Romance Me (Boxed Set)

by Susan Hatler

  It wasn’t until her father’s death, though, that she moved to New York City. Based on the dates, she must’ve started dating Mark almost immediately following her father’s death. Had she been lonely, just wanting to find someone? He could understand that. If everything he’d just learned was true, she was the only woman he’d ever met with so much inner strength.

  His cell rang with the theme song to Leave it to Beaver. Retrieving it from his briefcase, he answered, “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey to you. How you doing?” his mother replied in her sweet, sympathetic tone.

  What a loaded question. “I’m fine,” he lied. The turmoil in his stomach mixed with the beer and lack of food, conjuring something dreadful.

  “You should’ve stayed for dinner, instead of having a temper tantrum,” she scolded playfully. “Glad you’ve calmed down. I’ve never seen you so worked up.”

  How could he tell her that she’d bulldozed through his ten foot thick emotional dam he’d put up, keeping out pretty, sweet women for the last couple of years, and now all his emotions were flooding out at once?

  “It’s okay to move on, son. She’s gone. You deserve to be happy now.”

  “It’s not that…” He sighed. “Yes, the guilt’s still there, but it’s more than that.”

  “What is it?”

  He gulped around the boulder of fear lodged in his throat. “What if I fail her, too?”

  “Oh, son,” she sighed. “You didn’t fail Mary Lynn. And even if you had, you can’t spend the rest of your life avoiding love because you don’t want to fail someone else.”

  “What about you? I did some digging. Those letters Lisa and I found are from a man prior to when you and Dad married. He lived here in this town, didn’t he?”

  Silence.

  “What? You’re allowed to dig into my love life, but I can’t ask about yours?” Eric lifted his voice to ensure she caught his teasing tone.

  “I…it’s a long story.”

  Eric chuckled. “I doubt I’m going to sleep anytime soon.”

  A long breath sounded into the receiver. “He was a man I loved dearly before I married your dad.”

  Eric braced himself. He’d thought long and hard about whether he wanted to know the answer to his next question. “Based on the dates I saw on those letters, it was only weeks before you married Dad. How did things turn around so fast?”

  After a moment, she replied, “He died. In the war.”

  The pain in her voice tugged at his heart. He wished he’d waited to ask until he was by her side. She was an amazing mother, who always gave good advice, even when he didn’t want it, who’d comforted him through the years. Now, it was his turn. “I’m so sorry, Mom. Something tells me he was special. Why didn’t you ever mention him before?”

  “Your dad and I never spoke about him. Not in all the years we were married. Oh, he was always there, but it pained us both too much to speak of him aloud.”

  Eric rubbed the back of his neck and leaned against the wall, eyeing his monochromatic brown living room. “Dad knew him, too?”

  “Yes, they were cousins and best friends,” her voice cracked with emotion, but the lawyer in him had to push.

  “Mom, the dates…I’m not dumb. You and dad had to marry, didn’t you? I was born seven months or so after your wedding.”

  “You knew?” she gasped.

  “Of course, since I was, like, twelve.”

  “You never said anything,” she replied.

  “No. If you wanted me to know, you would’ve talked about it.” He slumped back in his chair, willing himself to ask the question that really mattered. “Mom, is he my biological father? If so, what happened?”

  “No.” She chuckled awkwardly. “Wow, that’s the popular conclusion today. Michael was your biological and devoted father. He loved you. Heck, you two are so much alike, it’s not even funny. No, the man who wrote those letters died in the war and I married your father shortly after.”

  “You had to marry him because of me, right? Did you ever regret it?” He held his head in his free hand.

  “Never.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bright morning sun broke through the grey clouds that had hovered over Lisa’s life for the last week, the golden rays highlighting the sign for Gaylord, Attorney at Law.

  Her stomach rumbled, reminding her the baby needed food, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat. Not with the eminent confrontation awaiting her.

