by Natalie Ann
“I’m hurt,” he said, putting his hand to his heart.
Gosh, he was adorable. “I find that hard to believe.” She pulled a stool out and sat down, watched as he poured her coffee and set it in front of her, then pushed the cream and sugar closer.
“So, what are your plans today?” he asked, just like he had that first morning they’d shared together.
She tilted her head to the side, wondering what move he was trying to make. Was he trying to pretend the last few weeks apart hadn’t existed?
“I’m working. What about you?”
“Same here. I’m going to Nick’s later today to go over a few things; otherwise I’m working out of the cabin this week.”
“The whole week?” she asked, starting to eat her breakfast. Celeste sure did have a magical touch with food.
“I’m here until Sunday for the moment. Maybe longer…”
She ignored that and continued to eat. “No family to spend the holiday with?”
“I am spending it with family,” he said quickly enough, but she caught something underlying there.
“Same here.”
“And that family would be?” he asked.
It was decision time. Did she just finish up breakfast and walk away, or continue on? Did they spend some time together this week? But then what? She had to know.
“Before I answer that, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What are you hoping to accomplish here?”
“With work?”
“With me,” she said. “You’re going back to Richmond in a week.”
“Or longer,” he said, grinning.
“Or longer. Still, you’re returning home.”
“I am,” he said. “But maybe I want to see if there is anything here between us. Maybe I wanted to do that all along, but you never gave me the chance.”
She hadn’t thought anything was possible long distance. She lived here, he lived wherever her imagination had placed him weeks ago. A place where she couldn’t see what he was doing or who he was with when she wanted to.
“Do you think it’s possible?”
“Anything is possible if you try hard enough,” he said. “Or want it enough.”
Rather than answer that, she just said simply, “I’ll spend Thanksgiving with my parents and sister, her family, other parishioners, and the hungry.”
“Parishioners?” he asked, his mouth hanging open. She’d managed to shock him.
“My father is a minister. My mother helps run the church, coordinates events in the community and the like. Thanksgiving is a big meal the church puts on for people who are hungry or in need. It’s not as big as other areas, but there are still more people in need than most realize.”
“That’s nice. I never pictured you as a minister’s daughter.”
“Not many people do,” she said, leaving it at that. Now wasn’t the time to bring up bitter memories. “What about you? No family to spend the holiday with? Other than Nick?”
“My grandparents live in Richmond. I moved them there years ago when I started to work for Nick. They raised me, so they’re my only true family.”
“Oh. You didn’t want to be with them this year?”
“I did. Unfortunately, my mother and my half siblings are visiting, and I don’t want to be with them.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. She’d never watched herself before talking with people, always spewing questions and comments out when she wanted to. But this time, she decided to hold her tongue. It didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it.
“There have been plenty of holidays I haven’t wanted to spend with family either.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“For what?”
“For not asking more. I know you want to. I know I would have if someone just said that to me.”
“I want to, but I won’t. If you want to tell me, you will.”
“Maybe someday,” he said, pushing his finished plate away from him and sitting back on the stool, just watching her next move.
“I should probably go see if my patients are up and moving around now, then get to work.”
“You should,” he agreed. “Yet you aren’t moving.”
“I’m trying to figure you out right now,” she said bluntly.
“Don’t try. No one can ever figure me out completely.”
His grin was contagious, and she found herself matching it. “I’m used to telling people that, too.”
“Guess we both have something to look forward to this week, then.”
“Could be,” she said, standing up now.
She didn’t get one step away before he yanked her forward as she had done to him the day before. The kiss was anything but sweet and tender. It was urgent and needy and on the edge of “give me more.”
When she finally managed to find a few brain cells—and catch her breath—she leaned back and smirked at him.
“So are you going to think about me today at work?” he asked confidently.
“I think you know the answer to that,” she said, walking away.
She was sitting in her car getting ready to drive away when she realized she’d never checked on her patients. Seeing a light on, she climbed out and made her way over, but not before she took one more quick glance at the cabin.
Upset
She’d wanted to know what he hoped to accomplish with her, but he didn’t have a full answer. He only knew he was going to spend his time winning her over.
She wouldn’t be walking away from him this time without at least saying goodbye. And maybe—if he was lucky—neither one of them would be walking away at all.
So he started to plan. After all, he was good at doing that.
Once breakfast was cleaned up, and emails answered, he sat back and thought about his conversation with Amber some more.
A minister’s daughter. Yeah, that was completely unexpected. She didn’t look or act like one.
Not that she stood out in her looks as being provocative, because she didn't. But she wasn’t prim and proper looking or acting, either.
No, she had curves in all the right places and she carried them well, and showed them off even better. Nothing daring, but nothing hiding what treasures she had.
