Mitchell Barns was fully turned toward his audience. “I know what your presence here is costing today. Many of you closed shop to attend. I also know that many of you brought along photos. I don’t need to guess what’s in them. Odds are they’re similar to ones I have, ones of a time long passed—of people we know and love. Some who are still among us and others who have passed on but who still claim a place in our hearts.
“If those people are still among you,” Mitch continued, “I would hope that everyone in this room would make a point of telling those special people how much they are loved. More than that, I hope you’ve all been told by those special people how much they love you.
“My father and I didn’t trade I-love-yous regularly, but I knew I was loved. I thank God for closed doors, because my father could never say those words, much less show me any affection, when the world was watching. When his father was watching.” Mitch silenced, giving the crowd time to murmur words of understanding.
“Many of you knew my grandpa Shep,” he said, referring to Shepard Barns. “Many of you knew of him, knew his...points of view, his way of life, his crimes. Over the last several days, I’ve received photos, as you have. Photos of my father as a kid. Those of you who knew him may find it hard to see him as a kid. I did myself.
“He was a hard man—hardened over the years as I grew because my granddad said I’d never be worth carrying on the ideals of the family name if he didn’t. My dad listened and, because of that, I grew up thinking he lost his ability to love anyone—even me. I did whatever it took to get his approval. Thinking, believing as he did, as his father taught him... It became a way of life for me, too.
“But this—” Mitch raised a glossy black-and-white photo “—this reminded me of the man I had the chance to glimpse before hatred and fear changed him. This photo and others I’ve seen—thanks to my colleague Bryant Waverly, his wife Estelle and our new visitors, Kale Asante and Davia Sands—have showed me and, I think, showed a great many of you, a time when our town was the true definition of family. A time when we didn’t surrender to hate and fear. A time we’d maybe all like to see renewed.
“I called this meeting to say that any objections I may’ve had to moving forward with the proposal of a town theater have been tabled. I want to bring this back.” Again he raised the picture. “This sense of family, of community, of welcome. Thank you.”
Mitchell Barns reclaimed his seat while the hall remained silent. Seconds seemed to tick by and then there was a faint cry from the back of the crowded room.
“Way to go, Mitch!”
The room blossomed to life with cheers and roaring applause. Without his usual grandstanding, Mitchell Barns gave a soft smile and a single wave.
In the audience, Davia reached for Kale’s hand and smiled when Estelle reached over to cover their clasped hands with her own.
Chapter 18
The Mullins town council unanimously approved the decision for the theater. Kale’s premature meetings seemed to mature overnight. For the next few days he met with the various entities responsible for approving the kinds of licenses and permits required for the theater. Mitchell Barns’s town hall speech had had a galvanizing effect on his fellow Mullinsers.
Excitement spread from one end of the county to the other in anticipation of the new entertainment venue that wouldn’t be a reality for at least another two to three years. Though the craziness would quell, once the less exciting tasks of paperwork and other bureaucratic issues were under way, the elation showed no signs of dipping any time soon.
Mitchell Barns, humbled and modest during the meeting with his colleagues and fellow residents earlier in the week, had reclaimed some of his more boisterous qualities. He announced a huge indoor winter barbeque at his estate on the other side of town. Everyone in town was invited and encouraged to bring guests.
Davia, having fallen in love with Estelle’s boutique, tried to resist the urge to add more volume to her already overflowing suitcases. She wasn’t certain of the dress code for such an event as the one Mitchell Barns had put on the town calendar, so when Estelle suggested another trip to her boutique—just to be on the safe side—Davia agreed it couldn’t hurt. That day’s visit saw the addition of two new sets of formal and casual wear to add to her growing wardrobe.
She was smiling approvingly at one of those new outfits in the mirror of her suite when she heard a familiar voice.
“I’m pretty sure Barry said jeans were fine.”
Davia wasn’t surprised when she turned to see Kale enter her room. They’d stopped locking their doors after their first night together. Still, finding him there leaning on the doorjamb, when they hadn’t had much time to speak with one another since the unforgettable town meeting, shook Davia immeasurably. She was once again struck by his dark good looks, his virility.
Without realizing it, her fingers tightened around the shirt-collar bodice of the slinky black gown she’d been trying on.
“I decided to take Estelle’s ‘better safe than sorry’ advice, but I already decided on jeans.” She glanced toward the armchair near the alcove. There awaited a denim blazer with jeans and a walnut-colored cashmere sweater.
“Good choice.” Kale smiled once he’d followed her gaze to the big chair. Soon, though, his eyes had returned to appraise her in the gown. “So where will you be causing men’s eyes to pop out of their heads in that?” he asked as he walked toward her.
Davia glanced down at the garment that seemed to accentuate her curves. “San Francisco’s got no shortage of events. I’m sure I’ll find someplace to wear it.”
“Does that mean you’re going back soon?”
“Well, I—Of course.” Her fingers slid from the dress collar. “We, um, we don’t want to overstay our welcome, do we?” She tried her hand at teasing. “We’ve already cut into Barry and Estelle’s finances enough, staying here for free as long as we have.” He was almost close enough to touch her then and Davia felt her hormones jostling impatiently.
