by Tina Martin
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because you get so flustered sometimes, so worked up that I don’t even think you realize your face is turning a shade. I think it’s cute, but I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
She was flustered and overwhelmed as anyone would be at the thought of meeting a long, lost parent. It was exciting, scary and nerve-racking all at the same time.
Shayla took a sip of water and regrouped. “So how did you ask him about me? How did you approach him? Did you seek him out or did you just so happen to run into him one day or—”
Donovan grinned at all the questions. “No. I sought him out.”
“You did?” she asked, surprised.
“Yeah. I did.”
“Why?”
He gave her a hard, targeted stare and said, “Well, Shayla, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you left Virginia.”
Shayla swallowed hard and looked away from his intense stare. And why did he have a smirk on his face?
He continued, “When you mentioned to me that no one wanted you…remember that conversation from the beach?”
She nodded.
“I wanted to do something to help you. So I went home, ransacked my office to find the business card for Jack’s construction company and when I found it, I called him up, asked him if he had a daughter named Shayla and he was elated that I knew you. Said he would love to see you but he wasn’t certain whether or not you wanted to see him.”
Shayla felt tears forming in her eyes but she would not cry in this restaurant in front of these patrons.
Donovan saw her sitting quietly, noticed her batting her eyes and could kick himself at the thought of upsetting her. “Um, you still want to get food, or would you prefer not to now?”
She took a deep breath, pushed all her feelings to the side and said, “We can eat.”
The waitress came by moments later, took their food orders. In addition to her entrée, Shayla ordered a jumbo, lime margarita.
“Are you okay with talking about Jack, or should I change the subject?” Donovan asked because he did not want to upset her any further.
“Well, since he’s the reason we’re meeting, I suppose we should talk about him.”
He ain’t the only reason we’re meeting, Donovan thought as he took a long swig from the beer bottle. Setting the empty bottle on the table, he said, “So Jack would like to meet you on Saturday.”
Shayla looked stunned. “This Saturday?”
Donovan smirked. “Yes, Shayla. This Saturday.”
She took a sip of water, then stared out the window. Why was Jack in such a hurry to meet her now when they’d been distant for as long as she could remember? What was so urgent?
Their food arrived, along with her margarita, and she was so nervous about this news, as well as being at the restaurant with Donovan, that she drank the margarita before she touched anything on her plate and ordered a second one soon after.
“How do you feel about meeting him?”
“I don’t know yet,” she said honestly, looking around for their waitress to see if she had her drink coming.
“I think it’ll be good for you.”
“How so?” Shayla asked with the furrow of her brow.
“It will give you a chance to establish a relationship with him. That is what you want right?”
“I think so.”
“You’re not sure?”
“I don’t know. I feel like he’s been missing for so long. Do I want to meet him? Yes. But still I feel like it’ll be pointless.”
“Why?”
“Because he wasn’t there for me when I was growing up…when I needed him the most. I’m an adult now. I can take care of myself…don’t need him anymore.”
The second margarita arrived and Shayla drunk it faster than the first one, practically inhaling the drink.
Donovan studied her. Had he ever seen her drink alcohol before? This evening, she had two jumbo size margaritas in under an hour.
“Shrew,” she said fanning her face with her hand. “It’s gettin’ warm in here.”
Donovan knew she was probably a little tipsy. With her petite size, it wouldn’t take much for her to get intoxicated. So when she tried to order a third drink, he stopped her.
“I’m fine, Donovan.”
“Well, you drove here and you have to drive back home, Shayla.”
I’m fine, she said, tossing a shrimp in her mouth and getting up from the table. She told Donovan she would be right back, then walked up to the bar and ordered a martini. After a few minutes, she headed back to the table with her glass and set it in front of her, next to her plate.
“Why is your life falling apart, Shayla?” Donovan pried, now that she was relaxed. Two drinks later, he was certain she was relaxed enough to open up to him now, to let go of her inhibitions.
“It’s noth—”
“Don’t say it’s nothing because it’s obvious to me that something is wrong.”
“You don’t know me well enough to know that something is wrong.”
“I think I do. And you told me out of your own mouth that your life was falling apart, so tell me…what’s wrong?”
Shayla picked up her martini, sloshed it around in the glass, took a sip then said, “Well, I found out some upsetting news, and…um…well to put it in a nutshell, I recently learned that my husband is my former fiancé’s brother and I’m having a hard time coming to terms with it.”
Donovan sat straight up in his chair, rested the fork in his plate and wiped his mouth with a white napkin. “Wait a minute…you didn’t know Jacob and Carter were brothers?”
Shayla looked at him like she saw a ghost. Her mouth dropped open, but she couldn’t speak for a moment. How did Donovan know Jacob, and how did he know Carter? She remembered telling him Carter’s name over the phone when he’d asked, but his question just now seemed to indicate that he knew Carter – really knew him. When she snapped out of her temporary shock, she looked him dead in the eyes and asked, “How on earth do you know they are brothers?”
Donovan realized his slip up and now, he had to say something to talk his way out of it, but he didn’t want to risk her causing a scene in the restaurant, so when he saw the waitress approaching their table, he said, “Could you box the rest of this up for us? We’ve decided to take our food to go.”