And her looks. Again, nothing that stood out as come on over and party, but there was a twinkle in her eye added with a look that said “Dare you to take a walk to the wild side” that just sucked him in.
It was as if her sly look threw down a challenge and he accepted before he knew what he was about. Then the vortex grabbed ahold and the rest was history.
Now here he was wondering how to hang on. What he needed to do first was make a decision about how much further he was willing to go. How much more he was willing to open himself up. Once burned, twice shy. Would she strike the match again, holding it inches from his skin?
He could brush it off as a fling, end it on his terms, but something in him couldn’t do that. Something in him wasn’t willing to let go of her or even consider it right at this moment.
If his guess was right—not to mention her reaction to him with both kisses—then she wasn’t willing to let it go, either.
With those thoughts in his mind, he finished up his work, grabbed his jacket and keys, and walked out of the cabin a few hours before he had to meet Nick.
***
“Amber, do you have a minute for a consult before lunch?” Ava, the receptionist, asked when she walked into the back of the building where the exam rooms were.
“What’s she looking for?”
“He. It’s a guy. He didn’t say, just had a brochure in his hand and asked to see you. Said he was referred by someone out of the area and was here visiting and took a chance.”
“Okay. Put him in room three and I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Amber said, then walked into her last scheduled appointment.
Ten minutes later, she walked to the front of the building and knocked on the closed door with one
hand, while holding her laptop in the other. “Hi,” she said, opening the door, and then froze.
Seriously? This had to be a joke.
“Hey, Amber.”
“Really, Zach? What are you doing here?”
He was sitting on the end of the bed rather than one of the chairs, just smiling away like he didn’t have a care in the world. In his hand was a brochure.
“I was curious about some of the treatments and procedures I read here.”
She set her laptop down on the counter, then turned and crossed her arms. She wanted to be mad. She wanted to be annoyed. Instead, she was elated.
“What procedures are those? Do you want liposuction? How about a chemical peel? I know, you want a Brazilian butt lift.”
Damned if he didn’t stand up and turn his back to her, look over his shoulder, angling his head one way and then the other, examining his rear end in the mirror. “I don’t know, what do you think? I always thought my gluts had the perfect amount of round firmness. I mean, you weren’t really complaining before.”
No, she had no complaints about his body. He was about six feet of deliciousness, four inches taller than her. A little on the slim side, but not skinny. Just not bursting with muscles either. “You’re something else.”
“Well, if you don’t think I need that, and a chemical peel sounds a little too icky for me, how about a chin lift?” He turned his head side to side in the mirror. “Is anything sagging? A nip and tuck, maybe?”
There was no holding back the laughter this time. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Really?” he said. “Thanks. Then come here and show me.” He reached for her, but she sidestepped him.
“I’m working right now. Did you come here to just see if you could kiss me?”
“Will it work?” he asked.
“No,” she said firmly. She had to draw the line somewhere. Geez, she just left him a few hours ago and spent the entire time trying to push him from her mind at work.
“Now I’m hurt.”
“No, you aren’t. What are you really doing here?”
“How about lunch together?”
“We had breakfast together,” she whispered. The walls could be a little thin at this end of the building. The last thing she needed was someone hearing their conversation.
“We did. But now I’m hungry for lunch. Join me?” he asked sweetly.
“Maybe I’ve got plans,” she said.
“Do you?”
“Depends on what you planned on buying me.” Boy, she missed the easy banter they’d had their short time together.
“Name your price. Or your food, I should say.”
“Tacos,” she said suddenly.
“Deal. Anywhere to get them around here?”
“There are a few places. Let me get my jacket,” she said before she could talk herself out of making one heck of a mistake again.
“I’ll just go with you,” he said, following her out of the door and down the hall to her office. She found she was too weak to deny him, but wished she had when she opened the door and it was occupied.
“Zach!”
“Pipsqueak,” Zach said, walking over and pulling Rene out of her chair and hugging her tight. Where had her brain gone, forgetting that Zach and Rene knew each other? And knew each other well.
“I was wondering if you’d come see me, but I didn’t expect it to be at work,” Rene said, leaning back and kissing him on the cheek.
“Wow, look at you,” he said, his eyes traveling and landing on her belly. “Little Rene is having a baby. I guess I didn’t believe it until now.”
“Believe it,” Amber said. “That sweet little girl you’ve probably known for years has been replaced with a walking garbage disposal who will bite your hand off if you even make mention that she is eating too much.”
“Junior is hungry,” Rene said, looking at Amber then back at Zach.
“No name yet? How about Zachery McGuire. It has a nice ring to it.”
“Ha ha. I know you tried that with Nick and Mallory. But sorry, we’ve got a name picked out and it’s not yours.”
“Bummer.”
“TJ,” Amber said.
“What?” Rene asked, with a curious look.
