Money Can't Buy Love

by Connie Briscoe

  “Yes, yes,” he said softly. “I got it. Look, can you call back around one? My secretary just left for lunch. She keeps the schedule and she should be back by then. Right, right. She’ll set you up.” He nodded and listened for another minute. “Sure thing. We’ll talk soon.” He hung up, swung his feet to the ground, and smiled at her.

  “Sorry about that,” he said.

  “No problem. I hope it isn’t a bad time for us to meet. You seem to be really busy.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “Things are a little crazy, but I’d rather be too busy than not enough. So how are you?”

  “I’m doing good,” she said, reaching up to smooth her hair. She wished she were skinnier, prettier, and more charming, she thought. Otherwise she was fine. “A lot has happened since we last met.”

  “Oh. At work?”

  “No, personal. But I don’t want to get into that now,” she said. “Maybe another time. How have you been?”

  “Busy, as you can see,” he said. “But it’s all good.”

  Lenora wondered if that was a hint that he wanted her to move quickly with this so he could get back to work. Shame on her for bringing up personal stuff. “Um, I brought the photos for you.”

  He scooted closer to the desk as she opened the folder. “I’m looking forward to seeing them,” he said.

  She turned the folder to face him. “This shot of you standing by the tree with your workers in the background is one of my favorites. We’ll probably use that as the lead photo, maybe even on the cover.”

  “The cover? Really?”

  She nodded. “The managing editor loved the photos and the article.”

  He nodded as he sifted through the photographs, one by one. “These are damn good,” he said. “I don’t know how you managed it, but it doesn’t even look like we’re at the Moss location.”

  “Thanks,” she said. She could feel her cheeks getting warm at the compliments coming from Ray. “I love what I do, for the most part.”

  “For the most part?” he repeated, glancing up at her. “What don’t you like about it?”

  “Some of the people I work with,” she said. “Like my boss, the managing editor.”

  He nodded. “Met her a couple of weeks ago when she came to the Moss Building. Is she difficult?”

  “You could say that.”

  Ray smiled. “So no female bonding going on there, I take it?”

  Lenora smiled. “You would be right about that. But I didn’t come here to burden you with my work troubles. I really do enjoy my job, especially getting out with my camera and looking over a scene to figure out how to make it all look good. It’s like a blank canvas.”

  He looked at her with understanding. “Our work is similar in that way. I love being in the field, seeing things take shape as I mold the land with my hands and a few tools.”

  “So how did you get into landscaping?”

  “By accident, really. My grandma passed away, and my mother inherited the house. It had several acres and the grounds were in terrible shape. I was working for the Interior Department then, in a boring desk job, but I dabbled in yard work. When Ma got a bid to clean the place up and it was in the thousands, I told her I would do it myself on weekends and evenings for half that amount. She agreed. A couple of the neighbors liked what I did and asked me to fix up their properties. Eventually I had so much work that I quit my regular job and did landscaping full-time.”

  “That’s very interesting how you fell into it,” she said. “Sounds like you were meant to do this.”

  He nodded. “I think so. There have been some real rough times, no doubt about it. At one point I thought I was going to have to go back to the nine-to-five. I wasn’t getting enough residential work to stay afloat. Then I caught a break, landed a contract to do the landscaping for a new luxury apartment building. Haven’t looked back since.”

  “I hope you talked about all of this when you spoke to Linda for the article that she’s writing about you and your work,” she said. “It’s a wonderful story.”

  “And these are wonderful photos,” he said. He went back to the first photo and flipped through each of them again, one by one.

  Lenora watched in silence and slowly found herself transfixed on his hands. She loved the size, the shape, the color. They were rugged yet gentle, soft yet strong, and his movements were so precise. She shifted her eyes to his face as he studied the photos. Not only was he extremely attractive, he was also intelligent and very interesting to talk to. He was the complete package, the kind of man most women fantasized about.

  And the kind of man who would never give a woman like her a second thought romantically or even as a close friend. At least not before she came into money. That single fact could change the landscape for her entirely, she thought. She might not have much in the looks department, but she had lots of money. Actually, she was loaded.

  She cleared her throat. She couldn’t believe she was planning to go through with this wild idea in her head. But if she was going to do it, she didn’t have a lot of time to think it over and that was probably just as well. No doubt she would chicken out if she thought it through. It could backfire big-time, it could… No, no. She wasn’t going to go there.

  “Remember when I mentioned that a lot was going on in my personal life?”

  Ray looked up at her. He nodded. “Yes. Is everything okay?”

  “Other than getting the surprise of a lifetime, everything is fine. I won the lottery.”

  He lifted his brows. “Really? Judging from your face, it was a lot.”

  She smiled. “Five million.”

  He whistled and his eyes popped wide open.

  She laughed at the reaction. She was loving this sudden enthusiastic attention from him.

  “When did this happen?” he asked.

  “I found out on Sunday.”

  “You weren’t kidding when you said a lot had happened since I last saw you. Congratulations!”

  “Thanks.”

  “So what’s in store for you now? That must change everything.”