“We could just share a room,” Kale said in a way that was both playful and serious. “Barry and Estelle could open half the floor so they could make a little dough, at least.”
She couldn’t stand it anymore and reached out to grasp the hem of the hooded sweatshirt Kale wore with matching pants.
“That sounds good to me.” She brought him closer while linking her arms around his neck. She plied his earlobe with the faintest suckle.
“Davia—”
“Later.” She kissed his mouth.
Kale didn’t need much more persuading. In one swift motion he hoisted Davia against his chest then, shoving the recently purchased garments from the bed, he laid Davia there and followed her down. He consumed her mouth with the deep ragged thrusts of his tongue as his hand trailed up the length of her thigh, grabbing her gown and raising it higher to bare her skin.
Davia’s unhappy moan filled the room when Kale brought an end to their kiss. She tried to pull him back to her, but he was kissing his way down her body and soon reached the juncture of her thighs.
He kissed her through the crotch of her panties, his arrogant smile igniting when she gasped at the sensation. Using his nose, he nudged aside the material and inhaled her scent before gliding the tip of his tongue along the seam of her sex. Davia’s whimpering cries of approval were a thorough motivator and one he didn’t ignore. He claimed her with one languid thrust of his tongue, which he held there for a heated moment.
When Davia squeezed her intimate muscles around his stiff tongue, Kale savored the act. He waited until it seemed she was on the verge of losing all control before he withdrew.
She held her patience in a frantic clutch and waited for him to continue. Instead, Kale raised up to cover her again and Davia eagerly arched into him. He dropped a kiss to her ear and she stiffened at the words he spoke against it.
“I apologize for this, Davia... I shouldn’t be here.”
“I want you here.”
“Do you? Do you really, Davi? Or do you want to spend more time with this hot-and-cold dance we’ve been doing?” His rich chocolate stare roamed her face for a long moment and then he leaned close to put a kiss on her lips.
“Think about that,” he murmured, moving back to give her a long sweep beneath his gaze. “That really is a great dress.” Following the compliment, he walked out, leaving her alone.
* * *
“Estelle.” Relief filled Davia’s voice when she arrived in the kitchen just a bit out of breath late the next morning. “Have you seen Kale? I checked his room, but he wasn’t there and I really need to talk to him.”
She needed to tell him that he was right. She was just as curious to know where things could go between them as he was.
“Oh, honey.” Estelle’s expression relayed disappointment. “I’m sorry, but you missed him. He already checked out early this morning. I was up at dawn making him breakfast for the road.”
“But...we’ve got Mitchell Barns’s barbeque tonight.” Bewilderment clouded her words.
“Yeah.” Estelle nodded. “He said he had urgent business in Miami. He told me a jet would be on call for you whenever you’re ready to leave. But it’s okay. I mean, you guys are in business together now. You’ll see him soon, right?”
“Right.” Davia’s voice went quiet but inside her thoughts raged explosively. Kale had effectively left the ball on her side of the court.
“Should we make up an excuse for you, too?” Estelle continued to work on the food she was prepping at the counter. She glanced back when there was no response forthcoming and laughed at Davia’s curious expression. “We can make up an excuse if you want to go to Kale.”
“Uh, no, no, that...” Trailing off, Davia tugged a hand through her hair and looked as though she were trying to get her bearings. “You don’t need to do that. I mean...we’re partners, like you said. We’ll be seeing each other a lot from here on out.”
“Mmm.” Estelle gave the other woman the full benefit of her gaze. “If only this was about business, right?”
“Estelle...”
“What? I mean, I get the feeling all this is new for you and Kale. Like you just realized your feelings when you got here. Am I right?”
Davia hesitated on a nod and then gave in. “Yeah...yeah, pretty much.” She took a seat at the kitchen table. “And I don’t know whether to trust it. To trust myself. This whole thing...it just came out of nowhere, Estelle. There was no rhyme or reason to it.”
“But you want to trust it, don’t you?”
Davia couldn’t summon a response.
Estelle didn’t press for one. “When you’ve got your answer, let us know if we need to make an excuse for you tonight.” Moving from the counter, Estelle squeezed Davia’s shoulder on her way out of the kitchen.
Miami, Florida
“Sorry, guys.” It was Kale’s third apology since the start of the meeting that afternoon. He could barely keep his mind on the contents of the files in front of his eyes, let alone the discussion around the conference table. The words of his executive staff sounded like a monotonous buzz in his ears.
He could only think of Davia—the way she’d looked when he’d left her the night before. Flying back to Miami that morning, he’d asked himself why he’d left her. He told himself he knew why and then cursed himself for pushing her into a decision he had no right to demand of her.
No right to demand...and yet there he was back in Miami because...why? This was a meeting he just couldn’t miss? The truth was he had only gone about making his demands a whole other way. Not by words but by action.
Kale emerged from his deep thoughts to hear his chief architect calling out to him. He smiled, not even trying to pretend he’d been paying attention.