“I’ve decided to call him TJ for short instead of Junior.”
“I like that. I’ll have to run it by Cole.” Rene turned to Zach. “Junior is really Thomas John, after both of our fathers. But never mind that. Did you come to take me to lunch?” she asked, getting excited.
“Calm down your hunger sensors,” Amber said. “Zach is taking me to lunch.”
“You?” Rene said, looking confused. “How do you two know each other?”
Too late Amber realized she’d put her foot in her mouth. “We met in Vegas,” she said quickly, turning her head to gather her purse and coat.
“Hmm,” Rene said. “You’ve been awfully tight-lipped about your trip to Vegas. Now I’m starting to wonder why. Did you even attend anything at the convention?”
“Of course I did,” Amber said. “I showed you all my reports and even what I had done and the results.”
“Yep, you sure did,” Rene said, smiling. “But I’ve known Zach for a long time and I’m starting to think it’s possible the convention took a backseat in Vegas.”
Amber slipped on her jacket that she’d been holding. “Let’s go, Zach. I have an appointment at one, so I need to be back by then. Bye, Rene.”
They were seated in Zach’s rental car when he turned to her and laughed. “What was that about?”
“What?” she asked.
“You being in a hurry. Maybe I wanted Rene to go to lunch with us.”
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t think of that. We can go get her.”
“No, it’s fine. You just looked disappointed. See, you want to spend time with me alone.”
Rather than answer him, she said, “What did Rene mean when she said she knows all about you?”
“I’m a nice guy. Everyone loves me,” he boasted.
He was a nice a guy, but that wasn’t what she meant. “How often do you hook up with strange women when you’re out of town?”
“Jealous?” he asked, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.
“No,” she said, lying through her teeth. Here were go again, she thought, ideas developing in her head.
“I think you aren’t telling the truth.” He took his hand off the wheel and poked at her arm. “I’ll be truthful and tell you no. I don’t make a habit of it. Feel better now?”
“But you’ve done it before?” she asked again. “You said make a habit of it.”
“No, I haven’t. Nor do I make a habit of it. Happy? Have you?”
“No,” she said, looking out the window.
“Say that while looking at me,” he told her.
“You’re driving.”
He laughed, then pulled over to the side of the road and put it in park. “There. Now look me in the eye and say it.”
She held her breath. Why did it matter that he was asking her? What if she had before? Though she hadn’t. And what difference did it make what she did before she met him?
But it did make a difference. Because she’d never done that before when she was out of town. Though she’d been judged before in her life, she didn’t want to be judged by Zach.
Had she picked someone up locally? Sure, a time or two, but not often. Not like people thought or even said.
She was friendly and outgoing, but she wasn’t loose. She didn’t go around sleeping with random guys she picked up in a bar. She was more responsible than that.
Then why did she do it with Zach? Why did she have a moment of weakness with him?
Because she was lonely and upset, but never let on, and he was a good-looking guy that started talking to her.
He didn’t pressure her for anything more than conversation and because of that, she took the risk and then the next step.
“No. I haven’t done t
he walk of shame, you could say, since college. Even then, I normally knew who I was going home with the few times it happened.”
“Then I feel honored I was your first.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, so for once she chose to say nothing at all.
Small World
“You’re early,” Nick said when Zach walked in the front door. “Want some lunch?”
“No, I just ate. Sorry, I was out running around and figured I’d stop over now. Is it a bad time?”
“No. I was just on a web call with Caleb, but when he heard me say you were here early, he hung up.”
“What is with him?”
“Nothing. You know how he is. He’s come a long way already, so don’t be scaring him off,” Nick said, smirking.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. You aren’t replacing me, are you? Setting up another bromance? Do I need to move here to make sure someone isn’t taking my place?”
“No one can replace you, Zach. It’s not possible.”
Zach laughed, then sat down in Nick’s office and opened up the laptop he’d been carrying. “Let’s get down to business then so I can earn my keep.”
“Now that that’s out of the way,” Nick said a few hours later, “tell me what’s been bothering you for the last few weeks.”
There was no denying anything with Nick. They might not see each other much anymore, but they talked enough, or when they didn’t talk Nick knew when something wasn’t right.
“You always knew Mallory was the one, didn’t you?”
If Nick thought the question was from out in left field, he didn’t say. “Yeah. Even when I was in college, I knew it was her. I never thought I’d see her again, but I couldn’t let her go. I couldn’t give up on her, wondering if she was out there somewhere.”
“How did you do it? How did you move on all that time?”
Nick looked at him oddly. “Obviously I didn’t do a good job at it. You’ve known me since before she went missing.”
Zach remembered that time. Remembered how hard it was on Nick that first year. How he talked about Mallory all the time. And when he wasn’t talking about her, he was driven to prove to everyone he had what it took to be successful.