked for hours on end and connected on many levels— mentally and physically—she knew there were a lot of personal things he hadn’t shared with her. She didn’t know, for example, how his parents’ divorce had affected him, and what kind of relationship he had with his mother, who lived in Minnesota. Because he’d seemed reluctant to discuss her, Samara hadn’t pried. But she’d sensed pain in his silence, and she’d wanted to explore the source of it.
She sighed, impatient with herself. She was spending way too much time worrying about Marcus. Just because she hadn’t heard from him in two days didn’t mean he’d lost interest in her. But something was definitely wrong.
She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d scared him off by asking that stupid question about his other relationships. Her mother and grandmother had always warned her that nothing drove a man away faster than a jealous woman. It was the one thing the two women had agreed on.
Samara scowled. If Marcus Wolf thought she was going to start acting clingy and possessive, he’d better think again. She had better things to do than chase after a man.
Even a wonderful, amazing man like him.
“I never know what mood you’re going to be in when I step foot in this office.”
Samara looked up and smiled at Melissa standing in the doorway. “Hey, girl. Come on in, pull up a seat.”
Melissa arched an amused brow. “You’re actually inviting me into your office? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Samara Layton?”
Samara chuckled dryly. “I missed you around here yesterday. That was probably the first time you’ve ever called in sick in the ten years you’ve worked here. I was at a meeting when you called this morning, but Diane told me you had a doctor’s appointment. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is better than okay.” Melissa sat down in the visitor’s chair, hazel eyes gleaming. “I just found out that Gary and I are going to be parents.”
Samara’s eyes widened. “Oh my God! Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Melissa grinned, rubbing her flat stomach. “I’m pregnant, Samara.”
With an ecstatic squeal, Samara jumped up from her chair and rounded the desk to wrap her friend in a big hug. “Congratulations, Melissa! I’m so happy for you!”
“I met Gary for breakfast right afterward. He was so excited, Samara. You would think the man had just won the lottery!”
Samara laughed, drawing back to cradle Melissa’s face in her hands. “And what about you? How thrilled are you?”
“Very. Oh, I know it’s going to be a huge lifestyle adjustment. No more dropping everything and going to the movies or ballet performances whenever we want. No more sleeping in late on weekends.”
Samara guffawed. “You talk as if the baby will be here tomorrow! You and Gary still have plenty of time to enjoy those things. When are you due anyway?”
“Late September.” Grinning, Melissa sat down again as Samara perched a hip on the corner of her desk. “I can hardly believe it. I keep rubbing my stomach, unable to believe that a tiny life is already growing inside me. God, I’m going to be someone’s mother!”
“And you’re going to be as good at it as you are at everything else.”
“I hope you’re right.” Melissa worried at her bottom lip with her teeth, and Samara’s heart stirred at the naked vulnerability reflected in her friend’s eyes. It was hard to imagine Melissa, who was used to taking charge of every
aspect of her life, being daunted by the prospect of motherhood. But given the many uncertainties that came with the job, Samara could see how it was possible to feel intimidated, to question one’s own qualifications.
She reached over, gently touching Melissa’s knee. “You’re going to be just fine. I’m betting that it won’t take very long for that little boy or girl in there to realize how incredibly lucky they are to have a mommy like you.”
Tears shimmered in Melissa’s eyes. “I really needed to hear that. Thank you, Samara.”
Samara smiled softly. “You know I meant every word.” She clapped her hands together. “This calls for a celebration. I’m thinking lunch in Georgetown, a toast with sparkling cider!”
“Tomorrow,” Melissa said, rising from the chair. “I have tons of invoices to be mailed out this week, and the day’s almost over. Gary has already put me on notice that my days of working late at the office are numbered.”
Samara grinned. “Girl, that man is going to spoil you rotten.”
“Tell me about it. He’s already promising foot and back rubs every night, commuting together so I don’t have to drive, an unlimited supply of Häagen Dazs ice cream…”
Samara groaned enviously. “Don’t rub it in.”
Melissa chuckled, pausing at the door. “Before I forget, how was your weekend with Marcus?”
Samara hesitated, then answered truthfully, “It was wonderful. He showed me the time of my life.”
“I’ll just bet he did,” Melissa said with a lascivious grin. “Over, and over, and over again.”
Laughing, Samara pointed at Melissa’s stomach. “See, it’s that dirty mind of yours that got you in trouble in the first place.”
“You know it! But, hey, I’m not the one who’s in trouble here. You are.”
“How’s that?”
Melissa gave her a knowing smile. “Judging by the way your eyes light up every time you hear Marcus Wolf’s name, I would say you’re in serious trouble, girlfriend. It won’t be long now before you’re writing his name across your blotter and drawing little hearts around it.”
Heat stung Samara’s cheeks. “Don’t be silly. I didn’t even do that kind of stuff in junior high school.”
Melissa’s smile widened. “Well, you know what they say. There’s a first time for everything.”
Long after Melissa left, her parting words echoed in Samara’s mind.
There’s a first time for everything.
Including a first time for falling in love.
Samara froze, shaken by the thought.
Could it be true?
Had she been foolish enough to fall in love with Marcus, a man who was about as attainable as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?
After years of avoiding serious romantic entanglements and carefully safeguarding her heart, had she finally allowed the unthinkable to happen?
Closing her eyes, Samara leaned her head back against the chair and groaned softly. She didn’t have to look too deep within herself to find the answer.
God help her, she already knew. And Melissa was absolutely right.
Samara was in serious trouble.
1
Across town, Marcus had just hung up the phone with a client when the intercom on his desk buzzed. “Mr. Wolf, you have a visitor,” announced his receptionist.
