It was the question she had dreaded. How could she tell Mark the truth? That she wasn’t as well off as she once was and now worked in this restaurant to support herself?
She couldn’t. “You know, Mark, I’d love to stay and chat, but as you can see the restaurant is quite busy and I do have other customers.”
His smile fading, he released her arm. “Of course. Well, whenever you get a minute, I’d love to chat with you.”
Nodding, Andrea said, “Sure.”
What was she going to do? she wondered as she flew into the kitchen to retrieve more food orders. Avoid Mark’s table and just have another waitress bring them their bill? That was an option, but what if they wanted dessert? Lord, this was truly the worst day of her twenty-six years. Why did Mark have to show up in her restaurant today, after ten years of not being in her life?
She avoided him as much as possible as she served other customers, but while at a table with a young mother and her daughter, Andrea noticed Mark waving at her. Damn him for still being so incredibly handsome. He was even more attractive than when she had first fallen for him years ago, and he’d been pretty fine then. His slender face was the complexion of milk chocolate, and except for the small scar on his chin that gave him character, his skin was smooth and flawless. But his two deep, sexy dimples had always been her weakness.
She excused herself from the mother and daughter, then coolly sauntered over to Mark’s table. As his smile widened, those two incredible dimples made an appearance.
And suddenly Andrea remembered another time, another place. She remembered being sixteen and in love. She remembered stroking that smooth, dark face, kissing those full, sexy lips. She remembered the way just one of Mark’s looks made her feel warm all over.
“Andrea?”
Startled from the reverie, Andrea found her voice. “You all finished?” she asked, then began clearing their plates. She hoped they hadn’t noticed her space out. “Can I get you any dessert, any coffee?”
The men agreed on coffee. Within a few minutes, she returned with four steaming cups, along with milk and cream. Thankfully, Mark was absorbed in what looked to be a serious conversation, over something in a file folder. Andrea pivoted on her heel and said, “I’ll just get your bill.”
“Wait a second.”
Andrea swallowed painfully before turning around. “Uh-huh?”
“You didn’t answer my question. About what you’re doing here.”
Andrea’s back stiffened at Mark’s words. She’d have to think of something to tell him; she couldn’t avoid him forever.
Turning to meet his gaze, she shrugged. “Oh, you know how it is. One can never have too much extra cash.”
“So that’s why you’re waitressing here?” Mark asked. “For the extra cash?”
Andrea fiddled with her ponytail. “Yeah.”
Mark pinned her with a dubious gaze. “Are you sure you’re the real Andrea Dawson?”
He may as well have added, “The Andrea Dawson I knew wouldn’t be caught dead working as a waitress.” And that would have been true. But her life had changed substantially over the past ten years, something she didn’t feel like sharing with him.
So she said simply, “People change.”
Mark shrugged, seeming to accept her explanation. But if he expected her to ask him what his profession was, he had another think coming. It was humiliating enough to know that he had obviously succeeded in life, whereas she had not.
Yet. She’d make her dreams come true one day.
She was thankful that Mark and his associates didn’t want a coffee refill. She’d seen the anxious looks on their faces and knew that they were ready to leave. When she handed them the bill, Mark gave her his Platinum Visa card. Not even Gold, but Platinum. Could this day get any worse?
So what? a voice asked her. So what if he has a Platinum credit card, a top of the line Mercedes, or even a lakefront mansion?
So what indeed? She went to the computer terminal and entered his payment.
Mark was the only one still at the table when she returned with his credit card and the Visa slip to sign. Just looking at him as he sat, Andrea’s heart went wild. It was bad enough dealing with him when he was with the other men, but to have to deal with him alone… Something strange was tingling in her belly. Something like…attraction.
But how could that be? Their relationship had ended years ago, and she had moved on with her life.
Pushing the thought from her mind, Andrea hoped Mark would sign the Visa slip, leave her a decent tip, then head out the door and out of her life.
When he finished settling the bill, Mark rose to his full six-foot-one-inch height. Absolutely gorgeous, he was a picture of cool confidence and success. And Andrea suddenly felt like a complete failure.
God, she was so pathetic, even her hands were shaking. “It was, uh, nice seeing you again,” she announced. “Take care.”
“That’s it?”
“Should there be anything else?”
“Andrea, I know we haven’t seen each other in years, but at one time we meant something to each other. Surely you’ve got to be curious about what I’ve been up to.”
“It’s obvious that you’re doing very well.”
“All right then, let me just say what’s on my mind. I’m only in town until tomorrow night, but maybe we could get together some time and talk. Have coffee.”
Andrea’s fake smile disappeared. No! She couldn’t see him again. She wouldn’t. Not after the way things had ended between them. And it wasn’t like there was a chance of a future with them now.
Still, she knew that there was something about Mark Potter that was dangerous to her heart and her sanity. She might start daydreaming about what once was and could never be again if she actually got together with him.
