“Moving on. I missed you. Not only today, but the past week when we’ve been like ships passing in the night.”
“I missed you, too, and I’m all yours now,” she said softly.
That was in the direction of what he needed to hear.
“What time do you expect to be home tomorrow?”
“Mid-afternoon, I would hope. I’ll text you when I’m leaving with an ETA. Believe me, there’s nothing I need more than a relaxing evening at home with you.”
She said need, not want. He virtually clasped that to his heart. They chatted a few minutes longer, about what he couldn’t say, before she said good night.
“Sweet dreams, love.” He couldn’t help himself.
But saved from his own lovelorn self again, she’d already ended the call before he’d prompted her declaration.
“I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it tonight,” Amanda said aloud to herself in the car for the third or fourth time. She’d stopped on the drive home and picked up a complete cook-at-home gourmet meal for two and an appropriate wine to go with it. Her plan: to clean up and dress in something soft and feminine. Then, as she’d said when she’d texted Eric she was leaving Charleston, she’d let Eric know she was home. Greet him at the door with a glass of wine and a kiss. Yeah, that’s what she’d do. Set the mood.
She passed the Welcome to Indigo Bay sign and turned toward the beach. When she pulled up to her cottage, she blinked and stared. Eric sat on her steps with a bouquet of white camellias she was sure he’d picked himself from her mother’s bushes interspersed with red roses. And he didn’t think he was artistic?
Eric rose as she stepped out of the car, food and wine in hand, and took in his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up on his forearms and black jeans. The shirt fit so perfectly, accentuating his masculine assets, that it had to have been custom tailored.
Heart beating widely, she did her best to glide seductively toward him. She set the bag on the steps beside him and took the flowers. “They’re beautiful.” She buried her nose in the flowers to smell the roses.
He beamed, and she placed the bouquet next to the food, reached up, and cupped his face with her hands. She pulled him to her until she could murmur against his lips, “I missed you,” before kissing him thoroughly. When she broke away dazed, Eric pulled her tight to him.
“I missed you, too.” He returned her kiss just as thoroughly and with more finesse.
“I have food,” she said out of nowhere, trying to regain her wits.
“Food is good, but man can’t live on bread alone.” He shot her a self-satisfied smile.
She didn’t care. She felt pretty self-satisfied herself. “Nor can woman.”
He picked up the food and bouquet.
She took the flowers. “You’re being here when I got home messed up my plan, you know.”
They walked up the steps.
“And what plan was that?”
She unlocked the door and they went into the cottage. “I was going to come home and get pretty. Put on a dress I bought when Sonja and I went shopping for our gala gowns…” She pictured the dress—soft cornflower blue fabric with just the right kind of drape to be comfortable and the sexiest thing she owned except her emerald gala gown. “Do my makeup and hair and put our dinner in the oven. Then I was going to let you know I was home.”
Eric shrugged. “What can I say? I couldn’t wait to see you. You texted me when you left Charleston and I calculated your travel time. Besides, you don’t have to dress up to be pretty. You always are to me.”
“Thanks. But I’m going to go ahead with the first part of my plan anyway. Would you put the food in the oven while I change?”
“Sure thing.”
“And help yourself to the wine, if you want.”
Amanda’s hands shook when she put on her earrings and necklace. The final touches to her outfit. She looked good, fantastic even. But she couldn’t totally rid her mind of the thought that Eric had his choice of women far more glamorous than her. She steeled her nerves and walked the short hall into the living room. Eric was sitting at the far end of the couch, ankle crossing his knee, arm draped across the couch back sipping wine. Her breath caught. This gorgeous, wonderful man loved her.
He glanced at her in the doorway and whistled. “Be still my heart.”
She would have laughed except the look in his eyes said he wasn’t teasing. Amanda gulped a breath. “You don’t clean up badly yourself.”
He massaged the back of the couch. “I had a sports jacket on, too, but it was too warm.”
Amanda walked to him. “Admit it, you thought the jacket might have detracted from the wow effect of your custom-fitted shirt.”
“There is that. Now enough mutual admiration. Sit with me.” He handed her a glass of wine. “Tell me about your trip.”
“First and best, everything is fine with the 55+ community project.” She sipped her wine. “Sonja reported that the B&B ballroom is decorated beautifully, and the raffle and silent auction items are coming in fast and furious. Everything seems to be falling into place for tomorrow night. Which means I’m officially on vacation from the mayor’s office and my firm.”
Eric lifted her glass from her hand and placed both glasses on the coffee table. “I’ll kiss to that.” And he did with a short sweet press of his lips that ricocheted through her almost as strongly as his more passionate kisses.
“Your … your turn,” she stuttered. “What were you up to while I was gone?”
“Of course, there was my epic ornament painting. And I squeezed in some time to try to complete the work I’m doing on your mother’s house. I just might have to stay through the end of the year if I’m going to finish it all. Join Chris for skiing a week later.”
“Don’t change your plans for me.”
“Even if I want to?”
The heat in his eyes almost melted her into the couch.
