“And you never thought there might be something else you’d like to do?”
“No.” He shrugged. “I didn’t really have any other career aspirations.” He’d liked school and girls, but hadn’t begun to think about the rest of his life.
“So was it after Adrian made it big you started representing others?”
“Yeah. I had all these people contacting me and wanting my help, plus I had enough cash to set up, so I thought why not?” He liked helping others; it made him feel good about himself.
“How do you choose who you represent?”
He’d never analyzed it, but that answer interested him as well. Reviewing his list of artists, he realized that stylistically they were all different. Some wanted regular gigs and a half-decent income and others wanted fame, fortune and all that came with it.
The one thing they all had in common was they loved music.
He told Elle.
“What about Ophelia? Didn’t you say she could only sing and wasn’t interested in anything else?”
“She lied to me.” It still grated on him. “Said she was a singer/songwriter, handed me a list of songs she’d paid someone to write for her and gave me a down-on-her-luck story.”
Elle watched him steadily. “You do like to help people, don’t you?”
“Sure. Doesn’t everyone?” He was a little uncomfortable with the way she was watching him. It was as if she was trying to work him out. No one had looked at him like that before.
“No.” She smiled then. “When you’ve saved them, do you go on to the next project?”
George wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “They’re all still my clients.”
The waitress came and took their orders.
When she left, Elle asked, “Have you always got along well with your family?”
Relieved with the change of subject, he said, “Of course.”
“Never squabbled, or stopped talking to them?”
She was genuinely interested. “We argue occasionally but it never lasts more than a day.” Tired of talking about himself, he asked, “What about you?”
She dipped her head, acknowledging she should answer some questions too. “James and I were always close. Dad works long hours and Mom often fretted about how people perceived us. James could always calm her down and make things better.”
“So you and your mom didn’t get along?” Elle hadn’t said much about her.
“She wanted me to be one of the popular girls and that was never going to happen. They were nasty and mean.” She sighed. “When I refused to go to prom, she didn’t speak to me for a week.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I thought all girls wanted to go to prom.” He and Adrian had taken to hiding out in Daniel’s apartment in the weeks leading up to any big dance. There was always the drama of the dress, or the boy who’d asked someone else.
Elle shook her head. “Not me. I wanted to have a party at my house for my friends. Mom would have nothing of it. She bought me a hideously low-cut, black dress that was far too sophisticated for me, hired a makeup artist and drove me to the dance herself.”
“Did you go in?”
“I pretended to and then caught a cab home. I arrived not long after she did, and luckily Dad arrived home at the same time. He sided with me.”
“No interest in boys?”
Elle groaned. “They were all so juvenile.” She grimaced. “It’s probably one of the reasons Dean found it so easy to sweep me off my feet.”
George was quiet, waiting for her to go on.
“The older man, the struggling artiste, the loner. I got all three clichés wrapped up in one.” There was self-recrimination in her voice.
“You were looking for maturity.”
“And intellect.”
“You were a good student.” James had said as much the night before and he’d seen Elle a fast learner with the café.
“Yes, teacher’s pet.”
“I can imagine.” George sipped his coffee. “So what did the young Elle want to be when she grew up?”
Elle was silent for so long George thought she wasn’t going to answer. “A scientist.”
There was a big difference between a café owner and a scientist. “Which field?”
She shrugged. “I hadn’t decided. I was considering medical research and renewable energy.”
“Would you consider going back to college?”
Elle sighed. “I’m not sure. Right now my focus is on providing a safe home for Toby. If the café is successful, I might take night classes when he gets a little older.” She frowned at him. “How did we get talking about me?” She smiled at him. “So tell me, did you get crowned Prom King?”
He laughed, letting her turn the conversation back to him. “Of course.”
They continued to talk, but George made a mental note of the information she’d given him. He wanted her to achieve all her dreams.
***
It was close to midday when they left the café. Elle held her stomach and groaned. “I ate way too much.”
“I noticed,” George said.
Elle glanced at him. He was grinning. She swatted his arm. “That’s no thing to say to a lady.”
“You’re right. I should apologize, particularly because you paid.” He drew her close and kissed her; it was quick and casual, but it still sent a thrill through her.
She was pleased he’d let her pay. They’d argued about it but in the end she’d simply handed over the cash before he could.
“Where to now?” he asked as they got into the car.
They still had five hours before Toby was due home. “What would you recommend is a must-see in Houston?” she asked him.
“Indoors or outdoors?”
Elle paused. Rain clouds were forming and she suspected they’d have an afternoon shower. “Indoors.” Then she remembered what she wanted to do. “Can we go to the movies?”
George looked amused at her enthusiasm. “What do you want to watch?”
“Something light – a comedy maybe.”
George tapped into his smartphone and pursed his lips. “There’s not a lot on. Why don’t we go to my place? I’ve got a home theater, popcorn and soda, and lots of movies to choose from.”