“Not a problem, Sir.”
And while the waitress headed back to the kitchen with their entrees, Shayla closed her eyes tight, pinching them, feeling dizzy but sober enough to understand that, no, she hadn’t spoken to Jacob’s name to Donovan. She only told him she was married to a man named Carter, so how was it that he seemed to know both Carter and Jacob. Something wasn’t adding up.
“I’m leaving.” She stood, teetering, using the table to catch her balance, then snatched her purse.
Donovan gripped her arm to make sure she was stable then took her purse. He walked her out to the lobby, leading her to a bench where she sat, while he walked back inside to get their bagged entrees from the waitress, handing her gave her a fifty and twenty dollar bill, enough to cover the food and tip.
Rejoining Shayla, he reached for her hand and said, “Okay, we can go now.”
She took his hand, feeling him pull her up, helping her stand and then she said, “Can you give me my purse?”
“No can do…if I hand you this purse, you’re gonna get your keys and I cannot, in good conscience, let you drive.”
“I’m not drunk, Donovan.”
“I didn’t say you were drunk, sweetheart. I do, however, believe you’re a little too tipsy to be driving. So I’ll give you several options as to how this is going to go down. One, I drive you home. Two, I call a taxi for you, or three, you come back to the hotel with me, sleep off the alcohol for a few hours then drive home.”
Shayla looked disappointed and said, “Option four…I drive home.”
“That’s not an option,” he said adamantly. “You can sleep for a while an
d then drive home. Okay?”
“All right. Fine. Can I have my purse now?”
“Sure you can.” He handed it to her then clutched her left hand with his right – just in case she tried to make a run for her car.
Donovan hid his smiles as he drove across the street to the Hilton with her in the passenger seat of his rental. He could’ve called a taxi on her behalf, but this option gave him more time to spend with her.
Taking the elevator to the third floor, he swiped his keycard to unlock the door to his room, allowing her to walk in before he did.
Shayla kicked off her shoes, sat on the bed and watched him set the take-out bag on top of the microwave. He took off his suit jacket, threw it on the back of a chair then slowly sauntered in her direction. He sat next to her – so close, his leg touched her leg.
“Well, isn’t this déjà vu?” he asked.
Shayla interlocked her fingers and crossed her legs at the ankles. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“You wanna lay down?”
She nodded.
He stood, gestured for her to stand and pulled back the comforter.
Shayla crawled to the center of the bed and just like before, when he was in her hotel room in Norfolk, he tucked her in.
“Rest. We can finish dinner when you wake up. Okay?”
She gave him a drowsy smile and a slight nod, her eyes batting closed.
Donovan walked over near the windows again, staring out into darkness and the lights that decorated the boardwalk area. Then he looked over at the bed, at the beautiful woman lying there and for a moment he imagined she was his.
No longer able to resist being close to her, he walked over to the bed and sat there, watching her sleep. He leaned close to her, staring and taking in the features of her face from up close for a change – as close as he wanted to be. He studied her long eyelashes, how they made her gorgeous eyes appear even bigger. Her round cheekbones caught his interest too, so much so that he gently stroked her there with his index finger. Then inching closer to her, he could smell her scent, her fragrance and wondered if she was wearing one of the body sprays he’d bought her from Victoria’s Secret. And speaking of what he bought for her, where was the silver charm bracelet she loved so much?
His eyes locked on her lips next – those small, pouty, pink lips that could catch any man’s eye. He leaned even closer to her face, played with the loose curls of hair that framed it.
Easing up from the bed so as not to disturb her, he removed her keys from her purse and walked across the street to Chili’s. He found her car in the parking lot then drove it back over to the Hilton, parking next to his rental.
He sprinted back to the room and upon opening the door, he saw her lying still, sleeping peacefully in the center of the bed where he’d left her. He stood next to the bed and admired her again. Had he ever seen a more beautiful sight? As he stared, he contemplated how Carter was able to sweep her off her feet. The man wasn’t right for her in his opinion. Yet and still, he had to admit that Shayla must’ve been an incredible woman to get Carter’s attention.
Donovan sighed, thinking about this. Why could Carter find a woman like her and he couldn’t? Or better yet, what would it take to make Shayla his woman instead? He leaned close to her again, played with a coil of her soft hair then ran his finger across her cheek. If only she was his…
Standing in the shower, Donovan thought about his life when his wife was alive. They would travel often, spend many nights in hotels, bed and breakfast inns, truly enjoying each other’s company. And earlier while he stared down at the boardwalk, he thought about how, if she was still alive, they would walk hand-in-hand like the other couples down there, having conversations about love and life, their family, their relationships.
Instead, he was left to be a single father, alone, lonely, unsatisfied with his life and though he seemingly had it all, he didn’t have the one thing he’d longed for – love. Sure he could find it in other places, but for some reason that was beyond him, he had a strong desire to find it with the woman who was lying in his bed. Why did she have to run off and marry Carter?
He stepped out of the shower, dried off and slid into a pair of boxers and a white T-shirt. He opened the door, noticing Shayla still sleeping. He carefully took a pillow from the bed, making sure not to disturb her then laid on the floor next to the king-sized bed, quickly falling asleep. It had been a long day for him, too.
