“And you’re going to do all of that?” he asked.
“We’re going to talk about me doing it. Yes.”
“Sounds like this could get involved,” Gerald said.
“If I’m lucky. It’s not like I have a regular job anymore.”
“You would if you took up Dawna’s offer to go back to the magazine. But you aren’t, are you?”
“I’ve decided not to. I’ll let her know on Monday.”
“A mistake, in my opinion.”
“I’ve always wanted to branch out on my own, but I was reluctant to take the plunge. Now that I have the money, it’s time.”
“I’m not against it,” he said. “I like the idea. I just think you should hold on to your job at the magazine until you know the freelance work is going to be a success. The money won’t last forever if you’re not careful.”
“I promise to be careful. Have some faith in me.”
“I do have faith in you. What I’m saying…”
“Look, I don’t mean to interrupt, but we’ll have to talk later.” She stood up straight. “I need to run now or I’ll be late for my meeting.”
“We definitely need to discuss this more,” he said. “I’ve already done what you’re planning in a way. I know the risks.”
Yes, but not how to avoid them, Lenora thought. Ray knew how to start a business successfully and keep it thriving even in bad times.
“I hear you,” she said.
“I also worry about the effect that both of us running businesses will have on our relationship. It’s so demanding. It will be hard to find time for each other.”
Lenora paced the kitchen floor with a raised eyebrow. He never worried about how much they were apart when he was the one running a business and working all the time. Now that she was thinking about doing it, suddenly he was concerned about their time together. “We’ll have to work all that out. I really need to go now.”
“See?” he said. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Already you don’t have time to talk to me.”
“You know what? You’re starting to bug me,” she said. “You’re the one who was always tied up before. You never had a problem with us being apart when it was about your business. Now that it’s about me, you want us to be together all the time.”
“Well, damn,” he said. “I guess I’ll let you run off to your precious client.”
“Gerald, that’s not fair. They’re all precious, especially when you’re starting out.”
“You’re right,” he said. “Sorry. So how long will you be out? An hour or two?”
“Um, probably more like a few.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll come by there around three then.”
“Why don’t I call you when I’m done?” she asked. “In case it takes more time.”
“Fine,” he said. “You do that.”
Lenora could tell by Gerald’s tone that he was not pleased when they hung up. There was a time when Gerald’s mood really mattered to her. She would have made sure all was well with him before hanging up. But she had already lost enough valuable time. She had only a few minutes left to throw on some lipstick, slip into her sandals, and gather her files for the meeting with Ray. By the time she walked out the front door a little later, Gerald was already long gone from her thoughts.
Chapter 28
Thirty minutes later, Ray was pulling a chair out for Lenora as she approached him in a small café in Columbia. She liked that he was the one who had arrived first. With Gerald, she was almost always the first to arrive, sometimes by thirty minutes or more. This used to aggravate her no end, and she and Gerald had argued about it many times over the years. Still, no matter how much she complained, Gerald would not change. She had pretty much given up and learned to bring her book reader along or to spend the time checking e-mail messages on her BlackBerry.
There was no need for that today. She and Ray hugged, and he smiled warmly as he helped her into the seat. A waiter approached as she placed her bag and briefcase into a spare chair and took their drink orders. The waiter left, and Lenora immediately reached for her briefcase. She removed the proposal and mockup and slid them across the table toward Ray.
“Everything’s there: goals, tasks, timeline, fees. And it’s all negotiable.” She desperately wanted this job for the creative possibilities. The money was unimportant. She smiled and waited for his response.
“You look very nice today,” he said.
She laughed awkwardly. “Oh. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was pretty abrupt, I guess,” she said. “Sorry. I’ve been working on all of that and I’m in a business frame of mind.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “I get like that myself at times. Although the scent you’re wearing would throw any man off his game, business or otherwise. It’s very nice.”
Lenora was silent for a moment. Was Ray flirting with her? She found him so attractive, and she wasn’t confident that she could keep a level head if this man came on to her.
“Thanks. So, um, about the proposal,” she said, pointing to it awkwardly. “Feel free to ask questions if you have any.” Get the conversation back to strictly business, she told herself. She had thought she was over her odd obsession with this man. But he had her on edge immediately, so she was beginning to wonder about that.
“Looks like you’ve been real busy,” Ray said, flipping through the pages of the proposal and looking over the mockup.
She waited silently for him to finish and made sure to keep her eyes off his hands. They tended to drive her a little crazy. Instead, she focused her gaze on the others in the restaurant.
“I do have a question,” he said. “How many revisions of the brochure and flyers do I get?”
“As many as it takes to satisfy you. I want you to be happy.” The minute Lenora said it, she regretted the way the words came out.
He obviously had no regrets. He looked into her eyes and smiled charmingly. “I like the sound of that.”