Elle hesitated. It meant they would be alone together. Was she ready? She glanced at him and he was watching, waiting for her decision. Letting her choose.
“That sounds great.”
George flashed her a grin and started the car. “So what was the last movie you watched?” he asked.
Elle had to think about it. “Possibly something Dad worked on.” She named the last one she could remember.
“That was years ago,” George commented.
“I haven’t been to the movies since I moved to Texas.”
“Dean never took you?”
She shook her head. “There wasn’t a theater nearby and he didn’t want to contaminate his own writing.” How had she not recognized how self-absorbed he was?
“Well then. I’ll give you the full movie experience,” George said.
He pulled into his garage and the automatic door lowered behind them. There was a clang as it hit the ground and suddenly Elle was transported back to the ranch, back to the time Dean had locked her in the pantry.
Her breath restricted as she remembered the tight, enclosed space, recalled banging on the door, using her shoulder to try and force it open, all the while terrified as to where Toby was. She fumbled with her seatbelt, her heart racing and her skin prickled and hot. Finally she forced open the car door and climbed out, looking for the exit of the garage.
“This way,” George called. If he noticed her panic, he didn’t comment on it, just led the way to the door into the house.
Her heart rate began to slow. She wasn’t trapped. She was with George and she was safe.
“Theater room is here.” He flicked on the lights and Elle’s mouth dropped.
The room was almost as big as her whole apartment. A huge sc
reen and projector hung from the ceiling. Massive, overstuffed armchairs and sofas lined the opposite wall, some with drink holders in them. It was luxury.
“DVDs are over there,” George said. “You can choose something. They’re ordered by genre and then alphabetically.”
Elle took a deep breath, rubbing her arms and calming further, and walked up to the cabinet George had opened. It contained row upon row of movies. It was incredible.
“Would you like popcorn and soda?”
Elle cleared her throat but her voice was still a little hoarse. “Yes, please.”
George left the room and she stepped forward to browse the titles. There were many there she recognized, classics from her childhood and even later, and plenty she’d never heard of before.
It had been a long time since she’d had a panic attack, months in fact, and she didn’t know why she would have one here with George. She’d thought she was over them, that she’d stopped looking over her shoulder to see if Dean was following her.
Perhaps she’d never fully be over her ordeal. She’d always remember it – that was certain. Taking another breath, she read the spines of the DVD covers. She was determined to enjoy herself with George. A panic attack would not ruin her day.
A title caught her eye and she smiled. She hadn’t seen the movie since she was a teenager but it was a favorite of hers. She drew it out and went in search of George. Following the scent of popcorn she found him in the kitchen and he glanced up as she walked in.
“That was quick.”
She held up the movie and he nodded in approval. “Classic.” He poured two huge glasses of soda, adding straws to them both, before turning and retrieving the popcorn from the microwave. He poured it into a bowl and turned to the pantry to take out a huge packet of chocolate candy.
“Fancy some?” he asked.
“Absolutely.” She tucked the DVD under her arm and picked up the bowl of popcorn and one of the drinks.
Together they went back to the theater room and Elle settled on one of the sofas, putting the popcorn bowl between them, while George loaded the DVD.
“This is amazing,” she said, snuggling down into the chair.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” George said as he sat next to her and then pushed a button on the side of the chair.
Elle gasped as the chair started moving, slowly tilting her back and lifting her legs up. By the time it was finished she was lying almost horizontal, but was able to see the screen fine.
“I might never leave,” she said.
“Fine by me.”
Elle’s head whipped around to check if he was kidding, but he was adjusting something with the remote. The lights dimmed.
What the heck did he mean by that? The words implied commitment but they’d not spoken about anything of the sort.
Hell, they hadn’t even slept together yet. Were they words thrown out without thought or was he hinting at something?
“Movie’s about to start,” George said, glancing at her and then indicating the screen.
There was nothing in his look or in his tone that suggested it was anything but a throwaway comment, so why was she so uptight?
Elle swallowed her groan and turned her attention to the screen. She would think about it later.
***
George waited for Elle to turn away and settle in to her seat before he quietly let out the breath he’d been holding.
Where the hell had those words come from?
He’d noticed her panicked glance, as he’d noticed her panic earlier when he’d closed the garage door behind them. Then, as now, he pretended to be oblivious until she’d relaxed.
But now the lights were down and the movie had started, he could concentrate on what he’d said. He took a handful of popcorn, using the movement to glance at Elle, but she was either engrossed in the movie or studiously ignoring him.
Either way suited him.
As he’d said those words, he felt like he’d been hit over the head with a two by four. Dazed and confused. Now his head had cleared and he could focus.
It felt right having Elle next to him in the room. He could picture them cuddled up on the couch together on a stormy spring night or with Toby watching the latest blockbuster animation.
She’d seemed at home in his kitchen, picking up the popcorn and drink, wandering back to the theater room.