Marcus frowned, his hand stilling over the legal pad he’d been making notes on. It was after five o’clock, and he knew he didn’t have any other appointments that day.
Unless…
“Her name is Celeste Rutherford, sir.”
The blood drained from Marcus’s head. Not Samara, as he’d
briefly hoped. Instead, the visitor was the last person on earth he would have expected.
Slowly, unsteadily, he rose to his feet.
“Mr. Wolf?”
He took a long, deep breath. “Please send her in, Laura.”
He didn’t trust his legs to carry him out to the reception area to meet her. Not after all this time.
Moments later, his mother stepped into the office almost tentatively, and Marcus’s heart clutched painfully in his chest. Ten years. That was how long it had been since he’d last seen her. Ten years.
Celeste Rutherford looked the part of a prosperous doctor’s wife in a mauve silk blouse tucked into pale cashmere slacks, her tiny feet covered in matching designer pumps. Her black hair was cut in short, stylish layers that accentuated her oval-shaped face. After all these years, her creamy skin remained smooth and unlined. But not even the expensive cosmetics she wore could conceal the faint lines of strain around her cinnamon-brown eyes and soft mouth.
A fine-boned hand lifted self-consciously to touch the pearl necklace clasped around her throat. “Hello, Marcus,” she said quietly. Her expression was guarded as she watched him, as if she fully expected to be met with a barrage of angry accusations.
Marcus inclined his head coolly. “Mother.” He remained planted behind his desk, wanting the physical barrier between them—needing it. “Would you care for something to drink?”
“No, thank you. Your secretary already offered.”
He nodded slowly. “How’ve you been?”
“I’m fine. I don’t know whether or not your father told you that I was coming to town with Grant—”
“He told me.”
She nodded. “Grant is giving a surgical lecture at a medical convention at Johns Hopkins, so I wanted to take the opportunity see you. It’s been so long. At least ten years.”
“At least.”
She bit her bottom lip as if she were trying to decide what to say next. “Marcus, I am truly sorry for missing your law school graduation. Grant and I never intended for our honeymoon to coincide with that date. It’s just that we weren’t able to go right after the wedding because Grant was needed at the hospital, and I—”
“You don’t have to explain, Mother.” The corner of his mouth lifted sardonically. “It was Greece. Who could blame you for not passing up on such a trip?”
“Marcus—”
“How is your husband, by the way?” He still couldn’t bring himself to utter Grant Rutherford’s name aloud. It felt like blasphemy against Sterling Wolf.
Celeste hesitated before answering evenly, “He’s doing well. One of his recent studies on stem cell research is being published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Mayo Clinic has received even greater publicity and financial contributions as a result of Grant’s research work.”
“Congratulations, to both of you.”
“Thank you.” She cast an appreciative look around the large office. “You’ve done extremely well for yourself, Marcus. We’re all very proud of you.”
His mouth curled in a mocking half smile. “Nothing but the best, right, Mother?”
Her eyes returned to his. “Maybe this was a mistake, my coming here like this. I assumed since your father told you in advance that I would be in town…” she trailed off, nervously stroking the pearl necklace again. “I suppose I just thought—”
Marcus arched a cynical brow. “What? You thought I would welcome your visit with open arms?”
“And would that be so terrible?” she asked, her voice rising on a shrill note. “I’m your mother, Marcus. Nothing you say or do will ever change that fact. Nothing.”
“I’m well aware of that,” he said coldly.
She turned away from him, facing the mahogany-paneled wall of books so that he wouldn’t see the sheen of tears in her eyes—too late. When she spoke, her voice was husky with emotion. “How long will you punish me for what happened between me and your father?”
Marcus was silent, his fisted hands jammed into his pants pockets. Anger pumped hard through his veins, as raw as ever.
“I don’t know how many times I can apologize to you for the way things happened,” Celeste continued.
“Things didn’t just happen, Mom. You made them happen.”
She spun around. “You have no idea what you’re talking abo
ut! You were just a child, Marcus. You knew nothing about my true relationship with your father!”
“I know he loved you more than life itself,” Marcus said in a low, controlled voice, “And you betrayed him in the worst possible way. I don’t need to know much more beyond that.”
“Don’t you?” she cried.
Marcus’s expression hardened. “Are you about to tell me that Dad abused you, cheated on you, or mistreated you in any kind of way?”
Her moist eyes softened. “Of course not. You know better than that, Marcus. Your father was—is—the most decent man I’ve ever known.”
“And you repaid his ‘decency’ by cheating on him.”
“It’s been twenty-five years, Marcus! How much longer are you going to carry this grudge against me? Your brother has forgiven me. We speak to each other quite often, did you know that? When he agreed to attend my wedding, we had a long heart-to-heart talk and resolved everything between us. He was just as hurt by the divorce as you were, but he was willing to put the past behind him and move on. Even your father has forgiven me, Marcus! Why can’t you?”
“I guess I’m not as magnanimous as Michael and Dad,” Marcus said mockingly.
“I don’t believe that! You are one of the most generous people I know. I haven’t forgotten the way you were as a little boy, defending your classmates from bullies, running errands for the elderly people in our neighborhood who couldn’t get around on their own. You always had such a big heart, so much love to give. I wasn’t at all surprised when you became the kind of attorney that would help others. It was like you were answering a calling.” Her voice broke as a single tear escaped from the corner of her eye. She sniffed and dabbed at the errant drop without looking at him. “You’re not a cruel person, Marcus. I know what it must be doing to you to hold on to this much hatred. Even if you don’t care what it’s doing to me, at least think about yourself.”
“Don’t you dare pretend to care about my well-being!” Marcus roared. “You haven’t cared since the day you walked out on us without a backward glance. You didn’t even fight for custody—you didn’t want us!”
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