by Eunice Hart
“No one you don’t already know. I’m pretty much an open book on the most part. You already know where I work. And that I’m a single mom with an angel of a daughter.” She tapped her chin as though in thought, then snapped her fingers. “Oh, and you’ve seen me sing. I think we should talk about you instead. What dirty secrets are you hiding behind that gorgeous face of yours?”
A nervous titter escaped his lips. “Dirty secrets? What are you talking about?” A sudden image of Elena reading about his playboy lifestyle on some secret blog flashed across his mind.
She let out a beautiful laugh. “I’m kidding, silly.”
He still couldn’t see why he was so bothered about how this woman saw him. She wasn’t rich or anything. She was pretty much the average Jane when it came to social status, no offense. Justin had dated women much wealthier and famous than Elena, but never once had he felt this worried about his image.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “What kind of stuff are you into? I mean, besides running companies and nearly running women over.”
“Are we still on that?”
“I’ll stop reminding you when I decide it’s enough,” she said with a smirk. “Now spill.”
Justin drummed his fingers on the table. “I like to travel, though I rarely ever do that these days. And I’m also a fan of music.”
That seemed to perk her interest. Elena sat up straighter in her seat. “Really? Are you into gospel music? Country? Rap, maybe?”
“Rap is for silly youngsters,” Justin said, making a face.
“You sound just like my mother.” She giggled. “You two would get along quite well.”
An eye-roll from him. “I prefer music from the 70’s. Reminds me of when I was a kid and my parents played the songs nonstop.”
“Oooh.” Elena nodded. “Any favorites?”
Justin thought for a moment. “Ever heard Redbone’s Come and Get Your Love? Or Sweet’s Fox on the Run? Ian Gillian’s Light My Fire?”
“I know the first two, but that last one? Not the slightest clue. I know a couple of other songs from the 70’s. Like Hooked on a Feeling.”
At this, she began to sing. She had quite a beautiful voice. He’d noticed it the night she sang at the bar. Even now, without the guitar to back her up, she sounded heavenly. Justin found himself gazing at her, entranced by her voice.
“…I can’t stop this feeling, deep inside of me…”
“Me neither,” Justin blurted, then gave himself a mental kick.
Elena stopped singing, her eyebrows raised. “What did you say?”
He hoped his face wasn’t turning red with embarrassment. Clearing his throat, he said, “Uh, I said, where’s the waiter?”
“Right here, monsieur,” said a voice, and the waiter appeared beside their table, bringing a cart laden with food to a stop. Muttering an apology for taking so long, he set the dishes onto the table and uncovered them.
“Caviar,” Elena muttered. “Mm, yummy.”
“Enjoy, monsieur, mademoiselle,” the waiter said, placing a bottle of wine before them and uncorking it, pouring each of them a glass. He bowed and left, pushing the cart as he walked. Justin and Elena dug in at the same time.
So how come you work at the bar? With a voice like that, I assume you should be hosting concerts around the country.”
She beamed. “Well, I’m more interested in singing than being famous. I do it because I like it. And the bar was a last resort my friends and I were pushed to.”
“Hmm?”
“I used to be a marketer,” she explained, reaching for her wineglass. “But I lost my job a couple of years after Madison was born. For a while, we struggled a lot, but eventually my friends and I pooled some money together to start a business of our own. We all lived happily ever after. The end.”
He grinned at her, impressed. Beautiful, smart, talented and hardworking. Could Elena get any more awesome than this?
Justin couldn’t remember ever being so interested in a date. Was something wrong with him?
With other women, he was usually impatient, his mind focusing on what would happen much later, when they were in his bedroom. Just how long did his date with Alicia Hargreaves last? About ten minutes. It had felt like ten years. But with Elena, it was different. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, of this date. For all he knew, they could have been sitting at this table for thirty minutes. It felt like they’d just gotten here.
Yep. Something was definitely wrong with him.
“Anyway,” Elena said, “Music has always been an escape for me. I’ve spent a lot of time composing songs and –”
Whatever she was going to say next, Justin never knew. At that moment, her phone buzzed and she fished it out of her bag. Mouthing an apology to him, she put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
Her eyebrows drew closer, then rose so suddenly they almost disappeared into her hair.
“She did what?”
Elena jerked to her feet nearly sending her chair crashing to the floor. Several heads swiveled in her direction. Justin shot her a look of concern and worry. What could possibly have happened that was making her act this way?
He rose to his feet slowly. “What’s wrong?” he wanted to know.
“I need to get to Madison’s school,” she said when she hung up. She was breathing hard and her eyes had grown wider.
“Why? Is she hurt?”
A humorless smile crossed her face. “Maddie’s not hurt. My little girl hurt someone.”
***
“I thought you said she was an angel?” Justin said. He looked as though he was trying not to laugh.
“Hardly,” Elena said with an eye-roll. “This is unlike Madison, though. Why would she punch anyone?”
The pair of them sat in the principal’s office at Maddie’s school, Elena tapping her feet impatiently. She had a million thoughts racing through her mind, but not one of them was very pleasant. To her right, Justin sat with his legs crossed, looking strangely calm. He stared at the desk before them, on which a plaque sat bearing the words MR GOLDMAN. The principal was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Madison.