“Mark, I wish I could, but I’m just so busy with Dawson Enterprises and this job…I…” She was lying about Dawson Enterprises, and felt bad for it, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit that her family’s clothing business had gone belly-up. “I couldn’t possibly fit in any time to see you. But it was nice running into you again.” The fake smile returned. “All the best.”
Mark withdrew a business card from his shirt pocket and passed it to Andrea. Taking the card, she looked down at it. Embossed gold letters showcased the company’s name: Creative Image Advertising. Beneath that was Mark’s name, and his title—Founder & CEO.
Wow. If she weren’t so embarrassed, she would have been impressed.
“If you get some free time, call me,” Mark said. “Even if it’s just to talk for a few minutes.”
Andrea stuffed the card into her apron. “If,” she agreed. “But I don’t think I will. You take care now.”
And then, before Mark could say anything else to weaken her resolve, she practically sprinted to the kitchen. She held her breath as she peered through the small window in the kitchen door, only releasing it when she finally saw him walking toward the front exit.
Walking out of her life.
Again.
Chapter 2
Ten years.
Had it really been that long?
Swiveling the black leather chair toward the floor-to-ceiling windows in his hotel room, Mark locked his hands behind his head and gazed out at the gray-blue sky. It looked like it would snow.
“Andrea,” he said softly. He had never expected to see her again, and he’d expected that if he ever did cross her path it would be at some ritzy ball for the most important people in the state of Illinois. He certainly hadn’t expected to run into her in an airport restaurant in Buffalo—working as a waitress, no less. The Andrea he’d known and loved for a short time would never have been waiting tables.
Unless she had to. Several years back he’d heard that Just My Size, the once successful chain of children’s clothing stores started by Andrea’s father, Stewart, had been bought out. But considering the size and wealth of the company, he figured the Dawsons were still worth millions. What h
e learned today had him wondering if the rumors he’d heard were even remotely true.
First of all, he knew Andrea was lying to him when she said she was busy working for Dawson Enterprises. That company didn’t exist anymore. She obviously didn’t know that he knew that. But what intrigued him more was why Andrea had lied. Just because the company didn’t exist anymore didn’t mean her family didn’t have money. And if they did have the small fortune Mark expected they’d have, why was Andrea waitressing in a greasy spoon that could hardly bring in decent money?
His nagging curiosity had prompted him to call John Kreuger, one of his contacts in the clothing industry, and have him do a little digging into the Dawson’s background.
His cell phone rang. Spinning back around to face the hotel desk, Mark grabbed his phone off the table. “Potter here.”
“Mark, it’s John Kreuger.”
Great. The call he’d been waiting for. “John, hi. What did you find out?”
“I did a little digging, and it seems Dawson Enterprises went out of business six years ago. Actually, they went belly-up.”
“Bankrupt?” Mark asked, surprised. “I thought they were bought out.”
“You know spin doctors. You can’t believe everything you read in the papers.”
“Bankrupt,” Mark repeated.
“Mmm hmm. Seems they were in way over their heads, owed a lot of money to suppliers…and the bank.”
“You’re kidding.” This was very surprising, and very interesting. “So what next? They liquidated their assets, opened another store?”
“What assets? Apparently, after all the bills were paid, they couldn’t even keep the mansion. My source says they moved clear down state, to Bridgeport. As far away from Chicago as they could get, apparently.”
“Wow. That’s unbelievable. I thought that was a solid company.”
“Bad management, I guess. Who knows?”
If her parents were in Bridgeport, then what was Andrea doing working in Buffalo? He hadn’t seen a ring, so he didn’t think she was married. “So no word on what they’ve been doing these past six years?”
“Nothing I’ve been able to find out. But it’s clear they’re not living the glamorous life they were once used to.”
Very interesting indeed. “Thanks, John. I appreciate the info.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll be in touch. Maybe we can get together for a game of tennis this weekend when I’m back in town,” Mark suggested. He and John routinely played tennis at a club in downtown Chicago.
“Sure,” John replied. “Just let me know.”
“Will do.”
Mark hung up, his mind reeling with the information he’d just learned. In fact, he was wondering if he should head back to Mama’s Place and see Andrea again.
He was curious about why she’d lied to him, but it was more than that. Call him crazy, but he still had questions about the way she’d dumped him. About why. She had told him that she simply didn’t love him anymore, and he’d never believed that.
However, he’d never had the chance to talk to her again, to tie up the loose ends between them.
Had fate just handed him the chance?
When Andrea finished the final count of her cash, she heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God the day was over. She had worked a double, both lunch and dinner, which was always stressful. But at least she had earned a little more than a hundred bucks in tips.
In the restaurant changing room, she stripped out of her now filthy white shirt and black pants, then changed into a pair of jeans and a burgundy turtleneck sweater. She didn’t normally like turtlenecks, but this had been a gift from her best friend and classmate, and it was both warm and comfortable.
She was pleasantly surprised when she stepped outside and felt the mild night air. The day had looked so glum, she was certain it would be freezing. But there was a fresh dusting of snow, and it was never as cold outside when it was snowing.