“Or you could change your plans…”
She stiffened and caught herself before she thought Eric would notice. They’d have times ahead when they’d need to change plans for each other. It came with the territory of nurturing a relationship. It didn’t mean domination.
“And come to Jackson Hole with me for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, he finished.”
“That’s your time with your son. You’ll just have to come back as soon as you can to finish Mom’s house repairs.”
“I’m planning on the coming back—often.”
The timer on the stove beeped, breaking the moment.
“Your dinner awaits, my lady.” Eric rose and offered his hand and walked her to the kitchen where he’d not only cooked but also set the table. With the candles and candleholders she kept in a kitchen utility drawer for the power outages storms often brought to the coast.
“Lovely,” she said.
“Yes, lovely,” he repeated as he pulled out a chair and raked his gaze over her as he seated her.
She dug into her meal. “This is delicious. I’m going to have to remember the brand.”
His expression was still the same one he’d had when he’d seated her, not the gloat-tinged one she’d expected because he cooked the meal. She took another forkful, chewed, and swallowed. She revised her assessment. It was the company, not the food. Amanda had expected an Eric-the-star reaction and gotten the just-plain-Eric one. Her heart nearly burst from her chest.
They talked over dinner and while they cleared the table, but she’d be hard pressed to say what about.
“What’s your favorite chick flick?”
Amanda stared at him. “Legally Blonde. Why?”
He slipped her hand in his and walked her to the couch. “I should have known without asking.” Eric sat and pulled her down next to him. “I thought we’d watch it. If you don’t mind pouring us an after-dinner drink, I’ll log into my Prime account and see if it’s available there.”
“No need. I have the DVD.”
“Of course, you do.”<
br />
While she walked to the DVR and put it on, he poured what was left of the wine they’d had earlier and pulled his cell phone from his pocked and placed it on the table. “More comfortable,” he mumbled.
Amanda sat and snuggled close to him. “More comfortable,” she repeated. He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her closer if that was possible.
About three-quarters through the movie, Eric’s phone buzzed, splitting open their cocoon of laughter and love. He glanced at the phone and stiffened before grabbing it and punching end call. He tapped the screen a couple more times.
“Sorry. I have it on do not disturb now.” He rolled his shoulders and settled back on the couch.
She nestled close, sensing some tension from the call remaining. Amanda placed her hand on his thigh, and he seemed to relax.
“That was fun,” she said, turning the DVR off when the credits started rolling.
“If you think that was fun…” He pulled her onto his lap and his phone rang. “Sorry. That’s Chris. I have an exception for his calls. I should take it. A parent, you know, when the kid calls this late.”
She didn’t know. Not really. Amanda scrambled off his lap with a dread that this was the end of their evening.
What she did know was that she still hadn’t told Eric she loved him.
“Hey, Chris. What’s up?” Eric glanced at her and tightened his fingers around the phone.
Her heart sank. From that and the set of his jaw, now wasn’t the time to make any declarations.
Chapter 13
“It’s not Chris.” Maya’s voice came over Eric’s phone. “Don’t hang up. Chris has been in a skiing accident. I tried to call you earlier. You hung up, and my later calls went to your voicemail. The hospital finally let me have his cell phone to reach you when you didn’t respond to their messages.”
“How bad is it?”
“Pretty bad, I think. He was unconscious when they took him to the hospital. He’s in surgery now. That’s all I know. They won’t tell me anything. I didn’t even know they’d taken him to the hospital until he didn’t show up at the condo when he should have.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat, but it only went as far as his chest. “And what was he doing skiing this late? It’s nearly midnight.” Eric needed something to hang his anger at himself on for not taking Maya’s call or checking his voicemail. He wasn’t even going to think about why Maya had been in the condo.
“The time difference,” Maya’s voice was subdued.
“You’re at the hospital?”
“Of course, I am.”
“Let them know I’ll call as soon as I have arrangements to be there unless you find out he’s out of surgery. Then, I want to talk to the surgeon. Make sure they have this number.”
“Okay.”
Eric hung up. “Chris was in a skiing accident. He’s in surgery. That’s all I know.” Amanda put her arms around his waist from the back while he fumbled with his phone to call his pilot. He dropped the phone and swore.
“Sit.” Amanda pushed him gently toward the couch, picked up the phone, and sat next to him. “What are you trying to do?”
“Call my pilot. But a commercial flight might be faster if Charleston has anything to Jackson Hole early.”
He watched Amanda’s fingers moving on his phone screen as he hadn’t been able to make his move.
“There’s one at 6:05 with seats in first class. It arrives in Jackson Hole about 12:30.”
He’d recovered enough of his wits to calculate how long it would take his pilot to get from Los Angeles here and to Jackson Hole. “That’s faster than I can do with my plane. Book a seat.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her a credit card and his license.
She took them and went to work. “All booked. When do you want to leave? I can swing by Mom’s so you can grab some clothes and stuff.”
“I’m ready now, but just take me to your mother’s. I’ll drive my bike. Have Jeff pick it up tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll take you. I insist. I can book another seat and come with you to Jackson Hole if you need me to.”