  Glancing at the side street leading toward the center of town, she sighed, her heartwarming at the sight of Cathy Mitchell driving past. She could put names to so many faces already. After five years in New York City, she didn’t even know her neighbor’s name.

  Taking a deep breath, she shoved her car door open. With determined steps, she marched to the front door. What if he hates me and it ruins my relationship with Judy? Of course, it would be far worse if he learned about the baby on his own. Awkward moments and judgmental eyes were better than weeks of deception and lies.

  “Excuse me,” a girl spoke from behind.

  “Oh, sorry.” Lisa swung the door to the building open, allowing the girl to enter ahead of her then she, too, stepped into the world of ‘Gaylord the attorney.’ A side of Eric she couldn’t picture. Most of the attorneys she knew were evil bloodsuckers that wanted nothing more than money and prestige, at least the ones that were friends with Mark and danced in the same upper class social circles.

  A vacant desk stood between Eric’s office and the waiting room. A light perfume fragrance lingered and Lisa was reminded of the woman she’d met the night of the hoe down.

  “Are you here to see Mr. Gaylord, ma’am?” the young girl asked her, taking a seat in one of the chairs lining the wall.

  “Um…no. I mean, yes. But I don’t have an appointment.”

  The distinctive sound of a chair scooting across wood floors echoed into the waiting room from Eric’s office. Too bad, looks like he’s busy, she thought with a sigh of relief. Now, she could just leave a message and have him stop by later. Their discussion could wait until lunch.

  Before she could slip back out the front door, Eric ambled into the room with a welcoming smile, his navy suit jacket accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and she thought he looked good in the blue jeans and flannel he wore while working around the store.

  His blue eyes danced between her and the young girl. His smile tightened into a firm line. “Please have a seat in my office,” he said to the girl, lifting his arm to direct her into the room behind him. “I’ll be there momentarily.”

  The girl pulled her sleeves over her knuckles. “I…I can come back later.”

  “No need. You have an appointment and I’ll just be a moment.” His warm smile spread across his face again and she bowed her head before shuffling into his office.

  What could she need an attorney for? Lisa thought. The girl couldn’t be more than sixteen.

  “What’re you doing here?” He closed the distance in two long strides.

  “I wanted to talk to you, but I can see you’re busy.” She backed away and headed for the door. “I’m sorry. I should’ve called.”

  His hand covered hers as she grabbed the knob. “Wait.” Warm breath caressed the back of her neck and her body erupted in goose bumps. He hooked one of his fingers into hers and tugged her hand free of the handle then turned her around to face him. “You’re right; I can’t talk now, but how about lunch? I have a break at one.”

  She managed a nod.

  He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Until one then.”

  Every neuron fired at once and her brain turned to mush. She cleared her throat. “One,” she said before she bolted from the office and into her car. Still breathless, she pulled into a parking place in front of the store and rushed inside, managing to maneuver to the back kitchen without knocking anything over.

  “I hope you’re ready, dear,” Judy said. “A bus of tourists is in town. I handed out flyers and the coordin
ator said they’d be here in,” she glanced at her watch, “ten minutes.” Judy grabbed her mug from the counter, pausing before taking a drink as she looked at Lisa. “You look a little pale. You feeling okay?”

  “Yeah. I just…I tried to talk to Eric, but he was busy. He said he’d stop by at one for lunch.” Lisa set her purse and keys in the pantry then shut the door. “Judy, I’m so sorry about all this. I hope this doesn’t cause any issues between the two of you.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. You don’t need to be stressing now, either.” Judy gave her a stern, motherly look. ”Have you called Dr. Hendricks yet? You need to start caring for yourself and that little one.”

  “No, not yet. I’ll call him today.” Sweat slicked her palms with the thought of facing a doctor when she showed up without a husband. It doesn’t matter, she reminded herself. Life wasn’t about her anymore. It was about the baby.

  The front bell jingled and a herd of people poured into the little store.