As she made her way to her car, she let out the frustrated growl she’d held inside all day. Mark Potter! She still couldn’t believe that he’d shown up in her restaurant, and of all places, at her table! What kind of a cruel joke was fate playing on her? After ten years and a disastrous turn of events in her life, he was the last person she wanted to see.
Andrea slipped into her blue Pontiac Sunfire, jammed the key into the ignition, and tossed her purse onto the passenger seat. Life wasn’t fair. She remembered only too well when she had once had it all, when she had enjoyed the perks her parents’ money had given her. Mark always used to tell her she was clueless about the way normal people lived. Then, she hadn’t known what he meant. In reality, she hadn’t cared. She hadn’t known any better because her parents had spoiled her.
So this was the punishment for her arrogance—seeing Mark on top of the world, while she was now on the bottom. Mark’s suit alone could pay her rent and more. Once, she had been able to spend hundreds on a new outfit, and the truth was, she’d taken that life for granted. She hadn’t expected it to end. But it had ended, and she’d learned the hard way what it was like to suffer. Now, making ends meet was such a struggle that she sometimes didn’t know if she’d make it from one payday to the next.
“Don’t start feeling sorry for yourself,” she said, then started the ignition to begin warming her car. She still had plenty to be thankful for, like the fact that she was still breathing.
And she was especially thankful for Terrence, even if he had changed the course of her plans. Who ever thought a little boy could bring so much joy to one’s life?
“Why am I even thinking like this?” she asked herself. She hadn’t wallowed in self-pity when she got pregnant and had to drop out of college. She had accepted the challenges thrown at her and she was still going strong. She had a lot to be thankful for—something she had never questioned before.
It was just that seeing Mark again had thrown her for a loop. The last time she’d spoken to him, he had been heading to Kent State in Ohio on a football scholarship. Was that where he had gotten his money? From professional football?
No, she decided. If Mark Potter had made it to the pros she would have heard about it.
He was a bit slimmer than he had been in high school, but still muscular and just as gorgeous as ever. Even Pamela, after seeing him at table six, had regretted her refusal to take that table. “Man, he’s hot,” Pamela had later whispered in Andrea’s ear. “If he wants to come to my place I’ll serve him anything he wants.” Andrea had merely shrugged.
Mark, former high school football star, was no doubt a hit with the women. He had the killer good looks, and from what she remembered of him, he was a charmer. But he’d also been a total gentleman, and serious about his feelings for her. No, Andrea decided. Mark wasn’t a player. He was probably happily married and enjoying family life.
A pang of jealousy hit her hard as she considered that thought. At one time in her life, she’d thought they would end up married. In fact, she had been convinced of it.
Though their relationship ended a decade ago, she felt a modicum of regret that things hadn’t worked out for them. And a part of her couldn’t help but wonder what their life together might have been like if she hadn’t allowed her parents to interfere with her happiness. Would they have been happy together?
As she drove her car out of the parking lot and away from Mama’s Place she tried to force the memories of Mark Alexander Potter to the back of her mind. As the saying went, there was no point crying over spilled milk.
Then why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?
Why now? she asked herself. Why did he have to show up in my life now? She had never forgotten him. She had told him that she wasn’t in love with him anymore, but that had been a bald-faced lie. A lie to make sure he stayed away from her, as her parents had ordered. The look in his eyes had broken her heart, but she couldn’t let him know that.
From time to time she wondered how he was doing. From time to time, she felt regret
about what could have been.
What could have been but never would be.
“Why does this matter to me?” she asked herself. “Stop this pathetic trip down memory lane.”
The car was sufficiently warm, and Andrea started to drive. For some reason, she didn’t feel like going home yet. It was late, and Rhonda, her babysitter, was sleeping over, so she didn’t have to worry about Terrence. With the roads so quiet, it was the perfect time to take a long drive to clear her head and gain some perspective.
And she definitely needed perspective right now.
It was shocking that Mark’s reappearance in her life had rocked her to her core, but it had. She couldn’t deny that.
She headed to the 33 Expressway, but instead of heading home, she found herself merging onto the interstate. Before long, she was taking the I-190 North exit, heading toward Grand Island. It was as good a spot as any.
The snow was lightly falling, but the roads had been pretty much cleared from the previous night’s downfall. It was a picturesque time of year, with the snow and Christmas lights that many people had just put up after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Andrea would drive around and view Christmas lights and think of Terrence and the upcoming Christmas holiday. Last year, when he was three, he had finally understood what all the fuss was about. The look of excitement in his eyes had made her heart fill with a joy she hadn’t known existed before becoming a mother. Terrence’s excitement had been contagious, and she had fully enjoyed the holiday for the first time in years.
Andrea made a series of turns. Somehow, she was on a stretch of road in an industrial area, nowhere near the Christmas lights she was hoping to see. She didn’t know this part of town.
She drove over a set of train tracks, then continued over a short bridge before she slowed and turned her car around to retrace her steps. “Go back over the bridge,” she said aloud, “turn left…” She gazed out the right window at the wintery landscape. Even in the night, the snow covering the tree branches looked entirely enchanting.
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