Elena still couldn’t believe her daughter could do such a thing. Madison could be whiny at times, and there were moments when even her mother was annoyed by her antics. But violence? Where the hell had that come from?
Justin seemed to sense her discomfort. He laid a hand on hers, causing a tingle to race up her arm. “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine. I’m sure she had a good reason for doing what she did.”
Elena wasn’t so sure about that, but before she could tell him her thoughts, the door behind them swung open and a potbellied man sporting a bored expression and a suit walked in, followed by Madison. Her daughter looked miserable, but her face brightened a little when she laid eyes on Elena. When she spotted Justin, her eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.
The principal walked around the table and sank into his chair with a sigh. He motioned for Madison to sit in the chair to her mother’s left and stared at the table for a couple of seconds, twiddling his beefy thumbs.
“Well, Mr and Mrs. Matthews,” Mr Goldman began, “I’m sorry to have interrupted your day with such news, I really am. But I had to inform Madison’s parents as soon as I could.”
Mr and Mrs. Matthews? Elena felt her face grow hot enough to make lava feel like ice. This man thought she and Justin were married!
“Uh, we – we’re not married,” she said hurriedly.
The principal gave an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry. Miss Matthews, your daughter was involved in a fight at school. She reportedly punched two other students a while after recess. That kind of behavior –”
“It was the bullies, Mommy,” Madison whined beside Elena. “They came again, but I stood up to them.”
And then it hit her. Elena sank her head into her palms. “Oh, my God.”
“Miss Matthews?” Mr Goldman said. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s all my fault,” she tol
d him. “Madison kept complaining that she was getting bullied at school, so I told her to stand up to the bullies for a change. I wasn’t expecting her to hit anyone. I hope no one’s pressing charges? Were the boys hurt badly?”
“To answer both questions, no. Both boys are fine.” Mr Goldman leaned forward. “But Madison should have reported them to the authorities instead of taking matters into her own hands. That sort of behavior is highly inappropriate.”
“Well, if you ask me, bullying an innocent little girl is what I would term inappropriate behavior,” Justin said suddenly, causing everyone to look in his direction. “Madison was only defending herself. I hardly think that’s inappropriate. It’s bravery, in my opinion. Unless you have some other reason to think that young Madison should be punished for taking a stand.”
He stared at the man intently, and Mr Goldberg swallowed. “You can’t possibly assume that I’m reprimanding her because she’s of a different race –”
“Who said anything about race?” Justin’s tone was low, innocent, but there seemed to be lot of meaning in his words.
A bead of sweat rolled down the principal’s face. “I – I –”
“Think we’re done here?” Justin finished. He rose to his feet. “Good. I was thinking the same thing. Let’s go, girls.”
And, one by one, they left the office, leaving the dumbfounded principal in their wake.
Chapter 4
“You’re Not My Daddy.”
School hadn’t yet closed for the day, but they all headed out into the parking lot, Justin in the lead, making for the silver Mercedes. Elena watched him and felt a rush of emotion. She still couldn’t believe what he’d done back in the principal’s office. Turning the tables so they had the upper hand? That was pretty ballsy of him.
Ballsy and sweet, she thought with a small smile. She remembered how the principal had mistaken Justin to be Madison’s father and her smile broadened. Would he make a bad dad? She didn’t think so.
Madison tugged her arm to get her attention. “I’m sorry I hit those boys, Mommy,” she said. “I was just standing up to them.”
“It’s okay, honey,” Elena told her daughter, ruffling her hair. “I’m not mad at you.”
Really, did she have a valid reason to be mad at Madison? The girl had obviously been trying to defend herself. Even if she’d been on the offense, Elena would have no one to blame but herself. She was, after all, the one who told Madison to stand up to the bullies.
All in all, she was just glad to have all this behind them. She was rather dismayed that her date with Justin had to be cut short, though. She’d been hoping to spend a lot more time with him. It turned out the guy wasn’t just attractive. He was an interesting conversationist. And then there was the fact that he was interested in music, even though his taste lay somewhere in the Mesozoic Era.
Elena laughed at the thought as they walked. Justin reached the car first and pulled open the passenger door, motioning for Elena and her daughter to get in.
“Who are you, Mister?” Madison said suddenly. “You’re not my daddy.”
There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence. Both Elena and Justin blinked at each other. Elena could feel her face heating up again. Trust Madison to make things awkward for everybody.
“He’s a…friend of mine, Maddie,” Elena told her daughter. “Be nice. He drove me all the way here to see you.”
Madison frowned – maybe because of the sun, or maybe she was just frowning at Justin. “What’s his name?”
“I’m Justin,” Justin said before Elena could open her mouth in reply.
“That’s a nice name.”
“Not as nice as Madison.”
At this, Madison beamed and climbed into the passenger seat, scooting into the tiny backseat. Elena sank into the passenger seat and Justin closed the door. He went around the car and slid into the driver seat, pressing the button to start the car engine.