Chapter 6
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry,” Shayla said. She had just woke up, two o’clock in the morning, and as she was getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, she stepped on Donovan’s back. He was lying there on the floor, next to the bed. What was he doing on the floor?
Donovan woke up groggy. Sleeping on the floor was not comfortable but he’d rather sacrifice his comfortability rather than make her feel uncomfortable by sleeping next to her. In a hotel.
He rubbed his eyes, looked up at her standing near the bed with her right hand covering her mouth, looking like she was in trouble. “What are you so frazzled about?” he asked with a yawn and a smirk.
“I didn’t realize you were lying on the floor…didn’t mean to step on you.” She giggled a little.
“You stepped on me? I didn’t feel a thing.”
“But you woke up…”
“The sound of your panicked voice woke me up.”
“Well, now that I know I didn’t hurt you, I’ll continue on to the bathroom.”
Donovan had a feeling she would try to leave for home once she came out of the bathroom, so he hurried to heat up her dinner in the microwave.
Shayla came out a few moments later and said, “Okay, I should be heading home now.”
“Why so soon?”
“Soon?” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s two in the morning. Besides, there’s no reason why you should be sleeping on the floor.”
“I’m not on the floor now. Plus, we still need to eat dinner.”
Shayla smacked her lips. “We’re going to eat dinner two in the morning?”
“Yeah,” he said and the microwave beeped. “Why not?” He took the plate from the microwave. “Smells good, doesn’t it?”
“It does smell good.” She took it, and walked over to a small round table next to the window.
He joined her moments later with his food and while sitting, he said, “I trust you slept well?”
“Yeah. I did.” She took a bite of chicken and glanced up at him staring at her. “Are you going to drive me back across the street to get my car?”
“Do you think I would make you walk?”
Shayla smiled. “No.”
He smiled back, then tossed some shrimp in his mouth. “I already moved your car over here.”
“You did?”
“Yes…while you were sleeping.”
“Oh. Well, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Shayla.”
A few minutes of silence passed as they delved into their food. They didn’t finish it at the restaurant, but they were sure going to finish it now.
Shayla recalled bits and pieces of their conversation before they left Chili’s yesterday evening and looked at him inquisitively. “If I recall correctly, you said you knew Jacob.”
“No, I didn’t say that.”
Shayla frowned. “Your exact words to me were, you didn’t know Jacob and Carter were brothers, which not only implies that you know Carter—”
“When I spoke to you on the phone a while back, when you told me you had gotten married, I asked you for your husband’s name, remember?”
“Yeah, but you didn’t tell me you knew him, which obviously you do if you know he had a brother named Jacob.”
Donovan cleared his throat. There was no talking his way out of this one. “I know Jacob through Carter.”
Shayla frowned once more. “And how do you know Carter?”
“We went to college together.”
“Wow,” Shayla said wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“Wow. Isn’t that just great?”
“Before you get upset—”
“Too late for that,” she snapped. Frowning, she asked, “Why does everyone in my life lie to me?”
“I didn’t lie…listen,” Donovan said, deciding to come clean. “When you moved to Norfolk, Carter called me…asked me to look after you.”
Shayla shook her head. “So that’s why you hired me?”
“No. I hired you because you had the skills for the position. And just to be clear, Carter called me after you’d already had the job. Before then, I didn’t know you had any affiliation with him.”
“Wow…all the lies…”
“I never lied to you, Shayla. I just didn’t tell you.”
“Yeah, and strangely enough, that’s exactly what Carter said when he finally confessed that Jacob was his brother.”
Shayla stood up, frantically scanning the floor for her shoes. She was ready to get out of there and fast.
“Shayla, look,” Donovan said standing, walking near her. “I’m sorry. It started as me doing Carter a favor but it evolved into more than that because I like you. I like you a lot and I wanted to make sure you were okay…not for him, but for me.”
“Yeah, okay. What did you do with my shoes?” she asked.
“Wait,” Donovan told her. He walked up to her, invading her immediate space and said pleadingly, “I’m sorry if I mislead you. I would never do anything to hurt you, Shayla. You should know that by now.”
Her lips quivered as she tried with all her might to make sense of all this new information she was learning. Carter had Donovan watching her. He and Donovan went to college together. Donovan knew Jacob. What else was she not being told?
“Look at me,” Donovan requested, gently touching her face with his hands.
The moment he did, Shayla cringed. There was nothing like a little shock therapy to snap her out of her funk and make her realize what she was doing. Carter was the only man who touched her this way and feeling Donovan’s hands on her face was indeed a shock.
While standing there in front of him, she thought about Carter, remembering how his strong hands melted into her face as love emanated from his longing eyes. Everything Carter did for her was for her own benefit. Her protection. The man had saved her life. Stayed days with her at the hospital. Made sure she was well taken care of and he’d fallen in love. Even after their fight that resulted in her moving to Norfolk, Carter still had enough love for her to call Donovan and have him look after her. She had no doubt in her mind of Carter’s love for her, but all the secrets had to stop.