She gulped and reached for her glass of water. Clients didn’t often flirt with her, especially good-looking ones. Her tongue was tied in a knot. She took a big sip of water, cleared her throat, and tried to find her voice.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m embarrassing you.”
“Maybe a little,” she admitted with a nervous laugh.
“Didn’t mean to do that. But there’s something different about you.”
Yes, like the money, she thought. It was amazing how people changed right before your eyes when they learned about it. “It’s nothing bad, I hope,” she said.
“It’s definitely all good.”
She clutched her hands together tightly in her lap. She could feel the heat rising in her neck. The effect this man had on her couldn’t have been any greater if he had reached under the table and laid his hand on her leg.
“Thanks,” she said. “Should we get back to the brochure?” She craved his attention, but it made her nervous as hell.
He nodded. “Of course. That’s why we’re here.”
“One thing I thought about as I wrapped it up last night was whether you would prefer one brochure that does it all or smaller separate brochures.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking with the smaller brochures,” he said. He picked one up and held it as she talked. He sounded a lot more serious, and for that Lenora was grateful. This felt much safer.
“You said you want to include general information, like how many years you’ve been in business, your areas of expertise, and some of your bigger clients. You also want to include information about your fees and lots of photographs to illustrate some of your completed jobs. I could see dividing all that up into two or three small brochures instead of one big one.”
“I see what you’re saying,” he said. “You’ve done this before for other clients. What do you suggest?”
“It really depends on your preference. Both approaches have advantages.” She spent the next several minutes elaborating on he
r thoughts and ideas until finally he decided that he wanted to see more mockups.
“You saw my office,” he said. “Things are hectic at times. When a client comes in or calls, whether it’s a business client or a home owner, I don’t want to have to search for the right brochure or wonder whether my receptionist gave a client the right one.”
She nodded as she took notes over her shrimp salad sandwich. “That bodes well for one brochure that includes everything.”
“On the other hand, I could see having different brochures for different clients. That’s why I’d like to see more mockups before I decide.”
“Fine,” she said. “Makes sense.”
“When can I see the revised mockups?” he asked, placing his hamburger down on the plate.
“I should have something for you in a couple of days.”
“Good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can I see you again?”
She sucked in her lips and glanced away. “You mean about the brochure?”
“Actually, I had something personal in mind. Like a movie and dinner.”
She put her pen down on the table. Did Ray just ask her out on a date? Yes, he did. She was blown away. This wasn’t the kind of man who asked women like her out. In fact, no man had asked her out since she started dating Gerald. She had thought the money would change her world. But thinking and seeing it unfold were two different things.
A lot of women—Monica, for sure—would be all over a man like Ray if he seemed even vaguely interested, no matter the reason. But now that the opportunity to go out with a man with movie-star appeal was banging at her door, Lenora was scared to open it. This was where she should tell Ray that she was almost engaged and be done with it. Go back to her simple, predictable life.
Then again, almost engaged was not engaged. She didn’t really have to bring that up, did she? She could do what Gerald had done two years ago—lie about being attached and go have fun. But she had never cheated on a man before and she wasn’t going to start now. She and Gerald had built up a good thing after much hard work. She didn’t want to ruin that.
“I’m flattered you even asked,” she said to Ray.
“Hmm. Sounds like a ‘but’ is approaching,” he said with a regretful smile on his face.
She nodded. “I’m sorry, but I’m in a relationship.”
“I didn’t realize. I should have asked.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t involved with anyone,” she said.
“I never said I wasn’t.”
“I see,” she said, nodding. Of course he was.
“I hope my invitation doesn’t make things awkward between us and that we can still work together,” he said.
“It’s not a problem,” she said. She really wanted the work now that she had decided not to return to the magazine. So he was going to have to be on his best behavior. They both were.
“Good,” he said. “I’m very much looking forward to what you come up with.”
They arranged to meet again at Ray’s office on Monday afternoon and then went their separate ways. As Lenora drove home, her mind kept drifting back to the moment when he invited her to dinner and a movie. The fat, geeky girl who men never noticed had just been asked out by a hunk. Not only that, she had turned him down. It was either the smartest or the dumbest thing she had ever done, and she hadn’t made up her mind which yet.
That night in bed with Gerald, Lenora found herself thinking of Ray. At first she fought it. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to focus on the man on top of her—the man she was in love with, the one she wanted to marry. It didn’t work.
When Gerald planted warm kisses on her tummy, she envisioned Ray’s soft lips. When Gerald slid his fingers up her thigh, she thought of Ray’s rugged hands. She couldn’t shake the thought of Ray no matter how hard she tried.
Gerald must have noticed something, too. “You all right?” he asked after he rolled off her and lay on his back, his caramel-complexioned body glistening with perspiration as he tried to catch his breath.