  She sighed at the thought. “It will be a lot less after taxes, but I’m still in shock, trying to wrap my head around it. I haven’t even gone to claim my winnings yet.”

  “My understanding is that you have months to claim it.”

  “A hundred and eighty-two days.”

  He waved a hand nonchalantly. “Then it’s not going anywhere. Give yourself time to adjust.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do, but everyone seems to think I’m moving too slowly. They think I should have been down at the lottery office the first weekday after I won.”

  “You have to do what’s right for you,” he said. “Don’t make any rash decisions. Take all the time you need.”

  “That’s exactly what I intend to do.” Finally, someone who understood, Lenora thought. Even if he barely knew her, at least he saw her point of view. That was refreshing. She wasn’t expecting Ray to suddenly drop down on one knee and propose due to her revelation about the lottery or even to want to get involved with her. But she liked him. Perhaps the money would pique his curiosity about her enough that he would want to be friends. Having a friend who won the lottery could be pretty cool. “Not to change the subject too suddenly, but do you mind if I take a few shots of you now?” she asked. “Your expression since I told you is priceless. My camera is right in the car.”

  He laughed. “You really know how to lay on the surprises. I don’t have to pose or anything, do I?”

  “No. I prefer candid shots.”

  He nodded in agreement, and she ran outside and grabbed her camera bag from the trunk of the Honda. She returned and asked him to act natural, to do what he normally did at his desk. He leaned back and put his feet up while she circled his desk and fired away.

  “By any chance, do you work on the side?” he asked. “Wait a minute. You don’t need freelance money.” He laughed.

  “I never did it only for the money,” she said quickl
y as she lowered her camera. “It’s something I love to do and don’t plan to stop. At least not yet. What do you have in mind?”

  “I need some photos for a brochure I’m putting together for my landscaping business.” He chuckled. “Or at least I’ve been trying to. I could use some help with the layout. Actually, I need someone who can put the entire thing together. All I’ve got so far is a few paragraphs that I wrote about my background.”

  “I’m your girl,” Lenora said, trying to keep her cool. “I’ve worked on more brochures than I can count.”

  Ray got up, walked to a cabinet across the room, and returned with a file full of sample brochures. He said he had saved them as examples of what he liked. They stood side by side at his desk, their arms brushing now and then, and Lenora felt a little woozy with excitement. It was the first time she had been so close to him. But as they pored over the brochures and he shared his thoughts and ideas, she quickly shifted into work mode. They were in her realm now, discussing what she loved best. She talked about some of the brochures and other freelance work she had done over the years, and he seemed impressed.

  “Can you work up an estimate for the brochure and fax or e-mail it to me? Or call me when it’s ready.” He reached across his desk, picked up a business card and handed it to her.

  She took it and gathered her things. She had what she wanted, an excuse to see him again. “I should be able to get back to you by Monday.”

  She was all smiles as she left his office and walked to her car. She couldn’t believe she actually pulled that off, she thought as she climbed into the driver’s seat. She was going to see Ray again. They were going to work together. It had been a long time since she’d felt so excited about spending time with someone.

  For a few brief moments, as she waited at a traffic light, she allowed her mind to wander to thoughts of driving back to Ray’s office, strolling in, and seducing him right on his desk. Her thoughts traveled back to the tingling sensation that flooded through her body as they stood next to each other, arms touching. She fantasized about what it would feel like to have him on top of her, deep inside her, making mad love to her.

  The light turned green and she snapped back to reality. She realized, of course, that if she was going to work with Ray she had to get past this insane crush on him. She already had a man, someone she had been with for years. She had no reason to moon about someone she barely knew.

  No doubt Gerald was going to think she was nuts for considering freelance work when she had just won five million dollars. So would Monica and Alise. Now that she thought about it, maybe it was nuts. She had just won a boatload of money and had yet to go claim it. Instead, she was accepting freelance work that would pay her a couple of thousand dollars at most. Did it even make sense? Not really. Was she going to do it? Probably.

  Nuts or not, she wasn’t feeling sick anymore. In fact, she was happy for the first time in days. On Monday morning, she would go down to the lottery board with the golden ticket and claim her winnings. She was beginning to realize that all that money could bring a lot of good things into her life. She wasn’t even sure why she had freaked out about it. The money wouldn’t change her life in a bad way if she didn’t allow it to. She would be sensible about how she spent it and get good advice. Hell, she could afford to get the best damn advice in the world.

  She smacked the steering wheel and laughed out loud. She was a millionaire! It was about time she started acting like one.

  Chapter 21

  She walked out of the Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore at ten on Monday morning and decided to celebrate by buying a new car. Her dream car, a BMW. She knew exactly where the dealership was near Baltimore. It was as if she had been planning this day all her life.

  “BMW 750Li, here I come!” she announced as she exited the building and headed for her beat-up Honda. Thing was so old she was almost embarrassed to drive it onto the BMW lot, but she quickly got past her shame when she saw all the shiny new luxury automobiles. They seemed to be waiting for her, and she spent more than two hours roaming around the showroom on Baltimore National Pike, looking at color combinations, features, and options. By the time she settled into her new cashmere silver BMW, it was past noon.