They’d known each other a month. He’d been in casual relationships for longer than that, but none of them had ever given him this sense of fulfillment. He’d brought none of those women to this house, the one he’d renovated himself. The place he called home.
But it felt right with Elle.
He loved spending time with her, learning about her life, her hopes, her dreams. When he got her to laugh, it was a rich, unfettered sound that made him smile. He loved hearing it, loved he could make her laugh, loved her.
He loved her.
The realization didn’t hit him with a bang, didn’t shock him or worry him. It made sense of everything, made him relax, made him smile. And he loved Toby as well. The kid was so inquisitive and so full of life. George wanted to be a part of both their lives.
He reached out and took Elle’s hand, entwining their fingers.
She glanced at him and he smiled, turning back to the movie.
She wasn’t ready to hear he loved her. He understood that, even though he wanted to tell her over and over again.
It would be hard. He’d never hidden how he felt with anyone, had always been open and honest.
With Elle he had to take it slow.
He had to remind himself constantly of what Isla had told him. Elle was still working out what she wanted, who she was as a person and what she wanted out of life. If he tried to push her a certain way she’d push back.
But he could wait. She was worth waiting for.
***
When the movie ended, Elle was still holding George’s hand. She’d dismissed what he’d said as a flippant comment and had relaxed to watch the movie she’d loved as a child. She stretched, breaking contact.
“That was fun,” she said.
“It was,” George agreed, moving the chairs so they sat upright again. He checked the time. “You’ve got a couple of more hours before you have to be home. What else would you like to do?”
Elle wasn’t sure. She stood, grabbed the half-empty bowl of popcorn and her drink and said, “Shall we clean up?”
“You can leave it,” George said, but Elle was already out of the door.
Why was she so twitchy all of a sudden?
Placing her cup and bowl on the table she glanced out of the kitchen window at the rain falling in sheets. Hopefully Toby wasn’t still outside. She checked her phone to make sure she hadn’t missed any messages from Libby.
Nothing.
George came into the room and loaded their dishes in the dishwasher. “Coffee?”
“Sure.” She couldn’t sit still so she stayed standing. “Lucky we stayed indoors,” she commented, wincing at the mundaneness of her words.
“Always lots of rain in June,” George replied as he got the coffee things together. When the coffee machine was humming, he walked over. “What’s wrong?”
What could she say?
She’d really enjoyed the morning, learning more about George. But listening to him talk about his clients made her uncertain. Was she his latest project, his latest damsel in distress? Elle had decided if she was, she’d enjoy it while it lasted, not get too caught up in it, focus on protecting Toby and herself.
But then he’d thrown out the comment about her staying. It didn’t gel with everything else.
Perhaps she was overthinking things. She and George were friends who were attracted to each other. He’d made her feel things physically she’d never felt before and she was woman enough to admit she wanted to experience those things again.
Could she get more intimate with the man without wanting more? Did she even want more?
George comp
licated matters.
She’d become used to it being her and Toby. She enjoyed the freedom of being able to make her own choices and live life her way. So what choice did she want to make about George?
Elle looked into his eyes and saw the concern, saw the caring. She wanted that. Even if it was for a brief moment in her life, she wanted to be cared for, desired, and to feel like every fiber in her being was alive.
Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around George’s waist, bringing him closer. “I was debating what else we had time for,” she said, those nerves twitching in her stomach again. She’d never instigated sex before. With Dean she’d been too young and uncertain at first. Later, she’d done everything she could to keep him uninterested.
George’s eyes darkened but he made no move. “What are the options?” he said, his voice low.
A little braver now, Elle nipped his bottom lip and then kissed him, quick and hard. “You haven’t shown me the rest of your house,” she said, sliding her hands down his back and over his bottom.
He tensed. “Which room would you like to see first?”
She kissed him again, longer this time, closing her eyes when his lips moved over hers, drawing her deeper. The sensations floated through her body were slowly drugging her. She wanted this. She wanted him. “Which way to the bedroom?” she murmured against his lips.
George groaned. “Down the hall,” he said, but still didn’t move.
Elle smiled and took his hand. “This way?” she asked as she led him down the corridor.
He nodded. “Last door on your right.”
Anticipation and nerves sparked as Elle reached the room. It was almost as large as the theater room, and held the biggest bed she had ever seen. It had to be at least twice the size of her double bed at home.
A little uncertain, she turned to George and kissed him. It was all she needed to reassure herself she was making the right decision.
When she broke the kiss, George said, “This is my bedroom.” He smiled at her, and trailed kisses down her neck, soft, slow and sensual.
Elle lifted her chin to give him better access and ran her hands up through his hair. She’d never realized her neck was so sensitive. Tingles went through her body wherever his lips met her skin. She moaned, moving her hands to grip the bottom of his T-shirt and then slide her hands underneath.
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