  Judy’s eyebrows arched and she wagged her finger. “Don’t you forget, now,” she chided before heading toward the front of the shop.

  Lisa smiled and held up her hands in surrender. “I won’t.”

  The tourists devoured the antiques, buying nearly every trinket, linen, and knick-knack, anything they could carry onto the bus, not to mention the furniture they were having shipped to their country cabins or beach houses.

  “Wow, what a gold mine,” one woman said. “I’ve wanted to decorate our summer cottage with some rustic accents.” She slipped her platinum card from her expensive handbag. Lisa didn’t recognize the name stitched into the leather, but it had to be an up-and-coming designer. This woman was the type that wouldn’t have anything less.

  “Hey, you.” A warm hand slipped to the small of Lisa’s back and she glanced up to see Eric’s bright smile. “Mom said y’all were slammed so I brought you a decaf coffee, one raw sugar.”

  The fact he took time off to deliver it, let alone knew that was how she liked it, boggled her mind. “Thanks.”

  Lisa finished the transaction and handed the woman her receipt but the woman’s eyes were glued on Eric. “Thank you very much,” she said, trying to draw the woman’s attention. “And please do come visit us again.”

  The woman took the receipt and slowly turned to leave, her eyes never leaving Eric. “Oh honey, you can count on it.”

  Lisa chuckled softly as she watched the woman fumble her way to the exit.

  “Listen,” Eric said as the next customer in line stepped up to the register, “I was hoping you could steal away for an early lunch. I’m afraid I have to fly out this afternoon. A big client from overseas only trusts me to handle his affairs. Says his ex-wife has too many connections. I have to head to the islands to file some paperwork and then jet to Paris for a few days.” He eyed the line of customers weaving through the store. “But doesn’t look like you can get away right now, so our talk will have to wait. Sorry.”

  “That’s okay, I understand.” Part of her was relieved, but the other part wanted to be done with it. The anticipation from wondering how he would take the news was eating at her and she was afraid if she waited any longer, the harder it would be to face his rejection.

  “Can I call you tonight?” he asked.

  “Sure, though I don’t really want to talk about it over the phone.”

  The woman at the counter began tapping her French manicured nails next to the register.

  “I’ll let you go,” Eric said, with an apologetic smile, “but I agree. We’ll talk when I get back. I need to tell you something, too.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, sending heat through her body. How could a simple touch cause so much reaction? Pregnancy. It had to be her crazy hormones again. A man had never set her body on fire before. She’d read about such things in books or seen it in the movies but it had always made her laugh.

  “Until later.” He backed away to say goodbye to Judy. “Yes, Mom. You do know best.” His loud mumble carried through the crowd before he disappeared out the door.

  Does he really think I’m his match?

  “Any day now,” the woman on the other side of the counter huffed.

  “Sorry, ma’am.” Lisa rang up her items, ran her credit card, and printed her receipt.

  The woman snatched the receipt out of Lisa’s hand. “I just love these small town people,” she muttered. “They’re so…southern.”

  Lisa forced a smile. “Thank you so much, ma’am,” she said with a drawl.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eric tossed his suitcase on the third lumpy hotel mattress of the week and fetched the laptop from his briefcase. Then he tugged the heavy curtains open with a swish and eyed the amazing view through the glass door that opened to a small balcony.

  The Eifel Tower, lit up like a Christmas tree. A view that would be etched in his mind forever. A view meant to be shared. A view meant for lovers.

  What time is it in Tennessee? he wondered. He’d been on airplanes, bouncing between the Bahamas and Paris, tailing a needy client for days. No, it was into weeks now. Why was he putting himself through all this? He knew why. This one case would pay his bills for a year and provide enough left over for pro bono cases, like Ms. Burton. His mind was still battling with his heart over that one. Taking on a case against the largest business owner in Tennessee seemed like a bad idea.

  Of course, his mother didn’t see it that way. She accused him of avoiding Lisa, knowing how scared he was to share his past with her.