  Lunchtime traffic would be a bear, but she decided to drive to Gerald’s office forty minutes away in Silver Spring anyway and offer to buy him lunch. Lately he had been much more flexible about leaving work to have lunch or dinner with her. It was amazing how much more available people had been since she won the lottery. She dialed Gerald’s cell number while sitting in the lot.

  “Hello?” came a woman’s voice.

  Lenora frowned into her phone. Had she dialed wrong? “Hi, who am I talking to?”

  “Robin. Gerald stepped out of his office. Oh, wait. Here’s Gerald now.”

  Lenora heard a light rustle and Gerald came on the line. “Hello?” he said.

  “Hi, it’s me,” Lenora said.

  “Hey, baby,” he said warmly.

  “Who was that?”

  “Oh, that’s Robin.”

  “I know her name is Robin. She just told me. What’s she doing answering your cell phone?”

  “She’s a coworker. We were going over some papers and I stepped out. My cell was on my desk. She was nice enough to pick it up.”

  “Seems rather presumptuous of her. Cell phones are pretty personal. She knows you that well?”

  “She was only trying to be helpful.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Come on, Lenora,” he said. “Don’t be that way. She’s just a coworker.”

  Lenora wasn’t sure what to think. People didn’t normally go around answering other people’s cell phones unless they were close. The whole thing seemed weird, but it could be entirely innocent, nothing more than a coworker helping out as Gerald said. Gerald had never given her any real reason not to trust him since the affair. And yet he did have an affair, which was what made incidents like this, when they popped up once in a while, so nerve-racking.

  But Lenora decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, she wanted to give him the good news. “Guess where I am,” she said.

  “I have no idea. I hear traffic. In your car?”

  “Right. But not that raggedy old Honda. That thing is ancient history. I’m about to leave the car dealership and drive down Baltimore National Pike in my brand-new BMW.”

  “What?”

  She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Yes. You heard right.”

  “So does this mean you finally went to the lottery board?”

  “Yep.”

  “Damn,” he said. “You mentioned that you were going this morning, but I thought you would probably change your mind again.”

  “Nope, not this time. I finally did it.”

  “Oh, man. How was it?”

  “Scary but exciting,” she said. “They want me to go back and pose for a photo holding one of those giant-size checks, but I told them I’d think about it. I’m not sure I want to do that.”

  “Don’t do it,” he said. “They put that in the newspaper. When people see it, everyone and their mama will start calling on you with their hands out wanting some.”

  “I know,” she said. “I’m going to have enough trouble with that without any publicity once the word gets out.”

  “So which model did you get?” he asked.

  “750Li.”

  He chuckled softly. “Of course. When do I get to see it?”

  “How about now? I was going to swing by your office and buy you lunch to celebrate if that works for you.”

  “That works just fine for me. Can’t wait to see it.”

  “Let’s meet at the restaurant next door to your building in about forty minutes,” Lenora said. “You going to stay at my place tonight?”

  “If you’ll have me.”

  “What do you mean? Of course I will.”

  “I’m kidding,” he said. “You have all that money now. For all I know, you might have other ideas
about what to do with me.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she said. “We’re still a hot couple.”

  “Does that mean you still want to take things to the next level?”

  She blinked. “If you’re saying what I think you are, I’m shocked.”

  “Is that a yes or a no?”

  “A yes, of course,” she said without thinking further.

  “Glad to hear that,” he said. “I’ll have to see what I can do about it.”

  That was odd, she thought after they said good-bye and she pulled off. Gerald might finally be about to propose to her, and she would have expected to be much more excited. Instead, she felt like she needed to think about it. So much had changed.

  Lenora smacked her cheek. What the hell was she thinking? Of course she wanted to marry Gerald. She had wanted this for years. Now was not the time to get stupid just because she had the hots for some young thing. She had a silly crush on Ray, nothing more. She would get over it soon enough. She was probably already past it.

  So why haven’t you contacted him to give him an estimate for the freelance brochure job, as you promised him you would? a tiny voice in her head asked. If you’re in control of your emotions when it comes to Ray, what are you scared of ?

  The truth was, her attraction to Ray was as strong as ever. As much as she tried to avoid it, she fantasized about him several times a day and drooled over his photograph at night. Ray was all kinds of trouble, and Lenora wasn’t sure she could trust herself alone with him. So last night she made up her mind not to contact him. She had a good thing going with Gerald and she didn’t want to mess with that. Everything was finally falling into place, and if she didn’t do anything foolish, she had a feeling that this could be the beginning of a long, happy life for her with Gerald.

  She decided to try to reach Alise at her office next. They hadn’t talked for several days, since the last time they spoke the conversation ended badly. But Lenora decided that morning on her way to get the BMW that she wasn’t going to hold grudges. She had known Alise longer than she’d known Gerald. They’d had a lot of fun times together. And Alise had been driving BMWs for years. She’d love to exchange notes about the car. It was the perfect excuse to call her old friend and make amends.