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?” As if she needed to wonder. She knew exactly why he was asking. She had lain there like a log in the dirt the entire time they made love.
“You’ve been distant all evening,” Gerald said. “The only time I got any kind of a reaction out of you was when I touched your thighs.”
Lenora swallowed with guilt. She didn’t have a response, at least not one she could share with Gerald. How did you tell your man you were thinking about someone else while making love?
“So I was out of it a bit,” she said.
“A bit? You had about as much life as a mummy in a tomb. I thought we were trying to ramp up our romantic life. Whatever happened to that idea?”
A man called Ray, that’s what happened, she thought. “I’m sorry. I’m tired, I guess.”
“Tired? Why are you so damn tired? You haven’t even been going to work.”
“All the excitement of the past couple of weeks.”
“You need to transfer some of that excitement to our lovemaking.”
“Right,” she said. Time to change the subject. “I’m going to start looking at houses this weekend.”
“What? When were you going to tell me about this?”
“I’m telling you now,” she said. “I contacted an agent earlier this week. A member of The Girlfriends. She’s going to take me around to different neighborhoods in my price range.”
“And your price range is?”
“I told Deanna around one to one and a half million.”
Gerald whistled. “That sounds like a lot, maybe close to half your winnings after taxes.”
“I’ve looked on the Internet, and to get what I want, that’s what I have to spend.”
Gerald looked doubtful. “Maybe you need to revise what you want then. Why don’t you consult a financial planner before you start spending big like that?”
Lenora frowned. “Why would I need a financial planner to buy a house? That’s silly.”
“No, it’s not,” he said firmly. “You need to put a big chunk of the money away before you spend it all. A financial planner can help you set up the investments first.”
“I’m not going to pay for the entire house. I’m going to make a down payment and take out a loan. Then I’ll invest some later.”
Gerald shook his head with disapproval. “Will you please listen to me? You’re going about it all wrong. It’s a mistake to buy the house first and spend anywhere near a million on it, loan or not. You don’t need that much house.”
Lenora set her jaw firmly. “I’m not going to argue with you, Gerald. I know what I want. And it’s my money.”
He sighed. “You’re exactly right. I still hate to see you squander it. Will you at least promise me that you’ll save or invest half of your winnings?”
“Okay, promise.” Anything to get him to calm down. She didn’t want to argue. She didn’t need to argue. It was her money. In the end, she could do whatever she wanted.
“And do you mind if I tag along for this little adventure in big estate land?”
Lenora was surprised that he had offered to join her on a house hunt. “Really? I didn’t ask you to come because I didn’t think this would be your kind of thing, especially at this early stage. You never want to go shopping with me.”
“For clothes, no,” he said, turning up his nose. “That’s not my thing. But a house is different.”
“Of course you can come,” she said. “I’d love to have you join us.”
He put an arm around her and she snuggled against him. “About tomorrow night,” he said. “Let’s go out for dinner, someplace nice where we have to get all dressed up. It’s been a while since we did that. That all right with you?”
“That’s more than all right with me,” she said. “I look forward to it.”
She closed her eyes while Gerald picked up the remote control to the TV. Ray was messing with her head again for a while there, but she was past that now.
Gerald was being extra sweet and attentive, saying and doing things he hadn’t since the early days of their relationship. So what if she occasionally fantasized about another man. All women did that.
No doubt Gerald’s improved behavior and all the attention from him had to do with the money she won. She was no fool. Still, if it had taken a lottery win to reignite a flame in him, so be it. She knew that Gerald honestly loved her. She couldn’t say that about any other man, including Ray.
Chapter 29
The house-hunting trip started out badly. Deanna was young, in her early thirties, and Lenora could sense that Gerald was suspicious of her ability to deal with properties of the size and price range for which she was searching. He started pumping her with questions almost immediately after all three of them climbed into Deanna’s Lexus, with Lenora in the passenger seat and Gerald sitting behind her.
“How long have you been selling real estate?” Gerald asked.
“About six years now,” Deanna responded as she pulled out of the parking lot in front of Lenora’s condominium.
“She’s been very successful at it,” Lenora said.
“That may be true, but how many houses have you sold in the million-dollar price range?” Gerald asked.
“Actually, I’ve only sold two properties in that range,” Deanna said. “My next highest sale was for about three-quarters of a million, and that was in Ellicott City last—”
“So how many have you sold at three-quarters of a million plus then?” Gerald asked before Deanna could finish.
Deanna paused and narrowed her eyes. She seemed to sense that she was being grilled. “A few,” she said briefly. “I admit that my primary market is generally the four-to-six-hundred-thousand-dollar range, but I know the areas that you’re interested in very well. I’ve lived out here all my life.”
“So you have very little experience in our price range.”
“C’mon, Gerald,” Lenora said with exasperation. “Is this necessary?”
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