  He turned the handle, opening the old door to a cacophony of honking horns and lively nightlife. Had Lisa ever been to Paris?

  Perhaps it wasn’t too late. He sat at the desk and opened his laptop. With a few clicks, he was logged on and listening to the ring tone of Skype. He held his breath, wiping his moist palms on his thighs. What was it about this woman? She turned him inside out. He’d been trapped on that long flight with nothing to do but think about her while everyone else slept.

  The ring stopped and the video clicked on, showing Lisa’s beautiful, happy face. That was why. The Eifel tower at night didn’t compare to her intoxicating smile.

  “Hi, you,” Lisa said.

  “Hi, you back,” he chuckled.

  Lisa quirked her head to the side, her chestnut hair falling over her cheek. “Isn’t it the middle of the night there?

  “Yeah, I think so.” He rubbed his eyes. “I just got in and thought I’d check in on everything back home. The shop going well?”

  “Yep. Everything’s great. You’re missed, though.” She smiled. “I mean, your mom wants you to hurry home.”

  “Just my mother? Not you?”

  How needy did that sound? he chided himself silently.

  “Especially me,” she replied softly.

  He relaxed. Those two words providing so much hope that, when he returned, she wanted to see more of him. “Wait, I have to show you something.” He stood up, carrying his laptop to the open doorway. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “Wow! That’s the view outside your room?” Lisa’s voice rose an octave.

  “Yep. Have you ever been to Paris?” He turned the laptop screen back around and plopped down on the bed, resting his feet on top of the suitcase.

  “No, but I’ve always dreamed of going. I’d actually planned a trip there for last summer, but, well…things changed.” She looked away, as if someone had entered the room, but then she resettled and met his gaze again.

  He wanted to see her smile again. “Hey, why don’t you take it this summer? I’ll probably have to come back to see this client again. I’ll bring you with me. That is, if my mom can spare you.” He winked.

  “I…I don’t know if I can.” She stumbled over her words.

  Too fast. Great. “Well, there’s plenty of time between now and then. Maybe we’ll be able to work something out.”

  She forced a smile.

  Okay, time to change the subject. “So, what’s the big news in town? I’m sure Cathy Mitchel
l has kept you apprised of all the happenings.”

  “Of course, she has. I think there’s more to her than just gossip, though. Sometimes people act a certain way because they’re in pain. They don’t want to share what’s going on in their own lives, so they turn the focus toward others. Sort of a defense mechanism, I guess.”

  “Lisa Mortan, you are one wise woman.” He watched her mouth curl into a shy smile, her pearly white teeth shining in the dim light. Yet, there was a sorrow still clouding her eyes. It faded each time they chatted, but slipped back in during the silent moments. The thought of some guy hurting this amazing, smart, giving woman made his blood boil.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  He blinked. “Oh, nothing. Sorry, just thinking, that’s all.” There was a knock at his hotel door. “Hey, hang on a sec. I’ll be right back.” He pushed from the bed, realizing he hadn’t even removed his shoes when he came in. Heck, he hadn’t done anything but run to the computer to call Lisa. He didn’t remember ever being that needy before. Geesh, he needed to tone it down a little or he’d scare her away.

  Opening the door, Adam Parez burst in. “Finally, I’ve been pacing the floor. My wife’s now threatening to take my corporation away.”

  Eric held up his hand. “Hold on a second, please.” He took a long breath and went back to the bed. “Hey, you.”

  “Hey, you back,” Lisa chuckled. “I heard. You’ve got to run.”

  “Yeah, sorry. Can I call you tomorrow?”

  “Sure, but make sure you get some rest. I don’t want you returning here exhausted and sick.”

  “Didn’t know you cared,” he whispered, setting the laptop on the desk.

  Adam cleared his throat.

  “Guess you’ll have to call me tomorrow night to find out how much,” Lisa teased then blew a kiss before the screen went blank.