“Where are we headed?” he asked Elena.
She pressed her lips together. It would be nice to go to back to the bar, but they had Madison with them. And there was no way they were going back to the restaurant. Their date had pretty much been ruined already.
“Home,” was all she said.
***
They didn’t go home.
Not immediately, at least. Justin seemed to think it would be better for all three of them to have some fun first. He drove to the nearest ice cream parlor and ordered specials for all three of them. Madison’s was the largest. By the time they left the place, Madison was clutching a half-eaten cone, it was already evening.
Finally, the Mercedes slowed to a stop in front of the house.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” Justin commented, grinning at Elena.
“Thanks.” She climbed out of the car and waited for Madison to follow suit. She started to turn away, but a sudden thought occurred to her. To Justin, she said, “Could you wait here for a moment? I’ll be right back outside.”
She considered asking him to join them in the house, but decided against it. It was much too early for that. At least, that was what she thought.
Elena led Madison into the house and told her to get settled, then went back outside. She slid into the passenger seat and closed the door.
For a couple of moments, neither of them spoke. Then Elena broke the silence.
“I guess this is where I say goodnight,” she told him, rubbing her hands on her thighs. She smiled at him. “Thank you for showing me and my daughter a wonderful time.”
“It was my pleasure,” Justin said. “Though my stomach tells me I should stay away from ice cream for the next twenty years.”
Elena laughed. Then she did something that surprised even herself: she kissed him.
She’d figured locking lips with this man would feel like great, but this was something else. This was the seventh heaven. His lips were warm and surprisingly soft. When his hand came up to caress her cheek, Elena thought she would melt in the passenger seat.
They could have remained that way for an eternity and it still wouldn’t be enough. Elena was sorry when they broke apart, staring into each other’s eyes, their harsh breathing the only sounds that filled the car. It took her a couple of moments to remember that she and Justin weren’t the only ones in existence.
He blinked at her. “That was…”
“Unexpected,” she finished for him, feeling slightly foolish. “And totally uncalled for.”
“I was going to say marvelous,” Justin told her, smiling. “I’d like to do this again.”
“Me, too,” Elena replied, unsure whether she was referring to the kiss or the date. Or both. “Goodnight, Justin.”
“Goodnight, Elena.” His eyes were on her as she climbed out of the car and walked into the house. She didn’t hear the rev of his engine until shortly after she’d shut the front door.
She was practically bursting with emotion, though she tried not to show it. Her first date in years had gone more than well. She still couldn’t believe she’d actually kissed Justin in the car. What had caused her to do it? Elena wasn’t sure, but that didn’t really matter right now. Giselle and Martha were going to scream their heads off when she gave them a blow-by-blow of today’s date.
Later, she and Madison sat in the living room, Madison watching television, Elena writing lyrics in a book.
You took me high up to touch the stars,
To see the smiling face of Mars,
Now I don’t want to come down, honey,
I like it here, where it’s not lonely –
“Mommy?” Madison said suddenly.
Elena didn’t glance up from her book. “Hmm?”
“Is Justin your boyfriend?”
That was all it took to make her heart pound. She slammed the book shut and stared at her daughter like she had tentacles sprouting from her skin. Boyfriend? What could possibly have made Madison come up with that idea?
She gave a nervous laugh. “What makes you think he’
s my boyfriend?”
“I saw you kiss him.” Madison said it with the air of a child announcing that she had learned something new at school.
She’d been watching them? At this point, Elena would have loved to get mad at her daughter, but she was much too embarrassed. This was the last thing she wanted happening. She’d gone on a date with a great guy and enjoyed it, but she’d hadn’t expected her eight-year-old daughter to find out about it so soon!
Holy Christ. “Madison, Justin isn’t my boyfriend.”
“Then why did you kiss him?”
“I think that’s enough questions for now.”
Madison stared at her mother for a moment. Then she said, “Okay.”
That was the end of the conversation.
***
“You did what?”
Giselle’s voice filled the entire bar, resounding from the walls and causing nearly everyone present to jump. A couple of customers gave grunts and went on with what they were doing. Feeling her face burn, Elena lowered her head and focused on the counter she was wiping with a little rag.
“You don’t have to tell it to the whole world, you know,” she hissed at Giselle, who didn’t look the least apologetic.
Her friend waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, please, dear, no one knows what we’re talking about. So you did it? You actually kissed him?”
Less than twenty-four hours had lapsed since the last time Elena laid eyes on Justin – since she followed her gut and kissed him – and she’d already let the cat out of the bag. It wasn’t new for either of them to do something like that. Being closest of friends, they told one another pretty much everything, including the things no one needed to hear.
Elena couldn’t pretend that the kiss hadn’t done wonders to her mind. Ever since she’d locked lips with him, she’d barely been able to get the whole thing out of her mind. As if merely thinking about the hunk of a billionaire hadn’t been enough. Now she’d gone and made things worse for herself by kissing him.
He had enjoyed it, too, though. Elena remembered how he responded to the kiss, how he caressed her cheek and nearly made her panties wet with desire…