“Please don’t. The bike ride will get my head on straight like a car ride wouldn’t. I need to be there for Chris without a woman with me, even the woman I love with all my heart.”
“All right,” she said after a hesitation that seemed to last for minutes. “But promise me that you’ll call or text as soon as you get to the airport and when you get to the hospital.”
“I promise, and I love you all the more for understanding about Chris and my breaking our deal and not being here tomorrow...” He glanced at the clock. “Today to escort you to the gala.”
“Nonsense about breaking our deal. You’ve done so much more.” Amanda stood, took his hands, and pulled him to his feet to hug him tightly, her head resting on his chest. “So, so much more. I…”
She had to feel, hear his heart pounding against his chest wall as he waited for the words he’d been wanting to hear back from her.
She jumped up from the couch. “I’d better get you over to Mom’s.” The quiver in her voice and tremble of her lips spoke to him what her words hadn’t. They drove to Lisa’s in companionable silence.
“Here we are,” she said with false cheer when she pulled into her mother’s driveway.
He reached for the door handle and stopped. “Aren’t you going to walk me to the door?”
She looked at him, and he thought, don’t make me say it—say how much I need one more kiss to keep me going tonight.
“Where are my manners. Of course, I’m walking you to the door.”
He met her in front of the car. “I can’t make it all the way to the door.” He pulled Amanda into his arms propelled by the hunger on her face that matched the hunger in him. Their lips met in an equally sparked kiss. When he couldn’t get enough of her, he angled his lips for a better taste of her sweetness and lost himself until she squirmed in his arms.
“I don’t think we can get any closer,” she said.
Her words vibrated on his lips and then through him. He loosened his grip on her, and she looked up, her eyes shining.
“I love you, Eric Slade. So much.” She took his hands and squeezed them. “Safe travel.” She squeezed his hands again. “No speeding. Get some sleep in the VIP lounge at the airport. And take my love for you and my prayers for Chris with you.”
When she released him, he pressed his hand to his heart unable to do any more than bite his lip and nod to her before he went inside for his things. At the steps, he turned slightly, a request for her to drive him to Charleston on his lips. But she was in the car, no longer watching him. As if she couldn’t bear to see him go in as much as he couldn’t bear to have her leave.
He lifted his hand in a wave and started up the stairs with the sound of her engine humming behind him. As much as he wanted her with him, he knew she had responsibilities he shouldn’t expect her automatically to drop for him. She loved him. That was more than enough. But he still wanted to do something to help make up for him missing the gala.
The bike ride helped to center him, and the plane trip was uneventful. He slept most of the flight, and seven hours later he strode into the St. John’s Medical Center well rested, if not any less on edge about Chris. He went directly to information.
“I need information about Chris Slade.”
The woman behind the desk stared at him mute.
“I’m his father.”
“You’re, you’re Eric Slade.”
“Yes.” Hadn’t he just said that?
“He’s been moved to progressive care.” She gave him the room number and directions before picking up a pad and pen. “Could I …”
“Not now. Maybe later.” He turned and headed to the elevator, not caring if he’d been rude.
“Dad,” Chris said when he pushed open the door to the room.
“Chris.” His son didn’t look too bad, aside from the full leg cast, IV, and shadows under his eyes. “What happe
ned?”
Chris looked sheepish. “I was flying down the mountain, perfect snow. Then I wasn’t. I woke up here. You didn’t have to interrupt your plans and come.”
“Yes, I did.” Eric walked around the end of the bed to the visitor chairs and noticed Maya. He’d been so focused on checking on Chris, he hadn’t even noticed her. “What are you doing here?”
“She’s with me, Dad. I told you on the phone. I took care of things. Took her off your hands, so to speak.”
Eric glanced from his son to Maya. Chris was grinning. Maya looked more like she wished she could fall through the floor.
“I’ll let you two talk.” Maya rose. “But first. I apologize for stalking you. It was kind of my agent’s idea. Keep myself in front of you so you’d think of me for your next movie.”
“You need a new agent. Got a pen and paper?”
She produced them from her bag, and Eric wrote something. “My agent. Contact her tomorrow. I’ll text her today to expect your call.”
“Thank you.” She stepped forward with her arms out as if to hug him and stopped.
Eric opened his arms and gave her a fatherly hug. “No more stalking,” he admonished.
“No more stalking. Promise. Not that pursuing you was hard. You’re pretty hot for an older guy, but I prefer Chris. We have more in common.”
Eric willed himself not to laugh. She sounded so serious.
“Isn’t she something?” Chris asked after she left.
“Yeah, she’s something.” As long as she was Chris’s something.
Amanda’s cell phone rang, and she dashed downstairs from laying out her things for the gala at her mother’s house, where they were getting ready together.
It might be Eric. She hadn’t heard from him since his voicemail early this morning saying he’d arrived safely in Charleston. Had it only been this morning that he’d had to rush off. The phone stopped ringing. It seemed longer. She checked her call log. It had been Eric. Amanda pressed his number to return the call.
“Hey beautiful,” he answered, knocking her a little off kilter.
“Hello handsome.” She recovered.
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