“Guys, I guess I’m just not all there today,” he said.
Several at the table began to chuckle.
“All there...that’s a good one, K.” His chief architect Lyle Neese grinned devilishly. “Sounds like your heart’s still in Iowa.”
More robust chuckling surrounded the table. Kale smirked, though his eyes held a look that was nothing short of pensive.
“Know what, Lyle?” Nodding, Kale stood. “I’d have to agree with you. Excuse me, fellas.” He left his then silent conference room to make his way back to his office suite.
He stopped outside the cubicle of his assistant, Stephanie Merchant.
“Steph, I need you to contact Sully and let him know I need him back here ASAP.”
Concern shadowed Stephanie’s honey-complexioned face. “Everything okay?”
“No, everything is not okay.” Kale’s tone was harsh, but he shook his head upon noticing his executive assistant’s concerned expression. “I need to go back to Iowa,” he explained.
“Is there a problem there?”
“I hope not,” Kale said, “but I did forget something.”
Stephanie reached for the phone. “I hope it’s nothing too important.”
“Pretty important.” Kale took a pen from the desk and began to twirl it idly around his fingers. “It’s the woman I’m falling in love with.”
Stephanie gasped, her fingers slowing on the keypad where she’d been dialing Kale’s pilot Sullivan Cage. “Um, Kale, I don’t think you’re gonna need Sully for that.”
Before Kale could ask Stephanie to explain, he heard his name—in Davia’s voice. Turning, he found her standing in the entrance of his assistant’s cubicle.
“Stephanie,” Kale said without looking away from Davia.
“I know, clear everything for the day,” Stephanie finished for her boss and then laughed when he sent her a pointed look over his shoulder. “Right. Clear everything until further notice.”
Kale graced the woman with a quick smile, but uncertainty was controlling his features again by the time he looked back to Davia.
She took a short step forward. “Is there somewhere...?”
Kale was already nodding and extending his hand to urge her to follow him.
The grip of déjà vu held Kale as he and Davia made the short walk to his office. Kale recalled their first meeting little more than a month ago, which had begun in a similar fashion. As he had then, Kale once again smiled in appreciation of the subtle curves of her willowy body. That day she sported jeans and a wispy blouse and his approval was as high then as it had been the first time he’d laid eyes on her. More, as he now had proof of what she felt like in his hands.
In truth, little had changed between then and now. On that first day, she’d been a very beautiful woman he very much wanted to take to bed. Now, she was a very beautiful woman from whom he wanted so much more.
Davia slowed her steps when Kale moved closer to squeeze her elbow to guide her around the slight curve in the corridor. They were in sight of his office door.
Kale opened one of the double pine doors and waved Davia forward to precede him.
“Wow.”
He heard her response before he closed the office door. He understood her reaction. “See something you like?” he asked anyway.
“Yeah, my office.”
He laughed. “So did I when I saw yours.”
The living area, with its astounding collection of books and DVDs, was beyond impressive. As was the mini gym in a far corner of the enormous room.
Davia hoped there would be a chance to talk about their mutual decorating interests at a later time. Just now she was interested in a different discussion topic. Walking into the room, she came to a stop in front of the built-in shelving.
“Did you mean it?” she asked while browsing the never-ending sea of DVDs. “What you just said out there?”
Kale didn’t
need a further reminder. “I meant it.” He rested against the closed office door. “I should’ve said it before I left you in Iowa. Come to think of it, I never should have left you in Iowa. I was trying to...press my issue, to get what I wanted, and I’m sorry, Davia, for manipulating you that way.”
She faced him then. “But, Kale, you didn’t.”
“You’re here, aren’t you?” His argument was soft yet pointed.
“I knew what I wanted long before you ever left.” She let him see her sincerity and her unease. “It’s not easy for me to admit to being afraid. Chances are there’s still more of it that I’ll need to deal with before all is said and done. I’ve only known three really brave women in my life—my mom, my aunt and Tella.”
She let her gaze falter then. “Sadly, there were no instances of them having to prove their bravery in matters of the heart, so I had nothing to go on there. My aunt never married. Tella’s theater consumed more of her heart than any man ever could, and my parents have a fairy tale of a marriage.” She gave a mystified shrug.
“I have no clue how to be in a...relationship. I’ve never wanted a real one and it scares me that the one I want now is with a man I once disliked.”
“Once?” he probed.
Davia lifted her gaze from the floor but still could not meet his eyes. “I’m not falling in love with you. I’ve already fallen, so if you’re serious here, you’ve got some catching up to do.”
Though a grin emerged, his words were firm. “It would probably scare you—even more—to know how serious I am.”
She smiled, but her expression soon sobered. “We’ve got almost an entire country separating us, Kale.”
“Is that part of what’s scaring you?”
“Maybe...but I’d like to change that.”
“Well, then—” Kale spread his hands “—I can’t ask for more than that.”
Davia reached for one of his extended hands. “I can.” She tugged his jacket lapel and pulled him close to initiate their kiss.
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